December 2020
December 11, 2020
TLALAATALA
Jose Luis Castillejo (1930-2014) described himself as a "modern writer". In 1969 he self-published The Book of I's, which was a book that consisted entirely of the letter 'i', printed repeatedly on several hundred pages. He said that he wrote it to "end the torrent of words we call literature." It's read below by Fernando Millan. (He begins reading the book shortly after the 1-minute mark).In 2001, Castillejo explored the letters T, L, and A, with his release of TLALAATALA. It's read again by Millan.
As you might guess, writing wasn't Castillejo's day job. He earned his living as a diplomat, serving as General Consul of Spain in Stuttgart, as well as Spanish ambassador to Nigeria and Benin.
More info about Castillejo: caac.es
Posted By: Alex - Fri Dec 11, 2020 -
Comments (3)
Category: Literature, Books
Panasonic Radio *PLUS* Calculator
Entry at Radio Museum.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Dec 11, 2020 -
Comments (1)
Category: Excess, Overkill, Hyperbole and Too Much Is Not Enough, Inventions, Chindogu, Technology, 1970s
December 10, 2020
The Vibro-Helmontholator
A fancy name for a worm catcher.
The Elizabethton Star - Jan 12, 1938
San Francisco Examiner - Dec 16, 1937
Posted By: Alex - Thu Dec 10, 2020 -
Comments (4)
Category: Inventions, Odd Names, 1930s
Mystery Gadget 90
What's this device do?
The answer is here.
Or after the jump.
More in extended >>
Posted By: Paul - Thu Dec 10, 2020 -
Comments (1)
Category: Inventions, Technology, 1910s
December 9, 2020
Nude woman thought she was a camel
Assuming this woman was telling the truth, and she really thought she was a camel, then her case would be an example of the very rare condition known as clinical zoanthropy. That is, the belief that one has turned into an animal.We've posted about this condition before, in the case of the woman who thought she was a chicken.
Alabama Journal - Feb 27, 1976
I thought the woman might have been inspired by Joe Camel, but it turns out he was only introduced in 1987.
image source: Band of Artists
Posted By: Alex - Wed Dec 09, 2020 -
Comments (3)
Category: Animals, Psychology, 1970s
World’s Largest Gingerbread House
Seven years ago. What ever happened to it, I wonder.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Dec 09, 2020 -
Comments (0)
Category: Excess, Overkill, Hyperbole and Too Much Is Not Enough, Food, Holidays, Regionalism, World Records
December 8, 2020
The Man of the Hole
In the jungles of Brazil a man known as the "Man of the Hole" lives entirely alone. He's currently probably in his 50s. Although since no one has ever talked to him it's impossible to say this for sure. More info from New Scientist:There's a wikipedia page about him.
The video below shows some of the only footage ever captured of him.
Posted By: Alex - Tue Dec 08, 2020 -
Comments (1)
Category: Outsiders, Marginals, the Excluded and Low-castes
Follies of the Madmen #495
These tires only available in Lilliput.
Posted By: Paul - Tue Dec 08, 2020 -
Comments (4)
Category: Business, Advertising, Giant People in Ads, Motor Vehicles
December 7, 2020
Midget Coins
1935: The U.S. Treasury considered introducing a "midget coin" that would be worth one-tenth of a cent. It would have been called the "mill". The idea was that people could use it to pay the sales tax on small purchases. As we've seen in a previous post, the sales tax often came out to fractions of a cent. However, Congress nixed the idea.The only businesses that continue to charge tenths of a cent are gas stations. And apparently they began doing that back in the '30s because of the fractional sales tax.
More info: Wikipedia
Baltimore Evening Sun - Aug 7, 1935
Fort Worth Star Telegram - Aug 2, 1935
Posted By: Alex - Mon Dec 07, 2020 -
Comments (1)
Category: Money, 1930s
The Singing Wastebaskets
Posted By: Paul - Mon Dec 07, 2020 -
Comments (0)
Category: Business, Advertising, Corporate Mascots, Icons and Spokesbeings, Surrealism, Junk Food, 1970s, Cacophony, Dissonance, White Noise and Other Sonic Assaults
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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 |
