What Makes Flamingos Pink : A Colorful Collection of Q & A's for the Unquenchably Curious - Hardcover

McLain, Bill

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060198265 ISBN 13: 9780060198268

Publisher: Harper, 2001

Synopsis

Do spiders sleep? Why are barns red? Why is there a crescent moon on outhouse doors? Are zebras white with black stripes or black with white stripes?

As the Xerox Corporation's official webmaster, Bill McLain often fielded as many as 1,000 questions a day on just about everything under the sun -- and beyond. The wildest, funniest, and even most astute are collected here (along with their answers) in McLain's second volume that's as fascinating and enlightening as his first, Do Fish Drink Water? A "veritable Internet legend known for having all the answers" (San Francisco Chronicle), McLain explains what keeps squirrels from toppling off telephone wires; why the skin on your fingers and toes shrivels up in the water; how seedless watermelons are created; and more. Whether it's animal, vegetable, mineral, or something completely different, the answer is bound to be as interesting as the question itself, and certain to satisfy the trivia hound in everyone.

About this title

About the Author

The Internet's legendary "Answer Whiz," Bill McLain was Xerox Corporation's official Webmaster. Responsible for the e-mails sent to the company Website, McLain and his team responded to an astounding 750-1,000 questions daily. While most of the e-mails he received were Xerox-related, every day scores of curious fact-seekers wrote with questions ranging from the bizarre to the useful to the downright comical. McLain collected the most memorable of these questions, along with his equally memorable answers, in What Makes Flamingoes Pink? and in its predecessor, Do Fish Drink Water? He lives in Santa Clara, California.

From the Back Cover

Do spiders sleep? Why are barns red? Why is there a crescent moon on outhouse doors? Are zebras white with black stripes or black with white stripes?

As the Xerox Corporation's official webmaster, Bill McLain often fielded as many as 1,000 questions a day on just about everything under the sun -- and beyond. The wildest, funniest, and even most astute are collected here (along with their answers) in McLain's second volume that's as fascinating and enlightening as his first, Do Fish Drink Water? A "veritable Internet legend known for having all the answers" (San Francisco Chronicle), McLain explains what keeps squirrels from toppling off telephone wires; why the skin on your fingers and toes shrivels up in the water; how seedless watermelons are created; and more. Whether it's animal, vegetable, mineral, or something completely different, the answer is bound to be as interesting as the question itself, and certain to satisfy the trivia hound in everyone.

Reviews

The subtitle of this book nicely describes what lies inside: intriguing, puzzling, and downright trivial. Each topic is posed as a question, which is then answered. The answers, written in a narrative style, have just enough detail to make them useful but not overwhelming. Many of the answers also include a "Did you know?" section that provides related information or facts that are tangential to the actual answer but quite interesting. The work is written in a conversational, accessible style that will appeal to many readers. McLain (Do Fish Drink Water?), who as webmaster for Xerox leads a team that fields inquiries addressed to the company, has a great deal of experience answering questions. Although the questions and answers are interesting, this book has limited value as a reference work. There are not enough entries to make it comprehensive in any topic, no sources are listed, and no cross references are given. It is fun to read in short bursts. It could even pique a school-age child's interest in a subject. Consider for circulating collections, not reference. Manya Chylinski, Ernst & Young, Ctr. for Business Knowledge, Boston
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Harper
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0060198265
• ISBN 13: 9780060198268
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 336