# Painful confession time: Things you \*ought\* to know but \*don't\* **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 30, 2010, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painful-confession-time-things-you-ought-to-know-but-dont/537836 "2010-04-30T06:12:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painful-confession-time-things-you-ought-to-know-but-dont/537836/21 "2010-04-30T18:04:30Z")
Geography in general. I suck at it. I have no sense of direction, and I have little-to-no sense of where _anything_ is! :smack: ---
**Author:** ![gang\_green](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f07891/32.png) [@gang\_green](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gang_green)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painful-confession-time-things-you-ought-to-know-but-dont/537836/22 "2010-04-30T18:15:04Z")
> [@Foxy40](#): > > How a fax works. The magic of the internet allows me to point you to [this cartoon](http://www.secretlifeofmachines.com/secret_life_of_the_fax_machine.shtml), which while dated, will either make things clear or confuse you utterly. For me, anything that transmits via waves in the atmosphere (radio, TV, wi-fi) confounds me. I’m certain that it’s all magic. ---
**Author:** ![ducati](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cc9497/32.png) [@ducati](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ducati)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painful-confession-time-things-you-ought-to-know-but-dont/537836/23 "2010-04-30T18:19:45Z")
> [@Autolycus](#): > > I don’t know how to unhook a bra with one hand. I don’t know how to drive stick. I don’t know how to tie a tie. I don’t know how to replace a tire, and I am only 50% sure I know how to check the oil. > > Long story short, I need to turn in my Man Card. We’ll just stamp it “Gay” and return it. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Johnny\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Angel)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painful-confession-time-things-you-ought-to-know-but-dont/537836/24 "2010-04-30T18:24:02Z")
> [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](#): > > I’m an editor, but I’m still confused by the terms \*i.e. \*and _e.g._ You may have had this explanation before, and it didn’t help, but here it goes again: i.e. = id est = that is… e.g. = exempli gratia = for the sake of example… I’ve studied Latin on and off for years, and intensely for about a year, and I’m still confused on what exactly the deal is with the Perfect Passive Participle. Texts invariably define it as coupled with some form of the verb ‘to be,’ but if that’s the case, then it would only be the PPP in the nominative, right? But no, later you get the PPP presented without ‘to be’ in all cases, and it’s supposed to indicate time before the time of the main verb. Well, isn’t that what’s happening when you attach the present form of ‘to be’? It would be something that happened to the subject before the present? So, why don’t they explain it that way? And when exactly is it okay to treat it as just an adjective describing a state at the time of the main verb? ---
**Author:** ![Sister\_Vigilante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Sister\_Vigilante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sister_Vigilante)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painful-confession-time-things-you-ought-to-know-but-dont/537836/25 "2010-04-30T18:34:59Z")
I also don’t know how to drive a stick, or tie a tie, or undo a bra with one hand. I do not know how to change the oil. But I’m a girl so I guess it’s okay (except for the bra part). This should help with i.e. vs. e.g.: **i**.e. = **i** n other words **e**.g. = for **e** xample edit: beaten ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painful-confession-time-things-you-ought-to-know-but-dont/537836/26 "2010-04-30T19:09:58Z")
> [@ducati](#): > > We’ll just stamp it “Gay” and return it. 😃 I am gay and can do all those things. Of course the bra one has very limited practical use for me. My big one is math. I ought to have the ability to recall algibraic equations and use them, but I get hopelessly lost. ---
**Author:** ![Chickie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de053/32.png) [@Chickie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chickie)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painful-confession-time-things-you-ought-to-know-but-dont/537836/27 "2010-04-30T19:22:55Z")
> [@Johnny\_Angel](#): > > i.e. = id est = that is… > e.g. = exempli gratia = for the sake of example… So funny- I guess I just automatically picked this up during college, with academic writing, because I never got an explanation of them, nor did I know what they mean in Latin. More like, “oh, when someone’s writing a paper, and they want to give an example, they write e.g.” etc. Seems like there’s a lot of this sort of thing going around- vernacular you supposedly “pick up” in relation to a field, simply by doing the work, as opposed to it ever being explained to you… It took a long time as a secretary before I realized that a “T&E” meant “Travel and Expenses”… after I’d spent about a year DOING Travel & Expenses for people :smack: ---
**Author:** ![AmericanMaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@AmericanMaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AmericanMaid)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painful-confession-time-things-you-ought-to-know-but-dont/537836/28 "2010-04-30T19:24:42Z")
Being a 33 year old woman, I still have to look up the mechanics of ovulation, menstruation and fertility. I know the broad strokes but get stuck on timing. ---
**Author:** ![Yarster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/7c8e57/32.png) [@Yarster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yarster)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painful-confession-time-things-you-ought-to-know-but-dont/537836/29 "2010-04-30T19:37:24Z")
I’m a biologist by training, but have a brown thumb when it comes to plants and have no idea why I can’t keep things alive. I have lots of friends who are engineers who can take apart and put together every form of computer and mechanical gadget. I should have many of those skills as well, but regularly find that when I go to fix something, I usually do more damage than good and have a better than not chance of electrocuting myself or causing a catastrophic leak in the plumbing when I try to do home repair, usually requiring me to pay big bucks for an emergency repair person. I need to have my man card revoked too… ---
**Author:** ![palindromemordnilap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/db5fbb/32.png) [@palindromemordnilap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/palindromemordnilap)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painful-confession-time-things-you-ought-to-know-but-dont/537836/30 "2010-04-30T20:41:19Z")
I wrote for a jewelry trade magazine for years but could never keep straight the difference between karats and carats (I think karat is for gold, as in 14k, but I may never know for certain). One of my friends has a phone number that I have looked up about 200 times–sometimes 2 or 3 times in the same day–because I can never remember it. I _almost_ know it but not quite. I’m frequently not sure how old I am. I know the date I was born and today’s date, so I can do the math when I need to… I have to stop and think which hand is my right hand. Sometimes I pretend I’m about to say the Pledge of Allegiance, and the hand I put over my heart is my right. In the car it’s better to tell me to turn north than to turn left–I’m pretty good with compass directions. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painful-confession-time-things-you-ought-to-know-but-dont/537836/31 "2010-04-30T21:23:06Z")
> [@StusBlues](#): > > I have completed my coursework on a PhD in SE European History, but I really don’t have a handle on the master narrative of the region. Having spent a lot of time in SE Europe, my guess is that that’s because every country in the region has its own distinct version of history. I’m about to get my masters degree in public policy and I’m dreadful at both economics and statistics. Want me to research a topic and write a memo on it? I’m good - as long as there aren’t any numbers involved. ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painful-confession-time-things-you-ought-to-know-but-dont/537836/32 "2010-04-30T21:36:44Z")
I’m not 100% certain of the difference between the various types of mortgage (which wouldn’t be so scary if I didn’t already have one!). ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painful-confession-time-things-you-ought-to-know-but-dont/537836/33 "2010-04-30T21:38:11Z")
I have an English education degree, but _still_ have to think pretty damn hard to get lay/lie/laid, led/lead, and affect/effect right. I should be able to remember the differences easily, but I don’t. Why are these so much more difficult to recall than there/their/they’re, its/it’s and other words people confuse? ---
**Author:** ![Maiira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Maiira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maiira)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painful-confession-time-things-you-ought-to-know-but-dont/537836/34 "2010-04-30T23:03:19Z")
I do not know how to make copies. I’ve been taught something like four times. Nope, still can’t do it. Then again, I rarely need to make them, so I rarely use a copy machine. I’m pretty sure if I had to do it on a regular basis, I’d pick it up eventually. Percentages. Goddamn fucking percentages. Whenever I see something labeled “30% off!” in a store, I’ll stand there for ages trying to puzzle it out before giving up in disgust and whipping out my cell phone calculator (unless it’s stupidly obvious, like 30% off of 100). I have a friend who, when faced with the same situation, will think for about five seconds, then have it completely figured out. I feel like a failure whenever I watch her do this. Also…I should know that taking a long nap during the day = not being able to sleep during the night. Do I ever think about this and adjust my sleep schedule accordingly? Nope. ---
**Author:** ![Rand\_Rover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/db5fbb/32.png) [@Rand\_Rover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rand_Rover)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painful-confession-time-things-you-ought-to-know-but-dont/537836/35 "2010-04-30T23:59:41Z")
> [@gang\_green](#): > > For me, anything that transmits via waves in the atmosphere (radio, TV, wi-fi) confounds me. I’m certain that it’s all magic. Me too. Same for magnetism and gravity. For some reason though I think I have a handle on electricity, but I’m probably fooling myself. ---
**Author:** ![MaddyStrut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dbc845/32.png) [@MaddyStrut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaddyStrut)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2010, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painful-confession-time-things-you-ought-to-know-but-dont/537836/36 "2010-05-01T00:27:28Z")
The metric system. I know all the conversions _within_ metric, and I’ve memorized some conversion stats, but I don’t have a grasp of what a metric measure means. If someone gives me a metric measurement other than greater than a meter or a liter, I have to do the math. Temperature is the worst. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2010, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painful-confession-time-things-you-ought-to-know-but-dont/537836/37 "2010-05-01T02:40:12Z")
> [@Maiira](#): > > I do not know how to make copies. I’ve been taught something like four times. Nope, still can’t do it. Then again, I rarely need to make them, so I rarely use a copy machine. I’m pretty sure if I had to do it on a regular basis, I’d pick it up eventually. > > Percentages. Goddamn fucking percentages. Whenever I see something labeled “30% off!” in a store, I’ll stand there for ages trying to puzzle it out before giving up in disgust and whipping out my cell phone calculator (unless it’s stupidly obvious, like 30% off of 100). I have a friend who, when faced with the same situation, will think for about five seconds, then have it completely figured out. I feel like a failure whenever I watch her do this. Here’s an easy trick: it’s very simple to figure 10% of something – just move the decimal point over by one. Then multiply that amount by 3 to find 30%. So if something is 30% off $74, just say “10% of 74 is 7-ish, 7 times 3 is 21, so that’s a little less than 53 bucks.” As for me, I can’t tie shoe laces. Just never figured it out. I wear shoes without laces. ---
**Author:** ![elelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@elelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elelle)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2010, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painful-confession-time-things-you-ought-to-know-but-dont/537836/38 "2010-05-01T03:15:18Z")
> [@Yarster](#): > > I’m a biologist by training, but have a brown thumb when it comes to plants and have no idea why I can’t keep things alive. Don’t feel bad. I’m a horticulturist, but know many good botanists who admit they can’t garden at all. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2010, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painful-confession-time-things-you-ought-to-know-but-dont/537836/39 "2010-05-01T05:10:05Z")
> [@llcoolbj77](#): > > Lawyer here: I just don’t get _Marbury v. Madison_. This case is absolutely fundamental. It is the very first case in almost every single Constitutional Law textbook. Something about writs of mandamus… or appointments to the Supreme court. :smack: When I used to tutor Con law I saw a lot of light bulbs go on just by telling them “You know how the Supreme Court can strike down a law that Congress passed? This was the first time that happened.” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2010, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painful-confession-time-things-you-ought-to-know-but-dont/537836/40 "2010-05-01T05:47:10Z")
I never learned how to tie my shoes the proper way. When I got to the point of being old enough that I was expected to know, I figured out how to arrange the laces so they _looked_ tied, but weren’t. This of course necessitated my “re-tying” them multiple times throughout the day. Ever since i’ve been old enough to buy shoes on my own, i’ve bought laceless shoes so as to avoid the problem altogether. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painful-confession-time-things-you-ought-to-know-but-dont/537836.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painful-confession-time-things-you-ought-to-know-but-dont/537836.md?page=3)