Oddity Central |
- Vaportrim Makes Cupcakes Inhalable, Cuts Calories to Zero
- Master the Force at New York’s Jedi Club
- Homeless by Choice – Philosophy Student Has Been Living as a Homeless Person for 9 Months
- Brazilian City Hires Real-Life Batman to Help Fight Crime
| Vaportrim Makes Cupcakes Inhalable, Cuts Calories to Zero Posted: 13 Mar 2012 05:23 AM PDT
Don’t you ever wish you could stuff your face with all kinds of delicious treats without feeling guilty about putting on weight? I know I have, and it seems now, thanks to some simple inhalers from a company called Vaportrim, we’ll be able to do just that. Are you familiar with electronic cigarettes? They are ingenious cigarette-like gadgets designed as an alternative for smokers who just can’t shake the habit. Basically they turn a nicotine-containing liquid into vapor that is allegedly a lot safer than tobacco smoke. US-based company Vaportrim was apparently inspired by e-cigarette technology to create a similar device that is meant to help people lose weight. Their particular health-aids apparently allow users to inhale delicious sweets like vanilla cupcakes or blueberry muffins without the many calories that usually come with them. The US-based company is actually advertising its product as the world’s first calorie-free dessert. That sounds great in theory, but does it really work? Well, Vaportrim has an entire “how it works” page full of “research and scientific evidence” designed to convince potential buyers their inhalers are the perfect way to enjoy tasty treats and lose weight, at the same time. The colorful vaporizers take advantage of the taste-smell connection. According to research mentioned on the Vaportrim website, 70% – 75% of what we taste is actually smell. So as you inhale delicious vapor, smell and taste receptors send messages to the brain, which in turn releases hormones telling your body it’s full. Apparently, studies have proven that the sense of smell triggers feelings of fullness before our stomachs do. So, by enhancing taste and smell, the Vaportrim inhalers help you feel full faster, so you eat less and lose more weight. The company compares the way its inhalers work to the feelings of fullness people have after spending hours in the kitchen cooking desserts. After all that work when they finally sit at the dinner table, they realize they no longer have an appetite. That has never happened to me, although, I admit I have never spent hours in the kitchen baking sweets… Anyway, you get the gist of using Vaportrim: you get to taste desserts and exhale water vapor. But I wasn’t really convinced these thinks actually work, and after seeing the video of Emilly McCombs of xojane.com trying one out, I have serious doubts Vaportrims inhalers will satisfy my craving for sweets. After all, as I see it they are just e-cigarettes without nicotine marketed as a weight-loss products. Vaportrim inhalers come in 14 different flavors and retail for $9.95. Believe it or not, these are not the world’s first dessert inhalers. Two years ago, a Harvard professor and his students creates a device called “Le Whif” that released chocolate particles large enough not to reach your lungs, but small enough to have no calories at all.
Vaportrim Makes Cupcakes Inhalable, Cuts Calories to Zero was originally posted at OddityCentral.com  |
| Master the Force at New York’s Jedi Club Posted: 13 Mar 2012 04:05 AM PDT
Flynn Michael calls his students a "bunch of Star Wars dorks." But that doesn't mean he's any less passionate about the sci-fi series himself. Especially since he's created a whole club on the concept of Jedi, and teaches his trainees how to use the Force to navigate the pressures of living in New York City – be it a stressful workplace, a rowdy bar or a crowded subway. His project is called the New York Jedi Club. Born Michael Brown, the sound engineer from Brooklyn calls himself a "sci-fi, heavy metal, over-the-top geek." During his growing-up years in Rhode Island, he watched the first Star Wars film 32 times, and when he saw Luke Skywalker learning the way of the Force, like millions of other fans he wanted to be able to do that himself. Michael's childhood was not unlike other geeky kids’, he was bullied and beat up a lot. He says that the lightsaber helped bring out the hero inside him, and helped him stand up for himself. Photo copyright New York Jedi/Facebook Michael's lifelong passion for Jedi finally garnered a huge reaction when he staged a lightsaber routine along with a few buddies at the 2005 Halloween Parade in Greenwich Village. It was then that he realized the potential of his knowledge and created the spiritual discipline for the modern urban Jedi. The club also draws from Michael's experience with martial arts, sword-fighting, dance and Tibetan Buddhism. New students are given inexpensive, factory-made lightsabers, while senior ones progress to custom sabers they make for themselves. According to Michael, "A Jedi is not a Jedi till he makes his own weapon." Apart from meeting weekly, the club also performs at comic book conventions, Star Wars themed events and birthday parties for kids. An added bonus? Nothing attracts the ladies like a lightsaber, observes Flynn Michael. Photo copyright New York Jedi/Facebook This isn't the only instance where The Force has spiritually inspired people in real life. Previously, we have written written about how over 15,000 Czechs had put down 'Jedi' as their faith in an official census, and about the Jedi Academy founded by a Taekwondo instructor, in Chile. Photo copyright New York Jedi/Facebook Photo copyright New York Jedi/Facebook
via New York Times Master the Force at New York’s Jedi Club was originally posted at OddityCentral.com  |
| Homeless by Choice – Philosophy Student Has Been Living as a Homeless Person for 9 Months Posted: 13 Mar 2012 03:33 AM PDT
It's almost impossible to find someone that thinks housing is "more of a luxury good than a basic good." Especially a homeless person. But there is a guy who thinks just that, and he's homeless by choice. Meet Shane Dussault, a student of Philosophy at McGill University in Montreal. Since July last year, he has been living on campus, spending his nights in a sleeping bag, doing pushups in the library, showering at the gym and eating at student lounges. Contrary to expectations, his living choices haven't been made for quick fame. Read on, and you’ll understand why Shane doesn't have a home. For starters, the undergrad student does have a financial problem; his parents and family do not provide him with any monetary support. So he's pretty much on his own. He is able to pay for college and books through the system of loans that exist in Quebec, renting a living space is definitely out of the question. Of course, he could always get a job to be able to afford rent, but he simply chooses not to. Shane would rather live rent-free, than take up a job just to pay for an apartment. And given the way he is living right now, he is actually doing pretty well for himself financially, compared to many other students at McGill. "Depending on how I do the math, I could end up with zero debt at the end of university," he says with confidence. Photo by The McGill Daily Living on campus hasn't been much of a hassle for Shane. His day is just like that of any other typical student – he walks to classes and takes notes on his laptop. The rest of his day is spent at the Library, which is where he gets most of his studying done. At the end of the day, instead of going home like the others, he just returns to his sleeping spot (the exact location of which he never discloses, for safety purposes). You might think that sleeping outside in a cold place like Montreal would be nearly impossible, but he's managed that pretty well too. In the summer he sleeps on a nearby mountain and in the winter, on campus. Starting off with a weather-proof hammock, he's now graduated to a down sleeping bag on top of a waterproof mat. It's interesting to note his possessions as well. They include a bag of tools, a bag of electronics, a kettle, food supplies, and a bag of toiletries. He has only one shirt that he wears every day, a black wool sweater. He washes it in bathroom sinks and dries it out in the library. Surprisingly, the security guards on campus have been rather helpful and friendly, giving him tips on sleeping spots and places to hide his belongings during the day. Shane says that even the students at McGill have been nothing but nice to him. He once returned to his spot, and there was a small bundle of food waiting for him, along with a gift certificate to a grocery store. "I don't tend to see the world in terms of hard divisions," says Shane. "I think most people are tolerant and good-natured." It's stories like these that let me know there's still hope left in the world. Although he's happy with the way things are now, Shane does plan to get a minibus someday, and then a house or an apartment where he can settle down and raise a family. I'm sure he'll have some great stories to tell his kids. Source: The McGill Daily via Neatorama Homeless by Choice – Philosophy Student Has Been Living as a Homeless Person for 9 Months was originally posted at OddityCentral.com  |
| Brazilian City Hires Real-Life Batman to Help Fight Crime Posted: 13 Mar 2012 03:09 AM PDT
Batman fans in Brazil now have a reason to rejoice, as this is probably the closest they will ever get to their favorite super hero. Inspired by the role played by Batman in the protection of Gotham city, officials of Taubate, Brazil have gotten a real-life Batman for their protection too. Except, this one has no batmobile. The Brazilian superhero is actually a former soldier, Andre Luiz Pinheiro, who has been hired to patrol the streets of Taubate. Oh, and he sports a Batman costume while he's at it, just for kicks I suppose. The details are still being worked out, so it's not exactly clear yet if there will be other things from the comic-strip like a bat-signal for when he's needed on duty. Thankfully, cops don't really expect the faux-Batman to seriously combat crimes such as drug trafficking and murder. Instead, he will play a more indirect role in the fight between good and evil. A social and educational crime prevention project is being planned, which targets children from the city. It's a good thing he's not really up against the bad guys. I mean, does one guy dressed in a costume with no super-powers really stand a chance against, say, a gang of criminals? It's actually kind of comical when you think about it. What if his cape gets the way when he's fighting? Thank goodness he's only bringing the story of Batman to children. ”I am eager to know how we can work together. If I can help bring the story to even one child, that would be very nice”, Pinheiro told Brazilian newspaper, O Vale. Brazilian City Hires Real-Life Batman to Help Fight Crime was originally posted at OddityCentral.com  |
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