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Offbeat Fridays – The thread where offbeat headlines become front page news
Tildes is a very serious site, where we discuss very serious matters like kamala harris, ublock.origin and power stations.nuclear. Tags culled from the highest voted topics from the last seven days, if anyone was keeping score.
But one of my favourite tags happens to be offbeat! Taking its original inspiration from Sir Nils Olav III, this thread is looking for any far-fetched offbeat stories lurking in the newspapers. It may not deserve its own post, but it deserves a wider audience!
Chess is not for Pu*****!
Glad to hear the victim is doing well:
This is insane. I don't follow chess but now I know there was cheating accusations about butt stuff, and now this
Dang. Chess has some of the craziest drama I've seen, but this is a new level. Glad it wasn't fatal, at least. Still, they shouldn't NEED to have security around the chess sets.
Makes me think I should be designing "standard" chess pieces with a knife hidden in the queen, the chess playing equivalent of a sword cane. (tries to stay good)
You can go deep down a rabbit hole on that subject. The term “non-permissive environment” (NPE) is used in some knife communities, and sometimes it ends up with designing hidden knives (as applies in your case). The size of the chess pieces is the limiting factor, and would likely steer designs toward that of a push dagger.
John Travolta seeking new home
Saw this in my local tiny town paper the other week. Very cute picture included
Honestly I was thinking of John Travolta, expecting a plane and all that so that's a good catchy headline.
Korean Air says turbulence is knocking instant noodles off its economy menu
Associated Press – Wyatte Grantham-Philips – 1st August 2024
That explanation doesn't have a tray to rest on. Folks are still able to get hot coffee arent they? And hot pockets are infamous for being frozen on the outside, whilst the internals approach nuclear fission.
It's good to know that businesses and first class cabins don't experience turbulences like the plebeian class does, though.
Decades ago, on long haul Cathay Pacific flights, the attendants will bring you Nissin noodle cups if you ask for them. I haven't flown them since those days, no idea if it still exists. Switched over to JAL where (years ago) I can drink complimentary sake on long hauls
It sounds like the economy passengers get their own noodles and the company is liable if I go up to get my own noodles and burn myself or someone else by stumbling in the turbulence. Not sure if they offer coffee the same way?
I see why, but why precisely has turbulence gone up? Are we flying in more dangerous weather? Climate change? It's cheaper to ride it out than change altitude?
Yes, winds are getting stronger due to climate change, and that includes upper level winds. (Daughter is a skydiving coach and has a single engine pilot's license)
Do scientists think there's a possibility our climate could become so irratic we can no longer count on safe passengers flights? I'm thinking about the recent tragedy where the turbulence got so bad it killed one and injured other passengers.
Not sure but it's probably not out of the realm of possibility. Winds are becoming less predictable and the aviation community is aware. Commercial interests will do their best to figure out something, even perhaps having passengers wear seat belts throughout a flight.
Basically already the case that you have to wear them all the time IME. I wondered how much was the winds getting better and how much is corporate airlines not taking steps to adjust due to cost.
For an SF take on this, read the first chapter of Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson. I started it it during the pandemic but it was too depressing, and I haven't gone back to it.
Teacher named salmon surprised by a bear
Hehehehw the bear came back again for Salmon :')