Straight Dope

As both of you who have read my blog may realize, I'm a big fan of Wikipedia.  It has become my go-to site when I need to learn something in a hurry.  But there are other times when the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit leaves me disappointed.  Fortunately www.straightdope.com has been there to pick up the slack, not only to inform me, but to entertain me.  

My first example of how I love straightdope.com comes from last August.  Los Angeles traffic being unpredictable as it is, I arrived quite early to a wedding where I only knew the bride.  There were a couple of familiar faces, but certainly no friends, so I tried to pass time on the fringes, watching pigeons in the shade.  I hate pigeons, but found myself watching their ridiculous head bobbing as they walked.  Being fascinated by movement, I wondered why the head bob seemed so excessive.  Surely this couldn't just be a balancing function.  Loving my Blackberry as much as I hate pigeons, I asked Google why pigeons bob their heads so much when they walk.  Second amongst the results was a link to a straight dope answer.  Following this link I found explanations ranging from balance, which I didn't buy, to assisting with depth perception due to their monocular vision.  Birds with forward facing eyes share our binocular vision, but probably not the neurosis that accompanies it.  The entertainment was great, as even the pigeons got to weigh in on why they did it (it feels good).

This last holiday season I was at a cooking demonstration at the Culinary Institute of America, and found myself wondering what was going on with the chef's outfits.  Once again Wikipedia left me sorely disappointed, and straightdope.com was there to pick up the slack.  No longer did I have to believe that a chef's hat was only to keep hair out of food.  I still think chef's hats are absurd, but they've got some history over the hairnet.  

I especially like that on the straight dope website, there is an option to search a random article from the archives.  I couldn't believe all the things I never knew I was interested in!  It's worth bookmarking the site for those inevitable waiting times.  If there is a downside to the straight dope, I will have to admit that I've spent an entire church service reading straight dope articles, and never heard a single word of the sermon.  It's that good--and bad.  I would tell you more about it, but I expect both of you to rush right over to www.straightdope.com and check it out for yourselves.

You're welcome.