# Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=77 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 78 --- ## [Developing Hot Shots](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/developing-hot-shots/572969)
**Author:** [@Rafe\_Hollister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rafe_Hollister)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [March 2, 2011, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/developing-hot-shots/572969 "2011-03-02T17:04:58Z")
Of all the Straight Dope Classics to choose from, why bother rehashing where to develop private porn shots? In the 10+ years of every American owning a digital camera, this hasn’t been an issue. :rolleyes: --- ## [What makes a column classic?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-a-column-classic/573047)
**Author:** [@Indian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indian)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [March 2, 2011, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-a-column-classic/573047 "2011-03-02T12:42:28Z")
I am curious. --- ## [How to Make a Doctor's Head Mirror](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-a-doctors-head-mirror/568064)
**Author:** [@QuercusFlorida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuercusFlorida)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [March 2, 2011, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-a-doctors-head-mirror/568064 "2011-03-02T12:40:33Z")
Cecil, I think you and I need to have a chat about copyright infringement.:dubious::smack: --- ## [People surviving being swallowed by whales](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-surviving-being-swallowed-by-whales/572946)
**Author:** [@earlstewart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/earlstewart)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [March 1, 2011, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-surviving-being-swallowed-by-whales/572946 "2011-03-01T19:44:31Z")
Some years ago, I read an artice about men surviving being swallowed by whales. This article was written by Encyclopedia Britannica in response to a question about known cases of men surviving being swallowed by whales. … --- ## [blowing air in the vagina](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blowing-air-in-the-vagina/572483)
**Author:** [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [March 1, 2011, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blowing-air-in-the-vagina/572483 "2011-03-01T05:26:09Z")
Today’s classic column about blowing air in the vagina being deadly raises a serious question: just how are they blowing air? Is this some pump system, pressurized air? Because I’m finding it really difficult to belie… --- ## [Can you freeze your cajones off](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-freeze-your-cajones-off/572795)
**Author:** [@Mark\_Kelsey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Kelsey)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [February 28, 2011, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-freeze-your-cajones-off/572795 "2011-02-28T17:37:10Z")
Freezeing the balls off a brass monkey referes to the triangle that holds a stack of cannon balls on a ship.They were made of wood or brass. If a brass one got cold it would contract and a cannon may pop off. (the boy th… --- ## [Will Pheromones Make You Irresistible To The Opposite Sex](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-pheromones-make-you-irresistible-to-the-opposite-sex/572630)
**Author:** [@Marc\_Xenos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marc_Xenos)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [February 27, 2011, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-pheromones-make-you-irresistible-to-the-opposite-sex/572630 "2011-02-27T01:20:26Z")
Scientifically, I have not the vaguest idea. But I can safely state that neither do the manufacturers. My 22-yr-old son has bought into the advertising from the makers of Axe “fragrances” and I’ve had to ban the use … --- ## [There was an old man of Nantucket ...](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-was-an-old-man-of-nantucket/572159)
**Author:** [@MinuteWalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MinuteWalt)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [February 26, 2011, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-was-an-old-man-of-nantucket/572159 "2011-02-26T21:40:12Z")
The Man from Nantucket article, here Why, oh why, Cecil, did you censor the word “suck,” but not the word “d0ng?” --- ## [You say its posible to hear 22mhz without a radio](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-say-its-posible-to-hear-22mhz-without-a-radio/572543)
**Author:** [@Matthew\_Alastor\_Webb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Matthew_Alastor_Webb)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [February 26, 2011, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-say-its-posible-to-hear-22mhz-without-a-radio/572543 "2011-02-26T15:03:43Z")
Well well well. Im not gona rant cuz the concept is the same only i can prove it how you ask ?I’m doing it right now yes i just found out i have this ability and made sence of the puzzle --- ## [That Motto](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-motto/572616)
**Author:** [@Santa\_Cruz\_n](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santa_Cruz_n)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [February 26, 2011, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-motto/572616 "2011-02-26T02:38:42Z")
“Per aspera ad astra”?? Isn’t it the other way around: “Ad astra per aspera”? “To the Stars Through Difficulties,” The State Motto of Kansas. Patrick Santa Cruz, California --- ## [Red or blue lights?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-or-blue-lights/566265)
**Author:** [@extanker59](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/extanker59)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [February 24, 2011, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-or-blue-lights/566265 "2011-02-24T15:29:41Z")
Refering to the question: Why are red lights used in darkened control rooms and other low-light situations? Why are red lights used in darkened control rooms and other low-light situations? - The Straight Dope In the m… --- ## [The Black Dutch and Black Irish](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-black-dutch-and-black-irish/482792)
**Author:** [@woodland\_creature](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodland_creature)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [February 22, 2011, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-black-dutch-and-black-irish/482792 "2011-02-22T20:06:00Z")
I am an American with a great deal of Irish ancestry. I have also been told we have a great deal of “Black Dutch” ancestry (I have also heard “Black Irish” used to describe this before), Scottish, French, German (which … --- ## [lawnmowers etc.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lawnmowers-etc/571966)
**Author:** [@veronicalos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/veronicalos)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [February 22, 2011, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lawnmowers-etc/571966 "2011-02-22T15:49:24Z")
Good for Cecil speaking out against the practice of lawn worship! We had one neighbour whose belief was so cult-like that he watered for hours daily, even in the rain, to the extent his fence was moss-covered; then he m… --- ## [Keith Relf's electrocution](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keith-relfs-electrocution/569132)
**Author:** [@Gort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gort)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [February 22, 2011, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keith-relfs-electrocution/569132 "2011-02-22T15:07:47Z")
Another possibility exists regarding Keith Relf’s electrocution. Amplifiers of that era (all of mine anyway) were equipped with a “polarity” switch, intended to fight 60 cycle hum. If you got a lot of 60 cycle buzz with … --- ## [Pork and Pet Food](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pork-and-pet-food/571014)
**Author:** [@rubbergearsnextyear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rubbergearsnextyear)\ **Replies:** 37\ **Last updated:** [February 22, 2011, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pork-and-pet-food/571014 "2011-02-22T04:06:01Z")
What I’ve always wondered is why there are no mice flavored cat foods or cat flavored dog foods in existence. --- ## [Why can't cats be impregnated by humans?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-cats-be-impregnated-by-humans/571816)
**Author:** [@Aimew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aimew)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [February 21, 2011, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-cats-be-impregnated-by-humans/571816 "2011-02-21T16:58:45Z")
Impregnated, not (necessarily) copulated with, although there are cats large enough once you get past the teeth and claws. Although I believe I know the answer I’ll leave it to the Straight Dope’s amazing staff to get i… --- ## [Semen as antidepressant . . . . or . . .](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semen-as-antidepressant-or/571964)
**Author:** [@veronicalos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/veronicalos)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [February 20, 2011, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semen-as-antidepressant-or/571964 "2011-02-20T14:22:04Z")
I was in the hospital in labour with my child. It was goin a little slowly, not badly but slowly. So the doctor came and gave me some little pills of prostaglandin to pick up the pace a bit. Just as a conversational asid… --- ## [Gay Animals](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-animals/571154)
**Author:** [@salter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salter)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [February 19, 2011, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-animals/571154 "2011-02-19T02:03:20Z")
You recently reprinted a classic on this topic. Interestingly, I didn’t see any mention of bonobos. LINK TO COLUMN: Is there such a thing as a gay animal? - The Straight Dope --- ## [Sing A Song of Six Pence](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-a-song-of-six-pence/570615)
**Author:** [@dsmc2gal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dsmc2gal)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [February 18, 2011, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-a-song-of-six-pence/570615 "2011-02-18T16:23:12Z")
I have heard an altogether different origin for this nursery ryme. For it to make any sense one must first be aquainted with the following The blackbird is the animal associated with the IRA (Irish Republican Army) IR… --- ## [Maya Hieroglyphs not rebus writing](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maya-hieroglyphs-not-rebus-writing/571197)
**Author:** [@Tlaloc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tlaloc)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [February 16, 2011, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maya-hieroglyphs-not-rebus-writing/571197 "2011-02-16T12:39:10Z")
In the article “How come we can’t decipher the Indus script” (http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2206/how-come-we-cant-decipher-the-indus-script), it says that Maya hieroglyphs are a form of rebus writing. Since th… --- ## [Rosicrusians..... A Cult?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rosicrusians-a-cult/566173)
**Author:** [@alidean41](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alidean41)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [February 16, 2011, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rosicrusians-a-cult/566173 "2011-02-16T00:00:50Z")
I read your article on Rosicrusianism as i wanted to find out if it was a cult or a legitimate society that had a handle on being a true christian. I have looked online and all i could find were christian web sites sayi… --- ## [Sneezing after orgasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sneezing-after-orgasm/571345)
**Author:** [@scarycary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scarycary)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [February 15, 2011, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sneezing-after-orgasm/571345 "2011-02-15T22:13:58Z")
Dear Cecil, When you state, “I got this from Dear Abby,” I assume you’re referring to the information, not the post-coital headache. Just hoping for a little clarification here… ETA: Add link to column: Why do I sneeze… --- ## [Hot Dogs & Ketchup](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-dogs-ketchup/353985)
**Author:** [@GeckoX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GeckoX)\ **Replies:** 52\ **Last updated:** [February 12, 2011, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-dogs-ketchup/353985 "2011-02-12T04:25:35Z")
Why is there no ketchup on a properly made hot dog? http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3\_095.html Wowsers! Ketchup isn’t good enough to be a standard part of a sandwich consisting of a tube of various bits and piece… --- ## [33 on rolling rock label](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/33-on-rolling-rock-label/571067)
**Author:** [@davecirig\_GMAIL.COM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davecirig_GMAIL.COM)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [February 11, 2011, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/33-on-rolling-rock-label/571067 "2011-02-11T22:43:52Z")
33 was the cipher for Sir Fancis Bacon. the architect of the colonization of America. The German Piets colonized in Lancaster county,far from the brew however. the 33 was an indicator the Order of the Quest or otherwise … --- ## [MONOPOLY House Rules](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monopoly-house-rules/570077)
**Author:** [@Sam\_A.Robrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_A.Robrin)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [February 11, 2011, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monopoly-house-rules/570077 "2011-02-11T18:51:35Z")
Cecil claimed that the recent list published “appears to be every Monopoly rule variation ever devised by the mind of man.” I know he left out at least one. It is, in fact, the only house rule I’ll allow–none of that u… --- ## [Why Are Crossword Puzzles Symmetrical?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-crossword-puzzles-symmetrical/569746)
**Author:** [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Replies:** 37\ **Last updated:** [February 11, 2011, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-crossword-puzzles-symmetrical/569746 "2011-02-11T02:45:11Z")
Obligatory link to column The excellent crossword-puzzle documentary Wordplay (2006) goes into that a little. We have it on DVD, but without having to go dig it out, I’m remembering it interviews a crossword-puzzle-mast… --- ## [Traffic lights](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traffic-lights/567099)
**Author:** [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [February 10, 2011, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traffic-lights/567099 "2011-02-10T11:04:56Z")
Referring to this column, in which Cecil says that “most” vertically-oriented traffic lights have the red on top and the green on bottom. He was wise to qualify his statement, as there is one peculiar counterexample in … --- ## ["John 3:16"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-3-16/570876)
**Author:** [@PaddyC88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaddyC88)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [February 10, 2011, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-3-16/570876 "2011-02-10T10:40:36Z")
Just read the column about Rock’n Rollen Stewart and just had to let all of you americans now that we have a similar guy here --- ## [Eiffel Tower Usefulness](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eiffel-tower-usefulness/570144)
**Author:** [@garys\_2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garys_2k)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [February 10, 2011, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eiffel-tower-usefulness/570144 "2011-02-10T01:45:53Z")
Gustave Eiffel did use his creation for aerodynamic research after the exposition was over. He was one of the first to conduct experiments in that new field, to try to establish which shapes and profiles could go through… --- ## [Beer and the color of bottles](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-and-the-color-of-bottles/569287)
**Author:** [@chemsolver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chemsolver)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [February 9, 2011, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-and-the-color-of-bottles/569287 "2011-02-09T15:50:06Z")
Malcolm Forbes at UNC has published on that: “Mechanism for Formation of the Lightstruck Flavor in Beer Revealed by Time–Resolved Electron Paramagnetic Resonance”, Colin S. Burns, Arne Heyerick, Denis De Keukeleire,and … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=76) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=78)