This is a clip from “The Circus” a 1928 film by Charlie Chaplin. It shows what looks to be a passerby clutching something to their ear, as one would a cell phone. This has led a few to believe this is proof that a time traveller who has made their way to past with future technology.

But of course, there was no cell phone infrastructure built in 1928 rendering any cellular device useless, leading to only one logical conclusion. The time traveller was obviously using some kind of super awesome communications tech isn’t even conceivable by us now.

Thanks to WT reader Darren Sefran for the tip.

[MSNBC]

We spent quite a bit of time during the World Cup discussing Paul the Octopus. The tentacled critter, who from the watery confines of his tank at a German zoo correctly predicted all of his home country’s games as well as the final. He became an international phenomenon.

Now: he’s dead.

After living a too-short two and a half years, Paul passed on.

We offer the customary Weird Things 21 Han Solo blaster salute to a being that understood the only way to make an international soccer competition better is to have an octopus possibly fixing games with mind control.

[MSNBC]

According to our most recent studies, fears that we are the last generation to see coral reef due to the rising acidification of our waters is unfounded. This has been a fear raised by climate change studies which suggest CO2 concentration could jack up the pH balance of the seas and kill off marine life.

There is a whole ton of science on Matt Ridley’s awesome blog but here is the money shot:

In conclusion, claims of impending marine species extinctions driven by increases in the atmosphere’s CO2 concentration do not appear to be founded in empirical reality, based on the experimental findings we have analyzed above.

We are safe! Hooray!

No word on if we can just affect the pH balance enough to create monster fish or open a crack in an Arizona lake releasing thousands of blood-thirsty piranhas, in 3D.

[Rational Optimist]

Andrew uses the unicorn deception to trick Brian and Justin into accompanying him on the adventure of a lifetime where Yeti’s and Bears engage in mortal combat.

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Brought to you by these fine folks:

TheVillageSwanson.com
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And The Ghost Vision Viewer available on the Apple App Store

Links:
Pilot Mystery
Yeti vs. Bear
SpaceX.com
VirginGalactic.com

Recommendations:

Andrew:

and

Justin:

Brian:

It’s 1942 and a portion of the world has united against freedom. The Axis powers, under the command of villainous Adolf Hitler seek to not only continue their unrivaled campaign of genocide but to remake the world in their image.

Society stands betwixt two divergent paths while thousands of young man die trying to make a case for either route.

So what did a band of idealistic youths do to help the effort in a Maryland cabin one rainy January night? The did their best to kill der Fuhrer. With rum and voodooo. And rum. Also, a dressmakers dummy festooned with a Nazi uniform. And rum.

It was unsuccessful. But LIFE magazine did get photos.

[LIFE via Boing Boing]

A tide pool in the coastal regions of Oregon is attracting a lot of attention for a few different reasons. Not only is the water a very distinct shade of neon green it also happens to be in the epicenter of an area famous for rampant UFO sightings.

Is this a freak natural occurrence? Did an alien craft decide to change their anti-freeze into the Oregonion water supply? Could this be the by-product of a horrific Ecto Cooler accident?

At the same time, more serious UFO experts are wondering about Stonefield’s green goodish water that’s attracting a lot of attention from experts, to include marine biologists at the Hatfield Marine Science Center in nearby Newport, Oregon.

“No, it’s not some sort of algae or something from the Pacific. It’s strange, and I can’t explain it,” says Hugh Miller who’s a member of The Trails End Paranormal Society of Oregon.

“They’ve taken a lot of it,” adds Miller. “But what’s left is amazing.”

More on this as it develops…

[Huliq via Conspiracy Journal]

Find it on Google Earth.

Thanks to Weird Things reader Darcy!

Most Chupacabra sightings/corpses can be easily identified as mangey, feral dogs who unpredictably roam desolate areas attacking livestock. But why are these dogs being transformed into legendary monsters?

We might have an answer!

In a recent “Monster Talk” podcast posted on Skeptic magazine’s website, OConnor explained that the mite responsible for the extreme hair loss seen in “chupacabras syndrome” is Sarcoptes scabiei, which also causes the itchy rash known as scabies in people. Human scabies is an annoyance, but not usually a serious health or appearance problem, partly because our bodies are already virtually hairless and partly because the population of mites on a given person usually is relatively small — only 20 or 30 mites.

Does this mean we can now we can consider Chupacabras as a werewolf equivalent to dogs? Once they’re bitten is there any coming back?

This just go so much more awesome.

[Science Daily]

[Monster Talk on iTunes]

Is our reality really 2D? Is our concept of third dimensional space really an optical illusion? Are our eyes deceiving us to believe we are anything other than Super Mario sidescrolling through life?

Is the above commercial featuring Peyton Manning and Justin Timberlake really a frightening prophecy?

Fermilab is currently building a Holometer to determine the answer to all these questions. Or something. To be honest, I really can’t even wrap my head around what they are talking about but here is open season for you kind readers to take your stab at it.

[Pop Sci]

Israeli researchers have discovered a way to assemble transparent nanospheres that unite to form the stiffest biological material the world has ever seen. This could lead to printable body armor, tougher steel and more bullet-proof bulletproof glass.

Frank Castle wants to know the shipping cost from Tel Aviv to Brooklyn.

[Pop Sci]

I am not nearly smart enough to take all of this in, but many of your surely are. Several math wizards finally broke down the hard numbers on a zombie outbreak. How fast would it spread? When is it statistically hopeless for survivors? At what rate and frequency do we need to merc zombies to have any chance?

Numbers! Zombies! Read it all AFTER THE JUMP!

Read the rest of this entry »

Finally, jerks of 2024, you know what car you’ll be driving. DARPA has awarded $9 million in contracts to develop a flying war time vehicle that can drop supplies and engaged in limited air to ground combat.

[LA Times]

New, toothy, endangered mammal discovered in Madagascar. Dreamworks already in talks with John Tuturro to voice to the creature in Madagascar 3: The Undiscovered Country.

[Discovery]

According to Martin Aircraft, they’ve developed a fully robotic jetpack that can be used to drop supplies to troops or bombs on enemies. It uses regular fuel and can take off from the back of a flat-bed truck.

[Fox News]

Air Force Lt. David Steeves died in 1965, a liar. According to popular thought, his claim to fame was a hoax at best and treason at worst. He was divorced, slandered and wound up in court suing a publisher who’d once courted him to write a book about his miraculous story of survival.

13 years later, a gang of Boy Scouts stumbled upon proof that corroborated Steeves’ story. A missing piece of the puzzle that could have silenced decades of doubters had finally been found.

So what was the story?

On May 9, 1957, Air Force Lt. David Steeves, piloting a T-33 training jet, took off from Hamilton Air Force Base, near San Francisco, on a flight to Arizona. Then, like a character in the television show the “Twilight Zone,” he disappeared.

Days passed, then weeks. When no trace of Steeves or the plane was found, the Air Force declared the 23-year-old pilot officially dead.

But, 54 days after he vanished, a gaunt, bearded Steeves, filthy clothing hanging from his body, hobbled into a camp in the remote backcountry of Kings Canyon National Park, east of Fresno. He told an almost unbelievable tale of survival.

Get the full, insane, heartbreaking story here.

[LA Times]