(Frequently Answering Questions)
I've been using the question-and-answer site Quora for almost exactly 3 years, and I've written nearly 1,000 answers.
I've put a lot of effort into writing answers but I'm starting to forget what I've written about over such a long period, and Quora doesn't provide good search tools for finding old answers. So I thought I'd make my own index of my answers, or at least some of them that might be worth keeping.
I've written lots about cartography, travel, programming, sexuality and religion, so I'll make several posts for those. In this post: answers about dogs, about the UK and France, a small collection of answers about being a postgraduate student (grad school), and a miscellany including philosophy, history, politics, business and random personal advice.
In 2014 I wrote a lot of answers to "personal advice" questions, often not very good answers; the ones below are a selection of the better ones. I don't know if the balance of questions on Quora has shifted, or whether their algorithm just isn't showing me so many of those now, but latterly I mostly go for more factual answers.
Dogs
- What is the best thing about having a dog? (one of my most heartfelt answers ever)
- Why are my 5 week old puppies sleeping so much?
- Will the puppies I gave away recognize each other?
- Is it possible for a male black Labrador to sire Fox Red Labrador puppies if he is bred with a pure Red Fox bitch?
- Why does my dog dig at the bed?
- Why do some people allow their dogs to lick them in the mouth?
- What is the reason why crate training is necessary for a puppy?
- If a dog loses at a dog show does that mean it is deformed?
- Do dogs really have no sense of time?
- Is it OK to make a dog run around the living room as exercise? (no!)
- Why do dogs recognize their names?
- If you were going to name a dog based on a character from a Haruki Murakami novel, what would you name it?
The UK and France
- What authority does a United Kingdom civilian traffic officer have?
- How did the shipping forecast areas in the British Isles come to be?
- Is it true that the Black Gate (of Newcastle upon Tyne) used to stand at the edge of the local police area (many years ago)? (that was interesting to research)
- Where are the safest places to live in Newcastle Upon Tyne?
- Why do Google avoid paying UK tax on their UK profits?
- Why doesn't Jaguar make a small car (like the BMW 1 Series or Merc A-Class)?
- How reliable are the Jaguar XKR and XFR?
- If the UK leaves the European Union, will UK companies have open to them only UK and international trademarking, not European?
- What would be the effects if the US and the UK were to swap sovereignty over two similarly sized cities? (fascinating idea!)
- Is it legal to hire an unpaid full time intern in the UK?
- Can directors of limited companies in the UK claim redundancy?
- My employer has recently started to enforce a '4-strikes-and-you’re-out' policy with regards to being late. Is this legal in the UK?
- Why has the UK chosen not to separate executive and legislative power?
- What taxes are households in UK subject to?
- How do corporate taxes and other draconian regulations compare between the UK, the US, France, and Germany?
- Should voting be compulsory in the United Kingdom?
- I think the online presence and delivery options of stores around GB could lead to the decrease of road traffic, do you? (no)
- Do Americans like English breakfast?
- How does the UK and France have a higher net national wealth than Germany?
- How can you tell the difference between German, British, and French people by their appearance?
- If Queen Elizabeth II died and the succession went to Prince George, would he be eligible at the age he is at?
- What will happen if Prince George turns out to be gay?
- Has the British Royal Family lost their Aura/mystique?
- In terms of royal succession, if a prince or princess is gay and marries, will his or her spouse also be king or queen?
- What if the Queen of the United Kingdom became transgender? Would he be king?
- The British generally don't talk about the monarchy much. Is it true? Why?
- Why didn't MI6 act on behalf of Alan Turing and overlook his indecency charge?
- If Alan Turing were alive and is caught in his gay act today, what will be his likely punishment under the law?
- Should the British government have refrained from punishing Alan Turing for homosexuality, so that he could have continued making computer-related contributions to society?
- What will happen when the heir to the British crown marries a person of the same gender?
- Do you think the British monarchy will still be here until the world ends and why?
- Why did Henry V of England invade France?
- What would have happened if the United States aided the French in their war with Great Britain?
- We live in France and want to move to the UK with our daughters. What are the steps to follow?
- What are some things you can do in France but not in the USA? (one of my most-upvoted answers ever)
- Which country has better nude beaches: France or Australia?
- What's the reasoning behind France's law forbidding legal extradition of its citizens abroad?
- Do I need a headlamp washer system for xenon light in France?
- When will France's debt catch up with France?
- How Islamized is France compared to other European countries?
- Is there any special relationship between Calais in France and the UK nowadays?
- Why are the migrants in Calais tolerated by the French authorities?
- How can a foreigner (non-EU) find a marketing job in France?
Grad school
- When someone says they got into a grad school, does it mean they got into a PhD program or masters?
- What should one do the summer before one is going for a PhD in CS?
- Should students be able to fail their professors?
- Is it worth leaving a software engineering job to pursue a PhD in computer science? (it depends)
- What are the disadvantages of doing research without a PhD in the field of computer science?
- Can you go straight into a PhD program right after undergrad?(computer science)
- When choosing between PhD programs, should salary be a strong deciding factor?
- What is more contributing towards getting a PhD degree, a patent or a paper publication?
- What is the difference between a dissertation and a project? Which one is less complex?
- What could be the cost of a PhD in CS? (I work it out)
- What is the rationale of someone's doing a PhD at the age of 50?
- Can one be admitted in PhD computer science program if pregnant?
Random stuff
- Do I choose who I am?
- I'm 18 years old and I don't know what I like or hate. I don't have any goals. What's wrong with me?
- I'm about to graduate and have an excellent idea for a business. What would people suggest are the best options to find funding for this?
- How would the world have developed differently if Alan Turing didn't die so early?
- Did the gates on medieval castles/cities open inwards or outwards? - I happened to know
- Who holds the copyright of thesaurus?
- Can I use lines from songs in my novel?
- What is the name of the short movie studio intro films at the beginnings of movies?
- Is there a chance that Quora could become a real-world Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?
- Assuming if you are Caesar, how do you defeat Asterix's village?
- What "should" Africa's map look like?
- What is a powder room attendant?
- What do you call a funeral/memorial service when you don't have a body, like for plane crash victims?
- May I legally share a letter that I received from a local politician?
- What gives a human (or group of humans) the right to rule?
- How much should it cost to get an MRI outside the United States?
- What does the infidel symbol mean?
- Do you feel down when you see your country as one of the smallest countries on a world map?
- Why do we need international borders? Because democracy
- I'm a male freshman college student and I just got an earring on my left ear and dyed my hair. My father is concerned about my chances of doing well in a job interview or if I'm looking to do research. Will I not be hired because I look different?
- I finished a short term private business that was quite successful, now I don't know how to proceed in my professional life. What should I invest my time doing? How do I know what I really want to do and become?
- What are the reasons a coworker would always avoid eye contact with you?
- How can I publish in the public domain so that my work is permanently without copyright?
- What's the best job?
- When should the hardness of your work be rewarded regardless of the results?
- Do men like the film Amelie? (I do)
- The Big Bang Theory: Considering their qualifications, why didn't the characters fix the broken elevator in Leonard and Sheldon's apartment?
- In Buffy the Vampire Slayer, why are there so many Watchers if there is only one Slayer?
- Does Buffy The Vampire Slayer normalize domestic violence?
- In Buffy the Vampire Slayer, why is Giles not invited to the Watchers' Retreat mentioned in the Season 3 episode "Faith, Hope & Trick"?
- What is the ultimate truth Buffy learned from Spike in 'Fool For Love'?
- How could a fully grown dianoga (trash compactor monster) be aboard the Death Star when it was still literally brand new?
- In Star Wars why are there manned fighters (e.g. X-Wing or Tie-Fighter) instead of drones?
- What are some tips on getting rid of nerves before speaking in public?
- I want to start a dating coaching business, but I want all my clients to sign a non-compete stating they will never start their own dating coaching businesses. Is this legally enforceable?
- Why have developing countries failed to achieve parity with the developed nations?
- As the hollowing-out/polarization of the job market leads to "lovely jobs and lousy jobs," what will the lovely jobs be? How can one prepare for them?
- Is Trumpism the rollback or the intensification of neoliberalism?
- Does anyone know the best way to share/post with just a small group of people... is there a blog site other than tumblr or blogger that you can have like a small group posting feed?
- Is it better to be dead than to be living in a third world country? You don't half get some odd questions.
- If things in Gaza are so terrible, why don't the people who live there move somewhere more peaceful with a large Arab/Muslim population, like Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Jordan, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, France, Spain, or Detroit? An idiot's guide to ethnic cleansing.
- Would it be a bad thing to go back into the military for camaraderie?
- On average, how many airline flights a day do American lawyers take? (I don't usually do snark, but...)
- Why is it that whenever people see something scary and they get scared, they still want to find out what it is?
- What do we mean by human rights?
- Is soul theory the best approach to personal identity?
- Do you really see a white light when you die? Or already deceased relatives?
- What countries would be considered as having an "honor culture"? And why?
- What is a font face?
- What will living in San Francisco be like in 2020?
- Under what circumstances could a ship that has been abandoned by its captain in international waters become the property of anyone who salvages it?
- Are Europeans happier because they have more vacation and travel more than Americans?
- What are the ideas you have as a common man to help find missing flights in future, after MH370 went missing?
- How can quality be assured in the absence of competition?
- Why do many Chinese parents consider doctor, lawyer and accountant to be the "default" career for their children?
- At what age should we stop providing free health care to seniors?
- Should people wear masks? They are tougher on jokey answers nowadays.
- Is it possible to use a smartphone differently?
- Why is PostSecret so successful?
- Why are wombats' feces cubic? (just my guess)
- How can I start a gym business?
- Can capitalism fund socialism?
- Who controls the union?
- By what criteria is a corporation/business considered ethical?
- Is it ethically wrong for humans to profit from businesses that sell body parts of animals for human consumption?
- Have you ever taken an IQ Test? If so, what was your score, and how accurate do you think it is based on your personal evaluation of your intelligence?
- Why am I happy now?
- Do you often begin to respond to a question only to debate yourself internally and determine that no response is appropriate?
- What is your view on displays saying "buy local to avoid CEO’s buying a 3rd house and allow locals to put food on the table"?
- What protects you more than your arms and legs?
It's a strange mix of stuff I happen to know about, things that happened to catch my interest, and a few cases where I probably would never have answered if Quora's system hadn't prompted someone to send me an "ask to answer".
I enjoy sharing my knowledge and I enjoy writing, which I suppose is what has kept up my interest in Quora for so long.