bizarre posts

Head Massager Looks Crazy, but Feels Oh-So Good

by Caleb Johnson (RSS feed) — Nov 17th 2009 at 8:29AM

There may be no better feeling in the world than a good scalp massage, but unfortunately, nobody wants to sit around and massage our noggins all day. But we've found the perfect solution. It's called Headtime by South Korean company Kinatech, and this over-sized silver helmet will melt away all your worries and stress. According to Engadget, the device uses 29 silicone balls and 34 ceramic balls to gently massage your scalp. While you're being treated, a built-in speaker pipes nature sounds (singing birds, bubbling creeks) into your ears. There's even a temperature control that makes sure your head stays warm and relaxed.

There's only one downside to this product: It looks like a weird cross between a 'Jetson's' helmet and a beauty salon hair dryer. In other words, you'll want to use the Headtime in the privacy of your own home. Despite the potential for humiliation, having your own personal massaging device is worth every second. It's a good thing Christmas isn't too far away. [From: Engadget]

Tags: bizarre, body, head, health, massage, relax, relaxation, therapy, top

Audio/Video

Nerdy Guy Electrifies Aboriginal Didgeridoo

by Caleb Johnson (RSS feed) — Nov 15th 2009 at 10:30AM

Ancient Aboriginal instrument, we'd like you to meet modern technology. Who can you thank for this introduction? A nerdy white guy, not even from Australia.

Musician and geek Kyle Evans took a didgeridoo, which is an Australian wind instrument, and modified it because he was interested in combining organic sound with modern technology. Evans can manipulate the noise that the custom-built instrument makes thanks to mounted modules. Data is sent via Bluetooth to a computer, which interprets the info using a software program that turns it into sound. Evans describes the process on his blog, and he even includes photos and videos, too. If you've never heard a didgeridoo, think of the sounds of the smoke monster on the television show 'Lost.'

Evans's invention won't change the music landscape like the electric guitar did, but it's pretty cool (and funny) to watch him play the instrument (video after the break). Honestly, we're just thankful Evans isn't wearing traditional Aboriginal garb while he plays. [From: Yaktronix, via Ubergizmo]

Tags: aboriginal, bizarre, bluetooth, didgeridoo, instrument, modificacion, music, top, wireless

Video Games, Web

Space Shooter Video Game Deletes Files From Your Hard Drive

by Caleb Johnson (RSS feed) — Oct 2nd 2009 at 9:25AM

lose/lose from zach gage on Vimeo.

Looking for a more exciting way to delete files from your computer other than simply dragging them into the trash bin? Game designer Zach Gage has created a space shooter that not only makes cleaning up your hard drive fun, but it makes the user ponder "choice and consequence, and by extension what it means to succeed or fail." Don't worry, 'Lose/Lose' isn't quite as heady as it sounds, but the game does have some very real consequences.

Essentially, it's a classic space shooter, like 'Galaga,' but in this game, when you destroy an alien space ship, it deletes a random file from your computer. It's Gage's attempt to make folks consider whether or not they should use a weapon just because it's available. The player's mission is never stated (you could just avoid the alien ships), but what else is a person supposed to do when throttling through another galaxy? When it comes to video games, sometimes aliens just need blastin'. [From: stfj.net, via Geekologie]

Tags: bizarre, computer, download, harddrive, shooter, space, timewaster, top, videogames

Cell Phones

'Moby Dick' to Be Translated Using Japanese Emoticons

by Caleb Johnson (RSS feed) — Sep 24th 2009 at 7:00AM

For those of you who thought Herman Melville's 'Moby Dick' was too archaic, or just too hallowed, why not give a new translation a chance? According to the Telegraph, the epic novel about a man's quest for a white whale will be translated into Emoji -- a language based on the emoticons many Japanese use when sending messages via mobile devices.

In order to accomplish this massive (and ridiculous) task, New Yorker Fred Benenson, the man with the plan, is asking the online community to donate $3,500, which will pay folks to translate the classic. If the money is raised, three for-hire editors will come up with their Emoji-fied versions of the epic novel's 6,438 sentences. Then, another group of pre-selected workers will choose the best sentences, eventually making up the final draft. And, bam, you have 'Emoji Dick'.

Tags: bizarre, book, emoticons, japan, language, mobydick, reading, texting, top, translation, weird

Computers

Robotic Steps Let You Walk in Place, Forever

by Caleb Johnson (RSS feed) — Sep 23rd 2009 at 7:28AM

Never ones to let an economic downturn get them down, Japanese researchers have created yet another bizarre robot that will probably never reach U.S. shores. The bots, shaped like large tiles, measure the pressure of your step and determine where you'll next place your foot, according to Popular Science. They then scoot to that spot on the floor, giving you the sensation of walking in place. Picture walking the wrong direction on a moving sidewalk but much, much slower.

Tags: bizarre, japan, research, robot, top, virtual reality, VirtualReality, walking

Web

Woman Falls Victim to Man's Baby Fetish, Via Craigslist

by Caleb Johnson (RSS feed) — Aug 12th 2009 at 4:01PM

After hearing this story, many folks will never again look for jobs on Craigslist. A kind-hearted woman looking to make an extra buck was duped into playing along with a man's fetish.

According to a report by Florida's WKMG last month, Janet Schulte, of Melbourne, Florida, answered an ad on the classifieds site to care for a man's older brother who supposedly had a "diminished mental capacity." Schulte took the job and went to work -- feeding the man with a baby bottle and changing his adult diapers. Every time she asked to meet the disabled man's brother, she was given an excuse. When Schulte's weekly $600 payments started arriving late, she and her husband looked into the situation.

Tags: baby, bizarre, craigslist, fetish, florida, jobs, top

German Boy Hit by Meteorite Lives to Tell About It

by Caleb Johnson (RSS feed) — Jun 15th 2009 at 8:30AM

From time to time, kids have accidents on their way to school. Maybe they crash their bicycle and scrape their knee. Or, maybe they twist their ankle stepping off the sidewalk. Or, even worse, a car might hit them while they cross the street. Gerrit Blank, a 14-year-old German boy, has one of these stories, although it's a little less ordinary.

According to a report from the Telegraph, a meteorite entered Earth's atmosphere at 30,000 mph and struck Blank, who somehow walked away with only a three-inch cut on his hand (and a sweet new show-and-tell item).

Blank told the Telegraph that he saw a "huge ball of light," felt a pain in his hand, and heard "an enormous bang" that left his ears ringing like a pair of church bells. The meteorite's impact knocked the boy down and left a one-foot-wide crater in the ground. The Telegraph stated that the odds of surviving a blow from a meteorite are one in a million. If true, Blank basically won the lottery -- the prize being his life.

Tags: bizarre, germany, kids, science, space, top, weird

Web

Man Hires Someone on Craigslist to Rape His Wife

by Caleb Johnson (RSS feed) — Jun 8th 2009 at 1:42PM

Craigslist just keeps taking one hit after another. There has been, of course, the "Craigslist Killer," and the Illinois sheriff sued the site, alleging it promotes and facilitates prostitution. And who could forget that Connecticut's attorney general recently sent a letter to Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster, requesting the erotic services section be removed from the site?

As if all that negative publicity weren't enough, ABC News reports that a North Carolina man has been charged with hiring a man via Craigslist to rape his wife. The woman called 911 on Sunday, telling police that a man wielding a knife had raped her in her bedroom. After a preliminary investigation that did not yield signs of a break-in, police suspected that the husband could have played some role in the crime. Allegedly, he had watched while the brutal scene unfolded.

The husband, whose name has not been released so as to protect the victim, has been charged with first-degree rape, two counts of first-degree sexual offense, and one count of attempted first-degree sexual offense. He has been jailed with a $200,000 bond. In ABC's piece, no mention was made of the man with the knife.

Tags: bizarre, craigslist, crime, marriage, police, relationships, top

Computers, Video Games

Rape Simulation Game Removed from Amazon

by Kaiser Hwang (RSS feed) — Feb 17th 2009 at 4:04PM

Online retailer Amazon.com has recently removed listings for a Japanese computer game called 'Rapelay' in which the player stalks and rapes young girls. The game was not sold directly through Amazon, but was available for purchase through the site's third-party merchant program. Patty Smith, an Amazon spokesperson, told the AFP, "We determined that we did not want to be selling this particular item."

Believe it or not, Rapelay is easily purchased in Japan and has passed any and all domestic ratings systems. The game is clearly intended only for domestic users, as is noted on game maker Illusion's official Web site. "We believe there is no problem with the software, which has cleared the domestic ratings of an ethics watchdog body," said a spokesperson from the company.

We understand that there are differences on what's acceptable in different regions of the world, but with games like 'Rapelay' and 'Battle Raper' (both from Illusion) out there, we admit we're still a little shocked. [From: Yahoo!]

Related Links:

Tags: amazon, bans, big in japan, BigInJapan, bizarre, japan, rape, weird

Couple Arrested for Eating Rare Iguana...on Facebook

by Evan Shamoon (RSS feed) — Feb 11th 2009 at 10:38AM

People are weird.

The latest oddball story concerns an American couple's meal of an endangered iguana that landed them in Bahamian jail. Like so, so many other idiots, they were caught after the country's officials saw pictures of the feast on Facebook.

The couple -- Vanessa Starr Palm, 23, from Illinois and Alexander Daniel Rust, 24, from Indiana -- posted incriminating snapshots that included "the suspects catching an iguana, parts of an iguana on a grill, two men eating the iguana pieces, and a man and a woman cleaning what appears to be undersized conch," according to police. It's unclear exactly how it got to the police, but apparently many people reported it.

Palm and Rust have been charged with violating an animal protection act and were released on $500 bail each. They'll be back in court next Tuesday. As if that wasn't enough, a Bahamian official said the pair "could also be charged under U.S. law which makes it illegal to commit an offence in a country that has a relationship with the U.S." Good.

While we usually stick to tech, we'll impart some travel advice in this case: stick to the buffet. [From: The Chicago Tribune]

Tags: animals, bizarre, crime, facebook, iguana, social-networking, top, web, weird

Top Lists

10 Most Bizarre Science Experiments

by Terrence O'Brien (RSS feed) — Nov 1st 2007 at 5:53PM

We may always think of scientists as serious guys doing the tough work to better our world. Curing diseases, building artificial body parts, developing stronger metals, but not all scientific endeavors are as productive.

How much acid does it take to kill an elephant? Apparently 297 milligrams (about 3,000 times a normal human dose)does the trick. Ever wonder if pressure and anxiety causes a person to make mistakes? Well, the U.S. Army sent 10 soldiers up in a plane in the 1960s, and halfway through told them the plane was disabled and would be forced to crash-land in the ocean. They then asked the soldiers to fill out insurance forms. The result? The prospect of imminent death caused the soldiers to fill out the forms incorrectly. Who knew?

Or what about the scientist who wanted to see if he could get people to fall asleep under extreme conditions. So what did he do? He taped open his subjects' eyes, got some lights flashing in their eyes, attached some electrodes to their legs to hit them with electric shocks, and played super-loud music in their ears. Surprisingly, every subject fell asleep, apparently because the stimuli, though loud and annoying, were consistent and monotonous.

The most bizarre experiments on the list compiled by the Times of London involved the dismembering of animals. Soviet surgeon Vladimir Demikhov grafted the head of a puppy onto a full-grown German Shepherd. Why? We're not really sure. The puppy's head continued to drink milk, even though it could derive no nourishment from it, since its esophagus hung out and spilled the milk down the two-headed dog's neck. At least it continued to drink until the abomination died shortly after the surgery. Demikhov performed this bizarre procedure 19 more times. As odd as the rest of them are, we're pretty sure that last experiment violates some sort of law.

Check out the rest here.

From The Times

Related links:

Tags: bizarre, experiments, lists, science

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'Black Friday' Deals to Watch For

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Black Friday' Deals to Watch For

Traditionalists might balk, but the holiday shopping season is already underway. Skeptical? Head to your local department store and you'll be inundated by Christmas trees and ornaments. Bargain hunters, though, know that the real deals are more than a month away.

Black Friday, traditionally, is when retailers truly slash prices. Early birds can save hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars off of their holiday bills. Switched.com checked with a few elves, who gave a sneak peek at what you can expect deal-wise this year.

Blu-ray Players and Movies: Blu-ray is shaping up to be the biggest door buster of this year's Black Friday. de Grandpre expects at least one retailer will offer a Blu-ray player for just $49. Look for bargains on Blu-ray films as well, with last year's hit titles (such as "Iron Man") to fall as low as $5.

Laptops: With the proliferation of Netbooks this year, it's never been easier to find affordable portable computing, but Dan de Grandpre, CEO of DealNews.com says it will get even cheaper on Black Friday. Look for well-equipped Netbooks to sell for $199 – and basic 15" laptops to go for as little as $249.

HDTVs (Pretty big): The holidays are typically the best time to buy a new TV – and Black Friday is the time to do it. If you're looking for a normal sized set, you're in luck. Piper Jaffrey analyst Mitch Kaiser says he expects to see 32-inch LCD sets for as low as $299. GottaDeal.com is estimating 37-inch plasma and LCD sets will fall to $399 or less.

HDTVs (Really big): Need something bigger? How about a 46-47 inch LCD set for $599 – a 25 percent savings? Or a 52-inch LCD for $999? Dealnews says you can expect both. Plasma deals will be a little harder to come by, but a 50-inch set should run roughly $899.

HD Camcorders: You've wanted to shoot your child's school play in HD for a while, but haven't been able to spring for the pricey camcorder. This might be the year. Low-end, flash-based 720p models could drop as low as $60 (though you won't be able to zoom with those). Expect a high quality 1080p HD camcorder for $349.

GPS: While navigation systems have dramatically expanded their reach this year – even making it onto the iPhone – there's still a market for car-based systems. Dealnews predicts you'll be able to find a no-name entry-level system for $49, while a Garmin or Tom-Tom brand will be as low as $69.

Digital Picture Frames: Showcasing your digital pictures consistently gets cheaper. This year, skip the 7-inch screens and focus on the 8- or 9-inch ones, which should be available on Black Friday for as little as $30.

Monitors: Computer monitors might not be the sexiest of gifts, but they're usually welcomed with open arms – and they'll be cheap this year. Name brand 22-inch LCD models may go for as low as $99, while 24-inch models will drop below $150.

Memory: Don't know anyone who needs a monitor? External hard drives are always popular, since they're an easy way to back-up data. Dealnews expects a 1TB drive to fall as low as $49 this year. Gottadeal is looking for 8GB flash drives to hit $15.

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