Right as Rain

Can storm glasses predict the weather?

POSTED // Oct 19,2010 - What’s the deal with a storm glass? Does it work? If so, how? Or is it just a crappy lava lamp?

Lip Disservice

Did any civilians inadvertently cause the loss of Allied ships during WWII?

POSTED // Oct 12,2010 - Concern about maritime blabbermouths arose in Britain during World War I when enemy U-boats started going after merchant ships. And with good reason ...

AC Efficiency

POSTED // Oct 5,2010 - Do you think you can burn gasoline inside a metal box during an Arizona summer and get the thing cooled off for free?

Feed Feud

Is grass-fed beef healthier than grain-fed beef?

POSTED // Sep 28,2010 - Tempting as that conjugated linoleic acid sounds, you need to consider the implications for the planet, too ...

Fat Chance

Overweight people just aren't trying, right?

POSTED // Sep 21,2010 - I see you’re an adherent of the suck-it-up school of clinical analysis, which is my default attitude too. Overweight? Eat less ...

Robo Flop

Is it possible to create a humanlike robot?

POSTED // Sep 14,2010 - The question is whether it’s likely. My guess: no. Here’s why. What’s the point ...

Hunger Pains

POSTED // Sep 7,2010 - I’ve heard it often said and experienced it myself on various continents (including Asia): you enjoy a terrific Chinese, or Thai, or Malay dinner, only to feel hungry again a short while later.

Nuclear Wind

POSTED // Aug 31,2010 - Are nuclear power plants built to withstand a direct hit from a tornado?

Baking Buzz

POSTED // Aug 24,2010 - I read a letter to Dear Abby from someone who had served cupcakes made with Kahlua liqueur. A co-worker claimed she’d gotten drunk from one cupcake ...

Booze Train

Why did old railroad towns became ghost towns?

POSTED // Aug 17,2010 - In the Donald E. Westlake novel Drowned Hopes, character Tom Jimson says Oklahoma remained dry following the repeal of Prohibition and was so feisty about it ...