Heymatt: For the last week I’ve been climbing Cowles Mountain every day. It takes me about 1 hour, round trip. At the bottom, I reward myself with an entire box of Girl Scout Thin Mints. …
March 6, 2013
Straight from the Hip
Archived articles
Calories out, calories in
Timekeeping across the ages
Hi Matt: Back when I was a kid, not too many people had wristwatches. This was not a problem, however, as all you had to do was turn on the radio to any station and, …
March 6, 2013
Bridge-construction practices and reflective tape on semi-trailers
Mr. Alice: Whenever I encounter bridge construction on the interstate, or most any other highways and roads, fastened onto the temporary supports at both sides of the road is a painted and illuminated, white board …
March 6, 2013
Why congress no longer approves gas prices
Heymatt: Please set the record straight. Back in the day, when gas prices first hit $2/gallon, Congress would have had to approve the increase. What happened to that law? There seems to be no need …
February 27, 2013
Moon reflections
Hi Matt: I was gazing at a full moon and a bunch of questions flooded my mind. How reflective is the surface of the moon? Does moonlight have a UV content? Would there be any …
February 27, 2013
Getting more ink from a ballpoint pen
Heymatt: Here is one no one can answer: how to restart ink flowing in a ballpoint pen after non-use. This has everyone stumped, so if you can’t answer, that’s OK. — John, via email At …
February 27, 2013
A roll up a gravity hill
Mattster: In my ’50s cruising days, after hitting Oscar’s Drive In on El Cajon Boulevard, one stop we would always make was at a “magnetic hill” where steel cans appeared to roll uphill. I believe …
February 13, 2013
Clairemont Mesa's spooky windowless, signless, addressless building
Heymatt: This has been bugging me for YEARS. There is a very mysterious, windowless, signless, addressless building in Clairemont Mesa. It has a high, barbed-wired fence around it and a key-card access gate, but no …
February 13, 2013
Only one way in and one way out of the post office
Hey Matt: A colleague and I were at the Tierrasanta post office. It’s located in a typical shopping center with enough room for traffic lanes in each direction, yet they have signs showing only one …
February 6, 2013
Con-man math
Heymatt: My brother-in-law used to tell me this riddle all the time, but he passed away a few years ago and now none of my family can remember the answer, if ever there was one: …
February 6, 2013
Stepping into Mission Valley from Hillcrest
Heymatt: About 30 years ago I heard about some concrete stairs leading from the area around UCSD Medical Center in Hillcrest down to Mission Valley. I went exploring and found them, but I only went …
February 6, 2013