# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=121 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 122 --- ## [Explosions in space, ala Stargate special effects](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosions-in-space-ala-stargate-special-effects/990935)
**Author:** [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Replies:** 41\ **Last updated:** [October 2, 2023, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosions-in-space-ala-stargate-special-effects/990935 "2023-10-02T21:49:48Z")
In the film and the television series, exploding a nuclear device in the bad guy space ship creates a sphere of energy. I’m good with that, in a weightless vacuum I would expect energy to move in all directions. However… --- ## [Lethal injection and choking on blood](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lethal-injection-and-choking-on-blood/990998)
**Author:** [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [October 2, 2023, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lethal-injection-and-choking-on-blood/990998 "2023-10-02T21:25:34Z")
I recently came across this editorial piece: It includes the following sentence, which really caught my attention: My own research has shown that death by lethal injection involves choking on your own blood about 80… --- ## [How Is Wifi Distributed Over A Large Area (like a theme park or college campus)?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-wifi-distributed-over-a-large-area-like-a-theme-park-or-college-campus/990961)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [October 2, 2023, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-wifi-distributed-over-a-large-area-like-a-theme-park-or-college-campus/990961 "2023-10-02T21:16:14Z")
What’s the process that distributes wifi over a large area where there will be users both indoors and outdoors? Like a college campus, or a theme park? Do these facilities use off-the-shelf routers (just a bunch of them?… --- ## [Can a "Bouncing Betty " be defused?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-bouncing-betty-be-defused/990669)
**Author:** [@Chickenwrangler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chickenwrangler)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [October 2, 2023, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-bouncing-betty-be-defused/990669 "2023-10-02T17:35:05Z")
“Bouncing betty” is the nickname given to a mine that when stepped on bounce up and detonate at about 3ft causing serious injury to anyone within range. Not very nice I’ve seen a couple of movies where some one has step… --- ## [Are there widescreen computer monitors that would allow me to "split" the screen between two different sources at once?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-widescreen-computer-monitors-that-would-allow-me-to-split-the-screen-between-two-different-sources-at-once/990968)
**Author:** [@TwoCarrotSnowman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwoCarrotSnowman)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [October 2, 2023, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-widescreen-computer-monitors-that-would-allow-me-to-split-the-screen-between-two-different-sources-at-once/990968 "2023-10-02T16:26:59Z")
On my desk, I have: My work-issued laptop My personal Mac Mini, which is my main desktop computer Monitor 1, which has only the Mac Mini connected to it Monitor 2 which has both the Mac Mini and the work laptop connect… --- ## [What do internet services care more about, speed of conect time?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-internet-services-care-more-about-speed-of-conect-time/988867)
**Author:** [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Replies:** 48\ **Last updated:** [October 2, 2023, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-internet-services-care-more-about-speed-of-conect-time/988867 "2023-10-02T04:58:09Z")
Say that you need to download a file that is 1 GB. Does the source prefer to send it to you with the most bandwidth you can handle, minimizing connection time, or preserving bandwidth at the cost of a longer connection? … --- ## [Is there any advantage (or disadvantage) to having secondary, private health insurance?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-advantage-or-disadvantage-to-having-secondary-private-health-insurance/962796)
**Author:** [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [October 2, 2023, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-advantage-or-disadvantage-to-having-secondary-private-health-insurance/962796 "2023-10-02T03:52:39Z")
So our situation is this: we have a young daughter with serious long term health issues that require a lot of ongoing treatment from various different specialists. I have healthcare through my job, for a big multination… --- ## [Can someone go blind from "shell shock"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-go-blind-from-shell-shock/987404)
**Author:** [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [October 2, 2023, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-go-blind-from-shell-shock/987404 "2023-10-02T03:30:57Z")
I’ve been reading about a WWI veteran from Saskatchewan who went blind due to injuries in a battle. The cause of the blindness is reported in one contemporary account as “shell shock”. I’ve seen one picture of him, I t… --- ## [Why doesn't someone sell a TV remote control that skips commercials?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-someone-sell-a-tv-remote-control-that-skips-commercials/990692)
**Author:** [@Caribbean\_cruiser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caribbean_cruiser)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [October 2, 2023, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-someone-sell-a-tv-remote-control-that-skips-commercials/990692 "2023-10-02T00:43:35Z")
Before Comcast “upgraded” my TV remote control, I could skip 30 seconds ahead or back, meaning I could leap 5 minutes of commercials in a single bound, with just a few quick clicks. In fact, i programmed another button t… --- ## [SpaceX Falcon 9 boostback plot](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spacex-falcon-9-boostback-plot/990939)
**Author:** [@Ponderoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponderoid)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [October 1, 2023, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spacex-falcon-9-boostback-plot/990939 "2023-10-01T21:32:27Z")
I’m looking for a visual plot of the path the Falcon 9 first stage takes during its entire boost phase and return to launch site phase, where the scale is the same both in vertical height and distance along the ground tr… --- ## [Would clocks on Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies be identical?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-clocks-on-milky-way-and-andromeda-galaxies-be-identical/990889)
**Author:** [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [October 1, 2023, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-clocks-on-milky-way-and-andromeda-galaxies-be-identical/990889 "2023-10-01T11:28:35Z")
Let’s say that immediately after the Big Bang, 2 identical clocks were placed next to each other. As the expansion of space continued, they quickly moved apart relative to each other, and eventually ended up in areas th… --- ## [My new laptop won't allow Chrome](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-laptop-wont-allow-chrome/990876)
**Author:** [@dummygladhands71](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dummygladhands71)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [September 30, 2023, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-new-laptop-wont-allow-chrome/990876 "2023-09-30T22:39:14Z")
If you hate Chrome, OK, but I like it. Got a new laptop that simply will not load Chrome. How is this even possible? I have downloaded it like 8 times, but it won’t open. The new laptop says “Hey!! You don’t need another… --- ## [Is there a way to "lock" the desktop on android? (answered)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-way-to-lock-the-desktop-on-android-answered/990927)
**Author:** [@Loggins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loggins)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [September 30, 2023, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-way-to-lock-the-desktop-on-android-answered/990927 "2023-09-30T20:55:09Z")
By that i mean to prevent someone from moving or removing icons on your Android desktop? Reason i ask is not because i have fingery children, but because i have a 77 year old slightly demented mother who regularly moves … --- ## [Have any experiments been done with AI to put cyclical theories of history to the test? What if any were the results?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-any-experiments-been-done-with-ai-to-put-cyclical-theories-of-history-to-the-test-what-if-any-were-the-results/990848)
**Author:** [@Octagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octagon)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [September 30, 2023, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-any-experiments-been-done-with-ai-to-put-cyclical-theories-of-history-to-the-test-what-if-any-were-the-results/990848 "2023-09-30T01:20:24Z")
Have any experiments been done with AI to put cyclical theories of history to the test? What if any were the results ? --- ## [Secure Hardware by Checks & Balances](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/secure-hardware-by-checks-balances/990798)
**Author:** [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [September 29, 2023, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/secure-hardware-by-checks-balances/990798 "2023-09-29T21:02:47Z")
This recent article about backdoors in hardware made me recall a thought that I’d had once for building a secure voting machine. In it, you do something like having a see-through touch panel built by vendor A, and all it… --- ## [Check my math?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/check-my-math/990840)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [September 29, 2023, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/check-my-math/990840 "2023-09-29T17:39:12Z")
I’m watching Tugboat Annie. A character has a homework problem: If a fish weighs 10 pounds, and its body weighs twice as much as its head, and its head weighs wtice as much as its tail, how much would its tail weigh? … --- ## [Could DNA testing verify that someone was a time traveler?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-dna-testing-verify-that-someone-was-a-time-traveler/990736)
**Author:** [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [September 29, 2023, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-dna-testing-verify-that-someone-was-a-time-traveler/990736 "2023-09-29T12:43:18Z")
If someone says they traveled through time to the present day, from the past or future, could DNA testing be used to verify their claims? Would there be something about their DNA itself which would indicate that the numb… --- ## [Did "trump" really mean "fart" in British slang, pre-Trump?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-trump-really-mean-fart-in-british-slang-pre-trump/990672)
**Author:** [@slicedalone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slicedalone)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [September 29, 2023, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-trump-really-mean-fart-in-british-slang-pre-trump/990672 "2023-09-29T11:17:57Z")
Someone with an OED of Slang, if there is one, could probably answer this one, or some Brit with a long memory could take a shot at it, but I was told that the word “trump” (noun and verb) was used in British slang as a … --- ## [How to clean outdoor cushions (patio furniture)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-clean-outdoor-cushions-patio-furniture/990329)
**Author:** [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [September 28, 2023, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-clean-outdoor-cushions-patio-furniture/990329 "2023-09-28T18:44:05Z")
End of the season, and our patio cushions are pretty grubby (lot of dust this year). Any suggestions for a good cleaning product? Water by itself doesn’t seem to do the trick. --- ## [U.S. Hurricane Forecast Models](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-hurricane-forecast-models/795889)
**Author:** [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [September 28, 2023, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-hurricane-forecast-models/795889 "2023-09-28T16:52:13Z")
As is becoming more obvious every day, the US weather models are being outdone by the European model by a wide margin. The link below details some of the reasons. What gets me is the statement regarding a update to the G… --- ## [Ebay selling - They need my bank account info?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-selling-they-need-my-bank-account-info/990045)
**Author:** [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Replies:** 69\ **Last updated:** [September 28, 2023, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-selling-they-need-my-bank-account-info/990045 "2023-09-28T14:59:36Z")
I haven’t sold anything on ebay in forever, but now I have an item I want to put up there. . Time was, you linked your Paypal account and the buyer paid you through that. But now it seems that ebay is requiring my ban… --- ## [Skirting patents on pharmaceutical drugs](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skirting-patents-on-pharmaceutical-drugs/990776)
**Author:** [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [September 28, 2023, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skirting-patents-on-pharmaceutical-drugs/990776 "2023-09-28T09:54:51Z")
I was listening to a podcast (Search Engine) about the illegal use of fentanyl, and they mentioned that when it was made illegal (I forget which country), the illegal drug producers altered the molecule just enough to st… --- ## [Why do colour pictures from the 1960s look so bright compared to modern colour pictures](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-colour-pictures-from-the-1960s-look-so-bright-compared-to-modern-colour-pictures/990745)
**Author:** [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Replies:** 36\ **Last updated:** [September 28, 2023, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-colour-pictures-from-the-1960s-look-so-bright-compared-to-modern-colour-pictures/990745 "2023-09-28T01:10:20Z")
I’m not sure if “bright” is the best description, but I was skimming the wiki article on JFK the other night and was struck by the difference in the colour images compaged to later colour pix. Why do they have that brig… --- ## [Part of Speech - The closer you are](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/part-of-speech-the-closer-you-are/990700)
**Author:** [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [September 27, 2023, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/part-of-speech-the-closer-you-are/990700 "2023-09-27T16:47:07Z")
In a sentence like, “The closer you are, the bigger you seem”. Why do we use “the” in front of closer and bigger? Neither of these seem to be nouns (though, I assume that they’re some special type of one.) What’s the na… --- ## [Can you melt an egg?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-melt-an-egg/990739)
**Author:** [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [September 27, 2023, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-melt-an-egg/990739 "2023-09-27T14:08:19Z")
For clarification I’m asking about unfertilized chicken eggs. This in reference to a recent Ars Technica where AI is copying a (conventionally incorrect) YES Obviously when you first apply heat, the egg will solidify, … --- ## [What have I missed? (regarding charging EV at home)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-have-i-missed-regarding-charging-ev-at-home/990565)
**Author:** [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [September 27, 2023, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-have-i-missed-regarding-charging-ev-at-home/990565 "2023-09-27T10:56:44Z")
I am the proud new owner of a CR recommended, fully electric, Nissan Leaf. It is a pleasure to drive, and has the exact amount of “stuff” I’m comfortable with. I live in an apartment building, but it rents out garages f… --- ## [Illegal search and seizure - ie this scenario correct?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-search-and-seizure-ie-this-scenario-correct/990616)
**Author:** [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Replies:** 39\ **Last updated:** [September 27, 2023, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-search-and-seizure-ie-this-scenario-correct/990616 "2023-09-27T03:40:50Z")
I know that law in books is going to be modified to suit the plot… Here’s the scenario: Cop is looking for his missing almost certainly kidnapped girlfriend. He enters the house where he thinks she might be, and fin… --- ## [Is the phrase "not unlike" stylistically acceptable?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-phrase-not-unlike-stylistically-acceptable/76709)
**Author:** [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Replies:** 41\ **Last updated:** [September 26, 2023, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-phrase-not-unlike-stylistically-acceptable/76709 "2023-09-26T20:37:26Z")
I do remember one book on style that considered the phrase pretentious. I also remember trying to describe a certain pain in my hand to a doctor using the phrase and watched him pause for a moment as he decoded the mean… --- ## [Is there a name for this voice pattern?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-voice-pattern/990706)
**Author:** [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [September 26, 2023, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-voice-pattern/990706 "2023-09-26T16:10:36Z")
The narrator uses a vocal pattern at the end of almost every sentence that I find very annoying. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r85oEn0nAlY 0:15 “displacing large amounts of WAter. This displacement of water quickly ge… --- ## [What's the cheapest thing you can buy one million of?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-cheapest-thing-you-can-buy-one-million-of/989316)
**Author:** [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Replies:** 108\ **Last updated:** [September 26, 2023, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-cheapest-thing-you-can-buy-one-million-of/989316 "2023-09-26T14:42:45Z")
It must be something you would have to order an exact amount of. Sand or sugar would not count. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=120) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=122)