Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Down Under

Q: Is it appropriate to show pictures of Australia? My friend recently took a trip "Down Under," and I felt uncomfortable when he decided to share several pictures online.

A: This is a widely debated topic. People with different religious and cultural backgrounds can have very different views about what kind of images are appropriate, and in what circumstances. It is certain that we must put thought into when, where, and how we display pictures of "Down Under."

It is generally agreed that showing Australia is a necessity in certain educational contexts. Generally we limit exposure to just drawings during early geographical education of children, and only show actual photographs of the Southern hemisphere in college courses for more advanced geography students.

There is also strong historical precedent for showing the "Whole Earth" in artwork, from paintings and sculpture to photography. However, the line between art, and the inappropriate kind of lurid geographical photos is hotly debated. This is a major part of why such images are difficult to contain, and are often protected by courts as "Freedom of Expression."

From my background, I tend to feel that photographic images of Australia should be limited to the context of straight-forward higher education, and images in artwork should be somewhat more abstract, and should restrain their sensuality.

-Cowman

Where'd "Bugs!" Go?

Q: Hey, where did the post about bugs inflating themselves go? I need to cite it in a paper I'm doing on insect inflation.

A: Yeah... we have no idea what happened to that post. Apparently some clumsy person accidentally deleted it, and we have no backup copy. Here's the gist of it:

Q: Why do bugs look bigger to women than to men?

A: Until recently this was thought to be merely a case of exaggeration, but in 2007, when women were finally permitted to practice entomology, several surprising discoveries were made:
1. Bugs inflate near women, and deflate around men. This serves to scare away women, and helps to avoid detection by men.
2. Men do not include shadows when judging the size of an object, while women do include shadows.
3. Women have generally smaller body sizes, so insects are proportionally larger compared to women.

We have lost the rest of the information found in our report, but hope to see it again someday.


-Cowman

Monday, June 20, 2011

Are Tarantulas Bugs?

Q: Are Tarantulas Bugs?

A: Dear reader, it all depends on what you mean by "bug." If you mean a "true bug," then no, not even most real bugs are "true bugs." If by "bug" you mean insect, then no, tarantulas may have all kinds of legs, but they aren't insects. If by "bug" you mean "something that bugs you," then yes, tarantulas do bug you on some level, or you wouldn't be asking the question. If by "bug" you mean something that enters your body and makes you ill, then, Egad! I hope not! That's just super creepy.

What then, is a tarantula? If you're anything like me you were always suspicious of all that fur, and rightly so! According to recent revelations by Bell+Howell, it turns out they are in fact rodents:

Bell+Howell subtly reveal discovery that Tarantulas are in fact Rodents

-Cowman

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Disclaimer

We want to warn you that we do not guarantee the scientific accuracy of the answers of our heroes. All facts should be considered  possible products of an alternate universe or reality altering alien contact, and should be checked against sources with less exposure to superhuman powers, mad scientists, supernatural creatures, and/or space-time anomalies.

-Ask-a-Hero Staff

Friday, October 31, 2008

A New Format for Ask-a-Hero?

Well, looks like we'll be trying a new format for Ask-a-Hero. We'll hope that this lets our heroes answer questions more easily, and makes things better all around for everybody.