© Image courtesy of Digital Trends-
NASA has awarded a mechanical engineer a grant worth $125,000 to help him create a 3D printer for food.More >> NASA has awarded a mechanical engineer a grant worth $125,000 to help him create a 3D printer for food.More >> Pretty soon, just about everything we do on the Web will be logged, analyzed, and used for things outside of our control. Here are some ways to help stop that.More >> Pretty soon, just about everything we do on the Web will be logged, analyzed, and used for things outside of our control. Here are some ways to help stop that.More >> How can we make our passwords more hack-resistant and manage all the passwords we need?More >> How can we make our passwords more hack-resistant and manage all the passwords we need?More >> True to its name, Social Roulette is a game of roulette in which you're gambling your digital life. After giving the app permissions, you then take a one-in-six chance of letting it delete your Facebook account.More >> True to its name, Social Roulette is a game of roulette in which you're gambling your digital life. After giving the app permissions, you then take a one-in-six chance of letting it delete your Facebook account.More >> Weird accommodation options are part of Airbnb's charm, so we'd like to propose seven current listings that should be verified immediately.More >> Weird accommodation options are part of Airbnb's charm, so we'd like to propose seven current listings that should be verified immediately. If these folks are offering what they say they're offering, we just might book a night or two. More >> Inbox Zero is the theory that an empty e-mail inbox is good for peace of mind and productivity. So is it?More >> Inbox Zero is the theory that an empty e-mail inbox is good for peace of mind and productivity. So is it?More >> When it comes to iPhone 5 accessories, the options just keep on coming, and there are a lot of little extras that can really improve your experience. More >> When it comes to iPhone 5 accessories, the options just keep on coming, and there are a lot of little extras that can really improve your experience. We cover everything from Bluetooth headsets for your iPhone 5 to touchscreen friendly gloves.More >> Facebook is basically integrated into every part of our lives. You use it to catch up on friends' lives, meet people, find events, message people but it's also a place where people go to sell live human babies online.More >> Facebook is basically integrated into every part of our lives. You use it to catch up on friends' lives, meet people, find events, message people but it's also a place where people go to sell live human babies online.More >> Using the camera on a smartphone or tablet, a parent or child can scan one of forty-seven dot patterns printed on kids pajamas to launch a story.More >> Using the camera on a smartphone or tablet, a parent or child can scan one of forty-seven dot patterns printed on kids pajamas to launch a story.More >> If you're wondering why the Associated Press tweeted that there was an explosion at the White House, it's because its account was hacked.More >> If you're wondering why the Associated Press tweeted that there was an explosion at the White House, it's because its account was hacked.More >>
By Mike Flacy
Provided by 
Wandering through Gambrill State Park northwest of Frederick, Maryland, Christopher Tkacik, a 43-year-old lawyer, and his dog Boo got lost in the woods while on a hike through the park as reported by My Fox DC. After walking in circles for hours, Tkacik eventually resigned himself to the fact that they were lost and used his iPhone to call emergency services. While the Google Maps application was continuing to give him the incorrect location on his iPhone, Tkacik was able to send his wife a text message that he was lost, but in good shape. After the 911 call, the local sheriff dispatched a helicopter to look around Gambrill State Park to locate Tkacik.
Tkacik waited until he heard the helicopter hovering nearby and turned on his iPhone flashlight application to catch the attention of the pilot. Just like a flare, the pilot spotted the iPhone flashlight in the darkness of the wooded area and two rescue workers rappelled 150 feet from the helicopter to help guide Tkacik and his dog Boo to safety out of the woods. The entire ordeal took about four hours and got Tkacik back to his wife in time to attend a New Year's Eve party. Interestingly, Tkacik had recently given his wife the Steve Jobs biography for Christmas and she stated "I started reading it. Steve Jobs with the iPhone–oh my gosh–technology's good," during an interview with a local television station.
Tkacik didn't let the incident sour him on hiking and returned to the trails on Monday. When asked about the iPhone, he stated "Having a charged phone made a world of difference. If I didn't have a phone, I would have been stuck really bad." In a much greater disaster in 2010, Apple's iPhone also helped out Haiti earthquake survivor Dan Woolley of Colorado Springs to self-diagnose and treat injuries to his body by using a medical application as well as the glowing light emanating from the iPhone.
This article was originally posted on Digital Trends