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The Straight Dope

A while back my buddy Tim introduced me to “The Straight Dope“. It’s a newspaper column by Cecil Adams where he answers factual question asked by his readers on ANY topic. Cecil himself is a mysterious person. His website claims he’s the world’s most intelligent human being and he also claims that he’s never had his picture taken; he reveals very little about his personal life.

He’s been doing this since 1973. Here are some of my favourite articles out of his ~2000 collection of questions and answers. His responses are pretty interesting and informative. 3 hours of entertainment for me tonight as a matter of fact. I feel like a zombie and need to get off my computer.

Why do some people have that one extra-long fingernail on the pinkie finger?
What’s the origin of “Canuck”?
Can I use diesel fuel instead of regular gas?
What happens to all the stuff that goes down the toilet?
How does a coin-op pool table know to return the cue ball when you scratch?
Why do photographers ask you to say “cheese”?
How are criminals prevented from profiting from their crimes?
Why do contests say “no purchase required”?
Can cops really commandeer cars?
Exercise! Does running burn more calories than walking?
Could you jump off a bridge or a tall building and survive the fall?
Was there genocide in early 20th century Armenia?
Could a nuclear weapon be built and carried in a suitcase?
Operation Able Archer: Were the United States and the Soviet Union on the brink of nuclear war?
An airplane taxies in one direction on a moving conveyor belt going the opposite direction. Can the plane take off?
Does a refrigerator cool more efficiently when full?

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