Category: Smcquaid

The Question

Jen says:
2005-08-17 17:03:12

Oh great and all knowing Shaun…

For some time I have been under the impression that you should limit the use of your car air conditioner because it uses more gas. However, yesterday on the news I heard that in reality this does not work. They claimed the having your windows down creates extra drag on the car, which therefore negates any savings. What is the real story?

Also, some crazy guy in my life always insists that I leave my air conditioner on all year. The idea, I believe, is that it will produce a dry air, which is beneficial in the winter. Is there actually a benefit? And…am I using more gas than necessary by doing this in the winter, when my windows are up? Any clarification that you can offer as a NEUTRAL researcher would be greatly appreciated as we attempt to settle this issue once and for all.

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The Question

ben says:
2005-08-08 14:07:43

Dear Shaun McQuaid, Answer King of the Scots,

I recently attended a wedding in which I witnessed the tradition of the boquet/garter toss… could you explain where this tradition came from? Why do the bride and groom get more luck if the garter is placed higher?

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The Question

Aaron says:
2005-08-02 22:00:47

As a student of the guitar, I have come to learn that the standard tuning of a guitar is in the pattern EADGBE, going from the lowest pitched string to the highest. Of course, alternate tunings are also used (such as DADGBE, or drop-D), but why is this one so dominant in the modern musical world?

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The Question

Old Man Schenk says:
2005-08-02 11:02:35

Dear Shaun,

Sparked (pun intended) by your diesel fuel answer, I have another fuel-related question: octane. The commonly held belief seems to be that the higher octane rating a gasoline has, the more power you get from your engine (the is probably encouraged by the use of words like “super” and “premium” to describe higher octane gas). Other people have told me that octane is a measurement of temperature, not power, and that putting high octane fuel into some engines can actually reduce performance. SO, what is octane, what does it measure, and what does that mean for me the consumer?

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