# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=55 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 56 --- ## [How could a foreigner get used to Mexican tap water?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-a-foreigner-get-used-to-mexican-tap-water/1013987)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 43\ **Last updated:** [February 17, 2025, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-a-foreigner-get-used-to-mexican-tap-water/1013987 "2025-02-17T06:58:04Z")
We all know that Mexican tap water isn’t purified to the degree that the American digestive system is used to. But if one were to spend a long time there, they couldn’t avoid Mexican tap water forever. You’ll eventually … --- ## [Trying to buy a used car from a dealer. Are they insane or off or just me?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-buy-a-used-car-from-a-dealer-are-they-insane-or-off-or-just-me/1002536)
**Author:** [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Replies:** 276\ **Last updated:** [February 16, 2025, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-buy-a-used-car-from-a-dealer-are-they-insane-or-off-or-just-me/1002536 "2025-02-16T20:34:00Z")
Hello Everyone, Tonight our 21 year old Son found a used car that he wanted at a local Honda dealer. This is his first car purchase and he asked me to go with him. To say I was shocked at the deal they offered us an und… --- ## [TV switches on by itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-switches-on-by-itself/1014213)
**Author:** [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Replies:** 41\ **Last updated:** [February 16, 2025, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-switches-on-by-itself/1014213 "2025-02-16T16:26:22Z")
This afternoon, I was at my desk working. Suddenly sound from the other room. Then Trump’s and Musk’s voices. It was the unwelcome live broadcast from the Oval Office that is elsewhere a topic of discussion tonight. Tha… --- ## [2^256 possibilities is impossible to calculate but we can calculate prime numbers to 2^136,279,841 -1?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-256-possibilities-is-impossible-to-calculate-but-we-can-calculate-prime-numbers-to-2-136-279-841-1/1014348)
**Author:** [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [February 16, 2025, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-256-possibilities-is-impossible-to-calculate-but-we-can-calculate-prime-numbers-to-2-136-279-841-1/1014348 "2025-02-16T15:31:45Z")
I was watching a video by the excellent YouTube channel 3Blue1Brown and they claimed calculating all possibilities of 2^256 would take many, many, many times the age of the universe even with many galaxies filled with co… --- ## [Migrating Thunderbird email from one Windows environment to another](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/migrating-thunderbird-email-from-one-windows-environment-to-another/1014363)
**Author:** [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [February 16, 2025, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/migrating-thunderbird-email-from-one-windows-environment-to-another/1014363 "2025-02-16T07:28:03Z")
I’m shifting allthegood’s computing environment from a Windows 7 virtual machine to a Windows 10 setup. Her email is handled by Thunderbird. She’s not in love with it but she likes that it grabs email from several diff… --- ## [How old is gold?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-gold/1014105)
**Author:** [@LivingGhost371](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LivingGhost371)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [February 16, 2025, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-gold/1014105 "2025-02-16T01:10:00Z")
I get that gold on the molecular level is older than the earth, but how long has it been since gold in say a random gold ring for sale at a mall jewelry shop been since it was mined? Is it possible or probable part of it… --- ## [Why do things sound different in extremely cold weather?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-things-sound-different-in-extremely-cold-weather/1014130)
**Author:** [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [February 16, 2025, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-things-sound-different-in-extremely-cold-weather/1014130 "2025-02-16T00:04:21Z")
It’s been a while since I was outdoors at temperatures well below zero (like -10F, -20F). But my recollection was that things sounded “different” on those occasions, as if there were an exceptional level of clarity. In… --- ## [Rare amethyst type](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rare-amethyst-type/1014081)
**Author:** [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [February 15, 2025, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rare-amethyst-type/1014081 "2025-02-15T16:29:59Z")
I was watching a video about gemstones and one of the ones listed was a giant amethyst cathedral geode. They said it was a rare type, and I thought they called it “frogs eye” but I can’t find anything if I search for tha… --- ## [Take my breath away \[inhaling cold air\]](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-my-breath-away-inhaling-cold-air/1014338)
**Author:** [@ric62](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ric62)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [February 15, 2025, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-my-breath-away-inhaling-cold-air/1014338 "2025-02-15T14:20:42Z")
Recently my part of the country had a sharp cold spell and with a very windy night. At one point a gust of wind occurred at the same time I was inhaling. It seemed for a few seconds that I could not breathe in. Was this … --- ## [Coriolis effect and location inside a spinning object](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coriolis-effect-and-location-inside-a-spinning-object/1013792)
**Author:** [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [February 15, 2025, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coriolis-effect-and-location-inside-a-spinning-object/1013792 "2025-02-15T12:29:35Z")
In several of the Expanse books, the authors contend that the Coriolis effect is greater closer to the axis. For example in Nemesis Game: Bistro Rzhavchina was high up toward the center of spin. Coriolis here start… --- ## [Catholic Priests Molesting Children: Was This Always Known About?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catholic-priests-molesting-children-was-this-always-known-about/975380)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 164\ **Last updated:** [February 14, 2025, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catholic-priests-molesting-children-was-this-always-known-about/975380 "2025-02-14T22:04:10Z")
I watched a TV series that took place, in part, c. 1928 in New Orleans. There’s a scene where two Catholic priests are murdered violently, and a witness says something to the effect that the townsfolk are just going to c… --- ## ["Have you fallen in the last 3 months?" How do athletes answer that question?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-fallen-in-the-last-3-months-how-do-athletes-answer-that-question/1014200)
**Author:** [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [February 14, 2025, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-fallen-in-the-last-3-months-how-do-athletes-answer-that-question/1014200 "2025-02-14T03:10:11Z")
It occurs to me that recently whenever I’ve been to the doctor’s office, they’ve asked me if I’ve fallen in the last 3 months. How do athletes, like basketball and football players, answer this question? --- ## [Costco Hearing Aid Tests: What are the "U" lines?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/costco-hearing-aid-tests-what-are-the-u-lines/1014284)
**Author:** [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [February 14, 2025, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/costco-hearing-aid-tests-what-are-the-u-lines/1014284 "2025-02-14T00:46:33Z")
A few years ago, I took a hearing test from Costco to see if I needed hearing aids: The top lines are clear enough (level of hearing loss, by left/right ear, through air o… --- ## [First Canadian passport application: checking with guarantor/references?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-canadian-passport-application-checking-with-guarantor-references/1014150)
**Author:** [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [February 13, 2025, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-canadian-passport-application-checking-with-guarantor-references/1014150 "2025-02-13T18:39:15Z")
I just applied for my first Canadian passport last week, and the tracking number is now showing in the system. Having been a U.S. citizen only until less than 2 weeks ago, the whole concept of needing a guarantor and ref… --- ## [Access: what could be causing error importing data into a calculation field?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/access-what-could-be-causing-error-importing-data-into-a-calculation-field/1014186)
**Author:** [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [February 12, 2025, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/access-what-could-be-causing-error-importing-data-into-a-calculation-field/1014186 "2025-02-12T20:39:44Z")
I have an Access table, originally designed to get populated by manual input from a form. It has some fields that auto-populate without needing the person filling out the form to fill in that information: the fiscal ye… --- ## [Can a Cyberpowerpc Tracer V battery be replaced?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-cyberpowerpc-tracer-v-battery-be-replaced/1014178)
**Author:** [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [February 12, 2025, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-cyberpowerpc-tracer-v-battery-be-replaced/1014178 "2025-02-12T01:00:06Z")
Just as the title says. I am trying to find out, but I keep getting shunted to Cyberpower UPS devices, which is something else entirely. --- ## [Quick question on police forcing unlock of facial recognition](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-on-police-forcing-unlock-of-facial-recognition/1014036)
**Author:** [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Replies:** 36\ **Last updated:** [February 11, 2025, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-on-police-forcing-unlock-of-facial-recognition/1014036 "2025-02-11T22:18:42Z")
My understanding is that cops can’t make you enter a passcode to unlock a phone, but can force you to use facial recognition or fingerprint unlocks. Suppose my phone doesn’t recognize my face unless I have my glasses on… --- ## [Voyager Golden Record (bones)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voyager-golden-record-bones/1014004)
**Author:** [@Loggins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loggins)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [February 11, 2025, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voyager-golden-record-bones/1014004 "2025-02-11T19:47:40Z")
We all know this space vessel, to which it might meet a foreign civilization. So there are mathematical clues and musical clues left there. Why would they also not leave a piece of a human leg bone? to the aliens to insp… --- ## [Damn coffee pots!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-coffee-pots/41818)
**Author:** [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [February 11, 2025, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damn-coffee-pots/41818 "2025-02-11T18:32:50Z")
I just made a pot of coffee (French roast! Yum!), and when pouring the first cup, coffee leaked out around the rim and spilled on my socks (scorching my little piggies!)… After the ritual cursing of fate and the unkind … --- ## [What happens when you mix bleach and phosphoric acid / what's actually in the newer disinfectants?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-you-mix-bleach-and-phosphoric-acid-whats-actually-in-the-newer-disinfectants/1014167)
**Author:** [@LivingGhost371](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LivingGhost371)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [February 11, 2025, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-you-mix-bleach-and-phosphoric-acid-whats-actually-in-the-newer-disinfectants/1014167 "2025-02-11T14:16:36Z")
There’s a lot of new disinfectant products out that are variously labeled “sodium hypochlorite and phosphoric acid”, or “hypochlorous acid”. From chemistry in high school, I remember bad things happen if you mix bleach a… --- ## [First name only signatures?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-name-only-signatures/1014047)
**Author:** [@Orville\_mogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orville_mogul)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [February 11, 2025, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-name-only-signatures/1014047 "2025-02-11T07:50:34Z")
My daughter is 15 and just renewed her US passport. Inside the cover page she is asked to sign the document. Because she is still pretty young, she has never been required to give a legal signature on anything, but now s… --- ## [Does Donald Trump get both a presidential pension and salary?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-donald-trump-get-both-a-presidential-pension-and-salary/1014093)
**Author:** [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [February 10, 2025, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-donald-trump-get-both-a-presidential-pension-and-salary/1014093 "2025-02-10T22:50:35Z")
Donald Trump is both the current President and a former President: does that mean he gets paid both his salary and pension? Facts only please, no politics. --- ## [Fixing gap between baseboard molding and floor](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fixing-gap-between-baseboard-molding-and-floor/1014061)
**Author:** [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [February 10, 2025, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fixing-gap-between-baseboard-molding-and-floor/1014061 "2025-02-10T16:55:10Z")
Our living room floor was replaced at some point. The laminate flooring is clearly lower than the original by 1/8-1/4 inch. Even though the floor is insulated in the crawlspace, there’s a draft. The previous folks had st… --- ## [What could have caused this kind of damage to a tire?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-have-caused-this-kind-of-damage-to-a-tire/1014044)
**Author:** [@Mr.Baggins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Baggins)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [February 10, 2025, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-have-caused-this-kind-of-damage-to-a-tire/1014044 "2025-02-10T13:29:24Z")
This is a mistery. My son was driving home from a test, when suddenly he felt the car pulling to the side. He pulled over and saw he had a flat tire (in the front). After getting help, the mechanic told him he’d need a n… --- ## [Is there a light bulb designed to be powered by "static" electricity?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-light-bulb-designed-to-be-powered-by-static-electricity/1013880)
**Author:** [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [February 9, 2025, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-light-bulb-designed-to-be-powered-by-static-electricity/1013880 "2025-02-09T21:22:29Z")
My dad doesn’t seem to remember that he had a light bulb that could be powered by 2 people holding the base and scuffing your feet on the right kind of carpet. My impression was that it was designed for this. I realize t… --- ## [Some practical (I guess) music theory questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-practical-i-guess-music-theory-questions/1013562)
**Author:** [@longtry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/longtry)\ **Replies:** 34\ **Last updated:** [February 9, 2025, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-practical-i-guess-music-theory-questions/1013562 "2025-02-09T00:46:12Z")
I find myself really enjoy Perfect night. Which is a bit enigmatic to me, because none of its melody or other aspects are much outstanding, and I have no attached strings (gamer, band’s fan…). After a few re-listening, I… --- ## [Your Version of Windows 11 Has Reached End of Service](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-version-of-windows-11-has-reached-end-of-service/1014024)
**Author:** [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [February 8, 2025, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-version-of-windows-11-has-reached-end-of-service/1014024 "2025-02-08T21:49:58Z")
I few years ago I purchased a Dell 790 desktop with a 2016 ship date off of eBay. The seller had upgraded the operating system from Windows 10 to Windows 11 (release 21H2). Note this computer doesn’t meet Microsoft requ… --- ## [Explain to me the shape of the classic harp?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-the-shape-of-the-classic-harp/1013986)
**Author:** [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [February 8, 2025, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-the-shape-of-the-classic-harp/1013986 "2025-02-08T15:35:08Z")
I’ve been wondering about this for quite a while, and I finally spent a few unproductive hours Googling, but have found no web page that addresses the question. Here’s the classic harp shape I’m referring to: … --- ## [Can Apple brick undelivered phones?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-apple-brick-undelivered-phones/1014012)
**Author:** [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [February 7, 2025, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-apple-brick-undelivered-phones/1014012 "2025-02-07T22:37:10Z")
A friend had their new iPhone stolen by a porch pirate. I know it’s possible to remotely disable an iPhone you already own/use, but can Apple disable a phone that gets stolen before it’s even turned on by the rightful o… --- ## [What is the "old clothing" smell?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-old-clothing-smell/1013776)
**Author:** [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [February 7, 2025, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-old-clothing-smell/1013776 "2025-02-07T19:42:29Z")
Some call it the “thrift store smell”. It is frequently discussed on the Internets but they all say it is old sweat, dirt, etc. But it is not just vintage clothing that develops it. Any cotton cloth that has been stored … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=54) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=56)