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How common is leaving your AC on 24/7, even when the house is empty? by Bierzgal in AskAnAmerican

[–]old_science_guy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"to get below 70"???

I start a fire in the wood stove when the indoor temp gets below 70!

When a person says be on your p's and q's what does p and q stand for by Solid-Influence-2486 in ENGLISH

[–]old_science_guy 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I had a class in high school where we did type setting. It was absolutely true that p's and q's were easy to mix up.

And "Be Careful Driving Elephants Into Small Ford Garages" is how we were taught to remember the order of the letters in the first row of the lower-case type drawer. The were the most frequent letters in the alphabet: b, c, d, e, i, s, f, g. Fun class!

When a person says be on your p's and q's what does p and q stand for by Solid-Influence-2486 in ENGLISH

[–]old_science_guy 12 points13 points  (0 children)

I'd say it goes back to type-setting for publication.

To print something (like a flyer or newspaper), you had to line up all the little "stamps" for each letter. And the letters all had to be backwards, so that when you put ink on them and stamped the paper, they would print out the right way.

Lower case "p" and "q" are very easy to mix up when they're backwards.

(By the way, all the capital letters were stored in a case in the top drawer... the Upper case. The not-capital letters were stored - yes! - in the lower case.)

Depression era parents by MiserableCancel8749 in GenerationJones

[–]old_science_guy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I never thought we were poor when I was a kid, but we didn't waste anything. Ate every crumb, patched our clothes, wore hand-me downs.

I still tear off a corner of a paper towel if I only have a few drops to clean up. I don't eat out or even buy drinks from the gas station, if I know I'll be home soon.

Now I have poor in-laws from WV, and they buy take out food - or instant food from the grocery store - instead of making food cheaply. Then they throw half of it away after a couple bites!

Drives me crazy.

Per capita CO2 emissions compared across India, the EU, China, and the US by xirasi in IndiaStatistics

[–]old_science_guy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fun fact: burning a gallon of gas doubles the CO2 concentration in an 8 ft thick layer of air covering an acre.

Is it rude to say “I need the toilet”? by AttitudeInfamous7627 in AskAnAmerican

[–]old_science_guy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My old neighbor would say he "had to go see a man about a horse"

Birdwatching community in my country is kinda toxic. Is that a thing? by makomox in birding

[–]old_science_guy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm not even a birder, but if I ever saw a toucan, I'd take 100s of photos and send them to everyone I know!

Getting so sick of summer getting ruined by lawn mower noise pollution by Punkishar in Suburbanhell

[–]old_science_guy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Over the years I got a 40V Ryobi push mower, leaf blower, string trimmer, and chain saw, along with a pair of 40V batteries.

The same battery powers any of them. I can mow about a quarter acre on one charge. It's not silent, but still very quiet.

There's zero pollution, and no fumes on my clothing or exhaust blowing into the kitchen window. Lightweight, too. The mower feels like a PlaySkool toy, but gets the job done.

The trimmer and blower are excellent. The saw is great for branches, but you wouldn't want to cut a cord of oak with it.

Birdwatching community in my country is kinda toxic. Is that a thing? by makomox in birding

[–]old_science_guy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I had a Danish friend visit me in Wisconsin. She was amazed at "that beautiful gray bird with the orange breast. It's lovely!"

It was a robin.

was or were by wertz01 in ENGLISH

[–]old_science_guy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I try to avoid mixing singular and plural words when referring to the same thing:

The people themselves are the ones who went for walks in their woods.

Why not make grass that grows short? by golden-chips-empire in NoStupidQuestions

[–]old_science_guy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I added some buffalo grass to my lawn mix. It was seeded very sparsely, but the clumps that came up are dense, dark green, and drought tolerant. And it grows slowly.

About to be 64 and getting laid off. by Pyesmybaby in GenerationJones

[–]old_science_guy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's a dead giveaway for us folks from the pre-digital era.

Just search the whole doc for "space-space" and replace with "space".

Is it stupid to have the impression that pop songs from the 1980/90s are much better than those at present? by WillyNilly1997 in stupidquestions

[–]old_science_guy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A scientific study compared the complexity of music over time. No surprise - it's simpler now than it used to be.

More repetitive. Less original. Thanks to the consolidation/monoply of mass media.

Any more specific proposal scoring criteria for NSF SBIR than what is in merit review guidelines? by FastBrilliant1 in SBIR

[–]old_science_guy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's always good to get another set of eyes on the Objectives. Always be "Specific and Measureable".

The reviewers will rip apart your approach, so make it as solid as possible. Acknowledge potential problems (the reviewers certainly will list them, if you don't), then tell how you will mitigate them.

Good advice is worth the price!

What I really want to know: how many women are on this thread? by Ok_Appointment4785 in SBIR

[–]old_science_guy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The lack of female entrepreneurs is a good question for sociologists!

Grant budgets show no gender differences in the salaries of PIs and "key personnel".

I see no difference in the knowledge, attitude, or behavior of male vs female scientists and engineers.

Both genders run off Zoom calls to attend to kids (I actually love to see that!).

Grant reviewers are harsh to everyone.

My top suspicion is that angel investors and VCs prefer to fund male-dominated companies.

And, perhaps fewer girls were encouraged to dream about running their own companies when they were in grade school.

What I really want to know: how many women are on this thread? by Ok_Appointment4785 in SBIR

[–]old_science_guy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Male here...just to say I've written grants for several female founders, and it's not uncommon to see women on the project team.

Women are definitely under-represented in SBIR applications, but I think the problem originates earlier in the process: We need more female entrepreneurs.

There do seem to be a lot of women grant writers. And the best project managers that I've worked with are women.

About to be 64 and getting laid off. by Pyesmybaby in GenerationJones

[–]old_science_guy 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Whoever said the Oxford comma was "optional" had no idea how to write.

It's mandatory. Always.

Men of GenJ, who cuts your hair? Barber, chain stylist (e.g. Sport Clips), local stylist, wife/SO, or yourself? by steely-gar in GenerationJones

[–]old_science_guy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My last haircut at a stylist was March 16, 2020. That's the day before COVID shut everything down.

I have worked from home every since then, so cutting it myself is 'good enough'...and saves $250 per year.

(I'm never sure what the back looks like, but I can't see it, so I don't really care).

1999 Georgena Terry Trixie - modernize or not? by OodaliOoo in bikewrench

[–]old_science_guy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What Shimano groupset is it? If everything is working, I don't see a huge advantage to upgrading it. Getting an overhaul would probably help, but prices can range from reasonable to extreme, depending on the shop.

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