Perlinator

Certain well-known search engines keep track of what individual users search for. For example, if I were to use Google to search for the word "asthma", I might see various ads for asthma inhalers on various sites I subsequently visit, even if those sites have nothing to do with asthma. I am aware that Google tracks its users, but I don't know for certain if the same is true of other search engines, such as Bing, Lycos and Yahoo. Does anyone know of a search engine which does NOT keep track of an individual's Internet searches?

When trains crash, are there usually more survivors in the front or the back of the train?

We've all seen dead birds and squirrels on the roads that have been killed by cars. What about birds and squirrels that live out their lives and die from natural causes? Where do they wind up? Why do we never seem to see a dead bird or dead squirrel that simply died from old age? Just where are they?

Many Americans say that the USA is the greatest country in the world. I would like to know exactly what makes the USA better than every place else. Also, I want to know which countries are the second, third and fourth greatest; and why.

If a lamp or light fixture is labeled "Use maximum 60 watt bulb", is it safe to use a compact florescent bulb that is the EQUIVALENT of 100 watts but only uses 23 watts? I've heard contradictory information about this. When a CFL bulb is labeled "100 watt equivalent", I don't know if it refers only to the amount of electricity it uses or to the amount of heat as well.

I often notice a lot of trash on the sidewalks in parts of town where there are wastebaskets everywhere. Is there any reason why so many people seem to prefer the street over a wastebasket?

I bought a box full of Marvel superhero cards from the early 1990's at a yard sale. Most of them are in excellent condition, but a few of them are stuck together. I think it might be from water damage, but I don't know for sure. Is there a way to separate these cards without damaging them?

Factual, non-partisan answers, please!

Why are they not called triangles or rectangles? How did the shape of a square come to be associated with someone who is not hip or trendy?

If so, what percentage?

"The Simpsons" just finished its 21st season, and with a season-ending cliff hanger that will be continued in Season 22. So far, there have been close to 500 episodes.

I watched the premiere episode in December of 1989 and never thought I would still be watching NEW episodes of this series all these years later! What's more, most of the original voice cast is still intact, playing the same characters.

Some of the voice actors must be in their 60s or even 70s by now, and when they eventually die, they will be very hard to replace.

"The Simpsons" is still going strong and remains a staple of the Fox network, with a good-sized fan-base that continues to tune in. There is no sign it's going to end any time soon. So, anyone care to guess what season will be it's last one? I would guess Season 38, or maybe Season 43.

Side question: what would be a good plot for "The Simpsons" final episode?

Nixon could have easily gotten away with the Watergate break-in, were it not for those "meddling kids" at the Washington Post who worked tirelessly to investigate. I think if those two reporters had not worked so hard, Nixon would never have been caught, and he would have finished his second term. If the economy had been going well under Nixon until 1976, the years 1976 to 1980 would have been a Spiro Agnew presidency. (I wonder how President Agnew might have handled the Iran hostage crisis or the gasoline rationing.)

After 12 consecutive years of a Republican presidency, it is likely that a Democrat would have been elected in 1980 simply because it would have been "due". (American politics tends to run in cycles, with the pendulum swinging back and forth between Republican and Democrat.)

So, if a Democrat had been elected in 1980, the 1980's (or at least the early 1980's) could have been a time of a Democratic presidency.

It seems to me that much of American history of the last 36 years would have been significantly different if Nixon's role in the Watergate break-in had never been uncovered.

Would slavery have continued? If so, for how long? If slavery had continued indefinitely, would slaves be sold today on eBay?

I had two squirrels in my yard, and they've been pretty destructive to the house. (They've gnawed into the wooden support beams around the porch.) I bought a humane squirrel trap and caught one of the two squirrels, and I released it in a park five miles away.

I then re-set the trap for the remaining squirrel. I personally witnessed the remaining squirrel eyeing the food inside, and searching every side of the trap to try to figure out how to get the food without going inside! (This is a heck of a smart squirrel.) I want some ideas on how I can humanely catch it, as a standard humane squirrel trap won't work.

I'm not the only person to notice that Ann Coulter has a large Adam's apple for a woman. This could be a sign that she was not always a she. If this speculation about her sexual identity is false, she can prove her true sexual identity once and for all by releasing her birth certificate.