# Latest **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1260 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 1261 --- ## [Help me pick a linux distro](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-pick-a-linux-distro/232587)
**Author:** [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [March 5, 2004, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-pick-a-linux-distro/232587 "2004-03-05T09:29:41Z")
I just upgraded one of my computers and I now have enough spare parts laying around to build a linux box for the heck of it. What’s a good starter distro? I’m thinking I want something pretty light. For the most part,… --- ## [WinXP rainbow mouse pointer?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winxp-rainbow-mouse-pointer/230168)
**Author:** [@ElwoodCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElwoodCuse)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [February 20, 2004, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winxp-rainbow-mouse-pointer/230168 "2004-02-20T08:35:06Z")
Sometimes in Windows XP, my mouse pointer turns into an animated rainbow (colors cascade inside the pointer shape). It’s not part of any theme I’m using, and it only lasts for a second or two. But I can’t figure out what… --- ## [SpyBot and AdAware can't fix this](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spybot-and-adaware-cant-fix-this/227615)
**Author:** [@DaddyTimesTwo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaddyTimesTwo)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [February 6, 2004, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spybot-and-adaware-cant-fix-this/227615 "2004-02-06T07:16:30Z")
I’m running XPHome and don’t know what to do next. There is a registry entry and a directory to which I am denied access, so I don’t know what’s in there. SpyBot scanned on reboot, found the same items and still couldn… --- ## [Anyone else take the personality match test at match.com?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-take-the-personality-match-test-at-match-com/225029)
**Author:** [@Thinks2Much](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thinks2Much)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [January 20, 2004, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-take-the-personality-match-test-at-match-com/225029 "2004-01-20T07:05:08Z")
Hi- We have had a lot of threads about personals going on lately. So I tried the personality test at match.com. I am wondering how much of the results are duplicated from person to person - if it is like a horoscope th… --- ## [Whipping Up Some Anti-Perspirant at Home — Easy? Possible? Wise?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whipping-up-some-anti-perspirant-at-home-easy-possible-wise/955945)
**Author:** [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [December 13, 2021, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whipping-up-some-anti-perspirant-at-home-easy-possible-wise/955945 "2021-12-13T15:03:10Z")
I don’t like throwing away another plastic tube every few weeks. I also don’t like fragrances and big price mark-ups. And while I’ve seen eco-friendly packaging for simple deodorants I don’t like soggy armpits or stained… --- ## [Do you remember "...do it..."](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-remember-do-it/929608)
**Author:** [@ASGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASGuy)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [December 13, 2021, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-remember-do-it/929608 "2021-12-13T14:52:43Z")
Time to jump in your Wayback Machine and remember something from, as I recall, the early to late 1970s. There was this sort of fad about making a statement associating sexual intercourse with the speakers industry/hobby/… --- ## [Order of Color Word Appearance](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-color-word-appearance/208168)
**Author:** [@Feroz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Feroz)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [December 13, 2021, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-color-word-appearance/208168 "2021-12-13T14:39:06Z")
In one of Cecil’s columns ( http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2\_168b.html ) there is a discussion about the order of color words appearing in a language. The classical Greeks are said to have only had words for four… --- ## [Pronunciation of non-English words in old movies](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-non-english-words-in-old-movies/955026)
**Author:** [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Replies:** 75\ **Last updated:** [December 13, 2021, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-of-non-english-words-in-old-movies/955026 "2021-12-13T13:37:19Z")
Last night, I watched the Rat Pack version of Ocean’s Eleven on TCM. Apart from being struck by all the cigarettes :open\_mouth: one thing really hit me. When Bergdorf came out of the military school after seeing his son,… --- ## [Can I sleep on your guest bed?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-sleep-on-your-guest-bed/955751)
**Author:** [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Replies:** 62\ **Last updated:** [December 13, 2021, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-sleep-on-your-guest-bed/955751 "2021-12-13T11:16:48Z")
Ok maybe not ME but can someone who you wouldn’t mind having as a guest sleep on your guest bed right now? My guest room has been a wreck for some years. Well, organized chaos. I was selling a lot of stuff online so I s… --- ## [Movies, TV shows, books, or plays that grew on you \[original title: Movies that grew on you\]](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-shows-books-or-plays-that-grew-on-you-original-title-movies-that-grew-on-you/955737)
**Author:** [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Replies:** 44\ **Last updated:** [December 13, 2021, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-tv-shows-books-or-plays-that-grew-on-you-original-title-movies-that-grew-on-you/955737 "2021-12-13T11:07:05Z")
I was so excited to see Millers Crossing the first time. I was SO disappointed. I was ready for tough guys, blood and, well, The Godfather. It seemed watered down - I mean, they didn’t cuss… not really, ya twist. It was… --- ## [Thompson's Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thompsons-lamp/955473)
**Author:** [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Replies:** 44\ **Last updated:** [December 13, 2021, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thompsons-lamp/955473 "2021-12-13T09:28:05Z")
Continuing the discussion from Lack of Freewill doesn't mean lack of choice: Here is a dedicated topic for this tangent. ~originally posted by Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit --- ## [Whatever happened to Gilly's son? (A Song of Fire and Ice)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-gillys-son-a-song-of-fire-and-ice/955906)
**Author:** [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [December 13, 2021, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-gillys-son-a-song-of-fire-and-ice/955906 "2021-12-13T08:53:32Z")
I put A Song of Fire and Ice and not Game of Thrones because I think the child may have different fates in the books and series. It has been a few years since I watched the TV show and even more years since I’ve read the… --- ## [Is "power imbalance" between parents and children an issue?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-power-imbalance-between-parents-and-children-an-issue/955449)
**Author:** [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Replies:** 45\ **Last updated:** [December 13, 2021, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-power-imbalance-between-parents-and-children-an-issue/955449 "2021-12-13T05:02:05Z")
This op ed piece in my paper the other day seems to suggest that there is a problem with a “power imbalance” between parents and children. In 1933, the Hungarian psychoanalyst Sándor Ferenczi described this dynamic, war… --- ## [So, what's going to happen when we run out of Greek letters to name the variants?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-going-to-happen-when-we-run-out-of-greek-letters-to-name-the-variants/955003)
**Author:** [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Replies:** 53\ **Last updated:** [December 13, 2021, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-going-to-happen-when-we-run-out-of-greek-letters-to-name-the-variants/955003 "2021-12-13T05:01:01Z")
I’ll admit that when news broke about the Lambda variant, a man I know and I were joking that we would then use Hebrew letters, then Cyrillic letters, and then Sanskrit, and then who knows what else. I hope we don’t hav… --- ## [Anne Rice dead at 80](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anne-rice-dead-at-80/955932)
**Author:** [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [December 13, 2021, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anne-rice-dead-at-80/955932 "2021-12-13T04:58:23Z")
Her son Christopher has broken the news on social media within the last hour. My mother was a fan of her all the way back from when Interview with the Vampire was first published, and I read a good share of her novels… --- ## [Accurate portrayals of your profession in fiction](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accurate-portrayals-of-your-profession-in-fiction/954871)
**Author:** [@TwoCarrotSnowman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwoCarrotSnowman)\ **Replies:** 99\ **Last updated:** [December 13, 2021, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accurate-portrayals-of-your-profession-in-fiction/954871 "2021-12-13T04:17:06Z")
Hello everyone. I’m interested in hearing from any dopers who have seen their job shown in a work of fiction and thought “yeah, that’s just like real life”. I’ve heard plenty of grumbles from people who have seen bad, in… --- ## [Hi Ho Hi Ho It's Off to Heave I Go - An Early MMP](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hi-ho-hi-ho-its-off-to-heave-i-go-an-early-mmp/955565)
**Author:** [@dogbutler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dogbutler)\ **Replies:** 243\ **Last updated:** [December 13, 2021, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hi-ho-hi-ho-its-off-to-heave-i-go-an-early-mmp/955565 "2021-12-13T03:05:44Z")
So today’s start time is 0230. But 50/50 Midnight is still running. Which is fine, because I get paid the same whether I’m busting my ass, or standing around scratching it. But only 18 more days of Peak Season. Y’all… --- ## [Tom King's Strange Adventures (DC Comics 12-issue series) (open spoilers)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-kings-strange-adventures-dc-comics-12-issue-series-open-spoilers/955867)
**Author:** [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [December 13, 2021, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-kings-strange-adventures-dc-comics-12-issue-series-open-spoilers/955867 "2021-12-13T01:26:34Z")
I’ve written about my love for the work of comic book writer Tom King (\[Batman\](I loved Tom King's run on Batman--let's discuss! (open spoilers) https://boards.straightdope.com/t/following-along-a-guide-to-reading-tom-ki… --- ## [What's this kind of multiple scatter plot called?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-kind-of-multiple-scatter-plot-called/694799)
**Author:** [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [December 13, 2021, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-kind-of-multiple-scatter-plot-called/694799 "2021-12-13T00:07:19Z")
What’s this called? An array of graphs to visualize relationships between all pairs of a list of variables. The same list of variables appears on the left and bottom edges, and if the list gives five variables, there wou… --- ## [Do you live in a giant house? What do you do with it?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-live-in-a-giant-house-what-do-you-do-with-it/954040)
**Author:** [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Replies:** 67\ **Last updated:** [December 12, 2021, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-live-in-a-giant-house-what-do-you-do-with-it/954040 "2021-12-12T21:30:42Z")
Drove past a rather large house the other day, then looked it up on Zillow. The listing doesn’t say how many bedrooms, but there are 7 bathrooms and 7900 square feet of space. I don’t begrudge the owners of this palace… --- ## [Would you put parmesan on this dish?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-put-parmesan-on-this-dish/955856)
**Author:** [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [December 12, 2021, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-put-parmesan-on-this-dish/955856 "2021-12-12T21:25:36Z")
I’m just asking out of curiosity. My son was poking fun at me last night at dinner time for doing this. (Wise guy :slight\_smile: ) It’s a dish I call “Mock-stroganoff” Basically it’s: Ground beef, egg noodles, beef brot… --- ## [If a thread was closed does that mean discussion on that topic is done on this message board?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-thread-was-closed-does-that-mean-discussion-on-that-topic-is-done-on-this-message-board/955891)
**Author:** [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [December 12, 2021, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-thread-was-closed-does-that-mean-discussion-on-that-topic-is-done-on-this-message-board/955891 "2021-12-12T21:05:08Z")
@What\_Exit closed a thread about the Oxford shooter in Great Debates. I’m not here to debate that decision but wondering if a new thread on the same topic can be started or if the topic is done for here? --- ## [Question about Prius batteries](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-prius-batteries/954196)
**Author:** [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Replies:** 47\ **Last updated:** [December 12, 2021, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-prius-batteries/954196 "2021-12-12T19:42:29Z")
I’m trying to find out of the “normal” auto battery in Mom’s Prius is slowly discharging backwards into the “battery pack”, i.e. the LiIon pack that is part of the Hybrid drive. The car is from 2003. Original battery p… --- ## [Cats stopped liking catnip?!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-stopped-liking-catnip/955939)
**Author:** [@phs3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phs3)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [December 12, 2021, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-stopped-liking-catnip/955939 "2021-12-12T19:29:13Z")
I know some cats lack the gene that makes them enjoy catnip. This isn’t about that, unless there’s some CRISPR going on at my sister’s house. She has two rescue cats, a brother and sister, a few years old. She’s had the… --- ## [RIP Michael Nesmith, of the Monkees](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-michael-nesmith-of-the-monkees/955845)
**Author:** [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Replies:** 71\ **Last updated:** [December 12, 2021, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-michael-nesmith-of-the-monkees/955845 "2021-12-12T19:17:47Z")
Singer-songwriter Michael Nesmith, who was a member of the Monkees, and later was a pioneer in the music video industry, died today of natural causes at age 78. As quoted in the Rolling Stone article: As a kid, I love… --- ## [2028 LA Olympics: Boxing, Weightlifting, Modern Pentathlon Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2028-la-olympics-boxing-weightlifting-modern-pentathlon-out/955872)
**Author:** [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [December 12, 2021, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2028-la-olympics-boxing-weightlifting-modern-pentathlon-out/955872 "2021-12-12T16:43:36Z")
It was announced yesterday that at the 2028 Olympics, the three sports noted in the thread title are out. Replacing them are surfing, climbing, and skateboarding. Or so it appears for now. I know why pentathlon is o… --- ## [All I Want For Christmas Is...Q!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-i-want-for-christmas-is-q/955928)
**Author:** [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [December 12, 2021, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-i-want-for-christmas-is-q/955928 "2021-12-12T15:01:11Z")
Star Trek:TNG / Mariah Carey mashup I found while perusing Youtube. Caution, many people consider the song to be a horrible, horrible earworm. You’re welcome. :laughing: --- ## [Ethical And Legal Implications Of The 'Metaverse"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethical-and-legal-implications-of-the-metaverse/955912)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [December 12, 2021, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethical-and-legal-implications-of-the-metaverse/955912 "2021-12-12T14:46:00Z")
The Metaverse. In Science Fiction, one could argue the idea has been around for quite some time. But now that technology is advancing rapidly each year, people are beginning to be quite serious when they bring up the sub… --- ## [What happens to a force too small to interact with anything?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-a-force-too-small-to-interact-with-anything/955849)
**Author:** [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [December 12, 2021, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-a-force-too-small-to-interact-with-anything/955849 "2021-12-12T14:41:34Z")
Gravity’s simplified mathematical formula would seem to indicate as long as the distance between the 2 bodies is finite, there will be some force from gravity. What happens if those distances get very far apart, is ther… --- ## [Supreme Court (Mostly) Dismisses Suits Against TX SB8 and allows law to stay in effect](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supreme-court-mostly-dismisses-suits-against-tx-sb8-and-allows-law-to-stay-in-effect/955857)
**Author:** [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [December 12, 2021, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supreme-court-mostly-dismisses-suits-against-tx-sb8-and-allows-law-to-stay-in-effect/955857 "2021-12-12T13:55:58Z")
I didn’t see an updated thread, so I thought I would start one. TX law stays 5-4 (Roberts). No standing to sue anyone except the medical licensing board officials who might take action against an abortion doctor’s me… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1259) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1261)