Susan Taitel of Minneapolis asks, Does anyone have a cat, owl, or preferably a snake I can borrow to scare off some mice? Also does anyone have a mongoose I can borrow to chase off the snake? Additionally does anyone know what mongooses are afraid of? Susan, First, I want it clearly understood that I …
Tag: tips
May 24
Time travel cookbook
Dear Tyler (writes Dan The Man Williamson III of Duluth MN), I recently inherited a time machine, and I’d like to use it to indulge my passion for novel gourmet cookery. I have access to a range of now extinct ingredients, but my problem is that I don’t know which things are edible, how to prepare …
Jan 01
Honeywell gas valve six flashes
Honeywell gas valve on your water heater giving you the 6 flashes signal? How to chastise it.
Jun 21
Believability and the Reader’s Representative
I’m at 4th Street Fantasy Convention this weekend. In a panel last night, there was a discussion about suspension of disbelief. One technique mentioned (by Scott Lynch) was “lampshading,” in which the author, knowing that they’re taking extreme liberties with the laws of physics, or medicine, or whatever, has a character point out the discrepancy …
Jan 09
Where to find time travelers
Secret Undisclosed Person of Minneapolis, MN asks: Where can I find me some time travelers?
Dec 03
Resetting the #$%@!!* Honeywell Gas Valve on a Water Heater
There’s no way to reset the evil Honeywell gas valve after it detects overheating. You need a new gas valve. But you CAN save hundred of dollars by switching just the fronts of the two valves, containing the circuit board that remembers the failure, rather than getting a plumber to replace the entire valve.