(This letter was originally printed in The Straight Dope newspaper column, sometime in '94 - I think - or maybe '93. No, it was '94. At least I'm pretty sure it was. Can I get back to you on this?   -Doc)

I've enjoyed your column for many years and was delighted to see a Firesign Theatre reference October 7. [A reader inquired why the porridge bird lays her eggs in the air.] For your information, the famous Zen question or virus which breaks the computer in our record "I Think We're All Bozos On This Bus" actually comes from a lovely woman named Angel I dated back in the '60s. She's from Texas, and claims that when she was a little girl a leprechaun appeared in her backyard one day while she was playing, asked her that exact question, and then laughed and ran away! I've always interpreted the query as referring to the ecological challenge that faces the planet; to wit, the steady loss of trees in which many birds are wont to nest. But it's obviously open to many interpretations, as is much of our work.

Phil Proctor,
Beverly Hills, California