Matthew: What lunatic designed the mortarboard, and why are people still wearing them in the 20th Century? — Gary in La Mesa We don’t have the lunatic’s name, but he sort of ripped off the …
October 16, 1997
Straight from the Hip
Archived articles
Where mortarboards come from
Why the trip home always seems shorter
Dear Matthew Alice: From a perceptual point of view, the trip home from a destination always seems shorter. Anything to it? — Sugar Van Tassel, San Diego Definitely. Scientists have studied this phenomenon, and their …
October 13, 1997
Why we pay a check at a restaurant and not a bill?
Dear Matthew Alice: Why is it that when you dine in at a restaurant, the waiter leaves you with what is referred to as a check? Why is it not called a bill, since it's …
October 2, 1997
The early use of "dope" for illegal drugs
Matt: If you can avoid the obvious wise-guy answer, can you tell me how drugs got to be called “dope”? — No Dope, La Jolla We sure know our dope: early America, the Dutch word …
October 2, 1997
What is good E. coli and what is bad E. coli
Matt Alice: I'm totally confused over this whole Escherichia coli ordeal I learned in microbiology that E. coli exists in our intestines. What's up with E coli 0157:H7? Where did it come from? How does …
October 2, 1997
Where we get flower "bed"
I have a new set of instructions from the research elves, communicated to me through a spokeself, who apparently lost a round of one-potato, two-potato. I have to warn them when there’s a word-origin question …
October 2, 1997
The 24 hours I lost when crossing the international date line
Mr. Mat Man: As I prepared to cross the international date line, an interesting question presented itself. What happens to the 24 hours I lost when I crossed it? The easy answer is that I …
September 25, 1997
The Army Corps of Engineers is still part of the U.S. Army
Mr. Matt: Once and for all, what's up with the Army Corps of Engineers? Are they part of the U.S. Army? Do they fight in wars? — Roger, San Diego Hey, Rog, who do you …
September 25, 1997
The mice habit of filling their water bowls with shavings
God of Answers, Knower of All Things: I have owned several pet mice over the years, and year after year, mouse after mouse, they all engage in one behavior besides the usual poop-eat-sleep cycle. When …
September 25, 1997
No uvula, no vibrato
Dear Mr. Know It All: What is that uvula hanging in the back of my throat for? What recourse do I have if I get tired of it? —Phil Harris, San Diego This one’s at …
September 18, 1997
Why pigeons perch on Clairemont Mesa exit sign
Matmail: Driving north on 805 one day, I noticed a whole mess of pigeons amping out on the Clairemont Mesa exit sign. There were none on the sign before it or after it Now this …
September 18, 1997