# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=458 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 459 --- ## [Catalytic converter replacement cost question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catalytic-converter-replacement-cost-question/834979)
**Author:** [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [June 5, 2019, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catalytic-converter-replacement-cost-question/834979 "2019-06-05T03:28:28Z")
My catalytic converter has developed a rattle/grinding noise, specifically at 1800-2000 RPM. It’s super annoying, but doesn’t seem to have any of the other symptoms of a failed catalytic converter (loss of engine power/e… --- ## [How much heat is needed to bend plastic eyeglasses frames?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-heat-is-needed-to-bend-plastic-eyeglasses-frames/835037)
**Author:** [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [June 5, 2019, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-heat-is-needed-to-bend-plastic-eyeglasses-frames/835037 "2019-06-05T02:03:09Z")
I have a pair of Clic reading glasses that I need to adjust. I have a larger than average head, and the plastic loop at the back is a bit too snug behind my ears. I like the glasses, and their magnetic latch at the bridg… --- ## [Mac Preview quit unexpectedly](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-preview-quit-unexpectedly/834913)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [June 4, 2019, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-preview-quit-unexpectedly/834913 "2019-06-04T21:52:21Z")
I am running OS X El Capitan version 10.11.6 on a MacBook Pro. Here’s what happened: \[ul\]\[li\]I opened the Mueller Report in Preview.\[/li\]\[li\]I copied some text and did a Find (command-F).\[/li\]\[li\]I pasted the text into… --- ## [Outlook inbox format](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outlook-inbox-format/834968)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [June 4, 2019, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outlook-inbox-format/834968 "2019-06-04T20:48:44Z")
Outlook (2013?) decided it didn’t like the way I was viewing my inbox, so it changed it. There’s extra space between the subject lines. How do I get it back to being more compressed? --- ## [Two galaxies without dark matter - is this a big deal?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-galaxies-without-dark-matter-is-this-a-big-deal/832916)
**Author:** [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Replies:** 66\ **Last updated:** [June 4, 2019, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-galaxies-without-dark-matter-is-this-a-big-deal/832916 "2019-06-04T19:36:23Z")
Astronomers have announced that they have found two galaxies without dark matter. Is this a big deal? An observational anomaly? Something else? --- ## [Follow up! What's the earliest known named bird.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/follow-up-whats-the-earliest-known-named-bird/834953)
**Author:** [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [June 4, 2019, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/follow-up-whats-the-earliest-known-named-bird/834953 "2019-06-04T19:21:08Z")
OK, to follow up on my earlier question about the earliest named cat… Do we have any info on when humans started naming birds. Not, like, species. I want to know when we started naming birds individually? Was there a… --- ## ["Shooting to Live", a book by W.E. Fairbairn and E.A. Sykes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-to-live-a-book-by-w-e-fairbairn-and-e-a-sykes/834990)
**Author:** [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [June 4, 2019, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-to-live-a-book-by-w-e-fairbairn-and-e-a-sykes/834990 "2019-06-04T19:02:21Z")
These guys worked with spy stuff in Great Britain during WWII, previously with the police in Shanghai. The general idea is to hold the pistol with both hands, face the target full on, hold the gun in the middle of your b… --- ## [Could a nuclear power plant be used as a dirty bomb?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-nuclear-power-plant-be-used-as-a-dirty-bomb/834850)
**Author:** [@Qwertol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwertol)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [June 4, 2019, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-nuclear-power-plant-be-used-as-a-dirty-bomb/834850 "2019-06-04T14:26:26Z")
If you were a movie-like villain and had physical access (and knowledge of) to every system of the plant, could you orchestrate a powerful steam explosion that would send huge amounts of radioactive/irradiated particles … --- ## [How do small children experience the common cold?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-small-children-experience-the-common-cold/834840)
**Author:** [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [June 4, 2019, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-small-children-experience-the-common-cold/834840 "2019-06-04T12:22:37Z")
I have a 3-year old who recently started going to preschool, so we are going through a lot of colds in our household. Something puzzled me. When he has a cold, he has the obvious physical symptoms of a runny or stuffed … --- ## [Can anyone identify this gadget?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-identify-this-gadget/834974)
**Author:** [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [June 4, 2019, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-identify-this-gadget/834974 "2019-06-04T10:28:18Z")
I found this gadget while sorting through my Dad’s old toolbox. The cap screws off as shown, and there is a thin wire with a small rounded tip that protrudes from the shaft when the button on the other end is depressed. … --- ## [Is 600mps WiFi sending out stronger wave than 50mps?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-600mps-wifi-sending-out-stronger-wave-than-50mps/834961)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [June 4, 2019, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-600mps-wifi-sending-out-stronger-wave-than-50mps/834961 "2019-06-04T07:15:32Z")
Recently upgraded my home WiFi from 50 mps download speed to 600 mps. Does this mean it is now sending out a stronger “signal wave” (or whatever it’s termed) than before? Should one sit further away from it? (Due to wha… --- ## [What is this dead animal? Warning: Graphic image.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-dead-animal-warning-graphic-image/834933)
**Author:** [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [June 4, 2019, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-dead-animal-warning-graphic-image/834933 "2019-06-04T01:08:40Z")
This picture was posted on Facebook. It was taken in southwest Oklahoma. I would guess some kind of canine but the head doesn’t look right. Warning: It’s partially decomposed. --- ## [Angiogram catheter steering - how?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/angiogram-catheter-steering-how/834843)
**Author:** [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [June 3, 2019, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/angiogram-catheter-steering-how/834843 "2019-06-03T23:05:20Z")
How do they steer a catheter when they come to a fork in the road, so to speak? The vessels in the brain can get quite tiny and there must be many twists and turns. --- ## [Can anyone identify this old gadget?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-identify-this-old-gadget/834688)
**Author:** [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Replies:** 158\ **Last updated:** [June 3, 2019, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-identify-this-old-gadget/834688 "2019-06-03T19:49:41Z")
This gadget/tool is from a box of old trinkets, and is apparently a giveaway from an old political campaign. I prefer a definitive identification but will settle for guesses. The object is five inches long. None of u… --- ## [Did the allies in WW2 ever consider an invasion at the French Mediterranean coast?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-allies-in-ww2-ever-consider-an-invasion-at-the-french-mediterranean-coast/834845)
**Author:** [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Replies:** 34\ **Last updated:** [June 3, 2019, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-allies-in-ww2-ever-consider-an-invasion-at-the-french-mediterranean-coast/834845 "2019-06-03T19:15:28Z")
I’m watching a documentary about D-Day and had the thought if it hasn’t been an option to invade France from the South. The allies knew that the Germans had fortified the Atlantic coast and even deployed troops from the … --- ## [What happens if a reservist moves?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-a-reservist-moves/834954)
**Author:** [@Shinna\_Minna\_Ma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shinna_Minna_Ma)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [June 3, 2019, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-a-reservist-moves/834954 "2019-06-03T17:42:01Z")
What happens if someone in the reserves of a branch of the U.S. military decides to move far from where s/he lives? Is the military obligated to find him/her a spot close to where s/he’s moving? --- ## [So what \*are\* all those rock piles in New England woods?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-all-those-rock-piles-in-new-england-woods/561305)
**Author:** [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Replies:** 66\ **Last updated:** [June 16, 2016, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-all-those-rock-piles-in-new-england-woods/561305 "2016-06-16T20:31:27Z")
If you ever wander through the woods in New England, odds are pretty good that you’ll discover at least one rock pile while you’re in there. When I was a little kid, we assumed that these were the graves of native americ… --- ## [Medical device symbol?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-device-symbol/832248)
**Author:** [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [June 3, 2019, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-device-symbol/832248 "2019-06-03T05:01:20Z")
I have a single-use plastic syringe with a circled Z symbol on it. What does this indicate? It does not appear in ISO 15223-1. --- ## [Where do all these porn actors come from?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-all-these-porn-actors-come-from/549135)
**Author:** [@TNWPsycho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TNWPsycho)\ **Replies:** 147\ **Last updated:** [June 2, 2019, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-all-these-porn-actors-come-from/549135 "2019-06-02T15:57:29Z")
Its just staggering how many people are involved in the adult industry. However, i have never really seen a database for job seeking adult film stars. So where do these sites get in contact with their actors? Purely ne… --- ## [Is this a scam? What is it supposed to do?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-scam-what-is-it-supposed-to-do/834740)
**Author:** [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [June 2, 2019, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-scam-what-is-it-supposed-to-do/834740 "2019-06-02T15:49:26Z")
My wife received a package from Amazon containing 3 identical bracelet charms. She did not order them. She checked her account and they aren’t on there. She checked with anyone who might have sent them to her and they di… --- ## [Which countries have foreign electoral districts?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-countries-have-foreign-electoral-districts/834871)
**Author:** [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [June 2, 2019, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-countries-have-foreign-electoral-districts/834871 "2019-06-02T12:42:33Z")
A lot of countries permit citizens living overseas to vote in elections of the national legislature. Normally, these votes are counted as if they came from a particular inland electoral district (typically whatever dist… --- ## [Math: Field day permutations](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/math-field-day-permutations/834734)
**Author:** [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [June 2, 2019, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/math-field-day-permutations/834734 "2019-06-02T03:24:28Z")
A school is planning a field day. There will be n different activities (in this specific case, n = 10), over the course of n timeslots, with 2n teams competing in them. The goals are: 1: Every team participates in ev… --- ## [Dumb cell phone question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-cell-phone-question/834896)
**Author:** [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [June 2, 2019, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-cell-phone-question/834896 "2019-06-02T00:05:56Z")
I’ve just finally upgraded my Samsung s4mini to an s10e. All is good. Fairly seamless. I would like to give the old s4mini to my cousin. The phone is in perfect shape. Could use a new battery ($10 on Amazon) My cou… --- ## [Envisioning 250,000 years.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/envisioning-250-000-years/834826)
**Author:** [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [June 2, 2019, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/envisioning-250-000-years/834826 "2019-06-02T00:00:32Z")
I understand that high-level nuclear waste must be kept isolated for a a quarter million years. I would like some help envisioning that. I think we can agree that a quarter million years in evolution is nothing at all, … --- ## [Arm Sciatica? (pinched nerve Q)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arm-sciatica-pinched-nerve-q/819393)
**Author:** [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [June 1, 2019, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arm-sciatica-pinched-nerve-q/819393 "2019-06-01T22:27:27Z")
Lately, If I hold my arm in a certain position…like in front of me, holding the mouse as I surf the net…pain radiates from my neck, across my shoulder, down my tricep. I’m sure it is a nerve problem, as the muscles them… --- ## [Is a judge allowed to consider an argument not made by the plaintiff or defendant?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-judge-allowed-to-consider-an-argument-not-made-by-the-plaintiff-or-defendant/834302)
**Author:** [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Replies:** 46\ **Last updated:** [June 1, 2019, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-judge-allowed-to-consider-an-argument-not-made-by-the-plaintiff-or-defendant/834302 "2019-06-01T19:26:29Z")
If a judge is ruling on a criminal case wherein he doesn’t believe the prosecution met the burden of proof, but does believe the defendant is guilty based on his own theory, either legal or factual, is he allowed to rule… --- ## [A Police Assault Question (Don't Need Answer Fast)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-police-assault-question-dont-need-answer-fast/834830)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [June 1, 2019, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-police-assault-question-dont-need-answer-fast/834830 "2019-06-01T07:16:13Z")
In a movie I saw recently, a black cop (henceforth referred to as “BC” for brevity’s sake) is assigned to provide security to an openly-racist public figure (“RPF”) while he’s in town. BC is, of course, not at all happy … --- ## [Negative Excess Molar Volume](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/negative-excess-molar-volume/834726)
**Author:** [@Ynnad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ynnad)\ **Replies:** 36\ **Last updated:** [June 1, 2019, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/negative-excess-molar-volume/834726 "2019-06-01T01:24:00Z")
This is not homework. I got a free college algebra book at a library book sale some time ago. The other day I was looking at some of the problems and I came across this problem: “An automobile radiator contains 16 L of … --- ## [Best sealant for affixing replacement mirror glass to car mirror](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-sealant-for-affixing-replacement-mirror-glass-to-car-mirror/834831)
**Author:** [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2019, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-sealant-for-affixing-replacement-mirror-glass-to-car-mirror/834831 "2019-05-31T23:05:57Z")
3 weeks ago the mirror glass fell out of the passenger’s side mirror on my Nissan 300ZX, yes the same one in my avatar. I was just driving along and looked at my mirror and one minute it was there and I turn my head for … --- ## [What ever happened to the bitcoin locked in the laptop?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-the-bitcoin-locked-in-the-laptop/834832)
**Author:** [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2019, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-the-bitcoin-locked-in-the-laptop/834832 "2019-05-31T21:36:10Z")
As I recall the owner died and no one could retrieve their bitcoin from his company. Searching for “bitcoin lost on computer” brings up numerous cases but none seem to be that case from last year. Dennis [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=457) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=459)