Video: Muse at Outside Lands

by Elizabeth Seward on

In case you didn’t catch wind of it, Outside Lands went down successfully a couple of weeks ago. Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival is held every year in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. If you haven’t ever heard of the festival, that’s probably because it’s still pretty new. The first edition of Outside Lands was in 2008 and brought in 40,000-60,000 attendees per day. With clear support and demand, Outside Lands has continued putting on a memorable show each year since 2008. Geared toward the green movement, Outside Lands is not only a big summer travel destination spot for music-lovers, but it’s also considered to be one of the most eco-friendly music festivals in the USA.
This year’s festival saw the likes of Muse, Phish, The Black Keys, Arcade Fire, The Roots, MGMT, and many more. The Muse performance, however, is what caught my eye. Check out the video above for some first-hand footage of the bright lights during the Muse set. I saw Muse at the Austin City Limits festival last October and I can attest: those green lasers are just as intense in person as they seem in the video.

Unfortunately, festival season is soon coming to an end. If you have your tickets to one of the few festivals remaining, let us know which one in the comments. And if you were lucky enough to participate in Outside Lands 2011, tell us about your experience!

Win a trip to dive the Great Barrier Reef

by Kraig Becker on

PADI, the Professional Association of Dive Instructors, is closing in on a very impressive milestone, and to celebrate they’re giving away a very impressive trip. The organization that has trained more scuba divers than any other, is now approaching their 20 millionth certification, and the lucky person who earns that distinction will win a trip for two to dive Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

Last week, PADI launched its “Countdown to 20 Million” campaign, installing a counter on its website to indicate how close they are to the magic number. As of this writing, they are still more than 46,000 certifications away from the winner, but considering there are over 6000 PADI dive centers and resorts world wide, it seems likely that that number will drop quickly. It should also be pointed out that the contest is open to any certification, so whether you’re a beginner who is just getting started, or a long time veteran looking to pick-up some new skills, you’ll be eligible to take home the prize.

And what a prize it is! The person who earns that 20 millionth certification will receive round-trip airfare to Cairns, Australia, four nights stay in a resort located in Queensland and an additional three nights stay aboard a dive boat. Also included will be all equipment rental, including dive computer, a one hour low level reef flight for checking out the area from the air, and the opportunity to dive up to 11 times. If that wasn’t enough, the winner and their guest will also visit the Daintree Rainforest (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), visit an Aboriginal village, and a “Cuddle a Koala” experience.

If you’ve ever wanted to get dive certified, or already have your certification but want to brush up on your skills, now is the time. Find a PADI site near you and go earn that cert. Who knows, you might even win a great trip to the Great Barrier Reef in the process.

A few years back I had the opportunity to visit the GBR and spend a few days on a live aboard ship. I can tell you that it was a spectacular experience, and while I only snorkeled the area, it was none the less one of the most amazing places I have visited. The reef is truly a wonder to behold, the amount of beautiful sea life that you’ll find there is awe inspiring. If you haven’t been there yourself, then you really should add it to your list of “must see” places. You will not be disappointed.

The USA Pro Cycling Challenge begins tomorrow

by Kraig Becker on

The inaugural USA Pro Cycling Challenge gets underway tomorrow in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where 128 of the best riders in the world are preparing to take on one of the toughest courses ever created. The route features long climbs, harrowing descents, hairpin turns, and more altitude than any other pro-cycling event in history.

The first day of the competition features a short five mile prologue that will set the stage for things to come later in the week. Then on Tuesday, the race really gets going with a 100-mile long ride between Salida and Crested Butte that will serve as a warm up for Stage 2, which features more than 9700 feet of climbing. Stage 3 is a time trial through the streets of Vail, while Stages 4 and 5 return to the road for two more challenging days, before the teams have a relatively easy finish on their ride into Denver on Sunday.

The Peloton will be filled with big names, including Australian Cadel Evans, who won the Tour de France last month, and brothers Andy and Frank Schleck, who both stood on the Podium in Paris as well. In all, the race features five former world champions and eight stage winners from the Tour.

To get an idea of what the riders are in for, check out the video below. The race will be televised on NBC and Versus, and if you’re in Colorado, there will be plenty of chances to see it live as well.

[Photo Credit: AP File Photo]

The most outrageous state fair foods

by Melanie Renzulli on



Nothing says America like a wholesome state fair. And what’s more wholesome – or American – than filling your gullet with mounds of fried, sticky, salty, and/or sweet junk foods?

Beyond the carnival rides and the livestock judging contests, state fairs have always served as quasi-laboratories for American-style street food. In fact, the now-ubiquitous corn dog was first introduced to the public in the early 1940s at a state fair, though which one is still up for debate. The Texas State Fair, aka the “Fried Food Capital of Texas®”, and the Minnesota State Fair both lay claim to this distinctly American treat.

Each year, state fair food vendors try to outdo each other – and intrigue the crowds – with new belly-busting concoctions, usually inspired by local fare. For instance, dairy state Iowa features a deep-fried stick of butter at the Iowa State Fair, while the Texas State Fair has served up fried cookie dough and fried beer. The bigger and more artery-clogging the better when it comes to state fair foods. Here is just a sampling of some of the state fair foods Gadling found to be truly outrageous.

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Ramazan pide: a Turkish tradition

by Meg Nesterov on

We’re halfway through the month of Ramadan (called Ramazan in Turkish), an important time for religious Muslims but also a time of many celebrations. Turkey is a largely secular country, thanks to founder Ataturk, who brought the country out of the Ottoman Empire into the modern world 90 years ago, and many Turks do not observe the fasting but do enjoy many of the traditions associated with Ramazan. Each day’s sunrise-to-sunset fast is broken with the iftar meal, a feast anyone can enjoy and typically started with consuming a few dates.

In Turkey, a large flat loaf of Ramazan pide bread is a specialty only made during this month and a must for any iftar. Last year, during my first Ramazan in Istanbul, I tried a few supermarket Ramazan pides and was mostly underwhelmed, it tastes similar to a pizza crust. This year I got wise and joined the many locals standing in line for a fresh hot pide and now I’m hooked. Bakeries all over the city make pides in the afternoon and evening to be fresh for sunset call-to-prayer and it’s one time you want to show up at a bakery at the end of the day. Look for a bakery with the longest line, get your lira ready (they generally cost around 1.50 TL or $1 USD), and grab a piping hot loaf wrapped in a paper sleeve. Pides are usually covered in sesame seeds and make a great sandwich base with cheese or spread with tahini and Nutella, that is if you can wait that long. Many Turks tear into their pide on the way home from the bakery, while it’s still hot and crusty from the oven. Enjoy them while you can, Ramazan will be over August 29, when the national bayram holidays begin and pides disappear until next year.