# Latest **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=819 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 820 --- ## [Research into inherited characteristics?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/research-into-inherited-characteristics/983415)
**Author:** [@slicedalone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slicedalone)\ **Replies:** 80\ **Last updated:** [May 29, 2023, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/research-into-inherited-characteristics/983415 "2023-05-29T00:54:04Z")
Just spitballing here, but can someone more scientifically inclined than I am (i.e., everyone) please tell me about any controlled studies of inheritable characteristics in humans that would support Darwinian theories of… --- ## [Help me understand headphones for phone and music on a Mac?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-understand-headphones-for-phone-and-music-on-a-mac/984700)
**Author:** [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [May 29, 2023, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-understand-headphones-for-phone-and-music-on-a-mac/984700 "2023-05-29T00:36:40Z")
I’m actually looking for the factual side here. I understand the simple old form of headphones which are passive little loudspeakers for the ears, having a simple three termination plug for left, right, and common curren… --- ## [Survivor 44](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-44/980592)
**Author:** [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Replies:** 163\ **Last updated:** [May 28, 2023, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survivor-44/980592 "2023-05-28T21:22:36Z")
Doesn’t look like anyone started a topic for this one yet. If this premiere is any indication of the rest of the season, were heading for the sloppiest, most chaotic season in a LONG time, which I think is exactly what t… --- ## [The Smiths' bass player andy rourke has died :(](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-smiths-bass-player-andy-rourke-has-died/984331)
**Author:** [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [May 28, 2023, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-smiths-bass-player-andy-rourke-has-died/984331 "2023-05-28T20:18:48Z")
Aged 59 :frowning: Pancreatic cancer. He founded the “Versus Cancer” gigs to raise money & awareness. Bastard cancer. --- ## [Documentary Now - IFC (no thread?)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/documentary-now-ifc-no-thread/733629)
**Author:** [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [May 28, 2023, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/documentary-now-ifc-no-thread/733629 "2023-05-28T20:12:18Z")
Hope my search-Fu didn’t fail me, but it looks like we didn’t have a thread on this show. http://www.ifc.com/shows/documentary-now Bill Hader and Fred Armisen make fake documentaries for IFC. Each episode is a differe… --- ## [Hypothetical: World Leader Slaps the Sh\*t out of Vladimir Putin at G-20 Summit. What Happens Next?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-world-leader-slaps-the-sh-t-out-of-vladimir-putin-at-g-20-summit-what-happens-next/984648)
**Author:** [@Caribbean\_cruiser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caribbean_cruiser)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [May 28, 2023, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-world-leader-slaps-the-sh-t-out-of-vladimir-putin-at-g-20-summit-what-happens-next/984648 "2023-05-28T20:06:17Z")
Media sources a few months ago said Vlad skipped a key G20 summit amid a swirl of rumors that another world leader was planning to humiliate him with a monstrous slap to the face in front of flashing cameras. Who knows i… --- ## [Burn it down! (Republicans defund MO libraries)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-it-down-republicans-defund-mo-libraries/982576)
**Author:** [@Leo\_Krupe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Krupe)\ **Replies:** 73\ **Last updated:** [May 28, 2023, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-it-down-republicans-defund-mo-libraries/982576 "2023-05-28T17:28:17Z")
Missouri republicans vote to defund all the public libraries in the state. Missouri House Republicans voted to defund all of the state’s public libraries, in a proposed $45.6 billion state budget that will soon move t… --- ## [Solencia for cats? One experience](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solencia-for-cats-one-experience/984702)
**Author:** [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [May 28, 2023, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solencia-for-cats-one-experience/984702 "2023-05-28T17:19:41Z")
Do you have an arthritic cat, and are you considering whether to put your cat on monthly Solencia shots for arthritis pain? Here’s what I’ve found after having my old girl Stelli on it for a few months: She’s moving be… --- ## [The role of a moon in promoting extraterrestrial life?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-role-of-a-moon-in-promoting-extraterrestrial-life/984643)
**Author:** [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [May 28, 2023, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-role-of-a-moon-in-promoting-extraterrestrial-life/984643 "2023-05-28T16:39:40Z")
With Earth’s moon around to absorb asteroid impacts and control the tides, is it safe to say life on Earth depends on it? And therefore any extrasolar planet, you’d stand to reason, must also have a moon if it’s to suppo… --- ## [All the horror stories about socialized medicine are true--in Quebec](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-the-horror-stories-about-socialized-medicine-are-true-in-quebec/984602)
**Author:** [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [May 28, 2023, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-the-horror-stories-about-socialized-medicine-are-true-in-quebec/984602 "2023-05-28T15:38:30Z")
Maybe not all, but many. You cannot choose your doctor. Doctors cannot choose their patents. Waiting times in emergency rooms regularly exceed 24 hours (although, to be sure, not in real emergencies, like a heart atta… --- ## [What type of horror scares/interests you? What doesn't? What would you like to see?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-type-of-horror-scares-interests-you-what-doesnt-what-would-you-like-to-see/983755)
**Author:** [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Replies:** 38\ **Last updated:** [May 28, 2023, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-type-of-horror-scares-interests-you-what-doesnt-what-would-you-like-to-see/983755 "2023-05-28T14:42:50Z")
For example, I don’t like “realistic” horror movies (think Silence of the Lambs). Too many horrible headlines out there to feel comfortable with a movie monster of that sort. But an escaped science experiment or weird cr… --- ## [1st Tornado Warning of the Year](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1st-tornado-warning-of-the-year/984691)
**Author:** [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [May 28, 2023, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1st-tornado-warning-of-the-year/984691 "2023-05-28T14:33:14Z")
Major thunderstorm, pouring rain with a bit of hail mixed in. Then the regional alert on our phones went off: Tornado warning. Only lasted 5 minutes and now is cancelled. Rain and thunder are over as well. --- ## [How soon before the DVD (incl. BluRay) becomes obsolete?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-soon-before-the-dvd-incl-bluray-becomes-obsolete/983770)
**Author:** [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [May 28, 2023, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-soon-before-the-dvd-incl-bluray-becomes-obsolete/983770 "2023-05-28T14:32:04Z")
In another thread someone commented on waiting for the release of a tv series on DVD at their local library. I responded as follows: Now I don’t believe that the DVD is completely obsolete yet, it is pretty damn close… --- ## [Is there any sport in which taking steroids does not provide any competitive advantage?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-sport-in-which-taking-steroids-does-not-provide-any-competitive-advantage/984270)
**Author:** [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [May 28, 2023, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-sport-in-which-taking-steroids-does-not-provide-any-competitive-advantage/984270 "2023-05-28T14:16:57Z")
Is there any sport in which taking steroids does not provide any competitive advantage? Auto sports? Equestrian? Chess? “eSports”? Anything? --- ## [Test picture](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-picture/971487)
**Author:** [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [May 28, 2023, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-picture/971487 "2023-05-28T14:08:44Z")
\[Album\] Accurate --- ## [Always Something There to Remind Me](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/always-something-there-to-remind-me/984688)
**Author:** [@EnolaStraight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EnolaStraight)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [May 28, 2023, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/always-something-there-to-remind-me/984688 "2023-05-28T13:47:04Z")
Inspired by the Prime commercials featuring the original 60s version of the Burt Bacharach classic. (1) Lou Johnson “Always Something There To Remind Me” & “Kentucky Bluebird” - YouTube --- ## [Radiation: Why all the different units? What does each tell us?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radiation-why-all-the-different-units-what-does-each-tell-us/984550)
**Author:** [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [May 28, 2023, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radiation-why-all-the-different-units-what-does-each-tell-us/984550 "2023-05-28T13:31:49Z")
I was watching something on the Chernobyl nuclear disaster and noted they were using Sieverts to measure exposure. But I have seen more units used to measure radiation. I am not sure this is a complete list but I can t… --- ## [Please explain how my vertical fan works](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-how-my-vertical-fan-works/984692)
**Author:** [@Heracles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heracles)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [May 28, 2023, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-how-my-vertical-fan-works/984692 "2023-05-28T11:54:37Z")
I just got a fan for the den. It’s a cheap Honeywell-brand vertical fan. It works correctly, but I’ve been struggling to understand how it works. I don’t want to open the housing, so what I can gather from looking in thr… --- ## [My Dad is seeing a Neurologist](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dad-is-seeing-a-neurologist/984690)
**Author:** [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [May 28, 2023, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dad-is-seeing-a-neurologist/984690 "2023-05-28T05:35:52Z")
And it’s not the least bit romantic. I’m really badly freaking out about this. Apparently he’s had some episodes where he’ll be going along and his mind will suddenly go blank and he gets dizzy. He went to his primary… --- ## [Vegan cheese](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegan-cheese/984676)
**Author:** [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [May 28, 2023, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegan-cheese/984676 "2023-05-28T01:06:40Z")
So about a month ago I went vegan. For the most part, it hasn’t been that bad; a lot of the changes I’ve been forced to make are healthier anyway. And vegan sausages and burgers are acceptable enough that I don’t miss t… --- ## [Pejorative Descriptions of Groups](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pejorative-descriptions-of-groups/984405)
**Author:** [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [May 27, 2023, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pejorative-descriptions-of-groups/984405 "2023-05-27T23:34:04Z")
There are lots of collective nouns for people that are now considered unacceptable, The one beginning with N is the most obvious, but there are many others. Since the middle of the last century, so for 60/70 years, the … --- ## [Why does Russia; the invading country; think complaining about sabotage on Russian soil is worth complaining about?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-russia-the-invading-country-think-complaining-about-sabotage-on-russian-soil-is-worth-complaining-about/984425)
**Author:** [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Replies:** 37\ **Last updated:** [May 27, 2023, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-russia-the-invading-country-think-complaining-about-sabotage-on-russian-soil-is-worth-complaining-about/984425 "2023-05-27T18:28:16Z")
Continuing the discussion from Russia invades Ukraine {2022-02-24} (Part 2): Do they understand they’re at war with Ukraine? Do they forget that they’re destroying civilian lives, cities & towns? Don’t they understa… --- ## [What historical events are too controversial to dramatize?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-historical-events-are-too-controversial-to-dramatize/976168)
**Author:** [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Replies:** 74\ **Last updated:** [May 27, 2023, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-historical-events-are-too-controversial-to-dramatize/976168 "2023-05-27T16:29:02Z")
While I’m sure there’s always someone out there who’d want to try, there are certain historical events that would be regarded as forbidden territory for anything’s not a documentary (i.e., a movie, TV program, or play). … --- ## [Categories missing now from hamburger dropdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/categories-missing-now-from-hamburger-dropdown/984668)
**Author:** [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [May 27, 2023, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/categories-missing-now-from-hamburger-dropdown/984668 "2023-05-27T13:54:04Z")
A better explanation - the menu hamburger dropdown, upper right of the page, used to show all the categories (Factual Questions, IMHO etc.). Very simple and very handy for navigation. No matter where you where in a threa… --- ## [Cost of boiling water](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cost-of-boiling-water/984321)
**Author:** [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Replies:** 88\ **Last updated:** [May 27, 2023, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cost-of-boiling-water/984321 "2023-05-27T13:18:40Z")
Inflation being what it is, there are regular reports on TV of people’s efforts to save energy. A recent one featured a lady who had stopped using her electric kettle and now boils water for tea in her microwave. At fir… --- ## [What will bond woven nylon to nylon?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-bond-woven-nylon-to-nylon/984549)
**Author:** [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [May 27, 2023, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-bond-woven-nylon-to-nylon/984549 "2023-05-27T12:52:08Z")
Think pet collar material. I’m looking for the right glue to create a permanent bond – maybe something of a solvent-like nature? After seeing a recommendation on YouTube I tried Gorilla Glue, the clear liquid kind, which… --- ## [RIP Tina Turner (1939-2023)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-tina-turner-1939-2023/984532)
**Author:** [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Replies:** 40\ **Last updated:** [May 27, 2023, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-tina-turner-1939-2023/984532 "2023-05-27T11:22:32Z")
We’ve got a preliminary report that Tina Turner passed away in her home in Switzerland after a long illness. --- ## [Movies That Helped You Understand People More](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-helped-you-understand-people-more/984577)
**Author:** [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [May 27, 2023, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-helped-you-understand-people-more/984577 "2023-05-27T10:49:33Z")
I was reading an interview with Roger Ebert who said about “Nashville” “After I saw it I felt more alive, I felt I understood more about people, I felt somehow wiser. It’s that good a movie.” You might even be able to … --- ## [Undercoating for cars](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undercoating-for-cars/984487)
**Author:** [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [May 27, 2023, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undercoating-for-cars/984487 "2023-05-27T05:28:26Z")
Now that I live in snowland, we have to deal with salt on the roads. One friend says he always has undercoating done but another says that the chances are higher we’ll total the car first by hitting a deer before it rust… --- ## [What is this kitchen tool?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-kitchen-tool/984638)
**Author:** [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [May 27, 2023, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-kitchen-tool/984638 "2023-05-27T05:00:26Z")
I have a kitchen utensil whose use is unknown to me, so I went looking on the internet and found it for sale on eBay, but I think the seller doesn’t know what it is either, as they refer to it as a “curved serrated kitch… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=818) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=820)