Teva introduces flip flops with lights – and you can win a pair!

by Mike Barish on

With Spring hitting the Northeast early, we’re thrilled to be able to start thinking about trips to the beach, hikes in the woods and some new camping adventures. And warm weather means throwing those Winter boots aside in favor of flip flops. Our feet haven’t seen the light of day in months and it’s time to let those dogs breathe. With that in mind, we were psyched (and a tad amused) to see that Teva is launching a new flip flop with LED lights attached. We’re also pretty jazzed that we have a pair to give away to one lucky reader.

The Teva illūm is a new of sandal that gives you a powerful LED light on each foot. The 10-foot beams of light are intended to help keep you safe when the sun sets and you find yourself on the trail, looking for your campsite or seeking a clandestine spot on the beach to make out with your date. While it may seem gimmicky, we’re actually rather intrigued by the idea of having sandal-mounted lights to help guide the way. Sure, you should still pack a headlamp for any night hikes or camping trips, but extra light is never a bad thing.

The Teva illūm will be available on the Teva website beginning on May 1, 2010 and you can learn more about the sandals on their own unique site. They will be available in synthetic and waterproof leather for $50 and $60, respectfully.

But you can get your hands on a pair for free before they even hit stores. Gadling and Teva want to give to one lucky reader a pair of illūm sandals. We plan to have an official Gadling review on the site later this Spring. In the meantime, perhaps our winner can give us some feedback.

To enter to win these sandals, simply leave a comment below stating the place you’d least like to find yourself in the dark. Maybe it’s in the foggy English countryside. Perhaps it’s alone in Death Valley. Or maybe it’s just in your own attic. Wherever it is, let us know in the comments and one person will be randomly selected to win a pair of Teva illūm sandals.

  • The comment must be left before Friday, April 2 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time.
  • You may enter only once.
  • One winner will be selected in a random drawing.
  • The winner will receive pair of Teva illūm sandals (valued at $50).
  • Click here for complete Official Rules.
  • Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, including the District of Columbia who are 18 and older.

Photo of the Day (12/16/09)

by Jamie Rhein on

Taken outside Tyn Church in Prague, this shot by uncorneredmarket does a lovely job of capturing an important aspect of the Czech Republic’s holiday season. Christmas markets offer visitors a variety of Czech crafts and food that are served up with twinkling lights and evergreens.

A cup of hot wine, a traditional beverage of such markets, would make a perfect accompaniment for such an evening.

If you have captured an aspect of your travels, send your best photos our way at Gadling’s Flickr photo pool. One might be chosen for a Photo of the Day.

Mysterious blue light shines over Norway

by Katie Hammel on

On December 9th, residents of northern Norway were surprised to see a weird blue light shining above. According to reports, the beam of light seemed to point to the sky from behind a mountain. As the light began moving in circles, forming a spiral, a brighter beam came out of the center. The phenomenon lasted for about 12 minutes.

After the light disappeared, the Norwegian Meteorological Institute was inundated with calls from people asking about what they had seen. Almost as quickly, people began speculating about what the light could have been from. Air traffic controllers who saw the light said it lasted too long to be astronomical, and it is not believed to be connected to the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights.

Another conjecture was that the light came from Russian missile testing in the White Sea but the Russian Navy has denied any such testing. Experts say that if the missile exploded, the leaking jet fuel could create the odd pattern. Of course, there are some who have a few more far fetched ideas. Black hole, UFO, astronomical event or man-made light show – we many never know what really caused the odd light pattern.

Photo of the Day (05.27.2008)

by Martha Edwards on


I’m an urban girl at heart. I grew up in the city and that’s where I feel most comfortable: surrounded by blaring horns, blazing lights, people as far as the eye can see. Neon signs and the noises of strangers are seared into my psyche in a way that is inescapable.

So it goes without saying that I love night photography, particularly when it captures the lights of a busy urban nightscape. This photo of Nanjing, China by Matt Hintsa captures that perfectly. It’s a little grainy, a little blown out, but so is the city. So is any city.

Got a cityscape to share with us? Submit it to the Gadling Flickr pool.

Cities dim lights for Earth Hour

by Iva Skoch on

Back in February, Abha blogged about Earth Hour, the world initiative to save energy consumption bit by bit. Yesterday, 27 cities around the world took turns turning off their lights for an hour. I noticed Google took part by blackening their homepage.

Sydney was the first major city to begin Earth Hour, when at 8pm (9am GMT), lights went out on landmarks like the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. Bangkok, Toronto, Chicago and Dublin followed.

Although critics say that initiatives such as there don’t help the big picture, Sydney reports that last year, when an estimated two million residents took part, they were able to cut energy usage by more than 10% for the hour.