# "Straight Misleading" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [February 7, 2000, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-misleading/757 "2000-02-07T23:04:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Juan\_Agudelo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Juan\_Agudelo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Juan_Agudelo)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2000, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-misleading/757/21 "2000-02-11T13:06:00Z")
I agree with Smegmum. What makes TSD interesting is the tone in which it is written. I presume everyone that asks Cecil questions knows the kind of questions he is normally asked and the kind of answers he usually comes up with. Finally, I do not think any answers given here are disrespectful. If you cannot tolerate some “flaming”, do not submit your question. By the way, I think nobody, except **molecular** , really thinks that when Cecil says he knows all he really means it. If you take it literally, you sure missed the point. * * * **Agudelo** “The answers are there, now we need questions…” ---
**Author:** ![RM\_Mentock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@RM\_Mentock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RM_Mentock)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2000, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-misleading/757/22 "2000-02-11T13:56:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by Roger the Lodger: > \*\* ANY errors are distracting. That’s why they’re called _errors_.\*\* As incredable as it is, this is absolutly true. It is a fasinating entymological story. Err cames from the latin word errare, meaning to wander. So, an errer is a wanderer. A tract, of course, is an expanse of land, so de-tracting is going away from the tract, or wandering. Thus, detracting is an errer, or if you will, an error is distracting. \----------------   rocks    \\Sure would be nice to have a preview feature\ ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2000, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-misleading/757/23 "2000-02-11T21:15:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by RM Mentock: > As **incredable** as it is… Sorry, I didn’t see anything after this. Did you say something? ---
**Author:** ![Germ\_Boy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85e7bf/32.png) [@Germ\_Boy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Germ_Boy)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2000, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-misleading/757/24 "2000-02-11T22:26:00Z")
Rysdad, he said: > [@](#): > > fasinating entymological story . When did bugs enter into the mix? GB ---
**Author:** ![Yue\_Han](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/eada6e/32.png) [@Yue\_Han](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yue_Han)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2000, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-misleading/757/25 "2000-02-11T22:38:00Z")
I find it interesting that Hyxtryx is surprised to find fans of Cecil Adams at the website. Imagine that! The posters on the message board at the homepage of his column like his work. Huh. –John ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2000, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-misleading/757/26 "2000-02-12T00:58:00Z")
I thought Dex & Karen showed a great presence of mind, thinking to explain to a twelve-year-old what dimensions are and that what fantasy writers call “dimensions” are something else. They handled that well. (Also the bit about dimensions not really existing, just being numbers in physics problems, is appreciated–so true, so seldom grokked.) As for misspelling, while I am a language perfectionist, I recognise that not everyone is. I’ll let one of my “others” take it from here. … Im not an iidot, realy, jest disexlic! 😉 * * * “One night your shoulders will ache/The next day when you wake/You’ll sprout wild wings and fly/Just like in Swan Lake”–the Church, “Swan Lake” ---
**Author:** ![Babar714](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@Babar714](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babar714)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2000, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-misleading/757/27 "2000-02-12T05:36:00Z")
I’ll put the tar on the boil. Anyone care to pluck a few chickens? ---
**Author:** ![Jois](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ea666f/32.png) [@Jois](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jois)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2000, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-misleading/757/28 "2000-02-12T15:34:00Z")
Well, molecular, for a newbie you certainly have managed to make yourself beloved very quickly. Congrats! There is nothing this board loves better than–you know, and if you could just keep this thread going a little longer, all the other bottom feeders will have a chance to get in here. For some, it is their only skill. We have a lots of posts about ignoring posters who don’t meet the lofty standards of this board, but they can’t help themselves. Potato chips for bottom feeders. Now nourishing. * * * Did I misspell enuff words? Editor please make necessary changes! ---
**Author:** ![tagerine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e36b37/32.png) [@tagerine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tagerine)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2000, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-misleading/757/29 "2000-03-03T03:24:00Z")
\< starts plucking chickens… how’s the tar coming babar? * * * “I’ve been expecting you,” said Marx, “What took you so long?” ---
**Author:** ![JillGat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc29f/32.png) [@JillGat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JillGat)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2000, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-misleading/757/30 "2000-03-03T06:11:00Z")
[[You people think you know everyting!]] Hey, a Jamaican! How yu a do? Why yu a come so? ---
**Author:** ![Loren\_Pechtel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@Loren\_Pechtel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loren_Pechtel)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2000, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-misleading/757/31 "2000-03-03T21:24:00Z")
To get back to something resembling the original topic: ``` Tidal forces drop off at the *CUBE* of distance, not merely the square as most other forces do. (This is because tides are caused by the difference in gravity, rather than gravity per se.) It would be some fairly simple math to compare the tidal forces of the various planets with that of the moon--and find they aren't going to make any difference. Even the sun, massive as it is, produces considerably less tide than the moon, and it's closer than most of the planets. Thus the tides are not going to be noticably different when all planets line up, whatever date that might happen to be on. ``` [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-misleading/757.md?page=1)