# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=213 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 214 --- ## [Your Cousin's Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-cousins-son/962592)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 58\ **Last updated:** [April 18, 2022, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-cousins-son/962592 "2022-04-18T21:04:51Z")
Now my father, God rest his soul, did talk about this very matter. And I have to say, I do still tend to believe him. Though I have to point out, there may be widespread ignorance about the topic. My cousin had a boy, i… --- ## [Microsoft Office update problem](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-office-update-problem/962967)
**Author:** [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [April 18, 2022, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-office-update-problem/962967 "2022-04-18T17:33:59Z")
I just got a message that microsoft office will update but it errors out and now I can’t use it. I also uninstalled and restarted, but the Office was still there to be uninstalled again. It let me answer a couple of upda… --- ## [Weird hard disk problem](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-hard-disk-problem/962988)
**Author:** [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [April 18, 2022, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-hard-disk-problem/962988 "2022-04-18T17:13:18Z")
My desktop PC, running Windows 10, has an SSD hard drive. It’s nice, but not that huge (half a terabyte), so I have a couple of (regular) external drives attached to it on a regular basis to supplement my storage space a… --- ## [Does saving Cord Blood really save lives?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-saving-cord-blood-really-save-lives/573792)
**Author:** [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [March 7, 2011, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-saving-cord-blood-really-save-lives/573792 "2011-03-07T23:53:07Z")
With a baby on the way my wife and I are looking into all kinds of topics from where to put the baby room to should we save the cord blood? I have been particularly interested in the cord blood issue because I do believ… --- ## [Transfer of territory from one country to another](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transfer-of-territory-from-one-country-to-another/960848)
**Author:** [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\ **Replies:** 45\ **Last updated:** [April 18, 2022, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transfer-of-territory-from-one-country-to-another/960848 "2022-04-18T06:39:54Z")
What are some recent examples (post-WWII) of territory being transferred from one country to another? I’m interested in examples that meet the following criteria: Before the transfer, the territory was recognised by b… --- ## [Electric potential vs. current](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-potential-vs-current/962715)
**Author:** [@komolono](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/komolono)\ **Replies:** 88\ **Last updated:** [April 17, 2022, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-potential-vs-current/962715 "2022-04-17T18:23:02Z")
I’m not sure if I already know the answer, but sometimes I keep wondering how electrons are involved in this. Maybe I forgot. If you don’t know the difference between potential (volts) and current (ampers) you can amuse… --- ## [Missouri vs. Missoura](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missouri-vs-missoura/180155)
**Author:** [@Bradjam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bradjam)\ **Replies:** 69\ **Last updated:** [April 17, 2022, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/missouri-vs-missoura/180155 "2022-04-17T16:58:19Z")
Why is it that some folks (mostly senior citizens, it seems like) pronounce Missouri “Missoura” and Hawaii “Awaia”? Is there some sort of basis or reason for this? --- ## [Why aren't squatters considered to be trespassing?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-squatters-considered-to-be-trespassing/962911)
**Author:** [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Replies:** 38\ **Last updated:** [April 17, 2022, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-squatters-considered-to-be-trespassing/962911 "2022-04-17T16:51:59Z")
A recent article detailed a house sold near Washington D.C. that came with a squatter in the basement. Indeed, the seller was clear that there was a squatter in the basement and it would be up to the buyer to deal with … --- ## [What are nesting birds thinking?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-nesting-birds-thinking/962837)
**Author:** [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [April 17, 2022, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-nesting-birds-thinking/962837 "2022-04-17T15:53:41Z")
A bluebird is carrying moss to our birdhouse, beak by beak, and building a nest. And I got to thinking: what’s he thinking? Animal cognition is, of course, a spectrum. A mating hamster is almost certainly not thinking a… --- ## [Are there "real" cameras that create the Portrait Mode effects of iPhones?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-real-cameras-that-create-the-portrait-mode-effects-of-iphones/962919)
**Author:** [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [April 17, 2022, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-real-cameras-that-create-the-portrait-mode-effects-of-iphones/962919 "2022-04-17T14:03:10Z")
The later iPhones have a camera mode they call “Portrait” that uses distance data from the phone’s LIDAR sensor (which gives a map of distances over its field of view). Portrait mode identifies a subject distance (typica… --- ## [Advice on displaying a graph visually](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-displaying-a-graph-visually/962277)
**Author:** [@moes\_lotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moes_lotion)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [April 17, 2022, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-displaying-a-graph-visually/962277 "2022-04-17T13:55:44Z")
This is a follow-on from my post about the Tower of London test. Using the advice received there I have modeled the problem space as a graph. What I’m looking for now is advice on any existing algorithms for drawing the… --- ## [If Time Doesn't Exist, What Of Time Dilation? And Hyperspheres?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-time-doesnt-exist-what-of-time-dilation-and-hyperspheres/962891)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [April 17, 2022, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-time-doesnt-exist-what-of-time-dilation-and-hyperspheres/962891 "2022-04-17T03:05:49Z")
I guess I can tell you why I am posting this question. I am a little perplexed by this article. It proposes that time may not exist. You know, my fellow board members, I am constantly impressed by your intelligence. I’m… --- ## ["Oh beautiful FOR spacious skies..".......why "for"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-beautiful-for-spacious-skies-why-for/388101)
**Author:** [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [April 16, 2022, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-beautiful-for-spacious-skies-why-for/388101 "2022-04-16T23:18:44Z")
for the linguists out there: what does the word “for” mean in this poem? A whole list of things which are not just beautiful, they are beautiful “for” something. For spacious skies, for amber waves of grain, for pilg… --- ## [USMC uniform question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usmc-uniform-question/962645)
**Author:** [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [April 16, 2022, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usmc-uniform-question/962645 "2022-04-16T22:33:43Z")
Yesterday, my wife and I were watching Blue Bloods, season 12 episode 18 (Long Lost). Very soon into the episode, one of the characters is a United States Marine captain in uniform visiting Commissioner Reagan in the com… --- ## [Purpose of Serial Numbers on Gun?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purpose-of-serial-numbers-on-gun/962660)
**Author:** [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_was_in_Saudi)\ **Replies:** 56\ **Last updated:** [April 16, 2022, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purpose-of-serial-numbers-on-gun/962660 "2022-04-16T13:28:50Z")
(Morning Joe is going off on ghost guns this morning. Some of what they are saying is wrong.) Guns in the US have to have stamped on them: The name of the manufacturer. The size of the bore. The serial number. … --- ## [Is there a mortgage product that uses an existing house as a down payment?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-mortgage-product-that-uses-an-existing-house-as-a-down-payment/962855)
**Author:** [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [April 16, 2022, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-mortgage-product-that-uses-an-existing-house-as-a-down-payment/962855 "2022-04-16T13:06:03Z")
Hypothetical scenario with made up numbers. A person lives in and owns a house worth $100k free and clear. He wants to buy a piece of land and build a house that, when complete, the land and new home will (ETA: COST) $… --- ## [When a new legislative body takes over, do they spend their first few days writing EVERY MUNDANE LAW?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-a-new-legislative-body-takes-over-do-they-spend-their-first-few-days-writing-every-mundane-law/962321)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [April 16, 2022, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-a-new-legislative-body-takes-over-do-they-spend-their-first-few-days-writing-every-mundane-law/962321 "2022-04-16T03:21:49Z")
OK, when a new regime takes over, or a new constitution is put into effect, or a breakaway province gains independence, does the new legislative body start their careers by writing every mundane law that a country needs … --- ## [Presidential Medal of Fitness](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-medal-of-fitness/962826)
**Author:** [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [April 16, 2022, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-medal-of-fitness/962826 "2022-04-16T00:30:08Z")
Does anyone remember this? I used to see the PSAs on tv on saturday morning. It left a feeling in me of Who gets these things? No one in my real life ever mentioned it. I always thought I would qualify and do well. But n… --- ## [Looking for the definition of a Kentucky rifle component called "frisson"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-the-definition-of-a-kentucky-rifle-component-called-frisson/962896)
**Author:** [@Octagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octagon)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [April 15, 2022, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-the-definition-of-a-kentucky-rifle-component-called-frisson/962896 "2022-04-15T22:12:17Z")
Hi I’m looking for the definition of an early rifle (Kentucky rifle)component called “frisson”. I’ve been looking for some time for a defiition for this component but haven’t found any. It resembles 'frizzen" but I’m no… --- ## [How can energy and momentum \*both\* be conserved?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-energy-and-momentum-both-be-conserved/962301)
**Author:** [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [April 15, 2022, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-energy-and-momentum-both-be-conserved/962301 "2022-04-15T20:52:08Z")
Suppose that two bodies collide in a closed system. If I denote their masses and velocities 1 and 2, and their velocities before and after the collision b and a, then the law of conservation of momentum says that the fol… --- ## [Why aren't there anti-torpedo torpedos?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-anti-torpedo-torpedos/222818)
**Author:** [@Deptford](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deptford)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [April 15, 2022, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-anti-torpedo-torpedos/222818 "2022-04-15T15:17:39Z")
I like a good techno-thriller and i picked up a copy of Tom Clancys ‘SSN’ second-hand the other day. As the name suggests it involves submarine warfare and it started me wondering. How come ships don’t have anti-torpedo… --- ## [Is this use of a disabled parking spot illegal?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-use-of-a-disabled-parking-spot-illegal/962370)
**Author:** [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Replies:** 71\ **Last updated:** [April 15, 2022, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-use-of-a-disabled-parking-spot-illegal/962370 "2022-04-15T15:13:53Z")
I have a friend who is disabled. She needs a wheelchair to move around. I sometimes drive her around to places. When I do so, I park in disabled parking spaces so she will have less distance to travel in her chair. Bec… --- ## [What is the best way to finance a 2nd home abroad? In France in our case](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-way-to-finance-a-2nd-home-abroad-in-france-in-our-case/962537)
**Author:** [@Gozu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu)\ **Replies:** 42\ **Last updated:** [April 14, 2022, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-way-to-finance-a-2nd-home-abroad-in-france-in-our-case/962537 "2022-04-14T20:22:11Z")
HI SDMB! The title says it all but here are some financial specifics: Wifey and I have around 80k in cash for a downpayment and we’d like to buy a small apartment for something around 200-300k USD. As far as collatera… --- ## [Is it possible to knot or tangle a snake like in Disney's "Robin Hood", and what would the consequences be for the snake?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-knot-or-tangle-a-snake-like-in-disneys-robin-hood-and-what-would-the-consequences-be-for-the-snake/962734)
**Author:** [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [April 14, 2022, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-knot-or-tangle-a-snake-like-in-disneys-robin-hood-and-what-would-the-consequences-be-for-the-snake/962734 "2022-04-14T19:56:53Z")
In the Disney movie Robin Hood, which is entirely populated by anthropomorphic animals, Prince John, a lion, has a supercilious, sniveling serpent of an advisor, Sir Hiss, who also happens to be the only adult in the roo… --- ## [Is There an Equivalent to the Pulitzer Prize In Law?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-equivalent-to-the-pulitzer-prize-in-law/961787)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [April 14, 2022, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-equivalent-to-the-pulitzer-prize-in-law/961787 "2022-04-14T09:29:04Z")
If you’re a lawyer, is there a chance that, in your career, you’ll be honored for your achievements in the same way that journalists get Pulitzers, scientists get Nobels, mathematicians get Fields Medals, etc.? About the… --- ## [What is this thing stuck on the front of the toilet tank?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-stuck-on-the-front-of-the-toilet-tank/962745)
**Author:** [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [April 13, 2022, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-stuck-on-the-front-of-the-toilet-tank/962745 "2022-04-13T17:32:05Z")
My daughter bought a house and this thing is stuck on the front of one of the toilet tanks. What the heck is it? Seems to be placed there by the previous owner rather than being part of the tank. … --- ## [Where are all the old swords?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-all-the-old-swords/784476)
**Author:** [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Replies:** 60\ **Last updated:** [April 13, 2022, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-all-the-old-swords/784476 "2022-04-13T17:01:57Z")
Just a random question, why dont families have old swords lying in their closets from back in the day? Surely when Ogg the viking retired from his days of raiding he didnt just toss out his old weapons. What about Aramis… --- ## [Are husbands still required to support adulterous wife's children?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-husbands-still-required-to-support-adulterous-wifes-children/962577)
**Author:** [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Replies:** 53\ **Last updated:** [April 13, 2022, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-husbands-still-required-to-support-adulterous-wifes-children/962577 "2022-04-13T16:47:04Z")
I seem to remember some years ago that a man was ordered by a court (don’t know where) to support a child of his wife conceived outside of their marriage, the judge ruling that anything that happens while married belongs… --- ## [Has there ever been anyone who's been successful at representing themselves in court during a major trial?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-anyone-whos-been-successful-at-representing-themselves-in-court-during-a-major-trial/962748)
**Author:** [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [April 13, 2022, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-anyone-whos-been-successful-at-representing-themselves-in-court-during-a-major-trial/962748 "2022-04-13T16:14:16Z")
Hello Everyone, I’m sure there have been countless people who have represented themselves in small claims court and traffic court that haven’t been victorious. But what about a major crime case like murder, rape, etc… H… --- ## [Chemistry of congealed milk](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chemistry-of-congealed-milk/962776)
**Author:** [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [April 13, 2022, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chemistry-of-congealed-milk/962776 "2022-04-13T16:08:37Z")
I make a poor-man’s latte. I pour a couple of ounces of skim milk into my coffee cup, microwave it to heat it, then put the mug in my Keurig machine to make a cup. When the milk is fresh this works great. If the milk is … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=212) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=214)