I bought a new slow cooker a few weeks ago, and each time I've use it the coating on the inside of the pot has changed colour, as if heat is damaging it. Can anyone explain what's happening? I'm a bit worried I'm going to be poisoned by it, so I've stopped using it. Here's a photo.I'll contact the manufacturer as soon as possible, but it could take a while so I'd appreciate it if anyone could explain it.
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I want to own a series of good reference texts for my home that I can browse and with which to edify myself. Right now, I am most interested in learning about geography, but I am open to suggestions on any reference texts that are important to have in a home library.I own a copy of the two volume OED with the magnifying glass and tiny print, a copy of Home Comforts, and three books about the Beatles. That is the extent of my non-fiction home reference collection. Oh, and cookbooks are covered. I have a lot of those. I am most interested in owning an atlas right now, but any really must-have reference book suggestions are welcome. I am happy to own textbooks, if they are good.
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Man accidentally starts Twitter war between Natural History and Science museums During The Natural History Museum's Ask a Curator event on Twitter, one man had a pressing query he needed answering...
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Three friends are traveling to Australia for 9 days (including arrival/departure days). This time will be split between Sydney and the northeastern coast (Great Barrier Reef). They have very different interests, and they sincerely do not wish to ruin each other's trips, but also don't want their own trips ruined, especially because it is unlikely that they will ever have the time/money to return to Australia.Specifically, one of the friends is an *avid* hiker/camper and nature aficionado, and extremely interested in that aspect of the trip. The remaining two friends are not "nature people". They hate hiking, though they'd love something like the walk from Coogee to Bondi, and they enjoy "easy" tropical snorkeling (not much experience with wetsuits). Even worse, one of the friends is very motion-sick, on boats and aircraft. What's the best way to split the friends' time or accommodate their diverse interests? E.g., what are some activities that they could all do happily? Or different activities that are near enough together that the friends can conveniently split up to enjoy their preferred activity? Or what are some cities/places that offer a great mix of both cultural and natural activities? Or what are some decision-making processes that will ensure that everyone is maximally happy with their expensive vacation?
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Scientists Can Now Repaint Butterfly Wings - "Thanks to CRISPR, scientists are studying animal evolution in ways that were previously thought to be impossible." also btw, re: -inheritable learning -gene editing and the "nature vs. nurture" debate -Intelligence and the DNA Revolution[*] -Accurate Genomic Prediction Of Human Height -Our Biotech Future
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Oh well, shopping carts. In San Francisco Bay. What to do?This needs a picture, but cant figure out how to include. Maybe too complicated? just imagine about 10 shopping carts in low tide mud in San Francisco Bay. Question is: what to do? about shopping carts. All are from Costco that is upstream.
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The Vietnam veterans who became the crafting kings of the county fair "The first time Rod won a blue ribbon at the Montgomery County Fair, in 2010, it was Nathan who had secretly submitted Rod's handmade blanket. After that, Rod submitted entries on his own every year. He had never mentioned anything about entering his final project at the fair. But seven months after he died, Nathan decided to do it anyway."
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The footage, courtesy of Hirola Conservation Programme. Reporting in The New York Times, with more photos of white animals.
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On Saturday, September 16, a highway accident killed four and hospitalized three in South Gloucestershire, in the south west of England. A truck suffered a tire blowout and lost control. It crossed into the oncoming lane, demolishing cars and a motorbike before landing in a ditch. Three witnesses were in a car 30 seconds behind the crash. They rushed to help at a traumatic scene. Kids were pulled from a car on fire, while rescue crews were stuck in traffic. I'm annoyed they didn't do it in full fursuit, but seriously, that fake fur shit is made of plastic and would just melt to your skin.
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Australians are receiving a special postal survey from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The survey asks one simple question that can only be answered yes or no: "Do you support a change in the law to allow same-sex couples to marry?" The postal survey is a first for Australia - and not only is it not mandatory to vote in the survey, the results will not be legally binding. The postal survey is proceeding after a challenge before the High Court was dismissed. Even before the challenge was dismissed, the campaign against same-sex marriage was in full swing, so that the Senate has passed laws banning vilification, intimidation and threats. Meanwhile, support for same-sex marriage seems to have a strong geographic component. This isn't terribly surprising when you consider that most same-sex couples live in urban areas. As for how to actually go about voting in the survey, it's pretty straightforward. Tick a box and return it in the reply-paid envelope. It is perfectly ok to decorate your vote with doodles of genitalia, politicians performing unsavoury acts or whatever you like - but don't add glitter or anything else to the envelope, or the ABS will reject it. The mail-out of surveys started last week and it's predicted everyone should have received them by 25 September - but here's what to do if you don't get your survey or need a new one because you got carried away with doodling on your ballot paper.
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Hi folks! I've been exploring the possibility of buying a piece of vacant land in BC or Ontario to put up a small house in 8-10 years when I'm sick of work. Is it a good idea to find and buy a nice plot of land when it comes up, and just hang on to it till I'm ready to build? I also have a list of questions about living in more rural areas.First, I'm a city kid through and through, and have no idea what it's like to live away from a city. The plots of land I'm looking at have electrical/telephone hookup, and not too far from a town for supplies/food. How does one deal with these issues in less populated areas though? - Water: I'm not certain if wells can be dug, or if there is even water running below the land. Filtration? - Electricity: I'm looking at plots with electrical/telephone hookup, but I think having a generator + solar panels would be a good backup? - Human waste: Most plots I see have no sewage - and I'm probably not googling the right words as well. Are septic tanks used? With regards to land in Canada, several sites I see indicate that all I need to do after purchasing the land is pay tax on it every year. Surely it can't be _that_ simple? Finally I have seen some municipalities have a minimum size for houses? That appears to be a topic of contention by tiny house owners. I'm looking to build a size around 5 to 600 sq. feet. I'm thinking that it's best to clarify that and maybe even get a building permit before purchasing the land? Thanks!
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My partner received an IRS Notice of Levy from their employer... what does this mean?My partner received an IRS Notice of Levy from their employer today, indicating wage garnishment to repay many thousands of dollars in taxes due from 2010. The address on the document is not an address my partner has ever lived at or been associated with. My partner did not file a tax return for the year indicated on this document. My partner has paid taxes via payroll deductions every year, but has not officially filed a tax return in several years because... reasons. (And this is why we're financially independent!) Their payroll deductions should be sufficient to cover any tax liability, and the dumbass has been losing out on refund dollars every year by failing to file. I have not been able to find any useful details on the address noted on the levy form, just that the property was sold in 2014 with approximately $65,000 in post-due property taxes (sold in 2014; previous sale before 2009). How should they proceed? To me, this seems like some sort of identity theft, considering that the address used to file the tax return is not related in any way to my partner. It seems very suspicious that the property address on the (seemingly fraudulent) 2010 tax return owed more than a year of my partner's salary in past-due property taxes. So... what should they do? Given that my partner has not filed taxes in 8-10 years, are there any things that they need to be aware of before they contact the IRS and report potential fraud?
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What if colonialism.... was good?[PDF] Bruce Gilley makes The Case For Colonialism. A nice timeline at The Daily Nous of some responses, as well as how the original piece failed peer review. A Quick Reminder Of Why Colonialism Was Bad, Nathan J. Robinson Gilley's article takes a very clear stance: not only was colonialism a force for good in the world, but anti-colonial sentiment is "preposterous." What's more, Gilley says, we need a new program of colonization, with Western powers taking over the governing functions of less developed countries. Gilley says he intends to overturn or revise three lines of criticism directed against colonialism: "that it was objectively harmful (rather than beneficial)," "that it was subjectively illegitimate (rather than legitimate)," and "that it offends the sensibilities of contemporary society." Thus he is not just concerned to prove that colonialism was good and should be revived. He also wants to prove that it was "legitimate," i.e. that there is nothing inherently unjust about invading and dominating a people. Gilley's article is a truly extraordinary piece of work. It's hard to believe, at first, that it isn't a Sokal-esque satire intended to prove how normalized abhorrent opinions are. But it appears to be sincere. And because it appeared in a mainstream journal, and the sentiments it expresses are somewhat common, it's worth responding to the case Gilley makes. A Reply To "The Case For Colonialism", Stanley Mushava "So we have an appraisal of historical events that gets basic parts of the history wrong, ignores or passes over key events, purports to be a cost-benefit analysis while not actually factoring in costs, is naively credulous as to tyrant's self-affirmation, and advocates a mode of counter-factual reasoning that is both underspecified and from what can be discerned amounts to a non-sequitur. This is not good scholarship." - Liam Kofi Bright "Perhaps more importantly, I'd like to reflect briefly at the end of this post on what this piece as a textual artifact tells us about political science's—and particularly IR's—colonial present. This is certainly, in my view, the most disturbing aspect of the article."
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Or, help me kick my own ass. Please.Recently I came across this New Yorker article on resilience. This worked loose a number of thoughts that I had tucked away in the back of my mind, chief among them that I am not a resilient person, and I would like to be. This article discusses how it's possible to: - become more resilient - change the way that we frame emotions - develop an internal locus of control Up until now, I haven't given much thought to the idea that any of this might be possible, but recently some shit went down in my personal life, and I've finally recognized that I need to make these changes. Being tougher, not letting myself be overcome by selfish or self-pitying emotions, and taking responsibility for my actions are all things that I know would have a huge impact on my well-being and success, and would enable me to treat people better. This has also been on my mind in the context of my generation (millennial, go figure). I've been writing a blog post for work that breaks down some stereotypes about Gen Y and discusses how to manage us young punks. But while I think the stereotypes need to be broken down for my generation as a whole, I feel like I fit squarely into them. I am selfish, entitled, and lazy. Having helicopter parents and being praised all the time as a kid has made me dependent and devoid of motivation. Most of my life so far has been a spent trying not to admit responsibility for my actions. I'm sick of myself. I've gone back and forth for a long time about whether I'm depressed or just a puss. Maybe some of it is depression, but I think for the most part I've been holding onto this idea that life just happens to me, and I wish it were better, but gosh, what am I to do about it? A few weeks ago, I had a falling out with a dating partner related to some of these issues, and that has been a major catalyst for recognizing that it's time to deal with my shit. (Have since made up with her, thankfully.) This also ties into issues of empathy and respecting boundaries. To summarize a pattern of behavior that has existed between us... - She sets out strict boundaries (related to time, space or emotional labor) - I break the boundaries - She calls me out - I refuse to acknowledge my mistakes - She becomes angry and resentful - I feel sorry for myself because she's upset with me The way I see it, I need to cultivate my own strength in order to respect her boundaries better, empathize with her needs, own up to my mistakes, and not fall into a self-pity/shame spiral when I do mess up. So I'm also looking for advice on how to empathize better and be more resilient in the context of a relationship. I think I've been very selfish in the way I treat others, and I want to do better. I'm planning to do some therapy to get help with this, because it seems about time for it. I'd also like any recommendations for things to read, or look for in a therapist, or what YOU did/went through that made you the go-getting, non-self-pitying, no-shit-taking badass you are today. Do I need to enroll in the army and get my ass kicked? Or just read that book by the Navy SEAL guy? Climb a huge mountain? Sell all my stuff and join a monastery for a while? Mostly joking, but whatever your advice is, please tell me. I need an intervention. Thanks in advance.
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As the 1800s dawned, 22 orphans boarded a Spanish ship, under the care of their orphanage director and a team of doctors and nurses. As they set sail across the Atlantic, the plan was set in motion: they infected one of the children with cowpox. Over the following months, they passed the virus from one child to the other, in carefully spaced succession, to create a living transmission chain that would reach the Americas. They thus carried the smallpox vaccine to the new world in what became known as the Balmis Expedition.
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Shoog McDaniel, is a southern, queer, non-binary, fat photographer and artist living in Gainesville, Florida. "My work is about highlighting bodies and lives that are often overlooked by popular society. I enjoy photographing fat bodies, trans bodies, and queer bodies. People`with gap-toothed smiles and missing buttons. I capture images of my friends. With little exceptions, I have a connection with the humans in my photos and I intend to show that through the intimacy of my portraits. I strive to connect the viewer of each photo to beauty within themselves, through understanding the brilliancy of diversity, by showing them that there are many ways to be beautiful." (ALL LINKS VERY NSFW) An interview with Teen Vogue. Another interview with HungerTV. Shoog's Instagram
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Ada Palmer refers to Lorenzo de Medici as a "perfect humanist prince." What is the best single-volume biography of Lorenzo? Best single volume history of the Medicis? And best single-volume history of Medieval and/or Renaissance Florence?
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Beautiful images from the Astronomy Photographer of The Year awards.
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It's been a teeth-gnashing irritant since there's been paper maps that folding and refolding them is so difficult but inventors to the rescue! Sort of. More or less. Here are some patents to solve the problem. Sort of. More or less.
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I canned some green beans about a month ago. Is it a problem if the beans are poking up above the liquid? When we initially canned them the beans were below the liquid and the beans were floating. Now they're not floating, and the liquid level has lowered. The lids are all secure.
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I recently got an interview offer for what I think is my dream job at a major university. I know the area and the department as I used to live/work there, and provided the salary and workday is what I expect it is, I plan to take this job. But they just sent me the itinerary and it's a two-day behemoth where I meet/interview with 25 people. Help me not screw this up!They are flying me down on a Thursday morning. I will be having lunch on Thursday with four of the grad students, followed by six 40 min interviews with various department members (mostly faculty, two administrators) including the former chair. Then a 40 min break before getting picked up at my hotel for dinner with 5 faculty. Friday starts bright and early at 6:45 when I meet with the director of one of the university's interdisciplinary centers (this was my request, as my research interests would likely lean on this center, and it's a pretty unique opportunity), then five faculty interviews, a job talk, lunch with a recently hired faculty member, three more interviews, a meeting with the current chair, and a short break before dinner with three more junior faculty. Saturday is unscheduled (thank god!) and I don't leave till Saturday afternoon. On the one hand, I'm thrilled that they are having me meet with so many different people with a range of academic rank, and it's a very collegial department -- I previously worked with all but two of these people in some capacity, and am on first name terms with the vast majority, so I imagine it will be relatively chill. On the other hand, just looking at the schedule makes me tired! I will have two suits, extra pantyhose (I'm a woman), breathmints, and low-heeled shoes. Extra copies of my CV are ready to go. What else do I need to know to help me survive this interview without going totally insane, especially before the all important chair meeting at 4:30 on a Friday afternoon?
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My small company is growing and ready to hire an officer manager. I'm lost when it comes to knowing where to post this job. Please help! Location: USA> California> Los AngelesThe company is growing to 25 employees and beyond and it's time to bring on a dedicated Office Manager. In the past I've posted on industry websites for our creative and technical roles, but as the Officer Manager role isn't industry-specific, I'd like to go broader with the posting. What are the bigger and more respected job websites these days? The only site I can think of is indeed.com and posting on the job boards of local universities (for the alumni, not the current students). Otherwise, I'm aware of monster.com but suspect that site is past its prime. I wouldn't post on Craig's List, either, as that's going a bit too broad, and honestly feels a bit sketchy. If you've had recent success with hiring, or getting hired, I'd like to hear about the most promising and effective modern job search sites you used. Conversely, if you had bad experiences with any sites, I'd like to hear about which sites to avoid, too. Other advice for broadening my candidate pool (perhaps local social media groups I should be posting to?) are also welcome. Many thanks in advance!
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The popular disc cleaning software CCleaner's most recent version is a payload for malware. Bleeping Computer has more detail.
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Hypothetical Hurricanes Wiki: If It's Destructive, Write About It. "A Category 7 is a hypothetical rating beyond the maximum rating of Category 5, which is not or will never be in discussion of adding this rating to the Saffir-Simpson Scale. A storm of this magnitude would most likely have winds between 225 and 245 mph, And minimum pressure of maybe 835-843 millibars. The storm would be maybe just as big as Typhoon Tip, maybe even larger, have and eye as small as only 1 mile wide or as large as 300 miles, The tropical storm wind field may extend out twice as far than the largest tropical storm wind field recorded, and the hurricane wind field would also be twice as large." (see also the entry for Hurricane Lee).
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My 1st grader has been invited to 2 birthday parties at the same time on the same day. I already accepted the first invite, how do I handle the 2nd?The first invite I received of the two came a couple of weeks ago from one of his close friends, so I've already RSVP'd yes. I just received the 2nd invite, from another one of his close friends. I'm pretty sure I can't replicate my kid and have him attend both, so what's the etiquette here? I'll need to turn down the second, but I assume I should invite the 2nd kid over for a birthday play date and lunch/ gift? I know my kid will be soo happy to attend one, but will also be sad to miss the other. I also guess that I'm not the first to experience this, so what's worked well for others?
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