It's about the ants, Matt: They're everywhere inside my house. Looking for water, I hear. I understood when they hung out in the kitchen. I bought one of those ultrasonic pest repellers and that seemed …
August 22, 2002
Straight from the Hip
Archived articles
I have ants in my pants. Real ants. Really.
Where did "shave and a haircut, two bits" come from?
Dear Mr. Alice: Everyone is familiar with the knocking pattern that's often associated with "shave and a haircut, two bits." I was recently in Europe and noticed that it is also used there. Can you …
August 22, 2002
Darn these dimples!
Dear Mr. Alice: I have dimples and I want to know what they are. Where do they come from? -- Christopher, age 8, San Diego Tired of all those adults pinching your cheeks and cooing …
August 15, 2002
The explanation for turkeys.
Dear M.A.: I brought up the "fact" that there is some sort of chemical or substance that is found in turkey which, when consumed, makes one sleepy. My cohorts either think I'm making this up …
August 15, 2002
How can I enjoy a Big Mac without actually leaving the house?
Dear Matthew Alice: A number of years ago I read about a woman who had written a book of recipes she had developed that supposedly replicated the taste of the items of a number of …
August 15, 2002
What are those Terminator glasses some old people wear?
Matthew: Who makes those funky looking Terminator-style shades that kind of make everybody look like Ah-nold Schwarzenegger, and is it a conspiracy or odd coincidence that only senior citizens seem to be wearing them? Do …
August 8, 2002
Why doesn't The New York Times go tabloid?
Hey: Does size really matter? I think it does. The long ones always flop over unless you hold them up just right. I prefer the shorter ones because you can hold them up straight easily …
August 8, 2002
Continental breakfast: sounds fancy, looks puny
Dear Matt: Where did the term Continental breakfast come from? It sure sounds big for something so small. -- Keith, the Net The name comes from the us-and-them distinction that Brits love make. There's Us …
August 8, 2002
Can I be buried with my implants?
Heymatt: So all my friends were wondering, when a woman with breast implants dies, do they remove them or bury them with her? -- Ashley, the net The elves have had a great time speculating …
August 1, 2002
What's that other setting on a stapler for?
Dear M.A.: Why do staplers have two settings on the base plate for the direction in which the staple bends? Everyone (I know of) uses the settings that bends the staple inward. What is the …
August 1, 2002
A world full of nothing: It makes more sense than a world full of something.
So, Matt: Why is there stuff in the universe? Why is there anything instead of nothing? If there used to be nothing, it makes more sense that there would still be nothing. Can you help? …
August 1, 2002