Jump to content

What Are Things You've Heard That Made You Facepalm?


michaelsteele3

Recommended Posts

In science class, we discussed what defines a dwarf planet and why Pluto was reclassified as one. One person said that it was too small, which was acceptable. Another person said that it was too far away from the sun and that anything further away than Neptune is a dwarf planet. *Sigh* WHAT ABOUT CERES! It's a dwarf planet and it is closer to the sun than Pluto!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

All conspiracy theories.... particularly that the moon landing was a hoax. I mean really? (Facepalm).

I know I don't need to debunk this one... particularly not here, but gee wiz. Do you know how many thousands of people would been need to be in on it. Not to mention some of them would be Soviets. You mean all those people, and not one decided to take the risk to spill the beans and make a fortune? Nobody talks in their sleep, or tried to bignote themselves to into somebody's pants. The Soviets decided not to embarrass America at the height of the Cold War, why?

Also, and this is general to all conspiracy theories, what makes people think that modern governments have the competence to conspiracy there way out of a paper bag... or the competence to conspiracy themselves from getting out of the paperbag.... eh... which ever works.

The height of government skulduggery was around the time of the USA's various hilariously inept attempts to kill Castro. That was the pinnacle people! The golden days of cloak and dagger! Oh, and I'm not trying to pick on the US here. All nations are basically inept at conspiracy. Although, having said that the Chinese have yet to be pinned for kidnapping Harold Holt (Australian political reference).

- - - Updated - - -

"Jet fuel can't melt steel beams, 9/11 was an inside job"

It pisses me off so much that people think that you have to melt the structural supports in order to break the structure.

"It was a controlled demolition"

Really.... do they know how much work it takes to set up a controlled demolition, how many weeks of preparation. All those workers, just ignored the suspicious looking workmen drilling into the wall in the photocopy room. Nobody complained to the OH&S committee that all the wires running along the floor of the office were a trip hazard?

Edited by Tourist
Link to comment
Share on other sites

All conspiracy theories.... particularly that the moon landing was a hoax. I mean really? (Facepalm).

I know I don't need to debunk this one... particularly not here, but gee wiz. Do you know how many thousands of people would been need to be in on it. Not to mention some of them would be Soviets. You mean all those people, and not one decided to take the risk to spill the beans and make a fortune? Nobody talks in their sleep, or tried to bignote themselves to into somebody's pants. The Soviets decided not to embarrass America at the height of the Cold War, why?

Also, and this is general to all conspiracy theories, what makes people think that modern governments have the competence to conspiracy there way out of a paper bag... or the competence to conspiracy themselves from getting out of the paperbag.... eh... which ever works.

The height of government skulduggery was around the time of the USA's various hilariously inept attempts to kill Castro. That was the pinnacle people! The golden days of cloak and dagger! Oh, and I'm not trying to pick on the US here. All nations are basically inept at conspiracy. Although, having said that the Chinese have yet to be pinned for kidnapping Harold Holt (Australian political reference).

- - - Updated - - -

"It was a controlled demolition"

Really.... do they know how much work it takes to set up a controlled demolition, how many weeks of preparation. All those workers, just ignored the suspicious looking workmen drilling into the wall in the photocopy room. Nobody complained to the OH&S committee that all the wires running along the floor of the office were a trip hazard?

Never mind how conspiracies always need to leave clues. Recent Am Track crash? Yep the coaches were arranged in a "7" pattern.

I don't think it ever even occurs to these people that in the event of a real conspiracy the first thing the conspirators will try to do is minimize clues not deliberately plant them.

Take the Pentagon 9/11 plane crash. If they were going to blame it on a plane, why not use a plane that is remote control instead of a missile and then try to suppress the footage? (Especially since in 2001 most cell phones already had cameras and Washington isn't exactly a back woods village with no one who might have a camera.) But nope, many truthers will insist that it was really a missile.

Conspiracy nuts are low hanging fruit.

My best face palm is when I was at my mothers house in the country, I setup my telescope in the clearing behind the house. I went in to say there was a good view of Saturn tonight, to which my niece replied "how do you know it is Saturn?" Though to be fair I don't think she realized you can see the rings with anything less than the Hubble Space Telescope.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Never mind how conspiracies always need to leave clues. Recent Am Track crash? Yep the coaches were arranged in a "7" pattern.

I don't think it ever even occurs to these people that in the event of a real conspiracy the first thing the conspirators will try to do is minimize clues not deliberately plant them.

Take the Pentagon 9/11 plane crash. If they were going to blame it on a plane, why not use a plane that is remote control instead of a missile and then try to suppress the footage? (Especially since in 2001 most cell phones already had cameras and Washington isn't exactly a back woods village with no one who might have a camera.) But nope, many truthers will insist that it was really a missile.

Conspiracy nuts are low hanging fruit.

My best face palm is when I was at my mothers house in the country, I setup my telescope in the clearing behind the house. I went in to say there was a good view of Saturn tonight, to which my niece replied "how do you know it is Saturn?" Though to be fair I don't think she realized you can see the rings with anything less than the Hubble Space Telescope.

You mean like, how the wind appears to be blowing the flag, ipso facto, they must have filmed it on a sound stage.... because, you know, sound stages are well known for being very windy and are not at all specifically designed to avoid environmental interference. (facepalm)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guys, please stop with the conspiracy theories stuff. It's against forum rules, and I'm sure you guys don't want trouble.

I know you aren't arguing or anything, but rules are rules. (I think. :P )

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Don't eat bread, rice or pasta because gluten is bad for you."

Dear sir, I was brought up in Asia, which means, rice, bread and 500 types of noodles in massive quantities all day long. Oh and I love cooking for myself 500g servings of pasta for dinner. Screw gluten.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ok, by the rules

- no naming, no thread link... but a quote:

"Here is my beautiful trick: shut the supply of ElectricCharge of the probe core off."

regarding on how not to run out of energy unexpectedly... this tip leaves you some emergency power reservoir to extend panels or rotate your panels...

this was so brilliant, i literally facepalmed for my own blindness. seriously, i will do that on every vessel from now on!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ok, by the rules

- no naming, no thread link... but a quote:

"Here is my beautiful trick: shut the supply of ElectricCharge of the probe core off."

regarding on how not to run out of energy unexpectedly... this tip leaves you some emergency power reservoir to extend panels or rotate your panels...

this was so brilliant, i literally facepalmed for my own blindness. seriously, i will do that on every vessel from now on!

It works wonderfully, until you realize that you forgot to deploy solar panels only when you're halfway through transmitting a large science experiment when it dies. When you turn on that pitifully small 10ec probe core battery, it starts transmitting again and dies again before you can deploy panels. :facepalm: (seriously, someone needs to make a kerbal :facepalm: gif):huh:

Now I turn off a larger battery.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This:

Do you think NASA invented thunderstorms to cover up the sound from space battles?

Never have I encountered so much stupidity concentrated into so few words...

Somebody actually said that? Were they 5yrs old?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm too tired to sleep.

That actually happens a lot to me.

I can concentrate really hard to clear/focus my mind enough to drift into a relaxing trance eventually turning into sleep. But that takes effort. If I am too tired that doesn't work and I struggle with random whirlwinds of stray thoughts, making it really hard to relax and sleep. Of course, at the lower end of sleep depriviation you can just slip into unconsciosness... but that sucks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In science class, we discussed what defines a dwarf planet and why Pluto was reclassified as one. One person said that it was too small, which was acceptable. Another person said that it was too far away from the sun and that anything further away than Neptune is a dwarf planet. *Sigh* WHAT ABOUT CERES! It's a dwarf planet and it is closer to the sun than Pluto!

What s/he said, even though it was wrong, did in no way imply that objects closer to the sun than Neptune cannot be dwarf planets. Logical implication doesn't work both ways.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As a meterman, i can attest that some people, especially among one certain half of mankind, do seem to think, that electricity runs through pipes and water goes through cables. Also: ´Watermeter - hahaha - as if water could be counted!´ - slam door shut in front of my nose (works better in german a ´meter´ is a ´counter´ here, so the word is ´watercounter´ directly translated).

"The e-meter is in here" *opens fridge*. "No, sorry, mam, i am afraid, i dont think so."

I once lived in a student´s flathouse with 8 other students in the same flat. Some of us were watching a quiz show. The question came up, which APPEARS to be bigger from earth: The moon or the sun? I must admit, i did ponder for a bit, until i thought of an eclipse and came up with the correct answer that they seem to be about the same size, when looked at from earth. But one of my co-students asked, without shame:´Okay, but which one really IS bigger?´ (It turned out years later, when i told this story to my mum, that she didnt know either and had complete understanding for the validity of that question from an university student...) But the same person managed to top this when once after i had driven her around in my car and she tried to get out of it - and i swear i am NOT making this up -: ´I cant get out!´ - ´Well, unfasten your seatbelt´, i replied. That solved the problem. Drawing a line parallel to her ceiling, for painting purposes, was also an unsolvable problem to her. And no, she did not try to hit on me, or something.

It is also quite surprising how many germans think that the US had 52 states, not 50. A former roommate of mine (a bet with whom on this earned me a crate of beer) as well as the law-prof i had at the time. Well i guess he was counting money instead of counting stars (to reverse quote a pop-song).

Back to meter-reading:

Random person walking by: "Are you gonna do x-street today, too?"

- "Well, i am not sure, if not today, then tomorrow."

- "Not before 11am at our house, please"

That´s just average everyday stuff to me - like i know which house is hers. Empathy? 0 points.

I could write a book about facepalm moments connected to my job - and might actually do it, once my legs wont carry me around anymore - but i´ll leave it at this here, for today. Oh, but 1 more thing, that i often get reminded of, and you better not forget it either: The basement is downstairs! (that might become the title of my book, actually)

EDIT: Meter reading hung at the door: ´17.8.56 m³´ uhem, yeah. Double-comma-numbers? Not a math expert here, but i dont think those exist... Maybe we got some sort of new math-Einstein here, but otherwise *facepalm*. (i call this one the ´double-float´ - integers are so 90´s.)

Edited by Mr. Scruffy
Link to comment
Share on other sites

[watches SRBs separate from Space Shuttle]

"OMG, it shoots MISSILES?!?!"

Another reaction I have heard:

"Uh, is it supposed to to do that? Is it exploding? Are the astronauts okay?"

Although the latter would probably have been my reaction if I had never seen SRB separation before.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
×
×
  • Create New...