# 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:** 137
**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:** [August 14, 2026, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2721 "2026-08-14T00:28:41Z")
Okay, that would be an early meeting for him, he sometimes does them at 1am or 2am, too, i think. So that does tie out. I joke that even though we live near each other, we live in different time zones. ---
**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:** [August 14, 2026, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2722 "2026-08-14T12:40:33Z")
I don’t hang my hand out the window while driving, unless my turn signal is broken and I’m trying to signal a turn. I wonder how many people these days even recognize the hand signals? ---
**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:** [August 14, 2026, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2723 "2026-08-14T12:40:48Z")
The cigarette response should say “because cars don’t come with ashtrays anymore.” I couldn’t care less about smoke in my car, but I prefer the ashes to be somewhere else. ---
**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:** [August 14, 2026, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2724 "2026-08-14T14:15:48Z")
in the absence of ‘other’ I picked because I like to feel the speed, but I don’t actually understand that; I just like that soothing feeling of the air, and like to tilt my hand back and forth a bit. ---
**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:** [August 14, 2026, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2725 "2026-08-14T14:35:53Z")
My husband also said, “i like to feel the air”. And he specifically rejected caring about feeling “the speed”. Also, he only opens the window at relatively low speeds. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2026, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2726 "2026-08-14T15:20:59Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > in the absence of ‘other’ I picked because I like to feel the speed, but I don’t actually understand that; I just like that soothing feeling of the air, and like to tilt my hand back and forth a bit. This is me, which is why I selected “another reason”. mmm ---
**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:** [August 14, 2026, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2727 "2026-08-14T15:25:36Z")
Oh hell I missed that - corrected! ---
**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:** [August 14, 2026, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2728 "2026-08-14T15:55:41Z")
I’m not sure how to answer the latest poll because I’m not sure what it means to “check the headlines”. Does it literally mean to look at today’s printed newspaper and what the headlines are? To log into a news site and check out what headlines they are running? I get news alerts on my phone from many news sites, and they send me “headlines” regularly. Does checking my alerts count? Listening to NRN on the hour when they summarize the top stories they will cover? ---
**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:** [August 14, 2026, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2729 "2026-08-14T16:17:11Z")
I assumed it included checking news sites. However, I checked multiple per day although it’s sometimes only once per day. It probably averages at least twice. ---
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2026, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2730 "2026-08-14T16:18:17Z")
Sorry, I was not clear. Yes any of those would count. I’m curious how often Dopers actively seek out the news. I specified headlines because, in casual conversation, I’ve noticed that people often just scan the headlines on the web or app. Edit: If you get news notifications on your phone, then maybe how often you check those. ---
**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:** [August 14, 2026, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2731 "2026-08-14T16:31:00Z")
I assumed it included checking news sites, too. I was being a little pedantic there. But i never check news sites, and i do listen to NPR (mostly because my husband plays it) and i also sometimes look at news alerts. I also sometimes read emails from news sites, including “top story” emails. But I pretty much only actually look at a “news site” when I’m following a link, often from an alert, sometimes when I’m searching for info on a topic. So i was curious which is my news habits counted for that poll, which, IMHO, assumes an old-fashioned style of checking the news. ---
**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:** [August 14, 2026, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2732 "2026-08-14T16:36:52Z")
Every time I open a new tab it goes to the Yahoo news summary, that’s probably 100 times every day. ---
**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:** [August 14, 2026, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2733 "2026-08-14T17:10:25Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > I wonder how many people these days even recognize the hand signals? One can now purchase aftermarket turn signals for a bicycle. Some of them look like this [![](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRplR7pg9Fw4wXZtXSSvkiOKKZk4OnLNG8ia8x4jZTnZRc5n2k5O4NfqU2g&s=10) ](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRplR7pg9Fw4wXZtXSSvkiOKKZk4OnLNG8ia8x4jZTnZRc5n2k5O4NfqU2g&s=10) While excellent in theory, as you can see from the above photo, they are only an inch or two apart as they are both under the width of a standard seat. With so many cyclists now having a blinking light under their seatpost for visibility, I highly doubt the average driver will be able to tell that blinking light is 1" off of center & therefore a turn signal vs. a visibility light from say, 50 yards away. Hand signals are still necessary for cyclists & I _hope_ that people still know what they mean. ---
**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:** [August 14, 2026, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2734 "2026-08-14T17:12:04Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > Hand signals are still necessary for cyclists & I _hope_ that people still know what they mean. I always use them, and hope. ---
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2026, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2735 "2026-08-14T17:22:12Z")
Pedantic is good. It often exposes the interesting edge-cases. > [@puzzlegal](#): > > which, IMHO, assumes an old-fashioned style of checking the news. I was actually only considering app/web and streaming/TV. To my discredit, I had overlooked radio and newspapers. * * * I made a conscious decision to stop doom-scrolling the news some time during Trump’s first administration and it was really good for my mental well-being. I mostly rely on my social circles and the Dope to flag if something important is going on that needs more attention. And I’ll start checking the news during elections and for evolving stories like ICE, tariffs, the Ukraine war, Iran war, etc. But when I checked the news today, most of it is not useful to me. That’s what triggered the poll. ---
**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:** [August 14, 2026, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2736 "2026-08-14T19:02:24Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > In my 50-ish years in the workforce I’ve never once arrived at a worksite in anything but a private motorcar. Me, as well. I’ve never lived closer than 25 miles to my workplace (well, since I got out of high school/college), and public transportation during those years was basically nonexistent (or would have doubled or tripled my commute time) so I never took it. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2026, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2737 "2026-08-16T17:21:56Z")
Write in vote for _Glen or Glenda._ ---
**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:** [August 16, 2026, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2738 "2026-08-16T17:23:02Z")
I’ve watched about half those films, so i don’t feel i should vote. But it’s an interesting question, because they are such different films. ---
**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:** [August 16, 2026, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2739 "2026-08-16T17:29:19Z")
@psychonaut failed to include _The Crying Game_, alas. I’m also not sure if he also intends a female-as-male poll as well. ---
**Author:** ![Ellecram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellecram/32/18948_2.png) [@Ellecram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellecram)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2026, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2740 "2026-08-16T17:32:07Z")
Regarding the top sheet question I am someone who stopped using them at least 30 years ago. I recall placing the good side on the top. I hate top sheets. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157.md?page=136) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157.md?page=138)