# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=872 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 873 --- ## [HVAC Question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hvac-question/760353)
**Author:** [@MindsEye\_Watering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MindsEye_Watering)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [July 20, 2016, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hvac-question/760353 "2016-07-20T21:37:59Z")
Although the Heat Pump/HVAC system that I have in my 2,000 sqft house (actually 2000 upstairs, 2,000 basement) dates from 2004 and works okay, it was purchased by the contractor that built the house for us, and is probab… --- ## [Screen saver question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screen-saver-question/760425)
**Author:** [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [July 20, 2016, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screen-saver-question/760425 "2016-07-20T19:00:27Z")
After one minute of inactivity my screen saver slide show begins. When I hit a key or move the mouse the saver goes away but the window I had open is now smaller. If I hit the restore button it makes it even smaller and … --- ## [Do you get your money back on kickstarter](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-get-your-money-back-on-kickstarter/760272)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [July 20, 2016, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-get-your-money-back-on-kickstarter/760272 "2016-07-20T18:32:35Z")
I can’t find an answer to this basic question. Is kickstarter like a venture capital investment where if the product turns a profit, you get your money back or not? I know if they do not reach their fundraising goal, th… --- ## [Japanese vehicle engine replacement](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-vehicle-engine-replacement/652039)
**Author:** [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [July 20, 2016, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-vehicle-engine-replacement/652039 "2016-07-20T17:22:33Z")
Are the engines of automobiles in Japan routinely replaced when the vehicle has amassed a certain amount of miles? A friend of mine stated that the engines are replaced when the vehicle has accumulated 100,000 miles (whi… --- ## [Can you watch the Olympics in the US legally with no cable/antenna?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-watch-the-olympics-in-the-us-legally-with-no-cable-antenna/629610)
**Author:** [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [July 20, 2016, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-watch-the-olympics-in-the-us-legally-with-no-cable-antenna/629610 "2016-07-20T16:28:42Z")
I haven’t really wanted to see anything sports related since we “cut the cord” - we have Hulu Plus and Netflix Watch Instantly and are Amazon Prime people, so mostly we’re covered with whatever we want. Can we watch the… --- ## [Internet meme? Civil war planes?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/internet-meme-civil-war-planes/760258)
**Author:** [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [July 20, 2016, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/internet-meme-civil-war-planes/760258 "2016-07-20T13:55:48Z")
A friend sent me something that must have circulated on the interwebs many times, but Snopes is no help tracking it down. It’s allegedly a newspaper headline saying “Volunteers search for old civil war planes.” I tried… --- ## [Business/legal question - can an LLC own a home?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-legal-question-can-an-llc-own-a-home/760270)
**Author:** [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [July 20, 2016, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-legal-question-can-an-llc-own-a-home/760270 "2016-07-20T13:22:56Z")
Title should read “Can an LLC own a home, and can the LLC owner live in that home?” I assume corporations can own homes and apartments, and permit employees to live in them, or they can rent/sell them as they desire. C… --- ## [What is the largest group of people that's ever been wiped out?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-largest-group-of-people-thats-ever-been-wiped-out/759829)
**Author:** [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Replies:** 59\ **Last updated:** [July 20, 2016, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-largest-group-of-people-thats-ever-been-wiped-out/759829 "2016-07-20T06:40:31Z")
A group can be a country, or an ethnic group, a religion, etc. And wiped out could be anything like genocide, disease, or natural disaster. I was thinking about this because we’ve had plenty of genocides in the past wh… --- ## [Where did early car drivers get their fuel?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-early-car-drivers-get-their-fuel/760086)
**Author:** [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [July 20, 2016, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-early-car-drivers-get-their-fuel/760086 "2016-07-20T04:20:28Z")
When the first commercial automobiles went on the market, where did the drivers get the fuel to run them? --- ## [Hotel Ice (USA)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hotel-ice-usa/760157)
**Author:** [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/excavating_for_a_mind)\ **Replies:** 44\ **Last updated:** [July 20, 2016, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hotel-ice-usa/760157 "2016-07-20T03:15:25Z")
OK, I thought of just posting to this thread, but I think this question should stand on its own. What is the deal with ice at hotels (at least, in the US–as noted in the title)? I mean, I think that every single US hot… --- ## [Why would the cable company do this?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-the-cable-company-do-this/760375)
**Author:** [@dgrdfd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dgrdfd)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [July 20, 2016, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-the-cable-company-do-this/760375 "2016-07-20T02:09:27Z")
I have coaxial cable running to several rooms in my house from when it was built. For whatever reason, they put our cable modem in the most inconvenient spot in our house such that we have shoddy WIFI coverage. I had the… --- ## [Math question Pythagorean squares](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/math-question-pythagorean-squares/760184)
**Author:** [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [July 20, 2016, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/math-question-pythagorean-squares/760184 "2016-07-20T00:50:37Z")
It so happens that 33² + 56² = 65². But 16² + 63² also = 65². Thus (33² + 56²) = (16² + 63²). My question is, is there any deeper reason for why they’re equal other than “because they happen to be”? Or is there some alge… --- ## [How did ancient humans deal with baby poop?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-ancient-humans-deal-with-baby-poop/759969)
**Author:** [@Nippless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nippless)\ **Replies:** 44\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2016, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-ancient-humans-deal-with-baby-poop/759969 "2016-07-19T23:25:03Z")
I guess I’m asking what the first diapers were, because having little humans randomly piss and shit all around your sleeping area and generally all over seems like something of a pain in the ass when you don’t have wet w… --- ## [Carpenter Bee's Stinger (or lack thereof)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carpenter-bees-stinger-or-lack-thereof/760317)
**Author:** [@Cephkiller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cephkiller)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2016, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carpenter-bees-stinger-or-lack-thereof/760317 "2016-07-19T23:18:31Z")
I have always been taught that male carpenter bees do not have a stinger. Yesterday, however, I noticed a male carpenter bee excavating the underside of my deck railing. I confidently grasped the bee by the abdomen and r… --- ## [Android adopted internal storage question: backing up ext card data?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/android-adopted-internal-storage-question-backing-up-ext-card-data/760204)
**Author:** [@Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moe)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2016, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/android-adopted-internal-storage-question-backing-up-ext-card-data/760204 "2016-07-19T22:48:44Z")
From googling I saw any number of sites that talk about adopting an SD card for internal storage in the latest Android version (which is wonderful because I’ve been walking a tight rope with my remaining internal storage… --- ## [How does opening windows prevent damp if it's wet outside?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-opening-windows-prevent-damp-if-its-wet-outside/759834)
**Author:** [@ripply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ripply)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2016, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-opening-windows-prevent-damp-if-its-wet-outside/759834 "2016-07-19T22:23:33Z")
I used to live in a seriously damp house. I bought a variety of humidity monitors and they all showed between 78% and 90%, sometimes more. Water streamed down the walls. I became obsessed with preventing damp and read ev… --- ## [Question for electricians](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-electricians/760282)
**Author:** [@Vicsage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vicsage)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2016, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-electricians/760282 "2016-07-19T20:59:52Z")
Lets say my city has a blackout. I have a portable generator. I make an extension cord that has a male fitting on each end. I go to the fuse box and turn off the circuit cutting the power to one of the rooms in the… --- ## [yellow jacket (?) help - need answer quick](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yellow-jacket-help-need-answer-quick/759350)
**Author:** [@OldOlds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldOlds)\ **Replies:** 39\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2016, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yellow-jacket-help-need-answer-quick/759350 "2016-07-19T18:18:30Z")
Hi Everyone I got a nest of some sort, and I need to deal with it this evening. It’s in a terrible spot where a couple of folks have been stung and the family is revolting. OK. The location is in the peak of the baseme… --- ## [Texting Question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texting-question/760283)
**Author:** [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2016, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texting-question/760283 "2016-07-19T16:37:28Z")
I normally don’t text. I’ve received a few but that was years ago. Can you reply to a text just like email? Or does the sender need to include his phone number? I got talked into texting someone and haven’t heard bac… --- ## [Why Are The First Two Tissues Folded Together?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-first-two-tissues-folded-together/760257)
**Author:** [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2016, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-first-two-tissues-folded-together/760257 "2016-07-19T16:33:58Z")
Generally, most of the tissues in a box are folded in an interlocking manner, such that one sticks out of the box, and when you pull that one out, the top half of the next one is pulled out of the box. But - at least for… --- ## [Restaurants and Restrooms](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-and-restrooms/760221)
**Author:** [@Anny\_Middon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anny_Middon)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2016, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-and-restrooms/760221 "2016-07-19T16:13:26Z")
The thread on hotel ice reminded me of something I’ve long wondered about. Years ago the typical grocery store didn’t have public restrooms. Nowadays it seems they all do. But also nowadays nearly every grocery store … --- ## [Poisoning risk from using glass containers used to measure herbicide and such?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poisoning-risk-from-using-glass-containers-used-to-measure-herbicide-and-such/760187)
**Author:** [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2016, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poisoning-risk-from-using-glass-containers-used-to-measure-herbicide-and-such/760187 "2016-07-19T15:10:33Z")
I have a shot-glass style glass I’ve used to measure RoundUp herbicide, and I recently used my Pyrex measuring cup to measure out carpet cleaning solution. If I scrub them out, is there any risk to me if I use them for … --- ## [Where would the Nazis test an atomic bomb?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-would-the-nazis-test-an-atomic-bomb/559792)
**Author:** [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Replies:** 109\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2016, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-would-the-nazis-test-an-atomic-bomb/559792 "2016-07-19T14:50:01Z")
…assuming, all other things being equal, they had an equivalent of the “Gadget” device used in the Trinity test that they wanted to test out. What place would they have picked to set one off? Granted, there are a couple… --- ## [Why don't steam trains have an automated coal supply?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-steam-trains-have-an-automated-coal-supply/760167)
**Author:** [@JustinC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustinC)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2016, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-steam-trains-have-an-automated-coal-supply/760167 "2016-07-19T14:36:41Z")
This occurred to me watching Jeremy Clarkson on Top Gear, manually shovelling coal into the furnace of a steam train. The train must produce many horse powers, why can’t some of those drive a belt that takes coal from th… --- ## [Any real life practical examples of non transitive dice type game situations](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-real-life-practical-examples-of-non-transitive-dice-type-game-situations/760197)
**Author:** [@DataX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DataX)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2016, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-real-life-practical-examples-of-non-transitive-dice-type-game-situations/760197 "2016-07-19T13:45:37Z")
I’m currently working on a model that involves an Elo/Glicko/TrueSkill type component as part of its feature set. The basic idea underlying this type of system is that if A usually beats B and B usually beats C then A w… --- ## [Nontransitive dice - what happens if all three are played?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nontransitive-dice-what-happens-if-all-three-are-played/760289)
**Author:** [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2016, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nontransitive-dice-what-happens-if-all-three-are-played/760289 "2016-07-19T09:11:40Z")
Didn’t want to hijack thisthread with what might be a simple and possibly stupid question: Nontransitive dice are (in the common example) dice that are so configured that, in a game of multiple rolls, A will tend to bea… --- ## [Can you order a pizza if you leave near the Hollywood sign?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-order-a-pizza-if-you-leave-near-the-hollywood-sign/760288)
**Author:** [@TheSundial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheSundial)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2016, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-order-a-pizza-if-you-leave-near-the-hollywood-sign/760288 "2016-07-19T06:49:18Z")
I wonder if there are delivery range(s) that cover the narrow roads like Deronda at the top where the road ends, where I assume people use driveways to get around traffic in the other direction. It seems like it could t… --- ## [1) What is the hardest part of reducing a nuclear bomb's size? 2) What is Lil' Kim looking thru?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-what-is-the-hardest-part-of-reducing-a-nuclear-bombs-size-2-what-is-lil-kim-looking-thru/754124)
**Author:** [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2016, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-what-is-the-hardest-part-of-reducing-a-nuclear-bombs-size-2-what-is-lil-kim-looking-thru/754124 "2016-07-19T04:04:44Z")
Query 1 has been around since Trinity, but it’s now be-all and end-all (as it were) when mating the weapons with missiles; the “suitcase bomb” is the least of anyone’s worries for the time being, I presume. See today’s … --- ## [Cheaper to leave the lights on?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheaper-to-leave-the-lights-on/759724)
**Author:** [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Replies:** 47\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2016, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheaper-to-leave-the-lights-on/759724 "2016-07-19T02:50:35Z")
The bane of the Straight Dope is those little factoids someone told us years ago that we never questioned, or even heard elsewhere one way or another, so let me get to the point. A buddy of mine from decades ago once cl… --- ## [What's with the Rasmussen Reports?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-rasmussen-reports/760240)
**Author:** [@Clu-Me-In](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clu-Me-In)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [July 19, 2016, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-rasmussen-reports/760240 "2016-07-19T01:47:59Z")
Why is the Rasmussen Reports always different from all of the other polls, most times even Fox News? What do they know that no other polls know? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=871) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=873)