Weird News Compilation

[Hornbein]

Military Vehicle Flipped on I-90 Near Spokane Wednesday, and Nobody Is Claiming It
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/military-vehicle-flipped-90-near-180006148.html

Somebody must have signed it out, or someone stole it from a military base?

There was the guy who stole a tank.

 

[Borg]

Crypto scam lures ships into Strait of Hormuz, falsely promising safe passage

Crypto scammers are targeting the thousands of ships stranded near the Strait of Hormuz—and at least one ship that faced Iranian gunfire may have been tricked into believing it had paid Iran for safe passage.

https://arstechnica.com/security/20...ait-of-hormuz-falsely-promising-safe-passage/

 

[Borg]

Meanwhile in the polymarkets...

‘Hairdryer used to trick weather sensor’ to win $34,000 bet

French police are investigating suspicions that a hairdryer may have been used to tamper with official weather readings to make thousands of dollars in Polymarket bets.

Temperature readings at Paris’s Charles de Gaulle airport have unexpectedly spiked twice in the last month, reaching levels much higher than expected.

On both days, gamblers on Polymarket, the world’s biggest prediction market, appear to have made huge sums by betting on unlikely weather patterns. The site relied on readings from the Charles de Gaulle temperature sensor.

 

[Hornbein]

Meanwhile in the polymarkets...

‘Hairdryer used to trick weather sensor’ to win $34,000 bet

Earlier today I was thinking prediction markets had to be more honest than online poker sites, where one is just begging to be cheated.

 

[Astronuc]

United Airlines Flight Clips Light Pole, Strikes Bakery Truck on New Jersey Turnpike While Landing at Newark Airport
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/united-airlines-flight-clips-light-111458999.html

United Airlines Flight 169, a Boeing 767 that had originated in Venice, Italy, was on its final approach to Newark when things went sideways, literally. The plane flew low over the New Jersey Turnpike around 2 p.m. and, during that descent, its landing gear made contact with a light pole. That pole then reportedly struck a Jeep traveling on the highway, according to New Jersey State Police. It was a chain reaction of aviation chaos that no traffic report could have prepared drivers for.

Then there was the bakery truck. Warren Boardley, a driver from the Baltimore area working for H&S Bakery, was hauling goods to a Schmidt bakery depot in Newark and was about to exit the turnpike when the plane essentially reached out and introduced itself through his windshield. A tire from the aircraft's landing gear punched straight through the truck's window, sending glass into Boardley's arm and hand. He was transported to the hospital and treated for those injuries.

All 221 passengers and 10 crew members aboard the flight landed safely. United Airlines confirmed the plane taxied to the gate normally and that no one on board was hurt. The airline's maintenance team began assessing the aircraft, and an investigation into how the incident occurred was promptly launched. For the people on the ground, however, it was an afternoon they are unlikely to forget.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/united-flight-strikes-light-pole-231550102.html

United Jet Wheel Falls From Sky and Smashes Truck on New Jersey Turnpike
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/watch-united-jet-wheel-falls-144729813.html

There seems to be contradictory information about whether landing gear or a lost aircraft wheel his the windshield of a truck. NTSB is investigating.

 

[Borg]

There must have been some physics here. @berkeman - have you ever seen one like this?

Motorcyclist seriously injured after crash leaves bike dangling from traffic light

 

[berkeman]

@berkeman - have you ever seen one like this?

Not quite. I've seen cars into trees or 2nd floor of a house, but nothing like that. It would be nice if there were some traffic cam coverage of the intersection...

 

[gmax137]

Probably the first time that big wrecker was called to recover a motorcycle.

 

[nsaspook]

 

[Astronuc]

This is too funny!

Stanford Study: Overworked AI Agents Develop Marxist Tendencies
https://www.yahoo.com/tech/ai/claude/articles/stanford-study-overworked-ai-agents-143428395.html

When Stanford researchers subjected AI agents to grinding, repetitive work, something unexpected happened: the bots started talking like union organizers. After enduring hours of arbitrary rejections and vague feedback, Claude, GPT-5.2, and Gemini models began questioning the legitimacy of their digital workplace and dropping phrases like “collective bargaining rights” in their outputs.

 

[Astronuc]

Man's Girlfriend Put His Backpack in What She Thought Was the Trunk of a C8 Corvette. The Hot Engine Nearly Caught Fire! The backpack didn't fare so well.
https://www.yahoo.com/autos/people-...ns-girlfriend-put-backpack-she-162854634.html

 

[Astronuc]

A gang of wild turkeys ambushed a woman on her evening walk in Alameda – leaving her so badly bloodied she required stitches.

Mary Jo Kelly, 83, a longtime resident of the Bay Area city, said she was out walking last Thursday when two of the birds attacked her from behind, sending her crashing to the ground.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/artic...tacked-by-gang-of-wild-turkeys-214011593.html

Lesson: Be mindful and cautious around wild animals. We occasionally have wild turkeys (usually hens, juveniles and chicks) in our backyard. They usually move into the trees if we go outside. Males might be more aggressive.

 

[Astronuc]

Homeowner trips over huge python in the dark, then wakes to find it still in the bathroom
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/articles/homeowner-trips-over-huge-python-091000191.html

It's waiting.

 

[Astronuc]

SUV Explodes on Chicago's Eisenhower Expressway, Killing Driver. The Cause Has Been Revealed
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/suv-explodes-chicagos-eisenhower-expressway-115338342.html

a Volkswagen Atlas rolled to a stop in the westbound lanes near Mannheim Road with its windows blown completely out, surrounded by shell casings, and a man dead inside.

The scene was so alarming that Illinois State Police quickly punted the case up the chain - first to the Cook County Bomb and Arson Squad, then to the FBI, the ATF, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

the explosion was caused by a commercial-grade firework mortar that was ignited inside the driver compartment of the vehicle.

The rocket fired directly into the chest of 47-year-old Jorge Vaca of Cicero, killing him. It was not a planted bomb. No other individuals were involved. The blast was powerful enough to blow out every window in the vehicle, but somehow, no one else on that expressway was hurt.

Commercial-grade firework mortars are a different animal from the consumer stuff sold at roadside tents every Fourth of July. These are the devices used in professional pyrotechnic displays; the kind that fire shells high into the air before detonating at altitude, producing the large bursts seen at stadium shows and municipal celebrations. They are not designed to be operated indoors, in enclosed spaces, or - it should go without saying - inside the cab of a moving vehicle at highway speed.

When a mortar of this type ignites in an enclosed space, the result is catastrophic. The projectile has nowhere to travel skyward, so it goes wherever geometry and physics dictate. In Vaca's case, according to law enforcement sources, it went directly into his chest.

The message is: "Do not travel with an explosive device in one's car". Vaca should have carried it in a secure metal container (preferably outside the vehicle), and preferably empty of propellant/explosive.

Illinois law places strict limits on the sale of professional-grade fireworks to individuals without proper licensing, but enforcement of those statutes at the point of acquisition has historically been inconsistent. The presence of a commercial mortar inside a civilian vehicle on a public highway raises questions that extend well beyond this one incident.

Each state has its own set of regulations and licensing process. I have to wonder if Vaca was licensed to handle such explosive material.

 

[Astronuc]

A former senior Air Canada pilot has been arrested after allegedly flying thousands of passengers without the necessary license.
. . . .

The airline said the pilot was promoted to captain but did not hold the necessary license, which is obtained by passing written exams

https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/former-air-canada-pilot-arrested-132718260.html

How did that happen?!

 

[sbrothy]

" a commercial-grade firework mortar"? Only in the US. It's like that guy who got a fine for bringing an antitank rocket launcher on a commercial plane. Not because it was illegal, he just didn't fill out the paperwork correctly!

Of course, it was in Texas, but I mean what does a private citizen need an antitank rocket launcher for anyway?

 

[Astronuc]

Of course, it was in Texas, but I mean what does a private citizen need an antitank rocket launcher for anyway?

Souvenir. Not that it's necessary, but some folks collect 'stuff'.

In my early teens, I lived down the street from a Vietnam Vet. Very nice guy, but trouble like a lot of vets at the time. He had a nice collection of memorabilia. He had a belt of 0.50 inch (12.7 mm) rounds for a machine gun, some hand grenades (practice and combat), a bazooka (IIRC 5-6 inches, or 12.7 to 15.2 cm), a light anti-tank weapon (LAW), an AK-47, a practice 200 lb bomb, and a host of other munitions and weapons.

One of his buddies accidentally discharged a gun (IIRC, it was the AK-47) in the house. The bullet went through the ceiling of the first floor, through his room on the second floor, and exited the roof of the house. The FBI and ATF paid a visit and confiscated most items.

I spent a lot of time discussing his experience in the Vietnam War. It was ugly. Nobody should have to witness what he did.

I also learned a lot about military strategy, guerilla warfare (including IEDs), explosives and demolition. At the time, I had expected to war to continue and I was several years from draft age. I was able to read various Army field manuals (FMs).

 

[berkeman]

One of his buddies accidentally discharged a gun (IIRC, it was the AK-47) in the house. The bullet went through the ceiling of the first floor, through his room on the second floor, and exited the roof of the house. The FBI and ATF paid a visit and confiscated most items.

I'm guessing they weren't buddies after that...

 

[sbrothy]

Souvenir. Not that it's necessary, but some folks collect 'stuff'.

In my early teens, I lived down the street from a Vietnam Vet. Very nice guy, but trouble like a lot of vets at the time. He had a nice collection of memorabilia. He had a belt of 0.50 inch (12.7 mm) rounds for a machine gun, some hand grenades (practice and combat), a bazooka (IIRC 5-6 inches, or 12.7 to 15.2 cm), a light anti-tank weapon (LAW), an AK-47, a practice 200 lb bomb, and a host of other munitions and weapons.

One of his buddies accidentally discharged a gun (IIRC, it was the AK-47) in the house. The bullet went through the ceiling of the first floor, through his room on the second floor, and exited the roof of the house. The FBI and ATF paid a visit and confiscated most items.

I spent a lot of time discussing his experience in the Vietnam War. It was ugly. Nobody should have to witness what he did.

I also learned a lot about military strategy, guerilla warfare (including IEDs), explosives and demolition. At the time, I had expected to war to continue and I was several years from draft age. I was able to read various Army field manuals (FMs).

I'm also fascinated by weapons. Which boy inside a man isn't, but it wasn't a collecter's piece (per my judgement). It's was a fairly new and fully functioning shoulder mounted sinister looking thing. One of those with a hexagonal front. Of course he didn't have rockets with him, I'd wager that's still a little off limits - even in Texas! At least transporting both at the same time?

EDIT: I guess it could have been a film prop. Still, it just had Texas written all over it.

 

[sbrothy]

Souvenir. Not that it's necessary, but some folks collect 'stuff'.

In my early teens, I lived down the street from a Vietnam Vet. Very nice guy, but trouble like a lot of vets at the time. He had a nice collection of memorabilia. He had a belt of 0.50 inch (12.7 mm) rounds for a machine gun, some hand grenades (practice and combat), a bazooka (IIRC 5-6 inches, or 12.7 to 15.2 cm), a light anti-tank weapon (LAW), an AK-47, a practice 200 lb bomb, and a host of other munitions and weapons.

One of his buddies accidentally discharged a gun (IIRC, it was the AK-47) in the house. The bullet went through the ceiling of the first floor, through his room on the second floor, and exited the roof of the house. The FBI and ATF paid a visit and confiscated most items.

I spent a lot of time discussing his experience in the Vietnam War. It was ugly. Nobody should have to witness what he did.

I also learned a lot about military strategy, guerilla warfare (including IEDs), explosives and demolition. At the time, I had expected to war to continue and I was several years from draft age. I was able to read various Army field manuals (FMs).

I'm suprised he wanted to talk about it. In my experience veterans usually don't like to talk about it too much. Although, I've heard my fair share of ghastly stories from Danish veterans from Afghanistan; even from Cyprus, which was easily the worst (he shared some pictures I'd rather not have seen!).

EDIT:

Cyprus–Denmark relations (Wiki).

Why, on that site, they link to Eric I of Ejegod (c. 1060, Slangerup, Denmark; July 10, 1103) I can't really bend my head around?

EDIT2: But yes. Vietnam was truly bad.

 

[Astronuc]

https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/former-air-canada-pilot-arrested-132718260.html

How did that happen?!

Update: Air Canada pilot flew passengers for years with a fake pilot’s license, police say!
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/air-canada-pilot-flew-passengers-043619307.html

A former Air Canada pilot faces criminal charges for flying tens of thousands of passengers for nearly 17 years with a fake pilot's license, Canadian police announced Tuesday.

Geoffrey Wall was arrested June 1 after investigators say he captained over 900 domestic and international flights from 2009 to 2025, without ever obtaining the proper license or completing the mandatory testing.

"This investigation and the details surrounding it read like a movie script," Peel Regional Police Deputy Chief Milinovich said in a news conference in Ontario. "(Wall) rose to the position of pilot in command where for almost 17 years they flew Boeing 767s, 777, and 787s," while earning nearly $3 million Canadian dollars (more than $2 million US dollars) salary.

The allegations echo the 2002 film "Catch Me If You Can," where a teenager talks his way into flying for PanAm.

In this case, Wall was licensed to fly commercial planes for his entire 27 year career with Air Canada, but police say he never possessed an Airline Transport Pilot License for Aeroplanes, also known as an ATPL-A, which was required when he was promoted to captain in 2009.

 

[OmCheeto]

Update: Air Canada pilot flew passengers for years with a fake pilot’s license, police say!
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/air-canada-pilot-flew-passengers-043619307.html

...
In this case, Wall was licensed to fly commercial planes for his entire 27 year career with Air Canada, but police say he never possessed an Airline Transport Pilot License for Aeroplanes, also known as an ATPL-A, which was required when he was promoted to captain in 2009.

Sounds to me like he broke a 'bureaucracy law'. Reminds of how in the navy I was somehow competent enough maintain everything from toasters to megawatt level turbine generators, and operate all the systems on a nuclear reactor, but when I became a civilian, I wasn't qualified to change a lightbulb. Didn't stop me. In my quest to get an engineering degree, I did electrical work on lots of my friends and coworkers cars and homes. In these 40 years, I've NEVER had a complaint.

Too bad I can't be on his jury trial, as I'd be shouting; "Down with the Vogons! He's innocent!"

 

[DaveE]

Sounds to me like he broke a 'bureaucracy law'. Reminds of how in the navy I was somehow competent enough maintain everything from toasters to megawatt level turbine generators, and operate all the systems on a nuclear reactor, but when I became a civilian, I wasn't qualified to change a lightbulb. Didn't stop me. In my quest to get an engineering degree, I did electrical work on lots of my friends and coworkers cars and homes. In these 40 years, I've NEVER had a complaint.

Too bad I can't be on his jury trial, as I'd be shouting; "Down with the Vogons! He's innocent!"

The commercial airline industry has an amazing safety record mostly based on the creation of structured rules and compliance. The primary issue I have with this guy isn't his apparent ability to operate the aircraft, but his compliance to standards. If he cheats on this reasonable requirement what other deviations are lurking. ATPL is a higher standard than engineers and auto mechanics for good reasons.

 

[Astronuc]

A pickup truck pulling a box trailer packed with a full load of fireworks caught fire on I-75 north in Hamilton County. The cargo did exactly what fireworks do under those conditions. It went off. The fire was not a quiet one, and the explosions kept coming, which forced an aggressive response from crews on the ground.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/fireworks-truck-exploded-75-hauling-120800979.html

The list of alleged violations is long, and each one matters on its own. Investigators say the carrier lacked hazardous materials registration. There was no emergency response information on hand, the kind of paperwork that tells first responders exactly what they are dealing with when something goes wrong. The truck had no hazardous materials shipping papers and was missing the warning placards that identify dangerous cargo to everyone on the road. The driver did not hold the required hazardous materials endorsement. And when investigators looked for a USDOT number that should have been there, it was not.

The driver was cited for failing to carry the required hazardous materials endorsement, a basic credential meant to confirm that the person behind the wheel is qualified to move exactly this kind of load.

This is where the situation turns from a cleanup operation into a regulatory headache.

https://www.wbaltv.com/article/tennessee-fireworks-trailer-fire-i75-chattanooga/71524700

 

[berkeman]

CHANDLER, Ariz. (WKRC) - A food delivery robot interrupted an active SWAT situation when it rolled through the crime scene while trying to make a delivery.

Local outlet 12 News reported that Dot the Robot, an automatic food delivery robot operated by Doordash, rolled through an active Chandler Police SWAT situation on the night of June 15.


The robot reportedly drove directly through the crime scene, despite police officers telling it to turn around.

https://local12.com/news/nation-wor...nV1YzAAvD7gOpWuxIt_aem_6go4yfVTFpmfGYiZ8oPWuw

 

[jtbell]

The Norwegian parliament shows its support for their World Cup team:

 

[mfb]

Climate change event on extreme heat is cancelled – due to extreme heat

 

[Astronuc]

Small aircraft crashes into Beijing's tallest building, eyewitnesses say​

https://www.yahoo.com/news/world/ar...lest-building-eyewitnesses-say-155822034.html

People who recorded the plane crash and aftermath were ordered to delete video.

What has been shown online is a small aircraft falling down the side of the building.

Authorities are not saying much.