Offbeat

Offbeat

This man's blood could unlock universal antivenom

Tim Friede, a Wisconsin resident with a long-standing fascination for venomous creatures, has endured hundreds of snake bites, many self-inflicted, in a quest to build immunity

3m ago

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?

8m 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.

1y 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

1y 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

1y ago

KFC launches perfume Eau De BBQ

Finger sniffin’ good?

1y 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.

1y 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

1y ago

Plane wearing ‘mask’ lands at Singapore airport

The blue mask is a common sight these days but recently it has been spotted on a Cargolux Airlines Boeing 747-8 at Changi Airport in Singapore.

4y ago

In China, a Trump wax statue maker laments Covid-19 fallout

Donald Trump is best-selling wax-statue model by Shanghai Maiyi Arts in the United States.

4y ago

Gandhi's iconic glasses sell for $340,000 in UK

A pair of gold-plated glasses worn by Indian independence hero Mahatma Gandhi has sold in Britain for £260,000 (about 288,000 euros, $340,000), the auction house said.

4y ago

Indonesian YouTuber gains 3 million views by staring into space for 2 hours

A man from Indonesia has racked up millions of views on YouTube for literally doing nothing.

4y ago

‘Lucky’ phone number sells for $300,000

A “lucky” mobile phone number has sold for a whopping 2.25 million yuan ($300,000) after hundreds of people vied online for the right to use the apparently auspicious string of digits.

4y ago

Pentagon to set up new unit to investigate UFOs

The Pentagon said Friday it was setting up a new task force under the US Navy to investigate UFO sightings.

4y ago

Michael Jordan's sneakers sell for record breaking $615,000

A pair of Michael Jordan's game-worn sneakers sold for $615,000, Christie's auction house said Thursday, shattering a record set just months ago by the sale of another pair of the basketball legend's shoes.

4y ago

‘Robotaxis’ take riders for a spin

Chinese entrants in the race to put autonomous vehicles on the road are bringing “robotaxis” online in hopes that a hired-car format can be the key to unlocking wide acceptance of the futuristic technology.

4y ago

China Airlines offer sight-seeing flights

Faced with the coronavirus collapse in travellers, Taiwanese airlines have begun offering sight-seeing “flights to nowhere” on their passenger jets -- including flight attendant lessons for children.

4y ago

US jails man who bought Lamborghini with virus loan

Instead of speeding off in a $200,000 Lamborghini Urus, a Texas man got a slower ride to jail Tuesday after US authorities arrested him for using $1.6 million in government pandemic aid to go on a spending spree.

4y ago