cmccabe's recent activity
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Comment on Slugs - how are you coping? in ~life.home_improvement
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Comment on Slugs - how are you coping? in ~life.home_improvement
cmccabe LinkIn the past we’ve placed shallow bowls of beer anywhere the slugs might pass through. The downside is you have to regularly scoop a surprisingly large number of dead slugs from the bowls. It can...In the past we’ve placed shallow bowls of beer anywhere the slugs might pass through. The downside is you have to regularly scoop a surprisingly large number of dead slugs from the bowls. It can be pretty gross.
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Comment on Offbeat Fridays – The thread where offbeat headlines become front page news in ~news
cmccabe LinkAnderson Cooper tries mustard on a hot dog for the first time. See his reaction (This was the original front page CNN.com headline. I kid you not. I even took a screenshot because I knew I might...Anderson Cooper tries mustard on a hot dog for the first time. See his reaction (This was the original front page CNN.com headline. I kid you not. I even took a screenshot because I knew I might doubt my own memory.)
https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/14/us/video/anderson-cooper-mustard-nathans-hot-dog-eating-contest-harry-enten-ac360-cprog-digvidMy contribution might be considered dark humor because it is an example of how utterly useless many mainstream news websites have become. I'll go on for days about problems with ideological biases motivating many new outlets, right and left, but another big problem is the amount of hollow, trivial non-news that gets pushed through "news" websites. I guess this is just a reminder that if you're looking for news on mainstream news websites, you're looking in the wrong place.
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Comment on I am sick of "providing feedback" in ~life
cmccabe LinkI'm not posting to disagree but to point out that there is a difference between SuperMegaMonster Corporation asking for feedback and similar requests from small businesses. For small businesses...I'm not posting to disagree but to point out that there is a difference between SuperMegaMonster Corporation asking for feedback and similar requests from small businesses. For small businesses like restaurants, barber shops, doctors, etc, the requests are often not just about measuring forms of customer engagement, but about encouraging positive reviews and solving problems before a bad review occurs. I know from a few friends with small businesses that positive reviews can have a very beneficial impact on their business, while negative reviews can be devastating. The owners of these businesses would rather be providing their main services than asking for your feedback, but the impact of online reviews unfortunately forces them to proactively engage you on your potential review.
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Comment on Have you ever "homebrewed" fermented beverages? in ~food
cmccabe Link ParentGood idea. Any chance you have the recipe he used? I found several recipes online, most of them using "root beer extract", which is... root beer flavored syrup? But I did find a few others with a...Good idea. Any chance you have the recipe he used?
I found several recipes online, most of them using "root beer extract", which is... root beer flavored syrup? But I did find a few others with a mix of herbs.
I also found that root beer was originally made with sassafras, but "In 1960, lab studies on rats found that a compound in sassafras root caused cancer in rats, leading to the ban of sassafras root extract by the FDA." So I'll be looking at the less-carcinogenic recipes.
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Comment on Have you ever "homebrewed" fermented beverages? in ~food
cmccabe LinkNot home brewing in the common sense, but I've made ginger ale using the simplest recipe possible: water, sugar, yeast and ground ginger in a reused (but super clean) two-liter bottle. Although I...Not home brewing in the common sense, but I've made ginger ale using the simplest recipe possible: water, sugar, yeast and ground ginger in a reused (but super clean) two-liter bottle. Although I think the idea of home brewing beer is pretty neat, I rarely drink alcohol these days so I wouldn't know what to do with that much beer. I also rarely drink soda, but the investment in two-liters of soda is really small. I'll probably try other brewed sodas in the future. Anyone want to suggest another flavor?
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Comment on Barkley Marathons 2024 live updates in ~sports
cmccabe LinkAn obsessive running friend of mine told me about the Barkley several years back and now it's my go-to conversation topic whenever I talk with other runners (because I don't know enough about...An obsessive running friend of mine told me about the Barkley several years back and now it's my go-to conversation topic whenever I talk with other runners (because I don't know enough about running to talk about normal topics). I second the Race-That-Eats-Its-Young recommendation from @time_and_tildes above. And now, I'm off to watch Where Dreams Go To Die.
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Comment on Montana man, 80, pleads guilty to creating giant mutant hybrid bighorns in ~science
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Comment on I fixed my dryer myself in ~life.home_improvement
cmccabe Link ParentI wonder how many of those fires are due to clogged exhaust vents. That’s a good caution either way.I wonder how many of those fires are due to clogged exhaust vents. That’s a good caution either way.
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Comment on Weekly thread for casual chat and photos of pets in ~life.pets
cmccabe LinkNo photos yet, but it looks like fate will be dropping an 11-month-old cavapoo in my lap this week. A friend of a friend is experiencing a life event and needs to find a new home for her dog. My...No photos yet, but it looks like fate will be dropping an 11-month-old cavapoo in my lap this week. A friend of a friend is experiencing a life event and needs to find a new home for her dog. My kids are going absolutely bonkers over the idea so I’m likely in position that would make it hard to refuse. Not that I’m complaining though. He’s a really cute and friendly dog.
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Comment on Non-fictional books about getting to know emotions? in ~books
cmccabe LinkCharles Darwin might seem like an odd author to recommend here, but I think his Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals provides a really valuable framework (evolutionary biology) for...Charles Darwin might seem like an odd author to recommend here, but I think his Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals provides a really valuable framework (evolutionary biology) for understanding some of human emotions.
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Comment on Joe Biden’s chances of US re-election are better than they appear in ~misc
cmccabe LinkI kinda wish there were fewer articles like this. The last thing we need is voters feeling complacent this election.I kinda wish there were fewer articles like this. The last thing we need is voters feeling complacent this election.
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Comment on What is a scam that more people should be aware of? in ~life
cmccabe (edited )Link ParentOne thing to be wary of if the original $500k price was very recent is that this was a flipper house. You have to do a thorough inspection or really know what you're doing if you buy from flippers...One thing to be wary of if the original $500k price was very recent is that this was a flipper house. You have to do a thorough inspection or really know what you're doing if you buy from flippers because they will often use substandard materials, cover up defects, and pull all sorts of tricks to make the price increase seem warranted (even when it very likely may not be).
Edit:typo
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Comment on Pigeon suspected of being Chinese spy released by police in India after being detained for eight months in ~news
cmccabe (edited )LinkGeopolitics are interesting, but now I really want to look into the sport of open-water bird racing. EDIT: For anyone else interested, I asked a Taiwanese friend of mine about open-sea pigeon...Geopolitics are interesting, but now I really want to look into the sport of open-water bird racing.
EDIT: For anyone else interested, I asked a Taiwanese friend of mine about open-sea pigeon racing and he found this video for me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sw-v2LgfuoY
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Comment on What is the importance of not swearing in front of my kid? in ~life
cmccabe Link ParentThis is a neat example. I've working on using internal vs external motivation with the kid recently. So, rather than telling a child "you should do/not-do XYZ because that's the rule and I told...I would say, "if you say that word, it will probably make some people uncomfortable." And that was enough for her to avoid most words.
This is a neat example. I've working on using internal vs external motivation with the kid recently. So, rather than telling a child "you should do/not-do XYZ because that's the rule and I told you so" (external motivation), you should instead find ways that allow the child to make up their own mind that XYZ is what they want to do (internal motivation). I find this really difficult in a lot of parenting situations but it seems like something parents should strive for; and it feels like a good way to avoid counterproductive power struggles.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~science
cmccabe LinkAside: Some of my favorite posts on Reddit have been the ELI5 posts. One thing I like about them is that, even when I think I know a "simple" concept really well, I still almost invariably learn...Aside: Some of my favorite posts on Reddit have been the ELI5 posts. One thing I like about them is that, even when I think I know a "simple" concept really well, I still almost invariably learn something new from the ELI5 responses.
I would love to see a tag for a similar theme in Tildes. Do we have one already?
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Comment on What is the importance of not swearing in front of my kid? in ~life
cmccabe LinkI have two goals of refraining from swear words in front of the kids: (1) it demonstrates emotional restraint, showing that you sometimes have to pause, think, and calm yourself down rather than...I have two goals of refraining from swear words in front of the kids: (1) it demonstrates emotional restraint, showing that you sometimes have to pause, think, and calm yourself down rather than giving in to impulsive reactions to disappointments; and (2) I want to see the kids practice being articulate about their thoughts. Replacing swear words with coherent descriptions of your thoughts is one example of this for them. I think of the latter goal in terms of "adjectives not expletives".
I'm not really sensitive to swear words and I want my kids not to flinch when they hear them too. I only hope my approach doesn't end up making them overly sensitive to swear words; but I imagine they get enough of them at school and through media.
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Comment on What happens when an astronaut in orbit says he’s not coming back? in ~space
cmccabe Link ParentOn a slight aside, for the word collectors in the audience, a similar phrase is "imp of the perverse" which means an urge to do exactly the wrong thing in a given situation. This phrase was coined...On a slight aside, for the word collectors in the audience, a similar phrase is "imp of the perverse" which means an urge to do exactly the wrong thing in a given situation. This phrase was coined in the title of an Edgar Allan Poe story and the urge is summed up in this quote from the story:
"We stand upon the brink of a precipice. We peer into the abyss-we grow sick and dizzy. Our first impulse is to shrink from the danger. Unaccountably we remain. By slow degrees our sickness and dizziness and horror become merged in a cloud of unnamable feeling. By gradations, still more imperceptible, this cloud assumes shape… far more terrible than any genius or any demon of a tale, and yet it is but a thought… it is merely the idea of what would be our sensations during the sweeping precipitancy of a fall from such a height."
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Comment on People with a "second brain": Why? How? in ~life
cmccabe Link ParentI read that as not needing to make the effort to remember it, not that it wasn't important to remember it. I'm similar to feanne in that I'll forget many things that are important to remember if I...but why do you need to write something down if you don't need to remember it?
I read that as not needing to make the effort to remember it, not that it wasn't important to remember it. I'm similar to feanne in that I'll forget many things that are important to remember if I don't write them down. I don't know if it's called a second brain, but I use a notes app on my phone to remember shopping lists, to-do items (with associated dates, phone numbers, etc), documentation of important phone call details, etc. I absolutely could get by without these notes, but a lot less things "slip through the cracks" when I use it.
And although I said "not needing to make the effort to remember it", that's not exactly true (for me). Making these notes is part of that effort, and it actually helps me to remember many of the notes so that I don't always need them in the end. The act of writing the notes helps make their items more permanent in my first brain.
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Comment on Which word begins with "y" and looks like an axe in this picture? in ~humanities.languages
cmccabe Link ParentI think it's more likely the word YARR!!!, a word people sometimes yell when attacking with an axe.I think it's more likely the word YARR!!!, a word people sometimes yell when attacking with an axe.
A recipe like that definitely sounds more cost effective when doing it at scale. We used long-expired beer and we were only guarding a small area of the yard.