# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=944 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 945 --- ## [Any idea how a credit card that has never been used was cloned? Is this a bank data breach?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-idea-how-a-credit-card-that-has-never-been-used-was-cloned-is-this-a-bank-data-breach/747390)
**Author:** [@mischievous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mischievous)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [February 29, 2016, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-idea-how-a-credit-card-that-has-never-been-used-was-cloned-is-this-a-bank-data-breach/747390 "2016-02-29T16:09:46Z")
Yesterday, my partner and I received our new, more secure, chipped cards on our shared credit card account. We activated them via the attached phone number around noon. My partner used his card once, in person, at a lo… --- ## [Depictions of dolphins with scales?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/depictions-of-dolphins-with-scales/138345)
**Author:** [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [February 29, 2016, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/depictions-of-dolphins-with-scales/138345 "2016-02-29T14:44:01Z")
I have seen sculpture and antique furniture with what I thought were fish, but are described as dolphins. The posture is often head down/tail up. But these so-called dolphins are depicted with scales. Are these really… --- ## [Genealogists: logical way of numbering group sheets?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genealogists-logical-way-of-numbering-group-sheets/747477)
**Author:** [@Mr\_Downtown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Downtown)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [February 29, 2016, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genealogists-logical-way-of-numbering-group-sheets/747477 "2016-02-29T12:56:25Z")
I’ve got a pedigree chart for my mother’s family, and another one for my father’s ancestors. Now how can I number my various group sheets in a logical way—perhaps one that indicates what “generation” they represent? --- ## [Some questions about mobile phone masts](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-questions-about-mobile-phone-masts/747380)
**Author:** [@Dahu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dahu)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [February 29, 2016, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-questions-about-mobile-phone-masts/747380 "2016-02-29T12:43:40Z")
At my workplace there was a proposal to site a mobile phone mast with two antennae on top of a sports hall. This was voted down by those in charge citing vague health concerns (people breathing heavily running around bel… --- ## [What does "french brick" look like?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-french-brick-look-like/747090)
**Author:** [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [February 29, 2016, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-french-brick-look-like/747090 "2016-02-29T08:23:40Z")
There is an island near my city that is rumored to have treasure on it. There are many old structures on the island, but it is no longer settled. People do camp on it though, and the whole island is public land. Anywa… --- ## [Turning smartphone apps off](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-smartphone-apps-off/747422)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [February 29, 2016, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-smartphone-apps-off/747422 "2016-02-29T05:17:32Z")
Last year I got my first smartphone, an LG Tribute. (I wanted an iPhone, but I went with Virgin and they didn’t have any.) I’m not entirely clear on how to turn apps off. There are three icons at the bottom of the scr… --- ## [When dogs play tag, is a herding dog ever "it?"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-dogs-play-tag-is-a-herding-dog-ever-it/747443)
**Author:** [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [February 29, 2016, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-dogs-play-tag-is-a-herding-dog-ever-it/747443 "2016-02-29T05:09:17Z")
I remember being amazed when I first saw/remembered that cute Queen Elizabeth’s corgis are awesome designed in herding dogs: when I saw one merrily speeding in a chase around the dog park (even holding back on its speed)… --- ## [Decrypting my SAT/ACT scores](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/decrypting-my-sat-act-scores/747266)
**Author:** [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [February 29, 2016, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/decrypting-my-sat-act-scores/747266 "2016-02-29T04:56:52Z")
I took my SAT’s and ACT’s in 1979 and have never had the results explained to me. I apparently did okay, as I got into a good college, but would like to know in more detail what these scores mean. I’ve looked at sites th… --- ## [Associative law with logical connectives](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/associative-law-with-logical-connectives/747237)
**Author:** [@D18](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D18)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [February 29, 2016, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/associative-law-with-logical-connectives/747237 "2016-02-29T03:32:19Z")
As always, not homework; looking for some help with self-study. And as always, I realize this is a very basic question. The associative law when using logical connectives says: P AND (Q AND R) = (P AND Q) AND R So do… --- ## [Strange use of the word “Fit"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-use-of-the-word-fit/747470)
**Author:** [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [February 29, 2016, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-use-of-the-word-fit/747470 "2016-02-29T03:15:18Z")
The Audio series “The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” has the various chapters labeled as “fit,” as in "Fit The Thirteenth,” Fit The Fourteenth,” etc. What meaning of “fit” is this? --- ## [Black holes and the speed of light](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-holes-and-the-speed-of-light/747350)
**Author:** [@EastUmpqua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EastUmpqua)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [February 29, 2016, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-holes-and-the-speed-of-light/747350 "2016-02-29T01:15:03Z")
If c were to increase in extremely bent spacetime, what would happen to a massive particle (say a neutron) traveling at near c in bent spacetime near a black hole, if it got bumped into flatter spacetime (say by a more m… --- ## [What is the difference between a nanomachine and a nanodevice?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-a-nanomachine-and-a-nanodevice/747404)
**Author:** [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [February 29, 2016, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-a-nanomachine-and-a-nanodevice/747404 "2016-02-29T00:46:06Z")
Hi, What is the difference between a nanomachine and a nanodevice? I’ve searched for a distinction, but so far have come up empty. I look forward to your feedback. --- ## [General Relativity and Quantum Mechanics](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-relativity-and-quantum-mechanics/747165)
**Author:** [@EastUmpqua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EastUmpqua)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [February 28, 2016, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-relativity-and-quantum-mechanics/747165 "2016-02-28T22:41:28Z")
Why are General Relativity and Quantum Mechanics incompatible? Is it because GR field equations allow spacetime to be bent all the way to a singularity, but QM says the quantum of action is the Planck constant (units J … --- ## [Does cubic zirconia cloud up?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cubic-zirconia-cloud-up/143433)
**Author:** [@don\_willard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_willard)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [February 28, 2016, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cubic-zirconia-cloud-up/143433 "2016-02-28T21:53:54Z")
I was reading about diamonds on some veb sites and came across a crack about cubic zirconia, which I like, that unlike cubic zirconia, which clouds up after a while, our diamond simulant of moissanite never does. Now I’… --- ## [Do very large animals have the same sense of touch as humans?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-very-large-animals-have-the-same-sense-of-touch-as-humans/747392)
**Author:** [@Nefario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nefario)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [February 28, 2016, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-very-large-animals-have-the-same-sense-of-touch-as-humans/747392 "2016-02-28T18:52:02Z")
Can very large animals sense a single fingertip touch on their skin or, say, the brushing of plant leaves as they pass by? I’m thinking of elephants, manatees, whales, large alligators. Especially whales, alligators an… --- ## [Have gravitons now been confirmed too?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-gravitons-now-been-confirmed-too/747290)
**Author:** [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [February 28, 2016, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-gravitons-now-been-confirmed-too/747290 "2016-02-28T18:25:27Z")
Now that we know gravitational waves are real does this mean that the graviton has moved from hypothetical to real also? And if not what else would constitute gravitational waves? --- ## [Another what is this (heavy) rock thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-what-is-this-heavy-rock-thread/747360)
**Author:** [@Mithras](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mithras)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [February 28, 2016, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-what-is-this-heavy-rock-thread/747360 "2016-02-28T18:22:00Z")
Three pictures. All taken with a flash. The rock is very dark (black) with metallic colored streaks/small patches. It weighs 350 grams. I’ve measured its volume (via imprecise water displacement) at between 50-55 cm3^… --- ## [B17 B24 Defensive weapons](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/b17-b24-defensive-weapons/746587)
**Author:** [@bubba001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bubba001)\ **Replies:** 75\ **Last updated:** [February 28, 2016, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/b17-b24-defensive-weapons/746587 "2016-02-28T17:36:21Z")
How effective were the .50 caliber machine guns, the turrent and waist gunners? Would they have been better off carrying more fuel and bombs? --- ## [Does listerine expire](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-listerine-expire/747398)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [February 28, 2016, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-listerine-expire/747398 "2016-02-28T15:34:46Z")
It has an expiration date, but I think all consumables have to have one. Even water, which should last indefinitely if stored properly has an expiration date. Seeing how Listerine is just a collection of 5+ antimicrobia… --- ## [Line Item Veto Act - could congress override any vetoed line by the usual 2/3 rule?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/line-item-veto-act-could-congress-override-any-vetoed-line-by-the-usual-2-3-rule/747353)
**Author:** [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [February 28, 2016, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/line-item-veto-act-could-congress-override-any-vetoed-line-by-the-usual-2-3-rule/747353 "2016-02-28T14:54:34Z")
The Line Item Veto Act of 1996 was quickly reviewed and deemed unconstitutional by SCOTUS (by a 6 to 3 vote). As I understand it (i.e. not well), the Act gave the President the power to selectively veto specific items f… --- ## [Are we certain Humans developed Technology first?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-certain-humans-developed-technology-first/747265)
**Author:** [@EastUmpqua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EastUmpqua)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [February 28, 2016, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-certain-humans-developed-technology-first/747265 "2016-02-28T08:58:11Z")
Would we be able to tell if the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event, and the K-Pg boundary iridium signature, isn’t, for example, an artifact of a weapon used in a Saurian-Avian conflict 66 million years ago? How long… --- ## [Sabbath Question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sabbath-question/747271)
**Author:** [@pianodave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pianodave)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [February 28, 2016, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sabbath-question/747271 "2016-02-28T02:11:19Z")
Hi SD, The Old Testament makes it clear that the Israelites were not supposed to work on the Sabbath. It is a day of rest. How flexible was the original interpretation of this rule? Obviously if absolutely no one wor… --- ## [Maid of the Mist (Niagara Falls)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maid-of-the-mist-niagara-falls/747343)
**Author:** [@The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Man_In_Black)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [February 28, 2016, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maid-of-the-mist-niagara-falls/747343 "2016-02-28T00:47:28Z")
My family is planning a trip to Niagara Falls this July, and one of the things we want to do is the Maid of the Mist boat ride. We are planning to stay on the Canadian side, because that is where most things are. I jus… --- ## [How to read values out of .avi file for mathematical analysis?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-read-values-out-of-avi-file-for-mathematical-analysis/747254)
**Author:** [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [February 27, 2016, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-read-values-out-of-avi-file-for-mathematical-analysis/747254 "2016-02-27T23:29:17Z")
I have a sensor that digitally outputs several hundred readings every time it increments, which is on the order of a hundred times a second. The software that comes with it saves the result in a .avi file. This format is… --- ## [The Missing Link and the First Homo](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-missing-link-and-the-first-homo/746808)
**Author:** [@Blackstock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackstock)\ **Replies:** 71\ **Last updated:** [February 27, 2016, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-missing-link-and-the-first-homo/746808 "2016-02-27T20:41:41Z")
Forgive my ignorance and don’t be brutal but; what is the possibility that the missing link (the last common ancestor of chimpanzees and human beings) was actually not another station on the evolutionary line, but rather… --- ## [How does a star form? What's at the center?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-star-form-whats-at-the-center/575333)
**Author:** [@CanTak3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanTak3)\ **Replies:** 37\ **Last updated:** [February 27, 2016, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-star-form-whats-at-the-center/575333 "2016-02-27T19:14:07Z")
Sure sounds simple - gas and dust collect under gravity and when enough pressure is built up you have a star. But here’s what I don’t get. Say you’ve got a planet such as Jupiter in the middle of a dust cloud. Over eo… --- ## [Physics: "Para-gravity" analog to Magnetism?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/physics-para-gravity-analog-to-magnetism/746812)
**Author:** [@Find\_Friends](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Find_Friends)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [February 27, 2016, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/physics-para-gravity-analog-to-magnetism/746812 "2016-02-27T19:02:55Z")
I’m basing this question on some serious (?) speculation in an early \*\*\*Omni \*\*\*article. The author may have been wrong, but did not seem to me to be some sort of crank. My interest has been renewed by recent research … --- ## [Long prison sentences and insignificant fines: Why?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-prison-sentences-and-insignificant-fines-why/747314)
**Author:** [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [February 27, 2016, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-prison-sentences-and-insignificant-fines-why/747314 "2016-02-27T18:20:39Z")
I was reading the Wikipedia article about Ronald Pelton, a former NSA intelligence analyst turned Soviet spy: (bolding mine) This is something I noticed before when reading about (usually Federal) criminal cases in th… --- ## [Newborn baby born with hair?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newborn-baby-born-with-hair/746758)
**Author:** [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Replies:** 54\ **Last updated:** [February 27, 2016, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newborn-baby-born-with-hair/746758 "2016-02-27T16:57:53Z")
The sister of a friend of mine just gave birth to a baby boy yesterday. In looking at the picture, this baby seems to have quite a lot of hair. Is it normal for a baby to be born with recognizable hair? It’s quite a con… --- ## [Ditched airplane still flying](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ditched-airplane-still-flying/711050)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [February 27, 2016, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ditched-airplane-still-flying/711050 "2016-02-27T16:11:09Z")
In The Rockford Files episode ‘Forced Retirement’, a Navion is ditched in the ocean. I searched N8825H and found out that it still holds a valid certificate and is owned by a Delaware corporation. I tried the NTSB acci… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=943) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=945)