# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=438 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 439 --- ## [Put two same solid materials next to each other and they combine into one without liquid transition?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/put-two-same-solid-materials-next-to-each-other-and-they-combine-into-one-without-liquid-transition/838314)
**Author:** [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [August 11, 2019, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/put-two-same-solid-materials-next-to-each-other-and-they-combine-into-one-without-liquid-transition/838314 "2019-08-11T20:10:00Z")
If I have two solid objects, like two iron blocks, and put them next to each other, they stay independent objects. I can move them back apart no matter how long they stay next to each other. They typically do not combi… --- ## [How Long to develop/Test a Nuclear Rocket?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-to-develop-test-a-nuclear-rocket/503806)
**Author:** [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [August 11, 2019, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-to-develop-test-a-nuclear-rocket/503806 "2019-08-11T17:45:07Z")
I was reading that chemical rockets won’t take us to Mars (humans at least)-the Hohmann orbits take too long, and radiation exposure would be to dangerous. If we had high-impluse nuclear rockets, we could get to Mars in … --- ## [What accent is this supposed to be?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-accent-is-this-supposed-to-be/838358)
**Author:** [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [August 11, 2019, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-accent-is-this-supposed-to-be/838358 "2019-08-11T15:41:44Z")
The “itsa croim to pay moa than a doim” girl. I say “suppose to” because it’s certainly a voice actress putting it on. Does anybody actually still talk like that, and where? --- ## [Prepositional Zoom Levels?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepositional-zoom-levels/838444)
**Author:** [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [August 11, 2019, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepositional-zoom-levels/838444 "2019-08-11T14:05:20Z")
My (Russian) fiancee is trying to improve and correct her English. One area she has difficulty with is prepositions (specifically ‘in’, ‘on’, and ‘at’). One difficulty that I’ve just realized is that there seems to be s… --- ## [pop ups from Google Chrome - way to disable?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop-ups-from-google-chrome-way-to-disable/838249)
**Author:** [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [August 11, 2019, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop-ups-from-google-chrome-way-to-disable/838249 "2019-08-11T13:40:36Z")
My dad is running Google Chrome as his browser. It has this annoying feature that causes pop up ads/news alerts at the bottom of the screen. This happens periodically whether viewing Chrome or not. Happens to me when I’… --- ## [iTunes/iPhone Question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-iphone-question/838472)
**Author:** [@SanDiegoTim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanDiegoTim)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [August 11, 2019, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-iphone-question/838472 "2019-08-11T00:37:38Z")
I downloaded two CDs into my iTunes program on my PC. No problem. Synced it to iTunes on my iPhone. The songs/CDs appear on my iPhone, but the text is a shade of grey vs black. When I try to play these songs/albums th… --- ## [What’s the Straight Dope on the Dispilio Tablet](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-the-straight-dope-on-the-dispilio-tablet/838328)
**Author:** [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [August 10, 2019, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-the-straight-dope-on-the-dispilio-tablet/838328 "2019-08-10T07:49:58Z")
I did a search and didn’t see a thread. So what’s the Straight Dope on the Dispilio Tablet. If you are not familiar, it’s a wooden tablet dated to a Neolithic site from about 7000 years ago that some people claim is an … --- ## [Legal question - closing arguments as debate?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-question-closing-arguments-as-debate/838429)
**Author:** [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [August 10, 2019, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-question-closing-arguments-as-debate/838429 "2019-08-10T04:22:19Z")
So I’m watching “The Practice” and closing arguments are being shown - in a fashion that suggests that prosecutor and defender are taking turns talking. That isn’t right, is it? As I understand it, one side makes its c… --- ## [Limit of veterinarian's treatment](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limit-of-veterinarians-treatment/838411)
**Author:** [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [August 10, 2019, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limit-of-veterinarians-treatment/838411 "2019-08-10T03:42:40Z")
In today’s retro Peanuts, Charlie Brown shows up with a bandage on his finger. Why? Because after Snoopy got hit in the head with a baseball during a game, he takes Snoopy to the vet. But Snoopy jumps off the table and w… --- ## [Why won't VLC media player play these MKV files?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-vlc-media-player-play-these-mkv-files/838246)
**Author:** [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [August 10, 2019, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-vlc-media-player-play-these-mkv-files/838246 "2019-08-10T02:07:58Z")
I bought a new computer recently and I’ve been setting it up. I have MKV files and I needed a program that would play them. I downloaded and installed VLC media player. It generally works. But I have some MKV files tha… --- ## [What democracies, of whatever sort, did US founders know about?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-democracies-of-whatever-sort-did-us-founders-know-about/838137)
**Author:** [@hat\_trick\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hat_trick_1)\ **Replies:** 48\ **Last updated:** [August 10, 2019, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-democracies-of-whatever-sort-did-us-founders-know-about/838137 "2019-08-10T01:57:17Z")
Looking at this quote from Adams: “Remember Democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes exhausts and murders itself. There never was a Democracy Yet, that did not commit suicide…" What democracies did he, and other foun… --- ## [Human body. Which part can regrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-body-which-part-can-regrow/838354)
**Author:** [@Nansbread1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nansbread1)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [August 10, 2019, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-body-which-part-can-regrow/838354 "2019-08-10T00:54:35Z")
Is there a list of human body parts that can regrow. For eg. Nails and hair grow continuously after birth. Is there any other part of the body that will regrow or reform after being removed or excised or lost. Will the… --- ## [iPhone, Safari, websites](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-safari-websites/837882)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [August 10, 2019, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-safari-websites/837882 "2019-08-10T00:33:57Z")
I don’t use my iPhone much. I rarely make or receive calls on it. I’ll do the odd text, but I don’t ‘live’ on it. Sometimes though, I find myself someplace I need to kill some time and I’ll try a bit of web browsing. … --- ## [Samurai and other sword fighting](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samurai-and-other-sword-fighting/742039)
**Author:** [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Replies:** 73\ **Last updated:** [August 9, 2019, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/samurai-and-other-sword-fighting/742039 "2019-08-09T20:52:46Z")
I can’t believe in the sword fights I see. Are these just cinematic conventions? I would think they don’t reflect real world results. They seem to be dancing and not fighting. It’s not credible that they lock swords and… --- ## [Could you see a nuclear detonation on Mars, with an Earth-based telescope?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-see-a-nuclear-detonation-on-mars-with-an-earth-based-telescope/837357)
**Author:** [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [August 9, 2019, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-see-a-nuclear-detonation-on-mars-with-an-earth-based-telescope/837357 "2019-08-09T17:02:36Z")
Okay, question for astronomers, physicists, and/or nuclear weapon enthusiasts: If there was a nuclear detonation on the surface of Mars\*, would you be able to see it with an Earth-based telescope? If so, how big a nuke… --- ## [Laptop : Can a non backlit keyboard be replaced with a backlit one?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-can-a-non-backlit-keyboard-be-replaced-with-a-backlit-one/838345)
**Author:** [@Quintas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quintas)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [August 9, 2019, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-can-a-non-backlit-keyboard-be-replaced-with-a-backlit-one/838345 "2019-08-09T12:25:09Z")
The spacebar and the arrow keys have stopped working on my Dell L502X. I’ve found a site that sells Dell OEM parts, however the only one i’ve found in stock is the backlit version. Does anyone know if they generally … --- ## [Does Android store file logs?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-android-store-file-logs/838403)
**Author:** [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [August 9, 2019, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-android-store-file-logs/838403 "2019-08-09T12:24:02Z")
My favorite camera app (Open Camera) names photos and videos either IMG or VID followed by year, month, day, hour, minute, and second that it was captured. (For example VID\_20190808\_221943.mp4.) I find it convenient to k… --- ## [Why frost in the top drawer of my freezer, but not the bottok?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-frost-in-the-top-drawer-of-my-freezer-but-not-the-bottok/838386)
**Author:** [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [August 9, 2019, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-frost-in-the-top-drawer-of-my-freezer-but-not-the-bottok/838386 "2019-08-09T08:05:57Z")
We’ve got a fridge where the freezer is a big drawer on the bottom, underneath the fridge section. The freezer drawer is sub-divided, with a top inner drawer above the lower section. Yesterday, I opened the freezer and… --- ## [Moss Piglets on the moon. Case for prosecution of offending organisation](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moss-piglets-on-the-moon-case-for-prosecution-of-offending-organisation/838297)
**Author:** [@Nansbread1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nansbread1)\ **Replies:** 45\ **Last updated:** [August 9, 2019, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moss-piglets-on-the-moon-case-for-prosecution-of-offending-organisation/838297 "2019-08-09T04:30:57Z")
This news item suggests that an Israeli organisation introduced a number of dehydrated Tardigrades aka moss piglets or water bears to the moon in April 2019. These are indestructible multi cellular organisms capable of… --- ## [Two identical model HP laptops..](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-identical-model-hp-laptops/838368)
**Author:** [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [August 8, 2019, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-identical-model-hp-laptops/838368 "2019-08-08T23:52:36Z")
Can I take the hard drive out of one and put it in the other? Will anything go wonky because of copyright protection or unique identifiers on the component parts, or will it work just the same? I ask because I dropped … --- ## [bed bugs](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bed-bugs/837450)
**Author:** [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Replies:** 42\ **Last updated:** [August 8, 2019, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bed-bugs/837450 "2019-08-08T19:36:16Z")
Okay, someone gave me some old clothes. a week or so later, I have all these red circles on my lower legs. had no clue, my friend came and said lets look at your mattress, yep, bedbugs. My apt. will spray and they told … --- ## [The letter W in Dickens. Pronounced as a W or V?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-letter-w-in-dickens-pronounced-as-a-w-or-v/838295)
**Author:** [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [August 8, 2019, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-letter-w-in-dickens-pronounced-as-a-w-or-v/838295 "2019-08-08T14:33:49Z")
I’m re-reading Great Expectations. This is a Penguin edition. The print and spelling are mostly conventional and don’t appear to be at all archaic or out of date. However, occasionally, I’ve come across a word, e.g. w… --- ## [Why Do Doctors Have Atrocious Handwriting?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-doctors-have-atrocious-handwriting/838209)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [August 8, 2019, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-doctors-have-atrocious-handwriting/838209 "2019-08-08T01:07:39Z")
I think it’s common knowledge, certainly I don’t need a cite, that most doctors have appalling handwriting. The same holds true for other countries from what I understand, believe it or not. Certainly all mine did, star… --- ## [How do LED string light modes work?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-led-string-light-modes-work/838226)
**Author:** [@Nippless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nippless)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [August 8, 2019, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-led-string-light-modes-work/838226 "2019-08-08T00:37:55Z")
String similar to this: short circuit - How does this string of LEDs work? - Electrical Engineering Stack Exchange (if you’re wondering why they don’t short, which was my first question, the answer is “magnet wire”, fur… --- ## [Headphones HELP!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/headphones-help/838320)
**Author:** [@smokey78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smokey78)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [August 8, 2019, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/headphones-help/838320 "2019-08-08T00:03:26Z")
I have a USB headset from plantronics that I got without a user guide. Their website does not offer to images help me figure out two buttons . I figured one is mute but cant tell which is which to make it worse they used… --- ## [Have there been any recent cases (in the last five years) of eco-terrorism in the US?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-recent-cases-in-the-last-five-years-of-eco-terrorism-in-the-us/838305)
**Author:** [@Mislav](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mislav)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [August 7, 2019, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-any-recent-cases-in-the-last-five-years-of-eco-terrorism-in-the-us/838305 "2019-08-07T23:38:00Z")
Groups like Animal Liberation Front and Earth Liberation Front were all over the news in the late 90s and early 2000s, ALF was even considered number one domestic terrorist threat not that long ago, but now you barely he… --- ## [If Buzz was the Lunar Module Pilot, why did Neil land it?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-buzz-was-the-lunar-module-pilot-why-did-neil-land-it/837491)
**Author:** [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [August 7, 2019, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-buzz-was-the-lunar-module-pilot-why-did-neil-land-it/837491 "2019-08-07T22:37:44Z")
Buzz Aldrin’s position was Lunar Module Pilot. But Neil was the guy who landed the thing, famously avoiding boulders and landing with only a small amount of fuel left. So why was Buzz listed as Pilot? --- ## [Do bathroom scales wear out, or become unreliable?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-bathroom-scales-wear-out-or-become-unreliable/838168)
**Author:** [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [August 7, 2019, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-bathroom-scales-wear-out-or-become-unreliable/838168 "2019-08-07T19:24:12Z")
Pretty much what the title says. My scale is quite old. I’ve been weighing myself regularly, as I am on a diet. The results are getting weird, this morning I supposedly weighed 3.8(1.7 kg) pounds more then I did yeste… --- ## [Possible cryptids](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possible-cryptids/838101)
**Author:** [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [August 7, 2019, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possible-cryptids/838101 "2019-08-07T19:10:23Z")
Ok, I dont mean Bigfoot or Nessie. I mean creatures we know are real, but thought extinct. Two such creatures there is some small hope for are the Ivory Billed Woodpecker and the Thylacine. Some sightings have been re… --- ## [Sorting Music Library into & out of albums](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorting-music-library-into-out-of-albums/837589)
**Author:** [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [August 7, 2019, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorting-music-library-into-out-of-albums/837589 "2019-08-07T18:49:03Z")
So my friend is going through her Music Library & sent the screenshots linked below with the first question: “How do I get all these into 1 album—” (pics here MusicShots1 - Album on Imgur ) I reply "OK, using the Abr… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=437) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=439)