MinnMan

Not to pick on the OP, but as an educator I have come to hate the "There are no stupid questions" cliche. Yes, dammit, there is such thing as a stupid question.

I understand that this catch phrase was promulgated in good faith by people who wanted to promote participation and to overcome the sometimes intimidating air of the classroom, lecture hall, and other less-formal educational environments. But the net result is an entire generation of lazy people who reflexively ask any question that pops into their heads, without taking the time to consider whether they should be able to think it through for themselves. If you can always get the answer by asking a question, why strain yourself?

A non-stupid question: Anything about which you are curious for which you lack the information or the resources to construct the answer for yourself. Or anything that you *might* be able to figure out, but after some effort are finding it somewhat difficult to divine the correct answer.

A stupid question: Anything that you should be able to figure out for yourself with the information you have easily at your disposal and for which you have given no effort to answer on your own.

/rant