# Common Misconceptions Many Reasonably Intelligent People Have and Your Corrections **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 9, 2011, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions-many-reasonably-intelligent-people-have-and-your-corrections/581226 "2011-05-09T02:24:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 17
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions-many-reasonably-intelligent-people-have-and-your-corrections/581226/321 "2013-03-16T13:14:22Z")
WhyNot, it’s a perfectly cromulent Irish-American meal, so have at it. Enjoy! ---
**Author:** ![Troppus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a587f6/32.png) [@Troppus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troppus)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions-many-reasonably-intelligent-people-have-and-your-corrections/581226/322 "2013-03-16T13:19:30Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Not to mention that we don’t have America bald eagles, Africa lions, Asia and India elephants etc. All the other animals take the same names as the people, so why should geese from Canada be a special case? Those names differentiate between the subspecies. All the subspecies of the Canada goose have Canada in the name. Dusky Canada Goose, Interior Canada Goose, Atlantic Canada Goose, etc. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions-many-reasonably-intelligent-people-have-and-your-corrections/581226/323 "2013-03-16T13:45:11Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > WhyNot, it’s a perfectly cromulent Irish-American meal, so have at it. Enjoy! Oh, I did. I really really did. It was thin sliced lean corned beef with mashed potatoes, cabbage and swiss cheese wrapped in a giant potato pancake, and a creamy horseradish sauce and crispy fried shredded potato bits as garnish. Hey…three forms of potato on one plate is pretty authentically Irish, even if corned beef isn’t. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions-many-reasonably-intelligent-people-have-and-your-corrections/581226/324 "2013-03-16T13:48:34Z")
I live in Canada and nobody here calls them “Canadian geese.” ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions-many-reasonably-intelligent-people-have-and-your-corrections/581226/325 "2013-03-16T14:04:31Z")
You probably just call them “geese” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions-many-reasonably-intelligent-people-have-and-your-corrections/581226/326 "2013-03-16T14:41:34Z")
I believe the scientific name is “those fucking shit-factory geese”. ---
**Author:** ![Troppus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a587f6/32.png) [@Troppus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troppus)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions-many-reasonably-intelligent-people-have-and-your-corrections/581226/327 "2013-03-16T14:52:53Z")
> [@fachverwirrt](#): > > I believe the scientific name is “those fucking shit-factory geese”. Far more accurate, IMO. A friend is employed by the city to allow her well-trained collie to “discourage” the geese from nesting alongside the paved pathways in our parks. She catches a lot of flack from animal lovers, but the dog never actually touches the birds, just charges and barks enthusiastically. Last summer a furious goose feeder began threatening and cursing at my friend who whipped out her phone to document the harassment. The attacker swung an open-palmed haymaker but slipped and fell before she made contact. What caused her to slip? You know. It was justice. Justice made her fall. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions-many-reasonably-intelligent-people-have-and-your-corrections/581226/328 "2013-03-16T15:08:33Z")
> [@fachverwirrt](#): > > I believe the scientific name is “those fucking shit-factory geese”. Those fuckers have invaded the Air Force Base I work at. I would ring their necks if it were allowed. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions-many-reasonably-intelligent-people-have-and-your-corrections/581226/329 "2013-03-16T15:15:30Z")
To address the OP, I am amazed at how many of my friends and coworkers believe certain foods are “bad” for them. Many believe GMOs are evil and only buy “organic” produce. Some believe they’re allergic to MSG, and that the consumption of diet soda is a direct contributor to obesity and tooth decay. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions-many-reasonably-intelligent-people-have-and-your-corrections/581226/330 "2013-03-16T18:54:11Z")
Many people who want to write a picture book think that they need to find an illustrator for it. In most cases, that’s not true. The publisher would rather choose the illustrator. ---
**Author:** ![Troppus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a587f6/32.png) [@Troppus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troppus)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions-many-reasonably-intelligent-people-have-and-your-corrections/581226/331 "2013-03-16T20:21:03Z")
> [@Dendarii\_Dame](#): > > Many people who want to write a picture book think that they need to find an illustrator for it. In most cases, that’s not true. The publisher would rather choose the illustrator. Hmmm… so you do, what? Rough sketches? Describe concepts? Let someone else run wild with your ideas? ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions-many-reasonably-intelligent-people-have-and-your-corrections/581226/332 "2013-03-16T20:37:08Z")
> [@Troppus](#): > > Hmmm… so you do, what? Rough sketches? Describe concepts? Let someone else run wild with your ideas? I just tell the story, and the illustrator does what he or she thinks best. (Mostly, I write stories and poems for children’s magazines, and the same rule applies.) On the very rare occasions that my story doesn’t make clear what’s going on in the illustration, I will make a separate note for the illustrator. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions-many-reasonably-intelligent-people-have-and-your-corrections/581226/333 "2013-03-16T21:35:52Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Those fuckers have invaded the Air Force Base I work at. I would ring their necks if it were allowed. wring. I have a friend who has a goose-harassment business. Uses Border Collies and Aussies to disturb the Canada Geese enough that they leave. Cities, and large corporations with “parks” hire her. She’s in Indiana. Apparently business is booming. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions-many-reasonably-intelligent-people-have-and-your-corrections/581226/334 "2013-03-16T21:53:23Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Some believe they’re allergic to MSG, and that the consumption of diet soda is a direct contributor to obesity and tooth decay. :rolleyes: Sorry, I don’t get the rolly eyes. [Diet sodas link to obesity](http://news.menshealth.com/diet-soda-fat/2012/06/21/) [Diet sodas may confuse brain’s calorie counter](http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/341424/description/Diet_sodas__may_confuse_brains_calorie_counter) [New study is a wake-up call for diet soda drinkers](http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-20075358-10391704/new-study-is-wake-up-call-for-diet-soda-drinkers/) [Diet soda can jack up your teeth enamel](http://www.livescience.com/7198-acids-popular-sodas-erode-tooth-enamel.html) ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions-many-reasonably-intelligent-people-have-and-your-corrections/581226/335 "2013-03-16T22:07:31Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > Sorry, I don’t get the rolly eyes. > > [Diet sodas link to obesity](http://news.menshealth.com/diet-soda-fat/2012/06/21/) > > [Diet sodas may confuse brain’s calorie counter](http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/341424/description/Diet_sodas__may_confuse_brains_calorie_counter) > > [New study is a wake-up call for diet soda drinkers](http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-20075358-10391704/new-study-is-wake-up-call-for-diet-soda-drinkers/) > > [Diet soda can jack up your teeth enamel](http://www.livescience.com/7198-acids-popular-sodas-erode-tooth-enamel.html) Yeah, and then there’s [this](http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21528826.000-is-medical-science-built-on-shaky-foundations.html) > [@](#): > > Pharmaceuticals company Bayer, for example, recently revealed that it fails to replicate about two-thirds of published studies identifying possible drug targets (Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, vol 10, p 712). > > Bayer’s rival Amgen reported an even higher rate of failure - over the past decade its oncology and haematology researchers could not replicate 47 of 53 highly promising results they examined (Nature, vol 483, p 531). Because drug companies scour the scientific literature for promising leads, this is a good way to estimate how much biomedical research cannot be replicated. The answer: the majority. ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2013, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions-many-reasonably-intelligent-people-have-and-your-corrections/581226/336 "2013-03-16T22:40:18Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > Poor Canada. The Latvia of North America as we say in America. I swear there are probably just as many wetbacks swimming south across the Great Lakes as there are coming North through the Rio Grande. The difference is, who can tell? Telling a wetback from an ice back… Ain’t hard. ---
**Author:** ![Renifer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71c47a/32.png) [@Renifer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renifer)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2013, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions-many-reasonably-intelligent-people-have-and-your-corrections/581226/337 "2013-03-17T04:50:58Z")
> [@Brynda](#): > > “Everyone gets depressed sometimes.” No. Depression (or, as it is properly known, Major Depressive Disorder) is a pathological condition. Unless someone has the full range of symptoms (not just sadness or hopelessness) for the require amount of time, they aren’t depressed. Nothing wrong with the terms “sad” or “downhearted” to mean, well, sad and downhearted. Depressed does not equal sad; it is a clinical term. Using it to mean upset or sad or grieving is like calling every cold one has pneumonia or every sore throat strep. In the same vein, “anorexic” is NOT a synonym for skinny. Many people can be skinny and still have healthy eating habits. And malnourished people are not necessarily skeletal. Using the term anorexic to mean skinny makes light of a serious, life-threatening mindf8ck of a disease. It’s something I would never wish even on my most hated enemies. ---
**Author:** ![tim314](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim314/32/3468_2.png) [@tim314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim314)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2013, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions-many-reasonably-intelligent-people-have-and-your-corrections/581226/338 "2013-03-17T07:23:59Z")
> [@mcgato](#): > > > [@Capt. Ridley's Shooting Party](#): > > > > Alan Turing did not invent the computer. > > Neither did [John von Neumann](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_von_Neumann) But they were both fucking awesome. ---
**Author:** ![tim314](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim314/32/3468_2.png) [@tim314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim314)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2013, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions-many-reasonably-intelligent-people-have-and-your-corrections/581226/339 "2013-03-17T07:35:14Z")
> [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](#): > > Von Neumann is another good one. He effectively stole many of his best ideas from Turing, to whom he’d offered a job as a research assistant after he finished his PhD thesis under Church at Princeton. The first thing that Neumann did, when he joined the EDVAC project, was make the engineers read Turing’s _On computable numbers…_. What’s now known as the Von Neumann architecture was first elucidated in Turing’s monograph _Proposed Electronic Calculator_, delivered to the UK’s National Physical Laboratory in early 1946 (outlining the design of the ACE, a project they later cancelled :smack:). Von Neumann’s monograph on the EDVAC was incomplete and didn’t really describe the architecture that came to bear his name! > > But then again, I don’t think anybody disputes that Von Neumann stole most of his best ideas: “Johnny borrowed (we must not say plagiarized) anything from anybody”, in the words of his biographer, Norman Macrae. I don’t know if you’re talking strictly about computer science here, but von Neumann made numerous important contributions in a host of subjects including theoretical physics and pure mathematics. For the sake of brevity I won’t repost the 80 different things wikipedia says he is “known for”, but it’s a pretty staggering array of topics. But even limiting the discussion to computer science, his contributions are extremely well regarded. The fact that a biographer claimed he “borrowed from anybody” does not amount to saying “he stole most of his best ideas”. Honestly, I don’t know anyone familiar with von Neumann’s work who thinks of him as anything less than an extremely productive genius. ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2013, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions-many-reasonably-intelligent-people-have-and-your-corrections/581226/340 "2013-03-17T07:57:33Z")
The misconception: The press often refer to " oxygen tanks" when writing about scuba diving. In reality breathing pure oxygen would put a diver at extreme risk of oxygen toxicity, seizure, and death on anything but the shallowest of depths. Divers generally breath just plain air which has been dehydrated and compressed. Occasionally air with a little extra oxygen added (up to a concentration of no more than 36% oxygen normally) is used. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions-many-reasonably-intelligent-people-have-and-your-corrections/581226.md?page=16) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions-many-reasonably-intelligent-people-have-and-your-corrections/581226.md?page=18)