Weird Universe Archive
August 2011
August 16, 2011
Comments Decorum
Friends and Fellow WU-vies:
I note that some comments are trending into personal vituperation. May I ask that all offenders tone down their remarks and respect our forum....?
Otherwise, the Righteous Hammer of Wrath will have to be employed.
Thanks!
Posted By: Paul - Tue Aug 16, 2011 -
Comments (9)
Category: Weird Universe, Comments
August 15, 2011
Mystery Gadget 1
What is this apparatus, sold in 1928? Register your guess. Then: Find the answer here.
And you can still buy one on eBay.
Posted By: Paul - Mon Aug 15, 2011 -
Comments (5)
Category: Technology, 1920s
News of the Weird / Pro Edition (August 15, 2011)
News of the Weird/Pro EditionYou're Still Not Cynical Enough
Prime Cuts of Underreported News from Last Week, Hand-Picked and Lightly Seasoned by Chuck Shepherd
August 15, 2011
(datelines August 6-August 13) (links correct as of August 15)
B-Team Americans Become A-Team Africans, Plus Bats' Rights and the Horror of Cleavage Wrinkles
★ ★ ★ ★!
I Was Just a New York State Bureaucrat, But Suddenly . . I Was . . Yeah, Prime Minister of Somalia! . . Yeah, That's the Ticket--Prime Minister of Somalia!: Cubicle-bound Transportation Department desk jockey Mohamed A. Mohamed of Buffalo is just back from a sabbatical in Somalia, where he was indeed the Prime Minister for nine months. He says he worked hard but that there was little he could do except get his picture taken with world leaders and avoid getting killed. He's back in Buffalo now. (And two other New Yorkers, Isaac and Elizabeth Osei, who run a maximum-stress 50-taxi company in the city, left for their periodic duties in Ghana, where Isaac is Chief of the Okwamu people and will begin mediating the disputes that have backed up in his absence. Elizabeth has first-lady duties. "[In] Africa, I have to worship him," she says. "When [we] get back, he has to worship me.") Buffalo News /// New York Times
Rhiannon Brooksbank-Jones Is Destined to Be a Very Popular Woman: The college student, obsessed with South Korean culture, will surely impress the locals when she eventually moves there from the UK, mainly because she took a radical measure to overcome deficient Korean-speaking, which shows respect for the country. She'll also impress the randy lads because the "radical measure" involved having her tongue surgically lengthened so she could pronounce the Korean "L" better. Daily Mail (London)
Chutzpah: Deadbeat, Abusive Dad Suddenly Discovers His Precious Family: "[My] client was devastated by what happened," the lawyer said, and that's why he is suing the city of Newburgh, N.Y., for $80 million after his estranged girlfriend committed suicide in a city lake and took the couple's three kids with her. According to friends of the couple, the father never lifted a finger for the kids, owed child support, and constantly roughed up the lady. New York Post
[Updates to stories after the jump: The school bus driver finally got hired back, and the 11-year-old girl's family said the skier merely peed on the floor beside her.]
More in extended >>
Posted By: Chuck - Mon Aug 15, 2011 -
Comments (8)
Category:
August 14, 2011
Fragrance Review
Who knew this category of criticism existed? "Hardcore fumeheads?!?"
Posted By: Paul - Sun Aug 14, 2011 -
Comments (4)
Category: Criticism and Reviews, Perfume and Cologne and Other Scents
August 13, 2011
Spaghetti Western Orchestra
Learn more here.
Posted By: Paul - Sat Aug 13, 2011 -
Comments (6)
Category: Eccentrics, Humor, Movies, Music
August 12, 2011
Slippery Soap
The Utah Department of Transportation, UDOT, has an unusual way to replace bridges. It involves Teflon and dish soap.
Posted By: Alex - Fri Aug 12, 2011 -
Comments (6)
Category:
Gray Hair Or No Hair?
How would you like to know when or even if you are going to go bald? Eight simple questions and you can find out. Share your results in comments if you will.
Posted By: Alex - Fri Aug 12, 2011 -
Comments (7)
Category:
Helmet Head
A company in Kazakhstan has come up with a clever idea to make motorcycle helmets distinctive conversation pieces. There are several different styles, the one above being one of the more interesting ones. Seems like it would be the perfect gift for a less than charming person in one's life.
Posted By: Alex - Fri Aug 12, 2011 -
Comments (4)
Category:
The She-Creature
In these days of exotic internet porn, this title has vaguely acquired somewhat different connotations than it had in the 1950s..
Posted By: Paul - Fri Aug 12, 2011 -
Comments (3)
Category: Horror, Movies, 1950s
August 11, 2011
PETA Pilgrims
PETA envisions a meatless Mars. They are suggesting the idea to SpaceX, a company that wants to be the first to put people on Mars. Sounds like a good fit, a bunch of out of this world nuts actually going out of this world.
Posted By: Alex - Thu Aug 11, 2011 -
Comments (6)
Category:
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| Who We Are |
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| 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. Chuck Shepherd Chuck is the purveyor of News of the Weird, the syndicated column which for decades has set the gold-standard for reporting on oddities and the bizarre. Our banner was drawn by the legendary underground cartoonist Rick Altergott. Contact Us |
