# Latest **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=347&state=tracking [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 348 --- ## [The Thing about the character Superman is](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thing-about-the-character-superman-is/1014932)
**Author:** [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Replies:** 93\ **Last updated:** [March 28, 2025, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thing-about-the-character-superman-is/1014932 "2025-03-28T20:10:13Z")
…is that he still needs to be relatable to humans to be a success on screen. I’m no massive Supe fan. I’ve seen some of the films along the way. Here’s my take, having decided to watch the long-form trailer for the 1978… --- ## [I’m puzzled by LinkedIn searches I’ve been getting](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-m-puzzled-by-linkedin-searches-i-ve-been-getting/1015988)
**Author:** [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [March 28, 2025, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-m-puzzled-by-linkedin-searches-i-ve-been-getting/1015988 "2025-03-28T19:57:47Z")
I’ve got a LinkedIn page. I’m not very active on it. One of the LinkedIn features is that you can search other people on it. And when other people search you, you get coy little notes about “someone from ABC Corp sear… --- ## ['average' rotational speed for a point on a rotating sphere?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/average-rotational-speed-for-a-point-on-a-rotating-sphere/1016138)
**Author:** [@brossa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brossa)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [March 28, 2025, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/average-rotational-speed-for-a-point-on-a-rotating-sphere/1016138 "2025-03-28T18:02:24Z")
A sphere is spinning such that a point on the equator has a rotational speed of x cm/sec. I’m dealing with the scalar value here, not the velocity vector. As you move from the equator to the pole the rotational speed de… --- ## [Democrat upsets in bye elections](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrat-upsets-in-bye-elections/1016144)
**Author:** [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [March 28, 2025, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrat-upsets-in-bye-elections/1016144 "2025-03-28T17:08:10Z")
There was an election for state senator in Pennsylvania this week. The district went for Trump by 15 points. The Democrat pulled an upset. --- ## [The rat in the bin](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rat-in-the-bin/1015993)
**Author:** [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [March 28, 2025, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rat-in-the-bin/1015993 "2025-03-28T15:56:59Z")
I was tired. Even triumphant, a little bit - but only in that way you are after accomplishing a difficult but mundane task (in this case having to do with a washer with a blocked drain). A couple of bags of trash left to… --- ## [Experiences with small electric motorcycles, Vespas, etc](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experiences-with-small-electric-motorcycles-vespas-etc/1016226)
**Author:** [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [March 28, 2025, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experiences-with-small-electric-motorcycles-vespas-etc/1016226 "2025-03-28T15:00:05Z")
Interested in any and all stories, anecdotes, tales cautionary or laudatory. However, specifically looking for operator stories, not passenger stories. Though I would welcome passenger stories specifically about buying s… --- ## [Elon Musk on The Late Show?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elon-musk-on-the-late-show/1016081)
**Author:** [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [March 28, 2025, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elon-musk-on-the-late-show/1016081 "2025-03-28T14:55:09Z")
TIL that some time in the recent past, Elon Musk was a guest on The Late Show with Steven Colbert. From the small amount I’ve been able to find, I gather that some of Steven’s remarks/questions got under Elon’s skin, and… --- ## [Let's talk about computer back-up strategies](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-computer-back-up-strategies/1016183)
**Author:** [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Replies:** 36\ **Last updated:** [March 28, 2025, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-computer-back-up-strategies/1016183 "2025-03-28T14:34:02Z")
I have a bunch of files on my laptop that I’d rather not lose. I currently have an external USB drive that I plug into the laptop every now and then onto which I copy all of my documents and photos. Because I am prone to… --- ## [Beat AI at finding a quote for me](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beat-ai-at-finding-a-quote-for-me/1016255)
**Author:** [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tired_and_Cranky)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [March 28, 2025, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beat-ai-at-finding-a-quote-for-me/1016255 "2025-03-28T14:23:58Z")
I prompted Chat GPT-4o mini to find me a particular quote. My initial prompt was “find me a published quote that means people often fight the hardest about things that matter the least.” Chat GPT’s responses completely m… --- ## [Warp speed of Cosmic Inflation](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warp-speed-of-cosmic-inflation/980763)
**Author:** [@Dodgy\_Dude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dodgy_Dude)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [March 28, 2025, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warp-speed-of-cosmic-inflation/980763 "2025-03-28T13:01:16Z")
I’m watching How the Universe Works on the Science Channel and they said that during the period of Cosmic Inflation the universe went from being the size of a grain of sand to the size of the sun faster than the speed of… --- ## [Kentucky Derby 2021, who collected on their bets?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kentucky-derby-2021-who-collected-on-their-bets/1016246)
**Author:** [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [March 28, 2025, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kentucky-derby-2021-who-collected-on-their-bets/1016246 "2025-03-28T12:12:48Z")
While I was solving a NYT crossword from 2021, one of the clues was “\_\_\_\_ Spirit, 2021 Kentucky Derby winner.” Having difficulty figuring out the answer, I decided to cheat, and asked Siri who was the winner. The respons… --- ## [What does this say (Japanese)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-say-japanese/1016186)
**Author:** [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [March 28, 2025, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-say-japanese/1016186 "2025-03-28T12:07:08Z")
What does the Japanese writing on this T-shirt say? https://www.tokyo-tiger.com/products/tokyo-tiger-ungovernable-raccoon-washed-t-shirt --- ## [A Bomb Threat? HERE?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bomb-threat-here/1016141)
**Author:** [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [March 28, 2025, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bomb-threat-here/1016141 "2025-03-28T09:38:39Z")
This is ridiculous! Just tried to go to my local supermarket, a small store in a quiet exurban/suburban town, and discovered three police vehicles there and the store had just been shut down… Because of a bomb threat. … --- ## [Authenticity of counterfeit products](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authenticity-of-counterfeit-products/1016208)
**Author:** [@joemama24\_98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joemama24_98)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [March 28, 2025, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authenticity-of-counterfeit-products/1016208 "2025-03-28T04:16:43Z")
I recently returned from my first trip to China, where I spent some time in Shanghai. A local colleague showed me around town, including a “fake market” where vendors had stalls and were selling various things. All o… --- ## [What causes the characteristic "poike" sound on scammer's phone calls?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-causes-the-characteristic-poike-sound-on-scammers-phone-calls/1015733)
**Author:** [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [March 28, 2025, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-causes-the-characteristic-poike-sound-on-scammers-phone-calls/1015733 "2025-03-28T04:13:18Z")
I have observed, for years, that if I get a call from a random phone number, just before a human comes on the line, there is an electronic sound I characterize as “poike” (just say it like it sounds; silent “e”). When … --- ## [Speculate: How does a transplant recipient get rabies](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculate-how-does-a-transplant-recipient-get-rabies/1016225)
**Author:** [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [March 28, 2025, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculate-how-does-a-transplant-recipient-get-rabies/1016225 "2025-03-28T01:16:26Z")
Yes, I know it was from the donor, but I’m interested in possible scenarios about how this could happen Is it possible the donor was a ‘carrier’ (had the virus but no symptoms), or is it necessarily that the donor cont… --- ## [Thoughts on chronic insomnia?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-on-chronic-insomnia/1016187)
**Author:** [@Orville\_mogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orville_mogul)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [March 28, 2025, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-on-chronic-insomnia/1016187 "2025-03-28T01:06:09Z")
I have a colleague, a 49 yo woman, who has been suffering from chronic insomnia for the last 12 months. She says she has never been a good sleeper, but since this time she has seldom gotten more than three hours of sleep… --- ## [Too much Simethicone](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-much-simethicone/1016221)
**Author:** [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [March 28, 2025, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-much-simethicone/1016221 "2025-03-28T00:33:35Z")
(Note to mods, I’m merely satisfying my curiosity - I have no desire or intention of ‘over-medicating’) What’s the danger of taking too much gas medicine? My wife recently bought this product. I notice it says: Do not… --- ## [Interview of guy to run Social Security](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interview-of-guy-to-run-social-security/1016222)
**Author:** [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [March 27, 2025, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interview-of-guy-to-run-social-security/1016222 "2025-03-27T22:53:30Z")
Was this guy drunk? --- ## [I figured out a scam. Tell me if I'm wrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-figured-out-a-scam-tell-me-if-im-wrong/1015434)
**Author:** [@GailForce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GailForce)\ **Replies:** 55\ **Last updated:** [March 27, 2025, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-figured-out-a-scam-tell-me-if-im-wrong/1015434 "2025-03-27T22:06:42Z")
I’m pretty sure I caught on to a scam before I gave them thousands of dollars. There’s an an outfit called artstorefront dot com that appealed to artists (I’m a painter) who don’t like handing the business side of their… --- ## [Question about strength training](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-strength-training/1016117)
**Author:** [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [March 27, 2025, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-strength-training/1016117 "2025-03-27T20:34:48Z")
Trying to figure out the best frequency vs intensity for working out. I am past the point of getting much soreness, now I get kind of a flexed feeling that lingers for a few days before disappearing. When that flexed fee… --- ## [Equation: Order of operations](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equation-order-of-operations/1012088)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 101\ **Last updated:** [March 27, 2025, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equation-order-of-operations/1012088 "2025-03-27T19:39:33Z")
6 ÷ 2(1+2) I would solve it like this: 6 ÷ 2(3) 6 ÷ 6 = 1 The calculator on my iPhone solves it like this: (6 ÷ 2) x 3 3 x 3 = 9 PEMDAS: Parentheses, Exponent, Multiplication, Division, Addition, Subtraction. So: … --- ## [What's with those huge PO box numbers for tax returns?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-those-huge-po-box-numbers-for-tax-returns/1016150)
**Author:** [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [March 27, 2025, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-those-huge-po-box-numbers-for-tax-returns/1016150 "2025-03-27T18:33:35Z")
I’m just preparing my tax payments to mail in, and I’m struck by the huge PO box numbers for both the federal and California payments. The address for the federal payment is PO Box 802501, Cincinnati, OH 45280, and the a… --- ## [Missing Merlin story discovered in the Cambridge University Library](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missing-merlin-story-discovered-in-the-cambridge-university-library/1016148)
**Author:** [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [March 27, 2025, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missing-merlin-story-discovered-in-the-cambridge-university-library/1016148 "2025-03-27T18:18:16Z")
It had been reused as a cover for another book. It’s amazing to think about how many treasures could be hidden away in some forgotten corner. Gives the world that sense of mystery it sometimes lacks in trying times. --- ## [Why do we need Supermax prisons?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-need-supermax-prisons/1015838)
**Author:** [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Replies:** 91\ **Last updated:** [March 27, 2025, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-need-supermax-prisons/1015838 "2025-03-27T16:57:52Z")
Title kinda says it all. We have various prisons in the US, including Supermax prisons. Some famous inmates at these places are Richard Reid (the shoe bomber), Ted Kaczynski (Unabomber), and Robert Hanssen (Soviet spy)… --- ## [Foodguessr web game](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foodguessr-web-game/1016068)
**Author:** [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [March 27, 2025, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foodguessr-web-game/1016068 "2025-03-27T13:44:10Z")
I just found Foodguessr which is basically the food version of geoguessr. It gives you a picture, the ingredients, and a description of a dish, and you have to guess where it originated. If you’re wrong, it tells you how… --- ## [Excel: Average of daily values incrementing by each day](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-average-of-daily-values-incrementing-by-each-day/1016192)
**Author:** [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [March 27, 2025, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-average-of-daily-values-incrementing-by-each-day/1016192 "2025-03-27T13:40:45Z")
I have a question about Excel formulas for which I would greatly appreciate some advice or assistance. I have a column in which I populate a daily value (let’s say “Points”) in each row. So, for example, cell A1 has the… --- ## [Disasters and DOGE, a perfect storm?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disasters-and-doge-a-perfect-storm/1015724)
**Author:** [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [March 27, 2025, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disasters-and-doge-a-perfect-storm/1015724 "2025-03-27T12:12:39Z")
We’re seeing horrifying weather events this past year and also recently. The most recent has killed 37 people, spawned tornadoes, dust storms, etc. With the current administration getting rid of FEMA, it would seem that … --- ## [Troubleshooting an electric UTV cart, anyone?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/troubleshooting-an-electric-utv-cart-anyone/1016137)
**Author:** [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [March 27, 2025, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/troubleshooting-an-electric-utv-cart-anyone/1016137 "2025-03-27T12:00:42Z")
Hoping one of you wise folk can help ~ I have an old electric American Sportworks Chuck Wagon, it’s an “offroad”-ish utility cart that I use for farm chores. I love it, but it’s getting tired and doing weird things. I … --- ## [Why isn't this big news? (New battery)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-this-big-news-new-battery/740154)
**Author:** [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [March 27, 2025, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-this-big-news-new-battery/740154 "2025-03-27T08:27:43Z")
A couple of weeks back, Oak Ridge Laboratories - a research group under the DOE - announced that they have come up with a new lithium-sulfur battery that has 2-3x the energy density of lithium-ion batteries and that they… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=346&state=tracking) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=348&state=tracking)