Could you be a Papantla Flyer in Mexico?

by Jessica Festa on

Do you think you could handle having one leg tied to the top of a shaky 30 meter pole while you hang limply from the top? How about then being quickly spun in circles as you slowly fall to the ground?

The feat is known as the Danza de los Voladores de Papantla, or Dance of the Flyers. The ritual, which is thought to have been used to call on the gods during times of drought, is best associated with the town of Papantla, Veracruz in Mexico, where it still takes place. There are five people who take part in the dance, including four flyers and one person who stands at the top of the tall pole dancing and playing a flute and drum.

We’ve seen the thrill seeking travelers of Fuel TV‘s “Strangers in Danger“, Mike “Rooftop” Escamilla and Zach “Catfish” Yankush eat live octopus in Korea, and tonight we’ll get to watch as they do the Dance of the Flyers, a feat which seems to scare them even more. Check out a clip of what you can expect here or watch the full episode tonight (and every Tuesday) at 10:30 E/P.

Power Tool Race and Derby: Start Your Chain Saws

by Jamie Rhein on

I’m mentioning this event now because I want to give you time to get started on your own efforts or plan to get there to be a witness. The Seattle Power Tool Race and Derby is coming up June 23 in Washington state. This doesn’t mean you set your electric drill on the ground and yell, “On your mark. Get Set. Go!” or run with a power tool as you race and hope for the best, as in “Watch for the nail gun!” This is where folks who have created mobile contraptions with power tools and parts of tools put them in competitions with names like: Grudge Matches, Deadly Ring of Death and Jumping Jackass. Beer drinking is involved, but it’s a family friendly affair. Kids can even compete with their own inventions.

If there is a part of you that wonders, “Is this for real?” I can assure you it is. But if it sounds kind of, well, stupid, it’s supposed to be. The reason for the derby is to have fun in a wacky kind of creative way. Consider this one. The Giant Gerbil Ball has a person inside it. Flickr has many other pictures from last year’s event to give you an idea of what’s possible. The hobby horse in the photo is somehow affixed to a single power saw.

Power tool races don’t happen only in Seattle. Check out the blog, Make:Technology on Your Time for photos and a You Tube video of an event in San Francisco.