Re: The 'Ask a Question' Thread

[Nachtsider]

Why is it that espionage is a crime punishable by death, when everyone and their grandmothers routinely do it and when it seems to be a fair means of procuring info about the enemy?

[LoC978]

...or even your allies. every first-world nation has information gatherers in every other first-world nation.
and it's generally not punishable by death, at least not among American or European nations. usually it's just punishable with jail time, deportation and blacklisting... depending on the nature of the espionage.

going back..
prostitutes- depends on what the nature of their employment. for the brothel girls, sometimes it's professionalism, but more often they'll accept a kiss on the lips (amorous love is as outmoded a concept to most of them as it is to me). self-employed girls tend to act just like any girlfriend, minus the nitpicking... if she's got a pimp, I imagine the guy would be afraid to put anything in there not wrapped in latex (don't even know anyone who's dealt with that scene... it's ugly).

[Kiskaloo]

I hear that prostitutes rarely, if ever, kiss their clients on the lips. Why is this so?

Well for "street-walkers", the goal is just to get laid, so why cuddle and kiss?

For "off-street" (escort services), if you're going for the "Porn Star Experience", see the above. However, they also offer the "Girlfriend Experience" where they will cuddle and kiss (so sayeth Wikipedia).

[hydra282]

We were driving home yesterday and my mom started complaining about how I don't flush. I heard that that wastes a lot water, so I don't flush my pee anymore since it doesn't smell or anything. She started joking that I should poop in a bag to save water and then she said I should recycle the poo by eating it, which made me wonder...

Is eating poo healthy?

How much water does flushing waste? Is the water truly wasted?

[Awinnell]

don't eat poo ! its stuffed full of bacteria,Urine is generally fairly sterile especially male urine,so you can drink it(not really my thing but some people claim it has health benefits!)

[MikhailN]

We were driving home yesterday and my mom started complaining about how I don't flush. I heard that that wastes a lot water, so I don't flush my pee anymore since it doesn't smell or anything. She started joking that I should poop in a bag to save water and then she said I should recycle the poo by eating it, which made me wonder...

Is eating poo healthy?

How much water does flushing waste? Is the water truly wasted?

Poo is your body's way to control the bacterial flora in your intestines. If the E.coli are not kept in check, they'll multiply until your body can't get to the nutrients in the food. The intestine's answer is to change the osmotic balance so that your gut is filled with water and flushes everything out (btw, that's the same mechanism that causes food poisoning symptoms)

My advice is to flush the damn thing. Urine can still breed bacteria. It's true that urine is relatively clean, but if you leave it standing bacteria will still grow (Don't listen to those crazy bio majors who tell you that urine contains ammonia, uric acid and lot of stuff and hence is a disinfectant - Go check out Urinary Tract Infection. E.coli can grow in urine).

[boomer_gonz]

My recommendation is to ALWAYS flush. No questions, if's, and's, or but's.

After all it's hygienic and just good etiquette.

Now as for actually eating your poop. It is not safe to eat your poop. It is called fecal waste for a reason. It's basically the part of the food you ate that your body COULD NOT digest or couldn't use anyway. You cannot recycle food after it has already been consumed. Although there is the myth about raw corn, I still have yet to cross the boundary of curiosity to actually prove or bust that myth. To be honest I doubt the actual Mythbusters would either.

[Nachtsider]

Dude. Even if it were edible, how could you even bring yourself to put it on your plate, much less eat it? The stuff hardly looks appealing, and stinks to high heaven...

[LoC978]

...there's also the matter of human feces tending to be somewhat more laden with harmful bacteria than most animals... not sure about the why, I've heard everything from "our digestive tracts aren't as efficient as, say, a dog's" to "our diets tend to vary too much, so we carry more different kinds of bacteria for food breakdown"

either way, human poo just carries more disease than most other varieties.

[Awinnell]

two girls,one cup .............................................lol !

[Alfisti]

We were driving home yesterday and my mom started complaining about how I don't flush. I heard that that wastes a lot water, so I don't flush my pee anymore since it doesn't smell or anything. She started joking that I should poop in a bag to save water and then she said I should recycle the poo by eating it, which made me wonder...

Is eating poo healthy?

How much water does flushing waste? Is the water truly wasted?

Answer to question one... no, the body's trying to get rid of it for a reason.

As for quesiton two: I believe a normal flush toilet uses about 9L of water per flush. A good dual flush toilet will use 4L on full flush and 2L on half. Composting toilets are of course even better and don't require flushing at all. As a side note, many places are now installing "dry" urinals which don't require flushing at all and instead break down the urine with bacterial blocks. Urine itself is also a resonable disinfectant.

During the water crisis we had the official government line around here was "if it's yellow, let it mellow, if it's brown, flush it down" (yeah, we were really short on water). To be honest though, if you're not about to run out of water I'd call it good ettiquete to flush.

[hydra282]

Ok ok I'll flush

[hydra282]

Are cobras vipers?

[boomer_gonz]

Are cobras vipers?

No. Cobra's are elapids which is another order of snakes or if you prefer, serpents notable for their 'hoods'.

Viper's are a different order of serpents entirely.

[hydra282]

dang, that's a letdown...

[MikhailN]

I got a question. I've found loads of Laser Discs at home and I'm wondering if there's any way to convert them into DVD format.

[Kiskaloo]

I got a question. I've found loads of Laser Discs at home and I'm wondering if there's any way to convert them into DVD format.

If you have a standalone DVD recorder (like the Panasonic DMR-EA18K), then yes. You plug the LD player into the DVD recorder and record the LD in real-time. I did this with a number of my LDs (mostly Japanese anime, though also the original Star Wars III, IV and V).

You could also use a PC video capture system to record the LD in real-time and then burn it, but I found the standalone DVD recorder to be much easier.

[Five_X]

This has been bothering me for years, and no matter where I go, no matter who or what I talk to, I can't find it out. Not even AIs and bots can help me.

I know that 42 is the Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything, but what is the Question?

Oh, and what is the circumference of a moose?

[Kiskaloo]

Oh, and what is the circumference of a moose?

African or European?

[MikhailN]

I know that 42 is the Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything, but what is the Question?

The Ultimate Question is not known. This was taken from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phrases_from_The_Hitchhiker's_Guide_to_the_Galaxy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/42_(number)

[Five_X]

'Twas a joke, good ser.

[LoC978]

...
"I may be a sorry case, but I don't write jokes in base 13."

[Cherubino]

What is your favorite household chore to do?

Mine has to be cooking. I woke up at 5:30 AM to cook my mom breakfast just because I like it and I missed cooking breakfast xD

[Alfisti]

What is your favorite household chore to do?

Mine has to be cooking. I woke up at 5:30 AM to cook my mom breakfast just because I like it and I missed cooking breakfast xD

Actually I don't mind doing the dusting and vaccuming... provided there's no-one else around so I can crank the stereo up and amble through at my own pace.

Cooking I'm only really a fan of if I can add wine into the equation as well

[Robert Frazer]

Eh, I have to admit that I'm precisely the opposite, Cherubino - part of the reason* why I've lived in Halls of Residence for the full four years of my stint at university is exactly because it's catered accommodation and the tiresome and time-consuming preparation and cleaning of food, crockery and kitchens is all done for me. I know my way around a kitchen well enough, so incompetence isn't an issue - but I really just cannot be bothered with cooking, it's an onerous and cumbersome burden. I resent the day when it'll all be gone and I'll be forced to read a recipe book...

As for household chores I don't mind, I'd say shelf-straightening - putting all of the DVDs, books, miniatures and so on back in order and flush with the shelf-edge. You wouldn't think so, but you'd be amazed at how much a neat bookcase emanates an aura of tidiness which influences the entire room.

*-It's also in a nice, leafy area, no more than a minute from a large green Common, has surrounding roads called "Omdurman", "Nile" and "Khartoum" which appeal to the imperial nostalgic in me... and it's literally next door to my main campus building, so I could wake up barely quarter of an hour before a lecture and still roll in on time, and have minutes spare to get a cup of tea from the refectory along the way. :p

[Professor Voodoo]

As I spend most of my time aboard ship; seemingly insignificant tasks like cooking and doing the dishes take on an exotic aspect during my brief time ashore. I use no cookbook or recipies...I just improvise with a case of beer or a jug of vino at my side. Sometimes the results are a triumph, other times less so. Luckily I live alone so no-one else suffers as a consequence of my alcohol inspired efforts.

I woke up at 5:30 AM to cook my mom breakfast just because I like it and I missed cooking breakfast

That sounds very nice, Cherubino. Assuming your posted age is acurate, most people do not understand the simple & honorable pleasure of doing for our parents as they have done for us until much later in life.

[rusty-spring]

I actually don't mind cooking and am pretty competent at it, the problem is finding motivation to do so.

Hard to not to pick up some cooking techniques in a big traditional German family and live with an older sister.

[Sakura]

I like cooking, but I sometimes dislike doing dishes. When I'm home I can at least pass that job on to my siblings.

[LoC978]

definitely rearranging/modifying/building new furniture... I built the desk I'm using from a broken computer desk, scrap wood and screws.

[Kiskaloo]

I love to cook.

I'm also partial to cleaning because I like order.

[Nachtsider]

I'm an okay cook, but I'm told I'm a great baker.

[Cherubino]

As I spend most of my time aboard ship; seemingly insignificant tasks like cooking and doing the dishes take on an exotic aspect during my brief time ashore. I use no cookbook or recipies...I just improvise with a case of beer or a jug of vino at my side. Sometimes the results are a triumph, other times less so. Luckily I live alone so no-one else suffers as a consequence of my alcohol inspired efforts.

I woke up at 5:30 AM to cook my mom breakfast just because I like it and I missed cooking breakfast

That sounds very nice, Cherubino. Assuming your posted age is acurate, most people do not understand the simple & honorable pleasure of doing for our parents as they have done for us until much later in life.

Yes I am actually 18 lol. Thank you for that flattering compliment!

I like the answers that everyone is saying! ^.^

[hydra282]

For how long has the North vs. South thing been happening in Italy?

[Kiskaloo]

For how long has the North vs. South thing been happening in Italy?

About 25 years. The foundations of Lega Nord (which Padania is modeled after) came into existence in the mid-1980s, though they experienced their greatest success in the 1996 General Elections. It was at this time they called for the secession of Padania (the northern regions) from the Italian Republic.

Sicily and Sardinia have also been seeking independence for much of the 20th century.

[zanet]

i have a question xd, waht is the meaning of BTW?

[Kiskaloo]

i have a question xd, waht is the meaning of BTW?

An acronym for "By the Way"

[zanet]

thanks kiskaloo, im trying to improve mi english and learn this acronyms is good.

[hydra282]

Do the cyborgs get unmarked graves?

[LoC978]

Do the cyborgs get unmarked graves?

Spoiler:

[zanet]

i have another question, waht is the meaning of "Ditto", "badasses" and"arses"?, if someone can answer me i really appreciate it.

[Five_X]

"Ditto" is essentially when something is the exact same as another. Used in speech when agreeing with a person.

A "Badass" is a person, human or otherwise, that shows high levels of fortitidue in extreme situations, without becoming ridiculous/a Mary Sue. So Rico is badass, but Chuck Norris is not. "Badasses" is, of course, the plural.

"Arse" is British slang for "ass".

Hope that helped!

[Awinnell]

Ditto, actually has a Roman past,it comes from dictus, "having been said,"

by the way arse is more correct than ass as an ass is a Donkey !

[Robert Frazer]

Ditto marks ( '' ) are also accepted shorthand in lists when you're repeating the same phrase, to save time and ink and also make long lists more legible instead of just being a block of text. For instance, this list:

Number of cherries: 52
Number of strawberries: 68
Number of raspberries: 14

Could be represented as:

Number of cherries: 52
'' '' strawberries: 68
'' '' raspberries: 14

[zanet]

thanks guys for the explanation , i understand all.

[Triela-Chan]

I´ve got a little grammar question: Which sentence is grammatical correct?

She fell off a tree and now is in hospital

or do I have to write

She fell off a tree and now she is in hospital
?

[Cherubino]

I´ve got a little grammar question: Which sentence is grammatical correct?

She fell off a tree and now is in hospital

or do I have to write

She fell off a tree and now she is in hospital
?

It's so funny to ask a native speaker because I KNOW I speak in horrible slangs and Brooklynese but I will try my best to help.

I would have to say that the first would be the best but it would have to be fixed. The only reason I don't think it's the second one is because it has the repetitive "she" in it.

I think the sentence should go: She fell off a tree and is now in the hospital.

I could be wrong though. There are plenty of writers here who would know better but that is just my educated guess.

[Kiskaloo]

I would say this:

She fell off a tree and now is in hospital.

But I cannot help but think I should have said:

She fell off a tree and now she is in hospital.

[Five_X]

The funny thing about learning foreign languages is that the stuff you learn is almost never actually used word-for-word. Especially with writing vs. speaking, as many people, no matter the language, have verbal tics, compared to rather few (including myself) who have "writing tics". Once you've finished "learning" a language, such as in classes and the like, you'll likely not speak much like you write. Speaking, in general, tends to be more casual than writing. Part of the reason I gave up on learning French (cos it's mandatory here in Canada) was because I couldn't grasp many of the nuances of normal speech, and my non-English writing is quite dictionaryesque, not much better than what you'd get out of Babelfish. But what I've found is that once you have even a simple grasp of a Romance language or near-English language, such as French, Spanish, Italian, German or English, you'll find it easier to understand other languages, due to them sharing basic word structure. At least I do.

Laconic edition!: Speaking and writing a foreign language are very different. Don't stress over getting it exact. People who are native speakers of the language(s) you learn will almost always know that you don't naturally speak said language(s). And unless you go to Quebec, most shouldn't give you a hard time.

In other words, don't go to Quebec. Whiny French nationalists... *grumblegrumble* (It's ironic because I'm genetically French)

[boomer_gonz]

In America, the only language more prominent in than English is Bad English; so either one works for me.

[Triela-Chan]

Great,That helped a lot! Thank you guys!

[Nachtsider]

I'm sure you guys know what I'm talking about when I say it's possible to smell rain. When it rains, and only when it rains, this very distinctive smell can be detected in the air. Does anyone know what causes it?

[Kiskaloo]

Evidently, when the humidity of the atmosphere changes, it also changes the vapor pressure and that causes nitrates in the ground to be released into the atmosphere which is what people smell.

[boomer_gonz]

Exactly as Kisk said. It's more evident in drier areas, and in places of dense foliage it's commonly misinterpreted as the 'smell of dew'.

[hydra282]

So, I was in the bathroom this morning and I thought does peeing act like a river on ground and erode the inside of the penis away?

[Jacen Starslayer]

I'm going to say no, either that or the human body's natural regenerative abilities constantly reverse the damage. But alas I'm no expert.

[Awinnell]

well,if you really need to know, try taking a measurement and compare it a few days later !!!

Spoiler:

[Nachtsider]

So, I was in the bathroom this morning and I thought does peeing act like a river on ground and erode the inside of the penis away?

I dunno about that, but too much fapping will leave you with no penis to speak of.

[Sintendo]

Having sex is like jacking off, but you have the option of cumming inside the chicks vagoo instead of a kleenex tissue or some other kinky place outside the vagoo assuming you aren't sticking your pecker in her pooper.






Sup ya'll? I'm back.

[Nachtsider]

Coming anyplace but inside is a waste, IMO. Creampies FTW.

Welcome back, Sin.

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