# Latest **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=780 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 781 --- ## [The Ron Thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ron-thread/475417)
**Author:** [@melodyharmonius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melodyharmonius)\ **Replies:** 579\ **Last updated:** [July 21, 2023, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ron-thread/475417 "2023-07-21T01:58:43Z")
Okay - this is for the people from this thread that read this snippet: The first time I met Ron was at a holiday party I was hosting at my house. My sister and Ron showed up 2 hours late - because they were shopping f… --- ## [Has there ever been an accidental airbag deployment caused by some guy working on a car without disconnecting the battery?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-an-accidental-airbag-deployment-caused-by-some-guy-working-on-a-car-without-disconnecting-the-battery/986856)
**Author:** [@LivingGhost371](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LivingGhost371)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [July 21, 2023, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-an-accidental-airbag-deployment-caused-by-some-guy-working-on-a-car-without-disconnecting-the-battery/986856 "2023-07-21T01:05:46Z")
Every guide to working on your car says to “disconnect the negative battery terminal”, lest your airbag exploded and kill you if you connect the red to the black when trying to install a new stereo. Is this purely CYA te… --- ## [Solved! The mystery of socks that go missing in the laundry](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solved-the-mystery-of-socks-that-go-missing-in-the-laundry/987120)
**Author:** [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Replies:** 39\ **Last updated:** [July 21, 2023, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solved-the-mystery-of-socks-that-go-missing-in-the-laundry/987120 "2023-07-21T00:52:00Z")
At least in my household… While doing some troubleshooting on my top-load washing machine (goes unbalanced too often…) I opened the top of the machine (not the lid where you add clothes) to expose the drum and the suppo… --- ## [Is there a current role for public intellectuals?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-current-role-for-public-intellectuals/987185)
**Author:** [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [July 21, 2023, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-current-role-for-public-intellectuals/987185 "2023-07-21T00:33:04Z")
Reading an article in the New York Times about Oppenheimer. It caused me to wonder what the current role is for public intellectuals in the US (they seem more accepted and relevant in, say, France.). They have largely b… --- ## [MLB - July 20, 1969](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-20-1969/987299)
**Author:** [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [July 21, 2023, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-20-1969/987299 "2023-07-21T00:11:00Z")
54 years ago today - from mlb dot com: "On July 20, 1969, most Americans were consumed by the event of a lifetime: the Apollo 11 lunar landing. The Giants were no different. San Francisco groundskeeper Matty Schwab fou… --- ## [Need names for kittens](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-names-for-kittens/986364)
**Author:** [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Replies:** 43\ **Last updated:** [July 20, 2023, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-names-for-kittens/986364 "2023-07-20T23:40:25Z")
So, we plan to adopt a pair of kittens. We’ve been fostering them, and they came with names, but i don’t particularly like their names, and we’ve just learned that “Richard” is a girl. So I’m looking for something else. … --- ## [Baseball general discussion, a thread for general baseball discussion](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-general-discussion-a-thread-for-general-baseball-discussion/984749)
**Author:** [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [July 20, 2023, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-general-discussion-a-thread-for-general-baseball-discussion/984749 "2023-07-20T23:00:42Z")
A thread for general baseball discussion. Anything baseball, general unfocused discussion, focused only on… baseball. It’s America’s pastime. --- ## [What's wrong with my dishwasher](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-my-dishwasher/987267)
**Author:** [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [July 20, 2023, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-my-dishwasher/987267 "2023-07-20T22:43:32Z")
I have an EdgeStar DWP60ES countertop dishwasher. This morning when I ran it it stopped at the end of the pre-rinse cycle / beginning of the wash cycle, ran the drain pump, and started beeping. Now it seems to be stuck… --- ## [Legal basis for a guardian's civil immunity from actions of their ward](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-basis-for-a-guardians-civil-immunity-from-actions-of-their-ward/974240)
**Author:** [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [July 20, 2023, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-basis-for-a-guardians-civil-immunity-from-actions-of-their-ward/974240 "2023-07-20T21:18:27Z")
When I became plenary guardian of my adult daughter over a decade ago, the lawyer who handled the petition assured me that I would be taking no personal financial risks since I would not be personally liable for her acti… --- ## [NCAA announces a new second-tier women's basketball tournament](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ncaa-announces-a-new-second-tier-womens-basketball-tournament/987266)
**Author:** [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [July 20, 2023, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ncaa-announces-a-new-second-tier-womens-basketball-tournament/987266 "2023-07-20T20:12:07Z")
The NCAA, in its attempts to equalize how it handles men’s and women’s basketball as much as possible while taking some realizations into account (for example, the women’s tournament only has two regional sites, and the … --- ## [Looking at a thumbdrive safely](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-at-a-thumbdrive-safely/984777)
**Author:** [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Replies:** 66\ **Last updated:** [July 20, 2023, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-at-a-thumbdrive-safely/984777 "2023-07-20T19:32:45Z")
Had a wonderful weekend. Saturday night we were at a brewery hosting a reggae band that we like. They had a guest vocalist sit in for the first set, a guy visiting from Jamaica. We had a great time, the Jamaican dude e… --- ## [Pictures in posts](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pictures-in-posts/985744)
**Author:** [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [July 20, 2023, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pictures-in-posts/985744 "2023-07-20T19:24:49Z")
How do I add a .JPG picture to my post? --- ## [Roald Dahl was anti-semitic? Who knew?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roald-dahl-was-anti-semitic-who-knew/927485)
**Author:** [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Replies:** 131\ **Last updated:** [July 20, 2023, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roald-dahl-was-anti-semitic-who-knew/927485 "2023-07-20T19:18:55Z")
30 years after his death (and 2 years after a very lucrative deal selling his work for $1 Billion) Roald Dahl’s grandchildren have apologized on the website representing his work, for his anti-semitism and his public sta… --- ## [Wow! I've started playing WOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-ive-started-playing-wow/987315)
**Author:** [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [July 20, 2023, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-ive-started-playing-wow/987315 "2023-07-20T19:07:06Z")
Didn’t see a thread on this so if one exists it is long dormant. I am a long time MMORPG player. Anyone remember playing TERA and Rift? I was playing SW: The Old Republic since beta but not anymore - it has become unp… --- ## [What's this control on a Mercedes bus?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-control-on-a-mercedes-bus/987297)
**Author:** [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [July 20, 2023, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-control-on-a-mercedes-bus/987297 "2023-07-20T18:14:33Z")
I’m on a bus tour near Athens (Greece), and the driver has a small stalk on the right side of the steering column that he uses to slow the vehicle. He pulls it down, which apparently engages engine braking of some kind. … --- ## [Most horrifying movie finale you have ever seen](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-horrifying-movie-finale-you-have-ever-seen/986155)
**Author:** [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Replies:** 166\ **Last updated:** [July 20, 2023, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-horrifying-movie-finale-you-have-ever-seen/986155 "2023-07-20T17:58:30Z")
No jokey “This main character was so stupid I was horrified the other actors didn’t throw them over a cliff” type responses, please. I am talking about finales that jerk the rug out from under you emotionally, that let … --- ## [Current magnetic storm? 20 July 23](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/current-magnetic-storm-20-july-23/987312)
**Author:** [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [July 20, 2023, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/current-magnetic-storm-20-july-23/987312 "2023-07-20T17:35:29Z")
Anyone having internet problems today, 20 Jan.2023 around noonish US Eastern Standard Time? Flopping on and off here in Augusta GA. Called our daughter up in N. Carolina, same deal with her. Earthsky is saying, “An inc… --- ## [Heavy-handed hijack moderation](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heavy-handed-hijack-moderation/986303)
**Author:** [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Replies:** 111\ **Last updated:** [July 20, 2023, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heavy-handed-hijack-moderation/986303 "2023-07-20T16:42:40Z")
When you have to call out fourteen different posters to stop hijacking, does it ever feel like you’re imposing artificial rules contrary to the culture of the thread? Maybe it’s not the posters who are doing it wrong. --- ## [Hottest AVERAGE Day of the Year.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hottest-average-day-of-the-year/819540)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [July 20, 2023, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hottest-average-day-of-the-year/819540 "2023-07-20T15:36:34Z")
I posted this question before, possibly even on these boards. But that is irrelevant. Because I apparently posted it the wrong way. I asked what was the hottest day of the year. And some wiseacre replied it is the day o… --- ## [What songs do today's young people learn when starting out on guitar?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-do-todays-young-people-learn-when-starting-out-on-guitar/987273)
**Author:** [@Jaycat.again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaycat.again)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [July 20, 2023, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-do-todays-young-people-learn-when-starting-out-on-guitar/987273 "2023-07-20T12:56:22Z")
When I was 17 and learning guitar, the first song I learned was Feelin’ Alright, by Traffic. Nothing but A7 and D, easy peasy, a good one to get started on. Next up were some simple Stones, Dylan, Hank Williams, and Van … --- ## [Standards for tamper-evident seals?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/standards-for-tamper-evident-seals/987252)
**Author:** [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [July 20, 2023, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/standards-for-tamper-evident-seals/987252 "2023-07-20T07:59:07Z")
With the recent death of the Tylenol suspect, I thought this an appropriate topic. Is anyone aware of standards for tamper-evident seals on consumer goods such as foods and medicines? Specifically, why do different pro… --- ## [How were taxes collected back in the cash days?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-taxes-collected-back-in-the-cash-days/987085)
**Author:** [@Quintas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quintas)\ **Replies:** 41\ **Last updated:** [July 20, 2023, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-taxes-collected-back-in-the-cash-days/987085 "2023-07-20T07:35:55Z")
I was thinking of things like the merch counter at big concerts in the 70s, 80s and 90s. There would have been a massive amount of transactions taking place and no physical business location. Led Zeppelin famously had a… --- ## [Question about the Mission: Impossible motion picture franchise](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-mission-impossible-motion-picture-franchise/987181)
**Author:** [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [July 20, 2023, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-mission-impossible-motion-picture-franchise/987181 "2023-07-20T06:56:12Z")
Why didn’t they just name Tom Cruise’s character Jim Phelps? --- ## [What album/song did you re-listen to after long absence, and totally love?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-album-song-did-you-re-listen-to-after-long-absence-and-totally-love/987257)
**Author:** [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [July 20, 2023, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-album-song-did-you-re-listen-to-after-long-absence-and-totally-love/987257 "2023-07-20T06:32:26Z")
My wife is doing her housecleaning and for whatever reason is cranking The Wild, The Innocent, And the E Street Shuffle. Back in college I was as big of a Springsteen fan as anyone, saw him live many a time, but lost in… --- ## [What were "comedy" and "laughter" like 100+ years ago?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-comedy-and-laughter-like-100-years-ago/986700)
**Author:** [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Replies:** 128\ **Last updated:** [July 20, 2023, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-comedy-and-laughter-like-100-years-ago/986700 "2023-07-20T03:59:36Z")
I recently watched an excellent documentary, “The Real Charlie Chaplin”. There was a lot about Chaplin that I hadn’t known. He certainly had his flaws. But he was universally acclaimed as a towering genius of a movie com… --- ## [Has this been proposed? Bimetallic tube strutures for lunar base](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-this-been-proposed-bimetallic-tube-strutures-for-lunar-base/987056)
**Author:** [@Kedikat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kedikat)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [July 20, 2023, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-this-been-proposed-bimetallic-tube-strutures-for-lunar-base/987056 "2023-07-20T03:15:21Z")
I may just be missing the magic Google phrase to find this information. I thought that a bimetallic tube structure might be good for lunar base structure basics. A large bimetallic sheet is made with folded hooks at ea… --- ## [Spy Thriller about boat accident planned](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spy-thriller-about-boat-accident-planned/987275)
**Author:** [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2023, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spy-thriller-about-boat-accident-planned/987275 "2023-07-19T23:32:46Z")
It’s to be based on an accident on a lake in the Swiss Alps where members of the Italian and Israeli intelligence services died as the result of a storm. Here’s an article about the show itself. I’ll admit I’m slightl… --- ## [Help Australia identify this mystery object](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-australia-identify-this-mystery-object/987162)
**Author:** [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2023, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-australia-identify-this-mystery-object/987162 "2023-07-19T23:32:36Z")
…which has washed up on the west coast. I’m not an expert, but i’d say it’s some sort of round thing. --- ## [Citi unclaimed property letter – scam or no?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/citi-unclaimed-property-letter-scam-or-no/967832)
**Author:** [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2023, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/citi-unclaimed-property-letter-scam-or-no/967832 "2023-07-19T21:36:11Z")
So I got a letter addressed to my father today that appears to be from Citi. It says that they have some unclaimed funds in my father’s name. The letter states that if there is no response by the end of August, the uncla… --- ## [One eye good, two eyes better, three eyes...?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-eye-good-two-eyes-better-three-eyes/987045)
**Author:** [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2023, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-eye-good-two-eyes-better-three-eyes/987045 "2023-07-19T19:53:45Z")
Having one eye allows you to see, and having two eyes gives you depth perception. What would having three eyes, equidistant to each other, add to the equation, and is there a way to simulate this to find out? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=779) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=781)