Halloween Costume ideas 2015

Digital archives contain as usually understood by professional archivists and historians.

August 2012
2009 accessibility Aconcagua Administration Adventure Racing Adventure Travel Adventurists Advice Afghanistan Africa Alaska Alberto Contador Aleutian Islands Alex Honnold Alps Amazon Amherst Amherst Destinations Amherst Hikes Andes Android 1.5 Android 1.6 Android 2.0 Android 2.1 Android 2.2 Android 2.3 Android 2.3.3 Android 3.0 Android 3.2 Android 4.0 Android Design Android Developer Challenge Android Developer Phone Android Market Animals Animation and Graphics Annapurna Announcements Antarctic App Components App Resources Apps Archeology Arctic Arctic Ocean Argentina Art Asia Atacama Desert Atlantic Ocean August Australia Authentication Autumn Aviation Backpacking Backyard Nature Badwater Ultra Baffin Island Baltic Sea BASE Jumping Beach Belchertown Belchertown Destinations Belchertown Hikes Berkshires Best Practices Bhutan Blogging Tips Blogs Book Review Boots Boston Botswana Brazil Broad Peak California Camping Canada Canyoneering Carstensz Pyramid Catatan Puspitasari Central America Central Massachusetts Checkpoint Tracker Children Chile China Cho Oyu Cinta Wanita Circumnavigation Clay Climate Change Climbing Clothing Code Day Colorado Colrain Congo River Connecticut Connectivity Conservation Area Contests Cool Stuff Craft Cycling Dashboard Dave Cornthwaite Death Valley Debugging Denali Developer Console Developer Days Developer Labs Developer profiles Dhaulagiri Dinosaurs Discovery Channel Dolomites Earth Day Easter Island Easthampton Ed Viesturs Educational Eiger El Capitan Endurance Sports Environmental Erving Europe Events Everest Expedition Exploration Explorers Club Fair Fairy House Farm Film Festival Finland Fireworks Fish Hatchery Fitz Roy Food Fourth of July France Free Games Gasherbrum Gaya Hidup Wanita Gear General Adventure Gestures Giro d'Italia Gobi Desert Google I/O Google Play Google Play services Goshen GPS Granby Grand Canyon Greater Boston Greenland Grossology Exhibit Guidelines Hadley Hadley 350th Half Dome Hang Gliding Hawaii Health Hikes Under One Mile Hiking Himalaya History Holyoke Honduras Horse How-to Hubungan Hunting Ice Cream IME impossible2Possible Independence Day India Indoor info Info Seminar Input methods Intents Internet Interview io2010 Italy Japan JNI John Muir Trail Jordan July June Jungfrau K2 K7 Kalahari Kangchenjunga Karakoram Kayaking Kilimanjaro Lake Michigan Lance Armstrong Layout Leadville 100 Leverett Lhotse Libraries Lintas Peristiwa Location Location and Sensors London Long Riders Ludlow Maine Makalu Manaslu Maple Massachusetts Matterhorn Media and Camera Mendon Meru Peak Mexico Mini Golf Mississippi River Missouri River Mongolia Monson Mont Blanc Motivasi Mount Elbrus Mount Everest Mount Rainier Mountain Biking Mountain View Mountaineering Movies Mt. Shasta Munich Museums Music Nameless Tower Namibia Nanga Parbat NASA National Geographic Nature Navigation NDK Nepal New Hampshire New Zealand Newburyport North America North Pole Northampton Northfield Norway Novelet Nuptse Nusantara Nutrition Ocean Okavango Delta Olympics Open source OpenGL ES Optimization Oregon Orizaba Outdoor Outdoor Retailer Outside Magazine Pacific Ocean Packs Paddling Pakistan Palmer Panduan SEO Parade Paragliding Patagonia Pelham Peru Petting Zoo Photography Playground Plum Island Poland Pool Pottery Pumpkins Quabbin Reservoir Quality Quick Search Box Rafting Rahasia Wanita Ray Zahab Reggio Emilia Research Resources Review Road Rally Rowing Roz Savage Running Sailing Sample code Sandbox School Science Scuba Diving SDK updates Sensors September Seven Summits Shelburne Falls Shisha Pangma Shutesbury Silk Road Site News Skateboarding skiing Skydiving Slacklining Sleeping Bags Snowboarding Solstice South Africa South America South Deerfield South Georgia South Hadley South Natick South Pacific South Pole Southern Ocean Space Speech Input Springfield Stand Up Paddling Storytime Strawberries Sturbridge Summer Summer Camp Summit Sunderland Survival Sutton Swimming Switzerland Tanzania Technology Tel Aviv Tents Testing Teva Mountain Games Text and Input Text-to-Speech Thrifty Tibet Torres Del Paine Touch Tour d'Afrique Tour de France Tour Divide Tower Trail Running Train Trango Towers TransRockies Travel Trekking Triathlon Turkey Turner's Falls Tutorial Ueli Steck Ultra Running Ultramarathon UMass United States USA Pro Cycling Challenge User Interface Utah Vancouver Vermont Video Wadi Rum Wakhan Wanita dan Bisnis Water Websites Western Massachusetts Westhampton Widgets Wildlife Williamstown Wingsuits Winter Wisconsin Worcester World Championship Wyoming Yemen Yosemite Zoo

Earlier this summer a team of climbers from AlpineAdventures traveled to the Peruvian Andes to attempt a new route on the 5440 meter (17,847 ft) Puscanturpa Este. After three weeks of working the mountain, they finally managed to summit the tricky North Face. They named their new route Poco Loco.

The team captured plenty of video of the climb and they plan on releasing the full film down the line. The trailer for the film, which you'll find below, gives you a good idea of what the climbers had to overcome to stand on top. The rock climbing elements alone look challenging, particularly at altitude.

Dutch Peru Expeditie 2012 Trailer from vincent van beek on Vimeo.

Now here's a post that I'm sure will be of interest to more than a few readers. The team over at Ice-Warrior.com has come up with a great way to find new homes for old or unused expedition gear. They're launching a new service via their Twitter account in which they'll be listing any gear that they have for sale on the 15th of each month. Better yet, they're allowing others to list their gear as well.

You'll find more details about this option for finding new or selling your old gear by clicking here. The page also allows you to submit your email address to receive the gear listings directly in your inbox as well. This is particularly helpful for those who aren't on Twitter or can't always follow the feed that closely.

Additionally, the Ice Warrior crew has also created a form that allows you to advertise any extra gear you may want to unload as well. You'll find that page by clicking here. The form asks for a brief description of the item, whether or not it is new or used, the size and quantity available and how much you want to sell it for.

This seems like a great way for adventure professionals to connect with one another and not only find good deals on gear that they can use but also possibly unload some of the equipment they no longer need. If you're a guide, expedition leader or adventurer you'll definitely want to subscribe to the list. Who knows what kind of bargains you'll find!

As I mentioned on Wednesday, today marks the start of the 2012 North Face Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc in France. Some of the best endurance runners in the world have gathered in Chamonix, where they'll soon set out on a 168km (104 mile) run around Mont Blanc, the tallest peak in western Europe. Now in its tenth year, the race has become one of the biggest and most well know ultra-marathons on the planet.

All told there will be more than 6000 runners, from 73 countries, who will be attempting the UTMB this year. Amongst them will be American Mike Foote, who finished in 11th place in 2011. Mike recently sat down with National Geographic to share his gear list for the race, which was posted on the NG Adventure Blog yesterday. If you ever wondered what an ultra-runner carries with him when he hits the trail, you'll definitely want to give this story a look.

As you can probably tell from the image, Mke actually won't be taking a lot of stuff with him. In addition to his trail running shoes, shorts and a couple of t-shirts, he'll also have a  North Face Featherlite Rain Jacket, a Black Diamond Icon headlamp, hydration bladder, a variety of nutritional options, gloves and a sun visor. All of which he'll carry in a lightweight backpack designed specifically for this race.

The UTMB is known for being a grueling event for the milage alone but the weather tends to be unpredictable and fickle as well. It is not uncommon for the runners to experience scorching heat, howling winds, rain and blizzards all on the same day. Considering the trail wanders up and down the mountain, giving the runners a total of 9600 meters (31,496 ft) of vertical gain, its little wonder that they need to carry extra clothing for the event.

For the first time ever, this year's UTMB is being broadcast live onto the web. To follow the race simply click here.

The Tropic of Capricorn is one of the Earth's major lines of latitude, marking the southernmost can actually be directly overhead. It also happens to pass directly through some very interesting and beautiful locations such as the Atacama, Namib, and Kalahari Deserts. Filmmaker Greg Kiss visited those places to capture the stunning imagery in the short film below and he has created another beautiful timelapse video for us to enjoy.

THE TROPIC OF CAPRICORN from Greg Kiss on Vimeo.

Garmin, the company that makes a host of GPS products, including handheld devices, watches and more, has announced the launch of their Garmin Adventures website. The new site is a place for outdoor enthusiasts to share their latest adventures and pick-up some tips on where to go on their next one.

The site provides access to Garmin's Basecamp software (available for both PC and Mac) which allows you to create an interactive timeline of any journey. The software simply imports track logs from any GPS device (presumably even non-Garmin products) and allows users to build a nice online story of their adventure. Basecamp allows you to connect photos, complete with geotagging, YouTube videos, geocache locations, notes and more. Details of the trip, such as distance, duration, amount of climbing and descending and so on are also included. And when you're done building your trip profile you can easily share it with friends and family too.

This is an interesting way of creating more interesting and interactive logs of a hike or backpacking trip that others can enjoy too. Garmin has posted a couple of examples online to give us an idea of what Basecamp can do. For instance, click here for an example of a hike through Zion National Park or here to take a virtual trip through the Boundary Waters of northern Minnesota.

I'm intrigued with what Garmin has created here. It's a bit rough around the edges, but I can see how this could be a really fun way to not only share an adventure with others but also discover some cool places to go as well. It even works with Garmin's new Fenix watch that I wrote about a few weeks back. If you're looking for a new way to creatively share your adventures, this may be just what you're looking for.

Back in May of this year, Belgian explorer Louis-Phillipe Loncke set out on a traverse of Poland that began on Mt. Rysy, that country's highest peak, and ended at the Baltic Sea. In between he climbed, trekked and paddled for more than 1200km (745 miles) enjoying a number of unique experiences, and meeting plenty of people, along the way. The video below is a trailer for an upcoming documentary on the trek. It looks like great fun!

Poland Trek- The Trailer from Natalie Hill Photography on Vimeo.

In the world of mountaineering we can always trust Ueli Steck to come up with some unique and interesting projects. The Swiss mountaineer recently combined his climbing skills with a new found love of paragliding to string together three impressive climbs – and glides – in a single day of climbing in the Alps.

On August 18 Ueli started his day at 3AM by first climbing the Jungfrau (4158m/13,642 ft) along the Rotal Ridge Route. Just below the summit of that peak the then flew his paraglider over to the Mönch (4107m/13747 ft) North Face and climbed to the summit along the Lauper Route. Taking to the air once again, he then flew to the Eismeer Glacier on the Eiger (3970m/13,025 ft). He then proceed along the Mittelegi Ridge to the Mittelegi Hut for lunch, before climbing to the summit. Topping out at 3:13 PM, Ueli then descended to the Geneva Spur, launched his glider one final time and sailed down the Lauterbrunnen Valley, returning to his car by 5PM. How is that for one epic day?

You can read Ueli's entire trip report by clicking here. Updates are also promised on the Mountain Hardwear Faceboook page as well.

Ueli is quoted as saying "“It was a cool trip, just pack a backpack and go for a ride. That’s what I liked the most. There were no deposits or any support on the trip, just a nice lunch in the mountain hut. The combination of flying and climbing was just perfect. I had a great day.”

Sounds like the kind of effort that only one of the best mountaineers in the world could pull off. Great stuff.

Anyone who exercises regularly knows that nutrition before, during and after your workout is extremely important. There is nothing worse than getting halfway through an tough run or ride only to hit the wall because you lack calories to see you through to the end.

Recently I've had the opportunity to try out a number of new energy bars, gels and other nutritional items and I have to say I've come away impressed. Not only have these options improved dramatically in taste and variety, they've also become far more sophisticated and effective as well. As a result, outdoor athletes now have a large variety of goodies to help power them through their workout routines. Here are a few suggestions for items that I've been using of late.

Honey Stinger
Back at Outdoor Retailer earlier this month I dropped by the Honey Stinger booth to check out the different nutritional items they had on display. The generous staff manning the booth sent me along my way with an excellent sampling of their various energy gels, chews and bars. For a few days I carried that bag around with me, almost forgetting that I had it with me. But when I got home I was delighted to re-discover it amongst all the other stuff I was lugging home from the show. A few days later I started sampling the goodies and it wasn't long before I was hooked.

As you can probably tell from the name, honey is a key component in all of the company's products. As a natural sweetener it brings a nice, but not over powering, taste to the Honey Stinger product line. I found that their energy chews in particular were tasty without being overly sweet which I appreciated before setting off on a long run. It doesn't hurt that they are also organic and don't include any GMO ingredients either. They also happened to be smaller and a bit easier to chew from some of the other chews on the market. It wasn't long before I found myself grabbing a bag here and there for a snack even when I wasn't working out.

After nearly the entire line of Honey Stinger products I found that I really liked everything in their line-up. Their organic energy shots were tasty without being too thick and their protein bars were tasty as well. Especially the Dark Chocolate Cherry Almond. But hands down my favorite treat is their Honey Stinger Waffles. These thin and tasty wafers simply must be tried by anyone looking for a new nutrition option to add to their repertoire. They're so good, they're actually addictive and they come in classic flavors like chocolate, vanilla and strawberry. You won't believe that they are actually all natural and completely organic. Definitely a must try!



Clif Bars
When it comes to energy bars, Cliff Bars have been my go-to choice for years. The company has done a good job of continuing to refine its line-up and make tastier bars in a variety of flavors. They've even created bars for specific athletes, including their famous Luna bars that are designed for women and the Z-bar for kids.

Recently the company has introduced a item to its line-up called the Builder 's bar. These bars contain 20g of protein that not only provides plenty of post-workout fuel but also helps to build muscle as well. That's all well and good of course, as there are plenty of similar bars on the market. What sets this one apart however, is that it just might be the best tasting energy bar I've ever eaten.

Some of the great flavors available include Chocolate, Crunch Peanut Butter and Cookies n' Cream. All of those are good but my favorites are S'Mores and Chocolate Mint. They taste so good you actually can't wait to have one after a workout as opposed to some bars I've had in the past which were almost a chore to eat. These were definitely a pleasant surprise the first time I tried them.

Gu Energy
Gu Energy is another company that has been making nutritional products for some time and have continued to refine their options over the years. I've used a number of their products for some time and I find that I like most of their line-up as well. For instance, I'm a fan of the Roctane energy drink mixes and their Electrolyte Brew tablets are a convenient option that I carry with me regularly as well. Of course, the Gu Energy Gel is pretty much the industry standards in terms of energy shots and they remain an excellent option.

Recently I've been enjoying the Gu Recovery Brew drink which I mix with a little milk and ice to make a fantastic smoothy. The chocolate flavored one in particular tastes more like a shake from your favore fast food joint rather than a nutritional drink designed to help facilitate recovery and build muscle after an intense workout. Each Recovery Brew includes plenty of protein, amino acids, antioxidants and carbs to help the body get stronger, but when drinking one it is hard to imagine that it actually good for you.

These are just a few of the tasty items I've been enjoying lately. If you're tired of your energy bars and gels, then you may want to consider adding one of these options to your pantry. Each of them are packed with tasty and healthy ingredients and they are also proof that just because its good for you doesn't mean that it can't taste amazing too.

Last week I posted some information on a newly announced Coolpix S800c camera from Nikon that is powered by the Android mobile operating system. The same OS commonly found in a number of different smartphones. Today, Samsung announced their own Android camera that has some welcome and distinct differences from Nikon's offering.

Both the S800c and the new Samsung Galaxy Camera feature 16-megapixel sensors but their similarities pretty much end there. Samsung slapped a 4.8 inch HD touchscreen on the back of their device, stretching it form edge-to-edge in the process. That's considerably larger than the 3.5 inch OLED screen found on the S800c. That's not all however, as Samsung also managed to squeeze in a 21x zoom, far more useful than the 10x lens found on Nikon's new toy. And while Nikon saw fit to choose an older version of Android (Gingerbread 2.1), Samsung is powering it's device with Android 4.1, AKA Jellybean. It even has simple voice-control options, allowing you to instruct the camera to "zoom" or "shoot" simply by using your voice. That could come in handy for solo travelers looking to take some self-portraits.

Those specs are just the tip of the iceberg however. Samsung also mixed in a 1.4Ghz quad-core processor to power this beast and added both WiFi and 3G or 4G networking depending on the model. That means you'll be able to share your photos while on the go, uploading them directly to Facebook, Twitter or a laptop without the use of a cable. Photographers will even be able to edit their images directly on the Galaxy Camera using special Android apps designed just for that purpose.

The new camera is due to hit the market in the fourth quarter of this year and prices have yet to be announced.

This looks like an interesting new option in what could be a new niche for cameras. By making these cameras "smart," consumers are getting some new options that they've never had before. While I'm not personally looking to add one of these to my arsenal of cameras, it will certainly be interesting to see how they evolve.


One of the toughest endurance races on the planet will take place this weekend with the start of the North Face Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc, which officially gets underway on Friday. The course begins and ends in Chamonix, France and crosses into Switzerland, as it covers 168km (104 miles), of tough mountain terrain, completely circumnavigating around Mont Blanc in the process. Oh, and it also happens to feature 9600 meters (31,496 ft) of ascent too.

This year, for the first time ever, the event will be broadcast live on the web. Considering the coverage kicks off tomorrow and runs for 84 hours straight, that's an impressive feat of endurance as well. The live broadcasts start Thursday, August 30 at 06:00 local time and will continue with 15-minute news briefs through Sunday, September 2.

At the start of the event, more than 6000 runners from 73 countries will take the line. How many of them actually finish remains to be seen. This is one of the largest and most difficult tests of endurance on the planet and isn't for the faint of heart. We'll probably get to witness some of the suffering first hand on these live broadcasts over the next few days.

Good luck to all the runners!



The North Face® Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc® by UltraTrailMontBlanc

We all love those mountain biking videos where we get to watch someone make an improbably climb up a big hill, only to bomb down the other side at breakneck speed, preferably in some amazing wilderness setting. But the video below keeps us mostly rooted in urban environments, allowing rider Chris Akrigg to show off some impressive skills of his own. You'll see Akrigg bounce off, over and around all kinds of obstacles as he navigates his way through a series of challenges that are at the very least fun to watch. I'm not anywhere close to being able to pull of any of these stunts but I can definitely appreciate the skill involved here.

Thanks to The Adventure Journal for the heads up on this great video.

Through the mill from chris akrigg on Vimeo.

A few days ago the adventure community was shocked and saddened to hear about South African Davey du Plessis getting attacked by gunmen while traveling through the Amazon. At the time he was attempting a source-to-sea journey along the entire length of the Amazon River that started at its source on Mount Mismi back in June. Over the weekend, two gunmen appeared out of the jungle, opened fire on Davey without warning and left him for dead with gunshot wounds in his back, neck and various other areas of his body. After surviving the attack, he was able to find help and eventually was taken to to a local hospital, before ultimately being evacuated to Lima for further treatment.

Over the past few few days, Davey has been in the ICU and under constant supervision by doctors. They have been monitoring his condition and waiting for him to regain his strength while they determined if they would need to do surgery to remove the bullets and shrapnel from his body. In many cases the body will adapt to the bullet fragments and no invasive surgery is required. As it stands right now, the doctors feel that they won't need to operate on Davey, despite the fact that he has shrapnel in his heart and lung. They may eventually remove the bullet from his neck, but they are still waiting to make that determination as he gets stronger.

Du Plessis will remain in the intensive care unit until Friday, which is when the doctors are planning on removing the drip drain from his lung. They are hoping by then that the lung will have started to heal, but as of now it continues to bleed.

Overall, Davey is in remarkably good shape all things considered. He is in a good deal of pain, which is not relieved by medications as they make the young man feel ill. He has passed through the critical period and it doesn't seem that his life is in jeopardy, although there is a long road ahead towards healing and rehabilitation. He has his father with him now and his mother will join him in Lima tomorrow, which will certainly help his efforts to get well too.

It will be interesting to hear his full story once he has recovered and has the strength to share it. I'm sure there are elements to it that we're not aware of yet. It'll be a harrowing tale for sure, but for now I think it's good to just know Davey is out of danger and starting the healing process. For more updates as they come, checkout Davey's Facebook page and website.

It has been awhile since we had a really great wingsuit video. The one below will certainly change that however. It features GoPro athlete Alexander Polli floating through the air above New Zealand, Switzerland and Norway as he effortlessly soars through canyons, buzzes rock towers and generally plays chicken with gravity. Consider this your shot of adrenaline for the day.

New Zealand climbers Pat Deavoll and Maryrose Fowlie have made a first ascent in a remote region of Afghanistan. The duo traveled to the Wakhan Corridor in late July where they are believed to have become the first to climb a peak called Koh-e-Rant, located near the Upper Qala Panja Glacier.

While details are a bit thin, Pat shared the news with the Alpinist last week and they posted the story online yesterday. The original intention was for Pat and her usual climbing partner Paul Knott to climb a peak called Rohazon Zom, but at the last minute Paul had to pull out. Maryrose stepped in however, joining the team that also consisted of Bill Byrch.

The three climbers spent eight days on the Qala Panja icefall which required a lot of "hard work" according to Pat. Eventually they topped out on August 2nd and they judged the altitude of Koh-e-Rant to be between 5850 meters (19,193 ft) and 6050 meters (19,849 ft). GPS and altimeter readings varied greatly apparently. There doesn't appear to be any records of previous ascents and Pat says they are the first climbing team to visit this particular region since a French squad back in 1968.

The trip home wasn't without challenges either. A border dispute between Afghanistan and Tajikistan had the checkpoints closed down and it required a few extra days of patience and persistence to get across. When they left, the dispute still hadn't been resolved but the Kiwi ladies, along with a number of other travelers were able to convince officials to let them pass.

A little extra adventure never hurt anyone, right?


We've barely just put the Pakistan summer climbing season behind us, and had a chance to catch our breath, but now it's time to start ramping up for the fall season in the Himalaya. While much smaller than the spring season, and not so centered on Everest, autumn can be a great time to be in the Himalaya. The lack of crowds and the changing weather patterns make it a great alternative to the spring and many climbers use the next few months as a warm-up for Everest or other peaks next year.

One of the teams that is now starting to gather in Kathmandu is the Mountain Professionals Manaslu expedition. According to the team's blog the climbers will all be in Nepal by Friday, August 31 and they'll spend the first few days sight seeing, getting to know one another and holding meetings before they depart for Base Camp. They'll start their trek to BC sometime next week and they should be on the mountain around the 10th of September, give or take a few days.

The team's objective will be the 8156 meter (26,759 ft) Manaslu, the eighth tallest mountain on the planet. Located in the central Himalaya, it was first climbed back in 1956, just a few years after Everest. It is considered a good peak for climbers to hone their skills on and prepare for other, more challenging mountains. I'm sure that some of the Mountain Professional squad have Everest as a future objective.

Mountaineer/Journalist Bili Bierling is preparing for her next climb as well. She'll be heading out to Makalu starting tomorrow and begin an 8 day trek to Base Camp on that 8481 meter (27,825 ft) mountain. She is part of an international team, led by Kobler & Partner,  that has set its sights on the fifth highest mountain in the world.

This should just be the start of team reports and expect to have a few other mountains and climbers added to these updates soon. It seems most of the groups are still just arriving or getting organized in Kathmandu and over the next week or so we should have a clearer picture of how many teams will be in the Himalaya this fall and what their objectives will be.

The Wild Love series of videos is quickly becoming one of my favorites on the web. In the original video we saw how mountaineer Jake Norton and wife Wende Valentine managed family time with their more adventurous pursuits and the in the second video ultra-runner Krissy Moehl balances training and competition with spending time with friends.

Today we have the third video in the series, which turns the spotlight on climber Timmy O'Neill, a man who simply loves to live life to the fullest. Whether he's climbing, paddling, slacklining or pursuing his other passions, Timmy surrounds himself with the people he loves and cherishes every day as a gift. I think you'll find his philosophy for life to be infectious.

Wild Love: Timmy O'Neill from Andy Maser on Vimeo.


Led Notif (Led Notification) kadang sangat berguna disebuah Gadget Android karena lebih memudahkan kita untuk mengenali setiap sesuatu yang masuk kedalam Android kita. Contoh,ketika sebuah Pesan yang masuk di Android kita maka akan ditandai dengan sebuah pemberitahuan dari sebuah Led yang berkedip atau menyala di Gadget kita, sehingga memudahkan atau mempercepat kita dalam mengetahui sebuah tanda yang masuk di dalam system Android kita. Biasanya Led notif ini kaya akan warna, seperti jika ada beberapa yang masuk di android kita maka akan ditandai dengan warna yang berbeda pula, seperti contoh ada sebuah Pesan yang masuk ke Android kita dan dilain waktu ada sebuah Mention dan Twitter yang masuk ke Android kita maka kita bisa membuat atau membedakan tanda tersebut dengan pembedaan warna Led yang menyala seperti Pesan yang masuk ditandai dengan warna hijau sedangkan untuk Twitter yang masuk bisa kita ditandai dengan warna Merah,asik bukan? sangat memudahkan kita untuk mengetahui apa apa perubahan di Android kita, tanpa perlu kita harus mencek ulang gadget Android kita. Tapi sayangnya tidak semua Gadget Android yang mempunyai Fitur ini. Nah pertanyaannya,bagaimana jika Gadget kita tidak mempunyai Fitur ini? Tenang, ada solusinya kok :)

Baca selengkapnya »


Led Notif (Led Notification) kadang sangat berguna disebuah Gadget Android karena lebih memudahkan kita untuk mengenali setiap sesuatu yang masuk kedalam Android kita. Contoh,ketika sebuah Pesan yang masuk di Android kita maka akan ditandai dengan sebuah pemberitahuan dari sebuah Led yang berkedip atau menyala di Gadget kita, sehingga memudahkan atau mempercepat kita dalam mengetahui sebuah tanda yang masuk di dalam system Android kita. Biasanya Led notif ini kaya akan warna, seperti jika ada beberapa yang masuk di android kita maka akan ditandai dengan warna yang berbeda pula, seperti contoh ada sebuah Pesan yang masuk ke Android kita dan dilain waktu ada sebuah Mention dan Twitter yang masuk ke Android kita maka kita bisa membuat atau membedakan tanda tersebut dengan pembedaan warna Led yang menyala seperti Pesan yang masuk ditandai dengan warna hijau sedangkan untuk Twitter yang masuk bisa kita ditandai dengan warna Merah,asik bukan? sangat memudahkan kita untuk mengetahui apa apa perubahan di Android kita, tanpa perlu kita harus mencek ulang gadget Android kita. Tapi sayangnya tidak semua Gadget Android yang mempunyai Fitur ini. Nah pertanyaannya,bagaimana jika Gadget kita tidak mempunyai Fitur ini? Tenang, ada solusinya kok :)

Baca selengkapnya »

Bogor, Rahasia Wanita Indonesia - Sudah banyak sekali website yang mempublikasikan informasi training maupun seminar yang digelar baik di Indonesia mapun di luar negeri. Setiap bulan provider / perusahaan / konsultan / training / EO meluncurkan ragam topik training, informasinya tercecer banyak sekali di internet. Lantas di manakah website yang bisa Anda jadikan rujukan untuk mendapatkan info jadwal training dan jadwal seminar di Indonesia yang lebih lengkap dan mudah?

Pada April 2012, saya dan beberapa rekan meluncurkan situs directory informasi training dan seminar khusus untuk mempublikasikan jadwal pelatihan baik public training maupun in house training yang diselenggarakan oleh berbagai perusahaan / EO besar di Indonesia. Websitenya bisa Anda akses di jadwal-training.com. Informasi pelatihan setiap bulan ada di sana. Mulai dari training pajak, training bisnis, training manajemen, training ekspor-impor, dan masih banyak sekali kategori dan topik training maupun seminar lainnya.

Website Jadwal-Training.com - Situs Informasi Training dan Jadwal Seminar Indonesia
Jadwal-Training.com - Publisher Informasi Training dan Seminar

Cara Mencari Informasi Training Berdasarkan Bulan
Untuk menemukan info jadwal pelatihan yang diurutkan berdasarkan tanggal pelaksanaan, tersaji secara terurut dari bulan ke bulan selanjutnya Anda bisa klik menu "Jadwal Lengkap" di website jadwal-training.com.

Cara Mencari Informasi Training Berdasarkan Topik
Untuk menemukan info jadwal pelatihan yang diurutkan berdasarkan topik, silahkan perhatikan bagian samping website jadwal-training.com, Anda bisa melihat menu-menu categories, di sana terdapat kategori topik pelatihan. Seperti yang tadi saya katakan, ada training pajak, training bisnis dan bisnis, training manajemen, training ekspor-impor, dan masih banyak sekali kategori dan topik training maupun seminar lainnya. Klik menu tersebut dan Anda akan melihat update terbaru pelatihan dari kategori yang Anda pilih.

Cara Pemesanan Tiket Training
Untuk memesan tiket training yang iklannya dipublikasikan via jadwal-training.com itu sangat mudah, bisa melalui laman "Pesan Tiket Training" atau mengisi formulir yang sudah tersedia di masing-masing iklan yang disajikan, juga bisa melalui SMS.

Layanan In House Training
Saya dan rekan pun menyediakan jasa pelatihan yang diselenggarakan dalam bentuk in house training. Artinya, pelatihan didesain sesuai kebutuhan perusahaan / organisasi Anda. Termasuk topik, Anda sendiri yang menentukan.

Pemesanan In House Training
In house training memiliki tahapan yang lumayan banyak, pertama Anda harus mengisi formulir permohonan kesediaan presentasi untuk pelatihan di perusahaan Anda. Setelah itu, kami akan mengirimkan proposal dari konsultan / perusahaan yang telah bergabung di jadwal-training.com dimana konsultan / perusahaan tersebut adalah perusahaan yang di dalamnya memiliki para konsultan yang telah berpengalaman bertahun-tahun juga telah menangani banyak perusahaan besar. Setelah itu, Anda bebas berkomunikasi dengan konsultan / trainer yang akan turun ke perusahaan Anda, melakukan negosiasi, dll.


Semoga ulasan ihwal website informasi training dan seminar ini bermanfaat!


Salam,

Founder Jadwal-Training.com dan Rahasia Wanita Indonesia

One of the big adventures we've been following this summer is the Arctic Row 2012, during which Paul Ridley, Collin West, Neal Mueller and Scott Mortensen were attempting to travel from Inuvik, Canada to Provideniya, Russia by rowboat. This was to be the first crossing, of sorts, of the Arctic Ocean by a rowing team, but bad weather conditions have conspired agains the crew, forcing them to call off the expedition altogether.

The journey was originally expected to cover some 2100km (1300 miles) and take approximately 30 days to complete. When they set out back in mid-July conditions were actually better than expected and  progress was good. But as the days rolled on things took a turn for the worse and unusually powerful storms began to develop in the Arctic. Those storms proved to be impossible to row in, which slowed progress to a crawl. On more than one occasion, the team had to take shelter in a lagoon, sometimes for days, in order to wait out the heavy seas and high winds that were blowing through their area.

The delays proved costly and a journey that was expected to take about a month began to drag on much further. Today was their 41st day at sea and with their supplies dwindling and more storms on the horizon, they decided to go ashore at Point Hope, Alaska.

In a lengthy blog post last night the team talked about the trials and tribulations of their voyage. It hasn't been an easy one to say the least and for four men who have been stuck inside the tiny cabin of a small ocean rowboat, I'm sure it felt good to come ashore yesterday.

I'm sure we'll hear more about their story in the days ahead, as for now they are likely eating and catching up on their rest. It was a valiant attempt on their part, but the Arctic Ocean proved a bit too strong for these men. At least for now.

American riders once again claimed the top three positions at the USA Pro Cycling Challenge which concluded yesterday with a short time trial on the streets of Denver, Colorado. The seventh, and final stage, capped a week of racing through the Rocky Mountains on a course that featured 50,000 feet of climbing and plenty of altitude.

The first place finisher was Christian Vande Velde of Team Garmin-Sharp-Baracuda. He finished 21 seconds ahead of Tejay Van Garderen of Team BMC Racing and 24 seconds in front of defending champ Levi Leipheimer of Omega-Pharma-Quickstep.

The 863-mile long race was a fast and furious one all week long with daring breakaways and tough showdowns on Colorado's mountain slopes. Throughout the week Vande Velde and Van Garderen challenged one another for the lead with virtually no difference in their times. Yesterday Vande Velde managed to finish the 9.5 mile (15.2km) time trial ahead of Van Garderen, giving him the victory on the final day.

It seems it was another successful year for the fledgling race, which got off to a great start in 2011 and was viewed as an excellent event again this year. Hopefully the future is bright for this race, which has attracted some great riders from all over the world.

Congrats to Vande Velde on a well deserved win.

Over the past few weeks I've regularly updated readers on the progress of Davey du Plessis, the South African adventurer who was making a source-to-sea journey along the Amazon River. Yesterday that journey came to an abrupt end when Davey was ambushed by two men who shot him multiple times, took all of his gear and left him for dead. Fortunately, Davey was able to find help and was taken to a local hospital where his condition was stabilized and he has now been transported to Lima, Peru for further treatment.

Upon hearing the news, I immediately thought about the Amazon Express team, which consists of West Hansen and his crew, who are attempting to make  a speed run along the the length of the Amazon as well. They are still miles behind where Davey ran into trouble, but I thought it important that they were made aware of the situation. It seems like that turned out to be a good thing as they were able to get in touch with Davey's mom and speak directly to Davey himself, providing us with more information on the story.

It seems du Plessis was simply floating down the Amazon on his inner tube, as he had been for some time while navigating through the trickier sections of river. He then saw a young man, described to be in his early 20's, appear out of the jungle, then quickly disappear, only to return with a second man. They immediately opened fire on the South African without a verbal exchange of any kind and without provocation. Davey managed to reach the shore and fled into the jungle, but by that point he had already been hit by several bullets. He ran for approximately 5km (3.1 miles) before finding help and even then, according to his mom, the locals were reluctant to lend a hand without first asking for money. He was eventually taken to a local hospital where he was treated for his wounds before being sent on to Lima today.

According to reports on his Facebook page, Davey is in the ICU where he is being treated for bullet wounds to his neck, head and back. He has shrapnel in his lung and arm and is in rough shape as you can imagine. That said, he doesn't appear to be in immediate danger any longer, but doctors plan to wait for until he is stronger before going in to remove the bullets. Friends and family are en route to Peru to be with him today.

Keep Davey and his family in your thoughts today. The young man is lucky to be alive and his story is a grim reminder that the challenges of these adventures go well beyond the environment.

Bogor, Rahasia Wanita Indonesia - Entah berapa banyak blogger yang dadanya berdebar-debar hari ini, menanti dikukuhkannya sang jawara dalam ajang "Blog Review Competition 2012" yang diselenggarakan oleh JogjaCamp dalam rangka meluncurkan produk terbaru mereka, diskon.com.

Hari ini, pukul 05:00 WIB tepat sesuai janji Admin Diskon.com di Facebook, 20 nama pun mencatat sejarah baru dalam hidupnya masing-masing, nama-nama mereka disorot ribuan pasang mata dari berbagai penjuru tanah air. Dari mereka mungkin ada yang kecewa, biasa saja, dan sebagian merasa bahagia nan bangga.

Hadiah Blog Review Competition 2012 - by Diskon.com
Hadiah Blog Review Competition 2012 - Diskon.com

Daftar Pemenang Blog Review Competition 2012 Diskon.com


Pemenang I : iPad 2 + kaos DISKON.com
http://asree84.wordpress.com/2012/07/13/pengalaman-pertama-deal-ala-diskon-com/

Pemenang II : Handphone Samsung Galaxy Ace + kaos DISKON.com
http://kopipakegula.wordpress.com/2012/07/15/site-review-diskon-com-dan-hasrat-berburu-diskon/

Pemenang III : Handphone Samsung Galaxy Young + kaos DISKON.com
http://www.infoketers.tk/

Pemenang IV : Uang tunai senilai Rp 500.000 + kaos DISKON.com
http://niken-bundalahfy.blogspot.com/2012/07/kepuasan-belanja-di-diskoncom.html

Pemenang V : Voucher belanja di DISKON.com senilai Rp 250.000 + kaos DISKON.com
http://iklankecik.web.id/index.php/component/content/article/936

Pemenang VI : Voucher belanja di DISKON.com senilai Rp 150.000 + kaos DISKON.com
http://e-gadogado.blogspot.com/2012/05/saya-anak-indonesia-dan-saya-suka.html

Pemenang VII – X : Voucher belanja di DISKON.com senilai Rp 100.000 + kaos DISKON.com
  • http://tersenyumlahuntukbahagia.blogspot.com/2012/04/mau-diskon-fantastis-ya-diskoncom.html
  • http://wwdq.blogspot.com/2012/04/blog-review-kenyamanan-visitor.html
  • http://annunaki.me/2012/04/26/diskon-com-solusi-asyik-dapat-diskon-fantastis/
  • http://perubahan-untuk-indonesia.blogspot.com/2012/05/strategi-diskon-dan-diskoncom.html
Pemenang XI – XX : Voucher belanja di DISKON.com senilai Rp 50.000 + kaos DISKON.com + hosting 100 MB selama 3 bulan dari IDwebhost
  • http://serba-sepuluh.blogspot.com/2012/07/10-alasan-kenapa-berburu-diskon-di.html
  • http://niia-niiu.blogspot.com/2012/06/coba-voucher-diskon-dari-diskoncom.html
  • http://keehubahuba.blogspot.com/2012/07/diskoncom-best-way-to-spend-your-income_13.html
  • http://my.opera.com/browniescake/blog/diskon-com-gaya-hidup-ala-orang-kaya
  • http://kata-si-lidah.blogspot.com/2012/07/diskoncom-berkat-dia-blog-ini-ada.html
  • http://deetwilight.blogspot.com/2012/04/special-review-daily-deals-on-diskoncom.html
  • http://www.zonateknologi.com/diskon-com-cara-cerdas-berbelanja-hemat-dan-puas-lewat-online.html
  • http://firmannizammudin.net/2012/05/diskon-online-zaman-sekarang.html
  • http://chumhienkslife.blogspot.com/2012/06/diskoncom-layanan-penawaran-diskon.html
  • http://orenjitipsandtrips.wordpress.com/2012/07/14/diskon-com-diskonku-dan-diskonmu

Dari pojok kota Bogor, Saya turut bahagia dan mengucapkan selamat kepada para pemenang, dan tak lupa saya ucapkan terima kasih banyak kepada penyelenggara yang telah mengadakan event yang sangat baik, mendidik, dan membanggakan.


Maju Terus Blogger Indonesia!
Puspitasari - Founder Rahasia Wanita Indonesia

Bogor, Rahasia Wanita Indonesia - Pada hari Senin, 23 April 2012 pukul 06:23 WIB dari pojok Kota Bogor kuluncurkan sebuah postingan paling penomenal di blog Rahasia Wanita Indonesia. Postingan tersebut kuberi judul "JogjaCamp Kembangkan Daily Deals DISKON.COM" dan hal-hal unik yang terjadi sudah saya rekap di postingan lain berjudul "7 Hadiah Dari Diskon.com Sebelum Juri Menghampiri!".

Hari ini adalah detik-detik terakhir ajang kompetisi yang sangat sengit ini, menjadi titik akhir penantianku pula. 27 Agustus 2012, akan hadir beberapa jam lagi, dan tentu saja juri sudah mengantongi 20 nama peserta terbaik yang akan meraih hadiah sebagaimana dijanjikannya.


Hadiah Lomba Blog Review dari Diskon.com - JogjaCamp - Ipad, Samsung Galaxy, Voucer, Uang Tunai dan Lainnya
Hadiah Lomba Blog Review Dari Diskon.com
  • Pemenang I : iPad 2 + kaos Diskon.com
  • Pemenang II : Handphone Samsung Galaxy Ace + kaos Diskon.com
  • Pemenang III : Handphone Samsung Galaxy Young + kaos Diskon.com
  • Pemenang IV : Uang tunai senilai Rp 500.000 + kaos Diskon.com
  • Pemenang V : Voucher belanja di Diskon.com senilai Rp 250.000 + kaos Diskon.com
  • Pemenang VI : Voucher belanja di Diskon.com senilai Rp 150.000 + kaos Diskon.com
  • Pemenang VII - X : Voucher belanja di Diskon.com senilai Rp 100.000 + kaos Diskon.com
  • Pemenang XI - XX : Voucher belanja di Diskon.com senilai Rp 50.000 + kaos Diskon.com + hosting dari IDwebhost

Akankah blog ini berada di salah satu pemenang di atas? Besok akan kupantau, besok pula aku dan semua orang di manapun akan tahu siapa peserta terbaik, siapa yang telah berhasil menyihir juri dengan kualitas tulisan terbaik diantara banyaknya peserta yang ikut andil dalam ajang perlombaan ini.

"Blog Review Competition 2012" adalah nama dari ajang yang diselenggarakan JogjaCamp dalam peluncuran produk terbaru mereka bernama diskon.com. Sebuah situs berbasis daily deals.

Kuucapkan terimakasih yang sebesar-besarnya kepada JogjaCamp dan team Diskon.com atas kompetisi yang pasti sangat bermanfaat bagi para peserta untuk menjadi blogger yang kompetitif dan bisa menulis dengan tulisan terbaiknya.

Bagi sahabat Rahasia Wanita Indonesia yang juga turut andil dalam acara ini, apakabar dengan perasaan Anda menunggu detik-detik pengumuman sang jawara beberapa jam ke depan? Semoga kita semua diberikan banyak hikmah, meskipun tidak menang, minimal kita sudah berusaha menulis dengan berhati-hati, sebaik mungkin, dan dari itulah kita bisa mulai mengerti bahwa blogging bukan sekedar curhat. :)


Salam Berkelimpahan!

Puspitasari - Penulis Review Jogjacamp Luncurkan Daily Deals Diskon.com

Bogor, Rahasia Wanita Indonesia - Hai sobat Rahasia Wanita, lagi-lagi sahabat saya, Mr Yeheskiel Zebua akan menyelenggarakan seminar dengan judul "Rocket Marketing". Sebelumnya saya sempat posting jadwal seminar motivasi yang berjudul "Design Your Life Now!", kala itu full motivasi. Dibawakan oleh orang yang sama, Yeheskiel Zebua.

Jadwal seminar yang satu ini sudah saya posting di website bisnis saya, jadwal-training.com, bisa Anda cek di postingan yang berjudul "Seminar Rocket Marketing: Mengungkap Rahasia Bagaimana Meningkatkan Omzet Bisnis Hingga 1600%"

Yeheskiel Zebua - Pembicara Seminar Rocket Marketing dan Design Your Life Now - Motivator Pembicara Sukses No 1 Indonesia
Yeheskiel Zebua - Pelatih Sukses No.1 Indonesia (Murid Tung Desem Waringin)


Informasi Seminar
  • Judul Seminar: ”Rocket Marketing“
  • Kategori : Marketing and Business
  • Pelaksanaan: Sabtu, 15 September 2012 | 13:00-15:00 WIB
  • Harga Tiket: Rp 200.000 Kini Hanya Rp 100.000 (Untuk 100 Orang Pertama)
  • Tempat: Gedung BPPT Lantai 3, Ruang Komisi 1-3
    Jalan M.H. Thamrin No 8 – Jakarta 10340


Yang Akan dibahas Pada Seminar Rocket Marketing:
  • Cara Jitu Bagaimana Meroketkan Profit Anda hingga 3200% (disertai perhitungannya)
  • Cara Jitu Bagaimana Meroketkan Omzet Anda hingga 1600% (disertai perhitungannya)
  • 2 Aliran Marketing Yang Harus Anda Tahu
  • Bagaimana Menciptakan Penawaran Yang Meningkatkan Kenikmatan Bagi Pelanggan dan Membuatnya Ketagihan
  • Bagaimana Menciptakan Penawaran Yang Mengurangi Keberatan Pelanggan
  • Strategi Meningkatkan Jumlah Prospek
  • Strategi Meningkatkan Persentase Konversi
  • Strategi Meningkatkan Frekuensi Transaksi
  • Strategi Meningkatkan Volume Penjualan
  • Strategi Meningkatkan Persentase Keuntungan

Harga tiket hanya Rp100.000 (seratus ribu rupiah) per peserta. Untuk informasi lebih lengkap silahkan cek di jadwal-training.com, jika ada pertanyaan silahkan hubungi saya baik melalui email, sms, atau contact form. Jangan lupa untuk mengisi formulir selengkap mungkin. hehe.. :)



Semoga bermanfaat!


For many hikers and backpackers the John Muir Trail is the quintessential hiking trail in all of North America. The 210-mile long route that stretches between Yosemite in the north and Mt. Whitney in the south is widely considered to be amongst the best hikes in the entire world. Last year a group of friends made that hike and filmed their experiences along the way. They are now preparing to release a documentary of their adventure entitled Mile... Mile& A Half. The trailer for this beautiful looking film can be found below and quite simply it looks like a visual love letter to the JMT.

The team behind the film is still looking for some funding to help complete the project and get it out to some of the big upcoming adventure film festivals. With that in mind, they've launched a Kickstarter page to help them raise the funds they need. With just over a month to go, they're still hoping to pull in about $37,000. Take a look at the trailer and see if you think this is a project worth funding. (Pssst...It is!)

MILE... MILE & A HALF (trailer 2) from The Muir Project on Vimeo.

The crack team of bloggers over at CheapTents has turned out yet another good interview to round out the week. This time they've turned their attention on professional adventurer and expedition manager Tim Moss, whose book How to get to The North Pole... and Other Iconic Adventures I reviewed awhile back.

Amongst his numerous adventures, Tim has hiked across Patagonia, swam the length of the River Thames and made first ascents in the Altai Mountains of Russia. He has also circumnavigated the globe in 80 days using 80 different forms of transportation, trekked the Wahiba Desert in Oman and climbed in the Bolivian Andes. Oh yeah! He's also been the logistics manager on more than 100 other expeditions as well.

In the CheapTents interview, Tim talks about his inspirations for pursuing adventure and which of his many exploits has had the greatest impact on his life. He also talks about the toughest decision he's ever had to make on an expedition, which destination has left the best impression on him and how he finds ways to add adventure into his daily life. Moss even provides some advice to would-be adventurers who are thinking about their own expeditions. His best advice? Simply just get started.

As for his favorite pieces of gear, which is always one of CheapTents most intriguing questions. Tim says he loves his Helly Hansen base layers that he has owned for more then ten years. He says he's used them on numerous adventures and they have always performed brilliantly. By coincidence, I happen to own a pair of base layers from HH as well. Haven't had them quite as long as Tim, mine are probably more like six years old, but they are fantastic and have gone with me to many places too.

Enjoy this interview as we head into a weekend. Perhaps it'll inspire you to have an adventure of your own.


Located in Canada's Nunavut territory, Baffin Island is a remote and wild place. It also happens to be the fifth largest island in the world and a fitting place for an adventure. This morning Ray Zahab and Ferg Hawke have set out to run non-stop across the island, covering roughly 100km (60 miles) in the process. Their route will take them through Akshayuk Pass, a breathtaking valley that is the remains of an ancient riverbed and is surrounded by the Baffin Mountains.

You can track their progress on BaffinRun.com and catch updates via Ray's Twitter Feed and Facebook page. Reports are also being posted to the impossible2Possible Facebook page as well.

While this will be a good challenge for these two ultra-runners, it is merely a warm-up for what lies ahead. Next year they intend to run across the Gobi Desert at it's widest point, an expedition that will cover approximately 2000km (1242 miles) through some of the most remote terrain on Earth. Because of that remote nature of the Gobi, they'll have limited opportunities for resupply which will alter the logistics of the run to a degree.

We'll learn a lot more about the expedition in March of 2013 when Ray and Ferg are expected to set out. You know we'll be following it closely.

The Queen of the Kayak, Freya Hoffmeister, is set to resume her epic journey around South America tomorrow as she returns to the water once again in Valparaiso, Chile. The woman who has already circumnavigated around Iceland, New Zealand's South Island and Australia, is hoping to become the first to paddle completely around South America as well.

Freya set out from Buenos Aries, Argentina last September and spent the next eight months covering roughly 8000km (4970 miles) following remote coastlines. First heading south, she was successfully able to paddle through the notoriously tricky waters of Cape Horn, which are well known for their turbulent seas and nasty storms, before turning north. In May she reached Valparaiso and elected to take a break and return home to Hamburg, Germany. There she was able to rest, resupply and take care of the logistics that will see her through the second stage of the journey.

The plan now is to return to the water and cover another 8000km, paddling past Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela before taking another break in Georgetown, Guyana. To reach that point she'll have to kayak through the Panama Canal, dodging heavy shipping freighters along the way. If all goes as planed, she'll complete this second stage by April of next year. Stage 3 will then begin in September of 2013, when she'll finish the circumnavigation and arrive back in where she started in Buenos Aires.

While she's out on the water, Freya posts regular updates to blog that help chart her progress and experienced along the way. You can find that blog by clicking here.

Thanks to ExWeb for the tip!

Thanks to the long, hot Texas summers I often find myself running after dark. It's the best way to beat the heat although running in the dark isn't always the safest thing to do. Wearing a headlamp helps to not only illuminate where you're going but also make you more visible to cars and other pedestrians. Finding the right headlamp for such high intensity activities wasn't easy however, as it had to be the right combination of comfort and weight , while still providing plenty of useful light.

Considering all of the companies that make good headlamps these days, I was surprised to discover that one of the best lights was for runners was being made by Energizer. Yes, Energizer. The battery company. They make a headlamp called the Micro Sport that was specifically designed with runners and other outdoor athletes in mind.

The Micro Sport comes equipped with three LED lamps that are capable of cranking out quite a bit of illumination. The lamp has both high and low modes, both of which provide plenty of light for running. High mode is capable of shedding light up to 7 meters (23 feet) out, but at that level of intensity the batteries will only last about 3-4 hours. Dropping it to low mode will nearly triple that time using standard AA batteries.

In addition to the standard forward facing headlamp, the Micro Sport also comes with a rear-facing red flashing light as well. Think of it as a taillight for runners or cyclists as it certainly adds an extra level of safety when on the road after dark. While not particularly bright, this emergency flasher is still an attention grabber. Powered by a single lithium coin-cell, this additional light can last for 95 hours between battery changes.

Of course, plenty of headlamps provide this kind of performance but what sets this one apart, and puts the "micro" in its name, is its weight. This light clocks in at jut 2 ounces (45 grams) which means it's pretty much featherlight in your hand and on your head. That's fantastic for runners in particular who don't want a heavy lamp on their head while on the go. A thin and lightweight headband rounds out the package, adding comfort and stability to the Micro Sport.

This is a fantastic option for outdoor athletes who need a little illumination while partaking in their favorite activities. The flashing rear lamp adds an extra measure of safety and the over all quality of the light is solid on all fronts. Best of all, it won't break your pocket book either. The suggest retail on the headlamp is just $24.95, which makes it a great bargain.

By now I'm sure everyone has heard the news about Lance Armstrong. The seven-time Tour de France winner has decided that he no longer wants to fight the allegations that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency is bringing against him. In a statement released on his website last night, Armstrong said "Enough is enough." He knows that this fight will probably go on for months and that even if he manages to clear his name yet again, he'll probably continue to be dogged by allegations and charges for years to come. Rather than face that ongoing battle, he has decided against taking his case to arbitration and simply accept the USADA's decision. He'll almost assuredly get a lifetime ban from competition and could potentially lose all of his Tour wins as well.

There has been a lot of hyperbole tossed around in the press over the past 12-hours or so, thanks in no small part due to statements made by Travis Tygart, the Chief Executive of the USADA. Tygart says that he can and will strip Armstrong of his seven Tour wins, despite the fact that he has no jurisdiction to do so. Only the International Cycling Union (UCI) or the Tour has the ability to do that and at this point we have no idea if or when they'll do that. The UCI has been in contention with the USADA over this investigation for some time and have spoken out against the process. They don't seem likely to want to cooperate with Tygart and his team. Officials from the Tour de France on the other hand, may see things differently.

Despite never failing a drug test throughout his career, reports indicate that the USADA has found two samples from 2009 and 2010 that indicate that there may have been efforts to mask the use of performance enhancing drugs. Lets be clear here. The samples don't show PED's in Armstrong's system, simply that there may have been steps taken to hide their use. Tygart is also said to have ten former teammates of Armstrong lined up to testify that he was doping while winning all of those races, although some believe that those other riders had little choice but to testify or face their own inquiries as well.

More than one critic of the USADA's investigation have called it a "witch hunt." Some have even hinted that there is a bit of a personal vendetta on the part of Tygart. His battles with Lance go back a number of years and his desire to catch Armstrong have continued despite the cyclists retiring. Twice. It should also be noted that the USADA moved ahead with it's investigation despite the fact that the U.S. Attorney General's Office dropped its case against Armstrong back in February. That investigation lasted for two-years and was abandoned for lack of evidence.



Some have wondered why this case is moving ahead now when Armstrong is no longer cycling competitively. While he was no longer on the international cycling circuit, Lance was competing in triathlons and doing quite well. He had planned on racing in the Ironman Championships in Hawaii this fall and by many accounts he was poised to have an impact on that sport as well. Despite the fact that he was retired from pro cycling, Armstrong was competing, just on a smaller stage. The lifetime ban from competition will ensure he doesn't take part in any sanctioned events again.

As a huge cycling fan I realize that the era in which Armstrong raced was one in which nearly everyone in the peloton was using some kind of performance enhancing drug or other method to gain an advantage. That doesn't excuse their use of course, it is just an acknowledgement that it was a different time for the sport. The UCI has taken great strides to clean up cycling and while they're not completely there yet, things have certainly improved over the past few years.

We'll have to wait and see how everything falls out with this case. The USADA will likely pass their brand of judgement very quickly. How the UCI and the Tour de France responds will be very telling. Either way, I'm sure Armstrong is looking forward to turning the page and moving forward. He still has a lot of good work to do with his Livestrong Foundation and I truly believe he is just plain tired of fighting these charges.

Whether or not he gets to keep those seven Tour wins remains to be seen. But fans of the sport and of Armstrong know who won those races out on the road. The results of this investigation won't change that.

Deep in the heart of Africa, on one of the biggest and most dangerous rivers in the world, sits the Inga Rapids. This swirling vortex of whitewater has claimed the lives of numerous paddlers over the years and up until late last year, it had never been successfully run.

In November of 2011, Tyler Bradt, Steve Fisher, Ben Marr and Rush Sturges traveled to the Congo to challenge those rapids, eventually making the first descent of those incredibly turbulent waters. They called their expedition the Grand Inga Project and a documentary film of their adventure will be released shortly. The trailer for that amazing looking film is below.

Be warned, this white water is not for the faint of heart. It is big, bad and nasty. It makes for a great looking film though. Can't wait to see this.


Congo: The Grand Inga Project (Best Short Film of the Year Awards 2012 - Entry #34) from Kayak TV (Kayak Session Mag) on Vimeo.

It has been an eventful week on the roads of Colorado where the USA Pro Cycling has been a fast and furious affair thus far. After three stages, the top of the leaderboard is dominated by American riders, while 25 cyclists sit less than one minute off the lead.

The race got off to a good start on Monday with a long 126-mile leg. That stage was won by Tyler Farrar of Team Garmin-Sharp-Barracuda, who was happy to ride well following a crash-prone outing in the Tour de France last month. Tuesday's Stage 2 went to Tejay Van Garderen of BMC Racing while yesterday's win went to Tom Danielson, also of Garmin-Sharp. That means during all three days of racing, American riders have crossed the finish line in front.

The overall standings have Christian Vandevelde and Garderen in a virtual tie atop the leaderboard with Ivan Rovny of RusVelo. RusVelo is a new Russian squad that was created last year and are starting to show some promise out on the road. Defending champ Levi Leiphimer, who now rides for Omega Pharma-Quick-Step is sitting in fourth place just eight seconds off the lead.

Today's Stage 4 is a 97.2-mile ride (156.4km) ride from beautiful Aspen to Beaver Creek that includes a climb as high as 12,095 feet (3686 meters) on Independence Pass early on in the race. Over the first three days the pace has been fast, despite plenty of climbing and altitude, and today is likely to be no different. Considering how many riders are within striking distance of the lead, the race remains a wide open affair that will probably be decided in the individual time trial scheduled for Sunday in Denver.

I'm glad to see the race is living up to the legacy that was set down last year. The course is tough, but still allows riders to be aggressive and it remains very competitive as we head into the second half. I'm sure that a number of the American riders are hoping to once again take the win on home soil but we'll have to wait to see how it all plays out.

I rarely write about hunting in any way on this blog, mostly because it isn't something that I personally do. I grew up in the woods with a father and older brother who both still love to hunt, but it was never an activity that struck a chord with me. I simply enjoyed being outside. But I respect hunters greatly and recognize that as a group they often do more for conservation and protection of lands than anyone else. Like the rest of us, they share a common bond of a love for the outdoors.

A new short film, entitled Searching for West, hammers this point home. It follows hunter Mark Seacat as he goes out into the wild in search of his goals, namely bagging a big bull elk. Listening to Mark narrate the film I was struck by how much he sounded like some of the other outdoor athletes we follow here on the Adventure Blog. Mountaineers, polar explorers and endurance runners who endure sometimes difficult conditions as they go after their personal trophies. Like so many of those men and women, Mark questions what he is missing at home while he pursues those goals.

This is an incredibly well done and beautiful film that I think you'll find fascinating to watch even if you're not a hunter yourself. The scenery is spectacular, the story is compelling and the technical aspects of the film are top notch. It's about 25 minutes in length, and if you have the ability to watch it on an HDTV that's what I'd recommend. Otherwise, kick back in your chair set the video to full screen and enjoy.


Searching for West from Helio Collective on Vimeo.

One of my favorite pieces of gear that I saw at Outdoor Retailer a few weeks back was an innovative set of eyewear from a company called Switch. They've come up with the ingenious idea of developing a pair of sunglasses with interchangeable lenses that can provide excellent performance in a variety of light conditions, something that adventure racers and other endurance athletes are sure to appreciate.

The designers at Switch have developed what they call the "magnetic interchange" lens system. In doing so they've incorporated strong, high-energy magnets into both the frames and lenses themselves, allowing those lenses to quickly be changed out with a different set. This allows a single pair of glasses to be used across an entire day, starting with the pink glow of morning light, continuing through the harsh brightness of the day and finishing up with the flaming skies of dusk. Swapping out the lenses is a breeze, snapping into place with a satisfying click and staying firmly locked into the frames no matter what activity is on the agenda.

I tested the Switch Avalanche frames and found them to be durable, good looking and well suited for running and cycling in particular. They are designed to stay firmly in place yet still provide plenty of ventilation when working up a sweat. I found them to be lightweight and comfortable, while providing plenty of coverage over the eyes.



Like all of Switch's offerings, the Avalanche frames come equipped with two sets of lenses – one pair of standard polarized and one pair tinted Amber that are designed for low-light conditions. The standard kit can be expanded with other lenses from the Switch line-up as well and there are plenty of alternatives available on the company's website.

The concept behind these sunglasses is so simple and elegant I couldn't help but wonder why someone hadn't thought of it before. Those who expect good performance out of their eyewear will love the versatility and flexibility that Switch lenses and frames provide. Triathletes, adventure racers and ultra-runners will particularly appreciate the fact that they can compete while carrying just a single pair of glasses for all light conditions.

Prices for frames and lenses vary depending on style. The Avalanche frames I test run $169 with two pairs of lenses. Additional lenses start at $40.

MKRdezign

Contact Form

Name

Email *

Message *

Powered by Blogger.
Javascript DisablePlease Enable Javascript To See All Widget