# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=949 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 950 --- ## [Two questions on Snowball Earth and dropstones](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-questions-on-snowball-earth-and-dropstones/746643)
**Author:** [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [February 20, 2016, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-questions-on-snowball-earth-and-dropstones/746643 "2016-02-20T23:58:37Z")
One of the indicators of Snowball Earth is the presence of dropstones in places that were then equatorial. I’ve got two questions about that: How do they know that the dropstones were dropped by ice glaciers and not sal… --- ## [Would a house-scale clay fridge be efficent forr cooling purposes?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-house-scale-clay-fridge-be-efficent-forr-cooling-purposes/746649)
**Author:** [@The\_Sheikh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Sheikh)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [February 20, 2016, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-house-scale-clay-fridge-be-efficent-forr-cooling-purposes/746649 "2016-02-20T23:44:29Z")
I saw this video that show a traditional method used for keeping food cool. This method involves one clay pot set inside another. There is a gap between the two pots which is filled with wet sand. As the moisture evapora… --- ## [Is Disbarment Permanent](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-disbarment-permanent/746574)
**Author:** [@Zeke\_N.Destroi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeke_N.Destroi)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [February 20, 2016, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-disbarment-permanent/746574 "2016-02-20T23:44:12Z")
Reading thisarticle I started wondering if disbarment is permanent or not. I googled it and found that in some states it may not be. Thing is that I’m Canadian and was wondering about its permanence in Canada. So, whi… --- ## [Was it ever possible to search a non VBulletin message board using a login email?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-it-ever-possible-to-search-a-non-vbulletin-message-board-using-a-login-email/746564)
**Author:** [@Cognoscant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cognoscant)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [February 20, 2016, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-it-ever-possible-to-search-a-non-vbulletin-message-board-using-a-login-email/746564 "2016-02-20T22:25:06Z")
Apologies if this question is a little vague. A friend of mine is going through some tough relationship issues with his wife. He claims that he found some incriminating evidence on a message board (obviously not this o… --- ## [The speed ability of an airliner to approach or surpass Mach 1](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-speed-ability-of-an-airliner-to-approach-or-surpass-mach-1/746454)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [February 20, 2016, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-speed-ability-of-an-airliner-to-approach-or-surpass-mach-1/746454 "2016-02-20T18:24:44Z")
Is it true that many commercial airliners are\* technically capable \*of surpassing Mach 1 in straight and level flight if they put their engines to max thrust (of course, that would run immense danger of structural damage… --- ## [Is there actually a way to kill someone and leave no sign of it being a murder?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-actually-a-way-to-kill-someone-and-leave-no-sign-of-it-being-a-murder/746087)
**Author:** [@bomberswarm2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bomberswarm2)\ **Replies:** 106\ **Last updated:** [February 20, 2016, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-actually-a-way-to-kill-someone-and-leave-no-sign-of-it-being-a-murder/746087 "2016-02-20T16:03:51Z")
The old way that you could supposedly murder someone without leaving any evidence of a homicide was by smothering them with a pillow, but now I believe there’s ways to tell if that was the case (because they just did it … --- ## [would a sealed vacuum be buouyant?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-sealed-vacuum-be-buouyant/746610)
**Author:** [@dstarfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dstarfire)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [February 20, 2016, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-sealed-vacuum-be-buouyant/746610 "2016-02-20T15:46:48Z")
If you created (and maintained) a vacuum in a container that was large and/or light enough would it float in air? Picture a rigid airtight balloon, except instead of helium, it’s filled with empty space (not even air). g… --- ## [helicopter-based high-tension line work: what's happening here?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helicopter-based-high-tension-line-work-whats-happening-here/746567)
**Author:** [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [February 20, 2016, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helicopter-based-high-tension-line-work-whats-happening-here/746567 "2016-02-20T15:18:53Z")
See video. As helicopter approaches high-voltage transmission line, the worker is holding out a probe; at 0:15, when it gets within the final couple of feet of the wire, there’s some arcing, and after the probe finally m… --- ## [Has voter fraud ever changed the outcome of an election?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-voter-fraud-ever-changed-the-outcome-of-an-election/746452)
**Author:** [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [February 20, 2016, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-voter-fraud-ever-changed-the-outcome-of-an-election/746452 "2016-02-20T05:13:57Z")
Every election cycle, there is a small group of people worried about voter fraud, and looking to propose new laws to avoid it. I in reality, it is a very small issue, and it is far more common for honest mistakes to be… --- ## [Releasing animals "into the wild"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/releasing-animals-into-the-wild/746420)
**Author:** [@pianodave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pianodave)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [February 20, 2016, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/releasing-animals-into-the-wild/746420 "2016-02-20T04:12:58Z")
Hi SD, I understand it’s impossible to know exactly where a creature lives, and the authorities do the best they can to release captured animals in an environment they are familiar with. And I also understand that anim… --- ## [Sterile neutrino question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sterile-neutrino-question/746520)
**Author:** [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [February 20, 2016, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sterile-neutrino-question/746520 "2016-02-20T02:49:30Z")
The physicsworld.com site has an article about the Chinese neutrino experiment. It says, “If they exist, sterile neutrinos would interact extremely weakly, if at all, with ordinary matter, and so would be even harder to… --- ## [So why shouldn't I eat the brown acid?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-shouldnt-i-eat-the-brown-acid/119835)
**Author:** [@Cabbage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabbage)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [February 20, 2016, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-shouldnt-i-eat-the-brown-acid/119835 "2016-02-20T00:57:18Z")
You always hear about the brown acid at Woodstock, “Don’t eat the brown acid!” What I’ve never heard is, what was wrong with the brown acid? Was it simply giving people bad trips? And was that just from the power of … --- ## [How To Get/Use A Cellphone in France (For An American)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-use-a-cellphone-in-france-for-an-american/746499)
**Author:** [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [February 20, 2016, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-use-a-cellphone-in-france-for-an-american/746499 "2016-02-20T00:26:41Z")
Handsome, young, son has such a great mom that she is allowing him to go to France with a High School tour group in a few months. I, the aforementioned great mom, was wondering what is the best option for cell phone use… --- ## [What of ancient Greece and Rome was re-discovered in the Renaissance?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-ancient-greece-and-rome-was-re-discovered-in-the-renaissance/746524)
**Author:** [@EdwardLost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EdwardLost)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [February 19, 2016, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-ancient-greece-and-rome-was-re-discovered-in-the-renaissance/746524 "2016-02-19T23:29:55Z")
I know that Ancient Greece and Rome were not forgotten completely in the Middle Ages: I know, for instance, that Aristotle was studied and that some knowledge of the Roman Empire and the emperors was kept alive - even me… --- ## [When is the word "matrix"used as a military formation?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-the-word-matrix-used-as-a-military-formation/746552)
**Author:** [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [February 19, 2016, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-the-word-matrix-used-as-a-military-formation/746552 "2016-02-19T23:09:46Z")
Hi, The only use of the word “matrix” I could find as a “military formation” is in the following example. Is this the usual word for a rectangular military formation? Is the word matrix used for more modern military fo… --- ## [Parking the wrong way ticketable?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parking-the-wrong-way-ticketable/608318)
**Author:** [@Reyemile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reyemile)\ **Replies:** 45\ **Last updated:** [February 19, 2016, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parking-the-wrong-way-ticketable/608318 "2016-02-19T21:59:55Z")
I realize this will probably vary from state to state, or even city to city, but: is parking the opposite direction of traffic a ticketable offense? --- ## [When did the last North Atlantic passenger ship lines \[cease\] operations?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-the-last-north-atlantic-passenger-ship-lines-cease-operations/746325)
**Author:** [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Replies:** 65\ **Last updated:** [February 19, 2016, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-the-last-north-atlantic-passenger-ship-lines-cease-operations/746325 "2016-02-19T21:08:28Z")
When did the last North Atlantic passenger ship lines seize their operations? By passenger ship, I mean a vessel with the sole intended purpose of moving passengers from A to B, like commercial airplanes in the modern er… --- ## [Jobs you cant get with a felony conviction](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jobs-you-cant-get-with-a-felony-conviction/746116)
**Author:** [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [February 19, 2016, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jobs-you-cant-get-with-a-felony-conviction/746116 "2016-02-19T20:24:41Z")
I ask this because I am worried about my sister, who is facing several felony charges. I am a server tech, and I know my company won’t take a convicted felon. Are healthcare and utilities jobs closed to someone with a … --- ## [Is it still possible to build a vacuum tube computer?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-still-possible-to-build-a-vacuum-tube-computer/415675)
**Author:** [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Replies:** 54\ **Last updated:** [February 19, 2016, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-still-possible-to-build-a-vacuum-tube-computer/415675 "2016-02-19T20:14:34Z")
Back in the 1940s to the very early 1960s computers used vacuum tubes as logical components. They were replaced by discrete transistors, which were replaced by integrated circuits. There are still companies making vacuu… --- ## [PC Shutdown/restart, not a crash?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-shutdown-restart-not-a-crash/746481)
**Author:** [@Qwakkeddup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwakkeddup)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [February 19, 2016, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-shutdown-restart-not-a-crash/746481 "2016-02-19T19:35:31Z")
I sometimes run a modded Minecraft server, for my family only. It runs on a PC with an a 10 processor, graphics card, 8 gig ram updated to Win 10. Twice during the day, only one person logged on, the machine shuts down… --- ## [How did the word Pickup Truck get associated with a motor vehicle?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-word-pickup-truck-get-associated-with-a-motor-vehicle/694826)
**Author:** [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [February 19, 2016, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-word-pickup-truck-get-associated-with-a-motor-vehicle/694826 "2016-02-19T19:16:41Z")
A pickup truck is really just a traditional wagon without the horses. Why is it called a pickup? I’ve been trying to google this without success. The only truck that lifts something up is a tow truck. It picks up a ca… --- ## [Why do they play music over phone calls on radio?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-play-music-over-phone-calls-on-radio/746437)
**Author:** [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [February 19, 2016, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-play-music-over-phone-calls-on-radio/746437 "2016-02-19T17:56:21Z")
I don’t know if this is just a UK thing, but whenever there is a listener’s phone call, or even a phone interview with someone, on a music station, they seem to play some annoying instrumental music over the top of it. I… --- ## [Automobile Engines With a Long Stroke](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automobile-engines-with-a-long-stroke/746314)
**Author:** [@SHARKBITEATTACK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SHARKBITEATTACK)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [February 19, 2016, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automobile-engines-with-a-long-stroke/746314 "2016-02-19T17:51:28Z")
What gasoline car engines have a relatively long stroke? I was looking at the LS7 C6 corvette Z06 engine that has a stroke of 101.6mm. The only other performance oriented engine I could find with a stroke over 100mm was… --- ## [Peace vs wartime mil. organization](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peace-vs-wartime-mil-organization/746393)
**Author:** [@JakeRS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JakeRS)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [February 19, 2016, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peace-vs-wartime-mil-organization/746393 "2016-02-19T17:37:13Z")
A lot of European countries have small armies, less than 15.000 soldiers and in many of them, there are units that have only a tank battalion (a tank battalion that is made of 30-50 tanks) , a apc battalion that is made … --- ## [How did schizophrenia and multiple personality disorder get mixed in the public imagination?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-schizophrenia-and-multiple-personality-disorder-get-mixed-in-the-public-imagination/746298)
**Author:** [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [February 19, 2016, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-schizophrenia-and-multiple-personality-disorder-get-mixed-in-the-public-imagination/746298 "2016-02-19T16:14:01Z")
For some reason schizophrenia and multiple personality disorder are considered one and the same in the public consciousness, even though they are totally unrelated disorders from a psychiatric point of view (one being a … --- ## [Story of humans visiting the moon 5000 years ago](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/story-of-humans-visiting-the-moon-5000-years-ago/746480)
**Author:** [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [February 19, 2016, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/story-of-humans-visiting-the-moon-5000-years-ago/746480 "2016-02-19T15:19:31Z")
A former co-worker of mine from China told me this story. She told it as though she believed it was true: 5000 years ago, some people in China teleported visited the moon and then came back to Earth. They got there via … --- ## [N00b Questions about Geocaching in Scotland without cell data](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/n00b-questions-about-geocaching-in-scotland-without-cell-data/746304)
**Author:** [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [February 19, 2016, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/n00b-questions-about-geocaching-in-scotland-without-cell-data/746304 "2016-02-19T11:42:17Z")
The husband and I have been geocaching all of twice. Both times near home (US) and both times we used our smart phones as GPS-esque devices, and had access to the geocaching.com web site & app the whole time. In Septem… --- ## [1 NFC tag with multiple devices?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-nfc-tag-with-multiple-devices/746504)
**Author:** [@birdbrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/birdbrain)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [February 19, 2016, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-nfc-tag-with-multiple-devices/746504 "2016-02-19T08:56:17Z")
I have never used NFC tags before but will have some arriving soon. I have searched for the answer to this but can’t seem to find a clear answer. Can one NFC tag be programmed to work with more than one device or does… --- ## [Claiming more exemptions on the W4 than the worksheet allows.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/claiming-more-exemptions-on-the-w4-than-the-worksheet-allows/746463)
**Author:** [@CoastalMaineiac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CoastalMaineiac)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [February 19, 2016, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/claiming-more-exemptions-on-the-w4-than-the-worksheet-allows/746463 "2016-02-19T08:20:21Z")
The last time I filled out a W4, I followed the instructions on the worksheet and wrote in the number of exemptions as instructed. I redid it, because I was having too much withheld from my paycheck, and getting a refund… --- ## [American open-air drug markets?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-open-air-drug-markets/746429)
**Author:** [@m30wc0w](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/m30wc0w)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [February 19, 2016, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-open-air-drug-markets/746429 "2016-02-19T07:09:09Z")
I find myself interested in American culture if for no other reason than that I’ve consumed a lot of it. I’m particularly interested in the inner-city. That is, the ‘Baltimore’ painted by the Wire and David Chase’s book… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=948) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=950)