# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=840 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 841 --- ## ["No Trespassing" signs.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-trespassing-signs/766631)
**Author:** [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Replies:** 37\ **Last updated:** [September 25, 2016, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-trespassing-signs/766631 "2016-09-25T19:06:59Z")
I would assume this varies from state to state, but generally speaking… Let’s say I’m hiking through a wooded area and I see a “No Trespassing” sign on (what I believe is) private property. And I walk past the sign and … --- ## [Can you trademark a color?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-trademark-a-color/766665)
**Author:** [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [September 25, 2016, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-trademark-a-color/766665 "2016-09-25T16:15:07Z")
As a specific example, the boxes that Tiffany wraps it goods in is very distinctive, but the thing that make them distinctive is that blue color. Could they make an argument that anybody else using boxes of that color wo… --- ## [Can men who fathered a child out of wedlock become Roman Catholic priests?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-men-who-fathered-a-child-out-of-wedlock-become-roman-catholic-priests/766572)
**Author:** [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Replies:** 52\ **Last updated:** [September 25, 2016, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-men-who-fathered-a-child-out-of-wedlock-become-roman-catholic-priests/766572 "2016-09-25T14:39:53Z")
My husband and I saw something on TV that got us arguing about this point,but since we’re Jews, what do we know? I know there are plenty of RCs on the board who probably know the answer, so what is it? The man was never… --- ## [Explain this company slogan to me](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-this-company-slogan-to-me/766684)
**Author:** [@Mrdeals](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrdeals)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [September 24, 2016, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-this-company-slogan-to-me/766684 "2016-09-24T23:33:53Z")
There is a sewer and septic company I tend to see on the road quite frequently. The slogan on the trucks is: “Let us keep you in the pink!” I can assume it means they will keep your septic running right, but what in th… --- ## [Why can I maintain a higher cadence on my road bike?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-can-i-maintain-a-higher-cadence-on-my-road-bike/766431)
**Author:** [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [September 24, 2016, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-can-i-maintain-a-higher-cadence-on-my-road-bike/766431 "2016-09-24T22:55:00Z")
Partially inspired by this thread about running. When I ride my mountain bike, regardless of terrain, I feel the need to change to a higher gear when my cadence gets up around 85 and I’m quite happy with it sitting at ar… --- ## [Are we rich because other countries are poor?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-rich-because-other-countries-are-poor/766677)
**Author:** [@Danger\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danger_Man)\ **Replies:** 39\ **Last updated:** [September 24, 2016, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-rich-because-other-countries-are-poor/766677 "2016-09-24T20:51:59Z")
I was unsure wether or not to post this in general questions or great debates. It is after all a factual question, even though it is difficult. In western countries we enjoy the cheap labour (sometimes child labour) tha… --- ## [Huge ONE-DAY spike in electric bill](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huge-one-day-spike-in-electric-bill/764756)
**Author:** [@priority](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/priority)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [September 24, 2016, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huge-one-day-spike-in-electric-bill/764756 "2016-09-24T20:45:19Z")
My electric bill for August jumped $120 from the previous month. When I called the utility company about it, here is some of the info I got: \[ul\] \[\*\]My average daily usage is 31 to 59 kWh \[li\]There were three days my … --- ## [Do most defense contractors exclusively serve the military?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-defense-contractors-exclusively-serve-the-military/766751)
**Author:** [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [September 24, 2016, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-most-defense-contractors-exclusively-serve-the-military/766751 "2016-09-24T20:37:39Z")
Bath Iron Works in Maine just cut 160 jobs after finishing the Zumwalt, and Maine’s politicians are trying to help them recover the Coast Guard bid they lost. They exclusively build for the Navy, and do not do anything a… --- ## [TiVo without the subscription?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tivo-without-the-subscription/607530)
**Author:** [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Replies:** 58\ **Last updated:** [September 24, 2016, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tivo-without-the-subscription/607530 "2016-09-24T20:37:28Z")
Question: Can you use a Tivo box (with cablecard) as a simple cable box, without having to pay the monthly subscription fee? TL/DR explanation for the question: We have Verizon FIOS service, and are getting annoyed wit… --- ## [Shaky video software fix](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaky-video-software-fix/766704)
**Author:** [@DtypeJag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DtypeJag)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [September 24, 2016, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaky-video-software-fix/766704 "2016-09-24T15:56:20Z")
After watching the latest cop vs black person video for the umpteenth time, due to the excitement and mechanics of holding a cell phone, it was so shaky I couldn’t tell who was doing what to whom. Isn’t there some sor… --- ## [Why were the early Islamic armies so good?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-the-early-islamic-armies-so-good/765742)
**Author:** [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [September 24, 2016, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-the-early-islamic-armies-so-good/765742 "2016-09-24T14:58:18Z")
Or were they? Y’all will have to forgive me if I ask stupid questions. This is a part of history that I’m not good at. I’ve only recently been sniffing at it in any kind of detail. The early Islamic armies defeated Byza… --- ## ["Armed response" security](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/armed-response-security/766687)
**Author:** [@TSBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TSBG)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [September 24, 2016, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/armed-response-security/766687 "2016-09-24T14:37:28Z")
Do the home security companies whose little signs read “armed response” actually send guys with guns to your house? Or does it mean they send the police? If the former, have there been any cases of armed private securi… --- ## [Are there dopamine reuptake inhibitors with a stronger affinity than amphetamines](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-dopamine-reuptake-inhibitors-with-a-stronger-affinity-than-amphetamines/766724)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [September 24, 2016, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-dopamine-reuptake-inhibitors-with-a-stronger-affinity-than-amphetamines/766724 "2016-09-24T13:59:11Z")
My understanding is amphetamines (legal and illegal) work via dopamine reuptake inhibitors. In theory, shouldn’t a reputake inhibitor with a stronger affinity than something like meth be a drug that can end a bad meth t… --- ## [Fictional science premise: How could the sea submerge most of the Earth's landmasses?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-science-premise-how-could-the-sea-submerge-most-of-the-earths-landmasses/766627)
**Author:** [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Replies:** 52\ **Last updated:** [September 24, 2016, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-science-premise-how-could-the-sea-submerge-most-of-the-earths-landmasses/766627 "2016-09-24T12:00:07Z")
A friend of mine (honest! This is not for me, I swear!) needs some plausible science to explain the setup of his story. The basic premise is, sea levels have risen to such a degree that landmass on Earth is limited. So… --- ## [Did NASA really ask Sally Ride this question?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-nasa-really-ask-sally-ride-this-question/766478)
**Author:** [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Replies:** 129\ **Last updated:** [September 24, 2016, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-nasa-really-ask-sally-ride-this-question/766478 "2016-09-24T11:02:19Z")
There is a list article somewhere (I know, the internet is full of them) of actual stupid questions. One of them is that NASA asked Sally Ride if 100 tampons would be enough for a 7 day mission. Now, I know she was the f… --- ## [Charging of sales tax at bars, cash vs credit](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charging-of-sales-tax-at-bars-cash-vs-credit/646442)
**Author:** [@bababadalgharagh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bababadalgharagh)\ **Replies:** 39\ **Last updated:** [September 24, 2016, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charging-of-sales-tax-at-bars-cash-vs-credit/646442 "2016-09-24T10:50:46Z")
Is it common (and legal) practice for bars to charge sales tax over listed menu prices when paying by credit but not by cash? I don’t usually pay that much attention to things like this, but today at a bar I noticed tha… --- ## [Excell form filler](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excell-form-filler/766683)
**Author:** [@Gbro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gbro)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [September 24, 2016, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excell-form-filler/766683 "2016-09-24T02:44:16Z")
I am wondering if there is a simple form filler to complete an already created excel spread sheet. I just got a new PC and there is nothing on it. I looked at buying a program but at $170.00 for a program an engineer co… --- ## [Why didn't contact with the Norse devastate native populations like the Spanish?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-contact-with-the-norse-devastate-native-populations-like-the-spanish/760848)
**Author:** [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Replies:** 46\ **Last updated:** [September 24, 2016, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-contact-with-the-norse-devastate-native-populations-like-the-spanish/760848 "2016-09-24T00:43:25Z")
Pretty much as the title - when the Spaniards and other Europeans showed up in the 16th century the effect was pretty catastrophic on native populations as diseases like smallpox spread like wildfire among a population w… --- ## [Why would anybody pay to simply \*have\* a bank account?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-anybody-pay-to-simply-have-a-bank-account/765902)
**Author:** [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Replies:** 50\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2016, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-anybody-pay-to-simply-have-a-bank-account/765902 "2016-09-23T22:55:35Z")
Rather than risk hijacking the Wells Fargo thread, I thought I’d start my own. bump said this: I’ve really decided that I must have the best bank in the USA. We have Wells Fargo, and many other “national” banks here, b… --- ## [Employee discipline and confidentiality requirements](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/employee-discipline-and-confidentiality-requirements/766498)
**Author:** [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2016, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/employee-discipline-and-confidentiality-requirements/766498 "2016-09-23T22:25:07Z")
I’m confused by seemingly contradictory principles regarding confidentiality surrounding how a company disciplines an employee. Suppose Ken punches Charlie in the face at work, with no extenuating circumstances. Maybe K… --- ## [They found unsafe levels of Chromium 6 in my town's water....](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-found-unsafe-levels-of-chromium-6-in-my-towns-water/766669)
**Author:** [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2016, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-found-unsafe-levels-of-chromium-6-in-my-towns-water/766669 "2016-09-23T22:12:30Z")
How freaked out should I be? The town is recommending that everyone switch to bottled water for all their drinking and ice for a while. I am honestly freaking the heck out about the water we have already consumed. Mo… --- ## [Which 1976 issue of LIFE magazine had the famous Farrah Fawcett picture?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-1976-issue-of-life-magazine-had-the-famous-farrah-fawcett-picture/766616)
**Author:** [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2016, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-1976-issue-of-life-magazine-had-the-famous-farrah-fawcett-picture/766616 "2016-09-23T19:48:46Z")
I mean this photo. All I can find, everywhere online, is that it was “from 1976.” No indication as to which month in 1976. Anyone have better google-fu? (Or one of those scary basements full of every LIFE magazine and N… --- ## [Violet and purple are totally different?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violet-and-purple-are-totally-different/766492)
**Author:** [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Replies:** 52\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2016, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violet-and-purple-are-totally-different/766492 "2016-09-23T18:19:53Z")
I had always thought that purple and violet were very similar, just slightly different shades of each other. But Wikipedia says differently: I’m having a lot of trouble understanding the difference between a true spec… --- ## [What does Best Buy do with all those cell phones?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-best-buy-do-with-all-those-cell-phones/766617)
**Author:** [@Drum\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drum_God)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2016, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-best-buy-do-with-all-those-cell-phones/766617 "2016-09-23T17:58:48Z")
Over the years, I’ve gone to Best Buy several times and upgraded my cell phone and traded in the old model. I’ve also traded in a Kindle Fire there. So, what happens to all those traded gadgets? What makes it worth Be… --- ## [People exonerated by trial, over public opinion](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-exonerated-by-trial-over-public-opinion/766549)
**Author:** [@ChickenLegs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChickenLegs)\ **Replies:** 34\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2016, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-exonerated-by-trial-over-public-opinion/766549 "2016-09-23T17:29:43Z")
I’m trying to explain the value of due process. Can you provide any examples over people clearly exonerated by trial, who were overwhelmingly thought guilty, prior to the trial, in the mind of the general public? Thank… --- ## [Why don't alkaline batteries list their mAh?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-alkaline-batteries-list-their-mah/348743)
**Author:** [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2016, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-alkaline-batteries-list-their-mah/348743 "2016-09-23T16:16:44Z")
I’ve always wondered this one. Rechargeables (well, NiMH and LiIon and most NiCd) pretty well always list their capacity (mAh) on the batteries and the packaging, so you have a good idea of how long they will last in a … --- ## [Relative risk of being shot vs shooting someone for the police (in the US)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/relative-risk-of-being-shot-vs-shooting-someone-for-the-police-in-the-us/766635)
**Author:** [@BetsQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BetsQ)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2016, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/relative-risk-of-being-shot-vs-shooting-someone-for-the-police-in-the-us/766635 "2016-09-23T15:38:55Z")
I’d really like some data to inform how I’m thinking about police-related violence in the US. Particularly, I’d like to know how likely a police officer is to be shot in a given year, vs how likely a police officer is to… --- ## [Is it possible there are still many more receptors and agonists to discover inside the human body](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-there-are-still-many-more-receptors-and-agonists-to-discover-inside-the-human-body/765812)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2016, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-there-are-still-many-more-receptors-and-agonists-to-discover-inside-the-human-body/765812 "2016-09-23T15:14:02Z")
I’m not sure if this is a gq, I assume so. With 2016 medical technology is it possible there are still endless receptors within the human body as well as agonists, antagonists, inverse agonists etc that we haven’t disco… --- ## [Who developed the plutonium for the Manhatten project](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-developed-the-plutonium-for-the-manhatten-project/766486)
**Author:** [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2016, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-developed-the-plutonium-for-the-manhatten-project/766486 "2016-09-23T14:46:13Z")
If I understand it correctly (and I very well might not) the army didn’t know much about it and the teams working on the Manhatten project were vying to get a hairs worth of it to experiment with, who was developing it? … --- ## [Is David Nutt's 'Alcosynth' really a benzo? What is it really? ("A secret" is not an answer) :-)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-david-nutts-alcosynth-really-a-benzo-what-is-it-really-a-secret-is-not-an-answer/766646)
**Author:** [@Zoot\_Suit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoot_Suit)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2016, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-david-nutts-alcosynth-really-a-benzo-what-is-it-really-a-secret-is-not-an-answer/766646 "2016-09-23T14:44:47Z")
So there are these articles formerly in the tabloids that are slowly coming into the mainstream about synthetic alcohol and the positive attributes thereof. Is this real? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=839) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=841)