Weird News Compilation

[dlgoff]

Um...

Amazon's Alexa tells 10-year-old child to touch penny to exposed plug socket​

https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/29/business/amazon-alexa-penny-plug-intl-scli/index.html

That's the worst thing I think I've ever heard.

 

[berkeman]

That's the worst thing I think I've ever heard.

Yeah, clearly a violation of Asimov's Laws for Robots (and by extension AIs):

https://www.scientificamerican.com/...g-humans-so-weve-developed-a-better-solution/

 

[fresh_42]

Important tax preparation tip!

Don't Forget to Declare Income From Stolen Goods and Illegal Activities, IRS Says​

https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/nat...oods-and-illegal-activities-irs-says/2766905/

A tax consultant once reported to me about a client whose daughter has been addicted to heroin and she was sentenced basically for crimes as a means of supporting her drug habits. So far, so expectable. Now what really hit the family was the guy in the rear who noted all listed stolen and resold goods. After a few weeks, the (German version of the) IRS sent the family an enormous bill for untaxed profits!

 

[256bits]

“If you find $1 on the street or embezzle from your employer, that’s all taxable income, as well as your paycheck from flipping burgers at McDonald’s,” one tax preparer said.


Tax preparer should also say that if you loose $1 on the street, that is a tax deduction.

Actually, as I understand it, you are supposed to take that found 1$ to the police station to determine ownership - maybe it is money that fell off a Brink's truck...

 

[sysprog]

Actually, as I understand it, you are supposed to take that found 1$ to the police station to determine ownership - maybe it is money that fell off a Brink's truck...

In Chicago, about 30 years ago, a man in the park (Loyola Park, aka Pratt Beach, 20 acres on the far north side by the lake) offered to sell me a bike. I asked a lot of technical and experiential questions about the bike, and the man answered them like he knew the bike well, like someone who really owned it, so I bought the bike.

A little later, just to make sure, I went to the 24th district police station and asked if they maybe had a hot sheet with serial numbers and/or descriptions of stolen bikes. The cop asked me how much did you pay for the bike, and I said $100, and the cop said then it's not stolen, waited for a moment while I looked puzzled, then said a stolen bike is $20, and left it at that.

 

[Borg]

If I was working on an AI algorithm that came to that conclusion, I would assume that it had a flawed bias.

 

[Tom.G]

I said $100, and the cop said then it's not stolen, waited for a moment while I looked puzzled, then said a stolen bike is $20, and left it at that.

If I was working on an AI algorithm that came to that conclusion, I would assume that it had a flawed bias.

Naw, just not socially aware of the lcal market!

 

[nsaspook]

https://www.dw.com/en/germany-woman-bites-woman-in-fight-over-dog-discipline/a-60259574

Germany: Woman bites woman in fight over dog discipline​

Two dog owners engaged in a fight which culminated in one woman biting another in eastern Germany. Meanwhile, their dogs "simply looked on," police said.

 

[sysprog]

Travels With Boji: Istanbul’s Commuter Dog​

Boji, a street dog living in Istanbul, Turkey, has become a popular sight on the city’s subways, ferries, trams, and buses. Chris McGrath, a photographer with Getty Images, recently joined Boji as he made his rounds, during which he can travel as much as 30 kilometers a day. “Since noticing the dog’s movements,” McGrath says, “Istanbul Municipality officials began tracking his commutes via a microchip and a phone app. Most days he will pass through at least 29 metro stations and take at least two ferry rides. He has learned how and where to get on and off the trains and ferries.”

https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2021/10/travels-with-boji-istanbuls-commuter-dog/620493/

 

[nsaspook]

Florida

https://www.wfla.com/news/pinellas-...t-leads-to-felony-charges-for-2-women-police/

Glitter thrown at man during Clearwater argument, 2 women charged with felony​

According to police, Franks left the apartment complex in a vehicle that was then traced back to her Seville Boulevard home. The arrest affidavit said the vehicle was still warm to the touch and had glitter inside when police found it.

 

[Borg]

So they're the Glitter Bandits?

 

[nsaspook]

So they're the Glitter Bandits?

Maybe it was a prank gone wrong.

 

[sysprog]

Clearly it wasn't premeditated, or they'd have brought some of this (the temporary nature of the glue mitigates the criminal damage to property offense)

I think that they should (and probably will) plead it down to misdemeanor levels $-$ it wasn't real home invasion or burglary $-$ it was merely boisterous trespessing and petty battery.

 

[jack action]

Glitter can be used for good too:

​

It can also go even further (and you might learn a thing or two about phone scams too):

​

 

[mfb]

Both women threw a container of glitter at the victim during the argument, according to Clearwater police. The arrest affidavits stated that the man was hit in the head and torso.

Officers said Franks then climbed over the balcony fence, went into the man’s apartment and threw more containers of glitter at him. She then unlocked the front door to let O’Donovan inside as well, the affidavit said.

I don't think "throwing glitter" was the most serious offense here...

 

[berkeman]

Agreed. Felony burglary and assault. The two women are lucky he didn't end it violently. He would have been within his rights to defend himself in his home (unless this is a prank set up by all of them -- seems suspicious IMO).

 

[Astronuc]

The case of the missing young woman, Gabby Petito

Still hoping she might be alive.

The FBI tied this up on Friday.

After Gabby Petito's death last year — and amid a nationwide search for the missing vlogger — her fiancé, Brian Laundrie sent several text messages between their two cell phones to trick law enforcement into believing Petito was still alive, the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced on Friday.

https://www.insider.com/laundrie-texts-make-police-think-gabby-petitio-was-alive-fbi-2022-1

From the FBI notice: "investigators found human remains later confirmed to be Mr. Laundrie, along with a backpack, notebook, and a revolver. A review of the notebook revealed written statements by Mr. Laundrie claiming responsibility for Ms. Petito’s death. "
https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/fiel...investigative-update-on-gabrielle-petito-case

 

[sysprog]

HEALTH MAGAZINE | KNOVHOV TV | SCIENCE & NATURE

A Mexican Student Invented a Bra that detects Cancer or Tumors in the Breasts​

By Sara Lautner July 15, 2021

Breast cancer is one of the worst diseases that women are now facing. Wearable equipment has been invented before, that can be used to monitor vitamin D levels or to warn users of the danger of a heart attack. An 18-year-old Mexican student has created a bra ( in 2016 ) with biosensors for detecting physical changes linked to breast cancer.

From: https://knovhov.com/bra-that-detects-cancer-or-tumors-in-the-breasts/

 

[Astronuc]

A man took his 11-year-old grandson fishing at a South Miami-Dade canal over the weekend. But he didn’t use the typical squirmy bait on a hook. Nor were they looking for dinner.

Duane Smith saw a YouTube video on magnet fishing and thought it would a nice family activity for the two to try. So Grandpa and Grandson prepped a line with a 5-pound magnet and dropped it into the C-102 canal in Princeton.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/boy-went-magnet-fishing-grandpa-230834663.html

Their catch of the day?

Two .50-caliber Barrett sniper rifles.

Smith and his grandson found the lower receivers of the weapons — that is, most of the gun except the barrel. The Barrett .50-caliber rifle is a semiautomatic weapon chambered to fire a large bullet designed for the M2 Browning heavy machine gun.

The South Miami-Dade man said he was concerned that the serial numbers on the lower receivers of the weapons and the bolt of one of the rifles were filed off.

“Whoever did this is not your run-of-the-mill criminal,” said Smith, a 61-year-old former Army infantry officer.

Smith called the Miami-Dade County Police Department, which sent out two officers to pick up the guns.

 

[Astronuc]

Cargo Plane Plows Into Several Baggage Carts At O'Hare Airport​

https://jalopnik.com/cargo-plane-plows-into-several-baggage-carts-at-ohare-a-1848448749

No 1 Engine sucks in a baggage cart. Ouch!

 

[sysprog]

Thank goodness no-one was hurt (and that the carts were devoid of luggage), but it looks like the aircraft isn't going to be airborne anytime soon $-$ in addition to the visible damage at the fore-cowling, the engine must've suffered some indigestion from eating carts, and the tail empennages can no longer be relied upon to stabilize anything.

 

[nsaspook]

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-60218573

“Besides, what could be more unique than our limited-edition misprinted crockery? This could be your chance to get your hands on a novelty souvenir for a fraction of the price!”

 

[Keith_McClary]

misprinted crockery

jubbly​

Pronunciation /ˈdʒʌb(ə)li/​

adjective​

informal Australian

• Of the stomach, bottom, etc.: plump, fleshy. Hence, of a woman: having large breasts. Chiefly approbatory.

noun​

informal Australian

• In plural. The breasts.

 

[berkeman]

https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/02/us/florida-sniper-rifle-magnet-fishing-trnd/index.html

The serial numbers were filed off, so both rifles were probably used in crimes, but this is the nicest part of the story, IMO...

It's a hobby Smith recently became interested in after watching several YouTube videos about the ins and outs. He figured this would be a more engaging activity for his grandson, who has autism, than traditional fishing.

 

[fresh_42]

The Olympic Games in Beijing have their first curiosity even before the opening ceremony. In the women's ice hockey group game between Finland and the USA, referees Kelly Cooke and Lacey Senuk decided after the game that the last few minutes had to be played again. Two minutes before the end, the team missed the goal of the Finn Susanna Tapani to make it 2:5.

 

[sysprog]

The Olympic Games in Beijing have their first curiosity even before the opening ceremony. In the women's ice hockey group game between Finland and the USA, referees Kelly Cooke and Lacey Senuk decided after the game that the last few minutes had to be played again. Two minutes before the end, the team missed the goal of the Finn Susanna Tapani to make it 2:5.

In my opinion, revising the score after review of a play isn't so weird, but the rule by which they put the players back on the ice for replay is..

From NBC Channel 5 Chicago USA Vs Finland Women's Hockey:

​

USA VS. FINLAND​

Why Was the US-Finland Hockey Game Score Changed at the Last Minute? Here's What Happened​

The United States women’s hockey team thought it had finished off a 5-1 victory over Finland in their opening game of group play, but as the team celebrated and left the ice, they were told to come back in a bizarre scene.​

​

As it turned out, 5-1 was not the final score of the game. With 2:20 remaining in the contest, Finland forward Susanna Tapani fired a shot in on goal that appeared to hit the post and bounce away.​

​

The referee on the ice waved their arms, signaling that the puck did not go in, and the green light behind the goal flashed, indicating that play needed to continue.​

​

Video of the play ultimately showed that the puck hit off the post, but then went under the crossbar and into the net, giving Finland their second goal of the game.​

 

[berkeman]

Why did they need to play the end again? I saw a case in the American football playoffs where a referee blew their whistle too early on a passing play, with the ball still in the air. The whole defense relaxed and the ball went right by a defender and the receiver caught it for the touchdown. The play stood on the field, but the announcers consulted with an expert, and he said the right thing to do was to do the play over again because of the "inadvertent whistle"...

[Edit -- I see the explanation by @sysprog above now]

 

[fresh_42]

Why did they need to play the end again?

You can score within seconds in hockey, so it makes a difference whether you are 4 or 3 behind with still more than 2 minutes to go. Theoretically, you can score with every face-off.

 

[Hornbein]

Why did they need to play the end again?

Because there should have been a faceoff after the goal. I presume that instead the USA got to keep the puck.

 

[Hornbein]

Just be glad it didn't happen in the first two minutes of the game. They would have to play the whole thing again.

 

[Astronuc]

Feds arrest husband-and-wife team and recover $3.6 billion in bitcoin stolen in 2016 from Bitfinex — the largest government seizure in history​

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/f...in-2016-hack-of-bitfinex-exchange-11644339957

The U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday that it had executed its largest financial seizure in history, recovering $3.6 billion in bitcoin stolen in a 2016 hack of the currency exchange Bitfinex.

A husband and wife with a background as tech entrepreneurs in blockchain technology were arrested for their alleged role in the theft.

Prosecutors said they had managed to trace the stolen money — nearly 120,000 bitcoins — through an intricate web of transactions done to hide its origins, to a number of crypto wallets controlled by Ilya Lichtenstein, 34, and his 31-year-old wife, Heather Morgan.

The pair were arrested Tuesday morning at their lower Manhattan apartment on charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering and to defraud the U.S. government, authorities said. They have not been charged with perpetrating the hack itself.

Not all of the bitcoin stolen in the 2016 hack has been recovered, and the investigation is ongoing, prosecutors said. When the hack occurred, the bitcoin was worth approximately $71 million. Today, it would be worth $4.5 billion, they said.

 

[Astronuc]

A woman spent two days floating alone on an air mattress atop a frigid lake. A pair of watchful freight train workers came to her rescue on Thursday.

Conductor Cristhian Sosa told CNN on Monday the BNSF southbound train was headed to Irving, Texas, from Madill, Oklahoma, in the afternoon. That was when Sosa and train engineer Justin Luster noticed her.

The woman was stranded on rocks next to Lake Texoma, a large reservoir on the border of Oklahoma and Texas, about 85 miles north of Dallas. She was waving her arms and yelling for help, according to the two men.

They stopped the train and Sosa said he walked to the woman.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/08/us/woman-rescued-floating-air-mattress-trnd/index.html

She is very fortunate for the alert train crew.

 

[nsaspook]

Things are getting really bad there.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-60362529

New Zealand plays Barry Manilow to repel parliament protesters

Authorities in New Zealand have been playing Barry Manilow's greatest hits in an attempt to dislodge protesters camped outside the parliament building.
Songs by the US singer are being played on a 15-minute loop, along with the Spanish dance tune, Macarena.
The demonstrators, who are angry at Covid-19 vaccine mandates, responded by playing songs such as Twisted Sister's We're Not Gonna Take It.

 

[Keith_McClary]

Things are getting really bad there.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-60362529

New Zealand plays Barry Manilow to repel parliament protesters

In Ottawa they could play the "Convoy" song. But the protesters would probably like it.

 

[fresh_42]

In Ottawa they could play the "Convoy" song. But the protesters would probably like it.