Thursday Overnight Open Thread - October 15, 2026 [scampydog]

Welcome to the Thursday ONT. Double feature/content o'plenty edition. Your regular Thursday host (Doof) has surrendered the keys for the evening. He's off to Texas to meet with people who know each other by their AoSHQ handles, puns, and various online pleasantries.

We will keep the one-night transition (not transaction) mostly peaceful. Keeping the lights on, the doors open, and the comment section moderately unsupervised.

James Bond had Q for his gadgets. We consumers got Ron Popeil and Ronco for ours. The Salad Spinner, Miracle Brush, Mr. Microphone, Pocket Fisherman, and more. Ronco history. Who got sucked in and made a purchase?

Ronco refined its marketing and distribution techniques with its second televised product, the "Chop-O-Matic." Produced by Popeil Brothers, this "food chopper with rotating blades" had been peddled by Ron Popeil on the fair circuit since the late 1950s. Not only was the commercial for this device longer, at five minutes, but Ronco also made this its first mail-order product. Delighted with the Chop-O-Matic's success, Sam Popeil invented and manufactured the Dial-O-Matic and what would become Ronco's first blockbuster, the Veg-O-Matic. Ron Popeil's television ad fueled the sale of over nine million units for $50 million worth of these rather primitive food processors.

A section of news for those who like their ONT with a side of aggravation.

No new features have been added, your deductible is still enormous, and your preferred doctor may no longer be in network. Thank you for being a valued customer.

Congratulations! Your health insurance premium is going up again. Ignore the explainers in the article. Check out the chart.

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Universities cutting ties with foreign groups?

The Department of War mandated the universities conduct a review of their foreign partnerships following its updates to a list of "foreign institutions engaging in problematic activities." Reports were due at the beginning of this school year.

The American Association of University Professors challenged the Department of War's audit along with the American Federation of Teachers in August.

Of course they challenged. That's what commies do. People who are deeply invested in an ideology react defensively to information that threatens them/it. It's not confirmation bias if you call it ideological consistency. At least, that's what the Confirmation Bias Department would like you to believe.

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Economic reform is a long game. Summary of Javier Milei over at American Thinker and his battle against socialism. Worth a read.

The cancer of socialism metastasizes into every area of society -- the chemotherapy requires more time than a single presidency.

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Update from commenter mindful webworker.

Update here.

Predicting the future: the commentariat will hyperventilate. We should ready ourselves for the usual lectures about decorum, solemn denunciations, and grave warnings about the deplorable portion of society. I expect a parade of earnest pundits lecturing us that the real scandal is the response (public firing squad) rather than Nidal Hasan's actions (murdering 13 people).

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has announced that the execution of convicted Fort Hood Islamist terrorist Nidal Malik Hasan will be "PUBLIC," with American soldiers carrying out the firing squad at the very military installation where Hasan murdered 13 people and wounded 32 others in 2009.

The ONT is here for: 1) those of you currently evading the U.S. Marshals or considering it as a future career pivot, and 2) those committed to maintaining operational readiness.

A few friendly reminders from the world of being on the run: Predictable routines are a gift to anyone trying to find you. Burner phones are not magical talismans. And purchasing a black turtleneck does not, in fact, make you invisible to federal law enforcement nor does it make you Archer. US Marshals. They are decidely unimpressed by your burner phone.

The thing that sticks with you after that video isn’t some secret gadget or Hollywood manhunt trick. It’s the patience of it. US Marshals can work through the ordinary leftovers of a person’s life until the hiding place starts getting smaller… an old address that still matters, somebody who knows more than they realize, a car that turns up in the right area, or a routine that finally becomes predictable enough to be useful.

Now we know. Tungsten Carbide Pins. Sounds techy - I don't know enough about it to render judgment on accuracy. Fun and curious reading, however.

In automotive assembly, for example, fixture plates use carbide pins to locate body panels during welding. The pins slide into corresponding holes, ensuring each panel sits in precisely the right position before robotic welders do their work. Because these fixtures cycle thousands of times per day, the pins need to resist wear that would gradually enlarge the holes and degrade positioning accuracy. The same principle applies in: • Aerospace jigs for composite layup and drilling operations • Electronics manufacturing where circuit boards require precise positioning • Medical device assembly where tolerances are measured in micrometers • Tool and die construction for stamping and forming operations

Rooftop bar? No.

It's almost winter. Who doesn't want to know how fur coats are made?

Betting there are a few fur coats and hats tucked away in the closets of the Horde.

Vespa? No, but seems to fit the humor.

The magic of Flavacol and popcorn.

And while we're at it, for those who actually read the content, and the two of you smarty-pants readers who actually don't already know: the science behind the Alberger process.

Nothing like an old-fashioned stare down.

Let's do some movie stare downs. What do you have Horde? The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly? Clubber Lang and Rocky? News Team Stare Down in The Anchorman?

Two musical selections for your entertainment. Enjoy, complain, or suggest better ones - use tinyurl or similar if linking. Don't blow out the margins!

Questions of the moment. What perfectly reasonable life moment has you questioning things?

Surely the package carriers know what's inside those boxes going to Exact Sciences Laboratories. Right?

Can anyone actually interpret a bill from a doctor visit?

When did saying, "I am so busy" become an excuse rather than a problem to be solved? Further, why is the person who identifies the problem often labeled as the problem?

This ONT was brought to you by Bucket List Beauties - Dream Vacation Spots

Whitehaven Beach, located on Whitsunday Island, off the coast of Airlie Beach, Queensland, Australia.

The photo above shows Hill Inlet. Apparently the tides move the sand through the turquoise waters creating the swirly looking things of awesomeness. The beach itself is 4 miles of the finest sand in the world. 98% pure silica. No public roads - it is on an island. Boat or aircraft only.

Some great images and facts here and here.

What's on your dream vacation list?

DISCLAIMER: This brief ONT appearance does not constitute a return to regular service, an expression of renewed commitment, or an indication that you or I have learned anything from tonight. All future ONT appearances are subject to availability, inclination, weak moments, amnesia, and the Bacardi to mixer ratio. Safe travels to the Texas adventurers.

posted by Open Blogger at 10:00 PM

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