Archives for “Trekking”
I’ve always marveled at how small retired NBA basketball and now actor John Salley’s ears are. Truth is I have small ears too – not as disproportionate as Mr. Salley’s who at 6’11″ has ears the size of nickels, but small nonetheless. Having small ears was never a big deal back when headphones were worn [...]
Not everyone needs an iPhone or even a smartphone for that matter. For many, the only functionality needed is good voice quality and the only feature required is reliability. Enter the Motorola Barrage, both uniquely feature-rich as well as durable and providing what I perceived to be above-average voice quality. Ideally suited for those who [...]
If you enjoy the outdoors all year long, even when it’s wet and cold, you have to prepare properly. When dressing for the winter leave the cotton at home – once wet it’s like a death blanket. Keep your head and neck covered and make sure you have adequate protection for your hands and feet [...]
For all you lucky recipients of an iPod Touch this holiday season, there’s a cool and useful accessory coming out later this year to keep an eye on. The XGPS300 iPod Touch GPS Cradle from Dual Electronics turns your iPod Touch into a fully-enabled GPS device. The XGPS300 includes a free turn-by-turn Navigation app NavAtlas, [...]
Using built in sensors, the Fitbit captures ‘three dimensional motion’ to provide insight as to the amount of activity and sleep you log each day. It compiles this data and based on your sex, height, weight and age calculates daily the amount of steps taken (reported to be 85-97% accurate), miles traveled, calories burned, calories [...]
In the Northeast the weather can change in an instant. This time of year temperatures fluctuate +/- 20° F almost daily. Being resistant to bad weather is important in these parts (I see kids in t-shirts at the bus stop in January), being prepared for bad weather is vital. Mountain Hardwear, a manufacturer of innovative [...]
I’ve taken your standard hand-held Sony camcorder on many hell-runs down steeps or through glades and only broke one camera. This point of view (POV) filming let’s me relive snowboarding in the off season, reminding me of favorite lines… and the one camera I ruined. Was it a rock or a root I hit? I [...]
Surfing in the Summer is quick and easy; boardies, rash guard and off you go. The only problem is there’s nowhere to stash a key (which in wetsuit season goes behind my calf). Surfers, runners, bikers, anyone who drives somewhere to get a workout has to hide their keys in the wheel well or under [...]
For almost a quarter century, Kinetic watches have kept themselves wound by converting movement into energy. As of 2007, over eight million Kinetic watches have been sold and the notion of harvesting energy from movement is becoming even more popular today with a new generation of what are called Nanogenerator devices. Nanogenerators have the ability [...]
Growing up, I was always a fan of The Hulk cartoons and TV show. My cousin Joe Harnell wrote the theme song for the TV show (song title: ‘The Lonely Man‘) and was kind enough to send me an autographed picture of himself, as well as Bill Bixby and an enraged Lou Ferrigno as the [...]
I always thought it would be cool to roll around in my red Kenworth Semi with my best pal Bear the chimp. Fantasies of BJ McKay aside, having a primate for a best friend maybe isn’t as cool as I imagined. Not only is hurling feces around uncool, but ever since Travis the chimp attacked [...]
I’ve owned a Suunto Observer for years, a gift from the wife and I love it. With it I can tell which direction I’m headed, altitude, barometric pressure, temperature and of course the time. While somewhat bulky, it is still stylish IMHO and once configured performs well. Timex will start shipping the Timex® Expedition® WS4™ [...]
For the past week or so I’ve been hosting back-to-back canine cabin crashers. First I watched my parent’s Wheaten Terrier and now I have my sister-in-law’s black lab (side note – the gassiest dog in the universe). Being a dog lover and not having a dog since my yellow lab Magic passed on St. Pats [...]
Man vs. Wild star Bear Grylls is no doubt a surviver. Consumption of live snakes, sheep’s eyeballs, decomposing Zebra, still-warm Yak livers and worse, but a man’s gotta eat! He free-solos cliffs, wrestles wild beasts, drinks from elephant dung… face it, the man survives. Certainly Bear doesn’t need to risk life and limb by down-climbing [...]
When the Nike+ system came out a few years ago I had a hard time buying one for myself since I had just purchased my second Garmin Forerunner. But clever me, I magnanimously bought one for my wife, also a runner, for our 10th anniversary. I like to run with music, but early-on Nike announced [...]
It’s been a while since we’ve written a survival post. To be honest, it’s been a while since we’ve written any post, but that’s the price we pay when working for the man. Survival situations are essentially wort-case scenarios. How you play them out is often times a matter of life and death. A site [...]
Mountain Hardware’s Red Savina Heated Glove reacts to the temperature of the hand to maintain a comfortable climate. The light and flexible heating layer is housed in a protective polyurethane film within the glove. The system is made up of three lightweight, low profile and flexible lithium polymer batteries, each weighing about a quarter ounce [...]
Timex has introduced a few watches that allow the wearer to control their iPod. The Timex Ironman iControl and Timex Midsize Ironman iControl communicate to a receiver plugged into the iPod (like the Nike+ device). Not only aesthetically pleasing, the iControl watches have resin wrist bands to ensure they stay put and resist damage from [...]
Fire, shelter and water are essential in any terrestrial survival situation. When it comes to fire there is an art to getting one started with available resources (sticks, glass, flint, etc). Shelter is a little easier if you know where and how to create it. Potable water is perhaps the most elusive of the three, [...]
The Potenco Pull-Cord Generator (PCG) looks like a deranged Yo-Yo with a mouth piece. But put it in the palm of one hand and with your other pull the cord and you’re a one man or woman power plant. The PCG can charge your cell phone, radio, camera, GPS, PDA and other portable battery-powered devices [...]
OK gadeteers, here is one geeks top 10 wish list for Xmas ’07. Post your own in the comments. 1. Freebord – ride a skateboard like a snowboard? A center wheel (like the one found on a ) allows you to ease off the traditional skateboard wheels – much like easing off an edge. Want [...]
I’ve always liked capturing footage of me and my friends skating, boarding, jumping, etc. A couple of early jackasses ourselves, Jay and I have footage from the mid-1980s of falling to frozen earth from 10 feet off a half pipe. OK, actually Jay is the one who bailed and I merely zoomed in on his [...]
Many climatologists and armchair experts have stated that geographically, the only reliable part of the country to run a ski operation 25-50 years from will be at altitudes found only in parts out West. Does this mean it will not snow in New England in 25-50 years? Probably not, but with global warming who the [...]
October is International Walk to School Month. Taking-on childhood obesity is a noble and worthwhile effort. If your kids struggle with weight they need to be encouraged to exercise. Visit the International Walk to School Month Web site and organize walks in your neck of the woods. John F. Kennedy famously said “We are under [...]
