# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=82 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 83 --- ## [Is there any scientific support for the idea that you can program the mind while sleeping?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-scientific-support-for-the-idea-that-you-can-program-the-mind-while-sleeping/1003836)
**Author:** [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [July 8, 2024, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-scientific-support-for-the-idea-that-you-can-program-the-mind-while-sleeping/1003836 "2024-07-08T20:56:59Z")
From what I can glean online, listening to positive affirmations while sleeping may have an influence on the subconscious mind, theoretically helping a person become more disciplined, self assured, or optimistic. But th… --- ## [Is There a Term for this Quirk of Speech?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-term-for-this-quirk-of-speech/1003846)
**Author:** [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [July 8, 2024, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-term-for-this-quirk-of-speech/1003846 "2024-07-08T17:28:36Z")
I wasn’t sure what else to call it, but you’ll know it when I describe it because everyone does it. You’ll be speaking to someone, get an obvious fact wrong, and then mutter the incorrect fact to yourself before continui… --- ## [Are Monoliths Real?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-monoliths-real/1003744)
**Author:** [@john\_b\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/john_b_2)\ **Replies:** 52\ **Last updated:** [July 8, 2024, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-monoliths-real/1003744 "2024-07-08T15:46:56Z")
This topic has been bouncing around various on-line news sites and such, and I still don’t know whether it’s a hoax or a real phenomenon. To wit: monoliths, these seemingly transparent things that have been spotted, inde… --- ## [Stick free peanuts](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stick-free-peanuts/1003706)
**Author:** [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [July 8, 2024, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stick-free-peanuts/1003706 "2024-07-08T01:43:07Z")
A really weird question here, but is there any reason why scotch tape won’t stick to a peanut. I was trying to set a mouse trap and one recommendation was peanut butter. I didn’t have any of that, but thought a peanut … --- ## [What's the most efficient way to use a heat pump?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-efficient-way-to-use-a-heat-pump/978758)
**Author:** [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [July 8, 2024, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-efficient-way-to-use-a-heat-pump/978758 "2024-07-08T00:05:03Z")
Last week I got my old gas furnace and central AC replaced with a brand new high efficiency variable speed heat pump. With the old furnace I would have the thermostat scheduled to turn the temperature down at night and … --- ## [What determines what kind of weapons/items can be carried by a warplane's pylons?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-determines-what-kind-of-weapons-items-can-be-carried-by-a-warplanes-pylons/1003734)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [July 7, 2024, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-determines-what-kind-of-weapons-items-can-be-carried-by-a-warplanes-pylons/1003734 "2024-07-07T22:40:14Z")
According to Wikipedia (that always-reliable, never-error-prone website /s) and other sites, there is considerable lack of overlap between American warplane pylons (for instance, the F-18 Super Hornet can carry LRASM and… --- ## [Islamic Names](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/islamic-names/1003819)
**Author:** [@rippingtons\_fan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rippingtons_fan)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [July 7, 2024, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/islamic-names/1003819 "2024-07-07T17:21:42Z")
Do people who convert to Islam always choose Arabic names when they convert? For example, Cassius Clay became Muhammad Ali. Does the convert choose the name or is the name chosen for them? --- ## [Audio people: that little graph thingy that rises and falls with the sound (better explained in OP)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/audio-people-that-little-graph-thingy-that-rises-and-falls-with-the-sound-better-explained-in-op/1003811)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [July 7, 2024, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/audio-people-that-little-graph-thingy-that-rises-and-falls-with-the-sound-better-explained-in-op/1003811 "2024-07-07T16:49:35Z")
You know that gizmo that shows a number of vertical lines (as few as three, as many as several dozen (I guess?)) that audio technicians use? The lines will rise and fall as the music or whatever progresses. What’s it cal… --- ## [Is there a term for...."inflationary logic?"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-term-for-inflationary-logic/992328)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [July 6, 2024, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-term-for-inflationary-logic/992328 "2024-07-06T18:50:01Z")
Many years ago, I read a rather weird fiction novel. Part of it involved a judge sentencing a man to to death for “murder.” The man had verbally harassed and bullied his wife for years, and the wife committed suicide. T… --- ## [Removing stain from baking tray](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-stain-from-baking-tray/1003733)
**Author:** [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [July 6, 2024, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-stain-from-baking-tray/1003733 "2024-07-06T10:02:43Z")
I have an excellent mini-oven and have enjoyed heating up spring rolls and prawn toast within it. However the metal baking tray has some acquired some small brown stains. I tried using a sponge and water (to no effect)… --- ## [Brits: What's a zombie knife?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-whats-a-zombie-knife/816315)
**Author:** [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Replies:** 177\ **Last updated:** [July 6, 2024, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-whats-a-zombie-knife/816315 "2024-07-06T07:51:06Z")
See subject. They’re about to be banned in Britain, and all I can make out is that they’re big and scary looking. How will they legally be defined? The anti-zombie law, passed in response to a flurry or knife attacks, … --- ## [Fireworks questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fireworks-questions/1003729)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [July 5, 2024, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fireworks-questions/1003729 "2024-07-05T20:33:37Z")
In this video, a pyrotechnician breaks down the basics of his craft. At one point, he mentions a formula used in his industry: a shell will approximately 70 feet into the air for every inch of diameter it is. So for exam… --- ## [Can a Presidential pardon be rescinded?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-presidential-pardon-be-rescinded/1003637)
**Author:** [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [July 5, 2024, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-presidential-pardon-be-rescinded/1003637 "2024-07-05T18:18:02Z")
Can a Presidential pardon be rescinded by another President, Congress or the courts? --- ## [What if you just ignore SCOTUS?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-you-just-ignore-scotus/1003683)
**Author:** [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [July 5, 2024, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-you-just-ignore-scotus/1003683 "2024-07-05T12:54:58Z")
I’m not sure if this is the right forum, but what happens if lower courts, states, etc simply ignore a Supreme Court ruling?The judiciary has to rely on the executive branch to actually enforce it’s rulings. So what happ… --- ## [Are there cases SCOTUS have to take, or is their caseload totally up to them?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-cases-scotus-have-to-take-or-is-their-caseload-totally-up-to-them/1003596)
**Author:** [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [July 4, 2024, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-cases-scotus-have-to-take-or-is-their-caseload-totally-up-to-them/1003596 "2024-07-04T16:20:48Z")
Pretty much what the title says. --- ## [Flood Insurance](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flood-insurance/1003578)
**Author:** [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [July 4, 2024, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flood-insurance/1003578 "2024-07-04T16:03:05Z")
The Midwest has been hit hard by rain and floods for the past few weeks. I’ve seen a lot of videos showing homes being washed away by swollen rivers. What happens when your house and all of the land it’s sitting on is su… --- ## [Security Guards activities while 'on watch'](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/security-guards-activities-while-on-watch/795622)
**Author:** [@GreedySmurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreedySmurf)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [July 4, 2024, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/security-guards-activities-while-on-watch/795622 "2024-07-04T15:56:31Z")
My question is inspired by any number of heist movies and TV, but I’m hoping for a factual answer so GQ. Feel free to move to yo CS if considered more appropriate. The set up is some security guards whose main job appea… --- ## [Is "squaring up" defined in the legal code?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-squaring-up-defined-in-the-legal-code/1003635)
**Author:** [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [July 4, 2024, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-squaring-up-defined-in-the-legal-code/1003635 "2024-07-04T15:45:37Z")
I have been punched in the face a few times by different people in my life. It’s not something to crow about, it’s a predictable outcome for a person who has lived as long as I have and known the type of people I ran wi… --- ## [Python experts - baffling printing issue](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/python-experts-baffling-printing-issue/1003684)
**Author:** [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [July 4, 2024, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/python-experts-baffling-printing-issue/1003684 "2024-07-04T02:46:01Z")
I am porting an old RealBasic program to Python. I’m working on the UI right now, using PySimpleGui. It’s mostly working, but I am having a really weird printing issue. The print statement is just for debugging, but I wa… --- ## [Rotational velocity of nuclear warheads launched from mirved ICBM](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rotational-velocity-of-nuclear-warheads-launched-from-mirved-icbm/1003611)
**Author:** [@Caribbean\_cruiser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caribbean_cruiser)\ **Replies:** 34\ **Last updated:** [July 3, 2024, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rotational-velocity-of-nuclear-warheads-launched-from-mirved-icbm/1003611 "2024-07-03T17:45:39Z")
It’s interesting that an MIRVed ICBM fired from one country at a target follows a suborbital trajectory that takes the missile up to about 900 miles above Earth and at velocity approaching 17,000 mph. Shortly before reen… --- ## [I have a big head](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-big-head/1003594)
**Author:** [@2\_More\_Bits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2_More_Bits)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [July 3, 2024, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-big-head/1003594 "2024-07-03T15:27:06Z")
Literally. They run in the family. Does it follow that my brain is also bigger than average or is there just a lot of “packing material” filling the extra space? --- ## [cat food has everything needed for life....why isn't there a "people" food?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-food-has-everything-needed-for-life-why-isnt-there-a-people-food/382706)
**Author:** [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Replies:** 56\ **Last updated:** [July 3, 2024, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-food-has-everything-needed-for-life-why-isnt-there-a-people-food/382706 "2024-07-03T13:37:31Z")
My cat has been fed nothing except dry pellet cat chow for 10 years, and she is perfectly healthy. The cat food supplies all the nutrition she needs. Why is there no dry pellet “people food” that contains all necessary … --- ## [Dead trees in Colorado](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-trees-in-colorado/1003487)
**Author:** [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [July 3, 2024, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-trees-in-colorado/1003487 "2024-07-03T13:16:27Z")
I just returned from a week long trip to Colorado. (Thank you to those in Cafe Society for pre-trip suggestions). I was struck by the number of dead, standing trees (both pine and Aspen) in many areas. I’m guessing up to… --- ## [Why do the British bring grapes to people "in hospital"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-the-british-bring-grapes-to-people-in-hospital/1003379)
**Author:** [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Replies:** 42\ **Last updated:** [July 3, 2024, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-the-british-bring-grapes-to-people-in-hospital/1003379 "2024-07-03T11:31:30Z")
Just curious. Once my wife and I noticed this, it seems like it comes up every single time someone is in the hospital in a British TV series. Plus, we see regular stories on other sites with Brits saying something like… --- ## [Briefly, what happened to this FB page disappearing?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/briefly-what-happened-to-this-fb-page-disappearing/1003640)
**Author:** [@salinqmind1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind1)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [July 2, 2024, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/briefly-what-happened-to-this-fb-page-disappearing/1003640 "2024-07-02T16:38:30Z")
For years I followed a nice little retro/recipe/nostalgia page. It catered to housewives and home cooks and so on. All of a sudden this page just disappeared off of FB. It’s not that I was blocked, I managed to contac… --- ## [Does an educated brain weigh more than an uneducated brain?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-an-educated-brain-weigh-more-than-an-uneducated-brain/1003575)
**Author:** [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [July 2, 2024, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-an-educated-brain-weigh-more-than-an-uneducated-brain/1003575 "2024-07-02T12:14:34Z")
I’m sure I’m going to flub this up somehow but hopefully you’ll get the gist. My question stems from the idea that a compressed spring weighs more than one that is not. So would it be fair to say an educated brain weig… --- ## [Layman questions about CTE (brain injuries)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/layman-questions-about-cte-brain-injuries/829776)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [July 2, 2024, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/layman-questions-about-cte-brain-injuries/829776 "2024-07-02T00:59:10Z")
AIUI, CTE is basically “injury-caused Alzheimer’s”? How many subconcussive impacts does it generally take to cause CTE? Just a few, or hundreds? Is CTE something that, once “triggered,” begins cascading and increa… --- ## [Electoral Votes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electoral-votes/1003580)
**Author:** [@jdtopgun71](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jdtopgun71)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [July 1, 2024, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electoral-votes/1003580 "2024-07-01T20:32:37Z")
Can someone help me here? Is it possible for Democrats to change their support at the convention and nominate another candidate? Didn’t that happen when Rutherford B Hayes was elected or was it another President around… --- ## [Tennessee's New Pron law--How does it affect me?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennessees-new-pron-law-how-does-it-affect-me/1003371)
**Author:** [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [July 1, 2024, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennessees-new-pron-law-how-does-it-affect-me/1003371 "2024-07-01T17:30:40Z")
Tennessee has a new law restricting online pron. Only sites with age verification are allowed. Will I be penalized (no pun intended) if I view such a site? Will the site’s owner? If the site is based out-of-State, is… --- ## [AI chip architecture: any biomimetic work in progress?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ai-chip-architecture-any-biomimetic-work-in-progress/1002010)
**Author:** [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [July 1, 2024, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ai-chip-architecture-any-biomimetic-work-in-progress/1002010 "2024-07-01T14:09:11Z")
Current the AI boom is powered by GPU chips but there are efficiency logjams having them transfer information between themselves in bigger arrays. There are multiple plays trying to develop new architectures for AI chip… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=81) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=83)