Bottled water is quite an interesting discussion, considering the fact that water-contamination is the world’s most accepted method of introducing ‘old-world’ deadly diseases (like cholera) into society. A few of us (engineers) got to discussing this in-depth one day, and decided to do a small ‘lunchtime’ test on…

Bottom line: If you don’t personally own it, or personally clean it, treat it like a septic tank pump truck. Same goes for water-fountains at the same terminals, a coliform test (test for septic bacteria) on most water founts find unacceptable levels of ‘life’ there, too. Can we say ‘bottled water’ in the airports?…

The absolute-best boards are, in fact, bamboo. They require very little maintenance, don’t damage your knife edges as much as plastics, rarely warp, and can be oiled just like wood ones (mineral or olive oils). Try a bamboo board, and you won’t return to wood ones anytime soon. Oh, yeah, and they scar less when cut…

DON’T forget to oil your cutting boards (if they are bamboo or wood)! Natural wood-type material boards have a natural oil in them when they are new, and as you wash-and-wash-and-wash them, this oil is stripped away (making them warp or bust when left in water any length of time). Wash the board, dry it, and then…

Few actually understand that good tape measures have MANY features designed into them, and a reason for most ‘strange’ nuances that most don’t use properly. For example, the two rivets that allow the chrome tip to ‘float’ actually allow for inside and outside measurements. If you hook the tip on a board, then take the…

While the list is pretty decent, I have to argue two ‘worst items’ on that list, and those are batteries and soda. Batteries are tricky because they are usually ‘discounted by volume’ (you get cheaper as you buy more, per unit cost). This gives the club-stores an advantage (48 AA-batteries, anyone?). Comparing a…

They still have malls on Blarnak VII? Wow, we need photo proof to validate. While they’re sending pictures, I’d personally like to see what a ‘BK Whopper Bar’ looks like.

Nope, just ‘Planet LA’ and the NYC Galaxy. Most have closed in towns under 100,000 population.

Uh, yeah. We’ve got two of these restaurants within 40 miles of where I live. It may be nice to live in a megatropolis, but then again, it doesn’t take rocket science to call Dominos and have them deliver a pizza, matching it with a cold-one out of the refrigerator, either. Comfort is knowing that I can grill a steak…

As for ‘computer privacy’, I think most of America has pretty much been ‘sheepled’ out of demanding it. If you explain it to them another way, they’d revolt in one singular loud voice (but it won’t happen, sadly). The next time you feel like saying, ‘who cares about privacy, when computer customization is the focus?’…

LOL, I love programmers. Every time I charge them $1600 for a $100 automotive repair, I justify it in my own mind that I’m just treating them like they treat me, Niaive and Layman-like. I also charge appropriately (though am much more polite on the phone than average customer service). Remember this, the next time you…

Now wait a minute, while this article sounds ‘informed’ on the behalf of the government (the same one that brought you ‘Butter is bad for you eat more margerine’ and ‘700 calorie lunches for growing children’), while it is obviously seeking grants to prove what is actually already known; Vitamin D is a virus-killer,…

Not really sure where dieticians ever came up with 3,500 Calories equaling a pound came from, anyhow. Speaking as an engineer, they need to take a Physics 101 class at their local community college. There, they will learn that it requires 1 Calorie (KCal) to heat 1-gram of water 1-degree C, and this measurement is the…

Most users go out of their way to block flash applications, anyhow. It’s a 12-lane Interstate for viruses, ads, malware, trojans and just about anything else the unscrupulous wants to throw on your computer. Yeah, you can play free games too, but is it really worth a game to infect your new computer and spend days or…

From the structural engineering perspective, chances are that your wall studs are insufficient for the tension you are placing on them, and as a result, when you hang that hammock on some curtain-wall framing that wasn’t designed to take a load (especially at mid-beam), don’t be surprised when you realize 3-years from…

There are negatives to synthetics, too, though. Synthetics have ‘lower friction coefficients’, so they are ‘slicker’. This actually is bad for new or ‘tight’ motors (as in new rebuilds), where you need friction to seat seals, rings, etc. The worst thing you can do is run synthetic oil on a new engine, as it will leak…

Yes, just more justification for WEARING APPROPRIATE CLOTHES. Tanning until you become another ethnicity is actually nothing more than a billboard for how much radiation you have let your epidermis absorb. For anyone infatuated with tanning, I tell them to come out here to the Chihuahua Desert for a while and spend a…

Funny, the major problem with this ‘system’, is that it is not durable (and I say this from decades of outdoor experience). While this would work for a 1-day or 3-day ‘outing’ for you and a couple of your other 170-lb friends, this just doesn’t cut it for big guys, long trips, or much of anything else. If you REALLY…

The BEST solution is the commercial cleaner known as ‘CLR’ (calcium, lime and rust). As it is considered an ‘environmentally friendly’ cleaner (for this type of cleaner), it’s about as ‘friendly’ as it’s going to get, and it will remove almost ALL lime-scale and rust stains almost immediately. Why experiment with a…

I retired from the Marines. For years, I ran my physical fitness test (3-miles) in under 18 minutes. As an infantry Marine, we ran AT LEAST 30 miles a week, with an average 7-mile morning run after moderate stretching and calisthenics. Normally, I would go into bad abdominal wall cramps on days over 85-degrees about…