Thursday Overnight Open Thread - September 11, 2025 [Doof]

Howdy Hordelings! Welcome to the Thursday ONT. Open thread, as always - also some fun and interesting stuff in the content. Glad you're here - now come on in!

Mike Rowe is a National Treasure

Here he is speaking about another national treasure

Mike Rowe: “It feels like somebody … shot the First Amendment.”

“I think something extraordinary is going to happen in the days and weeks ahead.”

“Something that never comes through on those videos—you see a guy in a tent … you see somebody on the other side, and you see the very thing the country was built on.”

“Debate, disagreement, and exchange of ideas.”

“[Charlie Kirk] went into the lion’s den. He was brave.”

“I wonder if he was fearless. I wonder if he was scared. I wonder if he just did it anyway.”

Mike Rowe: “It feels like somebody … shot the First Amendment.”

“I think something extraordinary is going to happen in the days and weeks ahead.”

“Something that never comes through on those videos—you see a guy in a tent … you see somebody on the other side, and you see the… pic.twitter.com/61LdDx6JsW

— Holden Culotta (@Holden_Culotta) September 11, 2025

AI is Asshoe

OK, not always. But mostly!

AI is not just ending entry-level jobs. It’s the end of the career ladder as we know it

Current CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise Antonio Neri rose from call center agent at the company to chief executive officer. Doug McMillon, Walmart CEO, started off with a summer gig helping to unload trucks. It’s a similar story for GM CEO Mary Barra, who began on the assembly line at the automaker as an 18-year old. Those are the kinds of career ladder success arcs that have inspired workers, and Hollywood, but as AI is set to replace many entry-level jobs, it may also write that corporate character out of the plot.

The rise of AI has coincided with considerable organizational flattening, especially among middle management ranks. At the same time, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei is among those who forecast 50% of entry-level jobs may be wiped out by AI as the technology improves, including being able to work eight-hour shifts without a break.

Check out the whole thing. Personally, I think there will be a tipping point of backlash against AI. I find it mostly frustrating and ineffective. But I'm also older than 29. What say you?

Science Corner

More stuff I don't understand. Help me, science nerd Hordelings - you're my only hope!

Scientists stunned by record-breaking, watermelon-shaped nucleus

For the first time in more than thirty years, the heaviest nucleus decaying via proton emission has been measured. The previous similar breakthrough was achieved in 1996.

The radioactive decay of atomic nuclei has been one of the keystones of nuclear physics since the beginning of nuclear research. Now the heaviest nucleus decaying via proton emission has been measured in the Accelerator Laboratory of the University of Jyväskylä, Finland.

Please check out the whole thing and provide a non-AI summary!

Travel Corner

The Essential Guide to Petrified Forest National Park

"This National Park in the Painted Desert Has a ‘Rainbow Forest’—and Route 66 Americana Vibes"

If you’re on a mission to visit some of the most underrated national parks across the U.S., you should probably have Petrified Forest on your radar.

Located in northeastern Arizona, it’s one of the state’s three national parks, alongside Grand Canyon National Park and Saguaro National Park. While a trip to the park will always be worthwhile, it'll be particularly fitting to visit it next year. In 2026, the U.S. Route 66 Centennial Commission will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the “Mother Road" and Petrified Forest is the only national park with a section of Historic Route 66.

The remnants of the famed highway—including a line of now-weathered telephone poles—are far from the only things to see within this nearly 222,000-acre, semi-arid park, though. Petrified Forest National Park is best known for its 200-million-plus-year-old plant and animal fossils from the Triassic Period, or the “Dawn of the Dinosaurs.” It’s a collection that includes the eponymous petrified logs, which were formed after trees were buried in an ancient river system; minerals then absorbed into the wood and replaced the organic material. The structures we see today are made up of nearly solid quartz, and the impurities within the quartz (like iron and carbon) result in a display of stunning colors.

Definitely an area of our beautiful country that's worth checking out!

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9 Best Train Museums to Visit in the U.S.

"Whether you’re interested in history, technology, or a mix of both, these train museums will keep you entertained for hours."

(B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore, Maryland)

The B&O museum is a cool place. Been there several times. Check out the link for all of them. Drop your recommendations in the comments, if you've been to any of these museums.

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

Born on this date in 1943: American percussionist and musicologist Mickey Hart, best known as one of the two drummers of the rock band Grateful Dead.

The Dead on a Doof ONT? Will wonders never cease? Drop some links to your favorite Dead tracks in the comments.

Born on this date in 1953: American musician, singer, and songwriter Tommy Shaw from Styx and Damn Yankees

Born on this date in 1967: American singer, pianist, composer, and actor Harry Connick Jr.

Tonight's ONT brought to you by the world's most unlucky photographer

He is The World’s Most Unlucky Photographer. pic.twitter.com/mDFgzBkB6r

— Lloyd Legalist (@LloydLegalist) September 10, 2025

posted by Open Blogger at 10:00 PM

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