# Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/miscellaneous-and-personal-stuff-i-must-share/10.md?page=134 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 135 --- ## [Medicare for me soon. Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medicare-for-me-soon-questions/992726)
**Author:** [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [November 7, 2023, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medicare-for-me-soon-questions/992726 "2023-11-07T22:36:47Z")
I am in open enrollment for Medicare. I was going to enroll in an advantage plan because I need dental and optical. I shopped a little a couple of months ago and thought I had a likely plan. Last week I was looking with … --- ## [Philadelphia bridges falling down, falling down (breaking) {2023-06-11}](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philadelphia-bridges-falling-down-falling-down-breaking-2023-06-11/985323)
**Author:** [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [November 7, 2023, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philadelphia-bridges-falling-down-falling-down-breaking-2023-06-11/985323 "2023-11-07T21:08:23Z")
I-95 collapses in NE Philly Okay, so it was an overpass, not a bridge, & it was a tanker truck on fire underneath it that caused it to buckle & NB lanes to collapse but SB lanes are also comprised --- ## [Bad bad bad, whatcha got there?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-bad-bad-whatcha-got-there/992716)
**Author:** [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [November 7, 2023, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-bad-bad-whatcha-got-there/992716 "2023-11-07T20:08:24Z")
I got a interesting birthday gift. I won’t tell you which knucklehead decided this was a good idea of a gift for me. They are close to me, apparently not close enough. I received a cute little tin. I thought maybe a sc… --- ## [Happy Fall Back Day!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-fall-back-day/992636)
**Author:** [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [November 7, 2023, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-fall-back-day/992636 "2023-11-07T15:24:18Z")
I know there are many arguments we can have about the strain of changing back and forth between Standard and Daylight Savings times and about which time we should settle in if we cut it out, but this isn’t that. This is… --- ## [Criminal captured with Forklift](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/criminal-captured-with-forklift/992698)
**Author:** [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [November 6, 2023, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/criminal-captured-with-forklift/992698 "2023-11-06T23:13:50Z")
I admire the employees quick thinking. This guy wasn’t going anywhere until the cops arrived. :grinning: They raised crime busting to new heights. --- ## [Gas control valve question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-control-valve-question/992703)
**Author:** [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [November 6, 2023, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gas-control-valve-question/992703 "2023-11-06T21:28:35Z")
This relates to a control mechanism for keeping a solar panel at optimum angles to the sun. It is really more of a thought problem than a practical solution I just found this to be the best example for building a model. … --- ## [Technology: Friend or Foe?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technology-friend-or-foe/988002)
**Author:** [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Replies:** 45\ **Last updated:** [November 6, 2023, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technology-friend-or-foe/988002 "2023-11-06T16:28:43Z")
An extended ComEd outage has my district back in the Stone Age. The network, the internet and the phone system are down. The intercom, the electronic door access system, the security system, and Open Time Clock are down.… --- ## [Creepy Halloween in the Woods!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creepy-halloween-in-the-woods/992421)
**Author:** [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [November 6, 2023, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creepy-halloween-in-the-woods/992421 "2023-11-06T16:19:09Z")
Every afternoon I take the three dogs on the trail in the woods behind our house. I let the dogs loose back there so they can run off some energy and sniff to their hearts’ content. Yesterday, as we were walking along th… --- ## [Dog shit and really good nail polish!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-shit-and-really-good-nail-polish/992623)
**Author:** [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [November 6, 2023, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-shit-and-really-good-nail-polish/992623 "2023-11-06T14:55:45Z")
So a few weeks ago I was in Bali for a bit of a sojourn, and for the VERY first time I had a pedicure AND got my nails painted, For me, at 63, that was a bit of a milestone, AND, the nail polish (bright red for those int… --- ## [(Old) Tricks, treats, and a brand new month in the MMP](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-tricks-treats-and-a-brand-new-month-in-the-mmp/992297)
**Author:** [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Replies:** 317\ **Last updated:** [November 6, 2023, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-tricks-treats-and-a-brand-new-month-in-the-mmp/992297 "2023-11-06T06:15:57Z")
Did you pull Halloween pranks? Did you have favorite treats or favorite homes to get treats from? Did you have a favorite costume? That should get us started. As for me: No pranks - I was and remain a goody-goody. F… --- ## [Is Israel an apartheid regime](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-israel-an-apartheid-regime/992614)
**Author:** [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [November 5, 2023, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-israel-an-apartheid-regime/992614 "2023-11-05T01:01:21Z")
There you go again, amplifying Hamas propaganda. --- ## [Bad bad bad "I won't back down"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-bad-bad-i-wont-back-down/992606)
**Author:** [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [November 4, 2023, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-bad-bad-i-wont-back-down/992606 "2023-11-04T23:32:30Z")
“I will stand my ground, and keep this world from draggin’ me down…” Yep. A new beck has arisen. Watch out. (Just kidding, I’m too nice to fight anything) --- ## [Vienna, Austria unveils a 2 million Euro statue that looks like a compilation of elementary-school art projects](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vienna-austria-unveils-a-2-million-euro-statue-that-looks-like-a-compilation-of-elementary-school-art-projects/992333)
**Author:** [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Replies:** 54\ **Last updated:** [November 4, 2023, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vienna-austria-unveils-a-2-million-euro-statue-that-looks-like-a-compilation-of-elementary-school-art-projects/992333 "2023-11-04T22:51:34Z")
Yeah, I know this is the Daily Caller. It’s where I saw the story on another site, and this really does need to be seen to be believed. --- ## [Any Londoner here that wants my unused Oyster card?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-londoner-here-that-wants-my-unused-oyster-card/987701)
**Author:** [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [November 4, 2023, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-londoner-here-that-wants-my-unused-oyster-card/987701 "2023-11-04T02:21:32Z")
I have somewhere between 1 and 4 Oyster cards that I think have about a £20 balance on each of them. I know I have 1 because it’s in my wallet. My wife probably still has hers and my SIL and niece might still have thei… --- ## [Anybody remember this story?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-remember-this-story/992539)
**Author:** [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [November 3, 2023, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-remember-this-story/992539 "2023-11-03T22:15:18Z")
It was kind of a human interest type story. I read it online. The gist is that some producer of a citrus product was dumping his spent rinds by the ton down some side road. I don’t remember what country this was in. Anyw… --- ## [Just driving along](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-driving-along/992546)
**Author:** [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [November 3, 2023, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-driving-along/992546 "2023-11-03T21:15:28Z")
Well, I was just riding along. Ivy was driving. It her exasperatingly slow and steady way. We’re on the way to dialysis via Taco bell. It seems my late lunch will now be later. Ivy nicked a dog. We stop. The dog is not… --- ## [What's a better word for feeling "sick"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-better-word-for-feeling-sick/992478)
**Author:** [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Replies:** 61\ **Last updated:** [November 3, 2023, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-better-word-for-feeling-sick/992478 "2023-11-03T17:59:47Z")
So random musing while feeling, well… sick, with some manner of cold/flu thing. It seems when you have some manner of respiratory bug like cold/flu/covid saying you are feeling sick is not actually the best word to use.… --- ## [I caught a starfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-starfish/239491)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [November 3, 2023, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-starfish/239491 "2023-11-03T17:55:37Z")
I haven’t been fishing since I was 15. (Well, I went last week; but it was more “playing-at-fishing”.) A friend and I went out in the zodiac today to try our luck. We were hoping for surf perch, cod, or some sort of f… --- ## ["Man refuses to pay child support because he's racist, needs to be taken to court over it"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-refuses-to-pay-child-support-because-hes-racist-needs-to-be-taken-to-court-over-it/992512)
**Author:** [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [November 3, 2023, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-refuses-to-pay-child-support-because-hes-racist-needs-to-be-taken-to-court-over-it/992512 "2023-11-03T17:14:05Z")
I heard this story on a podcast and it sounds so dumb I can’t possibly believe this is a real story. So it happened in California in the 00s. The male story-teller had a female friend who had gotten a divorce from her h… --- ## [Kew Gardens is crowdsourcing help in transcribing labels-why not pitch in?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kew-gardens-is-crowdsourcing-help-in-transcribing-labels-why-not-pitch-in/992522)
**Author:** [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [November 3, 2023, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kew-gardens-is-crowdsourcing-help-in-transcribing-labels-why-not-pitch-in/992522 "2023-11-03T16:28:38Z")
I almost put this in the “interesting facts” thread but I felt it might need its own. Kew Gardens in England is looking for help transcribing the labels from their Cinchona trees. Might be interesting. I have no connect… --- ## [The last of our pack is gone](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-of-our-pack-is-gone/965952)
**Author:** [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [November 3, 2023, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-of-our-pack-is-gone/965952 "2023-11-03T15:10:41Z")
Our “OG” pack is now gone. Let me go back. About 14 years ago we had a brother and sister mini-doxie and a female akita. I was training the girl doxie for the WeinerNationals because she was a speed demon. Low and un… --- ## [Halloween 2023](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halloween-2023/992035)
**Author:** [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Replies:** 45\ **Last updated:** [November 3, 2023, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halloween-2023/992035 "2023-11-03T14:26:24Z")
Well, what are you guys up to? We live in a small gated neighborhood. It’s out in the country and full of old folks, so there won’t be real trick-or-treating. However, we still do a small celebration. This year it wi… --- ## [Winter prep -- what are your tasks each year (in your region)?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winter-prep-what-are-your-tasks-each-year-in-your-region/992306)
**Author:** [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Replies:** 53\ **Last updated:** [November 3, 2023, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winter-prep-what-are-your-tasks-each-year-in-your-region/992306 "2023-11-03T13:17:21Z")
I’m curious what Dopers do each year for vehicles, house, etc.? What is the worst case scenario for your area? We live in N Texas, so preparing is probably easier than other places, although a few years ago we were int… --- ## [UAW on strike (9/15/2023)(tentative deal 10/25/2023)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uaw-on-strike-9-15-2023-tentative-deal-10-25-2023/990151)
**Author:** [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [November 3, 2023, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uaw-on-strike-9-15-2023-tentative-deal-10-25-2023/990151 "2023-11-03T09:26:33Z")
As of midnight, the UAW are striking against Ford, Chrysler, and GM, the first time in history the union has struck all three at once. The union is seeking a 40% raise over the next four years, the return of traditional … --- ## [I am getting queasier about some internet stuff as I age. Allow me to explain…](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-getting-queasier-about-some-internet-stuff-as-i-age-allow-me-to-explain/992411)
**Author:** [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [November 3, 2023, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-getting-queasier-about-some-internet-stuff-as-i-age-allow-me-to-explain/992411 "2023-11-03T00:15:01Z")
In my younger days I was never shy about clicking on – or even seeking out – graphic, gory, gruesome, or vulgar images or videos on the internet. I remember visiting one site – it’s name mercifully escapes me at the mome… --- ## [Everything you always wondered about cooking with gas](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everything-you-always-wondered-about-cooking-with-gas/992413)
**Author:** [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Replies:** 53\ **Last updated:** [November 2, 2023, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everything-you-always-wondered-about-cooking-with-gas/992413 "2023-11-02T16:50:38Z")
Not me, but literally cooking with gas, including the origin of that phrase. In the context of the hysteria over the dangers of gas stoves and the real and potential bans, this podcast gives a history of how the natural … --- ## [I just learned about the annular solar eclipse of October 14, 2023, which will be passing right over my house](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-learned-about-the-annular-solar-eclipse-of-october-14-2023-which-will-be-passing-right-over-my-house/962945)
**Author:** [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Replies:** 166\ **Last updated:** [November 2, 2023, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-learned-about-the-annular-solar-eclipse-of-october-14-2023-which-will-be-passing-right-over-my-house/962945 "2023-11-02T15:51:32Z")
That said, I do live in Oregon, and my history with attempted eclipse viewing has been less than stellar. There may still be some posters on here who were with me at Jonathan Chance’s viewing party in South Carolina, w… --- ## [How was trick-or-treating by you?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-was-trick-or-treating-by-you/992432)
**Author:** [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Replies:** 38\ **Last updated:** [November 2, 2023, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-was-trick-or-treating-by-you/992432 "2023-11-02T14:16:24Z")
Weather in the Chicago area was chilly and unsettled yesterday, near 32 and varying wildly between snow showers and sunshine. But in the beginning of the denoted time (3:30-7 pm), the snow stopped and it was just a cold… --- ## [Intelligence, Literacy Level, Carpet?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intelligence-literacy-level-carpet/992053)
**Author:** [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Replies:** 121\ **Last updated:** [November 2, 2023, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intelligence-literacy-level-carpet/992053 "2023-11-02T02:51:06Z")
I’m reading a book on neuroscience by a highly regarded expert on intelligence. It makes the surprising claim about functional literacy that just has to be incorrect. The author himself claims he was surprised by the d… --- ## [Odd date-error on the board - or time travels?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-date-error-on-the-board-or-time-travels/992416)
**Author:** [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [November 1, 2023, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-date-error-on-the-board-or-time-travels/992416 "2023-11-01T21:04:09Z")
is my math off, or did I screw up my time travels? is that a known bug here? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/miscellaneous-and-personal-stuff-i-must-share/10.md?page=133) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/miscellaneous-and-personal-stuff-i-must-share/10.md?page=135)