# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=554 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 555 --- ## [Google Phones/Service Question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-phones-service-question/818949)
**Author:** [@SanDiegoTim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanDiegoTim)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [August 4, 2018, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-phones-service-question/818949 "2018-08-04T04:08:47Z")
For whom do these phones and corresponding service make sense? --- ## [Give me $500 and I Will Stop Calling You](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-500-and-i-will-stop-calling-you/819063)
**Author:** [@Profound\_Gibberish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Profound_Gibberish)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [August 4, 2018, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-500-and-i-will-stop-calling-you/819063 "2018-08-04T00:16:53Z")
So my wife had an IRS Scam message on her phone. The heavily Indian-accented person said she owed a bunch of money to the IRS and they were going to call the cops if she didn’t pay up immediately. I know that the elder… --- ## [A Couple of Lingering Geometric Questions...](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-lingering-geometric-questions/818721)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 41\ **Last updated:** [August 3, 2018, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-lingering-geometric-questions/818721 "2018-08-03T22:10:52Z")
‘Lingering’, because they never answered them in grade school or high school. The closer you slowly travel to the North Pole (or South Pole, for that matter), the slower the earth revolves. When you finally reach dead c… --- ## [What is this gun? (photo)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-gun-photo/819048)
**Author:** [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [August 3, 2018, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-gun-photo/819048 "2018-08-03T19:51:29Z")
Would somone identify the gun this fetching young American Patriot is holding in this photo? (I know I know, I’m not a big fan of her or extreme 2A politics, but that’s a pretty sweet shooting iron). --- ## [Do parents have any obligations towards disabled children past age 18?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-parents-have-any-obligations-towards-disabled-children-past-age-18/818433)
**Author:** [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [August 3, 2018, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-parents-have-any-obligations-towards-disabled-children-past-age-18/818433 "2018-08-03T19:43:50Z")
Years ago, I posted a thread asking whether parents can hand their child an eviction notice at midnight of their 18th birthday (the answer seems to be yes). What if the 18 year old newly minted legal adult has some sort… --- ## [What does "rising" mean in this context?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-rising-mean-in-this-context/818983)
**Author:** [@Shinna\_Minna\_Ma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shinna_Minna_Ma)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [August 3, 2018, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-rising-mean-in-this-context/818983 "2018-08-03T18:25:27Z")
I read an article earlier today that described a young man at Stanford University as “a rising junior.” What does “rising” mean in this context? The article with the wording is here. --- ## [A few questions about maggots](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-about-maggots/818933)
**Author:** [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [August 3, 2018, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-about-maggots/818933 "2018-08-03T15:13:35Z")
Where I live, we have these big garbage bins on wheels that we bring to the front of pickup day. I have 3 of them, and for some reason, there’s always one that has a maggot problem. You don’t see them when the weather is… --- ## [How long does it take for a wasp to starve to death?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-it-take-for-a-wasp-to-starve-to-death/168750)
**Author:** [@The\_Tim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tim)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [August 3, 2018, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-it-take-for-a-wasp-to-starve-to-death/168750 "2018-08-03T15:12:17Z")
Right now instead of doing my thesis I’m looking at the very angry wasp stuck between my window and my screen. Part of me wants to open the window and run like hell to let the angry bastard out. The other part of me wa… --- ## [Gravity calculations I should be able to do](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gravity-calculations-i-should-be-able-to-do/604776)
**Author:** [@D18](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D18)\ **Replies:** 44\ **Last updated:** [August 3, 2018, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gravity-calculations-i-should-be-able-to-do/604776 "2018-08-03T15:00:06Z")
I’d like to know the answer to these questions but don’t know how to work them out. (No, not homework, at my age; just curious.) According to this site the sun’s gravitational acceleration is 274.13 m/s^s. Given that… --- ## [Loooong URLs](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loooong-urls/818952)
**Author:** [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [August 3, 2018, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loooong-urls/818952 "2018-08-03T14:05:42Z")
What’s the point of extra long URLs? I was posting to another forum I frequent and was trying to provide a link to a product. I was a bit surprised when it displayed as: If I put that into TinyURL it will give a muck m… --- ## [Botanical help: tree identification](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/botanical-help-tree-identification/818937)
**Author:** [@blindboyard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blindboyard)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [August 3, 2018, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/botanical-help-tree-identification/818937 "2018-08-03T11:24:08Z")
I walk around a lot and have no doubt seen thousands or tens of thousands of local trees and bushes. I recognise most of them either by name or just by appearance. One particular tree I haven’t see anywhere else, and goo… --- ## [Aside from starting fires, what are the environmental effects of lightening?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aside-from-starting-fires-what-are-the-environmental-effects-of-lightening/818940)
**Author:** [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [August 3, 2018, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aside-from-starting-fires-what-are-the-environmental-effects-of-lightening/818940 "2018-08-03T01:55:34Z")
Are there other environmental effects, positive or negative? Does it clean the air? Does it create water? Is it overall positive, neutral or negative in regard to its effect on the environment. --- ## [USA-Mexco port of entry vs illegal entry](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-mexco-port-of-entry-vs-illegal-entry/818966)
**Author:** [@bossy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bossy)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [August 2, 2018, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-mexco-port-of-entry-vs-illegal-entry/818966 "2018-08-02T19:29:17Z")
If migrants from Central America (Honduras, El Salvador, etc) believe they have a valid refugee claim while crossing into the USA from Mexico, why don’t they cross the border at an official port of entry instead of cross… --- ## [Why is this Telephone Adapter banned in the USA?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-this-telephone-adapter-banned-in-the-usa/818869)
**Author:** [@No\_Wikipedia\_Cites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/No_Wikipedia_Cites)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [August 2, 2018, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-this-telephone-adapter-banned-in-the-usa/818869 "2018-08-02T16:46:14Z")
https://www.amazon.fr/Adaptateur-RJ45-PTT-femelle-0-20M/dp/B006WXPQ26 This RJ45 to PTT Female adapter is prohibited to be sold to the USA. Why is that? I imagine this is to allow a EU telephone to be connected to the U… --- ## [How far can/will an alligator/crocodile run?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-can-will-an-alligator-crocodile-run/818891)
**Author:** [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [August 2, 2018, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-can-will-an-alligator-crocodile-run/818891 "2018-08-02T15:11:43Z")
Not how fast. How far? I was watching a reptile presentation some years ago and the expert brought up the old canard about running serpentine to outrun a gator/croc because they can’t turn corners. He said, “Just run … --- ## [New cable remote woes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cable-remote-woes/818955)
**Author:** [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [August 2, 2018, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cable-remote-woes/818955 "2018-08-02T14:01:44Z")
My old cable box fried, so I went to the Xfinity store and got a new box and remote: the XR 15 My problem is: If I want to input a regular channel, why can’t I get the regular channe… --- ## [Editing browser buttons](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/editing-browser-buttons/818934)
**Author:** [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [August 2, 2018, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/editing-browser-buttons/818934 "2018-08-02T10:38:05Z")
I use Chrome as a browser. In the upper right, there is a button to minimize, one to decrease/increase window size and one to close the window. On a few occasions, I’ve had the pleasure of closing the window I meant to m… --- ## [Does an impeachable offense need to be illegal?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-an-impeachable-offense-need-to-be-illegal/818875)
**Author:** [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [August 2, 2018, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-an-impeachable-offense-need-to-be-illegal/818875 "2018-08-02T04:49:30Z")
Not sure if there is a GQ answer for this, since impeachment and removal from office of a president have not happened. Rudy Guiliani is claiming that even if Trump colluded with Russia during the 2016 election, such col… --- ## [What PS filters to add modern image parts into old ones?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ps-filters-to-add-modern-image-parts-into-old-ones/818943)
**Author:** [@JakeRS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JakeRS)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [August 2, 2018, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ps-filters-to-add-modern-image-parts-into-old-ones/818943 "2018-08-02T03:22:05Z")
I got an idea to try and put some modern military hardware, tanks, apc’s and so on into old photos, for example an Abrams tank on a WW2 picture, modern soldiers fighting in Stalingrad and stuff like that. Pictures then … --- ## [Id this bird? \[From just a feather!\]](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-bird-from-just-a-feather/818551)
**Author:** [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [August 2, 2018, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-bird-from-just-a-feather/818551 "2018-08-02T01:55:19Z")
Pic. Found in central South Carolina near a lake. --- ## [Can I identify my Amazon devices?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-identify-my-amazon-devices/818951)
**Author:** [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [August 2, 2018, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-identify-my-amazon-devices/818951 "2018-08-02T00:19:37Z")
It turns out I have many devices listed on my account, and they are named things like Device #4. There’s a serial number, which looks nothing like what I could find on my phone, and no other clue what the device is. Can … --- ## [What kind of cool feather is this?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-cool-feather-is-this/818902)
**Author:** [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [August 1, 2018, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-cool-feather-is-this/818902 "2018-08-01T21:18:44Z")
I found an unusually large feather under an overpass near my house, very different than what I’d normally find around here. Judging from Google Image Search, it’s some sort of hawk tail feather, but I’m not sure which sp… --- ## [Anyone heard of "SafetyPay" for escrow type payments?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-heard-of-safetypay-for-escrow-type-payments/818892)
**Author:** [@Fir\_na\_tine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fir_na_tine)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [August 1, 2018, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-heard-of-safetypay-for-escrow-type-payments/818892 "2018-08-01T21:13:35Z")
Planning to buy a tractor offered for sale in PA to be delivered to Maine. Seller provides me with a 3 day inspection window on receipt. If as described, payment being held by SafetyPay is released. Very little descri… --- ## [Weird new spam](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-new-spam/818886)
**Author:** [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [August 1, 2018, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-new-spam/818886 "2018-08-01T21:12:04Z")
I have been getting a lot of weird new spam in my spam folder. It takes the name of someone on my contact list, like Bob Smith, then changes it slightly to “Bop Smyth”. The the subject line is \<\<247\>\> always with the \<\<… --- ## [IRS/Taxes--capital-loss carryover when no cap-gains or losses](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irs-taxes-capital-loss-carryover-when-no-cap-gains-or-losses/818634)
**Author:** [@LynnM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LynnM)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [August 1, 2018, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irs-taxes-capital-loss-carryover-when-no-cap-gains-or-losses/818634 "2018-08-01T20:10:53Z")
My question is about IRS tax forms for 2017 \[I have an extension to file\]. In the past few years I had capital gains+losses, so for those years I filled out schedule D which includes a line for a capital-loss carryover … --- ## [I'm considering a Utility Patent.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-considering-a-utility-patent/818893)
**Author:** [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [August 1, 2018, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-considering-a-utility-patent/818893 "2018-08-01T19:32:59Z")
Anyone here have experience filing their own Utility Patents? I’m happy to pay a Patent Attorney a flat 1,800.00 to do the primary search. But I'm unwilling to pay 5k-$ 15k for the application and work. Lunacy. Can t… --- ## [How/why root my Galaxy S8?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-why-root-my-galaxy-s8/818938)
**Author:** [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [August 1, 2018, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-why-root-my-galaxy-s8/818938 "2018-08-01T19:08:39Z")
I have a Galaxy S8 from T-mobile I recently unlocked and using it with Straight Talk on the AT&T network. But it keeps the notification for the T-mobile upgrade notification and pop-up for it. Not that big of a deal but … --- ## [Is there no electronic schematic symbol for a four-terminal resistor?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-no-electronic-schematic-symbol-for-a-four-terminal-resistor/818624)
**Author:** [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [August 1, 2018, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-no-electronic-schematic-symbol-for-a-four-terminal-resistor/818624 "2018-08-01T19:02:01Z")
I’ve googled a bit but haven’t found a proper schematic symbol for four-terminal resistors. What I am finding are schematic representations of connecting two wires at each end of the resistor, but that’s not the same th… --- ## [How is randomness achieved in mechanical slot machines?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-randomness-achieved-in-mechanical-slot-machines/818484)
**Author:** [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Replies:** 88\ **Last updated:** [August 1, 2018, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-randomness-achieved-in-mechanical-slot-machines/818484 "2018-08-01T18:47:01Z")
I have found a couple of descriptions of how they work but for some reason the explanation does not include how randomness is introduced. Is that mechanical randomness superior or inferior to pseudo-random number genera… --- ## [Are Google searches the same for everyone?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-google-searches-the-same-for-everyone/818688)
**Author:** [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [August 1, 2018, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-google-searches-the-same-for-everyone/818688 "2018-08-01T18:33:09Z")
Does Google tailor your result to your history? If I want to know “what’s Google say” it would be impossible then. Also as far as the universal algorithm: Let’s say that I search for a combo that not many people would … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=553) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=555)