Polls only: No discussion

  • catty corner
  • kitty corner

0 voters

Ever skip school?
  • Never. Perfect attendance record. Check my permanent record!
  • Once or twice, maybe.
  • It happened. I don’t think I did it any more or less than everyone else.
  • Frequently. Like it was a sport. No school can hold me!
  • I skipped a class or two here and there, but never a whole day.
  • I couldn’t really skip school. (boarding school, homeschool, no school, etc.)

0 voters

The Indianapolis 500 has undergone some pretty dramatic changes during its history. Up until about 30-40 years ago the race was characterized by a “Wild West” kind of philosophy, where innovation was king and you often never quite knew what kinds of cars and designs you would see on the track until the first test sessions of spring.

This had its good and bad aspects. Aesthetically, you would often get some pretty unique designs (such as Parnelli Jones’ turbine car in the late 60’s-yes basically powered by a jet engine). When full wings were finally allowed in 1972, speeds increased dramatically.

But this all came at a cost. Wrecks were frequent (as were driver deaths), as were mechanical failures. The varying designs would mean some cars would be much faster than others (15 MPH spread in 1977 pole speeds for example, the year AJ Foyt won his 4th). It wasn’t uncommon for less than half the field of 33 to still be running at the end. The race thus had much more of the character of an endurance event.

Fast forward to the 21st Century, and all of that is history, for good or bad. When the Indy Racing League took control of the event in 1996, specifictations and designs became much more alike. All cars have to run the same chassis, and the rules for the other components are very stringent. As a result racing is now very close (this year less than 3 MPH separates the pole winner from the 33rd car), with the majority of the field still on the lead lap at the end, there are few mechanical failures anymore and not that many wrecks, and you often have photo-finishes at the end. [Note: CART cars still raced at Indy until 2003, when they finally went under]

So, which era would you prefer?

What Indianapolis 500 era do you prefer?
  • The Wild West era (roughly until the 1990’s)
  • The IRL Era (which properly began in 1996)

0 voters

How many prescription medications are you on?

  • 0
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10 or more

0 voters

How many of them do you need to stay out of the hospital?

  • 0
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10 or more

0 voters

How many of them are literally life-saving?

  • 0
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10 or more

0 voters

You’re making this recipe. You’ve done all the prep and are about to start cooking, and you realize you don’t have any garbanzo beans (aka chickpeas) on hand. You do have black beans and kidney beans on hand. What do you do?

  • Run to the store and buy some garbanzo beans (the store is about half a mile away).
  • Use the black beans as a substitute
  • Use the kidney beans as a substitute
  • Just leave out the beans altogether

0 voters

Sugared cereal of your childhood.

  • Frosted Flakes
  • Trix
  • Sugar Smacks
  • Sugar Pops
  • Froot Loops
  • Cocoa Puffs
  • Lucky Charms
  • Honey Comb
  • Cap’n Crunch
  • Count Chocula
  • Franken Berry
  • Boo Berry
  • Fruity Pebbles
  • Cocoa Krispies
  • Apple Jacks
  • Sugar Crisp
  • You forgot…

0 voters

SDMB UI:

  • Dark
  • Discourse-classic
  • graceful
  • Material Design Theme
  • Minima
  • Sam’s Simple Theme
  • Straight Dope Dark
  • Straight Dope Light
  • Vincent

0 voters

Inspired by the cashier who confided that she would soon be retiring after 48 years at Kroger:

What’s the average amount of time you’ve spent working at a job, including your entire employment history?

  • Less than a month
  • 1 to 3 months
  • greater than 3 months, up to 6 months
  • greater than 6 months, less than 1 year
  • at least 1 year, less than 2 years
  • at least 2 years, less than 5 years
  • at least 5 years, up to 10 years
  • greater than 10 years, up to 20 years
  • greater than 20 years, up to 40 years
  • greater than 40 years
  • Work is for peons, I’m independently wealthy
  • Never held a job
  • I’m a union man, proud of what I am

0 voters

What kind of drunk are you?
  • Happy - you get happy and you stay that way. :blush:
  • Angry - that ain’t booze, that’s Hulk juice! :rage:
  • Affectionate - I love you! :kissing_closed_eyes:
  • Sloppy - I loooorve yuuuuuuuuuu!!! :nauseated_face:
  • Reckless - hold my beer… :face_with_head_bandage:
  • Secret - only you know if you’re drunk or not. :unamused:
  • Blackout - I did what?! :dizzy_face:
  • Something else
  • I’m more than one of these, often during the same session.
  • Depends on what I’m drinking, where, why, with who, etc.
  • I don’t know.
  • I don’t drink.

0 voters

Have you seen the real night sky - the awesome Milky Way in all its glory?

  • yes
  • no
  • there’s more than just stars up there?

0 voters

A company is known for paying its “low-level” employees unusually high wages. Its janitors, cooks, security guards, receptionists, secretaries, and daycare caretakers all earn six figures. Meanwhile, its higher-ranking employees, like HR directors, senior accountants, cybersecurity specialists and senior managers also are well-paid as well, but only within typical business parameters.

In other words, a receptionist or janitor may be paid $120,000, while a senior HR business partner or cybersecurity director is “only” making $170,000.

One day, these senior/high-level folks come in for a discussion with HR and the CEO/leaders. They complain that they are being paid as if they’re little better than janitors. The leaders and HR reply that they are being paid in accordance with what is the industry standard for their profession, and what the lower-level folks earn is none of their business.

Which side do you consider to be right?

  • The senior/high-level folks should be paid more, such that there is a substantial gap between them and the low-level folks
  • The senior/high-level folks are being paid fairly as is, per the industry scale standards for their profession

0 voters

These are the 50 most populous U.S. cities. Which of these are the most overrated? Select as many as you like.

  • Albuquerque, New Mexico
  • Atlanta, Georgia
  • Aurora, Colorado
  • Austin, Texas
  • Bakersfield, California
  • Baltimore, Maryland
  • Boston, Massachusetts
  • Charlotte, North Carolina
  • Chicago, Illinois
  • Colorado Springs, Colorado
  • Columbus, Ohio
  • Dallas, Texas
  • Denver, Colorado
  • Detroit, Michigan
  • El Paso, Texas
  • Fort Worth, Texas,
  • Fresno, California
  • Houston, Texas
  • Indianapolis, Indiana
  • Jacksonville, Florida
  • Kansas City, Missouri
  • Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Long Beach, California
  • Los Angeles, California
  • Louisville, Kentucky
  • Memphis, Tennessee
  • Mese, Arizona
  • Miami, Florida
  • Milwaukee, Wisconsin
  • Minneapolis, Minnesota
  • Nashville, Tennessee,
  • New York, New York
  • Oakland, California
  • Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
  • Omaha, Nebraska
  • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Phoenix, Arizona
  • Portland, Oregon
  • Raleigh, North Carolina
  • Sacramento, California
  • San Antonio, Texas
  • San Diego, California
  • San Francisco, California
  • San Jose, California
  • Seattle, Washington
  • Tampa, Florida
  • Tucson, Arizona
  • Tulsa, Oklahoma
  • Virginia Beach, Virginia
  • Washington D.C.

0 voters

These are the 50 most populous U.S. cities. Which of these are the most underrated? Select as many as you like.

  • Albuquerque, New Mexico
  • Atlanta, Georgia
  • Aurora, Colorado
  • Austin, Texas
  • Bakersfield, California
  • Baltimore, Maryland
  • Boston, Massachusetts
  • Charlotte, North Carolina
  • Chicago, Illinois
  • Colorado Springs, Colorado
  • Columbus, Ohio
  • Dallas, Texas
  • Denver, Colorado
  • Detroit, Michigan
  • El Paso, Texas
  • Fort Worth, Texas,
  • Fresno, California
  • Houston, Texas
  • Indianapolis, Indiana
  • Jacksonville, Florida
  • Kansas City, Missouri
  • Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Long Beach, California
  • Los Angeles, California
  • Louisville, Kentucky
  • Memphis, Tennessee
  • Mese, Arizona
  • Miami, Florida
  • Milwaukee, Wisconsin
  • Minneapolis, Minnesota
  • Nashville, Tennessee,
  • New York, New York
  • Oakland, California
  • Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
  • Omaha, Nebraska
  • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Phoenix, Arizona
  • Portland, Oregon
  • Raleigh, North Carolina
  • Sacramento, California
  • San Antonio, Texas
  • San Diego, California
  • San Francisco, California
  • San Jose, California
  • Seattle, Washington
  • Tampa, Florida
  • Tucson, Arizona
  • Tulsa, Oklahoma
  • Virginia Beach, Virginia
  • Washington D.C.

0 voters

Which of the following statements best reflects your feelings about the 1959 song “Sleep Walk” by Santo & Johnny?
Sleepwalk - YouTube

  • The song evokes feelings of nostalgia for me and I listened to it when first released
  • The song evokes feelings of nostalgia, but I didn’t hear the song until years later
  • I was around when the song was released but it doesn’t evoke any nostalgia for me
  • I wasn’t around back then and the song certainly isn’t nostalgic for me now
  • Okay, it may not sound ‘nostalgic’ per se, but you must admit it’s a cool song

0 voters

nevermind

If you could only eat one type of shellfish for the rest of your life, which would it be?

(“type” includes all varieties of that “type,” and if you choose “Some other type” you still only get one type, you don’t get everything not listed)
  • Clams
  • Crab
  • Crawfish
  • Lobster
  • Mussels
  • Oysters
  • Scallops
  • Shrimp
  • Some other type of shellfish (abalone, cockles, conch, escargot, sea urchin, etc.)
  • I don’t eat shellfish because of allergens or some other medical reason. I could die.
  • I don’t eat shellfish because of religious prohibition. My God said, “No!”
  • I don’t eat shellfish by personal choice. I just don’t care for it.

0 voters

Suppose - a few days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine had begun - an over-zealous Western politician had exclaimed, “If the Ukrainians who are bravely defending their democracy, freedom and way of life against Russian invaders are ‘Nazis’ according to Putin, then I am proud to be a Nazi” - how would you react:

  • applaud the sentiment
  • decry the choice of phrasing and words

0 voters

These are 50 films with a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and at least 50 reviews. (listed in descending order of number of reviews)

How many of these films have you seen?
  • Leave No Trace (2018)
  • Toy Story 2 (1999)
  • Man on Wire (2008)
  • Minding the Gap (2018)
  • His House (2020)
  • The Philadelphia Story (1940)
  • No Bears (2022)
  • 76 Days (2020)
  • Crip Camp (2020)
  • The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013)
  • Summer 1993 (2017)
  • Toy Story (1995)
  • One Cut of the Dead (2017)
  • Seven Samurai (1954)
  • Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
  • Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
  • Welcome to Chechnya (2020)
  • Hive (2021)
  • Deliver Us From Evil (2006)
  • Poetry (2011)
  • Waste Land (2010)
  • The Square (2013)
  • Descendent (2022)
  • The Terminator (1984)
  • Laura (1944)
  • The Janes (2021)
  • Still Walking (2008)
  • M (1931)
  • Playground (2021)
  • The Last Picture Show (1971)
  • Afghan Star (2009)
  • Slalom (2020)
  • The Black Pirate (1926)
  • Pinocchio (1940)
  • 12 Angry Men (1957)
  • Three Colours: Red (1994)
  • Tampopo (1985)
  • Attica (2021)
  • Cool Hand Luke (1967)
  • A Secret Love (2020)
  • The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
  • Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
  • The Gold Rush (1925)
  • White Riot (2019)
  • The Kid (1921)
  • Battleship Potemkin (1925)
  • The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
  • The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
  • Tokyo Story (1953)
  • Anatomy of a Murder (1959)

0 voters

This is a list of all the movies with a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, listed in alpabetical order.

How many of these films have you seen?
  • 3 Strikes (2000)
  • A Thousand Words (2012)
  • Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever (2002)
  • Beneath the Darkness (2011)
  • Bolero (1984)
  • Cabin Fever (2016)
  • Constellation (2005)
  • Dark Crimes (2016)
  • Dark Tide (2012)
  • Derailed (2002)
  • The Disappointments Room (2016)
  • Folks! (1992)
  • Gotti (2018)
  • Hard Kill (2020)
  • Highlander 2: The Quickening (1991)
  • Homecoming (2009)
  • Jaws: The Revenge (1987)
  • John Henry (2020)
  • Killing Me Softly (2002)
  • Left Behind (2014)
  • London Fields(2018)
  • Look Who’s Talking Now! (1993)
  • Max Steel (2016)
  • Merci Docteur Rey (2002)
  • National Lampoon’s Gold Diggers (2003)
  • The Nutcracker in 3D (2010)
  • One Missed Call (2008)
  • Pinocchio (2002)
  • Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol (1987)
  • Precious Cargo (2016)
  • Problem Child (1990)
  • Redline (2007)
  • Return to the Blue Lagoon (1991)
  • The Ridiculous 6 (2015)
  • Scar (2007)
  • Simon Sez (1999)
  • Staying Alive (1983)
  • Stolen (2009)
  • Stratton (2017)
  • Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2 (2004)
  • The Last Days of American Crime (2020)
  • The Queen’s Corgi (2019)
  • Transylmania (2009)
  • Wagons East! (1994)

0 voters

Is this the polls thread or the polls discussion thread? (checks) (checks again) (still not sure, checks again)

Which of these 50 most populous cities have you visited? (checks once more cuz I’m gonna fuck it up some kinda way)

  • Albuquerque, New Mexico
  • Atlanta, Georgia
  • Aurora, Colorado
  • Austin, Texas
  • Bakersfield, California
  • Baltimore, Maryland
  • Boston, Massachusetts
  • Charlotte, North Carolina
  • Chicago, Illinois
  • Colorado Springs, Colorado
  • Columbus, Ohio
  • Dallas, Texas
  • Denver, Colorado
  • Detroit, Michigan
  • El Paso, Texas
  • Fort Worth, Texas,
  • Fresno, California
  • Houston, Texas
  • Indianapolis, Indiana
  • Jacksonville, Florida
  • Kansas City, Missouri
  • Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Long Beach, California
  • Los Angeles, California
  • Louisville, Kentucky
  • Memphis, Tennessee
  • Mesa, Arizona
  • Miami, Florida
  • Milwaukee, Wisconsin
  • Minneapolis, Minnesota
  • Nashville, Tennessee,
  • New York, New York
  • Oakland, California
  • Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
  • Omaha, Nebraska
  • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Phoenix, Arizona
  • Portland, Oregon
  • Raleigh, North Carolina
  • Sacramento, California
  • San Antonio, Texas
  • San Diego, California
  • San Francisco, California
  • San Jose, California
  • Seattle, Washington
  • Tampa, Florida
  • Tucson, Arizona
  • Tulsa, Oklahoma
  • Virginia Beach, Virginia
  • Washington D.C.

0 voters