# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=681 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 682 --- ## [Flights that arrive earlier than their departure](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flights-that-arrive-earlier-than-their-departure/795151)
**Author:** [@sbunny8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sbunny8)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [September 1, 2017, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flights-that-arrive-earlier-than-their-departure/795151 "2017-09-01T17:58:04Z")
I saw a flight from Paris France to Vancouver BC Canada that takes 10 1/2 hours but you cross nine time zones, so you arrive only 90 minutes after you left. That means the plane’s average speed is almost as fast as Earth… --- ## [Question about nameservers](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-nameservers/795143)
**Author:** [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [September 1, 2017, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-nameservers/795143 "2017-09-01T17:32:16Z")
So, in an effort to fill in some holes of understanding I have more completely in how things on the Internet work, I have a bit of a question about DNS and name servers in general. I think I understand the basics of DNS… --- ## [Robert E Lee and statues](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-e-lee-and-statues/795231)
**Author:** [@ric62](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ric62)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [September 1, 2017, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-e-lee-and-statues/795231 "2017-09-01T16:49:37Z")
Jim Hightower gave a quote from R E Lee that has Lee opposing any confederate memorials. Can anyone site the source of Lee’s quote? --- ## [Two Questions about Raw Eggs](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-questions-about-raw-eggs/795174)
**Author:** [@yearofglad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yearofglad)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [September 1, 2017, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-questions-about-raw-eggs/795174 "2017-09-01T15:39:04Z")
I had a dozen raw eggs - they’d been in the fridge for a while, but no longer than I usually keep eggs. Several of them, when I cracked them and put them in a griddle, had “fuzzy” yolks - the edges of the yolks weren’t … --- ## [Jails during disasters question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jails-during-disasters-question/795062)
**Author:** [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [September 1, 2017, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jails-during-disasters-question/795062 "2017-09-01T15:16:39Z")
What happens to jails and prisons during things like the floods? Would they relocate them or what? I do know of some circumstances where they had the prisoners go out and help. --- ## [Scenario : homeowner's but no flood insurance, and the house burned down right before the flood...](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scenario-homeowners-but-no-flood-insurance-and-the-house-burned-down-right-before-the-flood/795226)
**Author:** [@SamuelA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SamuelA)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [September 1, 2017, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scenario-homeowners-but-no-flood-insurance-and-the-house-burned-down-right-before-the-flood/795226 "2017-09-01T15:01:15Z")
Let’s assume the blaze was accidental (or at least is ruled that way). What I’m wondering is - let’s say the fire burns the place to the ground. Then, a day later, a flood would have destroyed the bottom 5 feet of the … --- ## [What's the exact pH of water?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-exact-ph-of-water/795160)
**Author:** [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [September 1, 2017, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-exact-ph-of-water/795160 "2017-09-01T13:45:50Z")
Every source simply states that pure water has a neutral pH of 7. But pH is defined as the negative log of the concentration of hydronium ions in mol/liter and that a pH of 7 is a happy coincidence rather than any natura… --- ## [Common movie scene : Wire transfer of ransom money. Pointless, right?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-movie-scene-wire-transfer-of-ransom-money-pointless-right/795139)
**Author:** [@SamuelA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SamuelA)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [September 1, 2017, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-movie-scene-wire-transfer-of-ransom-money-pointless-right/795139 "2017-09-01T13:28:07Z")
It’s common to scene in a number of movies for the ransom money/illegal arms payment to be made by wire transfer. There might be an accompanying animation showing the money somehow instantly being sent through thousands… --- ## [Why would my trailer footplate have this warning?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-my-trailer-footplate-have-this-warning/795140)
**Author:** [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [September 1, 2017, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-my-trailer-footplate-have-this-warning/795140 "2017-09-01T03:08:58Z")
I recently bought a second hand “Tractor Supply” trailer. For whatever reason, they don’t come with a foot plate when they’re new so I bought one because I don’t care for the jack tube sitting directly on the ground or a… --- ## [Dryer Lint](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dryer-lint/794983)
**Author:** [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [September 1, 2017, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dryer-lint/794983 "2017-09-01T01:24:38Z")
Does anyone have a hack for removing dryer lint all in one sheet? I have always said that if I could tear it off all in one complete sheet, then that’s a good day for me. Lately though, I’ve been having a pretty rough t… --- ## [Non-standard directions in Google Maps?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-standard-directions-in-google-maps/795130)
**Author:** [@Ornery\_Bob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ornery_Bob)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [August 31, 2017, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-standard-directions-in-google-maps/795130 "2017-08-31T23:15:19Z")
I use my Android phone for navigation. “Ok Google, take me to (wherever)” However, there is a particular place I go to several times a year where the Google Maps directions would have me drive through places I would rat… --- ## [Functional programming on Linux](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/functional-programming-on-linux/795117)
**Author:** [@Saffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saffer)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [August 31, 2017, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/functional-programming-on-linux/795117 "2017-08-31T23:05:44Z")
I have recently divorced myself from Windows 10, and have started a relationship with Ubuntu. I am tired of not having full control over my PC, but that is not what this thread is about. I have also become a big fan of … --- ## [The 'standing, hunched forward, resting arms on thighs' rest position. What's being rested?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-standing-hunched-forward-resting-arms-on-thighs-rest-position-whats-being-rested/795082)
**Author:** [@KellyCriterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KellyCriterion)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [August 31, 2017, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-standing-hunched-forward-resting-arms-on-thighs-rest-position-whats-being-rested/795082 "2017-08-31T21:55:15Z")
Sometimes after intensive exercise, athletes will instinctively rest in this standing position. I am trying to work out which part of the body is being “rested” here? The arms are obviously doing work, and the standing … --- ## [Any wars "won" by a single person or small group?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-wars-won-by-a-single-person-or-small-group/795070)
**Author:** [@JakeRS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JakeRS)\ **Replies:** 36\ **Last updated:** [August 31, 2017, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-wars-won-by-a-single-person-or-small-group/795070 "2017-08-31T21:00:35Z")
Real life is of course not Call of Duty and one person can’t win a war by himself, however…one soldier on the field may have a big influence on the course of a single battle, still highly improbable, but possible, for ex… --- ## [Why do razors get dull?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-razors-get-dull/795024)
**Author:** [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [August 31, 2017, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-razors-get-dull/795024 "2017-08-31T19:16:27Z")
A razor blade is made of hardened steel. My face is made of nice soft skin, and my beard hair is certainly softer than steel. Shouldn’t a razor stay sharp unless it is abraded by a material with a greater hardness than s… --- ## [John Adams on G. Washington](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-adams-on-g-washington/795173)
**Author:** [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [August 31, 2017, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-adams-on-g-washington/795173 "2017-08-31T18:40:21Z")
Hi According to Ron Chernow’s “Washington : A Life” (p 791) "One day in February 1799 Senator Theodore Sedgwick, a convinced Federalist happened to ask Adams whether Washington would carry the title General in the new … --- ## [How to compare GPU's?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-compare-gpus/795010)
**Author:** [@JakeRS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JakeRS)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [August 31, 2017, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-compare-gpus/795010 "2017-08-31T18:28:49Z")
I’m not planning on buying a GPU now, but nonetheless I never really understood how GPU’s are being compared to each other. I have a specific problem that I have a “custom” VTX3D GPU, so it is impossible to find it on “… --- ## [Recognize this looping purple transit logo?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recognize-this-looping-purple-transit-logo/795166)
**Author:** [@cwthree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cwthree)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [August 31, 2017, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recognize-this-looping-purple-transit-logo/795166 "2017-08-31T17:38:11Z")
I know it’s a long shot, but I’m hoping the collective experience of the Straight Dope can help. Does anyone recognize the logo at the link below? Just to keep things interesti… --- ## [Route of the B & O RR to Wheeling VA 1852](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/route-of-the-b-o-rr-to-wheeling-va-1852/794973)
**Author:** [@zuer-coli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zuer-coli)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [August 31, 2017, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/route-of-the-b-o-rr-to-wheeling-va-1852/794973 "2017-08-31T16:52:13Z")
Dopers all, greetings and well met. First, Wheeling was in Virginia until West Virginia was admitted as the 35th State in the Union June 20, 1863. What I am interested in finding out is what was / is the route that the… --- ## [Question about how a cryptocurrency wallet backup works](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-how-a-cryptocurrency-wallet-backup-works/795169)
**Author:** [@MorrisCody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MorrisCody)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [August 31, 2017, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-how-a-cryptocurrency-wallet-backup-works/795169 "2017-08-31T13:23:57Z")
Say North Korea decides to nuke the United States, but Kim Jong-un is thoughtful enough to do it while I’m vacationing in Australia. Every bit (literally) of digital data I ever had (computer, USB drives, cloud servers) … --- ## [Statistics: is there a kind of regression that does this?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/statistics-is-there-a-kind-of-regression-that-does-this/795127)
**Author:** [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [August 31, 2017, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/statistics-is-there-a-kind-of-regression-that-does-this/795127 "2017-08-31T11:49:37Z")
There’s a kind of regression I think should exist but I don’t know what it’s called. Or perhaps there’s actually just a way of accomplishing this with a general linear model, and I simply don’t see how. Or maybe what I’m… --- ## [Frankincense](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frankincense/795133)
**Author:** [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [August 31, 2017, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frankincense/795133 "2017-08-31T10:52:07Z")
So my wife loves frankincense oil and claims it has all sorts of healing properties. Since it has been used for so long I am curious if there has been any legitimate research as to the truthfulness of the claims. Sent f… --- ## [Amazon Music](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-music/795126)
**Author:** [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [August 31, 2017, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-music/795126 "2017-08-31T02:09:26Z")
I use Amazon Music on my iPhone. When I listen to my music I always hit “shuffle”. But it seems like I hear the same songs over and over - just in a different order. There are songs on my play list that I never hear. … --- ## [How does Facebook decide that I may want to be friends with someone?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-facebook-decide-that-i-may-want-to-be-friends-with-someone/768909)
**Author:** [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [August 31, 2017, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-facebook-decide-that-i-may-want-to-be-friends-with-someone/768909 "2017-08-31T01:18:11Z")
Looking through my suggested friends I found people well within my monkeysphere who I had neglected to befriend because I’m rarely on Facebook. There were others I recognize and have common friends. That’s okay. But t… --- ## [Falcon 9 fuel delivery system](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falcon-9-fuel-delivery-system/795099)
**Author:** [@ZurBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZurBob)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [August 31, 2017, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falcon-9-fuel-delivery-system/795099 "2017-08-31T00:41:11Z")
Wiki mentions “the system designed to pump high-pressure helium from the launch pad into the first stage turbopumps, which would get them spinning in preparation for launch.” These pumps, I assume, are related to the fu… --- ## [Which rain scale is used to measure the Hurricane Harvey rainfall?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-rain-scale-is-used-to-measure-the-hurricane-harvey-rainfall/795076)
**Author:** [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [August 30, 2017, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-rain-scale-is-used-to-measure-the-hurricane-harvey-rainfall/795076 "2017-08-30T23:33:45Z")
HI I’ve been scouring articles on Hurricane Harvey but I have’t been able to find which scale is being used to measure the record rainfall produced it. I look forward to your feedback. --- ## [rotating machinery, vibration measurement (need answer fast)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rotating-machinery-vibration-measurement-need-answer-fast/795101)
**Author:** [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [August 30, 2017, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rotating-machinery-vibration-measurement-need-answer-fast/795101 "2017-08-30T22:44:55Z")
Setting up rotating machinery. The manual gives a spec for vibration of “0.20 V in/sec.” at speeds less than 3600 RPM. How do I convert this into an acceleration reading (G, or in/s^2, or something like that) that I m… --- ## [Online 'forms'/'comments' weirdness](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/online-forms-comments-weirdness/794657)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [August 30, 2017, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/online-forms-comments-weirdness/794657 "2017-08-30T22:42:48Z")
I’m using Safari at home, and Explorer at work. Recently I’ve noticed weird things happening, though I’m not sure if it’s happening with both browsers. I suspect it might not be happening with Explorer, but I’m not sur… --- ## [Houston flooding extensive? or not?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/houston-flooding-extensive-or-not/795065)
**Author:** [@crucible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crucible)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [August 30, 2017, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/houston-flooding-extensive-or-not/795065 "2017-08-30T21:06:53Z")
I am struck by some numbers. There are something like 7 million people in the Houston metro area, maybe even more. The news reports say that something like 20000 people needed to be rescued from flooded homes and resid… --- ## [Explain the subprime problem to a non-American?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-subprime-problem-to-a-non-american/457528)
**Author:** [@Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crowbar_of_Irony_3)\ **Replies:** 48\ **Last updated:** [August 30, 2017, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-subprime-problem-to-a-non-american/457528 "2017-08-30T20:35:28Z")
I know it’s a pretty big thing over at the US, but lacking the knowledge of how mortgages work over there, I don’t fully grasp what actually is the subprime rate problem, what leads to it and why it should cause a recess… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=680) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=682)