Salt will increase the density of the water, increasing the amount of heat or can hold. It's unlikely there's a noticeable difference with just a few liters of water though. You probably noticed it because you noticed it.

I love how literally everyone that causes a dopamine response in the brain can become addictive, yet Reddit blows up on me every time I suggest that guns are addictive.

There's Pennsylvania, mathematically in the middle. Right where it always is.

It's possible that this comment floats around the Internet so often it's part of the background

Everything about cancer is click bait.

Huh. Who would've thought the answer was "more money"?

Yes it was. The original planning called for the turnpike retiring its debt in 1954 and becoming part of PennDOT, according to The Pennsylvania Turnpike: A History, by Cupper.

When the turnpike was sold to the Pennsylvania public we were told that the tolls would end as soon as the project was paid for. Then, corruption.

Want the turnpike supposed to be free?

Who the fuck is this for? Are you saying that we should get paid for one less day per week?

I've said for years that one day there will be a demand for contractors to build people drone landing sites for deliveries.

I can see something like a flat roof doghouse with a big QR code on top. When the package is dropped off something clever will happen and the box will slide into a locked container.

Idk but I've always wanted to try that stuff

I'm sure this will be one of the ideas floating around after the next civil war. We will be broken into districts and forced to fight proxy wars against each other to justify our military spending. A California birth certificate will be worth its weight on gold.

Lol. Yes.

I've always said what a double standard it is that you can get fined for not picking up dog poop, but a horse? Let it fly.

You'll notice he parked his buggy right in the middle of the parking lot. This is a perfect metaphor for all Amish.

Lived in Berks county side by side with these guys for a decade. Can't say I left with a positive impression of the Amish. They're a cult that are treated like some tribe of indigenous white people.

Thank you for the great answer! I can see how tropes are a necessary short hand to bring the reader along for the ride.

Has there ever been a story line you had to abandon because you strayed too far from a recognizable setup?

Have you ever considered producing any of your books into audio? Have you considered who you would choose as a narrator?

How do you navigate sci-fi tropes when constructing a story? Do you lean in to the tried and true setups? Do you attempt to break new ground?

I can't even imagine actually making something like that at home

I wouldn't rule out subterranean microbes in Venus. I mean, it's 900° on the surface but a mile below the crust probably isn't any warmer than earth at that depth. Earth has lots of bacteria at that depth.

Hell.. I wouldn't rule out high altitude airborne life.

I've always thought that Venus would be immensely easier to explore with balloons. There are altitudes on Venus with air pressures and temperatures that would allow us to walk around in the open with a simple O2 mask. A floating city would have an infinite supply of energy from the heat below.