BOSAVI HEADLAMP TO UTILIZE MULTIPLE POWER SOURCES
Working with Open Source software and re-purposed equipment, Daniel Freschl created BOSAVI LLC to create (amongst other products) a headlamp designed to be charged almost anywhere by a variety of different means. Tired of the frustration and waste of constantly replacing AAA batteries in the headlamps he and his friends (and everyone else) were using, an idea began to develop.
From the BOSAVI site:
In 2010 Dan Freschl, his wife Christina and 30 of their closest friends met in Joshua Tree National Park for a week of climbing and adventure. On that first night as the sun fell in the desert and the darkness enveloped them, they realized that amongst the 30 of them, not a single person had fresh batteries in their headlamps. Without enough battery power to provide adequate light to set up camp they ended up huddling together combining their dying lights to assemble tents, make food, and plan the next day. It was at this moment that they decided that the world needed a light source that could be recharged even in the middle of the desert, the mountains, or anywhere, without the need of disposable batteries.
Prior to founding Bosavi, Dan was an engineer with a Bay Area start-up trying to develop a solid-state lithium foil battery. This battery is still under development and has the potential to be the safest most energy-dense battery solution in the world. Dan has also worked at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories in battery research. Before moving to Berkeley, Dan worked for Boston Scientific developing batteries for pacemakers and implantable cardiac defibrillators.
Instead of disposable batteries, the Bosavi has a built-in lithium polymer battery that sits inside a machined aluminum heat-sink that doubles as a reflector for the light. Its beam comes from a 110-lumenLED, which is bright enough for use while hiking or rolling in a city on a bike at night.
For more information about this and other projects BOSAVI is currently working on, check out their official page HERE, and to contribute to the project and maybe score a Bosavi headlamp and other cool swag while investing in this new, groundbreaking business venture, head on over to their Kickstarter page HERE.
OFF THE GRID: A PHOTO SERIES BY PHOTOGRAPHER ÉRIC VALLI
From Wikipedia:
Éric Valli is a French photographer and film director. Valli spent most of his career as a geographical photographer working for the National Geographic Magazine and The Sunday Times capturing more inaccessible locations in the world on camera.
There are growing number of people
who have decided to live light on the earth
to not be a part of problem anymore
I spent the last few years with four of them
striving for harmony with nature
in the most pristine corners of United States.
-Éric Valli-
For his new series, OFF THE GRID, Valli has travelled around the United States beautifully photographing those intrepid souls who have, for various reasons, cast off the trappings of modern society to carve out a place of their own in nature. For more of this collection and other sets of absolutely stunning photographs depicting mankind living with and within nature, check out Valli's official site.
73 YEAR OLD JAPANESE WOMAN CLIMBS MOUNT EVEREST
73 year old Tamae Watanabe, a Japanese alpinist, has broken her own record (made when she was 63) as the oldest woman in the world to scale Mount Everest.
From THE MAINICHI:
Tamae Watanabe, who launched her final assault on the treacherous upper slopes of Mt. Everest from an altitude of 8,300 meters Friday night, set foot atop the 8,848-meter peak Saturday morning, Ang Tshering Sherpa, chairman of Kathmandu's Asian Trekking, the local organizer of her expedition, said.
She made the ascent from the north ridge route that begins in Tibet.
Watanabe, who left Kathmandu for the mountain last month, had to reschedule her summit plans twice due to fickle weather on the upper slopes of the mountain.
Weather has been so erratic around the mountain this season that a summit wave started from the southeast ridge route in Nepal only Friday when 30 climbers reached the top at least a week behind schedule, according to Tilak Pandey, an official at Nepal's Tourism Ministry.
"Several climbers abandoned summit plans in the past weeks due to bad weather," he said by telephone from the Base Camp of the southeast ridge route.
Watanabe had initially planned to make a push for the summit Tuesday, but strong winds around the upper slopes of the mountain forced her to postpone her plans, expecting the summit assault to have to wait until after Sunday at the earliest.
When favorable weather appeared earlier than expected, however, she was able to begin her climb to the top of the mountain Friday night.
With Saturday's feat, Watanabe bettered her own record of being the oldest woman to climb the mountain.
On May 16, 2002, she successfully scaled the mountain from the southeast ridge route in Nepal, a record that stood for a decade until Watanabe herself broke it Saturday.
Watanabe, a retired office worker from Yamanashi Prefecture, is among two Japanese women holding Mt. Everest records.
GoPro ALASKA EXPEDITION
From GoPro:
GoPro recently partnered with Project Aether on an ambitious expedition to Alaska to conduct science experiments and record the first high quality images of the Aurora Borealis from the edge of space.
Project Aether is a non-profit collaboration between public school teachers and graduate students and is designed to inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers, explorers and dreamers. Dr. Ben Longmier, the head of Project Aether is a rocket scientist with Ad Astra Rocket Company, and for the past two years Ad Astra has been using GoPro cameras inside their testing facilities for video analysis.
The Aether team in Alaska sent 30 high-altitude balloon rigs with various data collection experiments as well as GoPro HD HERO2 cameras to 120,000 feet. The results were amazing – from stunning views of Alaskan mountain ranges to never-before-seen images of the Aurora.
As part of the epic expedition, the team first flew in specially modified planes equipped with skis and landed on remote glaciers in Denali for launches, and then used dogsleds, snowmobiles, snowshoes and helicopters to track and retrieve the balloons. GoPro cameras were used to document these endeavors and to show students around the world that science is more than lab coats and beakers.
The expedition was part of GoPro and Project Aether’s ongoing partnership, designed to reignite interest in science, technology, engineering and math (S.T.E.M) with schools and students across America by using every day, 100% accessible (to all) materials in their experiments, which can then be easily replicated in the classroom.
Bitchin'.
WINDOWS TO THE WILD
Outdoor adventurer Willem Lange hosts NHPTV’s popular, award-winning WINDOWS TO THE WILD outdoor series. As he hikes, floats, flies and fishes around New England, Willem offers insight into the history, ecology and special character of these wild places. I've checked out a few episodes already and it reminds me of local shows I'd catch on PBS in North Carolina when I was younger, and a bit of those old Marty Stouffer's Wild America episodes. Now that I'm in NYC, I'll have to travel about to explore some of the places he's covered. Check it out Thursdays at 8:30 in the North East (check local showtimes) or, better yet, watch all 48 episodes (so far) streaming here.
THE 800 YEAR OLD RECIPE CLIF BAR
Inspired by founder Gary Erickson’s early Italian rides and adventures, Clif Bar’s new Panforte flavor celebrates the brand’s 20th anniversary. The recipe is said to come from “a traditional 800-year-old Italian recipe”. Called “Gary’s Panforte,” the limited edition flavor goes on sale this month.
From Gear Junkie:
As the name says, the bar is based off the traditional Italian dessert panforte, which is a type of fruit and nut cake. The word breaks down to “pan” (bread) and “forte”(strong). The resulting “strong bread” is a dense and spicy-sweet concoction, calorie-rich and not too unlike modern energy bars today.
Like all Clif bars, the Panforte has many organic ingredients, fruit bits and nuts. There are no artificial sweeteners or preservatives. Clif will sell the bars for $1.39 online and via its nationwide retailer network.
Looks Molto delizioso! I'll have to look out for it.
THE LAND ROVER EDIBLE DESERT SURVIVAL MANUAL
In Case Of Emergency: Eat This Book is a special giveaway for select Land Rover vehicle owners. In addition to life saving desert survival tips (specifically the Arabian Desert), the book (designed by ad agency Y&R DUBAI as a creative campaign for Land Rover) is made of edible paper and printed via edible ink. According to Ads Of The World, the edible survival manual has around the same nutritional value as a cheeseburger:
While Land Rover vehicles can take on any obstacles in the desert, it cannot be said the same of their owners. Scorching temperatures, deadly animals and sinkholes are just a few things they might encounter. And when they venture deep into it, even the most experienced drivers can quickly succumb to the harshness of the desert. We wanted to create something that would cut through the clutter and that these people would like to keep. So we created a survival guide, which explained the basics for staying alive in the Arabian Desert, and packaged it in a way that would spur the attention of our target audience. We researched every indigenous animal and plant, people could encounter in the Arabian Desert and how they could be used to survive. We studied the topography of the region to guide people to safety. We used a reflective packaging similar to army rations, which could be used to signal for help, and bound the book with a metal spiral, which could be used for cooking. Finally, we even took an extra step so that in case of emergency, people could always EAT the book. It was made out of edible ink and paper, and it had a nutritional value close to that of a cheeseburger. We sent the book to 5,000 existing customers, gave it away as a supplement to the cars’ manual and made it freely available in sports shops. The initial response was very positive. And the client was so happy with the concept that they asked us to include the book as an insert in the next edition of a car magazine, with a 70,000 circulation.
Mmmmm, tasty!
THE $10,000 OUTSIDE MAGAZINE ADVENTURE GRANT
From Outside Magazine:
In celebration of our 35th anniversary, Outside magazine is seeking proposals for its first annual Adventure Grant, a $10,000 endowment to help fund a smart, creative, and (perhaps) slightly foolhardy project that we’ll feature in an upcoming issue. Examples of the kinds of audacious missions we're looking for—taken from Outside stories—include sailing a homemade raft down the Hudson River, walking a perfectly straight line across Canada's Prince Edward Island, and paddling a canoe from Portland, Oregon, to Portland, Maine. Fill out the submission form by May 18.
So, if you have a thirst for adventure, but lack the funds to make it a reality, follow this link, or the one above to fill out that submission form.
THE OLD MAN RIVER PROJECT ROWS THE MISSISSIPPI
The OLD MAN RIVER Project is a 10 part video web series that chronicles the crew (Brett, Cliff, Magnus, Sarah, and Kyle) of the hand built York boat Annie as they row their way down the 2400 mile length of the Mississippi river from its headwaters in Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, taking them through the very heart of America.
From Vimeo:
Along the way they faced fierce storms, inner struggles, portaging their thousand pound boat around 10 dams, and coming face to face with some of the most intense industrial development on the planet - all to raise awareness about drinking water.
You can check out part one above. For the rest of this incredible series, check out The OLD MAN RIVER Project's Vimeo Page, or brettonthewater.com
100 YEARS OF L.L. BEAN
This year celebrates the 100th Anniversary of L.L. Bean. Love 'em or hate 'em (personally I trend further towards love than hate in regard to L.L. Bean products), L.L. Bean has been a name synonymous with the outdoors and outdoor sporting since its inception in 1912. Still operating out of Maine (proudly made in America in Freeport), it is a company that has withstood wars and financial depressions, finding solid footing in the real and imagined wilderness of our lives. Happy birthday L.L. Bean, and here's to another 100 years.
And if you're interested, detailing and commemorating the history of the company is Jim Gorman's book, Guaranteed to Last: L.L. Bean's Century of Outfitting America. It will definitely be finding it's way to my shelf, if only to look at past products and compare them to today's, and learn a bit more of the history surrounding a brand I've grown up with.