# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=1022 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 1023 --- ## [Why do these behaviors feel good?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-these-behaviors-feel-good/734833)
**Author:** [@pianodave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pianodave)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [October 16, 2015, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-these-behaviors-feel-good/734833 "2015-10-16T22:27:53Z")
Hi SD, Why do the following behaviors feel “good” for certain people? Squeezing blackheads or removing ingrown hairs Picking at nails Cleaning underneath nails (sock lint, etc.) Do these straddle the line between gro… --- ## [Could eskimo community survive on iceberg?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-eskimo-community-survive-on-iceberg/734822)
**Author:** [@dr\_zippermeyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dr_zippermeyer)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [October 16, 2015, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-eskimo-community-survive-on-iceberg/734822 "2015-10-16T22:25:22Z")
If group of eskimos were deported to iceberg, could they start a new life there? Let’s assume they are allowed to take with them kayak and some other tools. --- ## [FHA Mortgage, Appraisal, and Swimming Pools](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fha-mortgage-appraisal-and-swimming-pools/734787)
**Author:** [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [October 16, 2015, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fha-mortgage-appraisal-and-swimming-pools/734787 "2015-10-16T21:31:53Z")
And Spa. Am doing my damnedest to please an appraiser who objected to the 1" thick algae on the horizontal surfaces of the swimming pool. The water was sparkling clear. I can’t swim - I put the thing together (replaced… --- ## [Industrial alcohol and prohibition](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/industrial-alcohol-and-prohibition/734740)
**Author:** [@Bones\_Daley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bones_Daley)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [October 16, 2015, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/industrial-alcohol-and-prohibition/734740 "2015-10-16T20:24:39Z")
I have read what appear to be conflicting points of view regarding the production of alcohol during the prohibition period… Conspiracy theorists postulate that J D Rockefeller poured millions of dollars into the prohib… --- ## [About NASA's plan to park an asteroid in lunar orbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-nasas-plan-to-park-an-asteroid-in-lunar-orbit/734749)
**Author:** [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [October 16, 2015, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-nasas-plan-to-park-an-asteroid-in-lunar-orbit/734749 "2015-10-16T20:01:41Z")
So, from NASA’s overview on the planned “Journey to Mars”, sometime in the next decade, they plan to redirect an asteroid into lunar orbit in order to stage and test new tech and manned missions before we make the big le… --- ## [Basic facebook question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-facebook-question/734793)
**Author:** [@wellanuff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wellanuff)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [October 16, 2015, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-facebook-question/734793 "2015-10-16T17:53:08Z")
I have a facebook account that I started setting up about five years ago, but after screwing around with it for an hour or so I thought, why am I doing this? And stopped. So I have the account, but I am not familiar wi… --- ## [Is a Profound Lack of Empathy A Symptom of Sociopathy?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-profound-lack-of-empathy-a-symptom-of-sociopathy/734336)
**Author:** [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [October 16, 2015, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-profound-lack-of-empathy-a-symptom-of-sociopathy/734336 "2015-10-16T16:58:28Z")
Q: Is a profound lack of empathy a symptom of Sociopathy? Its not my field and it seems worthy of an educated response. I know that saying things like “That guy has ZERO empathy… What a Sociopath!” is rude and uncalle… --- ## [Can Jets spot Drones and attack them?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-jets-spot-drones-and-attack-them/734664)
**Author:** [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Replies:** 37\ **Last updated:** [October 16, 2015, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-jets-spot-drones-and-attack-them/734664 "2015-10-16T16:44:40Z")
Given the speeds that Jets fly. Is it possible for a pilot to see a drone? Would something that small even show up on radar? Size is one issue. But also speed. For example, Suppose the jet is 30 times faster than an ob… --- ## [What's the temperature of my cold shower?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-temperature-of-my-cold-shower/734323)
**Author:** [@R3d\_Anonymous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R3d_Anonymous)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [October 16, 2015, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-temperature-of-my-cold-shower/734323 "2015-10-16T12:58:04Z")
I have my thermostat set at 120 degrees F. Recently, I’ve been trying out cold showers and what I do is turn the knob just to as cold as it can go, but where the pressure is not compromised, if you know what I mean. Abo… --- ## [How did the planes on submarine aircraft carriers not get destroyed by water?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-planes-on-submarine-aircraft-carriers-not-get-destroyed-by-water/734706)
**Author:** [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [October 16, 2015, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-planes-on-submarine-aircraft-carriers-not-get-destroyed-by-water/734706 "2015-10-16T12:25:13Z")
I had never heard of such ships until recently. My google fu has failed me in this instance. It seems that the planes were just sitting there on the top of the submarine and would have been filled with seawater once th… --- ## [Multicolor outlines on video](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multicolor-outlines-on-video/734687)
**Author:** [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [October 16, 2015, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multicolor-outlines-on-video/734687 "2015-10-16T11:30:45Z")
I haven’t been able to find anything on this by searching Google. Recently, my computer has started having these weird rainbow “outlines” around fast moving objects in video, especially if the background is dark. As far … --- ## [Who Wrote The "KOOBFACE" Virus?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wrote-the-koobface-virus/734757)
**Author:** [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [October 16, 2015, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wrote-the-koobface-virus/734757 "2015-10-16T10:27:22Z")
This dastardly piece of work corrupts your email account and allows hacking of all linked information. is it transmitted via Facebook? I had a terrible time getting rid of it. Another question: does Advira detect it? i … --- ## [IPhone 4](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-4/734521)
**Author:** [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [October 16, 2015, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-4/734521 "2015-10-16T10:24:06Z")
So I have had my first ever smart phone for about a year now and it says I’m out of storage. I have tried everything I can find on the internet, and it just doesn’t work. On top of that, it lies and tells me I have ava… --- ## [Royal vs. Presidential Visitation](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/royal-vs-presidential-visitation/734551)
**Author:** [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [October 16, 2015, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/royal-vs-presidential-visitation/734551 "2015-10-16T09:57:54Z")
As I understand it, during the early days of the United States a common person could go to the President’s home in Washington DC and ask to speak with the President. Whether this happened often or not I can’t say, but I … --- ## [Selling your House with overdue Property Taxes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-your-house-with-overdue-property-taxes/734695)
**Author:** [@by-tor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/by-tor)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [October 16, 2015, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-your-house-with-overdue-property-taxes/734695 "2015-10-16T04:22:43Z")
If a person owns their house outright but the property taxes are way past due and they can’t pay them, can they still sell the house? Is there a point (before the government seizes the house) where they can’t sell the ho… --- ## [Where/what is the physical infrastructure for huge cloud servers, Microsoft, Google, Amazon Web, eg?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-what-is-the-physical-infrastructure-for-huge-cloud-servers-microsoft-google-amazon-web-eg/734495)
**Author:** [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [October 16, 2015, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-what-is-the-physical-infrastructure-for-huge-cloud-servers-microsoft-google-amazon-web-eg/734495 "2015-10-16T03:02:47Z")
A lot of them are listed here, in a shopping comparison page: https://www.cloudorado.com I’d like to see the stuff: --you know, photos: of computers? or photos of buildings upon buildings of computers? Gigantic monolith… --- ## ["Crackly" sensation in throat](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crackly-sensation-in-throat/429184)
**Author:** [@Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amazon_Floozy_Goddess)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [October 16, 2015, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crackly-sensation-in-throat/429184 "2015-10-16T02:20:15Z")
Since I can remember, there’s sometimes when I experience an odd feeling in my throat. I can feel/hear a crackling sound in my throat that comes and goes. It seems to occur mostly when I’m lying down, but sometimes in ot… --- ## [When using a one-ear phone headset, does ear choice affect comprehension?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-using-a-one-ear-phone-headset-does-ear-choice-affect-comprehension/734644)
**Author:** [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [October 16, 2015, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-using-a-one-ear-phone-headset-does-ear-choice-affect-comprehension/734644 "2015-10-16T01:12:05Z")
Each brain hemisphere has specific things that it processes and controls. When sound comes in from only one ear, do the specific functions of that hemisphere which accepts the sound affect how you understand the sound? … --- ## [Trap The Burglar](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trap-the-burglar/733931)
**Author:** [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Replies:** 67\ **Last updated:** [October 16, 2015, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trap-the-burglar/733931 "2015-10-16T01:05:56Z")
I remember seeing a news story when I was a wee lad. In it, a shopkeeper got sick of being more or less regularly burgled, so he built a trap with a shotgun and a tripwire. Sure enough, he iced a burglar with it, and pro… --- ## [Was There A Way To Get Heat In Stagecoaches In Winter?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-a-way-to-get-heat-in-stagecoaches-in-winter/685210)
**Author:** [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Replies:** 38\ **Last updated:** [October 15, 2015, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-a-way-to-get-heat-in-stagecoaches-in-winter/685210 "2015-10-15T22:58:17Z")
Just wondering about stagecoaches that traveled the West in the old days - did they have any method of supplying heat to the passengers on cold days/nights? I recall seeing a film once of heating a brick(?) and placing … --- ## [Why hasn't the US complete pwned ISIS on the internet](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-the-us-complete-pwned-isis-on-the-internet/734732)
**Author:** [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [October 15, 2015, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-the-us-complete-pwned-isis-on-the-internet/734732 "2015-10-15T21:35:00Z")
Media coverage of ISIS often comments on one of their strengths being their online social media presence. How has the US allowed this to continue? ISIS control a small strip of territory in Northern Syria and Iraq. How… --- ## [SR-71 alternatives](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sr-71-alternatives/734663)
**Author:** [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [October 15, 2015, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sr-71-alternatives/734663 "2015-10-15T21:14:45Z")
The SR-71 was retired in 1998-1999 yet the US must have had alternatives both at the ready and in development. What other means might be available to fill in for the SR-71? What US or foreign advancements have made the… --- ## [explain the lottery scam that's in the news.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-lottery-scam-thats-in-the-news/734510)
**Author:** [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [October 15, 2015, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-lottery-scam-thats-in-the-news/734510 "2015-10-15T18:25:02Z")
Here’s the apparent backstory regarding the lottery fraud that’s in the news this week. The short version is that a lottery official participated in a scheme to make the computer system print the winning ticket for some… --- ## [Can We Conclusively Prove That Life Exists On Mars?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-conclusively-prove-that-life-exists-on-mars/734173)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 89\ **Last updated:** [October 15, 2015, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-conclusively-prove-that-life-exists-on-mars/734173 "2015-10-15T17:32:55Z")
More promising news about the “potential” for life on Mars comes in by the day - evidence of ancient lakes, flowing salt water, etc. Do whatever probes we have up there have the capability of concluding yay or nay, howev… --- ## [What happens when buried nuclear waste is exposed to fire?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-buried-nuclear-waste-is-exposed-to-fire/734721)
**Author:** [@BetsQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BetsQ)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [October 15, 2015, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-buried-nuclear-waste-is-exposed-to-fire/734721 "2015-10-15T15:53:44Z")
A landfill in the suburbs of St. Louis has been smoldering for years. Apparently it’s stinky, but hasn’t been deemed especially dangerous. Now, the fire is moving closer to an adjacent landfill that contains illegally du… --- ## [2 deep cycle batteries and an inverter: run in parallel or one at a time?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-deep-cycle-batteries-and-an-inverter-run-in-parallel-or-one-at-a-time/734601)
**Author:** [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [October 15, 2015, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-deep-cycle-batteries-and-an-inverter-run-in-parallel-or-one-at-a-time/734601 "2015-10-15T15:04:41Z")
Suppose I’m looking at a power outage and have an inverter and 2 deep cycle batteries. To maximize runtime, would it matter if I hooked the batteries up parallel or should I just run one until it’s discharged and then ho… --- ## [Two Electrical Questions (replacement box and acceptable wiring)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-electrical-questions-replacement-box-and-acceptable-wiring/734675)
**Author:** [@OldOlds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldOlds)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [October 15, 2015, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-electrical-questions-replacement-box-and-acceptable-wiring/734675 "2015-10-15T14:46:35Z")
I went to replace a 3-way switch and found two things I’d like opinions on. The switch is a pilot light type, where the actual switch lights up to let you know the load (garage lights) are on. Style here: Leviton Pilo… --- ## [What is the origin of this phrase I keep seeing on the web?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-this-phrase-i-keep-seeing-on-the-web/653710)
**Author:** [@Hottius\_Maximus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hottius_Maximus)\ **Replies:** 43\ **Last updated:** [October 15, 2015, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-this-phrase-i-keep-seeing-on-the-web/653710 "2015-10-15T13:01:07Z")
Come to the dark side; we have cookies. --- ## [What's the reality of 'active denial systems'](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-reality-of-active-denial-systems/734525)
**Author:** [@Supreme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Supreme)\ **Replies:** 40\ **Last updated:** [October 15, 2015, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-reality-of-active-denial-systems/734525 "2015-10-15T09:11:30Z")
A couple years ago the microwave tanks called ‘active denial systems’ were all over the media. They all said the tanks made the skin feel like ‘burning’ and were used on protesters, for example, and were not lethal. But… --- ## [hair dye](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hair-dye/732415)
**Author:** [@stosh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stosh)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [September 25, 2015, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hair-dye/732415 "2015-09-25T15:21:10Z")
Ladies, I saw a woman today and she had her hair dyed three different colors and I was wondering . How much would some thing like that cost ? I don’t expect an exact number but about how much would that cost at a norma… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=1021) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=1023)