# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=351 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 352 --- ## [YouTube videos not playing](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-videos-not-playing/913198)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [June 26, 2020, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youtube-videos-not-playing/913198 "2020-06-26T14:08:26Z")
Recently I’ve had a problem when I click on a YouTube video that has been posted on Facebook. The new window opens and the page loads, but the video is black and doesn’t play. If I copy the title (in this case, ’ Some… --- ## [Questions about Two Computers and Virus Protections](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-two-computers-and-virus-protections/912800)
**Author:** [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [June 26, 2020, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-two-computers-and-virus-protections/912800 "2020-06-26T08:08:00Z")
My Windows 7 laptop (inherited from my late spouse) was showing its age and so I got a new computer. By which I mean I consulted with a friend with some skills, we cannibalized the old desktop for usable components, pur… --- ## [Lowering relative humidity in a room](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lowering-relative-humidity-in-a-room/855744)
**Author:** [@Saturn\_Dreams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saturn_Dreams)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [June 26, 2020, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lowering-relative-humidity-in-a-room/855744 "2020-06-26T04:29:28Z")
A student living in a 1 bedroom apartment (about 750 square feet) wants to lower the RH in his room from the current 75% to a more comfortable 50-60% range. Indoor temperature is about 28C/82F, outdoor conditions are ab… --- ## [Origin of possibly apocryphal story from World War II](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-possibly-apocryphal-story-from-world-war-ii/853752)
**Author:** [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [June 26, 2020, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-possibly-apocryphal-story-from-world-war-ii/853752 "2020-06-26T03:55:53Z")
Hi folks, this is a little bit vague but I recall reading a story, very possibly apocryphal, regarding World War II. I’ve seen it used as a parable but all my googling I can’t find reference to the actual story nor its … --- ## [Can you tell me what this thing is used for?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell-me-what-this-thing-is-used-for/913103)
**Author:** [@MadTheSwine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadTheSwine)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [June 26, 2020, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell-me-what-this-thing-is-used-for/913103 "2020-06-26T03:05:37Z")
https://apis.mail.yahoo.com/ws/v3/mailboxes/@.id==VjN-\_gOJ6vZEF1EZqQb8lX\_ZaL3MHtAbVyiTUo4dwAyCXVJHSsA852cfTfig3gg5xo40gBMJNk7QrFVKzwU0jIqDAw/messages/@.id==ALcVz-8tCcGaXvVM-Q0jSPAt87s/content/parts/@.id==4/thumbnail?appI… --- ## [What info does AT&T use to determine if a caller is a telemarketer or spam risk?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-info-does-at-t-use-to-determine-if-a-caller-is-a-telemarketer-or-spam-risk/912967)
**Author:** [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [June 25, 2020, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-info-does-at-t-use-to-determine-if-a-caller-is-a-telemarketer-or-spam-risk/912967 "2020-06-25T21:24:31Z")
I get these occasional calls and the caller ID says either telemarketer or spam risk. I think one bit of info is the fact that none of those numbers are in my contacts. But how do they distinguish between the two and wh… --- ## [Baking soda and laundry](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baking-soda-and-laundry/911749)
**Author:** [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [June 25, 2020, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baking-soda-and-laundry/911749 "2020-06-25T19:23:28Z")
I think this belongs in General Questions, but it may end up being opinion rather than fact, so I won’t be surprised if it gets moved! TL;DR - does baking soda really take BO out of clothes and if so are there any fabri… --- ## [Can you help identify this piece of Chinese furniture?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-help-identify-this-piece-of-chinese-furniture/912853)
**Author:** [@muckalusha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muckalusha)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [June 25, 2020, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-help-identify-this-piece-of-chinese-furniture/912853 "2020-06-25T15:38:46Z")
Recently, I purchased this piece of furniture on a lark and don’t have a clue as to what its function is or how old it is. I’m pretty sure it’s of Chinese origin, but don’t know the age. I was told it was a potato bin by… --- ## [The purpose of "one" in "....one \[insert name here\]"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-purpose-of-one-in-one-insert-name-here/855701)
**Author:** [@Nature\_s\_Call](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nature_s_Call)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [June 25, 2020, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-purpose-of-one-in-one-insert-name-here/855701 "2020-06-25T15:19:44Z")
As in the movie “Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn”. It feels olde/tyme and a bit over formal. Syntactically, semantically, vocabularily, legalistically what purpose does the word “one… --- ## [Language question: Why the apostrophe after Rus' ?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/language-question-why-the-apostrophe-after-rus/855885)
**Author:** [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [June 25, 2020, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/language-question-why-the-apostrophe-after-rus/855885 "2020-06-25T13:03:29Z")
So, the Rus’ were the forerunners of the Russians and gave their name to the Russian language. Why the apostrophe at the end of the name? For example, this wiki article: Rus’ people --- ## [GET A BRAIN! MORANS (Go USA)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-a-brain-morans-go-usa/334349)
**Author:** [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [June 25, 2020, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-a-brain-morans-go-usa/334349 "2020-06-25T02:41:29Z")
I assume by now we’ve all seen the famous picture of the bandana-clad mullet-headed man bearing the misspelled sign. It’s come to represent the stereotype of the mindless Iraq war/occupation supporter. But does anyone … --- ## [Does my car have an AC or is it called something else?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-my-car-have-an-ac-or-is-it-called-something-else/855873)
**Author:** [@JakeRS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JakeRS)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [June 25, 2020, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-my-car-have-an-ac-or-is-it-called-something-else/855873 "2020-06-25T00:19:09Z")
I have an old pre-facelift Seat Arosa (same thing as VW Lupo) and I don’t know if the thing it has is called an AC or not, because I don’t think it has any AC gas filling or whatever that’s called and I don’t think it us… --- ## [Can you identify this furniture and/or manufacturer's label?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-identify-this-furniture-and-or-manufacturers-label/912787)
**Author:** [@muckalusha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muckalusha)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [June 24, 2020, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-identify-this-furniture-and-or-manufacturers-label/912787 "2020-06-24T22:21:42Z")
Recently, I purchased this piece of furniture out of curiosity and haven’t had any luck identifying its function or when it was manufactured. I’m pretty sure it’s Chinese, but other than that, all I can say is that it’s … --- ## [Traditional rounding 'bias'. I don't get it.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traditional-rounding-bias-i-dont-get-it/855085)
**Author:** [@nate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nate)\ **Replies:** 86\ **Last updated:** [June 24, 2020, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traditional-rounding-bias-i-dont-get-it/855085 "2020-06-24T18:06:26Z")
In elementary school when I was taught how to round numbers to a whole number, I was taught that if the last digit ends in 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4, round down to ‘0’. Otherwise round up to the next digit. But later on, I was t… --- ## [Any benefit to a "reverse sauna?" (extreme cold, not heat)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-benefit-to-a-reverse-sauna-extreme-cold-not-heat/912471)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [June 24, 2020, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-benefit-to-a-reverse-sauna-extreme-cold-not-heat/912471 "2020-06-24T14:16:15Z")
So I was musing about this: In cold nations, like Finland and Russia, saunas are highly popular and often touted for health benefit. That had me wondering about whether the reverse would be true as well - in nations with… --- ## [Wondering About the Latency with Remote Drones (ie, Predator)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wondering-about-the-latency-with-remote-drones-ie-predator/855677)
**Author:** [@OldOlds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldOlds)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [June 24, 2020, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wondering-about-the-latency-with-remote-drones-ie-predator/855677 "2020-06-24T11:18:45Z")
So, we’ve got these UAVs that can circle some remote place, while a lieutenant in Arizona monitors and decides whom/when to shoot. I’m wondering what the latency period is between an image being acquired, that image get… --- ## [What is the origin of the name pair "James Earl"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-the-name-pair-james-earl/911597)
**Author:** [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [June 24, 2020, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-the-name-pair-james-earl/911597 "2020-06-24T02:19:47Z")
So, you have James Earl Jones; and I also knew Jimmy Carter’s full name was actually James Earl Carter, Jr.; and more infamously you have James Earl Ray, convicted assassin of Martin Luther King. I just recently found ou… --- ## [Jet aircraft static engine test: why the shaking?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jet-aircraft-static-engine-test-why-the-shaking/855773)
**Author:** [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [June 24, 2020, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jet-aircraft-static-engine-test-why-the-shaking/855773 "2020-06-24T00:48:05Z")
Video here of a commercial jet aircraft undergoing a routine static engine test. The wheels are chocked, and the engines are run up to full power, one at a time. The cockpit crew are seen to be bouncing around quite a … --- ## [Why does Message+ make some words bold?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-message-make-some-words-bold/912549)
**Author:** [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [June 24, 2020, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-message-make-some-words-bold/912549 "2020-06-24T00:00:14Z")
The last message I typed was just, "OK, I just need a set of tires to roll a car in the shop. OK, car and shop are in bold and I can’t get rid of it. Dennis --- ## [Lead into Gold, via Russian nuclear experiments?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-into-gold-via-russian-nuclear-experiments/912089)
**Author:** [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [June 23, 2020, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-into-gold-via-russian-nuclear-experiments/912089 "2020-06-23T22:07:09Z")
I was reading a random tidbit on the web, and someone claimed that a Russian nuclear experiment accidentally turned the reactor’s lead shielding into gold. Googling only turned up woo sites. Anyone heard of this? Is it… --- ## [LGTBQ Question?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lgtbq-question/911347)
**Author:** [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [June 23, 2020, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lgtbq-question/911347 "2020-06-23T18:23:14Z")
In the lexicon of non-straight or non-CIS sexual descriptors, we have LGBTQ, for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and “queer.” My question: What does “queer” describe that isn’t covered by “lesbian, gay, bisexual an… --- ## [Why did TurboTax ask if I'd bought/sold any cryptocurrency?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-turbotax-ask-if-id-bought-sold-any-cryptocurrency/912445)
**Author:** [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [June 23, 2020, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-turbotax-ask-if-id-bought-sold-any-cryptocurrency/912445 "2020-06-23T17:33:08Z")
Yes, I’m insanely late getting our taxes done, especially since we’re due a large refund. In my defense, we have some unusual tax situations and I just couldn’t force myself to deal with the number crunching. Anyway - a… --- ## [Apps want to know my location](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apps-want-to-know-my-location/855878)
**Author:** [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [June 23, 2020, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apps-want-to-know-my-location/855878 "2020-06-23T14:15:43Z")
I was checking some of the permissions that apps have on my Android phone, and I discovered that many of them have three options in the “Location permission” section:\[ul\] \[li\]Allow all the time\[/li\]\[li\]Allow only while … --- ## [Battery mAH question (e-bike related)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battery-mah-question-e-bike-related/855810)
**Author:** [@therealhoax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/therealhoax)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [June 23, 2020, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battery-mah-question-e-bike-related/855810 "2020-06-23T12:49:49Z")
Hi all, can somebody tell me what this equates to in mAH: 48v10.4 AH lithium ion battery It is an e-bike battery. I bought an external (130w) power bank that is 27,000 mAH. It has AC output so I’m trying to figure ou… --- ## [Seagulls: different species at Great Lakes vs. Atlantic coast?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seagulls-different-species-at-great-lakes-vs-atlantic-coast/855741)
**Author:** [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [June 23, 2020, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seagulls-different-species-at-great-lakes-vs-atlantic-coast/855741 "2020-06-23T03:13:43Z")
Is the most common gull around the Great Lakes area different from what gull hangs out around the Carolinas coastal waters? I have fond childhood memories of feeding the gulls at Myrtle Beach. Now as a grown-ass adult I… --- ## [Brain dead \[Question about making a default home page on Opera\]](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brain-dead-question-about-making-a-default-home-page-on-opera/911547)
**Author:** [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [June 22, 2020, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brain-dead-question-about-making-a-default-home-page-on-opera/911547 "2020-06-22T21:04:03Z")
OK, so I want to make DuckDuckGo my default home page on Opera. I get the box that says Set as Homepage Select Opera \> Preferences (on Mac) or Opera \> Options (on Windows) Under On startup select Open a specific… --- ## [Inter-war spy tech question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inter-war-spy-tech-question/855762)
**Author:** [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [June 22, 2020, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inter-war-spy-tech-question/855762 "2020-06-22T04:05:10Z")
Help! I’m a modern secret agent, and my highly secretive organisation has sent me back to the 1930s to surveille one of Hitler’s henchmen so I can find out where they’re hiding the Nazi gold. If this was modern times I… --- ## [The Aerodynamics of Tinkerbell](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-aerodynamics-of-tinkerbell/849755)
**Author:** [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [June 18, 2020, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-aerodynamics-of-tinkerbell/849755 "2020-06-18T20:27:08Z")
Assuming : \[ol\] \[li\]a Humanoid shape\[/li\]\[li\]a height of 3 to 8 inches\[/li\]\[li\]muscles with proportional strength like an insect’s\[/li\]\[li\]gauzy, insect-like wings\[/li\]\[li\]and Human/mammalian lungs\[/li\]\[/ol\] but exclu… --- ## [French question: "et lui déceme les honneurs divins" referring to Alexander the Great](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-question-et-lui-deceme-les-honneurs-divins-referring-to-alexander-the-great/855893)
**Author:** [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [June 18, 2020, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-question-et-lui-deceme-les-honneurs-divins-referring-to-alexander-the-great/855893 "2020-06-18T16:29:27Z")
Hi I was reading a passage on Alexander the Great. I came across this phase but haven’t been able to find a translation for it. “…et lui déceme les honneurs divins” (referring to Alexander the Great). What does the ve… --- ## [How are Individual Stocks' Dividends Handled in Index Funds](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-individual-stocks-dividends-handled-in-index-funds/852457)
**Author:** [@OldOlds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldOlds)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [April 24, 2020, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-individual-stocks-dividends-handled-in-index-funds/852457 "2020-04-24T00:39:01Z")
So periodically I receive a dividend from my index funds, which is then reinvested in said index fund. In the case of the S&P 500, obviously that’s Ford and Coca-Cola, etc paying their dividends to the fund, of which I o… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=350) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=352)