# Latest **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1047 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 1048 --- ## [Google employee says they have sentient AI](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-employee-says-they-have-sentient-ai/966069)
**Author:** [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Replies:** 232\ **Last updated:** [July 23, 2022, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-employee-says-they-have-sentient-ai/966069 "2022-07-23T19:28:19Z")
Call Neo and Morpheus and Trinity --- ## [What was your favorite car?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-favorite-car/968282)
**Author:** [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Replies:** 47\ **Last updated:** [July 23, 2022, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-favorite-car/968282 "2022-07-23T18:30:12Z")
So we have a thread on your least favorite car. Here’s the opposite. Out of the cars you’ve owned, which one was your favorite? The car you wish you still had (unless you still have it). I’m going to have to pick my … --- ## [Medical question re: side effects of blood thinner](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-question-re-side-effects-of-blood-thinner/968363)
**Author:** [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [July 23, 2022, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-question-re-side-effects-of-blood-thinner/968363 "2022-07-23T18:04:22Z")
I’m of a certain age, and I’m wondering if a blood thinner could make my skin a little less dry than it had been, especially in my lower legs and feet. The older I have gotten the more I have had a tendency to noticeably… --- ## [Woman wakes from two year coma and names attacker](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-wakes-from-two-year-coma-and-names-attacker/968232)
**Author:** [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [July 23, 2022, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-wakes-from-two-year-coma-and-names-attacker/968232 "2022-07-23T17:45:49Z")
And the attacker is her brother. TLDR: The woman was severely hacked with an axe or machete, and left laying on her couch to die. Police find no evidence to charge anyone. She wakes two year later and identifies her br… --- ## [Are the "car extended warranty" calls illegal, and if so, why isn't the govt doing anything about them?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-car-extended-warranty-calls-illegal-and-if-so-why-isnt-the-govt-doing-anything-about-them/931997)
**Author:** [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Replies:** 42\ **Last updated:** [July 23, 2022, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-car-extended-warranty-calls-illegal-and-if-so-why-isnt-the-govt-doing-anything-about-them/931997 "2022-07-23T13:54:17Z")
It seems to me that they are completely fraudulent. I also suspect they are hijacking or spoofing legitimate telephone numbers. Can the government trace them and go after these jerks? If not, why not? --- ## [What's that cake thingy?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-that-cake-thingy/968396)
**Author:** [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [July 23, 2022, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-that-cake-thingy/968396 "2022-07-23T12:26:50Z")
You know the ones. Low density, looks like a rounded pyramid with a depression in the top for putting strawberries and whipped cream on. What the heck is it called? It is still sold in grocery stores, isn’t it? Believe… --- ## [Does the person that you’re kissing look different when close up?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-person-that-you-re-kissing-look-different-when-close-up/968335)
**Author:** [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [July 23, 2022, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-person-that-you-re-kissing-look-different-when-close-up/968335 "2022-07-23T12:25:27Z")
And is this why people need to close their eyes when kissing? I’ve noticed this my whole adult life. We’re almost certainly attracted to anyone we kiss in an intimate way. And from a young age (at least here) we’re “t… --- ## [Help importing text from PDF to spreadsheet](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-importing-text-from-pdf-to-spreadsheet/968402)
**Author:** [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [July 23, 2022, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-importing-text-from-pdf-to-spreadsheet/968402 "2022-07-23T12:13:49Z")
No Discourse, this is not similar to “Battle of Stalingrad far more important than D-Day in defeating Germans?”. I have a PDF that I’d like to import into a spreadsheet (Excel online, Excel 2016 Mac, Google Sheets, Appl… --- ## [The end of Roe causes a huge problem in MO: An unrepealed law from 1973 making it impossible for pregnant women to finalize their divorce](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-end-of-roe-causes-a-huge-problem-in-mo-an-unrepealed-law-from-1973-making-it-impossible-for-pregnant-women-to-finalize-their-divorce/968295)
**Author:** [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [July 23, 2022, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-end-of-roe-causes-a-huge-problem-in-mo-an-unrepealed-law-from-1973-making-it-impossible-for-pregnant-women-to-finalize-their-divorce/968295 "2022-07-23T09:19:47Z")
Well, this is going to be a shitshow. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/roe-s-demise-triggers-missouri-law-forbidding-pregnant-women-from-finalizing-a-divorce/ar-AAZNkwU?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=4e946282041d4727a378ca0816e… --- ## [If I won the lottery, what’s the best way to give my friends money?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-won-the-lottery-what-s-the-best-way-to-give-my-friends-money/967665)
**Author:** [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Replies:** 37\ **Last updated:** [July 23, 2022, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-won-the-lottery-what-s-the-best-way-to-give-my-friends-money/967665 "2022-07-23T06:53:18Z")
The US Powerball lottery routinely gets to huge amounts. It’s presently around $400 million. When it gets like that, I like to get a couple of tickets, if only so I can justifiably daydream about what I’d do with it. I… --- ## [Quidditch USA to change its name \[New name is "Quadball"\]](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quidditch-usa-to-change-its-name-new-name-is-quadball/956383)
**Author:** [@CardboardBoxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CardboardBoxx)\ **Replies:** 114\ **Last updated:** [July 23, 2022, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quidditch-usa-to-change-its-name-new-name-is-quadball/956383 "2022-07-23T05:11:23Z")
Quidditch, (the game played by people based on Rowling’s nonsensical ruleset) is changing it’s official name within the main US leagues that play it due to JK Rowling’s “bigotry”. I don’t know what the SDMB will make of… --- ## [Janitors and "cleaning ladies"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/janitors-and-cleaning-ladies/968382)
**Author:** [@Jingleheimer-Schmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jingleheimer-Schmidt)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [July 23, 2022, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/janitors-and-cleaning-ladies/968382 "2022-07-23T04:30:16Z")
Why is it that janitors are mostly male and cleaning ladies are overwhelmingly female? They seem to be largely doing the same type of work. Of course, once there’s a stereotype in place, that tends to perpetuate itself;… --- ## [What game do you keep playing, and how long have you played it?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-game-do-you-keep-playing-and-how-long-have-you-played-it/960566)
**Author:** [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [July 23, 2022, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-game-do-you-keep-playing-and-how-long-have-you-played-it/960566 "2022-07-23T02:29:58Z")
I mean a game you play fairly often and have been for a long time. Maybe you’re an ardent chess player and have kept it up for decades, or there’s a computer game you love so much you keep playing it despite it being hop… --- ## [Anybody still collect and play DVD's?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-still-collect-and-play-dvds/968221)
**Author:** [@rippingtons\_fan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rippingtons_fan)\ **Replies:** 58\ **Last updated:** [July 23, 2022, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-still-collect-and-play-dvds/968221 "2022-07-23T00:14:12Z")
I have quite a collection of movies on DVD and I still play them regularly, though it seems people stream movies more often than not. Anybody else still keep an active DVD collection? I recently bought a brand new DVD … --- ## [Who had the return of polio on your 2022 Bingo card? (It's only one case so far; it's not the end of the world) {July 21, 2022}](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-had-the-return-of-polio-on-your-2022-bingo-card-its-only-one-case-so-far-its-not-the-end-of-the-world-july-21-2022/968337)
**Author:** [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [July 23, 2022, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-had-the-return-of-polio-on-your-2022-bingo-card-its-only-one-case-so-far-its-not-the-end-of-the-world-july-21-2022/968337 "2022-07-23T00:11:12Z")
The first U.S. case of polio in about a decade has been detected in New York state. --- ## [Effective tactics on YouTube to avoid being offered videos you don't want?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/effective-tactics-on-youtube-to-avoid-being-offered-videos-you-dont-want/968358)
**Author:** [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [July 22, 2022, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/effective-tactics-on-youtube-to-avoid-being-offered-videos-you-dont-want/968358 "2022-07-22T23:48:36Z")
My range of interests for YouTube videos is pretty limited, so it is always trying to serve me stuff I haven’t already rejected before. What I would like, sometimes, is to reject all instances of a particular genre, like… --- ## [Professions where dominant hand makes a difference](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professions-where-dominant-hand-makes-a-difference/965764)
**Author:** [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Replies:** 136\ **Last updated:** [July 22, 2022, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professions-where-dominant-hand-makes-a-difference/965764 "2022-07-22T23:38:18Z")
In baseball, a team will try to balance its lineup and bullpen with left-handed hitters and pitchers. And ideally you want a left-handed first baseman so they can stretch far with their gloved hand while facing the infie… --- ## [Ever heard the expression- "I don't know if I'm washin' or hangin' out!"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-heard-the-expression-i-dont-know-if-im-washin-or-hangin-out/727862)
**Author:** [@Beelzebubba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beelzebubba)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [July 22, 2022, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-heard-the-expression-i-dont-know-if-im-washin-or-hangin-out/727862 "2022-07-22T23:25:46Z")
I grew up in the North Georgia mountains and both of my grandmothers (born in 1920 and 1925) used this expression commonly. “I don’t know if I’m washing or hanging out (to dry)” is a reference to doing the laundry. The… --- ## [Help me plan a birthday trip to NYC (in August)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-plan-a-birthday-trip-to-nyc-in-august/963358)
**Author:** [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Replies:** 40\ **Last updated:** [July 22, 2022, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-plan-a-birthday-trip-to-nyc-in-august/963358 "2022-07-22T23:18:00Z")
There is a lot I love about the SDMB but close to the top of my list is getting travel ideas from you guys. I have yet to be pointed in a wrong direction, so, I’m coming to you again for ideas. I’m August, for my 40th b… --- ## [Caitlin Jensen paralyzed after visit with chiropractor](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/caitlin-jensen-paralyzed-after-visit-with-chiropractor/967912)
**Author:** [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Replies:** 103\ **Last updated:** [July 22, 2022, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/caitlin-jensen-paralyzed-after-visit-with-chiropractor/967912 "2022-07-22T23:03:45Z")
There are good chiropractors. I know several people that have relied on them for years. My mom had extreme hip pain and could barely walk. The doctor gave her a steroid shot. Worked great for a few months. She needed a 2… --- ## [House passes Right to Contraceptive Act with only 8 GOP votes in favor](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-passes-right-to-contraceptive-act-with-only-8-gop-votes-in-favor/968340)
**Author:** [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [July 22, 2022, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-passes-right-to-contraceptive-act-with-only-8-gop-votes-in-favor/968340 "2022-07-22T22:52:57Z")
That’s right; apparently 195 Republicans believe that sex is for procreation only. Or at least, they don’t want to give Democrats anything to run on. --- ## [You Know What's Good? Hard Boiled Eggs and Almond Butter](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-whats-good-hard-boiled-eggs-and-almond-butter/968375)
**Author:** [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [July 22, 2022, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-whats-good-hard-boiled-eggs-and-almond-butter/968375 "2022-07-22T22:26:09Z")
Minutes ago, I smeared almond butter on a hard boiled egg. And it was yummers. In fact, I have a notion for a new egg salad now. I’m gonna try it. --- ## [Can a salad, by definition, include animal protein?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-salad-by-definition-include-animal-protein/947365)
**Author:** [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Replies:** 74\ **Last updated:** [July 22, 2022, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-salad-by-definition-include-animal-protein/947365 "2022-07-22T22:16:43Z")
So I got into the most ridiculous online argument last night over whether a salad can be called a salad if it includes meat products. My view is that of course it can, and I cited my own potato salad that has lots of bac… --- ## [How to see a Dr faster](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-see-a-dr-faster/968345)
**Author:** [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Replies:** 44\ **Last updated:** [July 22, 2022, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-see-a-dr-faster/968345 "2022-07-22T21:12:32Z")
If you have been waiting for 20+ minutes tell them you want to reschedule For me this moves me to the top of the list. I’ve only done it around 4 times but it worked for all 4. They don’t want to reschedule. --- ## [A conversation with my little biting friend, Willie the Wasp. (Yeah I know bees and wasps do not bite...)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-conversation-with-my-little-biting-friend-willie-the-wasp-yeah-i-know-bees-and-wasps-do-not-bite/968016)
**Author:** [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Replies:** 41\ **Last updated:** [July 22, 2022, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-conversation-with-my-little-biting-friend-willie-the-wasp-yeah-i-know-bees-and-wasps-do-not-bite/968016 "2022-07-22T20:27:14Z")
I’m sitting in the toilet at rehab, as one does. Over in the corner I see a struggling bug thingy. Yep, it’s Willie, Willie the Wasp! Man he is in his death throes. I started telling him about his brethren out of doors… --- ## [Is it possible to not have a dominant eye?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-not-have-a-dominant-eye/968315)
**Author:** [@Saffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saffer)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [July 22, 2022, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-not-have-a-dominant-eye/968315 "2022-07-22T20:22:07Z")
I just had an eye exam and the person (not sure if she is a doctor or something else) tried to determine which of my eyes is dominant. She asked me to point at the corner of the ceiling then close each eye (not at the sa… --- ## [White castle hamburgers](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-castle-hamburgers/177723)
**Author:** [@zomby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zomby)\ **Replies:** 108\ **Last updated:** [July 22, 2022, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-castle-hamburgers/177723 "2022-07-22T20:15:06Z")
My roommate swears White Castle hamburgers contain liver. Does anybody know for sure? --- ## [“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic” - still true?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-sufficiently-advanced-technology-is-indistinguishable-from-magic-still-true/968030)
**Author:** [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Replies:** 113\ **Last updated:** [July 22, 2022, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-sufficiently-advanced-technology-is-indistinguishable-from-magic-still-true/968030 "2022-07-22T19:38:06Z")
In 1962, in his book “Profiles of the Future: An Inquiry into the Limits of the Possible”, science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke formulated his famous Three Laws, of which the third law is the best-known and most widel… --- ## [How to use my "use-or-lose" annual leave](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-use-my-use-or-lose-annual-leave/968351)
**Author:** [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [July 22, 2022, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-use-my-use-or-lose-annual-leave/968351 "2022-07-22T19:24:46Z")
I didn’t take any leave last year, so I’ve hit my annual leave accrual cap already, which means I’m already in a use-or-lose situation. I work four 9-hour days, and one 4-hour day every week. Two of the 9-hour days and t… --- ## [Live PD returns as On Patrol: Live](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/live-pd-returns-as-on-patrol-live/968379)
**Author:** [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [July 22, 2022, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/live-pd-returns-as-on-patrol-live/968379 "2022-07-22T18:17:39Z")
Fans of Live PD, which formerly aired on A&E before being canceled in 2020, may be happy to learn the show is being resurrected as On Patrol:Live on the Reelz cable channel tonight, July 22. Dan Abrams will once again ho… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1046) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1048)