Teach me something...

[Clamart]

You all are content experts in something, right? I love to learn new things, and I'd like to learn from you. For example, I believe Solfy is a chemist. I remember years ago in a post, she talked about how laundry detergent nowadays is super concentrated and that we don't need to use as much as we usually use to get our clothes clean. Helpful info, as I've reduced the amount I put in my wash load. Clothes are still clean, although I might not know the difference.
Anyway. Teach me something about your trade, or your experience, or something you've learned from your job, your life work, or your research.

I'm a mental health and suicide researcher. That's my area of expertise. Suicide is highest among males aged 35-55 in the U.S. Why? Because when men attempt suicide, they use more lethal means, resulting in death more often than women, who typically use less lethal means. Women attempt more, but men die more.

Okay, now you. Teach me something. And thanks!

[Solfy]

I'll give you another - a popular tip I keep seeing around the web is to clean using a combination of vinegar and baking soda. Either one of these is a fine, "natural" cleaner on its own. When you combine them, unless you're unblocking a drain, all you're doing is wasting vinegar and baking soda. Why? Because acids and bases react, and what they form is salt and water (and give off carbon dioxide). You're losing all the benefit of having either an acid or a base in return for useless salt water and fizzy bubbles. Those bubbles don't mean the mixture is cleaning, they mean only that the carbon dioxide is leaving.
They can have some use as a drain opener - if you can plug the open end of the drain, the CO₂ has to go somewhere and can help force the clog out. Wouldn't be my first choice though.


While we're exchanging knowledge, do you have any insights about how to handle teenagers and suicide? My oldest daughter is in middle school. A friend of a friend of hers made an attempt recently. I wish I could say I was surprised, but adolescence is turbulent. I used it as a "teachable moment" to reinforce to Eldest the importance of keeping open communication, that suicidal thoughts are nothing to be ashamed of but definitely something to talk about with a trusted adult, and likewise trusted adults should be told about suicidal friends. I don't worry about Eldest, fortunately, but it's a discussion to have proactively. If you've got any other tips, I'm all ears.

[Clamart]

Originally Posted by Solfy

They can have some use as a drain opener - if you can plug the open end of the drain, the CO₂ has to go somewhere and can help force the clog out. Wouldn't be my first choice though.


While we're exchanging knowledge, do you have any insights about how to handle teenagers and suicide? My oldest daughter is in middle school. A friend of a friend of hers made an attempt recently. I wish I could say I was surprised, but adolescence is turbulent. I used it as a "teachable moment" to reinforce to Eldest the importance of keeping open communication, that suicidal thoughts are nothing to be ashamed of but definitely something to talk about with a trusted adult, and likewise trusted adults should be told about suicidal friends. I don't worry about Eldest, fortunately, but it's a discussion to have proactively. If you've got any other tips, I'm all ears.

Cool tip.

You did a great job talking with your daughter about it. That would be the first thing I would suggest. I would also suggest keeping an open dialogue going about mental health, in order to normalize these types of conversations. Teaching her that people keep secrets about their mental illness, or suicidal thoughts, because they are ashamed and that talking out loud about it helps to reduce that shame felt (destigmatizes). Reaching out to friends in distress, and facilitate them talking to an adult, or like you suggested, telling an adult, if a friend is at risk, is another step. I study the effectiveness of adolescent suicide programs in schools. Kids are the best secret keepers and cover uppers. If we can parent our kids into healthy conversation on these issues, and script out how they can talk to their friends about it (simply..."are you okay"..."have you had thoughts of hurting yourself"...) it can go a long way to saving lives. I've seen it firsthand. Thanks for asking and allowing me to ramble about it.

[teela brown]

All the cool knowledge and tips I have tend to be culinary, but have a basis is chemistry or thermodynamics.

If you heat your mixing bowl with hot water first, your mustard-based french dressing or mayonnaise will whisk together much more easily and be unlikely to "break".

If you replace some of the sugar in your ice cream recipe with liquid sugar (like corn syrup, agave syrup, or maple syrup), you will prevent little ice crystals from forming in your ice cream.

You can reheat pizza and french fries very effectively. Just heat up a big skillet very hot, and lay the pizza slices in it. They'll crisp up on the bottom and get melty on top in a few minutes. As for french fries, just toss them around in the skillet for a few minutes and they will reheat and crisp up.

[Flying Saucerian]

Teach you something, lessee...

Catwoman made her debut in 1940 as The Cat in Batman #1, in the same issue, I believe, that featured The Joker's debut. (Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27, a year or so earlier.) She was visually inspired in part by popular movie actress Jean Harlow.

[Clamart]

Originally Posted by teela brown

All the cool knowledge and tips I have tend to be culinary, but have a basis is chemistry or thermodynamics.



If you heat your mixing bowl with hot water first, your mustard-based french dressing or mayonnaise will whisk together much more easily and be unlikely to "break".



If you replace some of the sugar in your ice cream recipe with liquid sugar (like corn syrup, agave syrup, or maple syrup), you will prevent little ice crystals from forming in your ice cream.



You can reheat pizza and french fries very effectively. Just heat up a big skillet very hot, and lay the pizza slices in it. They'll crisp up on the bottom and get melty on top in a few minutes. As for french fries, just toss them around in the skillet for a few minutes and they will reheat and crisp up.

These are awesome tips! Thanks Teela!

[Clamart]

Originally Posted by Flying Saucerian

Teach you something, lessee...



Catwoman made her debut in 1940 as The Cat in Batman #1, in the same issue, I believe, that featured The Joker's debut. (Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27, a year or so earlier.) She was visually inspired in part by popular movie actress Jean Harlow.

Good stuff! Thanks. Comics and graphic novels are mostly foreign to me but I have great admiration for the craft.

[Chacoguy]

Rapids Classification:

Class I: Flat moving water.

Class II: The roughest water you can run in a Scout Camp canoe.

Class III: What most people picture as 'Rapids'.

Class IV: Flipping the raft becomes a possibility.

Class V: Luck becomes a significant factor; you can do everything righ and still get killed.

[SmartAleq]

Fact: It is possible to take a kayak intended for Class I through Class III and survive the experience--I have pics to prove it, furnished by Chacoguy!

I know a lot of things about a lot of things but most of them aren't terribly useful to the general public, but I can assure you that if you have powdery mildew on an indoor plant a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and water will clean that shit right up without poisoning anyone. You can also use a mixture of milk and water, but that's better used outdoors than in.

[Clamart]

Originally Posted by Chacoguy

Rapids Classification:



Class I: Flat moving water.



Class II: The roughest water you can run in a Scout Camp canoe.



Class III: What most people picture as 'Rapids'.



Class IV: Flipping the raft becomes a possibility.



Class V: Luck becomes a significant factor; you can do everything righ and still get killed.

This is good. I went wwr two years ago on the New River in WV. Would like to do lots more of it. I also love kayaking but have mostly stuck to flat water. I would like to learn more about taking on a bit rougher river. Recently canoed flat water on the Colorado. Beautiful and relaxing, but I do enjoy the action (WV was Class II, III-IV).

[Clamart]

Originally Posted by SmartAleq

Fact: It is possible to take a kayak intended for Class I through Class III and survive the experience--I have pics to prove it, furnished by Chacoguy!



I know a lot of things about a lot of things but most of them aren't terribly useful to the general public, but I can assure you that if you have powdery mildew on an indoor plant a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and water will clean that shit right up without poisoning anyone. You can also use a mixture of milk and water, but that's better used outdoors than in.

Awesome info- thanks! I have indoor and outdoor plants. My ferns are low maintenance thankfully.

[krisolov]

If you have an underground cable drop to your house, be it fiber or coax, you can count on it being buried very shallowly. Less than a foot deep, often much less. Nothing protects it but the plastic sheath.

You can put a shovel right through that, easy. Be careful where you dig your gardens!

[Rat Diva]

Enter two dates into separate cells in Excel. In a third cell, enter =[newer date]-[older date] and the answer that pops up is the number of days between the two. So you can see how many days you've been alive, or married, or at your current job, or incarcerated...

[Clamart]

Originally Posted by krisolov

If you have an underground cable drop to your house, be it fiber or coax, you can count on it being buried very shallowly. Less than a foot deep, often much less. Nothing protects it but the plastic sheath.



You can put a shovel right through that, easy. Be careful where you dig your gardens!

Great advice!

[Clamart]

Originally Posted by Rat Diva

Enter two dates into separate cells in Excel. In a third cell, enter =[newer date]-[older date] and the answer that pops up is the number of days between the two. So you can see how many days you've been alive, or married, or at your current job, or incarcerated...

Ah yes- fun with Excel!

[Inna Minnit]

If you are ever in the ER and the nurse asks your pain level, be honest and don't bullshit. If it is 4 don't say 12. The scale goes up to ten. If you bullshit, you will be pegged as a seeker.

[Clamart]

Originally Posted by Inna Minnit

If you are ever in the ER and the nurse asks your pain level, be honest and don't bullshit. If it is 4 don't say 12. The scale goes up to ten. If you bullshit, you will be pegged as a seeker.

Agree- definitely important to be up front about pain level.

[Jaglavak]

Laws of Thermodynamics, Cliff Notes version:

0) Heat flows from hot to cold

1) You can make money burning stuff

2) But it's going to cost you

3) And there's a limit to how much you can net

[Carolia]

It is perfectly fine to end a sentence with a preposition; you should only remove it when the sentence makes just as much sense when it isn't there. Also, there is nothing wrong with splitting an infinitive.

The word "bust" is a noun, not a verb, in formal English (slang is a different story). Tonight, hubby asked me to "bust the cheese open." I smacked it against my chest and yelled, "It's not working!" This serves as proof that living with a grammar goddess is an endless delight, full of hilarity and entertainment.

[Anacanapuna]

There is a difference between facts and truth. Ignore those who claim they merely recount the facts and let you figure out the truth. They are no friends to truth. They are lazy and cannot think for themselves, let alone think for you.

Rather, seek out the messenger who interprets for you, who tells you what it all means. And especially seek out those who tell you what you think you do not want to hear, for they do not care for your comfort, only for your safety. Eschew the easy answer and the glib explanation.

Do not worry if several equally credible interpreters give you interpretations that seem to contradict each other. The informers are not the only ones who have to work at unearthing the truth. The hardest work has to be done by you. If you are a good human being with compassion and concern for your fellow human beings, you will arrive at the truth, and you will find that all of the informers were, in fact, telling the truth.

Ignorance is easy. Truth is hard. Find the truth.

[teela brown]

If you have a few numbers to add up or subtract, you can do it right in the little search window of your browser. Use the "+" and "-" signs on your keyboard.

You can also multiply and divide, using the letter "x" and the "/" character.

It's handy. You don't have to pick up a calculator or even go to an online calculator.

[Jaglavak]

Bridges and skyscrapers are actually designed by assuming that they won't fall down and working backwards from there.

[Clamart]

Originally Posted by Carolia

It is perfectly fine to end a sentence with a preposition; you should only remove it when the sentence makes just as much sense when it isn't there. Also, there is nothing wrong with splitting an infinitive.



The word "bust" is a noun, not a verb, in formal English (slang is a different story). Tonight, hubby asked me to "bust the cheese open." I smacked it against my chest and yelled, "It's not working!" This serves as proof that living with a grammar goddess is an endless delight, full of hilarity and entertainment.

As a professor, I'm called a grammar "something"; unfortunately, the word isn't as nice as goddess. I'm not a professor of English, so, many times, I mess up too.
So, Carolia, is the expectation that your husband speak formal English all the time? Is he allowed slang on special days and holidays?

[Clamart]

Originally Posted by Jaglavak

Laws of Thermodynamics, Cliff Notes version:

0) Heat flows from hot to cold

1) You can make money burning stuff

2) But it's going to cost you

3) And there's a limit to how much you can net

And here I thought the Law of Thermodynamics would explain why these Yeti mugs and coolers were so damn expensive.

[Colonel Plink]

The nine millimeter Makarov is not a true 9mm.

It's Longer than the 380 (9mm kurz), shorter than the 9mm Parabellum (Luger), but larger in diameter than either.

As such, it won't safely fire in any pistol chambered 9mm Parabellum.

[Clamart]

Originally Posted by Colonel Plink

The nine millimeter Makarov is not a true 9mm.



It's Longer than the 380 (9mm kurz), shorter than the 9mm Parabellum (Luger), but larger in diameter than either.



As such, it won't safely fire in any pistol chambered 9mm Parabellum.

I'm not very knowledgeable about guns, so forgive my ignorance. Does this fact make the Makarov a more or less attractive gun for someone in the market for a 9mm?

[Clamart]

Originally Posted by teela brown

If you have a few numbers to add up or subtract, you can do it right in the little search window of your browser. Use the "+" and "-" signs on your keyboard.



You can also multiply and divide, using the letter "x" and the "/" character.



It's handy. You don't have to pick up a calculator or even go to an online calculator.

I have a calculator key on my keyboard that pops up a calculator. You're referring to just using the symbols in regular text?

[Clamart]

Originally Posted by Jaglavak

Bridges and skyscrapers are actually designed by assuming that they won't fall down and working backwards from there.

Other than in testing phases, why would we build anything that we would assume would break, fall, fail?

[Lucifer]

Modern gasoline has a tendency to separate and can varnish the internal parts of the fuel-flow and combustion systems in your small engines (lawn mower, weed whacker, snow blower, outboard boat motors). Carb cleaning fluid, applied liberally, usually works but may take up to a day to fully penetrate. Spray that shit in there, let it penetrate a bit, and try to turn the motor over.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

If you don't get anywhere after an hour or so, leave it overnight and go at it again the next day.

Related: always run your engines out of gas before you put them away for storage. Of course, follow the manufacturer's recommendations, but if you're only going to do one thing - put it away without gas in the lines. This tends not to have as great an impact on cars because we dilute and burn the gas before it has a chance to separate.

[Colonel Plink]

Originally Posted by Clamart

I'm not very knowledgeable about guns, so forgive my ignorance. Does this fact make the Makarov a more or less attractive gun for someone in the market for a 9mm?

Less, to the average gun-owner. 9mm Para is probably the most common handgun cartridge on the planet and is far more available. Hundreds of different handguns are chambered for it.

The allure of the Makarov is primarily the sweet little pistols chambered in it. The good ones are of Bulgarian and Russian build and, like most Eastern European military hardware are reliable and simple.

My wife's Conceal-Carry pistol is a Bulgarian Mak and is a perfect fit for her petite frame.

[Lucifer]

Originally Posted by Colonel Plink

The nine millimeter Makarov is not a true 9mm.

It's Longer than the 380 (9mm kurz), shorter than the 9mm Parabellum (Luger), but larger in diameter than either.

As such, it won't safely fire in any pistol chambered 9mm Parabellum.

Haha! I have a Makarov. Not exactly a "rare piece" but a LOT of my gun-toting friends have never hear of it. Or head of "9 Short" or "9X18".

[Colonel Plink]

Originally Posted by Lucifer

Haha! I have a Makarov. Not exactly a "rare piece" but a LOT of my gun-toting friends have never hear of it. Or head of "9 Short" or "9X18".

What make is your Mak?

[Clamart]

Originally Posted by Lucifer

Modern gasoline has a tendency to separate and can varnish the internal parts of the fuel-flow and combustion systems in your small engines (lawn mower, weed whacker, snow blower, outboard boat motors). Carb cleaning fluid, applied liberally, usually works but may take up to a day to fully penetrate. Spray that shit in there, let it penetrate a bit, and try to turn the motor over.



Lather, rinse, repeat.



If you don't get anywhere after an hour or so, leave it overnight and go at it again the next day.



Related: always run your engines out of gas before you put them away for storage. Of course, follow the manufacturer's recommendations, but if you're only going to do one thing - put it away without gas in the lines. This tends not to have as great an impact on cars because we dilute and burn the gas before it has a chance to separate.

This sounds like how my partner winterizes his motorcycles.
Would you recommend the carb cleaner on a routine maintenance basis?

[Lucifer]

Originally Posted by Colonel Plink

What make is your Mak?

CZ-83

[Anacanapuna]

Originally Posted by Carolia

It is perfectly fine to end a sentence with a preposition; you should only remove it when the sentence makes just as much sense when it isn't there. Also, there is nothing wrong with splitting an infinitive.

The word "bust" is a noun, not a verb, in formal English (slang is a different story). Tonight, hubby asked me to "bust the cheese open." I smacked it against my chest and yelled, "It's not working!" This serves as proof that living with a grammar goddess is an endless delight, full of hilarity and entertainment.

There is a difference between informal and slang. "Bust' as a verb is acceptable in informal speech, which is what almost all of us speak almost all of the time. Formal speech is for writing in the public record or academic writing. Yes, I was for a time an English professor and I am a professional writer. And I wouldn't split an infinitive or end a sentence with a preposition if you paid me for it. I'm snooty like that.

[Clamart]

Originally Posted by Anacanapuna

There is a difference between informal and slang. "Bust' as a verb is acceptable in informal speech, which is what almost all of us speak almost all of the time. Formal speech is for writing in the public record or academic writing. Yes, I was for a time an English professor and I am a professional writer. And I wouldn't split an infinitive or end a sentence with a preposition if you paid me for it. I'm snooty like that.

I write academically, and it seems to me that there's a difference between formal writing and technical writing. Maybe the latter fits underneath the umbrella of the former.

[Inner Stickler]

CDASH is the devil.

[Clothahump]

Hmmm....I teach martial arts, so two basic things:

1. Situational awareness is critical. Always, always be aware of your surroundings. If you are constantly looking around you and making brief eye contact with others, you are less likely to be profiled as a potential victim.

2. Four guidelines:
If they can't
...see you
...put their hands on you
...breathe
...stand
then they probably can't hurt you. Make any of those come true and you stand a much better chance of escaping to safety. In the second case, if they have a weapon, add in the effective length of the weapon to the distance needed; distance is your friend.

And a bonus: one of the best ways to overcome sudden stress (fight or flight) is to take a very deep breath, hold it for a second or two, then exhale. Amazing how much that will calm you down.

[Scuba Ben]

Plink, I've been eyeing the rifles in the sporting goods ads lately (Heaven help me!). I know enough that my dusty experience with a .22 LR wouldn't prepare me enough for the handling of a proper home defense weapon, Heaven forbid I should need one. I see .380 ACP and similar cartridge specs; would you please discuss the tradeoffs of the various rifle ammo?

(Back in summer camp I earned NRA Sharpshooter bar III. Took me four summers to do it, and summer #3 I made no progress.)

[Clamart]

Originally Posted by Clothahump

Hmmm....I teach martial arts, so two basic things:

1. Situational awareness is critical. Always, always be aware of your surroundings. If you are constantly looking around you and making brief eye contact with others, you are less likely to be profiled as a potential victim.

2. Four guidelines:
If they can't
...see you
...put their hands on you
...breathe
...stand
then they probably can't hurt you. Make any of those come true and you stand a much better chance of escaping to safety. In the second case, if they have a weapon, add in the effective length of the weapon to the distance needed; distance is your friend.

And a bonus: one of the best ways to overcome sudden stress (fight or flight) is to take a very deep breath, hold it for a second or two, then exhale. Amazing how much that will calm you down.

This is excellent information that I'm cutting and pasting and keeping close. Thank you, Cloth!

[Scuba Ben]

Scuba tips:

Keep track of your air and location. Most dives start with 3000 psi in the tank; you want to be on the safety bar just before you hit 500 psi remaining.

If it moves, don't annoy it. If it doesn't move, don't touch it.

Scissors are better than a knife -- you won't be tempted to stab anything. And keep your cutting tool at your chest, not on your leg, so it's easier to reach when you need to cut yourself free of a tangle.

The sole question in recreational diving is "did you enjoy the dive?" There are no awards for depth, time, or any other feats. A good dive with no story to share is far better than chasing a story right into a bad dive.

[Clamart]

Originally Posted by Scuba Ben

Scuba tips:

Keep track of your air and location. Most dives start with 3000 psi in the tank; you want to be on the safety bar just before you hit 500 psi remaining.

If it moves, don't annoy it. If it doesn't move, don't touch it.

Scissors are better than a knife -- you won't be tempted to stab anything. And keep your cutting tool at your chest, not on your leg, so it's easier to reach when you need to cut yourself free of a tangle.

The sole question in recreational diving is "did you enjoy the dive?" There are no awards for depth, time, or any other feats. A good dive with no story to share is far better than chasing a story right into a bad dive.

I've never been scuba diving, so this is very interesting. I would love to try someday. Where do you dive?

[Clamart]

Originally Posted by Lucifer

Modern gasoline has a tendency to separate and can varnish the internal parts of the fuel-flow and combustion systems in your small engines (lawn mower, weed whacker, snow blower, outboard boat motors). Carb cleaning fluid, applied liberally, usually works but may take up to a day to fully penetrate. Spray that shit in there, let it penetrate a bit, and try to turn the motor over.



Lather, rinse, repeat.



If you don't get anywhere after an hour or so, leave it overnight and go at it again the next day.



Related: always run your engines out of gas before you put them away for storage. Of course, follow the manufacturer's recommendations, but if you're only going to do one thing - put it away without gas in the lines. This tends not to have as great an impact on cars because we dilute and burn the gas before it has a chance to separate.

This sounds like how my partner winterizes his motorcycles.
Would you recommend the carb cleaner on a routine maintenance basis?

[Colonel Plink]

Originally Posted by Scuba Ben

Plink, I've been eyeing the rifles in the sporting goods ads lately (Heaven help me!). I know enough that my dusty experience with a .22 LR wouldn't prepare me enough for the handling of a proper home defense weapon, Heaven forbid I should need one. I see .380 ACP and similar cartridge specs; would you please discuss the tradeoffs of the various rifle ammo?

(Back in summer camp I earned NRA Sharpshooter bar III. Took me four summers to do it, and summer #3 I made no progress.)

There are different perspectives on this. My preference would be not to use any rifle cartridge in a home defense situation. To me, the drawbacks are A) Over-penetration and B) Relative lack of maneuverability.

For home defense, I keep a 12-gauge and one of my smaller handguns close by.

A legal-but-abbreviated-length shotgun can mitigate the first problem, but not the second. Since I hand-load my own ammunition, I can (and have) built 357 Magnum shot shells, using #7 shot. The theory (mercifully untested by me) is that one or two of those in the vicinity of a bad guy's face will distract him from being a bad guy, however temporarily.

Note: I've never seen handgun-caliber shot shells commercially produced for a semi-automatic pistol. Not that they don't exist, just that I've never seen them. I would have serious doubts about such a cartridge's ability to cycle in a semi.

That said, there are new rifle bullet designs on the market that are built just for home defense. Mostly for an AR-type rifle. You could try those.

[Lucifer]

Originally Posted by Clamart

This sounds like how my partner winterizes his motorcycles.
Would you recommend the carb cleaner on a routine maintenance basis?

I wouldn't do this on a regular basis. Gas has detergent agents in it that should keep the carb, etc. clean in normal use. If something's gumming up the works, there's probably something wrong.

[Khampelf]

The ancient Chinese fortune telling book called the I-Ching consists of 64 hexagrams consisting of 6 lines. These lines are called Yang and Yin lines, and they can change to form a second hexagram if they are moving lines. It's not as complicated as it sounds and I've found it very sharp, especially about relationships.

[Scuba Ben]

Originally Posted by Clamart

I've never been scuba diving, so this is very interesting. I would love to try someday. Where do you dive?

I haven't jumped in a lake in years, on account of young kids. But when I did -- coral reefs are awesome; live-aboard dive boats on coral reefs FTW!

[Jules]

Keep the area around your well free from pesticides, fuels, and farm animals. Inspect it at least annually to make sure there isn't an easy pathway for a contaminant to get to your drinking water.

Just because it tastes fine may not necessarily mean that it is.

[SmartAleq]

Do you have a dug well or a drilled well?

[Flying Saucerian]

Miss Piggy was originally named Piggy Lee, after the singer Peggy Lee.