The weekly weird

Published December 24, 2016

Fried chicken scented candles anyone?

Forget lavender, vanilla or sandalwood waxes, because KFC New Zealand has just launched a limited edition scented candle to fill your home with the smell of fried chicken with the blend of 11 delicious herbs and spices.

They’re in an extremely limited run — only 25 have been made

— and they’re being offered as prize drawer giveaways on social media to customers in New Zealand.

The chain unveiled its creation on Instagram, where it invited followers to enter a draw to win one by offering suggestions for other KFC merchandise they’d like to see in the world.

Chicken-scented lip gloss and body lotion featured among the suggestions, particularly in zinger burger or popcorn chicken flavour.


Who wants to be ‘emoji translator’?

A British company is breaking new ground in the field of translation by placing a job listing for the first ever ‘emoji translator’.

London-based company shared a listing seeking an expert in deciphering and translating the expressive, electronic messaging symbols known as emoji.

“Emoji translation is itself an emerging field — but one dominated to date by software, which is often insensitive to the many cultural differences in usage and interpretation,” the company said.

The responsibilities of the job include client, stakeholder and internal emoji translation, a monthly report on the emoji uses and trends across different cultures and cross-cultural emoji research.

The company has received more than 30 applications and hopes to hire someone on a freelance basis by the beginning of 2017.

The listing also states a practical test of emoji proficiency may be administered during the hiring process.


World’s first permanent ice hotel opens in Sweden

A permanent year-round ice hotel opened to the public in Sweden.

The resort, known as ‘Icehotel 365’, hosts 55 rooms, including 20 suites, and is made up of 30,000 litres of frozen water from the Torne River. The hotel uses a solar-powered refrigerating plant used to keep the ice and snow that make up the hotel frozen.

Guests at the hotel will have the opportunity to create their own ice sculpture, swim in the Torne River, sauna and observe an ice gallery from over forty artists, designers and architects from nine different countries that will melt back into the river and eventually be replaced.

“They also have the opportunity to follow the artists who are finalising sculpting their suites, and meet builders, designers and creators — the people who during the past months have endeavoured and created Icehotel 365,” Icehotel CEO Yngve Bergqvist said.

Published in Dawn, Young World, December 24th, 2016

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