Farmer Who Lost Both Arms in Accident Spent Eight Years Building New Ones from Scrap Metal

Sun Jifa, a Chinese farmer who lost both his arms after a homemade bomb exploded prematurely, built his own functional prosthetic limbs after he couldn’t afford to buy the one offerd by the hospital.

A few years back, 51-year-old Sun Jifa, from Guanmashan, Jilin province, northern China, was working on explosives designed for blast fishing when a bomb blew up prematurely leaving him without both his arms. He was taken to the hospital and treated, but when doctors proposed he wear a pair of prosthetics designed to make his everyday life easier, Sun realized he just couldn’t afford them. At the same time he knew he needed both his arms in order to work on the farm and provide for  his family. That’s when he decided to built his own artificial arms out of scrap metal. After eight years of planning and several prototypes, He finally has a pair of functional arms.

The Chinese farmer claims he controls his homemade bionic limbs with the movements of his elbows, and they allow him to work and feed himself like any other normal person. The only drawback to his inventions, Sun says is that the steel causes them to get very hot in the summer and cold in the winter. Still, the innovative farmer says he’s happy he was able to prove people don’t have to pay a fortune for prosthetics created by profit-oriented companies, and he’s now planning to develop the design for other disabled people.

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A Chinese Farmer’s Epic Rickshaw Journey to the London Olympic Games

Chen Guanming, a 57-year-old farmer from China, spent over two years travelling about 60,000 kilometers, through 16 countries, enduring floods, war zones and extreme temperatures,  to reach London in time for the games and “spread Olympic spirit”.

The 2012 London Olympic Games may have ended, but remarkable stories related to the monumental event are still popping up. One such story is that of Chen Guanming, a simple farmer from a village in China’s Jiangsu province, who traveled all the way to London the only way he could afford to, by rickshaw. The daring traveler said he was inspired to go on this epic journey when he watched the English Prime-Minister accept the Olympic flag, in 2008, and the media invited those watching the live broadcast to the next edition of the games. Chen took that invitation quite seriously, and in 2009, he started putting all his papers in order and preparing for an unforgettable adventure. His long rickshaw ride began on May 23, 2010, in the village where he grows rice and other crops, and took him through 16 different countries, including Vietnam, Thailand, Pakistan or Italy.

Chen’s three-wheeled rickshaw loaded with his possessions was his biggest support during the two-year journey. In the first countries he visited – Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam - the Chinese farmer encountered constant temperatures of around 38 degrees Celsius and had to wring his clothes seven or eight times a day. In Thailand, he was caught up in devastating floods, and in Turkey he faced low temperatures of -30 degrees Celsius and spent four days snowed in. But perhaps the biggest hurdle on his trip was being refused a visa in Burma. After cycling all this way only to be denied entry, most people would have just given up and went home, but the undeterred Chen Guanming pedaled back to Tibet where he took his gearless rickshaw up 7,000m high mountains and continued his journey. During his travels, the ambitious farmer relied on compensations for couriering things along and on people’s donations. He arrived in England on July 6, by ferry, from France, and in London on July 9.

His story sounds so incredible, few would be inclined to actually believe it, but although no one can confirm everything Chen said about his trip, the photos plastered on his rickshaw showing him in different places around the world, the visas on his passport, the press cuttings and the messages kept neatly in his book are certainly proof worth considering. John Beeston, an English broker who found him wondering aimlessly on the streets of London, certainly believes him and compares his feat to the legendary travels of Marco Polo. Asked by the BBC, what he thinks of London, the 57-year-old globetrotter said ”London is especially beautiful. People are very friendly. They always show warmth towards me. When I go back to China I want to tell them how civilized the English are.”

Guanming said that he wanted to come to London because he “wanted the whole world to support the Olympics and be part of it,” and to make sure people get his message, he’s already decided to pedal his rickshaw all the way to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the 2016 Olympic Games.

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Teenager Sets New World Record at Mobile-Phone Throwing Contest

Every year, the Finnish town of Savonlinna hosts a fun and relaxing phone-throwing contest where participants are invited to take out all their frustration on their handhelds by throwing them as far as possible. This year, a Finnish teenager managed to set a new world record, with a throw of over 101 meters.

Ever since 2000, when it was first organized, the Mobile Phone Throwing World Championship has become an international event drawing in participants from all over the world. According to reports of Finnish insurance companies, there are lots of phones laying on the bottom of Finland’s lakes, causing a serious environmental problem due to the toxicity of their batteries. In an attempt to convince people there are better ways of getting rid of their faulty mobile devices, a Savonlinna-based translation and interpretation company called Fennolingua organized a mobile-throwing contest that immediately drew the attention of media all around the world. In the following years, the event became even more popular gathering throwers from every continent eager to show their hurling skills.

On the official site of the competition, Mobile Phone Throwing is labeled as  ”the only sport where  you can pay back all the frustrations and  disappointments caused by these modern equipments”. Yet, competitors are not allowed to use their own cell-phones. Although many users have asked to throw their own handhelds as payback for their weak batteries or frequent signal drops, all contestants have to throw phones provided by Fennolingua. On the upside, the approved gadgets include all kinds of brands and models, with weights varying from 220 grams to over 400 grams, allowing competitors to choose the one that best suits their throwing style. The fun competition is made up of three categories: over the shoulder, where contestants try to hurl the mobile phones as far as possible, freestyle, where throwers are judged on aesthetics and creativity, and under 12, where kids can show their phone-throwing skills.

This year the Mobile Phone Throwing World Championship took place on August 18. Finnish teen Ere Karjalainen, who said he drank the night before in preparation for the event, set a new mobile phone throwing record, with a distance of 101.46 meters, whilst in the women’s competition, a hammer-throwing athlete hurled the phone 42.47 meters. After the contest ended, all phones were gathered and sent to a recycling plant, thus staying true to the competition’s official description – a sport that combines recycling philosophy and fun.

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Most Amazing Coincidences

Two brothers killed by the same taxi driver, one yearapartIn 1975, while riding a moped in Bermuda, a man was accidentally

struck and killed by a taxi. One year later, this man's bother was killedin the very same way. In fact, he was riding the very same moped.And to stretch the odds even further, he was struck by the very sametaxi driven by the same driver - and even carrying the very samepassenger! (Source: Phenomena: A Book of Wonders, John Michell and Robert J.M. Rickard)

......A bullet that reached its destiny years laterHenry Ziegland thought he had dodged fate. In 1883, he broke off arelationship with his girlfriend who, out of distress, committed suicide.The girl's brother was so enraged that he hunted down Ziegland andshot him. The brother, believing he had killed Ziegland, then turnedhis gun on himself and took his own life. But Ziegland had not beenkilled. The bullet, in fact, had only grazed his face and then lodged in atree. Ziegland surely thought himself a lucky man. Some years later,however, Ziegland decided to cut down the large tree, which still hadthe bullet in it. The task seemed so formidable that he decided to blowit up with a few sticks of dynamite. The explosion propelled the bulletinto Ziegland's head, killing him. (Source: Ripley's Believe It or Not!)

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Chivalry Is Alive and Riding a Horse through Canada

In a time when man has so many communication tools at his disposal, it seems odd that someone would use a horse to get their message across to the world. But that’s exactly what Vincent Gabriel Kirouac did to promote chivalry and polite manners in Canada.

It’s not every day that you get to see a man in full knight regalia, riding a horse through the busy streets of Canadian cities like Ottawa, but that’s just what Vincent Kirouac has been doing during the last few months. “I’m crossing Canada on horseback dressed as a knight, to remind people of the values of long ago, such as devotion,” he told the National Post. And believe it or not, his unique strategy seems to be working as he manages to steal smiles from people everywhere he goes and even some friendly invitations from total strangers. ”You ask for the hospitality and they say ‘yes’ all the time,” he told CBC.

The chivalrous journey of Vincent Gabriel Kirouac began in April, in Riviere-du-Loup, a town on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River. He has been heading west ever since, sticking mainly to the back roads, although he did make an exception to visit Canada’s capital He plans to finish his amazing trip across his country in mid September, in British Columbia. the 22-year-old modern knight is currently unemployed, but has previously worked for two years, in order to raise the necessary funds for this kind of a trip. ”I’m trying to be that symbol of something that is incorruptible… and never to fail my duty, which is to be a knight and be good and be an example,” the self-proclaimed “full-time knight said”.

Although he has donned a knight’s costume and chosen a horse as means of transportation around the country, Kirouac says there’s more to his medieval style than meets the eye. ”I am a knight,” he said. “I’m trying to be that symbol of something that is incorruptible… and never to fail my duty, which is to be a knight and be good and be an example.”

So if you’re in Canada and see a guy wearing a bizarre outfit and riding a horse, don’t call the police, but rather ask him if he needs a place to spend the night and show him politeness  and chivalry are very much alive.

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Prends-Moi – The World’s First Weight Loss Perfume

Forget about painful diets and grueling exercise, from now on all you have to do to lose weight is spray on a little perfume. The magic fragrance is called Prends-Moi and is said to contain beta-endorphins that reduce the urge to overeat.

Developed by the French perfume house Robertet, the Veld’s Prends-Moi slimming fragrance was launched last year, but only recently made its debut on the English market, where women welcomed it with open arms. On July 30, the Daily Mail reported around 6,000 women had subscribed to the product’s waiting list, hoping this could actually be the miraculous weight-loss solutions they had been waiting for. It’s easy to understand why people would gladly fork out some cash on such an easy-to-use slimming product, but can shedding the pounds be as easy as putting on perfume? According to the makers of Prends-Moi, it sure can.

Veld’s Prends-Moi weight-loss perfume apparently contains a series of special ingredients that help users in their dieting efforts. The most important one, ”Betaphroline”, will induce the release of B-endorphins when it comes into contact with the cells in the outer layer of the kin. This in turn triggers a sensation of wellbeing in the brain that reduces the need to overeat. But that’s not the only thing that helps you lose weight. Prends-Moi also contains caffeine, carnitine and spirulina extract, a combination that said to activate the enzymes involved in breaking down fat. That all sounds very nice in theory, but does it actually work? The Centre of Biological Research and Cutaneous Experimentation study of women aged 18 to 75 years found that 82% felt “a sensation of comfort” after using Prends-Moi, while 75% felt a decrease in their eating urges after using the fragrance for four weeks. According to the perfume’s official site, the wearer has to apply Prends-Moi generously in the morning and again when they feel a snack-attack coming up.

In terms of fragrance,  top notes include accents of bergamot, mandarin and grapefruit, while base notes are musk and vanilla with patchouli and sandalwood. The majority of women who have tried Prends-Mois say they like the way it smells and would wear it every day.

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Geeky Fan Builds Real-Life Wall-E Robot

Mike Senna, a computer programmer from Orange County, California, has spent the last two and a half years building a real-life Wall-E robot, from scratch. It moves around, rolls and talks, but he doesn’t collect trash.

In 2009, shortly after the movie Wall-E was launched, we featured some photos of cool Wall-E computer case mod, but that feat simply pales in comparison to Mike Senna’s awesome achievement. The robot aficionado spend between 3,200 and 3,800 man hours building his very own version of the adorable Pixar trash-collecting hero. His computer programming skills definitely came in handy, but seeing as there were no Wall-E parts available anywhere on this planet, he had to construct the whole thing from scratch. He worked on it about 25 hours a week, after his day job, but all the hard work certainly paid off.

This isn’t Mike Senna’s first robot, either. In 2003, he created his own version of R2D2, so he’s pretty well-known in select geek circles. His latest creation has started making appearances at various events, putting a smile on children’s faces and getting praised by adult geeks. For detailed “how did he do it” information make sure you check out his blog. There are lot sof cool photos to look at, as well.

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New York Cafe Sells Only Tap Water for $2.50 a Bottle

Molecule, a newly-opened cafe in New York’s East Village, has sparked a lot of controversy when it started selling tap water for the price of $2.50 per bottle. It might sound like a scam, and many think it is just that, but the owners say the price is right for a taste of “pure H2O”.

Experts say New York’s tap water is among the safest and tastiest in the world, coming from “a watershed that is relatively pristine,” according to chemical engineer Lorraine Huchler, but some people believe it can get a lot better. Two of them, Alexander Venet and Adam Ruhf decided to actually do something about it, and opened the Molecule Cafe, in East Village, where people can buy tap water purified through a complex seven-step process. They have this $25,000 machine that uses UV light, ozone treatments, and reverse osmosis to make superior-grade water that its creators believe is worth $2.50 a bottle.

Adam Ruhf, who moved to New York from California, last year, describes the local water as “terrible”. ”I don’t want chemicals in my water. I don’t even want chlorine in my water. Chlorine is like bleach. Do you want to drink bleach? No one wants to drink bleach. So that’s my opinion on New York tap water,” he said. That’s why they opened Molecule, a place that looks more like a laboratory than a cafe, because of the giant filtration machine, a large tank connected to various tubes and a bunch of monitoring dials. The owners say so far none of those who have tried Molecule water has complained about the taste. Not everyone is crazy about it, but it doesn’t taste bad either. ”I mean it’s subtle, but if you have a sensitive palate you can totally tell” Ruhf says about the difference between regular tap water and their pure H2O.

But not everyone agrees Molecule sells premium-grade water. Some call it dead water because the minerals in the liquid are removed along with the chemicals, New York Post journalist Steve Cuozzo calls it tannic and unnatural-tasting, while others just say it’s just a scam. What do the owners of Molecule think about all this? ”Either you buy into it or you don’t,” Ruhf said, ”There is a good concentration of people who would understand what we are doing without much explanation from the beginning.” I do believe he’s right about that. There are people out there who would actually pay $2.50 for a bottle of tap water. And for those who wouldn’t, the East Village water cafe offers an ”all natural sports-drink line, like Gatorade for yogis.” For an additional $1 you can add vitamins, minerals or a mixture of roots, herbs, fruits and mushrooms added to your drink.

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Huangluo – The World’s First Long-Hair Village

Hair is very important to women, who generally use it to highlight their features, but for the women of the ethnic Yao people of Huangluo Village, China, hair is their most prized possession.

Located in the Longji Scenic Are of Gulin, China, Huangluo Village numbers around 82 households of Red Yao ethnics, who get their name from the traditional red clothing. Like many other Chinese villages, Hunagluo enjoys very attractive natural surroundings and has plenty of ancient traditions to keep tourists entertained, but the most fascinating thing about it is the women’s obsession with long hair. In fact, the Yao settlement has received a Guinness certification for the “world’s longest hair village” and is also known as the “Long Hair Village” across China. Considering the average hair length of the 120 women in Huangluo is 1,7 meters and the longest locks exceed 2.1 meters, I’d say its reputation is well-deserved.

Hair has always played a big part in the lives of the Red Yao women of Huangluo. Until a few years ago, it was considered so important that no one, apart from the husband and children was allowed to look upon it when let loose. During the summer and autumn, women would go to the river to wash their hair and keep it covered with a blue scarf to keep it hidden. Only the man who would become her husband had the privilege to see a Hongyao woman’s hair in all its beauty, and that would only happen on their wedding day. If a local or a foreigner happened to stumble upon a woman with her hair revealed, he was forced to spend three years with her family as their son-in-law. But all these old traditions were abandoned in 1987, and Yao women can now proudly show and comb their jet black hair in public without worrying about the consequences.

The women of Huangluo can only cut their hair once in their lives, when they turn 16, and they can start looking for a lover. But the hair isn’t simply thrown away, it’s given to the girl’s grandmother and made into an ornamental headpiece. When she marries, the hair is gifted to the groom, and later becomes a part of the woman’s everyday hairdo. It’s said a Red Yao woman’s hair is made of three bunches. One is the one that grows every day, the other is the cut headpiece, and the third is made from the falling strings of hair, which are collected every day. They all come together to form elaborate hairstyles which represent the social status of the bearer.

All the women of Huangluo wear their long black hair in a tray-like hairstyle, but there are certain details that say a lot about her. If the hair is simply wrapped around her head, it means she is married but has no children. If she has a small bun at the front, it means she is married with children, and if she wears a kerchief around her head, it means she is looking for a lover. Regardless of their status, it’s impossible not to notice the beauty of every Red Yao woman’s dark hair. It’s said it comes from the special “shampoo” they use to wash it with - ”rice water” (water used to rinse rice).

If you were curious as to why these women let their hair grow so long, it’s because they believe it brings longevity, wealth and good fortune. The longer the hair, the more fortunate one will be.

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Man Creates Trash Can That Targets and Catches Flying Garbage

You know those movies where an author with writer’s block keeps throwing drafts over his shoulder trying to hit the trash can, but never seems to land one in? Well, that might just be a problem of the past, because someone seems to have invented a smart trash can that targets and catches flying pieces of trash.

It’s amazing what some people can create if they put their minds to it. Take this Japanese guy who goes by “FRP”, who, inspired by a commercial, decided to create his own trash can of the future, able to anticipate where flying trash is going to land and catch it before it hits the ground. It sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie, but according to the clever inventor, all you need is a wheeled base integrated with a circuit board and attached to the bottom of a common trashcan, a Kinect camera to monitor the room, and a specially-written program that allows the camera to track incoming garbage and guide the trashcan to catch it before it lands.

The video FRP uploaded to YouTube shows his smart trashcan works like a charm, catching every piece of garbage thrown its way, but RocketNews24 reports that the guiding system isn’t really as accurate as its inventor would like. Still he plans to work on it some more, and ultimately commercialize it to the world’s lazy population. Let’s face it, if he gets his creation to really do what we see in the video, this guy will make a fortune!

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