Sixth annual Adventure Film Festival set for Nov. 18-20

by Kraig Becker on

The sixth annual Adventure Film Festival is scheduled to take place from November 18th through the 20th in the outdoor capital of the United States, Boulder, Colorado. Over the past few years, the event has earned itself a reputation as a great place for independent filmmakers and adventurers to share their ideas, as they inspire others to explore the world around them.

This year, more than 25 films will be featured over the course of the three-day event. Those films will take viewers around the globe, visiting such places as beautiful Argentina, remote regions in Russia, and the very ends of the Earth itself in Antarctica. The movies were specifically handpicked by a selection committee that was looking for inspiring, well made, and informative independent films that exemplified an adventurous spirit while capturing their subject matter in the most amazing way possible.

In addition to the great films that will be on display there are a number of others special events on the docket as well. Aspiring adventure photographers and filmmakers will want to take part in one of the workshops that will take place over the course of the festival, while live music, gear giveaways, round table discussions, and guest appearances will help to keep attendees busy while they’re not sitting in a dark theater.

The films will be shown in the historic Boulder Theater, at the local REI and Patagonia store, as well as the famous Neptune Mountaineering store. They’ll cover a host of outdoor activities including mountaineering, kayaking, cycling, skiing, and more.

Starwood Preferred Guest program offers FaceTime customer support

by Scott Carmichael on

As a kid, I remember playing with a video phone at the local phone store – and thinking how cool it would be if we all had access to video phones in the future. Well, the future came, and along with a total lack of jet packs, video phones never really took off.

Apple has managed to change that with their FaceTime application, and while it is by no means the first video calling application, it is the first to become mainstream. Thanks to its easy to use interface, lack of need for configuring settings, and massive install base, FaceTime is a huge hit.

And with that huge hit, comes new ways to use the service. One of the first customer support applications in the travel industry comes from Starwood Preferred Guest, the loyalty program for Starwood hotels.

On Twitter this morning, an SPG rep announced that they will be offering live chat sessions with their customers using FaceTime. The actual practical applications are relatively limited, but some customers may prefer to talk to a rep face to face instead of using email or phone. What do you think? Would you use a FaceTime chat session instead of picking up the phone, or do you think this is more of a gimmick designed to make them look cool?

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Disney Imagineers said to be working on a ‘Tron Legacy’ ride

by Leigh Caldwell on

The next Disney movie to get a ride at Disneyland may be more futuristic than fairytale. The blog Blue Sky Disney is reporting that Disney Imagineers have been given the green light to develop a ride treatment for the upcoming movie “Tron Legacy.”

Disney Parks have gone a little Tron crazy this fall, with a Tron-wrapped monorail at Walt Disney World and a nighttime elecTRONica party at Disney’s California Adventure.

Last week, Disney added a new “Tron Legacy” scene to the World of Color show at Disney’s California Adventure, the first addition to the show since it premiered earlier this year.

Slashfilm is giving further credibility to the rumors, reporting that Disney Imagineers – the folks that design Disney’s rides and attractions – visited the Tron movie set in Toronto to study the sets, props and concept art being used on the film.

So, while Walt Disney World adds princess castles and The Little Mermaid ride during its Fantasyland expansion, Disneyland may be looking to Tomorrowland for the next big changes at the California theme park.

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Share your favorite holiday sweets and win a Homewood Suites stay!

by Scott Carmichael on

Can you believe that Christmas is a mere 47 days away? Seeing holiday cookies and other festive items in stores suddenly doesn’t seem so odd anymore.

The Homewood Suites “Sweets for a Suite” contest is all about holiday sweets – and by sharing your favorites, you can enter to win a two night stay at the Homewood Suites property of your choice.

Entering is simple – all you need is a Facebook and Twitter account. Once you’ve followed Homewood Suites, you simply tweet telling them what your favorite holiday treat recipe is.

Rules, ways to enter and other fine print can be found at the contest site over at Suitetrip.com. Of course, once you enter the contest, the best part is following the Sweets for a Suite Twitter hashtag to learn recipes by other contestants.

Right now, I’m learning how to make pecan tassies and peanut butter fudge. The holiday season can’t come soon enough!

Good luck entering the contest!

Google spreads holiday cheer with complimentary Gogo Inflight Wi-Fi

by Scott Carmichael on

Once again, Google is giving away some really nice holiday presents this season. Last year, the search giant provided free Wi-Fi at airports around the nation, and this year they are bringing their generosity to the skies by offering complimentary Wi-Fi on flight aboard AirTran, Delta and Virgin America flights. These three airlines have outfitted their entire fleet with Wi-Fi, powered by Gogo Inflight.

The promotion starts On November 20, and lasts till January 2 – which means flying during the holiday season won’t be that bad this year. Google is using the promotion to create some buzz for their Chrome Browser. If you haven’t tried Chrome, I can highly recommend taking it for a spin.

You can connect to Gogo Inflight using your Wi-Fi enabled laptop, PDA, smartphone or tablet – and you’ll enjoy broadband speeds as soon as the captain says you can safely use your device.

If you are flying one of the Gogo Inflight enabled airlines not included in the promotion, you can still get online – and prices start at just $4.95 for flights under and hour and a half. For the entire overview of pricing options, head on over to Gogo Inflight.

For more on the promotion, head on over to freeholidaywifi.com.