fact
14 cargo ships were stranded in the Suez Canal for 8 years, whose crews all decided to form a micronation. One ship served as a hospital; another, a movie theater. On Sundays, the German Nordwind hosted “church” services. “We call it church,” Captain Paul Wall told the Los Angeles Times in 1969. “But actually it […]
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Evidence suggests that sloths grow algae in their fur and then eat it. This algae-farming is thought to be aided by moths that live in the fur, and whose growth the sloth actively promotes.
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Of the many sayings in the world, the one that goes “you get what you pay for” seems to generally hold up all the time.
Some things we don’t mind buying as knockoffs, because maybe we don’t expect them to last long to begin with or they’re a fad that’s probably going to go out of style anyway.
Other things, though – tennis shoes, for me, for one – you have to spring for the real deal, otherwise you know you’ll have regrets.
Here are 20 items people say they would never buy on the cheap.
If you work at a desk, your chair is an important one as well.
Scotch tape. The knock off brands won’t stick to anything.
MAPLE SYRUP.
My entire life I have been buying Aunt Jemima’s, thinking it was real maple syrup. until a few days ago I saw this bottle of AJ’s that said “with 10% maple syrup”. I thought they had released a shittier version with only 10% real maple syrup. I looked at the price and was baffled because it was more expensive than the regular.
That was when I realized… Original AJ’s is basically just sugar water.
The school where I teach used to get yearly donations of dozens of Rose Art crayon 24-packs.
But obviously no one would use them. Finally, someone had the balls to tell the org donating that the Rose Arts were going to waste and to just get fewer packs of Crayola.
They complied and it’s been wonderful ever since.
This is a huge problem in charity giving. People buy multiples of the cheap version rather than one of the decent version because they feel like they are stretching their dollar and helping more people.
The rule of thumb is to buy like you would buy for yourself when you give. Getting a 30 pack of socks that you’d never wear instead of a 3 pack of quality socks feels like you are doing what is right, but you aren’t.
Bed sheets and bras.
Condoms, Helmets, & Defense Attorneys
In places with real heavy winters, you can’t buy cheap coats and sweaters. I always save up for nice turtlenecks.
Anything i’ll be using for an extended period of time (hours in succession) So a bed, PC, Clothes, Chair etc.
Condoms.
That will save you literally $250,000.
Monitor! Good god, when i took out the old x230 and turned it on, i almost cried. I played over a hundred hours of dark souls with keyboard and mouse on that tiny, horrible screen.
My neck, my back, and my eyes are more important than some money i have to pay once
Toilet paper. I literally cannot afford to pay my bills rn but the last time I bought cheap toilet paper it legit made my a$s bleed lol.
Coats for cold weather.
From this thread, I learned I should buy the expensive version of everything.
Tires.
I splurged and have the best winter tires I’ve ever had in my life this year. Makes a huge difference!
Bras and underwear.
Although I don’t go out of my way to get expensive brands, I don’t check the price tags when shopping. If it’s comfortable, I buy it… and several pairs.
My grandpa told me you don’t cheap out on anything that goes underneath you: tires, mattress, shoes.
Tampons.
as my mom says, buy the good tampons, anything to make your period suck less is worth it! she’s so right, i’m not sticking cardboard up my hoohah if i don’t have to
As my Gran says, “Buy shite, buy twice”.
Gran is wise, a customer friendly version I used to use is: “buy it nice, or buy it twice.”
outdoor/backpacking equipment. good quality equipment could potentially save your life. bad quality equipment could be a potential death sentence.
Foot wear and bedding. You spend so much time in both that it should be comfy!
My mom used to tell me, “never skimp on things that go between you and the ground.”
Footwear: sock and shoes Bedding: home and camping equipment Tires.
I agree with most of these, but sometimes you can still find a really good deal.
What would you add to this list? Tell us in the comments!
The post Items People Swear They Would Never Buy The “Cheap” Version Of appeared first on UberFacts.
One time I burnt Ramen noodles. I would go into the details but my insurance company has me on a gag order. They said Ramen isn’t supposed to go into a molten state like that. The authorities were called, biochemical weapon sanctions were placed. It was a weird afternoon.
These “cooks” are on much the same skill level. Read their full confessions of debauchery below.
And every time a mitt burns a shrimp a get its wings… That was funnier in my head.
I used to do the same thing in college to save money. I mean the hair, not the ramen. I used a Flowbee. It was magical.
Syrup, please?
I’ve had worse. I have had better… Would still eat. Happy Thankspatty Day
Eggs and bacon served on a bun. 86 coffee, tho.
Hard as boiled.
Doc told me to lay off the sodium.
I made a Mighty Ducks reference because hockey. Fiskey!
Does water burn? Yeah?
They don’t rewarm well.
If you can’t take the heat get out the toaster.
Rice and no water makes functional charcoal.
Any bad cooks gone worse reading this? Any horrible stories you want to share?
Do that in the comments, fam!
Thanks!
The post Bad Cooks Share Some Real Bad Cooking Stories appeared first on UberFacts.
Being a pilot is not easy and it comes with a ton of pressure to keep everyone on board safe and comfortable.
I’ve been on enough plane rides to know that the seatbelt sign is on for a reason. I’ve found turbulence can pretty uncomfortable and usually a few passengers voice their displeasure when it happens. Unfortunately, turbulence isn’t the only thing pilots have to worry about.
Pilots are human beings like us and they think of lots of things in addition to lifting off, flying and landing.
Here are 13 confessions from pilots they wish people knew but will never share.
You would say it, too.
I love to watch the skyline tilt as the plane ascends. It makes me feel like I’m a kid on my way to Disney World again!
Source: Whisper
That’ll keep ’em awake. Unfortunately none of my pilots have cracked jokes over the AV system.
Source: Whisper
Facing their fears every day. Inspiring!
I don’t think I could do this job. I enjoy flying, but I’m not good with heights.
Source: Whisper
A passenger seat is better for a cat nap.
I’ve never seen a pilot asleep in the cabin, but if I was a pilot, I think I would consider doing it.
I’m nocturnal, so it could happen!
Source: Whisper
Hey, it’s a lot to memorize! There are so many things to remember and manage. It’s remarkable.
Source: Whisper
But they’ll put the seatbelt sign on, at least. Thank goodness none of my pilots ever did this.
The image of the heart is on point because mine would be out of my chest!
Source: Whisper
We’d all want to brag about it, to be honest.
All of my flights have been flown by very professional, skilled pilots, which means flying hasn’t exactly exciting.
I don’t have a wild personal story about a heroic pilot, but I treasure feeling safe.
Source: Whisper
So it’s not just in the movies, then.
I really hope this isn’t common among pilots. It disturbs me that it happens at all.
Source: Whisper
Not exactly a comforting thing to read. I’m going to be thinking about this the next time I’m on a plane. (Shudders)
Source: Whisper
The stakes are high. I can’t imagine how stressful it would be to wonder if your health or a perceived health issue could end your career.
Source: Whisper
Well that’s one way to pass the time…
I loved to pull stunts like this as a kid when I was bored, but as an adult at work? I’m not sure.
Caption: Whisper
That’s so sad. Poor kid. I would have missed my dad so much if he was absent this much.
Source: Whisper
Horror movie material. I hope pilots are evaluated for problematic thoughts.
Source: Whisper
Next time I get on the plane I’m definitely going to wonder what my pilots have gone through in their careers and I’m grateful all of my flights have been uneventful — not even any screaming children!
I will make a point to thank my pilots on my next flight — whenever that will be.
Has your pilot ever shared any stories with the passengers about life in the skies?
Leave us a comment.
The post Pilots Discuss What They Wish They Could Tell Passengers appeared first on UberFacts.
Most of us have been there. Your ring is too loose, too tight, too… something. Or maybe it just doesn’t match your other jewelry.
Here are some of the ten crazy reasons why women choose to leave the bling behind.
But honestly, watch out if you do! You might start to regret it.
Image credit: Whisper
But that’s okay, because who doesn’t love shiny?
Just pair your ring with sunglasses, and you’ll be fine.
Image credit: Whisper
Jewelry is like pants. If you’re not going out, who needs ’em?
Image credit: Whisper
Isn’t it more evolved to be above all that?
The ring won’t get you through the tough times.
Image credit: Whisper
In other words, he better be worth it.
Otherwise, it might be a symbol that you should give it back.
Image credit: Whisper
But seriously though, if the ring gives you a rash, did it come from a vending machine?
Don’t get mad. Buy better jewelry!
Image credit: Whisper
And two rings is just one too many sometimes.
After all, no one likes a showoff.
Image credit: Whisper
We all take things off in our sleep. Right?
Image credit: Whisper
Comfort is key.
Take it off while you’re awake… so that you don’t take it off when you’re not.
Image credit: Whisper
When it’s ugly, and you just can’t tell him… maybe it’s time to “lose” it?
Image credit: Whisper
These are all completely understandable reasons to leave the rock at home.
Personally, I haven’t worn mine since the start of the pandemic. Too much hand-washing for that business.
What about you? Do you still wear your engagement ring? Be sure to share why or why not in the comments.
The post People Talk About the Reasons They Leave Their Engagement Rings at Home appeared first on UberFacts.
It kind of blows my mind sometimes when people talk about how much time they have to mess with people…
Why aren’t you people working?!?!
But that’s another story…
This story comes to us from Reddit’s “Am I the *sshole?” page and is pretty interesting…
Let’s take a look at what happened and how people on Reddit responded to this situation.
AITA for screwing with my ex and his assistant?
“My ex’s assistant has disliked me since she started working for him. I have to stay in touch with my ex because we have a 9-month-old together.
His schedule changes a lot so his assistant is supposed to let me know if there’s a change which will mean he can’t use his visitations and if he wants to reschedule the time.
She’s started “accidentally” sending me his personal things. If he’s making dinner arrangements with his current flavour of the week, she “accidentally” sends it to me asking to confirm when it’s meant for someone else. She “accidentally” got two gifts mixed up, so she ended up sending me/our baby lingerie. There have been other things, but you get the idea.
Last Tuesday, she “accidentally” called me whilst my ex was having a pretty sexual conversation with his best friend in which I came up an uncomfortable number of times. It was muffled but I heard way more than I wanted to.
In the past, I would complain to my ex, but he always laughs her mistakes off and promises he’ll have a word with her, but she keeps doing it.
I was supposed to see my ex last Friday, but I was kind of annoyed with him, so I decided to screw with his assistant and him. I called her and told her he couldn’t come on Friday because I had a date. On Friday, I called him when he didn’t show and asked him why he didn’t come.
He ended up coming over later than he was supposed to, and he was sulking the whole time and kept complaining that he thought I was going on a date and he’d need to have a word with his assistant about making mistakes because he had to cancel “important” plans to come over last minute.
I did end up telling him the truth after our son went to sleep and I confronted him about what he said. He denied it but then got angry at me for wasting his time and making him miss time with his son. He said I was being petty over small mistakes.
I told my best friend what I did, and she said I was an AH because his assistant could get fired over this and I shouldn’t have told him about hearing the call.
I do feel kind of bad now but I’m really sick of her making mistakes when it comes to me and getting away with it.
So, [am I the a-hole]?”
Here’s how people responded.
This person said that she is not in the wrong in this situation.
Photo Credit: Reddit
This person thought the whole thing stunk of immaturity and pettiness.
Photo Credit: Reddit
Another person also argued that she was not the *sshole in this situation and that she needs to be very deliberate with keeping records about this whole situation.
Photo Credit: Reddit
Finally, this person said (and I agree) that everyone involved in this situation kind of sucks and they’re all playing immature games.
Photo Credit: Reddit
Do you think this person is a jerk?
Or is this whole thing really no big deal?
Share your thoughts with us in the comments. Thanks!
The post A Person Wants to Know if They’re a Jerk for Messing With Their Ex and His Assistant appeared first on UberFacts.
There is no shortage of scientific facts that creep me the heck out – the natural world is full of endless weirdness that can really unsettle a person when you stop and think about it for too long.
If that seems like something you’d be into today, have we got a list for you – these 15 people are sharing the creepiest science facts they know, and they really are some doozies!
The existence of prions.
The prion mode of action is very different to bacteria and viruses as they are simply proteins, devoid of any genetic material.
Once a misfolded prion enters a healthy person – potentially by eating infected food – it converts correctly-folded proteins into the disease-associated form.
To date, nobody knows quite how this happens
There is something called “the squeeze,” where when people had old scuba suits with tubes, you could actually get sucked into that tube if the pressure was off.
You are literally shredded through your own breathing tube.
Humans are bioluminescent (nothing to do with body temperature).
We emit visible light that can be photographed in specific conditions.
But, this light isn’t visible to us. Which makes it a strange thing to have evolved, and begs the question
“what organisms is this light visible to, and why?”
Doctors/ scientists are BARELY keeping up with the influenza virus. It keeps on mutating rapidly. It really wants to get inside you.
Rogue black holes. There are black holes that just are floating around in space and potentially f*cking up solar system just by passing through it.
That so many vegetables came from the same plant. Broccoli, kale, kohlrabi, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, etc.
They are, botanically speaking, the same species. Humans have just bred them to emphasize different traits (buds, leaves, tubers…)
Imagine if humans were as genetically flexible.
Imagine a person walking around with GIANT toes, but otherwise normal.
Actually, plant genetics in general is a weird, weird world.
Not exactly scientific or creepy but, it’s close enough and I want to contribute.
Mouth pipetting was a thing in labs in the 1980s. A pipette is, for simplicity sake, a glass straw that lab staff would use to transfer liquids. Now a days we use special bulbs, that when squeezed, would suck up the liquid for us. Kinda like a turkey baster or eye dropper.
Before we had these bulbs lab workers had to use their mouths to suck up the liquid. Which meant if they weren’t careful they’d get whatever they were sucking up in their mouth. I’m currently training to be MLAT and those fluids would usually be urine, liquid stool, sputum and so on.
Your brain literally creates your own reality and your senses and body just go along with it.
There is more micro organisms on your body than people in earth.
Also a lot of schizophrenics are pretty normal well adjusted people aside the schizophrenia, so like if you were sitting in your room and a dog floated in attached to a balloon or the number 7 started telling you you’re worthless at first you’re gonna get freaked out by it but once you confirm that it’s not there you’re going to realize “okay this is me”, it helps that a lot of hallucinations are recurring as well, so if you know they happen you can just tell yourself they’re not, even though everything in you is saying that’s not the case
It’s really weird but it’s fascinating
The really hard stuff is like extreme paranoia, I worked with a woman whose whole family basically was schizophrenic, her included, and there were a few times she’d say things like “you’re not hacking my phone right?” Or “the mayor is stalking me”, that kind of thing and for someone who has experienced similar paranoias (to a considerably lesser degree) I can understand that those aren’t really that easy to shake
Spider webs were used as bandages in ancient times.
My grandpa was from rural Eastern Europe and he told me about his grandma and mom using spider webs on wounds. It’s not even that ancient of a thing
The way quantum mechanics works is pretty creepy to me for reasons I can’t exactly pin down.
Particles aren’t points, at least not that we can possibly ever observe. The best physical description of a particle’s position is a wave over at least a four-dimensional volume showing where it probably is. I say four-dimensional because there’s a non-zero time uncertainty as well. This isn’t a limitation on what we can observe, it’s an actual testable property of particles, that they don’t have exact positions, velocities, energies, times. When they’re “observed” by interaction, the wave collapses, which still doesn’t make it exact, just more likely to exist in a smaller space. The argument that there really is an exact point in there somewhere and it’s just always hidden from observation isn’t true; the Bell inequality proved that. For example, because of this uncertainty, it’s physically impossible to cool helium enough to freeze it at atmospheric pressure.
This uncertainty even applies to the vacuum. It can’t be at zero energy, because that would violate the uncertainty principle. So sets of virtual particles pop into existence in the vacuum and stick around for an incredibly short amount of time, given by the time uncertainty, before annihilating each other in a zero net energy process. This is, very simply put, how black holes hypothetically lose mass; pairs of virtual particles are spontaneously created near the event horizon, one enters, one escapes. The one inside annihilates a particle within, the one that leaves becomes real. Information is transported outside the event horizon in an incredibly obfuscated, but still existent, form, meaning information isn’t destroyed by black holes.
Then you get into the weird math. It starts raising questions about what “real” is. Can we say something’s real if it’s not testable, or is the math describing the situation the closest to “real” that we can get? For example, you could look at the predicted path for a particle. There’s a non-zero chance for it to take any path between two points. So you basically take all the possible paths, account for the probability that it takes that path, add ’em all up, and you can recover Newtonian mechanics from it in the classical limit. Is this actually what’s happening? It isn’t really testable.
Even the Bell inequality that I mentioned earlier has some crazy philosophical implications. It basically says one of three things are true: information travels faster than light (which we have never seen), cause doesn’t always come before effect (wtf), or the universe is superdeterministic (which would disprove free will). We don’t know which.
People make a lotta crazy claims based on quantum mechanics, and I think a lot of it has to do with how uncomfortable the idea of living in a universe that seems to be inherently uncertain is.
You can be convinced you committed a crime. You can also give false confessions.
You get and cure cancer in your own body thousands of times a day…..
Your body produces thousands and thousands of cells with damaged dna.
It’s a bit of exaggeration to call them cancer but if any of these cells were to survive they could become cancerous. Your immune system destroys them before they get to that point.
This is also why if you were to live forever you would eventually get cancer because the chances of your body missing them statistically increases. This occurs thousands upon thousands upon thousands of times a day
A doctor once told me, on average every human has three anomalies. Not all are visible.
I can never un-read some of these, that’s for sure.
Share the creepiest fact in your arsenal with us down in the comments!
The post People Share Scientific Facts That Really Creep Them Out appeared first on UberFacts.
It’s a sad truth that there are many places that just aren’t safe for anyone to travel alone, whether you’re a woman or not. There are even more spots, though, where the culture or lifestyles make traversing the streets as a woman by herself a definite no go.
That’s not true of every place, though, and as a woman, I think traveling alone is not only relaxing and informative and fun, but also empowering.
If traveling alone is something you’re looking to tackle in the years to come, here are 7 places you should be able to enjoy by yourself without too many worries about your safety.
Image Credit: iStock
Switzerland is beautiful on matter where you land, and though it’s expensive (no way around it) host of Eat Travel Rock Kelly Rizzo says you’ll be plenty safe no matter where in the country you decide to visit.
The trains and other transportation are easy to use and will take you anywhere you want to go, and locals are friendly and eager to help.
“The trains effortlessly get you around the country, so you can visit the different German, Italian, and French-speaking parts of Switzerland in one trip if you wanted.”
As someone who has traveled alone in Switzerland, I can vouch for this take. It’s a beautiful, not unfriendly country where a woman can feel reasonably safe checking out the sights and the countryside without an escort.
Image Credit: iStock
Stacy Schwartz, owner of Ketanga Fitness Retreats, says Costa Rica is a new hotspot destination for women traveling alone.
She says the people there are kind of welcoming, and the weather – which vacillates between sunshine and rain – has something for everyone.
The variety, she says, is what makes it such a great solo getaway.
“There are options to go highly-visible, touristy areas or explore less-traveled areas depending on your level of comfort.”
There are rainforest hikes, beaches, wildlife, and all the sunsets and rainbows you could want. Get packing!
Image Credit: iStock
My own experience in Western Ireland was that the locals really, really enjoyed encountering – and helping – a tourist.
They might even pass you a pint, if they’re feeling generous!
If you’re worried about a language barrier (as an English speaker) you won’t have that trouble here, and whether you’re looking for a city experience or gorgeous, endless countryside, Ireland really does have something for everyone.
Schwartz says there’s no reason to worry about navigating a different culture, either – just be open to the possibilities around you.
“Driving on the left side of the road may be a bit intimidating, so I loved signing up for a day trip to see the places that stood out to me.
As a lifelong equestrian, I came across a stable in the Irish countryside where I was welcome to ride, eat, and stay.
I think Ireland is a great stepping stone for newbies to solo travel from the U.S. because of the lack of language barrier, the modern culture, and welcoming attitude.”
Have been, can confirm! Go go go!
Image Credit: iStock
Travel agent Kimberley Hart says that this part of the world offers not only beauty and excellent win, but the space to unwind and really let your mind roam free, too.
“I felt completely comfortable in these small towns walking around by myself as they were easy to navigate and people were welcoming, friendly, and helpful.
It was nice to return to a home base each day as well.
There was plenty of shopping, eating, and wine-tasting in the small towns, and it was a leisurely trip where I could really soak up the culture.”
Sounds like a whole vibe!
Image Credit: iStock
It’s a long plane ride, but Kiersten Likkel from Cruise Specialists says Ho Chi Minh City is worth the trip.
This city, formerly known as Saigon, is rich with history and culture, the locals are friendly and welcoming to foreigners, and a trip there won’t break the bank.
“Wander the boulevards of this burgeoning city at your own pace, stop to eat just about anywhere your nose leads you, and treat yourself – over and over – to the wonderfully affordable and hospitable day spas throughout the city.
You’ll also find adventurous global travelers who are just as likely to strike up a conversation or invite you along to do something new.”
I have to say, I’m intrigued!
Image Credit: iStock
Likkel also recommends Mykonos, Greece, if you’re a woman searching for a good solo trip abroad.
Mykonos is known for its lively nightlife and Instagram-worthy beaches, and all of the delicious Greek food you could possibly want.
She says pick-pocketing is common, though, so you will want to keep a tight hold on your cash.
Image Credit: iStock
The Iberian peninsula is rich in architecture and history, and Porto is no exception. You’ll be able to relax and immerse yourself in the local culture, all while conversing with friendly locals and taking in the sweeping views.
And of course, enjoying the food.
If you want to see the capitol, Lisbon, it’s a quick 3-our train ride away, which is perfect for a day trip, says Likkel.
“Explore this gorgeous city at your own pace, taking as much time as you want to wander the hilly streets admiring the architecture and colorful tiling.
Enjoy the bustling Douro waterfront atmosphere while sipping delicious port wine straight from the source.”
I don’t know about you, but this place sounds like it’s right up my alley.
Well, I’m definitely adding these to my (long and ever-growing list).
If you’re a woman, what’s your favorite trip to date? Tell us about it in the comments!
The post Great Places to Visit As a Woman While Traveling Alone appeared first on UberFacts.
People throw away all kinds of stuff, for reasons that only they can possibly know. Some of them are treasures no matter who you are. Some things are treasures to certain people, trash to others. Some things are just plain trash, and a very few are horrors that literally no one wants to see.
These 15 people have found all manner of things in the trash, and lucky for all of us, they’re here to give us all the dirty details.
My father was a garbage man when I was born. I don’t remember because I was like 3 months old. But my first dog was in the trash. My dad stopped. Picked up a box and heard some shuffling on the inside and there were two puppies. My dad kept one and the driver kept the other. They were brother and sister (my dad assumed). He kept the male and named him Jasper.
He was literally my best friend growing up. I had him for 13 years and my dad tells me the job was worth it just for that dog. He called the police and animal control on the residence but doesn’t know what happened after that. All I know is I’m 37 and still love that dog so much. I’m so thankful my dad saved him and his sister.
I worked in the scrap metal business and have found not one, but two of three exact same bread statue, of two bears screwing each other
***BRASS statue, my bad
Not a garbage person, but I live in a large apartment complex. I could have furnished multiple apartments with all the stuff that gets thrown out here (and partially furnished mine), but the best thing I’ve seen in the pile was one of those grandfather clocks you can make from a kit.
Still looked very nice, but it needed some fixing to get it to run again. I’m still waiting to find a piano (I would like a piano).
Found a 55 inch tv next to the dumpster 4 years ago. It was missing 1 hdmi port on the side. It looked like someone might have tripped and ripped it out.
Anyway, I opened it up googled the motherboard serial number and found a brand new replacement for like $60 less then 25min away….needless to say I called ahead on my day off picked it up and it works like a charm. Still use the tv to this day.
55in Sony 2012 lcd tv. I have chromecast with google tv hooked up to it now and it’s awesome.
My uncle was (still is?) a garbage man and found a fully boxed Power Rangers Megazord toy. I don’t remember which season or what but it had been previously opened and all of the parts and such were still inside.
I don’t remember if they sold it off or what but it was super cool to see.
A part of me feels like maybe a collector tossed their boxes away and mistakenly threw the whole figure with it or some kid’s parents ditched it while cleaning up after a birthday or Christmas. I don’t know but feels bad.
I’m not a garbage man, but I once scored a whole custom built staircase from a dumpster. It was in perfect condition but apparently built to the wrong spec. It worked great for my barn.
I worked as a showcleaner in Melbourne a few years ago and we would sometimes get leftovers from shows and fairs and other events. For example after a Coffee Fair we got hundreds of cases of all sorts of plant based milk. They were still on the pallets and the trader didn’t want to load them back up. At a beer and wine fair the same happened, but with wine and craft beer. We had quite a few parties “sponsored” from that one.
Then there was this one big concert where a huge storm hit and everyone left everything they had brought behind to hide in their cars and leave. We found camping furniture and lots of closed beverages and food. One coworker even found a bunch of bundled up cash, which amounted to a couple hundred bucks. And, since it was a concert of a band a lot of older people listened to, we found coke, handed it over to the authorities and later were told it was enough to buy a small car from the market value it represented.
But the coolest thing that happened at one of the shows was not something we found. There was a big classic car event at the show grounds and it had some of the finest and rarest cars you could imagine. At the end, we were cleaning as usual, and this guy comes up saying he saw us during the shows checking out some of the cars. At first I thought he’d berate us, because we were just the cleaners and should focus on the job. But then he invites us to ride along if we wanted to. So that was the time I got a childhood dream fulfilled and was allowed to drive in a ’69 Dodge Charger R/T.
This experience and the fact that we got to go backstage with some of the coolest bands was the big plus of an otherwise hard and dirty job.
My father was a garbage man who also did clean-outs for homes and businesses, where they’d rip apart the entire building and throw everything out in their dumpsters. He worked on a ton of really massive houses, some worth 10s of millions of dollars, one was worth 40 million and wasn’t even the permanent residence.
Best things I got as a kid: A pretty much unused trampoline with a net and everything.
A go-kart that my dads friend was able to fix up and we used all the time (I live on a dead end).
And once he cleaned out a deli that was closing down, and we no joke had unlimited Snapples and Sodas of every flavor for almost a year. I’d drink the Snapples while out on the trampoline. I used the hell out of all 3 of those things in my childhood
Finally something I can contribute too! I do trash at apartments. In the year I’ve worked the job, I’ve found and kept:
-a couch
-2 desk chairs
-a floor lamp
-deck furniture
-a TV stand
-my cat
-various decorations I’ve given to my mom
Some things I’ve sold
-a bike, $40
-some outdoor vases, $30
-a bed frame, $50
-an original xbox with at least 80 games all in a box, $20 (to my friend that collects old video games)
But yeah, it’s crazy what people throw away.
I was a garbage man for a few years, and on these trucks it had a grapple arm that come out off the side of the truck and grabs the bin, lifts and dumps it.
There are three cameras on the truck, two to see the bin and hep you line up and grab ahold of it and then switches to another camera view as you dump the bin out and you can see the trash fall out.
Well one day I’m doing my run, grab a trash bin, pick it up, dump it and out falls a bunch of mannequin parts! I nearly sh%t myself thinking a serial killer dismembered somebody and put them in the trash
Oh man, my time to shine! I’ve been working at a waste transfer station (“garbage dump”) for many years.
The worst I’ve seen (just garbage, not counting stuff brought to the hazmat department):
A freezer stuffed with a skinned, rotting, headless deer carcass. We nearly called the cops before we realized it wasn’t human. Used needles. The worst being a tie between “porcupine couch” and the lady who literally handed me a paper bag full of syringes she found during a park cleanup. large container of old crystallized picric acid. Bomb squad had to deal with that one.
The best:
A high end laptop in perfect condition except for a tiny crack on the lcd panel. Easy DIY repair that took $40 and 5 minutes, thing would’ve cost $1.5K new
enough brand new furniture to literally furnish my whole apartment a high end military grade inflatable boat, brand newThe weirdest:
A 1st gen platelet counting machine, complete with weird tubes of bright green liquid and mercury. When I was prepping it for hazmat disposal I had to call the company that bought the company that made it for some info… they never digitized the records but the oldest repair tech still working was super excited because he remembered servicing them 50 years ago.
coffin. No body, just the coffin. Couldn’t see anything wrong with it either.Buckets of testicles (from a ranch) that had been sitting out in the summer heat for a week. Smelled so bad my coworker hurled. That’s not the weird part… the weird part is the guys wanted their buckets back. Do you know how bad it has to smell to make a garbage collector puke? And they wanted them back?!
The $10k duffel bag. Lady came in super upset because earlier she threw out a duffel bag that she didn’t know her boyfriend kept cash in. Over $10,000 in cash. We never found the bag.
16 full size barrels of old vegetable grease some guy had saved up in his garage. He was planning to make a biodiesel car or something
We sometimes have to do house clearances at work (dead people with no family and the house is to be sold).
Lot of the time stuff isn’t worth the time it takes to sell it so we get to keep stuff that’s gonna be thrown out, I’ve gotten so much fabric, embroidery thread, all sorts of sewing/dress making materials, I will never have to buy another buttons in my lifetime, I like to think the old ladies it used to belong to would be glad to know it was gonna be used.
Grew up a small town so everyone knew everyone. Our garbage man (Lee) would regularly cull out items for us because he knew my dad would tinker on them. Lee gave me my first bike, which only needed to be painted, and so so many books.
He passed a few years ago. When I saw the notice I called up my sister and we had a bit of a nostalgic cry about what a nice man he was to us kids.
Not me but my brother. Someone apparently threw out grandpas stuff from the attic after he passed away. This was the last scheduled pickup at the house and everything was already moved out, nobody living there.
Driving an automated (claw to grab and dump) truck, my brother was irritated there were these 2 bowling bags he had to get out to throw in the truck. He realized they seemed a bit heavy, so he opened them to see why.
Inside there was real silver silverware/flatware. He ended up selling it for scrap prices to a jeweler and got $3000.
Not a garbage man, but have rescued projectors, computers, furniture and even a very expensive Yahama keyboard (just needed a new plug) from skips / being thrown out. Loads of music scores. A dining room table with nothing wrong with it.
I may be just about to get a 65″ touchscreen TV that’s no longer touchscreen, too, depends on what happens to it over the next few days.
Large companies throw all sorts away and they’re far more focused on “I just need to get rid of this” than spending the time to find someone to take it.
By the same token, I’ve also binned about 20 fully working interactive whiteboards because I couldn’t get anyone interested in taking them.
P.S. Yes, I sought permission before taking any of the above. If I just took whatever I saw, I’d have even more stuff.
I will never understand some people, but maybe that’s the way it’s supposed to be.
If you’ve found something weird or interesting or amazing in the garbage, tell us about it in the comments!
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