# Latest **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1463 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 1464 --- ## [A reverse auction](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-reverse-auction/939585)
**Author:** [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Replies:** 107\ **Last updated:** [May 10, 2021, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-reverse-auction/939585 "2021-05-10T10:24:10Z")
Read this before skipping ahead to read the other posts. Which is something you should generally do in a thread. I read an article about a reverse auction and I want to try one out here. I want to make it clear right a… --- ## [Anyone here had to rebuild?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-had-to-rebuild/941732)
**Author:** [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [May 10, 2021, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-had-to-rebuild/941732 "2021-05-10T08:27:34Z")
I live in a possible wildfire area in California. It’s near the ocean but wooded. A fire would devastate this area and take my home with it. I’m well insured (I think!), but I don’t know what it would be like to have to … --- ## [Can’t jump a millimeter in the Syrian desert?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-t-jump-a-millimeter-in-the-syrian-desert/940612)
**Author:** [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [May 10, 2021, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-t-jump-a-millimeter-in-the-syrian-desert/940612 "2021-05-10T07:23:27Z")
Tom Friedman was on CNN and was making a metaphorical reference to the power of trust and stated (paraphrased, because I don’t remember the exact quote) “you can’t jump in the Syrian desert; not even a millimeter.” This… --- ## [Hey, guys named Bill](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-guys-named-bill/941712)
**Author:** [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [May 10, 2021, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-guys-named-bill/941712 "2021-05-10T04:55:25Z")
Just curious: when was the last time you heard “oh, no, Mr. Bill!”. Has that unfunny exclamation finally died? --- ## [When linking to an article, suggest the OP tell us what they think is worth noting about it](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-linking-to-an-article-suggest-the-op-tell-us-what-they-think-is-worth-noting-about-it/941300)
**Author:** [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Replies:** 124\ **Last updated:** [May 10, 2021, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-linking-to-an-article-suggest-the-op-tell-us-what-they-think-is-worth-noting-about-it/941300 "2021-05-10T02:41:32Z")
This thread was prompted by a comment by @Procrustus in another area: I heartily endorse this suggestion. There are a few posters (you know who you are) who routinely only post a link that shows up as a headline and a… --- ## [Please recommend a cheap android phone with a good camera](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-cheap-android-phone-with-a-good-camera/941686)
**Author:** [@Mike\_Mabes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mike_Mabes)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [May 10, 2021, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-cheap-android-phone-with-a-good-camera/941686 "2021-05-10T02:21:59Z")
$300 or so, and refurbished is fine with me. At this price would it really matter which phone? I currently have a Samsung J7, at least 5 years old --- ## [Crazy dice rolls](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-dice-rolls/941306)
**Author:** [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Replies:** 57\ **Last updated:** [May 10, 2021, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-dice-rolls/941306 "2021-05-10T01:36:21Z")
All this discussion of D&D got me thinking. A typical roll of the dice in such games is denoted d6 — this produces a random number uniformly distributed among {1, 2, …, 6}. Hardly more complicated is nd6: 2d6 results in … --- ## [Have You Ever Seen A Consumer Product With The Tamper Seal Broken?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-a-consumer-product-with-the-tamper-seal-broken/941704)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [May 10, 2021, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-a-consumer-product-with-the-tamper-seal-broken/941704 "2021-05-10T01:36:05Z")
They’ve been putting tamper-evident seals on consumer products since, I’m guessing, the Tylenol tampering thing in the early 1980s. That’s been 40 years and since then I’ve never once seen a consumer product that showed … --- ## [Is it against the rules to create a new account on the SDMB for a new username?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-against-the-rules-to-create-a-new-account-on-the-sdmb-for-a-new-username/941722)
**Author:** [@CorpusNeptune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CorpusNeptune)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [May 10, 2021, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-against-the-rules-to-create-a-new-account-on-the-sdmb-for-a-new-username/941722 "2021-05-10T01:01:03Z")
Recently, I’ve been using other social media with a username different from the one I used to have (which is the same as the one on this account). You can’t change your actual username on here (you can only change your “… --- ## [Puffballs in the Mojave Desert](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/puffballs-in-the-mojave-desert/350854)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [May 10, 2021, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/puffballs-in-the-mojave-desert/350854 "2021-05-10T00:41:33Z")
My dad lived in Daggett (Mojave Desert, just east of Barstow) in the '70s. When I’d go there I’d occasionally see what people called ‘puffballs’. These were tan orbs about three inches in diameter that had a hard, brit… --- ## [Let’s Talk Tacos](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/let-s-talk-tacos/939749)
**Author:** [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Replies:** 60\ **Last updated:** [May 10, 2021, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/let-s-talk-tacos/939749 "2021-05-10T00:41:32Z")
Since my doc put me on a gluten-free diet a few years ago, Japanese and Mexican cuisine have pretty much been the range of my restaurant/take-out preferences. Limiting my restaurant choices has forced me to sample more o… --- ## [Snowpiercer - The Series](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snowpiercer-the-series/848416)
**Author:** [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Replies:** 65\ **Last updated:** [May 9, 2021, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snowpiercer-the-series/848416 "2021-05-09T21:44:44Z")
I’ve been putting off starting a thread for nominations for the worst movie premise within the constraints of that movie’s world. My addition would have been Snowpiercer. The world has become a frozen wasteland and you… --- ## [The bulls in rodeos are so mean](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bulls-in-rodeos-are-so-mean/941199)
**Author:** [@EmbarrassingDad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmbarrassingDad)\ **Replies:** 57\ **Last updated:** [May 9, 2021, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bulls-in-rodeos-are-so-mean/941199 "2021-05-09T21:01:51Z")
Surely that is due to abuse? Why do they hate people so badly? --- ## ["Communicable" disease - origin of word usage](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/communicable-disease-origin-of-word-usage/941682)
**Author:** [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [May 9, 2021, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/communicable-disease-origin-of-word-usage/941682 "2021-05-09T20:31:15Z")
I’m listening to a recent This American Life episode (#736: The Herd), and early on, one of the interviewees mentions that the usage of the word “communicable” in relation to disease originated with the fact that the onl… --- ## [How can glasses from Internet vendors be so cheap? How about quality?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-glasses-from-internet-vendors-be-so-cheap-how-about-quality/927106)
**Author:** [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Replies:** 136\ **Last updated:** [May 9, 2021, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-glasses-from-internet-vendors-be-so-cheap-how-about-quality/927106 "2021-05-09T20:14:32Z")
I got an eye exam and a new prescription. They priced out a pair for me at about $150, which is net after insurance. The frames were $200, insurance covers $160. Lenses were 120, insurance covers 100. Add $23 for polycar… --- ## [Micropython Windows 10 compatibility issue](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/micropython-windows-10-compatibility-issue/941708)
**Author:** [@Crane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crane)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [May 9, 2021, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/micropython-windows-10-compatibility-issue/941708 "2021-05-09T19:51:29Z")
So, I finally abandoned VB6 for utility programs and moved to Python. Actually Micropython because it supports the Pyboard that has everything for hardware applications and executes Python code. The Pyboard USB connects… --- ## [Ten Essentials for Hiking Kit - Why is this so hard to find?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ten-essentials-for-hiking-kit-why-is-this-so-hard-to-find/939697)
**Author:** [@phxjcc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phxjcc)\ **Replies:** 44\ **Last updated:** [May 9, 2021, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ten-essentials-for-hiking-kit-why-is-this-so-hard-to-find/939697 "2021-05-09T18:54:17Z")
A hundred years ago (ok, 40) I bought a Ten Essentials Kit to throw in my day pack. It was about twice the size of a tennis ball tube. Now, when I search ten essentials–I get kits the SIZE of a day pack. Anyone have a… --- ## [Reparations that I can get behind](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reparations-that-i-can-get-behind/941599)
**Author:** [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [May 9, 2021, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reparations-that-i-can-get-behind/941599 "2021-05-09T18:53:51Z")
I’ve generally been dubious at the call for racial (or slavery) reparations. I support the goal (reducing racial economic disparity) but I just don’t see how it could work pragmatically. Recently NPR’s Market Place did… --- ## [Dental records and braces](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dental-records-and-braces/941698)
**Author:** [@Uniqueorn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uniqueorn)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [May 9, 2021, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dental-records-and-braces/941698 "2021-05-09T18:22:57Z")
I just started wearing braces in my very late forties to correct a misalignment. The realignment will take about a year or so. If I were to die in a flaming inferno, could my remains be identified through existing denta… --- ## [Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Sitcoms List](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stones-100-greatest-sitcoms-list/941390)
**Author:** [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Replies:** 118\ **Last updated:** [May 9, 2021, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stones-100-greatest-sitcoms-list/941390 "2021-05-09T17:56:32Z")
The list is here for you all to read. The top 10 are: Arrested Development is down at 15 and I guess the final couple seasons hurt it a bit, but its first three “original run” seasons put it in the top 5 at least for … --- ## [Something I just read \[Fed Reserve Requirement reduced?\]](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-i-just-read-fed-reserve-requirement-reduced/941681)
**Author:** [@shh1313](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shh1313)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [May 9, 2021, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-i-just-read-fed-reserve-requirement-reduced/941681 "2021-05-09T14:20:59Z")
In March 2020 the FED quietly removed the reserve requirement entirely. Does that mean our deposits are no longer federally insured anymore? Why wasn’t this a big news story? Federal Reserve Board - Reserve Requiremen… --- ## [Complex Regional Nerve Pain Syndrome](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/complex-regional-nerve-pain-syndrome/941702)
**Author:** [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [May 9, 2021, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/complex-regional-nerve-pain-syndrome/941702 "2021-05-09T13:26:32Z")
Does anyone here have history with this condition? My daughter was recently diagnosed with it. She has wrist pain and weakness that arose after reinjuring a broken wrist. An MRI is in the works but I don’t expect it to r… --- ## [Why do diesel-electric locomotives still use "notch" load control?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-diesel-electric-locomotives-still-use-notch-load-control/937934)
**Author:** [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Replies:** 36\ **Last updated:** [May 9, 2021, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-diesel-electric-locomotives-still-use-notch-load-control/937934 "2021-05-09T12:26:09Z")
AIUI: Early diesel-electric trains employed a load control (“throttle”) lever that featured eight discrete forward settings, called “notches” (in addition to another position for idle, and still another position for dyn… --- ## [What's the Farthest You've Ever Been (from home)?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-farthest-youve-ever-been-from-home/940790)
**Author:** [@Limmin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Limmin)\ **Replies:** 118\ **Last updated:** [May 9, 2021, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-farthest-youve-ever-been-from-home/940790 "2021-05-09T12:15:46Z")
Most of us will remember this scene from “The Fellowship of the Ring” For years I’ve been thinking about this and guessing at the answers. Silly me! This being the age of information and all, I decided to… --- ## [Can't access SDMB on old iPad](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-access-sdmb-on-old-ipad/941094)
**Author:** [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [May 9, 2021, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-access-sdmb-on-old-ipad/941094 "2021-05-09T08:55:49Z")
I resurrected my iPad 2 last night as I like to browse the SDMB in bed and it would be a better experience than using my phone. My browser worked but the SDMB just returns an empty white page. So this morning I decided i… --- ## [And my budgie flock doubles in size!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-my-budgie-flock-doubles-in-size/773292)
**Author:** [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)\ **Replies:** 260\ **Last updated:** [May 9, 2021, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-my-budgie-flock-doubles-in-size/773292 "2021-05-09T06:43:52Z")
For the last year or so my female budgie has been laying eggs. It’s dangerous for them to constantly lay eggs so about 6 months ago I figured out the combination to get her to stop laying - high quality fake eggs and a b… --- ## [Observing the typing window on my iPhone](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/observing-the-typing-window-on-my-iphone/941474)
**Author:** [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [May 9, 2021, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/observing-the-typing-window-on-my-iphone/941474 "2021-05-09T05:48:36Z")
When composing a reply to a post on my iPhone (11, plain vanilla), the composition window is often obscured by the post that I’m responding to. Scrolling down to the end of the window is not helpful, as the system is res… --- ## [Feature request (about quotes)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feature-request-about-quotes/940308)
**Author:** [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [May 9, 2021, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feature-request-about-quotes/940308 "2021-05-09T05:46:31Z")
Maybe it’s just my theme (vincent), but when someone is quoted from a different thread, it doesn’t show you who it is, it only shows their avatar and the thread title. Would it be possible to have their username display… --- ## [What are your thoughts on GoFundMe campaigns for medical costs?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-thoughts-on-gofundme-campaigns-for-medical-costs/941564)
**Author:** [@Drum\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drum_God)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [May 9, 2021, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-thoughts-on-gofundme-campaigns-for-medical-costs/941564 "2021-05-09T04:09:21Z")
Background that inspired the question: I am a recently retired educator with 28 years as a pubic school teacher. I spent 19 of those years in a single district in Texas. I left that district almost four years ago, but… --- ## [DVD burner question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dvd-burner-question/941482)
**Author:** [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [May 9, 2021, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dvd-burner-question/941482 "2021-05-09T02:49:03Z")
I have a Windows 10 PC here that has an internal DVD-RW drive installed but for the past week or so, when I attempt to burn a disc, I get an error, “The write speed for the recordable disc is either too fast or too slow … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1462) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1464)