Catch of the Day

Hypnosis, 140 characters at a time

By Scott Langill

You will read Catch of the Day

You will read Catch of the Day

Forget 2012. Forget Y2K and the Harmonic Convergence. The epiphanous post-aught Aquarian event of the 21st Century will be Socialtrance. On January 4, 2010 at 8:30pm GMT, via Twitter and Facebook, British hypnotist Chris Hughes will a world record for the largest online hypnosis session. If you are under 18, pregnant, mentally unstable, or a drug or alcohol user; sorry, you’re being left behind. Visit Socialtrance and sign up to participate.

The Chris Hughes Hypnosis Webcast 2010

Caganers and the Official NORAD Santa Tracker

By Scott Langill

Santa visiting Tokyo

Santa visiting Tokyo

Christmas “caganers” are the ubiquitous icons that have populated most Nativity scenes in Spain’s Catalonia region for the last three centuries or so. “Caganers” are portrayed with pants down answering a call of nature. The origin of the caganer (literally, “pooper”) is unclear, but Catalonia is now home to artists who craft statuettes of religious figures poised to relieve themselves, and the franchise extends to renditions of sports figures and celebrities.

Caganers: figurines of defecating world leaders in Catalan nativity scenes

(S)catalonia’s Fecal Christmas Festivities

Official NORAD Santa Tracker

Sketchy Santas

By Scott Langill

CD091214

He knows if you've been bad or good...

They have greeting cards also.

Sketchy Santas

Twoddler

By Scott Langill

How did Fisher Price miss this bet?

How did Fisher Price miss this bet?

Twoddler is a prototype. A modified Fisher Price activity center, it has its activities monitored wirelessly by a computer and translated into Tweets. Presumably next year’s must have toy for the babbling set.

Twoddler Toy Lets Toddlers Tweet

Twoddler: Twittering Toddlers

Paleo-Future

By Scott Langill

Where's my commuter helicopter? (c. 1947)

Where's my commuter helicopter? (c. 1947)

A look into the future that never was. And I’m still waiting for my jetpack.

Paleo-Future

Inflatable Fruitcake

By Scott Langill

The Horror.....

The Horror.....

A New Family Tradition!

Inflatable Fruitcake

Over The Top

By Scott Langill

Bull Leaping

Bull Leaping

They must be getting tired of bullfighting and the Running of the Bulls, because Spain is now going retro with the 5,000 year old sport of taurokathapsia (Bull Leaping). Bull leapers gather annually in various Spanish cities to taunt and jump over bulls attempting to impale them. But unlike the favorite pastime of Minoan Crete (and other Bronze Age tail gaters) grasping the horns is optional. In this way the Recortadores are more similar to the contemporary, but equally dangerous, Course Landaise performed with young cows in France.

Bull Leaper Performing A Superman Jump

Spain’s Death-Defying Bull Leapers

Bull-Leaping in Bronze Age Crete

Screen Cleaners

By Scott Langill

Girl Licking Screen

Girl Licking Screen

The Pug (Dog) and Cat are linked all over the web. There are even screensaver versions of them. Beyond Pugs, there’s bulldogs, bassets, beagles, and dachshunds; along with more cats, and the occasional rabbit or hamster. There’s even YouTube videos of girls and babies, and the ubiquitous animated Girl Licking Screen mobile phone screensaver shown above. There’s an iconic Thing Licking Screen on deviantART that has found its way on to lots of webpages. But laminally speaking, where are the chameleons, frogs, and anteaters? For more traditional screen washing the fourteen year old Internet Squeegee Guy still has a home on the web.

Dog Licking Screen

Licking Cat

Licking Cat and Dog Screensavers

Girls Licking The Screen

Girl Licking Screen Screensaver

Thing Licking Screen

Internet Squeegee Guy

Bank Robbers’ Demand Notes

By Scott Langill

The Cell Phone Bandit

The Cell Phone Bandit

Bank Notes is a site that features the text of demand notes used in “successful and unsuccessful unarmed bank robberies,” along with a photo of the robber who penned it.

Bank Notes

Close Encounters Chic

By Scott Langill

CD091027

A Lamp That Celebrates Alien Cow Abductions Everywhere

Lasse Klein’s limited edition Alien Abduction Lamp features a laser engraved signature on the lamp and a specially printed certificate poster. The lamp comes complete with a glowing alien crew and real fake grass. The antenna function as the on-off switch and can also enable light pulsation. And of course, the cow can be removed so that you can place any figure or object that you want to have abducted in the beam. At $100 a pop, the lamp isn’t cheap, but it is slick. For those not creatively challenged, Dollar Store Crafts shows how you can Make an Alien Abduction Lamp for about five dollars.

Limited edition Alien Abduction Lamp

Dollar Store Crafts Make an Alien Abduction Lamp