# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=633 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 634 --- ## [What the hell is this white box above the doorway?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-this-white-box-above-the-doorway/805968)
**Author:** [@OldMrKnowItAll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldMrKnowItAll)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [January 6, 2018, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-this-white-box-above-the-doorway/805968 "2018-01-06T17:22:14Z")
It’s not a smoke alarm --- ## [No more telemarketing calls](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-more-telemarketing-calls/86538)
**Author:** [@Doug\_Bowe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_Bowe)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [January 6, 2018, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-more-telemarketing-calls/86538 "2018-01-06T16:26:09Z")
If any group can get to the facts, this group can. Here’s the ad from the Lifestyle catalogue: TeleZapper hooks up to your phone in less than a minute…Every time a telemarketer calls the TeleZapper sends out a special t… --- ## [Phantom WWII Battle](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phantom-wwii-battle/805928)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_Ecks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ecks)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [January 6, 2018, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phantom-wwii-battle/805928 "2018-01-06T16:20:32Z")
Some years ago I read a World War Two history that claimed, in passing, that a major tank battle in Russia never actually happened. Due to poor planning, poor communication and low visibility the Soviet tanks actually r… --- ## [Are syringes made out of glass ever used today?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-syringes-made-out-of-glass-ever-used-today/805946)
**Author:** [@rastafarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rastafarian)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [January 6, 2018, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-syringes-made-out-of-glass-ever-used-today/805946 "2018-01-06T16:01:21Z")
I searched on Google and saw they were used in “early” modern medicine but it seems like plastic is the choice for all types used today. I’ve been able to buy hypodermic plastic syringes but not glass ones on Amazon or e… --- ## [US presidential succession - Is there any feasible outcome that leads to the speaker being pres?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-presidential-succession-is-there-any-feasible-outcome-that-leads-to-the-speaker-being-pres/805923)
**Author:** [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [January 6, 2018, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-presidential-succession-is-there-any-feasible-outcome-that-leads-to-the-speaker-being-pres/805923 "2018-01-06T05:16:06Z")
There has been lot of discussion of the 25th Amendment and Trump, recently. And some people are suggesting (e.g. Simon Schama on Twitter) that, as Pence might be as caught up in Russian shenanigans as anyone else, the pr… --- ## [Two spark plugs per cylinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-spark-plugs-per-cylinder/805921)
**Author:** [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [January 6, 2018, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-spark-plugs-per-cylinder/805921 "2018-01-06T02:52:29Z")
Small aircraft engines have two spark plugs per cylinder. I have always assumed it was for redundancy, but this says it also increases power: Does this mean an aircraft engine is more efficient – and thus gets better g… --- ## [Male sex drive INcreasing with age?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-sex-drive-increasing-with-age/584610)
**Author:** [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [January 6, 2018, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-sex-drive-increasing-with-age/584610 "2018-01-06T02:07:21Z")
This is one of those topics that is almost impossible to research on Google because 1) of the crap that people are trying to sell and 2) almost all articles reinforce the conventional wisdom (or perhaps scientifically ve… --- ## [Term for "Subject to change without notice"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/term-for-subject-to-change-without-notice/805819)
**Author:** [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [January 6, 2018, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/term-for-subject-to-change-without-notice/805819 "2018-01-06T00:45:13Z")
Is there a simple one- or two-word term for this? Searching for it brings up all the contracts ever, but not a term… I’ve checked the Reverse Thesaurus, and it didn’t help. --- ## [audible (to me) electrical noise](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/audible-to-me-electrical-noise/805844)
**Author:** [@mr\_horsepower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr_horsepower)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [January 5, 2018, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/audible-to-me-electrical-noise/805844 "2018-01-05T23:55:54Z")
what am i hearing from older electronics, like tv or computer moniter, when the power is on but with the sound is completely off? I’m sure it has something to do with the display or screen as i can hear this in older tv… --- ## ["Officer = prick" stereotype in various militaries](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/officer-prick-stereotype-in-various-militaries/805774)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 63\ **Last updated:** [January 5, 2018, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/officer-prick-stereotype-in-various-militaries/805774 "2018-01-05T23:02:14Z")
Question from a civilian: Is there a stereotype that “officers are pricks” in most militaries worldwide; especially commissioned officers (as opposed to NCOs?) Do most militaries ignore, or even, in fact, approve o… --- ## [Music royalties paid by Youtube](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-royalties-paid-by-youtube/805942)
**Author:** [@Mrdeals](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrdeals)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [January 5, 2018, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-royalties-paid-by-youtube/805942 "2018-01-05T22:41:22Z")
How much of a song has to be played before YouTube pays royalties? For example, if somebody used 10seconds of a Metallica song as an intro to their original content. Would the YouTube algorithm pick up and pay royaltie… --- ## [Wet skin and pain](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wet-skin-and-pain/805937)
**Author:** [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [January 5, 2018, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wet-skin-and-pain/805937 "2018-01-05T18:47:20Z")
When I was a kid there was a game we would play at school where the object was to break your opponents pencil with your own pencil. Afterwards the winner would get to smack the loser on the back of the wrist with two fin… --- ## [Unusual to NOT be ticklish on soles of your feet?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-to-not-be-ticklish-on-soles-of-your-feet/805924)
**Author:** [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [January 5, 2018, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-to-not-be-ticklish-on-soles-of-your-feet/805924 "2018-01-05T18:37:42Z")
How common is it for a person to find a light scratching sensation (for ex. someone else gently running their fingernails over your skin) on the bottom of their feet to be pleasant, and not ticklish? Me, you’d have to s… --- ## [How do you rescue someone from a swinging ski lift?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-rescue-someone-from-a-swinging-ski-lift/805902)
**Author:** [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [January 5, 2018, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-rescue-someone-from-a-swinging-ski-lift/805902 "2018-01-05T16:45:42Z")
Yesterday there was some pretty severe weather at the Silvrette Montafon alpine resort, and there were reports of skiers becoming trapped on ski lifts. This article includes a video showing occupied chairs on a lift swi… --- ## [ambient temp for pulmonary hemorrage?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ambient-temp-for-pulmonary-hemorrage/805916)
**Author:** [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [January 5, 2018, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ambient-temp-for-pulmonary-hemorrage/805916 "2018-01-05T14:14:49Z")
A plot point in a recent movie involved death by acute pulmonary hemorrage caused by intense aerobic activity at extremely cold outdoor temperature: the very cold air froze the thin alveolar membranes of the victim’s lun… --- ## [HCG for weight loss](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hcg-for-weight-loss/574448)
**Author:** [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [January 5, 2018, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hcg-for-weight-loss/574448 "2018-01-05T10:39:44Z")
Someone I know is considering this, and I am wary that it is pure nostrum (thanks to whoever used that word in a post and taught me a new one). From what I understand, they give daily injections or pills of HCG over a p… --- ## [What would the damage have been like if the Chicxulub asteroid had hit the side of the Earth?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-the-damage-have-been-like-if-the-chicxulub-asteroid-had-hit-the-side-of-the-earth/805754)
**Author:** [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [January 5, 2018, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-the-damage-have-been-like-if-the-chicxulub-asteroid-had-hit-the-side-of-the-earth/805754 "2018-01-05T01:33:48Z")
The Chicxulub asteroid was the ~7 mile wide asteroid which hit the Earth 65 million years ago and is thought to have brought about the destruction of the dinosaurs. It hit off the coast of Mexico and created a crater 11… --- ## [Apple TV connection without remote- possible?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apple-tv-connection-without-remote-possible/805876)
**Author:** [@Aro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aro)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [January 4, 2018, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apple-tv-connection-without-remote-possible/805876 "2018-01-04T23:50:07Z")
Hi all. I’m abroad in France at the moment, house-sitting for friends for several months. I brought my Apple TV box with me (3rd generation) as I knew they had good internet but no TV aerial, but annoyingly forgot the … --- ## [Islam Question: The Function Of The Mosque](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/islam-question-the-function-of-the-mosque/805700)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 42\ **Last updated:** [January 4, 2018, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/islam-question-the-function-of-the-mosque/805700 "2018-01-04T23:24:15Z")
In Christianity, a church is not only the building where Christians worship, but also the community of Christians who worship at the building. Not only do Christians go there to worship and be edified, but they also go t… --- ## [Best (free) software for historical research recommendations](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-free-software-for-historical-research-recommendations/805805)
**Author:** [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [January 4, 2018, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-free-software-for-historical-research-recommendations/805805 "2018-01-04T20:48:57Z")
If any of you are familiar with thebrain software, it provides the ability to map out very large entity relationships. There are other packages that organize events via a timeline (basically a calendar), making it easy t… --- ## [Open drug use by rich people](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-drug-use-by-rich-people/805495)
**Author:** [@SamuelA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SamuelA)\ **Replies:** 43\ **Last updated:** [January 4, 2018, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/open-drug-use-by-rich-people/805495 "2018-01-04T17:29:56Z")
I’m curious about something. If a wealth person at the top of a tower with his name on it wanted to use an illegal drug, or one of his party guests wanted to do so, what real chance do they have of getting caught? I’ve… --- ## [How do employers verify the education of potential hires?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-employers-verify-the-education-of-potential-hires/516097)
**Author:** [@Mr.Lahey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Lahey)\ **Replies:** 38\ **Last updated:** [November 6, 2009, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-employers-verify-the-education-of-potential-hires/516097 "2009-11-06T00:27:53Z")
I have never once had an employer ask to see a copy of my high school diploma or college degree. Do employers even verify this information? How would they do it? Will a school give out your information if they are asked… --- ## [Frozen pipes under manufactured home](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-pipes-under-manufactured-home/805734)
**Author:** [@UCBearcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UCBearcats)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [January 4, 2018, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-pipes-under-manufactured-home/805734 "2018-01-04T07:41:19Z")
With the extreme cold, my sister in law is having an issue with the drainage pipes under her home not flowing. Is there something that can be done to keep the pipe warm so the tub and toilets will work properly? --- ## [Are Rottweilers more affectionate as a breed?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-rottweilers-more-affectionate-as-a-breed/647846)
**Author:** [@dstarfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dstarfire)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [January 4, 2018, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-rottweilers-more-affectionate-as-a-breed/647846 "2018-01-04T05:20:19Z")
Every Rottweiler I’ve ever met has been friendly, affectionate and playful. They were more likely to hurt a person through over-exuberant displays of affection and play, than from aggression. So, is that friendly affect… --- ## [How to do Antenna cabling in timber-frame house](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-do-antenna-cabling-in-timber-frame-house/805786)
**Author:** [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [January 4, 2018, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-do-antenna-cabling-in-timber-frame-house/805786 "2018-01-04T04:34:07Z")
I’ve got a single-story timber frame house. Single brick outside, plasterboard inside. When I have antenna cabling (or any kind of cabling) done, a guy comes while I’m out, magic happens, and a new outlet appears down … --- ## [Newbie Investment Question: Un-invested money in an IRA.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newbie-investment-question-un-invested-money-in-an-ira/805759)
**Author:** [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [January 3, 2018, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newbie-investment-question-un-invested-money-in-an-ira/805759 "2018-01-03T17:24:18Z")
Sorry. Completely new to investing. I opened a ROTH IRA with my credit union which put money into an account that I then buy stocks from. I spent all the money on stocks, but now I have extra money that isn’t enough for … --- ## [What word did they use before "clockwise"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-word-did-they-use-before-clockwise/804542)
**Author:** [@seidensticker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seidensticker)\ **Replies:** 57\ **Last updated:** [January 3, 2018, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-word-did-they-use-before-clockwise/804542 "2018-01-03T16:38:26Z")
The OED gives 1888 as the first use of “clockwise,” and yet there were mechanical clocks centuries before that, plus sundials for centuries before that. I could imagine that before the earliest mechanical clocks with a c… --- ## [Prince Rupert's Ring](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-ruperts-ring/805794)
**Author:** [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [January 3, 2018, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-ruperts-ring/805794 "2018-01-03T15:32:47Z")
Is it possible to make a toughened glass ring with Price Rupert’s Drop-like properties by forming a torus of hot glass then dropping the whole thing into water? I know the glass for PRDs is normally molten to a liquid s… --- ## [Why do wrist watches stop working for some people?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-wrist-watches-stop-working-for-some-people/523222)
**Author:** [@weisser83](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/weisser83)\ **Replies:** 196\ **Last updated:** [January 3, 2018, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-wrist-watches-stop-working-for-some-people/523222 "2018-01-03T15:11:35Z")
I’ve heard people claim that wrist watches stop working for them after a very short period of time. They replace the batteries, switch watch brands and styles, etc., but to no avail – every watch quits on them. Even when… --- ## [SuperStrings vs. Quantum Loop Gravity](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superstrings-vs-quantum-loop-gravity/805783)
**Author:** [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [January 3, 2018, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superstrings-vs-quantum-loop-gravity/805783 "2018-01-03T14:26:27Z")
Two competing Theories of Everything based on the Planck Scale https://qph.ec.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-4ddd750252d57b059224eaf7ef82d6a7 Superstrings describing matter and energy, QLG describing space and time. Seems lik… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=632) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=634)