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Weird Wide Web: the week in online oddities

Some of the internet’s best offerings in social media, tech, science and weird news.

WELCOME TO THE Weird Wide Web – where we take a look at some of the internet’s best offerings in social media, tech, science and weird news.

Personalised toilet?

Endgadget reports that a Sont patent claim issued in 2009 for a vein reading system for use in a computer mouse. The system would use an image of blood vessels to identify a user and then associate a set of preferences with that user. While the patent currently only applies to a mouse, it’s envisaged that the same technology could be used to store your toilet preferences – seat up or down, force and angle of the bidet etc. Fancy!

Image via Engadget

Malware

Hundreds of thousands of people worldwide could face being knocked off the internet on Monday as a result of malware which could have taken over their computers more than a year ago. There are an estimated 277,000 affected machines worldwide – that’s down from over half-a-million. Both Facebook and Google have set up their own warning systems that will inform users if they appear to have an infected machine. Users are advised to run a scan on their machines before the deadline on Monday.

He’s a betting man

So you know they’ve (almost) found the Higgs boson and made the announcement this week? Well, one of the world’s leading physicists has revealed that he lost a bet to the tune of $100 following the announcement. Stephen Hawking said he’d hoped for different results and said “the great advances in physics came from experiments that gave results we didn’t expect”.

Uploaded by TPTYVIDEOS

Competitive eating

Reigning hot dog eating champion Joey Chesnut held on to his title this week as he devoured 68 hot dogs (and buns) at Nathan’s Famous in Coney Island, New York. He’s claimed his sixth straight Mustard Belt. He said he’s disappointed that he didn’t break his own world record.

Uploaded by ESPN

Put down the phone!

A new app is promising to to publicly humiliate you if you try to call your ex. The ‘Ex-Lover Blocker’ app bars your phone from calling a specific number and instead notifies three designated people of your attempts. If you try to place the call again the app posts an update to your Facebook page. As News.com.au reports, the app is only available in Portuguese at the moment, so be strong!

Uploaded by AngenciaDM9DDB

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