New Social Website Allows Travelers To Find Their Perfect Backpacking Partner

Are you tired of backpacking solo, but don't want to travel with just anyone? There's a new social travel site that just launched to help you find your perfect nomadic companion.

Unlike other travel sites that simply give you access to photos and text put up by the person in question, Perfect Travel Partner Pairer allows you to really get to know your potential travel partner -- no secrets withheld. The site's special state-of-the-art technology uses social media, satellite capabilities, smell sensors and 24-hour satellite camera and GPS integration. Moreover, there are no privacy settings, allowing users to access all the necessary details to safely make the right decision when choosing a travel buddy.

The process starts by filling out a simple profile. Users enter standard information like name, contact details, social security number, bank account information, health records and an upload of their school transcript. This will help answer vital questions for users, like how likely the person is to catch a disease that could put a damper on the trip, how cheap they will probably be, if they know any foreign languages that could be helpful or if they're just so stupid they'll drive you crazy. Along with the text, users are required to upload a headshot, body shot and photos of their parents. Hey, if they're potential relationship material too, you need to know what you're working with.

Perfect Travel Partner Pairer also features a GPS chip and satellite camera that follows users around 24/7, giving a genuine sense of what the person is really like. Furthermore, smell sensors allow for gauging just how bad things can get when they're backpacking and not showering daily.

Launched last month, the site has already perfectly paired more than 50 happy travel couples. While it has also led to 22 arrests, the figures show the odds of being perfectly matched are on your side.

[flickr photo via tiffini]New Social Website Allows Travelers To Find Their Perfect Backpacking Partner originally appeared on Gadling on Sun, 01 Apr 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Balinese New Year in photos

Their religion is so open and accepting. Shoot away, they say. Shoot the gods.

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Gear Wishlist: The Intern

In which we let the intern in to the gear closet. And he makes good choices.

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World's miners descend on Cornwall for international mining games

Teams of young miners from across the globe compete at first ever tournament held in the UK to showcase traditional skillsThe women from the Missouri University of Science and Technology hold nothing back as their team-mate, 19-year-old Kelsey Garratt, attacks a thick piece of timber with a hefty bow saw and no little venom. "Come on, beat it up," hollers one supporter. "Saw that wood," yells a second. She does. Sawdust flies and, after a few seconds, a perfectly straight off-cut drops to the ground.This is the 34th international mining games, which is being held for the first time in the UK. Teams of young miners and engineers from the US, Australia, Germany, Holland and Indonesia have flown into Cornwall to show off their cutting, chiselling, drilling, panning and shovelling skills."We have come to win," says Garratt. "It's a good place to come and meet other people into the same things and have a bit of fun but we want the victory." She admits that she found it hard to saw the wood. "We use pine, which is softer. We'll work out how to do it. Don't you worry."The games were launched in honour of the 91 men who died in the Sunshine mine disaster of 1972 in Idaho and have grown each year since.The Americans tend to be strong but the Australians even better. This time around 36 teams ? women's, men's and mixed ? will compete in seven events over the weekend at the King Edward Mine Museum in Camborne, one of the proud, historic centres of the Cornish tin industry."The idea is to remind miners of their heritage," said organiser Oakley Turner, a second year student at the Camborne School of Mines, part of Exeter University and the games' host. "The skills being tested are not commonly used now. But it reminds people of what mining has been over the years, how tough and hard it was."On practice day the representatives of Virginia Tech in the US arrive first, not long after first light. Aaron Adkins said they had been training for the last six or seven months. "Some of us practise every day. This is a big deal for us, we're determined to do well."Cornelius Hattingh, from the Western Australian School of Mines, which often tops the leaderboard, said they train five times a week. They have two campuses and field six teams. "Australians like to win at whatever we're competing in. Mining is no different."Stephanie Shelley, who studies at the Mackay School of Earth Sciences and Engineering in Nevada, tries to persuade the organisers to let her team use its own "steels" for the hand-drilling-into-concrete event. "Ours have notches that shoot the shit out," she explains. The organisers are not keen; they think everyone should use the tools provided.British competitor Tom Mather is hoping the teams from the Camborne School of Mines, which has been in operation since 1888, will do well this year. He reckons they have a particularly good chance in the "jackleg drilling" competition because contestants must use a machine made by local company Holmans to drill into a block of concrete."These drills tend to be a bit older than the ones these guys will have used before. And they have more of a kick. That ought to help us. We think we'll be good at the surveying too."The event is not just about competition. It is also a chance for people to network and provide a scouting opportunity for mining companies looking for new recruits.Mather says almost everyone who studies at Camborne gets a job afterwards, though not in Cornwall. There are few job opportunities for miners in the far south-west and instead they head for the US, Australia, eastern Europe and South America.To some extent, it was always so. Cornish miners have long roamed the world, spreading the sort of skills being tested at the game, not to mention the Cornish pasty, a staple of the miners' diet since the 18th century (many of the competitors have harsh words for what has been dubbed the "pasty tax" ? the chancellor's plan to extend VAT to hot food sold by bakers).Tony Brooks, director of the King Edward Mine Museum, studied at Camborne half a century ago before heading to Zambia as an engineer in the copper mines. "Cornish people and miners have always travelled. It's in their nature. The sad thing is there is nothing for them to stay for now, hardly any mining, no heavy industry. Instead people work in tourism or local government."The Dutch team, from Delft, turns up for practice a good four hours after the Virginia Tech lot. Their light-coloured smocks are suspiciously clean and they cheerfully accept that their city is better known for pottery than mining. "You never know, we may surprise the Australians," said Jan-Douwe Wansink. And off they go to try to get their smocks mucky.MiningCornwallSteven Morrisguardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

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Superb UK Vacations To Enjoy

People living in the United Kingdom may want to get away from their home without traveling too far to do it Traveling to someplace cool in the UK will allow them to leave their normal everyday routine, without leaving the country or spending a lot of money As a citizen of the UK you may not always have the funds to travel to far away countries, so here are some awesome UK vacations that you can take

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Wine: The New Drink Of Asia?

Filed under: Arts and Culture, Food and Drink, Asia, Europe, China, Japan, South Korea, ItalyNo, there aren't vineyards suddenly springing up along remote portions of the Great Wall, inside the DMZ or on the upper slopes of Mt. Fuji. Of that much I am certain. There are, however, many people who live in these areas who are developing a notable penchant for wine and, all of a sudden, the big name wine growers are starting to take notice.

A recent news release discusses that although European wine exporters have seen a decline in their traditional markets in North America and Europe, the expanding palates of Asia are proving to be a welcome change of direction.

Evidence? The article uses the example of a South Korean wine importer perusing the stalls of a massive wine expo in Verona, Italy, who admits that Italian food and Italian wines are becoming more favorable in South Korea.

Also, according to statistics cited in the article, there was a 10% increase in wine consumption in Asia in 2011 bringing it to 5.5 billion liters, whereas estimates run as high as the continent being able to quaff a record 6 billion liters for 2012.

Meanwhile, in China, Benjamin Chau, deputy head of the Hong Kong trade development council believes that as a growing number of Chinese markets prosper, so too do their imbibing habits change. Historically drawn to strong liquor, Chau argues that as quality of life improves for many Chinese citizens wine is becoming a fashionable and more health-conscious drink of choice, which is often imported from vineyards in the West.

So how much emphasis is being placed on Asia as an emerging wine market? Enough that new Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti was told to be peddling a list of "Made in Italy" products while on a recent visit to Japan, South Korea and China. Seeing as Italy was the world's largest exporter of wine in 2011, I am sure multiple vintages and varietals were offered as part of the touring menu.

So is it time to trade in the sake for the syrah the next time you're in Tokyo? Should we swap the soju for sauvignon blanc while nibbling on kim bap in Seoul?

I'm not sure if I would go that far, but if this is a trend that continues to gain steam, it may not make for a far-fetched future.Wine: The New Drink Of Asia? originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 30 Mar 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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The North Face Masters of Snowboarding Series Heads to Kirkwood

Kirkwood, CA -With March finally bringing huge snow totals to Kirkwood, the California ski resort is hosting stop two of The North Face Masters of Snowboarding through Sunday. Now in it?s fifth season, the three-stop tour is the only open competition for big mountain snowboarders, with an overall prize purse of $50,000.



Originally planned for the first week of March, the event was pushed back a month to allow for more spring storms, a decision that paid off with over ten feet of snowfall in the past few weeks.
??We are excited to bring the tour here this year,? Kirkwood?s Director of Marketing, Kevin Cooper, remarked yesterday. ?With a rough start and a mild mid-season it was hard to visualize the event actually taking place this year, but then there was March! We had nine feet in five days last week and we are track for 44 more inches here by end of day today, so the stoke level could not be higher!?
As an open event, The North Face Masters provides an opportunity for both established and up-and-coming riders to put together a winning run during two days of fierce competition. Saturday?s finals are held on Kirkwood?s famously steep venue, The Cirque.
With the leading names in big mountain snowboarding competing this weekend, the quest for the title will be fierce. The women?s field is stacked, with past champion Shannan Yates looking to repeat her win. Kyle Clancy and Jonathan Penfield are favorites from the deep and talented men?s field.
?We are super excited to be back at Kirkwood for the second stop of the Masters,? said Competition Director Patrick Brennan. ?The recent snowfall, along with the forecasted snow in the next few days, have The Cirque in prime shape for some serious big mountain shredding.?
The top male and female riders will receive one of the most coveted awards in big mountain snowboarding-the Katana Sword. Also, at each stop of the tour, The North Face honors a rider under the age of 21 with the Young Gun Award for innovative riding and promising talent.

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