Further vs. Farther February 24, 2004
Posted by Library Answer Person in : Uncategorized , add a commentWhat is the difference between further and farther. Is farther even a word? Can my friend throw the ball farther than me, or further than me?
ANSWER PERSON RESPONDS: Depends on how fur you want Answer Person to takes this. Well, beyond that snide jab at southern culture, demonstrating a variance that doesn’t work, there really isn’t much difference. They are both words, coming from different Middle English roots, each with different German ancestries, long used interchangeably as adverbs and adjectives. The “American Heritage® Book of English Usage” concurs with this, though it goes on to point out “A relatively recent rule, however, states that farther should be reserved for physical distance and further for nonphysical, metaphorical advancement.” [http://www.bartleby.com/64/C003/0121.html] So, unless you and your friend are throwing a virtual ball, “farther” is the way to go. Need I take this any further?
90 Point Losses February 19, 2004
Posted by Library Answer Person in : Uncategorized , add a commentIn the last five years, how many times has a college basketball team scored 90 points (or more) in regulation and lost without overtime?
ANSWER PERSON RESPONDS: You know, Answer Person has a real job, a real life, and isn’t about to get into a answering an endless series of sports stats trivia questions. Really! Now, if you want to know how many games Duke men and women have had this year where they scored 90 or more points, without overtimes, and lost the games, well, Answer Person will bend the rule(?) to allow for the Duke Fan Loyalty Exception. For now.
The answer:
The men, not once in the past five years; the last time was a 94-92 loss to Maryland March 1, 1995.
The women, not once in the past five years, ten years, fifteen years . . . never!
Mucus February 18, 2004
Posted by Library Answer Person in : Uncategorized , add a commentWhat is mucus (sp?) and why does your body produce it?
ANSWER PERSON RESPONDS: Actually, and curiously, your spelling is correct. MUCUS is produced by MUCOUS cells, found in the MUCOUS membranes. According to the MEDICAL DICTIONARY ONLINE, “It contains mucin, white blood cells, water, inorganic salts, and exfoliated cells.” (http://www.online-medical-dictionary.org/omd.asp?q=Mucus)
Why? Two reasons. First, as a protective lining for the digestive tract and nasal passages. Second, so that spitters can maintain their disgusting habit even when they are out of chewing tobacco.
What value hath stock? February 14, 2004
Posted by Library Answer Person in : Uncategorized , add a commentHow are stock prices determined? Is it based on what percentages of a company are for sale or what prices people are willing to pay? It seems to me that different people would be willing to pay different prices for a chunk of a company. Is there some kind of independent commission?
ANSWER PERSON RESPONDS: Stocks are shares in the value of a company; in theory that means that you take the value of the company and divide by the number of shares and you get the value per share. This concept works best with the IPO, or initial public offering, where the value has to be approved by the particular stock exchange. (All new stock issues have to be registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.) After that, a lot of things determine the value, i.e., what the buyer is willing to pay: company value, performance, dividend payments, perceptions of future growth and structure of the company, perceptions of the companies business sector, perceptions of overall market performance, perceptions of overall performance of the U.S. economy, perceptions of the stars, perceptions of the tea leaves at the bottom of your cup, etc.
For a nice economist’s overview see Jeremy Siegel’s “Stock Prices,” from the CONCISE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ECONOMICS (http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/StockPrices.html).
Valentine’s Day Ideas February 11, 2004
Posted by Library Answer Person in : Uncategorized , add a commentWhat should I do for my special lady for Valentine’s Day? Any gift ideas?
ANSWER PERSON RESPONDS: Flowers. Chocolates. Back massage. Foot massage. Lingerie. Music CD. Tickets to the Duke Women’s Basketball game at UNC (6 PM at the Dean Dome). A Book. Perfume. Satin/silk sheets. Dinner at a great restaurant. Take her to or rent a movie (chick flick!). Jewelry. Have a star named after her. Write a poem. Create a work of art. Cook a fantastic dinner.
Tell her how special she is. Repeatedly. In different ways.
Trampoline February 10, 2004
Posted by Library Answer Person in : Uncategorized , add a commentI have just received a trampoline as a hand-me-down gift. I am delighted about the gift, but don’t know how to get it from my friend’s house to mine? It is big, I think too big for a pickup truck. Any suggestions?
ANSWER PERSON RESPONDS: Is it a round trampoline? If so, rolling is an option. How far do you have to move it?
Also, think of this in terms of initial acquisition. How did it get to your friend’s house? If it wasn’t a big truck (rental is also an option, as is getting in touch with a local sporting goods company that sells them), it probably came unassembled.
So, taking apart the problem, Answer Person suggests you take apart the trampoline. Could be a difficult, frustrating process, but you can take those feelings out on the finished product.
