Why do so many names have “bert” in them? Think about it–there’s a lot, both male and female, although the female ones are usually versions of male names. Albert, Bert, Cuthbert, Dilbert, Ethelbert, Filbert, Gilbert, Hubert…….
“Think about it?!” Thanks a lot. Combating my OCD, though, I’m going to answer this one quickly so it doesn’t ruin my weekend. “bert,” from the German word for “bright,” is perhaps a part of so many American names because nearly 20% of Americans claim German descent.
why is Toon (the rapper/producer that works on west campus) not famous yet?
Who can say? If he’s the real deal and gets the right breaks at the right time, he’ll make it.
Why is a Mulligan (as in golf) called a ‘Mulligan’? Is it because someone named Mulligan was particularly poor at golf?
According to Dr. Rand Jerris, United States Golf Association (USGA) Museum Curator, there are several variations of several stories on the origins of the term “mulligan.” All of them have something to do with a poor golfer named Mulligan, yet none of them is particularly amusing. There is a far more entertaining etymology, though seldom referenced, for the term “hazard.”
Born in 1895 in Pittsburgh, Tibor “TB” Hazard was a salesman – of everything from encyclopedias to QWERTY keyboard typewriters – but longed to spend all his time on the links. Unfortunately, TB was a horrible golfer, so bad he was something of a minor celebrity in western Pennsylvania. He lost so many balls, in fact, that he was awarded an early endorsement deal by Goodrich, which also made golf balls in the early 1900s (they gave him all the balls he could lose). The ball Goodrich produced at the time was a standard Haskell ball with a compressed air core, a ball that was prone to expand with heat and explode. On one particularly hot August Saturday in 1919, TB was slicing and shanking his way around the public course in Pittsburgh, balls exploding in the roughs and sand traps and even in the water. Other golfers, some just home from WWI, thought they were under attack by the Germans and fled the course. When they found out who was playing behind them, the term “hazard” was coined.
reason of vandalism
boredom
Do we fully understand why and how quantum entanglement happens? Better yet, will we ever understand it? Can it be reduced to a mechanics or is it like the rest of quantum mechanics, which is, by scientific definition, indeterminate? As a layman to physics, I don’t quite understand entanglement and it seems like some form of magic (minus the rabbits-in-hats part).
Physics Phriend, even physicists don’t fully understand quantum mechanics or entanglement; they just use and accept the theory. It’s a probabilistic theory, so therefore indeterminate. Quantum entanglement appears magical, but it’s happening on extremely small scales. So then, apparently, magical things can happen if they are within the uncertainty limits. It’s not magic to us, because we do not directly experience it (unless you wish to call everything magic and a miracle, which it essentially is).
Ack! I’m in love with someone who’s in love with me! Regarding sexual stuff, though, I have way more experience, but I’m worried about disappointing my partner in bed. Will honesty and basic niceness be sufficient to help us deal with all this?
If you start with “honesty and basic niceness,” everything else should slide into place. 😉 Good luck!
Pretty good post. I just stumbled upon your site and wanted to say that I have really enjoyed reading your blog posts. In any case I’ll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you write again soon!
Thanks. You’ve made my day a little sunnier.
If you are in a car traveling at the speed of light and you turn the headlights on, does anything happen?
First of all, “does anything happen” is pretty relative. So I’ll take a poke at what you intended to say.
According to Special Theory of Relativity, if you’re traveling at the speed of light you would have NO headlights: the whole car and you would have turned into pure energy (photons of light ) and you would be one with the universe. But if you are traveling very close to the speed of light, the light from the headlights will still appear to go forward at the speed of light relative to the car.
Hope this helps. Enjoy your trip 😉
The Kilgo Bell seems to ring at very random times. Is there a significance to when it rings and who controls it?
The bell in Kilgo Quad’s belfry is indeed rung from time to time, but I’m sworn to secrecy and can’t tell you anything more. For a brief history of the bell, see the 2006 Duke Magazine article by Tom Harkins, Associate University Archivist. My recommendation is to get a comfortable lawn chair, a reliable pair of binoculars, and a case of beer; park yourself in the Quad and let me know what you discover.
I can’t find army-regulations AR -635-200 written as follows
Para 13-5a(1), AR-635-200. Can you help?
Google it, soldier! Better 13-5a(1) then 13-5a(2).