Ask dumb questions here!

Diomedes · January 13, 2005, 09:41:44 PM

I got this idea of a thread for dumb questions from ILLEAGLE's thread about dumbest question ever. If you've got a question you think is dumb, post it here. For example:

I saw a car with a big windshield banner on it that said "Rubbin' is Racin'" and I have NO idea what it meant. ???q

PhillyPhreak54 · January 13, 2005, 09:43:06 PM

"Rubbin' is racin'" is a term that the NASCAR freaks like to use to say that it is OK to rub against the car next to you to jockey for position on the track.

Diomedes · January 13, 2005, 09:45:58 PM

Thanks. There were other racing stickers on the car, too. Makes perfect sense. Black marks on fenders and all that..

ILLEAGLE · January 13, 2005, 10:15:24 PM

I have many dumb questions but none are coming to mind at the moment. But I do have one that I'm curious about. Why do the Steelers have their logo on only one side of their helmets? I've asked many Steeler fans this and none can offer a reason.

General_Failure · January 13, 2005, 10:22:47 PM

QuoteThe Pittsburgh Steelers have not always been the Steelers. Originally founded as the Pittsburgh Pirates by Arthur Joseph Rooney on July 8, 1933, the Steelers changed their name in 1940 in an attempt to generate some fan support and involvement. Fans were encouraged to send their suggestions to the team; several nominated the winning name Steelers to reflect the city's primary source of employment, winning season tickets for their suggestion.

The famous Steelers logo was a bit longer in coming, however. Helmet logos first became popular in 1948 when the Los Angeles Rams became the first team to use an insignia or logo on its helmet. Rams player, Fred Gehrke, was also an artist and spent all of his free time that season hand-painting the distinctive Ram horns on 70 leather helmets. The next year, Riddell, manufacturer of the famous plastic football helmet still in use today, agreed to bake the design into the helmet, prompting other teams to gradually add logos of their own. The Steelers' only concession to the new logo craze, however, was to add the players' numbers and a black stripe to their distinctive gold helmets.

In 1962, Republic Steel of Cleveland approached the Steelers and suggested that they consider the Steelmark, the insignia used by the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), as a helmet logo to honor Pittsburgh's steel heritage. The Steelmark logo, a circle enclosing three hypocycloids (diamonds with inward-curving edges) and the word STEEL, was created by U.S. Steel Corp. (now known as USX Corp.) to educate consumers about the importance of steel in their daily lives.

The Steelers liked the idea presented by Republic Steel, despite the fact that the company was located in the city of their bitterest rival, the Cleveland Browns, and proudly sported the new logo on their helmets for the 1962 season. After qualifying that year for their first-ever postseason game, they changed the color of their helmets from gold to solid black, which also served to highlight the new logo they felt had brought them good luck.

One last change occurred to the logo in 1963 when the Steelers petitioned the AISI to allow them to change the word 'Steel' inside the Steelmark to 'Steelers.' The Steelers later added the gold stripe and player numbers and changed the face masks from grey to black, but otherwise the helmet has remained virtually unchanged since 1963.

The new Steelmark logo was originally only applied to one side of the helmet (the right side) by equipment manager Jack Hart because the Steelers were uncertain how it would look on their solid gold helmets. Even when they later switched their helmet color to solid black, they decided to permanently retain the logo on just the one side due to the team's new success and the interest generated by the logo's uniqueness. The Steelers are now the only team in the NFL to sport its logo on only one side of the helmet.

link

ILLEAGLE · January 13, 2005, 10:32:24 PM

Damn, thanx GF!

Ok, another one. Why in the Saints endzone logo all the letters are capitalized except for the "i"? If you find an article that explains that, I will be severely impressed.

General_Failure · January 13, 2005, 10:38:42 PM

You've got way too much time on your hands.

ILLEAGLE · January 13, 2005, 10:42:55 PM

Quote from: General_Failure on January 13, 2005, 10:38:42 PM
You've got way too much time on your hands.

I know. $:-\$

Diomedes · January 13, 2005, 10:44:32 PM

"seltzer" and "club soda": is the difference chemical or only semantic?

ILLEAGLE · January 13, 2005, 11:12:39 PM

Quote from: Diomedes on January 13, 2005, 10:44:32 PM
"seltzer" and "club soda": is the difference chemical or only semantic?

Believe it or not, I've wondered that myself. They taste the same and both declare war on my stomach.

MadMarchHare · January 14, 2005, 08:33:29 AM

QuoteCall it seltzer, call it sparkling water, call it club soda. Whatever you call it, you're sure to love how making it at home will save money — and your aching back!

Not exactly CNN but...

http://www.sodaclubusa.com/seltzer_lovers.asp

Syracuse · January 14, 2005, 08:53:01 AM

Quote from: ILLEAGLE on January 13, 2005, 10:15:24 PM
I have many dumb questions but none are coming to mind at the moment. But I do have one that I'm curious about. Why do the Steelers have their logo on only one side of their helmets? I've asked many Steeler fans this and none can offer a reason.

Not laughing at the question, just the fact that I have often wondered the same thing.
Thank's for the answer, GF.

Zanshin · January 14, 2005, 08:54:53 AM

I always thought that the difference between club soda and seltzer was that club soda had a touch of sodium, whereas seltzer didn't. I'll have to dig for a link though.

Rome · January 14, 2005, 08:55:13 AM

Straight selzer water doesn't have a bitter aftertaste the way club soda does.

Actually, I drink flavored selzer all the time because it's cheaper than regular soda & there's zero calories in it & that helps me keep my Adonis-like physique in peak form.

Zanshin · January 14, 2005, 08:57:02 AM

Okay, here's your answer:

Q: WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CLUB SODA AND SELTZER WATER?

A: WE WENT TO COOK'S ENCYCLOPEDIA TO GET THE ANSWER FOR YOU. SELTZER WATER IS A FLAVORLESS, NATURALLY EFFERVESCENT WATER THAT TAKES IT'S NAME FROM A REGION IN GERMANY.

CLUB SODA, SOMETIMES CALLED SODA WATER, WAS INTRODUCED IN THE LATER HALF OF THE 18TH CENTURY WHEN CARBON DIOXIDE WAS INJECTED INTO WATER. SO SELTZER AND CLUB SODA ARE ESSENTIALLY THE SAME THING EXCEPT ONE IS NATURALLY EFFERVESCENT, ONE IS MAN-MADE.

From NBC4.com