# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=609 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 610 --- ## [Lawyers: Ethics of a lawyer making a payment for silence on behalf of a client?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lawyers-ethics-of-a-lawyer-making-a-payment-for-silence-on-behalf-of-a-client/808828)
**Author:** [@BeepKillBeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeepKillBeep)\ **Replies:** 38\ **Last updated:** [March 12, 2018, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lawyers-ethics-of-a-lawyer-making-a-payment-for-silence-on-behalf-of-a-client/808828 "2018-03-12T01:21:40Z")
I’m not going to bring up the real world events upon which this is based because I don’t want it to get political. Suppose, somebody (X) knows something about me that is potentially embarrassing. My lawyer, without my k… --- ## [Did “right to bear arms” have limits in constitutional times?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-right-to-bear-arms-have-limits-in-constitutional-times/810021)
**Author:** [@Mrdeals](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrdeals)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [March 11, 2018, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-right-to-bear-arms-have-limits-in-constitutional-times/810021 "2018-03-11T19:06:23Z")
This isn’t meant to be a gun debate. They did have some serious firepower back in the 1700s Could a person legally own cannons? What about a ship with 100 cannons? --- ## [Sleeping for 24 hours straight!!!?!!!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sleeping-for-24-hours-straight/153555)
**Author:** [@jb\_007clone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jb_007clone)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [March 11, 2018, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sleeping-for-24-hours-straight/153555 "2018-03-11T16:04:59Z")
This has been a goal of mine for a long time. I want to sleep 24 hours straight without the aid of drugs, and this includes alcohol. Many people, in fact most people, have told me that it’s impossible, but I come to you … --- ## [Tapered vs Straight drill bits. How do you know which is which?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tapered-vs-straight-drill-bits-how-do-you-know-which-is-which/810346)
**Author:** [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [March 11, 2018, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tapered-vs-straight-drill-bits-how-do-you-know-which-is-which/810346 "2018-03-11T10:19:47Z")
This chart gives the pilot hole needed for wood screws. A #8 requires 5/32 or 7/64. Taper vs Straight bit. 5/32 is 10/64. They are saying a tapered bit makes a hole 3/64 larger. Pr… --- ## [Knee-slapper and another humor question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/knee-slapper-and-another-humor-question/810302)
**Author:** [@pianodave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pianodave)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [March 11, 2018, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/knee-slapper-and-another-humor-question/810302 "2018-03-11T06:48:36Z")
Hi SD, Why do people slap their knees (laps) at a funny joke? When I hear or see something incredibly funny, I will certainly look to slap my lap. But why? Is there a primitive mechanism at work here? Something, per… --- ## [Who is the woman standing next to Shaq in this Icy Hot commercial](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-woman-standing-next-to-shaq-in-this-icy-hot-commercial/810325)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [March 11, 2018, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-woman-standing-next-to-shaq-in-this-icy-hot-commercial/810325 "2018-03-11T03:07:19Z")
Her name is ‘Kristin H’. Anyway, Shaq is 7’1", and based on the video she seems to be about the same height. I heard some people say ‘she is standing on a box’, but if you look at the video the length of her arm going fr… --- ## [Looking for a medical term for a body part/appendage that is surgically attached to a foreign body](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-medical-term-for-a-body-part-appendage-that-is-surgically-attached-to-a-foreign-body/810336)
**Author:** [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [March 11, 2018, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-medical-term-for-a-body-part-appendage-that-is-surgically-attached-to-a-foreign-body/810336 "2018-03-11T01:15:08Z")
Hi I’m looking for a medical term (if there is one) for a body part/appendage that is surgically attached to a different/ foreign body. So if someone undergoes a transplant of an appendage such as a leg or a heart trans… --- ## [Is the rate of violence in the U.S. really greater now than, say,100 and a 150 years ago?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-rate-of-violence-in-the-u-s-really-greater-now-than-say-100-and-a-150-years-ago/810174)
**Author:** [@Steven\_Estes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steven_Estes)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [March 10, 2018, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-rate-of-violence-in-the-u-s-really-greater-now-than-say-100-and-a-150-years-ago/810174 "2018-03-10T22:46:46Z")
Watching the local news–with its unending series of abductions, rapes, and murders–one gets the impression that America s now a much more violent place than it was, say, a hundred and a hundred and fifty years ago. Well… --- ## [Dark Spacetime?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-spacetime/810342)
**Author:** [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [March 10, 2018, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-spacetime/810342 "2018-03-10T22:02:48Z")
Eistein’s General Relativity/Gravity Equation: describes a spacetime curvature with matter and energy on one side, space and time on the other. MOST OF THE UNIVERSE is made up of wh… --- ## [US economy in 1776 ?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-economy-in-1776/810264)
**Author:** [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [March 10, 2018, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-economy-in-1776/810264 "2018-03-10T21:21:14Z")
I was wondering how most people made a living in 1776 in the US. I know a lot of people were farmers. Did a lot of people not have a steady job and simply grew their own food and made their own house and clothes… --- ## [Can you smell without a nose?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-smell-without-a-nose/810343)
**Author:** [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [March 10, 2018, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-smell-without-a-nose/810343 "2018-03-10T20:26:48Z")
Hello Everyone, For argument’s sake let’s say you lost your nose in a tragic cheese grater accident. The entire fleshy part that protrudes from your face is now gone. Can you still smell? Are the smell receptors in … --- ## [Why do these metal objects bounce around in an MRI?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-these-metal-objects-bounce-around-in-an-mri/810265)
**Author:** [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [March 10, 2018, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-these-metal-objects-bounce-around-in-an-mri/810265 "2018-03-10T16:00:23Z")
Video here of some people playing with the magnetic fields in an MRI machine. At t=4 seconds, he throws a steel shackle into the tube, and it bounces around violently before coming to a stop. At t=13 seconds, the same … --- ## [Does this look like an internal pipe leak?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-look-like-an-internal-pipe-leak/810332)
**Author:** [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [March 10, 2018, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-look-like-an-internal-pipe-leak/810332 "2018-03-10T14:54:46Z")
So I’ve got a patch of mold. I actually fixed it 2 years ago (it’s a rental) by scraping the plaster off (it’s a concrete wall) and replastering and painting. 2 years later, and it’s back. Now, there’s an internal pipe … --- ## [Is there such a thing as a shorter than life sentence without the possibility of parole" ?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-such-a-thing-as-a-shorter-than-life-sentence-without-the-possibility-of-parole/810275)
**Author:** [@Steven\_Estes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steven_Estes)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [March 10, 2018, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-such-a-thing-as-a-shorter-than-life-sentence-without-the-possibility-of-parole/810275 "2018-03-10T12:46:27Z")
On TV (non-fiction and fiction) one often sees a guilty defendant sentenced to “life without the possibility of parole”. (This, of course, implies the possibility of “life with the possibility of parole”. However, one n… --- ## [How long alcohol stay in body of alcohol-intolerant person](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-alcohol-stay-in-body-of-alcohol-intolerant-person/810320)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [March 10, 2018, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-alcohol-stay-in-body-of-alcohol-intolerant-person/810320 "2018-03-10T10:04:54Z")
Apparently 1 ounce of alcohol takes 10 hours to leave the body of a normal person. But what about the body of someone whose body cannot metabolize or digest the stuff? --- ## [Help me listen to my music files while driving ...](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-listen-to-my-music-files-while-driving/810121)
**Author:** [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Replies:** 40\ **Last updated:** [March 10, 2018, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-listen-to-my-music-files-while-driving/810121 "2018-03-10T08:07:20Z")
without having to buy MORE tech, please. I’m one of those people - I’ve still got my music collection on CDs. Attempting to both join the 21st century, and cut down on boxes of crap, I’ve been ripping them onto a dedica… --- ## [Who were the French tasked with persuading President H. Truman to aid France in Vietnam?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-french-tasked-with-persuading-president-h-truman-to-aid-france-in-vietnam/810238)
**Author:** [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [March 10, 2018, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-french-tasked-with-persuading-president-h-truman-to-aid-france-in-vietnam/810238 "2018-03-10T06:06:54Z")
Hi Who were the French negotiators for French Government under V. Auriol/ R. Coty (French Fourth Republic) tasked with persuading President H. Truman to aid France in Vietnam? How much persuasion did it take? Was it a … --- ## [When computers HAVE to work reliably](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-computers-have-to-work-reliably/809648)
**Author:** [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Replies:** 52\ **Last updated:** [March 10, 2018, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-computers-have-to-work-reliably/809648 "2018-03-10T05:26:08Z")
One presumes (hopes; fervently prays) that something as important as the President’s Nuclear Football is not running Windows 11 and Google Chrome. So how do absolutely vital systems get set up to be as reliable as humanl… --- ## [Long-distance transmission of electricity](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-distance-transmission-of-electricity/810010)
**Author:** [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Replies:** 56\ **Last updated:** [March 10, 2018, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-distance-transmission-of-electricity/810010 "2018-03-10T04:05:29Z")
Some will probably consider this a silly question. But it’s something that’s been bugging me off and on for years. I’ve never been able to figure out how, exactly, AC electricity can be sent over long distances. And i… --- ## [Why isn’t grass harvested for human consumption?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isn-t-grass-harvested-for-human-consumption/810294)
**Author:** [@Mrdeals](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrdeals)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [March 10, 2018, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isn-t-grass-harvested-for-human-consumption/810294 "2018-03-10T03:06:37Z")
I mean the stuff is everywhere, almost every herbivore eats it. Why isn’t it a staple in the human diet? --- ## [Oak Island](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oak-island/810259)
**Author:** [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [March 10, 2018, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oak-island/810259 "2018-03-10T02:34:34Z")
Damn, I wish they had found more this year. A few intriguing things were dug up the best of which was the bone fragments from the 1700s from two different people. And supposedly they were below the searcher’s depth in th… --- ## [Ice Phases 2-15](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-phases-2-15/689700)
**Author:** [@Chihuahua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chihuahua)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [March 10, 2018, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-phases-2-15/689700 "2018-03-10T02:11:20Z")
I’ve been reading a bit about ice crystals at higher pressures, with more complex crystalline structures than Ice I (normal ice). The websites I’ve seen have lots of nifty graphics showing how these molecules arrange th… --- ## [Who can help me with Kindle Create?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-can-help-me-with-kindle-create/809879)
**Author:** [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [March 10, 2018, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-can-help-me-with-kindle-create/809879 "2018-03-10T01:27:03Z")
I published a book a decade ago. I want to make a Kindle Book out of it before I die. After I die I will be too busy. I downloaded Kindle Create. I m now playing with it. It seems largely intuitive. At the moment, I ha… --- ## [Managing management](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/managing-management/810290)
**Author:** [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [March 10, 2018, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/managing-management/810290 "2018-03-10T00:41:54Z")
Some years ago I recall hearing a story about how a software engineer intentionally created some easily removed program feature (it may have been an animated rabbit or some silly character that followed the cursor around… --- ## [Opening an exit door at 35,000 feet](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opening-an-exit-door-at-35-000-feet/810131)
**Author:** [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Replies:** 45\ **Last updated:** [March 9, 2018, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opening-an-exit-door-at-35-000-feet/810131 "2018-03-09T21:37:23Z")
I was under the impression that it was really hard, if not impossible, for someone to open an exit door of a commercial aircraft at cruising altitude due to the pressure differential. I figured that if it was easy to do … --- ## [What legal issues surround hiring commandos for private usage](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-legal-issues-surround-hiring-commandos-for-private-usage/809939)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [March 9, 2018, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-legal-issues-surround-hiring-commandos-for-private-usage/809939 "2018-03-09T21:31:51Z")
I was reading about kidnap insurance some wealthy people buy, and how they may hire small military units made of ex-intelligence officers and ex-special forces soldiers to extract someone who is in a hostile situation (m… --- ## [Where to report a property violation](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-to-report-a-property-violation/810191)
**Author:** [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Replies:** 37\ **Last updated:** [March 9, 2018, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-to-report-a-property-violation/810191 "2018-03-09T21:04:39Z")
Moved into a new development over the holidays and had a new house built. When looking at the development late last summer there was one home on a corner lot that had an in-ground swimming pool in the back yard that I as… --- ## [I need a word \[for being "out of it"\]!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-word-for-being-out-of-it/810196)
**Author:** [@DekaJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DekaJay)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [March 9, 2018, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-word-for-being-out-of-it/810196 "2018-03-09T20:31:00Z")
I was wondering if there was a medical term for “out of it” because I went through a traumatic point in my life and for like the next three days I did nothing but sit in a room and stared at the wall. I can’t remember wh… --- ## [Old economics joke- anecdote?- about Italian Village and Laundry](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-economics-joke-anecdote-about-italian-village-and-laundry/810055)
**Author:** [@OldOlds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldOlds)\ **Replies:** 42\ **Last updated:** [March 9, 2018, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-economics-joke-anecdote-about-italian-village-and-laundry/810055 "2018-03-09T18:42:14Z")
Hi All. This came up in conversation the other day and I have been trying to find the original. I was hoping someone here might remember. A while back I was reading something in the popular press that referenced an old… --- ## [Research about driving styles?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/research-about-driving-styles/810234)
**Author:** [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [March 9, 2018, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/research-about-driving-styles/810234 "2018-03-09T18:19:51Z")
I am looking for research, if it exists, relevant to the question of whether it is more safe to habitually use signals whenever one turns or instead to think about situations more specifically and use signals only on som… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=608) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=610)