18 votes

Offbeat Fridays – The thread where offbeat headlines become front page news

Posted by mycketforvirrad
Tags: ask.discussion, recurring.weekly, offbeat fridays, offbeat

Tildes is a very serious site, where we discuss very serious matters like steve huffman, tiananmen square massacre and bluejeweled. Tags culled from the highest voted topics from the last seven days, if anyone was at a loss.

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!

15 comments

  1. [5]
    mycketforvirrad
    Link
    Humpback whale swallows and spits out kayaker in incident captured on camera CNN – Abel Alvarado, Gabriela Frias and Daniela Patino – 13th February 2025

    Humpback whale swallows and spits out kayaker in incident captured on camera

    A humpback whale briefly swallowed a 24-year-old kayaker last Saturday during a father-son excursion out on the icy waters around Chile’s southernmost Patagonia region.

    The terrifying moment, captured on camera by the kayaker’s father, showed the whale surfacing in the Strait of Magellan and gulping Adrian Simancas for a few moments before releasing him.

    In the video, verified by CNN, Adrian’s father, Dell, is heard yelling to his son, who had been spat out of the whale, to “grab the boat.” Adrian then swims towards his dad’s pack raft and holds onto it as they pull away.

    CNN – Abel Alvarado, Gabriela Frias and Daniela Patino – 13th February 2025

    7 votes
    1. [2]
      jredd23
      Link Parent
      Beat me to it, I was going to post this whale of a story. I have many phobias, I might just need to add a new one.

      Beat me to it, I was going to post this whale of a story. I have many phobias, I might just need to add a new one.

      2 votes
      1. fefellama
        Link Parent
        I love kayaking, but usually in creeks and rivers and marshes and estuaries. Something about kayaking in the deeper parts of the ocean (like deep enough for a whale to mistakenly eat you) just...

        I love kayaking, but usually in creeks and rivers and marshes and estuaries. Something about kayaking in the deeper parts of the ocean (like deep enough for a whale to mistakenly eat you) just gives me a healthy sense of dread.

        1 vote
    2. DefinitelyNotAFae
      Link Parent
      I love the idea that the whale was gagging like a fly flew into its mouth Or that it was just playing catch. Or that it was aligning itself with the orcas As far as I know humpbacks don't eat...

      I love the idea that the whale was gagging like a fly flew into its mouth

      Or that it was just playing catch.

      Or that it was aligning itself with the orcas

      As far as I know humpbacks don't eat anything nearly as big as a human so it's fun to try to guess

      2 votes
    3. TheRtRevKaiser
      Link Parent
      I remember reading a story years ago about this happening to two women. It's apparently just a thing that...happens sometimes? Which is kind of crazy to think about...

      I remember reading a story years ago about this happening to two women. It's apparently just a thing that...happens sometimes? Which is kind of crazy to think about...

      1 vote
  2. [5]
    DefinitelyNotAFae
    Link
    Colorado men accused of attempting to use a cannon to launch meth and tobacco into Louisiana prison

    Colorado men accused of attempting to use a cannon to launch meth and tobacco into Louisiana prison

    The sheriff’s office said an investigation led deputies to learn the suspects from Greeley planned to use a cannon, propelled by compressed air, to launch $112,000 worth of tobacco and $89,500 worth of meth into the prison.

    Deputies said the cannon, which could shoot items 350 feet into the air, would launch the items over the federal prison’s security fence and onto prison grounds.

    7 votes
    1. [2]
      jredd23
      Link Parent
      They went with a bang versus a buzz. If I was going to do something like this, well I would use a drone. That was shown in the show Mayor of Kingston CBS show.

      They went with a bang versus a buzz. If I was going to do something like this, well I would use a drone. That was shown in the show Mayor of Kingston CBS show.

      4 votes
      1. ErasmusDarwin
        Link Parent
        It looks like they were going for much higher volumes than a drone would be capable of. $112,000 worth of tobacco is a lot of tobacco. Of course that only makes their plan sound even more crazy....

        If I was going to do something like this, well I would use a drone.

        It looks like they were going for much higher volumes than a drone would be capable of. $112,000 worth of tobacco is a lot of tobacco.

        Of course that only makes their plan sound even more crazy. They would have to spend a significant amount of time launching that much tobacco over the fence.

        1 vote
    2. [2]
      Raspcoffee
      Link Parent
      This is like the plot of some shitty action comedy holy shit. I'm both amazed at their creativity and dumbassery at the same time.

      This is like the plot of some shitty action comedy holy shit. I'm both amazed at their creativity and dumbassery at the same time.

      2 votes
      1. DefinitelyNotAFae
        Link Parent
        I saw it late last night and was so ready for this thread. It's so dumb it's glorious <(￣︶￣)>

        I saw it late last night and was so ready for this thread. It's so dumb it's glorious

        <⁠(⁠￣⁠︶⁠￣⁠)⁠>

        3 votes
  3. [3]
    patience_limited
    Link
    Elon Musk, U.S. Co-President, is the gift that keeps giving. It’s Raining SpaceX Debris in Poland Elon Musk’s AI Bot Grok Finds Over Half of His Tweets ‘False or Misleading’, Disses Him as ‘A...

    Elon Musk, U.S. Co-President, is the gift that keeps giving.

    It’s Raining SpaceX Debris in Poland

    Elon Musk’s AI Bot Grok Finds Over Half of His Tweets ‘False or Misleading’, Disses Him as ‘A Mogul With A Microphone’

    7 votes
    1. Raspcoffee
      Link Parent
      Huh, we've had some of the debris in the Netherlands too. I guess we were both below trajectory of the rocket.

      Huh, we've had some of the debris in the Netherlands too. I guess we were both below trajectory of the rocket.

      2 votes
    2. jredd23
      Link Parent
      Funny how even AI is calling out their bullsh*t!

      Funny how even AI is calling out their bullsh*t!

      2 votes