Random Thought of the Day

I enjoy that Dirty Jobs show, but wonder if the guy that hosts it ever thinks about why he didn't get one of those other show jobs where you travel the world, enjoy good food, or get to explore archelogy sites, search for hidden treasures, that other show hosts have.

Probably best not to compare too much.

Quote: rxwine

I enjoy that Dirty Jobs show, but wonder if the guy that hosts it ever thinks about why he didn't get one of those other show jobs where you travel the world, enjoy good food, or get to explore archelogy sites, search for hidden treasures, that other show hosts have. Probably best not to compare too much.

Oh, please DO compare.

What about the new sort of replacements for that much-missed suicide, Anthony Bourdain that CNN is airing?

"Nomad with Carlton McCoy" and "Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy?"

Very big shoes for these guys to fill.

R.I.P. Mr. Bourdain, you were an American Original whose body of work holds up nicely.

I've become a Phillips-Head screw defender

A pretty long-lived complaint stands with most people I know, that the Phillips-Head was ever invented. It's one of those things you can complain about and get acknowledgment of common ground, a rare enough thing ... and sometimes I just nod to get the pleasure of agreement, keeping my mouth shut.

But the fact is, if you are using power tools, you are going to want something like the Phillips-Head system, certainly not the simple slot type I think it is called. It is true that if you are using a hand-held screwdriver to remove old screws, you have the hassle of finding a Phillips, and the damn size can be wrong. Wrong size matters a little less with the simple slot type. OK. Fact is everything is put together with power tools so if you don't like it, you need to 'get a life'. And an assortment of screwdrivers for when the need arises.

Now having said all that, it still ticks me off if it is some hex or asterisk type and I need to remove it ... but can't find the right screwdriver.

Quote: odiousgambit

I've become a Phillips-Head screw defender

A pretty long-lived complaint stands with most people I know, that the Phillips-Head was ever invented. It's one of those things you can complain about and get acknowledgment of common ground, a rare enough thing ... and sometimes I just nod to get the pleasure of agreement, keeping my mouth shut.

But the fact is, if you are using power tools, you are going to want something like the Phillips-Head system, certainly not the simple slot type I think it is called. It is true that if you are using a hand-held screwdriver to remove old screws, you have the hassle of finding a Phillips, and the damn size can be wrong. Wrong size matters a little less with the simple slot type. OK. Fact is everything is put together with power tools so if you don't like it, you need to 'get a life'. And an assortment of screwdrivers for when the need arises.

Now having said all that, it still ticks me off if it is some hex or asterisk type and I need to remove it ... but can't find the right screwdriver.

A far superior screw type is the Robertson (square head). The reason it didn't become popular in the US is that it was invented in Canada and the inventor patented the design and charged a license fee. The majority of the screws sold in Canada and used in construction are Robertson head. You can put a screw on your driver and hold it upside down and it doesn't fall off. The Robertson screw was patented in 1907, the Phillips didn't come along until 1933.

Torx heads work pretty well too.

I see a lot of hybrids, actually

Popular Mechanics has tips for washing machine usage.

Quote:

Turns out, we only need two tablespoons of regular detergent for an effective wash, otherwise we would be wasting money and, ultimately, hurting our machine. “No amount of extra rinses is going to be able to wash all of that out,” DuHaime says.

Tide has been bamboozling me for years.

Quote: rxwine

Tide has been bamboozling me for years.

It costs a small fortune too. I wonder if just a bit of dishwashing liquid is enough.

If you think you* are bamboozled, the average woman has swallowed it all, hook, line, and sinker. How else could they get that kind of money for their product?

* I guess I've assumed you are a guy without knowing that for a fact

I'm Still Standing, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah [it's an old guy chant for me]

Does anybody here use the dollar stores?
They are everywhere
Yet I never ever go into one

I used to buy batteries from them in Vegas. And you could find a broom for a dollar. Bicycle lights that would stop working after a couiple months.

Stuff was all piled up and in no particular order. So, it was more like a mystery hunt as to whether you could find something