# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=9 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 10 --- ## [What is name of this legal principle?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-name-of-this-legal-principle/1030453)
**Author:** [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [May 28, 2026, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-name-of-this-legal-principle/1030453 "2026-05-28T18:53:03Z")
I’m blanking on the name of a certain legal principle. I’ll describe a scenario: A city has a noise ordinance. This city is also next door to a noisy Air Force base. The city can’t cite the federal government for violat… --- ## [2024: Who was the Thomas Jefferson University graduation presenter?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-who-was-the-thomas-jefferson-university-graduation-presenter/1030406)
**Author:** [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [May 27, 2026, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-who-was-the-thomas-jefferson-university-graduation-presenter/1030406 "2026-05-27T20:51:36Z")
Link This went viral because the speaker was reading the names from cards with (apparently) really bad phonetic pronunciations. Supposedly the speaker was replaced after 10 minutes of this embarrassment, but nowhere ca… --- ## [Scrolling through Wikipedia images](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scrolling-through-wikipedia-images/1030372)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [May 27, 2026, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scrolling-through-wikipedia-images/1030372 "2026-05-27T18:32:56Z")
When a Wikipedia article has multiple images, it is nice to click on the first one and then scroll through them using the arrows on the edges of them. In the last couple of days, I have noticed I can’t do that anymore. … --- ## [Best ambient music for masking conversation](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-ambient-music-for-masking-conversation/1030315)
**Author:** [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [May 27, 2026, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-ambient-music-for-masking-conversation/1030315 "2026-05-27T04:03:50Z")
The conversation is occurring on the other side of my window and I want to study. I put this in FQ because I think there is at least a quasi-scientific answer to my inquiry. There are a number of companies producing whi… --- ## [Does Amazon push updates to Echo devices?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-amazon-push-updates-to-echo-devices/1030425)
**Author:** [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [May 27, 2026, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-amazon-push-updates-to-echo-devices/1030425 "2026-05-27T04:02:21Z")
This afternoon, my Echo went incommunicado for an indeterminate amount of time. The lights around the rim flashed when I gave a command, but there was no audio feedback that acknowledged the request (time, play music, ev… --- ## [How can I print out FaceBook Message string?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-print-out-facebook-message-string/1030394)
**Author:** [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [May 26, 2026, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-print-out-facebook-message-string/1030394 "2026-05-26T23:58:41Z")
I need to print out a string of Facebook dms. I was able to find a way to copy the file, which results in a .json file. But how can I print it out? Any help would be greatly appreciated. --- ## [How steep a trail can you ride a horse up?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-steep-a-trail-can-you-ride-a-horse-up/537090)
**Author:** [@Busy\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Busy_Scissors)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [May 26, 2026, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-steep-a-trail-can-you-ride-a-horse-up/537090 "2026-05-26T14:19:10Z")
I was out running yesterday and saw a horse being ridden up a fairly steep section of trail. The piece was bare rock and got me wondering how sure-footed these beasts are going upwards. It was only a short section, thoug… --- ## [Small casinos and security](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-casinos-and-security/1029833)
**Author:** [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Replies:** 76\ **Last updated:** [May 25, 2026, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-casinos-and-security/1029833 "2026-05-25T01:12:16Z")
I was watching some poker videos on Youtube, and noticed one small “card room”, featuring a number of Hold’em players playing for high stakes. They came to the table with as much as $50k in chips. At the end of the game… --- ## [Laws against working on the Sabbath?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laws-against-working-on-the-sabbath/1028918)
**Author:** [@Timz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Timz)\ **Replies:** 113\ **Last updated:** [May 24, 2026, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laws-against-working-on-the-sabbath/1028918 "2026-05-24T23:24:44Z")
Not religious laws – I mean actual laws, enforced by government/police. I was surprised to see that in 1905 you could be arrested in NY for doing construction work on Sunday. Maybe such laws were common once, in the Bibl… --- ## [What are the Imperial Japanese medals this 1960s "OPFOR" war game officer is wearing?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-imperial-japanese-medals-this-1960s-opfor-war-game-officer-is-wearing/1023838)
**Author:** [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [May 24, 2026, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-imperial-japanese-medals-this-1960s-opfor-war-game-officer-is-wearing/1023838 "2026-05-24T15:21:22Z")
I’ve got a History and Militaria question: I’ve got a photo of a US Army officer wearing the uniform of a fictional “OPFOR” adversary (specifically, the “Aggressor Republic,” which actually has a long, codified alternate… --- ## [What is this weird building about (10x10 building, ~4 feet off the ground, in the middle of nowhere)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-weird-building-about-10x10-building-4-feet-off-the-ground-in-the-middle-of-nowhere/1030281)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [May 23, 2026, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-weird-building-about-10x10-building-4-feet-off-the-ground-in-the-middle-of-nowhere/1030281 "2026-05-23T14:16:17Z")
I drive past this weird building a few times per year when life takes me dow that stretch of road. Any idea what this is about? For context, it’s down the road from Caledonia, Missouri, a nothingburger town in the Ozar… --- ## [A steaming travel mug of black tea. How much particulate matter does that steam carry anyway?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-steaming-travel-mug-of-black-tea-how-much-particulate-matter-does-that-steam-carry-anyway/1030119)
**Author:** [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [May 23, 2026, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-steaming-travel-mug-of-black-tea-how-much-particulate-matter-does-that-steam-carry-anyway/1030119 "2026-05-23T13:09:51Z")
Lengthy background: I use a large travel mug at home, it keeps my tea warm for the time it takes me to drink it. It is metal, and has a nifty ceramic coating inside that after several years is still pristine and unstaine… --- ## [How does The Weather Channel know that lightning struck X miles from my current location?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-weather-channel-know-that-lightning-struck-x-miles-from-my-current-location/1030211)
**Author:** [@Drum\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drum_God)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [May 23, 2026, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-weather-channel-know-that-lightning-struck-x-miles-from-my-current-location/1030211 "2026-05-23T13:05:29Z")
I have an iPhone with The Weather Channel app. During stormy weather the app will pop up a message telling me that lightning has struck so many miles from my current location. I know where it’s getting my location data… --- ## [Another question for the board's overworked linguists: How is it that I can recognize written Finnish?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-question-for-the-boards-overworked-linguists-how-is-it-that-i-can-recognize-written-finnish/1020101)
**Author:** [@Xocomil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xocomil)\ **Replies:** 109\ **Last updated:** [May 22, 2026, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-question-for-the-boards-overworked-linguists-how-is-it-that-i-can-recognize-written-finnish/1020101 "2026-05-22T22:57:41Z")
In spite of not being able to so much as say “hello” or count to three in Finnish, I can reliably recognize its written form. I don’t know what it is I see that I can immediately say, “yup, that’s Finnish.” I can distin… --- ## [Liquor store boxes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquor-store-boxes/1030121)
**Author:** [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Replies:** 39\ **Last updated:** [May 22, 2026, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquor-store-boxes/1030121 "2026-05-22T14:59:02Z")
I’m clearing stuff out of my basement and back room and putting things into storage. As part of this project, I’m using a lot of boxes. My usual practice in the past when I needed boxes was to visit local liquor stores … --- ## [Historic hurricane predictions](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historic-hurricane-predictions/1021857)
**Author:** [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [May 22, 2026, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historic-hurricane-predictions/1021857 "2026-05-22T12:44:51Z")
Once again NOAA has predicted “above normal” activity for hurricane season It seems that they always predict above normal. Is there a place somewhere where we can find historic predictions (including the statements ‘ab… --- ## [How did this company get my email address to send me a receipt?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-this-company-get-my-email-address-to-send-me-a-receipt/1030264)
**Author:** [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [May 22, 2026, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-this-company-get-my-email-address-to-send-me-a-receipt/1030264 "2026-05-22T12:25:02Z")
I had a mobile mechanic come to my house today to work on my car. I paid by credit card and the tech said he would send me a receipt. I expected to get it by text, since that is how we communicated, but I got it by ema… --- ## [Question about Alaskan law](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-alaskan-law/1029983)
**Author:** [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Replies:** 66\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2026, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-alaskan-law/1029983 "2026-05-21T18:59:45Z")
Is it legal to push a live moose out of a moving airplane in Alaska? --- ## [Is this traffic incident illegal?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-traffic-incident-illegal/1030259)
**Author:** [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2026, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-traffic-incident-illegal/1030259 "2026-05-21T18:40:59Z")
The other day some jerk swerved in front of me and slammed on their brakes nearly causing me to run into them, Can I call the police and have them arrested? --- ## [Statistics question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/statistics-question/1030113)
**Author:** [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [May 20, 2026, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/statistics-question/1030113 "2026-05-20T23:24:28Z")
Sorta long, sorry. My work is in the area of very very high-reliability electronics. So we have a strict rule: exposed pure tin (Sn) is not allowed, and pure Sn finishes/platings are not allowed. This is because “tin wh… --- ## [Olde-Fashioned script on Japanese book cover](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olde-fashioned-script-on-japanese-book-cover/1030166)
**Author:** [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [May 20, 2026, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olde-fashioned-script-on-japanese-book-cover/1030166 "2026-05-20T23:02:35Z")
What is the final word? 下編 ?? Wikipedia says this story was originally published in ten installments, but the pictured cover is from a three-volume edition? --- ## [Stupid (?) question: How do planes really fly?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-question-how-do-planes-really-fly/1029890)
**Author:** [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Replies:** 68\ **Last updated:** [May 20, 2026, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-question-how-do-planes-really-fly/1029890 "2026-05-20T22:23:17Z")
Ever since I started to be interested in science, the explanation that I’ve read about how planes stay in the air has been based on the Bernoulli principle: As the wing moves through the air, air flows around it, and the… --- ## [iPhone predictive text workaround](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-predictive-text-workaround/1030208)
**Author:** [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [May 19, 2026, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-predictive-text-workaround/1030208 "2026-05-19T17:28:28Z")
When I’m texting, and I want to text the word “the”, for some reason Auto-correction or Predictive Text always inserts the word “Theresa”. I know I can Toggle off Auto-Correction and Predictive Text, but I like it and … --- ## [Who decided to announce the plan for the Falklands Battle of Goose Green on the BBC?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-decided-to-announce-the-plan-for-the-falklands-battle-of-goose-green-on-the-bbc/1030204)
**Author:** [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [May 19, 2026, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-decided-to-announce-the-plan-for-the-falklands-battle-of-goose-green-on-the-bbc/1030204 "2026-05-19T16:59:27Z")
So random factoid that I just learned from YouTube. The day before the start of the battle of Goose Green during the Falklands war, the BBC announced the impending British attack and the unit that was to carry it out. … --- ## [Second IV in OR - why?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/second-iv-in-or-why/1027948)
**Author:** [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [May 19, 2026, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/second-iv-in-or-why/1027948 "2026-05-19T16:16:04Z")
Prompted by an experience last year in which I was told they’d do a second IV once I got to the OR. When I woke up, I had two badly bruised spots, bandaged, in my right hand, and a second IV in my left hand (same hand a… --- ## [Sodium Acetate reusable heating packs -- anyone know about them?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sodium-acetate-reusable-heating-packs-anyone-know-about-them/1030160)
**Author:** [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [May 19, 2026, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sodium-acetate-reusable-heating-packs-anyone-know-about-them/1030160 "2026-05-19T05:03:53Z")
A church acquaintance told me this morning about Sodium Acetate reusable heating packs – that she’d bought some, how wonderful they were, and so on. Frankly, what she describe sounded almost like magic so I’m pretty ske… --- ## [Why don't electric utilities charge lower rates when demand is lower](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-electric-utilities-charge-lower-rates-when-demand-is-lower/1030065)
**Author:** [@Honolulu\_Lulu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honolulu_Lulu)\ **Replies:** 43\ **Last updated:** [May 18, 2026, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-electric-utilities-charge-lower-rates-when-demand-is-lower/1030065 "2026-05-18T20:18:39Z")
My son has a electric vehicle. It has a feature to only charge during certain time-of-day based on the owner’s setting. His town offers a lower rate if he sets his charger to only work from 22:00 to 07:00, but he is on… --- ## [Food safety in elementary school](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-safety-in-elementary-school/1030095)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 41\ **Last updated:** [May 18, 2026, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-safety-in-elementary-school/1030095 "2026-05-18T19:31:58Z")
When I was in elementary school in San Diego, most kids had metal lunch boxes with a Thermos and their lunch. This was mine, from the The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok TV show, which went off the air before I was born,… --- ## [Water mains in cities in India?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-mains-in-cities-in-india/1030153)
**Author:** [@Timz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Timz)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [May 18, 2026, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-mains-in-cities-in-india/1030153 "2026-05-18T17:07:05Z")
The Big Thirst, by Charles Fishman, copyright 2011: “India’s economy has grown between 5 and 9 percent per year in the last five years, a stunning rate of modernization. And yet, not one of India’s major cities provides… --- ## [What Might This Cast Iron Pipe/Flue/Fitting Have Been For?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-might-this-cast-iron-pipe-flue-fitting-have-been-for/1030161)
**Author:** [@jjakucyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjakucyk)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [May 18, 2026, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-might-this-cast-iron-pipe-flue-fitting-have-been-for/1030161 "2026-05-18T04:49:48Z")
Someone in my building is throwing this away. At first I thought it was a chimney pot, but it’s cast iron and has bolt holes in both the top and bottom. The casters certainly aren’t original, so maybe it was repurposed i… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=10)