Wacky news that makes you go "wtf?"

[schickel]

Florida man swallowed by sinkhole.

A huge sinkhole about 30-feet across opened up under a man's bedroom and swallowed him, taking all of the furniture too.

Jeff Bush was feared dead after the floor gave way Thursday night.

...

Engineers worked to determine the size of the sinkhole. At the surface, officials estimated it was about 30 feet across. Below the surface, officials believed it was 100 feet wide.

[xilman]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-21641073

[jasong]

Originally Posted by xilman

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-21641073

If the kid was made illegally, I'd think he'd get full custody in addition to having to pay for the kid, assuming that's what he wanted. If a woman did that to me, I wouldn't want her raising the kid. If I could convince a judge to let me do it, I'd say it's either I get the kid or I file for the right to not pay. But of course, if I won the right not to pay and she abused the kid or couldn't afford it, once again I'd want the kid.

[Nick]

Story in the Guardian about T-shirts with violent slogans:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology...e-slogan-shirt

[ixfd64]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/0...n_3046785.html

Brain bleach advised.

[schickel]

Originally Posted by schickel

Sounds like there may have been some rushing to print to get the scoop, but now it does look like "only" 30% may be unusable. The thing to remember is that that is 30% of 1 billion bills. According to this story if they can't figure out a way to automate it, every bill will have to be examined by hand, which will take 20-30 years(!?!)

Although it would only take until 2012(!) to do it with autmatic equipment....

That brings up the question: would there be any way to speed that up? I guess it depends on how the paper creased. Seems to me if the paper creased across the whole width of the sheet, couldn't they just figure out how to check bills in a strip across each sheet and maybe shave 10% or 20% off the time needed to examine everything?

Okay, so I was just a little off. Just saw that they're announcing Oct 8, 2013 as the start date of circulation of the new $100 bill.

IIRC, the original date was going to be the April after we had this dicussion....or 2 years ago this month.

[rogue]

Originally Posted by schickel

Okay, so I was just a little off. Just saw that they're announcing Oct 8, 2013 as the start date of circulation of the new $100 bill.

North Korea just announced that they will be in circulation a week earlier.

[xilman]

Originally Posted by ewmayer

Put that one down under "House episodes we wish had been made." I like the note that the idiot "might face animal cruelty charges", as well as the wit displayed toward the end of the piece:



Oddly, this theme makes me feel like singing:

When you see a big eel and its teeth are like steel, it's a moray...

Feeling down at eel again Ernst?

[ATH]

What a waste of all the those FLOPs:

http://gizmodo.com/the-worlds-most-p...-was-504503726

[kladner]

I guess this is as good a thread as any for this video.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-22641179

Note the rails remaining for a bit after the trestle falls away. This is the most dramatic "domino effect" I have ever seen.

[jasong]

According to local media, firefighters spent 15 hours attempting to extinguish the blaze, before deciding to let it burn out.

That's a long time to make a decision. I'm guessing the decision was based on them being sick and tired of fighting the blaze.

Not judging or anything, but realistically that would be a horrible task to have to do for 15 hours straight.