DEAR SUN SPOTS: If someone finds a pair of sunglasses in a maroon case , blue metal frames with dark lenses in the Kmart parking lot or inside Kmart, They are prescription sunglasses, and I really would like to have them back. If found, please call 713-0703. Thank you. — Natalie Kyllonen, bmbracing@gmail.com

DEAR SUN SPOTS: How does a flock of birds or a school of fish change directions at the same time? — Just Wondering, No Town

ANSWER: Sun Spots found an explanation on the National Geographic website, http://tinyurl.com/ncakbeq, which said that “birds, fish, and mammals that travel together in large numbers tend to be crowded together, which means individuals can only see the animals closest to them. This means they must make collective decisions on which direction to take, otherwise they risk never reaching the desired destination.

“Disunity can also prove fatal — wildebeests or caribou that stray away from the main herd are far more likely to fall victim to lions or wolves.

“Using computer simulations, the study team found that group coordination arises from two factors: the need for a group to stick together and the desire of some individuals to make their own minds up about where to go.

“During [computer] simulations, the researchers found that it needed only a few individuals to set off together in a certain direction for hundreds of others to follow.

“The study suggested that just a handful of animals were as effective in leading a large group as a small one. And as group size increased, the number of individuals needed to guide it accurately reduced dramatically.

“The study also suggested that the will of the majority won out when deciding which way to turn next. When subgroups of animals with different ideas on where they were headed were introduced to the simulations, the overall group went with the majority consensus, even if it outnumbered the minority by just a single vote.”

DEAR SUN SPOTS: In response to your column about “great” vs. “grand,” growing up in the 1940s and ’50s, I had a grandmother (Nanna) and her mother, my great-grandmother. I don’t think my cousins and I would have even comtemplated calling my greatgrandmother anything but “Greatnanna.” It never seemed awkward to us and, I think now, was a sign of respect. — Carol Cantin, lecar@roadrunner.com

ANSWER: That’s a terrific nickname. For those who missed the first column, the point of the original question was about doubling up “great” and “grand,” which seems awkward to Sun Spots. This reader certainly wouldn’t have called her Greatnanna either Great-greatnanna or Grand-greatnanna. So the fact that great and grand are interchangeable doesn’t really affect what people actually call their older relatives.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: Is there anyone who would like Styrofoam eff containers? We save them but the person we were giving them to no longer needs them? — Pete, palberda@gwi.net, 777-1184

ANSWER: Sun Spots emailed Pete (twice) to see if he meant egg, not eff, but got no response. She cannot imagine that he didn’t mean egg.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: I have three pairs of 84-inch rubber-lined curtains with hooks that Belinda (Dec. 13) might be interested in. — Louise, 783-0807

This column is for you, our readers. It is for your questions and comments. There are only two rules: You must write to the column and sign your name (we won’t use it if you ask us not to). Please include your phone number. Letters will not be returned or answered by mail, and telephone calls will not be accepted. Your letters will appear as quickly as space allows. Address them to Sun Spots, P.O. Box 4400, Lewiston, ME 04243-4400. Inquiries can also be emailed to sunspots@sunjournal.com.

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