# Latest **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=873 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 874 --- ## ["Out" vs. "Off"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/out-vs-off/981345)
**Author:** [@Knighted\_Vorpal\_Sword](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knighted_Vorpal_Sword)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [March 20, 2023, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/out-vs-off/981345 "2023-03-20T07:08:10Z")
The light is off. I turned the light off. Turn the lights off! vs. The light is out. I turned the light out. Turn the lights out! Which do you favor? I find myself using “out” most of the time, but I don’t really know… --- ## [DST in the MMP](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dst-in-the-mmp/981099)
**Author:** [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Replies:** 328\ **Last updated:** [March 20, 2023, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dst-in-the-mmp/981099 "2023-03-20T06:42:41Z")
Hey you slackers, how come I’m the one starting this? I’m the only one who isn’t suffering through the time change. @purplehorseshoe come on over this way, both of us lost track of time tonight! WANT. NO! Not happeni… --- ## [Help! I've changed something with carets](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-ive-changed-something-with-carets/981200)
**Author:** [@saucywench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saucywench)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [March 20, 2023, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-ive-changed-something-with-carets/981200 "2023-03-20T06:38:07Z")
There was a box near the top that said something about changing carets. I hit “yes” but didn’t mean to. Now there is no red line that shows my last visit, and scrolling on the right seems different. Thanks for any help. --- ## [Who voted for the specially elected state conventions to ratify the constitution?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-voted-for-the-specially-elected-state-conventions-to-ratify-the-constitution/981335)
**Author:** [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [March 20, 2023, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-voted-for-the-specially-elected-state-conventions-to-ratify-the-constitution/981335 "2023-03-20T04:18:15Z")
Ratification began when the proposed constitution was presented to each state’s specially elected conventions to vote on. How were these conventions populated? I have found reference to “conventions of the people” but … --- ## [New things You'd Like to see Invented](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-things-youd-like-to-see-invented/981325)
**Author:** [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [March 20, 2023, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-things-youd-like-to-see-invented/981325 "2023-03-20T02:20:19Z")
Inspired by this thread Old-fashioned things you'd like to see revived - #264 by Tibby I was discussing some of the points in the above thread with SWMBO (She Who Must Be Obeyed) and we moved on to things we’d like to … --- ## [dark Phoenix- seen = critics pile on job? A very watchable movie?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-phoenix-seen-critics-pile-on-job-a-very-watchable-movie/835547)
**Author:** [@Helmut\_Doork](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helmut_Doork)\ **Replies:** 51\ **Last updated:** [March 19, 2023, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-phoenix-seen-critics-pile-on-job-a-very-watchable-movie/835547 "2023-03-19T22:49:05Z")
I see the reviews and keep watching this saying, ok at some point this is going to really start to suck I guess, but it never did suck, it was average to above IMO, nowhere near the class of Fantastic Four. No dull spots… --- ## [Are Walmart workers bothered by the self-checkouts?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-walmart-workers-bothered-by-the-self-checkouts/980807)
**Author:** [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Replies:** 78\ **Last updated:** [March 19, 2023, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-walmart-workers-bothered-by-the-self-checkouts/980807 "2023-03-19T22:11:56Z")
I know that the intent is to reduce staffing, but I’m assuming that workers aren’t threatened by that because (at least around here) jobs that don’t require skills or experience are plentiful. Do cashiers make more? Is … --- ## [How does SETI@Home work?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-seti-home-work/519703)
**Author:** [@sweeteviljesus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweeteviljesus)\ **Replies:** 59\ **Last updated:** [March 19, 2023, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-seti-home-work/519703 "2023-03-19T19:39:56Z")
Isn’t it akin to a screen saver, i.e. a program that runs at the lowest priority and swaps out as soon as anything else comes up in the queue? I ask because a school district tech supervisor was lost his job over instal… --- ## [What's the Deal With Shen Yun's Latest Tagline?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-shen-yuns-latest-tagline/963893)
**Author:** [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [March 19, 2023, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-shen-yuns-latest-tagline/963893 "2023-03-19T19:21:07Z")
Living in the greater Los Angeles live entertainment marketplace, I have for years been seeing ads for Shen Yun, the Chinese dance troupe show that’s kindasorta like Stomp meets Cirque du Soliel. The ads have always been… --- ## [Is there a reason the industrial/information revolution could not have happened thousands of years earlier?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-reason-the-industrial-information-revolution-could-not-have-happened-thousands-of-years-earlier/980951)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 111\ **Last updated:** [March 19, 2023, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-reason-the-industrial-information-revolution-could-not-have-happened-thousands-of-years-earlier/980951 "2023-03-19T18:05:27Z")
Not sure if FQ or IMHO, mods can decide: For millennia, humans basically lived an agrarian lifestyle, until the past few hundred years when suddenly things skyrocketed upwards exponentially. There was very little differ… --- ## [The Straight Dope referenced in FB article about John Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-straight-dope-referenced-in-fb-article-about-john-wayne/981338)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [March 19, 2023, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-straight-dope-referenced-in-fb-article-about-john-wayne/981338 "2023-03-19T15:55:22Z")
Just came across this in an article in my Facebook feed. Context: The Straight Dope offers a nuanced assessment of Wayne’s decision not to enlist. The actor was 34 years old at the time of the Pearl Harbor attack, ha… --- ## [Couple dumb Planet of the Apes film nitpicks](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/couple-dumb-planet-of-the-apes-film-nitpicks/981342)
**Author:** [@Pavelb1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pavelb1)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [March 19, 2023, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/couple-dumb-planet-of-the-apes-film-nitpicks/981342 "2023-03-19T15:28:08Z")
They KEEP sending more astronauts to look for the previous ones! The first, the second…the TV series…the animated series. Yet we see in the first one that time dilation is in effect. Very little time has passed for Tay… --- ## [What is the sin if you wish someone dead?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-sin-if-you-wish-someone-dead/981301)
**Author:** [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [March 19, 2023, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-sin-if-you-wish-someone-dead/981301 "2023-03-19T03:53:40Z")
I have the feeling that it’s likely to be a sin, but I’m not sure which one. It can’t be Love thy Neighbor, because someone half a continent away from me can hardly be called my neighbor. --- ## [Amusing things in the news](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-things-in-the-news/981267)
**Author:** [@Tatterdemalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tatterdemalion)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [March 19, 2023, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-things-in-the-news/981267 "2023-03-19T02:01:11Z")
I was listening to the radio news today, when they put on a little bit about some kind of AI driven ultrasound gizmo. I wasn’t paying a great deal of attention until the presenter said that it would possibly be good for … --- ## [Online High Yield Savings Accounts](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/online-high-yield-savings-accounts/981182)
**Author:** [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [March 18, 2023, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/online-high-yield-savings-accounts/981182 "2023-03-18T22:39:11Z")
Curious if anyone has experience with many of the online banks that offer high yield savings / money market accounts? There are several that are rated and reviewed by BankRate and Investopedia, but I wanted to know of a… --- ## [Help the Mahaloth family buy an HD TV, please.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-the-mahaloth-family-buy-an-hd-tv-please/689287)
**Author:** [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Replies:** 67\ **Last updated:** [March 18, 2023, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-the-mahaloth-family-buy-an-hd-tv-please/689287 "2023-03-18T22:00:12Z")
We are a very budget-conscious family. Not cheap-skates, but people who have zero debt outside our mortgage, have managed to adopt to kids from Korea, and live within our means. Anyway, we still have a perfectly working … --- ## [Lance Reddick has died](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lance-reddick-has-died/981304)
**Author:** [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [March 18, 2023, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lance-reddick-has-died/981304 "2023-03-18T19:34:10Z")
Story here: I liked his genre work (never saw The Wire), and especially his voice acting, such as in the Horizon franchise --- ## [Why the preeminence of SpaceX?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-preeminence-of-spacex/981294)
**Author:** [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [March 18, 2023, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-preeminence-of-spacex/981294 "2023-03-18T19:16:16Z")
Virgin Orbit announced Thursday that they were suspending operations, and it looks likely the company will go under or be majorly restructured. In fact, with one exception private space companies seem to have been doing … --- ## [Carpet replacement - how long should I allow?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carpet-replacement-how-long-should-i-allow/981265)
**Author:** [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [March 18, 2023, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carpet-replacement-how-long-should-i-allow/981265 "2023-03-18T18:45:37Z")
I need to replace the carpet in one of my rooms, and figure that I might as well replace the carpet in my other two upstairs rooms (a master bedroom and two smaller rooms, presumably meant to be kids’ bedrooms) as well. … --- ## [Is boredom important for kids' development?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-boredom-important-for-kids-development/981250)
**Author:** [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [March 18, 2023, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-boredom-important-for-kids-development/981250 "2023-03-18T18:45:06Z")
I was listening to a podcast the other day and someone implied that without boredom and rainy days where you had nothing else to do that the Beatles may never have formed because kids wouldn’t take the time to learn how … --- ## [The Flintstones Reveals the Voice Cast for Its New Series ..will it be the next "velma"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-flintstones-reveals-the-voice-cast-for-its-new-series-will-it-be-the-next-velma/981060)
**Author:** [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Replies:** 36\ **Last updated:** [March 18, 2023, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-flintstones-reveals-the-voice-cast-for-its-new-series-will-it-be-the-next-velma/981060 "2023-03-18T16:30:42Z")
Apparently, this has been in the works for years and they’re retconning the last 3 animated tv specials from the 00s but all the commenting sections I’ve seen are saying its going to the next poorly received Velma or … --- ## [Trump says he's gonna be arrested on Tuesday](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-says-hes-gonna-be-arrested-on-tuesday/981328)
**Author:** [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [March 18, 2023, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-says-hes-gonna-be-arrested-on-tuesday/981328 "2023-03-18T15:33:38Z")
He then goes on to encourage people to protest and take the country back. This is getting real. --- ## [Should transwomen be allowed in women's prisons?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-transwomen-be-allowed-in-womens-prisons/979830)
**Author:** [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Replies:** 167\ **Last updated:** [March 18, 2023, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-transwomen-be-allowed-in-womens-prisons/979830 "2023-03-18T13:27:05Z")
So in the UK recently there was a bit of a furore (whipped up by a political dispute between the Scottish and UK parliaments) about a convicted rapist (with male genitalia) identifying as a woman and therefore being sent… --- ## [First-time home buying (planning) for a 53 year old—seeking basic wisdom on getting started](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-time-home-buying-planning-for-a-53-year-old-seeking-basic-wisdom-on-getting-started/981031)
**Author:** [@xanthous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xanthous)\ **Replies:** 107\ **Last updated:** [March 18, 2023, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-time-home-buying-planning-for-a-53-year-old-seeking-basic-wisdom-on-getting-started/981031 "2023-03-18T12:24:40Z")
Considering becoming a first time homebuyer at age 53. Single no kids. Not rich, aggressive retirement savings because I’m a bit short. Not looking for a palace, looking for a sound structure with a bit of nature around … --- ## [What is your favorite tribute to a musical group or singer?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-tribute-to-a-musical-group-or-singer/981078)
**Author:** [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [March 18, 2023, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-tribute-to-a-musical-group-or-singer/981078 "2023-03-18T08:54:23Z")
Most “tributes” I’ve seen/heard are quickly tossed off vanity pieces best viewed as novelties, but a few years back at The Kennedy Center Honors Led Zeppelin was being honored by Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart singing “St… --- ## [Why were some British prices once quoted in Guineas instead of Pounds and Shillings?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-some-british-prices-once-quoted-in-guineas-instead-of-pounds-and-shillings/981239)
**Author:** [@themapleleaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/themapleleaf)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [March 18, 2023, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-some-british-prices-once-quoted-in-guineas-instead-of-pounds-and-shillings/981239 "2023-03-18T07:15:10Z")
In pre-decimal British currency, a pound was worth 20 shillings (and a shilling was worth 12 pence). There was a coin called a Guinea, which was originally worth 1 pound in silver, but with the price of silver changing, … --- ## [In olden days, how common was it for people to enter marriage with literally no clue what sex was?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-olden-days-how-common-was-it-for-people-to-enter-marriage-with-literally-no-clue-what-sex-was/980395)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 269\ **Last updated:** [March 18, 2023, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-olden-days-how-common-was-it-for-people-to-enter-marriage-with-literally-no-clue-what-sex-was/980395 "2023-03-18T05:44:20Z")
In one of the Laura Ingalls books, Laura’s daughter, Rose Wilder, asked her (Laura) how babies are made. And Laura stammered and got flustered, before eventually saying, “You’ll find out when you get married.” How commo… --- ## [Did This Guy Really Build This Motorcycle From a Citroen 2CV in the Desert?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-this-guy-really-build-this-motorcycle-from-a-citroen-2cv-in-the-desert/980995)
**Author:** [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [March 18, 2023, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-this-guy-really-build-this-motorcycle-from-a-citroen-2cv-in-the-desert/980995 "2023-03-18T04:36:36Z")
Did This Guy Really Build This Motorcycle From a Citroen 2CV in the Desert? TLDR version: Guy drove his Citroen 2CVinto the desert, hit a rock that broke his axel (or chassis), tore his car down and built a motorcycle f… --- ## [Where did this YouTube voice come from?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-this-youtube-voice-come-from/981303)
**Author:** [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [March 18, 2023, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-this-youtube-voice-come-from/981303 "2023-03-18T04:08:00Z")
Sometimes between scenes there will be voice that says something like “one hour later”, a little haltingly in some weird, probably fake, accent. WTF is that? Maybe from some game? --- ## [How should we "save" Social Security?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-we-save-social-security/973567)
**Author:** [@glowacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glowacks)\ **Replies:** 183\ **Last updated:** [March 18, 2023, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-we-save-social-security/973567 "2023-03-18T01:13:19Z")
Discourse isn’t showing me a thread on this unless you go back to 2005, so I think a new topic might be worthwhile compared to resurrecting such an old thread. Social Security is now doing better than it was before the … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=872) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=874)