September 14, 2023
Overstuffed and Increasingly Ornery
When you think about food too much, it becomes grotesque: meat in pools of its own juices, tangled spaghetti with clams like small scabs. I hadn’t felt hunger in weeks, but it was my obligation to eat. I felt heavy moving between kitchen and table as the guests got drunker and drunker, as they slumped in their seats but egged each other on to finish the crémeux. I watched Maria lowering a fat chunk of glistening steak into the dog’s mouth. The dog barely even registered the meat, just ate it dutifully. He was inured to it; every night he was pumped full of veal and velouté. Of course, the guests were also worried about the constant indulgence. They liked to look horrified as I brought out each new course, but really they were enthralled. They were paying for pleasure. They didn’t need to finish their plates or worry about what failing to do might signal to the kitchen. from La Dolce Vita
An organized work stoppage, six letters
Natasha Lyonne Will Help You Solve the New York Times Sunday Crossword. The Cast of Bob's Burgers Will Sing a Song Written Just for You. Adam Scott Will Walk Your Dog, or John Lithgow Will Paint It. [more inside]
Standard, Transparent and Glitter
How Lego bricks went from five colors to nearly 200 and then back down to about 70.
Fables Enters the Public Domain
As of now, 15 September 2023, the comic book property called Fables, including all related Fables spin-offs and characters, is now in the public domain. What was once wholly owned by Bill Willingham is now owned by everyone, for all time. It’s done, and as most experts will tell you, once done it cannot be undone. Take-backs are neither contemplated nor possible.
The working name for Croönchy Stars cereal was "Stoopid Flakes"
The wonderfully-named Muptown Funk makes a couple of fairly new video series: The Muppets Deep Dive and Muppet History Lesson. They offer comforting and entertaining information on Rowlf, Lew Zealand, the Muppets' Lipton Tea Ads, Thog, Walter, Croönchy Stars cereal, Danny Trejo(?), and Fully Operational Automated Tony Bennett. (Avg length 10 minutes) [more inside]
The hot water rectangle
Gary Klein, a guru of efficient hot water delivery (awesome podcast interview), developed the "hot water rectangle" to quantify the efficiency of a hot water distribution system: the smallest rectangle possible that includes the water heater and all the hot water fixtures in a house. In other words, why does your hot water take so long? The big reason is that the water heater and the wet rooms (i.e., the rooms where water is used) are too spread out. When you put a water heater in an attached garage, for example, and a bathroom on the opposite end of the house, there’s a whole lot of pipe for the hot water to traverse on its way to the showerhead.
Why so many people are paying to get their paychecks
Newton's First Law Redux
You will recall it as "“Every body perseveres in its state of rest, or of uniform motion in a right line, unless it is compelled to change that state by forces impress’d thereon.” Or words to that effect.
Newton, however, wrote in Latin, and his first translator either took a liberty with or had his own views of a critical word. [more inside]
You won't believe the dream I just had. Don't you want to hear about it?
Dr. Robert Hartley is having a really bad day. His dream last night of a strange little inn in Vermont seemed to last for years, and now he can't get anyone to take seriously how disturbing it was. I never even knew this existed! From 1991, The Bob Newhart Show: The 19th Anniversary Special [47m]. [more inside]
2023 Vuelta España nears Madrid
The 2023 Vuelta España has been filled with drama, as super domestique Sepp Kuss wears the red leader jersey ahead of teammates Primož Roglič and Jonas Vingegaard, winners of this year's other two "Grand Tour" stage races: the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France, respectively. With last year's winner Remco Evenepoel far in arrears it would appear that nothing can stop Team Jumbo Visma from winning this year's race, but who will stand atop the podium on Sunday? [more inside]
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