# Latest **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=818&state=muted [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 819 --- ## [Roadside debris ID - Metal strip](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roadside-debris-id-metal-strip/984598)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [May 30, 2023, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roadside-debris-id-metal-strip/984598 "2023-05-30T21:15:21Z")
What are these strips of metal I keep seeing alongside the road? As shown, they are about seven inches long. There are usually only one or two of them, though there may be more. They are usually, but not always, near … --- ## [A Star Wars OT debate about defeating a Sith](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-star-wars-ot-debate-about-defeating-a-sith/984774)
**Author:** [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [May 30, 2023, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-star-wars-ot-debate-about-defeating-a-sith/984774 "2023-05-30T21:12:05Z")
Were Vader and Palpatine lying to Luke about turning to the dark side if he had managed to strike them down? IIRC in Empire Vader makes some mention about Luke unleashing his hate in order to defeat him during their due… --- ## [White Men Quote - Guess the Date](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-men-quote-guess-the-date/984780)
**Author:** [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [May 30, 2023, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-men-quote-guess-the-date/984780 "2023-05-30T20:40:22Z")
1.White men consider that they alone are human beings, and that all coloured people are on a lower scale of creation. 2. The whites are extremely selfish. They insist on their own interests to the utmost, but persist in … --- ## [And it finally gets me!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-it-finally-gets-me/984349)
**Author:** [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [May 30, 2023, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-it-finally-gets-me/984349 "2023-05-30T20:37:38Z")
Pfizer vaxxed and 4 boosters including the most recent bivalent. Not the most convenient of timing as there are VIPs visiting next week and at least one office day is very strongly recommended. If you’re reading this, y… --- ## [So it looks like I need a replacement for my old Sonos speaker...any good replacements?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-it-looks-like-i-need-a-replacement-for-my-old-sonos-speaker-any-good-replacements/984640)
**Author:** [@batsto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/batsto)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [May 30, 2023, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-it-looks-like-i-need-a-replacement-for-my-old-sonos-speaker-any-good-replacements/984640 "2023-05-30T20:22:50Z")
The latest version of the Sonos mobile app has removed the ‘music on this device’ option, so I can no longer play songs directly from my phone to my Sonos speaker. Is there a similar product that will let me do that? I … --- ## [Another question about evolution?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-question-about-evolution/965817)
**Author:** [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Replies:** 130\ **Last updated:** [May 30, 2023, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-question-about-evolution/965817 "2023-05-30T19:53:27Z")
Not sure how to frame this question, let me know if I am not clear and I will try to rephrase it. I am curious about the rate of change, I would assume the more species we have the more opportunities for change there wou… --- ## [Things you can, surprisingly, see with the naked eye](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-can-surprisingly-see-with-the-naked-eye/984235)
**Author:** [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Replies:** 73\ **Last updated:** [May 30, 2023, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-can-surprisingly-see-with-the-naked-eye/984235 "2023-05-30T19:51:21Z")
I recently read that the ISS is visible to the naked eye. That’s astounding. According to space.com: “The ISS is therefore a great skywatching target for those living in urban and rural areas alike. Spotting the ISS req… --- ## [Bad, bad, bad, what's that smell?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-bad-bad-whats-that-smell/984685)
**Author:** [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Replies:** 36\ **Last updated:** [May 30, 2023, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-bad-bad-whats-that-smell/984685 "2023-05-30T19:16:26Z")
Aaaaaccckkk! Out it the garage messing with the cats. Jojo, Hari, Cat the barn cat. When the doggies are otherwise engaged they get quite demonstrative. They climb allover me. Mewing, purring and kissies. Generally, … --- ## [General Thread — the Indy 500, IndyCar Racing (Indianapolis 500)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-thread-the-indy-500-indycar-racing-indianapolis-500/984750)
**Author:** [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [May 30, 2023, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-thread-the-indy-500-indycar-racing-indianapolis-500/984750 "2023-05-30T18:29:48Z")
Who else saw the Indy 500 yesterday? What a wild finish! It was a clean race for the most part, no crashes for the first 92 laps (of 200). That’s when the first yellow came out. Through 184 laps there were 2-3 yellows fo… --- ## [Could a World-Class Card Counter Win Big in a Single Evening at a Casino Before Being Thrown Out?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-world-class-card-counter-win-big-in-a-single-evening-at-a-casino-before-being-thrown-out/984681)
**Author:** [@Caribbean\_cruiser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caribbean_cruiser)\ **Replies:** 68\ **Last updated:** [May 30, 2023, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-world-class-card-counter-win-big-in-a-single-evening-at-a-casino-before-being-thrown-out/984681 "2023-05-30T17:21:11Z")
We all know casinos reserve the right to eject card-counters, as they (a) upend the rules of any game of chance (b) scare off honest gamblers, and (c) imperil the casino’s revenue stream, but if one were a spectacular ca… --- ## [Favourite funny foreigner from a fully fictional fatherland](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-funny-foreigner-from-a-fully-fictional-fatherland/984441)
**Author:** [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [May 30, 2023, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-funny-foreigner-from-a-fully-fictional-fatherland/984441 "2023-05-30T15:01:31Z")
poll There’s a trope in sketch and sitcom comedy of the “funny foreigner”. You know the one: hails from a faraway land that no one has ever heard of, or whose name is never disclosed speaks in a heavy but unplaceable … --- ## [Which band member was the luckiest, least talented , least substantial member ever?d,](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-member-was-the-luckiest-least-talented-least-substantial-member-ever-d/983933)
**Author:** [@slicedalone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slicedalone)\ **Replies:** 293\ **Last updated:** [May 30, 2023, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-member-was-the-luckiest-least-talented-least-substantial-member-ever-d/983933 "2023-05-30T11:31:40Z")
Typically weak band members drop out, get replaced, take on other roles etc but sometimes not. Which ones have had the longest, most lucrative, best musical careers with the least ability? --- ## [Gardening season 2023](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gardening-season-2023/984717)
**Author:** [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [May 30, 2023, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gardening-season-2023/984717 "2023-05-30T11:16:22Z")
I couldn’t find a topic on this for this year, so apologies if there’s already one around and I missed it. I decided to do a (small) pollinator garden this year, so I bought some plants from a local guy that specializes… --- ## [Do casinos ever ban sports bettors who win too much?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-casinos-ever-ban-sports-bettors-who-win-too-much/984706)
**Author:** [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [May 30, 2023, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-casinos-ever-ban-sports-bettors-who-win-too-much/984706 "2023-05-30T07:40:32Z")
A companion to the blackjack thread. Let’s say someone is really good at finding lines that are off, and over time they win consistently. Would a sports book ban such a person from betting? Would it make a difference … --- ## [RIP Ed Ames](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-ed-ames/984743)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [May 30, 2023, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-ed-ames/984743 "2023-05-30T07:09:33Z")
I knew him as ‘Mingo’ on Daniel Boone. The Ames Brothers were before my time. I didn’t know he was still alive in 2021, when I posted Wait… \_\_\_\_\_\_ is still alive?. --- ## [Hughson High has the California State Boys 800m Champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hughson-high-has-the-california-state-boys-800m-champion/984711)
**Author:** [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [May 30, 2023, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hughson-high-has-the-california-state-boys-800m-champion/984711 "2023-05-30T05:02:37Z")
He’s the one in the bee shirt. That is not the standard uniform top for the varsity but he wanted to wear that one. (It came from the cross country season where the second 7 runners after the varsity were strong enough… --- ## [Periods, Quotation Marks, and How to Write Good](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/periods-quotation-marks-and-how-to-write-good/984330)
**Author:** [@Ynnad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ynnad)\ **Replies:** 39\ **Last updated:** [May 30, 2023, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/periods-quotation-marks-and-how-to-write-good/984330 "2023-05-30T03:32:51Z")
The rule in American English is that the period always goes on the inside of the quotation mark including the period marking the end of a sentence. Do you all agree or disagree? If you agree, do you always follow the r… --- ## [Siphoning gas](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/siphoning-gas/976922)
**Author:** [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Replies:** 43\ **Last updated:** [May 30, 2023, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/siphoning-gas/976922 "2023-05-30T01:54:48Z")
I have a gasoline generator and a plug on the electronics of the gas furnace so that I can run the furnace when the electricity goes out. Carrying jerricans back and worth from the gas station is a pain. There is somethi… --- ## [RIP George Maharis at Age 94 \[Buz Murdock of Route 66\]](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-george-maharis-at-age-94-buz-murdock-of-route-66/984730)
**Author:** [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [May 30, 2023, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-george-maharis-at-age-94-buz-murdock-of-route-66/984730 "2023-05-30T01:50:53Z")
Here is the first episode: I remember him from reruns of Route 66, but don’t remember seeing him elsewhere. --- ## [When travelling: What food can I bring back with me?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-travelling-what-food-can-i-bring-back-with-me/984645)
**Author:** [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [May 30, 2023, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-travelling-what-food-can-i-bring-back-with-me/984645 "2023-05-30T00:25:53Z")
In my case, it would be from Italy to the US. But this question can apply to anywhere to the US (or your country). I know bringing some food back when travelling is a no-no. But, can I bring something like olive oil (… --- ## [Straight Dope 5/5/2023: What's the difference between a cafe latte, a cappuccino, and a flat white?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-5-5-2023-whats-the-difference-between-a-cafe-latte-a-cappuccino-and-a-flat-white/983617)
**Author:** [@Cecil\_Adams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cecil_Adams)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [May 29, 2023, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-5-5-2023-whats-the-difference-between-a-cafe-latte-a-cappuccino-and-a-flat-white/983617 "2023-05-29T23:58:48Z")
What’s the difference between a café latte, a cappuccino, and a flat white? Looking at the situation from a global perspective, not much. I may get an argument on this point – in the coffee business, I’ve come to reali… --- ## [Gentrification of Rural America](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gentrification-of-rural-america/949695)
**Author:** [@DemonTree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DemonTree)\ **Replies:** 170\ **Last updated:** [May 29, 2023, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gentrification-of-rural-america/949695 "2023-05-29T23:43:25Z")
Summary: Wealthy visitors and remote workers are moving from places like San Francisco to towns in the American west, radically changing communities and pushing locals out by raising the cost of living, particularly of … --- ## [Car exterior knowledge needed…](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-exterior-knowledge-needed/984719)
**Author:** [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [May 29, 2023, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-exterior-knowledge-needed/984719 "2023-05-29T22:21:49Z")
So I’ve posted before about the travails of my 2000 Civic. On the inside, it’s still pretty young, but on the outside… well, my lack of long haul commuting hasn’t prevented time and wear from taking its toll. So I went … --- ## [Progressive Lenses and Computers](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/progressive-lenses-and-computers/984650)
**Author:** [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Replies:** 40\ **Last updated:** [May 29, 2023, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/progressive-lenses-and-computers/984650 "2023-05-29T21:58:41Z")
I just got my first set of progressive lenses today, thinking they would help me see the computer better. They are awful! Has anyone else got progressives? I bought a very expensive set of lenses which promised low p… --- ## [How do I establish a Permanent Address when I am temporarily, "homeless?"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-establish-a-permanent-address-when-i-am-temporarily-homeless/984754)
**Author:** [@carlb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carlb)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [May 29, 2023, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-establish-a-permanent-address-when-i-am-temporarily-homeless/984754 "2023-05-29T21:14:48Z")
We’re doing a lot of travel this year - like not home for longer than 2 weeks at a time between now and the end of the year. Also, housing prices around us are still pretty hot, and we owe nothing on the house. We’re bot… --- ## [Khadaji’s Whatcha Reading Thread - May 2023 edition](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-may-2023-edition/983379)
**Author:** [@DZedNConfused](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DZedNConfused)\ **Replies:** 116\ **Last updated:** [May 29, 2023, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-may-2023-edition/983379 "2023-05-29T20:47:21Z")
It finally stopped snowing! For high desert, we have an explosion of green everywhere, my daffodils are finally daring to show themselves. Still, here it is May and the mountains are still mostly white. Water for swimmi… --- ## [Poe's Law implodes - Boebert edition](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poes-law-implodes-boebert-edition/959336)
**Author:** [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Replies:** 46\ **Last updated:** [May 29, 2023, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poes-law-implodes-boebert-edition/959336 "2023-05-29T20:31:47Z")
Real conservative talk show host Jesse Kelly awarded actual congesswoman Lauren Boebert (R-CO) the Hottest Woman in Congress award. The award came with a real certificate with Boebert’s name spelled incorrectly and a Red… --- ## [Alternative download for BIOS update for my HP laptop? (HP link doesn't work)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternative-download-for-bios-update-for-my-hp-laptop-hp-link-doesnt-work/984741)
**Author:** [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [May 29, 2023, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternative-download-for-bios-update-for-my-hp-laptop-hp-link-doesnt-work/984741 "2023-05-29T19:58:05Z")
Laptop: HP 255 G6 OS: Windows 10 I have had troubles with updating this laptop for a long time, it always fails with an error code that indicates a hardware problem. When I tried to boot from a thumb drive to make a cl… --- ## [I had amnesia! (It's not like in the movies and TV.)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-amnesia-its-not-like-in-the-movies-and-tv/984683)
**Author:** [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [May 29, 2023, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-amnesia-its-not-like-in-the-movies-and-tv/984683 "2023-05-29T19:47:36Z")
About two weeks ago I found myself in the hospital with my wife, and asked her how I got there. In fact, I asked her that question a couple of dozen times, according to her. I had experienced something called Transient G… --- ## [What things provide YOU the most bang for your buck?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-provide-you-the-most-bang-for-your-buck/984421)
**Author:** [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Replies:** 87\ **Last updated:** [May 29, 2023, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-provide-you-the-most-bang-for-your-buck/984421 "2023-05-29T17:54:26Z")
Using a ratio of satisfaction/cost, what things do you score highest? They must be things with a retail price (e.g. tap water doesn’t count, but purchased bottled water does; a free view of a mountain vista doesn’t count… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=817&state=muted) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=819&state=muted)