Random Thoughts That Don't Deserve Their Own Thread Go Here

[Kodos]

That reminds me. Probably time to check our dryer vent.

[Vince, Pt. II]

That can also lead to a fire, so good to do regularly even if your dryer is still drying clothes well.

[Lathum]

We have an LG dryer and it works great but you have to clean the vents regardless. You can usually find a groupon for someone to do it or if you have a shop vac use that.

[cuervo72]

Yeah, still not interested in watching Mayim Bialik.

[Edward64]

So anyone have any theories about all these monoliths being found?

Doubtful they are 2001-like artifacts, but who/what is the rationale?

[NobodyHere]

[Edward64]

FWIW, we saw the International Space Station fly overhead. From north GA, it was NW when we saw it, assume its overhead by now. Like a star but could see a "light trail" and it was like blinking (or maybe not, we have light clouds).

[sterlingice]

If you're not familiar, Spot the Station is helpful for this:
Houston, Texas, United States | Sighting Opportunity | Spot The Station | NASA

SI

[Edward64]

I know it's past its heyday but I will enjoy seeing breakdancing in the Olympics. There will be some amazing moves.

[21C]

The funniest thing I saw on the news was a piece on breakdancing at the Olympics where they interviewed and displayed the "talents" of the worst breakdancers I have ever seen. They reminded me of main characters on TV sitcoms who are obviously bad at breakdancing but try to do it anyway.

[JediKooter]

Wait...the Olympics time traveled back to the 80s?

[thesloppy]

Breakin' is still super hot in particular parts of Eastern Europe and Asia.

[ISiddiqui]

Ah, a reminder that it's almost Christmas from UPS today. Got a really exciting shipment today - a power strip. I got a notice on my phone that my UPS package was delivered. Went to the door within 5 mins of the delivery and the envelope was sliced or ripped open on one side (looked purposeful). The power strip seemed to be completely undamaged. Sooo it seemed like either the driver or a warehouse person opened up the package to see if it was anything good to take.

So I just called up UPS to let them know.

[NobodyHere]

So does the board have any opinions on instant pots? I thought about getting one as an Xmas gift.

Are they good for a bachelor with moderate cooking skillz?

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by NobodyHere

So does the board have any opinions on instant pots? I thought about getting one as an Xmas gift.

Are they good for a bachelor with moderate cooking skillz?

We have one. Think of it as a quicker crock pot. 6 to 8 hours to like 2 hours.

Beef stew, Pot Roast, Ribs etc. all quicker cook times. The problem is cooking too long where meat just falls off the bone or potatoes are close to mush.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by NobodyHere

So does the board have any opinions on instant pots? I thought about getting one as an Xmas gift.

Are they good for a bachelor with moderate cooking skillz?

Strictly a YMMV answer here but for us it literally went back in the box & was returned after reading the detailed disasembly/cleaning/reassembly instructions.

Maybe you don't have to do it all by the book, we were too kitchen averse to find out. It would have required longer to do what the instructions recommended than we normally spend in the kitchen for a meal.

[Lathum]

I have one but really never use it.

My air fryer on the other hand, lots of miles on that.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Lathum

I have one but really never use it.

This was precisely why we returned. I own enough shit that hasn't been used in 20 years.

[sterlingice]

We don't do a lot of the crazy instant pot cooking - we've tried a handful of things. But, really, it feels like a square peg in a round hole whenever we do. Like I don't need something that makes decent, I dunno, soup or lasagna when I have a pot on the stove or pyrex pan for the oven that makes it just as good or better.

But what we use it all the time for is a rice cooker. We got it to replace the rice cooker and it takes about 20-25 mins as opposed to an hour like our old rice cooker so it works great for us for that. We tend to eat rice once a week on average so that's totally worth it (with stir fry, curry, red beans and rice - that sort of thing). If we ate rice less frequently or threw money into a more expensive dedicated rice cooker, it might replace that but since it works - we're good with it for now.

It could also replace our slow cooker, I think, if we wanted to go that route and free up some space in the cupboard. When I do a pork loin for pulled pork or pork roast, I'd need to chop it up, tho, as it's more vertical than horizontal and they always seem more cut for a longer slow cooker.

TL;DR: It could probably be a good rice cooker and slow cooker; Anything else, you probably already have something you use for it.

SI

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by NobodyHere

So does the board have any opinions on instant pots? I thought about getting one as an Xmas gift.

Are they good for a bachelor with moderate cooking skillz?

We love ours. It's easy to use. I enjoy making some really quick chili, whereas before I'd use the slow cooker. It's the difference between 45mins and 6-8 hours.

I recently used it to make turkey stock from Thanksgiving turkey breast carcass. Took an hour.

[chesapeake]

Like SI, we use ours frequently as a rice cooker, which it does very well. My elder daughter has gone vegan this year, so we've added a number of bean dishes to its repertoire. It gets used 2-3 times a week, so I feel that it has earned its regular spot on the kitchen counter.

[revrew]

Instapot: The rice and beans miracle machine.

It can do a decent job on frozen meat that you don't want to take the time to defrost, too, but I prefer to take my time and make meat well. Some people try to make whole meals in it ... not my thing. Too hit and miss, too little control.

But seriously, rice ... done and beautiful. Dried beans ... add a little onion and garlic to the instapot ... SO much better than those canned things (and WAY cheaper).

[Ksyrup]

I'm not sure where this belongs, but this is best explanation of the problem with social media that I've seen. I suppose it's largely focused on FB because of "megascale" which other sites haven't quite reached yet, but the concept is the same.

Facebook Is a Doomsday Machine - The Atlantic

[Jas_lov]

I use the instant pot a couple time a week for rice, potatoes and boiling eggs. It does a really good job on those. I'll have to try some soups next year. I think it's easier to use than the stove and convenient to have. An air fryer would be a good present too for someone looking for an easy way to cook.

[cartman]

I use my Instant Pot quite often, for the already mentioned rice and beans, but also for spaghetti in a pinch. You put the pasta, sauce, a bit of water, and frozen Costco meatballs in, set the timer for 8 minutes, and you have a quick meal. I also do a lot of Thai curries, as well as different takes on preparing pork tenderloins.

I picked up the air fryer lid for the Instant Pot, and it is great for when you want to heat up just a small snack, and don't have to use the wall oven. I also made beef jerky with the air fryer lid and it worked great.

[Ksyrup]

I don't go into the office much anymore, but when I do, it's a 2 hour round trip commute. In the morning, I'm out the door by 6:10 and at the office by 7:10. It's not that crowded, but there's just enough semis and regular vehicle traffic to keep me awake. Most of my trip is interstate.

This morning was one of those times when I wondered if a Venn diagram of anti-maskers and people who refuse to move out of the left lane no matter what, would look like a complete circle. What a bunch of obstinate, selfish, inconsiderate a$$holes. The right lane is the default - left is for passing. At least 4 times this morning I passed a semi on the right only to come up on a car on the left who could easily have moved over, but forced me to get into the right lane to pass them. I wished each of them a blown tire as I drove past.

Probably not the right frame of mind as I head out the door for home, but...

[MIJB#19]

Website redactions really have to learn the etiquette of not auto starting random videos. If you feel the urgency to throw a video in your visitor's face, have the decency to put a play button over it. Sometimes I nearly get a heart attack when some random shit starts making a lot of noise. It gets even worse when that video itself is hard to find, like hidden way down after tons of scrolling, or invisible behind the cookies settings pop up, which rarely follow by law mandatory privacy protocol. There should always be a turn all cookies off option in one click, life it or not.

[Ksyrup]

Random words that don't belong together.

Creed’s Scott Stapp to Portray Frank Sinatra in New Movie About Ronald Reaganhttps://t.co/uxyk4vAAV7 pic.twitter.com/8sY1RQrYdD

— SPIN (@SPIN) December 16, 2020

[sterlingice]

I don't like the new NOAA radars. If I wanted slow loading, high res radar, I'd go to weather underground. I want NOAA when I want something that doesn't chew up a ton of data on my phone or won't cause my CPU fans to kick one from website bloat.

SI

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Yeah, Jim Carrey as Biden doesn't work for me.

I'm glad. Way too different in "energy".

Jim Carrey's short stint as Joe Biden has come to an end.

Carrey will no longer play the president-elect on "Saturday Night Live," the comedian announced on Twitter Saturday.
:
:
The decision to end his role as Biden was Carrey's choice, according to a source close to the show. Carrey planned to only play the candidate in the run-up to the election, and since he lives in Los Angeles, it would be difficult for him to travel back and forth for the show in the long term, the source said.

[Edward64]

Don't forget to check out the Christmas "star" tonight and tomorrow. In GA it'll be in SW.

Jupiter And Saturn Will Be Together Again For The Holidays | Georgia Public Broadcasting

[cuervo72]

CBS News just had a story about a Dairy Queen in MN had something like 600 straight cars "paid it forward" and how inspiring it is, yadda yadda yadda.

These stories are so friggin stupid. Everyone still has to pay except the last car! And you basically are forced to keep things going or you're the asshole!
It's not like this is some great charity for the needy. One lucky stiff gets free ice cream!

[Atocep]

Doritos 3D are back on December 28th. Now we just need PB Crisps.

[albionmoonlight]

I can finally cross this off my "to-do" list.#BetterLateThanNever pic.twitter.com/3rmfEiA3tv

— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) December 28, 2020

[Edward64]

Ugh, work starts up again tomorrow.

It's time like these when I want to say f*ck it, give me basic universal income, and let me retire early.

(Should have voted for Bernie)

[miami_fan]

Start that new year diet tomorrow!

Krispy Kreme's 'Four Days of Glaze' Deal Is Here

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

This is totally wonderful and deserved more love.

[NobodyHere]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

This is totally wonderful and deserved more love.

+1

[NobodyHere]

They are painting in the room next to my office and I am getting a wicked high.

[Edward64]

I am looking forward to try the McD spicy chicken sandwich.

On Monday, the company announced three versions of a new chicken sandwich, which will be available nationally on February 24: The Crispy Chicken Sandwich, topped with pickles and served on a potato roll, the Spicy Chicken Sandwich, which adds a spicy pepper sauce, and the Deluxe Chicken Sandwich, which comes with lettuce, tomatoes and mayo. McDonald's told investors in November to expect a new chicken sandwich this year.

[Ksyrup]

Tonight was the first time I've used my Google Maps app since late February.

[PilotMan]

Today was the first day that I flew in an airplane since March. Not flying, just riding. Then later, I flew a box (close enough approximation of the real thing) and I hadn't done anything like that since February.

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

Tonight was the first time I've used my Google Maps app since late February.

I had a couple lacrosse practices/tournaments in South Carolina over the summer & a couple trips up to the same mountain house near Boone, but yeah other than that I've only used Waze out of habit(/to avoid speed traps) & not to figure out how to get somewhere new in almost a year now. And I'm a borderline psycho in some ways about how I'm treating this disease who at least has a consistent friend group I can talk into Cataan or watching football once a week through this. I can't imagine how bad it is mental health wise for many, and how long this will take to recover from :/

[britrock88]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

Today was the first day that I flew in an airplane since March. Not flying, just riding. Then later, I flew a box (close enough approximation of the real thing) and I hadn't done anything like that since February.

[Lathum]

They must find some crazy things in car wash vacuum cleaners.

[NobodyHere]

So as part of my companies hiring application we ask questions such as "What is longer, 1/2 or 5/8?" or "How many 1/16ths are in an inch?"

You know how many people get these wrong?

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by NobodyHere

So as part of my companies hiring application we ask questions such as "What is longer, 1/2 or 5/8?" or "How many 1/16ths are in an inch?"

You know how many people get these wrong?

I'm hoping if you get a lot of wrong answers that you aren't hiring for an architectural or engineering firm

SI

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by NobodyHere

So as part of my companies hiring application we ask questions such as "What is longer, 1/2 or 5/8?" or "How many 1/16ths are in an inch?"

You know how many people get these wrong?

Do you wan the answers in percentages or raw numbers?

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by NobodyHere

So as part of my companies hiring application we ask questions such as "What is longer, 1/2 or 5/8?" or "How many 1/16ths are in an inch?"

You know how many people get these wrong?

How many?

[cartman]

the answer, obviously, is 2/3