# What things work differently than you expected? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 6, 2015, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-work-differently-than-you-expected/709101 "2015-01-06T06:27:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jharvey963](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/54ee81/32.png) [@jharvey963](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jharvey963)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2015, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-work-differently-than-you-expected/709101/1 "2015-01-06T06:27:40Z")
What things work differently than you expected? I’ll start. Each room in my house has a heater vent (sometimes called a “register”). These vents have ducting that runs from the heater directly to the floor (or wall) heater vents. Given this, I expected my bathroom heater vents, which come out from the kick plate on the bathroom cabinets, to have ducting that comes up from the floor under the cabinet directly to the heater vent. Nope! The ducting just emits the warm air under the bathroom cabinet. The ducting is not connected to the heater vent AT ALL. It just relies on the bottom of the cabinet being mostly sealed. So warm air emitted under the cabinet will push out the air through the heater vent. Not how I expected this to work! Ok, your turn. J. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2015, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-work-differently-than-you-expected/709101/2 "2015-01-06T21:11:45Z")
Electricity, but I learned pretty quickly! ---
**Author:** ![StrangerThanFiction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f05b48/32.png) [@StrangerThanFiction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StrangerThanFiction)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2015, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-work-differently-than-you-expected/709101/3 "2015-01-06T21:15:01Z")
Did you know you’re supposed to steer a horse with your _feet?!?_ ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2015, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-work-differently-than-you-expected/709101/4 "2015-01-06T21:35:30Z")
> [@jharvey963](#): > > What things work differently than you expected? … Girls. Do I win the thread? ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2015, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-work-differently-than-you-expected/709101/5 "2015-01-06T21:36:06Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Girls. > Do I win the thread? We’re not things! ---
**Author:** ![jharvey963](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/54ee81/32.png) [@jharvey963](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jharvey963)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2015, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-work-differently-than-you-expected/709101/6 "2015-01-06T21:57:50Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > We’re not things! Agreed. But to men, the situation often feels like [this](http://bjdejong.squarespace.com/storage/Infocast-L1001154-Edit.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1280779544484). J. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2015, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-work-differently-than-you-expected/709101/7 "2015-01-06T22:00:02Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > We’re not things! Yes, I was kidding. Neither girls umpteen years ago when I was a boy, nor women since then, are things. They still work differently than I was originally expecting. Which says more about the cluelessness of my all-male upbringing than it does about women. Sorry if I bumped your hot-button. ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2015, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-work-differently-than-you-expected/709101/8 "2015-01-06T22:20:18Z")
> [@jharvey963](#): > > Agreed. But to men, the situation often feels like [this](http://bjdejong.squarespace.com/storage/Infocast-L1001154-Edit.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1280779544484). > J. I love how the indicator lights won’t say if the Woman is ‘On’ or ‘Off’. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2015, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-work-differently-than-you-expected/709101/9 "2015-01-06T22:40:30Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Sorry if I bumped your hot-button. Is that what the kids are calling it these days? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-work-differently-than-you-expected/709101/10 "2015-01-07T00:41:05Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > We’re not things! Exhibit ‘A’. ---
**Author:** ![fisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@fisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fisha)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-work-differently-than-you-expected/709101/11 "2015-01-07T00:47:21Z")
> [@StrangerThanFiction](#): > > Did you know you’re supposed to steer a horse with your _feet?!?_ Still not quite right. You use your legs, inner thighs, butt and weight balance more than your feet. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-work-differently-than-you-expected/709101/12 "2015-01-07T01:52:22Z")
> [@fisha](#): > > Still not quite right. You use your legs, inner thighs, butt and weight balance more than your feet. We talking about girls again? Sorry, couldn’t resist. Did not know that fire conducts electricity. Huh. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-work-differently-than-you-expected/709101/13 "2015-01-07T02:05:05Z")
Fiction. Apparently readers are lobotomized monkeys who can’t pay attention if someone isn’t being murdered in sentence 1. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-work-differently-than-you-expected/709101/14 "2015-01-07T03:36:50Z")
> [@jharvey963](#): > > Nope! The ducting just emits the warm air under the bathroom cabinet. The ducting is not connected to the heater vent AT ALL. > J. I could be wrong, but this doesn’t sound at all right. Sounds like some very shitty workmanship. Like something \*I \*would do. ---
**Author:** ![jharvey963](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/54ee81/32.png) [@jharvey963](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jharvey963)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-work-differently-than-you-expected/709101/15 "2015-01-07T03:58:04Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > I could be wrong, but this doesn’t sound at all right. Sounds like some very shitty workmanship. > > Like something \*I \*would do. We had all 3 bathrooms remodeled a few years ago. All were set up this way originally, and how they were done by the remodel. This is my only experience with this so I can’t comment on whether this is accepted or shitty. 😃 J. ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-work-differently-than-you-expected/709101/16 "2015-01-07T04:21:29Z")
Back when I started doing cat rescue, I learned that when you have a tomcat’s balls cut off, the fat pads in his cheeks would go away. Who woulda thunk that cutting small parts off one end would make big parts on the other end disappear? ---
**Author:** ![Marlonius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@Marlonius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marlonius)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-work-differently-than-you-expected/709101/17 "2015-01-07T04:45:20Z")
Birth control pills. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-work-differently-than-you-expected/709101/18 "2015-01-07T04:46:02Z")
Life, the Universe, and Everything. ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-work-differently-than-you-expected/709101/19 "2015-01-07T04:53:48Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Life, the Universe, and Everything. But, but, but…42 is a perfectly cromulent answer to any question!!! ---
**Author:** ![Timetrvlr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Timetrvlr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Timetrvlr)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-work-differently-than-you-expected/709101/20 "2015-01-07T05:37:00Z")
> [@jharvey963](#): > > What things work differently than you expected? > > I’ll start. Each room in my house has a heater vent (sometimes called a “register”). These vents have ducting that runs from the heater directly to the floor (or wall) heater vents. Given this, I expected my bathroom heater vents, which come out from the kick plate on the bathroom cabinets, to have ducting that comes up from the floor under the cabinet directly to the heater vent. > > Nope! The ducting just emits the warm air under the bathroom cabinet. The ducting is not connected to the heater vent AT ALL. It just relies on the bottom of the cabinet being mostly sealed. So warm air emitted under the cabinet will push out the air through the heater vent. Not how I expected this to work! > > Ok, your turn. > > J. Ididn’t know that, thanks for the info!😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-work-differently-than-you-expected/709101.md?page=2)