# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=1028 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 1029 --- ## [Urine and ancient manufacturing](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urine-and-ancient-manufacturing/733277)
**Author:** [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Replies:** 34\ **Last updated:** [October 6, 2015, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urine-and-ancient-manufacturing/733277 "2015-10-06T05:29:19Z")
Urine was used in the making of leather, cleaning clothes, and other applications I can’t recall right now. We understand its chemistry today. But what is it about urine that made ancient people say “Yeah, this should … --- ## [How much would a Russia invasion of Syria cost](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-a-russia-invasion-of-syria-cost/733620)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [October 6, 2015, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-a-russia-invasion-of-syria-cost/733620 "2015-10-06T04:44:13Z")
I’m not sure if it is true, but I’ve seen some news articles today talking about how Putin wants to send 150,000 ground troops to Syria. I believe in the US during our Iraq and Afghanistan wars we were spending somethin… --- ## ["body odor" smell from aging CDs and DVDs](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/body-odor-smell-from-aging-cds-and-dvds/733686)
**Author:** [@Mr\_Downtown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Downtown)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [October 6, 2015, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/body-odor-smell-from-aging-cds-and-dvds/733686 "2015-10-06T04:39:01Z")
A few years ago I noticed that the CD section of the downtown Chicago public library had a strong smell of “body odor.” But eventually I decided that something in the aging discs themselves or the plastic cases used by … --- ## [If a doctor doesn't have a valid license, are his diagnoses legally and/or medically void?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-doctor-doesnt-have-a-valid-license-are-his-diagnoses-legally-and-or-medically-void/733586)
**Author:** [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [October 6, 2015, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-doctor-doesnt-have-a-valid-license-are-his-diagnoses-legally-and-or-medically-void/733586 "2015-10-06T04:08:08Z")
In this thread, I somewhat facetiously mentioned the possibility of a doctor’s license being revoked retroactively, thereby voiding his diagnoses and making his patients officially (but not actually) un-sickened. That g… --- ## [Eyes get brighter after ... (potentially NSFW subject)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyes-get-brighter-after-potentially-nsfw-subject/733638)
**Author:** [@Cardboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardboard)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [October 6, 2015, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyes-get-brighter-after-potentially-nsfw-subject/733638 "2015-10-06T03:33:34Z")
Not orgasming for a while. I recently got off a month-long streak of zero orgasms (it was self-imposed) and during that stretch I noticed my eyes got brighter and the blue color got more pronounced. Then the streak end… --- ## [Need basic animation software to make MP4s](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-basic-animation-software-to-make-mp4s/733637)
**Author:** [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [October 6, 2015, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-basic-animation-software-to-make-mp4s/733637 "2015-10-06T02:35:19Z")
After looking at videos online and how most are the same lecture I would give - just on video :dubious:, I’ve decided to supplement my lectures with videos I will make and post online (hence the MP4 requirement). I’m no… --- ## [Running over a cat: Slow or Fast (to do more damage)?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-over-a-cat-slow-or-fast-to-do-more-damage/570569)
**Author:** [@Apocalypso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apocalypso)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2015, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-over-a-cat-slow-or-fast-to-do-more-damage/570569 "2015-10-05T23:56:21Z")
Ok, this is a completely hypothetical question. No small vicious animals will be harmed as a result of this thread. Feel free to substitute any other small animal you like if the idea of cats being run over disturbs yo… --- ## [What's the rub on religious leaders and sex?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-rub-on-religious-leaders-and-sex/733302)
**Author:** [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2015, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-rub-on-religious-leaders-and-sex/733302 "2015-10-05T23:43:45Z")
My wife and I were having an amusing discussion on if the Pope had ever been laid, or if he is a virgin. I guess Francis started out life as a normal kid and at some point entered the clergy and took a vow of chastity, s… --- ## [Why is ER care so expensive?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-er-care-so-expensive/733297)
**Author:** [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Replies:** 39\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2015, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-er-care-so-expensive/733297 "2015-10-05T23:12:13Z")
I’ve long heard (and believed) that it is much more expensive to provide care in an Emergency Room, as opposed to other settings, and that this was one of the major reasons it was important to devise alternatives so unin… --- ## [What information is lost to a black hole?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-information-is-lost-to-a-black-hole/733371)
**Author:** [@sweeteviljesus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweeteviljesus)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2015, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-information-is-lost-to-a-black-hole/733371 "2015-10-05T22:20:09Z")
I am trying to grok the information paradox, but I don’t understand what information they’re talking about. Thanks, Rob --- ## [is reverse compiling Cobol relatively easy or hard?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-reverse-compiling-cobol-relatively-easy-or-hard/572752)
**Author:** [@code\_grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/code_grey)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2015, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-reverse-compiling-cobol-relatively-easy-or-hard/572752 "2015-10-05T20:03:32Z")
I think that reverse compiling C is considered hard while dotnet executables even preserve the variable names etc. So, how about Cobol? At first glance the language seems unstructured and not far removed from assembly. … --- ## [Three consecutive “would have”s -- is this acceptable?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-consecutive-would-have-s-is-this-acceptable/733633)
**Author:** [@Melia\_Antiqua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melia_Antiqua)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2015, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-consecutive-would-have-s-is-this-acceptable/733633 "2015-10-05T20:00:03Z")
The speaker said the following sentences, knowing her mother had already passed away some time ago. Given this fact, I wonder if I shouldn’t change the last two “would”s to “would have”s. But then again, I’m not too keen… --- ## [What is the answer to this question in quantum physics?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-answer-to-this-question-in-quantum-physics/733624)
**Author:** [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2015, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-answer-to-this-question-in-quantum-physics/733624 "2015-10-05T18:15:35Z")
See subject. How would that be diagrammed by a physicist, as opposed to a barber? --- ## [how do doctors prevent infection after bowel resection surgery?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-doctors-prevent-infection-after-bowel-resection-surgery/733268)
**Author:** [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2015, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-doctors-prevent-infection-after-bowel-resection-surgery/733268 "2015-10-05T18:00:24Z")
A friend recently had a few inches of tumorous bowel removed, after which the healthy portions of bowel upstream and downstream of this section were spliced back together. Made me wonder…it seems like infectious materia… --- ## [Accuracy of a torque wrench (and other torque-related questions?)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accuracy-of-a-torque-wrench-and-other-torque-related-questions/733440)
**Author:** [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2015, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accuracy-of-a-torque-wrench-and-other-torque-related-questions/733440 "2015-10-05T17:39:10Z")
I did a search, and found a number of threads regarding torque, but not this… I have a torque wrench. I know how to use it. (Heh) However, I have no idea if the torque put on the bolt is actually the torque specified. … --- ## [How To Kill Germs in Colored Clothes?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-kill-germs-in-colored-clothes/362192)
**Author:** [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Replies:** 39\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2015, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-kill-germs-in-colored-clothes/362192 "2015-10-05T17:15:54Z")
A while back, I read a thread in which I learned that soap does not actually kill bacteria. (It was about those mesh shower poufs. Apparently, they’re chock full of bacteria and it doesn’t matter that they are saturated … --- ## [Do black people tan?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-black-people-tan/480548)
**Author:** [@Incubus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Incubus)\ **Replies:** 50\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2015, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-black-people-tan/480548 "2015-10-05T13:31:20Z")
It occurred to me that while people of many races get darker in sunlight, I never really thought about if someone was already really dark-skinned. Do black people get darker if they go out for a tan? Do they get sunburne… --- ## [Microsoft Works copy-and-paste](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-works-copy-and-paste/733327)
**Author:** [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2015, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-works-copy-and-paste/733327 "2015-10-05T09:36:02Z")
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=18737088&postcount=52 Can anyone explain to me why every attempt at doing a copy-and-paste of that post, or of the Reddit post to which it links, causes Microsoft Works… --- ## [What is the energy density of the batteries used in a Tesla Model S P85D?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-energy-density-of-the-batteries-used-in-a-tesla-model-s-p85d/733473)
**Author:** [@SHARKBITEATTACK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SHARKBITEATTACK)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2015, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-energy-density-of-the-batteries-used-in-a-tesla-model-s-p85d/733473 "2015-10-05T08:37:50Z")
I was wondering what the energy density and energy/volume were of the batteries used in a Tesla compared to that of gasoline and diesel. --- ## [Is there a better way to buy a couch?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-better-way-to-buy-a-couch/733092)
**Author:** [@singular1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/singular1)\ **Replies:** 36\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2015, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-better-way-to-buy-a-couch/733092 "2015-10-05T07:08:42Z")
So our couch is gone and we need a new one. Long dramatic backstory, not important. So we need to buy a new one. First impulse is to go to a furniture store etc. but times being what they are - is there a better way to … --- ## [Why does Verizon offer discounts to employees of so many companies?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-verizon-offer-discounts-to-employees-of-so-many-companies/733447)
**Author:** [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2015, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-verizon-offer-discounts-to-employees-of-so-many-companies/733447 "2015-10-05T06:29:12Z")
Verizon has a very long list of large companies whose employees they give discounts to. Why do they do it? Are they all companies Verizon owns stock in? I can’t imagine how they would benefit if I left my job at a loc… --- ## [Was the pre-1990 Internet completely unsearchable?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-pre-1990-internet-completely-unsearchable/733049)
**Author:** [@protoboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/protoboard)\ **Replies:** 45\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2015, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-pre-1990-internet-completely-unsearchable/733049 "2015-10-05T05:23:11Z")
Was it possible to even do a keyboard search or send out a bot if you were knowledgeable enough? Or was there absolutely no way to navigate newsgroups, FTP etc before Archie and Gopher came out? I mean aside from human-m… --- ## [Could this breaker be bad or do we have a Bigger Problem?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-breaker-be-bad-or-do-we-have-a-bigger-problem/733497)
**Author:** [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2015, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-breaker-be-bad-or-do-we-have-a-bigger-problem/733497 "2015-10-05T05:11:11Z")
Yeah, I know, my house is falling apart. I still haven’t solved my pilot light problem and now we’re having a weird electrical problem. So, first of all, we are in the midst of Aquacolypse 2015. Historic rain event, hal… --- ## [Why are schizophrenic delusions often negative?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-schizophrenic-delusions-often-negative/733571)
**Author:** [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2015, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-schizophrenic-delusions-often-negative/733571 "2015-10-05T04:15:16Z")
You can find some studies that say in non-western cultures schizophrenics have better outcomes and less negative delusions, it is attributed to spirits instead of being an illness etc. This doesn’t answer the why it is … --- ## [Protocol for humanely euthanizing patients in hospital that must be abandoned?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protocol-for-humanely-euthanizing-patients-in-hospital-that-must-be-abandoned/733563)
**Author:** [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2015, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protocol-for-humanely-euthanizing-patients-in-hospital-that-must-be-abandoned/733563 "2015-10-05T00:22:30Z")
I don’t give the claim much weight, but someone made a claim in a thread elsewhere on the zombie show Fear The Walking Dead that this is the accepted course of action if medical staff must abandon a hospital with no cont… --- ## [Would a Planet In a Stable Orbit (Around Black Hole) Exceed c?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-planet-in-a-stable-orbit-around-black-hole-exceed-c/732499)
**Author:** [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [October 4, 2015, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-planet-in-a-stable-orbit-around-black-hole-exceed-c/732499 "2015-10-04T20:03:06Z")
Suppose you have a massive black hole, with an orbiting planet. At the right distance, a planet could avoid falling into the black hole by orbiting at a sufficient high speed. As the orbit distance decreases, the orbital… --- ## [Repointing a Chimney-Can You Use Plastic-Based Mortar?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repointing-a-chimney-can-you-use-plastic-based-mortar/733526)
**Author:** [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [October 4, 2015, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repointing-a-chimney-can-you-use-plastic-based-mortar/733526 "2015-10-04T19:31:27Z")
My house in 93 years old, and the chimney needs repointing. Chiseling out the old mortar is easy-but filling in the areas removed is a big job. My question: -can you use that plastic mortar patch that comes in tubes? … --- ## [Average lifespans going up despite obesity/smoking](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/average-lifespans-going-up-despite-obesity-smoking/732964)
**Author:** [@smokey78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smokey78)\ **Replies:** 38\ **Last updated:** [October 4, 2015, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/average-lifespans-going-up-despite-obesity-smoking/732964 "2015-10-04T18:44:59Z")
When I visited a London a few years ago, something I really noticed bugged the heck out of me…going out in public, nearly everyone was lighting cigarettes. Our family friends sister who lived there took us out touring an… --- ## [Why does my water heater pilot light go out now?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-water-heater-pilot-light-go-out-now/732306)
**Author:** [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Replies:** 37\ **Last updated:** [October 4, 2015, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-water-heater-pilot-light-go-out-now/732306 "2015-10-04T16:50:11Z")
I’ve had this water heater for, I dunno, maybe six years now? Used to have the simple kind where relighting it meant a BBQ lighter but this one has the automatic light thing where there’s a knob that has “on pilot off”,… --- ## [OK To Give Bones (Poultry Specifically) To House Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-to-give-bones-poultry-specifically-to-house-cats/733438)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [October 4, 2015, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-to-give-bones-poultry-specifically-to-house-cats/733438 "2015-10-04T13:08:26Z")
As I was voraciously gnawing on a delicious smoked turkey bone, my kitteh, Lenny, tried to climb all over me to get to it, then howled winsomely when I shooed him away. This is the first time I’ve noticed him show the sl… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=1027) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=1029)