Weird Tech: Crazy granny in motorway mayhem

Motorists spotted the woman travelling at four miles per hour in the wrong direction down the motorway

Just when you think it's all gone quiet in the realm of weird tech, along comes Paris Hilton to put the world to rights. But first: the world witnessed in silent horror a series of kamikaze attacks from the most unlikely of sources this week.

In Germany, an 81-year-old German woman was spotted driving the wrong way down a motorway in an electric wheelchair after taking - oh the irony - a short cut on her way to the cemetery. Motorists spotted the woman travelling at four miles per hour (the minimum speed limit on German motorways is 37mph, for the record) and alerted police who escorted her to safety.

Meanwhile, a flaming squirrel fell onto a parked car in New Jersey triggering an explosion which destroyed the vehicle. Sadly its efforts were in vain, as the car was unoccupied at the time. The alleged (and decidedly iffy) assault occurred after the animal bit through powerlines directly above the car.

iPod imprisonment hell

It seems that despite growing reports of corruption and repression, the Egyptian regime is becoming more liberal. It's still not cool for the press to criticise the president - but at least the terms of imprisonment aren't quite as bad as they were. Ibrahaim Essa, editor of Egypt's biggest opposition newspaper, has been sentenced to a year in jail for his writing:

"I've found out that I'm allowed to take my iPod," he told the Chicago Tribune cheerfully. "This is progress in the Mubarak era. Yes, they do torture you in your cell, but they allow you to listen to your iPod!"

And future generations, rejoice. Paris Hilton this week revealed plans to generously extend her life - and her beloved pets' lives - "by hundreds and thousands of years" in a cryogenic chamber. The heiress has allegedly bought shares in the Cryonics Institute, thus ensuring continued entertainment for our children's children's children.

But let's face it: in a world where secondary school pupils are tracked by radio microchips in their uniforms, and Sugababes / Girls Aloud branded mobile phones are considered acceptable, they're going to need some source of amusement.

Quick-round up

The Church has 'forgiven' Sony for using images of Manchester Cathedral as the scene of a violent gunfight in Resistance: Fall of Man without asking permission. "We do forgive Sony for what they have done, even though they still believe they have done nothing wrong," preached the Very Reverend Rogers Govender.

Intel invented a beer, coffee and fag-ash-proof laptop, and Jackie Chan apparently recorded an "officially-endorsed" song to celebrate the forthcoming Beijing Olympics.

And finally...

Good news if you're missing an eye (or just fancy a new pair). Scientists may have discovered a way to grow replacement eyes in the laboratory. But don't get too excited, the gene switching system still needs refining - test tadpoles have been emerging from the process with multiple eyes on unlikely parts of their bodies. Not a good look.

Julia Sagar
Content director, special projects

Julia specialises in ecommerce at Future. For the last four years, she’s split her time between leading TechRadar’s crack team of deal editors - covering all the biggest sales of the year including Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Amazon Prime Day - and helping the audiences of Future’s consumer tech and lifestyle brands (TechRadar, Tom's Guide, T3, Marie Claire, Woman & Home and more) find the best products and services for their needs and budget.


A former editor of global design website Creative Bloq, she has over 15 years’ experience in online and print journalism, and was part of the team that launched TechRadar way back in the day. When she isn't reviewing mattresses (she’s tested more than she cares to remember), or sharing tips on how to save money in the latest sales, she can usually be found writing about anything from green energy to graphic design.