December 2019
December 11, 2019
Corpse Mountain
The text and illustration below are from a 1926 newspaper. So, I imagine the corpse mountain would be significantly higher if it included all the dead of the past 100 years.And, of course, Mt. Everest has now been scaled many times.
Hamilton Evening Journal - July 31, 1926
Posted By: Alex - Wed Dec 11, 2019 -
Comments (7)
Category: Death
Artwork Khrushchev Probably Would Not Have Liked 25
"King Solomon" was the last sculpture that Alexander Archipenko made and the only one that he conceived as a monumental sculpture. Throughout his career, Archipenko experimented with positive and negative space in his sculptures, often using voids or holes to suggest form. In King Solomon, he placed abstract shapes together to create the vague shape of a figure. The tall prongs at the top evoke a crown, and the intersecting triangles suggest an imposing archaic costume. Archipenko captured a dramatic sense of scale, and it is easy to imagine how formidable this figure would be if enlarged to the sixty-foot-tall version that the artist envisioned.
Source.
His Wikipedia page.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Dec 11, 2019 -
Comments (2)
Category: Art, Avant Garde, Body, Criticism and Reviews, Russia, Twentieth Century
December 10, 2019
Mining Accident Dolls
In 1922, the Bureau of Mines created a series of educational dolls to illustrate common mining injuries, and how they should be dealt with in an emergency. The dolls were exhibited at various mining centers. According to Popular Mechanics (Sep 1929) the dolls were also "intended to serve as a safety warning.”As far as I know, there's never been a Mining Accident Barbie (or Ken).
Posted By: Alex - Tue Dec 10, 2019 -
Comments (1)
Category: Accidents, Toys, 1920s
Follies of the Madmen #456
Who knew gas pumps were such gossips?
Source.
Posted By: Paul - Tue Dec 10, 2019 -
Comments (6)
Category: Anthropomorphism, Business, Advertising, Motor Vehicles, 1940s
December 9, 2019
Worm Painting
How to paint with worms.Though I believe there's another technique, in which you first dip the worms in paint, and then set them loose on a canvas.
Posted By: Alex - Mon Dec 09, 2019 -
Comments (3)
Category: Art
Joe Wardle’s Emergency Landing
This photo illustrates the more likely intersection of plane and car. But in 1952 a certain Joe Wardle got lucky.
Source.
Posted By: Paul - Mon Dec 09, 2019 -
Comments (5)
Category: Accidents, Air Travel and Airlines, 1950s, Cars
December 8, 2019
Laser Windshield Cleaner
Tesla recently applied for a patent to use laser beams to clean a car's windshield. They justify the lasers by explaining that they're needed to make sure the driver-assistance system maintains a clear field of view.It's a long, technical application, which I didn't bother to read completely. So I assume they must have considered how it might be a bad idea to have lasers suddenly blasting away at a windshield while someone is driving the car... or even just sitting in the front seat.
More info: Car and Driver
Posted By: Alex - Sun Dec 08, 2019 -
Comments (3)
Category: Inventions, Patents, Cars
Medieval Illustration Re-enactors
"A Group Of Czech Students Recreate Weird And Strange Scenes From Medieval Books"Many more at the source.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Dec 08, 2019 -
Comments (1)
Category: History, Hobbies and DIY, Humor, Performance Art
December 7, 2019
Banana duct-taped to wall
Artist Maurizio Cattelan’s latest piece, consisting of a banana duct-taped to a wall, sold recently for $120,000.Gallery owner Emmanuel Perrotin defended the work by saying, “It looks like a joke, but step back and look at it again, and it becomes so much more.”
The new owner will receive a certificate of authenticity. However, they’ll also be expected to periodically replace the banana (and presumably the duct tape also). Which begs the question: what did they actually buy? The idea of a banana duct-taped to a wall, apparently.
I'm curious to know how long the owner will actually bother to replace the banana. Twenty years from now, will they still be replacing it every few days?
More info: artsy.net
Posted By: Alex - Sat Dec 07, 2019 -
Comments (8)
Category: Art, Overpriced Merchandise, Bananas
Shake-a Pudd’n
Recipe for disaster.
Posted By: Paul - Sat Dec 07, 2019 -
Comments (3)
Category: Accidents, Food, Advertising, Children, 1960s, Dance
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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 |
