# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=195 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 196 --- ## [Inflammation in the body -- detectable in the blood? (plus side question about woo)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inflammation-in-the-body-detectable-in-the-blood-plus-side-question-about-woo/968329)
**Author:** [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Replies:** 39\ **Last updated:** [July 24, 2022, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inflammation-in-the-body-detectable-in-the-blood-plus-side-question-about-woo/968329 "2022-07-24T03:21:05Z")
I’ve been meaning for a while to post a question here about the general idea in some quarters that “Food X promotes inflammation in the body” while “Food Y prevents inflammation in the body.” I’ve been putting off that O… --- ## [Did I miss a memo about Android permissions?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-i-miss-a-memo-about-android-permissions/965900)
**Author:** [@Lare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lare)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [July 24, 2022, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-i-miss-a-memo-about-android-permissions/965900 "2022-07-24T01:28:21Z")
I confess that I don’t update my apps as often as I should. Usually I will look at the list of updates that are pending and select the ones that I think might be important, or that specifically identify themselves as sec… --- ## [Probability Question (What are the odds?)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probability-question-what-are-the-odds/968462)
**Author:** [@Oddball\_92](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oddball_92)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [July 24, 2022, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probability-question-what-are-the-odds/968462 "2022-07-24T01:02:13Z")
There is a raffle. Actually, 2 raffles. The first raffle is for prize “A”. The second raffle is for "prize “B”. Tickets sold separately. I bought a ticket for prize “A” only. I get a call saying I had won prize “B”. Wh… --- ## [What is it with Nebraska and 5G cell service?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-with-nebraska-and-5g-cell-service/963535)
**Author:** [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [July 23, 2022, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-with-nebraska-and-5g-cell-service/963535 "2022-07-23T19:30:23Z")
Every time I see some company’s (T-Mobile, maybe) ads for 5G they at some point include a coverage map of the US, and it’s nearly solid for the whole continental US except for a big blank that to a quick glance aligns ne… --- ## [Are the "car extended warranty" calls illegal, and if so, why isn't the govt doing anything about them?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-car-extended-warranty-calls-illegal-and-if-so-why-isnt-the-govt-doing-anything-about-them/931997)
**Author:** [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Replies:** 42\ **Last updated:** [July 23, 2022, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-car-extended-warranty-calls-illegal-and-if-so-why-isnt-the-govt-doing-anything-about-them/931997 "2022-07-23T13:54:17Z")
It seems to me that they are completely fraudulent. I also suspect they are hijacking or spoofing legitimate telephone numbers. Can the government trace them and go after these jerks? If not, why not? --- ## [Is it possible to not have a dominant eye?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-not-have-a-dominant-eye/968315)
**Author:** [@Saffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saffer)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [July 22, 2022, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-not-have-a-dominant-eye/968315 "2022-07-22T20:22:07Z")
I just had an eye exam and the person (not sure if she is a doctor or something else) tried to determine which of my eyes is dominant. She asked me to point at the corner of the ceiling then close each eye (not at the sa… --- ## [Data encryption and LastPass Emergency Access](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/data-encryption-and-lastpass-emergency-access/968341)
**Author:** [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [July 22, 2022, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/data-encryption-and-lastpass-emergency-access/968341 "2022-07-22T14:49:25Z")
If you use LastPass to store your passwords and such, there is an option called Emergency Access - you nominate another person who will be able to access your data (main use case is after you have died) - you specify a w… --- ## [Adjusting HVAC vent covers (most efficient position)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adjusting-hvac-vent-covers-most-efficient-position/968322)
**Author:** [@Jingleheimer-Schmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jingleheimer-Schmidt)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [July 22, 2022, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adjusting-hvac-vent-covers-most-efficient-position/968322 "2022-07-22T14:42:25Z")
The adjustable part of my HVAC vent covers are horizontal flaps, which are controlled by a small lever. Horizontal meaning when considering them from side-to-side, but their position from front-to-back can range from ver… --- ## [If the entire internet where to be printed out in a physical book, how many pages would it be, how much ink would it take, and how physically large would the book have to be?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-entire-internet-where-to-be-printed-out-in-a-physical-book-how-many-pages-would-it-be-how-much-ink-would-it-take-and-how-physically-large-would-the-book-have-to-be/968343)
**Author:** [@SmartBulbInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartBulbInc)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [July 22, 2022, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-entire-internet-where-to-be-printed-out-in-a-physical-book-how-many-pages-would-it-be-how-much-ink-would-it-take-and-how-physically-large-would-the-book-have-to-be/968343 "2022-07-22T12:15:36Z")
Apparently, there existed a physical Wikipedia at some point. Although this physically copy was only a fraction of the true size of the entire website, it got me thinking: how large of a book would you need to make a phy… --- ## [tampons and anuses??](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tampons-and-anuses/205936)
**Author:** [@MelCthefirst](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MelCthefirst)\ **Replies:** 39\ **Last updated:** [July 22, 2022, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tampons-and-anuses/205936 "2022-07-22T10:40:08Z")
Sorry to be so graphic - and I hope I am not being offensive to anyone, this is not my intention. My female friend when in Soho, London, went into a shop to buy some tampons. I don’t know how the topic came up, but my … --- ## [Indiana/Shooting/Firearm Question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indiana-shooting-firearm-question/968285)
**Author:** [@19USMC69](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/19USMC69)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [July 22, 2022, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indiana-shooting-firearm-question/968285 "2022-07-22T08:48:00Z")
Piecing together a few media reports, the “Good Samaritan” who shot and killed the bad guy did so from 30 yards (120’). Further, he fired 10 rounds in 15 seconds, 8 of which hit the target. If all this is accurate this … --- ## [Can Win PC or Mac Cast content to a Smart TV?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-win-pc-or-mac-cast-content-to-a-smart-tv/968294)
**Author:** [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [July 22, 2022, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-win-pc-or-mac-cast-content-to-a-smart-tv/968294 "2022-07-22T04:03:27Z")
I use my my Android phone constantly Casting content from YouTube,A&E, and movies played on VLC media player. I’ve noticed content from YouTube and Paramount+ etc. doesn’t seem to reach my phone. I think it’s a network… --- ## [Bench seats in cars](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bench-seats-in-cars/968280)
**Author:** [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [July 22, 2022, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bench-seats-in-cars/968280 "2022-07-22T00:56:00Z")
What was the last American vehicle that still had bench seats in front? --- ## [How did Tamaulipas get away with grabbing almost all the river frontage from Nuevo León?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-tamaulipas-get-away-with-grabbing-almost-all-the-river-frontage-from-nuevo-leon/776262)
**Author:** [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [July 21, 2022, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-tamaulipas-get-away-with-grabbing-almost-all-the-river-frontage-from-nuevo-leon/776262 "2022-07-21T19:51:37Z")
Look at the borders of the state of Nuevo León: Google Maps Now look at the borders of its neighbor Tamaulipas: Google Maps That long, bizarre panhandle takes up practically all of the Rio Grande riverfront and only a… --- ## [Prime numbers and aliens](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-numbers-and-aliens/967587)
**Author:** [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Replies:** 51\ **Last updated:** [July 21, 2022, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-numbers-and-aliens/967587 "2022-07-21T18:37:06Z")
So I’ve been listening to podcasts about the search for extra-terrestrial life. Several mention that if a SETI received transmission contain prime numbers, we could expect that other intelligent life forms broadcast them… --- ## [Large slotted mandrels for finishing hole IDs?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-slotted-mandrels-for-finishing-hole-ids/968226)
**Author:** [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [July 21, 2022, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-slotted-mandrels-for-finishing-hole-ids/968226 "2022-07-21T17:57:34Z")
I think this tool obviously should exist and I should be finding it, but no. I want something I could mount in a hand drill, and slide through it a big Scotchbrite or steel wool pad or a stack of sandpaper and foam rubbe… --- ## [Calling the police for non-police matters?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-the-police-for-non-police-matters/967892)
**Author:** [@Jingleheimer-Schmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jingleheimer-Schmidt)\ **Replies:** 100\ **Last updated:** [July 20, 2022, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-the-police-for-non-police-matters/967892 "2022-07-20T20:48:49Z")
Britney Spears RAN OUT OF GAS on busy Los Angeles freeway and called police for assistance | Daily Mail Online The 40-year-old star was in her white Mercedes-Benz as she blocked the third lane southbound on the 101 nor… --- ## [If all the surface areas of the traffic islands of the continental USA where added together to from an actual island, how big would that island be?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-all-the-surface-areas-of-the-traffic-islands-of-the-continental-usa-where-added-together-to-from-an-actual-island-how-big-would-that-island-be/968116)
**Author:** [@SmartBulbInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartBulbInc)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [July 20, 2022, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-all-the-surface-areas-of-the-traffic-islands-of-the-continental-usa-where-added-together-to-from-an-actual-island-how-big-would-that-island-be/968116 "2022-07-20T13:06:36Z")
I had this shower thought recently. We see TONS of traffic islands everywhere we go when we drive. But, no one every stops to think just how many there are. There must be some sort of… --- ## [Web pages reloading](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-pages-reloading/968081)
**Author:** [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [July 20, 2022, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-pages-reloading/968081 "2022-07-20T12:22:40Z")
When I moved to the SDMB tab to post this, the page reloaded. This is a fairly new phenomenon but it seems to happen a lot. I’m not sure why. There didn’t seem to be significant problems before this started happening. Ob… --- ## [Do courier companies like Fed Ex and DPD monitor tracking requests?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-courier-companies-like-fed-ex-and-dpd-monitor-tracking-requests/828689)
**Author:** [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [January 30, 2019, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-courier-companies-like-fed-ex-and-dpd-monitor-tracking-requests/828689 "2019-01-30T22:19:38Z")
If I have ordered an item from someone and they give me the courier name and tracking ID and I check it, does that get flagged? If I repeatedly check it - like every day (not every minute :D) - does that get flagged too?… --- ## [Double Yolk Eggs and Bayes' Theorem](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/double-yolk-eggs-and-bayes-theorem/968180)
**Author:** [@Ynnad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ynnad)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [July 20, 2022, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/double-yolk-eggs-and-bayes-theorem/968180 "2022-07-20T02:23:31Z")
What are the chances of cracking open three double yolk (chicken) eggs in a row? A cursory Internet search suggests that about 1 in 1000 eggs has a double yolk. One might naively calculate the odds of three double yolk… --- ## [Why do we use amp-hours instead of watt-hours for battery capacity?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-use-amp-hours-instead-of-watt-hours-for-battery-capacity/968007)
**Author:** [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [July 17, 2022, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-use-amp-hours-instead-of-watt-hours-for-battery-capacity/968007 "2022-07-17T00:45:39Z")
The battery capacity for electronic devices is almost always listed in amp hours/milliamp hours. A common range for a phone battery is something like 2500-4000mah (2.5-4 ah) But amp-hours is specific to the voltage the … --- ## [Michael Clayton Question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-clayton-question/482498)
**Author:** [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2022, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-clayton-question/482498 "2022-07-19T17:34:26Z")
--- ## [Questions about WB Yeats in London](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-wb-yeats-in-london/968142)
**Author:** [@Octagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octagon)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2022, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-wb-yeats-in-london/968142 "2022-07-19T14:52:17Z")
Yeats appears to have lived in London as a child from 1867 and moved back to Ireland (Sligo?) 1880. But he wrote Lake Isle of Innisfree in London in 1888. Was he living at Fitzroy Road, Primrose Hill, London, NW1 8TP, (… --- ## [What Would Be the Result: "cocktail of lye and sulfuric acid"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-the-result-cocktail-of-lye-and-sulfuric-acid/967980)
**Author:** [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Replies:** 44\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2022, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-the-result-cocktail-of-lye-and-sulfuric-acid/967980 "2022-07-19T01:16:33Z")
I am reading a new book: Chrysalis: A Thriller By Lincoln Child with the following excerpt: “The real Reginald Bryant was at this moment stuffed inside a metal drum, his molecular bonds loosening in a cocktail of lye and… --- ## [In Languages Other Than English, Do (Song)Birds "Sing"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-languages-other-than-english-do-song-birds-sing/968104)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [July 18, 2022, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-languages-other-than-english-do-song-birds-sing/968104 "2022-07-18T23:13:59Z")
And if so, are songbirds called “birds of song” or whatever? --- ## [Does rinsing beans reduce their gas-producing qualities?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-rinsing-beans-reduce-their-gas-producing-qualities/968065)
**Author:** [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [July 18, 2022, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-rinsing-beans-reduce-their-gas-producing-qualities/968065 "2022-07-18T22:59:54Z")
My wife insists on rinsing beans before cooking with the argument that it reduces the beans’ gas-giving properties (even canned beans, which don’t otherwise need to be rinsed). I said that beans give you gas because we d… --- ## [Having a cat with a dog door](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/having-a-cat-with-a-dog-door/957607)
**Author:** [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [July 18, 2022, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/having-a-cat-with-a-dog-door/957607 "2022-07-18T18:14:41Z")
I have 2 dogs and was thinking about getting an indoor cat. But then I realized the cat will go out the dog door too which I don’t want. Is there any way to avoid this problem? Don’t want an outdoor cat . --- ## [USN speak, pre WWII: "Fitted but retained"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usn-speak-pre-wwii-fitted-but-retained/967852)
**Author:** [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [July 18, 2022, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usn-speak-pre-wwii-fitted-but-retained/967852 "2022-07-18T16:04:29Z")
I came across this in The Good Shepherd by CS Forester, but I think it’s a historic term, so I’m putting it here. The novel is about a USN captain who is commanding a convoy escort soon after the US enters the war. Som… --- ## [Another cell phone trouble shooting thread (Samsung)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-cell-phone-trouble-shooting-thread-samsung/968113)
**Author:** [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [July 18, 2022, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-cell-phone-trouble-shooting-thread-samsung/968113 "2022-07-18T14:22:57Z")
My texting app worked fine. Then it stopped showing text notifications from my daughter (you know, the little number pop-up?), but still did a sound alert, and showed a pop-up from anybody else. Then today, no more pop-u… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=194) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=196)