OPEN SPACE

What is a chop shop?
It is slang for an illegal business or unit where stolen cars or other
goods are disassembled and then sold. The other meaning stands for
businesses whose products, services or equipment are of questionable
quality. The term gained currency when US Senator Charles Schumer used
it for Infosys and other IT companies, in context of the US losing
jobs. Chop shop can also mean a brokerage that sells fraud
non-existent equities. It is used colloquially for shops run by
butchers or barbers.
— Renuka Dave, Chennai
Where is 'magnetic' hill in India?
India's magnetic hill is located close to Leh and is alleged to have
magnetic properties strong enough to pull cars uphill. Locals and
Indo-Tibetan Border Police personnel claim that aircraft passing
through the area have to fly at a greater speed to avoid the pull the
hill has on the aircraft in order to avoid its radius which could
cause the aircraft to jerk. Vehicles allegedly move uphill even with
the engines off. There are similar magnetic hills in Mocton in Canada
and New Brunswick in the USA.
— Lipika Roy, Gurgaon
What is a digital pet?
A digital or virtual pet is an artificial human companion that exists
only in hardware. Interaction with the pet may or may not be
goal-oriented. If interaction with virtual pets is goal-oriented then
the user must keep it alive and even help it to grow by 'feeding',
grooming and playing with it. If the interaction is not goal-oriented,
the user can focus solely on building a relationship with it. There
are digital pet cemeteries where, after the use of the pet, the owner
can lay it to rest. — Pushpa Saikrishnan, Hyderabad
How did the '$' symbol originate?
The origin of the dollar symbol ($) actually comes from the
handwritten 'ps', an abbreviation for 'peso' in old Spanish-American
books. The word 'dollar' has been derived from the Flemish or Low
German word daler (in German taler or thaler), short for
Joachimstaler, referring to a coin from the silver mines of
Joachimstal in Bohemia. It was adopted as the name of the US currency
unit in the late 18th century. Some believe it is US, with the S
written over U with a flourish. — Ramesh Babu, Chennai
Why don't we sneeze while we are sleeping?
Sneezing is a normal physiological phenomenon caused by irritation in
the nasal membrane. This may be due to an infection, allergy to
pollen, dust or smoke. While sleeping, we do not sneeze because the
reticular process — a part of brain that controls sleep — does not
allow many stimuli, including that of a sneeze, to come into the
central nervous system. — Neha Jayaswal, Gr Noida
What is pina?
Pina in Spanish means pineapple, the fruit. A cocktail called pina
colada, made with pineapple, rum, and coconut milk, is a common drink
in Cuba and Puerto Rico. In the Philippines, the fibre extracted from
the leaves of the pineapple plant is used for making textile fabric
called pina. Pina fabric is known for its lustrous white colour,
lightness, stiffness, and transparency. It is used for making table
linen, bags and mats. — V Venkata Rao, Ahmedabad
ANY ANSWERS?
Why do men's shirts have buttons on the left side and women's shirts
on the right?
— Srinivas R Khode, Belgaum
What is a cloud burst? Where and how does it occur?
— S P S Jain, Gr Noida
What is a 'lemon law' and why it is called so?
— Kuldeep Kumar Jain, Mumbai
How did the term 'flat' originate?
— N N Laha, Gwalior