The Alginator and the nature and naming of microwaves

We got a new office toy.

It's an Alginator: a mixer for alginate, which, as I have learned, is "goop for impressions." When the dentist gives you a mouthful of goop to find out what your teeth look like, the odds are, it's alginate.

Alginate starts life as a powdery substance, which gets mixed with water until it reaches a suitable state of goopiness. This new toy holds a little bowl and spins it round, and if you put a spatula in... well, it's a lot like turning a Kitchen-Aid on high. It gets pink goop everywhere!

We decided that The Alginator is a sufficient title. It doesn't need a name. It's like The Terminator.

In other news, it occurred to me to wonder why microwaves measure their power output in watts rather than calories. A calorie is defined by the amount of energy it takes to heat up a certain amount of water, yes? And microwaves do this all the time, yes? The good doctor says there is in fact a conversion factor, which leaves the question why microwave manufacturers prefer watts.

We decided it was a ploy. People would never buy their products if they realized they were adding calories to their food. ;-)