Interesting Questions with weird Answers, Strange and weird questions, strange answers: 2007

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Why are laptops so often black and desktops so often white?

ANS: It's the colour that the faceless ones have decided you should have - try buying a different colour - 'I want my desk top to be a vibrant blue ...... Sorry sir we don't do that and then the classic No-one wants that colour!

BUT I JUST ASKED FOR THAT COLOUR which only goes to show that I'm a Nobody as far as they are concerned.

You can paint your plastics any colour you want providing you get the right type of paint.(Get the wrong one and your lap top or desk top will slowly dissolve before your eyes)

What is the origin of the phrase SCOT free - why not Irish free or Welsh free, for example?

In this context 'scot' has nothing to do with nationality. It derives from the old word 'scot' meaning tax, payment or reckoning. Thus to go scot-free means to go without payment or penalty.

Why do we name hurricanes and name them alphabetically and why did they name them origianlly with female names only?

Why do we name hurricanes and name them alphabetically and why did they name them origianlly with female names only?

Experience shows that the use of short, distinctive given names in written as well as spoken communications is quicker and less subject to error than the older more cumbersome latitude-longitude identification methods.

History of Hurricane Names
Hurricanes used to named after the particular saint's day on which the hurricane occurred. Clement Wragge, an Australian meteorologist began giving women's names to tropical storms before the end of the l9th century.

In 1953, the United States weather services began using female names for storms. The practice of naming hurricanes solely after women ended in 1978 when men and women's names were included in the Eastern North Pacific storm lists.

Why is red wine served in a glass that is shaped differently from a white wine glass?

Red wine is supposed to be served at room temperature, while white wine should be cool. This means that the smell of red wine is much more important (cold wines don't give off much of a smell). So the glass should be big enough to leave room for the smell to build up over the wine. Many wine experts recommend serving 6 fluid ounces of red wine in a 10 fluid ounce glass. With white wine on the other hand, the glass can be just big enough to take the wine.

Why is Greenland so named, when it is 99% frozen wasteland?

ANS 1: The name means what it says, 'green land', and the cold country was so named in 982 AD by the Norse navigator Eric the Red to attract settlers. I have to say that having viewed Greenland from the air on a number of occasions I have never seen any evidence of greenery and my belief is that Eric was an early example of a 'con-man'.

ANS 2: The name Greenland (Grønland) has its roots in this colonization and is widely attributed to Erik the Red (the Inuit call it Kalaallit Nunaat, "Our Land"), and there has been speculation on its meaning. Some have argued that the coasts in question were literally green at the time due to the medieval climate optimum, in as much as the Viking settlers practised some form of an agrarian economy. Others have suspected that the name was in part a promotional effort to lure people into settling there by making it sound more attractive. The condition of Greenland in the 10th century may have been more hospitable than today.

About 81 percent of its surface is covered by ice, known as the Greenlandic ice cap.

Why do we park on a driveway and drive on a parkway?

The words 'drive' and 'park' existed long before automobiles were ever invented. These are not words created to describe the actions of your car, but rather words which already had meanings and were adapted to describe a new innovation. Since people don't park on parkways, isn't it likely that some other meaning of the word park (i.e. place of recreation) is the root of the word?

RIDDLE 2

A cop is walking past a house when from inside he hears a voice cry: 'Hey,man,don't shoot me!' followed by a gunshot. The cop runs in to find a doctor,a priest,a lawyer and a body. Though nobody was holding the gun,the cop arrests the priest. Why?

ANS: The priest was the only man as the others were all women

RIDDLE 1

A millionaire took his lady friend to dinner. He told her he had eaten in the finest restaurants in the world and assured her this place served the best. Shortly after dinner, both of them were extremely ill. In fact, almost everyone in the restaurant was ill. The diners all ate different meals. There was nothing wrong with the food. Why was this?

ANS: The restaurant was located on a boat. The food was fine, but everyone was seasick afterwards.

Why is the cricket position called 'silly mid on' named so?

Why is the cricket position called 'silly mid on' named so?

ANS 1:It derives from the fact that the fielder is positioned so close to the batsman that he would be unable to take evasive action if the ball were to be hit very hard towards him, ie it is a potentially dangerous position to take up. This is why silly mid on is only brought in when a weaker batsman (such as myself) is facing the bowling.

ANS 2:If you have ever played cricket in this position you would understand why it is called that. In fact it is a bit of a misnomer as it should be Suicide Mid On. It is close to the batsman in direct line of the direction he is most likely to hit the ball in.

ANS 3:The name can also be applied to Mid-off, point and cover and as the previous responses said derives from the fact that they are dangerously close to the batsman.

Why do we always close our eyes when we sneeze?

Sneezes are very powerful because not just the nose is involved. It is a reflex response that involves the muscles of the face, throat, and chest. You have to close your eyes when you sneeze because the muscles that close your eyes are part of the reflex response as well.

One more last tidbit of information about sneezing. Thomas Edison came up with the idea of movies from watching someone sneeze in 1888? He was looking at still sequential pictures of someone sneezing, and realized that if you viewed them quickly in a sequence, that you might be able to make a movie.

Why do folks say "Jesus H. Christ"?

How come people always say "Jesus H. Christ"? Why not Jesus Q. Christ or Jesus R. Christ or something else? Does the H really stand for something?

The H stands for Harold, as in, "Our Father, who art in heaven, Harold be thy name" (snort).

Actually, I've heard numerous explanations for the H over the years. The first is that it stands for "Holy," as in Jesus Holy Christ, a common enough blasphemy in the South, abridged to H by fast-talking Northerners. Other colorful Southern epithets include Jesus Hebe Christ and Jesus Hebrew Christ, which abbreviate the same way. The drawback of this account is that it is so boring I can barely type it without falling asleep. Luckily, the other theories are more entertaining:

ANS (1) It stands for "Haploid." This is an old bio major joke, referring to the unique (not to say immaculate) circumstances of Christ's conception. Having no biological father, J.C. was shortchanged in the chromosome department to the tune of one half. Ingenious, I'll admit, but whimsy has no place in a serious investigation such as this.

ANS (2) It recalls the H in the IHS logo emblazoned on much Christian paraphernalia. IHS dates from the earliest years of Christianity, being an abbreviation of "Jesus" in classical Greek characters. The Greek pronunciation is "Iesous," with the E sound being represented by the character eta, which looks like an H. When the symbol passed to Christian Romans, for whom an H was an H, the unaccountable character eventually became accepted as Jesus's middle initial.

ANS (3) Finally, a reader makes the claim that the H derives from the taunting Latin inscription INRH that was supposedly tacked on the cross by Roman soldiers: Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Hebrei (Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Hebrews). Trouble is, the inscription is usually given as INRI: Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum (J.C., King of the Jews).

Why do they call New York "The Big Apple"?

Why do they call New York "The Big Apple"?

ANS: Brewer's Dictionary of 20th century Phrase and Fable suggests that it comes from the Hispanic nickname of 'La Grande Manzana' (The big street block) because of its street pattern. The Spanish word manzana also means apple. It also could be simply from the idea that New York offered the opportunity for every body to have 'a bite of the apple', that is, a chance of success.

Why is the Dead Sea devoid of life?

ANS: As its name evokes, the Dead Sea is devoid of life due to an extremely high content of salts and minerals which gives its waters the renowned curative powers, therapeutic qualities, and its buoyancy, recognized since the days of Herod the Great, more than 2000 years ago.

And because the salt content is four times that of most world's oceans, you can float in the Dead Sea without even trying, which makes swimming here a truly unique experience not to be missed: here is the only place in the world where you can recline on the water to read a newspaper.

Why are women's blouses buttoned the opposite way from men's shirts?

ANS: According to the book 'Evolution of Fashion', both men's and women's buttons were on the same side until 1625. Buttons on jackets, rather than shirts, started to appear on opposite sides about 1635. The reasons for the switch are obscure.

One theory is that men wanted their right hand free to have immediate access to a weapon, such as a sword, and preferred to open and close their jackets with their left hand. Women, generally holding children on their left arm, preferred to button and unbutton their clothes with their right hand. It was also easier for maids to dress women in clothes that buttoned in the back. Try reading 'The Little Button Book' by Diana Epstein for facts and trivia about buttons.

Why do crabs walk sideways?

ANS: Because that's the way their legs bend. Muscles work in pairs. A muscle can only retract, or pull; to lengthen again it must relax and be pulled back by another 'antagonistic' muscle.

Why is that when you're drinking something with a straw, and then cover the one hole with your tongue or finger, and take the straw out of the drink,

Why is that when you're drinking something with a straw, and then cover the one hole with your tongue or finger, and take the straw out of the drink, the drink stays in there, even if the open end is facing down?

ANS: Air pressure pressing on the liquid at the bottom of the straw is enough to support the weight of the liquid. You can support up to about 30 feet of water by this method. After this, the air pressure is not enough, so the water falls down, leaving a partial vacuum at the top between your finger and the top of the liquid.

Why do we say "bless you" when someone sneezes?

ANS 1: When someone sneezed, it could be a symptom that that person had caught the disease. The response, 'God bless you' was intended to express the hope that it was only a simple cold, not the terrible scourge sweeping the country.

ANS 2: It's an old wives tale. It was believed that when a person sneezed the devil was evicted from the person's body. The 'Bless You' was to prevent the devil from re-entering!

ANS 3: The Roman Augers used five different systems of omens to fortell events. The fifth was called Dira which covered such events as spilling salt on a table, wine on your clothes, hearing strange noises, stumbling or sneezing. While some people feel that saying 'Bless You' or 'God Bless You' to someone who has just sneezed is superstitious, it was a common expression in Roman times. In those times sneezing could have been the first sign that the sneezer had the plague and it was said as a blessing.

Some superstitions believe that the devil can enter your body when you sneeze; someone saying 'God bless you' will drive the devil away. Another common belief was that the soul could leave or escape from your body when you sneezed. Covering your mouth while you sneezed prevented this from happening.

Why is a left handed pitcher called a 'southpaw?'

Why is a left handed pitcher called a 'southpaw?'

ANS: In the old days the baseball parks were built with the pitcher's mound facing west. So facing west, south is to the pitcher's left, hence the name 'southpaw.' & Because the fathers of most left-handed pitchers come from below the Mason-Dixon Line.

Why is February such a short month, having only 28 or 29 days, whereas the other months have 30 or 31?

ANS: Basically Caesar Augustus stole a day for his month. - In the year 3961 AM, which we call 46 BC, Julius Caesar standardized the civil calendar of the Roman Empire so that it had twelve months with 30 days each. An extra 5 days were spread out among the months to keep the calendar in line with the seasons. Before then, the date depended on observations of the sun and the moon.

He also introduced the concept of the leap day, which adds a day to February every four years. The month of Quintilis was renamed 'July' to honor him for this calendar reform. Later, Caesar Augustus made a minor calendar reform. Under Julius Caesar's calendar, leap day came in the middle of the month and had the same date as the day before.

Caesar Augustus moved the leap day to the end of the month and gave it its own date. February was an unpopular month, because it contained an unpleasant religious observance, so he moved one day from February to the month of Sextilis, which was renamed 'August' in his honor, and now had the same number of days as Julius' month, July. Thus, February was left short.

Why is Boxing Day called so?

ANS1: There are a couple stories about it. One is that Victorian England, the poor went from house to house with boxes that were then filled food, clothing, and gifts. The other is that the aims boxes in churches were opened and the moneys were used to provide food for the poor.

ANS2: It was the day that tradesmen would receive christmas boxes from the head of the house.

Why was December 25th chosen as Christmas day?

ANS: CHRISTMAS was first celebrated on various dates from about 200 A.D. but was finally set on December 25 by Bishop Liberus of Rome in 354 A.D. The December date, which almost coincides with the winter solstice, became a popular festival of West Europe during the Middle Ages

Why are floors on a building called stories?

ANS: Most buildings at that time had only one floor; churches being the highest buildings in a town. They had stained glass windows which had panes arranged in tiers that depicted biblical stories or events - thereby a storey being one of the levels of the stained glass windows. Later, as buildings came to have two or more floors, it was equated with the height of the stained glass windows in these huge medieval churches - i.e. 2nd storey being as high as the second tier of a stained glass window in the town church.

Why is it when I look into a spoon, my reflection is upside down?

Why is it when I look into a spoon, my reflection is upside down?

ANS1: Basically, because the spoon is curved inward. Rays from the top of your face will be reflected going downwards, rays from the bottom of your face will be reflected going upwards, creating an inverted image.

ANS2: Reversal of image is the property of reflection of a concave mirror. (Inwardly curved is concave and outwardly curved is convex).

Why were blue, yellow, black, green, and red chosen for the colors of the Olympic rings?

ANS 1: The colors were chosen by the IOC to signify the union of 5 continents: Australia, Africa, America, Asia and Europe. The colors L to R are Blue, yellow black, green and red, and were not meant to really mean anything, although these colors appear in many of the flags of countries on these continents. Some believe that blue = Europe, yellow is Asia, black is Africa, green is Australia and red is America. The white background signifies peace.

ANS 2: The Olympic flag is raised during the opening ceremonies of each Olympic Games, and lowered during the closing ceremonies.

The flag uses the ancient symbol of the Olympic Games (five interlocking rings); blue, yellow, black, green, and red respectively on a white field uncovered by Baron Pierre de Coubertin in 1892.
The flag was first raised during the VIIth Olympiad in Antwerp, Belgium in 1920.

It is fabled that every nation that has an Olympic team has at least one of their national colours in the Olympic flag.

The rings are said, thematically, to represent the habitable continents: Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas

Why do stars twinkle?

ANS 1: Stars twinkle because light rays are distorted when they enter the atmosphere.

ANS 2: Stars are a long way away and so the pinpoint of light is fine, this gets distorted by the Earth's atmosphere. Planets, being closer to us despite not being so large have a wider point, thus the edges distort but not the central point, so planets don't twinkle. Incidentally, from space stars don't twinkle.

Why are there 18 holes on a traditional golf course?

ANS: The game originated in its present form at St. Andrews, Scotland. Over the years, the Old Course at St. Andrews had varying numbers of holes. At one time, it contained 22 holes, but the R and A, the governing body of golf at the time, which was located at St. Andrews, decided to shorten the course to 18 holes.

Because St. Andrews set the standard of the time, other courses, which had every number from 6 to 25 holes, settled on 18 as the standard number because that was what the Old Course had. America followed.

Why were operating rooms and surgical scrubs green?

ANS: After looking at bright red a while you will see green spots if you look at a white field so they made everything green so the effect would not show. try it. stare at a red dot then at a plain white paper.

Why is a baker's dozen thirteen?

Why is a baker's dozen thirteen?

ANS: It's from an old tradition that the baker would want to test (taste) one of whatever he baked. There may be more to it.

ANS: The term arose because a law was passed in England in 1266 specifying exactly how much a loaf of bread should weigh, and it imposed a heavy penalty for underweight loaves. Bakers took to giving their customers an extra, or thirteenth, loaf so that they would be assured of meeting the weight minimum imposed by law. The term baker's dozen came about in the 16th century.

Why do only female mosquitoes bite?

ANS: The female has sharp and somewhat pointed mouth parts for puncturing skin. The males have blunt and somewhat spread out mouth parts with which they can't bite, but can only suck exposed fluids.

Why do cats almost always land on their feet?

ANS 1: They said that a cats skeleton is very unique. Cats do not have a collarbone, and the bones in their backbone have more mobility than in many other animals. For these reasons, cats have free movement of their front legs and they can easily bend and rotate their bodies. This allows them to land feet first. Their feet and legs can cushion the impact.

ANS 2: Cats have no trouble walking along narrow fences and ledges. They are graceful as the best tightrope walkers. When cats do fall, they almost always land on their feet. While they are in the air, they twist their bodies and whip around their tails until their feet point downward. Cats don't think about doing this while they are falling. They are just following their instincts.

Why did the Egyptians build pyramids?

ANS: The pyramids of ancient Egypt were funerary edifices. They were built over a period of 2,700 years, ranging from the beginning of the Old Kingdom to the close of the Ptolemaic Period; but the time at which pyramid building reached its acme, the pyramid age par excellence, was that commencing with the 3rd dynasty and ending with the 6th (c. 2686-2345 BC). During those years the pyramid was the regular type of royal tomb. ---From encyclopaedia britannica

Why are there 360 degrees in a circle?

ANS: It has to do with the Babylonians, who used a base 60 number system. Therefore the equilateral triangle has 60 degrees at each angle, then the hexagon (6 equilaterals triangles), therefore the circle has 360 degrees.It is interesting to note that 60 can be devided by 1,2,3,4,5,6.

Why you never light up the cigarettes to three people in a row.

ANS: During WW II, soldiers found having a match illuminated that long at night gave snipers a chance to get an accurate fix on their target. The last one usually bought it.

Why is a bobby pin called a bobby pin?

ANS: In the 1920s, it became trendy for women to cut their hair short and set it tightly against the head in a wavy pattern called bobbed hair. By the end of the decade 90% of North American women adopted this new fashion trend, and the number of beauty salons in the United States had increased from 5,000 to 23,000 to keep up with demand.

Until then, most people cut and set their hair at home. The bobby pin, a small flexible metal clip to keep bobbed hair in place, was invented in the early 1920s. Bobby pins were so inexpensive that everyone could afford to buy them. They were tinted to match one's hair colour, so that they could be camouflaged within the hairstyle.

Why is the White House white?

Why is the White House white?

ANS: To conceal the scorch marks after it was burnt during the War of 1812.

Why did the Olympic games start?

ANS: Olympism is a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy found in effort, the educational value of good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles. The goal of Olympism is to place everywhere sport at the service of the harmonious development of man, with a view to encouraging the establishment of a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity.

--The Olympic Charter, 'Fundamental Principles' For more than 100 years the Olympic Movement has conceived of itself as promoting culture, human development, international education, and peace through sport.

Founded mainly by writers, educators, scientists, and scholars, the Olympic Movement's understanding of 'culture' has shifted over the years among the fine-arts conception, the idea of general moral cultivation, and the anthropological understanding of total and distinctive ways of life.

What hasn't changed is the commitment, in the words of the 1995 charter, to 'symbolizing the universality and the diversity of human cultures' through the Olympic Games, thereby serving intercultural understanding and détente.

Why are footballs called 'pigskins' when they are actually made from cow skin?

Why are footballs called 'pigskins' when they are actually made from cow skin?

ANS: They were originally made from a pig's stomach that was inflated and tied.

Why is there no channel one on television?

ANS: What is now WNBC in New York was licensed for channel 1 (50-56 MHz) from July 1, 1941 to September 30, 1946 when they were granted a modification of license for a change to operate on channel 4 (66-72 MHz).

As proof: the RCA model 630 television set included a 'Channel 1' position on its step tuner. WNBC may have been the only station to have operated on channel 1. Channel 1 was shifted to 44-50 MHz in June 1945, where it started to encroach on the frequencies assigned the infant FM broadcast band.

When RCA's David Sarnoff had FM reallocated after WWII (to kill it), the FCC issued a NPRM in May 1948 to use Channel 1 for other services. There was also TV in the 2.5 MHz region (the Charles F. Jenkins system, also killed by Sarnoff), as well as some other assignments for TV before WW II.

Why are manhole covers round?

Why are manhole covers round?

ANS: Since manhole covers are round, it is physically impossible to accidentally drop one into the manhole. if they were any other geometric shape, one could turn them askew and potentially drop the heavy thing down into the sewer.

Why are people afraid of the number 13?

ANS: TRISKAIDEKAPHOBIA: Fear of the number 13. It all began in religious times. Friday the 13th phobia has its roots in the early days of Christianity. There were 13 people at Christ's Last Supper before his captivity, and then He was crucified on a Friday. Since number 13 is regarded as an ominous and unlucky. The latest example of ill-fated Apollo 13 lunar mission, which was, aborted en route to the moon in 1970 because of a fuel cell in the service module. The flight left the launching pad at 13 minutes after the hour on April 13.

In China also, 13 was regarded as a number of obstacles. In the ancient religion of Mexico, number 13 were considered the most fortunate number- since it symbolizes the Sun, the male and positive energy. In the Cabala, 13 are not regarded as unlucky. In the second book of the Moses, one can study of the 13 attributes of God (Exodus34: 6-7).

In numerology, it is a number of practical, alert, and intelligent. Those born on this date are very successful in scientific research and development. Their interests in religion and philosophy can bring them great fame and siddhis/ riddhis (powers that are believed to be supernatural) Are you more adamant about your fear of number 13?

Would you consider living on floor marked 13 in unit 13? Most of the scientist world does not offer you any solid proof, but stating it is simply a superstition phobia. For centuries, the scary combination of Friday the 13 has portended misfortune to many across this world.

The number 13 by itself have led many high-rise buildings to number of their floors 12 to 14. Although the West is famous for scientific technological wizardry and education, the number 13's superstition still has a powerful hold on many aspects of everyday life.

Why do we celebrate Saint Patrick's Day?

ANS: St. Patrick chased all the snakes out of Ireland with a stick. Also, he converted the locals to Christianity, thereby saving their souls, and earning him the title of Patron Saint of Ireland. St. Andrew is the equivilent patron of Scotland, and St. George is England's patron saint.

Why is the hat worn by Sherlock Holmes called a deerstalker?

ANS1: It is a style of hats worn by people when deer hunting (in Scotland), goes well with 'plus fours'.

ANS2: Sherlock Holmes was never said to wear a deerstalker. It was said that he wore a cloth hat in one of the stories but a deerstalker was never mentioned. An actor named Gillette wore a dearstalker whilst protraying Holmes in early stage plays and the icon was born.

Why are barns almost always painted red?

Why are barns almost always painted red?

ANS: It is generally believed barns are traditionally painted red because ferrous oxide (rust), a primary component of red paint, made this colour less expensive, appealing to the thriftiness of farmers.

Why do men's suits have buttons on the sleeve?

ANS: During the Napoleonic wars Gen. Napoleon demanded that his troops be clean in their appearance. They had this nasty habit of wiping their noses on their sleeve, so he had buttons sewn on the inside of the cuffs to prevent them from wiping either their nose or their mouth clean.

Why do the English people drive on the left side of the road and why are the steering wheels in their cars on the right side of the car?

Why do the English people drive on the left side of the road and why are the steering wheels in their cars on the right side of the car?

ANS1: It was traditional for people on horseback (and on carts etc.) to ride on the left. However, Napoleon decided that continental Europe would be different for some reason. The steering wheels are in the place where the driver of a coach would be - in the best position to negotiate oncoming traffic.

ANS2: A similar version of the story related to carriage driver being afraid of highwaymen and drove to the side of the road which suited the best way of drawing his national style of sword.

Why is a heart used to symbolize Valentine's Day?

Why is a heart used to symbolize Valentine's Day?

ANS:While saint valentine was in jail he sent violets which are sort of heart shaped to his family and friends. He also sent messages of love.

Why is ambulance written backwards?

Why is "ambulance" written backwards on the front of those emergency vehicles?

ANS: To alert those who have failed to notice the flashing lights and the howling sirens, who will then see the word filling their rear-view mirrors - the right way round - and hopefully get out of the way!

Introduction to Wacky Questions World!

You all might have been receiving a decent list of forwarded emails from your friend’s having some stupid, unanswerable, wacky, as well as a few extremely tricky questions. This blog is meant to share all those riddles and make this blog a pleasant stay for you all. As for me, I don’t care who rolled them in, as far as they are not annoying someone due to his copyright violations.

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Tuesday, November 13, 2007

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