# Really, head scratchingly, stupid things that people do. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 23, 2008, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-head-scratchingly-stupid-things-that-people-do/478430 "2008-12-23T12:34:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2009, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-head-scratchingly-stupid-things-that-people-do/478430/41 "2009-01-01T15:28:18Z")
> [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](#): > > A question and a comment: > > Question: Why would a particular day be a cheap day to fill up your car in Sydney? Is the price of gas lower on a particular day of the week? > > Comment: I don’t understand why he shouldn’t fill the tank as much as possible, regardless of the point of refill. If his custom is to refill at one-eighth, then he now has seven-eights plus a squirt instead of seven-eighths. Fewer refills, less time wasted. If gas is cheaper today, all the more reason to fill to the brim. > Lack of time. Walking ten miles takes a lot longer than drive, exercise, drive. Sorry I missed this. In every capital city in Australia, regardless of the price of crude oil, the price of petrol changes daily on an endless cycle. In Sydney it is cheapest on Tuesday, goes up for the rest of the work week and then starts to come down for next Tuesday. I **believe** that in Melbourne the cycle revolves around Wednesday, other places I have no idea. What is really amusing is that the oil companies, when questioned about this price rigging, call it the **discounting cycle**. Now I am no economic genius but I figure that the oil companies are **never** selling their product at a loss, why the hell would they, so I think the real cycle is the **price gouging cycle**. And the amount of fuel the guy added, considering he was driving one of [these](http://www.webwombat.com.au/motoring/news_reports/hsv-clubsport-review.htm) would have allowed him to go about 600 yards. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2009, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-head-scratchingly-stupid-things-that-people-do/478430/42 "2009-01-01T16:21:57Z")
> [@Sublight](#): > > In a similar vein: > [Window washers - 2 | Two window washers, on the eighth and n… | Flickr](http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmrocher2001/2379522696/) > > I’ve posted this photo before. Eight and nine floors up, no safety equipment, no hand-holds, one-foot ledge. Wadda’ ya mean, no safety equipment? They’re wearing face masks - they must be concerned with their personal safety.:smack: ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2009, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-head-scratchingly-stupid-things-that-people-do/478430/43 "2009-01-01T16:27:59Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > People who drive ten miles to a health club to exercise. Why not walk the ten miles and save the fees? When I lived in NYC, I used to work out at one of the YMCAs. The lockers were on the 5th floor, and the gym was on the 6th. One day both elevators were down, and one guy was raising a huge stink because he had to take the stairs. A while later he was up in the gym . . . using the Stairmaster. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2009, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-head-scratchingly-stupid-things-that-people-do/478430/44 "2009-01-01T19:16:33Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > People who drive ten miles to a health club to exercise. Why not walk the ten miles and save the fees? I hit the gym after work. I live about 20 miles from home. It’s easier for me to go to the gym directly from work, change from my office attire into gym clothes, and work out. Once I’m home I’m home and I don’t want to go back out again. Also, as others have pointed out, walking is only one type of exercise. You can do cardio on various machines, join an aerobics class, swim or lift weights. My gym also offers massages. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2009, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-head-scratchingly-stupid-things-that-people-do/478430/45 "2009-01-01T20:15:13Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > People merging into traffic who carefully look at the cars already on the highway, then speed up or slow down to match them, and come over neither in front of nor behind a car but into the space it already occupies. > > This happens to me several times a year. I was paying attention in driver education when they emphasized that cars on a highway should NEITHER speed up nor slow down, so that drivers on ramps trying to gauge the speed of traffic can form an accurate estimate. > > So I drive a steady pace when I am approaching cars on a ramp. More often than you’d expect, someone on the ramp will accelerate forward, look left, lock eyes with me, then slow down or speed up to match my speed, and while driving right next to me, suddenly turn the wheel and start to come into my lane. > > It appears intentional. If I was being hunted by robotic Terminators bent on killing me at any cost, I wouldn’t be surprised by this kind of thing; but purely as a driving habit, it’s head-scratchingly stupid. Don’t know where you are from but I will state that NO ONE who lives in Tampa, Florida has the least idea of how to merge into moving traffic. NO ONE. Not one single person. I hate Tampa drivers. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2009, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-head-scratchingly-stupid-things-that-people-do/478430/46 "2009-01-02T00:00:10Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > Sorry I missed this. In every capital city in Australia, regardless of the price of crude oil, the price of petrol changes daily on an endless cycle. In Sydney it is cheapest on Tuesday, goes up for the rest of the work week and then starts to come down for next Tuesday. I **believe** that in Melbourne the cycle revolves around Wednesday, other places I have no idea. Melbourne petrol tends to spike around Wednesday lunchtime. So either tuesday or wednesday could be the cheap day depending what time of day you generally fill up. Can be up to 15% difference between the morning and evening prices. It’s well worth it to time the cycle. Weekend petrol is just a tax on disorganised people (and holiday drivers) ---
**Author:** ![velvetjones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/5f9b8f/32.png) [@velvetjones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velvetjones)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2009, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-head-scratchingly-stupid-things-that-people-do/478430/47 "2009-01-02T02:28:01Z")
You are not alone **LouisB** Orlando drivers don’t know how to merge either. Maybe it’s an virus caused by driving on I-4? The driving related stupid thing I see every weekday is this: There are three lanes of interstate heading west, we come to an intersection with a two lane on ramp and now there are 5 lanes, the original three lanes and two lanes of merging traffic. So, what do people do? they move over from the three westbound lanes into the merging lanes which have slightly fewer cars so they can get a few cars ahead before they have to merge in again. :rolleyes: The stupid thing is that the extra traffic merging actually slows everyone down, including them. If they’d just stay put and, oh, I don’t know, learn how to let someone merge, maybe we could all travel up to speed. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2009, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-head-scratchingly-stupid-things-that-people-do/478430/48 "2009-01-02T02:42:27Z")
> [@Aspidistra](#): > > Melbourne petrol tends to spike around Wednesday lunchtime. So either tuesday or wednesday could be the cheap day depending what time of day you generally fill up. > > Can be up to 15% difference between the morning and evening prices. It’s well worth it to time the cycle. Weekend petrol is just a tax on disorganised people (and holiday drivers) Wednesday was the cheap day when I lived in Canberra. The price used to spike on Thursdays every fortnight, to coincide with payday. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2009, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-head-scratchingly-stupid-things-that-people-do/478430/49 "2009-01-02T02:48:37Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > People who drive ten miles to a health club to exercise. Why not walk the ten miles and save the fees? Because I don’t have 5-10 hours to waste jog/walking every day, and even if I did, the weather might suck? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2009, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-head-scratchingly-stupid-things-that-people-do/478430/50 "2009-01-02T03:22:33Z")
> [@Wiltshire](#): > > [usa fitness | this is why we're a fat country. (and you don'… | Flickr](http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthews/273052/) I hate to be the one to defend this, but a lot of gyms also double as physical therapy centers. There are folks with severe physical conditions who need to get to therapy and a simple set of stairs can make their lives miserable. Doesn’t excuse anyone else from using them, however. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2009, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-head-scratchingly-stupid-things-that-people-do/478430/51 "2009-01-02T16:39:46Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > People who drive ten miles to a health club to exercise. Why not walk the ten miles and save the fees? I know a woman who lives here in beautiful Southern CA who can top this. She drives less than a mile to go to the gym. Her preferred exercise? Walking laps on the running track. She also drives about the same distance to go to the park. Where she takes a nice walk. Nice neighborhood, no weather issues. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2009, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-head-scratchingly-stupid-things-that-people-do/478430/52 "2009-01-03T01:39:30Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > Hurricanes have a tendency to hit the same region in the US year after year. So year after year we see the same news stories about people buying a generator, plywood for the windows, etc., within hours of the storm making landfall. Given that US residents seem to be constantly moving, it’s quite possible that these people you see on news stories are new residents, who are suddenly facing their first hurricane ever. And that even if there are only a very few of them, the news media is going to run that easy story anyway. ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2009, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-head-scratchingly-stupid-things-that-people-do/478430/53 "2009-01-03T03:50:44Z")
> [@Antinor01](#): > > I know a woman who lives here in beautiful Southern CA who can top this. She drives less than a mile to go to the gym. Her preferred exercise? Walking laps on the running track. She also drives about the same distance to go to the park. Where she takes a nice walk. > > Nice neighborhood, no weather issues. A nice suburban neighborhood? Does it have _sidewalks_? I know plenty that don’t. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-head-scratchingly-stupid-things-that-people-do/478430.md?page=2)