THE OTHER STUFF

Meade Astro Telescope

Gaze at the night sky through the Meade ETX-90EC Astro Telescope and a couple of myths dissolve before your eyes: first, that only cannon-size telescopes are worth owning, and second, that you need an astrophysics degree to use one. Equipped with an optical tube just 11 inches long and weighing 7.8 pounds, the Astro ($595; 949-451-1450) is eminently portable. Yet it behaves like a telescope that's nearly four feet long, producing high-contrast images with positively stellar brightness by way of an extra internal mirror that reflects incoming light a second time to increase the telescope's ever-crucial focal length. To spy the waxing gibbous Moon, for instance, place the celestial body in the crosshairs of the viewfinder, which is mounted on the Astro's exterior, and peer into the padded eyepiece. You'll have a fabulous view of impact craters, mountain ranges, rillsùjust about everything save Buzz Aldrin's bootprints. Or better yet, use the remote control: As you press directional buttons, an internal motor moves the telescope for a scan of the night sky, preventing your shaky fingers from ever having the chance to bungle your view.

The Astro is most impressive, however, when teamed with Meade's ETX AutoStar Computer Controller ($149), an optional handheld gadget that turns the telescope into a veritable R2D2. (It runs on the same AC adapter or eight AA-cells the Astro requires.) Select any of 14,000 planets, Earth-orbiting satellites, space stations, deep-space objects like nebulae, or other flotsam from the Controller's database, and the Astro automatically slews to the desired location. It'll even track its celestial prey as its position changes relative to Earth, which is about as convenient as it gets.
ùBRAD WETZLER

K2 Escape
I spent childhood racing maniacally round Stars roller rink in sneaker skates, adolescence perfecting my slap shot on hockey ice, and a fair bit of adult life careening along silky stretches of pavement wearing in-line skates. From here on, however, I suspect I'll be using some variation of the K2 Escape ($350; 800-972-4063), the first in-line skate with a clap-frame. The design, which typically involves a hinged blade that maintains contact with the ice as a speed skater pushes off and lifts his heel, offers the advantage of a longer, more powerful stride.

K2 has taken the idea further in the Escape, separating the long frame into two sectionsùtwo 77.5-millimeter wheels are mounted beneath the toe, and two beneath the heelùand giving the boot itself a unique, flexible sole. Unlike any other model, on which all four wheels hit the ground at once, this skate's front wheels meet the pavement first and then the back wheels touch down, creating an uncommonly fluid, sensitive glide. (It's like skating on free-heeled nordic skis versus alpine skis.) And since you can flex the lace-up boot just behind the ball of your foot, your muscles get into the act, giving you an even more powerful push-off. The cumulative effect is outrageous speed potential and a greater degree of control, giving you the best of both worlds.
ùCLAIRE MARTIN

Mountain Hardwear Tent Stakes

Try to anchor a tent while battling petulant winds or impossible hardpan with conventional stakes, which have all the muscle of fondue skewers, and, well, you're guaranteed to fail. The situation calls for an implement with backbone: Mountain Hardwear's Star Stake ($7 for four; 800-953-8375). The Star Stake is crafted of 7075-T6 aluminum, an alloy borrowed from the aircraft industry, meaning each stake is both lightùhalf an ounceùand stalwart. The real secret of its strength is its pronged constructionùthree strips welded together with an extra bead of aluminum seam where the sides of the stake meet, like caulk in a tiled corner. You'll also be glad to know that its daggerlike point doesn't make for a bad instrument of self-defense, either.
ùJOHN LUCK