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

[Dazi]

Traska AKA Diane wrote:

"Of course, the people who have sold all their worldly possessions are going to feel *real* foolish on Saturday morning."

Anyone who could rationalize selling all of their worldly possessions in anticipation of the end of times will be more than capable of rationalizing the action after the fact.

Virg

Wait, people are doing this? Is this a thing? That doesn't even make any sense. Even if the world *were* going to end, what good is a bunch of cash going to do you? Either you're dead or living in a post apocalyptic world where cash is worthless. Looking just at the miscellaneous rubbish on my desk I can't see a single thing that wouldn't be at least as useful as cash in a post apocalyptic world, with the possible exception of the usb Christmas lights. And if the world *doesn't* end (Spoiler alert: it's not going to) you're going to look extra stupid.

My brain hurts and I want to go back to bed.

Welcome to my head... I'm out of it at the moment, but if you'd leave a message...

News Flash to all the gullible people (not any Ehellions)  . 

The world has been repeatedly said to be coming to an end "by this and that group", it seems like FOREVER.  It's never happened.  So chances are good, this time won't be "it" either.

Talk to y'all Saturday.

[Kimblee]

Traska AKA Diane wrote:

"Of course, the people who have sold all their worldly possessions are going to feel *real* foolish on Saturday morning."

Anyone who could rationalize selling all of their worldly possessions in anticipation of the end of times will be more than capable of rationalizing the action after the fact.

Virg

Wait, people are doing this? Is this a thing? That doesn't even make any sense. Even if the world *were* going to end, what good is a bunch of cash going to do you? Either you're dead or living in a post apocalyptic world where cash is worthless. Looking just at the miscellaneous rubbish on my desk I can't see a single thing that wouldn't be at least as useful as cash in a post apocalyptic world, with the possible exception of the usb Christmas lights. And if the world *doesn't* end (Spoiler alert: it's not going to) you're going to look extra stupid.

My brain hurts and I want to go back to bed.

Not this appocalypse but the last(?) one (which ever one was supposed to be the "rapture") I personally knew SEVERAL people who had their and/or their children's pets put down so they wouldn't have to survive in the end times. One who drowned the family kitten.

When the rapture didn't happen... well, all I can say is those kids may need therapy some day. Personally I wish I had known, I'm known to my family as a "sinner" so I'd have offered to take care of their pets for them if they got raptured.

(Note: This isn't a judgement on religions or anything. Just my personal judgement on stupid people killing their kid's pets.)

[Thipu1]

Yep, Dazi.

We'll talk on Saturday.

you bring the bean dip and we'll bring the wine. 

[kherbert05]

A question regarding the 'Mayan Calendar End of the World' idiocy.

Since this prediction was made, the Western calendar has changed several times.  How did people come up with the date December 21, 2012?

What will the excuse be when December 22 dawns?

My understanding is that the Mayan Calendar was on a type of cycle having to do with astronomy that is how they line up the dates on the different calendars.

The Mayan Calendar never predicted the end of the world - just the end of a cycle of that calendar. (Sort of like saying that Feb 29, 2016 is the end of the world because that is the next leap day)

I agree the selliing everything for cash doesn't make sense.

Stocking up on supplies/ammo if you thought you were going to be left behind. That would make sense.

Giving everything you own except the clothes on your back away so you would be raptured (the whole It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than a rich man enter the Kingdom of Heaven thing)

[JoW]

About the end of the world on Dec 21 -

NASA Science News for Dec. 14, 2012 (a free news letter I get on line)

NASA is so sure the world won't come to an end on Dec. 21, 2012, they have already released a video and news item for the day after.

FULL STORY: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2012/14dec_yesterday/

[Elfmama]

Traska AKA Diane wrote:

"Of course, the people who have sold all their worldly possessions are going to feel *real* foolish on Saturday morning."

Anyone who could rationalize selling all of their worldly possessions in anticipation of the end of times will be more than capable of rationalizing the action after the fact.

Virg

Wait, people are doing this? Is this a thing? That doesn't even make any sense. Even if the world *were* going to end, what good is a bunch of cash going to do you? Either you're dead or living in a post apocalyptic world where cash is worthless. Looking just at the miscellaneous rubbish on my desk I can't see a single thing that wouldn't be at least as useful as cash in a post apocalyptic world, with the possible exception of the usb Christmas lights. And if the world *doesn't* end (Spoiler alert: it's not going to) you're going to look extra stupid.

My brain hurts and I want to go back to bed.

Welcome to my head... I'm out of it at the moment, but if you'd leave a message...

News Flash to all the gullible people (not any Ehellions)  . 

The world has been repeatedly said to be coming to an end "by this and that group", it seems like FOREVER.  It's never happened.  So chances are good, this time won't be "it" either.

Talk to y'all Saturday.

The late lamented Weekly World News printed a new
END OF THE WORLD!!!!!!
story 2 or 3 times a month.

Was I the only one who noticed the yearly subscription in every issue? 

[Iris]

Kimblee - I don't want to quote your post because then people would see the hidden text, but that may be the saddest thing I've read since... well, since last weekend if I'm honest, but other than that for AGES.

[camlan]

Speaking of cats, why is it that they can ignore you all day long when you try to hug them or play, or God forbid, ask them to move so you don't trip over them, but when you sit down at the computer to do actual work, they decide that's the perfect time to come over and SIT ON YOUR KEYBOARD and be adorable and loving? Why? Why?!

I saw this on the internet and tried it with little hope, and have about a 50% success rate (so better than nothing): If you can clear a space on your desk area for a box, the cat will take over the box rather than your keyboard/working area. 
(My cat would go sit right in front of the the monitor, still not wanting to love on me, just wanting to sit where she is in the way, apparently.)

I was able to lure my old cat Prinny off the keyboard by putting a pillow, just an ordinary pillow that you would sleep on, on a corner of my desk. It had to be in a pillowcase, though. It didn't hurt that it was in front of a sunny window, either.

[AfleetAlex]

This is more a hypothesis than a question, but I thought I'd throw it out to E-hellions to see if anybody has thoughts on this.

In my (admittedly small) extended family, most people don't have more than two kids (just the way it worked out). And I've noticed that  it seems like one kid takes more strongly after one parent, and the other takes more strongly after the other parent.

For example, while I share many traits with my mom, I am without doubt my father's daughter. I inherited his body shape, his good-at-books-and-schooling brain and his sense of humor. My brother, who also has the sense of humor, inherited my mom's body shape and her good-at-hands-on intelligence.

Is this true in your family, or am I just seeing something that isn't there? 

[Virg]

Iris wrote:

"Wait, people are doing this? Is this a thing? That doesn't even make any sense. Even if the world *were* going to end, what good is a bunch of cash going to do you? Either you're dead or living in a post apocalyptic world where cash is worthless."

Many of those who wholly buy into this idea believe that the world will be destroyed on the 21st.  The concept of selling all your stuff is to garner a big pile of cash for one last hurrah, not to have a cash stockpile for afterward.

AfleetAlex wrote:

"In my (admittedly small) extended family, most people don't have more than two kids (just the way it worked out). And I've noticed that  it seems like one kid takes more strongly after one parent, and the other takes more strongly after the other parent."

This is perception of small numbers.  People, on seeing a child, wil naturally compare the child to his/her parents, and since just about everyone has two parents, will decide that the child takes after one or the other more.  When the next child comes along, the natural pattern is to think that child will take after the other parent, and so they will filter their observations to make it so.  I've seen more than one family where both (or even all three or more) kids take after one parent, and still I hear all the time that they're split because people will emphasize the differences (like you yourself did by pointing out that both of you got your father's sense of humor but then weighting other traits more strongly).

Virg

[Luci45]

This is more a hypothesis than a question, but I thought I'd throw it out to E-hellions to see if anybody has thoughts on this.

In my (admittedly small) extended family, most people don't have more than two kids (just the way it worked out). And I've noticed that  it seems like one kid takes more strongly after one parent, and the other takes more strongly after the other parent.

For example, while I share many traits with my mom, I am without doubt my father's daughter. I inherited his body shape, his good-at-books-and-schooling brain and his sense of humor. My brother, who also has the sense of humor, inherited my mom's body shape and her good-at-hands-on intelligence.

Is this true in your family, or am I just seeing something that isn't there? 

This probably needs its own thread, but I can't skip it!

It's called genetics and I see it as more random than you seem to think. Brother is more our dad's side, I am more our mom's side. Lucas's and my daughter is like me, son like my dad and Lucas. Here is where your pattern fails in our family. Brother's 3 are mostly just his. Son's 3 are pretty much the maternal grandfather! Daughter's 3 are a real mixture with just slight favoring, nothing obvious. Even the twins only have similar eyes and noses - the same as any random sisters, which is what fraternals are. I see a little of nearly everybody in everybody, although there is a definite leaning toward one side in most, it isn't as much following a set pattern as you seem to have observed.

There are also dominant and recessive genes to consider, but that really gets far too complicated for this thread in my opinion., although it is fascinating.

[Twik]

This is more a hypothesis than a question, but I thought I'd throw it out to E-hellions to see if anybody has thoughts on this.

In my (admittedly small) extended family, most people don't have more than two kids (just the way it worked out). And I've noticed that  it seems like one kid takes more strongly after one parent, and the other takes more strongly after the other parent.

For example, while I share many traits with my mom, I am without doubt my father's daughter. I inherited his body shape, his good-at-books-and-schooling brain and his sense of humor. My brother, who also has the sense of humor, inherited my mom's body shape and her good-at-hands-on intelligence.

Is this true in your family, or am I just seeing something that isn't there? 

It depends - I've seen families with four or five children that appear to be clones from one side of the family.

It also depends on who's doing the looking. My mother's family looks at my brother and sees his maternal grandfather. His father's side sees his father. Of course, he has both traits, but people focus on the ones they're familiar with.

Mathmatically, the likelihood of expressing traits should be independent of whether another sibling had the genes for the same trait, barring some strange sort of preselection process in fertilization.

[camlan]

This is more a hypothesis than a question, but I thought I'd throw it out to E-hellions to see if anybody has thoughts on this.

In my (admittedly small) extended family, most people don't have more than two kids (just the way it worked out). And I've noticed that  it seems like one kid takes more strongly after one parent, and the other takes more strongly after the other parent.

For example, while I share many traits with my mom, I am without doubt my father's daughter. I inherited his body shape, his good-at-books-and-schooling brain and his sense of humor. My brother, who also has the sense of humor, inherited my mom's body shape and her good-at-hands-on intelligence.

Is this true in your family, or am I just seeing something that isn't there? 

I think it can happen that a child has the general looks and personality of one parent. But it can also be total random.

My brother Ted has two sons. One looks exactly like Ted and has quite a bit of Ted's personality. One looks exactly like Ted's ex-wife, but is nothing like her in temperament, and only partly like my brother.

My brother Ned has three kids. All look more like my SIL than Ned. But the youngest has Ned's personality, through and through.

My brother Fred has a kid who is eerily identical to my brother Ted in looks, but not in personality.

I'm one of seven kids. Six of us look just like Dad, but two of us got Mom's eye color. Personality-wise, we are all over the place. The seventh sibling--we had no idea who he looked like. In fact, some people, just seeing a family picture, would think that he was adopted. Then someone found a picture of Dad's father in his 20s and everyone agrees that Sibling looks exactly like a young Grandpa.

I think some of it is just that with two parents and two kids, there's a natural inclination to match each kid to one parent.

And genetics is weird. I have two red-headed grandparents, two brown-haired parents, one red-headed sibling. That sibling has one red-headed child, and one brown. One of my brown-haired siblings married a red-head. Their 4 kids are all red-heads. And yet, red hair is supposed to be recessive.

[BabylonSister]

This is more a hypothesis than a question, but I thought I'd throw it out to E-hellions to see if anybody has thoughts on this.

In my (admittedly small) extended family, most people don't have more than two kids (just the way it worked out). And I've noticed that  it seems like one kid takes more strongly after one parent, and the other takes more strongly after the other parent.

For example, while I share many traits with my mom, I am without doubt my father's daughter. I inherited his body shape, his good-at-books-and-schooling brain and his sense of humor. My brother, who also has the sense of humor, inherited my mom's body shape and her good-at-hands-on intelligence.

Is this true in your family, or am I just seeing something that isn't there? 

Genetics are essentially random. One egg can be fertilized by any of roughly 100,000 sperms, each with a different genome. And of course, all eggs are unique too. If you look at large families, you can see it pretty well. It's really unpredictable how many kids will be more like Mom, like Dad, like Great-Grandma... That goes for physical traits as well as health issues, intelligence, etc. I have three daughters and they all look like their father's side of the family. My oldest (who looks more like some of his relatives but not so much like him) is very much like him in many ways: math- and science-oriented, difficulties with language and social skills, etc. My second and third look a lot more like him but are a lot more like me personality-wise.

[AfleetAlex]

Genetics blessed my cousin with what I've always called "Fairy Princess Hair" - red and curly and gorgeous. She got it from my grandfather who, by the time we knew him, had gone white. At first, as kids, we had no idea where the red hair was from until someone explained.

My dad keeps apologizing that I've inherited his shape. I'm a pear. My mom is about 110 pounds soaking wet. Oh well!