I’ve been bothered by the thought recently that the slice of lemon I put in my rum and Coke is soaking up too large a portion of my rum. The other night at a PB …

Mr. Alice: Just out of curiosity, what is with those rental trucks and cars parked in the I-15 car pool lanes when they’re not in use. Is this some top-secret mission? Are they having a …

Dear Matt: What do those little numbers mean on the inside of the nose bridge of my glasses? Mine have the number 45 to the left, with a little square or box shape, and the …

Mattster: My lady friend is thinking of buying a face exerciser. She says it will get rid of her wrinkles by building up her face muscles. It’s like a face-lift without surgery. It sounds nuts, …

Matthew Alice: In the recent teledrama the Odyssey, Athena appeared with spectacular blue eyes. In Andrew Lang’s translation of the Odyssey, she is consistently called gray-eyed. What is Homer’s word for the color of her …

Hi, Matthew: Where did the index finger get its name? 2. Why do clocks run in the direction we call clockwise? Shouldn’t they run the other way in the Southern Hemisphere? 3. Is a person …

Matt: I bashed my head on an open kitchen cabinet the other day. I saw stars, little flashes of light. Where did the light come from? — Michelle, San Diego They were made up by …

Dear Matt: Picture this. I’m driving home from L.A. on the 5, approaching San Onofre. I pass under what looks like an overhead street lamp, only instead of a lamp, there's what looks like a …

Mattster: My girlfriend has a Siamese cat. It gives me the creeps. The thing is cross-eyed. Really! It just lies under the coffee table and stares at me. At least I think it’s staring at …

Dear Matthew Alice: So why, when ice floats (it’s less dense than the surrounding liquid), do piroghi and ravioli sink when frozen and float when thawed? Do other pastas have this same buoyancy? Why? What …

Matt: I just came back from a camping trip and I need to know...how does a pine tree make that whistle when the wind blows through it? There’s nothing in it that’s tubular, like a …

Matmail: Having been recently subjected to the virus that causes chicken pox, I was struck by the thought, I have no idea why it is called CP. Where do chickens figure into this heinous disease? …

Mr. M. Alice: What kind of animal is Goofy? My ex-girlfriend (this dispute isn’t the whole reason for our breakup, but a good part of it) maintains that he is a dog, but “Tut-tut,” I …

Matmail: Did you ever hear of the Great Boston Molasses Flood, sometime back in the ’20s? Lots of people drowned in a nasty, sticky, slow death, like.wasps. Details, please. — Tim, @uvm.edu Just my kind …

Dear Matthew Alice: Why is it that some beans can be purchased fresh, dried, or canned, but some beans cannot be found anywhere in their fresh state, i.e., kidney beans, lima beans, pinto beans, garbanzos. …

Dear Matt: What creates the bumps in a “washboard” dirt road? And is it really true that if you drive on them fast you can decrease the jarring effect? — P.R., Encinitas To make your …

Dear Matt: Two quickies for you. (1) Why is North Island called an island? Last time I went through Geography 101, that whole side of the bay is a peninsula. (2) People always say that …

To the All-Knowing One: I frequently see a guy sitting at busy North County street corners, holding large black-and-white signs with cryptic messages on them, like, “Mutton or Wool?” or “Listen to Your Mother, Have …

Dear M.A.: How come when you let your dog lick the remaining food off a plate, it’s so slimy? You can soak the plate in water for hours, and it’s still slimy. Only scrubbing with …

Dear Matmailen in Cloven-landen: My friend Marky-Mark and I have heard a lot of scary statements in regard to the ingredients and health risks of clove cigarettes. Our preferred brand: Djarum Specials, long lasting, smooth, …

Hi, Matt: Now that summer’s coming on, I’m going to be drinking a lot more water than usual. Tell me, if I slug down a bunch of water all at once, is there a danger …

Dear Matthew: How can fish survive in the Arctic and Antarctic without freezing? — Bart, Chula Vista Fish adapted to very cold water have evolved unique antifreeze systems. Certain proteins in their blood bind to …

Matthew: Do all spiders die with their legs scrunched up in a little ball, or is it just the ones in my house? — Anna, San Diego Anybody’s dead spiders do that leg thing. When …

Hey, Matthew: What happens to all the copies of films after they've run their course? Take for instance a movie such as the rereleased Star Wars. It was probably showing in ten theaters in San …

Mat mail: I like to shine my shoes. What can I do for the best shine? — Lewis S. Zelenak, Encinitas Hi, Lewis. After a brief discussion, our Screw-Loose Screening Committee, which classifies the incoming …

Dear M. A.: While running the dial through the shortwave band, I tripped over something curious. I don’t remember the frequency, but at one spot on the band I heard a female voice endlessly reciting …

Mat: I used to ride along the bike route that goes under the bridges at the I-5 and 52 intersection. Directly under the bridges along the railroad tracks is a sign that says “Elvira.” Was …

Dear Matthew Alice: What does Esquire mean after someone’s name? How do you get one? Can I get one? Why is it always a man’s name? I’ve never seen a woman’s name followed by Esquire. …

Dear Mr. Alice: Please answer these two questions that are keeping me awake nights: 1. Why are there no shells on our local beaches? 2. How come you know everything? — John d’Escondido Which local …

Dear M.A.: Is it true that the original boundary between the U.S. and Mexico was seven miles north of the present one, and the U.S. “took” the rest? A friend who grew up in Tijuana …

To Matmail: I couldn’t help but notice that all products bearing the official endorsement of the 1996 Olympics have a notation that reads “36 USC 380.” What kind of subtle transmission are they trying to …

Okay, Matt: Where do they get the helium from that they compress for making helium balloons? I took some general chemistry and seem to remember that helium is a noble gas and therefore very unreactive, …

Matt: While navigating through myriad “seismic retrofit” hazards on area freeways, I've noticed several trap doors on overpasses, with ladders leading inside. I've always assumed overpasses to be solid concrete. I've heard that in Switzerland, …

Matt: Bee-ing a concerned smoothie drinker, me and a few colleagues were wondering what the actual process was in collecting bee pollen. Most juice consumers use this product in our smoothies from the local juice …

Matmail: We've all heard the theme music for “Loony Tunes” cartoons on TV and at the movies. Was this music composed for “Looney Tunes,” or was it taken from a classic piece of music (excerpted)? …

Matmail: I was getting ready to cook up some eggs the other day, and I started wondering...how do the little chickens breathe inside the shells before they’ve hatched? It seems like a long time for …

Dear Matthew Alice: A large, white, official-looking X has been painted in the bike lane on northbound 101 in Encinitas, in front of D.B. Hacker’s restaurant (101 North Highway 101). Who painted this X, and …

Dear Matt: Who/what are the “Chouest” ships (the Laney Chouest, Dolores Chouest, Cory Chouest, Amy Chouest) — red and brown, with mini-subs on board, which go in and out of the bay? What do they …

Mattster: Where did the idea come from that ostriches stick their heads in the sand when they’re frightened? Do they really do that? How do they keep from inhaling the sand? — Curious Person, San …

Dear Matthew Alice: This morning I heard a rumbling sound in my unoccupied bathroom and went there to find that the noise emanated from the toilet bowl. The water in the bowl was trembling, the …

Matt: I swore my cat Pete watched the movie Balto with me. My friend denied the possibility, saying, “Cats have only the ability to see three-dimensional images” I've seen lots of dogs watch TV, why …

To: Matmail: I’ve always wondered about those signs you occasionally see on the freeway that say “Landscaping Ahead.” Why does Caltrans feel the need to alert drivers to upcoming ice plant?— Ann, Mission Valley Just …

Matmail: Is it known whether animals masturbate? Two possible species that I considered were elephants and primates. —jwavrider, the Net Elephants? I don’t even want to know how you came up with that one in …

Dear Matt: What is the origin of all the colored paint splotches in both directions on Highway 52? There seem to be new ones all the time and of many different colors. Is it a …

Dear Matt: Saw Bill Clinton on TV signing his name to a stack of documents. There were at least a dozen pens lined up on his desk, and he used a different pen for each …

Matmail: Just received this urgent e-mail. “Doctors are blaming a rare electrical imbalance in the brain for the bizarre death of a chess player whose head literally exploded in the middle of a championship game. …

Dear Matthew Alice: Why are cinnamon candies “red hot”? I have never thought the taste of a cinnamon roll or other baked good particularly eye-watering. — R.R., S.D. Tastes that bludgeon our senses have always …

Dear Matthew Alice: Why are margarine and butter sold in different shapes on the East and West Coasts? In the West, the cubes are short and fat, while on the East Coast they are long …

M Alice: How do freeze-dryers work? Why can’t you buy them for home use? I find practically no information on the subject, as if there was a coverup conspired by giant food-processing corporations. Am I …

Dear Matthew Alice: Does it make a difference to a vampire which side of the neck he/she bites? If the vampire wants iron-rich blood, then the left side is the place to suckle. Or the …