canny granny

Teddy Bears in Space

It’s a lot cheaper to send teddy bears into space than people. The bears weigh less, don’t get vertigo, don’t drop their handbags and, let’s face it, they don’t need to worry about toilets.

These astrobears named MAT and KMS, were decked out in custom-made space suits and launched on a weather balloon more than 18 miles above the Earth in a four-hour expedition where they endured temperatures of minus 35C. Poor little things. At least they have fur.

Students from Parkside and Coleridge community colleges in Cambridge, UK, sent these brave little bears into space. They had fastened a laptop attached to a webcam to relay images of the bears looking down on Earth from nearly 100,000ft.

After completing their mission the pair parachuted back to earth and made a soft landing near Ipswich just 50 miles from their launch pad.

How I discovered Bigfoot

Are you sadly disappointed that the Bigfoot carcass turned out to be a gorilla suit? And a damp, smelly gorilla suit at that.

The whole affair would have just been marvelous fun if Tom Biscardi, the man who has spent years searching for the elusive hominid had not gone completely off his nut about it. Matthew Whitton and Rick Dyer claim their hoax was not for profit, but Biscardi says he paid them $50,000. (Half their luck!)

Mr Biscardi, I take this opportunity to announce my discovery of Bigfoot - alive and well and living in Australia. These size 17 feet pictured here belong to Ian Thorpe, swimmer extraordinaire. I can produce the body once I work out a way to get past his security staff. I’ve tried to gain entry in the guise of a gas meter reader but they saw through me. The pizza delivery didn’t do the trick either.

Although he may be a little difficult to nab with my over-sized butterfly net, I can always give it a go. An advance payment from your good self would greatly facilitate a speedy capture.

How about it? Or should I get something onto YouTube first?

On the other hand there is an authentic non-swimming, non-celeb, Bigfoot in Australia .. the Yowie, Sasquatch of the South

No chutzpah in footspa

In a poll of handy gadgets, Foot Spas were named the least useful.

Can people really think that soaking your toes in warm water is a useless thing to do?

After an afternoon of tramping round supermarket lanes let me tell you there’s nothing more delightful than a digit detox. Preferably while sipping a cup of hot chocolate.

A recent survey which asked people to name the top gadget that had changed their life found that heated hair straighteners or curlers were rated higher than TVs.

Tell the truth now, when was the last time you reached for your hot curlers? Probably while you were soaking your feet.

Strap Hanger Ad Strategy

An advertising world first has been launched in London - pitvertising.

The innovative new concept uses digital TV screens built into the armpits of shirts with a hired team of ‘Pitvertisers’ sent out into the streets of London to test the new medium.

I must say it would be a lot more interesting if classic movies, or reruns of old TV shows, could be played on the screens. It would certainly make the journey less monotonous.

Passers-by were reportedly amazed by the new marketing tactic - some were clearly impressed; but others thought it the pits…