Simple thing you finally figured out that made you feel stupid

…or “Things That Make You Go :smack:”

Ever run across something that confounds you and when you finally figure it out, you fell like a first class dolt?

Waaaaayyyyy back in the early 80s, The Police came out with Ghost in the Machine.

I bought the album and looked at the cover. I said, “what the hell is that supposed to be? Okay, it’s something digital, I get that much.”

It would be several hours before I figured it out:

It’s an LED representation of the three members of the band!

:smack:

Does it count if I didn’t figure it out myself?

My friend showed me that the silverware basket in the dishwasher is removable. How handy!

Another time, she showed me how to open just the glass part of the hatchback on my car. Who knew? (apparantly eveyone else in the world)

There’s a show on the local PBS station called Louisiana: The State We’re In. On seeing the show listed in the TV guide, I loudly proclaim to my mom, “Louisiana: The State We’re In?! Well, of course it’s the state we’re in! Geez!” After my mom finished laughing, she explained it was a play on words. :smack:

A kip (a unit of measurement common in civil engineering equals 1000 pounds) stands for kilo pound. :smack: I’ve used kips for years and never realized that’s where the word came from.

Back when Cub Hubby was in the Army, one of his young soldiers enthusiastically told me about this cool new measurement of distance the Army was using these days: “klicks”. He was a bit deflated when I told him that was just slang for “kilometers.”

Yeah, I felt a bit sorry afterwards.

Wow. Now I’m a bit deflated too. I never knew that!!

If it makes you feel any better, I still don’t get it.

As for me, I was well into my mid-20’s before I found out that when something goes wrong, it goes a-wry, not aw-ree.

For most of my life I thought it was “Beck and Call” then come to find it’s “Beckon Call” :smack: Makes a bit more sense.
As a child, I also thought the classic sci-fi movie was " The Daily Earth Stood Still", learning later it was “The Day the Earth Stood Still”. Sheeesh!

Look at this

Actually, “beck and call” is correct.

And thanks Mr. Blue Sky! But, uh, I still don’t see it. Are they facing the camera, or in profile?

Nope, I don’t get it either.
And you & I Might be thesame person, 'cuz was in grade 13 before I learned how to pronounce “awry” (doesn’t “aw-ree” just sound so much more descriptive?)

oops, sorry! My reply was to DooWahDiddy.
Wow, this board moves fast!

They are facing the camera. The vertical segment under the eye is the nose and below that is the mouth. Each figure has it’s right eye closed.

Heh - I only found that out recently, too. The wrong pronunciation always seemed more appropriate to me, but I guess I just got used to it.

I recently figured out why a touch-screen can detect the average of two points, but can’t detect the points themselves. I know that’s kind of obscure, but I’d been mystified by that for a long time.

~ Isaac

If Jack helps you off the elephant, would you help Jack off the elephant?

Jack off jack off :smack:

oh, jag off :eek:

From those porno cartoon mags my older brother had, I thought beaver was black panties. :eek:

Got it!! I could never do those 3-D eye things either. Thanks!

And I’m glad to see I’m not alone with “things going aw-ree”. :wink:

I was lousy at grilling things on my little Weber charcoal grill for years: if I grilled them on the lower grill, then they were way too close to the (tiny layer of) charcoal that I could fit in, and if I cooked them on the upper grill, then I had to fill the bottom of the thing with nearly half a bag of charcoal in order to get the heat close enough to the food.

Then one day, it occurred to me that I could put the charcoal on the lower grill. The food came out beautifully, and manlier men for miles around mock me to this day.

Daniel

Realizing that north-south highways are odd numbered and east-west are even was quite the revelation for me. I might have been told when I was learning to drive as a kid and it just didn’t stick for me, but it was a huge “Oh hey, wow, lookit this, does anyone else know this!?” moment for about 30 seconds until I realized everyone knew about it 'cept me.

[AC/DC]
Dirrr-ty deeds and a thun-der jeep!
Dirrr-ty deeds and a thun-der jeep!
[/AC/DC]

:smack: