Dear Matthew Alice: A friend of mine insists that an ice cube tray filled with warm water will freeze faster than cold water would. This smells like an old wives’ tale, but I thought I’d …

Dear Matthew Alice: Other than an occasional victory cigar, we've never seen pictures of our U.S. presidents with a cigarette in their hand. Were there any modern-day presidents that actively inhaled while in office? — …

Dear Matthew Alice: What is Boxing Day? On my calendar it says “December 26, Boxing Day (Canada)." My girlfriend guessed that it was the day you take all your old boxes back to the supermarket. …

Dear Matthew Alice: Why do dogs wag their tails when they are happy? And where is my dog’s bellybutton? — Dave R., La Jolla Uh, Dave, dogs sometimes wag their tails when they’re pissed, so …

Dear Matthew Alice: The other day some friends and I were out on the town being a little wacky, zany, so to speak, and we were wondering if we were “raising cane” or “raising coin.” …

Dear Matthew Alice: As you may know. Tootsie Pop wrappers come with scenes printed on them of kids doing various activities. When I was a kid, there was a story that if you got a …

Dear M.A.: Why do ocean waves come in series of seven? And is there any connection between that and the fact that music also comes in seven-note scales (do, re, mi, etc.)? Sting says that …

Matthew Alice: I just watched a documentary on Channel 15 about the Mexican revolutionary bandit Pancho Villa, who was finally assassinated in 1923. A few days ago there was also a movie about him on …

Dear Matthew Alice: Why do coupons bear the phrase “Cash value l/20th of a cent”? Do they really expea me to buy 2000 Sunday papers and spend a whole day cutting out coupons just so …

Dear Matt: I just bug-bombed my house. Why is it that bugs always die with their little feet sticking up in the air? — J.A., Spring Valley For the same reason the toast always lands …

Dear Matthew Alice: As playback of sound recordings progressed from the scratchy, quick-playing 78s to the (what used to be modem) LP, why was 33-1/3 rpm chosen as the industry standard, rather than 32 or …

Dear Matthew Alice: Sitting around daydreaming about the California Lottery. Some of us think the 20 percent that they take off the top is just withholding tax and the big winners will eventually pay higher …

Dear Matthew Alice: According to the phone book, a 100-watt bulb will give four times more light than four 25-watt bulbs. How can this be true? — R.O., downtown Dear Matthew Alice: I'm confused. Why …

Dear Matthew Alice: I remember when I was young, about 30 years ago or so, I went to see the movie Shane. Aside from being a wonderful film, I was fascinated by the musical score, …

Dear MA.: I have been told that five items in a dryer will dry faster than one item alone. I don *t get it. Mind giving me a cluef — Tadd Whitmore, San Diego Yo, …

Dear Matthew Alice: Why doesn’t fish taste salty? Whenever I swim in salt water, I taste salty. What’s the deal? (P.S., T-shirt: X-L for my hubby!) — Too Much Time on My Hands, San Diego …

Dear Matthew Alice: Do flies get sick? I mean, considering the types of environments that flies thrive in, I have to wonder what could possibly upset their rugged little metabolisms (not counting pesticides and other …

Say, Matt: Who is responsible for discovering the gender of a hurricane? Better yet, who gets to name ’em? — K. Gleeson-Duff, San Diego Matt: Who is it that names hurricanes, and how can I …

Dear Matthew Alice: A bunch of us have been wondering when a TV network showed people in a double bed for the first time. Can you help us? — Our Gang, downtown Another moldy oldie …

Dear Matthew Alice: A friend says that if I were to paint myself with house paint, I would drown. Could this be true? I wanted to paint myself silver, but now I'm not so sure. …

Dear Matthew Alice: Why is Garnet Avenue in Pacific Beach invariably pronounced “Gar-NET” by locals? It's just one of the gemstone streets, and I've never heard January's birthstone pronounced that way. Are these kinds of …

Dear M.A.: I was told that if you count the number of chirps a cricket makes in 15 seconds and add that number to 39, you would have the approximate temperature. Is that true or …

Dear Matthew Alice: Please settle a disagreement between me and my mate. He just bought a brand new state-of-the-art bicycle that weighs about seven pounds less than my older, less expensive bike. I say his …

Dear Matthew Alice: A number of times recently I have read about "Tree Huggers.” What are Tree Huggers? Do people really go out in the yard and hug trees? Why do they do it? Or …

Dear Matthew Alice: Why are rolled tacos always served in threes? — D.R., San Diego It all began with a little-known Aztec ritual. No. Scratch that. It has to do with the mystical significance of …

Dear M.A.: I have a Swiss Army Knife that has a broken blade. People keep telling me that I can send it somewhere and get it repaired FREE! But nobody knows where. Is this true …

Dear Matthew (The Wise One) Alice: I recently saw a tugboat hauling a large ship through the bay. It had a large amount of water streaming out of both sides, up into the air, like …

Dear MA.: I brought up the “fact" that there is some sort of chemical or substance that is found in turkey which, when consumed, makes one sleepy. My cohorts either think I'm making this up …

Dear M.A. Dude: Where are all the Reader T-shirts people win for solving the "Reader Puzzle*? Me and my friends have never seen anyone wearing one. — Mark Rossi (Ocean Beach), Paul Woodburn (Ocean Beach), …

Dear Matt: Where do fruit flies come from? / bring borne some fresh fruit, and in no time, fruit flies are (seemingly) enjoying the fruit. They don't eat much, but I'm curious. — Gene, La …

Dear Matthew Alice: Why is it that some of the 800 phone numbers have eight digits or more instead of seven? What are the extra digits for? Do I have to dial them all or …

Dear Matthew Alice: It seems that whenever I have contact with the news media of Los Angeles, such as the Los Angeles Times or KNX radio, I often come across the terms “Southland” and “Inland …

Dear Matthew Alice: Why do we call cow meat “beef" and pig meat “pork" but call chicken and fish by their names? — Steve Gersh, Black’s Beach I don’t believe Steve lives there. I suspect …

Dear M.A. Dude: This question is a serious matter. I have been here 30 of my 30-1/2 years on this planet. So between me and my friends, we total around 73 years in this city. …

Dear Mr. Alice: My mom said you can answer my question. What makes Rice Krispies cereal make so much noise? — Jodie, age 6, San Diego Hi, Jodie. That’s a pretty big question for a …

Dear Matthew Alice: How did the expression “shit-eatinggrin” originate? We cannot imagine anyone eating shit and looking so happy! — Fran Simonet and John Moore, Faxland No, I’m sorry but I can’t cite the first …

Dear Matthew Alice: My husband’s sport jackets have three buttons on the sleeve that seem to serve absolutely no purpose. One of his jackets has something that looks like a flap that the buttons are …

Dear Matt: On the news tonight, 1 listened to the announcers going on about how this was the only day of the year when you can stand an egg on its end without having it …

Dear Matthew Alice: Now that cherry season is here, I have to know where those “Siamese twin” cherries come from — the ones that have a single stem but two cherries stuck together. — J. …

Dear Matthew Alice: Due to recent painful and expensive losses of family members. I'm wondering if it would be legal to construct my own coffin in anticipation of my passing. Also, may I place the …

Dear Matthew Alice: What language contains the greatest number of words? I say our very own English language does. However, a sour co-worker of mine insists that the Arabic language is, in fact, composed of …

Dear Matthew Alice: Why is it that every flavor of cat food comes in pull-tab cans except tuna? Tuna cat food always comes in a regular can that requires a can opener. — Dick Fitzwell, …

Dear Matthew Alice: How much money does the federal government spend to make a penny? It doesn't make much sense to spend five cents to make a one-cent coin. — Rosemary F., San Diego You …

Dear Matthew: I've got to know what “mojo” is. I'm a black man who has been listening to blues music and noticed that this word comes up quite a bit. I can't ask my black …

Dear Man Al: My white kitchen table gets coated with black, gritty, greasy filth in about two days. No, this is not about my cooking, this is about air pollution. Neighbor John thinks it's car …

Dear Sweet Alice: What group of irrational, perverted, idiotic laws and/or bylaws govern the placement of DIP signs on our public roads? Can you inform me of the convoluted criteria consulted to determine which minuscule …

Dear Matthew: Please, help. It’s driving me crazy. What the heck are those things on top of some billboards around town? You know, the things going around that look like radar or some kind of …

Dear Matthew Alice: My bicycle's tires go flat if I don't ride my bike for a couple of months. Would they go flat just as fast if I rode my bike regularly during that period? …

Dear Matthew Alice: What is Ross Perot's real first name, and why has this information been so carefully suppressed in the media? — Curious, Clairemont If you promise this will stay just between the two …

Mr. Matthew Alice: Hibernation: to pass the winter in a torpid or resting state. Aestivation: to pass the summer in a torpid or resting state. Question: What creatures aestivate? Thank you. — George H. Roberts, …