Tuesday Overnight Open Thread - December 16, 2025 [Doof]

Howdy Hordelings! Tuesday night ONT time. Glad you're here. Single digit number of days left until Christmas. Have you bought your gifts for your favorite ONT host? There's still time!

Beam Me Up, Florida Man!

Florida Man Claims He Was ‘Teleported Into’ Stolen BMW Before Crash

A man who crashed a BMW convertible in Volusia County this week told deputies he didn’t steal the car—he was “teleported into” it, according to the Volusia Sheriff’s Office.

The incident occurred Monday near the intersection of Old Dixie Highway and Plantation Oaks Boulevard. Authorities said 36-year-old Calvin Curtis Johnson crashed the vehicle after allegedly taking it from Bicentennial Park.

According to deputies, the BMW had been left unlocked with the keys inside a cupholder while its owner walked his dog. Moments later, the car was reported stolen.

Shortly after, the BMW crashed. Witnesses at the scene reportedly helped pull Johnson from the wrecked vehicle. When questioned by deputies, Johnson admitted to driving over 100 mph before the crash but claimed he didn’t steal the car—instead, he said he had been “teleported into” the driver’s seat.

Video segment at the link. Check it out.

Aviation Monstrosity

We haven't seen occasional ONT host and flying fanatic Roger Ball in a while. Perhaps he's here tonight and maybe knows a thing or 2 about this wide winged bird.

The World’s Largest Aircraft by Wingspan is Considerably Wider Than a Football Field

Nicknamed ROC after the giant mythical bird capable of carrying off elephants in its talons, the Stratolaunch Model 351 is a one-of-a-kind engineering marvel. Originally designed to carry air-launch-to-orbit (ALTO) rockets, it was subsequently repurposed to offer air launch hypersonic flight testing following the death of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, who had also co-founded Scaled Composites, the maker of the ROC.

Looking like two jets fused together, the Stratolaunch ROC is an impressive sight to behold. Each of its two fuselages is 238 ft (73 m) long and supported by 12 main landing gear wheels and two nose gear wheels, for a total of 28 wheels. The combined wingspan of these two fuselages adds up to 385 feet (117 m), making the ROC wider than a 300 ft (91 m) American football field.

Interestingly, the pilot, copilot, and flight engineer are located in the right fuselage cockpit, while the flight data systems are in the left fuselage, which is completely unmanned. This massive aircraft is powered by six massive Pratt & Whitney PW4056 engines capable of providing 56,750 lbf (252.4 kN) of thrust per engine.

Lots of numbers and stuff there that don't make much sense to me. But the thing looks kewl! Multiple video clips at the link.

2A Corner

Rhetorical question?

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Hmmm. Is "Fred" available for the next Texas MoMe? I'll bring the paper plates!

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Another one that shouldn't be confusing

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'Tis the Season

Science, Yo!

Where are my fellow whiskey lovers?

Notice that the dropper was loaded with "neat" whiskey. Not on the rocks or mixed with Diet Coke. Just sayin'.

DJ Doof - Guess The Theme

Easy one tonight - Difficulty level 1 out of 5

What's the common thread / common meaning / common leitmotif?

Tonight's ONT brought to you by the good ol' days

Tonight's ONT was produced by the only guy not burning end of year use or lose time at Doof Enterprises, LLC. No clue why he even showed up. He must care about you!

Your feedback may or may not be very important to Doof Enterprises. Follow Mr. Doof on X @doof2112 or do the email thing – doof2112 at proton dot me. All I want for Christmas are some Rush deep cuts!

Almost forgot - something for a moron friend who celebrates a birthday tomorrow.

posted by Open Blogger at 09:55 PM

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