IRL

Warning: harsh, unsafe language ahead

A casual package thief in Spokane, WA thought he was going to have an easy day of grabbing packages off of porches, but apparently he came to the wrong neighborhood. One shoeless, shirtless neighbor named Hector 'BigHec' Martinet saw what the thief was up to and came running, camera in hand. Martinet describes it as though he was watching someone go Christmas shopping: "When he passed the house, I noticed he was looking from side to side like you would if you were window shopping at a mall. He was actually checking porch to porch."

So what did Martinet do? Called the cops and filmed the thief. Still shoeless and shirtless in several inches of snow, Martinet made the thief return the package to the porch he took it from and sit down to wait for the cops, because that guy "ain't big enough" to take BigHec.



All in all, it took the cops around 30 minutes to show up, but the thief was taken into custody.



Martinet is happy to hear how well his vigilante justice has been received online as his video gains traction on Facebook, but his heart is heavy with the weight of medical issues his son is facing:

So many BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE that are so happy to see the BAD GUY getting busted, I am saying that ANYONE I KNOW would have done the SAME THING. If you have GRATITUDE, then you can "THANK ME" by donating Prayers or Funds to My Sons RECOVERY from LUPUS PNEUMONIA, it knoced him out a WEEK before CHRISTMAS and has hurt His Family Tremendously. THANKS to ALL of YOU for ALL the GREAT compliments, I just do not feel that BIG a HERO when I cannot save a Family. Hopefully the Hospital will let HIM come HOME today.

Here's the link to the GoFundMe page for his son.

Come January 2016, construction is set to begin on "The Independent," a 58-story condominium building that will become the tallest skyscraper in Austin, Texas. The $300 million building has a unique and distinct look that has really set it apart-- put simply, the thing looks like a Jenga tower.

If you're planning to buy one of these condos, you might want to make sure you have great earthquake insurance!

David Spargo apparently really wanted to meet the band "Peking Duk," so much so that he was willing to poorly edit the band's Wikipedia entry in order to convince a security guy he belonged backstage. Lucky for him, it worked.



The ill-placed and poorly formatted "Family David Spargo" was legit enough to dupe a surprisingly gullible security guard into letting David past him, where he introduced himself to the band:

"We ended up having a bunch of beers with him and he was an absolute legend. He wasn’t a creep or anything. He was like the most normal dude we’ve ever met. That’s what makes it more hilarious."

Was it worth it? Absolutely. 



Would it work a second time? Probably not.

Italians who can't pay their utility bills are getting help from an unlikely source: Super Mario.

Wearing Mario masks and blue overalls, a group of vigilante plumbers from Rome have been turning the water back on in homes after utility companies turn it off.

They are fighting for underemployed citizens' "right to water" and investigate each case before deciding to take action, according to Vocativ.

About 25 percent of homes are late on payments, and they reportedly get about 200 requests a day.

Students protesting the military coup in Thailand have adopted Katniss' 3-fingered salute from Hunger Games, and "The Capitol" is not happy.

The military-controlled government has banned the gesture, and a movie chain has cancelled all screenings of the latest film "Mockingjay" as a result of the protests and, reportedly, pressure from the police.

Five students were arrested at a speech this week by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-O-Cha (Thailand's President Snow), wearing shirts that read "Don't Want a Coup."

Chan-O-Cha is denying any involvement in the screening cancellations. He also says he isn't phased by the salute, but warns them all - in a very creepy Snow-like fashion - that this might "jeopardize their futures."

Maybe the government should spend more time watching the movies themselves to learn that trying to silence the people is probably not going to end very well for them.

From the YouTube description:

We were sitting at a train track today on our way from West Monroe, LA to Memphis when we notice a tractor trailer with a crane stuck on the train tracks. Then the train crossing lights came on and I grabbed the camera as the train smashed into the crane. We are getting a lot of comments about how we should have called 911 instead of filming. There was no need as we were sitting right in front of the police station. Believe me, they heard the crash and came running out. By the time we were able to go around the train and get to the other side, the police were over there and the driver of the truck was there as well. He is fine but we understand that the train engineers were in pretty bad shape. The thoughts and prayers of David's Garden Seeds And Products are with them. We pray that God will heal them. At the time of the crash, we were in shock and I had no idea what had come out of my mouth until I played the video back....you just don't know how you will react to tragedy that unfolds right before your eyes until it happens. I did not shoot this with a Smart Phone. I shot it with a Flip camera.

A real life version of the Krusty Krab, the iconic fast food restaurant is set to open up in Ramallah, on the West Bank in Palestine. The restaurant has been designed to be an exact replica of Mr Krabs' establishment in Bikini Bottom, from the fixtures outside the building to the Krabby Patty burgers on the menu.

Here are more photos of the establishment under construction:

This morning while filming the rising Mississippi River cameras picked up something very peculiar. Fear not, giant clam overlords are not taking over. The giant clamshell was discovered to be a playground item.

Using an Oculus Rift and Raspberry Pi, umeaenergi experimented with what would happen if there was real life lag.