# Latest **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1452 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 1453 --- ## [Masochistic song ID](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/masochistic-song-id/942607)
**Author:** [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2021, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/masochistic-song-id/942607 "2021-05-21T08:27:23Z")
I say masochistic because the song has the worst beginning. In all cosmos. Heard it once, on the radio, maybe 45 years ago. IIVaguelyRC - a very sparse sounding beginning (instrumentally) with these beyond-absolutely-g… --- ## [Lagrange Error Bound Confusion](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lagrange-error-bound-confusion/942588)
**Author:** [@Someonewastaken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Someonewastaken)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2021, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lagrange-error-bound-confusion/942588 "2021-05-21T08:01:26Z")
If you have e^x and you want to make sure that the error between the Taylor series (centered at 0) and the actual function is less than 0.000001 when x=2, to what degree must the Taylor polynomial be? I understand that … --- ## [Hillary Step collapsed - what effect did that have on summiting Everest?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-step-collapsed-what-effect-did-that-have-on-summiting-everest/942596)
**Author:** [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2021, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-step-collapsed-what-effect-did-that-have-on-summiting-everest/942596 "2021-05-21T07:40:54Z")
The Hillary Step was a near vertical rock face about 12 metres tall, near the summit of Everest. Climbing it was apparently one of the more technically difficult parts of the climb, plus zone of death. It collapsed in … --- ## [Best #1 Song of the year: 2020](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-song-of-the-year-2020/930671)
**Author:** [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [May 20, 2021, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-song-of-the-year-2020/930671 "2021-05-20T20:42:20Z")
I’ve put off posting this OP for too long (due to some technical difficulties that took me awhile to figure out), but it’s that time again! Tragically, the results from the old polls were lost in the move to Discourse, s… --- ## [Google Chrome redirecting me to Spanish](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-chrome-redirecting-me-to-spanish/942595)
**Author:** [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2021, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-chrome-redirecting-me-to-spanish/942595 "2021-05-21T07:02:13Z")
Pulling up a website, Google Chrome decided I needed the page translated to Spanish. I turned it off but now the website gets redirected to their Spanish version. Think of me typing straightdope.com and it automaticall… --- ## [Getting identified/fingerprinted by my Web Browser](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-identified-fingerprinted-by-my-web-browser/942195)
**Author:** [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2021, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-identified-fingerprinted-by-my-web-browser/942195 "2021-05-21T06:56:21Z")
Browser fingerprinting is a method of identifying internet users without using cookies. It doesn’t necessarily uniquely identify you, but it can sometimes. Here’s a traditional browser fingerprinting site, using only th… --- ## [When did portion size escalation in restaurants, takeout ,delivery become common?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-portion-size-escalation-in-restaurants-takeout-delivery-become-common/942397)
**Author:** [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Replies:** 55\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2021, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-portion-size-escalation-in-restaurants-takeout-delivery-become-common/942397 "2021-05-21T05:16:24Z")
I took this from a discussion in another thread as not to derail the topic : So when did the half a cow/pig/chicken meals washed down with a gallon o’ drink of your choice? start being common --- ## [Baseball - the LA Dodgers in the LA Coliseum (1958-61)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-the-la-dodgers-in-the-la-coliseum-1958-61/941902)
**Author:** [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2021, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-the-la-dodgers-in-the-la-coliseum-1958-61/941902 "2021-05-21T05:04:27Z")
After the Dodgers moved from Brooklyn after the 1957 season, they decided to play their games in the LA Coliseum - a stadium built for the 1932 Olympics, with Olympic dimensions not easy to modify. Baseball seating capac… --- ## [How to ignore someone long-term](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-ignore-someone-long-term/940352)
**Author:** [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Replies:** 94\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2021, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-ignore-someone-long-term/940352 "2021-05-21T04:53:45Z")
Today I reluctantly decided to put a poster on Ignore. It’s not her viewpoints, and I’m sure she’s a very nice person; it’s that I find her avatar disturbing and would rather not see it more than I have to. Of course I s… --- ## [How would I calculate the probability of a random 6 digit number repeating?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-i-calculate-the-probability-of-a-random-6-digit-number-repeating/942124)
**Author:** [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2021, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-i-calculate-the-probability-of-a-random-6-digit-number-repeating/942124 "2021-05-21T04:04:55Z")
I deal with a few apps whose purpose is to generate a random 6 digit number every 30 seconds. That got me wondering about the likelihood of ever seeing any one of those numbers again with at least 50% probability. Here… --- ## [Any ideas on how to survive homelessness?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-ideas-on-how-to-survive-homelessness/939185)
**Author:** [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Replies:** 162\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2021, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-ideas-on-how-to-survive-homelessness/939185 "2021-05-21T02:42:22Z")
Hi all. I’ve been having a lot of trouble finding a place to live, so it looks like I’ll soon end up homeless. I haven’t been homeless before, so does anyone have any advice on how to survive while homeless? Please not… --- ## [Identify this utility wire](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-utility-wire/942382)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2021, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-utility-wire/942382 "2021-05-21T01:41:24Z")
I posted in the MMP thread that the power went out this morning. Short version: A wire fell down from the power pole. There is a pole in front of the house, and another one at a T-intersection three houses down. The w… --- ## [Don't call your mother "she"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-your-mother-she/505057)
**Author:** [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Replies:** 183\ **Last updated:** [May 20, 2021, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-call-your-mother-she/505057 "2021-05-20T22:51:43Z")
When I was growing up in La República de Tejas, the stories included in our elementary school reading textbooks were often slightly mystifying to me as they were often set in New York or New Jersey or somewhere and talke… --- ## [How bad is it for an employee to fake the employer's signature on a govt. form?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-bad-is-it-for-an-employee-to-fake-the-employers-signature-on-a-govt-form/942099)
**Author:** [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Replies:** 37\ **Last updated:** [May 20, 2021, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-bad-is-it-for-an-employee-to-fake-the-employers-signature-on-a-govt-form/942099 "2021-05-20T22:46:25Z")
No permission was sought or given before faking the signature. The form is “verification of employment/loss of income”, to be filed with the state department of children and families. It is used for the government to de… --- ## [Eighteen, not eightteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eighteen-not-eightteen/610771)
**Author:** [@srmccaffrey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/srmccaffrey)\ **Replies:** 65\ **Last updated:** [May 20, 2021, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eighteen-not-eightteen/610771 "2021-05-20T21:25:58Z")
The suffix is “teen”, yes? So why is 18 spelled “eighteen” and not “eightteen”? Is there a grammar rule governing double T’s? --- ## [Land line being spam-bombed by Republicans](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/land-line-being-spam-bombed-by-republicans/942085)
**Author:** [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [May 20, 2021, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/land-line-being-spam-bombed-by-republicans/942085 "2021-05-20T21:18:40Z")
Three times yesterday, and if you don’t answer they leave voicemail using that man’s voice. Also, they are either calling from a wide variety of phones and locations, or the calling numbers are being spoofed. My strateg… --- ## [Why does water make me urinate, but diet soda doesn't?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-water-make-me-urinate-but-diet-soda-doesnt/942508)
**Author:** [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [May 20, 2021, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-water-make-me-urinate-but-diet-soda-doesnt/942508 "2021-05-20T20:53:59Z")
Pretty simple question, but to flesh it out more: I sometimes swing into a cycle of drinking vast quantities of diet soda. However much you are thinking, it is more than that… But, for whatever reason, if I drink two … --- ## [A logic puzzle about family](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-logic-puzzle-about-family/942463)
**Author:** [@turtlescanfly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/turtlescanfly)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [May 20, 2021, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-logic-puzzle-about-family/942463 "2021-05-20T20:01:09Z")
So I was thinking about my own blended family the other day I somehow got to thinking it might make an interesting logic puzzle, for those that like that sort of thing. Given the following facts about my family, can you… --- ## [Sarah's Gold](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarahs-gold/25295)
**Author:** [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [May 20, 2021, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarahs-gold/25295 "2021-05-20T18:48:18Z")
Several years back, I was challenged to write a short story illustrating the lives of people in a libertarian context … with a catch. I had to use a particular cast of people in a particular setting. The point, as I reca… --- ## [Have you seen the Berliner Uhr aka Set Theory Clock?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-seen-the-berliner-uhr-aka-set-theory-clock/942096)
**Author:** [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [May 20, 2021, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-seen-the-berliner-uhr-aka-set-theory-clock/942096 "2021-05-20T17:48:11Z")
poll It was built in 1975. Somehow, I had never read anything about it. It’s easy to read after you’ve looked at a few examples. --- ## [Why wrap trees in gauze?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wrap-trees-in-gauze/941935)
**Author:** [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [May 20, 2021, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wrap-trees-in-gauze/941935 "2021-05-20T17:34:15Z")
In my neighborhood there are a few houses with smallish (6 to 10 feet) trees wrapped in what appears to be gauze. Why? It’s mostly transparent, so it doesn’t seem like it could protect them from the sun. Is it for some p… --- ## [Are psychopaths rampant in Chinese Communist Party?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-psychopaths-rampant-in-chinese-communist-party/941498)
**Author:** [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)\ **Replies:** 44\ **Last updated:** [May 20, 2021, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-psychopaths-rampant-in-chinese-communist-party/941498 "2021-05-20T16:24:24Z")
India is going through a tough phase in the Covid epidemic with lots of people dying. I am of Indian origin and have lost several members in my extended family and friends back in India. I get it that the Communist Part… --- ## [Bedspreads](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bedspreads/506999)
**Author:** [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [August 23, 2009, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bedspreads/506999 "2009-08-23T03:14:31Z")
I’m looking around for a new bedspread, and I’m having trouble finding one that fits my requirements. I want a colorful bedspread with an irregular design, and not a lot of white in it. The reason is that I don’t want a… --- ## [Kids have too much homework! Hasn’t this argument been around forever?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-have-too-much-homework-hasn-t-this-argument-been-around-forever/942326)
**Author:** [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Replies:** 104\ **Last updated:** [May 20, 2021, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-have-too-much-homework-hasn-t-this-argument-been-around-forever/942326 "2021-05-20T15:37:05Z")
The Atlantic has the 2021 version of, ‘Kids have too much homework!’ Homeroom: How Much Homework Is Too Much? - The Atlantic These arguments have been around forever, certainly since I was in high school in the 1980s. I… --- ## [Have you or those close to you purchased a firearm in the last 2 years? (COVID/Insurrection/Mass Shootings)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-or-those-close-to-you-purchased-a-firearm-in-the-last-2-years-covid-insurrection-mass-shootings/941915)
**Author:** [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Replies:** 64\ **Last updated:** [May 20, 2021, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-or-those-close-to-you-purchased-a-firearm-in-the-last-2-years-covid-insurrection-mass-shootings/941915 "2021-05-20T14:39:49Z")
Figured it was time for a slightly different discussion on the whole firearm issue. Rather than debate how/whether/should firearms be regulated, I wanted to see if anyone here was a part of the new demographic - post-di… --- ## [Thanks codinghorror, for all you do for the SDMB!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanks-codinghorror-for-all-you-do-for-the-sdmb/942112)
**Author:** [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heffalump_and_Roo)\ **Replies:** 40\ **Last updated:** [May 20, 2021, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanks-codinghorror-for-all-you-do-for-the-sdmb/942112 "2021-05-20T14:22:31Z")
Continuing the discussion from Cannot distinguish reply to previous post vs reply to original post: I just wanted to take a moment to thank codinghorror for the many ways that he helps the SDMB. He may not have change… --- ## [The responsibility of the vaccinated to keep masking](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-responsibility-of-the-vaccinated-to-keep-masking/942196)
**Author:** [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Replies:** 44\ **Last updated:** [May 20, 2021, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-responsibility-of-the-vaccinated-to-keep-masking/942196 "2021-05-20T13:14:55Z")
Something I’ve been thinking about with the recent debates over the CDC recommendations. Many folks are declaring that they’ll keep masking for personal reasons, such as living with vulnerable family members or being ne… --- ## [Fermentation and COVID](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fermentation-and-covid/942339)
**Author:** [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [May 20, 2021, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fermentation-and-covid/942339 "2021-05-20T12:51:54Z")
Hubs is a trumper and thinks that COVID is just a different flu. Needless to say, he has taken no protections during this whole thing. Hubs is also a hobby brewer. On Saturday, he bottled 5 gallons of beer which will fi… --- ## [Hammacher Schlemmer: The pretentious catalogue that goes in The wastebin](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hammacher-schlemmer-the-pretentious-catalogue-that-goes-in-the-wastebin/941857)
**Author:** [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Replies:** 65\ **Last updated:** [May 20, 2021, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hammacher-schlemmer-the-pretentious-catalogue-that-goes-in-the-wastebin/941857 "2021-05-20T12:24:49Z")
The Piper household got a Hammacher Schlemmer catalogue The other day; we haven’t received a copy of The catalogue for The longest time. Had forgotten The ridiculous tag of using “The” in front of every single one of T… --- ## [The black fungal lung infections in India](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-black-fungal-lung-infections-in-india/941941)
**Author:** [@teelabrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teelabrown)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [May 20, 2021, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-black-fungal-lung-infections-in-india/941941 "2021-05-20T11:41:39Z")
My husband has been frightening himself reading about a horrible black fungal infection that is turning up in COVID-19 patients in India. I read about it in various online publications, too, but none of them are big mai… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1451) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1453)