# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=304 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 305 --- ## [Domain redirect](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/domain-redirect/931497)
**Author:** [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [January 26, 2021, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/domain-redirect/931497 "2021-01-26T01:59:16Z")
I was just reading about a malicious url redirect – something along the lines of an existing site like “mycoolstuff•com” where someone who hates the owner bought “assholegarbage•com” and set up dns to point their domain … --- ## [Why is SpaceX landing rockets on ships in the ocean?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-spacex-landing-rockets-on-ships-in-the-ocean/854939)
**Author:** [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Replies:** 72\ **Last updated:** [January 25, 2021, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-spacex-landing-rockets-on-ships-in-the-ocean/854939 "2021-01-25T23:50:22Z")
Just because it looks hard to prove how advanced they are? Or is it a safety idea? I know some have landed back on land. --- ## [Changing the weight of the oil in my car](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-the-weight-of-the-oil-in-my-car/931335)
**Author:** [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [January 25, 2021, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-the-weight-of-the-oil-in-my-car/931335 "2021-01-25T22:40:53Z")
I know the answer is never do it. BUT it seems that my car (2008 Lexus ES 350) that was originally recommended to use 5W-30 was reevaluated by Toyota and can now use 5W-30; 0W-30 or 0W-20. Being in Northern Colorado in… --- ## [What (Germanic) language is this?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-germanic-language-is-this/931315)
**Author:** [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [January 25, 2021, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-germanic-language-is-this/931315 "2021-01-25T21:05:41Z")
I just got this spam email and I am curious what the language is: Dir hutt en Don vu 5.800.000,00 €. vum Mavis Wanczyk reagéiert mat dësem Code \[MW530342019\] fir den Don ze kréien It is obviously Germanic, but not Ho… --- ## [Home equity greater than mortgage principal ... now what?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-equity-greater-than-mortgage-principal-now-what/930810)
**Author:** [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [January 25, 2021, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-equity-greater-than-mortgage-principal-now-what/930810 "2021-01-25T15:24:03Z")
We bought a “fixer-upper” a couple of years ago. It was pre-foreclosure, and came at a significant discount … in large part because it was such a wreck. We have since put roughly the same amount of $ into renovating it a… --- ## [Economists: Is There A Collective Term For This Type Of Product/Service (explained in OP)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/economists-is-there-a-collective-term-for-this-type-of-product-service-explained-in-op/931287)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [January 25, 2021, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/economists-is-there-a-collective-term-for-this-type-of-product-service-explained-in-op/931287 "2021-01-25T13:58:50Z")
I’m looking for a term that describes the economy that relies on the purchaser pretending that they aren’t purchasing the product for the reason they’re purchasing it. For example, at the head shop, you don’t buy a bong… --- ## [Did ALL fathers in Ancient Rome have the right to kill their children, or only the "paterfamilias"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-all-fathers-in-ancient-rome-have-the-right-to-kill-their-children-or-only-the-paterfamilias/931028)
**Author:** [@themapleleaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/themapleleaf)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [January 25, 2021, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-all-fathers-in-ancient-rome-have-the-right-to-kill-their-children-or-only-the-paterfamilias/931028 "2021-01-25T06:12:17Z")
As a classics scholar, I learned that the “paterfamilias” or oldest male of a family had absolute authority over his children (including adult children). This included the power to sell them into slavery or even to put t… --- ## [What's the cheapest way to bring something from LEO back to earth?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-cheapest-way-to-bring-something-from-leo-back-to-earth/842939)
**Author:** [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Replies:** 72\ **Last updated:** [January 25, 2021, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-cheapest-way-to-bring-something-from-leo-back-to-earth/842939 "2021-01-25T05:38:18Z")
Assume we manage to tow an asteroid from outer space into LEO and we establish a robotic mining colony there to extract platinum and nickel. How do we get the minerals from LEO down to earth affordably while also not tur… --- ## [Street Address = zero?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/street-address-zero/9901)
**Author:** [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [January 25, 2021, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/street-address-zero/9901 "2021-01-25T02:55:02Z")
What happens if (say, in the US, where all the even building address numbers are on the same side of the street, and all the odd numbers are on the opposite side) on a particular street, there exists house #2, and j… --- ## [Any Navy service besides the Russians have a tradition of drinking seawater as initiation? Safety issues?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-navy-service-besides-the-russians-have-a-tradition-of-drinking-seawater-as-initiation-safety-issues/931350)
**Author:** [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [January 25, 2021, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-navy-service-besides-the-russians-have-a-tradition-of-drinking-seawater-as-initiation-safety-issues/931350 "2021-01-25T01:52:58Z")
As shown here in this documentary, at about 8:10 Apparenty newly minted Russian submariners have to drink a half litre of sea water just before they go to sea. While obviously it’s a one time thing, half … --- ## [Longest conveyance by public transportation](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-conveyance-by-public-transportation/925447)
**Author:** [@Yelnick\_McWawa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yelnick_McWawa)\ **Replies:** 38\ **Last updated:** [January 25, 2021, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-conveyance-by-public-transportation/925447 "2021-01-25T01:02:11Z")
Inspired by the thread about longest airplane flight, I’d be curious as to other forms of public transportation. This might apply to the longest scheduled conveyance that contains intermediate stops (e.g. a San Francisc… --- ## [Do artillery shells still explode if they land in mud?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-artillery-shells-still-explode-if-they-land-in-mud/920786)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [January 24, 2021, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-artillery-shells-still-explode-if-they-land-in-mud/920786 "2021-01-24T20:14:35Z")
I’m wondering if artillery shells only typically detonate if they impact something hard, like concrete or solid ground, but won’t go off if they hit soft, deep mud. Seems like in WW1 there would have been many opportunit… --- ## [Kevin Hart's credit card number](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-harts-credit-card-number/930756)
**Author:** [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [January 24, 2021, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-harts-credit-card-number/930756 "2021-01-24T19:19:59Z")
Kevin Hart is doing a series of commercials for Chase Freedom credit cards. In one of them, you clearly see on camera what is supposedly his credit card with the number easily readable. Obviously this is not Hart’s real… --- ## [Freezer evaporator fan not working](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freezer-evaporator-fan-not-working/931305)
**Author:** [@SheilaM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SheilaM)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [January 24, 2021, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freezer-evaporator-fan-not-working/931305 "2021-01-24T17:33:31Z")
I have a Whirlpool refrigerator with a top freezer. The evaporator fan in the freezer (which pushes cold air into the fridge) has quit working. I live in a very rural area, so it is going to be a few days before a repair… --- ## [Can hair ever naturally grow in colors other than the standard ones?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-hair-ever-naturally-grow-in-colors-other-than-the-standard-ones/931329)
**Author:** [@themapleleaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/themapleleaf)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [January 24, 2021, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-hair-ever-naturally-grow-in-colors-other-than-the-standard-ones/931329 "2021-01-24T16:52:51Z")
The standard hair colors that grow naturally are (in various shades) black, brown, red (i.e. a copper-orange), blonde (i.e. a straw-yellow, golden-yellow or a yellow going on red or brown), grey, and white. As I understa… --- ## [What range of carbon chain molecules are edible](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-range-of-carbon-chain-molecules-are-edible/931170)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [January 24, 2021, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-range-of-carbon-chain-molecules-are-edible/931170 "2021-01-24T02:53:09Z")
I was recently reading about ‘coal butter’ which was during ww2, Germany experimented with making margarine out of coal. it worked it just required a lot of energy. It said they used carbon chains of 9-16 carbon in leng… --- ## [Blue blocker eyeglass lenses](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-blocker-eyeglass-lenses/931316)
**Author:** [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [January 23, 2021, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-blocker-eyeglass-lenses/931316 "2021-01-23T23:49:54Z")
I just got a pair of glasses to use for computer use (astigmatism correction plus add for reading distance). I decided to give the blue blocker option a try. They included a blue laser pointer as a promotion. When I poi… --- ## [Do Raccoons Have Hands?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-raccoons-have-hands/931037)
**Author:** [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [January 23, 2021, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-raccoons-have-hands/931037 "2021-01-23T23:42:53Z")
Is there a technical definition of “hands” in the Zoological Sciences? Raccoons, and lemurs, and pandas, and even mice have forepaws that have a lot of dexterity and versatility. But are they “hands” in a formal, scien… --- ## [Inauguration protocol Qs](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inauguration-protocol-qs/931026)
**Author:** [@MustangSal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MustangSal)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [January 23, 2021, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inauguration-protocol-qs/931026 "2021-01-23T18:02:26Z")
First, I noticed VP Harris held her hand over her heart during certain military portions of today’s events, as did other civilians. While President Biden saluted. Is the President, as Commander in Chief, a military per… --- ## [The gap between the VPOTUS swearing-in and the POTUS swearing-in](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gap-between-the-vpotus-swearing-in-and-the-potus-swearing-in/931033)
**Author:** [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [January 23, 2021, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gap-between-the-vpotus-swearing-in-and-the-potus-swearing-in/931033 "2021-01-23T15:23:47Z")
In an inauguration, there are several minutes separating the VPOTUS swearing-in and the POTUS swearing-in. What if an emergency requiring both of their involvements occurs during that time? Would the outgoing President w… --- ## [Roulette wagering - why forbid red and black?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roulette-wagering-why-forbid-red-and-black/3756)
**Author:** [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Replies:** 55\ **Last updated:** [January 23, 2021, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roulette-wagering-why-forbid-red-and-black/3756 "2021-01-23T14:27:16Z")
This week-end in Las Vegas, I tried my hand at roulette the first time. While I put some chips on red, my girlfriend simultaneously placed some on black. Shaking his head at our naivete, the croupier informed us that su… --- ## [When are patients' blood samples stored long-term?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-are-patients-blood-samples-stored-long-term/931277)
**Author:** [@Chad\_Sudan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chad_Sudan)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [January 23, 2021, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-are-patients-blood-samples-stored-long-term/931277 "2021-01-23T13:52:42Z")
Sometimes a patient’s illness is misdiagnosed or goes undiagnosed. This is especially the case when the illness is a new one, as in the early days of AIDS or COVID-19. Once a new illness emerges, tracing a Patient Zero… --- ## [Question on the third stimulus check](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-on-the-third-stimulus-check/931020)
**Author:** [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [January 23, 2021, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-on-the-third-stimulus-check/931020 "2021-01-23T07:14:02Z")
I made a lot more money in 2019 than 2020 so I got screwed with the stimulus which is based on tax year 2019. My understanding is this will be adjusted on this year’s tax return, so we’ll see. My question is about the … --- ## [Scoliosis, wallets, and chiropractors](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scoliosis-wallets-and-chiropractors/542233)
**Author:** [@KingofDorks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KingofDorks)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [January 23, 2021, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scoliosis-wallets-and-chiropractors/542233 "2021-01-23T05:56:09Z")
I’ve noticed that the lower part of my spine curves to the left relative to where the muscles in my lower back are. Also, my right shoulder blade protrudes more than my left should blade. Based on a limited amount of r… --- ## [Was a Jarl ever equivalent to a king?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-a-jarl-ever-equivalent-to-a-king/930664)
**Author:** [@Octagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octagon)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [January 22, 2021, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-a-jarl-ever-equivalent-to-a-king/930664 "2021-01-22T14:45:45Z")
Was there ever a time or place where a was Jarl equivalent to a king? I’ve read jarl equated to a king, called a stand in for a king or just the equivalent of a duke or earl in second place to a king. --- ## [Can a President pardon someone for future crimes they haven't committed yet?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-president-pardon-someone-for-future-crimes-they-havent-committed-yet/931063)
**Author:** [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [January 22, 2021, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-president-pardon-someone-for-future-crimes-they-havent-committed-yet/931063 "2021-01-22T09:03:49Z")
I was wondering if The President can pardon someone for future crimes they haven’t committed yet. For example issuing one that says “I pardon Joe Blow for any crimes he may commit between May 1, 2021 to April 1, 2022.” … --- ## [mRNA vaccine potential?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mrna-vaccine-potential/929505)
**Author:** [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [January 22, 2021, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mrna-vaccine-potential/929505 "2021-01-22T08:53:51Z")
I have questions about mRNA vaccines… The new mRNA covid vaccines are all offering really high effectiveness. Much more effective than any flu vaccine, for example. Are they effective because they’re mRNA based, or is i… --- ## [Drain for 1960s bathtub](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drain-for-1960s-bathtub/931161)
**Author:** [@LivingGhost371](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LivingGhost371)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [January 22, 2021, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drain-for-1960s-bathtub/931161 "2021-01-22T05:02:35Z")
So every resource online says “A bathtub drain is always 1-1/2”. And 1-1/2" bathtub drains are all that Home Depot seems to sell. Problem is my 1960s bathtub appears to be 1-3/4" despite all the resources say bathtubs ar… --- ## [President, signatures and pens](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-signatures-and-pens/931133)
**Author:** [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [January 22, 2021, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-signatures-and-pens/931133 "2021-01-22T00:38:21Z")
I was just watching President Biden signing a bunch of bills. Beside him there was a “cigar box” full of pens, from which he would use one for a bill, then hand it off to an aide before taking another pen from the box fo… --- ## [Why do my cheeks hurt intensely on the first (and only first) bite of certain foods?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-my-cheeks-hurt-intensely-on-the-first-and-only-first-bite-of-certain-foods/412130)
**Author:** [@Cagey\_Drifter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cagey_Drifter)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [January 22, 2021, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-my-cheeks-hurt-intensely-on-the-first-and-only-first-bite-of-certain-foods/412130 "2021-01-22T00:16:35Z")
When I have a bite of certain foods-- usually sweet ones-- my cheeks begin to experience a sharp and intense pain that lasts from 3-5 seconds, and then goes away. This happens on the first bite, but no subsequent bites, … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=303) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=305)