Weird Universe Archive
September 2012
September 18, 2012
Your Brain on Mescaline
In the early 1950s, German photographer Leif Geiges created a series of abstract images in order to try to portray "exactly what the mescaline subject sees and hears during the course of his artificial psychosis" — as Newsweek put it, which ran his images in its Feb 23, 1953 issue. This was before mescaline was made illegal, back when psychiatrists still believed that the experience of taking mescaline approximated the mental state of a schizophrenic and therefore could be of great experimental value.As for the mescaline imagery itself, Newsweek explained:
On taking mescaline, first there is nausea, but this is soon followed by a derangement of the brain centers of sight and sound, which causes a constant stream of scenes of incredible beauty, color, grandeur, and variety. The contents of the hallucinations always jibe with past experiences; they are wish-fulfilling fantasies (an air pilot sees mechanical dream cities; an ex-archeologist, mythological people and monsters). The form most frequently perceived is a tapestry, such as a wall-paper pattern that breaks into grotesque shapes. Other familiar forms are (1) lattice work of checkerboards, (2) spirals, (3) tunnels, funnels, alleys, and cones. The mescaline action begins 30 minutes after taking and lasts from ten to twelve hours.
"Wallpaper patterns come to life, change to demoniac caricatures, threaten immediate destruction"
More in extended >>
Posted By: Alex - Tue Sep 18, 2012 -
Comments (12)
Category: Dreams and Nightmares, Drugs, Psychedelic, Photography and Photographers, Science, 1950s, Brain, Mental Health and Insanity
Follies of the Mad Men #189
Ad campaign voted most likely to result in scatological jokes.
Also: see the "person" in the
Plainly, this is a encoded warning against aliens among us!
Posted By: Paul - Tue Sep 18, 2012 -
Comments (15)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Costumes and Masks, Inebriation and Intoxicants, Excrement, 1950s, Alcohol
September 17, 2012
Yeast, Its Not Just For Bread Anymore
Everyone has heard of medicinal patches, stick it on and the medicine is absorbed through the skin. They are used for pain meds, heart meds, even nicotine to stop smoking. Not all medicines can be absorbed through the skin easily though. Piercing the skin to allow absorption is necessary. But what would power the micro needles needed to administer these other meds? How about yeast? Activate the yeast chamber and it produces carbon dioxide that forces the micro needles into the skin. A very clever idea, if it works they will make a lot of dough from yeast this way.
Posted By: Alex - Mon Sep 17, 2012 -
Comments (3)
Category: Medicine
Pothead Jesus
Funny, Jesus never said anything about this in his autobiography that I cited a here a little while ago!
Long, scholarly article from HIGH TIMES.
Posted By: Paul - Mon Sep 17, 2012 -
Comments (10)
Category: Drugs, Magazines, Religion, Historical Figure
The Violent Noah’s Ark Boys
Allan Holtz calls himself "the stripper". (He's a comic-strip historian.) On his blog, he recently directed his readers' attention to the Noah's Ark Boys — an odd series drawn by Ben McCutcheon that briefly ran in the Chicago Sunday Tribune back in 1911.Holtz explains that the Noah's Ark Boys strip was inspired by the Noah's Ark figurines that were (and still are) the toys of choice in many religious homes. Children were supposed to learn wholesome Biblical values by playing with these toys. But McCutcheon evidently learned a slightly darker lesson, because every week his strip concluded with the Boys on the receiving end of some kind of horrific violence: burnt, blown apart, frozen, crushed, etc. Although the Bible is pretty violent, when it comes down to it. So maybe he did get the right message.
Click the images to enlarge.
Posted By: Alex - Mon Sep 17, 2012 -
Comments (6)
Category: Religion, Violence, Comics
September 16, 2012
Man-guide to Informed Questioning
Just in case there is a man out there who is unclear on the concept, here is an informative graphic to guide your decision-making.
Twenty years ago, I asked a woman when she was due. She told me, "I'm not pregnant; I'm just fat."
I have never asked another woman this question.
Posted By: gdanea - Sun Sep 16, 2012 -
Comments (16)
Category: Women
The Five Man Army
Samurais and the Old West: can the combo ever not satisfy?
Posted By: Paul - Sun Sep 16, 2012 -
Comments (9)
Category: Crime, Movies, Stereotypes and Cliches, Wild West and US Frontier, 1960s, Asia
How the Marsh Mongoose catches prey
The Marsh Mongoose (Atilax paludinosus), also known as the African Water Mongoose, has an unusual method of catching its favorite food (birds). It makes its butt look like a piece of ripe fruit, which tempts birds over to investigate — and fall right into its trap. Jonathan Kingdon, author of East African Mammals, explains:
The marsh mongoose has been widely credited by local people with employing a very bizarre subterfuge to catch birds. The story would seem quite outlandish were there not corroborative evidence for the behaviour pattern, even if not for its alleged purpose. My captive female occasionally would sun-bathe lying on her back, in which position her pale pink anal area assumed a quite startling prominence against the surrounding fringe of dark fur. This display is claimed to induce birds (including the locals' chickens), to approach and peck at the anus, whereupon the mongoose seizes the bird.
According to Animal Diversity Web, the Marsh Mongoose also has another odd trick:
When approached by a threating presence, the mongoose makes a low growl, which may be reinforced by sudden explosive barking growls in a deeper tone. When the mongoose is cornered or distressed, it ejects jets of foul brown fluid from its anal sacs.
Goes to show that you really can't compete with Nature for weirdness.
Posted By: Alex - Sun Sep 16, 2012 -
Comments (5)
Category: Animals, Freaks, Oddities, Quirks of Nature, Science
September 15, 2012
Scarecar
Cardboard cutouts of police cars are being used in China to slow speeders down. The instant response is universal, see a police car, hit the brakes, even when you're not speeding if you are anything like me. A clever idea if they are moved around. Switching the cardboard and real patrol cars around would keep the public guessing and slowing down 'just in case'.
Posted By: Alex - Sat Sep 15, 2012 -
Comments (12)
Category: Police and Other Law Enforcement
Daddy Saddle
I can't imagine this toy by Kenner being too popular. I'm glad my kids didn't have one.
Ride 'em cowboy!!
Posted By: gdanea - Sat Sep 15, 2012 -
Comments (8)
Category: Toys
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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 |
