# Latest **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=781&state=tracking [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 782 --- ## [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? --- ## [Are YouTube suggested music algorithms THAT good? Or...coincidence?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-youtube-suggested-music-algorithms-that-good-or-coincidence/987014)
**Author:** [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2023, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-youtube-suggested-music-algorithms-that-good-or-coincidence/987014 "2023-07-19T19:19:45Z")
So I just went to YouTube, as I often do when looking for some quick entertainment, and one of the first items suggested was a song called “Coyotes” by a group I’d never heard of, “Public Library Commute.” It was just re… --- ## [Questions about sex ratio at birth](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-sex-ratio-at-birth/987146)
**Author:** [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2023, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-sex-ratio-at-birth/987146 "2023-07-19T19:15:54Z")
For humans, the natural sex ratio at birth is about 105 baby boys born for every 100 girls. Some questions: How is this ratio achieved? since sex is determined by the sperm, does this mean that male and female sper… --- ## [Can Anyone ID this Non Fiction Book About Civilization Cycles?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-id-this-non-fiction-book-about-civilization-cycles/964687)
**Author:** [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2023, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-id-this-non-fiction-book-about-civilization-cycles/964687 "2023-07-19T16:38:11Z")
Many years ago I remember listening to Thom Hartmann while he had a radio show and he talked about a book that described the cycles a Civilization goes through generation by generation. It starts with Economic collapse.… --- ## [Adult kid and her family are living with us ... arg!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adult-kid-and-her-family-are-living-with-us-arg/986062)
**Author:** [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Replies:** 123\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2023, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adult-kid-and-her-family-are-living-with-us-arg/986062 "2023-07-19T15:35:59Z")
They are slobs, they have little respect for our space or our home. I can’t kick them out as I don’t want my grands living on the street or in foster care. There just isn’t any place for them to go. They’ve applied for w… --- ## [Why would the rug cleaning place need my carpet for a month?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-the-rug-cleaning-place-need-my-carpet-for-a-month/987234)
**Author:** [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2023, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-the-rug-cleaning-place-need-my-carpet-for-a-month/987234 "2023-07-19T14:13:07Z")
I have a large carpet that I bought in Istanbul in the 90s. It hasn’t been cleaned in a long time. I called the local place that specialized in expensive rugs and they told me that they could pick it up on Friday and the… --- ## [Greatest Secretly Recorded Rants?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-secretly-recorded-rants/987023)
**Author:** [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2023, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-secretly-recorded-rants/987023 "2023-07-19T13:43:46Z")
Thanks to YouTube, those who might have been privy or present at these after-show meetings (or whatever) can upload it with anonymity and I’ve seen some things bands didn’t officially release, but someone related to a pr… --- ## [Taco Bell wants to return the phrase "Taco Tuesday" to the people](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-wants-to-return-the-phrase-taco-tuesday-to-the-people/984166)
**Author:** [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Replies:** 80\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2023, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-wants-to-return-the-phrase-taco-tuesday-to-the-people/984166 "2023-07-19T12:08:07Z")
In a grand public-spirited gesture, the multibillion-dollar corporation doing business as Taco Bell has filed a petition to allow everyone (not to mention Taco Bell) to use the phrase “Taco Tuesday”, which was trademarke… --- ## [American history book for visiting Germans](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-history-book-for-visiting-germans/987237)
**Author:** [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2023, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-history-book-for-visiting-germans/987237 "2023-07-19T09:47:11Z")
We have several people from Germany staying with us this week. One of them said he wanted to pick up a book on American history, but he feared it was too broad of a topic (I agreed—I couldn’t think of a non-textbook off … --- ## [Is "Frankenstein" a real German name, or did Shelley make it up?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-frankenstein-a-real-german-name-or-did-shelley-make-it-up/986774)
**Author:** [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Replies:** 42\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2023, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-frankenstein-a-real-german-name-or-did-shelley-make-it-up/986774 "2023-07-19T00:15:21Z")
Just curious: is “Frankenstein” a real German name, or did Mary Shelley make it up for the novel? I tried googling, but every reference I found was to the novel or the movies. --- ## [Downloading DRM-free books from Amazon account (no DRM-breaking discussion!)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downloading-drm-free-books-from-amazon-account-no-drm-breaking-discussion/987180)
**Author:** [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [July 18, 2023, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downloading-drm-free-books-from-amazon-account-no-drm-breaking-discussion/987180 "2023-07-18T23:46:54Z")
I prefer not to buy DRM-ed books, because I like the flexibility of being able to back my purchased books up myself and view them on whatever device I’d like (I have no interest in breaking DRM and do not want any discus… --- ## [USPS question: Post office charging me to claim a returned package](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usps-question-post-office-charging-me-to-claim-a-returned-package/986817)
**Author:** [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [July 18, 2023, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usps-question-post-office-charging-me-to-claim-a-returned-package/986817 "2023-07-18T22:39:32Z")
My company shipped a package to a customer in California. The customer goofed and gave us her home address, which has no mail box, instead of her PO Box. The package (sent Priority) got returned to us as undeliverable. N… --- ## [Legality of mowing someone else's yard](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legality-of-mowing-someone-elses-yard/985685)
**Author:** [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Replies:** 43\ **Last updated:** [July 18, 2023, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legality-of-mowing-someone-elses-yard/985685 "2023-07-18T19:47:40Z")
I’ve seen a couple of videos now where a landscape crew will, to make a neighborhood look better, mow the yard of an abandoned home. Now I know the city can do that and then tax the owner as a special assessment so my q… --- ## [What's with Subway](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-subway/986748)
**Author:** [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Replies:** 63\ **Last updated:** [July 18, 2023, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-subway/986748 "2023-07-18T19:35:44Z")
I had a bad experience with local Subway today–they’re unrolling some new subs on Tuesday called Deli Heros, and there’s TV ads and online that said on Tuesday from 10-12 am a free sub, but local site said she never hea… --- ## [Does ice cream prevent diabetes?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-ice-cream-prevent-diabetes/982638)
**Author:** [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [July 18, 2023, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-ice-cream-prevent-diabetes/982638 "2023-07-18T17:52:55Z")
An odd question. But it just might possibly be backed up by decent and disavowed research. If it is true, maybe Gabor Mate is in the right track when linking disease and emotion. And maybe scientists should go with th… --- ## [Things I learned from a coworker](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-from-a-coworker/986992)
**Author:** [@Kelevra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kelevra)\ **Replies:** 57\ **Last updated:** [July 18, 2023, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-learned-from-a-coworker/986992 "2023-07-18T17:52:13Z")
I’ve worked with this guy for 20 years. We’re both scientists. He’s very into military stuff. Yesterday he told me that all the UFO stuff we hear about is us (USA). I figured he’s going to talk about some air force d… --- ## [Experience with sciatica](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experience-with-sciatica/987058)
**Author:** [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [July 18, 2023, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experience-with-sciatica/987058 "2023-07-18T17:14:31Z")
So about a week ago I was doing deadlifts when I felt a painless little pop in my back. The next day my back twinged when I walked. Day after-real pain getting up or sitting back down (and foot numbness as well as a weir… --- ## [Who else likes "chick flicks"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-likes-chick-flicks/986991)
**Author:** [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Replies:** 53\ **Last updated:** [July 18, 2023, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-likes-chick-flicks/986991 "2023-07-18T16:20:48Z")
Sure, I enjoy a fine film. But for day-to-day enjoyment, I find it is often hard to beat a good rom-com! Last night we watched The Jane Adams Book Club. Nothing that I expect to remember in a week or so, but a good co… --- ## [Seven Psalms (New Paul Simon album)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seven-psalms-new-paul-simon-album/984429)
**Author:** [@janis\_and\_c0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janis_and_c0)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [July 18, 2023, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seven-psalms-new-paul-simon-album/984429 "2023-07-18T16:05:23Z")
Hot off the presses. Has anybody else listened to it yet? I’d love to know what you think. I will put my thoughts in later in the thread. One thing I would recommend, Listen to it all at once, on a really good pair of h… --- ## [When was the last time you listened to an entire album, pretty much non stop?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-listened-to-an-entire-album-pretty-much-non-stop/987077)
**Author:** [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Replies:** 87\ **Last updated:** [July 18, 2023, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-listened-to-an-entire-album-pretty-much-non-stop/987077 "2023-07-18T15:54:45Z")
Not just a cut, not a bunch of songs you have compiled, but an entire album as released by a studio. If you done this, what album was it? I listed to Rutles Highway Revisited, a Rutles tribute album about an hour ago. … --- ## [Can I safely power my computer with a portable generator?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-safely-power-my-computer-with-a-portable-generator/987115)
**Author:** [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [July 18, 2023, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-safely-power-my-computer-with-a-portable-generator/987115 "2023-07-18T14:59:45Z")
We had a little wind squall here in the Kansas City area on Friday afternoon. A tree next door knocked down a power pole and tore the lines down, and we’re still waiting for the power company to remove the trees and get … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=780&state=tracking) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=782&state=tracking)