# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=186 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 187 --- ## [When my pupils were medically dilated, why could I see better with glasses off?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-my-pupils-were-medically-dilated-why-could-i-see-better-with-glasses-off/971221)
**Author:** [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [September 9, 2022, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-my-pupils-were-medically-dilated-why-could-i-see-better-with-glasses-off/971221 "2022-09-09T05:14:16Z")
I recently underwent an eye exam with pupil dilation. I am nearsighted with a -3 prescription or so. When the dilation sets in, it becomes hard to see up close, so if I want to read something (like my phone), I actually … --- ## [Just how does generalized anesthesia really work?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-does-generalized-anesthesia-really-work/969947)
**Author:** [@joemama24\_98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joemama24_98)\ **Replies:** 47\ **Last updated:** [September 8, 2022, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-does-generalized-anesthesia-really-work/969947 "2022-09-08T23:05:06Z")
I went in recently for a routine colonoscopy. This was the first one for me, and I believe I was medically sedated only once before as a teenager. While the anesthesiologist was running through her pre-checks with me, … --- ## [The opposite of "cold turkey"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-opposite-of-cold-turkey/971106)
**Author:** [@Jay\_Z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jay_Z)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [September 8, 2022, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-opposite-of-cold-turkey/971106 "2022-09-08T19:45:53Z")
Is there a word or phrase that is the opposite of cold turkey? Meaning, immediately STARTING something you haven’t done before? Suppose I don’t work out, and I resolve to work out 30 minutes a day. And I do just that,… --- ## [What do firefighters do AFTER they put out the fire?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-firefighters-do-after-they-put-out-the-fire/970800)
**Author:** [@themapleleaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/themapleleaf)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [September 8, 2022, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-firefighters-do-after-they-put-out-the-fire/970800 "2022-09-08T17:25:27Z")
We all know what the main job of the fire department is: to put out a fire and attempt to save anyone who might be trapped in the burning building. But what happens immediately after the fire has been put out and the fi… --- ## [Can forest fires "preserve" burnt pine trees so that they stay standing even long after they are dead?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-forest-fires-preserve-burnt-pine-trees-so-that-they-stay-standing-even-long-after-they-are-dead/971144)
**Author:** [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [September 8, 2022, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-forest-fires-preserve-burnt-pine-trees-so-that-they-stay-standing-even-long-after-they-are-dead/971144 "2022-09-08T14:06:31Z")
When hiking through a forested area which has been burned, I’ll sometimes see dead, burned trees still standing even though it has been years or decades since they have been burned. One thing unique about these trees is… --- ## [What can a user see when I post a link to a Dropbox file?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-a-user-see-when-i-post-a-link-to-a-dropbox-file/971161)
**Author:** [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [September 8, 2022, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-a-user-see-when-i-post-a-link-to-a-dropbox-file/971161 "2022-09-08T01:53:07Z")
I use Dropbox. You can Share a file to the public, view only. I just had someone on Reddit suggest I not do that, and to make his point he used my real first name. So what data am I exposing by doing this? --- ## [Do the Presidential Libraries have any Classified Documents?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-presidential-libraries-have-any-classified-documents/970825)
**Author:** [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [September 7, 2022, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-presidential-libraries-have-any-classified-documents/970825 "2022-09-07T19:34:30Z")
Presidents used to keep their Documents and Created Presidential Libraries. Did any Classified materials go to the Presidential Libraries? Were documents aged and sent later? For Example, Reagan’s Presidential document… --- ## [Name for Source Evaluation: Criterion of Partisan Agreement](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-for-source-evaluation-criterion-of-partisan-agreement/971085)
**Author:** [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [September 7, 2022, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-for-source-evaluation-criterion-of-partisan-agreement/971085 "2022-09-07T15:44:21Z")
Let’s say that two people are blamed for breaking the vase. In the tale of suspect 1, the order of events was A, B, C. In the tale of suspect 2, the order of events was A, B, D. Given that the two suspects each have a m… --- ## [Having problems with my computer, specifically Edge browser](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/having-problems-with-my-computer-specifically-edge-browser/971110)
**Author:** [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [September 7, 2022, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/having-problems-with-my-computer-specifically-edge-browser/971110 "2022-09-07T15:07:00Z")
I’ve been having some terrible computer problems today; I’ve had two Blue Screens of Death, and at one point it wasn’t recognizing my operating system. At the moment, I’m having trouble with Microsoft Edge. Here’s some… --- ## [It's, its, but its'?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-its-but-its/970562)
**Author:** [@whc.03grady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whc.03grady)\ **Replies:** 50\ **Last updated:** [September 7, 2022, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-its-but-its/970562 "2022-09-07T12:23:47Z")
Was its’ ever used for the possessive of the singular it? I have someone here claiming to have been taught that as a grade schooler in the early 1970s. “He parked the car in its’ spot.” I can imagine if you go back long… --- ## [Spanish hat thieves](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-hat-thieves/950847)
**Author:** [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [September 7, 2022, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-hat-thieves/950847 "2022-09-07T12:01:00Z")
There is a video game server in Spain named, “Hat Thieves”. Does that phrase have some particular meaning in Spain? --- ## [§eyboard malfunction](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyboard-malfunction/970986)
**Author:** [@CBEscapee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBEscapee)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [September 7, 2022, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyboard-malfunction/970986 "2022-09-07T11:40:24Z")
All of a sudden I get this § symbol when I hit the §ey between the letters J and L on my IMac §eyboard. It started yesterday but the problem later stopped. When I booted the computer this morning it reappeared. It is the… --- ## [URL shortener services that allow editing links for free?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/url-shortener-services-that-allow-editing-links-for-free/971061)
**Author:** [@longtry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/longtry)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [September 7, 2022, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/url-shortener-services-that-allow-editing-links-for-free/971061 "2022-09-07T11:36:36Z")
I’m trying to create a portfolio that has a link to a video, which I haven’t been able to film and edit yet. I plan to make a placeholder shortened URL to embed in an image within the portfolio and finish that document f… --- ## [How to get rid of ALLPlayer popup ads?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-rid-of-allplayer-popup-ads/971107)
**Author:** [@DKW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DKW)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [September 7, 2022, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-rid-of-allplayer-popup-ads/971107 "2022-09-07T03:55:35Z")
I’ve been using ALLPlayer for longer than I can remember. I remember paying the activation fee all those years ago (it wasn’t much), and it’s served me well ever since. Just one problem. It uses a pop-up ad to announce … --- ## [Explain the GameStop short squeeze?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-gamestop-short-squeeze/931681)
**Author:** [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Replies:** 253\ **Last updated:** [September 7, 2022, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-gamestop-short-squeeze/931681 "2022-09-07T01:34:16Z")
If you haven’t seen this is in the news lately, it’s kind of bizarre. TL,DR: Gamestop is a brick-and-mortar video game seller that many believed would be going out of business soon. The belief was so strong that hedg… --- ## [When an infant is born, is there air in his stomach and intestines?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-an-infant-is-born-is-there-air-in-his-stomach-and-intestines/970903)
**Author:** [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [September 6, 2022, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-an-infant-is-born-is-there-air-in-his-stomach-and-intestines/970903 "2022-09-06T22:00:27Z")
I’m talking about the open spaces that in children and adults are filled with air. But that doesn’t seem likely for a being that’s conceived in an essentially liquid environment. How does it happen that the lumen is no… --- ## [DRM error from Project Gutenberg on (Kindle) Fire 10](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drm-error-from-project-gutenberg-on-kindle-fire-10/945428)
**Author:** [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [September 6, 2022, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drm-error-from-project-gutenberg-on-kindle-fire-10/945428 "2022-09-06T19:09:51Z")
For several years I had downloaded books from Project Gutenberg to my (Kindle) Fire 8. This was particularly useful when I wanted to read something in an environment where direct internet connection was impossible or a … --- ## [What's fermenting the sugar water in my hummingbird feeders?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-fermenting-the-sugar-water-in-my-hummingbird-feeders/968729)
**Author:** [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [September 6, 2022, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-fermenting-the-sugar-water-in-my-hummingbird-feeders/968729 "2022-09-06T14:44:12Z")
Cornell Ornthology tells me to change the sugar water in my feeder “before it gets cloudy” (how would I know it’s about to get cloudy?) because the sugar water ferments and turns to alcohol. While I understand that yeas… --- ## [When did Europeans start settling what is South Africa?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-europeans-start-settling-what-is-south-africa/970721)
**Author:** [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [September 6, 2022, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-europeans-start-settling-what-is-south-africa/970721 "2022-09-06T14:41:49Z")
I recall some right wing site made the claim a few years ago, around the time Mandela passed, that whites actually pre-dated blacks in the region, what became South Africa, and that black “settlors” came later. A claim … --- ## [Helicopter rotorwash](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helicopter-rotorwash/971004)
**Author:** [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [September 6, 2022, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helicopter-rotorwash/971004 "2022-09-06T12:18:52Z")
Need answer fast. At ground level what is the wind speed of the rotorwash of a Blackhawk helicopter engaging in a fast rope insertion? I’m assuming that the helicopter would be about 50 feet above ground level but if an… --- ## [Connecting via Ethernet to a switch to my Google Mesh router](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/connecting-via-ethernet-to-a-switch-to-my-google-mesh-router/967348)
**Author:** [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [July 6, 2022, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/connecting-via-ethernet-to-a-switch-to-my-google-mesh-router/967348 "2022-07-06T21:00:00Z")
I have a Verizon Fios system. I have a Verizon ActionTec cable modem/router. It creates a network that we’ll call VerizonGas. I have a Google Mesh router (and two Google Nest wireless access points). The Google router h… --- ## [Google Chrome "Privacy Error" on everything, after internet re-connection](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-chrome-privacy-error-on-everything-after-internet-re-connection/953941)
**Author:** [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [November 7, 2021, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-chrome-privacy-error-on-everything-after-internet-re-connection/953941 "2021-11-07T18:28:39Z")
So a tree fell in my yard and knocked down the cable that supplies internet service to my house. AT&T, which is my service provider, came over and re-connected the cable. The internet works normally now, except for one v… --- ## [Please help me troubleshoot a Win 10 Update failure](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-troubleshoot-a-win-10-update-failure/951083)
**Author:** [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2021, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-troubleshoot-a-win-10-update-failure/951083 "2021-09-23T21:35:30Z")
My parents’ laptop doesn’t automatically update anymore, since the functional update to version 20H2 in May. I started to update via the Microsoft Update Assistant, but to no avail, it always threw the error 0xc1900101. … --- ## [My tv is acting independently](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-tv-is-acting-independently/970816)
**Author:** [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [September 6, 2022, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-tv-is-acting-independently/970816 "2022-09-06T04:20:03Z")
I have a tv. My neighbor lets me use her wi fi, so I get my local news stations, and youtube. I turned the tv off. Ten minutes later it came on by itself, and the top right corner said new device detected. And it showed… --- ## [Can Wholesalers Sell Direct to the Public?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-wholesalers-sell-direct-to-the-public/970743)
**Author:** [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [September 6, 2022, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-wholesalers-sell-direct-to-the-public/970743 "2022-09-06T03:54:51Z")
I have always wondered why there are Wholesalers in the first place, for one. And, why won’t they sell direct to the public? Yet, aren’t there some who will sell direct? And if so, how does one go about finding them onli… --- ## [Why did it take forever for the world to realize cow manure was better for farming than human poop?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-it-take-forever-for-the-world-to-realize-cow-manure-was-better-for-farming-than-human-poop/969964)
**Author:** [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [September 5, 2022, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-it-take-forever-for-the-world-to-realize-cow-manure-was-better-for-farming-than-human-poop/969964 "2022-09-05T16:35:41Z")
Continuing the discussion from Medieval Monks were Riddled with Worms, Study Finds: Ive read in various sources that parasites were a leading cause of death in the medieval and ancient world because of the use of human … --- ## [Books talking about the interactions between Haig and his subordinates](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-talking-about-the-interactions-between-haig-and-his-subordinates/970995)
**Author:** [@cannonkuo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cannonkuo)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [September 5, 2022, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-talking-about-the-interactions-between-haig-and-his-subordinates/970995 "2022-09-05T14:37:26Z")
Hi there, Does anyone know any books or records talking about the interactions between State Secretary Haig and his subordinates as well as Defense Secretary Weinberger and his subordinates during the Reagan administrat… --- ## [How Hot Do You Have To Cook Beef To Kill 'Mad Cow'?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-hot-do-you-have-to-cook-beef-to-kill-mad-cow/220853)
**Author:** [@Surreal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surreal)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [September 5, 2022, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-hot-do-you-have-to-cook-beef-to-kill-mad-cow/220853 "2022-09-05T12:29:14Z")
When cooking beef, what temperature do you need to achieve in order to kill Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy prions? Thanks. --- ## [Mortality of Antarctic babies due to gut microflora](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mortality-of-antarctic-babies-due-to-gut-microflora/740125)
**Author:** [@Artfog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Artfog)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [September 5, 2022, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mortality-of-antarctic-babies-due-to-gut-microflora/740125 "2022-09-05T03:34:30Z")
In the late 70’s Agentina tried to enhance its claims to an Antarctic territory by sending pregnant women there to give birth. From what I can glean, there may have been eight births. At some point, they all returned to … --- ## [How difficult is it to “accidentally” fire a nuclear missile?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-difficult-is-it-to-accidentally-fire-a-nuclear-missile/960900)
**Author:** [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [September 5, 2022, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-difficult-is-it-to-accidentally-fire-a-nuclear-missile/960900 "2022-09-05T02:34:32Z")
Since India is saying they did that 2 days ago. It was observed by Pakistan throughout and fortunately the PAF concluded it was a mistake and not an actual launch. The Indians didn’t bother revealing it until 23 ho… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=185) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=187)