Oddity Central

Hauntingly Realistic Human Figures Carved by Real-Life Geppetto
Spikeball – Volleyball’s Brilliant Distant Cousin
Drive-Through Funeral Home Is Convenient Yet Creepy

Hauntingly Realistic Human Figures Carved by Real-Life Geppetto

Posted: 13 Feb 2012 12:36 AM PST

Whether painted or sculpted, I’ve always found hyper-realist artworks fascinating, but Bruno Walpoth’s masterpieces are particularly impressive simply because they are carved from large pieces of wood.

I’m not saying working with other materials to create realistic shapes is easy, but turning something as rigid as wood into works of art that seem almost alive takes something truly special. Bruno Walpoth uses simple carving tools to turn pieces of wood (lime and walnut) into human sculptures with detailed features that seen from afar look incredibly life-like. Only on closer inspection does one notice the carving marks on their skin, left intentionally as quiet reminders that these mind-blowing figures are not human. "Contrary to Geppetto, who constructed himself a child (Pinocchio) out of a piece of wood to banish his loneliness, Bruno Walpoth attempts, perhaps out of awareness of life's transience, to immortalize the volatile spark of youthfulness he catches in the eyes of his models – sometimes his own children – into a wooden sculpture," Absolute Art Gallery‘s Diana Gadaldi says about Walpoth’s work.

Photos © Bruno Walpoth

Hauntingly Realistic Human Figures Carved by Real-Life Geppetto was originally posted at OddityCentral.com

Spikeball – Volleyball’s Brilliant Distant Cousin

Posted: 12 Feb 2012 11:34 PM PST

Intense, competitive, trash talk – are the three terms used by the founders of Spikeball to describe the game. After watching a short video of how the sport is played on their website, I'm finding it very hard to disagree. It’s really quite exciting just to watch, so playing it should guarantee an absolute whale of a time.

Spikeball is probably best described as volleyball's distant cousin, but there's a lot more to it than just that. The net used for Spikeball is small and circular – probably the size of a Hula Hoop, and it sits on the ground at ankle level. The ball is pretty small too, just about palm-size. Two teams play against each other with only two players on each team. The objective of the game is to smack the ball across to your opponents, just like in volleyball. However, with spikeball, you need to bounce the ball on the net first, so it ricochets upwards at an opposing player. They in turn have to be able to bounce it back to your team, within three hits, or you score. You score points every time they miss, and a score of 21 is needed to win the game.

Photo by Spikeball

The beauty of spikeball lies in the simplicity of the equipment; it is incredibly easy to set up. So you could play it indoors, outdoors, on the beach, on grass, or even at the gym. All you require is plenty of space to be able to fall and jump around, in order to get the ball in control. While you can download the complete set of rules from their website, company co-founder Chris Ruder says that people are so excited about the game that some even make up their own rules.

Photo by Spikeball

According to Chris, he has been playing Spikeball since his childhood in the 1990s, along with his siblings, cousins and friends. During this time, the game was discontinued as it wasn't very popular. However, over the years several people wasted no time in telling them how great it was and wanted to know where they could purchase a set of their own. So when the time was right, Chris re-launched Spikeball along with 6 other co-founders. This time around, it's been a lot more popular. And I can see why. It looks like it's simple, fun and something that can be played hours on end. Who wouldn't want to?

Photo by Spikeball

Spikeball – Volleyball’s Brilliant Distant Cousin was originally posted at OddityCentral.com

Drive-Through Funeral Home Is Convenient Yet Creepy

Posted: 12 Feb 2012 11:10 PM PST

A funeral is something people generally make time for out of their busy schedules – to mourn and also to offer their condolences. So when I first heard of drive-through funerals, I was quite surprised. I mean, do people not have time to even grieve anymore? I wondered if the concept was even appropriate, so I decided to find out more.

The drive-through service is currently being offered at the Robert L. Adams Mortuary funeral home, located in Compton, California. True to its name, the service allows the casket containing the body of the deceased to be placed behind a display window, while visitors simply drive by, signing a book of condolences as they leave. Mourners are free to leave their cars and come in if they would like to, but it's not required. It's quite interesting to note how drive-through funerals came into existence. According to owner Peggy Scott Adams, in the 1980s there was a sudden spike in cemetery shootouts. So gang members preferred this kind of a service, since they were protected by the drive-through corridor made of bullet proof glass.

The Adams parlor has been around since the 1970s, and is one of the very few parlors in the US that offer the drive-through service. Apparently, as weird as it sounds, the service does have its own benefits. Mourners who are aged and have mobility issues can certainly make use of this, since they do not have to leave the car. It is also useful for families of well-known people who are bound to attract large crowds. Of course, the biggest advantage of it all is the ease associated – for the family of the deceased as well as the visitors. Scott Adams sums it up pretty well in a few words. "It's a convenience thing," she says.