February 24, 2023

"For days, television footage of helmeted officials peering and prodding at the sphere had led to comments about a possible unidentified floating object, or perhaps an egg produced by something large..."

"... lurking far below. One Japanese public figure of sorts, a cheeky mascot named Chiitan, went so far as to essentially say, 'C’est moi.' 'An iron ball about 1.5 meters in size, found in Shizuoka,' the mascot’s handlers wrote on Twitter. 'It could be me.'"

44 comments:

Charlie said...

What a great band and what a great song!

PS That song, if released today, would be flagged for "mis-information".

Václav Patrik Šulik said...

One of the Greatest songs by The Who - thank you.

William said...

If I were a shape shifting alien creature wishing to invade this ecosphere, I would don the clever disguise of an abandoned buoy.

Spiros said...

I'm happy it's not an object planted by super intelligent aliens. I don't think, at least right now, that humanity can take the blow to its ego.

Leland said...

Warning, clickbait headline. The story is actually quite boring. Buoy washes ashore. Local authorities are not sure what it is. Precaution is to treat it as unexploaded ordinance (UXO) such as an underwater mine (pretty clean to be left over from a war). After non-destructive testing (x-ray) of the device showed it was safe, it was hauled off as scrap metal.

But we live in the age of ChatGPT and clickbait for advertisement, so NYT used about a thousand words to describe the situation. Not sure if ChatGPT would create garbage like this:
It was just a large, spherical piece of scrap metal — a reminder that the oceans, like the skies, are full of mystery and trash. Skies are full of trash? Credit, this conclusion is provided in like the 5th paragraph, but then 10 more paragraphs come afterwards.

Ann Althouse said...

"Warning, clickbait headline."

The headline clearly says "It's a buoy."

n.n said...

Not just any balloon. A balloon that penetrated our surveillance. A balloon that mapped probable "burdens". A balloon that may have been the early stages of planned transnational hypersonic intercourse... or leverage. From The Twilight Fringe to The Outer Limits.

n.n said...

A buoy to raise distilled spirits.

Iman said...

Buoys on Film?

n.n said...

Buoy. #Acrimonious #Ceremonious #Felonious drift

UFO? Unidentified Floating Object. #LoveAcronyms

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Orb.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

I'm an orb I'm an orb... a lonely orb. I fell into the sea, will you please save me.
I'm an orb.

JAORE said...

I'm just glad Commander in Chief Biden was able to call back the F-35s. That strafing run could have been messy.

Joe Smith said...

'The headline clearly says "It's a buoy."'

Is it actually a buoy, or does it just identify as one?

alanc709 said...

Guess I was off, I thought it was a moored mine that broke free.

John henry said...

"those aren't bouoys!"

Showing once again that we could probably just make 10 year Olds watch the complete Seinfeld series and equip them pretty well for real life.

John Henry

Leland said...

The article called it "scrap metal".

n.n said...

I'm a boy, you're a girl, let's get together... The connotations are endless.

Yancey Ward said...

"Yadda, yadda, yadda, she says, 'Those are buoys'",

samanthasmom said...

I'm a buoy. You're a gull.

BarrySanders20 said...

I'm just an orb
Yes I am only an orb
And I'm floatin' cause I cannot absorb.

Well, it's a long, long journey
To the shore of Japan.
It's a long, long wait
While I'm getting poked by a man.
But I know I'll be important someday
(At least I hope and pray)
But today I am still just an orb.

BarrySanders20 said...

Japan has had a long and troubled history with monsters like Godzilla, so it is understandable that Japanese officials would be cautious with anything resembling a Godzilla egg.

RideSpaceMountain said...

If you can lose your head when all about you are keeping theirs,

If you can be oblivious when all men doubt you, but trust men despite doubting too;

If you can't wait and get tired by waiting, or lie about others, and deal in lies,

If you can fill the present minute with sixteen years of waiting for a green light to run,

The Earth and everything that’s in it you're denied, And — which is far worse — you’ll be a Boy, my son!

Tom T. said...

It would have been awesome if the Japanese authorities announced "it was a ... bababooey!'

Kay said...

Heh, the apology in the headline was a nice touch.

n.n said...

the complete Seinfeld series and equip them pretty well for real life

Seinfeld's guide to the Earth

Lloyd W. Robertson said...

"Nature Boy"

There was a boy
A very strange enchanted boy
They say he wandered very far, very far
Over land and sea
A little shy and sad of eye
But very wise was he
And then one day
A magic day he passed my way
And while we spoke of many things
Fools and kings
This he said to me
"The greatest thing you'll ever learn
Is just to love and be loved in return"
"The greatest thing you'll ever learn
Is just to love and be loved in return"

Rabel said...

Chiitan is a hoot.

narciso said...

take you back to the village

Narr said...

It's interesting to me, how Mod they were back then, with their silly little jingles.

They certainly got much better--I credit the heavy drug use.

JK Brown said...

It's just a buoy with intentions for good. Oh lord, please don't let it be misunderstood

RideSpaceMountain said...

@Lloyd W. Robertson

"Nature Boy"

"The greatest thing you'll ever learn
Is just to love and be loved in return"


"Just to love and be loved in return"
Mr. Woo approves
He can confirm

n.n said...

The Art of War... Love begins with a buoyed... uh, projection.

You raise me up... "Secret Garden", a veritable Eden, how apropos.

n.n said...

His buoy rose and dropped with the ebb and flow of her waves.

dbp said...

I asked Chat.OpenAI to make up a good comment to this post:

"Well, well, well, it looks like we have a new reality TV show in town: "Helmeted Vandalism Hunters"! I can already see the tagline: "One man's trash is another man's TV ratings."

But seriously, I hope they have a good insurance policy for those helmets. We wouldn't want any accidental headbutts while trying to apprehend the elusive vandal. And who knows, maybe they'll get lucky and catch a glimpse of Bigfoot while they're at it. It's a win-win situation!"

n.n said...

In the wake of sexual progress and UFOs (Unidentified Floating Objects)...

Spaceballs!

Dark Helmet: I see your schwartz is as big as mine.

Fred Drinkwater said...

Oh FFS. that was obviously a mooring bouy, broken loose. Happens all the time. "Days" to figure this out? Well, at least it was Japanese tax yen at work, this time.

James K said...

Brings to mind that opening scene of "2001: A Space Odyssey."

Kevin said...

Norman Goodman: What is it, Harry?

Dr. Harry Adams: Take a look. It's chipped!

Captain Harold C. Barnes: Alright, it's chipped - so what?

Dr. Harry Adams: Well I thought you said this thing wouldn't damage when it crashed and that this titanium alloy was so superstrong there's no way you can hurt it.

Captain Harold C. Barnes: I did.

Dr. Harry Adams: So how come it chips when this scientist just bangs on it with a hammer?

Kevin said...

Ain't got no home
A-no place to roam
I'm a lonely buoy
I ain't got a home

Dr Weevil said...

31 comments on a post including the line "It's just a buoy" and not a single 'gender reveal' joke? What's wrong with you people?

Oh, wait, I forgot I was on Althouse, not Ace of Spades: they would beaten that joke to death.

Chuck said...

"Ooooh ooooh I was just a buoy..."

Iman said...

the lonely buoy
calmly waits for Gojira
Mothra and Rodan

Ann Althouse said...

I'm just a lonely boy
Lonely and blue
I'm all alone
With nothin' to do
I've got everything
You could think of
But all I want
Is someone to love
Someone, yes someone to love
Someone to kiss
Someone to hold
At a moment like this
I'd like to hear
Somebody say
I'll give you my love
Each night and day"