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[Kalli]

I can't remember exactly how the meter worked (my ex was a cab driver for a while and I rode with him one day just for chuckles) but it goes something like this:  You pay a set amount for the first mile, and then a set amount for every 1/10 of a mile thereafter (hence the jokes about the cabbie taking the tourist around the block 12 times before pulling up across the street).  They also include charges for time elapsed ("Wait here, and keep the meter running!).  It doesn't matter how many people you cram into the taxi, but if you all have baggage, and the cabbie loads it all into the trunk for you, you should all tip him (on top of whatever you tip him for the fare).

You didn't ask, but don't take a taxi to anywhere you intend to commit a crime.  Cabbies keep records of every fare; pick up point, destination, mileage and time, and in some areas, include a description of their passengers.

[Jew]

I was taking an online quiz and the last question was this:

What is the last grade or class that you completed in school?

• High school or less
• Some college
• College graduate

If you had an Associate's Degree, which answer would you pick? It's technically a degree, but in my mind a college graduate is someone who finished four years' worth of schooling and got a Bachelor's degree. Am I just being a higher education bigot?

[WhitePudding]

I was taking an online quiz and the last question was this:

What is the last grade or class that you completed in school?

• High school or less
• Some college
• College graduate

If you had an Associate's Degree, which answer would you pick? It's technically a degree, but in my mind a college graduate is someone who finished four years' worth of schooling and got a Bachelor's degree. Am I just being a higher education bigot?

I'm not in the US, so I might be wrong, but from what you describe the middle option would seem to be the most appropriate. After all, if you've been to college (in order to gain an Associate's degree, whatever that is) but not graduated, then it seems like that's the only viable option.

In that vein... Can anyone tell me what an Associate's degree is?

[Schroeder]

It's roughly half a bachelor's degree worth of credits, and roughly .001% as useful. Unless you're getting some sort of vocational degree or plan to continue your education, you're wasting your time earning that associate's. An ex-girlfriend once described it as "it's like a goal for someone who can't see the end of a four-year degree." She just finished her master's, so maybe she's on to something there.

[dirtmouth]

Y'know kids who act in films that have a certificate greater than their age - do they get to watch the film? I've always wondered this and it's plagued me since I first watch A Nightmare on Elm Street.

[LeCompte]

Any kid can go to any movie with a guardian.

[Tommy24]

I was born without a sense of smell. Don't have one, never have, never will. My question is: Does your sense of smell really effect how things taste? I mean, your tastes bud are on your tongue, why would smell impact that? And I know things taste different when you have a stuffed up nose, but that's true for me too, mostly because I'm swallowing mucus all the time. So is it just an old wives tale, or do I have a different sense of taste than everyone else?

[Mortal Wombat]

Not too hard to look up.

More detailed:
http://www-psych.stanford.edu/~lera/psych115s/notes/lecture11/

[checkminus]

I remember a while ago, I heard that we only know of one percent of the species in the oceans.  Is that true?  And if it is, how do we know that we only know of one percent?

[NinjaPanda]

There's two parts to that answer.

The first is that 1% is likely just an arbitrary number.  It was likely chosen because we don't know how many species there are in the oceans, but it conveys the idea that there are likely alot more than we know of.

The reason behind this is the most common organisms in the ocean are plankton.  Macroscopically, the ocean is pretty empty when you consider the sheer volume of water compared to that of life, especially out in the middle of nowhere.  But microscopically, its teeming with life.  It would be impossible to catalog the number of species of plankton because they are both so small and so numerous.  Then you also have to consider life in the deep trenches, near hot vents and such, and you have the same case with bacteria and the like living in the water near the volcanic vents.

[MrCalavera]

I have one...

Where do people look for new jobs? (I know about sites like monster.com and fish4jobs but they only seem to list "WORK FROM HOME!! EARN MILLIONS!!!" types.
I've been at my current job now for 5 years (since leaving uni) but i'm thinking of a change in career. But my problem is I have absolutely no idea what I want or am able to do.
Are there websites where you type in what skills you possess and it tells you what you could do? I'm genuinely lost and a bit overwhelmed.

[Mr Gale]

There are such websites, the ones like you mentioned will let you just list a cv and wait to be contacted, which might be an option.

I dont know your nationality, but I think you would be better off getting some professional advice. Try to find a careers advisor or whatever your countries equivalent is, talk it through with someone. Again, without knowing where you live hard to say specific websites, but you should have some national government job database, maybe just search through different tracts, find stuff that appeals to you and apply. You can always talk to employment agencies, just go in, they will discuss your skills and what they can offer you. Better to do it in person, then you can say you're a blank page and discuss best options, dont be pressured into applying for something you dont really want though.

If you're in the safety of a job, good time to start setting your sights a bit higher. Talk to a local college possibly, maybe theres some further education thing you can do that will help you find a new career, colleges generally have a career advisor also you will be probably entitled to see.

I was sort of meandering like you, it wasnt until I took a pretty random job that I realise I wanted to (and happen to rock at) teaching. It never occured to me before. Dont assume any paths for yourself.

[Stratoukos]

If that's answered I have one.

Who maintains the GPS infrastructure? Launching the satellites must have cost billions, and there are also maintenance costs that must be huge.

I've figured that it can't be the device manufacturers since a. the costs are exorbitant, b. I wouldn't be able to buy a receiver for next to nothing and c. there would definitely be licensing issues between different manufacturers, so eventually everyone would have to deploy their own satellites.

The next logical choice would be some kind of international organisation or the government/military. But there are problems with this theory too. How are the differences between countries resolved? If I were country A and I just paid $1bn for my satellites I wouldn't really like anyone in the world using it. And why would they even release it for the general public?

[shastaniac]

It started as an American program, but after Korean Air Lines Flight 007 was shot down Ronald Reagan made it available for civilian use for the greater good.

Since it's actually your receiver that handles the whole calculation and triangulation of signals and the satellites themselves only broadcast constant "pings", it's really not a big deal for the US to just keep the system up. You know, since they'd be using it themselves anyway with the same overall effort. Civilians even get the improved signal (previously only available to the military) since 2000.

[Stratoukos]

Since it's actually your receiver that handles the whole calculation and triangulation of signals and the satellites themselves only broadcast constant "pings", it's really not a big deal for the US to just keep the system up.

Ahhh, that's the key. For some reason, I always assumed that the receiver would query the satellites for distance, so lots of receivers would mean higher cost.

Given that they are called receivers I realise now how stupid that sounds.

[Nemesis39]

Any kid can go to any movie with a guardian.

no they can't only up to 18AA can they go with someone over the age of 18. when it's rated R you have to be 18 no matter what

[LeCompte]

In Canada, yes. In the U.S. the age limit for R is 17 and people younger are allowed with a guardian, but we have different rating systems. I believe your R is our NC-17, which is practically non-existant in wide-release movies.

[Dr Awkward]

Can anyone tell me where the accent of the voice over in this ad comes from?

[Workman]

That's a A West Country accent, which is well known for its Cider production/enjoyment. I can't quite place whereabouts in the WC but if I had to take a guess i'd say maybe Somerset. (For reference I live in Devon and have friends from Gloucester and it's similar to the Gloucester accent but not quite the same)

See this famous West Country band for reference/comparison.

[dirtmouth]

Without all the confusing bullshit, what's the law on owning a gun in the US? Can you walk into a shop, buy a gun and walk out?