Boredom
Country Farming: Innovations of the Modern Tractor (1955-1959)
Nothing will probably ever beat TIMBER BRIDGE INSPECTION (reprinted below for newbies) as the gold standard for boredom, but twenty minutes of UK tractor talk comes close.
Posted By: Paul - Mon Aug 12, 2019 -
Comments (3)
Category: Agriculture, Boredom, PSA’s, United Kingdom
Putnik Ride
It's hard to see what this thing did, other than revolve around the fake Earth. Swing up and down, maybe? I assume there was a counterbalancing capsule on the other end of the boom.Plus, 300 riders per hour? Three in each capsule, as shown. Six total per "ride." That's fifty rides per hour, given filling and emptying the capsules. One minute swinging around at the end of a boom?
Surely one of the dullest rides ever invented.
Source.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Dec 28, 2018 -
Comments (2)
Category: Boredom, Fairs, Amusement Parks, and Resorts, Spaceflight, Astronautics, and Astronomy, 1950s
Longest Trailer
Filmmaker Anders Weberg plans on releasing his great masterpiece Ambiancé in 2020. It'll clock in at 720 hours long (30 days). But to whet everyone's appetite, he released a trailer in 2014 that's a mere 7 hours and 20 minutes long.More info: thelongestfilm.com
Or you could watch the speeded-up version, only 1 minute long.
Posted By: Alex - Thu Sep 27, 2018 -
Comments (3)
Category: Boredom, Movies
Harvesting and Storage of Sorghum Silage
In our untiring quest to find the most boring material ever filmed or written, which began with "Timber Bridge Inspection," reposted below, we bring you the entire contents of a scintillating pamphlet.
Original document here.
Posted By: Paul - Sat Jan 20, 2018 -
Comments (0)
Category: Agriculture, Boredom, Government, 1970s
On Horseback and By Highway: Administrative Facilities of the Wasatch-Cache National Forest, 1902-1960.
It's been way too long since we set the Gold Standard of Boredom with the TIMBER BRIDGE INSPECTION video.But maybe we can match it with this pamphlet. Feel free to read all 214 pages at the link.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Nov 22, 2017 -
Comments (0)
Category: Boredom, Government, Twentieth Century
Vexations by Erik Satie
Eccentric composer Erik Satie wrote "Vexations," a four-line piece of music, around 1893, though that date is a guess because it remained undiscovered until his death in 1925. It was an unexceptional piece of music (by design), except for the instructions he attached that seemed to indicate that it should be played "840 times in succession" by a pianist who should "prepare oneself beforehand, in the deepest silence, by serious immobilities." It's not clear why he chose the number 840.It was first performed in September 1963 at the Pocket Theater in Manhattan. Composer John Cage arranged for a relay team of 10 pianists to play the entire thing, 840 times. The entire performance lasted 18 hours and 40 minutes.
There was a $5 admission fee for audience members, but you got 5 cents back for every 20 minutes you listened to it. Joel Meltz sat through the whole thing, so ended up getting a refund of $2.80.
It's subsequently been performed a number of times and is, of course, available on YouTube. Check out the video below of the guy who plays the entire thing, alone, in under 10 hours.
San Bernardino County Sun - Sep 11, 1963
Posted By: Alex - Mon Apr 17, 2017 -
Comments (6)
Category: Boredom, Music, 1960s
Roy L. Gray, the Most Average Man
In 1927, William S. Dutton, a writer for American magazine, decided to locate America's most average man. The requirements were that whoever it was had to be:To conduct his search, Dutton used the census report, a map, and a weather chart to select America's most average city, which he decided was Fort Madison, Iowa. Then he conducted a survey of Fort Madison's residents to determine who the most average man living there was.
He finally settled on Roy L. Gray, owner of a clothing store. Gray was 43 years old, married, and had two children.
Dutton knocked on Gray's door and informed him that he was the most average man in America. Gray seemed to take the news in stride. He agreed to an interview, and then was whisked off to Chicago where he was given the VIP treatment, which included getting to meet the mayor. Then he returned to his average life, and as far as I can tell never made the news again.
He should have tried to hook up with Miss Typical.
Rushville Daily Republican - Oct 26, 1927
The Lincoln Star - Oct 25, 1927
Posted By: Alex - Thu Feb 16, 2017 -
Comments (3)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Boredom, 1920s
Hedge Laying Championships
Their homepage.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Aug 04, 2016 -
Comments (1)
Category: Boredom, Contests, Races and Other Competitions, Eccentrics, Horticulture and Gardens, Europe, Natural Resources
Trimming Beets for Victory!
WWII was won through strategic use of beets--apparently. No sound on this video.
Posted By: Paul - Mon Mar 07, 2016 -
Comments (7)
Category: Agriculture, Boredom, Food, PSA’s, War, 1940s
The Life Cycle of the Pin Mould
"If a ripe head is squeezed, an enormous number of little things fastened together in a sticky mess are jerked out."
They teach this filth in our schools!?!
Posted By: Paul - Tue Sep 22, 2015 -
Comments (3)
Category: Boredom, Hygiene, Innuendo, Double Entendres, Symbolism, Nudge-Nudge-Wink-Wink and Subliminal Messages, Nature, 1940s
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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, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. 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. Contact Us |