# Latest **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=894 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 895 --- ## [Is Japan the worst highly developed country to live in?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-japan-the-worst-highly-developed-country-to-live-in/954329)
**Author:** [@JakeRS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JakeRS)\ **Replies:** 98\ **Last updated:** [February 18, 2023, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-japan-the-worst-highly-developed-country-to-live-in/954329 "2023-02-18T15:08:12Z")
Japanese has a word, Karoshi, for overworking to death A survey by the Japanese ministry of health, labour and welfare said that 30-40% of men can’t sleep due to work stress and that 40% of men and women sleep less than… --- ## [Idiots who insert political comments in non-political topics](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiots-who-insert-political-comments-in-non-political-topics/968349)
**Author:** [@HorribleMutantBoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HorribleMutantBoy)\ **Replies:** 40\ **Last updated:** [February 18, 2023, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiots-who-insert-political-comments-in-non-political-topics/968349 "2023-02-18T14:46:25Z")
Doesn’t matter what the subject matter is; Disney movies, Car repair or School Bake Sales these guys will use it as an opportunity to attack their political opponents for no apparent reason. The vast majority of the tim… --- ## [Doper Parents (USA Dopers, Public Schools): Do Your Kids' School Textbooks Contain Anything You Disagree With?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-parents-usa-dopers-public-schools-do-your-kids-school-textbooks-contain-anything-you-disagree-with/979582)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [February 18, 2023, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-parents-usa-dopers-public-schools-do-your-kids-school-textbooks-contain-anything-you-disagree-with/979582 "2023-02-18T13:06:00Z")
I’m not and have never been a parent, so I have no iron in this fire. But I’m curious: it seems pretty apparent to me that one battleground of the left/right culture wars is what is written in school textbooks. I’m curio… --- ## [.....I love you](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-you/979796)
**Author:** [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [February 18, 2023, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-you/979796 "2023-02-18T09:37:23Z")
i love you like a thousand candles lit. i love you across the years, the sea, the miles and even the universe of stars. i love you without regard to any other thing i love you with fear of the power it holds Perfectl… --- ## [How formal does a presidential order have to be to be an order?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-formal-does-a-presidential-order-have-to-be-to-be-an-order/964973)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [February 18, 2023, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-formal-does-a-presidential-order-have-to-be-to-be-an-order/964973 "2023-02-18T01:59:20Z")
Let’s say Biden, as Commander-in-Chief, is sitting in the White House situation room watching some stuff in Ukraine unfold on the TV screen and mumbles out of the corner of his mouth, “Bomb the (Russian) bastards.” It’s… --- ## [Need help with Excel Issue](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-excel-issue/979915)
**Author:** [@Petek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Petek)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [February 18, 2023, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-excel-issue/979915 "2023-02-18T01:27:17Z")
I’m not able to configure Excel to behave as desired. I hope that someone who has Excel (for Windows) can duplicate my issue. Please take the following steps: Create a shortcut to an Excel spreadsheet on your desktop. … --- ## [Oxygen on Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oxygen-on-mars/979846)
**Author:** [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [February 18, 2023, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oxygen-on-mars/979846 "2023-02-18T00:14:17Z")
I was listening to a space podcast yesterday, and they made the claim that there used to be oxygen on Mars. But apparently solar winds blew away the atmosphere after Mars lost it’s magnetic field. My understanding is t… --- ## [Do more people these days believe in literal demons?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-more-people-these-days-believe-in-literal-demons/979714)
**Author:** [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Replies:** 84\ **Last updated:** [February 17, 2023, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-more-people-these-days-believe-in-literal-demons/979714 "2023-02-17T23:51:56Z")
Maybe this is a social media thing, but it has come to my attention recently that a lot of people seem to think demons literally exist. In my youth I had a Jehovah’s Witness friend who stated that demons were a literal … --- ## [Do you have cheaper electricity rates at certain times of day?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-cheaper-electricity-rates-at-certain-times-of-day/979875)
**Author:** [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [February 17, 2023, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-cheaper-electricity-rates-at-certain-times-of-day/979875 "2023-02-17T23:29:17Z")
poll I’ve read that in some markets, it’s common for the cost of electricity to vary over the course of the day. In these places, electricity costs less overnight, when usage is off-peak, so as to encourage customers to… --- ## [Is anyone else seeing a delay in getting their W-2s or 1099s?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-seeing-a-delay-in-getting-their-w-2s-or-1099s/979558)
**Author:** [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [February 17, 2023, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-else-seeing-a-delay-in-getting-their-w-2s-or-1099s/979558 "2023-02-17T23:21:47Z")
I am. I know they’re supposed to be mailed out by January 31st, but I have yet to receive one. Anyone else? --- ## ["Upgrade to Windows 11 is ready for your PC"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upgrade-to-windows-11-is-ready-for-your-pc/961862)
**Author:** [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Replies:** 37\ **Last updated:** [February 17, 2023, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upgrade-to-windows-11-is-ready-for-your-pc/961862 "2023-02-17T23:04:48Z")
Microsoft is offering to upgrade PCs that can run Win11. We have several Dell Optiplex 3070s on the network, some have the upgrade offer and some do not. What method does Microsoft use to offer the upgrade? --- ## [Where is A.J. Casson's Moose Lake? (Group of Seven painting location)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-a-j-cassons-moose-lake-group-of-seven-painting-location/979810)
**Author:** [@wolfstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfstu)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [February 17, 2023, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-a-j-cassons-moose-lake-group-of-seven-painting-location/979810 "2023-02-17T22:53:56Z")
A.J. Casson is a well-known Canadian painter from the Group of Seven school of landscape artists. He traveled extensively in Ontario in particular, painting villages and natural landscapes. Several of his paintings inc… --- ## [AOC says Superbowl ad is "fascist"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aoc-says-superbowl-ad-is-fascist/979747)
**Author:** [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Replies:** 145\ **Last updated:** [February 17, 2023, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aoc-says-superbowl-ad-is-fascist/979747 "2023-02-17T22:43:51Z")
(there are dozens of cites for this, pick your own) “Something tells me Jesus would not spend millions of dollars on Super Bowl ads to make fascism look benign,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted on Sunday night. Okay, she doesn… --- ## [YouTube downloads](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-downloads/979952)
**Author:** [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [February 17, 2023, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-downloads/979952 "2023-02-17T21:09:35Z")
I use Real Downloader to download YouTube videos. In normal times, it works fine. However - today, nothing will download. I get a message “Real Player cannot download videos on this page”. It even happens with videos tha… --- ## [Pharaoh: A New Era](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pharaoh-a-new-era/979900)
**Author:** [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [February 17, 2023, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pharaoh-a-new-era/979900 "2023-02-17T20:41:02Z")
This one never hit my Radar at all until Yesterday when It was released Yesterday. Seeing it brought a nice wave of nostalgia for the classic city builders. And it is, of course, a remake of the Original Pharaoh at a me… --- ## [What's on your nightstand?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-on-your-nightstand/979891)
**Author:** [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Replies:** 71\ **Last updated:** [February 17, 2023, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-on-your-nightstand/979891 "2023-02-17T20:17:28Z")
Since nightstands are in the news, what do you keep on your nightstand? Maybe you don’t even have a nightstand. Do you have a nightstand? I’m tired of typing nightstand. Anyway. Anybody have a framed photo of a dear … --- ## [Is a tank water heater or gas tankless water heater more environmentally friendly?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-tank-water-heater-or-gas-tankless-water-heater-more-environmentally-friendly/979851)
**Author:** [@jharvey963](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jharvey963)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [February 17, 2023, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-tank-water-heater-or-gas-tankless-water-heater-more-environmentally-friendly/979851 "2023-02-17T20:11:46Z")
Basically, what the subject line says. And by environmentally friendly, I mean the emission of greenhouse gases. There’s been talk recently about preferring electric ranges over gas ranges. How does this apply to gas … --- ## [The 'new' influx of smaller balloons](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-influx-of-smaller-balloons/979688)
**Author:** [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [February 17, 2023, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-influx-of-smaller-balloons/979688 "2023-02-17T20:06:00Z")
My mundane, pointless thing is that these balloons have been flying over US airspace for years. I expect we will find that they will be mostly set adrift by people who want to see how high their balloon can go and get n… --- ## [How bad are these AI generated kanji?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-bad-are-these-ai-generated-kanji/979924)
**Author:** [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [February 17, 2023, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-bad-are-these-ai-generated-kanji/979924 "2023-02-17T20:04:53Z")
AI engines toss out “English” that is a mix of pretty good letters, slightly distorted ones, and completely alien shapes. With the good letters, words are sometimes sensible, sometimes not. I’ve always wondered about th… --- ## [Bruce Willis has aphasia and is indeed leaving acting](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bruce-willis-has-aphasia-and-is-indeed-leaving-acting/961996)
**Author:** [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Replies:** 65\ **Last updated:** [February 17, 2023, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bruce-willis-has-aphasia-and-is-indeed-leaving-acting/961996 "2023-02-17T19:36:30Z")
After he released 8 horrific and cheap movies last year, rumors were flying he had dementia. I’m not sure if Aphasia counts as a form of dementia, but the rumors are at least partly true. What was at least somewhat comi… --- ## [2023 Baseball Hall of Fame Balloting](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-baseball-hall-of-fame-balloting/970233)
**Author:** [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [February 17, 2023, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-baseball-hall-of-fame-balloting/970233 "2023-02-17T19:20:17Z")
Alright, let’s vote for who should be in the Baseball Hall of Fame, you animals! Unfortunately, the board only allows 20 choices per poll and there are 40 possible candidates, so we can’t do a formal poll that works rig… --- ## [I asked ChatGPT to write a sonnet to this message board](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-asked-chatgpt-to-write-a-sonnet-to-this-message-board/979806)
**Author:** [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [February 17, 2023, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-asked-chatgpt-to-write-a-sonnet-to-this-message-board/979806 "2023-02-17T19:10:27Z")
It did pretty well. Maybe a little heavy on the wisdom and civility. :slightly\_smiling\_face: Oh Straight Dope Message Board, how do I sing Thy praises in a manner most befitting? For in thee, knowledge and wit both ta… --- ## [EMP power?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emp-power/979908)
**Author:** [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [February 17, 2023, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emp-power/979908 "2023-02-17T17:55:04Z")
Starfish Prime was a atmospheric nuclear test done in the Pacific during the 60’s. It’s EMP yield was far larger than expected and it alone was estimated to be able to have wiped out all the electronics in the lower Uni… --- ## [eBay question: multiple bids of the same amount](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-question-multiple-bids-of-the-same-amount/979950)
**Author:** [@3AxisCtrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3AxisCtrl)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [February 17, 2023, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-question-multiple-bids-of-the-same-amount/979950 "2023-02-17T17:27:34Z")
I occasionally sell items on eBay (maybe a couple a month). I currently have a old smartphone listed. In 3 days it has 3 bids. But all three are from the same bidder, and for the amount I specified as the minimum bid. … --- ## [Add initial letter to the same three letters to make the most new (English) words](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/add-initial-letter-to-the-same-three-letters-to-make-the-most-new-english-words/979836)
**Author:** [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [February 17, 2023, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/add-initial-letter-to-the-same-three-letters-to-make-the-most-new-english-words/979836 "2023-02-17T16:31:39Z")
This is a question I’ve wondered about for some time, but didn’t know how to find the answer, and it occurred to me to turn it into a game. Take three leterrs, for instance AST, and add one letter to the beginning. The … --- ## [Misremembered theme song lyric (Laverne&Shirley)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misremembered-theme-song-lyric-laverne-shirley/979897)
**Author:** [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [February 17, 2023, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misremembered-theme-song-lyric-laverne-shirley/979897 "2023-02-17T16:15:21Z")
Y’all are going to think I’m crazy for asking but for some reason I remember (would have been 12 at the time) them changing the last line of the Laverne&Shirley theme song for the final season for when they were in Cali… --- ## [Raquel Welch has died](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raquel-welch-has-died/979852)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 60\ **Last updated:** [February 17, 2023, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raquel-welch-has-died/979852 "2023-02-17T15:35:30Z")
‘According to family members, Raquel died this morning after a brief illness.’ --- ## [Amazon putting stuff in a porch box](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-putting-stuff-in-a-porch-box/979926)
**Author:** [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [February 17, 2023, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-putting-stuff-in-a-porch-box/979926 "2023-02-17T15:26:46Z")
I had an Amazon driver put a small package/envelope in my “mail” box. And as always I thought of how much trouble they could get in for that. But then it occurred to me that there is nothing that say it is a U.S. Pos… --- ## [Classified documents found at Mike Pence's Indiana Home (01-24-2023)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classified-documents-found-at-mike-pences-indiana-home-01-24-2023/978745)
**Author:** [@loriloolee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/loriloolee)\ **Replies:** 67\ **Last updated:** [February 17, 2023, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classified-documents-found-at-mike-pences-indiana-home-01-24-2023/978745 "2023-02-17T15:08:53Z")
--- ## [Your Political Predictions for the U.S and the World in the 2020s?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-political-predictions-for-the-u-s-and-the-world-in-the-2020s/979873)
**Author:** [@Nema98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nema98)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [February 17, 2023, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-political-predictions-for-the-u-s-and-the-world-in-the-2020s/979873 "2023-02-17T14:55:49Z")
I’m curious to see how you all predict the rest of the 2020s will manifest itself in terms of politics and global affairs? What trends do you see happening in the United States or for Dopers living in other countries? No… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=893) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=895)