The "This Might Be A Stupid Question, But...." Thread

[oz diva]

Do you have a simple saucepan? I don't like the taste of Microwave popcorn, so I simply heat kernels in some hot oil, put the lid on and wait for 5 minutes. It's so easy anyway, I can't see the point of microwaving it, and you know what you've put on top.

[jpcher]

We got a new microwave recently, and our popcorn making capacities have taken a major hit.

With the old microwave, nuking the popcorn on the default setting (which I'm assuming is high) for 3 minutes and 10 seconds gave us a perfect bag of popcorn.  Nothing burned, and very few unpopped kernels, maybe 4 or 5 per bag.

Now with the new microwave, 3:10 is almost on the edge of burning the corn, but about 1/3 of the kernels remain unpopped.  Increasing the time only burns the popcorn.

Will nuking it at a lower power setting but for more time make more of them pop?  Or not do anything at all?

Is there a popcorn button? Those frequently work well.

I'd say turn it down to 80% and see how it does. I know that when my microwave does the popcorn setting it turns it down, and that seems to work well.

Yes, there is.  It nukes the popcorn for 2 minutes, and leaves over half of them unpopped.  And apparently the manufacturers KNOW that this is insufficient, because once you figure out how to nuke it properly (evidently by trial and error) you can reprogram the popcorn button to your desired power setting and cook time.

If we had room to keep one, I'd go to the thrift store and get one of the old-fashioned popcorn poppers. 

Oh. That's interesting. I'll have to check to see if my microwave does that.

I don't remember what the time is for my microwave button (nor do I know the heat setting, I do think it changes during the cycle) but for perfect popcorn I press the popcorn button and immediately when it hits "0" I press the button again then listen until there is a few seconds between pops (about another 20 seconds.)

Kind of a pain because you gotta pay attention, but it works.



Oh, yeah. oz diva's way works well, too! I forgot about the old-fashioned way.  (she posted while I was typing)

[KenveeB]

I got a small popcorn popper for Christmas. Purely our of my altruistic desire to help my fellow E-hellions, I will make some soon and report back.

[kherbert05]

Something similar happened with my Mom. The service wasn't as bad. Neglectful but no pouring things on us. Mom paid with cash. She would have left a tip more to the 15% than 20%. The change was closer to a 40% tip - not something my parents would leave. When Mom asked for her change, the server said in a snotty tone that was my tip.  Mom asked for the owner by name. (Dad was in the beer business. Mom and Dad knew all the independent restaurant owners in his territory by name.) The owner was NOT happy. Mom got her change back and the server was retrained by the owner.

Which San Angelo restaurant was it?  I worked my way through my senior year of high school and most of college (1974 to 1979) and we moved back there after getting out of the military in 1985 - I've probably eaten at most of the ones still in business - and if I haven't, my ILs have!

Not San Angelo, Place in Spring Branch off Katy freeway. Owner died 10 years or so ago. His heirs sold the place to a chain.

[Dazi]

Traska AKA Diane wrote:

"Of course, the people who have sold all their worldly possessions are going to feel *real* foolish on Saturday morning."

Anyone who could rationalize selling all of their worldly possessions in anticipation of the end of times will be more than capable of rationalizing the action after the fact.

Virg

Wait, people are doing this? Is this a thing? That doesn't even make any sense. Even if the world *were* going to end, what good is a bunch of cash going to do you? Either you're dead or living in a post apocalyptic world where cash is worthless. Looking just at the miscellaneous rubbish on my desk I can't see a single thing that wouldn't be at least as useful as cash in a post apocalyptic world, with the possible exception of the usb Christmas lights. And if the world *doesn't* end (Spoiler alert: it's not going to) you're going to look extra stupid.

My brain hurts and I want to go back to bed.

Welcome to my head... I'm out of it at the moment, but if you'd leave a message...

News Flash to all the gullible people (not any Ehellions)  . 

The world has been repeatedly said to be coming to an end "by this and that group", it seems like FOREVER.  It's never happened.  So chances are good, this time won't be "it" either.

Talk to y'all Saturday.

[Kimblee]

Traska AKA Diane wrote:

"Of course, the people who have sold all their worldly possessions are going to feel *real* foolish on Saturday morning."

Anyone who could rationalize selling all of their worldly possessions in anticipation of the end of times will be more than capable of rationalizing the action after the fact.

Virg

Wait, people are doing this? Is this a thing? That doesn't even make any sense. Even if the world *were* going to end, what good is a bunch of cash going to do you? Either you're dead or living in a post apocalyptic world where cash is worthless. Looking just at the miscellaneous rubbish on my desk I can't see a single thing that wouldn't be at least as useful as cash in a post apocalyptic world, with the possible exception of the usb Christmas lights. And if the world *doesn't* end (Spoiler alert: it's not going to) you're going to look extra stupid.

My brain hurts and I want to go back to bed.

Not this appocalypse but the last(?) one (which ever one was supposed to be the "rapture") I personally knew SEVERAL people who had their and/or their children's pets put down so they wouldn't have to survive in the end times. One who drowned the family kitten.

When the rapture didn't happen... well, all I can say is those kids may need therapy some day. Personally I wish I had known, I'm known to my family as a "sinner" so I'd have offered to take care of their pets for them if they got raptured.

(Note: This isn't a judgement on religions or anything. Just my personal judgement on stupid people killing their kid's pets.)

[Thipu1]

Yep, Dazi.

We'll talk on Saturday.

you bring the bean dip and we'll bring the wine. 

[kherbert05]

A question regarding the 'Mayan Calendar End of the World' idiocy.

Since this prediction was made, the Western calendar has changed several times.  How did people come up with the date December 21, 2012?

What will the excuse be when December 22 dawns?

My understanding is that the Mayan Calendar was on a type of cycle having to do with astronomy that is how they line up the dates on the different calendars.

The Mayan Calendar never predicted the end of the world - just the end of a cycle of that calendar. (Sort of like saying that Feb 29, 2016 is the end of the world because that is the next leap day)

I agree the selliing everything for cash doesn't make sense.

Stocking up on supplies/ammo if you thought you were going to be left behind. That would make sense.

Giving everything you own except the clothes on your back away so you would be raptured (the whole It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than a rich man enter the Kingdom of Heaven thing)

[JoW]

About the end of the world on Dec 21 -

NASA Science News for Dec. 14, 2012 (a free news letter I get on line)

NASA is so sure the world won't come to an end on Dec. 21, 2012, they have already released a video and news item for the day after.

FULL STORY: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2012/14dec_yesterday/

[Elfmama]

Traska AKA Diane wrote:

"Of course, the people who have sold all their worldly possessions are going to feel *real* foolish on Saturday morning."

Anyone who could rationalize selling all of their worldly possessions in anticipation of the end of times will be more than capable of rationalizing the action after the fact.

Virg

Wait, people are doing this? Is this a thing? That doesn't even make any sense. Even if the world *were* going to end, what good is a bunch of cash going to do you? Either you're dead or living in a post apocalyptic world where cash is worthless. Looking just at the miscellaneous rubbish on my desk I can't see a single thing that wouldn't be at least as useful as cash in a post apocalyptic world, with the possible exception of the usb Christmas lights. And if the world *doesn't* end (Spoiler alert: it's not going to) you're going to look extra stupid.

My brain hurts and I want to go back to bed.

Welcome to my head... I'm out of it at the moment, but if you'd leave a message...

News Flash to all the gullible people (not any Ehellions)  . 

The world has been repeatedly said to be coming to an end "by this and that group", it seems like FOREVER.  It's never happened.  So chances are good, this time won't be "it" either.

Talk to y'all Saturday.

The late lamented Weekly World News printed a new
END OF THE WORLD!!!!!!
story 2 or 3 times a month.

Was I the only one who noticed the yearly subscription in every issue? 

[Iris]

Kimblee - I don't want to quote your post because then people would see the hidden text, but that may be the saddest thing I've read since... well, since last weekend if I'm honest, but other than that for AGES.

[camlan]

Speaking of cats, why is it that they can ignore you all day long when you try to hug them or play, or God forbid, ask them to move so you don't trip over them, but when you sit down at the computer to do actual work, they decide that's the perfect time to come over and SIT ON YOUR KEYBOARD and be adorable and loving? Why? Why?!

I saw this on the internet and tried it with little hope, and have about a 50% success rate (so better than nothing): If you can clear a space on your desk area for a box, the cat will take over the box rather than your keyboard/working area. 
(My cat would go sit right in front of the the monitor, still not wanting to love on me, just wanting to sit where she is in the way, apparently.)

I was able to lure my old cat Prinny off the keyboard by putting a pillow, just an ordinary pillow that you would sleep on, on a corner of my desk. It had to be in a pillowcase, though. It didn't hurt that it was in front of a sunny window, either.

[AfleetAlex]

This is more a hypothesis than a question, but I thought I'd throw it out to E-hellions to see if anybody has thoughts on this.

In my (admittedly small) extended family, most people don't have more than two kids (just the way it worked out). And I've noticed that  it seems like one kid takes more strongly after one parent, and the other takes more strongly after the other parent.

For example, while I share many traits with my mom, I am without doubt my father's daughter. I inherited his body shape, his good-at-books-and-schooling brain and his sense of humor. My brother, who also has the sense of humor, inherited my mom's body shape and her good-at-hands-on intelligence.

Is this true in your family, or am I just seeing something that isn't there? 

[Virg]

Iris wrote:

"Wait, people are doing this? Is this a thing? That doesn't even make any sense. Even if the world *were* going to end, what good is a bunch of cash going to do you? Either you're dead or living in a post apocalyptic world where cash is worthless."

Many of those who wholly buy into this idea believe that the world will be destroyed on the 21st.  The concept of selling all your stuff is to garner a big pile of cash for one last hurrah, not to have a cash stockpile for afterward.

AfleetAlex wrote:

"In my (admittedly small) extended family, most people don't have more than two kids (just the way it worked out). And I've noticed that  it seems like one kid takes more strongly after one parent, and the other takes more strongly after the other parent."

This is perception of small numbers.  People, on seeing a child, wil naturally compare the child to his/her parents, and since just about everyone has two parents, will decide that the child takes after one or the other more.  When the next child comes along, the natural pattern is to think that child will take after the other parent, and so they will filter their observations to make it so.  I've seen more than one family where both (or even all three or more) kids take after one parent, and still I hear all the time that they're split because people will emphasize the differences (like you yourself did by pointing out that both of you got your father's sense of humor but then weighting other traits more strongly).

Virg

[Luci]

This is more a hypothesis than a question, but I thought I'd throw it out to E-hellions to see if anybody has thoughts on this.

In my (admittedly small) extended family, most people don't have more than two kids (just the way it worked out). And I've noticed that  it seems like one kid takes more strongly after one parent, and the other takes more strongly after the other parent.

For example, while I share many traits with my mom, I am without doubt my father's daughter. I inherited his body shape, his good-at-books-and-schooling brain and his sense of humor. My brother, who also has the sense of humor, inherited my mom's body shape and her good-at-hands-on intelligence.

Is this true in your family, or am I just seeing something that isn't there? 

This probably needs its own thread, but I can't skip it!

It's called genetics and I see it as more random than you seem to think. Brother is more our dad's side, I am more our mom's side. Lucas's and my daughter is like me, son like my dad and Lucas. Here is where your pattern fails in our family. Brother's 3 are mostly just his. Son's 3 are pretty much the maternal grandfather! Daughter's 3 are a real mixture with just slight favoring, nothing obvious. Even the twins only have similar eyes and noses - the same as any random sisters, which is what fraternals are. I see a little of nearly everybody in everybody, although there is a definite leaning toward one side in most, it isn't as much following a set pattern as you seem to have observed.

There are also dominant and recessive genes to consider, but that really gets far too complicated for this thread in my opinion., although it is fascinating.