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

[Diane AKA Traska]

It's a boring Easter Sunday, so have been sporadically watching "Pimp my Ride" on TV (as I've used my internet allocation from Telstra for the month after some heavy downloading and have been slowed to 64 kbps).

So.........  my stupid question is:  do you have annual vehicle inspections in order for vehicles to be registered in the US?  It seems these "beaters" are in such bad repair that they'd never pass for rego here at all!

I'm pretty sure every state has some type of annual inspection/registration.  I know that in Texas there are some environmental exemptions for antique cars/tractors. Don't know the details - just heard my uncle who rebuilt antique tractors mention it.

Well, no.

The states that require safety inspections (usually annually or biennially) are Delaware*, Hawaii, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia

In addition, Alabama and Maryland require a safety inspection before a vehicle changes ownership (but only then), and in Nebraska, they only require a safety inspection when you move there.

Now, emissions inspections are a lot more common, and still usually annually or biennially, in the following states:  Arizona**,     California, Colorado**, District of Columbia, Delaware, Georgia**, Idaho**, Illinois**, Indiana**, Louisiana**, Maryland**,     Massachusetts, Missouri**, Nevada**, New Jersey, New Mexico**, New York, North Carolina**, Ohio**, Oregon**, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee**, Texas**, Utah**, Vermont, Virginia**, Washington**, and Wisconsin**

Additionally, some states require a VIN inspection when you register a vehicle that's from out of state.  Those states are Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Washington***, and Wyoming

Which means that Alaska, Arkansas, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, South Carolina, and South Dakota don't require any inspections at all.

* -- New cars are exempt for five years, unless they change owners
** -- Only in certain cities or counties
*** -- Also when you rebuild a vehicle

[Virg]

demarco wrote:

"Is there a difference  between four wheel drive and all wheel drive?  Does it have any impact on how a car/truck maneuvers through snow or mud or how easy it is to get out of a ditch?"

Four wheel drive is four wheels on demand, and two wheels otherwise.  It used to require manually locking the front wheel hubs to engage, but these days it's just a switch.  The reason for it is that it's cheaper to build a moderate use transfer case, and it's a bit better on gas mileage and tire wear.  All wheel drive is a permanent drive train that drives all four wheels, so it's always on.  When it's switched on, there's no difference in driving/handling between them.  For passenger vehicles that aren't going to be hauling heavy loads or driving offroad, I'd usually suggest all wheel drive because it's not such a hit on gas mileage that it's worth the bother of switching.

Virg

[mmswm]

Florida doesn't have an annual inspection and has an almost comical list of exceptions when bringing in a car from out of state.  My car will not have to be inspected when I change the tags over because it has been previously tagged in Florida, before I moved to another state.  Now that I'm back, I won't have to have it reinspected.

[Luci]

I would be very surprised if US states that require vehicle insurance didn't also require vehicle inspection.  I know that NYS does.  All over you see filling stations and garages with signs that they're an official inspection station.

Illinois requires car insurance. The inspections are required only in some areas, and the official inspections are done in state owned facilities that usually have long lines.

[artk2002]

If I end up doing it I'll ask in an hardware store but until then someone here might tell me it's actually not possible:

I'd like to get a coat hook for my SO's place, he doesn't have one but could likely use one, just doesn't know it  .
Since he's into climbing I thought about getting a climbing hold (shaped a bit like a hook) but was wondering if there's any way to put it on the wall without making a hole, so like, 'gluing' it (I can't find the US equivalent of the product I have in mind, a glue that holds up to 100kg/cm²  (very roughly 220pounds/ 1/2 inch²) so the strength of it shouldn't be a problem).

But clearly, if I can't make a hole I don't want to leave a nasty trace or anything on the wall, so, does it come of?  The website doesn't say anything about it, so if I make it a surprise* and he hates it he'll likely be quite unhappy if it ruins the wall (that would be a kind of painted wall(not)paper).

*When it will be our place, not just his, and by asking/telling him before, the using a climbing hold will be the surprise.

The problem is that anything strong enough to hold a coat is going to leave a mark on the wall. The glue will bond with the paint and underlying plaster/drywall and when you remove the hook, will tear stuff out. If you use tape, either it's not strong enough to hold anything, or it will pull out paint/drywall when it comes off.

So, the answer to your question is "no".

[Dazi]

So, I recently noticed that my eyes are getting greener looking and my limbal ring looks a bit darker.  My DH's is insistant that I 'm being silly, that my eyes are exactly the same as they've always been (I don't give him much credit because he says khaki and brown are the same color).  Besides that, my eye color and hair texture has changed several times over the years.

When I was a child they were a very, very dark blue until I was around 5 or so.  They changed to a honey/whiskey hazel with a bright gold starburst in the middle.  When I hit puberty, they got a kind of olive/moss color mixed in with the honey color.  When I hit my 20's they were slightly browner/yellow/honey looking.   Now the olive/moss color is coming through much, much more.  They also change color when I'm really extremely angry.

Anyone else experience this?  I'm not imagining it?

[Redsoil]

Carotte, could you get one of those coathooks that hang over a door?  That way you can simply hook it over the top of the door, and remove later if needed - no marks.

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/1/3/over-the-door-coat-rack

[KenveeB]

So, I recently noticed that my eyes are getting greener looking and my limbal ring looks a bit darker.  My DH's is insistant that I 'm being silly, that my eyes are exactly the same as they've always been (I don't give him much credit because he says khaki and brown are the same color).  Besides that, my eye color and hair texture has changed several times over the years.

When I was a child they were a very, very dark blue until I was around 5 or so.  They changed to a honey/whiskey hazel with a bright gold starburst in the middle.  When I hit puberty, they got a kind of olive/moss color mixed in with the honey color.  When I hit my 20's they were slightly browner/yellow/honey looking.   Now the olive/moss color is coming through much, much more.  They also change color when I'm really extremely angry.

Anyone else experience this?  I'm not imagining it?

I've always had brown eyes, but in the past few years, they've been turning greener. I thought it was just my imagination, but then one day my mom said something about, "Your green eyes -- wait, your eyes are brown. When did they turn green?"

[Piratelvr1121]

I always thought I had just plain brown eyes but I was told they were hazel.  Which confused me at the time cause I heard hazel used to mean either a light brown iris or just any eye that had more than one color in it.  But to me they just looked brown.

Once during a sleepover in hs, someone said "You have gold eyes!"   Then a couple years ago my bff says "You have emerald eyes!"  When I look at them in the mirror, they are mostly green with flecks of light brown near the pupil

[demarco]

My eyes are brown but when I have been crying, they look green, almost bright green, to me in the mirror.  I have never verified this with anyone else so I don't know if they really turn green or if tears do something to my vision, making it appear to me that they are green. 

[MrsJWine]

My eyes are brown but when I have been crying, they look green, almost bright green, to me in the mirror.  I have never verified this with anyone else so I don't know if they really turn green or if tears do something to my vision, making it appear to me that they are green.

The redness that crying causes probably brings out the green, since red and green are complementary colors.

[lady_disdain]

My eyes are brown but when I have been crying, they look green, almost bright green, to me in the mirror.  I have never verified this with anyone else so I don't know if they really turn green or if tears do something to my vision, making it appear to me that they are green.

The redness that crying causes probably brings out the green, since red and green are complementary colors.

Yup - my eyes never look quite as good as when I break down and cry. Pink eye shadow is also very effective for eye colour but it tends to make the lids seem puffy. Someday, I will find a solution!

[MrsJWine]

My eyes are brown but when I have been crying, they look green, almost bright green, to me in the mirror.  I have never verified this with anyone else so I don't know if they really turn green or if tears do something to my vision, making it appear to me that they are green.

The redness that crying causes probably brings out the green, since red and green are complementary colors.

Yup - my eyes never look quite as good as when I break down and cry. Pink eye shadow is also very effective for eye colour but it tends to make the lids seem puffy. Someday, I will find a solution!

Purple eyeliner with more red than blue tones works pretty well for me. I have to be careful with it--just a little bit or I look like I'm going clubbing--, but it subtly brings out the green. Not as effectively as a good cry, but that's not really practical.

[RingTailedLemur]

Is today a public holiday in the US/Canada or Australia?

[guihong]

Is today a public holiday in the US/Canada or Australia?

Easter is not a federal holiday, as it is primarily religious.  It's up to each state whether to have Friday or Easter Monday off, and often up to each school district and company.  The only "religious" federal holiday is Christmas Day, but that has become very secular and so skirts the issue.