# Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/miscellaneous-and-personal-stuff-i-must-share/10.md?page=17 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 18 --- ## [May I reintroduce myself?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/may-i-reintroduce-myself/1029962)
**Author:** [@BomTek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BomTek)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [May 11, 2026, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/may-i-reintroduce-myself/1029962 "2026-05-11T19:57:04Z")
I’m not sure if I’m even on my very first account here or one I made later, but I’ve been a Doper for maybe 20 years, I think? I even attended a Dopefest made up of two entire human beings in Afghanistan in 2011-ish. Ton… --- ## [(Old) Things I (we?) should buy in the MMP](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-things-i-we-should-buy-in-the-mmp/1029777)
**Author:** [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Replies:** 279\ **Last updated:** [May 11, 2026, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-things-i-we-should-buy-in-the-mmp/1029777 "2026-05-11T10:39:55Z")
So, what do YOU want to purchase (other than food/gas/Rx/pet supplies/toilet paper) do you have anything unexpected on your “yeah, I should get one of those” lists? BACKSTORY! I got home almost an hour after we clocked … --- ## [Russian Losses in Ukraine](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-losses-in-ukraine/1029946)
**Author:** [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_was_in_Saudi)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [May 10, 2026, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-losses-in-ukraine/1029946 "2026-05-10T15:31:18Z")
I feel I must share these numbers; According to the New York Times this morning, Russia Has Lost More Than 350,000 Soldiers in Ukraine. The text of the story goes on to say that number is for just the number of Russians… --- ## [Well, this did not go as planned (Pet Adoption)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-this-did-not-go-as-planned-pet-adoption/1029366)
**Author:** [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Replies:** 100\ **Last updated:** [May 9, 2026, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-this-did-not-go-as-planned-pet-adoption/1029366 "2026-05-09T23:57:45Z")
How do I cope with saying goodbye to a loved pet? I adopt another one! I understand that for some folks, taking in a new pet right way just doesn’t feel right, they have to get through their grief in whatever time it tak… --- ## [Tired of this (being short)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-of-this-being-short/1029654)
**Author:** [@CastletonSnob1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CastletonSnob1)\ **Replies:** 101\ **Last updated:** [May 9, 2026, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-of-this-being-short/1029654 "2026-05-09T18:08:25Z")
I’m a guy and 5’2 1/4. I feel like I should be taller because my mom is 5’5, my dad is 5’8, and my grandfather was 5’11. I’m tired of being shorter than everyone when I’m in public. This wouldn’t even be a problem if I … --- ## [Scientists discover that cicadas don't like condoms](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientists-discover-that-cicadas-dont-like-condoms/1029887)
**Author:** [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [May 8, 2026, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientists-discover-that-cicadas-dont-like-condoms/1029887 "2026-05-08T23:19:57Z")
Some cicada nymphs in the Amazon build ground dicks, scientists try to figure out why. --- ## [Free three-day trials of New York Times through library website](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-three-day-trials-of-new-york-times-through-library-website/1029912)
**Author:** [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [May 8, 2026, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-three-day-trials-of-new-york-times-through-library-website/1029912 "2026-05-08T18:54:58Z")
The Norfolk Public Library in Norfolk, Virginia has access to a page that will give anyone who asks for it a three-day free access trial of the New York Times, which you can then use for gift links if you want to. (A fre… --- ## [Am I the only person who's tired of news stories about deployed soldiers coming home and surprising their kids?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-whos-tired-of-news-stories-about-deployed-soldiers-coming-home-and-surprising-their-kids/1029788)
**Author:** [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Replies:** 51\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2026, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-whos-tired-of-news-stories-about-deployed-soldiers-coming-home-and-surprising-their-kids/1029788 "2026-05-07T03:06:01Z")
This seems to be a staple at the end of NBC News, almost every evening. C’mon, the kids are going to figure out something’s up when the local TV station comes to, say, their classroom play. --- ## [May 5, 1945 - we shall remember.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/may-5-1945-we-shall-remember/18605)
**Author:** [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Replies:** 546\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2026, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/may-5-1945-we-shall-remember/18605 "2026-05-07T01:44:44Z")
On May 5, 1945, the Germans signed a treaty of defeat in Hotel De Wereld (“The World”) in Wageningen, The Netherlands. Earlier that day, the last German troops had been driven across the Dutch-German border by the Allied… --- ## [A geeky troubleshooting tale, for those who like such things (EE related)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-geeky-troubleshooting-tale-for-those-who-like-such-things-ee-related/1029869)
**Author:** [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2026, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-geeky-troubleshooting-tale-for-those-who-like-such-things-ee-related/1029869 "2026-05-07T00:08:34Z")
I was recently contracted to do a Hardware / Firmware design for a radio-controlled traffic sign. I finished the job, tested it, and it worked perfectly. I packed up three boards and sent them to the customer, and was su… --- ## [Have you ever been some place but have no memory of it?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-some-place-but-have-no-memory-of-it/1029787)
**Author:** [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)\ **Replies:** 34\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2026, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-some-place-but-have-no-memory-of-it/1029787 "2026-05-05T22:03:31Z")
And not because you were on drugs or drunk. Just a normal place you know you went to but don’t remember any details about. I was reading the thread on riverboat casinos and thought about the time I went to one in Tunic… --- ## [The Great Summer 2022 Doper Postcard Exchange!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-summer-2022-doper-postcard-exchange/966174)
**Author:** [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Replies:** 163\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2026, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-summer-2022-doper-postcard-exchange/966174 "2026-05-05T21:27:52Z")
Northern Piper, melodyharmonius and jayrey have run them in the past, and they’re always fun, but it’s been awhile. Here’s how it works (as adapted from NP’s previous thread). Our rules, by the numbers, and written wit… --- ## [Corpus Christi, TX and the surrounding areas are running out of fresh water](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corpus-christi-tx-and-the-surrounding-areas-are-running-out-of-fresh-water/1029741)
**Author:** [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2026, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corpus-christi-tx-and-the-surrounding-areas-are-running-out-of-fresh-water/1029741 "2026-05-05T19:03:54Z")
The city of Corpus Christi, where I live, and the surrounding area are in the process of running out of fresh water. We’re on track to become the first major city in the world in the modern era to run out of water. Her… --- ## [Deleting, sorry](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deleting-sorry/1029704)
**Author:** [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Replies:** 40\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2026, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deleting-sorry/1029704 "2026-05-05T16:50:58Z")
deleting… sorry --- ## [How are you replacing your older Kindle (Amazon stops support on May 20, 2026](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-you-replacing-your-older-kindle-amazon-stops-support-on-may-20-2026/1029746)
**Author:** [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2026, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-you-replacing-your-older-kindle-amazon-stops-support-on-may-20-2026/1029746 "2026-05-05T15:08:10Z")
I have a first generation Paperwhite and I got the dreaded notification. It has its problems, including two chips in the screen, but I still use it in the bath, as I can put it in a plastic bag with a zipper closing an… --- ## [Cute cat quirks](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cute-cat-quirks/1029698)
**Author:** [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2026, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cute-cat-quirks/1029698 "2026-05-05T15:04:14Z")
Not things you’ve seen on the internet, but personal cat tails…er, I mean “tales”. We have two cats, Maki (female) and Suki (male). They became brother and sister the day they met, and Maki is just a loving and playful… --- ## [WaPo readers - no more comments on Opinion pieces?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wapo-readers-no-more-comments-on-opinion-pieces/1029691)
**Author:** [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2026, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wapo-readers-no-more-comments-on-opinion-pieces/1029691 "2026-05-05T03:03:14Z")
Am I missing something, or has the WaPo disabled commenting on opinion pieces? The Ed Board is pretty firmly stuck up the Orange Moronic Menace’s behind, but I actually like reading the comments now and then - there’s s… --- ## [What do you think is the closest humanity has to universal agreement?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-closest-humanity-has-to-universal-agreement/1029765)
**Author:** [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [May 4, 2026, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-closest-humanity-has-to-universal-agreement/1029765 "2026-05-04T21:37:35Z")
The more important the issue or topic, the better! Inspired by Reddit recently reminding me that there are very few opinions so niche that you can’t find plenty of people online who agree with it, especially in a specie… --- ## [(Old) Things ya gotta 'splain in the MMP](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-things-ya-gotta-splain-in-the-mmp/1029588)
**Author:** [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Replies:** 285\ **Last updated:** [May 4, 2026, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-things-ya-gotta-splain-in-the-mmp/1029588 "2026-05-04T17:27:04Z")
Well, you don’t hafta explain to US cuz we’re all smart ‘n’ stuff. But then there’s the rest of the world. “There’s no such thing as a stupid question.” Narrator: Ummm … I spent more than a few minutes at work earli… --- ## [What motivates cynics/pessimists/nihilists to make improvements to the world?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-motivates-cynics-pessimists-nihilists-to-make-improvements-to-the-world/1029764)
**Author:** [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [May 4, 2026, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-motivates-cynics-pessimists-nihilists-to-make-improvements-to-the-world/1029764 "2026-05-04T02:11:05Z")
And I mean in the more macro sense; it gets easier to understand the more immediately local and personal the issues get. I’m also not doubting that there are plenty of people fighting hard against climate change and Ame… --- ## [Update on our dog getting agitated at visitors](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/update-on-our-dog-getting-agitated-at-visitors/1029748)
**Author:** [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [May 4, 2026, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/update-on-our-dog-getting-agitated-at-visitors/1029748 "2026-05-04T02:10:51Z")
I posted a while back about how our formerly friendly dog growling and barking at visitors. We had a trainer come, and figured out that what he mostly minded was people coming through the door. That’s a pretty easy fix… --- ## [It finally arrived! (my star trek enterprise model)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-finally-arrived-my-star-trek-enterprise-model/1028594)
**Author:** [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Replies:** 51\ **Last updated:** [May 3, 2026, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-finally-arrived-my-star-trek-enterprise-model/1028594 "2026-05-03T20:44:45Z")
I cannot ever have another woman over ever but I like it (and I am kidding…I know some women who would like it). I bought this 18 months (or so) ago: --- ## [Marijuana to become a Schedule III drug](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-to-become-a-schedule-iii-drug/1000986)
**Author:** [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Replies:** 90\ **Last updated:** [May 3, 2026, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-to-become-a-schedule-iii-drug/1000986 "2026-05-03T20:00:31Z")
Story here. It really ought to be fully legalized at this point since it’s de facto legal in most states now anyway, but this is a step in the right direction. --- ## [Now our son's getting married!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-our-sons-getting-married/1029723)
**Author:** [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [May 3, 2026, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-our-sons-getting-married/1029723 "2026-05-03T04:51:25Z")
It wasn’t much of a surprise; they’ve been together for 7 years. His fiance knew he was proposing, but not when and how. He definitely put some thought into it. We knew he was having a ring specially made, an without … --- ## [Watch Putricia the corpse lily bloom on live webcam!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-putricia-the-corpse-lily-bloom-on-live-webcam/1013284)
**Author:** [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [May 2, 2026, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-putricia-the-corpse-lily-bloom-on-live-webcam/1013284 "2026-05-02T23:50:44Z")
This one is in Sydney, Australia, and the bottom layer of petals are starting to open up. We had blooming corpse lilies at our local botanical center a few years ago, in 4-inch pots, and I made the mistake of actively i… --- ## [Learning Mandarin: HelloChinese and written language](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/learning-mandarin-hellochinese-and-written-language/1022797)
**Author:** [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [May 1, 2026, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/learning-mandarin-hellochinese-and-written-language/1022797 "2026-05-01T16:04:11Z")
I speak a few languages and have studied many others out of interest or due to travel. I went to China twenty years ago and learned a few hundred words and phrases but only a few symbols. I have now decided to try to l… --- ## [Lingvano, or learning how to sign](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lingvano-or-learning-how-to-sign/1029269)
**Author:** [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [May 1, 2026, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lingvano-or-learning-how-to-sign/1029269 "2026-05-01T15:51:38Z")
I’ve bought a few used books on sign language before and kind of ignored them. It occurred to me an app might be better substitute for actual lessons and You Tube. So I tried Lingvano. It seems pretty good, but is abo… --- ## [PJD tries a PBJ - you'll be AMAZED etc](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pjd-tries-a-pbj-youll-be-amazed-etc/1029666)
**Author:** [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Replies:** 45\ **Last updated:** [May 1, 2026, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pjd-tries-a-pbj-youll-be-amazed-etc/1029666 "2026-05-01T13:17:09Z")
Inspired by the discussion on PBJ in the poll discussion thread (and a previous discussion in the cheese and pickle thread), I finally bit the bullet by the horns and made a PBJ sandwich!! I made a loaf of basic white b… --- ## [@TriPolar has died](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tripolar-has-died/1023863)
**Author:** [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Replies:** 94\ **Last updated:** [May 1, 2026, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tripolar-has-died/1023863 "2026-05-01T12:37:20Z")
I just got word from his family that our poster @TriPolar (Ed) passed away at home on June 22, 2025, which was also the last day he posted here. He was only 69. He left behind a wife and two sons. Ed was a computer prog… --- ## [SimulaVerse on YouTube - Simulating different ideas about our planet and Solar System](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simulaverse-on-youtube-simulating-different-ideas-about-our-planet-and-solar-system/1029680)
**Author:** [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [April 30, 2026, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simulaverse-on-youtube-simulating-different-ideas-about-our-planet-and-solar-system/1029680 "2026-04-30T22:18:59Z")
I recently discovered the channel “SimulaVerse” on YouTube, in which a guy is challenged to alter certain facts about our planet and the others, and the Sun, to see what would happen if circumstances were different. And… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/miscellaneous-and-personal-stuff-i-must-share/10.md?page=16) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/miscellaneous-and-personal-stuff-i-must-share/10.md?page=18)