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Oops! The Silly Mistakes Thread

Jeff Koons: Visitor breaks iconic Balloon Dog sculpture in Miami
"Art lovers in Miami looked on in horror on Thursday night, when a collector accidentally knocked a $42,000 (£34,870) sculpture by US pop artist Jeff Koons to the ground."
"She had tapped it with her finger, witnesses at the event said."
"The statue - one of Koons' iconic Dog Balloons - smashed into tiny shards, and had to be swept into dustpans by gallery staff."
"Local artist Stephen Gamson told the Miami Herald he was admiring the sculpture, when an "older woman" tapped it, knocking it off its pedestal."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-64695059
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I wouldn't value it at 35 grand but it makes a change that it was something that actually looked well made and almost desirable in a 'I'd pay tops £40 quid from a QD store at Christmas time if someone I liked really wanted it' way.
 
I wouldn't value it at 35 grand but it makes a change that it was something that actually looked well made and almost desirable in a 'I'd pay tops £40 quid from a QD store at Christmas time if someone I liked really wanted it' way.

Yeah, I like them! Shiny! (autistic joke)

Actually I like things where the apparent medium isn't the actual medium.
 
You can get balloon dogs which are half-transparent so you can see their skeletons and intestines. Much better than what Koons has done.
 

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Yeah, I like them! Shiny! (autistic joke)

Actually I like things where the apparent medium isn't the actual medium.
I knew there was a word for this but had to look it up: skeuomorph. For example, a clay pot textured and painted to look like basketwork, or those plastic garden sheds with simulated woodgrain finish. This would apply to a ceramic sculpture made to look like a balloon sculpture.

Quick diversion: as the Fool and announcer for our Morris dance side, I was at an event where a clown was wandering around making balloon animals, and generally being a a distraction while it was our turn to perform. Sadly, he was a fairly typical Saturday afternoon clown with a shop-bought costume, badly-done clown-face, and a creepy manner.

I announced to the crowd that all dog owners should take special care as there was a clown nearby who might take their dog and fold it into the shape of a balloon. He got the message and kept his distance until our performance had finished.
 
I knew there was a word for this but had to look it up: skeuomorph. For example, a clay pot textured and painted to look like basketwork, or those plastic garden sheds with simulated woodgrain finish. This would apply to a ceramic sculpture made to look like a balloon sculpture.

Wonderful word! I met it as part of archaeology. It needs to be known, used and loved more widely.
 
my first thought was how it will be repaired.
It won't be 'repaired'. As one of 799 (now 798) it has become a new piece of art and someone has already collected up the broken bits to preserve it as 'Smashed Ceramic Balloon Dog' or no doubt something similarly named.
It will now be a one-off piece, and significantly more valuable.
 
It won't be 'repaired'. As one of 799 (now 798) it has become a new piece of art and someone has already collected up the broken bits to preserve it as 'Smashed Ceramic Balloon Dog' or no doubt something similarly named.
It will now be a one-off piece, and significantly more valuable.
Yup, it can be repaired. Kintsugi is the way forward.
 
Spain spends €258m on trains that don’t fit through tunnels
Two Spanish transport executives have been fired after a train fiasco that saw the design of 31 trains that were too big for the tunnels on the line where they would run.

FULL STORY: https://eandt.theiet.org/content/ar...-in-trains-that-dont-fit-through-its-tunnels/

At last! Top level resignations!

Two top Spanish transport officials have resigned over a botched order for new commuter trains that cost nearly €260m ($275m; £230m).

The trains could not fit into non-standard tunnels in the northern regions of Asturias and Cantabria.

The head of Spain's rail operator Renfe, Isaías Táboas, and the secretary of state for transport, Isabel Pardo de Vera, have now left their roles.

The design fault was made public earlier this month. The Spanish government says the mistake was spotted early enough to avoid financial loss. However the region of Cantabria has demanded compensation.

Renfe ordered the trains in 2020 but the following year manufacturer CAF realised that the dimensions it had been given for the trains were inaccurate and stopped construction.

The rail network in northern Spain was built in the 19th Century and has tunnels under the mountainous landscape that do not match standard modern tunnel dimensions.

The mistake means the trains will be delivered in 2026, two years late.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-64717605
 
A man books a camper van pitch for himself and his wife to enjoy a weekend of rugby. What could go wrong? Well he could have booked Melrose Australia rather than Melrose Scottish Borders. :chuckle:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-65024122

A rugby fan's dream trip to Melrose Sevens has turned into a nightmare after he booked accommodation on the other side of the world.
Dave Walker from Aberdeen wanted to treat his wife to a weekend in the Scottish Borders in their recently-bought camper van.
However, the hook-up pitch he booked turned out to be 10,000 miles from the home of sevens, in Melrose, Australia.
Dave said: "When I got the invoice in dollars I realised the mistake."
Better luck next year!
 
Making a proper spectacle of himself, why would he even have ordered 12 pairs of glasses though?

A man who mistakenly ordered 60 pairs of glasses has conceded he may not have been wearing his spectacles when he placed the order.

Tom Arnold, from Perranporth, Cornwall, went viral on social media after his son posted a photo of the mishap. He thought he had ordered 12 pairs of reading glasses online, but was surprised when a "small mountain" were delivered to his home on Sunday.

The company has refunded the cost of the unwanted glasses.

"I just remember complaining about the packaging - you know, this is an incredible waste of packaging for just a few glasses," Mr Arnold said. "I opened it up and discovered this small mountain of 60 pairs of reading glasses."

Mr Arnold had mistakenly ordered 12 sets of five glasses instead of 12 individual ones, at a cost of about £120.

"Maybe I didn't have my glasses on," he joked.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cornwall-65119395
 
In an act of cack-handedness I managed to knock a whole large tin of tomatoes which I’d only just opened, off the worktop, down my jeans & on to the floor where it splattered. The mess went everywhere & an immediate change of clothes was called for. Ho hum.
 
Couple die just hours after frying and eating poisonous pufferfish for lunch

Officials in the state of Johor believe the couple, in their early eighties, unknowingly purchased at least two pufferfish from an online vendor on March 25.

But after Ms Guan fried the fish for lunch earlier this month, the couple began suffering from "breathing difficulties and shivers".

Both were rushed to hospital and admitted to intensive care, with Lim pronounced dead at 7pm.

Ng fell into a coma for eight days, daughter Ng Ai Lee said, but his condition worsened and he died on Saturday morning.

Despite the dangers, poisonous pufferfish are sold at many Malaysian wet markets, experts said.

“Once pufferfish have been cleaned and sold as slices, it is nearly impossible for the public to know the type of fish that they purchased,” Ms Tan warned.

“As for sellers, it is debatable on their (part) if they are aware (of the risks).”“There needs to be more awareness about the risks of consuming puffer fish – maybe authorities need to look at special certifications for vendors and suppliers,” she said.
 
Couple die just hours after frying and eating poisonous pufferfish for
Couple die just hours after frying and eating poisonous pufferfish for lunch

Officials in the state of Johor believe the couple, in their early eighties, unknowingly purchased at least two pufferfish from an online vendor on March 25.

But after Ms Guan fried the fish for lunch earlier this month, the couple began suffering from "breathing difficulties and shivers".

lunch

Officials in the state of Johor believe the couple, in their early eighties, unknowingly purchased at least two pufferfish from an online vendor on March 25.

But after Ms Guan fried the fish for lunch earlier this month, the couple began suffering from "breathing difficulties and shivers".
The fish was fugu, also known as blowfish. It's eaten in some countries, like Japan, only after preparation by legally-certified providers.
 
The fish was fugu, also known as blowfish. It's eaten in some countries, like Japan, only after preparation by legally-certified providers.
Yeah, this was Malaysia where things don’t seem to be so rigorous. The report says they were bought from an 'online vendor’ which seems a bit weird - would you buy fish online? It is the Mirror though so not necessarily accurate.
 
The weightlifter was left screaming in pain as he collapsed to the ground. The legs could be seen awkwardly positioned under his body as his knees buckled. Even when one is not carrying any weight and the knees buckle, it is a highly painful situation.

To have experienced this because of a 400Kg weight on his shoulders is a terrible thing to happen to Sedykh. When he was brought to the hospital, Alexander was in great pain.

The doctors immediately diagnosed he had two dislocated knees. The condition got worsened further when he was found to have ruptured two quadriceps as well. Sedykh was immediately taken in for an operation that lasted almost six hours.

https://rivercitypost.com/880-pound...en-weightlifters-knees-go-pop-like-a-balloon/
 
Probably one for the 'typo' thread but this is egregious.

Outside a school in Wales, the local utilities company 'Wales and West Utilities' had been working on a gas pipe, and when they had finished and resurfaced where they had been working, they repainted the yellow lettering but did the often seen mis-spelling of 'School' as 'Shcool'.
But even worse, someone pointed out that the translation of 'school' into Welsh had also been previously painted incorrectly - instead of 'Ysgol' it had been spelt as 'Ysool'.

One parent said whoever was responsible should be made to "write it out 100 times"
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/appalling-spelling-mistake-right-outside-26781509
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Probably one for the 'typo' thread but this is egregious.

Outside a school in Wales, the local utilities company 'Wales and West Utilities' had been working on a gas pipe, and when they had finished and resurfaced where they had been working, they repainted the yellow lettering but did the often seen mis-spelling of 'School' as 'Shcool'.
But even worse, someone pointed out that the translation of 'school' into Welsh had also been previously painted incorrectly - instead of 'Ysgol' it had been spelt as 'Ysool'.

One parent said whoever was responsible should be made to "write it out 100 times"
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/appalling-spelling-mistake-right-outside-26781509
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You pay peanuts, you get monkeys.
 
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