Tag Archives: miles

Essential Road Trip Gear: From Phone Chargers to Podcasts, Travel Miles in Style

Posted on by
Reply

w
Road trips are a quintessential American getaway, allowing you to visit family across states, escape to the mountains for a picturesque autumn weekend, and enjoy an extraordinary journey that may last weeks. While it’s possible to hit the road with just a driver’s license and a water bottle, incorporating some practical gadgets and supplies can lead to a much smoother experience.


Having lived in a camper van while traversing North America, I’ve continually taken numerous trips each year, giving me plenty of time to test the best road trip gear. From entertainment options like podcasts and games to utilities such as portable power banks and pet accessories, we’ll introduce essential items that will make your next excursion the best adventure yet.

All prices are current as of publication.

Portable Power Bank




Photo: John Bittner/Guardian

Anker Laptop Power Bank

$119.99 on Anker


$119.99 on Amazon

I travel with a variety of electronic devices (many of which are work-related), so I’m always conscious of their remaining battery life. Although most modern cars come with USB ports, they often lack the power needed for larger gadgets like laptops. Some hotels may have malfunctioning or inaccessible outlets, and most campsites traditionally don’t have any.

Pack the Anker Laptop Power Bank for reliable power on the go; it features two built-in USB-C cables for fast laptop charging and a port for other devices, with enough capacity to recharge your iPhone about four times.

Podcasts and Audiobooks

If you’ve embarked on a long drive, you know how listening to music can soon become monotonous. A great way to break up the routine is by mixing in podcasts and audiobooks. Audible provides an excellent selection, offering access to thousands of audiobooks for $7.95 per month. Furthermore, if you’re already subscribed to Spotify Premium, you may not realize you are entitled to 15 hours of audiobooks each month, including Bomber Mafia by Malcolm Gladwell.

For free options, check out the Libby app, which allows access to free audiobooks from your local library. And, naturally, most podcasts are free; some popular choices include Serial and S-Town.

Travel-sized Board Games




Photo: John Bittner/Guardian

GoCube Edge 3×3 Speed Cube

$49.95 on Amazon


$69.95 for retail

If you’re traveling with friends, small travel board games and puzzles can significantly reduce the time spent on the road. Many of my favorite games come in compact travel editions such as Catan, Chess, and Checkers. On your journey, your travel partners can play and save the big game night for your arrival.

Looking for something more engaging? Consider the GoCube Edge, a Rubik’s Cube that connects to your smartphone, offering tutorials to help you solve its colorful challenges.

Catan Traveler: Compact Edition


$51.99 at Coles



$51.99 at Toys R Us

Magnetic Wooden Chess Set
$39.99 on Amazon

Play Monster Magnetic Checkers
$11.52 on Amazon



$11.99 on Playmonster

Pet Accessories




Photo: John Bittner/Guardian

Earth Rated Poop Bags
$7.99 on Amazon


$7.99 on Chewy

Don’t forget to pack your pup’s poop bags for bathroom breaks along with dog food, medication, a foldable water bowl to save space, and a protective seat cover if your furry friend has sharp claws or sheds. Consider an affordable and durable standard active pet car hammock; it’s practical and fits most vehicles.

Easy to Fold Dog Bowl
$5.59 on Amazon

Active Pet Dog Car Hammock
$24.57 on Amazon

First Aid Kit




Photo: John Bittner/Guardian

Mini First Aid Kit
$9.99 on Amazon

Skip past newsletter promotions

It’s common sense, yet many overlook regularly checking and restocking their first aid kits after use. Some even forget to bring one along! Keeping a stocked first aid kit in your car is essential for road trips, particularly with painkillers, band-aids, allergy meds, and antiseptics. It’s never fun to injure yourself only to realize there’s no bandage available, especially when the closest convenience store is hours away.

Cooler




Photo: John Bittner/Guardian

RTIC Road Trip Cooler

$99 on RTIC


$105 at Walmart

It’s astounding how fast food and drink costs escalate on the road—just a Big Mac can surpass $7. Prices soar as you approach the highway, making packing a cooler a smart strategy to avoid these inflated costs. I’ve been using the Moose Jaw Chiradilla, which is no longer available. Its robust build doesn’t just keep your fruit, sparkling water, and sandwiches safe; you can also place it on a short hike without worrying about damage.

While the Chiradilla is no longer on the market, the RTIC 16-Quart road trip cooler features a similar durable design. For ease of travel in a packed vehicle, the RTIC cooler is ideal. Alternatively, Rei Trailgate cooler is a popular soft-sided choice. While we can’t guarantee all these options, check them out as you consider an upgrade.

RTIC Daily Cooler

$39.98 on RTIC


$39.98 at Walmart

Rei Trailgate Weekend Cooler


$129.95 at REI

Tablet or E-Reader




Photo: John Bittner/Guardian

BOOX Tablet GO 10.3
$409.99 on BOOX


$409.99 on Amazon

In addition to my laptop, I always like to have another entertainment source handy, usually my 10.3″ e-reader tablet. This slim device not only provides access to hundreds of books, but also enables note-taking and drawing, while handling word and PDF files. With its multifunctionality, it’s easy to justify bringing it along on any trip, especially since it’s portable.

For films and games, a simple iPad can be an excellent choice. Available in four variations, the basic iPad comes with an 11-inch screen, ample power, and a reasonable price of $349, ensuring you can enjoy a full day of battery life.

Headphones




Photo: John Bittner/Guardian

Sony WH1000XM4 Wireless Noise-Cancelling Headphones

$198 at Walmart


$228 on Amazon

While you shouldn’t use headphones while driving, they can be great for passengers to enjoy their favorite tunes. It’s wise to invest in a set with superb noise cancellation to block out the car radio and nearby chatter. I use the Sony WH-1000XM4, which delivers fantastic noise cancellation and impressive audio quality. For even more advanced features, consider the Sony WH-1000XM6.

Sony WH1000XM6 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones

$448 on Amazon



$449.99 at Sony

  • Jon Bitner is a travel, outdoor, and tech writer for platforms like GameSpot, Digital Trends, and Islands. An avid hiker, he enjoys exploring the Rocky Mountains from his home in Boulder, Colorado.




Source: www.theguardian.com

Lightning Spans 515 Miles, Crossing Three States

Posted on by
Reply

“It’s a remarkably unusual phenomenon,” he remarked. “We only uncovered it a decade ago when specific technologies became capable of tracing the exact start and end points of a lightning event.”

Mega flashes are quite common, although they typically occur only in regions where particular geographical and atmospheric conditions can trigger severe thunderstorms, Cerveny explained. For instance, in the Great Plains and the Midwest, warm, humid air from the Gulf of Mexico interacts with colder northern air, resulting in significant atmospheric instability.

These conditions coalesce to produce fierce storms, which can generate a megaflash of lightning. Cerveny notes that these extraordinarily long lightning bolts have previously been recorded in Argentina and southern France, and scientists theorize they may also manifest in parts of China and Australia.

The 2017 Megaflash was generated by an immense storm that spanned large sections of the US, from Texas to Iowa and Missouri. While megaflashes can cross multiple states, they occur high in the atmosphere and seldom cause ground damage, Cerveny indicated.

“They exist in the upper and central layers of thunderstorms, towering over 10,000 to 18,000 feet,” he stated.

The composite satellite image mapping of the Record Lightning Megaflash illustrates its progression over time. Lightning bolts beneath the clouds are marked by polar-colored symbols.
Michael Peterson/GTRI

The lightning bolt measuring 515 miles in length is discussed in a study published on Thursday. American Weather Society Bulletin.

“These new discoveries underscore significant public safety issues concerning electrification clouds that can travel vast distances, have substantial effects on the aviation industry, and generate flashes capable of igniting wildfires,” stated WMO Secretary-General Celestesauro in an accompanying announcement.

The extreme conditions conducive to their formation serve as a stark reminder of the tremendous power and danger posed by thunderstorms. In the US, lightning claims about 20 lives annually and injures hundreds more. According to weather services.

As per the WMO, Thursday’s classification indicates that the 2017 Lightning Flash exceeds the previous world record set five years ago by roughly 38 miles. The earlier lightning bolt, recorded on April 29, 2020, spanned 477.2 miles across parts of the Southern United States.

The 2017 MegaFlash was recognized after scientists revisited archival measurements used when the storm originally formed.

“When the initial research was conducted, we didn’t possess the technology available today,” Cerveny noted. “Now, we can employ satellite instruments to detect lightning bolts with high precision and pinpoint exactly where, how long, and for what duration the lightning event occurred.”

Experts predict that even longer megaflashes may emerge in the coming years, particularly as satellite technology enhances its detection capabilities.

“As time progresses and our data records expand, we can observe the rarest types of extreme lightning on Earth and study its widespread effects on society,” remarked Michael Peterson, an atmospheric scientist at Georgia’s Center for Intense Storm Research.

The WMO committee on Climate and Climate Extremes maintains official records of global, hemispheric, and regional extremes, including those for temperature, rainfall, wind, hail, lightning, tornadoes, and tropical cyclones.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Orca successfully delivers healthy calf after carrying deceased newborn over 1,000 miles

Posted on by
Reply

The orca who captured hearts worldwide in 2018 by refusing to let go of her deceased calf has now welcomed her second baby in the last four years.

The Whale Research Center has confirmed that their team has started monitoring the new baby girl on Monday, giving her the alphanumeric name “J61.” They are closely monitoring and observing the calf’s well-being.

The mother, known as Tahlequah with the designation number J35, is an experienced mother. The center is concerned about the health of both J61 and her mother during this critical period.

The early years are especially risky for newborn calves, with high mortality rates in the first year. The Center for Whale Research expressed their hope that J35 will be able to keep J61 safe through this challenging time.

Tahlequah made headlines globally in 2018 when she carried her deceased calf for 17 days, moving people around the world with her display of grief. Her actions prompted Washington State Governor Jay Inslee to establish the Southern Resident Killer Whale Task Force for conservation efforts.

J61 is Tahlequah’s third surviving calf, following J47 or “Notch” born in 2010 and J57 or “Phoenix” born in 2020. They belong to the J pod of killer whales, residing in the coastal waters between Washington state and Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

The J-Pod is one of three pods of Southern Resident killer whales, totaling about 73 orcas across the pods. Conservation groups are working to protect and restore the declining population of these majestic creatures.

Threats to killer whales include entanglement in fishing nets, food scarcity, human interference, and environmental pollution. The declining population highlights the urgent need for conservation efforts to protect these endangered animals.

Contaminants in the water pose a significant threat to orcas, with industrial chemicals accumulating in the food chain and affecting the health of the whales. Female southern whales and their offspring are particularly vulnerable to these pollutants.

NOAA’s 2022 pod health assessment raises concerns about the impact of contaminants on the Southern Resident killer whale population, emphasizing the need for immediate action to protect these magnificent creatures.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Scientists are puzzled by mysterious object speeding through galaxy at over a million miles per hour

Posted on by
Reply

An object moving through space at close to 1 million miles per hour has been detected, moving so fast that it is leaving the Milky Way galaxy. Scientists are now trying to identify this mysterious object.

Currently located 400 light-years away, the object known as CWISE J1249 is unlikely to be a spacecraft due to its massive size. It is approximately 30,000 times the mass of Earth, making it about 8% of the mass of the Sun.

This unusual size places J1249 somewhere between a star and a planet, as described by Dr. Darren Baskill, a lecturer in astronomy at the University of Sussex. According to Dr. Baskill, stars moving at such high speeds are rare.

The object’s speed is so rapid that it could exit the Milky Way galaxy in just a few tens of millions of years, which is a short period considering stars’ long lifespans.

This massive object, flying at 0.001% of the speed of light, has the potential to escape the galaxy and venture into intergalactic space.

Discovered by citizen scientists contributing to NASA’s Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 project, J1249’s speed is approximately 2.6 times faster than any space probe ever launched.

A new study, pending peer review, confirms these findings and further characterizes the object discovered through the initiative.

The object, with an unusual composition compared to stars and brown dwarfs, may be the first star of its kind in the galaxy, based on NASA’s observations.

Researchers believe the high-speed movement of the object may be linked to a supernova explosion in a binary star system or encounters with black holes in a star cluster.

Dr. Baskill suggests that gravitational slingshots could explain the extreme speed of J1249, potentially originating from the galaxy’s dense center and accelerated through gravitational interactions.

About our experts:

Dr. Darren Baskill is an Outreach Officer and Lecturer at the University of Sussex School of Physics and Astronomy, with a background in organizing astronomy-related events and competitions.

For more information, visit the University of Sussex website.

Source: www.sciencefocus.com

NASA’s Laser Technology Beams Ultra-HD Cat Video from 19 Million Miles Away

Posted on by
Reply

NASA has made a significant advancement in deep space communications by successfully transmitting high-definition video from 19 million miles away. This breakthrough paves the way for advanced data transmission in space exploration. The video was transmitted from a cat named Taters and marked a historic milestone for NASA’s laser communications demonstration.

The Deep Space Optical Communications Experiment on December 11 transmitted ultra-high-resolution streaming video from a record-setting distance of 19 million miles. This milestone is part of a NASA technology demonstration aimed at streaming extremely high-bandwidth video and other data from deep space to enable future crewed missions beyond Earth orbit.

NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy stated, “This achievement confirms our commitment to advancing optical communications as a key element in meeting future data transmission needs. Increasing bandwidth is essential to achieving future exploration and science goals, and we look forward to continued advances in this technology and the transformation of how we communicate during future interplanetary missions.”

The 15-second test video was transmitted using a Flight Laser Transceiver at a maximum bit rate of 267 Mbps and took 101 seconds to reach Earth. The instrument transmitted a coded near-infrared laser to the Hale Telescope at the Palomar Observatory, where it was downloaded. Each frame of the video was transmitted “live” to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in real time.

The video was sent via a Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) technology demonstration flight laser transceiver that was installed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Center in April 2021 and later integrated with NASA’s Psyche spacecraft. The technology aims to transmit data from deep space 10 to 100 times faster than the most advanced radio frequency systems used in today’s deep space missions.

The ultra-high-definition video features a cat named Taters and was transmitted from deep space on December 11, 2023. The video was part of a technology demonstration known as Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) as the Psyche spacecraft heads towards the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

The system has demonstrated faster data downlink speeds and increased pointing accuracy during weekly checkouts. The project demonstrated downlink bit rates of 62.5 Mbps, 100 Mbps, and 267 Mbps, comparable to broadband Internet download speeds. The team was able to download a total of 1.3 terabits of data during that time, marking a significant technological achievement.

Source: scitechdaily.com