December 02, 2021

Spy Rocks, Scent of a Man, and Lump of Coal


Spy Rocks, Scent of a Man, and Lump of Coal
In Odder News

In this week's Odder News, men have never smelled this manly, a lump of coal has never been such a great gift, and St. Petersburg museumgoers have never been so happy.

  • Watch out for the new spy rock if you are in Voronezh. The "hidden surveillance complex" that looks like a pretty regular rock was invented by cadets at the Air Force Academy in Voronezh. When it senses motion, the rocks stops acting like a rock and a camera and microphone jump into action, recording up to 15 hours of content. The rock can move itself around, as seen here. You might want to kick the rocks around you, just to check.
  • Few art museum exhibits are designed just to make visitors happy. But St. Petersburg's Manege Exhibition Hall decided to just make people happier in its new "Peace and Joy" exhibit – with the help of nineteenth-century Russian painters. You will not find "battles, heartbreaking dramas, fervent passions, heightened emotions, or frightening mysticism" here. In an unusual twist, the exhibit includes an original soundtrack playing in the gallery and swings for guests – though nowhere near the paintings. The exhibition brings together artwork from 39 collections around the world.
  • A Russian dog has received all new paws. Monika was found in southern Russia with all of her paws cut off, and activists raised money online for her to get prosthetics in Novosibirsk. Her titanium paws were printed on a 3D printer.
  • You want Hugo Boss or Tommy Hilfiger cologne for the holidays? That's kid stuff. Try the new Russian man scent, a combination of leather, metal, and exhaust fumes from a stealth fighter jet. The scent is called The Checkmate after Russia's latest Sukhoi fighter jet. All that man musk has had juniper, oakmoss, and patchouli added to it to taste. It is unknown whether the fragrance will see mass adoption after so far only being distributed at the Dubai Airshow 2021.
  • Getting a lump of coal for Christmas is not always a bad thing. Residents of the Far East are being promised coal as a COVID-19 vaccination incentive. Other gifts – which we might rather have – are haircuts, gym memberships, microwaves, and dental services. However, the lump of coal is nothing to sneeze at: it is a three-ton lump!

You Might Also Like

Worthy of Aivazovsky's Brush
  • September 19, 2021

Worthy of Aivazovsky's Brush

If you love the sea, Ivan Aivazovsky is your man. Everyone should know about this Armenian-Russian painter.
Smells Like Money
  • April 09, 2021

Smells Like Money

Soon American coins won't be the only "scents" that are exchanged inside Sberbank's buildings, as Russia's national bank plans to introduce its own perfume. 
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.
Driving Down Russia's Spine

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 
At the Circus (bilingual)

At the Circus (bilingual)

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.
The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.
Moscow and Muscovites

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 
The Little Golden Calf

The Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.
Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.
Okudzhava Bilingual

Okudzhava Bilingual

Poems, songs and autobiographical sketches by Bulat Okudzhava, the king of the Russian bards. 
Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.
The Samovar Murders

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955