# Stop with the easily googled questions in GQ **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 19, 2010, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-with-the-easily-googled-questions-in-gq/550750 "2010-08-19T16:37:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-with-the-easily-googled-questions-in-gq/550750/41 "2010-08-20T06:31:14Z")
Don 't feel bad, OP, even if you are a bit of a stupid fuckface horse-banging twit. I once got pitted for not starting enough threads in GD. Sort-of. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-with-the-easily-googled-questions-in-gq/550750/42 "2010-08-20T06:40:22Z")
I’ve never understood the board’s policy in requesting search engine use before posting a question in GD. Lots of us read GD in order to learn the answers to the questions that get posted there. Where’s the ignorance-fighting to be found in questions and answers that never get posted? ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-with-the-easily-googled-questions-in-gq/550750/43 "2010-08-20T13:08:25Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > Where’s the ignorance-fighting to be found in questions and answers that never get posted? Over in GQ, where they belong. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-with-the-easily-googled-questions-in-gq/550750/44 "2010-08-20T14:03:46Z")
> [@bucketybuck](#): > > Telling people to just google things instead really chaps my ass. “Just google it” is a **handy** answer though. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-with-the-easily-googled-questions-in-gq/550750/45 "2010-08-20T15:15:53Z")
Actually that particular question is much better Wolfram Alpha’d than Googled. Check this shit: [http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=(Circumference+of+Earth)+_+17000±+(Jupiter,+distance+from+Earth)+_+2](http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=(Circumference+of+Earth)+*+17000+-+(Jupiter,+distance+from+Earth)+*+2) Is that beautiful or what? ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-with-the-easily-googled-questions-in-gq/550750/46 "2010-08-20T15:20:35Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > > [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > > > Where’s the ignorance-fighting to be found in questions and answers that never get posted? > > Over in GQ, where they belong. 😃 Touche. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![GHO57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df788c/32.png) [@GHO57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GHO57)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-with-the-easily-googled-questions-in-gq/550750/47 "2010-08-20T15:26:55Z")
> [@Contrapuntal](#): > > > [@GHO57](#): > > > > [Did that](http://www.spamgoogle.com/search/?q=distance+to+jupiter&hl=en&btnG=Google+Search) :dubious: No hits. What do? > > [This](http://www.google.com/search?q=distance+to+jupiter&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a). OH… you mean “use other than your favorite search engine”, thanks, I’ll keep that in mind. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-with-the-easily-googled-questions-in-gq/550750/48 "2010-08-20T15:31:48Z")
Damn it. I read the thread title and was certain this was a **Jinx** pitting. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-with-the-easily-googled-questions-in-gq/550750/49 "2010-08-20T15:34:04Z")
> [@sqweels](#): > > Indeed. It’s more fun this way, we’re creating content that thousands of people find entertaining and informative, and we’re giving know-it-alls the opportunity to show off. And it’s not unusual that SDMB threads show up high in Google search results. Do you guys have special juice at Google? (Hey, nobody knows who Cecil really is, right? Maybe he’s one of the Google founders. 😉 ) ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-with-the-easily-googled-questions-in-gq/550750/50 "2010-08-20T16:12:25Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > I’ve never understood the board’s policy in requesting search engine use before posting a question in GD. Lots of us read GD in order to learn the answers to the questions that get posted there. Where’s the ignorance-fighting to be found in questions and answers that never get posted? Assuming you meant GQ, using Google or Wiki first doesn’t preclude starting a thread about it, just that the questions you end up asking may be at a deeper level and hence more interesting. Once you’ve got the basic information, that may lead to follow-up questions. And even if they don’t, you can post a thread in MPSIMS to share whatever interesting information you just found out. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Presidente](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c2a13f/32.png) [@El\_Presidente](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Presidente)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-with-the-easily-googled-questions-in-gq/550750/51 "2010-08-20T18:33:43Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > > [@bucketybuck](#): > > > > I was going to check if there was anything in the rules about it, but nothing came up on my google search. > > [Just Google it.](http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=&q=straight+dope+general+questions+rules&btnG=Google+Search&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=) 😉 > > > [@El\_Presidente](#): > > > > What brilliant threads have YOU posted on GQ that are better? > > [Here they are.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/search.php?searchid=5613450) A total of 15 posts in two years. He’s provided almost no useful information himself; almost all of his responses were opinion, anecdote, or snarking at other posters. A paragon of GQ. 🙂 What a shocker. We may need to call this Presidente’s Law: A poster that rips the low quality of posts on a another forum typically contributes little themselves. What a fucking nitwit. ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-with-the-easily-googled-questions-in-gq/550750/52 "2010-08-20T21:49:36Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > I’ve never understood the board’s policy in requesting search engine use before posting a question in GD. Lots of us read GD in order to learn the answers to the questions that get posted there. Where’s the ignorance-fighting to be found in questions and answers that never get posted? I’m with you on this. There have been lots of times when I’ve scanned through the from page of GQ and thought “Hmm, I’ve never really thought about that. Wonder what the answer is?” Even if the answer is Googlable, if I never thought to ask the question, I’d not know the answer. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-with-the-easily-googled-questions-in-gq/550750/53 "2010-08-20T21:57:36Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > [Here they are.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/search.php?searchid=5613450) A total of 15 posts in two years. He’s provided almost no useful information himself; almost all of his responses were opinion, anecdote, or snarking at other posters. A paragon of GQ. 🙂 Can you fix the link? It just gives me an empty search page. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-with-the-easily-googled-questions-in-gq/550750/54 "2010-08-20T22:28:07Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Can you fix the link? It just gives me an empty search page. I fixed it, as well as the earlier links. If for some reason it goes wonky, you can easily replicate it in “Advanced Search” by searching on his username in GQ, set to “any date.” ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2010, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-with-the-easily-googled-questions-in-gq/550750/55 "2010-08-21T03:47:33Z")
I like that The Dope has more threads going in all its myriad forums than I have time to read. That means I give myself permission to skim and skip ANY thread that doesn’t look interesting, or could easily turn into a nitpick-fest, OR could have been easily googled. Unless the easily-Googled answer will be much more exciting in GQ… (Google jes’ ain’t that witty). ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2010, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-with-the-easily-googled-questions-in-gq/550750/56 "2010-08-21T03:57:18Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > > [@John\_Mace](#): > > > > Can you fix the link? It just gives me an empty search page. > > I fixed it, as well as the earlier links. > > If for some reason it goes wonky, you can easily replicate it in “Advanced Search” by searching on his username in GQ, set to “any date.” I just checked it, and it doesn’t work again. I guess search results must be dynamic, so the link doesn’t work after a time. In any case, anyone interested can find the threads using the search function. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2010, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-with-the-easily-googled-questions-in-gq/550750/57 "2010-08-21T04:37:12Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > I guess search results must be dynamic, so the link doesn’t work after a time. Yup. Links to user profiles, with their ‘Find all post by’ links, [last a long time.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=149349) [Some database search results decay faster than others.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=207662) SDMB’s have always been good for hours, rather than days or years. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2010, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-with-the-easily-googled-questions-in-gq/550750/58 "2010-08-21T04:57:17Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > It’s unclear to me what you’re talking about, but my figure is supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Granted, [maine.gov](http://maine.gov) claims “3478 miles (5600 kilometers) of tidally-influenced shoreline” but it’s unclear if that’s walkable, so if you’re using the latter figure, I’d request clarification of the original question. Apparently the OP doesn’t want to even try this simple problem because you can’t google many problems that seem simple a first glance. Asking how long the coastline of Maine is is unanswerable. It is the classic coastline problem as described by Lewis Fry Richardson and means that the coastline gets longer and longer as you walk it in finer detail. At the extreme, it theoretically grows to be infinite. This realization is one of the things that led to the discovery of fractal geometry. This isn’t the answer that a couple in an RV wants posted on a retiree travel site but it is the type of answer that makes even simple questions here become interesting. The hikers in question never said if they wanted to just walk down the roads following the coast or follow every nook and cranny so the distance could be anything past past your minimum numbers. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2010, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-with-the-easily-googled-questions-in-gq/550750/59 "2010-08-21T05:07:12Z")
Hate to be serious here, but maybe people trust the answers in GQ more than the ones Google delivers. Back to form, how else could we get to respond to ‘What can I do to make my finger less smelly’? Or, ‘Finding nuts by memory or smell’? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2010, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-with-the-easily-googled-questions-in-gq/550750/60 "2010-08-21T05:46:38Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > > [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > > > It’s unclear to me what you’re talking about, but my figure is supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Granted, [maine.gov](http://maine.gov) claims “3478 miles (5600 kilometers) of tidally-influenced shoreline” but it’s unclear if that’s walkable, so if you’re using the latter figure, I’d request clarification of the original question. > > Apparently the OP doesn’t want to even try this simple problem because you can’t google many problems that seem simple a first glance. Asking how long the coastline of Maine is is unanswerable. It is the classic coastline problem as described by Lewis Fry Richardson and means that the coastline gets longer and longer as you walk it in finer detail. At the extreme, it theoretically grows to be infinite. This realization is one of the things that led to the discovery of fractal geometry. Indeed. You might even plan your hike with a Maine-delbrot plot! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-with-the-easily-googled-questions-in-gq/550750.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-with-the-easily-googled-questions-in-gq/550750.md?page=4)