Longtime Sporkful devotees (with your help, we're still working on figuring out an official name for the fans) will remember that our second episode was on ice cubes, which sparked various discussions afterward.

Among the topics we discussed, fighting the tendency of ice to dilute a drink as it cools it. Giant spheres of ice are one common strategy for those who like a dull chill to their spirits but don't want them overly diluted. Sporkful fan Jared e-mailed to tell us he just got a mold like this in the mail from a large distiller. (They're calling them "bourbon balls." Sorry, but I think that name is already taken by a food.) The physics looks sound, but I have a concern.

It's hard to get the scale from that photo, but I worry the sphere is so large it could tickle your nose when you sip. It depends, of course, on the shape and depth of the glass and nose involved. So I'm curious what results people have gotten.

I recently got a gift of Whisky Stones, those tiny and extremely cool-looking soapstone blocks that you freeze and drop in your drink to chill it. Kind of the perfect gift for me, in that it's something that I'd totally experiment with, but my tightwad side would never, ever buy for myself. They seem to work, though better with a flat-bottomed glass, which is a concern if you prefer a tulip shape.