2010 › May

Photo of the Day (05.03.10)

by Mike Barish on

Many years ago, I went to a baseball game that started at 1:05pm. I arrived at noon to avoid the crowds, get something to eat and enjoy the afternoon sun. When I arrived, a very intoxicated man was getting thrown out of the stadium for making a scene. I was impressed horrified that he could get so drunk so early in the day. He wasn’t just buzzed. This was a man who had clearly started drinking early in the morning with the intent to show off his knowledge of curse words. I never really understood getting that drunk at sporting events. After paying for tickets, parking, food and souvenirs, it’s an incredibly expensive activity. I want to enjoy that investment and not spend my money on bad $7 beer.

That’s why I love this photo by Flickr user ncarling. There’s something serene about it. It’s as if everyone there truly cares about the game and its outcome. Well, of course they do. They’re Cubs fans. Every year holds the promise of forgetting the past and finally celebrating a championship. I just hope that they celebrate responsibly. Getting drunk is expensive.

Have a picture of a sporting event or other large gathering of people behaving (or misbehaving)? Submit your travel images to Gadling’s Flickr group right now and we might use it for a future Photo of the Day

SeaWorld offers $5 admission for kids

by Leigh Caldwell on

SeaWorld theme parks in Orlando, San Antonio and San Diego are offering $5 one-day tickets for kids now through Dec. 31, 2010.

To get the $5 deal, you need to buy a full-priced adult admission for each discounted kid’s ticket you purchase. Adult tickets are $69 in San Diego, $58.99 in San Antonio and $78.95 in Orlando.

And you’ll have to buy the cheap tickets online in advance; they aren’t available at the park gate.

The SeaWorld $5 tickets are good for kids ages 3 to 12. That’s unusual, because the cut-off for a child’s ticket at many parks is age 9. That’s right, theme parks typically consider your 10 year old an adult. Kids under 3 years old get free admission.

What’s more, that $5 goes to doing some good in the world. SeaWorld says 100 percent of the proceeds from the discounted tickets will go to wildlife conservation projects.

Daily Pampering: Hollywood-inspired spa treatments at Claridge’s in London

by Melanie Nayer on

The Spa at Claridge’s in London is debuting a new spa treatment menu inspired some of Hollywood’s finest. The new treatments, created for both men and women, take their queue from some of our most notable icons, like Clark Gable and Grace Kelly.

In one of the three treatment rooms at The Spa at Claridge’s, choose one of the many new offerings including the “The Grace Kelly” treatment – a 1-hour cellular facial, a manicure, pedicure and a light lunch; or the “Clark Gable”, which comes complete with a 1-hour deep-tissue massage, 1-hour cellular facial catered toward the men. Additional treatments include:

“The Fred Astaire” – a personal training session, facial, back massage
“The Vivien Leigh” – a back massage, facial, manicure with “Miss Scarlett” polish, an eyebrow clean-up and Darjeeling tea.

Claridge’s, the iconic Art Deco landmark in Mayfair, has been a destination of choice for discerning travelers and Hollywood’s elite. The hotel features luxurious rooms and suites, the legendary Claridge’s Bar and Fumoir Bar, and is located in the heart of Mayfair, steps away from London’s best boutiques and restaurants.

Want more? Get your daily dose of pampering right here.

Nokia Ovi App Wizard lets you build (and sell) your own mobile Applications

by Scott Carmichael on

Have you ever searched a mobile app store, only to discover that the news app you were looking for has not yet been made? Well, if you have a Nokia device with access to the Ovi store, you are in luck – just make your own app.

The Nokia Ovi App Wizard takes content from any RSS feed, and turns it into a fully customized application. The RSS feed can come from a blog, Twitter feed or even from Youtube.

Once you sign up (free), you can design the App in a matter of minutes (like I did here on the right), and at the end, you can instantly publish it to the Ovi store.

You can keep the app free, or pick a price for your application (starting at 1 Euro), and whether you want to sell it in all 180 countries with their own Ovi store or just keep it local.

If you don’t want to charge for your app, you can still make a few bucks by including advertising from a variety of ad providers.

From registration to completion took me less than 5 minutes. Once you are done, you submit your app to the Ovi Store for verification, and within a day it’ll be available.

Want to build your own Nokia Ovi app? Head on over to the Ovi App Wizard, and share your work in the comments section!

Making your own message in a bottle

by Sean McLachlan on

You’ve probably already heard the story of Olivier Vandewalle, a Belgian who in 1977 at the age of 14 threw a message in a bottle into the sea while sailing off the south coast of England. Lorraine Yates found it 33 years later on a beach at Swanage, England. Figuring the address Olivier included was out of date, she tracked him down on Facebook.

While 33 years is an impressive time, it’s nowhere near the Guinness World Record for a bottle being at sea. The record holder was cast adrift in 1914 and recovered 92 years later in 2006.

A message in a bottle is a romantic way to call out to the world (just ask Sting) and a fun way to kill some time on the beach, but if you want your message to last, it’s best to follow some simple rules. Olivier used a wine bottle with a cork and his father insisted he seal it with “candle grease”, by which he probably means melted wax. This is important because a cork will decay much more quickly in salt water if it isn’t protected by a wax seal. One writer suggests using a bottle with a screw cap but it’s doubtful it would stay waterproof for long as it expands and contracts with temperature changes. A cork will absorb a tiny amount of moisture and expand in the neck of the bottle to make a snug fit, which is why they’re used in the first place.

Opinions differ on how to put the message inside. When I chucked my own bottle into the sea off the coast of South Carolina back in the early 80s, I wrote the message on the outside of the rolled-up paper. I included my address (now long out of date) and a request to write me and throw the bottle back into the sea. I hoped to get a whole series of responses. That hasn’t happened and I don’t think I’ll last long enough to break the world record. On further reflection I’m thinking that if my bottle is still floating out there, the sun shining through the glass has probably made my message fade away, so it’s best to put the message on the inside of the roll of paper. Sealing the message in a plastic bag is also a good idea.

One writer suggests using a clear bottle because the message be more noticeable. Wine bottles are best because they float well and have that classic look. Gadling blogger Jamie Rhein used a wine bottle for her message and got a response.

If you want to keep your message in a bottle, here are some tips on making it look old and weathered, just like it had been in the sea for years. Or if you want a bigger craft project, make a boat out of plastic bottles.