Lifestyle

‘McBroken’: McDonald’s fan launches site that identifies restaurants with broken ice cream machines

In the middle of a contentious year, with Americans more divided than ever by social issues and party lines, it’s very likely we can all still agree on one universal truth: It really stinks when the ice cream machine at McDonald’s is broken.

Knowing this, software engineer Rashiq Zahid, 24, has developed a resource for tracking and identifying McDonald’s locations with nonfunctioning ice cream machines — undoubtedly an invaluable resource for anyone who prefers not to waste precious time in the pursuit of their sundaes or cones.

A 24-year-old software engineer has launched McBroken — a web-based resource for McDonald’s customers seeking out locations with working ice cream machines.
(iStock)

Zahid’s resulting website, McBroken, can now identify which of Amerca’s McDonald’s locations have the capacity to serve ice cream, pretty much in real time.

“I was like, there must be something that can be done about this,” Zahid told The Verge of first coming up with the idea, which was sparked following a disappointing trip to a German McDonald’s.

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Frustrated, Zahid began playing around with the McDonald’s app, to see if the app itself would alert customers as to whether ice cream was unavailable at certain locations. It did.

He then set out to visit McDonald’s locations across Berlin, in-person, to confirm what he learned through the app — and everything seemed to check out.

Soon after, he managed to “reverse engineer” the McDonald’s app to automatically feed him the information, before turning it loose on every McDonald’s location in the U.S. — where the ice cream machines have long frustrated customers and employees alike.

As of Thursday, Zahid was “currently placing an order worth $18,752 every minute at every McDonald’s in the U.S. to figure out which locations have a broken ice cream machine,” he wrote on Twitter. The info is then shared with the public at McBroken. (He later clarified that his process doesn’t involve sending the orders to be fulfilled — he only puts them in a cart, so that no ice cream is being made or wasted.)

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As of Friday afternoon, McBroken counts that around 9.3% of all McDonald’s ice cream machines are nonfunctioning nationwide, with Seattle and New York City having the largest percentage of broken machines (around 20% each).

Users can also move the site’s interactive map over their local area, to find out if their preferred McDonald’s has the capacity to serve ice cream: green dots indicate a functioning machine; red dots indicate nonfunctioning.

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Zahid told The Verge that his site already crashed once due to heavy traffic from interested users — and it turns out that one of those users was David Tovar, the vice president of U.S. Communications for McDonald’s.

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In an emailed response to Fox News, McDonald’s said it was “exciting to see customer passion translate into customer-innovated solutions.” The restaurant chain further confirmed that the company was working on making its ice cream more available for customers.

“McDonald’s always aims to provide a restaurant experience that our customers expect, and it is exciting to see customer passion translate into customer-innovated solutions to further make that experience a reality,” reads a statement shared by McDonald’s USA. “We’re committed to making sweet treats from our dessert menu available at all of our restaurants and are regularly working with our franchisees and suppliers on improving and enhancing the restaurant experience so that customers can continue to enjoy McDonald’s food where and when they want it.”

Boys find, return purse stolen 3 years ago: ‘Restores my faith in humanity’

These young helpers came in clutch.

A Nebraska woman has been reunited with a long-lost handbag that was stolen three years ago, after two fourth-graders found it while playing and pledged to find the rightful owner.

Eli Rempe and Sam Yarpe were playing with friends near a creek by the Papillion Soccer Fields on Sunday when they spotted a purse filled with old credit and gift cards, WOWT reports.

Eli Rempe and Sam Yarpe, pictured, returned Mallory Pittman-Morris’ lost handbag to her home last weekend.
(Mallory Pittman-Morris)

“We felt bad ‘cause she lost all that stuff and it was probably really important,” Yarpe told the station.

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“My mom says normally it’s a pain to replace credit cards and stuff because she had a lot of cards in there,” Rempe added.

With a little help from a parent and the magic of Facebook, Mallory Pittman-Morris was identified as the owner of the bag. Later that day, the boys were excited to personally bring it to her home.

“When [the mom] reached out, I told her I would love to have them back because this sounded like the items that would have been in my purse that was stolen three years prior,” Pittman-Morris told Fox News on Friday. “Her boys were so excited to bring it back to me as I had been missing this stuff for so long.”

While there wasn’t any cash in the purse, Pittman-Morris worried that the thief could have stolen her identity or used the cards.
(Mallory Pittman-Morris)

Three years ago, Pittman-Morris said, someone smashed her car window and snatched her purse while she and her husband watched their son play soccer. Though she filed a police report and canceled the cards, her bag never turned up.

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Happily surprised to have her bag back after all this time, the woman said that the boys’ good deed has lifted her spirits. As a small token of her appreciation, Pittman-Morris thanked her new friends with some sweets.

“I threw together a bag of candy for each of them to show my gratitude and explained to them how amazing this was as I never thought I would see this stuff again. It makes me feel so much better knowing my stuff isn’t in someone else’s hands,” she explained.

“It restored my faith in humanity – that’s for sure,” Pittman-Morris told Fox. “It’s nice to know there are still good people out there and parents who are raising their kids to do good.”

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Dad makes epic ‘killer Zoom meeting’ Halloween costume for daughter

There’s nothing scarier than an endless Zoom meeting.

A 12-year-old girl in Iowa might have one of this year’s coolest Halloween costumes, thanks to her dad’s clever handiwork that transports her into a spooky monster meeting.

Greg Dietzenbach is a creative director for a design agency in Dubuqe, and he nailed this year’s Halloween look for daughter Ada, Mashable reports.

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Inspired by the virtual video chats which have become a frequent fixture of work and school amid the pandemic, Dietzenbach crafted an elaborate foam board to mimic a Zoom call. The board features original photo-illustrations of seven monsters, a cut-out middle square for the wearer’s face (labeled “the masked murderer”) and an iPad with a front-facing camera, where the person looking at the costume will see themselves listed as “the next victim.”

Taking it even further, Dietzenbach used Adobe Illustrator to transform photos of his daughter into the monsters, like Frankenstein, Dracula, a mummy and werewolf, each featured in the Zoom squares, per the outlet.

Poking fun at the platform, other thoughtful details include “666 participants” and “share scream” buttons, too.

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The dad shared footage of the “killer Zoom Meeting costume” to Twitter on Wednesday, in a quick clip that’s gone viral with over 10,000 views.

Though he proudly creates Halloween costumes for his two kids each year, Dietzenbach explained that the Zoom masterpiece feels especially memorable during this strange time.

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“Due to COVID-19 we didn’t even know if our town would have trick-or-treating this year,” he said. “Social distancing has made my kids Zoom experts… it felt like it was a costume idea worth exploring.”

“2020 has been tough, it’s nice to know we’ll be giving some joy to others,” he added.

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British supermarket chain launches frozen chicken nugget into space to celebrate anniversary

The chicken nugget floated around Near Space for an hour. (iStock)

Sorry, chicken nugget, you have some atmosphere on you.

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A British supermarket chain launched its brightest and best – a single frozen chicken nugget – into space last week to celebrate its 50th anniversary, The Irish News reported.

Iceland Foods Ltd. chose the chicken nugget as it was one of its customers “favorites,” according to a statement to The Irish News. In fact, the grocery store has been the biggest retailer of chicken nuggets in the UK, according to a press release for the launch.

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“2020 is a huge year for us as we celebrate our 50th birthday, and we wanted to find ways to mark the occasion, just like anyone celebrating a birthday in lockdown,” said Andrew Staniland, Iceland’s trading director to The Irish News. “What better way to show that our products are out of this world than by sending one of our customer favorites into space.”

The grocery teamed up with Sent into Space, a company that, as its name suggests, sends things into space.

The nugget was taken to a launch site in rural Wales and was rigged to a gas-filled weather balloon that then went up 20.7 miles to Near Space, a region between 65,000 feet and 325,000 feet above sea level, Space.com reported. It is before Outer Space.

According to the release, the nugget spent an hour floating up in Near Space.

Though monumental, the lonely chicken nugget is hardly the first edible item launched into space.

In March 2019, a man sent a Big Mac into space – and then celebrated it coming back down by eating it. It’s unclear if the frozen chicken nugget had the same reception upon its return to earth.

Most searched phobia of 2020 is fear of other people, researchers say

People most Googled the phobia during lockdown. (iStock)

The most-Googled phobia of the year is fear of other people, according to researchers, who attribute the trend to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Anthropophobia” made up 22 percent of all fears searched nationwide in 2020 — five times the number last year, Psych News Daily reported.

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Searches for the word peaked between April 19 and 25 as the coronavirus crisis raged, and many people were stuck in lockdown, according to the outlet, which cited a report by security firm ADT.

New York’s most-searched fear was philophobia, the fear of falling in love or intimacy.

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In Florida, which has seen a sky-high number of coronavirus cases, the most Googled fear was germaphobia.

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Californians, by contrast, were most frightened of having no cellphone, also known as nomophobia.

New Jersey is most scared of the dark, Massachusetts is terrified by failure and Indiana fears being alone.

To come up with the results, researchers analyzed Google Trends data over the past 10 months.

Police rescue ‘missing’ dog that was stuck under owner’s reclining chair for two days

It’s always in the last place you look.

A family thought that a beloved pet dog had gone missing and contacted the police. Fortunately, the story has a happy, if a bit unexpected, ending.

Authorities in England responded to calls from a 93-year-old woman who was worried that her dog, Toby, had gone missing.
(SWNS)

Authorities in England responded to calls from a 93-year-old woman who was worried that her dog, Toby, had gone missing, Southwest News Service (SWNS) reports. She reportedly hadn’t seen the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel for two days and was very worried.

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A police officer was dispatched to the woman’s home to perform a wellness check. While talking to the woman, the officer reached down to the ground to pick up an item that had fallen over. The officer then reportedly saw a small face peering out at him from under the 93-year-old woman’s recliner.

Apparently, Toby had simply gotten stuck under the recliner.

Fortunately, he appeared to be in good health, aside from being understandably hungry and thirsty. After freeing the dog, the officer fed him and gave him some water.

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According to SWNS, the officer said, “Both Toby and his owner appeared to be over the moon to be reunited, and it was clearly a huge relief for the woman. Her family, friends and neighbors had all been out looking for Toby, but she was becoming ever more distressed as time went on believing he had managed to get out, and fearing the worst.”

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The officer continued, “Our pets are companions and become members of the family. I’m just very pleased that we were able to put the woman’s mind at rest and make sure her dog was safe.”

Girl warns against buying leather pants that make fart-sound in viral video: ‘Save yourself’

Sure, blame it on the pants.

A woman from New York recently showed off how a pair of pants that she bought made an embarrassing noise when she bent down. A video she posted to show the pants making the noise apparently clicked with users and it quickly went viral.

A user on TikTok named Julialennaaa posted the footage to her account, where it has since been viewed over 3.4 million times. Julia captioned the footage, “Save yourself because I couldn’t.”

The footage begins with Julia saying, “Please just keep watching if you shop at Zara.” She then goes on to explain that she bought a “really cute” pair of leather pants from the store and then later went out to eat with her family, wearing the pants.

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“On the way out, my sister drops her phone,” she explains, “so I go down to pick it up and this happens.”

She then films herself quickly bending over in the pants, which apparently causes them to make a fart-like noise. She shows off the motion several times, each time producing the same sound which someone could understandably mistake for a fart.

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“So, here’s a warning if you want to buy these pants,” she says. “Don’t bend down.”

She closes out the video by bending down one more time, producing a fart sound.

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Julia told Buzzfeed News that when the incident initially occurred, she had no idea what happened. It wasn’t until she got home that she realized that the material on the pants had rubbed together to make the embarrassing noise.

Couple finds 60 bottles of 1920’s bootleg whiskey in secret walls of NY home

Old homes usually have a couple of secrets hiding behind their walls, but they’re usually not this boozy.

A couple in upstate New York made what they call a “wild discovery” when they uncovered what appears to be an old bootlegger’s supply hidden in the walls of their house. They also say that, upon further inspection, they’ve found hidden compartments with more bottles dating back to the 1920s stashed away.

Nick Drummond, who owns the house with his partner Patrick in Ames, N.Y., spoke with Fox News, confirming that so far, “it’s about 60 bottles actually, and there are more compartments we have to open in the floor. I definitely think there is more to find! Maybe 30% of the bottles are full.”

According to him, they had previously heard stories about the house.

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“We were actually told by a neighbor that the home was rumored to have been built by a bootlegger and a German baron,” he said, “and found the story endearing, but took it with a grain of salt. We never thought any part of the story was actually true!”

Drummond explained, “The more we keep digging, the more we’ve found, too! We set up an Instagram account called @bootleggerbungalow, and have been trying to document the discoveries alongside our renovation. Our followers have actually been helping us solve the mystery!”

The bottles date back to the 1920s, CTV News reports.

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The excited homeowner also revealed to Fox News that his research has led him to believe that bottles and hidden compartments were used by a bootlegger named Adolph Humpfner. Drummond explained that after Humpfner’s death (which was apparently under mysterious circumstances), secret compartments were found in his other properties and vehicles.

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“It’s insane,” Drummond said after relaying the story of Humpfner.

As far as their own discoveries, Drummond says that while he’s not “a whiskey expert by any means,” he does “enjoy a good whiskey from time to time.”

What is a ‘Thankful Pumpkin’? And how can you make one with your family?

That’s pumpkin’ to be thankful for.

The “Thankful Pumpkin” was first created by author Amy Latta almost a decade ago, as a way to celebrate all her family is grateful for. Now, the easy craft project has turned into a hit, with other families seeking to bring the focus of the holidays back to what they’re appreciative for in their daily lives.

“Literally anyone can do it, and I was excited to think about other families taking time to focus on gratitude,” she told Today Parents in a 2018 interview.

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Since sharing her idea for the Thankful Pumpkin, the trend has grown in popularity, with folks across the country taking to social media to post about their own projects.

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Latta said she was first inspired to create the “Thankful Pumpkin” after playing “the ‘thankful game’” at meals with her family, where they “would take turns going around the table and saying things we were grateful for.” She picked up a pumpkin and begin jotting down what her family was saying “to physically see just how many blessings that added up to.”

“It was a great visual reminder of how blessed we are, and [my son Noah] loved watching the pumpkin fill up as we added to it every day,” she told Today Parents.

Since her first Thankful Pumpkin, the family continues the tradition and photographs them each year, to keep a reminder of what made it on their lists last season.

To make one, “All you need to make one is a pumpkin and a permanent marker and a heart full of gratitude,” says idea originator Amy Latta.
(iStock)

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For those interested in creating their own thankful pumpkin at home, it couldn’t be simpler: “All you need to make one is a pumpkin and a permanent marker and a heart full of gratitude,” Latta wrote on her blog, adding that she’s since seen her creation pop up at preschools, yoga studios, and even a few Starbucks locations that asked customers to contribute their own ideas to communal pumpkins.

Man protects 300 dogs from Hurricane Delta by bringing them to safety inside his home

When Hurricane Delta was heading towards the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico earlier this month, Ricardo Pimentel opened his home to cats, chicks, bunnies, a flock of sheep and even a hedgehog.

On top of all that, he also brought in about 300 dogs.

Though they may not have been the best roommates — he said the house smelled terrible — it was worth the move because they all survived the storm.

“It doesn’t matter if the house is dirty, it can be cleaned,” Pimentel said. “The things they broke can be fixed or bought again, but what’s beautiful is to see them happy, healthy and safe, without wounds and with the possibility of being adopted.”

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Pimentel runs the Tierra de Animales — which means Land of Animals — shelter near Leona Vicario, Mexico, which he founded almost 10 years ago.

Rescue dogs fill the home of Ricardo Pimentel during Hurricane Delta in Leona Vicario, Mexico, on Oct. 7.
(Daniela Rojas via AP)

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When Hurricane Delta was on its way to the area, he prepared the shelter by boarding up windows. On Oct. 6, the Tierra de Animales posted on Facebook asking for donations to buy enough food and supplies for all of the animals, so that he could buy what he needed in case the storm shut down stores.

“If I lived with just 10 or 20 dogs, I wouldn’t worry much, but here we have hundreds of animals and we can’t afford the luxury of not having enough food,” Pimentel said.

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Meanwhile, the staff at the shelter were bringing all the animals indoors, leading the dogs into his house by a leash, to keep them all safe from Hurricane Delta.

Ricardo Pimentel is greeted by dogs that he rescued at his Tierra de Animales shelter in Leona Vicario, Mexico, on Oct. 13.
(AP Photo/Luis Andres Henao)

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However, because of all the preparations ahead of the storm and the aftermath — which included downed trees and knocked out power — Pimentel didn’t realize that a picture he had posted online of the dogs had gone viral.

People from around the world donated thousands of dollars to Tierra de Animales and he said it was perhaps the biggest fundraising moment since he founded the shelter.

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He also said that local residents have volunteered to clean up the damage at the shelter caused by the hurricane.

“We would like to think that thanks to all this attention, somebody would like to be part of the story and say: ‘I adopted a dog saved from that famous Hurricane Delta,’” Pimentel said.

Pimentel started Tierra de Animales in 2011. Today, he and his staff care for about 500 animals on the shelter’s 10 acres of land.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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