Steven Leckart

Deconstructed Moulton Folding Bicycle

Steven Leckart

Buy Me A Shuttle-Bike Kit, Please

I don't speak Italian, so I don't know what these folks are saying. But I'm not certain that really matters. These kits, which fit in backpack, can be used to create a pedal-powered boat out of a bicycle. It comes with a rudder and two inflatable floaties you pump up &mdash get this &mdash via pedaling. The Shuttle-Bike technology dates back to 1992 and has been available for purchase since at least 2003, and yet I've never seen one in person, even in San Francisco.

I want one.

Steven Leckart

O Beautiful For Spacious Bag, For Amber Waves of Beer

Timbuk2's Dolores Cooler messenger sack can hold a 12-pack of canned PBR*. The lining is insulated. One of the straps features a red pop top. All you need now is a designated cyclist.

*Person who comes up w/the best addendum, wins.**

**The prize: respect and admiration from your peers.

Steven Leckart

Tick Removers: Which Do You Use?

"Uh, I think I snapped it..."

I got my first tick on the BBG camping trip. I was lucky. I didn't even know it was there until it was gone. I brushed it off in the shower somehow without leaving any of the tick in my body *knock wood*. My completely uneducated guess is the hot water must have shocked the little bugger, and when I inadvertently passed my hand over him, he backed out and/or fell out because he had yet to burrow? (if you're a tick expert, feel free to weigh in).

Next time, I won't be so lucky, which is why I'm going to: a) use bug spray, and b) pick up a legit tick remover just in case. Cause there's no way I'm going to try the above method.

Here's a series of tick removers, including one that uses cryotherapy. I'm tempted to buy the one with a mini-lasso and just call it a day. Before I do, though, please feel free to chime in with any suggestions, experiences or links to videos of yourself removing ticks.

This post is part of a theme day: BBG on Camping.

Steven Leckart

Review: Therm-A-Rest Sleeping System

Kevin Kelly pointed me to the idea of ditching a sleeping bag for a tech blanket. He learned the tip from Ray Jardine, who extols the virtues of lightweight backpacking and camping in a series of books, including the recent Trail Life.

The basic premise is that the flattened bottom of a sleeping bag is wasted material, since you're compressing the insulation. A blanket can provide more warmth because it contours to your body rather than maintaining a bag or mummy shape. Plus, it's much easier to overheat if you're crashed out in a bag, as opposed to a blanket you can drape and quickly adjust throughout the night.

Ray sells his own quilt kits, which I'd love to try. For the recent BBG camp trip, I used Therm-A-Rest's $50 Tech Blanket (pictured). It is light to carry (1 lbs, 5 oz.), warm (quilted nylon exterior, polyester fill), and packs quick, easy and small (mine packed up smaller than the no-frills sleeping bag I have).

What's particularly smart about Therm-A-Rest's set up is that their Fitted Sheet ($21) and blanket have snaps positioned periodically lengthwise, allowing you to quickly attach and remove the blanket. Not a pain to set up, take down.

Better yet, it was far more comfortable than any sleeping back I've ever used. We were camping in mid-50sF, and I was never cold and never too warm. What's more, unlike a sleeping back you might unzip and find completely open by the morning, the Tech Blanket provided enough room on either side for me to turn over without disrupting the whole tent. If you were camping in warmer weather, I'd imagine un-snapping one button on either side in the middle of the night wouldn't be too difficult either.

Note: I used the blanket and sheet with Therm-A-Rest's $100 LuxuryCamp self-Inflating mattress and $28 Compressible Pillow. You don't have to go all-out and get either of these. My favorite makeshift pillow is a small fleece case a friend made and gave to me. You just fill it with your clothes, towel, etc.

The only thing you want to be sure of, is that you use a pad that's size/shape is comparable to the fitted sheet. Otherwise, you won't feel as snug.

The sheets come in medium, regular and large which are 20x66 in., 20x72 in. and 25x77 in., respectively. If you already have a sleep pad that size, you should go for it. Again, we're talking $21 for the sheet and $50 for a blanket that could also serve double duty at home. I'm in.

Lisa Katayama

Review: Three sleeping bags for cold-ish nights

North Face Re Meow

A great pick for uber-earth-conscious campers, the Re Meow is a hodge podge of recycled materials, from fabrics to yarn waste to water bottles. It's a three-season 20-degree mummy with thoughtful little features like a pocket for watches and cell phones and a glow-in-the-dark zipper pull, and straps on the bag cover to hold or strap onto a pack. Cost: $200.

Big Agnes Peggy SL

The lightest and best-looking of the three, this women-specific bag with 800 goose down kept me toasty all night, and collar seals kept wind from seeping in through the neck. There's a sleeve on the back that you can slip your sleeping pad into so you don't roll off of it. The one thing I had trouble with was the zipper, which tended to snag when on the fabric when I wasn't lying perfectly straight. Cost: $300.

Sierra Designs Cochise 15

The cheapest of the three, the Cochise 15 is a 15-degree mummy sack . It's pretty basic, but has some solid basic comfort features like a snag-free zipper, a pillow pocket, and a full-length draft tube to keep cold air from seeping in through the cracks. Like the Re Meow, it has a chest pocket for keys and stuff. Cost: $160.

This post is part of a Theme Day: BBG on Camping.

Steven Leckart

Review: MSR Hubba Hubba HP 2-Person Tent [ultralight]

The Hubba Hubba HP is a $450 3-season tent that weighs a scant 4 lbs when fully-packed (at just 20 x 7 inches), making it ideal for longer-term packing or anyone looking to lighten the load. When assembled, the HP provides 29 sq. ft. Not exactly the Taj Mahal of tents, but my wife and I slept comfortably inside (disclaimer: we're both under 5' 8"). Plus, it's dual-doored, meaning no one has to crawl out over anyone.

The real beauty is in the details: there is only ONE tent pole with various offshoots that make up the frame of the structure. It made for a ridiculously-easy set up: The very first time I assembled the tent, the whole process took less than 8 minutes, including stopping every once in a while to say, "Man, this is really easy."

The first time I packed it up, too, the whole experience took less than 5 minutes.

The HP version includes a body that's primarily made of fabric (as opposed to the mostly-mesh Hubba Hubba), which lightens the load by a few oz. and makes it preferable for colder conditions or where there's wind and sand. We used our tent in very mild conditions (mid-50Fs at night). No rain, no snow, and virtually no wind. So I can't really say how it will handle in more extreme environments, but considering it's twice as expensive as some of the other 2-person tents we tested, it better be able to withstand a nuclear blast.

This post is part of a theme day: BBG on Camping.

Lisa Katayama

10 non-gadgety things you'll probably need for car camping

Besides a tent and sleeping bags, here are a few essentials you don't want to forget if you're going car camping.

1. A day pack: You don't need a major weekend pack since you have your car to lock stuff up in, but if you're planning on taking a hike, make sure you have a good multi-use day pack with enough storage space for water, camera, extra layers, etc. I used the Kelty Shrike.

2. Water: Hydrapak has different-sized packs with built-in hydration systems, and Aquamira has water bottles with filters in them, as well as compact filters that latch onto almost any hydration pack to make water potable.

3. A good cooking system: We made veggie skewers, pasta, ribs, chicken noodle soup, corn on the cob, marshmallows, and hot chocolate. Brunton's Profile Duo Range/Grill Combo was perfect for making multiple things at once.

4. Camping soap. McNett's scentless Smart Suds can wash everything from dishes to faces, and is EPA-certified to be good for the environment.

5. Trail shoes: Rugged, rubbery, thick shoes to keep your feet safe from thorns and slippage, like the New Balance 1520s.

6. Layers. You want to bring warm but lightweight base layers that will keep you warm but not bulky. SmartWool makes some awesome wooly tanktops, socks, and t-shirts that don't feel heavy or itchy. You'll also need a good three-season shell that is water and wind-resistant, like Cloudveil's Inertia jacket and pants.

8.Toilet paper. Very important, since you'll probably pee or poo in the woods.

9. Trash bags. Because whatever you bring with you to the campsite must leave with you.

10. Good company.

This post is part of a Theme Day: BBG on Camping.

Lisa Katayama

Review: The North Face Minibus 2-person tent [ultra-roomy]

Sleeping in a tent doesn't have to feel claustrophobic at all. The North Face has a new 2-person tent called the Minibus 23, which is as comfy as a... minibus. With 35 square feet of floor area, it's the size of a walk-in closet and has enough head space for even a super tall person to sit up straight in. There is a lot of vestibule space for storage, too, and pockets all around that open from the inside and outside for easy access to frequently used gear like headlamps and iPhones. The tent has huge D-shaped doors and giant windows all around for a panoramic view of the wild. It's kind of awesome, and it's packed weight is around 6lbs, which is not bad at all considering how roomy it is.

The one thing we didn't like about it was that the setup was a little tedious. In order to create all that interior space, it uses four poles instead of just one or two, and requires some balancing, which could be hard in high wind situations. It helps, though, that the poles and clips are color-coded, and as long as you know you're going somewhere relatively warm and windy, it's not that bad.

Product page [The North Face]

This post is part of a Theme Day: BBG on Camping.

Lisa Katayama

Photo: camping with geeks

Steven Leckart and Brian Lam enjoying the great outdoors.

This post is part of a Theme Day: BBG on Camping.

Lisa Katayama

Review: Three headlamps for dark nights

Petzl Tikka Plus 2

The Tikka Plus was my favorite of the three headlamps I took with me on our camping trip, and that's why it's the headliner of my review. It emitted a soft, clear light, and at three ounces it really wasn't that weighty on the forehead. I took it with me into the bushes to pee, and had no problem seeing below and around me. It has a red light mode for preserving night vision, too.The Tikka Plus debuts in September for $40.

Black Diamond Ion

The Ion is just a really basic headlamp made by an awesome outdoor company. It only weighs an ounce, and uses a 1/2 watt LED pivots up and down. At $20, it really doesn't hurt to have one tucked into your pack as backup. Also, it almost looks like a piece of jewelry on my forehead, and thus wins the prize for best-looking headlamp of the bunch.

Petzl Myo RXP

Of all the different kinds of lighting we had with us on this trip, the Myo RXP was the most powerful. It uses three AA batteries, which makes it kinda heavy at just over six ounces, but the battery pack sits at the back of the head so it didn't really bother me that much. It's $100, but well worth it if you're really scared of the dark &mdash this makes you feel like you just walked into a well-lit room. Also great for night runners as it gave the most steady panoramic stream of light.

This post is part of a Theme Day: BBG on Camping.

Steven Leckart

Review: Discovery Trekking Ultra Fast Dry Towel

I've been using one of these quick-dry towels for months now, mainly for surfing, but I also took mine on the BBG camping trip.

It is an ideal hiking/outdoor towel for three reasons: 1) it's lightweight, thin, and packs very small, 2) it's a pretty effective absorber, 3) there's silver woven into the fabric, which combats mildew.

I was skeptical until I remembered that water bottles by Platypus feature a silver-ion compound baked into the plastic to help reduce microbes.

I've laundered my towel maybe four times in five months of regular use. I take it surfing, dry off at the beach, hang it up in the garage, and it's ready to go the next day without any noticeable stink. Repeat. Same thing.

Available from Discovery Trekking for $30 (34x58-inches).

This post is part of a theme day: BBG on Camping.

Lisa Katayama

Camping gear for dogs

My dogs Ruby and Malcolm came with us to Lake Mendocino on the BBG camping trip. Outward Hound and Ruffwear are both excellent brands for outdoor gear for dogs &mdash Ruffwear's lightweight Flophouse foam pad has a waterproof base layer and a fast-drying comfy top layer that Ruby loved to lie on, and Outward Hound makes things like carriers, life vests, and waterproof dog bowls with loops for hooking onto backpacks or belt loops.

Malcolm carried his own kibble, cookies, and poop bags in Ruffwear's Approach Pack. The only problem: the bottom buckle strapped right across his weenie, so he we had to take it off before he could pee.

This post is part of a Theme Day: BBG on Camping.

Steven Leckart

8 iPhone Apps For Camping

I picked up my first iPhone last Friday. I've yet to take it camping, but I'll be heading out into the wilderness this coming weekend. Nothing hardcore, but some light hiking, stove-top cooking and tent living.

Here are the apps I'm most curious to try, even though there's some mixed feedback on iTunes. If you have any experience with these or can recommend additional apps worth paying for (or free ones worth the time), please leave your suggestions in the comments.

I'll be posting any truly useful favorite(s) after I return.

1) TrailBehind ($.99): User-generated maps with info about specific trail heads, summits, streams, state park landmarks, and more.

2) Park Maps ($.99): GPS maps of 250+ national parks and recreational spots in the U.S. The reviews are mixed.

3) Knot Guide ($3.99): Version 1.7 got pretty high marks from iPhone App Reviews.net. Version 3.3 offers instructions on 68 knots. For $4, it better be exceedingly better than...

4) Knot Time ($.99): Only 28 knots, but instructional videos sound clutch. However, some 3G S users are said to be experiencing issues with playback. As soon as an update's in place, I'm game.

5) Flashlight ($.99), Flashlight. (FREE), Torch (FREE) and Super Torch ($1.99): I use a headlamp, but the idea of having a less direct mood light for reading in the tent seems appealing. Since some of these let you tweak the color (i.e. red), too, you can preserve your night vision.

6) Motion-X GPS Lite (FREE): I've read it's one of the most accurate mapping apps. Bonus: you can plot your pace and set specific locations to help you make your way back to camp, for instance.

7) Anti Mosquito ($.99), Repel Mosquito ($.99), Mosquito Repeller($1.99) are just a few of the apps which emit high frequencies that supposedly keep away pests. I'm skeptical. I used Bug Spray (FREE) last Saturday at a wedding in a wooded area in Sonoma County. I got one small mosquito bite on my neck, but that's fewer than some of the other people I was with. Needless to say, I can't really say for sure whether this app helped or not.

8) AccuWeather (FREE): If you're spending any prolonged period of time camped outdoors, you'll want to know more than the chance of rain and current or predicted temp. 411 for humidity, pressure, winds = good. A long-term forecast of 5 to 15 days = good-er.

After the jump, see why it's not such a bad thing to be paranoid about taking your iPhone into the wilderness...

This post is part of a theme day: BBG on Camping.

photo by proviatoes

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Lisa Katayama

Review: Big Agnes tarp for car camping

Car camping is great for old people, kids, and folks with a lot of gear that can't be carried into the backcountry. It's also ideal if you're lazy and just want to lounge at a camp site, drink beer, and smoke weed. Lounging, though, can be greatly compromised by forces of nature, like mosquitoes, scorching heat, dust, and rain. Big Agnes' Twin Butte Car Tarp solves these problems by creating a giant shady, bug-proof space next to your vehicle. Setup is similar to a tent, although the parts here are significantly heavier and more complex &mdash it took us about fifteen minutes to figure out what poles went where and to connect them together, kinda like building IKEA furniture without the funny diagrams. Once it went up, though, we were all like, whoa, that's pretty nice.

The tarp is supposedly completely waterproof and so are its seams &mdash it didn't rain while we were there, so we didn't really get to test this claim. We did, however, use its multiple loops and poles to hang our wet clothes and dog leashes after our excursion to the lake. The bug screen is sold separately, but definitely worth having if you're going to Yosemite in the summer or to Burning Man &mdash it staves off mosquitoes and dust really well. Also, since it's attached to the side of your car, you can go in and out of the car through the tarp, too. The tarp covers an 84 square foot space, which is big enough for about half a dozen adults to hang out under.

Product page [Big Agnes]

This post is part of a Theme Day: BBG on Camping.

Steven Leckart

Review: GoBe Solar Briefcase & Power-Hub

As soon as I stumbled on the Provo Craft's GoBe system at Maker Faire, I was dying to get my hands on one. I'm an optimist, but one who's been disheartened by the dearth of consumer-ready chargers that can handle the output necessary to power any device larger than a cell phone &mdash and even the ones that claim to charge phones don't always work so well.

The GoBe is a terrific device for luxury car campers or, perhaps, touring cyclists willing to trade off-the-grid power for extra weight. There are two components: a 12-lb. solar panel and 9-lb. power hub with AC, DC and USB outputs. Not especially lightweight, but comfortable to manhandle since both parts feature integrated handles. The GoBe is advertised as taking about 10 hours to fully charge, which was roughly my experience when I recharged my battery at home after camping with it (note: you must charge the power hub via wall socket before using outdoors for the first time).

While camping, we used our GoBe to handle one basic task: power a travel-size iPod dock. Which it did mightily. Normally the device would run on AAs, which aren't exactly a hassle to carry (plus, there are obviously packable solar chargers for reusable AAs). However, there was something extremely satisfying about powering our tunes via solar charger. Plus, after 4 hours of charging the meager device, there was plenty of juice left &mdash I think about half. And that's kind of my main complaint: think.

I haven't played with a solar charger that is 100% perfect. And this one isn't either.

The power hub's three indicator lights are helpful, but not nearly enough. Green = a full charge (or close to it). Red = little or no juice. Yellow = ??? ...I realize including an LED displaying watts and volts consumed wouldn't be practical power-wise. On the other hand, having to mentally calculate your power usage isn't so fun, especially if you're using the power hub while it's simultaneously charging.

I'm told the GoBe can expand the life of an average laptop battery anywhere from 3 to 6 hours, which is potentially great, but also a great reminder of the disappoints that continue to plague all things solar. There can be so many variables, least of all whether you're getting solid sunlight, so that range could be a bit disconcerting if you were really relying on this thing for power on a regular or semi-regular basis. i.e. this is clearly not something I'd exclusively count on to write my novel in the bush.

For car camping, though, it works well, since you don't have to carry batteries or pull any power from your car's battery. Should you have to power up your cell phone, GPS, camera, etc., you've got more than enough for charge-triage. And, provided you're camping somewhere with unobstructed sunlight (we did not), you won't have to reposition it throughout the day (we did).

Two more caveats: You get AC, DC and a USB port, however, if you neglect to bring a standard USB, for instance, you'll only be able to use a two-prong plug. Not a deal breaker, but I sure would have loved a typical U.S. Type B three-prong outlet. Yes, an adapter costs $5 at Radio Shack, but that's one more thing for me to carry, keep track of, and, let's be honest, lose.

Lastly, the thing is WHITE, which looks nice and modern, but will get dirty faster than a broke, drunk sorority girl at a $10,000-prize mud wrestling contest.

Now some bad news: The GoBe costs $350 (plus $45 for shipping). Not cheap, but not all that terrible considering a car inverter built just for a MacBook costs $150, only charges one device, and will drain your parked car's battery.

This post is part of a theme day: BBG on Camping.

Joel Johnson

EZGrill, a single-use portable charcoal grill

There's not much to an EZGrill, the single-use aluminum pan filled with charcoal. It's impossible not to look at the thing and think "I could make that myself in about ten minutes." And maybe you can.

But can you fill it with 100% natural charcoal?* EZGrill has—enough to grill for an hour-and-a-half. Tear off the top, light a match on the starter paper, and let the coals flame down for about 15 minutes and you should be good to go.

Perhaps it's wasteful—warding people away from "unsanitary grills at the park" puts my teeth on edge, as there's no more lovely sanitizer than fire—but I can think of a few scenarios where a five-dollar little grill could be very handy. (I mentioned it was only five bucks, right?) Camping at the beach, for instance, or anywhere where fire pits are not welcome or provided. Quick outdoor cookouts at the end of a backpacking session. Or even just on the back porch for people who don't want to bother with buying a grill.

It should even be possible to recycle the grill when it's done by washing out the ashes. They're already using recycled aluminum, too.

If you want one now, you'll have to find a Winn-Dixie. If you don't know what that is (it's a southern grocery chain), then you'll just have to wait, because there's no online ordering.

This post is part of a theme day: BBG on Camping.

* How "natural" is hard to say, and it's certainly not lump or chunk charcoal, but the manufacturer does at least note that they don't use sulfur, borax, or contaminated clay—a welcome touch, even if it will make recreating the nuance of street food a challenge that can only be solved with an infusion of carbon monoxide and Clorox.

Steven Leckart

Review: Platypus CleanStream Gravity Filter

"Oh man, you just turned our campsite into an ER!"

The CleanStream is a gravity filtration system that resembles an IV bag. Consisting of two Platypus bladders, two hoses, and one 0.2-micron-thick hollow fiber filter (w/a cartridge that's good for ~1500L), this $90 system can handle bacteria, protozoa, viruses and particulate &mdash i.e. the gunky yellow stuff that came out of the spigot at our campsite (see below).

The CleanStream is straightforward to use. After attaching the hoses to either end of the filter, you fill the "dirty" bag from your stream, spigot or other source (avoid shallow, still puddles!), and hang up the dirty bag, leaving the "clean" bag on the ground or somewhere below the dirty one. Instantly, gravity pulls the H2O down through the filter and into the "clean" bag. There's also a clip on the hose that lets you pause the filtering if, say, you need only a smaller quantity of water in one minute vs. three.

I will admit the spigot where we were camped was unlikely to have any contaminants, bacteria, etc. However, there's something about drinking yellow water that doesn't sit too well with me. Thus, we double-filtered our water, which dramatically reduced the yellow:

[Note: to avoid mixing up the bags during use, write "dirty" or "X" on the dirty bag with a Sharpie.]

Gravity filters aren't new, but this was my first time trying one out*. Reason being the $90 price tag makes it somewhat of a luxury item, imho. When I backpacked Hawaii for 2 months in college all I used were $7 for iodine tablets. I drank from streams and waterfalls and never got sick, but the taste wasn't terrific and using tablets required way too much time: drop in tablets, wait 30 minutes, and then another 30 minutes if you also use the taste-neutralizing tablets (which I did not).

At the time, though, the tablets were way more preferable to filtering with a hand-pump. After hiking 12 miles of rocky coastline, the last thing you want to do is expend energy just for a sip of fresh water. If you're car camping (which I was recently), you're likely partial to gear that will make the experience as cush and convenient as possible.

So for $90, you can have potable water in less than 3 minutes, literally, by doing nothing. Or you could spend $7 to have potable water in 30 minutes. Or you can spend somewhere in between on a hand-pump filter and get some added exercise. Your call.

This post is part of a theme day: BBG on Camping.

*It's worth noting there are other systems some packers have been using in conjunction with Platypus bladders, including the Sawyer and Aquamira Frontier Pro. I have no personal experience with either.

Steven Leckart

BBG on... Camping

Bad things can happen when city slickers head out into the great outdoors and play with new and unfamiliar gear, gadgets and &mdash in John Candy's case &mdash speedboats.

Today on BBG, we'll be reviewing sleeping bags, technical blankets, headlamps, gravity-based water filters, a number of 2-person tents optimized for ultralight packing, car camping and other conditions. We'll also look at potentially-cool outdoor apps for the iPhone, a portable solar charger, fasty-dry pack towels, camping gear for dogs, a big-ass tarp tent you attach to your car, and more. Don't worry, none of us tested any outdoor vehicles.

Steven Leckart

HOWTO: Assemble A Mobile Office

I dropped by Wired to review some outdoor gear for working remotely, including a tandem bicycle.

Steven Leckart

How Much Junk Is In My Trunk?

By trunk, I mean this lightweight nylon jacket from Scottevest, maker of gadget-minded, pocket-rich clothing. Frankly, a lot of technical gear &mdash much of Scottevest's stuff included &mdash doesn't suit my everyday aesthetic and/or looks huge on my frame*.

Hence why I was initially pretty pumped to slip into the new, $75 Pack Windbreaker, which features a whopping 17 pockets and fit just right, without making me look like Bear Grylls.

After the jump, see how much stuff I packed into this jacket, and hear about the good, the bad, and the fugly...

*Boxy, long t-shirts/jackets look like miniskirts on me: I'm 5'7".

This post is part of a theme day: BBG on Fashion

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Steven Leckart

Do Your CPR Training via iPhone [Just Don't Practice on Me]

iCPR Lite is a new, $0.99 app for the iPhone that provides visuals and prompts to help you learn basic Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation.

But is it better than the free CPR*Choking app released last month?

If you have experience with either and/or know CPR and can provide some insight, please drop some knowledge in the comments or email me: steven AT boingboing DOT net.

[via Medgadget]

Steven Leckart

Review: A Day w/the Zoombak GPS Locator

My pug Gus is micro-chipped. He's never gotten lost *knock wood*, but if he did &mdash and somehow broke free from his dog tags &mdash I'm confident the chip could help garner a safe return home. However, pet hospitals and shelters stock a variety of scanners, which aren't equally effective at picking up the varying frequencies of various chips.

Plus, if Gus gains weight, we could be screwed altogether. Blogger/veterinarian Patty Khuly explains: "For each 5-pound increase in body weight, the odds that a 125 kHz chip would be missed increases by 5%--by 8% for other frequencies."

Rather than wandering the streets whistling and calling your dog's name hours after you realize the pup's gotten loose, you can get real-time location updates from the Zoombak, a small GPS unit which utilizes web-based Bing Maps, as well as email and SMS alerts.

In theory, this is brilliant. In reality, well, check after the jump for my experience tracking Gus...

This post is part of a Theme Day: BBG on Dogs.

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Lisa Katayama

$3000 doggie treadmill

If you're too lazy to walk your dog every day, you could always dish out $3000 for a Jog a Dog treadmill.

Product page

This post is part of a Theme Day: BBG on Dogs.

Xeni Jardin

BB Video: Miles O'Brien on Technology Questions in The Air France Disaster

(Download MP4)

In today's episode of Boing Boing Video, space/aviation/tech reporter Miles O'Brien speaks with me about the role of technology in the recent Air France crash.

He answers a number of questions posed here on Boing Boing by commenters on our previous episodes: how "black boxes" work, why they're not built to float, whether they would be more effective if they streamed data constantly while in use, and whether better training in the "lower-tech" aspects of piloting could have helped.

Since we taped this two-way conversation on Friday, recovery teams off the coast of Brazil have recovered some 16 bodies, and wreckage from the crash.

Here's a snip from his latest blog post about the disaster, over at True Slant.

The Air France 447 mystery may never be solved beyond a shadow of doubt, but there are some telling, tragic clues to consider based on what we know about the airplane systems and the extreme weather and aerodynamic conditions it encountered before it went down a week ago.

First, a bit of aerodynamics: The doomed Airbus A-330-200 was flying ever so close to its maximum altitude - in a zone pilots call the "Coffin Corner". It refers to the edge of so-called "flight envelope" of an aircraft. At this altitude, the air is much thinner and that significantly narrows the swath of speed at which the airplane can safely operate.

If you're interested in this story -- or in aviation and space news in general -- you really should also follow Miles on Twitter to see his thought-stream unfold in real time.

Sponsor shout-out

Joel Johnson

Reebok Vector O baseball bat

The Reebox "Vector O" bat has three holes in the shaft, designed to be more aerodynamic than traditional baseball bats to pass on every last bit of force into the ball. First reviews are generally positive, but at $300 or more on the street, the Vector O is for competitive ballplayers only. [via Uncrate]

Xeni Jardin

Monkeylectric's "Full Color Persistence of Vision" Bike Wheel Video Display

Remember Star Simpson? We do (previous BB post here), and we think she's pretty great. Star emailed today and said,

I've been working at MonkeyLectric (the POV bike wheel makers, boingboing covered their very first stuff), and just finished this video of the latest wheel display at MonkeyLectric.

Lisa Katayama

A bit of surf history: The Waikiki Beach Boys

I just wanted to show you guys a short documentary featuring Duke Kahanamoku, the man who made recreational surfing famous. He is a native Hawaiian who lived in the early 1900s and hung out on Waikiki Beach with his friends, the Waikiki boys, at a time when Americans were just starting to escape to Hawaii for fun & sun. He is a legend well worth paying homage to on BBG surfing day.

Steven Leckart

Video Gallery: Big Surf Wipeouts Are Gnarly

I wipe out on 3-5 ft waves often. It sucks. But I cannot even begin to imagine what a wipeout of this magnitude feels like.

After the jump, more crushing spills...

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Steven Leckart

HOWTO Predict Surf at Mavericks [Hint: Data]

Surfers have been catching massive waves at Pillar Point in Half Moon Bay, CA since the 1960s. The first legitimate contest was held in 1999-2000, but what most of us know as Mavericks didn't launch until 2004 with the help of big wave rider Jeff Clark. Unlike the Kentucky Derby or March Madness, Mavericks doesn't happen every year. It was a no-go in 2007 and again this past season.

Why?

The problem isn't a lack of big swells, but whether the perfect one will rock Pillar Point during the contest waiting period (Jan. 1 - March 31 in 2009) -- and then predicting the if and when so everyone can get in place. The 24 surfers who compete at Mavericks are given 24-hours notice to show up. Extending the waiting period and tethering the surfers to Mavericks wouldn't be fair since they make their living traveling to contests all over the world, says Keir Beadling, who co-founded Mavericks Surf Ventures with Clark. Plus, the arrival of late spring welcomes gray whale migration and seal pups, which results in crowded waters.

So how do you forecast one of the most celebrated big wave contests in the world?

"It's no longer a secret where you have three puffs of smoke announcing who the next Pope is gonna be," says Beadling, "You definitely couldn't hold a contest of this magnitude -- 50,000 spectators in person and another 1+ million on webcast -- and get mobilized in time if it weren't for all the technology."

The short answer: datahead surfer Mark Sponsler (surfing Mavericks above).

Find out how a former quality engineer and product manager at Kennedy Space Center moved to the west coast, started dropping in on big waves, tuned into data, founded Stormsurf.com, and currently crunches more than 2 terabytes of swell data per year.

photo by Doug Acton, provided by Mark Sponsler

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