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

[dawnfire]

I've always wanted to know this - how do container ships keep the shipping containers from sliding off the deck during rough seas? I know the containers themselves are really heavy and big (they only look small compared to the rest of the ship!) but I would think one rogue wave and all those containers would be at the bottom of the ocean.

They do tend to be secured onto the deck. I think the bottom one is clamped and the others lock into place.luckily, it's not entirely foolproof as my father inspects damage which occurs in transit on ships.

[Snooks]

Why do cats poop in a fresh litter box?  One of mine hardly waits until the fresh litter is in the box before he climbs in.  Does he save one just for that?!

At least yours wait, mine climb in while I'm cleaning it out!

[2littlemonkeys]

Why do cats poop in a fresh litter box?  One of mine hardly waits until the fresh litter is in the box before he climbs in.  Does he save one just for that?!

Mine does it for the pure joy of annoying me.  I can tell by his self-satisfied smirk.   

[magicdomino]

Fresh cuts on Christmas trees -- what kind of saw do you need?

We're going to be buying our Christmas tree this weekend, and we'd like to make a fresh cut on the trunk to help it with water uptake.  What kind of saw do we use?  At the lost we used to buy from they'd use a chainsaw, but we don't want to buy a chainsaw to use just once a year.  So what kind of saw do we need?  Is a hacksaw going to be strong enough?

Hacksaws are more for metal.  I've used a pruning saw with decent results.  Bow saws cut faster, as they are designed to cut logs. 

[catgal]

A wonderful co-worker is currently almost 7 months pregnant and deliriously happy. She is a great person and this is a much wanted child.  However, she is HUGE!!  The doctors have said the baby may end up being 10lbs plus.  Her bump is so big that she is having to carry it with her arms when she walks, but it's getting tiring.
Are there any products/slings that can help support such a huge front load?  Our suggestion of resting the bump on a small trolley and wheeling it around was met with    but we would like to help.

[ladyknight1]

A wonderful co-worker is currently almost 7 months pregnant and deliriously happy. She is a great person and this is a much wanted child.  However, she is HUGE!!  The doctors have said the baby may end up being 10lbs plus.  Her bump is so big that she is having to carry it with her arms when she walks, but it's getting tiring.
Are there any products/slings that can help support such a huge front load?  Our suggestion of resting the bump on a small trolley and wheeling it around was met with    but we would like to help.

There are now products like belts or supportive underwear to help with the weight. Target has one at the link. http://www.target.com/p/be-maternity-beband-assorted-colors/-/A-13742281#prodSlot=large_1_1

[Piratelvr1121]

For any of the Irish we have in our midst, how do you pronounce Mairead? I love the Celtic Woman and that's one of the names I think looks pretty but I don't know how to pronounce it! 

I love the Irish names like that one and Saoirse, and it was one name I considered for a girl because I love what it means but my friend talked me out of it because it would be so hard to pronounce for anyone unfamiliar with Irish pronunciation.   So if he'd been a girl his name would have been Brigid but as it happens, it didn't matter! LOL!

[Outdoor Girl]

Fresh cuts on Christmas trees -- what kind of saw do you need?

We're going to be buying our Christmas tree this weekend, and we'd like to make a fresh cut on the trunk to help it with water uptake.  What kind of saw do we use?  At the lost we used to buy from they'd use a chainsaw, but we don't want to buy a chainsaw to use just once a year.  So what kind of saw do we need?  Is a hacksaw going to be strong enough?

My Dad uses a carpentry type wood saw, like he would use on boards.  I have a bow or Swede saw that I would use.

When you get your tree, put it outside, standing up in a 5 gallon pail of water for a couple days before you bring it in.  It'll help it get hydrated right away.  We always added a little maple syrup to the water (we make our own so it isn't expensive for us) but a little sugar would probably work, too.

[guihong]

For any of the Irish we have in our midst, how do you pronounce Mairead? I love the Celtic Woman and that's one of the names I think looks pretty but I don't know how to pronounce it! 

I love the Irish names like that one and Saoirse, and it was one name I considered for a girl because I love what it means but my friend talked me out of it because it would be so hard to pronounce for anyone unfamiliar with Irish pronunciation.   So if he'd been a girl his name would have been Brigid but as it happens, it didn't matter! LOL!

MAH-raid or MUR-raid . 

[AfleetAlex]

I've always wanted to know this - how do container ships keep the shipping containers from sliding off the deck during rough seas? I know the containers themselves are really heavy and big (they only look small compared to the rest of the ship!) but I would think one rogue wave and all those containers would be at the bottom of the ocean.

They do tend to be secured onto the deck. I think the bottom one is clamped and the others lock into place.luckily, it's not entirely foolproof as my father inspects damage which occurs in transit on ships.

Thanks! I wondered if there was a way to secure them but as you're going by it doesn't appear to be the case (and I know nothing about ships). Guess I was picturing enormous bungee cords and was disappointed not to see something like that. 

[Virg]

Sheila wrote:

"We're going to be buying our Christmas tree this weekend, and we'd like to make a fresh cut on the trunk to help it with water uptake.  What kind of saw do we use?  At the lost we used to buy from they'd use a chainsaw, but we don't want to buy a chainsaw to use just once a year.  So what kind of saw do we need?  Is a hacksaw going to be strong enough?"

Don't use a hacksaw to cut down a tree.  It's got shallow teeth and it'll take forever.  Get a bow saw or a regular hand saw that has more aggressive teeth and it'll work fine.  Most people prefer a bow saw for tree cutting because the thinner blade is less likely to get trapped as you cut through the tree and it settles on the blade, but unless the tree is more than ten feet tall I never saw (har har) much difference.

AfleetAlex wrote:

"I've always wanted to know this - how do container ships keep the shipping containers from sliding off the deck during rough seas? I know the containers themselves are really heavy and big (they only look small compared to the rest of the ship!) but I would think one rogue wave and all those containers would be at the bottom of the ocean."

They clamp to the deck and each other, so barring huge force or a failed clamp they won't tip.  Of course, failed clamps happen more often than you'd think so rough seas can cause tipping and spilling but most container damage is due to loading accidents.

Virg

[sevenday]

If the person wanting to make a cut on an already cut tree just needs to notch it for water uptake and not shaving off the entire bottom - a hacksaw would probably be okay as long as it can bite into the bark.  Hand saw would probably be faster though.  I have heard of some people using a drill to put holes in for the same reason.  I don't know - been years since we had a live tree, and I don't remember what Dad used to do to keep ours thriving.

[Virg]

sevenday wrote:

"If the person wanting to make a cut on an already cut tree just needs to notch it for water uptake and not shaving off the entire bottom - a hacksaw would probably be okay as long as it can bite into the bark."

You can cut it off the stump with a hacksaw, but a saw designed to cut pipe will take a long time to saw through a tree.  To be honest, if I wanted to cut a disk off the end of the trunk (which is how most people will approach recutting for water uptake because it's the easiest way), I'd think a coping saw would be easiest just because it's small and light, but I figured a hand saw would be useful for more than just this task and she was talking about buying a saw to do this.

Virg

[Tiamet]

Why is my Internet connection speed so much slower this week?
I got amazon prime 2 weekends ago, and last week had no problems watching videos,  this week it's play, pause, play pause, ad nauseum.  Why would it change?
( I have whatever the basic-est connection is, through the phone company, and if it didn't/ couldn't work, I'd be fine, but again, last week it worked beautifully!)

If you have a basic package, have you gone to the download limit?  If you are streaming videos (I don't know how amazon prime works), you could hit a limit really fast.  You might want to check your internet account.  Of course, if you've got unlimited data, I'm stuck.

[AfleetAlex]

AfleetAlex wrote:

"I've always wanted to know this - how do container ships keep the shipping containers from sliding off the deck during rough seas? I know the containers themselves are really heavy and big (they only look small compared to the rest of the ship!) but I would think one rogue wave and all those containers would be at the bottom of the ocean."

They clamp to the deck and each other, so barring huge force or a failed clamp they won't tip.  Of course, failed clamps happen more often than you'd think so rough seas can cause tipping and spilling but most container damage is due to loading accidents.

Virg

Aha, thanks, Virg. I didn't realize they were clamped down to the deck or each other, but that makes sense!