Monday Overnight Open Thread - June 29, 2026 [scampydog]

Your Monday dose of CBD has been temporarily interrupted. Please accept this budget-friendly ONT instead. Less refined, with a side of excessive content.

The theme tonight is black and white. Before we dive into the monochrome, let’s go with some whimsical content.

Hell yeah! It is Combine Demolition Derby Time!

The combines have entered the arena (link goes to wikipedia)

Competitors typically remove heavy or unneeded parts of the combines before competitions and reinforce the front, or header, of the vehicle.[3] A vehicle is deemed eliminated once its header section is destroyed or the combine is immobilized. Competitors attempt to use the header to pop other vehicle's tires, rupture their drive belts, or tear off their header.[4] The competitions can end in ties if the only remaining machines become inextricably tangled together.[5] The competition in Lind, Washington often includes multiple heats, including rounds for event veterans, rookies, and consolation rounds for losers.[6] In Michigan, there is a derby circuit with competitions in several towns.

Before the Scots arrived for their World Cup adventure - with cones, drank everything in sight, and somehow won over America, Boston had a different kind of overflow problem.

The Great Molasses Flood of 1919

The tank, 50 feet high and 90 feet in diameter, contained 2.3 million gallons of molasses originally destined for use in a munitions plant.

The tank, though only a few years old, seemed shaky. People who lived and worked in the North End said the tank shuddered and groaned when the company filled it.

Shortly after noon, the tank collapsed with a thunderous roar. The ground shook, and witnesses said the rivets popping out of the tank sounded like machine gun fire.

Things nobody really wants to know. The ONT is here for you

Why wombat poop is cube shaped

Humans may be fascinated by cubes, but only one animal poops them: the bare-nosed wombat. This furry Australian marsupial squeezes out nearly 100 six-sided turds every day—an ability that has long mystified scientists. Now, researchers say they have uncovered how the wombat intestine creates this exceptional excrement.

Things We All Knew Before the Internet Arrived.

The lost art of the handwritten note and stationery sets. Who remembers the Onion Skin and Bristol Board paper?

There really is something meaningful about a hand written note on stationary.

Who still takes the time to send hand written notes?

Another household name that pops up every holiday season is Current. The brand was launched by Bill and Mary Gick in their Colorado Springs basement in 1950. Their idea was simple but clever: create high quality, personalized greeting cards and sell them directly to customers through mail order catalogs. Current was one of the first companies to really master the catalog approach, and their colorful, customizable products quickly found a dedicated fan base.

Hello 80's Ladies.

The rise and fall of shoulder pads.

A brief history of shoulder pads

Using padding to alter the shape of our clothing isn’t a new concept — it dates back to the 1870s and 1880s, when padding was used for the bustles of women’s dresses to extend the fullness at the back.

However, the origins of the fashion shoulder pads we know and love today go back to Princeton University football players in the late 19th century, who developed the pads for protection — but the trend didn’t begin to enter women’s fashion until the 1930s.

If dogs could talk 😂🤣😂 pic.twitter.com/qdzN58CKjx

— Mongo (@mongoliciouss) June 5, 2026

Black and White Photography.

This isn’t the Art Thread (which is awesome, btw). Nobody needs to put on a beret and explain how the weathered fence post is “engaging in a silent dialogue with the setting sun, the wheat field, and the passage of time.”

But there is something different about black and white photography. Texture. Mood. Sometimes nostalgia. Removing color somehow makes your eyes work harder - noticing details, shadows, contrast, lighting, expressions, and little things you might have ignored otherwise.

Black and white takes something away and somehow can reveal more.

So no deep analysis, no pretending every old barn is having an existential conversation. Just some cool images, some great photography, and a chance to enjoy what the camera caught.

Enjoy.

Variety of images

Now in the digital age, making black and white is a choice you can make after you shoot the images – which gives you options we didn’t have in the film days. So I wanted to share some B&W images to get you thinking about the possibilities.

15 Landscape Photos

Acceptable Rhino

Batch of 60

⚫️Everything fits together here .#blackandwhite #monochrome #blackandwhitephotography #bnw_captures pic.twitter.com/jlxAVcLdCD

— Maksymilian (@Maksymilian2026) June 5, 2026

Black and White 39 .. 🇩🇪 #blackandwhitephotography#photographyIsArt #mobilephotography pic.twitter.com/F8G3hLERRK

— Francisco Benfica (@fbenfica) June 4, 2026

Burning Monday Questions

If you buy a bigger bed, do you have more bedroom?

At what point does a pile become a heap?

Why do noses run and feet smell?

If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?

Alarm goes off? Or does it go on?

On theme musical interlude. Chris Isaak. Bonus for the 'Rons - Helena Christensen.

Spin up a milshake or malt.

Groovy

I have nothing against the stainless steel finish, but I still have memories of the green fridge and dishwasher from my parents' own home. Today, my mother's kitchen has all white appliances, including the microwave.

Hey, I hear there’s this little 250th thing happening.

We might as well talk about it. All the Smarty Readers here know, but those that don't.... Since a big part of any celebration of THE GREATEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD involves the stars and stripes, here’s a refresher on the proper care, display, and respect for the American flag.

Clothing and Old Glory

One of the most common points of confusion: the Flag Code’s restrictions apply to actual United States flags, not to clothing or products that happen to feature a stars-and-stripes pattern. A T-shirt printed with red, white, and blue stripes isn’t a flag. A bandana with a flag motif isn’t a flag. Wearing these items doesn’t violate the code. The prohibition on using the flag as a costume means you shouldn’t cut up or drape an actual flag over yourself — it doesn’t extend to patriotic-themed apparel.

This ONT was brought to you by: Put A Pickle In Your Shitty Beer.

SoDak. That tracks. The pic above was a Busch Latte. It did not ruin the pickle spear. Nor did it improve the beer.

South Dakota, Mallory told me, is famous for its "pioneer preservation sensibility" and penchant for pickling everything from green beans to watermelon rinds. She says the addition of the pickle works best when it's "paired with a light domestic lager-style beer, like Bud Light or PBR. The base beer has to have a pretty clean, mild flavor for it to work."

This ONT was brought to you by the mistaken belief that one can outrun a tornado.

Was thinking a different kind of tornado, but this will do.

Disclaimer: This ONT was not involved with the Great Giraffe Getaway. If you encounter another Wandering Giraffe - they are not funded by, affiliated, endorsed, or even aware of the AoSHQ Limited Liability Empire (LLE). This ONT may contain trace amounts of facts, rumors, and speculation.

posted by Open Blogger at 10:00 PM

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