Frommer’s Lightweight Luggage Collection
Posted October 27, 2008 by Rosalind Gardner · Filed Under Luggage
Great prices, lightweight and good-looking - what more could you want from a piece of luggage?
PRLog (Press Release) – Oct 23, 2008 – It happens right about now. A sudden, jarring thought that the holidays are, in fact, coming. Holiday travel, holiday gifts, and holiday happiness-neatly squeezed into a precious window of time. The exciting news is that everything can be easily achieved with one smart purchase: fabulous and affordable Frommer’s Luggage.
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Lovin’ My Ultra-Tiny Flip Video Ultra Camcorder
Posted March 2, 2008 by Rosalind Gardner · Filed Under Camcorders
After learning about the Flip camcorders from an Internet marketing colleague and seeing how small it was, I knew I needed to have one.
Although I already have a very nice Sony Mini DV camcorder that I’ve used to make a few business videos from my home office, I rarely took it anywhere with me because I found that it was ‘too big’. ‘Too big’ means that it is too big to put in my pocket, because I don’t carry a purse and rarely carry a packsack.
So I ordered the 60-minute orange Flip Video Ultra Series Camcorder (F260N) by Pure Digital Technologies as shown here to the left from Ritz Camera — and lo and behold, I’m actually starting to make more videos because I’m carrying the camera with me.
For example, I grabbed the Flip Ultra when I saw the hot tub pouring suds all over my backyard last week, shot footage of my buddy Damon lifting loot from the Coast Sundance Lodge and caught a few precious moments of my adorable godson, Gavin.
I’ve also taken a few driving-down-the-road videos, such as this hand-held video that I took while driving through Peachland, British Columbia. I plan to pick up the mini tripod made especially for the Flip Ultra that sits nicely on a car dashboard. It will be perfect for those ‘check out that idiot!’ scenes that you come across on a too regular basis here in the Okanagan valley. 
If you watch the videos linked above, you’ll notice that you can hear me (the camera person) just fine, but others farther away can be a little difficult to hear. Note too that the one taken while driving deals with both engine noise and the radio and yet came out just fine. So, for those people scenes, I’ll just get in closer next time and warn video subjects in advance to speak louder OR I’ll use it primarily to record scenes and situations.
Being a bit of a techno-phobe who hates to mess with cables, what I appreciate most about the Flip Video Ultra is that the built-in software makes it so easy to upload videos to your computer and then to video-sharing sites. The software self-installs the first time that you use it. You just plug the USB arm (the bit that is sticking out in the photo above) into your computer or USB hub, upload your videos and with direct links to YouTube and AOL Video you can publish videos online in just minutes.
And although there is no direct link, you don’t need any additional software to compress your videos before uploading to Google Video, because video files are saved to your computer in both MPEG4 and AVI format — which Google likes.
The camcorder runs on 2 AA batteries. Although my eco-friendly nature didn’t appreciate that the Ultra Flip came with the throw-away variety in the box (since replaced with rechargeables), I have been very impressed by how long the batteries have lasted with more than an hour of video taken and uploaded and the batteries are still going strong.
The price is remarkable as well.
I bought mine for $155, but if you don’t specifically need an orange video camera, the black and white versions can be had for under $130. To see how much they are now, just search for ‘Flip Ultra’ from the Ritz Camera homepage.
If you’re looking for a low-priced, plug and play camcorder that you’ll remember to carry around and use - I’d highly recommend getting a Flip Video Ultra.
1,000 Places to See Before You Die
Posted January 26, 2008 by Rosalind Gardner · Filed Under Books, Travel Guides
Here’s a review that I posted to Amazon after seeing a number of negative comments about Patricia Shultz’s “1,000 Places to See Before You Die: A Traveler’s Life List“.
I received “1,000 Places to See Before You Die: A Traveler’s Life List” as a birthday gift from a friend a few years ago and it has since become one of the most well-thumbed volumnes in our travel library.
It’s fun to scan our green highlighted entries and remember with pleasure the places we’ve been, as well as review entries we’ve marked with stars as places we plan to visit.
I’m not sure how anyone can make the suggestion that the book is a ‘grandpa list’ with off the beaten track trips such as “a ballon ride over Masai Mara” and “the Tasman Glacier” listed right on the front cover. I don’t see many 80 year olds on those types of adventures.
Although I agree that the Toronto Four Seasons listing is dubious when so many locations of interest in Canada seem to be missing, the food at the Four Seasons is actually quite fine.
I recommend 1,000 Places to See Before You Die: A Traveler’s Life List as a good starting point for creating your own list of places to see before you die.
Stay in Shape with a Ropeless Jump Rope
Posted January 6, 2008 by Rosalind Gardner · Filed Under Health Products
How’s this for a cool gadget for staying in shape on the road?
This ropeless jump rope lets skip rope in limited space indoors and will not interrupt the flow of your workout routine by getting caught in your feet.
You input your height and weight into the device, and the LCD on one of the handheld units informs you of calories burned, jump repetitions, and exercise time, or the device has a “talking” mode that informs you of exercise progress.
Part of the training regimen of professional boxers and Olympic wrestlers, jumping rope exercises your cardiovascular system while exerting less stress on knees than jogging, strengthens your arms and shoulders, and ten minutes of jumping rope can burn as many calories as running an eight minute mile.
The handles of each unit have three 2 1/2-oz. re movable weight inserts, a snapping sound occurs with every jump to help you maintain proper jumping rhythm, and the unit comes with a workout DVD and bag for ease of travel. 10″ L x 1″ W. (1 lb.)
The
The Ropeless Jump Rope is available at Hammacher Schlemmer.
Technorati Tags: jump rope, ropeless
Slide And Negative To Digital Picture Converter
Posted January 5, 2008 by Rosalind Gardner · Filed Under Photography & Optics
Ed and I have thousands of slides between us that we want to turn into digital photographs, so I’ve just ordered this slide and negative to digital picture converter.
Ed wanted the one that cost 1700 bucks because it handles large volumes of slides quickly… but because we have (he has) tons of time on his hands, I opted for this one at only $99.95.
It converts old 35mm slides and film negatives into digital images, allowing you to easily preserve your memories without having to rely on a conversion service, and allowing you to clear valuable storage space of cluttered slide carousels and dusty photo boxes.
Slides and negatives are placed into a tray that aligns each properly; the touch of a button scans the image instantly.
It has a 5MP CMOS sensor that provides 10 bits per color channel for data conversion, and uses fixed focus and automatic exposure control and color balance, resulting in clear digital images without loss of resolution.
It can scan images up to 1,800 dpi and uses three white LEDs as a back light source.
For photo transfers and power it has a USB cable that plugs into a PC running Windows XP and includes software that allows you to edit, crop, and resize your slides as well as convert your negatives into positives. Requires Windows XP. 6 1/2″ H x 3 1/2″ W x 3 1/2″ D. (1 lb.)
The Slide And Negative To Digital Picture Converter is sold at HAMMACHER SCHLEMMER.
I’ll let you know how it works out.
Technorati Tags: picture converter, digital, slides, negatives
20% off at eBags.com this Sunday ONLY
Posted January 4, 2008 by Rosalind Gardner · Filed Under Coupons
Just a quick note to let you know that there’s 20% off at eBags.com this Sunday ONLY! This is in addition to eBag’s already low Winter Sale prices.
Click here to get 20% Off at eBags.com this Sunday, and replace that tattered old suitcase, pack or duffel.
Technorati Tags: ebags, coupon, sale
ML1 TracLite MiniTool from Sharper Image
Posted December 29, 2007 by Rosalind Gardner · Filed Under Safety Products, Shop
The ML1 TracLite MiniTool (OX371) from Sharper Image is Keychain LED flashlight with a magnetic swivel base.
This little flashlight lets you aim handsfree light in any direction! Keyring flashlight converts instantly to a handsfree task light. Features a brilliant white LED module with a magnetic swivel base.
Task light snaps free from its keyring sleeve and attaches to any ferrous metal surface for directional handsfree lighting. Rugged machined-aluminum design is waterproof for use in wet environments.
Perfect for hundreds of uses at home, at work, on the road.
Normally priced at $19.95, this item is currently on sale for $14.95 at Sharper Image.
Technorati Tags: ML1 TracLite MiniTool, Sharper Image
A 9K Walk Along Icey Roads in Rohde Boots
Posted December 24, 2007 by Rosalind Gardner · Filed Under Adventures, Footwear
Ed and I are in Toronto for the Christmas holidays, and today we ventured out for a walk south along Etobicoke Creek, through Marie Curtis Park, east along Lake Promenade Drive, north up 32nd street to Horner, then back up Westmead to where we parked the rental car.
Our walk was about 9 kilometers in all, and it would have perfect had Ed been wearing boots that weren’t so darned dangerous on the slippery sections.
Restaurant.com: 50% off + a Free $10 Certificate
Posted December 6, 2007 by Rosalind Gardner · Filed Under Coupons
Now through Decemember 9th, you can receive 50% off and a Free $10 Certificate from Restaurant.com.
Restaurant.com always offers $25 gift certificates for $10 for thousands of restaurants nationwide. But for the next five days only, you can get $25 gift certificates for only $5 and a free $10 certificate!
You’ll also save an additional 50% on all purchases made at Restaurant.com, through the main site and gift center.
Coupon Code: Use code SNOW at check out.
This offer expires December 9th, 2007.
Technorati Tags: travel deals, restaurant, dining, coupon
I Love My Baggallini Bags!
Posted November 25, 2007 by Rosalind Gardner · Filed Under Bags
Let me say this first, I hate handbags and I absolutely refuse to carry one when I’m at home.
So, I was absolutely delighted when I discovered the Bagallini Messenger bag shown left (me in Singapore) and right.
It seemed to me that this bag had been designed by someone who travels a LOT.
