March 2023
March 26, 2023
A comparison of teflon and plastic
From the Hagley Archive's collection of DuPont Product information photographs.Definite industrial chemist as dominatrix vibe.
An explanation:
A photo of another chemist doing the same thing, but it doesn't have the same vibe to it:
Posted By: Alex - Sun Mar 26, 2023 -
Comments (3)
Category: Mad Scientists, Evil Geniuses, Insane Villains, Photography and Photographers, Science, 1940s
Power Athletic Shoes Commercial
Our shoes will crush all opposition and restore the Fatherland!
Posted By: Paul - Sun Mar 26, 2023 -
Comments (2)
Category: Dictators, Tyrants and Other Harsh Rulers, Excess, Overkill, Hyperbole and Too Much Is Not Enough, Advertising, Shoes, 1990s
March 25, 2023
The influence of odors on creative thinking
There have been a variety of studies examining how psychoactive drugs affect behavior and creative output. But could smells also have a psychoactive effect? That was the question posed in a 1958 experiment conducted by scientist Leo H. Narodny — published in an obscure trade journal, The Perfumery & Essential Oil Record. Narodny wrote: "It may be possible, by inhaling certain odours, to influence creative imagination without endangering the whole brain by an excessive dosage of drugs."He used a textile designer as his test subject. Every day, for two weeks, he had her draw a design while breathing unscented air. Then, after breathing in air saturated with an odorous essential oil (such as bergamot, vanilla, peppermint, or cedarwood), she drew a second design. Some of the results are below.
It was hard to draw conclusions based on such a small sample size, but Narodny felt that the designer tended to draw more abstract patterns when exposed to the essential oils.
Nadia Berenstein offers more details about the experiment on her "Flavor Added" blog.
Posted By: Alex - Sat Mar 25, 2023 -
Comments (2)
Category: Art, Experiments, Psychology, Smells and Odors
Le Clitoris
Le clitoris - Animated Documentary (2016) from Lori Malépart-Traversy on Vimeo.
Posted By: Paul - Sat Mar 25, 2023 -
Comments (0)
Category: Anthropomorphism, Body, PSA’s, Sexuality, Women, Twenty-first Century
March 24, 2023
Destroyed Baggy Jeans
We've posted about ripped jeans before. But these take the concept to a whole new level of grottiness.You can purchase them via Bergdorf Goodman for only $2,450.
Posted By: Alex - Fri Mar 24, 2023 -
Comments (7)
Category: Overpriced Merchandise, Denim
The Mole Man of London
For some reason I recalled recently the odd case of William Lyttle, the Mole Man of London, who dug out a warren of tunnels under his home.Lyttle, originally from Ireland, inherited a 20-room property in the London borough of Hackney. In the mid-sixties he dug out a wine cellar under his home. Having done so, he said that he had "found a taste for the thing" and kept on digging, for some forty years.[2] He created a network of tunnels, wide and narrow, on several levels. Tunnels led in all directions, some of them up to 18 metres (59 ft) in length, and reaching as far down as the water table.[3] One excavation connected with the Dalston Lane tunnel, and the railway line.
I was intrigued to learn that 3 years ago, his derelict house had been renovated and repurposed! Read about it, with many pics, at the link.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Mar 24, 2023 -
Comments (1)
Category: Domestic, Eccentrics, Caves, Caverns, Tunnels and Other Subterranean Venues, United Kingdom, Twentieth Century
March 23, 2023
Get Slim Slippers
These were mini slippers that supposedly helped one lose weight. How? Something to do with reflexology and magnets. And also, I assume, the extra effort required to balance in them.
They were sold via the website GetSlimSlippers.com, which no longer exists (but is archived at the Wayback Machine).
Quackwatch.org has an article by someone who tried them out to see if they would actually work:
Related post: Slimming Insoles
Posted By: Alex - Thu Mar 23, 2023 -
Comments (1)
Category: Shoes, Dieting and Weight Loss
Unlikely Reasons for Murder No. 13
Source: The News and Observer (Raleigh, North Carolina)03 Apr 1912
Posted By: Paul - Thu Mar 23, 2023 -
Comments (3)
Category: Death, Money, Teenagers, 1910s
March 22, 2023
Viva Les Crepes
Released in 1971, this album taught you how to cook crepes. Unfortunately I can't find any audio clips of it online. From the album cover:
Some more info from the Louisville Courier-Journal (Dec 27, 1978):
Posted By: Alex - Wed Mar 22, 2023 -
Comments (0)
Category: Food, Cookbooks, 1970s
The Littlechaps
Read an extensive history at the link, with many scary pictures.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Mar 22, 2023 -
Comments (0)
Category: Enlargements, Miniatures, and Other Matters of Scale, Family, Horror, Jobs and Occupations, Toys, Dolls and Stuffed Animals, 1960s
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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 |
