Odd Articles ↓

World’s First Inflatable Seatbelt

“A car maker is introducing seatbelts that inflate like airbags to give extra protection to passengers. Ford is fitting the back seats of vehicles with belts that inflate automatically during a crash. Experts say they will be particularly effective at preventing broken ribs, internal damage and bruising in children. Frail and elderly passengers will also benefit particularly from the cylindrical airbag that stretches from the buckle to the shoulder and fits inside a pocket sewn into the belt. The technology will be introduced on the latest model of Ford Explorer 4×4, which goes into production in the United States next year.” w/ photos

One Cheeky Burglar

“As a wanted man, you might expect Matthew Maynard to be somewhat camera shy. But when his local paper published a mugshot of the 23-year-old in an attempt to track him down, he decided it didn’t show his best side. So he provided a replacement. And if that wasn’t cheeky enough, he posed for the new photograph standing next to a police van. Maynard is being hunted by police investigating a house burglary. Detectives sent the mugshot to local media in Swansea as part of a public appeal. When the picture appeared in the South Wales Evening Post, Maynard sent the paper a replacement photo of himself standing in front of a police van wearing luminous leggings and a policeman-like black jacket – which was then printed on the front page. Yesterday officers at South Wales Police thanked him for helping their campaign. One said: ‘He is a berk. He thinks he is being clever by showing off like this – but we’ll have him in soon now.” w/ photos

Dog Traps Head In Brick Wall

“This curious dog had to be rescued by firefighters yesterday after getting her head wedged inside a tumble dryer vent. Staffordshire terrier Daisy became trapped for over an hour after she poked her head into a six-inch-round hole in the wall of the utility room at her owners’ home in St Neots, Cambridgeshire. As she peered into the wall cavity her head became stuck fast, leaving her body in the utility room. As she struggled to escape her head swelled, and it became impossible for her owners to pull her free, forcing them to call firefighters to the scene. Crews used small hand tools to chip away at the wall around her neck until several bricks could be removed. They carefully monitored Daisy throughout the rescue and administered oxygen to keep her calm. After 30 minutes she was finally free, unharmed by the experience except for a few scratches to her face.” w/ photos

Giant Shoebill Picks Up Feathered Friend

“This duck got himself all in a flap after inadvertently straying into the path of a giant Shoebill while heading towards water. But it was all water off a duck’s back for the imposing 4ft tall bird which instead of eating his smaller friend, carefully picked him up in his beak and moved him aside. Despite its fearsome reputation as a predator around water, the Shoebill seemed more concerned with completing its journey than tucking into a feathered snack. These extraordinary pictures were captured by 51-year-old amateur photographer Mark Kay, at the San Diego Wild Animal Park in the U.S. Mr Kay said he spotted the endangered Shoebill standing alone and immediately grabbed his Canon 1 DS camera and started shooting. He said: ‘I was getting my camera out of the bag when I started to hear the ducks quacking. I immediately started shooting. ‘I thought the Shoebill was going to eat the duck, but soon realised he was moving him out of the way. ‘I suspect the duck had moved into his personal space. I have been back to the animal park a number of times, but have not captured anything as interesting there during my returns.” w/ photos

The Hairless Bear

“You’d have thought a fur coat would have been the ultimate bear necessity. But not for the unfortunate Dolores who has lost all her body hair and has just been left with a few tufts around her head. Vets have been left baffled by the condition of the bespectacled bear, who lives at a zoo in Leipzig. And Dolores isn’t the only one. The sudden hair loss has affected all female bears at the zoo. Some experts believe it could be due to a genetic defect though the animals do not seem to be suffering from any other affliction. The bears, which originate from South America, normally have fluffy dark brown fur and would now be growing a thicker fur coat to keep warm during the winter. But instead they have developed nasty rashes and inflammations on their skin. Unfortunately for the bears, their lack of hair has been pulling in the crowds who want to see want to see the wrinkly animals.” w/ photos

In-Car Robot Driver

“Driving could soon be a far more pleasant experience thanks to a personal in-car robot being developed by researchers. The Affective Intelligent Driving Agent (AIDA) will be able to tell you the best route home based on traffic reports, remind you to pick up petrol and suggest places you may like to visit. The robot, which sits on the dashboard, is being developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in collaboration with Volkswagen. Aida communicates with the driver through an expressive robot screen and will even appear sympathetic if you’re having a bad day.” w/ photos

The Last Delivery Birds In The World

“These pigeon couriers are members of the last avian postal service in the world – and could give Royal Mail a few ideas. The birds, from the U.S. city of Fort Collins, Colorado transport digital images of intrepid white water rafters to be processed in what is known as the ‘Pigeon Express’. They fly from the top of the Cache La Poudre River down to a base at the bottom where thrill-seekers can collect their snaps. The concept harks back to the days before the telegram. The birds are owned and trained by Rocky Mountain Adventures, who fly 19 pigeons five times every day, usually travelling a distance of between 20 and 40 miles. Using the pigeons is quicker than driving down from the river and it solves the problem of producing photographic memories for the white water rafting tourists. It takes them just 20 minutes.” w/ photos

Illegals Found In 25 Tons Of Starch Powder

“A tanker driver looked on in astonishment as he watched 14 illegal immigrants emerge from his cargo covered from head to toe in maize starch. Frenchman Ludovic Buns had transported 25 tonnes of the powder from Calais, France, to a packaging company in Devizes, Wiltshire. But when he pulled up at DS Smith Packaging on Tuesday evening he heard strange noises echoing inside the tanker drum. He peered inside to find 14 stowaways – seven men and seven teenagers from Iraq and Afghanistan – caked in white powder. They were all arrested and taken into custody that night.” w/ photos

The Gorilla Stud

“This is the satisfied look of a gorilla who is a hit with the female of the species. Oumbie, a 28st silverback, arrived at Twycross Zoo in Leicestershire on September 2 with the task of producing offspring. He has successfully wooed two lady gorillas and one may be pregnant already. At his previous home, Port Lympne Wild Animal Park in Kent, the 17-year-old great ape was kept in an all-male group. But it seems life in mixed company suits him. Oumbie created quite an impression when he crawled out of his crate at his new home, according to animal keeper Donna Smithson. She said the females gave him ‘a bit of a hard time to start with’, but he soon won them over. ‘Gorillas make flirty noises and strut about to try to impress each other,’ she said. ‘Oumbie has shown himself to be pretty good at that type of thing already.” w/ photos

The Mark Of Burglary Stupidity

“There was no disguising what these two characters had been up to moments before police pulled them over in America. Would-be burglars Matthew McNelly and Joey Miller’s masterplan contained one tiny flaw – their ‘disguises’ comprised of masks drawn on their faces using permanent marker pen. The pair had been reported after a witness spotted two men ‘with painted faces’ trying to break into a flat in Carroll, Iowa.” w/ photos