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Have a question you need answered? Send an e-mail to heymatt@cts.com or fax to 619-231-0489 or mail to Matthew Alice, c/o the Reader, Box 85803, San Diego, CA 92186.

When Is a Sardine a Sardine?

When Is a Sardine a Sardine?

Hey Matt: There has been a question bugging me since I worked at the O.B. Pier bait shop years ago. Is there a breed of fish called a sardine, or are they called that only after ...

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I Say Psychopath, You Say Sociopath

I Say Psychopath, You Say Sociopath

Heymatt: I don’t understand the expression, “You can’t teach old dogs new tricks.” Why? Too lazy? — Man’s Best Friend, via email Dogs have gotten this bad rap since the 1530s. Really. This old-dogs-new-tricks stuff is ...

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So, you think your boss is a psycho

So, you think your boss is a psycho

Hiya Matt: I haven’t actually worked for too many bosses, so maybe this isn’t true for everybody, just for me. Out of three bosses I have had two of them turned out to be crazy. They ...

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This Vacation is Really Far Out

This Vacation is Really Far Out

Heymatt: I’m saving up vacation days at work so I can go into space. Who’s been up there longest, and does he have any tips ... More Post a comment

Where Chia Pets Came From

Where Chia Pets Came From

Heymatt: It’s Christmas time again or as I call it Chia season. I finally need to know, what the heck is chia? What would happen ... More Comments (3)

Why Kids Love Sweets

Why Kids Love Sweets

Heymatt: My kids love candy and anything sweet. If I put sugar on spinach, I’m sure they’d eat it. It seems to be true for ... More Post a comment

Efficiency of Teen Multitaskers

Efficiency of Teen Multitaskers

Hey Matt: My teenager always seems to be doing ten things at once. I can barely manage one or two. Is there something special about ... More Post a comment

Earth's Magnetic Field, Beer Bubbles, Silicon/Silicone Boobs

Earth's Magnetic Field, Beer Bubbles, Silicon/Silicone Boobs

Dear Matthew: I learned that electrical power can be produced using magnets and other things. I know the Earth has a big magnetic field around ... More Post a comment

You pee. Then you pee and pee and pee and pee

You pee. Then you pee and pee and pee and pee

Matthew: I’ve noticed that when I drink, after a while I have to pee. And maybe I’m imagining this. After a real short time, I ... More Post a comment

The Largest Hole in Earth

The Largest Hole in Earth

Heymatt: As usual, while contemplating my navel I came up with another Matthew Alice question. How big is the biggest hole ever dug in the ... More Post a comment

Is there really such a thing as luck?

Is there really such a thing as luck?

Matthew Alice: Is there really such a thing as luck? My neighbor seems to keep winning money on scratch-offs all the time and I’ve only ... More Comments (3)

Gimme My Etofenamate; No Make That a Dormapimide

Gimme My Etofenamate; No Make That a Dormapimide

Matt: I always wonder when I see bulletproof glass if that stuff actually works. I don’t think I’d feel safe with just a piece of ... More Post a comment

You Are Hot — on the Inside

You Are Hot — on the Inside

Matt: If our temperature is 98.6, why do we feel hot when it’s 85 or 90 outside? — WS, San Diego That 98.6 business isn’t ... More Comments (3)

How Much Oil in Earth, Newscaster Quirks

How Much Oil in Earth, Newscaster Quirks

Hey, Matt: There must be an end to the earth’s supply of oil. Has anyone predicted when that will happen? — Just Wondering, via email ... More Comments (2)

Left-Handedness, Rats Eating Car Wiring

Left-Handedness, Rats Eating Car Wiring

Hey Matt: Why are there so many more right-handers than left-handers? — Bicoastal, via email Aw, phooey. Actually, when it comes to handedness, everything you ... More Comments (2)

Humans as Animal Blood Donors, Women's Birth Control Pill, More on Rats Eating Car Wiring

Humans as Animal Blood Donors, Women's Birth Control Pill, More on Rats Eating Car Wiring

Hey Matt: Do different mammals have the same or different blood types as humans? I’m thinking dogs, cats, whales, deer, bears, etc. Could I give ... More Post a comment

Painful Childbirth, Rats Eat Car Wiring

Painful Childbirth, Rats Eat Car Wiring

Dear Matthew: I just had my second baby. During the few times I could actually think straight during labor, I began wondering why something as ... More Post a comment

Space Junk, the One-Word Answer

Space Junk, the One-Word Answer

Hey Matt: I have a great idea to send coffins into Outer Space so they can travel for 1 million to 100 billion years. This ... More Post a comment

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The San Diego Zoo Porcupine cutie January 2012

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