# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=868 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 869 --- ## ["Help Decode Secret Civil War Telegrams": How reliable and helpful are crowdsourced efforts?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-decode-secret-civil-war-telegrams-how-reliable-and-helpful-are-crowdsourced-efforts/761179)
**Author:** [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [July 30, 2016, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-decode-secret-civil-war-telegrams-how-reliable-and-helpful-are-crowdsourced-efforts/761179 "2016-07-30T00:37:19Z")
For those of us who are detail-minded, enjoy history and puzzles, and can read 1860s cursive, this is really fascinating. It wasn’t easy but I just now transcribed telegrams by Ambrose Burnside and Andrew Johnson at this… --- ## [Equal and opposite reactions in space.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equal-and-opposite-reactions-in-space/761123)
**Author:** [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [July 30, 2016, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equal-and-opposite-reactions-in-space/761123 "2016-07-30T00:07:07Z")
Suppose that my spaceship crew mutinies and puts me in a pressurized suit and dumps me into space. They came to a dead stop first (if that means anything). Naturally, I start flailing my arms and legs (to use up my oxy… --- ## [Moon phase gardening/planting](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moon-phase-gardening-planting/171516)
**Author:** [@Kalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalt)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [July 30, 2016, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moon-phase-gardening-planting/171516 "2016-07-30T00:03:53Z")
Okay, I’m a city boy and my thumb is anything but green, so there are plenty of things I don’t know about planting/farming/harvesting … or basically anything that involves dirt. That being said, this “planting by moon p… --- ## [A question about full immersion baptism.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-full-immersion-baptism/760104)
**Author:** [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Replies:** 64\ **Last updated:** [July 29, 2016, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-full-immersion-baptism/760104 "2016-07-29T23:58:14Z")
Like this. I know there are some sects that use a Baptismal Font. That’s different; are there any religious groups baptizing their members in stillwater? That is to say, Baptism in a lake or the Ocean? Does it have to … --- ## [What Are The Greatest Scientific Discoveries Learned From the Soviet/Russian Space Program](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-greatest-scientific-discoveries-learned-from-the-soviet-russian-space-program/761071)
**Author:** [@SHARKBITEATTACK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SHARKBITEATTACK)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [July 29, 2016, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-greatest-scientific-discoveries-learned-from-the-soviet-russian-space-program/761071 "2016-07-29T23:28:04Z")
What are some of the greatest discoveries that the world learned from the Soviet and subsequent Russian Space program? The easy ones are “the firsts” things like proving dogs and then humans could orbit the earth and re… --- ## [Resumes; Word doc or PDF?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resumes-word-doc-or-pdf/761139)
**Author:** [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [July 29, 2016, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resumes-word-doc-or-pdf/761139 "2016-07-29T21:58:39Z")
I initially created my resume as a PDF file, as it was noted by a few articles and sites that I’d read that formatting can be disrupted when Word docs are uploaded sometimes to job application forms. Then I submitted my … --- ## [Evaporative Humidifier to Supplement A/C](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/evaporative-humidifier-to-supplement-a-c/761201)
**Author:** [@jjakucyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjakucyk)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [July 29, 2016, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/evaporative-humidifier-to-supplement-a-c/761201 "2016-07-29T20:00:49Z")
Here’s one that’s been puzzling me for a while. I live in a 100 year old building with uninsulated brick walls, so needless to say my two window air conditioners struggle to keep the place cool on hot sunny days. That … --- ## [My blog is getting hammered by the Russians](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-blog-is-getting-hammered-by-the-russians/760907)
**Author:** [@Marion\_Wormer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marion_Wormer)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [July 29, 2016, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-blog-is-getting-hammered-by-the-russians/760907 "2016-07-29T19:25:13Z")
I have a little blog. On a good day it gets 400 page views of very loyal, dedicated readers. Yeah, it’s a niche blog, but it’s been running in happy obscurity since 2011. Now I’m getting up to 800 hits a day from Russia… --- ## [Are there offices with running mates other than POTUS?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-offices-with-running-mates-other-than-potus/761087)
**Author:** [@RollOutTheBarrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RollOutTheBarrel)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [July 29, 2016, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-offices-with-running-mates-other-than-potus/761087 "2016-07-29T19:14:08Z")
The President and Vice President are currently elected by the Electoral College via two separate ballots. The result of this is that candidates for President choose a running mate for Vice President. Voters vote for cand… --- ## [How to find programs in Windows 10](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-find-programs-in-windows-10/761161)
**Author:** [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [July 29, 2016, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-find-programs-in-windows-10/761161 "2016-07-29T17:53:52Z")
I just changed from Windows 7 to 10 and now I can’t find the games that showed up with the old start button nor the list of programs I was used to. Can you please tell me how to find this stuff? --- ## [Turning off computer vs. malware, etc.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-off-computer-vs-malware-etc/761132)
**Author:** [@AllShookDown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AllShookDown)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [July 29, 2016, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-off-computer-vs-malware-etc/761132 "2016-07-29T15:53:26Z")
Since I only use my desktop for work, and to update my ipod a couple of times a month, I shut it down when I’m not using it. That makes me wonder, am I reducing my chances of getting malware or having other bad things h… --- ## [Toilet rough-in ... 12" vs 14"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-rough-in-12-vs-14/761192)
**Author:** [@Turble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turble)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [July 29, 2016, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-rough-in-12-vs-14/761192 "2016-07-29T15:03:34Z")
It’s time for a new toilet. I found instructions for measuring the rough-in size. The existing toilet measures 14" from wall to center of bolt but the tank sits a bit over two inches from the wall. Does that mean the toi… --- ## [PA/Abbas plan to sue Great Britain for issuing the Balfour Declaration--What are their recourses?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pa-abbas-plan-to-sue-great-britain-for-issuing-the-balfour-declaration-what-are-their-recourses/761078)
**Author:** [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [July 29, 2016, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pa-abbas-plan-to-sue-great-britain-for-issuing-the-balfour-declaration-what-are-their-recourses/761078 "2016-07-29T14:45:22Z")
In an address to the Arab Summit on July 25, Mohammad Abbas, through a secretary, announced that the “nation of Palestine” intends to sue Great Britain for having issued the Balfour Declaration in 1926, and asks the Arab… --- ## [Eyeglasses and base curve](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeglasses-and-base-curve/761082)
**Author:** [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [July 29, 2016, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeglasses-and-base-curve/761082 "2016-07-29T14:38:39Z")
I’m researching new lenses, and after reading people’s explanations, I still don’t really understand “base curve”. I take it that a 6 base has a more curved front lens than a 4. But in practical terms, what does that do? … --- ## [Whooo ... whooo is this owl?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whooo-whooo-is-this-owl/761186)
**Author:** [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [July 29, 2016, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whooo-whooo-is-this-owl/761186 "2016-07-29T13:37:49Z")
In downstate, rural New York, we have a new resident in our woods. Kind of sounds like a barn owl, but different from sound samples I’ve found and vague recollections. Could it be a baby owl? A really confused catbird? H… --- ## [Why do different races have different body odors?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-different-races-have-different-body-odors/363041)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 48\ **Last updated:** [July 6, 2006, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-different-races-have-different-body-odors/363041 "2006-07-06T02:07:27Z")
Not a myth. This is something I noticed for myself in junior-high-school locker rooms long before I learned it was a racial stereotype. Blacks – not all, but many – have a smell I find highly unpleasant, and which I ne… --- ## [Some questions about grout:](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-questions-about-grout/761005)
**Author:** [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [July 29, 2016, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-questions-about-grout/761005 "2016-07-29T08:11:02Z")
Still awake? My wife has a counter-top (as opposed to under-the-cabinet-mounted) paper towel dispenser like this. The material in the base has all crumbled to pieces, which wouldn’t be a big deal except the thing is ver… --- ## [Cat scratch reaction](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-scratch-reaction/457773)
**Author:** [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [July 29, 2016, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-scratch-reaction/457773 "2016-07-29T03:22:24Z")
Two weeks ago, while putting one of my cats into his carrier, he accidentally scratched me on my outer thigh, near the knee. The next day it started to itch. \*\*\*Really \*\*\*itch. \*\*\*Insanely \*\*\*itch. The area became red an… --- ## [Question about franglais: "une conversations fluente"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-franglais-une-conversations-fluente/761031)
**Author:** [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [July 29, 2016, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-franglais-une-conversations-fluente/761031 "2016-07-29T00:49:53Z")
Hi This phrase appears to be more franglais: “une conversations fluente”. I see it on French websites/blogs. How do you pronounce it. Is is more like the the “u” in “glue” or the “u” in the German “ü”? I could not find… --- ## [How close to the Earth's core could you build a public swimming pool?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-to-the-earths-core-could-you-build-a-public-swimming-pool/761096)
**Author:** [@TheSundial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheSundial)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [July 29, 2016, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-to-the-earths-core-could-you-build-a-public-swimming-pool/761096 "2016-07-29T00:48:18Z")
I’m just imagining a business in the Nevada desert with a freight elevator that goes all the way down to the pool :cool: What is the deepest possible distance where it would be safe to wear normal swimsuits/bikinis? Af… --- ## [What is this barbershop product?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-barbershop-product/760803)
**Author:** [@davey77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davey77)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [July 29, 2016, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-barbershop-product/760803 "2016-07-29T00:41:29Z")
After years of getting my hair cut at any unisex salon that was handy, I decided to start frequenting a downtown barbershop. Every part of the process was the same since I was a kid, except one. Before shaving my neck … --- ## [Does bagging dog poo really stop disease spread ?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-bagging-dog-poo-really-stop-disease-spread/761016)
**Author:** [@MrQwertyasd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrQwertyasd)\ **Replies:** 42\ **Last updated:** [July 29, 2016, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-bagging-dog-poo-really-stop-disease-spread/761016 "2016-07-29T00:37:06Z")
When a poo hits the ground does it instantly spread pathogens, worm eggs etc., or leave a disease laden smear, even if it is quickly bagged ? How much of a health hazard is this in places like parks ? --- ## [How cold can you make a supersonic stream of air?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-cold-can-you-make-a-supersonic-stream-of-air/761106)
**Author:** [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [July 28, 2016, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-cold-can-you-make-a-supersonic-stream-of-air/761106 "2016-07-28T20:09:39Z")
Inspired by the thread about holding an ice cream bar in front of an air conditioning vent. My first thought reading that thread was that whatever cooling benefit there was of the cool airstream, it would eventually be … --- ## [rotation of the hand and relative motions of bones](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rotation-of-the-hand-and-relative-motions-of-bones/761040)
**Author:** [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [July 28, 2016, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rotation-of-the-hand-and-relative-motions-of-bones/761040 "2016-07-28T19:35:36Z")
IANAD, but I’m Looking for a lesson in anatomy here. Suppose I am sitting at a desk, with my palm resting on the desktop. Now I rotate my hand so my palm is facing up. As I watch the motion take place, it doesn’t appe… --- ## [Can Psycopathy/Sociopathy be "fixed"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-psycopathy-sociopathy-be-fixed/760945)
**Author:** [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [July 28, 2016, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-psycopathy-sociopathy-be-fixed/760945 "2016-07-28T17:25:53Z")
I have read on more than one occasion that children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder can be treated (to a degree) if caught early enough (around age 2, or thereabouts). If a parent, teacher, caseworker, etc is pe… --- ## [Breakdown of healthcare costs](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breakdown-of-healthcare-costs/761100)
**Author:** [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [July 28, 2016, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breakdown-of-healthcare-costs/761100 "2016-07-28T17:11:45Z")
Looking for a US perspective. I have seen some good breakdowns of the price of college, and I was looking for one on healthcare. What percentage of a hospital Bill goes to doctors and nurses, or building maintenance, o… --- ## [Do Fingerprints Wear Down as We Age?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-fingerprints-wear-down-as-we-age/760639)
**Author:** [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [July 28, 2016, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-fingerprints-wear-down-as-we-age/760639 "2016-07-28T16:49:04Z")
I’ve been using my fingers for over fifty years, and I can still see the lines of my fingerprints looking up close. But the tips of my fingers feel very smooth, and I’m having a much harder time these days picking up in… --- ## [Finding info on the founding of segregation academies?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-info-on-the-founding-of-segregation-academies/761057)
**Author:** [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [July 28, 2016, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-info-on-the-founding-of-segregation-academies/761057 "2016-07-28T13:12:36Z")
Segregation academies being the term used to describe the private schools that starting sprouting mainly in the 1960s (and probably mainly in the south) to economically forestall academic integration in light of the lega… --- ## [The Shape of Atoms.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shape-of-atoms/761011)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [July 28, 2016, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shape-of-atoms/761011 "2016-07-28T06:11:28Z")
True story. I was in the first or second grade. I guess I can tell you, it was around the mid-1970’s. And our science text book was talking about molecules and atoms. We don’t know what shape molecules are, they told us… --- ## [Could a shark live on pastrami only?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-shark-live-on-pastrami-only/760816)
**Author:** [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Replies:** 52\ **Last updated:** [July 28, 2016, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-shark-live-on-pastrami-only/760816 "2016-07-28T02:50:22Z")
See query. For once I’m not going to give the back story on an OP. But there is one. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=867) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=869)