DAVID ADAMS writes about the odder side of life…
• It sounds like a scene out of that Hugh Jackman film, Real Steel, but we’ve had word that giant robots from the US and Japan are going to battle it out next year in a winner takes all – well, pride at least – contest. The duel was apparently initially proposed by US-based company MegaBots via a video posted to YouTube and earlier this week Japanese robotmaker Suidobashi Heavy Industry agreed – via another video on YouTube – that the duel will go ahead. The robots will fight in “hand-to-hand” combat as well as launching paintballs and other missiles at each other. MegaBots will apparently be using its massive 5.2 ton ‘Mark II’ robot, manned by two people, and Suidobahi its smaller ‘Kuratas’ robot (which weighs only four tons). Can’t wait!
• There’s been much talk about using bugs in food in recent years and much of it has been dismissed. But now US burger chain, Wayback Burgers, has launched an ‘Oreo Mud Pie Cricket’ milkshake which comes complete with Peruvian chocolate-flavoured cricket protein powder. Yes, cricket as in the chirping bug. Fun fact – Wayback says a 3.5 ounce serving of crickets (about 100 grams) contains as much as 50 grams of protein (double that of the same sized serving of beef).
• How far do you reckon you can spit a cherry pit? American teenager Megan Ankrapp reportedly found out last Saturday when she managed to spit the pit almost 15 metres at the 42nd annual International Cherry Pit-Spitting Championships. Meanwhile in other weird sporting news, a Finnish couple – Ville Parviainen and Janette Oksman – have apparently won the 19th World Wife Carrying Championships while in the US there’s reportedly been an upset in the annual Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Contest on New York’s Coney Island with Matthew “Megatoad” Stonie munching through 62 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes, ending the eight year run of former champ Joey Chestnut.
