Random randomness

[Daehawk]

That looks nothing like an insect head to me.

Me either, until I realized he's looking at the negative space (the white part).

That's what I thought I said. White head on a black flag with red silhouette. And this was closest but not close enough and colors were off

Just as an FYI, my undergraduate degree was Wildlife Biology. And while I didn't take any specific insect-related classes, I did get a bit familiar. Enough so that I wouldn't have gone with "insect" even if I was looking for something to compare it to. That's just me, though. I certainly don't hold it against you.

Looks like an ant head to me. But at least we know what it is now.

[Holman]

Anything bothersome is cringe.
Moichandising, moichandising, moichandising! No, that was fine. What bugs me is merch.
Most other words with more than one syllable being reduced to one syllable.

I'm fine with decimated. Yeah, I know what it originally meant (and even have a whole year of high school Latin 33 year ago!), but very few Latin root words mean what they originally did. Unlike with 'literally', it's been 1500 years since Rome was a power, and about a thousand since Latin stopped being widely spoken. Or, as one source puts it,

Come to think of it, you deserve more than that—you deserve an ovation. Except that the original meaning of ovation in English was “a ceremony attending the entering of Rome by a general who had won a victory of less importance than that for which a triumph was granted,” so I guess we can’t use that word.

No matter, we can say that if you stick to your guns you will surely have a triumph. Wait—the first meaning of triumph was “a ceremony attending the entering of Rome by a general who had won a decisive victory over a foreign enemy,” so let’s not use that. For those who truly believe that words which started out in English having a single meaning that pertains to ancient Rome should remain that way forever, the following list of such will come in handy:

Century: “a subdivision of the Roman legion.”
Forum: “the marketplace or public place of an ancient Roman city forming the center of judicial and public business.”
Tribune: “a Roman official under the monarchy and the republic with the function of protecting the plebeian citizen from arbitrary action by the patrician magistrates.”
Missiles: “Gifts thrown to the crowds by Roman emperors.”
Actor: “In Roman law, one that conducts a legal action.”
Legion: “the principal unit of the Roman army comprising 3000 to 6000 foot soldiers with cavalry.”

Also, if one insists on Roman usage, one should also be using the Roman pronunciation.

In the end, the English word 'decimate' isn't the same word as the Latin word 'decimate.' They're related, the way humans are related to Australopithecus africanus.

Well said. (Although most of those terms had multiple meanings even in Rome. e.g. "Century" means "100 things," not necessarily 100 soldiers, and "missiles" really means anything thrown.)

Language changes. If it didn't, it would be unlike anything else in human experience rather than central to it.

I always liked to surprise students with the fact that language actually changes more slowly today than it did in the past. Specific instances of slang and various technological/historical innovations aside, our English today would be intelligible to an English-speaker from the 1600s. Meanwhile, that 1600s speaker would not have been able to communicate with one from just 300 years prior, and even less so if they had been raised more than a hundred miles away in a different part of England.

The difference is print (and now mass media). Language changes very rapidly when it is predominantly oral rather than fixed in records, and even nearby oral dialects can become mutually unintelligible in just a few generations. But once a form of a word or meaning becomes standardized and fixed in print, it tends to become persistent.

(On a related note, whenever you encounter an English word that doesn't seem to be spelled like it sounds, it's usually the case that its older spelling--probably derived from an older pronunciation now lost--was set in stone by the development of print before that spelling had time to be streamlined into something simpler and more reflective of modern punctuation. Many of our "silent letters" would otherwise have disappeared by now.)

[hitbyambulance]

Any recommendations for a really sharp yet not too costly chopping knife. For something like onions. I have to use decades old steak knives. I have one big knife that should be for this but its dull and the blade is thin so it cuts all over the place.

I need it to be sharp and cheap. I had a really sharp peeling knife I got at Walmart once. It broke after 2 weeks. But it worked. I want to mince onions and not simply cut them into slices or chunks sometimes.

omg, get a knife sharpener

(i'm shocked at the number of people i know who contentedly keep cutting with their dull-ass knives for years and they've *never* been sharpened, much less honed...)

[LordMortis]

(i'm shocked at the number of people i know who contentedly keep cutting with their dull-ass knives for years and they've *never* been sharpened, much less honed...)

[Isgrimnur]

Wow, the difference in tax burden between Vermont and New Hampshire is stunning.

Live Free or Die.

[hepcat]

Any recommendations for a really sharp yet not too costly chopping knife. For something like onions. I have to use decades old steak knives. I have one big knife that should be for this but its dull and the blade is thin so it cuts all over the place.

I need it to be sharp and cheap. I had a really sharp peeling knife I got at Walmart once. It broke after 2 weeks. But it worked. I want to mince onions and not simply cut them into slices or chunks sometimes.

omg, get a knife sharpener

(i'm shocked at the number of people i know who contentedly keep cutting with their dull-ass knives for years and they've *never* been sharpened, much less honed...)

Unless you purchase Mooney Warther knives, which pretty much NEVER need to be sharpened. I've been using the same knives from them for over 35 years and not once have I had them sharpened. They still cut like the day my father gave them to me.

[hitbyambulance]

(addendum: noting that ceramic-bladed knives don't need to be sharpened - but then again, they also CAN'T be. and very brittle - don't drop them!)

[Kraken]

I have a little pocket-sized sharpener with V-shaped grooves that wasn't expensive and does a pretty good job. I don't use it too often because sharpening shaves off metal, but when my chef's knife starts having trouble breaking a tomato's skin, it's time.

I recently learned that tomato knives exist. I must get one. I grow a lot of tomatoes. I see that they range from $4 to $115 on Amazon. Anybody have experience with those?

[Holman]

I have a little pocket-sized sharpener with V-shaped grooves that wasn't expensive and does a pretty good job. I don't use it too often because sharpening shaves off metal, but when my chef's knife starts having trouble breaking a tomato's skin, it's time.

I recently learned that tomato knives exist. I must get one. I grow a lot of tomatoes. I see that they range from $4 to $115 on Amazon. Anybody have experience with those?

My sense of tomato knives is that they just need to be very finely serrated to grab and cut the skin without squashing the fruit.

I imagine it's possible to way overpay for this quality.

[Anonymous Bosch]

I have a little pocket-sized sharpener with V-shaped grooves that wasn't expensive and does a pretty good job. I don't use it too often because sharpening shaves off metal, but when my chef's knife starts having trouble breaking a tomato's skin, it's time.

FWIW, I'd strongly recommend you stop using that device unless you don't mind completely ruining the knife or knives you 'sharpen' with it. Because generally speaking, those pull-through knife sharpeners tend to be an abysmal way to sharpen your blades (especially if they use tungsten carbide, which most inexpensive versions do). Here's a Youtube video that clearly illustrates the damage such pull-through sharpeners tend to inflict:



They're the culinary equivalent of using a sledgehammer to hang a picture frame -- they may get the job done, but the end result is a mangled, uneven edge that's more likely to tear through your food than cleanly slice through it. Inexpensive pull-through sharpeners tend to remove excessive amounts of metal from the blade, leading to quicker deterioration of the knife's edge. It's akin to trying to trim your hair with a pair of rusty garden shears. Sure, you might eventually get the job done, but you'll end up with a lopsided, ragged mess that makes you look like you've been attacked by a pack of rabid hedgehogs. That's essentially what a pull-through sharpener does to your knives.

That's why I suggested using a purely ceramic honing rod/sharpener instead, which works like a sharpening stone. Meaning it will never indiscriminately remove chips and divots of steel from your blades:

No knife will remain sharp indefinitely though, so I'd also recommend getting a decent ceramic honing rod/sharpener to go with it. This one includes built-in angle guides that make it pretty much effortless to hone and maintain your kitchen knives:

Sharpeak Total L.17.5-Inch/Rod L.12-Inch 3000-Grit Ceramic Sharpening Rod with Built-In Angle Guides:

[Blackhawk]

Between those and whetstones, I've often wondered at what kind of superpowers it takes to hold the knife at a very precise, unchanging angle for the entire sharpening process. None that I have, that's for sure. The pull-through sharpeners suck, but I've yet to get a knife meaningfully sharp with either of the alternatives, and that's after a significant amount of reading up on it and some instruction.

[Daehawk]

When i was a kid all automatic can openers came wit ha knife sharpener on back. used to run a knife or two through them. Didn't seem to do anything but make a loud noise.

For years after i moved here my in laws had a knife guy that traveled around in his truck doing sharpening. Im not sure how he did it but they were like razors when he was done. Also scissors.

[Blackhawk]

That looks nothing like an insect head to me.

Me either, until I realized he's looking at the negative space (the white part).

That's what I thought I said. White head on a black flag with red silhouette. And this was closest but not close enough and colors were off

FWIW, I can see the ant head, too. It took a conscious effort - I've seen the original symbol enough that I automatically see it for what it is, and I think a lot of others do the same. You have to look at it almost as negative space (for anyone who's ever had a drawing or painting class), seeing the background (white) as the foreground, and the red as an outline. Here's a tweaked version of the Jedi symbol I just hacked together:

[Daehawk]

Theres some sports team where theirs looks like a vagina and fallopian tubes.

As for that serrated tomato knife..all I find online is its for slicing not peeling. For peeling it says paring knife. That Walmart knife I mentioned that broke was a paring knife. Ive had to use a serrated steak knife for peeling everything for many years. Haha with Walmart tomatoes you have to saw the skin off anyways they are so tough and hard. Yeech. Wish I could get to a farmers market for good tomatoes.

EDIT: It appears they make a tomato peeler. It looks like a potato peeler turned horizontally. Never seen or used one.

[Blackhawk]

*quietly adds things to Amazon wish list*

Do steak knives next! Do steak knives!

Here y'go: Victorinox Swiss Classic 6-Piece Steak Knives Set

Thanks, by the way. I've added them to the wish list (I've spent too much money in the past month as it is.)

[Kraken]

Between those and whetstones, I've often wondered at what kind of superpowers it takes to hold the knife at a very precise, unchanging angle for the entire sharpening process. None that I have, that's for sure. The pull-through sharpeners suck, but I've yet to get a knife meaningfully sharp with either of the alternatives, and that's after a significant amount of reading up on it and some instruction.

Yeah it's good enough. I know it's sub-optimal but it's easy to use and I don't have super expensive knives or use them to perform surgery. I do still want a tomato knife, though.

Theres some sports team where theirs looks like a vagina and fallopian tubes.

As for that serrated tomato knife..all I find online is its for slicing not peeling. For peeling it says paring knife. That Walmart knife I mentioned that broke was a paring knife. Ive had to use a serrated steak knife for peeling everything for many years. Haha with Walmart tomatoes you have to saw the skin off anyways they are so tough and hard. Yeech. Wish I could get to a farmers market for good tomatoes.

EDIT: It appears they make a tomato peeler. It looks like a potato peeler turned horizontally. Never seen or used one.

You're the only person I've ever known who peels tomatoes just to eat them raw. The skin is so thin it's unnoticeable. I use a quick dip in boiling water to peel them for cooking because I don't want skins in my sauce, but that won't work for your purposes. I can't imagine trying to peel a tomato with a knife.

[Anonymous Bosch]

Between those and whetstones, I've often wondered at what kind of superpowers it takes to hold the knife at a very precise, unchanging angle for the entire sharpening process. None that I have, that's for sure. The pull-through sharpeners suck, but I've yet to get a knife meaningfully sharp with either of the alternatives, and that's after a significant amount of reading up on it and some instruction.

Using a ceramic honing rod/sharpener that includes built-in angle guides (like the one I linked above) greatly simplifies the process (unless you're somehow physically impaired). An angle guide can be incredibly beneficial for maintaining a consistent angle during sharpening, especially for beginners. It ensures you do not waver from the correct angle, delivering a uniformly sharpened edge. When you're starting out, it can also be mighty useful to mark the angles on your blade edge(s) with a Sharpie pen. This will help you better visualize and gauge your progress as you're sharpening, and help make sure that you're just removing what you have shaded-in. Then it's just a matter of practice makes perfect. It takes some practice to get the hang of holding the knife at the correct angle consistently. So, it's best to start out by using a cheaper knife or knives before moving on to your more expensive ones.

Here's a brief video demonstrating a similar guided ceramic honing rod/sharpener to the one I linked above, that shows how easy it is to use:



In terms of using a sharpener without an angle guide and learning how to hold the knife at a suitably precise and consistent angle for the entire sharpening process? That largely depends upon cultivating your steadiness and concentration. So, if you're interested in developing the necessary muscle memory to sharpen freehand on a whetstone, then I'd suggest practising using a suitable sharpening stone angle guide, as shown here:



You may falter initially, but with sufficient practice, your hands will eventually develop the necessary muscle memory. The movement and angle will gradually come naturally, making the process easier over time.

[Blackhawk]

When I first saw the sharpener, I thought that the angled piece slid with the knife just held against it. That would have been useful!

The problem isn't finding the correct angle, it's maintaining it freehand throughout the process, and from multiple directions, all while moving it around.

[Daehawk]

Last time i got food from Walmart they messed up again and left me someone elses milks . 2 0% and 1 chocolate.

This 0% no fat milk...who drink this stuff? Its like slightly white colored water. Im not even sure i can detect any flavor to it.

[Anonymous Bosch]

When I first saw the sharpener, I thought that the angled piece slid with the knife just held against it. That would have been useful!

The problem isn't finding the correct angle, it's maintaining it freehand throughout the process, and from multiple directions, all while moving it around.

As I said, try using the Sharpie or marker pen trick, as explained and demonstrated below:



This clearly and unambiguously illustrates what angle you are sharpening at and more importantly, where you are likely going awry. This way, you can adjust accordingly as shown and explained in the video, and continue until you're at the correct angle. Once you develop the feel for that, it's just a matter of bringing your blade smoothly and steadily across your whetstone. The other tips he provides in that video are mighty helpful, too. Just stick at it and don't be afraid to make mistakes, because that's the best way to learn. Keep practicing, and eventually your muscle memory will begin to kick in and ease the process.

[em2nought]

I cut most everything with one of my parent's old steak knives. Those things must be from the 1950s. I just tried to find an image of something similar, but every knife image looks more likely to cut than my steak knife. My serrations aren't even real, it's just a thin piece of metal with a wavy edge.

[stessier]

Last time i got food from Walmart they messed up again and left me someone elses milks . 2 0% and 1 chocolate.

This 0% no fat milk...who drink this stuff? Its like slightly white colored water. Im not even sure i can detect any flavor to it.

People who don't want a heart attack? I don't drink milk anymore, but I was raised on 0% and thus find any other version inedible.

[LordMortis]

Too much like polluted water. 2% has become the sweet spot over the years. 1% is tolerable but not preferred. 1/2% and skim are just too watered down to not be bad. I actually don't drink milk anymore, except for when I buy it as an ingredient and it's nearing it's expiry date because I haven't used it enough. For the rare time I eat cereals, I mostly use a small amount of yogurt instead of milk. So now a 1/2 gallon lasts until its expiry for the most part when I used to drink a gallon a day unto my early 20s. We had well water and it was pretty bad, whereas milk had a nice smooth and mellow to it. Bottled water was more expensive than milk then. Something only high class people drank... I've also quit drinking bottled water some years ago. Initially because to the high volume of single plastic and now because I've become so cost conscious.

[Daehawk]

My wife always got the 2%. I get the whole milk. Every now and then I will get a 2% because Im thinking of her.

As a teenager I drank a gallon in 2 days. Now it lasts me 2 weeks at least..sometimes 3. Depends on the food Im eating. Sweet sweets make me crave milk. Chili does as well. Today it was kraut and hotdogs.

[ImLawBoy]

I do still want a tomato knife, though.

Isn't that just a bread knife?

Last time i got food from Walmart they messed up again and left me someone elses milks . 2 0% and 1 chocolate.

This 0% no fat milk...who drink this stuff? Its like slightly white colored water. Im not even sure i can detect any flavor to it.

People who don't want a heart attack? I don't drink milk anymore, but I was raised on 0% and thus find any other version inedible.

Fat has been exonerated! (At least, I choose to believe the reporting that claims this, because it matches my preferences.) I had actually gotten used to whole milk when the kids were super young and it was recommended for the extra fat, but my oldest's dietician wanted him to go down to 2% so that's where we are now (and what I grew up on). The irony is that my oldest no longer consumes dairy, so we switched from whole to 2% on his behalf and he doesn't consume it.

And it's only really relevant to me on those few days a week I have a bowl of cereal.

[Blackhawk]

Last time i got food from Walmart they messed up again and left me someone elses milks . 2 0% and 1 chocolate.

This 0% no fat milk...who drink this stuff? Its like slightly white colored water. Im not even sure i can detect any flavor to it.

People who don't want a heart attack? I don't drink milk anymore, but I was raised on 0% and thus find any other version inedible.

Something along those lines.

I grew up on whole, and felt the same as Daehawk. Somewhere along the way, probably 35 years ago, I switched to 2%, then skim. It was for health reasons.

I found that it's like cutting sugar or salt. At first it seems bland,but your taste buds adapt, after which the 'before' flavor tastes awful. In this case, drinking whole milk now tastes - and feels - like drinking oil.

[gilraen]

My freshman year in college, when I had access to a dining hall, they had a soda/water dispenser machine that also had a 2% and skim milk dispenser. I can't stand the taste of milk, hated it even as a kid. So that was the only time I drank some skim milk, and only because it was ice cold and had pretty much no flavor (I drank it for calcium).

[hitbyambulance]

I have a little pocket-sized sharpener with V-shaped grooves that wasn't expensive and does a pretty good job. I don't use it too often because sharpening shaves off metal, but when my chef's knife starts having trouble breaking a tomato's skin, it's time.

from what i understand, only sharpen when needed, but hone every week (which removes very little to no metal - it just 'fixes' the blade to prolong the time until it needs to be sharpened)

oh and don't use the cheapy sharpeners. i just go in there and sorta eyeball the angle on the sharpening stick - hopefully i'm doing it good enough.

[hitbyambulance]

totally random Humble Bundle course in woodworking: https://www.humblebundle.com/software/w ... g-software

i admit i looked at that and went hmmm....

[em2nought]

I had a friend in high school whose dad put ice in milk, and that's what I've done ever since. I like my milk to be really cold.

[Blackhawk]

totally random Humble Bundle course in woodworking: https://www.humblebundle.com/software/w ... g-software

i admit i looked at that and went hmmm....

I would love to learn woodworking, but I don't have a place to work wood, or the money to do so.

[Fardaza]

totally random Humble Bundle course in woodworking: https://www.humblebundle.com/software/w ... g-software

i admit i looked at that and went hmmm....

I would love to learn woodworking, but I don't have a place to work wood, or the money to do so.

That's my issue too. I took an entire year of woodshop as a senior in high school. Now I don't have the necessary tools. I still have a few of the cool things I made also.

[Blackhawk]

These days, I'd give my right left arm for a garage. Somewhere I could set up ventilation for a resin printer, put a proper workbench, store tools and materials, and have a few big tools (table saw, drill press, etc.)

As it is, I have my bedroom, and it's already packed to the gills with making equipment. All I really have for wood is a drill, a rotary saw, a jigsaw, and a Japanese ryoba saw (well, I have a couple of hammers, too.)

[Daehawk]

Stamp Out Hunger

Just a reminder. Im not sure its the entire country or just my area and they take turns....but Fill a bag and help feed families is tomorrow. Sit a bag of no perishable in date food by your mailbox if you got the little card in the mail and the mailman or maillady will take it away to help others.

I always have stuff left that I dont like or cant eat from my food bank bags....which i haven't been in 8 months due to broken car...so mine was coming near and nearer to going bad. Now I can sit it all out and someone can get it that needs it. yay.

This is what mine looks like..Spanish is on back.

[Unagi]

Stamp Out Hunger

Just a reminder. Im not sure its the entire country

It's Saturday, May 11th - for everyone across the nation. (10,000 cities and towns)

the best things to donate:

Canned fruits, vegetables, or beans
Canned protein (tuna, salmon, chicken, etc.)
Canned soup, stew, broth, pasta sauce
Packaged foods (seeds, nuts, oats, granola, rice, quinoa, beans, pasta)
Plastic jar foods (nut/seed butters, jelly, cooking oil)
Shelf-stable milk (dairy, oat, nut, etc.)

[Daehawk]

Still up. Thinking about breakfast now. perhaps 3 scrambled eggs. Might make some into half a sandwich..wouldn't that be fun. Yawn

Hahha had my stereo from 1977 on playing the radio when after a song the lady dj says "Good morning sweetheart. How ya doin?" And I say out loud tired, grumpy, ill tempered. And after a pause she says "Good. You stay that way all day hon" and Im like..yes! Hell ya! Easy ...lol.

[Blackhawk]

I haven't seen any notifications or otherwise heard anything about...

It's Saturday, May 11th - for everyone across the nation. (10,000 cities and towns)

Oh. Nevermind.

[Unagi]

yeah, the fine print

[Blackhawk]

It's like when something is in "Select venues." Translation: Rural need not apply.

[Daehawk]

Hmm got n9 mail and my bag of food was not pick3d up...guess hungry folk aren't that important to the usps afte4 all.