Category Archives: amusements

Oddity of the Week

Novel reading … uterine derangement … gathering in the head … political excitement …
An absolutely amazing list of reasons why patients were admitted to a US lunatic asylum in 19th century.


This has been circulating in the Intertubes for some years but is just too good not to share!
Using this as a set of criteria how many of us would not have been put away?

Oddity of the Week: Red Paint

Seeing red
It seems that the paint on red cars fades more quickly than any other car colour. Is there a reason why? (Continued)
I noted the comments on fading red paint in The Last Word (7 June). I came across an amusing instance of this in the Flinders Ranges of South Australia, where the Pichi Richi Pass is a spectacular feature on the road from Port Augusta to Quorn. For many years a sign naming the pass stood at its entrance. It was written in black text, except that the initial letters of each word were in red. That part of the world enjoys a lot of bright sunlight and clear skies, and the red paint faded over time to be almost invisible. This left behind a rather amusing sign.
From: “The Last Word”; New Scientist; 12 July 2014

Weekly Photograph

This week’s photograph is one for posterity. Before it disappears into the wide blue yonder, here’s a picture of Boris’s Cock in London’s Trafalgar Square.

Click the image for a larger view
Boris's Cock
Boris’s Cock
London; June 2014