{"product_id":"the-explainer-isbn-9781400034260","title":"The Explainer","description":"\u003cb\u003eWhat happens to recalled meat?\u003cbr\u003eWhat’s the difference between a serial killer and a spree killer?\u003cbr\u003eHow do you stop a lava flow?\u003cbr\u003eDoes homeowner’s insurance cover murder?\u003cbr\u003eAnd what is Ovaltine anyway?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnswers to these and other fascinating questions you never thought to ask, from the writers at Slate Magazine\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAn entertaining and genuinely informative compilation of answers to some of life's most improbable questions, from the writers of the online magazine \u003ci\u003eSlate. \u003c\/i\u003eOften inspired by events in the news, the “Explainer” column asks the questions we never think to ask, or that we’re too embarrassed to admit we don’t know how to answer. Filling in these overlooked blanks of our daily lives, the book provides memorable tidbits for conversations, further rumination, or important context as we follow current events from day to day. Full of fascinating information about unlikely but important subjects, \u003cb\u003eThe Explainer \u003c\/b\u003ewill entertain and inform anyone who has ever stopped to wonder who runs Antarctica, how cell phones can reveal your location, or whether one can live off lizard meat.\u003cb\u003eSlate.com \u003c\/b\u003eis one of the leading general-interest daily Internet magazines. \u003ci\u003eSlate\u003c\/i\u003e currently has more than six million visitors each month. Founded in 1996, \u003ci\u003eSlate’s\u003c\/i\u003e focus in on providing commentary and analysis of politics, technology, business, and the arts. \u003ci\u003eSlate’s\u003c\/i\u003e writers have won numerous journalism awards including The National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association Excellence in Journalism Award, the Polk Award for Local Reporting, and the David N. Schramm Science Journalism Award, to name a few.THE EXPLAINER\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCan you break even playing slots?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eConservative moralist William Bennett claimed he'd \"come out pretty  close to even\" gambling over the past decade, contradicting a report  that pegs his losses at around $8 million. Given Bennett's stated  preference for high-stakes slot machines and video poker, does his  claim hold mathematical water?\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs a few lucky Powerball winners can attest, nothing's impossible when  it comes to fighting astronomical odds. But it's highly improbable that  Bennett has broken even through the years. The primary factor working  against the former White House drug czar is his choice of games.  Professional gamblers and mathematicians alike eschew slot machines as  suckers' bets; since no skill is involved, they're fixed to favor the  house, and the rapid action translates into rapid losses. The notion of  any machine being hot or cold on a given evening is pure myth, since  they're powered by computer chips that function as random number  generators. The belief among slot pullers that past losses mean  soon-to-be-realized jackpots-the \"I'm due\" mentality-is referred to as  the gambler's fallacy. One bet has absolutely nothing to do with the  next.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSlots are fixed to pay out a certain percentage of the money wagered in  each machine. In Atlantic City, for example, where Bennett has done  much of his gambling, state law sets a minimum payout of 83 percent.  However, because of market competition-everyone wants the \"Loosest  Slots in Town!\" title-the actual average is much higher, usually  estimated in the range of 90 to 95 percent. (Predictably, casinos are  rather cagey about their gaming statistics.) The remaining 5 to 10  percent is referred to as the casino's hold, or take. The high-stakes  machines, which Bennett favors, have higher payout percentages,  sometimes hitting 98 percent.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOver the long run, of course, the house always wins, thanks to a  mathematical principle known as the law of large numbers. Simply put,  the larger the number of plays, the more likely that the fixed  probability will catch up with the player. Bennett may have had a lucky  night here or there, but after untold thousands of spins, the fixed  nature of the slots likely caught up with him: Bennett almost certainly  lost between 2 and 10 percent of the millions he bet.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBennett might have helped his case by following intelligent slots  protocol, such as carefully reading the payout rules on each machine  (identical-looking slots may feature different maximum payouts, a  classic casino trick) and always betting the maximum allowable (which  increases the probability of hitting the top jackpot). Over a decade's  worth of gaming, however, that's not enough to beat the law.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe wild card (pun intended) in Bennett's hobby was his taste for video  poker, which requires a bit of skill rather than just lever-pulling.  (Gaming experts always recommend video poker over slots.) There are  even video poker machines with theoretical long-term payouts exceeding  100 percent-assuming that the player executes a perfect strategy on  each and every hand. Since that's not likely, a competent player can  expect an average payout ranging from 90 to 98 percent, depending on  his skill and the type of machine. Which means he or she is still going  to lose in the long run.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhat if you skip the census?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eEvery year, American households receive census forms sent out by the  federal government. Each envelope says, \"Your response is required by  law.\" What law is this? Has anybody been prosecuted for not responding?\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Census Bureau likes to stress the positive benefits of  participation in the survey, but the proverbial stick does exist. Under  federal law, you can be fined up to $100 for refusing to complete a  census form and $500 for answering questions falsely. Noncompliance  used to bring the possibility of a sixty-day prison sentence and a  one-year prison term for false answers, but Congress struck those  provisions in 1976.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlthough prosecutions are uncommon, people have been successfully tried  and convicted. In 1960, for instance, William Rickenbacker of  Briarcliff Manor, New York, answered the basic census questions but  refused to answer the expanded questionnaire, which asked about the  economic status of his household. He argued that it represented an  invasion of his privacy. A federal judge disagreed, fining him $100 and  handing him a sixty-day suspended prison sentence.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRickenbacker answered some questions, so his noncompliance was  obvious-but how would the federal authorities know about someone who  simply refused to return the form? When a census form is not returned,  the Census Bureau sends workers to follow up in person. They will  return as many as six times to the same residence. That information can  be referred to the Justice Department as the basis for prosecution.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNot all prosecutions go smoothly for the government, however. Hawaii  resident William Steele appealed a conviction and an accompanying $50  fine he received for not fully answering his questionnaire during the  1970 census. Steele argued that he had been singled out for prosecution  because he participated in a public protest against the census. An  appeals court agreed and threw out his conviction.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCan ice cubes cool your pool?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\"Dedicated pool owners are dropping hundreds of pounds of ice into  their 90-degree pools in hopes of some relief,\" The Wall Street Journal  reported in August 1999. \"Only one problem: It doesn't really work.\"  Why not? Assume a 15-by-30-foot pool, 6 feet deep. The water is 90  degrees Fahrenheit and you'd like to cool it to 80 degrees. How much  ice would that take?\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe pool holds just more than 20,000 gallons of water, all of which is  10 degrees too hot. To raise the temperature of a gallon of water by 1  degree Fahrenheit requires 2,100 calories. To cool a gallon by 1 degree  requires getting rid of the same amount. To cool 20,000 gallons by 10  degrees means getting rid of 420,000,000 calories.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIce cools by absorbing heat in two steps. First it melts; then the  resulting water rises to the temperature of its surroundings. It takes  about 36,000 calories to melt a pound of ice into 32-degree water. Each  pound of ice produces about 0.12 gallons of water. Since it takes 2,100  calories to raise a gallon of water a degree, 0.12 gallons of water  will absorb about 12,000 calories in the process of warming from 32  degrees to 80 degrees ([.12 x 2,100] x 48). Taking both steps together,  one pound of ice will absorb about 48,000 calories in the process of  becoming 80-degree pool water (36,000 to melt and 12,000 to warm).\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSo to lower the temperature of a 20,000-gallon pool of 90-degree water  by 10 degrees, you would need about 8,750 pounds of ice. A 10-pound bag  of ice costs around a buck, so cooling your pool with ice cubes would  cost $875. (It would also add about 3 inches to the depth of the  water.) And, of course, as long as the air around the pool and the  bodies in it are warmer than 80 degrees, the water would immediately  start getting warmer again.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor those pool owners who would like to personalize this calculation,  here's how: (1) Take your pool's volume, in gallons. (2) Divide by  1,000. (3) Multiply by the number of degrees (Fahrenheit) you'd like to  cool the water. (4) Multiply that number by 43.75. (5) Think again.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eDoes corking a baseball bat help a hitter?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eIn June 2003, Chicago Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa found himself in hot  water for using a corked bat in a game against Tampa Bay. How does  corking a bat help a hitter?\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCorking a bat lightens the lumber, which in turn increases bat speed  and, the conventional wisdom holds, hit distance. Corkers typically  drill a hole at the end of the bat, hollow out the sweet spot, and fill  it with wine corks or Superballs. The hole is then sealed with a  combination of sawdust and pine tar. The result is a bat that's several  ounces lighter than advertised, though still as long and thick as its  heavier peers. A lighter bat, of course, is easier to whip through the  strike zone. The theoretical edge seems infinitesimal. Assume a corker  reduces his bat's weight by 1.5 ounces. An average major league pitch  travels from the pitcher's hand to the plate in a hair under half a  second. The corked bat will give the hitter an additional  five-thousandths of a second to see the pitch, judge it, and get the  bat head moving through the strike zone.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA quicker bat may help a struggling hitter catch up with pitches, but  it actually reduces his ability to smack long drives. The primary  equation that determines a batted ball's distance is p = mv, where p is  momentum, m is mass, and v is velocity. Though a corked bat will travel  at a greater velocity, the tail-off in weight lessens the mass. As a  result, sluggers like Sosa will actually see the length of their moon  shots decrease. In his book The Physics of Baseball, Yale physicist  Robert K. Adair estimated that a corked bat will shave about a yard off  a 400-foot tater.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMore likely to benefit, then, are slap hitters who specialize in  singles. But the advantage is more psychological than anything else-a  corked bat is essentially a placebo for hitters on the skids. They also  splinter more readily, which makes catching the cheaters a lot easier.  Rather than risk long suspensions, Adair advises, players should opt  for lighter bats, perhaps those made of a lighter grain of wood. Or  they can just choke up three-quarters of an inch, which produces the  same uptick in bat speed as corking.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBonus Explainer:\u003c\/b\u003e Surprisingly, the same major league baseball rules  that outlaw corking make no mention of minimum or maximum bat weights,  although there's a maximum length of 42 inches and a maximum diameter  of 2.75 inches. The earliest set of codified rules for professionals,  published in 1857, recommended bats that weighed up to 48 ounces.  Today, given the abundance of pitchers who throw 95 mph cheese, players  prefer much lighter bats; the current average weight is about 33 ounces.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCan you give your congressman hockey tickets?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePresident Clinton spent August 1998 on Martha's Vineyard as the  houseguest of a wealthy Bostonian. Renting a comparable house for three  weeks would have cost an estimated $10,000 to $15,000, but the  president paid nothing. On the other hand, a Federal Trade Commission  attorney or a House member, for example, cannot accept even a hockey  ticket from a lobbyist. Why the difference? And who decides who can get  what?\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThere are actually four bodies that set ethical standards for federal  employees. Representatives are regulated by a House committee, senators  by a Senate committee, executive employees (including the president) by  congressional statute, and the judiciary by itself. The four sets of  rules about gifts vary a little, but all share the common objective of  discouraging bribes. (As part of the Republican revolution, both the  House and Senate voted themselves stricter rules in 1995, bringing  their regulations in line with those they'd imposed on executive  employees.)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe rules are: (1) judges and their staffs may not accept gifts; (2)  members of the House and their staffs may not accept gifts; (3)  executive branch employees-other than the president and vice  president-may accept gifts worth less than $20, and no more than $50  worth of gifts from any one source in a year; and (4) senators and  their staffs may accept gifts worth less than $50 (one source may give  only $100 worth in one year). There are naturally many exceptions and  fudges, which differ slightly among the four codes. Friends and family  may give unlimited gifts. Trophies, commendations, work-related travel,  award money, official dinners, baseball caps, soda pop, coffee, and  T-shirts are generally okay. (The House once posted a memo on  gift-giving chock- full of real-world examples such as \"Laura Lobbyist  offers Stanley Staffer tickets to a hockey game taking place in January  1996. Stanley may not accept.\")\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe most interesting exception to the federal regulations for executive  employees applies to exactly two people-the president and the vice  president-who are exempted from the limits on gift value. Federal  regulations justify the exception \"because of considerations relating  to the conduct of their offices, including those of protocol and  etiquette.\" The president and vice president may accept gifts of any  value from American citizens so long as they don't solicit the gift and  aren't influenced by it. A gift from a foreign citizen or government  worth less than $245 is acceptable; gifts worth more belong to the U.S.  government. When the president accepts certain kinds of gifts from  American citizens worth more than $250, he must disclose this fact. In  the case of the Vineyard house, though, because it falls into the  category of personal hospitality, the president didn't need to reveal  the value of this gift on his personal disclosure forms.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCould you really earn $100 million by taking a wife?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eIn the movie The Bachelor, a character leaves his grandson $100 million  in his will. The catch: To receive his inheritance, the grandson must  be married before his thirtieth birthday. Is this sort of restriction legal? And are there any limits on the conditions one can place on a  gift?\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGrandpa is well within his rights; conditional gifts to people and  institutions are not uncommon. Although the laws vary from state to  state, judges have generally reasoned that since the beneficiary is  free to decline the gift, such conditions don't violate anyone's  rights. So wealthy parents are free to put virtually any restriction on  their estates. Inherited money is most frequently contingent upon the  recipient's getting a college education or staying out of legal  trouble. But courts have even upheld parents' right to condition gifts  on the heir's abstaining from smoking or marrying someone of a certain  religion or ethnicity. And conditional gifts to charities-such as the  donation of a university building with the restriction that alcohol not  be served on the premises-have long been made. The courts have made  only a few exceptions:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e1. The condition cannot require a violation of the law.\u003c\/b\u003e This principle  has been used most frequently to prevent beneficiaries from having to  uphold illegal racial restrictions in order to receive property. For  instance, courts have overturned the proviso that donated parkland be  available only to white people.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e2. The condition cannot run counter to public policy. \u003c\/b\u003eCourts vary in  their interpretation of this principle but have generally used it to  strike down requirements that prohibit marriage or encourage divorce.  (Most commonly, a man will attempt to leave property to his wife as  long as she never remarries.) It has also been used to repeal  requirements that would cause family strife-for example, the provision  that inherited land can be used by only one side of the family. And it  has prevented beneficiaries from being required to change their  religion or name.What happens to recalled meat? What's the difference between a serial killer anda spree killer?  Does homeowner's insurance cover murder? 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