The ninth Rule of Acquisition states, "Opportunity plus instinct equals profit." Sydney Charlet has the instinct and found the opportunity for great profit.

Jalopnik explains that legal parking in New York City is very expensive, sometimes runnning into six figures for reserved spots. Illegal parking can get pricey, too, due to tickets issued when street sweepers arrive. So some residents pay Charlet to sit in their cars. When the cars are about to get ticketed, Charlet moves them to avoid the fines.

This wasn't Charlet's planned career. She started her business after getting laid off from a marketing position. Clearly employers in that industry don't appreciate her cunning.

If you have a dog, you're familiar with this experience. Your pup maintains steady eye contact while excreting. Why? Karen Piwinski, a dog trainer, explains that it's an instinctive behavior.

In the wild, animals are vulnerable while relieving themselves. It's the same reason why you or I might carry a bat'leth while using the toilet: we want to be safe. Your dog is stating "I trust you to keep watch." So look at this canine behavior as an expression of confidence in you.

Similarly, when your dog tries to follow you into the bathroom, consider that he's really just trying to return the favor.

-via Dave Barry | Photo: Amy used under Creative Commons license

Yesterday, British rock star Ozzy Osbourne passed away at the age of 76.

Here in Texas, we remember him for a particular incident which is emblematic of our state. The excellent history X account Traces of Texas describes it.

In 1982, while thoroughly intoxicated, Osbourne urinated on the Cenotaph, a monument to the Alamo martyrs which stands in front of the old chapel. He was arrested and, after his performance the following night, banned from performing in San Antonio for a decade.

Osbourne returned in 1992, profusely apologized for his act of defilement, donated $10,000 to the Daughters of the Republic of Texas (which maintains the site), and performed for two nights.

David Crockett famously said, "You can all go to hell and I'll go to Texas," before leaving Tennessee on his final journey into glory. Texas is a home of second chances and starting over. Ozzy Osbourne received his second chance and redemption for an impulsive act just a few yards from where Crockett fell. The official Instagram account for the Alamo mourns his passing with respect and kindness.

Photo: Focka used under Creative Commons license

Occasionally, women must go to great lengths to stave off the romantic efforts of men. This is true for animals as well as humans. ABC News reports that a recent study found that the females of a species of frog will actually pretend to be dead when approached by males.

The males, the article notes, are not particularly choosy. They very interested in mating with any and every available female. The females are more selective and so must fend off the advances of many males during mating season. Sometimes they give off vocalizations that create the impression that they are actually male. But the most innovative tactic is playing dead--what the scientists call "tonic immobility."

-via Dave Barry | Photo: Richard Bartz

It is a truth universally acknowledged that, as an art form, television reached its zenith in 90s science fiction. YouTuber Rowan J. Coleman clearly understands the greatness of these narratives, as we have previously seen in his analysis of the subtle perfection of Patrick Stewart as Captain Picard.

Here, Coleman breaks down how, in particular scenes, two actors contributed to the glorious story of Babylon 5, which piloted in 1993 and and concluded in 1998. In this franchise, Andreas Katsulas depicted G'Kar and and Peter Jurasik took the role of Londo Mollari. These two men, through heavy makeup, used precise gestures, facial expressions, and intonations to bring to the screen flawed heroes that fascinated a generation.

Babcock Ranch is a housing development about 20 miles inland of Fort Myers, Florida. Hurricanes are part of live along the Gulf coast, so avoiding flooding is a priority for home builders and buyers. Babcock Ranch is built with this objective in mind.

This Wall Street Journal video illustrates how the urban planners discarded the traditional grid model for streets to focus on water drainage. Their design includes large ponds that are connected through subterranean pipes and can be emptied prior to the arrival of a storm. Streets are intentionally built low so that they can serve as auxilarly drainage channels. Although this may leave residents isolated during a hurricane, it will increase the likelihood of preserving their houses.

-via Kottke

Kenji Abe, a product designer, offers this concept for a beer bottle for the beach environment. Although a flat bottom is suitable for resting on the table, a rounded one is superior for plunging into the sand for stable grounding. Alternatively, simply drink the entire bottle in one go and forgo the need to set it down anywhere.

The design is simple and superb. But an ER doctor, apparently sharing the experiences of other ER personnel, warns:

Hi, ER Doc here.

I don’t know who needs to hear this but do NOT even think about it. https://t.co/4GarlA9Jyw

— Sam Ghali, M.D. (@EM_RESUS) July 20, 2025

-via Instapundit

H-E-B is a grocery store chain in Texas and Mexico. It's one of the iconic businesses, along with Buc-ee's and Whataburger, that are associated with Texas.

Texans know what this image represents. H-E-B makes superb flour tortillas that my family buys weekly. If you time your purchase right, they're still warm. These tortillas are the basis for the quesadillas that are my standard supper.

Texas Monthly reports that, a few weeks ago, a viral TikTok video depicted a woman traveling through an airport with 200 H-E-B tortillas in her backpack. H-E-B took advantage of the publicity to produce a TSA-compliant bag wrapped to resemble its famous tortillas and distribute 5,000 fresh tortillas to travelers at the main airport of San Antonio.

Jakob Grosse-Ophoff is an artist in Rostock, Germany who uses a variety of media, including paint, but has become famous on the internet for his kinetic sculptures. These mixed media pieces amuse audiences while simultaneously commenting about human societies.

I'm especially taken with the broadly-named Humanity, which pokes fun at our tendency to destroy ourselves needlessly. Like most of Grosse-Ophoff's sculptures, the human form is rendered in roughly-hewn wood. I take this choice to present a timelessness to the human condition.

-via Massimo

The premise of Zillow Gone Wild is that there will always be eccentrically-designed homes for sale. That's why it keeps browsing for gems like this 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom home in central Tennessee.

No, it's not a leftover from the Cold War or the Y2K scare. In fact, this bunker complex was built this year.

David "DTJAAAAM" Ngo is a professional cosplay photographer who travels the world capturing images of the world's best costumes worn by enthusiastic performers.

At Colossalcon, he snapped photos of Macho Magnus, a cosplay merging the late "Macho Man" Randy Savage and the Transformer Ultra Magnus. Ohhhh yeahhh!

The cosplayer is Toby Hixson, a master creator who specializes in Randy Savage cosplays. These include designs inspired by Adam Savage, Sargeant Slaughter, Super Mario Bros., and the Mandalorian. 

CTV News reports that police officers in a town in southeastern Wisconsin pulled over a car and performed a search of the vehicle and its occupants. Inside, they found a gun, drug paraphenalia, and, most curiously, a bag labeled "definitely not a bag full of drugs."

There were drugs inside.

The driver and passenger were arrested on various charges, including being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of drugs.

I see from the photo that police also found a dice bag. It's appalling that carrying one could be considered a crime in the home state of the late Gary Gygax.

-via Dave Barry | Photo: Pleasant Prairie Police Department

There are Ferris wheels all around the world, but Finland has a very Finnish take on the classic amusement ride. Finns love their saunas and coined the word. If you visit Finland, you'll have many opportunities to experience different types of saunas, including one that will give you a scenic view of Helsinki.

The SkyWheel allows you and up to four friends to languor in the steamy heat of a private sauna gondola as it rotates through the wheel. There's also a hot tub at the base of the wheel. The experience is a bit pricey with prices starting at about $280 USD per hour.

-via Weird Universe

Renzo Rage is a martial artist and, although he does not state it outright, a gifted physical comedian. On TikTok, he occasionally posts videos of himself performing ordinary household tasks, such as avoiding an obstacle, using movements inspired by different martial arts.

In this video, Rage closes the door to his refrigerator with tai chi, drunken boxing, karate, sumo, ninjitsu, and, best of all, the most dangerous martial art: bullshido.

The City of Dallas, Texas, like most cities, regulates the construction of new buildings in its jurisdiction. The permit office is in the process of moving to a new 11-storey facility. Staff had already started to move in but have, NBC 5 News reports, been forced to return to its old facility.

That's because the new building is not up to code. It lacks an occupancy permit and so, of course, cannot be occupied. The confusion is causing delays in the office issuing occupancy permits for the rest of Dallas, as well as, apparently, itself.

-via Megan McArdle | Photo: City of Dallas