Spider overkill

A Fresno, Calif., resident was trying to kill some spiders but instead nearly destroyed his parents’ house. Authorities say the man was house-sitting for his parents when he decided to try to kill some black widow spiders with a blowtorch. The result was a two-alarm fire that damaged the home’s attic and second story. After the incident, the Fresno Fire Department offered a bit of advice via Twitter: “Please don’t use a blowtorch to kill spiders.”

Disney in a day

One Tennessee couple padded their frequent flier balance by reportedly visiting every U.S. Disney park in just 24 hours. Clark Ensminger planned the trip for his wife Heather whose father’s death in October 2017 nixed a previously planned Disney trip. The couple began their adventure at Disney Springs in Orlando on Oct. 16. Early the next morning, the pair visited Epcot and the other Disney parks in Florida and then jumped aboard a Los Angeles–bound flight to see California parks concluding with Disneyland. The husband said he had been able to keep the trip a secret until the final month when his wife spotted an email in his inbox.

A fluid situation

Dehydration got the better of New York Giants star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. during the Giants’ Oct. 11 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. After the game, Beckham confided to reporters that he doesn’t like to drink water. “I’m trying [to drink it],” the elite athlete told reporters afterward. “I really just don’t like it.” Rather than drink water, Beckham opted for an IV to deal with cramping in his legs as a result of dehydration. Giants coach Pat Shurmur was caught off guard by the revelation. “That’s news to me,” he said. “What a business.”

Good dog, bad dog

A family in Arizona reportedly returned a 1-year-old dog named Binx to a shelter after adoption, because of the dog’s behavior. According to an Arizona Animal Welfare League Facebook post on Oct. 22, the family claimed that Binx was potty-trained, well-mannered around children, and well socialized. The family claimed they had been looking for more of a challenge.

Painting by numbers

The auction house Christie’s sold a work of art, Portrait of Edmond Belamy, in late October, and as with many paintings, the artist’s signature is at the bottom right of the work. But in this case the signature is minG maxD EX [log (D(x))] + EZ [log (1 – D (G(z)))]—because this painting was created by artificial intelligence (AI). The team behind the AI reportedly gave an algorithm a data set of 15,000 portraits painted between the 14th and the 20th centuries, and the result was a blurry and off-center “portrait.” The work’s selling price at auction, according to Christie’s: $432,500.

Pork lover

The contraband moving through Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Oct. 11 was no match for a K-9 inspection dog named Hardy. Of course, the savoriness of the smuggled goods certainly made it easier for the dog. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials say Hardy sniffed out a 2-pound cooked pig’s head in the luggage of a man traveling from Ecuador. Hardy, a 6-year-old rescue, belongs to the “Beagle Brigade.” U.S. law—due to health concerns— prohibits travelers from bringing pork products into the United States.

Life of crime

Topeka, Kan., police arrested a man on Oct. 21 for stealing a car out of the Shawnee County Jail parking lot. After the car’s owner reported the vehicle stolen, police checked the jail’s security recording and found the perpetrator: a man who had moments before been released from the jail. Officers later discovered the 33-year-old at the site of another car robbery. Police returned the man to jail and charged him with motor vehicle theft.

A strong scoot

An Australian who had lost his driver’s license had to get creative when he needed to haul a heavy object. Shane Swanscott of New South Wales was caught on video towing a boat with a mobility scooter in October. “I lost my license and pretty much finished working on my boat at the same time,” Swanscott told 9News of Australia. “I was going to push my boat down the street by hand, but I thought why not use the [scooter].” Local police eventually forced Swanscott to turn around and take his boat home.

Backpacking heat

A Lincolnshire, U.K., student followed the letter of his school’s new no-backpacks policy but brazenly violated its spirit. Jacob Ford first brought his belongings to school in a wicker basket. After that, the 17-year-old adapted a microwave as a book bag. Administrators at Spalding Grammar School instituted the no-backpack policy to help prevent younger students from being injured by heavy book bags swinging in the hallways. School officials apparently weren’t amused at Jacob’s inventiveness: They suspended him for two days after he used the kitchen appliance to carry his supplies to school in October.