Dear Matthew Alice: Why do I keep getting subscription cards in all the magazines I already subscribe to? Isn’t this a tremendous waste of paper and trees? If I am a subscriber, why would I …
July 24, 1997
Straight from the Hip
Archived articles
Why magazines pressure you to renew your subscription
Exactly how superior a dog's sense of smell is
M: While sipping on a cocktail, my Uncle Crazy was babbling scores of unproven facts when out came the claim that our best friend, the dog, has a sense of smell 200,000 times better than …
July 24, 1997
Why earplugs don't affect your hearing under water
Matthew Alice: Why can I still hear underwater when I wear earplugs to keep water out of my ears? — Jake, swimming I can understand your confusion. You certainly can’t smell underwater when you wear …
July 17, 1997
San Diego’s zoo, Disneyworld, Florida's Sea World used PolyTrap
Dear Matt: Several years ago, I heard San Diego’s zoo was using an ingenious, environmentally sensitive spray developed originally to minimize desiccation of cuttings, called PolyTrap. Based on bubble gum’s chief ingredient, it would effectively …
July 17, 1997
What you must do if you find a human skull.
Matt: If I'm digging in my back yard and I come across a human skull, do I have to report this to anyone, or can I keep it? Does it matter how deep I find …
July 17, 1997
What Jimmy crack corn means
Matt: Lately I’ve been throwing out the phrase “Jimmy crack corn, and I don’t care” while amongst friends for humorous/irritating effect. I’ve just realized, however, that I’ve no idea where this phrase came from (an …
July 10, 1997
The popularity of Acme as a brand name
Matmail: Is there an Acme Corporation? Why does Wile E. Coyote buy from them and only them? Is it because they are an American company? — R. Runner, @ibus.com I always figured Wile E. must …
July 10, 1997
Why webs don't stick to spiders
Mattmeister: I spent part of my weekend kicking back and staring at a spider spinning a gigantic web. Pretty entertaining. Later I tried to knock the web down and it stuck to my hand. If …
July 10, 1997
What an aglet is
Dear Matty-Matt Guru Man: Us constantly curious Norwegians would like to know what the God-given name for the little plastic thingy on the end of your shoelace is. The entire Tolo clan is anxiously waiting. …
July 10, 1997
Why some restaurants charge tax on takeout food while others don't
Hey, Answer Stud: Something that really ticks me off is the tax policy on restaurant fast-food locations. At some locations I will take food to go and notice that I am not taxed. Others, I …
June 26, 1997
How they put flavor in pipe tobacco
Greetings, Matt: We’ve got a few questions about tobacco. How do they “flavour” pipe tobacco — you know, to make it smell like cherries? Also, what about menthol cigarettes. Is that minty zing in the …
June 26, 1997