# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=522 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 523 --- ## [Staggering losses of U.S. Navy & Marine men & planes in 1954. True? Why?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/staggering-losses-of-u-s-navy-marine-men-planes-in-1954-true-why/592729)
**Author:** [@stuyguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuyguy)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [November 10, 2018, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/staggering-losses-of-u-s-navy-marine-men-planes-in-1954-true-why/592729 "2018-11-10T22:28:22Z")
On August 10 the \*New York Times \*published a story ( http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/11/world/asia/11china.html? ) about China’s progress in launching its first aircraft carrier, a refurbished Soviet-build vessel. The st… --- ## [Midterm Election 2010 v 2018 - Actual precentages?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midterm-election-2010-v-2018-actual-precentages/824252)
**Author:** [@Hirka\_T\_Bawa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hirka_T_Bawa)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [November 10, 2018, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midterm-election-2010-v-2018-actual-precentages/824252 "2018-11-10T19:20:11Z")
The 2018 mid term elections just completed, and ignoring the races that are still not decided, all we are hearing is what each party wants us to hear. I’m hearing from the democrat leaning people how this is the largest … --- ## [Can GPS measure airspeed?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-gps-measure-airspeed/824156)
**Author:** [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [November 10, 2018, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-gps-measure-airspeed/824156 "2018-11-10T18:21:54Z")
The title is my question. Obviously it is in connection with the Lion Air crash which the Times article speculated was caused by a defective Pitot tube. (Amusingly the page 3 tickler called it a Pilot tube, but the mai… --- ## [\[ sustainable material research and marketing for water durable shoes college assignment \]](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sustainable-material-research-and-marketing-for-water-durable-shoes-college-assignment/824276)
**Author:** [@Cathy967](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cathy967)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [November 10, 2018, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sustainable-material-research-and-marketing-for-water-durable-shoes-college-assignment/824276 "2018-11-10T03:15:11Z")
\[ SUSTAINABLE MATERIAL RESEARCH AND MARKETING FOR WATER DURABLE SHOES COLLEGE ASSIGNMENT \] SURVEY RESPONSES NEEDED \> Rate the sustainable fabrics below based on your favorability. Think about quality, aesthetics, envir… --- ## [Kitchen faucet help for 3/4" hex nut connectors?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitchen-faucet-help-for-3-4-hex-nut-connectors/824171)
**Author:** [@from\_a\_to\_z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/from_a_to_z)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [November 10, 2018, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitchen-faucet-help-for-3-4-hex-nut-connectors/824171 "2018-11-10T01:43:12Z")
Hello plumbing enthusiasts. I would like to replace my kitchen faucet, and searching has so far failed me. For my currently installed and old faucet, the hot and cold water tubes that connect the faucet to the water sup… --- ## [Fastest moving space mass](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-moving-space-mass/824208)
**Author:** [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [November 9, 2018, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-moving-space-mass/824208 "2018-11-09T18:43:20Z")
How fast is the fastest known mass moving through space? Could Propelled spacecrafts exceed this speed? --- ## [Have car rental companies stopped including "liability only" insurance in the rate?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-car-rental-companies-stopped-including-liability-only-insurance-in-the-rate/824212)
**Author:** [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [November 9, 2018, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-car-rental-companies-stopped-including-liability-only-insurance-in-the-rate/824212 "2018-11-09T16:49:14Z")
My understanding was that car rental rates in the US always included the minimum legally required liability insurance for whichever state you are renting in. They will always try and “upsell” you on buying more insuranc… --- ## [Why do my wireless routers always die?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-my-wireless-routers-always-die/538089)
**Author:** [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [November 9, 2018, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-my-wireless-routers-always-die/538089 "2018-11-09T06:28:51Z")
And can they be fixed? Wireless routers always last, say, a year and a half in this house. Then they start needing to be restarted all the damned time and I buy a new one. This one is a Belkin F5D7234-4 v. 1. I looke… --- ## [dark, shiny, matte, clear: light v. stuff](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-shiny-matte-clear-light-v-stuff/824210)
**Author:** [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [November 9, 2018, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-shiny-matte-clear-light-v-stuff/824210 "2018-11-09T01:59:19Z")
I want to know how much we understand about transparency, opacity and reflectivity. I mean, there might be a block of glass I cannot even budge that almost perfectly passes light/images, as opposed to a cloud of smoke t… --- ## [Our culpability in the demise of the passenger pigeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-culpability-in-the-demise-of-the-passenger-pigeon/26608)
**Author:** [@Milossarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Milossarian)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [November 9, 2018, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-culpability-in-the-demise-of-the-passenger-pigeon/26608 "2018-11-09T00:53:58Z")
The general story we get from our history lessons is that there were once so many passenger pigeons flying around, the sky was black with them. But our heinous, bloodthirsty ancestors, when they weren’t busy wantonly de… --- ## [Blue Berries and the Brain.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-berries-and-the-brain/824117)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [November 9, 2018, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-berries-and-the-brain/824117 "2018-11-09T00:22:00Z")
No cite for this one. And that is rather the point of this thread. I want you to fill in my ignorance:). I have heard from several sources that blue berries are good for the brain. I’ve heard it numerous times on TV. An… --- ## [Calculating probability with a multiple of the same number on a die](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calculating-probability-with-a-multiple-of-the-same-number-on-a-die/824203)
**Author:** [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2018, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calculating-probability-with-a-multiple-of-the-same-number-on-a-die/824203 "2018-11-08T23:11:32Z")
I’m trying to figure out whether I want a D&D character of mine to take a feat that turns all 1s into 2s. It’s most relevant on casting fireball, which does 8d6 damage. The calculation is normally trivial, as the average… --- ## [Electoral districts: other than the US, do any other mature democracies leave it to the politicians?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electoral-districts-other-than-the-us-do-any-other-mature-democracies-leave-it-to-the-politicians/758318)
**Author:** [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2018, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electoral-districts-other-than-the-us-do-any-other-mature-democracies-leave-it-to-the-politicians/758318 "2018-11-08T20:56:45Z")
I asked this question over in the the gerrymandering/distribution thread: “Is there any mature, well-established democracy other than the US where the politicians draw the boundaries directly?” That thread seems to hav… --- ## [Were there benefits to humans moving out of Africa into cold areas?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-benefits-to-humans-moving-out-of-africa-into-cold-areas/823690)
**Author:** [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Replies:** 73\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2018, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-benefits-to-humans-moving-out-of-africa-into-cold-areas/823690 "2018-11-08T19:35:13Z")
Africa seems like it was a pretty good place to be. You didn’t have to worry about being cold anywhere near as much as in Europe, North-ish Asia or North America. The expansion could have happened while staying within wa… --- ## [The double day alternative sleeping schedule](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-double-day-alternative-sleeping-schedule/823865)
**Author:** [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2018, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-double-day-alternative-sleeping-schedule/823865 "2018-11-08T17:54:16Z")
Looking at alternative sleep schedules like this: Imgur: The magic of the Internet It strikes me that all of them seem to rely on having more, shorter sleeping periods which leads me to wonder if the opposite, fewer lon… --- ## [Cygwin unable to run xterms ("cygbz2-1.dll: Loaded to different address")](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cygwin-unable-to-run-xterms-cygbz2-1-dll-loaded-to-different-address/824175)
**Author:** [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2018, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cygwin-unable-to-run-xterms-cygbz2-1-dll-loaded-to-different-address/824175 "2018-11-08T17:30:59Z")
I run cygwin under Windows 10 on a laptop that was purchased and configured several years ago and has worked fine, more or less, ever since. Until today. I hadn’t rebooted for several weeks. Sometimes Windows tells me… --- ## [medically-aided dying: are leftover/unused meds a documented problem?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medically-aided-dying-are-leftover-unused-meds-a-documented-problem/824128)
**Author:** [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2018, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medically-aided-dying-are-leftover-unused-meds-a-documented-problem/824128 "2018-11-08T16:04:13Z")
One group voicing their opposition to legalized medical aid in dying is concerned about this aspect of it: OK, so there are documented cases of a few hundred unused bottles of Seconal lying around over the past couple … --- ## [Looking for a Hebrew verb meaning "to lose faith".](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-hebrew-verb-meaning-to-lose-faith/824143)
**Author:** [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2018, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-hebrew-verb-meaning-to-lose-faith/824143 "2018-11-08T15:49:31Z")
Hi I’m looking for a Hebrew verb meaning “to lose faith”. I was hoping to find out how Jews expressed losing faith in the death camps. I look forward to your feedback. --- ## [Figuring out an encoding error based on the scrambled characters](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/figuring-out-an-encoding-error-based-on-the-scrambled-characters/824151)
**Author:** [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2018, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/figuring-out-an-encoding-error-based-on-the-scrambled-characters/824151 "2018-11-08T15:01:05Z")
Okay, this is a rather technical and odd question, but bear with me. I’m not going to name and shame the programmer, but I’m using a program to keep track of a whole lot of data about genealogy and DNA. I download a big… --- ## [Is the consensus of the fate of the universe still eternal expansion and heat death](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-consensus-of-the-fate-of-the-universe-still-eternal-expansion-and-heat-death/824165)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2018, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-consensus-of-the-fate-of-the-universe-still-eternal-expansion-and-heat-death/824165 "2018-11-08T14:45:23Z")
I’ve heard some recent theories about how higgs particles may enter a lower energy state, causing everything to be destroyed at light speed. Or how dark energy may slow the expansion. So is eternal expansion and heat d… --- ## [85% or 93% lean ground beef, how do they know?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/85-or-93-lean-ground-beef-how-do-they-know/824138)
**Author:** [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2018, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/85-or-93-lean-ground-beef-how-do-they-know/824138 "2018-11-08T08:48:14Z")
How is it checked? --- ## [What is the psychology of this babys behavior?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-psychology-of-this-babys-behavior/824051)
**Author:** [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2018, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-psychology-of-this-babys-behavior/824051 "2018-11-08T08:12:04Z")
Dick and Jane are married and have a baby girl, under 1 years old, crawling, starting to stand up, and so on. Sometimes they have neighbors Jack and Jill babysit. When Jill is in a room alone with baby, baby is happy, … --- ## [What did colonists and early Americans use as coins](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-colonists-and-early-americans-use-as-coins/824082)
**Author:** [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2018, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-colonists-and-early-americans-use-as-coins/824082 "2018-11-08T06:49:56Z")
I understand that they have used Spanish and spanish colonial coins for commerce. But I don’t know how it worked or how widespread it was. In everyday existence were they common? There are a couple hundred years for this… --- ## [Isn't there any chance Ill get to sit in on for a day at the El Chapo trial?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-there-any-chance-ill-get-to-sit-in-on-for-a-day-at-the-el-chapo-trial/824180)
**Author:** [@russian\_heel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/russian_heel)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2018, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isnt-there-any-chance-ill-get-to-sit-in-on-for-a-day-at-the-el-chapo-trial/824180 "2018-11-08T05:07:27Z")
I’m not a member of the media or law enforcement, just a curiosity seeker and amateur follower of Mexican cartel history with no ill intent. From what I understand the trial will be in Brooklyn and jury selection was lim… --- ## [Oumaumau - The Scout](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oumaumau-the-scout/824173)
**Author:** [@EastUmpqua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EastUmpqua)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2018, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oumaumau-the-scout/824173 "2018-11-08T03:22:35Z")
It looks like our solar system has been probed, probably with neutrino beams or something since we didn’t detect any EM signatures from it. We’ll probably find out soon enough if the civilization that sent it has FTL com… --- ## [Is there a flexible non-acid tape to repair paper book cover?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-flexible-non-acid-tape-to-repair-paper-book-cover/823989)
**Author:** [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2018, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-flexible-non-acid-tape-to-repair-paper-book-cover/823989 "2018-11-08T02:26:13Z")
I have an old book from the 60s with a paper slip cover that’s a bit torn. I’d like to repair it do the tears don’t get worse. Is there a special tape I could get? I know Scotch tape yellows and cracks and can mark pap… --- ## [2017 Chevy Colorado fuel capacity](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2017-chevy-colorado-fuel-capacity/823966)
**Author:** [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2018, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2017-chevy-colorado-fuel-capacity/823966 "2018-11-08T01:35:12Z")
Last week my brother and I went up to my cabin to get it ready for winter. We went into town to get some things and stopped at a filling station. I fueled his truck (2017 Chevy Colorado) while he went inside to pay for … --- ## [Does an alternator charge a car battery just idling?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-an-alternator-charge-a-car-battery-just-idling/824042)
**Author:** [@Skyo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skyo)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [November 7, 2018, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-an-alternator-charge-a-car-battery-just-idling/824042 "2018-11-07T23:17:21Z")
I left the key turned half on yesterday in order to set the clock back. Battery is dead as a doornail today. One more thing I have against this time change nonsense. Would appreciate knowing if I have to drive around for… --- ## [Honesty in advertising: net weight of product](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/honesty-in-advertising-net-weight-of-product/823985)
**Author:** [@bardos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bardos)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [November 7, 2018, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/honesty-in-advertising-net-weight-of-product/823985 "2018-11-07T20:05:13Z")
A month or two ago, at a local supermarket, I purchased 2 plastic containers of chicken livers manufactured by Sanderson Farms https://sandersonfarms.com/ in Mississippi. All the labeling on the container says “net wt. 2… --- ## [Computer Monitor Goes Blank for 10 or so Seconds and Then Returns to Normal?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-monitor-goes-blank-for-10-or-so-seconds-and-then-returns-to-normal/824054)
**Author:** [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [November 7, 2018, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-monitor-goes-blank-for-10-or-so-seconds-and-then-returns-to-normal/824054 "2018-11-07T17:59:40Z")
Note software programs such as browser haven’t shut down so I don’t think it is a computer problem. 27" 7 year old lower-end Viewsonic monitor. Several days between occurrences. Any thoughts? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=521) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=523)