# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=822 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 823 --- ## [Question on probability involving handicapping.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-on-probability-involving-handicapping/770454)
**Author:** [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [November 3, 2016, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-on-probability-involving-handicapping/770454 "2016-11-03T16:50:37Z")
Let’s say I’m playing a game and there is a certain probability of me winning p(win). But to complicate things there are multiple factors affecting my chance to win which (luckily) can be quantified. For example Stand… --- ## [British titles](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-titles/770157)
**Author:** [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Replies:** 36\ **Last updated:** [November 3, 2016, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-titles/770157 "2016-11-03T15:05:51Z")
Why is it that prices and princesses don’t seem to retain their titles after marriage? Case in point after marriage Prince William suddenly was downgraded to a duke. His wife became a duchesse which was a step up for her… --- ## [Ms. Martha Stewart](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-martha-stewart/770440)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [November 3, 2016, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-martha-stewart/770440 "2016-11-03T14:53:55Z")
\[Dear Cecil:\] Actually, I was faced with this question some time ago. It was the administration of Pres. George W. Bush. And Martha Stewart was charged with stock fraud. So I wanted to send her a letter of support. But… --- ## [Tax records](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tax-records/770422)
**Author:** [@Arrogance\_Ex\_Machina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrogance_Ex_Machina)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [November 3, 2016, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tax-records/770422 "2016-11-03T14:33:41Z")
All tax records are public in Finland, and it’s again that time of the year where media goes through them and checks who has earned how much. You can go check how much your neighbor or workmate earns if you want to. Are… --- ## [Economics of putting solar panels in building floors](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/economics-of-putting-solar-panels-in-building-floors/770435)
**Author:** [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [November 3, 2016, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/economics-of-putting-solar-panels-in-building-floors/770435 "2016-11-03T11:08:55Z")
As I was walking through a brightly lit grocery store the other day, it occurred to me that there must be a lot of energy spent on lighting, and a huge percentage of that light just hits the floor. What are the economics… --- ## [How do I deal with severe limescale on a metal sink?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-deal-with-severe-limescale-on-a-metal-sink/404801)
**Author:** [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [May 22, 2007, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-deal-with-severe-limescale-on-a-metal-sink/404801 "2007-05-22T23:56:46Z")
I’m sorting out my aunt’s house, and some of the sinks have disgusting levels of limescale. Particularly the kitchen sink: the limescale is several mm thick in places. I’ve tried the usual limescale / sink cleaners witho… --- ## [Electoral Votes By State Anomaly](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electoral-votes-by-state-anomaly/770436)
**Author:** [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [November 3, 2016, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electoral-votes-by-state-anomaly/770436 "2016-11-03T06:11:25Z")
I was curious to look back at past Presidential General Elections to see how the States’ electoral votes were dispersed starting with Reagan (1980) per this link. I noticed that California only had 45 electoral votes in … --- ## [Car crash: what does it mean to be "ejected from the car"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-crash-what-does-it-mean-to-be-ejected-from-the-car/770409)
**Author:** [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [November 3, 2016, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-crash-what-does-it-mean-to-be-ejected-from-the-car/770409 "2016-11-03T05:26:42Z")
Every now-and-then I’ll hear a news story about a car crash and they’ll say, “The driver was ejected from the car.” How does this happen, precisely? Does the driver’s (or a passenger’s) body crash through the windshield… --- ## [Dark matter/energy, and the Big Bang](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-matter-energy-and-the-big-bang/769743)
**Author:** [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Replies:** 55\ **Last updated:** [November 3, 2016, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-matter-energy-and-the-big-bang/769743 "2016-11-03T01:24:47Z")
I’m not a great physics teacher, and I need help from time to time, especially on this subject. We watched a documentary on dark matter and dark energy and the big bang, and these are the questions we came up with that w… --- ## [Spanish Question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-question/770093)
**Author:** [@pianodave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pianodave)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [November 2, 2016, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-question/770093 "2016-11-02T22:39:40Z")
Hi SD, Are andar and estar the only verbs that end in -ar that have a preterite using the -uve -uviste preterite verb forms? If so, why just these verbs? They don’t seem related to each other, and other verbs that also … --- ## [Do Arabic speakers use allah when referring to non-Abrahamic gods?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-arabic-speakers-use-allah-when-referring-to-non-abrahamic-gods/770168)
**Author:** [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [November 2, 2016, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-arabic-speakers-use-allah-when-referring-to-non-abrahamic-gods/770168 "2016-11-02T20:39:07Z")
Do Arabic speakers typically use allah when referring to a god other than the god of Abraham? Let’s say an Arabic speaker is discussing Zeus, Quetzalcoatl, Thor, or Vishnu. Would the word allah be used to describe those… --- ## [Vladimir Putin 1993](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vladimir-putin-1993/770469)
**Author:** [@Potestas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Potestas)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [November 2, 2016, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vladimir-putin-1993/770469 "2016-11-02T20:29:11Z")
I have been reading up on the Constitutional Crisis of 1993 that almost became a civil war (involved the shelling of the Russian Duma at the time by the military). I was wondering however where Vladimir Putin was durin… --- ## [Chuck adapter for a small electric drill](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-adapter-for-a-small-electric-drill/770361)
**Author:** [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [November 2, 2016, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-adapter-for-a-small-electric-drill/770361 "2016-11-02T20:17:53Z")
I have a Black & Decker 1/4" drill (inherited from someone who didn’t want it). Bought myself a “magazine” box of drill bits and then found that the larger bits won’t fit in the chuck. I recall seeing chuck adapters: … --- ## [Need examples of organizations](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-examples-of-organizations/770308)
**Author:** [@ToughLife](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToughLife)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [November 2, 2016, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-examples-of-organizations/770308 "2016-11-02T18:06:18Z")
I’m looking for some examples/names of organizations, political parties, social movements, social theories, cults,sects, lobby groups,Internet forums, philosophical theories,fringe/mainstream societies or the likes … --- ## [Entomologists, draw near and your answers will be humbly requested. What the heck is this thing?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/entomologists-draw-near-and-your-answers-will-be-humbly-requested-what-the-heck-is-this-thing/770310)
**Author:** [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [November 2, 2016, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/entomologists-draw-near-and-your-answers-will-be-humbly-requested-what-the-heck-is-this-thing/770310 "2016-11-02T17:22:12Z")
We live on the top floor of a three-story building, and earlier today we heard the maintenance man on the roof, where he was evidently sweeping detritus out of the gutters and elsewhere. He’s still there now, about six … --- ## [Gerrymandering outside the US?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gerrymandering-outside-the-us/702710)
**Author:** [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [November 2, 2016, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gerrymandering-outside-the-us/702710 "2016-11-02T16:22:14Z")
Do the parties setup districts to give themselves vote advantages in Europe, Australia, Japan, etc? I expect they do but have not heard much about it. I know most 1st world places have a census like the US does but… --- ## ['98 Buick lasabre won't keep power](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/98-buick-lasabre-wont-keep-power/770075)
**Author:** [@Jared25Holm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jared25Holm)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [November 2, 2016, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/98-buick-lasabre-wont-keep-power/770075 "2016-11-02T16:02:06Z")
When I turn on my Buick it starts perfectly (the needles on the dash come to life, the lights turn on, and power is working well). When I go to start the engine (crank) I do not hear any sound and the car looses all powe… --- ## [legal question for barbers](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-question-for-barbers/770387)
**Author:** [@Vicsage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vicsage)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [November 2, 2016, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-question-for-barbers/770387 "2016-11-02T15:55:08Z")
If the person who cuts Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, or Trump’s hair was offered a huge amount of money by some tabloid to get a sample of their hair so that it could be drug tested or tested for paternity reasons, woul… --- ## [Building an index/cross reference in MS Office](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/building-an-index-cross-reference-in-ms-office/770434)
**Author:** [@tim-n-va](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim-n-va)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [November 2, 2016, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/building-an-index-cross-reference-in-ms-office/770434 "2016-11-02T15:45:14Z")
I recently gained possession of approximately 1,500 35mm slides. They were taken by my grandfather, most in the 1960s, and I’m scanning them. I’d like to have a way to find images containing specific people or items. F… --- ## [Decade, century, millennium, ..?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/decade-century-millennium/549553)
**Author:** [@Rune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rune)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [November 2, 2016, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/decade-century-millennium/549553 "2016-11-02T13:36:39Z")
Decade is 10 years, century 100, millennium 1000 - is there a word for 10,000? --- ## [Will broadband have have to be rationed in the future?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-broadband-have-have-to-be-rationed-in-the-future/770354)
**Author:** [@Nansbread1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nansbread1)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [November 2, 2016, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-broadband-have-have-to-be-rationed-in-the-future/770354 "2016-11-02T13:14:28Z")
In most developing countries electricity is rationed. Some call it load shedding. The electricity is switched iff by the authorities for a few hours. Will broadband ever suffer the same fate? If not why not? Ie: electr… --- ## [Can You Tell Me Anything About This Picture](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell-me-anything-about-this-picture/770390)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [November 2, 2016, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tell-me-anything-about-this-picture/770390 "2016-11-02T12:51:47Z")
This picture wound up on Mrs. Homie’s iPad - I’ll explain how in a minute. Neither of us know anything about it, and a reverse image search on Google failed to provide conclusive results. It appears to have been used in … --- ## [Airliners and winshield wipers](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airliners-and-winshield-wipers/770132)
**Author:** [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [November 2, 2016, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airliners-and-winshield-wipers/770132 "2016-11-02T06:09:52Z")
Always kind of wondered. You can see that modern commercial airlines have windshield wipers. I know that they are not used in normal flight, but still, they must be able to withstand 600 mph wind when not in use. Do t… --- ## [Facebook's in-app broswer(s)?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebooks-in-app-broswer-s/770306)
**Author:** [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [November 2, 2016, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebooks-in-app-broswer-s/770306 "2016-11-02T06:02:38Z")
So, long ago I turned off Facebook’s annoying in-app browser on my phone, but I noticed some sites (like The Chive) still opened in Facebook, but with a different, apparently more streamlined browser, with black header b… --- ## [Cities with more than one neighborhood named for the same ethnic group / immigrant community?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-with-more-than-one-neighborhood-named-for-the-same-ethnic-group-immigrant-community/770339)
**Author:** [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [November 2, 2016, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cities-with-more-than-one-neighborhood-named-for-the-same-ethnic-group-immigrant-community/770339 "2016-11-02T04:27:36Z")
I was recently in a neighborhood in west Los Angeles that I used to pass through quite frequently but haven’t interacted with for a few years. I noticed that it had a new City-recognized official name- new to me, anyway,… --- ## [Car stereo help?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-stereo-help/769814)
**Author:** [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [November 2, 2016, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-stereo-help/769814 "2016-11-02T04:18:30Z")
My car stereo (specifically the CD player) has developed a problem. In the past, when I started the car, the CD player has always begun playing the CD from the point it was at when I shut the car off. But yesterday it st… --- ## [Looking for software for a presentation](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-software-for-a-presentation/770362)
**Author:** [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [November 2, 2016, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-software-for-a-presentation/770362 "2016-11-02T02:43:30Z")
Okay, so I am doing a presentation in a week on the capabilities of our \[DEL\]drone\[/DEL\] unmanned aerial vehicle, and I would like to find some software that I can use to create some short videos of the final products. I… --- ## [3d tv.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3d-tv/770307)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [November 2, 2016, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3d-tv/770307 "2016-11-02T01:53:14Z")
Really something I have wondered since a child. Why has no one developed 3D television yet? (And by that, I mean that is 3D per se–I know you can have 3D, if you wear special glasses:).) I know I hear and read about the… --- ## [Mosaic Law beyond Judaism](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mosaic-law-beyond-judaism/770140)
**Author:** [@Francis\_Vaughan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francis_Vaughan)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [November 2, 2016, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mosaic-law-beyond-judaism/770140 "2016-11-02T01:41:05Z")
Something that occurred to me during the discussion on mixed fabrics. There are roughly 613 laws. A lot of them seem to be very specific and, to say the least, nowadays, odd. Others quite general. We get modern argum… --- ## [Why does the modern US military use plastic bottled water?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-modern-us-military-use-plastic-bottled-water/769741)
**Author:** [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Replies:** 41\ **Last updated:** [November 2, 2016, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-modern-us-military-use-plastic-bottled-water/769741 "2016-11-02T01:00:41Z")
Random thought while watching Generation Kill, why does the modern US military use plastic bottled water? It’s not just a thing they do in Hollywood images,of US troops drinking bottled water are pretty common. Not for … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=821) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=823)