# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=662 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 663 --- ## [Can a computer translation violate copyright law?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-computer-translation-violate-copyright-law/799346)
**Author:** [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [October 20, 2017, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-computer-translation-violate-copyright-law/799346 "2017-10-20T18:51:10Z")
The other day, I was looking for the book “Buddenbrooks” by Thomas Mann on the Project Gutenberg web site. It was published in 1901, so the original German version is out of copyright, but I was wondering if they had an… --- ## [Balloons and Blimps and Dirigibles](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/balloons-and-blimps-and-dirigibles/799222)
**Author:** [@Stinky\_Pete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stinky_Pete)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [October 20, 2017, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/balloons-and-blimps-and-dirigibles/799222 "2017-10-20T18:38:13Z")
It would seem one of the biggest drawbacks to balloons and lighter-than-air ships is how they can deal with strong winds and gusts. It makes me wonder have they theorized on what is the best design to manage this problem… --- ## [Is it possible to avoid the use of 'if" in French as it is in German?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-avoid-the-use-of-if-in-french-as-it-is-in-german/799348)
**Author:** [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [October 20, 2017, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-avoid-the-use-of-if-in-french-as-it-is-in-german/799348 "2017-10-20T16:45:00Z")
Hi, I was looking for example sentences in French that avoid using the word 'si" (if). Is it possible like it is in German? Kommt er spät nach Hause, bekommt/kriegt er Ärger. (If he arrives home late, he’ll get an ea… --- ## [How do short people avoid slipping while soaking in a bathtub?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-short-people-avoid-slipping-while-soaking-in-a-bathtub/799318)
**Author:** [@shortyontheeastcoast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shortyontheeastcoast)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [October 20, 2017, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-short-people-avoid-slipping-while-soaking-in-a-bathtub/799318 "2017-10-20T13:44:52Z")
I can never relax when I soak in a bathtub because, being 5’ short, my feet don’t reach the other end of the tub. I’m redoing my bathroom and want to figure out if I need a short tub or if there are other ways to preven… --- ## [What are the little bead-like things you can feel under the skin inside your lips?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-little-bead-like-things-you-can-feel-under-the-skin-inside-your-lips/575387)
**Author:** [@newcrasher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcrasher)\ **Replies:** 49\ **Last updated:** [October 20, 2017, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-little-bead-like-things-you-can-feel-under-the-skin-inside-your-lips/575387 "2017-10-20T04:49:59Z")
If you run your tongue around the inside of your lips you can feel small things about the size of BBs under the skin. What are these? --- ## [Is listeria from candy apples a real threat](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-listeria-from-candy-apples-a-real-threat/799336)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [October 20, 2017, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-listeria-from-candy-apples-a-real-threat/799336 "2017-10-20T01:50:13Z")
I love candy apples, but I saw on the package it says to refrigerate after buying. I didn’t know why, so looking online I saw that candy apples can develop Listeriabacteria growth if left at room temperature because the … --- ## [Evolution and the physics of human feet (re feet width)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/evolution-and-the-physics-of-human-feet-re-feet-width/799241)
**Author:** [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [October 19, 2017, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/evolution-and-the-physics-of-human-feet-re-feet-width/799241 "2017-10-19T22:55:57Z")
This post is about the width of feet or EE/ EEE on shoe sizes. Going by shoe sales, it seems like the median human feet width is D and not the wide sizes. Would physics prefer humans to have wider feet to give more tra… --- ## [Airplane (big iron) question about wings](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airplane-big-iron-question-about-wings/799162)
**Author:** [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [October 19, 2017, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airplane-big-iron-question-about-wings/799162 "2017-10-19T22:44:51Z")
Years and years ago it seemed amazing to me that wings can stay attached to a large airplane. But I was thinking about it wrong (I believe). Would it be more accurate to say that the body of the airplane is attached to… --- ## [Presidential outreach to families of deceased soldier](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-outreach-to-families-of-deceased-soldier/799304)
**Author:** [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [October 19, 2017, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-outreach-to-families-of-deceased-soldier/799304 "2017-10-19T21:30:02Z")
The whole hubbub about Trump and the soldiers killed in Niger got me wondering about this. At the height of the Iraq War, I can’t imagine Bush personally calling the families of every single soldier killed overseas. And … --- ## [What Happens to an Embalmed Body in a Sealed Vault?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-an-embalmed-body-in-a-sealed-vault/799256)
**Author:** [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [October 19, 2017, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-an-embalmed-body-in-a-sealed-vault/799256 "2017-10-19T19:24:26Z")
One of my favorite episodes of \*Penn & Teller’s Bullshit \*was a polemic against spending so much money on funerals and interments. The program included a demonstration of what happened to a corpse in a sealed vault, clai… --- ## [Fear the Returning Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fear-the-returning-dead/798963)
**Author:** [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [October 19, 2017, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fear-the-returning-dead/798963 "2017-10-19T19:05:04Z")
When did people start fearing the dead coming back? (such as ghosts) --- ## [Amazon book review cherry-picking?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-book-review-cherry-picking/799269)
**Author:** [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [October 19, 2017, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-book-review-cherry-picking/799269 "2017-10-19T18:54:52Z")
I read a book last night on my Kindle. When I had finished, I felt strongly motivated to write a review, so I did. Since I’ve reviewed a lot of books now on Amazon, when I write one now it is posted immediately without n… --- ## [What is this British medical term?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-british-medical-term/799288)
**Author:** [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [October 19, 2017, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-british-medical-term/799288 "2017-10-19T18:46:29Z")
So, Not Always Right had its tenth anniversary and held a survey recently where fans of the site voted on their favorite tale from the past decade. The one that came in second was this.\* The location was given as Surre… --- ## [Automotive Navigation programs](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automotive-navigation-programs/785206)
**Author:** [@MTVhike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MTVhike)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [April 27, 2017, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automotive-navigation-programs/785206 "2017-04-27T17:00:12Z")
Using the navigation facility on my car (and also on my iPhone), how does the program find the fastest route to get to my destination. I have my own, preferred route, which the nav programs usually use, but sometimes the… --- ## [Cooking with/drinking water from tankless heaters](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-with-drinking-water-from-tankless-heaters/799168)
**Author:** [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [October 19, 2017, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-with-drinking-water-from-tankless-heaters/799168 "2017-10-19T09:37:20Z")
Hello! Around 9 years ago, we did a major rebuild of our house. Basically all the plumbing is new and we put in tankless water heaters. Growing up, I was told that you shouldn’t drink/cook with water from the water he… --- ## [Bee sting -\> epipen -\> then what?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bee-sting-epipen-then-what/799242)
**Author:** [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [October 19, 2017, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bee-sting-epipen-then-what/799242 "2017-10-19T05:57:20Z")
AIUI, people who are prone to anaphylactic shock when stung by bees are supposed to be treated ASAP with an Epipen, and then transported to a hospital. What happens to them at the hospital? --- ## [When you go to prison for a heinous crime...](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-go-to-prison-for-a-heinous-crime/798859)
**Author:** [@pianodave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pianodave)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [October 19, 2017, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-go-to-prison-for-a-heinous-crime/798859 "2017-10-19T04:47:03Z")
Hi SD, Someone I know got arrested for using a peer to peer network for receiving images depicting the sexual abuse of children. I am curious what happens to this person’s professional website, phone, Facebook page, et… --- ## [Which white-noise would be the best to cover up sound?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-white-noise-would-be-the-best-to-cover-up-sound/799152)
**Author:** [@Contemplation](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contemplation)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [October 19, 2017, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-white-noise-would-be-the-best-to-cover-up-sound/799152 "2017-10-19T03:03:15Z")
Which white noise do you think would be the best to cover up minor noises in a setting where other people might be sleeping? Here are some examples: Static White noise: 12 Hours of White Noise (Static) in Stereo. Favor… --- ## [How to reset a new phone that you're \_buying\_](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-reset-a-new-phone-that-youre-_buying_/799102)
**Author:** [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [October 18, 2017, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-reset-a-new-phone-that-youre-_buying_/799102 "2017-10-18T21:35:19Z")
There are hundreds of sites online instructing how to wipe a phone that you’re going to sell, but none suggesting how to ensure that a used phone that you’re purchasing is completely reset. I’m not very familiar with th… --- ## [Question regarding Milton Friedman on capitalins and communism](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-milton-friedman-on-capitalins-and-communism/799116)
**Author:** [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [October 18, 2017, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-milton-friedman-on-capitalins-and-communism/799116 "2017-10-18T21:14:47Z")
Hi I came across the following while searching for articles on Milton Friedman. I’m not sure what he means by “not only do the two forms of decentralized popular control have an elective affinity as forms of democratic … --- ## [\[Which Apollo astronaut\] visited my school?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-apollo-astronaut-visited-my-school/798834)
**Author:** [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [October 18, 2017, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-apollo-astronaut-visited-my-school/798834 "2017-10-18T20:29:48Z")
This may well be unanswerable, but I thought I’d open a question that’s been bugging me for years to the Dope Detectives. When I was between the ages of 8 and 11 years old, which would be '91 to '94, an American guy vis… --- ## [Cold Fission.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-fission/799063)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [October 18, 2017, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-fission/799063 "2017-10-18T20:26:25Z")
As I have said before, I am by no means a scientist. But then again, that is the whole reason people post on these boards. And I do still have many questions, one of which, why is there apparently no such thing as cold… --- ## [Dog has a fungus. Any ideas?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-has-a-fungus-any-ideas/799250)
**Author:** [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [October 18, 2017, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-has-a-fungus-any-ideas/799250 "2017-10-18T20:14:01Z")
Kiko is five years old, a medium, mixed breed dog. He has seen three vets. They all seem to agree that he has a fungus. It is on his back and is about three square inches of which there is no hair. Apparently the fun… --- ## ["Comanche Skypark" in Jimmy Buffett's "Volcano"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comanche-skypark-in-jimmy-buffetts-volcano/71608)
**Author:** [@russjourn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/russjourn)\ **Replies:** 46\ **Last updated:** [October 18, 2017, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comanche-skypark-in-jimmy-buffetts-volcano/71608 "2017-10-18T19:50:20Z")
Heard the Buffett classic “Volcano” the other day. In the song, he refers to places he doesn’t care to land – “Nashville, Tennessee,” “Yukon Terri-tory,” the Ayatollah’s head, etc. He does make one reference that has thr… --- ## [Is spin a relative motion?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-spin-a-relative-motion/796687)
**Author:** [@Ornery\_Bob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ornery_Bob)\ **Replies:** 48\ **Last updated:** [October 18, 2017, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-spin-a-relative-motion/796687 "2017-10-18T11:27:45Z")
I understand relative motion by the old example of two boats on the ocean. Without visible land, or any other fixed point of reference, if you were on one of them and the distance to the other one was increasing, you cou… --- ## [German bunker Alderney, Channel Islands.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-bunker-alderney-channel-islands/799142)
**Author:** [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [October 18, 2017, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-bunker-alderney-channel-islands/799142 "2017-10-18T09:09:58Z")
What is this sphere? --- ## [Is it possible the Sun is going around the Earth?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-the-sun-is-going-around-the-earth/798759)
**Author:** [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Replies:** 43\ **Last updated:** [October 17, 2017, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-the-sun-is-going-around-the-earth/798759 "2017-10-17T23:16:43Z")
Let’s say I am God. I create an Earth and Sun, and make the Sun revolve around the Earth. I then create eight planets, and make them all orbit the Sun. Being God, I also create people on Earth. Eventually the people dis… --- ## [When did humans start wiping their butts?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-humans-start-wiping-their-butts/654587)
**Author:** [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Replies:** 49\ **Last updated:** [October 17, 2017, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-humans-start-wiping-their-butts/654587 "2017-10-17T19:26:06Z")
There was a point in human development between no-wiping like chimpazees and triple-ply aloe-vera pre-cut toilet paper when humans started wiping their asses after shitting. Any idea when that was? --- ## [Why hasn't roadkill been selected against by now?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-roadkill-been-selected-against-by-now/798668)
**Author:** [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Replies:** 64\ **Last updated:** [October 17, 2017, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-roadkill-been-selected-against-by-now/798668 "2017-10-17T19:13:23Z")
\[Partially inspired by the wild bird diet thread\] Here we’ve had, in many areas across the country, a strong selection pressure in the form of deadly roads. Yet roadkill doesn’t seem to me to have become less (here at … --- ## [Who came up with the term "Sheeple"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-came-up-with-the-term-sheeple/799132)
**Author:** [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [October 17, 2017, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-came-up-with-the-term-sheeple/799132 "2017-10-17T19:04:05Z")
Just as the title says. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=661) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=663)