# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=531 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 532 --- ## [Is Italian really the Fourth Most Studied Language in the World ?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-italian-really-the-fourth-most-studied-language-in-the-world/822688)
**Author:** [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [October 10, 2018, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-italian-really-the-fourth-most-studied-language-in-the-world/822688 "2018-10-10T11:09:11Z")
I came across this statement a few days ago and found it mightily surprising. http://becomingitalianwordbyword.typepad.com/becomingitalian/2014/06/italian-is-the-fourth-most-studied-language-in-the-world.html http://ww… --- ## [How does IMO vocal chat for PC perform?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-imo-vocal-chat-for-pc-perform/819523)
**Author:** [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [August 13, 2018, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-imo-vocal-chat-for-pc-perform/819523 "2018-08-13T15:27:53Z")
We are looking for PC-based Vocal Chat alternatives to communicate with people where Skype is blocked. Someone suggested IMO which looks promising Does anyone have any experience with it? Are there any particular vuln… --- ## [Can I sand the coating off a non-stick pan (and have a usable pan at the end)?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-sand-the-coating-off-a-non-stick-pan-and-have-a-usable-pan-at-the-end/822110)
**Author:** [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [October 9, 2018, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-sand-the-coating-off-a-non-stick-pan-and-have-a-usable-pan-at-the-end/822110 "2018-10-09T22:24:58Z")
I have a nonstick pan - All Clad d5 , 12" skillet, very heavy, very well made, balanced, conducts heat like a dream, has a perfectly fitting heavy lid. But it has a non-stick surface (teflon or teflon-ish material) that… --- ## [iPhone questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-questions/822574)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 65\ **Last updated:** [October 9, 2018, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-questions/822574 "2018-10-09T19:53:10Z")
I just got my first iPhone, and I’m sure I’ll have questions about it. Others may have questions too, so here’s a thread. First question: You know how on TV shows and movies people use their phones for video calls? If… --- ## [material to create a fabric-based olla for irrigation](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/material-to-create-a-fabric-based-olla-for-irrigation/822682)
**Author:** [@hat\_trick\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hat_trick_1)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [October 9, 2018, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/material-to-create-a-fabric-based-olla-for-irrigation/822682 "2018-10-09T18:05:24Z")
Ok, I’ve come up empty from asking this question of the few engineers I know, so I realized I should resurrect my Straightdope account to tap into some creative thinkers. Olla irrigation pots are terracotta pots that ar… --- ## [What is the object that washed up on the beach?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-object-that-washed-up-on-the-beach/822685)
**Author:** [@Blue\_Mood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blue_Mood)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [October 9, 2018, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-object-that-washed-up-on-the-beach/822685 "2018-10-09T15:38:34Z")
Apparently it’s made of foam… https://uk.news.yahoo.com/locals-baffled-mysterious-object-washed-beach-085035192.html --- ## [Do members of the supreme court get along?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-members-of-the-supreme-court-get-along/822665)
**Author:** [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [October 9, 2018, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-members-of-the-supreme-court-get-along/822665 "2018-10-09T14:18:07Z")
Do members of the supreme court tend to get along pretty well in general even though they have very different views on things? --- ## [Could a state implement term limits for federal offices?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-state-implement-term-limits-for-federal-offices/822663)
**Author:** [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [October 9, 2018, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-state-implement-term-limits-for-federal-offices/822663 "2018-10-09T13:39:18Z")
I’ve seen several Facebook posts calling for term limits for members of the US House and Senate. Given that there’s no restriction in the US Constitution, could a state take it upon itself to limit terms? Perhaps they … --- ## [Carbon capture at home?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carbon-capture-at-home/822653)
**Author:** [@Frankenstein\_Monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frankenstein_Monster)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [October 9, 2018, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carbon-capture-at-home/822653 "2018-10-09T13:19:20Z")
I would like to try some home chemistry experiments to catch CO2 from the air and turn it into methanol (or another convenient liquid hydrocarbon). It could also be methane (or propane or butane or similar) if there was… --- ## [The guillotine: Not a bad way to go?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-guillotine-not-a-bad-way-to-go/821957)
**Author:** [@2Bits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2Bits)\ **Replies:** 61\ **Last updated:** [October 9, 2018, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-guillotine-not-a-bad-way-to-go/821957 "2018-10-09T11:49:56Z")
Quick and painless (?), No? Sure, it’s horrifying to visualize but wouldn’t being guillotined be about the most reliable and efficient method of ending one’s life? --- ## [please hurry: bedbugs - new mattress before or after spraying?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-hurry-bedbugs-new-mattress-before-or-after-spraying/817495)
**Author:** [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [July 8, 2018, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-hurry-bedbugs-new-mattress-before-or-after-spraying/817495 "2018-07-08T11:59:53Z")
They are coming to spray next week, hammer my mattress and my empty room. There are bedbugs in my mattress and box spring, not a total infestation, but they are eating my legs. Should I have a new mattress brought in … --- ## [How quickly do Supreme Court Nominees get sworn in?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quickly-do-supreme-court-nominees-get-sworn-in/822523)
**Author:** [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [October 9, 2018, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quickly-do-supreme-court-nominees-get-sworn-in/822523 "2018-10-09T06:26:10Z")
CNN reports Kavanaugh has the votes. That’s assuming no one changes their mind in the next 24 hours. What is the swearing in process for the Supreme Court? Does the chief justice do it? Or maybe the VP? The President? … --- ## [Experiments on Consciousness](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experiments-on-consciousness/822680)
**Author:** [@Sloe\_Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sloe_Moe)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [October 9, 2018, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experiments-on-consciousness/822680 "2018-10-09T03:27:45Z")
Has there ever been a set-up wherein the subject is deprived of all basic senses, yet remains fully conscious? In any case, how would a person cope with such an experience? Would it be life-threatening? --- ## [Detecting nerve agents](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/detecting-nerve-agents/822558)
**Author:** [@Hoppy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoppy)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [October 9, 2018, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/detecting-nerve-agents/822558 "2018-10-09T00:10:45Z")
After the nerve agent attack in Salisbury (UK), the authorities searched for the source. How would they do that ? Do they have a detector that ‘sniffs’ for nerve agents ? It was finally found in a perfume bottle. --- ## [How well do soldiers know how other branches wage war?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-do-soldiers-know-how-other-branches-wage-war/822640)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [October 8, 2018, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-do-soldiers-know-how-other-branches-wage-war/822640 "2018-10-08T22:41:53Z")
Hypothetically, if a navy admiral had to wage a land war with ground forces, or an army general had to wage a war at sea with naval fleets (or they had to do an air force commander’s job or vice versa), how well would th… --- ## [Sharing of criminal evidence between nations](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sharing-of-criminal-evidence-between-nations/822534)
**Author:** [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [October 8, 2018, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sharing-of-criminal-evidence-between-nations/822534 "2018-10-08T21:08:08Z")
The background of this was a plot point in a Jack Reacher book. I know, hardly authoritative. But there was a significant amount of focus on it as a plot point, and it seemed so weird to me that I started to wonder how t… --- ## [What do you use to fix a hole in the drywall so it will hold a new molly?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-use-to-fix-a-hole-in-the-drywall-so-it-will-hold-a-new-molly/822596)
**Author:** [@edwardcoast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwardcoast)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [October 8, 2018, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-use-to-fix-a-hole-in-the-drywall-so-it-will-hold-a-new-molly/822596 "2018-10-08T19:42:16Z")
How do you fix a small hole in the drywall so it will hold a new molly? Long story, but it needs to go back into the exact area where the old hole is. I tried spackle from Home Depot with the blue cover that says “Dust C… --- ## [Phrase Origin: Other than that Mrs Lincoln..](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrase-origin-other-than-that-mrs-lincoln/290617)
**Author:** [@Stuffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stuffy)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [October 8, 2018, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrase-origin-other-than-that-mrs-lincoln/290617 "2018-10-08T16:17:55Z")
I’ve heard and used the expression “Otther than that Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play” Does anyone know the origin of this phrase? Surely this in an invention, correct, know one could be that tactless, no? --- ## [Programming alternatives, Part 2](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/programming-alternatives-part-2/822147)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 113\ **Last updated:** [October 8, 2018, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/programming-alternatives-part-2/822147 "2018-10-08T14:06:41Z")
The Background: In 2010 I posted a question about alternatives to Easytrieve in this thread. Now there has been a disaster. My computer crashed at the end of August. This has led to many frustrations with the new Acc… --- ## [Oldest accurate oral traditions?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oldest-accurate-oral-traditions/822512)
**Author:** [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Replies:** 44\ **Last updated:** [October 8, 2018, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oldest-accurate-oral-traditions/822512 "2018-10-08T11:25:54Z")
I was searching for (and failing to find) scholarly attention given to Lynne Kelly’s hypothesis on ancient monuments and came across this article claiming Australian Aboriginal cultures with accurate oral traditions goin… --- ## [Are the "voices in your head" always bad/self destructive?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-voices-in-your-head-always-bad-self-destructive/822224)
**Author:** [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Replies:** 52\ **Last updated:** [October 7, 2018, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-voices-in-your-head-always-bad-self-destructive/822224 "2018-10-07T22:51:07Z")
Not you personally, of course. When people hear voices in their head that tell them to do things, are those things always bad and/or self-destructive? --- ## [Ever get a new tv and have worse picture?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-get-a-new-tv-and-have-worse-picture/822533)
**Author:** [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [October 7, 2018, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-get-a-new-tv-and-have-worse-picture/822533 "2018-10-07T20:26:47Z")
I mean when you get a 28 inch one to replace the 26 inch one and the picture isn’t crisp anymore, for HD. Why is a new tv not as good? The cable company just told me that the signal was fine, and I was welcome to try an… --- ## [What did Socrates/Plato discuss on the ethics of suicide](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-socrates-plato-discuss-on-the-ethics-of-suicide/822616)
**Author:** [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [October 7, 2018, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-socrates-plato-discuss-on-the-ethics-of-suicide/822616 "2018-10-07T17:08:41Z")
See query. Not so much on what the “attitudes” were, or how hemlock tastes, but what or where did the topic of suicide come up as part of the analysis of ethics. I know this is a humongous topic, but there must later ne… --- ## [Help Translating some Arabic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-translating-some-arabic/822004)
**Author:** [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [October 7, 2018, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-translating-some-arabic/822004 "2018-10-07T16:52:30Z")
I am curious about the history of the Bab-el-Mandeb. The Wikipedia mentions an Arab legend about an earthquake and, from the Italian version of the Wikipedia page, I’ve been able to determine that the legend is written i… --- ## [Will cloning an SSID allow Apple devices to automatically switch to strongest signal source?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-cloning-an-ssid-allow-apple-devices-to-automatically-switch-to-strongest-signal-source/822564)
**Author:** [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [October 7, 2018, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-cloning-an-ssid-allow-apple-devices-to-automatically-switch-to-strongest-signal-source/822564 "2018-10-07T16:06:52Z")
I’ve been doing a bit of research on networking and am getting conflicting comments on ssid cloning. I use Verizon Fios and just bought the Fios network extender. Some people say if I clone the ssid, my devices, includ… --- ## [Current commercial fruit sold in USA. Most genetically modified.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/current-commercial-fruit-sold-in-usa-most-genetically-modified/822486)
**Author:** [@Nansbread1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nansbread1)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [October 7, 2018, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/current-commercial-fruit-sold-in-usa-most-genetically-modified/822486 "2018-10-07T08:18:33Z")
Which fruit sold commercially in the USA, homegrown or imported, is the most genetically or selectively modified. Volume of sale is not relevant. So if a certain berry is sold in low quantities by any company, even if t… --- ## [What does Settled Law really mean?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-settled-law-really-mean/822129)
**Author:** [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [October 7, 2018, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-settled-law-really-mean/822129 "2018-10-07T06:10:45Z")
The term settled law is often heard when discussing past SCOTUS decisions, such as Roe v. Wade, which is considered by some to be “settled law”. Can’t the SCOTUS majority overturn any previous SCOTUS decision if the righ… --- ## [This has appeared at entrance to my flat (appartment). What is it?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-has-appeared-at-entrance-to-my-flat-appartment-what-is-it/822576)
**Author:** [@Dahu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dahu)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [October 7, 2018, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-has-appeared-at-entrance-to-my-flat-appartment-what-is-it/822576 "2018-10-07T00:57:09Z")
\[Album\] imgur.com … --- ## [Is This Gramatically Correct?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-gramatically-correct/822451)
**Author:** [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Replies:** 37\ **Last updated:** [October 6, 2018, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-gramatically-correct/822451 "2018-10-06T22:38:16Z")
Don’t need the answer fast. “Approximately what percentage of your workforce have the following secondary educational degrees?” Is it “have” because workforce is inherently plural? Or is it “has” because grouping the w… --- ## [Structured cablingand data center types.. a hand please?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/structured-cablingand-data-center-types-a-hand-please/822572)
**Author:** [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [October 6, 2018, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/structured-cablingand-data-center-types-a-hand-please/822572 "2018-10-06T19:22:21Z")
Any data center structured cabling gurus out there I have a problem that there are probably solutions to but since I don’t play in this world very often I don’t really know of them. In a nutshell one of my clients has g… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=530) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=532)