Random Question Thread.

[Kerberoz]

Get one of those lamps that projects stars on the ceiling. Or clothes. New parents always appreciate clothes.

[Pharaun]

Get the kid a Tebow jersey

[Byrthnoth]

Occasionally I decide to sharpen my kitchen knives. I grab my steel sharpening rod and go through the motions, then I typically move on to making a meal that involves chopping shit. In the end, though, I'm never quite sure that I've actually made an appreciable difference in my knives' performance.

I've even tried doing experiments where I take two identical knives, both of which cut equally well (typically pretty well), and "sharpen" one of them with the rod. Then I have my girlfriend mix them up and and use both of them, then try to guess which one I "sharpened." I'm 2/4 on this game, which either doesn't bode well for my knife sharpening technique (acquired from a lengthy delve into YouTube, various blaaaaags, etc.) or indicates that I'm sharpening my knives often enough that they don't appreciably dull between sharpening sessions.

Anyone have an idea for a more sensitive method? Like, cutting something that you can only cut with a really sharp knife? It's just a curiosity at this point, but I am certainly curious.

[zoobernut]

The metal rod that comes with most knife sets isn't a sharpener for dull blades. It is there to hone your edge and remove little metal burrs. If your knife is really sharp when you use it the edge will get wavy and get metal burrs on it. The metal rod removes those and straightens your edge. If the knife is dull then you need to actually get it sharpened with a sharpening stone. I may be wrong on this point but this is what I have been told by chefs in the past.

Edit: I was looking for a picture to describe what I am talking about but I can't find one.

[Psion]

The metal rod that comes with most knife sets isn't a sharpener for dull blades. It is there to hone your edge and remove little metal burrs. If your knife is really sharp when you use it the edge will get wavy and get metal burrs on it. The metal rod removes those and straightens your edge. If the knife is dull then you need to actually get it sharpened with a sharpening stone. I may be wrong on this point but this is what I have been told by chefs in the past.

Edit: I was looking for a picture to describe what I am talking about but I can't find one.

^ what zoobernut said. There's sharpening stones, also known as whetstones, that let you actually sharpen the blade. (obviously, if you don't do it properly, you can fuck the blade up.) They usually look like a two sided rectangle, one side having a coarse grain and the other having a finer grain. you secure the stone so it doesn't move, then run the blade at a 22.5 degree angle (aka, hold the knife perpendicular to the stone, then bring it at half that degree, or 45 degrees, then half it again to 22.5). run the blade against the stone at that angle 10 times with both sides of the blade, pushing the edge along the grain so it's like your trying to slice the stone. Obviously you want to maintain that angle as best as you can. after 10 passes on both sides of the blade, flip the whetstone over and do the same thing with the finer grain. THEN use the sharpening steel to straighten the edge out and remove any burrs.

I can guarantee you if you did it right your knife will become the bane of tomatoes once more, and the difference is very noticeable, lol.

[noblemountain]

Do yourself a favor and have your knives sharpened by a professional if you have good knives. It makes a world of difference, doesn't cost much, and only needs to be done every six months or so. I did this after Alton Brown recommended it on his show and have never been happier with my knives. Every professional chef I know does this as well. I sharpen my tactical knives myself...but the edge required for a chef's knife is much different.

[Acturus]

Does anyone know of any other good collections of stories and anecdotes beyond Chuck Norris, Kim Jong Il, or Bill Brasky?

I have to write my own performance review at work, and I want to write two. One will be accurate, and one will be completely absurd.

[Cail]

Bill Brasky?

He was a son of a bitch...

[Aksannyi]

Right around August last year I applied for a position at work that would have been a step up. I didn't get it, even though I have a lot of experience with the particular position and my boss told me I'd be a good fit for it. It turned out they had pre-picked someone to take it and posting the job was a formality so no one else was even considered.

Now, same position is open again. The VP himself was asking my boss about her recommendations for the job and my name came up (which leads me to believe they don't have a pocket guy again). I was basically told to apply for it if I still want it. And I do, I'm just wondering how to approach this, seeing as my resume hasn't really changed that much - I've been working for the same company after all, and I did get promoted between the first application and today (and I definitely reflected that on both my resume and cover letter), but do I need to overhaul the whole thing to apply for the same job (and apply to the same HR manager)?

And yes, I do find it amusing that their handpicked guy wasn't working out only eight months later, though I would never say as much. Ahh, office politics ...

[Nephlite]

I probably wouldn't do anything special just apply just like you did the first time. Maybe throw something in to say why you'd be a good fit for that position. You said you got promoted, is this a step down from what you are doing now? Include that in your resume as well that money's not an object, this position works better for you, etc. I took a step back going from FTO to get in to VICE and that was a question that popped up for me why I would take less money and a less responsible position. Just worked out better for me.

As far as the pocket guy thing, I totally feel you on that one. There are times where we (the guys, not the whole agency but the people in my crew) would see positions open up and we think that they're interesting (the position) till they pick someone else who you never heard of. Then you find out later that person went for a particular promotion, got beat out by another person and the admin found that person who didn't get picked was still a valuable employee so they created a position for him and threw them there. Happens all the time.

[Aksannyi]

I probably wouldn't do anything special just apply just like you did the first time. Maybe throw something in to say why you'd be a good fit for that position. You said you got promoted, is this a step down from what you are doing now? Include that in your resume as well that money's not an object, this position works better for you, etc. I took a step back going from FTO to get in to VICE and that was a question that popped up for me why I would take less money and a less responsible position. Just worked out better for me.

As far as the pocket guy thing, I totally feel you on that one. There are times where we (the guys, not the whole agency but the people in my crew) would see positions open up and we think that they're interesting (the position) till they pick someone else who you never heard of. Then you find out later that person went for a particular promotion, got beat out by another person and the admin found that person who didn't get picked was still a valuable employee so they created a position for him and threw them there. Happens all the time.

Basically where I got promoted to in my current department (Operations), this is as high as I will go unless the boss lady decides to quit or is fired, both unlikely. The position I'm applying for is more of a lateral move but it has better hours - day time - and better pay, both of which I have wanted for a while. And while I truly enjoy what I do, I know that there's very little potential for growth there, unlike this new position which would allow me to work mostly independently but will be a lot more challenging.

I submitted my resume and cover letter anyway though, it just feels weird to say, "HOW BOUT NOW, MOTHERFUCKERS!" Which is essentially what I'm doing applying for the same exact job. But I've Googled and found that it's not unheard of to apply for the same job again. So we'll see how it goes.

[Plow]

Does anyone know of any other good collections of stories and anecdotes beyond Chuck Norris, Kim Jong Il, or Bill Brasky?

I have to write my own performance review at work, and I want to write two. One will be accurate, and one will be completely absurd.

http://www.bluegartr.com/threads/320...Will-never-die.

[Cream Soda]

From Bank of America's site, where can I get my routing number?

[HadesWeaponx]

From Bank of America's site, where can I get my routing number?

It's under Information & Services tab under the Account Details tab.

[Cream Soda]

THanks

[gaira]

when i pass gas (could have just said fart, and it is a helluva fart, but trying for a degree of restraint here) it smells. it smells really, really, really bad. in my only defense, it is quite glorious to let one rip. if it were a superpower it might clear rooms and incapacitate ne'er-do-wells; alas, there are few to none of such that i have encountered in close proximity when the time is right. supposing this dilemma can be approached by opposite methodologies, please advise as to: A. the method by which i could produce the most profane and incapacitating of effects, or B. the most innocuous and least suspicious of circumstances in which to deliver said payload. thank you.

[Aksannyi]

Oh god that is gold.

[Kohan]

Oh god that is gold.

It's also original BG content, I believe. I'm impressed.

(I imagine everyone else may also be too enamored to actually provide advice.)

[BaneTheBrawler]

Crop-dust. Once you let it go, immediately make a circle of the room. Obviously, this requires deception, as not long after your passage the weapon in your wake will reach the nostrils of your intended victims. Getting up to get a drink/go for a smoke/etc are good excuses, and if you remember you forgot something at your seat when you get to the door, it lets you make a most of a full circle of the room (assuming multiple routes between your chair and the door are available). Absolute lack of reaction to the smells itself is key, until someone else notices and starts to raise a stink. At that point, gauge how the people in the room are reacting. Do they all smell it? If no one near you does, neither do you! But you can't be the only one to smell it, and you can't be the only one NOT smelling it. Blending in is key. Once the smell has reached the people around you, agree that it is the foulest smell you have ever smelled. But do NOT start blaming people! Once the blame game begins, you can make a few suggestions, but don't be too insistent.

If you are unable to make a decent excuse to get up and move around, you'll have to rely purely on the potency of your weapon to spread, and you'll have to hope for a particularly disingenuous dispersal, because if it spreads out at an even rate, you will be at the epicenter of stink, and its source can be easily extrapolated. In this case, again, blending in is key. You must react similarly to your fellows.

[Salodin]

Crop-dust. Once you let it go, immediately make a circle of the room. Obviously, this requires deception, as not long after your passage the weapon in your wake will reach the nostrils of your intended victims. Getting up to get a drink/go for a smoke/etc are good excuses, and if you remember you forgot something at your seat when you get to the door, it lets you make a most of a full circle of the room (assuming multiple routes between your chair and the door are available). Absolute lack of reaction to the smells itself is key, until someone else notices and starts to raise a stink. At that point, gauge how the people in the room are reacting. Do they all smell it? If no one near you does, neither do you! But you can't be the only one to smell it, and you can't be the only one NOT smelling it. Blending in is key. Once the smell has reached the people around you, agree that it is the foulest smell you have ever smelled. But do NOT start blaming people! Once the blame game begins, you can make a few suggestions, but don't be too insistent.

If you are unable to make a decent excuse to get up and move around, you'll have to rely purely on the potency of your weapon to spread, and you'll have to hope for a particularly disingenuous dispersal, because if it spreads out at an even rate, you will be at the epicenter of stink, and its source can be easily extrapolated. In this case, again, blending in is key. You must react similarly to your fellows.

Amazing advice from some one who has to deal with this more often in a year then the rest of us do in a lifetime.