# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=1145 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 1146 --- ## [Even though evolution isn't goal driven, what is the term for traits that keep coming up](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/even-though-evolution-isnt-goal-driven-what-is-the-term-for-traits-that-keep-coming-up/715820)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [March 24, 2015, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/even-though-evolution-isnt-goal-driven-what-is-the-term-for-traits-that-keep-coming-up/715820 "2015-03-24T18:10:38Z")
Some traits seem like they provide a decent survival advantage so they come up repeatedly in evolution. Eyes for example evolved dozens of times independently. Cooperation has survival options above individual ones, so t… --- ## [Is this a D.C. Voltage Line Loss Issue?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-d-c-voltage-line-loss-issue/715796)
**Author:** [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [March 24, 2015, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-d-c-voltage-line-loss-issue/715796 "2015-03-24T15:44:15Z")
I have a single landscape spot in the front of my house. When I installed it 6 years ago the fixture I used had a bulb, and it worked great, although it was a pain to change the bulb out every 18 months. Both the fixture… --- ## [Are there any words that have come to mean the exact opposite of their original meaning?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-words-that-have-come-to-mean-the-exact-opposite-of-their-original-meaning/544624)
**Author:** [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Replies:** 174\ **Last updated:** [March 24, 2015, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-words-that-have-come-to-mean-the-exact-opposite-of-their-original-meaning/544624 "2015-03-24T15:36:51Z")
Most words’ meanings change over time but can you think of any that have done a complete 180 and evolved to mean just the opposite of what they first (or once) meant? I can’t think of any off the top of my head but I’m s… --- ## [How much would a nearby black hole help our physics?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-a-nearby-black-hole-help-our-physics/715797)
**Author:** [@get\_lives](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/get_lives)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [March 24, 2015, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-a-nearby-black-hole-help-our-physics/715797 "2015-03-24T15:36:41Z")
Let’s say we had a nearby very small black hole, just a couple of light years away, that was in a direction perpendicular to the ecliptic. How much easier would it be to come up with a Unified Field theory than it is now… --- ## [Linguistic Status of 'Gonna'?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linguistic-status-of-gonna/715831)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [March 24, 2015, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linguistic-status-of-gonna/715831 "2015-03-24T15:20:24Z")
I was wondering what the linguistic status was of the American English word gonna. Is it slang? Is a colloquialism? Is it standard English yet? And will it someday become standard English? The reason why I ask, is becau… --- ## [Java and Chrome](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/java-and-chrome/715861)
**Author:** [@dauerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dauerbach)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [March 24, 2015, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/java-and-chrome/715861 "2015-03-24T14:44:52Z")
So confusing for me. I use an old version of windows XP for work. In the past, if I accidently updated Java, the program I need to use got totally hosed, had to be deleted and then reinstalled, and was this was a huge … --- ## [What the purpose of Mercury in this container?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-purpose-of-mercury-in-this-container/715684)
**Author:** [@TheSuffolkRam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheSuffolkRam)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [March 24, 2015, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-purpose-of-mercury-in-this-container/715684 "2015-03-24T14:41:16Z")
Hi All I’ve was reading a website about urban exploration, and for one of their visits they go to an clinic that was abandoned a few years ago: In one of the photos, they show metal container with the following writt… --- ## [Do people from other cultures roll their eyes when annoyed?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-from-other-cultures-roll-their-eyes-when-annoyed/715337)
**Author:** [@Enola\_Gay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Gay)\ **Replies:** 37\ **Last updated:** [March 24, 2015, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-from-other-cultures-roll-their-eyes-when-annoyed/715337 "2015-03-24T14:07:03Z")
Or is that just an American phenomenon? Also, when and why did eye rolling become a way to express irritation? --- ## [When can boys/men marry according to ISIS?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-can-boys-men-marry-according-to-isis/715835)
**Author:** [@Dostoyevsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dostoyevsky)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [March 24, 2015, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-can-boys-men-marry-according-to-isis/715835 "2015-03-24T12:56:30Z")
According to this report, ISIS has declared: What does the last sentence about young men mean? Is it saying that men can’t be more than 20 years older than their wives? FYI, in case it’s related, you should know that… --- ## [fuel efficiency and speed](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuel-efficiency-and-speed/715830)
**Author:** [@blood63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blood63)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [March 24, 2015, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuel-efficiency-and-speed/715830 "2015-03-24T11:55:03Z")
My new (used) car has a fuel efficiency gauge. It’s very interesting to watch. Clearly, the slower my engine revs, the better my efficiency. It makes sense that slower my engine turns, the less fuel enters into the cy… --- ## [Math question (order of operations)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/math-question-order-of-operations/633453)
**Author:** [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Replies:** 86\ **Last updated:** [March 24, 2015, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/math-question-order-of-operations/633453 "2015-03-24T07:28:14Z")
This popped up in my Facebook today. 6-1X0+2/2=? Half of the answers say the correct answer is 7 as you do the order of operations with multiplication and division first giving you: 6-(1X0)+(2/2) 6-0+1=7 The other … --- ## ["the older it is, the longer it will last"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-older-it-is-the-longer-it-will-last/715792)
**Author:** [@SantaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SantaMan)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [March 24, 2015, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-older-it-is-the-longer-it-will-last/715792 "2015-03-24T02:27:24Z")
Howdy! I came across a term (which I lost) for the notion that the longer an object has existed, the longer it is likely to exist, As in, if a book has been on the market for 6 months, it’s likely to survive another 6 … --- ## [Meaning of "categorically"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-categorically/668811)
**Author:** [@Oly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oly)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [March 24, 2015, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-categorically/668811 "2015-03-24T00:25:48Z")
As in “That statement is categorically false.” My participation in a \[thread=701822\]recent thread\[/thread\] makes me think I probably don’t have a good understanding of what that word means (despite the fact that I use i… --- ## [The human brain can only be understood in light of evolution.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-human-brain-can-only-be-understood-in-light-of-evolution/715728)
**Author:** [@Xegex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xegex)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [March 24, 2015, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-human-brain-can-only-be-understood-in-light-of-evolution/715728 "2015-03-24T00:15:52Z")
“The human brain can only be understood in light of evolution. Discuss” “In writing this essay, consider the structure and function of the brain. Remember too that brains have been evolving for over 500 million years.” … --- ## [Obscene gestures: one finger vs. two](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscene-gestures-one-finger-vs-two/715442)
**Author:** [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [March 23, 2015, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscene-gestures-one-finger-vs-two/715442 "2015-03-23T22:01:47Z")
In the U.S. the “middle finger” is the main obscene finger gesture, while in the U.K. it is using two fingers in a “V” pattern. Which is the more commonly used internationally? In two-finger areas, is the middle finger… --- ## [Perception of heat in sexual arousal](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perception-of-heat-in-sexual-arousal/715355)
**Author:** [@Umbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Umbridge)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [March 23, 2015, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perception-of-heat-in-sexual-arousal/715355 "2015-03-23T21:19:32Z")
When people get sexually aroused, do their body temperatures rise, or do they just perceive that they are feeling hotter than usual, as if they are feeling anxious about something? I remember reading a passage from a Re… --- ## [Does fire exist anywhere other than earth?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-fire-exist-anywhere-other-than-earth/713054)
**Author:** [@CanTak3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanTak3)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [March 23, 2015, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-fire-exist-anywhere-other-than-earth/713054 "2015-03-23T18:47:12Z")
I can’t think of any material that burns and is not either man made, nor was once alive. So without a fuel source I can’t think of how fire could exist elsewhere. Stars are of course fusion not fire, and lightning strik… --- ## [Fire Extinguishers: Recharge or Replace?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-extinguishers-recharge-or-replace/714645)
**Author:** [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [March 12, 2015, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-extinguishers-recharge-or-replace/714645 "2015-03-12T04:31:31Z")
I have a couple fire extinguishers (Kidde, ABC , ingredients Monoammonium Phosphate, Ammonium Sulfate, Mica, Talc, Nuisance Dust) which have mysteriously discharged (I have never used them). Why did they discharge? Is … --- ## [Infinite series of cause and effect](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infinite-series-of-cause-and-effect/715720)
**Author:** [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [March 23, 2015, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infinite-series-of-cause-and-effect/715720 "2015-03-23T16:03:00Z")
I’ve always heard that it’s not possible to have an infinite progression (or regression) of cause and effect. This is usually part of the “First Cause” or “Prime Mover” argument for the existence of God. But why is an in… --- ## [The hazards of mercury-containing CFL light bulbs](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hazards-of-mercury-containing-cfl-light-bulbs/715682)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [March 23, 2015, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hazards-of-mercury-containing-cfl-light-bulbs/715682 "2015-03-23T16:01:26Z")
The Internet contains fearmongering about CFL light bulbs as well as insistence that they are harmless and that the concerns are overblown. Just how dangerous are CFL light bulbs if they shatter and release their mercur… --- ## [Why are Wikipedia pages about Jews in a country called "History of the Jews in..." ?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-wikipedia-pages-about-jews-in-a-country-called-history-of-the-jews-in/715656)
**Author:** [@Haberdash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Haberdash)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [March 23, 2015, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-wikipedia-pages-about-jews-in-a-country-called-history-of-the-jews-in/715656 "2015-03-23T15:08:24Z")
but never “Judaism in Cuba”, always History of the Jews in Cuba - Wikipedia Essentially every country has the same. What point is being made by this? Who successfully lobbied for this titling scheme and when? --- ## [Obama's executive amnesty will cost taxpayers $1.3 trillion?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-executive-amnesty-will-cost-taxpayers-1-3-trillion/715445)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 50\ **Last updated:** [March 23, 2015, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-executive-amnesty-will-cost-taxpayers-1-3-trillion/715445 "2015-03-23T14:44:02Z")
I read this claim without citation: ‘Obama’s executive amnesty will cost taxpayers $1.3 trillion.’ Searching on that phrase turns up right-wing sites using ‘illegals’ as a descriptor, so I don’t trust their objectivity.… --- ## [Need an iTunes expert (sorting question)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-an-itunes-expert-sorting-question/715704)
**Author:** [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [March 23, 2015, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-an-itunes-expert-sorting-question/715704 "2015-03-23T10:47:25Z")
iTunes is driving me to drink. I store my songs on an iPod and an iPhone. The artists are nicely sorted in iTunes and on the iPod. On the iPhone, though (which is new), I have some Bob Dylan albums showing up under the… --- ## [Will this series converge (PI related) ?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-this-series-converge-pi-related/715759)
**Author:** [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [March 23, 2015, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-this-series-converge-pi-related/715759 "2015-03-23T04:44:03Z")
I came across a good question - maybe it was answered before, if so please point me to it. Consider the series 1/a\_n where a\_n = n th digit of pi. So, S(n), the sum of the series : S(n)=1/3 + 1/1 + 1/4 +1/1+1/5…+1/a\_n … --- ## [U.S. history: remind me of this early libel case](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-history-remind-me-of-this-early-libel-case/715611)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [March 23, 2015, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-history-remind-me-of-this-early-libel-case/715611 "2015-03-23T04:39:38Z")
Dimly remembered from an American History class I took in college eons ago: A Colonial newspaper printed as fact, allegations agains the Crown. It was decided by the court that libel did not occur if the allegations wer… --- ## [What are the next 'big things' in physics?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-next-big-things-in-physics/715539)
**Author:** [@MrLee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrLee)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [March 23, 2015, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-next-big-things-in-physics/715539 "2015-03-23T02:51:38Z")
I’m not very au fait with the natural sciences - but I wish I were. As such, then, please forgive my ignorance… I just got to wondering… What are the nuts that the global community of physicists are currently trying to … --- ## [Why is my Mac so slow and how do I fix it?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-mac-so-slow-and-how-do-i-fix-it/715624)
**Author:** [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [March 22, 2015, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-mac-so-slow-and-how-do-i-fix-it/715624 "2015-03-22T23:51:16Z")
I have one of those 27 inch iMac’s that I bought probably around the end of 2009 or beginning of 2010. In the last year it has developed an issue where the internet on it runs so slow no matter what browser or applicatio… --- ## [How To Tell "Genuine" Cuban Cigars](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-tell-genuine-cuban-cigars/707590)
**Author:** [@Carryon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carryon)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [December 19, 2014, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-tell-genuine-cuban-cigars/707590 "2014-12-19T17:31:40Z")
Now that it is OK to import Cuban Cigars, I have a question about how to tell a “genuine” one. My line of thinking is this: Obviously if you go to Cuba, you will be getting a Cuban cigar. But with the relax on import r… --- ## [What was scrap from the old sailing ships used for?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-scrap-from-the-old-sailing-ships-used-for/715062)
**Author:** [@dstarfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dstarfire)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [March 22, 2015, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-scrap-from-the-old-sailing-ships-used-for/715062 "2015-03-22T22:34:35Z")
So, as steam became the dominant power source for ships, and the old sailing ships were broken up, what did people use the scrap lumber for? I imagine most of the interior timber was used for housing material, but what … --- ## [Fighting malware with hardware](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-malware-with-hardware/715453)
**Author:** [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try2B_Comprehensive)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [March 22, 2015, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-malware-with-hardware/715453 "2015-03-22T20:02:01Z")
So I have the Binkiland virus, and nothing I try is working to get rid of it. I am not some Edward Snowden kind of guy so maybe someone else could beat this, but I have used Avast antivirus and Grimefighter, to no avail.… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=1144) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=1146)