Afternoon Inquisition

AI: Tell me what you don’t know

It’s a gorgeous summer day. Stop reading blogs and go outside.

If you must be inside, then I guess I just want to know what you want to know.

What question do you want to know the answer to? Feel free to answer any questions that have been asked. Now are you going outside?

The Afternoon Inquisition (or AI) is a question posed to you, the Skepchick community. Look for it to appear Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 3pm ET.

Elyse

Elyse MoFo Anders is the bad ass behind forming the Women Thinking, inc and the superhero who launched the Hug Me! I'm Vaccinated campaign as well as podcaster emeritus, writer, slacktivist extraordinaire, cancer survivor and sometimes runs marathons for charity. You probably think she's awesome so you follow her on twitter.

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46 Comments

  1. I have two questions:

    1) Why should I go outside when it’s 100 degrees?

    and

    2) Are you trying to kill me?

  2. @primowalker: I am not sure if that’s a cynical, rhetorical question or not, but I guess another synonym for “gullible” is “trusting,” which is a pretty useful trait for a species that requires group cooperation. And sure, there are people that are just plain stupid, and our whole group cooperation thing enables their survival (perhaps to our detriment. time will tell), but as a species I think we are pretty damn clever, and we have managed to solve our way out of a lot of problems in really creative ways. Sure, some of us came up with Scientology… but some of us also came up with Skepchick! And soft-serve ice cream. WIN! Do dolphins have skepchicks and chocolate-vanilla twist? No. But they totally have rape and bullying and infanticide (plus, I hear they are quite spiritual). I would much rather have a beer with us.

    On a less philosophical note, I have a question. I am starting a new job in Washington, DC in August, which I am very excited about, because ZOMG SMITHSONIAN! among other things. But I am currently panicking about moving me and my boyfriend and my son and 2 surly felines and all of our stuff and coming up with first month’s rent and deposit at DC rent prices all by August 1st. How do I do this????? And as a bonus question, and you a benevolent DC landlord with a 2 bedroom apartment vacant who would love some awesome, stay-home-on-sunday tenants?

  3. @Amy – Because she is Elyse.

    My question:

    Why are all the geeks I follow on Twitter giving me a blow by blow account of the soccer game? Did you know that there was overlap there? Weird.

  4. I signed up to twitter a while back but never really used it. I’ve now forgotten my username and password. I have never tweeted. At least once a week I get an email telling me so-and -so is following me on twitter.
    My question is this: Why are people following me when I’m not leading anywhere?

  5. @ Sheila the Grate: I think it has something to do with trying to get you to follow them. I guess. Its weird. I have 7 whole followers and I know one of them. 3 appear to be porn peddlers and one is fundamentalist. I want to figure out a way to introduce the porn guys to the fundamentalist.
    I entertain myself by re-tweeting things from here and other skep sites to see if he will go away – but he doesn’t.

  6. @Non Believer: The fundementalist is very likely extra committed to following you… he is trying to ‘save’ you. He probably has a quota.

  7. @BeardofPants: Their social processes are driven by their own sense of self importance. Rather than trying to intellectually understand the world around them, they just decide what it “should” be and work from those assumptions.

    My question: If you knew all the answers, you knew everything except the future (due to random, quantum events), and there was no question as to the accuracy or veracity of of this knowledge – what would you do with it? Keep in mind you would still be limited by your current resource conditions.

  8. If I had that sort of miraculous oracular insight…I would love to know why the engine light keeps coming on in my truck. Then I would go outside and fix it.

    @beardofpants
    My general rule of thumb is righties are fear based and lefties are guilt based.

  9. @nonBeliever

    I mean, half my (ecology & evolution) department was watching Wednesday’s game in our conference room. The World Cup spans all labels.

  10. @slxpluvs: I think those resource limitations would go away quite quickly once your money-for-inventing-everything started rolling in.
    As to what I would do with that information: Help people, on a scale never before imagined. Colonize space, eliminate poverty, cure diseases, etc. With unlimited funds and unlimited knowledge…

  11. I’m too tired to think of anything.

    It’s over 100 degrees out right now. Actually, it’s not as warm as I was expecting it to be today (108+), but I’m still not in the mood to be in the heat right now, so, no, I’m not going outside. :)

  12. @Sheila the Grate: “My question is this: Why are people following me when I’m not leading anywhere?”

    reminded me of this quote:
    “Don’t walk behind me; I may not lead.
    Don’t walk in front of me; I may not follow.
    Don’t walk beside me either.
    Just leave me the hell alone.”

    Pretty sure Gandhi said it.

  13. Why am I drunk and reading this at 2:25 AM? Because its pride week in Seattle! (There is a rainbow flag on the space needle!!)

  14. “Gorgeous summer day” doesn’t really apply to Southern Massachusetts I am discovering.

  15. flatulence…the really quiet hissing kind…can others hear them? I don’t think I’ve heard anyone else’s? I would love to approach someone and say “sorry love, you didn’t get away with that one.”

  16. Why can’t I find a decent boyfriend? Or a job? Why am I filled with angst and woe over what I am doing with my life?
    Also, why can’t I find pants that fit me? There’s tiny people clothes, and big people clothes, where are all the medium-sized people clothes?

  17. @Dr Bunsen
    The bare simple explanation is that electric currents cause magnetism, so it has to do with the movements of electrons. The full answer is a lot more complicated. ^_^

    My question: Why is chocolate so good? :)

  18. What is the deal with Flag Burning in America? I encounter tons of people who find it extremely offensive, (which I guess I can somewhat understand but not really) going as far as wanting it to be illegal.
    And I just don’t get it. What’s the Big deal?

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