We don't know if this is a joke, half a joke, an ironic attempt at doing a joke that appears to take itself seriously so is therefore extra funny, or what. But it's UK Wasp Watch and it wants to build up a "picture of wasp trends" throughout the UK. By listing individual wasp sightings on a huge, mashed-up map of the whole country.
If it's a joke it's quite a good one, although the inclusion of a logo for corporate exterminator Rentokil suggests large amounts of money and many thousands of man-hours of meetings were spent on its creation - just so we can see there's currently a rogue wasp on the loose in Suffolk. There should be a "Panic Button" to instantly alert authorities if it's a particularly big one.
Digital MP3 drugs through your ears
Another video that blurs the lines between "real" and "The Onion" is this report from US news resource Kansas News 9, which claims that "Digital Drugs" are taking over the brains of children - in a hot new trend known as "iDosing".
Kids are apparently taking drugs downloaded off the internet that arrive in MP3 form, if you believe this nonsense, giggling and going a bit crazy from listening to what sounds like an out-takes reel from a particularly depressing day in the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.
HIGH SCHOOL: Or this could be a trailer for a new Chris Morris TV show
The report includes an interview with some students about the issue, in which one girl says she heard it was "some weird demon stuff through an iPod" and that people were freaking out because of it.
Download 500 apps
This week's bizarre app news comes via the once properly popular and the now mainly ironically popular Scots folk singers The Proclaimers, who have made and released - or presumably paid someone to make and release on their behalf - an iPhone app.
iProclaimer lets users "learn how to sing and play the classic songs" of the duo, which is done via a simple little guitar-style chord and strumming interface game thing.
TRIBUTE APP: They should've released two versions of the app, both exactly the same but just looking slightly different
You also get an up-to-date list of all the gigs the guys are currently playing, if you're still wearing your fake glasses and singing their hits to yourself.
Mickey Mouse installation
If you've got one of those wacky and/or madcap personalities and feel the need to show it off to others at every possible opportunity, Japanese hardware maker Maspro has the thing for you.
Or rather it has the thing for your house - a Mickey Mouse themed satellite dish. It's Mickey Mouse's 3D face on a dish, presumably with the face made out of a material that doesn't degrade the signal.
SKY PLUS: Wonder if it picks up Babestation?
Can you imagine how hilarious your house will look with that bolted onto the chimney? It'll tell all passers-by and potential visitors that a certifiably CRAZY time awaits inside your House of Fun.
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Your comments (6) Click to add a new comment
clauds
July 24th 2010
6. Regardless of whether or not you will get a high from <a title="Can you get high of sound?" href="http://personalmoneystore.com/moneyblog/2010/07/22/i-doser-binaural-beat/">I-Dosing</a>, there is no question that if you want, you can change your mood. This is due to the fact that anything can alter the way we feel. Music is one common method people use to change their mood in a natural way. Sometimes noises in general change your mood, like whenever you hear non-stop loud sounds you can sometimes get annoyed. So I am not saying that I-Doser works because you get a substance type of a high, I am just saying that it could effortlessly make you change your mood. So don't go take out a cash advance to purchase I-Dosers, just turn on your radio.
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jeffers727
July 16th 2010
5. yeah alot is sorta placebo, but you can enduce certain states through entrainment. Its basically frequencies that relate to the typical brain waves (beta, gamma, delta, alpha), and pulls it towards certain ones (e.g. make you drowsy/active), then certain combos of these do certain things. But yeah just check binaural beats on wikipedia.
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ducakedhare
July 16th 2010
4. Checked Idosers from jeffers727's link - okay, so it's a relatively annoying sound when exposed long enough, and could possibly cause unease.
But from there to "some weird demon stuff through an iPod" well that's called hybris through word of mouth. I have yet to hear proof that you can "get high".
The only way you could go nuts on this stuff is to decide you were going to get high. Like this story, you only believe it if you've decided in advance that it is dangerous. A bit of discernment please, and a real study.
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ducakedhare
July 16th 2010
3. Regarding Digital Drugs - I had a quick scour through Google search, no official research so far found
The claim that this is even possible through standard earphones seems absurd.
More likely, the YouTube videos are fakers, and the real motive is
a) trying to get kids/people to access real drugs
b) trying to spread spyware/viruses/trojans/etc
I don't think this is for the Bureau of Narcotics to deal with - more likely Symantec, McAfee et al. to investigate.
Or for a neuropsychology masters student to work on.
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jeffers727
July 16th 2010
2. by for uni, i mean i study there, first year presentation skills on a topic of our choice.
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jeffers727
July 16th 2010
1. Idoser thing is based on 'binaural beats', check it up on wikipedia if you want to know more. Idoser is basically a breach of license of some other programs like sbgagen. I did it as a presentation for uni, if anyone wants the ppt from techradar
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