Mindless Crap April 2002 Stump Me Questions (and Answers)

Stump Me Questions Answered in April 2002

Q.: Why is my friend so annoying when I'm trying to be serious?
- No Name Given

A.: I guess this says something about you. Your friend probably thinks your joking around, which isn't such a bad thing (except in cases like this one, I guess).

Q.: How many NPC's from the computer game Fallout survived to see Fallout 2 and who are they?
- No Name Given

A.: Two...Dogmeat and the zombie ghoul named Harold.

Q.: 1) What major National news event over-shadowed the Wright brothers first flight on the morning of December 17, 1903?
2) On what date was the first radio broadcast from space?
- Mac & Bonnie

A.: 1) On December 2, 1903, a submarine named Moccasin was being towed in to port. It broke loose and ran aground just north of Kitty Hawk, NC and became national news. It took more than a month before the Navy was able to get the submarine back into the water.

2) December 19, 1958.

Q.: Why is it that most people I know don't want to go out with there best friends even if they really like each other?
- Mike

A.: Speaking as a person who has a female best friend, I can tell you that it's not a good idea to get involved with close friends. The one - and only - time my friend and I ever got THAT close to each other was disastrous, leading to some serious awkwardness between us. It took almost a month to get things back to the way they were, and we didn't even do anything physical.

Don't risk the friendship unless you're ready to deal with the problems of dating - and breaking up with - your best friend.

Q.: My friend tells me that Mountain Dew will kill sperm. Is this true? If so, why?
- No Name Given

A.: Ah, another one of the urban legends of the Internet. Well, it doesn't just affect Mountain Dew...this rumor affects every food or beverage using yellow dye #5, also called tartrazine.

Well, fear not. It has long been deemed safe to use and consume by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. And since it's been around since 1916, I think we would have heard something about it by now (not to mention seen a population drop at some point).

Q.: 1) What is the next game console that will be released?
2) The girl I like has mononucleosis, and i really like her, and I know that she really likes me, if I kissed her, what are the chances of me receiving mono? We both know its transferable thru saliva, but what are the chances of me receiving mono?
- Zach A.

A.: 1) Playstation 3 is the only one that's been officially announced as being in development.

2) If you kiss someone (more like make out with someone) who has mono, you stand a pretty good chance of getting it. Mono is found in saliva and is easily passed on. I've had mono before. Believe me, wait the 4-6 weeks until she's completely over it. Making out with her now isn't worth the hell it'll put you through later (think about it...a 4 week virus for one kiss).

Q.: Is RED #40 (the food coloring in many products) derived from animal product, such as pork? And do other food dyes come from animal products or are some made from plant products only?
- Selena

A.: Another question about food dyes? OK, here's the next tip from the Mindless Crap cooking show. All dyes, prior to the mid 19th century, were created from plants and animals, including leaves, fruit, flowers, and roots. However, Red #40 was first introduced in the mid 1960's and approved for use in the United States in 1974. Today, most dyes are chemically engineered.

Chemically speaking, Red #40 is a member of the Azo Dyes. They are structured with double bonded Nitrogen atoms (-N=N-). The extra electrons on each of the nitrogens allow the azos to combine with other nitrogen pairs or aromatic groups. The differing combinations result in different colors and substances.

Q.: What does R.S.V.P. stand for?
- Neil W.

A.: It stands for the French phrase, "r�pondez, s'il vous pla�t," which means "please reply."

Q.: Could you tell me if there is a "Real Men of Genius" site where I can download the Budweiser advertisements?
- Livvy M.

A.: You can find them right here.

Q.: There is only one state in the U.S. in which no letters in the name of the capital city appear in the name of the state and vice versa. Name the state and the city.
- Dennis A.

A.: Pierre, South Dakota.

Q.: How was Silly Putty discovered/invented?
- Jeff I.

A.: This comes directly from the official Silly Putty Web site (I've paraphrased this because their explanation is just too damn long):

In 1940, the U.S. War Production Board asked American industrial companies to attempt to develop a synthetic rubber compound. In 1943, James Wright combined boric acid and silicone oil in a test tube. The compound becomes polymerized, and the putty was born. But General Electric couldn't find a practical use for it. Eventually, a toy store owner named Ruth Fallgatter comes across it and Silly Putty was born.

Q.: Where does the term to "railroad" someone come from and what exactly does it mean?
- Susan C.

A.: When the steam locomotive was found to be an effective form of transportation in the United States, railroad tracks were laid everywhere in a short amount of time. Soon, engineers learned how to build across rivers, over mountains and through forests. It came to be known that the railroad had to be built in a hurry, regardless of obstacles. And so a person or group pushing an idea without regard for opposition is described as railroading it.

Q.: Where did the phrase clean as a whistle come from?
- Tom J.

A.: This is an old time saying. A good whistle made from a reed or a piece of wood lets out a clear tone, but it's easily damaged. Small particles of debris, or a few drops of moisture, will change the sound of a handmade instrument. In order to emit the pure notes intended by its maker, a whistle has to be absolutely clean. All of which means that an person called clean as a whistle has been judged to be flawless.

Q.: I need the answer ASAP - what sporting event last only 2 minutes and is viewed by millions every year?
- Debra T.

A.: Well, there's a few of them, but they're still the same sport: horse racing. The big races in the United States are the Triple Crown races (Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes) and the Breeder's Cup (the Classic is the race most watched of the Breeder's Cup).

Q.: What's your astrological sign?
- Heidi

A.: I see you specifically asked about my astrological sign, as opposed to just my sign (which I had a really good answer for). I'm a Sagittarius, born on November 26th.

Q.: What's the origin of "Never look a gift horse in the mouth?"
- No Name Given

A.: As early as the 16th century, a horse's age was accurately estimated by examining the mouth. The physical appearance and claims of the owner may be deceptive, but the lower jaw of a horse told everything to a person who knew the pattern of tooth aging. When deciding whether or not to bet on a horse, a regular at the races who got to look at its teeth learned the racer's age right from the horse's mouth.

The phrase "look a gift horse in the mouth" comes from this same practice. It was considered insulting to closely examine and inspect a horse that was a gift...as if you didn't trust the donor to give a quality gift.

Q.: OK, here is my question... how many pounds of pressure does it take to rip of an ear from a human?... this may sound like a dumb question but I was curious because I recently broke my leg and I learned that it takes 60 or 6 thousand pounds of pressure to break it. (it was my sisters question, she just didn't want to know as bad as I do) Thanks.
- John M.

A.: It's widely believed that it only takes seven pounds of pressure to rip off a human ear.

Q.: How many cups of water are in the Keys in Florida's oceans?
- No Name Given

A.: More than I'm willing to count (which is to say more than one).

Q.: Is it possible to sneeze with your eyes open? Why or why not?
- Jessica

A.: Yes, but not without the aid of some object, like a finger. A sneeze is a complex bodily reflex, and the nerves in your eyes are attached to the same ones as the rest of your face. So when you sneeze, an impulse is also sent to your eyes causes them to shut.

By the way, I don't recommended that you try to sneeze with your eyes open. People have been known to have blood vessels in the eyes burst as a result of forcing them open (causing soreness and red eyes for a week or so).

Q.: Approximately how many tea spoons would it take to fill the Grand Canyon?
- Wanda L.

A.: I'm not sure there are enough tea spoons on the face of the planet to fill the Grand Canyon. So I guess we'll never know.

Q.: Why do trucks carrying fish have the word "FISH" in block letters on the side. No other product that I have seen does this. You don't see trucks that say "CARROTS" or "LIMES" ETC..... Is this something required by law?
- Regis D.

A.: Uh, no. Companies transporting fish tend to take advantage of the marketing opportunities available during the transportation of the food. They're also shipping other kinds of seafood, such as shrimp and clams.

Q.: 1) What are 'hiccups'?
2) Could 'Good King Wenceslas' have been gay?
3) Also, don't you get bored doing this day after day? Not meaning to be rude but are you really rich or really unpopular?
- Lee H.

A.: 1) Hiccups are contractions of the diaphragm. When you hiccup, your diaphragm and nearby muscles convulse, causing you to briefly gulp air. Within 35 milliseconds the glottis (the opening at the top of the air passage) slams shut, producing the characteristic "hic." The amazing thing is that, as far as the medical community is concerned, the purpose of a hiccup is unknown. Thanks to Cecil Adams for the help.

2) Sure he COULD have been gay, but there's no evidence that suggests that he was. He only lived to be 20-25 years old, and he was a married father.

3) I do get bored of doing this every day...that's why the site's only updated twice a month. I mean, have you noticed how many unanswered questions there are? Unfortunately, I'm not rich. But I'm also not unpopular.

Q.: 1) From where you can see five different state?
2) Did Chinese invented paper money? If so, who is it?
- Andrea Z.

A.: 1) The Killington Mountains in Killington, Vermont. You can also see parts of Canada. Apparently, you can also see five states from Lookout Mountain in Tennessee.

2) Yes, in the 9th century A.D. The paper represented an amount of money, and could be redeemed for something valuable, like gold. Real paper money, used as a medium of exchange and backed by deposited cash, apparently came into use in the tenth century.

The Italian explorer Marco Polo brought paper money back to the West with him, but the very idea was ridiculed since it was so easy to destroy or lose the currency. The first Western money was issued in Sweden in 1661.

Q.: Is it true that Katherine the Great had sex with a horse?
- Fina

A.: You're referring to the rumor that Catherine the Great actually died from injuries resulting from having a horse crush her while in the act of sex. Sorry, but no. Granted history will remember her as a sex addict, but she actually died of a massive stroke while she was in the bathroom.

Q.: Someone asked me "How many days are in a light year?" I told him none- as a light year is a measure of distance, like a mile, not a measure of time. He says I'm wrong- I say I'm right, can you solve this one?
- No Name Given

A.: A light year is a way of measuring distance, not time. To measure really long distances, people use a unit called a light year. Light travels at 186,000 miles per second (300,000 kilometers per second). Therefore, a light second is 186,000 miles (300,000 kilometers).

A light year is the distance that light can travel in a year, or:
186,000 miles/second * 60 seconds/minute * 60 minutes/hour * 24 hours/day * 365 days/year = 5,865,696,000,000 miles/year.

A light year is 5,865,696,000,000 miles (9,460,800,000,000 kilometers).

Q.: My parents told me that watermelon was not a friut of a vegetable, and that that meant that it had to be a meat. So, tell me what category does watermelon fit into and why?
- Matthew C.

A.: According to the National Watermelon Promotion Board, it's a fruit. It's official name is Citrullus lanatus (notice the word citrus...that's why it's a fruit). Apparently, everything's got a Latin name.

Q.: Where does the word hushpuppy come from. It's really easy to figure out if you were born and raised in the "South".
- Sam P.

A.: People cooking outdoors would fry up these little cakey bits along with their other food as a side delicacy and would feed a few to the dogs to keep them quiet while the humans were eating (Hence "Hush, puppies!" as another way of saying "Quiet, dogs!"). Whether this happened at a barbecue or a hunters' camp depends on who is telling the story.

Q.: What is the extremely obscure origin/meaning of the eighties phrase "wax on, wax off"?
- Helen G.

A.: Extremely obscure? The Karate Kid came out in 1984, Daniel-san. It's on TV at least once every three months. And it means wax the car in a circular motion with with arm and remove the wax in a similar motion with the other arm.

Q.: What states capital is located nearest to the geographical center of its state?
- Debbie W.

A.: Little Rock, Arkansas is only 12 miles away from its geographic center.

Q.: What was the last word spoken on the moon?
- Lynne H.

A.: On December 14, 1972, Commander Gene Cernan of Apollo 17 became the last human to stand on the moon. His last sentence was, "God speed the crew of Apollo 17."