# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=897 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 898 --- ## [Nautical prowess: Navy (military) vs. Merchant Navy](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nautical-prowess-navy-military-vs-merchant-navy/755464)
**Author:** [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [June 1, 2016, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nautical-prowess-navy-military-vs-merchant-navy/755464 "2016-06-01T07:21:42Z")
Members of the Merchant Navy, officers as well as seamen, work in a very well defined and specific environment: They command and operate ships on the high seas, they train for this job and they work and live on ships, ye… --- ## [Lincoln and American Indians](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lincoln-and-american-indians/756146)
**Author:** [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [June 1, 2016, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lincoln-and-american-indians/756146 "2016-06-01T06:35:19Z")
Do we know how Abraham Lincoln felt about American Indians compared to African Americans at the time of the Civil War? Did he feel that American Indians had rights under the US Constitution? --- ## [What is the point](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point/756209)
**Author:** [@forinternetuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/forinternetuse)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [June 1, 2016, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point/756209 "2016-06-01T05:58:45Z")
I’m just struggling a little with how to cope at the moment. I have a boyfriend that I love more than anything but i’m picking he wants to break up, he’s been really quiet this week, ignoring most my messages then said h… --- ## [Identify this spider or insect](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-spider-or-insect/756062)
**Author:** [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [June 1, 2016, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-spider-or-insect/756062 "2016-06-01T03:39:50Z")
I appear to have a house-guest in the form of a rather large spider. The body was about 3 cm long and perhaps 1 cm in width. The abdomen was not overly large with respect to the rest of the critter, around a third of the… --- ## [Are secret government backdoors built into all chips today?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-secret-government-backdoors-built-into-all-chips-today/500737)
**Author:** [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Replies:** 59\ **Last updated:** [June 1, 2016, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-secret-government-backdoors-built-into-all-chips-today/500737 "2016-06-01T02:25:03Z")
Obviously if it were so no one would be talking, so maybe the question is how plausible is this possibility? Would independent reverse-engineerers have found anything like that, or does the scale and sheer complexity of … --- ## [Boeing 787 Dreamliner being designated as -8, -9, -10](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boeing-787-dreamliner-being-designated-as-8-9-10/755973)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [June 1, 2016, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boeing-787-dreamliner-being-designated-as-8-9-10/755973 "2016-06-01T01:45:54Z")
The Boeing 777 had two variants, the Boeing 777-200 and Boeing 777-300, but the Boeing 787 Dreamliner went right away to Boeing 787-8, 787-9, 787-10. Why didn’t the Dreamliner start out with the variants 787-1, 787-2, 7… --- ## [How to Removed Burned On Crud from a Nonstick Pan?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-removed-burned-on-crud-from-a-nonstick-pan/655021)
**Author:** [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Replies:** 36\ **Last updated:** [June 1, 2016, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-removed-burned-on-crud-from-a-nonstick-pan/655021 "2016-06-01T01:15:05Z")
Reminded by this recently resurrected thread, I have a related question. How do you remove crud that somehow gets burned on.to a nonstick pan? The powerhouse methods mentioned in that thread will destroy such a pan. I’v… --- ## [Can I get back my Win games in Win-10](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-get-back-my-win-games-in-win-10/755980)
**Author:** [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2016, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-get-back-my-win-games-in-win-10/755980 "2016-05-31T22:05:54Z")
Well, I had avoided the upgrade until yesterday, but it went ahead without asking my permission. It installed the classic shell and my desktop looks nearly the same (except for a useless window at the bottom left that w… --- ## [How common is knowledge of the MGRS among US Military](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-knowledge-of-the-mgrs-among-us-military/755970)
**Author:** [@DataX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DataX)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2016, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-knowledge-of-the-mgrs-among-us-military/755970 "2016-05-31T21:11:19Z")
And if it matters - marines in particular. I have a friend who I have known for a few years that was a former marine. He did not volunteer this information - I suspected it based on his mannerisms and some things he sa… --- ## [Question regarding the translation of "sfumato"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-the-translation-of-sfumato/756052)
**Author:** [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2016, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-the-translation-of-sfumato/756052 "2016-05-31T18:08:46Z")
Hi I’ve seen the word “sfumato” translated variously as “soft” or “pale”, “vanished” or “smoky” and “blurred”. Are all of these translations acceptable? I look forward to your feedback. --- ## [serious problem with my transmission](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-problem-with-my-transmission/755928)
**Author:** [@ramzy440](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ramzy440)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2016, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-problem-with-my-transmission/755928 "2016-05-31T16:58:24Z")
hey guys i’v a nissan versa the car in the morning or to more specific when it’s cold it doesn’t shift from 1st gear until it gets warm by go from 2 to 5 km when it get warm enough i turn off the engine and turn it on … --- ## [Sound lost on Windows 10](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-lost-on-windows-10/755961)
**Author:** [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2016, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-lost-on-windows-10/755961 "2016-05-31T16:32:41Z")
So, a couple months ago I bought a used computer to replace the old XP box I have. It arrived and I out it aside to work on later, which turned out to be early this week. When I plugged it in, the Borg, erm, Microsoft … --- ## [How widely influential has Meads v Meads been in North American jurisprudence?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-widely-influential-has-meads-v-meads-been-in-north-american-jurisprudence/755959)
**Author:** [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2016, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-widely-influential-has-meads-v-meads-been-in-north-american-jurisprudence/755959 "2016-05-31T14:57:58Z")
How influential has the Meads v. Meads decision been in North American jurisprudence? That massive dissertation and analysis of Sov Cit / FotL thinking by Justice Rooke seems to have gotten a lot of play in certain circ… --- ## ["Driver is not responsible for damage" How?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driver-is-not-responsible-for-damage-how/755732)
**Author:** [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Replies:** 38\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2016, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driver-is-not-responsible-for-damage-how/755732 "2016-05-31T14:30:02Z")
I have a relatively long commute to work that involves some highway driving. I was behind a dump truck whose contents extended beyond the pit in the back (although not by much). On the back of his truck he had a sign t… --- ## [Call bullshit?: Python crawls up toilet, grabs penis: Pix, but did it happen?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/call-bullshit-python-crawls-up-toilet-grabs-penis-pix-but-did-it-happen/755848)
**Author:** [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2016, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/call-bullshit-python-crawls-up-toilet-grabs-penis-pix-but-did-it-happen/755848 "2016-05-31T14:03:52Z")
We’ve all heard-apocryphally/feared it, and yet again the story appears: Python slithers up toilet, latches onto man’s penis Pythons don’t attack jaws first, do they? Even alarmed, cornered ones which to their surprise … --- ## [Is it physically possible to hear yourself snore?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-physically-possible-to-hear-yourself-snore/170291)
**Author:** [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Replies:** 40\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2016, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-physically-possible-to-hear-yourself-snore/170291 "2016-05-31T12:53:34Z")
Case in point: I snore, as do millions of other humans on the planet, if not everyone at one time or another. I was wondering if it is physically possible to hear yourself snore. Mrs.Phlosphr usually asked me too roll … --- ## [Why would a bank reduce the retention period for online credit card statements?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-a-bank-reduce-the-retention-period-for-online-credit-card-statements/756075)
**Author:** [@Heracles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heracles)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2016, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-a-bank-reduce-the-retention-period-for-online-credit-card-statements/756075 "2016-05-31T12:44:50Z")
Hi all, Last week I received a notice from my credit card issuer (Scotiabank Visa) concerning some revised terms of contract for my personal card. (Yes, they’re probably allowed to do that.) Among the new terms, they s… --- ## [Need advice on antique sword](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-on-antique-sword/756031)
**Author:** [@Daylate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daylate)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2016, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-on-antique-sword/756031 "2016-05-31T08:13:00Z")
Notice the sword that chap on the left is wearing. http://s564.photobucket.com/user/Trygolyte/media/sword\_crop.jpg.html My father brought one exactly like that back from a trip to Russia in 1929 or so. He had been on … --- ## [The collective unconscious and spritius mundi, just for fun](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-collective-unconscious-and-spritius-mundi-just-for-fun/756082)
**Author:** [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2016, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-collective-unconscious-and-spritius-mundi-just-for-fun/756082 "2016-05-31T06:57:05Z")
Did Jung believe the “collective unconscious” was an actual, independent thing? Chickens & eggs: did he feel the collective unconscious exists as an exterior entity which we tap into and thus influences our perception, … --- ## [MDs, Pharmacists: Is it possible for any form of lithium (medication) to work immediately?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mds-pharmacists-is-it-possible-for-any-form-of-lithium-medication-to-work-immediately/756150)
**Author:** [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2016, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mds-pharmacists-is-it-possible-for-any-form-of-lithium-medication-to-work-immediately/756150 "2016-05-31T04:34:02Z")
About a year ago, I was sipping my coffee at a cafe when I noticed an old wooden crate carrying 7-Up labeling. In a large font, the product was proudly proclaimed to be “lithiated”. Investigating further, I learned that… --- ## [Do female athletes wear a cup?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-female-athletes-wear-a-cup/604051)
**Author:** [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Replies:** 100\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2016, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-female-athletes-wear-a-cup/604051 "2016-05-31T03:03:45Z")
Serious question. I know they don’t have the dangling bits like guys. But I’d imagine a solid whack to a woman’s labia hurts too. Since women now play contact sports like soccer is there a modified cup for them to wear… --- ## [Is "Luveshkin" a name in Russian?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-luveshkin-a-name-in-russian/756085)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2016, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-luveshkin-a-name-in-russian/756085 "2016-05-31T03:02:03Z")
Is Luveshkin (or Luvechkin, or Luvishkin, or Livichkin) a real name that exists in Russian, or a real word that exists in Russian? Edit: By “name,” I mean family surname. --- ## [Could the A-10 Warthog have been built during the Vietnam War?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-a-10-warthog-have-been-built-during-the-vietnam-war/388287)
**Author:** [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2016, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-a-10-warthog-have-been-built-during-the-vietnam-war/388287 "2016-05-31T02:35:29Z")
A random question I came up with, while reading about the A-10 Thunderbolt II , affectionately reffered to as “The Warthog.” Basically, the plane was built to be a very rugged, very simple, very reliable, and excessivel… --- ## [could SpaceX's first stage landings have been done with 80's/90's tech?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-spacexs-first-stage-landings-have-been-done-with-80s-90s-tech/755885)
**Author:** [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2016, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-spacexs-first-stage-landings-have-been-done-with-80s-90s-tech/755885 "2016-05-31T02:02:15Z")
SpaceX’s first stage landings on the barges have all been autonomous, I’m guessing the reaction time needed is far beyond what any human pilot could do. Could this have been achieved in the 80’s or 90’s using the level… --- ## [How do you say "a toast" in Latin?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-a-toast-in-latin/755723)
**Author:** [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2016, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-say-a-toast-in-latin/755723 "2016-05-31T01:27:42Z")
I’m going to have some friends over for a toast this weekend. I’m trying to find a name for the event. Is there a Latin equivalent for drinking a toast? Or for a housewarming, for that matter? ( it’s not exactly a hou… --- ## [How long until electric cars become cost-competitve with gasoline?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-until-electric-cars-become-cost-competitve-with-gasoline/755555)
**Author:** [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Replies:** 84\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2016, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-until-electric-cars-become-cost-competitve-with-gasoline/755555 "2016-05-31T00:27:59Z")
Electric motors are much simpler to build and maintain. An electric motor also obviates the need for an exhaust system. The reason for the high price of electric cars is that the battery costs a fortune. Is it possible… --- ## [Question about bathroom exhaust fans/electric](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-bathroom-exhaust-fans-electric/756125)
**Author:** [@ChrisCash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChrisCash)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2016, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-bathroom-exhaust-fans-electric/756125 "2016-05-31T00:16:49Z")
Hello, this morning I woke up and found about 1 inch of water on the floor of my bathroom leaking through my bathroom exhaust fan/light fixture after a particulaly heavy rain. My question is regarding the safety of usin… --- ## [A couple of questions about the horizon](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-questions-about-the-horizon/755968)
**Author:** [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [May 30, 2016, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-questions-about-the-horizon/755968 "2016-05-30T23:37:19Z")
I was idly wondering how far away the horizon is at ground level, a quick google search tells me its approximately 2.9 miles. My real question is how long does it take an average passenger jet at altitude to travel from… --- ## [do i need to refrigerate soy sauce?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-to-refrigerate-soy-sauce/73353)
**Author:** [@Kalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalt)\ **Replies:** 54\ **Last updated:** [May 30, 2016, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-to-refrigerate-soy-sauce/73353 "2016-05-30T21:32:24Z")
I hate cold soy sauce, but the bottles always say to refrigerate after opening. I’d rather not. Every sushi place i’ve been to has the soy sauce sitting out on the tables. Do i need to keep it refrigerated? How long will… --- ## [Just received 2015 Tax Form 5498 for IRA Contribution. What do I do with it?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-received-2015-tax-form-5498-for-ira-contribution-what-do-i-do-with-it/756098)
**Author:** [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [May 30, 2016, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-received-2015-tax-form-5498-for-ira-contribution-what-do-i-do-with-it/756098 "2016-05-30T18:56:00Z")
I just received a 2015 Tax Form 5498, for IRA Contribution, on nearly the last day in May. My 2015 taxes were all done about two months ago (of course). What do I do with this now? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=896) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=898)