# Latest **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1337 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 1338 --- ## [Video games industry mourns death of ZX Spectrum creator Sir Clive Sinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-games-industry-mourns-death-of-zx-spectrum-creator-sir-clive-sinclair/950917)
**Author:** [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [September 19, 2021, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-games-industry-mourns-death-of-zx-spectrum-creator-sir-clive-sinclair/950917 "2021-09-19T22:08:45Z")
Wow being someone in america who used a zx occasionally and thought it could of been better for gaming with a few tweaks and hopefully gotten rid of the "its a generic/budget C64(but still better than an Amstrad CPC… --- ## [Tell me all about those "Legal Smoking Herbs"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-all-about-those-legal-smoking-herbs/294279)
**Author:** [@Merl\_Minnozza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merl_Minnozza)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [March 15, 2005, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-all-about-those-legal-smoking-herbs/294279 "2005-03-15T16:31:15Z")
www.herbalsmokeshop.com These are all legal so let’s have a conversation about what they do, their effects, etc. They sure look cool. I used to think they were a scam, that they don’t do jack, but how would the company … --- ## [Handmaid's Tale: evangelical utopia?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handmaids-tale-evangelical-utopia/950618)
**Author:** [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Replies:** 36\ **Last updated:** [September 19, 2021, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handmaids-tale-evangelical-utopia/950618 "2021-09-19T20:19:22Z")
Ate there are Christian extremists who watch The Handmaid’s Tale and think, “Damn right! Praise Jesus!”? Has anyone expressed the idea that it portrays things as they should be? --- ## [Where to get a very short term loan?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-to-get-a-very-short-term-loan/950667)
**Author:** [@Capn\_Carl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capn_Carl)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [September 19, 2021, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-to-get-a-very-short-term-loan/950667 "2021-09-19T20:00:04Z")
Say I want to buy a car for $50k. I only have $25k saved up, but my current car will sell for $30k. Where do I get a $25k loan for a very short term (I can typically sell a car in a week or two)? Our credit is great, th… --- ## [Who besides the president rides in a presidential helicopter?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-besides-the-president-rides-in-a-presidential-helicopter/950712)
**Author:** [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [September 19, 2021, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-besides-the-president-rides-in-a-presidential-helicopter/950712 "2021-09-19T19:27:53Z")
Walking out to lunch earlier today and saw three identical helicopters pass overhead in what appeared to be (to these old eyes) POTUS’s livery. Biden’s vacation home is about a mile and a half from here, and he has visit… --- ## [What do you like about yourself?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-like-about-yourself/299331)
**Author:** [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Replies:** 36\ **Last updated:** [September 19, 2021, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-like-about-yourself/299331 "2021-09-19T19:21:28Z")
The flip side of this thread: I have a nice smile–and I show it off to everyone. People think of me as kind and generous and thoughtful, and I suppose I am. Boundless, irrepressible optimism. I can’t write a mat… --- ## [Effects of Minimum Wage](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/effects-of-minimum-wage/920726)
**Author:** [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Replies:** 110\ **Last updated:** [September 19, 2021, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/effects-of-minimum-wage/920726 "2021-09-19T19:01:11Z")
I started to put this in Great Debates but I really don’t feel like debating it as much as just hearing other peoples views or logic on the subject. My logic tells me that there are a number of very important factors in… --- ## [Biographies of Comedians](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biographies-of-comedians/950542)
**Author:** [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [September 19, 2021, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biographies-of-comedians/950542 "2021-09-19T18:37:00Z")
Even better - autobiographies… I’m halfway reading John Barbour’s “Your Mother’s Not a Virgin!: The Bumpy Life and Times of the Canadian Dropout who changed the Face of American TV!” and it’s really good. Of course, Mo… --- ## [Any fans of the YouTube coffee nerd James Hoffman?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-fans-of-the-youtube-coffee-nerd-james-hoffman/926527)
**Author:** [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [September 19, 2021, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-fans-of-the-youtube-coffee-nerd-james-hoffman/926527 "2021-09-19T18:33:53Z")
I like the guy. He’s hipster but also smart, articulate, entertaining, and informative. He investigates everything about coffee-- buying, roasting, grinding, brewing methods, tasting, and everything in between and beyond… --- ## [How often do stoplight bulbs need changed?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-stoplight-bulbs-need-changed/950343)
**Author:** [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [September 19, 2021, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-stoplight-bulbs-need-changed/950343 "2021-09-19T18:18:04Z")
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a stoplight bulb out of operation, even though most of them are active for a long period of the day. How often do stoplight bulbs need to be changed? --- ## [Climate change Collaboration](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/climate-change-collaboration/950937)
**Author:** [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [September 19, 2021, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/climate-change-collaboration/950937 "2021-09-19T18:05:23Z")
I decided to put this topic in great debates because I think this is the best way to arrive at the feasibility of something I believe possible and extremely important. I am of the view that Climate Change and all of the … --- ## [I'm never stepping foot in that place again: Local coffee shop owner is sexual harraser, covid denier, Trumpist, and more](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-never-stepping-foot-in-that-place-again-local-coffee-shop-owner-is-sexual-harraser-covid-denier-trumpist-and-more/927046)
**Author:** [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [September 19, 2021, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-never-stepping-foot-in-that-place-again-local-coffee-shop-owner-is-sexual-harraser-covid-denier-trumpist-and-more/927046 "2021-09-19T15:24:59Z")
Killer E.S.P. in Old Town, Alexandria, Virginia–what a wonderful little hangout. I hadn’t been keeping up with the place since the lockdown, but it turns out things have been weird: (1) The owner has been sexually haras… --- ## [During a freeze, what is better - keep running water or block/drain (Texas specific)?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/during-a-freeze-what-is-better-keep-running-water-or-block-drain-texas-specific/950765)
**Author:** [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [September 19, 2021, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/during-a-freeze-what-is-better-keep-running-water-or-block-drain-texas-specific/950765 "2021-09-19T15:12:59Z")
This question is in relation to the houses in southern Texas (Houston area) and a repeat of the freak freeze event. So houses here like mine, have PVC lines buried about a foot deep, run from the curb to the side of the… --- ## [Can an html attachment contain a virus?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-an-html-attachment-contain-a-virus/950744)
**Author:** [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [September 19, 2021, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-an-html-attachment-contain-a-virus/950744 "2021-09-19T15:03:58Z")
I just received a suspicious email. (the ‘from’ line is a person in my contacts, but email address is not his usual one) It says: from John Smith(tommyjones1998@ outlook dot com". His usual email address is Jsmith @ …) … --- ## [Managing tiled basement floor, short term and long term](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/managing-tiled-basement-floor-short-term-and-long-term/950929)
**Author:** [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [September 19, 2021, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/managing-tiled-basement-floor-short-term-and-long-term/950929 "2021-09-19T14:36:32Z")
My basement floor is a concrete slab with 1’ square vinyl tile. Two thirds was done more than 30 years ago with troweled on mastic and tiles having no adhesive, and one third was done maybe 20 years ago with peel-and-sti… --- ## [I challenged the moon to a footrace](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-challenged-the-moon-to-a-footrace/950878)
**Author:** [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [September 19, 2021, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-challenged-the-moon-to-a-footrace/950878 "2021-09-19T13:29:59Z")
Last night we were driving, and my daughter looked at the moon through the clouds and said, “It’s cool how it looks like the moon is moving, but really it’s still, and it’s the clouds and us that are moving.” And I got t… --- ## [Are you a white, liberal, atheist man?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-white-liberal-atheist-man/950420)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 137\ **Last updated:** [September 19, 2021, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-white-liberal-atheist-man/950420 "2021-09-19T13:23:50Z")
I know that most Dopers are male, most are white, most are liberal, and most are atheist. What I’m curious to see is if there is so much overlap that even people who fit all four categories would still be in the majority… --- ## [Maybe Charlie can finally return (song of the MTA)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maybe-charlie-can-finally-return-song-of-the-mta/950821)
**Author:** [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [September 19, 2021, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maybe-charlie-can-finally-return-song-of-the-mta/950821 "2021-09-19T12:41:47Z")
Michelle Wu, one of the two candidates for mayor of Boston who survived the first round of voting (second round in Nov.) has proposed making public transit free. If so, maybe Charlie can finally get off the trolley. Se… --- ## [President Biden's speech on the virus September 9, 2021](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-bidens-speech-on-the-virus-september-9-2021/950443)
**Author:** [@Bonum\_Legatum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bonum_Legatum)\ **Replies:** 130\ **Last updated:** [September 19, 2021, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-bidens-speech-on-the-virus-september-9-2021/950443 "2021-09-19T12:15:58Z")
Rather than overwhelming the “breaking news”, I thought it would be useful to have a thread specifically for the President’s speech. (MODs, feel free to move this into politics, but I hope we can keep it in the Quaranti… --- ## [It Takes Two loop (Rob Base, DJ EZ Rock)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-takes-two-loop-rob-base-dj-ez-rock/950873)
**Author:** [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [September 19, 2021, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-takes-two-loop-rob-base-dj-ez-rock/950873 "2021-09-19T10:31:52Z")
The song It Takes Two by Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock samples from Lyn Collins song "Think (About It): However, if you listen to the song: you’ll see that the actual Lyn Collins vocal is differen… --- ## [Haitians on the Mexico-US Border at Del Rio, Texas](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/haitians-on-the-mexico-us-border-at-del-rio-texas/950898)
**Author:** [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [September 19, 2021, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/haitians-on-the-mexico-us-border-at-del-rio-texas/950898 "2021-09-19T09:38:48Z")
Apparently there are something like 12,000-14,000 people sheltering (or trying to) under a bridge in Del Rio, Texas after wading across the Rio Grand US/Mexico border. Given that Haiti is 1900 miles from Del Rio and mo… --- ## [Is this rude phone behavior, or am I too sensitive?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-rude-phone-behavior-or-am-i-too-sensitive/950657)
**Author:** [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Replies:** 81\ **Last updated:** [September 19, 2021, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-rude-phone-behavior-or-am-i-too-sensitive/950657 "2021-09-19T07:36:42Z")
I drove my parents to a hospital today for a consultation, and had to wait two hours. So I found a rather quiet place besides the hospital with some benches, it was a beautiful late summer morning and I decided to wait t… --- ## [Did American police departments ever use marked minivans as police vehicles, and for what role?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-american-police-departments-ever-use-marked-minivans-as-police-vehicles-and-for-what-role/950685)
**Author:** [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [September 19, 2021, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-american-police-departments-ever-use-marked-minivans-as-police-vehicles-and-for-what-role/950685 "2021-09-19T04:40:22Z")
I noticed in a lot of movies written in the 80’s and 90’s they would usually put a minivan in full police colors as part of a police vehicle lineup in certain scenes. I remember RoboCop used them, and this scene in Preda… --- ## [Sonic attack on US ambassadors in Cuba. WTF?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sonic-attack-on-us-ambassadors-in-cuba-wtf/793216)
**Author:** [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Replies:** 40\ **Last updated:** [July 17, 2021, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sonic-attack-on-us-ambassadors-in-cuba-wtf/793216 "2021-07-17T13:41:20Z")
This sounds like something from a bad cold war drama. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-expels-2-cuban-diplomats-after-incidents-in-cuba/2017/08/09/21baff58-7d2e-11e7-b2b1-aeba62854dfa\_story.html … --- ## [Please. Can Trump just go away?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-can-trump-just-go-away/950526)
**Author:** [@Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabin_Fever_1)\ **Replies:** 81\ **Last updated:** [September 19, 2021, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-can-trump-just-go-away/950526 "2021-09-19T02:47:25Z")
Please, news reporting agencies, just forget about this doofus. Trump Spanked for Absence From 9/11 Memorial Services: ‘Ceremony Isn’t About Him, So Why Bother’ (msn.com) --- ## [Having a bad bad bad stroll. Well, looky here!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/having-a-bad-bad-bad-stroll-well-looky-here/949724)
**Author:** [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [September 19, 2021, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/having-a-bad-bad-bad-stroll-well-looky-here/949724 "2021-09-19T02:30:35Z")
Alien eggpod Alien eggpod - Album on Imgur Walking the dogs. On the backside of the pond I stop to rest a second. Bayliss, being a good dog, let’s out a low growl and I look down at what he sees and this is what I foun… --- ## [Religious and Other Exemptions - Actual numbers](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religious-and-other-exemptions-actual-numbers/950802)
**Author:** [@Bonum\_Legatum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bonum_Legatum)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [September 19, 2021, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religious-and-other-exemptions-actual-numbers/950802 "2021-09-19T02:16:37Z")
Here’s a thread for a non-emotional discussion about vaccine exemptions. It is not a pit discussion. If you want to rant about religious and other exemptions, feel free to open a topic in the pit. I opened this mainly… --- ## [(If you like bacon) Why is bacon good?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-like-bacon-why-is-bacon-good/950840)
**Author:** [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Replies:** 40\ **Last updated:** [September 19, 2021, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-like-bacon-why-is-bacon-good/950840 "2021-09-19T02:05:38Z")
If you enjoy bacon, what, specifically, is it about bacon that you like? What makes bacon good? (and in what context - e.g. are the things that make bacon good in a sandwich different from the things that make it good on… --- ## [Hello my baby, hello my \*blank\*, hello my ragtime gal](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hello-my-baby-hello-my-blank-hello-my-ragtime-gal/950543)
**Author:** [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Replies:** 83\ **Last updated:** [September 18, 2021, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hello-my-baby-hello-my-blank-hello-my-ragtime-gal/950543 "2021-09-18T23:57:55Z")
On Facebook, the topic of “Hell, My Ragtime Gal” came up. If you are familiar with this Andrew Sisters song – I know it from a cartoon short with a singing frog (apparently named Michigan J Frog) – sing it in your head, … --- ## [How much frailer are modern washers than older ones?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-frailer-are-modern-washers-than-older-ones/939938)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 102\ **Last updated:** [September 18, 2021, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-frailer-are-modern-washers-than-older-ones/939938 "2021-09-18T23:29:15Z")
I’ve read that modern manufacturers make washers that are much daintier and have a shorter lifespan than the robust 1980s ones, apparently because this makes buyers have to buy more machines than before. One technician q… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1336) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1338)