# You never knew they existed. Somebody told you. Now they're everywhere! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 14, 2005, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-never-knew-they-existed-somebody-told-you-now-theyre-everywhere/321529 "2005-09-14T01:36:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2005, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-never-knew-they-existed-somebody-told-you-now-theyre-everywhere/321529/41 "2005-09-14T15:01:16Z")
> [@csharpmajor](#): > > In fourth grade my teacher told us the plural of “mongoose”… polygoose ---
**Author:** ![FlyingRamenMonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@FlyingRamenMonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingRamenMonster)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2005, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-never-knew-they-existed-somebody-told-you-now-theyre-everywhere/321529/42 "2005-09-14T15:28:35Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > IIRC, the plural is “mongoose”, just as the plural of “sheep” is “sheep” From [dictionary.com](http://dictionary.com): mon·goose Audio pronunciation of “mongoose” ( P ) Pronunciation Key (mnggs, mn-) n. pl. mon·goos·es Mwahaha. ---
**Author:** ![FlyingRamenMonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@FlyingRamenMonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingRamenMonster)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2005, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-never-knew-they-existed-somebody-told-you-now-theyre-everywhere/321529/43 "2005-09-14T15:36:22Z")
Oh, and I remember now. Those square things that give access to some part of your water, or electricity, I can’t remember which. I think it was water. I realised one day that hey, there was one at our school and there was one at home, and after that I just saw them everywhere. I can’t find a picture because I don’t know what they’re called but I drew a crappy one for y’all to see: [[link]](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v218/csharpmajor/untitled.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2005, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-never-knew-they-existed-somebody-told-you-now-theyre-everywhere/321529/44 "2005-09-14T15:38:31Z")
Blue reflectors in the middle of the road, indicating the location of a fire hydrant. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2005, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-never-knew-they-existed-somebody-told-you-now-theyre-everywhere/321529/45 "2005-09-14T15:47:06Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > “Well, if you can have snakes, then I ought to be able to have mongeese. Or mongooses. Which is it?” > > “One Mongoose. Then you won’t have a problem.” > > "Yeah, but what is it’s pregnant and has mongoslings? Then we’re right back where we started.’ > > —semi-remembered from Fredric Brown’s “The Freak Show Murders”. “Send us a mongoose. . . . Oh, and while you’re at it, send us another one.” ---
**Author:** ![Cowgirl\_Jules](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@Cowgirl\_Jules](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cowgirl_Jules)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2005, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-never-knew-they-existed-somebody-told-you-now-theyre-everywhere/321529/46 "2005-09-14T16:06:57Z")
> [@Dag Otto](#): > > Blue reflectors in the middle of the road, indicating the location of a fire hydrant. That’s a good one. I’ve pointed that out to people who absolutely should have known what they were, and didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2005, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-never-knew-they-existed-somebody-told-you-now-theyre-everywhere/321529/47 "2005-09-14T16:11:25Z")
> [@Priceguy](#): > > I notice these ever since I saw _Fight Club_. In real life they don’t look much like the ones in that movie, though. You mean the dots have no function? Why do they survive? It’s called a “changeover”. The movie goes on, and nobody in the audience has any idea. I just KNEW I wouldn’t be the first one to make a _Fight Club_ reference. Dammit! ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2005, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-never-knew-they-existed-somebody-told-you-now-theyre-everywhere/321529/48 "2005-09-14T16:15:11Z")
> [@AndyPolley](#): > > Scratch off lottery tickets. In New York, anyway, there is a code underneath the scratched off part that reveals how much the ticket pays off. It’s usually a letter. If the letter is a Q, X or Z, you don’t have a winning ticket. This is a pain because often, the game on the ticket involves scratching off a bunch of spots (depending on the game) to reveal “lucky numbers” or whatever. On the rare occasion that I pick up a scratch-off, I compulsively check and re-check the losing tickets, searching for the minor error I made that will tell me it’s actually a winner. Then, while vacationing in Pennsylvania, I discovered that PA scratch-offs have that same bar code. Man, I wish Jersey would do that. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2005, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-never-knew-they-existed-somebody-told-you-now-theyre-everywhere/321529/49 "2005-09-14T17:19:10Z")
> [@snorlax](#): > > Since reading a book on film theory, I always spot clunky exposition. Something you share with the good folks on MST3K. In one particularly clunky one (“parts: the clonus horror”) they riffed that a character had wandered in to the Department of Backstory. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2005, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-never-knew-they-existed-somebody-told-you-now-theyre-everywhere/321529/50 "2005-09-14T18:18:02Z")
Wait, are you saying that you can tell without scratching the ticket whether it’s a winner or not? What’s to keep the convenience store clerk with the big spool of 'em from selling the good ones to his friends and the duds to chumps? For me, I never noticed cars until recently. That is, I could readily recognize an automobile, but I had no idea what make or model any were. [Wiggum] Suspect is driving a red… car… Suspect is hatless. Repeat: Hatless! [/Wiggum] A few months ago, I did some serious car shopping, and now all of a sudden I recognize cars just by their lines. I can even distinguish the approximate year of some of them. ---
**Author:** ![AndyPolley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@AndyPolley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndyPolley)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2005, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-never-knew-they-existed-somebody-told-you-now-theyre-everywhere/321529/51 "2005-09-14T18:26:16Z")
> [@iamthewalrus(:3=](#): > > Wait, are you saying that you can tell without scratching the ticket whether it’s a winner or not? What’s to keep the convenience store clerk with the big spool of 'em from selling the good ones to his friends and the duds to chumps? No. You can’t tell without scratching them. I’m talking about scratching a certain spot that covers a ‘meaningless’ letter code. If you scratch a certain spot, the suspense is gone. I’m not talking about scratching the part you think will say “winner” either. Some tickets have 3 different games on them, but you might know you’ve lost all 3 games before you’re finished with the first. ---
**Author:** ![The\_New\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@The\_New\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_New_Guy)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2005, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-never-knew-they-existed-somebody-told-you-now-theyre-everywhere/321529/52 "2005-09-14T18:42:14Z")
Cell-phone towers disguised as trees. They actually put fake branches and leaves on them. They’re all over the place. ---
**Author:** ![The\_New\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@The\_New\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_New_Guy)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2005, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-never-knew-they-existed-somebody-told-you-now-theyre-everywhere/321529/53 "2005-09-14T18:44:54Z")
Oh, and you guys must be young - I learned about the reel-change dots from “Columbo” in the '70s. ---
**Author:** ![The\_New\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@The\_New\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_New_Guy)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2005, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-never-knew-they-existed-somebody-told-you-now-theyre-everywhere/321529/54 "2005-09-14T18:48:37Z")
Sorry about all the posts in a row, but I just remembered one more: If you look at any newspaper with color printing, there are always little alignment marks in the outside margin. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2005, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-never-knew-they-existed-somebody-told-you-now-theyre-everywhere/321529/55 "2005-09-14T19:37:32Z")
> [@csharpmajor](#): > > Oh, and I remember now. Those square things that give access to some part of your water, or electricity, I can’t remember which. I think it was water. I realised one day that hey, there was one at our school and there was one at home, and after that I just saw them everywhere. I can’t find a picture because I don’t know what they’re called but I drew a crappy one for y’all to see: [[link]](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v218/csharpmajor/untitled.jpg). Looks like the little dealie in the sidewalk where one’s water meter lives. ---
**Author:** ![Belrix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed655f/32.png) [@Belrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Belrix)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2005, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-never-knew-they-existed-somebody-told-you-now-theyre-everywhere/321529/56 "2005-09-14T19:49:01Z")
I call it “the loss of the american adverb”. “Fresh-baked bread” “Come here quick!” “Think Different” …and on and on. It’s especially painful when I see it in print or hear it from a television newscaster. Don’t these guys have editors?!? ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2005, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-never-knew-they-existed-somebody-told-you-now-theyre-everywhere/321529/57 "2005-09-14T19:55:36Z")
> [@Belrix](#): > > Don’t these guys have editors?!? [hijack]This wasn’t worth opening a new thread, but now that you mention editors: In the San Jose Mercury News a few weeks ago, there was an article on the new football coach at San Jose State. In the article the coach is quoted describing the conditions at one of his previous schools (U of Hawaii), where he said the facilities were so primitive that they were using “Kwanzaa huts”. (this took me a while, cuz it sounded right in my mental ear…) Now, I’m sure the coach knew what he meant. Quonset hut But the scribe probably had no idea what he was talking about, and wrote down what he thought he’d heard; and the editor (if any) let it go by. [end of hijack. return to your thread] ---
**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:** [September 14, 2005, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-never-knew-they-existed-somebody-told-you-now-theyre-everywhere/321529/58 "2005-09-14T21:22:57Z")
Rolling power line phases. - Sorry to get real technical but I work in the power industry. I was shown years ago that the three phase power lines (Three wires on a crossarm with another wire on the poletop) are “rolled” every few miles. That is, if you look at a power line that follows next to a road the wire closest to the road stays in that position from pole to pole but after a few miles the lines switch positions. There may be two crossarms on one pole where the “inner” line will cross over and go to the “outer” position on the top crossarm and the “middle” and “outer” lines will slide over and take the “inner” and “middle” positions on the lower crossarm. The next pole will then have the “new” order of lines. When you drive a long distance in the country you can see this “phase roll” multiple times. The reason? It has to do with the fact that the proximity of the wires have an effect on each other (capacitance) and rolling the phases minimizes this effect. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2005, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-never-knew-they-existed-somebody-told-you-now-theyre-everywhere/321529/59 "2005-09-14T22:13:19Z")
With me it’s osprey. They’re everywhere around here. They make nests atop the telephone poles and any tree above about 30’ high. Now I see them sitting atop light poles near the water, flying over, fornicating, etc. I also never saw a deer along the side of the road until I was about 25 years old. Now I seem them with fair regularity, especially at dusk when they go out to feed. I once counted about 30-40 deer on the roadside, that I saw, while driving from Cincinnati to Louisville, which are only about 80 miles apart. > [@The New Guy](#): > > Sorry about all the posts in a row, but I just remembered one more: If you look at any newspaper with color printing, there are always little alignment marks in the outside margin. Those are registration marks (which are used for alignment). ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2005, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-never-knew-they-existed-somebody-told-you-now-theyre-everywhere/321529/60 "2005-09-14T22:58:04Z")
In case you missed this fascinating thread in General Question, may I nominate [eruv](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=334624)’s. If someone had told me about eruv’s at a party, I would have thought they were pulling my leg…but there it is! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-never-knew-they-existed-somebody-told-you-now-theyre-everywhere/321529.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-never-knew-they-existed-somebody-told-you-now-theyre-everywhere/321529.md?page=4)