Has it really been 12 years since I started Ask Leo!? Holy… well, holy something. (I’ve found that someone will get offended at whatever I put there. Sigh.)
Anyhoo… as is my tradition here are some of the odd, strange and off-the-wall questions I’ve received over the course of the last year.
All in their unedited glory, with the response I wish I could give.
Enjoy.
sir here we are a manufacturing firm producing baby articles. During production the pieces on which black stains are found -Benzene is used for removing stains. but it is a banned chemical hence we are looking for some alternate chemical. Kindly suggest the same
Dihydrogen Monoxide is a fantastic cleaner, used world-wide.
What are ribs?
Part of a nutritious breakfast.
what is a song that is good for a girl singer that has a tad low voice ? and not old songs please
Shouldn’t that be a song for Tad if you have his voice?
I’m a screenwriter and I’m currently working on a script were someone hacks into their enemy’s bank account and transfer all the money out of their account. It’s a revenge story and for dramatic tension and suspense I want to show the bank account emptying until only $1 remains. But I’m stumped because I have no hacking experience and I live in a country (Zambia) where there’s not a single person is likely to have much knowledge for e to consult.
My question is how do I create a convincing scene of hacking into someone’s bank account where the only info the hacker has is the hackee’s name and probably bank and account number? I don’ want any specifics of how to actually do that, just being able to craft a convincing scenario.
Good luck with that. I have yet to see a convincing scenario in any television show or movie. Reality is boring.
HOW CAN I SHRINK A DOUBLE XX SWEATER TO A SINGLE X SWEATER? BOB
Another fantastic use for Dihydrogen Monoxide, though I believe this time you’ll want it at exceptionally high temperatures. Read the warning labels and follow all directions carefully.
I dont have a question for you, so please leave my schreen..thank you..
I’m trapped here. I can’t leave until you press that little button that looks like a house.
I have a question about leg cramps……….do you answer these questions?
Once a year. Today’s the day.
i have all video tapes i want to put them on to a dvd but my video rec likes to eat my tapes what can i do
Make sure it’s not so hungry before you begin.
i will be going to church tomorrow mornning
I’m happy for you. (And a little sorry for the pastor/priest/reverend.)
during which time period did nuts,berries,sehellfish,and fruits become a primary food source of native americans. 1.paleo-indan 2.archaic 3.woodland …. 4.missippian
“missippian”. Definitely “missippian”. Or not.
My friend smoked $50 worth of crack how long does it stay in her system for
Sorry, I’m not up on market value these days. My guess: just long enough to fail the drug test.
I really like your website and find it very helpful, as I know many poeple that have a lot of unanswered questions, so it is a great opportunity for getting the answers we are seeking for. Therefore, I am pleased to ask this question, it concerns a revolutionary experience that I want to try as soon as possible, it is a question of life and death, my question is how much does sodium alginate and calcium lactate cost?
$17.99/4oz. – first result on Amazon. (Seriously, does no one know how to search any more?)
HOW CAN I STOP A FRIEND FROM GETTING DRUNK DAYLY?
A “friend”, eh? Right.
will tea give indigestion like coffee??????
Coffee doesn’t give indigestion … Lord knows, I’ve tried!
♦
Onward!
As always, thank you, everyone, for another year of support for Ask Leo!. I am, as always, truly grateful and honored by the response to what I do.
Just a reminder that I’ve been doing these round-ups annually – you’ll find prior ones here.
You asked, “Seriously, does no one know how to search any more?”
sehellfish. poeple. Etc.
I ask: “Seriously, does no one know how to spell basic words any more?”
The inability to communicate simple ideas even when they do spell things correctly makes me worry for the very survival of modern society.
I have heard that some school districts are dropping “spelling” from English classes, since “it’s not important anymore in a world of SMS”.
http://desotocountyreform.com/2013/08/09/spelling-is-no-longer-in-curriculum-is-spelling-essential-or-ineffective/
It’s bad enough that school districts (including ours, except that we homeschool) are dropping cursive handwriting.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/cursive-handwriting-disappearing-from-public-schools/2013/04/04/215862e0-7d23-11e2-a044-676856536b40_story.html
Schools are de-emphasizing spelling because it’s not tested under No Child Left Behind. Hopefully changes will be made to that law that will allow for spelling to make a return. And music and PE and art and other things that make life worth living.
If I were to include all the improperly spelled and grammatically incorrect questions in this list it would be pages and pages and pages long.
Well, Leo, I’ve seen quite a few misspelled words and grammar errors in some of your replies also. Might I suggest an editor. I know a very good one.
Hello, “Randy”:
You wrote that you “worry for the very survival of modern society.”
Well, GOOD NEWS, EVERYBODY!
“Worry” no more, because “modern society” is doomed!
When people [nations, tribes, individuals] are no longer taught how to think,
instead of what to think, they have very little chance of surviving their own ignorance. The dangers they expose themselves to grow exponentially more serious, and their ability to survive their mistakes decreases accordingly.
Personally, at my age, I view this as a ‘good thing’. Hopefully you will too.
Have a GREAT day, Neighbor!
Best comment anywhere. I so completely agree. School teaches today’s kids how to pass tests. This is not learning, and is not going to be very useful in their futures. We are a nation of morons.
You sound like George Carlin.
“Holy… well, something”.
For a 12th anniversary, how about “holy silk underwear”? 🙂
http://ideas.hallmark.com/anniversary-ideas/wedding-anniversary-gifts/#list12
Glad to know I’m not the only one who gets crazy questions. 😉
Well, happy birthday to ask Leo, then! I’s send you the URL to the Marilyn Monroe video, of her singing happy birthday to JFK, but:
1, if you want it, you can likely find it on your own. WORSE, you can probably find a better version than me.
2, young folks like you just ain’t into that old history stuff anymore.
Take Care and Thanks!
My 17 year old loves to use the dihydrogen monoxide, answer as well. He got a real kick out of seeing it here.
I got a real kick out of reading these Leo. Years ago I was a member of the “Ask BYTE” research staff and we got many of these same type of things.
Thanks for the great site and newsletters you produce.
Some of these are just priceless – hard to believe that you didn’t make some up. (But I know you didn’t.)
I believe you missed an opportunity to really educate the videotape-to-DVD person. Though no one will much care these days, the solution to tape-eating videotape players was simple: push a peanut butter and jelly sandwich into the slot an hour or so before playing your tape. Problem solved.
Well with a website titled, “Ask Leo” perhaps some folks are confusing it with “Ask Jeeves” or “Ask.com”. Maybe they think it’s an alternate or competitor to Ask Jeeves. To me it explains how a guy years ago posted an ad in a national publication telling folks to hurry, it was their last chance to send $1.00 to his address before it was too late and he offered nothing in return. He purportedly made a million or millions before the IRS (or some gov’t entity) stepped in. Are people paying attention to anything long enough to figure out if it makes sense? Is Ask Leo the right website for my question? What am I getting for rushing my dollar to this unknown person?
I think you’ll be getting a dollar sized hole in your wallet 🙂
“Shouldn’t that be a song for Tad if you have his voice?” : D
Shaking my head in disbelief at some of these questions, Leo. They have to give you a lot of laughs.
Many people think that heat facilitates the felting (therefore shrinking) of wool, but I believe it does not. Nor does temperature shock.
I did an experiment with squares of knitted wool yarn. Agitation of wet wool will cause felting. But the square that was moved from boiling water to ice water every two minutes for several minutes (I don’t remember any more how many times I moved it, but it was several times in each bath) did not felt/shrink. It came out very, very clean, but the same size as when I started.
Shrinking a sweater evenly all over, with a particular smaller size in mind, would be tricky…………
Thanks for your yearly dozen. I’ll never again feel stupid to ask a question.
Regarding spelling: My worst subject in school was English; grammar and spelling. Still suffer today. Thank God for spell checker.
Regarding “not taught anymore”: Add penmanship. Of my three children, the only one who has a good “pen” is my oldest daughter. My boys writing is nearly illegible
I think it must be a year since I thanked you for your guidance so thanks once again.
I’m still working on your knighthood but Her Majesty is sometimes hard to reach.
Please keep up the good work.
Thanks. Make sure to mention my Corgis when you reach her. 🙂