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 zohran mamdani, games.mobile and satellites. Tags culled from the highest voted topics from the last seven days, if anyone was perplexed.

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!

13 comments

  1. [2]
    asteroid
    Link
    Fired hacker twins forget to end Teams recording, capture own crimes is yet another reason to prefer Zoom.

    Fired hacker twins forget to end Teams recording, capture own crimes is yet another reason to prefer Zoom.

    10 votes
    1. jredd23
      Link Parent
      I followed this item for professional reasons and while the two individuals got caught for being dumb, I think this signals a greater governance issue. Quite frankly, more individuals should be...

      I followed this item for professional reasons and while the two individuals got caught for being dumb, I think this signals a greater governance issue. Quite frankly, more individuals should be fired from this place.

      3 votes
  2. [4]
    skybrian
    Link
    Diet Coke parties are all the rage in India as aluminum can shortage bubbles up

    Diet Coke parties are all the rage in India as aluminum can shortage bubbles up

    Suppliers told the Reuters news agency that some orders were not being fulfilled due to a can shortage caused by the situation in the Gulf, which accounts for around 9% of global aluminum production. Diet Coke is not sold in plastic bottles in India, unlike most other countries, leaving fans of the drink at risk of losing out.

    For Gupta, a 25-year-old marketing and design consultant based in New Delhi, it was an opportunity for fun, so she decided to throw a party celebrating the drink.

    “It was a joke,” said Gupta, describing herself as an “avid drinker” of Diet Coke. “I thought only me and two of my friends would show up.”

    The party was a hit with Gen Zers, who she says are craving more alcohol-free experiences. Tickets were sold out, and attendees showed up wearing Coke-themed outfits, danced to house and pop music, and made their own Diet Coke “concoctions” inspired by Dua Lipa’s recipes. The pop star has posted videos on TikTok in which she adds pickle juice and pickled jalapeños to the drink.

    9 votes
    1. [2]
      thenetnetofthenet
      (edited )
      Link Parent
      🤣 ETA: Soda -> soda pop -> pop music a fitting music genre, haha

      pop music

      🤣

      ETA: Soda -> soda pop -> pop music

      a fitting music genre, haha

      6 votes
      1. jredd23
        Link Parent
        Whatever floats their boat.

        Whatever floats their boat.

        2 votes
    2. CannibalisticApple
      Link Parent
      The culture around Coca Cola is kind of fascinating. It's just a drink, but people are seriously attached to it. I remember hearing and reading about when they changed the formula for a while...

      The culture around Coca Cola is kind of fascinating. It's just a drink, but people are seriously attached to it. I remember hearing and reading about when they changed the formula for a while before I was born, and how people were genuinely up in arms over it. My mom said there was a rush on all the "classic" formula. Meanwhile I read that Coca Cola set up a hotline with actual counselors and psychologists, who described some of the callers' reactions as the same sort of actual, genuine grief over a loved one dying.

      All that to say, not too surprised a Coke-themed party in an area experiencing a shortage was a big success.

      5 votes
  3. [2]
    mycketforvirrad
    Link
    How hotels are stopping the 'dawn dash' for sunbeds after man wins payout BBC News – Ewan Somerville – 11th May 2026

    How hotels are stopping the 'dawn dash' for sunbeds after man wins payout

    Holidaymakers have told the BBC how some hotels and resorts are cracking down on people reserving sun loungers with towels, after a man won a payout over the practice.

    Last week, a man sued his tour operator for allowing the practice to take place while he was on holiday with his family in 2024, claiming he spent 20 minutes a day trying to find a sun lounger despite getting up at 06:00 every morning in his quest for a few rays.

    Judges at a district court in Hanover granted his family an £850 refund this week.

    BBC News – Ewan Somerville – 11th May 2026

    8 votes
    1. jredd23
      Link Parent
      Candidly that's what I do, not present then I take the chair. I wait a reasonable amount of time but if I see a chair has a 'hotel towel' only and no other personal artifact then out it goes. Some...

      Candidly that's what I do, not present then I take the chair. I wait a reasonable amount of time but if I see a chair has a 'hotel towel' only and no other personal artifact then out it goes. Some are a bit more aggressive like this fellow, but I do understand:

      "It soon stopped when some lads were going down in the middle of the night and throwing all the towels into the pool."

      5 votes
  4. [4]
    jredd23
    Link
    Sometimes I wish I was younger, I would be having so much fun with these things. Yet again, I would probably be getting in so much trouble that my face would be in the news all the time or worst,...

    Sometimes I wish I was younger, I would be having so much fun with these things. Yet again, I would probably be getting in so much trouble that my face would be in the news all the time or worst, my town's Facebook page!
    Empty Waymos invade Atlanta neighborhood, circle cul-de-sac for hours with no passengers

    7 votes
    1. [3]
      chocobean
      Link Parent
      For other confused non-Americans, this is a bright yellow "caution, young children here" type traffic road cone sized 3D signage.

      When one resident put a Step2Kid sign up in the street, it blocked all of the Waymos from entering the cul-de-sac, but how that played out was a surprise for those living there.

      For other confused non-Americans, this is a bright yellow "caution, young children here" type traffic road cone sized 3D signage.

      4 votes
      1. [2]
        MimicSquid
        Link Parent
        I think the real trick will be series of those signs angled such that they herd autonomous vehicles into dead ends en masse. Like a fish trap, with an easy entrance and an impossible exit.

        I think the real trick will be series of those signs angled such that they herd autonomous vehicles into dead ends en masse. Like a fish trap, with an easy entrance and an impossible exit.

        3 votes
        1. jredd23
          Link Parent
          Ideas, ideas....yes sir, ideas.

          Ideas, ideas....yes sir, ideas.

          3 votes
  5. skybrian
    Link
    OpenAI Brings Its Ass to Court (Wired)

    OpenAI Brings Its Ass to Court (Wired)

    A lawyer for Sam Altman’s AI behemoth, Bradley Wilson, approached US district judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers and handed her a small gold statue with a white stone base. It depicted the rear end of a donkey—with two legs, a butt, and a tail—and was inscribed with the message, “Joshua Achiam, never stop being a jackass for safety.”

    OpenAI employees at the time, Dario Amodei and David Luan, presented the gift to chief futurist Achiam, who started at the company as an intern in 2017 and now leads its work studying how society is changing in response to AI. Achiam testified on Wednesday that he interrupted Elon Musk’s parting speech from OpenAI in 2018 to warn that the billionaire’s desire to develop AGI at Tesla could come at the expense of safety. Wilson added that the trophy commemorates some “strong language” that Musk used toward Achiam in response—allegedly, calling him a jackass.

    “He snapped and called me a jackass,” Achiam said, describing the remark as tense and unfriendly.

    OpenAI initially requested to present the physical object during Achiam’s testimony, arguing that it adds to their case. While Musk’s team said the statue was irrelevant, Judge Gonzalez Rogers said she would consider allowing it when it’s referenced to corroborate the story. However, she seemed less than thrilled about accepting it as official evidence, which would put it in the court’s possession. “I don’t want it,” she said.

    4 votes