# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=8 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 9 --- ## [How does Google Maps calculate time in travel on a bicycle?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-google-maps-calculate-time-in-travel-on-a-bicycle/1030764)
**Author:** [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [June 14, 2026, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-google-maps-calculate-time-in-travel-on-a-bicycle/1030764 "2026-06-14T15:16:01Z")
When Google Maps estimates how long it will take me to get some place, it’s pretty accurate-- it’s correct within about a minute for trips under 20 minutes, and within about 3 minutes for trips about 20 - 90 minutes. It… --- ## [The hypothesis that our universe is a giant black hole](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hypothesis-that-our-universe-is-a-giant-black-hole/1030869)
**Author:** [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [June 14, 2026, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hypothesis-that-our-universe-is-a-giant-black-hole/1030869 "2026-06-14T07:12:10Z")
My understanding is that anything inside an event horizon is swiftly collapsing inwards towards a central singularity (or at least that’s as much as the math can tell us). Since this does not match the observed behavior … --- ## [How do I set up a birthday fundraiser on Facebook?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-set-up-a-birthday-fundraiser-on-facebook/1030325)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [June 13, 2026, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-set-up-a-birthday-fundraiser-on-facebook/1030325 "2026-06-13T04:35:15Z")
Here are the starting instructions I found when I searched for How do I set up a birthday fundraiser on Facebook? On your computer, login to Facebook. In the promotion in your Feed, either: Select one of the nonpr… --- ## [Venice, Italy and mold?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/venice-italy-and-mold/1030700)
**Author:** [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [June 11, 2026, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/venice-italy-and-mold/1030700 "2026-06-11T20:23:19Z")
Why aren’t homes in Venice made unlivable by mold and mildew? With all that water constantly bathing the place, how do they keep it at bay? --- ## [Can a Southern Baptist congregation ordain a woman?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-southern-baptist-congregation-ordain-a-woman/479472)
**Author:** [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [June 11, 2026, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-southern-baptist-congregation-ordain-a-woman/479472 "2026-06-11T19:54:13Z")
The SBC is against the ordination of women. But it also affirms the autonomy of its local congregations. What does this autonomy amount to? Can a local congregation ordain a woman and still be a member of the SBC? -FrL- … --- ## [Navy Ship Designation - ESB Ships](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-ship-designation-esb-ships/1030812)
**Author:** [@19USMC69](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/19USMC69)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [June 11, 2026, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-ship-designation-esb-ships/1030812 "2026-06-11T11:06:01Z")
Some of these ships are designated USNS and some are USS. I could be mistaken, but I thought all were commissioned as USNS. And as far as I know there were no modifications prior to be redesignated USS. All this said, … --- ## [What's the deal with this portable hard drive?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-this-portable-hard-drive/1030753)
**Author:** [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [June 11, 2026, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-this-portable-hard-drive/1030753 "2026-06-11T03:24:30Z")
I want to buy a portable hard drive which I can plug in to my laptop so I can back up files. The prices seem to have gone up since the last time I bought one. Which is why I was surprised to see this offer: A 16TB dr… --- ## [Who Pays for Security?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-pays-for-security/1030667)
**Author:** [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_was_in_Saudi)\ **Replies:** 47\ **Last updated:** [June 10, 2026, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-pays-for-security/1030667 "2026-06-10T12:32:20Z")
Over here is a news story about the upcoming Taylor Swift/Travis Kelce wedding. The New York City police are (oddly) complaining it would be a security nightmare. Along the same lines many Canadians said they were oppos… --- ## [Resource needs of browsers](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resource-needs-of-browsers/1030724)
**Author:** [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [June 8, 2026, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resource-needs-of-browsers/1030724 "2026-06-08T22:22:49Z")
Back in the olden days of the nineties, when I started to be online, a common piece of lore was “I’ll use this computer only to browse the internet”. What you meant with that was that the device you were getting wouldn’t… --- ## [QR code scanner](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/qr-code-scanner/1030731)
**Author:** [@DKW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DKW)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [June 8, 2026, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/qr-code-scanner/1030731 "2026-06-08T16:16:14Z")
(Can’t believe I have to ask this here… :angry:) Can someone tell me where exactly the QR code scanner app is on an IPhone? I know it’s there (it shows up every time I search for it), but for the love of me I have no id… --- ## [Why can't I renew my US passport online? What's so special about passports issued between April 2011 and April 2017?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-renew-my-us-passport-online-whats-so-special-about-passports-issued-between-april-2011-and-april-2017/1029335)
**Author:** [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [June 8, 2026, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-renew-my-us-passport-online-whats-so-special-about-passports-issued-between-april-2011-and-april-2017/1029335 "2026-06-08T14:22:14Z")
My passport is due to expire towards the end of this year, and I was trying to renew it online. However, one of the eligibility requirements is: Passport Issue Date: Your most recent passport needs to have been issued… --- ## [Can cities unincorporate some of their land?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-cities-unincorporate-some-of-their-land/1030624)
**Author:** [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [June 8, 2026, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-cities-unincorporate-some-of-their-land/1030624 "2026-06-08T11:27:27Z")
Cities can expand by incorporating land outside their current borders. Can they reverse this? I can’t recall ever hearing of a city doing this. It may not be legal in some jurisdictions. Note that I don’t mean disincorp… --- ## [Help translate curious German sentence](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-translate-curious-german-sentence/1030609)
**Author:** [@Civil\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civil_Guy)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [June 8, 2026, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-translate-curious-german-sentence/1030609 "2026-06-08T07:05:24Z")
“Du guckst doch bei einer Glastür durch das Schlüsselloch.” Literally, “you’d look through a glass door by looking through the keyhole.” That is, a put-down of someone too dumb to see the obvious without making it far … --- ## [Looking for stunt swimmer who called himself "Captain America"...I think](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-stunt-swimmer-who-called-himself-captain-america-i-think/1030738)
**Author:** [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [June 8, 2026, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-stunt-swimmer-who-called-himself-captain-america-i-think/1030738 "2026-06-08T04:43:27Z")
When I was in Bremerton in the early '80s there was a health nut/stuntman who called himself “Captain America” (I think). He wore a star-spangled uniform, and among his stunts was a swim across the bay to perhaps Port O… --- ## [Search Engines Scrape Spoilered Text?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-engines-scrape-spoilered-text/1030710)
**Author:** [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [June 7, 2026, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-engines-scrape-spoilered-text/1030710 "2026-06-07T18:31:13Z")
Do search engines gobbling up threads and posts here on the SDMB resolve the text that has been spoilered by the teeming millions? We have to click to make it visible. Is that trivial or necessary for the search engines? … --- ## [Fertilizers and fossil fuels](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fertilizers-and-fossil-fuels/1030494)
**Author:** [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [June 7, 2026, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fertilizers-and-fossil-fuels/1030494 "2026-06-07T13:15:29Z")
From another thread: Of course, fossil fuels are a feedstock in the manufacture of many useful substances. But usually, what they contribute to those substances is carbon (and specifically, carbon in a form that’s eas… --- ## [Can someone explain to me YouTube's advertising algorithm?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-to-me-youtubes-advertising-algorithm/1030487)
**Author:** [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [June 7, 2026, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-to-me-youtubes-advertising-algorithm/1030487 "2026-06-07T04:16:41Z")
I can watch a three-hour Q&A session from Drachinifel or the live stream of a waterhole in Namibia without a single interruption for ads. But a ten minute video on invasive species will get two breaks with multiple ads … --- ## [Interstellar travel](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interstellar-travel/6501)
**Author:** [@Sputnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sputnik)\ **Replies:** 89\ **Last updated:** [June 6, 2026, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interstellar-travel/6501 "2026-06-06T13:38:07Z")
Reasonable people agree that Earth dwellers will not achieve the technology to visit other solar systems anytime in the forseeable future. But our sun is pretty far out on one of the Milky Way’s spiral arms. Toward the … --- ## [Help me understand how this is a ball mill? "Working Point" sculpture, Baltimore Museum of Industry](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-understand-how-this-is-a-ball-mill-working-point-sculpture-baltimore-museum-of-industry/1030638)
**Author:** [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [June 6, 2026, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-understand-how-this-is-a-ball-mill-working-point-sculpture-baltimore-museum-of-industry/1030638 "2026-06-06T07:07:43Z")
I’m somewhat familiar with ball mills (machines for crushing solids into powder using a tumbling drum also containing balls). But I can’t see how this particular item can be a ball mill. It’s old, removed from service, a… --- ## [New car color](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-car-color/1030265)
**Author:** [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Replies:** 45\ **Last updated:** [June 5, 2026, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-car-color/1030265 "2026-06-05T21:16:27Z")
I am seeing a LOT of a color on trucks & cars nowadays- a kind of primer grey, but gloss. And on different manufacturers. Anyone have any idea of where this is coming from? --- ## [What would a drive-in fast food meal typically cost 1955-1965?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-a-drive-in-fast-food-meal-typically-cost-1955-1965/1030570)
**Author:** [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Replies:** 65\ **Last updated:** [June 5, 2026, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-a-drive-in-fast-food-meal-typically-cost-1955-1965/1030570 "2026-06-05T04:56:59Z")
Inspired by those famous lines: “As you drive away/ a tip upon our tray/ we’re hoping to find-find-find”. So to determine just how much coinage to leave, what base figure per person would you start with? --- ## [Is Facebook blocking me?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-facebook-blocking-me/1030567)
**Author:** [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [June 3, 2026, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-facebook-blocking-me/1030567 "2026-06-03T22:12:40Z")
I sign in, give the proper password. It goes to the “Check if you are not a robot” page. It goes back to the sign in page. Rinse, repeat. Am I blocked? Also, just to make sure I am using the right password I had the… --- ## [Chicken leg stabilizers - huh?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-leg-stabilizers-huh/1030517)
**Author:** [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [June 3, 2026, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-leg-stabilizers-huh/1030517 "2026-06-03T17:04:15Z")
When surfing aliexpress for technical bits and bobs I occasionally see ads for the above eg: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005010595651848.html Why do baby chooks (Aussie slang) need leg stabilizers fer goodness sak… --- ## [A neighbor wants to buy part of my lot. OK, what next?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-neighbor-wants-to-buy-part-of-my-lot-ok-what-next/1030411)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 92\ **Last updated:** [June 3, 2026, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-neighbor-wants-to-buy-part-of-my-lot-ok-what-next/1030411 "2026-06-03T14:12:50Z")
Yesterday a neighbor approached me about buying a portion of my city lot so that he can build a garage. Fine by me, less to mow. But where do I even begin? I’ve spoken to a realtor who confirmed the boundary lines (basic… --- ## [How are those insurance settlements that injury lawyers advertise possible?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-those-insurance-settlements-that-injury-lawyers-advertise-possible/1029805)
**Author:** [@Drum\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drum_God)\ **Replies:** 44\ **Last updated:** [June 1, 2026, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-those-insurance-settlements-that-injury-lawyers-advertise-possible/1029805 "2026-06-01T23:38:18Z")
I’m sure you’ve seen the TV commercials and other advertisements from personal injury law firms that claim to get huge settlements for victims of events like a vehicle crash. But, how do they get such huge settlements? … --- ## [How to regain access to Gmail](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-regain-access-to-gmail/1030508)
**Author:** [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [June 1, 2026, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-regain-access-to-gmail/1030508 "2026-06-01T18:21:31Z")
This is embarassing, as I am (in theory) an IT professional. Last year, I was hospitalised, with a disease that causes serious memory problems (Wernike-Korsakov). On discharge, I found I had forgotten my gmail account … --- ## [How do will executors find estranged beneficiaries?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-will-executors-find-estranged-beneficiaries/1030486)
**Author:** [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Replies:** 37\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2026, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-will-executors-find-estranged-beneficiaries/1030486 "2026-05-31T22:29:46Z")
Long story short, I’m in the process of writing a will, and two of my children are estranged. I would like to leave them some inheritance (not a lot, because the little shits are estranged, obviously!) but just curious h… --- ## [How can Iran’s enriched uranium be destroyed?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-iran-s-enriched-uranium-be-destroyed/1030478)
**Author:** [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2026, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-iran-s-enriched-uranium-be-destroyed/1030478 "2026-05-31T13:04:25Z")
One potential sticking point of making an agreement with Iran is the disposition of their 60% enriched uranium. One option that I see in media reports is to “destroy” it while it is still in Iran. Without going into the … --- ## [What Powers a TV's video When Streaming direct from a Desktop PC?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-powers-a-tvs-video-when-streaming-direct-from-a-desktop-pc/1030007)
**Author:** [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Replies:** 46\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2026, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-powers-a-tvs-video-when-streaming-direct-from-a-desktop-pc/1030007 "2026-05-31T01:22:51Z")
Hi. I’m trying to figure out what TV to buy (probably a 55" 4K QLED) and might have a million questions at some point. But for right now I’d like to know about what happens when I send a signal directly from my desktop P… --- ## [Why do some multi-level parking structures make you drive up a few floors before letting you go back down?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-multi-level-parking-structures-make-you-drive-up-a-few-floors-before-letting-you-go-back-down/1030475)
**Author:** [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [May 30, 2026, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-multi-level-parking-structures-make-you-drive-up-a-few-floors-before-letting-you-go-back-down/1030475 "2026-05-30T13:08:44Z")
I have noticed this many times and it happened again last night. I parked on the third floor and the way the parking structure was built I had to drive up to the sixth floor in order to be able to go all the way back do… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=9)