the hollow bronze things with the studs?

probably not some for of die- divination or otherwise. They just wouldn’t roll well. There’s a few uses for those things that seem likely. Rangefinding (mount it on a staff and peep through the holes, , some sort of symbolic use, or simply just being some sort of decorative weirdness.

(I mean, really. Think about all the jangly things people have on, like backpacks or purses or keychains. People have always been people.)

I dunno. But i find it funny that even back then the divination wizards needed their special hard-to-read dice.

Like, bro. I have a chart with all your symbols on it.

… “is a tool for something much more serious… Divination.”

The Divination Wizzard:

also… the Mossie used less critical resources which meant they could build more of them. and the plywood construction may have been harder to spot on radar.

By screaming “you can’t fire me! I QUIT!!”

Send the invoice to Soros!

“Planet keeps nuking itself, wonders why interstellar tourism is in decline.”

Pretty sure the prime directive says “if they’ve nuked themselves hundreds of times… DONOTGOTHERE!!!”

(Of course they went there. What could go wrong?)

I personally suspect that if aliens actually did show up to earth, they wouldn’t be content to remain in the shadows.

Basically, the native life is the only thing that would be of interest. we (that is life,) are the only things that are actually unique to this particular system. If it’s simple curiosity about things, they could study us from a distance, without ever revealing themselves to us (or the government.)

Which leaves a few reasons for why they’d come here:

• Genocidal freaks who have some biological or cultural imperative to kill everything that’s not them.
• Space Mormons coming to share their faith.
• Space evangelicals. They’re like Space Mormons, except turn into the first group when you politely decline.

Either way… we’d know they’d be here.

It doesn’t take an hour to preheat cast iron

FTA:

To preheat over a burner: Set your cast iron skillet over medium heat, ideally on a burner that’s roughly the same size or larger than the pan’s base. If your burner is smaller than the pan, rotate the skillet a few times during preheating to help even out hot spots. Give it 3 to 5 minutes to come up to temperature. Then, and only then, add the oil and let it heat until it shimmers or just starts to smoke. If you’re aiming for a specific temperature, use an infrared thermometer to read the surface directly. For gentler cooking tasks, such as sautéing onions or frying eggs, a surface temperature of around 400°F is usually sufficient. For high-heat jobs like searing a steak or pork chop, let the pan reach a temperature closer to 500°F.

To preheat in the oven: When you need a ripping-hot skillet to put a proper sear on steaks or chops, I recommend using the oven, which can heat the pan evenly while also making it exceptionally hot. Place the empty cast iron skillet in a cold oven, then turn the oven to 500°F. Once it reaches the desired temperature, carefully remove the skillet using oven mitts or a thick kitchen towel (it will be blisteringly hot, so make sure that towel isn’t even the slightest bit damp). …

(emphasis mine.) Ovens typically take 10-20 minutes to come up to temperature, and if for whatever reason your oven is already hot, it won’t take longer than what your oven takes to preheat to to get up to temp.

Either way, I typically start preheating as I’m prepping everything else.

And yes, I know I have an even pan because I not-infrequently make omelettes in them.

“When properly preheated, the heat is very even” isn’t contradicted to that fact.

Cast iron does indeed suck at heat distribution, which is one of the reasons it needs proper preheating.

But once the pan is properly preheated, then that heat is quite even.

Make sense?

This is factually wrong from the jump

…. What you’re seeing as heat distribution is the consequence of having to preheat your pan for so long.

So you’re saying that, properly preheated, the pan has very even heat?

Gee why didn’t I … oh. That’s is what I’m saying.

You’re right, if you don’t preheat, it’s uneven. But you put in the extra effort and it’s rather more even than nearly any kind of pan.

“Yoink!”

They tried remaking everything and have run out of ideas.

Glad you rescued it and gave it a better home!

Oh yeah. actually have to be careful to not heat it too quickly, though. I’m not sure what that threshold is, though. Inductive cooktops are lovely, though. Much better than electric cooktops, and lacking in all the unpleasant pollution of gas.

they also last significantly longer. I’m using pans I got from my grandma. She got them from her mom. and If i had kids, they’d probably get them after I was done with them.

Enameled cast iron is very good, but I find it’s not quite as nonstick as a properly seasoned not-enameled cast iron. Enameled pans are rockstars for acidic sauces, though, and that makes them amazing for braises.

Define “better”.

It’s heat- when preheated properly- is much more even and it holds it quite a bit better. This of course, requires preheating (and that takes a long moment.)

when properly seasoned and oiled, the pan is genuinely nonstick to the same degree as most PTFE pan out there (without all the nasty plastics flaking off, and able to be get up to a proper temperature for searing in the first place…) But of course, this means keeping your pan properly seasoned.

I’m not a fan of lodge cast iron, though, IMO its too much work to develop and maintain that level of seasoning (because of it’s surface. Victoria is a better inexpensive option if you’re looking to buy new.) But I also rock a lodge when camping (Because I don’t want to subject my really nice, inherited stuff to campfire cooking.) but cast iron can take the abuse of cooking right on coals and other campfire torture (like being cleaned with sand.)

Of course, you have to clean up/care for that camp pan after the fact.

The point being made is that everyone has a different understanding of what is “best”, cast iron does require a significant investment in maintenance and care. For me, the effort is worth it. for many it’s not.

for what cast iron does well, it’s amazing. And really, the biggest problem is that it’s not so good for acidic things (which eats away the seasoning, but that’s more like ‘don’t try and make a pasta sauce’ rather than “don’t splash in some citrus.”

yah for pro-saudi propaganda!

weeee.