# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=169 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 170 --- ## [How do they install those house tents for fumigation?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-install-those-house-tents-for-fumigation/976656)
**Author:** [@nate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nate)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [December 17, 2022, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-install-those-house-tents-for-fumigation/976656 "2022-12-17T19:53:14Z")
It seems like every week or so I’ll drive by a house that is covered in one of those circus-striped tents that are used to enclose the house for pest control fumigation. How are these installed? Are they custom made for … --- ## [Taking Flat Earthers to space (legal question)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-flat-earthers-to-space-legal-question/976660)
**Author:** [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [December 17, 2022, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-flat-earthers-to-space-legal-question/976660 "2022-12-17T19:14:36Z")
Let’s say I offer take all of the major Flat Earth proponents to space and then do so with those that volunteered. Assume I have hold-harmless agreements and releases so I can video them and publish the videos and I all… --- ## [Why are animals still so poor at crossing roads safely?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-animals-still-so-poor-at-crossing-roads-safely/976477)
**Author:** [@Celtic\_Kitsune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celtic_Kitsune)\ **Replies:** 52\ **Last updated:** [December 17, 2022, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-animals-still-so-poor-at-crossing-roads-safely/976477 "2022-12-17T13:21:10Z")
I mean they’ve had over one-hundred years of practice. I was on my morning commute a few days ago and driving through an isolated rural area when a fox decided s/he absolutely had to cross the road in front of me at that… --- ## [Nuclear fusion product](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-fusion-product/976484)
**Author:** [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [December 17, 2022, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-fusion-product/976484 "2022-12-17T02:49:09Z")
In the NYT article about the new breakthrough in fusion research, it says … Blockquote Out flowed a flood of neutron particles — the product of fusion — which carried about 3 megajoules of energy, a factor of 1.5 in en… --- ## [Does the placebo effect work for bodybuilding?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-placebo-effect-work-for-bodybuilding/976646)
**Author:** [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [December 16, 2022, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-placebo-effect-work-for-bodybuilding/976646 "2022-12-16T19:50:00Z")
If you inject a bodybuilder with saline and tell him it’s steroids, will it cause him to get bulkier? I assume this has never been done in a double-blind clinical trial because this use of steroids is illegal. So answer… --- ## [Why "Irish Free State"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-irish-free-state/976508)
**Author:** [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [December 16, 2022, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-irish-free-state/976508 "2022-12-16T18:25:00Z")
I’m curious about the origins of the name “Irish Free State”, which was used between 1922 and 1937. Skimming Wikipedia on the establishment of the State, the Anglo-Irish Treaty and so on, I don’t see any explanation for… --- ## [What do British folks mean by "Rather!"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-british-folks-mean-by-rather/976575)
**Author:** [@slicedalone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slicedalone)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [December 16, 2022, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-british-folks-mean-by-rather/976575 "2022-12-16T11:29:12Z")
(Mods: Move as needed. I’m hoping it has a factual answer.) When you say “Rather!” in response to someone, is it like saying “Quite so,” “I agree,” “Indeed,” “Yes” or is one of these meanings (or another one) more on th… --- ## [Life Savers candy Christmas book thingy](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-savers-candy-christmas-book-thingy/45201)
**Author:** [@Suo\_Na](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suo_Na)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [December 16, 2022, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-savers-candy-christmas-book-thingy/45201 "2022-12-16T05:16:59Z")
I need to know, soon, what the flavours are in the Christmas gift book of Life Savers. It doesn’t say on the package, or on the website. Anyone have one on hand? --- ## [The lowest place on land](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lowest-place-on-land/976469)
**Author:** [@3AxisCtrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3AxisCtrl)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [December 15, 2022, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lowest-place-on-land/976469 "2022-12-15T21:37:34Z")
As everyone knows, this is the shores of the Dead Sea: 430 m below sea level. But what if we allow the deepest parts of deep lakes? The Dead Sea has a maximum depth of 304 m, which thus is 734 m (2408 ft) below sea lev… --- ## [Can Fentanyl really kill you from touching/breathing it?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-fentanyl-really-kill-you-from-touching-breathing-it/976524)
**Author:** [@smitty300](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smitty300)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [December 15, 2022, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-fentanyl-really-kill-you-from-touching-breathing-it/976524 "2022-12-15T20:49:18Z")
I’ve seen some news stories about people having reactions from handling Fentanyl pills or even from breathing the air around them. This seems dubious to me. I have a sneaking suspicion that these are more panic attacks… --- ## [How is blood able to circulate](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-blood-able-to-circulate/976416)
**Author:** [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [December 15, 2022, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-blood-able-to-circulate/976416 "2022-12-15T03:19:27Z")
Blood flow seems the opposite from river flow in that it goes from big to small. How do all the tiny little blood vessels make their way back into the return side of the blood stream? --- ## [Which Ancient Greek philosophers supported what we would call eugenics?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-ancient-greek-philosophers-supported-what-we-would-call-eugenics/976370)
**Author:** [@Octagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octagon)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [December 15, 2022, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-ancient-greek-philosophers-supported-what-we-would-call-eugenics/976370 "2022-12-15T02:13:21Z")
Which Greek philosophers ( if any) supported what we would call eugenics ? Was Seneca among them? --- ## [What sizes are European wall ovens?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sizes-are-european-wall-ovens/976470)
**Author:** [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [December 15, 2022, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sizes-are-european-wall-ovens/976470 "2022-12-15T00:29:05Z")
The US standard sizes are 30" and 36" although there are narrower units available. I was looking at some “European wall ovens” and noticed they were also 30". Are there metric versions also? --- ## [How long does it take to rebuild a transmission?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-it-take-to-rebuild-a-transmission/524694)
**Author:** [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [December 14, 2022, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-it-take-to-rebuild-a-transmission/524694 "2022-12-14T20:58:48Z")
I used to work at a transmission reman plant. It had about a million mechanical people there, working at kind of low wages. I talked to one of them, and he told me that he used to own his own transmission shop. He said … --- ## [Could a warp drive capable ship enter and then exit the event horizon of a black hole?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-warp-drive-capable-ship-enter-and-then-exit-the-event-horizon-of-a-black-hole/976333)
**Author:** [@Saffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saffer)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [December 14, 2022, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-warp-drive-capable-ship-enter-and-then-exit-the-event-horizon-of-a-black-hole/976333 "2022-12-14T19:44:01Z")
By warp drive I mean the usual Alcubierre formulation. --- ## [Using Well Water to water lawn. Economic/Environmental Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-well-water-to-water-lawn-economic-environmental-q/976361)
**Author:** [@Janus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Janus)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [December 14, 2022, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-well-water-to-water-lawn-economic-environmental-q/976361 "2022-12-14T05:55:40Z")
Having recently relocated to a new area, I have come across something I am not familiar with. Single family residences in an urban area with a water well specifically for watering the lawn. Does it save water? Since i… --- ## [What’s behind the destruction of Islamic heritage sites in Mecca?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-behind-the-destruction-of-islamic-heritage-sites-in-mecca/976027)
**Author:** [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [December 14, 2022, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-behind-the-destruction-of-islamic-heritage-sites-in-mecca/976027 "2022-12-14T02:27:29Z")
The city of Mecca, unsurprisingly, has many sites and buildings that are associated with the life of the prophet Muhammad and other figures in the early history of Islam. Much more surprisingly, the Saudi authorities see… --- ## [Ironic and Ironical](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ironic-and-ironical/564447)
**Author:** [@chieftan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chieftan)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [December 14, 2022, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ironic-and-ironical/564447 "2022-12-14T01:26:25Z")
I know this topic has come up before, but I’d like to reignite it. From what I gather, American dictionaries say that the two are interchangeable, and that ironical is an archaic form of ironic. Until I actually looked… --- ## [What does coming up threes mean?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-coming-up-threes-mean/407968)
**Author:** [@RedRosesForMe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedRosesForMe)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [December 13, 2022, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-coming-up-threes-mean/407968 "2022-12-13T16:10:52Z")
I tried Google, I tried Urban Dictionary, I even tried a plain old dictionary- but I still can’t figure out what coming up threes means. --- ## [Home & Auto Insurance outside of the US](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-auto-insurance-outside-of-the-us/976364)
**Author:** [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [December 13, 2022, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-auto-insurance-outside-of-the-us/976364 "2022-12-13T09:34:18Z")
In the US your home and auto insurance can pay for someone else’s medical bills who gets injured in your home or by your car. In the US, medical bills are ridiculous so insurance coverage must be high enough to cover pay… --- ## [Why did Matthew Perry's colon explode?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-matthew-perrys-colon-explode/976304)
**Author:** [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [December 13, 2022, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-matthew-perrys-colon-explode/976304 "2022-12-13T00:49:10Z")
Matthew Perry has given several interviews recently to promote his new book, the central feature of which appears to be a recounting of his astonishingly severe opioid addiction. He said at one point his health was so b… --- ## [Spelling of an English place name](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-of-an-english-place-name/976102)
**Author:** [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [December 12, 2022, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-of-an-english-place-name/976102 "2022-12-12T23:01:22Z")
Somewhere around London, maybe on the way to one of the airports, there’s a place pronounced “Fanshaw” or something close to that, but spelled Throat Warbler Mangrove Featheringstonehaugh or something like that. What’s … --- ## [What English Word Produces The Most Other English Words With The Exact Same Number Of Letters](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-english-word-produces-the-most-other-english-words-with-the-exact-same-number-of-letters/976161)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [December 12, 2022, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-english-word-produces-the-most-other-english-words-with-the-exact-same-number-of-letters/976161 "2022-12-12T21:45:09Z")
The English letters A E and R can produce “are,” “era,” and “ear,” but “aer” and “rae” are not words. A E and T produce “eat,” “ate,” and “tea,” but no others. Are they any English words whose letters – all of them, no … --- ## [Fees for transferring money](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fees-for-transferring-money/976318)
**Author:** [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Replies:** 45\ **Last updated:** [December 12, 2022, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fees-for-transferring-money/976318 "2022-12-12T19:14:51Z")
A woman on twitter said she has a security bank account, and will donate a small amount to my bank. She thinks the transfer will engender a fee, possibly from my bank. This doesn’t sound legit. Is it? --- ## [A question about those long insulators on high voltage power lines](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-those-long-insulators-on-high-voltage-power-lines/976264)
**Author:** [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [December 12, 2022, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-those-long-insulators-on-high-voltage-power-lines/976264 "2022-12-12T17:09:41Z")
They’re called “strain insulators.” Now I can understand how they work when they’re oriented vertically: when it rains, there are many pockets of dry surface area to prevent a flashover. But these things are also insta… --- ## [Why nuclear spins \>1?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-nuclear-spins-1/976263)
**Author:** [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [December 12, 2022, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-nuclear-spins-1/976263 "2022-12-12T14:53:40Z")
My rudimentary\* understanding is that like nucleons can pair and cancel each others’ spin, which is why even-even nuclei are spin 0. I get why the various isotopes have the spins they do until we get to lithium-7, which … --- ## [Oedipus complex for gays?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oedipus-complex-for-gays/216917)
**Author:** [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [December 12, 2022, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oedipus-complex-for-gays/216917 "2022-12-12T13:15:44Z")
Does it exist? I was thinking the other day, and it seems like most of my criteria for guys are descriptors of my dad. Has anyone else ever heard of this? --- ## [Saving Plans for grandkids](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saving-plans-for-grandkids/976226)
**Author:** [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [December 12, 2022, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saving-plans-for-grandkids/976226 "2022-12-12T06:05:46Z")
We are looking to set up a saving account for our granddaughter that is outside of her parent’ control. US Saving Bonds are almost out because with the new electronic system, she would have to have a TreasuryDirect acco… --- ## [Did the Spartans ever use the white feather or any clolor or number of feathers as a sign of cowardice?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-spartans-ever-use-the-white-feather-or-any-clolor-or-number-of-feathers-as-a-sign-of-cowardice/976337)
**Author:** [@Octagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octagon)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [December 11, 2022, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-spartans-ever-use-the-white-feather-or-any-clolor-or-number-of-feathers-as-a-sign-of-cowardice/976337 "2022-12-11T15:45:07Z")
Did the Spartans ever use the white feather or any color or number of feathers as a sign of cowardice? If not the Spartans which ancient cultures did? --- ## [What is this device on top of this SUV?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-device-on-top-of-this-suv/976260)
**Author:** [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [December 11, 2022, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-device-on-top-of-this-suv/976260 "2022-12-11T00:06:15Z")
Driving home yesterday I found myself driving next to this SUV. It had “US Government” plates, and this strange device mounted on the roof. The vehicle was unaccompanied. What did I see? … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=168) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=170)