Nature
The Language and Poetry of Flowers
Once upon a time, each flower held a very specific symbolical meaning. You can read about them in this book.So be very careful next time you commission a bouquet for someone. You wouldn't want to include any white roses still in bud, lest you seem "ignorant of love."
Posted By: Paul - Mon Oct 25, 2021 -
Comments (5)
Category: Innuendo, Double Entendres, Symbolism, Nudge-Nudge-Wink-Wink and Subliminal Messages, Nature, Books, Nineteenth Century, Love & Romance
Elysia: Valley of the Nudes
Warning! Nudists at play!
Posted By: Paul - Thu Jul 08, 2021 -
Comments (2)
Category: Body, Movies, Exploitation and Grindhouse, Nature, 1930s
Adventures of a 120-Sided Die
Posted By: Paul - Sun May 23, 2021 -
Comments (1)
Category: Anthropomorphism, Fey, Twee, Whimsical, Naive and Sadsack, Games, Nature
Animating Plants
Many people talk to their plants, but the plants don't talk back. However, a new invention allows the plants not to talk back, but at least to communicate, by moving. For instance, you could ask a plant if it needed to be watered, and the plant would shake up and down to indicate 'yes'.From the patent granted to Richard J. Maddocks et al:
The invention can provide an opportunity for retailers, distributors or gift givers to customize the behavior and content of the plant's behavior.
The present invention can provide a technique for the plant through its behavior to communicate its physiological needs for irrigation, light, fertilizer etc.
Posted By: Alex - Sun May 09, 2021 -
Comments (2)
Category: Communications, Inventions, Patents, Nature, Technology
The Creeping Devil Cactus
The Wikipedia page.
In cool maritime climate of Baja California Sur, creeping devil cacti can grow at a rate of up to two feet per year, forming large, sometimes impenetrable colonies of thorny stems, but when transplanted to more arid climates, their growth rate drops to two feet per decade. But even in their endemic environment, these succulents are isolated from pollinators so they rely on self-cloning for survival.
As it grows parallel to the ground, the stem of the creeping devil cactus will start to take roots toward their tip, and once it is solidly fixed into the sandy soil, the old body dies, rotting and eventually turning into nutrients that help the new stem grow. It is this process that also allows the cactus to creep through the desert over time. In a way, the cactus has to die in order to survive.
Posted By: Paul - Mon May 03, 2021 -
Comments (0)
Category: Freaks, Oddities, Quirks of Nature, Nature, Natural Wonders, Regionalism, North America
Music of the Plants
Is your plant a budding Beethoven? From Music of the Plants:You can listen to the music of your own plants for a price starting at €397 (about $480).
Posted By: Alex - Thu Jan 21, 2021 -
Comments (0)
Category: Music, Nature
The Society to Save Rocks Rockathon
One does not generally think of an assortment of random boulders as a heritage site or playground. But the Society to Save Rocks has a mission to promote the use and protection of such places, and celebrates in their annual Hyderabad Rockathon.Oh, yes: and snakes.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Jan 21, 2021 -
Comments (2)
Category: Nature, Parades and Festivals, India
Help, I’m a Rock!
Their Wikipedia page.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Nov 08, 2020 -
Comments (6)
Category: Music, Nature, Avant Garde, Surrealism, 1960s
The Snow Beauty of Yakutia
Part of our series on odd beauty contests.The first (?) contest was apparently held in 2017.
Read about it here.
What appears to be the home page has lots of pix and even videos of the 2018 contest. But I cannot find reference to competitions for 2019 or 2020.
Posted By: Paul - Tue Oct 06, 2020 -
Comments (2)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Ethnic Groupings, Nature, Natural Resources, Russia
Pronouncing the Scientific Names of Seashells of North America
You can download the MP3 files here. Note: clicking the link does not initiate the download. You choose to do so at the new page.
R. Tucker Abbott begins with a statement sure to dissuade us from listening further. "Actually, there are no official correct pronunciations of these Latin names..."
Source.
Posted By: Paul - Tue Jul 28, 2020 -
Comments (2)
Category: Boredom, Languages, Nature, Oceans and Maritime Pursuits, 1960s
| Who We Are |
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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, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. 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. Contact Us |