Ask Steve dot Com

Q&A: Rice Cookers......How do they know???

Linda Hedges writes: 

"Okay, so Steve has answered this question for me before but I can't remember what it is. How does my automatic rice cooker "know" when the rice is perfectly done in order to turn itself off?  There is no timer... it just "knows" -- the time varies with the amount and type of rice.

AND... on a serious note,what's the answer to this bumper sticker I saw yesterday?
"Why do we kill people who kill people to show that killing people is wrong?"

Okay.  Here's how the magic rice cooker works.  Down in the base of the rice cooker is a little, tiny, Chinese guy with a timer..........  Not really!!!  When you cook rice in one of these things you add rice and (the magic ingredient) water.  Turn it on and when the water is gone the rice is done.  One of the nice things about water is that as long as there's liquid left the temperature stays at 212 degrees F, the boiling point of water.  Once the liquid is gone the temperature quickly starts to rise.  So... a simple thermostat set to turn the gizmo off at say 220 degrees will do the job.

AND..... why, when most of the world's religions specifically state that it's against the rules to kill other people, do we kill so many people in God's name?  If I was God (no blasphemy intended), I'd really take it personally.

Q&A: Zero Lot Lines in Texas

Mike Murphy asks: 

"Is there a "setback" law in Texas that prohibits a neighbor from building within 10 feet of the property line, or is this a local ordinance?"

I've done a little research and although I haven't found any direct references to Texas statute, there are several websites that have ongoing discussion forums on the pros and cons of adopting local rules allowing zero lot lines.  Here's an example of a Texas zero lot line ordinance from College Station, Texas (http://agenda.cstx.gov/2004/040325/Planning%20and%20Development/Zero%20Lot%20Line%20Construction/Ordinance%20-%20Zero%20Lot%20Line.pdf). 

A bit of explaination may be appropriate.  A zero lot line development allows houses to be built up against the survey line on one side of the property.  In such a development, houses are usually built up against the same lot line, i.e. all houses would be built against the left property line (as viewed from the street).  Consequently, there would still be a gap between all of the houses (between each of the houses and the right property line).  So apparently it is legal in Texas when adopted locally by appropriate ordinance.

Q&A: The Proverbial Woodchuck

Terry Reeves asks: 

"How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?"

Let's start with the animal first.  A woodchuck is basically a groundhog.  Same as Punxsutawney Phil.  The saying suggests that woodchucks can't chuck wood.  What's chucking?  According to Dictionary.com, to chuck is to throw something, as to "chuck a rock in the pond".  There are other definitions, but this is the only one that applies to wood/trees/logging.  I have searched high and low and can find no reasonable reason why a groundhog would toss wood about.  Julia, my very learned daughter, said that she had watched one of the realtity programs about logging and that they call trimming all of the limbs off of a fallen tree "chucking".  But groundhogs can't operate chainsaws, so that's probably out.

According to Wikipedia, possible answers are:

1. "As much wood as a woodchuck would if a woodchuck could chuck wood."
2. "A woodchuck would chuck as much wood as a woodchuck could chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood."
3. "A woodchuck would chuck all the wood, if a woodchuck only could."

 

Q&A: Plans for Owl Boxes in 2009

Pete Z. asks: 

"Steve, friend, kahuna, paisano. Exactly where will you be hanging your owl nesting boxes this coming year?

As you probably know, In past years I experienced terrible problems with predation on my Western Screech Owl boxes.  In 2007 all six of the nests started were predated by ringtail cats.  Since I couldn't come up with an easy way to "ringtail cat proof" these nesting boxes, in 2008 I decided to move the boxes somewhat farther away from ringtail habitat (farther upslope and away from watercourses) but still in the Emory Oak woodlands they seem to favor.  I experienced slow acceptance of these nest boxes in 2003 when I first placed them.  One box out of 12 was used.  However in 2008, none of the 17 boxes placed were used.  I'm going to give it one more year to see if the birds accept this new arrangement.  If not, who knows?  Moving thes boxes is a huge undertaking.  Last year it took almost a week to relocate the 17 boxes.

Keep your fingers crossed.

Q&A: Chrome Dome or No Chrome Dome?

Jimmy (or maybe Emily?) Hester asks:

"does baldness really come from the moms side of the family?"

I don't know whether the answer to your question bodes well or ill for you and yours.  So I'll just give it to you straight.  Yes, your mother's X-chromosome carries the trait for male pattern baldness.  To see the results of this pernicious chromosome's effect on one's children, look at mom's brothers.  If they tend toward thin (or no) hair, the mom's male offspring will likely sport the shiney scalp.

Is this good news? 

Q&A: Cool Aluminum Foil Question

Linda Hedges asks:

So why does aluminum foil not get hot in the oven? I just removed a tent-like piece from atop our Christmas turkey with my bare pinkies. Cool as a cucumber. I wondered why... and then I remembered I could askstevedotcom!

How seasonal!!  A Christmas question.  The phenomenon Linda describes has everything to do with mass, gravitas, weight, and other heavy issues.  Granted, while inside a 350 degree oven, the aluminum foil is indeed 350 degrees warm.  However, because the foil is so, so thin (0.008 inches thick) it contains very little mass and therefore few actual calories.  Also, because aluminum is an excellent conductor of things like heat (and electricity) it cools very rapidly, especially compared to other metals.  So, voila, (that's French) the foil cools almost as soon as you get it out of the oven.

However, if the foil has come in contact with fluids like oil, or turkey goo, it will remain hot enough to burn one's pinkies when handled too soon.  So, be careful.  As the guys on Mythbusters say, "Don't try this at home, .......ever."

When's dinner anyway?

 

Q&A: Going "Stag"

Barbara Brescian writes:

a) What kind of animal is a stagg?
b) What do you call a female elk?

Both questions pertain to elk, scientific name Cervus elaphus, a species that occurs over many parts of the world including North America where it is commonly to as Elk or Wapiti.  A subspecies of this animal, the Red Deer, occurs in Europe, Central Asia, and Asia Minor.  It has also been successfully introduced into many areas including New Zealand. 

The male of the Red Deer is referred to as a Stag, with one "g".  To answer your second question, the North American Elk female is referred to as a cow.  Whatever the name, these are truly magnificent animals.

Here's one of my photos of some animals that hang out near my home.

Q&A Where is Charlie Wilson now?

Dogmeat asks:

"Where is Charlie Wilson (of Charlie Wilson's War) now?"

Wikipedia reports the following:

Wilson retired from Congress in 1997 to live in Lufkin, Texas. In February 1999, Wilson married Barbara Alberstadt, a ballerina he met at a party in Washington in 1980.

In September 2007, after two months on an organ transplantation waiting list, Wilson received the heart of a 35-year-old donor. Years of heavy drinking had put a strain on his heart; in 1985, he had been told by a doctor that he only had 18 months to live.

I just received a copy of the movie from NetFlix, so I'll be a real expert soon.

Ask Me No Questions and I'll Tell You No Lies!

Gather 'round, friends, family, and acquaintances!  This is Julie, Steve's daughter.  When Mom mentioned that people had begun to refer to Dad as "AskStevedotCom", I saw an opportunity.  Why not give him a platform for all of his God-given and wholly-unavoidable pontification?  And thus, Ask Steve dot Com was born. 

Alas, some other gentleman had already taken the real domain, so I had to settle for naming the blog and keeping the Typepad extension.  But since you're all going to bookmark it, it won't matter anyway!

Ask Steve dot Com is a Q&A blog for all those random questions that you're vaguely interested in, but haven't the time to research for yourself.  That's right - make Steve do it!  It'll also be a place for Steve to talk about his various projects, trips, and whatever else he deems interesting or relevant.

So here's what I need from you to get this all kicked off for him come Christmas morning: Leave a comment on this post (just click on the link right there under this) or send him an e-mail through that link on the left (not his regular address), and leave a question for Steve to answer.  When he's thoroughly researched and written out the response, he'll post it here and send you the link. 

And - lest I forget - IT'S A SECRET!  So don't blab or e-mail him about it until after Christmas morning.

Thanks for playing along and helping me make this a fun present for my Dad!

Julie