Cecil, you are my hero. My ultimate goal in life is to be the polymath you are. My question concerns a mythical “chicken gun” used for testing jet engines. I have heard tales of store-bought poultry being shot out of a gun at 500 mph into a running jet engine to test the engine’s mettle should a pigeon or some other fowl have the misfortune to cross paths with a 747. Does this gun exist, and how does it shoot a roasting hen at that speed without said bird disintegrating? –NoraPatric, via AOL
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One problem with researching this question is that everyone thinks he has to tell you the chicken joke. Seems the French borrowed the chicken gun from an American aircraft company to test the windshields of their high-speed trains. After the first test they called the aircraft engineers and said, “Sacrebleu, ze chicken destroy ze windshield and dent ze back wall! What gives?” Having asked a few questions, the engineers replied, “Next time let the chicken thaw first.” Talked to two different guys who swore this really happened. Bet they believe in the $250 Mrs. Fields cookie recipe, too.
LESS FILLING, LOSE WEIGHT
But there is a way to stay thin drinking beer. Just wash down that Bud with 2,620 milliliters (not quite three quarts) of ice water. Not only would warming up the ice water burn off the rest of the beer calories, but you might lose the calories from lunch, too.
