My downstairs neighbors use lighter fluid for their charcoal grill and the fumes fill our condo if we aren't home. What are the specific health hazards of the fumes from charcoal lighter fluid? [more inside]
posted on Jun 28, 2008 - 9 answers

It seems obvious, but what is the best liquid to drink to prevent dehydration in a desert environment? [more inside]
posted on Jun 19, 2008 - 23 answers

Ear filter: Is there an over the counter medication that is similar to the prescription version of Allegra D? (Long story inside.) [more inside]
posted on May 3, 2008 - 10 answers

My neck cracking habit is killing me. [more inside]
posted on Jan 20, 2006 - 24 answers

AutoFilter (1995 Nissan Sentra): I need to refill my power steering fluid. My manual (which has been known to be misleading before) says to use "Dexron-II power steering fluid or equivalent." Lady behind the Autozone counter says there's no such thing, because Dexron only makes transmission fluid. She says transmission fluid and power steering fluid are interchangeable "for some cars"; guy behind me in line freaks out and says I'll destroy my power steering if I do.

I just want to know which bottle of stuff to spend a couple of bucks on so I quit hearing that creaking sound when I turn. My trusty mechanic Rich is on vacation, so I turn (heh) to you, good Mefites, in his stead!
posted on Sep 15, 2004 - 17 answers

I've occasionally heard it said that "For a bacteria, moving through water is like a person trying to wade through liquid concrete" (or jello, or mud, or whatever...) What is a good layman's explanation for this scaling of viscosity? Is it simply that at the scale of a bacterium, the strength of the intermolecular forces in a fluid are more comparable to the strength that a bacterium has to push itself through the fluid, or is there something deeper to it?
posted on Jun 28, 2004 - 3 answers