# In My Humble Opinion **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/in-my-humble-opinion/14.md?page=200 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 201 --- ## [What is meant by 'dynamic chaos'?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-meant-by-dynamic-chaos/964098)
**Author:** [@Octagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octagon)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [May 9, 2022, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-meant-by-dynamic-chaos/964098 "2022-05-09T17:16:28Z")
I came across a quotation from Ernst Hanfsteangl referring to Hitler’s government as being “dynamic chaos”. I was searching for a definition and what Hanfstaengl meant by it. Can it be compared to any recent regimes/gove… --- ## [Please recommend a stand-alone air conditioner unit for my classroom](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-stand-alone-air-conditioner-unit-for-my-classroom/964114)
**Author:** [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Replies:** 51\ **Last updated:** [May 9, 2022, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-stand-alone-air-conditioner-unit-for-my-classroom/964114 "2022-05-09T00:39:41Z")
I’m a teacher. We don’t have air-conditioning and my classroom is sweltering at the start and the end of the school year. I run multiple fans and have no success at doing much to reduce the incredible heat. The district… --- ## [Explain the delight-over-positive-pregnancy-test thing to me](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-delight-over-positive-pregnancy-test-thing-to-me/963525)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 103\ **Last updated:** [May 8, 2022, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-delight-over-positive-pregnancy-test-thing-to-me/963525 "2022-05-08T23:41:42Z")
I’m a weird one. I do want to be a father and have kids someday, yet the phenomenon of couples being ecstatic over positive pregnancy tests is something I have a hard time relating to (unless they were, say, near the end… --- ## [Questions about the Mariupol Steel Plant Situation](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-the-mariupol-steel-plant-situation/964046)
**Author:** [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [May 8, 2022, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-the-mariupol-steel-plant-situation/964046 "2022-05-08T19:08:51Z")
Various news sources have reported the steel plant in Mariupol as the last Ukrainian holdout in southeastern Ukraine. There are still about 200 civilians in the plant, along with Ukrainian military personnel. I watched… --- ## [What's the best way to type a sigh?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-type-a-sigh/316691)
**Author:** [@some\_white\_dude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/some_white_dude)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [May 8, 2022, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-type-a-sigh/316691 "2022-05-08T18:57:31Z")
While talking on AIM, I often want to “sigh” to the person with whom I’m talking. The problem is, I have no idea how to do this. I don’t like using sigh, so what can I use? I’m looking for something along the lines of “u… --- ## [So my eye doc wants to give me "punctal plugs"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-my-eye-doc-wants-to-give-me-punctal-plugs/964083)
**Author:** [@teelabrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teelabrown)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [May 8, 2022, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-my-eye-doc-wants-to-give-me-punctal-plugs/964083 "2022-05-08T17:11:30Z")
They’re little teeny plugs that they stick in your tear-draining ducts so they don’t drain tears away from your eyes. They’re for people with dry eye, like me. But my insurance has now nixed my Xiidra (tear-producting … --- ## [Academic History: How well would a modern person do at a medieval university?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/academic-history-how-well-would-a-modern-person-do-at-a-medieval-university/640808)
**Author:** [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Replies:** 59\ **Last updated:** [May 8, 2022, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/academic-history-how-well-would-a-modern-person-do-at-a-medieval-university/640808 "2022-05-08T05:20:14Z")
Here’s a question for all of you that know a lot or a little about medieval life. I just got a brand spanking new time machine. My dream is to travel back to Medieval England and enroll in Cambridge or Oxford and get a… --- ## [What To Do Or Say When A Doctor Examines Your Privates?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-or-say-when-a-doctor-examines-your-privates/963621)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 101\ **Last updated:** [May 8, 2022, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-or-say-when-a-doctor-examines-your-privates/963621 "2022-05-08T03:11:24Z")
You would be surprised to know that this issue hasn’t even come up until recently. Because up till now, I’ve never had a doctor who wanted to examine my privates. Well, I do use the term recently loosely. Because it has … --- ## [Nissan Rogue door lock issue](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nissan-rogue-door-lock-issue/960248)
**Author:** [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2022, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nissan-rogue-door-lock-issue/960248 "2022-05-07T22:40:54Z")
I when I lock the doors the big rear door does not lock. Seems to me that’s a bug but maybe not. --- ## [Trying to solve a machine problem](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-solve-a-machine-problem/964032)
**Author:** [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2022, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-solve-a-machine-problem/964032 "2022-05-07T18:58:28Z")
This is from 40 years ago and no longer important, but it still bugs me. I was working as a mechanic on packaging machinery for a large coffee co. These particular machines were what we called pouch pack machines where t… --- ## [Telework And Its Discontents](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/telework-and-its-discontents/963536)
**Author:** [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Replies:** 58\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2022, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/telework-and-its-discontents/963536 "2022-05-07T18:46:03Z")
We’ve seen a major shift toward telework (for jobs that can be done remotely) during the worst of the pandemic. Now, as there finally seems to be some progress toward getting the virus under control, some business leader… --- ## [AC: Will this keep my house cooler?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ac-will-this-keep-my-house-cooler/964122)
**Author:** [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2022, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ac-will-this-keep-my-house-cooler/964122 "2022-05-07T17:52:11Z")
The back side of my house faces east. In the mornings the sun beats down pretty hard on my sliding glass door and bay windows. Inside the house, I have black out curtains on the glass door and blinds on the bay windows. … --- ## [Please tell me about graduate and post-grad degrees](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-about-graduate-and-post-grad-degrees/921509)
**Author:** [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [September 27, 2020, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-about-graduate-and-post-grad-degrees/921509 "2020-09-27T19:38:35Z")
(Sorry beforehand if this is a bit long-winded. It’s a stream of consciousness type thing… more just hoping for a loose discussion of what it’s like to pursue an advanced degree, rather than any one specific question.) S… --- ## [Doper death pool 2022? (not really)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-death-pool-2022-not-really/964084)
**Author:** [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2022, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-death-pool-2022-not-really/964084 "2022-05-07T11:19:33Z")
Before I start, this isn’t me starting a thread bc I’m offended at celebrity death pools. I promise you I’m not. In fact, I’d be currious who got the most wins in a single year on our CDP. This is just a mental exercise. … --- ## [What exactly is supposed to be a good sounding {racing} car engine?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-supposed-to-be-a-good-sounding-racing-car-engine/963756)
**Author:** [@JakeRS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JakeRS)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [May 6, 2022, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-supposed-to-be-a-good-sounding-racing-car-engine/963756 "2022-05-06T23:55:37Z")
Judging by comments and various rankings, Lexus LFA is considered by most people to be the best sounding car engine in the world. To me it literally doesn’t sound like a car at all, but like a formula or a racing motorc… --- ## [Were Your Parents NOT "Cooler" Than Average](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-your-parents-not-cooler-than-average/964079)
**Author:** [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [May 6, 2022, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-your-parents-not-cooler-than-average/964079 "2022-05-06T23:07:42Z")
Continuing the discussion from Were Your Parents “Cooler” Than Average?: We need a thread of our own. It’s wonderful if you had parents cooler than average, or just average cool, but some of us had to live in a differen… --- ## [Judging quality of clothing at a glance](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/judging-quality-of-clothing-at-a-glance/963676)
**Author:** [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [May 6, 2022, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/judging-quality-of-clothing-at-a-glance/963676 "2022-05-06T20:59:58Z")
You are attending a function where men are in suits, women in dresses or gowns or maybe just nice suits also. Can you tell, without touching fabric or seeing labels or logos, the difference between a high-end, tailored, … --- ## [How aggressively - if at all - would you pursue a possible inheritance?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-aggressively-if-at-all-would-you-pursue-a-possible-inheritance/958199)
**Author:** [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [May 6, 2022, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-aggressively-if-at-all-would-you-pursue-a-possible-inheritance/958199 "2022-05-06T19:12:39Z")
I’ve posted before about my wife’s fucked up family, and bigamist father who recently died. FIL died recently. He had 2 families - my wife and 2 sisters from wife #1, and 2 more kids with wife #2 (while still married t… --- ## [Were Your Parents “Cooler” Than Average?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-your-parents-cooler-than-average/963053)
**Author:** [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Replies:** 51\ **Last updated:** [May 6, 2022, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-your-parents-cooler-than-average/963053 "2022-05-06T18:48:01Z")
Though you did not think so back in the day, maybe your parents had an awesome music collection, knew cool people, did interesting things or were permissive about pecadillos. Of course, people who do interesting things … --- ## [They wouldn't fly now](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-wouldnt-fly-now/962825)
**Author:** [@cincinnatus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cincinnatus)\ **Replies:** 208\ **Last updated:** [May 6, 2022, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-wouldnt-fly-now/962825 "2022-05-06T18:11:13Z")
What things were very popular at one time that would never fly now? I’ll start it off with a couple of my own. A man singing in a gravely voice, or any voice, really, “Thank heaven for little girls.” A male photographe… --- ## [Help with elderly relatives--is this a service where you live?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-elderly-relatives-is-this-a-service-where-you-live/964030)
**Author:** [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [May 6, 2022, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-elderly-relatives-is-this-a-service-where-you-live/964030 "2022-05-06T16:51:14Z")
Are there people who consult and help with all the things one needs to do for and with elderly relatives and friends? I don’t mean government agencies, but someone who could say, “You will need several copies of the deat… --- ## [Am I being a jerk to my auto mechanic?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-being-a-jerk-to-my-auto-mechanic/963897)
**Author:** [@Alpha\_Twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpha_Twit)\ **Replies:** 39\ **Last updated:** [May 6, 2022, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-being-a-jerk-to-my-auto-mechanic/963897 "2022-05-06T15:51:23Z")
I needed to schedule a time to have my van serviced. There was no major work to be done, just a basic oil change and a minor repair to a headlight. I was assured that this could easily be completed in under two hours. He… --- ## [Let's Talk about Investing and Markets](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-investing-and-markets/963857)
**Author:** [@OldOlds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldOlds)\ **Replies:** 36\ **Last updated:** [May 6, 2022, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-investing-and-markets/963857 "2022-05-06T12:47:34Z")
About half a year ago I took a new job. It’s a great job and the pay is good. Unfortunately, I have no retirement plan. So I am DIY-ing my investments. I’m fairly conservative, so basically I’m in index funds (S&P500, To… --- ## [A plastic glass, an online paper, and other material contradictions](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-plastic-glass-an-online-paper-and-other-material-contradictions/962836)
**Author:** [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Replies:** 226\ **Last updated:** [May 6, 2022, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-plastic-glass-an-online-paper-and-other-material-contradictions/962836 "2022-05-06T09:20:23Z")
I was chatting with my daughter over lunch today about how she was drinking water from a “glass,” even though it was made of plastic. I got to thinking: are there other objects named after the material they’re made from,… --- ## [Parents (Mothers) Naming Babies After Themselves](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-mothers-naming-babies-after-themselves/963678)
**Author:** [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Replies:** 60\ **Last updated:** [May 6, 2022, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-mothers-naming-babies-after-themselves/963678 "2022-05-06T09:16:11Z")
Maybe you know a few Juniors with the same name as their father? I only know one, although I know a couple of people who are the third generation with the same name. It’s traditional in some families - possibly a South… --- ## [House brand superior to name brand equivalent?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-brand-superior-to-name-brand-equivalent/962677)
**Author:** [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Replies:** 52\ **Last updated:** [May 6, 2022, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-brand-superior-to-name-brand-equivalent/962677 "2022-05-06T00:04:18Z")
Recently I’ve seen a lot of brand name/generic type discussions- usually around specific product types- laundry detergent, drugs, batteries, etc… I am sitting here drinking a “Big K Citrus Drop Zero Calorie” diet soda a… --- ## [States rights reign supreme on social issues. What are the consequences for red states?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/states-rights-reign-supreme-on-social-issues-what-are-the-consequences-for-red-states/963869)
**Author:** [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2022, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/states-rights-reign-supreme-on-social-issues-what-are-the-consequences-for-red-states/963869 "2022-05-05T23:31:35Z")
Okay, so Samuel Alito apparently believes that there is no basis to take away the individual states’ rights to decide whether abortion is legal or whether gay people can marry. I’ve seen some theorize that if this vision… --- ## [Ukrainian Refugee Crisis](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukrainian-refugee-crisis/960106)
**Author:** [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Replies:** 42\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2022, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukrainian-refugee-crisis/960106 "2022-05-05T21:23:47Z")
Will there be one? And if so is anybody planning for it? Population and proximity to the EU would seem to indicate that such a crisis will dwarf that from Syria that caused so much turmoil in the last decade. --- ## [Historically, What Have Been the Periods of Massive Divisiveness in American History?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historically-what-have-been-the-periods-of-massive-divisiveness-in-american-history/963944)
**Author:** [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2022, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historically-what-have-been-the-periods-of-massive-divisiveness-in-american-history/963944 "2022-05-05T17:25:50Z")
Many of us feel that that the U.S. has been going crazy politically in the last couple decades or so. But the current period is off-topic for this post. Instead I am interested in historically when has the divisiveness … --- ## [Looking for clarification regarding the Marconi Wireless Tel. Co. v. United States, 320 U.S. 1 (1943)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-clarification-regarding-the-marconi-wireless-tel-co-v-united-states-320-u-s-1-1943/963988)
**Author:** [@Octagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octagon)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2022, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-clarification-regarding-the-marconi-wireless-tel-co-v-united-states-320-u-s-1-1943/963988 "2022-05-05T08:11:46Z")
I had read years ago that Marconi’s lawsuit against the US for patent infringement never made it to the Supreme Court for a hearing/trial. I had also read that the Supreme court upheld Tesla’s patent 645, 576 but that th… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/in-my-humble-opinion/14.md?page=199) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/in-my-humble-opinion/14.md?page=201)