# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=315 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 316 --- ## [What is this creature?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-creature/927015)
**Author:** [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [December 3, 2020, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-creature/927015 "2020-12-03T11:44:46Z")
There is a picture in this article: Is it an ALIEN? Bizarre creature with tentacles baffles as it washes up on beach - World News - Mirror Online --- ## [How were rare earth magnets discovered?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-rare-earth-magnets-discovered/926495)
**Author:** [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [December 3, 2020, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-rare-earth-magnets-discovered/926495 "2020-12-03T02:19:01Z")
Was this basically serendipity - someone messing around in the lab - or was there some scientific prediction involved (quantum mechanics, electron orbitals etc)? There doesn’t seem to be a lot of information about this … --- ## [Is a non-patented invention still ownable?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-non-patented-invention-still-ownable/926449)
**Author:** [@EdwardFound](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EdwardFound)\ **Replies:** 46\ **Last updated:** [December 2, 2020, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-non-patented-invention-still-ownable/926449 "2020-12-02T23:59:18Z")
Does a company still own a technology or device if it fails to or choses not to patent it? That is, if company B is using technology developed at company A, is there some legal claim - besides patent infringement - A cou… --- ## [Can't Save to DVD (but DVD is USB format)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-save-to-dvd-but-dvd-is-usb-format/926941)
**Author:** [@Ptolomy57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ptolomy57)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [December 2, 2020, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-save-to-dvd-but-dvd-is-usb-format/926941 "2020-12-02T21:32:38Z")
Can an upgrade in Windows OS prevent files from being saved to a DVD (formatted as a USB)? Background: I have tried to move some files onto a DVD formatted as a USB. The files act as though they are waiting to be burned… --- ## [Why am I getting AOL emails in my Gmail account, considering I've never had an AOL account?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-getting-aol-emails-in-my-gmail-account-considering-ive-never-had-an-aol-account/926947)
**Author:** [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [December 2, 2020, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-getting-aol-emails-in-my-gmail-account-considering-ive-never-had-an-aol-account/926947 "2020-12-02T18:07:12Z")
So, for about a year now my Gmail account has been receiving emails from "myfullfirstname"@AOL.com. I don’t use my full first name and haven’t since I was like 10. I do not have an AOL account, and as far as I know nev… --- ## [How to Google search a certain term](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-google-search-a-certain-term/926969)
**Author:** [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [December 2, 2020, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-google-search-a-certain-term/926969 "2020-12-02T12:55:08Z")
Out of curiosity I am trying to do a search of people that have impersonated Rich Little, but no matter how I phrase it all I get back are stories about Rich Little doing impersonations. Any help would be appreciated. --- ## [Does this composting method work?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-composting-method-work/926162)
**Author:** [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [December 2, 2020, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-composting-method-work/926162 "2020-12-02T05:09:39Z")
Read up on it and it seems almost too simple for good composting. Get 2 plastic garbage cans and drill small holes in them for ventilation. Spend a week putting compost stuff in the one that has compost already in it (… --- ## [Question for Instacart workers](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-instacart-workers/926986)
**Author:** [@MissTake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissTake)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [December 2, 2020, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-instacart-workers/926986 "2020-12-02T05:03:12Z")
If you are a grocery store picker only (no delivery), what information do you receive about the customer? I’ve been doing store pick up at a couple of more local stores where shoppers are employees, but the big chain us… --- ## [Are covid stimulus benefits to be reconciled based on 2020 filing status?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-covid-stimulus-benefits-to-be-reconciled-based-on-2020-filing-status/926952)
**Author:** [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [December 1, 2020, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-covid-stimulus-benefits-to-be-reconciled-based-on-2020-filing-status/926952 "2020-12-01T23:01:59Z")
My understanding was that the initial distribution of stimulus checks was based on 2018 filing status, or 2019 where available. But I saw somewhere that it was supposed to be ultimately based on 2020 status, and that the… --- ## [Deported from US , who pays for the plane/bus/train/etc. ticket?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deported-from-us-who-pays-for-the-plane-bus-train-etc-ticket/926285)
**Author:** [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [December 1, 2020, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deported-from-us-who-pays-for-the-plane-bus-train-etc-ticket/926285 "2020-12-01T19:27:28Z")
I think the Gov. buys the ticket but maybe not. We have a Canadian who got out of jail after 12 years for killing his wife and is being deported back to Canada. I would guess he has no money but maybe a friend or … --- ## [Supreme Court time limit for cases](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supreme-court-time-limit-for-cases/926939)
**Author:** [@ricksummon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricksummon)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [December 1, 2020, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supreme-court-time-limit-for-cases/926939 "2020-12-01T18:57:17Z")
Is there a time limit for the Supreme Court to either grant or deny certiorari for a case, or can they keep the case in an unresolved legal limbo indefinitely? --- ## [Wind Direction](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wind-direction/926843)
**Author:** [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [December 1, 2020, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wind-direction/926843 "2020-12-01T18:38:39Z")
ISTM that the wind where I live - NJ, about 10 miles from the ocean - is mostly from west to east. Not always, but a clear majority of the time. I’ve noticed this many times, and it’s particularly relevant around this ti… --- ## [Why are bus wheels different?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bus-wheels-different/711899)
**Author:** [@Danger\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danger_Man)\ **Replies:** 36\ **Last updated:** [December 1, 2020, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bus-wheels-different/711899 "2020-12-01T17:56:50Z")
Some seem to go outwards and some go inwards. Why are they not all the same? --- ## [Can you use a weighted blanket with a heated blanket? (Need answer fast)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-use-a-weighted-blanket-with-a-heated-blanket-need-answer-fast/926905)
**Author:** [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [December 1, 2020, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-use-a-weighted-blanket-with-a-heated-blanket-need-answer-fast/926905 "2020-12-01T15:10:09Z")
Mom is about to use her new electric heated blanket. Can she put her weighted blanket on top of it? The instructions don’t seem to forbid it. Thanks! --- ## [AI image recognition and optical illusions](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ai-image-recognition-and-optical-illusions/926882)
**Author:** [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [December 1, 2020, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ai-image-recognition-and-optical-illusions/926882 "2020-12-01T04:16:42Z")
How do image recognition programs interpret optical illusions? I’ve come across a few articles describing how AI was ‘fooled’ into seeing rotation where none existed but nothing on how they interpret illusions like the o… --- ## [On Acceleration: A Math Question And A Physics Question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-acceleration-a-math-question-and-a-physics-question/926592)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [November 30, 2020, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-acceleration-a-math-question-and-a-physics-question/926592 "2020-11-30T15:15:41Z")
Math: A vehicle accelerates at 10km per hour per second. So in ten seconds, its speed has gone from zero to 100km/hr; in 20, it’s up to 200km/hr; etc. What is the formula to determine how far the vehicle has moved after… --- ## [When someone learns a motor skill, which part of the brain (or limb) is actually improving?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-learns-a-motor-skill-which-part-of-the-brain-or-limb-is-actually-improving/926760)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [November 30, 2020, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-learns-a-motor-skill-which-part-of-the-brain-or-limb-is-actually-improving/926760 "2020-11-30T14:32:29Z")
Say someone has never played piano at all before, but then after a decade of lessons can now play Rachmaninoff’s Third with the best of them. Which part exactly of the body changed and improved? Did the fingers actually… --- ## [Not enough RAM. Am I ruining my SSD?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-enough-ram-am-i-ruining-my-ssd/926573)
**Author:** [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [November 30, 2020, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-enough-ram-am-i-ruining-my-ssd/926573 "2020-11-30T13:18:15Z")
As discussed in another thread, I recently replaced my hard disk drive with an SSD to improve overall performance (which it did). Now I’m wondering if I should also instal more RAM. Currently I have 4 GB of it; it’s not … --- ## [Do seagulls ever perch on trees?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-seagulls-ever-perch-on-trees/452745)
**Author:** [@SharkB8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SharkB8)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [November 30, 2020, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-seagulls-ever-perch-on-trees/452745 "2020-11-30T05:27:16Z")
Seagulls…I know they have webbed feet and all, but has any one ever seen them perched in a tree? Do/can they land on a tree branch? That goes for any webbed-foot birds. --- ## [What are the dividing lines between "versions" of English through history?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-dividing-lines-between-versions-of-english-through-history/926376)
**Author:** [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Replies:** 47\ **Last updated:** [November 30, 2020, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-dividing-lines-between-versions-of-english-through-history/926376 "2020-11-30T02:25:26Z")
Language constantly changes and evolves. It doesn’t get commercial releases every three years. What are the presumably arbitrary dividing lines between Old English, Middle English, Early Modern English, and Modern Englis… --- ## [Could the Hood \*possibly\* Have Whipped the Bismarck?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-hood-possibly-have-whipped-the-bismarck/925754)
**Author:** [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Replies:** 73\ **Last updated:** [November 30, 2020, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-hood-possibly-have-whipped-the-bismarck/925754 "2020-11-30T00:45:44Z")
To put it slightly differently, using the very best modern naval surface warfare simulation software, if you ran the fight between Hood and Bismarck 100 times, would the Hood win any reasonable number of times, or is the… --- ## [How do hotels decide which flags to fly?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-hotels-decide-which-flags-to-fly/926374)
**Author:** [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [November 29, 2020, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-hotels-decide-which-flags-to-fly/926374 "2020-11-29T22:26:42Z")
A lot of hotels that cater to international guests will fly a number of flags outside the premises. Almost always one of these flags will be that of the country in which the hotel is located. How do they decide which o… --- ## [Secret Service protection](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/secret-service-protection/926375)
**Author:** [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [November 29, 2020, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/secret-service-protection/926375 "2020-11-29T22:06:07Z")
Do the ex-spouses of Presidents get Secret Service protection? Say, for example, if Melania divorces Individual 1? Or Ivana and Marla, who were exes before his election? --- ## [Do (Did) Long-Distance Trains Carry Emergency Rations?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-did-long-distance-trains-carry-emergency-rations/926606)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [November 29, 2020, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-did-long-distance-trains-carry-emergency-rations/926606 "2020-11-29T20:31:56Z")
Just finished a book that takes place in c. 1930. A train traveling from Istanbul to Calais has its journey thwarted by snow in some mountain range (I don’t think it really matters which). At one point, one of the passen… --- ## [Old timey tech: Brick phones vs bag phones](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-timey-tech-brick-phones-vs-bag-phones/926663)
**Author:** [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [November 29, 2020, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-timey-tech-brick-phones-vs-bag-phones/926663 "2020-11-29T20:15:49Z")
By the time I got a cell phone, those were already passe, so the question: What was the advantage of the bag phone, or did it predate the brick? I know the bricks were expensive, but they wouldn’t have been quite so … --- ## [Medical Values Conversion Problem](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-values-conversion-problem/926089)
**Author:** [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [November 29, 2020, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-values-conversion-problem/926089 "2020-11-29T12:27:10Z")
I need to convert medical test results from µg/mL to µmol/L. My brother and I both had the same blood test done 35 years apart and his results are in µg/mL while mine are in µmol/L. I have no idea why the units changed o… --- ## [Substitutes for hotels for a trip to South America?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/substitutes-for-hotels-for-a-trip-to-south-america/926485)
**Author:** [@longtry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/longtry)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [November 29, 2020, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/substitutes-for-hotels-for-a-trip-to-south-america/926485 "2020-11-29T04:39:39Z")
OK, some background. Not too long ago I began reading about astronomy & cosmology, and really like them. I knew that there’d be an eclipse in June this year. I had saved a budget to go to Indonesia and witness the event … --- ## [Word for the shortening of a longer word \[eg, polio, burger, auto\]](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-for-the-shortening-of-a-longer-word-eg-polio-burger-auto/926708)
**Author:** [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [November 29, 2020, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-for-the-shortening-of-a-longer-word-eg-polio-burger-auto/926708 "2020-11-29T01:51:56Z")
Is there a word for the linguistic tendency to shorten a long word, in which the shorter word also becomes part of the language, the words in the subject shortened from poliomyelitis, hamburger, and automobile, respecti… --- ## [Youtube rules question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-rules-question/926664)
**Author:** [@teelabrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teelabrown)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [November 28, 2020, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-rules-question/926664 "2020-11-28T20:23:43Z")
I like the youtube channel Mousetrap Monday. The host shows various types of mouse, rat, gopher, and mole traps in action, and discusses their efficacy. His videos used to show the rodent getting snapped or drowned, bu… --- ## [Who makes normal width (4.5") toilet paper?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-makes-normal-width-4-5-toilet-paper/926680)
**Author:** [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [November 28, 2020, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-makes-normal-width-4-5-toilet-paper/926680 "2020-11-28T17:09:06Z")
I’ve had it with toilet paper becoming narrower and narrower. Standard width used to be 4.5" and now it’s 4" or even less. Does anyone make standard width toilet paper? Does any web site list the width of commonly ava… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=314) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=316)