A place for factual questions and Ask the Expert threads.
Mathematically, 00 is defined to be 1, but the result can't be deduced using the four basic operations. Is this the reason why a pocket calculator usually returns an error?
Not sure if this will generate any interest, but I know we have a bunch of writers here, both professional and aspiring.... I have two books on bookshelves as well as am currently in negotiations with my publishers for a third. I write books...
Hello all. I'm going to a themed fancy dress party with the theme being "The Noughties" but I'm finding it difficult to think of a costume. Do any of you have any suggestions? Maybe a WMD wearing an ipod?
Maybe with growing secularism in the western world, hardcore Christians are opening up to the idea of considering JWs as one of "them", under the premise that any belief is better than no belief. Have you noticed that JWs are getting more...
I've heard sort of conflicting things about this. On the one hand, Penn and Teller and other folks like them (who are skeptical of environmental movements) say that genetically modified plants are thoroughly tested prior to release. On the other...
I have a problem with windows.. I open too many. One for this topic.. with seven tabs. One for that.. A new one when something else comes to mind and I don't want to muck up the topics that I'm covering in other tabs. Before I know it.. 8 windows...
I'm not talking about hypnotism in general or regressing to past lives. Can hypnotism be used to help people remember past events in their lives or is it just the power of suggestion? Have any studies been done to show if does or does not work?
On the net I often see people, mainly Americans, refer to reading levels of their children and the literature they read. I assume they are talking about something like a Flesch–Kincaid Grade Level. We don't have anything like that. I'm sure some...
I was just thinking that I know absolutely nothing about the terminology and types of men's hairstyles, beyond the very basics like "This is an afro." For example, what do you call the "normal" hairstyle that I have, as you can see in this...
Is it possible to download a video I am viewing on You Tube and save it to my hard drive? If so, how? Cartooniverse
A neighbour near my mum's has a 4 year old Rottie that has been allowed to become a rather chubby housepet, and having recently started walking her, I was looking for some advice on how to get her back in shape and a bit more disciplined. I...
Whenever I hear anyone mention Don Quixote, they put the break between the two words in the middle of "Quixote" rather than between the actual words. They pronounce it as "Donkey Ho-tee", not "Don Key-ho-tee". What's the deal with that?
Over on another thread, What Exit provided this link to a potential catastrophe that could occur when/if the island of Las Palmas should have a landslide that collapses some sort of fault line along its western coast. Looking at the size of this...
I have been cruising the web to find a suitable cover photo for the premier issue of our little infrastructure journal (produced by a non-profit for non-commercial purposes, circulation 300). Via a Google Images search, I found this photo on...
Of course I know what it is about in very general terms but I am unclear on some of the practical aspects. Obviously the answers to the following questions will vary. Purely anecdotal data points are fine. I just want to get an impression what...
I've debated whether or not I should start this thread because in my brain, my life is divided into several categories, and never the twain shall meet. My message board life is different from my fandom life is different from my working life is...
I installed Firefox, and I'm liking it overall. However, it won't load the google calendar for me. All my other google stuff (like igoogle and gmail) load just fine. It says to be sure it's accepting cookies, which it is. Any ideas for what I...
Where I live funerals and wakes are a big deal as I'm sure they are everywhere. The most recent funeral I was at made me realise that a huge amount of people not directly related to the deceased usually attend the funeral. They all generally have to...
I see that NASA is testnig a new design of rocket called the Ares 1-X. Are they stopping use of the Space Shuttle or will that still be used in the future? Are there any of details or is it still being kept fairly quiet? What will it be...
Sarahfeena and pepperlandgirl will answer your questions!
So I go out to my car and find a note on it. Paraphrased: "My neighbor saw you hit my car; please call me at 555-1212 so we can resolve this. I have marks on my bumper and I took pictures." I'm frankly tempted to simply ignore this. I don't...
If you’ve never seen a carrier in person, they’re breathtaking. They literally look like a skyscraper topped with blacktop floating in the sea. Just based on that size alone, I’d think that an aircraft carrier could handle some pretty rough...
The so called pomerium in Rome was the legal and religious boundary of the city of Rome proper. Even in antiquity the de facto urban area extended beyond those limits but it contained the inner city. Certain special laws were in force in this...
At the request of the chat room, I am starting this thread. Some background - I am currently at the University of New South Wales and am in my 4th and final year in a Bachelor of Science degree, with honours in nanotechnology. Nanotechnology is a...
The title pretty much says it all. A building is going up a few blocks from me, and the construction site is all fenced in. It seems like there are two entrances, because the one I can see from the side I usually drive past says "Entrance B: ...
So I was doing some dinner last night and it occured to me that I hate waiting for some things, like rice, to cook. Half an hour? I can have two meals done in that time that don't include rice. So then I got to thinking about pressure cookers. ...
Specifically D & D and creatures of that ilk. I don't quite get what you do.
Generally, what are the rules I should look out for? "Holy shit!" - When I wake up the next day itching from crabs. I don't think this would violate the rule. As I'm not actually invoking any spiritual being in particular. "Oh...
I get the impression that secondary education in the modern US school system is largely geared towards preparing students for a high school diploma or equivalent. Some people drop out, but that isn't really an intended outcome. Of course there are...
Tried to put this in the Ask the Expert forum, but was blocked. I have lived and breathed cars for most of my 40-plus years, and for the last eight have been paid to write and talk about them. I am an industry pundit, and new-car expert. I...
I'm revamping my resumes in preparation of looking for a job. I've got a general resume and a graphic design specific one. How important is the 'objective' really? It seems pointless to me. My objective? I want a job dammit. Isn't that obvious? ...
I am familiar with Non Disclosure Agreements between two or more parties that may or may not be collaborating on some piece of Intellectual Property. However I have often been in the same room and signed on the dotted line or at least signed a fax...
So it's that time of year again where I'm working on doing some property tax sales at work, and nobody here knows the answer. If you don't pay your property taxes you will lose your property. A third party can step in and pay the taxes on your...
Someone on another message board I sometimes post at is bitching about working in downtown Seattle and claims it is crawling with lowlifes "bums, whores and bangers" and people with mental issues. Is he just full of shit or is Seattle got itself...
My niece's two cats are allowed to go outside and, lo and behold, they have brought fleas into my house. Now my cat has them as well. I'm going to give the house a thorough cleaning, but the cats have to be de-fleaed as well. So. I've got some...
I'm not bragging, but I've smoked a shed-load of different types of pot, and never once did I get the urge to steal one of my mum's headscarves and go out and strangle one of my enemies with it. Usually, I just wanted to eat lots of junk food and...
I read it a lot here and elsewhere on the web of folly. What does it mean exactly?
I'm currently reading Robinson Crusoe, first published in 1719. All nouns in the text seem to be capitalised. When did this practice die out in English? It must have happened before the start of the 1800s, as checking the DoI and CotUS reveals no...
Aside from showing how powerful bored desperate to spend grant money clever we are, what are they expecting to find and how will it help with future moon colonisation?
My local area is covered in Horse Chestnut trees and there are a lot of conkers around. I haven't played for years, but I am tempted. So, who else plays conkers? What rules do you play by, what tips do you have and, hypothetically speaking of...
The cartoon is Russian Rhapsody from 1944 and (I've linked directly to the point where the joke is) here is the joke I'm curious about. In the scene a gremlin replaces a "C" with a red background for an "a" with a black background. I take it it has...
Title says it all.
Is it even possible? I am assuming that it would be a fairly straightforward physics problem for someone who is friendly with equations, but maybe not.
I know, I know! I could use google and look for a children's encyclopedic account, but I'm asking you. I know you lot too well and I'm sure one of you is acquainted with a meteorologist somewhere online. So, I want to know: a) What it is...
Sorry for the crap title of the thread but I wanted to keep some truth in advertising. If anyone has a better suggestion I will edit that up so it's a bit snazzier. There was the smallest little bit of interest when I said I knew a fair bit...
A diplodocus discussion in chat reminded me of something I always wanted to ask. How does the pronunciation of (neo-) Latin and Greek words in English work? Of course I picked up the pronunciations of many specific words but the big picture eludes...
This apartment I just moved into had a curved shower curtain rod. The rod is made so it bows out significantly. The tub is a conventional straight-sided tub that at least in my experience has been pretty standard in US houses built in the last...
Some of the reactions to the Polanski arrest reminded me of a question that I've wanted to ask before. Is fleeing from justice illegal in the US or other countries? (Here it isn't.) Does it make a difference at what stage you do it?
Anyone know under what authority CIA director Richard Helms destroyed all documentation on this project, in 1973?
I have Verizon wireless service in a 'New Every Two" plan. This month my "2" were up and I got an email notification for... A $50 credit towards a new phone. :dubious: OK, there are a number of phones you can get for $50 and a 2 year contract...
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