# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=363 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 364 --- ## [Anonymous owners of companies](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anonymous-owners-of-companies/853675)
**Author:** [@Danger\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danger_Man)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [May 14, 2020, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anonymous-owners-of-companies/853675 "2020-05-14T06:22:32Z")
If it is not possible to find out who owns a company, how can the owner really control it? People have to accept that you are the owner, otherwise you don’t really own anything. --- ## [Is there anyone familiar with Open Office or Microsoft Word?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyone-familiar-with-open-office-or-microsoft-word/853600)
**Author:** [@Ficer67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ficer67)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [May 13, 2020, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyone-familiar-with-open-office-or-microsoft-word/853600 "2020-05-13T22:22:48Z")
I have a couple of pages in my document that need to be 11" x 17". The rest need to be 8.5" x 11". How do I do this in open office? Thanks in advance --- ## [A manned space craft approaching a planet in our solar system. Artists impressions.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-manned-space-craft-approaching-a-planet-in-our-solar-system-artists-impressions/853695)
**Author:** [@Nansbread1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nansbread1)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [May 13, 2020, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-manned-space-craft-approaching-a-planet-in-our-solar-system-artists-impressions/853695 "2020-05-13T19:57:26Z")
I get confused by artists impressions of space, especially when it is in the form of movie pictures. There are many movies, artists impressions of manmade spacecraft travelling through space and approaching a planet. M… --- ## [Are electric jet engines possible?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-electric-jet-engines-possible/853450)
**Author:** [@cjackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjackson)\ **Replies:** 50\ **Last updated:** [May 13, 2020, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-electric-jet-engines-possible/853450 "2020-05-13T16:44:46Z")
Will jet engines always require fossil fuel to operate, or could battery technology evolve to where electric jets are feasible? Though, is a jet engine that doesn’t burn fuel even possible? --- ## [USB hub winks out when I turn \*off\* a non-computer connected device plugged into the same outlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-hub-winks-out-when-i-turn-off-a-non-computer-connected-device-plugged-into-the-same-outlet/844465)
**Author:** [@Yask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yask)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [May 13, 2020, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-hub-winks-out-when-i-turn-off-a-non-computer-connected-device-plugged-into-the-same-outlet/844465 "2020-05-13T13:53:42Z")
TL;DR: I have a cat fountain and a USB hub plugged into the same power strip. When I turn the fountain off (and only off), it occasionally knocks the hub offline (the hub eventually auto-reconnects). I realize I can rewi… --- ## [Potassium nutrition supplements - difference between gluconate, citrate, aspartate?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potassium-nutrition-supplements-difference-between-gluconate-citrate-aspartate/853649)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [May 13, 2020, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potassium-nutrition-supplements-difference-between-gluconate-citrate-aspartate/853649 "2020-05-13T13:34:34Z")
There are various potassium supplements sold - potassium chloride, potassium gluconate, potassium citrate, potassium aspartate (all in capsule or tablet form) Is there any difference in these types when ingested? Presu… --- ## [How much could someone win the popular vote by and still lose the US presidency?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-could-someone-win-the-popular-vote-by-and-still-lose-the-us-presidency/853571)
**Author:** [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Replies:** 44\ **Last updated:** [May 13, 2020, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-could-someone-win-the-popular-vote-by-and-still-lose-the-us-presidency/853571 "2020-05-13T13:28:13Z")
Something I’ve been thinking about wrt the 2000 and 2016 Presidential election: how extreme could it get? By how much could a candidate win the popular vote, but still lose the presidency? The states’ differing electora… --- ## [Is the US pronunciation of "solder" unique to the US ?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-us-pronunciation-of-solder-unique-to-the-us/697997)
**Author:** [@Bones\_Daley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bones_Daley)\ **Replies:** 128\ **Last updated:** [May 13, 2020, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-us-pronunciation-of-solder-unique-to-the-us/697997 "2020-05-13T10:49:49Z")
I occasionally watch DIY/ home workshop videos on Youtube, and have always been intrigued by the way American artisans pronounce “solder” as “sodder”. In the UK , anyone who said “I am going to sodder these terminals … --- ## [UK English "F\*ck off"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-english-f-ck-off/852951)
**Author:** [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Replies:** 48\ **Last updated:** [May 13, 2020, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-english-f-ck-off/852951 "2020-05-13T02:37:08Z")
I put an asterisk in the title per the board preference, but I have been watching some Gordon Ramsay shows and it seems as if in the UK, people tell each other to “Fuck off” or alternatively “Fuck off out of here” and no… --- ## [Launching of (passenger) ships - "Queen Mary" in particular](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/launching-of-passenger-ships-queen-mary-in-particular/853543)
**Author:** [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [May 12, 2020, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/launching-of-passenger-ships-queen-mary-in-particular/853543 "2020-05-12T22:48:49Z")
I was watching a video of the launching of the “Queen Mary” (Scotland, in 1934 - after a three-year construction halt due to the Depression). It followed the traditional procedures - the christening with a bottle of some… --- ## [What kind of name is Turnipseed ?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-name-is-turnipseed/228657)
**Author:** [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Replies:** 58\ **Last updated:** [May 12, 2020, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-name-is-turnipseed/228657 "2020-05-12T17:52:11Z")
Floating around at the back of the news over president Bush’s service in the national guard are references to a Lt Colonel William Turnipseed. The first time I saw the name, I wondered whether real life had somehow gott… --- ## [Explain English Money to Me](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-english-money-to-me/838504)
**Author:** [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Replies:** 144\ **Last updated:** [May 12, 2020, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-english-money-to-me/838504 "2020-05-12T16:28:02Z")
So I’m watching Peaky Blinders, and I have no idea how British money works. How much is a 1921 pound worth in modern dollars? Also, how many pounds in a Guinea. or a Sovereign? --- ## [Hummingbird beak development](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hummingbird-beak-development/853306)
**Author:** [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [May 12, 2020, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hummingbird-beak-development/853306 "2020-05-12T15:44:08Z")
Son just sent a video of hummingbird pups in a nest. Their beaks look like many bird beaks - triangular, essentially. How do they develop into the long, hollow tubes we see in adults? Do they actually shed them? What … --- ## [How do I drill a hole into a 100 year old priceless ceramic tile?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-drill-a-hole-into-a-100-year-old-priceless-ceramic-tile/789871)
**Author:** [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Replies:** 46\ **Last updated:** [May 12, 2020, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-drill-a-hole-into-a-100-year-old-priceless-ceramic-tile/789871 "2020-05-12T07:15:50Z")
Stone sculptors. Stone masons. Contractors. I need ideas, help, guidance. Here’s the deal. In 1917, a company was contracted to create several thousand tiles. In a lovely effort, the dome of the new St. Bart’s Church on… --- ## [Landscaping plants to abate a wet area](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/landscaping-plants-to-abate-a-wet-area/853613)
**Author:** [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [May 12, 2020, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/landscaping-plants-to-abate-a-wet-area/853613 "2020-05-12T02:19:23Z")
Can you help me identify plants (zone 8-9) for a small but problematic wet area of the yard? It is partially shaded, continually soggy/squelchy, clay, on a slight incline toward north, narrow (about 3 feet in depth x 15 … --- ## [Is It Possible To Genetically Modify/Engineer A Pathogen To Do One Specific Thing, Even In Theory?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-genetically-modify-engineer-a-pathogen-to-do-one-specific-thing-even-in-theory/853589)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [May 12, 2020, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-genetically-modify-engineer-a-pathogen-to-do-one-specific-thing-even-in-theory/853589 "2020-05-12T01:34:01Z")
Is it possible, either theoretically or even practically, to modify or engineer a pathogen to do one specific thing? Such as to kill or render infertile a more complex organism? Example: are we years? decades? centuries… --- ## [What did I do wrong? Audio amplifier repair.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-i-do-wrong-audio-amplifier-repair/853493)
**Author:** [@StuckinNJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StuckinNJ)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [May 11, 2020, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-i-do-wrong-audio-amplifier-repair/853493 "2020-05-11T22:03:48Z")
I have a rack of basic audio amps that power speaker sets all over my house. Each pair of speakers is connected via an impedance matching volume control. I noticed one of my volume controls was vibrating/ thumping in … --- ## [Repair help: Dishwasher is making a grinding noise during the drain cycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repair-help-dishwasher-is-making-a-grinding-noise-during-the-drain-cycle/853205)
**Author:** [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [May 11, 2020, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repair-help-dishwasher-is-making-a-grinding-noise-during-the-drain-cycle/853205 "2020-05-11T21:53:30Z")
Hello everyone, Our Maytag Jetclean EQ Plus dishwasher (model# mdbd880awb) started making a grinding noise. The noise starts at about :20 in this three-minute video of the diagnostic cycle). I got to that cycle by press… --- ## [Excel help with Solver Add In](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-help-with-solver-add-in/853598)
**Author:** [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [May 11, 2020, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-help-with-solver-add-in/853598 "2020-05-11T20:48:01Z")
Anyone here familiar with the Solver add-in for Excel? In short it allows you to define a problem and it will run numbers through it until it finds a solution that matches your criteria. The particular problem I’m tryi… --- ## ["I Don't Own the Rights to this Music"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-own-the-rights-to-this-music/853582)
**Author:** [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [May 11, 2020, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-own-the-rights-to-this-music/853582 "2020-05-11T18:12:01Z")
I’m posting this in GQ because the answer is either, “it is” or “it isn’t”. I’ve noticed over time in Facebook that, when some people make posts containing music, they add this disclaimer: “I don’t own the rights to thi… --- ## [Power strip that can be turned on/off at the plug end?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/power-strip-that-can-be-turned-on-off-at-the-plug-end/853524)
**Author:** [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [May 11, 2020, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/power-strip-that-can-be-turned-on-off-at-the-plug-end/853524 "2020-05-11T16:52:08Z")
I have a powerstrip that I need to be able to switch on and off quickly but the problem is that the power strip is in a very heard to reach place (behind my entertainment center) but the power outlet where the cord goes … --- ## [The ongoing Covid lockdown: Tough enough to fix global warming? (if went on indefinitely)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ongoing-covid-lockdown-tough-enough-to-fix-global-warming-if-went-on-indefinitely/852138)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [May 11, 2020, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ongoing-covid-lockdown-tough-enough-to-fix-global-warming-if-went-on-indefinitely/852138 "2020-05-11T06:01:39Z")
(This thread is only about global warming/climate change, unrelated to any other coronavirus aspect): Right now, there is a whole lot less travel, far less airplanes flying, trade is disrupted, people are staying at hom… --- ## [iPhone memory consumed by mystery pics](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-memory-consumed-by-mystery-pics/850483)
**Author:** [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [May 11, 2020, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-memory-consumed-by-mystery-pics/850483 "2020-05-11T05:09:04Z")
I’m trying to free up space. I deleted all but about 5 pics (no videos) and then deleted them from the Recently Deleted folder. However, Photos are still taking up more memory than anything else. 300MB Many of my contac… --- ## [How did the Polynesians find Hawaii?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-polynesians-find-hawaii/852976)
**Author:** [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Replies:** 58\ **Last updated:** [May 11, 2020, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-polynesians-find-hawaii/852976 "2020-05-11T02:55:17Z")
Hawaii, if you’ve never been there or don’t own a map, is isolated. REALLY isolated; it’s a long way from anywhere, and it’s not a big place. Yet the Polynesians found it. It’s not known exactly when, but it was at le… --- ## [Guesses on Y2K "excuses"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guesses-on-y2k-excuses/549)
**Author:** [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [May 11, 2020, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guesses-on-y2k-excuses/549 "2020-05-11T00:08:09Z")
It seems as if there are any number of groups predicting the end of the world come January. Back in the 50’s or 60’s there was a book written by a social psychologist (Leon Festinger?) who studied what happened to a grou… --- ## [Early instances of 'Ruby Begonia?" (pre-1960)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-instances-of-ruby-begonia-pre-1960/786920)
**Author:** [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [May 10, 2020, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-instances-of-ruby-begonia-pre-1960/786920 "2020-05-10T22:22:40Z")
Flip Wilson in one of his comedy routines would say, sounding like The Kingfish from “Amos ‘n’ Andy” (or possibly Dewey ‘Pigmeat’ Markham), “Do da name ‘Ruby Begonia’ strike a familya note?” Most people assumed that it … --- ## [Was the 2005 UNESCO Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights ever ratified in the US?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-2005-unesco-universal-declaration-on-bioethics-and-human-rights-ever-ratified-in-the-us/853508)
**Author:** [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [May 10, 2020, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-2005-unesco-universal-declaration-on-bioethics-and-human-rights-ever-ratified-in-the-us/853508 "2020-05-10T13:37:40Z")
Was the 2005 UNESCO Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights ever ratified in the US? --- ## [Why "is this a debit card?" at fuel pump?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-this-a-debit-card-at-fuel-pump/830789)
**Author:** [@Dingbang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dingbang)\ **Replies:** 53\ **Last updated:** [March 16, 2019, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-this-a-debit-card-at-fuel-pump/830789 "2019-03-16T14:09:20Z")
The fuel pumps I use always start by asking “Is this a debit card?” after I put my credit card in. I’m not interested in why they need to know that; I assume it makes a difference in how they process the card. My questio… --- ## [Question about Buying a Vehicle When Handicapped](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-buying-a-vehicle-when-handicapped/853458)
**Author:** [@Gatorfan9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatorfan9)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [May 10, 2020, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-buying-a-vehicle-when-handicapped/853458 "2020-05-10T05:47:54Z")
I’m in the market for a new vehicle, but the extra cost of having my hand controls installed is making the process tougher. Does anyone know if the dealership will pay to have my controls switched out to the purchased ca… --- ## [Place to set up personal telescope south or west of Minneapolis](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-to-set-up-personal-telescope-south-or-west-of-minneapolis/853376)
**Author:** [@erpa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erpa)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [May 10, 2020, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-to-set-up-personal-telescope-south-or-west-of-minneapolis/853376 "2020-05-10T03:30:08Z")
I’ve got a shiny new telescope and want some dark sky south or west of Minneapolis. My google fu isnt bringing results targeted at dark skies, mostly I’m finding locations that are hosting viewing events on their equip… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=362) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=364)