Stupid Question Asking

[Andara Bledin]

Excuse me, but when I can copy and paste the exact phrase into Google and the first response is the answer, that's just a lazy copout.

Taking an example from one of your threads (which, btw, had no bearing on the creation of this thread), you asked about how cousins were categorized. Was it honestly easier to create a whole thread about the question when going to Wikipedia and typing the word "cousin" would have gotten you everything you wanted to know complete with a pretty little chart?

Part of why this sort of thing irks me (beyond the waste of effort in the name of laziness and the underlying hubris) is that many times these one-off little questions will derail an entire thread, sometimes terminally.

^-.-^

[HYHYBT]

On the other hand, sometimes if a forum is slow posting such questions can get conversations moving. For example, the cousins thread might have gotten interesting if it led to follow-up questions (possibly even debates) on how far distant a cousin ought to be before it doesn't count as incest, and whether it makes a difference whether there are any "removed"s involved.

[Mongo Skruddgemire]

I see that a lot on Yahoo Answers.

You'll get someone who asks "What's the capital of Bolivia?" It's an easy question and any number of the search engines would give you the answer in a matter of seconds. Wikipedia as well.

Those are the people that I can't stand. It took them more effort to go through the question asking process in Y!A than it would have taken to go to Wikipedia and type in Bolivia. To them I'll at least answer the question and put in the "What's your source" section "Google! Learn it, Live it, Love it, USE IT!".

I'll admit that it's snarky but then again they are being so goddamn stupid as to make my brain hurt.

Then you get people who ask "What music should I put on my iPod?" or "What movie should I watch next?" questions. How the [smurf] should I know? I don't know what these people like. I only know what *I* like.

I once pointed that out to one and they private messaged me and said "Well just tell me what you like". And so I did. I suggested things like GWAR, Loreena McKennit, Blackmore's Night, The Rogues (Bagpipe music), Liquid Didj (didjiridus), Aerosmith, Clannad, Enigma, Motley Crue, Enya, Disturbed and Weird Al Yankovic.

And that's the truth. Listen to my iPod and you'll get some weird shit. Everything that I suggested is music that I like. He got damn offended and accused me of just pulling shit out of my ass. So I sent him a screen cap of my iPod with the list of artists and told him what he could do with himself and where he could purchase the requisite agave cactus to do it with.

Then you get questions like "I just cut off my finger with a bandsaw. What should I do?" Now some of these are obviously trolls with nothing better to do (I'm guessing that their arm is cramped from all the masturbation and they're taking a break) but even if 25% of them are people asking what to do about a major illness/injury on the internet then they need to unplug once in a while. Once massive amounts of blood are in evidence I stop thinking about 'net and start thinking about ER's and 911 calls.

I used to answer them but now I think "Why should I be bothered to help these people save themselves. If they're that gorram stupid then it's time to let the gene pool self-chlorinate. Let Uncle Chuck deal with these assholes.

Then you get to the questions that are honest ones and can't easily be solved by Google but catch shit from the other Y!A users. "What should I feed my puppy?" is a prime example. Ask that and people will tell you that you are a moron who should not be allowed NEAR animals much less own one which will be dead in a week since you are too stupid to know what to feed it.

For [smurf]'s sake people. Most of the people asking that know that they need to feed the puppy something easy to digest and easy to chew. But what is better? Puppy Chow kibbles? Moist? Canned? Any one of these would sustain the dog and help it grow, but which is the3 best option for that particular puppy? It all depends on the size, weight, age, and breed of the dog.

Internet...Blessing and a curse all at the same time.

[Gravekeeper]

I see that a lot on Yahoo Answers.

I have seen questions on Yahoo Answers that have made me look at the possibility of a civilization ending meteor strike as a positive outcome for our species.

[SkullKing]

I frequent a couple of Game development forums, and there are som questions that are repeated about once a month by some lazy noob.

If you are new and come with a question of 'I want to implement x feature in y engine with z". Than it is a valid question,the discussion may even help lots of people, newbie or not.

But if you are one of the persons who ask once a month If you can do an MMO with the engine, you are a lazy noob clutering the forums.

[Ginger Tea]

Then you get people who ask "What music should I put on my iPod?" or "What movie should I watch next?" questions. How the [smurf] should I know? I don't know what these people like. I only know what *I* like.

I once pointed that out to one and they private messaged me and said "Well just tell me what you like". And so I did. I suggested things like GWAR, Loreena McKennit, Blackmore's Night, The Rogues (Bagpipe music), Liquid Didj (didjiridus), Aerosmith, Clannad, Enigma, Motley Crue, Enya, Disturbed and Weird Al Yankovic.

And that's the truth. Listen to my iPod and you'll get some weird shit. Everything that I suggested is music that I like. He got damn offended and accused me of just pulling shit out of my ass. So I sent him a screen cap of my iPod with the list of artists and told him what he could do with himself and where he could purchase the requisite agave cactus to do it with.

I have at times been tempted to ask which movie to watch, but not

Name me a movie and I'ma gonna watch it.

types, more

I have 50 unwatched DVD's on my shelf after hitting the shops after pay day, which one of these 5 do you recomend I should watch first?

I do have over 50 on my shelf well closer to 100 now I got 35 years 35 films Clint eastwood box set (granted I've seen most just not the newer or semi obscure ones) and a long box with another 50 or more in storage that I just dont remember buying let alone ever watching.

I confess I'm a movie shopaholic and with too many choices, I end up watching something random instead of my top 10 to watch as said random DVD was dirt cheap and bought after work from tesco's for a fiver or less.

So my question would be on the lines of

Out of these five films, which one do you recomend I watch, no spoilers please.

Then list five films I haven't made up my mind on.

Hell I've had Machette, Repo! the genetic opera Venus in furs and Franklin kinda high on my to watch list for months and shitty or random movies keep on superceeding them, mind you with Machette it's cos I don't want it to be another "it was better in the trailer" type of movie, even more as the trailer was originaly just a spoof in the grindhouse double bill.

With the iPod/mp3 player in general, I say mine goes from abba to zz top and from Scott to Jannis Joplin.

I woke up to find an IM from captain Dickhead asking "how should I reply to this online dating profile." which I ignored as it was from the previous night, when he called about it, he asked what I would write, I told him what I write and what he should write are two totally different things as I can not nor will not have his conversations for him, I gave him some idea's in what he could say, but only the gist, he damn near wanted me to write it all for him.

[Andara Bledin]

So Captain Dickhead wants you to play Cyrano to his would-be Christian de Neuvillette?

^-.-^

[Ginger Tea]

Aye, I'm keeping well out as once he called me and recited both ends of an msn convo asking how he should continue the convo.

[senor boogie woogie]

When someone loses something that they need, they might ask their family member or roommate if they have seen the lost object. Many times people will ask back...

"Where was the last place you saw it?"

The problem with that question is that if I knew where the last place I saw it, I would not be asking about it. That is the definition of lost, not knowing where something is or the last place it was seen.

[Andara Bledin]

Of the dozens of times that people have asked me if I have seen their lost item, I can count on one hand the number of times where "where did you have it last" has not resulted in the locating of said object.

And one of those times would be the lid for a pot of sample paint that never left the living room of my house and has yet to turn up, three weeks later. We're both still quite baffled at that one.

^-.-^

[blas87]

I hate when people ask a question to attempt to disguise being impatient or an asshole and can see the answer in plain sight.

Number one pet peeve at work. Looking right at me, asking if my current work is done. Did you not wear your glasses today? NO, it's not done. And you only asked to make me feel like an ass for not being done, or to push me to get it done faster.

Or, seeing the machine in a billion pieces, and asking me "Are you going to be able to fix it?"

I'll give you three guesses, and the first two don't count. What you really meant to ask was what was wrong, or what are the odds I can fix it and get back to panic speed working to get production back up to make you look good. Whatev.

[DrFaroohk]

The annoying thing from the stupid question asker comes in when they have to listen to snarky responses. So what if "What's the capital of bolivia" is an easy question. It takes someone more work to write a snarky response than it does to just write the damn answer.

I see it a lot when someone asks a shady question, like "How do I pass a drug test?" And there's a bunch of moral assholes responding with their objections. I just want to reach through the monitor and slap them and point out that if they could properly read, the title of question they just responded to isn't "Is it right to do drugs" it's "How do I pass a drug test". Appropriate answers are in that direction. If you want to write about how wrong drugs are, go start your own little forum about it. Stop shitting all over everyone else.

[Rapscallion]

I see it a lot when someone asks a shady question, like "How do I pass a drug test?" And there's a bunch of moral assholes responding with their objections. I just want to reach through the monitor and slap them and point out that if they could properly read, the title of question they just responded to isn't "Is it right to do drugs" it's "How do I pass a drug test". Appropriate answers are in that direction. If you want to write about how wrong drugs are, go start your own little forum about it. Stop shitting all over everyone else.

Wow, I didn't know you moderated a forum.

Rapscallion

[DrFaroohk]

I don't. I suppose I should take something from that...but I fail to see what. Usually it's not about something being moderated anyway, it's just...why bother? It's like going looking for trouble. You're not going to change anyone's mind so why bother even posting about it?

[Rapscallion]

You're not going to change anyone's mind so why bother even posting about it?

Oh, I don't know. I've changed some of my ideas based on arguments on here. A proper debate can do that.

Rapscallion