# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=421 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 422 --- ## [I need an easy-to-use photoshop type software to make one picture](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-an-easy-to-use-photoshop-type-software-to-make-one-picture/841436)
**Author:** [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [October 8, 2019, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-an-easy-to-use-photoshop-type-software-to-make-one-picture/841436 "2019-10-08T13:53:02Z")
I want to make a single greeting card with a person’s face superimposed on another picture. I don’t know anything about any graphics software, don’t want to spend weeks learning to use photoshop, and don’t want to pay f… --- ## [Why do doctor's offices etc. ask for your birthdate rather than your name?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-doctors-offices-etc-ask-for-your-birthdate-rather-than-your-name/841311)
**Author:** [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [October 8, 2019, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-doctors-offices-etc-ask-for-your-birthdate-rather-than-your-name/841311 "2019-10-08T12:39:47Z")
It used to be that when I called a doctor’s office to make an appointment or get a prescription refill, they asked for my name. Same thing if I called the pharmacy or was picking up a prescription. I suppose they might… --- ## [Enola's proposal for Single Stage to Orbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enolas-proposal-for-single-stage-to-orbit/840974)
**Author:** [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [October 8, 2019, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enolas-proposal-for-single-stage-to-orbit/840974 "2019-10-08T05:01:25Z")
I’m sure a fuselage with the prerequisite hypersonic aerodynamics has already been penned. As is propulsion: Turbo-ramjets…like that found on the SR-71 Blackbird…to accelerate from the runway to Mach 3+, a Scramjet to ta… --- ## [Did Justice Black violate the Emoluments clause?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-justice-black-violate-the-emoluments-clause/841460)
**Author:** [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [October 8, 2019, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-justice-black-violate-the-emoluments-clause/841460 "2019-10-08T03:44:49Z")
I just came across Ex parte Levitt, 302 U.S. 633 (1937). The Supreme Court dismissed the case for standing, but on the merits it looks like Justice Black would have needed a Saxbe fix to avoid violating the Constitution … --- ## [Athletics tracks across the world. Millimetres accuracy?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletics-tracks-across-the-world-millimetres-accuracy/841276)
**Author:** [@Nansbread1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nansbread1)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [October 8, 2019, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletics-tracks-across-the-world-millimetres-accuracy/841276 "2019-10-08T02:18:08Z")
All these tracks around the world. Are they all millimetre accurate across all the lanes especially as they are circular tracks. How do they get it accurate anyway. How often are they checked considering ground movement… --- ## [Is there a specific term for this geopolitical hypothetical](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-specific-term-for-this-geopolitical-hypothetical/841392)
**Author:** [@Garak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garak)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [October 8, 2019, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-specific-term-for-this-geopolitical-hypothetical/841392 "2019-10-08T00:18:20Z")
Two parties don’t go into all out war because it would create a power vacuum that would be filled by a third party and weaken them to the third party --- ## [Plants haven't survived the winter under a grow light.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plants-havent-survived-the-winter-under-a-grow-light/841385)
**Author:** [@Mdcastle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mdcastle)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [October 7, 2019, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plants-havent-survived-the-winter-under-a-grow-light/841385 "2019-10-07T20:56:01Z")
Before too long the frost will come again. For the past two years I’ve tried taking some of the potted plants on the deck indoors and down to the basement for the winter rather than let them die off with the frost- mint,… --- ## [Smart sockets vs. smart bulbs](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-sockets-vs-smart-bulbs/839933)
**Author:** [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [October 7, 2019, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-sockets-vs-smart-bulbs/839933 "2019-10-07T16:20:36Z")
After visiting a mobility-challenged friend with Edge installed in her house for a week, I’m exploring getting it for mine. We had a fun evening playing “stump Alexa” with off the wall yet still reasonable questions and… --- ## [Why is the Alfa Romeo Spider's shifter positioned so high?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-alfa-romeo-spiders-shifter-positioned-so-high/841352)
**Author:** [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [October 7, 2019, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-alfa-romeo-spiders-shifter-positioned-so-high/841352 "2019-10-07T12:44:02Z")
The Alfa Romeo Spider - perhaps best known as the car Dustin Hoffman drives in The Graduate - has an odd shifter. I’d seen it in pictures before and thought it strange how the shifter is mounted up so high and how it sti… --- ## [Does buying a OnePlus phone carry a risk of Huawei-style lack of access to services in the future?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-buying-a-oneplus-phone-carry-a-risk-of-huawei-style-lack-of-access-to-services-in-the-future/841082)
**Author:** [@TwoCarrotSnowman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwoCarrotSnowman)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [October 6, 2019, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-buying-a-oneplus-phone-carry-a-risk-of-huawei-style-lack-of-access-to-services-in-the-future/841082 "2019-10-06T23:22:19Z")
I’m in the market for a new smartphone. I like the look of the soon-to-be-released OnePlus 7T, which has flagship features at a midrange cost. OnePlus is a Chinese company. As far as I know, they haven’t yet been affect… --- ## [How common were child soldiers in the Vietnam war?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-were-child-soldiers-in-the-vietnam-war/841316)
**Author:** [@Mislav](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mislav)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [October 6, 2019, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-were-child-soldiers-in-the-vietnam-war/841316 "2019-10-06T20:18:53Z")
I’ve been thinking about that lately. I remember that one scene near the end of “Full Metal Jacket” in particular. Half of the brigade gets wiped out by a sniper… who turns out to be a teenage girl, no older than fifteen… --- ## [Is there any correlation between income and how far you live from where you were born?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-correlation-between-income-and-how-far-you-live-from-where-you-were-born/841347)
**Author:** [@ski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ski)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [October 6, 2019, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-correlation-between-income-and-how-far-you-live-from-where-you-were-born/841347 "2019-10-06T19:32:19Z")
My wife and I were talking about how some friends of ours have their whole family living in the same city - kids, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles. They all see each other often and it seems really nice. Neither my w… --- ## [The physics of flooding](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-physics-of-flooding/841346)
**Author:** [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [October 6, 2019, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-physics-of-flooding/841346 "2019-10-06T19:04:34Z")
I know I’m missing something fundamental in my thinking on this. Suppose an area is dumped on with 4 inches of rain in a relatively short time. That is a lot of rain, yes? Now we have flood warnings for an area the rive… --- ## [Explain "dew point" like I'm a stupid child plz?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-dew-point-like-im-a-stupid-child-plz/840987)
**Author:** [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Replies:** 42\ **Last updated:** [October 6, 2019, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-dew-point-like-im-a-stupid-child-plz/840987 "2019-10-06T08:36:54Z")
I’ve lived in Dallas for three decades. I am familiar with humidity. That joke about Arizona, “yeah, but it’s a DRY heat!” 90 F is not the same as 90 F when it’s Phoenix vs. Houston. I do understand. But I don’t unders… --- ## [What did Nixon do in his last 15 hours in office?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-nixon-do-in-his-last-15-hours-in-office/841089)
**Author:** [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [October 6, 2019, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-nixon-do-in-his-last-15-hours-in-office/841089 "2019-10-06T03:36:32Z")
On August 8, 1974 at 9:01 PM Eastern Time, Richard Nixon delivered a speech announcing his resignation, which was to take effect the following day at noon. What did Nixon do between this announcement and actually leavin… --- ## [Is This an Example of American Arrogance Riding Roughshod over the Sensibilities of a Friendly Count](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-an-example-of-american-arrogance-riding-roughshod-over-the-sensibilities-of-a-friendly-count/841331)
**Author:** [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [October 6, 2019, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-an-example-of-american-arrogance-riding-roughshod-over-the-sensibilities-of-a-friendly-count/841331 "2019-10-06T02:08:38Z")
Are diplomat’s wives immune from the consequences of their actions? --- ## [Will chili powder in soil kill seedlings?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-chili-powder-in-soil-kill-seedlings/841294)
**Author:** [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [October 6, 2019, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-chili-powder-in-soil-kill-seedlings/841294 "2019-10-06T01:30:57Z")
Short version: Will chili powder in soil kill seedlings? Longer version: I prepared two rectangular planters on our balcony with potting mix and bunged some coriander seeds in. And of course, our cheeky kitty decided it… --- ## [American](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american/841277)
**Author:** [@Doyle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doyle)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2019, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american/841277 "2019-10-05T22:52:36Z")
Does any other country in North or South America other the the US refer to themselves as Americans. If not, why do some people take offense to US citizens thinking we can use it to describe our nationality? --- ## [Are my air ducts in the ballbark of being the right size?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-my-air-ducts-in-the-ballbark-of-being-the-right-size/841288)
**Author:** [@Mdcastle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mdcastle)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2019, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-my-air-ducts-in-the-ballbark-of-being-the-right-size/841288 "2019-10-05T22:26:56Z")
1100 foot square home with an unfinished basement and a forced air furnace. All the upstairs vents are fed by 6" round ducts from square mains. Two bedrooms are fed from an 8 X 9 square duct. To the side third bedroom i… --- ## [Interior pressure of a spacecraft vs a commercial aircraft](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interior-pressure-of-a-spacecraft-vs-a-commercial-aircraft/840988)
**Author:** [@LaughingSnowman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LaughingSnowman)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2019, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interior-pressure-of-a-spacecraft-vs-a-commercial-aircraft/840988 "2019-10-05T22:00:05Z")
If a window on a spacecraft suddenly failed in space, is the force inside equal to the force of an equally sized commercial aircraft and window breaking in the air on Earth? --- ## [Terminologically, is the word "joystick" specific to video games?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terminologically-is-the-word-joystick-specific-to-video-games/841177)
**Author:** [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2019, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terminologically-is-the-word-joystick-specific-to-video-games/841177 "2019-10-05T20:35:01Z")
I had always assumed, without ever having read or heard it anywhere, that the term “joystick” was a marketing thing of the video game industry, making reference to the fun and great time that you’ll supposedly have playi… --- ## [Where do freight trains load and unload?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-freight-trains-load-and-unload/840240)
**Author:** [@HelenGawn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelenGawn)\ **Replies:** 48\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2019, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-freight-trains-load-and-unload/840240 "2019-10-05T19:40:23Z")
I’m not looking for the generic term, although that may help my googling, which has so far turned up nothing. Freights go through a lot of towns without stopping. I want to know how many vs places where cargo is loaded … --- ## [Why do pilots still tell you their planned altitude, weather at your destination, etc?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-pilots-still-tell-you-their-planned-altitude-weather-at-your-destination-etc/841187)
**Author:** [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Replies:** 42\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2019, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-pilots-still-tell-you-their-planned-altitude-weather-at-your-destination-etc/841187 "2019-10-05T18:38:43Z")
Has anybody, anywhere ever cared whether they are going to fly at 32000 feet vs 34000 feet, or whatever? Does anybody in 2019 not have the ability to look up the weather at their destination if they wish to do so? I’d … --- ## [French grammar question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-grammar-question/841111)
**Author:** [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2019, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-grammar-question/841111 "2019-10-05T17:53:49Z")
I’m learning French with Duolingo and had the sentence: “We are humans, not gods.” It was translated as: “Nous sommes des hommes, non des dieux.” I would have translated it as: “Nous sommes des hommes, pas des dieux… --- ## [What Compression Fitting Do I Need?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-compression-fitting-do-i-need/841296)
**Author:** [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2019, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-compression-fitting-do-i-need/841296 "2019-10-05T17:44:25Z")
I just bought a new fridge, but the delivery team won’t connect the water supply line to the existing water supply line. My problem is I have a 3/8" male threaded connection at BOTH the end of the copper supply and a 3/8… --- ## [Is there any reason for learning lojban/loglan?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-reason-for-learning-lojban-loglan/841283)
**Author:** [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2019, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-reason-for-learning-lojban-loglan/841283 "2019-10-05T17:16:22Z")
Loglan, to the best of my knowledge, was originally created to test the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, and find out if thinking in an unambiguous, logically structured language entails logically structured thinking. I don’t rea… --- ## [Why does it take so long to have a heart attack from unhealthy lifestyle choices?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-it-take-so-long-to-have-a-heart-attack-from-unhealthy-lifestyle-choices/841161)
**Author:** [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2019, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-it-take-so-long-to-have-a-heart-attack-from-unhealthy-lifestyle-choices/841161 "2019-10-05T15:51:14Z")
There are many guidelines on how to live to lessen your chance of a heart attack. It’s common knowledge that avoiding things like red meat, fatty foods, and smoking are better for your heart. Exercising and staying act… --- ## [AIDS in the 1950's and 60's.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aids-in-the-1950s-and-60s/840840)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 61\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2019, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aids-in-the-1950s-and-60s/840840 "2019-10-05T12:48:56Z")
I have to tell you, when I think of it, it is kind of a nightmarish thought. But what if the AIDS epidemic, affecting gay men of course, occurred in the 1950’s or early 60’s–esp. the 1950’s? Obviously they would have ta… --- ## [What happened with Flash?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-with-flash/841155)
**Author:** [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2019, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-with-flash/841155 "2019-10-05T12:36:13Z")
I mean here we have a program universally used across most browsers, with regular updates, and owned by a big company. Then suddenly it’s a security risk vulnerable to all sorts of exploits and all the browsers now shun … --- ## [Visibility of bruises under LED light](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visibility-of-bruises-under-led-light/841280)
**Author:** [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2019, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visibility-of-bruises-under-led-light/841280 "2019-10-05T12:23:50Z")
I have noticed that if I have a bruise, it shows up much more readily under LED light than any other light. Oddly it seems to show up least readily under direct sunlight. Since sunlight is presumed to have all visible f… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=420) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=422)