# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=120 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 121 --- ## [108-year old human liver and other long-lived body parts](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/108-year-old-human-liver-and-other-long-lived-body-parts/991212)
**Author:** [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [October 11, 2023, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/108-year-old-human-liver-and-other-long-lived-body-parts/991212 "2023-10-11T04:40:03Z")
Here’s a story about a woman who celebrated 20 years since she received a “new” liver - from an 88-year old donor - thus her liver is 108 years old. She’s in good health now - at her age of 39, she could live several dec… --- ## [Networking canals](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/networking-canals/991261)
**Author:** [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [October 11, 2023, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/networking-canals/991261 "2023-10-11T02:51:18Z")
Has there ever been a case where a canal is connected to somewhere other than one of its endpoints? Here’s the idea: a canal, called the AB Canal, exists between point A and point B. Someone comes along and says “it’d b… --- ## [Euler's Method](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eulers-method/991298)
**Author:** [@EnolaStraight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EnolaStraight)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [October 10, 2023, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eulers-method/991298 "2023-10-10T23:34:32Z")
In the motion picture “Hidden Figures”, it is stated that there isn’t a way to translate between an elliptical orbit and a parabolic trajectory for splashdown. Euler’s Method scene in Hidden Figures - YouTube 5.4 Kathe… --- ## [Trump's trial in NY for business fraud--why is there no jury?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-trial-in-ny-for-business-fraud-why-is-there-no-jury/990999)
**Author:** [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Replies:** 61\ **Last updated:** [October 10, 2023, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-trial-in-ny-for-business-fraud-why-is-there-no-jury/990999 "2023-10-10T19:54:12Z")
Google told me repeatedly that it’s a bench trial, but I couldn’t find why it’s a bench trial… So,(even though I’m sure it’s been discussed before,) will somebody please explain to me? It seems to me that in all of his… --- ## [A question about Israel's Iron Dome](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-israels-iron-dome/991344)
**Author:** [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [October 10, 2023, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-israels-iron-dome/991344 "2023-10-10T14:45:20Z")
I thought the Israelis designed and built Iron Dome on their own. They have requested more missiles for it from the US. Am I mistaken, or can it be used to control various missile launchers? --- ## [TMI warning: What does shit taste like?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tmi-warning-what-does-shit-taste-like/189983)
**Author:** [@Muldoon\_s\_Squishiness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muldoon_s_Squishiness)\ **Replies:** 58\ **Last updated:** [October 10, 2023, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tmi-warning-what-does-shit-taste-like/189983 "2023-10-10T02:34:46Z")
This question entered my mind after getting a lovely and charming spam e-mail that promised me that Slutty Young Japanese Shit Eaters Want Your Cock!!! I would think that they would want something else from me, but mayb… --- ## [Another GIS question: Carpool grouping](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-gis-question-carpool-grouping/991176)
**Author:** [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [October 10, 2023, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-gis-question-carpool-grouping/991176 "2023-10-10T01:46:41Z")
I’m a teacher at a school of about 700 students. Most of them live too far away from the school for biking to be practical, but it occurs to me that there’s probably room for a lot more carpooling. The main obstacle, I… --- ## [Is Tolgaim really an Irish word?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tolgaim-really-an-irish-word/991322)
**Author:** [@Jagraze1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jagraze1)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [October 10, 2023, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tolgaim-really-an-irish-word/991322 "2023-10-10T00:25:42Z")
So at first, when I asked someone about if this is a word or not, they said, they haven’t come across this word but a few minutes later, somebody told me that it is. Is it or is it not? If so, what does it mean? --- ## [The "Doomsday Clock"—what do they do with it if there's a limited nuclear war?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doomsday-clock-what-do-they-do-with-it-if-theres-a-limited-nuclear-war/991299)
**Author:** [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [October 9, 2023, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doomsday-clock-what-do-they-do-with-it-if-theres-a-limited-nuclear-war/991299 "2023-10-09T22:45:46Z")
The “Doomsday Clock”—the symbolic meter of the proximity to global catastrophe (“Midnight”), usually imagined as nuclear war and the end of the world, maintained by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Currently at 90 … --- ## [Shaking a container to clean it - idle sink thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaking-a-container-to-clean-it-idle-sink-thoughts/991117)
**Author:** [@brossa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brossa)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [October 9, 2023, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaking-a-container-to-clean-it-idle-sink-thoughts/991117 "2023-10-09T19:51:33Z")
Much like one might have idle shower thoughts, I had an idle sink thought while washing a peanut butter jar before putting it in the recycling. My technique was to fill the jar about half full with hot soapy water and th… --- ## [Robot v Xmas tree lights](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robot-v-xmas-tree-lights/986895)
**Author:** [@Orville\_mogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orville_mogul)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [October 9, 2023, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robot-v-xmas-tree-lights/986895 "2023-10-09T15:30:10Z")
No, this isn’t a new Marvel adventure, this is a real question about a technical problem I am facing. I have a Stihl robot lawn mower that is connected to the internet via my home wifi so that I can manage settings etc … --- ## [CIA conducted operations to build popular support to go against Somoza](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cia-conducted-operations-to-build-popular-support-to-go-against-somoza/991232)
**Author:** [@cannonkuo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cannonkuo)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [October 9, 2023, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cia-conducted-operations-to-build-popular-support-to-go-against-somoza/991232 "2023-10-09T06:48:12Z")
On December 1, Reagan signed a finding that authorized the CIA to “support and conduct paramilitary operations against the Cuban presence and Cuban-Sandinista support infrastructure in Nicaragua and elsewhere in Central … --- ## [PowerPoint keeps messing up my carefully designed (and saved) slides](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerpoint-keeps-messing-up-my-carefully-designed-and-saved-slides/991205)
**Author:** [@Caribbean\_cruiser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caribbean_cruiser)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [October 9, 2023, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerpoint-keeps-messing-up-my-carefully-designed-and-saved-slides/991205 "2023-10-09T00:47:54Z")
HUGE SIGH. I spent a week designing a 20-slide PPT deck on my company’s history for an MBA class. Each slide is designed to resemble a 2-page magazine article, each article focused on a company milestone. After getting e… --- ## [A futuristic oxygen storage system for space suits?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-futuristic-oxygen-storage-system-for-space-suits/643105)
**Author:** [@s0meguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/s0meguy)\ **Replies:** 57\ **Last updated:** [October 8, 2023, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-futuristic-oxygen-storage-system-for-space-suits/643105 "2023-10-08T15:30:21Z")
In science fiction, you often see people walking around on atmosphere-less planets and in space in spacesuits that look like armor, without the huge oxygen tanks that astronauts have to carry around today. So I’m wonderi… --- ## [Question about oversized truck loads](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-oversized-truck-loads/991225)
**Author:** [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [October 7, 2023, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-oversized-truck-loads/991225 "2023-10-07T13:47:47Z")
I was driving today and I encountered a truck carrying an oversized load. It was some kind of big storage tank. This was on a standard two lane road and the load was a little wider than the lane. This wasn’t a problem fo… --- ## [How can I set a default address in Google Maps?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-set-a-default-address-in-google-maps/991216)
**Author:** [@jebert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jebert)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [October 7, 2023, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-set-a-default-address-in-google-maps/991216 "2023-10-07T10:31:25Z")
When I use Google maps for directions, I’d like to have the starting address default to my home address rather than typing it in every time. Is there a way to do this? --- ## [What's the difference between outlines after the sketch/preparatory drawing and line art without a sketch?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-outlines-after-the-sketch-preparatory-drawing-and-line-art-without-a-sketch/991209)
**Author:** [@Amber13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amber13)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [October 7, 2023, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-outlines-after-the-sketch-preparatory-drawing-and-line-art-without-a-sketch/991209 "2023-10-07T06:16:49Z")
There’s no difference between outlines and line art since they focus on the use of line, they’re different on they’re made, outlines are drawn after a sketch and preparatory drawing which drawn with outlines but not inke… --- ## [What are examples of authentic Bell Curves](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-examples-of-authentic-bell-curves/991098)
**Author:** [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Replies:** 55\ **Last updated:** [October 7, 2023, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-examples-of-authentic-bell-curves/991098 "2023-10-07T03:08:46Z")
I need a project for my students that involves taking data and calculating z-scores and percentiles so I need examples of real bell curve distributions. However it needs to be high-school student appropriate so no IQ te… --- ## [How do you scan QR codes?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-scan-qr-codes/991132)
**Author:** [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [October 6, 2023, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-scan-qr-codes/991132 "2023-10-06T22:21:28Z")
Just like the question asks: how do you scan QR codes? I’ve run into this a lot recently. I have a smartphone, but rarely use it. If It has “QR Code scanning capabilities,” I’m unaware of them. Do I have to download … --- ## [The Trump civil trial](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-civil-trial/991167)
**Author:** [@Honolulu\_Lulu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honolulu_Lulu)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [October 6, 2023, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-civil-trial/991167 "2023-10-06T20:53:33Z")
Isn’t fraud a crime? Why isn’t this a criminal case? Who is the plaintiff? If New York State is the plaintiff, does that mean that NYS suffered a financial loss as a result of Trump’s fraud? If Trump is ordered to pa… --- ## [Sun rises in the east weather question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sun-rises-in-the-east-weather-question/991193)
**Author:** [@a6ka97](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a6ka97)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [October 6, 2023, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sun-rises-in-the-east-weather-question/991193 "2023-10-06T19:18:15Z")
Sun rises in the east, sets in the west. Weather patterns generally go west to east. What if this was reversed eons ago? Same climate we have now? Development rate/type of life forms changed? What if eons ago the sun c… --- ## [Four identical quadruplets leap from a plane…](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/four-identical-quadruplets-leap-from-a-plane/991119)
**Author:** [@Longweekends](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Longweekends)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [October 6, 2023, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/four-identical-quadruplets-leap-from-a-plane/991119 "2023-10-06T05:39:49Z")
…and plummet towards a placid lake far below. They have just carried out a daring aerial robbery and some clutch their loot. Alas, they have forgotten their parachutes. The leader, addressed by his brothers as “Control… --- ## [Why can't I buy a fuel tank from the UK?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-buy-a-fuel-tank-from-the-uk/991126)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2023, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-buy-a-fuel-tank-from-the-uk/991126 "2023-10-05T14:00:04Z")
My YZF-R1 fuel tank is shot. I tried to buy one on eBay, from England, and got this message: We are sorry, but the item you selected may not be purchased due to seller shipping restrictions or due to country-specific i… --- ## [A few Uranium questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-uranium-questions/990942)
**Author:** [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2023, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-uranium-questions/990942 "2023-10-05T13:39:03Z")
Where did Earth’s Uranium come from? It’s created in Supernovas and presumably Neutron star collisions. If it came from a Supernova, shouldn’t we be able to see the nebula from the explosion? When the Uranium as created… --- ## [Largest hexagon that fits inside a pentagon?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-hexagon-that-fits-inside-a-pentagon/990832)
**Author:** [@brossa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brossa)\ **Replies:** 34\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2023, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-hexagon-that-fits-inside-a-pentagon/990832 "2023-10-05T00:57:22Z")
Perhaps my Google game is weak, but I’m trying to find a mathematical treatment (and ideally a visual representation) of the largest regular hexagon that fits inside a regular pentagon. It’s not hard to find the other w… --- ## [Can we have a propane powered heat pump?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-have-a-propane-powered-heat-pump/990856)
**Author:** [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [October 4, 2023, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-have-a-propane-powered-heat-pump/990856 "2023-10-04T13:38:46Z")
(besides using things like fuel cells or engines) There are propane powered freezers that use the combustion to drive the refrigeration cycle directly without a compressor. As I understand it they work well and make go… --- ## [Document to be entered into evidence but author is dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/document-to-be-entered-into-evidence-but-author-is-dead/990657)
**Author:** [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [October 4, 2023, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/document-to-be-entered-into-evidence-but-author-is-dead/990657 "2023-10-04T11:20:48Z")
I was watching a court case and a person had a letter written by their doctor. He couldn’t enter it into evidence because in part the doctor that wrote it and could testify to its authenticity was unavailable. Let’s as… --- ## [English as a Satellite-Framed Language - Looking for Examples](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-as-a-satellite-framed-language-looking-for-examples/990960)
**Author:** [@Moonrise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonrise)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [October 4, 2023, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-as-a-satellite-framed-language-looking-for-examples/990960 "2023-10-04T07:41:12Z")
In this thread, Whack-a-Mole wrote the following sentence : It made me smile smile because it reminded me of a topic I had considered working on when I wanted to pursue a PhD, namely verb-framing and satellite-framing. … --- ## [Who is Currently Next in Line for U.S. President After Kamala Harris?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-currently-next-in-line-for-u-s-president-after-kamala-harris/991069)
**Author:** [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [October 4, 2023, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-currently-next-in-line-for-u-s-president-after-kamala-harris/991069 "2023-10-04T01:47:28Z")
If, God forbid, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris die before a new speaker is elected by the House, who is President of the United States? Speaker pro tempore Patrick McHenry or Senate president pro tempore Patty Murray? Here… --- ## [A factual question about Trump's potential "Advice of counsel" defense](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-factual-question-about-trumps-potential-advice-of-counsel-defense/988043)
**Author:** [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Replies:** 37\ **Last updated:** [October 2, 2023, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-factual-question-about-trumps-potential-advice-of-counsel-defense/988043 "2023-10-02T22:51:59Z")
There is much speculation that former President Trump will use the “Advice of counsel” defense in his upcoming January 6th trial. AIUI, this defense is basically that “I believed that my actions were legal based upon th… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=119) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=121)