# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=1024 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 1025 --- ## [Is there any remotely sane, scientific reason that "hypnosis" could cause deaths?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-remotely-sane-scientific-reason-that-hypnosis-could-cause-deaths/734436)
**Author:** [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [October 13, 2015, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-remotely-sane-scientific-reason-that-hypnosis-could-cause-deaths/734436 "2015-10-13T15:35:13Z")
The story currently doing the round of students who died after being hypnotised by a school principle seems like complete BS, to me (on a par with the Italian scientists who were prosecuted for failing to predict earthqu… --- ## [What was the UFO we saw?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-ufo-we-saw/734477)
**Author:** [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [October 13, 2015, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-ufo-we-saw/734477 "2015-10-13T15:31:17Z")
This happened two weekends ago, and I meant to run it by you guys, but got busy doing other stuff and it slipped my mind. I feel like I remember the incident well, though, because after it happened, my husband and I disc… --- ## [Quick Curiosity images qustions](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-curiosity-images-qustions/630938)
**Author:** [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [October 13, 2015, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-curiosity-images-qustions/630938 "2015-10-13T15:06:28Z")
This is a silly question, but I can’t figure out how this descent image of the heat shieldwas taken. The shield is at the bottom, right? So how was this photo taken? There must be a site for constant updates of imag… --- ## [Replacing tires on one side of car](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replacing-tires-on-one-side-of-car/734504)
**Author:** [@iceiso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iceiso)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [October 13, 2015, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replacing-tires-on-one-side-of-car/734504 "2015-10-13T15:03:01Z")
Hello, I had an unfortunate collision with construction material that fell off the back of a truck. I ran over what appeared to be a 4x4 square tube. Both tires on the drivers side were destroyed. The current condition … --- ## [Anglican Church Question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anglican-church-question/734395)
**Author:** [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [October 13, 2015, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anglican-church-question/734395 "2015-10-13T15:02:53Z")
As I understand it, Anglican priests can marry, as can other members of the Anglican clergy (I believe). Since the Anglican Church formed when King Henry VIII split with the Roman Catholic Church in order to get a divorc… --- ## [Why is there a speed of light?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-a-speed-of-light/733639)
**Author:** [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Replies:** 64\ **Last updated:** [October 13, 2015, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-a-speed-of-light/733639 "2015-10-13T14:04:02Z")
Or maybe Why is the speed of light what it is? So why can’t massless particles travel infinite velocity? Also, what is it in the structure of the universe (assuming you are one of those that don’t believe in the aether… --- ## [Exactly what does Volkswagen's "defeat device" do and why?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exactly-what-does-volkswagens-defeat-device-do-and-why/732231)
**Author:** [@Frankenstein\_Monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frankenstein_Monster)\ **Replies:** 52\ **Last updated:** [October 13, 2015, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exactly-what-does-volkswagens-defeat-device-do-and-why/732231 "2015-10-13T12:48:40Z")
So Volkswagen got caught using a “defeat device” in their diesel engines. Perhaps simplifying, I understand that the defeat device would detect when the car is on a dyno for emission testing and then keep the exhaust cl… --- ## [Can something left in the oven ignite? Did I nearly burn the house down?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-something-left-in-the-oven-ignite-did-i-nearly-burn-the-house-down/734158)
**Author:** [@Quintas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quintas)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [October 13, 2015, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-something-left-in-the-oven-ignite-did-i-nearly-burn-the-house-down/734158 "2015-10-13T12:21:34Z")
Night out. Come home and decide to have a pizza. Fall asleep. Wake up, house smells horrible, black chunk of carbon in the oven. Did I nearly burn the house down? I’m thinking 425 is not hot enough to ignite, it just ma… --- ## [Teach me how to buy a television set these days](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-buy-a-television-set-these-days/732700)
**Author:** [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Replies:** 64\ **Last updated:** [October 13, 2015, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-buy-a-television-set-these-days/732700 "2015-10-13T04:40:24Z")
How do I know what to ask and choose? Not opinions, I mean – functions and interconnectivity. We have a smallish CRT color television set, which we use to watch DirecTV satellite programming and to play DVD and “Blueray… --- ## [kitten feeding question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitten-feeding-question/734207)
**Author:** [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [October 13, 2015, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitten-feeding-question/734207 "2015-10-13T03:27:21Z")
found a very young kitten in a construction site. Guessing 3 weeks. Eyes are open and cat is fully furred. keeps licking like it wants milk. very active now that I’ve got it home and have it locked in bathroom (yes I… --- ## [Electrical question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electrical-question/733706)
**Author:** [@Ace1136](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ace1136)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [October 13, 2015, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electrical-question/733706 "2015-10-13T00:10:47Z")
I am adding a new room in my basement. My current basement layout has all lights turn on and off by 2 switches. I have unhooked the light from the current wiring in the new room and ran a line to a switch and a line back… --- ## [In a legally declared war with another country, are all nationals deported?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-legally-declared-war-with-another-country-are-all-nationals-deported/734332)
**Author:** [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [October 12, 2015, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-legally-declared-war-with-another-country-are-all-nationals-deported/734332 "2015-10-12T23:00:29Z")
I was just watching a fictional program set during the first world war. Part of the plot involved a British nurse working in a field hospital in France. Many years before the war began she had fallen in love with a Germ… --- ## [How to kill/disable an attacking dog?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-kill-disable-an-attacking-dog/439368)
**Author:** [@MarcusF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MarcusF)\ **Replies:** 66\ **Last updated:** [October 12, 2015, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-kill-disable-an-attacking-dog/439368 "2015-10-12T22:49:15Z")
In Britain there has been a significant rise in the number of people bitten by dogs and reasonably regularly someone is seriously injured or killed. Generally the worst of the attacks seem to be where the dog bites and “… --- ## [help me figure out network thing](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-figure-out-network-thing/734453)
**Author:** [@ShawnJackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShawnJackson)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [October 12, 2015, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-figure-out-network-thing/734453 "2015-10-12T21:19:07Z")
There are four computers in the house: my pc (running win7), living room pc (running XP), one roomie’s pc (running XP), and other roomie’s laptop (running linux, I think.) My pc and living room pc are plugged physically… --- ## [What is that elevator smell? Machine oil?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-that-elevator-smell-machine-oil/733776)
**Author:** [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [October 12, 2015, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-that-elevator-smell-machine-oil/733776 "2015-10-12T20:44:40Z")
When I take the elevator at work, the smell takes me back 40 years to the only elevator I regularly rode as a small child, the one to the doctor’s office. And a tiny part of me starts fearing the possibility of the drea… --- ## [Is there a risk to treeing hounds?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-risk-to-treeing-hounds/734404)
**Author:** [@Grsz11](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grsz11)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [October 12, 2015, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-risk-to-treeing-hounds/734404 "2015-10-12T18:29:34Z")
Io know somebody who’s hound died while treeing, but I don’t know how. Is there an inherent risk to the dog when doing this activity? --- ## [How hot can sunshine heat up an object?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-hot-can-sunshine-heat-up-an-object/734245)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [October 12, 2015, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-hot-can-sunshine-heat-up-an-object/734245 "2015-10-12T17:58:52Z")
Say you leave a black, non-reflective, light-absorbent metal plate out in the hot sunshine of, say, Death Valley. No lenses or focusing equipment; just plain unfiltered sunshine. Can the surface of the object reach 100… --- ## [AstroTurf/cancer story](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astroturf-cancer-story/733101)
**Author:** [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [October 12, 2015, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astroturf-cancer-story/733101 "2015-10-12T17:16:13Z")
Just saw a story on NBC News about a rash of soccer players getting cancer, and the common link seemed to be artificial turf, or the ground-up tires in it that approximate dirt in it. They mentioned that a lot of the can… --- ## [Basic Repair to a Laptop Keyboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-repair-to-a-laptop-keyboard/734424)
**Author:** [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [October 12, 2015, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-repair-to-a-laptop-keyboard/734424 "2015-10-12T15:37:58Z")
The “ESC” key broke off my laptop keyboard. Underneath, it seems there is a nub made of - what feels like - silicone. This nub is also loose and feels like it may break off, as well. My questions related to repairing… --- ## [Is this photo real? \[Warning: Morbid and Creepy!} -- posing with dead relative](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-photo-real-warning-morbid-and-creepy-posing-with-dead-relative/734045)
**Author:** [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [October 12, 2015, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-photo-real-warning-morbid-and-creepy-posing-with-dead-relative/734045 "2015-10-12T13:25:03Z")
Since this is a Halloweeny time, I was looking for creepy photos on Google. Apparently, a lot of people in Victorian times would pose with their dead relatives. I stumbled upon this particular pic, and the supposed corps… --- ## [Most Historically Significant Supreme Court Cases in US History](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-historically-significant-supreme-court-cases-in-us-history/734169)
**Author:** [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try2B_Comprehensive)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [October 12, 2015, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-historically-significant-supreme-court-cases-in-us-history/734169 "2015-10-12T06:27:52Z")
Legal history is mostly unknown to me. As a kind of long-term project, I’d like to read through the most important decisions in US history, along with the dissenting opinions where they exist. I was going to title this, … --- ## [Civilian jet loses on takeoff a wheel and "brake parts": Pilot doesn't notice?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civilian-jet-loses-on-takeoff-a-wheel-and-brake-parts-pilot-doesnt-notice/734355)
**Author:** [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [October 12, 2015, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civilian-jet-loses-on-takeoff-a-wheel-and-brake-parts-pilot-doesnt-notice/734355 "2015-10-12T02:52:12Z")
Someone’s getting fired at Ben Gurion Airport (Delta plane loses a wheel, brake parts on takeoff from Israel | The Times of Israel). So ground radar picks up debris as it’s supposed to (such a radar I never knew existed… --- ## [DVR audio language and the NFL](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dvr-audio-language-and-the-nfl/734394)
**Author:** [@AllShookDown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AllShookDown)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [October 12, 2015, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dvr-audio-language-and-the-nfl/734394 "2015-10-12T02:08:29Z")
This first happened today. I turned on the football game on CBS, watching via my DVR and I’m getting the Spanish audio play-by-play. Commercials are in English, as usual. Commentary from the “anchor desk” is English. I s… --- ## [Why do the IV antibiotics have to go in so slowly?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-the-iv-antibiotics-have-to-go-in-so-slowly/734258)
**Author:** [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [October 11, 2015, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-the-iv-antibiotics-have-to-go-in-so-slowly/734258 "2015-10-11T20:57:58Z")
In the hospital, my wife was getting antibiotics via the drip and it took about 20 minutes for the bag to empty. Now, at home, where we’re doing it using a syringe via a PIC line, we’re advised to administer the 20 ml o… --- ## [Do railroad bulls still exist?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-railroad-bulls-still-exist/734273)
**Author:** [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [October 11, 2015, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-railroad-bulls-still-exist/734273 "2015-10-11T18:44:08Z")
You know, the guys depicted in countless old Hollywood movies keeping the goods trains clear of hobos, and in none too polite a fashion! Do people still try to travel the country in boxcars? Were (or are) bulls armed? In… --- ## [Localized military recruiting--when did it end?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/localized-military-recruiting-when-did-it-end/734235)
**Author:** [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [October 11, 2015, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/localized-military-recruiting-when-did-it-end/734235 "2015-10-11T17:51:14Z")
There are many cases of military units who recruited from a specific area, such as the volunteer companies of the American Civil War or the “Pals Battalions” of WWI Britain. When did armies stop recruiting their troops … --- ## [Question about the 2015 Physics Nobel Prize](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-2015-physics-nobel-prize/734295)
**Author:** [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [October 11, 2015, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-2015-physics-nobel-prize/734295 "2015-10-11T16:56:10Z")
The prize went to two researchers that confirmed that neutrinos have mass, or can have mass depending on how they are feeling at any particular moment… The question is, could this be connected in any way to the mystery … --- ## [Search dogs smelling money??](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-dogs-smelling-money/734194)
**Author:** [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [October 11, 2015, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-dogs-smelling-money/734194 "2015-10-11T16:31:02Z")
I often watch Border Patrol and similar programs on TV. A couple of times I’ve seen mention of search dogs sniffing out undeclared currency. How?? What specifically are the dogs picking up on? Whether it is actual paper … --- ## [Will this new style solid state drive work in my desktop machine?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-this-new-style-solid-state-drive-work-in-my-desktop-machine/734086)
**Author:** [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [October 11, 2015, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-this-new-style-solid-state-drive-work-in-my-desktop-machine/734086 "2015-10-11T16:24:45Z")
I’m intrigued by these new style high performance SSD drives which kind of look like memory modules. My board looks like this. Not sure if any of those short slots labeled PCIe x 1,2,3 or the MSATA slot will take this … --- ## [Bug Bombing House's Crawlspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bug-bombing-houses-crawlspace/318812)
**Author:** [@Skott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skott)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [October 11, 2015, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bug-bombing-houses-crawlspace/318812 "2015-10-11T14:02:16Z")
Okay, so there’s some major work I need to do in the crawlspace beneath our house. It’s about two or three feet high. The major obstical is the amount of spiders down there… and not wanting to be bitten, I was looking … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=1023) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=1025)