# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=744 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 745 --- ## [How/when did the "U follows Q" in English orthography get so locked in?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-when-did-the-u-follows-q-in-english-orthography-get-so-locked-in/784849)
**Author:** [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [April 21, 2017, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-when-did-the-u-follows-q-in-english-orthography-get-so-locked-in/784849 "2017-04-21T09:00:13Z")
See query. It seems all the more striking given the famous English lubricity of spelling (“ghoti–\>fish”). --- ## [Escort ads - what does all the codes mean?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escort-ads-what-does-all-the-codes-mean/784759)
**Author:** [@Dumbass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dumbass)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [April 21, 2017, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escort-ads-what-does-all-the-codes-mean/784759 "2017-04-21T03:17:19Z")
Ice fire & Sweet kissing & Amazing Skills All menus I do FULL GFE service G F E is Girl Friend Experience I think Openminded assume they mean they’re open to what ever you want them to do? --- ## [What's the straight dope on crowdsourcing? Is it really illegal in The USA?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straight-dope-on-crowdsourcing-is-it-really-illegal-in-the-usa/784862)
**Author:** [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [April 21, 2017, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-straight-dope-on-crowdsourcing-is-it-really-illegal-in-the-usa/784862 "2017-04-21T00:49:39Z")
The company that runs one of my favorite video games is currently running a crowdsourcing fundraiser that will allow people to become part owner in the company. Reading the companies pitch, however, reveals that this opp… --- ## [The Old Laughing Lady](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-old-laughing-lady/29659)
**Author:** [@BoBettie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoBettie)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [April 20, 2017, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-old-laughing-lady/29659 "2017-04-20T23:38:51Z")
The Neil Young song sings about “The Old Laughing Lady” What is the Old Laughing Lady? I have decided it’s either death or alcohol. Any interpretations out there? Zette --- ## [What's with the memetic status associated with black/brown jackets and coats?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-memetic-status-associated-with-black-brown-jackets-and-coats/784782)
**Author:** [@dude\_robert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dude_robert)\ **Replies:** 58\ **Last updated:** [April 20, 2017, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-memetic-status-associated-with-black-brown-jackets-and-coats/784782 "2017-04-20T23:22:15Z")
So apparently there is some sort of “metalhead/gothic/emo” meme that happens when you wear a heavy jacket so you don’t freeze. I don’t understand this, why does wearing warm and protected clothes make you a stereotypical… --- ## [How many orbits of the sun has the Earth made?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-orbits-of-the-sun-has-the-earth-made/784800)
**Author:** [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [April 20, 2017, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-orbits-of-the-sun-has-the-earth-made/784800 "2017-04-20T21:26:36Z")
The obvious answer is the same as the number of years the Earth has existed. However, orbit is as much a function of mass and the sun is continuously losing mass, so one would suspect there is a discrepancy between the E… --- ## [Why the surge in 15-year mortgage ads?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-surge-in-15-year-mortgage-ads/784674)
**Author:** [@Punoqllads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punoqllads)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [April 20, 2017, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-surge-in-15-year-mortgage-ads/784674 "2017-04-20T17:39:32Z")
I’m seeing and hearing a bunch of ads these days for 15-year fixed rate mortgages. The frequency that I’m encountering them is reminiscent of liar loan ads circa 2007. When a man spends millions of dollars to tell me t… --- ## [First use of Mother of All Bombs: what's the status of the US arsenal? Lessons learned?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-use-of-mother-of-all-bombs-whats-the-status-of-the-us-arsenal-lessons-learned/784394)
**Author:** [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Replies:** 107\ **Last updated:** [April 20, 2017, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-use-of-mother-of-all-bombs-whats-the-status-of-the-us-arsenal-lessons-learned/784394 "2017-04-20T14:12:28Z")
See query. “Lessons learned” can stay within GQ bounds quite easily, as has been done in many similar queries/threads with the military/technology/political matters on design and use and application in real war in our li… --- ## [Antacids, GERD and Cancer?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antacids-gerd-and-cancer/784243)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [April 20, 2017, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antacids-gerd-and-cancer/784243 "2017-04-20T13:08:21Z")
My paternal grandmother died in 1973, when I was still barely a baby. And I have to say, I was in many ways too young to even know what was going on at the time. She died of esophageal cancer. But this was before the ti… --- ## [What ARE the privacy rights of a consumer?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-privacy-rights-of-a-consumer/784835)
**Author:** [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [April 20, 2017, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-privacy-rights-of-a-consumer/784835 "2017-04-20T12:57:04Z")
Someone is suing Bose, claiming an app that gets used with their wireless headphones tracks user’s choices of music, and “violates their privacy rights by selling that information without permission.” So what exactly ar… --- ## [Are vintage newscasts archived?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-vintage-newscasts-archived/784733)
**Author:** [@Common\_Tater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Common_Tater)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [April 20, 2017, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-vintage-newscasts-archived/784733 "2017-04-20T09:03:30Z")
I like to listen to “old time radio” programs, to play over a couple 1930s and 1940s radios I’ve restored. Thousands of hours of programs are available online - Dragnet, The Shadow, Superman, Suspense! etc. Then as now, … --- ## [Bakelite](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bakelite/108746)
**Author:** [@warhol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/warhol)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [April 20, 2017, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bakelite/108746 "2017-04-20T03:06:32Z")
Is Bakelite still being produced anywhere in the world? Just gotta know, -W- --- ## [Is limited suffrage not a limited kind of democracy?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-limited-suffrage-not-a-limited-kind-of-democracy/784774)
**Author:** [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [April 20, 2017, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-limited-suffrage-not-a-limited-kind-of-democracy/784774 "2017-04-20T02:46:47Z")
Hi On page 2 of Mike Rapport’s “1848 Year of Revolution” he states: “In 1832 had come the first great modern reform of the system, whereby urban property property owners were given the right to vote, while the critics–… --- ## [listerine: original or "zero" variant?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/listerine-original-or-zero-variant/738662)
**Author:** [@albino\_manatee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/albino_manatee)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [April 20, 2017, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/listerine-original-or-zero-variant/738662 "2017-04-20T02:05:31Z")
is their “zero” variant not as effective as their original version? curiously, haven’t seen much “zero” on the shelves lately … while the original continues it’s domain. i’ve been using lister… --- ## [German Blockade Runners? Book Titles?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-blockade-runners-book-titles/784741)
**Author:** [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [April 19, 2017, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-blockade-runners-book-titles/784741 "2017-04-19T23:08:03Z")
I found several reference to World War Two “German Blockade Runners”. Including a poster on Amazon. But no real info. Can anybody tell me about these freighters? --- ## [What Kind of Car did I Buy?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-car-did-i-buy/783732)
**Author:** [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [April 19, 2017, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-car-did-i-buy/783732 "2017-04-19T21:09:01Z")
My wife’s VW blew up so she got a new used car. She will not tell me what she got. She wants to surprise me at the airport with it. I have clues: 1.) She wanted a 4x4 suitable for driving on the beach. 2.) She needs a … --- ## [What causes the strange "lagging" effect that you get when you have a cold?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-causes-the-strange-lagging-effect-that-you-get-when-you-have-a-cold/784739)
**Author:** [@dude\_robert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dude_robert)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [April 19, 2017, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-causes-the-strange-lagging-effect-that-you-get-when-you-have-a-cold/784739 "2017-04-19T20:47:53Z")
So what exactly is the strange “laggy” effect that when they turn their heads about, their vision seems to lag slightly behind them, OR they have a funny “micro-blackout” effect that seems to feel like they’re fainting d… --- ## [Can Windows 10 still be activated on a Win 8.1 laptop?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-windows-10-still-be-activated-on-a-win-8-1-laptop/784797)
**Author:** [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [April 19, 2017, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-windows-10-still-be-activated-on-a-win-8-1-laptop/784797 "2017-04-19T19:09:06Z")
I had a little accident the other day: a friend spilled a glass of red wine over my laptop, a three year old Toshiba Satellite C50D-B-10X which came originally with Win 8.1 that was updated to Win 10 two years ago when t… --- ## [Satellite tracking of airliners](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellite-tracking-of-airliners/784791)
**Author:** [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [April 19, 2017, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellite-tracking-of-airliners/784791 "2017-04-19T18:50:53Z")
I just saw the headline Malaysia Airlines First to Track Fleet With Satellites. But the article mentions that “\[m\]ost international flights are already transmitting their position with technology known as ADS-B and the s… --- ## [Two Watergate Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-watergate-questions/784603)
**Author:** [@Lorne\_Armstrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lorne_Armstrong)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [April 19, 2017, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-watergate-questions/784603 "2017-04-19T17:46:06Z")
What was the purpose of the taping system in the White House? Why would Nixon want everything he ever said as president to be recorded? Surely he knew that this created a record of things that he wouldn’t want to go publ… --- ## [Does Toner last forever?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-toner-last-forever/758599)
**Author:** [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [April 19, 2017, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-toner-last-forever/758599 "2017-04-19T14:45:19Z")
I have an HP Color LaserJet 3600n. I purchased this thing back in January of 2009 for my home, and I have never needed to replace the toner. The printer indicates that each color is still at least half full. Lately, I’v… --- ## [Suddenly cannot apply a name to a desktop icon](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suddenly-cannot-apply-a-name-to-a-desktop-icon/784706)
**Author:** [@Quintas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quintas)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [April 19, 2017, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suddenly-cannot-apply-a-name-to-a-desktop-icon/784706 "2017-04-19T13:30:46Z")
This is for my ‘GodMode’ icon on the desktop. It still works but it just shows the icon with no name attached. I can right-click\>rename but still blank… I deleted, rebooted and re-added but still unable to assign a na… --- ## [Why do video blogs like to cut in/out their talking every few seconds?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-video-blogs-like-to-cut-in-out-their-talking-every-few-seconds/784560)
**Author:** [@dude\_robert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dude_robert)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [April 19, 2017, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-video-blogs-like-to-cut-in-out-their-talking-every-few-seconds/784560 "2017-04-19T11:02:14Z")
I’ve noticed that some video bloggers/newman like to edit their blogging so that when they’re talking, instead of having a natural pause where they will pause and catch their breath, they will just cut that out and insta… --- ## [Do camels get kidney stones?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-camels-get-kidney-stones/784764)
**Author:** [@Contemplation](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contemplation)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [April 19, 2017, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-camels-get-kidney-stones/784764 "2017-04-19T07:08:11Z")
Camels can concentrate urine far greater than humans can. If their urine is highly concentrated, then shouldn’t they develop stones or get kidney failure? --- ## [Checks and balances in democracies other than the United States](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/checks-and-balances-in-democracies-other-than-the-united-states/784441)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 44\ **Last updated:** [April 19, 2017, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/checks-and-balances-in-democracies-other-than-the-united-states/784441 "2017-04-19T04:01:24Z")
So here we have the executive, legislative and judicial that act as checks on each other. Then you have all the non official checks like the media, protests, activist groups, etc. But as far as official checks, do other… --- ## [How much is too much for chloraseptic(phenol) spray?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-too-much-for-chloraseptic-phenol-spray/784589)
**Author:** [@Barack\_Obama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barack_Obama)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [April 19, 2017, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-is-too-much-for-chloraseptic-phenol-spray/784589 "2017-04-19T03:04:54Z")
I have a very bad sore throat and remember when I was a child consuming excessive amounts of throat spray when very sick. It wasn’t until just recently I found out you’re not suppose to even swallow the stuff. The specif… --- ## [Gatorade making my poop green?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gatorade-making-my-poop-green/68694)
**Author:** [@Photog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Photog)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [April 19, 2017, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gatorade-making-my-poop-green/68694 "2017-04-19T02:34:20Z")
I drink quite a bit of Gatorade on the weekends while doing yard work, etc. I’ve noticed that every Monday morning visit to the toilet yields green poop. Any connection? (BTW, It’s not the dye in the Gatorade, I never to… --- ## [How many nineteenth century people are left?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-nineteenth-century-people-are-left/390560)
**Author:** [@PeptoLG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PeptoLG)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [April 18, 2017, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-nineteenth-century-people-are-left/390560 "2017-04-18T23:31:35Z")
I have a seemingly simple, yet possibly difficult question. With the recent, and rather frequent, deaths of the world’s oldest living person, I wonder- How many people are still living that were born in the 1800s? If a p… --- ## [What are the most difficult exercises/athletic feats?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-difficult-exercises-athletic-feats/784453)
**Author:** [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [April 18, 2017, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-difficult-exercises-athletic-feats/784453 "2017-04-18T22:16:43Z")
I’m trying to write a story involving a character who has a complete personality shift against their will and begins exercising to an obsessive degree. Are there some notably difficult exercises that I could describe the… --- ## [N.Korea missile hacked. Why would they need to be on a network to test a missile?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/n-korea-missile-hacked-why-would-they-need-to-be-on-a-network-to-test-a-missile/784569)
**Author:** [@Quintas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quintas)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [April 18, 2017, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/n-korea-missile-hacked-why-would-they-need-to-be-on-a-network-to-test-a-missile/784569 "2017-04-18T21:58:08Z")
I don’t know enough to phrase this question correctly. But how can you remotely “hack” something that’s not on a network? Perhaps the North Koreans were. But if so, why? Plenty of missiles were successfully tested in… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=743) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=745)