Offbeat

Offbeat

Offbeat / This banana could sell for over $1 million

At the international arthouse Sotheby’s, Maurizio Cattelan’s famous artwork 'Comedian' is about to hit the auction block for an estimated price between $1 million to $1.5 million. But... why?

1m ago

ChatGPT helps 89-year-old Japanese app developer learn programming

89-year-old Japanese Tomoji Suzuki took up coding in his retirement, developing apps specifically for the elderly Japanese population. As per a recent interview with AFP, he has credited ChatGPT as a "great teacher" and "programming mentor" in his coding journey.

7m ago

Offbeat / Biden hiring a 'meme manager'; will pay up to $85,000

The role, which offers a salary of up to $85,000, involves collaborating with podcasters, digital-media companies, and popular social-media meme pages, reports Business Insider. Successful candidates will need to relocate to Wilmington, Delaware, where the campaign is based

7m ago

4 Tejgaon College friends reunite 32 years later via Facebook

The last time they all spent quality time together was at a friend's wedding in 1991

7m ago

KFC launches perfume Eau De BBQ

Finger sniffin’ good?

8m ago

Did you know an Indian startup 3D-printed a house in 21 days?

On April 27, 2021, Tvasta, a startup founded by alumni from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, completed the construction of India's first 3D-printed house - in only 21 days. Modules for this 500 sq. ft. house were printed in the startup's facility in Chennai and assembled at the site, as per the company's official website.

11m ago

Storm in a teacup: US, UK banter over the perfect 'cuppa'

The "special relationship" between Britain and the United States came under pressure this week when a US academic had the cheek to suggest adding salt to tea, sparking a flurry of diplomatic banter

11m ago

Meet the Xbox Series S Toaster

Microsoft has recently released the Xbox Series S Toaster, a kitchen appliance inspired by the design of the Xbox Series S gaming console. The toaster, currently listed in Walmart for US$39.99, will imprint an Xbox sphere logo on the bread during toasting.

1y ago

Man's best friend: Genetics study reveals ancient friendship between humans and dogs

Much of the diversity seen in modern dog populations was already present around the time the last Ice Age had ended 11,000 years ago, a global study of ancient DNA revealed Thursday. The paper, published in Science, showed how our canine companions spread across the world with their masters, but also found intriguing periods when our shared history was decoupled.

4y ago

Fighting cock kills police chief in Philippine raid

A Philippine police officer was killed during a raid on an illegal cockfight after a rooster's blade sliced his femoral artery, an official said Tuesday.

4y ago

Restaurant reinvents ferris wheel in pandemic

Hit by a plunge in turnover after foreign tourists vanished, Michelin-starred Hungarian restaurant Costes has staged a skyline dining event on the Budapest Eye ferris wheel to generate sales in a coronavirus-proof environment.

4y ago

Using AI, Canadian city predicts who might become homeless

As makeshift tent cities spring up across Canada to house rough sleepers who fear using shelters due to covid-19, one city is leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to predict which residents risk becoming homeless. Launched in August, the AI system analyzes the personal data of participants to calculate who faces having nowhere to sleep for an extended period, said Matt Ross, an information technology (IT) expert with the city who helped build the program.

4y ago

Peru opens Machu Picchu for a single Japanese tourist

Peru’s best-known tourist site Machu Picchu has opened after months of coronavirus closure, but for just a single visitor -- a Japanese man stranded in the country by the pandemic.

4y ago

Japanese theme park unveils world's first 'life-size' Godzilla

A Japanese theme park took the wraps off what it calls the world’s first “life-size” statue of Godzilla to be installed permanently.

4y ago

T-Rex fossil sells for record-breaking $31.8 mn

One of the most complete specimens of a T-Rex fossil in the world was sold for a record $31.8 million Tuesday by Christie’s in New York, nearly quadrupling the previous highest price for a dinosaur at auction.

4y ago

102-carat diamond fetches $15.7m

An exceedingly rare 102-carat flawless white diamond sold for $15.7 million at an online auction in Hong Kong on Monday evening.

4y ago

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's a flying paramedic

Paramedics in England's remote, rugged Lake District region have been testing a jet suit that gets them to people in danger or distress in a fraction of the time it would take to travel by car or on foot.

4y ago

Romanian villagers re-elect mayor despite his Covid-19 death

After handing Ion Aliman victory in the election for their local mayor, residents of a small village in southern Romania went to his grave to light candles for him.

4y ago