# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=207 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 208 --- ## [Has organized crime ever hurt/killed someone as a favor for a super low level person?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-organized-crime-ever-hurt-killed-someone-as-a-favor-for-a-super-low-level-person/964732)
**Author:** [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [May 20, 2022, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-organized-crime-ever-hurt-killed-someone-as-a-favor-for-a-super-low-level-person/964732 "2022-05-20T22:28:56Z")
I’ve seen this plot point in fiction a number of times, but basically somebody who’s literally either just a cousin of a Mafia/cartel member or is basically just a super low level “associate” with no real pull in the mob… --- ## [Can horseradish cause an actual burn?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-horseradish-cause-an-actual-burn/616199)
**Author:** [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [May 20, 2022, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-horseradish-cause-an-actual-burn/616199 "2022-05-20T20:19:28Z")
I really love horseradish and wasabi (which I know is generally composed of horseradish outside Japan). I love the burny feeling. But, as I was eating some wasabi peas, it got me to wondering if eating too many of them m… --- ## [My Computer Keeps Thinking I'm Offline](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-computer-keeps-thinking-im-offline/964693)
**Author:** [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [May 20, 2022, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-computer-keeps-thinking-im-offline/964693 "2022-05-20T15:07:59Z")
I’m usually pretty good at figuring stuff like this out, but I am stumped (and frustrated)! I have Verizon FiOS for cable and internet, and three weeks ago both services went down for ~36 hours. A tech had to fix someth… --- ## [Water crisis out west. AZ,CO,CA and NV](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-crisis-out-west-az-co-ca-and-nv/964569)
**Author:** [@EDOK9Trainer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EDOK9Trainer)\ **Replies:** 47\ **Last updated:** [May 20, 2022, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-crisis-out-west-az-co-ca-and-nv/964569 "2022-05-20T14:44:23Z")
I live in the eastern US but our son and his family are in AZ. I spent time in AZ (Yuma) for work before retiring for good. Seems like every time I open the paper or listen to the news I am hearing more and more on the… --- ## [Is it really this easy to circumvent a MacBook passord?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-really-this-easy-to-circumvent-a-macbook-passord/964724)
**Author:** [@Danger\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danger_Man)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [May 20, 2022, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-really-this-easy-to-circumvent-a-macbook-passord/964724 "2022-05-20T06:26:59Z")
I forgot the password for my new m1 MacBook Pro using If you can't reset your Mac login password - Apple Support . Specifically the directions under “Use the Reset Password assistant”. I was able to select a new passwor… --- ## [VPN/VDI - a question about privacy](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vpn-vdi-a-question-about-privacy/832000)
**Author:** [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [May 19, 2022, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vpn-vdi-a-question-about-privacy/832000 "2022-05-19T22:44:51Z")
I very often need to remotely access the information system at my place of work. Ever since that system has been available, I have accessed it via a web link, usually from my home computer. Works like a charm, for me at … --- ## [EMP box layers?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emp-box-layers/964561)
**Author:** [@sbright33](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sbright33)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [May 19, 2022, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emp-box-layers/964561 "2022-05-19T21:50:56Z")
I’m making a box to protect small devices out of cardboard and 2 layers of aluminum foil. Should these 2 layers be connected together electrically or isolated by the cardboard between them? Where would the connection be?… --- ## [Missing Outlook Favorites folder](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missing-outlook-favorites-folder/964697)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [May 19, 2022, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missing-outlook-favorites-folder/964697 "2022-05-19T21:37:23Z")
I fat-fingered Outlook this morning. I have a many folders under ‘Favorites’. When I went to file an email under a certain folder, the folder is missing. I have no idea where it went after my slip. I did find an arch… --- ## [Plastic Bag Death, How?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plastic-bag-death-how/607458)
**Author:** [@TXJoe33](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TXJoe33)\ **Replies:** 90\ **Last updated:** [May 19, 2022, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plastic-bag-death-how/607458 "2022-05-19T21:35:16Z")
I went into the mall a few days ago. I usually always go into the jewelry store to talk to one of the workers there who I have known for about a year. He wasn’t there when I asked for him. The manager pulled me aside … --- ## [Where are the two Voyagers headed?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-the-two-voyagers-headed/825985)
**Author:** [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [May 19, 2022, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-the-two-voyagers-headed/825985 "2022-05-19T17:41:46Z")
So, Voyager 2 has slipped past the edge of the heliosphere: Nasa’s Voyager 2 probe ‘leaves the Solar System’ So where are they headed? are they keeping in roughly the same direction, or have their paths diverged? an… --- ## [How Did The Declaration of Independence Actually Get Into King George III's Hands?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-declaration-of-independence-actually-get-into-king-george-iiis-hands/963632)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [May 19, 2022, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-declaration-of-independence-actually-get-into-king-george-iiis-hands/963632 "2022-05-19T07:58:07Z")
Did he read it in the newspaper like everybody else in England? Did the Continental Congress send a messenger specifically to take it to him? BONUS QUESTION: Were there England-bound ships heading out of New York Harbor… --- ## [Imperial Star Destroyer as a meteorite](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imperial-star-destroyer-as-a-meteorite/964343)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [May 19, 2022, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imperial-star-destroyer-as-a-meteorite/964343 "2022-05-19T05:58:34Z")
Fictional situation, looking for a factual answer. IIRC, an Imperial Star Destroyer from Star Wars is about a mile long. In the movies, we see them wrecked on planets. But if an ISD were to be ‘shot down’ in real life… --- ## [Percent of all 1-A's drafted in WW2?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/percent-of-all-1-as-drafted-in-ww2/964474)
**Author:** [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [May 18, 2022, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/percent-of-all-1-as-drafted-in-ww2/964474 "2022-05-18T16:58:54Z")
Let’s say an American man was between the ages of 18 and 23 from 1941 to 1945. In good health, not otherwise deferred or ineligible to serve. Prime meat, especially given that at one point they were prepared to call up m… --- ## [Problem with IPAD](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-with-ipad/964576)
**Author:** [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [May 18, 2022, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-with-ipad/964576 "2022-05-18T15:52:23Z")
I have an older IPad. From 2015. This past 2 weeks something odd has happened. I cannot get into the message board section of the SDMB. All I get is a blank page. I can get into the home page and Cecils message and suc… --- ## [Why is my hibiscus plant dying?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-hibiscus-plant-dying/942862)
**Author:** [@teddybound](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teddybound)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [May 18, 2022, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-hibiscus-plant-dying/942862 "2022-05-18T14:50:15Z")
Any green experts here? My plant is just having these yellow spots and then the leaf dies. There are no insects underleaf though… so what’s wrong? --- ## [What Does 'First' Mean In The Title Of A Business?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-first-mean-in-the-title-of-a-business/964532)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [May 18, 2022, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-first-mean-in-the-title-of-a-business/964532 "2022-05-18T03:18:05Z")
The First Baptist Church of Minnesota or The First Bank of New York. I could go on and on. What does it mean when a place or business calls itself the first? Are they the first ones to take that title? Or are they first… --- ## [Old Magazine Ad: Spider Monkeys Through The Mail](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-magazine-ad-spider-monkeys-through-the-mail/190855)
**Author:** [@exvex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/exvex)\ **Replies:** 93\ **Last updated:** [May 18, 2022, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-magazine-ad-spider-monkeys-through-the-mail/190855 "2022-05-18T01:55:51Z")
This must have been 25+ years ago but there used to be an ad every month in the back of Boy’s Life magazine that advertised live spider monkeys you could purchase through the mail. The ad featured a picture of a littl… --- ## [Do uncut fingernails grow forever?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-uncut-fingernails-grow-forever/964501)
**Author:** [@SpacemanSpiff\_II](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpacemanSpiff_II)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [May 17, 2022, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-uncut-fingernails-grow-forever/964501 "2022-05-17T22:37:46Z")
ISTM that they would have to, since the fingernail doesn’t know whether it’s been cut. So if fingernails which are trimmed keep on growing, then fingernails which are not trimmed should keep growing forever too. This wou… --- ## [How hard would it have been to kill a king leading his troops into battle?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-hard-would-it-have-been-to-kill-a-king-leading-his-troops-into-battle/959533)
**Author:** [@themapleleaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/themapleleaf)\ **Replies:** 67\ **Last updated:** [May 17, 2022, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-hard-would-it-have-been-to-kill-a-king-leading-his-troops-into-battle/959533 "2022-05-17T20:21:39Z")
In the past, kings and other rulers would lead their armies into battle. The last British monarch who did this, for example, was George II, at the Battle of Dettingen (1743) and the last major battle where all the bellig… --- ## [Why doesn't the mercury in thermometers shrink in response to low temperatures?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-the-mercury-in-thermometers-shrink-in-response-to-low-temperatures/964499)
**Author:** [@SpacemanSpiff\_II](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpacemanSpiff_II)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [May 17, 2022, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-the-mercury-in-thermometers-shrink-in-response-to-low-temperatures/964499 "2022-05-17T19:01:24Z")
Why is it that these thermometers will measure temperature by having the mercury (or some other substance used in some of the newer ones) expand in response to higher temperatures, but it does not shrink in response to l… --- ## [“Binning” with an old lense to increase sharpness?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/binning-with-an-old-lense-to-increase-sharpness/964534)
**Author:** [@sbright33](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sbright33)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [May 17, 2022, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/binning-with-an-old-lense-to-increase-sharpness/964534 "2022-05-17T16:29:06Z")
I have an old 900mm lens from the 70’s. There is often not enough light to achieve decent sharpness when you pixel peep, even under ideal conditions. It’s always a trade off between iso noise, low aperture blurriness, an… --- ## [Are these cell antennas dangerous to the apartments next to them?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-cell-antennas-dangerous-to-the-apartments-next-to-them/964457)
**Author:** [@cogreg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cogreg)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [May 17, 2022, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-cell-antennas-dangerous-to-the-apartments-next-to-them/964457 "2022-05-17T15:41:02Z")
Just wondering if these cell antennas constitute any danger to the building’s top floor apartments. Picture --- ## [Why is breast tissue so susceptible to cancer when it isn't exposed to toxins?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-breast-tissue-so-susceptible-to-cancer-when-it-isnt-exposed-to-toxins/964432)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [May 17, 2022, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-breast-tissue-so-susceptible-to-cancer-when-it-isnt-exposed-to-toxins/964432 "2022-05-17T13:52:02Z")
With most other forms of cancer, there’s some form of repetitive harm or poison involved - lung cancer, for instance, is because of repeatedly inhaling toxins (i.e smoking,) colon cancer is because of unhealthy diet, ski… --- ## [Could a radio detector be built with 12th century tech?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-radio-detector-be-built-with-12th-century-tech/964085)
**Author:** [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Replies:** 65\ **Last updated:** [May 17, 2022, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-radio-detector-be-built-with-12th-century-tech/964085 "2022-05-17T04:02:36Z")
Let’s say you fell into a time vortex, and ended up stuck in 12th century Europe. You need to find another time vortex to get back. You know, from your extensive knowledge of time vortex physics, that these vortices emit… --- ## [What do you call the cart a crawlspace inspector uses?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-cart-a-crawlspace-inspector-uses/630505)
**Author:** [@EdwardLost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EdwardLost)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [February 23, 2017, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-cart-a-crawlspace-inspector-uses/630505 "2017-02-23T15:42:41Z")
An inspector who went into the crawlspace under my house used a low-slung, 4-wheeled cart to lie down on while he pushed himself around in that very low-clearance space. The wheels were maybe 5 or 6 inches in diameter. I… --- ## [Transferring a message from a phone](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transferring-a-message-from-a-phone/964255)
**Author:** [@SpacemanSpiff\_II](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpacemanSpiff_II)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [May 16, 2022, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transferring-a-message-from-a-phone/964255 "2022-05-16T11:58:15Z")
If I have a phone message recorded on my phone and want to transfer it to some MP3 or similar format and store it elsewhere, is there a method better than holding up some recording device close to the phone and playing t… --- ## [GAAP: Journaling the use of personal car for self-employed business purposes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaap-journaling-the-use-of-personal-car-for-self-employed-business-purposes/964211)
**Author:** [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [May 16, 2022, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaap-journaling-the-use-of-personal-car-for-self-employed-business-purposes/964211 "2022-05-16T03:20:47Z")
Suppose I have a small consulting business and use my car for local travel. The car is not exclusively for the business; I do not depreciate the car as a business asset. What is the correct handling of this? Am I entitle… --- ## [What Is This Drinking Vessel Called? I Want One!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-drinking-vessel-called-i-want-one/964412)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [May 16, 2022, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-drinking-vessel-called-i-want-one/964412 "2022-05-16T02:40:57Z")
This woman is drinking out of a strange but beautiful drinking vessel in a Spanish town. What’s it called? --- ## [How Does my Blender Detect if lid is on?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-my-blender-detect-if-lid-is-on/964161)
**Author:** [@edwin\_klockars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwin_klockars)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [May 14, 2022, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-my-blender-detect-if-lid-is-on/964161 "2022-05-14T22:34:01Z")
I’ve often wondered how the safety feature works on my Blendtec blender which causes the machine not to turn on unless the plastic lid (Latching Lid – Blendtec ) is securely on the jar. I am pretty sure there are no sen… --- ## [High prices for used books](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-prices-for-used-books/964298)
**Author:** [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [May 14, 2022, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-prices-for-used-books/964298 "2022-05-14T20:45:17Z")
I recall, or think I recall, a thread on this, but couldn’t find it. Looking for a used book online, the same book in the same condition ranges in price from $2 to $250 at different sellers. The book isn’t rare or anythi… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=206) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=208)