# Great challenges and mysteries of our time. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 16, 2004, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-challenges-and-mysteries-of-our-time/224778 "2004-01-16T15:42:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2004, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-challenges-and-mysteries-of-our-time/224778/1 "2004-01-16T15:42:06Z")
Challenge 1 - How to remove the anomalous twist from a telephone cord without working it to the end of the wire. Mystery 1 - How the bloody hell does it get there in the first place!? ---
**Author:** ![js\_africanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@js\_africanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/js_africanus)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2004, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-challenges-and-mysteries-of-our-time/224778/2 "2004-01-16T15:59:46Z")
> [@Lobsang](#): > > Challenge 1 - How to remove the anomalous twist from a telephone cord without working it to the end of the wire. Are you talking about the sort of twist where you can just let the handset hand and unwind, or are you talking about when an individual curl sort-of inverts and switches directions leaving the rest of the cord otherwise unchanged? If it is the second one, you have to grab it on either side of the inversion and twist it out that way. IIRC, it creates a loop in the rest of the cord, but not a cord inversion, and from there you just rotate the handset once and you should be all done. The coil of the phone cord creates a twist, you can see this if you grab a section and stretch it out. While it is stretched out, grab the cord with thumb and forefinger of each hand so that your fingers are one to one-and-one-half stretched-out-coil’s length apart. Now, without letting the cord slip in your hand, twist in the opposite direction of the rest of the cord and you will put one of those twist inversions into the cord. To remove, locate and isolate the inversion and give it the correct twist. It’s as easy as that. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2004, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-challenges-and-mysteries-of-our-time/224778/3 "2004-01-16T16:04:44Z")
deja vu. To answer this strangely familiar OP - I did it the other day at work. I just unhooked the handset from the phone (it just unplugs) held it up so it could uncoil and then reconnected it. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2004, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-challenges-and-mysteries-of-our-time/224778/4 "2004-01-16T16:07:16Z")
Sorry, I meant to add that it gets ther by changing ears while talking. When you transfer hands you put a half twist in it. If your job is as slack as mine you can check it out. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2004, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-challenges-and-mysteries-of-our-time/224778/5 "2004-01-16T16:15:18Z")
I meant the second one **js\_africanus** said (“an individual curl sort-of inverts and switches directions leaving the rest of the cord otherwise unchanged”) Not the kind where the whole cord just curls up. That’s easy to remove. I read your instructions **js\_africanus** but it seems easier said than done, and I have to get off the comp. When I get to work I will read again and concentrate. If you cause me to put a kink _in_ the line, and then fail to remove it, I will hunt you down and cause you immense pain. P.S. this thread is not just about phone cords. What other great challenges do we face in these difficult times dopers? ---
**Author:** ![js\_africanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@js\_africanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/js_africanus)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2004, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-challenges-and-mysteries-of-our-time/224778/6 "2004-01-16T18:07:44Z")
> [@Lobsang](#): > > If you cause me to put a kink _in_ the line, and then fail to remove it, I will hunt you down and cause you immense pain. A little pain is a small price to pay for sharing knowle…oh, wait…immense pain…uh-oh… I can’t think of any good mysteries/challenges. Only joke ones like: where does the white go when the snow melts? ---
**Author:** ![Planet\_of\_the\_Shapes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@Planet\_of\_the\_Shapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Planet_of_the_Shapes)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2004, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-challenges-and-mysteries-of-our-time/224778/7 "2004-01-16T21:01:07Z")
> [@js\_africanus](#): > > where does the white go when the snow melts? Into the clouds? Actually that’s sort of true as well. Not sure where the grey in grey clouds comes from though… ---
**Author:** ![UselessGit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/74df32/32.png) [@UselessGit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UselessGit)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2004, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-challenges-and-mysteries-of-our-time/224778/8 "2004-01-17T02:42:38Z")
How **do** you get chewing gum out of your hair without cutting it? And how the hell did you get chewing gum in your _hair_, anyway? ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2004, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-challenges-and-mysteries-of-our-time/224778/9 "2004-01-17T03:03:22Z")
> [@UselessGit](#): > > How **do** you get chewing gum out of your hair without cutting it? > > And how the hell did you get chewing gum in your _hair_, anyway? From blowing a big blimp of a bubble, silly! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Sinshine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Sinshine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinshine)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2004, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-challenges-and-mysteries-of-our-time/224778/10 "2004-01-17T06:54:47Z")
To get chewing gum out of your hair, my “household hints” book suggests either SprayN’Wash or peanut butter. Essentially, you need something oily. And then a shower and some really strong shampoo.