Questions you've always wanted answered

[Ian Volante]

It is said that we can only taste five basic tastes with our tongues - sweet, sour, bitter, salt, umami - but smell contributes most to flavour, with about one squillion flavours experienced through our sense of smell. So why not outsource it completely to our noses? One squillion flavours is fine, but one squillion and five is too much of a burden on this overworked sense organ?

I'd rather not eat through my nose.

[Marc Meakin]

Is. Midnight the end of the day or the beginning of the day.
I can get 2 corporate tickets for Ricky Gervais and the go on sale midnight if the 6th of August.
I am hoping that means 1 minute after 11.59 on the 5th?

[Gavin Chipper]

Is. Midnight the end of the day or the beginning of the day.
I can get 2 corporate tickets for Ricky Gervais and the go on sale midnight if the 6th of August.
I am hoping that means 1 minute after 12.59 on the 5th?

I always think of it as in a sort of limbo between two days. But normally it's obvious from the context. I'd say that's probably the beginning of the 6th so 1 minute after 11:59 (not 12:59!) on the 5th. So basically what you said.

[Marc Meakin]

Is. Midnight the end of the day or the beginning of the day.
I can get 2 corporate tickets for Ricky Gervais and the go on sale midnight if the 6th of August.
I am hoping that means 1 minute after 12.59 on the 5th?

I always think of it as in a sort of limbo between two days. But normally it's obvious from the context. I'd say that's probably the beginning of the 6th so 1 minute after 11:59 (not 12:59!) on the 5th. So basically what you said.

Thanks, I amended OP
I figured staying up till midnight is worth it.... Even if I had to do it two days running

[Adam Gillard]

Are people in military bands:
1) Soldiers who happen to be good at playing an instrument?
2) Musicians who happen to have got a gig with the military?
3) Something else?

[Gavin Chipper]

Are people in military bands:
1) Soldiers who happen to be good at playing an instrument?
2) Musicians who happen to have got a gig with the military?
3) Something else?

I've never really quite got the whole military bands thing. And I always thought it was a bit strange that when Lee Rigby was murdered he was referred to as "Drummer Lee Rigby" as if this was his primary role in the army. I suppose it sounds better than "trained killer Lee Rigby".

[Paul Worsley]

Why don't lions get scurvy?

[Fiona T]

Why don't lions get scurvy?

It's a great question! Google says...

Lions do not need vitamin C in their diet because, like most mammals, they can synthesize their own vitamin C in their bodies, unlike humans and other primates who require it from food. A lion's diet of whole, fresh prey, which includes organs and other tissues, would naturally contain some vitamin C, but their internal production is the primary reason they don't require it from their diet to prevent scurvy.

How Lions Obtain Vitamin C

Internal Production:
Lions, as carnivores, have the necessary enzymes in their liver to produce vitamin C on their own.

Dietary Sources:
If a lion consumes the internal organs (like the liver) or the gut contents of its prey, it may also ingest some vitamin C. However, their ability to create their own makes dietary intake unnecessary.

Why Humans Need Dietary Vitamin C

Genetic Loss:
The ability to synthesize vitamin C was lost through a genetic mutation in the lineage of humans and other primates

[Paul Worsley]

I figured it must be something like that. I suppose it's the same for all carnivores.

It's also interesting that a silverback gorilla can weigh over 400lbs, and tear a human being in half if it wanted too, yet is essentially vegan.

[Martin Hurst]

If you fill up a bath with hot sparkling water and get in, do you get the same sensation as being in a hot tub?

[Fiona T]

Pretty sure heating sparkling water removes the sparkle. You'd be better to eat large quantities of beans for the jacuzzi (not valid in countdown) effect

[Mark Deeks]

You say that now, but the other day, when I offered to fart all over you, you called for a union rep and insisted it go to a mediation session. Can't win with some people.

[Marc Meakin]

You say that now, but the other day, when I offered to fart all over you, you called for a union rep and insisted it go to a mediation session. Can't win with some people.

It's an ill wind, etc

[Gavin Chipper]

If you shortened "bicycle" to "bic" you'd be sectioned, so why do people shorten "microphone" to mic? "Mike" makes so much more sense.

https://www.audiolinks.com/blog/mike-vs-mic/

As I suspected, mike is the preferred grammatically, particularly when used as a verb, but the shift to mic is likely due to abbreviations on actual equipment, where the extra letter takes more space and adds no clarity.

By the way, if I see "mic" I read it in my head as "mick".

I've been trying to think of other examples like this and I thought of cos / cosine. If you shorten "cosine" to "cos", you pronounce it "coz", not "coace". So if you want to shorten "microphone" to "mic" in your writing, go ahead, but I, along with the sane world, am pronouncing it "mick".

*mic drop*

Edit - Just to add, maybe "sine" and "sin" would be a closer analogy. But also you would never spell the name "Mike" "Mic" or "Mich" or spell "Dave" "Dav" or "Steve" as "Stev" or even "Steph". And if someone did, you would pronounce them as they looked.

[Gavin Chipper]

Why don't cars have bumpers these days? I had a look online and there were some claims that modern cars do have bumpers but they're more incorporated into the car but can still absorb collisions etc. But no. That's not what a bumper is. Of course you'd expect a car to have safety protection / a crumple zone to protect people inside and outside the car. A bumper is something separate. It's something to stop you damaging the paintwork / body of your car - a bit of rubber / plastic at the points you're most likely to e.g. scrape a wall so you don't have expensive repair bills. Cars could really do with these.

In other news I definitely didn't scrape a wall the other day.

[Fiona T]

Bumpers protected cars but damaged things (people) they hit because they don't give.

Better to have dinted bodywork than dinted toddler I guess, depending on your persepctive.

[Gavin Chipper]

But this is just hard metal bumpers that they used to have in the olden days. Soft plastic or rubber to protect the paintwork should be no problem.

[Marc Meakin]

Why is a flat white traditionally sized between an Espresso and an American?

[Gavin Chipper]

Why are you able to buy flight tickets months in advance but, depending on the airline, you are only able to check in and print boarding passes within 48 hours? I know most people just use their phones now but I prefer to print off the boarding pass and I would like to be able to print the return flights before I go away. And even if I am using my phone I would still prefer to be checked in for the return flight before I go.

I've always thought this was insane. My understanding used to be that checking in was something you do when you get to a place to show you are present and correct. But if you can do it online, why not just make it part of the booking process? Why have these two procedures that you have to do separately?

I suppose things might change with the flight from when it's booked to when it actually happens and they might have to put you on a different flight, but once you're within the last couple of days nothing should change, so the flight and your seats are locked in at that point.

Also hotels. You book the room and then a couple of days before your stay they tell you to check in online. What is actually happening here? They're not e-mailing you a room key to print out so you still obviously need to physically check in when you get there. What needs to happen online just before my stay that couldn't be done when I first booked the room? Should I even bother doing this?

[Marc Meakin]

Why are you able to buy flight tickets months in advance but, depending on the airline, you are only able to check in and print boarding passes within 48 hours? I know most people just use their phones now but I prefer to print off the boarding pass and I would like to be able to print the return flights before I go away. And even if I am using my phone I would still prefer to be checked in for the return flight before I go.

I've always thought this was insane. My understanding used to be that checking in was something you do when you get to a place to show you are present and correct. But if you can do it online, why not just make it part of the booking process? Why have these two procedures that you have to do separately?

I suppose things might change with the flight from when it's booked to when it actually happens and they might have to put you on a different flight, but once you're within the last couple of days nothing should change, so the flight and your seats are locked in at that point.

Also hotels. You book the room and then a couple of days before your stay they tell you to check in online. What is actually happening here? They're not e-mailing you a room key to print out so you still obviously need to physically check in when you get there. What needs to happen online just before my stay that couldn't be done when I first booked the room? Should I even bother doing this?

It would be cool if they could provide a key on your phone would be a good invention

[Fiona T]

Why are you able to buy flight tickets months in advance but, depending on the airline, you are only able to check in and print boarding passes within 48 hours? I know most people just use their phones now but I prefer to print off the boarding pass and I would like to be able to print the return flights before I go away. And even if I am using my phone I would still prefer to be checked in for the return flight before I go.

I've always thought this was insane. My understanding used to be that checking in was something you do when you get to a place to show you are present and correct. But if you can do it online, why not just make it part of the booking process? Why have these two procedures that you have to do separately?

I suppose things might change with the flight from when it's booked to when it actually happens and they might have to put you on a different flight, but once you're within the last couple of days nothing should change, so the flight and your seats are locked in at that point.

Also hotels. You book the room and then a couple of days before your stay they tell you to check in online. What is actually happening here? They're not e-mailing you a room key to print out so you still obviously need to physically check in when you get there. What needs to happen online just before my stay that couldn't be done when I first booked the room? Should I even bother doing this?

If this is Novotel, they have my title as Mr and provide me no means of changing it. Which makes me unreasonably cross. Probably deserves a post in the 'minor things' thread.

[Gavin Chipper]

It is Novotel!

[Thomas Carey]

The same hotel that had Beachy down as 'Adam Bitch' one year