# 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:** 61
**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:** [January 5, 2023, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1202 "2023-01-05T02:54:29Z")
Ive had a similar thought from a psychological, not financial, perspective. I find something more mentally satisfying about receiving, say, a $30 million payment every year, on schedule, for the next 16 years than getting a single $274 million payment all at once. Hard to explain, but it would feel better, mentally, that way. It’s like, something to look forward to every year, and also gives the mental security of “there’s a lot of money out there that’s mine but not mine yet.” Unless, for some reason, I truly **needed** to have the big sum all at once because I wanted to use it for filming a movie out of my own pocket, or purchase a small-league professional sports team, or small-sized company, or something big like that. Then only the lump sum would do. ---
**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:** [January 5, 2023, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1203 "2023-01-05T03:06:34Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Hard to explain, but it would feel better, mentally, that way. It’s like, something to look forward to every year, and also gives the mental security of “there’s a lot of money out there that’s mine but not mine yet.” I think I feel this way too. ---
**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:** [January 5, 2023, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1204 "2023-01-05T04:57:31Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Why not though? We talked with some of the revelers and they were having an absolute blast. I’m sure they were. As a guest, I’d probably enjoy that experience. As a host, I would be almost embarrassed to present such an ostentatious display of wealth. I don’t want a luxury yacht, or a private jet, or a fleet of high-end cars. I’m not closing down five restaurants so nobody in town can eat except me and my friends. Seems to me there’s an element of ego involved in such things that I just don’t possess. ---
**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:** [January 5, 2023, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1205 "2023-01-05T11:52:10Z")
Yes. This. ---
**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:** [January 5, 2023, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1206 "2023-01-05T13:37:29Z")
There’s a good article in the New Yorker about luxury yachts. It’s purely and wholly a status symbol to the point that all these people care about is having a bigger yacht than the other guy. And a lot of workers are mistreated but have difficulty getting work elsewhere. > **[The Haves and the Have-Yachts](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/07/25/the-haves-and-the-have-yachts)** > > Luxury ships attract outrage and political scrutiny. The ultra-rich are buying them in record numbers. ---
**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:** [January 5, 2023, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1207 "2023-01-05T17:13:44Z")
My favorite toast toppings are butter WITH jelly/jam. Or sometimes butter and eggs. But I was surprised that I couldn’t select two options. ---
**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:** [January 5, 2023, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1208 "2023-01-05T17:14:26Z")
In college, my fraternity had a test file, where we would collect corrected tests as a study aid. I was often informed by other students that this was cheating. I asked one of my professors about it. She said not only was it not cheating, but it was a really good idea, and that such things helped keep them on their toes. ---
**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:** [January 5, 2023, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1209 "2023-01-05T17:21:22Z")
A. Butter AND jam. B. PB AND jelly. C. Ham. D. Cheese. ---
**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:** [January 5, 2023, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1210 "2023-01-05T17:22:14Z")
Me, too. Butter first, then marmalade. ---
**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:** [January 5, 2023, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1211 "2023-01-05T17:22:29Z")
> [@Mollie\_Magill](#): > > In college, my fraternity had a test file I had a sociology class I had to take. A friend offered me the previous year’s final exam as a study tool. When I took the final, I was surprised to see the exact same test as the previous year. The professor hadn’t even bothered to correct a couple of typos. ---
**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:** [January 5, 2023, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1212 "2023-01-05T17:24:07Z")
Dr Danby had very poor things to say about professors like that. ---
**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:** [January 5, 2023, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1213 "2023-01-05T17:56:52Z")
One of my favorite Steven Wright jokes: > [@](#): > > In my house there’s this light switch that doesn’t do anything. Every so often I would flick it on and off just to check. Yesterday, I got a call from a woman in Madagascar. She said, _‘Cut it out.’_ ---
**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:** [January 5, 2023, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1214 "2023-01-05T18:10:14Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > A friend offered me the previous year’s final exam as a study tool. Was this a legally-obtained final exam? In my experience as both student and teacher, while final exams were sometimes returned to students, they fairly often weren’t (if only because there was no good opportunity to do so), which would make giving the exact same final again less of an issue. ---
**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:** [January 5, 2023, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1215 "2023-01-05T18:25:29Z")
The prior owner of this house did a lot of really bad electrical work. We do have a switch that does nothing. I will be changed into a switch that flips the overhead light when this current construction project is completed. ---
**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:** [January 5, 2023, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1216 "2023-01-05T18:59:02Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Was this a legally-obtained final exam? I have no idea. The guy who gave it to me got it from someone else. I assumed it was kosher. I sat and worked out the answers as a study tool. That same semester I took a course called Presidential Rhetoric. It was an _extremely_ interesting class. The professor was well known (I’ll say no more). I approached him after class with a question one day shortly before the final. He found the question “thought provoking” and discussed it with me for some time. The final exam consisted of one question, a slight rewording of my question and “discuss”. They were the best of times. ---
**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:** [January 5, 2023, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1217 "2023-01-05T19:08:56Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > We do have a switch that does nothing. A guy I used to work with bought a house. He had a switch that did not appear to have any function. After several months in the house he realized his electric bills were outrageous. He discussed this with his wife, and they made an effort to turn off lights, etc. Eventually he called the power company, then an electrician. The forgotten switch that did nothing was for his heated sidewalks which were turned on 24/7 in the spring/summer. ---
**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:** [January 5, 2023, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1218 "2023-01-05T19:17:22Z")
Wow, great story! I remember the Steven Wright joke, too. 😁 I’d take the annuity for the fun of getting another big check every year. I’d travel with my wife much more than we now do (the UK, Ireland, France, Italy, Australia, New Zealand and Japan are all on our wish list), and I’d give a _lot_ to local and national charities and nonprofits for causes I support, and to my political party. Margarine and then jelly (ideally Smuckers raspberry or strawberry) on my toast, please. ---
**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:** [January 5, 2023, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1219 "2023-01-05T19:20:00Z")
TIL heated sidewalks are a thing. ---
**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:** [January 5, 2023, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1220 "2023-01-05T19:48:50Z")
My Temple has a heated walkway to avoid icy conditions in the winter. And I have a friend with an extremely steep driveway who has a heated driveway. ---
**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:** [January 5, 2023, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/1221 "2023-01-05T20:46:08Z")
That’s definitely something I would get if I won the lottery. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380.md?page=60) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380.md?page=62)