Thursday Overnight Open Thread - October 1, 2026

From Seaeyes

Howdy Hordelings! Welcome to the Thursday ONT! Mixed bag of content for those who care. Open thread, as always. On time, as always. What's on YOUR mind tonight?

Just deliver the damn mail!

USPS To Put Cameras in Trucks That Scan Roads for ‘Community Safety’

The United States Postal Service is running a pilot program to put cameras in its mail carrier trucks that continuously scan roads and signs, map roadways and sidewalks, and improve “community safety,” according to a letter posted by a labor union and a statement from the agency to 404 Media. The idea is that, since the trucks are constantly traveling anyway, they can be used as a way to collect data, eventually potentially across the nation.

“The purpose of this pilot is to leverage the Postal Service’s unique ability to collect this valuable data due to the scale and frequency with which our fleet of postal vehicles travel the streets of every community across the country,” the letter, posted by NALC Branch 238 to Facebook, reads.

The letter, written by the United States Postal Service (USPS) Labor Relations to Brian Renfroe, the president of the National Association of Letter Carriers, says the USPS will partner with Next Base, a dashcam company, for the pilot. At the moment, the cameras will be used in the Washington, DC area, and will be installed on a hundred vehicles, the letter says.

"Community Safety" -- riiiiiiiiiigggghhhhhht

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Buc-ee's is kinda asshoe when it comes to trademarks and logos

Buc-ee’s and Ohio gas station chain settle trademark infringement lawsuit

Texas-based travel center Buc-ee’s and Ohio gas station chain Mickey’s have settled a trademark infringement lawsuit over the companies’ cartoon animal logos.

On Sept. 15, Buc-ee’s and Coles IP Holdings, the parent company of Mickey’s, reached a confidential agreement during a settlement conference, according to court records. The settlement stems from a lawsuit Buc-ee’s filed in February, claiming Mickey’s cartoon moose logo is too similar to its own cartoon beaver logo.

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The filing said that like Buc-ee’s logo, Mickey’s logo incorporates “a cartoon animal facing right with wide eyes and a smile, overlaying a round background.” It argued that the similarities between the two logos would likely cause confusion among customers.

What am I missing? What could possibly be confusing about the differences in those 2 logos?

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Wholesome content

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Sir Charles speaks some truth

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Kewl stuff

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Lake Powell water level is getting lower than usual

Why Lake Powell Keeps Dropping Through The Fall

Lake Powell rises for about ten weeks a year and falls for the other forty-two. The Rocky Mountain snowpack melts from roughly April into July, the reservoir climbs, and then the melt stops while Glen Canyon Dam carries on releasing water downstream at a rate the river cannot replace. That is the whole mechanism, and it explains why every autumn brings another run of headlines about falling water. In 2026 the pattern was unusually stark. The lake peaked on June 1, and by September 15 it had set a modern record low of 3,516.62 feet, the lowest since the reservoir first filled in the 1960s. It is still going down.

What Happens If Flaming Gorge Is Drained To Save Lake Powell

To keep Lake Powell from collapsing, water managers have been quietly draining another giant reservoir upstream, one most Americans have never heard of: Flaming Gorge. It is a bold, and increasingly desperate, move to buy the shrinking Colorado River system a little more time. As of 2026, the latest release is the biggest one yet, and it comes with a very real cost. Here is what actually happens when you drain Flaming Gorge to save Lake Powell.

Both of these articles seem to be "just the facts" style. No mention of the climate bogeyman that I could find. Refreshing.

DJ Doof - Random 80s Rock Edition

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