# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=245 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 246 --- ## [Pressure cooking and alcoholic content](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pressure-cooking-and-alcoholic-content/953918)
**Author:** [@Oly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oly)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [November 9, 2021, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pressure-cooking-and-alcoholic-content/953918 "2021-11-09T09:19:42Z")
Question: Ifyou were to put an alcoholic beverage into a pressure cooker such as an Instant Pot and pressure cook it for a while, would that affect the alcoholic content? --- ## [Facebook post extraction](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-post-extraction/953925)
**Author:** [@civilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/civilis)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [November 9, 2021, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-post-extraction/953925 "2021-11-09T06:24:30Z")
Two years ago I started a group to report to family and friends on a road trip that 7 of us guys took from Canada to Costa Rica to help deliver a 1979 motorhome. During the course of this trip due to the numerous photos… --- ## [Is the heat from peppers cumulative in a dish?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-heat-from-peppers-cumulative-in-a-dish/953744)
**Author:** [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2021, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-heat-from-peppers-cumulative-in-a-dish/953744 "2021-11-08T22:17:46Z")
For example, are ten Hatch peppers in a stew way hotter than, say, two Hatch peppers in a stew? I couldn’t seem to find a definitive answer to this. --- ## [Can I remove the alcohol from alcoholic drinks (e.g. beer, wine, whiskey) and then add it back later and have the same product?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-remove-the-alcohol-from-alcoholic-drinks-e-g-beer-wine-whiskey-and-then-add-it-back-later-and-have-the-same-product/953953)
**Author:** [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2021, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-remove-the-alcohol-from-alcoholic-drinks-e-g-beer-wine-whiskey-and-then-add-it-back-later-and-have-the-same-product/953953 "2021-11-08T17:54:47Z")
If I distilled all of the alcohol out of beer or wine or whiskey (or take your pick) would I be left with beer juice, wine juice and whiskey juice sans alcohol? Could I then make them as they were by simply mixing pure … --- ## [Did saloons in the wild west serve beer collected from overflow trays?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-saloons-in-the-wild-west-serve-beer-collected-from-overflow-trays/953850)
**Author:** [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2021, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-saloons-in-the-wild-west-serve-beer-collected-from-overflow-trays/953850 "2021-11-08T16:37:13Z")
In western films sometimes you see them serving a cheap ‘all sorts’ beer which appears to be beer collected from the overflow/drips trays, or possibly collected from the dregs at bottom of the barrels. Did this really oc… --- ## [Fluorescent light fixture not working---bulbs glowing a faint orange?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fluorescent-light-fixture-not-working-bulbs-glowing-a-faint-orange/953484)
**Author:** [@batsto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/batsto)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2021, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fluorescent-light-fixture-not-working-bulbs-glowing-a-faint-orange/953484 "2021-11-08T14:14:43Z")
I have a fluorescent tube lighting fixture in my basement—it’s quite old (it was here when I moved in 18 years ago, and it looked old then, so who knows when it was put in). Both bulbs went out at the same time–just a f… --- ## [Rocket motor thought](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocket-motor-thought/953707)
**Author:** [@Kedikat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kedikat)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2021, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocket-motor-thought/953707 "2021-11-08T13:40:36Z")
I know there is an immense amount of engineering that goes into the shape of rocket motor nozzles. Maximizing the impulsive force transferred to the vehicle during combustion of the fuel. I am wondering if a sort of fla… --- ## [Can you really end up on the sex offender registry for public urination?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-really-end-up-on-the-sex-offender-registry-for-public-urination/953904)
**Author:** [@GrilledCheese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrilledCheese)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2021, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-really-end-up-on-the-sex-offender-registry-for-public-urination/953904 "2021-11-08T05:02:23Z")
I sometimes see people question the efficacy and fairness of the sex offender registry by claiming you can be convicted of indecent exposure and required to register merely for being caught urinating in public. If true, … --- ## [Headphone wire repair](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/headphone-wire-repair/953808)
**Author:** [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [November 7, 2021, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/headphone-wire-repair/953808 "2021-11-07T23:08:35Z")
I have a pair of Bose Soundsport wired earbuds that I really like – they are the only wired headphones that stay in my ears. So, of course, the wire has gone bad. They have a mic and an inline remote. I cut off the ja… --- ## [Can one theoretically travel faster than light relativistically?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-one-theoretically-travel-faster-than-light-relativistically/950057)
**Author:** [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Replies:** 322\ **Last updated:** [November 7, 2021, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-one-theoretically-travel-faster-than-light-relativistically/950057 "2021-11-07T22:17:04Z")
Time goes differently for those on the ‘spaceship’ then on earth. For the people on the spaceship would it be possible to travel let’s say 10 light years in less than 10 years ‘ship time’ if traveling near the SoL? --- ## [Is a concrete floor in the garage - colder?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-concrete-floor-in-the-garage-colder/953911)
**Author:** [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [November 7, 2021, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-concrete-floor-in-the-garage-colder/953911 "2021-11-07T20:40:33Z")
Background : We live in the Houston, TX area where temperatures goes below freezing a couple of times a year (not counting last snowmageddon). Our frost line is less than 6 inches deep (https://charlesandhudson.com/wp-… --- ## [Looking for a US fast-food prices time series](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-us-fast-food-prices-time-series/953938)
**Author:** [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [November 7, 2021, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-us-fast-food-prices-time-series/953938 "2021-11-07T16:29:07Z")
This article contains a plot showing time series for fast-food average hourly wage and fast-food prices. The article sites DOL, and I’m assuming this is part of the CPI basket, but I can’t find the series on prices. I kn… --- ## [What’s the risk I’d damage my iPad using it as a makeshift photography light box?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-the-risk-i-d-damage-my-ipad-using-it-as-a-makeshift-photography-light-box/953929)
**Author:** [@TwoCarrotSnowman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwoCarrotSnowman)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [November 7, 2021, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-the-risk-i-d-damage-my-ipad-using-it-as-a-makeshift-photography-light-box/953929 "2021-11-07T14:41:11Z")
I know this sounds a bit crazy, but hear me out… :grinning: I want to do some macro still life photography. One of the subjects I want to experiment with is a pile of coarse-grain salt. I want a dark, reflective surface… --- ## [Energy released by nuclear fusion](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/energy-released-by-nuclear-fusion/953897)
**Author:** [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [November 7, 2021, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/energy-released-by-nuclear-fusion/953897 "2021-11-07T12:28:00Z")
When atomic nuclei are fused, in what form is usable heat produced? Recently I found out I was wrong about a pretty fundamental part of nuclear fission - the radiation produced in the fission reaction is relatively smal… --- ## [When you start to think you remember something and the memory doesn't form](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-start-to-think-you-remember-something-and-the-memory-doesnt-form/953585)
**Author:** [@themapleleaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/themapleleaf)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [November 7, 2021, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-start-to-think-you-remember-something-and-the-memory-doesnt-form/953585 "2021-11-07T06:28:13Z")
Here’s something that happens to me from time to time, and I wonder if this is an identified phenomenon. It’s a bit like deja-vu, but only in my mind. What happens is, I will start to have a memory or image develop in my… --- ## [CT with contrast and metformin](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ct-with-contrast-and-metformin/953820)
**Author:** [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [November 7, 2021, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ct-with-contrast-and-metformin/953820 "2021-11-07T02:15:05Z")
Factual question, not a request for medical advice. I have a CT with contrast tomorrow. The barium drink, while far from delicious, wasn’t as bad a colonoscopy prep (and was nothing like "drinking latex paint, which I ha… --- ## [What happens to my health insurance deductibles and out of pocket if I have to add dependents in the middle of the benefit year?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-my-health-insurance-deductibles-and-out-of-pocket-if-i-have-to-add-dependents-in-the-middle-of-the-benefit-year/953647)
**Author:** [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [November 6, 2021, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-my-health-insurance-deductibles-and-out-of-pocket-if-i-have-to-add-dependents-in-the-middle-of-the-benefit-year/953647 "2021-11-06T23:02:38Z")
I have a HDHP for self and spouse. The year runs April-March. I have 2 children with other coverage. The plan has a plan deductible, individual out of pocket max, and plan out of pocket max. I have met the plan deductib… --- ## [Empty Folders in Windows](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/empty-folders-in-windows/953866)
**Author:** [@Petek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Petek)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [November 6, 2021, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/empty-folders-in-windows/953866 "2021-11-06T19:46:21Z")
This article describes a bug in Windows 10 and 11 systems in which folders whose name begins with tw and ends with the extension .tmp might be created in the folder C:\\Windows\\System32\\config\\systemprofile\\AppData\\Lo… --- ## [Is lt possible for the Earth to have a second Luna sized moon?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lt-possible-for-the-earth-to-have-a-second-luna-sized-moon/953830)
**Author:** [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [November 6, 2021, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lt-possible-for-the-earth-to-have-a-second-luna-sized-moon/953830 "2021-11-06T03:29:50Z")
…or would such a system be too unstable to last? --- ## [What's the etymology of mandolin-the-kitchen-utensil?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-etymology-of-mandolin-the-kitchen-utensil/953817)
**Author:** [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [November 5, 2021, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-etymology-of-mandolin-the-kitchen-utensil/953817 "2021-11-05T14:34:05Z")
Where does the word mandolin, as in the kitchen utensil, come from? --- ## [Is there any truth to the "cow skull lying in the desert" trope?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-truth-to-the-cow-skull-lying-in-the-desert-trope/953586)
**Author:** [@themapleleaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/themapleleaf)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [November 4, 2021, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-truth-to-the-cow-skull-lying-in-the-desert-trope/953586 "2021-11-04T23:57:20Z")
We’ve all seen it. The image of a desert or “badlands”-type landscape in the American Southwest or other Wild West or pioneer-related location. Among the cacti, sand, dry soil, etc. one or more cow (or perhaps buffalo) s… --- ## [Can somebody explain to me how the Third Amendment is not incorporated?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-somebody-explain-to-me-how-the-third-amendment-is-not-incorporated/953710)
**Author:** [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [November 4, 2021, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-somebody-explain-to-me-how-the-third-amendment-is-not-incorporated/953710 "2021-11-04T16:16:37Z")
I was reading a legal article about the doctrine of incorporation and it said that the Third Amendment is not incorporated. Which surprised me. I realize that the Third Amendment isn’t the subject of a lot of case law. … --- ## [Hernia repair today versus 64 years ago](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hernia-repair-today-versus-64-years-ago/953747)
**Author:** [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [November 4, 2021, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hernia-repair-today-versus-64-years-ago/953747 "2021-11-04T12:43:42Z")
Ms. Napier had an inguinal hernia repaired yesterday. I had one repaired in 1957 as an infant. I’m just curious how different the procedure is today versus 64 years ago. Hers was done laparoscopically which didn’t exist… --- ## [First Prophet of Global Warming](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-prophet-of-global-warming/953641)
**Author:** [@SpacemanSpiff\_II](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpacemanSpiff_II)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [November 3, 2021, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-prophet-of-global-warming/953641 "2021-11-03T23:21:19Z")
This is about global warming specifically, not the currently fashionable “climate change”. Various scientists have been aware of the notion of variations in climate and human influence on that for some time. What I’m won… --- ## [Best Buy purchase shows up as 'In-home Golf' in my checking account](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-buy-purchase-shows-up-as-in-home-golf-in-my-checking-account/722184)
**Author:** [@mack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mack)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [November 3, 2021, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-buy-purchase-shows-up-as-in-home-golf-in-my-checking-account/722184 "2021-11-03T11:47:39Z")
I bought a couple of things from a local (NYC) best buy on Saturday. Later that night I saw a charge in my account from IN-HOME GOLF. At first I thought someone got a hold of my account information but the amount of $ an… --- ## [Would a bank really contact you over a "suspicious check" if the details are legitimate?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-bank-really-contact-you-over-a-suspicious-check-if-the-details-are-legitimate/953666)
**Author:** [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [November 3, 2021, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-bank-really-contact-you-over-a-suspicious-check-if-the-details-are-legitimate/953666 "2021-11-03T05:18:20Z")
There’s been some serious family drama going on in my family. Long story short, I have an aunt and uncle who have a daughter who has been disowned by the family for a year now over her stealing a car for drug money after… --- ## [Why does male pattern baldness stop](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-male-pattern-baldness-stop/953544)
**Author:** [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [November 3, 2021, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-male-pattern-baldness-stop/953544 "2021-11-03T03:06:15Z")
We all know what male pattern baldness - androgenetic alopecia - looks like. It’s higher regular to the point of cliche. It’s causes are pretty well known. But I can’t find any articles that tell me exactly why the bald… --- ## [Could I get a tax write off for all my groceries if I started a "Youtube cooking channel"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-i-get-a-tax-write-off-for-all-my-groceries-if-i-started-a-youtube-cooking-channel/951770)
**Author:** [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Replies:** 47\ **Last updated:** [November 2, 2021, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-i-get-a-tax-write-off-for-all-my-groceries-if-i-started-a-youtube-cooking-channel/951770 "2021-11-02T19:54:27Z")
Let’s say I was the tax accountant for a professional TV cooking show like Rachel Ray. All of the ingredients that she uses on camera to prepare the dish of the day are unambiguously considered work related expenses and … --- ## [“The class of…”](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-class-of/953568)
**Author:** [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Replies:** 45\ **Last updated:** [November 2, 2021, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-class-of/953568 "2021-11-02T19:45:26Z")
This is one of those questions the answer to which must be obvious to most people, but I’m not sure about correct usage so I’m asking anyway: In American usage, when referring to “the class of” some educational instituti… --- ## [Corporate tax avoidance: is the tax money lost and gone forever?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corporate-tax-avoidance-is-the-tax-money-lost-and-gone-forever/953467)
**Author:** [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [November 2, 2021, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corporate-tax-avoidance-is-the-tax-money-lost-and-gone-forever/953467 "2021-11-02T18:46:42Z")
There are a fair amount of stories about how Fortune 500 companies avoid paying income tax, some effectively ending up paying no taxes at all despite making billions. This seems especially galling when companies like Ama… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=244) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=246)