Strange & Bizarre News

nivek

As Above So Below

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmOQPOHsn9Y

People think worms fell from the sky – but not everyone’s convinced

A video showing what appears to be cars covered in worms has gone viral, with many people believing the creatures fell from the sky. The footage, believed to be shot in Beijing, China, focuses on a number of parked cars covered in worm-like objects.

The video was shared on social media with the words ‘rain of worms’, convincing many that worms had fallen from the sky. Some suggested it was a sign the world was coming to an end.

One comment read: ‘I’m not a religious person, but this is some first testament shit happening in China right now.’ But a number of people put forward alternative explanations. One theory is that they are indeed worms, but ones that have been swept up in a minor tornado and later deposited.

Another possibility, some commented, is that they are worms that have come to the surface because spring has arrived and the ground is thawing. The first full moon that appears in March is sometimes called the full worm moon because of this phenomenon.

A number of social media users, however, said the cars aren’t covered in worms at all – the stringy objects are instead seeds from poplar trees.

According to El Heraldo, residents in Beijing had been advised to bring their umbrellas with them if going outside that day. Though we assume this was in case of rain, not falling worms. Chinese authorities have apparently not yet given an explanation as to what happened.


A video shows parked cars in Beijing in China covered in what some believe is worms


.
 

nivek

As Above So Below

View: https://youtu.be/k67hsRXcLjA

Terrifying moment gigantic alligator BENDS newly-installed metal fence at Florida golf club, then climbs through it

Video camera caught a terrifying moment as a huge alligator simply tore through a newly-installed metal fence at a Florida golf club. The incident captured earlier this week comes just weeks after an 85-year-old woman was killed by a massive gator in the Sunshine State.

A local meteorologist shared the video from the gulf coast town of Placida, which has over a million views on Facebook and 50,000 likes on Instagram.

'Check out this big guy bend the aluminum bars and plow right through it this week in Placida,' Matt Devitt wrote. Aluminum is considered a lightweight metal, explaining how the huge gator was able to make his way through the fence so easily, Devitt explained to Fox 35.

But far flimsier materials are also used to build porch dividers intended to keep the reptiles out of people's yards, sparking fears about what would happen if this gator was met with such an obstacle.

Devitt noted that the person who originally took the video said the gator eventually fully mauled his way to the other side.

'He knows what he's doing...he did it before,' ominously joked one Facebook commenter on Devitt's post.

'That’s why in Florida, if there’s a body of water, there’s a gator in it! Stay safe people!,' another chimed in on Instagram.


(More on the link)

.
 

pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable
Has Russian radio signal UVB-76 been solved after 40 years?


Article Lead Image


Has Russian radio signal UVB-76 been solved after 40 years?

After years of searching, the most mysterious radio signal in the world may have finally been solved.​

James Cook
Posted on Jun 3, 2014 Updated on May 31, 2021, 5:09 am CDT

Volume dials were turned up, computers began recording, forum posts were hastily typed. Something big was happening.



OBYaVLENIYA KOMANDA 135
For the first time in a history that stretches back nearly 40 years, the mysterious Russian radio signal popularly known as UVB-76 had issued an order. On Jan. 24, 2013, it was heard clearly by its legion of fans:
Command 135 initiated
The radio signal that occupies 4625 kHz has reportedly been broadcasting since the late 1970s. The earliest known recording of it is dated 1982. Ever since curious owners of shortwave radios first discovered the signal, it has broadcast a repeating buzzing noise. Every few years, the buzzer stops, and a Russian voice reads a mixture of numbers and Russian names.
A typical message came hours before Christmas day, 1997:
“Ya UVB-76, Ya UVB-76. 180 08 BROMAL 74 27 99 14. Boris, Roman, Olga, Mikhail, Anna, Larisa. 7 4 2 7 9 9 1 4”
Instead of shutting down with the fall of communism in Russia, UVB-76 became even more active. Since the millennium, voice messages have become more and more frequent.
It’s easy to dismiss the signal as pre-recorded, or a looping tone. But what listeners quickly realized was that UVB-76 is not a recording. The buzzer noise is generated manually. The reason for hearing telephone conversations and banging noises in the background of the signal is that a speaker creating the buzzer is constantly placed next to the microphone, giving the world an eerie insight into whatever cavern the signal originates from.
The modern popularity of UVB-76 can be traced to /x/, 4chan’s non-archiving message board devoted to discussion of paranormal activity and unexplained mysteries. Just as 4chan created memes like Pedobear and Rickrolling, the online image board served to bring UVB-76 before the eyes of a host of Internet users.
Online chatter about the signal increased in 2010 as bizarre broadcasts were issued on an almost monthly basis. Snippets of Swan Lake were played, a female voiced counted from one to nine, a question mark was transmitted in Morse code, and strange telephone conversations were overheard by the receiver.

Since October 2010, the station has changed location. The flurry of activity and voice messages preceded the most important development in the signal since it began broadcasting in the 1970s. It seems likely that the heightened activity of 2010 was related to the establishment of the signal in a new location. The new call sign was read out after the move: “MDZhB”.
Previous triangulation efforts had led to the discovery of the transmitter for UVB-76: a Russian military base on the outskirts of Povarovo, a small town 19 miles from Moscow.
After the station changed location, two groups of urban explorers and UVB-76 followers travelled to the remote Russian town in an attempt to visit the military bunker that the signal had originated from for over 30 years. When they reached the town, a local man told them about the storm of 2010. One night a dense fog rolled in, and the military outpost was evacuated within 90 minutes.
After making their way across the site and avoiding the guard dog stationed outside, the groups found the bunker and military buildings in a state of abandonment. Possessions and equipment were strewn across the base. Icy water had filled the bunker, yet clues were still to be found inside. One group described the Povarov military bunker as “a quiet and lonely dark place, something like a maze with lots of corridors and rooms.”
A book was found that contained a log of messages sent by UVB-76. The ethereal signal that had fascinated the world for years now had a physical presence, along with confirmation that it had been run by the Russian military.
But the mystery continues to this day. Sporadic voice messages are still emitted. Legions of listeners tune in via radios and online streams every day. A file can be downloaded at this link that allows followers to listen to UVB-76 in iTunes.
Along with a renewed interest in studying and archiving the broadcasts of UVB-76, multiple triangulation attempts have been made to try and ascertain the new location of the signal. Unlike before, it seems that UVB-76 is emanating from multiple transmitters across Russia. Triangulation has given rise to three possible locations.
One possible location is the small Russian village of Kirsino, which has a registered populace of just 39 people. One signal can be traced here. But this isn’t the fan-favorite location.
Near to the Estonian border lies the Pskov Oblast. This is currently the most likely source of UVB-76, due to the multiple triangulation attempts that lead here.
Pskov-2003-620x412.jpg

Photo via Sergey Rodovnichenko/Flickr (CC BY S.A 2.0)
Recently a new theory has been the cause of much discussion amongst the followers of UVB-76. Could the signal be related to the Russian Government radio channel Voice Of Russia? One location that appears during triangulation attempts is very close to a transmitter array southeast of Kolpino that is reportedly used by the Russian government to transmit state radio across Russia.
As UVB-76 settled into the new location, Dance of The Little Swans from Swan Lake was played. Instrumental passages from Swan Lake are a favorite of Voice Of Russia.

While Internet followers may have discovered the location of the old signal, the purpose of UVB-76 remains a mystery. As with any unexplained mystery, conspiracy theories abound, some more credible than others.
The closest thing to an official explanation for the signal’s purpose comes from an academic paper published by the Borok Geophysical Observatory. This state-funded organization describes itself as a “branch of the Federal state budgetary institution of science.” They explain that the signal originates from an observatory using the 4625 kHz frequency to measure changes in the ionosphere.
This does not explain the military bunker, or the voice messages. Nor does the paper detail how successful the research has been. A signal on the 4625 kHz frequency would have suffered from extreme interference, rendering it nearly unusable for researching the ionosphere.
The fan-favorite conspiracy is that UVB-76 is the audible version of Russia’s “Dead Man Switch” system. In the case of a nuclear strike that cripples Russian military command, the automated system will launch a counter-strike. While it’s likely that Russia does possess such a system, it’s fanciful to think that this humble buzzing sound is the noise of our impending nuclear apocalypse.
The most credible explanation of UVB-76’s purpose is that it is a military communication system operating across western Russia. The coded messages are announcements for various military districts, enabling a simple means of communicating with multiple units at the same time. As for the repeating buzzing noise, this is thought to be a channel marker that exists to discourage others from using the same frequency.
An image posted on Russian Wikipedia seems to confirm the military communication theory. A small, framed piece of paper in an administration and enlistment office of the Russian army refers to 4625 kHz, the broadcasting frequency of UVB-76. With this so prominently displayed, it’s possible to confirm that the signal is not a “Dead Man’s Switch,” nor is the signal intended to be a secret.
The Internet has, for decades, been listening to the internal communication network of the western division of the Russian armed forces.
D0A2D0B0D0B1D0BBD0B8D187D0BAD0B0_D0B2_D0BED0B4D0BDD0BED0BC_D0B8D0B7_D092D0BED0B5D0BDD0BAD0BED0BCD0B0D182D0BED0B2_4625D0BAD0B3D186.jpg

Photo via Orlando Avare/Wikipedia
While the mystery of UVB-76 may have been solved, its legion of followers and obsessives will continue to listen. Thousands of people across the world tune into the signal, hoping to catch one of the ethereal voice messages.
For those in the know, it’s a bemusing social phenomenon. But for the residents of 4chan’s /x/ board and the radio scanner fans, UVB-76 is far more than a communications network. For them, it’s a sign of the forthcoming apocalypse, it’s an international spy network, it’s a secret Russian space experiment.
Whether you believe the theories or not, there’s no denying the thrill that comes with hearing the distorted voice messages of UVB-76.
Photo via Janm67 / Wikipedia (CC BY 3.0)
getuid
partner
sync
partner
710530.gif
 

wwkirk

Divine
Apparently no foul play, but some messy house!

A recent Illinois coroner's autopsy report revealed how a woman discovered her dead husband in her home more than seven months after he went missing. Madison County Coroner Steve Nonn released an autopsy report on March 2 detailing the situation. Troy resident Richard Maedge committed suicide in April. Before he died, he called his wife Jennifer and said he was coming home early from work. Jennifer found that Richard's car was parked outside their house but could not find him. She reported him missing a day later on April 27
 

nivek

As Above So Below

Serial Cat Shaver on the Prowl in Britain

Cat owners in several British communities are on edge due to a sinister miscreant who has taken to shaving their pets. According to a local media report, the bizarre case began around Christmas in the town of Walderslade when a resident's feline friend returned home with a sizeable patch of fur missing. "I was so angry that some nasty human had decided to shave my cat," she recalled, "it was very distressing." However it soon became apparent that this was no isolated incident as, in the weeks and months that followed, the razor-wielding ne'er-do-well struck again in an array of neighboring communities within the British county of Kent.

While the total number of cats that have fallen victim to the phantom shaver is uncertain, an interactive map produced by the group 'Animals Lost and Found' suggests that dozens of animals have been on the receiving end of the troublemaker's handiwork. Speaking to the rascal's rather prolific nature, the organization's spokesperson, Natasha McPhee, noted that "there are roads where two or three attacks have happened." One unfortunate owner revealed that her cat has seemingly been singled out by the perpetrator for repeated shavings to the point that the animal is now particularly skittish around her. Based on the way the feline's behavior has changed, she argued that "it is obviously a human who is doing it."

With the cat shaver on the prowl and the attacks increasing in frequency, Animals Lost and Found are advising owners to keep a close eye on their feline friends lest they wind up with crossing paths with the scoundrel. The group are also urging people to install security cameras, if possible, so that they might catch the culprit in the act. "Without proper evidence of who is doing this," McPhee lamented, "then I fear it will keep happening and no one will be held accountable." Beyond that, one can't help but worry that the person may eventually grow bored with shaving cats and move on to targeting unsuspecting people.


Screenshot_20230317-123334.jpg

Screenshot_20230317-123607.jpg

Screenshot_20230317-123702.jpg

.
 

pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable
Fan poops in aisle near Hillary and Chelsea Clinton at Broadway show

"It was an elderly person"

Sooooory, NO !! I am up to my own ass in 'elderly persons' and can tell you with great authority that they just shit their pants !! Ask me how I know ......

I have dealt with a 'mad pooper' before. I've heard it's something in the military, IDK, but in my case this was a suit & tie engineer at a huge IBM facility. Turds don't just show up unless you have a dog on a leash. He was screwing with people deliberately and I betcha that's exactly what this is. Not an accident.

Fan poops in aisle near Hillary and Chelsea Clinton at Broadway show​

By Ian Mohr
March 20, 2023 | 7:07pm

Some like it … steaming hot.

Page Six hears that a serial pooper has been stalking the halls of the legendary Schubert Theater — and the last time they struck, a turd appeared in the aisle near Hillary and Chelsea Clinton at “Some Like It Hot.”

A source close to the show insists that it was a regrettable one-off incident.

But another source tells us that the theater’s staff said that the s–t’s (almost) hit the fans at other performances as well.

“Last week when Hillary and Chelsea Clinton were in the audience,” said a source. “The lights came up for intermission and there were two human turds in the aisle just near the famous political duo.”

The insider added, “The house crew dealt with it very appropriately and quickly, and Hillary and Chelsea remained in the theater for the second act.”

The mother-daughter power players did not respond to a request for comment, but they were photographed holding up the show’s Playbill and giving a thumbs up.
1679395768153.png


A source close to the show confirmed the incident, telling Page Six, “There was an incident when Hillary Clinton and Chelsea attended.

It was an elderly person and it’s rather sad, but yes, the house staff worked quickly to help resolve the situation and act two started as scheduled.”

The first insider says that after the most recent incident, an eyewitness “spoke to the house manager, who said that it was actually the fourth time it had happened.”

The source wildly speculated, “There is someone who is either s–tting in the aisle, or surreptitiously dumping defecation that they smuggled into the theater.”


But another insider said again that there is no alleged Phantom of the Poopera lurking around — and that it was just a sad accident.

The show has been attracting VIPs including Steven Spielberg, Martin Short, Debbie Allen, Bo Derek, Eddie Izzard, Hank Azaria, Kristin Chenoweth and more. A rep for the show did not comment on the alleged incidents that put the deuce in the forty-deuce district.
 

nivek

As Above So Below

Man claims ChatGPT SAVED his dog's life after vet couldn't figure out what caused its anemia...but AI diagnosed Sassy the Border Collie in minutes

A Twitter user said ChatGPT saved his dog's life correctly diagnosing a blood condition veterinarians were unable to identify.

The user, who goes by Cooper on their account @peakcooper, said their border collie Sassy was diagnosed with a tick-borne disease, but that its symptoms began to worsen despite taking the prescribed treatment.

Cooper brought Sassy back to the vet, but they were unable to provide a further diagnosis and advised the only thing to do was to wait and see how the dog's condition progressed.

Unwilling to risk Sassy's health, Cooper decided to try entering the dog's bloodwork into ChatGPT4 and ask the program for its diagnosis. The AI chatbot advised that it wasn't a veterinarian, but suggested the dog's bloodwork and symptoms indicated it could be suffering from immune mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA).

He said he then brought that prognosis to another vet, who confirmed it and began treating the dog appropriately. Cooper said Sassy has since made a fully recovery, and said 'ChatGPT4 saved my dog's life.'


(More on the link)

69132439-11904325-image-m-17_1679850682284.jpg


.
 

AD1184

Celestial

Man claims ChatGPT SAVED his dog's life after vet couldn't figure out what caused its anemia...but AI diagnosed Sassy the Border Collie in minutes

A Twitter user said ChatGPT saved his dog's life correctly diagnosing a blood condition veterinarians were unable to identify.

The user, who goes by Cooper on their account @peakcooper, said their border collie Sassy was diagnosed with a tick-borne disease, but that its symptoms began to worsen despite taking the prescribed treatment.

Cooper brought Sassy back to the vet, but they were unable to provide a further diagnosis and advised the only thing to do was to wait and see how the dog's condition progressed.

Unwilling to risk Sassy's health, Cooper decided to try entering the dog's bloodwork into ChatGPT4 and ask the program for its diagnosis. The AI chatbot advised that it wasn't a veterinarian, but suggested the dog's bloodwork and symptoms indicated it could be suffering from immune mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA).

He said he then brought that prognosis to another vet, who confirmed it and began treating the dog appropriately. Cooper said Sassy has since made a fully recovery, and said 'ChatGPT4 saved my dog's life.'


(More on the link)

69132439-11904325-image-m-17_1679850682284.jpg


.
I think the use of AI in medical diagnosis will be indispensible very soon. This is because many medics are simply not very skilled diagnosticians, being unfamiliar with a lot of diseases and their signs, and need automated help, or else their patients will suffer. I have begun to use ChatGPT in my work as a programmer.
 

pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable
My sister-in-law got her PhD in Nursing and is a Nurse Practitioner. She has found telemedicine to be lucrative and it fits in with her current lifestyle but says it only has value when used in a certain way. Essentially it's a low level filter and should not be confused with an actual doctor visit. Not everything necessary for diagnosis presents itself in a video. Having spent the last few decades in major hospitals I tend to respect that opinion.

Actually, that was a similar argument that went back years between myself and various colleagues in IT/Telecom. Working remotely is the next next thing to being there and with virtualization 'being there' is less important but with some things there is no substitute for hand-on. I've been involved in a number of projects that turned into clusterfucks along those lines.

So an AI as a 'smart telemedicine'. First thought is that no matter how good or bad it accountants will mandate its use as a replacement for exactly the job my sister-in-law has.

They still call the doorknob that graduates medical school dead last 'doctor'. I've run into more than one incompetent doctor veterinarian; one just last year that would have cost my dog's life had we not gone elsewhere. Going to run that article by my vet for an opinion.
 

AD1184

Celestial
Interesting, how so, or to what level?...

...
We had a need at work to write some scripts in a language none of us knew. I told ChatGPT what I wanted and it wrote the scripts. They don't usually come out perfect, and need a little tinkering, but are better than what I could have come up with by scratch in the time available. I also ask it technical questions and it can point me to an answer in a way that is more time efficient than a traditional web search. You have to be wary of "hallucinations", though, where the model asserts something as fact that is not true. It has told me, for example, a language, API, or piece of software, supports a feature that does not exist.

The advent of these "large language models" is quite concerning, and suggests that the demand for actual human programmers could be greatly reduced in the future. However, I believe that learning to "prompt" these AI language models will become an indispensable skill in my line of work if I stand any chance of keeping a job. The idea that a human programmer will be able to keep up in the workplace without using these tools seems to me like a fantasy now, and a lot of white collar workers are likely reaching the same conclusion.

Some people might cling to the hope that the existence of these hallucinations proves that the whole concept is worthless. However, it is like asking questions of real people in that regard. Often an actual person will confidently assert something that turns out not to be true. You just have to critically evaluate the answer. Further, as these models improve, the rate of these hallucinations will likely reduce.

I have had some sleepless nights lately thinking about the implications of these generative AI models and they have caused me to feel a genuine anxiety about the future. However, I think they are here to stay now, as they do have undeniable uses. I do not think I will be doing my career or livelihood any favours by shunning the technology.
 
Last edited:

nivek

As Above So Below
We had a need at work to write some scripts in a language none of us knew. I told ChatGPT what I wanted and it wrote the scripts. They don't usually come out perfect, and need a little tinkering, but are better than what I could have come up with by scratch in the time available. I also ask it technical questions and it can point me to an answer in a way that is more time efficient than a traditional web search. You have to be wary of "hallucinations", though, where the model asserts something as fact that is not true. It has told me, for example, a language, API, or piece of software, supports a feature that does not exist.

The advent of these "large language models" is quite concerning, and suggests that the demand for actual human programmers could be greatly reduced in the future. However, I believe that learning to "prompt" these AI language models will become an indispensable skill in my line of work if I stand any chance of keeping a job. The idea that a human programmer will be able to keep up in the workplace without using these tools seems to me like a fantasy now, and a lot of white collar workers are likely reaching the same conclusion.

Some people might cling to the hope that the existence of these hallucinations proves that the whole concept is worthless. However, it is like asking questions of real people in that regard. Often an actual person will confidently assert something that turns out not to be true. You just have to critically evaluate the answer. Further, as these models improve, the rate of these hallucinations will likely reduce.

I have had some sleepless nights lately thinking about the implications of these generative AI models and they have caused me to feel a genuine anxiety about the future. However, I think they are here to stay now, as they do have undeniable uses. I do not think I will be doing my career or livelihood any favours by shunning the technology.

I responded here: ChatGPT

...
 

nivek

As Above So Below

Scientists grow mammoth flesh in a lab to make a prehistoric meatball - but they're too afraid to eat it in case ancient protein proves DEADLY

As use-by dates go, this meatball is just a few thousand years past its best. That's because it contains the resurrected flesh of a woolly mammoth — a beast that went extinct some 10,000 years ago.

The prehistoric meatball was made by an Australian cultivated meat company that ultimately wants to mix and match cells from unconventional species to create new kinds of meat.

Scientists took the DNA sequence from a mammoth muscle protein and filled in the gaps with code from an elephant, the species' closest-living relative.

This sequence was then placed in the myoblast stem cells from a sheep, which replicated to grow 20 billion cells that were in turn used to grow the mammoth meat.

However, despite creating what they hope will be a 'really tasty' meat, the experts are too afraid to eat it in case the ancient protein proves deadly.


Unusual: Scientists have grown mammoth flesh in a lab to make a prehistoric meatball (shown)


How it works: Scientists took the DNA sequence from a mammoth muscle protein and filled in the gaps with code from an elephant, the species' closest-living relative

Scientists took the DNA sequence from a mammoth muscle protein and filled in the gaps with code from an elephant, the species' closest-living relative

(More on the link)

.
 

pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable
Well, I've been asking for new tasty animals and it looks like I'm not alone.

Eat the goddamned meatball already. Leave it if the refrigerator in the lunchroom, someone will.
 

wwkirk

Divine

Scientists grow mammoth flesh in a lab to make a prehistoric meatball - but they're too afraid to eat it in case ancient protein proves DEADLY

As use-by dates go, this meatball is just a few thousand years past its best. That's because it contains the resurrected flesh of a woolly mammoth — a beast that went extinct some 10,000 years ago.

The prehistoric meatball was made by an Australian cultivated meat company that ultimately wants to mix and match cells from unconventional species to create new kinds of meat.

Scientists took the DNA sequence from a mammoth muscle protein and filled in the gaps with code from an elephant, the species' closest-living relative.

This sequence was then placed in the myoblast stem cells from a sheep, which replicated to grow 20 billion cells that were in turn used to grow the mammoth meat.

However, despite creating what they hope will be a 'really tasty' meat, the experts are too afraid to eat it in case the ancient protein proves deadly.


Unusual: Scientists have grown mammoth flesh in a lab to make a prehistoric meatball (shown)


How it works: Scientists took the DNA sequence from a mammoth muscle protein and filled in the gaps with code from an elephant, the species' closest-living relative' closest-living relative

Scientists took the DNA sequence from a mammoth muscle protein and filled in the gaps with code from an elephant, the species' closest-living relative

(More on the link)
I would expect them to to feed it to a variety of animals to see how they handle it.
 

nivek

As Above So Below
I would expect them to to feed it to a variety of animals to see how they handle it.

Yeah that would be the reasonable thing to do if they had any concerns...

Do people eat elephant in the western world?...I ask cause I've never heard of anyone trying elephant meat before...

...
 

wwkirk

Divine
Yeah that would be the reasonable thing to do if they had any concerns...

Do people eat elephant in the western world?...I ask cause I've never heard of anyone trying elephant meat before...

...
Well, they're endangered so...
But apart from that, wouldn't elephant meat be tough as hell?
 

nivek

As Above So Below
Well, they're endangered so...
But apart from that, wouldn't elephant meat be tough as hell?

Yeah I wasn't thinking, they are endangered, so that's a no lol...

...
 
Top