# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=117 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 118 --- ## [Computer “glitches”. Why?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-glitches-why/983781)
**Author:** [@Oly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oly)\ **Replies:** 34\ **Last updated:** [November 1, 2023, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-glitches-why/983781 "2023-11-01T18:16:17Z")
For example, when I stream video and make the view full screen, a little message pops up at the top of the screen that says “Press Esc to exit full screen”. Sometimes that message fades away after a second or two. I imag… --- ## [Why are vault doors so massive?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-vault-doors-so-massive/991675)
**Author:** [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Replies:** 38\ **Last updated:** [November 1, 2023, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-vault-doors-so-massive/991675 "2023-11-01T14:34:21Z")
Why are some bank vault doors so massive (see pic below of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland vault door). I get banks want to make it hard for would be criminals from getting in but is that kind of door necessary? … --- ## [How can I block this unwanted Skype message from Bing?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-block-this-unwanted-skype-message-from-bing/992342)
**Author:** [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [November 1, 2023, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-block-this-unwanted-skype-message-from-bing/992342 "2023-11-01T14:19:27Z")
On occasion, I get spam-type messages on my Skype channel. There is generally a “block this user” option, which I use. But I just got this unwanted message from Bing: Hey, this is Bing! How can I help you today? (smil… --- ## [Samsung Galaxy Note 8 question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samsung-galaxy-note-8-question/992337)
**Author:** [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [November 1, 2023, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samsung-galaxy-note-8-question/992337 "2023-11-01T02:19:45Z")
My beloved Note 8 has suddenly developed a tic that may yet prove to be the thing that drives me to get a new cell phone. The voice-to-text no longer works. No matter what App, including embedded Apps such as Messenger … --- ## [PC File Searches](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-file-searches/992323)
**Author:** [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [October 31, 2023, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-file-searches/992323 "2023-10-31T14:20:04Z")
Is there something I can download to search for keywords in documents or text files? I thought Windows (on a Dell) could search in documents, but it is only searching file names. (I am using a Dell with an older version … --- ## [How many people have cancer?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-have-cancer/992264)
**Author:** [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [October 31, 2023, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-have-cancer/992264 "2023-10-31T01:21:27Z")
I need a good estimate, doesn’t have to be exact. I can find how many people will get cancer in there lifetime and how many people will get cancer this year. But what I need is how many people right now in the world ha… --- ## [Car Buffs: Quick Q on Car Battery](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-buffs-quick-q-on-car-battery/992324)
**Author:** [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [October 30, 2023, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-buffs-quick-q-on-car-battery/992324 "2023-10-30T22:22:47Z")
Is it possible a cell phone in use with the charger plugged in could drain a healthy car battery if the phone is used (with the engine off) for an hour? Two hours? If it matters, the car probably had to have the key turn… --- ## [Concerning Gomers, goomers, and goobers](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concerning-gomers-goomers-and-goobers/81823)
**Author:** [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [October 30, 2023, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concerning-gomers-goomers-and-goobers/81823 "2023-10-30T20:05:08Z")
I’ve heard Granny on the “Beverly Hillbillies” refer to people as “goomers,” the same way that some might use “yo-yos” or “chuckleheads.” Is/was that an acutal slang in some part of the country, or was it coined just for… --- ## [Which pasta is thinner, vermicelli or capellini?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-pasta-is-thinner-vermicelli-or-capellini/58971)
**Author:** [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [October 30, 2023, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-pasta-is-thinner-vermicelli-or-capellini/58971 "2023-10-30T16:19:20Z")
And what brand is the thinnest of all? I had some “angel hair” at a restaurant the other night that was marvelously thin, thinner than any I’ve ever had. Is there something even thinner than capellini? Is there a brand … --- ## [Why do humans cook their food?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-humans-cook-their-food/991846)
**Author:** [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Replies:** 122\ **Last updated:** [October 30, 2023, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-humans-cook-their-food/991846 "2023-10-30T12:33:25Z")
What is the purpose of cooking our food? Does it just make it more palatable and/or destroy potential pathogens, or does it confer some benefit to our digestive process? If it aids with our ability to digest the food, … --- ## [Are Our American Culinary Measuring Spoons Really Not Metric?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-our-american-culinary-measuring-spoons-really-not-metric/991983)
**Author:** [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Replies:** 127\ **Last updated:** [October 30, 2023, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-our-american-culinary-measuring-spoons-really-not-metric/991983 "2023-10-30T11:29:58Z")
Search seems to show this precise question hasn’t been asked before, probably because of utter triviality, but: Are sets of culinary measuring spoons marked with United States customary units (half teaspoon, teaspoon, t… --- ## [What is the origin of G.O.A.T](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-g-o-a-t/992273)
**Author:** [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [October 30, 2023, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-g-o-a-t/992273 "2023-10-30T08:34:10Z")
What is the origin of the acronym G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time)? --- ## [Is there a way to find out exact slot machine odds?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-way-to-find-out-exact-slot-machine-odds/992219)
**Author:** [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [October 29, 2023, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-way-to-find-out-exact-slot-machine-odds/992219 "2023-10-29T11:54:00Z")
Like, suppose I won $800 in one spin on the Monkey Madness slot machine (fictional). Is there a way where I could find out that this event had an odds of, say, one in five hundred thousand of happening? I’m partly assum… --- ## [Incidental CT scan finding: cirrhosis; is this an effective early diagnosis means?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incidental-ct-scan-finding-cirrhosis-is-this-an-effective-early-diagnosis-means/992228)
**Author:** [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [October 28, 2023, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incidental-ct-scan-finding-cirrhosis-is-this-an-effective-early-diagnosis-means/992228 "2023-10-28T21:04:31Z")
Somebody gets a CT scan for an unrelated purpose (orthopedic surgical planning), and, as an incidental finding, they’re told they have liver cirrhosis and need to see other doctors about it. Would this be a typical find… --- ## [Bad car deal-what is my recourse](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-car-deal-what-is-my-recourse/992149)
**Author:** [@LilahBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LilahBlue)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [October 28, 2023, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-car-deal-what-is-my-recourse/992149 "2023-10-28T16:29:48Z")
I recently bought a car and during the negotiations we agreed on a price and were offered a certain payment at a 5.9% interest rate. When they sold the loan I got my statement and the payment is the same, but the interes… --- ## [Why are the DEA and the BATFE independent agencies?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-dea-and-the-batfe-independent-agencies/992142)
**Author:** [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [October 28, 2023, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-dea-and-the-batfe-independent-agencies/992142 "2023-10-28T15:30:02Z")
I’ll give the U.S. Marshals and the Secret Service a pass because of seniority. Now I do understand that because the federal government doesn’t have a general police power authority, federal law enforcement agencies hav… --- ## [If a restaurant puts the wrong style fries in the menu image, is that false advertising?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-restaurant-puts-the-wrong-style-fries-in-the-menu-image-is-that-false-advertising/990555)
**Author:** [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Replies:** 121\ **Last updated:** [October 28, 2023, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-restaurant-puts-the-wrong-style-fries-in-the-menu-image-is-that-false-advertising/990555 "2023-10-28T00:43:55Z")
I see this all the time (mainly mom and pops) but basically the menu has these beautiful steak or crinkle cut fries, then you order them and they’re normal fries. Always made me curious, is that false advertising or any… --- ## [Did Jim Henson die of AIDS?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-jim-henson-die-of-aids/327888)
**Author:** [@TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW)\ **Replies:** 58\ **Last updated:** [October 28, 2023, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-jim-henson-die-of-aids/327888 "2023-10-28T00:07:15Z")
I remember that Jim Henson suddenly “dropped dead” of pneumonia with little-to-no previous symptoms of health problems. It always struck me as bizarre at the time, but it seems even weirder in retrospect - how can a comp… --- ## [What is the oldest continually used building in the world?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-oldest-continually-used-building-in-the-world/992135)
**Author:** [@SandyHook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SandyHook)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [October 27, 2023, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-oldest-continually-used-building-in-the-world/992135 "2023-10-27T21:51:10Z")
I’m not looking for something like the pyramids but a building used primarily for habitation or commerce. As a for instance Paul Revier’s house in Boston is the oldest building in Boston but would not count as it hasn’t… --- ## [How did the US actually pay for the Louisiana Purchase or Alaska?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-us-actually-pay-for-the-louisiana-purchase-or-alaska/991991)
**Author:** [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [October 27, 2023, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-us-actually-pay-for-the-louisiana-purchase-or-alaska/991991 "2023-10-27T19:05:30Z")
In 1803 the US bought a great swath of land from France for $15 million (The Louisiana Purchase). In 1867 the US bought what is now Alaska from the Russians for $7.2 million. Obviously this is way before electronic tra… --- ## [Why do I always have to clear my cache to view one of my favorite sites?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-always-have-to-clear-my-cache-to-view-one-of-my-favorite-sites/992126)
**Author:** [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [October 27, 2023, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-always-have-to-clear-my-cache-to-view-one-of-my-favorite-sites/992126 "2023-10-27T19:04:27Z")
There’s a website I like to check several times a day because I’m a Bears fan addicted to the latest trade scuttlebutt: Chicago Bears News & Rumors For the last couple of weeks, I’ve noticed that the site won’t update u… --- ## [Donating plasma for money](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donating-plasma-for-money/118567)
**Author:** [@parisms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/parisms)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [October 27, 2023, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donating-plasma-for-money/118567 "2023-10-27T18:29:07Z")
I know this is available, but I can’t for the life of me find a place in MD where you can donate and the red cross is of no help. Can anyone help me find this info --- ## [Avoiding soldering by using double-sided conductive tape + shrink tubes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avoiding-soldering-by-using-double-sided-conductive-tape-shrink-tubes/991878)
**Author:** [@ColdBrew50](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ColdBrew50)\ **Replies:** 79\ **Last updated:** [October 27, 2023, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avoiding-soldering-by-using-double-sided-conductive-tape-shrink-tubes/991878 "2023-10-27T10:57:55Z")
Title sort of says it all. I just have to connect some long-ish leads to a few battery posts (stubs, really) to a PCB. I’m really tired of soldering. Why not use an aluminum, say, conductive tape, with double-sided co… --- ## [How is it possible that a drawbridge can be seriously unbalanced by painting it?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-it-possible-that-a-drawbridge-can-be-seriously-unbalanced-by-painting-it/991586)
**Author:** [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Replies:** 56\ **Last updated:** [October 27, 2023, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-it-possible-that-a-drawbridge-can-be-seriously-unbalanced-by-painting-it/991586 "2023-10-27T08:43:34Z")
Earlier today I was running around Chicago taking advantage of Open House Chicago where many places were open to the public to tour for free (it is a really great thing and fun…also happening tomorrow (Sunday October 15,… --- ## [Remind me...what does it mean to use "primary" as a transitive verb (election context)?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remind-me-what-does-it-mean-to-use-primary-as-a-transitive-verb-election-context/991624)
**Author:** [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [October 26, 2023, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remind-me-what-does-it-mean-to-use-primary-as-a-transitive-verb-election-context/991624 "2023-10-26T00:34:44Z")
From the Great Ongoing Revolving Speakership thread: Can someone 'splain like I’m 5 years old, please. What does this threat mean and exactly why is it a threat? What is the opposite-- IOW, what would it look like NOT … --- ## [If you dig a hole in soil and fill it with water, will fish eventually appear?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-dig-a-hole-in-soil-and-fill-it-with-water-will-fish-eventually-appear/282022)
**Author:** [@ancientmariner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ancientmariner)\ **Replies:** 58\ **Last updated:** [October 26, 2023, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-dig-a-hole-in-soil-and-fill-it-with-water-will-fish-eventually-appear/282022 "2023-10-26T00:17:44Z")
I think i read something about this in National Geographic years ago, but I am unsure. Any links would be great as I searched Google and couldn’t find anything about this. I searched evything from Underground living orga… --- ## [AI and professions doomed to extinction](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ai-and-professions-doomed-to-extinction/990849)
**Author:** [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [October 25, 2023, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ai-and-professions-doomed-to-extinction/990849 "2023-10-25T19:01:09Z")
Although artificial intelligence has been making inroads into some professions for a number of years, the release of ChatGPT only 10 months ago made it all very real and personal for a large number of people, and the con… --- ## [Who survived the most \[input disaster\]?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-survived-the-most-input-disaster/991819)
**Author:** [@longtry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/longtry)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [October 25, 2023, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-survived-the-most-input-disaster/991819 "2023-10-25T13:10:57Z")
In history, who survived the most plane crashes? The most shipwrecks?.. Overall, who survived the most disasters that normally we think of as more likely to lead to death than life? The incidents should be big enough to … --- ## [RAM size vs. speed](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ram-size-vs-speed/992023)
**Author:** [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [October 25, 2023, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ram-size-vs-speed/992023 "2023-10-25T12:59:01Z")
I have 2x16 DDR4 PC-3200 installed. I recently came into some free RAM, and I have a choice between 2x8 PC-2933 or 2x16 PC-2666. As I understand it either will slow my current RAM, does it make sense to install either? I… --- ## [Wife is suddenly getting porn requests on phone. What to do? Maybe NSFW](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wife-is-suddenly-getting-porn-requests-on-phone-what-to-do-maybe-nsfw/991940)
**Author:** [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Replies:** 53\ **Last updated:** [October 25, 2023, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wife-is-suddenly-getting-porn-requests-on-phone-what-to-do-maybe-nsfw/991940 "2023-10-25T02:45:28Z")
Today, my wife received from one number, a link to a pornhub video, an indecipherable text message, a voice message, and a picture of an old man in a towel. From another number, she received a text that just said . She’s… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=116) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=118)