# Things Everyone Should Know
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-everyone-should-know/258441
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [August 5, 2004, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-everyone-should-know/258441 "2004-08-05T13:29:57Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 5
### Author:  [@gfloyd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gfloyd)
#### Post date: [August 11, 2004, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-everyone-should-know/258441/81 "2004-08-11T14:19:01Z")
Oh, I know the plight of math majors. I dated one for a while and my roommate is currently dating another one. It was a general statement. Any by the way, I really like statistics, but then again, I’m weird.
---
### Author:  [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)
#### Post date: [August 11, 2004, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-everyone-should-know/258441/82 "2004-08-11T17:19:02Z")
> [@wolfman](#):
>
> There couldn’t possibly be that many people stupid enough to be a stat major in the first place.
> 🙂
Actually a grad student, fuck you very much! 😃
---
### Author:  [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)
#### Post date: [August 11, 2004, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-everyone-should-know/258441/83 "2004-08-11T22:06:38Z")
> [@DeVena](#):
>
> Things I’ve Learned…
>
> When boarding a large airplane, enter the plane and turn to your right to find your seat. Turning left, you will meet 3 very nice people who will then assume you’re either insane or a terrorist.
> .
Really? I don’t fly that much. Do they always board passengers only through te front left door? IIRC most planes have the same doors on both sides of the fusilage.
---
### Author:  [@Sharky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sharky)
#### Post date: [August 12, 2004, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-everyone-should-know/258441/84 "2004-08-12T05:03:39Z")
Please read the [Rules of the Road](http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/mwv/navrules/navrules.htm) (COLREGS) and learn the basics. Nothing will ruin your day like a collision at sea.
Cellphones are great, but they have serious limitations for emergency communications. If you don’t already have a VHF radio on your boat, get one. Monitor channel 16 at all times. Keep in mind that channel 16 is for establishing contact with another vessel and emergency communications ONLY. Take your discussion of fishing spots to another channel.
Beware of personal watercraft. While they are great fun to ride, they can be deadly to inexperienced riders. People don’t realize that you must use the throttle to turn. If you let off the throttle and turn the handlebars, the PWC will not change course. This is how so many people are killed or injured riding them. There was a tragic incident here recently where a father was carrying his little daughter with him on a PWC and ran head-on into the bow of a pontoon boat carrying several of their relatives, after running straight toward them as if playing “chicken”. Most likely he tried to turn at the last second, but he let off the throttle and the PWC didn’t turn. He and his daughter were both killed.
Please, be careful handling your vessel, don’t take the helm after drinking, be sure your vessel’s systems are all in good running order before you leave the dock, check the weather forecast, and know your vessel’s limitations.
If you think you already have enough fire extinguishers on board, buy an extra one anyway. Trust me on this. Check the gauge on all of them frequently to be sure they are pressurized.
Also, be sure there are enough life jackets on board for every passenger and be sure your passengers know where they are stowed and know how to put one on. Children should wear one at all times.
If the USCG Auxiliary offers boating safety courses (usually free or for a nominal charge) in your area, by all means, attend one.
More info on boating safety:
[A whole page of links](http://www.boatingsafety.com/safety.htm) to boating safety websites for the U.S. and Canada.
[USCG Office of Boating Safety](http://www.uscgboating.org/)
If all of this sounds obvious, ask me about some of the incredibly stupid things I have seen people do on boats during my career as a commercial vessel captain.
---
### Author:  [@Jenny\_Haniver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenny_Haniver)
#### Post date: [August 12, 2004, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-everyone-should-know/258441/85 "2004-08-12T13:13:42Z")
Here’s one my grandmother didn’t know until recently:
Don’t throw water on a grease fire!
(She’s okay, though.)
---
### Author:  [@DKW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DKW)
#### Post date: [May 12, 2005, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-everyone-should-know/258441/86 "2005-05-12T08:11:27Z")
Too much to put in one post, but for starters:
- The nature of politics. These people write a lot of checks they _know_ they can’t or won’t cash and very often don’t have a choice. Don’t believe everything you hear.
- How the media really works. They have bills to pay and higher-ups to keep happy, just like you, and are often under immense political pressures. “The Truth” is pretty low on the list of priorities.
- Jurisdictions. Hint: If you got tire damage from a pothole you hit on the freeway, which is a State road and often referred to as an “InterSTATE”, asking a City department for compensation is not going to be very productive.
- Independent thinking. Yo, [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com) shopper: Citing concert attendance figures, sales figures, the Billboard Top 40 charts, or the price of the CD does not constitute a “review”. Tell us what you think, not what you think someone else wants you to think.
- How to get nonessential stuff without paying full retail. No PS2 game is worth 53 bucks, dammit, and breaking the bank on a prom dress is just ridiculous. Rent, borrow, find used, make a deal, wait for something better…there are all kinds of ways to save money if you have a little patience.
- Getting _all_ the facts before chiming in with an argument, ESPECIALLY for hot-button subjects. Some of the stuff I read about Berezhnaya & Sikharlude’s gold medal and the disqualification of that Korean short-track skater in the last Winter Olympics was flat-out embarrassing, and do _not_ get me started on the McDonalds scalding coffee case. Being a little late to the discussion is a lot better than sounding like a moron, all right?
- The non-mainstream. Songs that last for over 7 minutes, have an unusual beat, and/or (gasp) have Bad Words. PS2 games about things other than sports, fighting tournaments, wars, spy operations, or epic adventures. Exotic cooking. Your own personal, customized religion. The books your mother warned you about. Broaden your horizons and be more in tune with the world you live in.
- How to get your shopping done without dragging a psychotic screaming kid through the entire friggin’ mall. (C’mon, there’s _gotta_ be something better than this. 🙂 )
---
### Author:  [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)
#### Post date: [May 12, 2005, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-everyone-should-know/258441/87 "2005-05-12T11:36:18Z")
> [@x-ray vision](#):
>
> At least with the toilet seat argument, both sides have valid points.
I don’t see any valid point in the argument to leave the seat down with the lid up. It’s just irrational selfishness.
---
### Author:  [@Dinaroozie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinaroozie)
#### Post date: [May 12, 2005, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-everyone-should-know/258441/88 "2005-05-12T14:28:34Z")
> [@](#):
>
> From **beltbuckle** :
> When you are leaving your name & number on an answering machine, leave your number twice. I can not count on both hands how many times I have not been able to return a call because of cell phones cutting out, background noise, bad pronunciation, etc. Leaving the number twice ensures that I will probably be able to call you back. Also speak clearly and don’t talk really fast.
Yes, very much so. At the very least, if you’re going to say your phone number once, don’t leave it until the very end, and give the person time to get a pen or whatever. I hate listening to a very long message, then having the person quickly mumble the number to call them back on, and having to listen to the whole message again. _sigh_
~ Isaac
---
### Author:  [@Jenny\_Haniver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenny_Haniver)
#### Post date: [May 12, 2005, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-everyone-should-know/258441/89 "2005-05-12T14:38:44Z")
> [@Ellis Dee](#):
>
> I don’t see any valid point in the argument to leave the seat down with the lid up. It’s just irrational selfishness.
You have _got_ to be kidding.
---
### Author:  [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)
#### Post date: [May 12, 2005, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-everyone-should-know/258441/90 "2005-05-12T14:39:40Z")
> [@DKW](#):
>
> Being a little late to the discussion is a lot better than sounding like a moron, all right?
This is almost always true, but in the case of this thread you may have taken this advice a bit to the extreme.
---
### Author:  [@dasgupta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasgupta)
#### Post date: [May 12, 2005, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-everyone-should-know/258441/91 "2005-05-12T15:11:38Z")
People, I cannot stress this enough: When the escalator reaches the floor, step off and keep walking. You cannot stop at the top (or bottom), as the people behind you **will** walk into you, as they have nowhere else to go. We can’t stop the escalator for you.
Learn the correct usage of common homophones. This is not important if you solely communicate via text message or informal means, but if you write corporate memos, _their_ is not a valid substitution for _they’re_ or _there_.
---
### Author:  [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)
#### Post date: [May 12, 2005, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-everyone-should-know/258441/92 "2005-05-12T15:19:51Z")
When you ask a question and the answer is “no” or “I don’t know” an answer has been given. Do not keep asking the question thinking it will change the answer.
---
### Author:  [@Tracy\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tracy_Lord)
#### Post date: [May 12, 2005, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-everyone-should-know/258441/93 "2005-05-12T15:25:19Z")
- Replying to posts in a nine-month-old thread is unlikely to prompt much response from the original participants.
---
### Author:  [@Thirty-Nine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thirty-Nine)
#### Post date: [May 12, 2005, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-everyone-should-know/258441/94 "2005-05-12T20:23:13Z")
Skiers: The two golden rules of the ski-slope:
1. Look up the slope before joining.
2. Respect the people skiing below you - give them room to manoeuvre. If they cut you up, you were too close behind them. How were they to know that you were coming up behind them? They have every right to make wild unpredictable swerves if they feel it is vital to maintaining their existence.
You’re supposed to make eye contact when you ‘cheers’.
Wine tasting is not about checking whether you ‘like’ the wine or not. It’s about checking for wine that’s got something wrong with it.
A few basic logical principles. A implies B does not mean B implies A, in particular.
What they’re voting for. As I understand, the US government is much better at getting this into schools than in the UK.
How to prevent their windows PC from falling apart in a couple of years. Yeah, the OS isn’t ideal for the average user… but you could make some effort.
Smokers actually get a ‘buzz’ from cigarettes, which is actually very strong for new smokers. Nicotine does more than just modify your image make cravings go away. There are not millions of people getting addicted to a substance with absolutely no reward. Believe me, many people appear to have this idea.
---
### Author:  [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)
#### Post date: [May 12, 2005, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-everyone-should-know/258441/95 "2005-05-12T20:36:27Z")
Buy low, sell high.
So simple to learn, so impossible to do. Don’t buy the hot stock (like Krispie Kream), buy the one that nobody likes (like KMart.) Don’t sell the stock when news turns bad, sell it when everybody wants it.
Sorry that my examples are a year or two old, they’re just the ones that popped into my mind.
---
### Author:  [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2005, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-everyone-should-know/258441/96 "2005-05-13T03:52:20Z")
> [@Jenny Haniver](#):
>
> You have _got_ to be kidding.
Dammit, I didn’t realize this was a zombie thread. If this starts to get out of control, I’ll start a new one.
I am not kidding. I don’t see any way that it could be viewed as anything other than selfish. Now I grant you, it’s about as trivial a selfishness as there is, but that doesn’t change the essence.
Convince me otherwise.
---
### Author:  [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2005, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-everyone-should-know/258441/97 "2005-05-13T04:06:35Z")
> [@Spectre of Pithecanthropus](#):
>
> Really? I don’t fly that much. Do they always board passengers only through te front left door? IIRC most planes have the same doors on both sides of the fusilage.
I’ve flown… well, too many to count, and I cannot recall a jet plane that has doors on both sides (except for the emergency doors over the wings). Only one at the front left of the plane.
---
### Author:  [@Secret\_Seth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Secret_Seth)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2005, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-everyone-should-know/258441/98 "2005-05-13T04:31:40Z")
-Do not tell people who stutter to “slow down” or to “take a breath”. :mad:
They don’t like stuttering. They are already trying not to. Your words of wisdom, though well intentioned, will not help. The most considerate thing you can do is to listen patiently and, if necessary, ask them to repeat anything you didn’t understand like you would anyone else.
Thanks in advance,
Secret “Internally Eloquent” Seth 🙂
---
### Author:  [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2005, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-everyone-should-know/258441/99 "2005-05-13T11:58:19Z")
When you are talking to someone: If they are not contributing much to the conversation but nods and smiles, and if they look increasingly strained and keep trying to make a move for the door, you are boring the tits off them. Shut up and let them escape.
---
### Author:  [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2005, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-everyone-should-know/258441/100 "2005-05-13T21:05:56Z")
> [@Thirty-Nine](#):
>
> Wine tasting is not about checking whether you ‘like’ the wine or not. It’s about checking for wine that’s got something wrong with it.
This is only true for wine that is opened and presented to you at a meal. For wine tastings such as the sort they might have at a shop that sells wine, the idea is exactly to check whether or not you like it, and hopefully to compare it with other wines at the same time.
[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-everyone-should-know/258441.md?page=4)