A recent tomorrow was criticized for describing a mathematician as working with equations and "running the numbers". What are the canonical signs that someone doesn't know much about your field, or only picked up enough to make cocktail-party conversation? (categorized science and nature, but other disciplines welcome!) [more inside]
posted by d. z. wang on Sep 19, 2009 - 134 answers

How much has where you grew up determined your personality? How important is location? Those who grew up in New Zealand, how much has its culture and limitations shaped you? Children of expats, how did having expat parents influence you? Any Americans in NZ want to tell me why they are raising their children there? [more inside]
posted by scazza on Jun 19, 2009 - 9 answers

How stupid are these surveys about American stupidity? [more inside]
posted by Weebot on Jul 8, 2008 - 30 answers

Appreciating the visual arts: what should I be looking at? What should I be thinking about? [more inside]
posted by brandnew on Jun 6, 2008 - 9 answers

How do people become stupid? [more inside]
posted by sixcolors on Apr 14, 2008 - 85 answers

Am I reading too much into assumptions made by strangers or are they the ones at fault? [more inside]
posted by liquorice on Apr 3, 2008 - 43 answers

Apparently, ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny! Which I can only assume means something! [more inside]
posted by tzikeh on Feb 25, 2008 - 16 answers

Is there a word or phrase that describes the experience of learning there is an established academic definition for an idea you thought was yours alone? [more inside]
posted by Lownotes on Jan 3, 2008 - 20 answers

I am not stupid, but I know nearly nothing and will never change this fact. Help me accept this. [more inside]
posted by JokingClown on Nov 28, 2006 - 49 answers

These are not crop circles, they are circular crops in south-western Alberta. What's the advantage over rectangular fields? [more inside]
posted by louigi on Aug 9, 2006 - 11 answers

JewishHistoryFilter : Can anybody recommend a good book that dissects the common Jewish conspiracy theories and discusses their history? Extra points for readability. [more inside]
posted by afroblanca on Jul 16, 2005 - 21 answers