Tag Archives: weird

This webcam literally looks and behaves like a human eye… because tech surveillance wasn’t creepy enough

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Remember when Sundar Pichai stepped on stage at Google I/O in 2018 and demonstrated how the virtual Google Assistant could make phone calls and have realistic conversations with people? It was a combination of scary and impressive, as Google’s voice AI literally spoke to a human, booking a haircare appointment at a salon. The virtual assistant’s manner of speaking was so incredibly natural, it could fool anyone into thinking it was a real human. The assistant’s voice had a natural speaking quality to it, with mannerisms, inflections, and even the occasional “ummm” and “ahhh” sounds to make it sound natural and human. The demo was a combination of incredibly impressive and incredibly scary, as it demonstrated how tech could easily cross over into human territory.

For people who still don’t feel tech is dystopian enough, here’s the Eyecam… a webcam that creepily stares right into your soul. In a world where tech spies on you (sometimes blatantly), the Eyecam adds a layer of realism to it. Designed by researcher Marc Teyssier, the Eyecam is more of a social project that aims at turning the humble camera into something more relatable – for better or for worse. The resulting device is eerily similar to an eye. Sure, it comes covered with faux flesh and has eyebrows and eyelashes, but the Eyecam doesn’t just look like an eye. It behaves like one too. The eyeball can independently pivot inside the eye socket, looking around the room. A facial-recognition software runs in the background, allowing the Eyecam to detect humans and look them directly in the eye. If that wasn’t creepy enough, the eyeball even has a tendency to move and jitter around like a human eye. It doesn’t stay absolutely still… instead, it looks and scans you, parts of your face, and intermittently shifts its gaze between your left and right eye. Oh, and it blinks too, feeling so real that your mind’s bound to feel extremely conscious of the camera’s gaze.

The Eyecam is more of an experiment than a real product. It aims at understanding, decoding, and tweaking the human-tech relationship. The camera behaves quite like a human eye would. Looking around the room before it spots you and stares directly into your eyes like another human. When the camera is resting, the eyelid shuts too, allowing you to feel a little more at ease around it. Obviously, when it wakes up and looks right at you, it feels slightly unnerving at first. I’m not sure how one would feel after months of using and getting used to the Eyecam… in fact, I’m not sure I even want to know, although it’s definitely something Teyssier is studying. Does the human tech relationship drastically change when the tech takes on a more human avatar? We’re comfortable with smartphone front-facing cameras casually pointing at us when we’re staring at our screens. What happens when that camera adopts a human appearance? How would our behaviors change if the surveillance around us felt that much more tangible?

If Black Mirror-esque dystopia excites you, you can actually build your own Eyecam from scratch. Marc’s been kind enough to document his entire process in great detail, and has even made hardware and software files available on Github. Just promise you won’t scare anyone to death! Remember, Big Brother’s always watching!

Designer: Marc Teyssier

The Eyecam comes built to scale, with remarkably human-like proportions and even details like skin-folds, wrinkles, and crow’s feet for that added realism.

The camera sits within an eyeball-shaped enclosure, which is rotated on multiple axes thanks to a series of motors and mechanisms that mimic the human eye’s randomized movement. *shudder*

Social experiment? Late April Fool’s Prank? Early Halloween experiment? You decide!

Coddies Fish Flops: Slide Sandals That Look Like Realistic Fish

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Are you looking for some footwear to really stand out? Something to let people know you march to the beat of a different drum, one that might only exist in your own head? Well you’re in luck, because Coddie Fish Flops are slide sandals that look like realistic fish. Now I’ll have an excuse when my wife asks why my feet stink! Just not a very good excuse.

Available in a variety of colors (green, blue, orange, silver, pink), the $24 sandals come in all sizes from toddler to men’s 14 – 15, so you have no excuse to not buy some for the whole family. You’ll be the talk of the beach! Hey, did you see that family all wearing fish sandals? Now they just need to make matching hats.

I just bought a pair for both my wife and me, and I love them. She… she hasn’t tried hers on yet. As a matter of fact, she accidentally threw them away, but I was lucky to spot them when I was taking the trash out. Talk about a close call. I can’t wait to wear them to Red Lobster together on our next date night.

Fried Chicken Pillows with Phone Pouch to Play ASMR Audio of Chicken Frying

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Do you have a hard time falling asleep at night? Is it so bad and specific you need a fried chicken-shaped pillow with an integrated pouch for your phone so you can play audio of chicken frying just so you can fall asleep? Well, you’re in luck, because Japanese brand Fellisimo just released the Mocchiri Juicy Karaage (“Springy Juicy Fried Chicken”) pillow. I want one, but my wife is going to get pissed if I eat another pillow.

Available in three very slightly different styles (“small and easy to eat” [left]; “so good you’ll want to save it for the end of the meal” [middle]; and “the best ratio of meat and skin” [right]), the pillows cost 3,300 yen apiece, or around $32. Alternatively, you could get a 12-piece meal with 3 large sides and 6 biscuits from KFC for the same price and cuddle that to sleep. Who doesn’t like waking up greasy?

The pillows include a pouch to hold your smartphone, and you’re encouraged to play the ASMR YouTube video of chicken sizzling and frying provided by Fellisimo (have a listen for yourself below). I tried relaxing to it, but honestly, it just made me hungry. And do you know what happens when I get hungry right before going to sleep? I eat pillows. True story: my wife used the parental controls to block the Food Network in the bedroom.

[via Japan Today]

Pikachu Centipede Body Pillows: Gotta Catch ‘Em Aaaaah!

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What has a Pikachu head, entirely too many body segments, and nobody asked for? If you answered a Pikachu centipede body pillow, then you’re correct. Available from Chinese online retailer AliExpress, falling asleep with one of these ‘Very Long Pikachu Insect Plushes’ can almost guarantee a poor night’s sleep filled entirely with nightmares.

Available in four sizes (85cm, 1.1m, 1.4m, and 1.7m), the Creepachus cost between $21 and $90 depending on length, and I have the sneaking suspicion they’re not actually officially licensed products from Nintendo. Or a product that should exist at all for that matter.

Who comes up with this stuff? ‘You know what the world needs? Pikachu centipede body pillows,’ somebody actually thought to themselves before going the distance and having them manufactured. I mean that’s something I wouldn’t imagine even in my wildest dreams, and let me tell you – I’ve had some wild dreams. The things I’ve seen! But never ever a Pikachu centipede body pillow, just so we’re clear.

[via ComicBook]

Rats Have Learned to Drive Tiny Cars

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Apparently, because we don’t already have enough problem with scooters weaving in and out of traffic, scientists are working on a way for rats to drive around in miniature cars now. Yes, they can now literally join the rat race.

Image: Kelly Lambert / University of Richmond

As part of their studies of the cognitive abilities of rats, researchers from the Lambert Behavioral Neuroscience Laboratory at the University of Richmond have built miniature cars that rats can use to drive around. Now, these rats aren’t just driving to work or the shopping mall. They need more incentive than that. Their objective: Froot Loops.

The ratmobiles were built using see-through food containers mounted onto motorized platforms. Each one is rigged up with copper bars that the rats press on to steer the cars left and right, or to drive forward towards the colorful breakfast cereal treat. As scientists placed Froot Loops around the floor, the rats gradually learned to navigate towards their targets.

It’s pretty cool that rats can drive cars now, but I won’t be truly impressed until they learn how to drive a stick shift.

[via NewScientist via CNet]

Formula 1 and NASCAR Look Out, It’s Time for Racing Tardigrades

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I’ve watched lots of car races over the years. I’ve driven on race tracks and dragstrips, and have even been in a stock car at about 170 mph. But you know what I haven’t experienced yet? Tardigrade racing. These tiny creatures are known for their resiliency, so they’re unlikely to get injured in a crash, making them perfect for high-speed action.

These pull-back tardigrades come in a set of four so you can race up to three of your friends to see who has the fastest time in a drag race. I’m going with the bright blue one, mostly because it looks like Swedish Racing Green to me. Now, as far as I know, tardigrades are so tiny that you need a microscope to see them, so the guys at Archie McPhee decided to scale theirs up to 2-3/4″ long so they’re visible to the naked eye. Hey, put some clothes on that eyeball!

The full set goes for just $14.95 and would be lots of fun to race against some babies, possums, or cockroaches. Place your bets now!

This Meat Puzzle Is Made of Literal Butcher Blocks

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Thanksgiving is over, so I’ve officially had my fill of turkey for the year. Next time I have meat, I want it to be a nice hearty steak. Perhaps a rib eye or a New York strip. If you’d rather play with your meat than eat it, then maybe you’ll like this puzzle that lets you see all of the delicious parts of a cow.

Toy company Megahouse created this 3D puzzle that looks like a bull with all of its guts on display. Simply remove its plastic ribcage, and fill its torso with various cuts of meat. Presumably, you could use this knowledge to better understand how to butcher a cow – assuming you can read Japanese because that’s how all of the parts are labeled.

Now why the cow is sticking his tongue out is anyone’s guess. Maybe he’s taunting us because he’s made out of PVC, and you’d choke to death if you tried to eat any of him. Or maybe he’s just catching flies. Who knows?

Not a beef eater? That’s okay. Megahouse also makes chicken, pork, and tuna body part puzzles.

Memento Mori D20 Dice Are Made from Human Bones

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When we die, some of us want to be cremated, while others want to be buried, and a select few people want their body parts to be used for medical science. But I’m not sure many people would raise their hands and say “yeah, please turn my bones into dice so someone can play D&D with them.”

Thanks to the guys at Artisan Dice, some long-lost souls have met exactly that fate with their macabre Memento Mori dice. Yes, these D20s are made from real human bones. Each one got its start as a human being whose skeleton was at some point used at a medical university. Apparently, these skeletons have a shelf life, and eventually aren’t usable anymore, so they get turned into other stuff like dice. Kids, stop playing with the bones so much, and maybe we won’t have to turn them into dice.

Each one is handmade and inlaid with numbers crafted from sterling silver, then set into a special Reliquary gaming case. While you won’t ever know who died so you can have your die, you will get the satisfaction of knowing that someone gave their life so you can roll their bones.

Ketchup Flavored Candy Canes Are the Ultimate Christmas Condiment

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Were you a good boy or girl this year? Doesn’t matter, 2020 has spoken and we’re all getting ketchup flavored candy canes for Christmas anyways. Created by Archie McPhee, a six-pack of “rich tomato flavor” ketchup candy canes costs $6.50 and is sure to be absent from every single Christmas list this year. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t getting them anyways!

I think my favorite part about these things is they look just like traditional candy canes, so you kids won’t realize Santa thought they were bad this year until it’s too late. Will I still sharpen the end of mine to a point and poke my brother in the leg with it until he tells on me? Well, it wouldn’t be Christmas if I didn’t, now would it? They’re called traditions after all.

So… are you thinking what I’m thinking? If it’s “I wonder what one of these would taste like melted on a hotdog” you are! And I, for one, plan on finding out. If it’s as delicious as I imagine, fingers crossed for spicy mustard and sauerkraut candy canes next year!

[Archie McPhee]

The Home Depot Sells an Elvis Squirrel Statue

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When I make a run to The Home Depot, it’s usually because I need some 2x4s, drywall compound, or drill bits. So go figure that while I was shopping on their website for some completely unrelated hardware, this thing popped up on my Facebook page later in the day.

I’m not sure what it was about my shopping for PVC deck parts that made Home Depot’s ad retargeting vendor recommend this Elvis-inspired squirrel, but now I must have one for my yard. So I guess the technology is working properly. Somehow the algorithm knew that I would want one of these. Not only that, it must have known that I edit a website filled with strange and wonderful products, and would tell all of my readers about it.

Now you know an Elvis Squirrel exists too, and you want one too.  For what I can only assume is the fear of the Presley estate’s lawyers, this thing is actually called “Elmer the Rock and Roll Squirrel,” but I think it’s pretty obvious from the haircut and sparkly jumpsuit who this is supposed to be. Elmer Prusbley, naturally.

You can get your hands on the king of rock and roll squirrels over at The Home Depot for $23.98.