Saturday, December 13, 2008

My Microwave -- It Goes to Zero

Yes, I know it's dirty. I have many fascinating skills and talents. Housekeeping is not one of them.

I have a challenge for you. The next time you microwave something, watch the numbers as they count down.

What's the last number you see before the bell goes off? If your microwave is like ours, you'll see 3 - 2 - 1 - End or something like it.

My kids have been catching our microwave at zero. At first I didn't think anything of it. Of course it went 3 -2 - 1 - 0 - End. Except that it doesn't.

Since I'm nominally an adult, I decided to show the boys (in that patronizing way so-called adults do) that the microwave includes zero in its countdown. And, as so often happens when adults set out to show kids how childish they're being, I was the one who looked like a goober.

Zero is not part of the cooking countdown. Seriously.

Can someone explain this to me? Why is it that when you let the countdown continue to the end, there is no zero, yet if you're fast enough, you can stop the countdown somewhere between one and End and the screen will show zero.

I'm no genius, but this seems pretty weird to me. What should I do with this information? Should I report this and, if so, to whom? If I do, will our microwave be whisked off to Area 51? Will the boys? Will I?

I'd rather that the boys not be taken away. They've just started really helping out around the house. The microwave, on the other hand, is 20 years old. I'd miss it, but I'd be able to replace it in my heart and in my home with a newer model. Grownups are like that.

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