Toilet Paper Gets Creepy

It’s every author’s dream come true: A book you can’t lend and can’t duplicate. You can’t even reread it—to go back even a single page, you’d have to buy a whole new copy. Think of the royalties!

That’s precisely what may have gone through the mind of Koji Suzuki, a writer considered the Stephen King of Japan, when he received a commission from the Hayashi Paper Corporation for a horror story with a toilet-related theme.

The tale, it turned out, was to be printed on a roll of toilet paper!

The nine-chapter novella that resulted, called Drop, tells of a nasty spirit who makes his home in a toilet. The notion of potty-dwelling monsters who reach out and grab you when you’re at your most vulnerable is well established in Japan. Stories about them are usually used—like scary stories everywhere—to keep kids from misbehaving.

But Drop is for grownups. Its entire artistically printed text (in Japanese, of course) takes up only about three feet, short enough to read in a single bathroom break at work. Best of all, once you’ve finished, the boss can’t accuse you of dawdling, since all the evidence has been flushed away.

Remarkably, Drop is not Hayashi Paper’s first venture into creative toilet paper content. One of the company’s earlier products was a roll printed with earthquake-survival information. What’s puzzling is why they selected this particular story as their first venture into fiction.

From the sound of it, one of Koji Suzuki’s earlier novels might have been a better choice. It’s title? Dark Water.

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Dinosaur-era Fish

A dinosaur-era fish would seem like a rare gift to most treasure-hunters. Surviving instances of such legendary creatures would make an ordinary fisherman rush to his local university to make sure that the ultimate big fish tale brought him glory.

However, when Indonesian fisherman Justinus Lahama caught a prehistoric coelacanth off the coast of Sulawesi Island, he took another route.

While most would be concerned with the fame and fortune that such a catch might bring, Lahama’s thoughts turned to his stomach. He sold the coelacanth to a local restaurant – a noodle shop.

Once in the shop, the 50-kilogram fish once thought extinct since the Cretaceous era wasn’t fried, or baked, or breaded. No one had dinosaur for dinner (luckily for them – the coelacanth apparently has quite a disfavorable flavor unsuited for human consumption. Perhaps that foul taste was how it evaded predators these many years?).

But the prehistoric creature couldn’t take the pressure of being observed in a restaurant fish tank. It died after 17 hours. Experts who examined the corpse confirmed that it was an unknown kind of coelacanth.

It’s not the first coelacanth to wash up on shore - they’ve been spotted in Zanzibar, South Africa, and Madagascar. But it’s the only one you’ll find on a menu.

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Osaka Water Taxis Make A Big Splash

Since early 2008, Osaka officials have embarked on a special plan to encourage tourism and travel in their “water city” by establishing Japan’s very first amphibious sightseeing taxi equipped with crew.

Although water taxis have been around for a while, this new breed is like no other; it runs on both land and water, which makes it amphibious as a car (and reptilian if it were an animal).

The water taxi is about 4.7 meters (more than 16 feet) long and is manufactured in Germany. Its ability to float has nothing to do with magic, spirituality or ghostly powers; the bottom of the car is sealed completely.

The maximum speed of the taxi is 140km/h (about 87 miles) on land and 15km/h (9.3 miles) on water.

The taxi can seat up to five persons, including 2 drivers (one for land and the other for water). It is hoped the taxi will boost the tourism trade, but the cost of these taxi cruises are far from cheap. The first hour runs about 19,560 yen ($175 US dollars) and about 8,700 yen (around $78 US dollars) for each thirty minutes thereafter.

Planned tours are provided, but as of yet, life preservers are not considered part of the standard safety gear.

In other words, tour at your own risk.

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Lets Go Fishing

Meet Wang Hongjun from Qian’an city, China.

Wang loves to fish and ride in cars so much, he has spent the last thirteen years of his life building a car that can transport him to his favorite fishing spots.

This clever electrician told the media that his new “amphibicar” cost him about $200,000 and 13 years of persistence to develop.

“I’m looking for auto producers who are interested in my creation, since I don’t want to keep it to myself… It’s a business secret, but I can assure you the car was made entirely by my hands. Each plate was welded by me, ” Wang told the press.

He may not want to keep the car to himself, but exactly how he made it work, he would not reveal.

Wang says he often drives his yellow sports car to the lake in his hometown to fish, and that he has even taken his son along for a 10-mile drive out to sea.

The car can be sealed to make it waterproof by remote control. A column-shaped thruster and two propellers are installed in the car’s boot.

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Singapore Woman Bites Off Boss’ Penis

But Not on Purpose…
Singapore is known for its cultural centers, Esplanade, and beautiful skyline. But it’s certainly not known for its oral circumcisions… that is – until now.

A 30 year old secretary – having an affair with her boss – nothing too out of the ordinary in the world today… has bitten off most of her lover’s penis in a freak accident.

What was out of the ordinary is that she and her boss had chosen one of Singapore’s scenic parks to indulge in a fantasy outside of the bedroom. They picked the perfect spot… parked the car and she began giving her boss the famed “Kiss of Life.”

Everything seemed to be going to plan… until a van backed up and struck the vehicle – and that’s when things went downhill.

The impact from the van caused the woman to involuntarily bite down – severing her dear boss’s penis.

If that weren’t bad enough, her husband – who had suspected her of cheating – hired a private investigator to follow her around. And yes – the P.I. was there… behind the not-so-happy couple when the incident took place.

Not one to focus solely on assignment, the quick P.I. called an ambulance for the woman’s lover on his cell phone after hearing her cries of horror at what had happened.

The loving secretary then went to the hospital to comfort her emasculated boss.

No word as to whether her husband was there or not.

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“Love Land” Sex Theme Park - China

Apparently, sex is not just a taboo subject in China - it can be an evil influence. That’s what stopped a planned sex theme park from being built in Chongquin.

Investors there planned to open “Love Land”, inspired by a similarly themed South Korean park, in October.

Though they billed it as “tasteful” and “educational”, investigators conducting an emergency tour of the park after it attracted worldwide attention last week disagreed, and said that investors were “interested only in profiting from sensationalism”.

“The investigation determined the park’s content was vulgar and that it was neither healthy nor educational. It had had an evil influence on society and had to be torn down immediately,” a government official further said. A demolition team immediately dismantled the eye-catching legs that revolved above the park’s entrance.

“Sex is a taboo subject in China but people really need to have more access to information about it,” the park’s manager, Lu Xiaoqing, was quoted as saying in the China Daily state newspaper prior to the demolition.

The park was to focus on educating and improving the sex lives of patrons. Exhibits were to include displays of outsized genitalia, nude forms, sex technique workshops, and safe sex methods.

Some local residents were pleased with the change.

“I’m glad the park was demolished because the displays were really rough and had no artistic quality,” a nearby resident told the Global Times.

Others thought that the Chinese could have used some different ideas on the topic.

“The park was above board, so why was it pulled down? How can a country get powerful if it doesn’t open its mind?” asked one website commenter.

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Shark attack wetsuit

Don't worry, this surfer has not just been attacked by Jaws ... he is wearing a 'Shark Attack' wetsuit.
The wetsuit - created by Dutch designer Diddo Velema - makes it look like the wearer has been savaged by a shark thanks to a unique printing process.

Custom inks are used to add the gory textures which appear like a torn wetsuit, ripped skin and wounds going down to the bone.

Diddo, who has a design studio in Amsterdam, said: "Wetsuits are both functional and protective, but why must they all look the same?"

Okay, being different is one thing, but having a look which will mentally scar children making sandcastles on the beach and leave them scarred of the sea seems a bit excessive. "Is there some unwritten law that dictates we shed our individuality to blend into the monotone waters? he added.

"With that in mind, I took up the challenge to create an alternative. With custom inks and unique printing techniques, I was able to map textures onto the suits to create original designs that evoke the mysteries of the seas.

"This wetsuit gives the illusion that the wearer has been attacked by a group of hungry sharks."

Diddo has also created other patterned wetsuits which look like a rusted iron diving suit, an anatomic musculature suit and a whale shark patterned suit.

All are set to go on sale soon but a price has not yet been fixed.

LINKS
bydiddo

2,500 Minis drive from London to Brighton

Over 2,500 Minis enthusiasts took to the roads this weekend to celebrate the British motoring icon’s 50th birthday.

After parking bumper to bumper, to take the world record for the most Minis to be parked together, they drove from London to Brighton.

The annual drive - now in its 46th year - sees owners of classic and modern Minis come together to show off their vehicles.

Amazingly, of the 2,500 drivers who took part there are understood to have been a couple who DIDN'T make an Italian Job joke or do a dodgy Michael Caine impression.
A spokesperson for the event said: "London to Brighton Mini Run is the biggest and best Mini event in the show calendar.

"Taking place each May it attracts entrants from all over the world, and it is a fantastic opportunity for owners to show off their pride and joy, and the public to take in the spectacle of around 2,500 Minis as they make the 55 mile pilgrimage."

LINKS
London to Brighton

Maid Charged For Adding Menstrual Blood to Food

In a bizarre attempt to improve her relationship with her employer, an Indonesian maid has appeared in a Hong Kong court accused of adding menstrual blood to her employer’s food.

Things are not, however, as they seem for Indra Ningsih, aged 26.

Indra mixed menstrual blood into a pot of vegetables as a sort of guaranteed panacea for improving relations between herself and her employer.

It makes a little more sense if one considers that in some southeastern Asian cultures, menstrual blood is thought to have special powers.

Whether true or no, she has been charged with one count of “administering poison destructive or noxious substances with intent to injure” according to the media.

She has not yet entered a plea.

The noxious action was discovered completely by chance. Her female employer whose surname is Mok happened to enter the kitchen to her home and noticed the maid acting rather strangely. She caught her throwing something into the trash bin, which turned out to be a used sanitary napkin.

When she looked into the pot of vegetables, she noticed something “suspicious” floating around mixed with the vegetables and water.

Indra had no excuse except to say that things had been bad between her employer and herself, and she hoped to improve things.

Well, Indra, not likely.

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Scientists create world's most accurate clock

Boffins have created an atomic clock so accurate it will only lose one second every 300 million years.

They did it after being annoyed with the previous accuracy record holding clock ... which lost around TWO seconds every 30 million years.

Researchers at the University of Colorado started a 'traditional' atomic clock which consists of gas atoms captured in a magnetic field.

They then added a laser beam which freezes the atoms at -273 degrees Celsius - making an improved pendulum effect and better clock.

The scientists say they dream of producing a perfectly accurate clock ... and a world in which no-one is ever late for a meeting. "An atom consists of a nucleus and some electrons that spin in clearly defined orbits around the nucleus," said nuclear physicist Jan Thomsen.

"By using the focused laser light one can make the electron swing back and forth in a clearly defined way between these orbits, and it is that which forms the pendulum in the atomic clock."

LINKS
University of Colorado

Most Remote School, Hidden in the Clouds

Gulu Village, which is located in a national geopark in Sichuan Province, China, is a place few outsiders know about. Not surprising, considering its location in the middle of nowhere with canyons and sheer precipices hanging from everywhere.

The primary school is hidden in the middle of the clouds and can only be reached after five harrowing hours of climbing and serious hyperventilating.

The mountain path leading up to the school is treacherous with many twists, turns and bends and it is only 40cm (a little more than a foot) wide at its narrowest part.

One man has guarded the The Gulu Village primary school from the outside world for 26 years. Teacher, Shen Qijun came to the school when he was 18 years old and the school was in dire condition.

Dirt composed the classroom and the roof leaked and there was no toilet at all. Whenever a student needed to go to the bathroom, they often fell and got hurt. This man single-handedly renovated the school and built a toilet for the children.

Volunteers have provided uniforms for the children to wear and learning continues but is a difficult process, not for the faint of heart.

A, B, and last of all, C, for courage.

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Tips - What to do when an ATM Stole Your Money?

Have you ever used an ATM to deposit money into your account? Well what would you do if you fed all your money into the ATM and it gave you an error, but not your money.

Mr. Mao, a janitor in Shenzhen China, inserted 7,000 yuan (around $1,000) of hard earned money into an ATM, but the machine spit out his card and displayed an “Out of Order” error.

He then checked his account at another ATM right next to it and found that the money had not been deposited into his account.

So Mao, not willing to allow anyone else to take his money, called his family and had them bring him a portable bed and table, where he then camped out in front of the ATM all night until the bank opened.

The next morning, the bank employees checked the broken machine and return Mao his money.

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Google Street View Fail

Google Street View remains to be one of the my most favorite services. Notably because Street View captures some of the most funniest moments on camera whether it is a guy throwing up or a man dressed like Waldo. This time Google Street View knocked down their own camera by driving under a low bridge and photographed the incident.

The bridge involved is on Merchant Street in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Check out the below screenshots:

Here is the bridge.

Here are pictures that the knocked down camera took of the Google Street View car itself. D’oh!

And the camera is back to normal position.

[Screenshots taken by CNET]

Dubai scientists create cloned camel

Boffins in Dubai claim they have created the world's first cloned camel.

The female one-humped camel was born last week after more than five years of research and work in the labs at the Camel Reproduction Centre.

Injaz was born weighing 30kg after scientists took DNA from the ovary of one camel and put it into an egg from a surrogate mother.

Tests have confirmed her as being genetically identical to the source of the cells and experts claim the breakthrough could help them preserve the genetics of elite racing and milk-producing camels.

We are going to have to take their word for it, as to be honest, we find most camels look quite similar anyway.

The cloning project has been carried out with the backing of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum,

Racing camels in Dubai can sell for up to £2million and there are even beauty contests to find the most 'attractive' camel.

Pink Stormtrooper Makes An Apperance At G20 Protest

The G20 London summit took place last week and there were many protests about the event. About 35,000 people protestedin demand for jobs, economic security, and environmental concerns. The G-20 stands for the Group of Twenty Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors. It includes leaders from 19 of the largest national economies and the European Union.

Between the 20 economies, they account for 85% of the total GNP, 80% of world trade, and two-thirds of the world’s population. The twenty countries include: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union.

One of the most odd protesters to show up was a man dressed up in a pink suit, a pink tie, and a pink Stormtrooper helmet. I’ve seen some funny uses of Stormtrooper outfits, but I think that this one takes the cake.

[via NewLaunches]

Child Born with Second Penis in the Middle of His Back

Fetus in Fetu (FIF) is a rare and very mysterious medical condition that is said to have occurred (or at least is recorded to have occurred) less than ninety times throughout medical history.

For the little boy born in Tianjin’s Children Hospital in China, the second penis in the middle of his tiny back is a medical first and even weirder than some other instances of this highly unusual phenomenon.

The baby presented no problems when it came into the world with the help of midwives on May 27, 2008, at the Hejian Maternity Center, which is part of Tianjin Children’s Hospital.

What seemed like a routine birth, however, soon turned into a story from Ripley’s Believe it or Not, as midwives and medical staff could not have been more surprised to see a little boy endowed with a second penis in the middle of his back.

Born to farmer dad, Li Jun, 30, and his wife, who live in Central China’s Henan Province, the extra penis was safely removed.

There are complicated theories about this condition that relate to the abnormal formation of twins in utero (parasitic twin theory), but this manifestation is just too weird for any of the medical books.

For now, doctors are content to say that after three hours of surgery, the extra penis is gone and the little boy is doing fine.

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China completely banned YouTube

China appears to be blocking all access to YouTube. Now, why in the world would it do something like that? I’ve got some theories. First, though, the facts: YouTube use from China started dropping off the map sometime Monday night, with traffic nearly reaching a standstill by Tuesday morning. Google (which owns YouTube) has confirmed the apparent ban, though its staff is not certain of the cause. “We do not know the reason for the blockage, and we’re working as quickly as possible to restore access to our users in China,” a spokesperson says. Google does believe the Chinese government knowingly cut the access. The spokesperson, however, questions why officials wouldn’t have just blocked a specific video, as they’ve done before, rather than nixing the entire site.

YouTube has been banned by other countries as well for allowing users to upload and share videos which foreign governments in Bangladesh, Thailand, Pakistan and Turkey found embarrassing to their political regimes. Google is working to restore access to the site for Chinese citizens. This is not the first instance in which Chinese users have been unable to access the video sharing site. China blocked YouTube during the Tibet riots in March 2008. During that time protesters were burning shops and vehicles in an attempt to protest the Han Chinese influence. The riots left 19 dead.

Source: PC World

Rotterdam - Cool bus-stop ads

A health club chain called Fitness First wants to remind you how overweight you are by putting a weight scale at a bus stop. The bench at the bus stop works as the scale and the advertisement on the side of the bus stop facing you displays the weight. This marketing campaign was slapped together by advertising company N=5. It can be seen in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Below is a video demo of the bus stop weight scale being used:

Numa Numa Kid Is Back In A Geico Commercial

Gary Brolsma is one of the most famous kids on the Internet. Brolsma posted a video of himself dancing to the song “Dragostea din tei” by a group called O-Zone on Newgrounds.com. In less than three months, the video was seen over 2 million times. In the original Numa Numa dance, Brolsma was awarded $45,000. In the video, Brolsma was wearing headphones, lip syncing, and throwing his arms in the air. Since 2004, the video has generated over 18 million times.

The Numa Numa dance song is now a part of pop culture. Rap artist T.I. used the Numa Numa song for his song “Live Your Life” that features Rihanna.

Now Brolsma is back in the spotlight as Geico has decided to use him for a commercial. In this commercial, Brolsma is dancing the same goofy dance and wearing headphones to Rockwell’s “Somebody’s Watching Me.” In the background, the Geico gecko mascot is dancing along. This video was put together by The Martin Agency. The parody will be placed on several video hosting websites such as YouTube, MetaCafe, DailyMotion etc.

Below is the video:

London - Pop-up garage is latest London must-have

Hidden parking spaces which pop up from your drive have become a must-have home-improvement in London.

The £40,000 parking spots can be hidden beneath a flowerbed, lawn, or even another parking space.

Owners simply press a button on a keyring to raise they car out of the ground much like the rocket launching apparatus in Thunderbirds.

There is already a four month waiting list to get the sci-fi style parking space installed and bosses of Cardok - the company behind the hydraulic platforms - say orders are pouring in faster than they can build them.

... and not just from people with odd eyebrows and strings controlling their