The second half of The Hyperion Cantos (particularly Rise of Endymion), ends with, basically, the creation of an empathic hive mind that was set up as a contrast to the greedy individuality of the Church. The whole series is awesome, but I really enjoyed that ending.

If you have a really bad build up in the fabric softener cup, fill it with vinegar and let it soak over night, then run a load of rags through and wipe out whatever is left. This worked well for us- although I think there must be build up in the line from the cup to the washer, because almost a year has passed and I…

Bummer for T-Mobile customers - no Starbucks for us! I'll pass this on to my Verizon friends, though.

+10 for "the Internet really, really needs a sarcasm font".

Cheap ebooks are great backups for those who are paranoid about getting visited by the House Fire Gremlins and losing their entire library.

I'm a little late to this post, but I needed to chime in and disagree with you completely. My mom's cats are incredibly loving, both to each other and to my parents. The littlest is a Momma's girl and she takes every moment she can to be near my mom or on her lap - and she misses her terribly when she's gone.

I've heard two things about temperatures on slow cookers - 1) Low is approximately 200F and high is approximately 300F and 2) Low and High relate to the length of time that it takes for the slow cooker to get it it's maximum temperature. I've tested for neither in my slow cooker (though I will this weekend, because…

We've had both types and our upgraded one is so worth the extra money. Not only can we program the timer, it automatically switches to warm after your 4-6-8 hrs are up. Since are work/commute days are 9+ hours, it's nice to come home to food that isn't overcooked!

Cook's Illustrated also has an article on the full breakdown method. It was in my latest copy of their magazine and it's what I'm doing for my friend's Thanksgiving (as I'm pretty sure my family would mutiny if it that turkey wasn't portrait perfect).

You can use your oven as a slow cooker. I was just reading a recipe yesterday on one method, which was 30 minutes at 425 (I think) and 6.5 hours at 215 for a 20 pound turkey.

My husband thinks it's crazy that I can usually tell when something is done baking just by smell.

I think you have a typo (and I'm sure other people have pointed it out) - I think you mean caramalization doesn't occur at 350F.

TasteGuru is a monthly box of GF "samples", which are, more often than not, actual full size items from gluten free companies, including big names like Udi's. If you have someone who is gluten free, trust me, they'll love this, because most of this stuff costs waaaay more than $25 a month.

As someone who uses meditation-based breathing exercises to calm her anxiety so she can get some damn sleep, I do. These are not one size fits all answers to the problem, but don't dismiss something just because you've never tried or it didn't work for you.

I don't agree, essentially because marriage works best with communication and learning from each other. If you want to rack up a European vacation on a credit card and your spouse cautions against it and you freak out and start a fight about it, the problem is not your spouse or your marriage, it's the fact that you…

When it says Microsoft, does it mean SkyDrive or something else? I would be interested in learning the best way to find this information, as I have Box (from Dell, I think) and it didn't make the list.

I was under the impression that the jets bombed the forest near the village, not actually the village itself.

The difference is that, with the coupon, I can print it, forget to use it, and I'm not out anything. With the Groupon, if I forget to use it before it expires, I'm pretty much out my $6. They *say* you can use it for the cash value after it expires but, in my experience, most places hate that and treat you like crap…

One of the best purchases I ever made were a pair of tennis shoes from Shoes for Crews. I was working as a server and at a retail store and they were perfect for both. They aren't 100% stylish, but, seriously, get over style and go for function and comfort. Your feet (and knees and hips and lower back and upper back…

I'm a little irritated at the Smashburger coupon, considering I just *spent* $6 to get a $12 Groupon for the Smashburgers in my area - and here's this coupon for free. Grumble. I'd be mad, but dang it all, Smash Fries are the secret love of my life.

Absolutely - it's all the same world, just in different places. I read by following the chart, starting with the Night Watch novels, then Death - > Witches -> Industrial Revolution -> Ancient Civ -> Rincewind. There are cameos from characters that are fine if you're not familiar with the character and hilarious if you…