Wednesday Overnight Open Thread - October 1, 2025 [TRex]

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

Welcome to the Wednesday night ONT which means another random assortment of interweb debris. Pull up a chair and sit a spell. Be nice to your fellow commenters and AoS contributors.

We're at October 1? Really? Yeah...

[Random top photo: McClurg Covered Bridge, Hanover, PA, circa 1880]

Update - this 39 foot TRex is for sale in New Jersey. After much discussion on the homefront and consideration of the relative discomfort of sleeping on the couch for an indefinite period of time, it has been decided that this slightly used but well loved TRex will not be moving to Casa Rex.

Farewell New Jersey Rex. Hopefully you find a good home.

From mindful webworker:

Guess this is a thing now?

Random economic news: Egg prices are down.

These are wholesale numbers, so less than you'll see in your grocery stores but the trendlines are the same:

US egg prices fell to about $1.80 per dozen in late September, the lowest since May 2024, as recovering supply, subdued wholesale buying and the view that much of the inflationary adjustment has already occurred combined to ease prices. US egg production in August was about 8.89 billion eggs, down 2% from August 2024 but slightly higher than July, which suggests layers are laying more steadily month over month. The number of layers was roughly 1% lower year on year and the rate of lay per 100 layers also slipped about 1%, which tempers upside but still leaves supply out of steep contraction. On the demand side wholesale prices weakened with light to moderate orders for shell eggs and lower values for dried whole eggs and yolks, while retail prices have retreated from historic highs and removed buying urgency. Egg-type chick hatchings rose by roughly 5% year on year and eggs in incubators are up materially, indicating future layer inventories should grow. source: USDA

Ever see the challenge coin that PDJT gives to Oval Office visitors?

In business, they call this "diversification." Piper - is this your place?

Collective ONT Wisdom Question:

You and another person are in an elevator which is about to fall three floors.

How do you brace yourself?

Do you stand with knees flexed to absorb the impact and sacrifice your ankles and legs?

Do you lay flat to distribute the kinetic energy on the largest possible area?

Do you lay on the other person to use their body as a crumple zone?

Is there another option?

Yes, the Mythbusters attempted to answer the question. I won't ruin it by giving away their answer.

In related trivia, spare a thought for Betty Lou Oliver who survived two near misses with death on the same day. First, she survived the crash of a B-25 bomber between the 79th and 80th floors of the Empire State Building. And then...

At the moment that Captain Smith crashed the plane into the Empire State Building, Betty Lou Oliver was working on the 80th floor as an elevator attendant. The crash caused her to be thrown out of her vehicle, and as well as suffering from severe burns, Betty had a broken pelvis, back, and neck. They were terrible injuries, but it was clear that Betty would survive as first aid workers helped her and placed her on an elevator to the ground floor. Soon, she would be driven to the hospital for proper treatment.

The rescuers had placed Betty on a stretcher and put her in an elevator on the 79th floor.

Unfortunately, they didn't know that the cables on the elevator had been weakened in the crash. As soon as they placed Betty on the elevator, the cables snapped, and Betty started to hurtle down towards the bottom of the elevator shaft. Her entire life must surely have passed before her eyes as the elevator rocketed towards the ground.

In a few seconds, she would be dead at just 20 years of age; with no opportunity to achieve any of her goals in life nor would she see her husband again. Remarkably, Betty survived her second ordeal of the day with an extraordinary amount of luck by all accounts. The elevator plunged a total of 75 stories, approximately 1,000 feet, so in reality, Betty shouldn't have survived.

As it transpired, the thousand feet of elevator cable had broken away and fallen to the bottom of the shaft before Betty landed. By the time she landed, the cable was there to provide a softer landing surface. The rapid compression of air also added to the cushion. Although there are more fun ways to end up in the Guinness Book of Records, Betty's name was added for the unlikely feat of longest survived elevator fall; a record she still holds today.

Quite a day for Betty.

Dodge fan? Don Knotts fan? Can't believe I made it this far in life having not seen this promo video (likely an internal video for Dodge sales people).

For AOP:

PSA: SpaceX Starship Flight 11 scheduled for October 13. Evening launch.

The Pittsburgh police scanner keeps giving. Thank you people of Pittsburgh!

For the grand finale:

Talking Heads for the big ONT finish:

Yes, this has been on the ONT before, but it was either this or Bingo Bad Super Bowl Bunny foo foo.

TRex has no comment on rumors that the dino was approached to dance at halftime of the big game and declined. 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

| Access Comments