Oddity Central |
- Whiz Kids Use Imaginary Abacus to Solve Complex Math Calculations
- See the World through Animal Eyes with These Bizarre Metal Helmets
- Homeless Bodybuilder Uses the Streets of Paris as His Gym
| Whiz Kids Use Imaginary Abacus to Solve Complex Math Calculations Posted: 12 Jan 2015 12:56 AM PST In a highly impressive display of mental prowess, young South Asian children are able to solve complex math calculations within seconds simply by flicking their fingers through thin air. Their secret tool – an imaginary abacus. News reports on the Mind Mathlon 2014 program held at the Robotics Lab of the Karachi Institute of Technology and Entrepreneurship in March described young children raising and flicking their fingers to keep track of long series of numbers and solve calculations with mind-blowing accuracy. They were apparently taught to use their hands as the beads of an abacus – an ancient calculating tool – to add and subtract at the speed of a calculator.
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| See the World through Animal Eyes with These Bizarre Metal Helmets Posted: 12 Jan 2015 12:13 AM PST It’s easy to assume that there’s only one way to view the world, but in reality, different species perceive their surroundings very differently, based on the shape of their heads and the positioning of their eyes. We may never know if they see things that we can’t, but with this new range of immersive helmets, humans can finally get a glimpse of what it’s like to be in an animal’s shoes. Or head! The fascinating aluminium helmets were created by Irish artists Anne Cleary and Dennis Connolly, from the architecture firm Cleary Connolly. Inspired by the pioneering experiments of psychologist George Malcolm Stratton in the early twentieth century, the duo spent several years trying to invent a device that could explore 'the mysteries of visual perception'.
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| Homeless Bodybuilder Uses the Streets of Paris as His Gym Posted: 11 Jan 2015 11:55 PM PST 50-year-old Sayagh Jacques has a rather unusual hobby for a homeless man – bodybuilding. Although he's been living on the streets of Paris for years, he hasn't let his homeless status stop him from training harder than most people, and maintaining his six pack abs. I suppose it goes to show that if you're really passionate about something, you can make it happen under any circumstances. Jacques has no qualms about working out right in the middle of the street. When people give him money, he doesn't use it to smoke or drink. Instead, he tries to eat specific foods that will help him gain muscle. He's also managed to procure a few pieces of makeshift equipment – a cable and a few ropes – that he ties to lamp poles and park fences. He uses these to do basic bodyweight exercises like pull ups, push ups, pullovers and rows.
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