# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=1111 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 1112 --- ## [An airconditioner question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-airconditioner-question/720539)
**Author:** [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2015, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-airconditioner-question/720539 "2015-05-21T19:58:20Z")
The new A/C quit working Tuesday. Not even the fan would run. Wednesday the installers replaced a 3 Ampere fuse and all was well. The is much more electronics in this A/C than the old one. What are the electronics doin… --- ## [Are the prepared foods in the grocery store deli case made in the store?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-prepared-foods-in-the-grocery-store-deli-case-made-in-the-store/720316)
**Author:** [@Turble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turble)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2015, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-prepared-foods-in-the-grocery-store-deli-case-made-in-the-store/720316 "2015-05-21T19:38:37Z")
Are the things like coleslaw, potato salad, pasta salad, etc., in the grocery store deli case typically made in the store or are they generally commercially prepared stuff that comes to the store in big plastic buckets? … --- ## [How to change a 401k into an IRA?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-change-a-401k-into-an-ira/719526)
**Author:** [@LynnM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LynnM)\ **Replies:** 63\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2015, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-change-a-401k-into-an-ira/719526 "2015-05-21T18:47:45Z")
I quit a job a few years ago and let my 401k plan remain with that now-former employer. The 401k is with Fidelity. I’ve been entirely passive with this 401k–I’ve never bought/sold/transferred, nor opened additional accou… --- ## [oil painted (effect?) for high school pictures in the 70's](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-painted-effect-for-high-school-pictures-in-the-70s/720430)
**Author:** [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2015, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-painted-effect-for-high-school-pictures-in-the-70s/720430 "2015-05-21T17:41:41Z")
I have a relative who showed me her high school portrait from the mid 70s (?). SHe said she got the oil painting option; indicating that it was really an oil painting and not a photograph. I don’t think it really is an… --- ## [MacBook Pro hard drive needs replacing.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macbook-pro-hard-drive-needs-replacing/720519)
**Author:** [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2015, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macbook-pro-hard-drive-needs-replacing/720519 "2015-05-21T17:22:34Z")
It is four years old. Apple Service center is suggesting 480 SATA 3.0 SSD, series V300. Will I be happy with it? Thanks --- ## [Another Weird Bee-like Insect Question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-weird-bee-like-insect-question/8080)
**Author:** [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2015, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-weird-bee-like-insect-question/8080 "2015-05-21T16:51:19Z")
Well, now that Spring is almost upon us, i guess I should ask another buggie question! Has anyone ever observed a large bee-like insect which looks like a cross between a honeybee and a small dragonfly? The body is longe… --- ## [Would it be possible to make a nicotine vape fluid with no visible vapor?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-it-be-possible-to-make-a-nicotine-vape-fluid-with-no-visible-vapor/720471)
**Author:** [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2015, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-it-be-possible-to-make-a-nicotine-vape-fluid-with-no-visible-vapor/720471 "2015-05-21T15:31:10Z")
I know the style seems to be for bigger and bigger “clouds” but honestly I’d much prefer invisible vape fluid, as is indoors I try to hold a pull in for thirty seconds at least so when I exhale the vapor is nearly invisi… --- ## [Riding on top of railroad cars (approaching a bridge)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-on-top-of-railroad-cars-approaching-a-bridge/720452)
**Author:** [@bizerta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bizerta)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2015, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-on-top-of-railroad-cars-approaching-a-bridge/720452 "2015-05-21T15:09:48Z")
If a person is standing on top of a boxcar of a moving train and not paying attention, an overhead bridge would probably be the low point of your day. Fifty (?) years ago, I remember there used to be this “warning” devi… --- ## [Can someone explain tensegrity structures to me?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-tensegrity-structures-to-me/720345)
**Author:** [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2015, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-tensegrity-structures-to-me/720345 "2015-05-21T12:54:05Z")
I get the basic idea, but what I don’t understand is why it’s a requirement that the compression elements be “floating”- not directly connected to each other but only through intermediary tension elements. --- ## [Passing out from Pain](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passing-out-from-pain/720473)
**Author:** [@pianodave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pianodave)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2015, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passing-out-from-pain/720473 "2015-05-21T12:39:14Z")
Hi SD, A question about pain. A pop culture staple is when, under interrogation, a person passes out from the pain and the villain says “We’ll get nothing out of him for now,” or something along those lines. What real… --- ## [Please recommend lawyer! tx](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-lawyer-tx/720498)
**Author:** [@addasin111](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/addasin111)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2015, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-lawyer-tx/720498 "2015-05-21T12:34:45Z")
Need to hire criminal lawyer asap for my brother and its exhausting. im terrified that I will hire a db. any help?? past experiences? ty Tarrant county tx --- ## [Has Any Mfg. Offered A Car Stereor System With Vacuum Tube Amplifiers?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-mfg-offered-a-car-stereor-system-with-vacuum-tube-amplifiers/720319)
**Author:** [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2015, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-mfg-offered-a-car-stereor-system-with-vacuum-tube-amplifiers/720319 "2015-05-21T12:03:22Z")
Many high end car makes feature audio systems designed by famous audio firms (like Bose, Mark Levenson, etc.). Has anyone yet offered a system which utilizes vacuum tube based amplifiers? Vacuum tube amps are supposed … --- ## [My birth certificate bond is worth billions?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-birth-certificate-bond-is-worth-billions/720363)
**Author:** [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Replies:** 77\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2015, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-birth-certificate-bond-is-worth-billions/720363 "2015-05-21T07:16:05Z")
My brother posted something on Facebook the other day, and, while it seems to be the sort of thing that a lot of paranoid nutters fall for hook, line, and sinker, I’m not even sure of where to start debunking his post, a… --- ## [Name for end piece of bread?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-for-end-piece-of-bread/397215)
**Author:** [@hekk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hekk)\ **Replies:** 103\ **Last updated:** [May 20, 2015, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-for-end-piece-of-bread/397215 "2015-05-20T23:18:58Z")
You know the first and last slices of bread? Some people call it the heel, or just “the end piece”. My family and my girlfriends’ family, however, call it a “Putka”, or “Pudka”. My instincts tell me this is a Polish t… --- ## [What does the Treasurer of the United States do, exactly?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-treasurer-of-the-united-states-do-exactly/720424)
**Author:** [@Cardboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardboard)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [May 20, 2015, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-treasurer-of-the-united-states-do-exactly/720424 "2015-05-20T23:15:08Z")
I mean, it can’t be that important of a job if the position is constantly being left unfilled for hundreds of days at a time, as it is. --- ## [Importing goods for resale into the U.S. in your airline luggage](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/importing-goods-for-resale-into-the-u-s-in-your-airline-luggage/720206)
**Author:** [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [May 20, 2015, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/importing-goods-for-resale-into-the-u-s-in-your-airline-luggage/720206 "2015-05-20T23:09:24Z")
My wife is an independent apparel designer in the USA. She’s been doing some consulting in China and Hong Kong, and after meeting some producers there, has been considering having a few small runs of her designs made (pr… --- ## [Why bedridden in the hospital](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-bedridden-in-the-hospital/720287)
**Author:** [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [May 20, 2015, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-bedridden-in-the-hospital/720287 "2015-05-20T22:54:03Z")
I recently spent ten days in a local hospital. I pretty much stayed in the bed all the time, which meant the nuisance of bedpans and urinals–no surprises there. Bur the only part of me that was physically treated was my… --- ## [Income can be IRS-taxed only once, correct?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/income-can-be-irs-taxed-only-once-correct/720101)
**Author:** [@LynnM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LynnM)\ **Replies:** 73\ **Last updated:** [May 20, 2015, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/income-can-be-irs-taxed-only-once-correct/720101 "2015-05-20T21:57:36Z")
Please help my continuing fight against financial ignorance: If you earn $20,000 in wage/salary, that $20k is subject to IRS income tax. The amount of the tax depends on one’s tax bracket. After you pay the income tax … --- ## [What's the maximum percentage of income you can pay in taxes in the US?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-maximum-percentage-of-income-you-can-pay-in-taxes-in-the-us/720181)
**Author:** [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [May 20, 2015, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-maximum-percentage-of-income-you-can-pay-in-taxes-in-the-us/720181 "2015-05-20T21:23:47Z")
Let’s say you were determined, for whatever reason to pay the most you possibly could to the US government in taxes. Where would you have to live, what would you have to earn and what would you have to spend it on to mak… --- ## [Never eating vegetables](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-eating-vegetables/720237)
**Author:** [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [May 20, 2015, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-eating-vegetables/720237 "2015-05-20T21:06:55Z")
Was listening to B&T on the radio last week, and a comedian claimed he has “never eaten a vegetable.” I forget who the comedian was, but I think he said he was 55 years old. Is it possible to be a healthy adult and nev… --- ## [What is the weakest point on a modern submarine?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-weakest-point-on-a-modern-submarine/530236)
**Author:** [@Claude\_Remains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claude_Remains)\ **Replies:** 61\ **Last updated:** [May 20, 2015, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-weakest-point-on-a-modern-submarine/530236 "2015-05-20T21:00:55Z")
I’m guessing that ballast tanks, prop shafts and torpedo tubes are all very problematic. What about the hull in general? --- ## [3D printable disposable comfortable pillows?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3d-printable-disposable-comfortable-pillows/720130)
**Author:** [@Minni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Minni)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [May 20, 2015, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3d-printable-disposable-comfortable-pillows/720130 "2015-05-20T19:54:31Z")
First, here’s a link to my previous Q which lead me to post the below question. Scroll down to the post about spring-filled pillow: Which leads to this question: Can 3D printers print styrofoam popcorn made of a: (1)… --- ## [Why's it so hard to fire something into the sun?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whys-it-so-hard-to-fire-something-into-the-sun/689208)
**Author:** [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Replies:** 58\ **Last updated:** [May 20, 2015, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whys-it-so-hard-to-fire-something-into-the-sun/689208 "2015-05-20T19:53:19Z")
Relatively speaking, I’ve seen it mentioned (here on this board, in fact) that if I want to launch, say, nuclear waste or my mother-in-law into the sun you’d need quite a bit of speed and energy to do so. Usually much mo… --- ## [Space Shuttle design question: What if?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-shuttle-design-question-what-if/720426)
**Author:** [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [May 20, 2015, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-shuttle-design-question-what-if/720426 "2015-05-20T18:19:52Z")
This is based on what I’ve picked up over the years, so is probably full of flawed info, but here goes: As I understand it, the Space Shuttle’s final design ended up being the way it was in a large part because the Air … --- ## [Which countries require lawyers to know other legal systems?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-countries-require-lawyers-to-know-other-legal-systems/720216)
**Author:** [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [May 20, 2015, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-countries-require-lawyers-to-know-other-legal-systems/720216 "2015-05-20T17:37:45Z")
Sort of a poll, but it’s factual knowledge. Intro: Whether the history and variants of a given subject are required study or not varies by subject, but also by location/culture: for example, in chemistry people study s… --- ## [Hopefully not too stupid computer question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hopefully-not-too-stupid-computer-question/720332)
**Author:** [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [May 20, 2015, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hopefully-not-too-stupid-computer-question/720332 "2015-05-20T15:30:59Z")
Greetings and salutations. I am trying to help my BIL with a computer issue. I’m going to recount what he’s told me, but some if not most of it might not make perfect sense since he is not really a computer guy. Plus, t… --- ## [Trying to remember C64 music program](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-remember-c64-music-program/720313)
**Author:** [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [May 20, 2015, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-remember-c64-music-program/720313 "2015-05-20T14:36:59Z")
I’m trying to remember the name of a music program I had for my C64 years ago. It displayed the music on a grand staff, but just one event at a time, so when you were playing a song back you’d see the notes kind of danci… --- ## [How to Use a Glass Manomoter? (Odd Case)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-use-a-glass-manomoter-odd-case/720397)
**Author:** [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [May 20, 2015, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-use-a-glass-manomoter-odd-case/720397 "2015-05-20T14:20:25Z")
I’m trying to measure pressure differential using a glass manometer (using water) in increments of 0.1 iwg. It should be a simple matter. As you know, the U tube is filled with water (dyed red), and the water level in … --- ## [Why does overdrive have an off button in my car?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-overdrive-have-an-off-button-in-my-car/720066)
**Author:** [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [May 20, 2015, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-overdrive-have-an-off-button-in-my-car/720066 "2015-05-20T14:08:12Z")
My little Scion wagon with automatic transmission has a button that toggles the overdrive on and off. In other words, the highest gear(s) that have the engine turning slower than the tires can be disabled. Other than th… --- ## [Using CSS to position an image relative to the bottom of the browser window](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-css-to-position-an-image-relative-to-the-bottom-of-the-browser-window/361648)
**Author:** [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [June 22, 2006, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-css-to-position-an-image-relative-to-the-bottom-of-the-browser-window/361648 "2006-06-22T01:56:39Z")
I know how to position an image relative to the top left corner of the browser window, but what I want is to have a certain image positioned like this: the image is 25 pixels from the left edge of the browser window, and… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=1110) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=1112)