6/18/26 - Albums, Perfect Burger, and Monster Wolves!

Thursday 6/18/26

Celebrate:

Autistic Pride Day

Go Fishing Day

International Panic Day

International Picnic Day

International Sushi Day

National Career Nursing Assistants' Day

National Cheesemakers Day

National Dump the Pump Day

National Splurge Day

National Wanna Get Away Day

Recess at Work Day

World Tapas Day

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1948 – Columbia Records began the widespread manufacturing of the 33-RPM long-playing record. This revolutionary new format offered up to 23 minutes of music per side, a significant improvement over the mere three minutes available on the older 78 RPM discs.

Today's Useless Fact of the Day - An artist drops a collection of songs we call an Album.

The word "album" initially referred to a collection of various items housed in a book format. In the 19th century, it was used for collections of printed music.

The term began to apply to collections of 78 rpm records, where multiple records were physically grouped together.

The introduction of long-playing (LP) records allowed multiple songs to be included on a single disc, solidifying the term "album" in the music industry.

Today, the term encompasses any collection of songs, regardless of the medium.

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It's the 69th Grammys next year and there will be 5 new categories for a total of 100 up from 78 following the great consolidation of 2012.

The Academy is also increasing from three to four the number of times a new artist may be entered in the best new artist process before being ruled ineligible. There is a huge difference between being entered and being nominated. There have been just eight nominees for best new artist in each of the last three years.

The new categories:

Best Asian Pop Music Performance

Best Latin Song (a songwriting award)

Best R&B Collaboration or Duo/Group Performance

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance

Best Traditional Folk Album

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Staking is the key to the perfect burger!

A professional chef tells us (in his opinion) that the toppings should be minimal so the meat doesn't get overwhelmed!

There is no wrong way to eat a burger, but to optimize the construction, here are his secrets!

Toast the bun - makes for a sturdier foundation.

Sauce the bottom bun. (it's like a shield to keep the juices out)

Meat (then cheese if you haven't added it on the grill)

Hot off the grill, toppings are next

Crunchy Toppings (pickles)

Then Fresh Toppings (lettuce, Tomatoes)

Sauce on the top (or on the bun)

Toasted Bun Top!

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A homeowner in the UK had to call in structural engineers and wildlife specialists after their pet ferret, named Bandit, decided to explore the house's internal central heating system. Bandit managed to pop off a loose floor vent and spent an entire afternoon navigating a complex labyrinth of metal ductwork, eventually getting wedged entirely backwards inside a hard-to-reach bend between floors. Rescuers had to utilize fiber-optic snake cameras normally used for plumbing inspections to locate him, ultimately cutting a small hole directly through the living room ceiling to safely pull him out completely uninjured. (I'm looking at my cat Bandit right now...NO.)

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With over 50,000 bear sightings reported over the past year, a Japanese company called Ohta Seiki has stepped up with a wildly bizarre solution: Monster Wolves. These are animatronic, pipe-framed fake wolves covered in artificial fur, equipped with flashing red and blue LED eyes and motion-activated speakers that blast up to 50 different terrifying sounds (including electronic screeching and human voices). At $4,000 a pop, local farmers and golf course operators are buying them up so fast there is currently a three-month waiting list. (This sounds exactly what you need in your backyard to annoy that neighbor you don't like.)

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A guy in the UK was accused of stabbing his brother in a fight that started over a missing bottle of gin. The stabbed brother received only a scratch.

The bottle of gin was found under the kitchen sink behind some cleaning products — right where the brother who owned it hid it. (oops)

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