Annoying Questions I'd Like Answered...

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Thu Mar 22, 2012 8:32 pm

his office at Wolfram and Hart, I mean, though its admittedly been a while.

fectin · Post by **fectin** » Thu Mar 22, 2012 8:35 pm

Yeah. That was full of the magic glass, because that was part of the pitch, IIRC.

Stahlseele · Post by **Stahlseele** » Tue Apr 10, 2012 7:02 pm

Why can water taste kinda dusty?
Why can one have a dry mouth after drinking such water?

RobbyPants · Post by **RobbyPants** » Tue Apr 10, 2012 7:11 pm

Stahlseele wrote:Why can water taste kinda dusty?
Why can one have a dry mouth after drinking such water?

Is this from the tap, a bottle, or somewhere else?

A quick google search shows that it might be bacteria and the dry mouth can be your body warning you. Another site suggested a bad water filter and cysts (which are supposedly harmless).

ishy · Post by **ishy** » Sat Apr 14, 2012 8:26 pm

I'm looking for a thread on this forum about an American at a convention talking about creating dice. Think it was a 2 part youtube video, about how perfect his dice were, and how crappy dice included in most games usually are etc.

Anyone who has a link?

erik · Post by **erik** » Sat Apr 14, 2012 10:08 pm

There was a maker convention where some dice were printed. Does that sound like it?

ishy · Post by **ishy** » Sat Apr 14, 2012 11:01 pm

Well it was one guy at a booth being interviewed. He was talking about how dice were created and the blemishes on the dice etc.

- Edit : found the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bR2fxoNHIuU

erik · Post by **erik** » Sun Apr 15, 2012 3:29 am

Hunh. I don't recall seeing that before. Nifty. I'm pretty sure most of my dice are the more flawed variety.

shadzar · Post by **shadzar** » Sun Apr 15, 2012 7:38 am

i dont even have to click the link, to know it has to be the Lou Zocchi vids from a con where he explained about Gamescience dice vs others and how MOST dice aren't actual fair play even though they are "platonic" solids.

you never saw this before Gamestation bought Zocchi's company including the rights to the Zocchi-hedrom? (d100 no d%)

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Sun Apr 15, 2012 8:41 am

On the subject of dice, mine are starting to get pretty grimy. What's the best way to clean them?

shadzar · Post by **shadzar** » Sun Apr 15, 2012 10:10 am

as long as they arent wooden, then hand soap and water.

if you have a bag onion came in, you could put the dice in it then dip it a few times in some warm soapy water and the "grime" should come off, then just run the bag under a faucet to rinse and let the bag of dice dry.

for stuck on grime, let the dice sit in the soapy water, or dip more vigorously.

for stubborn grime, try a mild dish soap instead of hand soap, something like Dawn or Palmolive as long as it doesnt have abrasives.

Stahlseele · Post by **Stahlseele** » Sun Apr 15, 2012 12:33 pm

RobbyPants wrote:
Stahlseele wrote:Why can water taste kinda dusty?
Why can one have a dry mouth after drinking such water?
Is this from the tap, a bottle, or somewhere else?

A quick google search shows that it might be bacteria and the dry mouth can be your body warning you. Another site suggested a bad water filter and cysts (which are supposedly harmless).

Water Bottle.
Previously unopened but left standing for weeks. Usually in a cold and dark place.

Doom · Post by **Doom** » Sun Apr 15, 2012 3:16 pm

shadzar wrote:as long as they arent wooden, then hand soap and water.

if you have a bag onion came in, you could put the dice in it then dip it a few times in some warm soapy water and the "grime" should come off, then just run the bag under a faucet to rinse and let the bag of dice dry.

for stuck on grime, let the dice sit in the soapy water, or dip more vigorously.

for stubborn grime, try a mild dish soap instead of hand soap, something like Dawn or Palmolive as long as it doesnt have abrasives.

Damn, dude, you must play in a gutter to get dice dirty enough to have such tricks.

Stahlseele · Post by **Stahlseele** » Sun Apr 15, 2012 4:19 pm

Food-Fingers and spilled drinks on the table.

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Sun Apr 15, 2012 8:03 pm

I have a few wooden dice, what's good for those?

Stahlseele wrote:Food-Fingers and spilled drinks on the table.

And hand oils and such.

shadzar · Post by **shadzar** » Sun Apr 15, 2012 8:25 pm

well you dont want water to get into the wood and rot or warp them. if they were treated you could wash them with the same soap gently in your hand, but dont submerge them. or you could try a furniture cleaner, but NOT furniture polish since that has a wax in it to coat the furniture and will cause build up or the dice not to roll right.

maybe get a soapy sponge and dab the wooden die on it?

Maj · Post by **Maj** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 2:56 am

Other wooden things like cutting boards, spoons, floors, etc are frequently washed with dishwashing liquid, towel dried, and last for years. The occasional scrub shouldn't hurt them - just don't dry them in hot conditions like a dishwasher or leave them sitting in water. For extra cleaning power, add a touch of white vinegar to your soapy water.

koz · Post by **koz** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 9:00 am

Doom wrote:
shadzar wrote:as long as they arent wooden, then hand soap and water.

if you have a bag onion came in, you could put the dice in it then dip it a few times in some warm soapy water and the "grime" should come off, then just run the bag under a faucet to rinse and let the bag of dice dry.

for stuck on grime, let the dice sit in the soapy water, or dip more vigorously.

for stubborn grime, try a mild dish soap instead of hand soap, something like Dawn or Palmolive as long as it doesnt have abrasives.
Damn, dude, you must play in a gutter to get dice dirty enough to have such tricks.

I would make several bad jokes right now, but I'm gonna let everyone's imaginations do the work regarding what shadzar does with his dice. Or should I say to his dice.

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 7:38 pm

It's probably the 2e. I hear that does dirty, filthy things to anything that touches it.

Koumei · Post by **Koumei** » Wed Apr 18, 2012 11:25 am

So, I was chatting with people about naturopaths and magic potions and all that ass-gravy, and the placebo effect came up. Obviously you can use "magic energy water" and, if you look and sound doctory enough, you might very well convince them it's working and their brain makes it work.

But this raised a question that, while I could test, could potentially result in a criminal conviction. Besides, it's probably been tested before.

Does it work in reverse? Can you convince someone you put arsenic in their soup or something? (Presumably by being someone they already suspect is out to kill them or dressing like a sinister villain with cape and moustache - or by a doctory person telling them that the tests show it totally happened.)

Note that an answer in the affirmative will not result in me causing psychosomatic assassinations, it's just a point of curiosity. Maybe I'll use it in a murder-mystery story. Maybe.

Username17 · Post by **Username17** » Wed Apr 18, 2012 11:34 am

Koumei wrote:Does it work in reverse? Can you convince someone you put arsenic in their soup or something? (Presumably by being someone they already suspect is out to kill them or dressing like a sinister villain with cape and moustache - or by a doctory person telling them that the tests show it totally happened.)

Yes. This is how shamans "curse" people. They know a bunch of crazy shit about how plants work and whatever, and then they walk up and tell you that they cast a magic spell on you and now you can't get an erection. And then you worry about how the spell may have made it so you can't get an erection, and during sexy times you are totally worried, and the erection does not come.

-Username17

Ancient History · Post by **Ancient History** » Wed Apr 18, 2012 11:54 am

And then the next guy that can't get an erection claims some witch is stealing his penis.

Koumei · Post by **Koumei** » Wed Apr 18, 2012 11:54 am

Thanks. I thought I recalled something from QI about curses basically working that way (as opposed to being 100% bullshit, not "as opposed to them working by magic"), but wasn't sure.

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Wed Apr 18, 2012 1:03 pm

I actually once thought about trying to make money from peoples' vague belief in curses. Set myself up as a professional warlock, and sell curses. The thinking was basically that the placebo effect would do the heavy lifting if I just looked sinister enough, and that legal troubles could be avoided with a defense of "Please. Really? You're trying to convict me because I write out spooky paragraphs on a little scrap of paper, and then either give that to someone to chant as they dance hopping around a candle, or do so myself for a nominal fee? It's a novelty business."

fectin · Post by **fectin** » Thu Apr 19, 2012 6:03 am

There's a great book titled "The Serpent And The Rainbow" about where zombies come from. That's real life historical zombies, not pretend zombies. It has a great discussion of that sort of thing. In short: yes, you can totally kill someone like that (though it might be harder in modern society. I'd try telling them they have AIDS).

There's also a terrible movie with the same title about how the guy who wrote the book came back with secret zombie knowledge. It's like making a horror movie starring Richard Dawkins.

Edit: this is answering Koumei.