Heymatt: I have a food question that has been giving me indigestion lately. My girlfriend is on this raw-food kick. She says cooking takes all the nutrients out of things but raw you get all …

Heymatt: Why is the human heart considered the center of love and affection? Who decided that? And where did the valentine heart come from? Is it supposed to be a version of the human heart? …

Matthew Alice: Who invented the yellow smiley face logo? Is he a millionaire now? — Smilingly Curious, via email Some lucky people choose to make a living thinking up goofy, useless stuff to amuse the …

Heymatt: I was wondering if propane is harmful to inhale. I’ve used spray-on contact cement for my work, and the propellant is propane. If I am working in an enclosed area, the propane gets so …

Matt: Since everybody’s all hopped up on football these days, here’s a question for you. Why is a football called a pigskin? Is it/was it ever made of pigskin? What’s the story? — Wes, San …

Heymatt: Why is there an expiration date on a container of sour cream? It’s already sour. How much more sour can it get? More sour sour cream doesn’t seem like a big problem. So, why …

Dear Matthew Alice: Why do we measure dates from B.C. to A.D.? Where did this system come from? I know it’s measured from the time of Jesus’s birth, but who decided that? And what did …

Heymatt: What’s up with the Chia Pet? Why every Christmas are we bombarded with ads for these weird things? Where did they come from? Who buys them? Some things in the world need an explanation. …

Dear Matthew: I got a Swiss Army Knife for Christmas. The person who gave it to me keeps trying to tell me that the Swiss Army actually uses these knives. I think that’s baloney. It’s …

Hey, M.A.! Given the following hypothetical -- two identical twin brothers, Joe and Moe, marry two identical twin sisters, Jean and Jane, at double wedding ceremony. They both consummate their respective marriages on the same …

Matt: Is my cat left-handed? Whenever she plays with her toys or her food, I've noticed that she uses her left paw more than her right. Do animals have a dominant side like people do? …

Hey, Matt: Three people from back East told me they had participated in cow-tipping episodes. When I said that I didn't believe them, they said that since I am not from back East, I wouldn't …

Dear Matthew Alice: What is the symbolism of a teardrop tattoo at the outside corner of an eye? -- Anonymous, somewhere Bigger subject than it might seem. What the teardrop means depends on who's wearing …

Hey, Matt: Here's another argument for you to settle. I say we're born with full-size eyeballs. They don't grow as we get older. The person who's wrong says that can't be possible because babies are …

Heymatt: I have a habit -- no, compulsion -- to run stop signs in mall parking lots, strip malls, and other private property locations. When it's safe, of course. Could I be ticketed by the …

Sr. Matteo: What's with the ocean temperatures this summer? Instead of the typical 70 to 71 degrees in July/August, it's been fluctuating wildly (for an ocean, that is). From 71 to 75 one week, back …

Heymatt-- Do flies go to the bathroom, deposit feces? -- Devon Davis, 782 CBSSS/PK Hi, Matt: The flies in my home seem slower than usual, and I am serious. They hop around on the floor …

Hi, Matt: When my boyfriend drinks beer out of a glass, he puts a paper coaster or the like on top of the glass to cover the opening. He says it keeps his beer colder …

Hey, Matt: My husband swears the Tostitos of his childhood (late '70s, early '80s) were round and nacho cheese flavored. He even remembers a commercial starring a guy named Fernando that thought the chips should …

Hi, Matt: One of my favorite E. John songs is "Candle in the Wind." One question: How the hell did they make Norma Jean change her name? Was there slavery back then? Did they hold …

Hey, Matt: There are plenty of ingredients or toppings that add spice to a meal, but is there anything I can add to "cool" the food down? Does the jalapeño have an opposite? -- Jay, …

Dear Matthew Alice, I received this info from a friend in an e-mail. Is this true or real?? Or is it a joke? The History of the Middle Finger. I feel compelled to send [this] …

Hey, Matt: What is the red stuff the planes drop on the brush fires? How does it work? -- EED, via e-mail Works very well, thanks. The red stuff is mostly water. It's mixed with …

Dear Matty: In the movie Party Girl, with Parker Posey, there is a reference that the Dewey decimal system is so easy to learn that it was once taught to monkeys. True? -- Daniel the …

Hey there, Matt: I got this line from Wikipedia explaining the culture of San Diego: "San Diego had a gay index of 186 (gay male index of 226 and a lesbian index of 144); the …

Hey, Matt: Why can foreigners like David Beckham, Yao Ming, and many others just pop over to the USA whenever they want, make millions here "working," yet the foreigners who come to pick the lettuce …

Dear Matthew Alice: I understand how cordless phones can pick up signals from other devices. HOWEVER, my wall-mounted (very corded) telephone has been picking up a religious radio station for the past several months. How …

Hey, Matt: I seem to be the only one noticing this, but it's driving me crazy! I keep seeing California license plates that follow this pattern: a few numbers followed by the letters MA. The …

Hey, Matt: I make tea nowadays by microwaving both the water and tea bag together. It works just fine. It's quick and easy. But I've been told to never put metal objects into a microwave …

Matthew: Where do pigeons go to die? -- Inquiring Mind, North Park Birdy folks and pest-control folks generally agree that when a pigeon's feeling funky, he probably heads back to familiar territory-- his sleeping roost …

Heymatt: Mt boyfriend is from Canada, and he claims that when people move from a cold climate to a warm climate, their blood gets thinner and they are more sensitive to cold. Huh? -- Terra, …

Hey, Matt: Why do they call 'em boobs? -- An Aficionado, San Diego Matthew: What's the difference between silicone and silicon? Why isn't it Silicone Valley and silicon implants? -- Need Facts, Escondido The elves …

Hey, Matt: Walking around my neighborhood you can't help but notice numerous homeowners who have placed plastic jugs or glass jars of water in their front yards in order to keep dogs from pissing on …

Dear Matt: Whatever happened to the "Fairest of the Fair" at the San Diego County Fair or Del Mar Fair? -- Bob, via e-mail Hey, you're right. Haven't seen her around lately, but never missed …

Matt: Settle an argument I'm having with my wife. I say if you open one of those big plastic bottles of soda, pour out the drinks, then crush the empty part when you close it …

Hey, Matt: Why are cinnamon candies "red hot"? I have never thought the taste of a cinnamon roll or other baked good was particularly eye watering. -- RR, SD Tastes that bludgeon our senses have …

Dear Matthew Alice: Where the heck did the expression "spitting image" come from? -- Wendell, San Diego Heymatt: Where did the expression "nothing to sneeze at" come from? It obviously means something important but makes …

Dear Matt: I just received this 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 …

The Case of the P.B. Mermaid All manner of stuff sails in through the open windows here at Alice Inquiries and Pedicures, LLC. Some of it from places not very near us at all. A …

Yeah, it really has been 20 years — 20 years of you Alicelanders bugging us with pointless questions; 20 years of Grandma Alice bugging us to separate the lights from the darks and not eat …

Matt: Bee-ing a concerned smoothie drinker, me and a few colleagues were wondering what the actual process was in collecting bee pollen that we use in our smoothies. A few of us were hoping that …

Heymatt: I've heard during the golden era of the flea circus, there were some who complained about the mistreatment of fleas. Is it possible for a human to have so much misplaced empathy that they …

MA of Reader: I have a cabin in Julian that has a collection of nine bottles of beer in the fridge. Two Budweisers were left over from a housewarming party in April of '04, two …

Matt: Why do commercial jetliners fly around with their headlights on? Are they going to prevent the plane from running into something up there? -- Jeremy Barwick, Lemon Grove Sorry, Jeremy. Those are landing lights …

Matthew Alice: Watching a Family Guy episode tonight, I noticed things that there is no way the FCC would have let radio stations get away with, yet TV seems to get by doing. Why is …

Dear Matthew Alice: I've noticed that once free from the bonds of public education, American males tend to write in ALL UPPERCASE LETTERS, or sometimes a mix with mainly UC and a few lowercase letters …

Matt: What is cream soda? There's no cream in it. What flavor is it supposed to be? -- DO, San Diego Hard to believe that Squirt and Pepsi have their origins in the mineral waters …

Hey, Matt: I work in a convenience store. About half of the transactions are paid for using a credit card. Sometimes the cards are not recognized by the card reader. If this happens, I put …

Matthew Alice: How about "lose one's marbles"? Where is that from? -- Ken, M.A. comments board Ken was browsing through some archived info from our stable of word nerds when he came up with this. …

Hey, Matt: Where I live in University Heights there are signs everywhere on sidewalks, monuments, and such that say "University Heights" with an ostrich below. What's the deal with the ostrich? -- Dale in UH …