The many questions-not-worth-their-own-thread question thread XXI

[salty mud]

How very Bond.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

Did google change the way they present images when you do an image search and click on a picture result? Or is something weird with my browser?

 

[shadowplay]

They changed it recently. Takes a little getting used to.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

I don't hate it. It was just unexpected. Thanks

 

[Cutlass]

In Canada you can travel with a slapjack. I'm not sure about Europe.

Last time I was in Canada I was speaking with this woman who had a cane with a spring loaded spike which shot out of the end. She said she had no problem taking it on the plane.

 

[The_J]

Looked it up, seems a slapjack fits under the german defintion of a blackjack.
For knifes, it seems that here everything is illegal which has either a double sided blade or more than 28 cms, so I guess I'm save with my leatherman .

Additionally Dutch universities don't seem to have the same clauses like German universities, that they can deny or revoke your PhD if you've been convicted...phew.

Psch. Get a classy cane and a couple of outfits that match with it. Unless you are going to practice knife fighting or something more drastic you can't get much better than what is essentially a baseball bat without it becoming a "real weapon."

Don't think it fits my style .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballpoint_pen_knife

that looks interesting. Might be a challenge to get one here though .

 

[shadowplay]

As arming yourself doesn't appear to be legal in whatever countries you're traveling in, you could try walking around in a suit of chain mail. You'd look weird, but you'd be better protected should you be attacked by hacking from small arms, although you'd be pretty messed up by a bolt from a crossbow.

I think the real question is, do you really need to carry a weapon?

 

[GenMarshall]

Is it wrong to keep telling myself that I'm still awesome?

 

[salty mud]

If it works for you, then do it. There's nothing worse than putting yourself down, and telling yourself that you're awesome exudes confidence. People like confidence.

As an aside, where the devil is the new thread?

 

[Quackers]

<nvm>

 

[Quackers]

Can some American explain to me the rules of American football? An example of how a game works out? There is some American football on British telly and i'm tempted to watch it.

I have zilch knowledge on the game.

 

[rugbyLEAGUEfan]

Can some American explain to me the rules of American football? An example of how a game works out? There is some American football on British telly and i'm tempted to watch it.

I have zilch knowledge on the game.

I think I can help using the similarities to rugby league which you'll be familiar with. Four downs instead of six tackles however you have those four downs to either score a touchdown, kick a field goal or travel ten yards or you surrender possession. So generally on the first three plays the offense is trying to gain ten yards in which case they get another four downs and can continue. If they haven't achieved ten yards after three downs they will generally punt downfield if out of field goal range (if you must lose possession, better it be down their end).

Forward passes is one striking difference. The offense can forward pass once per play and can't do so if in front of the line of scrimmage (that familiar line where the "snap" occurs).

It's a brilliant game worth watching. The hits are massive, the skills and speed amazing. I would say the role of quarterback is one of the the great roles in sport requiring brains, pinpoint passing skills and great courage.

 

[The_J]

As arming yourself doesn't appear to be legal in whatever countries you're traveling in, you could try walking around in a suit of chain mail. You'd look weird, but you'd be better protected should you be attacked by hacking from small arms, although you'd be pretty messed up by a bolt from a crossbow.

If I was into LARP, then this would actually be quite a nice idea .

I think the real question is, do you really need to carry a weapon?

Apparently this city is not as save as it seems (related post in the rants thread).
Unrelated to that: My face somehow is an invitation to get smacked, and I'm also a pretty insensitive person who's likely to say rude things by accident.

Is it wrong to keep telling myself that I'm still awesome?

Never!

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

Is it wrong to keep telling myself that I'm still awesome?

It's fine as long as you don't use it as an excuse to rest on your laurels.

 

[salty mud]

Can some American explain to me the rules of American football? An example of how a game works out? There is some American football on British telly and i'm tempted to watch it.

I have zilch knowledge on the game.

Every ten minutes there is a commercial break. Frequently these are more exciting than the actual game itself, hence why so many Americans love to watch the Super Bowl commercial break. You are not allowed to kick the ball with your foot. Handling it is perfectly acceptable. When it all gets toi much, you switch over to Sky Sports and watch a real sport.

That's the rules of American football summed up for you.

 

[Birdjaguar]

Yes, it is four hour game where for 15 minutes of those four hours men run about bashing each other over a small ball. The rest is advertising and mind numbing commentary.

Here is a description of the game from 1953.

Link to video.

 

[Kaitzilla]

Can some American explain to me the rules of American football? An example of how a game works out? There is some American football on British telly and i'm tempted to watch it.

I have zilch knowledge on the game.

Sure, American football is much more straightforward than baseball

The game lasts 60 minutes divided up into 4 quarters of 15 minutes. After each quarter, the teams switch positions on the field to even out unfair weather advantages. Throwing or kicking into the wind is considered the main one.

The 2nd and 4th quarters are special in that they get a mandatory time out at the 2:00 mark. This creates extra tension by extending scoring drives at the end of the 1st half and the end of the 2nd half of the game. Between the 2nd and 3rd quarters is Half Time when everyone takes a 15 minutes break.


Basically, whichever team has the most points after 4 quarters is declared the winner. If there is a tie, then the game goes into overtime and the first team who scores is declared the winner. (In pro football anyway, college is a bit different)


At the start of the game, a coin is flipped where the visitors calls heads or tails in the air. Whoever wins the coin toss decides if they want to recieve the ball 1st or kick it off to the other team. If the coin toss winner decides they want the ball first, then the other team will start with the ball in the 3rd quarter. If they decide to kick it to the other team, they will get it at the start of the 3rd quarter.

So the coin toss isn't really a big deal at the start of the game. It IS a big deal in overtime though.
Can't recall anyone who won the coin toss in overtime and decided to kick it to the other team.

So one side lines up to kick the ball while the other side lines up to recieve it. The kicker has two options during a kickoff. They can kick it as far as possible or attempt an onside kick. An on-side kick means that if the kicker can kick the ball and it goes more than 10 yards, then his own team can pick it up and the ball is theirs! If his own team touches the ball before it goes 10 yards, the other team gets the ball at that spot. (Which is practically midfield)
So onside kicks are very dangerous. Kick it too hard and the other team will get it at the 40 yard line almost at midfield or kick it too soft and they get it midfield. Kick it too slow and the other team will run forward and scoop it up! Most teams only attempt it when they are sure the other team isn't paying attention or if they are down by a lot of points and need to catch a lucky break.

The receivers goal is to catch the ball and run it back for a touchdown if no one tackles him. If the receiving team touches the ball and the kicking team scoops it up, then it is theirs. So you want a guy who can catch the ball and run really fast receiving kickoffs.

If the kickoff goes into the end zone, the receiver might see the kicking team bearing down on him and take a knee. That is called a touchback and the receiving team starts at their own 20 yard line without anyone having to get tackled. If the kicker is feeling very strong or has the wind at his back, he can kick it across the whole field, across the end zone, and beyond the endzone, which is an automatic touchback.

If the kicker lands it out of bounds to the left or right, the other team can take it on their own 35 yard line, or ask for a rekick 5 yards farther back than the 1st, or take it where it bounced out.


Every time a team scores a field goal or touchdown, they have to have a kickoff to the other team afterwards. The only exception to this is a touchback where the quarterback/running back is sacked in his own endzone. The other team gets 2 points for this AND they get to receive a kicked ball.


So, at the start of the 1st quarter you will see a kickoff. The guy will usually catch it and try to run it past his own 20 yard line at least and maybe more if he gets good blocks. If he gets really good blocks then he could even run it back for a touchdown. The kickoff used to be from the 30 yard line, but a bunch of girls voted to move it to the 35 yard line, so now kickoffs are usually deep into the other team's endzone these days and you see many more fair catches and bloodless 20 yardline starts.

If one team manages to get the ball into the other's end zone, that is called a touchdown and gets 6 points. After that, the team gets to kick the free point which is like a very very short field goal. It counts as 1 point. No pro kicker ever misses those. (Usually) The team could also attempt to run or pass it 5 yards into the endzone again for 2 points, but it fails over half the time so coaches usually go for the 1 point.

A team can also attempt a field goal if they are close enough and they don't think they can score a touchdown. It is worth 3 points. If the ball misses, then the other team takes possession from the other team at that spot. So not only are farther away kicks more difficult to achieve, but failure lets the other team start much closer in a position to score themselves. If neither a touchdown or field goal looks possible, then a team will punt the ball. A guy kicks it much like a kickoff, only the ball is usually in the air much longer and doesn't go as far.

A punt is just like a kickoff, only when the kicking team touches the ball 1st, it is downed there for the other team. The kicking team doesn't get a chance to take possession of it like during a kickoff unless the other team touched it first. A punt can also bounce out of bounds and the recieving team has to take it there. It is a rare punter who can bounce it out of bounds at the other team's one yard line on purpose. A very very high kick that lands on the other team's 5 yard line where the punter's teammates can touch it is also valuable.


So offense and defense. Maybe someone else can explain this part I'm tired
The offense gets 4 attempts to advance 10 yards.

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

The faucet aerator on the kitchen sink is at a weird angle. Can I just hammer it back into place?

 

[hobbsyoyo]

It might just be screwed on wrong. Can you usncrew it and then screw it back on?

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

I don't think it looks like it's unscrewable.