Easter egg: On Full Screen DVD, go to Special Features, and then to Orphaned Scenes. To the left of the words "Dismal Deletions and Obnoxious Outtakes," there is a picture of Olaf. Right below his right hand is a wheel. Click on it, and it will take you to "Count Olaf's Ghastly Ghost Story."
Easter egg: Collector's Edition First disk: On the main menu, highlight the eye shape in the middle of the menu. Press OK and the credits scene with the Baudelaires shifts to the next part. There are several scenes to go through by pushing OK at each scene. Second disk: Go to Gruesome Galleries. Highlight Woeful World and press the right arrow. An eye should appear on the cutout of Olaf. Press OK to see a short feature entitled "Eyes are Everywhere". Second disk: On Gruesome Galleries, highlight the words Main Menu at the bottom. Press the right arrow and the swirl will light up. Press OK to see a short feature entitled "Portrait of the Artist as a Bad Man".
Answer: A magnifying glass concentrates all the light that goes through it at its focal point, and it is this focal point that needs to be placed on the object which one wants to set on fire. The distance of the focal point to the lens depends on the magnifying glass characteristics, and it is more than likely that Count Olaf chose a glass where the focal point would be situated exactly "37 blocks" away from his house, that is, at the Baudelaire's mansion. When trying to set on fire an object much, much closer, the glass would concentrate much, much less energy, and would only be able to set on fire easily burnt objects, such as thin paper.
AnthonyA