A woman in New Zealand sold two glass vials at auction for the equivalent of $1,983 USD. She claimed that they contained souls that she had exorcised from a house in the town of Christchurch:

The "ghosts" were put up for bidding by Avie Woodbury from the southern city of Christchurch. She said they were captured in her house and stored in glass vials with stoppers and dipped in holy water, which she says "dulls the spirits' energy."

She said they were the spirits of an old man who lived in the house during the 1920s, and a powerful, disruptive little girl who turned up after a session with a spirit-calling Ouija board. Since an exorcism at the property last July led to their capture, there has been no further spooky activity in the house, she said.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gZcRMmgZmOZTNldpQPlDec0zMP1QD9EAS3603 via io9 | Photo: flickr user Nancy Wombat, used under Creative Commons license

Fast Company has a gallery of fourteen works of art created from drinking straws, including this sculpture by Brooklyn-based artist Annie Varnot. We've previously featured one of the works in the slideshow: Scott Jarvie's chair made from straws.

http://www.fastcompany.com/pics/think-you-drink-art-drinking-straw | Artist's Website | Photo: Fast Company

(YouTube Link)

The Pharaoh's Serpent is a traditional pyrotechnic and chemical display in which mercury thiocyanate is set on fire, producing what looks like a very rapidly growing vine. It has since fallen out of favor due to the toxicity of mercury, but sodium bicarbonate produces a similar effect. The video above is a demonstration of this visually stunning chemical reaction.

via Urlesque

Police in West Cape May, New Jersey, are investigating mysterious knitted cozies that are appearing on on trees in the town during the night:

But not everyone is keen to stop the mysterious knitter - and the mayor and many residents admit they have been enthralled by the rainbow of colours.

Susan Longacre takes a walk each morning in Wilbraham Park, where several tree branches have been covered in the handiwork of the Midnight Knitter.

"I think it's wonderful" she told the newspaper.

Link | Photo: US Department of Homeland Security

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Memoirs of a Scanner by Mindfruit Films was shot with just an office image scanner. It's only a minute long and composed entirely of still shots, but it has a coherent plot. Directed by Damon Stea.

via Gizmodo | Studio Website

Cartoonist Matthew Inman of The Oatmeal (previously featured on Neatorama) has a new comic up. It's filled with strange factoids about beer. Did you know that the Pilgrims on the Mayflower landed on Plymouth Rock instead of proceeding to Virginia because (in part) they ran out of beer?

Link

In 1934, electrician and hobbyist Frank Skroback built the first airplane that could be driven on a road. Or the first car that could be flown. It has six wings and an overall width of seven feet, so it can fit inside a lane. The plane will be auctioned at Red Baron's Antiques in Atlanta on March 13.

Link via DVICE | Photo: Red Baron

Doctors told Belinda Waite of Bampton, UK that she had Irritable Bowel Syndrome. After she went into labor and three hours before her daughter was born, Waite was informed that she was instead pregnant:

Miss Waite was staying with her partner Wyane Boyles, 28, when she unexpectedly went into labour.

Their baby daughter Louise Boyles was born at home weighing 8lb 14oz by Wayne's mum Syliva.[...]

On February 6th - the night before Louise was born - Miss Waite again went to hospital with pains throughout her body.

At 10pm doctors confirmed she was three months pregnant - in fact she was nine months pregnant - and Louise arrived four and a half hours later at 2.30am.

Link | Photo: Nick Irving/Daily Telegraph

(YouTube Link)

The comedy duo BriTaNick created this trailer for a hypothetical movie that would be guaranteed to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards. All of the dialogue is replaced with common movie tropes.

via Urlesque | Official Website

The Inverse Graphing Calculator takes words and converts them into equations that would express them graphically:

The Inverse Graphing Calculator (version beta-1) is like a backwards graphing calculator. Normally, you enter an equation into your calculator and then get a graph of the curve. The way the IGC works is, you type something you'd like as your curve, like 'Hello World' or 'I love you'. The IGC produces an *equation* which has this phrase as its graph!

Link via Geekologie

Artist Chris Domino made this cuckoo clock inspired by the horror movie The Shining. Every hour on the hour, Jack Nicholson's head pokes through the door and says "Here's Johnny!" Then the Shelly Duval figure screams.

Link via Nerdcore

Artist Ron Pippin creates sculptures of animals with mechanical augmentations, such as the above work entitled "Solar Deer". In an interview, Pippin said:

My work is often related to ideas about the relationship of Science, Art, and Nature. My scientific aesthetic is primarily drawn from the 19th Century, when, I feel, science still had a relationship to beautiful forms.

Content warning: Pippin uses actual animal parts in many of his works.

Link via Make | Official Website | Interview | Photo: Ron Pippin

Now That's Nifty has a gallery of thirty unusual motorcycles, including those converted into campers, limos, and tracked vehicles. Among them is the massive Leonhardt Gunbus, which is powered by a massive 410 cubic inch engine:

When it comes to custom motorcycle builders, there's crazy and there's really crazy. Falling into the latter category is one Mr. Clemens F. Leonhardt, who has just finished building what he refers to as "the world's biggest motorcycle." Excluding some other crazy creations, such as the Monster Bike, the guy's got a point. Unlike other two-wheeled behemoths, the Leonhardt Gunbus is actually ready to ride on normal roads and will soon go into series production. That's right... you'll actually be able to buy one of these. Next on the agenda is an equally massive sidecar, which somehow seems just right for this bike.

Link via The Presurfer | Information on the Leonhardt Gunbus | Photo: Niot

"The Art of Chess" is an upcoming exhibition of chess-themed art on April 14 at the Milan Furniture Fair at the Project B Gallery in Milan, Italy. At the link, you can find pictures of several works that will be featured, including the above "Modern Chess Set" by Rachel Whiteread. We've previously posted about Whiteread's work with solid blocks of sugar.

Link via DudeCraft | Photo: Design Boom | Gallery Website

A hen in Shrewsbury, UK has been nesting on a litter of puppies born on the farm of Edward and Ros Tate. This is to the chicken's advantage, as the Tates have since decided to not eat her:

Mr Tate said: 'Mabel was hatched here about a year ago. She would have gone onto someone's dinner plate but we saved her.[...]

'We have a dog, Nettle, which has just given birth to a litter of pups. Within a few days of giving birth, Nettle was up and about, prowling in the yard.

'Mabel observed Nettle's behaviour and, as soon as there was a chance, she hoped into the dog basket to roost on the pups.

'She keeps them and herself warm, while Nettle is outside on the yard.'

More and larger photos at the link.

Link via Urlesque | Photo: Anita Marik/Newsteam.co.uk