The Inquisitr » WTF

Kid rings police after parents confiscate Xbox

Chris Greenhough — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:25 +0000

True (and depressing) story: some little sod from Illinois has called 911 on his parents after they punished him by taking away his Xbox 360. Ugh.

The Chicago Tribune reports that the boy hung up before the emergency call was complete, so officers were sent to the address in case something of actual importance was happening. It probably didn’t look like the scene above. I hope it didn’t look like the scene above.

After the cops arrived, El Brat asked an officer whether his parents had the right to swipe his precious Xbox. The cop replied that yes, they do, and advised him to listen more to his parents.

They then drove off, their time thoroughly wasted by this little ingrate. Hopefully a slipper is connecting with his ass right … about … now.

[The Chicago Tribune, via GamePolitics]

[VIDEO] Worship the Lord while playing videogames [UPDATE]

Chris Greenhough — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:00:02 +0000

[UPDATE: Aaand suspicions about fakery are confirmed: Joystiq has exposed this as an amusing spot of viral marketing for EA's Dante's Inferno.]

Game developer Prayer Works Interactive just released a press release and debut trailer for Mass: We Pray, a new religion-themed minigame collection that will ship with motion-sensing crucifix-shaped controllers and pressure-sensitive kneeling pads. Holy crap. Literally.

The 24 minigames that will come on the disc include Holy Water sprinkling, conducting the choir, and lighting prayer candles.

It’s designed to ensure that “a family won’t have to wait until Sunday to worship the Lord,” and preorders for the title are available from November 20, some months ahead of its Easter 2010 release date.

If you hadn’t already guessed, Mass: We Pray is almost certainly a fake, but a rather good one all the same. As well as the WASP-filled trailer you see below (which boasts respectable production values), there’s a whole site, complete with image gallery.

Well, it made me chuckle. Bravo, mystery creator!

[MassWePray.com, via Destructoid]

Chinese MMO will check your gender for you

Chris Greenhough — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:03:06 +0000

Chinese MMO King of the World has introduced a new Gender Identity System in a bid to stop male players playing as female characters, or vice versa. According to MMOsite, the game will use a webcam to check your ugly face to see if you’re a guy or girl.

Guys playing as girls is hardly unheard of in the world of MMOs, and now it seems King of the World wants to stamp this deceit out, before any more people end up spending nine months of their life chatting to a stunning Wood Elf and agreeing to meet up in real-life only to discover they’ve been wooed and promised the world by a hairy trucker from Lincoln called Bruce. Not that I’d know anything about that.

The game’s operator, Aurora Technology, argues that using real gender will cause female players to feel more respected. An admirable aim, but the flexibility and escapism offered by MMOs is, in my opinion, a core part of their appeal. What say you, reader?

[MMOsite, via Destructoid; image here]

Japanese Fishing Boat Capsized By Giant Jellyfish

AHN — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:26:42 +0000

Choshi, Japan (AHN) – A small trawler capsized in the waters off the eastern coast of Japan Friday under the weight of a haul of giant jellyfish trapped in its net.

The small fishing boat, the Daisan Shinsho-maru, was overturned off the Inubozaki Lighthouse in Choshi, Japan Friday morning. The vessel lost its balance while trying to pull in a net tangled with dozens Nomura’s jellyfish, Japan’s Mainichi Daily reported.

Nomura’s jellyfish can weigh up to 440 pounds and measure as many as 6 feet across.

The three fishermen on board – captain Takashi Otsuka and crew Yoshimatsu Nakauchi and Noboru Suzuki – were tossed into the sea, but a nearby vessel rescued them, the Choshi Coast Guard Office told Mainichi Daily.

Actually not a joke: the Wii Baby Doll peripheral

Chris Greenhough — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:10:03 +0000

On these pages alone, I’ve already written about some pretty weird Wii accessories. There was the horseback riding saddle patented by Nintendo, the Wiimote football shell, and the game that comes with its own exercise bike.

But this takes the biscuit. Actually, scratch that: this takes the whole damn biscuit factory.

Baby and Me is not the first infant-rearing title on the Wii, but it is the first game ever to ship with a baby doll peripheral. The idea is that little girls insert their Wii Remote in the back of the doll, and then listen to it “giggling, gurgling or crying through the Wii remote [speaker].” Furthermore, if you have a Balance Board, you can even “rock baby to sleep, burp baby, [and] teach baby to walk.”

Which leaves only one question: did I sleep six months running again and wake up April 1st? No. Somehow, I didn’t and this is real.

[1UP, via technabob]

Libyan Leader Mu’ammar Al-Qadhafi To Write Screenplay

AHN — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 03:00:18 +0000

Libyan leader Colonel Mu’ammar Al-Qadhafi has written the screenplay for a new Syrian television drama set to air next Ramadan. The series, which is said to provide a response to “media attacks on the Arab and Muslim worlds” was written by the ostentatious leader and adapted by a Syrian writer.

Syrian media sources say the series depicts a journey through the Mediterranean Sea, Europe, Iran and parts of Asia and addresses matters such as tyranny, dictatorship, the relationship between citizens and ruling institutions, and the strong ties between Muslims and Christians in the Arab world.

Dr. Aijaz Ilmi, a media analyst and owner of the Urdu daily Siyassat Jadid, said Qadhafi’s personal venture into show business was rare among regional leaders.

“A lot of key countries have invested in satellite channels, television and media news networks,” he told The Media Line. “But to be part of a system when you actually write something – this is the first of its kind.”

“Mu’ammar Al-Qadhafi is obviously preparing to hand over the reins of the system to his son and he needs to do something else,” Ilmi said. “This is something that people do post-retirement so this seems to be a signal that he’s getting out of the system.”

Al-Qadhafi has been in power since a 1969 coup, making him the longest standing leader in the Arab world.

Libya drew considerable international criticism in August when convicted terrorist Abd Al-Baset Megrahi, who was released from a Scottish prison on humanitarian grounds because of a terminal illness, received a huge welcome party in Libya.

Megrahi was convicted for involvement in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am flight 103 in which 270 people were killed.

Ilmi said he did not believe the timing of the television series was deliberate.

“I think [Qadhafi] got onto the media bandwagon much earlier, and Megrahi happened in the middle,” he noted. “This has been in the offing for more than 12-18 months, his pursuit of being a media persona or contributor to the media world.”

The new script is being adapted into a drama by Syrian writer Fadel Affash and will be produced by Syrian producer Ziyyad A-Rees.

There are plans to air it next Ramadan, around the summer of 2010. It has become customary to air new television shows during this month, when families set into their living rooms at the end of the day to break the traditional fast.

The media section at the Libyan embassy in London had no knowledge of the initiative.

Al-Qadhafi’s foray into television screenwriting is the first of its kind for an Arab leader but it is not the Libyan leader’s first attempt at writing.

He has written a compilation of stories, and his most well known treatise is the famous Green Book, first published in 1975, which outlines his political philosophy.

In the past he wrote a draft script entitled “Oppression: The Years of Torment” as the basis for a movie. The film is about a Libyan national hero, Omar Al-Mukhtar, and the suffering of the Libyan people during the Italian occupation.

Syrian producer Najdat Anzour began working on it in 2008 but it appears the project has been halted. There was speculation the movie might attract Hollywood stars such as Anthony Hopkins, Kevin Spacey, Ben Kingsley and Omar Sharif and would be filmed with a budget of more than $50 million, funded by the Libyan government.

Your nightly dose of WTF (and possibly NSFW)

Steven Hodson — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 03:22:54 +0000

I caught this one earlier via those crazy folks at geekologie and like them I have watched this a few times because it is just plain cool. That said however be forewarned there is definitely one part that isn’t safe for work or playing in front of kids (or people with no sense of ha-ha) and I’m not talking about the cartoon violence.

VIDEOGIOCO by Donato Sansone from Enrico Ascoli – Sound Design on Vimeo.

Fruitloop Pastor claims Washington DC is going to be nuked…on Sunday

Duncan Riley — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 06:00:48 +0000

Meet Pastor Vincent Xavier, who as well as being head of the New Wine Ministry is also claiming to have insider knowledge that Washington DC is going to be flattened by a nuclear bomb Sunday October 11.

Pastor Xavier doesn’t elaborate how he’s come by his knowledge, but like most good nutters on the far right, he professes that it is in retaliation for America’s sins.

My only question: how are these sorts of nut jobs left to roam the streets? Audio for Xavier making his prediction as follows:

New from Japan: Neon Light Fighting

Duncan Riley — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:58:02 +0000

Not wanting to be done by the United States who turned bar room brawls into a sport called mixed martial arts, the Japanese have upped the ante with the new sport of “neon light fighting.”

As the name suggests, the sport is fairly simple: big Japanese men hit each other with neon lights in a battle of wills and broken glass.

There’s not a lot of information online about any other rules the sport might have, but I’d presume that maybe there is no rules, except that neon lights must be used when at attacking your opponent.

A small sample of neon light fighting pics as follows:

Designer Wolfgang Joop’s Bid To Trademark An Exclamation Point Denied

AHN — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 23:03:34 +0000

Luxembourg, Luxembourg (CNS) – German designer Wolfgang Joop’s bid to have a punctuation mark trademarked for his Joop! clothing and perfume company has been denied by European Union judges.

Joop applied to register two versions of an exclamation point: the first is a simple exclamation and the other is inside a rectangular frame.

The Telegraph reports that The Court of First Instance in Luxembourg said that the public would see the symbols simply as an “eye-catching gimmick.” The exclamation point lacked “distinctive character,” which makes it ineligible as a trademark under EU law.

The symbol could still be trademarked if it became so associated with the company that the public would recognize its products from the symbol alone. However, this was not the case for Joop’s Joop!

The court ruled that consumers would not be able to decide on the origin of the products just by relying on an exclamation mark.

The trademark application for the exclamation point was also turned down at the German courts in 2006.

Yahoo’s new ad is like doing Vegas on LSD

Duncan Riley — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 01:52:40 +0000

Yahoo’s new ad campaign is out and they’ve gone with some song and dance in an experience which is something like doing Vegas on LSD.

Actually the introduction is probably a little unfair, because it’s actually far worse than that. The new ad, set on the “You” theme, is more like a LSD trip gone bad. Dancers are intersected with people heading a soccer ball, with the clip pace constantly changed from fast motion to slow motion. There’s some bad Dali inspired scenes and a voice over that I kid you not claims that “you are about to enter a place where time and space collide.”

Seriously though, what the hell has this got to do with a content portal that occasionally some people use to search the web?

The new Yahoo ad as follows. If you’re on any sort of medication, or prone to psychotic episodes you probably shouldn’t watch it. If you don’t fit that criteria, you may after watching this

Clip claims to show Wizard of Oz Hanging

Duncan Riley — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 02:34:58 +0000

From today’s WTF files comes a serious dose of looking for things that might not be there, or specifically in this case an alleged “Wizard of Oz Hanging.”

The clip from the Disney classic allegedly shows (and we’re not making this up, although we suspect others may have) that a munchkin hung himself in the background of a scene, and the producers didn’t notice it.

Wizard of Oz Hanging clip shows Dorothy, Scare Crow and Tin Man following the yellow brick road, while in the back ground a small, dark figure moves…and then apparently swings on what could possibly be a rope.

A more logical explanation is simply a loose prop moving in the background, but maybe I’m just not creative enough to see a hanging in the clip. Ultimately you can decide: the Wizard of Oz Hanging clip as follows:

France set to introduce disclosure law on photoshopped pics

Duncan Riley — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 23:57:15 +0000

French politicians are pushing a new law that will force publishers who use photoshopped pictures to print a disclosure that the pictures are photoshopped.

The new photoshopped disclosure law, which would apply to any “retouched photograph aimed at changing a person’s physical appearance” is being pushed as a way to combat body image issues in the general population.

“We want to combat the stereotypical image that all women are young and slim” MP Valerie Boyer told the Telegraph.
“These photos can lead people to believe in a reality that does not actually exist, and have a detrimental effect on adolescents. Many young people, particularly girls, do not know the difference between the virtual and reality, and can develop complexes from a very young age.”

“In some cases this leads to anorexia or bulimia and very serious health problems…It’s not just a question of public health, but also a way of protecting the consumer.”

The law, which would apply to political material and billboards as well as magazines, will be backed by fines of up to $50,000, or up to 50% of the cost of the publicity campaign.

(via Mashable)

Teacher asks students: would you urinate in your brothers mouth?

Duncan Riley — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 10:00:20 +0000

An English teacher at a New Hampshire High School is being watched like a hawk after assigning a rather interesting essay topic to her class of about 12 or 13 seniors.

The students un her class were asked to write a response to the question (and we swear we’re not making this up): “If you knocked your brother down, would you urinate in his mouth?”

A school spokesman said that the assignment was supposed to help motivate the students to improve their writing, but the teacher lack judgment in assigning that question.

“While on the one hand, I appreciate her interest in trying to get kids to write, there are other topics and there are more appropriate prompts that could create that same kind of interest,” the spokesman said.

Local media reported that the teacher is now being monitored by a supervisor.

Adsense context advertising fail

Kim LaCapria — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 15:54:09 +0000

A blogger reading about Chrome noticed a bit of AdSense fail, for Google’s own product.

[Source: Intershame]

Panhandlers discover new stimulus tactic

Steven Hodson — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 18:40:23 +0000

Just how fast would you be willing to cough up your spare change when nude panhandlers run up to your car stopped at the lights?

Why So Curious George?

Duncan Riley — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 13:00:03 +0000

This picture is so wrong on so many levels, and yet I couldn’t resist not running it.

Nintendo considering a football add-on for the Wii

Chris Greenhough — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 03:56:09 +0000

Because gaming nowadays is all about how many peripherals can be shoehorned onto any given console, Nintendo has patented a soft football controller for the Wii and its remote. Official: it is no longer acceptable to play games by pushing buttons.

This latest patent means you might be playing Madden 2011 on the Wii with a squishy faux-pigskin attached to your Wiimote. From the patent description:

“Throwing – Players firmly strap their hands to the ball and make a throwing motion. The pitch angle and force of the throw determines the trajectory arc of the throw. Side to side motion determines the yaw angle. Pressing buttons on the Wii remote can adjust other options.

Running – The football controller sense body motion, shifting left and right to dodge tacklers and even jumping motions by raising the ball. Running speed is determined by players making a jogging motion.”

Before you think Nintendo has lost its marbles, it’s probably worth remembering the company has some recent form for zany patents.

The inflatable Horseback Riding Saddle I wrote about recently probably tops a spongy football for weirdness (as does Sony’s laughter detector), but gawd, this is the same damn company that made the note-perfect, game-of-my-childhood Super Mario Bros. 3, forchrissakes. Can we not just get back to sitting down to play some games? Sitting down is really a big part of why I play games.

[Via Siliconera]

Winkers jeans are a seriously bad idea

Duncan Riley — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 20:30:50 +0000

Would you like you jeans to blink? Then have we got something special for you. Winkers Jeans, patent pending jeans that wink as you walk. Start with eyes, then progress on to the fascinating array of animals and things like movie props. With Winkers, you’ll always stand out from the crowd!.

OK, so I made parts of that text up. Winkers are jeans that wink, however you’ll not only be noticed, you’ll be laughed at everywhere you go. Do Not Want.

Surveillance Camera Photo of ATM Customer – WTF?

Paul Short — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 23:31:04 +0000

Here’s a very strange photo of a guy at an ATM machine. WTF is he doing?

Photo via Clumsy Crooks.

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