DOS command line interface in terminal window |
After years of complaining about halfwits who write at pay sites, we've decided to finally strike a blow for knowledge. We've repurposed this blog to call attention to some of these stupid people and the things they've written while in too big a hurry to make money to deal with useless crap like "facts" and "knowledge." Meet the Dumbass of the Day, people!
Saturday, December 31, 2016
Command Line Commands for Dummies
Friday, December 30, 2016
Science and Religion Compared for Dummies
Science vs. religion, historical context... |
Thursday, December 29, 2016
Measuring Amperage for Dummies
Suppose you wanted to make money by answering questions on the internet. Of course, you could always just put up a page with a blank that says, "Ask Question Here"; pretty much the Google model, in truth. Since that idea was already taken, the people at Demand Media (now known as Leaf Group) created eHow.com, which hired random people to answer questions that had already been asked. Unfortunately, that meant that sometimes people who knew nothing would still try to answer questions that made no sense. After all, saying "You can't do that!" wouldn't make them any money! Instead, you end up with the kind of foolishness exhibited by Bob White (he's a bird!) when he attempted to explain "How to Calculate the Amps of an Outlet Using a Multimeter" at HomeSteady.com. Ouch.
The big problem, of course, is that multimeters don't calculate anything, including amperage: they can, however, measure amperage in a bare circuit or the voltage at an outlet. White actually gets at that problem in his intro:
Wednesday, December 28, 2016
Locks for Sliding Glass Doors, the Dummy Approach
Sliding door with mortise lock |
Tuesday, December 27, 2016
Emerald Formation for Dummies
raw, uncut emeralds in crystal form |
Monday, December 26, 2016
Towel Rack Repair for Dummies
How hollow wall fasteners work |
As we do whenever possible, we went to the freelancer's original source, though we had to use the Wayback machine to find it; and – to be frank – it was only slightly better than what Springs wrote, suggesting that to tighten up a loose hollow wall fastener you simply "squirt a nice stream of glue into the hole" (small wonder the blogger who posted it took it down). But we're here to castigate Jonra, not Mark. Springs starts off with a bang, explaining that
Sunday, December 25, 2016
Rock Identification for Dummies
Igneous rock samples |
Saturday, December 24, 2016
Numerical Analysis and Error for the Dummy Statistician
Numerical analysis |
Lutzenberger gets right to the point in his introduction, explaining that
Friday, December 23, 2016
Dummies Confused About Routers
Letter template and base for a plunge router |
Thursday, December 22, 2016
Copying Software for (and by) Dummies
Data backup utility |
Nina explained, as Demand Media demanded, that
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
Deleting Files for Dummies
Acrobat file menu |
Knoll, as is required of any contributor in the Demand Media / Leaf stable, opened by "introducing" her topic:
Tuesday, December 20, 2016
Function Keys for Dummies (Techwalla Week 3)
Function key usage |
As Liandi says in the introduction,
Monday, December 19, 2016
Excel Formulas for Dummies (Techwalla Week 2)
Excel spreadsheet |
Sunday, December 18, 2016
Initializing a GPS For Dummies (Techwalla Week 1)
Typical GPS initialization screen |
Kallie's Bachelor of Arts in English apparently did not include a whole lot of instruction, if any at all, in how to use a GPS receiver; and, for that matter, probably didn't include anything more technical than how to turn on your Macintosh Airbook® when you get out of bed in the morning. That, we suspect, is why Kallie's understanding of the meaning of "initialization" of a GPS is that "the screen lights up," as one might infer from her introduction:
Saturday, December 17, 2016
Wiring and Plugs, the Dummy Version
wiring a Two-wire plug |
Friday, December 16, 2016
Copying a Program for Dummies
The likely consequences of following Tiesha's guide |
Thursday, December 15, 2016
Sonar and Parking Assist for Dummies
Active parking assist |
If you can fight your way past the overwhelming number of ads and popups on the website, you'll see that Sanderson opens her little piece with the introduction, "Car Sonar Sensors- How Do They Work?" and then goes on to... well, not tell us how they work any more than
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
Installing a Sink, the Dummy Method
Lavatory basin installation |
Tuesday, December 13, 2016
Metric Conversions the Dummies Way
Inches to feet and inches |
Unfortunately, Ferguson's answer is a little weak. You see, after informing us that
Monday, December 12, 2016
Two-Stroke Engine Maintenance, the Dummy Version
two-stroke engine diagram |
Sunday, December 11, 2016
Changing a Circular Saw Blade for Dummies
Circular saw |
Saturday, December 10, 2016
Horsepower: the Dummy Version
Definition of one horsepower |
Friday, December 9, 2016
Low Pressure Systems for Dummies
diagram of a low pressure system |
Thursday, December 8, 2016
Tidal Power for Dummies
Electricity generation by tidal power |
Wednesday, December 7, 2016
Ice Packs for Dummies
resuable gel hot and cold ice pack |
Tuesday, December 6, 2016
Covering a Popcorn Ceiling for Dummies
Removing popcorn ceiling |
Monday, December 5, 2016
French Drains for Dummies
french drain construction |
Sunday, December 4, 2016
Average Speed for Dummies
speedometer and odometer |
Saturday, December 3, 2016
Wiring a New Plug for Dummies
Replacement 3-prong male plug |
Schanaman, as always, displayed his ignorance almost immediately. First, he never bothered to explain why a power cord might have a three-prong plug (electrical ground... duh!), then he lied:
Friday, December 2, 2016
Typewriters for the Clueless Office Drone
margin levers on IBM Selectric® |
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Measuring Elevation for Dummies
surveyors without a GPS |
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
Echoes, as Explained by Dummies
human echolocation |
Sola / Strosberg opened by telling her readers what sound is:
Monday, November 28, 2016
Calculating Derivatives for Dummy Math Students
dy/dx is the instantaneous slope of f(x) at x,y |
Sunday, November 27, 2016
Trazodone for Dummies
Trazodone bottle |
According to Crossley,
Saturday, November 26, 2016
Getting Location from GPS, the Dummies Version
Triangulation with GPS |
Friday, November 25, 2016
Salinity and Salt Solution, the Dummy Version
Salt Dissolved in Water |
As is typical of eHow.com drones trapped by the site's minimum word count, Andrews answered the question... sort of... in the first hundred words or so; then got herself in trouble with some of the factoids she used for padding. Natalie's original answer?
Thursday, November 24, 2016
A New Router Table for Dummies
Shop-built router table |
Enderson, as usual, demonstrates total ignorance of her topic in the DMS-required² introduction, when she claims that
Wednesday, November 23, 2016
Fossil Types for Clueless Paleontologists
Pyritized ammonite fossil |
Tuesday, November 22, 2016
Two-Cycle Carburetors for Dummies
Two-stroke carburetor |
Monday, November 21, 2016
Coaxial Cable Installation, the Dummy Version
Coaxial cable bushing |
Saturday, November 19, 2016
All About Routers for Dummies
Shaping an edge with a fixed-base wood router |
Says Kubitschek of the weird tool-thingies he's assigned to write about,
Friday, November 18, 2016
Propane and Natural Gas, the Dummies Comparison
Chemical formula of propane |
Thursday, November 17, 2016
Walbro Carburetors, the Dummies Version
Typical Walbro 2-stroke carburetor |
Smith opens by explaining what a carburetor is and where you might find it:
Wednesday, November 16, 2016
Speed Limits for Dummies
Speed Limit Sign |
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
Topography and Elevation for Dummies
GPS showing elevation on screen |
Why someone might want to know elevation is unknowable, but Schanaman gives it a go:
Monday, November 14, 2016
Meandering Rivers for Dummies
Floodplain of meandering river |
Sunday, November 13, 2016
Lag Screws for Total Dummies
Lag screw for repairing a bone fracture |
We know he had to look it up because, based on his introduction, he clearly knew nothing about lag screws or their use (most of his information is reworded from the rather weird Lag Screws: What They Are and How to Use Them):
Saturday, November 12, 2016
Citizenship Tests for Dummies
Obtaining U S citizenship through naturalization |
Friday, November 11, 2016
Learning Houston, the Dummies Version
Brandenberg's "Houston" in black box |
As Brandenberg relates in her introduction,
Thursday, November 10, 2016
Methane and Natural Gas, the Dummy Comparison
A typical natural gas is mostly methane |
Like many of the "questions" posed by unknown internet searches and glommed onto by eHow, this topic makes little or no sense: that's because methane is (a) natural gas, and the natural gas that heats your house and cooks your food is largely methane. If Freddy wanted his fifteen bucks, though, he had to differentiate them... and so he started by explaining that
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