no.stupid.answers

In the last week I noticed that there were a lot of science-related questions being asked by bloggers of all different stripes. Here’s a sampling:

• Minnesota Public Radio discusses the pros and cons of going nuclear.
• Science of Machines wants to know who invented the pulley.
• Reflections by Kris explores the purpose of Stonehenge.
• Life in These United States is looking for connections between thunderstorms and headaches.
• Latina Viva researches a soothing treatment for sunburn: aloe vera.
• Pound 360 goes solar to find out what is the diameter of the sun.

Thanks to all the bloggers who keep the Science and Technology category busy!

At WikiAnswers, we pride ourselves on our hundreds of categories: Cars, Computers, Collectibles… and those are just the ones that start with ‘C’. We’re especially proud of our Food & Cooking section, which is chock full of tasty tips and resplendent recipes.

Apparently, that category in particular has served up something else, which helped out the bloggers at Gateway Skepticism, a blog kept by “The St. Louis Skeptical Society, which was founded on October 11, 2007 by a handful of physics graduate students in order to promote skepticism, science, and critical thinking.”

This past Tuesday, on their search to find out, ahem, how to get better tasting semen (honestly, they’re just curious) they checked out quite a few internet research hot spots, and WikiAnswers was one of their last steps. Well, what do you know, in the Nutrition section we had just what they were looking for.

And there you have it. WikiAnswers, helping our most curious users, every step of the way…

(Whew. I hope I managed a tasteful post out of that!)

I’ve mentioned in the past that I’m not that good at the whole math-counting-numbers thing. So this week’s WikiAnswers Wednesday spotlight will be answered by someone a little more adept at the subject, our very own guest columnist, Jim.

How many pounds is equal to 5 kg?

Hi, I’m so glad you asked. Just the other day I was wondering the same thing myself. Well, I did some extensive research and this is why I found.

The key to answering this question is knowing what kind of product you’re talking about. 5kg of rice does not weigh the same amount as 7kg of flour or even 11kg of soy sauce. Each product has its own unique conversion formula. For example. 1kg of rice is worth four pounds of soy sauce in Indonesia and three pounds of barley in Manitoba. 1kg of potatoes will only buy you one toy car in Idaho, but if you take that same kilo to Belize you could bargain your way in to receiving a free boat and scuba excursion.

Science will try to tell you that one pound is 2.2 kg, but if you’re like me you’re skeptical of science. I go by the free market to make my decisions in life. Personally, I have 5kg of whipped cream that I would like to trade for some new whipped cream. Mine has passed the expiration date, but don’t tell anyone. I hope I can get 8 pounds of new whipped cream for my 5kg of old. Do you know anybody looking to switch?

I hope this helped you out, and if you have any other questions, WikiAnswers ain’t going nowhere.

-Jim