# Latest **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1891 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 1892 --- ## [Which Artists Have Helped You Through The Coronavirus Lockdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-artists-have-helped-you-through-the-coronavirus-lockdown/853092)
**Author:** [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2020, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-artists-have-helped-you-through-the-coronavirus-lockdown/853092 "2020-05-05T21:42:29Z")
For me, Ive binged The Sopranos; Watched these two Pet Shop Boys Concerts several times thank you alcohol https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8ShWSZU2k0&t=4515s Especially With A Face Like That at 9:30 I bought every To… --- ## [Do crooks melt pennies for copper](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-crooks-melt-pennies-for-copper/853009)
**Author:** [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2020, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-crooks-melt-pennies-for-copper/853009 "2020-05-05T21:31:39Z")
Do crooks melt pennies for copper? I watched a youtube video wherein someone used a chemical process to remove the zinc from the inside of a penny thus leaving only the copper. He claimed that crooks do this to obtain co… --- ## [Why is the label-side up on DVDs and CDs?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-label-side-up-on-dvds-and-cds/853043)
**Author:** [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Replies:** 41\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2020, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-label-side-up-on-dvds-and-cds/853043 "2020-05-05T20:46:45Z")
Even on DVD players that have a tray, you put the label-side up. One would think, logically, that you’d put the label-side down so that the laser could play it from above. --- ## [Does paying debt collection agencies "money owed" actually change anything?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-paying-debt-collection-agencies-money-owed-actually-change-anything/837577)
**Author:** [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2020, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-paying-debt-collection-agencies-money-owed-actually-change-anything/837577 "2020-05-05T20:05:17Z")
Let’s say you have a $100 charge from somewhere you forgot to pay off, and 5 years down the line you get a letter from a debt collection agency claiming if you pay them $40 the debt is settled and you no longer have to w… --- ## [Just watched “The Wire”... (spoilers in OP)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-watched-the-wire-spoilers-in-op/852090)
**Author:** [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Replies:** 58\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2020, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-watched-the-wire-spoilers-in-op/852090 "2020-05-05T19:50:45Z")
…and about to watch it all over again. I now can say that I’m happy that sports have been shut down worldwide, or else I may have never gotten around to watching it. What a brilliant series! It deserves all the “all t… --- ## [Plant ID please](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plant-id-please/853086)
**Author:** [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2020, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plant-id-please/853086 "2020-05-05T19:12:35Z")
Came up in my back yard. About 5’ high right now. My google-fu is exhausted. Thanks --- ## [Please Stop Leaving Your Cat Outside Tethered to a Leash](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-stop-leaving-your-cat-outside-tethered-to-a-leash/136981)
**Author:** [@Torgo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Torgo)\ **Replies:** 60\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2020, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-stop-leaving-your-cat-outside-tethered-to-a-leash/136981 "2020-05-05T18:50:33Z")
I’ve actually seen this a few times whilst walking our dog. People put their (soon to be dead) cats outside leashed up. Don’t they know this pretty much renders the cat defenseless? All it takes is some stray dog or r… --- ## [What was your dream home as a child?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-dream-home-as-a-child/784419)
**Author:** [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Replies:** 81\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2020, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-dream-home-as-a-child/784419 "2020-05-05T18:38:05Z")
Mine was like the one of friends. --- ## [France discover COVID19 case from December 2019](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/france-discover-covid19-case-from-december-2019/853197)
**Author:** [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2020, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/france-discover-covid19-case-from-december-2019/853197 "2020-05-05T18:03:33Z")
Link here. A man had a bad case of pneumonia in France and later infected his children. During a retest of samples from late December, his came back +ve for COVID19. No travel history. They think his wife (who worked n… --- ## [Just got my free book from Tom Cantor](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-my-free-book-from-tom-cantor/853198)
**Author:** [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2020, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-my-free-book-from-tom-cantor/853198 "2020-05-05T17:59:41Z")
I just got, unsolicited, a small paperback book by Tom Cantor that he calls his autobiography. The back-cover blurb talks about how he grew up in a Jewish family. Then he studied in Switzerland, but “broke through the bo… --- ## [Store and other business names that bug you](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/store-and-other-business-names-that-bug-you/852001)
**Author:** [@Reeses\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeses_Monkey)\ **Replies:** 230\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2020, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/store-and-other-business-names-that-bug-you/852001 "2020-05-05T17:22:06Z")
For me, it’s Ruth’s Chris Steak House. What is a ‘Chris Steak’? (I know she added her name to the original Chris Steak House, but that still doesn’t answer my question.) --- ## [Check my math on this picture math problem](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/check-my-math-on-this-picture-math-problem/853069)
**Author:** [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2020, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/check-my-math-on-this-picture-math-problem/853069 "2020-05-05T17:17:38Z")
(Although this has a factual math answer, it involves interpretation) (I do not know what one of the pcs is supposed to be – a bouquet of flowers? an ice cream cone? I’ll just call it a cone) I occasionally see puzzle… --- ## [Which city is the best bang for the buck in America, food-scene wise?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-city-is-the-best-bang-for-the-buck-in-america-food-scene-wise/852997)
**Author:** [@Gozu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2020, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-city-is-the-best-bang-for-the-buck-in-america-food-scene-wise/852997 "2020-05-05T16:56:55Z")
If money were of no concern, then NYC would probably be that city, but NYC is expensive. High rents, High state taxes and High city taxes conspire to make it being the biggest culprits. Same goes for SFO. What we’re loo… --- ## [In Disney's Little Mermaid, would Ariel have gotten her voice back with the kiss of true love?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-disneys-little-mermaid-would-ariel-have-gotten-her-voice-back-with-the-kiss-of-true-love/698432)
**Author:** [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2014, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-disneys-little-mermaid-would-ariel-have-gotten-her-voice-back-with-the-kiss-of-true-love/698432 "2014-09-23T20:57:22Z")
So we know the story. Ariel makes a deal with Ursula the sea witch: she gets legs, and if she can get Prince Eric to fall in love and kiss her in three days, she can stay on land, but if she doesn’t, she becomes another … --- ## [technical question about hall-effect sensors - automotive question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technical-question-about-hall-effect-sensors-automotive-question/852952)
**Author:** [@the\_bing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_bing)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2020, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technical-question-about-hall-effect-sensors-automotive-question/852952 "2020-05-05T15:11:39Z")
Morning all. Hope everyone is safe. In what i believe to be SD etiquette, i have searching for an answer to this question for over a year now. I have searched online, and technical textbooks during this time, and asked … --- ## [Parks and Recreation reunion show](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parks-and-recreation-reunion-show/852959)
**Author:** [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2020, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parks-and-recreation-reunion-show/852959 "2020-05-05T15:04:59Z")
Did anybody catch the Parks and Recreation retrospective + reunion show? It was good to see the whole gang back together. Well, sort of back together. And nice to hear “5000 Candles In The Wind” again. (My wife called me… --- ## [As businesses start to open in your area, which places will you vist and which ones still avoid?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-businesses-start-to-open-in-your-area-which-places-will-you-vist-and-which-ones-still-avoid/852733)
**Author:** [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Replies:** 82\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2020, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-businesses-start-to-open-in-your-area-which-places-will-you-vist-and-which-ones-still-avoid/852733 "2020-05-05T14:57:05Z")
In his \[del\]in\[/del\]finite wisdom, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has decided we gotta open some shit (or die trying). I’m anticipating possibly going to the hair colorist by the first of June. I’ve described below why this seem… --- ## [Please advise me how to live with someone who has quit smoking.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-advise-me-how-to-live-with-someone-who-has-quit-smoking/845501)
**Author:** [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2020, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-advise-me-how-to-live-with-someone-who-has-quit-smoking/845501 "2020-05-05T14:27:46Z")
3 to 4 packs a day. Quit cold turkey when he was Dx with COPD. i adore him, but I really really don’t want to go to jail. He’s a shit. And this is at just over 6 months quit. --- ## [Possible to get under the hood of an XBox one console (lost saves)?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possible-to-get-under-the-hood-of-an-xbox-one-console-lost-saves/853172)
**Author:** [@Busy\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Busy_Scissors)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2020, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possible-to-get-under-the-hood-of-an-xbox-one-console-lost-saves/853172 "2020-05-05T14:02:06Z")
I have a problem with my one particular game on my XBone that has mysteriously reset itself and won’t load my saves - the local save file is there but for whatever reason the game isn’t picking it up. I’ve had apps on m… --- ## [Chapstick and their ilk (long and very trivial)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chapstick-and-their-ilk-long-and-very-trivial/853079)
**Author:** [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2020, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chapstick-and-their-ilk-long-and-very-trivial/853079 "2020-05-05T13:36:44Z")
Yes, I know, you are too smart to use lip balm, knowing as you do that it only makes your lips worse and that you should rely on the natural moisture of the lips. For those of us who are not as smart as that, here is an… --- ## [COVID limericks](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-limericks/853165)
**Author:** [@Scribble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scribble)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2020, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-limericks/853165 "2020-05-05T13:33:54Z")
I’ve been inspired by the COVID haiku thread. I’ll start. The virus will give you pneumonia But dies when exposed to ammonia. Don’t drink disinfectant Or you’ll be expectant Of pushing up lots of begonias. --- ## [Optimum internet, no cable, I am now paying $96 a month](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/optimum-internet-no-cable-i-am-now-paying-96-a-month/853032)
**Author:** [@Mike\_Mabes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mike_Mabes)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2020, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/optimum-internet-no-cable-i-am-now-paying-96-a-month/853032 "2020-05-05T12:40:39Z")
My question is, is if there is any way to get internet at home without a hard wired connection? I cancelled cable last year, but at my apartment Optimum is the only thing available. If you have internet only you are req… --- ## [Was the ventilator crisis overhyped?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-ventilator-crisis-overhyped/852756)
**Author:** [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Replies:** 54\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2020, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-ventilator-crisis-overhyped/852756 "2020-05-05T12:35:10Z")
You don’t continue to hear about the need. Doctors are moving treatments away from ventilators as most people that ended up on ventilators died anyway. Dyson claims that UK government has advised them that they no long… --- ## [Things to still look forward to in the coming months, no matter what CV changes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-to-still-look-forward-to-in-the-coming-months-no-matter-what-cv-changes/850834)
**Author:** [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Replies:** 36\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2020, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-to-still-look-forward-to-in-the-coming-months-no-matter-what-cv-changes/850834 "2020-05-05T10:50:20Z")
My wife and I have really gotten into kayaking the last couple summers, and it occurred to me that, short of one or both of us dying, there’s no reason we can’t still do that together: \[ul\] \[li\]If social distancing is … --- ## [Old-fashioned Who-Dunnits, and really good Sci-Fi/Fantasy](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-fashioned-who-dunnits-and-really-good-sci-fi-fantasy/851555)
**Author:** [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Replies:** 69\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2020, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-fashioned-who-dunnits-and-really-good-sci-fi-fantasy/851555 "2020-05-05T10:33:16Z")
We’re looking for movies to watch as a family. Our favorite movie to watch together is the original Star Wars, aka “A New Hope.” We also like The Wizard of Oz, and the Harry Potter movies, but really sophisticated sci-f… --- ## [Implausible TV Frenemies](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/implausible-tv-frenemies/853142)
**Author:** [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2020, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/implausible-tv-frenemies/853142 "2020-05-05T08:36:31Z")
In the “Terrible characters from great shows” thread, Carla from Cheers came up: While I don’t happen to agree that Carla wasn’t funny, it’s true that she wasn’t very nice. And I wanted to steer the conversation in th… --- ## [The 2020 Presidential election betting thread.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2020-presidential-election-betting-thread/832856)
**Author:** [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Replies:** 34\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2020, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2020-presidential-election-betting-thread/832856 "2020-05-05T08:23:14Z")
Might as well start it now. I’ve just placed £10 on Pete Buttigieg at 10/1. --- ## [Chess training game between glee and NAF1138 - comments etc](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chess-training-game-between-glee-and-naf1138-comments-etc/847289)
**Author:** [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Replies:** 112\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2020, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chess-training-game-between-glee-and-naf1138-comments-etc/847289 "2020-05-05T07:46:21Z")
As titled, this is a training game. Please use this thread for all comments, analysis and questions (including spectators.) NAF1138 has asked for a tactical game! My next post will give the actual game thread. N.B. T… --- ## [Is COVID-19 the Great Filter?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-covid-19-the-great-filter/853158)
**Author:** [@Dan\_Turk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dan_Turk)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2020, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-covid-19-the-great-filter/853158 "2020-05-05T06:22:17Z")
I’m sure many of you know what the Great Filter is, but if you want to brush up, it’s pretty well summed up on Wikipedia: Is COVID-19 the Great Filter? Have we already surmounted the Great Filter? --- ## [iOS question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ios-question/852849)
**Author:** [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2020, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ios-question/852849 "2020-05-05T06:26:38Z")
Does anyone know if there’s an app that would make the virtual keyboard on an iPhone larger? The keyboard is becoming more difficult for me to use. I’m hoping to avoid going to voice recognition, at least for now. Thank… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1890) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1892)