# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=1036 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 1037 --- ## [How are new traffic signals introduced?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-new-traffic-signals-introduced/732127)
**Author:** [@iceiso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iceiso)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [September 22, 2015, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-new-traffic-signals-introduced/732127 "2015-09-22T20:32:11Z")
I was listening to the radio this morning and they were reporting on local roadwork. They said to pay attention to the “red X’s and green arrows” on a certain busy road, since they’ve recently changed. This got me thinki… --- ## [Help me ID this 70's toy](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-this-70s-toy/732124)
**Author:** [@PurpleClogs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PurpleClogs)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [September 22, 2015, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-this-70s-toy/732124 "2015-09-22T20:13:26Z")
My stepbrother had this toy in the mid-70’s. I’ve googled this thing to death off and on for over a year and am about to give up. Any toy collectors out there have it in a book or something? Roller coaster with only 1… --- ## [Oklahoma earthquakes-a bad thing?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oklahoma-earthquakes-a-bad-thing/732168)
**Author:** [@glennwith2ns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glennwith2ns)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [September 22, 2015, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oklahoma-earthquakes-a-bad-thing/732168 "2015-09-22T20:05:31Z")
http://earthquakes.ok.gov/ So Oklahoma has had over 500 small earthquakes this year, is this a bad thing? My novice geologic mind thinks that a lot of small earthquakes is better than one large one. If fracking does re… --- ## [High ranking reserve officers during wartime](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-ranking-reserve-officers-during-wartime/732225)
**Author:** [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [September 22, 2015, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-ranking-reserve-officers-during-wartime/732225 "2015-09-22T18:01:24Z")
In the German army during WWII, there were a number of officers who were not considered to be on active duty and who rose to the rank of general (of reserves). These were usually men who had originally planned on a lifel… --- ## [Mortgage PMI](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mortgage-pmi/732210)
**Author:** [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [September 22, 2015, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mortgage-pmi/732210 "2015-09-22T17:28:30Z")
So Ms. Bright and I bought a house in 2008. We refinanced in 2013 (18-year fixed FHA). We have been making double payments since 2008 and we are well below 78% of LTV, but Wells Fargo says we have to pay PMI for 60 month… --- ## [Has anyone ever heard of this sort of gun accident?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-heard-of-this-sort-of-gun-accident/732176)
**Author:** [@Drum\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drum_God)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [September 22, 2015, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-heard-of-this-sort-of-gun-accident/732176 "2015-09-22T17:07:37Z")
One of my high school students had an accident over the weekend. She explained to me how the accident happened, but it just doesn’t sound right to me. I am not an expert on guns, however, so perhaps someone here could … --- ## [When did Beaver become a word for a woman's parts?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-beaver-become-a-word-for-a-womans-parts/731681)
**Author:** [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Replies:** 54\ **Last updated:** [September 22, 2015, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-beaver-become-a-word-for-a-womans-parts/731681 "2015-09-22T16:54:12Z")
Leave It to Beaver, Barbara Billingsley’s classic line “Ward you were hard on the Beaver last night” is television history. I’ve read interviews where the show’s creator claims he had no idea that beaver was a naughty … --- ## [Aviation: When did 'steam gauge' enter the lexicon?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aviation-when-did-steam-gauge-enter-the-lexicon/732006)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [September 22, 2015, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aviation-when-did-steam-gauge-enter-the-lexicon/732006 "2015-09-22T16:32:07Z")
I’ve heard ‘steam gauge’ as a reference to analogue instruments in aircraft for as long as I can remember. Or it seems I heard it back in the '80s, anyway. ISTR there were airliners in the late-'70s or early-'80s with … --- ## [Is there any real advantage to stainless steel appliances?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-real-advantage-to-stainless-steel-appliances/731940)
**Author:** [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [September 22, 2015, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-real-advantage-to-stainless-steel-appliances/731940 "2015-09-22T16:12:29Z")
They seem to be highly sought after, and I have heard that a house not having them could be a deal breaker when selling. Are they really that much better? Stainless can be more durable than regular steel, but the inte… --- ## [Car USB and Fire Phone](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-usb-and-fire-phone/732204)
**Author:** [@dauerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dauerbach)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [September 22, 2015, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-usb-and-fire-phone/732204 "2015-09-22T14:30:04Z")
I recently purchased a Fire Phone to use as an MP3 player. When I plug it into the USB port of my 2012 Prius C I get a read error it will not play. When I do the same to an apple device there is not problem. Is there … --- ## [How many blinks to simulate sleep](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-blinks-to-simulate-sleep/732132)
**Author:** [@Ryanmiaku](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ryanmiaku)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [September 22, 2015, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-blinks-to-simulate-sleep/732132 "2015-09-22T14:25:50Z")
So hypothetically let’s say you try to not sleep but compensate by blinking more. How many times and for how long will you have to blink to achieve 8 hours of sleep. --- ## [Aggressive Males and Repressed Homosexuality](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aggressive-males-and-repressed-homosexuality/387477)
**Author:** [@Charger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charger)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [September 22, 2015, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aggressive-males-and-repressed-homosexuality/387477 "2015-09-22T07:41:15Z")
I have often heard that extreme aggressiveness in human males is often a sign of repressed homosexuality. One theory is that the frustration of keeping their sexuality a secret has contributed to aggressiveness. Another … --- ## [Amount of the drug with respect to time](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amount-of-the-drug-with-respect-to-time/732036)
**Author:** [@MaverocK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaverocK)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [September 22, 2015, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amount-of-the-drug-with-respect-to-time/732036 "2015-09-22T06:59:13Z")
I have been discussing with a friend on an exercise question in a book. We couldn’t get our heads around them. The questions are as follows: 1.) When a patient receives an injection, the amount of the injected substanc… --- ## [People only brought to justice after their second crime.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-only-brought-to-justice-after-their-second-crime/542796)
**Author:** [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [September 22, 2015, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-only-brought-to-justice-after-their-second-crime/542796 "2015-09-22T05:23:32Z")
Like van der Sloot and OJ Simpson. --- ## [How do Buddhist monks who self-immolate maintain their composure?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-buddhist-monks-who-self-immolate-maintain-their-composure/731925)
**Author:** [@gracefulfatsheba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gracefulfatsheba)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [September 22, 2015, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-buddhist-monks-who-self-immolate-maintain-their-composure/731925 "2015-09-22T02:29:39Z")
I was just watching the Italian exploitation ‘documentary’ “Mondo Cane 2” and it has a horrific scene where a Buddhist monk self-immolates. The footage appears to be real. Surprisingly, he basically maintains his sittin… --- ## [Were there really 70 million cell phones in the US in 1998?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-really-70-million-cell-phones-in-the-us-in-1998/731954)
**Author:** [@protoboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/protoboard)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [September 22, 2015, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-really-70-million-cell-phones-in-the-us-in-1998/731954 "2015-09-22T02:27:36Z")
According to this table, there were already 70 million cell phone subscriptions in America as early as 1998! I personally find that hard to believe as it goes against my memory. That’s about 1 phone for every 3 people… --- ## [Browser problems](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/browser-problems/732169)
**Author:** [@turner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/turner)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [September 22, 2015, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/browser-problems/732169 "2015-09-22T01:26:33Z")
I have a problem in Chrome where the back arrow doesn’t work. On some sites, it sends me back to google vs the previous site. On others (like SD) I have to hit it about 10-15 times (variable) to get it to do anything. … --- ## [What would "perfect control" of an oven look like?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-perfect-control-of-an-oven-look-like/731729)
**Author:** [@Habeed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Habeed)\ **Replies:** 51\ **Last updated:** [September 22, 2015, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-perfect-control-of-an-oven-look-like/731729 "2015-09-22T01:12:55Z")
If an oven or other resistive heating machine were computer controlled, and that control were as good as it can possibly be (meaning the shortest possible heating times and extremely precise maintaining of the set temper… --- ## [When did people start "talking like a pirate?" Is it an Anglo-wide thing? Other languages?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-people-start-talking-like-a-pirate-is-it-an-anglo-wide-thing-other-languages/731880)
**Author:** [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [September 22, 2015, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-people-start-talking-like-a-pirate-is-it-an-anglo-wide-thing-other-languages/731880 "2015-09-22T01:06:18Z")
Just four more hours in the National Talk Like a Pirate Day, me matey. Pass me the asparagus. Pirate central: http://talklikeapirate.com Is “everyone” – kids, goofers-around, etc. – in English-speaking countries awar… --- ## [Question \[bolt removal\]](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-bolt-removal/732103)
**Author:** [@billfromacrossthestreet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfromacrossthestreet)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [September 22, 2015, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-bolt-removal/732103 "2015-09-22T00:17:40Z")
Anybody know a way I can get this bolt out i got no clue --- ## [McAfee 'Personal Firewall' Win 8.1](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcafee-personal-firewall-win-8-1/732163)
**Author:** [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [September 21, 2015, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcafee-personal-firewall-win-8-1/732163 "2015-09-21T23:47:55Z")
Tried search - nothing within last year. Does the ‘McAfee Personal Firewall’ (30 days free with PC) do anything except manage the Windows Firewall? I pulled up the Windows version and it had a brightly colored bar annou… --- ## [Recovering phone numbers from a SIM card](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recovering-phone-numbers-from-a-sim-card/731772)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [September 21, 2015, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recovering-phone-numbers-from-a-sim-card/731772 "2015-09-21T23:39:15Z")
I broke my AT&T phone a few weeks ago, and Mrs. L.A. loaned me her old TracFone until my new Virgin phone came. I tried putting the SIM card from the Pantech phone into her LG (non-smart) phone, and got an error when I … --- ## [How Much Caucasian Blood Is Needed To Make A Blue-Eyed Asian?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-caucasian-blood-is-needed-to-make-a-blue-eyed-asian/334306)
**Author:** [@Surreal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surreal)\ **Replies:** 40\ **Last updated:** [September 21, 2015, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-caucasian-blood-is-needed-to-make-a-blue-eyed-asian/334306 "2015-09-21T22:10:36Z")
There’s a movie coming out soon that features an actress who has typical Asian features, except that she has blue eyes. While I’m sure this is probably not her natural eye color, I wonder if anything like this is possibl… --- ## [Sugar damaege to teeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sugar-damaege-to-teeth/732146)
**Author:** [@Longshanks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Longshanks)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [September 21, 2015, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sugar-damaege-to-teeth/732146 "2015-09-21T21:53:30Z")
When you drink a sugary drink does it cause damage to your teeth because it touches them while its in your mouth? That must sound like a simple question, but I was wondering if it could cause your teeth damage somehow af… --- ## [What's the largest religion that originated outside of Asia?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-religion-that-originated-outside-of-asia/732053)
**Author:** [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [September 21, 2015, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-religion-that-originated-outside-of-asia/732053 "2015-09-21T21:46:50Z")
It occurred to me that virtually all of the world’s major religions trace their origins back to Asia: Baha’i, Buddhism, Cao Dai, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Juche, Judaism, Shinto, Sikhism, Taoi… --- ## [Withholding pay from Congress members](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/withholding-pay-from-congress-members/732013)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [September 21, 2015, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/withholding-pay-from-congress-members/732013 "2015-09-21T21:25:17Z")
Democrat Files Bill To Take Away Pay From All Congressmen Who Shut Down Government Unfortunately, there’s that pesky 27th Amendment, which says ‘No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Rep… --- ## [“Who knows”, “Who’s to say”, and “God knows”: How are these three expressions nuanced in meaning?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-knows-who-s-to-say-and-god-knows-how-are-these-three-expressions-nuanced-in-meaning/732083)
**Author:** [@Melia\_Antiqua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melia_Antiqua)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [September 21, 2015, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-knows-who-s-to-say-and-god-knows-how-are-these-three-expressions-nuanced-in-meaning/732083 "2015-09-21T20:34:46Z")
I was wondering if I can use any of these three expressions in the following sentence – possibly with slightly different meanings? Many thanks. Man: You know, this marks the fifth time I’ve found you in the midst of tro… --- ## [Septic systems and water softeners](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/septic-systems-and-water-softeners/510713)
**Author:** [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [September 21, 2015, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/septic-systems-and-water-softeners/510713 "2015-09-21T19:54:27Z")
We had our septic tank pumped a while back, and the guy from the septic tank company warned us about the fact that our water softener is plumbed to discharge its waste into the septic system. I should say that although … --- ## [Jeep Grand Cherokee (Laredo) question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeep-grand-cherokee-laredo-question/732016)
**Author:** [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [September 21, 2015, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeep-grand-cherokee-laredo-question/732016 "2015-09-21T18:43:43Z")
Last week a kid in a Chevy ran a red light and clipped my right headlamp off. Within two hours, his insurance company notified me that they are accepting 100% liability, so, yay. I brought my car into a body shop and ha… --- ## [Gift tissue paper storage](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gift-tissue-paper-storage/732113)
**Author:** [@Anny\_Middon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anny_Middon)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [September 21, 2015, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gift-tissue-paper-storage/732113 "2015-09-21T17:00:07Z")
Every year I give ~20 boxes of home-canned goods to lucky recipients. In order to save time & money, I decided to order wrapping supplies in bulk. Thus I have heavy stacks of white, green and red tissue paper. How do … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=1035) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=1037)