14 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 4chan, buttholes and tags. Tags culled from the highest voted topics from the last seven days, if anyone was mortified.

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!

18 comments

  1. [2]
    jredd23
    Link
    In it by itself, unintended consequences of Trump Tarriffs, shipment delays like the one DHL has announced isn’t remarkable but yet it’s worth a posting. DHL business-to-consumer (B2C) shipments...

    In it by itself, unintended consequences of Trump Tarriffs, shipment delays like the one DHL has announced isn’t remarkable but yet it’s worth a posting.
    DHL business-to-consumer (B2C) shipments to the U.S. with a customs value exceeding USD 800

    Got me thinking, maybe I can mail a turd to someone…
    SPUDTACULAR! As with coconuts, potatoes can be mailed without a box

    Funny story, actually, yes, you can mail a turd, for science and health reasons, however it must be in a box.
    And remember, like to patotoes and tomatoes, don’t forget the ‘es’. Someone has to get the reference.

    8 votes
    1. cfabbro
      (edited )
      Link Parent
      This is just me speaking for myself... but I recently added the newly created politics.usa tag to my topic tag filters so I don't have to keep seeing US politics and Trump related crap all over...

      This is just me speaking for myself... but I recently added the newly created politics.usa tag to my topic tag filters so I don't have to keep seeing US politics and Trump related crap all over Tildes. And I usually come to these Offbeat News topics to read funny/interesting/offbeat news items to take my mind off the more serious stuff... not to witness even more US politics bleeding into every crevice of this site. But for the last few offbeat news topics running now, you have posted Trump tariff related news to them.

      The mailing poop thing is definitely offbeat/weird/amusing... but did you really have to frame it in relation to Trump's tariffs once again? Can we keep this topic a Trump free zone for a while, pretty please? I am genuinely sick of constantly hearing about him.

      10 votes
  2. [6]
    mycketforvirrad
    Link
    Papegoja räddad från träd – skrek ”fuck you” och lockades med cigg Parrot rescued from tree – screamed “fuck you” and was lured with a cigarette Sveriges Radio – Julia Hilmersson – 10th April 2025

    Papegoja räddad från träd – skrek ”fuck you” och lockades med cigg
    Parrot rescued from tree – screamed “fuck you” and was lured with a cigarette

    En papegoja satte sig i ett träd i Göteborg och vägrade att komma ner.
    A parrot sat in a tree in Gothenburg and refused to come down.

    När räddningstjänsten kom till platsen för undsättning skrek papegojan ”fuck you” och lockades ner med cigg, vilket GP var först med att berätta.
    When the emergency services arrived at the scene to rescue the parrot, it screamed "fuck you" and was lured down with a cigarette, which GP was the first to report.

    ”Ett sånt här tillfälle förgyller jobbet lite extra”, säger Denny Mausch som var styrkeledare på plats.
    "An opportunity like this makes the job a little extra," says Denny Mausch, who was the force leader on site.

    Sveriges Radio – Julia Hilmersson – 10th April 2025

    7 votes
    1. [3]
      chocobean
      Link Parent
      That poor bird! What kind of home life is going on with him. Also, how bird stuck in tree???

      That poor bird! What kind of home life is going on with him. Also, how bird stuck in tree???

      4 votes
      1. [2]
        Timwi
        Link Parent
        If it's somebody's pet, it may well have had its wings clipped.

        If it's somebody's pet, it may well have had its wings clipped.

        5 votes
        1. chocobean
          Link Parent
          Oh yeah..... I have fat huge birds that only fly a couple meters for fun, and outdoor small birds that want to be home by dusk so I forgot that's a thing. It would be terrifying for smaller at...

          Oh yeah..... I have fat huge birds that only fly a couple meters for fun, and outdoor small birds that want to be home by dusk so I forgot that's a thing. It would be terrifying for smaller at home birds to run outside, get spooked, and don't know how to come down or go home. Glad the little potty mouth was saved

          4 votes
    2. CannibalisticApple
      Link Parent
      A chain-smoking sailor mouth parrot sounds like a great animated character. I can just see it chilling in the background and casually interjecting with expletives at the perfect moment.

      A chain-smoking sailor mouth parrot sounds like a great animated character. I can just see it chilling in the background and casually interjecting with expletives at the perfect moment.

      3 votes
    3. nukeman
      Link Parent
      Is there a Swedish equivalent to Florida Man? Because that parrot seems like it would be his pet.

      Is there a Swedish equivalent to Florida Man? Because that parrot seems like it would be his pet.

      2 votes
  3. [8]
    patience_limited
    Link
    Quicksand swallows man at Michigan beach near harbor dredging Little did I know that such danger, adventure, and romance were available in my veritable back yard... I've been beachcombing for...

    Quicksand swallows man at Michigan beach near harbor dredging

    Little did I know that such danger, adventure, and romance were available in my veritable back yard... I've been beachcombing for bluestones there many times.

    7 votes
    1. [4]
      DefinitelyNotAFae
      Link Parent
      I'm of the age that I've prepared my whole childhood for this. Send me in coach.

      I'm of the age that I've prepared my whole childhood for this. Send me in coach.

      8 votes
      1. [3]
        patience_limited
        Link Parent
        Bring hip waders - that water is cold most of the year. I think the guy in the story would have been in more danger from hypothermia than the quicksand.

        Bring hip waders - that water is cold most of the year. I think the guy in the story would have been in more danger from hypothermia than the quicksand.

        3 votes
    2. chocobean
      (edited )
      Link Parent
      Surely they meant to say the incident really let the depth of their new relationship sink in Also, for funsies you can generate your own mini sinkhole/quicksand by liquifaction at the beach: go to...

      says, ‘my boyfriend is stuck in the sand.’” At that point, he said, they became a couple.

      “That was literally the first time we defined our relationship. It happened with two separate 911 operators at the same time.”

      [...]the incident helped cement their relationship

      Surely they meant to say the incident really let the depth of their new relationship sink in

      Also, for funsies you can generate your own mini sinkhole/quicksand by liquifaction at the beach: go to where there'd be water if you dig a bit but don't dig. Make very very small frequent jumps using the same rhythm. You want as high frequency as you can, not depth. You'll see the sand collectively melt into behaving as a liquid around you and can keep going for as long as you want.

      Edit: demo video - except I would not try this without a buddy, and I would not be wearing shoes or trousers.

      5 votes
    3. [2]
      jredd23
      Link Parent
      Wow! I would so much like to go see it for myself - well, I was looking for a vacation spot for the Summer and just found it. Road trip!

      Wow! I would so much like to go see it for myself - well, I was looking for a vacation spot for the Summer and just found it. Road trip!

      4 votes
      1. patience_limited
        (edited )
        Link Parent
        LMK if you want a local itinerary - I can hook you up with some great spots depending on your interests. The Leelanau Peninsula has stunning vistas - lakeshore, sand dunes, forests, rivers,...

        LMK if you want a local itinerary - I can hook you up with some great spots depending on your interests. The Leelanau Peninsula has stunning vistas - lakeshore, sand dunes, forests, rivers, vineyards, orchards, etc., with well-maintained, accessible hiking and bike trails. Bike, canoe, and kayak rentals are easy to find, not expensive, and you can have a lovely day on the trails and rivers. There are fabulous dining/drinking places.

        Word of caution - avoid Cherry Festival week, June 28 - July 5. Accommodations get scarce and expensive, and there are more tourists than the region can properly handle.

        Rockhound resource

        4 votes
  4. fefellama
    Link
    Angler Catches 153-Pound Behemoth in Texas Using Ultra-Light Tackle, Likely Setting a New World Record If you've never fished before, catching a 7-foot, 153lb alligator gar on 2 lb line is...

    Angler Catches 153-Pound Behemoth in Texas Using Ultra-Light Tackle, Likely Setting a New World Record

    If you've never fished before, catching a 7-foot, 153lb alligator gar on 2 lb line is absolutely insane!

    In September 2023, the pair hauled in a 283-pound alligator gar using a six-pound line

    What the fuck, that's even crazier I think.

    5 votes
  5. fefellama
    Link
    A Forgotten 16th-Century Manuscript Reveals the First Designs for Modern Rockets Didn't know people were coming up with rocket designs in the 1500s! I wonder what crazy ideas people have today...

    A Forgotten 16th-Century Manuscript Reveals the First Designs for Modern Rockets

    Didn't know people were coming up with rocket designs in the 1500s! I wonder what crazy ideas people have today that will be spot-on given another 500 years.

    4 votes