How, exactly, does one learn "slacklining"? The subject's not taught at my local adult-ed program (though microwave cookery sounds appealing). I imagine, at the very least, that you'd have to be able to walk in a straight line without falling flat on your face. So, I'm disqualified right there. Faith Dickey has no such problem. She's a world champion at the ridiculously dangerous "sport" and stars in this clip by Swedish ad agency Forsman & Bodenfors designed to tout the precision control of Volvo FH trucks. Dickey walks across a cord strung between a pair of said vehicles, in high winds, as the trucks speed toward separate tunnels. It's an exceptionally well-done piece of work, and yet I just can't get into it, perhaps because there's really not much suspense or tension in this particular high-wire act. C'mon, we all know she's going to accomplish the stunt safely, or Volvo wouldn't have posted the footage. Plus, it seems like a ludicrously overblown way to demonstrate the steady handling of the trucks (which would surely also depend on the skill of the drivers). The Interverse doesn't seem to share my view. Most write-ups have been glowing, and the clip has garnered nearly 400,000 YouTube views in a couple of days—so maybe I should just lighten up and cut Volvo some slack.
