# Oh, so THAT'S what that button's for! Your "Duh" techno moments **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 22, 2011, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-so-thats-what-that-buttons-for-your-duh-techno-moments/593600 "2011-08-22T01:41:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-so-thats-what-that-buttons-for-your-duh-techno-moments/593600/61 "2011-08-26T12:48:57Z")
The vacuum cleaner cord thing… well yes I know that’s what it’s _for_, but it really doesn’t make it any quicker, because if you turn the hook round and take the whole spool of cord off in one go, chances are that it’ll get tied in a big knot unless you unloop it all before you plug it in anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-so-thats-what-that-buttons-for-your-duh-techno-moments/593600/62 "2011-08-27T01:55:50Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > The vacuum cleaner cord thing… well yes I know that’s what it’s _for_, but it really doesn’t make it any quicker, because if you turn the hook round and take the whole spool of cord off in one go, chances are that it’ll get tied in a big knot unless you unloop it all before you plug it in anyway. I manage to avoid knots. ---
**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:** [August 28, 2011, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-so-thats-what-that-buttons-for-your-duh-techno-moments/593600/63 "2011-08-28T20:28:04Z")
My great uncle Chick used to sell Chevrolets (he retired from that some time in the 70’s or 60’s, and my dad still likes to tell the story of the lady who kept having problems with the gas mileage in the new sedan he had sold her (circa 1957). The mechanics in the service department couldn’t find any problem with the car, so he asked her to leave it with him for a couple of days. He drove it to and from work himself, and was unable to reproduce the symptom, so he reported that to her, and she took the car back A week later, she was back, with the same complaint; she just wasn’t getting the kind of range out of a tank of gas that she felt she should. So Uncle Chick says to her, “Why don’t you take me for a drive; I’ll be in the passenger seat.” So he gets in the passenger side; the lady gets into the driver’s seat. She pulls the choke knob out of the dashboard, hangs her handbag on the shaft, and says, “I really like that they have his handbag holder here on the dashboard…” ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2011, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-so-thats-what-that-buttons-for-your-duh-techno-moments/593600/64 "2011-08-28T20:33:48Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > The vacuum cleaner cord thing… well yes I know that’s what it’s _for_, but it really doesn’t make it any quicker, because if you turn the hook round and take the whole spool of cord off in one go, chances are that it’ll get tied in a big knot unless you unloop it all before you plug it in anyway. Wind it in figure-eights and it won’t knot. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2011, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-so-thats-what-that-buttons-for-your-duh-techno-moments/593600/65 "2011-08-28T21:08:08Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > My great uncle Chick used to sell Chevrolets (he retired from that some time in the 70’s or 60’s, and my dad still likes to tell the story of the lady who kept having problems with the gas mileage in the new sedan he had sold her (circa 1957). The mechanics in the service department couldn’t find any problem with the car, so he asked her to leave it with him for a couple of days. He drove it to and from work himself, and was unable to reproduce the symptom, so he reported that to her, and she took the car back > > A week later, she was back, with the same complaint; she just wasn’t getting the kind of range out of a tank of gas that she felt she should. So Uncle Chick says to her, “Why don’t you take me for a drive; I’ll be in the passenger seat.” So he gets in the passenger side; the lady gets into the driver’s seat. She pulls the choke knob out of the dashboard, hangs her handbag on the shaft, and says, “I really like that they have his handbag holder here on the dashboard…” Christ this story was old the first time I heard it (which would have been in the 1950s) ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2011, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-so-thats-what-that-buttons-for-your-duh-techno-moments/593600/66 "2011-08-28T23:02:07Z")
Not high tech but I bought a nice caulking gun awhile back and didn’t notice until recently that not only did it have a built in “nail” to poke a hole in a tube of caulk but it also had a cutter that would cut off the tip. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2011, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-so-thats-what-that-buttons-for-your-duh-techno-moments/593600/67 "2011-08-28T23:11:57Z")
> [@TimeWinder](#): > > Well for one thing, in my last three cars (two of them from the same manufacturer), that “standard button” has been in different places and looked different. For another, it’s probably the least-used button in the entire vehicle – many folks will go their entire driving lives never having to turn on the hazard lights, and even if you do, it’s probably a twice-a-decade sort of thing. It’s the first button I make sure I can hit blind in every car I drive; even in a test drive. I use it at least once a week - traffic slowly sharply ahead, flashing lights, blinding sun in my eyes (and the people behind me) or heavy downpours. They’re handy little guys. ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-so-thats-what-that-buttons-for-your-duh-techno-moments/593600/68 "2011-08-29T01:02:20Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > …She pulls the choke knob out of the dashboard, hangs her handbag on the shaft, and says, “I really like that they have his handbag holder here on the dashboard…” This must be the ancestor to the CD drawer/cupholder joke ---
**Author:** ![Student\_Driver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3da27b/32.png) [@Student\_Driver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Student_Driver)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-so-thats-what-that-buttons-for-your-duh-techno-moments/593600/69 "2011-08-29T11:42:26Z")
Today’s the first day I ever knew I could adjust the size of the reply entry box on here. I was replying to something in another thread, realized the dimensions of the box looked different, and hovered my cursor over the lower right corner. I feel like a moron now. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-so-thats-what-that-buttons-for-your-duh-techno-moments/593600/70 "2011-08-29T12:47:10Z")
> [@Student\_Driver](#): > > Today’s the first day I ever knew I could adjust the size of the reply entry box on here. I was replying to something in another thread, realized the dimensions of the box looked different, and hovered my cursor over the lower right corner. I feel like a moron now. No need to feel dumb. This is a pretty new feature, and is only there in certain browsers anyway (recent versions of FF and Chrome). ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-so-thats-what-that-buttons-for-your-duh-techno-moments/593600/71 "2011-08-29T13:41:50Z")
> [@postcards](#): > > This must be the ancestor to the CD drawer/cupholder joke The Bestest Ex actually got a call like that when he worked the night shift in tech support for a large computers manufacturer, c. 1997. He told us they handled it very, very carefully because “for all we knew, it was someone from QA.” Given the response obtained when he explained, the caller may have been from QA (and if so a great actress) or not, but she seemed sincere. I’ve seen people get terribly confused by the “little tray”, asking “why does it go back in by itself? It’s no good for putting anything on it, it goes back in by itself!”. These people were in graduate school for Theoretical Chemistry, not exactly your average technophobe. Also had to explain to several classmates (these were, indeed, technophobes) that “the side with the label goes up” for CDs and DVDs… this last even took place in 2009! ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-so-thats-what-that-buttons-for-your-duh-techno-moments/593600/72 "2011-08-29T14:03:27Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > No need to feel dumb. This is a pretty new feature, and is only there in certain browsers anyway (recent versions of FF and Chrome). Oh thank god. I read that and was trying to figure out how to make it work. I was starting to think I was insane. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-so-thats-what-that-buttons-for-your-duh-techno-moments/593600/73 "2011-08-29T14:41:45Z")
> [@perfectparanoia](#): > > Maybe not on the 95 model but if you look at your gas guage, there will be a little arrow beside the picture of the fuel pump. If it points left, it is on the left, right it is on the right. Worked in every rental car I have ever gotten but it could just be late model years. We actually had a big thread about this a few years back. It’s not true for all cars. [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=499828&highlight=gauge+arrow](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=499828&highlight=gauge+arrow) ---
**Author:** ![Vita\_Beata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@Vita\_Beata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vita_Beata)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-so-thats-what-that-buttons-for-your-duh-techno-moments/593600/74 "2011-08-29T14:49:34Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > The vacuum cleaner cord thing… well yes I know that’s what it’s _for_, but it really doesn’t make it any quicker, because if you turn the hook round and take the whole spool of cord off in one go, chances are that it’ll get tied in a big knot unless you unloop it all before you plug it in anyway. Confession: My teenage daughter saw me unwinding the cord, laughed, and turned the hook around. It’s not something I ever noticed before. :o ---
**Author:** ![Vita\_Beata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@Vita\_Beata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vita_Beata)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-so-thats-what-that-buttons-for-your-duh-techno-moments/593600/75 "2011-08-29T14:57:16Z")
My current mystery involves a 3inch black piece atop the roof, passenger side. of a Toyota Tundra 2010. It is shown in the car manual, but it’s purpose is not explained … or I just haven’t found the explanation. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-so-thats-what-that-buttons-for-your-duh-techno-moments/593600/76 "2011-08-29T22:40:08Z")
> [@Vita\_Beata](#): > > My current mystery involves a 3inch black piece atop the roof, passenger side. of a Toyota Tundra 2010. It is shown in the car manual, but it’s purpose is not explained .. or I just haven’t found the explanation. A lot of cars have those, and most are antennas. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-so-thats-what-that-buttons-for-your-duh-techno-moments/593600/77 "2011-08-29T22:52:09Z")
I don’t know if this works on the new GM cars; my truck is a '95. The radio has two sets of FM presets. 2x 6 buttons= 12 presets, right? There are lots more. You can add more presets by pushing 2 buttons at once to set a new one. Once set, press those 2 buttons, and you get the new station. As far as I know, this is not in any owner’s manual. I had my truck for a year before I found the little drawer in the rear end of the console. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-so-thats-what-that-buttons-for-your-duh-techno-moments/593600/78 "2011-08-30T00:11:28Z")
I literally had one today. I have a low-end LG flip phone. It’s nothing special and I like it that way; I’ve had it for 2 years now. Well yesterday I was looking at a “missed call” and noticed there was this little “1” next to the name of the person whose call I missed, and Hey! I have a voice message from that person… wait a minute… that icon shows you WHO of your missed calls left a voice message. Holy crap! ---
**Author:** ![Vita\_Beata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@Vita\_Beata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vita_Beata)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-so-thats-what-that-buttons-for-your-duh-techno-moments/593600/79 "2011-08-30T00:18:12Z")
> [@AskNott](#): > > A lot of cars have those, and most are antennas. [![](http://files.conceptcarz.com/img/Toyota/2010_Toyota_Tundra_Exterior_Image-03-800.jpg) ](http://files.conceptcarz.com/img/Toyota/2010_Toyota_Tundra_Exterior_Image-03-800.jpg) Thanks, AskNott. It’s the little black thing on the roof right above the passenger side. There is already an antenna on the passenger side on the right side of the hood. So it’s a second antenna? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-so-thats-what-that-buttons-for-your-duh-techno-moments/593600/80 "2011-08-30T11:15:35Z")
> [@Vita\_Beata](#): > > [An Error Has Occured!](http://files.conceptcarz.com/img/Toyota/2010_Toyota_Tundra_Exterior_Image-03-800.jpg) > > Thanks, AskNott. It’s the little black thing on the roof right above the passenger side. There is already an antenna on the passenger side on the right side of the hood. So it’s a second antenna? Satellite radio? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-so-thats-what-that-buttons-for-your-duh-techno-moments/593600.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-so-thats-what-that-buttons-for-your-duh-techno-moments/593600.md?page=5)