camping

Send Windows 8 to Boot Camp

Running Windows on your Mac's hardware makes it possible to run virtually any program, regardless of what platform it was coded for. While virtualization is a closer-to-seamless approach to this, Apple's built-in Boot Camp feature offers a quick way to set up Windows in a secondary partition. When you run the Boot Camp Assistant, the system will create a partition to use, and then install Windows from your installation media. However, when doing so you may run into a problem in which the Windows installer claims, "We couldn't create a new partition or locate an existing … Read more

Q&A: MacFixIt Answers

MacFixIt Answers is a feature in which I answer Mac-related questions e-mailed by our readers.

This week, readers wrote in with questions about whether it is possible to install Windows on an external hard drive for use in Boot Camp, how to set up Time Machine to back up home folders stored on secondary drives, and how to disable the yellow tooltip popups that appear over URL links in many OS X applications. I welcome contributions from readers, so if you have any suggestions or alternative approaches to these problems, please post them in the comments!

Question: Using Windows 7 … Read more

Nintendo fans line up early for the Wii U

Thursday's CNET Update is ready for the next level:

Nintendo's Wii U goes on sale Sunday, and gamers are lining up early at the Nintendo World store in New York. The first in line is the Power Glove-wearing super fan Isaiah Triforce Johnson. He's been paid by corporate sponsors while waiting outside the store for nearly a month. Other fans began showing up on Monday and Tuesday.

This Nintendo World store will sell the first Wii U console at a midnight launch event. The system comes in two models, a Basic Set in white for $300, and … Read more

For the modern Tarzan, a cocoon bed in the trees

You may have had a cool treehouse as a kid, but would you want to spend more than five minutes in it today? Well, try spending the night in this deluxe pod that hangs from the branches.

The Cocoon Tree is a spherical tent formed by 24 aluminum rods. It hangs from polyester ropes tied to trunks and branches, and has a net below for access and safety.

The tent weighs about 130 pounds without anyone in it. The structure itself can support more than 2 tons. The ropes can bear loads of 1.6 tons, and there are six … Read more

Boot into Windows or Mac OS without changing very much

Boot Camp is a Mac OS X utility that lets you run Windows on your Mac without relying on virtual machines or crippled emulators. Boot Camp supports Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7 (with OS X 10.6 or later). Boot Camp creates a Windows partition on your hard drive, along with the Mac OS partition. This means that none of your Mac content is touched at all, and Boot Camp has no effect on the operation of Mac OS.

The process of running Boot Camp to install a Windows partition includes running a preparation utility on Mac OS (… Read more

Folding cutting board travels well

Space is always a concern in the kitchen; it can also be an issue in the great outdoors. While that might not make much sense at first considering that the great outdoors is both great and outdoors, people who enjoy their time in nature tend not to want to get bogged down with stuff. But getting away from it all doesn't have to mean getting away from everything.

No matter if hiking or camping, everybody has to stop sometime to eat. And that means, cutting, slicing, and dicing. For those looking to trek beyond gorp, the Snow Peak Set M Chopping Board … Read more

The 404 1,103: Where our crime is that of Curiosity (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Sol Republic introduces headphones for cats.

- Digipacking: what to put on your emergency flash drive.

- Literally the worst word on the planet.

- How to use psychological tactics to avoid strangers on the bus.

- eBay testing same-day delivery service for iOS called eBay now.

- One percenter turns home theater into Nolan's Batcave.… Read more

Q&A: MacFixIt Answers

MacFixIt Answers is a feature in which we answer questions e-mailed in by our readers.

This week readers wrote in with questions on how to back up to an internal partition or drive in a Mac, what to do about files not opening in the appropriate application when double-clicked in the Finder, and whether or not the Mountain Lion upgrade will affect Boot Camp partitions. We welcome views from readers, so if you have any suggestions or alternative approaches to these problems, post them in the comments!

Question: Backing up to an internal drive or partition MacFixIt reader Curtis asks:… Read more

At Pendleton, teaching Marines calm in the chaos of combat

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif.--I knew there might be firing in my direction. I was given protective gear. And they told me how to avoid getting in harm's way. And after all that, I still got shot.

Welcome to the Infantry Immersion Trainer, a system set up to help prepare U.S. Marines for possible future combat deployment. Set up in a former tomato packing plant at Camp Pendleton -- the West Coast home of the Marines -- the IIT employs "sets, sound systems and special effects -- including holograms and pyrotechnics -- to simulate [an … Read more

Go fish for roasted marshmallows

The campfire is an essential part of the camping experience, as is mourning the loss of countless marshmallows and hot dogs that slide to their doom due to unstable spits. The needless destruction of so many fire-roasted foods doesn't have to be part of the outdoor experience. While scouring the surrounding area for a branch or twig will never be completely abandoned, there is another way.

The Auspit Fire Fishin' Pole is a camping gadget that combines necessity (as s'mores are mandatory) with fun. Meant to resemble a fishing pole, the fire pit accessory allows you to efficiently … Read more