# Discussion thread for the "Polls only" thread (Part 1) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 28, 2022, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380 "2022-09-28T11:33:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 184
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2023, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3662 "2023-04-28T00:39:02Z")
My cousin put me on a plane home, the only time I ever flew first class. I was not exactly terrible, but, let me tell you, you do not want the seat I was in. I mean, at least it was a window seat, I prefer those. But it was in the first row. Nothing quite like having a featureless bulkhead wall in front of you. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2023, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3663 "2023-04-28T00:49:53Z")
I prefer to be over the fulcrum of the wing. First class increases my nausea. I sometimes pay for seats that meet my medical needs, so I’ll switch to another that offers the same benefit (e.g., aisle on the right, which protects my arm from carts and bumps) for a parent with kid(s), and older person, someone with a disability. I think most couples can manage not to sit together for a few hours. If it’s a short flight and I haven’t paid for a seat, I’ll trade if there isn’t a significant drawback, such as increasing my deplaning wait time with a tight connection. I’ve offered to trade when someone kicked up a fuss about a cat under the seat next to them, and I’ve asked to be reseated when an uncontrolled emotional support (sic) dog was jumping on me and pawing at me. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2023, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3664 "2023-04-28T02:24:22Z")
> [@susan](#): > > I prefer to be over the fulcrum of the wing. First class increases my nausea. IIRC, you battled motion sickness all the way to the South Pole (or, at least, McMurdo). I have watched/heard other passengers use the bag but I have been on a 30-passenger Saab, shaking like a leaf in a thunderstorm, as we were landing in a thunderstorm, and never been bothered by it. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2023, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3665 "2023-04-28T02:49:06Z")
Hot dogs are fully cooked and safe to eat cold out of the package. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2023, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3666 "2023-04-28T03:00:03Z")
If it counts as “stealing” I’ve gotten “freebies” out of vending machines before, but then again I’ve been screwed by vending machines about the same number of times, so I guess it evens out? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2023, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3667 "2023-04-28T03:16:11Z")
I’ll eat just about anything once. I wouldn’t refuse to eat a tastily-prepared bug, if offered. I would be willing to trade seats on a plane if politely asked, if I’d have the same kind of seat (I prefer the window seat, as I like the natural light and to look down on the land or sea below), and if moving wouldn’t take me too far away from my traveling companion(s). I know hot dogs are already fully cooked; eating one straight from the package just seems nasty, though. I have once or twice made myself barf when I felt _very_ nauseous but wasn’t going to barf otherwise. Not my favorite life experience, to put it mildly. > [@Loach](#): > > Henry IV? My reaction exactly. 😆 ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2023, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3668 "2023-04-28T03:34:52Z")
My husband and I used to fly Southwest almost exclusively, and if a full row was available, we would always sit window and aisle, often casually setting a jacket on the middle seat. If someone asked for the seat, we’d always be gracious and I’d scoot over into the middle, but in the days before every flight ran full, it often worked. Hot dogs are fully cooked and safe to eat unheated, just like lunch meat. I don’t personally do it because I don’t eat hot dogs. I’ve inadvertently stolen something twice without going back in and paying for it. The first time, I’d made it all the way out to the car, unloaded the groceries, and started to strap the toddler in her car seat before I noticed she was holding a bag of M&M’s. I was just so tired that I rationalized it by telling myself it was their fault for putting attractive displays of candy within reach of toddlers. The second time, I’d made it all the way home and was reviewing my receipt before I realized that the cashier had only rung up one gallon of milk (for heavy items, I’ll generally just put one on the belt for the cashier to scan and just point out I have another in the cart). ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2023, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3669 "2023-04-28T04:08:18Z")
To Antarctica, anyway. Yes, I throw up quite a lot in conveyances. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2023, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3670 "2023-04-28T05:04:53Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Nothing quite like having a featureless bulkhead wall in front of you. How is that worse than looking at the back of a seat? Bulkhead is great; there’s usually a little more leg room, and nobody reclining into my knees. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2023, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3671 "2023-04-28T06:30:10Z")
I hate, hate throwing up. My husband is very sensitive to improperly cooked foods and up throwing up a few times a year. So I voted for Norovirus. Also because my parents like cruising and I want them to be healthy. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2023, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3672 "2023-04-28T12:36:35Z")
Me too. I had a recent Norovirus bout that lasted nine days. I’m all about preventing that from ever happening again. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2023, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3673 "2023-04-28T16:27:02Z")
**I** wouldn’t vote for me, so why would I expect anybody else to? ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2023, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3674 "2023-04-28T16:28:43Z")
I’m surprised by how many people use desktops to with the SDMB. I haven’t owned a desktop in decades. I currently have 3 laptops and two desks that have arm-mounted screens that I can plug into the laptops when I need more real estate. I like the integrated keyboard well enough, but one of those desks has room for a keyboard if I want it. (and I have a keyboard lying around within sight, I just don’t bother to plug it in.) I guess both of them do if I closed the laptop and just used the big screen. I like laptops. I like to be able to use it at the breakfast table, or in the comfy chair in the living room. I don’t need more power than is easy to buy in a laptop, either. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2023, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3675 "2023-04-28T16:31:03Z")
The last thing I want is my and my family’s private life raked over the coals publicly. I decline the nomination. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2023, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3676 "2023-04-28T16:34:10Z")
I used only laptops for about two decades starting circa 2000 but then I realized a few years ago that my laptops more or less stayed in the same place, and I had them hooked up to a separate keyboard mouse and monitor, so I was essentially just using it as a desktop anyways, without the benefits of a desktop, so I just bought a desktop. Not to mention I was buying high-end laptops that got less performance than a desktop for the same price. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2023, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3677 "2023-04-28T16:34:29Z")
_Technically_, I’m using a laptop, but it hasn’t left its docking station since 2020, so I said desktop. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2023, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3678 "2023-04-28T16:36:21Z")
I have a desktop at work, and that’s what I’m using now. I have a laptop for home and for travel, and I use that one a lot too, since I work from home at least 50% of the time. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2023, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3679 "2023-04-28T16:50:30Z")
> [@susan](#): > > I’ve asked to be reseated when an uncontrolled emotional support (sic) dog was jumping on me and pawing at me. Not related, but one of those funny picture memes. A guy was in the middle aisle of the plane, and he’s taking a picture that shows the left row with a canvas tote bag on the floor. The caption was something like “I just opened a beef jerky package, and this (the head of a dachshund) popped out. I never even knew he was there.” It really resonated, because I’ve always had dogs that were pretty well behaved, but if they sniffed any food, they were going to investigate. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2023, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3680 "2023-04-28T16:57:13Z")
Mine routinely move around the house, and are definitely not desktops, even if i kinda have a docking station at the bedroom desk. My work laptop moves around, too. I usually start my workday at the kitchen table, while finishing breakfast. Then i migrate to the den, and either plug into the big screen at the desk, or lounge at the couch. But sometimes i move to the living recliner. And sometimes i move to the desk in the bedroom, like Wednesday, when the carpenter was making a racket in the basement. (I’m renovating the basement.) And of course, my work laptop also travels to the office, when i go in there. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2023, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3681 "2023-04-28T17:07:25Z")
I would have out-obnoxioused Individual-ONE to the point that enough people would perceive him as not even obnoxious enough to hold his own, and keep the heat on him constantly. Beat him at his own game. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380.md?page=183) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380.md?page=185)