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30 Jan 2012 00:31

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Offbeat: Beam me up, coffee table: More exciting than a J.J. Abrams reboot

  • In case you’re tired of hearing about people dying in Syria, here’s a picture of a coffee table that looks like the Starship Enterprise. It can be yours for a mere $3,100. [h/t Geekologie] source
  • EDIT: Yes we were trolling. Sorry, all. :P
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink


18 Jan 2012 08:53

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Offbeat: A witness to a murder-suicide was able to escape — and she’s only 7 years old.

  • This young girl witnessed a heinous crime, yet she was able to provide great insight into that fateful day. She may be young, but she’s extremely bright, articulate and courageous.
  • Fresno, Calif. Police Department Deputy Chief Keith Foster • Regarding a child who escaped a triple murder-suicide. The 7-year-old was able to leave the scene of this bloody crime unharmed. She had stayed the night at the house of her neighbor, Aide Mendez, the woman police say was behind the murder-suicide. The young girl witnessed at least one of the murders; Mendez allegedly shot her two children and also killed her cousin before killing herself. She also shot and stabbed her husband, but he survived the attack and is recovering in a local hospital. What could have caused Mendez to go through with all of that? While we may not know the complete truth, investigators discovered an iPad video recording of Mendez and her cousin smoking methamphetamine hours before the deadly incident. source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink


06 Jan 2012 10:21

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Offbeat: Sudoku research: Officially the most random number we’ll post today

  • 17 the minimum possible number of clues in a sudoku puzzle source
  • » A mathematical mystery solved via brute force: Ever wonder why 16-digit sudoku clues weren’t possible? (Why aren’t you guys raising your hands?) Well, a bunch of nerdy mathematician types — a guy named Gary McGuire and some fellow sudoku nerds at University College Dublin —spent a year testing every possible 16-clue sudoku combination, and figured out that no, you can’t solve a sudoku puzzle with just 16 clues. Now if it sounds to you like a bunch of researchers just wasted a year of their lives, McGuire might disagree with you. He notes that the research might have implications in gene expression analysis and hardware/software testing.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink


31 Dec 2011 11:11

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Offbeat: Awesome: Random dude inherits Hollywood star’s old cell phone number

  • A few weeks old, but too good not to post: What happens when you get a new cell phone previously owned by a well-connected Hollywood actor? That’s what happened to a middle-aged dude named Bob Gray (center), who moved to California and got a new cell phone with his girlfriend Liza Foster (right). It was obvious that someone famous owned the number before him — because he kept getting invited to parties, including Paris Hilton’s birthday party. In a fitting end to this Happy Madison-like tale, Adam Sandler himself called the number and told Gray he inherited the cell phone number of Nick Swardson, a regular in Sandler’s movies who most recently starred in “Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star.” (Too bad it wasn’t like Sean Penn, but not bad either way.) Gray plans to write a screenplay about this, because … um, wouldn’t you? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink


24 Dec 2011 11:39

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Offbeat: WWII-era fruitcake sold at auction, begging to be eaten

  • Someone paid $525 for this: A 70-year-old fruitcake, purchased in 1941 (reportedly by a man named E.F. Helbling) and returned to a Kroger store in 1971, recently got sold on an online auction. The Kroger store didn’t want it, so store manager Frank Bates took it. Bates, now 86, kept it until recently, when his son gave it up to an estate company. Although the cake feasibly is still edible (it’s vacuum-packed and contains rum), the real gift is that the cake’s proceeds will help pay for a church outreach program in Cincinnati. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink


21 Dec 2011 22:41

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Offbeat: KTLA weatherguy walks off during live television

  • Raining on his parade: A weather personality for KTLA Los Angeles stormed off during a live interview after someone back at the station cut his weather segment short.source
Posted by Matthew Keys • 0 Comments • Permalink


16 Dec 2011 12:04

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Offbeat: Bell ringers test society’s collective patience for a good cause

  • 36 hours straight — the record for Salvation Army bell ringing source
  • » And ringers are trying to break it. Bell ringers, such as San Francisco-based Salvation Army Capt. Marcelino “Butch” Soriano, are currently attempting to break the record. He aims to ring his donation bell for 48 hours. Why? “If you’re going to go for a record,” Soriano said, “you might as well shatter it.” Tip to Mr. Soriano: Wear earplugs. Tip to people who pass by Mr. Soriano: Donate generously — you can afford it. You’re going to Macy’s, guys. Drop a couple bucks in.
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink


 

12 Dec 2011 10:22

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Offbeat: Michelle Obama: Record-holding jumping jacks expert

  • Back in October, Michelle Obama and 300,265 other people worldwide (including 400 in her direct vicinity) attempted to break a record by doing jumping jacks in a 24-hour period. The record attempt was successful, Obama said on the “Let’s Move” Web site this morning. We’re totally gonna celebrate by doing some jumping jacks ourselves. Because we’re creative like that. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink


30 Nov 2011 11:31

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Offbeat: Arizona gun club offers photos with Santa — and a few AK-47s

  • Dear Arizona ShortFormBlog readers: If we were to give you a picture of our mascot, Julius the Laid-Off RSS Robot, could you go visit the Scottsdale Gun Club on December 10 to take a picture with Santa and a few AK-47s? If you want, you can even play target practice with the printout afterward. (We’d expect pictures of that, too.) Julius is a big fan of the Second Amendment and he’d really get a kick out of it. Thanks. (Editor’s note: This is a real offer.) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink


05 Nov 2011 15:44

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Offbeat: The Onion’s parenting joke flies over the heads of some real parents

  • I’m totally aware that it’s satire. But it’s spreading through the Internet and people’s blogs and where it’s coming from is getting left off and it’s looking like a news story.
  • Robin Bowen of the California Parenting Institute • Discussing how an Onion story, “Study Finds Every Style of Parenting Produces Disturbed, Miserable Adults,” has created a hilarious side effect where many people think the story is true, and are sharing it without attribution. It got so bad that the institute had to put out a press release denying the story. “The falsified study quoted in The Onion states that all parenting styles lead to the same outcome–unhappy, miserable adults,” the release said. “We have been around a long time because we know that parent education does work.” This isn’t the first time an Onion joke has gone over poorly, and it won’t be the last, but at least this time, it’s relatively innocuous. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink


 
 
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