[Separating satire from misinformation is difficult but essential.] Apparently, free speech absolutist Elon Musk has died. Link: https://theshovel.com.au/2024/04/23/elon-musk-dead-at-52-misinformation-laws/ | Continue reading
[Look at what we can do.] Back in February, I noted that after nearly 47 years, Voyager 1 may be dying. But Goonies NASA nerds never say die. After months of meticulous debugging work, we are once again receiving valid data from Voyager. On April 18, 2024, the team began sending … | Continue reading
[If Mark Cuban is preparing to run for office, a lot of places could do worse.] Last week, billionaire Mark Cuban wired a massive $275.9 million dollars to the IRS, as payment for his 2023 taxes. That is a whole lot of money, but Cuban smartly said he’s happy to pay what he owes. … | Continue reading
[I’m not sure why they have a “Taxi” light though.] Earlier in the month, I wrote about rats driving cars. Thanks to friend-of-the-site Drew S., I can now point you to additional rodent driver content. [Still frame via @EmperorsofMischief] These are some sweet rides. Link: https: … | Continue reading
[AI can be really, really dumb.] A tip from friend-of-the-site Alex S. led me to enjoy a good laugh at X Formerly Twitter’s expense. It seems their AI bot Grok recently decided to just fabricate an entire news story out of thin air. It’s some really incredible nonsense. As Golden … | Continue reading
[Undermining the essence of sports and disrespecting the spectators] Apparently, it’s running week here at OFT. Chinese racer He Jie is obviously very fast, capable of completing a half-marathon in a little over an hour. However, his victory at Sunday’s Beijing Half Marathon has … | Continue reading
[Even if they felt this is a reasonable option to provide, showcasing it was a very poor decision.] In ancient Greece, Olympians competed naked. Nike’s new uniforms were recently unveiled, and it seems they’re hoping to get close to the original spirit of the Olympics: [Photo cre … | Continue reading
[Goofy collective nouns are fun.] It’s Marathon Monday here in Boston, one of the very best days of the year. As the oldest and most prestigious marathon in the world, it’s accumulated many traditions since it was first run in 1897. From the Wellesley Scream Tunnel to Team Hoyt a … | Continue reading
[It’s a gross job, but apparently, somebody’s got to do it.] So, you want to be a scientist? It’s not all glamour, Nobel Prizes, and sex with supermodels. Sometimes, it’s testing lots and lots of poop. They chased some questionable leads. The researchers were suspicious the virus … | Continue reading
[It’s not like San Francisco is one of the technology hubs of the world or anything.] Over at my day job, our crack designer Neale has been having fun contrasting our new lightning-fast setup process against imaginary installations from the past. He’s mocked up out-of-date techno … | Continue reading
[Choke on this, John Fisher.] The A’s may soon be gone, but Oakland has a new team: The B’s. Thanks to reader Kirk S., who tipped me off to Oakland’s new independent baseball team, the Ballers. They’ll be competing in the Pioneer League starting this year, and I hope Oakland’s ba … | Continue reading
[Let’s have some fun while we wait too long for our trains.] In recent years, Boston’s public transit system (colloquially known as “the T”) has been struggling mightily. Later this month, the people are marching for improvements: As “Googly Eyes MBTA” notes, “If the trains can’t … | Continue reading
[“Ladycocks” is right out.] Last night, the 2024 women’s college basketball tournament concluded, with the South Carolina Gamecocks defeating the Iowa Hawkeyes. Aside from the recent success of the women’s basketball program, sports teams from the University of South Carolina hav … | Continue reading
[A minor league stadium for a bush league owner] Earlier this week, the Red Sox swept the Athletics in a three game set at the unbranded Oakland Coliseum. While I detest the horrible invasiveness of advertising into every facet of our lives, it’s sad and more than a little pathet … | Continue reading
[70% of orders needing review is, let’s say, a lot.] Amazon has indicated they’re moving away from their “Just Walk Out” technology, which allowed shoppers to purchase items without needing to visit a checkout. Though it seemed completely automated, Just Walk Out relied on more t … | Continue reading
[Imagine a rat flipping you a tiny bird. Adorable!] Down at the University of Richmond, they’re teaching rats to drive cars. It turns out, the rats enjoy it, even when they don’t get treats for doing so. Self-driving cars have been 10 years away for at least 20 years. Perhaps we … | Continue reading
[This is, apparently, not an April Fool’s joke.] When I saw a headline indicating that 15 places in the US had “lost their total solar eclipse, I was confused”. A solar eclipse is not like weather, which changes frequently, nor is it subject to political lobbying and maneuvering. … | Continue reading
[“That would be spooky if it had.”] Last week, a British woman attempted to rescue a hedgehog she’d scooped up on the side of the road. There was just one problem: It was not a hedgehog at all, but rather the top of a hat. I know it’s dumb, but I just can’t stop laughing. Link: h … | Continue reading
[It’s the practice of binding books in human skin.] The Boston Athenæum is one of America’s oldest independent libraries, with a collection of hundreds of thousands of volumes. Only one book, however, is bound in the author’s own skin: [Photo courtesy of P. Kafasis] This infamous … | Continue reading
[Lightning actually strikes the same places over, and over, and over again.] Earlier this week, the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed in dramatic fashion, after one of its supports was struck by a container ship. Six people are believed dead, with another two rescued from the wa … | Continue reading
[The amount of money does, in fact, seem outrageous.] Up in Canada, a junior high art teacher is in trouble for selling student art without their consent. Obviously, that’s wrong, and he shouldn’t have done it. This, however, seems more than a little ridiculous: The parents of 10 … | Continue reading
[That’ll do, Pig.] Last week, surgeons at MGH transplanted a pig kidney into a live human patient. Sometimes, the future is incredible. Now, let us hope it goes better than last time. Link: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/first-human-receives-pig-kidney-transplant-18098 … | Continue reading
[The race has about a 2.5% completion rate.] Many years ago, I watched a documentary called “The Barkley Marathons: The Race That Eats Its Young”. It tells the story of Lazarus Lake, and his very strange, brutally tough ultramarathon trail race. As Wikipedia notes, the race is “k … | Continue reading
[Today in planes returning to the gate to offload criminals…] Earlier this week, I read about an Irish man named Terrence Crosbie who was accused of rape while visiting Boston over St. Patrick’s Day weekend. After police first questioned Crosbie, he booked a Saturday night flight … | Continue reading
[Please pardon my pessimism about face computers.] Here’s another reason not to open the Apple Vision Pro: you’ll avoid the risk of getting Inceptioned. Link: https://interestingengineering.com/news/apple-vision-pro-and-meta-quest-in-danger-of-inception-style-attacks | Continue reading
[“As if a computer render infiltrated the real world”] For the past year or two, I’ve found myself noticing some cars looking…weird. Though it was very difficult to elucidate, the paint jobs on more and more cars seemed somehow unfinished to me, or just otherwise wrong. These veh … | Continue reading
[If you can’t pay the fine, don’t do the crime.] As a result of last year’s judgement against them for business fraud, Donald Trump and the Trump Organization owe a massive sum of money to the state of New York. An attempted appeal is in the works, but they‘re required to post a … | Continue reading
[Humans, man. We’re not so smart.] This is very dumb, and I completely believe it will work. It will also make my life slightly more difficult, as I attempt to buy plant-based products, but I’ll manage. Link: https://vegnews.com/2024/3/plant-based-brands-red-packaging | Continue reading
[Apple’s worst-ever iPhone is also the most valuable.] I’m not at all enthusiastic about Apple’s Vision Pro goggles. Nevertheless, I’m considering buying a set, and never opening it. Link: https://www.techradar.com/phones/iphone/an-incredibly-rare-iphone-has-just-gone-up-for-auct … | Continue reading
[That’s a whole lot of money for a Lego head.] At a Goodwill in Du Bois, Pennsylvania, an unknown person recently donated a bag of jewelry. Inside that bag was one item that wasn’t jewelry, but was gold and worth almost 20 grand. That’s a whole lot of money for a Lego head.Link: … | Continue reading
[In case a futon is a little too adult for you.] When I saw the headline “The Human Dog Bed We Love Is on Sale Right Now”, I couldn’t resist clicking. Apparently, Wired recommends the “Plufl Human Dog Bed”, which they’ve awarded a 9/10 rating. Normally $399, this ridiculous conce … | Continue reading
[“A need to keep things safe and secure”] I recently learned that the jockstrap was invented 150 years ago to help bicycle messengers as they rode over Boston’s bumpy cobblestones. I was then informed that it has gone from a piece of protective equipment to a fashion statement, p … | Continue reading
[1.4 billion people is going to make for a lot of dopes.] When I read the headline “Flight in China delayed four hours after passenger throws coins into engine”, I joked “Oh, sure, for luck!”. The problem is that’s not actually a joke. It turns out, yes, that’s why people have do … | Continue reading
[Flat-earthers do not, in fact, have some valid points.] I have a whole lot of follow-up questions about this. Questions I have after hearing Texas Tech Defensive Back Tyler Owens say he “doesn’t believe in space” How, exactly, does one “not believe in space”? What does that me … | Continue reading
[You gotta gut it properly. Everyone knows that.] You might have already heard about the Iditarod musher who killed a moose in the middle of the nearly 1,000 mile long sled dog race. Dallas Seavey purportedly shot the moose in self-defense, after it became entangled with his dogs … | Continue reading
[How would you use them?!] To be fair, a banana is vegan.Link: https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/japan-airlines-vegan-passenger-banana-b2287958.html | Continue reading
[“Is he a normal guy who makes evil chocolate?”] Perhaps you’ve heard a bit about the amazingly terrible “Willy’s Chocolate Experience” in Glasgow, which has gone viral because of just how amazingly terrible it was. If so, you’ll likely enjoy this interview with Paul Connell, who … | Continue reading
[This toothbrush might be overengineered.] The toothbrush-based botnet wasn’t real, but the Doombrush is.Link: https://www.404media.co/watch-this-guy-play-doom-on-a-toothbrush | Continue reading
[Do you think there was a cash prize for this contest?] After Kamila Grabska was in a car accident in 2017, she claimed to have suffered injuries that left her unable to work. She had a £650,000 ($825,000 USD) claim pending against an insurance company, but it was recently dismis … | Continue reading
[And so can you.] Many years ago, I read a wonderful little story on Reddit. So I was riding home from class on the bus through the mall parking lot. At my mall, there is an exit where the incoming cars have no stop signs, but the cars exiting the mall do. As you may have heard, … | Continue reading
[…not on your hand?] Over at my day job, we sell our software through an online store. We offer bundles which provide a discount when purchasing multiple complementary products together. If a customer instead completes a purchase of one individual piece of software, we offer them … | Continue reading
[This is very, very bad.] I have often been amused at FedEx texts about deliveries, because the company will frequently flip-flop as to whether a package is coming early or late, sometimes changing their mind within minutes. The texts Troy Hunt got were much, much worse.Link: htt … | Continue reading
[I have to admit, this would work on me too.] When Tom McKay left Gizmodo in 2022, he apparently did not leave the company’s Slack group chat. Slack includes a robot user named “Slackbot”, which can assist with various things. McKay used a Cyrillic “о” to disguise himself as Sla … | Continue reading
[Minutia in every sense of the word] Today in incredibly arcane minutia: Are the Chicago Cubs finally ditching the tiny registered trademark symbol on their home jersey patch? While reading about the apparently terrible new uniforms MLB is planning to use for the 2024 season, I s … | Continue reading
[Apparently, it IS the size of your supercollider, not just how you use it.] Not content with a 17 mile tunnel to use in smashing particles together, the folks at CERN are now planning one over 50 miles in length. [T]he proposed supercollider will be three times the size of the L … | Continue reading
[A novel new form of renewable energy] Even when it’s cloudy, the tides continue rolling. Tidal kites are a potential way to harness that energy. Despite the fact that the moon’s volume is apparently shrinking, its density isn’t changing. That means the tides will keep right on … | Continue reading
[Target Circle is still not a registered trademark.] Earlier this year, I once again received a birthday present from everyone’s favorite Minneapolis-based retail chain, Target. Just as in 2022 and 2023, those nice Minnesotans emailed me the thoughtful gift of a 5% discount on a … | Continue reading
[That’s a lot of miles.] Speaking of lonely things in space, Voyager 1 is the most distant object humanity has ever sent out into space. It’s proved to be useful decades beyond its original mission, but now, it may finally be dying.Link: https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/02/huma … | Continue reading