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

[Diane AKA Traska]

Just fast forward past the commercials.  It is amazing how accurate you will get at hitting the play button right when the show comes back on.  I rarely miss!

Our DVR is tricksy... it doesn't likes to fast forward smoothly.  If we try that, we end up about ten seconds past the commercial back into the show.

Check and see if there is a button on the remote that is an arrow in the shape of a backwards 'C'.  On my remote, when you press that button, it rewinds 8 seconds.  It might end up being the perfect amount of time for you.

 

We've had this remote since 2005.  WHY did I never press that button before?!

[Outdoor Girl]

And the thread is renamed to the 'You Learn Something New Everyday' thread.   

[Elfmama]

Hair and disposable tissue paper are not to be disposed in the toilets right?
My SO always ask me why don't I throw the hair from my brush into the toilet, or the paper tissues, and I'm always telling him that's quite a stupid thing to do (I'm not a 100% sure about it but hey, you never know right).

Hair should be burnt. Its the only way to prevent misfortune and sickness.

(No, not really, but a friend of mine burns all of his children's hair because he, as an educated, mostly unsuperstitious man, truely believes his younger brother got pneumonia because a family member cute off some of his hair and "worked bad magic" over it. So as much as possible all of his kids' hair gets burnt when it comes off them. I personally throw mine out in the trash.)

Tell him he needs to burn their nail clippings, too.  And make sure that they don't leave footprints in sand or mud, because sand/dirt from those footprints can also be used for bad magic.  He should never let anyone take photographs of them, either.

(Why, yes, I *DO* know too much about ritual magic!)

[Kimblee]

Hair and disposable tissue paper are not to be disposed in the toilets right?
My SO always ask me why don't I throw the hair from my brush into the toilet, or the paper tissues, and I'm always telling him that's quite a stupid thing to do (I'm not a 100% sure about it but hey, you never know right).

Hair should be burnt. Its the only way to prevent misfortune and sickness.

(No, not really, but a friend of mine burns all of his children's hair because he, as an educated, mostly unsuperstitious man, truely believes his younger brother got pneumonia because a family member cute off some of his hair and "worked bad magic" over it. So as much as possible all of his kids' hair gets burnt when it comes off them. I personally throw mine out in the trash.)

Tell him he needs to burn their nail clippings, too.  And make sure that they don't leave footprints in sand or mud, because sand/dirt from those footprints can also be used for bad magic.  He should never let anyone take photographs of them, either.

(Why, yes, I *DO* know too much about ritual magic!)

He does burn their nail clippings. And any cloth or bandage that they bleed on. Photos don't seem to bother him and I have no idea about footprints.

Incidentally, his grandmother talks to spirits and predicted the day my stepdad would die. As in called me up out of the blue, told me she was "[ x ]'s grandmama" and that she needed to tell me that my stepdaddy was going next week on the 13th, and to be sure to kiss him when he "left" which was strange because he was bedbound.

He was taken to the hospital for a heart test and I did kiss him goodbye but I didn't think about what she said until the next day when I got the call that he had passed.

She also predicted the genders of babies. And has never missed. But i think she just knows how to feel certain "areas" because she makes her announcements after the mother is 5+ months along and after touching all over the belly and rubbing.

Still, since his grandmother told him the burning hair/nails/blood thing, I suppose i can't blame him for doing what she says. It certainly can't hurt and she might is almost certainly right.

[Sheila Take a Bow]

Why do I sneeze when I'm cold?  It's not even when I'm not even uncomfortably cold, just a little chilly.  Putting on a sweater always makes it stop.

[Betelnut]

How do people give music these days?  I would like to give my sister and her soon-to-be husband some specific songs about love and marriage (they are getting married this month) but these days everyone has music on their iPod/phone or whatever.  I don't want to give an iTunes giftcard--I want to give specific songs.

Is there a way to do this digitally without burning a CD?  Through iTunes?  Like by creating a custom list and then emailing it to them?

[Diane AKA Traska]

How do people give music these days?  I would like to give my sister and her soon-to-be husband some specific songs about love and marriage (they are getting married this month) but these days everyone has music on their iPod/phone or whatever.  I don't want to give an iTunes giftcard--I want to give specific songs.

Is there a way to do this digitally without burning a CD?  Through iTunes?  Like by creating a custom list and then emailing it to them?

Loading MP3s onto a thumbdrive would work.

[Onyx_TKD]

How do people give music these days?  I would like to give my sister and her soon-to-be husband some specific songs about love and marriage (they are getting married this month) but these days everyone has music on their iPod/phone or whatever.  I don't want to give an iTunes giftcard--I want to give specific songs.

Is there a way to do this digitally without burning a CD?  Through iTunes?  Like by creating a custom list and then emailing it to them?

On Amazon, mp3 purchases have a button for "Give album or song as a gift." The download link for the mp3(s) will be emailed to the recipient along with a message you can enter while ordering. One caution: If you purchase a gift mp3 from the USA Amazon site, the recipient must download it from within the USA (I didn't see this restriction stated pre-purchase or in the help pages for gift mp3s). I assume the Amazon sites for other countries have similar restrictions, so if you want to purchase for someone outside your own country, I'd suggest checking first with customer support to figure out how. Otherwise, it worked well for me.

I wouldn't be surprised if iTunes and other mp3 stores had similar options.

[Redsoil]

Give music, apps and more.  Info at:  http://www.apple.com/au/itunes/gifts/

Send your nephew the latest combat adventure game. Or your best friend that album you have on repeat. Just find the music, TV shows, apps or games you want to give on the iTunes Store or App Store. From your computer, click the arrow next to the price and choose “Gift this”. Or from your iOS device, tap the share button at the top of the screen.* We’ll send an email letting your recipient know about it. With one click, your gift will start downloading to their device.

[Betelnut]

Thank you everyone for the great advice!

[carol1412]

Someone near me has one of these: http://www.flickr.com/photos/29133179@N06/3688990826/

Whenever I see a Smart Car in the wild, I involuntarily burst into laughter.  It's a reflex.

I LOVE those cars. I would love to have one, but sometimes I need to buy more than a loaf of bread at the store!

I've had my smartcar for almost two years now. Can fit at least 5 bags of groceries in the back plus another three in front if no passenger. There's a lot more room than you think there is. Plus they're fun to drive and get ~ 40mpg.

[Shoo]

Someone near me has one of these: http://www.flickr.com/photos/29133179@N06/3688990826/

Whenever I see a Smart Car in the wild, I involuntarily burst into laughter.  It's a reflex.

I LOVE those cars. I would love to have one, but sometimes I need to buy more than a loaf of bread at the store!

I've had my smartcar for almost two years now. Can fit at least 5 bags of groceries in the back plus another three in front if no passenger. There's a lot more room than you think there is. Plus they're fun to drive and get ~ 40mpg.

They scare me to death.  I want as much metal around me as possible when I'm on the highway.

[Outdoor Girl]

I've read that the Smart Cars are designed with a racing roll cage around the passenger compartment so they are actually safer than a lot of other vehicles.  Doesn't help you much when you are under a semi, mind you.

[ladyknight1]

They have not done well in crash tests.

[carol1412]

They've actually done quite well in crash tests and have passed all safety regulations in the US and Europe.
http://www.nydailynews.com/autos/latest-reviews/safe-smart-fortwo-mini-car-article-1.1307474

The whole car is a roll cage, so it's safer to be in than a lot of other cars. Lots of glass as well, so there's really no blind spot. I've found, though, that I drive more carefully, mostly because everybody thinks it goes so slow and they want to get around it. So I drive the speed limit or just above. Let the rest of 'em do whatever they want...

Some guy on a motorcycle the other day asked me if I felt safe in my car. Told him I was just as safe as he was, if not more AND I didn't have to wear a helmet.