Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #20255 in Books
• Published on: 2006-09-04
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Synopsis
Have you ever wondered why cats purr or whether it can really rain frogs? Bill McLain answers and expands upon these problems, leaving you knowing much more than just a simple answer to the puzzling and improbable questions that he was asked when webmaster for a major website. Spanning the spectrum from useful to bizarre to downright comical, the questions range from animal and human behaviour to geography and medicine. As the official Webmaster for Xerox, Bill McLain was responsible for handling all mail from Xerox's external web site. However, he was quickly surprised by the kinds of questions he was receiving, questions like whether people born blind can see in their dreams, where the lowest point on Earth is, and why rabbits are associated with Easter. McLain began to answer each and every question he received. The result - collected in "Do Fish Drink Water?" - is a surprising, funny, and informative collection of facts. McLain's answers - often as wild as the questions - prompt entertaining anecdotes about where he found them, and how he's played a role in inventions, long-delayed reunions, and even a marriage or two.

He also provides an extensive list of web sites where he conducts research, offering an informative guide to making the most of the Internet. As for the title question, although fish do drink water, their primary method of obtaining fresh water is through osmosis. The water seeps into their body through tiny holes in their skin.

Customer Reviews

Intresting but american
This book is very intresting and full of great facts.
However if you are not american, i dont reccomend buying it. many of the questions are very american, e.g. "most terrifying of all is the 'roundabout'... there are no stop signs or rules for yielding", and he explains what a british roundabout is... "who was the youngest american to go up into space?"... "what caused the fire that destroyed san fransisco?"...
Good book, but i reccomend the QI book instead for british buyers.