Dear Matthew Alice: So why, when ice floats (it’s less dense than the surrounding liquid), do piroghi and ravioli sink when frozen and float when thawed? Do other pastas have this same buoyancy? Why? What …
May 29, 1997
Straight from the Hip
Archived articles
Why piroghi and ravioli sink when frozen
How wind through a pine tree make that whistle
Matt: I just came back from a camping trip and I need to know...how does a pine tree make that whistle when the wind blows through it? There’s nothing in it that’s tubular, like a …
May 29, 1997
Why they all it chicken pox
Matmail: Having been recently subjected to the virus that causes chicken pox, I was struck by the thought, I have no idea why it is called CP. Where do chickens figure into this heinous disease? …
May 22, 1997
Goofy is definitely a dog
Mr. M. Alice: What kind of animal is Goofy? My ex-girlfriend (this dispute isn’t the whole reason for our breakup, but a good part of it) maintains that he is a dog, but “Tut-tut,” I …
May 22, 1997
The Great Boston Molasses Flood and the one in Nebraska
Matmail: Did you ever hear of the Great Boston Molasses Flood, sometime back in the ’20s? Lots of people drowned in a nasty, sticky, slow death, like.wasps. Details, please. — Tim, @uvm.edu Just my kind …
May 22, 1997
Why you won't find fresh kidney beans, lima beans, pinto beans
Dear Matthew Alice: Why is it that some beans can be purchased fresh, dried, or canned, but some beans cannot be found anywhere in their fresh state, i.e., kidney beans, lima beans, pinto beans, garbanzos. …
May 15, 1997
What creates the bumps in a “washboard” dirt road
Dear Matt: What creates the bumps in a “washboard” dirt road? And is it really true that if you drive on them fast you can decrease the jarring effect? — P.R., Encinitas To make your …
May 15, 1997
Why a cat would lick plastic bags
M. Alice: Ever since I began to choose the plastic bags over the paper ones to bring my groceries home, I've observed a very strange behavior in my cat. She seems obsessed with licking the …
May 15, 1997
When North Island was really an island
Dear Matt: Two quickies for you. (1) Why is North Island called an island? Last time I went through Geography 101, that whole side of the bay is a peninsula. (2) People always say that …
May 8, 1997
David Wilcox, North County sign guy
To the All-Knowing One: I frequently see a guy sitting at busy North County street corners, holding large black-and-white signs with cryptic messages on them, like, “Mutton or Wool?” or “Listen to Your Mother, Have …
May 8, 1997
Dog saliva is full of enzymes and antibodies
Dear M.A.: How come when you let your dog lick the remaining food off a plate, it’s so slimy? You can soak the plate in water for hours, and it’s still slimy. Only scrubbing with …
May 8, 1997