# Latest **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=780&state=watching [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 781 --- ## [...Babylon 5 to return with JMS at the helm](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babylon-5-to-return-with-jms-at-the-helm/951497)
**Author:** [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Replies:** 98\ **Last updated:** [July 21, 2023, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babylon-5-to-return-with-jms-at-the-helm/951497 "2023-07-21T21:28:13Z")
…not a joke. (I did check the forum, had assumed someone would have done this thread by now, but if I missed one, my apologies.) JMS speaks at length about why he has chosen to do things the way he has here: Claudi… --- ## [Utility company scam question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utility-company-scam-question/987360)
**Author:** [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [July 21, 2023, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utility-company-scam-question/987360 "2023-07-21T21:04:56Z")
My uncle got a scam call from a scam farm pretending to be the utility company. He wasn’t fooled, but he said they were pretty good – right number, right hold music, Stay on the line for a survey after the call, and so … --- ## [Did you cheap out by calling collect and leaving micro messages?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-cheap-out-by-calling-collect-and-leaving-micro-messages/987274)
**Author:** [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Replies:** 34\ **Last updated:** [July 21, 2023, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-cheap-out-by-calling-collect-and-leaving-micro-messages/987274 "2023-07-21T20:53:49Z")
When growing up decades ago, distance phone calls could be surprisingly expensive. So much so, they were often reserved for inconvenient times late on a weekend when they would qualify for a sizeable discount up to sixt… --- ## [Landlord. Is this a pompous name?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/landlord-is-this-a-pompous-name/987218)
**Author:** [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Replies:** 37\ **Last updated:** [July 21, 2023, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/landlord-is-this-a-pompous-name/987218 "2023-07-21T20:35:09Z")
Of course the past informs our present. But doesn’t the word “landlord” seems a bit pretentious these days? It is true rents can sometimes be high, but so are food and utility prices. Despite these prices and attitude… --- ## [Thoughts on painted brick](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-on-painted-brick/987025)
**Author:** [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Replies:** 46\ **Last updated:** [July 21, 2023, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-on-painted-brick/987025 "2023-07-21T19:30:19Z")
Our neighborhood is made of ranches, splits, and 2 stories, built in the late 50s-early 60s, with at least the first level clad in brick. For the past few years, the trend when rehabbing houses has been to paint the bri… --- ## [For Sam Stone: What about Canadian politics?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-sam-stone-what-about-canadian-politics/258746)
**Author:** [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Replies:** 81\ **Last updated:** [July 21, 2023, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-sam-stone-what-about-canadian-politics/258746 "2023-07-21T18:36:14Z")
Sam, my friend, I have no axe to grind with you or the government of Canada but after several years of reading you discuss American politics I’d like to hear your take on your own government. What are they doing right? … --- ## [I'mmmmmmmmmmmmmm Back! :)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immmmmmmmmmmmmm-back/987298)
**Author:** [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [July 21, 2023, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immmmmmmmmmmmmm-back/987298 "2023-07-21T17:33:33Z")
Did ya’ miss me?! SDMB Response Well, anyway, the highlight of my 3 week summer break was the 5 days my brother, SiL, and I spent in a cabin by Lake Huron adjacent to Mackinaw City and Island. It is so damn beautifu… --- ## [Why do powerful nations respect North Korea's autonomy?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-powerful-nations-respect-north-koreas-autonomy/766042)
**Author:** [@Dr.Arthias](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Arthias)\ **Replies:** 90\ **Last updated:** [July 21, 2023, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-powerful-nations-respect-north-koreas-autonomy/766042 "2023-07-21T16:36:35Z")
I kinda already know the answer to this question, but I still think it’s a very interesting topic to discuss. Every once in a while in my life, I stop everything I’m doing and think “Oh man… North Korea is actually stil… --- ## [What does calling out someone’s name, and only that, mean in your household?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-calling-out-someone-s-name-and-only-that-mean-in-your-household/987083)
**Author:** [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\ **Replies:** 41\ **Last updated:** [July 21, 2023, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-calling-out-someone-s-name-and-only-that-mean-in-your-household/987083 "2023-07-21T15:13:50Z")
poll This problem has cropped up sometimes with my wife and me, lately today when my wife called my name, I responded, she called out my name again, I responded again, she then shouted “Why don’t you come?”, I then came … --- ## [Resit "uncapped"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resit-uncapped/987235)
**Author:** [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [July 21, 2023, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resit-uncapped/987235 "2023-07-21T14:12:19Z")
What does the following expression mean in the United Kingdom? Candidates are permitted to resit the final examination uncapped for all subject modules. Specifically, what does uncapped mean here? Sorry, but I kind … --- ## [New Joker movie (Joaquin Phoenix)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-joker-movie-joaquin-phoenix/831984)
**Author:** [@borschevsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/borschevsky)\ **Replies:** 84\ **Last updated:** [July 21, 2023, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-joker-movie-joaquin-phoenix/831984 "2023-07-21T14:08:27Z")
The trailer is out for the Joaquin Phoenix Joker. Interesting if nothing else. --- ## [Just experienced worst CAPTCHA I've ever seen](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-experienced-worst-captcha-ive-ever-seen/987265)
**Author:** [@colinfred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colinfred)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [July 21, 2023, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-experienced-worst-captcha-ive-ever-seen/987265 "2023-07-21T13:35:24Z")
For my HP printer. Just to scan something, (haven’t used it for a while), it forced me to go through this CAPTCHA process. You have to click on the set of dice that add up to 14. Firstly the instructions weren’t sized c… --- ## [Soliciting Advice re: a Job Opportunity](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-advice-re-a-job-opportunity/987322)
**Author:** [@NinthAcolyte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinthAcolyte)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [July 21, 2023, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-advice-re-a-job-opportunity/987322 "2023-07-21T13:21:05Z")
Hey, all. So. I have had two potential library job opportunities in the works. One, the one I would have much, much preferred, was a big long shot that I was chasing: Senior Librarian at a big central library in a major … --- ## [Forget the Future! Fuck Our Actual Current Dystopia Today!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forget-the-future-fuck-our-actual-current-dystopia-today/986302)
**Author:** [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Replies:** 93\ **Last updated:** [July 21, 2023, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forget-the-future-fuck-our-actual-current-dystopia-today/986302 "2023-07-21T12:34:28Z")
Your space for general bitching about modern fuckery. This is not a space to shake your fist at clouds or rail against “this new thing they go now”. No, to keep us all on track: Dystopia: A futuristic, imagined univer… --- ## [I pit Scentsy](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-scentsy/741784)
**Author:** [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Replies:** 55\ **Last updated:** [July 21, 2023, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-scentsy/741784 "2023-07-21T02:35:58Z")
I got my hair cut earlier today, and while I was there, I mentioned that I could smell pumpkin. She replied, “Yeah, I have a Scentsy at home” and not only did the smell linger on her, I can STILL smell it at home. :mad: … --- ## [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. … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=779&state=watching) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=781&state=watching)