# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=870 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 871 --- ## [What are the odds? \[math probability related to uber ratings\]](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-odds-math-probability-related-to-uber-ratings/760281)
**Author:** [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [July 25, 2016, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-odds-math-probability-related-to-uber-ratings/760281 "2016-07-25T20:28:58Z")
As an Uber driver, my passengers can rate me from 1-5, 5 being highest. In more than a thousand rated rides, 83 percent have given me a 5, and rest have rated me 4 or lower. Uber calculates my average by my last 500 rid… --- ## [Local Ordinances vs. Constitution](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-ordinances-vs-constitution/759614)
**Author:** [@Mrdeals](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrdeals)\ **Replies:** 83\ **Last updated:** [July 25, 2016, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-ordinances-vs-constitution/759614 "2016-07-25T17:41:47Z")
Just got done applying and paying for a permit to use a sign for my business. The fee wasn’t much, i believe less than $30, so i didn’t think too much of it, but does my local city, charging me a fee to hang a sign, and… --- ## [Navajo Language Translation: The Word For Apache Is Enemy](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navajo-language-translation-the-word-for-apache-is-enemy/603825)
**Author:** [@SeaCanary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaCanary)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [July 25, 2016, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navajo-language-translation-the-word-for-apache-is-enemy/603825 "2016-07-25T16:17:55Z")
I got into a conversation with an Apache indian today and asked him if the concept of a blood feud/vendetta existed in the Apache nation. He said it most certainly did and then went on to say, tangentially, that the Nava… --- ## [Receiving calls on my Google Voice number while on WiFi only](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/receiving-calls-on-my-google-voice-number-while-on-wifi-only/760739)
**Author:** [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [July 25, 2016, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/receiving-calls-on-my-google-voice-number-while-on-wifi-only/760739 "2016-07-25T15:16:51Z")
I will be traveling overseas next month. I have a Google Voice number that I can set up to forward to my cell phone. However, I will not be purchasing cell network service, so I don’t want to set forwarding. I will be us… --- ## [Modern cell phone vs. Lunar Lander computer](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-cell-phone-vs-lunar-lander-computer/760772)
**Author:** [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [July 25, 2016, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-cell-phone-vs-lunar-lander-computer/760772 "2016-07-25T14:43:38Z")
I know the phone is more powerful but by how much ? 10x or 100x? The memory capacity alone is way more now. --- ## [Microsoft Word: Is it possible to sort a list that ignores articles (a, an, the)?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-word-is-it-possible-to-sort-a-list-that-ignores-articles-a-an-the/760482)
**Author:** [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [July 25, 2016, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-word-is-it-possible-to-sort-a-list-that-ignores-articles-a-an-the/760482 "2016-07-25T13:53:36Z")
I want Word so sort this list: A Day in the Life Mean Mr. Mustard The Fool on the Hill Into this (automagically): A Day in the Life The Fool on the Hill Mean Mr. Mustard Possible? (Googling only gave me answers r… --- ## [I am the only one that thinks I am right \[archery bow tiller shape\]](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-the-only-one-that-thinks-i-am-right-archery-bow-tiller-shape/760127)
**Author:** [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [July 25, 2016, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-the-only-one-that-thinks-i-am-right-archery-bow-tiller-shape/760127 "2016-07-25T12:48:41Z")
I have been involved in an ongoing debate for the past year or so about how the tiller shape on an archery bow affects arrow flight. I realize most of you have never given much of a thought to bows and arrows so I will t… --- ## [Need some yard work shaped like video game advice](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-yard-work-shaped-like-video-game-advice/760687)
**Author:** [@Apocalypso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apocalypso)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [July 25, 2016, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-yard-work-shaped-like-video-game-advice/760687 "2016-07-25T12:48:16Z")
Ok, my wife and I have a big yard (3/4 of an acre), and I’ve been cleaning it up the last month. The yard is going to be pretty open to decoration possibilities, so we’re thinking about what we can do in the spring, and … --- ## [Is there a limit to how fast water can freeze?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-limit-to-how-fast-water-can-freeze/760698)
**Author:** [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [July 25, 2016, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-limit-to-how-fast-water-can-freeze/760698 "2016-07-25T12:38:17Z")
See query. I thought of it today sweating away, watching, waiting, waiting…agonizing seconds for my room temperature soda to get colder (please hurry) in my glass full of ice. --- ## [COMPLETE list of metals' magnetic properties?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/complete-list-of-metals-magnetic-properties/760597)
**Author:** [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [July 25, 2016, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/complete-list-of-metals-magnetic-properties/760597 "2016-07-25T12:30:04Z")
I’d like to see a list of all the metals (and non-metals, if that applies) and their classification as to magnetism (ferromagnetic, paramagnetic, dimagnetic, anything else?) – i.e., how they react, or don’t react, to a m… --- ## [Can a human being beat a polygraph test?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-human-being-beat-a-polygraph-test/499542)
**Author:** [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [June 13, 2009, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-human-being-beat-a-polygraph-test/499542 "2009-06-13T05:15:47Z")
No, I do not Need Answer Fast. But someone told me you can’t and I find that very hard to believe. --- ## [SR-71 Blackbird Safest plane in Airforce History?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sr-71-blackbird-safest-plane-in-airforce-history/760784)
**Author:** [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [July 25, 2016, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sr-71-blackbird-safest-plane-in-airforce-history/760784 "2016-07-25T07:55:52Z")
I was watching a special on the history of the SR-71 blackbird and on the special it said that it was the only plane that the air force had ever built which never lost a plane or crew-member. Is this true? --- ## [Possible to remove codecs from Windows 8.1?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possible-to-remove-codecs-from-windows-8-1/760792)
**Author:** [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [July 25, 2016, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possible-to-remove-codecs-from-windows-8-1/760792 "2016-07-25T03:24:18Z")
I bought a game and it is (apparently) conflicting with existing codecs (I don’t know why, but apparently this game has always had this problem). The troubleshooting instructions are to remove the existing codec(s) and r… --- ## [Do firearm accidents cause more deaths than mass shootings?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-firearm-accidents-cause-more-deaths-than-mass-shootings/760456)
**Author:** [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [July 25, 2016, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-firearm-accidents-cause-more-deaths-than-mass-shootings/760456 "2016-07-25T02:55:18Z")
I am asking about the USA in particular, and looking for numbers, not a political debate. I have a colleague who also runs a firearms training business. He often talks about the horrifying things he has seen people do … --- ## [Ju 390 Payload](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ju-390-payload/700150)
**Author:** [@SHARKBITEATTACK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SHARKBITEATTACK)\ **Replies:** 37\ **Last updated:** [July 24, 2016, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ju-390-payload/700150 "2016-07-24T23:27:45Z")
If the “Amerika Bomber” was put into production and became operational how would it have compared to a B29? or even a post war B36? Hypothetically, would it have been able to carry a bomb comparable to little boy or fat … --- ## [How common is formaldehyde (w/ or w/o pot) a drug to get high? How does it work? \[Plus: Brains!\]](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-formaldehyde-w-or-w-o-pot-a-drug-to-get-high-how-does-it-work-plus-brains/760324)
**Author:** [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [July 24, 2016, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-formaldehyde-w-or-w-o-pot-a-drug-to-get-high-how-does-it-work-plus-brains/760324 "2016-07-24T22:32:20Z")
See query. I never knew it was a thing, until I read the recent case of the stolen brain: Stolen brain found under Cumberland Co. porch used to get high | fox43.com. About the “how does it work”: it’s at an idiot (me)-l… --- ## [residential electrical service question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/residential-electrical-service-question/760584)
**Author:** [@arseNal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/arseNal)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [July 24, 2016, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/residential-electrical-service-question/760584 "2016-07-24T22:19:13Z")
I am very confused by how home electricity works. So when someone refers to a “200-amp service”, this is what I gather, please correct me where I’m wrong: the power company is providing a 200 amp service. So one way o… --- ## [Script??](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/script/760502)
**Author:** [@koufax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koufax)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [July 24, 2016, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/script/760502 "2016-07-24T18:59:03Z")
"A script on this page may be busy, or it may have stopped responding. You can stop the script now, open the script in the debugger, or let the script continue. This keeps happening, locking my machine up for minutes at… --- ## [Google News: Understanding 'Number of Results'](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-news-understanding-number-of-results/760778)
**Author:** [@andrea\_green](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andrea_green)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [July 24, 2016, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-news-understanding-number-of-results/760778 "2016-07-24T18:34:13Z")
A project I’m involved in recently went viral and we were pleased to see many news articles pop up all around the world. One thing we couldn’t quite wrap our heads around though was the significance of the “number of re… --- ## [Doctors, Physicists, would this murder method actually work?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-physicists-would-this-murder-method-actually-work/760540)
**Author:** [@Memnon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Memnon)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [July 24, 2016, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-physicists-would-this-murder-method-actually-work/760540 "2016-07-24T16:47:46Z")
I’ve been toying with the idea of writing a comedy murder mystery story in vein of ‘Kind Hearts and Coronets’, and I’m trying to come up with a few outlandish ways for my main character to bump off his adversaries. Anyw… --- ## [Why don't the Jews build another Temple?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-the-jews-build-another-temple/760444)
**Author:** [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Replies:** 99\ **Last updated:** [July 24, 2016, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-the-jews-build-another-temple/760444 "2016-07-24T16:04:06Z")
I know that the first two were destroyed and once the Jews were expelled from Jerusalem (didn’t the Romans change the name to Aelia Capitolina?) the focus of their worship became the synagogue. But the Temple was such a … --- ## [Atomic bomb victims passing down cancerous genes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atomic-bomb-victims-passing-down-cancerous-genes/760710)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [July 24, 2016, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atomic-bomb-victims-passing-down-cancerous-genes/760710 "2016-07-24T15:57:32Z")
What’s the medical plausibility of a female A-bomb victim getting pregnant one or two decades after the A-bombings (say, 1955 or 1965) and giving birth to a child who is genetically predisposed to cancer? Or are only ch… --- ## [Avoiding Sand Fire on trip to San Fran from DHS](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avoiding-sand-fire-on-trip-to-san-fran-from-dhs/760773)
**Author:** [@bgilbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bgilbert)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [July 24, 2016, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avoiding-sand-fire-on-trip-to-san-fran-from-dhs/760773 "2016-07-24T14:47:31Z")
Hi, I am traveling to San Francisco from the Desert Hot Springs area and was hoping to get some advice on my route. My planned route is I-10 to I-215, I-215 to CA-138 into Palmdale and then to CA-14N. Am I going to run … --- ## ["Postmaster please deliver between"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/postmaster-please-deliver-between/760601)
**Author:** [@Orwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orwell)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [July 24, 2016, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/postmaster-please-deliver-between/760601 "2016-07-24T12:43:07Z")
I just got a promotional mail envelope. There is a line above the address that reads “Postmaster please deliver between 07/20/16 - 07/22/16”. It has not post mark, as it has a business presorted message where the stamp … --- ## [Can a dead man come?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-dead-man-come/557951)
**Author:** [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Replies:** 40\ **Last updated:** [July 24, 2016, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-dead-man-come/557951 "2016-07-24T03:25:06Z")
Mick and I were talking, and he said he knew a girl who could make a man ejaculate (but not exactly in those words) even when dead. If you had access to appropriate parts, including prostate, seconds after heart failure,… --- ## [Do/did French maids really dress provactively?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-did-french-maids-really-dress-provactively/424098)
**Author:** [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [October 27, 2007, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-did-french-maids-really-dress-provactively/424098 "2007-10-27T01:16:23Z")
The title is the question. Did maids in France really dress like this? (Link safe for work, unless you work at some Bible college in Oklahoma or someplace like that.) --- ## [The story behind ridiculously cheap phones?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-story-behind-ridiculously-cheap-phones/760191)
**Author:** [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [July 23, 2016, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-story-behind-ridiculously-cheap-phones/760191 "2016-07-23T21:04:57Z")
Hi my mother in law bought a Samsung Galaxy Note 5 32 Gb for about $150 in a shop in Bangkok (not in a marketplace). It works in Australia and usually retails for about $800-$1000. Also my flatmate bought a refurbished … --- ## [What could be causing these computer mice to behave differently in this way?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-be-causing-these-computer-mice-to-behave-differently-in-this-way/760679)
**Author:** [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [July 23, 2016, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-be-causing-these-computer-mice-to-behave-differently-in-this-way/760679 "2016-07-23T18:34:00Z")
I’ve got two computer mice which, in various games, exhibit the following behavior: The cursor begins moving at exactly the same time I begin moving the mouse, but the cursor ends its movement slightly after I finish mo… --- ## [Emergency Broadcast Tests: Ever Been Used For Censorsip](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emergency-broadcast-tests-ever-been-used-for-censorsip/760383)
**Author:** [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [July 23, 2016, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emergency-broadcast-tests-ever-been-used-for-censorsip/760383 "2016-07-23T13:52:36Z")
Q: Has the Emergency Broadcast System Test ever been set off by a station to censor or the disrupt the content of its shows? I had the day off, slept late, and while I was making breakfast, I turned on the TV as is my h… --- ## [Why aren't transparent ammo magazines](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-transparent-ammo-magazines/760252)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [July 23, 2016, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-transparent-ammo-magazines/760252 "2016-07-23T11:42:51Z")
On occasion I have seen M-4s or M-16s with transparent ammo magazines - the idea being that one would be able to see how many rounds were in the magazine. Sounds like a pretty good idea. I wonder why this is not typical… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=869) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=871)