# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=136 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 137 --- ## [Why does construction wood stink when it burns?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-construction-wood-stink-when-it-burns/986166)
**Author:** [@Saffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saffer)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [June 28, 2023, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-construction-wood-stink-when-it-burns/986166 "2023-06-28T00:58:34Z")
I regularly use a wood fired pizza oven, for which I buy kiln dried wood marketed as being suitable for pizza ovens. I recently knocked down an interior wall in my house. The wall was just a timber frame with plaster bo… --- ## [What's wrong with my trimmer? Line won't advance](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-my-trimmer-line-wont-advance/986103)
**Author:** [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [June 27, 2023, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-my-trimmer-line-wont-advance/986103 "2023-06-27T19:53:27Z")
Black & Decker ST4500. A few years old. New B&D spool? No change. Yes it is the right spool. New spring? No change. The spool moves freely in and out but the line does not advance. Is it a fixable problem or shou… --- ## [Car Gurus: Corvette Hidden Headlights](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-gurus-corvette-hidden-headlights/986144)
**Author:** [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [June 27, 2023, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-gurus-corvette-hidden-headlights/986144 "2023-06-27T17:04:29Z")
How come sometimes you see the older Corvettes with hidden headlights where one is up (not hidden) and the other is down (hidden)…when parked. Someone told me there’s a vacuum system that holds them down (hidden), but th… --- ## [Laptop Fan Doesn't Work -- Blind troubleshooting by likely hood](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-fan-doesnt-work-blind-troubleshooting-by-likely-hood/986046)
**Author:** [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [June 27, 2023, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-fan-doesnt-work-blind-troubleshooting-by-likely-hood/986046 "2023-06-27T16:25:05Z")
The fan in my HP Elitebook is no longer working. It’s a work computer with minimal control over administrative functions, so I can’t change any settings or anything. I don’t mind buying a new fan and making the swap, bu… --- ## [Wagner group: what does the name refer to?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wagner-group-what-does-the-name-refer-to/986098)
**Author:** [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Replies:** 44\ **Last updated:** [June 27, 2023, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wagner-group-what-does-the-name-refer-to/986098 "2023-06-27T12:36:53Z")
Does anyone know where the name comes from. It seems unlikely to be a reference to the composer, but I have no idea where it comes from. --- ## [Please tell me what I need to know about this critter (WARNING: Scorpion pictures)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-what-i-need-to-know-about-this-critter-warning-scorpion-pictures/985300)
**Author:** [@Mr.Baggins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Baggins)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [June 27, 2023, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-what-i-need-to-know-about-this-critter-warning-scorpion-pictures/985300 "2023-06-27T01:46:27Z")
We live next to a cemetery, We’ve ocassionally seen a tarantula or two in the backyard or near the front door. But this dude showed up this morning smack dab in the middle of the dining room. … --- ## [How things sink in water](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-things-sink-in-water/986126)
**Author:** [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [June 26, 2023, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-things-sink-in-water/986126 "2023-06-26T21:06:24Z")
If I simply make something heavier than the amount of water, it displaces will it sink to the bottom regardless of the depth? When I am deep sea fishing I have to adjust the weight according to the depth. i assume it is … --- ## [Propogating lilies and peonies](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/propogating-lilies-and-peonies/986015)
**Author:** [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [June 26, 2023, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/propogating-lilies-and-peonies/986015 "2023-06-26T19:23:50Z")
The building I live in has daylilies and peonies planted. Both are almost past blooming. On some of them, where the blossoms have fallen away, small knobs are growing on the daylilies, and little clusters of tiny knots… --- ## [Cutting etymology, re: flatulence](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cutting-etymology-re-flatulence/985995)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [June 26, 2023, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cutting-etymology-re-flatulence/985995 "2023-06-26T17:15:50Z")
We say, ‘Cut a fart.’ How did that come to be? Are there other expressions in which we use ‘cut’, where we’re not actually cutting something? I mean, we ‘cut a record’; but that comes from actually cutting grooves int… --- ## [Who last longer in a starving senario?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-last-longer-in-a-starving-senario/985709)
**Author:** [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [June 25, 2023, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-last-longer-in-a-starving-senario/985709 "2023-06-25T18:01:45Z")
Watching a movie where survivors of a plane crash are on life rafts for more then 30 days. (Broken) Little food and water. In a scenario like this who would survive longer without food, a fat person or a skinny one? I’m… --- ## [What kind of charger do I need to charge my iPhone SE from my car as fast as possible?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-charger-do-i-need-to-charge-my-iphone-se-from-my-car-as-fast-as-possible/986048)
**Author:** [@LivingGhost371](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LivingGhost371)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [June 25, 2023, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-charger-do-i-need-to-charge-my-iphone-se-from-my-car-as-fast-as-possible/986048 "2023-06-25T17:59:34Z")
Have a first generation iPhone SE. It seems to charge a lot slower in my car than at home and wonder if I’m doing it right. I have a generic cigarette lighter plug to USB A and C charger and a generic USB C to Lightning … --- ## [Why do dogs and cats understand the concept of language if they can’t speak?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dogs-and-cats-understand-the-concept-of-language-if-they-can-t-speak/985998)
**Author:** [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Replies:** 70\ **Last updated:** [June 25, 2023, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dogs-and-cats-understand-the-concept-of-language-if-they-can-t-speak/985998 "2023-06-25T13:02:19Z")
(I’m not sure if there’s a factual answer to this, so Mods feel free to move if you want. But I am looking for some science behind my query). Recently, we had a thread about whale sounds and whether they have language. … --- ## [Physics of Hoisting Up Submersible Near Titanic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/physics-of-hoisting-up-submersible-near-titanic/985912)
**Author:** [@Caribbean\_cruiser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caribbean_cruiser)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [June 24, 2023, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/physics-of-hoisting-up-submersible-near-titanic/985912 "2023-06-24T22:41:56Z")
Reports say the minivan-sized, carbon-and-titanium Titan submersible that is reported missing was slated to take tourists down to a depth of approx. 12,500 feet (3800 m.), for a close-up view of the ill-fated Titanic. L… --- ## [Potential power surge damage on a playstation](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potential-power-surge-damage-on-a-playstation/986057)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [June 24, 2023, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potential-power-surge-damage-on-a-playstation/986057 "2023-06-24T18:47:49Z")
A very brief storm blew through here while the playstation was on. There was a pop that shut the console down, but nothing else happened. The power and internet didn’t flicker, and the television and Roku plugged into th… --- ## [Average distance to common ancestor](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/average-distance-to-common-ancestor/985987)
**Author:** [@Danger\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danger_Man)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [June 24, 2023, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/average-distance-to-common-ancestor/985987 "2023-06-24T13:15:22Z")
I’m wondering if there are any numbers available for how far on average you have to go back to find a common ancestor in different populations. I was intially interested in my own country, Norway, which is pretty homoge… --- ## [What is it? (Odd looking hand tool) \[ed. title\]](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-odd-looking-hand-tool-ed-title/400640)
**Author:** [@Emerson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emerson)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [June 24, 2023, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-odd-looking-hand-tool-ed-title/400640 "2023-06-24T11:28:25Z")
I found a couple of things over the weekend and I’m trying to figure out what they were used for, here is one of them, it’s 8-1/2" long: The small piece can be rotated fairly easily: … --- ## [Proverb or quote about carrying extra money for the poor](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proverb-or-quote-about-carrying-extra-money-for-the-poor/985913)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [June 24, 2023, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proverb-or-quote-about-carrying-extra-money-for-the-poor/985913 "2023-06-24T08:51:05Z")
There is a proverb or a quote that admonishes one to carry a little extra money in case you come upon someone who needs it. I have a vague idea it might be Indian. Without turning this Factual Question thread into a de… --- ## [This "safe HCl" is a scam, right? \[Update - Not scam. See responses from manufacturer at posts 88 and 93\]](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-safe-hcl-is-a-scam-right-update-not-scam-see-responses-from-manufacturer-at-posts-88-and-93/985723)
**Author:** [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Replies:** 113\ **Last updated:** [June 24, 2023, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-safe-hcl-is-a-scam-right-update-not-scam-see-responses-from-manufacturer-at-posts-88-and-93/985723 "2023-06-24T03:41:44Z")
I saw someone asking about using it for “cleaning” seashells in a Facebook group. This sounds like scam gibberish to me. Safe-HCL is a patented, chemically modified acid formula that performs comparably to hydrochloric… --- ## [What's the maximum depth that materials science could allow a submersible to dive to?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-maximum-depth-that-materials-science-could-allow-a-submersible-to-dive-to/985892)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [June 24, 2023, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-maximum-depth-that-materials-science-could-allow-a-submersible-to-dive-to/985892 "2023-06-24T01:02:56Z")
Not wanting to hijack the ongoing Titanic-submarine thread, so an offshoot: Suppose for a moment that the ocean’s depths were far deeper than they currently are - say, 200,000-feet oceans (we’ll ignore the other ramific… --- ## [What kind of bacteria eat iron and steel?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-bacteria-eat-iron-and-steel/985935)
**Author:** [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [June 23, 2023, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-bacteria-eat-iron-and-steel/985935 "2023-06-23T21:40:33Z")
In many of the stories about Titanic, there are regular mentions of bacteria that are eating the iron and steel that make up the ship, sometimes saying the wreck loses a couple of hundred pounds a day. What kind of bact… --- ## [How is a neutron star's maximum mass calculated?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-a-neutron-stars-maximum-mass-calculated/985895)
**Author:** [@EdwardFound](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EdwardFound)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [June 23, 2023, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-a-neutron-stars-maximum-mass-calculated/985895 "2023-06-23T14:50:08Z")
I have a sense of how physicists calculate the collapse of atoms into neutronium: A neutron has a mass greater than a proton + electron, but when the gravitational potential energy of an atom exceeds a certain point then… --- ## [Does "Sonic Enhancement" Actually Change how Whiskey Tastes?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sonic-enhancement-actually-change-how-whiskey-tastes/985920)
**Author:** [@John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Stamos_Left_Ear)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [June 23, 2023, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-sonic-enhancement-actually-change-how-whiskey-tastes/985920 "2023-06-23T11:18:05Z")
Metallica probably needs no introduction being one of the biggest metal/rock bands in history. But many may not know that the band has been selling their own whiskey since 2018. One of the selling points of their Blacke… --- ## [Star K2-18 - why planets b and c, but not a?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-k2-18-why-planets-b-and-c-but-not-a/985964)
**Author:** [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [June 23, 2023, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-k2-18-why-planets-b-and-c-but-not-a/985964 "2023-06-23T04:25:01Z")
The wikipedia article on Star K2-18 indicates that it has two planets, named K2-18b and K2-18c. Why b and c, for a system with only two planets? Shouldn’t they be K2-18a and K2-18b? --- ## [U.S. Domestic wiring question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-domestic-wiring-question/985743)
**Author:** [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [June 23, 2023, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-domestic-wiring-question/985743 "2023-06-23T01:40:11Z")
Your basic bathroom light over the mirror fixture. The house was built in 1957 with two wire circuits. Two cables come into the box. The white neutral wires are connected together and are connected to nothing else. The … --- ## [Liquid engineering \[for freezing food\]](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-engineering-for-freezing-food/985795)
**Author:** [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [June 23, 2023, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-engineering-for-freezing-food/985795 "2023-06-23T00:26:35Z")
Is it possible to engineer a liquid that would meet a few basic requirements. Non Toxic and inert and will stay liquid at typical freezer temps and remain a liquid at as high temps as possible. Food storage is what I am … --- ## [What is the end game of SETI?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-end-game-of-seti/985712)
**Author:** [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Replies:** 47\ **Last updated:** [June 22, 2023, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-end-game-of-seti/985712 "2023-06-22T20:03:51Z")
SETI - the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence. Scientists are searching the skies for signals sent by other civilisations. What if it succeeds? Just suppose we detect a repeating signal of the first 137 prime… --- ## ["monkey f\*\*\*ing a football", origin?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monkey-f-ing-a-football-origin/281746)
**Author:** [@gerb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gerb)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [June 22, 2023, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monkey-f-ing-a-football-origin/281746 "2023-06-22T16:14:58Z")
I know what the phrase “monkey fucking a football” means. But where did it come from? Was it first used in a book? Was it G.I. speak? Did it come into vogue because of a film? --- ## [Third question about sheriffs: did Canadian sheriffs ever do police work?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-question-about-sheriffs-did-canadian-sheriffs-ever-do-police-work/985939)
**Author:** [@themapleleaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/themapleleaf)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [June 22, 2023, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-question-about-sheriffs-did-canadian-sheriffs-ever-do-police-work/985939 "2023-06-22T15:01:20Z")
This is my third and final question about sheriffs. It’s one I’ve had almost since I learned about the office as a small boy in Canada. When I asked, my father defined a sheriff as “an American police chief”. He believe… --- ## [Can executive clemency stipulate conditions?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-executive-clemency-stipulate-conditions/985509)
**Author:** [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [June 22, 2023, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-executive-clemency-stipulate-conditions/985509 "2023-06-22T02:32:50Z")
Nikki Haley recently been suggested that if Donald Trump is found guilty of a federal crime, that he be pardoned “for the good of the country”. I won’t get into the merits of that but I was wondering, can presidential or… --- ## [OBD scanner does not show code \[Fixed title\]](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obd-scanner-does-not-show-code-fixed-title/985806)
**Author:** [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [June 21, 2023, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obd-scanner-does-not-show-code-fixed-title/985806 "2023-06-21T20:55:30Z")
My 2007 Camry Hybrid is showing a Check Engine light (and also a Check Hybrid System message). I decided to spring for a scanner. I got a MOTOPOWER MP69033 but it said “0 codes”. I took it to Advance Auto Parts store whe… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=135) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=137)