# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=941 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 942 --- ## [British slang: why is a fight called a "Barney"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-slang-why-is-a-fight-called-a-barney/291256)
**Author:** [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [March 5, 2016, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-slang-why-is-a-fight-called-a-barney/291256 "2016-03-05T17:43:29Z")
This question must have a factual answer, so I’ll post it in GQ. If a mod feels it’s more appropriate elsewhere, please feel free to move it. “Are you having a Barney? I’ll hold your coat.” I’ve heard a fight described… --- ## [Did John Lennon ever fly from/to John Lennon airport?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-john-lennon-ever-fly-from-to-john-lennon-airport/747972)
**Author:** [@Dahu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dahu)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [March 5, 2016, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-john-lennon-ever-fly-from-to-john-lennon-airport/747972 "2016-03-05T17:38:31Z")
Question is all in the title. --- ## [When do the cows come home?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-the-cows-come-home/746961)
**Author:** [@iljitsch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iljitsch)\ **Replies:** 45\ **Last updated:** [March 5, 2016, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-the-cows-come-home/746961 "2016-03-05T12:38:46Z")
The title says it all. --- ## [What makes a bra a "T-shirt bra"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-a-bra-a-t-shirt-bra/747558)
**Author:** [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [March 5, 2016, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-a-bra-a-t-shirt-bra/747558 "2016-03-05T06:51:17Z")
The last time I was at Wal-Mart, my eye was drawn to a display of bras. Couldn’t help it. They were blinding, neon green. They were labeled as “T-shirt bras”. Explain, please. What is a T-shirt bra? --- ## [If one universe comes out of another universe are there infinitely many universes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-one-universe-comes-out-of-another-universe-are-there-infinitely-many-universes/747965)
**Author:** [@JessicaHoyt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JessicaHoyt)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [March 5, 2016, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-one-universe-comes-out-of-another-universe-are-there-infinitely-many-universes/747965 "2016-03-05T05:05:38Z")
One theory is that one universe comes out of another. Stephen Hawking has even suggested that blacks holes cause a new universe to form. Once matter is crushed into no existence by a black hole, it more or less becomes … --- ## [US presidential elections: Are the results of the primaries binding?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-presidential-elections-are-the-results-of-the-primaries-binding/747858)
**Author:** [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [March 5, 2016, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-presidential-elections-are-the-results-of-the-primaries-binding/747858 "2016-03-05T02:18:37Z")
From a legal standpoint, is it possible for a candidate to bypass the primaries/caucuses and be nominated as an official party candidate? For instance, could Mitt Romney, in spite of the fact that (up until now) he did n… --- ## [MS Access question: Finding the minimum value in multiple fields](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-access-question-finding-the-minimum-value-in-multiple-fields/285535)
**Author:** [@Jadis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jadis)\ **Replies:** 42\ **Last updated:** [March 5, 2016, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-access-question-finding-the-minimum-value-in-multiple-fields/285535 "2016-03-05T01:25:09Z")
What expression can I write that will look at Fields A, B and C and return the lowest of those 3 values into Field D (using an update query)? I’ve tried to use the Min function as Min(Field A, Field B, Field C), but it’… --- ## [Looking for a 9/11 conspiracy documentary](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-9-11-conspiracy-documentary/747877)
**Author:** [@blood63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blood63)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [March 5, 2016, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-9-11-conspiracy-documentary/747877 "2016-03-05T00:35:35Z")
I teach grade 9 chemistry and a student asked if jet fuel could melt steel. I knew exactly what he was on about. I’m not sure what his dinner conversations are like with his family but I do want to set the record straigh… --- ## [Tv or antenna inteference](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-or-antenna-inteference/747887)
**Author:** [@joe.russell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joe.russell)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [March 5, 2016, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-or-antenna-inteference/747887 "2016-03-05T00:29:53Z")
Ive got an lcd tv in the living room hooked up to an attic antenna, with a full floor in-between. Our kitchen is open to the living room and I recently replaced 6 -65 watt incandescent bulbs in the kitchen with 6-12 watt… --- ## [If one universe comes out of another universe are there infiniely many universes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-one-universe-comes-out-of-another-universe-are-there-infiniely-many-universes/747964)
**Author:** [@JessicaHoyt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JessicaHoyt)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [March 4, 2016, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-one-universe-comes-out-of-another-universe-are-there-infiniely-many-universes/747964 "2016-03-04T22:24:35Z")
One theory is that one universe comes out of another. Stephen Hawking has even suggested that blacks holes cause a new universe to form. Once matter is crushed into non existence by a black hole, it more or less become… --- ## [Effect, if any, of judge now declaring that Apple CAN'T be compelled by Gov't to help unlock iPhone](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/effect-if-any-of-judge-now-declaring-that-apple-cant-be-compelled-by-govt-to-help-unlock-iphone/747594)
**Author:** [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Replies:** 61\ **Last updated:** [March 4, 2016, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/effect-if-any-of-judge-now-declaring-that-apple-cant-be-compelled-by-govt-to-help-unlock-iphone/747594 "2016-03-04T22:01:08Z")
A magistrate judge in New York today ruled that U.S. Justice Department cannot force Apple to provide the FBI with access to a locked iPhone. The judge’s decision would seem to contradict an earlier magistrate judge’s or… --- ## [Re: Retroactive Age Changes?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-retroactive-age-changes/747901)
**Author:** [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [March 4, 2016, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-retroactive-age-changes/747901 "2016-03-04T21:11:48Z")
Derleth started a thread Retroactive Age Changes? which got locked because the OP was somewhat confusing. He was asking if somebody could have their age legally changed. There is at least one example of this: the entert… --- ## [Why Don't Famous People Die in Plane Crashes Anymore?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-famous-people-die-in-plane-crashes-anymore/747696)
**Author:** [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Replies:** 45\ **Last updated:** [March 4, 2016, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-famous-people-die-in-plane-crashes-anymore/747696 "2016-03-04T20:03:48Z")
I know the boring answers: the premise of the question is flawed; air travel is safer; celebrities die in plane crashes at the same rate as everyone else, but…didn’t this phenomenon seem more common in previous decades? … --- ## [From a legal POV, can the republicans just leave the supreme court seat vacant until 2021+](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-a-legal-pov-can-the-republicans-just-leave-the-supreme-court-seat-vacant-until-2021/746950)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 83\ **Last updated:** [March 4, 2016, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-a-legal-pov-can-the-republicans-just-leave-the-supreme-court-seat-vacant-until-2021/746950 "2016-03-04T19:11:16Z")
Lets say they hold steadfast to their idea that we should wait until the next election (which is code for lets wait until we have a republican president) and Hillary or Bernie wins in 2016. Can republicans just leave th… --- ## [World War 1 -- "Galee-chuh Darno"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-war-1-galee-chuh-darno/747873)
**Author:** [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [March 4, 2016, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-war-1-galee-chuh-darno/747873 "2016-03-04T18:47:28Z")
I have an audiobook about World War 1 that I’ve listened through. It’s narrated by a British guy. One of the battles or regions he mentions is something he pronounces as “Galeech uh dano” or “Galeech uh darno”. Any id… --- ## [Need Help with an Algebra(?) Formula](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-an-algebra-formula/747834)
**Author:** [@FirstLoser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FirstLoser)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [March 4, 2016, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-an-algebra-formula/747834 "2016-03-04T18:42:08Z")
(not homework…mine or anyone elses) So, I’m doing that Christmas savings thing where you put away a dollar amount each week based on what week of the year it is. IOW week 1, you put away $1, week 2, $2, Week 3, $3, and… --- ## [Excel help needed](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-help-needed/747929)
**Author:** [@MannyL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MannyL)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [March 4, 2016, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-help-needed/747929 "2016-03-04T18:16:51Z")
If I have a spreadsheet that I am adding an id number to, is there any way to check to see if that same ID number is already used in a different spreadsheet? --- ## [Name of Software Shop San Rafael CA 1985-1990 Retail System AU Executive](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-of-software-shop-san-rafael-ca-1985-1990-retail-system-au-executive/747906)
**Author:** [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [March 4, 2016, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-of-software-shop-san-rafael-ca-1985-1990-retail-system-au-executive/747906 "2016-03-04T17:45:30Z")
This one has been bugging me for 3 days. In ca 1985, an executive of an Australian Department store bought the N. American rights to a software system the store had developed. He set up shop under the name: \[his name\] … --- ## [I drank water with dead ants in it: how bad is this for me?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-drank-water-with-dead-ants-in-it-how-bad-is-this-for-me/195925)
**Author:** [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Replies:** 38\ **Last updated:** [March 4, 2016, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-drank-water-with-dead-ants-in-it-how-bad-is-this-for-me/195925 "2016-03-04T16:14:05Z")
I’m probably overreacting, but ants really squick me out ever since I saw some Discovery channel program on ants explaining that they track bacteria around. Now whenever I see an ant, I imagine a little glowing trail of… --- ## [Burning wire/plastic smell in house](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burning-wire-plastic-smell-in-house/747915)
**Author:** [@mozchron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mozchron)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [March 4, 2016, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burning-wire-plastic-smell-in-house/747915 "2016-03-04T15:44:45Z")
Need some advice here. Last night, on returning home, the house was filled with a burning plastic smell. However, no fire was in evidence, all electrical appliances were turned off (if applicable), and all were operatio… --- ## [Flat earth theory. Serious question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-earth-theory-serious-question/747234)
**Author:** [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Replies:** 67\ **Last updated:** [March 4, 2016, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-earth-theory-serious-question/747234 "2016-03-04T15:36:24Z")
I like to think of myself as open-minded. However, I didn’t really think that flat-earth people were serious. I thought it was just an amusing thing folks used to be social and have some fun. But after spending a few … --- ## [Cinder block vs wood foundation](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cinder-block-vs-wood-foundation/747921)
**Author:** [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [March 4, 2016, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cinder-block-vs-wood-foundation/747921 "2016-03-04T14:49:39Z")
We, like many others in southern NJ, are having our house elevated after being flooded by Sandy. Most houses I see are having block laid to the the full height of the new minimum elevation. Our builder has proposed (and… --- ## [Tell This ACA Newbie About Obamacare](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-this-aca-newbie-about-obamacare/747884)
**Author:** [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [March 4, 2016, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-this-aca-newbie-about-obamacare/747884 "2016-03-04T14:13:53Z")
I’m putting this in GQ because I want factual answers and not political opinions of any stripe. If it should be moved, I won’t be offended. But as many of you know, the wife and I plan to move back to the US in a few mo… --- ## [Spark on the ground prong](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spark-on-the-ground-prong/747860)
**Author:** [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [March 4, 2016, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spark-on-the-ground-prong/747860 "2016-03-04T13:59:39Z")
Curious why this would happen and if there was ever a danger. 20 laptops hooked up to two powerstrips (I don’t think surge protected) @ 10 each strip. Those go into a third powerstrip but the ground prong for the two s… --- ## ["Micro-chipping" a person](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/micro-chipping-a-person/747799)
**Author:** [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/excavating_for_a_mind)\ **Replies:** 34\ **Last updated:** [March 4, 2016, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/micro-chipping-a-person/747799 "2016-03-04T13:04:12Z")
On the radio today, I heard a story about a lady in a mental institution that claimed that she had a microchip implanted in her. They reported that x-ray images showed something and when they cut into her, they found a … --- ## [Is there a name for this distinctive gait?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-distinctive-gait/747861)
**Author:** [@Totenfeier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Totenfeier)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [March 4, 2016, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-distinctive-gait/747861 "2016-03-04T08:07:41Z")
There was, I hear, a fad among wealthy young American men in the 1880s and 1890s of affecting a peculiar gait: left hand held with the back to the base of the spine, torso bent slightly forward, right arm allowed to swin… --- ## [Differences in analog and digital media speed](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/differences-in-analog-and-digital-media-speed/747905)
**Author:** [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [March 4, 2016, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/differences-in-analog-and-digital-media-speed/747905 "2016-03-04T07:54:36Z")
I tried Googling this but I can’t find anything. Why is it that: When NTSC video is digitized the digital video is usually 29.97fps instead of the original 30? When film is digitized the digital speed is usually 2… --- ## [iTunes help](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-help/746705)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [March 4, 2016, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-help/746705 "2016-03-04T05:48:38Z")
Mrs. L.A. bought a CD I’d like to put into my iTunes library, and I’m having a couple of problems. First, my CD/DVD drive doesn’t work. So I got out the old PowerBook G4, put the new battery I’ve had sitting around in … --- ## [small engine stalls when hot](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-engine-stalls-when-hot/541818)
**Author:** [@BuickGNX1987](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BuickGNX1987)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [September 6, 2015, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-engine-stalls-when-hot/541818 "2015-09-06T01:14:33Z")
I recently bought a 10 year old lawn tractor. It has a 17.5 hp Briggs and Stratton OHV one cylinder engine. After the engine heats up, it begins to miss. The miss doesn’t happen often at first, but as the engine gets hot… --- ## [Retroactive Age Changes?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retroactive-age-changes/747878)
**Author:** [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [March 4, 2016, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retroactive-age-changes/747878 "2016-03-04T00:57:59Z")
Sunbeam Camacho Noname Maddox was born up a goddamned mountain in California to people who are marginally more connected to the world than the comatose. This particular individual was born when Ursa Minor was low over th… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=940) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=942)