Tape, sparrows, fireworks: Chinese children play real-life Angry Birds

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Parents have long scaremongered that video games will have dangerous effects on children and, unfortunately, their fears have been confirmed.
In China a group of children have been found playing a real-life version of Angry Birds, the hit app that has proven so popular around the world that it even has its own film in the offing.

In a rather gruesome twist, school kids in a park in the Shaanxi Province of China strapped small birds such as sparrows onto fireworks and unleashed the rocket-propelled feather balls at nearby objects.

Huang Chu, 45, came across the carnage in the park and reported what was happening to local police. The kids ran away as he approached but left behind one rocket that had not gone off, with a bird still helplessly stuck to the side of the firework.

Chu told Chinese media: “I spoke to an older boy who told me that the others had been playing Angry Birds, shooting the fireworks across the park and pretending to be playing the video game of the same name.

“I didn’t report it to police because it is illegal. However I posted images online because people should be aware of what’s happening and maybe it will increase pressure for animal rights laws to finally be introduced here in China.”

Angry Birds might have been a fictional game but in China right now there are certainly some angry birds because of it.

 

A slice of bad luck: Girl sacked over Twitter before even starting new job in pizza shop

Social media and work don’t always mix that well, as one girl in America found out all too abruptly.

Cella took to Twitter on the eve of her first day at a new job working in a pizzeria to tell everyone just how much she was looking forward to it. As you can see from the image below, she was not exactly brimming with excitement.

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However, as a slice of bad luck, her tweet was seen by Pizza shop owner Robert Waple, who quickly alleviated Cella’s worries.

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Cella, who tweets under the Twitter handle @Cellla_, is now the proud owner of two shiny new records: she is both the first person to lose a job before even starting it, and the first person to be given the sack over Twitter. Not only that but she has risen to internet stardom as a result of the event.

When asked by another Twitter user what her job would have been that she was so not looking forward to, Mr Waple responded: “Working register, taking phone orders, making subs/salads. Eating free pizza. How hard would that have been?”

Have scientists invented a real life invisibility cloak?

Wizardry or reality? You-Know-Who

Wizardry or reality? You-Know-Who

Find out whether Harry Potter’s wizard invisibility cloak could be a thing of the future with this new invention. 

Scientists at New York’s University of Rochester have invented a device that makes objects invisible from sight.

The device ‘cloaks’ objects using a range of lenses that are cheap and easily obtained.

The move has led to many Harry Potter fans questioning whether an invisibility cloak could be created. 

Sadly though, the Rochester Cloak is not in fact a cloak, but a device that uses layered lenses to seemingly make objects disappear.

The lenses make light pass around the object, so to make it appear invisible. 


The scientists believe it to be with first of its kind. 

Joseph Choi, a graduate student who was involved in the cloaking device’s development said: “From what we know this is the first cloaking device that provides three-dimensional, continuously multidirectional cloaking.”

Its potential uses are endless, as Choi explained: “I imagine this could be used to cloak a trailer on the back of a semi-truck so the driver can see directly behind him. It can be used for surgery, in the military, in interior design, art.”

John Howell – a professor of physics at the upstate New York school – and Choi put the device together for only $1,000 but claim that it can be done for a lot cheaper.

Those who want to try making their own Rochester Cloak can pick up tips from this video detailing the project.

Depressed dogs finally find their voice

9174102_SMost dog owners will usually have a misguided belief that they can ‘communicate’ with their animals, that they have a deep bond with the canine.

“We really understand each other.” Yes, of course you do.

Well, all this could change; new technology promises to breakdown the language barrier and allow keepers to understand what is really going on inside their animals’ furry little heads.

The PetPace collar monitors a dog’s temperature, heart rate and breathing activities. The smart collar then texts or emails the owner an alert if any of the readings suggest there is a problem.

It can help to examine the health of the animal and offer early indications should there be a problem on the horizon. It can supposedly even tell you if the four-legged friend is sad or perhaps it has ingested too much of its own excrement.

Dr Asaf Dagan, chief veterinary scientist at PetPace said: “This collar will enable pets, for the first time, to ‘tell’ us how they feel.

“Most importantly, out smart collar will allow veterinarians to provide better medicine and better service to their patients while sealing the bond with pet owners.”

It would seem that the relationship between man and his best friend has truly entered the digital age. And for those wanting to build a deeper understanding of what’s going on with their precious pooch the product is going to go on sale next year for $150 (£90).

Sexless spreadsheet lands husband in hot water

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Sexual frustration can manifest itself in wild and crazy ways, but one man has channeled his excessive libido into an altogether more structured release.

Below is a picture of the spreadsheet an unsatisfied husband sent his wife that listed all the excuses she had given for not wanting to play a game of hide the sausage. Unfortunately for our Excel Romeo, the stunt backfired when the aggrieved wife posted the picture on Reddit, causing it to go viral within hours.

Sexy spreadsheet...

Sexy spreadsheet…


The user, throwwwwaway29, wrote on the social community site: “My husband sent me an immature, inflammatory email as I was driving to the airport for a 10-day work trip. I opened it and it’s a sarcastic diatribe basically saying he won’t miss me for the 10 days I’m gone. According to his “document”, we’ve only had sex three times in the last seven weeks, out of 27 “attempts” on his part.”

Communication is the key to a successful marriage, or so say they say. And while the husband’s very organised approach to tackling the problem is admirable, this 21st Century attempt at foreplay is seemingly not going to work. Indeed, most marriage counsellors would probably admit that sending a passive aggressive email with an attached spreadsheet is not going to be best the way to initiate a bit of hanky panky. After all, nothing says sexy like tabular software!

Five weirdest crowdfunding projects ever

Woman got over £4,000 from strangers online to get a boob job

Woman got over £4,000 from strangers online to get a boob job

Crowdsourcing has become an increasingly common fundraising technique in the 21st century. The online fundraising technique is a great way to turn a particular project or product from a dream to a reality.

From charitable venture to groundbreaking scientific theories, it has helped provide financial backing for a great deal of fascinating and worthwhile initiatives in recent years. But, naturally, so too has it bankrolled some odder ones.

One such example is that of Northumberland’s Gemini Smith. The 23-year-old trainee undertaker appealed to the online community to help her raise the £4,450 she needed for a boob job.

Gemini said that her 34A bra size made her feel like “12-year-old boy” and by speaking to men online managed to scrabble together the money via American website MyFreeImplants.com; she is now boasting 34DDs.

It is a story that has been met with a host of media attention. But in the grand scheme of things, there have been many more extraordinary cases of crowdfunding – here’s our top five:

5. World’s largest jock strap

Unfortunately this project was not even to offer genital support to the world’s most well endowed athlete – this Guinness World Record attempted raised $854 to create a giant jock strap for no reason other than to do it. They did it to be fair.

4. Robocop statue

We would all feel a lot safer if Robocop was roaming the streets. Well the people of Detroit have plumped for the next best thing, in May 2011 members of the www public dipped into their pockets and scraped together $67,436 for a statue of the man-cum-machine law enforcement officer that now proudly stands on Wayne State University campus.

3. Tardis in space

Doctor Who fans are an odd bunch; there can be no questioning that. But to prove it one fan took to Kickstarter to bankroll a campaign to get a Tardis – the time travelling phone box – launched into orbit. The fan in question asked for a laughable $33,000 … and actually managed to raise $88,000.

2. Giant Lionel Richie head

Terrifying and beautiful in equal measure, last year the founders of Bestival smashed their target of £4,900 to create a giant sculpture of Lionel Richie’s head. The massive, three-metre-high head pleased music fans at the festival and regardless of whether or not it was him you were looking for, you saw him.

1. Watermelon holders 

Don’t you hate it when you have all your shopping bags and despite how much you struggle you just can’t get a good grip on your watermelon? Yeah? Exactly. Well Mike Draghici, the Da Vinci of pointless fruit-themed inventions, tried to raise $25,000 for a watermelon holder. Shockingly he only got six backers. Some ideas are just too far ahead of their time but keep the faith Mike; one day, one day.

G.E.N.I.U.S

G.E.N.I.U.S

Big Issue seller becomes first to accept card payments

Could enterprising Big Issue sellers start changing public perception?

Could enterprising Big Issue sellers start changing public perception?

One Big Issue seller has become the first to accept payments by card, after finding many people wanted to buy an edition of the magazine but did not have any spare change.

The Big Issue gives homeless people the opportunity to earn their own money and Simon Mott, who sells the £2.50 magazine in South Kensington, has to be one of the most enterprising sellers out there. A former London Underground driver, Mr Mott suffered an injury at work which left him unable to work and eventually became homeless. He has since successfully found privately rented accommodation earlier this year.

In a bid to overcome the problems of our increasingly cashless society, Mr Mott, 49, purchased a portable card reader which could be attached to his smartphone, in order to accept payments by card.

“I got a smartphone in April, specifically with the purpose of getting a card reader attachment,” Mr Mott said. “There were many times where people were saying to me, ‘Oh, I’d like to buy the magazine but I haven’t got any change’, or ‘I’ve only got a £20 note'” he said.

Mr Mott hopes to sell at least four copies a week using the new handheld device. He said of the Big Issue: “It is a lifeline. It gives you a sense of purpose.”

Magic mouse to offer solution to carpal tunnel

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Is it a mouse or a Bat?

A floating mouse is set to offer an apparently magical solution to the aching wrists associated with using computers all day.

Developed by design studio Kibardindesign, which is based in Prague, the new gadget is essentially a levitating wireless computer mouse and has been dubbed ‘Bat.’

Bat incorporates a mouse pad and a mouse with a magnetic ring which work together to enable the mouse to float in mid-air. However, it hasn’t been designed this way just to create a futuristic impression; Bat will also help prevent nerve damage and dysfunction in people’s hands, specifically carpal tunnel syndrome, which is often associated with the prolonged use of a computer mouse.

The treatment of the problem, which develops when there is ongoing pressure on the median nerve in the wrist, could be revolutionary for office workers and designers who rely on conventional mouse designs at the moment.

The extraordinary design functions through magnetic forces which enable the mouse to float at 40mm above the mat on its own, or at 10mm high with the weight of an individual’s hand resting on it.

At the moment it remains in testing but technology fans should be able to purchase the device soon in either black or white.