# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=683 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 684 --- ## [What's the deal with post-dated copyrights?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-post-dated-copyrights/556031)
**Author:** [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [August 29, 2017, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-post-dated-copyrights/556031 "2017-08-29T02:01:42Z")
I have had in my possession for some months now a Calculus textbook with a copyright date of 2011. And I’ve just had my attention drawn to a new edition of a different textbook that will be available in January 2011—but… --- ## [Can't hear the announcers?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-hear-the-announcers/765073)
**Author:** [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/excavating_for_a_mind)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [August 29, 2017, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-hear-the-announcers/765073 "2017-08-29T01:47:45Z")
I sitting here watching the Uinv of Texas vs. Notre Dame game on ABC and they have the background noise so loud that you cannot hear the announcers. You can make out what the color guy is saying if you try, but the play… --- ## [Texas-Houston Landfill problem?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-houston-landfill-problem/794935)
**Author:** [@SanDiegoTim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanDiegoTim)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [August 29, 2017, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-houston-landfill-problem/794935 "2017-08-29T01:35:43Z")
One aspect of dealing with the flooding has to be the enormous amount of debris that will be generated. Can’t imagine local landfills will be adequate, to say nothing of the logistics of picking it up and transporting i… --- ## [If a bat got stuck in my car's vent system and died, would I smell it?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-bat-got-stuck-in-my-cars-vent-system-and-died-would-i-smell-it/794819)
**Author:** [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [August 29, 2017, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-bat-got-stuck-in-my-cars-vent-system-and-died-would-i-smell-it/794819 "2017-08-29T01:06:48Z")
I am fairly certain, first of all, that a bat did get into the vents and then got stuck. For more on that story, if you’re interested, see the eclipse thread in MPSIMS. (If it wasn’t a bat, it was the world’s biggest b… --- ## [Babylonian Trigonometry again?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babylonian-trigonometry-again/794663)
**Author:** [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Replies:** 49\ **Last updated:** [August 29, 2017, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babylonian-trigonometry-again/794663 "2017-08-29T00:01:43Z")
An article in the Guardian, Mathematical secrets of ancient tablet unlocked after nearly a century of study, makes claims about a newly deciphered Babylonian tablet. I understand that different techniques can make calc… --- ## [Sideways ship launch (parallel to the bank of the waterway)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sideways-ship-launch-parallel-to-the-bank-of-the-waterway/794288)
**Author:** [@zuer-coli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zuer-coli)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [August 28, 2017, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sideways-ship-launch-parallel-to-the-bank-of-the-waterway/794288 "2017-08-28T22:08:15Z")
Denizens of the Straight Dope, hail and well met. Here is a link to a modern sideways ship launching: Massive Sideways Ship Launch | PropTalk Here is a link to the Great Eastern: SS Great Eastern - Wikipedia. The Grea… --- ## [Why are good pictures of famous diamonds so rare?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-good-pictures-of-famous-diamonds-so-rare/793895)
**Author:** [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [August 28, 2017, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-good-pictures-of-famous-diamonds-so-rare/793895 "2017-08-28T22:05:05Z")
You look up the Regent or Dresden Green Diamond in Wikipedia, and find a reasonably informative article on the subject. Or you’re looking over a beautifully printed coffee table book about gems and gemology. The book i… --- ## [Space X Falcon 9 landings on a barge. What is the straight dope](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-x-falcon-9-landings-on-a-barge-what-is-the-straight-dope/794654)
**Author:** [@Nansbread1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nansbread1)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [August 28, 2017, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-x-falcon-9-landings-on-a-barge-what-is-the-straight-dope/794654 "2017-08-28T21:19:59Z")
There have been many discussions on whether the Space X reusable rocket technology is real or fake. The company appears to have made great advances and claims them in the media. I find it strange that as a non governmen… --- ## [Why do presidents wait until last day in office to issue flurry of pardons/commutations?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-presidents-wait-until-last-day-in-office-to-issue-flurry-of-pardons-commutations/794762)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [August 28, 2017, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-presidents-wait-until-last-day-in-office-to-issue-flurry-of-pardons-commutations/794762 "2017-08-28T20:47:51Z")
It makes sense not to issue presidential pardons and commutations before Election Day - it could hurt your party’s candidate (Clinton could have hurt Gore in 2000, Obama could have hurt Hillary in 2016,) but once Electio… --- ## [Car Purchase - Cash or Cashier's Check? Process?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-purchase-cash-or-cashiers-check-process/399879)
**Author:** [@Roboto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roboto)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [August 28, 2017, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-purchase-cash-or-cashiers-check-process/399879 "2017-08-28T20:27:47Z")
Shopping for a vintage vehicle on craigslist (Mustang!) and realized that I don’t know exactly what buyers expect in terms of payment. Obviously everyone wants cash, but the car I want costs $12k. Do they really expect… --- ## [A query about supplemental vitamins](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-query-about-supplemental-vitamins/794945)
**Author:** [@2Bits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2Bits)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [August 28, 2017, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-query-about-supplemental-vitamins/794945 "2017-08-28T17:03:12Z")
Inspired by this article about vitamins B6 & B12: …is there conclusive evidence that consuming any vitamin in excess of what our bodies require to maintain a basic level of health has any benefit(s)? --- ## [Pardon me another pardon question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pardon-me-another-pardon-question/794746)
**Author:** [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [August 28, 2017, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pardon-me-another-pardon-question/794746 "2017-08-28T16:31:05Z")
I’m trying to find a list of pardons given by presidents like the most recent one. That is pardons granted either before convictions or before a sentence is carried out. It’s pretty easy to find list of all pardons and c… --- ## [Comparing Hotel Linens](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comparing-hotel-linens/794684)
**Author:** [@GreenHell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenHell)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [August 28, 2017, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comparing-hotel-linens/794684 "2017-08-28T15:03:56Z")
So I’ve been given some funds to purchase more soft goods for the hotel and have dutifully provided quotes from our suppliers, but now my boss needs a report on the relative quality of their offerings. Any objective plac… --- ## [I-Tunes Playlist?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-tunes-playlist/794902)
**Author:** [@SanDiegoTim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanDiegoTim)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [August 28, 2017, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-tunes-playlist/794902 "2017-08-28T02:54:55Z")
Is it possible to merge two playlists into a third under a new name? --- ## [Did I photograph the eclipse in these pictures?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-i-photograph-the-eclipse-in-these-pictures/794321)
**Author:** [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [August 28, 2017, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-i-photograph-the-eclipse-in-these-pictures/794321 "2017-08-28T02:36:47Z")
I used my Ipad to take some pics of the sun during the eclipse. We got 85% coverage. Nothing came out in the actual sun, but look below the sun. I circled the relevant portion in my pictures. What is that? --- ## [Italian Mafia Versus Other Gangs](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/italian-mafia-versus-other-gangs/574069)
**Author:** [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [August 28, 2017, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/italian-mafia-versus-other-gangs/574069 "2017-08-28T01:03:10Z")
The Italian “Mafia” gets most of the stage and screen coverage, but I’m wondering how they deal with other gangs, e.g. the Bloods, Crips, Latin Kings, the Russian and Latin American gangs, the bikers etc. I would assume … --- ## [Questions about upgrading a 1155 CPU](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-upgrading-a-1155-cpu/794695)
**Author:** [@JakeRS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JakeRS)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [August 27, 2017, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-upgrading-a-1155-cpu/794695 "2017-08-27T23:40:26Z")
I want to upgrade to a more powerful and faster CPU (mostly for 3d rendering, video editing and perhaps gaming as a bonus), but without changing the motherboard, but since I don’t really know a lot about cpu’s, I’d like … --- ## [Deposit Insurance above $250k](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deposit-insurance-above-250k/794881)
**Author:** [@Mrdeals](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrdeals)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [August 27, 2017, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deposit-insurance-above-250k/794881 "2017-08-27T21:49:07Z")
Piggybacking on the various threads on the lottery win. Are there third party companies that provide coverage for accounts that have much more in them than FDIC covers? --- ## [at what age did the last known American slave die?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-did-the-last-known-american-slave-die/313272)
**Author:** [@lhovis73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lhovis73)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [August 27, 2017, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-did-the-last-known-american-slave-die/313272 "2017-08-27T20:18:30Z")
I just learned from Ken Burns’ Civil War documentary that the last veteran of that war died in the late fifties. This made me wonder if we knew the name of the last person who had once been a slave in the US. I did a b… --- ## [Mixing batteries in series : no real problem, right?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mixing-batteries-in-series-no-real-problem-right/794709)
**Author:** [@SamuelA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SamuelA)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [August 27, 2017, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mixing-batteries-in-series-no-real-problem-right/794709 "2017-08-27T15:40:49Z")
Ok, so if you search google for “mixing rechargeable batteries and alkaline”, you get a huge amount of posts from various forums. Pretty much everyone parrots some bullshit about incorrect battery chemistry or ‘pushing’… --- ## [Do most countries have similar intra-service stereotypes of their military?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-countries-have-similar-intra-service-stereotypes-of-their-military/794515)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [August 27, 2017, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-countries-have-similar-intra-service-stereotypes-of-their-military/794515 "2017-08-27T11:00:11Z")
I have never served in the military, but as I understand it, the stereotypes of the U.S. military branches are as follows: \*\*Air Force \*\*= Chair Force, the least rigorous PT, the most office-like and nerdy, comfortable … --- ## [Protect hardwood floors.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protect-hardwood-floors/794661)
**Author:** [@dauerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dauerbach)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [August 27, 2017, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protect-hardwood-floors/794661 "2017-08-27T06:56:19Z")
We need to service our refrigerator and want to protect our new hardwood floors from damage. What is the best way to do that? --- ## [How do people have tv and dial-up but no broadband internet?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-have-tv-and-dial-up-but-no-broadband-internet/794521)
**Author:** [@Contemplation](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contemplation)\ **Replies:** 34\ **Last updated:** [August 27, 2017, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-have-tv-and-dial-up-but-no-broadband-internet/794521 "2017-08-27T05:47:45Z")
I can’t remember using dial-up internet once in my life, but somehow some Americans still use it to this day. https://www.allconnect.com/blog/people-really-still-use-dial-internet-actually-9-4-million/ If it’s infrastr… --- ## [Conditionally replacing formula with value only](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conditionally-replacing-formula-with-value-only/557150)
**Author:** [@CynthiaR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynthiaR)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [August 27, 2017, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conditionally-replacing-formula-with-value-only/557150 "2017-08-27T05:39:35Z")
Is there a way to set a column to automatically replace its present formula with its calculated value…based on a specific criteria? What I’m looking for specifically is to be able to say IF Cell “X” \> 1, then ditch the… --- ## [Do paramedics write on their patients?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-paramedics-write-on-their-patients/794553)
**Author:** [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [August 27, 2017, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-paramedics-write-on-their-patients/794553 "2017-08-27T04:27:33Z")
I was reading a county medical examiner’s autopsy report, and it said the deceased had two disposable defibrillator pads on the chest, and faint, illegible writing. That’s all it says about that, but it seems like the k… --- ## [Streetcar or RR passenger car?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streetcar-or-rr-passenger-car/794562)
**Author:** [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [August 27, 2017, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streetcar-or-rr-passenger-car/794562 "2017-08-27T03:47:59Z")
Doesn’t look like a streetcar to me. --- ## [FICO Credit Score](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fico-credit-score/791685)
**Author:** [@Oddball\_92](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oddball_92)\ **Replies:** 44\ **Last updated:** [August 26, 2017, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fico-credit-score/791685 "2017-08-26T23:39:39Z")
My credit card company (Discover) has recently congratulated me on having a FICO score of 817. Does this score really mean anything? Is this what banks use to lend money or is this some sort of enticement by Discover? --- ## [Where can I buy anti-texting magnetic stickers?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-buy-anti-texting-magnetic-stickers/794688)
**Author:** [@Hooleehootoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hooleehootoo)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [August 26, 2017, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-buy-anti-texting-magnetic-stickers/794688 "2017-08-26T21:59:05Z")
I want a magnetic bumper sticker that says “Turn off phone before driving” or something like that. Then I will attach it to my car door and see it when I get in. I would also buy some for other people. I see some adhesi… --- ## ["If you'd like to leave a call back number..."](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youd-like-to-leave-a-call-back-number/794674)
**Author:** [@2Bits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2Bits)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [August 26, 2017, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youd-like-to-leave-a-call-back-number/794674 "2017-08-26T19:09:19Z")
What’s with the “If you’d like to leave a call back number press\_\_\_\_\_” option you often get on a voice mail recording? Have you ever chosen that option? What does the recipient hear when the listen to their messages? --- ## [Thunderbirds 2003 crash: preventable?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thunderbirds-2003-crash-preventable/794571)
**Author:** [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [August 26, 2017, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thunderbirds-2003-crash-preventable/794571 "2017-08-26T02:45:38Z")
This concerns the Thunderbird crash in 2003 at the air show in Mountain View, Idaho. Video clip here. The root cause is well understood, i.e. the pilot did not climb high enough before commencing the split-S maneuver. … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=682) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=684)