# Ho Fucking Ho - December Mini-Rants **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 1, 2023, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ho-fucking-ho-december-mini-rants/993961 "2023-12-01T13:55:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![InsomniaMama](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ad7895/32.png) [@InsomniaMama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InsomniaMama)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ho-fucking-ho-december-mini-rants/993961/61 "2023-12-05T01:39:58Z")
Mama Zappa, wtf. This is the first I’ve heard of this. Grrrrrr. ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ho-fucking-ho-december-mini-rants/993961/62 "2023-12-05T04:04:04Z")
This is a problem for me. I had not heard that, and am basing my Medicare selection on the coverage of this very expensive generic. I hate insurance companies. ---
**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:** [December 5, 2023, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ho-fucking-ho-december-mini-rants/993961/63 "2023-12-05T11:54:24Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > Then I heard the guy who was ordering give his first name for the order, which was the same as mine. That’s when I thought “This is going to be a problem.” You don’t have to give your real name. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ho-fucking-ho-december-mini-rants/993961/64 "2023-12-05T12:16:41Z")
> [@pjd](#): > > You don’t have to give your real name. You just have to remember the fake name when they call it. 😁 ---
**Author:** ![Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mundane_super_hero/32/6304_2.png) [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mundane_Super_Hero)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ho-fucking-ho-december-mini-rants/993961/65 "2023-12-05T12:57:29Z")
There was a Sonic several towns away, but it went out of business. The food was ok, a little pricey, but it was cursed with a bad location. I’ve always heard good things about In-and-Out burger, but I’ve never had one ( and there isn’t a location w/i 5 states of me ). I had always hoped that a location would open up so I could try one, but expansion into my state never happened. Given the recent death of the owner, [Robert Lang Sr.](https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-12-01/la-me-double-double-promoter-dies) , any expansion dreams have probably ended. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ho-fucking-ho-december-mini-rants/993961/66 "2023-12-05T13:05:47Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > > [@pjd](#): > > > > You don’t have to give your real name. > > You just have to remember the fake name when they call it. 😁 From now on the name for my orders will be “Pig-Eye Jackson”. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ho-fucking-ho-december-mini-rants/993961/67 "2023-12-05T13:29:57Z")
> [@pjd](#): > > You don’t have to give your real name. Since so many people have difficulty with my real first name (those who hear it can’t spell it, those who see it can’t say it), I frequently use the name of one of my cats in such situations. Allie could easily be a human female name but isn’t super-common, most counter staff have an easier time with it, and the cat doesn’t care. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ho-fucking-ho-december-mini-rants/993961/68 "2023-12-05T14:45:07Z")
I’m glad you had a good experience with Kevin, but I fear that the disdainful, glaring salespeople have changed things back. I went through the “Schedule a Test Drive” link at 3 different dealerships. None of them required me to enter my phone number, only an email. But all the emails started with “What’s a good contact number to reach you?” and as soon as I replied “I prefer to communicate by email, this is the car I’d like to test drive, can you confirm it’s on the lot, here are the days and times that I’m available” - 2 dealerships never got back to me, and the 3rd, almost refreshingly, found my phone number via google and started calling me immediately. To be fair to the 3rd, they did also reply by email and I set up the test drive that way. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ho-fucking-ho-december-mini-rants/993961/69 "2023-12-05T15:12:54Z")
> [@stretch](#): > > I’m on a plane after a wonderful vacation and am being reminded that people suck I still wear a mask on the plane because people are disgusting. I hope that never goes away (the mask part, not the disgusting part). It doesnt’ get rid of the perfume smell 100% but it does diminish it. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ho-fucking-ho-december-mini-rants/993961/70 "2023-12-05T15:27:06Z")
I’m aware this is totally the wrong thread and category, but I’m too embarrassed to ask in the right one. So… could anyone explain to someone who has never watched a football game, why ‘stealing signs’ is wrong/immoral/whatever? I was intrigued by the thread title, and managed to read enough posts to discover it had to do with finding out about what the signs being displayed by one team’s coach to his team mean, but all the posts assume the readers already know why this is bad. I mean, it seemed to simply involve simply sending someone to legally attend a game and looking \ at said signs that are clearly visible to the audience and reporting back to some other team. Not bugging the locker room or hacking phone calls or, I dunno, physically stealing a decoding book or anything like that. Just looking at clearly visible signs. Say what? In simple words, please, and I don’t need a lot of details or diagrams. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ho-fucking-ho-december-mini-rants/993961/71 "2023-12-05T16:56:17Z")
> [@digs](#): > > One piece of lettuce, and you’re gone forever? But if they don’t make sure they have fresh lettuce, how do I know they are quality inspecting the rest of the food? What I didn’t say in my post - they are ridiculously expensive, too. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ho-fucking-ho-december-mini-rants/993961/72 "2023-12-05T17:45:03Z")
Our microwave came today and was installed. Yay! But when the driver backed his truck up the driveway, he hit the tree next to it and broke a big limb off of it. So now we have a big limb to dispose of, and I’m worried about the tree. It’s a old redbud and I’m afraid this might be the thing that finally kills it. Sonofabitch. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ho-fucking-ho-december-mini-rants/993961/73 "2023-12-05T18:26:12Z")
Why should _you_ have to dispose of it? Call the company that brought the MW and hold them responsible. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ho-fucking-ho-december-mini-rants/993961/74 "2023-12-05T18:59:50Z")
> [@StarvingButStrong](#): > > I mean, it seemed to simply involve simply sending someone > to legally attend a game and looking \ at said signs that are clearly visible to the audience and reporting back to some other team. Not bugging the locker room or hacking phone calls or, I dunno, physically stealing a decoding book or anything like that. Just looking at clearly visible signs. Say what? They were recording them on video I believe. But as you say, these signs are being done out in the open during game so it’s not like they were a secret. But the reason it’s bad is because it’s against the rules. If that seems tautological, that’s because it is. If you do it and your opponents don’t, because you don’t care about breaking the rules and they do, then you have an advantage over them because you can recognize their signs and react, and they can’t do that to you. The logical question is why bother and why not just let everyone do it so they’re all on an even playing field, and the only real answer I can suggest (and this is speculation) but they might not want the wealthier teams who can afford to send “spies” to do something a less wealthy team can’t. Not every school makes the same money, some have a lot more to throw around. Indeed, one common response to the latest scandal was the suggestion that everyone does it, it’s just that someone got caught. (Not sure how true that really is.) ---
**Author:** ![Wolf333](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf333/32/3460_2.png) [@Wolf333](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolf333)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ho-fucking-ho-december-mini-rants/993961/75 "2023-12-05T19:13:45Z")
Twofer: I’m visiting my parents and there is an issue with their landline phone. The issue has gone on for about a month, and I’m tired of my mother bringing it up, so I called in a ticket, which is what she should have done weeks ago. But then, if the phone is fixed, she won’t get to complain about the phone. The tech showed up today, and the phones are working great. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ho-fucking-ho-december-mini-rants/993961/76 "2023-12-05T19:54:44Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > But the reason it’s bad is because it’s against the rules. If that seems tautological, that’s because it is. Um, okay. I guess I must accept arbitrary rules – why do you only get three strikes before you’re out? Because the rules of the game say so. It’s just that this rule seemed so counter to ordinary logical behavior. Obviously each team is trying to figure out what the other team will and can do. Don’t the players all get together and rewatch each of their own games, looking for patterns and strategies and so on? Don’t they watch the games of the teams they’ll be playing next, trying to do the same? And nobody seems upset over that. But looking at those signs is ‘spying’ and taboo and punishment-worthy? Seemed baffling to me. But thank you for the explanation, at least I can stop wondering what the hell are those people upset over. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ho-fucking-ho-december-mini-rants/993961/77 "2023-12-05T21:19:16Z")
> [@StarvingButStrong](#): > > But looking at those signs is ‘spying’ and taboo and punishment-worthy? Seemed baffling to me. You’re not alone in that. > **[The Michigan sign-stealing scandal: Why is it such a big deal?](https://www.bdtonline.com/sports/the-michigan-sign-stealing-scandal-why-is-it-such-a-big-deal/article_b60f4558-7f55-11ee-9018-a735ede83005.html)** > > The Michigan football sign-stealing controversy has morphed from a Wolverine-allegedly-caught-with-its-hand-in-the-cookie jar to open accusations between Michigan, the Big Ten Conference and some of its individual schools and coaches. > **[Michigan sign-stealing scandal: Big deal or nothingburger?](https://sports.yahoo.com/michigan-sign-stealing-scandal-big-deal-or-nothingburger-143407281.html)** > > The most important question to be answered regarding the alleged Michigan sign-stealing scandal is this: Did the Wolverines gain a distinct advantage? > **[Michigan is accused of stealing other team’s signs, but why is that a big deal?](https://www.13abc.com/2023/11/10/michigan-is-accused-stealing-other-teams-signs-why-is-that-big-deal/)** > > The football program at the University of Michigan, among the favorites to play for the national championship, has become embroiled in an alleged sign-stealing scheme that involved impermissible, in-person scouting of opponents going back as long as... [https://www.si.com/college/michigan/football/michigan-wolverines-football-jim-harbaugh-big-ten-ncaa-investigation-sign-stealing-connor-stalions](https://www.si.com/college/michigan/football/michigan-wolverines-football-jim-harbaugh-big-ten-ncaa-investigation-sign-stealing-connor-stalions) That’s just a small sample. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ho-fucking-ho-december-mini-rants/993961/78 "2023-12-05T22:27:34Z")
Never mind _why is it a big deal?_ Why does the rule exist? Speculative answers not desired. I’m only interested in knowing the ACTUAL REASON the writers of the rulebook(s)\* thought it would be a good idea to write this into the rules. \*the putative plural is because I’ve heard tell of people bitching about sign-stealing in baseball, too. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ho-fucking-ho-december-mini-rants/993961/79 "2023-12-05T22:37:58Z")
The above doesn’t really interest me except on an academic level, much like the question of _why is it only in baseball that the guy in charge of the team suits up for the game?_\* It would be cool to see football and basketball and hockey coaches all geared up on the sidelines. I might even start watching. No, my rant is about something that _matters_: Does ANYONE still manufacture and sell REGULAR-SIZED (11" X 9") kitchen paper towels? I am sick and FUCKING TIRED of trying to adequately wrap a frozen burrito in this 11" X 7" bullshit. If I have to pay more for REAL paper towels, so be it! \*[and the DHHS, apparently, if I’m correct about the Surgeon General] ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ho-fucking-ho-december-mini-rants/993961/80 "2023-12-05T22:43:55Z")
I went to order three Christmas ornaments from Amazon. They were supposed to qualify for free delivery since they totaled over a certain amount. But when I went to checkout I was going to be charge for shipping because, although it hadn’t been noted, one ornament was exempt. So I tried another, and each time I tried(twice more), with others, I was going to be charged delivery. Damned Amazon. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ho-fucking-ho-december-mini-rants/993961.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ho-fucking-ho-december-mini-rants/993961.md?page=5)