The Straight Dope 05/21/2004

The Straight Dope -- By Cecil Adams
http://www.straightdope.com

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THE STRAIGHT DOPE 05/21/2004

Dear Cecil:

Is there such a thing as the "touch of death" in martial arts? Can I
walk up to someone, pinch them in a certain spot, and kill them
instantly? I've heard people swear such a thing exists, but I find it
extremely hard to believe. --Jon Huff, via E-mail

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Cecil replies:

Even martial arts enthusiasts don't take this one too seriously, except
for the impressionable souls who think assassins used the touch of death
to kill kung fu star Bruce Lee in 1973. (The more widely held view says
he was done in by an allergic reaction to painkillers.) One smartarse on
a martial arts message board observes, "One time I hit a guy in a
pressure point, and he EXPLODED! It was like something out of a video
game man! I swear, there is a point somewhere that makes a human being
just burst into giblets if you hit it right!" However, we scientists
don't dismiss such phenomena antecedent to inquiry. Having browsed the
medical literature, I'd say the verdict on whether this mysterious
Oriental skill has any basis in reality is as follows: The touch of
death, no. The less-forceful-blow-than-you-might-expect of death,
occasionally yes.

For more, see:
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/040521.html

STRAIGHT DOPE CLASSIC #1 - 06/26/1981
  
Dear Cecil:

Here is a matter that has not been on my mind for quite a while now,
that isn't a matter of life or death, and that doesn't have 50 bucks
riding on it: tell me, what are the differences between Cinerama,
Panavision, and Super Panavision? Are any of these simply trade names
for ordinary 70mm film? --Bruce Lund, Western Springs, Illinois

Dear Bruce:

You might have mentioned CinemaScope, Metroscope, Ultra Panavision, or
any of about a dozen other cinematic breakthroughs while you were at it,
Bruce; the movie industry has never been at a loss for grandiose titles
for its dubious products. All of the above refer to various widescreen
techniques intended to help Hollywood meet the TV challenge of the 50s.
The earliest, Cinerama (1952), required three projectors flashing onto a
huge curved screen to give the illusion of depth. 1953 saw the debut of
CinemaScope, which was the first of several processes to use an
anamorphic lens. Such lenses squeezed the unusually wide screen image
like an accordion so that it would fit onto an ordinary 35mm
negative--i.e., everything got skinnier. When projected, a reverse
anamorphic lense stretched the compacted image back out to its original
width. In some instances, the stretching was done in the lab, meaning
you used a 35mm negative to make a 70mm print, which was then projected
with an ordinary 70mm lens. Panavision appeared on the scene a year or
two after CinemaScope, and eventually offered three techniques: ordinary
Panavision, which uses a 2.35:1 anamorphic lens to squeeze a wide image
onto a 35mm negative; Ultra Panavision, with 1.25:1 lens and a 65mm
negative; and Super Panavision, with an ordinary 1:1 lens and a 65mm
negative. 65mm, incidentally, is the size of the film used in the
camera. When the film is processed, a 5mm sound stripe is added and what
the movie houses get is 70mm wide.

For more, see: 
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_366c.html

STRAIGHT DOPE CLASSIC #2 - 02/18/1977

Dear Cecil: 

Everybody knows that (1) telephone service is usually not interrupted
when electric power goes out and that (2) you can talk on the phone
while soaking in the bathtub without electrocuting yourself. Why? What's
so special about the way telephones are powered? --Vicki T., Los Angeles

Dear Vicki:

Instead of being wired to your house electrical line, most telephones
are powered by storage batteries located at the telephone company's
central headquarters. The storage batteries, of course, are themselves
charged by the local electric company line, but when possible, the phone
company, in its infinite wisdom, tries to connect to two different power
sources--in case the generator supplying one line goes out, they can
fall back on the other. If everything fails, the batteries can usually
supply enough current to cover short breaks in service. Should there be
a longer interruption, many of the central stations are equipped with
diesel generators that can be pressed into action with a flick of the
switch.

For more, see:
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_376.html

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