Real-Life Weirdness

[tHEhERETIC]

Originally Posted by William

Photo for the strong of stomach.

Nice inspiration for a horror monster. A thumb-sized parasite that...

(1) Eats the host's tongue.
(2) Attaches itself to the stump.
(3) Thereafter functions as a tongue, occasionally munching on bits of the host's blood or mucus.

...

(Taxonomic identifier is Cymothoa exigua.)

Or to quote the commenter who made me laugh:

"What, isopod got your tongue?"

[Anaraxes]

A Northwest Airlines flight flies past its destination by 150 miles. There was no radio contact with the plane by air traffic control for an hour, including handoff to a different control center, and when it finally came, the pilot's replies were "vague" and "distracted".

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TRAVEL/10/23....by/index.html

- The plane accidentally stumbled into the path of a test of the Orbital Mind Control Lasers. The Illuminati will not be happy about a crack appearing in their security.

- Telepathic aliens periodically take over people to study our world; this time they happened to pick the pilot.

- One of the first cases of Quantum Leaping, just for a short interval and to your own body, as the quantum substructure of reality starts to unravel. This event will only become more common and severe with time.

[Spudzill]

pilot recieving executive relief from the stewardess?

[Xenarthral]

OK, this is not exactly weird in itself, but with the GURPS WWII forum gone this seems a good place to put it in order to reach any interested parties:
Apparently, the much-maligned Halifax (of Reich-2 fame) was an avid collector of ghost stories. As in having the world's largest archive on the subject at Hickleton Hall and having people sent out to gather information and reports on hauntings and other occult phenomena. In 1941.

I repeat.
1. Reasonably major British politician (and nobleman).
2. Employing people to investigate reports of supernatural activity.
and
3. This is during World War 2.

(Found in a Swedish weekly magazine from 1941. Specifically Vårt Hem 1941 #18.)

[Anaraxes]

"A 10-ton fishing boat has been sunk by gigantic jellyfish off the coast of Japan."

"Waters around Japan have been inundated with the creatures. In 2007, there were 15,500 reports of damage caused by the creatures."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/648...jellyfish.html

Can there be any doubt that there's a giant boss jellyfish at the bottom of the sea instigating this uprising?

Oh, no, there goes Tokyo. Go, go, Godzilla!

[Irish Wolf]

Captain! Spam sighted off the port bow!

[Anaraxes]

Mr Cole was seized by Swiss police after CERN security guards spotted him rooting around in bins. He explained that he was looking for fuel for his 'time machine power unit', a device that resembled a kitchen blender.

Police said Mr Cole, who was wearing a bow tie and rather too much tweed for his age, would not reveal his country of origin. "Countries do not exist where I am from. The discovery of the Higgs boson led to limitless power, the elimination of poverty and Kit-Kats for everyone. It is a communist chocolate hellhole and I'm here to stop it ever happening."

Mr Cole was taken to a secure mental health facility in Geneva but later disappeared from his cell. Police are baffled...

http://crave.cnet.co.uk/gadgets/0,39...9305387,00.htm

The Higgs is now employing mortal agents to carry out its agenda. And a disappearance from a secure cell is no bafflement to anyone from ISWAT.

[IrishRover]

There's buildings all over that look perfectly normal from ground level--but look down from above, and they are perfetly proportioned swastikas! They are all over the place--even the US Navy has some.

Just google Swastika building in image search...

[Hemlock]

Originally Posted by William

Interesting religious idea. Many a game involves a timeline, a strategic spot, or a passenger to be protected: how about combining the three with a plot of "get the mother to the sacred birthing ground before the due date, and protect her there until she gives birth to the Promised One"?

A second thought: a salmon-like species which must give birth in the same place as their ancestors. They would certainly have some very specific notions on land ownership, cultural heritage, and possibly some unique takes on Advantages like Absolute Direction or Claim to Hospitality.

Responing to the bolded portion ...

That could really suck if those darned humans constructed a dam across the river to produce hydro-electric power ... and those poor salmon cannot jump the dam. Maybe some "kind" nature-loving eco-terrorist will have to find a way to blow the dam before the spawning season starts ...

[IrishRover]

Here's an interesting little fact...Pre 1945 steel is very valuable for some purposes, since it was forged before thre was man-made radioactivity in the atmoshphere. The difference is enough to be significant for some scientific instruments. Apparently, some metal from the Hoscheseeflotte, salvaged between the World Wars, went to the moon with Appollo instruments. Supplies are limited.

Could a mad scientist or industrialist raid some mothballed warships to get high grade pre-1945 steel?