Want to learn a new, unconventional party trick?

Here is a card trick that will impress your friends.

I don’t know how it works,  but it works.

Try it.

Movie posters are sometimes misleading and if they told the truth the posters could look a lot different.

Here are a few unconventional (but true) movie posters by the unconventional wine brand Versus.

Pretty women

There will be blood

Titanic

Independence Day

Angles and Demons

More Posters

When Google began taking pictures of the entire planet, they must have known that they would snap a few oddities. Try as we might, we can’t stop laughing at a few of them.

Simon Williamson wrote that there’s also some real beauty to be found, some amazement and a whole lot of random. Come and take an odd international tour with us.

If you’re keen, well, here are some of the notable ones:

What is going on here is quite unfathomable. But seemingly, something fishy I’d guess. I have never seen a fish in someone’s roof before, but Google did.

You may think you can sneak in when no one is home, but beware the Google Street Cars bearing cameras. The whole world might be watching. Fail.

This mountain range in Canada looks uncannily like a human face.

We seem to have 9 UFOs that Google Street View managed to find. Erm… were they driving around Area 51?

This was a major hit on Valentine’s Day, surprisingly enough. The island, called Galesnjak, is off the Croatian coast.

To see more odd pictures visit gotravel24.com

Acknowledgment: All the  photos are  from Google Street View.

This year’s Southern Ink Xposure (affectionately termed “SIX”) looks set for a repeat performance, only on a bigger and better scale. The 2010 Convention has almost doubled its roster of top international artists attending, once again including some of the biggest stars of international tattooing, such as Paul Booth, Bob Tyrrell, Hailin Fu (China), Nick Chaboya, Shane Munce, and Glen Paradis. And that’s not counting the local legends such as Manuela Gray, Rev. Simon White, Tyler Murphy, Milo “Mr. Lucky: Marcer and others.

Supported by Harley-Davidson, the second annual Southern Ink Xposure will be held from January 22nd to the 24th, 2010 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) and will again comprise a series of art exhibitions, live collaborative art events, top-notch live music and of course the convention itself-all of which aim to celebrate and showcase global tattoo culture and lifestyle within a uniquely and beautifully South African context.

Unconventional wine brand Versus, will be a product sponsor at this event. Versus Wines, which aligns itself with unusual, fun and interesting events will be promoting their range of wines at the event.

Source: capetownunderground.co.za

Unconventional wine brand Versus, will be a product sponsor at the second annual Southern Ink Exposure, to be held at the Cape Town Convention Centre from 22-24 January.

This event has grown in stature and the 2010 Convention has almost doubled its roster of top international artists attending, again including some of the biggest stars of international tattooing, such as Paul Booth, Bob Tyrrell, Hailin Fu (China), Nick Chaboya, Megan Hoogland and more.

Versus Wines, which aligns itself with unusual, fun and interesting events will be promoting their range of wines at the event.

For more info visit  capetattooconvention.co.za

A Christmas card, poststamped 23rd December 1914 was posted for a Ms Ethel Martin of Oberlin, Kansas. It was from her cousins in Alma, Nebraska.

After 93 years, it finally arrived at its destination, in perfect shape. Too bad Ms Martin is already dead.

The card in postcard format shows a colour drawing of Santa Claus and a young girl.

As to where it spent the most of the 20th century is still a mystery. Indeed, it’s surprising that it never got thrown away and somehow someone found it and placed it inside another envelope with modern postage for the trip to Oberlin.

The original 1-cent postage stamp, the original cost of postage when it was first sent would not have been enough.

The card is now with Bernice Martin, Ethel’s sister-in-law. After it was featured in the media, she said she’d received calls from as far away as Japan and Iraq, even offers to purchase the card.

Source: kansascw.com

Fanatical sports enthusiasts are consumed with the role of the mill sports but there is another wide world of sports thriving out there. This is the world of the unconventional sports, weird records and abilities. The ‘home’ of this sport is probably YouTube and here are a few examples of these unconventional sports

World Record holding in fastest clapping

Cup Stacking World Record

It’s a unique concept according to its creators, a hotel in the French town of Nantes is offering the chance for people to become a hamster.

For 99 euros (R1000) a night, you can eat hamster grain, run in a giant wheel and sleep in hay stacks in what is called the “Hamster Villa.”

Maud and Sebastien are the first ones to experience how hamsters live, not afraid at the thought of sleeping in hay or feeding on a hamster fountain and special grain.

It’s a unique experience and, the guests say, just something different. He added that

“To become a hamster, eat seeds, change our way of life…come out of our daily routine”

The owners, Frederic Tabary and Yann Falquerho, run a company which rents out unusual and bizarre places.

“The Hamster in the world of children is that little cuddly animal. Often, the adults who come here have wanted or did have hamsters when they were small,” Falquerho said, dressed as a hamster.

What is next? A night as a dog, chasing cars and sleeping in a kennel?

Source: Reuters

Is the workload getting to you, feeling stressed or too many Priority 1 assignments? Here is the new low cost way to cope with multiple Priority 1 assignments (lol).

Take 2 paper clips and rubber bands. Fig 1

Assemble them as shown on the picture. Fig. 2

Apply as shown in fig 3.

Enjoy your day. This new office equipment will help you to reach the end of the day with a smile on your face!

Form: businessfunnies.com

Air New Zealand is all set to run the world’s first matchmaking flight for lonely hearts. The airline has revealed that a plane with American passengers aboard will be invited to come to New Zealand in October to “get amongst it” with single kiwis.

“If your dating profile says you enjoy fine wine and long walks on the beach, then New Zealand is your perfect place for romance. Plus our down-to-earth, warm and wonderful people are an added bonus,” the NZPA quoted Steve Bayliss, Air NZ’s general manager for marketing, as saying.

“And let’s not forget the splendid Kiwi accent-what more could an American guy or girl looking for love ask for?” he added.

The specially-themed flight will leave Los Angeles for Auckland on October 13, ahead of the dual Hemisphere singles’ party of the year-the Great Matchmaking Ball at Auckland’s SkyCity Convention Centre-on October 15.

The Matchmaking Flight passengers will get to enjoy a pre-flight gate party at LA’s LAX airport.

They will also provided with themed food, drink, entertainment, and games throughout the flight.

Do you think we can try this in South Africa?

Source: blog.taragana.com

Fire Claims

A former Australian state deputy premier revealed in June that the federal government had so far paid out 67,000 compensation claims regarding the February brush fires, though only 2,000 homes were damaged.

Cultural Diversity

The nomadic Vadi tribe, in the Indian state of Gujarat, continues to be adept at flouting the country’s 18-year-old ban on snake-charming. Historically, the Vadi have taught their children, beginning at age 2, to be at peace with cobras through affection and respect. According to a June dispatch in London’s Daily Telegraph, male children practice the iconic flute routines, and females provide hands-on care and feeding. The cobras are not de-fanged (which would be disrespectful), but each is fed an herbal solution that supposedly neutralizes the venom and is released back into the wild after a few months’ service

First class travel for prisoners

The normal way that the U.S. Bureau of Prisons transfers “low-risk” inmates between institutions is to buy them bus tickets and release them unescorted with an arrival deadline. In the last three years, reported the Las Vegas Sun in May, 90,000 inmates were transferred this way, and only about 180 absconded. Though supposedly carefully pre-screened for risk, one man still on the loose is Dwayne Fitzen, a gang-member/biker who was halfway through a 24-year sentence for cocaine-dealing. (Since the travelling inmates are never identified as prisoners, Greyhound is especially alarmed at the policy.)

Source: newsoftheweird.com

The internet has a neat way of explaining the mysteries of pop culture: graphs! Catch up to another classic web trend with this week’s Interweb 101.

Hated in high school, forgotten later in life, graphs are not exactly the sexiest, most interesting artifact of modern culture. But that’s because we left the nerds in charge. Here are some schematics that make proper sense… and LOLs

Evita Peron didn’t need to make a speech. She could have just used this simple graphic:

Indeed, you need a lot of both to build any city:

Go ahead, ask Will Smith if he’s on the guest list. He’ll show you this:

Absolute truths. We love ‘em:

For the last time, what the hell is ‘that’, anyway?

Finally, the all-time classic- Pacman:

Rick Ashley’s chart

Link: speakersbox.co.za

People give their pets all sorts of wacky names, but have you ever wondered what are the most bizarre? An American veterinary company has named what it thinks are the most unusual 100 cat and dog monikers after research conducted among 465,000 animals across the USA.

Here are the Top 10

Top 10 Weird Cat Names

Edward Scissorpaws Sir Lix-a-Lot Optimus Prrrime Buddha Pest Snoop Kitty Kitty Miss Fuzzbutt 80 Bucks Sparklemonkey Rosie Posie Prozac Toot Uncommon

Top 10 Weird Dog Names Rush Limbark Sirius Lee Handsome Rafikikadiki Low Jack Meatwad Peanut Wigglebutt Scuddles Unterfuss Sophie Touch & Pee Admiral Toot Spatula

Has your pet dog, cat or rabbit got a weird and wonderful name? Just add it to the list (comments)

Source: thepetextraordinarium.co.uk

Think your job is dull? Check out some of the bizarre things people do for a living in this list of jobs you probably didn’t know existed. You’ll either wish you were doing one of these, or you’ll be thankful for the job you do have. And now, the top 10 weirdest, most ridiculous jobs out there:

Pet Food Taster

Not only do these people eat dog food all the time, some actually enjoy it! It’s kind of like wine connoisseurs enjoying a new wine, except its stuff your dog or cat eats. To each their own…

Gross stunt producer

If you’ve ever seen a show where people have to do disgusting things for money (like wade through rat-infested sewers or eat living bugs), rest assured it’s because someone’s job is to come up with such twisted concepts. A surprising amount of research is necessary to make sure that your ideas are not only gross, but also safe.

Bad Breath Smeller

How else would you figure out if your company’s chewing gum is getting the job done? This also implies there are people whose job it is to chew gum and breathe in people’s faces.

Whiskey Ambassador

Getting paid to drink whiskey- a job college kids everywhere can only dream of. These lucky people’s responsibilities include selecting the best whiskeys and teaching clients how to fully appreciate each whiskey’s nuances.

Ufologist

As the name implies, ufologists are all about the study of UFO’s. History, recent reports, government conspiracies, it’s all included, so if the unknown is your passion this might not be a bad start.

Cryptozoologist

These are the people you see on television explaining so convincingly why Big Foot or the Loch Ness monster are real. It’s all about using your science skills in less conventional ways.

Chicken Sexer

 The actual job responsibilities for these guys are relatively mundane- chicken sexers just have to figure out what gender baby chicks are and sort them accordingly. Still, nothing quite spices up your resume like a job with that title.

Pathoecologist

You’d be surprised how much you can learn from…poop. Pathoecologists study feces from thousands of years ago, learning much about the lifestyles and diets of our ancestors.

Foley artist

You probably hear their work all the time and don’t even realize it- foley artists are responsible for making those everyday environmental sounds in movies and shows on television. They often utilize whatever objects they please (from watermelons to flare guns) to accentuate sounds.

Queen Bee Producer

If bees aren’t your thing this is probably the least desirable job out there, as these people work with bees everyday. But not just any bees- they specifically raise the most impressive of them all: the queens.

Source: ezinearticles.com

After a long night of dancing and partying at the hottest nightclubs, especially if you like to let loose Studio 54 style, there’s nothing worse than having to walk home in the high-fashion heels or stilettos that you started the evening with. Fashionable and convenient vending machines popping up all across the UK to give club goers (and those suffering from other emergency shoe dilemmas) the convenience of comfortable shoe dispensing when they need it most.

 In the spring of 2008, Japanese sports brand Onitsuka Tiger placed its first automated selling device on one of London’s high streets to bring the convenience of sneaker dispensing to the public, without ever having to set foot inside a store. The Onitsuka Tiger shoe vending machines fit 24 pairs of shoes, which retail for the equivalent of $60 to $80 USD. The sneaker vending machines continued their journey around the UK to bring convenient dispensing of their six sizes of trainers to vending machines around the UK.

 Do you think this idea will take off in other countries – on campuses and outside clubs?

 Source: inventorspot.com

What fashionista doesn’t love shoes? Here’s a compilation of some of the strangest shoes – even the biggest fashionista may decide to steer clear!

These shoes are innovative, funny, and some are even disturbing. Be prepared, any preconceived notions you have about shoes are about to change!

  1.The High-Chair Heels

Designed to look like a modern high-chair, the high-chair heels take your feet 15cm the ground so they sit almost vertical. This innovative design makes a bold fashion statement that is perhaps better seen in home décor, because it’s a fashion accident waiting to happen.

 2. The Claw Shoe

This unique shoe is fashion suited to lovers of gothic fashion with its heel designed to look like a talon. While its fashion statement may be work the sacrifice, I like shoes that don’t leave me barefoot.

 3. The Center Heel Corkscrew Shoe

This strange shoe features a heel that’s not quite where we’re used to seeing it. If that’s not enough, a second strange element was incorporated into the fashion shoe’s design; a corkscrew heel. While this shoe at least serves one fundamental purpose of a shoe; covering your foot, it’s missing another key element. Fashion lovers willing to risk wearing this design better be professional acrobats, because walking cannot be an easy feat.

 4. Most Disturbing Shoe: The Rat Shoe

This disturbing shoe might be great for Halloween, because its dead rat design could certainly scare the daylights out of anyone. This scary shoe is not for the faint-hearted.

 5. Most Dangerous Shoe in the World: Tarantula Shoe

The tarantula shoe is a sky-high platform design that might be a danger to weak ankles, but this scary fashion oddity is the most dangerous shoe in the world for a very different reason; encased in the fashionable item is a live tarantula. Since goldfish shoes went out with the 70s, someone had to come up with a new living shoe design. No word whether or not this fashion might present an animal rights violation or if the tarantula has the ability to be removed. However, there’s no doubting that this scary shoe makes a bold and dangerous fashion statement.

 Can you beat this? Send photos of weirder shoes or accessories.

See more weird shoes: inventorspot.com

Foodie Jeanne Horak-Druiff  discusses some of The most unusual flavour combinations

Spice company Schwartz recently unleashed their Flavour Forecast of unusual flavour combinations for 2009 on an unsuspecting public, and at least one UK newspaper warned readers that the combinations are “pretty weird”.

What’s really interesting about the list of unusual flavour combinations for 2009, though, was this: usually South Africa lags a season behind European fashions, whether couture or culinary. But quite a few combinations on this list might strike South African palates as strangely familiar.

No longer shocking:

Raw fish with horseradish – when my parents visited Japan in the 1970s, they came back with tales of horror for the children: “Never order fish if you go to Japan because they bring it to you RAW!” Now there can hardly be a city in South Africa where it’s not possible to order sushi with a side order of wasabi.

Strawberries with balsamic vinegar and black pepper – my Italian sister-in-law’s dad used to wax lyrical about this combo which we though was a particularly crazy eccentricity. Now this combo is available in restaurants up and down the land and scarcely raises an eyebrow. Expect a strawberry and balsamic McMilkshake soon.

Chilli and chocolate – the first time I read about this unusual combination in the classic Mexican mole sauce, I pictured Cadbury’s Dairy Milk melted over Jalapenos or similar. Of course, the real thing is far more like cocoa powder mixed with a dash of spice and I defy you to name a top South African restaurant that has not yet dabbled in this combination in some form. Positively passé.

On the Schwartz list for 2009:

Carrot and cinnamon – If you grew up in an Afrikaans household in South Africa cinnamon was practically compulsory with vegetables. My father still refuses to eat any squash or pumpkin without a ton of cinnamon sugar. The only carrots my mom used to make were sweet caramelised carrots, and I don’t see that adding a pinch of cinnamon would be a stretch for any South African’s tastebuds.

Pineapple and star anise – clearly the authors of this list of novelty pairings have not been to Durban lately, where pineapple chunks coated with chilli powder are sold on the beachfront. Star anise is the sissy option.

Apricot and saffron – similarly, the writers are unfamiliar with Cape Malay cuisine. The fragrant curries for which the Bo-Kaap is famous frequently call for saffron (or its cheaper cousin turmeric) as well as dried apricots which are a vital ingredient of dishes like sosaties or bobotie. Shocking? Novel? Hardly.

Flavours that still perturb me:

Seafood ice cream – I regard myself as a pretty broad-minded foodie. I eat oysters, I like ox tongue, and I have enjoyed wholegrain mustard ice cream as a garnish for a soup. But the Japanese take broadminded to a whole new level. Anybody keen for fish, squid, shrimp or eel ice cream? Nope, I didn’t think so.

Chocolates filled with cheese – Paris chocolatier Jean-Paul Hevin makes cheese and chocolate appetisers and naturally I was dubious but curious. I got hold of some of these little cubes of French cheeses each paired with a flavour-enhancing dried fruit and coated in excellent chocolate and gave hubby one without telling him what it was. “These chocolates are off!”, he cried, and sadly I have to agree. Never again.

Bananas on pizza – clearly against the Geneva Convention, and the Natural Order of Things. Just wrong, on so many levels.

So what unusual flavour combinations have you tried lately – and did they work?

Source: food24.com

Valentine’s Day can be so predictable. A card, a fancy restaurant and a red rose…

Maybe this year it’s time to surprise your Valentine with something unconventional. Here are a few tips:

1. Love notes

Go back to the basics by ditching SMS and e-mail for the day. Prepare love notes or quotes (see below for a few ideas) and jot them down on these pieces of paper.

Now trace his/her steps for the day, and at each stop, arrange for someone to deliver the notes. Think: One under her door in the morning, at the breakfast table, one for each lecture (you can be brave and ask an actual lecturer to give it to her) etc.

The second to last must have directions to where he/she can meet you – and the last one you deliver yourself can say “I love you”… trust me, they’ll believe you this time.

2. Balloon tied to radio aerial

This is good one if you want to be a anonymous Valentine. If you want to break the secret mms a picture of a balloon (form your phone) later that day.

3. Write her/his name on the black board before one of her classes

This may take some planning, but it possible. The quicker way is to make a small poster and just paste it on the board.

4. Candle light dinner – the student way

Ask him/her if you can collect their dinner for them from the res dininghall.

Set up the candles on the blanket outside. Every campus has an open field or lawn…it’s time you used it!

Once they start wondering where their food is, they’ll call or SMS you – that’s when you send the directions to your romantic set-up!

You could perhaps pick some flowers along the way (make sure you don’t get caught), or even ask him/her for a dance beneath the stars!

Tell us about your unconventional Valentines Day

Tell us about your original / unconventional Valentines Day plans and stand the chance to win a wine hamper (to be share with your Valentine, of course)

Leave a comment or e-mail versuswines@gmail.com

Valentine’s quotes:

Put your hand on a hot stove for a minute, and it seems like an hour. Sit with a pretty girl for an hour, and it seems like a minute. That’s relativity.

- Albert Einstein

A kiss is a pleasant reminder that two heads are better than one. – Anonymous

Are we not like two volumes of one book?  ~Marceline Desbordes-Valmore

Love is like dew that falls on both nettles and lilies.  ~Swedish Proverb

Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired.  ~Robert Frost

Love is a canvas furnished by Nature and embroidered by imagination.  ~Voltaire

Source: studentvillage

Babu from India is the crane operator on the top floor of the Burj Dubai, the world’s tallest building.

If  I had his job I’ll definitely call in sick everyday… “Sorry Sir, I have a mild case of Actophobia (fear of heights)”

Check out other facts about this building: Burj Dubai

Do you have any other unconventional jobs?