Oddity Central |
- Euthanasia Coaster – The Roller Coaster Designed to Thrill You and Kill You
- Chinese Hachiko Waits Outside for His Master from 9 to 5
- Magic Mountain Lodge – Chile’s Water Spewing Volcano Hotel
| Euthanasia Coaster – The Roller Coaster Designed to Thrill You and Kill You Posted: 01 Mar 2012 02:59 AM PST
"You are hereby sentenced to death by rollercoaster." Sounds strange for a death sentence, I know, but it could very well be a reality. That is, if Lithuanian engineer Julijonas Urbonas' invention – the Euthanasia Coaster – is ever created. For now, he only has a prototype of the amusement ride with the ultimate thrill, death itself. Yes, you ride it, you die. That's pretty much the concept of the Euthanasia Coaster. What could be scarier than this – a ride that lasts 3 minutes, the first two of which are spent slowly climbing a very steep slope. Once at the top, you still have a chance to make the ultimate decision of your life, to live or to die. Choose the latter, and you will be dropped at a high speed and then made to travel through a quick succession of loops. The spinning motion would create a centrifugal force that makes all the blood rush away from the brain, and insufficient oxygen would ultimately lead to death. Inventor Urbonas has spent his childhood working at amusement parks, and is now a PhD candidate at London's Royal College of Art. He says that his pet project is part of a field of study called Gravitational Aesthetics. The idea behind this crazy rollercoaster is to "take the life of a person humanely, with elegance and euphoria." A person would be taken through a series of unique experiences ranging from euphoria to thrill, tunnel vision and then loss of consciousness, before finally succumbing to the jaws of death. While some might consider it the ultimate way to go, anti-euthanasia organizations say the rollercoaster, if implemented, could easily be abused. According to Dr. Peter Saunders from Care Not Killing, "Vulnerable people – the sick, elderly, disabled, or depressed would feel under pressure, whether real or imagined, to request an early death. Interestingly, there are ways to hack the system and cheat death with the Euthanasia Rollercoaster. If you happen to be quadriplegic, your body lacks volume in the lower extremities to pool blood, and hence, you might just emerge a survivor. Alternately, if a rider wore anti-g-trousers, the thrill of the ride could be experienced without having to make it your last. Even so, I don't think I'd be very enthusiastic about getting on such a ride. Would you?
Thanks for the tip, Razvan! Euthanasia Coaster – The Roller Coaster Designed to Thrill You and Kill You was originally posted at OddityCentral.com  |
| Chinese Hachiko Waits Outside for His Master from 9 to 5 Posted: 01 Mar 2012 02:48 AM PST
A while back, we did this story on OC about a dog that wouldn't leave his master's grave. So I wasn't exactly surprised when I heard about Wang Cai, but the faithful dog certainly deserves a mention. After all, he has waited for his master outside a local bank, from 9 am to 5 pm, every single day for the past 4 years. Wang Cai was a homeless dog found wandering on the streets of Chongqing, China, four years ago, when a kind soul decided to adopt him. Ever since, he has been accompanying his new owner to work every morning and waited outside patiently for the next 8 hours, only to return home in the evening. According to the dog's master, the behavior perplexed him at first, since he didn't really train Wang Cai to do anything of the sort. The owner suspects that the dog might be waiting for his previous master, but he has no issues with the strange behavior. The locals, however, are fascinated with Wang Cai's unwavering loyalty. He's being hailed as the Chinese version of Hachiko, the world-famous Japanese dog that waited for his deceased owner for 13 long years outside the Shibuya Train Station, Tokyo. Although Hachiko died in 1935, his faithfulness is still remembered by many. A dog’s loyalty is truly an incredible thing.
via China Smack Chinese Hachiko Waits Outside for His Master from 9 to 5 was originally posted at OddityCentral.com  |
| Magic Mountain Lodge – Chile’s Water Spewing Volcano Hotel Posted: 29 Feb 2012 10:50 PM PST
Ever wondered what it would be like to live inside a volcano? Now you can have your chance at a hotel that's shaped like one – Magic Mountain. There's even stuff spewing off the top (water, not molten lava) and cascading down the walls and windows. But it doesn't look much like a volcano, not to me at least. I think it's got this old-world charm to it, like a tower from Medieval times. Especially with the antique doors and windows, and a shaky wooden drawbridge to let people into their rooms. The Magic Mountain Hotel is located in Huilo Huilo, a private Natural Reserve in the Los Rios region of Chile. The antique appearance ends with the exterior however, as the interiors are done up in luxury. There are only 9 rooms, named after bird species found in the area. Each of them overlooks the thick forest and wildlife outside, including toucans, iguanas, pumas and lizards. Guests even get a glimpse of a real-life volcano from the hotel – the enormous Arenal Volcano. Outside the rooms the special services provided to guests are definitely worth a mention. Hot tubs made out of huge tree trunks, overlooking the forest are a major tourist attraction at Magic Mountain, as is the world's longest zip line running through the grounds. Several activities are offered to guests, keeping them busy during their stay. Horseback rides through the forest, private ski tours in the winter, white water rafting, a mini golf course and an impressive spa are some of the facilities that guests of the four star hotel can avail of. Prices range from $250 to $400 per night, so you definitely might want to consider staying here on your next visit to Chile.
Photos via HuiloHuilo.com Magic Mountain Lodge – Chile’s Water Spewing Volcano Hotel was originally posted at OddityCentral.com  |
| You are subscribed to email updates from Oddity Central - Collecting Oddities To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
