There’s nothing more interesting than people. The diversity of the human race is the main reason why I find psychology and neuroscience so fascinating.
The following summary of an article from the Journal of Forensic Science is an amazing demonstration of how diverse the human race can be, sadly with tragic consequences in these cases.
Autoerotic fatalities with power hydraulics
Journal of Forensic Science, 1993, Vol 38, Issue 2, p359-64.
We report two cases in which men used the hydraulic shovels on tractors to suspend themselves for masochistic sexual stimulation. One man developed a romantic attachment to a tractor, even giving it a name and writing poetry in its honor. He died accidentally while intentionally asphyxiating himself through suspension by the neck, leaving clues that he enjoyed perceptual distortions during asphyxiation. The other man engaged in sexual bondage and transvestic fetishism, but did not purposely asphyxiate himself. He died when accidentally pinned to the ground under a shovel after intentionally suspending himself by the ankles. We compare these cases with other autoerotic fatalities involving perceptual distortion, cross-dressing, machinery, and postural asphyxiation by chest compression.
The last sentence is typically academic and wonderfully deadpan.
Link to PubMed entry for the article.
Mind Hacks 