News of the Weird - this just in!

[Nereus]

Thai man dies playing video game

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/wo ... ideo-game/

BANGKOK (AFP) - A Thai video game addict died in front of his computer after a string of marathon all-night sessions, police said Thursday.

The body of the 24-year-old man was found slumped in his chair in his room in Samut Songkhram province southwest of Bangkok, according to authorities.

"He was addicted to games. He hardly went to bed but always played computer games from night until morning," local police officer Chaichana Boonrod told AFP by telephone.

His body will be sent for autopsy to determine the cause of death, police said.

[PeteC]

No doubt he cause of death is stupidity. Pete

[Nereus]

US 'planned to blow up moon'

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/wo ... w-up-moon/

The United States planned to blow up the moon with a nuclear bomb to win Cold War bragging rights over the-then Soviet Union, scientists claim.

A report in London's Daily Mail this morning says that at the height of the 1950s space race, the US considered detonating an atom bomb on the moon as a display of America's Cold War muscle.

The secret project, A Study of Lunar Research Flights, and nicknamed Project A119, was never carried out.

The Daily Mail article says the mission's planning included calculations by astronomer Carl Sagan, then a young graduate student, of the behavior of dust and gas generated by the blast.

In 2000 physicist Leonard Reiffel said that viewing the nuclear flash from earth might have intimidated the Soviet Union and boosted US confidence after the launch of Sputnik.

Reiffel, now 85, directed the inquiry at the former Armour Research Foundation, now part of the Illinois Institute of Technology. He later served as a deputy director at NASA.

Sagan, who later became renowned for popularizing science on television, died in 1996.

According to the Daily Mail, the author of one of Sagan's biographies suggested that he may have committed a security breach in 1959 after revealing the classified project in an academic fellowship application. Reiffel concurred.

Under the scenario, a missile carrying a small nuclear device was to be launched from an undisclosed location and travel 238,000 miles to the moon, where it would be detonated upon impact.

The planners decided it would have to be an atom bomb because a hydrogen bomb would have been too heavy for the missile, the Daily Mail article says.

Military officials apparently abandoned the idea because of the danger to people on Earth in case the mission failed.

The scientists also registered concerns about contaminating the moon with radioactive material, Reiffel said.

The US Air Force refuses to comment on the claims.

[Dannie Boy]

Just stumbled across this - 10 of the worlds biggest unsolved mysteries, some of them more interesting than others!!

http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/arts-cultu ... rongorongo

[hhfarang]

UFO spotted in Sakon Nakhon on Christmas Day



The Thai online community is buzzing about an alleged photo of a UFO that was taken by an eighth grade student on Christmas Day.

As you can see above, the photo is totes convincing and anyone who says otherwise is a joyless cynic.

On Dec 25, Sawang Dindaeng School in Sakon Nakhon organized a variety of outdoor activities to celebrate its “Sports Day.” One of the participants, Thidarat Boonlee, enjoyed the proceedings so thoroughly that she felt like she had to take a photo to commemorate the occasion.

At 2PM, Thidarat pulled out her mobile phone and took a snapshot of her friends, who were seated on the grandstand opposite. In addition to her friends, the high schooler found that she had snapped a photo of a flying saucer.

Incredulous about her find, Thidarat attempted to take a second photo of the coconut tree behind which the UFO had appeared, but the saucer failed to make a second appearance.

Weerayos Yuttarin, an English teacher at the school, told Mthai that Thidarat was a well-behaved student who was unlikely to fabricate the story.

“I heard many teachers talking about their UFO experience on the same day but I did not believe since there was no concrete evidence,” said Weerayos.

Weerayos added that behind the row of coconut trees were townhouses that should not have a height of more than three stories.

No word yet from the Catholic Church regarding the theological implications of a UFO sighting on Christmas, but just to be on the safe side, we here at Coconuts HQ are going to start worshipping this new “Space Christ” with ritual sacrifices of iPhone 3s and goats’ blood. Y’know, just to be on the safe side.

Source: http://www.coconutsbangkok.com/news/ufo ... stmas-day/

[lindosfan1]

Water-induced finger wrinkles improve handling of wet objects
Kyriacos Kareklas, Daniel Nettle and Tom V. Smulders⇓
+ Author Affiliations

Centre for Behaviour and Evolution, Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University, Henry Wellcome Building Framlington Place, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK
e-mail: tom.smulders@ncl.ac.uk
Abstract

Upon continued submersion in water, the glabrous skin on human hands and feet forms wrinkles. The formation of these wrinkles is known to be an active process, controlled by the autonomic nervous system. Such an active control suggests that these wrinkles may have an important function, but this function has not been clear. In this study, we show that submerged objects are handled more quickly with wrinkled fingers than with unwrinkled fingers, whereas wrinkles make no difference to manipulating dry objects. These findings support the hypothesis that water-induced finger wrinkles improve handling submerged objects and suggest that they may be an adaptation for handling objects in wet conditions.

What a waste of time and money

[richard]

Does this mean that now I'm becoming an old wrinkly I'll be better at handling a smoothie?

[lindosfan1]

me the same

[Arcadian]

Does this mean that now I'm becoming an old wrinkly I'll be better at handling a smoothie?

Only under water

[Nereus]

Snake hitches a ride with Qantas

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/br ... th-qantas/

You're flying at 25,000ft, enjoying a chilled glass of champagne, when you look to your left and see a 3m python hanging on to the wing for dear life.

It's enough to make you spit out your bubbly.

That's what happened on a Qantas jet flying from Cairns to Port Moresby on Thursday morning.

The plane was around 20 minutes into the flight when a female passenger noticed the poor reptile, believed to be a scrub python, battling to survive in the sub zero temperatures.

Passenger Robert Weber told Fairfax that people at the rear of the plane were totally focused on the snake, and couldn’t believe how it had got into its precarious position.

''I felt quite sad for it, really.

"For the remainder of the flight, he was trying to pull himself back into the plane, even though he was fighting against 400km/h winds," he said.

There was nothing anyone could do for the poor creature, which was being whipped against the engine from the strong winds, creating a blood trail on the plane.

The python was dead on arrival when QF191 touched down at Port Moresby just before 8am.

A Qantas spokesperson said the snake must have taken refuge on the outside of the aircraft at Cairns Airport overnight before takeoff.

[Nereus]

Ah, so that's why Lomu is in the UK at the moment!

.......................................................................................................
Landlord lists his 31 rules of renting

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/of ... f-renting/

A flat-hunting woman in London has been left stunned by the list of extraordinary rules presented to her by a landlord when she asked about renting.

Laura Evelyn was so amazed by the list of rules that she posted them online - and, understandably, didn't move in to the Wood Green, north London flat

The rules included having visitors approved two weeks in advance, no pets, no pork in the fridge and cooking limited to 30 minutes.

But wait, there's more: Don't use other people's shampoo; alcohol must be kept in your room; showers are limited to 15 minutes; no food to be eaten in bedrooms.

There were 31 instructions in all.

Laura told the Mail Online: "(The landlord) seemed intelligent and friendly. He only gave me the list as I was leaving.

"It made for amusing Tube reading.'

Laura uploaded the image with the words: 'Need a room to rent? I was given this upon a recent viewing. This is not a joke! #heseemedsonormal'.

Check out the rest of the list below...............(at the link.)

[STEVE G]

"We petition the Obama administration to:
Secure resources and funding, and begin construction of a Death Star by 2016."

The Whitehouse has responded to a petition to build a Star Wars style Death Star after it got more than 34,000 signatures:
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petiti ... 6/wlfKzFkN

"The Administration does not support blowing up planets."

[PeteC]

Wa's that?! .....a drunk monk driving a bus.

Drunk, drugged monk steals bus

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/crimes/ ... steals-bus

Published: 15 Jan 2013 at 11.55
Online news: Crimes

An intoxicated Buddhist monk drove off in a public bus parked at a depot in Samut Prakan province early Tuesday morning, police said.

462898.jpg (51.54 KiB) Viewed 1201 times

Police patrols were ordered to stop the Route 21 bus, which normally travels between Wat Khu Sang and Phrahurat. The bus was later found abandoned about five kilometres away on Khu Sang-Pracha Uthit road in tambon Bang Pla Kot of Phra Samut Chedi district. The thief was nowhere to be found.

The bus's regular driver Kamolsak Maneechansuk, 40, followed the bus on a motorcycle. He told police that he left the bus motor running at the depot, never thinking it would be stolen, when he got out briefly to pick up something. When he returned the bus had already disappeared. He was told by other workers that a monk who appeared to be drunk had driven off in the bus.

Police later found 37-year-old Phra Yotpetch Khunwanchum strolling nearby. He was wearing only the lower half of his robe and was incoherent when spoken to. Police took him to the station.

After he sobered up, the monk admitted he drank an alcoholic beverage to help with indigestion. He said he could not remember what happened after that and regained consciousness only while he was sitting in the bus. He also confessed that he had taken some methamphetamine supplied by a young monk last month.

He tested positive for the drug and will face charges, police said.

[Nereus]

"Disrespectful" IKEA ad touches nerve with Thai transsexuals

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/of ... nssexuals/

BANGKOK (Reuters) - A Thai man and his girlfriend are shopping at a furniture store. She sees pillows on sale and gets excited, her feminine voice falls suddenly to a deep male-like tone.

Shocked and horrified, her boyfriend runs off.

The advertisement by IKEA, the world's biggest furniture retailer, has incensed a Thai transgender group which called it "negative and stereotypical" and "a gross violation of human rights" in an open letter to the Swedish retail giant.

The 20-second commercial shown on YouTube (http://link.reuters.com/gyz45t) and on Bangkok's trains in December and January entitled "Luem Aeb" ("Forget to Keep Hidden"), was disrespectful to transsexuals, according to the Thai Transgender Alliance, which demanded an explanation from IKEA.

Transgenders, or "Ladyboys" as they are often referred to, are widely accepted in Thailand and are commonplace in the fashion, beauty and entertainment industries, but are not officially recognized as women.

A marketing official at IKEA Thailand, which opened its first store in the country in November 2011, said on Thursday it had talked with the group in response to its January 9 complaint.

"IKEA has spoken to the group over the telephone and the conversation went very smoothly. We are now drafting a letter in response," the official said, declining to be identified.

[PeteC]

Does anyone not believe in fate after reading this one? Pete


Falling tree kills rich businessman

Published: 28 Jan 2013 at 16.43
Online news: Local News

PATHUM THANI – A wealthy businessman has died after he was crushed by a tree that fell on him while he was riding a motorcycle in Muang district on Sunday, according to reports.

Police and medical units pulled the severely injured man out from under the tree and rushed him to hospital.

He was later identified as Charoen Chanpalangsri, owner of Polycon Ltd, a 2-3 billion baht a year business.

“It was a dead tree, and it fell down on its own and landed on top of him,” according to a witness. The tree died during the great floods of 2011 and toppled over as Charoen was riding past on his motorcycle.

Charoen succumbed to his injuries in hospital.