# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=701 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 702 --- ## [Identify this tool](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-tool/791575)
**Author:** [@Bumbershoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbershoot)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2017, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-tool/791575 "2017-07-19T17:25:49Z")
My great-grandfather was a master carpenter in the late 1800s & early 1900s and had a large wooden tool chest full of tools. My sister and brother-in-law currently have the tool chest at their home in Iowa. I was visitin… --- ## [Can mailmen tresspass?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-mailmen-tresspass/791061)
**Author:** [@pabstist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pabstist)\ **Replies:** 41\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2017, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-mailmen-tresspass/791061 "2017-07-19T13:01:02Z")
We have a mailbox at the end of our driveway by the roadside. But sometimes if we get something too big for the mailbox, the mailman will walk or drive to our back porch to leave it there. We’ve done the shit to have hi… --- ## [Are any diseases caused by plasmids?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-diseases-caused-by-plasmids/791175)
**Author:** [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2017, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-diseases-caused-by-plasmids/791175 "2017-07-19T11:31:35Z")
Viruses are genetic material encased in protein. They self-replicate and cause disease. Prions are just proteins. They self-replicate and cause disease. So complete the pattern: Plasmids are just genetic material. They… --- ## [What kind of dog is this? A Leonberger?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-dog-is-this-a-leonberger/791620)
**Author:** [@TheSundial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheSundial)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2017, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-dog-is-this-a-leonberger/791620 "2017-07-19T03:07:52Z")
I’m not sure if this falls in general questions or cafe society. I’m wondering what kind of dog is pictured here. A Leonberger? Is it large enough to be one? I didn’t even know Leonberger existed until tonight when t… --- ## [Why is the Huffington Post Blocked this Morning?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-huffington-post-blocked-this-morning/790887)
**Author:** [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2017, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-huffington-post-blocked-this-morning/790887 "2017-07-19T03:12:47Z")
Last night it was not blocked. This morning the Ministry of Culture and Information has it blocked. Is there anything juicy about Saudi Arabia on the front page just about now? --- ## [Why Isn't the Electric Company a Monopoly?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-the-electric-company-a-monopoly/791081)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 39\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2017, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-the-electric-company-a-monopoly/791081 "2017-07-19T02:54:12Z")
I don’t know about the rest of you. But where I live (Detroit), the electric company is privately owned. And there is only one statewide. Why isn’t that considered a corporate monopoly? Sure I could move to another stat… --- ## [Differences in MS Office 365](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/differences-in-ms-office-365/791352)
**Author:** [@Newtosite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Newtosite)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2017, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/differences-in-ms-office-365/791352 "2017-07-19T02:43:00Z")
I’d like to subscribe to MS Office 365 for the Word program. On ebay they range from $30 something to $89. There’s even a lifetime subscription offered for only $3.00. The boxes don’t all look the same. Aside from whet… --- ## [Has there ever been a verified case of women piling on a sexual misconduct case for the fame/money?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-verified-case-of-women-piling-on-a-sexual-misconduct-case-for-the-fame-money/791468)
**Author:** [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2017, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-verified-case-of-women-piling-on-a-sexual-misconduct-case-for-the-fame-money/791468 "2017-07-19T02:20:14Z")
There have been several famous men who, when a tidal wave of sexual abuse charges gets leveled against them, essentially respond by saying “I am a prominent figure and all of these women are just looking at a shot of fam… --- ## [Galactic Core Photos](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/galactic-core-photos/791609)
**Author:** [@ZomZom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZomZom)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2017, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/galactic-core-photos/791609 "2017-07-19T02:14:21Z")
Are astro photos that mention the ‘Galactic Core’ incorrect? I vaguely recall hearing on a podcast some time ago that the core of the Milky Way is not viewable from earth in visible wavelengths because of intervening du… --- ## [Security when installing apps in Google Play](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/security-when-installing-apps-in-google-play/791562)
**Author:** [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2017, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/security-when-installing-apps-in-google-play/791562 "2017-07-19T01:36:31Z")
Here I am, in Google Play, getting ready to install “Amazon Shopping” onto my Android Phone. I have to admit that it is generously and honestly warning me about the parts of my phone that this app will have access to. E… --- ## [What to do with a box of car keys and fobs?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-box-of-car-keys-and-fobs/791574)
**Author:** [@LateComer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LateComer)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2017, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-box-of-car-keys-and-fobs/791574 "2017-07-19T00:34:39Z")
So, a friend rents out some houses and recently had to evict some people. Upon cleanup she has found a large collection of car keys. Some with fobs, some without. 20-30 in total. Various makes and models. I can’t think… --- ## [Parole: do you really have to admit guilt? (Canada)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parole-do-you-really-have-to-admit-guilt-canada/791314)
**Author:** [@Heracles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heracles)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [July 18, 2017, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parole-do-you-really-have-to-admit-guilt-canada/791314 "2017-07-18T22:47:31Z")
Inspired by this story in the Globe and Mail. The article says that Phillip Tallio was convicted in 1983 of having sexually assaulted and murdered his 22-month-old cousin, but that he has always denied having done it. T… --- ## [How to calculate time and date of Lahaina noon based on latitude](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-calculate-time-and-date-of-lahaina-noon-based-on-latitude/791551)
**Author:** [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [July 18, 2017, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-calculate-time-and-date-of-lahaina-noon-based-on-latitude/791551 "2017-07-18T21:58:06Z")
Lahaina noon is the Hawaiian term for the moment of high solar noon when the sun is directly overhead. In this moment shadows of vertical objects seem to disappear since the sun is not at an angle. For the Tropic of Ca… --- ## [Legal liability for injuries from stolen "bait" vehicles?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-liability-for-injuries-from-stolen-bait-vehicles/791280)
**Author:** [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Replies:** 45\ **Last updated:** [July 18, 2017, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-liability-for-injuries-from-stolen-bait-vehicles/791280 "2017-07-18T19:53:29Z")
Consider this video, in which the camera operator has leaned a bicycle against a fence, unlocked. The occasional passer-by says “hey, free bike,” and hops aboard; only after coasting downhill and building up considerabl… --- ## [Could a soldier in a foreign army win the Medal of Honor?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-soldier-in-a-foreign-army-win-the-medal-of-honor/791246)
**Author:** [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [July 18, 2017, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-soldier-in-a-foreign-army-win-the-medal-of-honor/791246 "2017-07-18T17:24:39Z")
Let us suppose a soldier in an Allied army (say, a British Army soldier or officer) was temporarily serving with US forces for some reason - an exchange program, or just because the circumstances are war are such that s/… --- ## [HTML time stamp?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/html-time-stamp/791521)
**Author:** [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [July 18, 2017, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/html-time-stamp/791521 "2017-07-18T17:23:46Z")
If I view the source code of a loaded web page, is there a time stamp of any sort? --- ## [Explain Cord-Cutting (Cable, Satellite) To Me, In The Simplest Terms Possible](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-cord-cutting-cable-satellite-to-me-in-the-simplest-terms-possible/791133)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 40\ **Last updated:** [July 18, 2017, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-cord-cutting-cable-satellite-to-me-in-the-simplest-terms-possible/791133 "2017-07-18T17:10:39Z")
I simply cannot make sense of all of the options available to me. I think that, when you reach a certain age, technology progresses beyond your ability to understand it - that’s why my dad’s remote is covered in take exc… --- ## [2005 volvo s40 key fob problem](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2005-volvo-s40-key-fob-problem/791572)
**Author:** [@tagcpaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tagcpaman)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [July 18, 2017, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2005-volvo-s40-key-fob-problem/791572 "2017-07-18T15:52:01Z")
I have a 2005 volvo s40. The keyfob will lock the doors but will not unlock them. I can unlock the doors with the valet key but that sets off the alarm. I have replaced the batteries in both fobs with no solution. So… --- ## [Question about legal standing](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-legal-standing/791491)
**Author:** [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [July 18, 2017, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-legal-standing/791491 "2017-07-18T15:31:45Z")
How do advocacy groups such as the ACLU, the SPLC, or the Heritage Foundation have legal standing to even bring lawsuits? I sometimes see cases entitled ACLU v. Government Officials XYZ. The ACLU, itself, hasn’t suffer… --- ## [Look what the cat dragged in!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/look-what-the-cat-dragged-in/791535)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [July 18, 2017, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/look-what-the-cat-dragged-in/791535 "2017-07-18T15:30:05Z")
Tonka caught a rodent-like creature. anamorphic suggested it’s a shrew. The body is about three inches long, has a flexible nose, and is in NW Washington (state). I looked at online, and it does look like a shrew. He… --- ## [Computer Models Of Solar Eclipses: How Far Back, How Far Forward, Can They Go?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-models-of-solar-eclipses-how-far-back-how-far-forward-can-they-go/791499)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [July 18, 2017, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-models-of-solar-eclipses-how-far-back-how-far-forward-can-they-go/791499 "2017-07-18T15:12:48Z")
These computer models that predict solar eclipses (or reveal solar eclipses that have happened in history): how far back in time can they go? To the beginnings of the Earth and Moon as we know them? How far forward can t… --- ## [What does science say about chewing an aspirin during a heart attack](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-science-say-about-chewing-an-aspirin-during-a-heart-attack/791549)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [July 18, 2017, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-science-say-about-chewing-an-aspirin-during-a-heart-attack/791549 "2017-07-18T15:11:06Z")
On another forum people were talking about this, how if you think you are having a heart attack you should chew an aspirin and get to the hospital, claiming chewing the aspirin will save your life until you can get prope… --- ## [Has modeling the result of something ever improved from probabilistic to deterministic?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-modeling-the-result-of-something-ever-improved-from-probabilistic-to-deterministic/791399)
**Author:** [@KellyCriterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KellyCriterion)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [July 18, 2017, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-modeling-the-result-of-something-ever-improved-from-probabilistic-to-deterministic/791399 "2017-07-18T12:26:40Z")
I’m unsure exactly how to phrase the question, but here goes. When we try to model what will happen on a dice throw, we talk about the result in terms of probability, ie, there’s a 1 in 6 chance that any particular side… --- ## [What is the advantage to storing inner thigh fat?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-advantage-to-storing-inner-thigh-fat/791437)
**Author:** [@Contemplation](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contemplation)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [July 18, 2017, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-advantage-to-storing-inner-thigh-fat/791437 "2017-07-18T03:30:34Z")
This isn’t related to my previous thread at all, but I just wondered why humans store so much fat in the inner thigh area. Most other animals don’t store a lot of fat here. The thighs of just about every other land ani… --- ## [What do I do with my plates and registration when I dispose of my car? (Ohio)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-my-plates-and-registration-when-i-dispose-of-my-car-ohio/791248)
**Author:** [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [July 18, 2017, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-my-plates-and-registration-when-i-dispose-of-my-car-ohio/791248 "2017-07-18T01:21:47Z")
For some reason I can’t find an answer for this (maybe I’m searching the wrong phrase). So, I figured I’d ask here: My car died awhile back. It’s been sitting in my driveway and I’ve been paying insurance. Finally decid… --- ## [What are the odds of predicting four cards dealt from a deck of twelve](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-odds-of-predicting-four-cards-dealt-from-a-deck-of-twelve/791360)
**Author:** [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [July 18, 2017, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-odds-of-predicting-four-cards-dealt-from-a-deck-of-twelve/791360 "2017-07-18T00:02:14Z")
Say you have a deck of twelve cards, Ace --\> 9 and Jack, Queen, King. You need to predict what four cards will be dealt. For example: 9, 2, J, 3 What are the odds on getting that right? Also, how many possible permu… --- ## [What Is The "Blue Whale" Game? Is It Even Real?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-blue-whale-game-is-it-even-real/791494)
**Author:** [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Replies:** 41\ **Last updated:** [July 17, 2017, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-blue-whale-game-is-it-even-real/791494 "2017-07-17T22:40:45Z")
I have looked at Snopes and Wikipedia, for what it’s worth, and they were only slightly helpful. Maybe this is old news, but the “Blue Whale” game is just now generating panic among local Moms. What I can’t seem to find… --- ## [Lawyer requests trial by combat: 9th Amendment and goofiness factor](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lawyer-requests-trial-by-combat-9th-amendment-and-goofiness-factor/727332)
**Author:** [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [July 17, 2017, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lawyer-requests-trial-by-combat-9th-amendment-and-goofiness-factor/727332 "2017-07-17T22:06:28Z")
On August 4 a Staten Island (borough of NYC) paper described a request – motion? Counterclaim? I don’t know what the term is – by a lawyer in response to a lawsuit against him, that the claim be adjudicated by trial by c… --- ## [Does Senator Susan Collins have a speech impediment? If so, what is it?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-senator-susan-collins-have-a-speech-impediment-if-so-what-is-it/642527)
**Author:** [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [July 17, 2017, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-senator-susan-collins-have-a-speech-impediment-if-so-what-is-it/642527 "2017-07-17T22:03:19Z")
Per the OP title, I am curious as to Sen. Collins’ strange speech patterns. She speaks very, I don’t know, slowly and rather haltingly; as if such an endeavor poses some difficulty for her. Does she suffer from any kno… --- ## [Lawnmowers in Trash](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lawnmowers-in-trash/791387)
**Author:** [@anomalous1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anomalous1)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [July 17, 2017, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lawnmowers-in-trash/791387 "2017-07-17T21:51:08Z")
Over the years I have seen many discarded lawnmowers sitting in between garbage cans or with “take me” notes for junkers. I am considering taking one just to see if I can fix it up. Seen it in my new neighborhood twice a… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=700) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=702)