# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=911 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 912 --- ## [Fasting - can a Fat person live significantly longer than a thin person?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fasting-can-a-fat-person-live-significantly-longer-than-a-thin-person/753810)
**Author:** [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [May 4, 2016, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fasting-can-a-fat-person-live-significantly-longer-than-a-thin-person/753810 "2016-05-04T18:24:36Z")
I’ve often heard that fat gets stored to help humans survive periods with little or no food. Food supplies were uncertain in ancient times. A village’s failed crop meant starving throughout a long winter. Has obesity an… --- ## [How sensitive are our brains to time?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-sensitive-are-our-brains-to-time/753814)
**Author:** [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [May 4, 2016, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-sensitive-are-our-brains-to-time/753814 "2016-05-04T16:52:47Z")
When I’m watching tv, and can also see the reflection of the same tv on a nearby window or mirror, I see the change in picture on the tv first. For example, I’m currently watching CNN on a tv, and I can also see its ref… --- ## [Old-fashioned answering machines don't work on today's phone lines?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-fashioned-answering-machines-dont-work-on-todays-phone-lines/753755)
**Author:** [@analogqueen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/analogqueen)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [May 4, 2016, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-fashioned-answering-machines-dont-work-on-todays-phone-lines/753755 "2016-05-04T16:05:08Z")
This is for telecom people: analogue (user name synergy, but yes I do have a small collection of analogue vintage 60’s & up electronics) cassette answering machines won’t work like they used to, I really don’t like the d… --- ## [Are there any countries whose passports are NOT considered property of their governments?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-countries-whose-passports-are-not-considered-property-of-their-governments/753791)
**Author:** [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [May 4, 2016, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-countries-whose-passports-are-not-considered-property-of-their-governments/753791 "2016-05-04T15:11:34Z")
A U.S. passport contains the following statement According to the Wikipedia article on passports “Under the law of most countries, passports are government property…”. Is that “most” just weasel-wording, or is there a… --- ## [Hiding VPN](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hiding-vpn/753879)
**Author:** [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [May 4, 2016, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hiding-vpn/753879 "2016-05-04T13:48:55Z")
I’d like to watch streaming from the UK and apparently I have to hide my VPN. Totally know-nothing here. Is there a particular “hide my VPN” service that is better than others, or one I should not use? --- ## [Where does this saying come from?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-this-saying-come-from/753801)
**Author:** [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [May 4, 2016, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-this-saying-come-from/753801 "2016-05-04T13:41:58Z")
In an episode of CSI Vegas, Sara Sidle is burying the ashes of a gorilla that was brutally killed for parts such as its head and skin. She says “For everyone that parts one stands above ground.” Is this a song lyric? … --- ## [Stats: Correct Use of Binomial Distribution](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stats-correct-use-of-binomial-distribution/753436)
**Author:** [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [May 4, 2016, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stats-correct-use-of-binomial-distribution/753436 "2016-05-04T13:33:39Z")
We have to prove 95% success with 90% confidence when testing our product. One co-worker argues that 20 successful tests gives you 100% confidence. Apparently, it is not that simple. (The logic is that the next 20 tim… --- ## [Bullet-Proof Vests](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bullet-proof-vests/753489)
**Author:** [@Mr.Bill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Bill)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [May 4, 2016, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bullet-proof-vests/753489 "2016-05-04T13:18:37Z")
It’s a common, almost mandatory, trope in movies and TV. The hero is involved in a gunfight, takes one or more gunshots to the chest and goes down like a sack of beans. Later, after the dust clears, he peels back his shi… --- ## [Does anybody else get that 'internal bowel movement pain' occasionally?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-else-get-that-internal-bowel-movement-pain-occasionally/753807)
**Author:** [@guitario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guitario)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [May 4, 2016, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-else-get-that-internal-bowel-movement-pain-occasionally/753807 "2016-05-04T12:34:00Z")
Hi, and my apologies for what’s about to follow, but having clicked this thread, I have a feeling you’ll be alright with this sort of thing… What I’m talking about here is that feeling, maybe once every couple of months… --- ## [DNA Markers and the Law](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dna-markers-and-the-law/753797)
**Author:** [@Chihuahua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chihuahua)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [May 4, 2016, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dna-markers-and-the-law/753797 "2016-05-04T11:26:42Z")
So I was reading today’s Cracked article. I came across this statement, in the context of someone trying to piece together their dubious paternity: This seems odd to me. They can show you your DNA markers but are leg… --- ## [Question regarding Europeans "secretly" fishing in Atlantic waters close to North America pre-1492](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-europeans-secretly-fishing-in-atlantic-waters-close-to-north-america-pre-1492/753661)
**Author:** [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Replies:** 50\ **Last updated:** [May 4, 2016, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-europeans-secretly-fishing-in-atlantic-waters-close-to-north-america-pre-1492/753661 "2016-05-04T10:46:05Z")
Hi, Now and again I come across claims that the North American continent was no secret to French fishermen, who apparently fished in waters close to North America prior to Columbus’s voyage in 1492. Is there any substan… --- ## [How To Search But Exclude Videos](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-search-but-exclude-videos/753645)
**Author:** [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [May 4, 2016, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-search-but-exclude-videos/753645 "2016-05-04T10:33:11Z")
More and more when I conduct a search on line I am “rewarded” with a video. I do NOT want videos - they take too long to load, more than half the time I have to deal with some vapid speaker blathering on about everythin… --- ## [How much more would a laptop cost if it was built in America?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-more-would-a-laptop-cost-if-it-was-built-in-america/753621)
**Author:** [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [May 4, 2016, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-more-would-a-laptop-cost-if-it-was-built-in-america/753621 "2016-05-04T10:23:21Z")
For argument’s sake, let’s say it is a business grade laptop, similar to a high-end Thinkpad. They currently retail for about $1000 new. How much more would it cost if it was built in the USA? --- ## [When was the last time both presidential candidates had the same home state?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-both-presidential-candidates-had-the-same-home-state/753845)
**Author:** [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [May 4, 2016, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-both-presidential-candidates-had-the-same-home-state/753845 "2016-05-04T03:55:10Z")
When was the last time both major party candidates in a US presidential election had the same home state at the time of the election? --- ## [My Everest helicopter tour](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-everest-helicopter-tour/753478)
**Author:** [@Yersenia\_Pestis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yersenia_Pestis)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [May 3, 2016, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-everest-helicopter-tour/753478 "2016-05-03T23:05:26Z")
Ok, here’s the deal, I would love to go and see the world from the top of Everest, but I don’t want to go through that horrible climbing experience. Could I take a chopper up there (let’s assume there’s enough level grou… --- ## [How are complex biological systems (like the Krebs cycle) figured out?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-complex-biological-systems-like-the-krebs-cycle-figured-out/753783)
**Author:** [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [May 3, 2016, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-complex-biological-systems-like-the-krebs-cycle-figured-out/753783 "2016-05-03T23:03:12Z")
It’s always amazing hearing about how the human body functions. All the complicated systems that have to correctly interact is staggering. But it’s also amazing to me that those systems can be figured out in the first … --- ## [Is there a specific name for this kind of ornate staff used in costumes?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-specific-name-for-this-kind-of-ornate-staff-used-in-costumes/753805)
**Author:** [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [May 3, 2016, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-specific-name-for-this-kind-of-ornate-staff-used-in-costumes/753805 "2016-05-03T22:35:05Z")
You see them a lot in Shakespearean plays and Restoration costume. They’re shoulder length or higher ceremonial staffs, often with a gold or ornate top- basically like a walking stick but 5 feet long or more. Example E… --- ## [Help me build this bike](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-build-this-bike/753726)
**Author:** [@IBuildEm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IBuildEm)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [May 3, 2016, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-build-this-bike/753726 "2016-05-03T22:20:32Z")
\[Album\] imgur.com I’ve been putting together this Chinese bike eng… --- ## [Question regarding the name of a mathematical symbol](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-the-name-of-a-mathematical-symbol/753766)
**Author:** [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [May 3, 2016, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-the-name-of-a-mathematical-symbol/753766 "2016-05-03T21:30:58Z")
I’m looking for the name of the symbol used in the below text. You have to visit the website to see it. Please see the above link as the symbol didn’t copy . I look forward to your feedback Newton formulated the cla… --- ## [+10% gift card on tax rebate -- how is that profitable?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-gift-card-on-tax-rebate-how-is-that-profitable/753123)
**Author:** [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [May 3, 2016, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-gift-card-on-tax-rebate-how-is-that-profitable/753123 "2016-05-03T20:20:37Z")
When I filled out my tax rebate this year, there was an offer for an Amazon gift card. If you selected to buy a gift card with your rebate, HR Block would add 10% to the total value. So, I figured that I spend a lot … --- ## [Naming drugs](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naming-drugs/753800)
**Author:** [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [May 3, 2016, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naming-drugs/753800 "2016-05-03T20:12:58Z")
Is there a naming convention that drug companies use for their drugs? Both the generic name and brand name? The one drug I know both names of off the top of my head is Metformin, brand name Glucophage. I can see were the… --- ## [How to calculate lock combinations](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-calculate-lock-combinations/753491)
**Author:** [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [May 3, 2016, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-calculate-lock-combinations/753491 "2016-05-03T18:09:09Z")
We have a lock box that allows you to set a combination to be punched in. The way it works (and I have seen several that work the same way), you choose which numbers you want to be in the combination, but a) you cannot c… --- ## [battery run-down](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battery-run-down/753594)
**Author:** [@stosh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stosh)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [May 3, 2016, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battery-run-down/753594 "2016-05-03T17:54:39Z")
I have a Dell Latitude D 630 ( yeah, it’s old but it does everything I want it to do ), I have it plugged in to an adapter and the wall socket. I never use the battery, but have been told I should run down the battery ab… --- ## [Could spiders ever get as big as coconut crabs?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-spiders-ever-get-as-big-as-coconut-crabs/753713)
**Author:** [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [May 3, 2016, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-spiders-ever-get-as-big-as-coconut-crabs/753713 "2016-05-03T17:53:33Z")
The largest terrestrial arthropods are the coconut crabs : Upper size limits for these leggy hefty critters – close to ten pounds, and a bit over three feet in legspread. Pretty impressive! I’m wondering – is there an… --- ## [Expensive stuff ... I mean really, REALLY expensive!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expensive-stuff-i-mean-really-really-expensive/753307)
**Author:** [@Rotola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rotola)\ **Replies:** 56\ **Last updated:** [May 3, 2016, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expensive-stuff-i-mean-really-really-expensive/753307 "2016-05-03T17:20:06Z")
What is the single most expensive man made object in the world? The space shuttle? The new World Trade Center? I don’t believe I’m thinking BIG enough. Help! --- ## [Legally required to do anything with dead person's passport, etc?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legally-required-to-do-anything-with-dead-persons-passport-etc/753754)
**Author:** [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [May 3, 2016, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legally-required-to-do-anything-with-dead-persons-passport-etc/753754 "2016-05-03T17:12:06Z")
My mother died three years ago and I was the executor of her estate. Everything has long since been settled, but I had a small suitcase full of papers I was afraid to trash. Now that we are moving and it’s 100% clear tha… --- ## [removing stuck plastic wall clean-out plugs](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-stuck-plastic-wall-clean-out-plugs/753758)
**Author:** [@deanthefoul-mouthedplumber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deanthefoul-mouthedplumber)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [May 3, 2016, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-stuck-plastic-wall-clean-out-plugs/753758 "2016-05-03T15:37:50Z")
All the recommendations on this forum provide great advice for removing cast-iron wall clean-out plugs! Houses that were built within the last 30 years have plastic clean-out plugs (because plastic is cheaper than cast i… --- ## [Aging metrics in lab test?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aging-metrics-in-lab-test/753780)
**Author:** [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [May 3, 2016, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aging-metrics-in-lab-test/753780 "2016-05-03T15:34:13Z")
I was investigating some of the biochemistry theorized to be related to aging and, since I had a doctor who was giving me blood and urine tests each year since 2012, I am curious to determine how I am tracking on a few m… --- ## [Penis pointing: how/why does Throckmorton's sign in urology work?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penis-pointing-how-why-does-throckmortons-sign-in-urology-work/753716)
**Author:** [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [May 3, 2016, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penis-pointing-how-why-does-throckmortons-sign-in-urology-work/753716 "2016-05-03T13:46:52Z")
See query: Throckmorton's sign I have no access to the cites listed there. Also known as John Thomas sign: position of penis on abdominal x-ray indicates side of unilateral disease. Also: band name. Or new national cr… --- ## [Jewish Racial Inclusionism (is that a word?)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jewish-racial-inclusionism-is-that-a-word/753646)
**Author:** [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [May 3, 2016, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jewish-racial-inclusionism-is-that-a-word/753646 "2016-05-03T12:57:51Z")
Before getting to my actual question, let me qualify that I am a Protestant Christian, born and raised. One who has actually read the Bible, interpreted it for myself, and who believes that Jews are God’s “chosen”, if fo… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=910) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=912)