Botfly on my Mind

Posted By: Paul - Wed Jan 27, 2010 - Comments (4)
Category: Body, Insects and Spiders

A Man with Vision

This is definitely one of those "why hasn't someone thought of this before?" type inventions. Back in March of 1985, Josh Silver, a physics professor at Oxford University, had a conversation with a colleague about optical lenses and the sort of specialized equipment needed to adjust them. And in that moment, he had an idea that will affect the lives of billions - a pair of glasses that can be almost instantly adjusted by the person wearing them. No visits to the eye-doctor. No money spent. The concept relies on the principle that the fatter a lens is, the more powerful it becomes. (Remember the kid in fourth-grade who had glasses thick enough to be from the bottom of a coke bottle?) These glasses consist of hollow plastic lenses, inside which are two clear sacs filled with fluid. Using a small syringe, the person wearing the glasses can add or remove fluid, thus changing the power of the lens. Silver's team has already started to distribute the spectacles. You can read more about these amazing glasses, and the man behind them, here.

Posted By: Nethie - Sat Dec 26, 2009 - Comments (8)
Category: Body, Health, Inventions, Science

Last Minute Shopping?

I was originally going to display three or four of the most unique items from Archie McPhee's web store to give you an example of the true weirdness you can find there (vengeful unicorns, remote controlled hopping yodelling lederhosen, bacon bath soap, inflatable toast). But once I started digging deeper to find just the right ones, I realized there was no way I could stick to just a few. My fellow WUvians needed to see all of the zany craziness that McPhee's has to offer. And how can you resist any company whose motto is "Slightly Less Disappointing Than Other Companies". So if you're in need of a last minute gift idea for the weirdo on your list, this is the place for you.

Posted By: Nethie - Tue Dec 15, 2009 - Comments (6)
Category: Animals, Art, Bathrooms, Body, Humor, Shopping, Toys, Candy

A Little Light Weirdness - Strange Attractors

First up, scientists at the University of Leeds in Great Britain have determined that if you want to meet the right man, the optimum amount of flesh to flash is 40%. Less than that and you might appear too dowdy to catch his eye, any more and you’re more likely to attract a stalker than a soul mate. Psychologist Colin Hendrie had his four female assistants perform demanding “undercover” surveillance in Leeds’ nightclubs, recording how women were dressed and how often they were approached on concealed dictaphones. But it wasn’t just the women who were being judged. Hendie’s results also showed that the most successful approaches came from men who were neither too thin nor too fat and at least a head taller than their target. It also revealed that 30% of clubbers left as couples, though only 20% arrived so (Daily Mail).

Sadly, this research came too late for Geisy Arruda of Sao Paolo in Brazil, who caused a near riot at the city’s Bandeirante University by turning up for lectures in a mini-dress. Despite Brazil’s normally “relaxed” attitude to skimpy clothing, campus dress is often more conservative and Ms Arruda’s short, pink sheath dress attracted more than a few comments and cat-calls. She eventually had to be escorted from lectures, and the campus, by security and was later expelled for breaching the University’s ethical and moral standards and for offending its “academic dignity”. Her ban was promptly reversed however when she became a bit of a cause celebre, and Brazil’s Education Ministry became involved (CNEWS).

And yet more conflict ensued between academia and allure this past month when a number of female students from the prestigious Cambridge University in England posed for “cheesecake” shots for an in-house online magazine. Predictably, some called immediately for the images to be removed as they were demeaning to women saying that as a University, Cambridge should “do better”, an attitude site co-founder Taymoor Atighetchi dismissed as “intellectual snobbery" (Telegraph).

However support of a sort for the (very) fresh-women came from an unexpected quarter this week when Jill Berry, president of the UK “Girls’ Schools Association”, said that wanting to be fashionable did not make girls shallow. Speaking at the GSA annual conference, Mrs Berry said caring about your physical appearance wasn’t a betrayal of feminist ideals, and insisted that girls can have fun while also being taken seriously (Guardian).

But ladies, if you’re still unsure what to wear, then remember that other way to a man’s heart. That’s certainly an option for Jules Clancy, a food scientist from Sydney in Australia, who bagged a table for two at the world’s highest rated restaurant, the “El Bulli” in Spain, only to break up with her partner before the big night. In a moment of inspiration, Ms. Clancy decided to advertise online for a new dinner partner, and has been inundated with offers, though whether it is her charms or the food’s that is the draw is unclear (Orange).

(Picture: "Stupefyin’ JonesMoonbeam McSwine" from Al Capp's Li'l Abner.)

Posted By: Dumbfounded - Thu Nov 19, 2009 - Comments (6)
Category: Body, Education, Fashion, Feminism, Food

Got lung?

Why anyone would want a plasticized lung is beyond me, but there is a reward if you happen to see one lying around.



Don't worry -- I hear there are plenty of spare bodies and body parts where these come from.

Posted By: gdanea - Wed Oct 07, 2009 - Comments (3)
Category: Body

About Faces

When was the last time you thought about your teeth!?!

Posted By: Paul - Thu Aug 20, 2009 - Comments (5)
Category: Body, Health, Disease, Documentaries, 1940s

Black Zeus’s Medical Oddities

You ever wander what a man would look like if he let his ear hair grow out?

Or how about the unborn fetus of a twin?

Maybe you just want to know if there is truth to the phrase "swallow a watermelon seed and it will grow in your stomach."

FAIR WARNING. This just may mess your world up.

Click here for slideshow.

Posted By: Paul - Sat Jun 27, 2009 - Comments (7)
Category: Body, Medicine, Reader Recommendation

Man Babies

Did you ever want to know what it would look like if a man and a baby were to switch heads? Now you can see what it would look like and order the shirt to show everyone else. Man Babies

Posted By: mdb777 - Wed Jun 24, 2009 - Comments (1)
Category: Body, Surrealism, Babies and Toddlers

Wetsuits for the Weird

So you're going to do some surfing, or scuba diving, and the water isn't very warm. You need a wetsuit. But why settle for a plain, ordinary wetsuit, when you can get one that looks like human innards, or one that makes it seem you've been the victim of a shark attack? The possibilities are endless. Check them out here. ...bydiddo

Posted By: Nethie - Fri May 22, 2009 - Comments (1)
Category: Art, Body, Design and Designers, Overpriced Merchandise, Shopping

Do Not Read This While Eating

This article is a list, including pictures, of the sixteen most horrific growths to appear on humans over the years. Some of the growths include a huge facial tumor, the world's largest hand, people with horns, a tree growing inside a lung and people with tails. And don't worry, this picture is just a cactus.

Posted By: Nethie - Sat May 16, 2009 - Comments (1)
Category: Body, Health, Science