# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=127 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 128 --- ## [Would a standard retail anti-malware/AV program protect my PC from a Stuxnet-level threat?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-standard-retail-anti-malware-av-program-protect-my-pc-from-a-stuxnet-level-threat/989037)
**Author:** [@Caribbean\_cruiser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caribbean_cruiser)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [August 27, 2023, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-standard-retail-anti-malware-av-program-protect-my-pc-from-a-stuxnet-level-threat/989037 "2023-08-27T20:00:01Z")
Imagine a Stuxnet-level malware threat racing around the world, infecting millions of computers. Do retail-level antivirus/anti-malware programs such as Norton, McAfee, BitDefender, MalwareBytes, Kaspersky, etc. offer su… --- ## [Another AI images question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-ai-images-question/979951)
**Author:** [@Danger\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danger_Man)\ **Replies:** 65\ **Last updated:** [August 27, 2023, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-ai-images-question/979951 "2023-08-27T15:16:37Z")
If I try to generate a picture of “a garbage truck shaped like an elephant”, how does it know to place the head of the elephant at the front of the vehicle? Sometimes pictures are combined more like a collage, but many … --- ## [Edge of the universe and hawking radiation](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/edge-of-the-universe-and-hawking-radiation/989029)
**Author:** [@EnolaStraight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EnolaStraight)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [August 27, 2023, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/edge-of-the-universe-and-hawking-radiation/989029 "2023-08-27T04:16:28Z")
Due to the limit of the speed of light, the farthest possible distance we can see is approx. 46.6 billion light years away. This radius describes a spherical boundary beyond which we cannot see. It has been stated that… --- ## [Where is the law saying former Presidents can't drive?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-law-saying-former-presidents-cant-drive/988941)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [August 26, 2023, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-law-saying-former-presidents-cant-drive/988941 "2023-08-26T22:05:19Z")
Since the question was shut down in a P&E thread, I’ll ask here for a factual answer. What law says former Presidents are not allowed to drive themselves on public roads? I looked up the 1958 Former Presidents Act, and… --- ## [Electroplating vs. vacuum plating](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electroplating-vs-vacuum-plating/986634)
**Author:** [@komolono](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/komolono)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [August 26, 2023, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electroplating-vs-vacuum-plating/986634 "2023-08-26T18:25:37Z")
I sort of know how plating is done. However, I have no experience of working with either method. So can you compare these two method: costs, durability, time spent on making products… I know that you can make a product … --- ## [Is scanning QR codes with your phone risky?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-scanning-qr-codes-with-your-phone-risky/950846)
**Author:** [@teelabrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teelabrown)\ **Replies:** 92\ **Last updated:** [August 26, 2023, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-scanning-qr-codes-with-your-phone-risky/950846 "2023-08-26T17:17:52Z")
I was at a restaurant where they refused to bring a menu, but wanted you to scan a QR code which had been pasted onto the table. This was to download a menu onto your phone and you were to order from there. The QR code… --- ## [Coffee, Earwax and Hearing](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-earwax-and-hearing/634214)
**Author:** [@marjoram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marjoram)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [August 26, 2023, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-earwax-and-hearing/634214 "2023-08-26T16:15:20Z")
I’ve noticed that when I drink coffee for several days in a row, my earwax becomes increasingly liquid. This continues as long as I keep drinking coffee, and it returns to a normal consistency maybe a week or a little mo… --- ## [Drinking your urine in an emergency situation](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-your-urine-in-an-emergency-situation/987481)
**Author:** [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Replies:** 48\ **Last updated:** [August 26, 2023, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-your-urine-in-an-emergency-situation/987481 "2023-08-26T01:59:22Z")
We all ‘know’ not to do this. Is there good solid scientific evidence that shows drinking your urine in an emergency will kill you faster than not drinking anything at all? --- ## [My eyedrops got washed and dried](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-eyedrops-got-washed-and-dried/156539)
**Author:** [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [August 26, 2023, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-eyedrops-got-washed-and-dried/156539 "2023-08-26T01:37:13Z")
I left my eyedrops in my pants pocket and through the washer and dryer they went. Are they still safe? Are they still effective? There did not appear to be any leakage into or out of the bottle. The active ingredient… --- ## [Could I store window unit AC in my attic long term?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-i-store-window-unit-ac-in-my-attic-long-term/988993)
**Author:** [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [August 25, 2023, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-i-store-window-unit-ac-in-my-attic-long-term/988993 "2023-08-25T17:47:27Z")
Every now and then, I have issues with my central air conditioner just like everyone does. Sometimes, it can be a day or 2 or 3 before the AC guy can come out and fix it. If I bought a small window unit, could I store … --- ## [What is the procedure for cashing in a CD?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-procedure-for-cashing-in-a-cd/989033)
**Author:** [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [August 25, 2023, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-procedure-for-cashing-in-a-cd/989033 "2023-08-25T13:35:25Z")
I found 2 CD’s in my mom’s safe. Thought the money would be useful while the lawyer is handling her estate. I took the CD’s to the issuing bank and they said the CD’s had already been cashed. They gave me the dates. Wal… --- ## [Hair salons for Orthodox Jewish women?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hair-salons-for-orthodox-jewish-women/988657)
**Author:** [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [August 25, 2023, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hair-salons-for-orthodox-jewish-women/988657 "2023-08-25T09:34:14Z")
I got a recommended YouTube video the other day of an Orthodox Sephardic woman going to a jewish women’s clothing store and explaining the rules for dressing and aspects where it differed from regular women’s clothes sto… --- ## [Where did the Ekklesia meet in 400 BC? In the Agora or on the Pnyx?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-ekklesia-meet-in-400-bc-in-the-agora-or-on-the-pnyx/989058)
**Author:** [@Octagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octagon)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [August 25, 2023, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-ekklesia-meet-in-400-bc-in-the-agora-or-on-the-pnyx/989058 "2023-08-25T02:52:12Z")
By 400 BC, had the Greek Ekklesia (Assembly) moved their meetings to Pnyx hill or was it still meeting in the Agora? --- ## [Microsoft Teams default audio settings (MacOS ver). Where/How to Set](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-teams-default-audio-settings-macos-ver-where-how-to-set/988976)
**Author:** [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [August 24, 2023, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-teams-default-audio-settings-macos-ver-where-how-to-set/988976 "2023-08-24T13:32:56Z")
Every time I open a link for a Microsoft Teams meeting, the Teams app opens with the default audio configuration of my speaker being the system default (computer speakers) and the microphone being my headset. Each and e… --- ## [Surviving a cycle inside a dishwasher](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surviving-a-cycle-inside-a-dishwasher/988916)
**Author:** [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [August 24, 2023, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surviving-a-cycle-inside-a-dishwasher/988916 "2023-08-24T08:40:10Z")
This question arises from having observed an ambitious but foolhardy housefly zipping into my dishwasher last night after I finished loading it and was closing the door to begin the wash cycle. I briefly pondered how lo… --- ## [Is it difficult to visit the United States?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-difficult-to-visit-the-united-states/988222)
**Author:** [@Drum\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drum_God)\ **Replies:** 57\ **Last updated:** [August 24, 2023, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-difficult-to-visit-the-united-states/988222 "2023-08-24T01:07:54Z")
That’s really the question. It was inspired by the Discovery Channel show Match Me Abroad. On the TV show, various Americans travel to foreign countries to meet their partners, to varying success. This season, one wom… --- ## [Modified Superman Catch: plausible? Practical?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modified-superman-catch-plausible-practical/988927)
**Author:** [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [August 23, 2023, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modified-superman-catch-plausible-practical/988927 "2023-08-23T23:42:56Z")
I have a few questions, which I’d love folks to address after reading the OP: Is what I describe plausible and practical? If so, what would be the best form for it? Is anyone currently working on–or even using–somethin… --- ## [Report your facts here concerning Yevgeny Prigozhin](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/report-your-facts-here-concerning-yevgeny-prigozhin/989001)
**Author:** [@cincinnatus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cincinnatus)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [August 23, 2023, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/report-your-facts-here-concerning-yevgeny-prigozhin/989001 "2023-08-23T21:02:41Z")
What do you actually know, or what is your studied opinion on the crash that purportedly killed Yevgeny Prigozhin? Can you report on this using information from extremely reliable sources? Reports say Mr. Prigozhin’s pl… --- ## [Question regarding Chinese Construction Industry loans](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-chinese-construction-industry-loans/988868)
**Author:** [@Octagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octagon)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [August 23, 2023, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-chinese-construction-industry-loans/988868 "2023-08-23T20:53:25Z")
Other than Chinese government credit what foreign creditors lend money to the Chinese construction industry. To which international creditors (if any) are the payments on dollar-denominated bonds that I have read about a… --- ## [Google Maps & Streetview dates](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-streetview-dates/988883)
**Author:** [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [August 23, 2023, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-streetview-dates/988883 "2023-08-23T02:56:22Z")
In Google Streetview there is a menu item that allows the user to select different dates, based on the various images captures over the years since its inception. Is there a similar function for the aerial/satellite imag… --- ## [Is this news story true? Kid named Hell banned from school](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-news-story-true-kid-named-hell-banned-from-school/411087)
**Author:** [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Replies:** 37\ **Last updated:** [August 23, 2023, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-news-story-true-kid-named-hell-banned-from-school/411087 "2023-08-23T01:14:44Z")
This story is floating all over the internet right now: Max Hell, age 5, not admitted to a Catholic school because of his surname. School has now agreed to let him attend, but father is feeling “victimised” and is going… --- ## [What to do with tools that smell](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-tools-that-smell/988842)
**Author:** [@leswax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leswax)\ **Replies:** 40\ **Last updated:** [August 22, 2023, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-tools-that-smell/988842 "2023-08-22T20:50:09Z")
My grandfather passed away recently, and he wanted to have his tool chest. He was a machinist until the early 1990’s, and this was the tool chest he wheeled around his work place. Since his retirement these tools have sa… --- ## [What kind of acrylic paint is it that they use for Suncatcher crafts for kids?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-acrylic-paint-is-it-that-they-use-for-suncatcher-crafts-for-kids/415554)
**Author:** [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [August 22, 2023, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-acrylic-paint-is-it-that-they-use-for-suncatcher-crafts-for-kids/415554 "2023-08-22T20:08:45Z")
Google is no help. It flows on like nail polish, clear and glossy, smells faintly of fruit (esters?), has water cleanup, and–here’s the important thing–it goes on clear and it dries clear. The little bottles of acrylic… --- ## [How can campaign funds be used to cover legal expenses in a criminal case?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-campaign-funds-be-used-to-cover-legal-expenses-in-a-criminal-case/988887)
**Author:** [@sweeteviljesus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweeteviljesus)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [August 22, 2023, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-campaign-funds-be-used-to-cover-legal-expenses-in-a-criminal-case/988887 "2023-08-22T15:42:06Z")
Looking at FEC | Candidate | Personal use, I don’t see how campaign funds could be used by a candidate to defend itself against a criminal charge. How would you make the case that the charge existed only because the can… --- ## [New SIM card didn't activate - can I put the old one back in?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-sim-card-didnt-activate-can-i-put-the-old-one-back-in/988781)
**Author:** [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [August 21, 2023, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-sim-card-didnt-activate-can-i-put-the-old-one-back-in/988781 "2023-08-21T23:49:32Z")
Consumer Cellular sent me a new SIM card for my phone. I put it in this evening and tried to activate it online. I couldn’t get it to work. I got stuck in a circle of “log in to activate” “activate” “log in to activate”.… --- ## [Could you actually make bread from bones?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-actually-make-bread-from-bones/461495)
**Author:** [@Strinka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strinka)\ **Replies:** 51\ **Last updated:** [August 21, 2023, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-actually-make-bread-from-bones/461495 "2023-08-21T23:18:45Z")
Like giants do in fairy tales. Could you actually do that with appropriate equipment? --- ## [Moving a Heavy Ship with Relatively Small Sails?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-a-heavy-ship-with-relatively-small-sails/933521)
**Author:** [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [August 21, 2023, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-a-heavy-ship-with-relatively-small-sails/933521 "2023-08-21T19:05:06Z")
I recently read this article: And frankly my gut reaction is that the sails shown are too small to move this heavy a vehicle. Why am I wrong? --- ## [Dumb question, but could stealth bombers be used in a makeshift anti-aircraft role?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-question-but-could-stealth-bombers-be-used-in-a-makeshift-anti-aircraft-role/988769)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [August 21, 2023, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-question-but-could-stealth-bombers-be-used-in-a-makeshift-anti-aircraft-role/988769 "2023-08-21T17:30:44Z")
Say you take a B-2 or B-21, modify it to carry 40 AMRAAMs, give it the appropriate radar and avionics - seems like it would be well-suited for doing a “drive-by shooting” any time there is a cluster of enemy warplanes in… --- ## [How fast does electricity interruption travel?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-fast-does-electricity-interruption-travel/988807)
**Author:** [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [August 21, 2023, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-fast-does-electricity-interruption-travel/988807 "2023-08-21T17:08:36Z")
Remembering Muhammad Ali allegedly claiming to switch off the light in his room and getting into bed before the room went dark I wonder how fast the effect of interrupting an electrical circuit travels down a conducting … --- ## [Some questions about human ovulation](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-questions-about-human-ovulation/988835)
**Author:** [@Drum\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drum_God)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [August 21, 2023, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-questions-about-human-ovulation/988835 "2023-08-21T06:32:44Z")
I’ve been listening to a podcast called “The Retrievals”. The podcast is by the people who brought us Serial and other podcasts. In this one, it discusses a crime in which some women undergoing IVF treatment are the vi… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=126) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=128)