# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=110 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 111 --- ## [Cash and a paycheck: what was my boss up to?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cash-and-a-paycheck-what-was-my-boss-up-to/994381)
**Author:** [@whc.03grady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whc.03grady)\ **Replies:** 40\ **Last updated:** [December 13, 2023, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cash-and-a-paycheck-what-was-my-boss-up-to/994381 "2023-12-13T20:21:00Z")
During high school I worked at the local steakhouse. It had always been for sale (as I’m told all restaurants are) but about 1991 the owners got to haggling with someone who’d apparently expressed real interest. During … --- ## [If Ancient Greek had no lowercase forms of letters, why are so many texts in Ancient Greek written with letters in their lowercase counterparts instead of their uppercase counterparts?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-ancient-greek-had-no-lowercase-forms-of-letters-why-are-so-many-texts-in-ancient-greek-written-with-letters-in-their-lowercase-counterparts-instead-of-their-uppercase-counterparts/994389)
**Author:** [@Jagraze1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jagraze1)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [December 13, 2023, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-ancient-greek-had-no-lowercase-forms-of-letters-why-are-so-many-texts-in-ancient-greek-written-with-letters-in-their-lowercase-counterparts-instead-of-their-uppercase-counterparts/994389 "2023-12-13T15:54:53Z")
Uppercase letters were only introduced later. There was no distinction between lowercase and uppercase letters, it was all uppercase. If that’s the case, why are so many texts written in lowercase letters instead of uppe… --- ## [Help With Laptop Battery Icon](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-laptop-battery-icon/994519)
**Author:** [@saucywench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saucywench)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [December 13, 2023, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-laptop-battery-icon/994519 "2023-12-13T03:47:09Z")
The battery symbol on the bottom right of my laptop screen has disappeared. How do I restore it? Thank you. --- ## ["Keys contain lead." ..WTF?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keys-contain-lead-wtf/766800)
**Author:** [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Replies:** 42\ **Last updated:** [December 12, 2023, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keys-contain-lead-wtf/766800 "2023-12-12T23:08:00Z")
Recently I had some keys made. On the card each key is attached to, it says: Warning: Keys contain lead. Avoid contact with mouth. May be harmful if eaten. I was completely taken aback. I had no idea. I expect they put… --- ## [What do insurance companies do if they have to track down the driver?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-insurance-companies-do-if-they-have-to-track-down-the-driver/994111)
**Author:** [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Replies:** 44\ **Last updated:** [December 12, 2023, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-insurance-companies-do-if-they-have-to-track-down-the-driver/994111 "2023-12-12T06:21:03Z")
Let’s say I’m the victim of a hit-and-run. The damage would be paid for by my insurance under uninsured motorist I believe. But what if I had a dashcam and was able to get a license plate? What would my insurance do b… --- ## [When exactly were the dates of geologic time periods nailed down?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-exactly-were-the-dates-of-geologic-time-periods-nailed-down/994307)
**Author:** [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [December 11, 2023, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-exactly-were-the-dates-of-geologic-time-periods-nailed-down/994307 "2023-12-11T19:30:42Z")
So in the 18th and 19th century geologists started to notice similarities between rock formations across the world and link them together, resulting in the naming of our geologic eras. At this point they could sort them… --- ## [Gym Teacher's Cage](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gym-teachers-cage/993865)
**Author:** [@whc.03grady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whc.03grady)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [December 11, 2023, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gym-teachers-cage/993865 "2023-12-11T19:12:32Z")
Why was it that gym teachers’ offices used to be in a cage in the locker room? By ‘used to be’ I mean that I’ve found that this was the observation of people I’ve talked to who, like myself, went to high school in buildi… --- ## [Help with eyeglasses prescription (readers)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-eyeglasses-prescription-readers/994301)
**Author:** [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [December 11, 2023, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-eyeglasses-prescription-readers/994301 "2023-12-11T17:42:31Z")
I have an Optometrist’s prescription (written) and have used it to order glasses from EyeBuyDirect. These worked perfectly for distance, but now I need readers for close up vision, and the notation is confusing. The ac… --- ## [First Responders/military: how would you report in a monster/alien/giant bug/dinosaur/etc attack? And how long till you're taken seriously?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-responders-military-how-would-you-report-in-a-monster-alien-giant-bug-dinosaur-etc-attack-and-how-long-till-youre-taken-seriously/992639)
**Author:** [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Replies:** 75\ **Last updated:** [December 11, 2023, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-responders-military-how-would-you-report-in-a-monster-alien-giant-bug-dinosaur-etc-attack-and-how-long-till-youre-taken-seriously/992639 "2023-12-11T04:10:38Z")
Something I’ve wondered, off and on, watching various hallowed classics of western cinema, when the following situation happens: cops are dispatched to a disturbance/missing person/whatever, when suddenly, the title mons… --- ## [How Large and Competent is the Philippines' Armed Forces?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-large-and-competent-is-the-philippines-armed-forces/994367)
**Author:** [@OldOlds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldOlds)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [December 10, 2023, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-large-and-competent-is-the-philippines-armed-forces/994367 "2023-12-10T20:01:13Z")
IF this should be in IMHO so be it, but I feel like there should be a factual answer. Reading this morning that a Chinese Coast Guard ship collided with one from the Philippines, and having recently been reading about i… --- ## [Tacks and wood, this needs explaining, please](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tacks-and-wood-this-needs-explaining-please/994343)
**Author:** [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [December 10, 2023, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tacks-and-wood-this-needs-explaining-please/994343 "2023-12-10T18:35:39Z")
I was wanting an old style wooden screen door for the back of my house. Found and bought a beautiful old door, all the curlicues and it’s green. It was covered in over a quarter inch of dust, it was hard to see parts in … --- ## [Western route to Asia if no Americas](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/western-route-to-asia-if-no-americas/991156)
**Author:** [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Replies:** 123\ **Last updated:** [December 10, 2023, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/western-route-to-asia-if-no-americas/991156 "2023-12-10T13:13:31Z")
If the Americas did not exist when would Columbus’s idea of a western route from Europe to Asia have been feasible? You may assume all Pacific islands would still exist. --- ## [How much current does a refrigerator use?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-current-does-a-refrigerator-use/993873)
**Author:** [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [December 9, 2023, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-current-does-a-refrigerator-use/993873 "2023-12-09T15:20:51Z")
I am not talking about “average” or “normal” running. What I want to know is, what is the largest amount of current (i.e. amps) that a refrigerator will draw at once, presumably when the compressor is running? If you nee… --- ## [How did pre-GPS spacecraft manage attitude during reentry?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-pre-gps-spacecraft-manage-attitude-during-reentry/994142)
**Author:** [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [December 9, 2023, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-pre-gps-spacecraft-manage-attitude-during-reentry/994142 "2023-12-09T15:05:01Z")
Thinking here of spacecraft that are designed for high-speed reentry, with prime examples being the Apollo return capsule and the space shuttle. When a spacecraft is just barely beginning to enter the atmosphere, or eve… --- ## [Integrated combat system used by the U.S. Navy before Aegis](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/integrated-combat-system-used-by-the-u-s-navy-before-aegis/994327)
**Author:** [@Heracles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heracles)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [December 9, 2023, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/integrated-combat-system-used-by-the-u-s-navy-before-aegis/994327 "2023-12-09T13:09:50Z")
A few years ago, I read an account of a naval combat management system that was developed for the U.S. Navy in the 1950s and used in the Vietnam war. The system integrated radar information from multiple ships as vector … --- ## [Some questions about gambling for a friend scenarios](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-questions-about-gambling-for-a-friend-scenarios/993803)
**Author:** [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [December 9, 2023, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-questions-about-gambling-for-a-friend-scenarios/993803 "2023-12-09T07:30:58Z")
I’m suffering from some insomnia, thinking about various things to make myself sleepy, and this scenario popped into my head. Let’s say Bob and Tim are good friends and take a vacation to Las Vegas. Tim doesn’t gamble … --- ## [Bouncing Telephone Lines](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bouncing-telephone-lines/154237)
**Author:** [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [December 9, 2023, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bouncing-telephone-lines/154237 "2023-12-09T05:28:41Z")
I was on my way home from somewhere today, and while sitting at a red light I noticed that a telephone line (between two poles about 40 feet apart) was bouncing. Like the shape of a sine wave several periods long. I at… --- ## [Road trips w/ electric vehicles](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/road-trips-w-electric-vehicles/932148)
**Author:** [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Replies:** 306\ **Last updated:** [December 8, 2023, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/road-trips-w-electric-vehicles/932148 "2023-12-08T13:24:18Z")
I’ve read that GM intends to make all electric vehicles by 2035. And I recently read an article describing the need to recharge during a relatively short (~200mi) drive. The driver required 1 recharge of (IIRC) approx … --- ## [Can college professors work from out of state?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-college-professors-work-from-out-of-state/993145)
**Author:** [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Replies:** 62\ **Last updated:** [December 8, 2023, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-college-professors-work-from-out-of-state/993145 "2023-12-08T10:12:23Z")
I picked up A City on Mars yesterday and I was reading the author bio on the back cover. It said “Dr. Kelley Weinersmith is an adjunct faculty member in the biosciences department at Rice University.” And I thought “Huh… --- ## [Why are my bluetooth headphones clicking?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-my-bluetooth-headphones-clicking/994271)
**Author:** [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [December 8, 2023, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-my-bluetooth-headphones-clicking/994271 "2023-12-08T01:53:19Z")
I bought JLAB bluetooth headphones two months ago. They’re fine when I’m listening to music or a podcast on my cell phone (a Moto G Power), but when I answer or make a call, both the other person and I hear a loud clicki… --- ## [Identify this camera](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-camera/979041)
**Author:** [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [December 8, 2023, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-camera/979041 "2023-12-08T01:09:30Z")
My landlord here in Beijing is selling the apartment, but luckily he’s including our rental contract until the end of the contract as part of the deal to the buyer. This morning, the realor came over to take photographs … --- ## [Why does my dishwasher smell bad?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-dishwasher-smell-bad/988974)
**Author:** [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [December 7, 2023, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-dishwasher-smell-bad/988974 "2023-12-07T23:18:08Z")
It’s just happened the last couple of cycles. I open the door and it smells funky. Any thoughts on why, and how to get my dishwasher smelling fresh again? --- ## [Theobromine, stimulants, and ingredient lists](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theobromine-stimulants-and-ingredient-lists/994163)
**Author:** [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [December 6, 2023, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theobromine-stimulants-and-ingredient-lists/994163 "2023-12-06T22:17:02Z")
Does anyone know of theobromine (or other stimulants) have to be explicitly listed in food ingredient lists in the US? I have these Oreo candy canes that are chocolate flavored. They don’t list caffeine or theobromine, … --- ## [Mariachi bands following people around (1950s, if that matters)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mariachi-bands-following-people-around-1950s-if-that-matters/994141)
**Author:** [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [December 6, 2023, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mariachi-bands-following-people-around-1950s-if-that-matters/994141 "2023-12-06T12:30:11Z")
I just saw the great movie Victims of Sin (Victimas del Pecado), which was made in 1951 in Mexico. In a few scenes, one of the main characters, a kind of bigshot hustler, is wandering around town at night followed by a m… --- ## [Scat car? Old riding toy ID](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scat-car-old-riding-toy-id/964803)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [December 4, 2023, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scat-car-old-riding-toy-id/964803 "2023-12-04T17:02:43Z")
When I was little, my best friend had a riding toy that he and his grandmother called a ‘scat car’. It was propelled by pumping handlebars, and it was steered with the feet. I’ve cued to 0:35 where it appears in this v… --- ## [Tesla's Wardenclyffe tower - Could it have worked?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teslas-wardenclyffe-tower-could-it-have-worked/416044)
**Author:** [@mr.jp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr.jp)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [December 4, 2023, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teslas-wardenclyffe-tower-could-it-have-worked/416044 "2023-12-04T03:56:48Z")
According to Tesla this monument, if constructed, would result in: “An inexpensive instrument, not bigger than a watch, will enable its bearer to hear anywhere, on sea or land, music or song, the speech of a political… --- ## [Locating a quotation - concerning accuracy of media - Mark Twain?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/locating-a-quotation-concerning-accuracy-of-media-mark-twain/993938)
**Author:** [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [December 4, 2023, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/locating-a-quotation-concerning-accuracy-of-media-mark-twain/993938 "2023-12-04T01:15:36Z")
I’m sure I once read a pithy quote attributed to Mark Twain\* that was broadly to the effect that people who have been involved in events reported in a newspaper know that newspapers are significantly inaccurate, but the … --- ## [Why can't I chromecast something that I have in Google Drive?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-chromecast-something-that-i-have-in-google-drive/994069)
**Author:** [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [December 4, 2023, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-chromecast-something-that-i-have-in-google-drive/994069 "2023-12-04T00:21:50Z")
I thought I was “casting” the image from my laptop to the tv. But it seems that’s not precisely what’s happening. I’m apparently chromecasting just what’s on my computer, and Google Drive is, to my way of understanding… --- ## [Question for Jewish Dopers: Does a synagogue have to be subjected to any ritual before it can be used for something else?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-jewish-dopers-does-a-synagogue-have-to-be-subjected-to-any-ritual-before-it-can-be-used-for-something-else/993837)
**Author:** [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Replies:** 34\ **Last updated:** [December 3, 2023, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-jewish-dopers-does-a-synagogue-have-to-be-subjected-to-any-ritual-before-it-can-be-used-for-something-else/993837 "2023-12-03T22:14:13Z")
I thought of this because the synagogues in my town consolidated, and I found out today that the main one is now in the process of transforming into a YMCA community center. It’s a beautiful building in a low-income nei… --- ## [What is this port in the ceiling of my 2011 Chevy Equinox? Driver's side only, more or less above where my head would be while driving](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-port-in-the-ceiling-of-my-2011-chevy-equinox-drivers-side-only-more-or-less-above-where-my-head-would-be-while-driving/994059)
**Author:** [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [December 3, 2023, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-port-in-the-ceiling-of-my-2011-chevy-equinox-drivers-side-only-more-or-less-above-where-my-head-would-be-while-driving/994059 "2023-12-03T21:31:05Z")
It is not a sound speaker and I was guessing some kind of ventilation port? Thing is, it kind of clicks while I drive sometimes, I guess from bouncing just a bit and hitting whatever is above it in there. I kind of want… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=109) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=111)