Dear Matthew Alice: I don’t understand how loofah sponges work if it takes seven years to completely replace all our body cells. If we scrape them off, how do they come back so soon? — …
October 3, 1996
Straight from the Hip
Archived articles
Skin cells live for three or four weeks
The Stadium Way underpass drummer
To: Matmail: I was born and raised in San Diego and have seen many changes. One thing that has remained constant until recently has been the Stadium Way/Friars Road overpass drummer. I remember as a …
October 3, 1996
Men's vs. women's toilet seats
Dear Matthew Alice: The following has been puzzling me for some time now. I have asked numerous friends, and none of them have been able to supply a reasonable response. Why do commercial restroom toilets …
September 26, 1996
Derivation of honeymoon, cockpit, knock on wood, building
Hello, Matthew Alice, most gracious knower of all things far and wide: I heard that the word “honeymoon” has its origins in ancient Icelandic culture. Mead (wine made from honey) was the customary drink for …
September 26, 1996
Scout ants and food gatherers have low energy requirements
Dear Matt Alice: How far can an ant go on one fuel-up? No, really. I need to know because my son is convinced that ants eat on the way to the job. But I say …
September 19, 1996
Steeplechase — popular with the East Coast fox-hunting set
Dear Matthew Alice: While the rest of the world considers the Olympics a done deal, I’m still trying to figure out why the hurdlers landed in a small, slant-bottomed pool of water at some of …
September 19, 1996
The origin of G-string
Dear Matt: My boyfriend asked me a question the other day I simply did not know the answer to. Where did the word G-string come from? He thinks it’s because when you see a chick …
September 19, 1996
Coal mining at Torrey Pines and Point Loma
Dear Matmail: The highest man-made point in the county [mentioned in an answer several weeks ago] is at the top of Hot Springs Mountain, but it is the creaky, abandoned fire tower, not the radio …
September 12, 1996
Mirror images only reversed horizontally, not vertically
Dear Matthew Alice: This sounds like a dumb question until somebody tries to explain it and finds out it isn’t so simple. Why do we perceive an image in a mirror as reversed horizontally, but …
September 12, 1996
What the turn of the century does for leap year
Know All, See All Matt: I have two friends who differ about leap year in the year 2000. One friend says February 29 does not occur on a century mark, while the other friend argues …
September 5, 1996
The many meanings of "run"
Matt, you really smart guy: I’m curious about the term “hit and run,” as in a car accident where someone leaves the crime scene. Is this an old term? Cars don’t exactly “run,” do they? …
September 5, 1996