# Latest **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=652&state=tracking [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 653 --- ## [Joyce Randolph RIP](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joyce-randolph-rip/996080)
**Author:** [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [January 14, 2024, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joyce-randolph-rip/996080 "2024-01-14T22:25:30Z")
You know, I don’t have much to say here except she had a good long life, and I liked Trixie Norton better than Ethel Mertz as a second banana. --- ## [Is it common on the internet that people use AI to create any resources (e.g., about language orthography, history, etc.)?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-common-on-the-internet-that-people-use-ai-to-create-any-resources-e-g-about-language-orthography-history-etc/994635)
**Author:** [@Jagraze1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jagraze1)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [January 14, 2024, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-common-on-the-internet-that-people-use-ai-to-create-any-resources-e-g-about-language-orthography-history-etc/994635 "2024-01-14T21:54:37Z")
I’ve heard that AI has been popular in recent years. It is often used as a tool for assistance virtually. Infact, people are now often using it to create essays. Does this apply to online resources too? I just wanted to … --- ## [Road Scholar (formerly Elderhostel): Anybody done one of these?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/road-scholar-formerly-elderhostel-anybody-done-one-of-these/995906)
**Author:** [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [January 14, 2024, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/road-scholar-formerly-elderhostel-anybody-done-one-of-these/995906 "2024-01-14T21:49:57Z")
We’re thinking of signing on for one of these trips, probably to Italy. I’m wondering if anybody here has experience with this outfit and any recommendations. We’ve done extensive travel in the past, but it’s been a long… --- ## [Two-ingredient chocolate mousse](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-ingredient-chocolate-mousse/995975)
**Author:** [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Replies:** 38\ **Last updated:** [January 14, 2024, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-ingredient-chocolate-mousse/995975 "2024-01-14T21:22:34Z")
Take 2 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1 cup water. Blend for three minutes. Chill overnight. Garnish with more chocolate chips. Makes four servings. Is this guy serious? He seems to be. This is not chocolate m… --- ## [Saw a SovCit licence plate](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saw-a-sovcit-licence-plate/980398)
**Author:** [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Replies:** 69\ **Last updated:** [January 14, 2024, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saw-a-sovcit-licence-plate/980398 "2024-01-14T20:30:07Z")
It was a USDOT plate complete with DOT’s logo but for private use. Hmmmm, that’s strange and sovcit bunk that the car is not for commerce, transport or hire. But it looked like a real plate, not one of those handwritte… --- ## [Chess: 900 ELO to 1500 ELO in a Year -- Is It Possible?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chess-900-elo-to-1500-elo-in-a-year-is-it-possible/976265)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [January 14, 2024, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chess-900-elo-to-1500-elo-in-a-year-is-it-possible/976265 "2024-01-14T20:00:48Z")
All of my life I’ve been a terrible chess player at best. My chess(dot)com ELO consistently hovers in the 900-1000 range. I’ve decided to hire a chess coach and really start grinding chess in the next year,\* and my life … --- ## [How old are the oldest bones](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-are-the-oldest-bones/996008)
**Author:** [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [January 14, 2024, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-are-the-oldest-bones/996008 "2024-01-14T19:38:56Z")
For example, dinosaur ‘bones’, as I understand it, are fossils which are formed by sediment covering the organism quickly after death, forming a cavity which is later filled with minerals of some sort. And I take it ther… --- ## [How can the batteries for e-cars burn under water?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-the-batteries-for-e-cars-burn-under-water/994070)
**Author:** [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Replies:** 56\ **Last updated:** [January 14, 2024, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-the-batteries-for-e-cars-burn-under-water/994070 "2024-01-14T18:02:47Z")
How can the batteries for e-cars burn under water? There was a thread a while ago with videos of e-cars that went under water and started burning. How is that possible? I always thought a fire needed oxygen? Or is ther… --- ## [National insignia / markings on WW2 tanks](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-insignia-markings-on-ww2-tanks/996020)
**Author:** [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [January 14, 2024, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-insignia-markings-on-ww2-tanks/996020 "2024-01-14T18:01:15Z")
I know about the German cross and the American white star, and the Soviets sometimes had red stars on their tanks. But I don’t think I’ve ever seen a picture of, say, a British tank with a Union Jack on the turret, or a… --- ## [Cheap Dental Care Options](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-dental-care-options/996017)
**Author:** [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [January 14, 2024, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-dental-care-options/996017 "2024-01-14T17:45:53Z")
What are some cheap option for dental care? I am in SE Michigan and my GF’s 23 y/o son has a cavity that needs filled. Would a university like UofM be much cheaper than just going to a regular dentist? Is there anywhe… --- ## [Medical Question (≠ Need Answer Fast) — recurrent inflammations @ cheekbones](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-question-need-answer-fast-recurrent-inflammations-cheekbones/996066)
**Author:** [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [January 14, 2024, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-question-need-answer-fast-recurrent-inflammations-cheekbones/996066 "2024-01-14T13:16:38Z")
I’m generically prone to sebaceous cysts: subcutaneous nodules under my skin that periodically get infected and swell up and get red and sore, then either just go away quietly or burst and drain and then fade. Well, I … --- ## [Life insurance question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-insurance-question/994124)
**Author:** [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [January 14, 2024, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-insurance-question/994124 "2024-01-14T02:35:13Z")
John is driving home when a drunk driver crosses the center line hitting Johns car killing him. Johns life insurance pays out double because it is an accident. Does the life insurance company go after the drunk driver/… --- ## [eBay terrorizes a pair of journalists](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-terrorizes-a-pair-of-journalists/996061)
**Author:** [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [January 14, 2024, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-terrorizes-a-pair-of-journalists/996061 "2024-01-14T02:32:26Z")
I honestly thought this type of stuff happens only in the movies (or a John Grisham novel) Here’s a (free) link to a New York Times piece that details how eBay employees tried to shut up a pair of journalists for sayin… --- ## [Tom Shales RIP](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-shales-rip/996050)
**Author:** [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [January 13, 2024, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-shales-rip/996050 "2024-01-13T23:47:19Z")
Longtime television critic for the Washington Post and author of the definitive oral history of Saturday Night Live, Shales passed away yesterday at age 79. I really enjoyed his columns, which were often insightful, wit… --- ## [Becks bad bad bad dwunk posting thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/becks-bad-bad-bad-dwunk-posting-thread/996052)
**Author:** [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [January 13, 2024, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/becks-bad-bad-bad-dwunk-posting-thread/996052 "2024-01-13T22:51:58Z")
Yeah. I was. No faults of my own. Kinda high blood glucose. Iyv was on my case. Frettin’ and pokin’ i was giggliy over horses on TV withclothes on. Seemed awfully silly to me. Some stoopid movie on Tmc. I’m mean TCM. … --- ## [How should I die?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-die/995776)
**Author:** [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Replies:** 106\ **Last updated:** [January 13, 2024, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-die/995776 "2024-01-13T22:35:39Z")
Wife and I are currently reading/listening to “How Not To Die”, a book about how to adjust your diet so as to reduce your risk of developing any of several diseases. Some of the chapter titles: How not to die from hea… --- ## [A question about a song in "In the Heat of the Night"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-a-song-in-in-the-heat-of-the-night/464620)
**Author:** [@squeekster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeekster)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [January 13, 2024, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-a-song-in-in-the-heat-of-the-night/464620 "2024-01-13T21:40:07Z")
In the movie In the Heat of the Night, towards the beginning of the movie when Sam Woods (Officer Woods) is driving his patrol car after leaving the diner, there is a song playing on the radio. The lyrics go something l… --- ## [What number is highest before using a form of "ten and \_\_\_\_\_"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-number-is-highest-before-using-a-form-of-ten-and/996014)
**Author:** [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [January 13, 2024, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-number-is-highest-before-using-a-form-of-ten-and/996014 "2024-01-13T20:49:32Z")
In English, we get up to 12 before we say “thirteen”, which is an obvious reference to ten. What number, presumably in a foreign language, is the highest “distinct” number that doesn’t reference another number. I’m not… --- ## [Do you have a pantry?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-pantry/995709)
**Author:** [@Danger\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danger_Man)\ **Replies:** 91\ **Last updated:** [January 13, 2024, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-a-pantry/995709 "2024-01-13T19:24:24Z")
What do you use it for? Do you think it’s essential to have a pantry? They are not that common where I live, and I have never missed having one, but I do wonder why many people think they are essential. --- ## [Does a sedentary lifestyle burn the same amount of calories as an active lifestyle?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-sedentary-lifestyle-burn-the-same-amount-of-calories-as-an-active-lifestyle/995835)
**Author:** [@CoolHandCox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CoolHandCox)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [January 13, 2024, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-sedentary-lifestyle-burn-the-same-amount-of-calories-as-an-active-lifestyle/995835 "2024-01-13T17:55:17Z")
The question is the title, but basically, is a sedentary lifestyle burning roughly the same amount of calories per day as an active lifestyle? I’ve just read that it doesn’t matter, both burn roughly the same amount of … --- ## [Bosda declare his purpose & (non-religious) credo](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bosda-declare-his-purpose-non-religious-credo/996030)
**Author:** [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [January 13, 2024, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bosda-declare-his-purpose-non-religious-credo/996030 "2024-01-13T17:37:42Z")
The drunk throws away the empty bottle, the smoker discards the empty packet, but a book addict never throws away anything. --- ## [3D Glasses?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3d-glasses/996026)
**Author:** [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [January 13, 2024, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3d-glasses/996026 "2024-01-13T17:05:46Z")
Anybody got a set of red/blue 3d glasses? --- ## [How deep would you need to go to create a naturally warm basement?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-deep-would-you-need-to-go-to-create-a-naturally-warm-basement/995907)
**Author:** [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [January 13, 2024, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-deep-would-you-need-to-go-to-create-a-naturally-warm-basement/995907 "2024-01-13T16:39:11Z")
Growing up, my parents didn’t ‘believe’ in air conditioning. (That should likely be read as 'thought spending money for cool air was wasteful giving our area only had high temperatures for maybe two months a year.) As … --- ## [Why all the sunglasses stores?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-all-the-sunglasses-stores/995734)
**Author:** [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [January 13, 2024, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-all-the-sunglasses-stores/995734 "2024-01-13T15:37:18Z")
I’m in an airport terminal, standing in front of a store selling designer sunglasses. Such stores are everywhere in airports, malls, and shopping streets. Who’s buying these glasses? They’re not the el cheapo plastic kin… --- ## [Do we have an obligation to know about the suffering of others?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-an-obligation-to-know-about-the-suffering-of-others/995982)
**Author:** [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [January 13, 2024, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-have-an-obligation-to-know-about-the-suffering-of-others/995982 "2024-01-13T15:27:57Z")
I’ve always felt that I do have an obligation to know about the suffering of others. Take for example the Russia/Ukraine war. If people are being shot, raped, stabbed, starved, tortured and murdered, the least I can do i… --- ## [The Risk of Artificial Photosynthesis?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-risk-of-artificial-photosynthesis/995981)
**Author:** [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [January 13, 2024, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-risk-of-artificial-photosynthesis/995981 "2024-01-13T12:22:39Z")
I’ve recently seen a few news articles like these: If we assume as a given that 1) we have or will find a genuine improvement on photosynthesis, and 2) we can genetically engineer that into our plants then: Would tha… --- ## [Guess Trump's weight](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guess-trumps-weight/989013)
**Author:** [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Replies:** 205\ **Last updated:** [January 13, 2024, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guess-trumps-weight/989013 "2024-01-13T07:31:08Z")
Trump will be weighed during his GA arrest, and in my understanding his weight will be on the public arrest report. What do you think his weight will be in lbs? My guess - 287 lbs. --- ## [Australian phrase: "shout the bar!"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-phrase-shout-the-bar/995970)
**Author:** [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [January 13, 2024, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-phrase-shout-the-bar/995970 "2024-01-13T06:53:53Z")
Yep another thread about the “little differences” the four english speaking countries I’ve lived in have. From “Pulp Fiction” VINCENT It’s the little differences. A lotta the same shit we got here, they got there, bu… --- ## [Is English the only language that uses the "oʊ" sound?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-english-the-only-language-that-uses-the-o-sound/995820)
**Author:** [@Amikejo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amikejo)\ **Replies:** 76\ **Last updated:** [January 13, 2024, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-english-the-only-language-that-uses-the-o-sound/995820 "2024-01-13T05:56:21Z")
I can’t think of another language that uses it, and google yielded nothing. --- ## [Is there anything to prevent state legislatures from moving back to having only themselves vote for presidential electors?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-to-prevent-state-legislatures-from-moving-back-to-having-only-themselves-vote-for-presidential-electors/995983)
**Author:** [@sweeteviljesus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweeteviljesus)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [January 13, 2024, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-to-prevent-state-legislatures-from-moving-back-to-having-only-themselves-vote-for-presidential-electors/995983 "2024-01-13T04:49:55Z")
Prior to, I believe, the election where Jackson won, it was common for presidential elections to be voted on by state legislatures rather than direct votes by the citizenry determining the slate of electors. Is there an… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=651&state=tracking) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=653&state=tracking)