# Discussion thread for the "Polls only" thread (Part 3) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 29, 2026, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157 "2026-01-29T18:21:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 118
**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:** [July 14, 2026, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2341 "2026-07-14T19:08:56Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > > [@Frodo](#): > > > > The twins poll lacks an option “Name them exactly as if they were not twins, without checking if the names are related or not” > > Yeah, I was looking for that option. Same. I’d probably avoid names that rhyme, but we picked names that meant something to us, and the odds are pretty good with twins there’d have been some relationship between the names. Both relatives, both people we respect… That sort of thing. ---
**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:** [July 14, 2026, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2342 "2026-07-14T21:29:38Z")
I don’t know anything about the circumstances in which that photo was supposedly taken. Is it supposed to have been taken after he was admitted? Why is he wearing street clothes rather than a gown? ---
**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:** [July 14, 2026, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2343 "2026-07-14T22:41:44Z")
The Washington Post says they reviewed metadata of the original photo, and it looks real. McConnell took a photo with that day’s newspaper. The internet has questions. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/07/13/mcconnell-photo-with-washington-post-page-fuels-ai-era-speculation/](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/07/13/mcconnell-photo-with-washington-post-page-fuels-ai-era-speculation/) He could be in rehab at this point. That chair and the bedding look very institutional. ---
**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:** [July 15, 2026, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2344 "2026-07-15T22:25:09Z")
> [@Mollie\_Magill](#): > > Baked russet potato skin with butter, salt, and pepper is one of life’s simple pleasures. This, but with the provisio (included in the poll) that it’s perfectly cooked. I like my skin rubbed with oil and seasoned prior to baking, resulting in a slightly crispy and delicious exterior. Cheaper, lesser places may provide an over-cooked, or cooked and (re)heated potato in foil that reduces a lovely skin to a soggy or dried out mess. Plus, my most frequently selected potato at most joints is a sweet potato. And the skins tend to paper thin and not much fun in their own right. > [@Frodo](#): > > I would probably die after, but I would go directly to Hobbit Valhalla where I would continue to eat. (there is no fighting in Hobbit Valhalla, only feasting) Save me a seat at the table! ---
**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:** [July 15, 2026, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2345 "2026-07-15T22:55:31Z")
> [@ParallelLines](#): > > I like my skin rubbed with oil and seasoned prior to baking, resulting in a slightly crispy and delicious exterior. You sound delicious! ---
**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:** [July 15, 2026, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2346 "2026-07-15T23:10:24Z")
And I am! Or so say the cats, to whom I’ve lost skins to bites, raspy tongues, and numerous claws! [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/yqVmzqeHZNs/hqdefault.jpg "Delicious") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqVmzqeHZNs) [I own up to the imprecise language as well!] ---
**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:** [July 15, 2026, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2347 "2026-07-15T23:58:13Z")
> [@ParallelLines](#): > > Cheaper, lesser places may provide an over-cooked, or cooked and (re)heated potato in foil that reduces a lovely skin to a soggy or dried out mess. There is a circle of Hell for people who commit this crime against potatoes. It’s right next to the ones for people who leave carts in the parking lotand sign off on disconnecting a circuit without actually removing its cross-connects. Okay maybe that last one is a little niche, but it’s still evil. ---
**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:** [July 20, 2026, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2348 "2026-07-20T02:38:47Z")
I vaguely think i may have gone up in a hot air balloon that was tethered, and just went up and down, without traveling anywhere. But that hardly seems like an adventure, and maybe i just thought about taking that ride, and didn’t actually do it. So i voted “no”. ---
**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:** [July 20, 2026, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2349 "2026-07-20T02:56:03Z")
One of my uncles owned a hot-air balloon when I was a kid; I went up for a ride in it when I was 8 or 9, so I did count that – especially as I am afraid of heights, and it more than “thrilling” enough for me. I once did indoor skydiving, about a decade ago, which was fun, but not true skydiving, so I didn’t count that; due to said fear of heights, I have zero interest in ever jumping out of a plane. ---
**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:** [July 20, 2026, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2350 "2026-07-20T03:02:41Z")
I did go up in a tethered hot air balloon once as a kid, and yeah, I hardly think that counts. I did take a wheeled bobsled ride at the site of the '94 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, which I thought about counting as “something not listed”, but the experience essentially felt like riding a rollercoaster, and I don’t think rollercoasters count as “adventures” so I decided this didn’t count either. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2026, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2351 "2026-07-20T04:02:55Z")
I rode in a glider once, my buddies Dad was really into them, he took me up once. And I rode a C47 in WW2 mode once, is that considered a “warbird”? Not really performance. I tried to do a B17, but those aircraft were not designed for big dudes in many areas. ---
**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:** [July 20, 2026, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2352 "2026-07-20T09:19:43Z")
I’ve seen the Goodyear blimp, which is about as iconic an aerial advertising medium as you’re going to get. I had a great uncle who had an open biplane. Sadly he passed away before I was old enough to take a ride with him. ---
**Author:** ![Jegpeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jegpeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jegpeg)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2026, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2353 "2026-07-20T09:57:15Z")
Not sure if it counts as a “performance aircraft” or stunt plane but in the 1980s as a teenager I was in the air cadets and I flew in [Chipmonk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Havilland_Canada_DHC-1_Chipmunk) a few times, a post WWII two seater training aircraft. I got to control the aircraft and the pilot also demonstrated some aerobatics (loop the loop, barrel roll etc). My scariest moment was the occasion I got to fly in a glider with a suicidal pilot. We were winched up to 1000ft and there were no thermals that day so couldn’t get any higher. The pilot wanted to demonstrate to aerobatics so dived to pick up speed and then did 3 loop the loops, when we came out we couldn’t have been more than 50 foot off the ground (I found out later you are supposed to come out of aerobatics no lower than 1000ft). ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2026, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2354 "2026-07-20T13:21:13Z")
This is a boring group when it comes to taking to the sky, either that, or those who have been up there don’t participate in public polls; I don’t & otherwise would have checked a number of boxes. BASE jumping & wingsuiting are advanced skydiving skills; it is possible to do them tandem (with someone qualified strapped to your back), but they’re few & far between. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2026, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2355 "2026-07-20T13:25:55Z")
I have no use for adventures. Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner! ---
**Author:** ![Thumper668](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thumper668/32/20803_2.png) [@Thumper668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thumper668)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2026, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2356 "2026-07-20T13:29:01Z")
I have both taken off from and landed on an aircraft carrier in an S-3 Viking, but I don’t answer public polls usually. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2026, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2357 "2026-07-20T13:52:41Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > I have no use for adventures I’ll take your share! I love 'em, & what a lot of people call ‘adventure’ I call ‘weekend’; though sometimes they happen on weekdays, too. I have a TOP SECRET adventure coming up next week…on a weekday. It’s something I’ve done, generally, multiple times before but one specific & important thing is always slightly different & I’m among a select few who gets invited to this playdate. You know the rules, if I tell you about it, I am _required_ to terminate your life. ---
**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:** [July 20, 2026, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2358 "2026-07-20T14:02:33Z")
I’ve been up in an entirely ordinary helicopter (a look at the area from above ride at a county fair); but I didn’t think that counted. I’m mildly puzzled by the people who won’t answer a public poll, but will answer the same question on the same board showing the same board name in the discussion thread. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2026, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2359 "2026-07-20T14:22:31Z")
Hobbit jokes aside, I’ve always wanted to do a parachute jump, but not so much that I actually went and did it, may be someday, though I’m reaching fifty and may age out of it soon. ---
**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:** [July 20, 2026, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2360 "2026-07-20T14:23:46Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > I have no use for adventures. Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner! That’s your uncle talking. 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157.md?page=117) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157.md?page=119)