# Discussion thread for the "Polls only" thread (Part 2) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 16, 2024, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636 "2024-02-16T02:56:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 250
**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:** [December 22, 2024, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/4982 "2024-12-22T19:29:56Z")
I used to live near a hospital. The ambulances were loud and constant. I always reminded myself that if I ever needed medical help, it was close by. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2024, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/4983 "2024-12-22T19:48:43Z")
Historically I have lived near a railroad, and a major interstate. Currently I live near a major in-town east west thoroughfare… The railroad was kinda loud, but infrequent. The issue was more that my dad’s dogs and a lot of other neighborhood animals would howl at the train noises, and it was most frequently at night. But it was an occasional nuisance. The major interstate location (actually TWO, it was near the junction in Albuquerque NM) wasn’t bad after about a week of adjustment. Because it was pretty steady, so you tuned it out as white noise after a while. My current situation, where I’m near a major road is fine 95% of the time. But it’s offset by the fact that there are two nearby sections that have a loooong strip without red lights… and so during the summer, there’s probably 4-5 street racers peeling through one or the other every weekend. And those are loud and annoying. Still, in terms of overall noise, I’m betting the area near lots of clubs and bars is the worst. I haven’t lived near any such places, but visited, and the deep thumping base _travels_, not to mention people getting into serious and non serious (not to mention verbal and non-verbal) fights probably ratches that up to 11. ---
**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:** [December 22, 2024, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/4984 "2024-12-22T19:50:32Z")
One of my college dorm rooms was across the street from a fire station. That could be noisy. And i lived for a few years on Amsterdam avenue in NYC. That was the emergency vehicle route in the area, so we got sirens all the time. Friends on the phone would ask if there was a fire. I got used to it. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2024, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/4985 "2024-12-22T21:08:37Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Whereas feral mice are still freaking adorable. Yeah, I dont like trapping them even. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2024, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/4986 "2024-12-22T21:19:59Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I am glad they were very accurate about the true events in _Fargo._ Yes, all the true events were accurate. 🤪There weren’t many of those, however. 😛 > [@markn\_1](#): > > I currently live near the ocean, and there’s a foghorn I’ve heard every 10 seconds for the last ~30 years. The foghorn is going 24/7/365? ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2024, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/4987 "2024-12-22T21:28:53Z")
Pretty much, it’s a perenially foggy area. The foghorn has an amusing history: it was built in 1961 and ran without change until 1998. Then in that year, it was adjusted in response to a few complaints from tourists in local hotels, so that it was less audible on land. There was then a huge outpouring of complaints from local residents, who loved the foghorn and demanded that it be made more audible again. The Coast Guard then set it back to its original volume. They have adjusted it a few more times since then. It’s still audible now but not as loud as it used to be. ETA: The Coast Guard says it’s useful even in non-foggy conditions. They sometimes get a cell phone call from a lost boater, and they can help direct them by asking them if they hear a foghorn and what direction it’s coming from. ---
**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:** [December 23, 2024, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/4988 "2024-12-23T00:34:08Z")
I lived near an airport and under one of the flight paths, but I was basically in a line west from the center of the airport. So any planes that were able to use that flight path were pretty small. I _worked_ for a short time in a trailer on airport property right next to the runways. You just had to stop talking whenever a jet was going past. Other buildings on the airport property were much better insulated. ---
**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:** [December 23, 2024, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/4989 "2024-12-23T03:02:58Z")
“Do you want to GET out?” ---
**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:** [December 23, 2024, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/4990 "2024-12-23T03:51:00Z")
Probably “Do you want to get out of the water?” or something else along those lines that clarifies the 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:** [December 23, 2024, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/4991 "2024-12-23T04:07:53Z")
Or just, “had enough?” I think I’d interpret either of those questions as asking if I’d like to stop swimming, because both are clearly asking if i want to make a change, and that’s the obvious change we could make. ---
**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:** [December 23, 2024, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/4992 "2024-12-23T04:39:41Z")
And for @yarblek’s poll, i wouldn’t say out loud any of his suggestions. I would say about ⅔, about ½, more than 40%, nearly 90%, and more than 99%. In my professional life, i talked about numbers all the time, and i just wouldn’t have spoken any of those fussy, precise percents. ---
**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:** [December 23, 2024, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/4993 "2024-12-23T04:44:44Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > for @yarblek’s poll, i wouldn’t say out loud any of his suggestions. I would say about ⅔, about ½, more than 40%, nearly 90%, and more than 99%. In my professional life, i talked about numbers all the time, and i just wouldn’t have spoken any of those fussy, precise percents. Exactly the same here. I’m a market researcher by profession, and have written (and presented) reports for hundreds of quantitative research studies. While the numbers in my charts and tables are shown as whole percentages (using standard rounding rules), when I’m _talking_ about the results during a presentation or discussion, I use more natural language (“about half,” “two out three,” etc.), unless there’s a need to focus the discussion on an exact number for some reason. ---
**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:** [December 23, 2024, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/4994 "2024-12-23T04:51:30Z")
My charts and tables had varying numbers of decimal places, depending on what was relevant. There might have been a chart that listed 99.97%. I, also, used standard rounding rules for those written numbers. ---
**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:** [December 23, 2024, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/4995 "2024-12-23T05:41:34Z")
I would probably say “66.7” and so on. If that degree of precision mattered in the original, then that’s what I’d use; and if it didn’t matter, why was it published that way? ---
**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:** [December 23, 2024, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/4996 "2024-12-23T06:15:23Z")
The red pin is the house I grew up in. So I guess you could say I’ve lived near a busy highway. [![Imgur](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54221794506_f277edec7d_b.jpg "IMG\_7874") ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/195486993@N02/54221794506/in/dateposted-public/) ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2024, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/4997 "2024-12-23T06:39:13Z")
I lived on an airfield. A bit louder than just being in a flight path. You get used to it. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2024, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/4998 "2024-12-23T08:13:08Z")
So you grew up in Danville? ---
**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:** [December 23, 2024, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/4999 "2024-12-23T13:43:16Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > And for @yarblek’s poll, i wouldn’t say out loud any of his suggestions. I would say about ⅔, about ½, more than 40%, nearly 90%, and more than 99%. In my professional life, i talked about numbers all the time, and i just wouldn’t have spoken any of those fussy, precise percents. Samesies. ---
**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:** [December 23, 2024, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5000 "2024-12-23T15:13:45Z")
A few years ago we stayed at a cottage right on the beach in San Diego that was also directly under the flight path for the San Diego airport. We really enjoyed watching the planes, and they weren’t so many flights at night as there is a penalty for departing between 11:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. For a short period of time, the post office had early morning deliveries, but that got shut down as it’s agains the noise laws. ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Finn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2024, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5001 "2024-12-23T15:43:03Z")
I’ve always lived within a short block of train tracks, and so nearby trains at 6:30 am don’t bother me. Back in the day - my mother always checked the wind direction before hanging white sheets out on the line to dry. The steam engines would spew their debris into the wind. I now live a block from a fire station. Frequent sirens, but why do some (not all) sound them (continually) at midnight or later? There’s little or no traffic on the nearby streets (at that time of day), and a quick blast would be sufficient (if needed)… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636.md?page=249) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636.md?page=251)