# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=603 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 604 --- ## [Public transit in London, England (Oyster card)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-transit-in-london-england-oyster-card/811095)
**Author:** [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [March 26, 2018, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-transit-in-london-england-oyster-card/811095 "2018-03-26T18:29:02Z")
Hi everybody, My wife and I will be in London for part of a vacation in May and we’re trying to figure out the Oyster card. In Montreal I can load a desired number of trips on an Opus card; in Abu Dhabi I can load a de… --- ## [Hypothetical Insurance Situation](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-insurance-situation/811156)
**Author:** [@Mdcastle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mdcastle)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [March 26, 2018, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-insurance-situation/811156 "2018-03-26T18:17:53Z")
I was watching Live PD last night and there was mother that let her 13 year old daughter practice driving around the parking lot, and the cops kind of suggested that this wasn’t the best idea because she might have an ac… --- ## ["END ## SPEED LIMIT" signs -- what are they actually conveying?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/end-speed-limit-signs-what-are-they-actually-conveying/811168)
**Author:** [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [March 26, 2018, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/end-speed-limit-signs-what-are-they-actually-conveying/811168 "2018-03-26T17:09:01Z")
When the only visible sign about the speed limit is announcing the end of the given speed limit, what are we to do? Surely, they don’t mean to whimsically choose any speed as long as it isn’t that. Yesterday, each time … --- ## [What is the word for this concept? ?Oversystemization?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-word-for-this-concept-oversystemization/811161)
**Author:** [@Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blue_Blistering_Barnacle)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [March 26, 2018, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-word-for-this-concept-oversystemization/811161 "2018-03-26T16:46:48Z")
This is tough for me to get at, but the idea is this: Sometimes within an intellectual discipline, one sees an almost excessive internal consistency, which may be at odds with reality. An example is astronomy. There w… --- ## [How does high-frequency stock trading work (as in make money)?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-high-frequency-stock-trading-work-as-in-make-money/575806)
**Author:** [@Drum\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drum_God)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [March 26, 2018, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-high-frequency-stock-trading-work-as-in-make-money/575806 "2018-03-26T14:52:28Z")
This articleat Gizmodo’s iO9 website talks about high frequency stock trading. The issue it specifically addresses is the idea that the speed of light is becoming a factor in some stock trades. It says that some transa… --- ## [Galvanized Yankees](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/galvanized-yankees/811181)
**Author:** [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [March 26, 2018, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/galvanized-yankees/811181 "2018-03-26T10:23:00Z")
Civil War Confederate POWs who were given their freedom after enlisting in the US Army to fight Indians. I read the book by Dee Brown. but I don’t know about ending their enlistment. Did the army ship them back to Arkans… --- ## [Seeking a term to describe an odd type of negotiation.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-a-term-to-describe-an-odd-type-of-negotiation/811184)
**Author:** [@Capn\_Carl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capn_Carl)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [March 26, 2018, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-a-term-to-describe-an-odd-type-of-negotiation/811184 "2018-03-26T06:29:14Z")
I looked up ‘negotiating’ in Wikipedia and learned about different types of negotiations, but none that fit what I’ll describe below. My cousin changed careers and was looking for housing. A couple he has known for deca… --- ## [martial arts belt recoginazation question....is there a standard?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martial-arts-belt-recoginazation-question-is-there-a-standard/811102)
**Author:** [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [March 26, 2018, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martial-arts-belt-recoginazation-question-is-there-a-standard/811102 "2018-03-26T04:16:54Z")
Ok my nephew is taking a city sponsored “intro” karate class and dad says if he likes it hell sign him up for a serious academy/studio … Now he just received a yellow belt today …When he joins a academy will the next p… --- ## [I'd like to learn blacksmithing. How do I go about it?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-like-to-learn-blacksmithing-how-do-i-go-about-it/811143)
**Author:** [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [March 26, 2018, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-like-to-learn-blacksmithing-how-do-i-go-about-it/811143 "2018-03-26T01:45:51Z")
Watching Forged in Fire I’ve been wanting to fulfill a lifelong dream of learning how to become a blacksmith. But I can’t find any formal training programs. And I don’t know of any blacksmiths in my area. So the question… --- ## [Would a Voyager probe have been able to detect a spacecraft flyby, in 1989?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-voyager-probe-have-been-able-to-detect-a-spacecraft-flyby-in-1989/811150)
**Author:** [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [March 25, 2018, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-voyager-probe-have-been-able-to-detect-a-spacecraft-flyby-in-1989/811150 "2018-03-25T19:50:19Z")
My quarterly odd, hypothetical technical question…in around 1989, would either of the Voyager space probes have been able to detect if a spacecraft flew up close to the probe, using active sensors on it—er, that is, conv… --- ## [Firearm/Caliber Question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firearm-caliber-question/810960)
**Author:** [@SanDiegoTim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanDiegoTim)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [March 25, 2018, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firearm-caliber-question/810960 "2018-03-25T18:33:30Z")
I’m aware of revolvers and rifles being chambered in .44 Magnum, but not pistols. Has any manufacturer ever made a .44 semi-automatic pistol? If not, why not? --- ## [Liquid detergent vs. powdered detergent](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-detergent-vs-powdered-detergent/811094)
**Author:** [@Ornery\_Bob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ornery_Bob)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [March 25, 2018, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-detergent-vs-powdered-detergent/811094 "2018-03-25T18:29:26Z")
The maker of my “breathable” fishing waders recommends washing as needed, but to use a powdered laundry detergent and not a liquid. There must be something in liquid detergent that’s not good for the ePTFE layer that ma… --- ## [Is there a word that means something damaged by fire?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-that-means-something-damaged-by-fire/811048)
**Author:** [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Replies:** 37\ **Last updated:** [March 25, 2018, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-that-means-something-damaged-by-fire/811048 "2018-03-25T13:28:54Z")
Need answer fastish (well, by the end of the month, anyway). --- ## [A mass/acceleration problem](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mass-acceleration-problem/811145)
**Author:** [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [March 25, 2018, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mass-acceleration-problem/811145 "2018-03-25T04:35:50Z")
I need to know if my method will work for calculating how stiff an arrow would have to be for a giant bow project I am working on. With regular archery bows we have basic formulas and rules of thumb we use to calculate t… --- ## [Mechanical Computers, limits & possibilities](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mechanical-computers-limits-possibilities/810986)
**Author:** [@Delicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Delicious)\ **Replies:** 48\ **Last updated:** [March 25, 2018, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mechanical-computers-limits-possibilities/810986 "2018-03-25T03:32:19Z")
How far could computers come if they were made of cogs & such like Babbage’s analytical engine? If we assume these computers got the same level of R&D that computers did & some kind of cog based Moore’s Law where there… --- ## [Electricians - why is adapter needed to connect Generator Transfer switch between meter and panel?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electricians-why-is-adapter-needed-to-connect-generator-transfer-switch-between-meter-and-panel/811083)
**Author:** [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [March 25, 2018, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electricians-why-is-adapter-needed-to-connect-generator-transfer-switch-between-meter-and-panel/811083 "2018-03-25T00:01:28Z")
I’m getting an estimate to install a generator at my mom’s new retirement home. House was built 4 or 5 years ago. I had one installed (2013) and there were no problems connecting to my 25 year old panel. Same company w… --- ## [Are there any states in the US that still censor books?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-states-in-the-us-that-still-censor-books/810814)
**Author:** [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [March 24, 2018, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-states-in-the-us-that-still-censor-books/810814 "2018-03-24T23:54:59Z")
Hi Are there any states in the US that still censor books? Which Supreme Court rulings would override any local state laws if they chose to do so? Could individual states also states also censor or block internet websit… --- ## [If ancient people ate modern food](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-ancient-people-ate-modern-food/810904)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 55\ **Last updated:** [March 24, 2018, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-ancient-people-ate-modern-food/810904 "2018-03-24T23:29:10Z")
The time travel discussions often mention that modern people can’t stomach ancient food, but what if a hypothetical time traveler from Ancient Rome or the Middle Ages came to modern society and were treated to things lik… --- ## [Of the colors we comprehend, what percentage are in light spectrum versus created in our brain?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-the-colors-we-comprehend-what-percentage-are-in-light-spectrum-versus-created-in-our-brain/811076)
**Author:** [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [March 24, 2018, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-the-colors-we-comprehend-what-percentage-are-in-light-spectrum-versus-created-in-our-brain/811076 "2018-03-24T23:19:22Z")
Although all colors exist in our brain, some colors correspond to colors in the visible light spectrum (e.g. colors of the rainbow) while some are made up in our brain based on a variety of factors. For example, we coul… --- ## [Aesthetically pleasing aircraft that flew poorly and vice versa](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aesthetically-pleasing-aircraft-that-flew-poorly-and-vice-versa/810777)
**Author:** [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Replies:** 83\ **Last updated:** [March 24, 2018, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aesthetically-pleasing-aircraft-that-flew-poorly-and-vice-versa/810777 "2018-03-24T22:06:32Z")
So as not to disrail this thread: https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=850972 In it someone mentions the saying ‘If it looks right it’ll fly right’ and another states that this is incorrect, that there … --- ## [Self-Driving Cars: How Much Interference Between Detection Technologies?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-driving-cars-how-much-interference-between-detection-technologies/811067)
**Author:** [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [March 24, 2018, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-driving-cars-how-much-interference-between-detection-technologies/811067 "2018-03-24T21:11:59Z")
This has been mentioned a couple times in relation to the fatal Uber AV accident in Tempe, AZ. Exactly what potential exists for interference between the detection technologies used on one AV and those used on the other… --- ## [National healthcare Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-healthcare-questions/810361)
**Author:** [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Replies:** 66\ **Last updated:** [March 24, 2018, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-healthcare-questions/810361 "2018-03-24T15:20:34Z")
If the U.S. decided to go with a full blown national healthcare system where taxes paid medical for everyone would private insurers be free to charge whatever they pleased to those who chose private healthcare options, c… --- ## [Long-distance relationships](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-distance-relationships/406742)
**Author:** [@Neur0mancer\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neur0mancer_1)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [June 5, 2007, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-distance-relationships/406742 "2007-06-05T07:10:25Z")
An odd question for a general fact forum, but perhaps someone will know something about this. Is there any research or well-supported thinking on what makes it more likely that a couple separated for a prolonged period … --- ## [Robins in the snow ???](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robins-in-the-snow/811035)
**Author:** [@Turble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turble)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [March 24, 2018, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robins-in-the-snow/811035 "2018-03-24T14:32:28Z")
The first robins arrived yesterday. Now there’s a foot of snow on the ground. Anything I can do to help out the robins or is this just a situation for Darwin to handle? --- ## [Why aren't there any well-known British cameras?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-any-well-known-british-cameras/810509)
**Author:** [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Replies:** 75\ **Last updated:** [March 24, 2018, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-any-well-known-british-cameras/810509 "2018-03-24T13:46:46Z")
As an avid photographer and camera collector, I’m well acquainted with the major camera brands and their histories. The United States and Germany produced most of the best cameras of the first half of the 20th Century, w… --- ## [What happened to Google finance?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-google-finance/807436)
**Author:** [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [March 24, 2018, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-google-finance/807436 "2018-03-24T12:32:43Z")
When I wanted to review share prices, say for PEPsico, my go-to solution was to type “quote pep” into Google’s search window. From there I was just a click away from an elegant Google page that showed me a summary of PE… --- ## [When I take a really deep breath ...](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-take-a-really-deep-breath/810993)
**Author:** [@A\_Dodgy\_Dude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_Dodgy_Dude)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [March 24, 2018, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-take-a-really-deep-breath/810993 "2018-03-24T04:25:12Z")
… it feels like the tops of my lungs are stretching. It feels slightly uncomfortable in a vaguely pleasant way. Am I doing some sort of harm to myself or am I just increasing my lung capacity? --- ## [What last name did these couples go by when they got married?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-last-name-did-these-couples-go-by-when-they-got-married/811009)
**Author:** [@Steven\_Estes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steven_Estes)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [March 24, 2018, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-last-name-did-these-couples-go-by-when-they-got-married/811009 "2018-03-24T02:28:30Z")
What last name did these couples go by when they got married? In the 1970's, there was a fad of giving children both parents' last name. What happened when these kids got married to each other? I.e., When John Flugelha… --- ## [What are the minimum calories to survive, short term and long term](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-minimum-calories-to-survive-short-term-and-long-term/723663)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [March 23, 2018, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-minimum-calories-to-survive-short-term-and-long-term/723663 "2018-03-23T23:56:07Z")
I thought in WW2 some country, maybe the Netherlands, determined something like 1200-1500 calories a day was the minimum to survive. I know for short term people can survive a few weeks w/o food, if heavy a few months. … --- ## [Eradicating a bunch of bush honeysuckle - erosion concerns?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eradicating-a-bunch-of-bush-honeysuckle-erosion-concerns/810679)
**Author:** [@black\_rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/black_rabbit)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [March 23, 2018, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eradicating-a-bunch-of-bush-honeysuckle-erosion-concerns/810679 "2018-03-23T23:53:09Z")
I live in southern Ohio. The back 1/8-acre of my property is a wooded area down the side of a ravine, with a couple of dozen red oak, sugar maple, hickory, locust, redbud etc. There’s also a significant infestation of b… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=602) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=604)