Markus “Hercules” Stoeckl doesn’t like going slow. Weighing in at 220 lbs., and standing 6’4” tall, it’s easy to see where he got his nickname from.
Recently, Markus set a new record for the world’s fastest mountain bike by going 130.7 mph down the side of a 45-degree mountain in the Chilean Alps, smashing the previous record by 14 mph. To add to the excitement, Markus had to hold his breath for the entire 40-second run to prevent his helmet from fogging up.
Someone check Tom Sietas for gills. After preparing himself by breathing pure oxygen for 20 minutes, Tom proceeded to set the world record for underwater breath holding by keeping his in for 15 minutes and two seconds (which means he definitely beat my personal best of one minute and two seconds).
Takeru “Tsunami” Kobayashi is apparently suffering from jaw arthritis due to his rigorous training, and might not be able to compete for the next Nathan’s hot dog eating championship. According to Kobayashi, his jaw can only open to make a gap the size of a fingertip, as it “refused to fight any more”. I wish him the best, and hope that we can see him in record setting form again in time for the contest.
Last week’s Stockpile Saturday was a success, so this week, I’m bringing you 20 more links that I’ve been saving for some time now. Enjoy.
The Amateur Gourmet is a great food blog that does the occasional review in comic book style. It’s a refreshing look at alternative ways of displaying content.
Locksport International has put together a Guide To Lock Picking that serves as the perfect primer for anyone that’s looking to get into the sport. It’s done in graphic novel form, and gives great step-by-step information about lock picking, re-pinning, making tools, and more.
Jeff Thomas loves Nixie tubes (glass tubes that are filled with gas and can display numerals or other information). Most people are content with clocks that feature the technology, but Jeff wanted a watch, so he designed his own. Sadly, he only made 20, and they’re already sold out, but hopefully another company picks up where Jeff left off.
Extra Tasty is a site devoted to inebriation, thought the design is clearly attributed to the more sober, as drink recipes, drink possibilities, tips and tricks, and a soothing color scheme are all easy to access. Get your buzz on.
Su Blackwell cuts amazing sculptures right out of the pages of well-known books. Each design ties into the plot, and the results bring the story to life.
Toss ‘N’ Track is a Frisbee that can be tracked on the Internet. Each disc has a unique number printed on it, and after playing with it for a while, you simply toss it in the disc’s intended direction, and let someone else find it. They can then log the disc into the site, and you can see how far it travels.
Steve ‘The Grape Guy’ Spalding is currently The World’s Fastest Grape Catcher with his record 67 grapes in one minute from 15 feet. And you thought your talent was worthless.
Reuters has an amazing video of the current world record for most dominoes toppled, 4,079,381, being set by an international team of 90 builders from 13 countries. I’ll bet they were glad no one sneezed.
My Monopoly lets you create your own unique and personalized Monopoly game. You can choose a theme, and then add your own names to all of your favorite places. Want to call Boardwalk ‘Your Mom’? Go ahead, the world is yours.
Evere wonder what words your bartender hates hearing? Thankfully, Jeffrey Morgenthaler, bartender extraordinaire, has created a list of the Eight Things You Should Never Say To Your Bartender. If you want to get served up right, make sure you follow the list.
9 to 5 Paintings record what you do on your computer during the day and turn it into art. The site gives examples of the final result, as well as a tutorial for setting up your own double mouse feature so that you can make 9 to 5s of your own.
If you’re a blog writer, there’s no better place to go for advice than ProBlogger; which is why the list of ProBlogger’s best posts for 2006 is an indispensable resource for all online authors.
I recently saw this clip of Jamie Pierre at a shortened screening of Anomaly at the Banff Mountain Film Festival, and I was literally left with my mouth gaping open in awe:
That was Jamie setting the current world cliff jumping record of 25-stories (255-feet). What would possess a man to do such a thing? Well, considering that the biggest cliff I’ve jump off of on a snowboards was about 6-feet, I’m probably not the right person to answer that question, so I’ll just let Jamie explain it in his own words:
If you want to see more of Jamie and the rest of his partially insane crew, check out Anomaly:
255-feet? I’d call that an attempted failure at suicide.
Before watching this video, try to guess how fast the world’s fastest bicycle can go.
Fast Freddy Markham, the man inside this custom recumbent bicycle, recently set two world records, one by clocking in at a top speed of 77.215 mph, and another by traveling 53.43 miles in one hour (the end of which is shown in the above video). I can only imagine the look on a driver’s face if they got passed on the freeway by a bicycle.
Having nearly completed the gallon challenge myself (and suffered for hours afterwards because of it), I give much respect to anyone who can drink an entire gallon of milk in one sitting, and especially so if that sitting is only 41 seconds long. Joey “Jaws” Chestnut, you are the man.
Twenty-six craftsman worked a combined 525 hours to complete this 50,000 bar, 8.32 meter tall, 1950 kg chocolate egg, setting a new world record in the process. Sadly, this delicious looking egg was never meant to be eaten, having spent an entire week outside in the weather. What a waste.
Craig Jones and a very trusting Wing Chui (handing onto the front) have just set the world record for the longest stoppie (kind of like a reverse wheelie), traveling 305 meters (1000 feet) at over 120 MPH on a Buell Firebollt XB12R using only the front wheel. Cojones indeed.
The razor-toothed piranhas of the genera Serrasalmus and Pygocentrus are the most ferocious freshwater fish in the world. In reality they seldom attack a human.
How fast could you text message that to someone? If you can do it in less than 41.52 seconds, you may be a world record contender. Sixteen-year-old Ang Chuang Yang recently set a new Guinness World Record for shortest time needed to type that 160-character SMS message, beating the previous record of 42.22 seconds by American Ben Cook. What’s Ang’s secret? Use a mobile phone with larger keys on the dial pad. A simple strategy, yet one that is so often overlooked in the world of SMS messing competitions. Following the victory, Ang was awarded the official spokesperson position for Band-Aid blister treatment.
Someone check Tom Sietas for gills. After preparing himself by breathing pure oxygen for 20 minutes, Tom proceeded to set the world record for underwater breath holding by keeping his in for 15 minutes and two seconds (which means he definitely beat my personal best of one minute and two seconds).
