# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=474 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 475 --- ## [Why does the Apple financing/iPhone upgrade program force activation on the big 4 carriers?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-apple-financing-iphone-upgrade-program-force-activation-on-the-big-4-carriers/832362)
**Author:** [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [April 12, 2019, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-apple-financing-iphone-upgrade-program-force-activation-on-the-big-4-carriers/832362 "2019-04-12T02:45:39Z")
My old phone is getting long in the tooth. Generally in the past I’ve bought an affordable, unlocked 1-2 year old flagship phone once they’ve lost a lot of their value/cost. But I’m considering splurging a bit and gettin… --- ## [Superglue: re-gluing](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superglue-re-gluing/832333)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [April 11, 2019, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superglue-re-gluing/832333 "2019-04-11T21:03:42Z")
The faceplate on my Seconic L-398 light meter is held onto the head by two screws that screw into threaded brass mounting posts inside of the head. The posts appear to be superglued to the plate they’re on. I managed t… --- ## [Oldest phrases/expressions used in today's English](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oldest-phrases-expressions-used-in-todays-english/832178)
**Author:** [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)\ **Replies:** 54\ **Last updated:** [April 11, 2019, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oldest-phrases-expressions-used-in-todays-english/832178 "2019-04-11T19:44:53Z")
English belongs to the Indo-European language tree which has its origin about 4000 BC. Indo-European languages - Wikipedia Many words have etymology tracing back to 1000 BC or more. What are some of the oldest phrases/… --- ## [How criminal is it to walk away from my own life?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-criminal-is-it-to-walk-away-from-my-own-life/832081)
**Author:** [@Alpha\_Twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpha_Twit)\ **Replies:** 40\ **Last updated:** [April 11, 2019, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-criminal-is-it-to-walk-away-from-my-own-life/832081 "2019-04-11T15:22:06Z")
Suppose I just decide to pack up and leave my home, my job and everything else in my life and live in a cave somewhere? There’s nothing going on in my life such as pending prosecution, difficult family life, out of contr… --- ## [Help me Identify The Fastener I Needs](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-the-fastener-i-needs/832352)
**Author:** [@OldOlds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldOlds)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [April 11, 2019, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-the-fastener-i-needs/832352 "2019-04-11T14:25:48Z")
Hi All I need a specific type of fastener, and I feel as though i have seen its sort before. But not knowing what it would be called, I am having no luck locating it. That said, I could approach another way. So as usual… --- ## [Is "fuddle your duddle" dirty? Did my dad simply make it up?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fuddle-your-duddle-dirty-did-my-dad-simply-make-it-up/659163)
**Author:** [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [April 11, 2019, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fuddle-your-duddle-dirty-did-my-dad-simply-make-it-up/659163 "2019-04-11T03:22:16Z")
See subjects. When I was a kid, and whined “I’m bored” to my dad, he would say “fuddle your duddle.” I always understood that as “twiddle your thumbs” (ie hold your hands in loose interlocked fingers and rotate one thumb… --- ## [Tube bending and buckling (Radiohead stage collapse)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tube-bending-and-buckling-radiohead-stage-collapse/832217)
**Author:** [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [April 10, 2019, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tube-bending-and-buckling-radiohead-stage-collapse/832217 "2019-04-10T23:11:05Z")
Almost seven years ago in Toronto, a drum technician for Radiohead, Scott Johnson, was killed when a stage structure he was on collapsed. My question is not regarding the incompetence (and possible negligence) that contr… --- ## [Having Your Eyes Wide Open When You Kiss.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/having-your-eyes-wide-open-when-you-kiss/832320)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [April 10, 2019, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/having-your-eyes-wide-open-when-you-kiss/832320 "2019-04-10T22:29:56Z")
Bruno Mars’ Grenade As the above lyrics clearly indicate, it signifies something when you have your eyes wide open as you kiss somebody. But what? I’ve heard the reference before. But never understood it then either. … --- ## [Wide array of small telescopes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wide-array-of-small-telescopes/824217)
**Author:** [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Replies:** 41\ **Last updated:** [April 10, 2019, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wide-array-of-small-telescopes/824217 "2019-04-10T18:18:49Z")
Many years ago, I read in one of the popular science magazines about using many small telescopes (say with a 12" diameter) placed in a ring, each half a mile from some central point. That would, IIRC, effectively give a … --- ## [How often do commercial long-haul pilots get out of their seat?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-commercial-long-haul-pilots-get-out-of-their-seat/832297)
**Author:** [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [April 10, 2019, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-commercial-long-haul-pilots-get-out-of-their-seat/832297 "2019-04-10T18:04:16Z")
Standard advice is for passengers on long-haul flights is to get up out of their seats periodically to keep the blood moving through their lower extremities and reduce the risk of deep-vein thrombosis. Even without the … --- ## [hotkeys for umlauts](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hotkeys-for-umlauts/832159)
**Author:** [@turner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/turner)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [April 10, 2019, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hotkeys-for-umlauts/832159 "2019-04-10T17:55:18Z")
I’m trying to put some German words in Excel and I need umlauts and other characters. I can use character map, but that’s a pain. Oh, and my laptop doesn’t have a number keypad so I can’t use the ascii codes (using the… --- ## [What are the biggest fortunes people have squandered](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-fortunes-people-have-squandered/832161)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 53\ **Last updated:** [April 10, 2019, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-fortunes-people-have-squandered/832161 "2019-04-10T15:02:08Z")
Mike Tyson earned 300-400 million dollars and blew it all in under 20 years. Granted, after taking in account taxes and fees for agents and managers I’m guessing he earned less than half that amount, but still that means… --- ## [Relativistic "beaming": Light intensity head-on](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/relativistic-beaming-light-intensity-head-on/832308)
**Author:** [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [April 10, 2019, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/relativistic-beaming-light-intensity-head-on/832308 "2019-04-10T14:58:56Z")
Let’s say I’m in a space ship, headed straight for a nearby star at 92% of the speed of light. (92% of the speed of light works out to a gamma factor of 2.55, which I know isn’t a nice round number, but still.) I know … --- ## [Looking for Hard Data on Lost in System Failure rates between USPS, UPS & FEDEX](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-hard-data-on-lost-in-system-failure-rates-between-usps-ups-fedex/832324)
**Author:** [@by-tor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/by-tor)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [April 10, 2019, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-hard-data-on-lost-in-system-failure-rates-between-usps-ups-fedex/832324 "2019-04-10T10:29:33Z")
So UPS just lost a very important envelope my sister sent to a bank. It was in their tracking system and then it just stopped at one of their facilities and moved no further. When she called them, they said they could no… --- ## [A question on academic economics](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-on-academic-economics/832172)
**Author:** [@Steven\_Estes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steven_Estes)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [April 10, 2019, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-on-academic-economics/832172 "2019-04-10T05:55:03Z")
At least a reading of popular reports on academic economies seems to imply that there is absolutely no agreement on anything between liberal and conservative economists. If this is (were) true it renders economics far d… --- ## [endo AND exo skeleton](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/endo-and-exo-skeleton/832310)
**Author:** [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [April 10, 2019, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/endo-and-exo-skeleton/832310 "2019-04-10T05:19:41Z")
Tortoises and turtles, members of clade Testudinata have both internal bones in their legs and head, and an external shell protecting their torso. If I understand correctly, they have both an endoskeleton and an exoskele… --- ## [From an economic POV, how does investment in a region considered unreliable in the long run work](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-an-economic-pov-how-does-investment-in-a-region-considered-unreliable-in-the-long-run-work/832205)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [April 10, 2019, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-an-economic-pov-how-does-investment-in-a-region-considered-unreliable-in-the-long-run-work/832205 "2019-04-10T02:57:16Z")
Like the oil fields in North Dakota. When they were booming there was a ton of economic activity. But a wide ranges of things could happen that decimated the economy there, and thats what happened. Oil prices dropped eno… --- ## [Civil War casualties](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-war-casualties/832233)
**Author:** [@blood63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blood63)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [April 10, 2019, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-war-casualties/832233 "2019-04-10T02:44:48Z")
I’m watching the Ken Burns Civil War series on Netflix. Fantastic!! I am particularly interested in the casualties of battle. Gettysburg had 23000 Union casualties of which 3000 were killed. How is this calculated? … --- ## [Is cold calling a waste of time?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cold-calling-a-waste-of-time/594440)
**Author:** [@Doug\_Russell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_Russell)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [September 5, 2011, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cold-calling-a-waste-of-time/594440 "2011-09-05T04:07:40Z")
Recently I read a book on Cold Calling being a waste of time for the following reasons: It destroys your status as a business equal. It limits production and wastes valuable time. Timing is working against you, not for… --- ## [Who should have a financial advisor?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-have-a-financial-advisor/529760)
**Author:** [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [February 22, 2010, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-have-a-financial-advisor/529760 "2010-02-22T17:37:34Z")
In another thread someone made an offhand remark saying that anyone who had an adjusted gross income higher than $X would certainly have discussed this with their financial advisor. The inference was that someone would … --- ## [Satellite TV transmission and reception power.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellite-tv-transmission-and-reception-power/832257)
**Author:** [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2019, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellite-tv-transmission-and-reception-power/832257 "2019-04-09T23:40:37Z")
Long story short, I know this guy that worries about the wrong things. Latest example was tonight as we were walking to the bar and we passed a direct TV dish and he made a wide arc around it claiming he “didn’t want to … --- ## [F-35 and the Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/f-35-and-the-russian-s-400-surface-to-air-missile/832292)
**Author:** [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2019, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/f-35-and-the-russian-s-400-surface-to-air-missile/832292 "2019-04-09T21:29:25Z")
In today’s NY Times, there’s an editorial declaring that Turkey can have delivery of either the F-35 fighter or the Russian S-400 surface to air missile but not both. One of the reasons given to justify such an either/o… --- ## [Satellite Images Other Than Google Earth](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellite-images-other-than-google-earth/562818)
**Author:** [@Pierrot\_Le\_Fou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pierrot_Le_Fou)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2019, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellite-images-other-than-google-earth/562818 "2019-04-09T21:26:05Z")
I need to find a satellite image of a property for a certain year. Google Earth doesn’t have that year. Is there someplace else I can go? --- ## [Question on using the word 'pathology'](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-on-using-the-word-pathology/832033)
**Author:** [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2019, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-on-using-the-word-pathology/832033 "2019-04-09T15:09:23Z")
Hi I have heard psychiatrists several times in the media talk about ‘pathologies’ as in ‘dysfunctional cases/individuals’. I had not heard the term used that way before. It wasn’t use to mean the disease itself, but … --- ## [Baccarat: Always bet on the Banker?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baccarat-always-bet-on-the-banker/258946)
**Author:** [@cmason32](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmason32)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [August 9, 2004, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baccarat-always-bet-on-the-banker/258946 "2004-08-09T22:34:44Z")
I was watching a show on the Travel Channel and some guy said that when betting on baccarat, if you always bet on the banker/dealer you should come out ahead. Do people agree with this? If so, why? Thanks. --- ## [Is there a term for this type of crippling indecision](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-term-for-this-type-of-crippling-indecision/831970)
**Author:** [@Jimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimpy)\ **Replies:** 55\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2019, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-term-for-this-type-of-crippling-indecision/831970 "2019-04-09T13:03:50Z")
I was in an Arby’s and group came in and apperantly the people at Arby’s recognized them because the manager immediatly opened another register. Three of the people ordered with no problem, the fourth couldn’t decide. I … --- ## [Two quetions about women's breasts.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-quetions-about-womens-breasts/832244)
**Author:** [@Steven\_Estes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steven_Estes)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2019, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-quetions-about-womens-breasts/832244 "2019-04-09T05:22:33Z")
Two quetions about women’s breasts. I have, um, read that the breasts of women with relatively small breast are more sexually excitable than the breasts of women with relatively large breasts. Is there any published e… --- ## [Prejudice v. Stigma.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prejudice-v-stigma/832183)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2019, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prejudice-v-stigma/832183 "2019-04-09T01:43:51Z")
What exactly is the difference between prejudice and stigma? The terms seem to differ depending on the group you are dealing with. Also I could be wrong. But “stigma” seems to imply that the group in question isn’t enti… --- ## [Is "tragedy of the commons" the best term for the parking situation at my apartment complex?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tragedy-of-the-commons-the-best-term-for-the-parking-situation-at-my-apartment-complex/832007)
**Author:** [@Arcite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arcite)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2019, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tragedy-of-the-commons-the-best-term-for-the-parking-situation-at-my-apartment-complex/832007 "2019-04-09T00:50:19Z")
I live in an apartment building in an urban area. It’s not a super-dense center-city neighborhood, but space is limited. The block it is on consists of the apartment complex, which is comprised of two separate building… --- ## [Objection !! ... Overruled !! .... Exception !!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/objection-overruled-exception/187368)
**Author:** [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Replies:** 64\ **Last updated:** [April 8, 2019, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/objection-overruled-exception/187368 "2019-04-08T23:51:18Z")
The only time I have heard a lawyer say “exception” to a judge overruling a lawyer’s objection is in the movie “the Verdict”. Paul Newman was the lawyer and Milo O’Shea was the judge and the dialogue was as follows: Pa… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=473) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=475)