Dear Matt: Does an empty tank of helium weigh more than a full one? Tanks. — Vik, La Mesa Now that you’ve gotten that weighty question off your mind, is your head a little lighter? …
February 22, 1996
Straight from the Hip
Archived articles
The weight of helium
The size of king-size beds changed after WWII
A queen-size bed is 60 inches wide by 80 inches long. A standard king-size bed is 78 inches wide by 80 inches long. You gain a whole foot and a half of stretch-out room. A …
February 15, 1996
Nothing odd about a scream in a song called “Rollercoaster”
Oh One of Endless Knowledge: In a recent musical-intellectual discussion, it was brought to our attention by a colleague that in the song “Love Rollercoaster” by the Ohio Players there can be heard a blood-curdling …
February 1, 1996
Monty Python fans invented spamming
Matmail: Where did the term “spamming” come from? I assume it has something to do with the canned meat, but what? — Marika, San Diego “Spamming,” for you pencil-pushers, is the mass distribution of an …
February 1, 1996
The connection between bugs and jelly on toast
Dear Matthew Alice: Why is it that when I bomb my house for bugs, the dead ones are always on their backs? — J.A., La Mesa Those bombs attack the bugs’ nervous systems, and they …
February 1, 1996
Death by guillotine vs. electrocution or injection
Matt: If someone is executed by guillotine, would he retain consciousness for a short time after the blade fell? Would he see the basket rushing toward his face? Would he have a hell of a …
February 1, 1996
Somebody’s got his Mormons mixed up
Dear Straight: We've got a bet going around our office that Steve Young was married to Marie Osmond for a short time. Could you please confirm this? — Ken, San Diego No can do, Ken. …
January 25, 1996
Your payees expect you to pay the postage
Dear Matthew Alice: I was paying my bills when a question occurred to me that only you could answer. Why is it that envelopes that come with bills are always marked “Place Stamp Here” or …
January 25, 1996
Steven Correia's competing light sculptures in UTC
Oh Wise One: What are those blue-green laser lights emanating from an office building in UTC most nights of the year? Somebody testing communication systems? Bored physics students trying to pick off low-flying aircraft? Answer …
January 25, 1996
Bodies still buried in Mission Hills Pioneer Park
Dear Saint Matt: Help! My husband and I have been arguing over this useless bit of info for four years. According to him and the headstones on the back ridge, Grant Park in Mission Hills …
January 18, 1996
The Parkinson's connections with flu shots
Dear Matthew Alice: My mother-in-law told me she believes her father got Parkinson’s disease from a flu shot. I think it sounds pretty far-fetched. But she insists on it with the same tenacity she asserts …
January 18, 1996