# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=222 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 223 --- ## [When - and how - would we detect an interstellar object the size of the Moon headed right at us?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-would-we-detect-an-interstellar-object-the-size-of-the-moon-headed-right-at-us/960256)
**Author:** [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Replies:** 48\ **Last updated:** [March 4, 2022, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-would-we-detect-an-interstellar-object-the-size-of-the-moon-headed-right-at-us/960256 "2022-03-04T23:47:37Z")
Supposing a Moon-like object approaches the Solar System on a collision path with Earth (or the Moon!). When and how do we detect it? We can assume this object is spherical and roughly 3,500 km in diameter. With my bas… --- ## [Henry Blake's plane was shot down over the Sea Of Japan](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/henry-blakes-plane-was-shot-down-over-the-sea-of-japan/806031)
**Author:** [@Jay\_Z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jay_Z)\ **Replies:** 46\ **Last updated:** [March 4, 2022, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/henry-blakes-plane-was-shot-down-over-the-sea-of-japan/806031 "2022-03-04T20:42:42Z")
This famous event in the TV Series MAS\*H… how likely was it? I will preface this by saying I am not a war or Korean War expert in any way. So feel free to correct me if necessary! However, based on what I know, it wou… --- ## [What happens if there's a long-term electricity outage that covers a large area?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-theres-a-long-term-electricity-outage-that-covers-a-large-area/959829)
**Author:** [@anny\_m](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anny_m)\ **Replies:** 71\ **Last updated:** [March 4, 2022, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-theres-a-long-term-electricity-outage-that-covers-a-large-area/959829 "2022-03-04T17:36:00Z")
Although I haven’t seen anything recently, for a time there was a spate of articles claiming that the electrical grid in the US was susceptible to hacking. (Usually the article implied Russian hackers might do this.) A… --- ## [Graphing: x- and y- intercepts](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/graphing-x-and-y-intercepts/960265)
**Author:** [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [March 4, 2022, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/graphing-x-and-y-intercepts/960265 "2022-03-04T13:12:50Z")
Is this really only relevant if you have to manually graph a line or curve on graph paper, or does it have some mathematical significance? IOW is it a theoretical or practical matter? --- ## [Electrons, Muons, and Taus](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electrons-muons-and-taus/960178)
**Author:** [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [March 3, 2022, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electrons-muons-and-taus/960178 "2022-03-03T22:55:22Z")
My understanding of current theory is that electrons are excitations in the electron field that, let’s say, “twists it into some kind of knot.” Are muons and taus, then excitations of their own fields, or might they be … --- ## [Wasp, bees won't sting if you hold your breath](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasp-bees-wont-sting-if-you-hold-your-breath/587120)
**Author:** [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Replies:** 53\ **Last updated:** [March 3, 2022, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasp-bees-wont-sting-if-you-hold-your-breath/587120 "2022-03-03T22:37:33Z")
My grandmother told me this when I was a kid. Hold your breath and a curious wasp or bee won’t sting. Closes your pores and they can’t sting you. Also, you tend to stand still when holding your breath. :smiley: This o… --- ## [What do we know about Russian control of nuclear launches?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-we-know-about-russian-control-of-nuclear-launches/960189)
**Author:** [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [March 3, 2022, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-we-know-about-russian-control-of-nuclear-launches/960189 "2022-03-03T18:32:35Z")
Inspired by the way the Ukraine war is going, and the seeming increasing possibility that Ukraine can win. What if Putin, for whatever reason, orders that nuclear weapons be launched as a first strike? What kind of saf… --- ## [Weaponized Architecture?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weaponized-architecture/960340)
**Author:** [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [March 3, 2022, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weaponized-architecture/960340 "2022-03-03T13:42:40Z")
Is there any way to use a city as a weapon? A lot of energy goes into the production and maintenance of a city. Concrete and steel are lifted into the sky, creating a lot of potential energy. A lot of electricity powers… --- ## [Computer monitor cables: why monodirectional?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-monitor-cables-why-monodirectional/960356)
**Author:** [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [March 3, 2022, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-monitor-cables-why-monodirectional/960356 "2022-03-03T10:03:01Z")
I have a laptop PC with an HDMI port on it, and an external monitor with a DisplayPort, and would like to connect the two. I am finding that some of the cables that feature the right connectors for the job, like this on… --- ## [Converting a freezer to an A/C unit](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/converting-a-freezer-to-an-a-c-unit/194706)
**Author:** [@Mort\_Furd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mort_Furd)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [March 3, 2022, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/converting-a-freezer-to-an-a-c-unit/194706 "2022-03-03T06:35:25Z")
Many of you have no doubt heard that parts of Europe are having a pretty bad heat wave. What with one thing and another, it is neither practical nor economical for me to buy an A/C unit right now. For one thing, the av… --- ## [Question about an accident that happened in the 2000s](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-an-accident-that-happened-in-the-2000s/960381)
**Author:** [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [March 3, 2022, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-an-accident-that-happened-in-the-2000s/960381 "2022-03-03T03:48:21Z")
Okay, I’m looking for links to a story that I’m pretty sure happened in the “oughts” and it’s proving to be a Prevention Of Cruelty To Google Users thing. In short, three female college students who lived in the upper m… --- ## [Who, in the US intelligence community, was in charge of feeding intelligence to Britain during the Falklands crisis?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-in-the-us-intelligence-community-was-in-charge-of-feeding-intelligence-to-britain-during-the-falklands-crisis/960280)
**Author:** [@cannonkuo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cannonkuo)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [March 3, 2022, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-in-the-us-intelligence-community-was-in-charge-of-feeding-intelligence-to-britain-during-the-falklands-crisis/960280 "2022-03-03T02:34:08Z")
Any declassified documents have shown who was the key person carrying out the intelligence feeding. Thank you very much. --- ## [Facebook weirdness: How is this possible?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-weirdness-how-is-this-possible/960369)
**Author:** [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [March 3, 2022, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-weirdness-how-is-this-possible/960369 "2022-03-03T00:39:22Z")
And how can I fix it? My wife sent a PM to her niece on Facebook. For some reason it appeared on my newsfeed. When she went back to Messenger, it wasn’t there, nor is it on her home page. How is this possible, and how do… --- ## [Boric acid and cockroaches](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boric-acid-and-cockroaches/943117)
**Author:** [@Roger\_That](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roger_That)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [March 3, 2022, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boric-acid-and-cockroaches/943117 "2022-03-03T00:24:07Z")
I used to live in NYC (grew up there in fact) and had cockroaches all the time–boric acid left all around the house was a popular remedy. What’s the current thinking? Is it still thought to be effective and cheap, or do… --- ## [Looking for very large pattern buffalo plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-very-large-pattern-buffalo-plaid/960370)
**Author:** [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [March 3, 2022, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-very-large-pattern-buffalo-plaid/960370 "2022-03-03T00:20:20Z")
I saw someone wearing a flannel shirt with a buffalo block pattern, except this one was visually striking because the blocks were HUGE, probably around 6" squares instead of the usual inch or two. The scale was similar t… --- ## [Is it legal for an employee to go on unpaid leave and not have any benefits (at the employee's request?)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-legal-for-an-employee-to-go-on-unpaid-leave-and-not-have-any-benefits-at-the-employees-request/960320)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [March 2, 2022, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-legal-for-an-employee-to-go-on-unpaid-leave-and-not-have-any-benefits-at-the-employees-request/960320 "2022-03-02T22:41:03Z")
I am considering taking a long period of unpaid-leave absence from my company (long story) - perhaps 1 year or even longer - but the only way I think I could get this approved would be if my employer didn’t have to provi… --- ## [Composing music in dreams?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/composing-music-in-dreams/621290)
**Author:** [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [March 2, 2022, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/composing-music-in-dreams/621290 "2022-03-02T22:09:53Z")
I recently read that any face you “see” while dreaming is really a memory of a face you’ve seen while awake. What about hearing music in dreams? I am not a musician but last night I dreamed about hearing a tune or even p… --- ## [Are there any 3D picture phone apps available?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-3d-picture-phone-apps-available/943306)
**Author:** [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [March 2, 2022, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-3d-picture-phone-apps-available/943306 "2022-03-02T20:13:05Z")
For phones that have three or more lens, are there any good phone apps that actually allow you to take 3D pictures (not 360 degree pictures, but actual 3D), preferably for Android phones? --- ## [Family Member just Died with no will - Who Has Right to Make Funeral Arrangements?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-member-just-died-with-no-will-who-has-right-to-make-funeral-arrangements/960218)
**Author:** [@edwin\_klockars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwin_klockars)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [March 2, 2022, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-member-just-died-with-no-will-who-has-right-to-make-funeral-arrangements/960218 "2022-03-02T20:00:14Z")
Context: My family contains a number of estranged members that do not communicate regularly with each other and have differing opinions on key topics such as making arrangements for this funeral. Question: Typically sp… --- ## [How would I get a cat to space?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-i-get-a-cat-to-space/960250)
**Author:** [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [March 2, 2022, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-i-get-a-cat-to-space/960250 "2022-03-02T16:03:55Z")
I was thinking about Alien/s and Ripley’s cat Jonesy. Could a cat survive liftoff in a rocket? Or would it need its own little spacesuit of some kind and presumably sedation? Assuming there’s some sort of artificial grav… --- ## [When a state legalizes marijuana, how do they get the seeds to start growing it](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-a-state-legalizes-marijuana-how-do-they-get-the-seeds-to-start-growing-it/960292)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [March 2, 2022, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-a-state-legalizes-marijuana-how-do-they-get-the-seeds-to-start-growing-it/960292 "2022-03-02T01:42:59Z")
Basically what I’m asking is this. A state decides to start cultivating marijuana for legal sale and wants to grow about ~200 varieties. How do they get the seeds? The state may be surrounded on all sides by illegal sta… --- ## [Rodent infestation in car (fast answers appreciated!)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rodent-infestation-in-car-fast-answers-appreciated/960253)
**Author:** [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [March 1, 2022, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rodent-infestation-in-car-fast-answers-appreciated/960253 "2022-03-01T22:41:02Z")
So, it appears there’s some sort of beastie that has set up shop in our Corolla; there is a hole in the seat with stuffing scattered all over the place and some charming little turds. What to do? Both our usual mechanic… --- ## [Do nurses or doctors ever have to masturbate disabled or paralyzed people?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-nurses-or-doctors-ever-have-to-masturbate-disabled-or-paralyzed-people/634572)
**Author:** [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Replies:** 281\ **Last updated:** [March 1, 2022, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-nurses-or-doctors-ever-have-to-masturbate-disabled-or-paralyzed-people/634572 "2022-03-01T22:31:00Z")
I understand that when people can’t (for whatever reason) take care of themselves, their caretakers have to feed them, bathe them, change them, wipe their butts, etc. In the case of professional caretakers, are they eith… --- ## [The use of thermite as an insurgent weapon](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-use-of-thermite-as-an-insurgent-weapon/960114)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [March 1, 2022, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-use-of-thermite-as-an-insurgent-weapon/960114 "2022-03-01T22:22:48Z")
I never hear anything about thermite. It was used in a WWII movie to destroy German artillery in the D-Day invasion, but I (personally) haven’t heard much about it since. It seems easy to make (three parts iron oxide –… --- ## [Cat food scarcity](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-food-scarcity/960144)
**Author:** [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [March 1, 2022, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-food-scarcity/960144 "2022-03-01T21:19:45Z")
Cat food has been getting scarce lately. For the last couple months, there’s not been very much on the shelves and what there is is either the expensive stuff or less popular flavors. I’m talking about wet food here. I d… --- ## [Meaning of symbol? (Pic in thread)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-symbol-pic-in-thread/960191)
**Author:** [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [March 1, 2022, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-symbol-pic-in-thread/960191 "2022-03-01T18:40:15Z")
I was given a purse that has some symbols on it: peace sign, yin-yang, etc. (Yes, it’s very hippie.) But there’s a prominent symbol on one side that I vaguely recognize as a letter (word?) in a foreign-to-me language. I… --- ## [What members of law enforcement are trained/allowed to lie, to whom, and to what extent?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-members-of-law-enforcement-are-trained-allowed-to-lie-to-whom-and-to-what-extent/957670)
**Author:** [@mmmiiikkkeee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mmmiiikkkeee)\ **Replies:** 95\ **Last updated:** [March 1, 2022, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-members-of-law-enforcement-are-trained-allowed-to-lie-to-whom-and-to-what-extent/957670 "2022-03-01T18:26:24Z")
Based on the often repeated “be careful talking to police, they are allowed to lie to you” advice, I have a few questions. I hope these questions are straight-forward enough to be suitable for this forum, and I know the… --- ## [Different types of artillery? (somewhat Ukraine related)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/different-types-of-artillery-somewhat-ukraine-related/960158)
**Author:** [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [March 1, 2022, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/different-types-of-artillery-somewhat-ukraine-related/960158 "2022-03-01T16:16:20Z")
Hi there, the pictures/vid’s of stranded (out of gas?) or broken down russian tanks in the Ukraine had me thinking if in a worst case scenario the turret of a broken down tank could be converted into a (stationary) arti… --- ## [Question about gas & electrical utilities in NYC ca. 1990](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-gas-electrical-utilities-in-nyc-ca-1990/960231)
**Author:** [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [February 28, 2022, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-gas-electrical-utilities-in-nyc-ca-1990/960231 "2022-02-28T16:38:33Z")
Before I submit an IMDb Goof for the movie “tick, tick … BOOM!” I wanted to check on how utilities shut-off for non-payment worked in NYC around 1990. It’s not a significant spoiler to say that at one point in the film,… --- ## [JPG files posted on social media](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jpg-files-posted-on-social-media/960184)
**Author:** [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [February 28, 2022, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jpg-files-posted-on-social-media/960184 "2022-02-28T11:39:05Z")
This may be just a Facebook quirk, but it makes no sense to me. Photos posted on FB vary in how large they appear, how much actual screen real estate they take up. No surprise there, I suppose. But, the “visual” size o… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=221) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=223)