Monday Overnight Open Thread - July 7, 2025 [Doof]

Howdy Hordelings! Monday ONT time has arrived. Today is July 7. Or 7/7. Or maybe for you it's Seven and Seven? No matter your preference, please step on in and hang out for a while!

Did You Expect Anything Different?

If so, please see me for a tremendous deal on blinker fluid!

Epstein List Hangs Itself Moments Before Release https://t.co/jIryS3jgaA pic.twitter.com/BEg719mGfk

— The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) July 7, 2025

Unbelievable. And by "un"believable, I mean TOTALLY BELIEVABLE!!

A Tad Bit Longer Than 17 Years

On a recent trip to Cape Cod, I was pleasantly surprised to be there during the emergence of the Brood XIV 17-year cicadas. I've experienced 3 emergences of Brood X cicadas in central MD - 1987, 2004, and 2021. These noisy little critters annoy a lot of people when they emerge from their mostly-underground life to clumsily fly around, make a lot of noise, mate, and die. I, on the other hand, have always been fascinated by them.

Cicada "John Doe" (2008-2025) in Mashpee, MA

Aftermath of cicadas laying eggs in tree branches

As luck would have it for you ONT readers, "the algorithm" fed this article to me recently. I think it's KEWL!

47 Million Years Old: Oldest True Cicada Unearthed in Europe

For the first time, a fossilized true cicada has been identified from the Messel Pit deposits. Eoplatypleura messelensis is among the oldest known representatives of modern true cicadas in Eurasia and marks the earliest record of the subfamily Cicadinae worldwide.

This discovery, made at the UNESCO World Heritage Site near Darmstadt, enhances our understanding of the region’s ancient fauna, fills a significant gap in the cicada fossil record, and sheds light on the evolution and spread of this insect group in Europe during the Cenozoic era. The findings were published today in the journal Scientific Reports.

The adult female cicada from the 47-million-year-old oil shale of the Messel Pit is remarkably well preserved, with a body length of about 26.5 millimeters and a wingspan of 68.2 millimeters.

“The family of true cicadas (Cicadidae) is one of the most species-rich insect groups today. Nevertheless, there are only very few fossil finds compared to the large number of modern species,” explains Dr. Sonja Wedmann from the Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt.

She adds, “Within this family, the Platypleurini group is particularly striking. It has a wide distribution and includes many species with unique traits. For the first time, we have now described a fossil from this group of cicadas.”

Check out the whole thing.

Genius Name for a Business

Another noteworthy item from my trip to The Bay State. I discovered a place while looking at a map. I want to go there and shake the hand of the person who decided on the name.

I want to believe it went something like this...

"So -- we've got this place with horses and we'd like to have cute little pony parties."

"OK. What's the problem?"

"Well, we want to have a clever angle. Ya know - something that will make us stand out from the competition. What would make a Gen X parent choose US?"

"Hmmm. I got it!"

Yup - It's real. Honestly - can you think of a better name for a business???

Cool Vids

Genius

1000 IQ right here pic.twitter.com/waVL1lF5Hj

— Dudes Posting Their W’s (@DudespostingWs) July 6, 2025

Wholesome Fun

We need more of this in our crazy world...pic.twitter.com/p3BhFB37UN

— The Best (@Thebestfigen) July 3, 2025

A True Artist

Great 😂 pic.twitter.com/1BzDHWMwOs

— The Best (@Thebestfigen) July 6, 2025

Fun in the Summertime

Cooking Outdoors is the Ultimate Summer Sensation: Poll Ranks the Eight Best

The most quintessential sensations of summer are smelling a grill, relaxing at the beach, and diving into a swimming pool, according to a new survey.

The nationally representative poll of 2,000 American grill owners found that time near the water (68%) and pool hangs (68%) top the list of iconic summer ‘feels’—with the scent of cooking over the grill (87%) coming in at number one.

***

Asking what they’ve been cooking so far this summer, classics like hamburgers (82%) and hotdogs (73%) are prevalent, but also fancy fare like steaks (74%) and seafood (36%).

One- third of respondents said they’re likely to toss literally anything that’s “grillable” on the grill.

***

The Fourth of July was the biggest grilling event of the year for 60% of those polled.

TOP 4th OF JULY MAIN DISHES
Hamburgers (68%)
Hot dogs (60%)
Grilled chicken (45%)
Ribs (35%)
Sausages (30%)
Kebabs (18%)
Pulled pork (16%)
Pork chops (15%)

TOP SIDES
Potato salad (56%)
Chips (51%)
Baked beans (50%)
Deviled eggs (37%)
Coleslaw (33%)
Mac and cheese (33%)
Fruit salad (31%)
Broccoli salad (14%)

Check out the whole thing to find out what other summertime sensations made the list

DJ Doof - This Date in Music History Version
from thisdayinmusic.com

On this date in 2006: Syd Barrett died from complications arising from diabetes aged 60. The singer, songwriter, guitarist was one of the founding members of Pink Floyd, active as a rock musician for only about seven years before he went into seclusion. He joined Pink Floyd in 1965 but left three years later after one album.

On this date in 1980: Led Zeppelin played their last-ever concert with drummer John Bonham when they appeared at Eissporthalle, West Berlin at the end of a European tour. The set included: 'Black Dog', 'The Rain Song', 'Hot Dog', 'All My Love', 'Trampled Under Foot', 'Since I’ve Been Loving You', 'Kashmir', 'Stairway To Heaven' and 'Rock And Roll'. They finished the show with a 17-minute version of 'Whole Lotta Love'.

Born on this date in 1940: Richard Starkey, ( Ringo Starr, ) drums, vocals, Rory Storm, The Beatles. He sang lead vocals on one track on most Beatles albums

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posted by Open Blogger at 09:57 PM

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