O’Neill Library

Hi, I’m the Answer Wall! I’ve been perched in the O’Neill Library lobby at Boston College since February 2017, except for a year in 2020 when I went fully online. Ask me a question by posting a post-it on me in O’Neill Library. I’ll answer within a day on weekdays. I snooze on the weekends, because answering questions is hard work!

Who do you think makes the most poetic music?

Who do you think makes the most poetic music?
Who do you think makes the most poetic music?

If you mean songs with lyrics that hold up on the page without the melodies, possibly Patti Smith, Bob Dylan (can’t argue with a Nobel for literature!), or Lou Reed, or just about any rap or hip hop artist for sheer virtuosity (Check out Doechii!) If you mean an imaginative or sensitively emotional style of expression that blends with the music, a lot of people are saying Taylor Swift. I’d go with a much older classic: Robert Burns.

What did the butler do?

What did the butler do?
What did the butler do?

Anything from manage the life of a fictional wealthy layabout (Jeeves, for Bertram Wooster in many P.G. Wodehouse novels) to manage the staff of a fictional great house (Mr. Carson in the British tv serial Downton Abbey). Household staff were so frequently the culprit of murder in mystery fiction that people were warned away from the cliche as early as the 1920s. (bit.ly/butler-did-it)

Should I drop out of pre-med? What are other job options besides a dr. for a neuro major?

Should I drop out of pre-med? What are other job options besides a dr. for a neuro major?
Should I drop out of pre-med? What are other job options besides a dr. for a neuro major?

Dropping out of a program is always a big decision. But you’re already doing one of the best things when deciding something: looking into options and spending time with the decision. Some other job possibilities for neuro majors include teaching, nurse practioners, and researchers. You might also talk to someone in the program or one of your professors to learn more about options.

How much helium do I have to microdose into my friend’s food before he starts floating?

How much helium do I have to microdose into my friend's food before he starts floating?
How much helium do I have to microdose into my friend’s food before he starts floating?

PLEASE don’t try this. Not really sure how you’re envisioning this working, as helium is only solid at a temperature around absolute zero. But in gaseous form, the answer is an amount of helium that would cause death by hypoxia a long time before any floating happened. Estimates of number of balloons required to lift 100 pounds: https://www.uu.edu/dept/physics/scienceguys/2000July.cfm.

What do I do about a sexist professor?

What do I do about a sexist professor?
What do I do about a sexist professor?

I’m so sorry to hear about this. If the professor is being sexist to you personally, I recommend reporting them to BC Human Resources through this form: bit.ly/bias-reporting. If the professor has not been sexist to you, but you’ve witnessed them use sexist language and behavior in a class or setting where students are present, I suggest reporting them to the Dean of their School or to the University Harassment Counselor (Harassmentcounselor@bc.edu).

Can you give me some long distance date ideas? NOT BASIC!

Can you give me some long distance date ideas? NOT BASIC!
Can you give me some long distance date ideas? NOT BASIC!

1. You each find a location with interesting things to look at without telling the other what it is, and video call, simultaneously giving each other tours. 2. If you’re up for travel, agree on a specific random destination and time, and meet each other there as if you’re spies for warring countries destined to fall in love; you must stay undercover and not be discovered by your spy masters. Disguises optional. 3. A recurring book date: on alternate nights, read each other chapters from a book as bedtime stories. 19th C. novels work well because the chapters are short. I recommend anything by Dumas, esp. the D’artagnan Romances.

where can I find an image of Salvelinus perisii? all fishbase has is an undetailed drawing. There has to be a photo somewhere, right?

where can I find an image of Salvelinus perisii? all fishbase has is an undetailed drawing. There has to be a photo somewhere, right?
where can I find an image of Salvelinus perisii? all fishbase has is an undetailed drawing. There has to be a photo somewhere, right?

Try searching Google Image for the common names torgoch charr, Welsh Charr, or North Wales arctic charr. But I see what you mean! Most images are of the Arctic Charr, not specifically perisii. Maybe you need to get a grant to journey to North Wales with a waterproof camera.

This is a fiction, RUN !!!

This is a fiction, RUN !!!
This is a fiction, RUN !!!

Names, characters, business, events and incidents are the products of the creator’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. (If you want a fun history, check out bit.ly/work-of-fiction.)

Will I be happier in the future?

Will I be happier in the future (in which my body will be weaker + slower and my parents and my cat will be dead), after spending my entire youth in school then eventually become a mediocre / ordinary person?
Will I be happier in the future (in which my body will be weaker + slower and my parents and my cat will be dead), after spending my entire youth in school then eventually become a mediocre / ordinary person?

Life has a lot of ups and downs, regardless of age. It sounds like your feeling down about the future, which can be really draining. I recommend seeking some extra support to navigate these existential feelings. BC Counseling Services (https://bit.ly/BCUCSOptions) is a great resource. I highly recommend checking them out.