Dr. Bob

As a professor, we know.

Yes.

You are badly misinformed on this point.

Bonesofthemoon must be up there.

May I suggest Solaris by Stanislaw Lem? The alien is a sentient ocean that doesn’t understand the distinction between past, present, or future, or between dreaming and wakefulness. It causes some issues…

It’s a modern convention. In the Celtic calendar solstice marked the middle of winter and older Christmas carols mark Yule as midwinter. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1_R3GPkIDeM

This is the answer I got over drinks with a senior military leader. It’s too well known to hold anything interesting. He contrasted it with Mount Weather and the Cheyenne Complex. Those are still the sites for continuity of government because there is too much infrastructure to move. The sites just got additional hardening as the locations became known.

Most drain cleaners are not acids but bases - same basic idea but the other end of the pH scale. Bleach is an example of a corrosive base you’re probably familiar with. Bases were used because they were more compatible with the solder that connected copper pipes in older homes. For non-corrosive cleaners they fall into a couple classes:

Fizzy things. These loosen clogs by bubbling them apart. They are typically made by mixing a weak acid with a base - hello vinegar and baking soda! The acid may help a bit with dissolving some clogs. These can take a while

Enzyme based cleaners. An active enzyme will digest some of the bonds in hair and other components of the clog. These can take hours to be effective so don’t be in a rush.

Temperature based. Fats often make up a big component of clogs. Something as simple as boiling water can do a lot to loosen up a clog. There are fancier mixtures that will warm up the pipe to try to get things flowing.