Weird News: Transforming houses, wooden Androids

A look at the more eccentric side of tech's last seven days...

China bans time travel
Putting together the final touches on your time bending device? You'd best down tools if you're anywhere near China. The People's Republic has decided to put a ban on all grandfather paradox-inducing antics for the foreseeable future. Well… at least film and TV portrayals of it, anyway. Dr Who's just lost itself a demographic.

The iPad paintbrush
The iPad has proved a popular tool for artists, as its touchscreen smoothness and ability to undo whatever happened when you just sneezed make it easier than doing actual real life art. Now budding iArtists have an extra tool at their disposal, so long as they don't question how it works. Questioning how it works stops the magic.


Mobile phone games break a record
What do you get when 316 people stand about in the same room all playing games on mobile phones? A world record. Not one that you should be particularly proud of, though. It's not one you'd tell your grandkids about, is it? Especially if it's an event hosted by Max and O.B from Hollyoaks.

Spotify upsets millions
In a time before the internet, the way people would acquire music involved shops, physical interaction and the exchange of money. Somewhere along the line the scrolls explaining how this practice worked were lost, and a generation was born who knew nothing of paying for music. Then one day, the god-given stream of gratis music that they were all used to was lessened and they all moaned about it like the bubonic plague had come back.

Rise of the trailer of Rise of the Planet of the Apes
The trailer for this James Franco prequel has just hit the web. It's not weird but it does look pretty cool. The special effects crew behind Avatar have been hard at work on this for a few years now, presumably having figured out how to dial down the blue.

Transformer house
Out of all the Transformers, we always felt like Soundwave had been dealt a duff hand. Whereas all his mates could swivel their bits into sports cars and jet fighters, he had to watch them ride off into the distance as he sat motionless playing cassettes. Still, it could have been worse. He could have been a house.

Lenovo's enormo-tab
We should clear this up first: Later the same day, Lenovo said that it WON'T be making a 23-inch humunga-tablet. But earlier it did. It's all very confusing, but suffice to say we had a good laugh about the idea. Jokes about weak wrists were made. It was great; you should have been there.

And finally…

Awesome Android ad is awesome
Adverts are often stale, dull and unimaginative. This one isn't. Say goodbye to the next three minutes.