# Latest **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=520&state=tracking [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 521 --- ## [Earliest Obsessions ( before age 12)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earliest-obsessions-before-age-12/1004279)
**Author:** [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [July 17, 2024, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earliest-obsessions-before-age-12/1004279 "2024-07-17T15:11:41Z")
I had 2 obsessions starting around the first grade. The first one was national statistics, and the other one was animals of all kinds. Everything I learned came from encyclopedias, --- ## [Tourist \[allegedly\] dies from 'spider bite' in Brazil. Can you id from the necrosis?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tourist-allegedly-dies-from-spider-bite-in-brazil-can-you-id-from-the-necrosis/1004383)
**Author:** [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [July 17, 2024, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tourist-allegedly-dies-from-spider-bite-in-brazil-can-you-id-from-the-necrosis/1004383 "2024-07-17T14:46:33Z")
I say ‘allegedly’ because a) the link says ‘it was ascertained’ without saying by whom, and b) medical professionals aren’t necessarily good entomologists, and c) none of the info in the article is sourced to an onsite p… --- ## [Do kids nowadays not care about "stuff"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-kids-nowadays-not-care-about-stuff/1003239)
**Author:** [@LivingGhost371](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LivingGhost371)\ **Replies:** 106\ **Last updated:** [July 17, 2024, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-kids-nowadays-not-care-about-stuff/1003239 "2024-07-17T13:01:09Z")
Do kids nowadays have nostalgia and care about stuff like people my age (Generation X) do? Had another sort of weird estate sale experience- as well as the usual stuff, there were two teenagers obviously living in the h… --- ## [Six found dead in Bangkok hotel](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-found-dead-in-bangkok-hotel/1004325)
**Author:** [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [July 17, 2024, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-found-dead-in-bangkok-hotel/1004325 "2024-07-17T09:40:54Z")
Very weird. Some kind of cult thing? Does Vietnam have a beef with anyone? --- ## [Caring about outcomes to a degree far exceeding one's ability to determine them](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/caring-about-outcomes-to-a-degree-far-exceeding-ones-ability-to-determine-them/1004302)
**Author:** [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [July 17, 2024, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/caring-about-outcomes-to-a-degree-far-exceeding-ones-ability-to-determine-them/1004302 "2024-07-17T04:43:37Z")
It’s kind of the human condition. Not being in control enough. Wanting those outcomes. So wanting power not (initially) for its own sake but as a means to an ends. But that’s what power means. An ability to have t… --- ## [How did the FBI identify the body of Thomas Crooks (Trump's would be assassin)?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-fbi-identify-the-body-of-thomas-crooks-trumps-would-be-assassin/1004202)
**Author:** [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Replies:** 34\ **Last updated:** [July 17, 2024, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-fbi-identify-the-body-of-thomas-crooks-trumps-would-be-assassin/1004202 "2024-07-17T01:36:12Z")
At first, the news reported that the gunman had no id on his body; then within a few hours the FBI announced his name. How did they know? Has any news source mentioned this? My blind guess is that his rifle gave him aw… --- ## [Would you host a time traveller from the past?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-host-a-time-traveller-from-the-past/1003984)
**Author:** [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Replies:** 37\ **Last updated:** [July 17, 2024, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-host-a-time-traveller-from-the-past/1003984 "2024-07-17T00:20:54Z")
There’s a new program that lets people from past eras time-travel to the present for one week, as a type of vacation. The people traveling have taken language lessons so they can speak and understand modern English. They… --- ## [Hard or Soft Shells are equally valid for Tacos, Fuck your "Only soft shells are Authentic" bullshit](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-or-soft-shells-are-equally-valid-for-tacos-fuck-your-only-soft-shells-are-authentic-bullshit/972249)
**Author:** [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Replies:** 280\ **Last updated:** [July 17, 2024, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-or-soft-shells-are-equally-valid-for-tacos-fuck-your-only-soft-shells-are-authentic-bullshit/972249 "2024-07-17T00:19:01Z")
Because guess what, hard shell tacos are also authentic to Mexican cuisine starting around the 1800s. Don’t fucking wander into a Twitter Convo I’m having to remind me of the “fact” that “Hard shelled tacos aren’t real M… --- ## [Seen any new (birdwatching) life list birds](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seen-any-new-birdwatching-life-list-birds/999674)
**Author:** [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Replies:** 39\ **Last updated:** [July 16, 2024, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seen-any-new-birdwatching-life-list-birds/999674 "2024-07-16T23:00:55Z")
I wondered if other posters might enjoy a thread in which folk can list new additions to their life lists. I’m fine with anyone posting any other info/questions about their birdwatching activities. I’m a pretty casual … --- ## [Witnessing an event that very few got to see](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/witnessing-an-event-that-very-few-got-to-see/1004004)
**Author:** [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [July 16, 2024, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/witnessing-an-event-that-very-few-got-to-see/1004004 "2024-07-16T22:11:56Z")
There have been thousands of events that have taken what I consider the world stage. Sometimes millions witness this event, sometimes it’s only a few hundred. Some people have been to multiple events, up till a few weeks… --- ## [Peter Buxtun, Tuskegee Experiment whistleblower, dies at 86](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-buxtun-tuskegee-experiment-whistleblower-dies-at-86/1004353)
**Author:** [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [July 16, 2024, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-buxtun-tuskegee-experiment-whistleblower-dies-at-86/1004353 "2024-07-16T22:06:19Z")
If you don’t know, the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment was run by the U.S. government from the 1930s to the 1970s, and it involved denying syphilis treatment to hundreds of black men in the Deep South. What’s really curiou… --- ## [Happy 'Die Hard' Day!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-die-hard-day/1004291)
**Author:** [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [July 16, 2024, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-die-hard-day/1004291 "2024-07-16T21:56:26Z")
I don’t get a chance to post that often anymore, but being on travel this evening, I noted that today is a very special holiday–it’s Die Hard day! Release date of July 15, 2024–36 years ago, it still holds up as a legit… --- ## [When the doc asks "Did you fall?" - what do they want to know?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-doc-asks-did-you-fall-what-do-they-want-to-know/999199)
**Author:** [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Replies:** 90\ **Last updated:** [July 16, 2024, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-doc-asks-did-you-fall-what-do-they-want-to-know/999199 "2024-07-16T21:51:12Z")
Being of a certain age (70) when I go in for my semi-annual poke-n-prod, my doc will ask if I’ve fallen. I assume she’s asking if I’ve taken a tumble for no apparent reason as opposed to tripping over the dog toys in the… --- ## [How high should a toilet seat be?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-high-should-a-toilet-seat-be/1004118)
**Author:** [@Fish\_Cheer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish_Cheer)\ **Replies:** 48\ **Last updated:** [July 16, 2024, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-high-should-a-toilet-seat-be/1004118 "2024-07-16T21:39:41Z")
We’re building a house and are unsure what to tell the plumber. We’re of average height — me 5’ 10", wife 5’ 6", son is 3’ 3" at 3 years. The toilets in our current house are 16" (floor to top of seat), but feel kinda lo… --- ## [Speculation on a symbol/icon/logo on a battery](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculation-on-a-symbol-icon-logo-on-a-battery/1004345)
**Author:** [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [July 16, 2024, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculation-on-a-symbol-icon-logo-on-a-battery/1004345 "2024-07-16T20:52:43Z")
I’m curious about this symbol I found on a battery. It doesn’t have a cross through it so apparently is a recommended procedure. Taunt the child with a package? Decapitate the robot? --- ## [Could this story be true? (About bringing ice cream onto a plane)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-story-be-true-about-bringing-ice-cream-onto-a-plane/1004295)
**Author:** [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [July 16, 2024, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-story-be-true-about-bringing-ice-cream-onto-a-plane/1004295 "2024-07-16T20:14:03Z")
This story is at least from a friend of a friend, maybe more steps. It sounds too neat, but could it possibly be done? Supposedly a woman got on a commercial plane leaving NYC for Spain. She had a carryon, a canvas to… --- ## [Real chefs recipes compared to mine](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-chefs-recipes-compared-to-mine/1003909)
**Author:** [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Replies:** 101\ **Last updated:** [July 16, 2024, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-chefs-recipes-compared-to-mine/1003909 "2024-07-16T19:55:10Z")
My recipe for French Onion Soup: Buy some nice beef stock. Peel and chop 8 cups of onions, etc, etc… Jean Pierre’s recipe for French Onion Soup: Brown some leftover beef bones,… Julia’s recipe for French Onion Soup: D… --- ## [Bob Dylan - am I the the only one that can't get past his singing?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-dylan-am-i-the-the-only-one-that-cant-get-past-his-singing/1004239)
**Author:** [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Replies:** 55\ **Last updated:** [July 16, 2024, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-dylan-am-i-the-the-only-one-that-cant-get-past-his-singing/1004239 "2024-07-16T19:39:50Z")
I have a very wide range of music in my collection. I try to keep an open mind and listen to albums several times. I often learn to appreciate the album. There’s something about Bob Dylan. His singing sounds like someon… --- ## [Trump-proofing some aid for Ukraine if Biden loses in November](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-proofing-some-aid-for-ukraine-if-biden-loses-in-november/1003753)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [July 16, 2024, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-proofing-some-aid-for-ukraine-if-biden-loses-in-november/1003753 "2024-07-16T18:17:20Z")
Suppose that Biden loses to Trump in November. It’s no secret that Trump and the GOP has been intending to cut off aid for Ukraine if they take back power - and they already hold the House. If Trump wins, it’s a good bet… --- ## [Odd construction near me](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-construction-near-me/1004158)
**Author:** [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [July 16, 2024, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-construction-near-me/1004158 "2024-07-16T17:01:14Z")
So this lot has had nothing but a garage on it for several years. Last fall the guy fenced off the lot and began digging with an excavator. I figured he was finally building a house. The hole never had vertical walls and… --- ## [Posting on cell phone, formatting floating box solution](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posting-on-cell-phone-formatting-floating-box-solution/1004304)
**Author:** [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [July 16, 2024, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posting-on-cell-phone-formatting-floating-box-solution/1004304 "2024-07-16T16:22:21Z")
I can’t believe I only just discovered this, but maybe I’m not the only one. I do most of my posting from my cell phone for reasons. I’ve been annoyed ever since the switch to Discourse that whenever I want to format a … --- ## [House of the Dragon 2.04 "The Red Dragon and the Gold" 7/7/24 OPEN SPOILERS](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-of-the-dragon-2-04-the-red-dragon-and-the-gold-7-7-24-open-spoilers/1003852)
**Author:** [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Replies:** 56\ **Last updated:** [July 16, 2024, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-of-the-dragon-2-04-the-red-dragon-and-the-gold-7-7-24-open-spoilers/1003852 "2024-07-16T14:07:47Z")
Everything shown on screen is valid for discussion without spoiler boxes. If you’re going to reveal future events based on any other material please spoiler box it. 2.01: A Son for a Son 2.02: Rhaenyra The Cruel 2.03:… --- ## [Artisanal pencil sharpening](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artisanal-pencil-sharpening/1004077)
**Author:** [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Replies:** 43\ **Last updated:** [July 16, 2024, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artisanal-pencil-sharpening/1004077 "2024-07-16T13:58:14Z")
This is something I have known about for decades but I wonder if others have heard of it. You can send your pencils to a guy who will sharpen them to perfection. He returns the shavings with the newly (certified) dangero… --- ## [Strange shower behavior following a power glitch question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-shower-behavior-following-a-power-glitch-question/1004121)
**Author:** [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [July 16, 2024, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-shower-behavior-following-a-power-glitch-question/1004121 "2024-07-16T13:36:11Z")
I assume there’s a factual explanation, but after googling it for a while I can’t find an answer that makes sense to me, but I’m not a plumber. Here’s what happened. I live in a house with an on-demand water heater and … --- ## [Kansas teen makes two holes-in-one during same round](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kansas-teen-makes-two-holes-in-one-during-same-round/1003996)
**Author:** [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [July 16, 2024, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kansas-teen-makes-two-holes-in-one-during-same-round/1003996 "2024-07-16T12:55:05Z")
Not bad for a 13-year-old. --- ## [Deadwood TV Series Dialogue Question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deadwood-tv-series-dialogue-question/1004270)
**Author:** [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [July 16, 2024, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deadwood-tv-series-dialogue-question/1004270 "2024-07-16T01:18:50Z")
As I may have mentioned, I enjoy watching the HBO TV series Deadwood. I enjoy the acting, the story, and the realism. It’s often criticized for being fake history and for its use of modern swear words. It may look and f… --- ## [Translate Spanish at end of CSN song "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" (I am yours, U are mine)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/translate-spanish-at-end-of-csn-song-suite-judy-blue-eyes-i-am-yours-u-are-mine/274324)
**Author:** [@jgroub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jgroub)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [July 16, 2024, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/translate-spanish-at-end-of-csn-song-suite-judy-blue-eyes-i-am-yours-u-are-mine/274324 "2024-07-16T01:05:08Z")
I have always wanted to know: just what is the Spanish that Steven Stills is singing at the end of “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes”? (That’s the Crosby, Stills song with the lyrics “I am yours, you are mine, you are what you a… --- ## [Going into nursing with a degree in something else?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-into-nursing-with-a-degree-in-something-else/1004151)
**Author:** [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [July 16, 2024, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-into-nursing-with-a-degree-in-something-else/1004151 "2024-07-16T00:46:32Z")
One of my adult kids followed his interests in college and ended up with a degree in geology. He had and has no interest in a career in academia or working for energy companies. His after college life career wise has bee… --- ## [Icehouses in the American South](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icehouses-in-the-american-south/1004156)
**Author:** [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [July 15, 2024, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/icehouses-in-the-american-south/1004156 "2024-07-15T23:07:39Z")
How far south in the USA could 19th century icehouses operate before mechanical refrigeration? Now of course anywhere on the Atlantic coast and maybe even the Gulf coast could get ice shipped down from New England; but i… --- ## [Does "RMS" (Royal Mail Ship) still have any meaning today?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-rms-royal-mail-ship-still-have-any-meaning-today/1004244)
**Author:** [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [July 15, 2024, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-rms-royal-mail-ship-still-have-any-meaning-today/1004244 "2024-07-15T22:56:11Z")
My understanding is any British ship with the label “RMS” was special. It was a ship the British government deemed suitable to carry mail which lent that ship a notion that it was fast and well run (safe…and I think Tit… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=519&state=tracking) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=521&state=tracking)