# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=16 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 17 --- ## [How long can I expect this SSD drive to last?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-can-i-expect-this-ssd-drive-to-last/1027526)
**Author:** [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [February 20, 2026, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-can-i-expect-this-ssd-drive-to-last/1027526 "2026-02-20T16:44:31Z")
I’m shocked at how long I’ve been using this desktop computer! The SSD that I originally installed in it has 50,512 power-on hours count. The HDD that I added just a bit later has 50,197 hours and has already exhibited… --- ## [School Technology and Parental Opt-out](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-technology-and-parental-opt-out/1027763)
**Author:** [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [February 20, 2026, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-technology-and-parental-opt-out/1027763 "2026-02-20T03:03:27Z")
I realize that this question will be extremely dependent on geography and this thread might need to be moved to a different forum. How far can parents go opting their children out of using school issued devices? If a sch… --- ## [Looking for info on old wind turbines(?) in the Mojave](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-info-on-old-wind-turbines-in-the-mojave/1026832)
**Author:** [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [February 19, 2026, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-info-on-old-wind-turbines-in-the-mojave/1026832 "2026-02-19T17:20:45Z")
I came across these along Redrock-Randsburg Road (I think) more than 20 years ago, I can’t find anything about them online. Do we have any wind turbine experts/historians in the house? … --- ## [Why is Navy rank insignia only on one sleeve?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-navy-rank-insignia-only-on-one-sleeve/56687)
**Author:** [@Turbo\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turbo_Dog)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [February 19, 2026, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-navy-rank-insignia-only-on-one-sleeve/56687 "2026-02-19T15:07:53Z")
This is a question that has plagued me for years. All the services have enlisted rank insignia on both sleeves, except the float boys who wear it only on the left sleeve. The navy, being as deeply rooted in tradition as … --- ## [US travel insurance advice for elderly couple traveling to US from UK](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-travel-insurance-advice-for-elderly-couple-traveling-to-us-from-uk/1027764)
**Author:** [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [February 19, 2026, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-travel-insurance-advice-for-elderly-couple-traveling-to-us-from-uk/1027764 "2026-02-19T13:47:29Z")
So my mom (83) and dad (82) are coming to visit me in the US in a couple of months. They are both healthy for their age and can manage the trip fine They are trying to get travel health insurance, an increasingly diffic… --- ## [The Elephant Man (film) - what is this piece of equipment in the surgery?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-elephant-man-film-what-is-this-piece-of-equipment-in-the-surgery/1027689)
**Author:** [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [February 19, 2026, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-elephant-man-film-what-is-this-piece-of-equipment-in-the-surgery/1027689 "2026-02-19T05:55:04Z")
I’m unable to find a clip, so I’ll describe it: Early in the movie, about 7 minutes in, we see Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Treves performing surgery on a man injured in some sort of machine accident. There’s another doctor o… --- ## [Change of postal address - how precise does it have to be?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/change-of-postal-address-how-precise-does-it-have-to-be/1027520)
**Author:** [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [February 18, 2026, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/change-of-postal-address-how-precise-does-it-have-to-be/1027520 "2026-02-18T15:29:48Z")
My street address was recently changed by the county when they updated their EMS system. So I had to do a change of address form with the Post Office, but now I find I’m running into problems changing it with certain oth… --- ## [Cell phone tracking software](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-tracking-software/1027693)
**Author:** [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Replies:** 38\ **Last updated:** [February 18, 2026, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-tracking-software/1027693 "2026-02-18T12:32:52Z")
Does not happen often, but my wife lost her phone on a hike, walking one of our dogs. She came back to the house, dropped off the dog and said she was going to search for it. I gave her my phone so she could call it and… --- ## [Is there significant functional difference between sleeping through the night and napping?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-significant-functional-difference-between-sleeping-through-the-night-and-napping/1027692)
**Author:** [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [February 17, 2026, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-significant-functional-difference-between-sleeping-through-the-night-and-napping/1027692 "2026-02-17T19:44:20Z")
Okay, I’m curious to find out once and for all: Is there any significant difference to the average adult human body physically or psychologically between the following two scenarios: Sleep from midnight to 8 am daily S… --- ## [Looking for the name of an early website](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-the-name-of-an-early-website/1027697)
**Author:** [@phs3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phs3)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [February 17, 2026, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-the-name-of-an-early-website/1027697 "2026-02-17T15:44:49Z")
Long ago—maybe 1997?—there was a website that was going to solve what was a real problem at the time, before decent search: finding the right site among several. For example, if you went to www.delta.com, it would ask if… --- ## [Ratifying the US Constitution](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ratifying-the-us-constitution/1027728)
**Author:** [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [February 17, 2026, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ratifying-the-us-constitution/1027728 "2026-02-17T14:27:03Z")
Article V states that one of the methods of ratification is that 3/4 of the state legislatures can approve a proposed amendment. But does the math change if new states are added before that amendment is ratified? Is it … --- ## [Lightning And Sauropod Dinosaurs--How did they survive?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lightning-and-sauropod-dinosaurs-how-did-they-survive/1027694)
**Author:** [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [February 17, 2026, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lightning-and-sauropod-dinosaurs-how-did-they-survive/1027694 "2026-02-17T14:09:05Z")
Sauropods. Giants dinosaurs, with long necks & tails. You’d think they were walking lightning rods. Were they? If so, how did they survive? Have we found the fossilized remains of a Sauropod hat was killed by Lightn… --- ## [If a businessperson wants something from a customer, but not their money, they are not a salesperson, they are a:](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-businessperson-wants-something-from-a-customer-but-not-their-money-they-are-not-a-salesperson-they-are-a/1027602)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [February 16, 2026, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-businessperson-wants-something-from-a-customer-but-not-their-money-they-are-not-a-salesperson-they-are-a/1027602 "2026-02-16T10:01:10Z")
Suppose I had this box of knives. Or that car. Or this whozit. I want to exchange my product for your money; viz, a sale. Making me a salesman. Suppose I had this company that rents billboard space, and your cornfield t… --- ## [Greenland, the world’s largest island?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greenland-the-world-s-largest-island/1026917)
**Author:** [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Replies:** 76\ **Last updated:** [February 16, 2026, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greenland-the-world-s-largest-island/1026917 "2026-02-16T08:28:19Z")
In what universe? 860k sq miles to Australia’s 2.9 MILLION? Yes, Australia is a continent. It’s also an island (a body of land completely surrounded by water). --- ## [In this old-timey transistor radio, what are the small numbers next to the six and the eleven on the dial?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-this-old-timey-transistor-radio-what-are-the-small-numbers-next-to-the-six-and-the-eleven-on-the-dial/1027662)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [February 15, 2026, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-this-old-timey-transistor-radio-what-are-the-small-numbers-next-to-the-six-and-the-eleven-on-the-dial/1027662 "2026-02-15T20:52:30Z")
Though I’m of an age that I can remember using radios such as this, and I remember the smaller numbers, I don’t know what they’re for. GDEkQRp2Sp.jpg (600×600) --- ## [What is "ok" to put through a sink disposal?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-ok-to-put-through-a-sink-disposal/1024542)
**Author:** [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Replies:** 179\ **Last updated:** [February 15, 2026, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-ok-to-put-through-a-sink-disposal/1024542 "2026-02-15T20:48:45Z")
I live in a hi-rise and they just put a note under my door of things not to put in a sink disposal (which every apartment here has). On the list is egg shells, rice/pasta, bones, coffee grounds, batter/dough, fat/oil/gr… --- ## [Origin of "Half past a monkey's ass"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-half-past-a-monkeys-ass/216769)
**Author:** [@smootman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smootman)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [February 15, 2026, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-half-past-a-monkeys-ass/216769 "2026-02-15T15:09:37Z")
SO, all you scholars, where did “Half past a monkey’s ass, quarter to his balls” come from? Is there more to the rhyme? --- ## [What do they call the stick the military uses to push around ships, planes, units on those sandbox tables?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-call-the-stick-the-military-uses-to-push-around-ships-planes-units-on-those-sandbox-tables/1027629)
**Author:** [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [February 14, 2026, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-call-the-stick-the-military-uses-to-push-around-ships-planes-units-on-those-sandbox-tables/1027629 "2026-02-14T00:14:46Z")
You’ve probably seen them in movies. A large table showing the battle area with models of ships, planes, units being pushed around (maneuvered). On a billiard/pool table, they are called rakes, crutches, bridges. I’m sur… --- ## [If I put a Fresnel Lens in front of my solar panels](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-put-a-fresnel-lens-in-front-of-my-solar-panels/1026984)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [February 12, 2026, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-put-a-fresnel-lens-in-front-of-my-solar-panels/1026984 "2026-02-12T15:30:06Z")
Let’s say that I put a big Fresnel Lens the ideal number of meters away from my solar panels in the ideal position and at the ideal angle (no, I don’t have solar panels IRL). The focused sunlight then lands on my panels. … --- ## [In residential construction why aren't water pipes insulated?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-residential-construction-why-arent-water-pipes-insulated/1026974)
**Author:** [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Replies:** 50\ **Last updated:** [February 12, 2026, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-residential-construction-why-arent-water-pipes-insulated/1026974 "2026-02-12T14:29:17Z")
I don’t know what current construction standards are but my house was built in 1995–not so new, but at a time when everybody started to worry about energy efficiency. Why wasn’t consideration given to insulating the wate… --- ## [Driving linguistic factors and language "loss"(?)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-linguistic-factors-and-language-loss/1027415)
**Author:** [@APackof19menthols](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/APackof19menthols)\ **Replies:** 56\ **Last updated:** [February 12, 2026, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-linguistic-factors-and-language-loss/1027415 "2026-02-12T06:25:49Z")
A lot of things affect our speech, and obviously we can all say “the internet” right, but I think there has to be something else right? Think about this: plurals. These days “women” has become both a plural and a singu… --- ## [ba-DOOP! What is this random noise from my Amazon Dot?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ba-doop-what-is-this-random-noise-from-my-amazon-dot/1027559)
**Author:** [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [February 11, 2026, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ba-doop-what-is-this-random-noise-from-my-amazon-dot/1027559 "2026-02-11T22:27:04Z")
Every once in awhile, while music is playing on my Dot, the device will give out with a loud electronic ba-DOOP! It’s not responding to any voice command, so what could it be? --- ## [ChatGPT Pro via “invites”. Huh?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chatgpt-pro-via-invites-huh/1027588)
**Author:** [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [February 11, 2026, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chatgpt-pro-via-invites-huh/1027588 "2026-02-11T22:07:00Z")
I’m thinking of getting a subscription to ChatGPT Pro, which offers more advanced LLMs and a higher allocation of token usage compared to the free plan. Of course I could just buy the official subscription, but I’m also … --- ## [Lonely parakeet advice](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lonely-parakeet-advice/848952)
**Author:** [@ric62](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ric62)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [February 11, 2026, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lonely-parakeet-advice/848952 "2026-02-11T05:52:57Z")
At work, a nursing home, we have a birdcage with parakeets. Well, parakeet. They were in together for a long time, no one is still around when the birds first came to the facility. The male died recently and now the fema… --- ## [Is there any empirical reason behind why a food tastes good to one person and bad to another?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-empirical-reason-behind-why-a-food-tastes-good-to-one-person-and-bad-to-another/1026590)
**Author:** [@themapleleaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/themapleleaf)\ **Replies:** 165\ **Last updated:** [February 10, 2026, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-empirical-reason-behind-why-a-food-tastes-good-to-one-person-and-bad-to-another/1026590 "2026-02-10T20:15:37Z")
We all know that tastes are subjective. But I was wondering if there is any hard science specifically behind why a specific food tastes great to one individual but bad to another. Is this something derived from on purel… --- ## [Is there a widely accepted name in English for this shape: oval with pointed ends?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-widely-accepted-name-in-english-for-this-shape-oval-with-pointed-ends/1027454)
**Author:** [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Replies:** 38\ **Last updated:** [February 9, 2026, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-widely-accepted-name-in-english-for-this-shape-oval-with-pointed-ends/1027454 "2026-02-09T23:53:04Z")
I have tried Googling this, and the only answer I got was a gem cut called Marquise, which I believe is the shape I am looking for, but its usage seems limited to gems. It might also be called a cat’s eye shape, but tha… --- ## [Factory Vacpak Refrigerated beef is not good for 3 months is it?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factory-vacpak-refrigerated-beef-is-not-good-for-3-months-is-it/1027505)
**Author:** [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [February 9, 2026, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factory-vacpak-refrigerated-beef-is-not-good-for-3-months-is-it/1027505 "2026-02-09T20:57:27Z")
So I was at Meijer yesterday, looking for meat bargains. Nothing seemed good at all until I saw refrigerated brisket(whole)(fresh, not corned) for $3.99 a pound, and on a whim, grabbed one. I had no idea what to do with… --- ## [What was this robot, shown in stock footage in a Sesame Street clip?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-robot-shown-in-stock-footage-in-a-sesame-street-clip/749746)
**Author:** [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [February 9, 2026, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-robot-shown-in-stock-footage-in-a-sesame-street-clip/749746 "2026-02-09T10:39:12Z")
Specifically, the one scene here, in one of my favorite/most unsettling shorts from when I was a tyke, back in the 80s. A rather distinctive looking machine—a humanoid shape, with clear plastic forms covering the electr… --- ## [What does this Egyptian sentence means?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-egyptian-sentence-means/181743)
**Author:** [@Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crowbar_of_Irony_3)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [February 8, 2026, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-egyptian-sentence-means/181743 "2026-02-08T22:22:44Z")
Hi all, There was this story in “The Tracer of Lost Persons” (by Robert W. Chambers), chapter 17 to 20, about an Egyptian girl being put into suspend animation. Much of the story revolves around the deciphering of an an… --- ## [Does this girl have male dna according to a blood test?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-girl-have-male-dna-according-to-a-blood-test/1027437)
**Author:** [@Saffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saffer)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [February 8, 2026, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-girl-have-male-dna-according-to-a-blood-test/1027437 "2026-02-08T19:20:45Z")
Short YouTube video here: https://youtube.com/shorts/J1iaCxsaLzs?si=LKV0ybIGXkxLmyaw Summary is she received a liver transplant and because of some details discussed in the video, she has her donors blood. Since her don… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=15) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=17)