P: “how much load is on the bearings?”
Mike D: “None! they seize up even without any load.”
P: “that’s really strange.”
Mike D: “What are some of our options? we really need to provide good bearings to our customers.”
P: “I agree. I’ll have an engineer call you.”
Mike D.: “okay. What’s the guy’s name who will be calling me?”
P: “Rob Schnieder.”
Mike D.: “Rob Schnieder’s going to call me?”
P: “yes.”
Mike D.: “THE Rob Schnieder?”
P: “No.”
Mike D.: “oh.”
Updates shortly.
No commentsI’m in Ohio this week. More updates soon.
No commentsAnimals, appearing in the Tube maps.
Enjoy.
No commentsRegistrar.
ugh.
hate it.
2 CommentsIn honor of their 10th birthday, Google has allowed you to step back in time and use its search engine as it appeared in January 2001. MikeDiDonato.com doesn’t exist nor does any reference to September 11th or Facebook.
1 Commentfind all the endings!
1 Comment80’s hair-metal rockers Twisted Sister announce that they ‘are now going to take it.’
Check out the inside scoop here.
No commentsWhenever I’m wheeling a cart around the grocery store or the shop floor at work I am hard pressed not to kick off, jump on, and ride that cart for a few meters.
I hope I never grow out of this desire.
1 CommentThey’re awesome.
2 CommentsA couple weeks ago, Ben did a great job of explaining Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac to us.
This episode of This American Life does a great job of explaining the greater “credit crisis” in excellent detail.
2 Comments(video)
1 CommentMandy is doing Habitat for Humanity. If you’d like to help her out with a donation, click here.
No commentsI should name my firstborn son “Norman”
7 CommentsAnd his talk on our Queer universe on Ted.
No commentsTry a 100 lb. (45 kg) burger.
Just one item on the list of the World’s Top 10 Largest Things 2008, and where to find them.
3 CommentsIt’s International Talk Like a Pirate Day! Check out the fun here.
Been a while since you’ve sailed the seas pillaging for booty? Check out these fantastic guidelines for how to talk like a pirate!
1 Commentfrom Darcy.
3 CommentsHuge African American Male at ShopRite with sunglasses: Dude. Your hair is awesome.
Me: Thanks!
H.A.A.M.@SR.w/SG: Seriously. You’ve got it goin’ on.
1. According to Wikipedia, Brian Cox was in a Rock Band before he decided to study physics.
2. Food day? Yes please. (from shamus)
3. The creepy cat. (video)
1 CommentI roll my eyes at Sir David King’s arguments in this video but perhaps I’m biased because I have a man-crush on Brian Cox.
3 CommentsIn an ‘every man for himself’ cage match of Office Supplies, I think the staple remover would win.
It’s small enough so that the other office supplies probably wouldn’t consider it a threat in the beginning. But then, after the obvious favorites like the letter opener and scissors fell, I think the staple remover would gnash its wicked teeth and decimate the rest of its opponents.
Authored by: mike d.My china trip has been delayed three to four weeks.
This is extremely inconvenient. I have nothing more to say.
Authored by: mike d.The Question
Jon Abad asks:
Does soda go bad?
I just got a Mountain Dew out of the coke machine and there is a “For Best Taste, Drink by this date” thing on the side like with certain american beers.
So my question to the all powerful Oz (aka McQuaid) is can soda go bad while its in the can? What’s its shelf life? Will it outlive us all?
The Answer
Yes —– and no!
First off, the ingredients in soda are generally water, carbon dioxide, sugar (or sugar replacement), and flavoring. Luckily, none of these will “go bad” in the traditional sense (microorganisms taking over the can and poison the drinker).
Let’s look at the ingredients individually and see what we can see.
- WATER
Water will not go bad. And since the can is sealed, it won’t evaporate. No problem here.
- CARBON DIOXIDE
The carbon dioxide WILL eventually percolate out of the can through osmosis. This means that eventually, the soda will go flat. Does this constitute “going bad”? I think not - the soda is still consumable, you just may not want to. This could indicate why the “best taste by” date is given on your can of Mountain Dew.
- SUGAR
Usually a growth medium for everything, the sugar in the can is protected by being vacuum sealed in, and by being in solution. Shouldn’t be a problem here. BUT….
- SUGAR SUBSTITUTE
Aspartame is under fire by certain groups who state that it breaks down into methanol and formaldhyde in the small intestine, and that is unhealthy. While it is undisputed that this occurs, some state that the levels are not toxic, since alcoholic beverages do the same thing. There is evidence both ways.
In any case, the argument is that the aspartame decomposes into methanol and formaldhyde if left in a metal can for too long. This probably ruins the taste of the soda if it does occur.
- FLAVORING
The flavoring components are usually matched with preservatives, so there’s no chance of them causing the soda to go bad.
In summary, I’d believe the label - for best TASTE, drink before the date on the can. Otherwise, the soda may be flat, taste too much like the can (from slowly eroding aluminum molecules away), or be otherwise compromised.
Authored by: smcquaid
