What a Weird Week is a show about the weird stuff from this week's news. Shownotes https://www.shownotes.page ... Audio Podcast https://kite.link/weird ... Video Podcast https://www.youtube.com/@weirdweekpod
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(this is an episode transcript) Hi Friends, I'm Scott. This is the What a Weird Week Show, a Top Ten Countdown of weird news. For audio, video, and shownotes see www.shownotes.page! Here's Season 4, Episode 62 first published on Friday Dec. 1st, 2023...
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*after last week's Thanksgiving Spectacular I'm trying to catch up on some stories*
❿ Attention Influencers and Models: be nicer to work with than AI.
The other day Business Insider had a piece about an influencer who can earn more than $10,000 per month and this influencer is a fake person made up by AI... and it was an advertising agency who created this influencer. There have been a few stories before about how fake people on social media can get tons of followers, but this one is noteworthy because of the reason the fake model was created... according to the advertising agency:
"We started analyzing how we were working and realized that many projects were being put on hold or canceled due to problems beyond our control. Often it was the fault of the influencer or model and not due to design issues... We did it so that we could make a better living and not be dependent on other people who have egos, who have manias, or who just want to make a lot of money by posing..."
See https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-influencer-aitana-clueless-agency-tech-spain-2023-11 and https://www.instagram.com/fit_aitana/?hl=en
"We started analyzing how we were working and realized that many projects were being put on hold or canceled due to problems beyond our control. Often it was the fault of the influencer or model and not due to design issues... We did it so that we could make a better living and not be dependent on other people who have egos, who have manias, or who just want to make a lot of money by posing..."
See https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-influencer-aitana-clueless-agency-tech-spain-2023-11 and https://www.instagram.com/fit_aitana/?hl=en
❾ Sports Illustrated in the news this week after a Futurism Article with this headline: "Sports Illustrated Published Articles by Fake, AI-Generated Writers... We asked them about it - and they deleted everything." see https://futurism.com/sports-illustrated-ai-generated-writers
After that article, the Sports Illustrated folks issued a statement saying that the Futurism piece isn't accurate... essentially, the articles in question had human writers attached but might have had fake writer names and photos affiliated with them... (paraphrase).
These first two stories this week might be good news if you're terrified of AI taking over... if the beautiful people and the professional sports people stand up against AI, the revolution might be over before it starts?
see https://www.cbsnews.com/news/sports-illustrated-denies-using-ai-fake-writers-to-produce-stories/
These first two stories this week might be good news if you're terrified of AI taking over... if the beautiful people and the professional sports people stand up against AI, the revolution might be over before it starts?
see https://www.cbsnews.com/news/sports-illustrated-denies-using-ai-fake-writers-to-produce-stories/
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A top ten of weird news items... the What a Weird Week Show!
A top ten of weird news items... the What a Weird Week Show!
❽ via NBC 5 "On Your Side" ... dateline, St. Louis ... "trespassers call 911 for help after locking themselves in cell ... Police helped free the men from a cell and then arrested them."
It seems like this was a situation where urban explorers wanted to check out an abandoned jail and I imagine one of those people was like "Hey guys, what if we got locked in here LOL..." *possibly.
see https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/crime/trio-trespassing-in-shuttered-workhouse-call-911-for-help-after-locking-themselves-in-cell/63-6921c4aa-6e39-4498-a605-a5f6bf971d17
It seems like this was a situation where urban explorers wanted to check out an abandoned jail and I imagine one of those people was like "Hey guys, what if we got locked in here LOL..." *possibly.
see https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/crime/trio-trespassing-in-shuttered-workhouse-call-911-for-help-after-locking-themselves-in-cell/63-6921c4aa-6e39-4498-a605-a5f6bf971d17
❼ The Snake with a Rockstar Energy Drink can on it's head in the news... the Facebook post from Snake Catcher Tasmania got picked up by Hoops over at UPI and the headline is "Venomous snake rescued from energy drink can" ... what I learned from the article...
- it happens often
- Copperhead snakes can't back up out of a can once they get in there because of the direction of their scales
- snake experts in beautiful, snake-infested, parts of the world recommend that you squish drink cans before throwing them away.
- it happens often
- Copperhead snakes can't back up out of a can once they get in there because of the direction of their scales
- snake experts in beautiful, snake-infested, parts of the world recommend that you squish drink cans before throwing them away.
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Thanks for being here for our weird news countdown! What a Weird Week.
Thanks for being here for our weird news countdown! What a Weird Week.
❻ A Heartwarming World Record was in the news this week...
The official world record is "Youngest Member of Mensa (female)" and it belongs to little Isla McNabb of Kentucky, USA who got into the smart person club aka Mensa at the age of two!
*icymi, Mensa is a group you can join if you have a very high IQ.
The official world record is "Youngest Member of Mensa (female)" and it belongs to little Isla McNabb of Kentucky, USA who got into the smart person club aka Mensa at the age of two!
*icymi, Mensa is a group you can join if you have a very high IQ.
- So if you've ever been worried about the future of our big blue world, remember there are smarties like Isla who are already in Mensa and who won day may save us from ourselves with their IQ!
❺ Last week AP had this headline:Robbery suspect’s colorful underwear helped police arrest him..."
- surveillance video of a robbery showed one of the suspects was wearing bright underpants with a large letter R and 1990 printed on them...
- surveillance video of a robbery showed one of the suspects was wearing bright underpants with a large letter R and 1990 printed on them...
- a tip came in to the tip line about an Instagram account... after piecing all the clues together and linking that Instagrammer to the underpants, a suspect has been arrested.
*thanks, ai
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You're listening to the What a Weird Week Show! Weird news! Top tens! Together at last!
You're listening to the What a Weird Week Show! Weird news! Top tens! Together at last!
❹ Another Impressive World Record makes our top ten list...
(via Hoops at UPI) A lady in India has the longest hair in the world. She's 46 and hasn't had a haircut since age 14. This lady's hair is 7 feet and 9 inches long!
We have had long hair world records on this show before, sometimes it is for religious reasons that a person doesn't cut their hair, sometimes it's cultural, there are different reasons, but all the record-holders had one thing in common... it is a lot of work maintaining record-breaking long hair and often involves a team effort with friends or family helping out.
(via Hoops at UPI) A lady in India has the longest hair in the world. She's 46 and hasn't had a haircut since age 14. This lady's hair is 7 feet and 9 inches long!
We have had long hair world records on this show before, sometimes it is for religious reasons that a person doesn't cut their hair, sometimes it's cultural, there are different reasons, but all the record-holders had one thing in common... it is a lot of work maintaining record-breaking long hair and often involves a team effort with friends or family helping out.
❸ Watch twelve Hallmark Holiday Movies and get paid Thousands!
The BloomsyBox (online florist) company wants to know what the "greatest piece of Hallmark holiday cinema ever created" is. Whoever gets this gig/ wins this contest will watch twelve HHMs in twelve days, receive $2000, and also get some cozy socks, a supply of hot chocolate, a year of streaming TV, and a flower subscription from BloomsyBox.
Even if you don't win, you can still have a HHM marathon and review all the movies (they published the list)...
The BloomsyBox (online florist) company wants to know what the "greatest piece of Hallmark holiday cinema ever created" is. Whoever gets this gig/ wins this contest will watch twelve HHMs in twelve days, receive $2000, and also get some cozy socks, a supply of hot chocolate, a year of streaming TV, and a flower subscription from BloomsyBox.
Even if you don't win, you can still have a HHM marathon and review all the movies (they published the list)...
1. The Most Wonderful Time of the Year (2008)
2. Crown for Christmas (2015)
3. The Nine Lives of Christmas (2014)
4. Christmas Getaway (2017)
5. Journey Back to Christmas (2016)
6. Ghosts of Christmas Always (2022)
7. Family for Christmas (2015)
8. Christmas Under Wraps (2014)
9. Three Wise Men and a Baby (2022)
10. A Royal Christmas (2014)
11. Northpole (2014)
12. The Christmas Train (2017)
2. Crown for Christmas (2015)
3. The Nine Lives of Christmas (2014)
4. Christmas Getaway (2017)
5. Journey Back to Christmas (2016)
6. Ghosts of Christmas Always (2022)
7. Family for Christmas (2015)
8. Christmas Under Wraps (2014)
9. Three Wise Men and a Baby (2022)
10. A Royal Christmas (2014)
11. Northpole (2014)
12. The Christmas Train (2017)
*open to residents of the United States aged 18 or over
see https://www.bloomsybox.com/hallmark-movie-contest
see https://www.bloomsybox.com/hallmark-movie-contest
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We're almost to the number one weird story of the week... this is the What a Weird Week Show.
We're almost to the number one weird story of the week... this is the What a Weird Week Show.
Honorable Mention!
This Holiday, please consider adding a Pretzel House to your Festive Traditions!
The Snyder’s of Hanover Pretzel People have a Holiday Campaign where they want you to build pretzel houses instead of gingerbread houses...
see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCRz0LbeJu8 and also https://www.campbellsoupcompany.com/newsroom/press-releases/snyders-of-hanover-invites-you-to-build-your-own-pretzel-cabin-this-holiday-season/
❷ Last week while we were busy doing our Thanksgiving Extravaganza Holiday Special, the Guinness World Records Folks published a piece about Edgar Yudkevich who set a pretty impressive knife world record... Edgar is from California, USA and is a pro at this sort of thing so, please do not try sat home... the professional slackliner broke the record for "the greatest distance travelled on a slackline whilst juggling three knives!" Record is over ten metres (34 ft 4 in).
WTG Edgar!
see https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2023/11/daring-circus-performer-juggles-knives-while-walking-a-slackline-760186
see https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2023/11/daring-circus-performer-juggles-knives-while-walking-a-slackline-760186
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Catch up on the weird news of the week, this is the Weird What a Weird Week Show!
❶ Underwater Magic Tricks are a thing and we have a new world record in that field?!
(Via the Divernet.com website) The record is for "most conjuring tricks under water in the space of three minutes." and 13 year old Avery Emerson Fisher is the new world record holder.
The record is 38 tricks in three minutes (while scuba diving.)
This record was set in November at the Aquarium of the Bay in San Francisco.
Congratulations to Avery, the Scuba diving magician!
see https://divernet.com/scuba-diving/youngest-scuba-magician-smashes-world-record/
❶ Underwater Magic Tricks are a thing and we have a new world record in that field?!
(Via the Divernet.com website) The record is for "most conjuring tricks under water in the space of three minutes." and 13 year old Avery Emerson Fisher is the new world record holder.
The record is 38 tricks in three minutes (while scuba diving.)
This record was set in November at the Aquarium of the Bay in San Francisco.
Congratulations to Avery, the Scuba diving magician!
see https://divernet.com/scuba-diving/youngest-scuba-magician-smashes-world-record/
That's the What a Weird Week Show! For Shownotes and more go to ShowNotes Dot Page. See you next Friday for another countdown of weird news on What a Weird Week! If you're tuned in live, thanks! Every weekend we are one of
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