# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=106 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 107 --- ## [Has there ever been a real-life equivalent to the "Kobayashi Maru" test?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-real-life-equivalent-to-the-kobayashi-maru-test/686119)
**Author:** [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Replies:** 147\ **Last updated:** [January 10, 2024, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-real-life-equivalent-to-the-kobayashi-maru-test/686119 "2024-01-10T20:15:47Z")
The Kobayashi Maru scenario is a famous fictional test given to cadets at Star Trek’s Starfleet Academy. The situation is designed to be unwinnable and the real test is to evaluate how the candidate thinks and performs u… --- ## [Does a battery weigh less as the charge leaves](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-battery-weigh-less-as-the-charge-leaves/995796)
**Author:** [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [January 10, 2024, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-battery-weigh-less-as-the-charge-leaves/995796 "2024-01-10T20:15:01Z")
I heard someone talking about the non-viability of electric airplanes. One of the points they referenced was that the longer a conventional plane flies, the less it weighs due to fact that it’s burning fuel and that a ba… --- ## [New Toilet Handle + Closed Lid = Leaking Toilet?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-toilet-handle-closed-lid-leaking-toilet/994645)
**Author:** [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [January 10, 2024, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-toilet-handle-closed-lid-leaking-toilet/994645 "2024-01-10T18:48:55Z")
I had to replace the interior pieces inside my toilet tank and so purchased and installed the Korky Complete Universal Repair Kit. So far so good. The handle had to be replaced, and I have been through 3 different ones… --- ## [Buying a used car re: inspection](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buying-a-used-car-re-inspection/995708)
**Author:** [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [January 10, 2024, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buying-a-used-car-re-inspection/995708 "2024-01-10T14:02:25Z")
I think this is FQ. If not, mods feel free to move it. These questions are based on videos I have seen and now my experience with my son’s car. When buying a used car (and maybe this is a post-covid phenomenon) ISTM e… --- ## [How Much of the Earth Can the ISS Astronauts See At One Time?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-the-earth-can-the-iss-astronauts-see-at-one-time/995721)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [January 10, 2024, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-the-earth-can-the-iss-astronauts-see-at-one-time/995721 "2024-01-10T13:48:52Z")
From an altitude of 254 miles (408 kilometers), what fraction of the surface of the Earth is visible to the crew of the ISS looking out the window? I ask because I’m imagining the day when space elevators become a thing… --- ## [Do beekeepers get stung very often?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-beekeepers-get-stung-very-often/995862)
**Author:** [@f.coli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/f.coli)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [January 10, 2024, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-beekeepers-get-stung-very-often/995862 "2024-01-10T13:13:14Z")
I have heard that some beekeepers do not wear protective gear around the hives, even when they are taking honey from the hive. If true, do they ever get stung? I understand that they use smoke to tranquilize the bees. … --- ## [Where did the text message icon on my Home Screen go?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-text-message-icon-on-my-home-screen-go/995825)
**Author:** [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [January 10, 2024, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-text-message-icon-on-my-home-screen-go/995825 "2024-01-10T11:03:53Z")
I’ve been using an iPhone for several years now and last night when I pulled it out of my pocket, the messages icon was missing. I have to go into the App Store and search for “messages” to open the app (it works fine fr… --- ## [Question on taxable event re investment income](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-on-taxable-event-re-investment-income/995777)
**Author:** [@teelabrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teelabrown)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [January 9, 2024, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-on-taxable-event-re-investment-income/995777 "2024-01-09T19:20:27Z")
Mr. brown and I are bickering over a taxation question. We have temporarily stopped our monthly payments from Schwab out of our Intelligent Income portfolios because we want to instead spend down an accumulation out of … --- ## [Where is my Desktop?! Win11 & OneDrive](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-my-desktop-win11-onedrive/995737)
**Author:** [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [January 9, 2024, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-my-desktop-win11-onedrive/995737 "2024-01-09T18:53:04Z")
I despise OneDrive. I don’t have it on my computer … at least I don’t think I do considering I can’t find it. But I just found out my Windows Desktop and all of the folders is in C:\\Users\\saintcad\\OneDrive\\ So a few t… --- ## [1970's brand of shampoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1970s-brand-of-shampoo/923944)
**Author:** [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [January 9, 2024, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1970s-brand-of-shampoo/923944 "2024-01-09T18:36:06Z")
I’m wracking my brain trying to remember a shampoo that my mother used (and that I used to borrow). It was in a clear bottle and the shampoo itself was blue. I used it because I liked the way my hair came out, but a gi… --- ## [Problems with "Compress Photos" in MS Word 365. There are two versions](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problems-with-compress-photos-in-ms-word-365-there-are-two-versions/995669)
**Author:** [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [January 9, 2024, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problems-with-compress-photos-in-ms-word-365-there-are-two-versions/995669 "2024-01-09T12:37:59Z")
I have been using MS Word for 6-7 years now. I create documents of cemeteries so I have photos of tombstones, usually 10 or so per document. I use one blank document that I copy so I’ve been using the same one for years.… --- ## [Google Maps property lines viewable on Google Earth?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-property-lines-viewable-on-google-earth/995659)
**Author:** [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [January 9, 2024, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-property-lines-viewable-on-google-earth/995659 "2024-01-09T10:59:34Z")
I swear I was able to do this years ago and now I cannot. --- ## [What's the straight dope on those "creosote clearing" logs?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straight-dope-on-those-creosote-clearing-logs/995792)
**Author:** [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [January 9, 2024, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straight-dope-on-those-creosote-clearing-logs/995792 "2024-01-09T09:29:05Z")
We don’t have a lot of fireplace fires in our house, but we like to have 3-5 or 6 during a winter. But someone nearby had a fireplace fire and it freaked me out thinking that we could have one. We did have the fireplac… --- ## [Doctors and Prostitutes - What's with the red light?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-and-prostitutes-whats-with-the-red-light/235626)
**Author:** [@Wytehawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wytehawk)\ **Replies:** 68\ **Last updated:** [January 8, 2024, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-and-prostitutes-whats-with-the-red-light/235626 "2024-01-08T23:03:57Z")
This topic came up in a converstion recently, and nobody could give an explanation. Is there a connection between the reasons that a doctor traditionally hangs a red light out in front of their practice, and that areas … --- ## [Something terrible happened to my Android Facebook UI](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-terrible-happened-to-my-android-facebook-ui/995794)
**Author:** [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [January 8, 2024, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-terrible-happened-to-my-android-facebook-ui/995794 "2024-01-08T21:58:43Z")
My Facebook interface on web browsers for Android used to look pretty similar to the interface for the Android app.: That isn’t perfect (for instance, I have no interest in that row … --- ## [What's in the toll plaza service buildings?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-in-the-toll-plaza-service-buildings/995614)
**Author:** [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [January 8, 2024, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-in-the-toll-plaza-service-buildings/995614 "2024-01-08T20:56:44Z")
They are the smallish buildings at one end of the row of tollbooths. Anyone been in one? Some are larger and have a mini highway patrol station and others might have a garage and parking area to stage snow removal equip… --- ## [Is there a way to make a cell phone ring at multiple locations at once?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-way-to-make-a-cell-phone-ring-at-multiple-locations-at-once/995654)
**Author:** [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [January 7, 2024, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-way-to-make-a-cell-phone-ring-at-multiple-locations-at-once/995654 "2024-01-07T20:51:35Z")
Like pretty much everyone these days, I’ve had a cell phone for decades at this point. But I’ve never gotten in the habit of carrying it with me around the house. Sometimes it’s in the same room as I am, sometimes it’s … --- ## [Is tires = fatigue a word?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tires-fatigue-a-word/995707)
**Author:** [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [January 7, 2024, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tires-fatigue-a-word/995707 "2024-01-07T04:07:36Z")
I keep thinking of tires as the round, rubber things on a car. I’ve heard tires = fatigue all my life. It’s not in the directory? What?? No s? --- ## [What happened to the old Red Lobster fish figurines?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-old-red-lobster-fish-figurines/995687)
**Author:** [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [January 7, 2024, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-old-red-lobster-fish-figurines/995687 "2024-01-07T01:43:24Z")
I don’t know if all of the locations had them but the one near me did in the mid 1990s. They were large wooden fish carvings and I really liked them. I wish I could have bought one when they went upscale. This is the onl… --- ## [Why aren’t video wills legal?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-aren-t-video-wills-legal/995570)
**Author:** [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Replies:** 38\ **Last updated:** [January 6, 2024, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-aren-t-video-wills-legal/995570 "2024-01-06T19:23:21Z")
I know you can do ‘em, but apparently they’re not legally binding. Why is that? If you have two people there who agree you’re competent, it should work. I am not at all a lawyer, even a little bit. --- ## [Epson Projector Management Software: How can I play a video on USB remotely?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epson-projector-management-software-how-can-i-play-a-video-on-usb-remotely/995702)
**Author:** [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [January 6, 2024, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epson-projector-management-software-how-can-i-play-a-video-on-usb-remotely/995702 "2024-01-06T18:34:20Z")
This is probably a “forlorn hope.” My Google-Fu is weak and I’ve now watched an hour or two of YT videos trying to find the answer. I have a couple Epson Model 99WH video projectors. They are hardwired to my LAN and I… --- ## [Program error: where do the reports go and what do they do?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/program-error-where-do-the-reports-go-and-what-do-they-do/995664)
**Author:** [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [January 6, 2024, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/program-error-where-do-the-reports-go-and-what-do-they-do/995664 "2024-01-06T14:00:01Z")
So there I was, battling evil in Baldur’s Gate 3. I’m in the middle of what most call the hardest battle in the game. In the middle of it I suddenly get kicked out and get an error screen. I go back and try again. Same t… --- ## [Would an hourglass empty more quickly in higher gravity?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-an-hourglass-empty-more-quickly-in-higher-gravity/995433)
**Author:** [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [January 6, 2024, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-an-hourglass-empty-more-quickly-in-higher-gravity/995433 "2024-01-06T13:48:08Z")
I guess this is a question about the way an hourglass works. If I were to have an hourglass that emptied in one minute on Earth and took it to Jupiter, for instance, would the increased gravity cause the hourglass to ta… --- ## [Spanish Questions: Arrows and Oils](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-questions-arrows-and-oils/995653)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [January 6, 2024, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-questions-arrows-and-oils/995653 "2024-01-06T12:55:51Z")
Is the word aceite (oil) used for all oils (like vegetable oil, mechanical oil, etc.)? Is the word for a two-dimensional arrow (like a traffic signal or a sign indicating the direction of something) flecha, the same wor… --- ## [Question about a particular convertible and wind resistance](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-particular-convertible-and-wind-resistance/995658)
**Author:** [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [January 5, 2024, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-particular-convertible-and-wind-resistance/995658 "2024-01-05T20:07:52Z")
The newest Bugatti is a convertible called the Mistral- it has over 1500 hp and the top speed is limited to 261 mph. My question is, what happens when you stick your hand outside the car at that speed? --- ## [In wind, do air molecules move horizontally?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-wind-do-air-molecules-move-horizontally/995508)
**Author:** [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [January 5, 2024, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-wind-do-air-molecules-move-horizontally/995508 "2024-01-05T16:24:43Z")
Pressure waves in air, such as sound, are longitudinal waves, which means that the individual air molecules don’t move in the direction the wave is travelling - only the compression is propagating. Is the same true for w… --- ## [After the war in Ukraine is over, can the west use the frozen russian assets to help rebuild Ukraine](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/after-the-war-in-ukraine-is-over-can-the-west-use-the-frozen-russian-assets-to-help-rebuild-ukraine/962754)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [January 5, 2024, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/after-the-war-in-ukraine-is-over-can-the-west-use-the-frozen-russian-assets-to-help-rebuild-ukraine/962754 "2024-01-05T13:35:45Z")
What happens with all the frozen assets, seized yachts, oligarch mansions, etc. after the war? Seven countries have frozen assets barring Russia from at least $284 billion. After the war is over, can that money be … --- ## [High-bypass turbofan design: why the longer outer duct on later designs?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-bypass-turbofan-design-why-the-longer-outer-duct-on-later-designs/995585)
**Author:** [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [January 5, 2024, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-bypass-turbofan-design-why-the-longer-outer-duct-on-later-designs/995585 "2024-01-05T02:58:50Z")
Looking at this line drawing of the evolution of the 747, a particular detail of the engines caught my eye. Moving from the earliest model (the 747-100) down to the latest (the 747-8), it appears the outer nacelle, whic… --- ## [Can A Car's Airbag Be Activated By A Pedestrian Kicking The Front Of The Car?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-cars-airbag-be-activated-by-a-pedestrian-kicking-the-front-of-the-car/995504)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [January 5, 2024, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-cars-airbag-be-activated-by-a-pedestrian-kicking-the-front-of-the-car/995504 "2024-01-05T01:32:33Z")
A brief (as in, 5-10 seconds) ad for some streaming series appears in my ads from time to time. It shows a man sitting in a car and a pedestrian angrily approaches it. The pedestrian then kicks the car in just the right … --- ## [Noise abatement: basketball and kids screaming](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/noise-abatement-basketball-and-kids-screaming/822631)
**Author:** [@Newtosite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Newtosite)\ **Replies:** 57\ **Last updated:** [January 4, 2024, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/noise-abatement-basketball-and-kids-screaming/822631 "2024-01-04T16:32:12Z")
Does anyone know the best way to block the noise of a basketball bouncing on cement, and kids screaming? My next-door neighbors are very loud outside my bedroom window. My windows are single-pane. At this link, https:… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=105) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=107)