# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=588 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 589 --- ## [iPhone, location services, privacy--please help](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-location-services-privacy-please-help/813625)
**Author:** [@TSBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TSBG)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [May 8, 2018, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-location-services-privacy-please-help/813625 "2018-05-08T05:40:12Z")
MODS: The circumstances described below do NOT have to do with anything illegal, and I will elaborate via PM if desired. I have a personal iPhone as many do, but for some work purposes I use a separate cell phone numbe… --- ## [What to do about unstable toilet seats?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-about-unstable-toilet-seats/813772)
**Author:** [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [May 8, 2018, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-about-unstable-toilet-seats/813772 "2018-05-08T04:51:04Z")
One of my clients is a big lady – maybe 300 pounds? I have had to replace her toilet seat twice in the last few months. The last time was only a week ago, and the new seat has already come detached on one side. The prob… --- ## [Mathematical expression for "typical" 401k account value over time. Dumb question, I know.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mathematical-expression-for-typical-401k-account-value-over-time-dumb-question-i-know/813791)
**Author:** [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [May 8, 2018, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mathematical-expression-for-typical-401k-account-value-over-time-dumb-question-i-know/813791 "2018-05-08T03:54:53Z")
By “typical” 401k account I mean the money sitting in the account grows at some constant exponential rate, but we also add the same fixed sum to the account every two weeks. In the beginning it’s going to grow approximat… --- ## [Discharge mortgage, yay or nay?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discharge-mortgage-yay-or-nay/813796)
**Author:** [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [May 8, 2018, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discharge-mortgage-yay-or-nay/813796 "2018-05-08T03:38:08Z")
Discharge --- ## [Another Iphone question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-iphone-question/813627)
**Author:** [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [May 8, 2018, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-iphone-question/813627 "2018-05-08T00:53:23Z")
FTR, an iPhone 7. I bought a Ram mount for my motorcycle and will run a power line for it. I want to run a map, but how do I get the phone to stay on, rather than going on standby after a few seconds? --- ## [Do you need to shake fire extinguishers periodically?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-need-to-shake-fire-extinguishers-periodically/789821)
**Author:** [@sirwired](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sirwired)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2018, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-need-to-shake-fire-extinguishers-periodically/789821 "2018-05-07T23:22:59Z")
A friend recently gave a dire warning that a fire extinguisher left in a kitchen corner, undisturbed, for many years will not work, because the chemicals will settle to the bottom and form a cake that will not dispense. … --- ## [Soy and Almond Milk As a Source of Calcium.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soy-and-almond-milk-as-a-source-of-calcium/813655)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2018, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soy-and-almond-milk-as-a-source-of-calcium/813655 "2018-05-07T23:22:06Z")
I have been drinking soy and Almond Milk as of late. Actually the soy milk (I got from a dollar store BTW) tastes pretty good. The Almond Milk tastes rather bland for some reason. Anyway, I take Omeprazole. And one of i… --- ## [How much more oblate was the Earth 4 billion years ago?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-more-oblate-was-the-earth-4-billion-years-ago/813786)
**Author:** [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2018, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-more-oblate-was-the-earth-4-billion-years-ago/813786 "2018-05-07T22:13:48Z")
The Earth is an oblate spheroid due to the gravitational attraction of the Moon and the Earth’s own rotation. 4 billion years ago the Earth rotated twice as fast and the interior was a lot more fluid and the Moon was muc… --- ## [Extracting sugars from waste orgainc matter](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extracting-sugars-from-waste-orgainc-matter/813619)
**Author:** [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2018, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extracting-sugars-from-waste-orgainc-matter/813619 "2018-05-07T20:16:32Z")
I saw an article the other day on someone working on a program to recycle almond waste products from the huge almond industry in Ca. One of his programs involves extracting sugars from the hulls. The only sugar extract… --- ## [What is this product called? (trying to buy it on Amazon)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-product-called-trying-to-buy-it-on-amazon/813702)
**Author:** [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2018, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-product-called-trying-to-buy-it-on-amazon/813702 "2018-05-07T15:55:07Z")
Sometimes when I get a big box in the mail, it is lashed with stiff plastic stuff. I want to buy a quantity of this stuff, but can’t come up with the correct search term. What is it called? --- ## [Was it really once considered romantic to blow smoke in a woman's face?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-it-really-once-considered-romantic-to-blow-smoke-in-a-womans-face/813637)
**Author:** [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2018, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-it-really-once-considered-romantic-to-blow-smoke-in-a-womans-face/813637 "2018-05-07T15:12:26Z")
Or was this purely a Hollywood thing? Here’s a short Youtube clip from the 1931 film Her Majesty Love in which Ben Lyon demonstrates the technique with Marilyn Miller and from her responsive smile she seems charmed. It’… --- ## [Just compensation](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-compensation/813598)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2018, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-compensation/813598 "2018-05-07T15:07:23Z")
The Fifth Amendment has a ‘just compensation’ clause, whereby private property can be taken for the Public Good but the owner must be recompensed at fair market value. Has there ever been a Supreme Court case where it w… --- ## [Is this headline about Prince Charles and The Commonwealth as absurd as it sounds?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-headline-about-prince-charles-and-the-commonwealth-as-absurd-as-it-sounds/813133)
**Author:** [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Replies:** 113\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2018, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-headline-about-prince-charles-and-the-commonwealth-as-absurd-as-it-sounds/813133 "2018-05-07T05:38:59Z")
Here it is: Prince Charles reportedly to succeed Queen as head of the Commonwealth You don’t say… “Sun will rise tomorrow.” Respectable enough publication. It was bruited about, according to the brief article, that x h… --- ## [fuel transfer in space-never done or routine?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuel-transfer-in-space-never-done-or-routine/813659)
**Author:** [@rbroome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rbroome)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2018, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuel-transfer-in-space-never-done-or-routine/813659 "2018-05-07T02:54:52Z")
Rather than highjack another thread, I will start this one. My basic question: has fuel ever been transferred from one vehicle to another in space? My initial answer is no, NASA has proposed research projects to learn … --- ## [Don't car thieves look for kill switches?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-car-thieves-look-for-kill-switches/813484)
**Author:** [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)\ **Replies:** 39\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2018, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-car-thieves-look-for-kill-switches/813484 "2018-05-07T01:31:47Z")
I don’t have any experience as a car thief, but I would think that if a thief was trying to steal a car and it didn’t start, the first thing that they would think off is that the car must have a kill switch some where. A… --- ## [Dropped closed soda bottle: how long before the bubbles (and how many) go back? \[cf diving tables\]](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropped-closed-soda-bottle-how-long-before-the-bubbles-and-how-many-go-back-cf-diving-tables/813544)
**Author:** [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2018, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropped-closed-soda-bottle-how-long-before-the-bubbles-and-how-many-go-back-cf-diving-tables/813544 "2018-05-07T01:11:17Z")
See query. By “go back” return to the status quo ante (if it ever does, completely)–ie, no crazy spritz when I unscrew the lid. I’m basically interested in the calculations for this question. I’m guessing they’re fairly… --- ## [Do most youngish men own dogs?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-youngish-men-own-dogs/813622)
**Author:** [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [May 6, 2018, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-youngish-men-own-dogs/813622 "2018-05-06T22:46:45Z")
I was reading Mens Health magazine. They claimed 71% of US men 18-44 owned a dog. A quick Google led to a survey making this claim. But is it true? Some folks don’t like dogs. Some are allergic or prefer cats or fis… --- ## [is there anyway to undelete favorite places in ms edge ?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyway-to-undelete-favorite-places-in-ms-edge/813612)
**Author:** [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [May 6, 2018, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyway-to-undelete-favorite-places-in-ms-edge/813612 "2018-05-06T21:14:57Z")
I had someone snoopy in my favorite places folder and well they deleted some stuff I wanted to keep … anyway I can undelete them? all ive seen is commercial programs that supposedly have ways to do so… thanks --- ## [Does my a/c unit need to be sheltered?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-my-a-c-unit-need-to-be-sheltered/813623)
**Author:** [@gatorslap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gatorslap)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [May 6, 2018, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-my-a-c-unit-need-to-be-sheltered/813623 "2018-05-06T20:47:27Z")
I just moved into a new house, which has central heating and a/c, with the a/c unit on the ground on the side of the house. Above the unit is a small makeshift wooden “awning”, with planks nailed into the fence on one si… --- ## [do/could a submarine relly breach the surface like this?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-could-a-submarine-relly-breach-the-surface-like-this/682242)
**Author:** [@dstarfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dstarfire)\ **Replies:** 59\ **Last updated:** [May 6, 2018, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-could-a-submarine-relly-breach-the-surface-like-this/682242 "2018-05-06T18:42:19Z")
I’ve seen in some shows and cartoons subs surfacing at high speed so that their bow breaks the surface at an angle then crashes back down to rst on the surface (here’s an example: VBC USA Navy Submarine Emergency Blow - … --- ## [Paul Manafort's Legal Strategy](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-manaforts-legal-strategy/813591)
**Author:** [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [May 6, 2018, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-manaforts-legal-strategy/813591 "2018-05-06T16:41:31Z")
Paul Manafort and his legal team seem to be devoting a lot of energy towards challenging the authority of the Special Counsel to bring the charges that he brought. (An article today suggests he got a sympathetic ear from… --- ## [quick rock question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-rock-question/813688)
**Author:** [@MadTheSwine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadTheSwine)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [May 6, 2018, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-rock-question/813688 "2018-05-06T16:12:54Z")
what is the name of the rocj that is mostly white and has red and green in it? --- ## [Oneplus3 update to Nougat, Oxygen](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oneplus3-update-to-nougat-oxygen/813685)
**Author:** [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [May 6, 2018, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oneplus3-update-to-nougat-oxygen/813685 "2018-05-06T03:25:44Z")
OK, so it’s not really the Nougat android update I guess. I fugure it’s the Oxygen update from OnePlus. Anyway, I got the Nougat update about 6 months ago and can’t figure this out. When the screen does the wake to show … --- ## [What is the point to flat earth?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-to-flat-earth/787748)
**Author:** [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Replies:** 219\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2018, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-to-flat-earth/787748 "2018-05-05T21:17:47Z")
Recently, I read of a guy who triumphantly proved that the Earth is flat by taking a carpenter’s level on a plane flight to show that cruising was always level: if the Earth were not flat, the pilot would have to keep ch… --- ## [What's the deal with jockstraps?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-jockstraps/634460)
**Author:** [@Chef\_Troy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chef_Troy)\ **Replies:** 55\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2018, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-jockstraps/634460 "2018-05-05T19:01:16Z")
I get that the main point of a jockstrap is to keep one’s boys high and tight so they don’t get injured during physical activity. It’s a noble goal, and I … um… support it. Here’s my question: Why, exactly, is it prefer… --- ## [Does this "birthday math" trick only work if the parent's age adds up to nine?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-birthday-math-trick-only-work-if-the-parents-age-adds-up-to-nine/813379)
**Author:** [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2018, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-birthday-math-trick-only-work-if-the-parents-age-adds-up-to-nine/813379 "2018-05-05T16:04:09Z")
On my 4th birthday my father and I had a conversation that went much like this: “Happy birthday! We’re both four now that it’s our birthdays; you today, and me yesterday.” \[note: his birthday is the day before mine\] “N… --- ## [The Kilauea eruption: what am I seeing?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-kilauea-eruption-what-am-i-seeing/813620)
**Author:** [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2018, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-kilauea-eruption-what-am-i-seeing/813620 "2018-05-05T11:48:29Z")
Kilauea erupted in Hawaii today. There is aerial footage showing a line of lava in the middle of an otherwise-healthy forest, boiling and launching lava-meteors. What’s going on? Is this a fissure in the earth that is … --- ## [How much natural airflow do you need in a room to not die of CO2 poisoning?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-natural-airflow-do-you-need-in-a-room-to-not-die-of-co2-poisoning/813631)
**Author:** [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2018, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-natural-airflow-do-you-need-in-a-room-to-not-die-of-co2-poisoning/813631 "2018-05-05T10:48:59Z")
Two questions: If you placed a human being in a hermetically sealed room that was say, 3m x 3m x 3m (or 10ft x 10ft x 10ft if you are into imperial), how long could they survive before succumbing to CO2 poisoning (ass… --- ## [Passport Question (US)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passport-question-us/813585)
**Author:** [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2018, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passport-question-us/813585 "2018-05-05T04:45:47Z")
I am planning to get a passport both as a backup form of ID (for those of you abroad - in the US your driver’s license is usually your primary ID) in case something happens to my license, and also because I might conceiv… --- ## [Does eating rice make your jaws bigger?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-eating-rice-make-your-jaws-bigger/813535)
**Author:** [@Contemplation](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contemplation)\ **Replies:** 37\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2018, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-eating-rice-make-your-jaws-bigger/813535 "2018-05-05T04:19:04Z")
Its often said that the foods you eat develop your jaw. I notice Chinese people have bigger jaws and cheekbones, so would eating rice everyday make your jaws and cheeks bigger and stronger looking? For example, lets sa… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=587) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=589)