This isn’t completely unusual for Dallas, at least. It’s pretty far north in Texas, and kind of at the bottom edge of the weather region stretching from the TX panhandle east through TN. I’m from Illinois, but I lived in the Dallas area for 13 years. For 6 of those years, I worked in a building about 100 yards to the…

What makes you think they’re not?!? They could be building an army of Dick Cheneys!

It was audible in Dallas, where we lived at the time. :( I was in the shower, but my wife heard it. (Technically it wasn’t the explosion, but clustered sonic booms from the debris.)

I thought that was the point?

I saw lots of good ones mentioned here already. One that hasn’t been yet: Santa Clarita Diet! That was a weird, fun show that I wish had gotten a little more time.

My 80s Dodges disengage the compressor if you go WOT just for the extra couple of HP. 

Note that it’s probably not going to turn on a light or anything, but I almost guarantee you that it is turning on the compressor when you switch to defrost. Almost all cars with A/C have worked this way for decades, truly.

Yes, virtually every car that has A/C automatically turns on the compressor when you switch to defrost.

Clarke, not Asimov! It was Arthur C. Clarke who said, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”

The dashboard weirdly reminds me of the styling of a 1950's dash, similar to something like a ‘55 Fairlane or Corvette.

It’s even worse when you order for pickup from Walmart. Sometimes every single item is in its own bag!

Same! Ours was built in 1942. Man, that plaster in ours is hard. You have to use a masonry bit to drill into it.

The U.A.E. does have oil, but less than some other countries in the area. They get about a quarter of their income from it, but they also are a big air hub, business and banking center, and they get a lot from tourism. I don’t know what the state of it is now, but they have in the past put a lot into some big solar…

For a while we had an amazing sushi restaurant here in our town in rural Southern Illinois. I knew it was too good to last, and it closed a few years ago. We have another local one now that’s nowhere near as good, but it’s serviceable. I’m just about to place a carry-out order now! Friday night is sushi night for my…

Yes, I just read a study that showed electric does boil water faster than gas. The main reason seems to be that more heat escapes up around the edges of the pan with gas. You definitely have to have a good flat pan with electric, though. We invested in some good heavy anodized aluminum pans a few years ago, and they…

Never heard of it. I looked it up, and it must be a northern Midwest thing. We don't have it here in Southern Illinois. 

You can get little rubber plugs to cover the port and keep dust and fluff out. I carry my phone in my pocket, and I’ve been using the plugs for a while. They’ve completely solved the dirty port problem for me.

Ooo, I love Ting. We have a tradition of someone in my family getting me several bottles or a case for Christmas. It’s not easy to come by here in the Midwest. Sometimes Kroger has it in the international aisle, but often it has to be ordered from Amazon or somewhere.

I might give this a try this weekend. I have some really good stock in the freezer from the Thanksgiving turkey carcass, and there’s some of the schmaltz left, too. I feel like they would make for a good potato soup like this. I’m one of those who let my stock simmer for a really long time, like 36 hours. This most…

I’m planning to make some creme brulee soon, so now I have something to do with the whites. :)