German newspaper Der Spiegel decided to take a look at Europe's oddest folk traditions and festivals. Perhaps you can have a metaphorical hard-on for the phallus festival of Tyrnavos, Greece. Maybe you're hungry for how a small Belgian town celebrates the practice of swallowing live fish. Or, alternately, you can look down on those bizarre practices... while chasing a giant wheel of cheese down a hill.
posted on Jun 3, 2008 - View this thread

Elisha Gray could have been known to us as the inventor of the telephone. Instead, he goes down in history as the accidental creator of one of the first electronic musical instruments, the "Musical Telegraph." There are many other examples of early electronic instruments, including: the Teleharmonium, the Audion Piano, the Optophonic Piano, the Trautonium, the Ondes Martenot, the Rhythmicon, the Theremin Cello and the better-known Aetherphone (aka Theremin) to name a few. MetaFilter discussed odd music previously.
posted on Mar 25, 2008 - View this thread

What happens in the shadow, in the grey regions, also interests us – all that is elusive and fugitive, all that can be said in those beautiful half tones, or in whispers, in deep shade.

Here are some short films by Stephen and Timothy, the Brothers Quay.
posted on Feb 3, 2008 - View this thread

Odd creativity with sex toys - sometimes funny, sometimes sad, sometimes pretty far-out, and sometimes just unbelievable (all links probably NSFW to varying degrees)
posted on Nov 27, 2007 - View this thread

Please enjoy vintage video propaganda:
Don't Be A Sucker
The Enemy Agent & You
Your Job in Germany
So They Tell Me and
Propaganda Techniques

posted on Nov 20, 2007 - View this thread

The Crooked House is a pub in the UK's West Midlands built on coal mining land. Severe subsidence over time caused a 15 degree shift from the left wall to the right. Faced with the choice of repairing the damage or abandoning the structure, the owners took a different tack - buttresses now hold the building in place, and it remains at a permanent slant. Higher resolution photos here. Via.
posted on Sep 27, 2007 - View this thread

Ever wonder much about those anonymous men and women who pass out towels, soap and toiletries in upscale restrooms? Me either, until I read this. But apparently some people do. Well, one man sees it as a creative outlet, and another sees it as his road to stardom! "just wash your hands for god’s sake"
posted on Aug 10, 2007 - View this thread

"Inexplicably, a man in a Superman costume could be seen walking around the car, but he did not stop to help the driver or any of the victims."
posted on Feb 28, 2007 - View this thread

I've seen sampled rap videos, old school rap videos, new school rap videos, materialistic rap videos and geek rap videos but then there are just odd rap videos.
posted on Feb 14, 2007 - View this thread

The tromba marina, also known as the marine trumpet or nun’s fiddle, is an obsolete, 4-7 foot tall, single-stringed instrument in the viol family. Played with a bow, the tromba marina sounds strangely trumpet-like (for mp3's, scroll down to the bottom of the first link), hence the name . Buy one here or make your own. You can also see one up-close in the Musical Instrument Gallery at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but they don’t bother putting an image on their webpage, and the gallery’s carpet smells intensely of mildew.
posted on Aug 4, 2006 - View this thread

A recent diet book offers a new, easy, work free way to lose weight. Big surprise. However, the technique and the way it was "discovered" raise some interesting questions. Is it so simple and safe to play at "hacking" the body, and is a physician's self experimentation really entirely trustworthy?
posted on May 26, 2006 - View this thread

Otto is just looking for a little love. Can you fit the bill?
posted on Feb 8, 2006 - View this thread

Odd/Niche Magazines. Yesterday evening, I was on my way home on the train, when I noticed a man reading a glossy four-color magazine called Pizza Today. It floored me that there was actually a magazine dedicated to pizza, with a feature article on dessert pizzas on the cover! So I went looking for other odd niche magazines and found (bi)monthly printed publications for twins, LEGO fans, cowboys who are Christian, ferret lovers, collectors of clocks, goat and sheep herders, cephalopods, and beaders.
posted on Dec 9, 2005 - View this thread

Auger-Loizeau: Recognizing that for each placated consumer of technology there is an unsatisfied, complicated or strange one.
posted on Nov 16, 2005 - View this thread

Good smell perplexes New Yorkers How odd the city smelled sweet, like maple syrup, and all over: up in Harlem, downtown, in Astoria, Park Slope, other parts of Brooklyn. And what was it? A breakout of MSUD and public urination? Or something more fortean or more sinister?
posted on Oct 28, 2005 - View this thread

My name is Simon 'Skunky' Morrison, and I very love animals. Gracious.
posted on Jun 20, 2005 - View this thread

The Beast Blender. The Minnesota Association of Rogue Taxidermists invites you to create a being that has never existed.
posted on Jun 5, 2005 - View this thread

In Education of Children from Birth to Puberty, Jesuit priest Frank Nimrod shares his wisdom about the human body: "The cannibals can tell us that the fresh and warm brain, just taken out of the cranium is very sweet," and "Our nose does not only serve the purpose of respiration, but the purpose of smelling also." Meanwhile, retired Bell Telephone Laboratories engineer I.W. Whiteside writes an entire volume decoding the strange light patterns on his bookcase. His conclusion? Aliens! "After much thought, I concluded that these people have computer brains and laser-beam eyes." These are just two of many odd books.
posted on Feb 26, 2005 - View this thread

Texas Rollergirls for those who miss the NHL.
posted on Feb 17, 2005 - View this thread

The outrageous Frank Harris, the inimitable Amanda McKittrick Ros, and the unlovely Webster Edgerly, and much more.
posted on Nov 21, 2004 - View this thread

My Little Justice League "Here you can enjoy the sight of your favorite heroes--well, MY favorite heroes, really, but maybe some of yours will overlap--as ponies."
posted on Oct 21, 2004 - View this thread

SPREE: An Escape from Reality - music by Ethan Persoff, made from old records, bizarre noise instruments, circuit bent toys and other unusual sounds.
posted on Sep 24, 2004 - View this thread

Godfather Horsehead Pillow.
posted on Sep 17, 2004 - View this thread

Snatch first prize at a Halloween party! There's plenty of, umm, interesting costumes over at Ronjo. The kids' ones aren't of the pimp and ho caliber, but the doggie pimp is excellent. Or you could just become a prophylactic superhero in your spare time.
posted on Aug 23, 2004 - View this thread

The Mütter Museum of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia is a collection of medical oddities and exhibits about disease. It is the home of the Soap Lady, Chang and Eng's liver, a tumor from a U.S. president, and a rather massive colon. Gretchen Worden, director of the museum since 1988, recently passed away.
posted on Aug 16, 2004 - View this thread

To all who wondered about this Man Vs. Grizzy -- the answer needed this grizzly bear suit from ebay . The thread, by the way, was one of the funniest Ask MeFi threads I've ever read. And the bearsuit? Well, that's just crazy-insane.
posted on May 10, 2004 - View this thread

Odd Nerdrum. [Via Giornale Nuovo.]
posted on Jan 10, 2004 - View this thread

12 oddest Christmas hits... ever! Almost December, the stores are playing the usual Xmas compilations (already) so I propose a change to the usual "Rockin around the Christmas Tree". Which ear worm do you want?
posted on Nov 28, 2003 - View this thread

The worst jobs in Science. Brought to you by Popular Science. Everything from Flatus Odor Judge to Metric System Advocate.
posted on Sep 25, 2003 - View this thread

Man Dies Laughing In His Sleep that's all... but what a great way to go, eh?
posted on Aug 21, 2003 - View this thread

Believe It or Not! Anomalies Unlimited. See the Lord's Prayer Carved on the Head of a Pin! Marvel at the World's Longest Ear Hair! Indulge in the Deep Dark Secrets of The Wonderful World of Disney! Yes! Step right up. No need to push... there's something for everyone under the Big Top...
posted on Apr 8, 2003 - View this thread

The eccentric art of Lewis Smith - a man who lived alone in the woods with no amenities, at age 60, he began drawing all day, every day. His themes included muscular and wrestling women drawn on brown paper bags, and diner scenes drawn on cracker boxes. He drew or painted on every surface including the walls of his home and his barn. If he were alive today, he would probably be amazed to learn that many of pencil and crayon drawings sell for upwards of $1000.
posted on Mar 6, 2003 - View this thread

If Wishes Were Horses - "the site dedicated to human-equine transformation." If you ever had a secret desire to be a horse, this site explains the reasons for becoming a horse and offers helpful advice on topics like building your own hooves. Oh, and don't miss the artwork. Not interested in equine transformation? Well which animal would you like to be?
posted on Mar 2, 2003 - View this thread

ODD. Indeed.
posted on Jan 22, 2003 - View this thread

Industrialised society's fascination with useless invention: as a kid I used to love the work of Heath Robinson, inventor of (among others) a method of testing safety matches, the potato peeler, and an inoffensive method of weighing a lady friend. His American equivalent was the slightly more scientific Rube Goldberg. Occasional attempts of the patently useless to make the leap into the real world have been furthered considerably by the Japanese art of Chindogu, made popular by Kenji Kawakami, inventor of (among others) the Hay fever hat, the portable road crossing, and dusting shoes for cats. Maywa Denki seems to transcend earthy Chindogu with fish-based and musical (via sharpeworld) inventions.
posted on Dec 29, 2002 - View this thread

Animals trapped in stone have been reported many times, but do you believe it? Why has there been so little investigation of these claims? It could be the key to re-animation...
posted on Dec 17, 2002 - View this thread

What's the Frequency, Moby? Techno superstar Moby was assaulted by a pair of mysterious assailants last night after a concert in Boston. "He wrote on his Web site that he is not angry about the attack, just mystified about the motive. He has asked the attackers to post an explanation." Moby's journal has been discussed previously, but is worth a look if you've never visited.
posted on Dec 13, 2002 - View this thread

The strange range of human behavior continues to draw us like moths to a flame. Consider Amanda Fielding who continually performed self-surgery on her braincase, Catharina Geisslerin, the woman who vomited frogs, and the Collyer brothers, who collected so much junk that it crushed them in their own home. Samuel Johnson, compiler of the first dictionary of the English language, was compelled to whirl, twist, and make highly ritualized hand motions when going through doors. When he went for a walk, he touched every post he passed. If he missed one, he went back to touch it. Recent research suggests that obsessive-compulsive child behaviors can be caused by strep infection. Who do you think are the most interesting, eccentric, and compulsive personalities?
posted on Oct 23, 2002 - View this thread

This is Slate?: Any idea what they're trying to do?
posted on Feb 7, 2001 - View this thread