Every now and again, the GearDiary team gets a press release that leads to a round of “No way that’ll ever work!” emails being tossed around our “reply all” circle. Then invariably, I’ll be the one to volunteer to try it. Maybe it’s just the dreamer in me. My little world is full of butterflies and unicorns, too.

And it takes a dreamer to believe in a product like a telescope adapter for an iPhone. Especially when you read the claims on the website of its features:

- makes the super wide angel
- the larger luminous flux
- the higher visual acuteness
- good for color reduction
- detachable from the crystal case
- 6X optical Zooming

Now I don’t know if it makes angels wider or reduces color, and I’m pretty sure I don’t know what luminous flux is, but I’ll be a monkey’s uncle if the darned thing doesn’t work!

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Pope Benedict is scheduled to end his U.S. visit today with an outdoor Mass at Yankee Stadium. In order to meet the expected high demand for cellular service, Verizon Wireless is one of the carriers who will make extensive use of COWS - a.k.a - Cellular On Wheels. If you attend any large gathering these devices are common ways to boost the cellular capacity of nearby towers. You’ll frequently seen them in use at NASCAR events where an extra 100,000 fans gather for the big races - and simultaneously are calling their buddies back home to ask if the TV camera caught their shirtless sweating image in the stands.

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Geeks.com has a deal on the Polaroid PDC-3080 which is a 3.2MP compact digital camera with SD memory support. My 8 year old twins are constantly asking to use my digital camera and at Geeks.com’s price of $24.99 (Use secret coupon code 3080DEAL for $5 off the normal $29.99 price) this is a camera to throw in the beach bag without worrying about whether it gets wet, dropped or lost. Shipping ran me $9.00 to Glastonbury CT and the deal code took $5 each of the two cameras I ordered. You’re not going to win any photography contests with this camera, and the AAA batteries powering it are going to need frequent replacement if you use the flash, but if it keeps the kids busy for an afternoon it’s money well spent.

Link: Geeks.com (use code 3080DEAL to get the price down to $24.99)

Here are two webcams that are lots of fun to watch. One is a network of cameras smack in the middle of New York City’s Times Square - capturing all sorts of events - including New Years Eve festivities and the ball drop. The other is on top of the highest peak in the northeast - 6288′ Mount Washington in New Hampshire. Check out the links and if you time your visit just right you can watch the sun set on top of Mt. Washington - or catch the Naked Cowboy posing in Times Square.

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Got a Canon point-and-shoot? If the answer’s yes, you might have a more powerful camera on your hands than you realise. Wired How-To Wiki has a great article today on how to apply custom firmware on a Canon camera to super-charge its capabilities. The Canon Hacker’s Development Kit (CHDK) can add new features to your camera - like adding the RAW file format and the ability to run scripted actions - as well as enhancing the existing hardware (such as boosting shutter speed from 1/1,600 to 1/60,000 of a second).

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Part of the lure of a being on holiday is the ability to get away from all of your tech distractions. But if you’re reading this site, then you’re probably like me and derive an inordinate amount of enjoyment from having all of your toys and gadgets with you wherever you go. There’s a lot to be said for putting your smartphone, MP3 player, digital camera or laptop away in order to be able to fully soak in your surroundings, but when used in moderation, I think gadgets can actually enhance your travel experience.

There are all sorts of considerations to take into account when travelling with your tech toys. Will it have enough storage for all my photos and music? Is it durable enough to handle the rigours of the road? Will the battery last me until the next time I get to a power outlet? And what happens if my bag gets stolen?

Gadget insurance is something I’ll cover in another post, but the rest of the concerns are easily take care of with the right tech and accessories.

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I saw a pretty ugly crash scene a few days ago in front of my building. A truck had ploughed into the front of a flat across the road, and there was a lot of police and emergency crew milling about. Thankfully no one was hurt, but when my boyfriend asked for my camera to take a photo, I hesitated. Would we get in trouble for taking a photo?

(The photo we took)

This is probably a dilemma that many people face now that cameras are so ubiquitous. Are you allowed to take a photo of that interesting-looking chap at the park, or is it an invasion of privacy? Can you photograph the new donut place at the mall to show your kids, or will a security guard request to confiscate your camera/phone? And are you legally obliged to hand over your camera if someone states you’ve taken photos unlawfully?

If you’re based in the US, Photojojo’s 10 legal commandments of photography will clue you in as to what your rights are.* The law will vary in other countries, but I suspect the rules will be similar if your legal system is based on common law.

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I went down to Malibu today, to one of my favorite burger places - Malibu Mutts. I brought my 1D with me because there is always something nice to photograph in Malibu. Mutts is in an open shopping area with stores and places to eat. After I ordered I was approached by a girl who wanted me to sign a petition, for what cause I’ve already forgotten. I said “no thanks,” after which she asked if I was looking for famous people. I said no, and she said she thought I was because of my big camera. Then she asked if I had seen anyone famous lately. Now I’m not only hungry, but I’m getting annoyed! I said, “Not lately!” Finally my food was ready and I sat outside to eat.

Then it got interesting.

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Kerry did something last year that I thought was amazing, he took (or at least attempted to take) a photo a day for every day of 2007, and he blogged about each one. I remember thinking it was one of the neatest ideas ever when I first saw him post about it, but I wasn’t quite motivated enough to do it myself…yet.

Kerry’s first 2008 photo post

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Before my first son was born, I bought a camcorder so we could capture all of the precious moments of his life. Now, almost six years later, I have a box filled with unwatched video, mostly of a baby not doing anything in particular. That set me wondering what would it take to have done something useful with this video. The answer, at least for me, was that it was just too complicated to transfer the video from the tapes to my computer in order to edit it. With my family growing, I simply did not have time for all that was required to transfer my videos from the tape to my computer. An easier solution was required. I needed something that would just interface directly with my computer and give me easy access to the videos. Enter the Flip Video Ultra. With its one step recording and included software, it claims to be the easiest camera around. Let’s take a closer look and see how it lives up to these claims.

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