I have seen the Light.......

“I had a Galyans gift certificate eating a hole in my pocket, so I decided to buy a Tikka. I got to use it over the weekend and let me just say that I will never ever ever doubt any gear reviews any of you guys ever give now. This light is truely an awsome piece of gear.”

“Two TTers had them at Zaleski this weekend. Verrrry nice. Made my Petzl Micro look like a piece of crap.”

“I like both of mine !”

“Have you seen the other one? It's exactly the same, but 6 ounces lighter and 20 bucks more expensive.”

“Hey, don't dog the Petzl Micro. It ain't as hi-tech but it's still good. I dig mine. I will get a Tikka IF the Micro ever dies.”

“I know a guy who got the Zipka. Says it works fine but he doesn't quite trust that retractable 'headband' yet.”

“Zipka?
Is that a cross between a Zip stove & a Petzl headlamp?”

“My Micro has given me years of trouble free light. Thing is, now I know it's this sad little yellow light. Tikka must be Japanese for "happy bright blue light that burns your tent mate's retinas."”

“HAHAHA!!!!!”

“Zipka
A headlamp the burns bark, pinecones, twigs, ect. for light.”

“I love the idea of spending $6 for two lithiums and not having to worry about changing them 'til next year. Praise LEDs!”

“And it's a Petzl, too!

Nah! Not that. This.

"Hey, if can help me find my car keys, we can drive out of here!"”

“Finally got to see and hold a Tikka in my hand this weekend, and i dig it. However, I can't seem to rationalize buying a Zipka or Tikka since my Micro still works fine...so I guess I'll have to put'em on my Christmas list and hope for the best. 8)

On the flip side, the light looks like to new vehicle lights that stick out like a sore thumb. It doesn't shine that far, but the brightness will fry yer retinas'...it left me seeing dots.”

“I picked up the Tikka a couple of months ago - absoulutely incredible! Been using it a lot - remains bright w/ tremendous battery life.”

“heh.. ya.. a proud Tikka owner here.. I use it for even *shudder* NON-HIKING stuff.. when I am in the yard and trying to get some work (deck/pool/landscape) done.”

“I had to use my Micro up in the attic yesterday. Worked great!”

“Forget Petzl or even Princeton-tec LED headlamps. Go for Black Diamond's Moonlight LED headlamp. You wont be disappointed.”

“Used my Tikka for the first time out in the field this weekend. Head and shoulders above my other headlamp. Great addition to the gear list.”

“One set of batteries would have lasted 30 days on the JMT. After 22 days it was still bright as the first night I used it, but since the new batteries were with our resupply, I changed it. Used it every night to cook, then read for a few hours at night. Don't have to carry those extra batteries! LUV my TIKKA!!!”

“(AP) -- Physicists say they have brought light to a complete halt for a fraction of a second and then sent it on its way, an achievement that could someday help scientists develop powerful new computers.

The research differs from work published in 2001 that was hailed at the time as having brought light to standstill.

In that work, light pulses were technically "stored" briefly when individual particles of light, or photons, were taken up by atoms in a gas.

Harvard University researchers have now topped that feat by truly holding light and its energy in its tracks -- if only for a few hundred-thousandths of a second.

"We have succeeded in holding a light pulse still without taking all the energy away from it," said Mikhail D. Lukin, a Harvard physicist.

Harnessing light particles to store and process data could aid the still distant goal of so-called quantum computers, as well as methods for communicating information over long distances without risk of eavesdropping.

The research may also have applications for improving conventional fiber-optic communications and data processing techniques that use light as an information carrier. Lukin said the present research is just another step toward efforts to control light, but said additional work is needed to determine if it can aid these applications.

The findings appear in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature.

Stanford University physicist Stephen Harris said the new research is promising and represents an important scientific first.

Matthew Bigelow, a scientist at the University of Rochester involved in light research, called the new study "very clever" and something that may ultimately spur the development of superior light-based computers.”

“The Jedi Knight should be interested in this.

Put out Darth Vaders light saber for a fraction of a second and the universe would be much safer.”