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Appliances and Voltage
Posted by Dr. Science on 05/10/2013
Which will do less damage, plugging a 110 volt appliance into a 220 voltcircuit, or plugging a 220 volt appliance into a 110 volt circuit?
———- from Bryan Osborn of London, England
Either is capable of ending life as we know it. That’s why they make theplugs different, so they won’t fit. But there’s always somebody who will goto great length to overcome the safeguards built into the system. Tell me, didyou stuff matcheads into electrical conduit as a youngster, and thencrimp both ends? I bet you have a secret gripe against the UnderwritersLaboratory and are trying to prove them wrong so you can cop some cheapself esteem at somebody else’s expense. Well sir, you’re the one who’sgoing to be held responsible when your home town is just a memory.
How Big is an Itch?
Posted by Dr. Science on 05/08/2013
As I was trying to direct my husband to the exact spot on my back where the itch was, I began to wonder, exactly how big is an itch?
———- from Larua Tollenaar of Portland, OR
It depends if it’s amoebic or viral. Most itches are big enough to be seen under a magnifying glass, if they’ve been appropriately stained and are illuminated at an angle with short wave, ultraviolet light. I once watched an itch that looked a lot like actor Dennis Hopper running all over the back of an unfortunate friend. She had to be completely immersed in a solution of baking soda and chamomile tea. Viral itches are impossible to observe directly, but you can usually see where they’ve been. A tiny welt pops up momentarily, then fades and another appears nearby. It’s like watching a mole burrow under your yard. Fascinating.
Edible Dry Rot
Posted by Dr. Science on 05/06/2013
Is pure dry rot edible?
———- from Karl Heniz Kraass of Freiberg, Germany
Only if you add water. Otherwise, it tends to stick to the back of yourthroat and form a gray patch that can’t be removed except with a scouringpad. Even with a general anesthetic, the cleaning process is very uncomfortable and the effect on the voice is to render is coarse and rough. All the grungevocalists eat dry rot right out of the box in order to get that sound. TomWaites was the first to do so and it worked for him. In addition, dry rottastes pretty bad, much like a peach you left behind the margarine containerfor a half a year, before discovering it during an infrequent bout ofhousecleaning.
Marital Discord
Posted by Dr. Science on 05/03/2013
If you were sitting in a bathtub filled with very salty water and yourjealous wife were to push the hair dryer in it because she discovered thatyou were having an affair, what would happen?
———- from Bryon Burleigh of Putney, VT
You’d be hard pressed to maintain your peace of mind. Yet it can be done.No matter how others “act out” their psychological conflicts, you can remaincomposed and serene if you simply refuse to take the bait. In any marriage, hot buttons to emotional disharmony are bound to develop and your jealous wife is apparently excercising one of your hottest buttons, all 110 volts of it. I suppose thehypothetical “you” refers to yourself, and not me, as all five of mymarriages have been relatively free from acrimony.
The Prostate
Posted by Dr. Science on 05/01/2013
While every man has one, why do most men refer to their prostate as “theprostate”
———- from Jack Hennessy of Talahasee, FL
