Gadling

Here are the hottest gear deals for today, Monday November 9th 2009. Remember, these deals are often valid for just one day, so act fast before they are gone.

Today's first deal is for the Nikon Action 8x40mm binoculars. These normally retail for about $120, but are currently on sale for just $51.98. Click here for this deal.

Next up is the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 digital camera. With its 12x wide-angle optical zoom, you'll be able to get closeup shots of nature, without having to actually be anywhere near it. On sale for $281.95. Click here for this deal.

Find your way to your destination, and back to your car with the Magellan Triton 400 adventure pack. This kit includes the Triton 400 outdoors GPS unit, National Geographic Topo Explorer map software, 25 "SuperQuad" USGS map credits and a carrying case. On sale directly from the manufacturer for just $179.99. Click here for this deal.

And finally in today's lineup is a repeat of a product I featured last week, which sold out right before the deal was published. Yugster.com is selling a keychain weather station/compass/alarm clock and flashlight. The deal gets you two of these nifty little tools for just $15.97. Click here for this deal.

You've probably heard of Denali National Park, home to the tallest mountain in North America. And if you've taken an Alaskan cruise you might have also visited Glacier Bay National Park. But a rental car and a willingness to venture off the tourist track will reward you with rich and wild experiences that many folks miss on a trip to Alaska.

Following are two lesser-known national parks that are a day's drive from Anchorage, but first, a fact: four of the five biggest national parks in the US are in Alaska, and seven out of ten. They are home to grizzlies, caribou, salmon, and eagles, among many, many others.

The biggest national park in the US, Wrangell-St. Elias, is accessible by car and about a six-hour drive from Anchorage. It's home to several 16,000ft-plus mountains, as well as well as the second-highest peak in the US, Mount St. Elias, which measures in at just over 18,000 feet. Once there, you can visit the historic Kennecott Mine, and drive the road to McCarthy.

When it comes to viewing wildlife in the U.S., most people naturally gravitate to the western part of the country, where you'll find a wide variety of species in abundance. Places like Colorado, Idaho, Montana, and of course Alaska, have great reputations for offering travelers an opportunity to see a large number of animals in their natural habitat. One place that doesn't garner this kind of attention however, is Texas, despite a surprising array of creatures within the state.

Most visitors to the Lone Star State, expect to see plenty of deer, squirrel, and armadillo of course, but they are often surprised to hear that they can also spot more exotic creatures. For example, if you want to see Black Bears, you can head to the western portion of the state to Big Bend National Park or the Guadalupe Mountains, where they still wander the thickly wooded or desert scrub areas. While you're in that part of the state, check out one of the five small herds of elk that still roam the region as well.

Moving to central Texas, you'll have an opportunity to spot the elusive mountain lion, whose numbers have increased substantially over the past decade. The big cats are known to wander the Texas Hill Country, just west of Austin, although you'll have to keep your eyes peeled to spot them. Mountain lions aren't the only wild cats to wander the Texas backcountry however, as ocelots are found in the southern part of the state, and in the Rio Grande valley, which also serves as home to Jaguarundis, a species that isn't much bigger than a common house cat. Bobcats are also fairly common, and found in nearly every corner of Texas.

Extra fees charged by airlines, the "new normal," are so popular that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has gotten into the game. And, bitching about these fees is equally popular, prompting the European Parliament to sound off like its members are Ryanair passengers with full bladders and no coin for the slot.

At issue is a planned $10 charge for Europeans coming to the United States. The European Parliament calls the charge unfair, saying it amounts to a new visa restriction. Enrst Strasser, a lawmaker from Austria, says that the requirements for entry under the Obama administration are even harder than they were under the previous (U.S.) government and that for us is a contradiction that we in the European Parliament cannot accept," Austrian lawmaker Ernst Strasser told Napolitano during a special hearing with her. "We really have to insist on our European values, that European data protection laws and European civil liberties also have to be taken account of."

Janet Napolitano, Homeland Security Secretary, calls the fee reasonable, since the United States doesn't have an agency for travel and tourism, "unlike many of your countries," she said of the European states. The $10 fee would be used to "fund and help tourists and travelers who wish to come to the United States." Since budgets are constrained at both federal and local levels, Napolitano feels this is a reasonable move.

Change is upon Cuba, and American travelers are especially eager to capitalize on the end of the travel embargo. In anticipation of the easing of travel restrictions to Cuba, Cheapflights.com recently put together "Travelnomics: Calling on Cuba," a helpful PDF guide on traveling to Cuba. The guide provides travelers with a glimpse of life and travel in Cuba, travel accounts from writers familiar with the country, and a list of airlines that are or will fly to Cuba.

Having traveled to Cuba myself, I think this handy guide is an accurate reflection of what it's like to travel there. It provides interested travelers with a good overview of the country's sights, sounds, and smells, which helped remind me of what made Cuba such a unique place -- lost in time and unbelievably beautiful. Keith Jenkins of Velvet Escape and Cuba travel expert Christopher Baker further describe the country's real richness and warmth.

It may appear that we tend to pick on the TSA a lot here on Gadling, but the agency is just a never ending source of stuff for us to write about. The latest incident involving the people that run airport security comes from Northwest Florida Regional Airport.

Several minutes after a Delta Airlines jet departed from the airport, TSA officials made a call to have the plane turn around and head back.

Unfortunately, they failed to notify the local Air Force base. When the base noticed the plane taking a different course than they had filed, a call went out to local law enforcement. The call history showed that the security staff at Eglin Air Force Base advised of a possible hijack attempt. The request asked for "anyone available, including a SWAT team".

It took 20 minutes for dispatchers to confirm that there was no hijack attempt, and that the plane had been asked to return so they could screen a TSA staff member. According to TSA officials, there had been "some discrepancies" in the way they screened their own employee.

As is often the case, the TSA is "reviewing the incident" and will take "appropriate action if necessary". I'm sure that makes us all feel much safer.

There are so many choices available, it can be almost impossible to construct a perfect dinner-and-a-show night. Whether you live in Manhattan or are in town for the first time, it's too easy to make a wrong turn, pick an unsatisfying restaurant or wind up chasing from one venue to the next. A single wrong turn can send you into a scramble, putting what should be the evening of your life at risk.

Plan ahead, even a little, and your theater getaway can be nothing short of amazing. There's no reason it should go wrong, especially when you can think through the perfect night and put a few pieces in place before you step out the door. Keep in mind, a great evening, with no worries, may cost you a little more money, but predictability has value, so you shouldn't expect it to be free.

1. Buy your tickets in advance
This seems obvious, but it's not unusual to see a long line at the TKTS kiosk in Times Square or people shoving into the theater looking for discounted standing room only tickets. I did SRO once; my wife almost killed me. I didn't want to admit it at the time, since I made the decision, but I wasn't too happy either. If you order in advance, you'll probably score better seats, and you won't have any headache. In addition to convenience, you're also buying some of your time back (no need to wait in line).

Gallery: Times Square Theater Ideas

I thought I would never move beyond curry as my favorite Asian food, but within 24 hours of arriving in China, a dumpling local to the Yangtze river delta is giving my complex curries quite a run.

My friend took me to a small corner "restaurant," a typical Chinese joint with a few tables and bright fluorescent lights. Baskets of skewered vegetables, tofu and meatballs were stacked against a wall; I picked out several and handed my basketful to a woman who dumped it in a broth to cook. While we waited for our soup, a bamboo steamer arrived, and my friend explained to me how to eat the Shanghai dumplings inside.

"They're filled with hot soup, so be careful not to spill it in your lap," he said. He instructed me to bite a small piece of the purse-like dumpling, and then suck the scalding, oily broth out. After I slurped out the broth (the most difficult part was reigning in the dumpling with my chopsticks -- I'm still a little rusty). I dipped the dumpling in vinegar ("It's good for you!" explained my friend), and popped the whole pocket in my mouth. What followed was a mouthful of savory, meaty and doughy goodness, a pork soup explosion in my mouth.

These particular dumplings are copied all over China, but are best in Shanghai. Residents are so proud of them, in fact, that my friend figures that the worst insult you could ever give a Shanghai citizen would be "screw your mother's dumplings."

Photo: Gary Soup, Flickr

Here are the hottest gear deals for today, Sunday November 8th 2009. Remember, these deals are often valid for just one day, so act fast before they are gone.

Today's first deal is for a Griffin iTrip nano FM Transmitter. It is designed for the Apple iPod Nano and is on sale for just 74 cents. Shipping is $4.49. Click here for this deal.

Next up is the Creative Vado HD pocket digital camcorder. This HD camera records on its internal 8GB memory and comes with an HDMI Cable and built in USB connector. On sale for just $89.99, with free shipping. Click here for this deal.

If you regularly find yourself with a dead iPod or iPhone, then check out this $6.99 backup battery pack. It plugs into the dock connector of your player and can be recharged using your current iPod charger. Click here for this deal.

And finally in today's lineup, if you are interested in dumping your books and going digital, then check out the refurbished Amazon Kindle. It'll save a bit off the price of a new unit, and still comes with the same warranty as a brand new one. On sale for $219.99. Click here for this deal.