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RAMPANT HYSTERIA (Sarah)

In the Guardian weekend magazine article ‘The buzz’ Decca Aitkenhead outlines the history of the vibrator – and it makes fascinating reading. As early as the mid 19th century Victorians were experimenting with machinery which would bring women to orgasm – although only after doctors tired of brining ‘hysterical’ or ‘frigid’ females to ‘hysterical paroxysm’ using their fingers (a practice called a ‘pelvic massage’). This practice was considered completely removed from the arena of sexual arousal and was used as a ‘treatment’ for females who were ‘out of sorts’ (to use but one of the ailment-orientated descriptions of what was clearly sexual frustration). These devices featured in ‘genteel’ home appliance and women friendly magazines – yes, even Good Housekeeping ran an advert in 1906. To summarise Decca’s take on the controversial invention I am going to have to resort to shameless quoting: “If the story of the vibrator tells us anything (…) it is that men have been determined for millennia to deny the most obvious truth about women’s sexual requirements – that coitus might not be entirely satisfying to women” and “In effect (…) doctors inherited the job of producing orgasm in women because it was a job nobody else wanted – The vibrator inherited the job when they got tired of it too.”

SLEEP WALKING MUM (Lewis)

In my family there has been some crazy sleep walking incidents which have left the person embarrassed and all of us laughing. A young guy decided he would film his mother sleep walking and then pop it on YouTube, and then to add insult to injury, filmed him showing her the video and popped that on YouTube. The videos has accumulated over 2 million hits and I have to admit it is rather funny. The mother walks into the kitchen and talks about a tomato cage, and then proceeds to do a sort of shimmy. The creepy thing is her eyes, they are open but never really move out of position. Will this be the next thing to hit YouTube, filming your family members sleep walking? I’m not sure I would still be alive if I filmed what my family members have done.

WORLD’S BIGGEST QR CODE (Victoria)

In today’s ever changing digital world, new marketing fads come and go as often as the number 10 bus, and perhaps one of the biggest hyped products has been The Quick Response code, or ‘QR Code’ – which many industry buffs have now deemed as a dud.
Well, that message has obviously not penetrated to rural Alberta, Canada yet, as a family have created the world’s largest QR code in their corn field which has now been verified by the Guinness Book of Records.
The code, which measures almost 30,000 square metres also doubles up as a maze open to the public.
When scanned with a smartphone, the user is directed to the family’s website – I hope it’s on a main flight route?

http://edmonton.ctvnews.ca/lacombe-corn-maze-qr-code-is-world-s-largest-guinness-1.948692 ​​

GOOGLE GLASSES INCORPORATED (Gaynor)

This year’s New York fashion week has had a touch of technology with Diane Von Furstenberg making Google’s project glass the most desirable fashion accessory in her show. As well as being a key feature on the catwalk, the glasses have given viewers some point of view pictures from the catwalk and they are now available to view on the designers Google + page. Google’s co founder hopes that these glasses will be more about lifestyle than technology and that they will not be considered a fashion faux pas. Not sure how that will work….

9/11 ELEVEN YEARS ON (Lisa)

Eleven years ago today one of the world’s most tragic events occurred in New York City and I don’t think we could let today’s High Five go by without mentioning it. I find it fascinating that even though so much time has passed since the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre there are always new and emerging stories of survival and heroism. This morning it was reported that the US Federal Government has added a number of cancer types to the list of illnesses that will be covered by a 9/11 health treatment programme. In the last decade thousands of construction workers and first respondents have died due to illness caused by toxic dust inhalation. Although this recent development will not in any way make up for the loss and heartache of the attacks’ it will help ease the misery accompanied by such devastation.