I recently saw a scooter driver do something odd as he prepared to make a delivery. Before he took off, he applied a piece of blue tape to his license plate, which I realized was an effort to obscure his actual license plate number. I captured a a quick snap of the deception:

I believe there’s a “3” hidden there, but whatever it is, no automated license plate reader will see it. Woe unto the holder of license plate “E5838”, who may be getting this guy’s tickets.

This subterfuge is not unique. One New Jersey driver racked up over $18,000 in tolls and fines with his obscured plate. At least some of the time, he used hosiery to dodge cameras.

When he was finally caught, he was arrested and his car was impounded. I assume they kept the socks as evidence too.

In an effort to reduce injuries from shark bites, scientists have developed bite-resistant wetsuits.

“It’s basically very, very simple. In the extremely rare event that you get bitten by a shark, this material will hopefully make you bleed less than you would if you were not wearing this.”

Also in an effort to reduce injuries from shark bites, I’ll be staying out of the ocean.

You may know the acronym HOMES for the Great Lakes of Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior, but you almost certainly do not know the acronym SCHMOE. And yet, but for a very brief time in 1998, Vermont’s Lake Champlain was America’s sixth Great Lake.

Today in terrible ideas, Tesla vehicles are now suggesting that inattentive drivers turn on full self-driving:

“Lane drift detected. Let FSD assist so you can stay focused,” reads the first message, which was included in a software update

If nothing else, you’re sure as hell going to wake you up when the Tesla veers off the road.

If you bought this spooktacular chocolate candy:

But upon opening it, discovered this bland lumpkin:

You would be justified in feeling a bit of disappointment.

It appears, however, that you would not be entitled to damages.

Way back in 2011, I attended the Ig Nobel prizes, getting to meet the delightful Tank Mayor. The satirical prizes continue to be awarded, and the 2025 crop is as delightful as ever. For instance, Tomoki Kojima and his team demonstrated that painting cows with zebra-like stripes can prevent flies from biting them.

Kojima was thrilled to be recognized.

“When I did this experiment, I hoped that I would win the Ig Nobel. It’s my dream. Unbelievable. Just unbelievable,” said Tomoki Kojima, whose team put tape on Japanese beef cows and then spray painted them with white stripes. Kojima appeared on stage in stripes and was surrounded by his fellow researchers who harassed [him] with cardboard flies.

Dreams really do come true.

Homelessness is a problem in San Francisco. Weaponizing Narcan is not a solution.

The Department of Public Health also condemned the use of Narcan on people who aren’t overdosing.

“Individuals should administer naloxone if they recognize that someone is experiencing an overdose,” the department said in a statement. “However, misusing this essential tool to intentionally cause pain or distress is inhumane.”

Health experts are horrified, and so am I.

I loved many parts of this interview with Dropkick Murphys frontman Ken Casey.

“Walking the talk” matters to the Dropkicks; their merch is made in the US by union-approved manufacturers, while their Claddagh Fund supports non-profit organisations across Boston. “We were pretty beloved in our city, whether people liked our music or not, because we gave a lot back to the community,” Casey says.

Casey and crew are walking the talk, and that still matters if we want it to.