9 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 kindness, certificates.security and php. Tags culled from the highest voted topics from the last seven days, if anyone was scratching their head.

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]
    skybrian
    Link
    Meet the Guy Who Excavated O’Hare’s 50-Ton Boulder From the article: [...] [...] [...] [...]

    Meet the Guy Who Excavated O’Hare’s 50-Ton Boulder

    From the article:

    Ron Pitelka has an idea for what to name the 50-ton prehistoric boulder that was unearthed this summer at O’Hare Airport.

    “I would probably call it ‘Geo,’” Pitelka said. “It might not be funny, but it’s a little more appropriate.”

    [...]

    In all of the 23 years he’s been operating excavators — so, half his life — “I’ve never seen a boulder this big come out of the ground. It’s pretty damned rare,” Pitelka, who lives in Homer Glen, told WTTW News. “I was like a kid on Christmas.”

    [...]

    Pitelka’s colleague, Matt Tracy, attempted to budge the object with his bulldozer. It didn’t move. Pitelka tried to hook it and the Cat 352 balked. Eventually, with the combined force of the bulldozer pushing and the excavator pulling, they got the boulder out of the ground.

    [...]

    Over the years, Pitelka has rescued some of these rocks and deposited them at his mom’s five-acre property, including a large hunk of limestone that, when he dumped it out of his truck, split in half to reveal a perfect trilobite fossil, convex on one side and a matching imprint on the other.

    “I’m always looking for stuff like that,” he said. “When I go on vacation, I always bring a rock back.”

    [...]

    Knowing that the massive find at O’Hare could easily be 300 to 400 million years old, Pitelka asked the construction superintendent to fight for the behemoth’s preservation. He hoped maybe it could be embedded in the basin’s embankment, where he could view it via Google earth.

    It was only this week, when the airport announced the naming contest for the rock, that Pitelka learned the boulder had been saved and was destined for greater things.

    “I was so excited to hear that the right people got involved,” he said. “I’m absolutely ecstatic it’s going to be on display. For me, as an (excavator) who loves boulders, it’s the coolest thing that people understand its historical significance and appreciate it.”

    6 votes
    1. jredd23
      Link Parent
      I admit that I am jealous, . What a great and fun read. I am nowhere near as close to what Pitelka is doing but damn if I wish that I could do the same. I love rocks, something about them that is...

      I admit that I am jealous, . What a great and fun read. I am nowhere near as close to what Pitelka is doing but damn if I wish that I could do the same. I love rocks, something about them that is so interesting. Cool stuff!

      4 votes
  2. [2]
    mycketforvirrad
    Link
    In Britain, pajamas help donkeys keep insects at bay DW – Yacin Hehrlein – 19th October 2026

    In Britain, pajamas help donkeys keep insects at bay

    At a donkey sanctuary in Devon, England, an unusual solution is helping protect elderly and rescued animals from painful insect bites: donated pajama trousers. Stable flies often target donkeys' lower legs, causing irritation and discomfort, veterinarians say.

    Inspired by a similar idea seen in France, carers began dressing some donkeys in pajama bottoms to keep flies from landing and biting. The sanctuary now receives regular pajama donations, often accompanied by touching messages from families honoring loved ones who cared deeply about animals.

    DW – Yacin Hehrlein – 19th October 2026

    5 votes
    1. jredd23
      Link Parent
      I came across this the other day and thought about posting it myself, great find. Really cool that people are helping out in all small and large ways.

      I came across this the other day and thought about posting it myself, great find. Really cool that people are helping out in all small and large ways.

      2 votes
  3. CannibalisticApple
    Link
    California State Parks has confirmed that the viral video of a great white shark photobombing a woman taking a video is real. Animals photobombing people is fairly common, but I'm linking it...

    California State Parks has confirmed that the viral video of a great white shark photobombing a woman taking a video is real.

    Animals photobombing people is fairly common, but I'm linking it because the way it breaches the water looks so fake. The angle probably plays a part in it, but it looks like it just shoots up vertically into the air. Reminds me of a video game with bad physics. When I saw it on the news I rewound to watch it again and just burst out laughing.

    4 votes
  4. jredd23
    Link
    What a curious thing, Beam of light

    What a curious thing, Beam of light

    Twice a year, the sun sends a beam of light into Egypt's Great Temple of Ramses II to illuminate the statues of the pharaoh and two gods beside him. Hundreds of tourists from around the world and locals gathered at dawn Thursday to witness the ancient solar phenomenon.

    3 votes