# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=535 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 536 --- ## [Has there ever been a case of an ADULT surviving ...from an airplane crash...](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-case-of-an-adult-surviving-from-an-airplane-crash/821939)
**Author:** [@Steven\_Estes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steven_Estes)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [September 27, 2018, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-case-of-an-adult-surviving-from-an-airplane-crash/821939 "2018-09-27T12:09:46Z")
Has there ever been a case of an ADULT surviving in pretty good condition from an airplane that crashed from approximately 30,000 feet? --- ## [A simple insulation problem](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-simple-insulation-problem/821116)
**Author:** [@komolono](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/komolono)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [September 27, 2018, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-simple-insulation-problem/821116 "2018-09-27T09:14:17Z")
I have a submerged capsule under sea ice. I have one layer of concrete and a steel capsule. Inside this object there is led lighting which keeps this object’s inside temperature optimal. Now I find myself pondering wheth… --- ## [Where is the geographical center of the United States?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-geographical-center-of-the-united-states/821907)
**Author:** [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Replies:** 39\ **Last updated:** [September 27, 2018, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-geographical-center-of-the-united-states/821907 "2018-09-27T05:18:26Z")
Using a map program that draws GCA vectors, I drew a big X from Lihue in Hawaii to NE Maine and from the NW Alaska coast to the Florida Keys and the lines crossed a few miles west of the Minnesota exclave of the NW Angle… --- ## [Criteria for admissibility of character evidence in criminal trial](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/criteria-for-admissibility-of-character-evidence-in-criminal-trial/821908)
**Author:** [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [September 27, 2018, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/criteria-for-admissibility-of-character-evidence-in-criminal-trial/821908 "2018-09-27T03:03:22Z")
I’m pretty sure I once saw a true crime documentary where the prosecutor in a case was not allowed to bring up the defendant’s prior convictions for similar crimes. I may be wrong on the specifics but I do remember bein… --- ## [I need a translation of the German phrase 'öffentlicher Arm"..public face of ??](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-translation-of-the-german-phrase-offentlicher-arm-public-face-of/821947)
**Author:** [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [September 27, 2018, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-translation-of-the-german-phrase-offentlicher-arm-public-face-of/821947 "2018-09-27T02:41:48Z")
Hi I hope someone can help me translate the German phrase 'öffentlicher Arm"…public face of ?? I look forward to your feedback --- ## [Hung Jury is No Answer?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hung-jury-is-no-answer/821927)
**Author:** [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [September 26, 2018, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hung-jury-is-no-answer/821927 "2018-09-26T22:56:03Z")
Considering the Bill Cosby trial, I understand a unanimous decision was needed from the jury. The first trial ended in a hung jury which led to his re-trial. However, doesn’t a hung jury TELL US ALL that the accuser’s ar… --- ## [Does Starbucks spike their coffee?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-starbucks-spike-their-coffee/821647)
**Author:** [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [September 26, 2018, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-starbucks-spike-their-coffee/821647 "2018-09-26T15:30:19Z")
My normal coffee routine ends up with me putting down 10 cups (yeah, the better part of a whole carafe) of strongish home-brew. Starbucks, Yukon when I can get it, otherwise whatever light roast is on sale when I’m buyi… --- ## [How did James Clerk Maxwell conclude that Visible Light was a form of EM rays?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-james-clerk-maxwell-conclude-that-visible-light-was-a-form-of-em-rays/821786)
**Author:** [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [September 26, 2018, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-james-clerk-maxwell-conclude-that-visible-light-was-a-form-of-em-rays/821786 "2018-09-26T14:12:27Z")
When studying the propagation of an Electromagnetic field, Maxwell noted that its speed was about the neighbourhood of that of visible light, and concluded that this was no coincidence. He hypothesised that Visible Light… --- ## [Mail delivery when the door is open?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mail-delivery-when-the-door-is-open/821782)
**Author:** [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [September 26, 2018, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mail-delivery-when-the-door-is-open/821782 "2018-09-26T13:14:41Z")
We have our front door open very often when the weather is nice, which is much of the summer. There is a screen door that we latch. Recently, the mailman has skipped our delivery on a couple of days and noted on the mail… --- ## [A typesetting question in Microsoft 'Word'.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-typesetting-question-in-microsoft-word/821877)
**Author:** [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [September 26, 2018, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-typesetting-question-in-microsoft-word/821877 "2018-09-26T12:14:08Z")
A serious work-based question that justifies me keeping an SDMB browser window open while at work. I’m also fairly sure there are some serious power users on this board… One of my tasks at my day job (at a large United… --- ## [Brown powder or crystals from AAA batteries](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brown-powder-or-crystals-from-aaa-batteries/821847)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [September 26, 2018, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brown-powder-or-crystals-from-aaa-batteries/821847 "2018-09-26T02:37:18Z")
Question for chemist Dopers: I know the white crystalline stuff from leaking alkaline AAA batteries is usually potassium hydroxide or potassium carbonate, but what if it’s brown powdery or crystalline fluff instead of w… --- ## [How plausible is my pet theory that our universe is inside a black hole?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-plausible-is-my-pet-theory-that-our-universe-is-inside-a-black-hole/821682)
**Author:** [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [September 26, 2018, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-plausible-is-my-pet-theory-that-our-universe-is-inside-a-black-hole/821682 "2018-09-26T01:33:53Z")
I’m no scientist. I have done no special research. But I have a pet theory (I might have read it somewhere) that our universe exists inside a black hole. It answers the questions of “what came before the Big Bang?” (t… --- ## [Why is Portugal so tidy and rectangular?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-portugal-so-tidy-and-rectangular/821714)
**Author:** [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Replies:** 41\ **Last updated:** [September 25, 2018, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-portugal-so-tidy-and-rectangular/821714 "2018-09-25T23:46:56Z")
Looking at a map of the Iberian peninsula the other day and I was struck by how tidy and rectangular it is, tall and narrow. Why is that? --- ## [Most expensive private revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-expensive-private-revenge/821330)
**Author:** [@Nansbread1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nansbread1)\ **Replies:** 47\ **Last updated:** [September 25, 2018, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-expensive-private-revenge/821330 "2018-09-25T21:03:45Z")
Talking of revenges, which can be contrued to have been the most expensive? It has to be a private revenge ie non governmental, not one country blasting another country to smithereens. --- ## [Bay In Michigan's Thumb.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bay-in-michigans-thumb/821619)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [September 25, 2018, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bay-in-michigans-thumb/821619 "2018-09-25T21:01:36Z")
Something I have wondered probably since childhood at least. What is that bay in Michigan called? (For you non-Americans, Michigan in a northern state in the USA.) As you may know, Michigan’s lower peninsula is shaped li… --- ## [A Bible question: Why were there herds of swine in ancient Israel at the time of Jesus?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bible-question-why-were-there-herds-of-swine-in-ancient-israel-at-the-time-of-jesus/653051)
**Author:** [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Replies:** 51\ **Last updated:** [September 25, 2018, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bible-question-why-were-there-herds-of-swine-in-ancient-israel-at-the-time-of-jesus/653051 "2018-09-25T19:57:27Z")
So I’m re-reading Matthew (once in a while I actually pick up the Bible and read some of it), and I come across the well-known story of the Gaderene swine. So, for absolutely no reason I can see, a thought pops into my h… --- ## [Mouse Buttons](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mouse-buttons/821653)
**Author:** [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [September 25, 2018, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mouse-buttons/821653 "2018-09-25T19:43:57Z")
I’m looking for a program to reprogram my mouse (Logitech 705) buttons. Setpoint doesn’t work very well. Anybody help? --- ## [Is Martin Armstrong a fraud/conspiracy theorist?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-martin-armstrong-a-fraud-conspiracy-theorist/661547)
**Author:** [@Alba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alba)\ **Replies:** 47\ **Last updated:** [August 8, 2018, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-martin-armstrong-a-fraud-conspiracy-theorist/661547 "2018-08-08T00:10:59Z")
I have been reading Martin Armstrong’s blog for over a year. The first months I read everything he wrote. However, after a while his pieces seemed to resemble the ravings of a reality distorted person. The information o… --- ## [Is it a crime to send a letter to the FBI wherein you lie?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-a-crime-to-send-a-letter-to-the-fbi-wherein-you-lie/821601)
**Author:** [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [September 25, 2018, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-a-crime-to-send-a-letter-to-the-fbi-wherein-you-lie/821601 "2018-09-25T18:02:34Z")
Try as I might, I can’t come up with a google search that answers this, and I keep getting hits about internet fraud and the like. This comes up in light of the letter that Mark Judge sent to the FBI about his involvemen… --- ## [Have all human populations developed a spoken language?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-all-human-populations-developed-a-spoken-language/821719)
**Author:** [@jebert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jebert)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [September 25, 2018, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-all-human-populations-developed-a-spoken-language/821719 "2018-09-25T16:23:03Z")
I’m pretty sure that there are a number of human populations whose languages never had a written form - for example, several African groups and many native American tribes. I am wondering if any human groups have ever … --- ## [Why do pipe/cigar/cigarette tobacco smoke all smell different?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-pipe-cigar-cigarette-tobacco-smoke-all-smell-different/821832)
**Author:** [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [September 25, 2018, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-pipe-cigar-cigarette-tobacco-smoke-all-smell-different/821832 "2018-09-25T15:58:52Z")
I don’t like the smell of cigarette smoke, and will go out of my way to avoid people who are smoking in public. But I’m pretty much indifferent to the smell of cigar smoke, at least until it gets really thick. It’s bee… --- ## [How do I keep my Ikea slat bed from falling?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-keep-my-ikea-slat-bed-from-falling/598544)
**Author:** [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Replies:** 34\ **Last updated:** [September 25, 2018, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-keep-my-ikea-slat-bed-from-falling/598544 "2018-09-25T15:32:15Z")
sleepsleepsleepsleep THUNK This is starting to make me crazy. I got a bed from Ikea- you know, one of the ones that uses slats instead of a boxspring. It’s fine, except that the slightest move makes the slats on one sid… --- ## [Phone loses 20% of charge when restarted?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phone-loses-20-of-charge-when-restarted/821880)
**Author:** [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [September 25, 2018, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phone-loses-20-of-charge-when-restarted/821880 "2018-09-25T15:23:23Z")
Droid Turbo 2 running Android 7.0. Yesterday I noticed some odd behavior on the phone so before I went to bed last night I powered the phone off then turned it back on to reset it. The phone had been charging for the las… --- ## [What percentage of scientists actually support anthropogenic global warming?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-scientists-actually-support-anthropogenic-global-warming/821594)
**Author:** [@Running\_with\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Running_with_Scissors)\ **Replies:** 69\ **Last updated:** [September 24, 2018, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-scientists-actually-support-anthropogenic-global-warming/821594 "2018-09-24T20:41:14Z")
The number I’ve seen bandied about for the past several years is 97%. But whenever I look a little closer, the 97% actually refers to the percentage of papers supporting that viewpoint. So, to bring that statistic to its… --- ## [Question regarding Timna Basin and Timna Valley](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-timna-basin-and-timna-valley/821809)
**Author:** [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [September 24, 2018, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-timna-basin-and-timna-valley/821809 "2018-09-24T18:52:10Z")
Hi How exactly do the Timna Basin and Timna Valley differ geologically? I look forward to your feedback --- ## [Help with spider identification](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-spider-identification/821831)
**Author:** [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [September 24, 2018, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-spider-identification/821831 "2018-09-24T16:13:54Z")
Can someone help ID this spider? Pic was taken in AZ. This the only photo - sorry for the poor quality. https://www.atlasquest.com/images/gallery/14/50/145053lg.jpg --- ## [Why don't vehicles have electric water pumps and A/C units?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-vehicles-have-electric-water-pumps-and-a-c-units/821627)
**Author:** [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Replies:** 46\ **Last updated:** [September 24, 2018, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-vehicles-have-electric-water-pumps-and-a-c-units/821627 "2018-09-24T15:07:00Z")
I believe it’s still the case that almost all production vehicles use a belt to run the water pump and A/C unit off the motor. I remember driving an under-powered 4-cylinder car once that told you the instantaneous gas m… --- ## [Lifespan, preindustrial times, and commoners](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lifespan-preindustrial-times-and-commoners/821807)
**Author:** [@Fanddlover28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fanddlover28)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [September 24, 2018, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lifespan-preindustrial-times-and-commoners/821807 "2018-09-24T13:29:34Z")
l read an article which stated that Chinese emperors from the Qin Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty lived, on average, 41.3 years, and that Buddhist monks living in the same dynasties lived, on average, 66.9 years. 66 seems li… --- ## [Do I have to pay unemployment tax if I am self-employed?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-have-to-pay-unemployment-tax-if-i-am-self-employed/821763)
**Author:** [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [September 24, 2018, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-have-to-pay-unemployment-tax-if-i-am-self-employed/821763 "2018-09-24T13:10:59Z")
My daughter just started working a job where the are giving her a 1099 instead of being a W-2 employee. I know she will need to pay SE taxes (SS and Medicare) and possibly quarterly estimated tax, but is she also on the … --- ## [Video of backwards time](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-backwards-time/821775)
**Author:** [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [September 24, 2018, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-backwards-time/821775 "2018-09-24T07:31:22Z")
Some years ago, I saw a video that was about super-short exposure time photography, of such a super-short duration that the universe is unable to decide which direction time is traveling and it creates some strange artif… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=534) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=536)