Invisible wrote:
> What THE HELL is actually in Oxo cubes? Seriously, WTF are those things 
> actually made of? Clearly there's corn flour and salt in them, but 
> what's the rest of it?

Dunno what that is ...

> Ditto Bisto.

Dunno...

> Actually, Marmite too. And Worcester Sauce. And Cola! Hmm... dark brown 
> liquids with inexplicable flavours...

Worcestershire sauce is ... fermented anchovies.
Cola is flavored with lots of stuff: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cola

> What does "101" actually mean? (Besides being the 26th prime number, 
> anyway.) What do people actually mean when they say "bird watching 101"?

Introductory level. Traditionally freshman college classes follow this 
form with class numbers, though I've only seen 4-digit numbers, like 
Bilogy 1301 would be a freshman level biology class.

> Why do overhead cables never flap around in the wind? Come to think of 
> it, why doesn't rain short out power cables?

Those cables are pulled rather tight, also take a close look at high 
tension wires, they'll have some funny looking thing hanging off of 
them that looks like some sort of paddle, This also helps with the wind. 
And they're too far apart to short out in the rain. Fresh water is 
actually not a great conductor, and air is even a worse conductor. 
Submerge them in salt water, and they'll short for sure.

> Steelworks. They have furnaces hot enough to melt steel, right? So what 
> THE HELL is the furnace itself made of?!

They're lined with ceramic bricks. ;)

> Poisonous berries. Now, let's think about this for a moment. The purpose 
> of fruit is to be eaten, thus dispercing the seeds it contains. So... 
> WHY WOULD YOU MAKE IT POISONOUS?! That defies the object of the exercise!

They may be toxic to mammals, but birds might be immune to the toxin. 
It's a protective measure. Many mammals can digest the seeds, Birds, on 
the other hand pass the seeds right through. Same reason hot peppers are 
hot.

> Why do some people like the X-Files?

It was an enjoyable show!

> Are mushrooms poisonous on purpose, or by accident?

Probably on purpose. Obviously not all are toxic.
-- 
~Mike

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