Wednesday Overnight Open Thread - July 9, 2025 [TRex]

Good evening Horde. The time has come for mid-week shenanigans of the overnight variety.

This is the Wednesday night ONT. Pull up a chair and sit a spell. Be nice to your fellow commenters and AoS contributors. Tip your bartender.

Been a rough week on a lot of fronts. Prayers for all among the Horde for issues known and unknown, small and large, and personal or adjacent. TRex isn't smart enough to pray for specific intentions, so I usually stick with praying for strength and wisdom and for happiness and good health. May it be also for those in Texas.

I know what you're thinking. This is going to be another Wednesday ONT stuffed with eccentric and eclectic knowledge, moments of wit and humor, and timeless music, right? It is going to be exciting, cutting edge and adventuresome, right! Ummm.....yeah. Sure. Glad you're here anyway. As seems to be the fashion these days, a special hello to the lurkers - otherwise known as "pre-commenters" or "commenters in training." Happy reading!

Classic Calvin & Hobbes:

Fun with words:

This explains a lot:

In case there are questions:

Apparently this is true:

Since we're opening that Pandora's Box, we must include this clip:

You will note the presence of "stalker" on Don's graphic, but we'll let the dorks and stalkers fight that one out.

We have reached the animal-themed section of the program.

Not sure if this qualifies as the religion or philosophy part of the program but it works either way:

Same:

What photo could go here that would encourage healthy interest from the military aviation geeks (nerds?) among the Horde? Ah yes. OLS it is. Have at it. (Photo from the US National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida.)

Today I learned that General Mills made more than breakfast cereals.

In 1946, General Mills established an Aeronautical Research Division. The division developed high altitude balloons for the United States Navy Office of Naval Research. They were initially used mostly for high altitude meteorological observation, known as Skyhook balloons.

Hundreds of General Mills balloons carrying reconnaissance equipment were launched by the United States government under Project Genetrix to surveil Eastern bloc countries and their nuclear capabilities.

Several General Mills employees left and formed Raven Industries to carry on the aeronautical and balloon work in 1956. More trivia: between 1984 and 2019, Raven Industries made hundreds of balloons and other inflatables for the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

General Mills did interesting projects in other parts of its business too. The General Mills Electronics division developed the DSV Alvin submersible which was used to explore the wreck of Titanic and other deep-sea missions.

If you found this interesting, I will let you determine if that makes you a geek or a nerd.

Space launch report - next flight:

July 13, 2025
SpaceX Falcon 9
Launch time: Window opens 12:31 a.m. ET (0431 UTC)
Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida

For $10.99, you can now have your own Type 1 Diabetes Barbie (with polka dot outfit).

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., July 8th, 2025 - Mattel, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAT) announced today that Barbie is debuting the first Barbie doll with type 1 diabetes (T1D). This addition to the line enables more children to see themselves reflected in Barbie and encourages doll play that extends beyond a child's own lived experience, thereby fostering a greater sense of inclusion and empathy - all pillars of the Barbie brand's mission. Mattel Press Release

No more taking off shoes for airport security: DHS to End "Shoes-Off" Travel Policy

Passengers can now keep their shoes on at TSA security checkpoints National Press Release Tuesday, July 8, 2025

WASHINGTON - Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced a new policy today which will allow passengers traveling through domestic airports to keep their shoes on while passing through security screening at TSA checkpoints.

The new policy will increase hospitality for travelers and streamline the TSA security checkpoint process, leading to lower wait times.

The TSA directive says nothing about pants, but it is probably better that most people in the airport remain fully clothed. However, pants are still required for the Book Thread and optional for the Hobby Thread.

Transportation and infrastructure news:

The Maryland Transportation Authority announced that demolition of the existing structures of the Francis Scott Key Bridge is expected to begin on or about July 7, weather permitting. For those keeping track, the bridge collapsed on March 26, 2024. That means it has taken a little more than 15 months to start demolition. Completion of the new bridge is targeted for October 2028. I'll take the over.

The Pittsburgh police scanner is like a slow motion car crash. You can't bear to watch but you can't look away.

Live Brian Setzer Orchestra for the big ONT finish:

There is no truth to the rumor that TRex's doctor has taken the fifth. Written correspondence can be sent to moronhobbies at protonmail dot com. Are you lurking ?? Thank you for your attention to this matter.

posted by Open Blogger at 10:00 PM

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