Found out my house is basically a giant sponge for water vapor

I was redoing the bathroom in my 1950s ranch last month and got curious about the old plaster walls. Did some digging online and found a study from the University of Minnesota building science lab. It said an average house in a humid climate can absorb and release over 50 GALLONS of water vapor into the air over a single season, just through the building materials. My mind was blown. I always thought my walls were just... walls. Now I'm looking at the old lath and plaster totally differently, like it's this breathing, living thing. It explains why the place feels so muggy in July. Has anyone else stumbled on a weird fact about their home's construction that changed how you see a project?

Showerthought: I thought those fancy digital torque wrenches were a gimmick until we had to redo 200 flange bolts in a power plant last month...

I always thought astrophotography needed a huge telescope, but a podcast changed my mind

I was listening to an episode of 'Astronomy Cast' while driving, and they said a good DSLR and a tripod can capture the Milky Way. I tried it from my backyard in Tucson and got a decent shot of the Orion Nebula. What's a good starter lens for someone with just a camera?

Am I the only one who had a 90s Dover car top governor just snap on a routine inspection?

The cable whipped back and nearly took my thumb off last Tuesday because the old steel had crystallized right at the sheave, so has anyone found a good source for NOS parts on these or are we all just retrofitting with new kits now?

Found a photo from my 8th birthday that shows a blue sky, but my memory insists it rained all day.

I was organizing a box of old family pictures in the attic yesterday and pulled out a shot of me blowing out candles with clear sunlight streaming through the window, which completely contradicts my vivid memory of a thunderstorm that canceled our backyard party.