Weird News Compilation

[BillTre]

Some serious karma.

Dude, where’s my getaway car?

Crook-on-crook crookery.

 

[nsaspook]

https://apnews.com/article/nasa-laser-test-cat-psyche-space-d546e7e14acedb1464c279baf3c3eb68

 

[Borg]

I was hoping that the cat was chasing the laser from the spacecraft.

 

[Astronuc]

https://news.yahoo.com/tried-cross-ocean-hamster-wheel-103133862.html
He tried to cross the ocean on a hamster wheel. Actually it's a “HydroPod”

. . .
a Coast Guard commander issued him an order under federal navigation laws: No runs without being cleared by a marine inspector and a support ship.

Baluchi set off again in 2016 and 2021 with a similar craft powered solely by his feet. Again his attempts were cut short by authorities who deemed his journeys “manifestly unsafe.”

But he vowed to never give up his dream of “running” across the sea.

Then in August, the Coast Guard spotted him 70 miles off the coast of Georgia, in his floating hamster wheel, trying to cross the entire Atlantic.

Just go to the beach and enjoy like everyone else.

 

[Astronuc]

A Tesla owner told Reuters part of his EV's suspension broke when he was driving with his family the day after he'd received delivery of the Model Y. The car had 115 miles on its odometer when the suspension issue caused portions of the vehicle to come in contact with the road and Jain to lose steering capabilities, according to the report.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/new...t-s-part-of-a-much-bigger-problem/ar-AA1lNNOZ
The owner paid $55,000 for the car, and then got hit with a $14,000 repair bill for the failed suspension. Tesla claimed prior damage?!

This is beyond weird to surreal.

 

[Borg]

The look on his face is too funny. Imagine holding a news conference and having to answer questions from yourself.
Putin asked about AI by Deepfake Questioner.

 

[nsaspook]

The look on his face is too funny. Imagine holding a news conference and having to answer questions from yourself.
Putin asked about AI by Deepfake Questioner.

"A preview of the Russian Presidential Debate"

 

[berkeman]

PSA -- Let's avoid veering into political commentary please. Thanks.

 

[Tom.G]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/new...t-s-part-of-a-much-bigger-problem/ar-AA1lNNOZ
The owner paid $55,000 for the car, and then got hit with a $14,000 repair bill for the failed suspension. Tesla claimed prior damage?!

This is beyond weird to surreal.

Ahh! Now we know how a certain entrepreneur got so many digits in his bank statement.

 

[Astronuc]

a small-town auto mechanic peddling a green-energy breakthrough pulled off a massive scam, a billion dollar Ponzi scheme that "hooked" Berkshire Hathaway's GEICO and US Treasury - until the SEC and FBI steeped in.

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2023/06/dc-solar-power-ponzi-scheme-scandal/673782/

Lots of red flags!

Toward the end:

In early December [2018], the Carpoffs told their office manager, Brian Strickland, that they were going on an unplanned vacation. They needed him to take photos for new passports, which someone was helping fast-track.

Then on December 18, 2023:

While the raids were under way, Carpoff called the office to ask if his and Paulette’s passports were still on his desk. Told no—agents had seized them—Carpoff said, “Oh f***” and hung up.

Over eight years, in at least 34 deals, DC Solar had defrauded more than a dozen corporate customers out of almost $1 billion. Because those corporations had used the investment tax credit to deduct roughly that entire sum from their taxes, DC Solar had effectively robbed the American people.

Of the more than 17,000 generators sold from 2011 to 2018, only about 6,000 would be found to exist.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DC_Solar.
DC Solar was founded in 2008 and went defunct in 2018; Seized by the FBI; in Chapter 11 bankruptcy liquidation

Jeff Carpoff is "serving his time (30 years) in a medium-security correctional institution in Victorville, in a sun-scorched patch of California’s High Desert." (The Atlantic) His wife Paulette was sentenced to 11 years, 3 months.

Just - Wow!

 

[nsaspook]

https://www.theguardian.com/busines...aff-christmas-dinner-gastroenteritis-outbreak

‘Worse than giving birth’: 700 fall sick after Airbus staff Christmas dinner​

A gourmet Christmas dinner for 2,600 workers at the French aerospace group Airbus Atlantic left hundreds of staff sick.

 

[Hornbein]

a small-town auto mechanic peddling a green-energy breakthrough pulled off a massive scam, a billion dollar Ponzi scheme that "hooked" Berkshire Hathaway's GEICO and US Treasury - until the SEC and FBI steeped in.

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2023/06/dc-solar-power-ponzi-scheme-scandal/673782/

Lots of red flags!

Toward the end:

Then on December 18, 2023:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DC_Solar.
DC Solar was founded in 2008 and went defunct in 2018; Seized by the FBI; in Chapter 11 bankruptcy liquidation

Jeff Carpoff is "serving his time (30 years) in a medium-security correctional institution in Victorville, in a sun-scorched patch of California’s High Desert." (The Atlantic) His wife Paulette was sentenced to 11 years, 3 months.

Just - Wow!

I was in a country band in Martinez. John Muir's house is there.

 

[morrobay]

The passengers from sunken dive boat ^^ There is no proper licensing for boat drivers here or marine safety standards. This dive Boat that was blown over by wind/waves was actually a river boat inappropriately being used for a seagoing vessel

 

[morrobay]

Link for dive boat : https://scandasia.com/swedes-in-thailand-holiday-nightmare/

 

[morrobay]

Link for 7 boats. https://www.thaipbsworld.com/seven-...-sea-in-four-days-eight-people-still-missing/

 

[Astronuc]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/worl...-internet-provider-to-communicate/ar-AA1matyw

WASHINGTON — U.S. intelligence officials have determined that the Chinese spy balloon that flew across the U.S. earlier this year used an American internet service provider to communicate, according to two current and one former U.S. official familiar with the assessment.

The balloon connected to a U.S.-based company, according to the assessment, to send and receive communications from China, primarily related to navigation of the balloon. Officials familiar with assessment said it found that the connection allowed the balloon to send burst transmissions, or high-bandwidth collections of data over short periods of time.

 

[OmCheeto]

Hershey sued for $5M over missing 'cute' face on Reese's Peanut Butter Pumpkins
JANUARY 5, 2024

Should we take bets on which side wins?

[ref: OPB NPR]

 

[fresh_42]

Should we take bets on which side wins?

[ref: OPB NPR]

I am not so optimistic.

 

[256bits]

Texans cross the North West Passage.
https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2275351107703Of course, there has to be someone to spoil the 'fun', and suck the soul right out of you.
Cry baby doesn't like anyone who can accomplish an endeavor.
https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/cana...&cvid=03fd5a9c5b594a978a65d61cf9fd4a74&ei=146

The group faces several charges each, including:
-Using public lands in a park contrary to the Canada National Parks Act;
-Possessing a firearm in a park contrary to National Parks Wildlife Regulations;
-Disturbing wildlife in a park contrary to the National Parks Wildlife Regulations;
-Unlawfully entering a park without registering as required by the superintendent, contrary to the National Parks General Regulations;
-Unlawfully entering a restricted area in a park, contrary to the National Parks General Regulations; and
-Camping on public land in a park contrary to the National Parks of Canada Camping Regulations.

 

[Astronuc]

IPhone Survives 16,000-Foot Fall, Helps Steer Jet-Panel Hunt
https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/ne...t-fall-helps-steer-jet-panel-hunt/ar-AA1mDgDe

(Bloomberg) -- Among the harrowing details of the blown-off fuselage panel that triggered a sudden decompression event on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, one revelation seemed to defy the laws of physics: one of the mobile phones that had been sucked out of the Boeing Co. 737 Max 9 jet’s cabin remained in functioning condition after a 16,000-foot tumble.

A new-generation Apple Inc. iPhone landed intact, unlocked and with hours of battery life remaining on a Portland, Oregon roadside, according to a post on X by a user calling himself Seanathan Bates, who said he discovered the device. The screen showed an email from Alaska Airlines about a baggage claim for the flight, based on Bates’ photos.

Flight 1282 was forced to turn back minutes after takeoff, when the panel broke loose from the fuselage. None of the 171 passengers aboard the Max 9 jet was seriously injured. It landed safely back in Portland about 20 minutes after takeoff, having reached more than 16,000 feet (4,900 meters) in altitude before turning around.

The fuselage panel that blew off the plane was eventually discovered in the backyard of a Portland-based schoolteacher.

Edit/update
https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/ne...lines-finds-loose-bolts-on-max-9s/ar-AA1mCyXp

Missing part of Alaska Airlines plane is found in Portland, Oregon, NTSB says, as United Airlines finds loose bolts on Max 9s​

Is it sloppy manufacturing, or sloppy maintenance?

 

[Tom.G]

one of the mobile phones that had been sucked out of the Boeing Co. 737 Max 9 jet’s cabin remained in functioning condition after a 16,000-foot tumble.

I wonder how long it will take for that to get in the advertisements.

 

[Bystander]

I wonder how long it will take for that to get in the advertisements.

"Takes a licking and keeps on ticking mauling/falling and keeps on calling."

 

[Hornbein]

It's happened before. The tumbling of the phone dissipates energy. Here's footage taken by a dropping phone.

 

[Borg]

It's happened before. The tumbling of the phone dissipates energy. Here's footage taken by a dropping phone.

From the comments section:

It's amazing that the pig was able to recover the video and post it on YouTube. Animals these days are really smart.

 

[berkeman]

https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/19/sport/adam-schenk-fan-drink-shot-spt-intl/index.html

CNN — This was a vodka cranberry cocktail with a twist.

Playing the par-5 16th hole at the Pete Dye Stadium Course in La Quinta, California, at The American Express tournament on Thursday, Adam Schenk’s approach shot skewed right of the green towards an uninviting group of small rolling hills. A potentially horror bounce looked imminent.

Quietly observing the action from the comfort of his fold-up chair some 260 yards away was Brad Harmeyer. After feeling a gentle impact on his chest and the sound of a splash, Harmeyer looked down to see a white orb floating in his cocktail.

Uninjured and suffering minimal spill to his drink, Harmeyer raised his glass and sipped from it before greeting an apologetic Schenk, who signed the ball before giving it to him to keep.

“I owe you a drink … I’m very sorry,” Schenk said, according to the PGA Tour, who shared footage of the incident on X.

Insisting the golfer had nothing to apologize for, Harmeyer remarked that – given the free relief he would receive for the shot – Schenk would have “a nice look,” and his evaluation was proven correct when the world No. 48 chipped onto the green before holing out from 10 feet for birdie.

 

[Borg]

Buffalo Bills put out call for shoveling help for rematch with Kansas City Chiefs​

Hmmm, my seat's here somewhere.

Last week's snow clearing:

 

[Borg]

I don't remember Wile E. Coyote ending up in a dumpster before.

 

[fresh_42]

The bird had a speed of 38 km/h. However, the speed limit on Herzogenmühlestrasse is strictly 30.

 

[jack action]

New tires every 7,000 miles? Electric cars save gas but tire wear shocks some Florida drivers

At EV Garage Miami, a Sweetwater repair shop that services 90 percent electric vehicles, lead technician Jonathan Sanchez said tires are the most frequent thing customers come in about — no matter what model or make of EV they’re driving. Tire mileage can vary widely of course, but he said he frequently changes EV tires at just 8,000 to 10,000 miles — a fourth or even fifth of typical tire wear on a gas-burning car.

There are a number of explanations for the fast wear — from the way EVs work to the composition of the rubber to individual driving habits and maintenance practices — but vehicle and tire makers and industry experts acknowledge the issue. The tire manufacturer Michelin said conventional tires on electric vehicles consume tires 20 percent faster than on a gas-powered car — a figure commonly cited by EV makers as well — but Goodyear also has said they could wear up to 50 percent faster. Automakers and the tire industry are working on improvements.

That would be good for consumers but also for the climate. To some extent, running through tires quickly may offset the reduction of damaging emissions that EVs offer. Some studies have shown that tires actually have more particle pollution than exhaust, 2,000 times as much.

Edit: Link corrected

 

[gmax137]

I did not know that. What is the explanation? The higher torque at low RPM? Maybe the EV drivers are launching harder off the line? I'm not sure why EVs would have different "composition of the rubber."

 

[berkeman]

New tires every 7,000 miles? Electric cars save gas but tire wear shocks some Florida drivers

Link seems to be broken?

http://o/

 

[Jonathan Scott]

I did not know that. What is the explanation? The higher torque at low RPM? Maybe the EV drivers are launching harder off the line? I'm not sure why EVs would have different "composition of the rubber."

I've heard the main difference is that EVs are much heavier that non-EV equivalents, and wear increases more than linearly with the weight. I suspect that a different composition might be needed to help optimise the lifetime for the increased load.

 

[gmax137]

Thanks, @Jonathan Scott . A quick search comparing the Tesla Model Y to a Subaru Forester (similar overall length, width, wheelbase) shows the Tesla curb weight at 4464 pounds vs the Subaru at 3528. So the Tesla is 125% weight of the Subaru. Interesting, I didn't know that about EVs.

 

[jack action]

I did not know that. What is the explanation? The higher torque at low RPM? Maybe the EV drivers are launching harder off the line? I'm not sure why EVs would have different "composition of the rubber."

There are some explanations in the link (I corrected it).

Weight seems to be a big explanation (at least 20% life decrease). They talk about EV owners applying more power but I doubt this is a major effect (I rarely see an EV "racing off" of a green light; it is just not the cup of tea of typical EV owners).

One curious explanation is that EV owners tend to complain about tire noises as there is no engine noise to cover it anymore. Even if any tire can be used on an EV, the "EV tires" found on the market use a softer compound to absorb and reduce this noise, the consequence being faster wear.

 

[nsaspook]

Extreme metal guitar skills linked to intrasexual competition, but not mating success
https://www.psypost.org/2024/01/ext...ual-competition-but-not-mating-success-221020

“However, trends within metal music, and especially the genre of extreme metal music with basically virtuoso-level guitar skills, conflict with this hypothesis. Those who enjoy extreme metal and those who produce it are statistically more likely to be male. These dynamics do not seem to be useful for purposes related to heterosexual mating.