# 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:** 40
**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:** [March 30, 2024, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/782 "2024-03-30T01:01:48Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > It might mean that it would be possible for animals to graze on pasture during the winter months; therefore needing less hay. > > Some creatures are better than others at digging their food out from under the snow. I suspect domestic animals are worse at it than wild relatives. Cows dig with their noses, so they do not fare too well in the winter without hay. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2024, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/783 "2024-03-31T01:14:57Z")
I like all the pies, just picked the ones I like the most. But straight rhubarb was not on the list, nor was gooseberry. ---
**Author:** ![Jebbilene](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jebbilene/32/3414_2.png) [@Jebbilene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jebbilene)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2024, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/784 "2024-03-31T02:16:52Z")
What does NOTA stand for? ---
**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:** [March 31, 2024, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/785 "2024-03-31T03:17:52Z")
None of the above. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2024, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/786 "2024-03-31T13:37:40Z")
I work in customer service, in the travel industry. It is not possible for me to have avoided Covid. But I have never had any serious symptoms, and every time I have tested, the test came back negative. Which makes me a bit skeptical about the tests. ---
**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:** [March 31, 2024, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/787 "2024-03-31T16:28:36Z")
I have no idea what my normal body temperature is. I never test it unless I’m sick, and often not even then. ---
**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:** [March 31, 2024, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/788 "2024-03-31T16:37:40Z")
I had COVID once (that I know of), in May of last year. I got a Paxlovid prescription within 24 hours of developing symptoms. It never felt any worse than a bad cold, and I was symptom-free (and testing negative) after five days. And then, another week passed, and I suddenly had an intense sinus headache. I tested myself again, and I was positive for COVID again. I was clearly in the midst of “[Paxlovid rebound](https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/what-is-paxlovid-rebound-covid-rebound),” and the rebound was much worse than the initial bout: I had a terrible sinus headache, focused on the sinuses under my cheekbones, for about four days. I couldn’t sleep, and it felt like my cheeks were trying their hardest to explode out of my face. ---
**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:** [March 31, 2024, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/789 "2024-03-31T16:52:58Z")
I have my Covid Campaign Medal with two stars (that’s three times infected). The first time (Dec 2020) it was like having a bad flu for a few days. Definitely the worst time. Also lost smell and taste. The second time was like a minor one day cold. Last December I caught it again and it was very minor except for a persistent cough that wouldn’t go away until I took steroids. ---
**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:** [March 31, 2024, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/790 "2024-03-31T18:01:21Z")
I don’t think I’ve had covid. If I have, it was asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic (I have some degree of some of the symptoms for other reasons.) ---
**Author:** ![colinfred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colinfred/32/21338_2.png) [@colinfred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colinfred)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2024, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/791 "2024-03-31T18:33:30Z")
Kirk should never have been captain. He is much better suited to leading the away team, (the captain’s place is on the bridge). I would send redshirts A B and depending on the situation maybe one of the other senior crew that is apprpriate for the situation,but most of the time it’ll be Kirk plus Redshirts A, B, and C ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2024, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/792 "2024-03-31T19:27:02Z")
I will likely see the eclipse from my home, but only a partial (that wasnt an option). The Away team should not include any bridge crew. So a command Lt Commander , a science Lt, a medic, and a couple security guys. But Kirk was the best Captain! ---
**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:** [March 31, 2024, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/793 "2024-03-31T20:11:53Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > The Away team should not include any bridge crew. Agreed. > [@DrDeth](#): > > So a command Lt Commander , a science Lt, a medic, and a couple security guys. I’d include a biologist and a xenologist (a specialty that doesn’t exist yet, but presumably would not only exist in the Enterprise’s universe but have multiple representatives on the staff.) Maybe one of those is your “science Lt.”; but I’d like to have both of them. And the security guys and the commander should be trained, to the extent that it’s possible, in general survival on alien worlds. ETA: I live ten miles south of totality. I am definitely heading into it. ---
**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:** [March 31, 2024, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/794 "2024-03-31T20:23:12Z")
The worst thing about COVID for me was the chills. I was under three blankets, wearing a sweatshirt with the hood up, sweatpants and thick socks, and I was still shivering. For _hours_. So “very unpleasant” it is. (After that came a couple days of just being sleepy all the time. Fortunately, I did not have any severe respiratory symptoms.) ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2024, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/795 "2024-03-31T20:23:38Z")
> [@Jebbilene](#): > > What does NOTA stand for? None Of The Above. After many controversies here where I couldn’t _possibly_ imagine any alternative not-listed choices, but was quickly proven wrong, I have resolved to include it in all my polls. ---
**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:** [March 31, 2024, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/796 "2024-03-31T20:47:58Z")
It seems to me that who the Away Team should consist of, and whether or not it makes sense for the captain to be included, would depend on its purpose and whom or what it expects to encounter. ---
**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:** [March 31, 2024, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/797 "2024-03-31T21:21:35Z")
I voted Uhura and redshirts a, b and c. I don’t know why … ---
**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:** [March 31, 2024, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/798 "2024-03-31T21:45:30Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > It seems to me that who the Away Team should consist of, and whether or not it makes sense for the captain to be included, would depend on its purpose and whom or what it expects to encounter Good point. > [@pjd](#): > > I voted Uhura and redshirts a, b and c. > I don’t know why … A communications specialist makes sense, presuming they think there might be somebody to communicate with. But I don’t know whether Uhura’s training included communicating specifically with previously-unencountered aliens – I can’t remember the episodes I saw well enough to know whether that was shown. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2024, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/799 "2024-03-31T23:13:33Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > I can’t remember the episodes I saw well enough to know whether that was shown. How often, if at all, was she included on away missions? I haven’t watched the original series, so I have no knowledge of this. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2024, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/800 "2024-03-31T23:14:44Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > I’d include a biologist and a xenologist (a specialty that doesn’t exist yet, but presumably would not only exist in the Enterprise’s universe but have multiple representatives on the staff.) > > Maybe one of those is your “science Lt.”; but I’d like to have both of them. And the security guys and the commander should be trained, to the extent that it’s possible, in general survival on alien worlds. Yes, I was figuring a general science but mostly xenology. But two scientists is a good idea also. Yeah survival, and maybe some jackets and/or survival blankets for when it gets cold, as it did on several episodes. > [@Wheelz](#): > > The worst thing about COVID for me was the chills. I was under three blankets, wearing a sweatshirt with the hood up, sweatpants and thick socks, and I was still shivering. For _hours_. So “very unpleasant” it is. I got the chills from the vaccine, but they only lasted 4 hours or so. > [@psychonaut](#): > > How often, if at all, was she included on away missions? I haven’t watched the original series, so I have no knowledge of this. Not often. Kirk, Spock, Bones and/or Scotty and a couple security redshirts. Thats TOS mind you. ---
**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:** [March 31, 2024, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/801 "2024-03-31T23:35:21Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > But I don’t know whether Uhura’s training included communicating specifically with previously-unencountered aliens I thought her job was to repeat what the computer said. No wait, that was a different show. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636.md?page=39) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636.md?page=41)