# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=4 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 5 --- ## [Windows 10 - setting cursor speed once and for all](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-setting-cursor-speed-once-and-for-all/1032245)
**Author:** [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [August 11, 2026, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-setting-cursor-speed-once-and-for-all/1032245 "2026-08-11T00:13:12Z")
I use my laptop at home, hooked up to a monitor on my desk. Then I bring it to work and do the same with the monitor there. At home, my cursor speed defaults to 14. But at work it’s set at 10 and every day I have to go i… --- ## [Is it legal for me to have a tattoo added to my body after I die?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-legal-for-me-to-have-a-tattoo-added-to-my-body-after-i-die/1032247)
**Author:** [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Replies:** 44\ **Last updated:** [August 10, 2026, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-legal-for-me-to-have-a-tattoo-added-to-my-body-after-i-die/1032247 "2026-08-10T23:24:37Z")
Let’s say I want a small tattoo, non-obscene, added to an arm after I die. Would it be legal for this to happen? --- ## [Electrical Wiring: Can I cap a hot wire and leave it in a junction box above ceiling fan?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electrical-wiring-can-i-cap-a-hot-wire-and-leave-it-in-a-junction-box-above-ceiling-fan/1032222)
**Author:** [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [August 10, 2026, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electrical-wiring-can-i-cap-a-hot-wire-and-leave-it-in-a-junction-box-above-ceiling-fan/1032222 "2026-08-10T23:21:29Z")
Can I cap a hot wire and leave it in a junction box above ceiling fan? Specifically: Is it safe and to code to cap a hot line and leave it in a junction box? I think this is SOP, but want to double-check. If so, any r… --- ## [Marine Corps Boot Camp Question (San Diego)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marine-corps-boot-camp-question-san-diego/1032256)
**Author:** [@19USMC69](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/19USMC69)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [August 10, 2026, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marine-corps-boot-camp-question-san-diego/1032256 "2026-08-10T12:29:11Z")
Last week it was reported a Marine “recruit” died at Camp Pendleton, ostensibly during a physical evaluation. When I went through boot camp in San Diego (1969) recruits left MCRD only once, and that for rifle/marksmans… --- ## [Suppose The Earth Was In The CENTER of The Galaxy](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suppose-the-earth-was-in-the-center-of-the-galaxy/207774)
**Author:** [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [August 10, 2026, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suppose-the-earth-was-in-the-center-of-the-galaxy/207774 "2026-08-10T02:22:36Z")
…what would the night sky look like? Would all those stars make it as bright as daytime? I read once that cosmologists thought that life probably would not evolve on planets near the centers of galaxies…toomuch radiation… --- ## [Where do long distance train drivers sleep?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-long-distance-train-drivers-sleep/1031081)
**Author:** [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [August 9, 2026, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-long-distance-train-drivers-sleep/1031081 "2026-08-09T14:05:31Z")
A long distance train driver presumably may start his shift in one city, then at the end of a full working day he may end up in another city hundreds of miles away. Where does he sleep? Does he have to get a hotel? Doe… --- ## [Windows 10: "Replace File" Confimation dialog keeps vanishing](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-replace-file-confimation-dialog-keeps-vanishing/1032244)
**Author:** [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [August 9, 2026, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-replace-file-confimation-dialog-keeps-vanishing/1032244 "2026-08-09T13:59:29Z")
I’m suddenly experiencing an odd issue in Windows 10, which just appeared out of nowhere. There was no Windows reboot or update; things functioned normally in the evening, and the next morning they didn’t. The issue is … --- ## [What would an "orbiting astronomical observatory" do in 1964?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-an-orbiting-astronomical-observatory-do-in-1964/1032195)
**Author:** [@Timz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Timz)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [August 8, 2026, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-an-orbiting-astronomical-observatory-do-in-1964/1032195 "2026-08-08T17:57:58Z")
Did such things actually exist then? Gathering useful info and transmitting it to the ground? Or could it be a spy satellite? --- ## [Car races that start with drivers sprinting to their cars](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-races-that-start-with-drivers-sprinting-to-their-cars/1031666)
**Author:** [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [August 7, 2026, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-races-that-start-with-drivers-sprinting-to-their-cars/1031666 "2026-08-07T14:29:37Z")
Is this still a thing? I watched Ford vs Ferrari recently, and also Elvis’s \*Viva Las Vegas" and both feature a car race in which the cars are lined up here, the drivers are lined up there, and the starting gun is fir… --- ## [Can ai's play boardgames?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-ais-play-boardgames/1029428)
**Author:** [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Replies:** 83\ **Last updated:** [August 6, 2026, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-ais-play-boardgames/1029428 "2026-08-06T23:16:47Z")
An offshoot from another thread where there some discussion of ai’s playing chess. Obviously, ai’s can play chess and other board games. And they can beat humans. My question is whether the ai’s have to be programmed t… --- ## [Do they still demolish buildings with cranes and wrecking balls?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-still-demolish-buildings-with-cranes-and-wrecking-balls/1032099)
**Author:** [@Timz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Timz)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [August 6, 2026, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-still-demolish-buildings-with-cranes-and-wrecking-balls/1032099 "2026-08-06T18:09:18Z")
Like they’re about to do here, in 1973. What would happen to a building like this now? “Before” view --- ## [How was paper made white before modern chemistry?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-was-paper-made-white-before-modern-chemistry/1032100)
**Author:** [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [August 6, 2026, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-was-paper-made-white-before-modern-chemistry/1032100 "2026-08-06T15:31:24Z")
Modern chemical bleaches date from the end of the Eighteenth century. Before those were invented how was paper made white (or even a pale ivory/cream)? If you or your kids have ever dabbled in handcrafted paper you’re pr… --- ## [Why is the sell by Date for lunch meat two months ahead but it has to be eaten within a week or so after opening?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-sell-by-date-for-lunch-meat-two-months-ahead-but-it-has-to-be-eaten-within-a-week-or-so-after-opening/1031992)
**Author:** [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Replies:** 47\ **Last updated:** [August 6, 2026, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-sell-by-date-for-lunch-meat-two-months-ahead-but-it-has-to-be-eaten-within-a-week-or-so-after-opening/1031992 "2026-08-06T05:43:10Z")
I buy Hormel Natural Choice Applewood Smoked Turkey Deli Lunchmeat, 8 oz Resealable Package. I’ve noticed the sell by date is usually six to eight weeks beyond when I purchase. The packages are sealed. I wouldn’t say t… --- ## [What does either mean in this marriage law?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-either-mean-in-this-marriage-law/1032119)
**Author:** [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [August 6, 2026, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-either-mean-in-this-marriage-law/1032119 "2026-08-06T00:53:51Z")
In a thread about marriages, @robby linked to a 1970s Texas law that gave a long list of who may perform marriages. It ended with this line: YOU, ОR EITHER OF YOU, ARE HEREBY AUTHORIZED TO JOIN In the Holy Union of Mat… --- ## [Pronunciation question: "Robot"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-question-robot/1031897)
**Author:** [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Replies:** 93\ **Last updated:** [August 6, 2026, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-question-robot/1031897 "2026-08-06T00:16:13Z")
I was watching an old commercial a minute ago featuring “Robert the Robot”, only the last word was pronounced “ro-but”, not “ro-bot”. What is the story about the change to the current pronunciation? --- ## [Does the Lincoln Tunnel really carry 1850 buses into NY in four hours?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-lincoln-tunnel-really-carry-1850-buses-into-ny-in-four-hours/1031863)
**Author:** [@Timz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Timz)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [August 5, 2026, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-lincoln-tunnel-really-carry-1850-buses-into-ny-in-four-hours/1031863 "2026-08-05T22:26:59Z")
That’s what its Wikipedia article says: 1850 buses, 70000 passengers between 6 and 10 AM, which is a bus every eight seconds. Can that be right? --- ## [Glowing (eye) pupils in black light](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glowing-eye-pupils-in-black-light/286899)
**Author:** [@robotic\_panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robotic_panda)\ **Replies:** 65\ **Last updated:** [August 5, 2026, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glowing-eye-pupils-in-black-light/286899 "2026-08-05T04:12:58Z")
I have been wondering this for quite a while. When my eyes are exposed to a black light, a common, flourescent tube type, my pupils glow greenish blue. When my friends and I discovered this, we tried in every way to re… --- ## [Anyone ever stationed at Trumbo Naval Air Station on Key West?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-stationed-at-trumbo-naval-air-station-on-key-west/1032154)
**Author:** [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [August 4, 2026, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-stationed-at-trumbo-naval-air-station-on-key-west/1032154 "2026-08-04T23:59:48Z")
If you go through the main base you can drive to Fleming Key, the home of the Special Forces Underwater Operations School. There is some interesting stuff on Fleming. Google Maps shows a bunch of ammunition magazines. Mo… --- ## [Supermassive Black Hole Gravity Question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supermassive-black-hole-gravity-question/1031721)
**Author:** [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Replies:** 46\ **Last updated:** [August 4, 2026, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supermassive-black-hole-gravity-question/1031721 "2026-08-04T19:02:29Z")
I was watching a Nova episode with the physicist Janna Levin describing the mass of the supermassive black hole at the center of the Andromeda galaxy. She mentioned that its mass is estimated at 100 million solar masses… --- ## [Why does scratching an itch feel so good?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-scratching-an-itch-feel-so-good/1031749)
**Author:** [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [August 4, 2026, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-scratching-an-itch-feel-so-good/1031749 "2026-08-04T17:07:08Z")
I’m not talking about a casual brushing something off your skin, or pulling off a bit a dried skin. I mean when the urge to scratch goes on and on, to the point you are actually damaging your skin, sometimes drawing blo… --- ## [What’s the latest on stored water expiration?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-the-latest-on-stored-water-expiration/1031867)
**Author:** [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [August 4, 2026, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-the-latest-on-stored-water-expiration/1031867 "2026-08-04T00:57:19Z")
I’ve had a jug of water bought from the store that I was keeping out of direct sunlight and heat (except the water heater, but the closet doesn’t seem warmer than the other rooms) for multiple years; the expiration date … --- ## [Fiduciary Question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiduciary-question/1032052)
**Author:** [@19USMC69](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/19USMC69)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [August 3, 2026, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiduciary-question/1032052 "2026-08-03T22:28:02Z")
For an individual and/or a business to represent themselves as a fiduciary is there a process to do so? Is there an organization that formally provides accreditation? Or is anyone free to represent themselves as a fiduc… --- ## ["I'm, like, ..." -- was it Valley Girls that started that?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-like-was-it-valley-girls-that-started-that/1032055)
**Author:** [@Timz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Timz)\ **Replies:** 44\ **Last updated:** [August 3, 2026, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-like-was-it-valley-girls-that-started-that/1032055 "2026-08-03T17:34:49Z")
That expression I’m comma like comma that we constantly hear now didn’t exist until a few decades ago. (Does it exist now, in other English-speaking countries?) Didn’t it get started as part of Valley Girl lingo? No, I d… --- ## [What to do when Google Maps is wrong...](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-when-google-maps-is-wrong/461087)
**Author:** [@RachelChristine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RachelChristine)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [August 3, 2026, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-when-google-maps-is-wrong/461087 "2026-08-03T04:00:14Z")
First off, I am just so frustrated lately! My dad bought a GPS awhile back, and it took you all around the mulberry bush to get to my house. He got mad and returned it and bought a new one. It was better, but didn’t k… --- ## [How common is/was three-way racial segregation?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-was-three-way-racial-segregation/1032030)
**Author:** [@Timz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Timz)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [August 3, 2026, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-was-three-way-racial-segregation/1032030 "2026-08-03T00:30:02Z")
Or more-way? It seems that as soon as Oklahoma became a state, the legislature passed a law requiring facilities for whites, blacks and Indians. Dunno if it specified who was at the bottom of the totem pole. The report … --- ## [So...how do railroads work?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-do-railroads-work/1031768)
**Author:** [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Replies:** 67\ **Last updated:** [August 2, 2026, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-do-railroads-work/1031768 "2026-08-02T12:05:38Z")
I’ve always had an interest in complex systems in general, both professionally, and recreationally with “sim” and “tycoon” games. And living and working the NY metro area, I am certainly familiar with the various transi… --- ## [How much paint remover would it take to make the paint peel on the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-paint-remover-would-it-take-to-make-the-paint-peel-on-the-bottom-of-the-lincoln-memorial-reflecting-pool/1031060)
**Author:** [@Ancient\_Nerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ancient_Nerd)\ **Replies:** 83\ **Last updated:** [August 1, 2026, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-paint-remover-would-it-take-to-make-the-paint-peel-on-the-bottom-of-the-lincoln-memorial-reflecting-pool/1031060 "2026-08-01T19:31:23Z")
After painting the bottom of the reflecting pool at the Lincoln Memorial, it was refilled with water. Almost immediately, the paint began to peel. According to el donald, the peeling paint is the result of vandalism. C… --- ## [Macroscopic quantum effects in human history](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macroscopic-quantum-effects-in-human-history/1031977)
**Author:** [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [July 29, 2026, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macroscopic-quantum-effects-in-human-history/1031977 "2026-07-29T20:26:48Z")
Quantum physics tells us that weird things happen on the very small scale. Particles popping into brief existence out of nowhere, or interfering with other particles or even themselves like a wave, or tunneling across a … --- ## [Why does USB-B exist? (computer cable)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-usb-b-exist-computer-cable/1031930)
**Author:** [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Replies:** 172\ **Last updated:** [July 29, 2026, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-usb-b-exist-computer-cable/1031930 "2026-07-29T13:10:25Z")
There are many forms of connectors for USB cables that we use with our computers. Sometimes I am baffled at why one is used rather than another but the one that always gets me us USB-B (see pic below). I have only ever… --- ## [Polynesians traveled West from South America?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polynesians-traveled-west-from-south-america/1031192)
**Author:** [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Replies:** 107\ **Last updated:** [July 28, 2026, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polynesians-traveled-west-from-south-america/1031192 "2026-07-28T20:04:06Z")
I just read this. Sweet potato was taken from its American homeland by Polynesians who introduced it into many Pacifc islands and New Zealand about 1000 years ago. The only thing I previously read about Polynesians t… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=5)