nick
October 25th, 2010, 02:42 AM
A librarian has taken the concept of navel-gazing literally by collecting his belly button fluff every day for 26 years.
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01745/BellyButtonFluff_1745972f.jpg
Graham Barker has amassed 22.1 grams of lint since embarking upon his unusual hobby. It has earned him a place in the Guinness Book of World Records.
He was motivated by "simple curiosity" and began his collection in 1984. "One evening, when a little under-occupied, I noticed the lint in my navel and started wondering about it. I became curious as to how much of it one person can produce, and decided the only way to find out was to collect it for a while and see."
Thermal underwear produces the most lint and Mr Barker colour-codes his collection in jars.
The 45-year-old from Perth, Australia, has sold three jars to a museum for an undisclosed sum. "The raw material is worthless but as a unique world record collection and a piece of cultural heritage, of debatable merit, it has some curiosity value," he said.
While most people have a positive reaction to his collection there is "a small minority – usually women" who find it unappealing.
Mr Barker said he had come across a handful of other navel fluff collectors, but none had taken their hobby to such lengths. He explained: "One guy might have persisted, but he got married and his wife ordered him to stop."
Source (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/8084594/Librarian-collects-26-years-of-belly-button-fluff.html)
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01745/BellyButtonFluff_1745972f.jpg
Graham Barker has amassed 22.1 grams of lint since embarking upon his unusual hobby. It has earned him a place in the Guinness Book of World Records.
He was motivated by "simple curiosity" and began his collection in 1984. "One evening, when a little under-occupied, I noticed the lint in my navel and started wondering about it. I became curious as to how much of it one person can produce, and decided the only way to find out was to collect it for a while and see."
Thermal underwear produces the most lint and Mr Barker colour-codes his collection in jars.
The 45-year-old from Perth, Australia, has sold three jars to a museum for an undisclosed sum. "The raw material is worthless but as a unique world record collection and a piece of cultural heritage, of debatable merit, it has some curiosity value," he said.
While most people have a positive reaction to his collection there is "a small minority – usually women" who find it unappealing.
Mr Barker said he had come across a handful of other navel fluff collectors, but none had taken their hobby to such lengths. He explained: "One guy might have persisted, but he got married and his wife ordered him to stop."
Source (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/8084594/Librarian-collects-26-years-of-belly-button-fluff.html)