# In My Humble Opinion **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/in-my-humble-opinion/14.md [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) --- ## [About the In My Humble Opinion category](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-in-my-humble-opinion-category/911004)
**Author:** [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [June 19, 2020, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-in-my-humble-opinion-category/911004 "2020-06-19T22:44:20Z")
(IMHO) “What’s your favorite …?” For frank exchanges of views on less-than-cosmic topics. This is also the place for polling. The forum for Computer/Tech, Legal and Medical Advice Moderators: @engineer\_comp\_geek @Wh… --- ## [The Polling feature is enabled. Here's how to use it](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-polling-feature-is-enabled-heres-how-to-use-it/511109)
**Author:** [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Replies:** 57\ **Last updated:** [July 5, 2020, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-polling-feature-is-enabled-heres-how-to-use-it/511109 "2020-07-05T23:58:18Z")
RULES We’re not really changing any rules here. Polls have always been allowed in IMHO, but now they’re automated. We know this is a fun new toy to play with, but PLEASE don’t overwhelm the forum with a zillion new poll… --- ## [Getting an all in one computer](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-an-all-in-one-computer/1033468)
**Author:** [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Replies:** 45\ **Last updated:** [October 2, 2026, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-an-all-in-one-computer/1033468 "2026-10-02T08:07:03Z")
I’m going to get a new computer in a couple of weeks. For a couple of reasons I’d like an all in one. Other than the usual internet stuff I’m mainly going to use it for world building for the novel I’m working on (first … --- ## [Gas in California is special. It has to be more expensive. Does it really need to be that much more?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-in-california-is-special-it-has-to-be-more-expensive-does-it-really-need-to-be-that-much-more/1033526)
**Author:** [@Ancient\_Nerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ancient_Nerd)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [October 2, 2026, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-in-california-is-special-it-has-to-be-more-expensive-does-it-really-need-to-be-that-much-more/1033526 "2026-10-02T07:05:40Z")
Continuing the discussion from How are gas prices in your area?: California has large cities in valleys surrounded by high mountain ranges. It has a long dry season with no rain. One of many things we do to reduce smo… --- ## [What fads in history can you name?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-fads-in-history-can-you-name/1033399)
**Author:** [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Replies:** 126\ **Last updated:** [October 2, 2026, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-fads-in-history-can-you-name/1033399 "2026-10-02T07:03:46Z")
Sitting on flagpoles in the 1920s Stuffing people into phone booths in the late 1950s. Doing “The Macarena” in the mid 1990s. What other fads can you name? --- ## [What I've Learned from Caustic Reviews of My Book](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ive-learned-from-caustic-reviews-of-my-book/1033435)
**Author:** [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [October 2, 2026, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ive-learned-from-caustic-reviews-of-my-book/1033435 "2026-10-02T05:08:43Z")
(the first book, GenderQueer) Most of the non-warm reactions come from people seeing me as kin to incels. Or at least to men’s rights folks. They aren’t entirely wrong. It’s part of why I thought it so important to s… --- ## [Need air-gapped version of Word/Office](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-air-gapped-version-of-word-office/1033351)
**Author:** [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Replies:** 58\ **Last updated:** [October 2, 2026, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-air-gapped-version-of-word-office/1033351 "2026-10-02T04:17:14Z")
Just got the unwelcome notice that the 2019 version of Microsoft Word will no longer allow creating or editing Word docs. I suppose if one went through the entire original licensing agreement it would somewhere say the e… --- ## [Teenagers pulling away from family -- or do they get pushed away?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teenagers-pulling-away-from-family-or-do-they-get-pushed-away/1033317)
**Author:** [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Replies:** 107\ **Last updated:** [October 2, 2026, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teenagers-pulling-away-from-family-or-do-they-get-pushed-away/1033317 "2026-10-02T03:59:28Z")
I’ll try to keep this short, and free of long anecdotes. Not just recently, but over the last 20 - 25 years, I’ve seen/participated in this kind of discussion on social media and sometimes in person. OP: Tells about the… --- ## [What became ubiquitous then went away in your lifetime?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180)
**Author:** [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Replies:** 912\ **Last updated:** [October 2, 2026, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180 "2026-10-02T02:12:47Z")
There are the two threads, one about how things are different from when you were a child, and the other is how are things the same. There are the two threads, one about how things are different from when you were a chil… --- ## [Eating at a restaurant while camping](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-at-a-restaurant-while-camping/1033469)
**Author:** [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Replies:** 53\ **Last updated:** [October 2, 2026, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-at-a-restaurant-while-camping/1033469 "2026-10-02T02:00:14Z")
While I have done some backpack/bicycle/kayak camping, most of my camping is car camping with a tent. While I bring most of my food, I often grab one meal at a nearby non-chain restaurant a) because it is one less meal t… --- ## [Fabric softener/conditioner...yes/no?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fabric-softener-conditioner-yes-no/779962)
**Author:** [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [October 1, 2026, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fabric-softener-conditioner-yes-no/779962 "2026-10-01T22:31:52Z")
I’ve always been a regular washing powder/liquid and hang the clothes on the outdoor line sort of gal, but recently (after being persuaded by the telly advertisements) decided to try a fabric softener. I was extremely u… --- ## [I just realised I am old](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realised-i-am-old/1009575)
**Author:** [@Saffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saffer)\ **Replies:** 537\ **Last updated:** [October 1, 2026, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-realised-i-am-old/1009575 "2026-10-01T21:59:27Z")
I am watching a premier league football game (I do not often watch football) and I see a bunch of kids running around. --- ## [Where are the billionaire philanthropists?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-the-billionaire-philanthropists/1030192)
**Author:** [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Replies:** 80\ **Last updated:** [October 1, 2026, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-the-billionaire-philanthropists/1030192 "2026-10-01T18:27:31Z")
In the first Gilded Age, the central government was weak and corrupt, and the country was run by oligarchs (aka, “robber barons”). But at least one of whom – Andrew Carnegie comes to mind – gave away vast amounts of the… --- ## [How would you describe an orgasm (not seeking sex stories!)?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-describe-an-orgasm-not-seeking-sex-stories/1033186)
**Author:** [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Replies:** 42\ **Last updated:** [October 1, 2026, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-describe-an-orgasm-not-seeking-sex-stories/1033186 "2026-10-01T18:22:10Z")
This is not meant to be a lurid thread. I’m not trying to solicit stories of how you got to the moment. Rather, I’m curious about the limits of language. and variations in subjective experiences. An orgasm is often to… --- ## [So... How does one actually use AI?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-does-one-actually-use-ai/1027842)
**Author:** [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Replies:** 322\ **Last updated:** [October 1, 2026, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-does-one-actually-use-ai/1027842 "2026-10-01T16:34:30Z")
I’m very anti-AI. I have yet to see any results that make me go “Wow, I need this!” But - I’m not a total Luddite. If AI could do something useful for me, I would consider using it. To that end, I have some old schemati… --- ## [Help me plan our 40th Anniversary next year](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-plan-our-40th-anniversary-next-year/1033477)
**Author:** [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [October 1, 2026, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-plan-our-40th-anniversary-next-year/1033477 "2026-10-01T14:45:29Z")
This year for our 39th Anniversary My Beloved and I attended Worldcon in Anaheim in late August, so I asked her what wanted to do next year for the Big Four-Oh. We are going to Albuquerque, NM! In late August! To a li… --- ## [AI and the "end of humanity". Explain please?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ai-and-the-end-of-humanity-explain-please/1033021)
**Author:** [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Replies:** 185\ **Last updated:** [October 1, 2026, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ai-and-the-end-of-humanity-explain-please/1033021 "2026-10-01T12:14:16Z")
There has been a lot of news about the notion that AI will somehow engineer the end of humanity at some point in the next couple of decades. I admit that I have no idea how that could happen. What would be the process? H… --- ## [California posts public warning the day before 23andme goes bankrupt](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-posts-public-warning-the-day-before-23andme-goes-bankrupt/1016009)
**Author:** [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Replies:** 87\ **Last updated:** [October 1, 2026, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-posts-public-warning-the-day-before-23andme-goes-bankrupt/1016009 "2026-10-01T00:39:37Z")
Yesterday the State of California warned that the genetic testing company 23andme is in poor financial shape, and urged people to delete their information there: Attorney General Bonta Urgently Issues Consumer Alert for … --- ## [So tell me about visiting New Mexico in the fall](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-tell-me-about-visiting-new-mexico-in-the-fall/1030802)
**Author:** [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Replies:** 94\ **Last updated:** [September 30, 2026, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-tell-me-about-visiting-new-mexico-in-the-fall/1030802 "2026-09-30T21:12:05Z")
We’d been debating between Montreal and New Mexico, and currently New Mexico is in the lead due to airfare prices being about half that of Montreal’s (despite it being only about a 2-hour flight from home, with Albuquerq… --- ## [A question about Christian religions that believe a Rapture is coming](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-christian-religions-that-believe-a-rapture-is-coming/1033261)
**Author:** [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Replies:** 58\ **Last updated:** [September 30, 2026, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-christian-religions-that-believe-a-rapture-is-coming/1033261 "2026-09-30T17:09:21Z")
For Christian religions that believe the Rapture is a real thing, what, if anything, is said about the rest of the universe and the other entities that occupy it? Does the whole thing go away? Are the others leaving on… --- ## [How did we come up with "icky"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-we-come-up-with-icky/1033403)
**Author:** [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [September 30, 2026, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-we-come-up-with-icky/1033403 "2026-09-30T16:14:54Z")
It doesn’t seem to have any basis I can think of. Is it used only in the US? And don’t give me any fish story. --- ## [Is ~ (tilde) widely used and understood](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tilde-widely-used-and-understood/1032449)
**Author:** [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Replies:** 67\ **Last updated:** [September 30, 2026, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tilde-widely-used-and-understood/1032449 "2026-09-30T13:52:56Z")
I’ve found I use the tilde ~ almost daily in work communications (i.e. ~ 10:30am, ~ 4-5 weeks, ~ $17k). And now I’ve started using it a lot in personal texts and emails. Just yesterday I gave our dog sitter written ins… --- ## [Things that infuriate you well beyond their actual importance](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712)
**Author:** [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Replies:** 3121\ **Last updated:** [September 30, 2026, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712 "2026-09-30T13:47:41Z")
This scenario has happened to me several times, and each time it makes me irrationally annoyed. Today’s example was; I went to Home Depot to buy some electrical supplies. I bought two “Old Work” … --- ## [Recommend a new Chromebook](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-new-chromebook/1033396)
**Author:** [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [September 30, 2026, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-new-chromebook/1033396 "2026-09-30T13:26:06Z")
I have an Acer CB Plus 714 Flip and the latest update threw it into a boot loop. Apparently, Google has been bricking these models for about a month. I’m trying various things to recover it, but assuming that doesn’t w… --- ## [GMA reporter Will Reeve, son of Christopher, announces that he had testicular cancer](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gma-reporter-will-reeve-son-of-christopher-announces-that-he-had-testicular-cancer/1033476)
**Author:** [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [September 30, 2026, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gma-reporter-will-reeve-son-of-christopher-announces-that-he-had-testicular-cancer/1033476 "2026-09-30T04:01:50Z")
He was diagnosed and treated earlier this year, and thankfully was able to keep it under wraps until he was ready to announce it. He had two surgeries - one relatively minor, the other not - and needed just two cycles o… --- ## [Thoughts on becoming a SAHM](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-on-becoming-a-sahm/1023160)
**Author:** [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Replies:** 358\ **Last updated:** [September 29, 2026, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-on-becoming-a-sahm/1023160 "2026-09-29T17:35:01Z")
So here’s the deal. My husband and I work full time and we have a five year old Level 2 autistic boy who just started kindergarten. I had kind of hoped his needs would taper off as he got older but we seem to have jumpe… --- ## [Let AI assess your personality](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/let-ai-assess-your-personality/1033363)
**Author:** [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Replies:** 47\ **Last updated:** [September 29, 2026, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/let-ai-assess-your-personality/1033363 "2026-09-29T14:34:43Z")
Lots (of good) AI threads lately (late-ly?) … A little game, I’d like you to play if you are so inclined: for those of you who have used an AI bot, pls ask it the following prompt: based on our all-time-conversations,… --- ## [How much do you trust your AI Chatbot?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-trust-your-ai-chatbot/1033319)
**Author:** [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Replies:** 122\ **Last updated:** [September 29, 2026, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-trust-your-ai-chatbot/1033319 "2026-09-29T11:57:08Z")
I’ve been using ChatGPT since 2023. I’m using it more now because I’m researching a new screenplay I’m writing. I could do it the old fashioned way and learn it all “fact by fact”, but it’s much easier and more efficient… --- ## [Any neurologists on the Dope? (movement disorders and the treatment thereof)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-neurologists-on-the-dope-movement-disorders-and-the-treatment-thereof/1033452)
**Author:** [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [September 28, 2026, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-neurologists-on-the-dope-movement-disorders-and-the-treatment-thereof/1033452 "2026-09-28T17:11:11Z")
For some twenty-mumble years I’ve lived with essential tremor (bilateral). In 2016, I had Medtronic Deep Brain Stimulation implants placed in my brain (with pulse generators in my chest). In 2022, I got new generators wi… --- ## [There are more than 15,000 unidentified-decedent cases in the US today. Does that surprise you?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-more-than-15-000-unidentified-decedent-cases-in-the-us-today-does-that-surprise-you/1033027)
**Author:** [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Replies:** 84\ **Last updated:** [September 28, 2026, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-more-than-15-000-unidentified-decedent-cases-in-the-us-today-does-that-surprise-you/1033027 "2026-09-28T16:32:12Z")
I learned today that… as of June 1, 2026, the federal NamUs (National Missing and Unidentified Persons System) had more than 15,000 active unidentified-decedent cases. These are people whose remains have been found but … [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/in-my-humble-opinion/14.md?page=1)