# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=890 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 891 --- ## [Moving Earth out of orbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-earth-out-of-orbit/757193)
**Author:** [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Replies:** 36\ **Last updated:** [June 15, 2016, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moving-earth-out-of-orbit/757193 "2016-06-15T23:51:24Z")
OK, so this has happened in fiction a number of times. It’s shown having various effects with Earth wandering through space, getting too close to the sun, whatever. This is not the concern of my friend and I right now… --- ## [Why does Congress set up the executive departments.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-congress-set-up-the-executive-departments/757392)
**Author:** [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [June 15, 2016, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-congress-set-up-the-executive-departments/757392 "2016-06-15T21:12:12Z")
The executive departments like Department of State or Education are created by the Congress via legislation. Why can’t the President set up the departments the way he wants like combining education and health and human … --- ## [Removing super-stubborn stains from glassware](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-super-stubborn-stains-from-glassware/757400)
**Author:** [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [June 15, 2016, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-super-stubborn-stains-from-glassware/757400 "2016-06-15T21:07:20Z")
I have lived in the Los Angeles area for over 60 years. We have some nice glassware, but in the last several months some unsightly film has settled on the glasses and it has resisted every effort of mine to remove it–dis… --- ## [Question re the physics of a tube spun to duplicate gravity](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-re-the-physics-of-a-tube-spun-to-duplicate-gravity/757287)
**Author:** [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [June 15, 2016, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-re-the-physics-of-a-tube-spun-to-duplicate-gravity/757287 "2016-06-15T21:06:18Z")
Apologies if this has been asked and answered recently; I don’t know the appropriate scientific terms to run an accurate search. I’m not even sure if I can word my question here accurately. It has been years since I re… --- ## [Using civil lawsuits to combat crime](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-civil-lawsuits-to-combat-crime/757433)
**Author:** [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [June 15, 2016, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-civil-lawsuits-to-combat-crime/757433 "2016-06-15T20:40:45Z")
The state of California couldn’t convict O.J. Simpson of murder, but the Goldman and Brown families could win settlements for wrongful death. As I understand it, the difference is the legal standard required: “proof beyo… --- ## [Is this a cockroach?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-cockroach/757417)
**Author:** [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [June 15, 2016, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-cockroach/757417 "2016-06-15T19:07:25Z")
This is in the southern US (northern Alabama). I’ve seen this insect a couple of times inside our house, and also a couple of times outside. It’s about 3/4 inch long, maybe a bit less. Initially I thought it was a firefl… --- ## [Lumber Grades/Quality](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lumber-grades-quality/755849)
**Author:** [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Replies:** 39\ **Last updated:** [June 15, 2016, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lumber-grades-quality/755849 "2016-06-15T14:33:39Z")
I’m thinking of replacing my deck floor over the weekend, and am pricing (pressure treated) lumber. But I’m confused about the grades of lumber out there. Home Depot told me they only stock one grade. One local lumberya… --- ## [Condos in Montreal](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/condos-in-montreal/757268)
**Author:** [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [June 15, 2016, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/condos-in-montreal/757268 "2016-06-15T14:11:53Z")
I have been living in Montreal since 2013, and previously lived here for four years in the late '80s/early '90s. For most of the last 20 years my wife and I lived in Ottawa and would visit Montreal once every month or so… --- ## [Repeatedly switching from A/C cooling to furnace heat](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repeatedly-switching-from-a-c-cooling-to-furnace-heat/757246)
**Author:** [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [June 15, 2016, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repeatedly-switching-from-a-c-cooling-to-furnace-heat/757246 "2016-06-15T09:53:03Z")
My wife has lost her mind. Yesterday it was 90 degrees, but this morning, she got up, turned off the cooling and turned on the heat, because she gets too cold in the morning to get up. And she’s doing this every day. Is… --- ## [I-5 Lane Crossover](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-5-lane-crossover/756925)
**Author:** [@whc.03grady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whc.03grady)\ **Replies:** 51\ **Last updated:** [June 15, 2016, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-5-lane-crossover/756925 "2016-06-15T03:25:10Z")
There’s a section of I-5 in California, between exits 176 and 183, where the Northbound and Southbound lanes cross over one another. Why? Anything having to do with giving one direction a grade advantage would, it seems … --- ## [are blood donations immediately after a crisis helpful?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-blood-donations-immediately-after-a-crisis-helpful/757340)
**Author:** [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [June 15, 2016, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-blood-donations-immediately-after-a-crisis-helpful/757340 "2016-06-15T01:27:55Z")
In the hours after the Orlando mass shooting hit the news, people reportedly began lining up to donate blood. Is this actually helpful, or do hospitals ordinarily have enough blood on hand to deal with ~50 shooting vict… --- ## [Row of little bumps on bottom of glass bottles/jars](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/row-of-little-bumps-on-bottom-of-glass-bottles-jars/304687)
**Author:** [@antechinus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antechinus)\ **Replies:** 42\ **Last updated:** [June 15, 2016, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/row-of-little-bumps-on-bottom-of-glass-bottles-jars/304687 "2016-06-15T01:05:33Z")
What is the purpose of the row of braille-like bumps on glass jars and bottles? These are found on the side of the bottle or jar at the very bottom. They are little raised dots in a pattern. A jar I have in front of me … --- ## [Question about blood donation and Hepatitis A](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-blood-donation-and-hepatitis-a/403351)
**Author:** [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [June 15, 2016, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-blood-donation-and-hepatitis-a/403351 "2016-06-15T00:48:15Z")
I know there’s been a couple of recent blood donation threads, including one on ethics and a question about why donors are not paid. I have another strictly factual question about blood donation that I’ve always wondered… --- ## [Where is the universe?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-universe/756836)
**Author:** [@A\_Dodgy\_Dude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_Dodgy_Dude)\ **Replies:** 42\ **Last updated:** [June 14, 2016, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-universe/756836 "2016-06-14T23:44:17Z")
13.7 billion years ago the singularity appears and begins expanding at the speed of light. Am I right so far? After a while … a long while … things cool down enough for matter to form. Some of that matter makes up the k… --- ## [Legal name fraud - the TRUTH! (WTF?)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-name-fraud-the-truth-wtf/755886)
**Author:** [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Replies:** 78\ **Last updated:** [June 14, 2016, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-name-fraud-the-truth-wtf/755886 "2016-06-14T23:30:56Z")
I drove past a large billboard like this yesterday (near Southampton, England): https://i.ytimg.com/vi/8a3uuWszeZk/hqdefault.jpg What the heck is that about? I tried googling it, and got some apparently relevant search… --- ## [What Potential Does a New Terpenoid in Hash Actually Have?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-potential-does-a-new-terpenoid-in-hash-actually-have/757380)
**Author:** [@MegaNazz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MegaNazz)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [June 14, 2016, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-potential-does-a-new-terpenoid-in-hash-actually-have/757380 "2016-06-14T22:27:56Z")
I guess in 2014, a research team accidentally discovered a new terpenoid that was occurring in hashish. I know terpenoids help define flavor profiles but a lot of the articles I’ve read indicate that this is big news. Th… --- ## [Persistent image - where is it?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/persistent-image-where-is-it/757254)
**Author:** [@JacobSwan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JacobSwan)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [June 14, 2016, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/persistent-image-where-is-it/757254 "2016-06-14T20:27:13Z")
Here’s one that had me puzzled in the early hours. Sometimes when I use my phone to check the time in the night, the image persists for a few seconds after I’ve blanked the screen. It was 3:15 this morning and I got to … --- ## [Legal Q: PIs in Civil Suits lying to get info](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-q-pis-in-civil-suits-lying-to-get-info/757266)
**Author:** [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [June 14, 2016, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-q-pis-in-civil-suits-lying-to-get-info/757266 "2016-06-14T16:24:25Z")
Generic Legal Question: if one party in a civil suit hires a private investigator, is there anything illegal or against legal ethics if the PI misrepresents themselves while trying to gather information? Assume the PI … --- ## [A question on involuntary defecation (TMI)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-on-involuntary-defecation-tmi/757328)
**Author:** [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [June 14, 2016, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-on-involuntary-defecation-tmi/757328 "2016-06-14T15:59:27Z")
A friend of mine recently had a mountain biking accident where he was attempting to do a “manual” (a wheelie without pedalling) and overbalanced so he fell on his back. He didn’t fall hard and only has minor injuries, bu… --- ## [Is the periodic table finite?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-periodic-table-finite/756931)
**Author:** [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Replies:** 51\ **Last updated:** [June 14, 2016, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-periodic-table-finite/756931 "2016-06-14T15:21:41Z")
Four new elements named today, numbers 113, 115, 117 and 118. Could the table be added to ad infinitum or is there a limit to the number of elements that can be created? (Apologies if this is a dumb question, my scienti… --- ## [Why are scanned pdf's so much more compact now?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-scanned-pdfs-so-much-more-compact-now/757112)
**Author:** [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [June 14, 2016, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-scanned-pdfs-so-much-more-compact-now/757112 "2016-06-14T15:00:23Z")
Every year, I do a presentation to articling students about what it’s like to be a lawyer. I usually give them a series of articles, statutes, cases, etc to look at, which I scan in our photocopier as pdf’s and then sen… --- ## [Origin of the first name "Tossie"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-the-first-name-tossie/476404)
**Author:** [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [June 14, 2016, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-the-first-name-tossie/476404 "2016-06-14T13:15:05Z")
A coworker has this first name and doesn’t know where it came from. Googling and various name-origin websites gave me no answers. If it makes a difference, my coworker is a black man in his early 50s. --- ## [What is the hottest temperature humans can comfortably live in (or survive) with technology](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-hottest-temperature-humans-can-comfortably-live-in-or-survive-with-technology/757213)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [June 14, 2016, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-hottest-temperature-humans-can-comfortably-live-in-or-survive-with-technology/757213 "2016-06-14T12:13:00Z")
Assume you have all the tech available to you indoors. Air conditioning, insulation, fans pointed at you, etc. What is the highest temp outside a person can comfortably live in? What about survive? Example: if it is 65… --- ## [I need just a bit more Open Office help, please](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-just-a-bit-more-open-office-help-please/757241)
**Author:** [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [June 14, 2016, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-just-a-bit-more-open-office-help-please/757241 "2016-06-14T11:19:51Z")
At long last I have finally finished proofreading, correcting, editing, writing the preamble, looking up all the page numbers for seven pages of index entries, formatting, and converting my friend’s book on old radio re… --- ## [How did they make giant photo posters fifty years ago?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-they-make-giant-photo-posters-fifty-years-ago/756909)
**Author:** [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [June 14, 2016, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-they-make-giant-photo-posters-fifty-years-ago/756909 "2016-06-14T08:35:05Z")
I was watching the HBO movie All the Way (which was excellent, BTW), and when they showed the Democratic convention, I was struck by the ginormous photos of LBJ behind the stage–thirty feet high, easy, with no visible se… --- ## [Is the word "vaunted" only used pejoratively?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-word-vaunted-only-used-pejoratively/757089)
**Author:** [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [June 14, 2016, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-word-vaunted-only-used-pejoratively/757089 "2016-06-14T06:03:06Z")
Hi, All online dictionaries I’ve consulted give “vaunted” was a pejorative term or one that certainly isn’t positive. Does this sentiment always necessarily align with actual common usage of the word? Does it necessaril… --- ## [Who is more likely to injure me with a gun?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-more-likely-to-injure-me-with-a-gun/757021)
**Author:** [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Replies:** 34\ **Last updated:** [June 14, 2016, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-more-likely-to-injure-me-with-a-gun/757021 "2016-06-14T02:46:19Z")
I am an adult who lives alone. I don’t own a gun, or have one in my home. Who is more likely to shoot me? A criminal with malicious intent, or someone else in possession of a gun? In the former category I would inclu… --- ## [How can I delete photos in Amazon Drive?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-delete-photos-in-amazon-drive/757307)
**Author:** [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [June 14, 2016, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-delete-photos-in-amazon-drive/757307 "2016-06-14T02:22:32Z")
I installed the PC app, and this is one of the worst designs I’ve ever seen. Clicking on what I’ve uploaded does nothing, in any fashion I can think of to click. I can’t find mention of it in the Amazon help. Anyone runn… --- ## [How did swords change warfare?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-swords-change-warfare/754929)
**Author:** [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Replies:** 85\ **Last updated:** [June 13, 2016, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-swords-change-warfare/754929 "2016-06-13T20:55:48Z")
Though other weapons- spears/pikes, axes, maces and war hammers, etc.- never went completely out of fashion until firearms made other weapons obsolete, the sword was usually the predominate weapon of war. And while some … --- ## [The Antikythera Mechanism](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-antikythera-mechanism/335834)
**Author:** [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [June 13, 2016, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-antikythera-mechanism/335834 "2016-06-13T20:07:15Z")
The story goes that a 1st shipwreck was discovered near a Greek island. From this wreck were recovered some fragments of an ancient machine. The machine, when reconstructed, totally surprised archeologists. It turned o… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=889) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=891)