Gadling

Maybe it's because I work for an adventure travel magazine, but I am always drawn to outdoor shots. Taking nature photos can be difficult because the scope is so large, but in this one carlhancock draws us in with the mountain's reflection. Then again, it's probably hard not to take a good picture in Rocky Mountain National Park, but this one manages to be a truly excellent one.

Think you have a great travel shot? Submit it here to be considered for Photo of the Day.

My daily deal for this sunny Saturday, is for a big clearance of MP3 players over at Amazon.com.

You won't find any iPods on sale, but there are some other very interesting deals, like 50% off the previous generation Slacker wireless music players.

There are also several players under $10, which would make great stocking stuffers, if you are one of those shoppers that likes to stock up on deals well before the seasonal madness begins.

Be sure to read the reviews of a player before clicking the "buy it now" button, because not all the products on sale are, how do I say this, "decent"....

As always with Amazon, products shipped directly from the Amazon warehouse ship for free on purchases over $25, and members who subscribe to Amazon Prime will get free 2 day shipping.

The TSA wants to expand its reach to include the 15,000 private and corporate jets and 300+ small airports that are currently outside its jurisdiction. The security agency claims that many of the jets are the same size as small commercial planes and could be used to commit acts of terrorism. They want all private jet passengers and crews to pass a background check before boarding their planes. Private plane owners, pilots and corporate fliers are crying foul. Most call the proposed plan an invasion of privacy and a waste of money.

But whose money would it be wasting? According to the TSA, 85% of the $200 million per year it would take to fund the screening will come from fees charged to the jets' owners and operators. The proposal does not include physical screening. Passengers and crews would have to provide ID and give their name and birth date. The TSA will most likely subcontract out the work to security firms that specialize in background checks. The proposal, which is more than 200 pages long, states that frequent fliers will only have to pass the background check once.

Source

The photo you see above, is the first shot taken by the new GeoEye-1 satellite. The image is of the university campus in Kutztown, PA. The reason this is so interesting? GeoEye has sold all the rights of their commercial images taken on this new satellite, to Google.

Google laid down some serious cash to get sole access to these images, and I'm sure we'll be seeing the results of this contract pretty soon in Google Maps and Earth.

The satellite can photograph objects in a resolution higher than anything available to civilian users, and the photographs will be so clear that you'll be able to identify objects as small as 41 centimeters across.

I've always found satellite image sites to be a fantastic way of seeing the world from above, but as these things get closer and closer, I'm sure we'll think twice before stepping out on the balcony for some naked sunbathing.

Emirates Airlines is celebrating its new L.A. to Dubai route by making a film. I'm not sure if the airline's execs actually expect people to see the film, titled The Exposure of Tom King, or if it is merely a gimmick to drive people to their web site for advertising purposes. The only company who has pulled off a successful foray into film is BMW, which tapped top directors to make shorts for their The Hire series starring Clive Owen.

Tom King probably won't approach that level of quality. But regular people will have a shot at appearing onscreen. That's because Emirates will be casting the film using web cams. Anyone can go to the movie's web site and submit a clip of themselves. But there will be no free trip to L.A. if you are selected to be in the film. The production will utilize bluescreen technology so that the cast can act from their home via web cam. The backgrounds for the film have already been shot. You can check it out for yourself, or even audition, from now until October 26th.

It is going to be surprisingly nice weather in parts of the country this weekend, so why not take advantage of it by heading out into the burbs to visit a pumpkin patch, corn maze or harvest festival?

Many of these events are held at local farms that started by selling pumpkins, and most of them have grown into mini theme parks. Some of the local farms around me have added carnival rides, ghost houses and even a small zoo with tigers and camels!

A handy way to find a local pumpkin event, is on this site where you'll find all the locations sorted by state. If you are looking for a corn maze, then check out "The Maize" where they cover everything maze related.

One thing I did notice, is that most of these farms are not always cheap; some charge as much as $15 per person to get in, with even more for individual rides. But once you are sitting under the sun with an apple cider doughnut and fresh roasted corn, you'll quickly forget that. Before heading to a farm, be sure to check their web site for discounts as many of them offer a couple of dollars off the admission if you print a coupon or sign up for their mailing list.

Got a favorite farm or corn maze? Tell everyone about it in the comments!

Here's a novel approach to providing customer service. At Kayabukiya Tavern, a restaurant just north of Tokyo, two Japanese macaque monkeys, one named Yat-chan and the other, Fuku-chan, fetch drinks and bring people warm towels to wipe their hands.

Dressed in waiter-like outfits, the duo are certified to work here. Customers love them and ply the monkeys with soya beans as tips. Because of animal rights regulations, the monkeys only work two hours a day, but according to this Mail-on line article, there are three more in training. Click on the video to see them in action. Some folks think the monkeys can understand drink orders.

"What are you doing?"

We at Gadling want to know about the little things that happen in your life, particularly those little things surrounding travel. We want to know if you're packing for a four-wheeling trip to Utah, relaxing on the beach in Cancun, or stranded at the airport in New York. We're curious to hear if your road trip to Colorado is going well, if you're waiting for a train to Midway, or whether you just scored an awesome wooden carving from a vendor in Lusaka.

How can we do this? Follow Gadling on Twitter. Once you follow us, we'll help you connect with other travelers, and with other people who love to think and talk about travel. We'll also keep you up-to-date on breaking news, fill in the gaps on some of the travel news that can't fit on our blog, and share all sorts of (short) travel tips there.
If you don't know what Twitter is, watch this short tutorial, which explains it very clearly. If you do know what Twitter is, then what are you waiting for? Follow us!

Browsing through Gadling's offerings this week are posts about places from the people who have had first hand experience.

Jerry's trip to Pyongyang brought him an unexpected "history lesson on [his] own [Chinese] cultural heritage." His posts are an opportunity to ride along and see North Korea through his eyes. You'll also glean the impressions of his traveling companions.

For another trip into the unknown regions of New York City, Jeremy, who lives there, takes us on a journey through the naval history of Brooklyn. I had no idea there were these abandoned mansions until Jeremy wrote about them.

A drive along the Oregon coast is a trip Meg recommends. She waxes poetic about the view from McKenzie Pass located in the Willamette National Forest. As she says about the pass, "It's one of the most stunning places in the world."

Although Kent hasn't had the chance to explore Haiti because his trips there are only airport stops, his photos point out the latest devastation from recent flooding. As he puts it, the people in Haiti "can't seem to get a break."

When it comes to a shopping mall, if you're a travel writer doing book signings, our guest blogger Rolf Potts knows that it can be one heck of a lonely place to be.

With this photo, Flickr user wetboxers (interesting name) really makes me miss Ecuador, the only place I've ever surfed-- if you can call getting thrown off a longboard all day "surfing." This shot was taken in the Philippines, but similar scenes can be found all over the world.

Want your gnarly photos considered for Gadling's Photo of the Day? Submit your best shots here.