# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=50 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 51 --- ## [Andy and Red’s escapes to Mexico (FQ about events in The Shawshank Redemption)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-and-red-s-escapes-to-mexico-fq-about-events-in-the-shawshank-redemption/1016054)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [March 27, 2025, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-and-red-s-escapes-to-mexico-fq-about-events-in-the-shawshank-redemption/1016054 "2025-03-27T05:49:04Z")
Open spoilers for 30-year-old movie. Hell, even the title spoils it. Anyhoo, Andy Dufresne left Portland, ME with $375,000 of the Warden’s money, using a fake name and fake documents, and headed to Mexico, c. 1967. Woul… --- ## [Old PC and number of colors](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-pc-and-number-of-colors/1016127)
**Author:** [@Danger\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danger_Man)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [March 26, 2025, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-pc-and-number-of-colors/1016127 "2025-03-26T21:58:43Z")
I remember I had a 386 in my childhood. For some reason I could only get 16 colors in Windows and 256 colors in DOS. I tried for a long time to also get 256 colors in Windows, but was not able to figure it out. Does anyo… --- ## ["Call a doctor if you have an erection lasting longer than 4 hours"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/call-a-doctor-if-you-have-an-erection-lasting-longer-than-4-hours/1015812)
**Author:** [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Replies:** 45\ **Last updated:** [March 26, 2025, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/call-a-doctor-if-you-have-an-erection-lasting-longer-than-4-hours/1015812 "2025-03-26T05:42:11Z")
Maybe I’m naive but is a 3 hour erection considered “normal”? --- ## [Knowledge doubling--is there any way this isn't nonsense?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/knowledge-doubling-is-there-any-way-this-isnt-nonsense/1015778)
**Author:** [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Replies:** 56\ **Last updated:** [March 26, 2025, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/knowledge-doubling-is-there-any-way-this-isnt-nonsense/1015778 "2025-03-26T02:36:31Z")
I was at a conference last week, and amid one very good session, there was a factoid that caught my eye. It’s floating around the Internet, and here’s a good example: In the conference and in other sources, these “ex… --- ## [Can a Recipient of a Photo in an iPhone Text See the Metadata](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-recipient-of-a-photo-in-an-iphone-text-see-the-metadata/1016120)
**Author:** [@Ynnad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ynnad)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [March 26, 2025, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-recipient-of-a-photo-in-an-iphone-text-see-the-metadata/1016120 "2025-03-26T02:07:14Z")
Can the recipient of a photo attached to an iPhone text see the metadata, particularly the location associated with a photo taken on that phone? I am baiting a fraudulent transaction phishing scammer from way back in De… --- ## [How did CBS news know what flight Witkoff was on?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-cbs-news-know-what-flight-witkoff-was-on/1016110)
**Author:** [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [March 26, 2025, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-cbs-news-know-what-flight-witkoff-was-on/1016110 "2025-03-26T02:03:40Z")
CBS news reported that a member of the notorious Signal chat was in Russia at the time. Witkoff arrived in Moscow shortly after noon local time on March 13, according to data from the flight tracking website FlightRa… --- ## [Why do cats hate animal fur?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-cats-hate-animal-fur/155381)
**Author:** [@tonbo0422](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tonbo0422)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [March 25, 2025, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-cats-hate-animal-fur/155381 "2025-03-25T21:03:50Z")
Perhaps it’s just my two (unrelated) Siamese cats, but they absolutely hate dead animal fur. I have a large Alpaca rug, but If I drop them on it they leap off as if it were hot coals. They will literally leap 6 feet over… --- ## [Install sliding door floor guide over carpet over concrete... no wood](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/install-sliding-door-floor-guide-over-carpet-over-concrete-no-wood/1015663)
**Author:** [@saladoil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saladoil)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [March 25, 2025, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/install-sliding-door-floor-guide-over-carpet-over-concrete-no-wood/1015663 "2025-03-25T15:51:37Z")
Need to purchase sliding door bottom guides over carpet with no wood installed as screw in base. I envision something like a super velcro (Hooks), on one side with sticky back on the other attached to bottom of floor gui… --- ## [Smacker derivation?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smacker-derivation/1015926)
**Author:** [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [March 25, 2025, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smacker-derivation/1015926 "2025-03-25T11:19:22Z")
How did smacker or smackeroo come to mean a dollar? 10 simoleans to anyone who can figure it out. That’s a nice chunk of cheddar. --- ## [What battle did the British empire fight in California?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-battle-did-the-british-empire-fight-in-california/1016035)
**Author:** [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [March 25, 2025, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-battle-did-the-british-empire-fight-in-california/1016035 "2025-03-25T05:24:15Z")
So this map came up on my FB feed. It purports to be a map of all the battles fought by the main European empires in their history. I know it’s dumb click bait but still it’s been bugging me. What is that red dot doin… --- ## [Is potting soil ok for growing veggies?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-potting-soil-ok-for-growing-veggies/453165)
**Author:** [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [March 25, 2025, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-potting-soil-ok-for-growing-veggies/453165 "2025-03-25T03:11:29Z")
Or more particularly jalapenos? I have several nice seedlings coming in and I need to thin out the pot asap, but all I have on hand dirt wise is a bag of potting soil, I think it’s Schultz All Purpose Potting Soil Plus.… --- ## [Did they make little shelves I can put on top of my flat screen TV?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-they-make-little-shelves-i-can-put-on-top-of-my-flat-screen-tv/1015997)
**Author:** [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [March 24, 2025, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-they-make-little-shelves-i-can-put-on-top-of-my-flat-screen-tv/1015997 "2025-03-24T21:34:55Z")
Was wondering if there was any product out there that was basically like putting a small ledge on the very top of my HDTV so I could put my remote controls on top of it. Like I imagine it being a little clamp you can at… --- ## [2021 BMW X3: Can't enable text messages](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-bmw-x3-cant-enable-text-messages/997087)
**Author:** [@Capybara1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capybara1)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [March 24, 2025, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-bmw-x3-cant-enable-text-messages/997087 "2025-03-24T21:15:23Z")
I traded my 2014 X3 28i for a 2021 30i a few weeks ago and no one (various dealership folk/the BMW “genius”) can figure out how to push my text messages to the car. Messages worked perfectly in my '14. I have a Samsung … --- ## [Was this definitely a vasovagal syncope episode?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-definitely-a-vasovagal-syncope-episode/1015656)
**Author:** [@Saffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saffer)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [March 24, 2025, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-definitely-a-vasovagal-syncope-episode/1015656 "2025-03-24T19:17:08Z")
Or could there be another explanation? Background I recently went for a comprehensive health screening and it included a treadmill stress test. During the stress test, they noticed a brief episode of ventricular tachyca… --- ## [How do animated ads in subway tunnels work?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-animated-ads-in-subway-tunnels-work/1016013)
**Author:** [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [March 24, 2025, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-animated-ads-in-subway-tunnels-work/1016013 "2025-03-24T16:46:38Z")
I don’t know how common this type of ad is, but sometime around 2010 I was sitting next to a window on the L.A. subway when this animated ad for the movie Coraline appeared in the window. I think I get the basic idea he… --- ## [Russian Ю and Я - what are they?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-and-what-are-they/1015920)
**Author:** [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [March 24, 2025, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-and-what-are-they/1015920 "2025-03-24T16:26:15Z")
Russian (and other Slavic languages that use the Cyrillic alphabet) contain the letters Ю and Я, which have unusual (from a Westerner’s perspective) sound values. Ю is yu, and Я is ya. How are these letters thought of i… --- ## [Settings on my computer?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/settings-on-my-computer/1016032)
**Author:** [@GailForce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GailForce)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [March 24, 2025, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/settings-on-my-computer/1016032 "2025-03-24T14:20:03Z")
By chance, this morning I happened upon the place on my computer that allowed me to change the time my screen goes black when I leave it idle. I added minutes all over the place, but now I can’t find the place I was in … --- ## [My Roku Turns Itself On](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-roku-turns-itself-on/1015905)
**Author:** [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [March 24, 2025, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-roku-turns-itself-on/1015905 "2025-03-24T11:40:59Z")
For the last month or so, I’ve been arriving home after school and finding my Roku TV turned on and in screen saver mode. At first, I thought maybe that, in my half comatose waking state, I didn’t notice that I had left … --- ## [What did the halftone screen etching process for printing actually look like?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-the-halftone-screen-etching-process-for-printing-actually-look-like/1015975)
**Author:** [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [March 24, 2025, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-the-halftone-screen-etching-process-for-printing-actually-look-like/1015975 "2025-03-24T05:09:55Z")
I understand how halftones of photographs work in terms of printing them on paper, your eye/brain understanding them, etc. But I can never seem to find any images/videos of what the actual etching process looked like. Pe… --- ## [Gene Hackman's Estate Lawsuits](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gene-hackmans-estate-lawsuits/1015831)
**Author:** [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)\ **Replies:** 57\ **Last updated:** [March 24, 2025, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gene-hackmans-estate-lawsuits/1015831 "2025-03-24T01:42:37Z")
Just in terms of following through on my request to move the legal issues to FQ (not IMHO as I read enough posters who either were lawyers or play one on TV) to bring it here. As I understand the facts: He was 95 and … --- ## [Paquito D'Rivera and his apostrophe](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paquito-drivera-and-his-apostrophe/1015912)
**Author:** [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [March 23, 2025, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paquito-drivera-and-his-apostrophe/1015912 "2025-03-23T15:20:56Z")
Why is an apostrophe used when Rivera starts with a consonant? Why not de Rivera? --- ## [If red blood cells don't contain DNA, how can blood be used for DNA tests?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-red-blood-cells-dont-contain-dna-how-can-blood-be-used-for-dna-tests/1015963)
**Author:** [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [March 23, 2025, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-red-blood-cells-dont-contain-dna-how-can-blood-be-used-for-dna-tests/1015963 "2025-03-23T06:57:51Z")
The wikipedia article on red blood cells says that they don’t contain DNA: Because of the lack of nuclei and organelles, mature red blood cells do not contain DNA and cannot synthesize any RNA (although it does contain… --- ## [Is There a Limit to Liability When You're At Fault in an Accident?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-limit-to-liability-when-youre-at-fault-in-an-accident/1015255)
**Author:** [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Replies:** 41\ **Last updated:** [March 23, 2025, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-limit-to-liability-when-youre-at-fault-in-an-accident/1015255 "2025-03-23T00:17:25Z")
Way back in 2019, Tracy Morgan was involved in an auto accident while driving his Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport when he was sideswiped by a Honda CR-V. For those of you who might be unfamiliar with Bugatti, they’re a Frenc… --- ## [What happened to the ABSCAM Yacht?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-abscam-yacht/1015883)
**Author:** [@EnolaStraight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EnolaStraight)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [March 22, 2025, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-abscam-yacht/1015883 "2025-03-22T20:34:14Z")
Abscam - Wikipedia In the late 70s-early 80s the FBI ran a sting operation in which several politicians accepted bribes. The setting was aboard an expensive yacht (earlier confiscated from a drug dealer). What happene… --- ## [I saw a parked Tesla with its headlights on--what happens?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-a-parked-tesla-with-its-headlights-on-what-happens/1015917)
**Author:** [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [March 22, 2025, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-a-parked-tesla-with-its-headlights-on-what-happens/1015917 "2025-03-22T20:03:45Z")
I just walked past a Tesla parked (unoccupied), with its headlights and taillights on, in the middle of the afternoon. So I’m wondering what will happen.. With a traditional car, of course, we all know the results–afte… --- ## [Death in the White House](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-in-the-white-house/1015927)
**Author:** [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [March 22, 2025, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-in-the-white-house/1015927 "2025-03-22T19:22:27Z")
Something I just got a wonderment about: How many people have died in the White House? There’ve been several Presidents who’ve died in office. Checking their Wikipages, I find that three died there: William Henry Harri… --- ## [Math division signs: / versus ÷](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/math-division-signs-versus/1015885)
**Author:** [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [March 22, 2025, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/math-division-signs-versus/1015885 "2025-03-22T16:27:48Z")
Regarding the PEMDAS order of operations for math expressions, I’ve seen some sites claim that using ÷ has a precise meaning differing from the slash operator. True, or pulled out of someone’s burrow? --- ## [Could we use gravity assist to slow down spacecraft?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-use-gravity-assist-to-slow-down-spacecraft/1015555)
**Author:** [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [March 22, 2025, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-use-gravity-assist-to-slow-down-spacecraft/1015555 "2025-03-22T13:51:39Z")
Currently, we use gravity assist to speed up spacecraft to help get to father orbits like Mars. But our return plans seem to rely on atmospheric braking as the primary deceleration. I know the science says anything tha… --- ## [My floor is making cracking noises as you step on it](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-floor-is-making-cracking-noises-as-you-step-on-it/1015865)
**Author:** [@Sticks\_and\_Scones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sticks_and_Scones)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [March 22, 2025, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-floor-is-making-cracking-noises-as-you-step-on-it/1015865 "2025-03-22T10:47:50Z")
My home is 150 years old and just recently the hardwood floor in the kitchen has started making cracking noises when you step on it in certain areas. This seems to happen randomly. In the almost 10 years that we’ve lived… --- ## [Why do websites list your current session as the 'last login'?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-websites-list-your-current-session-as-the-last-login/1015930)
**Author:** [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [March 22, 2025, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-websites-list-your-current-session-as-the-last-login/1015930 "2025-03-22T03:10:54Z")
To explain what I mean. You log on to a website and (if applicable) somewhere on the site it shows you the last time you logged in. Presumably for security reasons. At least that’s what I assume it’s meant for. If this i… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=49) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=51)