# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=1056 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 1057 --- ## [Are companies obligated to make replacement parts?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-companies-obligated-to-make-replacement-parts/728482)
**Author:** [@Thinktank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thinktank)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [August 24, 2015, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-companies-obligated-to-make-replacement-parts/728482 "2015-08-24T19:12:13Z")
As the headline inquires. I wondered if large companies on US soil were required by law to manufacture replacement parts for items they sell.? Thank you for your time. --- ## [Eyes of Young Venomous Snakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyes-of-young-venomous-snakes/728613)
**Author:** [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [August 24, 2015, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyes-of-young-venomous-snakes/728613 "2015-08-24T18:37:29Z")
I had thought that young venomous snakes have round pupils even though the adults have the narrow vertical slits. During our bird walk yesterday, our leader, who is a naturalist, said that even the young pit vipers have… --- ## [Capsaicin in urine and kidney stones](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capsaicin-in-urine-and-kidney-stones/728730)
**Author:** [@Anny\_Middon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anny_Middon)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [August 24, 2015, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capsaicin-in-urine-and-kidney-stones/728730 "2015-08-24T18:33:45Z")
The thread on capsaicin in feces and urine indicates that capsaicin from food can be excreted in urine. I go through periods in which I eat a lot of spicy foods. I have also been plagued with kidney stones. Is there a… --- ## [Mathematicians - I Need A Couple Of Formulae, Please](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mathematicians-i-need-a-couple-of-formulae-please/728728)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [August 24, 2015, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mathematicians-i-need-a-couple-of-formulae-please/728728 "2015-08-24T17:29:14Z")
I need a formula to figure out how long a show needs to have been on the air before I can start watching it on my DVR and not have to watch commercials. For example: assume that The Walking Dead comes on at 9:00 PM. Bet… --- ## [Do skin firming lotions work?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-skin-firming-lotions-work/728375)
**Author:** [@Anny\_Middon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anny_Middon)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [August 24, 2015, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-skin-firming-lotions-work/728375 "2015-08-24T17:21:27Z")
Over the past 2+ years I’ve lost a significant amount of weight. I now have a lot of loose skin in some parts of my body. (Luckily for me, I guess, not really in my face, forearms or lower legs. But you could hide a d… --- ## [Mechanics of using a torque wrench to drive screws](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mechanics-of-using-a-torque-wrench-to-drive-screws/728151)
**Author:** [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [August 24, 2015, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mechanics-of-using-a-torque-wrench-to-drive-screws/728151 "2015-08-24T16:51:36Z")
Please understand that I maybe would fail mechanical engineering 101 (if I had taken it), and physics was never my forte. I have a torque wrench. You attach a 3/8" socket to the end, set the torque to a given amount, an… --- ## [How is it feral cats seem to trust humans?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-it-feral-cats-seem-to-trust-humans/728501)
**Author:** [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [August 24, 2015, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-it-feral-cats-seem-to-trust-humans/728501 "2015-08-24T16:46:21Z")
Hello Everyone, Why is it that animals like feral cats seem to trust humans? Not all of them, but many will allow you to approach and given a little time pet them. They wouldn’t trust a dog or even another cat. --- ## [Do you save energy using occupancy sensors with LED lights?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-save-energy-using-occupancy-sensors-with-led-lights/728467)
**Author:** [@Habeed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Habeed)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [August 24, 2015, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-save-energy-using-occupancy-sensors-with-led-lights/728467 "2015-08-24T16:12:49Z")
So, I’ve decided to finally upgrade the rest of the house to LED, now that there are the $2.50 Phillips bulbs as well as inexpensive high CRI bulbs that are supposed to solve any spectral problems. (I plan to use a mix,… --- ## [Is capsaicin actually passed in feces or urine?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-capsaicin-actually-passed-in-feces-or-urine/728601)
**Author:** [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [August 24, 2015, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-capsaicin-actually-passed-in-feces-or-urine/728601 "2015-08-24T15:25:52Z")
Old joke about eating something spicy and then experiencing a burn when defecating, I’ve also heard people claiming this and even when urinating. Is this actually a thing? I have never experienced anything like this, an… --- ## [How do we know what other human species looked like?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-we-know-what-other-human-species-looked-like/728590)
**Author:** [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [August 24, 2015, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-we-know-what-other-human-species-looked-like/728590 "2015-08-24T14:55:49Z")
All the illustrations I have seen of Neandrathals and other Homos seem to depict either rather ugly humans or very humanlike apes. What evidence we have that they did not have violet coloured skin and Vulcan style ears?… --- ## [Body language and seeming authoritative--can it really be learned?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/body-language-and-seeming-authoritative-can-it-really-be-learned/728674)
**Author:** [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [August 24, 2015, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/body-language-and-seeming-authoritative-can-it-really-be-learned/728674 "2015-08-24T14:47:31Z")
Saw this in my facebook feed today: How to Project Power - The New York Times It’s a psychologist who did research into the body language and speech habits of people who are perceived as authoritative. She then went on … --- ## [Can whales get rabies?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-whales-get-rabies/728647)
**Author:** [@F.Pu-du-he-pa-as](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.Pu-du-he-pa-as)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [August 24, 2015, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-whales-get-rabies/728647 "2015-08-24T14:22:41Z")
Since rabies affects mammals, and whales are mammals, can whales get rabies? What happens? Are there any recorded cases of whales with rabies? I wonder how the hydrophobia thing works out, since whales live in the wat… --- ## [Why do some vibrations make my ears itch?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-vibrations-make-my-ears-itch/313604)
**Author:** [@MetroGnome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MetroGnome)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [August 24, 2015, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-vibrations-make-my-ears-itch/313604 "2015-08-24T11:15:28Z")
While sitting on the bus this morning with my fellow commuting zombies, I happened to notice that the vibrations travelling through me during the ride (a combination of the bus’ engine + the road texture I’d guess) happe… --- ## [is Helvetica still considered trendy among designers?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-helvetica-still-considered-trendy-among-designers/728649)
**Author:** [@dofe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dofe)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [August 24, 2015, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-helvetica-still-considered-trendy-among-designers/728649 "2015-08-24T04:14:52Z")
I recently watched a documentary on Helvetica (titled, unsurprisingly, “Helvetica”), which gave some interesting insights into how this typeface changed much of the 20th-century landscape. Is Helvetica still considered a… --- ## [Freddy Fender's grammatical puzzler](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freddy-fenders-grammatical-puzzler/728689)
**Author:** [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [August 24, 2015, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freddy-fenders-grammatical-puzzler/728689 "2015-08-24T04:09:48Z")
In Fender’s song “Before the Next Teardrop Falls,” the opening verse in English concludes with: But if he ever breaks your heart If a teardrop should ever start I’ll be there Before the Next Teardrop Falls. In the Sp… --- ## [Movin' on up... - orders of succession](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movin-on-up-orders-of-succession/728241)
**Author:** [@Little\_Room](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Room)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [August 24, 2015, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movin-on-up-orders-of-succession/728241 "2015-08-24T04:01:28Z")
In the case of orders of succession for various high offices throughout the world (imagining the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development or some such watching the glowing mushroom cloud over Washington, thinking “OH. … --- ## [Why are modern electronics vulnerable to water?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-modern-electronics-vulnerable-to-water/728441)
**Author:** [@Habeed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Habeed)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [August 24, 2015, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-modern-electronics-vulnerable-to-water/728441 "2015-08-24T02:43:25Z")
Everybody knows that water conducts electricity. Almost everyone on this board probably knows it is because the water contains dissolved ions that carry the charge, and that distilled water is an insulator. So, long st… --- ## [Suffix "-ic" vs "-ical"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suffix-ic-vs-ical/728513)
**Author:** [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [August 24, 2015, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suffix-ic-vs-ical/728513 "2015-08-24T01:09:34Z")
When I was in college, my instructor said “grammatic” and “grammatical” were redundant. The -ic and -al suffixes both made “grammar” an adjective. I never really noticed a problem as “grammatic” and “grammatical” both se… --- ## [Do guests on late-night talk shows get paid?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-guests-on-late-night-talk-shows-get-paid/728605)
**Author:** [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [August 24, 2015, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-guests-on-late-night-talk-shows-get-paid/728605 "2015-08-24T00:37:45Z")
Do the guests on late-night talk shows usually get paid for their appearances, and if so, how much? Or is it the opposite, i. e. the celebrities must pay to play, for instance if they want to promote their newest TV show… --- ## [paper on Search Engine Manipulation Effect](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paper-on-search-engine-manipulation-effect/728422)
**Author:** [@rbroome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rbroome)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [August 23, 2015, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paper-on-search-engine-manipulation-effect/728422 "2015-08-23T23:30:44Z")
A paper on the effects of biases in google search results has recently hit the news. “The Search Engine Manipulation Effect (SEME) and Its Possible Impact on the Outcomes of Elections” by Robert Epstein and Ronald Rober… --- ## [How do you secure a parked plane in high winds?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-secure-a-parked-plane-in-high-winds/728459)
**Author:** [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [August 23, 2015, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-secure-a-parked-plane-in-high-winds/728459 "2015-08-23T23:07:33Z")
Typhoon Soudelor recently roared through Taiwan. Someone caught this footage of a 747 parked at the gate pitching up on its main gear in high winds. It’s a short video, but keep an eye on the main gear. Alternative vi… --- ## [Is this documentary about buying nukes legit?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-documentary-about-buying-nukes-legit/728625)
**Author:** [@Saffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saffer)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [August 23, 2015, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-documentary-about-buying-nukes-legit/728625 "2015-08-23T21:05:55Z")
Youtube link If this is real, why hasn’t a bigger deal been made about it? I expect this video has been around for long enough to be debunked if it is indeed bunk, so I am inclined to suspect that buying a nuke isn’t q… --- ## [Why do different countries get different car brands?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-different-countries-get-different-car-brands/728085)
**Author:** [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Replies:** 44\ **Last updated:** [August 23, 2015, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-different-countries-get-different-car-brands/728085 "2015-08-23T18:12:19Z")
? You’ll see Tiidas around here which I see in the USA is the Versa, what is the point in that? Also are Asian cars from big name makers actually smaller than their USA counterparts? Most of the cars here(Carib) are im… --- ## [Can't see Windows 10 shares on Puppy Linux](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-see-windows-10-shares-on-puppy-linux/727931)
**Author:** [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [August 23, 2015, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-see-windows-10-shares-on-puppy-linux/727931 "2015-08-23T16:29:19Z")
I just upgraded from Win 7 to 10, and everything went surprisingly smooth, but there’s one problem: I have a laptop with Puppy Linux and used to access my Windows 7 shares with a tool named Pnethood from there. That does… --- ## [Stone Orbital Ring](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stone-orbital-ring/728495)
**Author:** [@MetroGnome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MetroGnome)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [August 23, 2015, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stone-orbital-ring/728495 "2015-08-23T15:12:40Z")
Over the years, I’ve come to realize that I really like the Earth, so I want to put a ring on it. Foregoing a high tech solution involving space elevators, I wish to do this with stone age technology because my love, lik… --- ## [Polished engine vs. heat transfer and performance](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polished-engine-vs-heat-transfer-and-performance/728409)
**Author:** [@Ornery\_Bob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ornery_Bob)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [August 23, 2015, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polished-engine-vs-heat-transfer-and-performance/728409 "2015-08-23T14:17:44Z")
I was watching a car show and they were talking about how they took apart the engine in some classic car and found that all the exposed surfaces on the inside of the motor had been polished. Push rods, crankshaft, oil ga… --- ## [OS discs: certificate of authenticity](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/os-discs-certificate-of-authenticity/728457)
**Author:** [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [August 23, 2015, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/os-discs-certificate-of-authenticity/728457 "2015-08-23T13:58:55Z")
I have some computer hardware and software I want to sell. My customer wants a “certificate of authenticity” for an OS disc, in particular Windows 95 (which he specifically requested). I have never heard of such a thing… --- ## [Post WWII rationing](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-wwii-rationing/728249)
**Author:** [@Shinna\_Minna\_Ma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shinna_Minna_Ma)\ **Replies:** 47\ **Last updated:** [August 23, 2015, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-wwii-rationing/728249 "2015-08-23T13:26:59Z")
When did food and gasoline rationing end in the U.S. after WWII? --- ## [For password hashing, why is it not necessary to keep the salt secret?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-password-hashing-why-is-it-not-necessary-to-keep-the-salt-secret/728485)
**Author:** [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Replies:** 38\ **Last updated:** [August 23, 2015, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-password-hashing-why-is-it-not-necessary-to-keep-the-salt-secret/728485 "2015-08-23T12:59:10Z")
In what seems to be a pretty good site about passwords and hashing, it is stated that the salt does not need to be kept secret (see the “adding salt” section, about 10 percent of the way down). Intuitively, I would have … --- ## [Genuine injury in military as opposed to malingering](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genuine-injury-in-military-as-opposed-to-malingering/728572)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [August 23, 2015, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genuine-injury-in-military-as-opposed-to-malingering/728572 "2015-08-23T12:23:05Z")
Suppose that a soldier suffered a broken ankle in boot camp but the drill sergeant accused him of malingering and ordered him to march several miles like everyone else anyway. Could such a soldier legally refuse? If th… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=1055) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=1057)