# Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/miscellaneous-and-personal-stuff-i-must-share/10.md?page=27 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 28 --- ## [From a letter to the Times](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-a-letter-to-the-times/1027462)
**Author:** [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [February 7, 2026, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-a-letter-to-the-times/1027462 "2026-02-07T22:58:00Z")
Just gotta share this. A letter to the Times suggested giving the Nobel Peace Prize to the people of Minneapolis. This just could end up with Trump literally (that is, actually) dying of apoplexy. --- ## [It’s not everyday I learn something new!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-s-not-everyday-i-learn-something-new/1027445)
**Author:** [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [February 7, 2026, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-s-not-everyday-i-learn-something-new/1027445 "2026-02-07T14:19:55Z")
I never understood the lyric "Which is something between a large bathing machine and a very small second-class carriage” in “The Nightmare Song” from Iolanthe. But, now I know: --- ## [Things in Your Car That Go "Boom!"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-in-your-car-that-go-boom/1027149)
**Author:** [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Replies:** 119\ **Last updated:** [February 7, 2026, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-in-your-car-that-go-boom/1027149 "2026-02-07T01:33:22Z")
It was 5 degrees when I started my car at 5:45 am this morning. That’s really cold, but not as cold as the weather we had last weekend. Traffic was moderate on I-294, so I was sailing along at over 80 when suddenly, “B… --- ## [I need cheering up](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-cheering-up/1026466)
**Author:** [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Replies:** 87\ **Last updated:** [February 6, 2026, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-cheering-up/1026466 "2026-02-06T22:24:35Z")
My partner of 33 years passed away on Tuesday evening. Peacefully in her sleep . I was with her. She had MS and had gone rapidly down hill in the last 6 weeks. On 19th December I had a stairlift installed. She went up… --- ## [Study: guns make gun owners feel safe and endangered at the same time](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/study-guns-make-gun-owners-feel-safe-and-endangered-at-the-same-time/1009668)
**Author:** [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Replies:** 41\ **Last updated:** [February 6, 2026, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/study-guns-make-gun-owners-feel-safe-and-endangered-at-the-same-time/1009668 "2026-02-06T22:15:45Z")
Short version: having a gun provides gun owners with a sense of control and safety. At the same time, having a gun makes gun owners more attuned to the dangers around them, leading them to feel that the world is a more … --- ## [My tap water smells....vaguely moldy](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-tap-water-smells-vaguely-moldy/1027253)
**Author:** [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [February 6, 2026, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-tap-water-smells-vaguely-moldy/1027253 "2026-02-06T20:58:42Z")
NYC apartment building. 6 units. Up to code. Owners raised their kids here. No doubt there’s no lead pipes. I’ve been aware for months that the cold water feed smells off. I’m weirdly hypersensitive to chlorine- it’s in … --- ## [Mamdani: "A woo woo woo"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mamdani-a-woo-woo-woo/1027435)
**Author:** [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [February 6, 2026, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mamdani-a-woo-woo-woo/1027435 "2026-02-06T20:48:47Z")
Technically this is political but really it’s about a happy little moment at a recent Zohran Mamdani press conference on childcare, in which two small kidlings were given their own little lectern (and live mike!). Joy en… --- ## [China's banning Tesla-style door handles](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinas-banning-tesla-style-door-handles/1027358)
**Author:** [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Replies:** 54\ **Last updated:** [February 6, 2026, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinas-banning-tesla-style-door-handles/1027358 "2026-02-06T20:46:52Z")
China’s banning hidden door handles. & I think I’m going to go with this is a good rule. --- ## [Do anyone take weight management as seriously as I do?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-anyone-take-weight-management-as-seriously-as-i-do/1026002)
**Author:** [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Replies:** 137\ **Last updated:** [February 6, 2026, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-anyone-take-weight-management-as-seriously-as-i-do/1026002 "2026-02-06T16:57:14Z")
About three years ago, I realized I had to lose weight. Since I had retired and had plenty of time, I began exploring healthy weight loss options. I had never dieted before, but with a BMI of 29, I knew I had a significa… --- ## [To hell with gnomes and flamingos](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-hell-with-gnomes-and-flamingos/1027444)
**Author:** [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [February 6, 2026, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-hell-with-gnomes-and-flamingos/1027444 "2026-02-06T16:44:51Z")
Somebody missed out on getting the perfect lawn ornament. I fail how to see how it was a “strategically important cargo”. It is a cool hunk of iron and nickel. One of the largest known falls and the largest known stre… --- ## [A Filter-Feeding Pterosaur. With Newslink](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-filter-feeding-pterosaur-with-newslink/1027438)
**Author:** [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [February 6, 2026, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-filter-feeding-pterosaur-with-newslink/1027438 "2026-02-06T15:27:48Z")
Bakiribu waridza fed like a whale, filtering tiny animals through thousands of teeth. And a Pterosaur, actually. Perhaps rather like a flamingo, with brine shrimp. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-22983-3 --- ## [It has become increasingly difficult to determine if a headline is from mainstream media or the Onion](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-has-become-increasingly-difficult-to-determine-if-a-headline-is-from-mainstream-media-or-the-onion/1027382)
**Author:** [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [February 6, 2026, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-has-become-increasingly-difficult-to-determine-if-a-headline-is-from-mainstream-media-or-the-onion/1027382 "2026-02-06T15:17:53Z")
Here’s the headline and a teaser quote: Trump admin attorney leaves Minnesota after telling judge her job ‘sucks’ amid crush of immigration cases “They are overwhelmed and they need help, so I, I have to say, stupidly… --- ## [Never take a chance with the abalone pants](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-take-a-chance-with-the-abalone-pants/1027412)
**Author:** [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [February 6, 2026, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-take-a-chance-with-the-abalone-pants/1027412 "2026-02-06T03:50:11Z")
This was posted on Facebook by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife a couple of hours ago: Over the weekend, a wildlife officer was using a spotting scope to observe two individuals at Van Damme State Park. T… --- ## [Australian under 16 Teen social media ban](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-under-16-teen-social-media-ban/1025563)
**Author:** [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Replies:** 83\ **Last updated:** [February 5, 2026, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-under-16-teen-social-media-ban/1025563 "2026-02-05T21:19:28Z")
This seems too extreme. There are many positive aspects to social media. It connects extended families. How else can you keep in touch with grandparents that live 300 miles away? Shut ins, teens with disabilities w… --- ## [Funny Story at the Kythira (Greece) Airport 2002](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funny-story-at-the-kythira-greece-airport-2002/1027387)
**Author:** [@Ellecram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellecram)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [February 5, 2026, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funny-story-at-the-kythira-greece-airport-2002/1027387 "2026-02-05T06:12:55Z")
Visited Athens and the island of Kythira in June of 2002 with my Greek fiance, John. John liked to make his own coffee every morning and apparently had to travel with his own equipment and supplies. This included a sm… --- ## [William Stevenson, 77, ex-husband of Jill Biden, arrested for 1st-degree murder of wife](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/william-stevenson-77-ex-husband-of-jill-biden-arrested-for-1st-degree-murder-of-wife/1027350)
**Author:** [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [February 5, 2026, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/william-stevenson-77-ex-husband-of-jill-biden-arrested-for-1st-degree-murder-of-wife/1027350 "2026-02-05T03:14:58Z")
Late in December 2025, Linda Stevenson, 64, was found nonresponsive at her home, and later pronounced dead. Today, her husband, who was married to Jill Biden in the early 1970s, was arrested for her murder. Further det… --- ## [Shrinkflation: Your experiences](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shrinkflation-your-experiences/983084)
**Author:** [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Replies:** 73\ **Last updated:** [February 5, 2026, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shrinkflation-your-experiences/983084 "2026-02-05T00:13:03Z")
I considered posting this in Cafe Society, but since it could apply to almost anything, here it is. Anyway, I opened a box of Zesta saltines last night, and while the box was the same size as it’s always been, the crack… --- ## [Legally Mandated Authorities When Investigating Crimes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legally-mandated-authorities-when-investigating-crimes/1027330)
**Author:** [@Eric1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eric1)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [February 4, 2026, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legally-mandated-authorities-when-investigating-crimes/1027330 "2026-02-04T19:34:33Z")
It’s interesting to me that sometimes the local sheriff’s department seem to take the primary roles in national investigations. I have always assumed that, in the US, the FBI would play the role of investigating some fed… --- ## [Former FLDS town "supervised" from polygamous theocracy into a "normal" town](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-flds-town-supervised-from-polygamous-theocracy-into-a-normal-town/1027241)
**Author:** [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [February 4, 2026, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-flds-town-supervised-from-polygamous-theocracy-into-a-normal-town/1027241 "2026-02-04T03:32:40Z")
Thought this was a really interesting AP story: Polygamous sect's sway has dwindled in twin towns on Arizona-Utah line. Residents enjoy new freedoms A town formerly under the control of the Fundamentalist Church of Latt… --- ## [Several dozen dead in bar fire in Switzerland](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/several-dozen-dead-in-bar-fire-in-switzerland/1026237)
**Author:** [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Replies:** 130\ **Last updated:** [February 3, 2026, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/several-dozen-dead-in-bar-fire-in-switzerland/1026237 "2026-02-03T15:23:56Z")
‘Several’ dozen killed in blaze in Swiss resort bar on New Year’s Day, police say - ABC News Bar fire on New Years Day. --- ## [So a coworker invited me to his bible study group](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-a-coworker-invited-me-to-his-bible-study-group/1026963)
**Author:** [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Replies:** 130\ **Last updated:** [February 3, 2026, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-a-coworker-invited-me-to-his-bible-study-group/1026963 "2026-02-03T15:18:38Z")
My coworker RD is a really nice and fun guy. We talk about comic books, movies, and all sorts of fun stuff. He’s been working on a graphic novel about dinosaurs and he’s really talented. The other day he invited me to h… --- ## [Mountain lion captured in the middle of San Francisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mountain-lion-captured-in-the-middle-of-san-francisco/1027100)
**Author:** [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Replies:** 66\ **Last updated:** [February 3, 2026, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mountain-lion-captured-in-the-middle-of-san-francisco/1027100 "2026-02-03T12:03:13Z")
SFist article:SF Animal Control Locates Mountain Lion In Pac Heights, Will Transport It Elsewhere The lion had been seen wandering around the last couple of days. They caught up with it near the intersection of Octavia… --- ## [Fun products you've encountered?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-products-youve-encountered/999893)
**Author:** [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Replies:** 59\ **Last updated:** [February 2, 2026, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-products-youve-encountered/999893 "2026-02-02T23:03:20Z")
Saw an ad for the Claymore bluetooth speaker today–complete with “front toward party”. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CHCWP1XC --- ## [(Old) MMP in the snow, uphill both ways](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-mmp-in-the-snow-uphill-both-ways/1027030)
**Author:** [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Replies:** 323\ **Last updated:** [February 2, 2026, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-mmp-in-the-snow-uphill-both-ways/1027030 "2026-02-02T05:01:25Z")
I’m sure somewhere (:musical\_notes: over the rainbow) there are folks basking in warm, balmy sunshine. Well, that’s nice for them and all, but most of us are freezing our @$$% off. I have a completely empty trash bin,… --- ## [A mundane question about mundane household mysteries](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mundane-question-about-mundane-household-mysteries/1027173)
**Author:** [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Replies:** 50\ **Last updated:** [February 2, 2026, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mundane-question-about-mundane-household-mysteries/1027173 "2026-02-02T00:17:28Z")
Taking a break from global/national issues for a little while… Yesterday I needed to tape a big envelope closed. I wanted to use wide packing tape. Something like this. I looked all over my desk and in all the plasti… --- ## [Ask the professional snow removal guy.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-professional-snow-removal-guy/602354)
**Author:** [@Mr.Duality](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Duality)\ **Replies:** 75\ **Last updated:** [February 1, 2026, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-professional-snow-removal-guy/602354 "2026-02-01T22:08:56Z")
I’ve been earning a living for many winters by doing snow removal for people and businesses. My first year in the business it was me, a shovel and 14 places. The next year I made sure I had a good snowblower. Now I have … --- ## [What is Your Favorite Thing About Living in America (USA)?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-thing-about-living-in-america-usa/1026764)
**Author:** [@Ynnad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ynnad)\ **Replies:** 56\ **Last updated:** [February 1, 2026, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-thing-about-living-in-america-usa/1026764 "2026-02-01T02:29:14Z")
What is your favorite thing about living in the United States? For me, it is that it is acceptable to start up a conversation with a random stranger about any mundane topic. Whether you are standing in line in the stor… --- ## [A thread for fun spelling/grammatical mistakes in the wild](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-fun-spelling-grammatical-mistakes-in-the-wild/1027144)
**Author:** [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Replies:** 51\ **Last updated:** [January 31, 2026, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-fun-spelling-grammatical-mistakes-in-the-wild/1027144 "2026-01-31T18:29:06Z")
In a political argument yesterday, a woman began with “I’ve been saying this from the gecko . . .” --- ## [Face Plant](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/face-plant/1027211)
**Author:** [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [January 31, 2026, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/face-plant/1027211 "2026-01-31T16:47:19Z")
Not an upscale Vegan eatery. Nope. Not an emoji or YouTube short. Nope. Not a unique botanical facial tat. Nope. I just thought I’d get thru January without an accident. Nope. I’m ok. Really I’m ok, okay? As I lay o… --- ## [Counties that are just an island](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/counties-that-are-just-an-island/1027169)
**Author:** [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [January 31, 2026, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/counties-that-are-just-an-island/1027169 "2026-01-31T15:22:40Z")
Grand Isle County, Vermont. Several connected islands. Any others? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/miscellaneous-and-personal-stuff-i-must-share/10.md?page=26) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/miscellaneous-and-personal-stuff-i-must-share/10.md?page=28)