# Latest **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=795&state=tracking [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 796 --- ## [Electric airplanes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-airplanes/844530)
**Author:** [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Replies:** 155\ **Last updated:** [June 29, 2023, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-airplanes/844530 "2023-06-29T04:35:22Z")
NASA is experimenting with an electric airplane, the X-57 Maxwell. It has several changes that should make it more efficient than just replacing the engines and fuel tanks with electric motors and batteries. They’re taki… --- ## [Suggest your best fake research grant applications](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-your-best-fake-research-grant-applications/986192)
**Author:** [@Ferris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferris)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [June 29, 2023, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-your-best-fake-research-grant-applications/986192 "2023-06-29T01:40:41Z")
The idea of persuading some naive university to pay you to spend a year or more just goofing off must surely inspire a few people to apply for ‘research’ grants using grandiose or obscure scientific terms to disguise the… --- ## [What is left in the still classified JFK assassination files?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-left-in-the-still-classified-jfk-assassination-files/953493)
**Author:** [@PozhanPop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PozhanPop)\ **Replies:** 361\ **Last updated:** [June 29, 2023, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-left-in-the-still-classified-jfk-assassination-files/953493 "2023-06-29T01:19:16Z")
I still can’t come to terms with lone gunman theory and the SBT. It may or may not have happened that way. I have to leave it at that. JFK the movie stirred the pot and resulted in the JFK’s wife did not want too much… --- ## [My first DIY project: caulk in my shower](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-diy-project-caulk-in-my-shower/978649)
**Author:** [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [June 29, 2023, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-diy-project-caulk-in-my-shower/978649 "2023-06-29T00:15:35Z")
So I’m almost moved into the condo I recently closed on. One of the things the inspector found was that the caulk in the shower was peeling away a little from the tub in a few small places. So that’s something I want to … --- ## [Billy Crudup on "Finding Your Roots"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-crudup-on-finding-your-roots/986075)
**Author:** [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [June 28, 2023, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-crudup-on-finding-your-roots/986075 "2023-06-28T23:49:54Z")
I saw this episode today, but I don’t know when it was first aired. He mentioned in the show that he was 53 when it was made, so it may be a couple of years old, but I think it was originally aired fairly recently. You c… --- ## [Right Wing message boards and my 8 year journey into and hopefully out of it](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/right-wing-message-boards-and-my-8-year-journey-into-and-hopefully-out-of-it/985791)
**Author:** [@survinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/survinga)\ **Replies:** 87\ **Last updated:** [June 28, 2023, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/right-wing-message-boards-and-my-8-year-journey-into-and-hopefully-out-of-it/985791 "2023-06-28T22:17:55Z")
I have spent the last 8 years arguing with whack-jobs on a right-wing board. It began in 2015, a few months before Trump announced his POTUS campaign. I keep hoping that I can make a break-through with a few of them. … --- ## [Were drive ins with car hops a thing outside the US?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-drive-ins-with-car-hops-a-thing-outside-the-us/986086)
**Author:** [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [June 28, 2023, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-drive-ins-with-car-hops-a-thing-outside-the-us/986086 "2023-06-28T22:02:30Z")
They were all over the place in the US during the 1950s and 60s. Some had car hops on foot and others roller skated. There are still several near me that I go to a few times a year. In Elyria, Ohio there is the Dinner Be… --- ## [Too soon to pit ChatGPT discussions?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-soon-to-pit-chatgpt-discussions/980785)
**Author:** [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [June 28, 2023, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-soon-to-pit-chatgpt-discussions/980785 "2023-06-28T21:50:48Z")
I was listening to the radio, and there was an interview with someone working in education who happened to mention language model AIs, but just briefly among a range of technologies. The interviewer then took that as ju… --- ## [JFK Assassination](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jfk-assassination/649942)
**Author:** [@prolific71](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/prolific71)\ **Replies:** 194\ **Last updated:** [June 28, 2023, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jfk-assassination/649942 "2023-06-28T20:50:18Z")
What’s the official US government stance on the JFK assassination? Are they still saying there was a single shooter from the TSBD as the Warren Commission said? Was the Zapruder film available to the public at the time … --- ## [YouTube links randomly re-starting](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-links-randomly-re-starting/982532)
**Author:** [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [June 28, 2023, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-links-randomly-re-starting/982532 "2023-06-28T20:06:54Z")
Most recently, this happened while reading the Mandalorian thread. I had opened a YT link and watched it part way down the thread. I finished, hit pause, and went on scrolling. Several times, as I was trying to read, … --- ## [Weird Watermelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-watermelon/986234)
**Author:** [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [June 28, 2023, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-watermelon/986234 "2023-06-28T19:23:59Z")
I LOVE watermelon and have become pretty good at picking out good watermelons. One thing that I’ve come across a few times in the last maybe 5 years is when I cut the watermelon in half, it will have a split in the cente… --- ## [Every single breath we take, we get at least one atom from Julius Caesar's last breath?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-single-breath-we-take-we-get-at-least-one-atom-from-julius-caesars-last-breath/973691)
**Author:** [@EmbarrassingDad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmbarrassingDad)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [June 28, 2023, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-single-breath-we-take-we-get-at-least-one-atom-from-julius-caesars-last-breath/973691 "2023-06-28T18:43:17Z")
I’ve heard this touted as a fact a few times. Is it true? --- ## [Why would any portion of a classified doc need to be revealed at trial?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-any-portion-of-a-classified-doc-need-to-be-revealed-at-trial/986149)
**Author:** [@sweeteviljesus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweeteviljesus)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [June 28, 2023, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-any-portion-of-a-classified-doc-need-to-be-revealed-at-trial/986149 "2023-06-28T18:39:47Z")
Why does there need to be a Classified Information Procedures Act? If it’s a crime to take national defense information knowingly and attempt to conceal it from the government, wouldn’t it be enough for the defendant, t… --- ## [The Four Mandan, North Dakota Killings or the Perils of Being a Criminal in a Small Town](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-four-mandan-north-dakota-killings-or-the-perils-of-being-a-criminal-in-a-small-town/832251)
**Author:** [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [June 28, 2023, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-four-mandan-north-dakota-killings-or-the-perils-of-being-a-criminal-in-a-small-town/832251 "2023-06-28T17:13:55Z")
https://www.grandforksherald.com/news/crime-and-courts/4595521-mandan-murder-suspects-vehicle-quickly-recognized-washburn-detective I just don’t think this investigation process would work that well in a big city… --- ## [Author's "most recent book" was three years in the future. Is there some weird Mandela effect happening here?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-most-recent-book-was-three-years-in-the-future-is-there-some-weird-mandela-effect-happening-here/986188)
**Author:** [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [June 28, 2023, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-most-recent-book-was-three-years-in-the-future-is-there-some-weird-mandela-effect-happening-here/986188 "2023-06-28T15:21:10Z")
I happen to own a book whose title is rather embarrassing, from a sneak bragging perspective, to tell people, but in this case I must: The Superior Person’s Book Of Words by Peter Bowler. For anyone interested in unus… --- ## [How is abusive treatment in the military is reported or underlings protected](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-abusive-treatment-in-the-military-is-reported-or-underlings-protected/986132)
**Author:** [@hat\_trick\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hat_trick_1)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [June 28, 2023, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-abusive-treatment-in-the-military-is-reported-or-underlings-protected/986132 "2023-06-28T14:33:17Z")
Given the hierarchy of military organizations, I assume there is enormous potential for abusive treatment. Famously, this crops up in fiction, and infamously there are well-documented cases of sexual harassment. My ques… --- ## [MLB: HBP Yields a Run](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-hbp-yields-a-run/986145)
**Author:** [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [June 28, 2023, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-hbp-yields-a-run/986145 "2023-06-28T13:11:11Z")
When a hit by the pitch (HBP) yields a run, is that an earned run or an unearned run? Seems to me the pitcher should be held accountable. (a) Let’s assume the bases are loaded, and all men on base, plus the HBP, are the … --- ## [Doesn’t the existence of trans people imply an underlying biological fact of the matter regarding gender?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doesn-t-the-existence-of-trans-people-imply-an-underlying-biological-fact-of-the-matter-regarding-gender/979434)
**Author:** [@Cmyers1980](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cmyers1980)\ **Replies:** 205\ **Last updated:** [June 28, 2023, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doesn-t-the-existence-of-trans-people-imply-an-underlying-biological-fact-of-the-matter-regarding-gender/979434 "2023-06-28T12:26:14Z")
This was inspired by a discussion elsewhere. If someone identifies as the opposite gender doesn’t this implicitly mean there’s an underlying fact of the matter and a biological reality to gender rather than it just being… --- ## [Wagner PMC's ultimate fate](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wagner-pmcs-ultimate-fate/986179)
**Author:** [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [June 28, 2023, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wagner-pmcs-ultimate-fate/986179 "2023-06-28T11:56:55Z")
What is going to happen to Wagner PMC now that its soldiers have been offered the choice of joining the regular army or returning to Russia as a civilian? Seems that Wagner has been too useful to the Kremlin to simply d… --- ## [Adapting Cranium to a two-player game?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adapting-cranium-to-a-two-player-game/136324)
**Author:** [@Francesca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francesca)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [June 28, 2023, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adapting-cranium-to-a-two-player-game/136324 "2023-06-28T11:22:50Z")
Cranium is undoubtedly a wicked game. Lots of fun, especially when combined with a few beers. My partner and I are like to play board games and we’re usually pretty good at making up our own rules to games that make… --- ## [Ice house illumination?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-house-illumination/985584)
**Author:** [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Replies:** 34\ **Last updated:** [June 28, 2023, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-house-illumination/985584 "2023-06-28T10:35:07Z")
In the nineteenth century before mechanical refrigeration, storing ice harvested in the winter was a thing. So how were they lit for people working inside? I can’t imagine that either flame or windows were particularly g… --- ## [MMP: The quilt show spin off](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mmp-the-quilt-show-spin-off/986070)
**Author:** [@LH75](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LH75)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [June 28, 2023, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mmp-the-quilt-show-spin-off/986070 "2023-06-28T09:26:56Z")
Let me start off by saying none of these quilts are my work. I haven’t been at this long enough to have a finished piece ready. I will have entries next year. There were more than 150 quilts on display. I have pictur… --- ## [Presenting my fourth novel, political satire CULTURAL PRACTICES OF THE HEARTLAND](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presenting-my-fourth-novel-political-satire-cultural-practices-of-the-heartland/986189)
**Author:** [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [June 28, 2023, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presenting-my-fourth-novel-political-satire-cultural-practices-of-the-heartland/986189 "2023-06-28T08:31:06Z")
My fourth novel will be available in e-book tomorrow (28 June 2023)! I’m very excited to tell the Dope about it. It’s called “Cultural Practices of the Heartland”, and here’s the back cover blurb: Like my last novel “… --- ## [I wish this site used serif fonts](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wish-this-site-used-serif-fonts/985965)
**Author:** [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [June 28, 2023, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wish-this-site-used-serif-fonts/985965 "2023-06-28T07:56:34Z")
I keep reading about some guy named Al. He seems to be in a lot of threads. More recently, there’s a thread with two guys named Al having a fight, in a site owned by a third guy named Al. I’m just surprised Al Gore is… --- ## [Wish Chips](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wish-chips/240203)
**Author:** [@Miss\_Magic8ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Magic8ball)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [April 16, 2004, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wish-chips/240203 "2004-04-16T04:20:04Z")
You know wish chips… the ones that are folded over, right? Well, I was recently eating a bag of chips and there were almost 15 of them… and I was wondering, what is the correct way to eat one? One person I know chews the… --- ## [Was there ever a novelization of the movie CHINATOWN?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-ever-a-novelization-of-the-movie-chinatown/986169)
**Author:** [@slicedalone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slicedalone)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [June 28, 2023, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-ever-a-novelization-of-the-movie-chinatown/986169 "2023-06-28T03:24:10Z")
Seems a natural to me. It ranks very high on my list of favorite movies, and I’d read a well-written novel based on it. I just learned of a bit, at the very opening, that got dropped, for example, that I’d start the no… --- ## [Would you want a "weekend SO"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-want-a-weekend-so/985999)
**Author:** [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Replies:** 41\ **Last updated:** [June 28, 2023, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-want-a-weekend-so/985999 "2023-06-28T02:17:11Z")
My gf had been looking for a carpenter willing to refurbish several outbuildings on our property. Every guy who came to give an estimate insisted on only wanting to demolish and rebuild, because it would be cheaper. Fi… --- ## [Why does construction wood stink when it burns?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-construction-wood-stink-when-it-burns/986166)
**Author:** [@Saffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saffer)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [June 28, 2023, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-construction-wood-stink-when-it-burns/986166 "2023-06-28T00:58:34Z")
I regularly use a wood fired pizza oven, for which I buy kiln dried wood marketed as being suitable for pizza ovens. I recently knocked down an interior wall in my house. The wall was just a timber frame with plaster bo… --- ## [Goodreads and alternatives](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goodreads-and-alternatives/986173)
**Author:** [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [June 27, 2023, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goodreads-and-alternatives/986173 "2023-06-27T22:54:54Z")
I did search\* on the subject of Goodreads and all the posts were old. The last day or two goodreads has been down more than working and I’m wondering how many of you are still active there and if not, have you found som… --- ## [Euthanasia Roller Coaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/euthanasia-roller-coaster/986161)
**Author:** [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [June 27, 2023, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/euthanasia-roller-coaster/986161 "2023-06-27T21:58:51Z")
While we are discussing dramatic ways to die, I present this, the Final Roller Coaster: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euthanasia\_Coaster [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=794&state=tracking) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=796&state=tracking)