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One million Giraffes
One Million Giraffes: a Norwegian man wins a bet by receiving a million drawings of giraffes
1.jpgA Norwegian man who made a bet with his friend that he could get a million giraffe pictures before the end of this year has already passed his target with months to go
It was an offhand comment over a beer that launched the quirky challenge. Ola Helland, a 25-year-old web designer, explains: "When I was out drinking with my good friend Jørgen on the 6th of June 2009 I said a sentence that changed my life. We were discussing the internet and how amazing it is, when I said: 'There really are no limits anymore. Anything is possible! I could easily collect one million giraffes if I wanted to.' I wasn't really thinking about what I was saying, but Jørgen wouldn't let that sentence go. He refused to believe it was possible to collect that many giraffes, so we made a bet. The wager was, as it always is with our silly bets, a case of beer"
Ola set-up a website onemilliongiraffes.com and posted the link on Facebook and Twitter. It stated very clear rules on submission that all giraffes must be created by hand and not made with a computer or bought from a shop. People could also include more than one giraffe in their picture to help make up the numbers
The response was immediate with the quirky idea inspiring web users to put aside their keyboards and pick up pens, brushes and crayons. He says: "I went out for lunch and when I came back I had 60 giraffes. By the end of the day I had 134. I started to realise that I had started something I immediately lost control over"
Imaginative submissions from 102 countries included giraffes drawn on body parts, made into cakes, and even sculpted from a banana
Ola from Stavanger, Norway, says: "People from literally all over the world participated in this project and I got 9,500 emails about giraffes. And since people are so kind to help me out winning this case of beer, the least I could do is answer all their questions. So I've personally answered 9,500 emails in 440 days. Which is a lot of work. Answering emails, tweets and Facebook messages definitely took the most time. And scanning all the giraffes that were mailed to my house. I have about 50 000 drawings in my house now"
Ola says: "I got the millionth giraffe on the 24th of August, 440 days after I launched the website and I had to the end of the year to win the bet. So I made it with four months to spare!" The magic millionth submission arrived in the form of a charming crayon-drawn picture of a giraffe with fairy wings Ola has now released a book showcasing pictures from the project, but will not be sad to leave behind his long-necked friends. "I want to thank everyone who sent in a giraffe or two. You made this happen. Not me. I am forever grateful for making this an adventure I will tell my grandchildren about untill they hate hearing about it. I've had a lot of fun doing this, but I'm definitely over giraffes. A man can only see a certain number of giraffes before he's sick of them. One million is too many!" Other giraffes received by Ola Hellend:  | ||
Bizarre and unusual prOducts
Bizarre and Unusual Products
Chicken Burger USB Hub
This tasty looking thing is the latest addition to the never ending stream of weird computer accessories. It’s a 4-port USB 2.0 compliant hub designed to look like a chicken burger.
Chicken Burger USB Hub
This tasty looking thing is the latest addition to the never ending stream of weird computer accessories. It’s a 4-port USB 2.0 compliant hub designed to look like a chicken burger.
Ghost Chair
Are you ready to step into Harry Potter’s world again? Then how about some magic around an otherwise inconspicuous chair? The shape of the Ghost Chair is pretty interesting too and it will certainly play tricks with your mind especially when some lighting is involved. The Ghost Chair would definitely be a great addition to your modern home.
USB Typewriter
There is something very magical about typing on those old-school manual typewriters. The weighty feel of the springloaded keys, the motor-car styling, and the beautiful marks they print on the page all make for a rich writing experience that can make writer’s block melt away.
iRetrofone Steampunk – Black/Gold
The iRetrofone Base is a fully-functional, stationary iPhone dock with working handset and complete compatibility with USB cable. Each individual iRetrofone is hand-sculpted and hand-cast in urethane resin. The iRetrofone base is made of heavy-duty, half-inch thick urethane resin creating a stable, functional work station that routes voice communications through the included handset.
Bladefish Underwater Scooter
Dive like a secret agent, colourful shoals of fish swim past, corals shimmer in the distance, while you enjoy the endless tranquility and discover the whimsical beauty of an unknown underwater world. Glide through the water, gently pulled along by the Bladefish.
iSleep Laptop Pillow
i-sleep, a comfortable soft pillow which can be attached on the top of each leptop and functiones like a rescue west in an airplane – with the difference…it really saves us. If we tend to fall asleep, we just close our laptop, a pillow gets filled with warm air, music is being played and after 10 minutes the alarm clock rings. Bonne nuit!
Steampunk Headset
Chris from Chicago, is the creator behind this fun and cool looking piece of art named “mechanical aural communication device”. He created this prop from sculpey, rubber, and a various pocket watch parts. The prop is fully adjustable and flexible and he lined the inside part with suede leather for comfort.
iTree iPhone & iPod Speaker Dock By KMKG Studio
iPod docks come in all shapes, sizes and styles but the iTree by KMKG Studio really ups the bizarre ante. However audiophiles will come out of the woodworks (pun intended) since Austrian speaker builders Lenz have lend their sound engineering expertise to KMKG.
Solar-Breeze Robot Cleans Your Pool When It’s Sunny Outside
The Solar-Breeze is such a gadget but it has been conceived for the outdoors, your pool to be more precise. The Solar-Breeze is actually a solar robot that cleans your pool all day long as long as there’s enough light to power it.
Fun Bedding Design
The material used to produce it was aluminum and the feltyou see on top is completely recyclable. The fact that the exterior of the bed is made out of movable components make it a fun furniture item. It is also a practical bed, because you can use the unusual design to store certain objects, such as an alarm clock or a book. Right now the bed is available in black and white, but the price is not listed on the company’s web page.
iPod Touch Themed Bedding
If you are a true Apple fanboy/girl here is a piece of bedding design that should be ideal for you. These iPod Touch themed bedding come complete with duvet and pillow cases which have a really unique and cool design. The Ipod Touch themed bedding is perfect for those of you who want to sleep on a giant iPod Touch!
Chris from Chicago, is the creator behind this fun and cool looking piece of art named “mechanical aural communication device”. He created this prop from sculpey, rubber, and a various pocket watch parts. The prop is fully adjustable and flexible and he lined the inside part with suede leather for comfort.
iTree iPhone & iPod Speaker Dock By KMKG Studio
iPod docks come in all shapes, sizes and styles but the iTree by KMKG Studio really ups the bizarre ante. However audiophiles will come out of the woodworks (pun intended) since Austrian speaker builders Lenz have lend their sound engineering expertise to KMKG.
Solar-Breeze Robot Cleans Your Pool When It’s Sunny Outside
The Solar-Breeze is such a gadget but it has been conceived for the outdoors, your pool to be more precise. The Solar-Breeze is actually a solar robot that cleans your pool all day long as long as there’s enough light to power it.
Fun Bedding Design
The material used to produce it was aluminum and the feltyou see on top is completely recyclable. The fact that the exterior of the bed is made out of movable components make it a fun furniture item. It is also a practical bed, because you can use the unusual design to store certain objects, such as an alarm clock or a book. Right now the bed is available in black and white, but the price is not listed on the company’s web page.
iPod Touch Themed Bedding
If you are a true Apple fanboy/girl here is a piece of bedding design that should be ideal for you. These iPod Touch themed bedding come complete with duvet and pillow cases which have a really unique and cool design. The Ipod Touch themed bedding is perfect for those of you who want to sleep on a giant iPod Touch!
