# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=1021 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 1022 --- ## [Top Tier Gas.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-tier-gas/734753)
**Author:** [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Replies:** 58\ **Last updated:** [October 19, 2015, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-tier-gas/734753 "2015-10-19T04:18:06Z")
Rumour has it that some national retail gasoline brands are better than others. Mostly having to do with the amount of additives in the fuel. More additives = less engine gunk buildup over time. I’ve googled around so… --- ## ["Real people. Not actors."](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-people-not-actors/734918)
**Author:** [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [October 19, 2015, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-people-not-actors/734918 "2015-10-19T01:30:02Z")
I’ve seen a lot of commercials lately that supposedly use “Real people. Not actors.” Does this phrase actually mean anything? --- ## [Google Docs assistance, please](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-docs-assistance-please/734947)
**Author:** [@anyrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrose)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [October 18, 2015, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-docs-assistance-please/734947 "2015-10-18T23:02:00Z")
I am preparing a playbill for my chorus’ upcoming show. Last time I did one, I used MS Word. But the version I had didn’t work on OS X Yosemite, so I dumped it. Now I have OS X El Capitan. I have been using Google docs… --- ## [Is there a multiple bank accout dashboard like Mint, but without ads?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-multiple-bank-accout-dashboard-like-mint-but-without-ads/734924)
**Author:** [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [October 18, 2015, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-multiple-bank-accout-dashboard-like-mint-but-without-ads/734924 "2015-10-18T22:47:43Z")
Mint.com is sort of useful, but it’s becoming more and more cluttered with ads. I’d pay $10/mo or so for a service like this without all the offers and ads… does such a thing exist? --- ## [Are steam rollers made with "extra" weight in the cab?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-steam-rollers-made-with-extra-weight-in-the-cab/734897)
**Author:** [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [October 18, 2015, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-steam-rollers-made-with-extra-weight-in-the-cab/734897 "2015-10-18T22:11:49Z")
Cx to subject query: extra weight in the rollers\_.So they’re trucks with rollers with water streamed on them. But laying down that blacktop, every extra lb helps. Are those rollers (I was watching a normal city job) extr… --- ## [The civil forfeiture action against Ken Lay: what's happening?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-civil-forfeiture-action-against-ken-lay-whats-happening/735049)
**Author:** [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [October 18, 2015, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-civil-forfeiture-action-against-ken-lay-whats-happening/735049 "2015-10-18T21:17:36Z")
I know this is digging up old bones, but I was just reading an old thread about Ken Lay’s death, and the fact that as a result of his having died before he’d had time to continue his appeal, his conviction was vacated. S… --- ## [Pouring water into a radiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pouring-water-into-a-radiator/734915)
**Author:** [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [October 18, 2015, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pouring-water-into-a-radiator/734915 "2015-10-18T19:23:36Z")
My 1992 Taurus needs a new radiator, but I won’t be able to afford one before November. Meanwhile, every morning I refill the radiator with tap water from a gallon jug that had coolant in it. ( The radiator leaks; I can… --- ## [Is hydrogen in fuel cell vehicles odorized?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-hydrogen-in-fuel-cell-vehicles-odorized/687166)
**Author:** [@jharvey963](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jharvey963)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [October 18, 2015, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-hydrogen-in-fuel-cell-vehicles-odorized/687166 "2015-10-18T16:39:57Z")
I heard a podcast recently about hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. My question: is the hydrogen used in fuel cell vehicles odorized? Hydrogen is normally an odorless gas. How could someone know if hydrogen was leaking unle… --- ## [Legal Q: "Americans Are Lining Up to Sue Monsanto"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-q-americans-are-lining-up-to-sue-monsanto/734994)
**Author:** [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [October 18, 2015, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-q-americans-are-lining-up-to-sue-monsanto/734994 "2015-10-18T16:18:57Z")
Or so the facebook memes would have us believe. Personal injury lawyers are apparently reeling in the customers. Some law firms even have sections of their web site devoted to Roundup. Apparently, two people who toile… --- ## [Water usage/meter question--low usage?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-usage-meter-question-low-usage/734930)
**Author:** [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [October 18, 2015, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-usage-meter-question-low-usage/734930 "2015-10-18T13:06:06Z")
One of my rentals is a duplex with a yard with grass, trees, shrubs-I pay the water. 1 water meter for the property, but I get 2 charges for sewage + various excise taxes, about $50/mo. And 2 charges for trash, about $50… --- ## [Did Shirley Temple do kiddie porn?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-shirley-temple-do-kiddie-porn/71401)
**Author:** [@crackersandmilk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crackersandmilk)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [October 18, 2015, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-shirley-temple-do-kiddie-porn/71401 "2015-10-18T05:52:10Z")
Hey, you guys brought it up! I saw it mentioned on the ‘crying indian being Italian’ post. Anywho is it true? --- ## [Where has all the fresh water gone?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-has-all-the-fresh-water-gone/724622)
**Author:** [@stanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stanger)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [October 18, 2015, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-has-all-the-fresh-water-gone/724622 "2015-10-18T01:16:02Z")
I understand about global warming melting the ice and glaciers, causing the ocean levels to rise. I know that there is a considerable amount of water tied up in this frozen medium that can melt and cause a considerable a… --- ## [What's the deal with Amber Alerts on cell phones in Florida?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-amber-alerts-on-cell-phones-in-florida/734324)
**Author:** [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [October 18, 2015, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-amber-alerts-on-cell-phones-in-florida/734324 "2015-10-18T00:43:23Z")
Hello Everyone, Last night the family and I were driving in Orlando an all of a sudden all of our cell phones start sounding a shrill alarm. We all got an Amber Alert on our phones. This is the first time I’ve ever see… --- ## [Water pistols and the law](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-pistols-and-the-law/734709)
**Author:** [@MrQwertyasd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrQwertyasd)\ **Replies:** 37\ **Last updated:** [October 18, 2015, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-pistols-and-the-law/734709 "2015-10-18T00:21:02Z")
Can you be done for attempted murder if you try to squirt someone to death with a water pistol ? Can you be done for armed robbery if you threaten a teller with a water pistol, and it’s obvious that it IS a water pistol… --- ## [Is it possible to separate methanol and ethanol, leaving the ethanol drinkable?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-separate-methanol-and-ethanol-leaving-the-ethanol-drinkable/734831)
**Author:** [@Habeed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Habeed)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [October 17, 2015, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-separate-methanol-and-ethanol-leaving-the-ethanol-drinkable/734831 "2015-10-17T21:09:56Z")
I read that one of the common methods to make untaxed “denatured” ethanol undrinkable is to contaminate it with methanol, because the boiling points are similar. Suppose that someone wanted to separate the 2, just for k… --- ## [Does this tool exist? (placing zip ties or small plastic bands around pipe)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-tool-exist-placing-zip-ties-or-small-plastic-bands-around-pipe/734767)
**Author:** [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [October 17, 2015, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-tool-exist-placing-zip-ties-or-small-plastic-bands-around-pipe/734767 "2015-10-17T20:15:12Z")
Today, I helped my neighbor, who is a plumber, install radiant heating in the slab of a new-construction building. If you aren’t familiar, it looks about like this. So, all that 1/2" pex has to be tied to the rebar every… --- ## [inDesign CS5: how do I grab picture content (image) AND frame at the same time](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indesign-cs5-how-do-i-grab-picture-content-image-and-frame-at-the-same-time/734830)
**Author:** [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [October 17, 2015, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indesign-cs5-how-do-i-grab-picture-content-image-and-frame-at-the-same-time/734830 "2015-10-17T19:29:04Z")
I’m working in Windows10. I’m experienced in inDesign (and in fact, used Pagemaker from the moment it came out ~1985), so I’m not a newbie, but this makes me nuts every time I’m doing a newsletter with photos and clip ar… --- ## [Trying to wrap my head around the the speed of light](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-wrap-my-head-around-the-the-speed-of-light/733483)
**Author:** [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Replies:** 37\ **Last updated:** [October 17, 2015, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-wrap-my-head-around-the-the-speed-of-light/733483 "2015-10-17T16:19:26Z")
This question’s been on my idle mind for a little while. Say I’m sitting in my car\* on a flat, featureless plain. The car’s not moving. I turn on the headlights : photons careen out of the lights, zoom forward at the sp… --- ## [What kind of plant is this?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-plant-is-this/734847)
**Author:** [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [October 17, 2015, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-plant-is-this/734847 "2015-10-17T16:16:15Z")
Here is a picture of a flowering plant that I took several months ago. I forgot at the time to note what kind of plant it is. Can someone help me? Thanks. --- ## [My iPad 2 keeps crashing to desktop](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-ipad-2-keeps-crashing-to-desktop/733996)
**Author:** [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [October 17, 2015, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-ipad-2-keeps-crashing-to-desktop/733996 "2015-10-17T15:15:10Z")
i’ve updated it to 9.02. Every program I use on it ( mostly games) are updated. And yet with increasing frequency they crash and I go back to the desktop. I’ve done the long restart. I even spent an evening deleting … --- ## [Cars in the early 1970s](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-in-the-early-1970s/734736)
**Author:** [@gracegrits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gracegrits)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [October 17, 2015, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-in-the-early-1970s/734736 "2015-10-17T13:39:18Z")
I’m writing a novel set in the early 1970s. Did cars in the 1970s make a ping-ping-pinging sound when the door was left ajar or is the door ajar sound a more recent feature? I can’t remember. Thank you! --- ## [Computer guru needed - laptop may have gone to heaven. Last rites or resuscitative measures?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-guru-needed-laptop-may-have-gone-to-heaven-last-rites-or-resuscitative-measures/734272)
**Author:** [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [October 17, 2015, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-guru-needed-laptop-may-have-gone-to-heaven-last-rites-or-resuscitative-measures/734272 "2015-10-17T12:53:38Z")
It’s a Loveno laptop that’s around 3 years old. A week ago I started getting ominous popups stating the hard drive was on the verge of failure. I thought it might be malware so I didn’t do much except try to remove the m… --- ## [Can a jury member ask a question? (USA)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-jury-member-ask-a-question-usa/734613)
**Author:** [@bardos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bardos)\ **Replies:** 44\ **Last updated:** [October 17, 2015, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-jury-member-ask-a-question-usa/734613 "2015-10-17T12:40:58Z")
The following is one long, run-on sentence-question: I was wondering that since during a trial both presenters of evidence: the prosecution and the defense, are totally partial and may not be interested inn the presenta… --- ## [Math wonks: A question about probability in a 'coinflip' poker tournament](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/math-wonks-a-question-about-probability-in-a-coinflip-poker-tournament/734512)
**Author:** [@Crazyhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazyhorse)\ **Replies:** 54\ **Last updated:** [October 17, 2015, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/math-wonks-a-question-about-probability-in-a-coinflip-poker-tournament/734512 "2015-10-17T11:06:15Z")
An online poker room offers a reward to qualifying players in the form of one entry per week to a weekly tournament with a $5,000.00 prize pool. It’s a ‘coinflip’ tournament, meaning that no poker skill is involved. In … --- ## [When was the last time that someone was bayoneted to death?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-that-someone-was-bayoneted-to-death/734778)
**Author:** [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [October 17, 2015, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-that-someone-was-bayoneted-to-death/734778 "2015-10-17T09:34:26Z")
I’m mean with the blade properly afixed to the rifle; not just someone that was stabbed, by hand with a bayonet. --- ## [What's the best way to save iPhone voicemails permanently?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-save-iphone-voicemails-permanently/734717)
**Author:** [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [October 17, 2015, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-save-iphone-voicemails-permanently/734717 "2015-10-17T08:46:38Z")
I’ve got a bunch of voice mails from my dad, who died in March, on my phone. They’re all completely mundane (I haven’t got the guts to listen to them but I promise you they all say “Zsofia! This is your father. It’s, mm… --- ## [Dogs on the Titanic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-on-the-titanic/651819)
**Author:** [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [October 17, 2015, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-on-the-titanic/651819 "2015-10-17T05:53:06Z")
I’m reading Gilded Lives, Fatal Voyage by Hugh Brewster, which is primarily about the first-class passengers on the Titanic. A number of them had dogs with them, like the Astors with their airdale Kitty. How in the worl… --- ## [Verbal filler? \[Meaningless insertions in speech\]](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verbal-filler-meaningless-insertions-in-speech/734620)
**Author:** [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [October 17, 2015, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verbal-filler-meaningless-insertions-in-speech/734620 "2015-10-17T03:45:07Z")
You have your normal verbal pauses like ‘um’ and ‘uh,’ but some people have phrases that they insert that add nothing to the meaning. They’re just filler. Some common ones that I’ve heard are “ya know,” and the longer … --- ## [The legal status of the rules of order in force in the US legislative houses](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-legal-status-of-the-rules-of-order-in-force-in-the-us-legislative-houses/734781)
**Author:** [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [October 17, 2015, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-legal-status-of-the-rules-of-order-in-force-in-the-us-legislative-houses/734781 "2015-10-17T02:48:54Z")
The House, for example, has a lot of rules and procedures it follows for bringing bills to the floor for a vote, etc. The Speaker has a lot to do with which bills get to come up. Factions in the Speaker’s party can appar… --- ## [Does every star visible with the naked eye have an accepted name?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-every-star-visible-with-the-naked-eye-have-an-accepted-name/734661)
**Author:** [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [October 16, 2015, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-every-star-visible-with-the-naked-eye-have-an-accepted-name/734661 "2015-10-16T22:44:37Z")
As in accepted by the International Astronomical Union? I realize that most of the names are completely boring. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=1020) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=1022)