A strange form of culture shock, or something more? The Wikiworm uncovers more odd goings on, courtesy of this week's weird Wikipedia article... Paris syndrome (French: Syndrome de Paris, Japanese: Pari shōkōgun) is a transient psychological disorder encountered by some individuals visiting or vacationing in Paris, France or elsewhere in Western Europe. It is characterized by a number ... Read More...

The world's most succinct word? I can think of some others that are possibly more succinct, but they're not printable on a family publication like The Dabbler... The word Mamihlapinatapai is derived from the Yaghan language of Tierra del Fuego, listed in The Guinness Book of World Records as the "most succinct word", and is considered one ... Read More...

Were the Dark Ages all just a bit of made up fun? Find out more with today's weird wikipedia article, courtesy of The Wikiworm... The phantom time hypothesis is a revisionist history and conspiracy theory developed in the 1980s and '90s by German historian and publisher Heribert Illig (born 1947 in Vohenstrauß, Germany). The hypothesis proposes that periods of history, specifically that of ... Read More...

I'm glad that these day we can use Wikipedia to look up the answers to our questions, rather than having to roast a few cats... Taghairm, sometimes interpreted as "spiritual echo," or calling up the dead, was an ancient Scottish mode of divination. The definition of what was required varied, but may have included an animal sacrifice and ... Read More...

A post in honour of our new footballing overlords this week, as the Wikiworm presents another unusual wikipedia article The Weißwurstäquator (literally: white sausage equator) is a humorous term describing the supposed cultural boundary separating Southern Germany, especially Bavaria, from Central Germany. It is named for the Weißwurst sausage of Bavaria. There is no precise definition of the Weißwurstäquator; ... Read More...

 One of Britain's hard-working civil servants features in today's unusual article culled from the stranger side of Wikipedia The Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office is the title of the official resident cat of the UK Prime at 10 Downing Street. Only two cats, Humphrey and Larry, have been given the title officially; other cats were given ... Read More...

I think it's fair to say that I am slightly obsessed with the subject of this week's unusual wikipedia article. Is there anyone in the world with a more stupid name? And what drugs were his parents on? Neville Neville (born 26 September 1949) is a former league cricketer, football agent and director. ... Read More...

Another strange wikipedia article for this saturday's Wikiworm, and disappointingly nothing to do with George Melly... Mellified man, or human mummy confection, was a legendary medicinal substance created by steeping a human cadaver in honey. The concoction is mentioned only in Chinese sources, most significantly the Bencao Gangmu of the 16th-century Chinese pharmacologist Li Shizhen. Relying on a second-hand ... Read More...

Imaginary minerals are the topic of today's bizarre Wikipedia article, brought to you by the Wikiworm, ceaseless miner of useless knowledge... Unobtainium is a word used in engineering, fiction, and thought experiments, to describe any fictional, extremely rare, costly, or impossible material, or (less commonly) device needed to fulfill a given design for a ... Read More...

Some very long words to be afraid of in today's rummage through the back of Wikipedia's cabinet of curiosities... Triskaidekaphobia is a fear of the number 13 and avoidance to use it; it is a superstition and related to a specific fear of Friday the 13th, (called paraskevidekatriaphobia or friggatriskaidekaphobia after Frigg, the Norse goddess after whom Friday is named in ... Read More...