# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=693 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 694 --- ## [Does Gmail have more security measures than most banks?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-gmail-have-more-security-measures-than-most-banks/792614)
**Author:** [@cowardsflight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cowardsflight)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [August 6, 2017, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-gmail-have-more-security-measures-than-most-banks/792614 "2017-08-06T12:56:59Z")
This is from anecdotal experience but it seems that the email service, Gmail accounts users are guaranteed more safety than online bank account users for many banks across the world. One of my former colleagues who live… --- ## [Do People Still Steal Car Radios?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-still-steal-car-radios/749174)
**Author:** [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Replies:** 65\ **Last updated:** [August 6, 2017, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-still-steal-car-radios/749174 "2017-08-06T12:47:50Z")
Because of some very cold weather a few weeks ago, I had to jump-start the battery on the Honda CRV. Afterwards, the radio and clock stopped working. Apparently, it was part of an anti-theft device and I needed to enter … --- ## [The Shape of an Electron](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shape-of-an-electron/792893)
**Author:** [@abashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abashed)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [August 6, 2017, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shape-of-an-electron/792893 "2017-08-06T12:25:18Z")
I always assumed an electron was perfectly spherical, but it’s not quite that simple it seems. So what shape is an electron? --- ## [Where can I get a Reader in Oak Park, IL?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-get-a-reader-in-oak-park-il/792862)
**Author:** [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [August 6, 2017, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-get-a-reader-in-oak-park-il/792862 "2017-08-06T01:05:41Z")
Mundane and pointless but a GQ all the same - anyone know where I can get a reader in Oak Park, IL? The box near me house is gone after some construction work. --- ## [Power outage in North Carolina](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/power-outage-in-north-carolina/792500)
**Author:** [@bizerta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bizerta)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [August 6, 2017, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/power-outage-in-north-carolina/792500 "2017-08-06T00:13:30Z")
Workers accidentally severed cables that carry electricity to two islands in NC. Why are tourist being required to leave? If they want to spend the night in the dark, why are they not allowed to do so? Tourists are no… --- ## [Identify this feather](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-feather/792875)
**Author:** [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [August 5, 2017, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-feather/792875 "2017-08-05T23:36:54Z")
Found on a walk this morning in the woods. Central California. I don’t know that I’ve seen any bright orange birds around here. --- ## [Are photons identical?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-photons-identical/792778)
**Author:** [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [August 5, 2017, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-photons-identical/792778 "2017-08-05T19:38:21Z")
Are photons identical? As they are considered fundamental like electrons, it would seem the answer would have to be yes. The mathematics of quantum mechanics may even require this, I don’t recall, but it does for elect… --- ## [American Civil War question: betrayal by officers.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-civil-war-question-betrayal-by-officers/792659)
**Author:** [@John\_Bredin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Bredin)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [August 5, 2017, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-civil-war-question-betrayal-by-officers/792659 "2017-08-05T19:22:56Z")
A recent thread in IMHO, asking what if Robert E. Lee remained a Union general, lead me to a tangential question. Nobody opined on it, so I ask it here as a General :stuck\_out\_tongue: Question: Are there any known insta… --- ## [What, (if anything,) do we know about cats and their reaction to catnip?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-we-know-about-cats-and-their-reaction-to-catnip/792779)
**Author:** [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [August 5, 2017, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-do-we-know-about-cats-and-their-reaction-to-catnip/792779 "2017-08-05T18:16:46Z")
As far as I’m aware, no one knows why or how it effects cats. If that’s the case, any speculation? --- ## [How did camera manufacturers cope with the rise of cellphones?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-camera-manufacturers-cope-with-the-rise-of-cellphones/792802)
**Author:** [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [August 5, 2017, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-camera-manufacturers-cope-with-the-rise-of-cellphones/792802 "2017-08-05T12:46:15Z")
A few decades back a camera or videocam was an essential buy for all families. How else could you capture the memories of your kids, etc. The camera business must have been gigantic. Then came cellphones and gradually th… --- ## [Low-level Nuclear Waste Storage](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-level-nuclear-waste-storage/792744)
**Author:** [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [August 5, 2017, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-level-nuclear-waste-storage/792744 "2017-08-05T10:55:54Z")
Low-level nuclear waste is stuff like the gown you wear when they x-ray you. Dangerous, but not horrible. It has a half-life such that it will be safe in a couple of hundred years. The US has been tossed the responsibil… --- ## [Keeping your IP address hidden...](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-your-ip-address-hidden/792815)
**Author:** [@Beandip478](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beandip478)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [August 5, 2017, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-your-ip-address-hidden/792815 "2017-08-05T02:57:24Z")
So I run NordVPN and Malwarebytes in an effort to keep my ass hidden online and avoid the planting of pests and spyware in my system, but some time ago I ran into a bit of confusion. A chap I know was singing the praises… --- ## [Power & Renaissance](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/power-renaissance/792772)
**Author:** [@Potestas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Potestas)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [August 5, 2017, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/power-renaissance/792772 "2017-08-05T02:06:03Z")
During the Renaissance period in European history why was it that some rulers advanced art so much? (For example the Medici’s in Florence) Was it seen as a diversion or a means of solidifying the power of the rulers in … --- ## [satellite orientation technique question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellite-orientation-technique-question/792722)
**Author:** [@rbroome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rbroome)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [August 5, 2017, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellite-orientation-technique-question/792722 "2017-08-05T01:48:59Z")
I need help refreshing my memory on a new technology being used to control satellite orientation. Something different from the traditional momentum wheels-I think. I read an article on this new technique just a couple o… --- ## [Can anyone Identify the planes flying in formation with this B-17 Flying Fortress?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-identify-the-planes-flying-in-formation-with-this-b-17-flying-fortress/792672)
**Author:** [@SHARKBITEATTACK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SHARKBITEATTACK)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [August 4, 2017, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-identify-the-planes-flying-in-formation-with-this-b-17-flying-fortress/792672 "2017-08-04T22:30:31Z")
--- ## [Will "The Mooch" get a severance package?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-mooch-get-a-severance-package/792573)
**Author:** [@2Bits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2Bits)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [August 4, 2017, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-mooch-get-a-severance-package/792573 "2017-08-04T22:10:51Z")
Do the White House folks that getting canned by our president get severance money? If so, are the details in the public record? --- ## [I don't understand time-of-flight cameras - without flash, that is](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-time-of-flight-cameras-without-flash-that-is/792785)
**Author:** [@komolono](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/komolono)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [August 4, 2017, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-time-of-flight-cameras-without-flash-that-is/792785 "2017-08-04T21:50:02Z")
Well I didn’t read the corresponding Wikipedia either. But the basic problem is that object reflect light all the time. If the technology depended on flashing light, you could calculate the spent time, but I don’t see fl… --- ## [Questions about faking a heart attack! (Air Transat Incident)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-faking-a-heart-attack-air-transat-incident/792620)
**Author:** [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Replies:** 43\ **Last updated:** [August 4, 2017, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-faking-a-heart-attack-air-transat-incident/792620 "2017-08-04T21:45:56Z")
So all over the news here is a frightening story of people left on a plane for hours with no water, food, lights or air conditioning, sitting on the runway, the airline refusing to let them deplane. It got so awful peop… --- ## [Rustling/scratching sound in ceiling](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rustling-scratching-sound-in-ceiling/792263)
**Author:** [@steveisoverthere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steveisoverthere)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [August 4, 2017, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rustling-scratching-sound-in-ceiling/792263 "2017-08-04T19:15:09Z")
I live on the first floor of a two story apartment building. Early this morning, around 6:00 as dawn was breaking, I heard what sounded to be like a fast rustling sound in the ceiling…like an animal running up and down. … --- ## [How much salt in salted ice?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-salt-in-salted-ice/792476)
**Author:** [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Replies:** 36\ **Last updated:** [August 4, 2017, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-salt-in-salted-ice/792476 "2017-08-04T18:16:14Z")
I’m thinking of including a couple of plastic jars with frozen salted water into a cooler of things I need to stay cold. I’ve been reading about it and thought I’d give it a try and see if it makes a difference. But no … --- ## [Firenze Signoria](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firenze-signoria/792652)
**Author:** [@Potestas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Potestas)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [August 4, 2017, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firenze-signoria/792652 "2017-08-04T16:59:11Z")
Whatever became of the Signoria (governing council composed of the guilds) in Firenze (Florence) that dominated the way things were done during the Renaissance? --- ## [Airline pilots: Pressure differential](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-pilots-pressure-differential/792630)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [August 4, 2017, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-pilots-pressure-differential/792630 "2017-08-04T16:24:01Z")
First of the month, so I’m very busy at work. Apologies for not doing the research and math myself. I know the air pressure at sea level is 14.7 psi. I think passenger jets are pressurised to 8,000 feet, and I think t… --- ## [Help me wire my electric guitar](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-wire-my-electric-guitar/792702)
**Author:** [@No\_Way\_Jose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/No_Way_Jose)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [August 4, 2017, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-wire-my-electric-guitar/792702 "2017-08-04T15:18:47Z")
Hello, I’m going to wire up my guitar and could use some guidance on what to solder and where. Hereis a diagram that I am using for reference and hereis a picture of the electronics cavity. Most of this is straightforwa… --- ## [Legal question on the Conrad Roy case](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-question-on-the-conrad-roy-case/792739)
**Author:** [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [August 4, 2017, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-question-on-the-conrad-roy-case/792739 "2017-08-04T14:30:12Z")
Michelle Carter just got sentenced to 15 months on the charge of involuntary manslaughter for ‘wantonly and recklessly assisting in the suicide’, as the Grand Jury put it, of Conrad Roy. Later in the article linked abo… --- ## [How many books are there in the world?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-books-are-there-in-the-world/792288)
**Author:** [@Nansbread1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nansbread1)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [August 4, 2017, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-books-are-there-in-the-world/792288 "2017-08-04T12:35:39Z")
Trillions or even more. Do libraries take decisions to get rid of books due to lack of space or just build more space? For eg. There are large number of scientific institutions all over the world with large numbers of … --- ## [I need to glue a plastic piece in my freezer.... how?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-to-glue-a-plastic-piece-in-my-freezer-how/623582)
**Author:** [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [June 13, 2014, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-to-glue-a-plastic-piece-in-my-freezer-how/623582 "2014-06-13T00:55:50Z")
A piece that helps attach the little shelf/bins to the door of the freezer has broken off and needs to be glued. The freezer and fridge are full of food and we only have a medium sized ice chest, so taking the food out a… --- ## [What does this Russian text on this chart say?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-russian-text-on-this-chart-say/792610)
**Author:** [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [August 4, 2017, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-russian-text-on-this-chart-say/792610 "2017-08-04T06:39:36Z")
Seen here, a curio of the early Soviet atomic program. It’s just a few lines, but it’s kind of small (though not illegible), evidently handwritten, might use some esoteric technical terms, and includes at least a few abb… --- ## [Macintosh experts: Dictation not working in all applications](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macintosh-experts-dictation-not-working-in-all-applications/792752)
**Author:** [@edwardcoast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwardcoast)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [August 4, 2017, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/macintosh-experts-dictation-not-working-in-all-applications/792752 "2017-08-04T05:57:51Z")
I’ve been using Dictation on the Mac for a long time without a problem. Within the last day or so, Dictation isn’t working in all the applications. It worked in TextEdit fine, but it no longer works when using the Google… --- ## [carbon monoxide detectors for cars](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carbon-monoxide-detectors-for-cars/792738)
**Author:** [@rbroome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rbroome)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [August 4, 2017, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carbon-monoxide-detectors-for-cars/792738 "2017-08-04T01:38:31Z")
Has anyone put a carbon monoxide detector in their car as a precaution? There is a news story about police departments having problems with Ford Explorers exposing officers to too much CO-in a few cases the officer brie… --- ## [Flying on Air Force One: Absolute, 100 % safe?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-on-air-force-one-absolute-100-safe/714191)
**Author:** [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Replies:** 71\ **Last updated:** [August 4, 2017, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-on-air-force-one-absolute-100-safe/714191 "2017-08-04T01:23:02Z")
Air travel in general is considered a fairly safe means of transportation, but of course, accidents do happen and when they happen, they get a lot of attention. There are human errors, technical malfunctions and adverse … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=692) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=694)