# Little facts people get wrong **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 15, 2016, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-facts-people-get-wrong/768575 "2016-10-15T02:48:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2016, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-facts-people-get-wrong/768575/141 "2016-10-18T16:43:39Z")
Davis Guggenheim has an Oscar for “An Inconvenient Truth”, Al Gore does not. ---
**Author:** ![MikeF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2016, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-facts-people-get-wrong/768575/142 "2016-10-18T16:56:12Z")
Its possible, but highly unlikely, that the cop fired his service revolver. ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2016, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-facts-people-get-wrong/768575/143 "2016-10-18T17:01:28Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > Actually, I think in medicine, you are addicted if you go into physical withdrawal when the substance is removed. Substance abuse counselors talk about “psychological withdrawal,” but that’s really just a metaphor. > > I’ll see you and raise you one “chester drawers.” Goodwill sells those a lot. Barley used. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2016, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-facts-people-get-wrong/768575/144 "2016-10-18T17:31:55Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > For decades, there are people who confuse Taiwan with Thailand. It still happens. > It makes no more sense than confusing New York with New Jersey. Wait are you trying to tell me New York and New Jersey are different places? ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2016, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-facts-people-get-wrong/768575/145 "2016-10-18T19:19:22Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Eccchh, carnies, gross… > > :D:p Well, you do have to wash them first. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2016, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-facts-people-get-wrong/768575/146 "2016-10-18T19:29:06Z")
Seeing the really incorrect salutes performed by actors portraying military members, even high ranking officers. If you are in uniform and wearing a hat, you salute to the bill of the hat, not to your eyebrow or definitely not in the middle of your forehead. And you are also supposed to make your arm and elbow into a 45 degree angle. And don’t get me started on incorrect haircuts on actors portraying military members. ---
**Author:** ![excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e8c25b/32.png) [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/excavating_for_a_mind)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2016, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-facts-people-get-wrong/768575/147 "2016-10-18T19:49:01Z")
One that I don’t think has been mentioned… Daddy-Longlegs, you know, [this guy](http://www.suttonmass.org/animals/spiders/daddylonglegs/daddylonglegs10.jpg) have extremely poisonous venom, but are harmless because they cannot bite you. They are harmless and cannot bite, but they have no venom. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2016, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-facts-people-get-wrong/768575/148 "2016-10-18T19:53:35Z")
> [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](#): > > One that I don’t think has been mentioned… > > Daddy-Longlegs, you know, [this guy](http://www.suttonmass.org/animals/spiders/daddylonglegs/daddylonglegs10.jpg) have extremely poisonous venom, but are harmless because they cannot bite you. > > They are harmless and cannot bite, but they have no venom. Pholcids can bite but they only have a mild venom: > **[Are daddy longlegs really the most venomous spiders in the world?](https://www.livescience.com/are-daddy-longlegs-the-most-venomous-spiders)** > > These long-legged animals look creepy, but are they dangerous? opilionids can not bite and have no venom. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2016, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-facts-people-get-wrong/768575/149 "2016-10-18T21:04:40Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > opilionids can not bite and have no venom. “Cannot” is all one word. (Unless of course you meant that opilionids do have the ability to not bite if they so choose.) I had a co-worker tell me there was no such word. 😕 > [@Velocity](#): > > If the ceiling were upwards, then someone might always keep saying, “I want a level of readiness more dire than DEFCON-5.” and then, “We need a level of readiness even more than DEFCON-6. Make it DEFCON-7.” But…this DEFCON goes to 11. (I have the same problem remembering whether first-degree or third-degree burns are worse.) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2016, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-facts-people-get-wrong/768575/150 "2016-10-18T21:11:33Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > “Cannot” is all one word. (Unless of course you meant that opilionids do have the ability to not bite if they so choose.) I had a co-worker tell me there was no such word. 😕 \*cannot \*and _can not_ mean exactly the same. Both are acceptable. I have no idea of why you’re wasting electrons to correct a non-error. > **[Oxford Languages | The Home of Language Data](https://languages.oup.com/)** > > Explore Oxford Languages, the home of world-renowned language data. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2016, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-facts-people-get-wrong/768575/151 "2016-10-18T21:14:35Z")
Many Americans don’t understand the tax code. They talk anxiously about their fear of “moving up into the next tax bracket,” thinking that they will \*lose \*money overall, when in fact the tax rates are _marginal_, meaning you will never take home less money by earning a higher salary. A higher salary will always be in your favor. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2016, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-facts-people-get-wrong/768575/152 "2016-10-18T22:06:46Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Many Americans don’t understand the tax code. They talk anxiously about their fear of “moving up into the next tax bracket,” thinking that they will \*lose \*money overall, when in fact the tax rates are _marginal_, meaning you will never take home less money by earning a higher salary. A higher salary will always be in your favor. It is possible, but barely, that since withholding is calculated based upon brackets, that a very small raise could put you into the next withholding bracket, resulting in a smaller _net paycheck_. But that means a larger refund. ---
**Author:** ![Trancephalic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trancephalic/32/380_2.png) [@Trancephalic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trancephalic)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2016, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-facts-people-get-wrong/768575/153 "2016-10-19T02:29:19Z")
> [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](#): > > One that I don’t think has been mentioned… > > Daddy-Longlegs, you know, [this guy](http://www.suttonmass.org/animals/spiders/daddylonglegs/daddylonglegs10.jpg) have extremely poisonous venom, but are harmless because they cannot bite you. > > They are harmless and cannot bite, but they have no venom. Also, they’re not spiders. Also, also, most if not all brown recluse bites are complete misdiagnoses; spiders are almost surely not responsible. What’s more, medical practitioners are trained to assume they opposite.:smack: ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2016, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-facts-people-get-wrong/768575/154 "2016-10-19T11:51:30Z")
Ran into this oldie yesterday. Some bozo writing about C operators called the “%” operator the “mod operator”. No. It’s the _remainder_ operator. The slash in the percent sign should remind you that this is division related. Note that -1 mod 2 is 1. The remainder of -1 divided by 2 is -1 hence -1 % 2 is also -1. If you confuse the two, you’re going to have serious errors in your programs. How can something this basic be gotten wrong by so many people in a field noted for picky people? (Of course, even worse, are those programming languages that use the keyword “mod” for remainder.) ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2016, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-facts-people-get-wrong/768575/155 "2016-10-19T13:29:27Z")
The world is much simpler if one thinks only in terms of positive integers. Lots of folks in programming are in over their heads as soon as they get past that point. At least that was my experience with coworkers when I was in the business. ---
**Author:** ![Corry\_El](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecae2f/32.png) [@Corry\_El](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corry_El)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2016, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-facts-people-get-wrong/768575/156 "2016-10-19T13:47:03Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Many Americans don’t understand the tax code. They talk anxiously about their fear of “moving up into the next tax bracket,” thinking that they will \*lose \*money overall, when in fact the tax rates are _marginal_, meaning you will never take home less money by earning a higher salary. A higher salary will always be in your favor. I agree there’s a not so rare misconception of marginal tax rates, which in principal will never give a lower after tax income for a higher pre tax income. However the US tax code is so complicated with things piled on top of the other at different times that it’s actually not impossible for higher pretax net (after deductions) to result in lower after tax. In recent years my federal tax has been at or near a point where various complex provisions intersect in a way such that a $1 increase in gross income or decrease in deductions _increases_ the tax due by a few $1,000. When I end up within range of this discontinuity, I simply don’t claim certain deductions (you aren’t required to claim all the deductions for which you are eligible) to _increase_ net income to just above the discontinuity, and therefore _increase_my after tax income. Edit to add: this isn’t like Dr. Deth’s case where you might have a smaller net take home due to withholding but still a higher net after tax income after getting a refund: this is really an increase in reported income resulting in a lower after tax income. It is rare though. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2016, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-facts-people-get-wrong/768575/157 "2016-10-19T15:10:07Z")
Obama and potentially Hillary can appoint justices to the Supreme Court, but that doesn’t mean they automatically get in. See that seat that Scalia sat in? Still vacant. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2016, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-facts-people-get-wrong/768575/158 "2016-10-19T17:20:10Z")
> [@Corry\_El](#): > > I agree there’s a not so rare misconception of marginal tax rates, which in principal will never give a lower after tax income for a higher pre tax income. > > However the US tax code is so complicated with things piled on top of the other at different times that it’s actually not impossible for higher pretax net (after deductions) to result in lower after tax. In recent years my federal tax has been at or near a point where various complex provisions intersect in a way such that a $1 increase in gross income or decrease in deductions _increases_ the tax due by a few $1,000. When I end up within range of this discontinuity, I simply don’t claim certain deductions (you aren’t required to claim all the deductions for which you are eligible) to _increase_ net income to just above the discontinuity, and therefore _increase_my after tax income. Edit to add: this isn’t like Dr. Deth’s case where you might have a smaller net take home due to withholding but still a higher net after tax income after getting a refund: this is really an increase in reported income resulting in a lower after tax income. > > It is rare though. Alt Min Tax? ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2016, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-facts-people-get-wrong/768575/159 "2016-10-19T18:29:28Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Ran into this oldie yesterday. Some bozo writing about C operators called the “%” operator the “mod operator”. I’ve been a professional C programmer for 20+ years and I would absolutely refer to % as “mod”. [Wikipedia agrees with me.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operators_in_C_and_C%2B%2B) I also am well aware that % is hazardous to use when signed integers are involved, and if I were for some reason going to use it with signed integers I would double check that it did what I intended. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2016, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-facts-people-get-wrong/768575/160 "2016-10-19T19:59:23Z")
> [@MaxTheVool](#): > > I’ve been a professional C programmer for 20+ years and I would absolutely refer to % as “mod”. [Wikipedia agrees with me.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operators_in_C_and_C%2B%2B) It _is_ a surprisingly common mistake. And the use as in that article of “Modulo (integer remainder)” without blinking an eye is also common. It’s like reading “chicken (cat)”. Run this program: #include \ using namespace std; int main() { cout \<\< -1 % 2 \<\< endl; } You’ll get -1. Here’s [Google](http://www.google.com/search?complete=0&hl=en&source=hp&biw=&bih=&q=-1+mod+2&btnG=Google+Search&gbv=2) for -1 mod 2. (And [Google](http://www.google.com/search?q=-1+%25+2&btnG=Search&num=100&complete=0&hl=en&gbv=2) for -1 % 2. 😕) Admitting to making a simple mistake for 20 years is the first step towards getting better. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-facts-people-get-wrong/768575.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-facts-people-get-wrong/768575.md?page=9)