Tuesday Overnight Open Thread - July 15, 2025 [scampydog]

Good evening and welcome to the Tuesday ONT - cheaper than a weekly therapy session. Jump into the comments for some fun after you have skimmed, perused, or read the content.

Speaking of therapy sessions, hiking is a great way to keep the brain refreshed. Plenty to explore in the 50 states - things you cannot see by vehicle. Roads less traveled - not your overpopulated adventures. Away from the people/masses, and unplugged.

Got a favorite hike or hiking story? Foods - what do you pack? Gear? Blisters and bad decisions? Views that took your breath away?

Up top picture is the Manitou Incline. Or as some call it, "The Last Known Photo of the Whereabouts of a Moron."

2,768 stairs 2,000 vertical feet of elevation gain 70,000+ visitors annually .88 miles 45% average grade 68% steepest grade Summit elevation of 8,500 feet

A much easier hike is the Myrtle Tree Trail outside of Gold Beach, OR home of the largest known Myrtle tree in the state.

myrtle trees are incredibly beautiful. https://t.co/ObknfQFuNi pic.twitter.com/PP4UC68NhI

— dæ/\mon (@minasofia5) April 22, 2020

Some very nice photography at this link. Top section of the post covers the Shrader trail before getting to the Myrtle Beach hike.

This trail was even shorter than the Old Growth Trail at just half a mile out and back. It climbed to Oregon’s largest known myrtle tree.

We have some guest photography and hiking notes from our AoSHQ friend and regular commenter, Anonymous Rogue in Kalifornistan(ARiK)

The first photo is the locally famous 'Bridge to Nowhere' located above Azusa Canyon in the Angeles National Forest. This is an 'out and back' hike - meaning you hike the same trail out as going in, along the San Gabriel River, with multiple stream crossings, especially in spring when there's some snowmelt (sometimes) from up in the mountains. There was a gold strike in this area in pioneer days and even today you might see amateur miners trying to sluice out some placer gold from the stream. Total distance is about 10 miles with around 1000 feet elevation gain. There's plenty of shade but still this hike is better in spring or fall than mid-summer. The structure on the bridge is a bungee jumping operation, in case hiking in the back country isn't risky enough by itself. I took the bridge picture in 2016, so I don't know if the bungee jumping is still there. Anonymous Rogue in Kalifornistan

Second photo is not Southern Utah, but Red Rock Canyon located in Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park in Lake Forest, Ca. Literally right in my own backyard amidst the urban sprawl that constitutes L.A.-Orange County. Another out and back hike, an easy 5 miles or so round trip with a few hundred feet elevation gain, with shade mostly but hot in the summer. You share this trail with the mountain bikers so stay alert. This is also mountain lion country but I've only seen deer on this trail. I consider this an 'urban hike.' Anonymous Rogue in Kalifornistan

Hiking safely is its own topic but to me the most important things are staying hydrated and sun protection. Bring more water than you think you'll need and wear loose clothing. Be sure to eat a good breakfast before starting out. Get a good pair of hiking boots, wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses and at least one trekking pole. I've found using a pole aids enormously with stability and endurance.

As always, proper planning and training helps. The All Trails app has information about distance, elevation gain and conditions on the trail. There are also guidebooks available for various parks and regions. REI is usually a good resource for gear and local information. See link below for the 'Ten Essentials.' The National Park Service, the BSA, and REI all have suggested lists.

My last comment, I've met any number of nice people 'on the trails.' In over ten years of doing this regularly, I don't think I've had a bad experience. Do your part by keeping within your performance limits so you're not holding the group back, and of course, stay away from the usual 'touchy' conversation subjects. Anonymous Rogue in Kalifornistan

Ten Essentials

Big ONT thank you to ARiK for jumping in with some content!

Well now... just a cool $22 million has gone missing. Like a speck of lint that goes unnoticed?

Jacksonville Jaguars employee embezzles $22 million.

Patel's fraudulent transactions began in September 2019 and continued until he was fired by the Jaguars in February 2023. He used the proceeds of this scheme, in whole or part, to place bets with online gambling websites, to purchase a condominium in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, to pay for personal travel for himself and friends (including chartering private jets and booking luxury hotels and private rental residences), to acquire a new Tesla Model 3 sedan and Nissan pickup truck, to pay a criminal defense law firm, and to purchase cryptocurrency, non-fungible tokens, electronics, sports memorabilia, a country club membership, spa treatments, concert and sporting event tickets, home furnishings, and luxury wrist watches. Patel did not report any of this illicit income on his tax returns.

Best life advice? Sure, let's do it. Teen years, was intimidated by an older person - their intellect. The advice I received, "He is as full of sh*t as anyone you'll meet." Which is akin to the old standby: pants on one leg at a time. Work related: "If the percentages work, it does not matter how big or small the numbers are. Focus on the percentages."

How about the Horde? Best or fun life advice?

Amusing More like a meme collection.

Microwave Drone Zappers? With a name like Leonidas? I guess we will see soon enough.

MIT Technology Review

The US armed forces are now hunting for a solution—and they want it fast. Every branch of the service and a host of defense tech startups are testing out new weapons that promise to disable drones en masse. There are drones that slam into other drones like battering rams; drones that shoot out nets to ensnare quadcopter propellers; precision-guided Gatling guns that simply shoot drones out of the sky; electronic approaches, like GPS jammers and direct hacking tools; and lasers that melt holes clear through a target’s side.

Then there are the microwaves: high-powered electronic devices that push out kilowatts of power to zap the circuits of a drone as if it were the tinfoil you forgot to take off your leftovers when you heated them up.

Another take on the system.

Although the H2O prototype was tested against marine attacks, the company has already delivered a prototype weapon to the U.S. Army to counter airborne attacks. According to Wargofchik, the Army has received four Leonidas-derived, semi-fixed systems “to support the Indirect Fire Protection Capability—High-Power Microwave (IFPC-HPM) program.” Those directed energy weapons are undergoing additional testing at Combatant Commands.

A bit of Tuesday evening music.

We'll open with the bluesy hit from Dion. The Wanderer. I don't think he was singing about hiking.

Fruit Bats and their Humbug Mountain song? Sure, it's the ONT. 1:07 mark is worth a chuckle.

Through the Woods by the Okee Dokee Brothers.

This ONT brought to you by: Poor choices on the golf course.

As shown in this video shared to Golf Reddit, local golfers from all around Alberta came to pay their respects to the adversaries who fought and fell there, disappearing beneath the waves. What has become of sh*tfaced David and Canadian Goliath? Only the golf gods can say, but whatever their fates, we humble pilgrims would be wise to heed them.

Send Insult Bandages and a Mystery Mischief Box to the new email: scampydoggo@atomicmail.io Proton email address is inaccessible.

posted by Open Blogger at 10:00 PM

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