ByMike Moffit

Dear Friends,

I have one very tough wife. Grace got into a motorcycle crash last week when a couch fell out of a pick-up truck and the minivan in front of her slammed on her brakes. She slid on the Victory Vision tip-over protectors and smashed into the minivan going 50MPH. She walked away from that accident to my great relief and with only a few scrapes and bruises. The motorcycle didn’t fare so well and was totaled. If you want a testimony about wearing motorcycle helmets and coats, you need go no further.

That was on Saturday; on Sunday, we went to the Shelburne Museum Goes to the Dogs celebration and then went Apple picking, too. The event was a lot of fun, especially as I looked around and saw gatherings of specific breeds. Fantail Shrimp hung out with a bunch of other Pomeranians for a while and they were all barking. Hammerhead met a few other English Bulldogs and everywhere you looked, there were gatherings of dogs and their humans.

Construction and hiring continues in Manchester for our new store, and the first advertisements have been placed are are appearing at events and on NH Public Radio. As the time gets shorter, we are working hard to get everything ready for our grand opening on October 9th. Many of the new Manchester staff are in Vermont this week training at our Waitsfield and S. Burlington stores.

The jury is still out for me on my long-term Magic Mouse vs. Magic Trackpad tests. I have put the mouse in the drawer and used just the pad before, but as I glance at my desk now, I have both active—depending upon what I am doing, I grab one or the other. If I am scrolling a lot or looking at photos, I prefer the Magic Trackpad; if I am managing my email, it is the Magic Mouse. Who knows—maybe I’ll just keep ‘em both handy.

We are starting to get the new iPods in this week and I am very amazed at the whole line. I think the iPod touch is the best iPod ever and one of the most innovative products to come from Apple. The new iPod nano is so sweet. I need one for my motorcycle for sure. We have a great line-up for the upcoming holiday season. The iPad and iPods will join a very powerful family of Macs for a great selection of holiday gifts this year!

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  • Garage Sale: Ends Next Friday, 9/24

    Over the next week, we are adding items and dropping prices in our Famous Garage Sale as we prepare for our end-of-year inventory!

    We have limited Apple items, including a *16GB Pink nano, 17-inch Apple batteries, an AirPort Extreme Base Station* and more (they’ll go fast!). Plus, lots of *ink cartridges, cases for iPhone 3G, nano 4Gs and 5Gs* (from Incipio, Speck, Simplism and more), and overall, dozens of iPod accessories at *over 50% – 90% off most items (and lots under our cost), with many items under $5!*

    *Orders will be taken online only via our website, and there are no phone orders permitted.* Get ’em while they’re hot.

    See the “Garage Sale page here.”:http://www.smalldog.com/garagesale

  • Small Dog at the NH Highland Games!

    We’re going to be at the “New Hampshire Highland Games Saturday and Sunday.”:http://www.nhscot.org This is the largest Scottish Heritage festival in the Northeast. Our own Hapy Mayer (who has zero Scottish heritage as far as I know) will be competing in the Heavy Athletics department, which includes events such as stone throw, caber toss, weights for distance, weight for height, hammer throw and more. Basically it’s sturdy men in tartan skirts (I mean kilts) lifting, carrying and throwing heavy objects. That’s Hapy in the photo carrying the boulders.

    Our PR partners at “PMG Public Relations”:http://www.peoplemakinggood.com will be at our table, giving away free samples of the timelessly tasty Walkers Shortbread.

    We’ll be giving away small plastic dogs, coupons, a calendar of events for our grand opening in Manchester, answering Mac questions, and running a drawing for a 27-inch iMac.

    If you’re in the area, please come say hi at our table! I’ll be there in my Scottish football jacket. My heritage is largely Scottish, so I declare it my right to enjoy the scotch tastings that will be happening later in the day. That’s my kind of heavy competition.

  • TopTen.plist #5: The Most Addictive iOS Games

    If you’re easily sidetracked, especially at work, feel free to stop reading here. The following list contains some of the most addictive games that we’ve been able to uncover in the App Store’s massive library. Though the list contains a few mainstays, it is also peppered with a couple of indie games which have flown under the radar. The best thing about the majority of these titles is that they are all available for under $5, yet offer almost limitless replay value. Whether you’ve got a long business trip ahead of you, or you’re just looking to throw off you sleep schedule, give these addictive apps a try!

    The first five apps are listed below. “Click here to see the top ten on our Blog, Barkings!”:http://blog.smalldog.com/article/toptenplist-5-the-most-addictive-ios-games/

    *10. Super Mega Worm:*

    One of the more violent games on the list also happens to be the most ridiculous. Super Mega Worm features retro inspired gameplay that harkens back to the 8 and 16 bit glory days. Featuring an absurd storyline meshed with tight and addictive gameplay, this app deserves a spot on the list based on premise alone. *$0.99*

    Super

    *9. Mega Jump:*

    What some have written off as a Doodle Jump clone is actually a great game of its own. Though it does feature a similar play mechanic, Mega Jump’s graphics are more detailed and its gameplay is deeper. Players are given a range of characters to choose from, and jump their way through colorful power-up laden stages. *Free*

    Mega

    *8. Mini Gore:*

    This addictive shooter features some of the most inspired 3D graphics in the App Store. Players fend of enemies with a variety of different weapons in lush, well animated environments. The protagonist John Gore is deceivingly cute, but packs a serious punch. The play style of this game is oriented around short sessions, so it’s perfect if you’ve got five minutes to kill. *$0.99*

    Minigore

    *7. Ramp Champ:*

    The Iconfactory’s take on skee-ball is a gorgeous and well designed app. The game offers a variety of different stages which all feature 3 goals of varying difficulty. Depending on the number of points scored per round, players receive a certain number of tickets. Tickets can be redeemed for a range of different in-game prizes. It’s just like the arcade! Except without that creepy guy emptying the quarters out of the machines. *$1.99*

    Ramp

    *6. Paper Toss:*

    Perhaps the game with the simplest concept on the list, Paper Toss is among the most addictive. If you’ve ever tried to make a basket in the office trash bin then you already know what I’m talking about. Though this game does bear some endorsements, the limited ads are worth it for the price! *Free*

    Paper

    Again, these are just the first five apps “Click here to see the top ten on our Blog, Barkings!”:http://blog.smalldog.com/article/toptenplist-5-the-most-addictive-ios-games/

    Do you have a favorite game that we missed? Feel free to share by adding a comment to the blog!

  • MAC TREAT #136: Quick Search in Safari

    I’m a bit of a self-proclaimed “shortcut nut.” Whether increasing my own productivity or just wowing my friends (though they’re never really that impressed), I’m always looking for ways to ditch the mouse and keep my fingers dancing across the keys. I most recently discovered this useful Safari tip which saves the trip to the URL bar, and even allows for a quick search of Google, Bing, or Yahoo.

    Though the command is simple, it can boost your productivity ever so slightly. Upon opening a new Safari window, or from any currently open page, Simply Press: *Command-L*. Notice that the URL field in the top of the browser glows blue allowing you to enter a new web address. You can take this tip one step further by pressing *Tab*, which jumps your cursor over to the dedicated search field in the upper right.

    Keep in mind that this tip will only work as long as the URL and search fields aren’t already selected. After perfecting this trick, you should be able to get where you’re going in just a few keystrokes! If you are looking for something in a hurry, don’t hesitate to give this tip a try!

  • Artie and I are heading down to Nashua in my pick-up truck to get the wrecked motorcycle on Saturday. Sunday is the 20th Anniversary of Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility and what is more appropriate to celebrate, but a party?!

    We will have live music and food at the Monitor Barn in Richmond, VT. VBSR is the largest socially responsible business organization in the USA (not per capita–just the largest); its 1300 members represent about 15% of Vermont’s employees and over $3.5 Billion in revenue.

    Thank you for reading this issue of Kibbles & Bytes!

    Your Kibbles & Bytes team,
    _Don, Kali, Ed & Ben_