I normally hate all April Fool’s jokes equally, but this one is pretty funny, especially if you watch for the employees who are having a hard time keeping their faces straight during the video (from http://blog.nasm.si.edu/behind-the-sce… - there’s also a livestream, which is an impressive amount of dedication to a…

To be honest I’m still kind of surprised it ever really worked. Moderating the comments is not normally what you want your writing staff doing—you want them writing.

I haven’t even seen anyone commenting about having been un-greyed in months. Do they still even do it?

That’s good to know, although the definition of “pretty low” has probably changed since my laptop was new!

But the other problem is reverse compatibility. Old software does not always work with new operating systems. And I have some very specialized, expensive software that I’d like to still be able to use without…

So what you’re saying is that if you don’t have automatic updates on, but instead prefer to update manually, this is not an issue?

I know why automatic updating is recommended. I also know why I don’t do it. I get security updates that I need on my timetable.

You’re assuming that everyone has devices that can support the newest update.Some of us keep our devices until it is basically impossible to repair them anymore. My laptop runs great on Windows 7. It does everything I need it to do. Why should I go through the hassle of updating my system just to find out whether it…

Do all versions of Windows 7 need this? (How would you tell? If you’re not being nagged to upgrade, are you okay?)

As a person who wears glasses and probably can’t get home from wherever-it-is without them: bless you. Those little tiny screwdrivers and the extra screws are so easy to lose.

Definitely get at least a very small package of pads (standard to heavy flow, ideally). That way if your multi-pack of tampons runs out of one size, you’re still covered. Women come in all different sizes and tampons that are too big are the worst.

I live in a very small town. I can’t even get pizza delivered to my house.
The whole idea that you can stay home and the food comes to you? It’s not just exciting—it’s magical.

Thank you! I am really working on improving my bird-identifying game and your confirmation of my initial ID has made my day!

Actually, historically, white dresses were a way for wealthy women to show off how wealthy they were. A white dress means “I am so wealthy I can afford to buy this ridiculously expensive dress in a color that pretty much guarantees I will only be able to wear it once”.

It’s perfectly legal to teach children about religion in public schools, but it’s not on any of the standardized tests, so it’s not usually part of the standard curriculum. And there’s a lot of fear about being sued or otherwise getting in trouble, so there’s not a lot of incentive for teachers to teach about religion…

I’ve met plenty of Indian Christians who greet one another with “namaste” and the corresponding gesture. Everyone uses it. It’s become cultural, not religious.

This “Africa is a country” thing is so bad that when I’ve told people I was going to South Africa, they have actually asked me which country.

Reasonable well-meaning educated people who know that Africa is actually a continent are so used to having to ask “which country?” whenever they hear the word “Africa” that they…

The REALLY crazy part of this is that Roman Catholics have historically been opposed to birth control because it is birth control, not because it “causes abortions”.

I have long held the unpopular opinion that the later Harry Potter books would have been better with editing. Not, like, all the editing. Just some editing. By the end it seems like nobody was willing to give J.K. Rowling any helpful feedback along the lines of “this book is going to be too large to lift” because they…

Stretching a young adult novel into multiple movies is always a terrible idea.

A good young adult novel is too tightly constructed to be pulled apart in this way. A bad young adult novel does not have enough depth to support it.

I don’t know about the nursery school thing, because we moved, but I feel you on the birthday parties and the school plays. (Not school plays specifically, but anything that required people to be able to tell you apart so that they could choose one of you or the other for anything.)

And when you’re about seven years…

I can’t speak for all others, because part of the twin thing is that every pair is unique, but I’ve always found that it’s really only the weird assumptions and demands made by other people that are challenging. If it wasn’t for other people’s reactions, we wouldn’t be any different than any other siblings who are…