# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=575 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 576 --- ## [my hard drive briefly disappeared. What should I do?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hard-drive-briefly-disappeared-what-should-i-do/815988)
**Author:** [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [June 14, 2018, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hard-drive-briefly-disappeared-what-should-i-do/815988 "2018-06-14T02:20:13Z")
I have a laptop with a less than six month old 1TB hard drive in the optical bay. It worked fine up until today, when I tried to access a folder on it and was told it was unavailable. Restarting the computer resolved the… --- ## [Light no matter how bright can't hurt your eyes? (Feynman and The Bomb)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-no-matter-how-bright-cant-hurt-your-eyes-feynman-and-the-bomb/816051)
**Author:** [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [June 14, 2018, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-no-matter-how-bright-cant-hurt-your-eyes-feynman-and-the-bomb/816051 "2018-06-14T02:14:38Z")
I recently read a book by Richard Feynman that had the passage quoted in the link below, stating that bright light can never hurt your eyes and its ultraviolet that does the damage: https://www.realclearscience.com/blog… --- ## [When using a TENS unit for nerve damage, do you use it on the spine or where symptoms are occurring](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-using-a-tens-unit-for-nerve-damage-do-you-use-it-on-the-spine-or-where-symptoms-are-occurring/815760)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [June 14, 2018, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-using-a-tens-unit-for-nerve-damage-do-you-use-it-on-the-spine-or-where-symptoms-are-occurring/815760 "2018-06-14T01:59:59Z")
Lets say you have nerve damage in your spine, but it is causing symptoms in your hands or feet. If you use a TENS unit, do you apply the pads to your hands or feet, or do you apply them to your spine where the nerves in … --- ## [Is styrofoam collected for reuse?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-styrofoam-collected-for-reuse/815756)
**Author:** [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [June 13, 2018, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-styrofoam-collected-for-reuse/815756 "2018-06-13T22:18:37Z")
I just bought a new computer, and in the box were many styrofoam blocks. I know it can’t really be recycled and turned into something else, but those blocks are undamaged and could probably be used inside another comput… --- ## [Still confused about Roth 401ks](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/still-confused-about-roth-401ks/815340)
**Author:** [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Replies:** 57\ **Last updated:** [June 13, 2018, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/still-confused-about-roth-401ks/815340 "2018-06-13T21:34:37Z")
I’ve asked about this before, got confused and frustrated, and eventually abandoned any hope of understanding. I’m ready to try again. Let’s start with this very basic question (more will come later): As I understand … --- ## [Switch box shocks badly.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/switch-box-shocks-badly/815618)
**Author:** [@blood63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blood63)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [June 13, 2018, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/switch-box-shocks-badly/815618 "2018-06-13T20:11:48Z")
I’m remodelling my basement and replacing my electrical boxes and moving them out 1/2 inch for drywall. The box that contains the main switch for the basement and the staircase gave us big shocks. I investigated and fo… --- ## [Tricky math/combinatorics question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tricky-math-combinatorics-question/815860)
**Author:** [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [June 13, 2018, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tricky-math-combinatorics-question/815860 "2018-06-13T19:07:22Z")
A friend of mine saw this question on twitter. No reason to think that there’s a clever/interesting/simple solution, and I thought about it a bit and didn’t get anywhere: Thoughts? thanks! --- ## [Watches in space: Why mechanical rather than quartz?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watches-in-space-why-mechanical-rather-than-quartz/815710)
**Author:** [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Replies:** 59\ **Last updated:** [June 13, 2018, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watches-in-space-why-mechanical-rather-than-quartz/815710 "2018-06-13T18:55:28Z")
I read on Speedmaster Professional made by Omega remains to this day the only watch admitted by NASA for EVA use. This is a mechanical watch (though a manual winding one, not an automatic watch). Why would you want to us… --- ## [How will net un-neutrality help me?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-net-un-neutrality-help-me/815886)
**Author:** [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Replies:** 44\ **Last updated:** [June 13, 2018, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-net-un-neutrality-help-me/815886 "2018-06-13T16:22:34Z")
Just curious about how this will help me. Will I save some money or get faster browsing? I don’t want to miss out on this one. --- ## [The use of "while" as conjunction and preposition](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-use-of-while-as-conjunction-and-preposition/711105)
**Author:** [@dadapete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dadapete)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [June 13, 2018, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-use-of-while-as-conjunction-and-preposition/711105 "2018-06-13T16:16:16Z")
Hello, She kept weeping while watching the movie She wept while she was watching the movie In the above two sentences, is “while” used as a conjunction or as a preposition? How to identify a conjunction and a preposit… --- ## [Speed up browsing by disabling add-ons. Make it stop!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speed-up-browsing-by-disabling-add-ons-make-it-stop/815877)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [June 13, 2018, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speed-up-browsing-by-disabling-add-ons-make-it-stop/815877 "2018-06-13T15:31:41Z")
I use Explorer at work because copy-and-paste works better with it for my purposes than Chrome. (I could use Chrome and just open Explorer for the one page I need to C&P from, but I don’t like a lot of things open.) Pe… --- ## [Just what are international trade deals?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-what-are-international-trade-deals/815978)
**Author:** [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [June 13, 2018, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-what-are-international-trade-deals/815978 "2018-06-13T14:54:32Z")
We often hear in the news about international trade deals, with various countries negotiating about oil, steel, soybeans, manufactured products, and other commodities. Now, I know the computer-game version of how that w… --- ## [How difficult is it to fake Youtube videos?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-difficult-is-it-to-fake-youtube-videos/815996)
**Author:** [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [June 13, 2018, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-difficult-is-it-to-fake-youtube-videos/815996 "2018-06-13T14:10:25Z")
I vaguely recall reading a similar thread but I think it was in IMHO and i’m looking for, well, the straightdope. Every time a slightly unusual video is posted the cries of FAKE! go up, even when its pretty obvious its … --- ## [At what point does URL hyperlinking become unauthorized reproduction of someone else's content?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-point-does-url-hyperlinking-become-unauthorized-reproduction-of-someone-elses-content/811392)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [June 13, 2018, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-point-does-url-hyperlinking-become-unauthorized-reproduction-of-someone-elses-content/811392 "2018-06-13T12:31:04Z")
As long as one does not use any of the actual words and simply paraphrases, is URL-hyperlinking essentially something you can do in an almost unlimited fashion, without infringing on some copyright? (So for instance, li… --- ## [elusive prisoner identities?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elusive-prisoner-identities/816000)
**Author:** [@Jim\_Peebles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_Peebles)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [June 13, 2018, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elusive-prisoner-identities/816000 "2018-06-13T09:11:15Z")
Any reliable statistics on: What perecentage of arrestees go through the whole system with no known identity? What percentage go through the whole system with a fake identity the whole time? What perecentage leave the … --- ## [String tension question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/string-tension-question/815786)
**Author:** [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Replies:** 34\ **Last updated:** [June 13, 2018, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/string-tension-question/815786 "2018-06-13T06:55:59Z")
Suppose I had 2 solid anchor points say 20 ft apart. I pulled a non stretch string with a breaking strength of say 1,000# to 90% of it capacity and then tied it off without loosing any tension. Now I walk to the center o… --- ## [Car wash profit margin](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-wash-profit-margin/815800)
**Author:** [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Replies:** 48\ **Last updated:** [June 13, 2018, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-wash-profit-margin/815800 "2018-06-13T02:38:58Z")
There is a Scrub-a-Dub conveyor belt car wash I sometimes use. The basic car wash is $3.79 and includes an air dry. It’s open 12 hours per day. I’m wondering if that’s a loss leader. They try to up-sell you but not very… --- ## [Grammar question. Was/Were](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-question-was-were/815881)
**Author:** [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Replies:** 37\ **Last updated:** [June 13, 2018, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-question-was-were/815881 "2018-06-13T00:54:32Z")
Which is correct? I’d feel so much better if it was Obama instead of Trump. I’d feel so much better if it were Obama instead of Trump. Is there a rule when to use one or the other. For some reason they both sound corr… --- ## [Can laundry detergent make dioxins water soluble](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-laundry-detergent-make-dioxins-water-soluble/815990)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [June 12, 2018, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-laundry-detergent-make-dioxins-water-soluble/815990 "2018-06-12T21:50:22Z")
Apparently dioxins are hydrophobic, but can laundry detergent make it water soluble? Is there any hydrophobic substance that detergent cannot make water-dissolvable? --- ## [Two people imprisoned for same crime...possible?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-people-imprisoned-for-same-crime-possible/815959)
**Author:** [@Delicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Delicious)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [June 12, 2018, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-people-imprisoned-for-same-crime-possible/815959 "2018-06-12T20:11:59Z")
I was wondering, if an innocent person is put on trial and found guilty for a crime, let’s say murder, then a few years later, the actual murderer is found…either he hands himself in or ironclad evidence is found in his … --- ## [Food allergies, and the length thereof](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-allergies-and-the-length-thereof/815987)
**Author:** [@ArrMatey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArrMatey)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [June 12, 2018, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-allergies-and-the-length-thereof/815987 "2018-06-12T19:18:05Z")
So, for the past almost-two-weeks now, I’ve been having problems with pain and pressure in my ears, some pain while swallowing, and pain in the back of my lower jaws. Last week, I got prescribed nasal steroids and antibi… --- ## [Program for extracting images from web pages](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/program-for-extracting-images-from-web-pages/779169)
**Author:** [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [June 12, 2018, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/program-for-extracting-images-from-web-pages/779169 "2018-06-12T18:01:28Z")
I need to extract a series of images from a web page in order of their appearance on the page and rename them so that I can make a CBR (comic) from them. The image files have names that are random strings of numbers and … --- ## [To what extent can hydration allow a human body to cope with exercise in high temps?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-can-hydration-allow-a-human-body-to-cope-with-exercise-in-high-temps/815836)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [June 12, 2018, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-can-hydration-allow-a-human-body-to-cope-with-exercise-in-high-temps/815836 "2018-06-12T17:24:12Z")
Suppose someone is playing sports (i.e., 2022 Qatar World Cup) in a 109 heat index. They don’t have the option of declining to play, but they do get all the water and electrolytes their body could need. Are their intern… --- ## [Why did I wake up in the middle of the night with a cramp in my leg?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-i-wake-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night-with-a-cramp-in-my-leg/815725)
**Author:** [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Replies:** 46\ **Last updated:** [June 12, 2018, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-i-wake-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night-with-a-cramp-in-my-leg/815725 "2018-06-12T13:05:16Z")
I suddenly woke up around 3 am with a major cramp in my calf muscle. Hurt like the dickens, and hurt even more when I tried to massage it out. I could feel a real knot in the muscle. What would cause that? Still hurts … --- ## [US testosterone levels dropping?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-testosterone-levels-dropping/815814)
**Author:** [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [June 12, 2018, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-testosterone-levels-dropping/815814 "2018-06-12T12:45:29Z")
Some OTC “supplement” is advertising on TV that it makes men men, by upping their testosterone, and it will give you THE FIRST BOTTLE FREE!!! The ad starts out by stating unequivocally that “men today” (whatever that me… --- ## [Therapist=The Rapist- Other words like this?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/therapist-the-rapist-other-words-like-this/590320)
**Author:** [@ecoaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ecoaster)\ **Replies:** 171\ **Last updated:** [June 12, 2018, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/therapist-the-rapist-other-words-like-this/590320 "2018-06-12T11:27:09Z")
Are there other words that can be pulled apart that have oddly ironic or funny meanings? THere are plenty of anagrams, but I’m interested in words where you don’t have to change the order of the letters… --- ## [Job Application question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-application-question/815905)
**Author:** [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [June 12, 2018, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-application-question/815905 "2018-06-12T10:31:45Z")
My wife is filling out job applications (online). Problem is many of those are asking for emails or phone numbers of employers and many of those she worked for were 20 years ago or more. Now in the old days she could j… --- ## [Sulfur in foods](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sulfur-in-foods/815818)
**Author:** [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [June 12, 2018, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sulfur-in-foods/815818 "2018-06-12T01:27:50Z")
It is said that the noxious qualities of farts come from sulfur compounds created by the bacteria in our guts. So the sulfur has to come from somewhere. Aside from the well-known sulfur in eggs, what foods have the sulfu… --- ## [Scalia opinion: (Sarcastically) No defendant has had effective representation of counsel in 50 yrs](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scalia-opinion-sarcastically-no-defendant-has-had-effective-representation-of-counsel-in-50-yrs/815931)
**Author:** [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [June 11, 2018, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scalia-opinion-sarcastically-no-defendant-has-had-effective-representation-of-counsel-in-50-yrs/815931 "2018-06-11T23:46:21Z")
This is pretty straightforward. I remember a Scalia opinion (probably a dissent) where he sarcastically observed that because of all of the habeas corpus cases that no criminal defendant in the country has received effe… --- ## [On these tanks on an exercise, what is covered by a shroud?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-these-tanks-on-an-exercise-what-is-covered-by-a-shroud/815816)
**Author:** [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [June 11, 2018, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-these-tanks-on-an-exercise-what-is-covered-by-a-shroud/815816 "2018-06-11T17:55:54Z")
See photo. Caption: An Israeli soldier next to Merkava Mark IV tanks in the Golan Heights during a military drill on May 7, 2018. (AFP PHOTO / JALAA MAREY) I don’t think it’s something super secret but some component be… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=574) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=576)