strange stuff

From strange crimes to strange celebrity deaths, read all of the latest weird and strange stuff news stories on Newser.com

Stories 881 - 900 | << Prev   Next >>

Weird Pitfall for Tesla Owners: Pricey Butt-Dials
Tesla Owner's Butt-Dial
Proves to Be Costly
in case you missed it
Oct 11, 2020 6:13 AM CDT

Tesla Owner's Butt-Dial Proves to Be Costly

Driver trying to get a refund for accidental $4K upgrade, and he's not the first

(Newser) - Tesla makes it pretty easy for owners to get upgrades with snazzy new features for their cars. It's all done via app. But as one driver tells CNBC , the process might be a little too easy. Ali Vaziri says he essentially butt-dialed a $4,280 software upgrade, and now...

Facebook Rejects Onion Ad for Very Unexpected Reason

Algorithm deemed innocent ad 'overtly sexual'

(Newser) - A Canadian company trying to sell onion seeds was surprised to find that Facebook rejected its ad. The bigger surprise came over the reason: Facebook declared that the accompanying image was "overtly sexual," reports the BBC . However, no scantily clad model was involved. Instead the ad showed whole...

After VP Debate, Fans Call for Jeff Goldblum on SNL

They want him to revisit his role from 'The Fly' after real fly landed on VP Pence's head

(Newser) - Thanks to the unexpected star of Wednesday night's vice presidential debate, Jeff Goldblum is now making headlines. Goldblum himself had nothing to do with the event, but the fly that landed on Vice President Mike Pence's head , hanging out for two minutes before taking off for more nonpolitical...

Golfer Gored by Elk
Golfer Gored by Elk
Oct 7, 2020 2:51 AM CDT

Golfer Gored by Elk

Denver incident is apparently first of its kind in at least 15 years

(Newser) - "The golfing went pretty good throughout the day until we got to the back nine and saw all the elk." That's the word from a golfer's hospital bed after his Colorado golf outing went awry over the weekend. The elk in question numbered more than 100,...

White Male Professor Accused of Posing as Female Immigrant

University of New Hampshire professor allegedly used Twitter account to go after progressives

(Newser) - A white male University of New Hampshire chemistry professor is accused of posing as an immigrant woman of color on Twitter to make racist and sexist comments and attack users who supported racial justice, per the AP . The university has not named the professor whom it said was being investigated....

Prosecutor: Inmates Were Forced to Listen to 'Baby Shark'

3 former employees have been charged

(Newser) - Two former Oklahoma jail employees and their supervisor face misdemeanor cruelty charges after investigators found they forced inmates to stand handcuffed for hours and listen to the children's song “Baby Shark" on repeat, a prosecutor said Monday. At least four inmates were secured to a wall with their...

Tripadvisor Review Could Land American in Jail
Tripadvisor Review Could
Land American in Jail
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Oct 3, 2020 2:00 PM CDT

Tripadvisor Review Could Land American in Jail

Thailand resort sues Wesley Barnes after he posts slams online

(Newser) - Wesley Barnes did not enjoy his stay at the Sea View Resort in Thailand, as he made very clear in online reviews. Now the American faces two years in prison on defamation charges as a result, reports AFP . It appears the review that got Barnes into potentially deep trouble was...

This City Is Selling Off Its Swans for $400 a Pop

Lakeland, Fla., says due to overpopulation, it costs $10K a year to feed them all

(Newser) - Got an extra $400 lying around? Love swans? If you're near Lakeland, Fla., or can get there, you're in luck. CNN reports that, starting sometime in the next few weeks, the city will be selling off about half of the 80 resident swans that live on Lake Morton....

Mayor Dies of COVID, Gets Re-Elected

'None of the other contenders got the same trust from the voters'

(Newser) - In the Romanian village of Deveselu, Ion Aliman was a popular mayor—so popular that he was re-elected to a third term Sunday despite having died of COVID-19 complications 10 days earlier. Aliman, who would have turned 57 on election day, received 1,057 out of around 1,600 votes...

He Collapsed in a Fast-Food Joint. Cause of Death: Licorice
Guy's Decision to Switch From
Red Licorice to Black Was Fatal
in case you missed it
Sep 27, 2020 1:55 PM CDT

Guy's Decision to Switch From Red Licorice to Black Was Fatal

Case study: Man's excessive licorice eating depleted his potassium levels

(Newser) - A Massachusetts man's penchant for a polarizing candy apparently cost him his life. Per the New York Post and AP , the case study in the latest New England Journal of Medicine details what happened to the 54-year-old construction worker, who died after collapsing in a fast-food eatery last year....

Resident Accidentally Obstructs Village&#39;s Internet for 18 Months
Resident Accidentally Obstructs
Village's Internet for 18 Months
in case you missed it
Sep 26, 2020 7:00 AM CDT

Resident Accidentally Obstructs Village's Internet for 18 Months

'Mortified' homeowner won't be using that old TV set again

(Newser) - Every morning for 18 months, an entire Welsh village would lose its broadband internet connection, or else see speeds slow to a crawl. The problem persisted even after large sections of cable were replaced, infuriating residents of Aberhosan, Powys, per the North Wales Daily Post . Hopefully they're able to...

Below the Tracks, Behind a Wall: a Secret Man Cave

3 employees suspended after discovery of hideaway under NYC's Grand Central Terminal

(Newser) - It had the usual trappings of a man cave: couch, fridge, TV, microwave, etc. But the location of this one sets it apart: below Track 114 of New York City's Grand Central Terminal, tucked behind the wall of an unused locksmith shop, reports the New York Post . An investigation...

Condom Recycling Factory Busted
Condom Recycling
Factory Busted
Sep 25, 2020 3:15 AM CDT

Condom Recycling Factory Busted

They were washed, reshaped, and resold

(Newser) - Police in Vietnam have busted a factory that took recycling one step too far. Some 345,000 used condoms were seized from the factory near Ho Chi Minh city, where they had been boiled, reshaped with a wooden phallus, and packaged for resale, Reuters reports. According to state media, the...

Game Guy Started at Age 14 Still Going On in His 50s

Robert Wardhaugh began his Dungeons and Dragons marathon in 1982 and hasn't stopped since

(Newser) - Right from the description on his website , you can tell he's serious about gaming: "My name is Robert Wardhaugh and I am the Dungeon Master (DM)." Although Wardhaugh's full-time job is as a history professor at the University of Western Ontario, the Canadian man's unofficial...

A Fisherman Goes Missing a Second Time in 2 Weeks

'Nobody knows' what has happened to Tony Higgins off the coast of Australia

(Newser) - Just short of two weeks ago, celebrations were in order after Tony Higgins and Derek Robinson were found drifting at sea, more than 60 miles from their destination off the coast of South Australia. That celebration was short-lived: Aussie officials say Higgins has vanished again. Per Vice.com and the...

Man's Weird Beach Find Left Him 'Freaked Out'

A brain was inside the aluminum package

(Newser) - A Wisconsin man who stumbled upon a brick-shaped package wrapped in foil on a Racine beach thought he had perhaps come across drugs or cash, reports CNN . The reality was much, much odder. James Senda says he opened the package to find a brain inside, along with flowers and foreign...

He Avoids Long Jail Sentence With Courthouse Proposal

His now-fiancee opted not to testify against him for allegedly trying to kill her

(Newser) - A 48-year-old man in Germany avoided a lengthy jail sentence after he made a marriage proposal in court to the woman he was on trial for allegedly trying to kill with a bayonet, per the AP . The woman said yes, then refused to testify against him, reports the German-language Die ...

Cubs Game Is Delayed Over Unexpected Visitor

'Just experienced my first drone delay at Wrigley Field,' tweets a broadcaster

(Newser) - Umpires cleared the field during a game between the Cleveland Indians and Chicago Cubs on Wednesday night when a small drone flew into Wrigley Field over the bleachers and landed on the grass in deep left center, per the AP . As Willson Contreras came to bat with two outs in...

Orcas Are Acting 'Crazy' Off Spain

'I thought they could capsize the boat'

(Newser) - Orcas are curious mammals who sometimes play with boats. But playing doesn’t quite describe what endangered pods have been doing in the Strait of Gibraltar, a major shipping route, this summer. Boaters say hard-hitting whales have spun their vessels up to 180 degrees and caused extensive damage. For more...

Elderly Hiker Missing for Days Shows Up at Press Conference
Press Conference
for Missing Hiker
Gets Surprise
Attendee
in case you missed it
Sep 13, 2020 6:43 AM CDT

Press Conference for Missing Hiker Gets Surprise Attendee

80-year-old Harry Harvey shows up at news conference about himself

(Newser) - It's not quite as jarring as dead people showing up at their own funerals , but Harry Harvey's reappearance was a shock just the same. The BBC reports that Harvey, 80, went for a hike Saturday in the Yorkshire Dales in Yorkshire, England, but he got separated from his...

Stories 881 - 900 | << Prev   Next >>
Most Read on Newser