# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=934 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 935 --- ## [Polyester resin and (I'm afraid) not enough hardener—problem?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polyester-resin-and-im-afraid-not-enough-hardener-problem/188992)
**Author:** [@I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_can_t_believe_that_s_butter)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [March 17, 2016, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polyester-resin-and-im-afraid-not-enough-hardener-problem/188992 "2016-03-17T23:40:59Z")
I’m doing some wood finishing (on my drums, to be exact) with the polyester resin from a fiberglass kit I had lying around, you know, to make a hard reflective surface on the interior. It’s basically epoxy, from what I … --- ## [Is this a cromulent proof?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-cromulent-proof/749228)
**Author:** [@D18](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D18)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [March 17, 2016, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-cromulent-proof/749228 "2016-03-17T23:29:09Z")
As always, not homework. Just trying to up my math game and have worked up to introductory proofs. So, the task is assuming 0 \< a \< b, prove 1/b \< 1/a So I figured: 0 \< a \< b (original given) Therefore a \< b Theref… --- ## [USA v. Microsoft](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-v-microsoft/747910)
**Author:** [@bomberswarm2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bomberswarm2)\ **Replies:** 92\ **Last updated:** [March 17, 2016, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-v-microsoft/747910 "2016-03-17T23:14:38Z")
Why did this case ever exist? From what I can gather Microsoft was accused of having a monopoly on web browsers. Seeing as all web-browsers are free right now, this lawsuit makes no sense. In 1998 were browsers really be… --- ## [Do human bones burn up in a house fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-human-bones-burn-up-in-a-house-fire/747478)
**Author:** [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Replies:** 44\ **Last updated:** [March 17, 2016, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-human-bones-burn-up-in-a-house-fire/747478 "2016-03-17T22:54:44Z")
I listened to a fascinating story on a podcast about the Sodder Family (wiki version here: Sodder children disappearance - Wikipedia) TL/DR version, Sodder family home went up in flames on Christmas '45. Inside were the… --- ## [How many voters in the primaries?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-voters-in-the-primaries/749318)
**Author:** [@The\_Librarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Librarian)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [March 17, 2016, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-voters-in-the-primaries/749318 "2016-03-17T22:51:38Z")
Or; how many people actually voted for mr. Trump? I’ve done some googling but I have trouble finding a resource that clearly states numbers, not %, about the US primaries. So: is there a site out there that has a usefu… --- ## [Question on trademarks](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-on-trademarks/749305)
**Author:** [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [March 17, 2016, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-on-trademarks/749305 "2016-03-17T21:41:45Z")
Suppose I start up a national organization like “HandoutsNotHelpingHands”. Clearly I would want to file a trademark nationwide for “HandoutsNotHelpingHands”. Do I need to file a trademark for every state to prevent so… --- ## [Fair Use and Song Lyrics: How Much Can I Use?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fair-use-and-song-lyrics-how-much-can-i-use/749233)
**Author:** [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [March 17, 2016, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fair-use-and-song-lyrics-how-much-can-i-use/749233 "2016-03-17T21:20:24Z")
If I’ve written a short story or novel that has a plot point hinging on a character’s reaction to a pop song that’s playing, how much of the (real) song can be quoted before it oversteps the boundaries of “fair use” and … --- ## [How do the advances in CPUs and GPUs compare?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-advances-in-cpus-and-gpus-compare/743224)
**Author:** [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Replies:** 37\ **Last updated:** [March 17, 2016, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-advances-in-cpus-and-gpus-compare/743224 "2016-03-17T20:44:08Z")
In another thread, there was a general trend of people upgrading their GPUs but not their CPUs. So, how have the advancements in GPUs and CPUs differed from each other? How about their memory? I’ve heard that CPU perfo… --- ## [Age limits and medical marijuana](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/age-limits-and-medical-marijuana/749245)
**Author:** [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [March 17, 2016, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/age-limits-and-medical-marijuana/749245 "2016-03-17T20:15:46Z")
Do you have to be 18 to get a prescription for medical marijuana? I heard this recently, and was kind of surprised, because people under 18 can get other controlled substances with addictive properties and street value, … --- ## [Typing question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/typing-question/749056)
**Author:** [@pianodave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pianodave)\ **Replies:** 45\ **Last updated:** [March 17, 2016, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/typing-question/749056 "2016-03-17T17:49:38Z")
Hi SD, I’ve been typing up papers for years. For some reason, I randomly recalled my earliest typing lesson, probably 6th or 7th grade, in middle school. In it, my teacher had programs that taught you “correct” typing… --- ## [Why can I no longer connect to Google News?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-can-i-no-longer-connect-to-google-news/748704)
**Author:** [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [March 17, 2016, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-can-i-no-longer-connect-to-google-news/748704 "2016-03-17T16:41:54Z")
After years of being able to access Google News at https://news.google.com/ I now get “This webpage is not available ERR\_CONNECTION\_TIMED\_OUT”. This has been going on for nearly 2 weeks. No other problems connecting … --- ## [Pruning roses in April?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pruning-roses-in-april/749210)
**Author:** [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [March 17, 2016, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pruning-roses-in-april/749210 "2016-03-17T15:38:41Z")
Ordinarily I would have pruned our roses in mid-January. This year, however, owing to other preoccupations, I have not yet done so. The stems are, as one might imagine, quite ungainly now, and a nuisance to us when worki… --- ## [If Hillary gets arrested...](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-hillary-gets-arrested/749238)
**Author:** [@bomberswarm2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bomberswarm2)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [March 17, 2016, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-hillary-gets-arrested/749238 "2016-03-17T15:26:56Z")
This is a factual question. If Hillary Clinton is arrested by the FBI and charged with a federal crime such as Espionage, as some news outlets have been reporting for months, what effect would this have on a candidate bo… --- ## [Which human population this closest to 'original' humans?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-human-population-this-closest-to-original-humans/749097)
**Author:** [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [March 17, 2016, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-human-population-this-closest-to-original-humans/749097 "2016-03-17T14:49:40Z")
Whadya mean, ‘original’ humans? Well, before they were taken out of the box, before we left Africa and mixed with Neanderthals. Or to put it another way, do we know which human population has had the least amount of gen… --- ## [Can we control the weather?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-control-the-weather/748532)
**Author:** [@Enola\_Gay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Gay)\ **Replies:** 46\ **Last updated:** [March 17, 2016, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-control-the-weather/748532 "2016-03-17T12:27:22Z")
We have put a man on the moon-incredible! So why haven’t we figured out how to make the Louisiana rain clouds relocate to southern California? If we could control the weather, we could change the world. Is it possible? --- ## [UN Security Council - Table in the circle](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/un-security-council-table-in-the-circle/749188)
**Author:** [@Shinna\_Minna\_Ma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shinna_Minna_Ma)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [March 17, 2016, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/un-security-council-table-in-the-circle/749188 "2016-03-17T12:07:24Z")
In some UN Security Council meetings, there is a long table inside the circle of council members. Who sits at this inner table, and what are they doing? (Here’s a picture.) --- ## [Equinoxes and tides.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equinoxes-and-tides/749096)
**Author:** [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [March 17, 2016, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equinoxes-and-tides/749096 "2016-03-17T05:43:43Z")
In today’s Science Times (NY Times Tuesday science section) there is an item that claims that the largest tides (it is about tidal bores in the Amazon) come when full moon coincides with one of the equinoxes. It is clea… --- ## [The average person gets cancer several times a day. True or false](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-average-person-gets-cancer-several-times-a-day-true-or-false/747018)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [March 17, 2016, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-average-person-gets-cancer-several-times-a-day-true-or-false/747018 "2016-03-17T05:39:28Z")
Someone mentioned this on another forum. I know I once read that the body can have cells turn cancerous, but the immune system clears them out or segregates the cells, and that this is not uncommon. But cells going cance… --- ## ["Commit a crime for me and I'll pay the legal bills" - legal?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commit-a-crime-for-me-and-ill-pay-the-legal-bills-legal/749037)
**Author:** [@SuperDopaminergic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuperDopaminergic)\ **Replies:** 34\ **Last updated:** [March 17, 2016, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commit-a-crime-for-me-and-ill-pay-the-legal-bills-legal/749037 "2016-03-17T05:35:00Z")
Recently at a rally, Donald Trump told the crowd Apparently, he is now considering making good on that promise, after a supporter attacked a protester. This case raised the question in my mind, is it typically legal in… --- ## [Who popularised the idea that you should chew a mouthful food 27 times before swallowing it?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-popularised-the-idea-that-you-should-chew-a-mouthful-food-27-times-before-swallowing-it/749032)
**Author:** [@HarryTheHat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HarryTheHat)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [March 17, 2016, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-popularised-the-idea-that-you-should-chew-a-mouthful-food-27-times-before-swallowing-it/749032 "2016-03-17T03:50:10Z")
This was something my grandfather use to say. Initially, I thought its originator might have been Horace Fletcher (1849–1919), “The Great Masticator”, but he said food should be chewed about 100 times a minute before bei… --- ## [Is it true that in Calabria, a man's true life's work begins at the age of 33?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-in-calabria-a-mans-true-lifes-work-begins-at-the-age-of-33/749232)
**Author:** [@HarryTheHat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HarryTheHat)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [March 17, 2016, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-in-calabria-a-mans-true-lifes-work-begins-at-the-age-of-33/749232 "2016-03-17T03:23:32Z")
A recent report on a gangland killing in Melbourne, Australia: “\[In Calabria\] one rite of passage dictates that a man begins his true work when he turns the age of Jesus Christ at his death, and so at 33 Acquaro he was g… --- ## [Why did poorly educated whites' dysfunction, poor health, and death start rising in the late '90s?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-poorly-educated-whites-dysfunction-poor-health-and-death-start-rising-in-the-late-90s/749164)
**Author:** [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [March 17, 2016, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-poorly-educated-whites-dysfunction-poor-health-and-death-start-rising-in-the-late-90s/749164 "2016-03-17T03:00:59Z")
It seems to have started, if you look at the graph in this NYT article, before any economic problems hit them: employment was high, wages were rising. But they have increasingly been dying from suicide, drug overdose an… --- ## [Indigenous people vs. Conquering (immigrated people)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indigenous-people-vs-conquering-immigrated-people/749019)
**Author:** [@Mrdeals](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrdeals)\ **Replies:** 52\ **Last updated:** [March 17, 2016, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indigenous-people-vs-conquering-immigrated-people/749019 "2016-03-17T00:34:44Z")
In the USA there seems to be constant tension between Native Americans and Caucasion. I have never really experienced it first hand, but it seems to be constant news in politics. My question is, are there any places whe… --- ## [Is Saluting required in all the World's major militaries? Any exceptions?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-saluting-required-in-all-the-worlds-major-militaries-any-exceptions/748828)
**Author:** [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [March 16, 2016, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-saluting-required-in-all-the-worlds-major-militaries-any-exceptions/748828 "2016-03-16T23:38:39Z")
I’ve wondered if Saluting has been eliminated in any country’s military? Police and Firemen have ranks like sergeant, Lieutenant and Captain. They work quite well without any salutes. Makes me wonder if any of the world… --- ## [Why the hate for the DMV?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hate-for-the-dmv/506596)
**Author:** [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Replies:** 85\ **Last updated:** [March 16, 2016, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hate-for-the-dmv/506596 "2016-03-16T21:51:16Z")
Quite frequently, I see comments here on the Dope about the DMV, which I gather is the Department of Motor Vehicles in some states of the US. There seems to be a lot of dissatisfaction with their services (don’t know if… --- ## [Quasars and Pulsars](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quasars-and-pulsars/749203)
**Author:** [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [March 16, 2016, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quasars-and-pulsars/749203 "2016-03-16T21:50:23Z")
In the 50s or 60s scientists detected astronomical bodies that they called quasars (quasi-stellar bodies) and pulsars. It is now known that quasars are monster black holes in the centers of galaxies (and appear to actua… --- ## [Fast answer on mathematics](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-answer-on-mathematics/744438)
**Author:** [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Replies:** 51\ **Last updated:** [March 16, 2016, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-answer-on-mathematics/744438 "2016-03-16T21:05:04Z")
Should be simple for those trained. If there are infinite possible numbers between 0 and 1, and there are also infinite numbers between 0 and 2, then the possible numbers between 0 and 1 cannot be less than those betwee… --- ## [Tiling math: max number of ways the US states can be arranged to roughly fit the CONUS outline?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiling-math-max-number-of-ways-the-us-states-can-be-arranged-to-roughly-fit-the-conus-outline/749177)
**Author:** [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [March 16, 2016, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiling-math-max-number-of-ways-the-us-states-can-be-arranged-to-roughly-fit-the-conus-outline/749177 "2016-03-16T20:49:57Z")
Spinoff from another thread, on,inter alia, outlines of US shapes: Do American states have the most iconic shapes of any national subdivisions? - Factual Questions - Straight Dope Message Board I found this: Which pro… --- ## [What's a middle class lifestyle?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-middle-class-lifestyle/749182)
**Author:** [@Anny\_Middon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anny_Middon)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [March 16, 2016, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-middle-class-lifestyle/749182 "2016-03-16T19:35:03Z")
Apologies in advance – I’m not really sure how to word this. I get the impression that “middle class” is defined as being households that earn a certain range of money per member, range somewhere (natch) in the middle o… --- ## [After a little bit of activity a sip of water provides immediate relief. Why?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/after-a-little-bit-of-activity-a-sip-of-water-provides-immediate-relief-why/749155)
**Author:** [@Nansbread1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nansbread1)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [March 16, 2016, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/after-a-little-bit-of-activity-a-sip-of-water-provides-immediate-relief-why/749155 "2016-03-16T19:05:16Z")
After a bit of running etc a quick sip gives immediate relief. Everyone does it from sports people to ordinary folk. Apart from lubricating a dry throat what other biochemical interactions take place that contributes to… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=933) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=935)