10 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 global warming, ig nobels.2026 and esoteric ebb. Tags culled from the highest voted topics from the last seven days, if anyone was curious.

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!

6 comments

  1. [2]
    mycketforvirrad
    Link
    Coin used as bus fare was 2,000‑year‑old currency BBC News – Alex Moss – 8th March 2026

    Coin used as bus fare was 2,000‑year‑old currency

    A coin once used to pay a bus fare in Leeds was created by an ancient civilisation more than 2,000 years ago, researchers have confirmed.

    The rare currency came into the hands of James Edwards in the 1950s, when during his job as a chief cashier for Leeds Transport Company, he would gather fares from bus and tram drivers.

    BBC News – Alex Moss – 8th March 2026

    6 votes
    1. jredd23
      Link Parent
      Very interesting, how it got there will no doubt be an amazing story to tell. Also how if any did the person who used it as fare come to have it, I suppose it was a happy coincidence.

      Very interesting, how it got there will no doubt be an amazing story to tell. Also how if any did the person who used it as fare come to have it, I suppose it was a happy coincidence.

      2 votes
  2. Well_known_bear
    Link
    Osaka University finds that plush toys feel cuter when held by someone. Study based on sample of around 400 Japanese and American people.

    Osaka University finds that plush toys feel cuter when held by someone.

    Study based on sample of around 400 Japanese and American people.

    5 votes
  3. jredd23
    Link
    A romantic love story, for those with any interest. NYC Flash Mob Proposal : Central Park

    A romantic love story, for those with any interest. NYC Flash Mob Proposal : Central Park

    When Robbie Leaks decided it was time to ask Jasmine Austin to marry him, he pulled together an event that rivals romantic movies.

    3 votes
  4. [2]
    psi
    Link
    "He Came to New York for Fun. He Left Seeking $20 Million in Damages." The New York Times.

    "He Came to New York for Fun. He Left Seeking $20 Million in Damages." The New York Times.

    When Mr. Manz arrived in New York in 2024, he was excited to try something new. He walked into the Times Square outpost of Los Tacos No. 1 on 43rd Street and ordered three tacos.

    “Because this taco experience was too special for me, I made several pictures and videos of the received food,” he would later write.

    He poured salsa onto the tacos, and began to eat. This did not go well.

    “My tongue and mouth were burning immediately,” Mr. Manz wrote, and “my Apple Watch registered at this time a higher pulse.”

    His symptoms worsened to include gastrointestinal and emotional distress, he said. In a lawsuit he later filed in federal court in the Southern District of New York, Mr. Manz described the restaurant’s liability as a “failure to warn” customers of its hot salsa. He sought relief in the form of $100,000.

    2 votes
    1. DefinitelyNotAFae
      Link Parent
      The Gothamist article is also good. I too get emotional damages whenever Wal-Mart doesn't let me on their wifi.

      The Gothamist article is also good.

      I too get emotional damages whenever Wal-Mart doesn't let me on their wifi.

      2 votes