This Thing Rules

#ThisThingRulesTrivia 🌾

The lawnmower was invented in 1830 by Edwin Beard Budding, a mechanic from Stroud, England. 19 inches wide and encased in a wrought iron frame, it originally required two people to operate - one to push it from its back, and another to pull it from its front:

a cookie monster is sitting on a kitchen counter next to a measuring cup that says rachael ALT: a cookie monster is sitting on a kitchen counter next to a measuring cup that says rachael

You know what rules? Sneakers! And Cookies! And also...yard work?! Come hear Brian and Max talk about all three!

Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/0BvQ...
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/y...

#Podcast #Cookies #Sneakers

kermit the frog and fozzie bear are sitting in a car ALT: kermit the frog and fozzie bear are sitting in a car

You know what rules? Road Trips! Come hear Brian and Max talk about the joys of hitting the open road in a motor vehicle:

Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/2jbY...
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/r...

#Podcast #RoadTrip #Trips

#ThisThingRulesTrivia 🚙

A 2023 study by OpenPoll found the most popular road trip snack among adults to be chips, with 47% of those polled expressing they'd pack a bag of that crisp, salty goodness. Cookies came in second place with 44%, while candy came in third with 42%.

Trio Drives to All 48 Contiguous States in 86 Hours, 19 Minutes, Shattering Record The team drove through every one of the lower 48 U.S. states over 3 days, 14 hours and 19 minutes, beating the previous record by more than 8 hours.

If you're down for some further reading, the story of how they managed this insane feat is quite the tale:

#ThisThingRulesTrivia 🚙

The current record for driving through every contiguous US state as fast as possible is 86 hours - a blazing-fast feat that was accomplished in 2021 by a trio of tech executives in a Mercedes-Benz, who used their computer science know-how to plan the shortest-possible route.

Bertha's trek saw her travel between the cities of Mannheim and Pforzheim, and took just over twelve hours to complete; the route she drove is now a designated scenic route called the Bertha Benz Memorial Route.

#ThisThingRulesTrivia 🚙

The first-ever long-distance road trip in a combustion engine vehicle was undertaken in 1888 by Bertha Benz (wife of automobile pioneer Karl Benz), who traveled 106 kilometers in Germany using one of Karl's early "Motorwagens" as a publicity stunt to promote said vehicle.

Road Trips Rule! YouTube video by This Thing Rules

YouTube:

kermit the frog and fozzie bear are sitting in a car ALT: kermit the frog and fozzie bear are sitting in a car

You know what rules? Road Trips! Come hear Brian and Max talk about the joys of hitting the open road in a motor vehicle:

Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/2jbY...
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/r...

#Podcast #RoadTrip #Trips

#ThrowbackThursday 🐊

There's nothing cooler than hanging out with alligators - so long as they're not hungry!

The History of Carrot Cake A friend of mine recently posted about his love for carrot cake, and a commenter immediately chimed in to say how much he hated it.

Want to try making this historic carrot cake at home? This blog has you covered:

#ThisThingRulesTrivia 🥕

During World War II, the British Ministry of Food used "Doctor Carrot" and "Potato Pete" to promote eating their respective vegetables; the former even headlined a carrot cake recipe, called "Dr. Carrot's Healthy Cake," that was published by the government.

And finally, over in Singapore, chai tow kway - a savory Chinese dish made by stir-frying radish cake, eggs and preserved vegetables - is often colloquially called "Carrot Cake." A bit different from some of its sweet cousins above, but still undoubtedly tasty:

Over in Switzerland, children and grown-ups alike enjoy Rüeblitorte, a lighter carrot cake variant that's typically made with almond flour (or some other combination of nut flours) and topped with a thin icing flavored with kirsch brandy:

#ThisThingRulesTrivia 🥕

Let's learn about some international carrot cake variations!

Since the 1960s, folks over in Brazil have been chowing down on Bolo de Cenoura, a fluffy-and-moist carrot cake variant with a bright, yellow interior and a chocolate ganache topping:

a carrot cake with white frosting and carrots on it ALT: a carrot cake with white frosting and carrots on it

You know what rules? Carrot Cake! Come join Brian, Max and SPECIAL GUEST @kozibear.bsky.social for a wild discussion about why this earthy treat can't be beat:

Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/5Hq2...
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/c...

#Podcast #Cake #CarrotCake

#ThisThingRulesTrivia 🥕

The Guinness record for the world’s largest carrot cake was achieved in November of 2016 by a team of bakers from Surrey, British Columbia. The cake had a total area of 36 square meters (118 sq feet), and contained nearly 500 kilograms (1102 lbs) of shredded carrots:

The Comedy Button Plays Butt-Pardy! YouTube video by Kozibear

Hear ye, hear ye Comedy Button fans! With permission from Brian and Max, I've gone and uploaded the video version of The Comedy Button's Butt-Pardy episode to my own YouTube channel for posterity (as the original version of it is no longer viewable online). Enjoy!

Carrot Cake Rules! ...Or Does It? (Featuring Alex "Kozibear" Kozina) YouTube video by This Thing Rules

YouTube:

Snake Quake: The Official Carrot Cake Overview | Kozibear's Cooking YouTube video by Kozibear

FYI - if you've never seen it before, you can check out this overview video I did of the Snake Quake Carrot Cake I discussed on @thisthingrules.bsky.social:

Hell yeah it is!

It was an INCREDIBLE pleasure to be able to sit down with Brian and Max to talk wildly about one of my favorite desserts. Seriously - there are twists and turns in this episode that you won't see coming, it's absolutely must-listen:

a carrot cake with white frosting and carrots on it ALT: a carrot cake with white frosting and carrots on it

You know what rules? Carrot Cake! Come join Brian, Max and SPECIAL GUEST @kozibear.bsky.social for a wild discussion about why this earthy treat can't be beat:

Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/5Hq2...
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/c...

#Podcast #Cake #CarrotCake

I’m in Atlanta and I’m about to play three of my best friends my brand new album for the first time. I hope to share it with the rest of you soon ❤️

Ad for Puzzle Bobble 2 from Gamest magazine, issue 157

Ad for Puzzle Bobble 2 from Gamest magazine, issue 157

🕹️ Puzzle Bobble 2
📚 Gamest 157
👤 JapaneseMagazinesScans (Internet Archive)

#ThrowbackThursday 🍹

Jonesing for a Bloody Mary? Just be careful you don't have too many~

a pixel art of two monsters with a blurs speech bubble above them ALT: a pixel art of two monsters with a blurs speech bubble above them

You know what rules? Lizards! And Tunnels! And also...Bubble Bobble!? Come hear Brian and Max talk about ALL THREE!

Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/4k38...
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/l...
YT: youtu.be/4wklS4SSJV4

#Podcast #Lizards #BubbleBobble

#ThisThingRulesTrivia 🫧

Many elements of the original Bubble Bobble were directly inspired by Chack'n Pop, a 1984 arcade game in which players traverse maze-like levels, shoot grenades, and avoid villainous Monstas and Maitas (which would both become recurring enemies in the Bubble Bobble series).

#ThisThingRulesTrivia 🚇

The longest road tunnel in the world is the Lærdal Tunnel in Norway, which stretches over 24,500 meters long. Completed in November of 2000, the tunnel was built to better facilitate travel between the cities of Oslo and Bergen, and features pretty funky interior lighting: