The "This Might Be A Stupid Question, But...." Thread

[Elisabunny]

IIRC from the Jewish history course I took, animal sacrifices stopped when the temple was destroyed.  The rabbis at the time considered the situation, realized that sacrifices couldn't be done properly without a temple anyway, and decreed that until a new temple was built repentance alone would work just fine.

[Mental Magpie]

Is it really that hard for a left handed person to see something done right handed them adapt it to left handed? I ask this because, as a right gander, I can see something done left handed and go do it right handed. Sometimes I can see something done right handed and go do it left handed (albeit with less dexterity, accuracy, and fluidity.) I am by no means ambidextrous, but it really just doesn't seem that difficult to me to say to myself, "Plant your weak foot and kick with your strong foot regardless if it is your left or right." Is it really that hard?

[Slartibartfast]

Is it really that hard for a left handed person to see something done right handed them adapt it to left handed? I ask this because, as a right gander, I can see something done left handed and go do it right handed. Sometimes I can see something done right handed and go do it left handed (albeit with less dexterity, accuracy, and fluidity.) I am by no means ambidextrous, but it really just doesn't seem that difficult to me to say to myself, "Plant your weak foot and kick with your strong foot regardless if it is your left or right." Is it really that hard?

Depends on what it is.  If it's something that's really more academic knowledge (like how to make a sandwich), it doesn't matter because you're thinking about what you're doing more than how you're doing it.  If it's more kinetic - like a golf swing or knitting - it can be pretty confusing when you have ongoing instructions.  You can get the initial directions swapped in your head okay, but then you're constantly trying to check your body placement against whomever is teaching you and it can be pretty easy to forget to swap over a step or two - and then it's hard to catch what the problem was 

[Xandraea]

Depends on what it is.  If it's something that's really more academic knowledge (like how to make a sandwich), it doesn't matter because you're thinking about what you're doing more than how you're doing it. If it's more kinetic - like a golf swing or knitting - it can be pretty confusing when you have ongoing instructions. You can get the initial directions swapped in your head okay, but then you're constantly trying to check your body placement against whomever is teaching you and it can be pretty easy to forget to swap over a step or two - and then it's hard to catch what the problem was 

My DD is left-handed, while the rest of my family is right-handed.  My mother nearly drove herself batty trying to teach herself to knit left-handed so she could teach my DD.  As it happened, DD got a knitting book and kit and taught herself to knit right-handed.  Problem solved!

[Iris]

Depends on what it is.  If it's something that's really more academic knowledge (like how to make a sandwich), it doesn't matter because you're thinking about what you're doing more than how you're doing it. If it's more kinetic - like a golf swing or knitting - it can be pretty confusing when you have ongoing instructions. You can get the initial directions swapped in your head okay, but then you're constantly trying to check your body placement against whomever is teaching you and it can be pretty easy to forget to swap over a step or two - and then it's hard to catch what the problem was 

My DD is left-handed, while the rest of my family is right-handed.  My mother nearly drove herself batty trying to teach herself to knit left-handed so she could teach my DD. As it happened, DD got a knitting book and kit and taught herself to knit right-handed.  Problem solved!

Maybe it's the lack of sleep talking, but i found that touching. What a nice grandmother.

[Mental Magpie]

I can see where knitting would be more difficult, but golf-swings seem straight forward to me.  I can see where it would be more difficult for children, definitely, but I guess it just confuses me that it's difficult for others because it isn't difficult for me.  At least now I have evidence that it actually is difficult.

[Moonie]

I used to work with a woman who crocheted. She was left handed and I am right handed. I wanted to learn, so I sat directly across from her and mirrored what she did. Worked out perfectly.

[lady_disdain]

This is a religious question, which followed a brain-hurty conversation with a religious friend: when did animal sacrifices fall out of fashion?  Was it a gradual thing, or all at once?  (I'm specifically asking about Judeo-Christian tradition, here, but it can apply to pretty much any religion since sacrifices seem to have been pretty prevalent way back when.)  My friend's stance is that Christians consider Jesus to have been the ultimate sacrifice and thus we no longer have to buy doves at the temple to sacrifice them - but if that were the only change, wouldn't modern Jews still have to sacrifice things?

(I really don't want to start a religious flame war or anything, but I really am curious!)

Since you are asking specifically about Judeo-Christian traditions, I won't go into details but sacrifices are still practiced by many religions.

[GreenHall]

If I get my mom a Kindle for Christmas, do I need to buy the charger, or would her Apple charger work?  Charging from the computer is less likely for her than the wall.

I can't quite tell if it is just a USB charger, or if it has a proprietary connection, like everything else in the world! (Hmmm may need to go to things that drive you up a wall...)

[CakeBeret]

If I get my mom a Kindle for Christmas, do I need to buy the charger, or would her Apple charger work?  Charging from the computer is less likely for her than the wall.

I can't quite tell if it is just a USB charger, or if it has a proprietary connection, like everything else in the world! (Hmmm may need to go to things that drive you up a wall...)

It's a micro-USB charger, nothing proprietary. It will come with a cable to plug it into a computer, but you would need a wall adapter to plug it into the wall. The Kindle wall adapter on Amazon is ridiculous (something like $16?) but you can buy either a micro-USB charger or just a USB wall adapter on ebay for under $3.

[WillyNilly]

Depends on what it is.  If it's something that's really more academic knowledge (like how to make a sandwich), it doesn't matter because you're thinking about what you're doing more than how you're doing it. If it's more kinetic - like a golf swing or knitting - it can be pretty confusing when you have ongoing instructions. You can get the initial directions swapped in your head okay, but then you're constantly trying to check your body placement against whomever is teaching you and it can be pretty easy to forget to swap over a step or two - and then it's hard to catch what the problem was 

My DD is left-handed, while the rest of my family is right-handed.  My mother nearly drove herself batty trying to teach herself to knit left-handed so she could teach my DD.  As it happened, DD got a knitting book and kit and taught herself to knit right-handed.  Problem solved!

I know a professional knitter (pattern writer and does lessons).  She learned to knit watching facing her older relatives.  They didn't teach her (no verbal instruction) she just observed.  As such she learned left handed since she just mirrored them.  Now she teaches her right handed students to mirror her so they learn right handed and her left handed students she has sit side by side with her.

[mmswm]

I can see where knitting would be more difficult, but golf-swings seem straight forward to me.  I can see where it would be more difficult for children, definitely, but I guess it just confuses me that it's difficult for others because it isn't difficult for me.  At least now I have evidence that it actually is difficult.

It's possible that you're more ambidextrous than you realize.  I think most people with a fully dominant side would have experiences like Slartibartfast described.

I can generally switch back and forth with anything that requires gross motor skills with relative ease.  I was a left handed child but my early teachers forced me to write right handed. My handwriting is pathetic, btw.  I have one child who is fully ambidextrous (he switches his writing hand when he gets tired, and it's impossible to tell what he wrote with what hand), one who's left handed, and one who's right handed. It really is interesting to watch them tackle new tasks.

[ladyknight1]

If I get my mom a Kindle for Christmas, do I need to buy the charger, or would her Apple charger work?  Charging from the computer is less likely for her than the wall.

I can't quite tell if it is just a USB charger, or if it has a proprietary connection, like everything else in the world! (Hmmm may need to go to things that drive you up a wall...)

It's a micro-USB charger, nothing proprietary. It will come with a cable to plug it into a computer, but you would need a wall adapter to plug it into the wall. The Kindle wall adapter on Amazon is ridiculous (something like $16?) but you can buy either a micro-USB charger or just a USB wall adapter on ebay for under $3.

My Kindle came with both the cable and the wall adapter. I use a Belkin surge suppressor with two USB ports that I use anyway.

[CakeBeret]

If I get my mom a Kindle for Christmas, do I need to buy the charger, or would her Apple charger work?  Charging from the computer is less likely for her than the wall.

I can't quite tell if it is just a USB charger, or if it has a proprietary connection, like everything else in the world! (Hmmm may need to go to things that drive you up a wall...)

It's a micro-USB charger, nothing proprietary. It will come with a cable to plug it into a computer, but you would need a wall adapter to plug it into the wall. The Kindle wall adapter on Amazon is ridiculous (something like $16?) but you can buy either a micro-USB charger or just a USB wall adapter on ebay for under $3.

My Kindle came with both the cable and the wall adapter. I use a Belkin surge suppressor with two USB ports that I use anyway.

Odd. Mine only came with the cable, and I thought that that was the norm.

[Mental Magpie]

I can see where knitting would be more difficult, but golf-swings seem straight forward to me.  I can see where it would be more difficult for children, definitely, but I guess it just confuses me that it's difficult for others because it isn't difficult for me.  At least now I have evidence that it actually is difficult.

It's possible that you're more ambidextrous than you realize.  I think most people with a fully dominant side would have experiences like Slartibartfast described.

I can generally switch back and forth with anything that requires gross motor skills with relative ease.  I was a left handed child but my early teachers forced me to write right handed. My handwriting is pathetic, btw.  I have one child who is fully ambidextrous (he switches his writing hand when he gets tired, and it's impossible to tell what he wrote with what hand), one who's left handed, and one who's right handed. It really is interesting to watch them tackle new tasks.

I guess I very well be. I never thought I was because I'm definitely right hand dominant, but the more I think about it, I do some "left handed" things. I wear my watch on my right wrist and prefer to eat with my fork in my left hand (I find eating like Europeans to be so much easier).