If you’re coming to the event, I certainly hope you’ll consider attending my session. Camping geeks are as enthusiastic about their gadgets as technology geeks, and the two fields are converging in some pretty interesting ways, mostly thanks to the portability and versatility of the iPhone and iPad. Here’s a taste of what I mean.

Let’s start with navigation. Sure, the iPhone has a built-in compass, but I’m not here to try to sell you on using it — let’s face it; it’s pretty flaky. I’ll opt for a “real” compass any day, liquid filled, mind you, and if I’m expressing a preference, I’ll take a mirror compass; they allow you to see your bearing and line up your target at the same time. The mirrored top also acts as a lid to protect your compass and it’s compact enough that there’s no real advantage to leaving it behind in favor of the app on your iPhone.

More features than a "real" GPSr at about 1/300th the price.

No cell service? No problem. SPOT can fetch help by turning your iPhone into a satellite communicator.

There are dozens — maybe hundreds of apps that can be tremendously useful in the great outdoors — everything from apps that help you identify birds to apps that help you identify poisonous plants. There are even apps that will help you with first aid in case you didn’t do so well identifying the poisonous plants. And if you’re a star gazer, you already know how many more stars shine on a dark backcountry night; and you can name every one of them if you have an app for that. (I like Star Walk; $2.99 on the App Store.)

Solar panels: Because trees don't have electrical outlets.

Finally, on the non-Apple front, here’s one of the coolest ways I’ve seen to purify water yet. Traditionally, there have been three ways to ensure water is safe to drink: boil it, treat it chemically or filter it. All have their downsides: boiling water takes a long time and leaves you with hot, often flat-tasting water; iodine pills and other chemical treatments leave a bad taste; and pumping can be slow, labor-intensive and subject to clogging.

Rumor has it that Captain Kirk used the same thing to purify his Romulan Ale.

I’ll be talking about a lot more at my seminar, so I hope lots of TMO readers will be able to join me. It’s a session that probably wouldn’t have been possible without the new direction of Macworld | iWorld, so I’m very eager to see how it’s received.

Oh, and one more thing: IDG is letting me give TMO readers $15 off an iFan pass just by using this link.

I hope to see you there!

“The Great (Geek) Outdoors: Using your high-tech gear to get more out of your high adventure outings”
Friday, January 27th
10:00 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.

How, then, to get around that problem to produce something that is not parody? Something that honors the King’s life and legacy without turning into a caricature? For the folks at Cirque du Soleil’s “Viva Elvis,” the answer was simple. And brilliant: Don’t try.

No, you’ll see no “Elvis Impersonators” during the performance (the big closing number notwithstanding, sort of). For the most part, “Viva Elvis” lets the King speak (well, sing) for himself, in audio and video clips that are often turned into duets with live performers. When Elvis doesn’t sing, the songs are inspired and innovative re-imaginings of classic songs sung without a hint of a lip curl or trademark slur by female singers. When Elvis “appears” on stage, it is in an almost generic sense—as a placeholder: a young GI in uniform; two young men in t-shirts and jeans representing Elvis and his twin brother Jesse, who died at birth (in a sweet and touching nod to the feelings of loss and guilt Elvis carried with him throughout his life.)

“Viva Elvis” is an unconventional Cirque show, which oddly makes it seem more of a traditional Vegas show. The set is traditional: a large stage in the front of the theater, complete with big red velvet curtains. The acrobatics are there, but take a back seat to more conventional choreography. The music is there too, but so is a narrative, delivered by the character of Elvis’ longtime manager, Colonel Tom Parker.

Given all this, it seems no wonder that “Viva Elvis” seems to have sparked more controversy that most Cirque shows in recent memory, almost polarizing its fans—and Elvis’, for that matter. Bizarrely, though, the camps don’t seem to come together in any consistent way—with fans of all sorts in the both the “loved it” and “hated it” camps.

The show takes the form of a loose recap of the King’s life: his early years, his induction in the Army, his return and emergence as a Hollywood star and finally his establishment as the ultimate Vegas entertainer. Happily (for this is not a documentary), the show skips Elvis’ tragic downfall into excess in favor of ending on a high note with a lavish, classic Vegas showstopper, replete with showgirls with big headdresses and and chorus of jumpsuitted Elvii.

In between, we are treated to some phenomenal numbers and energetic acrobatic sequences, including the most “Cirque-like” performance of the show, a superhero-themed, gravity-defying trampoline scene, ostensibly based on Elvis’ love of comic books. Other highlights included a touching version of “All Shook Up” as a gospel song; a delightfully done “Return to Sender” that would be enough reason on its own to buy the show’s soundtrack (sadly, it’s not included on it); a whimsical and incredible demonstration of old-fashioned rodeo roping (believe it or not); and an updated and expanded recreation of Elvis’ famous Jailhouse Rock scene from the eponymous film.

It’s a testament to the enduring appeal of Elvis that in many of the sequences that featured him singing on a large video screen behind the set, I kept finding my eyes drawn to him even over the dancing and acrobatics taking place on stage. Such is till the power of the King.

“Viva Elvis” is a playful, joyful tribute to the King that deftly uses new arrangements to avoid clichés, and in turn embraces enough of the “kitch” of the times to make it a wildly entertaining delight, and as Elvis himself would surely appreciate, a veritable spectacle.

In short: It’s a hunka hunka burnin’ fun.

The very nice folks at Echelon Studios produced a great video of The Macworld All-Star Band at our latest performance at Broadway Studios in San Francisco. Click here to see it.

So it was with a little trepidation that I went with my wife to see “LOVE,” the Cirque du Soleil interpretation of the Fab Four’s music, with a story very loosely based on the band’s rise to fame and the influence both of and on the world around it.

The music is of course phenomenal. But the remixing of familiar licks, stings and phrasing is truly inspired. Bass lines from one song lead into and remain throughout another; drum kicks from Abbey Road become the foundation of “Get Back.” The mix between albums, eras and styles works in a way that seems not only seamless but in hindsight downright natural — even obvious, once you’ve heard them. And the quality of the sound is something that one imagines has never before been heard outside Abbey Road studio itself. I’m quite sure I never stopped smiling during the entire performance.

And speaking of performance, it’s hard to believe, but the music itself was only part of the experience. The acrobatics, dancing and staging were nothing short of incredible. With costuming and set decoration that seemed equal parts Peter Maxx, Dr. Suess and Rube Goldberg, LOVE is every bit a feast for the eyes as well as the ears.

Don’t look too hard for a storyline. The plot, if there can said to be one, serves merely to connect segments that are at times joyous, mystical, tragic, whimsical and funny…but always sensual and always a sheer delight.

With musical direction from Beatles producer George Martin and his son, Giles, LOVE is a meticulously, brilliantly, lovingly woven experience of a lifetime. To call it simply a “show” would be a disservice to the genius of not only the Beatles’ body of work, but the set design, choreography, sound design, performances and technological know-how it took to bring it all together. What I feared might be just another vehicle to milk the Beatles franchise yet one more time turned out to be a fitting capstone to the legacy of the four lads from Liverpool — one that would have been impossible without the intimacy with which Martin knows the material.

Writing a review of LOVE is a little like trying to describe, well, love. Words are utterly unfit for the task. LOVE needs to be experienced in all its multi-sensual glory to be understood. And once it is, it is something that becomes part of you forever.

Cirque du Soleil’s “LOVE” is now playing at the Mirage Casino & Hotel in Las Vegas.

But the real star of this release is the “Magic Mouse,” the successor to Apple’s Mighty Mouse. The Magic Mouse is a sleek, buttonless, wireless mouse that recognizes “gestures” the same way as Apple’s most recent laptops. I haven’t tried one yet, but it looks incredibly cool.

The other product is the “Nook” ebook reader by Barnes & Noble. I’ve seen Amazon’s Kindle (in all three varieties) and never found it compelling. The Nook, though, looks exciting, with a color touchscreen display, built-in WiFi to complement its 3G networking and books at just $9.99. Oh, and it also supports the ePub book format. At $260, I’m still willing to wait and see how it fares in the market, but it’s the first time I’ve seen something of its kind that shows promise. I’d love for my wife to give it a try.

Photograph by the author

Over the years, I’ve come to appreciate fall for what it is, not just for what it means is coming next. It’s become my favorite season of the year. The temperature is brisk, the air clean and full of wonderful aromas and the colors are of course spectacular.

Oh, and the fact that there are no bugs doesn’t hurt either.

Even in a downpour, the view from the top was beautiful. In fact, seeing clouds drift by below us was something special we never would have seen if we had postponed our hike for a sunnier day.