Long Pigs

by Neil Woodburn on

Mark Burnett Productions has just announced a new travel themed reality show to be carried by FOX next season. The concept, tentatively titled Long Pigs, combines the successful themes of two other hit reality shows; Survivor and The Surreal Life. Long Pigs stars a cast of B-level celebrities who have to share a yurt in the barren Gobi desert with a tribe of Korowai cannibals from southeastern Papua for 40 days.

The cast will have to rely on finely honed outdoor skills to survive as the only food provided are salt and pepper, a barrel of wine reduction basting sauce, and a three day’s supply of Fig Newtons (the show is sponsored by the cookie company).

Judging by the title of the first episode, Scott Baio’s Spleen, this is one reality show that is finally going to make a positive impact on society.

Baby Cone of Silence

by Erik Olsen on

It about time for a great invention that can serve all travelers. The onboard SkiesMall catalog is now selling the Infant Cone o’ Silence that fliers both young and old will find a welcome piece of additional in-flight equipment.

The new device uses a special sound stopping polymer called Cryogel® that captures the cries of babies as soon as they leave the infant’s mouth. The sound absorbing cones are simply placed over the heads of babies during flight and can reduce the sound of baby cries by as much as 98 percent, according to certified tests.

The cone has a large opening at the bottom to allow in ample air so that the baby can breathe and a patented “Eating Hole” provides parents with the opportunity to feed the baby while it is wearing the device.

The technology behind the Infant Cone o’ Silence was developed by the military’s skunk works at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) where they are rumored to have been used in military prisons to keep inmates quiet during guard’s bedtime hours. Very cool.

Hunter Gatherer Parks

by Erik Olsen on

If you enjoy the outdoors and getting back to nature, you’re going to be downright feral over one of the hottest new trends in adventure travel. Forget expensive Gortex and metal ice axes, we’re talking pre-bronze age here. Yes, everyone is abuzz about the new hunter-gatherer parks that are sprouting up around the country, as well as in other parts of the world.

The brainchild of eminent anthropologist Dr. Therberd Melsius, whose study of the “Glack” people of the Amazon resulted in the Pulitzer prize-winning book: “Back with the Glack”, Hunter Gatherer Parks (or HunGaths) are attracting adventure-minded types who are tired of all the fanciness and frippery that go along with most adventure sports.

The HunGath concept is simple: men hunt and women gather. See? What could be easier? Couples sign up and are issued loose-fitting loin cloths (made by Northface) and then are set free to roam in a big open space. The women are provided with short sticks with which they will dig in the ground for grubs and tubers.

Then men are offered either spears or slings, and set out for up to six days to track buffalo, antelope and deer that have been “seeded” throughout the park. The exercise, say those who have HunGathed, builds community spirit and teaches you essential skills, like how to most efficiently scrape meat from the carcass of a dead animal and how to build a fire out of rocks.

These HunGath parks are proving very popular among professional Red State couples who see in it the opportunity to get “back to basics” and where “traditional family values” really take center stage. But the fact is HunGaths are a good time for everyone, offering you the chance to experience the outdoors the way your forbears did.