At the local pub, a group of us muse slightly incoherently on why the British drive on the left. James puts down his pint, gets out his phone, and texts the question to the number 63336. Before long an answer comes back, explaining how jousting knights of yore would hold their lance under their right arm and thus would ride on the left. Happy with the image it has conjured up of jousting Vauxhall Corsas, we get another round in.

AQA, or Any Question Answered, has pitched itself as a toy for bickering drinkers and pub quiz cheaters, with beermat adverts offering to settle disputes in a matter of minutes. But Paul Cockerton, their marketing director, has other targets, too: the commuter trying to find alternative routes to work, the traveller needing flight information, and the agoniser, simply unable to make a decision for themselves. “For example, we have a long running dialogue with someone who asks us every day what he should have for lunch.” At £1 a pop it’s not the cheapest way of deciding on a sandwich filling, but people don’t appear to be put off by the price tag. Since their launch in April, AQA have answered tens of thousands of questions, ranging from mundane enquiries regarding Baumatic gas cookers, to more colourful requests for advice on nightclub seduction techniques.

Cockerton and CEO Colly Myers hit upon the idea whilst sitting at Lord’s Cricket Ground, deeply frustrated by a crossword clue – “Herring (4)”. When a friend eventually texted them the answer, the seeds of AQA were sown. The setup is skeletal; a tiny head office in a flat in St John’s Wood forms the hub of a network of 50 researchers who sit in front of PCs around the globe, providing answers around the clock. Recruited via internet messageboards and picked for their net-trawling talents and witty turns of phrase, they are sent questions via AQA’s burgeoning central database. If they draw a blank, it gets passed down the line to another researcher, with the most difficult enquiries ending up on the “Hard Question List”. Myers: “Obtaining Wayne Rooney’s inside leg measurement was a tough one. And if you ask us impossible questions that don’t really have answers – like how many beans make five? – you might not be happy when we tell you ‘a bean, two beans, a bean and a half, and half a bean.’” OK, but what if, say, an adoptee tried to trace their birth mother via your service? “Well, the service does only cost a pound, so there will be limits to the amount of effort we can put in.”

Back in the pub we’re attempting to outfox 63336. “How many fingers am I holding up?” We wait. The phone beeps. “You are holding up two fingers and one thumb, and you’re about to yawn.” Not a bad guess. The bell rings for last orders. OK, let’s ask AQA. “I’ve got work tomorrow morning. Should I have another drink?” Beep. “Yes. Feeling a little tired at work is a small price to pay for 30 minutes of fun.” Good answer. James has an idea. “Dude, Where’s My Car?” Beep. “It’s at your mum’s.” James flinches. Unbelievably, they’re right.