# Cafe Society **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/cafe-society/15.md?page=183 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 184 --- ## [What were "comedy" and "laughter" like 100+ years ago?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-comedy-and-laughter-like-100-years-ago/986700)
**Author:** [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Replies:** 128\ **Last updated:** [July 20, 2023, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-comedy-and-laughter-like-100-years-ago/986700 "2023-07-20T03:59:36Z")
I recently watched an excellent documentary, “The Real Charlie Chaplin”. There was a lot about Chaplin that I hadn’t known. He certainly had his flaws. But he was universally acclaimed as a towering genius of a movie com… --- ## [Spy Thriller about boat accident planned](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spy-thriller-about-boat-accident-planned/987275)
**Author:** [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2023, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spy-thriller-about-boat-accident-planned/987275 "2023-07-19T23:32:46Z")
It’s to be based on an accident on a lake in the Swiss Alps where members of the Italian and Israeli intelligence services died as the result of a storm. Here’s an article about the show itself. I’ll admit I’m slightl… --- ## [Are YouTube suggested music algorithms THAT good? Or...coincidence?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-youtube-suggested-music-algorithms-that-good-or-coincidence/987014)
**Author:** [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2023, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-youtube-suggested-music-algorithms-that-good-or-coincidence/987014 "2023-07-19T19:19:45Z")
So I just went to YouTube, as I often do when looking for some quick entertainment, and one of the first items suggested was a song called “Coyotes” by a group I’d never heard of, “Public Library Commute.” It was just re… --- ## [Can Anyone ID this Non Fiction Book About Civilization Cycles?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-id-this-non-fiction-book-about-civilization-cycles/964687)
**Author:** [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2023, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-id-this-non-fiction-book-about-civilization-cycles/964687 "2023-07-19T16:38:11Z")
Many years ago I remember listening to Thom Hartmann while he had a radio show and he talked about a book that described the cycles a Civilization goes through generation by generation. It starts with Economic collapse.… --- ## [Greatest Secretly Recorded Rants?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-secretly-recorded-rants/987023)
**Author:** [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2023, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-secretly-recorded-rants/987023 "2023-07-19T13:43:46Z")
Thanks to YouTube, those who might have been privy or present at these after-show meetings (or whatever) can upload it with anonymity and I’ve seen some things bands didn’t officially release, but someone related to a pr… --- ## [American history book for visiting Germans](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-history-book-for-visiting-germans/987237)
**Author:** [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2023, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-history-book-for-visiting-germans/987237 "2023-07-19T09:47:11Z")
We have several people from Germany staying with us this week. One of them said he wanted to pick up a book on American history, but he feared it was too broad of a topic (I agreed—I couldn’t think of a non-textbook off … --- ## [Is "Frankenstein" a real German name, or did Shelley make it up?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-frankenstein-a-real-german-name-or-did-shelley-make-it-up/986774)
**Author:** [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Replies:** 42\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2023, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-frankenstein-a-real-german-name-or-did-shelley-make-it-up/986774 "2023-07-19T00:15:21Z")
Just curious: is “Frankenstein” a real German name, or did Mary Shelley make it up for the novel? I tried googling, but every reference I found was to the novel or the movies. --- ## [What's with Subway](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-subway/986748)
**Author:** [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Replies:** 63\ **Last updated:** [July 18, 2023, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-subway/986748 "2023-07-18T19:35:44Z")
I had a bad experience with local Subway today–they’re unrolling some new subs on Tuesday called Deli Heros, and there’s TV ads and online that said on Tuesday from 10-12 am a free sub, but local site said she never hea… --- ## [Does ice cream prevent diabetes?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-ice-cream-prevent-diabetes/982638)
**Author:** [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [July 18, 2023, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-ice-cream-prevent-diabetes/982638 "2023-07-18T17:52:55Z")
An odd question. But it just might possibly be backed up by decent and disavowed research. If it is true, maybe Gabor Mate is in the right track when linking disease and emotion. And maybe scientists should go with th… --- ## [Who else likes "chick flicks"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-likes-chick-flicks/986991)
**Author:** [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Replies:** 53\ **Last updated:** [July 18, 2023, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-likes-chick-flicks/986991 "2023-07-18T16:20:48Z")
Sure, I enjoy a fine film. But for day-to-day enjoyment, I find it is often hard to beat a good rom-com! Last night we watched The Jane Adams Book Club. Nothing that I expect to remember in a week or so, but a good co… --- ## [Seven Psalms (New Paul Simon album)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seven-psalms-new-paul-simon-album/984429)
**Author:** [@janis\_and\_c0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janis_and_c0)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [July 18, 2023, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seven-psalms-new-paul-simon-album/984429 "2023-07-18T16:05:23Z")
Hot off the presses. Has anybody else listened to it yet? I’d love to know what you think. I will put my thoughts in later in the thread. One thing I would recommend, Listen to it all at once, on a really good pair of h… --- ## [When was the last time you listened to an entire album, pretty much non stop?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-listened-to-an-entire-album-pretty-much-non-stop/987077)
**Author:** [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Replies:** 87\ **Last updated:** [July 18, 2023, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-listened-to-an-entire-album-pretty-much-non-stop/987077 "2023-07-18T15:54:45Z")
Not just a cut, not a bunch of songs you have compiled, but an entire album as released by a studio. If you done this, what album was it? I listed to Rutles Highway Revisited, a Rutles tribute album about an hour ago. … --- ## [Instances of life intentionally imitating art](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instances-of-life-intentionally-imitating-art/983116)
**Author:** [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Replies:** 126\ **Last updated:** [July 18, 2023, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instances-of-life-intentionally-imitating-art/983116 "2023-07-18T14:02:39Z")
I was thinking the other day about how I heard that ‘The Godfather’ inspired real-life mobsters to behave and talk more like the characters in the movie and its sequel; behaviors and phrases that previously had been enti… --- ## [University Challenge - 2022](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/university-challenge-2022/970846)
**Author:** [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [July 18, 2023, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/university-challenge-2022/970846 "2023-07-18T13:57:41Z")
Any other fans? This week was the first week of series 52 of UC. This will be Jeremy Paxman’s last (and 28th!) year as host - he has Parkinson’s and his delivery has slowed down over the few years. To follow along, Dav… --- ## [I guess I watch all the wrong shows (Emmys)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-i-watch-all-the-wrong-shows-emmys/986979)
**Author:** [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [July 18, 2023, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-i-watch-all-the-wrong-shows-emmys/986979 "2023-07-18T01:07:06Z")
I watch about 1-2 hours of TV a day, unless I find a good film on TCM or cable or Amazon. I just saw a news program about the shows that got the most Emmy noms. Other than SNL (which I rarely watch anymore) and a tease… --- ## [Further discussion of 2001: A Space Odyssey](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/further-discussion-of-2001-a-space-odyssey/987170)
**Author:** [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [July 17, 2023, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/further-discussion-of-2001-a-space-odyssey/987170 "2023-07-17T17:33:34Z")
Previous thread, unfortunately closed: 2001: A Space Odyssey Here are some cool recent reinterpretations of 2001: A Space Odyssey posters: --- ## [Jane Birkin dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jane-birkin-dead/987111)
**Author:** [@its\_the\_daddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/its_the_daddy)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [July 17, 2023, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jane-birkin-dead/987111 "2023-07-17T15:51:41Z")
BBC News - Singer and actress Jane Birkin dead at 76 So sad. --- ## [Songs that Hit a Little too Close to Home... on Several Levels](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-hit-a-little-too-close-to-home-on-several-levels/986952)
**Author:** [@Moonrise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonrise)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [July 17, 2023, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-hit-a-little-too-close-to-home-on-several-levels/986952 "2023-07-17T15:13:51Z")
My ex and I broke up a year ago today. Our relationship sort of lasted one more day, because we agreed to spend one last night together, and still gave each other a few farewell kisses as I was moving out the following … --- ## [When did Flash become The Flash?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-flash-become-the-flash/987092)
**Author:** [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [July 17, 2023, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-flash-become-the-flash/987092 "2023-07-17T06:16:49Z")
When I was a kid I used to get D.C. comics for a dime (the occasional 80-Page Giants were a quarter). In those days one of the heroes was Flash. I just noticed a series on Netflix called The Flash. When did he acquire a … --- ## [What have I created in my refrigerator?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-have-i-created-in-my-refrigerator/987010)
**Author:** [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [July 17, 2023, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-have-i-created-in-my-refrigerator/987010 "2023-07-17T00:08:28Z")
I’ve been trying to eat a lunch that is healthier than my usual deli sandwich. In addition to Wheat Thins and string cheese, I pack sliced apples, blanched broccoli and raw carrots. Each week I peel 2lbs of carrots and … --- ## ["What is it?" -- wherein we consider an object from an oldish movie](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-wherein-we-consider-an-object-from-an-oldish-movie/986965)
**Author:** [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Replies:** 52\ **Last updated:** [July 16, 2023, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-wherein-we-consider-an-object-from-an-oldish-movie/986965 "2023-07-16T21:35:55Z")
High Society, 1956 musical remake of The Philadelphia Story. In this scene, Frank Sinatra (in the Jimmy Stewart role) and Celeste Holm (melodious in the Ruth Hussey part) are remarking on all the gaudy goodies that the i… --- ## [Recommend a streaming “whodunit” show to me](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-streaming-whodunit-show-to-me/987006)
**Author:** [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [July 16, 2023, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-streaming-whodunit-show-to-me/987006 "2023-07-16T18:14:08Z")
I’ve been watching Perry Mason and Murdoch Mysteries. I like more lighthearted fare instead of “heavier” or gory crime. Right now I have Hulu, Amazon Prime, Netflix and Acorn. What’s fun and engaging? --- ## [Beau Is Afraid - anyone else seen it?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beau-is-afraid-anyone-else-seen-it/983298)
**Author:** [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [July 16, 2023, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beau-is-afraid-anyone-else-seen-it/983298 "2023-07-16T15:07:56Z")
Only the third feature film by A24 director Ari Aster, whose previous two movies - Hereditary and Midsommar - I enjoyed a lot, in a twisted way. I watched Beau Is Afraid in the theater on Tuesday. What a fucked-up roller… --- ## [How do you punctuate paragraphed monologues and quotes within them?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-punctuate-paragraphed-monologues-and-quotes-within-them/987017)
**Author:** [@themapleleaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/themapleleaf)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [July 16, 2023, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-punctuate-paragraphed-monologues-and-quotes-within-them/987017 "2023-07-16T00:11:39Z")
I’m finishing up what I hope will be the final edit of my novel. I have a punctuation question. Suppose you write a character’s spoken monologue, divided into paragraphs. Within this monologue, the character quotes thems… --- ## [Dissecting "The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia" Lyrics](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dissecting-the-night-the-lights-went-out-in-georgia-lyrics/461497)
**Author:** [@KRSOradio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KRSOradio)\ **Replies:** 51\ **Last updated:** [July 16, 2023, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dissecting-the-night-the-lights-went-out-in-georgia-lyrics/461497 "2023-07-16T00:06:57Z")
OK I looked them up with various Google searches, and I know you can’t print lyrics here in full so I’ll ask about parts of it. I was kind of wondering what parts of it mean. Here’s the first question —\> “He was on his… --- ## [The latest 1980s media property back for the 2020s? Gremlins](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-latest-1980s-media-property-back-for-the-2020s-gremlins/982601)
**Author:** [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [July 15, 2023, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-latest-1980s-media-property-back-for-the-2020s-gremlins/982601 "2023-07-15T18:30:23Z")
A trailer for the new animated series. Mogwai? Mogwai not. --- ## [Italian Rules for food and drink](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/italian-rules-for-food-and-drink/985824)
**Author:** [@Orville\_mogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orville_mogul)\ **Replies:** 140\ **Last updated:** [July 15, 2023, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/italian-rules-for-food-and-drink/985824 "2023-07-15T15:48:31Z")
I recently came across an article about lab-grown meat, and a quote from an Italian lady about one-third through the article made me laugh. She was one of a few people to test lab-grown chicken in a dish with orecchiette… --- ## [We need a new show to watch, and apparently we're way too picky](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-a-new-show-to-watch-and-apparently-were-way-too-picky/957590)
**Author:** [@batsto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/batsto)\ **Replies:** 155\ **Last updated:** [July 15, 2023, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-a-new-show-to-watch-and-apparently-were-way-too-picky/957590 "2023-07-15T01:47:28Z")
We keep trying new shows and hating them, or at least not liking them enough to continue past the first episode. And it seems we have a list of criteria that make it hard to find a good show: We’re only interested in c… --- ## [Detectorists--a little treasure](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/detectorists-a-little-treasure/784545)
**Author:** [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Replies:** 48\ **Last updated:** [July 14, 2023, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/detectorists-a-little-treasure/784545 "2023-07-14T19:29:00Z")
Just got done watching the British series Detectorists on Netflix. I’d heard good things about it, so I gave it a whirl. It’s about two sad sacks, best buddies, who are into metal detecting. The two seasons follow the… --- ## [Dune Book Question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dune-book-question/987035)
**Author:** [@cjackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjackson)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [July 14, 2023, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dune-book-question/987035 "2023-07-14T18:01:04Z")
I checked out the 1999 Ace hardcover version of Dune from my library. It has 528 pages. I see on wikipedia it says Dune has over 800 pages, so is thing abridged, or is there even such a thing as Dune abridged? Basically,… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/cafe-society/15.md?page=182) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/cafe-society/15.md?page=184)