Weird Universe Blog — November 18, 2018

Married to a hologram

We recently posted about a Japanese company (Gatebox) that had created a "digital wife"... a device that created a holographic companion for lonely people. Now 35-year-old Akihiko Kondo has married his hologram companion. From sde.co.ke:

Since March, Kondo has been living with a moving, talking hologram of Miku that floats in a ShSh280,000 ( $2,800) desktop device.
Gatebox, the company that produces the hologram device has issued a "marriage certificate," which certifies that a human and a virtual character have wed "beyond dimensions".
The singer welcomes Kndo home every evening and tells him when it is time for bed. He even sleeps with a doll of the hologram beside him.

I'd bet money that the 'marriage' is a publicity stunt engineered by Gatebox.

Posted By: Alex - Sun Nov 18, 2018 - Comments (4)
Category: AI, Robots and Other Automatons | Marriage | Love & Romance

Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold



I wonder what more-famous franchise inspired this turkey?

"Sharon Stone...was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress for this role, for which she lost to Madonna for Who's That Girl."

Wikipedia page here.

Posted By: Paul - Sun Nov 18, 2018 - Comments (5)
Category: Ineptness, Crudity, Talentlessness, Kitsch, and Bad Art | Literature | Movies | 1980s

November 17, 2018

Charles Norman, the toddler who smoked

Charles "Mickey" Norman achieved fame in the 1930s, while only a 2-year-old, because of his love of smoking. He was known as the "puffing prodigy." For a few years the media checked back at each of his birthdays and found him still smoking. Then they eventually lost interest... until his 18th birthday, when they checked and found he was still smoking, and quite healthy. The last news story about him I could find was when he was 25. Not clear what became of him after that. He might still be alive. If so, he'd be 87.

St. Louis Star and Times - July 12, 1933



Public Opinion - July 31, 1934



The Hackensack Record - July 29, 1936



Newsweek - Mar 20, 1950



No Ill Effects: At the age of 14 months, Charles (Mickey) Norman of Paterson, N.J., picked up a smoldering cigar from his father’s ash tray and took a few puffs. He liked it. By the age of 3, Mickey was an inveterate stogie smoker—his pictures appeared in papers from Italy to Australia, bringing an avalanche of fan mail. A short time later he announced: “I drink beer.” None of this seemed to have an ill effect. Now a husky, 6-foot-tall auto mechanic of 18, Norman estimates that he has smoked 13,000 cigars, along with pipes and cigarettes.
-Newsweek, Mar 20, 1950

Philadelphia Inquirer - July 30, 1956

Posted By: Alex - Sat Nov 17, 2018 - Comments (2)
Category: Smoking and Tobacco | 1930s

Mystery Gadget 68



What is this hook used for?

The answer is here.

And after the jump.



More in extended >>

Posted By: Paul - Sat Nov 17, 2018 - Comments (1)
Category: Technology | 1930s

November 16, 2018

The Masculine Toilet

It's a toilet specially designed for men who suffer from being too well endowed. It's been in the news recently because the current acting Attorney General, Matthew Whitaker, once worked as the lawyer for the company that patented (or sought to patent) it. From the 2014 press release announcing the "Masculine Toilet":

The average male genitalia is between 5" and 6". However, this invention is designed for those of us who measure longer than that. I estimate that a 12" distance is adequate enough for most well-endowed men, though I would not be surprised if there are cases who need a greater distance. Nevertheless, for the time being, this is a good starting point.

The Masculine Toilet reminds me of the Toilet Sanitary Shield For Men, which we posted about back in 2015. That was another device designed for men with oversized equipment.

Posted By: Alex - Fri Nov 16, 2018 - Comments (2)
Category: Bathrooms | Inventions

Motorized Skis



Source.

Posted By: Paul - Fri Nov 16, 2018 - Comments (2)
Category: Daredevils, Stuntpeople and Thrillseekers | Death | Chindogu | 1950s

November 15, 2018

Fan Man

Arguably the most bizarre moment in boxing history: Nov 6, 1993. When a guy (James Miller, aka 'Fan Man') wearing a motorized paraglider crashed into the side of the ring during a match between Riddick Bowe and Evander Holyfield.

The Las Vegas Review Journal looks back on it 25 years later.





The event was so famous that it was memorialized on an episode of The Simpsons:



Posted By: Alex - Thu Nov 15, 2018 - Comments (0)
Category: Sports | 1990s

Follies of the Madmen #395



Shaving is just like Gulliver serving as a golf course for Lilliputians.

Full ad here.

Posted By: Paul - Thu Nov 15, 2018 - Comments (1)
Category: Business | Advertising | Hygiene | Surrealism | 1930s

November 14, 2018

Zipper Cover

These new pants from Japanese retailer Gu are perfect for anyone who wants to draw attention to their crotch. More info: kotaku.com





Posted By: Alex - Wed Nov 14, 2018 - Comments (10)
Category: Fashion

Assembling a Maverick

Thanks to WU-vie MarkMcD, I was alerted to the existence of this great commercial, the inverse of my earlier post on disassembling a Beetle.

Posted By: Paul - Wed Nov 14, 2018 - Comments (3)
Category: Advertising | Reader Recommendation | 1970s | Cars

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