Weird Universe Blog — August 17, 2018

Buster, the Roller-Skating Rooster

He ice-skated also!

Davenport Daily Times - Aug 20, 1952

Baltimore Sun - Oct 12, 1952

Newark Advocate - Aug 21, 1952

Posted By: Alex - Fri Aug 17, 2018 - Comments (0)
Category: Animals | Sports | 1950s

Artwork Khrushchev Probably Would Not Have Liked 15

Posted By: Paul - Fri Aug 17, 2018 - Comments (0)
Category: Art | Avant Garde | 1940s | Russia

August 16, 2018

Chilling big toe cures runny nose

As reported by Israeli scientists Dr. Menahem Ram and Aladar Schwartz at a 1971 joint meeting of the Society for Cryobiology and the International Conference of Refrigeration:

Sudden temporary chilling of the big toes almost immediately brings about a lowering of the normal body temperature within the nose because, they said, the big toes and the nose are nervous system "reflectors" of one another in their response to external stress. And this nasal temperature-lowering—along with humidity-lowering—"dries up the nostrils," thereby "curing" the cold, they said.

Newport News Daily Press - Sep 3, 1971

Posted By: Alex - Thu Aug 16, 2018 - Comments (6)
Category: Mad Scientists, Evil Geniuses, Insane Villains | Medicine | Science | 1970s | Feet

Lost Earring Miraculously Found

Source.

August 15, 2018

Shrine for the repose of the souls of people killed by Toyota cars

Built in 1970 at a cost of $445,000 (which, I'm sure, is a lot more in today's money). It was located in the Japanese mountain resort of Tateshina. I assume it's still there, though I haven't been able to find any recent references to it online.

Murfreesboro Daily News-Journal - Aug 3, 1970

Update: A more recent photo of it, via Tripadvisor. It's called the Tateshinayamashoko-ji Temple.

Posted By: Alex - Wed Aug 15, 2018 - Comments (12)
Category: Death | Religion | 1970s | Cars

The Wiere Brothers

Their Wikipedia page.

And in 1962, reduced to playing the state fair circuit.

Newspaper source.

Posted By: Paul - Wed Aug 15, 2018 - Comments (6)
Category: Comedians | Twentieth Century

August 14, 2018

Digital Wife

Gatebox recently announced that its Boku no Yome ("My Wife") device is now ready for sale. Though it'll cost you $1352, plus $13.52 a month if you want the subscription fee for future updates.

I'm not sure if it would be cheaper to just get a cat.

More info: Social News Daily

Posted By: Alex - Tue Aug 14, 2018 - Comments (7)
Category:

1962 World’s Fair

Ah, the glorious future!

Wikipedia page for the 1962 World's Fair.

Posted By: Paul - Tue Aug 14, 2018 - Comments (1)
Category: Fairs, Amusement Parks, and Resorts | Technology | Advertising | 1960s | Yesterday's Tomorrows

August 13, 2018

Eye worm art

Artist Ben Taylor drew a painting that featured “psychedelic colors and wormlike patterns inside a perfectly round circle.” Only later did he realize that he had parasitic worms in his eye, and he thinks they might have subconsciously inspired him. From The Durango Herald:

"I definitely believe that the worms had a hand in that painting,” he said, adding later: “When you kind of look into the nitty-gritty of how much of the human body actually contains your DNA versus the billions of different bacteria that live within us, you start realizing that you’re an ecology of beings that live within us.

He later adapted his painting to make it more obviously an eye infected by parasitic worms, and as a result it’s been chosen as the cover art for this month’s issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases.

Posted By: Alex - Mon Aug 13, 2018 - Comments (1)
Category: Art | Health | Disease | Eyes and Vision

Follies of the Madmen #379

From Playboy for April 1972.

Posted By: Paul - Mon Aug 13, 2018 - Comments (1)
Category: Business | Advertising | Sex Symbols | Shoes | 1970s

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Recent Posts ranked by # of comments
Shrine for the repose of the souls of people killed by Toyota cars By Alex; Comments: 12
Digital Wife By Alex; Comments: 7
Chilling big toe cures runny nose By Alex; Comments: 6
The Wiere Brothers By Paul; Comments: 6
Prisencolinensinainciusol By Alex; Comments: 6
Shoes made from chewing gum By Alex; Comments: 4
Mystery Gadget 63 By Paul; Comments: 3
Lost Earring Miraculously Found By Paul; Comments: 1
1962 World’s Fair By Paul; Comments: 1
Eye worm art By Alex; Comments: 1

Recent Comments
That was quite a reward for the era. By KDP in Lost Earring Miraculously Found
My goodness, Phideaux & ges. I haven't seen that movie in more years than I care to admit.… By KDP in Chilling big toe cures runny nose
@ges -- Gotta get the taps in there . . . https://youtu.be/byAfC5yW_hw By Phideaux in Chilling big toe cures runny nose
Moses supposes his toeses are roses But Moses supposes erroneously And Moses, he knowses his… By ges in Chilling big toe cures runny nose
@Yudith -- Someone once gave me the nickname 'the printer whisperer' because I solved their… By Phideaux in Shrine for the repose of the souls of people killed by Toyota cars
Now, it's noses and toeses. In May, you reported on "Sneeze Girl" whose nose might have been… By Phideaux in Chilling big toe cures runny nose
Science fiction has been full of the intelligent, self-aware car that turns on their owners.… By mjbird in Shrine for the repose of the souls of people killed by Toyota cars
Asimov did write a good novel about a bunch of retired AI vehicles that kill someone who mistreated… By Yudith in Shrine for the repose of the souls of people killed by Toyota cars
Next time someone tells me about my big holes in front of my running shoes' big toes, I'll… By Yudith in Chilling big toe cures runny nose
So this is why my nose runs and my feet smell? By BMN in Chilling big toe cures runny nose

Who We Are
Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction books such as Elephants on Acid. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1. Our banner was drawn by the legendary underground cartoonist Rick Altergott. Contact Us

Who We Are

Alex Boese
Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction books such as Elephants on Acid.

Paul Di Filippo
Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1.

Our banner was drawn by the legendary underground cartoonist Rick Altergott.

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