# 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:** 16\ **Page:** 4
**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 21, 2010, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-with-the-easily-googled-questions-in-gq/550750/61 "2010-08-21T20:03:29Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > 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’? I was sorely tempted to post in that thread, but everyone was taking it so seriously, I decided not to. ---
**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, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-with-the-easily-googled-questions-in-gq/550750/62 "2010-08-21T22:16:38Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > > [@Shagnasty](#): > > > > 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! :snort: See, now there is a GQ quality response. I don’t think google or even a hiking site will lead to a really terrible original joke for the same question. Must people just don’t find puns about famous theoretical mathematicians as funny as we do for some reason. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2010, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-with-the-easily-googled-questions-in-gq/550750/63 "2010-08-21T22:57:22Z")
Here’s a serious question for you big fat brains - since we’re verbing Google, should we stop capitalizing it? ---
**Author:** ![Polerius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d78d45/32.png) [@Polerius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polerius)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2010, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-with-the-easily-googled-questions-in-gq/550750/64 "2010-08-22T04:32:24Z")
[The Standard OP disclaimers](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=318691) that should apply to all threads on the SDMB. See, in particular, disclaimer #3 ---
**Author:** ![Plan\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Plan\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plan_B)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2010, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-with-the-easily-googled-questions-in-gq/550750/65 "2010-08-22T15:59:24Z")
I’m in the group that says we should be allowed to ask what we want and bypass Google. For instance lately I’ve been thinking about where have the hare krishnas gone? I could Google it, but how much fun would that be? Or, if I start a thread here, I’ll get an answer or two and probably at least a few witty comments. What’s the trouble with that? And if you don’t want to participate that’s OK. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2010, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-with-the-easily-googled-questions-in-gq/550750/66 "2010-08-22T20:00:46Z")
Let’s start with people who don’t put the original link the the “About…” forum and make a mod post it with the standard - “Please read the rules and post a link to the original thread but I’ll do it for you for the 300th time fucktard.” ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2010, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-with-the-easily-googled-questions-in-gq/550750/67 "2010-08-22T20:49:49Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > > [@TriPolar](#): > > > > 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’? > > I was sorely tempted to post in that thread, but everyone was taking it so seriously, I decided not to. So was I. My answer was going to be “Change girlfriends.” What was yours? 😃 ---
**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 22, 2010, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-with-the-easily-googled-questions-in-gq/550750/68 "2010-08-22T21:01:43Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > > [@John\_Mace](#): > > > > I was sorely tempted to post in that thread, but everyone was taking it so seriously, I decided not to. > > So was I. My answer was going to be “Change girlfriends.” What was yours? 😃 Something along those lines, too, but also: Stop sticking your finger up your ass. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2010, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-with-the-easily-googled-questions-in-gq/550750/69 "2010-08-22T21:50:37Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > > [@silenus](#): > > > > So was I. My answer was going to be “Change girlfriends.” What was yours? 😃 > > Something along those lines, too, but also: Stop sticking your finger up your ass. I was all ready to go with, “A clothespin on the nose works great for me!” ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2010, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-with-the-easily-googled-questions-in-gq/550750/70 "2010-08-22T21:53:11Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > > [@John\_Mace](#): > > > > Something along those lines, too, but also: Stop sticking your finger up your ass. > > I was all ready to go with, “A clothespin on the nose works great for me!” Actually, a clothespin on the finger works. That way, you can’t get it up your ass. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2010, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-with-the-easily-googled-questions-in-gq/550750/71 "2010-08-22T23:29:39Z")
> [@Plan\_B](#): > > For instance lately I’ve been thinking about where have the hare krishnas gone? Where have all the Krishnas gone? Long time passing. Where have all the Krishnas gone? Long time ago. Where have all the Krishnas gone? Gone to Wall Street, every one. Did that help? It’d probably get me warned in GQ. 😃 I’m on the side of those who prefer the interesting details and the interesting conversation and the interesting threads that show up in GQ. And I abhor the recent “let me google that for you” that showed up in ATMB, of all places. ---
**Author:** ![kidneyfailure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9f8e36/32.png) [@kidneyfailure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidneyfailure)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2010, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-with-the-easily-googled-questions-in-gq/550750/72 "2010-08-22T23:38:52Z")
> [@bucketybuck](#): > > What numpties like the OP dont get is that a forum such as GQ can offer more than just easy answers to questions. Lets try a hypothetical. > Poster A asks which is further, 17000 times around the earth or the distance to Jupiter. > Poster B answers question. > Poster C adds an interesting point about relative distances or something. > Poster D gets a memory jog and ask a related question about the size of Jupiter > Poster E doesnt have anything to add but now knows which is further, Jupiter or 17000 times around the earth. Interesting. > > That damn simple question could generate page views, content, discussion, tangents, all those silly things that people come to fucking message boards for. And all not happening because some cretin thinks, “Duh, thats easy, just google it”. Talk about missing the point. Amen! ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-with-the-easily-googled-questions-in-gq/550750/73 "2010-08-23T00:33:47Z")
> [@kidneyfailure](#): > > > [@bucketybuck](#): > > > > What numpties like the OP dont get is that a forum such as GQ can offer more than just easy answers to questions. Lets try a hypothetical. > > Poster A asks which is further, 17000 times around the earth or the distance to Jupiter. > > Poster B answers question. > > Poster C adds an interesting point about relative distances or something. > > Poster D gets a memory jog and ask a related question about the size of Jupiter > > Poster E doesnt have anything to add but now knows which is further, Jupiter or 17000 times around the earth. Interesting. > > > > That damn simple question could generate page views, content, discussion, tangents, all those silly things that people come to fucking message boards for. And all not happening because some cretin thinks, “Duh, thats easy, just google it”. Talk about missing the point. > > Amen! Hey, no witnessing in GQ. ---
**Author:** ![Plan\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Plan\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plan_B)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-with-the-easily-googled-questions-in-gq/550750/74 "2010-08-23T03:19:40Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > Where have all the Krishnas gone? > Gone to Wall Street, every one. Exactly my point!😃 ---
**Author:** ![what\_do\_I\_type\_here](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a5b964/32.png) [@what\_do\_I\_type\_here](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/what_do_I_type_here)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2010, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-with-the-easily-googled-questions-in-gq/550750/75 "2010-08-25T09:56:03Z")
Frrrrrrunkis! ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2010, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-with-the-easily-googled-questions-in-gq/550750/76 "2010-08-25T10:32:46Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > 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? Tried that, too, but I got some wrong answers until I figured out that I had to tell it not to give me the distance between the center of the Earth and Jupiter, Florida, but rather between the Earth and the actual [planet Jupiter](http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=%2817%2C000+*+%28circumference+of+the+earth%29%29+%2F+%282+*+%28distance+planet+Jupiter+earth%29%29)… Bottom line, googling (or alphaing) is a skill like any other; and if your skill proves insufficient, there’s no harm in asking those that may be able to do better. After all, participation is voluntary. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-with-the-easily-googled-questions-in-gq/550750.md?page=3)