Things you always wanted to know the answer to [Vol. 3]

[Dr Jekyll]

Jonboy_t said:

On the speed limit subject, what’s the point of ‘national speed limit’? Why not just 50/60/70 on the appropriate roads?

Just historical, from the days when it meant 'end of restriction'.

[Chebble]

Jonboy_t said:

On the speed limit subject, what’s the point of ‘national speed limit’? Why not just 50/60/70 on the appropriate roads?

I think it’s because the national speed limit is different according to what you’re driving. On a single carriageway it’s 50mph for vans but 60 for cars.

Unless of course, I’ve completely understood what you’re on about. I have a crippling hangover so I’m not feeling too sharp

[Roofless Toothless]

Guide dogs.

Why do I not uncommonly see people out training guide dogs, but relatively rarely notice a blind person actually using one?

[Eddie Strohacker]

Can't speak for your observation skills but I do know training guide dogs is a numbers game. The criteria are strict & lots don't make the grade. We had one who was booted out for boisterousness!

[TheLordJohn]

Eddie Strohacker said:

Booted out for boisterousness!

That's the sort of dog I end up with!

[Speed 3]

Roofless Toothless said:

Guide dogs.

Why do I not uncommonly see people out training guide dogs, but relatively rarely notice a blind person actually using one?

Not sure why but you're right. Most times I see a blind person they have one of those long white sticks with the little roller ball on the end.

[Lucas CAV]

Yipper said:

Ayahuasca said:

StevieBee said:

Issi said:

Why is it that despite Birmingham being the second biggest city in the UK, but you very rarely see or hear a Brummie in the media?

There are loads of celebrities/bands from Newcastle, Liverpool, Manchester etc, but the Midlands is like a cultural black hole.

Pretty much every major rock band of any note are from the Midlands. Led Zep, ELO, Black Sabbath, Saxon..... Adrain Chiles and Frank Skinner seem to have done OK.

It's not as bad as you make out IMO. And I'm southerner!

Duran Duran were from Brum

The Brummie accent is dying out. A recent study suggested it will disappear some time around the 2060s. Brummie is not a popular accent and surveys consistently rank it as the least intelligent and least sexy accent in the entire country.

Then I can only conclude that none of the respondents crossed the m5 to experience the range of Black Country accents that we have here.

Makes a full Brummie sound like Brian Sewell.

[FredericRobinson]

If it's better for male mammals to have their testicles dangling coolly on the outside why doesn't the same apply to birds?

[mickk]

FredericRobinson said:

If it's better for male mammals to have their testicles dangling coolly on the outside why doesn't the same apply to birds?

Or humans?

[john2443]

Jonboy_t said:

On the speed limit subject, what’s the point of ‘national speed limit’? Why not just 50/60/70 on the appropriate roads?

So that if it changes, the law is just re-written to say 40/50/60 instead of having to go and change eleventy billion signposts.

[FredericRobinson]

mickk said:

Or humans?

Just checking ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................yes, mine are definitely on the outside

[mickk]

FredericRobinson said:

mickk said:

Or humans?

Just checking ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................yes, mine are definitely on the outside

Ah right, when you said outside I thought you meant outside.

[Smeeeeeg]

FredericRobinson said:

If it's better for male mammals to have their testicles dangling coolly on the outside why doesn't the same apply to birds?

I don't know the answer but thinking about it there is probably strong selective pressure on birds to be generally aerodynamically efficient and not have dangly bits hanging off them if they can help it. Maybe this outweighs the advantage of keeping the sperm cool.

The argument against this could be sexual selection where really stupid traits that are clearly a disadvantage do get selected for, e.g. the plumage of birds of paradise, but perhaps obvious giant balls have just never been attractive to female birds for some reason. (There's definitely a joke there somewhere).

Bird reproductive systems are generally a bit odd from a mammalian perspective in any case.

Any ornithologists out there to offer a more educated suggestion?

[MissChief]

Smeeeeeg said:

FredericRobinson said:

If it's better for male mammals to have their testicles dangling coolly on the outside why doesn't the same apply to birds?

I don't know the answer but thinking about it there is probably strong selective pressure on birds to be generally aerodynamically efficient and not have dangly bits hanging off them if they can help it. Maybe this outweighs the advantage of keeping the sperm cool.

The argument against this could be sexual selection where really stupid traits that are clearly a disadvantage do get selected for, e.g. the plumage of birds of paradise, but perhaps obvious giant balls have just never been attractive to female birds for some reason. (There's definitely a joke there somewhere).

Bird reproductive systems are generally a bit odd from a mammalian perspective in any case.

Any ornithologists out there to offer a more educated suggestion?

When it comes to birds weight is everything, then aerodynamics comes a very close second. For this reason a bird's genitals are stored inside their body and only come into use in breeding season, otherwise they generally lay dormant, taking up as little space and weight as possible. They're activated by hormones around breeding season otherwise they're very small and don't weigh a lot.

[Jonboy_t]

Selective editing of MissChief said:

a bird's genitals are stored inside their body and only come into use in breeding season, otherwise they generally lay dormant,

they're very small and don't weigh a lot.

I feel their pain

[595Heaven]

Why do motorhomes always have huge naff stickers on the side?

Some examples for sale here eBay nastiness

[Balmoral]

Don't forgot the obligatory Moose silhouette decal on the back too.

[Shakermaker]

Roofless Toothless said:

Guide dogs.

Why do I not uncommonly see people out training guide dogs, but relatively rarely notice a blind person actually using one?

Perhaps you live close to a Guide Dogs training school, for dogs which are then spread out across a wider region?

I did some work a few years ago with a couple of chaps from one of the leading Guide Dogs charities, and as we went about our business with their dogs, we were talking about the training the dogs have to go through. It is very impressive, but not that many dogs actually make it through compared to how many are taken in for training - so you'll see a higher number of trainees than you will actual dogs in service.

[Dan_1981]

If I fund PayPal via a credit card and then do:

A) Pay for something on eBay using PayPal

B) transfer cash directly to someone using PayPal

Do these count on the credit card as purchases? Or cash transfers?

Edited by Dan_1981 on Monday 20th November 19:06

[glazbagun]

595Heaven said:

Why do motorhomes always have huge naff stickers on the side?

Some examples for sale here eBay nastiness

Go faster stripes for the generation who grew up with them?