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Curious Times No. 229
January 29, 2004CAREFUL WHO YOU LOVE AND LIE TO
An American company claims to have up to 90 per cent success with a new form of lie detection equipment which is small enough to fit in a pair of sunglasses. The technology, which was originally developed in Israel for military, insurance claim and law enforcement use, is now being repackaged and redeveloped for personal and corporate use. Earlier this year the company (vworldwide.com) unveiled a pair of sunglasses at a trade show in Las Vegas which was equipped with the lie detection technology. When you wear the glasses a system of green, yellow, and red color codes let you know if the person you are speaking to has answered truthfully or not. The lie detector can also analyze emotions such as anxiety, fear and love, and the company’s next gadget is a "love detector" which you can attach to your phone and find the real emotions of the person you are speaking to. They claim a 96 per cent accuracy rate on the software, which will begin to be available for consumers next month. (eetimes.com)REEFER SADNESS
It took quite a few decades, but finally, after hundreds of thousands of pot smokers hoovered down millions of joints, we have the first recorded death by marijuana. A coroner in Britain has listed the death of Lee Maisey, 36, as a result of "cannabis toxicity," built up over the last 11 years in which Maisey inhaled over 23,000 joints. Despite the phenomenally rare occurence of cannabis toxicity, an addictions expert at Hull University, Dr. Philip Guy, felt the need to explain that "cannabis is not the nice hippy drug it used to be. It is a lot stronger nowadays." He also added that eating the drug is riskier than smoking it, noting that Maisey probably didn’t die from smoking 11,000 joints in his lifetime, but from carelessly eating an extremely large amount of pot in one go. (Daily Record)HOW TO STAY YOUNG AND DRUNK
A German beer-maker has unveiled what may be the greatest invention of the century with what he claims is an anti-aging beer. Helmut Fricher unveiled the miracle beer at last week’s German agricultural fair, promising that the drink will strengthen your immune system and make you feel younger and healthier. The beer is brewed in a traditional manner, but is spiked with spirulina algae and flavonoids. Ironically, Fricher will probably not be able to promote the drink as "beer" since his recipe doesn’t adhere to the strict Bavarian Purity Laws of 1516, which state that beer may only include four ingredients: hops, barley, yeast and water. (BBC)BEWARE OF STUPIDITY
A consumer watchdog group called the Michigan Lawsuit Abuse Watch has announced the winners of its seventh annual "Wacky Warning Label Contest," which honors the most ridiculous warning labels put on products to protect the manufacturer from frivolous lawsuits. This year’s winners include a snow sled with a warning label which read "Beware: sled may develop high speed under certain snow conditions"; a 12-inch-high CD storage rack with the warning "Do not use as a ladder"; a smoke detector which warns "Do not use the Silence Feature in emergency situations. It will not extinguish a fire"; and a fishing lure which included the warning "Harmful if swallowed." The grand prize went to a bottle of drain cleaner which advised "If you do not understand, or cannot read, all directions, cautions and warnings, do not use this product." (mlaw.org)SURFIN’ AND SINNIN’
An Israeli rabbi has responded to a sharp increase in the confessions of internet-related sins by creating a prayer to help Jewish men overcome the guilt of their transgressions. Shlomo Eliahu says that the number of men who have come to him to confess internet-related sins has increased so dramatically that he felt the need to create a prayer devoted solely to surfing sinners. "Please God, help me cleanse the computer of viruses and evil photographs which disturb and ruin my work..., so that I shall be able to cleanse myself (of sin)," reads the prayer. Eliahu says that reciting the prayer before logging on will help ease the guilt of surfing for internet porn. He also recommends programming your computer so that the prayer will flash on the screen automatically in case you "unintentionally" enter a porn site. (Reuters)FOWL-MOUTHED
Controversy surrounds Charlie, a 104-year-old parrot in England, which its owner claims once belong to Winston Churchill and which still curses out Hitler and the Nazis for her grateful fans. Peter Oram, the owner of the entertaining bird, claims that his father-in-law sold Charlie to Churchill in 1937. But experts can find no record of Churchill ever owning the bird. Nevertheless, the bird still sounds like Churchill, and spends her days entertaining customers with a string of obscenity-laced anti-Nazi tirades. Charlie’s favorite phrases are "fuck Hitler" and "fuck the Nazis." (Mirror UK)THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON ART
A construction worker in Britain who suffered a double brain hemorrhage in 2001 is now being studied by neuropysiologists who are trying to figure out why he has since turned into an artist with a great love for sculpting and poetry. Tommy McHugh, 54, developed his artistic skill after returning home from the brain surgery. "Before I had the hemorrhages, I was never into art but after I got out of hospital I had a real need to draw or paint or sculpt," he explained, "I have no idea where this came from as I was never the least bit artistic." In February McHugh will attend London’s "Art and Altered Mind" conference, where experts will gather to examine the cause of this type of phenomena. (Echo Reporter)DON’T RAIN ON OUR SEX PARADE
If you ever wanted to hit Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, this might be the year. As much as the parade pretty much revolves around sex, a samba school is pushing the envelope by choosing the theme of the Kama Sutra for the upcoming parade. The Grande Rio samba school promises huge sculptures portraying the sexual positions of the Kama Sutra, as well as gorgeous Brazilian dancers who will act out sexual simulations based on the positions. The school’s director realizes that he may get some pressure to tone down the sexual antics, but says he will not back down. "This is one of the most original and polemic themes ever and if we get censured we will interpret it as a Nazi act," says Joaosinho Trinta, "there will be sex simulations but done with taste as art." (Ananova)
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