The Ancient Sport of Camel Jumping in the Deserts of Yemen
The men of the Zaraniq tribe, on the west coast of Yemen, have a truly unique tradition – they jump over a row of camels just like modern daredevils jump over cars. Famous throughout Yemen for their speed, strength and courage, the members of the Zaraniq tribe are the world’s only professional camel jumpers. Taking running […]
Ming Liang Lu – A Self-Described Master Paper Portrait Cutter
He’s not the best English speaker in New York, but his skills with the scissors makes Ming Liang Lu one of the most popular subway artists in the big city. The Chinese master claims the art he practices, cutting people’s portraits out of black paper, is unique in the world. If you’ve ever used the […]
Real-Life Mutant Girl Causes Things around Her to Catch on Fire
A yet unnamed 11-year-old girl from Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City has been making headlines in Asia, for her alleged uncontrollable power to set things around her on fire. According to Vietnamese website Ngoisao, on May 12, a young girl living in the Tan Binh district of Ho Chi Minh has burned down almost the entire third […]
Painter/Scientist Turns Neuroscience into Visual Art
Greg Dunn is on his way to earning a doctorate in neuroscience, from the University of Pennsylvania, but he’s also passionate about pan-Asian art, so he decided to combine his two main interests into one unique art form. Dunn paints neurons, the tiny cells that comprise our brain, using the Asian sumi-e style, an ancient […]
Dream Job: University Will Pay You $3,500 to Eat Fast Food for Three Months
Let’s face it, many of us do it for free, but Washington University, in St. Louis, will gladly pay participants in its new study $3,500 to eat fast food for a period of three months. I tell you, job offers don’t get much better than this. A top American university is conducting a study on […]
World’s Largest Chocolate Sculpture Is a Tribute to the Mayan Civilization
To celebrate its 30th anniversary, Qzina Specialty Foods has set a new Guinness Record for the World’s Largest Chocolate Sculpture, by creating a sweet replica of a Mayan temple weighing 18,239 pounds. Qzina chose a Mayan theme for their impressive project, because the ancient civilization played a crucial role in the discovery of chocolate. They […]
Carlos Zuniga Creates Art on Phone Book Pages
Chilean artist Carlos Zuniga creates detailed portraits and images by simply striking out names from phone book pages, with black ink. Sounds simple enough, but the results are awe-inspiring. Carlos Zuniga isn’t the first artist to use phone books as the main medium for his works. Alex Queral has also been using them to carve […]
Swiss Website Lets You Hike through the Alps without Breaking a Sweat
If you’re a couch potato who dreams of seeing the beautiful Alps without actually doing any hiking, you can thank technology for the unbelievable experience offered by WebWandern.ch. Translated as Web Hike, this revolutionary website allows visitors to see the most beautiful sights the Alps have to offer, from the perspective of a hiker. To […]
Photo-Realistic Living Grass Images by Ackroyd and Harvey
Most artists prefer to paint or draw their artistic portraits, but Surrey-based English artists Heather Ackroyd and Dan Harvey grow theirs from living grass. We’ve featured some pretty amazing art here, on Oddity Central, but this probably takes the cake. English duo Ackroyd & Harvey have managed to harness the power of photosynthesis to fix photographic […]
Website Lets You Blackmail Yourself to Reach Goals
Aherk! is an ingenious online service that allows people to blackmail themselves in order to achieve their personal goals, through pressure. If you’ve had trouble dealing with personal goals, but always manage to do good in school or at work, you probably already know it has something to do with feeling under pressure. Some people […]
Unique Animal Art at the Bikaner Camel Festival
If you thought your hairstylist was amazing, wait until you see what living masterpieces these Indian camel enthusiasts can create with just scissors and a lot of patience. Every year, the desert city of Bikaner, in India’s state of Rajasthan, hosts one of the most colorful events in the world – the Bikaner Camel Festival. […]
Coolest Finds of the Week #38
Pedal-Powered Ferrari Is World’s Coolest Bike (Autoblog) Man Wins $1 Million Cash Prize Six Times (Daily Mail) 17 Photos from the World’s Most Colorful Festival (Environmental Graffiti) Man Completes Triathlon while Joggling (AOL) Unique Display of 100,000 LED Lights on a River in Tokyo (Laughing Squid) Guy Gives Himself Magnet Implants to Attach iPod Nano […]
Indian Woman Has Been on a Hunger Strike for the Last 12 Years
When someone famous, like the former Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, goes on a hunger strike, the whole world knows about it, but Irom Sharmila Chanu, an ordinary woman from India, has been on a political fast for the last 12 years, and hardly anyone even knows she exists. Irom Sharmila Chanu, also known as the Iron […]
Amazing Artist Draws with Both Hands at the Same Time
Xiaonan Sun has become a YouTube sensation after a video of him drawing the portraits of Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins with both hands, at the same time, went viral. It’s definitely one of the coolest things I have ever seen. Let’s face it, YouTube is full of videos of talented artists drawing realistic portraits […]
Patrick Brysbaert – Probably the World’s Most Eccentric Lawyer
Lawyers usually sport classic hairstyles, slick suits and expensive cars, but not Patrick Brysbaert. His Mohawk hairdo, multiple face piercings and leather pants make him probably the most eccentric lawyer in the world. “Lawyers should dare to show what is under their robes. We represent the whole society, so even people who are a little […]