# Sure! Now you invent it. (Dang it, this always happens to me) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 12, 2019, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sure-now-you-invent-it-dang-it-this-always-happens-to-me/844738 "2019-12-12T05:54:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2019, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sure-now-you-invent-it-dang-it-this-always-happens-to-me/844738/1 "2019-12-12T05:54:05Z")
Watching TV, and an ad for some fancy Refrigerator comes on. I idly watch it. Wait, What? What the heck did they just say? Stop the presses!! You can now get a fridge with an icemaker that makes round ice. Not squares or half moons. Circular balls! I want that. Too bad, my way over priced piece o’ crap fridge is still too new to abandon. Man oh man, I want balls o’ ice for my tea. So bad! Hey, Santa? Can we talk? ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2019, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sure-now-you-invent-it-dang-it-this-always-happens-to-me/844738/2 "2019-12-12T07:01:51Z")
First problem: watching TV. Next problem: not buying ice-globe trays. Third problem: gerbils. My wife’s naturalist aunt preserved dead songbirds in her fridge freezer. But they didn’t go into ice cubes. Whew. ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2019, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sure-now-you-invent-it-dang-it-this-always-happens-to-me/844738/3 "2019-12-12T07:09:43Z")
I GOTTA ask, even though I’ll never get an answer: songbird popsicles? Why? ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2019, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sure-now-you-invent-it-dang-it-this-always-happens-to-me/844738/4 "2019-12-12T08:13:43Z")
~VOW, get with it Sis. Freezing birds is for a large pot of Songbird dumplings. Delicious! (;)) ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2019, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sure-now-you-invent-it-dang-it-this-always-happens-to-me/844738/5 "2019-12-12T09:13:49Z")
> [@VOW](#): > > I GOTTA ask, even though I’ll never get an answer: songbird popsicles? Why? Because it makes a great band name? ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2019, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sure-now-you-invent-it-dang-it-this-always-happens-to-me/844738/6 "2019-12-12T12:34:53Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > Because it makes a great band name? Popsicle is a trademark. Won’t work in the US.\* But apparently it’s okay in [Sweden](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popsicle_(band)). - Wasn’t there a band that had a name like a Chinese food company and had to change it? Drawing a blank here. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2019, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sure-now-you-invent-it-dang-it-this-always-happens-to-me/844738/7 "2019-12-12T13:37:38Z")
> [@VOW](#): > > I GOTTA ask, even though I’ll never get an answer: songbird popsicles? Why? > ~VOW Peepsicles. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2019, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sure-now-you-invent-it-dang-it-this-always-happens-to-me/844738/8 "2019-12-12T14:59:52Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > You can now get a fridge with an icemaker that makes round ice. Not squares or half moons. Circular balls! I want that. I think you can buy molds that will let you make spherical ice cubes one at a time. I think they’ve even got a system to allow for really clear ice. ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2019, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sure-now-you-invent-it-dang-it-this-always-happens-to-me/844738/9 "2019-12-12T15:16:04Z")
Bekkers, hie thee to Amazon! Yes, of course they have a plethora of round ice molds. But there is a particular one with a special insulated sleeve. According to the description, the sleeve allows the ice to form s-l-o-w-l-y, which keeps it clear. About $32, so, cheaper than a new refrigerator! ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2019, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sure-now-you-invent-it-dang-it-this-always-happens-to-me/844738/10 "2019-12-12T15:20:41Z")
They come much cheaper than that: > **[Houdini Ice Sphere Tray](https://www.target.com/p/houdini-ice-sphere-tray/-/A-52360317?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&fndsrc=tgtao&CPNG=PLA_Kitchen%2BShopping_Showcase&adgroup=SC_Kitchen%2BCatchall_Showcase&LID=700000001170770pgs&network=g&device=m&location=1014254&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI4LPD9bOw5gIV9yCtBh031QlVEAQYDSABEgLvHfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds)** > > Read reviews and buy Houdini Ice Sphere Tray at Target. Choose from contactless Same Day Delivery, Drive Up and more. I saw that ad too and the first thing that stuck out to me was, why in the world would anyone want/need round ice “cubes”? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2019, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sure-now-you-invent-it-dang-it-this-always-happens-to-me/844738/11 "2019-12-12T15:22:53Z")
Spherical ice cubes look cool in drinks. There’s been a fad in recent years for “artisanal” ice for use in bars. Some places have perfectly clear cubical ice, some have the spherical ice, some have ice from glaciers. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2019, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sure-now-you-invent-it-dang-it-this-always-happens-to-me/844738/12 "2019-12-12T15:25:39Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Spherical ice cubes look cool in drinks. There’s been a fad in recent years for “artisanal” ice for use in bars. Some places have perfectly clear cubical ice, some have the spherical ice, some have ice from glaciers. So, artisanal bars are responsible for the reduction in glaciers? I KNEW IT! ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2019, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sure-now-you-invent-it-dang-it-this-always-happens-to-me/844738/13 "2019-12-12T16:26:53Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > …Wasn’t there a band that had a name like a Chinese food company and had to change it? Drawing a blank here. You’re not confusing your Swedes and thinking of [ABBA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abba_Seafood) are you? j ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2019, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sure-now-you-invent-it-dang-it-this-always-happens-to-me/844738/14 "2019-12-12T16:28:39Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > They come much cheaper than that: > [Houdini Ice Sphere Tray : Target](https://www.target.com/p/houdini-ice-sphere-tray/-/A-52360317?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&fndsrc=tgtao&CPNG=PLA_Kitchen%2BShopping_Showcase&adgroup=SC_Kitchen%2BCatchall_Showcase&LID=700000001170770pgs&network=g&device=m&location=1014254&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI4LPD9bOw5gIV9yCtBh031QlVEAQYDSABEgLvHfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds) > > I saw that ad too and the first thing that stuck out to me was, why in the world would anyone want/need round ice “cubes”? That’s just the silicone mold. The Amazon $32 jobbie includes an insulated sleeve which causes the ice to freeze s-l-o-w-l-y, thus creating the clear “cube.” ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2019, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sure-now-you-invent-it-dang-it-this-always-happens-to-me/844738/15 "2019-12-12T16:30:44Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > So, artisanal bars are responsible for the reduction in glaciers? I KNEW IT! It’s the meticulous chiseling of glacier blocks to create spheres that causes the worst of reduction. The shavings just melt and drain away. ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2019, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sure-now-you-invent-it-dang-it-this-always-happens-to-me/844738/16 "2019-12-12T16:47:46Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Hey, Santa? Can we talk? No. ---
**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2019, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sure-now-you-invent-it-dang-it-this-always-happens-to-me/844738/17 "2019-12-12T16:55:31Z")
I always wondered why ice in the fountain drink machines was always clear, while those in any fridge ice-maker I’ve ever had are cloudy/opaque. The clear ice always seems to make a better drink. So what’s the secret? Make it slowly? ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2019, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sure-now-you-invent-it-dang-it-this-always-happens-to-me/844738/18 "2019-12-12T17:02:15Z")
> [@divemaster](#): > > I always wondered why ice in the fountain drink machines was always clear, while those in any fridge ice-maker I’ve ever had are cloudy/opaque. The clear ice always seems to make a better drink. > > So what’s the secret? Make it slowly? I have seen a couple of shows about those big ice “factories,” you know, the ones who make bagged ice. Their solution to clear ice is absolutely pure water, and freezing it quickly. Apparently the slow method is feasible for home use, unless you build a water purification plant in your garage. ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2019, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sure-now-you-invent-it-dang-it-this-always-happens-to-me/844738/19 "2019-12-12T19:52:13Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Spherical ice cubes look cool in drinks. There’s been a fad in recent years for “artisanal” ice for use in bars. Some places have perfectly clear cubical ice, some have the spherical ice, some have ice from glaciers. Artisanal. That’s the word I couldn’t remember. I have an under counter icemaker. The one item Mr.Wrekker insisted in when we bought appliances. It makes clear squares that are sometimes hollow. They do make good ice teas. But they melt faster that the fridge ice makers halfmoon cloudy ice cubes. I WANT round ice!! ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2019, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sure-now-you-invent-it-dang-it-this-always-happens-to-me/844738/20 "2019-12-12T20:14:06Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Spherical ice cubes look cool in drinks. There’s been a fad in recent years for “artisanal” ice for use in bars. Some places have perfectly clear cubical ice, some have the spherical ice, some have ice from glaciers. It’s not just the coolness factor. Actually, it is, in that a sphere has minimal surface area per volume, so it will melt more slowly than any other shape, so it will keep your drink cold, but undiluted, more than any other shape. Similar reason for the huge cubes where you only put one per glass - keep the drink cold, but doesn’t dilute it as quickly. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sure-now-you-invent-it-dang-it-this-always-happens-to-me/844738.md?page=2)