Follow Crossword Puzzle Editor Will Shortz Through Alaska This Week

by Grant Martin on

You might know Will Shortz from his work at The New York Times editing the daily crossword puzzle or maybe from his work on NPR as the puzzlemaster on Weekend Edition. Where you probably don’t know him is from the table tennis community.

In his second, or maybe third life, Mr. Shortz is, in fact, an avid table tennis player, and even owns his own club in upstate New York. He and his friend and colleague Robert Roberts manage the Westchester Table Tennis Center, spending their time organizing and hosting tournaments and developing the local community.

They take their hobby on the road as well, from puzzle tournaments to club visits around the planet, and this year Will plans to play (and film) 365 straight days of table tennis. As part of that effort, he’s agreed to take Gadling on the road for a week of his journey as he and Robert travel across Alaska. They’ll be leaving this afternoon, the fifth of June for their weeklong trip, and during the effort they’ll provide daily Vines documenting their journey across the nation’s largest state.

Check back daily for a slice of Will and Robert’s trip across Alaska, or you can follow along at the link here.

US National Trail System Expands By 650 Miles

by Kraig Becker on

Last week – just in time for National Trails Day – newly appointed U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell announced the designation of 28 new National Recreation Trails located in 18 states across the country. These new additions offer a wide variety of experiences for outdoor enthusiasts while adding an additional 650 miles to the existing U.S. National Trail System.

Being granted National Recreation Trail status indicates that a particular route plays an important role in linking communities to public lands and local parks for recreational purposes. There are now over 1200 trails that hold that distinction across the U.S., covering a distance of more than 15,000 miles through a variety of environments and terrains. Many of those trails also hold particular historic or environmental significance above and beyond their ability to connect us with the outdoors.

Some of the trails that were recently added to the system include the Forever Wild Coldwater Mountain Trail in Alabama, which is 11.5 miles in length and open to hikers, trail runners and mountain bikers alike. Similarly, California’s 28-mile long Nadeau Trail was recognized for its historical significance and offers mixed-use options that include 4×4 off-road vehicles as well. Located in amidst the cornfields of Iowa, the Sugar Bottom Mountain Biking Trail System received its designation for providing 13 miles of unexpected challenges to Midwest mountain bikers, while New Mexico’s Sierra Vista Trail is 29 miles of hiking, biking and horseback riding bliss.

These are just a few examples of the new trails that Secretary Jewell approved last week. For a complete list, read the official press release from the National Park Service here. And to find a National Recreation Trail close to you, click here.

Photo Of The Day: Wood Chopping In Tasmania

by Adam Hodge on


“If you don’t already know, wood chopping is a big sport in Australia and is highly competitive,” says Flickr user BaboMike, who captured this shot at a Tasmanian wood chopping competition. The aim is simple: whoever gets through the log the quickest wins. This particular competition is located in Campbell Town, which boasts a population of “approx 900,” according to the town website. The wood chopping is part of the Campbell Town Show, the longest-running agricultural show in Australia, which features sheep and yard dog competitions in addition to something called the “Paddock to Plate Prime Lamb” competition.

If you have a great shot you want to share, submit it to the Gadling Flickr Pool. We choose great shots to feature as our Photo of the Day.

Bumpier Rides Ahead: Singapore Airlines Flight Hits Terrifying Turbulence

by Libby Zay on

Earlier this year we heard that climate change may be creating more turbulent flights as weather patterns shift. We may be seeing the results of that shift already.

Flight crew members and passengers on board a Singapore Airlines flight from Singapore to London saw only clear, blue skies when suddenly the plane plunged 65 feet, causing cups of coffee to splatter on the roof and leaving a chaotic mess of food, pillows, cutlery and more in the aisle.

Passenger Alan Cross told the Mirror the turbulence felt “like being in an elevator with a cut cable or free-falling from some amusement park ride,” and another passenger told the news outlet everything that was not tied down – including people – hit the ceiling.

According to many reports, the plane was shook up by clean-air turbulence, a phenomenon caused when bodies of air moving at widely different speeds meet. Scientists have warned global warming could cause passengers to face more turbulent times ahead. Earlier this year in a report published by The Guardian, scientists projected that the frequency of turbulence on flights between Europe and North America will double by 2050 and increase intensity by 10-40 percent.

In the case of the Singapore Airlines flight, 11 passengers and one crew member suffered minor injuries. To prevent further injuries, staff placed blankets over the shattered glass and general mess in the aisles until it was completely cleaned up. Although incidents like this seem extraordinary, they do occur with some regularities, so always remember to keep your seatbelts fastened – even if the light is off.

[via Jaunted]

Bedbugs Being Dealt With By Tough, Heartless Science

by Chris Owen on

Nasty bedbugs are bad news for everyone. Travelers drop them off or pick them up at just about any hotel. The people that run those hotels hate them too. Bedbugs require a great deal of attention just to keep circling your room. But now, some good science has bad news for bedbugs. All bedbugs will die via a safe, non-chemical resource that instantly, physically ends them.

Researchers at Stony Brook University have developed a product that they say, “literally stops bedbugs in their tracks” in a report from Laboratory Equipment.

What they have and how it works is best described as like the workings of a spider web. Once something gets caught … that’s it, party over.

The bedbug experts have developed a web-like product with microfibers 50 times thinner than a human hair. This stuff can catch the smallest of insect, for the most part.

So in come the bedbugs on a little stroll that might have ended on your leg but they (and any other bug that comes along) get entangled and trapped in the web.”The microfibers trap them by attaching to microstructures on their legs taking away their ability to move, which stops them from feeding and reproducing,” says lead researcher Miriam Rafailovich, Distinguished Professor of Materials Science and Engineering.

God, I hope they never turn that stuff on me. Sounds effective. There will be no last personal experience for any of these insects. They will all die the same death.

This new, patent-pending tech is being offered for commercial purposes by Fibertrap, a company that specializes in non-toxic pest control methods. More on this as details are revealed.