Machete-wielding pirates hack U.S. tourist to death in Guatemala

by Jeffrey White on

Armed robbers attempted to steal a sailboat belonging to a U.S. couple this past weekend, attacking the two and killing the husband with a machete.

The attack happened in northeast Guatemala, on Lake Izabal.

Daniel and Nancy Dryden, retirees from Alaska, had taken their newly purchased sailboat to the lake and were preparing to make a trip into the Caribbean and, eventually, up the eastern coast of the United States.

The four men boarded the Drydens’ boat and at first demanded U.S. dollars. When the couple couldn’t give them any, they demanded the keys to the boat. They hacked at the Drydens with long, crescent-shaped machetes, killing Daniel and seriously wounding Nancy.

“They poked us and stabbed us with the machetes, and they were asking for money, specifically dollars,” Nancy Dryden tells the Associated Press from her hospital bed in the Guatemalan town of Morales.

The couple’s children were expected to arrive in Guatemala today, and Nancy Dryden was to head back to the U.S. for further medical care.

Local authorities say they are investigating the attack, but so far have not apprehended the men, who fled from the scene by swimming to a distant shore on the lake.

Mind-boggling futuristic mobile homes

by Abha Malpani on

Talk about mobile homes and all I think of is a caravan, and my newly discovered Mini-Motel. So when I came across this illustrative list of futuristic mobile homes, I was left slightly flabbergasted. You have:

  • The “M-ch”: A micro-compact home which is a little cube of a house you can take anywhere (but you would need a crane!). Suitable for 2 people, it’s enough to sleep, work and cook in. Oh and slightly more expensive than a tent (Euro 34,000+).
  • The SkiHaus: Built for exhausted skiers on high peaks, if you can organize for a helicopter with the snap of your fingers, you might want to look at the SkiHaus. It’s a lightweight, all-aluminum structure that weighs only 315 kg.
  • A Peak Lab: A cabin that can be hung outside a cliff.
  • The Point Lookout: A beach-hut on a tripod.
  • The M-Igloo: An mobile igloo style bedroom.
  • The Orb: A holiday park home for the younger “style conscious” generation. Apparently these houses even float!
  • The Lifepod: A green housing unit you can take anywhere as long as you have hauling power.
  • The Walking House (see image): Definitely my favorite, yes it gets up and walks! However this one is still a prototype – but not for long, I hope!

And there are even more types of these things that include SUV’s and shipping containers turned into homes and hotels. Have a look at the full list here.

Why isn’t Asian music more popular?

by Aaron Hotfelder on

Quick: name your top five favorite Asian bands. Can’t do it? How about your top three? One? If you’re like most Westerners, you probably aren’t too familiar with the popular music from the world’s most populous continent. But why not? Is Asian music really that bad?

The prevailing view of Asian music– at least from the Western perspective– is, well, yes. Asian music really is that bad. P.J. O’Rourke once described Asia as “the continent that rhythm forgot.” He wrote, “At best Asian music is off-brand American pop, like Sonny Bono in a karaoke bar. At worst Asian music sounds as if a truck full of wind chimes collided with a stack of empty oil drums during a birdcall contest.”

So that’s the stereotype, but don’t stereotypes sometimes contain at least a kernel of truth? A lot of Asian music– to the untrained ear anyway– does sound like the work of an atonal band of screeching cats.

African music, on the other hand, sounds much more familiar to the Western ear. It uses the many of the same scales and rhythms as Western music, and it has had a much greater influence on Western music, at least partly due to the Slave Trade.

In a recent post at Marginal Revolution, Tyler Cowen offered one explanation as to why Asian music isn’t more popular. “Many Asian musics, such as some of the major styles of China and Japan, emphasize timbre. That makes them a) often too subtle, and b) very hard to translate to disc or to radio. African-derived musics are perfect for radio or for the car.”

Still, he writes that “it’s a shame if you haven’t trained your ear by now to like the stuff. It’s some of the world’s finest music.”

So how about some recommendations? Well, there’s the fantastic Cambodian band called Dengue Fever, a talented Vietnamese chanteuse named Huong Thanh, and a band from Japan named The Boom, just to name a few. Then there’s still all the great music of India and the Middle East. Simply put: if you can’t find any good Asian music to listen to, you’re not looking.

Got any more recommendations, readers?

Air traffic controller helps land distressed plane with text messages

by Jeffrey White on

An Irish air traffic controller last week showed that he could think quick on his feet when he helped a small Piper airplane that had lost electricity make an emergency landing by sending text messages to the pilot.

The twin-engine Piper lost all electrical power shortly after taking off from Kerry airport in Ireland on its way to the Channel island of Jersey.

Realizing the problem, the pilot contacted air traffic control in Cork using his cell phone. When that signal weakened, a controller sent a series of text messages confirming the plane was clear for an emergency landing and providing coordinates and headings to guide the plane safely to the ground.

The plane carried four passengers, and none were injured in the incident.

Other tales from the skies
Amazing and insane stories from a real-life flight attendant and co-pilot

Busch Garden Williamsburg give-a-ways: Season pass included!

by Jamie Rhein on

One wonderful detail about summer travel is that it can spill over into autumn and beyond–particularly if it comes in amusement park entertainment.

In the spirit of the summer is not over yet, and when it is, don’t stop the fun, Gadling has paired up with Busch Gardens Williamsburg for some give-away action. Williamsburg, Virginia, known for its colonial past, is steeped in American history.

Pairing a visit to Colonial Williamsburg with a visit to Busch Gardens Williamsburg (and Water Country USA) adds amusement park excitement and a step into Europe to an American history lesson.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg, with its European inspired theme, boasts rides such as: Escape from Pompeii–a water ride, Griffon, a roller coaster that has a 90 degrees, straight down drop, and The Curse of DarKastle, a haunted house. Rides are set in settings reminiscent of European countries. The photo is from Da Vinci’s Garden of Inventors.

Along with rides, there are animal attractions like Eagle’s Ridge, a sanctuary for injured eagles, and Jack Hanna’s Wild Reserve, a section where exotic and endangered animal exhibits highlight the importance of habitat preservation.

For people who aren’t particularly fond of rides–and those who are, there are shows to enjoy. Emerald Beat, an Irish step-dancing performance, is one of them.

Because Busch Gardens’ season extends past Halloween, certain events reflect the time of year as well. On two September weekends, Bud & BBQ “celebrates great food, great beer and great music.”

For Halloween, there’s Howl-O-Scream. It begins in September and runs through the last weekend in October.

So, dear Gadling readers, what can you win? There are four different prizes.

  • Prize 1 – Season Pass Voucher to Busch Gardens which also gets you into Water Country USA, the water park that is part of the Busch Gardens family– a $154.95 value and a Busch Garden’s T-shirt (T-shirt value, $10)
  • Prize 2- Season Pass and a Busch Gardens visor (visor value, $5)
  • Prize 3- Exxon Mobile Gas Card for $25 and a Busch Gardens T-shirt
  • Prize 4–Exxon Mobile Gas Card for $25 and a Busch Gardens visor

To enter, leave a comment below telling us why you need a longer summer vacation and what you’d do with the time.

  • The comment must be left before Friday, August 15, 2008 at 1 PM Eastern Time.
  • You may enter only once.
  • Winners will be selected in a random drawing.
  • Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are 18 and older.

See the complete rules here.

Good luck!!