# Latest **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1306 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 1307 --- ## [Your favorite scientific names of plants/animals](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-scientific-names-of-plants-animals/696001)
**Author:** [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Replies:** 112\ **Last updated:** [October 24, 2021, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-scientific-names-of-plants-animals/696001 "2021-10-24T14:20:40Z")
My personal favorite is\*\* Upupu epops,\*\* the beautiful Hoopoe, one of the most striking birds of the non-tropical world. Sounds like a refrain by vocalists in a Speakeasy combo. Walt Kelly, in the comic strip “Pogo”, … --- ## [What did I experience on this train ride?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-i-experience-on-this-train-ride/952711)
**Author:** [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [October 24, 2021, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-i-experience-on-this-train-ride/952711 "2021-10-24T10:41:42Z")
Yesterday I went up from Olympia to Seattle via the Amtrak Cascades to see a stand up comedy show. Since there’s no late night public transit and taking an Uber back to town would have been more expensive than a hotel ro… --- ## [My ex was so dumb they thought](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-ex-was-so-dumb-they-thought/928047)
**Author:** [@jonpluc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jonpluc)\ **Replies:** 160\ **Last updated:** [October 24, 2021, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-ex-was-so-dumb-they-thought/928047 "2021-10-24T00:51:20Z")
That i was lying about graduating from Syracuse University because my Diploma hanging on the wall read: Universitas Syracusana After living in this State thier entire life and having a Drivers Licence in said State for … --- ## [Have you ever been a thief?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-a-thief/952490)
**Author:** [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Replies:** 49\ **Last updated:** [October 24, 2021, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-a-thief/952490 "2021-10-24T00:30:43Z")
Have you ever taken something that wasn’t yours? Shoplifted a candy bar when you were a kid? Walked out of a store and then realized you had something you didn’t pay for - and not go back? I still think of the time when… --- ## [Legal defenses based on sympathy- valid legal tactic, or reflection of American society:?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-defenses-based-on-sympathy-valid-legal-tactic-or-reflection-of-american-society/952833)
**Author:** [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Replies:** 37\ **Last updated:** [October 24, 2021, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-defenses-based-on-sympathy-valid-legal-tactic-or-reflection-of-american-society/952833 "2021-10-24T00:05:45Z")
So in this thread about the murder of a homeless person in The Hague by some young people, there was a lot of… grumping( ?- Griping? Complaining? Sneering?) about how in the US, those youths would have likely been defe… --- ## [Ohio creates an "error license plate" that is quickly corrected](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ohio-creates-an-error-license-plate-that-is-quickly-corrected/952965)
**Author:** [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [October 23, 2021, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ohio-creates-an-error-license-plate-that-is-quickly-corrected/952965 "2021-10-23T21:47:19Z")
They began production with the Wright Brothers’ airplane facing the wrong way. They will try to gather all the ones that were produced but I suspect a few will get out. --- ## [Unseen page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unseen-page/953078)
**Author:** [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [October 23, 2021, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unseen-page/953078 "2021-10-23T19:50:52Z")
There’s a new-ish feature in Discourse for a list of Unseen posts, posts that you haven’t yet seen. Near as I can tell, it’s kinda like the Latest listing, but it only shows threads with replies made after your join date… --- ## [I'm trying to find a connection between the Denon wing of the Louvre and the French 'Parlement'](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-trying-to-find-a-connection-between-the-denon-wing-of-the-louvre-and-the-french-parlement/952920)
**Author:** [@Octagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octagon)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [October 23, 2021, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-trying-to-find-a-connection-between-the-denon-wing-of-the-louvre-and-the-french-parlement/952920 "2021-10-23T19:29:29Z")
I had read about a connection between the Denon wing of the Louvre and the French ‘Parlement’. I presume it was during the ‘ancien régime’ that it was used for parliamentary sessions but I haven’t been able to locate any… --- ## [Aromatherapy spray from Walmart kills people](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aromatherapy-spray-from-walmart-kills-people/953042)
**Author:** [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [October 23, 2021, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aromatherapy-spray-from-walmart-kills-people/953042 "2021-10-23T18:41:38Z")
This sounds like an Onion article headline but it’s real. Some aromatherapy branded by Better Homes and Gardens and made in India had some rare bacteria in it. Two were killed and two more people made seriously ill… --- ## [Robot Vacuums (Roomba, etc.)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robot-vacuums-roomba-etc/952915)
**Author:** [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [October 23, 2021, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robot-vacuums-roomba-etc/952915 "2021-10-23T18:28:55Z")
I’m looking for opinions about these things. How well do they work? Is the Roomba better than other brands, and if so, why? The area I would be using it is primarily hardwood flooring, with one large area rub and your ty… --- ## [Question about disappearing post/threads after asahi's banning](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-disappearing-post-threads-after-asahis-banning/953019)
**Author:** [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [October 23, 2021, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-disappearing-post-threads-after-asahis-banning/953019 "2021-10-23T18:07:26Z")
Poster asahi got banned. When I tried to click on the referenced warnings, all of the posts were gone. Shouldn’t those still be in place? I don’t think the same principle applies as when troll posts or spammer posts get … --- ## [Game theory question: Calculating mixed strategy Nash equilibria](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-theory-question-calculating-mixed-strategy-nash-equilibria/953013)
**Author:** [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [October 23, 2021, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-theory-question-calculating-mixed-strategy-nash-equilibria/953013 "2021-10-23T17:11:22Z")
Suppose you have a simple 2x2 simultaneous game of the sort that is described in all textbooks on game theory. This game may well have mixed strategy Nash equilibria. The algorithm to compute their probability distributi… --- ## [Convincing acquaintances, friends, and family to get vaccinated](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convincing-acquaintances-friends-and-family-to-get-vaccinated/948172)
**Author:** [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Replies:** 284\ **Last updated:** [October 23, 2021, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convincing-acquaintances-friends-and-family-to-get-vaccinated/948172 "2021-10-23T16:32:28Z")
So, early in the the vaccine rollout i pushed my mother, my daughter, my mother’s aid, and a co-worker to get vaccinated. Probably they all would have anyway, but i facilitated getting it done sooner. Now i feel like th… --- ## [New frypans not flat — WTF?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-frypans-not-flat-wtf/952862)
**Author:** [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [October 23, 2021, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-frypans-not-flat-wtf/952862 "2021-10-23T16:20:59Z")
My cheap Aldi frypans started out flat, but after a moderate amount of use the bottoms warped into a bit of a dome, high in the center. I got some new T-fal pans and was shocked to see on first use that melting butter fl… --- ## [Can you be ticketed for inferred speeding?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-be-ticketed-for-inferred-speeding/952196)
**Author:** [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Replies:** 60\ **Last updated:** [October 23, 2021, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-be-ticketed-for-inferred-speeding/952196 "2021-10-23T16:18:19Z")
Let’s say I’m driving on a stretch of some limited access highway (one with no on or off ramps). Let’s say the speed limit is 70 mph and the stretch of road is thirty-five miles long. There are cameras at the on and off … --- ## [Is Thor funny in the comic books like he is in the movies?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-thor-funny-in-the-comic-books-like-he-is-in-the-movies/953044)
**Author:** [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [October 23, 2021, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-thor-funny-in-the-comic-books-like-he-is-in-the-movies/953044 "2021-10-23T15:37:12Z")
Or is funny Thor just written that way as an extension of Chris Hemsworth comic instincts? --- ## [The status quo of the Falklands at the time would serve as a reminder to Britain of its responsibility in the Western Hemisphere?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-status-quo-of-the-falklands-at-the-time-would-serve-as-a-reminder-to-britain-of-its-responsibility-in-the-western-hemisphere/953062)
**Author:** [@cannonkuo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cannonkuo)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [October 23, 2021, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-status-quo-of-the-falklands-at-the-time-would-serve-as-a-reminder-to-britain-of-its-responsibility-in-the-western-hemisphere/953062 "2021-10-23T15:19:06Z")
In a report from US Ambassador Louis to the State of Department on Dec. 10, 1981, Louis noted Anglo-Argentine talks on the future of the Falkland Islands will be held in Geneva on Dec. 18–19,1981. With no solution in sig… --- ## [Argenine Junta's consideration of joining Sinai MFO](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argenine-juntas-consideration-of-joining-sinai-mfo/952888)
**Author:** [@cannonkuo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cannonkuo)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [October 23, 2021, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argenine-juntas-consideration-of-joining-sinai-mfo/952888 "2021-10-23T14:29:02Z")
On July 22, Argentine Foreign Ministry announced that it was urging HMG to accelerate the pace of negotiations over the Falkland Islands (Malvinas). The US suspect that the announcement’s timing may also be related to th… --- ## [Is it "Covid" capitalized, "COVID" all-caps, or "covid" lower-case?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-covid-capitalized-covid-all-caps-or-covid-lower-case/952958)
**Author:** [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [October 23, 2021, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-covid-capitalized-covid-all-caps-or-covid-lower-case/952958 "2021-10-23T14:07:38Z")
Because my spellchecker isn’t a fan of the first and third options, and it’s only allowing the second one, probably, because it allows for the possibility that all-caps words are abbreviated. So, when referring to the v… --- ## [Generic Heavy Metal music in 80s movies (and after)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/generic-heavy-metal-music-in-80s-movies-and-after/953033)
**Author:** [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [October 23, 2021, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/generic-heavy-metal-music-in-80s-movies-and-after/953033 "2021-10-23T12:54:42Z")
I’m watching “Donnie Darko” for the first time, it’s on TV, and I’m not impressed. The film is boring and paints a picture of mental illness that’s totally askance, but that doesn’t matter for this thread, because the on… --- ## [Fritz equal 💩 what's the origin of that slang?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fritz-equal-whats-the-origin-of-that-slang/953002)
**Author:** [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [October 23, 2021, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fritz-equal-whats-the-origin-of-that-slang/953002 "2021-10-23T11:40:29Z")
I’ve heard people say “took a fritz” instead of crap. Fritz sounds less offensive. I usually hear it used when people are talking about their dog. What’s the slang origin? --- ## [Wow, that's a BAD cover of that song](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-thats-a-bad-cover-of-that-song/951415)
**Author:** [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Replies:** 102\ **Last updated:** [October 23, 2021, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-thats-a-bad-cover-of-that-song/951415 "2021-10-23T11:01:13Z")
Nothing intentionally bad, no home brews, and no parodies, please. I will start with Olivia Pascal’s massacre of “Glad All Over”. It looks like they shut off her mic half the time, they should have shut it off the oth… --- ## [TubaDiva memorial update](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tubadiva-memorial-update/952690)
**Author:** [@Ed\_Zotti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ed_Zotti)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [October 23, 2021, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tubadiva-memorial-update/952690 "2021-10-23T08:27:23Z")
I know this is taking a ridiculously long time, but Berklee College of Music, alma mater of the late Jenny “TubaDiva” Paradis, longtime SDMB administrator, informs me they have now concluded an agreement to purchase two … --- ## [Would you eat at a Kitchen Nightmares restaurant?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-eat-at-a-kitchen-nightmares-restaurant/952522)
**Author:** [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Replies:** 46\ **Last updated:** [October 23, 2021, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-eat-at-a-kitchen-nightmares-restaurant/952522 "2021-10-23T07:06:39Z")
For those of you who’ve never seen Kitchen Nightmares, it’s a show (actually, two shows, a UK and a US version but they’re pretty much the same show) in which Gordon Ramsay fixes a failing restaurant. All the shows are … --- ## [Which is the best Fallout game?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-best-fallout-game/952957)
**Author:** [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [October 23, 2021, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-best-fallout-game/952957 "2021-10-23T06:36:09Z")
The Fallout franchise is on sale at Steam but I only want to purchase one of them; which is the best? --- ## [Margaritas Must Contain Tequila!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/margaritas-must-contain-tequila/952990)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [October 23, 2021, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/margaritas-must-contain-tequila/952990 "2021-10-23T06:27:07Z")
I am drinking a ON THE ROCKS brand Margarita. And it is quite good. But it makes me think of a very good point, to share with all of you. Margaritas must have Tequila in them, to be true margaritas! I bring this up, be… --- ## [Music across cultures - Frequencies and Intervals](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-across-cultures-frequencies-and-intervals/952793)
**Author:** [@PozhanPop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PozhanPop)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [October 23, 2021, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-across-cultures-frequencies-and-intervals/952793 "2021-10-23T03:31:49Z")
This is something I have always wondered about. How is that musical notes across various cultures are of the same frequency ? Separated by continents and time and evolving separately how did they end up using the same … --- ## [Airplanes: Why aren't V-Tails more common?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airplanes-why-arent-v-tails-more-common/919292)
**Author:** [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Replies:** 74\ **Last updated:** [October 23, 2021, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airplanes-why-arent-v-tails-more-common/919292 "2021-10-23T02:49:28Z")
Most airplanes we see have a typical vertical rudder and horizontal stabilizer setup. Some planes, however, have a V-tail setup. Get rid of the the three-bits above (vertical rudder and two horizontal stabilizers) and … --- ## [Actually writing data to a disk drive](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actually-writing-data-to-a-disk-drive/952624)
**Author:** [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [October 23, 2021, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actually-writing-data-to-a-disk-drive/952624 "2021-10-23T01:26:31Z")
Years ago in UNIX class, I seem to remember there was a program that would cause all the data blocks scheduled for output to be actually written to the drive. This was meant to be run just before shutting down the comput… --- ## [Godspell Actor Merrell Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/godspell-actor-merrell-jackson/953038)
**Author:** [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [October 23, 2021, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/godspell-actor-merrell-jackson/953038 "2021-10-23T01:07:28Z")
I was looking at videos on Youtube and really enjoyed a clip from the film version of Godspell with Merrell Jackson singing “All Good Gifts”. Trying to find out more about him, it turns out that he died at age 39 in 199… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1305) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1307)