# What brought you to the Straight Dope? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 10, 2011, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brought-you-to-the-straight-dope/599138 "2011-10-10T02:06:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brought-you-to-the-straight-dope/599138/41 "2011-10-10T18:58:11Z")
[This thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=138905&highlight=lord+rings+written) was forwarded to me in an email. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brought-you-to-the-straight-dope/599138/42 "2011-10-10T19:29:38Z")
> [@Rhiannon8404](#): > > [This thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=138905&highlight=lord+rings+written) was forwarded to me in an email. That’s a classic. My first exposure to Cecil Adams came by browsing through one of his books while waiting in a huge line at the student bookstore. I didn’t get very far through it, because I didn’t want to misfile it and therefore had to put it back on the shelf when the line moved forward. The only question I remember is the one asking how many calories there are in oral sex if you swallow. Go figure. Many years later, I found Neil Gaiman’s blog online and read it for a few months. He mentioned looking something up on the Straight Dope twice, so the second time I checked it out. I found out, oh, it’s that guy! So I read through the archives. Later I had a question and went back to the site to Ask Cecil. I got the standard email saying that I probably wouldn’t be getting an answer, but that I might get an answer from The Teaming Millions if I posted it on the boards. Being a shy sort, I read the boards for awhile before posting the question. I don’t remember the question now, but I’m sure it was answered with flair and style. Either that or I had already googled my way to the answer and was just enjoying the answers to all of the other questions. And the story goes on. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brought-you-to-the-straight-dope/599138/43 "2011-10-10T19:34:50Z")
I got really drunk in Bozeman Montana and woke up hear. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brought-you-to-the-straight-dope/599138/44 "2011-10-10T19:39:43Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > I got really drunk in Bozeman Montana and woke up hear. So now you can channel **Chronos?** ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brought-you-to-the-straight-dope/599138/45 "2011-10-10T19:50:40Z")
I found The Straight Dope book while looking for something in a book store. I read the book and the More book. Years later I decided to see if there were any new additions. I fired up “Straight Dope” into a search engine and found this. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brought-you-to-the-straight-dope/599138/46 "2011-10-10T19:52:00Z")
> [@Rhiannon8404](#): > > [This thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=138905&highlight=lord+rings+written) was forwarded to me in an email. Me too. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brought-you-to-the-straight-dope/599138/47 "2011-10-10T20:04:05Z")
[Ask the man with locked in syndrome thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=539322) by Blinkie was posted on another board and that was my first thread here. ---
**Author:** ![brewha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@brewha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brewha)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brought-you-to-the-straight-dope/599138/48 "2011-10-10T20:10:10Z")
Well, I had this idea about putting an airplane on a treadmill… Oh - I guess I joined well before all that nonsense. I actually went looking for my first post and am kinda disappointed to see that I can only look back through my last 750 posts. IIRC, I googled something and got linked here. I found a witty bunch of smartasses and decided I’d hang out. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brought-you-to-the-straight-dope/599138/49 "2011-10-10T21:18:51Z")
> [@](#): > > What brought you to the Straight Dope? Bicycle. I came to the Straight Dope by bicycle. 😉 Seriously, I was intrigued by the first book, bought it, was hooked, & the SDMB was very literally the first place I went to. ---
**Author:** ![JoThrive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@JoThrive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoThrive)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brought-you-to-the-straight-dope/599138/50 "2011-10-10T21:37:07Z")
I was reading posts on a weight-loss support board and someone mentioned SDMB. I was curious and checked it out. So I joined. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brought-you-to-the-straight-dope/599138/51 "2011-10-10T23:07:57Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > There are no waters! We’re in the desert! > . Glad someone recognised the Casablanca quote 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![keeganst94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a6a055/32.png) [@keeganst94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/keeganst94)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brought-you-to-the-straight-dope/599138/52 "2011-10-11T02:34:49Z")
It was on a listverse list as one of the best time-wasters on the internet, so I came over and started reading the articles. After a few months I noticed the message board sign, and clicked on it. After a few months of lurking I decided to join. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brought-you-to-the-straight-dope/599138/53 "2011-10-11T02:55:56Z")
I found a paperback copy of the first Straight Dope book at a used bookstore in 1997 or 1998. After reading it, I got hooked, and proceeded to buy the other Straight Dope books. One of them had a URL for the Straight Dope website, and out of idle curiosity I clicked on the “Forums” link, and the rest is history. I will admit that I more or less lurked for 2-3 years, then posted infrequently for about another 3-4 and finally hit my stride in the last 3-4 years. ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brought-you-to-the-straight-dope/599138/54 "2011-10-11T05:14:37Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > I took a left turn at Greenland. HA! I’m old enough to get that. ---
**Author:** ![Cryptic\_C62](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Cryptic\_C62](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cryptic_C62)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brought-you-to-the-straight-dope/599138/55 "2011-10-11T13:57:55Z")
While writing a song about recidivism and prison rape (lovely!), I was bopping around on Google for interesting material. One of the things that came up was an “Ask me Anything” thread by a prison doctor. I was absolutely fascinated and read through the whole thing. I wanted to give something back to the community, so I joined up and started an AMA about Wikipedia. It didn’t get much attention, but I was already hooked, so it didn’t matter. Much more interesting and intelligent conversations here than in most places (internet and real life). ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brought-you-to-the-straight-dope/599138/56 "2011-10-11T23:16:07Z")
Way back in the AOL days, the column about whether there was a real Dracula was posted to the AOL front page. Not the best of Cecil’s columns, but I was hooked instantly. I didn’t post on the forums much until recently, but have read every column and occasionally lurked the forums ever since. ---
**Author:** ![Buttercup\_Smith](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buttercup_smith/32/473_2.png) [@Buttercup\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buttercup_Smith)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brought-you-to-the-straight-dope/599138/57 "2011-10-12T01:32:38Z")
I absolutely love the dope. I clicked a link one day and it went straight to Siam Sam’s “We’ve got pigeon eggs” thread. I lurk and read many, many threads. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brought-you-to-the-straight-dope/599138/58 "2011-10-12T02:48:53Z")
Years ago, in the early80’s, I read a column of Cecil’s in a student paper in Chicago. Later, when I got my first computer I figured something that cool would be online and sure enough it was. Thank you to “Is it true that male pigs have corkscrew shaped penises?” ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brought-you-to-the-straight-dope/599138/59 "2011-10-12T02:58:51Z")
Way back in the late 90s, there were Straight Dope ad banners on some of the internet pages I visited. Finally, I clicked on one and got hooked. ---
**Author:** ![JessMagic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c0e974/32.png) [@JessMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JessMagic)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brought-you-to-the-straight-dope/599138/60 "2011-10-12T03:37:13Z")
> [@bump](#): > > I will admit that I more or less lurked for 2-3 years, then posted infrequently for about another 3-4 and finally hit my stride in the last 3-4 years. So, there’s hope for me yet? 10,000 posts, here I come! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brought-you-to-the-straight-dope/599138.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brought-you-to-the-straight-dope/599138.md?page=4)