The conventional wisdom is that the Japanese have been stymied by something called the Galapagos Syndrome: like the strange animals and plants that Darwin encountered in the Galapagos Islands, Japanese cellphones have evolved separately.

FORBES: Unraveling the Cellphone Industry's Biggest Mystery

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have long been strange hybrid animals.

NPR: Feds Move To Reassure Fannie, Freddie Investors

' None of the animals know where they are any more because the light starts doing very strange things.

BBC: Chesil Beach waves to wash over central London