http://www.weirduniverse.net Weird Universe explores every aspect of a human and natural cosmos that is not only "stranger than we imagine, but stranger than we can imagine." en dane.allred@nebo.edu Copyright 2009 Alex Boese, Paul Di Filippo, Chuck Shepherd 2009-07-03T22:45:00-08:00


At the end, watch for the firebomb.

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Speaking of old, recent research carried out by the University of Michigan has revealed that US seniors are smarter than their UK counterparts. The study, lead in the US by Kenneth Langa, measured the recall abilities of over 8000 elderly Americans and over 5000 elderly Brits, and found that the yanks scored 1.4 more on the memory tests, out of a possible 24. Langa suggests that part of the difference was due to higher average levels of education and income in the US group, and higher levels of depression in the UK sample, but points out that nothing is certain at the moment. "It's like a view from 30,000 feet" said Langa (New Scientist).

And it's not just British brains that are shrinking, the UK's sheep are getting smaller as well. Because of a trend towards milder weather believed to be due to climate change, Sheep on the Outer Hebridean island of Soay are getting smaller at the rate of 100g/year, say researchers from Imperial College, London. Though it might seem that warmer winters and a greater abundance of food might make for bigger sheep, Tim Coulson, the professor leading the study, points out that fewer weaker and smaller lambs will die over winter, bringing down the average size (Telegraph).

Now, in some good news, UK campaigners have won a second victory in a three-year battle... to bring back a chocolate bar. The "Wispa Bar", made by European confectioners Cadbury, was introduced in 1995 along with a caramel laced version called the "Wispa Gold", only for both to be discontinued in 2003. This prompted some die-hard fans of the bubbly chocolate bar to start a petition to have it go into production again, resulting in a "limited edition" run of the original Wispa last year. When the 40 million bars produced sold out in just 18 weeks, Cadbury decided to relaunch the brand. Not satisfied with just one bar, campaigners have kept up the pressure, causing Cadbury to start producing Wispa Golds "for a limited period," as before. However to some commentators, this latest move looks more like slick PR than grassroots victory (Sky News).



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http://www.pyocotan.com/





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Comments]]> 2009-07-03T13:28:01-08:00 Here's a neat site that offers lots of strange gadgets from the past, such as this "Radio Disease Killer."

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Delightful collection of old pharmaceutical ads:
http://www.pharmacytechs.net/blog/old-school-medicine-ads

And for those especially fussy kiddies, there's Nembutol suppositories!



Comments]]> 2009-07-02T17:06:00-08:00 "Once viewed, the image cannot be erased from memory only over-written"

Definitely SFW but still assuredly highly unsettling, a photoshop contest to turn celebrity faces upside down:
http://www.freakingnews.com/Celebrities-Upside-Down-Pictures--2433.asp

Miss Thora Birch:



Comments]]> 2009-07-02T16:57:01-08:00 http://www.clarklittlephotography.com/gallery/



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