Next time you're on a beach vacation, snorkeling in and around some reef, wouldn't it be nice to have a soundtrack for the experience? Now, thanks to the new waterproofed iPod shuffle from SwimMan, you can you get your groove on while taking in the beautiful underwater scenery.

For $250, you get a genuine, 1GB Apple shuffle that the company has taken apart, waterproofed completely, and put back together again. Plus, they'll include some headphones they've waterproofed as well. According to SwimMan: "This is truly the 'go anywhere, do anything' iPod Shuffle for all sports and leisure activities on land or in the water."

These guys were the first to create waterproof audio players and headphones, so it sounds like they know what they're doing. However, if something does go wrong, you can send the product back within 30 days, no questions asked.

So, what will you be rocking out to on your next underwater endeavor?

[via Geek Sugar]

OK, sports fans, if you're planning on attending next year's Olympics in Beijing, you might want to get your tickets now. More than 7 million have just gone on sale, but 75% are allotted for Chinese residents only, and you can't buy them in large numbers -- in fact, some events, like the opening ceremonies, have a 1 ticket per person policy.

On the plus side, it won't be horribly expensive. Organizers are keeping prices low, in the hopes that the games can be affordable for everyone. In fact, more than half the tickets are going for $12 or less.

In the event that you're not quite ready to book a trip 15 months in advance, don't worry. This is only the first wave of ticket sales. Procrastinators will get another shot at seats in October of this year.

This is where I'm at in the planning process. I'd love to go, but I'm not entirely sure I'll be able to. I've never been to China, nor have I attended an Olympics, so this could be the perfect opportunity to do both. Plus, by August 8th, 2008, I might just have enough money saved up to eat while I'm attending.

See you there?

It's difficult for me to maintain perspective when my flights are delayed. No matter what the reason -- weather, technical problems, etc -- I get frustrated, and have to resist the temptation to blame the airline, their staff, or anyone else who seems like they might be in some way connected to the problem.

But of all the reasons to wait around for a flight to land or take off, an air traffic controller's bathroom break is the last thing I'd expect to be causing the disruption.

However, that's exactly what happened last week at Manchester-Boston Regional -- New Hampshire's largest airport. The controller left the tower for 12 minutes, which left two Southwest Airlines flights circling above the airport for an extra 18 minutes, and kept a medical flight delivering lungs to New Jersey on the ground 10 minutes longer than scheduled. The absence was in the logbook as a "bathroom break."

It should be noted, the controller waited until traffic was very light, and followed procedure by notifying other controllers at nearby facility that he'd be out for moment.

I guess when you gotta go, you gotta go.

One thing I love to do when I'm heading down open highway on some cross-country trip, is crank up the classic rock. You know, the really good stuff -- like Bruce Springsteen or Guns N Roses.

Apparently I'm not alone. As promotion for for the release of racing videogame called "Burnout Dominator," Electronic Arts and AOL have asked voters to choose their favorite driving music, and out of 1,700 votes, classic rock is by far the most popular choice.

But, while it's great to get revved up by kick-ass tunes when you're pretending to drive, on real highways, aggressive driving isn't exactly rewarded.

For the life of me, I can't find the poll results online, but according to this Reuters article, artists you should be especially wary of while racing down the Interstate are: Meat Loaf, Bruce Springsteen, Guns N roses, and Motorhead, along with more contemporary groups like The Killers, Feeder, and the Prodigy.

Next time you get a ticket for driving like a rockstar, don't say I didn't warn you.

Finally, after a long winter locked up inside the house, it's time to get out, feel the sunshine, and head off on your Spring vacations. But while you're picking flights, reserving hotels and scouring local shops for a hot new swimsuit, you can cross one thing off your list of travel preparations: buying insurance.

Sounds risky, right? What about all your stuff? What if you get injured and need medical assistance?

Chances are, you're already covered. Homeowners and medical insurance cover most everything to do with traveling, and credit cards and automobile clubs often pick up the rest.

That being said, don't take my word for it. Check your insurance policies before your trip, and if it turns out you do need to pick up some additional coverage, check out these helpful tips from Consumer Reports.

So here I was, feeling guilty for all the "uninsured" trips I've taken over the years, only to find out, I was probably fine.

Did you ever see the movie Magnolia, where it rains frogs at the end?** I thought that the filmmaker was just being clever, but apparently it actually happens.

At least it does in Serbia. That's where thousands of frogs descended upon on a village of understandably terrified citizens.

"We were all wondering what it was when suddenly frogs started to fall from the sky. I thought maybe a plane carrying frogs had exploded in midair," Caja Jovanovic told Ananova.

While, at first, you might think this signals some drastic problem -- like the end of the world, for instance -- the phenomenon is apparently recognized by the scientific community. A local climatology expert, Slavisa Ignjatovic, said it happened because "A whirlwind has sucked up the frogs from a lake, the sea or some other body of water somewhere else and carried them along to Odzaci where they have fallen to the ground."

So I guess this could happen anywhere. Sure makes me want to visit Serbia, though.

**Note: if you haven't seen Magnolia, don't worry, the frog falling scene doesn't have much to do with the rest of the movie, so I haven't ruined anything for you.

[via Spluch]

Do you dream of piloting an aircraft? Now you can be one step closer to the cockpit -- with your phone!

Seriously, this guy is selling ringtones created from real cockpit noises. "The tones I have created are actual aural warning alerts heard in the cockpits that I have access to in my line of work. They are rarely if ever heard in public. I have cleaned up the sounds where I can and they really sound great on your typical cell phone. When used as ringtones these alerts WILL definitely get your attention and of those around you."

Yes, they "WILL," because they're some of the most obnoxious sounds on the planet. I'm sure they're designed that way for a reason, and -- while flying a plane -- are very useful. But be warned: by choosing to put these on your phone you are willingly and deliberately alienate anyone within earshot.

That being said, if you really want to be alerted to phone calls by actual airplane noises, head over to the website where you can sample the sounds of "WHOOP WHOOP PULL UP" (what you'd hear just before impact), "Boeing 757/767 Master Caution," "BINGO-BINGO" (the low fuel warning from an F-16) and many, many more.

At the very least, as noted on the site, "they are sure to garner attention."

[via Neatorama]

How much would you pay to travel the world in complete and total luxury? If you're Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, and money is no object, designing a boat to fit your needs could run you $138million.

That's the story according to Mario La Via, an Italian boat builder with Privilege Motor Yacht. Although -- while he confirms the order -- he hasn't said for certain that Jolie and Pitt are the buyers.

Regardless of who's buying the ship, it sounds very impressive. Totally 240ft in length, it's set to have 6 en-suite cabins with marble and gold bathroom fittings, a swimming pool, a gym -- even a helicopter pad -- all across 3 enormous decks.

With all the adopting the pair is doing, I guess they need the space.

For those of you looking to get roaring drunk on your next holiday abroad, you're probably in the market for a really good pub crawl. I spent my college days in Liverpool -- formerly rated the UK's number 1 party city -- so, rest assured, I know what I'm talking about.

But beyond the unchecked inebriation, and poorly-harmonized group renditions of "Lean On Me" that often accompany these sorts of excursions, in some cities, pub crawls are the best way to get to know the local population.

Thanks to Vincent Crump and Chris Haslam at the Times Online, you can review a handpicked list of the best pub crawls in the best pub crawl cities -- Sydney, Dublin, Boston and Edinburgh. Not only do they give you a run down on the cultural significance of all their chosen watering holes, but the pair are even so thoughtful as to offer culinary suggestions for the morning after -- pleasant ways to ease out of that hangover (or beat it to death with fried eggs and bacon).

Bottoms up.

The next time I'm at a restaurant or bar, and someone asks me for identification, I'd love to pull out this -- just to see their reaction.

To be honest, I can't think of any other reason to own Walt Disney's passport, unless you're an enormous fan of the entrepreneur, and the ever-expanding entertainment giant he originally founded. Regardless, if you are interested, now is your chance to own a piece of travel history. The eBay auction closes at 11:00 a.m. PDT on April 14th; opening bid is $3,600, and it's expected to sell for between $14,400 and $21,600 by the time all is said and done.

Got your checkbook handy?

[via Boing Boing]