Some of life's greatest mysteries.

[Oneironaut]

Aren't these things weird..

Why does the sun lighten our hair, but darken our skin?

Because our skin absorbs vitamin D, a vital vitamin, from sunlight, but if it lets in too much vitamin D it can be harmful. Melanin (the pigment that makes one's skin color darker) blocks out the vitamin D, so it is advantageous for us to produce more melanin when exposed to more sunlight, to avoid the risk of getting too much vitamin D. That's why people from equatorial climates tend to be dark-skinned.

Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle?

Because it requires oxygen to adhere to stuff, and they make the insides of the bottles out of a special non-stick surface.

Why don't you ever see the headline "Psychic Wins Lottery"?

Because psychic powers do not exist.

Why is "abbreviated" such a long word?

It comes from latin "ad-breviare", which means "to make brief". There is no particular reason why that should be a short word. If you need to save space, you can just write "abbr'd".

Why is a boxing ring square?

Not all of them are. Those that are are probably square because squares are easier to build than other shapes.

Why is it called lipstick if you can still move your lips?

Because the lipstick sticks to your lips.

Why is it considered necessary to nail down the lid of a coffin?

To prevent zombie attacks, duh. Seriously, though, I don't think nailing is that common an occurrence nowadays. I bet most coffins have more sophisticating locking devices to keep them shut. Why would you want to make sure a coffin is shut? Partly for emotional closure, partly because you don't want the damn thing opening back up again when you're lowering it into the grave.

Why is it that doctors call what they do "practice"?

Because the word "practice" has two different meanings. It originally meant to engage in an activity, and it diverged into two slightly different definitions, one meaning to engage in an activity professionally or as a hobby, and one meaning to engage in an activity in order to better learn how to do it.

Why is it that rain drops but snow falls?

Ever hear of rainfall?

Why is it that to stop Windows, you have to click on "Start"?

Because Microsoft sucks.

Why is it that when you're driving and looking for an address, you turn down the volume on the radio?

Mostly because people are idiots. But also because we humans have a difficult time paying attention to two things at once. Try listening to the radio and reading the newspaper at the same time. You can't pay attention to both for very long.

Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavor, and dishwashing liquid made with real lemons?

Dishwashing liquid is not made with real lemons.

Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?

The word "broker" is not related to the word "broke". It comes from the Middle English "brocour", from French "abrocour", from Old Portuguese "abrocador", which originally came from an Arabic word "al-buruk" (meaning a gift or drink concluding a transaction) attached to the Latin suffix "-ator", which indicates an agent performing an action.

Why is the third hand on the watch called a second hand?

Because they count seconds (the second division of the hour after minutes).

Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?

Because there is more traffic on the roads. Everybody is rushing to get to work or get home, and getting in each other's way as they do so.

Why is the word dictionary in the dictionary?

Why would the dictionary leave that word out? They try to collect all the commonly used words in our language, just in case somebody needs it. What if a foreigner wants to know how to correctly pronounce the word? What if you're interested in finding out where the word "dictionary" comes from? What if your friend claims a thesaurus is a type of dictionary and you want to prove him wrong?

Why isn't there a special name for the tops of your feet?

Because nobody talks about them. They just don't come up that often, so there's no need for a word for them. If you need to refer to them, you can just call them the "tops of your feet".

Why isn't there mouse-flavored cat food?

Because the thought of a mouse processing factory is not very appealing to the people buying cat food.

You know that little indestructible black box that is used on planes, why can't they make the whole plane out of the same substance?

Because people are not as durable as specially designed pieces of recording equipment. It would not make the plane significantly safer, and the plane would probably not even be able to get off the ground if it wasn't specifically made with the lightweight materials that they make airplanes out of.

Can fat people go skinny-dipping?

Yes. Trust me, I've seen it. It ain't pretty.

Why do you need a driver's license to buy liquor when you can't drink and drive?

At most places you are allowed to use other types of government-issued photo ID cards such as a military ID, but driver's licenses are the most common form that people have. The purpose, of course, is so that the seller can verify that you are of age to legally buy alcohol.

[ghosty]

OK hot shot.. good answers but tell me this..

If you were to make love to a siamese twin, conjoined above the hip, therefore only having one set of legs, would that not be a threesome?

[Oneironaut]

Technically, yes. But for some reason I don't think Siamese twins get a lot of action. I could be mistaken though.

[cannabis campbell]

Good answers LOL.. because microsoft sucks LOL plus rep for that one

[Psycho4Bud]

Buoyancy.....during the floods of "93" alot of coffins popped out of the ground because the ground was so saturated. Lock down the lid and the remains stay in place.

Cruel Joke:
Make a small coffin and put your victims name at the head end. Make sure the center of gravity is closest to the head...may have to add a bit of extra wood to the foot end. Bury it about 3 ft. deep in a garden so the new hole won't be noticed. The first time ya get a heavy rain so the ground saturates that deep the coffin will pop out of the ground head first like on Poltergeist.

LOL....I pulled that trick on a friend one time, freaked the shit out of him!
I let him sweat it out for a couple days then had to tell the dude it was me.

Have a good one!

[cannabis=freedom]

Haha guys, these questions aren't meant to be ANSWERED....I thought the whole point of this thread was to leave us all puzzled....

[Oneironaut]

I'm a truth seeker. I'm not content with mystery. I like my questions answered and my answers backed up with facts.

[the yeag]

I'm a truth seeker. I'm not content with mystery. I like my questions answered and my answers backed up with facts.

I think you are just insecure and actualy believe you are the most powerful being out there....it is obvious you have no faith in anything greater than your self , anarchy and anti-conformists are the norm these days ..... so you yourself are conforming :jointsmile:

[Nightcrewman]

Why does our local DVD hire store have a guide dogs only sign on the door?

NCM

[Oneironaut]

I think you are just insecure and actualy believe you are the most powerful being out there....

Insecure about what? And why do you think I think I'm powerful? As an anarchist, the last thing I want is power over others.

it is obvious you have no faith in anything greater than your self ,

Assuming you're talking about the mythological God figure that pervades our culture, then good, I'm glad that's obvious. I refuse to believe anything without sufficient reason. Show to me that God exists. I'm not going to just take your word on it, or anybody else's. Faith is just an excuse to not think critically about what you believe.

anarchy and anti-conformists are the norm these days ..... so you yourself are conforming :jointsmile:

Right, there are way more anarchists than Republicans/Democrats out there. Practically everybody is an anarchist these days.

Seriously, dude, if the general public actually had a decent understanding of anarchist theory, the world would be a much different place. As it is, practically everybody believes that it is necessary for power hierarchies to be in place for society to function. If that were not the case, well, we would see mass uprisings against the hierarchical institutions of government, capitalism and religion. Where are the social organizations rallying around the abolition of these power hierarchies, if anarchism is really the norm? There are a handful out there, but you'd have to be mad to call them the "norm".

Just because there are other people out there that agree with me doesn't mean I'm a conformist. Of course there are going to be people out there that agree with me, no matter what I believe. How could that not be the case? There are six and a half billion people out there, and among them you can find just about every kind of belief you can imagine. I agree with people when they know what they're talking about, when they can make good logical arguments and present good evidence in favor of their opinion.