KIA Niro Hybrid Commercial – The Actor and the Little Tree That Could

KIA is going all in with their commitment to “the greater good.” It’s on full display in a recent ad featuring the new model called Niro. KIA’s had philanthropic commercials before like the one with the homeless people or the one where a guy cleans up a beach. So this new guy saving a small tree is a hero like the last few protagonists in KIA commercials.

Check out the ad then scroll down for more info!

The Actor. Playing the tree-saving hero in this commercial is actor Philip Prajoux. He’s also been in a commercial “with” Arnold Schwarzenegger. Check that one out here and be sure to follow Philip on Twitter and Instagram.

There’s also another funny take on this commercial from writer Codrin Spiridon. Here’s a glimpse of his synopsis which you can read in full here:

He gets it out of the ground and puts it in a cardboard coffee cup, not plastic, of course. He treats it like it’s another person, even placing it in the front passenger seat with the seatbelt on. I think I did that as well at some point, but in my case, it was with beer.

The Music. I love to include this info when I write about commercials but at the time of this post I haven’t found out which song or artist is featured. Boo!! Some say it might be Elliot Smith or Ludovico Einaudi. If I find out more info, I’ll post it here.

It’s Aliiiiive! The biggest inconsistency I can see in the ad is in regards to the tree being saved by the driver. As you can see in the first clip, the little tree is brown. By the end it’s a luscious green color. Great, right? Wrong! How did it grow through the concrete and asphalt and THEN die? Then the driver somehow blasts through the hard ground to uproot it?C’mon, man!

Besides that, it’s a feel good commercial that shows off the convenience of being able to drive the Niro real far without having to gas or charge it up.

Do you like the ad? Are there any other mistakes or inconsistencies in the commercial? Chime in below and see y’all tomorrow!

-Out of the Wilderness

I made a meme about dating in 2023

People dating in the 90s and 2000s had it so easy! Sometimes I tell my married friends how thankful they need to be that they aren’t in the dating world anymore. In fact, I made a meme that encapsulates the adult dating scene so well in 2022/23. For any of my readers who aren’t married or in a relationship, can you relate to this?

Right? I had no idea that the “3 cats” thing would be the least of my concerns because if you don’t know, anyone who has 3 cats is already suspicious 🙂 But seriously, I don’t know what women have to deal with when they’re looking through the profiles of men, but Lord help us if there are more single people out there like this guy/girl/they/them person.

I’m sure another gender will be discovered, adding to the 329 genders already out there. This will add another layer of confusion for everyone, plus more single people with heads exploding from just trying to find a normal, sane, attractive, level-headed person of the opposite gender who DOESN’T already have 3 cats.

See y’all tomorrow…

-Out of the Wilderness

Are there manatees at Lake Manatee State Park? I’m camping and I have answers!

My first camping trip in 2023 is to Lake Manatee State Park, down near Tampa, Florida. I’m turning into a regular snowbird, aren’t I? But you won’t hear an “eh” or a “you betcha” quite yet. Last January I went south to Orlando area where I camped in two recreation areas, Alexander Springs (recap) and Juniper Springs (recap). Side note, neither spring campsite had water (ironic isn’t it!?), or power and I thought that was going to be how the rest of my camping experiences went. Turns out, I was wrong! Every single state park and RV park since then has had water and power, and some even had sewer #FancyLife.

Happy Hour Drinking GIF by Saturday Night Live - Find & Share on GIPHY

Unfortunately, Lake Manatee State Park won’t make the list of my top 5 favorites, but to be perfectly honest, I didn’t come here for the park itself. Oh also, there aren’t manatees at this park. Go to Manatee Springs State Park if you want that experience! The best part about Lake Manatee, well I guess it depends on who you ask because the lake is pretty big and probably good for fishing, I don’t know? But this park is in a great location! It’s close to Tampa/St. Pete and not very far from the central west Florida coast beaches. Did I get all the directions in there… central, west, coast, Florida. OK, got it. I actually booked the campsite so I could explore Venice Beach, on the hunt for sharks teeth. Spoiler alert, I found zero teeth! I’m probably the worst person to have on your team if you’re in any sort of tooth-finding, or manatee finding competition, so just remember that.

I also visited the St. Pete Pier, which is pretty amazing. It helped that the night I was there, the weather was absolutely perfect. From the little food dining area they actually had vegan pizza, too, another major win.

OK, back to the park itself… it’s small but has a few hiking trails. I’ve seen different types of birds but if you’re into birding, I don’t think this park will impress you. What do I know about birds? Well, I didn’t see any eagles, ospreys, hawks, heck I don’t even think I saw a heron! Gosh, that was dramatic. I DID see a heron and quite a few egrets. Sorry I got my feathers ruffled there. I’ll be less dramatic for the rest of the post.

There were small birds like red-bellied woodpeckers and I think I saw a blue jay. Oh, since last year I’ve been really hoping to get photos of armadillos because they’re just so cute. Well, I had the best chance ever while I was walking on the trail but the little rascal was fast! Here’s what I got. It also didn’t help matters that I should’ve been using a different lens.

If you’re wanting to camp in the Tampa/St. Pete/Bradenton area, this park is perfect! Location is its biggest asset. Oh, and I should mention the sites are a mix of gravel and sand (boo!) and after it rained one night, I saw a few sites that had big puddles. Kind of disappointing with the sand and the standing water but overall, I enjoyed my time at the park.

See you again tomorrow!

-Out of the Wilderness

The iPhone Kids Racing Commercial – The Music and a Fatal Error?

Apple is telling GoPro to GET OUT MY WAY! Well, I kind of made that part up but Apple is advertising their “steady cam” capabilities in their new ad. A boy is running and his mom tracks his every step with the steadiest of video shots. Take a look then scroll down for the music and what might be a critical mistake.

The Music. A great song choice for this commercial, it’s Tadashii “Get Out My Way” featuring Lecrae. Here’s the full track, then scroll down for a scandalous take on the making of this commercial!

But he’s fast, right? This commercial shows us that the one main kid featured is the fastest in the group. He starts out slow but by the end he crosses the finish line in first place. Atta boy! But then at the same time, we’re expected to believe his mom, running sideways and halfway concentrating on recording her son running, is keeping up with him? One of two things must be true: the boy is actually very slow, or his mom is (or was) an Olympic runner. I wouldn’t call this a fatal error in the commercial but it certainly leaves a lot of room for questions.

One thing is on full display, though, in spite of the logical error explained above. If these clips come out steady and crisp, the iPhone 14 is no longer a phone with a camera. It’s a camera with a phone!

Till tommorow, y’all…

-Out of the Wilderness

Anywhere At Any Time

As 2023 started, it dawned on me what a great situation I’m in. A couple of dogs, a camper and a truck. It would be a shame to forget that I can go anywhere at any time. In fact, I can go to all the wheres. Here’s a where. There’s a where. Over there, over here, go go go! Inspired by this jolt of inspiration, the opportunity opened up for a campsite at a state park in central Florida. Where, where, where is it you might be asking? I’ll have a full recap of this first camping trip of 2023 tomorrow so be sure to come back at 1pm central, but for now, here’s a picture from the campground!

If you can guess the park, you get 100 points! After this park, I’ll head over to Orlando to see family and watch the college football championship. Oh, plus on the way to Orlando I’m stopping at a Harvest Host location, a farm east of Tampa and I can’t wait to share more about that! I guess I’ll save it for another post but here’s a picture to whet your appetite…

This year’s theme is “real and deep” which is going to include a subtitle, “Anywhere at any time.” I MUST remember a couple of things: Don’t take life and health for granted (a big reminder was the situation with NFL football player Damar Hamlin) and secondly, take opportunities to go anywhere at any time!

See you all tomorrow with a recap of the first camping trip of 2023…

-Out of the Wilderness