Jees, why didn't they ask me this? Here is the first page, answered by me.

• What comes after 999 trillion?

999 trillion and one. Duh.

• Why do train whistles at night always sound lonely and mournful? Not so in the daytime.

Because melatonin production is dependant on sunlight, and there isn't any at night. Melatonin is an endorphin. This is also why people get the winter blues (back east, anyway; here its sunny and warm)

• Given the exchange and dispersion of matter, how likely is it/how often do we inhale/consume and/or incorporate into our own protein structure molecules that were once in some historical figure, say Abraham Lincoln?

So matter is neither created nor destroyed, really (matter is convertable to energy but only during nuclear events). Considering that during metabolism and breakdown, each individual atom is used in some other molecule, ie O2 goes to CO2, through an indirect path. The likelyhood is present but too small to measure. How many organic molecules exist in the world? Say it's X. Say the # of molecules per person is Y. Then I think the probability is Y/X. But it's a complex question and you'd pretty much have to assume that all of those molecules that Abe used are still available in the 'molecular pool'.

• Lasers are now powerful and small (at least I think they are), so why don't our troops carry laser guns?

They aren't that portable; the energy requirement is enormous. the military now has airborne lasers that are mountable on a huge aircraft, and also stationary lasers. See this article.

• Why is smooth peanut butter cheaper than nutty?

Because nutty has more stuff, ie peanuts. More stuff = more expensive.


• If we taught animals to talk, how would that affect the world?

Some animals can communicate with humans, ie primates, parrots. Others have definite verbal communication, but we can't understand it (see Happy Feet movie). But by and large only a few very intelligent animal species are capable of enough communication so that we could understand. Birds have song for warning and locating, for example. There isn't any complex stuff, its a small list of things that they can communicate (or so we think). Parrots can count and know some basics, about the mind of a 2 year old. They are not really capable of further development. Other primates have the best chance of intelligent communication. My fear is if we knew what other animals were saying, we'd take it as a threat and would destroy the species. Humans don't take well to threats.


• What would happen to the stock market if a meteor impacted the earth? What would happen to the global markets and the U.S. market? Say a meteor hits inside U.S. borders and takes out two states.
See 9/11. The market would plumett, then slowly recover.

• Is it possible to collect all the cookie dough in Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream and actually bake cookies from it?

No, because it has other stuff in there, and doesn't contain yeast which is essential for baking.

• How clean is bar soap in a public bathroom? Is it "self-cleaning," since it's soap? It seems like a health hazard to me.

Its as clean as anything else, the detergent property of soap denatures protein and emulsifies lipids. It kills bacteria regardless of how old the soap is. It probably won't kill viruses like HIV, but not much will.

• Why did Zidane head-butt his opponent in the World Cup final? Do the French not fight with their fists?

No idea, ask him. French aren't known for their fighting prowlness (see World War II - French).


• When we are approaching another person, like in a hallway, why do we step to our left? That is, try and pass right-shoulder-to-right-shoulder.

We don't here, its usual that we pass on the right. Because we drive on the right side of the street. Other places, ie Britain, drive on the left. They probably teach their kids to pass on the left.