Some of us reach a point in life when we think we've seen everything there is to see. Nothing surprises us anymore. But wait! Don't be too presumptuous. Things can sneak up on you when you least expect it.
Have you ever been doing some work and wished you had more than two hands? “A Japanese robotics company called Jizai Arms has engineered a system of spider-like robotic limbs consisting of six arms that can be controlled by the user wearing them. Jizai Arms is a supernumerary robotic limb system consisting of a wearable base unit with six terminals and detachable robot arms controllable by the wearer.”
Extra mechanical arms are interesting, but a Michigan lad has a head start with plain human hands. “An eighth-grader at Akron-Fairgrove Junior/Senior High School set a new Kids World Record with the largest hands. Iasonas Vaiopoulos measured an impressive hand span of 10.25 inches, which makes the 13-year-old's hands about 50% larger than the average NBA player's hand span of 8.9 inches.”
In perhaps a bit of an understatement, the young man notes: “It's not a skill, but it's pretty cool having a large hand span. I can grab stuff a lot easier.”
What makes this particular band unique, however, is their mode of locomotion.
“The Bicycle Showband Crescendo is a marching band that performs on bicycles. The cycling musicians play a variety of showband pieces including ‘Sweet Caroline' and the ‘Mission Impossible' theme song. Around 40 band members show off their talents as they ride their bicycles in complex choreography.” See them perform at:
If that band really wants to up its game, a Midwest guy may have just the option.
“A Minnesota inventor has unveiled his latest creation: a beer-powered motorcycle. Ky Michaelson said the beer-powered motorcycle has a 14-gallon keg with a heating coil instead of a gas-powered engine. The coil heats the beer up to 300 degrees, which then becomes super-heated steam in the nozzles that propel the bike forward.”
This time of year, many golfers are making their debuts on the links. Golf can be a frustrating game, even for the best players. Frustration was so rampant at a recent college event the whole shebang was scrapped.
“In a bizarre situation, the third round of the NCAA Division III women's golf championship was canceled because of an unplayable hole. The situation occurred on the 308-yard par-4 sixth hole at Mission Inn and Resort's El Campeon Golf Course in Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida. Numerous videos showed the pin placement on a severe slope with putts coming up just short of the hole rolling back 10 to 15 feet. The NCAA determined the hole location was too severe to play.” See the evidence at:
You may think there is not enough space in the football landscape for yet another professional league. Tully Banta-Cain, a former player for the New England Patriots, thinks you're wrong. He is heading up a new football experience. “The Beach Football League, where tackle football in an eight-on-eight format will be played on sandy beaches in the U.S. and internationally, will begin next year.”
The Remix is high tech. “To make a customized sauce, consumers will use a touchscreen to select a base of either ketchup, ranch, 57 Sauce or BBQ sauce; add in enhancers that include jalapeno, smoky chipotle, buffalo, and mango; and set one of three intensity levels.” The combinations would seem to be only limited by your imagination.
There could be one tiny glitch the company will have to solve. “It's looking at how the dispenser could be used for speed-focused drive-thru lanes. The machine requires more time and effort than throwing a handful of ketchup packets in a takeout bag, which will likely pose a challenge.” I also wonder how all the options will sound coming from a scratchy drive-thru speaker.