couchtripper

Should this sleek black car flash past you, you could be forgiven for wondering if Batman is out fighting crime. But the car, which is modelled on the Caped Crusader's favourite runaround, is actually the creation of auto buff Perry Watkins.

He created the Flatmobile, which at just 48cm (19in) high is set to claim the record for the world's lowest vehicle. The car has missile tips next to the numberplate and bullet-shaped rear-view mirror. It can even do 100mph when the jet engine is used.

Motoring enthusiast Mr Watkins created the Flatmobile using the bodies of two Hillman Imps and a homemade jet engine. Helpful members of a Yahoo! group showed the 46-year-old how to put together the jet.

Mr Watkins, who has applied for verification from Guinness World Records, was spurred into action after having his title for the world's lowest vehicle snatched away by Andy Saunders in 2006. Mr Saunders had flattened a Fiat to 56cm and called it Flat Out. 'It handles fine but it's only got a six-inch steering wheel so it's a bit stiff,' said Mr Watkins, of Wingrave, Buckinghamshire. 'You've got to be wary of speed bumps. Other drivers look at you instead of the road.'

He claims his vehicle does not break any road traffic regulations, although the low level of its headlights is unlikely to meet night-driving requirements. The Flatmobile is not the first of Mr Watkins's wacky creations. He is also responsible for an MOT-certified Dalek which yells 'Exterminate, exterminate' when the horn is honked. Next up Mr Watkins plans to design a vehicle based on Postman Pat's van.

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A new skyscraper has been built at the Rockefeller Centre in New ork... but is just 65 feet high and made entirely of toy parts. The six-storey sculpture is by international artist Chris Burden and stands at the Fifth Avenue entrance to the Channel Gardens.

It pays homage to the historic skyscrapers, which characterise New York, giving the city its iconic architectural presence. Called 'What My Dad Gave Me', the sculpture is by far the most complex artwork that Chris Burden has made so far, made up of approximately one million stainless steel parts that are replicas of Erector set pieces, the popular 20th-century children's building toy. The artist gained notoriety in 1971 as a performance artist when he had a friend shoot him in the arm with a rifle.

Over the past decade, Mr Burden has been using specially stamped stainless steel metal parts for his sculptures, most of which are intricate and elegant sculptures of bridges, with each part based precisely upon those of the original Erector set.

"I have always wanted to build a model skyscraper using Erector (similar to Meccano) parts," says Burden, who works on his latest structure while curious New Yorkers hurry past about their business. He said his obsession with such models sprang from some serious thinking over many years about the nature of toys. “They’re the tools we use to inculcate children into how to be adults, how to live in the world,” he said. “But because they’re for children, there is this potential in them that’s never realized.”

Burden engineers the toy bridges to support and bear enormous weight in order to highlight the versatility, simplicity, and strength of their unassuming parts, and proving beyond doubt that his artistic endeavours are not simply a sum of their parts.

In 1912, inventor AC Gilbert created the first Erector set, inspired by the steel framework of skyscrapers that he saw under construction in New York City which were then at the height of a building boom. The Erector Mysto Type I - the first set Gilbert made - was a collection of small metal girders, which could be assembled with miniature nuts and bolts.

Burden's fascination with this original - and now rare - building kit led him to create his own replica parts, fashioned in stainless steel and electro-plated to produce a polished nickel finish in order to make them weather - and rust - resistant.

Burden said: "The model skyscraper, built from a toy and 65 feet in height, takes on the dimensions of a full-sized building. The circle of actual buildings inspiring a toy in 1909, which is then used to build a model skyscraper the size of an actual building in 2008, is a beautiful metamorphosis."

The piece of art combines technical sophistication with a child-like enthusiasm: building for building's sake. Despite being constructed with toys, What My Dad Gave Me takes on the dimensions of a full-scale building. Models and collectibles often feature in Burden's work, reflecting his fascination with humankind's industrial ingenuity and creativity, investigating relationships between power and technology, nature and society, and enlightenment and destruction.

What My Dad Gave Me will be open to the public throughout June and July. The exhibition is presented by the Public Art Fund and hosted by Tishman Speyer, co-owners of Rockefeller Centre.

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Gourmet Burger That's A Real 95-Pounder
Angela Barnes
June 18, 2008
It is known as the home of 'the whopper' and Burger King is hoping its latest product really lives up to its reputation. The fast-food giant has launched a £95 burger - all in the name of charity.

Setting a new record, the world's most expensive burger is available at its restaurant in Gloucester Road, West London. It will eventually be available to order via a hotline.

The fine ingredients of what is called simply 'The Burger' include wagyu beef, white truffle, pata negra ham slices, cristal onion straws, modena balsamic vinegar, lambs lettuce, pink himalayan rock salt, organic white wine and shallot infused mayonnaise in an Iranian saffron and white truffle dusted bun.

Celebrity chef Antony Worrall Thompson told Sky News Online: "It sounds delicious. "The ingredients are very good and high powered, but why are Burger King doing it? It's not the Gordon Ramsay market. Nice idea but the wrong premises."

All the proceeds from The Burger sales will go to the Help A London Child charity, which assists young people experiencing abuse, homelessness, disability, poverty and illness. David Kisilevsky, at Burger King, said: "The Burger reflects our ongoing commitment to producing for a range of different pockets."

The Burger beat the previous world record for the most expensive burger, held by Daniel Boulud for the DB Double Truffle Burger in New York, (1994) priced at £65.

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The target customer pictured today...

I'm having a hard time believing that the people who can afford to spend £95 on a meal would even step foot in a fast food place :lol:

Look out, it's Hurley from Lost!

A curry so hot it comes with a health warning has been created by a London chef who is hoping to make the record books. Chef Vivek Singh thinks the dish won't be a regular on his menu.

The Bollywood Burner is made with the eye-wateringly hot Naga pepper and seeds - one of the world's hottest chillis. The Naga pepper measures 855,000 on the Scoville scale of piquancy - over 100 times hotter than a jalapeno pepper which measures just 8,000.

Diners at The Cinnamon Club are required to sign a disclaimer saying they are aware of the nature and risks involved with tasting the lamb-based Bollywood Burner before eating it.

Chef Vivek Singh said his dish was inspired by cuisine from Hyderabad, the state capital of Andhra Pradesh in India. He said: "We found a list of the 10 hottest chillies and decided to try and use some of them. I think it will be the hottest curry in the world." He added that the curry may not regularly appear on the menu: "I would create it on demand for customers but will not include it all the time, I think it's just too extreme a dish."

Toby Steele, 19, a student from Brighton was the first to taste the Bollywood Burner at the restaurant on Great Smith Street in Westminster. He said: "I'm usually a korma man and I suspect this is the hottest thing I've ever tasted. It was nice actually, you could really taste the spices. The initial taste isn't that hot but now, a couple of minutes later, I feel a bit floaty and light-headed."

The Bollywood Burner will be submitted to the Guinness World Records for verification of its status as the world's hottest curry. The results should be announced in two to three weeks.

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I'd have to give it a try...

Chris Rock’s record for the biggest live comedy audience has been shattered – just weeks after he set it. The stand-up played to 14,500 people at the O2 Arena in London at the end of May. But at the weekend, German comedian Mario Barth filled Berlin’s Olympic Stadium, selling an estimated 70,000 seats.

Although 35-year-old Barth is a huge success, filling a stadium Madonna has yet to sell out for her current tour, critics in Germany have dubbed him an hack. The Deutshce Welle website said he was ‘as subtle as whoopee cushion’ and desribed his act as ‘uninspired but time-honored gags about men who like beer and fast cars, and girlfriends who shop and chat constantly… punctuated by tireless references to flatulence’.

Before the show, Barth said Jerry Seinfeld was perplexed when he heard of the world record attempt. ‘He couldn’t imagine that a single man would perform in front of so many people,’ Barth said. The comedian had been touring Germany with his show since the beginning of 2006, and it has been seen by an estimated 1.6million people.

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I can't think of a world record which has been broken by such a large margin at the next attempt... 500% better is quite the effort for some fart gags!

A Cuban chicken may have poached the record by laying an egg weighing 180g, or 6.34oz. One-year-old hen Titi should now win a place in the Guinness Book of Records - unless, of course, rival contenders cry fowl. Titi belongs to the Martinez-Guerra family in Campo Florido, 25km or 15.53 miles east of the capital Havana.

Crowing Cuban officials say the egg weighs 10g more than the previous record-holder from - believe it or not - the Canary Islands. Owner Estela Guerra said: "Everyone is amazed at how large it is. This has never happened before. We have never seen one this size and we've had chickens for a very long time."

Grandson Kendry added: "A short time ago they published something about an egg on the eastern side of the island. It weighed 171g so we got curious about our egg which is larger and heavier and could break all egg records. We've been trying to contact the media with the objective that the world should see this curiosity."

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Pity the poor chicken that laid that monster!

You'll either love it or hate it... because it's probably the world's tallest Marmite sandwich. Eeeeugh.

The vile sandwich - filled with the repulsive, glutinous yeast extract - was over 12ft tall, and was created by George Lambert of Hackney. Lambert was discovered on Facebook, following a search initiated by Marmite's demonic creators to find their most obsessed Marmite sandwich fan. He has lived on a variety of Marmite sandwiches, and nothing more, for the last 25 years. The poor, wretched freak.

The nightmare contained 500 slices of bread, 20 lettuces, 65 tomatoes, 30 bananas (what?), 25 carrots, 1500g of cheese and, of course, lashings of the appalling godforsaken substance Marmite.

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I get the feeling the author of this article isn't a fan of the stuff!

There will be no need for a slow-motion replay to confirm this record-breaking feat. Schoolgirl Tiana Walton has slithered into the record books - for having the most snails on her face at once. Nine-year-old Tiana, who loves animals, bravely allowed 25 of the slimy creatures to cover her eyes, nose and mouth.

She smashed the previous record of 15, held by Australian Liam Kenny, and her unusual feat will appear in the Guinness Book of World Records. Her previous personal best was just nine. The rules state that competitors have just one minute to put the snails on their face before tipping their head forward for 10 seconds. Local vet Ken Robinson witnessed the attempt and ensured no snails were harmed. He said: "It is a superb achievement and all the snails have been treated to a gourmet meal."

Tiana, of Alvanley, Cheshire, said: "I am not squeamish. It is relaxing but it feels a bit cold. They are quite smelly and you can see their big long eyes facing you. I think my friends at school will say 'urgh'." Tiana said her next ambition is to become an Olympic gymnast. Setting records runs in the family as Tiana’s mother, Tommy, herself appeared in the Guinness Book Of World Records in 1980 for growing the largest lemon in the world weighing 3Ib 14oz..

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I wonder how she developed this talent?

CRAZY Darren Taylor has broken his own world record for highest shallow dive after jumping from a 35 ft height into just 12 inches of water. Taylor broke the record at a water park in Colorado.

The nutty diver, known as Professor Splash, uses a belly flop technique to "skip across the water" when he lands. He also added that "experience and research" is the key to his success and that what he does is not easy.

Professor Splash has broken his own Guinness World Record for highest shallow dive three times. The daredevil continues to keep busy focusing on high dives and his new passion, fire diving. Professor Splash is a native of Colorado.

Nearly 300 tow trucks spell out the words 'New York' on a runway at Brooklyn's Floyd Bennett Field in an attempt to set the Guinness World Record for the largest tow truck parade...

A 50kg solid gold statue of model Kate Moss has been unveiled at the British Museum, in London. The £1.5m sculpture, entitled Siren, is by artist Marc Quinn and is one of several contemporary sculptures in the exhibition Statuephilia.

Quinn's sculpture is said to be the largest gold statue created since the time of Ancient Egypt.

Iranian workers prepare a giant ostrich meat sandwich planned to reach 1,500 metres in an attempt to achieve a Guinness World Record, during the second international food and health festival in Tehran