# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=1127 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 1128 --- ## [What environments on Earth contain liquid water, but are devoid of life?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-environments-on-earth-contain-liquid-water-but-are-devoid-of-life/718250)
**Author:** [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [April 24, 2015, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-environments-on-earth-contain-liquid-water-but-are-devoid-of-life/718250 "2015-04-24T12:28:38Z")
I can’t name any. Some isolated aquifer, the inside a volcano? REALLY saline water, what? --- ## [Hypothetical: You fall into a black hole, then a human from 500+ years in the future rescues you](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-you-fall-into-a-black-hole-then-a-human-from-500-years-in-the-future-rescues-you/718037)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [April 24, 2015, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-you-fall-into-a-black-hole-then-a-human-from-500-years-in-the-future-rescues-you/718037 "2015-04-24T11:49:54Z")
So lets say you pass beyond the event horizon in a black hole. It is my understanding that to people outside the black hole you will appear to be virtually immobile due to time slowing dramatically. I don’t know how much… --- ## [Effect of Gravity over very long distances](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/effect-of-gravity-over-very-long-distances/718403)
**Author:** [@Robert163](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robert163)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [April 24, 2015, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/effect-of-gravity-over-very-long-distances/718403 "2015-04-24T09:59:47Z")
I am trying to understand gravity. I can illustrate my question best with a hypothetical: We have a universe with only two objects in the whole universe. The two objects are two small BB’s, one each on the opposite side… --- ## [OCR-like program for graphs?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ocr-like-program-for-graphs/572647)
**Author:** [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [April 24, 2015, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ocr-like-program-for-graphs/572647 "2015-04-24T06:34:06Z")
We have bar charts and assorted graphs embedded in Word documents. Because they are low-res Word pictures, to go into production (i.e., layout in Quark or InDesign), they have to be recreated. If there’s no source file a… --- ## [TV & movie screen ratios](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-movie-screen-ratios/718398)
**Author:** [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [April 24, 2015, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-movie-screen-ratios/718398 "2015-04-24T03:03:42Z")
I used to think that movie screens and TV screens were the only two sizes, or ratios, out there. Now, with either the purchase of a flat screen TV a couple of years ago, or a new cable provider, or HD vs LD (and I haven’… --- ## [Do Fedex And UPS Hold Off Delivering Things?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-fedex-and-ups-hold-off-delivering-things/491063)
**Author:** [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Replies:** 57\ **Last updated:** [April 24, 2015, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-fedex-and-ups-hold-off-delivering-things/491063 "2015-04-24T02:08:51Z")
I ordered two things online, and both had free shipping IF you took the slowest delivery method. Since I’m in no hurry to get them, I decided to save myself the combined $30.00 and get it free. One was sent FedEx and th… --- ## [Trash talking your enemy on field radio during wars](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trash-talking-your-enemy-on-field-radio-during-wars/718285)
**Author:** [@dr\_zippermeyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dr_zippermeyer)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [April 24, 2015, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trash-talking-your-enemy-on-field-radio-during-wars/718285 "2015-04-24T02:08:11Z")
I wonder how often soldier talk trash to their enemies with radio or other communications equipment. The cases I know: There was some years ago an article about pro-government Afghans and Talibans mocking each other con… --- ## [Have the shredded Stasi files that were supposed to have been "reassembled"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-the-shredded-stasi-files-that-were-supposed-to-have-been-reassembled/718168)
**Author:** [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [April 24, 2015, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-the-shredded-stasi-files-that-were-supposed-to-have-been-reassembled/718168 "2015-04-24T01:37:29Z")
Hi, According to Nicholas Basbanes’ excellent book “On Paper” (p. 205) the shredded Stasi files that were stored in 16, 250 trash bags were supposed to have been reassembled, if I can use that word, by the pattern recog… --- ## [Factoring polynomials](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factoring-polynomials/718345)
**Author:** [@cjackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjackson)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2015, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factoring-polynomials/718345 "2015-04-23T23:43:58Z")
I’m in desperate need of help with factoring. Basically, how do you do it? Below is an example of what I’m up against. 54c^2d^5e^3; 81d^3e^2 It wants me to find the greatest common factor. http://www.rempub.com/80-ac… --- ## [Can heat alone be used to stimulate photosynthesis instead of sunlight?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-heat-alone-be-used-to-stimulate-photosynthesis-instead-of-sunlight/718233)
**Author:** [@Contemplation](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contemplation)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2015, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-heat-alone-be-used-to-stimulate-photosynthesis-instead-of-sunlight/718233 "2015-04-23T22:39:55Z")
^Title. --- ## [What if the Monitor and the Merrimack had fired cannister?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-monitor-and-the-merrimack-had-fired-cannister/717965)
**Author:** [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Replies:** 45\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2015, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-monitor-and-the-merrimack-had-fired-cannister/717965 "2015-04-23T21:27:30Z")
What if they had abandoned the idea of piercing the armor and tried shotgun blasts through the gunports to kill the crew? I’m well aware that neither vessel had this type of ammunition aboard. Mods, move this wherever. … --- ## [Why does the .gov want rare coins destroyed?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-gov-want-rare-coins-destroyed/718109)
**Author:** [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Replies:** 47\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2015, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-gov-want-rare-coins-destroyed/718109 "2015-04-23T20:37:27Z")
This article from the Huffington Post made me curious. In that case, the coins in question are gold double eagles. They were never released as currency and all but a few were destroyed before ever leaving the mint. Th… --- ## [Aftereffects of long term cocaine use](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aftereffects-of-long-term-cocaine-use/718296)
**Author:** [@funky\_little\_lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/funky_little_lee)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2015, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aftereffects-of-long-term-cocaine-use/718296 "2015-04-23T19:41:26Z")
The company I work for hired this guy about two months ago. He is, to put it mildly, a bit strange. He’s always jangly, like he’s had way too much coffee, he blinks incessantly, and he talks nonstop and at breakneck spee… --- ## [If you have Medicare and Part D only how much is your Spiriva co-pay?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-have-medicare-and-part-d-only-how-much-is-your-spiriva-co-pay/717003)
**Author:** [@janeslogin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janeslogin)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2015, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-have-medicare-and-part-d-only-how-much-is-your-spiriva-co-pay/717003 "2015-04-23T17:42:35Z")
My pharmacists was shocked. \[An assistant of some sort usually checks me out and the pharmacists is not familiar with my costs.\] My co-pay is about $135/mo. I am curious as to what others are paying as a change in Part … --- ## [What browser software is an alternative to Google and all its analytics?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-browser-software-is-an-alternative-to-google-and-all-its-analytics/718155)
**Author:** [@loninappleton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/loninappleton)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2015, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-browser-software-is-an-alternative-to-google-and-all-its-analytics/718155 "2015-04-23T17:00:43Z")
Help me fight my ingnaorance about web browser alternatives to Google. Its analyrics and site loads are getting slower and slower. I don’t care for the name Duck Duck Go and that one can just be skipped. Wikipedia has… --- ## [How was the Vietnam War initially sold to the public in the USA?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-was-the-vietnam-war-initially-sold-to-the-public-in-the-usa/718167)
**Author:** [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Replies:** 49\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2015, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-was-the-vietnam-war-initially-sold-to-the-public-in-the-usa/718167 "2015-04-23T16:43:00Z")
In a more modern foreign war boondoggle like Iraq it is obvious the hard feelings from 9/11, conflation in the media and outright deception was what sold the public on it initially. I have a sense of this because I lived… --- ## [Ebay question: Can a seller accept an order cancellation? (need answer fastish)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-question-can-a-seller-accept-an-order-cancellation-need-answer-fastish/718204)
**Author:** [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2015, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-question-can-a-seller-accept-an-order-cancellation-need-answer-fastish/718204 "2015-04-23T15:58:10Z")
I did something quite dumb. I was looking for a particular unlocked cellphone that isn’t available for retail anymore but is common on e-bay sellers. When I was looking, I noticed an auction for a phone for a particularl… --- ## [Routine traffic stop, drugs are found](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/routine-traffic-stop-drugs-are-found/717255)
**Author:** [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Replies:** 52\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2015, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/routine-traffic-stop-drugs-are-found/717255 "2015-04-23T13:28:44Z")
I often see reports of a drug bust that starts with a “routine” stop for some minor traffic violation, and the police then discover drugs hidden in the car (here’s one and here’s two more that all happened in the last we… --- ## [How do birds know what to eat?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-birds-know-what-to-eat/208457)
**Author:** [@boofy\_bloke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boofy_bloke)\ **Replies:** 38\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2015, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-birds-know-what-to-eat/208457 "2015-04-23T13:27:41Z")
I see birds like pigeons and seagulls, not the brightest sparks of a fairly dim fire, wandering around pecking at food on the ground. How do they know which bits of stuff are food and which are just bits of stuff (like … --- ## [In The Simplest terms, What is "Pleasure"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-simplest-terms-what-is-pleasure/717823)
**Author:** [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2015, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-simplest-terms-what-is-pleasure/717823 "2015-04-23T10:53:59Z")
It seems to me that “pleasure” as applied to humans means one thing-a sense of good feeling and happiness. This comes about from chemical reactions in the brain. So is sexual pleasure, pleasure from drugs, satisfaction … --- ## [How to find similar, but not exact, duplicates of photos on my computer](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-find-similar-but-not-exact-duplicates-of-photos-on-my-computer/718256)
**Author:** [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2015, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-find-similar-but-not-exact-duplicates-of-photos-on-my-computer/718256 "2015-04-23T05:25:39Z")
I have a LOT of photos on my computer that I am hoping to sort and pare down. I have already removed all of the numerous exact duplicates I had. But I also have a great deal of “duplicates” that are slightly different f… --- ## [What could be happening here? (Internet connectivity issue)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-be-happening-here-internet-connectivity-issue/718338)
**Author:** [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2015, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-be-happening-here-internet-connectivity-issue/718338 "2015-04-23T04:47:16Z")
Some websites will load, others will not. Those that will load, load immediately, without problems. Those that will not load, fail to load immediately, going directly to a screen saying “name resolution failed” or word… --- ## [What bird call sounds like the Star Trek sound effect?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-bird-call-sounds-like-the-star-trek-sound-effect/718059)
**Author:** [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2015, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-bird-call-sounds-like-the-star-trek-sound-effect/718059 "2015-04-23T03:52:30Z")
The background sound heard on the original Star Trek series, you know like “waush -waush” that I assume is some background noise the Enterprise makes. I hear this all day everyday and it is driving me nuts, Trinidad is … --- ## [Norway switching off FM radio, going all digital.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/norway-switching-off-fm-radio-going-all-digital/718057)
**Author:** [@Lee\_Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lee_Q)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2015, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/norway-switching-off-fm-radio-going-all-digital/718057 "2015-04-23T00:59:42Z")
Saw this article about Norway switching off FM radio and going to digital soon. Other parts of the world doing similar in the near future. Question: I know there are distinct pros to such a change, but what are the cons… --- ## [What would stop a tank?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-stop-a-tank/717551)
**Author:** [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Replies:** 77\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2015, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-stop-a-tank/717551 "2015-04-23T00:20:46Z")
I was thinking about the time that guy in San Diego stole that tank and went on a spree rolling over people’s cars and such. The guy actually did a lot less damage than he could have done, the tank got stuck with some ki… --- ## [zits, why did they stop?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zits-why-did-they-stop/718318)
**Author:** [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2015, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zits-why-did-they-stop/718318 "2015-04-22T23:38:20Z")
Hello Everyone, As a teenager I, like a lot of my peers, was unfortunate enough to be coverd daily in pimples. In my case they were particularly bad, on my face, back, arms, he’ll just about everywhere. I used to … --- ## [Question about dark matter](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-dark-matter/716910)
**Author:** [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2015, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-dark-matter/716910 "2015-04-22T21:26:00Z")
In December 2014 I had asked a question about the nature of the big bang and presented the following analogies: “So in the former of the two beliefs, an analogy would be a tiny collection of matter in a giant space calle… --- ## [amelia earhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amelia-earhart/718257)
**Author:** [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2015, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amelia-earhart/718257 "2015-04-22T21:18:40Z")
Common belief is that Amelia Earhart was someone who broke down barriers in order to become a famous pilot. However I have not been able to find any indication that anyone tried to stop her from flying. No law prevented … --- ## [Pressure washer lubricants](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pressure-washer-lubricants/718310)
**Author:** [@bmasters1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bmasters1)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2015, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pressure-washer-lubricants/718310 "2015-04-22T20:56:04Z")
We have a Comet ZWD3540G-K on our pressure washer, and I need to know what kind of hydraulic fluid or other lubricant to put in it, because I’ve checked it, and it’s beginning to get low. We went to the site, but they wo… --- ## [Is my dog safe from Rattlesnakes at night during the summer](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-dog-safe-from-rattlesnakes-at-night-during-the-summer/718265)
**Author:** [@Robert163](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robert163)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2015, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-dog-safe-from-rattlesnakes-at-night-during-the-summer/718265 "2015-04-22T20:18:40Z")
Is my dog safe from Rattlesnakes at night during the summer? From what I’ve read they are less active at night but still a danger. Does anyone know about this? I live in/near the woods in South Georgia. During the summer… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=1126) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=1128)