SkyMall Monday: The Wovel

by Mike Barish on

Here on the East Coast, SkyMall Monday headquarters is being bombarded by a blizzard. Thankfully, our New York City location means that we don’t have to do any of the shoveling. However, for millions of people who have to keep their driveways, walking paths, sidewalks and outdoor dance floors clean and snow-free, storms like this create hours of backbreaking labor. Shoveling snow can cause back pain, frostbite and, sadly, cardiac episodes. However, you can’t just ignore the snow because you’re scared of dealing with it. Eventually, you’ll need to dig yourself out. How can you do that safely? Other than paying some neighborhood kids to do a half-assed job or borrowing your obnoxious neighbor’s snow blower and then having to owe him a favor that he will inevitably redeem when he wants an invitation to your annual bathing suit-optional pool party, what options do you have? Well, now, thanks to SkyMall, you can shovel your driveway safely using the powers of physics. Throw out of your measly shovels and get ready for the Wovel.Few things work as well in the snow as wheels. Slippery conditions mixed with thick, wet snow are ideal for a single thin wheel. The Wovel’s ability to pivot also allows the shoveler to shower himself with snow, which is perfect for reenacting everyone’s favorite scene from Flashdance. What could possibly go wrong?

Think that there’s nothing wrong with old-fashioned shovels? Believe that a giant wheel is bound to struggle in deep snow? Curious how one might store this device in a crowded garage all year long? Well, while you’re stuck inside your house asking yourself rhetorical questions, I hope you’ll find time to read the product description:

At first glance, the Wovel might appear to the layperson to be a novel-looking device counterintuitive to effective snow removal. In fact, the Wovel is an elegant and efficient design based on two of the oldest and most commonplace scientific principles ever put into use: the wheel and the lever…The Wovel (rhymes with shovel) is the safe alternative to shoveling. Now, with virtually no effort, you can throw snow without twisting or lifting.

Actually, at first glance it looks like a shovel and a wheelbarrow had a baby after a drunken night in the tool shed. I must agree, however, that it is elegant. It’s all-black design makes it perfect for formal affairs from weddings to cotillions.

As snow blankets us, let’s make sure that we’re prepared for the worst. Stock your pantries with canned goods, plug in all of your electric blankets and make sure that you shovel – er, I mean Wovel – safely.

UPDATE: Learn exactly how to use the Wovel (hint: it’s all about the wrist snap) using this instructional video (thanks to Meg Nesterov for finding this).

Check out all of the previous SkyMall Monday posts HERE.

East coast flight delays continue, tensions rise

by Grant Martin on

Snowgasm™ 2010 continues in earnest today, as hundreds of flights across the eastern seaboard are canceled, rerouted and shuffled together, resulting in thousands of passengers stranded at airports and howling with rage.

It’s a lose-lose situation for the passengers and airlines, as underpowered air carriers try to manage a massive influx of rebooked fares and confusion reigns. Here at Gadling Labs we’ve been rebooking fellow travelers left and right, and the exasperation that we hear on the phone and among passengers is extraordinary. Just last night a colleague needed to be rebooked from Birmingham, AL to NYC and had to accept a flight three days later due to oversold and canceled flights.

Several community blogs including travelsmartblog have published tips and solace for stranded passengers, but as in all weather disasters, rebooking and organization take time. Our advice? Settle in, find a wall outlet, get some snacks and call the airline for rebooking: it’s going to be a long few days. Here are the numbers you need for rebooking.

American Airlines: 800-433-7300
Delta Airlines: 800-221-1212
Continental Airlines: 800-300-1547
Southwest: 800-I-FLY-SWA
United: 800-864-8331
Virgin America: 877-359-8474

[image via Wikipedia Commons]

Another fatal Disney bus accident

by Leigh Caldwell on

There’s word this morning that a tourist has been killed at Walt Disney World. The 69-year-old Massachusetts man was in the parking lot at the Port Orleans Resort when he stepped into the path of a Disney bus.

It appears that the bus driver was not at fault and will not be charged. There were passengers on the bus at the time, and none of them were injured. This marks at least the fourth Disney bus accident this year at Walt Disney World, including one in April that killed a 9-year-old boy.

Earlier this year, there were concerns that a computer dispatching system on board the Disney buses, dubbed “Magic in Motion,” was a distraction for the drivers, though none of the earlier crashes this year was attributed to the driver being distracted.

Disney acted anyway and altered the system this summer so that the drivers cannot interact with it unless the bus is at a complete stop.

The Florida Highway Patrol is still investigating last night’s crash, and I’m sure that Disney will conduct its own internal investigation, as well. If there are safety problems found, they need to be corrected.

But it’s also time to examine Disney guests’ behavior on vacation.

Disney’s bus system is extensive. In fact, it’s larger than the city bus systems in nearby Orlando and Tampa. The highway system and parking lots there are also extensive – there are 40 square miles to cover and hundreds of thousands of cars travel the roads each day.

Yet, I continually see distracted people in “vacation mode,” pushing strollers through parking lots while their face is in a guidebook or map, children running off unattended in parking lots and, yes, people darting out in front of buses and cars and not using crosswalks.

So, don’t forget your common sense and safety rules when you go on vacation. While much of Walt Disney World is about the illusion – the “magic” – those are real cars and buses driving around the roads and parking lots.

[Image credit: Flickr user Darren Wittko]

Bonus daily gear deal: 40% off Aviiq – the worlds thinnest laptop stand

by Scott Carmichael on

Looking for a better way to use your laptop on the road? The Aviiq laptop stand passed through the Gadling review labs back in October, and left us very impressed. Of course, the $79.99 price tag may not be appealing for everyone, which is why we’ve teamed up with Aviiq to provide a fantastic way to knock 40% off the price.

On the Aviiq site, click the “add to cart” button, and apply coupon code 10-TUV-03-MB-PC. With this code applied to your cart, the price will drop from $79.99 down to $47.97.

Trust us when we say that this is the best portable gadget you can get for your laptop – when folded, the Aviiq stand is absolutely tiny, adding next to no weight to your bag. Aviiq provides a 30 day money back guarantee on their products, making your purchase risk-free.