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I posted this question recently after looking at some of the interesting questions. It appears to be a decent question to me. Am I missing something here ?

It has gotten 7 downvotes so far, with one comment that was later deleted by the user. Some users who had initially upvoted the question even made the effort to retract their votes.

(Not complaining, just seeking clarifications)

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    I suspect it's because people assumed you were using the site to advertise Intel. The question itself is fine.
    – Django Reinhardt
    Apr 15, 2013 at 15:46
  • @DjangoReinhardt Well, that did cross my mind. But without context, it would have made even less sense. Also, I didnt link anywhere so that should be a hint that it isn't an advert.
    – asheeshr
    Apr 15, 2013 at 16:10

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Personally I don't think its an awful question but it could use some re-work.

My main concern is with the assertion you're trying to prove/disprove, and whether that assertion was meant literally in the first place.

The Rhinoceros Beetle can lift up to 100x its own weight GOOD
That means it could carry 8 Ultrabooks on its back BAD

You see, I don't think Intel literally meant that the Rhinoceros Beetle can carry 8 Ultrabooks. I think it was figurative, a metaphor; that is to say that the Rhinoceros Beetle could carry the associated weight of 8 Ultrabooks. It is marketing-speak for "The ultrabook is really, light - you need to buy one!"

So in summary - asking if the Rhinoceros Beetle can carry 100x its weight would be fine. Asking whether it could carry the same weight made up of Ultrabooks not so much. For many reasons, but mostly because I can almost guarantee you there is no empirical evidance for or against.

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  • If it was figurative, then the answers could try to provide evidence or assert that it was not possible and simply a metaphor. I understand there is strict "Back it Up" policy here. But does the non-existence of answers/sources/evidence make the question itself bad ? Downvotes, are an indication of problems in the question, and should not reflect the fact that there may be a lack of answers, to the best of my understanding.
    – asheeshr
    Apr 15, 2013 at 13:03
  • Ok, let me put it another way. Assuming I can prove the assertion that it can carry 100x its own weight - I still can't prove (or disprove) that weight could be made up of Ultrabooks. Thus in its current form the question is unanswerable.
    – Jamiec Mod
    Apr 15, 2013 at 13:31
  • You missed the last sentence in my comment. Does that make the question bad ? Non-existence of evidence for answers is, well, simply that.
    – asheeshr
    Apr 15, 2013 at 13:32
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I downvoted because your original question was not phrased in such a way as to reflect a specific claim that you were skeptical of. The original title was "How strong is a rhinoceros beetle?". While you included the image, and clarified "In other words, is it possible for a rhinoceros beetle to carry an ultrabook ?", your question could have been interpreted as "I'm curious how strong a rhinoceros beetle is".

The only source really cited is a clearly staged photograph intended for marketing purposes. A marketing gimmick is not the same as a notable claim, or even a claim.

However, subsequent to my downvote, the question has been improved by providing a specific quote that claims it as "fact", which does qualify as a specific and notable claim. As a result, I have removed my down-vote.

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  • Thank you for the feedback :) I was unsure of how exactly to phrase it and what information to put without making it sound like an advertisement and considering it was my first post here.
    – asheeshr
    Apr 16, 2013 at 1:22

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