# 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:** 218
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2023, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/4343 "2023-05-22T21:05:51Z")
Just don’t let Biff get ahold of your Sports Almanac! ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2023, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/4344 "2023-05-22T23:23:03Z")
And overnight burger has surged ahead! Club sandwich, burger, BLT, and Reuben are all neck and neck! This is still anyone’s race, folks! California chicken’s still close behind the pack. Tri-tip remains behind, and patty melt still in last place. ---
**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:** [May 22, 2023, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/4345 "2023-05-22T23:27:23Z")
I like tri-tip, but not in a sandwich. ---
**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:** [May 23, 2023, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/4346 "2023-05-23T00:03:02Z")
Yeah, i might cook a tri-tip at home, but wouldn’t get the sandwich ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2023, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/4347 "2023-05-23T01:03:05Z")
I voted BLT, but tomorrow, I might vote burger. I was jonesing for a burger earlier today but skipped lunch. I had some horrible frozen mac and cheese stuff for dinner. I’m trying to empty my freezer and I promise to never buy that brand again. ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2023, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/4348 "2023-05-23T03:22:26Z")
If I could go back 10 years, I would have 5 more years with Bob. And we would have gotten our damn wills written ---
**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:** [May 23, 2023, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/4349 "2023-05-23T07:46:52Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > A man is going to want the seat up about 10 times as often as he wants it down. We need a poll on this ratio. I would have thought more like 5 to 1. I’d estimate I urinate 3 to 6 times per day. ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2023, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/4350 "2023-05-23T09:43:57Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > The answer is xoyzyxan I voted for that, 'cos it sounds like a magic password. ---
**Author:** ![NinthAcolyte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ninthacolyte/32/13676_2.png) [@NinthAcolyte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinthAcolyte)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2023, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/4351 "2023-05-23T13:03:15Z")
As a Deeply Depressed, Eternally Anxious, and Perpetually Pessimistic creature, a hypothetical “98% happy Nine” would be an unrecognizably different person. And I also can’t think of anything _less_ desirable than being famous. [![](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/987406765689811064/1110553448035909662/parks-and-rec-monalisa.gif) ](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/987406765689811064/1110553448035909662/parks-and-rec-monalisa.gif) ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2023, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/4352 "2023-05-23T16:16:05Z")
I have to clarify, here in New England rotary and roundabout are interchangeable as terms, though pretty much anything is called a rotary, and roundabout is highfalutin’. I think. After 25 years here, it’s still not clear. 😅 ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2023, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/4353 "2023-05-23T17:27:52Z")
I haven’t been in enough roundabouts, if any, to have a clear opinion on them. From what I’ve read, at least some of them work well. Voted meh. I’ve heard of Madeira. I could make some guesses about the place, but I don’t know anything about it with any confidence. I would 14th Amendment the hell out of them; an option that wasn’t given. (I voted no on the options that were.) If it works, this whole problem goes away, possibly forever. If it doesn’t work, it’ll probably work temporarily while the courts argue about it; and giving in to demands on that basis will also only work temporarily, because the debt limit will come up again next year and if this set of demands gets granted this year there’ll be another set next year. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2023, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/4354 "2023-05-23T17:32:08Z")
We have very few roundabouts here in suburban Chicago; there’s a “traffic circle” about four blocks from my house, but there’s a technical distinction between that and a roundabout. However, I go up to my home state of Wisconsin frequently, and they went completely bonkers up there in installing roundabouts over the past 10-15 years. Conceptually, I don’t mind the idea of a roundabout, but there are a lot of drivers up there who still have no idea how to use them properly. And, in addition, there are stretches of road there (particularly at entrance/exit ramps for highways) that have two or three roundabouts in a row, which can get to be very confusing to navigate, and tend to completely flummox the navigation narration on Google Maps. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2023, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/4355 "2023-05-23T17:40:29Z")
One of the things I love about St Martin is that there aren’t any lights or stop signs on the entire island. Everything is roundabouts. I sing the Yes song Roundabout whenever I come to one. My gf then points out that this is unnecessary behavior (it’s a tradition). ---
**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:** [May 23, 2023, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/4356 "2023-05-23T17:56:27Z")
Sometimes it is just easier to visit that spot over next to the shed rather than fret over seat/lid protocols. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2023, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/4357 "2023-05-23T18:01:18Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I sing the Yes song Roundabout whenever I come to one. My gf then points out that this is unnecessary behavior (it’s a tradition). Just tell her, “twenty-four before my love, you’ll see I’ll be there with you.” 😉 ---
**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:** [May 23, 2023, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/4358 "2023-05-23T18:20:56Z")
DC is notoriously filled with circles, some not even intentional. There actually aren’t even that many, you can certainly navigate your way almost anywhere in the city without encountering one, but they tend to be on major thoroughfares so if you’re not comfortable taking side streets or driving through neighborhoods you’ll eventually find yourself in a circle. It’s really not that hard, but I get that they can be confusing if you’re not used to it. I don’t know about Google but Apple Maps is good enough in DC that it will tell you which lane you want to be in to get to a certain circle exit. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2023, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/4359 "2023-05-23T18:49:34Z")
At the risk of nitpicking the 98% happiness thing, I have to know just how bad the 2% will be. Is it the normal unhappiness that everyone experiences, or is it **unusually** severe unhappiness, like the untimely death of one’s children? ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2023, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/4360 "2023-05-23T18:56:26Z")
My town just converted a few intersections to roundabouts. I am still getting used to them. I have heard it claimed that, in the long run, roundabouts are safer than intersections with traffic lights, so I am willing to give them a try. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2023, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/4361 "2023-05-23T18:58:55Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > I have heard it claimed that, in the long run, roundabouts are safer than intersections with traffic lights, so I am willing to give them a try. I’ve seen this claim, as well as the claim that they improve traffic flow…but I also suspect that this is only the case once drivers become accustomed to them, **and** learn the proper “rules of the road” surrounding them. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2023, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/4362 "2023-05-23T19:08:18Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I sing the Yes song Roundabout whenever I come to one. I know _of_ that song, but am not familiar with it, so my musical association is either the XTC song “English Roundabout” or the place where the pretty nurse is selling puppies from a train. Oops, sorry, misheard that—she’s selling poppies from a tray. Anyway, roundabouts are an English thing, and they have no business in America. > [@kenobi\_65](#): > > However, I go up to my home state of Wisconsin frequently, and they went completely bonkers up there in installing roundabouts over the past 10-15 years. Conceptually, I don’t mind the idea of a roundabout, but there are a lot of drivers up there who still have no idea how to use them properly. And, in addition, there are stretches of road there (particularly at entrance/exit ramps for highways) that have two or three roundabouts in a row, which can get to be very confusing to navigate, and tend to completely flummox the navigation narration on Google Maps. Yeah, most of the roundabouts I’ve encounted, especially the kind you mention, have been in Wisconsin, and I’ve found them needlessly confusing and annoying. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380.md?page=217) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380.md?page=219)