Funny definition of "discount" for Galactic Starcruiser

Starship was being launched into orbit, and it hadn't reached orbit when the explosion occurred. Indeed, the first stage hadn't even yet separated so it was very clearly an explosion during its launch attempt. So the headline is accurate, even if they obscure that it was the flight's termination system that caused the explosion after a series of engine failures ultimately led to loss of control of the spacecraft.

However, according to SpaceX's expectations the launch was a success, given that it achieved liftoff and only caused an enormous amount of damage to the launch pad rather than thoroughly decimate it. So I would only call foul if the headline were to suggest the mission were a complete failure.

Ars has a good summary based in part on Musk's comments over the weekend.

The press generally doesn't understand aerospace, so they aren't "wrong" that it exploded on launch, but it definitely lacks the context that it was always a possible expected outcome, and it's not a "setback" as it has been characterized by some. We saw this during the landing failures, and the company has a fantastic greatest hits video of that. And given the engine failures and damage before it got off the pad, I'm surprised it got to 40km. The other unfortunate thing is all of the people who act as if Elon Musk is hand building and launching these things, ignoring that despite his name on the door, thousands of people who do the actual work are doing the actual work at a wildly profitable company.

In CNN's defense (they don't need defended) here are two other headlines from them on the same launch.

• SpaceX's Starship rocket lifts off for inaugural test flight but explodes midair
• SpaceX launches world's largest rocket

My mind is blown.
I’m goin’ to launch.

National Security Threat Reported at EPCOT (When Epcot was under construction in 1979 there was talk about including a Soviet Pavilion. They went with a China Pavilion instead)

Walt Disney World Empty as Guests Vanish (Last night after storms rolled through the area the wait times at WDW were lower than normal)

Disney Erases Attraction From History After Permanently Destroying It (After ending Harmonious at Epcot, WDW no longer advertises it as an offering)

Disney Sends Warning to Florida, Threatens Magic Kingdom’s Future (The whole Lake Nona campus cancellation)

Universal Parks Continue to Roll Back Safety Measures (In 2023 there are no COVID protocols guests need to follow to visit Universal)

I haven't clicked on an ITM link in over a year for all of these reasons.

Headless Guest Forces Emergency Stop Aboard High-Speed Roller Coaster (Magnum at Cedar Point had a lift stop for a few minutes and someone on TikTok saw a crew member go up the lift stairs and take a phone. Many in the comments are ripping the author for using 'headless' not only in the headline but also in the body of the article rather than 'heedless', which naturally wouldn't result in the clicks.

TikTok Captures Death of Disneyland Cast Member (some asshole faked a TikTok video claiming to have footage of a terrible accident that occurred at the park in 1974)

Disney Roller Coaster Evacuated After “Screw Came Out” of Seat (Avengers Assemble at Disneyland Paris had a downtime and 'there are unconfirmed reports that 'a bolt was found')

“Save Splash Mountain” Fans Sealed Attraction’s Fate (Splash Mountain had a longer line on closing day than it normally would on any other day)

OK... we get it. 🙂

I caught that "Headless" headline and it took everything in me not to click on it, not because of any OMG, what happened?! thing, but more out of curiosity about what the spin could possibly be for a headline like that. Deliberately misspelling the word in the headline and in the body of the article had not crossed my mind, and it might represent a new low point for ITM. So if there's any value to what BrettV is doing, it's in letting the rest of us know what they're up to so that we don't have to click the link. Because if we all take the bait, the terrorists win.

It also lets me know that I never have to go to the site. Not that I would have, anyway.

One night my wife was running into some really clickbaity stuff and I told her how there's this WDW site that is bordeline insane with their headlines and how no one wants to give them rage clicks. So at CoasterBuzz there's a thread where one guy keeps going in and running recognisance for the rest of us and bringing back the stories so we can all keep getting annoyed at their bait without giving them the clicks.

She thought it was great.

I mean, come on, if that ain't community...

A Modest Proposal: Maybe instead of using the Starcruiser thread for this, we can have a "ClickBait Of The Week" thread?

Coasterbuzz Owner Berates Forum Participant, Community Outraged and Dismayed

If I had a dollar for every time I heard that headline, I wouldn't be bitching about the cost to run it all. 🙃

I know Jeff is over it, but I couldn't resist this one:

Epic Fart Disrupts Disneyland Ride (Some dude ripped a big one while videoing himself on Pirates of the Caribbean)

Yeah, I know we've beat this dead horse sufficiently, but this one was worth it for the headline and accompanying pic:

Disney World Considering ‘Nuclear Option’ for Park Expansion (one blogger posts a bunch of quotes from another blogger speculating that there's a lot of room for expansion at MK if they remove Big Thunder Mountain, Tom Sawyer's Island, and the surrounding river)

Bloggers quoting bloggers, cool. I can't believe that there are people so against critical thinking that they eat this stuff.

They're covering the Fury crack already: VIDEO: Roller Coaster Falls Apart With Guests on Board

And since I'm already here...

Child Locked Into Disney Ride in Living Nightmare (A restraint didn't unlock after a cycle on Flight of Passage and the ops had to manually release it. The kid loved the attention)

Hundreds Trapped on Disney World Ride in the Dark (Spaceship Earth had a brief ride stop, the story even ends with 'Despite the breakdown, Spaceship Earth is operating normally at the time of this article’s publication.')

Christians Riot Over New Disney Show About a Teen Impregnated by Satan (for a minute I thought Ted Cruz had written a guest column over there)