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7 April 2007
[green] I’ll Compost Your Corpse — The BBC’s “Ethical Man” looks at the issues around decomposing a corpse in an enviromentally friendly way. ‘…the problem with the way a corpse decomposes at the bottom of a grave is that there isn’t enough oxygen to get a good aerobic compost going. The main by-products of aerobic decomposition include carbon dioxide and water meanwhile anaerobic decomposition produces methane – 23 times as powerful a greenhouse-gas as CO2.’ [via Digg]
7 March 2007
[iraq] Pat Dollard, Hollywood Guy Gone Gonzo … ‘After his fourth wife left him because she got upset about his hobbies, which included cocaine and hookers, Hollywood agent/producer Pat Dollard decided to get his head together by flying to Iraq to hang out with Marines and fight insurgents and film a pro-war documentary that would make him “the Michael Moore of the right.” A few weeks later, he sent his Hollywood pals a photo of himself with a Mohawk haircut, a machine gun and the word DIE shaved into his chest hair. After that, things started to get weird.’ [thanks Phil]
29 January 2007
[tv] Weird, or just Wanting? — Louis Theroux on Weirdness. ‘…what I did come to realize was this: that the strangest behaviours are always answering some very normal human need – for love, for religious meaning, for a place in the world. And that the “weird beliefs” themselves never stood in the way of me making a human connection…’ [via As Above]
23 January 2007
[brain] Free Will: Now You Have It, Now You Don’t — The New York Times on Free Will … [via Kottke] ‘In the 1970s, Benjamin Libet, a physiologist at the University of California, San Francisco, wired up the brains of volunteers to an electroencephalogram and told the volunteers to make random motions, like pressing a button or flicking a finger, while he noted the time on a clock. Dr. Libet found that brain signals associated with these actions occurred half a second before the subject was conscious of deciding to make them. The order of brain activities seemed to be perception of motion, and then decision, rather than the other way around. In short, the conscious brain was only playing catch-up to what the unconscious brain was already doing. The decision to act was an illusion, the monkey making up a story about what the tiger had already done.’
[tags: Life, Weird][ permalink][ Comments Off on The New York Times on Free Will (or Lack of It)]
22 January 2007
[future] Must-know terms for the 21st Century intellectual — On Cosmological Eschatology and Galactus: ‘CE is the study of how the Universe develops, ages, and ultimately comes to an end. While hardly a new concept, what is new is the suggestion that advanced intelligence may play a role in the universe’s life cycle. Given the radical potential for postbiological superintelligence, a number of thinkers have suggested that universe engineering is a likely activity for advanced civilizations.’ [via Warren Ellis]
18 January 2007
[mobiles] Man Badly Burned when Cell Phone in Pocket Flares … ‘A cell phone in the front pocket of a Vallejo man’s pants spontaneously combusted, quickly ignited his clothes and left the man with second- and third-degree burns across at least half his body, according to investigators. Luis Picaso, 59, was apparently sleeping on a white, all-plastic lawn chair in his room late Saturday night and was awakened as he was ablaze…’ [via Warren Ellis]
[tags: Tech, Weird][ permalink][ Comments Off on Man Badly Burned when Cell Phone in Pocket Flares]
[mobiles] Cell Phones Filthier Than Bottom of Shoe … ‘The phones contained more skin bacteria than the any other object; this could be due to the fact that this type of bacteria increases in high temperatures and our phones are perfect for breeding these germs as they’re kept warm and cozy in our pockets, handbags and brief cases. These bacteria are toxic to humans…’
29 December 2006
[net] Just Can’t Get E-nough — the New Scientist on unhealthy habits created by technology. On Cheesepodding: ‘In certain circles there is even an ironic cool to be had from out-cheesing your friends. There is a problem, though. As with all addictions, you end up needing bigger and bigger hits to get the same buzz. Once I started downloading Celine Dion power ballads, I knew it was time to stop. Fortunately, I have found a variant that is, if anything, more entertaining. I download songs I know my wife hates and put them onto her iPod while she isn’t looking.’ [via the Guardian’s Technology Blog]
13 December 2006
[rumours] The 40 Best Celebrity Rumors Ever … On Richard Gere and Gerbils: ‘…none of Gere’s interviewers have had the guts to go there, or maybe there’s some kind of publicist-issued fatwa, but Gere has never publicly addressed the rumor. Would you?’
1 October 2006
[blogs] A couple of interesting comics-related posts on Metafilter …
10 August 2006
[weird] The Chosen Ones — Jon Ronson meets Indigo Children who apparently are “super-evolved, psychic beings” … ‘I’m curious to know more about the Indigo children – this apparently vast, underground movement. Although Indigos say they communicate telepathically, they also communicate via internet forums, such as Indigos Unplugged…’ [via As Above]
[vids] How to Undress in Seven Seconds — this isn’t a lifehack I’d try at home  … [via Sore Eyes]
5 August 2006
[lightbulb] Livermore’s Centennial Light — Apparently, the oldest working lightbulb in the world … ‘Age: 104 years and counting (as of 2005)’
[tags: Weird][ permalink][ Comments Off on The Oldest Working Lightbulb in the World]
4 August 2006
[crab] Crab vs. Pipe — old viral video on YouTube … ‘An undersea robot is sawing a 3mm wide slit (1/10th of an inch … remember that width) in a pipeline. The pressure inside the pipeline is 0 psig, while the pressure outside is 2700 psi, or 1.3 tons per square inch. Then a crab comes along….’
10 May 2006
[belly] Why doesn’t my belly button heal over? — also answers the important medical conundrum: Where does belly button fuzz come from? … ‘Belly button fuzz (or lint) comes from the clothes you wear. Some fabrics shed more than others. Some shapes of belly buttons are better collectors. A hairy belly button will collect fuzz better than a hairless one.’
8 May 2006
[numbers] Ask Metafilter: How is this lame maths Trick Possible? … - Grab a calculator
- Key in the first three digits of your phone number (NOT the area code)
- Multiply by 80
- Add 1
- Multiply by 250
- Add the last 4 digits of your phone number
- Add the last 4 digits of your phone number again
- Subtract 250
- Divide number by 2
2 May 2006
[tags: Weird][ permalink][ Comments Off on Slow Motion Video of Bullets Going Through Things]
23 April 2006
[weird] 27 Project — a website about the number 27. ‘…one thing is for sure. once you are awake to the conspiracy you will never be the same again. by reading this far, your life has already changed for ever.’ [via Metafilter]
11 April 2006
[tv] Deal or No Deal Noel Edmonds Figure Playset — for sale on Ebay. … ‘Remember folks this is a one of a kind auction! Now deal or no deal!’ [via Feeling Listless]
1 April 2006
[web] MyDeathSpace.com — tracking the deaths of MySpace users… ‘Cause of Death: Text Messaging + Train’
26 March 2006
[gross] My Eyeball Just Fell Out of Its Socket — What should you do? … ‘The treatment for globe luxation is pretty simple: Doctors apply some topical painkillers, hold back your lashes, and poke your eyeball into its socket by pressing on the white part with gloved fingers. (In some cases, they’ll use a simple tool like a bent paperclip to shoehorn it back into place.)’
18 February 2006
[fun] Tom Baker Says… … ‘Hello. I am Tom Baker and I will be saying things to you by the magic of SMS.’ [Related: Actor Baker becomes voice of text]
11 February 2006
[google] The Register: 40-Metre Profanity Spotted from Space … ‘It beats crop circles for crowd-pleasing entertainment value. Quite who Eddie is and why his name is writ large in rural England, we’ll leave that to readers to explain.’
[tags: Space, Weird][ permalink][ Comments Off on The Register: 40-metre profanity spotted from space]
10 February 2006
[tags: London, Weird][ permalink][ Comments Off on London Tube Map with Anagrammed Tube Station Names]
4 February 2006
[mobiles] How I Stalked My Girlfriend … ‘For the past week I’ve been tracking my girlfriend through her mobile phone. I can see exactly where she is, at any time of day or night, within 150 yards, as long as her phone is on. It has been very interesting to find out about her day. Now I’m going to tell you how I did it. First, though, I ought to point out, that my girlfriend is a journalist, that I had her permission (“in principle …”) and that this was all in the name of science…’
2 February 2006
[web] The Last Google Result — What is the last Google result for a search term? [via Gordon McLean]
28 January 2006
[tv] Forensic criminology, the ZX Spectrum Way — how did the sound of the loading screen from Sabre Wulf get into CSI: Miami? … ‘Their expensive new XRF machine appears to be a Sinclair Spectrum making tape loading noises. But as if that’s not geeky enough… The combined forces of comp.sys.sinclair have identified the data in question as the loading screen to Sabre Wulf by Ultimate.’
20 January 2006
[blogs] This Blog Will Change Your Life — what happens if you spend a year following the instructions in This Book Will Change Your Life … ‘A day of compliments. Flatter someone today and see if it does indeed get you anywhere. “Gee, that sure is a splendid mustache comb.”‘
22 December 2005
[survival] Important Question of the Day: Is it a good idea to drink your own urine? … ‘Dr Stroud says there is just one situation where urine might be useful – if, just as your ship sinks, you happen to be completely drunk. “Like you just had eight pints of lager and you were peeing like crazy,” he says. “Arguably, the first couple of urines, if you kept those, might just possibly give you more water than salt.” As for non-emergency situations, Stroud dismisses those who believe urine could be beneficial…’
19 December 2005
[stalking] Stalking for Beginners — a Howto guide on ruining someone’s life … ‘After he fell asleep, I took down all the phone numbers in his cell while hiding in the bathroom. Mom, Dad, Susan, Rita, Jeff, and some guy named “Coke Delivery.” Real subtle, dude. I went back to bed with him and murmured “I love you.” He moved away from me. Everything was working as planned. He was getting stalked.’ [via iamcal.com]
29 November 2005
[celebs] Finding Stalking Billie Piper — a Blogger’s Odyssey in search of Billie Piper … ‘Previously: Triforce decides it wants to find Billie Biper. Uses Google. Tracks down approximate location. Decides to go drinking and find her. And keep her.’
23 November 2005
[graffiti] The Writings on the Stall — website of writings found on toilet walls … ‘This toilet paper is like John Wayne. Tough as nails and don’t take shit off nobody.’
8 November 2005
[war] The Military Applications of Silly String … ‘ I’m a former Marine I in Afghanistan. Silly string has served me well in Combat especially in looking for I.A.Ds., simply put, booby traps. When you spray the silly sting in dark areas, especially when you doing house to house fighting. On many occasions the silly string has saved me and my men’s lives.’ [via As Above]
21 October 2005
[ebay] Crazy eBay Mom (scroll down) – eBay Addiction taken to the outer limits.
3 October 2005
[comics] Page 227 from A History of Violence — a scan from John Wagner’s and Vince Locke’s comic from 1997. ‘… there does seem to be an elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about, in regards to the source material.’
29 September 2005
[food] What’s the best way to cook a giant squid? — with apologies to Squid Lovers. “Famed Fish Chef” Aldo Zilli: ‘You would boil it. You need the largest pot in the world. Boil it for 10 hours with lots of wine corks to tenderise the squid – and I don’t mean plastic corks, I mean cork corks – then leave it in the same water for five hours to cool down. Take it out, cut it up in small pieces – you’ll need a very, very, very sharp knife. Soak the tentacles separately in cold, salted water for a couple of hours, because that’s where the sand is. Boil those as well; red wine is a good source of tenderising, so use a couple of bottles of chianti and leave to rest in the juice. Take it out, cut it up, then sauté in garlic and chilli and serve with coriander and a nice sauvignon blanc.’
26 August 2005
[blogs] What’s That Bug? — a blog which identifies insects from pictures readers send in. Undoubtedly Gil Grissom’s favourite blog…  [via Peter Cooper]
3 August 2005
[food] Blogjam’s Garden Snail Risotto — Fraser hunts, farms, kills and eats some lovely creatures from his garden… Sounds Delicious!  … ‘And into the pan they go. Reluctantly ignoring their silent snail screams, I boil them gently for ten minutes. Rather strangely, the water turns yellow, but I can’t find any reference to this on the Internet – I’m hoping it’s not some kind of toxic gastropod secretion, but only history will tell…’
14 June 2005
[web] Is It Normal? — confirms by peer-review if your odd little habits are normal or not … Q: I shower at the night is that normal? A: Showering in the evening is a crime against God, and you shall surely burn in the fiery pits of Hell, heathen.
9 June 2005
[wikipedia] Wikipedia’s Lamest Edit Wars Ever … What would Jesus do?: ‘Should the article link to Brian Boitano or What Would Brian Boitano Do? Should a movie title be italicized? Did something happen in the middle of the 1990’s or the mid-to late-1990’s? These and other probing questions were at the heart of five-day long edit war between Anthony and Wik, during which the page had to be protected twice. The campaign spread to other pages…’ [via Yoz]
25 May 2005
[brains] How to Pack a Brain for Shipping … ‘Recommended items to pack a fresh brain: Two clean, dry ziploc plastic bags (about 22.0 x 30.0 cm), Plastic bucket with tightly fitting lid (about 4.0 liters), Large plastic bag (about 40.0 x 50.0 cm), Envelope for documents, Thermosafe polyfoam container (38.0 x 33.0 x 31.0 cm), Two refrigerant packs (17.0 x 10.0 cm), Wet ice (about 1.0 kg)’
1 May 2005
[weird] Can This Black Box See Into the Future? — can a network of random event generators predict the future? ‘… then on September 6, 1997, something quite extraordinary happened: the graph shot upwards, recording a sudden and massive shift in the number sequence as his machines around the world started reporting huge deviations from the norm. The day was of historic importance for another reason, too. For it was the same day that an estimated one billion people around the world watched the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales at Westminster Abbey. Dr Nelson was convinced that the two events must be related in some way.’
28 April 2005
[numbers] The Conet Project — Mp3 recordings of Numbers Stations. ‘…a 1998 article in The Daily Telegraph quoted a spokesperson for the Department of Trade and Industry (the government agency that regulates radio broadcasting in the United Kingdom) as saying, “These [numbers stations] are what you suppose they are. People shouldn’t be mystified by them. They are not for, shall we say, public consumption.”‘
2 April 2005
[science] 13 things that do not make Sense — from the New Scientist … ‘IF YOU travel out to the far edge of the solar system, into the frigid wastes beyond Pluto, you’ll see something strange. Suddenly, after passing through the Kuiper belt, a region of space teeming with icy rocks, there’s nothing. Astronomers call this boundary the Kuiper cliff, because the density of space rocks drops off so steeply. What caused it? The only answer seems to be a 10th planet. We’re not talking about Quaoar or Sedna: this is a massive object, as big as Earth or Mars, that has swept the area clean of debris…’
17 March 2005
[religion] Mystery shoppers hit London churches … ‘The Mystery Worshippers will visit churches across London Sunday 24 April and take note of sermon quality and length, pew comfort and the quality of after-service coffee. All visits are anonymous but the Mystery Shoppers will put a calling card, complete with picture of the Lone Ranger, in the collection plate.’
2 February 2005
[tv] Cleaning Coinage with Cillet BANG! … ‘I, like all Brits love the Cillet BANG advert. It’s cleverly shot, presented and produced. Its a modern day classic, which I hope to remember as long as the J.R. Hartley ad. But is the new revolutionary product really as good as Barry Scott will have us believe? Can we trust TV? Would my life improve if my pockets were full of sparkling coins?’ [via Grayblog]
24 January 2005
[wikipedia] Unusual articles in Wikipedia … ‘This page is for Wikipedians to list articles that seem a bit unusual. These articles are valuable contributions to the encyclopedia, but are somewhat odd, whimsical, or… well, something you wouldn’t expect to find in Encyclopedia Britannica.’
23 January 2005
[religion] I have an Image of Jesus on my Penis — amusing posting on Craig’s List … ‘My girlfriend is a devout Christian, who, when she first saw this apparition, dropped to her knees, exclaiming, “Jesus Christ”, which I at first arrogantly misinterpreted as an exaggerated compliment on my manhood. Needless to say, I was more than a little disappointed to learn the true reason for her impulsive ejaculation. She has now taken to worshiping daily at this makeshift “shrine”, which is OK, I suppose, but she no longer wants to have sex with me for fear of offending the real Jesus. She even brought her entire womens’ church group over…’
9 January 2005
[flash] The Duel — Duelling Banjos as performed by a squirel and a penguin. Co-starring some pigs, the Dukes of Hazzard, the RSPCA and a cameo appearance by Burt Reynolds.
29 November 2004
[descaler] On eBay: CILLIT BANG – New and unopened [via Tech PR blog] … ‘YES – it does exist – but very difficult to find!! This is an excellent product and does everything that it says it does – great for kitchens and bathrooms and for shiny new pennies!!!’
10 November 2004
[apocalypse] 19 End-Of-The-World Prophecies — We missed at least one apocalypse last month: ‘2004-OCT-17: Clay Cantrell computes the date of the Rapture from size of Noah’s Ark with particular attention to the precise location of the “escape window” in the top of the vessel.’ [via Kevan’s Delicious]
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