# Latest **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=168&state=watching [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 169 --- ## [My favorite color](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-favorite-color/1026223)
**Author:** [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [January 6, 2026, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-favorite-color/1026223 "2026-01-06T21:44:42Z")
Yes. Brand new. All the decorators are gonna be on it. Get yours quick. It’s GREIGE. I’m assuming some grey beige blend. I’ve not found a picture that shows any more than a medium grey shade. (They couldn’t bore us w… --- ## [Should I get a BMW Mini Cooper S](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-a-bmw-mini-cooper-s/1026375)
**Author:** [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [January 6, 2026, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-a-bmw-mini-cooper-s/1026375 "2026-01-06T20:28:22Z")
From the Simpsons (sorta) Rabbi Krustovsky: Can you phrase that as an ethical question? Ned Flanders: Is it right to get a BMW Mini Cooper S (20xx - so quite used yet pre-2020) I’m in the UK (doubt that matters) and n… --- ## [Are "smart" garage door openers really an improvement?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-smart-garage-door-openers-really-an-improvement/1026241)
**Author:** [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Replies:** 78\ **Last updated:** [January 6, 2026, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-smart-garage-door-openers-really-an-improvement/1026241 "2026-01-06T18:39:57Z")
Today’s paper (Chicago Trib) had an article from the NYT titled “Device puts you in control of your garage door.” (Apologies - unable to link.) Apparently a service connecting garage door openers to smart phones (MyQ) … --- ## [Do your reading preferences - fiction vs non - vary year to year?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-your-reading-preferences-fiction-vs-non-vary-year-to-year/1026331)
**Author:** [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [January 6, 2026, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-your-reading-preferences-fiction-vs-non-vary-year-to-year/1026331 "2026-01-06T17:58:41Z")
I’ve kept lists of my reading since 2018. I would have said that I tended to read slighly more fiction than non-fiction. Today I put my separate lists together and counted, and was surprised by the results. From 2018 … --- ## [Cookware brand recommendations?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cookware-brand-recommendations/1026378)
**Author:** [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [January 6, 2026, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cookware-brand-recommendations/1026378 "2026-01-06T17:26:12Z")
My nonstick cookware is more than old enough to drink alcohol, so given that the coating can flake off, I was considering buying replacements. I don’t need cast iron or anything fancy; just good basic everyday cookware; … --- ## [End of Year, or Year of Ends, Or Ends over the Year, Article. (Warning--Naughty)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/end-of-year-or-year-of-ends-or-ends-over-the-year-article-warning-naughty/1026328)
**Author:** [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [January 6, 2026, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/end-of-year-or-year-of-ends-or-ends-over-the-year-article-warning-naughty/1026328 "2026-01-06T16:24:06Z")
Well, it’s the end of the Year. Or, at least one of them in the article, is the End of the Year. Note–non-pron, if not quite safe for work. --- ## [Tom Bodett sues and settles with Motel Six](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-bodett-sues-and-settles-with-motel-six/1026323)
**Author:** [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [January 6, 2026, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-bodett-sues-and-settles-with-motel-six/1026323 "2026-01-06T16:17:31Z")
I didn’t realize Bodett received residuals for work performed 40 years ago. Will Motel Six still leave the light on for me? I heard that phrase from my dad a decade before the commercials. I was driving home for the ho… --- ## [Sites/pages frequented by ironic commentators?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sites-pages-frequented-by-ironic-commentators/1026399)
**Author:** [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [January 6, 2026, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sites-pages-frequented-by-ironic-commentators/1026399 "2026-01-06T16:07:03Z")
For example, the subreddits r/Sovereigncitizen, r/niceguys, and r/FoxNews have absolutely nobody who is either a S.C., considers himself an actual n.g., or actually watches and supports FN, but instead everyone posting i… --- ## [A “Dawn to Dusk” sensor?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-dawn-to-dusk-sensor/1026250)
**Author:** [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [January 6, 2026, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-dawn-to-dusk-sensor/1026250 "2026-01-06T15:31:10Z")
We have an outdoor fountain we keep running during the day but shut off at night. My wife asked me to set up a timer on the power outlet, but a light sensor that turns on the power when it is light out makes more sense t… --- ## [Craig the elephant has died](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/craig-the-elephant-has-died/1026354)
**Author:** [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [January 6, 2026, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/craig-the-elephant-has-died/1026354 "2026-01-06T11:14:01Z")
And I’ll bet he wasn’t in the Death Pool. Craig was a very well-known elephant in Amboseli National Park in Kenya. He was 54 years old and had massive tusks weighing about 45kg each. Craig lived free and wild (although h… --- ## [Dire Straits "Sultans of Swing"--needs some horns, darnit!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dire-straits-sultans-of-swing-needs-some-horns-darnit/1023020)
**Author:** [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Replies:** 48\ **Last updated:** [January 6, 2026, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dire-straits-sultans-of-swing-needs-some-horns-darnit/1023020 "2026-01-06T07:40:35Z")
Okay, so a guy steps in out of the rain and sees the Sultans of Swing on stage. But he doesn’t see too many faces, because they don’t give a damn about a trumpet-playing band–it ain’t what they call rock and roll. So t… --- ## [Radio City Rockettes Celebrate 100 Year Anniversary](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-city-rockettes-celebrate-100-year-anniversary/1026359)
**Author:** [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [January 6, 2026, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-city-rockettes-celebrate-100-year-anniversary/1026359 "2026-01-06T04:41:52Z")
Straight Dope seems to have missed this, but the Rockettes have celebrated their 100 year anniversary: The Rockettes, at 100, Need a Kick in the Right Direction: This year, “Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio Ci… --- ## [Looking for perfect restaurant gift card...sort of](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-perfect-restaurant-gift-card-sort-of/1026357)
**Author:** [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [January 6, 2026, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-perfect-restaurant-gift-card-sort-of/1026357 "2026-01-06T03:15:08Z")
I have a brother-in-law that lives in Connecticut, and for Christmas he gave everyone here in Oregon Texas Roadhouse gift cards. I guess he thought those places were all over the place. Well, they aren’t. What I am loo… --- ## [Why do we find some wild animals infested with ticks and fleas and whatnot (ringworm) while so many other wild animals seem to have little to no problem with this?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-find-some-wild-animals-infested-with-ticks-and-fleas-and-whatnot-ringworm-while-so-many-other-wild-animals-seem-to-have-little-to-no-problem-with-this/1026289)
**Author:** [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [January 6, 2026, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-find-some-wild-animals-infested-with-ticks-and-fleas-and-whatnot-ringworm-while-so-many-other-wild-animals-seem-to-have-little-to-no-problem-with-this/1026289 "2026-01-06T01:10:09Z")
Title kinda says it all. I was watching some animal rescue videos and the animals were often in bad shape due to parasites of various kinds slowly killing them. Presumably there was no underlying problem with the animal… --- ## [Chicago Lyric 25 or 6 to 4 Proven Drug Reference](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicago-lyric-25-or-6-to-4-proven-drug-reference/494277)
**Author:** [@philipem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/philipem)\ **Replies:** 65\ **Last updated:** [January 6, 2026, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicago-lyric-25-or-6-to-4-proven-drug-reference/494277 "2026-01-06T00:15:33Z")
I can’t believe I’m the only one with this exact reference. This is beyond all question a reference to LSD. Consider this line… “Should I try to do some more 25 or 6 to 4?” Read it as “Should I try to drop some more a… --- ## [Happy Holiday Season!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-holiday-season/1025865)
**Author:** [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [January 5, 2026, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-holiday-season/1025865 "2026-01-05T22:48:50Z")
Well, we had a joyous last day of school before our two week winter recess, and the kids actually left the building singing … all on their own without any prompting! LOL It’s on to the staff party and on to two joyous … --- ## ["Limited Farm Bill Favored" newspaper article in old movies](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limited-farm-bill-favored-newspaper-article-in-old-movies/1026366)
**Author:** [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [January 5, 2026, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limited-farm-bill-favored-newspaper-article-in-old-movies/1026366 "2026-01-05T21:18:28Z")
If you’ve ever paid attention to old movies (1930s-1950s), occasionally there will be a newspaper shown with a headline that ties in to the story. Also, if you freeze it, there will be some other articles, and one of th… --- ## [D&D 2024, looking good](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-2024-looking-good/1026283)
**Author:** [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [January 5, 2026, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-2024-looking-good/1026283 "2026-01-05T20:29:21Z")
I have read and re-read the new 2024 Players HandBook, and I have to say i really like it. A true upgrade, not “just another edition”, since everything from 5e is usable. For Christmas I got the new Forgotten Realms, H… --- ## [I need some help thinking of another poem topic for this years poem competition](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-some-help-thinking-of-another-poem-topic-for-this-years-poem-competition/1026325)
**Author:** [@lilybug0309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lilybug0309)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [January 5, 2026, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-some-help-thinking-of-another-poem-topic-for-this-years-poem-competition/1026325 "2026-01-05T19:01:53Z")
I have done the Iowa speech completion for two years now and last year I made it to state. I will list the poem I did last year but I need some help picking a topic for my new poem. I guess you could say i’m having a bit… --- ## [What do these lyrics from Neil Young's "Thrasher" mean? ("great Grand Canyon rescue episode")](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-lyrics-from-neil-youngs-thrasher-mean-great-grand-canyon-rescue-episode/1026367)
**Author:** [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [January 5, 2026, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-lyrics-from-neil-youngs-thrasher-mean-great-grand-canyon-rescue-episode/1026367 "2026-01-05T18:48:39Z")
I’m a big Neil Young fan and I think that “Thrasher” is one of his greatest songs. But I have always been puzzled by this verse: So I got bored and left them there They were just dead weight to me Better down the road… --- ## [Congestion pricing: reduced air pollution?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congestion-pricing-reduced-air-pollution/1018792)
**Author:** [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [January 5, 2026, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congestion-pricing-reduced-air-pollution/1018792 "2026-01-05T18:43:20Z")
NYC’s congestion pricing has been in effect for about 5 months. Has there been a significant reduction in air pollution in lower Manhattan? Has there been an increase in air pollution in areas near the pricing zone? --- ## [Moroccan Preserved Lemons](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moroccan-preserved-lemons/1026368)
**Author:** [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [January 5, 2026, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moroccan-preserved-lemons/1026368 "2026-01-05T17:34:08Z")
I bought a jar of Tagine sauce to use with chicken. The recipe I’ve found says to use chunks of preserved lemon. This sounds way too tart for me. So how strong are preserved lemons? do they overpower everything else … --- ## [Time travel books that work out](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-travel-books-that-work-out/1026232)
**Author:** [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Replies:** 43\ **Last updated:** [January 5, 2026, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-travel-books-that-work-out/1026232 "2026-01-05T17:09:15Z")
Inspired by this thread. It seems to be a common, if not universal, trope in sci-fi that trying to change the past never really works out - either your attempts to improve the timeline just make things worse, or your at… --- ## [Jazz Fans: Help me find a very specific recording of "When the Saints Go Marching In"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jazz-fans-help-me-find-a-very-specific-recording-of-when-the-saints-go-marching-in/1026355)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [January 5, 2026, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jazz-fans-help-me-find-a-very-specific-recording-of-when-the-saints-go-marching-in/1026355 "2026-01-05T12:18:41Z")
I know this is a long shot, since every jazz band that has ever performed has done this song; it’s the Chopsticks of Jazz, if you will. Anyway, here’s what I can tell you: It’s fully instrumental, no vocals. It’s very … --- ## [(Old) I resolve to start the new MMP](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-i-resolve-to-start-the-new-mmp/1026138)
**Author:** [@Sticks\_and\_Scones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sticks_and_Scones)\ **Replies:** 274\ **Last updated:** [January 5, 2026, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-i-resolve-to-start-the-new-mmp/1026138 "2026-01-05T08:32:28Z")
what’s your resolution this new year? --- ## [2025 Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-sports-illustrated-sportsperson-of-the-year/1022983)
**Author:** [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Replies:** 64\ **Last updated:** [January 5, 2026, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-sports-illustrated-sportsperson-of-the-year/1022983 "2026-01-05T06:52:01Z")
It’s that time of year again…time for my annual SOTY post. This year, however, nobody really stands out. Maybe if, somehow, the Dodgers win the World Series, they give it to Shohei Ohtani, but he doesn’t have the standou… --- ## [Do you get the "have a blessed day" invocation where you live (and are you bothered by it)?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-get-the-have-a-blessed-day-invocation-where-you-live-and-are-you-bothered-by-it/1025667)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 305\ **Last updated:** [January 5, 2026, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-get-the-have-a-blessed-day-invocation-where-you-live-and-are-you-bothered-by-it/1025667 "2026-01-05T05:48:43Z")
I live in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri, very rural, and very much within the boundaries of the Bible Belt. Of late (this goes back probably a decade) I’ve been getting the invocation from store clerks, bank tellers, e… --- ## [Why couldn't the nuns go to Maria's wedding? (Sound of Music)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-couldnt-the-nuns-go-to-marias-wedding-sound-of-music/1025946)
**Author:** [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [January 5, 2026, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-couldnt-the-nuns-go-to-marias-wedding-sound-of-music/1025946 "2026-01-05T05:26:37Z")
Watching The Sound of Music for the umpteenth time triggered this questions (which is not about the movie, per se: ) Maria walks to the cathedral with all her nun friends, into an alcove behind a fence She then goes t… --- ## [Thoughts on small portable air compressors](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-on-small-portable-air-compressors/1025615)
**Author:** [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Replies:** 53\ **Last updated:** [January 5, 2026, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-on-small-portable-air-compressors/1025615 "2026-01-05T02:47:57Z")
My car’s tires recently registered as under-inflated in the cold weather. My hand bike pump does not affix to the valve stems, so I am looking for a portable compressor. I borrowed my BIL’s old Craftsman, and it seemed… --- ## [What's new, Atlas? (AI, Robotics and tech thread)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-new-atlas-ai-robotics-and-tech-thread/801952)
**Author:** [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Replies:** 239\ **Last updated:** [January 5, 2026, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-new-atlas-ai-robotics-and-tech-thread/801952 "2026-01-05T01:40:12Z")
That’s the title of this video showing the latest development in robotics: the bipedal robot Atlas can now not only jump from place to place, both vertical and horizontally, it can also do stationary backflips! These f… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=167&state=watching) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=169&state=watching)