# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=154 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 155 --- ## [Is FireWire the same as, or comparable with, thunderbolt?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-firewire-the-same-as-or-comparable-with-thunderbolt/981008)
**Author:** [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [March 13, 2023, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-firewire-the-same-as-or-comparable-with-thunderbolt/981008 "2023-03-13T05:41:30Z")
I’ve been given the task of transferring a pile of old Digital 8 tapes onto a Mac. I’ve been a mostly PC guy forever, so I don’t know about this thunderbolt malarkey, and wiki has been less than definitive with a straigh… --- ## [What happens with "pilot deviations?"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-with-pilot-deviations/981077)
**Author:** [@Knighted\_Vorpal\_Sword](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knighted_Vorpal_Sword)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [March 13, 2023, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-with-pilot-deviations/981077 "2023-03-13T02:06:15Z")
I’m curious as to what actually happens when there’s a “pilot deviation” and the pilot has to copy down and call a number. Do these deviations show up on the pilot’s record? If the deviation is bad enough, can the pilot … --- ## [Court appointed attorney: Do I have to prove I cannot afford one or am I due one upon request?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/court-appointed-attorney-do-i-have-to-prove-i-cannot-afford-one-or-am-i-due-one-upon-request/980961)
**Author:** [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [March 13, 2023, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/court-appointed-attorney-do-i-have-to-prove-i-cannot-afford-one-or-am-i-due-one-upon-request/980961 "2023-03-13T01:53:33Z")
Title kinda says it all. If I am arrested is there some line drawn that says if I make more than “X” the court is not obliged to provide me an attorney or, even if I am Bill Gates, I can request and get a court appointe… --- ## [Origin of the phrase “This Town’s not big enough for the two of us”](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-the-phrase-this-town-s-not-big-enough-for-the-two-of-us/334937)
**Author:** [@jimmmy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimmmy)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [March 13, 2023, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-the-phrase-this-town-s-not-big-enough-for-the-two-of-us/334937 "2023-03-13T00:57:58Z")
Where and When did the phrase “This Town’s not big enough \[sometimes ‘ain’t big enough’\]for the two of us” originate. I tried to do due diligence by searching for a previous thread but the search returned: big not for t… --- ## [Scotsman DCE 33a under counter icemaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotsman-dce-33a-under-counter-icemaker/981073)
**Author:** [@dauerbach1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dauerbach1)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [March 12, 2023, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotsman-dce-33a-under-counter-icemaker/981073 "2023-03-12T20:34:19Z")
Sort of silly question but there is a control knob lower right when you open the outer door. The sticker that showed what the knob position was for has disappeared. I want to clean the machine and I am supposed to use … --- ## [Vice president who take over during the president’s term…](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-president-who-take-over-during-the-president-s-term/980897)
**Author:** [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [March 12, 2023, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-president-who-take-over-during-the-president-s-term/980897 "2023-03-12T19:07:38Z")
I fumbled trying to Google this and just could not scrounge an answer. What is the rule regarding how long someone can serve as president if they were originally vice president and were required to step in to the presid… --- ## [How important is nitrogen production to the defense industry?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-nitrogen-production-to-the-defense-industry/981051)
**Author:** [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [March 12, 2023, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-nitrogen-production-to-the-defense-industry/981051 "2023-03-12T12:59:49Z")
As I understand it, the ability to create nitrogen-rich products like gunpowder and fertilizers was an important discovery of the 20th century for both warfare and agriculture. Today, the agricultural component is still… --- ## [How did people sync to the correct time in decades past?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-people-sync-to-the-correct-time-in-decades-past/598016)
**Author:** [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Replies:** 100\ **Last updated:** [March 12, 2023, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-people-sync-to-the-correct-time-in-decades-past/598016 "2023-03-12T12:41:48Z")
These days people have several options for syncing their clocks and watches to the current local time. Just a few that come to mind: Cellphone clock that auto sets, google(current time), cable or satellite tv box and/o… --- ## [Relativity confusion explained, I think](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/relativity-confusion-explained-i-think/981048)
**Author:** [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [March 12, 2023, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/relativity-confusion-explained-i-think/981048 "2023-03-12T12:17:46Z")
Because of hand-wavy explanations, people sometimes get confused about why time-dilation appears to work differently than length contraction, in that time dilation has a permanent effect (one twin is now older than the o… --- ## [Question on Savings Bond Interest and Payment](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-on-savings-bond-interest-and-payment/980944)
**Author:** [@Lare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lare)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [March 11, 2023, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-on-savings-bond-interest-and-payment/980944 "2023-03-11T23:55:33Z")
Thirty years ago I bought a few series EE Bonds. They’ve matured! Hooray, I can go to a restaurant a few times. (Barely.) Before venturing to the bank to cash them I used the On Line Savings Bond Calculator tool to s… --- ## [What item has been passed down from heir to heir the longest in a single family?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-item-has-been-passed-down-from-heir-to-heir-the-longest-in-a-single-family/980996)
**Author:** [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [March 11, 2023, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-item-has-been-passed-down-from-heir-to-heir-the-longest-in-a-single-family/980996 "2023-03-11T23:46:54Z")
Excluding royal families (too easy) what are some of the oldest items that have been passed down to the present in a single family? (Thinking of personal property rather than estates.) Are there any instances of somethin… --- ## [Are there any alloys of silver which are better electrical conductors than the pure element?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-alloys-of-silver-which-are-better-electrical-conductors-than-the-pure-element/980839)
**Author:** [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [March 11, 2023, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-alloys-of-silver-which-are-better-electrical-conductors-than-the-pure-element/980839 "2023-03-11T20:32:13Z")
A question which just occurred to me. For other physical properties, there are cases where an alloy has different or better properties than a pure element. For strength, steel is an obvious one, beryllium copper maybe … --- ## [What is happening when something “flames out”?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-happening-when-something-flames-out/981024)
**Author:** [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [March 11, 2023, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-happening-when-something-flames-out/981024 "2023-03-11T13:53:04Z")
When some things are burning, and allowed to burn to completion until the fire or flame burns out, the flame often becomes extra bright for a flash before it completely goes out. I see this happen when a match is allowe… --- ## [Do stores make a profit selling postage stamps?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-stores-make-a-profit-selling-postage-stamps/980950)
**Author:** [@Knighted\_Vorpal\_Sword](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knighted_Vorpal_Sword)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [March 11, 2023, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-stores-make-a-profit-selling-postage-stamps/980950 "2023-03-11T02:05:22Z")
Do stores buy postage stamps at a discount, and then make a profit selling them at face value? That’s the only way I can figure why stores would sell stamps in the first place. --- ## [X's for eyes of the dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xs-for-eyes-of-the-dead/5742)
**Author:** [@Gilligan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gilligan)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [March 10, 2023, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xs-for-eyes-of-the-dead/5742 "2023-03-10T22:04:55Z")
My four-year old niece telling me about her new pet gerbil: “I like to hold him but don’t squeeze him hard. Then he would die. Then he would have X’s on his eyes.” I knew she must have got that idea from cartoons, but i… --- ## [Looking up phone numbers on Google gives nothing but junk?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-up-phone-numbers-on-google-gives-nothing-but-junk/980956)
**Author:** [@Neidhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neidhart)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [March 10, 2023, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-up-phone-numbers-on-google-gives-nothing-but-junk/980956 "2023-03-10T20:36:34Z")
It used to be that searching the number from which you received a call had a pretty good chance of actually showing which (wrong number/spammer) made the call. But searching on Google now, almost all the results are “.g… --- ## [Why do QR Codes have the 3 boxes in the corners?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-qr-codes-have-the-3-boxes-in-the-corners/973776)
**Author:** [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [October 26, 2022, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-qr-codes-have-the-3-boxes-in-the-corners/973776 "2022-10-26T12:53:16Z")
If you’ve ever looked at multiple QR codes, you may have noticed that 3 of the 4 corners of the codes have boxes in them. I assume this is to help the reader or camera figure out what is the correct positioning (since c… --- ## [Moissanite](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moissanite/47011)
**Author:** [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [December 30, 2000, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moissanite/47011 "2000-12-30T21:45:24Z")
What is this stuff, and why are they advertising it in movie theaters? Looks like fake diamonds to me, but the moissanite.com site refuses to cooperate with my browser, and I refuse to switch browsers just for their sake… --- ## [Restricted numbers](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restricted-numbers/980890)
**Author:** [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [March 10, 2023, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restricted-numbers/980890 "2023-03-10T02:05:47Z")
What exactly does it mean when an incoming call appears on one’s phone as “restricted number”? Who is likely to have a restricted number? Why would one have a restricted number? --- ## [Verifying Gmail account via YouTube?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verifying-gmail-account-via-youtube/980909)
**Author:** [@Knighted\_Vorpal\_Sword](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knighted_Vorpal_Sword)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [March 9, 2023, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verifying-gmail-account-via-youtube/980909 "2023-03-09T20:47:18Z")
My wife was typing out an email in her Gmail account last night when her screen changed and a message popped up saying she needed to verify her Gmail account. This isn’t unusual, but instead of sending a verification cod… --- ## [Is sitting close to the TV bad for the eyes? When did this idea start?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sitting-close-to-the-tv-bad-for-the-eyes-when-did-this-idea-start/980847)
**Author:** [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [March 9, 2023, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sitting-close-to-the-tv-bad-for-the-eyes-when-did-this-idea-start/980847 "2023-03-09T20:21:46Z")
So I think a lot of us have been told by our parents that sitting too close to the TV is bad for your eyes. Is there any truth to this? when and where did this idea begin? --- ## [Why does a banana ripen more quickly in my office than at home?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-a-banana-ripen-more-quickly-in-my-office-than-at-home/980788)
**Author:** [@SDWC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SDWC)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [March 9, 2023, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-a-banana-ripen-more-quickly-in-my-office-than-at-home/980788 "2023-03-09T20:20:44Z")
I occasionally bring a banana to work. Today, as a matter of fact. This particular banana was sitting in my kitchen in my fruit basket for a few days, still yellow, couple dark spots, pretty firm. I arrive in my offic… --- ## [Anybody understand how Quora makes money?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-understand-how-quora-makes-money/948124)
**Author:** [@Roger\_That](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roger_That)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [March 9, 2023, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-understand-how-quora-makes-money/948124 "2023-03-09T07:09:12Z")
I was drawn to it because it, like the Straight Dope, professes to have experts in various areas available to answer one’s questions, but many if not most of the threads there seem to be written by schoolchildren looking… --- ## [How many animals kill things using gravity?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-animals-kill-things-using-gravity/980841)
**Author:** [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [March 9, 2023, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-animals-kill-things-using-gravity/980841 "2023-03-09T03:48:00Z")
By which I mean by dropping prey and eating what’s left? I was reading about bearded vultures who do it, and the article mentioned golden eagles likewise know the trick. I’d guess corvids have figured it out. Anyone else… --- ## [Did American bus operators ever use schoolbus-type buses for scheduled intercity transport?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-american-bus-operators-ever-use-schoolbus-type-buses-for-scheduled-intercity-transport/980824)
**Author:** [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [March 9, 2023, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-american-bus-operators-ever-use-schoolbus-type-buses-for-scheduled-intercity-transport/980824 "2023-03-09T00:33:21Z")
We just watched A Kind Of Murder, in which an architect becomes a suspect in the murder of his wife. The couple live in a midcentury showplace of a home of the type realtors call “architectural”, and it’s clearly near N… --- ## [Educating the first highway drivers](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educating-the-first-highway-drivers/980607)
**Author:** [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [March 8, 2023, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educating-the-first-highway-drivers/980607 "2023-03-08T22:02:57Z")
Highways, freeways, controlled-access highways, whatever you call them. When they were first built was there any effort to educate licensed drivers on how to access and drive on these new high-speed roads? We all know wh… --- ## [What is beeping in my bedroom? Surge protector?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-beeping-in-my-bedroom-surge-protector/704964)
**Author:** [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Replies:** 50\ **Last updated:** [March 8, 2023, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-beeping-in-my-bedroom-surge-protector/704964 "2023-03-08T18:11:17Z")
For the last two years, I’ve heard an occasional beep in my room, while laying in bed. The beep is not continuous nor does it happen very often. In fact, I’ve only heard it about five or six times in two years. At first… --- ## [GO REWARDS card?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-rewards-card/980862)
**Author:** [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [March 8, 2023, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-rewards-card/980862 "2023-03-08T14:37:35Z")
I just got a message from my credit union in America. They’re pushing something called a GO\>REWARDS (yes, in all capital letters). It doesn’t seem to be an actual credit card because it doesn’t have a Visa, Mastercard, o… --- ## [What's wrong with my brass (that it won't electoplate nicely)?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-my-brass-that-it-wont-electoplate-nicely/980856)
**Author:** [@brossa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brossa)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [March 8, 2023, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-my-brass-that-it-wont-electoplate-nicely/980856 "2023-03-08T14:11:53Z")
I soldered up some mystery brass sheet stock I had lying around, to make rectangular-cross-section tubing for a scale model project, and I’ve been trying to do a DIY nickel plating process on the resulting parts (nickel … --- ## [Question about Passwords - Is XKCD right?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-passwords-is-xkcd-right/967301)
**Author:** [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Replies:** 188\ **Last updated:** [March 7, 2023, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-passwords-is-xkcd-right/967301 "2023-03-07T23:41:40Z")
Came across an XKCD cartoon which critiques the guidelines for passwords (“must have a capital, and a number, and a lowercase, etc”). I don’t know anything about info technology, but I’m curious: is Randall right? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=153) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=155)