# Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/miscellaneous-and-personal-stuff-i-must-share/10.md?page=394 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 395 --- ## [Alaska is bigger than all but 18 countries](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alaska-is-bigger-than-all-but-18-countries/834737)
**Author:** [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Replies:** 50\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2019, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alaska-is-bigger-than-all-but-18-countries/834737 "2019-05-31T20:10:31Z")
And it’s more than 2x the size of Texas, the 2nd biggest state. the water part of Alaska would be the 11th largest state on its own. And of course the population is very small , 48th in the US. --- ## [Early film footage of historical figures/Queen Victoria footage discovered](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-film-footage-of-historical-figures-queen-victoria-footage-discovered/834643)
**Author:** [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2019, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-film-footage-of-historical-figures-queen-victoria-footage-discovered/834643 "2019-05-31T17:25:31Z")
High-quality film footage, dating from 1900, has been discovered of Queen Victoria on her last trip to Ireland. She is seen smiling, nodding and wearing sunglasses. It’s a fascinating window into the past. Victoria was … --- ## [Reversed usernames](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reversed-usernames/807120)
**Author:** [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Replies:** 75\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2019, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reversed-usernames/807120 "2019-05-31T08:22:23Z")
The usernames der trihs, enipla and nadnerb are all reversals of other words/names (for der trihs, the words are reversed individually). Not counting palindromic names, are there any others among the denizens of the SDMB… --- ## [What's the lamest name you've given a pet?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-lamest-name-youve-given-a-pet/834519)
**Author:** [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Replies:** 84\ **Last updated:** [May 30, 2019, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-lamest-name-youve-given-a-pet/834519 "2019-05-30T21:08:58Z")
The GQ thread about naming pets got me to thinking about this. Several years ago we acquired a guinea pig. My stepdaughter and her kids had gotten it from a neighbor, but they didn’t have room for it at their tiny place … --- ## ['Twas A Dark And Stormy Night-In Space!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twas-a-dark-and-stormy-night-in-space/834455)
**Author:** [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Replies:** 47\ **Last updated:** [May 30, 2019, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twas-a-dark-and-stormy-night-in-space/834455 "2019-05-30T18:26:34Z")
In the tradition of the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest, I would like y’all to post a beginning sentence to a novel that is science fiction based. the rules are: Only one sentence. Do your \[del\]best\[/del\]worst. As an ex… --- ## [Is Nextdoor-dot-com legit](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-nextdoor-dot-com-legit/834553)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 61\ **Last updated:** [May 30, 2019, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-nextdoor-dot-com-legit/834553 "2019-05-30T17:19:06Z")
I received a letter yesterday, signed with a name, comma, a street a couple of blocks over. It’s an invitation to join Nextdoor-dot-com, which is a site where neighbours can share information. Why not give it a look? I… --- ## [Stop fantasizing about the apocalypse and do something good for people](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-fantasizing-about-the-apocalypse-and-do-something-good-for-people/834732)
**Author:** [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [May 30, 2019, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-fantasizing-about-the-apocalypse-and-do-something-good-for-people/834732 "2019-05-30T13:39:50Z")
It’s come to my attention that people love apocalyptic fantasies–stories about society falling into chaos for one reason or another, like zombies, or vampires, or a biological/technological catastrope, or a giant meteor,… --- ## [Move over, Beck! VOW is just a bad, bad, well, just plain BAD!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/move-over-beck-vow-is-just-a-bad-bad-well-just-plain-bad/834665)
**Author:** [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [May 29, 2019, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/move-over-beck-vow-is-just-a-bad-bad-well-just-plain-bad/834665 "2019-05-29T21:44:49Z")
Recap: Mr VOW and I have our home out in the middle of nowhere in AZ. Our kids and their kids (COTU#1, COTU#2, COTU#3) live in SCal. We travel back and forth between the two places several times throughout the year, for … --- ## [The babies are returning to Žižkov TV Tower](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-babies-are-returning-to-zizkov-tv-tower/834675)
**Author:** [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [May 29, 2019, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-babies-are-returning-to-zizkov-tv-tower/834675 "2019-05-29T18:59:56Z")
Not quite the swallows returning to Capistrano, but the swallows didn’t look like they could swallow your soul: This is an art installation on a TV tower in Prague, Czech Republic. Here’s a view of the (old) babies in … --- ## [I survived my soup!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-survived-my-soup/834638)
**Author:** [@Orville\_mogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orville_mogul)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [May 29, 2019, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-survived-my-soup/834638 "2019-05-29T17:03:15Z")
This is pretty mundane and pointless but… I couple of months ago I absolutely fell in love with a hot and sour soup with sweet potato vermicelli noodles at a local Szechuan restaurant. It is spicy, tangy, and I love the… --- ## [RIP Murray Gell-Mann](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-murray-gell-mann/834490)
**Author:** [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [May 29, 2019, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-murray-gell-mann/834490 "2019-05-29T06:40:08Z")
Postulated and named quarks. Won a Nobel Prize for it. Certainly one of the greats. --- ## [Spider costume for dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spider-costume-for-dog/834557)
**Author:** [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [May 28, 2019, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spider-costume-for-dog/834557 "2019-05-28T20:15:10Z")
Prank someone who’s scared of spiders (but not if they’re carrying a gun, or you may lose your dog). https://twitter.com/coolstuffcheap/status/901792264128798720 --- ## [An Open Letter To Mackenzie Bezos](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-open-letter-to-mackenzie-bezos/827848)
**Author:** [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Replies:** 36\ **Last updated:** [May 28, 2019, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-open-letter-to-mackenzie-bezos/827848 "2019-05-28T20:09:02Z")
Dear Mackenzie, I had never heard of you before. I didn’t even know Jeff Bezos was married until this story broke. It’s a hell of a way to find out, and I certainly hope you had a little more warning than the rest of us… --- ## [It seems that I actually have fans](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-seems-that-i-actually-have-fans/834544)
**Author:** [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [May 28, 2019, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-seems-that-i-actually-have-fans/834544 "2019-05-28T20:02:22Z")
I’m the ring announcer for the local pro wrestling promotion. I should point out that my real name is “Dave,” and this night, when I got into the ring to announce, I was greeted by fans who had signs saying, “Go Super D… --- ## [Is Trumpism the new religion?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trumpism-the-new-religion/834433)
**Author:** [@Mortimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mortimus)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [May 28, 2019, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trumpism-the-new-religion/834433 "2019-05-28T19:28:39Z")
I was doing an IT job in Rhinelander, WI last weekend. After slaving over a hot keyboard all day long I decided to take a break. I headed to the hotel bar where I was staying, ordered an IPA. I engaged in conversation… --- ## [Somebody is SO fired!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/somebody-is-so-fired/834247)
**Author:** [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [May 28, 2019, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/somebody-is-so-fired/834247 "2019-05-28T17:47:29Z")
I’m watching the midday news on KABC, Channel 7. About 11:45 or so, a “Living Spaces” commercial comes on. Immediately following it, the same commercial shows again. We’ve all ssen that. It gives us a giggle. “Oops! Som… --- ## [Gold can be oxidized, after all!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gold-can-be-oxidized-after-all/834658)
**Author:** [@JoseB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoseB)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [May 28, 2019, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gold-can-be-oxidized-after-all/834658 "2019-05-28T17:45:11Z")
“Gold doesn’t oxidize!” - Well, when you just leave it expose to the air, it doesn’t, indeed… …however, a recently discovered fungus happens to happily oxidize gold. And, where is that fungus from? Why, Australia, of a… --- ## [It appears I am, in fact, the average American woman.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-appears-i-am-in-fact-the-average-american-woman/834648)
**Author:** [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [May 28, 2019, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-appears-i-am-in-fact-the-average-american-woman/834648 "2019-05-28T17:36:34Z")
Today, I was shopping for jeans. I couldn’t find any in my size, at least not in the brand I preferred. Obviously they were sold out. I recall a time I was shopping for shoes (a chore I abhor) and when I found a style… --- ## [What happens when a hot water heater bursts?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-a-hot-water-heater-bursts/834573)
**Author:** [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [May 28, 2019, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-a-hot-water-heater-bursts/834573 "2019-05-28T13:50:32Z")
Interested in hearing stories about your burst water heater. Specifically, if you live in an average-size house, and the heater’s in the basement, how deep was the water? Ours is about 20 years old, and still going stro… --- ## [An important question of logic ---about empty cups for the financially challenged](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-important-question-of-logic-about-empty-cups-for-the-financially-challenged/834327)
**Author:** [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [May 28, 2019, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-important-question-of-logic-about-empty-cups-for-the-financially-challenged/834327 "2019-05-28T13:49:19Z")
Fact 1: There’s a cola machine in Subway Sandwich shops with unlimited refills available to you. Fact 2: you can buy an empty 20 ounce cup for $1.65. Fact 3: you can now fill the cup and drink as much cola as you want. … --- ## [My dreaming brain composed a sentence that was heretofore unknown to the Internet.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dreaming-brain-composed-a-sentence-that-was-heretofore-unknown-to-the-internet/834000)
**Author:** [@plankter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plankter)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [May 28, 2019, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dreaming-brain-composed-a-sentence-that-was-heretofore-unknown-to-the-internet/834000 "2019-05-28T12:22:37Z")
“It smells like dead Pokemon in here.” Very mundane, yes. But it’s rare for me to dream in words at all, let alone recall coherent phrases upon waking, so first thing this morning I typed this into two different search… --- ## [Tell Me About Your First Kiss (Y'know, the Elementary School One)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-first-kiss-yknow-the-elementary-school-one/515665)
**Author:** [@melodyharmonius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melodyharmonius)\ **Replies:** 62\ **Last updated:** [May 28, 2019, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-first-kiss-yknow-the-elementary-school-one/515665 "2019-05-28T12:03:19Z")
Don’t know why, but today I thought of the first boy I ever kissed. His name was William. I was in Kindergarten, and we were having free play time. He was playing cops and robbers and this girl named Cherie and I deci… --- ## [Is the universe trying to tell me something?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-universe-trying-to-tell-me-something/834597)
**Author:** [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [May 28, 2019, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-universe-trying-to-tell-me-something/834597 "2019-05-28T07:11:28Z")
So, I’ve got a dating profile on one of those dating websites. A week ago, I get a like from a gal. I’d seen her profile before but never really went past the front page. Ok, I take a look at her profile. What the heck… --- ## [Memorial day](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memorial-day/834622)
**Author:** [@CaptainSnazzy7402](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptainSnazzy7402)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [May 28, 2019, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memorial-day/834622 "2019-05-28T07:00:39Z")
Nearly forgot :eek: Nonetheless, thank you to all currently active, retired, and future soldiers who are applying to help defend our nation. And never let us forget the wounded, dying, and dead who bravely fought for t… --- ## ["At Least 16 People, Including 13 Children, Are Stabbed at Bus Stop in Japan"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-least-16-people-including-13-children-are-stabbed-at-bus-stop-in-japan/834623)
**Author:** [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [May 28, 2019, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-least-16-people-including-13-children-are-stabbed-at-bus-stop-in-japan/834623 "2019-05-28T04:25:33Z")
“At Least 16 People, Including 13 Children, Are Stabbed at Bus Stop in Japan” :frowning: How many times a day can our hearts be broken? --- ## [Got locked out of my Outlook email account](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-locked-out-of-my-outlook-email-account/834613)
**Author:** [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [May 27, 2019, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-locked-out-of-my-outlook-email-account/834613 "2019-05-27T20:08:43Z")
Last night I got an email saying somebody had tried to log in to my Hotmail/Outlook email address. Today, when I try to get in, I’m asked to Verify my account. So I go through the process of Verifying my account: 1-Ha… --- ## [Cannabidiol (CBD) for treating anxiety](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannabidiol-cbd-for-treating-anxiety/832791)
**Author:** [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [May 27, 2019, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannabidiol-cbd-for-treating-anxiety/832791 "2019-05-27T16:51:52Z")
I have recently begun experimenting with cannabidiol (CBD) as a treatment for anxiety. I have been treated with conventional pharmaceuticals and therapy off and for 40 years, without any positive results, so I decided t… --- ## [How much money (paper bills) should you keep in your wallet?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-money-paper-bills-should-you-keep-in-your-wallet/834526)
**Author:** [@sta3535](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sta3535)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [May 27, 2019, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-money-paper-bills-should-you-keep-in-your-wallet/834526 "2019-05-27T16:02:10Z")
Since I keep the rest of my money in my bank account, the highest amount I would carry would be around $50-60, unless if I’m going to the casino or something. Now, I usually pay with a card because it’s easier & more co… --- ## [Since I'm Awake I'll Start The MMP](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-im-awake-ill-start-the-mmp/834223)
**Author:** [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)\ **Replies:** 192\ **Last updated:** [May 27, 2019, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-im-awake-ill-start-the-mmp/834223 "2019-05-27T08:05:42Z")
Good Mornin’ Y’all! Up and caffeinatin’. YAWN ‘Tis 68 Amurrkin out and clear (well, dark but the moon is bright) with a predicted high of 91 and partly cloudy (which I assume can mean also mostly N.O.S.) for the day. Thi… --- ## [Why plastic bag bans aren't as great as everyone thinks](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-plastic-bag-bans-arent-as-great-as-everyone-thinks/834241)
**Author:** [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Replies:** 71\ **Last updated:** [May 26, 2019, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-plastic-bag-bans-arent-as-great-as-everyone-thinks/834241 "2019-05-26T20:04:13Z")
Just heard an interesting interview on NPR. Their conclusion was that plastic bag bans were not great for the environment. Reasons: When they were banned, sales of plastic bags went up. Small ones by 120%. Medium ba… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/miscellaneous-and-personal-stuff-i-must-share/10.md?page=393) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/miscellaneous-and-personal-stuff-i-must-share/10.md?page=395)