Weird Universe
55 posts
In 1989, a Canadian company tried to promote the idea of burying people at golf courses. They imagined that courses could add memorial walls made out of their patented “mod-urns” — hollow, cremain-filled building blocks that could be snapped together to make instant memorial walls. A company rep argued that this could be “a potentially lucrative business for golf courses, who could pack in up to […]
In this pandemic era, jigsaw puzzles have seen increased popularity. But I was unaware of the tradition of “whimsy” pieces, components that exhibit naturalistic shapes. I encountered the notion in an old issue of LIFE magazine. Then I found out there are modern makers. Here are a couple. Maker. Maker. Source link
In 1960, Thomas Scoville received a patent for a device for measuring tuberosity. He explained that the purpose of measuring tuberosity was to improve the fit of chairs: the chief object of the present invention is to provide a novel apparatus which will provide a visual and instantaneous indication when a chair under test is properly dimensioned to fit any given person. Even after looking up […]
A product concept from Dutch design company Nieuwe Heren. The wireless, flexible keyboard sewn into the jeans was fully functional. However, the jeans could not be machine washed. As far as I know, these remained a concept and never made it to market. But the company said that, if they were ever to sell these jeans, they’d price them at around £250 ($325). Source link
When travel resumes, here’s a destination alluring to any WU-vie. Read more on the creator here. His Wikipedia entry. Source link
Ian Moor had qualified to compete in the 1979 National Paraplegic Championships, in events such as table tennis and wheelchair discus. But when a picture of him ran in the Yorkshire Evening Press, people recognized him as their postman, who was fully capable of walking. His deception revealed, Moor was kicked out of the Paraplegic Championships. But he never faced any criminal charges because he hadn’t […]
Clint Bolin collected rocks. That, in itself, isn’t weird. However, Bolin made it weird by hoarding massive amounts of rocks of absolutely no value. He also collected chunks of concrete and slabs of cement. When he vacated his Long Beach apartment in 1975, he left behind 60,000 pounds of rocks, all neatly boxed. There were about 600 rock boxes, each weighing over 100 lbs. Strangely, no […]
Throughout the 20th century, it seemed to be widely assumed that the mood of the husband was determined by the behavior of his wife at home. So, concluded the District of Columbia’s traffic safety office in 1963, if a man was in a ‘disgruntled disposition’ and consequently got into a traffic accident, it must have been the fault of his wife who didn’t cheer him up […]
What does this machine do? Hint: it looks enormously overdesigned for its simple function. The answer is here. Or after the jump. Source link
Charlie Becker, midget trainer with Singer’s Midgets, walked the smallest elephant of his troupe to Merchant’s Bank, and made a deposit for Keith’s Theatre. The elephant delivered the money satchel directly to the receiving teller Source. Source link
Unfortunately, I can’t find any info about how Leon Colby fared after his 5-day ordeal trapped in a folding bed. The situation seems like an absurdist, real-life variation on the premise of Stephen King’s Gerald’s Game. Lancaster Intelligencer Journal – Oct 10, 1977 Some googling reveals that, while being trapped in a folding bed may sound bizarre, it’s disturbingly common. See here, here, and here. Source […]
In 1960, Monarch Books announced the launch of Perfume-o-Books. These were books infused with perfume. They had plans to use a saddle-leather scent for westerns, floral odors for flower-arrangement books, and food scents for cookbooks. All of which seemed logical. However, they decided to launch the line with three movie tie-in titles: “The Enemy General,” by Dan Pepper, “The Stranglers of Bombay,” by Stuart James, and […]
I cannot find an issue of C&V later than 2014, and the website you see on the cover below seems down. But certainly, if they still exist, they will find it hard to beat the cover for the April 1977 issue. Source link
Frederick Newbery envisioned pipes transporting milk underground from farms directly into cities. He received a patent for this idea in 1874 (No. 148,620). Though as far as I know, his long-distance milk pipes were never put into practice. Source link
We’ve posted before about “hobo composer” Harry Partch. (Specifically, about his composition ‘Barstow’ inspired by hitchhiker graffiti he found on the outskirts of Barstow, CA). Another of his oddities was his zymo xyl — a musical instrument he made out of 17 upside-down liquor bottles, 14 oak blocks, hubcaps from 1952 and ’52 Fords, and an aluminum kettle top. It was said to sound a bit […]
Created in 1991 by Australian philosophy student Richard Manderson. They were Jesus-shaped chocolates filled with raspberry jam so they would “bleed” when bitten. Weekly World News – May 21, 1991 More info from wikipedia: Richard Manderson first created a series of small raspberry fondant filled chocolate Jesuses that were sold for consumption to visitors of Gorman House Arts Centre in Canberra, an Australian cultural centre and […]