What a Weird Week gets you caught up on the weird news of the week. https://www.
(Begin episode transcript) Hi Friends, I'm Scott. This is What a Weird Week where we catch you up on the weird news of the week. For transcript/ shownotes/ podcast stuff see www.shownotes.page! Here's Season 5, Episode 18 first published on Friday May 3rd 2024
❿ From Sky News. Headline is, 13 year old boy finds holy grail of Legos... that was lost at sea.
The story is about a shipping container filled with Legos, which was lost at sea in 1997. And this young fellow in Cornwall, UK has been going to the beach to find Legos. And the holy grail of the Legos is the octopus. And after two years of searching... The 13 year old has found an octopus. Quite rare, quite a find. There's a whole project, someone named Tracy Williams has started up the Lego Lost at Sea Project. And for years now they've been finding Lego pieces that were lost at sea.
The last plastic octopus was found 18 years ago. They're excited. Some more pieces are turning up because of the winter, the type of winter they had at the seashore in Cornwall. Interesting hobby. I really feel like this is a wholesome pastime, finding those rare Lego pieces. Well done. LEGO Archaeologists!
https://news.sky.com/story/boy-13-finds-holy-grail-lego-octopus-piece-from-sea-spillage-in-1997-13123805
The story is about a shipping container filled with Legos, which was lost at sea in 1997. And this young fellow in Cornwall, UK has been going to the beach to find Legos. And the holy grail of the Legos is the octopus. And after two years of searching... The 13 year old has found an octopus. Quite rare, quite a find. There's a whole project, someone named Tracy Williams has started up the Lego Lost at Sea Project. And for years now they've been finding Lego pieces that were lost at sea.
The last plastic octopus was found 18 years ago. They're excited. Some more pieces are turning up because of the winter, the type of winter they had at the seashore in Cornwall. Interesting hobby. I really feel like this is a wholesome pastime, finding those rare Lego pieces. Well done. LEGO Archaeologists!
https://news.sky.com/story/boy-13-finds-holy-grail-lego-octopus-piece-from-sea-spillage-in-1997-13123805
❾ Milan, Italy To ban ice cream. That was the headline from Sky News earlier this week. Milan, Italy has had enough and ice cream is outlawed. You will go to ice cream jail and you will, which I imagine is very hot, and you will sit there and think about what you've donen, Ice cream lovers. In fact, if you read the article, it's first of all, they're talking about gelato, not ice cream, which I believe they're different things, aren't they? I'm not all that cultured. And it's not exactly a ban. It's places that sell ice cream or gelato and other fast food like pizza and late night foods. They have to shut her down after midnight because tourists and revelers. Tourists and people who eat food are too darn loud for the good folks of Milan, Italy. So that's why they're looking at a partial band of delicious gelato and pizza.
Next... more weird!
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The Top Ten Weird News Stories of the Week: this is What a Weird Week.
The Top Ten Weird News Stories of the Week: this is What a Weird Week.
❽ From the Associated Press, the headline... To fend off tourists, a town in Japan is building a big screen to block the view of Mount Fuji. Headline says it all. The town has had enough of tourists taking photos and being a nuisance. And so to stop people from pausing in a certain place in town and taking an iconic photo of Mount Fuji. They're putting a giant wall screen. They're blocking the view for folks. And it all started, you guessed it, you guys, with social media. There was a trend, somebody got a photo of Mount Fuji in the background. And it looked like Mount Fuji was sitting on top of a convenience store. And that's hilarious. I can't blame you, social media. That is hilarious. But it became too much. So now the screens are growing up. There will be no viewing Mount Fuji from this place. Move along tourists. That's me paraphrasing.
❼ Chicago's rat hole back in the news. This one has a happy ending. I'll tell you right now.
If you missed it, we talked about the rat hole and was all over the news how there was this rat-like impression... In the sidewalk. Chicago's north side. It was all over social media a while ago. Then somebody tried to fill in the rat hole. Luckily someone discovered that happened before the cement dried or whatever. And so they were able to get that pesky repair reversed. So the rat hole was saved.
Now the sidewalk was deemed unsafe. But instead of repairing the sidewalk, they cut out the whole block of sidewalk... and saved the rat hole for posterity. So they have a slab of sidewalk in storage right now. And, Mayor's Office will meet with advisors or something like that and they'll decide what to do with the rat hole. I'm just going to guess Smithsonian. Or maybe the Louvre.
If you missed it, we talked about the rat hole and was all over the news how there was this rat-like impression... In the sidewalk. Chicago's north side. It was all over social media a while ago. Then somebody tried to fill in the rat hole. Luckily someone discovered that happened before the cement dried or whatever. And so they were able to get that pesky repair reversed. So the rat hole was saved.
Now the sidewalk was deemed unsafe. But instead of repairing the sidewalk, they cut out the whole block of sidewalk... and saved the rat hole for posterity. So they have a slab of sidewalk in storage right now. And, Mayor's Office will meet with advisors or something like that and they'll decide what to do with the rat hole. I'm just going to guess Smithsonian. Or maybe the Louvre.
Next... more weird!
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This is What a Weird Week. Thanks for listening and subscribing.
Next... more weird!
This is What a Weird Week. Thanks for listening and subscribing.
❻ A man's emotional support alligator has been in the news. A man from Pennsylvania. The alligator Wally. Who's helped a fellow during times of depression... In the news as Wally has gone missing
... during a vacation. Wally is rather famous on social media. Wally the emotional support alligator is five and a half feet long. People like to pet Wally? Or give him a hug? Wally was in the news one time because denied entry to a Philadelphia Phillies Major League Baseball game. He just couldn't allow an alligator into the game. Even though Wally was described as an emotional support alligator. That was a tricky time. And now Wally is missing in Brunswick, Georgia. Wally's owner suspects there was, uh, it was theft. Wally's owner says, and not only was the alligator stolen, it was stolen by pranksters, left outside someone in someone's home. They called authorities, Wally was released into the wild, the wilds of Brunswick, Georgia. Then the Associated Press tried to get more details from Wally's owner. But they were told Wally's owner just didn't have time to talk to the press. Then the article gets into how dangerous alligators can be (even pet alligators) and also the article does mention that in areas where you're allowed to own an alligator, it is possible that they might be considered emotional support animals. So, missing alligator story to be continued...
... during a vacation. Wally is rather famous on social media. Wally the emotional support alligator is five and a half feet long. People like to pet Wally? Or give him a hug? Wally was in the news one time because denied entry to a Philadelphia Phillies Major League Baseball game. He just couldn't allow an alligator into the game. Even though Wally was described as an emotional support alligator. That was a tricky time. And now Wally is missing in Brunswick, Georgia. Wally's owner suspects there was, uh, it was theft. Wally's owner says, and not only was the alligator stolen, it was stolen by pranksters, left outside someone in someone's home. They called authorities, Wally was released into the wild, the wilds of Brunswick, Georgia. Then the Associated Press tried to get more details from Wally's owner. But they were told Wally's owner just didn't have time to talk to the press. Then the article gets into how dangerous alligators can be (even pet alligators) and also the article does mention that in areas where you're allowed to own an alligator, it is possible that they might be considered emotional support animals. So, missing alligator story to be continued...
❺ This Bee story was all over the news. A little kid in Charlotte, North Carolina: "Hey mom, there are monsters in my room." This went on for months. And the little kid was right. If by monsters you were picturing like me, thousands and thousands and thousands of bees. They're monstrous, right? So the mom is named Ashley, the little gaffer is named Sailor (three and a half years old right now.) They estimate 50,000 bees were in the wall... they called in a beekeeper. And that's that. Bees have been removed. Get some sleep, little gaffer.
Next... more weird!
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You're listening to the What a Weird Week Program. It's weird news!
You're listening to the What a Weird Week Program. It's weird news!
❹ I'm not sure if you're following the saga that is robots and how one day they will rise up and become our overlords. But that's basically me predicting the future accurately. The latest in that saga is Boston Dynamics in the news with their... furry robot. If you want to have a look at the thing, check show notes dot page. The episode, show notes. Boston Dynamics has put fur on one of those dog robots that you see which seem partly helpful or intriguing and then partly terrifying. So now I think to combat the terrifying aspect of the robot they invented, the four legged robot, they put blue and white fur and made it look like a plush toy. A terrifying plush toy in my opinion, but a cute and terrifying plush toy.and they've given it the name Sparkles. Maybe if you're allergic to dogs, this might be of interest to you, owning a robot dog. But if you're allergic to robots, this is not going to help you at all. Just saying.
https://futurism.com/the-byte/boston-dynamics-robodog-fur?utm_source=cordial&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=hp-us-reg-morning-email_2024-05-01&utm_term=us-morning-email&email_hash=a42b5329d8017391aa58a9845784d48df51b489c
https://futurism.com/the-byte/boston-dynamics-robodog-fur?utm_source=cordial&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=hp-us-reg-morning-email_2024-05-01&utm_term=us-morning-email&email_hash=a42b5329d8017391aa58a9845784d48df51b489c
❸ Rare Bird Story in the news... When the pandemic hit, I became somewhat of a birder after I was sent home from work and looking outside and saw a cerulean warbler, you guys. And I was like, what the heck is that thing? Why is that in my yard? I became a birder, like many people over the pandemic.
So if that's you, you may be interested to learn how this photographer who is trying out, it's fairly new to the hobby of photography and trying out a new camera on the Oregon coast... Getting some beach pictures. It's called Hug Point in Oregon. He started looking at his beach photos and he realized...
That thing in the middle of my photo of the beach or rocks, beach and rocks. That thing isn't just a blob of something. It's a bird. It's a rust colored and blue bird. Photo got shared around and bird enthusiasts noted, Hey, that's a rare blue rock thrush. Now it's in the hands of the Oregon Bird Records Committee.
But birders have no doubt this is going to be a record... bird sighting. One for the record books.
It was spotted once before in North America, this bird. Years ago in BC and now this second sighting!
So if that's you, you may be interested to learn how this photographer who is trying out, it's fairly new to the hobby of photography and trying out a new camera on the Oregon coast... Getting some beach pictures. It's called Hug Point in Oregon. He started looking at his beach photos and he realized...
That thing in the middle of my photo of the beach or rocks, beach and rocks. That thing isn't just a blob of something. It's a bird. It's a rust colored and blue bird. Photo got shared around and bird enthusiasts noted, Hey, that's a rare blue rock thrush. Now it's in the hands of the Oregon Bird Records Committee.
But birders have no doubt this is going to be a record... bird sighting. One for the record books.
It was spotted once before in North America, this bird. Years ago in BC and now this second sighting!
Next... more weird!
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We're almost to the number one weird story of the week... this is the What a Weird Week Show.
We're almost to the number one weird story of the week... this is the What a Weird Week Show.
❷ From the Laughing Squid website, the headline is, Anonymous Man in Orange Mask Eats Entire Jar of Cheeseballs in New York City's Union Square Park. It's the perfect headline. It is everything that happened in the story. An anonymous person who has been dubbed Cheeseball Man... put on an orange mask like a ski mask. And it appears he is also wearing some sort of orange cape and a winter coat, has a bottle of delicious Poland Springs water, bottled water, and a big old jar of cheese balls, which, you know, like a delicious snack food/ the delicious snack that is cheese crisps... and I think it's performance art, you guys. I'm not exactly sure, but I mean, this person, cheeseball man put up flyers all around town, inviting people to Union Square Park three o'clock to see the eating of the cheeseball. And there was quite a little crowd, according to the story. Quite a little crowd showed up to watch the spectacle of Cheeseball Man. It appears as though he's standing on a footstool. Someone else holding a banner depicting Cheeseball Man with cheese balls. Cheeseball Man is wearing light colored jeans, it appears, along with the orange mask, orange cape, dark colored winter coat. Might be a viral marketing campaign, but it just seems like one of these funny things. So I guess to be continued on that.
🍅 Honorable Mention... Folks at Gerber Baby Food looking for another Gerber baby. Now, if this is something you've not been aware of, Gerber Baby Food often will depict a baby on the label and that's a real baby who won a contest or was specially selected for appearance on the label. And now the contest is back. Gerber wants you to enter a photo of your baby... for a chance at $25,000. New rule this year, your baby has to take their own photo, selfie style. So you have to teach your baby how to use a cell phone, take a selfie, or a.5 photo. Get your baby a ring light and teach them how to use that cell phone camera. Just kidding. That part made up, completely made up. Babies can be little wee wee babies up to age four years. Link in the show notes.
and here's the contest link https://photosearch.gerber.com/
Next... more weird!
♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫Catch up on the weird news of the week with What a Weird Week.
❶ This story came out last week. We had a special episode last week, so we didn't cover this one. The volcano in Antarctica that made the news. Because it is spewing out gold. Every day, it's spewing out around $6,000 worth of gold. Did you know volcanoes did that? Tiny, tiny specks of gold, but still an enormous amount of gold when you add it up every day, $6,000 a day, slightly more than you make doing a podcast, I'll tell you that much. Unless of course you set your Patreon to $6,000 a day. I should try that. Hey you guys. This is Mount Erebus in Antarctica. It is the southernmost volcano which is active on planet Earth. According to the article on the regular, this volcano churns out, pumps out, belches up gas and steam. Sometimes boulders of partially molten rock, which I didn't know this either, those things are called volcanic bombs. One of the things that comes out of this volcano in the bursts of gas, tiny crystals of gold. Article says scientists were surprised by that. The estimate is about 80 grams of gold a day, or $6,000 current market value at time of recording, $6,000 worth. Let's stop there and on a happy note. Love to think we live in a world that just rains down gold! From Majestic Volcanoes. That's an interesting world right there, when you think of that. So that's the show, thanks for listening.
❶ This story came out last week. We had a special episode last week, so we didn't cover this one. The volcano in Antarctica that made the news. Because it is spewing out gold. Every day, it's spewing out around $6,000 worth of gold. Did you know volcanoes did that? Tiny, tiny specks of gold, but still an enormous amount of gold when you add it up every day, $6,000 a day, slightly more than you make doing a podcast, I'll tell you that much. Unless of course you set your Patreon to $6,000 a day. I should try that. Hey you guys. This is Mount Erebus in Antarctica. It is the southernmost volcano which is active on planet Earth. According to the article on the regular, this volcano churns out, pumps out, belches up gas and steam. Sometimes boulders of partially molten rock, which I didn't know this either, those things are called volcanic bombs. One of the things that comes out of this volcano in the bursts of gas, tiny crystals of gold. Article says scientists were surprised by that. The estimate is about 80 grams of gold a day, or $6,000 current market value at time of recording, $6,000 worth. Let's stop there and on a happy note. Love to think we live in a world that just rains down gold! From Majestic Volcanoes. That's an interesting world right there, when you think of that. So that's the show, thanks for listening.
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