Oddity Central

Oddity Central

African Pop Star Becomes Ghostly White after Using Controversial Pigment-Altering Cosmetics

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 04:00 AM PDT

It's a little sad to see that in this day and age, people are still trying to change their skin color. The transformation of Nigerian and Cameroonian pop star Dencia is particularly disturbing. If the photographs are to be believed, she has gone from a healthy brown to a sickly pale white by using her own brand of skin whitening cream called Whitenicious. The controversial cosmetic product has brought her much criticism because of what it stands for, but Dencia has just one reply to silence her critics: "I don't even care because they are bringing me business."

Whitenicious is said to remove dark spots and effectively lighten skin in just seven days. The cream has become quite popular in West Africa, where some women are believed to be obsessed with the color of their skin. And according to Dencia, she doesn't think she's encouraging people to change, she's just giving the girls what they want. "These girls are not trying to bleach their skin. They're just trying to get rid of these little things that is making them feel uncomfortable, you know?" she said, referring to dark spots.

Dencia also tried to justify herself by explaining that many of her customers were African-American, not African. "Because the white man doesn't even like light Africans. They like Black Africans," she said. "Look at all the Africans that are successful in the world. They are as black as Alek Wek. And if I was as Black as Alek Wek, I would never use anything on my skin." I'm not sure what she's saying makes much sense.

Denicia-Whitenicious

Jesus-Inspired Miracle Machine Turns Water into Wine

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 03:00 AM PDT

Up until a few days ago, Jesus was the only one who could turn water into wine. Now it seems anyone can do it. All they need is one of these $499 miracle bottles, water and some special ingredients. The aptly named Miracle Machine is pretty straightforward – water goes in, wine comes out. And there's a sachet of flavors for various types of wines, of course, as with all instant foods. Created by the founders of a California company called Customvine, Miracle Machine is currently up on Kickstarter for much needed funding.

To use Miracle Machine, all you need to do is add the ingredients sachet to the bottle, choose the type and style of wine from a menu, add water and start the machine. Then, all you need to do is wait. Thankfully, the waiting period isn't a pain – you don't have to keep opening the bottle to check if the wine's ready. Instead, you can connect the bottle to your smartphone, and an app will monitor the progress for you. It will alert you when the fermentation is complete (a process that takes about three days), and the wine is ready to consume.

Kevin Boyer, CEO of Customvine, is a sommelier who also founded the Boyanci winery in Napa Valley. Miracle Machine is his brainchild, in collaboration with Philip James, a British entrepreneur and founder of the wine site Lot18. "Just like a Bible miracle, it literally turns water into wine, with just the addition of a few ingredients in a fraction of the time and cost it would normally take," said Boyer.

Miracle-Machine-wine

Guy Quits His Job to Upload Minecraft Videos on YouTube, Makes a Fortune

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 02:00 AM PDT

Now this is what you call a modern-day fairy tale. The internet can do wonderful things for you, if you can wield the magic of  making content go viral. Like university graduate Joseph Garrett, who has earned a small fortune by simply filming himself playing video games and uploading the clips on YouTube. His clips have become an internet sensation and Joseph is well on his way to becoming a millionaire.

Joseph's YouTube channel 'Stampylonghead' has received more hits than One Direction and Justin Bieber. It is one of the top 10 most viewed channels in the world, raking in a whopping 10,000 subscribers and 170 million views a month. "I'm essentially just playing and commentating while I play," he said. "It ended up snowballing and that's how I got to where I am now." Joseph has a degree in TV and video production, and used to work as a barman. He quit his job last year to play games like Minecraft and share tips with fellow players, full time. "I decided to leave when I was earning the same amount as I was there."

Joseph currently lives with his parents near Portsmouth, Hampshire, in the UK. "My parents were happy to let me stay rent free so I could develop this into a full-time living," he said. "My family and friends think it's great," said Joseph. "They don't fully understand what I do but my parents and sister are over the moon for me." I must say, his parents sound incredibly supportive. At 23 if I'd have told my parents I was quitting my job to play games all day, they certainly would not have taken it very well. Of course, I don’t think I could have made any money out of gaming back then. At least, not the kind of money that Joseph’s making.

Joseph-Garrett

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