I have a theory as to why people frequently meander into their companion when walking beside that person.

(a) that there is a magnetic polarity problem
(b) that one leg is shorter than the other.


Anyone have another reason?

they are practicing picking pockets?

I do that. It's the leg thing.

Interestingly, it's also made my face grow asymmetrically. Very odd.

<Awed to silence>

I think it's the 'random weaving' gene. I've been afflicted my whole life and am quite a hazard on pavements!

Asymmetry... fascinating.

in my experience it`s a combination of uneven ground and worn down heels on the footwear for older people and usually excess alcohol for the young´uns.

There's a concept in quantum physics (and also in master marinering from the sailboat days*) that there are random pressures impinging on you from all directions and the net effect of all these impacts is cancelled out so your trajectory is not affected. When you walk close to someone else there are no impacts from the side sheltered by your walking companion and so the effect of the random impingments is thus to move you towards the sheltered side.

Eventually you collide with your walking companion.


So it's quantum, innit?


*The article I read (in New Sc ientist pre 2000 I think) stated that the idea came from sailboat days when in still conditions that if two becalmed ships were lying abeam of each other the effect of the small ripples/weaves was to push the ships together, and so if this situation occurred the ship masters would get some crew in a longboat and they would tow the ships along so that they were no longer abeam of each other.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/17/2009 09:30AM by bunyip.

So, we should always take the dog with us, just in case?

Bunyip! That is fascinating! That also explains my long observed confusion as to why the last few Weetos/Honey Nut Loops/Cherios floating in the bowl always seem to come together if not already attatched to the sides by (milk) surface tension.

Amazing.

I always blame gravity for that- it's the bane of my existence, or at least high on the list-
maybe one day we can finally unify all the forces & solve some of these problems...

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I have both legs shorter than the other....

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Well done. Did you have to work at it?

What is the matter with you all?

Since Bibwit posted 4 day ago I have done nothing but sit at the window watching people walk down our street.

Not one of them, NOT ONE OF THEM, lurched into their companion.

and now, and now, it turns out I should have been watching Cherios in a bowl.

Sorry! I thought you were watching the bowls of Cherios being carried by allthose people.

Now all we have to do is get a petition for cherios to be considered people in their own right...

Latest findings: Cheerios can't or won't walk along a pavement.

Well, YOUR Cheerios can't. Mine are another matter entirely.

Depends on how long they've been sitting out in that bowl of milk.

The theory may be wrong!
I watched a couple of people in the street do their cheerios and they headed off in different directions.

Latest findings: birds do not lurch into one another even when flying in very close formation.

Theory: this is because the penalties for mid air collision are too great, natural selection has been at work.

Conclusion: Greater penalties are reuired for cheerios found lurching into one another in bowls of milk.

Proposal: Death by mastication.