# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=1014 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 1015 --- ## [How many possible Bingo cards are there?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-possible-bingo-cards-are-there/600768)
**Author:** [@FatBaldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FatBaldGuy)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [October 30, 2015, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-possible-bingo-cards-are-there/600768 "2015-10-30T18:59:06Z")
While playing a friendly game of Bingo the other day, my mind started thinking about how many possible unique cards could be made. I know you math whizzes out there can calculate the correct number, but I don’t remember… --- ## [Oscar Wilde Related Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oscar-wilde-related-questions/735911)
**Author:** [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [October 30, 2015, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oscar-wilde-related-questions/735911 "2015-10-30T17:36:41Z")
I just finished reading a fascinating book on Oscar Wilde and understand how and why he was prosecuted, convicted and thrown into prison. And while some of his close friends counseled him to flee to France to avoid pros… --- ## [medical question - blood alcohol result](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-question-blood-alcohol-result/574989)
**Author:** [@Flipshod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flipshod)\ **Replies:** 48\ **Last updated:** [October 30, 2015, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-question-blood-alcohol-result/574989 "2015-10-30T16:29:43Z")
This is obviously not a quest for medical advice, but help on a mystery. I’ve had a friend over for the last two days and pretty much been with him the whole time. Yesterday he had stuffy nose, sore throat, and felt ba… --- ## [Estranged Spouses](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/estranged-spouses/736106)
**Author:** [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [October 30, 2015, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/estranged-spouses/736106 "2015-10-30T13:30:31Z")
Is there any difference legally between a spouse who is “estranged”, as in not living together with their spouse and a spouse who is not, for purposes of whatever the law deals withh spousal status. \[This was inspired b… --- ## [Space habitat design](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-habitat-design/736006)
**Author:** [@Habeed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Habeed)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [October 30, 2015, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-habitat-design/736006 "2015-10-30T12:51:28Z")
So, apparently, you need a lot of mass to shield from radiation. Something like 30 feet of water. And, while nobody knows how much gravity you actually need, you probably need somewhere between 0.5 to 1 G to avoid medi… --- ## [If I buy this 155-mm. "Long Tom" gun, can I import it and park it in the city where it fits?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-buy-this-155-mm-long-tom-gun-can-i-import-it-and-park-it-in-the-city-where-it-fits/736078)
**Author:** [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [October 30, 2015, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-buy-this-155-mm-long-tom-gun-can-i-import-it-and-park-it-in-the-city-where-it-fits/736078 "2015-10-30T10:25:27Z")
See subject. http://www.milweb.net/classifieds/large\_image.php?ad=65834&cat=6 The 155mm “Long Tom” was the backbone of US Artillery during WWII. It could fire a 95lb shell a distance of up to 15 miles and was very accur… --- ## [Could Volkswagen executives be charged under RICO?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-volkswagen-executives-be-charged-under-rico/735919)
**Author:** [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [October 30, 2015, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-volkswagen-executives-be-charged-under-rico/735919 "2015-10-30T08:25:16Z")
Either for the major fraud involved, or for the people who died due to the increased emissions? Volkswagen Diesel Scandal 2015: Emissions Likely Killed Up To 94 People In The US, Analysis Shows --- ## [Explain German film investment tax credit (pre2006)?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-german-film-investment-tax-credit-pre2006/733210)
**Author:** [@SpyOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpyOne)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [October 30, 2015, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-german-film-investment-tax-credit-pre2006/733210 "2015-10-30T07:24:17Z")
Germany had, at least as recently as 2006, a tax credit on investing in movie production that I need explained better. I read an article that said that it had the effect of making an investment in a film that lost money… --- ## [Why can't HD TV synchronize sound?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-hd-tv-synchronize-sound/736110)
**Author:** [@OralRobert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OralRobert)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [October 30, 2015, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-hd-tv-synchronize-sound/736110 "2015-10-30T03:42:54Z")
Hi Def television has been around for several years now and we all seem to love it. With all the wonderful technology available, would it really be so hard for the picture to be synchronized with the sound? I’ve had se… --- ## [Are there already genetically modified humans?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-already-genetically-modified-humans/735326)
**Author:** [@protoboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/protoboard)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [October 30, 2015, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-already-genetically-modified-humans/735326 "2015-10-30T03:00:42Z")
Does a person who has a mitochondrial donor count as a GMO human? Technically mitochondria is separate from the nuclear genome and sort of like an organism of its own, but MTDNA does influence health and strength. Would… --- ## [Ammonia production: How much energy for the actual ammonia-forming step?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ammonia-production-how-much-energy-for-the-actual-ammonia-forming-step/736150)
**Author:** [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [October 30, 2015, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ammonia-production-how-much-energy-for-the-actual-ammonia-forming-step/736150 "2015-10-30T02:50:07Z")
We use a lot of energy in the Haber–Bosch process to make ammonia. Several exajoules, globally. But it’s a multistep process. The reformers, ASU, etc. are all hefty energy users. I’m wondering what percentage of the ener… --- ## [Would a medical examiner be honest about a painful death?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-medical-examiner-be-honest-about-a-painful-death/736018)
**Author:** [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [October 30, 2015, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-medical-examiner-be-honest-about-a-painful-death/736018 "2015-10-30T01:57:25Z")
I’m reading this strange story about a woman who ended up dying in a cryotherapy chamber, and I happen upon this sentence: “Medical examiners told Ake’s family that she died within seconds, though it’s not clear whether… --- ## [Can I buy heroin dirt cheap anywhere in the world?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-buy-heroin-dirt-cheap-anywhere-in-the-world/735745)
**Author:** [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [October 30, 2015, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-buy-heroin-dirt-cheap-anywhere-in-the-world/735745 "2015-10-30T01:07:19Z")
I was listening to Mountain’s “Flowers of Evil” from their album of the same name, and I remembered that you could buy heroin, in Vietnam, for some really, really low price, something like under 10 bucks an ounce. Is i… --- ## [If cats are solitary hunters, why do they signal with their tails?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-cats-are-solitary-hunters-why-do-they-signal-with-their-tails/736105)
**Author:** [@Habeed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Habeed)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [October 30, 2015, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-cats-are-solitary-hunters-why-do-they-signal-with-their-tails/736105 "2015-10-30T00:23:53Z")
So a typical tabby cat has a striped tail. If you look at the tail, it’s pretty obvious that the light-dark alternating stripes are something that is very easy to see even at low visual resolutions, in noisy environment… --- ## [Does The United Kingdom Have An Equivalent To The Freedom Of Information Act?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-united-kingdom-have-an-equivalent-to-the-freedom-of-information-act/735975)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [October 30, 2015, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-united-kingdom-have-an-equivalent-to-the-freedom-of-information-act/735975 "2015-10-30T00:11:11Z")
Freedom of Information Act Does the UK have something similar? I ask because I’m researching a murder that took place there and I’d like to know how I can see the case files. --- ## [Why do an autopsy when cause of death is obvious?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-an-autopsy-when-cause-of-death-is-obvious/736079)
**Author:** [@Dingbang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dingbang)\ **Replies:** 39\ **Last updated:** [October 29, 2015, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-an-autopsy-when-cause-of-death-is-obvious/736079 "2015-10-29T23:09:57Z")
I’ve wondered for a while why authorities conduct autopsies when the cause of death is blindingly obvious – a car crash, suicide, or even a 60-year-old fat man having a heart attack. For example, here’s a news bit about… --- ## [Legalities of a "dog funeral". For humans](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalities-of-a-dog-funeral-for-humans/735887)
**Author:** [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Replies:** 40\ **Last updated:** [October 29, 2015, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalities-of-a-dog-funeral-for-humans/735887 "2015-10-29T22:51:17Z")
Compare to the current customs of viewings, embalming a, wakes, cremations, internments and such, I think that I would prefer to have a dog funeral. Simply put, somebody who liked me can wrap me in an old blanket, di… --- ## [Quirky trees...need explanation.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quirky-trees-need-explanation/733119)
**Author:** [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [October 29, 2015, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quirky-trees-need-explanation/733119 "2015-10-29T21:00:28Z")
I recently moved to a coastal region, and on a fairly regular drive have found a curious phenomenon where trees on one side of the road have grown almost horizontally while trees on the OTHER side of the road are for the… --- ## [Can You Install Ceiling Lights Without Fishing Wires?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-install-ceiling-lights-without-fishing-wires/736081)
**Author:** [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [October 29, 2015, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-install-ceiling-lights-without-fishing-wires/736081 "2015-10-29T18:13:17Z")
I like the look of those new miniature LED ceiling lamps. Only I dread the thought of fishing wires in the ceiling. Flush mount wiring on ceilings look terrible are there any alternatives? (Like cutting into the sheet… --- ## [Foreign e-pharmacies legal or not?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-e-pharmacies-legal-or-not/735888)
**Author:** [@Enola\_Gay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Gay)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [October 29, 2015, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-e-pharmacies-legal-or-not/735888 "2015-10-29T18:11:02Z")
I was just checking out some foreign epharmacies-- Canadian Pharmacy (which appears to operate out of India), International drugmart, etc. All offer prescription drugs, including narcotics, without prescription and the … --- ## [Froze a beer. Carbonation didn't pull through!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/froze-a-beer-carbonation-didnt-pull-through/735509)
**Author:** [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [October 29, 2015, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/froze-a-beer-carbonation-didnt-pull-through/735509 "2015-10-29T16:45:20Z")
Put a warm can of beer in the freezer last night. Forgot about it. Wife found it this morning frozen solid as a rock. She put it in the sink where it thawed, then hours later she put it in the refrigerator to chill. I go… --- ## [Can I use E85 in my lawnmower?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-use-e85-in-my-lawnmower/448153)
**Author:** [@nd\_n8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nd_n8)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [October 29, 2015, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-use-e85-in-my-lawnmower/448153 "2015-10-29T16:34:03Z")
Yesterday I spent several hours tearing apart my mower to clean out the bowl, the small screw at the bottom of the bowl where the gas flows in, and the combustion chamber / fuel valve which were caked up with hard black … --- ## [How much for whole house new windows?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-for-whole-house-new-windows/735798)
**Author:** [@cornopean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornopean)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [October 29, 2015, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-for-whole-house-new-windows/735798 "2015-10-29T16:33:12Z")
What is your rough estimate of the cost of replacing the windows on an entire house all at once? Assume a larger house something like a 2800 sq ft house. --- ## [Chinese and autopsy](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-and-autopsy/557915)
**Author:** [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [October 29, 2015, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-and-autopsy/557915 "2015-10-29T16:00:30Z")
Three University of Michigan students from China got killed in a single car accident a few days ago. The paper suggests they were texting and ran off the road. The paper says they quickly got an official message from th… --- ## [How did Jefferson know that the sources of the Missouri and the Columbia Rivers were near eachother?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-jefferson-know-that-the-sources-of-the-missouri-and-the-columbia-rivers-were-near-eachother/735839)
**Author:** [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Replies:** 39\ **Last updated:** [October 29, 2015, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-jefferson-know-that-the-sources-of-the-missouri-and-the-columbia-rivers-were-near-eachother/735839 "2015-10-29T15:37:01Z")
The Lewis and Clarke expedition was doomed if it could not travel by water. How the hell could they know that the Missouri was the one to follow and that there was something other than impassible mountains or trackless d… --- ## [Are there really spiders out there that react so fast it borders precognition?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-really-spiders-out-there-that-react-so-fast-it-borders-precognition/548805)
**Author:** [@ChrisBooth12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChrisBooth12)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [October 29, 2015, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-really-spiders-out-there-that-react-so-fast-it-borders-precognition/548805 "2015-10-29T15:28:18Z")
There was a throwaway line in one of the Spiderman movies that said that there are spiders out there that react so fast it borders precognition. This is where is “spidy sense” comes from. Is there any truth to this? What… --- ## [Chloroform effects](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chloroform-effects/736063)
**Author:** [@ISAIAH\_MUHINDO](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISAIAH_MUHINDO)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [October 29, 2015, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chloroform-effects/736063 "2015-10-29T15:19:09Z")
What really happens when someone inhales chloroform? Can it kill you? How long do its effects last? How do you revive somebody rendered … --- ## [Effectiveness of vaccination when one misses or purposedly refuses booster shots](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/effectiveness-of-vaccination-when-one-misses-or-purposedly-refuses-booster-shots/736070)
**Author:** [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [October 29, 2015, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/effectiveness-of-vaccination-when-one-misses-or-purposedly-refuses-booster-shots/736070 "2015-10-29T15:11:49Z")
Let me start this thread on a touchy subject by pointing out right away that I am and have always been strongly pro-vaccination. Until recently, I didn’t even realize that being anti-vaxx was a thing because it seemed su… --- ## [Flashlight App Question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flashlight-app-question/736055)
**Author:** [@SanDiegoTim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanDiegoTim)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [October 29, 2015, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flashlight-app-question/736055 "2015-10-29T14:48:55Z")
What’s in it for the developers of phone flashlight apps? --- ## [Are there moving/storage places that will move your stuff from city to city and store it?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-moving-storage-places-that-will-move-your-stuff-from-city-to-city-and-store-it/730531)
**Author:** [@Arcite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arcite)\ **Replies:** 34\ **Last updated:** [October 29, 2015, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-moving-storage-places-that-will-move-your-stuff-from-city-to-city-and-store-it/730531 "2015-10-29T13:23:30Z")
I’m going to be doing some short-term temp work assignments in a few different cities over the next few months, and hopefully accepting a permanent position after that. Once the first temp assignment starts, I will have… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=1013) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=1015)