Big shoes don't make the man
09/25/02 — Notwithstanding the popularity of tacky Web gizmos like the Sizemograph, which purports to calculate the size of a man's penis based on measurements of his other body parts, experts continue to insist there is no such correlation. Most recently, a medical study published in the British Journal of Urology compared the measurements of 104 male Londoners and found "no statistically significant correlation" between penile length and shoe size.

And, in a timely though presumably unrelated occurrence, dozens of Bigfoot enthusiasts held their annual convention last weekend near Pittsburgh.

Santa Claus tops list of wealthiest fictional characters
09/24/02 — With an estimated net worth of infinity, Santa Claus beat out Richy Rich, Thurston Howell III and Montgomery Burns for the top spot on the Forbes Fictional Fifteen, a roster of America's richest fictitious personages released earlier this month. At 1,600-plus years of age, he is easily the eldest of the group, as well. Claiming residence in both New York City and the North Pole, Claus accumulated his "apparently unlimited wealth" through toy manufacturing, Forbes says. He also has the distinction of being the only legendary character on the list.

Egg balancing on the equinox
09/23/02 — In case you missed it, the autumnal equinox occurred on Sunday, September 22, meaning that because of the tilt of the earth's axis on its year-long orbit around the sun, day and night were of roughly equal length (a phenomenon that also occurs on the spring or vernal equinox). Among the many folk beliefs surrounding the seasonal event is the notion that raw eggs can be balanced on end due to supposed "special" gravitational forces. If you believe that, says astronomical curmudgeon Phil Plait, the yoke's on you.