# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=1003 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 1004 --- ## [TV Technology: Splitting Screens Then & Now](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-technology-splitting-screens-then-now/737716)
**Author:** [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [November 18, 2015, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-technology-splitting-screens-then-now/737716 "2015-11-18T05:36:05Z")
At least one major cable news network will often show a main event with someone providing their “professional opinion” from inside a small box, a mini screen within a larger screen. Perhaps today this is no big deal wit… --- ## [Special Forces Installation](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-forces-installation/737864)
**Author:** [@Potestas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Potestas)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [November 18, 2015, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-forces-installation/737864 "2015-11-18T04:07:23Z")
So can anyone with a valid CAC/Military ID go onto a Special Forces Installation in the United States say to shop at the PX, etc? (Referring to Special Forces only installations such as this SOUTHCOM one belonging to th… --- ## [FB birthday reminder for the dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fb-birthday-reminder-for-the-dead/737829)
**Author:** [@tullsterx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tullsterx)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [November 18, 2015, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fb-birthday-reminder-for-the-dead/737829 "2015-11-18T02:51:17Z")
I just got my first birthday reminder for a dead relative! I hope to have many more to look forward to. But, it was kinda creepy. And several people wished him a happy birthday! . . . seems like some did it in remembr… --- ## [Pawning a Gun](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pawning-a-gun/280008)
**Author:** [@Mississippiman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mississippiman)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [November 18, 2015, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pawning-a-gun/280008 "2015-11-18T02:27:27Z")
I pawned my 30/30 rifle at the Pawnshop and before I get it back I have to do a background check. I know they check the ncis database. I have a DUI arrest, and a possession of Xanax arrest. Will I be able to get my gu… --- ## [Who will take old CRT TVs?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-take-old-crt-tvs/606749)
**Author:** [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Replies:** 40\ **Last updated:** [November 18, 2015, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-take-old-crt-tvs/606749 "2015-11-18T01:53:15Z")
I’ve upgraded to flat screens and have 2-27" CRT televisions in my garage. I’m going to take them to the dump, but you would think that there is some poor family who would like to have them. You would think wrong. I’v… --- ## [How often do otherwise healthy people die suddenly?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-otherwise-healthy-people-die-suddenly/737491)
**Author:** [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [November 18, 2015, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-otherwise-healthy-people-die-suddenly/737491 "2015-11-18T01:50:37Z")
You see this offered as a reason why no one is ever safe in zombie fiction where any death = reanimation. But how often does it happen that a young healthy person just dies in their sleep? --- ## [Social Media and ISIS](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-media-and-isis/737816)
**Author:** [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [November 18, 2015, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-media-and-isis/737816 "2015-11-18T01:40:16Z")
Are Facebook, Twitter and any other US-based social media company legally obligated to disable ISIS accounts and/or report them to Federal authorities? If they are, what law forces them to, and how would the First Amendm… --- ## [Why does cold weather make my nose run?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-cold-weather-make-my-nose-run/94149)
**Author:** [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [November 18, 2015, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-cold-weather-make-my-nose-run/94149 "2015-11-18T01:27:47Z")
I’ve been wondering this for a couple of days, and it’s bugging the snot out of me! \[sup\]Ha! I slay me!\[/sup\] Anyone know? --- ## [Word for evolving to survive in freshwater from saltwater? Plus physiological changes needed](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-for-evolving-to-survive-in-freshwater-from-saltwater-plus-physiological-changes-needed/737649)
**Author:** [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [November 17, 2015, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-for-evolving-to-survive-in-freshwater-from-saltwater-plus-physiological-changes-needed/737649 "2015-11-17T23:36:06Z")
I’m also interested in the reverse, freshwater to saltwater. Apparently freshwaterism and saltwaterism aren’t the preferred terms. I want to learn more about the physiological changes required for an organism that typica… --- ## [Tell me about a washing machine problem](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-a-washing-machine-problem/737777)
**Author:** [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [November 17, 2015, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-a-washing-machine-problem/737777 "2015-11-17T23:31:31Z")
Anybody here know anything about washing machines? I have a Kenmore top-loading 2004. It was working fine until recently. Of note, it was disconnected when I had some work done on the house then reconnected and the pr… --- ## [Inability to Remember Schedule Disorder?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inability-to-remember-schedule-disorder/737820)
**Author:** [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [November 17, 2015, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inability-to-remember-schedule-disorder/737820 "2015-11-17T21:30:10Z")
Is there a name for a condition where one has a very poor ability to recall that he has something scheduled? My brain seems to lack this ability. If you asked me when we’re going to see X, at the movie theater, I would … --- ## [Automatic transmission lock-up mode, not until warmed up](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automatic-transmission-lock-up-mode-not-until-warmed-up/737806)
**Author:** [@CoastalMaineiac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CoastalMaineiac)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [November 17, 2015, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automatic-transmission-lock-up-mode-not-until-warmed-up/737806 "2015-11-17T21:17:06Z")
My folks have an early 2000’s Dodge Grand Caravan with a four-speed automatic transmission. One of the things I’ve always wondered about it: why is it programmed not to go into lock-up mode until it is fully warmed up? D… --- ## [Nagoya airport noises: bird control?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nagoya-airport-noises-bird-control/737813)
**Author:** [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [November 17, 2015, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nagoya-airport-noises-bird-control/737813 "2015-11-17T19:21:18Z")
I recently flew out of Chubu Centrair International Airport, the main airport serving Nagoya, Japan. Killing time before my departure, I discovered a humungous outdoor/rooftop observation deck that put me on a level nea… --- ## [Which Catholic mass would one go to in order to light a candle for the dead on Christmas Eve?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-catholic-mass-would-one-go-to-in-order-to-light-a-candle-for-the-dead-on-christmas-eve/737656)
**Author:** [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [November 17, 2015, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-catholic-mass-would-one-go-to-in-order-to-light-a-candle-for-the-dead-on-christmas-eve/737656 "2015-11-17T18:33:06Z")
I have a young character in a story I’m finishing up (so, need answers fast-ish) that has just lost both of his parents the week before Christmas. His new guardian, who is Catholic, thinks he might feel a little better … --- ## [Will Project Fi buy out my Verizon contract?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-project-fi-buy-out-my-verizon-contract/737809)
**Author:** [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [November 17, 2015, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-project-fi-buy-out-my-verizon-contract/737809 "2015-11-17T18:32:20Z")
I got a phone on Verizon when I worked as a point of sale technician, and needed coverage in rural areas. I have had a different job for a few months now, and don’t want to keep paying Verizon prices. I looked into get… --- ## [Programming languages - as of right now, what would be the most easily monetizable language to learn](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/programming-languages-as-of-right-now-what-would-be-the-most-easily-monetizable-language-to-learn/737617)
**Author:** [@Supreme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Supreme)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [November 17, 2015, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/programming-languages-as-of-right-now-what-would-be-the-most-easily-monetizable-language-to-learn/737617 "2015-11-17T17:29:53Z")
As of November 2015, what would be the best programming language for someone new to the industry to begin learning and making money off of? I have programming experience in Visual Basic and Java, but have forgotten most… --- ## [The three seashells, or, How do bidets work and not end badly?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-three-seashells-or-how-do-bidets-work-and-not-end-badly/737475)
**Author:** [@Habeed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Habeed)\ **Replies:** 67\ **Last updated:** [November 17, 2015, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-three-seashells-or-how-do-bidets-work-and-not-end-badly/737475 "2015-11-17T17:18:34Z")
So, apparently, there’s an alternative device for the whole getting poop smear off your ass crack. The problem with toilet paper is it just smears it around, leaving a residue that is most definitely still there. (easy… --- ## [How Long Has This Particular Vulgarity Been In Use?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-has-this-particular-vulgarity-been-in-use/737719)
**Author:** [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [November 17, 2015, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-has-this-particular-vulgarity-been-in-use/737719 "2015-11-17T17:17:27Z")
Namely “stick it up your ass,” or variations thereof, such as “stick it where the sun don’t shine” or “you know where to stick this?” There is an anecdote about my father that takes place in the mid-1950s where the fina… --- ## [The Amplituhedron](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amplituhedron/737434)
**Author:** [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [November 17, 2015, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amplituhedron/737434 "2015-11-17T16:44:45Z")
Instead of taking a tangental discussion even farther astray, let me start a new thread here. The amplituhedron http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/search.php?searchid=12680806 seems to be a new computational tool to … --- ## [Any Experts in Color theory out there? Eiffel Tower Colors driving me crazy.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-experts-in-color-theory-out-there-eiffel-tower-colors-driving-me-crazy/737753)
**Author:** [@pbnj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbnj)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [November 17, 2015, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-experts-in-color-theory-out-there-eiffel-tower-colors-driving-me-crazy/737753 "2015-11-17T16:03:39Z")
From my graphics 101 course, I recall some fundamental differences between additive (pigment) and subtractive (light) color theory that are driving me crazy. The tower itself is noted to be painted in a gray (grey) - br… --- ## [What is this (a "thermal camera?" being used in the Belgium SWAT assault?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-a-thermal-camera-being-used-in-the-belgium-swat-assault/737784)
**Author:** [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [November 17, 2015, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-a-thermal-camera-being-used-in-the-belgium-swat-assault/737784 "2015-11-17T14:13:00Z")
At the very end of this (sad) article are three pictures of I presume a Belgian SWAT team assaulting a suspect’s hideout in Molenbeek. Is it an infrared camera? --- ## [Could a "sniper rifle" be shot from the moon?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-sniper-rifle-be-shot-from-the-moon/736346)
**Author:** [@Artemis\_Tardis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Artemis_Tardis)\ **Replies:** 86\ **Last updated:** [November 17, 2015, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-sniper-rifle-be-shot-from-the-moon/736346 "2015-11-17T13:38:14Z")
Would it be possible for an astronaut to shoot a “sniper rifle” (the one usually used to kill targets on a long distance) on the moon? I mean, the weapon would probably work pretty well if there aren’t any parts that nee… --- ## [Couple Questions For Recreational Pilots](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/couple-questions-for-recreational-pilots/737634)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [November 17, 2015, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/couple-questions-for-recreational-pilots/737634 "2015-11-17T10:37:36Z")
One of these days, when I get some money, I’d like to learn to fly and possibly even buy an aircraft of my own. Right now I’ve got my eye on a Zenith CH 650 (kit plane). I have a few questions (and NOTE: I’m not talking… --- ## [What fallacy is this: "where is the outrage?"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-fallacy-is-this-where-is-the-outrage/737678)
**Author:** [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [November 17, 2015, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-fallacy-is-this-where-is-the-outrage/737678 "2015-11-17T07:33:35Z")
So with the Paris attacks, I’ve heard many people (falsely) claiming that Muslims implicitly support the attacks; because if they do not, then “where is the Muslim outrage?” When Hamas, Hezbollah and the Islamic Jihad,… --- ## [why do not-that-old cars look so horribly "outdated" and unattractive?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-not-that-old-cars-look-so-horribly-outdated-and-unattractive/241589)
**Author:** [@Freejooky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freejooky)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [November 17, 2015, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-not-that-old-cars-look-so-horribly-outdated-and-unattractive/241589 "2015-11-17T03:37:37Z")
This is a weird one, so bear with me. It probably deals with sociocultural concepts of “in style” and “current.” Anyway - When I see a '96 car, like a Jetta or Grand Am, I’m horrified at how outdated, uncool, unlikeable… --- ## ["A lot of" vs "lots of"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lot-of-vs-lots-of/737746)
**Author:** [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [November 17, 2015, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lot-of-vs-lots-of/737746 "2015-11-17T02:12:19Z")
Is there a rule on which is correct in a given usage? For example, which (if either) of the following is more correct: I’ve spent a lot of money on my hobby over the years. I’ve spent lots of money on my hobby over th… --- ## [Double recessive traits](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/double-recessive-traits/737712)
**Author:** [@dauerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dauerbach)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [November 17, 2015, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/double-recessive-traits/737712 "2015-11-17T01:57:36Z")
So after being totally stumped by a pedigree tree that showed a double recessive trait I could not find any example of human disease or even a human trait that shows such inheritance, and yet I am sure many examples exis… --- ## [2015 search engines](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2015-search-engines/737763)
**Author:** [@Wizard101](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wizard101)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [November 17, 2015, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2015-search-engines/737763 "2015-11-17T01:20:52Z")
Are there any good new search engines from 2015?(forgive me if this question has already been asked?) --- ## [Do banks write their own 'in house' e-banking systmes?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-banks-write-their-own-in-house-e-banking-systmes/737666)
**Author:** [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [November 17, 2015, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-banks-write-their-own-in-house-e-banking-systmes/737666 "2015-11-17T01:11:12Z")
As a general rule, do banks and similar financial institutions write their own ‘in house’ e-banking systems, or do they use a third party? Given the complexity of the task, and the obvious big BIG bucks at stake, I assu… --- ## [Do animals with "extra" senses ever get disgusted by them?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-with-extra-senses-ever-get-disgusted-by-them/737528)
**Author:** [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [November 16, 2015, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-with-extra-senses-ever-get-disgusted-by-them/737528 "2015-11-16T23:41:29Z")
Can a bat or dolphin ever feel disgust at something they’ve echolocated? Would a platypus or shark squirm away from a disgusting electrolocated thing? If disgust is an evolutionary adaptation to keep us away from unhealt… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=1002) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=1004)