Mike Barish
New York, NY, USA - http://mikebarish.com | www.twitter.com/mikebarish
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Video: Yukon Quest 2012 gets started
This past weekend saw the kickoff of one of the year's biggest sporting events. No, not the Super Bowl. The 2012 Yukon Quest began. What is Yukon Quest? It's just your run-of-the-mill 1,000 mile dog sled race from Fairbanks, Alaska to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada. It follows the trail that prospectors took during the gold rush of the 1890s and celebrate the Yukon River, the "highway of the North." And while the Iditarod may be more well-known, Yukon Quest is considered by many to be the most difficult race in the world. Mushers and their dogs will navigate the frozen wilderness for two weeks and friend-of-Gadling Eva Holland is along for the ride and posting dispatches on her Twitter feed. She passed along this video of the start of the race and we thought we'd share it with you because, well, it's just plain awesome.
Gadling gear review: DODOcase for iPad 2
iPads, tablets, Kindles and other tablet devises are making it easier to carry around hundreds of books and the entire internet in slim, lightweight devices. That technology needs to be protected, and, with the DODOcase, you can do it while nostalgically remembering what it was like to carry around an actual notebook. Remember those halcyon days? But a good iPad case is defined by more than its aesthetics. It needs to be durable, useful for all types of everyday use and slim. I've had both generations of the iPad and tried out several cases. Is the DODOcase a winner or just a pretty face? I put it to the test.
Video of the Day: Snow on the beach in Split, Croatia
Extreme cold and snow have gripped parts of Europe in ways that the continent has not experienced in years. The images of people struggling to cope with the elements are chilling (no pun intended). Even in Split, Croatia, a coastal town on the Adriatic Sea, snow has blanketed the beaches as temperatures have plunged nearly 30 degrees below average for this time of year. Seeing people walk along the palm tree-lined shore as snow falls unrelentingly is almost too incongruous to process.
SkyMall Monday: Undead Elvis & Marilyn
How we remember our heroes usually depends on when we idolized them. The images that move us the most get etched into our brains. As a kid, I wanted to be Indiana Jones. In my mind, Harrison Ford will always been that whip-toting adventurer (though not the one with the sagging man-boobs in the most recent Indy film that I refuse to acknowledge). He'll always have a place on the Wall of Honor in the SkyMall Monday headquarters (next to a jar of Nutella). But what really becomes of our icons? Well, they die. They all die. That's the circle of life (it's a tad darker than hakuna matata). And, while we remember our heroes deaths, we never commemorate how they would look if they continued to entertain us after their demise...until now, thanks to SkyMall and the Undead Icons Statues.
Video of the Day: Flying People in New York City
Imagine if you could fly. Not in an airplane or a helicopter. I mean, you could fly like Superman. How amazing would it be to soar through cities and observe everyone from above. Well, imagine looking up and seeing three people flying around New York City. That's what must have happened when people saw these human-shaped remote control airplanes circling around New York. It looks like it might just be a promotional video for the new film Chronicle, but that doesn't make it any less awesome. Time to stare out there window and wish for some superpowers.
SkyMall Monday: Zenhaus Dog Crate
Living with a dog means giving up much of your domestic life to an animal that doesn't know how to share space. You live with fur everywhere. Water and food bowls take up part of the kitchen floor. Toys are scattered everywhere. It's difficult to create a sophisticated living space when there are drool stains on most of the furniture. We run into these problems at SkyMall Monday headquarters thanks to our freeloading tenants. This doesn't even take into account the space issues. Once you set out some dog beds and set up their crates, you're dedicating a tremendous amount of real estate to animals that lick their own penises. So how do you maximize space, live in style and also make your home comfortable for your dogs? You simply sit back, relax and let SkyMall solve all of your problems with the Zenhaus Dog Crate...that's also a coffee table!
Video of the Day: Sheer terror on the Slingshot
I hate scary amusement park rides. I understand that some people love roller coasters and loops and sudden plunges into dark caverns, but it's just not for me. You can save your trips to Cedar Point and roller coaster road trips for someone else. Because, quite frankly, the looks on the faces of the two men in this video, combined with their deafening screams, basically sum up how I react to amusement park rides. Theme parks can be fun but mostly because so many of them serve turkey legs.
And seriously, that was not a countdown!
SkyMall Monday: Food Pillows
Some decisions are easy because you simply don't have a choice. The decision is made for you when there's only one option. Others force you to pick between two worthy candidates (think ice cream or cookies for dessert). Things get tricky when you encounter more than two viable options. How do you choose from a cornucopia of wonder? Here at SkyMall Monday, we typically engage in heated battles of Rock, Paper, Scissors to make these critical decisions. However, sometimes we become so paralyzed by the options that we can't make up our minds. What do you do when presented with so many outstanding products? That's the dilemma we're facing this week thanks to SkyMall. To solve the problem, we're turning to you, dear readers. Help us decide which of these will become the Official Food Pillow of SkyMall Monday.
Gadling Gear Review: The North Face Jammu Jacket
Waterproof winter jackets don't always leave you dry. Sure, they keep the rain, snow and ice out, but they often end up leaving you drenched in your own sweat. The breathability of a jacket is almost as important as how impenetrable it is to the elements. Sadly, most coats that try to combine warmth and waterproofing end up sacrificing personal climate control. If you're going to be active throughout the winter, finding a jacket that's comfortable, allows for a full range of motion and keeps you dry and warm is a necessity. That's why I was so eager to try the new Jammu jacket from The North Face.
Video of the Day: An American explains cricket
If you've traveled to any of the Commonwealth nations, you've likely encountered cricket on television or in the newspapers. You may have even gotten stuck in a conversation about it while having no clue what anyone is saying. Heck, you might have even played it...poorly. Americans don't understand cricket. Is it like baseball? What's a wicket? Why does a match take so many days? Thankfully, one America has taken it upon himself to help us all learn about the game. Sit back, relax and let comedian Reginald D. Hunter explain the ins and outs of cricket. I think you'll see that it's a lot simpler than you feared.
