# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=413 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 414 --- ## [Unable to access Users folder in Windows 10](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unable-to-access-users-folder-in-windows-10/843045)
**Author:** [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [November 6, 2019, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unable-to-access-users-folder-in-windows-10/843045 "2019-11-06T17:14:09Z")
I bought a new Windows 10 desktop computer a couple of years ago, and got a 256GB SSD as the primary drive (the C: drive or the one containing Windows and most applications). I knew that wouldn’t be enough for everything… --- ## [Can someone explain Annualised Hours Working problem for me](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-annualised-hours-working-problem-for-me/843046)
**Author:** [@Nansbread1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nansbread1)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [November 6, 2019, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-annualised-hours-working-problem-for-me/843046 "2019-11-06T08:19:00Z")
So we have Annualised hours working in our company. Set number of hours to work in a financial year. Extra money paid for weekend working and the number of weekend hours is set at the start of the year. All shifts are in… --- ## [Any way to access a saved password (Win-10)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-way-to-access-a-saved-password-win-10/843031)
**Author:** [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [November 6, 2019, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-way-to-access-a-saved-password-win-10/843031 "2019-11-06T00:49:32Z")
My wife can access her email (the server is Outlook 365) from her computer. But when I tried to sign on to her account from my computer, it rejects the password she thought she was using. And she cannot change the pass… --- ## [Is the decimal system truly universal?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-decimal-system-truly-universal/842666)
**Author:** [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Replies:** 79\ **Last updated:** [November 5, 2019, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-decimal-system-truly-universal/842666 "2019-11-05T20:53:27Z")
It’s my understanding that our base-10 system of counting arose out of the evolutionary accident of two five-fingered hands. If this is true, is the decimal system considered to be universal out of pure primate solipsism… --- ## [meaning of "diverse" in computer networking](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-diverse-in-computer-networking/842960)
**Author:** [@dstarfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dstarfire)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [November 5, 2019, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-diverse-in-computer-networking/842960 "2019-11-05T20:21:22Z")
In a video about networking in a datacenter, they used the phrase “we run those cables up onto the trays and take the most diverse route possible to …”. I can’t think of a single meaning for diverse that matches a single… --- ## [Can anyone read these Mandarin or Cantonese characters?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-read-these-mandarin-or-cantonese-characters/833149)
**Author:** [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [November 5, 2019, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-read-these-mandarin-or-cantonese-characters/833149 "2019-11-05T18:06:41Z")
A friend of mine has some plates. On the back of the plates, saucers actually, are the linked characters. It was difficult to take a clear picture. http://imgur.com/gallery/Ud0520T http://imgur.com/gallery/hIrJXGY htt… --- ## [Electrical circuit question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electrical-circuit-question/842763)
**Author:** [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [November 5, 2019, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electrical-circuit-question/842763 "2019-11-05T17:55:41Z")
I have a workaround to my problem, but I’d still like to understand what’s going on. I have two exterior outlets that I had installed for outdoor holiday lighting. There are on the same circuit and one is a GFCI. The l… --- ## [Japanese Gold Bars 999.9](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-gold-bars-999-9/842908)
**Author:** [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Replies:** 50\ **Last updated:** [November 5, 2019, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-gold-bars-999-9/842908 "2019-11-05T16:46:48Z")
I’ve always seen gold bars being classified as 99 point something (99.9). Some Japanese gold bars are classified as 999.9 What is the point of this? If you don’t understand what I’m talking about just google “japan 999… --- ## [Any stats on prevalence of rabies in raccoons?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-stats-on-prevalence-of-rabies-in-raccoons/842973)
**Author:** [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [November 5, 2019, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-stats-on-prevalence-of-rabies-in-raccoons/842973 "2019-11-05T15:43:36Z")
I had a discussion with someone last night about rabies in raccoons. I had heard a few times that’s it’s something wild like 90% in the wild (which does seem awfully high), but she countered that it’s almost unheard of a… --- ## [What is the meaning of the idiom: "go to the skiff"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-meaning-of-the-idiom-go-to-the-skiff/843017)
**Author:** [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [November 5, 2019, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-meaning-of-the-idiom-go-to-the-skiff/843017 "2019-11-05T15:00:49Z")
Hi Steve Bannon uses the phrase “go to the skiff” a few times 45+ seconds into the video linked below. It sound like doing something uncomfortable. Steve Bannon predicts Trump impeachment fallout in Fox News exclusive I… --- ## [Do people know if dog dirt smells worse than human faeces?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-know-if-dog-dirt-smells-worse-than-human-faeces/843010)
**Author:** [@Dunmurry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunmurry)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [November 5, 2019, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-know-if-dog-dirt-smells-worse-than-human-faeces/843010 "2019-11-05T03:58:55Z")
Well there are a few things I want to know about this disgusting subject of dog dirt. Mods can lock it after about 30 replies. It is in relation to whether dog dirt smells worse than human faeces. I remember many years a… --- ## [Weird sensation and the color orange](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-sensation-and-the-color-orange/842979)
**Author:** [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [November 5, 2019, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-sensation-and-the-color-orange/842979 "2019-11-05T02:50:03Z")
Years ago I worked at an office supply store. They had those tri fold, I guess really only two fold poster boards that you would see kids use for science projects. There was one in the store that was a bright neon orange… --- ## [Has a crime been committed here? A case of goose theft.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-crime-been-committed-here-a-case-of-goose-theft/842758)
**Author:** [@jonpluc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jonpluc)\ **Replies:** 60\ **Last updated:** [November 5, 2019, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-crime-been-committed-here-a-case-of-goose-theft/842758 "2019-11-05T02:32:58Z")
I am a landlord in a small town in Upstate NY. One day, one of my Asian tenants was in the front yard of his Apartment building tossing food to a Canadian Goose. Canadian geese are not uncommon to flyovers here but they … --- ## [Last common ancestor of marsupials and placental mammals, how did it reproduce?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-common-ancestor-of-marsupials-and-placental-mammals-how-did-it-reproduce/842946)
**Author:** [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [November 5, 2019, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-common-ancestor-of-marsupials-and-placental-mammals-how-did-it-reproduce/842946 "2019-11-05T00:29:28Z")
I googled and googled, with no luck. Did the LCE of marsupials and placentals reproduce more like one than the other? A combination? Some other method? Or do we not know? --- ## [Do airbag test take into account human behavior?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-airbag-test-take-into-account-human-behavior/842872)
**Author:** [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [November 4, 2019, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-airbag-test-take-into-account-human-behavior/842872 "2019-11-04T21:48:01Z")
I have watched an untold number of airbag tests in my lifetime and in all of them the test dummies are sitting up straight with their faces forward and their arms to the sides of the body, but in real life aren’t people … --- ## [Kitchen faucet spits air, then water flows like normal.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitchen-faucet-spits-air-then-water-flows-like-normal/842971)
**Author:** [@Tempe\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tempe_Jeff)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [November 4, 2019, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitchen-faucet-spits-air-then-water-flows-like-normal/842971 "2019-11-04T17:55:08Z")
This started recently and I was wondering why. Anyone have an idea? Does the faucet need replacement? Give me the Straight Dope. --- ## [How much better is 3nm than 7nm or 10nm (in semiconductors?)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-better-is-3nm-than-7nm-or-10nm-in-semiconductors/842606)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [November 4, 2019, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-better-is-3nm-than-7nm-or-10nm-in-semiconductors/842606 "2019-11-04T16:11:54Z")
Right now there is a race to be smaller and smaller when it comes to transistors(?) in the semiconductor industry, although we may be nearing the end of Moore’s Law. Used to be 10nm, now going down to 7nm, and now 3-nano… --- ## [The "vampire plagues"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-vampire-plagues/842907)
**Author:** [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [November 4, 2019, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-vampire-plagues/842907 "2019-11-04T01:09:11Z")
I’ve been doing some reading on vampire folklore. I.E. different myths and legends throughout Europe and inspirations for later works such as Carmilla and Dracula that launched the modern notion. In a few scattered sour… --- ## [Quantum Physics When I Am Asleep?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quantum-physics-when-i-am-asleep/842693)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 59\ **Last updated:** [November 3, 2019, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quantum-physics-when-i-am-asleep/842693 "2019-11-03T23:00:53Z")
I have to tell you, there is one aspect of quantum physics I just don’t get. I think it is best summed up in the story of Schroedinger’s cat. That things don’t exist unless I ‘measure’ them (?). I mean, I leave a room. … --- ## [Micro Expressions](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/micro-expressions/842955)
**Author:** [@molten](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/molten)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [November 3, 2019, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/micro-expressions/842955 "2019-11-03T19:17:13Z")
I am confused about the premise here. The claim is there are only 7 social emotions. Do most people not have more complicated non social feeling or do these not show on their face? How would being able to pick up on 7 o… --- ## [Halloween and Jank'o'lanterns and why are are pumpkins hollow?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halloween-and-jankolanterns-and-why-are-are-pumpkins-hollow/842535)
**Author:** [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Replies:** 60\ **Last updated:** [November 3, 2019, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halloween-and-jankolanterns-and-why-are-are-pumpkins-hollow/842535 "2019-11-03T13:13:09Z")
It’s Halloween, so I buy a pumpkin and carve it into a Jack’o’lantern but my question is more botanical. Why is a pumpkin hollow? I can’t thing of any melon other than the pumpkin that is just all air on the inside. I… --- ## [What did alkaline water mean in the 19th century](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-alkaline-water-mean-in-the-19th-century/842920)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [November 2, 2019, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-alkaline-water-mean-in-the-19th-century/842920 "2019-11-02T21:30:11Z")
I’m watching the film Meeks cutoff, and there is a scene where they get to a source of water but can’t drink it because its alkaline. What does that mean (I assume that means its got a pH above 7)? And how would they tes… --- ## [Do people who have afro hair and die have to get it cut off before burial?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-who-have-afro-hair-and-die-have-to-get-it-cut-off-before-burial/842820)
**Author:** [@Dunmurry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunmurry)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [November 2, 2019, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-who-have-afro-hair-and-die-have-to-get-it-cut-off-before-burial/842820 "2019-11-02T15:06:17Z")
Well it’s just that there’s someone that I know who has a big mop of curly hair a bit like an afro haircut and I suppose it’s like a bird’s nest and there are others particularly African type people who have big hair and… --- ## [I think I'm in a computer simulation and I think I may need help.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-im-in-a-computer-simulation-and-i-think-i-may-need-help/842918)
**Author:** [@eikk395](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eikk395)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [November 2, 2019, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-im-in-a-computer-simulation-and-i-think-i-may-need-help/842918 "2019-11-02T14:53:27Z")
I think I’m in a computer simulation and I think I may need help. Nobody believes me and I don’t think most of you don’t either. This is not a story or a prank or anything met to deceive. It’s been happening so long t… --- ## [I'm curious. Who can see what about me on Facebook?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-curious-who-can-see-what-about-me-on-facebook/804698)
**Author:** [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [November 2, 2019, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-curious-who-can-see-what-about-me-on-facebook/804698 "2019-11-02T11:42:43Z")
If you look for me, I’m Doug Blair in Ottawa. I’m connected to some of you good people, but what can my non-friends see, or not see? Inquiring minds want to know. Oh, and if you want to friend me, feel free. :relaxed: … --- ## [Lottery Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lottery-questions/842730)
**Author:** [@Ponderoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponderoid)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [November 2, 2019, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lottery-questions/842730 "2019-11-02T11:03:49Z")
I recall some years ago reading about a person who accidentally purchased 20 lottery tickets with the same numbers by accident. They realized their goof right away, and the purchaser claimed that the store wouldn’t refun… --- ## [Have car escape tools saved any lives?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-car-escape-tools-saved-any-lives/842860)
**Author:** [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tired_and_Cranky)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [November 2, 2019, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-car-escape-tools-saved-any-lives/842860 "2019-11-02T07:37:10Z")
I keep seeing articles that recommend I buy a car escape tool like one of the many on this page. The idea is that I can break open a window or cut off my seat belt if I am trapped in my car. Is there any evidence that s… --- ## [Are there sites that can tell me what airline points will get me?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-sites-that-can-tell-me-what-airline-points-will-get-me/842613)
**Author:** [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [November 2, 2019, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-sites-that-can-tell-me-what-airline-points-will-get-me/842613 "2019-11-02T05:05:03Z")
If I am awarded 40,000 airline points from, say, Southwest, is there a website that can tell me what I can exchange for those points-what items, flights or upgrades they can get me? How can I tell if going for a certain… --- ## [Prototype cars with weird paint jobs](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prototype-cars-with-weird-paint-jobs/842691)
**Author:** [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [November 2, 2019, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prototype-cars-with-weird-paint-jobs/842691 "2019-11-02T02:49:49Z")
I follow the EV news and have noticed that some of the prototypes that are being tested on roads have weird paint jobs. Examples: Mercedes, Tesla, Honda, VW (that one’s colored, not b&w like the others). I’ve seen anothe… --- ## [I Want to Visit My Friend in China: What do I Need to do?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-visit-my-friend-in-china-what-do-i-need-to-do/819709)
**Author:** [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [November 1, 2019, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-visit-my-friend-in-china-what-do-i-need-to-do/819709 "2019-11-01T23:24:54Z")
I have a friend in Shenzhen. We’ve been talking about me visiting him in a month or so. I’m a Canadian citizen (with passport), and the as born in the UK. Apart from booking a plane ticket, is there something else I ne… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=412) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=414)