# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=555 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 556 --- ## [How does one sell a bar of gold?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-sell-a-bar-of-gold/818896)
**Author:** [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [August 1, 2018, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-sell-a-bar-of-gold/818896 "2018-08-01T18:11:23Z")
I friend of mine claims her mother has a bar of gold secreted in the attic somewhere for emergencies. Assuming that’s true, and assuming the zombie apocalypse doesn’t come, how does one go about selling a bar of gold? No… --- ## [Police Badge Numbers](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-badge-numbers/638943)
**Author:** [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [August 1, 2018, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-badge-numbers/638943 "2018-08-01T17:51:16Z")
So I just finished watching today’s two episodes of Adam-12 and have a question about police badges. At the end, the TV shows their two badges while the credits run. Pete Malloy’s badge number is 744 (I would think), s… --- ## [How is "Quiet Skies" data useful?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-quiet-skies-data-useful/818830)
**Author:** [@Jim\_Peebles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_Peebles)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [August 1, 2018, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-quiet-skies-data-useful/818830 "2018-08-01T17:23:37Z")
This article: reports that: “The Transportation Security Administration program, dubbed “Quiet Skies,” has existed since 2010 as an effort to mitigate the threat “posed by unknown or partially-known terrorists” after … --- ## [What does it mean when someone looks down in passing?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-it-mean-when-someone-looks-down-in-passing/818887)
**Author:** [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [August 1, 2018, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-it-mean-when-someone-looks-down-in-passing/818887 "2018-08-01T16:48:49Z")
I have this newish boss. I’m kind of shy, he seems kind of shy. If I see him down the hall we’ll do the obligatory head nod and then he immediately looks down, expressionless. Now, I know it’s taboo to have extended e… --- ## [Help Me Clarify My Understanding of Ionizing Radiation](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-clarify-my-understanding-of-ionizing-radiation/818921)
**Author:** [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [August 1, 2018, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-clarify-my-understanding-of-ionizing-radiation/818921 "2018-08-01T15:26:11Z")
I have recently been reading about radiation exposure, from Marie Curie’s isolation and study of radium in the 1890’s to the horrible fate of the “Radium Girls”, Eben Byers, and the guy who developed the radium paint use… --- ## [Iconic photo from Korean War 'Give Me Tomorrow': Soldier ever identified?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iconic-photo-from-korean-war-give-me-tomorrow-soldier-ever-identified/818756)
**Author:** [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [August 1, 2018, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iconic-photo-from-korean-war-give-me-tomorrow-soldier-ever-identified/818756 "2018-08-01T14:13:12Z")
Pic. The story behind it, true or not, is that when photographer David Douglas Duncan asked the solder “If he could have anything, what would it be?” The answer: “Give me tomorrow!” Was the soldier ever identified? --- ## [How do online payments/transactions through "Western Union" work?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-online-payments-transactions-through-western-union-work/818698)
**Author:** [@Mislav](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mislav)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [August 1, 2018, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-online-payments-transactions-through-western-union-work/818698 "2018-08-01T01:46:20Z")
How does that work, exactly? Is it safe to use? And how do you receive money through it? --- ## [80's jam session recorded only on cassette's right channel](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/80s-jam-session-recorded-only-on-cassettes-right-channel/818769)
**Author:** [@Hilary\_Algar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilary_Algar)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [August 1, 2018, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/80s-jam-session-recorded-only-on-cassettes-right-channel/818769 "2018-08-01T05:08:54Z")
Hello everyone. Way, way back in the day, two friends and I (yes, I once had two friends :slight\_smile: ) recorded a jam session on a cassette tape. We ran everything through the right channel and the left channel of t… --- ## [Chyrons](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chyrons/818904)
**Author:** [@seal\_cleaner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seal_cleaner)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [August 1, 2018, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chyrons/818904 "2018-08-01T04:48:53Z")
Those words scrolling at the bottom of a newscast. I always called them the scrawl. Did I just make that up? --- ## [Need advice on proof of home ownership situation for a book-- bet the smart people here can help!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-on-proof-of-home-ownership-situation-for-a-book-bet-the-smart-people-here-can-help/818757)
**Author:** [@Anise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anise)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [July 31, 2018, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-on-proof-of-home-ownership-situation-for-a-book-bet-the-smart-people-here-can-help/818757 "2018-07-31T23:54:28Z")
Hey all, So I need advice/info on a hypothetical situation for a book (fantasy fiction.) The main character (Ginny) used to live in a house in California, but her family was forced to leave when she was seven years old.… --- ## [Why are my window fans louder with the bedroom door closed?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-my-window-fans-louder-with-the-bedroom-door-closed/818855)
**Author:** [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [July 31, 2018, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-my-window-fans-louder-with-the-bedroom-door-closed/818855 "2018-07-31T22:55:59Z")
Right, casa Piper is an old house with double-hung sash windows and radiators for heat - i.e., no central air. So I’ve got widow fans that fit in our sash windows: open window, insert fan unit, lower window onto the fa… --- ## [When and why did consumerism/materialism become a "thing" in America](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-why-did-consumerism-materialism-become-a-thing-in-america/818712)
**Author:** [@steveisoverthere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steveisoverthere)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [July 31, 2018, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-why-did-consumerism-materialism-become-a-thing-in-america/818712 "2018-07-31T21:40:12Z")
I’m reading a biography about Frances Perkins, FDR’s Labor Secretary. The timeline of the bio has reached the 1920s, the Jazz Age, Roaring 20s, etc. The author says that by this time in the U.S., “The pursuit of pleasur… --- ## [Why two battles of Bull Run?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-two-battles-of-bull-run/818720)
**Author:** [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Replies:** 50\ **Last updated:** [July 31, 2018, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-two-battles-of-bull-run/818720 "2018-07-31T17:18:55Z")
Did the ref call a foul so they had to re-start play? --- ## [Is it possible to get energy directly from nuclear reactors?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-get-energy-directly-from-nuclear-reactors/818763)
**Author:** [@cjackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjackson)\ **Replies:** 41\ **Last updated:** [July 31, 2018, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-get-energy-directly-from-nuclear-reactors/818763 "2018-07-31T15:00:07Z")
Our current fission reactors on land and at sea use nuclear heat to turn water into steam to turn turbines. Nuclear fusion plants – if they ever come online – will turn water into steam. Is there any kind of nuclear reac… --- ## [World Band Radio](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-band-radio/818785)
**Author:** [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [July 31, 2018, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-band-radio/818785 "2018-07-31T11:59:29Z")
I was at a used bookstore recently and I came across Passport to World Band Radio, a 1992 edition. Partially because I couldn’t resist the Gahan Wilson illustration on the cover, partially because I’m curious as to wheth… --- ## [What happens if an AC gets overworked?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-an-ac-gets-overworked/818784)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [July 31, 2018, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-an-ac-gets-overworked/818784 "2018-07-31T06:17:04Z")
Suppose that an AC unit is put in an environment where it will always be hot (i.e., in the middle of July and someone left the house door wide open for the entire 3-month summer.) What effect will that likely have on it… --- ## [Is this a survey, spam, or scam](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-survey-spam-or-scam/818808)
**Author:** [@bizerta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bizerta)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [July 31, 2018, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-survey-spam-or-scam/818808 "2018-07-31T05:10:34Z")
Several times in the past month I have received a recorded phone message that is, “Please take this one question survey. Do you think the police have a dangerous job? Press one for yes, two for no”. That’s it. I neve… --- ## [What’s the easiest way to video chat with my special needs brother?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-the-easiest-way-to-video-chat-with-my-special-needs-brother/818794)
**Author:** [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [July 31, 2018, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-the-easiest-way-to-video-chat-with-my-special-needs-brother/818794 "2018-07-31T02:41:19Z")
I have a brother that lives in a group home that I’d like to be able to video chat with whenever he feels like it. I’d like to avoid having to get the staff at the home involved when he wants to talk. I’m not sure how t… --- ## [Cell phone service after a move?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-service-after-a-move/818744)
**Author:** [@seal\_cleaner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seal_cleaner)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [July 31, 2018, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-service-after-a-move/818744 "2018-07-31T00:20:45Z")
Daughter moved from Arkansas to Wyoming. Verizon cell phone - she can only receive calls, not initiate them. Is there anything that would cause this? --- ## [Is it possible to count headlines in a Microsoft Word document](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-count-headlines-in-a-microsoft-word-document/818835)
**Author:** [@Wakinyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wakinyan)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [July 31, 2018, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-count-headlines-in-a-microsoft-word-document/818835 "2018-07-31T00:16:47Z")
I’m working on a dictionary of sorts, on and off for years, and each entry is a Headline in the document. I’m curious how many there are at this point (probably a couple of hundreds, perhaps 300, so I don’t want to count… --- ## [Removing Burn Mark from Granite Counter Top](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-burn-mark-from-granite-counter-top/818732)
**Author:** [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [July 30, 2018, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-burn-mark-from-granite-counter-top/818732 "2018-07-30T23:11:18Z")
We have dark-colored granite counter tops in the master bath, and over time we have developed a 5 inch in diameter (more or less) burn mark that appears to be below the surface of the material. It looks like a dense, off… --- ## [How well known were Picasso and Freud in 1912?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-known-were-picasso-and-freud-in-1912/817731)
**Author:** [@Textual\_Assault](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Textual_Assault)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [July 30, 2018, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-known-were-picasso-and-freud-in-1912/817731 "2018-07-30T19:24:29Z")
How famous were Picasso and Freud in 1912? Would the average person at least have heard of them? What about the aristocratic British and american class of people? --- ## [The Addressable Brain](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-addressable-brain/818496)
**Author:** [@mandala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mandala)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [July 30, 2018, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-addressable-brain/818496 "2018-07-30T18:30:24Z")
I have been toying with a storyline for a science fiction story: several thousand years in the future, all branches of human knowledge have advanced so greatly that no one person - howsoever smart - can master even a sin… --- ## [Legal question on wills](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-question-on-wills/818582)
**Author:** [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [July 30, 2018, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-question-on-wills/818582 "2018-07-30T16:19:55Z")
A relative of mine died and 3 days later her husband died. He was named in her will. I assume since he was alive when she died it does not matter that his death was only 3 days later? Or is it more complicated … --- ## [GDP boosted by produce sales in anticipation of tariffs](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gdp-boosted-by-produce-sales-in-anticipation-of-tariffs/818755)
**Author:** [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [July 30, 2018, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gdp-boosted-by-produce-sales-in-anticipation-of-tariffs/818755 "2018-07-30T14:39:17Z")
I thought I knew how the GDP was calculated, but the current analysis of the latest GDP figures confuses me. Remember, the P stands for Product (not Sales). Analysts say there was an increase in exports, such as soybean… --- ## [Why are quantum computers (going to be) important?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-quantum-computers-going-to-be-important/818646)
**Author:** [@Mrdeals](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrdeals)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [July 30, 2018, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-quantum-computers-going-to-be-important/818646 "2018-07-30T13:26:24Z")
I watched a short documentary on QC, and the whole thing kind of made me say “why?” Prototypes are the size of school buses Components need to be supercooled to work Scientists can’t get the bits to behave the way int… --- ## [what plane is this? (From Top Gear s16e03)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-plane-is-this-from-top-gear-s16e03/818594)
**Author:** [@dstarfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dstarfire)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [July 30, 2018, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-plane-is-this-from-top-gear-s16e03/818594 "2018-07-30T13:17:46Z")
Saw this plane on an episode of top gear (not their 747) and it looks unusual. I haven’t seen very many planes with two engines per wing pylon (think that’s what they’re called), and none with that jagged edged outlets.… --- ## [Prozac and Women.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prozac-and-women/818799)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [July 30, 2018, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prozac-and-women/818799 "2018-07-30T08:54:30Z")
Something I have wondered for some time now. Does Prozac make women anorgasmic too? I haven’t heard too much about the subject, at least from I have gotten in the media, and elsewhere. And I have to also ask, what parts… --- ## [My PC Thinks It Has No Internet!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-pc-thinks-it-has-no-internet/818622)
**Author:** [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [July 30, 2018, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-pc-thinks-it-has-no-internet/818622 "2018-07-30T02:49:04Z")
Can the IT Gurus of the SDope tell me if there is a virus (or, worm, trojan, etc) they know of that can make your PC believe it has no internet? I have done everything possible, and I am certain this is some false error.… --- ## [Green thumb Dopers, need advice](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-thumb-dopers-need-advice/818737)
**Author:** [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [July 30, 2018, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-thumb-dopers-need-advice/818737 "2018-07-30T01:28:55Z")
Hello Everyone, We live on 5 acres and have it fenced off into two fields. We have 2 horses, one mini horse and two mini donkeys. We live in Central Florida so the soil is very sandy. The problem I have is our back … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=554) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=556)