StrangeSights

• Think you look like Superman? Or perhaps it’s Batman that you reckon you resemble? Whichever you choose, it’s now possible to create an action figure of your favorite superhero complete with your face. Online firm Firebox say they just require you to send through two photos of your face - one from the front and one from the side. They will then use these to create a custom made head bearing your face which can be put on top of your favorite action figure character - everyone from the Joker to Catwoman. The figures could make a great conversation piece - after all they all come with a supplied plinth upon which to stand, and, where they will “remind you (and others), who you really are”. You can see a picture on Sight’s Pinterest page here…

• Can’t decide between a pizza and a cheeseburger? Why not have both. Pizza Hut’s Middle Eastern stores have reportedly released a new pizza which features 12 mini cheeseburgers placed on top. There are apparently no plans to introduce the Crown Crust Pizza to the US as yet. You can see a picture of the pizza on Sight’s Pinterest page here…

• It’s all a bit exciting - well, for these towns anyway. The Scottish town of Dull recently reportedly announced that it was seeking to become a twin town to the US town of Boring. The twinning, which apparently becomes official on 5th May, was the brainchild of a Scot who cycled through the town of Boring - which was named after its founding family.

• Ever wanted to live like a hamster? A hotel in France has been designed to allow humans to try out life as a hamster. Villa Hamster, located in a modernised 18th century building, reportedly features cages for rooms, haystacks in place of beds and human-sized running wheels. Guests are served organic “hamster grains” and water and have the option of wearing hamster hoodies as well. The hotel in Nantes has apparently been open for three years.

• Riding the elevator may never be the same again. UK biscuit maker McVities’ Jaffa Cakes has created a lift with lickable walls in a London building. It reportedly took food technicians and artists a month to stick more than 1,300 Jaffa Cake-flavoured stickers to the walls. The stickers are apparently removed once licked.

• A new cable channel has been launched in the US aimed solely at dogs. The on-demand channel DOGTV was originally launched in California with the aim of helping stay at home dogs stay out of trouble while their owners are at work. The content is specifically tailored for dogs with sound, colors and camera angles all apparently adjusted accordingly. And the stars of the shows are, of course, dogs. See http://dogtv.com.

• Theme tours are all the rage these days but here’s one that stands out from the crowd. IsraelThemeTours.com - having teamed up with the US-based Elvis Presley Enterprises - is offering an Elvis Presley-themed tour of the Holy Land next month which, as well as following in the footsteps of Jesus, cruising the Sea of Galilee and even perhaps being baptised in the Jordan River, will also feature a visit to an Elvis-themed restaurant and performances by some of Elvis’ favorite Gospel artists, Joe Moscheo and Terry Blackwood of Elvis’ Imperials and Bill Baize, a former member of J.D. Sumner and The Stamps. Limited to 100 travellers only, the clock is ticking. For more, see www.israelthemetours.com/elvis.

• Deckchairs don’t come any bigger than this one. A UK sculptor, Stuart Murdoch, has reportedly created the world’s biggest deckchair at the British beach resort of Bournemouth. The massive seat, which stands eight metres high, weighs six tonnes and could easily accommodate a whole family, was commissioned by drinks company Pimms to mark the start of British summer time last Sunday.

• Forget buying a house in France or even a chateau. What about an entire village? Located in Limousin, in central France, the deserted village of Courbefy was reportedly placed on the market in late February but passed in despite an asking price of just 300 euros (about $AUD382,00). Now in the hands of a bank it is going to be put up for auction again - with a slightly higher asking price - and the story has apparently attracted would-be buyers from across the globe. The village features more than a dozen buildings - the interiors of which have largely been stripped out - as well as a swimming pool, horse stable and tennis court.

• Remember when, some time ago, StrangeSights ran a piece about odd theme parks? We may have a new contender with the proposed Napoleonland near Paris in France. While the focus of the proposed park will reportedly very much be about the victories of the former Emperor Napoleon (and built on the site of his last victory at the Battle of Montereau against the Austrians in 1814), a re-enactment of the Battle of Waterloo (in which Napoleon lost to the Duke of Wellington) has been mooted as has a water show celebrating the defeat of his fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar (it was won by the British Admiral Lord Nelson, but at the cost of his life). Other proposed attractions include a re-creation of the guillotining of Louis XVI and a ’ski run’ through a battlefield.

• First there was a Lego man in space. Now a model of a space shuttle has flown close to the edge of space in an experiment involving a helium balloon. Built by a Romanian man, Oaida Raul, with the backing of Melbourne venture capitalist Steve Sammartino, the Lego space shuttle, which was superglued together, reportedly took off from Germany after failing to receive clearance to take off in Romania and soared almost 40 kilometres into the sky before returning to earth.

• Around 850 ‘human mattress dominoes’ gathered in New Orleans in the US earlier this month to smash the record for, you guessed it, the largest game of dominoes involving humans falling back onto mattresses. Apparently the previous record of 550 was set in Belgium in 2011. The record aside, another positive outcome was that the mattresses involved had been donated and were destined for charities.

• There’s an image of a headless bride, another of a group of people so blurry you can’t make out who they are, and, of course, images where much of the picture is taken up by fingers placed over the camera lens. UK company Red Cloud, which runs courses in good photography, is looking for Britain’s worst photographer and the gallery of images which have so far been submitted is enough to make anybody cringe. To see for yourself, head to www.redclouddays.co.uk

• More than 1,000 people armed with shovels and ladders took part in the annual Japan All-National Hole Digging Competition near Tokyo earlier this month. Entrants in the competition, now in its 12th year, compete for the Golden Shovel (and a cash prize) with the winners those who can dig the deepest hole in 30 minutes. Prizes are also awarded in other categories, such as the most creative hole and for the most creative costumes worn by the diggers.

• It’s a rug that can make you sick. Scientists in the US are reportedly investigating what they call “sickening rug phenomenon” in which the pattern of a rug can make people exhibit symptoms not unlike those of motion sickness. Dr Frederick Bonato, a psychology professor in New Jersey and lead author of the study, was quoted as saying he was surprised at people experienced symptoms after looking at a rug for only five minutes. “The carpet image was not moving; the people were not moving, but they reported feelings of self-motion and motion sickness,” he said, warning that people should be careful what they buy when looking for a new rug.

• Questions are apparently being asked about the citizenship of iconic cat cutie Hello Kitty following the publication of a new book, Hello Kitty’s Guide to Japan in English and Japanese. According to the official biography published by Sanrio, the company that owns the rights to her, Hello Kitty (real name Kitty White) was born in London. But, according to some, Kitty is so knowledgable about Japan in the new guide, which was reportedly authorised by Sanrio, that “the reader can only surmise she is either Japanese or an amazingly bilingual Japanese studies scholar”. The catfight has raised the ire of many in Japan and elsewhere and sparked countless internet debates but so far there’s been no official clarification forthcoming. Stay tuned.

• The voice of former German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck has been heard for the first time in 100 years in a series of remarkable recordings digitally restored by the Thomas Edison National Park museum in the US. The recordings, in which Bismarck can be heard reciting parts of songs and poetry in English, Latin, French, and German - including France’s national anthem, La Marseillaise - and advising his son Herbert to “live life in moderation”, was made in 1889 using a wax cylinder phonograph. Discovered in 1957, research on the recordings did not reportedly start until 2005.

• Being able to say words backwards is quite a remarkable feat yet Alyssa, a girl from Oklahoma in the US seems to be able to do so with little effort. In a video clip posted on YouTube which has, yes, gone viral around the globe, Alyssa is seen repeating backwards any word that’s thrown at her. You can see the video here.

• Tommaso, a former stray cat from Rome, became one of the world’s richest animals recently when he inherited more than $13 million in property and cash from his late mistress. Italian Maria Assunta, the childless widow of a property magnate, reportedly drew up a will which specified that Tommaso have her fortune spent on him and gave her lawyers the task of finding an animal welfare body to whom to give the inheritance and the job of looking after the four-year-old cat. The richest animal in the world is believed to be a German Shepherd called Gunther IV, who inherited about $140 million and who apparently now lives in a waterfront property in Miami. Follow this link for more on the world’s richest animals.

• He’s been everywhere, man. Lego Tourist is, you guessed it, a Lego man but what sets him apart from his millions of fellow minifigures is that he’s travelled thousands of kilometres around the world. Purchased by English woman Leanne Buchan last year before she took him to Australia, she now posts him to Lego enthusiasts around the world so they can photograph him in front of international landmarks and then mail him back. He’s already reportedly been snapped in front of so far are Tower Bridge in London, the Sydney Opera House and even in Norway where he attended the World Beard and Moustache Championships. Lego Tourist even has his own Facebook page where you can follow his wanderings.

• But back to animals and Pockets Warhol, a Capuchin monkey who lives at a primate sanctuary in Canada, must be toasting his success after reportedly selling his artworks for prices ranging into the hundreds of dollars. Buyers from as far afield as Europe have been buying the works which he started creating after being given the non-toxic paints to play with. The money raised will help fund a new barn for the sanctuary.

• A woman in England is offering people the chance to sleep in a stable - complete with ‘optional’ donkey - to experience the “true meaning” of Christmas. Fiona Turton, who lives in Sussex, has reportedly fitted out the stable with a double straw bed, manger and tea making facilities. Shepherd costumes are available for an extra charge. “By providing guests with an authentic nativity experience, I hope they can rediscover the true meaning of Christmas and all money goes to a great cause,” Ms Turton told the BBC.

• The world’s tallest Lego Christmas tree was unveiled in London last month. Standing 12.2 metres high, the tree at St Pancras Station in the city’s north features 600,000 bricks and took two months to build. It’s 172 branches are decorated with 1,000 baubles which are also made of Lego.

• Eighty chefs in Shanghai have created the world’s longest yule log - and it measures more than a kilometre. The 1,068 metre long cake was more than five times longer than the previous record-holder and reportedly contained more than 1,000 kilograms of flour, 904 eggs, 209 kilograms of sugar, 401 kilograms of chocolate and 34 kilograms of vanilla. It was unveiled at the city’s Pudong Shangri-La Hotel.

• Nothing like having a back-up plan. Authorities in Japan are taking the Scouts’ motto of ‘Be Prepared’ to the next level - they’ve reportedly proposed building an entire back-up city for Tokyo should it be hit by an earthquake or natural disaster again. To be called the IRTBBC (Integrated Resort, Tourism, Business and Backup City), it’s been proposed that the city will be built on a 1,236 acre site 300 kilometres west of Tokyo and will provide accommodation for 50,000 residents and 200,000 workers who will commute from nearby Osaka.

• The “world scariest bridge” has reportedly opened on the top of Tianmen Mountain in China. The bridge, a narrow, 200 foot long glass-bottomed walkway, is suspended from the side of a cliff 1,220 metres above sea level. Opened last month, it’s creation comes in the wake of a similar glass-bottomed walkway known as the Skywalk, which projects over the Grand Canyon (and the Eureka Skydeck, of course!).

• It’s an unusual crime prevention measure. A priest in Lodz, Poland, has been blessing manhole covers after town authorities asked him to do so to stop them being stolen by scrap metal thieves. All 4,000 of the town’s manhole covers were blessed at a church service.

• Fancy some sausage and mash. An ATM in London’s east is offering customers the choice of conducting their banking in English - or cockney. The Leytonstone machine reportedly offers those who choose Cockey the chance to obtain a Charlie Sheen (balance on the screen) and the chance to change their Huckleberry Finn (pin number). Cash is dispensed in various denominations including a Lady Godiva (fiver or £5) and a Horn of Plenty (£20).

• It’s an amateur snapper’s dream. An American company has produced a camera that takes images which, if unfocused at the time, can be focused later on. The pocket-sized Lytro uses “light field” technology to capture complete light field data and thus enable photographers to “shoot now and focus later”. The camera starts at $US399 for an eight gigabyte version.

• A mysterious Lego man has washed up on a US beach. The eight foot tall fibreglass Lego man reportedly washed shore last week on a Florida beach but is now being held in police custody until an owner comes forward. Named ‘Ego Leonard’, the figure bears the slogan ‘No real than you are’ on its top. It has been suggested that the man is the work of Dutch “guerilla artist” Leon Keer. A similar figure appeared on a Netherlands beach in 2007.