# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=879 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 880 --- ## [Unique personal identifying features that cannot be mimicked](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unique-personal-identifying-features-that-cannot-be-mimicked/758955)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [July 6, 2016, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unique-personal-identifying-features-that-cannot-be-mimicked/758955 "2016-07-06T20:45:51Z")
So according to Mission Impossible, one’s walking gait is something that is uniquely personal identifying, can be verified by machine, and cannot be mimicked. That is, you cannot perfectly imitate the way someone else wa… --- ## [Leak through pipe in vacuum](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leak-through-pipe-in-vacuum/758243)
**Author:** [@werenerj18](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/werenerj18)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [July 6, 2016, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leak-through-pipe-in-vacuum/758243 "2016-07-06T20:19:59Z")
Hello, We have a pipe running a vacuum with a hole. The hole is purposefully placed there for testing purposes, using a ball valve connecting to the pipe with the vacuum. Mass flow rate is known for the air coming throu… --- ## [rain-sensors?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rain-sensors/759106)
**Author:** [@albino\_manatee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/albino_manatee)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [July 6, 2016, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rain-sensors/759106 "2016-07-06T18:48:51Z")
anyone know where i can find some rain-sensors (for house windows)? i keep my windows open at night … don’t want it raining inside the house while i’m asleep. i probably would position the se… --- ## [Can you bail yourself out of jail in Cook County IL?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-bail-yourself-out-of-jail-in-cook-county-il/665186)
**Author:** [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [August 4, 2013, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-bail-yourself-out-of-jail-in-cook-county-il/665186 "2013-08-04T05:21:05Z")
Title pretty much sums it up. What’s the process? Is a bondsman involved? --- ## [Are nightshade berries poisonous?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-nightshade-berries-poisonous/29419)
**Author:** [@zut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zut)\ **Replies:** 41\ **Last updated:** [July 6, 2016, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-nightshade-berries-poisonous/29419 "2016-07-06T08:45:51Z")
Since I was a kid, I’ve known that nightshade (bittersweet nightshade, solanum dulcamara, is what I’m referring to) is poisonous. However, I have a book at home that claims that the “recent consensus” is that ripe nights… --- ## [Question reg.Latin used today versus Latin in antiquity](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-reg-latin-used-today-versus-latin-in-antiquity/758216)
**Author:** [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [July 6, 2016, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-reg-latin-used-today-versus-latin-in-antiquity/758216 "2016-07-06T06:27:12Z")
Hi I’ve always wondered whether the Latin used by the Roman Catholic Church would come across as clichéd or hackneyed to an erudite Latin speaker living in imperial Rome. After all it is not a “living” language. I have … --- ## [ARRRRGHHHH!!! My paint just won't stick!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arrrrghhhh-my-paint-just-wont-stick/759036)
**Author:** [@Drum\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drum_God)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [July 6, 2016, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arrrrghhhh-my-paint-just-wont-stick/759036 "2016-07-06T00:09:22Z")
Our house was built in 1984 and we bought it in 2001. Since we’ve been here, we’ve repainted all of the interior. My problem is the woodwork. The paint peels off of anything wooden – baseboards, doors, door frames and… --- ## [How easy is it to depict a sound in Chinese?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-easy-is-it-to-depict-a-sound-in-chinese/759117)
**Author:** [@Mr\_Shine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Shine)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [July 5, 2016, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-easy-is-it-to-depict-a-sound-in-chinese/759117 "2016-07-05T23:56:45Z")
Using the Latin alphabet, if you hear something weird it’s generally petty easy to come up with an approximation so readers will be able to imagine it, or at least something very close. Using Chinese characters how easy … --- ## [life insurance/student loan Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-insurance-student-loan-q/759153)
**Author:** [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [July 5, 2016, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-insurance-student-loan-q/759153 "2016-07-05T23:14:55Z")
I just read an article about cosigner parents on student loans being held responsible for loans after the death of the student in question. I understand the legalities of it but i have an oddball question. I am under t… --- ## [What would happen if someone broke the "Grand Kilogram"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-someone-broke-the-grand-kilogram/758923)
**Author:** [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Replies:** 34\ **Last updated:** [July 5, 2016, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-someone-broke-the-grand-kilogram/758923 "2016-07-05T19:58:14Z")
The thread about kilograms made me remember this from physics class. As we all know, the Kilogram is legally defined as the mass of a specific metal ingot. What would happen if someone broke it? I had a physics professo… --- ## [Civilization collapse and easily mined metals](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civilization-collapse-and-easily-mined-metals/758952)
**Author:** [@rogerbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rogerbox)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [July 5, 2016, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civilization-collapse-and-easily-mined-metals/758952 "2016-07-05T19:49:03Z")
I have heard a claim that, if civilization collapses at this point, it won’t be possible for us to get back to this level of technology again, because all of the easily mined metals we need for incremental increases in t… --- ## [Windows 7 won't boot. Any suggestions](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-7-wont-boot-any-suggestions/759128)
**Author:** [@Quintas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quintas)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [July 5, 2016, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-7-wont-boot-any-suggestions/759128 "2016-07-05T18:21:58Z")
I agreed to look at this for a friend. Its a Dell Latitude 3330. It came pre loaded with Win7. It does not have a CD Drive. When you power it on, It goes to Windows error recovery. “Windows failed to Start, a recent ha… --- ## [Radiation from Jupiter](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radiation-from-jupiter/759134)
**Author:** [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [July 5, 2016, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radiation-from-jupiter/759134 "2016-07-05T17:36:26Z")
I keep hearing on the news this morning that very heaviy radiation is coming from Jupiter which might endanger the recent probe. The implication is that it is radioactivity, but I don’t trust news broadcasters to unders… --- ## [Show "actual sorting" of files on PC? \[want thumb drive alphabetical\]](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/show-actual-sorting-of-files-on-pc-want-thumb-drive-alphabetical/759008)
**Author:** [@Me\_Billy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Me_Billy)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [July 5, 2016, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/show-actual-sorting-of-files-on-pc-want-thumb-drive-alphabetical/759008 "2016-07-05T17:15:40Z")
The stereos in my cars do not sort the USB Thumb Drive music folders alphabetically. So I need to be sure these are sorted properly when copying folders from my PC… I have a directory sorter utility on my PC called “mp… --- ## [Earliest event with a precise known date?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earliest-event-with-a-precise-known-date/759118)
**Author:** [@Orville\_mogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orville_mogul)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [July 5, 2016, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earliest-event-with-a-precise-known-date/759118 "2016-07-05T16:56:02Z")
I happened to read an article about Kim Jong-Un today that mentioned that his exact date of birth is not precisely known. This of course is more a function of the secrecy of North Korea than anything else, but it got me … --- ## [stranded versus solid ground wire](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranded-versus-solid-ground-wire/395735)
**Author:** [@QUACKERSTACKER](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QUACKERSTACKER)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [July 5, 2016, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranded-versus-solid-ground-wire/395735 "2016-07-05T15:30:50Z")
which is better, stranded or solid ground wire for bonding and grounded applications? --- ## [What creates trypophobia?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-creates-trypophobia/726017)
**Author:** [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Replies:** 51\ **Last updated:** [July 5, 2016, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-creates-trypophobia/726017 "2016-07-05T15:23:12Z")
Whether it’s this: Baby Toads Born from Mom's Back | World's Weirdest - YouTube or something as otherwise cute as this: Imgur: The magic of the Internet trypophobia is shared rather widely. Why is this so? What creates… --- ## [Which has more bone mass: upper legs and arms or lower legs and arms?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-has-more-bone-mass-upper-legs-and-arms-or-lower-legs-and-arms/759123)
**Author:** [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [July 5, 2016, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-has-more-bone-mass-upper-legs-and-arms-or-lower-legs-and-arms/759123 "2016-07-05T15:14:36Z")
I know there has to be some variation, but I’m guessing there’s an average somewhere. Humerus vs. radius and ulna and Femur vs. fibula and tibia. --- ## [Home AC Not blowing](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-ac-not-blowing/759022)
**Author:** [@Jaysonf44](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaysonf44)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [July 5, 2016, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-ac-not-blowing/759022 "2016-07-05T14:42:23Z")
Ok HVAC experts, I have a problem with my home AC. forgive my novice terminology but here goes: suddenly today, I noticed there was no air/breeze coming out of my vents. First thing I did was change the filter, which … --- ## [Do Albinos get grey hair?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-albinos-get-grey-hair/758936)
**Author:** [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [July 5, 2016, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-albinos-get-grey-hair/758936 "2016-07-05T14:41:42Z")
My guitar teacher (in high school) is an albino. White hair, very pale skin. He’s 20 years older than me. I have a lot of gray now. Would he? Does hair need pigment to grey? --- ## [Underarm Hair](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underarm-hair/758829)
**Author:** [@jbaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jbaker)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [July 5, 2016, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underarm-hair/758829 "2016-07-05T14:39:17Z")
As discussed in a recent New York Times article, it seems that many women think that it is more hygienic to shave or otherwise remove pubic hair, even though the opposite is the case. I am saddened by this, since I am a… --- ## [My credit rating and how to clean things up.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-credit-rating-and-how-to-clean-things-up/759094)
**Author:** [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [July 5, 2016, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-credit-rating-and-how-to-clean-things-up/759094 "2016-07-05T14:11:48Z")
So. I ran that once a year free credit report from “Free Credit Reports Dot Com”. It informs me that I have several lines of credit open which I have no memory of opening. They are all pretty old- the oldest goes back t… --- ## [Election Headgear](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-headgear/759018)
**Author:** [@RillatonCup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RillatonCup)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [July 5, 2016, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-headgear/759018 "2016-07-05T13:22:21Z")
Good evening, With the USA gearing up for an election, it seems to be a good time to ask a question which has always puzzled me - in American culture (tv, editorial cartoons, etc) why are straw boaters used as shorthand… --- ## [2004 Honda Accord ex Ac problem](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2004-honda-accord-ex-ac-problem/758918)
**Author:** [@Whatdayagot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whatdayagot)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [July 3, 2016, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2004-honda-accord-ex-ac-problem/758918 "2016-07-03T16:08:19Z")
My Ac was working great went on a month long vacation while away car sat and there was a bad heatwave upon returning Ac wouldn’t work then it just mysteriously started to work one day and worked great then after turning … --- ## [Questions about tidally locking a fictional planet to its star](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-tidally-locking-a-fictional-planet-to-its-star/758993)
**Author:** [@Askthepizzaguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askthepizzaguy)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [July 5, 2016, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-tidally-locking-a-fictional-planet-to-its-star/758993 "2016-07-05T01:42:39Z")
Suppose I’m writing a fictional story set on a hypothetical planet that becomes tidally locked with its star. This planet therefore has a side which always faces toward the star, and a side which always faces away from t… --- ## [Anti-virus](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-virus/759034)
**Author:** [@stosh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stosh)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [July 5, 2016, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-virus/759034 "2016-07-05T00:22:11Z")
Hi Guys, I hope you can help me. I have a " Dell latitude D 630" computer and am running windows 7, 32-bit home premium. Yeah, I know it’s and oldie, but it does everything I want it to. I have " Microsoft essentials, … --- ## [Water pressure, solar pool heating conundrum.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-pressure-solar-pool-heating-conundrum/759098)
**Author:** [@Mutant\_Atoms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mutant_Atoms)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [July 4, 2016, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-pressure-solar-pool-heating-conundrum/759098 "2016-07-04T23:32:06Z")
Background: I have recently set up a 12’x24’x52’’ Initex pool inside a Morton building. The air temperature in the building is around 80-95 degrees recently…but the pool water temp has been 62-68 degrees. I need to raise… --- ## [Is Slavomir Rawicz's story true?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-slavomir-rawiczs-story-true/178635)
**Author:** [@Daoloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daoloth)\ **Replies:** 41\ **Last updated:** [July 4, 2016, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-slavomir-rawiczs-story-true/178635 "2016-07-04T22:11:09Z")
According to his memoir The Long Walk, Polish writer Slavomir Rawicz claims that he escaped from a Soviet gulag in 1939 and walked all the way to southern India over a duration of two years. However, there is apparent do… --- ## [Do states other than New York have an "Upstate"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-states-other-than-new-york-have-an-upstate/623501)
**Author:** [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Replies:** 114\ **Last updated:** [July 4, 2016, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-states-other-than-new-york-have-an-upstate/623501 "2016-07-04T21:35:34Z")
You always hear the term Upstate New York, are there other Upstates? I have heard the term downstate a few times but I’m not aware of any Downstate X as a common name for a place. Please enlighten me. --- ## [Black Holes and Holograms](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-holes-and-holograms/759071)
**Author:** [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [July 4, 2016, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-holes-and-holograms/759071 "2016-07-04T19:20:56Z")
A lady mentioned to me yesterday that during a conversation with others she heard one say that a black hole is a hologram. Can somebody explain how a black hole is a hologram? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=878) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=880)