I’d rather spring for the cab fare than camp out in a bar bathroom

According to the AP/AOL news, A man in Salem, Massachusetts found himself quite "comfortable" after being locked in the bar's bathroom overnight. Why employees didn't check the bathroom before locking it up is mystery, but why would you lock a bathroom door like that to begin with?

Posted By: dherlich - Wed Jun 17, 2009 - Comments (0)
Category: North America, Alcohol

Dangerous Train Stunt

Posted By: Paul - Wed Jun 17, 2009 - Comments (4)
Category: Stupidity, Trains

Norman McLaren Animations

These short films of Norman McLaren strike me as pretty weird, especially since they were created by drawing directly upon the film stock.

Posted By: Paul - Wed Jun 17, 2009 - Comments (0)
Category: Music, Cartoons, 1940s

Great News For The Environmentally Unconscious

I know you're sitting there thinking "what can we do to make it more energy efficient to drive our cars rather than riding our bikes or walking." You're thinking that because you're lazy and don't want to give up the luxury of automated transportation. Oh. You weren't thinking that? That was just me? Figures. But there's some good news for me. Britain's Environmental Transport Association may have come up with a solution. Piezoelectric crystals. The idea is to embed a stretch of highway with the crystals, then each car that drives over a crystal contributes a tiny bit of energy, such that a single kilometer of roadway could generate 400-kilowatts of energy. That energy could then be collected, stored and used for any number of functions. But will it work? Absolutely. A Sainsbury's supermarket in Gloucester, UK has already put it into use, powering their checkout lanes.

Posted By: Nethie - Tue Jun 16, 2009 - Comments (5)
Category: Inventions, Science, Technology, Natural Resources

The Past is Another Country #2

Judy Garland in blackface, one of many such times she blacked up. From EVERYBODY SING.

Posted By: Paul - Tue Jun 16, 2009 - Comments (3)
Category: Movies, Music, Stereotypes and Cliches, 1930s

Weird Stuff from The History Channel

Seems as if there should be some prime material of interest for WU-vies in these five titles.





Or in the DVDs of the History Channel show they derive from.



Or even in the official boardgame!

Posted By: Paul - Tue Jun 16, 2009 - Comments (3)
Category: Games, Video, Books

Inventions of Buckminster Fuller, Part 6: Geodesic Domes

This is one of Bucky's inventions that actually went into practical use. Also, many people are actually somewhat familiar with this one (think Spaceship Earth at Epcot).



More in extended >>

Posted By: fyshstyxx - Tue Jun 16, 2009 - Comments (4)
Category: Architecture, Buildings and Other Structures, Futurism

A Third Helping of Food Related Weirdness

A UK school has banned students from including bananas in their lunchboxes, because one teacher has a severe allergy to them. The teacher from the Plymouth school is said to have a "potentially fatal" reaction to bananas (so is presumably also unable to visit supermarkets or parks), causing her council employers to recommend the fruit be excluded from her work environment (Mirror)

Somewhere that teacher may want to cross off her list of holiday destinations is Wilmington, Ohio as the town has just held its 15th annual Banana Split Festival in honour of the supposed invention of the dish, in Wilmington, in 1907. The festival also features the "Banana Split Master’s Competition", now in it's 5th year, won this year by Pete Kramme for his "Sweet and Salty Banana Split", which adds cream cheese and pretzels to the traditional recipe (Wilmington News Journal).

Speaking of odd flavours, here's a two-fer. First up, the Double-Down Saloon is offering two-for-the-price-of-one on it's 'eye watering' bacon-vodka martini on Jun 19th, in celebration of National Martini Day (Examiner). Also, a UK barman hopes to beat the credit-crisis this summer by selling beer flavoured ice-cream. The barman, David Wardleworth, is keeping the exact recipe a secret beyond saying that is does include "Thwaites Original" British cask ale. Despite a historic reputation for liking their beer warm, the ice-cream is apparently proving popular with the British public (Burnley Express).

And it turns out weird flavours are not the only way the recession is impacting the world of ice-cream. The poor economy, combined with lower gas prices, has apparently fuelled a boom in ice-cream trucks, whose drivers stand to make from $100 to $200 a day. And it's not just the money and the lure of being your own boss that drivers find rewarding, according to driver John Jones "You get to see a lot of happy people, you get a lot of smiles." (Wichita Eagle).

And the ice-cream business certainly looks about to boom in Linden, NJ, where police are preparing to hand out tickets for free ice-cream to any kids they see wearing a helmet when cycling; the tickets will also include information about a recent law change, that makes helmets compulsory for under-17s. Even better, no child will be left out as the Brain Injury Association of New Jersey is supplying free cycling helmets for children, also available from those friendly boys in blue (My Central Jersey).



More in extended >>

Posted By: Dumbfounded - Tue Jun 16, 2009 - Comments (7)
Category: Food, Health, Jobs and Occupations, Politics, Robots

Professor Music’s Weird Links

Psycho!

WARNING!! Once seen, It cannot be unseen.

What the Kinky Policewoman will be wearing.

Ornate and strange.

Posted By: Professor Music - Mon Jun 15, 2009 - Comments (4)
Category:

Jury Duty Midwest Division, June 15

Shane Michael Koors, age 21, stands charged with creating a "Crazed Ruckus In Clarksburg." Check out the mugshot and decide his guilt. Then read the article and decide it is deserving of the title. Can anyone tell me what that is in and around Mr. Koors' left nostril?

Posted By: qualityleashdog - Mon Jun 15, 2009 - Comments (3)
Category: Your Daily Jury Duty