Monday Overnight Open Thread - June 8, 2026 [Hour of the Wolf]

Note from the hamsters -
Mis Hum has the night off. The other ONT hosts noticed something in the seldom-monitored suggestion box. No idea how long it had been in there. Regular commenter "Hour of the Wolf" is responsible for tonight's content. Treat him as you see fit!

My first meeting with Robert the Cat (TM)

Sphinx Content on an ONT? Sure!

image from scientificamerican.com

Uncovering Secrets of the Sphinx

No human endeavor has been more associated with mystery than the huge, ancient lion that has a human head and is seemingly resting on the rocky plateau a stroll from the great pyramids. Fortunately for Lehner, it wasn’t just a metaphor that the Sphinx is a riddle. Little was known for certain about who erected it or when, what it represented and precisely how it related to the pharaonic monuments nearby. So Lehner settled in, working for five years out of a makeshift office between the Sphinx’s colossal paws, subsisting on Nescafé and cheese sandwiches while he examined every square inch of the structure. He remembers “climbing all over the Sphinx like the Lilliputians on Gulliver, and mapping it stone by stone.” The result was a uniquely detailed picture of the statue’s worn, patched surface, which had been subjected to at least five major restoration efforts since 1,400 B.C. The research earned him a doctorate in Egyptology at Yale.

Recognized today as one of the world’s leading Egyptologists and Sphinx authorities, Lehner has conducted field research at Giza during most of the 37 years since his first visit. (Hawass, his friend and frequent collaborator, is the secretary general of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities and controls access to the Sphinx, the pyramids and other government-owned sites and artifacts.) Applying his archaeological sleuthing to the surrounding two-square-mile Giza plateau with its pyramids, temples, quarries and thousands of tombs, Lehner helped confirm what others had speculated—that some parts of the Giza complex, the Sphinx included, make up a vast sacred machine designed to harness the power of the sun to sustain the earthly and divine order. And while he long ago gave up on the fabled library of Atlantis, it’s curious, in light of his early wanderings, that he finally did discover a Lost City.

The Sphinx was not assembled piece by piece but was carved from a single mass of limestone exposed when workers dug a horseshoe-shaped quarry in the Giza plateau. Approximately 66 feet tall and 240 feet long, it is one of the largest and oldest monolithic statues in the world. None of the photos or sketches I’d seen prepared me for the scale. It was a humbling sensation to stand between the creature’s paws, each twice my height and longer than a city bus. I gained sudden empathy for what a mouse must feel like when cornered by a cat.

The real reason the Sphinx is next to the pyramids? The Sphinx needs a scratching post. That's why the cover stones are missing.

New Mom Gets a Visitor

So, yesterday I'm in my hospital room. This guy in work clothes walks in. Everyone thinks he's a doctor, but then he stares around and asks:
"Who in here was giving birth at 6 PM?"

I was the only one. So, I'm like "That was me, doctor. Is everything Okay?"

He replies "I'm not a doctor. I'm a WELDING ENGINEER. I came here specifically to meet the woman who RIPPED THE DAMN IRON HANDLE off the delivery chair during her contractions!"

Musical pairs - What's the link between each set of videos?

Set 1

Set 2

Set 3

Set 4

Tonight's ONT brought to you by rules

Last thoughts
I don't care how old I get. If I'm in a store and see a toy with "Try Me" on it, I'm pushing those buttons.

Remember, nobody owes you a damn thing... so stop your cry-baby whining and get over it!

AOSHQ disclaims all content by guest posters. Complaints about broken treats should be directed to the Law Offices of Howl and Meow.

Lurkers welcome to comment - there are plenty of huge ferns and hedges to hide behind tonight.

Time to comment at will. Final Question: Who is Will?

posted by Open Blogger at 10:00 PM

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