I like Arthur Koestler. He asked questions. Not always ones that made sense, but he asked them nonetheless. At times, he also had a few valid points to make. In his seminal ‘The Ghost in the Machine,’ for example, he discusses how, "the creativity and pathology of the human mind are, after all, two sides of the same medal coined in the evolutionary mint. The first is responsible for the splendour of our cathedrals, the second for the gargoyles that decorate them to remind us that the world is full of monsters, devils, and succubi."
It’s more of the second side that I come across while doing what I do best whenever online, i.e. nothing in particular.
There are people who take time out, set up websites, and try to earn some money off them. Then there are those who try too, but via routes that are anything but normal. For proof: who, in his right mind, would try and earn some money by promising you personalised, realistic memories of alien abduction?
The people at Alien Abductions Incorporated, that’s who.
Thousands of individuals are abducted by extraterrestrial beings each year, they say. So, for those wondering whom the aliens choose, and why you haven’t been chosen, it’s AAI to the rescue. By filling in a form for an Abduction Experience, the company’s doctors, hypnotists, and memory implant technicians work with clients in pre-abduction orientation sessions to customise one of their hundreds of stock abductions to suit personal tastes. You can even pick ‘fetishist’s specials’ like interspecies breeding or medical experimentation.
And does this sort of seemingly professional insanity actually bear monetary fruit? Chances are it does. Which probably explains why this character called Inspector Alleyn in a TV adaptation of ‘The Nursing Home Murder’ says:"Do you know, Bram, I sometimes think madness is an extreme kind of sanity."
In the case of a certain unmarried, 6-foot-tall, 35-year-old, monogamous man, the opinion polls would veer towards insanity. Why? Because this guy is currently offering a $10,000 reward to anyone who introduces him to the woman that he marries, or proposes to. 10k4awife.com tells all, including who he is, why he’s doing this, why he doesn’t want the regular approach (why, indeed) and what exactly he’s looking for.
If there’s one thing I can say about him, he’s honest. "I realise that the vast majority of people reading this won't be compatible with me. That's why I'm offering the $10,000." Also, "so what do I want to achieve out of all this? It’s simple; an assurance that I have REALLY done everything I can to make sure that my true love and I both derive the most fulfilment from life. I hope to never consider divorce as an option."
As long as his heart’s in the right place, I guess. Though I’m not about to send him a proposal just yet.
Maybe love really does make the world go round, at least for the majority who have nothing of much importance to keep them occupied. How else, could a site like CosmicCupid come into existence?
CosmicCupid offers to send SMS and emails to anyone you want to flirt with. Launched earlier this year, the service attracts thousands of people every week, and was recently voted Time Europe Start Up of the Week. A smirk at those who thought flirting was going out of style.
Here’s a funny bit. What would you say if I said the words ‘Fucking In Austria’?. Whatever it is, it’s not what you think. ‘Fucking’ is actually a small village in Upper Austria whose name has existed since the year 1070. The site sells you all kinds of souvenirs, like T-shirts bearing the town’s name. A definite eye-catcher, albeit one that would require you to do some sort of explaining.
Lastly, along with insanity, add another popular trait: vanity. Remember Am-I-Hot-or-Not?, that paid tribute to everyone’s notion of how cool they thought they looked? There’s an Indian version out now, ‘inspired’ by the original, and called GoodLooking India. My advice: go scan a picture of yourself and get some truth for a change.
All of this makes me like Albert Einstein too. Well, almost. And only because he said, "Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the former."
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