How do pigeons know not to land on water

why is a television screen rectangular

(just ask my 6 year old - she's got LOADS of these kinda questions)

Why did the Chicken cross the road

Why are most sausages long and not round

Why are bake beans in Tins and not in vacum bags or something

What is the future of the can opener now, with all these new rip top lips

Why is McDonalds called McDonalds

[quote name='L3X AV' date='Jan 3 2004, 12:07 PM']Why is McDonalds called McDonalds [/quote]
ooh i did know that one, know it was originally set up by 2 brothers though, and was born in the same town as kfc and burgerking! can give u the full answer tomo eves though.


mystery Q - how many types of meat is in a mcdonalds burger?
enjoying your mechanicly reclaimed chicken burger?

[quote name='L3X AV' date='Jan 3 2004, 11:07 AM']Why are most sausages long and not round [/quote]
The round sausage burgers that McDonalds do with their breakfasts are better than their burgers, so why don't they do them all day?

[quote name='L3X AV' date='Jan 3 2004, 12:07 PM']Why are most sausages long and not round [/quote]
sausages are long because the skin was originally made of intestine.

[quote name='Rodders_UK' date='Jan 3 2004, 12:05 PM']why is a television screen rectangular

(just ask my 6 year old - she's got LOADS of these kinda questions)[/quote]
The answer is, orginally it never used to be 'perfectly' retangular, they used to have curved corners, giving a more 'oval'.

This is due to the fact of how a TV works. The screen you watch is just a piece of glass, the actual image comes from a tube at the back of the set, where the images are created (im not going into that though). These are fired at the screen to project the image, but due to the shape of a tube, the edges of the image were never perfect..

However, in modern times, we have perfected squarer tubes, and been able to provide a crisper image, that can give a flawless retangualer image..

[quote name='Fidgits' date='Jan 3 2004, 01:14 PM'][quote name='Rodders_UK' date='Jan 3 2004, 12:05 PM'] why is a television screen rectangular

(just ask my 6 year old - she's got LOADS of these kinda questions)[/quote]
The answer is, orginally it never used to be 'perfectly' retangular, they used to have curved corners, giving a more 'oval'.

This is due to the fact of how a TV works. The screen you watch is just a piece of glass, the actual image comes from a tube at the back of the set, where the images are created (im not going into that though). These are fired at the screen to project the image, but due to the shape of a tube, the edges of the image were never perfect..

However, in modern times, we have perfected squarer tubes, and been able to provide a crisper image, that can give a flawless retangualer image.. [/quote]
Yeah OK - I knew how a telly works - but why is it rectangular - and not, for instance, round?

Because it uses a tube... so the projected image will always have a greater width than height..

[quote name='Fidgits' date='Jan 3 2004, 03:02 PM']Because it uses a tube... so the projected image will always have a greater width than height..[/quote]
but I thought tubes were round

If you were travelling on Concorde and the plane was doing 1 mph less than the speed of sound....could you run down the isle and create a sonic boom ?

[quote name='phunt' date='Jan 3 2004, 03:40 PM']If you were travelling on Concorde and the plane was doing 1 mph less than the speed of sound....could you run down the isle and create a sonic boom ?[/quote]
funny but no

[quote name='Fidgits' date='Jan 3 2004, 03:02 PM']Because it uses a tube... so the projected image will always have a greater width than height..[/quote]
Not if you design it not to The image size and ratio is based on what signal is fed on the scan coils.


I think it is retangular because the human vision is that way and therefore appears more natural. The 16:9 ratio is more so than the old 4:3 which is why TVs have moved to it and why cinema and paintings have used that format for years.

[quote name='phunt' date='Jan 3 2004, 04:40 PM']If you were travelling on Concorde and the plane was doing 1 mph less than the speed of sound....could you run down the isle and create a sonic boom ?[/quote]
no because YOUR speed relative to the object you are travelling in is still zero give or take the speed that you walk at (3mph)

[quote name='ColinBarber' date='Jan 3 2004, 04:21 PM'][quote name='Fidgits' date='Jan 3 2004, 03:02 PM'] Because it uses a tube... so the projected image will always have a greater width than height..[/quote]
Not if you design it not to The image size and ratio is based on what signal is fed on the scan coils.


I think it is retangular because the human vision is that way and therefore appears more natural. The 16:9 ratio is more so than the old 4:3 which is why TVs have moved to it and why cinema and paintings have used that format for years. [/quote]
nah mate - you and everyone else is just saying that a telly is square or squarish because of the way it works - my question is why is it that shape in the first place

And as for your eyes being square - errm gotta say most people's are round - in what way do you think human vision is rectangular???

[quote]nah mate - you and everyone else is just saying that a telly is square or squarish because of the way it works[/quote]

No I'm not, you make make it circular if you want, just design the electronics to do it.

[quote]in what way do you think human vision is rectangular???[/quote]
Your field of vision is greater in length than in height.

how can u have a round/circular tv? the images will be distorted- ie wraparound effect, light reflecting off it at wierd angles etc- a flat or flatish surface ifs far better.

[quote name='ColinBarber' date='Jan 3 2004, 05:28 PM']No I'm not, you make make it circular if you want, just design the electronics to do it.[/quote]
And that's my (stupid) question - howcome it isn't round?

[quote name='fluff34567' date='Jan 3 2004, 05:29 PM']how can u have a round/circular tv? the images will be distorted- ie wraparound effect, light reflecting off it at wierd angles etc- a flat or flatish surface ifs far better.[/quote]
yes mate - I wasn't suggesting spherical - just asking why the screen isn't round

[quote name='Rodders_UK' date='Jan 3 2004, 05:45 PM'][quote name='ColinBarber' date='Jan 3 2004, 05:28 PM']
No I'm not, you make make it circular if you want, just design the electronics to do it.[/quote]
And that's my (stupid) question - howcome it isn't round? [/quote]
Football would look rubbish on it

why does hair change colour.. when you get older

[quote name='ColinBarber' date='Jan 3 2004, 05:50 PM'][quote name='Rodders_UK' date='Jan 3 2004, 05:45 PM'] [quote name='ColinBarber' date='Jan 3 2004, 05:28 PM']
No I'm not, you make make it circular if you want, just design the electronics to do it.[/quote]
And that's my (stupid) question - howcome it isn't round? [/quote]
Football would look rubbish on it [/quote]
LOL - excellent answer mate - I'll try it on the kids

[quote name='jac114' date='Jan 3 2004, 06:57 PM']why does hair change colour.. when you get older[/quote]
or fall out

[quote name='Rodders_UK' date='Jan 3 2004, 05:46 PM'][quote name='fluff34567' date='Jan 3 2004, 05:29 PM'] how can u have a round/circular tv?  the images will be distorted- ie wraparound effect, light reflecting off it at wierd angles etc- a flat or flatish surface ifs far better.[/quote]
yes mate - I wasn't suggesting spherical - just asking why the screen isn't round [/quote]
because it would roll of the sideboard

[quote name='dobedo' date='Jan 3 2004, 07:26 PM'][quote name='Rodders_UK' date='Jan 3 2004, 05:46 PM'] [quote name='fluff34567' date='Jan 3 2004, 05:29 PM'] how can u have a round/circular tv?  the images will be distorted- ie wraparound effect, light reflecting off it at wierd angles etc- a flat or flatish surface ifs far better.[/quote]
yes mate - I wasn't suggesting spherical - just asking why the screen isn't round [/quote]
because it would roll of the sideboard [/quote]
yeah well like I tell my kids - "ask a stupid question......."

Why don't you see white dog poo any more? (Not that I miss it tho'!!)

Because dogs years ago were fed a diet of meat on the bone from the local butchers and spent ages eating the bone as well which turned there poo white ,nowdays they are fed canned meat hence no more white poo

Nice one Centurian !!

[quote name='mac' date='Jan 3 2004, 10:34 PM']Why don't you see white dog poo any more? (Not that I miss it tho'!!)[/quote]
it'll still be there when the snow clears!

Ok...will there ever be a boy born......who can swim faster than a shark??

when the bloke discovered that some people muddled up their letters when they read something, he called them DYSLEXICS. why?

[quote name='GreyBeard' date='Jan 4 2004, 01:28 AM']when the bloke discovered that some people muddled up their letters when they read something, he called them DYSLEXICS. why?[/quote]
to stop self diagnosis

[quote name='Rodders_UK' date='Jan 3 2004, 05:01 PM']nah mate - you and everyone else is just saying that a telly is square or squarish because of the way it works - my question is why is it that shape in the first place[/quote]
It is easier to make a TV with a rectangular picture than (say) a round picture because of the way it works. For a rectangular picture, the horizonal and vertical sync. signals will be at regular intervals (hence easier to produce). Also, the beam will be reset to the same starting point for each new line (again easier to do than starting each line at a different position).

Also, rectangluar is more natural than round. Consider what shape canvas most artists use for paintings

If you're in a car travelling at the speed of light (!) what happens if you switch on the headlights? (think "Einstein out of the box" and come up with some interesting answers to this one...)

the light wouldn't leave the fitting, and as radar is slower than light, you'd hit the first unlit object that got in your way, and the answer wouldn't matter to you any more! not sure where the heat would go tho.

ok, here's one I remember from school
what happens if your travelling at the speed of light and turn the headlights on?

Why is the ninth month called "September", when the prexix "Sept" is associated with 7 in many languages?

Why is the tenth month called "October", when "oct" in associated with 8 in many languages?

Why is the twelth month called "December", when "Dec" is associated with 10 in many languages?

Whats all that about

If a fly was hovering in a parked bus and the bus set off what would happen to the fly?
would it stay in the same spot until the back window of the bus hit it, or would it stay in the same spot as the bus moves

Depends if the fly had noticed the bus had set off hehe

[quote name='tdiplc' date='Jan 5 2004, 09:30 AM']Why is the ninth month called "September", when the prexix "Sept" is associated with 7 in many languages?

Why is the tenth month called "October", when "oct" in associated with 8 in many languages?

Why is the twelth month called "December", when "Dec" is associated with 10 in many languages?

Whats all that about [/quote]
if memory serves me correctly, two extra months were inserted, i think june and july, or poss july and august, which pushed the later ones back by two.

why is there only one word for THESAURUS?

[quote name='Brettster' date='Jan 5 2004, 09:57 AM']If a fly was hovering in a parked bus and the bus set off what would happen to the fly?
would it stay in the same spot until the back window of the bus hit it, or would it stay in the same spot as the bus moves [/quote]
if you're travelling in a bus which is doing 35mph and you jump up in the air, you don't hurtle backwards down the bus at 35mph, so i guess the fly maintains its position in the bus.

[quote name='GreyBeard' date='Jan 5 2004, 01:53 PM'][quote name='Brettster' date='Jan 5 2004, 09:57 AM'] If a fly was hovering in a parked bus and the bus set off what would happen to the fly?
would it stay in the same spot until the back window of the bus hit it, or would it stay in the same spot as the bus moves     [/quote]
if you're travelling in a bus which is doing 35mph and you jump up in the air, you don't hurtle backwards down the bus at 35mph, so i guess the fly maintains its position in the bus. [/quote]
Ahhh, but you dont fly backwards because you are already in contact with the bus when its moving..

The fly question can also bring up... if you leap into the air the instant before the bus sets off, will you land further back than you began?

why is ABBREVIATED such a long word?

and why has LISP got an 'S' in it?

Why are illiterate and illegitimate so similar?

Why is it called an endowment policy?

[quote name='Fidgits' date='Jan 5 2004, 12:59 PM'][quote name='GreyBeard' date='Jan 5 2004, 01:53 PM'] [quote name='Brettster' date='Jan 5 2004, 09:57 AM'] If a fly was hovering in a parked bus and the bus set off what would happen to the fly?
would it stay in the same spot until the back window of the bus hit it, or would it stay in the same spot as the bus moves     [/quote]
if you're travelling in a bus which is doing 35mph and you jump up in the air, you don't hurtle backwards down the bus at 35mph, so i guess the fly maintains its position in the bus. [/quote]
Ahhh, but you dont fly backwards because you are already in contact with the bus when its moving..

The fly question can also bring up... if you leap into the air the instant before the bus sets off, will you land further back than you began? [/quote]
i think someone is going to have to try it out

[quote name='GreyBeard' date='Jan 5 2004, 12:48 PM'][quote name='tdiplc' date='Jan 5 2004, 09:30 AM'] Why is the ninth month called "September", when the prexix "Sept" is associated with 7 in many languages?

Why is the tenth month called "October", when "oct" in associated with 8 in many languages?

Why is the twelth month called "December", when "Dec" is associated with 10 in many languages?

Whats all that about  [/quote]
if memory serves me correctly, two extra months were inserted, i think june and july, or poss july and august, which pushed the later ones back by two. [/quote]
Digging far far back to my school days... I think the Romans added July & August as a tribute to the emperors' Julius Caesar and Augustus. They didn't want them associated with the winter months, so they were added during the summer.

[quote name='Brettster' date='Jan 5 2004, 03:37 PM'][quote name='Fidgits' date='Jan 5 2004, 12:59 PM'] [quote name='GreyBeard' date='Jan 5 2004, 01:53 PM'] [quote name='Brettster' date='Jan 5 2004, 09:57 AM'] If a fly was hovering in a parked bus and the bus set off what would happen to the fly?
would it stay in the same spot until the back window of the bus hit it, or would it stay in the same spot as the bus moves     [/quote]
if you're travelling in a bus which is doing 35mph and you jump up in the air, you don't hurtle backwards down the bus at 35mph, so i guess the fly maintains its position in the bus. [/quote]
Ahhh, but you dont fly backwards because you are already in contact with the bus when its moving..

The fly question can also bring up... if you leap into the air the instant before the bus sets off, will you land further back than you began? [/quote]
i think someone is going to have to try it out [/quote]
I recon the answer is different for the person than for the fly.

The fly will move with the bus because it has very little inertia so, as the air in the bus moves forward, it will push the fly with it.

If a person jumps just as the bus sets off, the person will land further back in the bus because he/she has a large momentum keeping him/her stationary.

[quote name='GreyBeard' date='Jan 5 2004, 02:48 PM']and why has LISP got an 'S' in it?[/quote]
Because it stands for LISt Programming?

Oh, you didn't mean that sort of LISP