Best of Quora 2010–2012 © 2012 Quora, Inc. The content in this book was selected by Marc Bodnick, John Clover, Kat Li, Alecia Morgan, and Alex Wu from answers written on Quora between 2010 and 2012. This book was copyedited by Kat Li and Alecia Morgan. This book was designed by David Cole and Tag Savage. www.quora.com CONTENTS food 13 Why is it safe to eat the mold in bleu cheese? 16 How do supermarkets dispose of expired food? 19 If there were ten commandments in cooking what would they be? 20 Why do American winemakers produce mostly varietals, while French winemakers produce blends? 21 Why are the chocolate chips in chocolate chip ice cream gener- ally “chocolate-flavored chips”? education 25 What is one thing that you regret learning in medical school? 27 How does a star engineering high school student choose amongst MIT, Caltech, Stanford, and Harvard? 29 Are general requirements in college a waste of time? international 33 Is Iraq a safer place now compared to what it was like during Saddam Hussein's regime? 36 Is Islam misogynistic? 39 Do the Chinese people currently consider Mao Zedong to be evil or a hero? 40 Why do so many Chinese learners seem to hate Dashan (Mark Rowswell)? 49 How do Indians feel when they go back to live in India after living in US for 5+ years? 55 Is it safe for a single American woman to travel in India? 58 If developing countries are growing faster than developed countries, why wouldn't you invest most of your money there? 60 What is it like to visit North Korea? 65 What are some common stereotypes about Irish people that are largely untrue? 70 Do Irish immigrants to the Bay Area feel guilty for living in such an amazing place? law 75 How valid is the implied legal advice in Jay-Z's “99 Problems”? 77 In the movie Iron Man, could investors sue Tony Stark for act- ing against the interest of the shareholders? 80 Is it true that in China, you can hire someone to serve your prison sentence? 82 Why are lawyers so expensive even with the excess supply of lawyers? life advice 91 What are some stupid things that smart people do? 94 What are the disadvantages of dating highly intelligent men? 95 How do you know if you've found “the one”? 97 How do I convince my girlfriend (possibly future wife) that a diamond engagement ring is a waste of money? 100 How do boys feel about girls who don't expend much effort on appearances (e.g., clothes, makeup)? 102 What should you do if you suspect a car has been following you? 104 What is some advice every new mother should know? 106 My kids have started learning chess. Is it a good idea to let them beat me sometimes to encourage them? 107 How would you explain to a five-year-old that higher taxes on the rich don't fix everything? 109 When should someone be finished grieving? 112 How can you overcome your envy of people who are your age but are far more successful than you? literature 115 What book should I read to make girls think I'm smart in a hot way? 117 Which Jane Austen heroine most embodies feminist prin- ciples? 122 What is so great about Jane Austen? 124 Toward the end of Harry Potter: Order of the Phoenix, why don't the kids just gang up on and overpower Umbridge? 126 Is The Hunger Games a pro-girl / pro-woman story, the way Brave is? 131 Does race or ethnicity play a role in The Hunger Games series? If so, how? music 139 What is so great about Jay-Z? 143 Is it possible at this stage of human culture to create a new genre of music? 147 Why don't cell phones work at music festivals? 151 How do you know when to switch positions on the violin? 154 Why is U2 so popular? professions & careers 159 What is it like to be a sniper? 161 What have you learned as a police officer about life and society that most people don't know or underestimate? 163 What's the best way to escape the police in a high-speed car chase? 167 What is it like to earn a living through poker? 172 Why does it seem most doctors are not compassionate? 173 What is it like to be the commanding officer of an Aircraft Carrier? 178 How do good hotels always feel so clean and fresh? 182 What is the worst part of being a VC? 186 What are some things that airline pilots won't tell you? 188 What's it like to be a drug dealer? science 199 If you injure a bug, should you kill it or let it live and not die? 200 What does it feel like to be bitten by a black widow spider? 203 How does a spider decide where to put up its web? 205 If I want to look smart, what do I need to know about the Higgs Boson discovery? 208 How has our understanding of the universe changed in the last 100 years? 210 Would a lone adult wolf be able to take down an athletic adult human? 214 Does bouncing your leg improve cognition? 217 What is the neurological basis of curiosity? 220 Why do living things die? 222 What are the economics of lying? 225 What is it like to have an understanding of very advanced mathematics? movies 237 Given our current technology and with the proper training, would it be possible for someone to become Batman? 241 In The Dark Knight, how did the Joker really get his scars? 242 How do actors' spouses feel about love scenes in film and TV? 246 Did Pixar accidentally delete Toy Story 2 during production? 249 How do directors conceive and think through monster and ac- tion scenes? 250 Why does one of the goons trying to kill Frank Pentangelli in the bar say, “Michael Corleone says, ‘Hello’”? 251 What is it like to be a contestant on Jeopardy! ? 255 How do screenwriters feel about bad reviews, in particular claims of formulaic writing? 258 What determines whether an actor is cast in a part in Hol- lywood? politics 261 How early do politicians and presidential political campaigns begin quietly promising/planning cabinet seats and vice presi- dent positions? 264 What's it like to fly on Air Force One? 267 What if Richard Nixon had won the 1960 Presidential elec- tion? How would history have been different? 270 Should highly skilled international students (including Bach- elors, Masters, Doctorate) be given Green Cards? 272 What are the chances of a debt crisis on the scale of Greece hitting the United States? prison life 275 What does it feel like to murder someone? 277 Do inmates in San Quentin have access to computers and the Internet? What kind of access? 278 What does the first day of a 5+ year prison sentence feel like? 280 What did it feel like when the gavel dropped in court with the verdict and how have you changed your life behind bars since then? sports 285 What is it like to be an Olympic athlete after winning (or not winning) the Olympics? 287 Do Olympic or competitive swimmers ever pee in the pool? 288 Why is Jeremy Lin so turnover-prone and how can he fix this? 289 What's it like to play on the same basketball team as Jeremy Lin? 291 What makes the Spanish national football team so dominant right now? 293 How effective would sumo wrestlers be as NFL linemen? 298 Is wrestling fake? technology 305 What does it feel like to be the CEO of a start-up? 308 What factors led to the bursting of the Internet bubble of the late 1990s? 310 What was the genesis of Instagram? 312 Am I missing out by not playing any video or console games? 314 Why did Steve Jobs choose not to effectively treat his cancer? 319 What are the best stories about people randomly meeting Steve Jobs? 322 Which of the Hogwarts Houses does each of the Gang of Four companies correspond to? women 327 What does it feel like to be an unattractive woman? 330 Why are women so negative about the “picking up women” school of thought? 333 As a young woman, how can I shake the feeling that being good-looking is the primary thing that males will acknowledge and praise my existence for? 338 What is it like to be a woman working in the tech industry? 344 What advice would seasoned women in tech give to younger girls deciding to make a tech career for themselves? the united states 347 What did it feel like to be inside the World Trade Center at the time of the 9/11 attacks? 350 What does it mean to be Asian American? 353 Why is NYC so great? 356 What are good tips for hailing a taxi in Manhattan? 358 How likely would Abraham Lincoln be to survive his wounds today? 360 How could the sinking of the Titanic have been prevented? 363 What do hipsters know that I don't know? 365 What facts about Burning Man do virgin burners not believe until they go? 366 Why does the USA insist on doing things differently than the majority of other developed nations? work advice 373 What do recruiters look for in a resume at first glance? 378 What distinguishes the top 1% of product managers from the top 10%? 380 How can you increase your productivity on your side projects at the end of the day when you’re tired from work/college? 381 How do you fire an employee that just isn't good enough? 383 What are telltale signs that you’re working at a “sinking ship” company? 387 How do you know when it’s time to leave your current com- pany and move on? personal experience 393 What is it like to be in a train crash? 396 What is it like to leave the Church of Scientology? 397 What is it like to be kidnapped? 399 What does it feel like to be addicted to drugs? 406 What is it like to be an alcoholic? 409 What does it feel like to have Asperger's Syndrome? 412 What is it like to be in a relationship with someone who has Asperger's? 418 What does it feel like to have your sibling die? 421 What's it like to come from a billion-dollar family? 422 What does it feel like to be stupid? 424 What does it feel like to be both very physically beautiful and very academically intelligent? 430 What does it feel like to be unattractive and desired by none? 432 What's it like to pay for sex on a regular basis? 434 What does it feel like to cancel your wedding? 437 What is the most heroic thing you have ever done? FOOD cheese Why is it safe to eat the mold in bleu cheese? Yoav Perry, Artisan cheesemaker Generally speaking, the aversion from mold in foods comes from the cognition that mold on fresh foods clearly indicates that they are no longer fresh.