Monster Power Outlets To Go – the $13 “must have gadget” for any traveler

by Scott Carmichael on

In my collection of travel gadgets, not many products serve me as well as my Monster Power Outlets To Go. The product isn’t much more than a portable power tap, but since many hotels seem to think that no guest should ever need more than one outlet, having access to something that lets me plug more of my gear in, is if vital importance to me. I’ve also regularly used it at the airport, when four people are in desperate need of a little bit of juice for their laptop. In most cases, fellow travelers ask me where I got such a compact outlet.

The Outlets To Go product lineup features several different versions – starting with a basic three outlet , all the way up to a six outlet and a three outlet with USB charger. Lately, I’ve switched to the USB charger version, simply because a USB port means one less charger to drag along. The USB port is limited to .5 amps, so it won’t be able to charge high power devices (like the iPhone 3GS).

On the Outlets To Go, the cord wraps around the unit, and extends about 11 inches. The plug is lighted when in use, and is very thin, making it perfect for using that one open outlet hidden behind the dresser. Because outlets are on the front and back, large power bricks won’t be a problem.

The outlets are available from retailers like Amazon for as little as $9 (three outlets), and even the most expensive one is a mere $13 (three outlets + one USB port).

Downside to the USB charger version is that it only works on 110V, so if you plan to bring it to Europe or any other country with voltages higher than 110V, you’ll need to find something else, or bring a power converter. That said, Monster also sells a version specifically designed for travelers, so check their website for the complete lineup of travel power products.

“Lough Ness Monster” scares locals

by Sean McLachlan on

The Loch Ness monster may have gone extinct, but there are still mysteries in the lakes of the British Isles. Residents near Stonebow Washlands in Loughborough, Leicestershire, have been warned to keep their children away from the water after a mysterious beastie devoured some ducks.

There’s no clear description of the “monster”, but a witness tells a grim tale of seeing ducks get sucked into the water, never to be seen again.

Nobody is sure what it is, but the chairman of the Charnwood Wildlife Protection Group has confirmed that the lake’s duck population has decreased noticeably since the sightings. While most observers believe it to be some sort of locally uncommon fish like a catfish or pike, there’s also the hint of a good old-fashioned mystery.

Considering how much money the residents around Loch Ness have made off of unconfirmed sightings of their own lake monster, even creating a Nessie Museum and the statue pictured here, the folks at Loughborough might just be onto something good.

Pity about the ducks, though.

Has the Loch Ness Monster gone extinct?

by Sean McLachlan on

Things aren’t going well in Scotland. Last year was the worst year on record for sightings of the Loch Ness Monster. A documentary studied the possibility that Nessie has gone extinct, and even the Official Loch Ness Monster Fan Club is worried.

Only one “dependable” sighting, by a local man back in June, shows there might be life in the old critter yet, but if that’s a false alarm, where does that leave us? Locals around Loch Ness are worried last year’s poor showing may affect tourist numbers. In the United States, liberals are saying Nessie died of shame from being called a “monster” instead of the more politically correct term “evidence-challenged endangered species”. Conservatives claim Nessie was the first victim of the death panels set up by Obama’s America-hating, terrorist-loving national health care.

The number of sightings has been going down for a few years, so the creature or creatures may very well be dying out. Is it gone for good? Unless AOL coughs up a few million to equip me with sonar equipment and a submarine, I really can’t say.

Whatever happened to Nessie, take heart. There are plenty of lake monsters to go around. There’s a Nessie-like creature in Minnesota, one in Lake Champlain, and others scattered around the world. There’s even another Scottish beastie in Loch Morar, which was the subject of a recent investigation by blogger Tom Gates. He took the amazing photo shown here. Believe it or not it’s actually a fake, made with a little Nessie model and some basil, and should serve as a warning to serious cryptozoologists that common household items can be used to construct a photo that can fool even the experts.

I, for one, don’t think Nessie will ever die. Despite having walked on the Moon and plumbed the depths of the ocean, we as a species love a mystery, and will always need creatures like Nessie, Bigfoot, the Mothman, and Raw Head and Bloody Bones until we ourselves go extinct.%Gallery-13474%

Warning to hikers: alien big cat spotted in Scotland

by Sean McLachlan on

If you thought the only monster in Scotland was the one in Loch Ness, you thought wrong. Mysterious giant cats are stalking the land, and while many people consider them as big a hoax as Nessie, one has recently been sighted and filmed. The video, taken by an off-duty Ministry of Defense dog handler, shows what appears to be a black feline measuring, if you judge by some nearby railway tracks, to be about four feet long. It’s certainly way too big to be a normal cat and doesn’t look at all like a dog. In fact it looks for all the world like a jaguar, although jaguars don’t exist in the wild in Scotland or anywhere else in the British Isles.

Sightings of wild cats are fairly common in the British Isles and have been dubbed by the easy to remember moniker Alien Big Cat (that’s ABC). Many look like pumas or jaguars. The Big Cat Research group has gathered data on more than 5,000 sightings and has lots of photos on their website, some laughable, some downright eerie.

You might just fob this off as a bit of harmless mystery, or some pussy on steroids, but one Scottish woman was attacked by an alien big cat and required numerous stitches. After that incident local police warned people not to approach or feed any giant cats they come across. So if you’re planning a hike in Scotland, be careful. Oh wait, I’M planning a hike in Scotland. Uh oh.

Daily deal – Monster OTG400 travel power outlet for $13

by Scott Carmichael on

My daily deal for today is for the Monster Power OTG400 “outlet to go”.

This 4 outlet device has a wraparound cord that plugs into one of the outlets when you are not using it. Built into the device is also a circuit breaker, which should prevent you from plunging an entire floor of hotel rooms into darkness if you overload something.

Even though we now carry more gadgets than ever, hotels still seem to think one outlet is enough for everyone, so I have been carrying one of these Monster travel outlets for several years.

The product usually sells for about $20, but Amazon has it on sale for $13.26. Shipping is free for Prime members, anyone else will have to pay shipping or buy enough to reach the $25 threshold for super saver shipping.