2010 › May

Daily gear deals – $13 luggage scale, free iPhone cases and more

by Scott Carmichael on

Here are the hottest gear deals for today, Sunday, May 16th 2010. Remember, these deals are often valid for just one day, so act fast before they are gone.

Today’s first deal is for a portable charging pouch. The pouch can charge four devices at the same time, off a single outlet. Included in the package are power tips for the iPod/iPhone, Mini and MicroUSB as well as Samsung and LG phones. On sale for $17.97. Click here for this deal.

Next up is a 2-pack of iPhone (3G/3GS) cases with a hidden wallet – with these cases, you can protect your phone, and carry a backup credit card or cash. Best of all, these cases are free – but you’ll need to pay $4.99 to have them shipped. Click here for this deal.

Today’s third deal is for a Targus Netbook accessories kit – for $19.99, you get a netbook sleeve, travel mouse and mini USB hub. Click here for this deal.

And finally in today’s lineup is the Taylor digital luggage scale. This is one of the smallest luggage scales on the market – just strip it to your bag, lift, and weigh. Prevent nasty surprises at the airport. On sale for $12.99. Click here for this deal.

Canadian Club launches new “hide a case” adventure

by Kraig Becker on

From 1967-1991 Canadian Club, makers of variety of fine whiskeys, ran a legendary ad campaign in which they hid cases of their finest blends in iconic, often remote, places around the world. Print ads, which ran in popular newspapers and magazines invited the public to go on a quest to find those cases, setting up treasure hunts in such exotic places as Loch Ness, Kilimanjaro, and the Great Barrier Reef. The ad campaign was so popular, that fans often hit the road for the sole purpose of finding those hidden cases, some of which remain hidden yet today.

Starting tomorrow, Monday, May 17, Canadian Club will re-launch this popular campaign, adding a new twist for the digital age. The search for the hidden case will begin at HideACase.com where the first of a series of online clues, games, and challenges will be posted. Those challenges will continue for the next six weeks, with the whiskey manufacturer continuing to release new clues and trivia questions to the public on a regular basis. Solving those clues and doing well in the online games will earn competitors points and rankings.

The top scorers will be invited to continue to Round 2, where they’ll be asked to submit a video stating why they should be allowed to join the treasure hunt. A panel of judges, and the general public, will vote on who they feel are the most deserving candidates, with the top eight continuing on to the final stage of the competition. Those eight competitors will then go on an international adventure that will give them the opportunity to find one of the original cases and win $100,000.

To get in on the fun, point your browser to HideACase.com and start solving the puzzles and putting together the clues. If you do well enough, you could join the adventure of a lifetime and take part in the Race for the Case.

Untitled from Stephen Bowles on Vimeo.

Here comes the ash again!

by Sean McLachlan on

Airports in parts of Northern Ireland have shut down due to the latest ash cloud from Iceland’s infamous Eyjafjallajökull volcano. The main airport affected is Belfast, which will remain closed until at least 1pm local time. Ronaldsway airport on the Isle of Man is also closed.

A large cloud of ash is headed southeast from Iceland and is predicted to affect airports across the UK and the Republic of Ireland on Monday and Tuesday. If winds continue as predicted, the cloud should be out of UK airspace by Wednesday, but of course the winds could always shift back towards the UK and with the eruption showing no signs of abating, travelers could be in for another major headache.

The UK’s Met Office has produced a handy and somewhat depressing series of charts predicting the movement of the ash cloud.

Meanwhile, vulcanologist Dr. Dougal Jerram from Durham University said Eyjafjallajökull could keep erupting for several months. Vulcanologists are also worried about Eyjafjallajökull’s sister volcano Katla, which is much bigger than Eyjafjallajökull and usually erupts within a year of Eyjafjallajökull erupting.

Travelers should have figured out by this point to check ahead before going to the airport, but it bears repeating.

Photo of the Day (5.15.2010)

by Catherine Bodry on


I look at this photo and I think, “yes, please.” Not only would I like to be witnessing this scene, I also want to splash around in some muddy water on a hot day like this. Don’t these elephants look all slick and refreshed? Adametrnl took this photo at the Pinewala Elephant Orphanage in Sri Lanka, where, he says, the elephants are taken to the river twice a day to bathe and cool off.

Do you have any photos that might inspire us to roll around in the mud? Post them to Gadling’s Flickr pool and we might select it for our Photo of the Day feature!

Jessica Watson completes round-the-world sail

by Kraig Becker on

16-year old Jessica Watson completed her solo, non-stop, circumnavigation of the globe earlier today, sailing into Sydney Harbor, while hundreds of Australians cheered, and thousands more watched on television. Jessica set out from Sydney last October, and has spent the last seven months navigating the high seas. By returning to the place she started on Saturday, she has become the youngest person to sail alone, unassisted, and without stopping, around the world.

Those seven months at sea offered plenty of challenges for Jessica and her 30-foot ship, the Ella’s Pink Lady. At times she faced massive storms, high winds, and 30-foot swells, as she covered more than 23,000 nautical miles in her journey. Her voyage took her briefly north of the equator before sailing through the treacherous waters around South America’s Cape Horn and Africa’s Cape of Good Hope. Even her return home has been a challenging one, with storms near Tasmania slowing her progress and keeping an element of danger even in the final days.

Despite her amazing journey however, there are many who refuse to recognize her claim on the record of the youngest to sail around the world. For instance, the World Sailing Speed Record Council has set a minimum age of 18 as a requirement for a record to be officially recognized. Other long time sailors say that Jessica’s route was not long enough to be officially recognized either, saying that another 2000 miles would need to be added to compare it to similar feats done in the past. To achieve those extra miles, Jess would have had to spend more time in the Northern Hemisphere.

Jessica’s closest competition for the “youngest around” title was American Abby Sunderland, who is also 16-years old, and a few months younger than her Aussie counterpart. Abby was recently forced to pull into shore in Cape Town, South Africa to under go repairs to her ship, and by doing so, she removed the “non-stop” element from her voyage. Abby will continue on her solo sail however, saying she is as determined as ever to finish what she has started.

Regardless of whether or not the accomplishments of these two young women are seen as a record of any kind, their adventurous spirits are something to be recognized and celebrated. Congratulations to Jessica for her amazing accomplishment, and good luck to Abby on the rest of her journey as well.