# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=680 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 681 --- ## [how do I make a one gram weight?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-make-a-one-gram-weight/795274)
**Author:** [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [September 3, 2017, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-make-a-one-gram-weight/795274 "2017-09-03T04:56:48Z")
Without any balance or scale, how can I make a serviceable 1 gram or 10 gram weight? I have rulers. Does anyone know the approximate weight of a piece of printer paper, for instance, that I could use to cut a piece out… --- ## [North Korea claims a hydrogen bomb.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-korea-claims-a-hydrogen-bomb/795380)
**Author:** [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [September 3, 2017, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-korea-claims-a-hydrogen-bomb/795380 "2017-09-03T03:37:47Z")
North Korea claims to have built a hydrogen bomb. Where would they test it, Japan? --- ## [Clouds disappearing during Solar Eclipse](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clouds-disappearing-during-solar-eclipse/794372)
**Author:** [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [September 3, 2017, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clouds-disappearing-during-solar-eclipse/794372 "2017-09-03T02:57:58Z")
We were in Tennessee for the total eclipse yesterday. In the morning, the sky was completely clear. Towards late morning, a number of cumulus clouds formed in the sky. But as partial eclipse progressed, they all seemed t… --- ## [Magformers (magnetic toy)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magformers-magnetic-toy/795280)
**Author:** [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [September 2, 2017, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magformers-magnetic-toy/795280 "2017-09-02T22:44:21Z")
The grandson has a set of Magformers: https://www.magformers.com/gallerymedia They are plastic squares and triangles with a cylinder magnet on each edge. You stick them together to form things. The cool thing is, there… --- ## [Help me identify these (drawn) flowers](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-these-drawn-flowers/795347)
**Author:** [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [September 2, 2017, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-these-drawn-flowers/795347 "2017-09-02T22:43:20Z")
I’ve been watching an anime series recently, and I noticed that during its opening credits, each member of its main cast is briefly framed with a shot with a flower. This is a common trick to sneak in a hint about a cha… --- ## [What about the USPS mail delivery after Hurricane Harvey?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-about-the-usps-mail-delivery-after-hurricane-harvey/795349)
**Author:** [@Mr\_Quatro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Quatro)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [September 2, 2017, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-about-the-usps-mail-delivery-after-hurricane-harvey/795349 "2017-09-02T21:57:43Z")
What happens to all of the USPS mail that doesn’t get delivered in the Hurricane Harvey areas of South Texas, Houston/Beaumont and now Louisiana. I saw a lot of mail boxes on those flooded streets. Just the junk mail mus… --- ## [Do flies catch colds?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-flies-catch-colds/795319)
**Author:** [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [September 2, 2017, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-flies-catch-colds/795319 "2017-09-02T19:42:56Z")
I say flies but I mean insects in general. Are they subject to the same ills as the rest of us? Can they get whooping cough, mumps, flu, coughs, all the annoying things that plague us humans? Or do they have their own mi… --- ## [Minor non-fatal disease which changed history](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minor-non-fatal-disease-which-changed-history/795078)
**Author:** [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [September 2, 2017, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minor-non-fatal-disease-which-changed-history/795078 "2017-09-02T19:37:53Z")
Are there any examples in world history where someone having a very minor non-fatal ailment (ie, something that would keep you home in bed from work but no worse… a headache, stomachache, common cold, etc.) changed the c… --- ## [If you win the Powerball, where do you (temporarily) put the money?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-win-the-powerball-where-do-you-temporarily-put-the-money/794747)
**Author:** [@Quintas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quintas)\ **Replies:** 152\ **Last updated:** [September 2, 2017, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-win-the-powerball-where-do-you-temporarily-put-the-money/794747 "2017-09-02T19:37:46Z")
The lady who won Thursday will get a lump sum of around $300 million after taxes. Where would a person put that kind of money while they decide how to invest it safely for the long term? Spreading it out over 1500+ ba… --- ## [Buying a Used Car & Signing A Title](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buying-a-used-car-signing-a-title/795287)
**Author:** [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [September 2, 2017, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buying-a-used-car-signing-a-title/795287 "2017-09-02T18:29:31Z")
I have no experience to draw from, so bear with me: When one buys a used car and the owner signs the title over to me, can a title have a lien against it and/or other issues (like some defect) that now becomes MY headach… --- ## [Converting C-47 into a glider, 1944](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/converting-c-47-into-a-glider-1944/795266)
**Author:** [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [September 2, 2017, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/converting-c-47-into-a-glider-1944/795266 "2017-09-02T16:48:55Z")
Intended to increase the weight of cargo a glider could carry. The engines were removed and the nacelles covered with hemispheres. Why? Why not land a C-47 with the gliders carrying troops? Surely it is easier to land a … --- ## [What's the lowest (practical) altitude an object can be and still be considered in a stable orbit.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-lowest-practical-altitude-an-object-can-be-and-still-be-considered-in-a-stable-orbit/795227)
**Author:** [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [September 2, 2017, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-lowest-practical-altitude-an-object-can-be-and-still-be-considered-in-a-stable-orbit/795227 "2017-09-02T16:26:04Z")
This is probably a stupid question as I don’t know a lot about these things so forgive my ignorance… Inspired by this post: http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=20451604&postcount=26 I had not really thou… --- ## [What's the purpose of Cul De Sacs?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-purpose-of-cul-de-sacs/795044)
**Author:** [@Contemplation](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contemplation)\ **Replies:** 51\ **Last updated:** [September 2, 2017, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-purpose-of-cul-de-sacs/795044 "2017-09-02T15:00:14Z")
It looks like a cul-de-sac style neighborhood requires you to travel more distance to get to the same places than simply driving or walking down a straight grid. A square grid also looks easier to navigate as long as you… --- ## [Resolution Mismatch: Can I Ignore This Warning...](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolution-mismatch-can-i-ignore-this-warning/795233)
**Author:** [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [September 2, 2017, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolution-mismatch-can-i-ignore-this-warning/795233 "2017-09-02T11:11:14Z")
… without damaging my machine? I play WoW on a screen which is 28" straight across. It is actually an HD TV. My current setting using W7 is 1366x768 which I like because with my macular degeneration it makes the writing … --- ## [One for the Legal Eagles: Dissent (non) Vote?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-for-the-legal-eagles-dissent-non-vote/795186)
**Author:** [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [September 2, 2017, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-for-the-legal-eagles-dissent-non-vote/795186 "2017-09-02T08:12:56Z")
Somewhere in the labyrinthine corridors of my mind I seem to recall that there is a legal process (at least in Canada) that permits you, during an election, to more or less state your dissatisfaction with the current cro… --- ## [What is the mark in some links that looks like two arrows called?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-mark-in-some-links-that-looks-like-two-arrows-called/795279)
**Author:** [@janeslogin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janeslogin)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [September 2, 2017, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-mark-in-some-links-that-looks-like-two-arrows-called/795279 "2017-09-02T07:23:45Z")
In many links, noticeable Wikipedia but other places too, is something that looks like two tiny overlapping arrows, one pointing upper right and the other pointing lower left. \[Could be two triangles.\]I cannot find what … --- ## [Green around the gills.... is it possible?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-around-the-gills-is-it-possible/795270)
**Author:** [@Ornery\_Bob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ornery_Bob)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [September 2, 2017, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-around-the-gills-is-it-possible/795270 "2017-09-02T06:35:26Z")
Gills are full of blood. I would think it would take serious putrefaction to make them turn green… or is it even possible? --- ## [Please make my doorbell stop buzzing!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-make-my-doorbell-stop-buzzing/777320)
**Author:** [@Lee\_Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lee_Q)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [September 2, 2017, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-make-my-doorbell-stop-buzzing/777320 "2017-09-02T04:35:24Z")
Ok so my doorbell started seeming like it was stuck. One day instead of ringing when someone pushed it, it made a faint buzz… which did not stop. Actually I’m speculating that someone pushed the bell to cauze the buzzing… --- ## [529 plan withdrawals](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/529-plan-withdrawals/795221)
**Author:** [@cmosdes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmosdes)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [September 2, 2017, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/529-plan-withdrawals/795221 "2017-09-02T04:26:39Z")
My kid is in college and because of scholarships and other money we will have more funds in the 529 plan than are strictly needed for qualified withdrawals. When withdrawing from a 529 there are three types of withdrawa… --- ## [Riding the Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-the-dog/795248)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [September 2, 2017, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-the-dog/795248 "2017-09-02T04:13:38Z")
‘Riding the Dog’ has long been a way of saying one is going to ride a Greyhound Bus. No doubt many people came up with the phrase, since it’s so obvious. But do we know approximately when the phrase became popular, amo… --- ## [Is Public Policy Polling accurate?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-public-policy-polling-accurate/795132)
**Author:** [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [September 2, 2017, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-public-policy-polling-accurate/795132 "2017-09-02T02:23:10Z")
Just got this from Snopes: That’s goddamn terrifying. In your experience, is Public Policy Polling an accurate source for polling data? --- ## [A virus called Cortana](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-virus-called-cortana/795272)
**Author:** [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [September 2, 2017, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-virus-called-cortana/795272 "2017-09-02T00:19:25Z")
Some ghastly virus called Cortana has taken over my wife’s computer and does not allow her to do anything. It simply pops up every ten seconds, interrupts whatever she was trying to do and also loads some app called a b… --- ## [Can Cocaine be transmitted via Semen during sexual activity?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-cocaine-be-transmitted-via-semen-during-sexual-activity/570204)
**Author:** [@Clu-Me-In](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clu-Me-In)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [September 1, 2017, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-cocaine-be-transmitted-via-semen-during-sexual-activity/570204 "2017-09-01T23:39:25Z")
Watching the Oprah Winfrey Show with Pam Grier(Foxy Brown), something she said didn’t sound right to me. She said, "There was an epidemic of a lot of people doing cocaine and it accumulated in the body and often in the … --- ## [How long does it take a chicken to push out an egg?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-it-take-a-chicken-to-push-out-an-egg/795276)
**Author:** [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [September 1, 2017, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-it-take-a-chicken-to-push-out-an-egg/795276 "2017-09-01T23:28:20Z")
Hello Everyone, Or hen Kays her first egg today! Just wondering how much of a process is it for her to squeeze that puppy out. Is it a quick push our a long involved painful process? --- ## [When, if ever, will the Medicaid expansion be safe from repeal via reconciliation?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-if-ever-will-the-medicaid-expansion-be-safe-from-repeal-via-reconciliation/795177)
**Author:** [@Chetumal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chetumal)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [September 1, 2017, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-if-ever-will-the-medicaid-expansion-be-safe-from-repeal-via-reconciliation/795177 "2017-09-01T22:49:37Z")
I understand that the only way the GOP can repeal the ACA is through reconciliation, needing only 52 votes and none from Democrats. But there are complex rules and timelines for using reconciliation, I recall reading tha… --- ## [Sharks, Beds, and Death Statistics](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sharks-beds-and-death-statistics/795223)
**Author:** [@Ornery\_Bob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ornery_Bob)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [September 1, 2017, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sharks-beds-and-death-statistics/795223 "2017-09-01T21:02:38Z")
Per this article, shark attacks on swimmers in California happen at the rate of 1 per 738 million beach visits. So when I go swimming at the beach, I have a 1 in 738 million chance of being attacked that day, regardless … --- ## [Do French People Really Rarely Bathe?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-french-people-really-rarely-bathe/795036)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 34\ **Last updated:** [September 1, 2017, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-french-people-really-rarely-bathe/795036 "2017-09-01T19:47:48Z")
I think we all know the cliché. I don’t even need a cite. People in France rarely bathe. Or so they say. I remember my religion teacher in RC high school recounting his trip to France in the early 70’s. He said people t… --- ## [Florence fly by- can it be seen with a junky telescope?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florence-fly-by-can-it-be-seen-with-a-junky-telescope/795244)
**Author:** [@Pippers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pippers)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [September 1, 2017, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florence-fly-by-can-it-be-seen-with-a-junky-telescope/795244 "2017-09-01T19:34:43Z")
I’ve got a cheapo telescope from years ago, its packed in my crap somewhere. Would it be worth my time to dig it out? What will I be able to view? --- ## [Is there a rental car company that will let an 18 year old drive (not rent) the rental car?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-rental-car-company-that-will-let-an-18-year-old-drive-not-rent-the-rental-car/795212)
**Author:** [@Enola\_Gay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Gay)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [September 1, 2017, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-rental-car-company-that-will-let-an-18-year-old-drive-not-rent-the-rental-car/795212 "2017-09-01T19:31:20Z")
I am driving across the country in a rental car with my 18 year old son & would like him to do some of the driving. But I just learned that the rental car company I usually use (Hertz) will not allow him to drive the car… --- ## [What could North Korea actually do to mainland US?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-north-korea-actually-do-to-mainland-us/794925)
**Author:** [@JakeRS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JakeRS)\ **Replies:** 63\ **Last updated:** [September 1, 2017, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-north-korea-actually-do-to-mainland-us/794925 "2017-09-01T18:24:26Z")
Obviously the exact capabilities of their missiles are a thing that no one really knows, intelligence services have problems with that, let alone people on forums, so let’s assume a probably unrealistic scenario where th… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=679) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=681)