# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=452 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 453 --- ## [How can I get this heavy stuff up 3 flights of stairs?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-this-heavy-stuff-up-3-flights-of-stairs/835671)
**Author:** [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Replies:** 68\ **Last updated:** [June 25, 2019, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-this-heavy-stuff-up-3-flights-of-stairs/835671 "2019-06-25T23:47:19Z")
Long story short, lady on the third floor of an apartment building has a cat urgently in need of kitty litter. The lady is a little thing with tiny wrists, elevator has been broken for months and for the foreseeable fu… --- ## [3&20 for eggs? London](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-20-for-eggs-london/835861)
**Author:** [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [June 25, 2019, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-20-for-eggs-london/835861 "2019-06-25T22:59:21Z")
Ok, i was watching one of those house/apt hunting shows, this one with the fabulous Richard Blanco in London. So the guy was buying a half dozen eggs at a outdoors market and the price was “3&20” which has to be three p… --- ## [Glow in the dark](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glow-in-the-dark/827699)
**Author:** [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Replies:** 38\ **Last updated:** [June 25, 2019, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glow-in-the-dark/827699 "2019-06-25T21:42:07Z")
I’ve got some glow in the dark toys that are at least 20 years old and they still glow. What kind of chemicals do they use to make Glow in the Dark items? How does it work? How can the effect last so long? --- ## [Did Illinois (Springfield In Particular) Change Its Fireworks Laws While I Wasn't Looking?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-illinois-springfield-in-particular-change-its-fireworks-laws-while-i-wasnt-looking/836058)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [June 25, 2019, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-illinois-springfield-in-particular-change-its-fireworks-laws-while-i-wasnt-looking/836058 "2019-06-25T21:32:55Z")
I was in Springfield last weekend, saw pop-up fireworks tents here and there. I last lived in Springfield (or anywhere in Illinois) in 2014, and at the time the Springfield Police Department was quite clear that firework… --- ## [Ugh! What are these things on my tree? Do I need to worry?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-what-are-these-things-on-my-tree-do-i-need-to-worry/836046)
**Author:** [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [June 25, 2019, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-what-are-these-things-on-my-tree-do-i-need-to-worry/836046 "2019-06-25T20:43:47Z")
(Not the ladybugs or flowerbuds, but the other things, of course.) They look despicable, but on the other hand they don’t seem actually to be doing anything. If they were some kind of larval form I would expect them to… --- ## [Does a bachelor thesis have to contribute anything useful to the field?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-bachelor-thesis-have-to-contribute-anything-useful-to-the-field/835825)
**Author:** [@MaverocK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaverocK)\ **Replies:** 47\ **Last updated:** [June 25, 2019, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-bachelor-thesis-have-to-contribute-anything-useful-to-the-field/835825 "2019-06-25T20:38:28Z")
I have overheard a discussion where some people were discussing how someone’s bachelor thesis does not contribute anything useful to the field. They were surprised that the guy could actually graduate with that thesis. T… --- ## [Botanists and horticulturists, what is this plant?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/botanists-and-horticulturists-what-is-this-plant/835535)
**Author:** [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [June 25, 2019, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/botanists-and-horticulturists-what-is-this-plant/835535 "2019-06-25T17:16:19Z")
Link to a Flickr album There’s not a lot I can say about this, except that the three bud stalks have been growing at least an inch a day yet still aren’t blooming. Because this house is still relatively new to us, we’r… --- ## [Does Earth have a certain smell that we are used to, and cannot smell?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-earth-have-a-certain-smell-that-we-are-used-to-and-cannot-smell/835925)
**Author:** [@2003](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2003)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [June 25, 2019, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-earth-have-a-certain-smell-that-we-are-used-to-and-cannot-smell/835925 "2019-06-25T16:54:02Z")
When you come home to your house after a longer period of being away, there is always that special smell in your house which you can’t usually smell (the smell of the house) because you’ve gotten used to it over time. Th… --- ## [What's going on with these Facebook videos?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-with-these-facebook-videos/836034)
**Author:** [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [June 25, 2019, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-with-these-facebook-videos/836034 "2019-06-25T16:08:51Z")
Sometime within the last year or two, YouTube and Facebook videos started getting interrupted in the middle for advertisements. Bad, but comprehensible; they have to make money somehow. But within the past few weeks I no… --- ## [Drinking French Water.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-french-water/835823)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 61\ **Last updated:** [June 25, 2019, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drinking-french-water/835823 "2019-06-25T15:15:12Z")
Is it true that Frenchmen can drink the water in France, but Americans (and others?) visiting France cannot? My French teacher in high school told us that. But it is hard to believe. What biological effect could accoun… --- ## [How do I get a motorcycle into my pickup?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-a-motorcycle-into-my-pickup/835957)
**Author:** [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [June 25, 2019, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-a-motorcycle-into-my-pickup/835957 "2019-06-25T10:40:04Z")
FYI I am not a motorcyclist, and do not know how to ride one. I need to transport a motorcycle about 1500 miles in my pickup bed. It’s (I think) a Honda NC750 (?) weighing around 500 lbs. I will already have a large t… --- ## [Aviation; how high are the planes over the Leevy NDB?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aviation-how-high-are-the-planes-over-the-leevy-ndb/835683)
**Author:** [@somepumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/somepumpkin)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [June 25, 2019, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aviation-how-high-are-the-planes-over-the-leevy-ndb/835683 "2019-06-25T02:26:17Z")
How high are the planes as they pass over the Leevy NDB? Granted, that NDB is no longer in use, but it was part of the ILS (I believe) approach for 23L at KRDU. The planes still cross it as they head down to 23L, and I’d… --- ## [Questions About Neolithic Village Skara Brae](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-neolithic-village-skara-brae/835989)
**Author:** [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [June 24, 2019, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-neolithic-village-skara-brae/835989 "2019-06-24T23:14:20Z")
For those of you who don’t know Skara Brae is a very, very, very, very, very, very old village in the Orkney Isles, north of Scotland. It’s about 4,000-5,000 years old. Among other features are “stone furniture” that i… --- ## [Chernobyl Control Rod Graphite "Tips"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chernobyl-control-rod-graphite-tips/835742)
**Author:** [@jjakucyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjakucyk)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [June 24, 2019, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chernobyl-control-rod-graphite-tips/835742 "2019-06-24T20:07:39Z")
It seems the straw that broke the camel’s back at Chernobyl was the “positive SCRAM effect” caused by the graphite “tips” on the control rods. Of course they’re not really tips (we’ll use the term displacers going forwa… --- ## [What's with that bump on the forehead of Jean-Claude Van Dam?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-that-bump-on-the-forehead-of-jean-claude-van-dam/251938)
**Author:** [@Carnac\_the\_Magnificent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carnac_the_Magnificent)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [June 24, 2019, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-that-bump-on-the-forehead-of-jean-claude-van-dam/251938 "2019-06-24T19:56:35Z")
He’s had that bump for years. Given his “pretty boy” image, why not remove it? I’m guessing some might consider it unsightly. I have an older female aquaintance who has plenty of money, but nevertheless, she has a simil… --- ## [Old DVD's have data on them but can't be read?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-dvds-have-data-on-them-but-cant-be-read/835891)
**Author:** [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [June 24, 2019, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-dvds-have-data-on-them-but-cant-be-read/835891 "2019-06-24T19:32:43Z")
I found a stack of old DVD’s (DVD-R and DVD-R/W to be precise) yesterday but when I play them on my PC only some of them are detected correctly. On others you can see that data is physically burnt to the disk but they ar… --- ## [iPhone maps question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-maps-question/835977)
**Author:** [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [June 24, 2019, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-maps-question/835977 "2019-06-24T18:33:18Z")
There are two icons in the upper right corner. Top one is settings. Just below it is a little pointer. Default seems to be an outline of the pointer at a 45° angle. Tap it and the pointer turns solid. Tap it again, and i… --- ## [What laws would allow a Governor to send police after State Senators?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-laws-would-allow-a-governor-to-send-police-after-state-senators/835936)
**Author:** [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [June 24, 2019, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-laws-would-allow-a-governor-to-send-police-after-state-senators/835936 "2019-06-24T17:47:49Z")
Is there really any laws that requires someone to show up for work? Gov Brown is quoted saying Elected officials are honor-bound to serve. I know the military can press charges for not showing up for work ( AWOL). I c… --- ## [How do Smart ATM's accurately Deposit handwritten checks?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-smart-atms-accurately-deposit-handwritten-checks/835818)
**Author:** [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [June 24, 2019, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-smart-atms-accurately-deposit-handwritten-checks/835818 "2019-06-24T15:59:45Z")
I’ve been leery of trusting a ATM for deposits. The consequences of a failed deposit can cause debit cards and checks to bounce. Regions put out this short video. Says no deposit slip or envelope needed. ATM totals the … --- ## [are alligators smart](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-alligators-smart/654057)
**Author:** [@e.fred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/e.fred)\ **Replies:** 84\ **Last updated:** [June 24, 2019, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-alligators-smart/654057 "2019-06-24T03:59:10Z")
I am thinking of taking a small alligator from the swamp and put it in my uncles pond. My friend said he took one and he feeds it hamburgers and hot dogs and can teach it to do tricks. Will this alligator grow up to be l… --- ## [Punishment of Slave Owners?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punishment-of-slave-owners/835907)
**Author:** [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [June 24, 2019, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punishment-of-slave-owners/835907 "2019-06-24T01:37:10Z")
After slavery was ended, following the Civil War, was there any sort of backlash against slave owners or other parties who had been egregiously evil to slaves? Examples being: Freed slaves reporting abuse to the polic… --- ## [Easy Commercial Fireworks](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-commercial-fireworks/835915)
**Author:** [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [June 23, 2019, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-commercial-fireworks/835915 "2019-06-23T23:04:55Z")
Major firework shows are put on by teams of experienced professionals using a lot of dangerous explosives. What about those displays they fire off at the end of baseball games and such? My wife mentioned the local amusem… --- ## [Punishing People For 'Future' Crimes and the Constitution.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punishing-people-for-future-crimes-and-the-constitution/835879)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [June 23, 2019, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punishing-people-for-future-crimes-and-the-constitution/835879 "2019-06-23T17:54:17Z")
I must say, I have heard of people’s past crimes being brought during sentencing. Take former Speaker of the House Dennis Haskert. He was convicted of breaking banking laws. But all they could talk about were his past se… --- ## [Have there been studies of the impact on the southern economy of the freeing of slaves?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-studies-of-the-impact-on-the-southern-economy-of-the-freeing-of-slaves/835911)
**Author:** [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [June 23, 2019, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-studies-of-the-impact-on-the-southern-economy-of-the-freeing-of-slaves/835911 "2019-06-23T16:47:13Z")
It’s intuitive that depriving the plantation owners of a large part of their “property” should have had a major impact on the southern economy. Have there been historical economic analyses of the impact? Is it possible… --- ## [A few questions about Chernobyl's Elephants Foot and criticality.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-about-chernobyls-elephants-foot-and-criticality/835727)
**Author:** [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Replies:** 34\ **Last updated:** [June 23, 2019, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-about-chernobyls-elephants-foot-and-criticality/835727 "2019-06-23T15:37:12Z")
Couple questions for the Doper physicists: Why is the elephants foot at Chernobyl so dangerous if it only has trace amounts of uranium and is mostly silicon dioxide? Is it the sheer quantity? If U235 has a half-lif… --- ## [If black holes spin how can we tell?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-black-holes-spin-how-can-we-tell/835877)
**Author:** [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [June 23, 2019, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-black-holes-spin-how-can-we-tell/835877 "2019-06-23T12:35:21Z")
As I understand it only three things define a black hole: Mass Spin Charge (and IIRC they are neutral so charge can be ignored as a practical matter) Mass we get. Kinda what a BH is all about. I also understand that… --- ## [Home Owner's Insurance Question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-owners-insurance-question/835893)
**Author:** [@MindsEye\_Watering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MindsEye_Watering)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [June 23, 2019, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-owners-insurance-question/835893 "2019-06-23T08:05:35Z")
If I have items in my home that are valuable, but if I can’t prove what I paid for them, how do insurance companies cover replacement costs if the items get destroyed or stolen? How do I make sure that my Home Owner’s i… --- ## [Question about managing G Mail](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-managing-g-mail/835912)
**Author:** [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [June 23, 2019, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-managing-g-mail/835912 "2019-06-23T06:01:49Z")
So. Time to listen to some music and cull the over 21,000 emails resting in my GMail box. Signed into GMail online. Over the last few days, I’ve slowly been working through them. It’s quick work, since ( like most of us… --- ## [Comparing applicants, Excel, Statistics](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comparing-applicants-excel-statistics/835698)
**Author:** [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [June 23, 2019, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comparing-applicants-excel-statistics/835698 "2019-06-23T04:02:32Z")
(I feel like I should know this but everything feels overly simplified or overly complicated) We have 50 applicants for a job and a 5 person hiring team. Everyone on the team looks at the applicant’s resume and cover le… --- ## [Why can't platypodes thrive in captivity?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-platypodes-thrive-in-captivity/835900)
**Author:** [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [June 23, 2019, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-platypodes-thrive-in-captivity/835900 "2019-06-23T03:08:46Z")
Every attempt to keep a platypus in a zoo seems to have failed with rare exception. My question is why? They don’t seem like they need anything special that another animal wouldn’t need. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=451) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=453)