TMarkos's recent activity
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Comment on Authors of Tildes: How well do you know your own book when you publish? in ~creative
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Comment on The internet used to be ✨fun✨ in ~tech
TMarkos Link ParentWilde Life is the best one I'm currently reading.Wilde Life is the best one I'm currently reading.
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Comment on What cooking techniques need more evidence? in ~food
TMarkos Link ParentI believe the logic behind this is that the maillard reaction creates flavor in the sear that then diffuses into the meat and braising liquid over the duration of the cooking time. Personally, I...I believe the logic behind this is that the maillard reaction creates flavor in the sear that then diffuses into the meat and braising liquid over the duration of the cooking time. Personally, I find that the taste is less noticeable unless you're searing cut meat (like individual cubes of beef for stew) and have a much larger surface area to work with. With a roast, the surface-area-to-volume ratio means the effect is much less pronounced.
One other potential benefit is that if you have fatty portions on your roast it can crisp them up, which improves their eventual texture during subsequent wet cooking. However, most people prefer to trim a roast before slow cooking to avoid excess oil in the broth, so ymmv.
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Comment on What cooking techniques need more evidence? in ~food
TMarkos Link ParentI don't believe that oil degradation is something that will come into play during the span of a typical cooking session. Higher temperatures hasten the rate of oxidization, but not to the extent...I don't believe that oil degradation is something that will come into play during the span of a typical cooking session. Higher temperatures hasten the rate of oxidization, but not to the extent that you'd notice any change over a few dozen minutes. Heating the oil past its smoke point is another thing entirely. Your point about oil spreading is valid, but I find it makes little difference whether the oil is heated slowly or quickly; a swish around the pan ensures even coating regardless of the circumstances.
I have never heard the technique of cleaning with salty water. Water, by itself, is a fantastic tool for cleaning pans when they're hot. Salt, by itself, can serve as a gentle abrasive for difficult patches of cooked-on food. I'm not sure that salty water offers any mechanism for enhanced cleaning over unsalted water or dry salt, as the salt shouldn't be crystallizing while the water is present to dissolve it; while it is crystallized, it is dry salt.
Bar Keeper's Friend is a combination of a feldspar-based abrasive, oxalic acid and a sulfonate detergent; it works as a combination cleanser. The feldspar works mechanically to abrade the surface, the acidic component helps to remove rust and other mineralized/oxidized deposits, and the detergent works on any oil-based soiling.
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Comment on What cooking techniques need more evidence? in ~food
TMarkos Linkhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgYu2c_Az6w That video has a pretty good discussion of what goes on when food sticks, then releases later. Essentially, the issue is that adding the food introduces...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgYu2c_Az6w
That video has a pretty good discussion of what goes on when food sticks, then releases later. Essentially, the issue is that adding the food introduces a localized rapid cooling right under the food, which extends the period where the food is hot enough to stick to the pan but cold enough that those bonds can persevere. Release happens at the pan surface because it reheats to the appropriate temperature and destroys those bonds, letting the food break away from the metal.
I don't see how the order of operations prior to adding the food really helps, here. There is such a thing as porosity in cast iron pans, at least - I'm not sure if it's the actual metal or the polymerized oil coating that's retaining the oil, but when heating a cast iron pan you can witness the slight release of retained oil from the surface after a time. If this happens in stainless pans I've yet to see it, but I rarely cook on stainless so I'll withhold judgement. Regardless, it's in the same state when the pan is hot whether you add the oil first or last.
I imagine the advice has its roots in letting the pan come up to a proper temp without people getting nervous about oil smoke points. Letting the oil sit and heat is a bit nerve-wracking for some, especially if you're trying to fry something in olive oil because some misguided health blog refuses to use anything else despite its relative unsuitability for high temperatures. Leaving the oil out until the last minute prevents the risk of smoking but introduces pan cooling before you add the meat; I'd recommend just rubbing the meat with the oil if you're nervous. I do this with fish when I want to get a super deep sear, since it limits smoking generally even after the meat is on the pan.
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Comment on What cooking techniques need more evidence? in ~food
TMarkos Link ParentStandards in hamburger meat are pretty variable with time. Around 2005 I worked at a butcher block for a stint and the "base" grade of beef was 70/30, which you can barely find anymore, while...Standards in hamburger meat are pretty variable with time. Around 2005 I worked at a butcher block for a stint and the "base" grade of beef was 70/30, which you can barely find anymore, while 80/20 was the lean grade and you couldn't even get 90/10 unless you asked for us to custom-grind it. Now 80/20 is the standard almost everywhere, and you can pretty regularly find 90/10 or even leaner. At the time, everyone swore that 70/30 made the best hamburgers and 80/20 was "too lean".
The trick to making a burger juicy rather than dry is dependent on several factors, not merely fat content of the meat. Fluid retention is also governed by salt content, so premixing with a healthy quantity of salt (akin to dry-brining poultry) will significantly aid in fluid retention during cooking and result in an overall juicier burger. Fat does help, but especially in ground meats you will end up losing most of it as it renders out unless you have your burgers sitting there cooking in the drippings.
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Comment on Kansas Legislature brings gavel down on civil asset seizure powers of law enforcement in ~misc
TMarkos Link ParentPerfect is the enemy of good. This bill contains several decent changes to curb the most egregious abuses of civil asset forfeiture, and even if it doesn't reach the high mark they set for it will...Perfect is the enemy of good. This bill contains several decent changes to curb the most egregious abuses of civil asset forfeiture, and even if it doesn't reach the high mark they set for it will do a lot of good simply by removing drug crimes from consideration for asset forfeiture and tightening up the deadlines for law enforcement to respond to challenges. Those are noteworthy reforms even if the overall state of the law post-passage is not where it should be.
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Comment on Applejuicification: why the fruit is found in so many mixed juices in ~food
TMarkos Link ParentI tend to like the good Cosmic Crisps more than anything else - for a while last year I was reliably finding some that were huge, juice-dense monsters. That ended, though, and the current stuff is...I tend to like the good Cosmic Crisps more than anything else - for a while last year I was reliably finding some that were huge, juice-dense monsters. That ended, though, and the current stuff is good but not amazing. Envy is my reliable giant juicy apple pick now, but it's not quite as flavorful as those unicorn cosmic crisps were. I do appreciate that you can find them in jumbo size very easily, though. I got one a month back that was just shy of one pound.
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Comment on This super-Earth is the first planet confirmed to have a permanent dark side in ~space
TMarkos Link ParentI have this paper bookmarked for writing reference purposes, it describes the impacts that a tidally locked planet would experience on weather, all else being equal:...I have this paper bookmarked for writing reference purposes, it describes the impacts that a tidally locked planet would experience on weather, all else being equal:
https://arxiv.org/pdf/1802.00378.pdf
For a more approachable and less detailed answer:
https://www.quora.com/What-sort-of-a-weather-system-is-theorized-on-a-tidally-locked-planet
It's an interesting thought experiment. I doubt it would be a pleasant place to live.
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Comment on Cargo ship hits major bridge in Baltimore, triggering collapse (gifted link) in ~transport
TMarkos Link ParentThe FSK bridge was a continuous-truss bridge with an integrated arch, and both of those support structures were compromised by the hit. Continuous-truss bridges are severely impacted if one...The FSK bridge was a continuous-truss bridge with an integrated arch, and both of those support structures were compromised by the hit. Continuous-truss bridges are severely impacted if one portion of the truss is broken.
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Comment on Cargo ship hits major bridge in Baltimore, triggering collapse (gifted link) in ~transport
TMarkos Link ParentIt's the southeast linkage that lets the Baltimore beltway form a complete circle, and it's one of two major crossings of the Patapsco - and by far the more useful one. The northern crossing is a...It's the southeast linkage that lets the Baltimore beltway form a complete circle, and it's one of two major crossings of the Patapsco - and by far the more useful one. The northern crossing is a tunnel that goes under a narrower portion of the river that is much closer to the city, and I expect it will be jam packed for the entirety of the time the bridge is out of commission.
The larger impact is going to be that the Port of Baltimore is temporarily inaccessible while the debris blocks the shipping lanes through the river, which will probably be cleared up quickly but will cause immense economic and shipping hassles even so.
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Comment on A terrorist attack just happened in my city in ~talk
TMarkos Link ParentChechnya ended up with Russia because when they declared sovereignty as Ichkeria under Dudayev, they got support for their independence from Georgia and rather the opposite from Russia. Georgia...Chechnya ended up with Russia because when they declared sovereignty as Ichkeria under Dudayev, they got support for their independence from Georgia and rather the opposite from Russia. Georgia was the only country to formally recognize Ichkeria after it was declared, and was instrumental in allowing it to survive as long as it did.
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Comment on "The One Who Is". Who on Tildes recently called God by this name? in ~humanities
TMarkos Link ParentMy bet is just that google indexed the page prior to the comment being made and hasn't refreshed it yet, whereas DDG did so after the comment.My bet is just that google indexed the page prior to the comment being made and hasn't refreshed it yet, whereas DDG did so after the comment.
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Comment on "The One Who Is". Who on Tildes recently called God by this name? in ~humanities
TMarkos LinkIt's not perfect, but you can search a site for text by using google, with the query format site:url.com "query string", where url.com is in this case tildes.net....It's not perfect, but you can search a site for text by using google, with the query format
site:url.com "query string", where url.com is in this case tildes.net.https://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Atildes.net+"the+one+who+is"
Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to return any results relevant to your inquiry. It's possible the page in question isn't indexed, or wasn't indexed at the point when a particular comment was made.
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Comment on Sci-fi author Vernor Vinge dead at 79 in ~books
TMarkos LinkOh no. A Fire Upon the Deep is one of my favorites, very sad to hear that he's gone. So many formative and foundational ideas made their way from his works into the minds of other authors over the...Oh no. A Fire Upon the Deep is one of my favorites, very sad to hear that he's gone. So many formative and foundational ideas made their way from his works into the minds of other authors over the years. Almost criminal that he's not wider-read and recognized.
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Comment on Internet outage hits several African countries as undersea cables fail in ~tech
TMarkos Link ParentThe defense against boring names is apparently quantity. Look at genes, or asteroids; after a certain point the administrative sorts stop caring and leave it up to people in the field.The defense against boring names is apparently quantity. Look at genes, or asteroids; after a certain point the administrative sorts stop caring and leave it up to people in the field.
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Comment on Internet outage hits several African countries as undersea cables fail in ~tech
TMarkos Link ParentInteresting, I wasn't aware that they ran quite that deep. Seismic activity doesn't seem like a problem with a good counterplay.Interesting, I wasn't aware that they ran quite that deep. Seismic activity doesn't seem like a problem with a good counterplay.
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Comment on Internet outage hits several African countries as undersea cables fail in ~tech
TMarkos LinkFor reference and because it's cool: https://www.submarinecablemap.com/ The positioning where several cables run near each other is not true to life, as they are spaced in order to remain visible....For reference and because it's cool:
https://www.submarinecablemap.com/
The positioning where several cables run near each other is not true to life, as they are spaced in order to remain visible. However, the general path along the coast is easy to see. Since it appears that the cables tie back to European networks, it's safe to assume that the cut occurred somewhere offshore of the northernmost country affected, or perhaps in the waters just north of that.
There are a lot of unsustainable and ill-regulated commercial fishing practices going on around Africa. It's part of what drove the Somalian pirates to piracy; their fishing grounds were being absolutely ransacked by foreign fishing fleets. Dragging nets low across the sea floor is one such practice, and is usually banned, but none of these countries have a particularly notable navy or coast guard to enforce such a ban. Absent any other information, my guess is that it was an unlucky fisherman or a very irresponsible dredger that did the deed.
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Comment on Do you have any game sub-genres that you have a name for, but aren't big enough to be "official" sub-genres? in ~games
TMarkos Link ParentFTL is a node-driven roguelike, which is a category that a few other games fall into (slay the spire, darkest dungeon, dungeon of the endless, etc). These games have a semi-random "map" or node...FTL is a node-driven roguelike, which is a category that a few other games fall into (slay the spire, darkest dungeon, dungeon of the endless, etc). These games have a semi-random "map" or node structure that the player can progress through, either freely (FTL) or unidirectionally (StS).
Into the Breach is more of a classical "Tactics" game, in the vein of traditional Japanese tactics games like Fire Emblem, FF:Tactics and Disgaea. Maybe "grid-based tactics" would be a more-specific moniker to differentiate it from non-gridded tactics games like XCOM.
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Comment on Do you have any game sub-genres that you have a name for, but aren't big enough to be "official" sub-genres? in ~games
TMarkos Link ParentI recently played through Book of Hours, which I think fits in that mold rather well. You're a librarian, you catalog and read books as well as crafting various things using a large assortment of...I recently played through Book of Hours, which I think fits in that mold rather well. You're a librarian, you catalog and read books as well as crafting various things using a large assortment of crafting stations and the junk lying around the library. The game mechanics themselves are a bit of a mystery at first, and often you realize that you've had the tools to do something for a while but were lacking the knowledge to combine them in the right order.
I created a new project in Obsidian to help me catalog and interrelate all the crap going on, and it ballooned to a fairly massive size before the end. I'm actually not sure it's possible to complete the game without copious external notes, at least not without an obscenely frustrating amount of trial and error - or an eidetic memory.
I tend to find that I have a very good idea of my book in my head by the time I'm done with it, but that if I go back and read it after six months of not thinking about it I will read a very different book. I think excessive familiarity with the text prevents you from seeing the text properly, if that makes any sense - for the same reason that it's hard to edit something you just wrote. You don't read it insomuch as you use the text to prompt your memory of what you remember the text saying.