Dear M.A.: Whenever I watch a wild-animal documentary such as those on KPBS or the Discovery Channel, I'm appalled at the huge size and awkwardness of the radio collars they snap around the animals' necks …
October 7, 1999
Straight from the Hip
Archived articles
Why do the wild-animal trackers always use such big tracking devices when there are much smaller ones?
Why do restaurants serve 5-7 rolls of bread when there are 2 of us?
Stardate 092199.1401 Oh Great All-knowing Guru: My significant other and I eat out twice a week. If we eat in a restaurant that serves bread or rolls, invariably they give us three or five or …
September 30, 1999
Why aren't there any Vietnamese names in the Obituary column of the UT?
Matmail: Why is it there are never any Vietnamese names in the obituary column printed in the San Diego Union? -- Mort Schwartz, Clairemont According to the local Union of Pan Asian Communities, to find …
September 30, 1999
Why do some dogs get along and others don't?
Dear Matthew Alice: I have a question about dogs. Why is it that sometimes all two dogs have to do is look at one another for there to be a fight, while at other times …
September 23, 1999
If everyone were a drop of water, how big a pool are we talking?
Matmail: If each person in the world were a drop of water, how large the swimming pool? If the water level is rising, how big the garden hose? Paint me a word picture. -- Doctrbones, …
September 23, 1999
Where does the Spanish Trail end in San Diego?
Matmail: I was in St. Augustine, Florida, and saw a cement sphere designated as the start of the Old Spanish Trail. It also said that the trail ended in San Diego. Do you know where …
September 16, 1999
When San Diego sewer lines break, how do they know how much was discharged?
To: Matmail: When San Diego sewer lines break and spew their contents into the bay or ocean, how do they always know how much got discharged? Are there meters on all these pipes just in …
September 16, 1999
Was there a First and Second Reich?
Dear Matthew Alice: Everyone knows about Hitler and the Third Reich. Was there a First Reich and a Second Reich? And what's a Reich anyway? -- Steve, the net Reichs, rails, gears, bases, rock from …
September 16, 1999
Do Eskimos' have 20 or more words for snow?
Matthew: The question about Eskimos' surroundings [September 9] being always the same brought from dim memory something pertinent. Years ago I read in several places that Eskimos have 20 or more words for snow, slight …
September 16, 1999
What happened to the small white deer in San Diego?
Matmail: What do you know about a fabled white deer that used to hang out in Balboa Park? -- Rick, the net I guess the white deer must be achieving fable status, because the details …
September 16, 1999
Where did Ungawa come from?
Dear Matman: A few weeks back, a friend of my sons' came into my back yard, and when my black lab came up, he said, "Ungawa!" à la Tarzan. My dog sat. Does this really …
September 9, 1999