16 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 forums, stardew valley and whatever. Tags culled from the highest voted topics from the last seven days, if anyone was boggled of the mind.

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!

23 comments

  1. [7]
    fefellama
    Link
    Bees attack French town, leaving 24 injured

    Bees attack French town, leaving 24 injured

    11 votes
    1. [2]
      jredd23
      Link Parent
      Darn, playing the long game I still remember Killer Bees the movie from my after school movie days.

      Darn, playing the long game

      According to the mayor, the incident may have been related to Asian hornets threatening a beehive that had been installed on the roof terrace of a downtown hotel more than a decade ago.

      I still remember Killer Bees the movie from my after school movie days.

      7 votes
      1. fefellama
        Link Parent
        Animal Planet and/or the Discovery Channel had me really worried about swarms of "African killer bees" circa the early 2000s.

        Animal Planet and/or the Discovery Channel had me really worried about swarms of "African killer bees" circa the early 2000s.

        2 votes
    2. [4]
      cfabbro
      (edited )
      Link Parent
      That's actually super scary. One of my dad's old business partners got stung dozens of times about 10 years ago, ended up in a coma, and suffered severe brain damage. He used to be a brilliant...

      The three people in critical condition were evacuated to a local hospital.

      That's actually super scary. One of my dad's old business partners got stung dozens of times about 10 years ago, ended up in a coma, and suffered severe brain damage. He used to be a brilliant businessman, and now he can barely talk or walk. His cognitive abilities are severely impaired now too, so he is a shadow of his former self. I hope those three people in critical condition have better luck. :(

      5 votes
      1. [3]
        fefellama
        (edited )
        Link Parent
        Holy crap I had no idea bee stings could be so dangerous. That's awful. From wikipedia: Wow!

        Holy crap I had no idea bee stings could be so dangerous. That's awful.

        From wikipedia:

        Africanized honey bees are typically much more defensive, react to disturbances faster, and chase people further (400 metres (1,300 ft)) than other varieties of honey bees. They have killed some 1,000 humans, with victims receiving 10 times more stings than from European honey bees.[1] They have also killed horses and other animals.[3][4]

        Wow!

        6 votes
        1. CannibalisticApple
          Link Parent
          Well, their stingers do have venom. I think usually it's just a mild irritant to humans but from what I recall, people can develop allergies to bee stings after being stung multiple times. So...

          Well, their stingers do have venom. I think usually it's just a mild irritant to humans but from what I recall, people can develop allergies to bee stings after being stung multiple times. So being stung dozens of times at once probably adds up.

          Also according to that Wikipedia article, killer bees were created by someone crossbreeding European and African bees in Brazil. The fact that killer bees are literally a manmade species is just weirdly hilarious to me. It's the movie cliche where a mad scientists tries to create something good and instead unleashes a horrible monster upon the world.

          5 votes
        2. cfabbro
          Link Parent
          Yeah, even if you're not actually allergic to bee stings, if you get stung multiple times at once their venom can still wreak havoc on your body. We almost lost our previous dog to the same thing...

          I had no idea bee stings could be so dangerous

          Yeah, even if you're not actually allergic to bee stings, if you get stung multiple times at once their venom can still wreak havoc on your body. We almost lost our previous dog to the same thing too. Despite her being 90lbs and not being allergic (she had been stung before with no issues), a handful of stings all at once had her convulsing and frothing at the mouth. :(

          3 votes
  2. [2]
    mycketforvirrad
    Link
    Rubik’s cube design can’t be trademarked, says EU court Euronews – Gerardo Fortuna – 9th July 2025

    Rubik’s cube design can’t be trademarked, says EU court

    The decision of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) marks the latest development in a long-running legal puzzle over the intellectual property status of the Rubik’s Cube.

    There may be no easy cheat code for solving a Rubik’s Cube, but one UK company gave it a shot — not with complex algorithms, but with legal arguments.

    Their move? Try to trademark the classic puzzle's design invented in 1974 by Hungarian architect Ernő Rubik and lock down some exclusive rights - and maybe a few million euros - along the way.

    Euronews – Gerardo Fortuna – 9th July 2025

    9 votes
    1. jredd23
      Link Parent
      At first glance it didn't register well in my mind, but I get it.

      At first glance it didn't register well in my mind, but I get it.

      2 votes
  3. [2]
    arch_mage
    Link
    Walmart recalls 850,000 water bottles after two consumers suffer vision loss from ejecting caps

    Walmart recalls 850,000 water bottles after two consumers suffer vision loss from ejecting caps

    Walmart is recalling about 850,000 stainless steel water bottles because the lid can “forcefully eject” and unexpectedly strike consumers — resulting in permanent vision loss for two people to date.

    9 votes
    1. jredd23
      Link Parent
      Even the products have had enough of American BS! Wow. I wonder how close this 'people' were to the lid to have it blow up on them; would make for one heck of a bar story, let me tell you...

      Even the products have had enough of American BS! Wow. I wonder how close this 'people' were to the lid to have it blow up on them; would make for one heck of a bar story, let me tell you...

      2 votes
  4. [3]
    chocobean
    Link
    Oh deer! Fawns rescued from precarious situations in 2 N.S. communities All animals mentioned are safe and rescued. (2 fawn rescue pictures in article. )

    Oh deer! Fawns rescued from precarious situations in 2 N.S. communities

    All animals mentioned are safe and rescued. (2 fawn rescue pictures in article. )

    7 votes
    1. [2]
      jredd23
      Link Parent
      Good to hear. I was going to post about a deer that was trying to swim out of Florida. I present to you, Florida Deer

      Good to hear. I was going to post about a deer that was trying to swim out of Florida. I present to you, Florida Deer

      4 votes
      1. chocobean
        Link Parent
        They pulled him back lol poor thing didn't get very far. Maybe it's too hot there and it's trying to chill. Tangential: Robert E Fuller, on stoats: "males have been reported to swim 5kms at a time...

        They pulled him back lol poor thing didn't get very far. Maybe it's too hot there and it's trying to chill.

        Tangential:

        Robert E Fuller, on stoats: "males have been reported to swim 5kms at a time to reach females on islands out at sea". They must be so tired by the time they get to the island 5km away! And as tiny fuzzy predators, they can starve as quickly as within 24 hours. How motivated the males must be!

        3 votes
  5. [2]
    aetherious
    Link
    ‘Just Tan and Be Hot and Single’: The People Fighting to Be on ‘Love Island’ I don't watch Love Island, but I do find it fascinating to hear about it as a curiosity.

    ‘Just Tan and Be Hot and Single’: The People Fighting to Be on ‘Love Island’

    I don't watch Love Island, but I do find it fascinating to hear about it as a curiosity.

    New applications increase each year; the team received around 20,000 for season seven.

    On a Saturday in mid-June, nearly two weeks after season seven premiered, “Love Island” hopefuls waited in the pouring rain to attend the Atlanta stop of the summer casting tour. Over 1,000 people dressed in brightly colored swimsuits, two-piece sets and sarongs sat through casting interviews before the line was cut off.

    Producers also comb through social media, sometimes finding potential contestants through tagged photos or location tags. The monthslong casting process involves multiple interviews, psych evaluations, social media screenings, STD tests and personality tests.

    5 votes
    1. chocobean
      Link Parent
      I've never heard of the show until this month, when I browsed Reddit's front page without an account. It seems like every other post is about sports or love island: perhaps the fears of Trad wives...

      I've never heard of the show until this month, when I browsed Reddit's front page without an account. It seems like every other post is about sports or love island: perhaps the fears of Trad wives and incels is overblown, if much of the population is still interested in the same old pursuits of sport balls and bikini drama.

      4 votes
  6. [3]
    kfwyre
    Link
    The GameStop stapler that smashed a Switch 2 screen on launch day is being auctioned off for charity, and bidding has already broken $100,000

    The GameStop stapler that smashed a Switch 2 screen on launch day is being auctioned off for charity, and bidding has already broken $100,000

    5 votes
    1. [2]
      chocobean
      Link Parent
      Alternatively, man sells underwear online for six figures.

      Alternatively, man sells underwear online for six figures.

      3 votes
      1. CannibalisticApple
        Link Parent
        And if it hits seven figures, the CEO will fly the lucky winner to Miami and go to McDonald's for lunch and personally deliver the preowned underwear! Bidding is at 249,900 so let's see if they...

        And if it hits seven figures, the CEO will fly the lucky winner to Miami and go to McDonald's for lunch and personally deliver the preowned underwear! Bidding is at 249,900 so let's see if they can hit one million dollars!

        4 votes
  7. smoontjes
    Link
    Rare Atom Sign Trash to Replace Somebody Counter-Strike news lol

    Rare Atom Sign Trash to Replace Somebody

    Counter-Strike news lol

    The Chinese team has recruited a young talent as it hopes to return to the top.

    Rare Atom have announced that they have completed the signing of E9 star Aojie "⁠Trash⁠" Tian to replace veteran HaoWen "⁠somebody⁠" Xu, who has been moved to the bench.

    4 votes
  8. [2]
    kfwyre
    Link
    Hundreds of Amazon packages mistakenly shipped to woman's home for over a year: 'It's been hell'

    Hundreds of Amazon packages mistakenly shipped to woman's home for over a year: 'It's been hell'

    4 votes
    1. CannibalisticApple
      Link Parent
      This one is just infuriating. Some Chinese company fraudulently placed a random woman's address as the return address, so she got flooded with returns and the customers wouldn't get refunds. It...

      This one is just infuriating. Some Chinese company fraudulently placed a random woman's address as the return address, so she got flooded with returns and the customers wouldn't get refunds. It took getting contacted for this article for Amazon to actually do something and remove the packages. And they promise they'll crack down on this, but who knows?

      Amazon seriously needs to do something to vet their vendors though, or at least open up avenues for people to submit reports that they will act on. Right now it's way too flooded with fake and scammy sellers, and now I'm wondering if anyone else is getting inundated with returns due to a similar fraudulent return address. I loathe the site for many reasons, but the sheer volume of sellers like this make shopping even worse because it's practically a gamble if you'll get what you ordered.

      4 votes