# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=11 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 12 --- ## [Dubai perfumery Paris Corner: logo is highly stylized Arabic script?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubai-perfumery-paris-corner-logo-is-highly-stylized-arabic-script/1029702)
**Author:** [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [May 4, 2026, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubai-perfumery-paris-corner-logo-is-highly-stylized-arabic-script/1029702 "2026-05-04T22:41:42Z")
My wife recently bought a fragrance made by the Dubai-based perfumery Paris Corner. On the box was this logo: That logo is doubtlessly heavily stylized Arabic script, corr… --- ## [What in the wilds of Florida could smell like very heavy spice?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-in-the-wilds-of-florida-could-smell-like-very-heavy-spice/1029683)
**Author:** [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [May 3, 2026, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-in-the-wilds-of-florida-could-smell-like-very-heavy-spice/1029683 "2026-05-03T13:47:50Z")
About a year ago I was hiking in the woods in Florida when all of a sudden I smelled a very strong spice smell. It smelled a lot like you’re walking in the spiced tchotchkes aisle of a craft store but stronger. Or like p… --- ## [An ode to ass gaskets — are they beginning to disappear?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-ode-to-ass-gaskets-are-they-beginning-to-disappear/1012384)
**Author:** [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Replies:** 44\ **Last updated:** [May 2, 2026, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-ode-to-ass-gaskets-are-they-beginning-to-disappear/1012384 "2026-05-02T23:28:45Z")
Important: this is not about whether paper toilet seat covers have any effective purpose or function in terms of disease transmission. We’ve done that repeatedly (2002, 2003, 2005, etc etc) and the general consensus is t… --- ## [What's going on with all the major VPN outages?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-with-all-the-major-vpn-outages/1029735)
**Author:** [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [May 2, 2026, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-with-all-the-major-vpn-outages/1029735 "2026-05-02T23:08:51Z")
Evidently this has been a thing since 8 April 2026. For quite a number of people (inlcuding yours truly), VPN access is the only way to connect with friends, families, and actual information. VPNs are also used by many c… --- ## [Can Hemorrhoids Spontaneously Subside (TMI, obviously)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-hemorrhoids-spontaneously-subside-tmi-obviously/1029060)
**Author:** [@Moonrise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonrise)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [May 2, 2026, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-hemorrhoids-spontaneously-subside-tmi-obviously/1029060 "2026-05-02T22:09:08Z")
For the past 6 years at least, I’ve had hemorrhoids. Not small ones, mind you. Big enough for my urologist to comment on them when I had my first appointment with him. Since they didn’t bother me in any way and were not… --- ## [Any easy rules for the pronunciation of the -al- syllable in English?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-easy-rules-for-the-pronunciation-of-the-al-syllable-in-english/1029536)
**Author:** [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [May 2, 2026, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-easy-rules-for-the-pronunciation-of-the-al-syllable-in-english/1029536 "2026-05-02T18:49:35Z")
As a non-native speaker, I find this one of the most frustrating features of English. Sometimes it rhymes with “call”, sometimes with “shall”. Some words, like “mall”, appear to have both pronunciations, and usage differ… --- ## [What does it mean to say one opioid is X times stronger than another?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-it-mean-to-say-one-opioid-is-x-times-stronger-than-another/1029722)
**Author:** [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [May 2, 2026, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-it-mean-to-say-one-opioid-is-x-times-stronger-than-another/1029722 "2026-05-02T17:51:37Z")
What does it mean to say one opioid is X times stronger than another? For example, I read carfentanil is 10,000 times stronger than morphine while tramadol is about 1/10 as strong as morphine. This seems to say we could … --- ## [How can cat hairs with one color on the tip and another at the base?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-cat-hairs-with-one-color-on-the-tip-and-another-at-the-base/1020383)
**Author:** [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [May 1, 2026, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-cat-hairs-with-one-color-on-the-tip-and-another-at-the-base/1020383 "2026-05-01T11:10:44Z")
I have a gray tabby. If I part some fur, it’s white at the base, gray at the tips. I can imagine a scenario where a hair follicle might apply pigment to a new hair, then stop, so the bottom looks white. Then the hair ev… --- ## [The German killer joke from Monty Python](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-german-killer-joke-from-monty-python/23397)
**Author:** [@SarumanRex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SarumanRex)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [May 1, 2026, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-german-killer-joke-from-monty-python/23397 "2026-05-01T01:31:09Z")
In an episode of Monty Python’s Flying Circus there was a WWII skit where the British discover a joke that is so funny it will kill anyone who hears it (and understands it). Only British soldiers who do not speak German … --- ## [How would I address my niece in Japanese?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-i-address-my-niece-in-japanese/1029483)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 41\ **Last updated:** [April 30, 2026, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-i-address-my-niece-in-japanese/1029483 "2026-04-30T05:17:55Z")
The Japanese word for “niece” is mei. So let’s say my niece is Suta. Would I address her as Suta-chan (leaving out the mei)? Or Suta-mei? Or Suta-mei-chan? --- ## [Pro-biotics, then pre-biotics, now](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pro-biotics-then-pre-biotics-now/1029647)
**Author:** [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [April 29, 2026, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pro-biotics-then-pre-biotics-now/1029647 "2026-04-29T21:20:13Z")
I saw something at the grocery store that was labeled post-biotics. What is the difference between all these things? Are any of them really helpful? --- ## [What Navy Rank is on his uniform?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-navy-rank-is-on-his-uniform/1029396)
**Author:** [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Replies:** 64\ **Last updated:** [April 28, 2026, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-navy-rank-is-on-his-uniform/1029396 "2026-04-28T21:38:17Z")
Clear image of his stripes. Circa 1944 What is his rank? Does the insignia indicate his Duty Assignment? He looks pretty young for 2 stripes. --- ## [Searching for a word in English](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/searching-for-a-word-in-english/1029620)
**Author:** [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [April 28, 2026, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/searching-for-a-word-in-english/1029620 "2026-04-28T13:54:41Z")
Is there a specific term for that red circular symbol with a line going through it at a 45 degree angle that indicates “no \[fill in blank\] allowed”? --- ## [Were the German codes broken by the Enigma machine coherent German?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-german-codes-broken-by-the-enigma-machine-coherent-german/1025367)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 178\ **Last updated:** [April 28, 2026, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-german-codes-broken-by-the-enigma-machine-coherent-german/1025367 "2026-04-28T04:11:52Z")
Once the Allies started breaking the codes sent by the Germans, did they find that the communications made perfect sense (to a German speaker)? Or were the words themselves further coded, the way the Navajo words and phr… --- ## [Probability question - time to achieve a given sequence of coin flips](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probability-question-time-to-achieve-a-given-sequence-of-coin-flips/1029432)
**Author:** [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [April 28, 2026, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probability-question-time-to-achieve-a-given-sequence-of-coin-flips/1029432 "2026-04-28T01:18:48Z")
Two players are repeatedly flipping a fair coin. Player A flips until they get the sequence HTH. Player B flips until they get the sequence HHT. Who should expect to finish sooner? My intuition says Player A has an adva… --- ## [Fixed wing vs rotary wing - Pilot’s position](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fixed-wing-vs-rotary-wing-pilot-s-position/1027186)
**Author:** [@Lord\_Mondegreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Mondegreen)\ **Replies:** 41\ **Last updated:** [April 27, 2026, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fixed-wing-vs-rotary-wing-pilot-s-position/1027186 "2026-04-27T15:14:40Z")
I have only ever flown fixed wing aircraft. They are generally flown from the left hand seat. I have noticed that helicopters are generally flown from the right hand seat. Does anyone know the historical reason for thi… --- ## [Legal authority of US government in post-WW2 Japan](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-authority-of-us-government-in-post-ww2-japan/1029514)
**Author:** [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [April 27, 2026, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-authority-of-us-government-in-post-ww2-japan/1029514 "2026-04-27T10:40:42Z")
Unless I’m mistaken on one or more facts, after the unconditional surrender of Japan in August 1945, and the subsequent deposing and execution for war crimes of Japan’s top leaders, Japan more or less did not possess an … --- ## [12V Battery in Electric Vehicles](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12v-battery-in-electric-vehicles/1029468)
**Author:** [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [April 26, 2026, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12v-battery-in-electric-vehicles/1029468 "2026-04-26T07:51:44Z")
Does the regular 12V car battery in EVs last a very long time? I imagine it’s not going through charge/discharge cycles, basically at full charge all the time? And, if I turn an EV off (whatever that means) but turn th… --- ## [Do billionaires maintain a driver's license? If yes, do they have to go to the DMV like everyone else to renew them?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-billionaires-maintain-a-drivers-license-if-yes-do-they-have-to-go-to-the-dmv-like-everyone-else-to-renew-them/1029052)
**Author:** [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Replies:** 59\ **Last updated:** [April 25, 2026, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-billionaires-maintain-a-drivers-license-if-yes-do-they-have-to-go-to-the-dmv-like-everyone-else-to-renew-them/1029052 "2026-04-25T21:25:01Z")
Title kinda says it all. I am thinking the likes of Jeff Bezos or Bill Gates simply do not drive anymore. Someone drives them and that person is likely a body guard with training in evasive driving (or whatever you cal… --- ## [IPOs and lock-up period, how to reduce risk?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ipos-and-lock-up-period-how-to-reduce-risk/1029527)
**Author:** [@nate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nate)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [April 24, 2026, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ipos-and-lock-up-period-how-to-reduce-risk/1029527 "2026-04-24T17:56:28Z")
Say one has some SpaceX stock, subject to an x day lockout period, but they believe that the share price will be less than the initial IPO price after x days. Or even if it’s not, they’d prefer to lose any gains over tak… --- ## [Vagrancy laws– cash requirement to avoid?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vagrancy-laws-cash-requirement-to-avoid/1029431)
**Author:** [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2026, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vagrancy-laws-cash-requirement-to-avoid/1029431 "2026-04-23T22:44:52Z")
At one point especially in the post-Civil War South there were vagrancy laws, for example the one in Virginia passed in 1866. I thought that at least some of these laws specified a dollar amount of cash one could be in p… --- ## [Could home (whiskey) distilling cause low blood pressure and a heart attack?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-home-whiskey-distilling-cause-low-blood-pressure-and-a-heart-attack/1029209)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2026, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-home-whiskey-distilling-cause-low-blood-pressure-and-a-heart-attack/1029209 "2026-04-23T10:36:30Z")
A late, former coworker died a couple of years ago. I think he was 62 or 63. He was taken to the ER and was found to have low blood pressure. He was admitted, and died of a heart attack a couple/few days later. He ha… --- ## [Installing EV charging for one unit in a 6-unit condo building](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/installing-ev-charging-for-one-unit-in-a-6-unit-condo-building/1029323)
**Author:** [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [April 21, 2026, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/installing-ev-charging-for-one-unit-in-a-6-unit-condo-building/1029323 "2026-04-21T11:30:14Z")
First of all, yes, we’re going to talk with an electrician. But here’s the story: We live in a 6-unit condo building. Below the building, each unit has one parking space. The electrical panel for the building is in a uti… --- ## [Would quantum computing make cryptocurrencies obsolete?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-quantum-computing-make-cryptocurrencies-obsolete/1029318)
**Author:** [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Replies:** 39\ **Last updated:** [April 21, 2026, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-quantum-computing-make-cryptocurrencies-obsolete/1029318 "2026-04-21T11:15:55Z")
I don’t understand how they are supposed to do it, but I read that quantum computers will allegedly be very good and fast at breaking cryptographical codes. And I read that the generation (“mining”) and security of cryp… --- ## [Late-80s MS-DOS file question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/late-80s-ms-dos-file-question/807059)
**Author:** [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [April 20, 2026, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/late-80s-ms-dos-file-question/807059 "2026-04-20T22:57:55Z")
I’m going through some very old computer files (ca. 1989) and I’ve come across a file that I saved called MOUSELES.CHK. I cannot find any useful references to this file on the web, or even searching back issues of PC Ma… --- ## [So what is shortsheeting a bed anyway? And why is it hilarious?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-shortsheeting-a-bed-anyway-and-why-is-it-hilarious/1029279)
**Author:** [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Replies:** 62\ **Last updated:** [April 20, 2026, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-shortsheeting-a-bed-anyway-and-why-is-it-hilarious/1029279 "2026-04-20T02:43:00Z")
I just watched an old Adam-12 rerun where Malloy goes on a youth camping trip as a counsellor and he tells Reed that the kids shortsheeted his bed. I’ve heard of this periodically, although not anytime recently, and I g… --- ## [How would the card-game con in The Sting work in real life? (Open spoilers for 50-year-old movie)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-the-card-game-con-in-the-sting-work-in-real-life-open-spoilers-for-50-year-old-movie/1028937)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [April 19, 2026, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-the-card-game-con-in-the-sting-work-in-real-life-open-spoilers-for-50-year-old-movie/1028937 "2026-04-19T21:45:08Z")
In The Sting, Gondorff plays poker against Lonnegan. Lonnegan uses a pre-stacked deck to deal himself four nines. Lonnegan is dealt a Full House, which he knows will lose, and then bim bam boom, he has four Jacks and tak… --- ## [Car would not start last night. Started fine this morning](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-would-not-start-last-night-started-fine-this-morning/1029370)
**Author:** [@Quintas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quintas)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [April 19, 2026, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-would-not-start-last-night-started-fine-this-morning/1029370 "2026-04-19T19:53:29Z")
I drove all over yesterday then about 7pm I was missing an item for dinner and car wouldn’t start. The starter sounded fine and healthy, it just wouldn’t engage. The battery is less than a year old but I still had a fr… --- ## [What is this antique clamp-on gadget with crank and pulleys?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-antique-clamp-on-gadget-with-crank-and-pulleys/1029274)
**Author:** [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [April 18, 2026, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-antique-clamp-on-gadget-with-crank-and-pulleys/1029274 "2026-04-18T16:29:10Z")
I bought one seemingly almost identical to the one advertised here in this old listing. This contraption has a tapered output shaft. There’s nothing on the output shaft of the one I bought, though there seems to be a bla… --- ## [British diplomats/ ambassadors in the antebellum American South](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-diplomats-ambassadors-in-the-antebellum-american-south/1029257)
**Author:** [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [April 17, 2026, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-diplomats-ambassadors-in-the-antebellum-american-south/1029257 "2026-04-17T14:49:22Z")
Really obscure question that I have no idea how to research: In the antebellum era circa 1825-1855, did Great Britain maintain any sort of legation or consulate in any of the major southern Atlantic ports from which cott… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=12)