# In My Humble Opinion **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/in-my-humble-opinion/14.md?page=1827 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 1828 --- ## [What version of your "past self" would be more shocked at your present self](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-version-of-your-past-self-would-be-more-shocked-at-your-present-self/564398)
**Author:** [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Replies:** 37\ **Last updated:** [December 20, 2010, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-version-of-your-past-self-would-be-more-shocked-at-your-present-self/564398 "2010-12-20T18:41:39Z")
Lets say due to some weird dynamics of time and space your past self can see you as you are on December 17th 2010. Which past self would be most shocked at meeting your present self. My own example, my 14-16 year old s… --- ## [What's the problem with using attractive models for this?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-problem-with-using-attractive-models-for-this/564521)
**Author:** [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [December 20, 2010, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-problem-with-using-attractive-models-for-this/564521 "2010-12-20T15:47:23Z")
This NYT story caught my eye yesterday, because my nephew is actually a recruiter for the company being investigated: Okay, I can see the problem with gathering DNA samples without bothering to tell people that it’s co… --- ## [Things you've done/experienced/witnessed that could be out of a RomCom (or other movie genre)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-done-experienced-witnessed-that-could-be-out-of-a-romcom-or-other-movie-genre/564633)
**Author:** [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [December 20, 2010, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-done-experienced-witnessed-that-could-be-out-of-a-romcom-or-other-movie-genre/564633 "2010-12-20T14:22:51Z")
I was reminiscing the other day about how when my daughter was (more of) a baby, I would often be at a loss for new lullabies to sing and so would launch into TV show themes like Gilligan’s Island and The Beverly Hillbil… --- ## [Smart phone keyboard preferences](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-phone-keyboard-preferences/564721)
**Author:** [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [December 20, 2010, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-phone-keyboard-preferences/564721 "2010-12-20T14:12:46Z")
My first poll, bear with me… My Wife will be in the market for a new cell phone after Christmas. This will be her first smart phone. I have a BlackBerry Storm, and like it a lot but am not necessarily recommending it. … --- ## [Netflix-compatible DVD player](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-compatible-dvd-player/564787)
**Author:** [@Hirka\_T\_Bawa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hirka_T_Bawa)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [December 20, 2010, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-compatible-dvd-player/564787 "2010-12-20T13:25:10Z")
I’m looking to buy my wife a DVD player that is compatible with Netflix, for our bedroom TV. This way she can watch Netflix movies and shows in bed. However, I haven’t looked at DVD players in a long time, and could use … --- ## [Do (some) academics feel threatened by Wikipedia?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-some-academics-feel-threatened-by-wikipedia/564595)
**Author:** [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Replies:** 54\ **Last updated:** [December 20, 2010, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-some-academics-feel-threatened-by-wikipedia/564595 "2010-12-20T12:14:51Z")
In college I’ve heard a lot of educators badmouth Wikipedia. It goes beyond merely not accepting it as a cited reference on a research paper, which is totally reasonable. But they like to actively talk trash about it and… --- ## [Fluid Dynamics Software](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fluid-dynamics-software/563675)
**Author:** [@ducati](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ducati)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [December 20, 2010, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fluid-dynamics-software/563675 "2010-12-20T11:47:42Z")
Having failed on my other forum, I turn to the vast and deep font of knowledge that is Dopers! I aplogize for not asking you first. I just thought they would know. They didn’t. What I seek is probably over my head, b… --- ## [What makes someone good at your profession?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-someone-good-at-your-profession/563705)
**Author:** [@Lakai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lakai)\ **Replies:** 57\ **Last updated:** [December 20, 2010, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-someone-good-at-your-profession/563705 "2010-12-20T08:59:52Z")
Are you a marine biologist? Then what makes someone a good marine biologist? While I’m studying to become a lawyer, I don’t have a good idea of what makes someone a good lawyer yet. So instead I’ll talk about some of th… --- ## [How can I quieten my central heating?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-quieten-my-central-heating/564381)
**Author:** [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [December 20, 2010, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-quieten-my-central-heating/564381 "2010-12-20T08:46:15Z")
It’s really noisy when it comes on. There’s no hammering and the radiators are bled. It’s just noisy. Gah, accidentally hit Post… Anyway, it’s a gas-fired central heating system with radiators on two floors. The header… --- ## [Recommend a portable video player](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-portable-video-player/564785)
**Author:** [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [December 20, 2010, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-portable-video-player/564785 "2010-12-20T08:08:22Z")
I watch my tv shows on my laptop. Let’s leave the method of acquisition as a matter of speculation for the reader. Do you know the market for PVPs? I’d like something that doesn’t take file conversion like my iPod does.… --- ## [Gift receipt etiquette](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gift-receipt-etiquette/564798)
**Author:** [@AHarris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHarris)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [December 20, 2010, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gift-receipt-etiquette/564798 "2010-12-20T06:42:26Z")
What is etiquette around gift receipts? Should they be included wrapped along with the present or stored separately to be retrieved if necessary? If it matters, the item in question is a pair of gloves. --- ## [Carl Sagan and NASA](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carl-sagan-and-nasa/564666)
**Author:** [@pdunderhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pdunderhill)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [December 20, 2010, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carl-sagan-and-nasa/564666 "2010-12-20T04:19:40Z")
Good day good people, I remember when the Voyager probes were launched in the late '70s that Carl Sagan had been invited to organize a collection of Earth relevant data, including our culture, relative position ,in thr… --- ## [Who (or what) were you named after?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-or-what-were-you-named-after/564149)
**Author:** [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Replies:** 91\ **Last updated:** [December 20, 2010, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-or-what-were-you-named-after/564149 "2010-12-20T04:17:09Z")
Who were you named after, and was that person alive or dead when you were born? Or were you named after something other than a person? Or were you just given your own name, unrelated to anyone/anything else? I was raise… --- ## [Help me see around corners: We want to buy a house we \*can\* afford...and then it gets tricky](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-see-around-corners-we-want-to-buy-a-house-we-can-afford-and-then-it-gets-tricky/564585)
**Author:** [@Ruffian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruffian)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [December 20, 2010, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-see-around-corners-we-want-to-buy-a-house-we-can-afford-and-then-it-gets-tricky/564585 "2010-12-20T02:36:59Z")
Okay, here’s the deal. There is a local horse property I have been drooling over since I first moved to this area 12+ years ago. It has a large house and nearly 1 1/4 acres–HUUUUUUGE here in suburban SoCal, especially … --- ## [Poll: How old were you when you stopped believing in Santa Claus?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-old-were-you-when-you-stopped-believing-in-santa-claus/564013)
**Author:** [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Replies:** 69\ **Last updated:** [December 20, 2010, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-old-were-you-when-you-stopped-believing-in-santa-claus/564013 "2010-12-20T01:59:09Z")
To enlarge on the theme a bit, if you want to chime in with a similar anecdote about a different religious or cultural folk belief similarly aimed at little kids, go right on ahead and take the poll, and post your story. … --- ## [Germaphobes and hygeine nazis: Why?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/germaphobes-and-hygeine-nazis-why/564539)
**Author:** [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)\ **Replies:** 77\ **Last updated:** [December 20, 2010, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/germaphobes-and-hygeine-nazis-why/564539 "2010-12-20T00:40:14Z")
Are you one? A germaphobe or a hygiene freak? Now, I’m not talking about you if you have an autoimmune disorder, cancer, or OCD. You can’t help that sort of thing, and I get it. I’m talking to the average medically soun… --- ## [The past tense of "sink"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-past-tense-of-sink/564672)
**Author:** [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [December 19, 2010, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-past-tense-of-sink/564672 "2010-12-19T23:47:46Z")
What is the past tense of “sink”? Not the past participle, just the plain ole past tense. I say “sank.” (poll to come) --- ## [If you could be talented in one area, what would it be?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-be-talented-in-one-area-what-would-it-be/564480)
**Author:** [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [December 19, 2010, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-be-talented-in-one-area-what-would-it-be/564480 "2010-12-19T22:34:33Z")
The catch is, you’ll never be able to make a decent living at it. If you pick baking you’ll be able to maybe win a county fair or something and everyone gets excited when you make your cake for the school bake sale. Or … --- ## [It almost doesn't seem like Christmas without . . .](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-almost-doesnt-seem-like-christmas-without/564454)
**Author:** [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [December 19, 2010, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-almost-doesnt-seem-like-christmas-without/564454 "2010-12-19T22:27:41Z")
. . . being blinded as I walk down the hall towards the tree Christmas morning. My father documented our childhoods with home movies. His inside rig had four flood lights on it, bolted to the top of the camera. We wer… --- ## [How do you define Album?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-define-album/564720)
**Author:** [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [December 19, 2010, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-define-album/564720 "2010-12-19T20:19:08Z")
Some friends have kidded me for mentioning a new album by Springsteen or Green Day. They relate “album” to vinyl records. For them albums disappeared with big hair rock. I think of album as a collection. Photo albums ar… --- ## [How Many Times Would You Get Married?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-times-would-you-get-married/564113)
**Author:** [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Replies:** 59\ **Last updated:** [December 19, 2010, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-times-would-you-get-married/564113 "2010-12-19T20:18:48Z")
Let me start this by saying I don’t mean this as a slam against anyone. I was just wondering, 'cause I was reading a lot of bios on famous people and a lot of them I read seem to be married about three times or more. See… --- ## [Your current to-do list](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-current-to-do-list/564439)
**Author:** [@With\_Rye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/With_Rye)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [December 19, 2010, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-current-to-do-list/564439 "2010-12-19T18:31:57Z")
Mine is huge and causes me despair. Here are a few items from the list: Inflate bike tires Get car into auto shop to replace brakes Pay uncle’s $300 illegal U-turn moving violation fine Repost rent ad on Craigslist for… --- ## [It "might" snow, lets cancel school..](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-might-snow-lets-cancel-school/564360)
**Author:** [@rostfrei](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rostfrei)\ **Replies:** 71\ **Last updated:** [December 19, 2010, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-might-snow-lets-cancel-school/564360 "2010-12-19T17:44:43Z")
I grew up in the midwest in the late 70’s - early 80’s, and snowstorms weren’t uncommon. It was uncommon for school to be cancelled because of snow. I remember going to school with 8 inches (or more) of snow on the gro… --- ## [Those bizarre "polar Bear" Swims?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-bizarre-polar-bear-swims/564519)
**Author:** [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [December 19, 2010, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-bizarre-polar-bear-swims/564519 "2010-12-19T16:18:33Z")
Ah, New Year coming! Along with this, comes the usual spectacle of crazy people running into the frigid ocean waves-for a “Polar Bear Swim”. Exactly what is the purpose of this? Usually, a few old geezers succumb to hear… --- ## [I need some ideas to cheer someone up.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-some-ideas-to-cheer-someone-up/564646)
**Author:** [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [December 19, 2010, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-some-ideas-to-cheer-someone-up/564646 "2010-12-19T14:47:59Z")
A friend I work with got dumped by his fairly longtime girlfriend. Yep, right before Christmas. Anyway, he seemed seriously sad about it. Anyone have an idea for something funny or cool that I could send him or do that … --- ## [To degree, or NOT to degree.......](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-degree-or-not-to-degree/564486)
**Author:** [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [December 19, 2010, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-degree-or-not-to-degree/564486 "2010-12-19T07:29:30Z")
…that is the question. I’m usually pretty good at working these things out. But I could really use any sorts of opinions right now. I have a decent career, one I’ve been in for around 20 years, and it pays fairly well… --- ## [What's a sorta rude word for a Swiss guy?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-sorta-rude-word-for-a-swiss-guy/258379)
**Author:** [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Replies:** 65\ **Last updated:** [December 19, 2010, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-sorta-rude-word-for-a-swiss-guy/258379 "2010-12-19T05:29:04Z")
A close friend of mine had often referred to himself as a bohunk/mick/injun, meaning his family tree was mainly Bohemian, with Irish and Native American branches. Not long ago, though, one of his relatives did some resea… --- ## [Guide book recommendations for Mount Kilimanjaro?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guide-book-recommendations-for-mount-kilimanjaro/564686)
**Author:** [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [December 19, 2010, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guide-book-recommendations-for-mount-kilimanjaro/564686 "2010-12-19T05:15:31Z")
I’ve got a Christmas wishlist to give someone a great guidebook to Mount Kilimanjaro (and Nairobi). There are a lot of books out there but what would be a really good climbing guide and a read that would make someone say… --- ## [just a couple a thoughts...](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-a-couple-a-thoughts/564639)
**Author:** [@calijimmie1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calijimmie1)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [December 19, 2010, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-a-couple-a-thoughts/564639 "2010-12-19T03:46:04Z")
i found this site because i was looking for the main site for the hip-hop star, nelly. i just wanted to ask why on earth he would choose a stage name that in the gay and lesbian community means an effeminate man or a que… --- ## [Christmas Idea for wife: Awesome Bra. What is the best?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-idea-for-wife-awesome-bra-what-is-the-best/562243)
**Author:** [@Hero\_From\_Sector\_7G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hero_From_Sector_7G)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [December 19, 2010, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-idea-for-wife-awesome-bra-what-is-the-best/562243 "2010-12-19T03:10:20Z")
My wife isn’t particularly busty (34b) but she is always complaining about crappy bras. We are poor college students so it seems like everything she buys is off the sale rack at Marshals. For Christmas I’d like to get h… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/in-my-humble-opinion/14.md?page=1826) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/in-my-humble-opinion/14.md?page=1828)