# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=489 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 490 --- ## ["Want to" Meaning "Need to/Have to" in British English ?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-to-meaning-need-to-have-to-in-british-english/829589)
**Author:** [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Replies:** 38\ **Last updated:** [February 18, 2019, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-to-meaning-need-to-have-to-in-british-english/829589 "2019-02-18T15:44:33Z")
I lived in London in 1994-1995, and on the very first day I was there, I remember a man explaining to me how to get to a certain address and using “want to” in places where I would have used “need to” or “have to”. For i… --- ## [Galactic Ghoul](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/galactic-ghoul/829733)
**Author:** [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [February 18, 2019, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/galactic-ghoul/829733 "2019-02-18T09:49:28Z")
The Galactic Ghoul (sometimes the Great Galactic Ghoul) is a monster inhabiting the spacelanes between Earth and Mars. It feasts on space probes, causing them to go bad once they get a certain distance from Earth. I’m t… --- ## [Who was the original voice artist for the Speak & Spell?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-original-voice-artist-for-the-speak-spell/829674)
**Author:** [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [February 17, 2019, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-original-voice-artist-for-the-speak-spell/829674 "2019-02-17T22:41:37Z")
The original Speak & Spell toy featured digitized speech, though at such a low bitrate that the result was raspy and robotic-sounding. (This has misled many into thinking that the speech was actually synthesized, like th… --- ## [Cancer from electric and gas meter radiation??](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cancer-from-electric-and-gas-meter-radiation/829699)
**Author:** [@scarface54345](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scarface54345)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [February 17, 2019, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cancer-from-electric-and-gas-meter-radiation/829699 "2019-02-17T21:44:51Z")
There is a recent movement called “Stop Smart Meters”. As technology has been advancing, electromechanical gas and electric meters have been replaced with smart meters on the outside walls of many homes, apartment buildi… --- ## [French pronunciation question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-pronunciation-question/829673)
**Author:** [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [February 17, 2019, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-pronunciation-question/829673 "2019-02-17T21:44:23Z")
I am learning how to bake French Country Bread and the books I read refer to starter or leaven as “levain”. Not being a French speaker I have no idea how to pronounce levain. Can someone teach me how to pronounce levai… --- ## [Effect of pouring a vast quantity of water onto Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/effect-of-pouring-a-vast-quantity-of-water-onto-mars/829642)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [February 17, 2019, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/effect-of-pouring-a-vast-quantity-of-water-onto-mars/829642 "2019-02-17T16:32:58Z")
Suppose someone took a large volume of water - equivalent to, say, all the Great Lakes combined, or the Atlantic - and poured it onto Mars. What effect would it have on Mars’ climate and would the water just all freeze … --- ## [Facebook newsfeed question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-newsfeed-question/829684)
**Author:** [@Mike\_Mabes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mike_Mabes)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [February 17, 2019, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-newsfeed-question/829684 "2019-02-17T13:17:44Z")
Every now and then, like now, I go to Facebook and all I see is one post. There is nothing to scroll down to. And every time I click on Home I see a different post. I clicked on Newsfeed preferences, top stories and mos… --- ## [Can I block the Play Store from installing via PC?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-block-the-play-store-from-installing-via-pc/829695)
**Author:** [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [February 17, 2019, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-block-the-play-store-from-installing-via-pc/829695 "2019-02-17T05:57:21Z")
I have an app that can block apps on the phone itself. The play store is blocked, though apps can still update. Is there a way to block installs from a PC accessing the play store? I can’t think of one, short of changing… --- ## [Is there a term for trying to reason backwards from a conclusion you don't like?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-term-for-trying-to-reason-backwards-from-a-conclusion-you-dont-like/829435)
**Author:** [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [February 16, 2019, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-term-for-trying-to-reason-backwards-from-a-conclusion-you-dont-like/829435 "2019-02-16T23:26:24Z")
Suppose someone says, “to figure it out, you have to look at A, B and C” Someone else says, “That leads to the result K.” First person says, “Whoa, that can’t be right. Should be J. Maybe we should look at A, B and D?” … --- ## [Why does my SDI car engine have so much CC?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-sdi-car-engine-have-so-much-cc/829677)
**Author:** [@JakeRS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JakeRS)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [February 16, 2019, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-sdi-car-engine-have-so-much-cc/829677 "2019-02-16T19:43:33Z")
I have a older Seat Arosa car, a car classified as super mini, like Nissan Micra, Fiat 500c,etc. They have several engines, but I have the one with the officially “biggest number”, the 1.7 SDI, which, per Auto data . ne… --- ## [GFI die?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gfi-die/829064)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [February 16, 2019, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gfi-die/829064 "2019-02-16T17:42:01Z")
We had the kitchen rewired a couple of years ago when we replaced the fuse box with a circuit breaker panel. There is a GFI receptacle on a four-receptacle outlet. (One pair has the GFI buttons, the other doesn’t.) Th… --- ## [Can anyone explain this weird Closed Captioning glitch?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-explain-this-weird-closed-captioning-glitch/829612)
**Author:** [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [February 16, 2019, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-explain-this-weird-closed-captioning-glitch/829612 "2019-02-16T03:08:54Z")
Last night my wife and I were out to dinner with her parents at the local Applebee’s. One of the TVs in my field of vision was tuned to some sports channel (I think it was FS1) which had the most bizarre CC glitch I’d ev… --- ## [Do Market Makers have any risk in the market they make?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-market-makers-have-any-risk-in-the-market-they-make/829381)
**Author:** [@Mrdeals](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrdeals)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [February 15, 2019, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-market-makers-have-any-risk-in-the-market-they-make/829381 "2019-02-15T21:20:25Z")
Over the last several months i have been taking a more hands on approach to my TD Ameritrade account. Every stock has market markers that, from what i can tell, match buyers with sellers, and in return get to profit fro… --- ## [What does it mean when a urine drug test comes back as "diluted"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-it-mean-when-a-urine-drug-test-comes-back-as-diluted/596340)
**Author:** [@Pann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pann)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [September 16, 2011, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-it-mean-when-a-urine-drug-test-comes-back-as-diluted/596340 "2011-09-16T02:32:09Z")
My boss told me today that he is sending a person that I want to hire back for another drug test because the results came back as “diluted”. Personally, I don’t think it’s any of the company’s business what a person doe… --- ## [The speed of thought](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-speed-of-thought/829511)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [February 15, 2019, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-speed-of-thought/829511 "2019-02-15T15:44:55Z")
There have been accounts of people who attempted suicide by jumping to their deaths, but survived, and told later of having thought an incredible amount of \*\*\*thought \*\*\*or thinking during those short few seconds before … --- ## [Two people claim to be guilty of the same murder. They can't both be guilty, then what?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-people-claim-to-be-guilty-of-the-same-murder-they-cant-both-be-guilty-then-what/829063)
**Author:** [@Mr\_Shine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Shine)\ **Replies:** 57\ **Last updated:** [February 15, 2019, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-people-claim-to-be-guilty-of-the-same-murder-they-cant-both-be-guilty-then-what/829063 "2019-02-15T15:34:53Z")
A common plot point in detective shows is that there is a murder, and for some reason 2 people each claim to be guilty of the murder. For whatever reason it’s impossible they were both involved, so at least one of them a… --- ## [Was this past fall an "off" year for pecans?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-past-fall-an-off-year-for-pecans/829563)
**Author:** [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [February 15, 2019, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-past-fall-an-off-year-for-pecans/829563 "2019-02-15T15:12:52Z")
I know pecan trees cycle between good & bad years (from a squirrel’s point of view) and was wondering, was last autumn/winter of 2018-19 one of the low-yielding years? There’s a few pecans nearby, and a neighbor has 2 o… --- ## [Can't get texts,wtf?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-get-texts-wtf/829575)
**Author:** [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [February 15, 2019, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-get-texts-wtf/829575 "2019-02-15T13:48:20Z")
Hi, I returned from overseas, and apparently my email was hacked. I spent the last 3 hours changing all my accounts. Now I find I can’t get texts! “We’re sending you a security code” never arrives. I’m going to switch p… --- ## [How much identity theft or scamming can be done with just photo and phone #](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-identity-theft-or-scamming-can-be-done-with-just-photo-and-phone/829510)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [February 15, 2019, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-identity-theft-or-scamming-can-be-done-with-just-photo-and-phone/829510 "2019-02-15T03:45:37Z")
Say someone has your phone number and a photo of you. How much scamming or identity theft or mischief can be done with just those two things alone? --- ## [Dog transportation](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-transportation/829369)
**Author:** [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [February 15, 2019, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-transportation/829369 "2019-02-15T03:07:01Z")
Our last little dog died last summer, just a couple months short of 17. We’ve just been approved to adopt a puppy mill rescue from a shelter in Oklahoma. Now the issue is to get him from there to Ohio. So now we have to… --- ## [Is part of the windshield effect just that cars are more aerodynamic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-part-of-the-windshield-effect-just-that-cars-are-more-aerodynamic/829518)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [February 15, 2019, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-part-of-the-windshield-effect-just-that-cars-are-more-aerodynamic/829518 "2019-02-15T02:44:40Z")
Insects have been disappearing, they are something like 80% less common now than they were just a few decades ago. There is something called the windshield effect, which means as recently as the 90s people remember thei… --- ## [How often are arrested individuals remanded until trial?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-are-arrested-individuals-remanded-until-trial/829364)
**Author:** [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [February 15, 2019, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-are-arrested-individuals-remanded-until-trial/829364 "2019-02-15T01:22:31Z")
There’s currently a big controversy about detentions of people coming over the southern border, as to how many detention beds should be available. Dems have a problem with the number of beds that the President wants, an… --- ## [I can't change my light bulb](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-change-my-light-bulb/511942)
**Author:** [@Plan\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plan_B)\ **Replies:** 63\ **Last updated:** [February 15, 2019, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-change-my-light-bulb/511942 "2019-02-15T00:22:21Z")
Seriously, I can’t do it this time. I can’t get the glass globe off to get to the light bulb. Here’s the best picture I could find on the web of the fixture we’re dealing with: http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=h… --- ## [Raffle Probability Question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raffle-probability-question/829538)
**Author:** [@GreedySmurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreedySmurf)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [February 14, 2019, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raffle-probability-question/829538 "2019-02-14T23:11:09Z")
My workplace organises a raffle in conjunction with our annual Xmas party, with 4-5 prizes on offer. We have ~200 employees who for the sake of the exercise we’ll say buy 5 tickets each. At the 2018 party the raffle pri… --- ## [Are there places or cultures that don't use the common Monday through Friday week?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-places-or-cultures-that-dont-use-the-common-monday-through-friday-week/829480)
**Author:** [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [February 14, 2019, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-places-or-cultures-that-dont-use-the-common-monday-through-friday-week/829480 "2019-02-14T23:09:03Z")
This is something that’s relevant to my company, which makes software for private schools. We are updating the lesson plan portion of the software, and the product owners are making the lesson plan always be M-F. But s… --- ## [When discarding an old computer?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-discarding-an-old-computer/829319)
**Author:** [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Replies:** 59\ **Last updated:** [February 14, 2019, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-discarding-an-old-computer/829319 "2019-02-14T18:15:04Z")
I am about to take on old Win-XP computer (yes it is that old) to a recycling centre. The computer still runs and of course contains a lot of personal stuff on it as well as old passwords. For example it automatically … --- ## [Converting Currency in Canada?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/converting-currency-in-canada/411753)
**Author:** [@Wallet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallet)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [July 17, 2007, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/converting-currency-in-canada/411753 "2007-07-17T10:34:05Z")
Thanks for all the info in this thread: I hate to sound like a stupid American, but I’m planning to travel to Niagara Falls and Toronto later this summer. I thought I’d be able to depend upon my credit cards for most t… --- ## [Hypothetical Lake Erie Drain](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-lake-erie-drain/829248)
**Author:** [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Replies:** 42\ **Last updated:** [February 14, 2019, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-lake-erie-drain/829248 "2019-02-14T15:31:05Z")
I have pondered this a bit in the past. Unlike the “drain the ocean thread”, this could actually be done. I would like to try it. Lake Erie is a good choice as it is fairly shallow and if drained would only have a fairl… --- ## [Removing ice and snow from long driveway](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-ice-and-snow-from-long-driveway/829492)
**Author:** [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [February 14, 2019, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-ice-and-snow-from-long-driveway/829492 "2019-02-14T14:30:53Z")
We recently moved to a house in a rural area (NYS) that has a long, steep driveway. We were out of town for several weeks, and when we came back, the driveway was covered with fairly hard snow and ice, making it virtuall… --- ## [Cracking knuckles after death](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cracking-knuckles-after-death/829482)
**Author:** [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [February 14, 2019, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cracking-knuckles-after-death/829482 "2019-02-14T13:43:13Z")
We’ve all heard about hair and fingernails continuing to grow after death (or they actually don’t, it’s really the skin retracting or whatever). But could you crack a dead person’s knuckles after death? If so, for how l… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=488) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=490)