StrangeSights

• Can it really be that time of the year already? Awarded for the oddest book title, the annual Diagram Prize has this year been awarded to Professor Philip M Parker’s book, The 2009-2014 World Outlook for 60-miligram Containers of Fromage Frais. Second prize was awarded to Baboon Metaphysics followed by Curbside Consultation of the Colon.

• Japanese scientists have reportedly come up with a range of odour-free underwear. The underwear was developed for Koichi Wakata, the first Japanese astronaut to live on the International Space Station, who is now testing them in space. The clothing is designed to kill bacteria, absorb water and dry quickly. The items, known as J-ware, were apparently given a test last year during a space shuttle mission and despite the wearer undergoing a vigorous workout, remained dry.

• Rising waters won’t stop tourists taking in sights such as Venice with news of the development of a coach which can travel on land or on the water. Touted as the world’s first fully amphibious passenger coach, the AmphiCoach - which has wheels which retract in water - is expected to go into production later this year. Australian companies are among those said to be interested in the new vehicle.

• Australian pub-goers are apparently helping to police the United States border without even getting up from their barstool. More than 100,000 web users - mostly based in the US but including some from across the globe - have reportedly signed up to become “virtual border patrol deputies” after a network of webcams was set up to enable to public to help local authorities police the 2018 kilometre US-Mexican border. Among those apparently watching are some Australians who emailed to say they were watching while in the pub.

• Damaged the paintwork on the car? Not to worry, US scientists say they have developed a new polyurethane coating that mends itself when exposed to sunlight. Marek Urban and Biswajit Ghosh, of the University of Southern Mississippi, created the material using a natural substance found in the shells of crabs and shrimps. The material could also be used for new forms of packages, clothes and even bandages.

• Golfers, prepare to gnash your teeth. Apparently Unni Haskell didn’t know she’d done anything special when she hit a hole-in-one with her first ever golf shot. “I didn’t know it was that big of a deal,” the 62-year-old reportedly said after putting the ball in the cup at Cypress Links in St Petersburg, Florida. “I thought all golfers do this.”

• New evidence has emerged that Robin Hood, the legendary figure who robbed from the rich to give to the poor, may not have been as welcomed by the poor as the story says. British academic Julian Luxford says a recently discovered 23 word note in a history book Polychronicon, written by a monk in Latin in 1460, claims the outlaw was a persistent thief who, along with his accomplices “infested Sherwood” with “continous robberies”. Dr Luxford says the note - which may be the earliest written reference to Hood - provides a “uniquely negative perspective” of him but also helps to support claims that he was based around Sherwood.

• Still in England and an entire village has been placed on the market with an asking price of around £22.5 million. The village of Linkenholt, near Andover in Hampshire, comes complete with two blacksmiths, shop, cricket club and manor house as well as 22 houses and cottages. It’s being sold by the charitable trust which was left the village by the previous owner.

• A “secret” message has been discovered in a gold watch owned by Abraham Lincoln. The engraving, which is located under the dial, was carved by watchmaker Jonathan Dillon and is dated 13th April, 1861, the date when the American Civil War began. It records in part: “Fort Sumpter was attacked by the rebels”. Dillon reportedly told the The New York Times some 45 years later that he inscribed the message after hearing the first shots of the war had been fired. He said that as far as he knew, no-one had ever seen the inscription. The inscription was unveiled earlier this month at the National Museum of American History.

• Sixty-five per cent of respondents to a UK poll have admitted they have claimed to have read a book which they haven’t. The poll also reportedly showed that as many as 42 per cent lied about reading the George Orwell classic Nineteen Eighty-Four, 31 per cent said they had lied about reading Tolstoy’s War and Peace, 25 per cent admitted the same when it came to James Joyce’s Ulysses and 24 per cent the Bible. The motivation is apparently all to do with appearing intelligent.

• An art exhibition opening in The Netherlands allows people to call a phone number designated for God. Dutch artist Johan van der Dong reportedly said he chose a mobile phone number to show God is available anytime. Those ringing the number encounter a voicemail message which says it is the voice of God and asks them to leave a message. Messages left, says the artist, will remain confidential.

• A UK heritage group believes it has uncovered the only authentic image of playwright William Shakespeare made in his lifetime. The portrait was painted in 1610 when he was aged 46, says The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. The writer has a much fuller head of hair than previous depictions.

Technorati Profile

• It’s just not cricket - or at least not as we know it. Paul Campbell of the Australian National University has reportedly uncovered evidence that cricket - that quintessentially English game - may not have its origins in England after all. He’s unearthed what may be the first written reference to the sport - a 1533 poem - which suggests the sport may have been introduced to England by immigrants from Flanders, modern-day Belgium, France and Holland. In the poem, John Skelton refers to Flemish weavers, somewhat dismissively, as “kings of crekettes”.

• It’s the latest in computer protection - software that causes a stolen computer to shout out “Stop thief!” or words to that effect when turned on. The Retriever software, created by Colorado-based company Front Door Software Corporation, will also reportedly cause a banner to appear on the desktop once the owner has reported their computer stolen at a website.

• It’s bleak take on the world’s future. Sydney-based design firm, Carlos Labs, has tweaked Google Maps to create an app that shows how your city would be affected if a nuclear bomb was dropped on it. The mapplet allows you to choose from a variety of weapons of different sizes and also shows the affect of an asteroid strike. A chilling reminder of what nuclear weapons can do.