Weird Universe Archive

May 2017

May 7, 2017

Holcombe’s Mechanical Partner

I'd like to see this gadget in action. Unfortunately I can't find any videos of it.

It doesn't seem to have survived past 1954.

Popular Science - Oct 1954



LA Times - July 1, 1954

Posted By: Alex - Sun May 07, 2017 - Comments (4)
Category: Inventions, 1950s, Dance

Follies of the Madmen #313



That is one friendly and powerful cereal.

Original ad here.

Posted By: Paul - Sun May 07, 2017 - Comments (7)
Category: Anthropomorphism, Business, Advertising, Products, Food, 1900s

May 6, 2017

Coffin Birth

Also known as "postmortem fetal extrusion." The term describes the phenomenon of a dead woman giving birth to a dead baby, the "birth" being caused by the buildup of gas pressure in her decomposing body. It's not known for sure that this actually happens, because no one has ever witnessed it, but archaeological evidence has led researchers to conclude that it probably does.

More info: Bones Don't Lie, Seeker, Wikipedia.



Posted By: Alex - Sat May 06, 2017 - Comments (2)
Category: Death, Pregnancy

A Word to the Wives

Posted By: Paul - Sat May 06, 2017 - Comments (0)
Category: Domestic, Family, Stereotypes and Cliches, 1950s

May 5, 2017

Humanure

Check out the Humanure Film in which "Humanure Girl" travels from the future to teach us about the benefits of making compost from human feces.



And if you want to dive deeper into the subject of Humanure, the Humanure Handbook by Joseph Jenkins seems to be like the Bible of Humanure enthusiasts.

Posted By: Alex - Fri May 05, 2017 - Comments (2)
Category: Body Fluids, Excrement

Groucho & Chico Go To Jail





I cannot find any subsequent info on this case, which I had never heard of before. Did the Marx Bros. win on appeal? I certainly don't think they ever went to jail.

Original article here.

Posted By: Paul - Fri May 05, 2017 - Comments (5)
Category: Crime, Humor, Comedians, 1930s

May 4, 2017

Destruct Therapy

The Stop Stress Group is a Spanish company founded by Jorge Arribas Haro in 2003. It offers stress management and team-building therapy to companies, and it specializes in "Destruct Therapy" (Destructoterapia), which involves giving office workers sledge hammers, taking them out to a junk yard, and having them vent their rage on "cars, washing machines, refrigerators, television sets, and so on."

In the video below there's one burly guy who seems like a ringer, and then a bunch of people who are more like tapping the car with the sledgehammer. They're probably thinking, "Why do we have to do this idiotic team building exercise?"

The concept of Destruct Therapy reminds me of Destructivist Art.

via Pinterest



Posted By: Alex - Thu May 04, 2017 - Comments (5)
Category: Business, Psychology

The Rhino





More info here.

1954 coverage here.

Posted By: Paul - Thu May 04, 2017 - Comments (0)
Category: Inventions, Motor Vehicles, 1950s

May 3, 2017

Pineapple Becomes Art

Random object mistaken as art. Over at Robert Gordon University in Scotland, fourth-year student Ruairi Gray claims that he bought a pineapple from the local supermarket and then placed it beside the "Look Again" art and design exhibition at the university.

He returned a few days later and discovered that his pineapple had been moved into a glass case. [RGU:Union]





It reminds me of that incident last year in which some teenagers put a pair of glasses on the floor at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and soon a crowd had gathered to look at the "exhibit."

Posted By: Alex - Wed May 03, 2017 - Comments (3)
Category: Art, Avant Garde

Salongo



A forgotten early album by the Insane Clown Posse?

Ramsey Lewis at Wikipedia.

Posted By: Paul - Wed May 03, 2017 - Comments (3)
Category: Music, 1970s, Body Painting, Face and Facial Expressions

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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 books such as Elephants on Acid.

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.

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