Random Thoughts

[kphoger]

All of the above is why I never bothered to do anything with the leaves when I lived in Oklahoma. When it was time for the first mowing of the spring, I just ran the mower over any leaves that were still around and they became part of the regular mulch.

I don't do anything at all to the lawn, other than mow it.  No raking, no watering, no spraying, no nothing.  One year the purple henbit totally took over and choked out all the grass;  the next year, we just spread some grass seed and called it good.  That's the only time we've done anything at all other than just mow.

Well, I guess we did bag up leaves a couple of times...

[ZLoth]

That's a lot of effort to put into making your soil worse.

Unfortunately, with the Texas winds, my home ends up being a leaf magnet, especially since I have a corner home and my next door neighbor has a large tree. On Sunday, December 28th, DFW had winds up to 49 MPH, which made things worse.

27 of those bags were from my dog run on the side of the home where the grass doesn't grow. Another 12 were along the back and side of the house where the concrete alleyway and sidewalk don't need any more nutrients.

[JayhawkCO]

We don't have grass, only xeriscaping out here in the Colorado desert. So we have one of those vacuum mulchers to suck up the majority of the leaves from our apple trees in the backyard.

[Max Rockatansky]

Grass is seasonal in Fresno during winter.  I only have one patch of it left in both yards.  I'd get rid of it completely but my wife likes greenery.  Come summer time the back yard turns to dirt and it takes daily watering to keep the front alive.

[formulanone]

Chicago pizza implies there's an AP pizza. Fortunately, Connecticut has us covered.

Therefore, there must be a New York manual of citation style that nobody can agree on, a Detroit manual of style that naturally includes oil and gear changes, and a St. Louis citation style that nobody admits to liking.

[kphoger]

The names for different cuts of beef are confusing af.  We should come up with better names for them.

chuck → shoulder cut
brisket → chest cut
shank → leg cut
hanger → belly cut
rib → hey, this one actually makes sense
sirloin → back cut
rump → hey, this one actually makes sense
round → maybe, or maybe hindquarter cut instead

[ZLoth]

And the city just picked up the leaves.

[Scott5114]

Therefore, there must be a New York manual of citation style that nobody can agree on, a Detroit manual of style that naturally includes oil and gear changes, and a St. Louis citation style that nobody admits to liking.

The Altoona manual of style is used for cheesy romance novels.

[hotdogPi]

To match Autostraße, autostrade should instead be autostra𝔇e.

[kurumi]

Pharrell's "Happy" is one of those songs where I progressed through the "nice groove - cool chord progression - kind of repetitive though - OK, I'm officially tired of this song" during the very first listen. It wore out its welcome so fast (but it did have one).

[elsmere241]

Pharrell's "Happy" is one of those songs where I progressed through the "nice groove - cool chord progression - kind of repetitive though - OK, I'm officially tired of this song" during the very first listen. It wore out its welcome so fast (but it did have one).

Weird Al had a great response to it though, with "Tacky".

[kphoger]

For our eldest son's 18th birthday, I devised an around-town photo scavenger hunt.  We were three families of five each, divided into three teams:  each team had one couple plus one kid from each family.  I came up with 53 challenges, with a point value assigned to each one, and we had a little over two hours to rack up as many points as possible.  If you got every challenge, then you'd get 1444 points.  This was all handled on the goosechase.com app, which at least one participant from each team downloaded immediately before the game started.  I also provided a plastic sack to put physical items in, a pencil, and a printout of all the challenges in case anyone preferred looking at that instead of scrolling in the app.  At least one team member had to be in every photo, and some challenges required bringing the physical item back in order to not be disqualified.

Team A
Completed 49 out of 53 challenges
1303 total points

Team B
Completed 35 out of 53 challenges
838 total points.

Team C
Completed 38 out of 53 challenges
993 total points

I knew Team A would win, because those parents are extremely competitive when it comes to games.  Here were the challenges:

10 pt : 3 teams : Human Alphabet (form a letter of the alphabet with your bodies)
11 pt : 3 teams : For Sale or Rent (picture with a For Sale or For Rent sign)
11 pt : 3 teams : Speed Limit 35 (picture with a SPEED LIMIT 35 road sign)
12 pt : 3 teams : 2 Mailboxes (picture with two mailboxes in the same photo)
12 pt : 3 teams : A Couple of Monkeys (2+ members playing on monkey bars)
12 pt : 3 teams : Art on the Wall (artwork on an exterior wall, either graffiti or a mural)
12 pt : 3 teams : Foreign Flag (with the flag of a foreign nation)
12 pt : 3 teams : The World Is a Looking Glass (whole team's reflection in something other than a mirror)
13 pt : 3 teams : Giddy Up (riding an animal statue)
14 pt : 2 teams : Crab X-ing (2+ members crab-walking in a marked crosswalk)
14 pt : 3 teams : See Saw (2+ members playing on a teeter-totter)
15 pt : 3 teams : Air Tennis (2+ members pretending to play tennis on a court, no racquet or ball required)
15 pt : 2 teams : Pedestrian Bridge (standing on a pedestrian bridge or overpass)
16 pt : 3 teams : Up a Tree (team member up in a tree)
17 pt : 3 teams : Bus Stop Gymnastics (2+ members doing headstands in a bus stop shelter)
18 pt : 3 teams : Street Smarts (street signs at a corner, 1 name ending in a vowel, 1 in a consonant)
19 pt : 1 team : Pickup Truck (with something large in the back of a pickup truck)
20 pt : 3 teams : *BRING IT!* : Paper Sack (holding a paper sack)
21 pt : 3 teams : License Plate - M State (with a license plate from a state beginning with M)
22 pt : 1 team : *BRING IT! : R. I. P. (holding a pencil/crayon rubbing of a grave's date, 1960 or earlier)
23 pt : 2 teams : License Plate - N State (with a license plate from a state beginning with N)
24 pt : 2 teams : I Dont Rite So Good (with a posted sign that has bad spelling, grammar, or punctuation)
24 pt : 1 team : Movie Poster (with a movie poster)
25 pt : 2 teams : World Religions (with a non-Christian religious symbol)
26 pt : 2 teams : Dumpster Diving (2+ members inside a dumpster)
27 pt : 3 teams : *BRING IT!* : It's All Greek to Me (holding printed material in a foreign language)
27 pt : 2 teams : *BRING IT!* : Schedule (holding a schedule or timetable)
28 pt : 2 teams : Getting Your Feet Wet (team member with both feet submerged in water)
29 pt : 2 teams : *BRING IT!* : Don't Fill 'er Up (holding a receipt for exactly 88 cents of gasoline)
30 pt : 2 teams : Mannequin Kiss (team member kissing a mannequin on the cheek)
30 pt : 3 teams : Stuffed Animal (2 members each holding a stuffed animal)
31 pt : 3 teams : *BRING IT!* : Mustard (holding a fast-food mustard packet)
32 pt : 3 teams : Shopping Cart Taxi (1 member pushing another member in a shopping cart)
33 pt : 2 teams : On a Ladder (team member standing on a ladder)
33 pt : 2 teams : Piano Man (2 members playing a duet on a piano or other keyboard instrument)
34 pt : 1 team : *BRING IT!* : Restaurant Menu (holding a printed restaurant take-out menu)
34 pt : 3 teams : Drag Queen (male member walking in high-heeled shoes)
34 pt : 2 teams : Try It On for Size (member trying on a clothing item at a store, tag visible)
35 pt : 2 teams : *BRING IT!* : Bar of Soap (holding a bar of soap)
35 pt : 1 team : Hotel Lobby (entire team in a hotel lobby, all members must be barefoot)
36 pt : 3 teams : Nice Doggy (team member petting a stranger's dog)
37 pt : 0 teams : Goo Goo Ga Ga (with a baby under age 6 months)
38 pt : 2 teams : Digging for Gold (a stranger picking his nose)
38 pt : 2 teams : Oh Shoot, It's the Cops (a selfie with a police officer or security guard)
39 pt : 2 teams : Laundromat (team member folding someone else's laundry at a laundromat)
40 pt : 3 teams : Bearded Man (team member tugging on a stranger's long beard)
40 pt : 2 teams : *BRING IT!* : Sign My Cup (disposable coffee cup signed by a store or office employee)
41 pt : 1 team : Ding Dong (house whose address is a prime—with 1+ team member, 1+ resident, and number)
42 pt : 3 teams : Human Pyramid - Level 1 (human pyramid with 2 team members & 1 stranger)
45 pt : 3 teams : Piggy Back Ride (1 team member giving or receiving a piggy-back ride from a stranger)
38 pt : 1 team : Human Pyramid - Level 2 (human pyramid with 1 team member & 2 strangers)
50 pt : 2 teams : In Church (inside a church sanctuary)
60 pt : 2 teams : Village People (4 strangers doing Y-M-C-A with their arms)

[kphoger]

Some people accused our team of cheating.  When we were a half-block away from the house, taking a picture of street signs, we realized we could knock out a few of the challenges inside our own house.  So I put the car in reverse and we went inside—where there were a bar of soap, high-heeled shoes to walk in, stuffed animals to hold, and a bathtub to fill up and stand in (which now sounds like a weird way to spend one's evening).

[1995hoo]

I remember when I was in high school there was a fad of "Polaroid Parties" during my junior and senior years. I never participated, but the concept was similar to what you mention—each team had a Polaroid camera and some amount of film and there was a list of things they were to photograph in some specified amount of time. The main one I remember was a sign saying "Speed Limit 9" (I remember that because it baffled people as to where you would find it, but I knew where it was because it was at the entrance to the place where I worked on weekends—back then, it was closer to US-50 and you didn't have to go onto private property to see it).

[PColumbus73]

What is the reproduction rate on the FSK Bridge threads?

EDIT: Using this, the number of threads will double in 11.5 months. If we include Fictional, they double in 9.9 months.

[Max Rockatansky]

What is the reproduction rate on the FSK Bridge threads?

EDIT: Using this, the number of threads will double in 11.5 months. If we include Fictional, they double in 9.9 months.

This I find impleasable.

[gonealookin]

Somebody over on the personal finance forum I read has an off-topic question some here could give decent answers to:

Authentic U.S. Highways to explore beyond Route 66

Route 66 is arguably the most popular pre-interstate highway for nostalgia seekers. What about U.S. 2, 30, 40, 41, 50, 70?

Anyone have travel experience on these (or more) highways that are also worth touring to feel the mid-20th century landscapes and cultures?

There are some good answers there but some clueless too (state highways, 17 Mile Drive on the Monterey Peninsula, etc.).  I'm "Soaker" over there (Oski the Bear avatar) and mentioned US 395 (seems particularly good for that "mid-20th century landscapes and cultures" matter) and US 101 north of San Francisco.

[Max Rockatansky]

Somebody over on the personal finance forum I read has an off-topic question some here could give decent answers to:

Authentic U.S. Highways to explore beyond Route 66

Route 66 is arguably the most popular pre-interstate highway for nostalgia seekers. What about U.S. 2, 30, 40, 41, 50, 70?

Anyone have travel experience on these (or more) highways that are also worth touring to feel the mid-20th century landscapes and cultures?

There are some good answers there but some clueless too (state highways, 17 Mile Drive on the Monterey Peninsula, etc.).  I'm "Soaker" over there (Oski the Bear avatar) and mentioned US 395 (seems particularly good for that "mid-20th century landscapes and cultures" matter) and US 101 north of San Francisco.

17 Mile Drive is probably one of the most overrated scenic highways out there.  A lot of 17 Mile runs more through a bunch of rich people houses as opposed to the shoreline (the shoreline is nice though).  Nearby Sunset Drive in Pacific Grove is free and so is Scenic Drive down Carmel. 

[Max Rockatansky]

Tulare County, California had 4,823 square miles of land whereas the state of Connecticut has 4,849 square miles.  Apparently one of the leading arguments to split western Tulare County into Kings County circa 1893 was due to how much larger it was than Connecticut.

[Scott5114]

Tulare County, California had 4,823 square miles of land whereas the state of Connecticut has 4,849 square miles.  Apparently one of the leading arguments to split western Tulare County into Kings County circa 1893 was due to how much larger it was than Connecticut.

Meanwhile Clark County, Nevada has 8,061 square miles and the largest city in its state, and as far as I know there's never been a serious proposal to split it up (even though in most states the Mesquite, Moapa Valley, and Searchlight-Laughlin areas would probably all have their own counties).

[Max Rockatansky]

Tulare County, California had 4,823 square miles of land whereas the state of Connecticut has 4,849 square miles.  Apparently one of the leading arguments to split western Tulare County into Kings County circa 1893 was due to how much larger it was than Connecticut.

Meanwhile Clark County, Nevada has 8,061 square miles and the largest city in its state, and as far as I know there's never been a serious proposal to split it up (even though in most states the Mesquite, Moapa Valley, and Searchlight-Laughlin areas would probably all have their own counties).

The assessment I read also projected several new counties being created after Kings.  Amusingly after Imperial was split from San Diego County in 1907 there hasn't been any other new designations.  Outside of splitting northern San Bernardino County and maybe northern Los Angeles County I can't really think of where it might be useful.

[Scott5114]

Outside of splitting northern San Bernardino County and maybe northern Los Angeles County I can't really think of where it might be useful.

I think it would make a lot of sense to split Riverside County up. I don't really know that Blythe has enough in common with Riverside city that one could expect a government based in Riverside city to govern them well. I know Riverside County manages this by basically setting up a ton of satellite county offices, including 14 (!) courthouses, but if you're going to go to that extreme, you may as well just split it into actual counties.

I think the typical county size in the Plains states works about right, since it usually means that you have a city center and inner-ring suburbs in one county, the middle and outer ring suburbs in surrounding counties, and then the other counties are all rural in nature with only a dozen towns or so. Obviously Western counties are going to be a lot bigger in terms of land area because of population density, but having huge swaths of rural land governed by a far-away urban center seems like it probably makes things more complicated than it really needs to be. I'd hate to live in Mesquite and have to drive to Las Vegas if I ever needed to interact with the county government in a more direct way than a satellite office could accommodate.

[Max Rockatansky]

Outside of splitting northern San Bernardino County and maybe northern Los Angeles County I can't really think of where it might be useful.

I think it would make a lot of sense to split Riverside County up. I don't really know that Blythe has enough in common with Riverside city that one could expect a government based in Riverside city to govern them well. I know Riverside County manages this by basically setting up a ton of satellite county offices, including 14 (!) courthouses, but if you're going to go to that extreme, you may as well just split it into actual counties.

I think the typical county size in the Plains states works about right, since it usually means that you have a city center and inner-ring suburbs in one county, the middle and outer ring suburbs in surrounding counties, and then the other counties are all rural in nature with only a dozen towns or so. Obviously Western counties are going to be a lot bigger in terms of land area because of population density, but having huge swaths of rural land governed by a far-away urban center seems like it probably makes things more complicated than it really needs to be. I'd hate to live in Mesquite and have to drive to Las Vegas if I ever needed to interact with the county government in a more direct way than a satellite office could accommodate.

A long time ago I had a store in Laughlin.  If I wanted physical copies of police reports I had to go request them in downtown Las Vegas.  Not the worst work detour in the world but it was amusing explaining to my boss why I used the company travel card to stay in Las Vegas.

[PColumbus73]

Outside of splitting northern San Bernardino County and maybe northern Los Angeles County I can't really think of where it might be useful.

I think it would make a lot of sense to split Riverside County up. I don't really know that Blythe has enough in common with Riverside city that one could expect a government based in Riverside city to govern them well. I know Riverside County manages this by basically setting up a ton of satellite county offices, including 14 (!) courthouses, but if you're going to go to that extreme, you may as well just split it into actual counties.

I think the typical county size in the Plains states works about right, since it usually means that you have a city center and inner-ring suburbs in one county, the middle and outer ring suburbs in surrounding counties, and then the other counties are all rural in nature with only a dozen towns or so. Obviously Western counties are going to be a lot bigger in terms of land area because of population density, but having huge swaths of rural land governed by a far-away urban center seems like it probably makes things more complicated than it really needs to be. I'd hate to live in Mesquite and have to drive to Las Vegas if I ever needed to interact with the county government in a more direct way than a satellite office could accommodate.

A long time ago I had a store in Laughlin.  If I wanted physical copies of police reports I had to go request them in downtown Las Vegas.  Not the worst work detour in the world but it was amusing explaining to my boss why I used the company travel card to stay in Las Vegas.

Looking up Clark County after this discussion and wondering to myself if anyone else noticed that Clark County looks like a mini-Nevada inside Nevada.

[Rothman]

Outside of splitting northern San Bernardino County and maybe northern Los Angeles County I can't really think of where it might be useful.

I think it would make a lot of sense to split Riverside County up. I don't really know that Blythe has enough in common with Riverside city that one could expect a government based in Riverside city to govern them well. I know Riverside County manages this by basically setting up a ton of satellite county offices, including 14 (!) courthouses, but if you're going to go to that extreme, you may as well just split it into actual counties.

I think the typical county size in the Plains states works about right, since it usually means that you have a city center and inner-ring suburbs in one county, the middle and outer ring suburbs in surrounding counties, and then the other counties are all rural in nature with only a dozen towns or so. Obviously Western counties are going to be a lot bigger in terms of land area because of population density, but having huge swaths of rural land governed by a far-away urban center seems like it probably makes things more complicated than it really needs to be. I'd hate to live in Mesquite and have to drive to Las Vegas if I ever needed to interact with the county government in a more direct way than a satellite office could accommodate.

A long time ago I had a store in Laughlin.  If I wanted physical copies of police reports I had to go request them in downtown Las Vegas.  Not the worst work detour in the world but it was amusing explaining to my boss why I used the company travel card to stay in Las Vegas.

Looking up Clark County after this discussion and wondering to myself if anyone else noticed that Clark County looks like a mini-Nevada inside Nevada.

...which means any state route shields are mini-Nevadas in a mini-Nevada in Nevada...