# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=376 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 377 --- ## [Are there negative consequences to judges decisions being overturned on appeal?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-negative-consequences-to-judges-decisions-being-overturned-on-appeal/851112)
**Author:** [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [April 5, 2020, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-negative-consequences-to-judges-decisions-being-overturned-on-appeal/851112 "2020-04-05T13:10:35Z")
I was involved in a child custody dispute many years ago. Without going into any real detail I should have been awarded custody under any interpretation of current case law and established precedent. The judge returned… --- ## [Vertical Stabilizer](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vertical-stabilizer/851103)
**Author:** [@klinkerhoffen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/klinkerhoffen)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [April 5, 2020, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vertical-stabilizer/851103 "2020-04-05T13:00:47Z")
Does anyone know where I could find a vertical stabilizer for a camera, i.e. it keeps the camera at a certain height even if the stabilizer is moved up for down. --- ## [What does this mean? \[dielectric breakdown\]](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-mean-dielectric-breakdown/851041)
**Author:** [@turtlescanfly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/turtlescanfly)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [April 5, 2020, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-mean-dielectric-breakdown/851041 "2020-04-05T06:20:13Z")
Seen on a can of wasp and hornet spray (insecticide): “Dielectric breakdown voltage of 47,300 volts” I can’t for the life of me understand what that would mean in the context of a bug spray. Sent from my SM-G935V usin… --- ## [Is the busy beaver function provably total?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-busy-beaver-function-provably-total/851025)
**Author:** [@ricksummon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricksummon)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [April 5, 2020, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-busy-beaver-function-provably-total/851025 "2020-04-05T05:03:48Z")
Is the busy beaver function in computer science a provably total function? That is, can it be proven that for all natural numbers n, Σ(n) is a natural number? --- ## [Woodpecker Problems Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woodpecker-problems-again/850442)
**Author:** [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [April 4, 2020, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woodpecker-problems-again/850442 "2020-04-04T21:41:38Z")
I moved a few months ago and because I’m in a relatively dense neighborhood I didn’t expect woodpecker issues like I had at my old house in the forest. How wrong I was. You can hear woodpeckers pecking at metal chimneys … --- ## [Which other pandemics have been spoken of as 'the unseen enemy', 'at war with" or 'world war' ?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-other-pandemics-have-been-spoken-of-as-the-unseen-enemy-at-war-with-or-world-war/850911)
**Author:** [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [April 4, 2020, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-other-pandemics-have-been-spoken-of-as-the-unseen-enemy-at-war-with-or-world-war/850911 "2020-04-04T19:01:24Z")
Hi In all my reading on pandemics I have yet to see any reference to “the unseen enemy” and “at war with” it or even as being a ‘world war’. Which other pandemics in history have been spoken of as ‘the unseen enemy’, … --- ## [How many bites are in one pouch of Pop-Tarts Bites Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-bites-are-in-one-pouch-of-pop-tarts-bites-frosted-brown-sugar-cinnamon/851038)
**Author:** [@greenpurple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/greenpurple)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [April 4, 2020, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-bites-are-in-one-pouch-of-pop-tarts-bites-frosted-brown-sugar-cinnamon/851038 "2020-04-04T12:57:32Z")
The box contains 6 pouches. --- ## [After the Civil War, did Virginia try to reclaim West Virginia.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/after-the-civil-war-did-virginia-try-to-reclaim-west-virginia/850903)
**Author:** [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [April 4, 2020, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/after-the-civil-war-did-virginia-try-to-reclaim-west-virginia/850903 "2020-04-04T12:02:19Z")
Considering what a big chunk of Virginia was now West Virginia, did Virginia try to reclaim it, challenging West Virginia’s right to secede? (Yes, yes, irony, hypocrisy, etc. That doesn’t always stop governments from tr… --- ## [Are there any Apps that can track the location of my/your bluetooth devices?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-apps-that-can-track-the-location-of-my-your-bluetooth-devices/850899)
**Author:** [@Ficer67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ficer67)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [April 3, 2020, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-apps-that-can-track-the-location-of-my-your-bluetooth-devices/850899 "2020-04-03T18:05:31Z")
I have a bluetooth earbud that is forever getting lost. Is there an app that can track the thing, so that I can find it easier? Thanks in Advance Ficer67 --- ## ["Your laptop battery has 255% of power available"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-laptop-battery-has-255-of-power-available/850850)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [April 3, 2020, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-laptop-battery-has-255-of-power-available/850850 "2020-04-03T16:53:02Z")
So my laptop (Asus Vivobook) informs me that my laptop battery has\*\* 255%\*\* power. This is odd for two reasons: It’s more than a hundred percent; I don’t have a battery in my laptop - I removed it years ago. What cou… --- ## [How can I print long text files (+50 pages) with page numbers on them?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-print-long-text-files-50-pages-with-page-numbers-on-them/850974)
**Author:** [@JakeRS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JakeRS)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [April 3, 2020, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-print-long-text-files-50-pages-with-page-numbers-on-them/850974 "2020-04-03T16:50:46Z")
I don’t use a printer and never used one, but my mom brought one from her work and she needs me to print her a list of a few thousand people with some info in each row. I got the document in PDF over mail and if I print … --- ## [How smart are raccoons?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-smart-are-raccoons/458993)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 57\ **Last updated:** [April 3, 2020, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-smart-are-raccoons/458993 "2020-04-03T16:47:53Z")
Inspired by the poop thread. How intelligent are raccoons? They seem curious. They have little hands with which they’re very dextrous. But most of the dead things I see in the road are raccoons. They don’t seem to l… --- ## [A scientific Fountain of Youth?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-scientific-fountain-of-youth/850930)
**Author:** [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [April 3, 2020, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-scientific-fountain-of-youth/850930 "2020-04-03T16:20:25Z")
Did the most significant news story of all time just slip quietly by during the furor over the pandemic? Or is this cold fusion redux? --- ## [How much does the US spend per year fighting the flu?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-the-us-spend-per-year-fighting-the-flu/850814)
**Author:** [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [April 3, 2020, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-the-us-spend-per-year-fighting-the-flu/850814 "2020-04-03T16:04:37Z")
More than one US politician has complained about the economic costs of social distancing in the fight against COVID-19, pointing out that we don’t shut down the economy even though 20,000-50,000 people die of the flu eve… --- ## [Black hole lensing. Finding black holes.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-hole-lensing-finding-black-holes/850720)
**Author:** [@Kedikat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kedikat)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [April 3, 2020, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-hole-lensing-finding-black-holes/850720 "2020-04-03T15:49:23Z")
A few questions to another question. Does clearly visible black hole lensing happen only if we happen to be at the focal point of what it is lensing. Similar to the usual optical scheme? Does black hole lensing also in… --- ## [What type of stuffing do I use for a couch?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-type-of-stuffing-do-i-use-for-a-couch/850787)
**Author:** [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [April 3, 2020, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-type-of-stuffing-do-i-use-for-a-couch/850787 "2020-04-03T14:55:19Z")
I have a favorite TV watching couch that has seen it’s better days. I can afford a new couch, but I like this one (and if you help me out, the wife might not make me get rid of it). It needs new stuffing. I guess what… --- ## [What color is Venus?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-color-is-venus/850812)
**Author:** [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [April 3, 2020, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-color-is-venus/850812 "2020-04-03T14:01:05Z")
This page here says “April’s night skies bring brightness to dark times. At dusk, Venus will burn with stunning intensity (at magnitude -4.5) in the western sky. Even with the unaided eye, the planet’s characteristic sul… --- ## [Error correction: audio CDs vs. CD-ROMs](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/error-correction-audio-cds-vs-cd-roms/850735)
**Author:** [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [April 3, 2020, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/error-correction-audio-cds-vs-cd-roms/850735 "2020-04-03T12:36:09Z")
ISTR reading somewhere recently that audio CDs and CD-ROMs are encoded differently, such that CD-ROMs are more resistant to (or more able to correct) read errors. Is this true? If so, how is it done, and why isn’t it d… --- ## [How can they build houses in the rain?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-they-build-houses-in-the-rain/850683)
**Author:** [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [April 3, 2020, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-they-build-houses-in-the-rain/850683 "2020-04-03T06:33:37Z")
I live in Montana, and home building slows down during the winter as you might imagine, but it still goes on. As the snow turns to sleet, and the sleet turns to rain, they continue construction. Sometimes they will thro… --- ## [question about hand sanitizer effectiveness](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-hand-sanitizer-effectiveness/850919)
**Author:** [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [April 3, 2020, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-hand-sanitizer-effectiveness/850919 "2020-04-03T02:06:36Z")
Ok with the COVID-19 thing going on hand sanitizer is at a premium and impossible to get But my question is this … I can’t remember exactly why but about 4 or 5 years ago there was another sickness which brought such … --- ## [Why did it take us so long to invent flying in balloons?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-it-take-us-so-long-to-invent-flying-in-balloons/850298)
**Author:** [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Replies:** 105\ **Last updated:** [April 3, 2020, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-it-take-us-so-long-to-invent-flying-in-balloons/850298 "2020-04-03T00:50:54Z")
I was reading a book on the history of technology and the author pointed out that a balloon is an incredibly simple invention. We had the basic technology that would have allowed us to make a balloon capable of carrying … --- ## [Where is this Spanish style building located?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-this-spanish-style-building-located/850621)
**Author:** [@TheSundial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheSundial)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [April 3, 2020, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-this-spanish-style-building-located/850621 "2020-04-03T00:19:58Z")
This is in Season 3 of Ozark that was just released. It’s set in Michoacán, Mexico although the filming is in Georgia, US. They briefly used Chicago in the first season. I know the moderators will probably want th… --- ## [US embassy to Vatican City](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-embassy-to-vatican-city/850355)
**Author:** [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [April 3, 2020, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-embassy-to-vatican-city/850355 "2020-04-03T00:11:36Z")
Newt Gingrich was on The View this morning. His wife is the US Ambassador to the Vatican, and he was calling in from Rome. He said that, during the Italian lockdown, his wife was still running the Embassy. Is there a … --- ## [How do those infinity pools work?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-those-infinity-pools-work/323345)
**Author:** [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [March 21, 2020, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-those-infinity-pools-work/323345 "2020-03-21T06:22:34Z")
I"ve never seen one in person, only on TV and the movies. Does the water flow over the edge? Maybe the use special paint? Does it always have to be on the edge of a visual cliff? Could someone shove them into these 30x1… --- ## [Which other pandemics have been spoken of as 'the unseen enemy', 'at war with" or 'world war' ?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-other-pandemics-have-been-spoken-of-as-the-unseen-enemy-at-war-with-or-world-war/850910)
**Author:** [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [April 2, 2020, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-other-pandemics-have-been-spoken-of-as-the-unseen-enemy-at-war-with-or-world-war/850910 "2020-04-02T20:24:31Z")
Hi In all my reading on pandemics I have yet to see any reference to “the unseen enemy” and “at war with” it or even as being a ‘world war’. Which other pandemics in history have been spoken of as ‘the unseen enemy’, … --- ## [Getting rid of skunks](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-rid-of-skunks/850803)
**Author:** [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [April 2, 2020, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-rid-of-skunks/850803 "2020-04-02T19:51:01Z")
So theres a skunk living under my neighbor’s concrete deck. The neighbor lives behind me; theres a hill in the back of my property and they’re on top of the hill. Their back yard has a big concrete slab that runs up to… --- ## [What the %$&! is making me sneeze?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-amp-is-making-me-sneeze/850863)
**Author:** [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [April 2, 2020, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-amp-is-making-me-sneeze/850863 "2020-04-02T19:11:01Z")
Just moved up to Michigan, to the western ass-end of the state right by the shores of Lake Michigan. Late evening around twilight and/or even a couple hours later, instead of my usual “one-two aaaaand we’re done here,” l… --- ## [Occupational infection statistics for prior SARS outbreaks?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/occupational-infection-statistics-for-prior-sars-outbreaks/850818)
**Author:** [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [April 2, 2020, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/occupational-infection-statistics-for-prior-sars-outbreaks/850818 "2020-04-02T17:22:16Z")
This is coronavirus-adjacent, so if it needs to be moved that’s okay. I’m looking for statistics showing how coronavirus is affecting people by job category/industry (as in, “doctors (or whoever) are 12% more likely to … --- ## [Airdrop](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airdrop/850893)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [April 2, 2020, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airdrop/850893 "2020-04-02T17:13:46Z")
There are things I don’t use until I need them. Today it’s Airdrop. I shot a 10-second video of the snow this morning. At 20 MB, it’s too big to email. I tried Airdrop. I tapped the icon for my MacBook, saw that the… --- ## [Sharon Tate/Manson murders.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sharon-tate-manson-murders/839512)
**Author:** [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Replies:** 46\ **Last updated:** [April 2, 2020, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sharon-tate-manson-murders/839512 "2020-04-02T14:31:15Z")
Since this has been back in the news due to the 50th anniversary, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Has it definitively been established why they went after the Polanski-Tate residence? I have read different things, … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=375) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=377)