Wikipedia:Reference desk/Miscellaneous

September 19

"Pushing up daisies"

Where did the saying "Pushing up daisies" originate from and what is its background story? I think it means dying. Acceptable 02:00, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

It means "dead and buried," as when a body decays into fertilizer and feeds the flowers. No idea where it came from, though. --Masamage ♫ 02:05, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

"Pushing up daisies" may have come into the language during the Great War. The Oxford English Dictionary gives a poem by Wilfred Owen as the first use in print - see A Terre (being the philosophy of many soldiers) (1917/18). The OED also says that "under the daisies" was being used as a euphemism for 'dead' from the middle of the 19th century. Xn4 02:25, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

Earlier, "pushing up daisies" was first heard around the start of the American Civil War according to Wright, John D. (2001) The Language of the Civil War.—eric 03:04, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

It's also an expression in French, but I'm not sure from what year it dates. · AndonicO ^Talk 02:09, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

Bumper cars, the subways, Ozone?

Please note the following scenes: =sitting in bumper cars, bumping around =traveling the NYC or other subway system

I've noticed an odor, quite pronounced in each of these situations, and not the kind caused by poor hygiene, bad cleaning, etc. Its a musty kind of smell. My question: Is that odor Ozone? i.e does the arcing of D.C. somehow cause Ozone production in those environments as noted. Thanks for your insight. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.147.36.50 (talk) 02:57, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

It is quite possible that the electrical arcing in the two situations would produce ozone enough for you to smell it. You might also smell the electric motor windings and lubricants which get warm in operation and may give off fumes. Edison 03:37, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

Indeed, electrical arcing is one of the more popular ways to manufacture ozone. You run oxygen between two plates, and send electrical arcs between them. This apparently fuses the some O2 molecules into O3 molecules. --Mdwyer 22:29, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

stock exchange

why are bulls & bears terms used in stock market. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 202.62.79.3 (talk) 03:23, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

Check out Market trends#Etymology. Confusing Manifestation 04:00, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

live check

I have a live check worth a good bit, and I want to deposit it in my bank which doesn't have a branch anywhere near me. Can I mail it to them to deposit in my account? Is this risky, what if it gets lost?

To deposit it, you must sign the back of the check. If it gets lost with your signature, there isn't nothing preventing someone else from cashing it. If there is no way to get to your regular bank, I'd switch banks. Barring that, I'd probably go to a supermarket, have them cash the check, while there I'd then buy a money order and then send that to the bank. Although, I'd probably contact my bank before proceeding with any of this as they may have a simpler solution. Dismas|^(talk) 04:41, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

Assuming you have an ATM card, I wonder if you could use a deposit-taking ATM? I've only deposited at the ATM in front of my bank, so I'm not sure of the details of depositing at an ATM elsewhere.

A quick Google search found some generic instructions on how to make deposits by mail, with advice to write "For Deposit Only" along with the endorsement, and mail it with a filled-out deposit slip from the back of your checkbook. --Bavi H 05:11, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

Since you say "check" I assume you are in the US. In the UK I regularly mail cheques to my bank (with a paying in slip) and never had any problems. However, it's a good idea to make a note of the cheque number and account number etc in case it gets lost. I have never heard of having to sign the back (though I recall Bart Simpson expecting to get Krusty's autograph by sending him a check); presumably this is a US thing.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 07:42, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

In the U.S., we have to sign the back of the check in order to deposit or cash the check. On most checks there is even a small line drawn across the end of the check above which we are to sign. The signature goes across one short end of the check. Specifically, if you were to take the check, while looking at it's face, in your right hand and flip it over so that the end that was in your left hand is now the top, that is the end that gets signed. The end that was in your left hand. Also, if I get a check from person A and I want to use it to pay person C, I can turn the check over in the aforementioned manner, sign it, and then write "Pay to the order of:" and then person C's name. Person C can now sign below their name and cash the check. This is a two party check and many places will not accept two party checks. Dismas|^(talk) 09:30, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

You can certainly deposit cheques (or checks) in ATM's that belong to your bank - but which are not outside your branch. SteveBaker 14:43, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

In addition to the security steps others have suggested, I would recommend not sending the check through the ordinary mail. Instead, I would choose a delivery service that allows tracking of the envelope, a signature by the bank employee receiving the envelope, and possibly insurance of the contents. Most national postal services offer such a service, or you could send your envelope through a private courier that does. 192.251.134.5 15:49, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

Of course you could always open a local bank account to cater for this eventuality. If you then still wanted to money to go into your main account you could probably do the transfer on line.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 17:59, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

Above your signature write "FOR DEPOSIT ONLY at Bank Name; ABA No. 1234567890; Acct. No. 987654321". —Nricardo 02:48, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

Lilliputian breasts and the bras that bind them

I've scanned through the relevant articles on bras and bra size measurements and such but haven't been able to find what I'm looking for. I've tried looking at the Playtex web site but it's flash based and therefore I can't access it from here at work. (I'm also partially asking here at the ref desk since I don't know what I'll stumble across while on a computer at work and don't want to have someone catch the wrong image over my shoulder) So, on to the question... Do small breasted women wear bras? According to our articles here, sizes exist for A cups but I'm not sure if they are everyday use sorts or part of a lingerie set. I don't really see the use of wearing one on a day to day basis since there isn't really anything to support. So, what reason is there for a small breasted woman to wear a bra if they indeed wear them? And since it's on my mind... Is the term "flat chested" pejorative? Dismas|^(talk) 05:26, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

Even if the woman has very small breasts, wearing a bra can avoid nipples being visible through their shirt. --124.254.77.148 07:04, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

Very young girls wear training bras, which are designed for the flat-chested. Presumably there's something similar for adults. --Masamage ♫ 07:18, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

Bras don't necessarily hide nipples. Depends on the type. I've never really worn a small bra - my breasts were at least b-cup before I ever wore them - but now at D-cup size, I still get embarrassing nippleage even with my bra. Speaking of my breasts.. *goes to ask a question* Kuronue | Talk 21:57, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

"Flat chested" is a little pejorative: "small breasted" is nicer and not euphemistic either. There are also bras that have no cup at all, such as this one by Calvin Klein. As pointed out above, a bra can hide the nipples, and it can also stop them chafing against a shirt. SaundersW 08:25, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

Even small breasts need support after gravity has done its work. Furthermore a lot of women get smaller breasts after breast-feeding and even though the breasts are small, they are not firm, which can be quite uncomfortable, especially when running or dancing. Furthermore, a lot of small-breasted women wear bras because it makes their breasts look slightly bigger. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Lova Falk (talk • contribs) 10:38, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

I prefer the phrase, "On the A-Team". --Sean 16:19, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

In my experience small breasted women usually wear bras. It's possibly as much psychological as physical, i.e., it's a form of underwear so it makes them feel fully dressed, and given that our society says that women wear bras, psychologically they want to wear one to feel like a woman. --203.164.131.137 12:59, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

Yes, many women don't feel feminine without a bra, and conversely, fat men who could really use a bra would feel humiliated if they actually wore one. StuRat 04:46, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

Wy would women want to suppress their nipples? They are a salient feature of the female breast and should be flaunted! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.109.4.191 (talk) 00:43, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

For the same reason that they wear any clothes at all. Plasticup ^T/C 02:01, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

GIRLS

Why do girls like tall guys?218.248.2.51 06:04, 19 September 2007 (UTC)Ecclesiasticalparanoid

Well, remember, not all girls do! For those who do, it's largely cultural; we're told that tall men are desirable, so we believe it. For some, though, it's just a matter of personal preference; for instance, I like being able to hide warmly in my husband's arms and under his chin, although I didn't seek that out deliberately. Anyway, it would be more awkward for a guy to hug a woman whose chest was at his face-level. --Masamage ♫ 07:23, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

Though I'm sure the guy wouldn't mind ;) --124.254.77.148 08:22, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

I remember seeing an interview with Julie Strain which she ended with "Come up and see me sometime, it's worth the climb" Gzuckier 15:02, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

as someone who's 6'5" and remained single until he was 28(!) I can categorically say that girls don't always like a guy just because he's tall. There's a lot more to it than that. 09:51, 19 September 2007 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 83.104.131.135 (talk)

IIrc, a few studies have been done which correlate height with success in business, etc. So it's not just girls. i figure some deep rooted primate psychology thing.Gzuckier 14:59, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

I recall seeing that somewhere. Also, a study correlating salary to height; the taller you are the more you make...Go figure. 38.112.225.84 14:37, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

Most straight women I know don't really care about the guy's actual height, only that he's taller than she is. It makes them feel less feminine (or that he's less masculine) to be bigger than her guy. Not all women feel that way, I'm sure, but everyone I've discussed it with does. --Sean 16:22, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

Sean has it right- most of my girl friends say that they prefer guys that are taller than them, but not necessarily "tall". I myself prefer guys who are just taller than me. It makes us girls feel more feminine and we fit great under their arms :) But, I do have a friend who likes shorter guys. it's all in preference. --PolarWolf ( sign ) 18:19, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

3D Tutorials

I have been registered as a new user in the tutorials3D.com (I have received the mail) but I am still not understanding how to carry it on.I doubt wether it is really free or a marketing gimmick because they are advertising their software and asking me to buy their CD's in their mails to me.218.248.2.51 06:46, 19 September 2007 (UTC)Ecclesiasticalparanoid

I don't understand. Yes, they are certainly trying to sell you stuff. What are you trying to achieve by registering? Carry what on where? Do you have a question?--Shantavira|^{feed me} 07:47, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

Ouch! $110 for a CD-based modeling tutorial! Most 3D packages come with enough tutorials to get you going. If you just want to learn the general techniques (as opposed to a specific 3D package) then grab a copy of blender (software) (which is a free/OpenSource 3D modeling and rendering package) - there are a bazillion tutorials out there for it - and they are all free. SteveBaker 15:36, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

Digital camera: AUTO vs. P

I have a Canon PowerShot S3 IS digital camera, which I have taken over 8800 pictures with in a little more than a year. What confuses me is its photographing modes. We have, in principle, AUTO, P, Av, Tv, and M. AUTO and P means that the camera automatically chooses the aperture and exposure. Av means that I choose the aperture but the camera chooses the exposure. Tv is is the other way around. M means that I choose everything. What puzzles me is why there are separate AUTO and P modes. Their difference is, get this: AUTO disables exposures over 1/8 seconds, manual focus, and macro photography. What does it enable instead? Get this: nothing whatsoever. Why in the blue blazes is this separate from the P mode? It only adds further restrictions without helping the photographer at all. Automatically choosing something when the photographer doesn't know how to select it is understandable, but refusing the photographer something that is optional to begin with is not. JIP | Talk 20:15, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

Auto is for when you don't want to think about anything. P, according to this site, "sets both the aperture and the shutter speed; however other camera settings such as sensitivity, compensation, and white balance can be adjusted by the user." To my mind, not allowing, for example, macro, in Auto mode is a good thing, because on more than one occasion I've forgotten to reset my Sony MVC-500 to normal. --LarryMac | Talk 20:34, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

Yeah, I'd agree. Auto will also do auto flash, whereas in P you should be able to control it, force it on, turn it off, or set it auto. The reason it would disable exposures over 1/8 seconds would be that it would assume that would be the slowest possible shutter speed you could use without being guaranteed of bad blurring (and even with IS, that's probably overgenerous, i.e., most photographers would blur at 1/8s). But you're saying it's not helpful to a point-and-shoot photographer to try to stop them inadvertently blurring their photos? We could go through the other things too. Does someone just grabbing up the camera for a quick snapshot want to worry with manual focus or macros? Do they even know what they are? So I'd say Auto is a very useful option for the very reason that it does disable options to try to prevent mistakes for people just wanting to take snapshots. --jjron 12:16, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

The point is, even with P mode, manual focus and macro photography are off by default. You have to manually turn them on (which requires knowing they exist in the first place) for them to make any difference. If you just switch from AUTO to P, it's still a point-and-shoot camera. Why does the camera have a mode that forbids enabling something that is disabled by default? It's not like it compensates for this by making other choices automatic, like it does with P versus Tv, Av or M. The flash is normally physically depressed into the camera, which means it won't automatically fire even in AUTO mode unless you physically lift it up. So I don't think that's a reason either. And yes, pictures at 1/8 seconds do blur a lot. But they're also nearly always hopelessly underexposed, making them look drab and boring. I'd rather have the photographs have proper lighting than have them razor-sharp. As an analogy, consider a restaurant where the waiter offers to select the wine for you if you don't know squat about wines, but adds that this means you can't add condiments to your food. Having the right wine is important, and a wine novice would possibly order something that tastes bad with the food. But adding condiments is completely optional. Most restaurant foods don't need them. But if you find that it does, then you should be able to decide for yourself whether to add them or not. JIP | Talk 15:13, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

I'm not sure what's going on with your digital camera, but any I've used (and that's lots) automatically fire the flash in Auto mode if it decides it needs it, at least if you give it time to focus. Even my DSLR does this in Auto. Also disagree with your first point; yes you have to turn on macro or whatever, but as cameras have got more user friendly this is ridiculously easy to do - in other words, someone grabs the camera to take a quick snap, in doing so accidentally hits the macro button, and voila, you're in macro mode when you don't want it (so you don't have to know these things exist, and in fact may not even know what they are). Believe me, I deal with photos taken by schoolkids all the time, and unless they have a fair bit of nous about this I tell them 'just use auto' for the very reasons that they can't accidentally do things you don't want, and so that the camera takes control. Invariably when they use other modes, the pictures come out a mess unless they've been instructed in what to do. And hey, if you don't like Auto mode, then don't use it. --jjron 09:22, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

I tried out the flash, and it is just like I said, it is normally physically pressed into the camera. When pressed down, it won't fire, no matter what. When you lift it up, it can fire, depending on the mode. In AUTO mode, it can only fire automatically. In P mode, it can fire either automatically or always. If the flash is pressed down but the camera decides it should still fire, it informs me. I gather from your posts that the point of forbidding me to use advanced features in AUTO mode is to protect myself from stupid accidental mistakes. This may be right, I previously had a Minolta Dimage 7i camera, which is an older model but more advanced for its time. When using it, I kept accidentally pressing the AF/MF button, which works even in AUTO mode, and it ruined a couple of pictures, because I am not very good at manual focusing. JIP | Talk 16:08, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

Camera Equipment

What is the best camera equipment (small camera) that can see in underground or dark spaces like a cave, does it need special lighting? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.121.106.144 (talk) 21:11, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

In a cave, with no light coming in from anywhere - no camera can possibly operate. However, if there is very little light then image intensifiers (aka Night vision device) can boost the brightness to the point where almost any camera could record it. Domestic camcorders will generally operate down to a few lux. A candle within a few feet of the camera and the object will provide enough light for at least a monochrome picture. A still picture camera can do better by leaving the shutter open for longer - so providing the camera is firmly mounted and the thing you are photographing doesn't move - you can use long exposures to compensate for low light levels. SteveBaker 22:15, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

What is it where you can see what a camera is inputting from another location on a screen or monitor in front of you, kind of like what they use in undercover operations, so while they are not in a room at time they can see what is going on in another location?? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.121.106.144 (talk) 22:35, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

That would be a 'closed circuit TV camera' (CCTV for short) - but that doesn't affect the ability of the thing to see in the dark - it just refers to a situation where the TV signal isn't being recorded in the camera for replay later and it isn't being broadcast over a radio link. The camera itself is the same thing either way. SteveBaker 22:46, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

It is possible for a camera to operate in total darkness, but it would require the use of an active infrared system. That basically "illuminates" the area, but using an IR source that is not visible to the unaided human eye. - Eron ^Talk 00:03, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

Is Internet Email Private?

Is email sent over Yahoo,Hotmail, Google, private?
are there people reading them?
are there computers reading them and saving information

Is there a way to encrypt email so above does not happen, if it is happening. Thank you —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.147.36.50 (talk) 21:13, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

Unencrypted email is certainly not private. People along the way between you and your destination could certainly read it if they had the resources to devote to doing it. Treat it like a phone conversation in that regard. Are there people reading them? Well, nobody could possibly read all of it - there is just vastly too much of it - but they can (and in some cases do) use computers to scan email for suspicious stuff and route that off for humans to read. If you are emailing from work then there is a very strong likelyhood that your email is being archived - and if you work for a large organisation, it's possible that someone is reading random emails just to keep a rough check on what's going on. There are plenty of ways to encrypt your email - but it very much relies upon the person at the other end knowing how to decrypt it (and actually being bothered to do so). A very popular program is called 'PGP' (Pretty Good Privacy) - which as it's name implies does a pretty good job - although it's possible that the resources of a major government who really wanted to know what a specific email said could do so within a few days to weeks with a major decryption effort. SteveBaker 22:04, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

It's also worth noting that the mere existence of an encrypted email can quite easily raise red flags if you're concerned about official (government / corporate / etc) monitoring. Since the addresses can't be encrypted, this may draw unwanted attention to yourself and/or the recipient. — Lomn 12:56, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

Very true. If you wanted communications to be secret as well as private - that would be a different matter. I'd suggest steganography - hide your encrypted data in the low order bits of the pixels in a photograph where it would simply look like a somewhat noisy image. If you care very much then don't even send the photo to the other person (since, as Lomn points out, addresses can't be encrypted) - but instead post it into some gigantic online photo repository such as Flickr and have the other person download it from there. SteveBaker 14:42, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

you might want to read the article E-mail privacy. Jon513 15:27, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

You might want to also read Carnivore (FBI). Corvus cornix 17:56, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

Breasts

This question has been removed. Per the reference desk guidelines, the reference desk is not an appropriate place to request medical, legal or other professional advice, including any kind of medical diagnosis, prognosis, or treatment recommendations. For such advice, please see a qualified professional. If you don't believe this is such a request, please explain what you meant to ask, either here or on the Reference Desk's talk page.

This question has been removed. Per the reference desk guidelines, the reference desk is not an appropriate place to request medical, legal or other professional advice, including any kind of medical diagnosis or prognosis, or treatment recommendations. For such advice, please see a qualified professional. If you don't believe this is such a request, please explain what you meant to ask, either here or on the Reference Desk's talk page. --~~~~

This question was removed due to the partial medical nature and I put it back. Without the second sentence, this is not a medical question and I feel it should stay. That's why I'm putting it back. Now back to the question, I don't know of an answer but since your user page says you're a student, maybe ask the theater dept.? Dismas|^(talk) 22:16, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

This is not the place to discuss that - take it to the 'discussion' page. SteveBaker 22:20, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

...what? That's a medical question? I meant it as a costuming-related question rather than... well I guess I can see how you'd think that. Ah well. I'll ask someplace else, now that I'm all embarrassed anyway. Thanks. Kuronue | Talk 22:29, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

don't be silly. it wasn't a medical question. hiding it you just waste people's time because they'll go dig for the diff B) --dab (𒁳) 13:25, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

You certainly cannot rely on any advice here that binding the nellies would be comfortable or safe. But women such as Frances Clayton, Sarah Edmonds Seelye, and "Albert D. J. Cashier" who sought to pass as male soldiers, successfully concealled their gender in the American Civil War, while others were discharged for "sextual incompatibility."[1]. Edison 07:53, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

Whoever has deleted that interesting question is a eunuch and a hypocrite who must be hiding his sexual promiscuity (phew) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 218.248.2.51 (talk) 08:24, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

I agree that this is NOT a medical question and should NOT have been deleted. As for the Q, I suggest, if the part allows it, that you build up the rest of your chest with padding and clothing so your breasts will no longer be prominent. You can either have a "large, muscular chest" or put on a fat-suit with indentations for your breasts and play a fat man. StuRat 04:38, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

Unknown film

I was watching a film a while ago and I've forgotten the name of it. If I summarize it, I'd greatly appreciate any guesses on what it was called: There was this family and the dad was really paranoid about nuclear attacks or something, so he made this shelter underground and he made the family live down there. That was in the 60s so they had all this tinned food; however they started running out of food so they sent their son up to get supplies, only he'd never been up before and it was in the future. Any idea? Thanks very much. :D 86.153.37.143 22:25, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

Blast from the Past? - Eron ^Talk 22:30, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

September 20

Small city in Florida where every household have aircraft

I've seen a TV report about a small city in Florida having runways instead of streets, because almost everybody uses an airplane for transportation. What's the name of the town? curios, --Scriberius 07:12, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

They seem to be called "Airparks". Living with your plane.com seems to have a list of them. Dismas|^(talk) 07:20, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

Thanks, there are several in the U.S... That's not imaginable here in Germany! Anyway, I miss an article about it >> Airpark/Air Park/Air park. C.U., -- Scriberius 07:59, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

Article started... Airpark. Dismas|^(talk) 09:18, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

Aren't there recreational flyers in Germany? Or is it just that there's no space for airparks there? -- Mwalcoff 23:11, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

There is Spruce Creek Fly-In, south of Daytona Beach. John Travolta used to live there, IIRC. Saturn 5 23:59, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

Wikipedia and Alien Contact

IF there is alien contact, what would Wikipedia do to deal with it ? Just seen V (TV series) today in which aliens had made contact. After all Wikipedia is NOT censored. I could imagine Jimbo Wales having to change his pants if THAT happened. 205.240.146.131 08:41, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

I imagine we'd report it, using appropriate references, in a suitably named article, in the same highly professional way we do with everything else. -- JackofOz 08:46, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

"I could imagine Jimbo Wales having to change his pants if THAT happened." ? --Taraborn 08:59, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

As long as the aliens follow wikipedia policy, I don't see a problem. But if their edits are POV or vandalism, or if they refuse to cite their sources, it would be a different story of course. Skarioffszky 12:26, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

I would like to think we'd burn a few DVD copies and present them to our new overlords prior to doing the 'rm -r *' on the servers as ordered.

But seriously - the most likely form of alien contact would be via radio. If we detected a message coming from them, we do not currently have any kind of transmitter powerful enough to send a detectable reply - and even if we did, the round-trip-time for us to acknowledge their message and get an answer back could easily be many lifetimes - and there ought to be some real, serious debate about the wiseness of revealing our existance to a potentially hostile (and undoubtedly more advanced) race. Unless these aliens are continually broadcasting 'encyclopedia galactica' to anyone who happens to be listening, and in a form that we can actually decode - the effect would be more psychological than actual. SteveBaker 14:36, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

• Even if they're not hostile, a meeting between advanced and primitive civilizations rarely works out well for the primitives. --Sean 14:49, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

They would have to prepare to be assimilated. Edison 07:45, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

More importantly, what licensing would the encyclopedia galactica be under? I do hope it's not Creative Commons Attribution 2.5, because that would create problems. Neil ム 09:57, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

I'm sure we're free to use the Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy. · AndonicO ^Talk 12:56, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

I feel that Wikipedia's Main Page for one should welcome our new alien overlords Lemon martini 12:15, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

Welcome them to Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, of course. ;) · AndonicO ^Talk 13:13, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

[2] FiggyBee 20:46, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

Figgy Bee, your link is hilarious! "Cites Wikipedia as proof"?! :D --JDitto 04:54, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

singing

I know that my singing is not a noteworthy ability but I try to give a build up of a singer and hence some people (may be mockingly)call me a singer.Whenever they say Iam agreat singer I feel low and guilty of hypocrisy.Please help me! I dont want to sing —Preceding unsigned comment added by 218.248.2.51 (talk) 10:59, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

I will not call you a singer. But please, sir, what is your question? --Ouro (blah blah) 11:14, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

Do you mean that you are doing singing exercises which make people think you want to be a singer? Is there anywhere that you could practice in private? That way nobody would hear you and then they would not encourage you. But maybe you like the encouragement, secretly... SaundersW 13:03, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

You need more self-confidence. I think you could usefully listen to Thank you for the music, by Abba. Yes, their English was sometimes slightly mangled, and yes, it's pretty uncool to praise Abba, but their lyrics were often interesting and sometimes almost profound. --Dweller 14:27, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

Ahem, why is it uncool to praise Abba for god's sake? --Ouro (blah blah) 14:34, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

Dunno. Ask the faceless unelected arbitrators of fashion. Personally, I don't really care. I like Abba and... conversely... I think "Crocs" are the most loathsome things I've seen on people's feet since the time my mate stamped on a huge spider. So, that's me in the "uncool" bin. --Dweller 16:03, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

ABBA were/are way too accessible to be cool, anyone knows that. —Tamfang 22:05, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

There is NOTHING more un-cool than participating in the Eurovision song contest...except (of course) doing it when it's held in Brighton...that's MUCH more un-cool. Sorry - null pointes. SteveBaker 01:04, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

"As to poetry, you know", said Humpty Dumpty, stretching out one of his great hands, "I can repeat poetry as well as other folk, if it comes to that."
"Oh, it needn't come to that!" Alice hastily said.
Xn4 02:16, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

You aren't by any chance a teenager, are you ? Teens often feel they are being mocked or criticized when they are not. StuRat 04:28, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

Ouch. Maybe you should sing "Sing". For some reason people sing along to that song. Don't let other people pull you down from achieving a good voice! It usually helps by practicing with an experienced (and patient) friend away from peers. --JDitto 04:50, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

Nortel

Is Nortel evr coming back? They seem to be going no where.129.112.109.250 19:14, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

Well if they're going nowhere then they can't have far to come back. —Tamfang 22:05, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

Certainly their shares chart doesn't show off a particularly nice picture. The fundamentals don't exactly cry out recovery either. Still it is a very large firm and there is no reason that if well managed it could once again see itself come back. ny156uk 22:21, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

They are currently undergoing an audit by KPMG. I imagine that the results of this audit will have a significant impact on whether or not they are "evr coming back". Plasticup ^T/C 01:59, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

Creating a fictional account for IMDbPro.com

If you do not have a credit card number or a credit card, do you have to make up a fictional account number if you want to visit IMDbPro.com? Ericthebrainiac 19:19, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

That would constitute fraud. Corvus cornix 20:19, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

And wikilinking every third word is both unnecessary and very annoying! SteveBaker 00:53, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

It looks like IMDBpro gives you two weeks of free trial and then starts billing your credit card $12.95 per month automatically. If you gave a completely fictitious card then I assume that would be detected and you'd be rudely ejected. If you used someone else's real credit card without their permission then that would be theft, identity theft, fraud...enough to get you thrown in jail certainly. So don't do that. SteveBaker 00:58, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

The music video for What Hurts the Most by Rascal Flats

Who was starring in the music video for What Hurts the Most by Rascal Flats? Ericthebrainiac 21:54, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

I suggest you ask this on the Entertainment reference desk. SteveBaker 00:51, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

Notable production or spam?

An editor added a reference to The Mystery of Edwin Drood (musical) production at the Warehouse Theatre in Croydon. I know that most productions of this show are not notable, but a London production might be. Could someone familiar with London assess whether this is spam? --teb728 22:03, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

Well, the link is there as a 'reference' and references are supposed to act as proof that what was said is in fact true. The sentence says The show, now licensed by Tams-Witmark, has since has major productions at the Shaw Festival in Toronto, Canada; and numerous regional and amateur theatrical productions worldwide. - so the question is: Can I verify that this sentence is true by reading information presented on that website? In this case, we aren't so much interested in whether that website is notable or not - it's a question of whether it can be considered an authoritative source for the information we are referencing. If this link was in the "External Links" section then probably it's commercial nature would make it unacceptable...but it's a reference for a fact and that's a different matter. So - does that web site contain information that would enable an intelligent reader to be satisfied that this show is licensed as we say and that it has that one specific production and that it has numerous other productions around the world? If it says that then I think it's a fine reference - if it doesn't then it has no relevence and (particularly because it's a commercial site) it should go. Your call. (Incidentally, the reference desk isn't really the place for this kind of question. The Village pump or the help desk might be better venues.) SteveBaker 00:50, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

I thought I had made myself clear, but apparently I didn’t. (Perhaps you equated my use of the word “spam” with link-spam.) My concern was not with the link to http://www.rupertholmes.com/theatre/drood.html. This link clearly contains an authoritative list of current productions and is a good link. Rather my concern is with the notability of the Warehouse Theatre production. Let me try again: Please read the following and tell me if you still think there is a better venue. --teb728 03:02, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

The Mystery of Edwin Drood (musical) currently says, “A production by London's Warehouse Theatre is due to open on Friday 14th December 2007 for a run through to February 24th 2008.” Clearly a revival on Broadway or the West End or a production in a major regional theatre would be notable, but I doubt the notability of this production in a 100-seat Croydon theatre. Can someone familiar with London assess whether this production is notable enough to mention in Wikipedia. --teb728 03:02, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

Croydon is a town within Greater London, but culturally it is no more a part of London than are many other towns in Southern England. While a person from Croydon might well say 'I'm from London' when talking to foreigners who are unlikely to have heard of Croydon, I think 'London's Warehouse Theatre' is an inappropriate and misleading expression, as it suggests that they are somehow involved in the London theatre world. Even if the Warehouse is itself notable, I see no reason to treat a production of a particular show there as notable. --ColinFine 19:38, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

The articles I create

If you Wikipedians want to, you can change (disambiguation) what I've written in my articles into whatever you think is good for my articles that I create for Wikipedia. Ericthebrainiac 22:31, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

Um, is this only a joke? If you're taking issue, this is not the place. —Tamfang 00:11, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

Well, yes, we can - we don't need any special permission from you to do that. As it says next to the edit summary box: "You agree to license your contributions under the GFDL" - which guarantees everyone the right to copy your article, mangle it mess it up, fix it, chop it up and make crossword puzzles out of it...whatever they want - and there's not a damned thing you can do about it! Is there a question here somewhere? SteveBaker 00:41, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

To quote the 'edit' page: "If you don't want your writing to be edited mercilessly or redistributed for profit by others, do not submit it." Plasticup ^T/C 01:48, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

Please don't wikilink everything, the use of wikilinks is to encourage reading on a topic without having to express it with a separate link, not for standard grammar. -Wooty [Woot?] [Spam! Spam! Wonderful spam!] 02:48, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

Eric, Some of the responses above were a little harsh; I hope you weren’t put off by them. Put simply, you don’t need to give us permission to improve your work, because you give that permission implicitly just by editing here. By the same token you have implicit permission to improve our edits. And it is not a good thing to use so many links; you should provide a link where a reader might want to learn more about a subject.

We have a saying at Wikipedia, “Please don’t bite the newcomers,” but some of us forget. --teb728 06:34, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

Except that Eric is hardly a newcomer. --LarryMac | Talk 12:46, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

Methinks Eric is forgetting that he himself is a Wikipedian. There is no "him" vs "us". -- JackofOz 12:53, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

I find this guy adorable! He went out of his way to expressly permit it on his userpage too - how many newbies do that, versus how many expressly try to forbid others from editing "their" articles? I left a note on his talk page, though, to be sure he sees it (sometimes they forget to come back here) Kuronue | Talk 13:27, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

September 21

processing equipment for sugar cain

can you help me find out where to get informatin on manufacturers of prosessing equipment for cain and other biofuel equipment ? Thank you William Dumas —Preceding unsigned comment added by Jarheadwwd (talk • contribs) 00:31, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

I typed "sugar cane processing equipment" into the search box on Google and got plenty of hits for companys that sell this equipment (both new and used). I suspect the reason you couldn't find anything is that you are spelling it 'cain' rather than 'cane' (which is the correct English spelling). SteveBaker 00:37, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

I suppose the spelling depends on whether you're planning on raising cane or raising Cain . :-) StuRat 04:22, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

can we send mms via computers?

Is there any website which enable us to send Videosongs, multimedia messages from online to mobile? Don't suggest me the websites which allows us to send normal text messages Temuzion 04:07, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

Is the "Draft" comming BACK ?!

Really, is it comming BACK ?! "We're (The US)" in two wars, and getting ready to take out Iran and/or Syria as well. 205.240.146.131 04:23, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

• There is no support in the general population for a draft, and since the current crop of politicians is pretty much spineless, it seems highly unlikely. Besides, George Bush may not like Iran or Syria, but they haven't given him enough provocation. Clarityfiend 04:44, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

Wikipedia is not a crystal ball, nor is the Ref Desk. That said, "getting ready to take out Iran and/or Syria" is merely amateur speculation and there is little evidence to suggest that the DoD, Congress, or the electorate desire a draft in the near future. — Lomn 04:45, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

The draft in the U.S. could be reinstituted in weeks (or days) if the need for soldiers exceeded the number of volunteers. Young men are required to register, and rhe draft boards are ready and waiting. 90 days later, the draftees would be combat-ready, as was the case from the 1940's through the 1970's. Edison 07:43, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

Selective Service would be the article on that system. Rmhermen 13:07, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

90 days? That sounds rather short, especially in the high-tech U.S. army. Clarityfiend 03:17, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

If they bring back the draft, the outcry will make hippie flower children look downright conservative. —Nricardo 04:44, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

Rainbows

Having seen a most beautiful (double) rainbow last evening I am prompted to ask if they are always the same diameter. Any one know please>--88.110.163.163 06:46, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

I think the answer is no. If the rainbows are caused by the same water particles and the image is shifted then the double rainbows will be identical. However, more probably two different sets of water particles formed each rainbow, so they will be different. Given that the rain/humidity is probably similar at the same point in time, though, the particles are likely to be similar, thus the rainbows are likely to be similar in size. Micah J. Manary 07:12, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

The size is not determined by the size of the water droplets, but simply by the substance that the droplets are made from. As the light enters the spherical raindrop, it is refracted, reflects off the back surface, and then refracts again as it escapes. For water this angle is 42 degrees for red light and 40 degrees for violet light. This is what causes the seperation of colors. this angle is the angle between the sight-raindrop line and the sun-raindrop line. So from this I believe that any water-droplet rainbow will always be the same size. Secondary bows which have the colors inverted are caused by a second internal reflection inside the raindrop, and have a similarly fixed angle.

You can make smaller rainbows from another medium, like glass beads. Give me a few minutes and I'll track down a very interesting physics lecture explaining all of this and more with discussion of this interesting example [3]. Capuchin 07:33, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

Here we go, I believe it can be found here: [4] although I cannot verify this because my work blocks google video. It's one of Prof. Walter Lewin's fantastic set of undergraduate video lectures. All of which are highly recommended. Capuchin 07:41, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

Actually the answer is right in the article Rainbow the primary appears at an angle of 40.6°–42° from the point opposite the sun. The secondary at 50°–53°. --teb728 07:45, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

Obviously, that should be the first place to look. I was overcome with excitement at seeing a question I could answer in detail!! Also, why is this not on the science desk? Capuchin 07:48, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

HSARPA

I want to know where HSARPA falls in the homeland security line of management. I noticed that the similar DARPA is listed in the defense box thing at the bottom of the page, but HSARPA is notably absent. Just go the the darpa page and scroll down (I don't know what those big boxes are called - portals?). Where would hsarpa analogously fit? Micah J. Manary 06:55, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

Ah, here is it. Department of Homeland Security: Organizational Chart. HSARPA (Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency) falls under the auspices of the Under Secretary for Science and Technology, who in turn reports directly to the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security. Plasticup ^T/C 15:24, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

Argentina currency exchange

I'm going to Argentina from Europe. I want to change 1,000 euros in Argentine pesos (ARS). Am I better of changing the money in Europe or should I do it once in Buenos Aires? Thank you 81.240.119.157 10:00, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

Currency markets are highly liquid and almost perfectly competitive. It shouldn't matter in which country you change it, but be sure to go to a real bank. Those currency booths at the airport will rip you right off. Plasticup ^T/C 13:13, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

Empire State Building

What is the maximum amount of people allowed in the lift in the Empire State Building? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 172.142.1.195 (talk) 10:47, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

They call them elevators in American, and the Empire State Building has 73 of them so it's hard to say. Neil ム 10:57, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

Should be placarded in each one, so if we have any Wikians who work there, maybe they can do a quick eyeball check for us. Saturn 5 13:48, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

No Original Research. -88.111.190.248 14:03, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

Doesn't apply to refdesk questions, but only "in relation to the topic of the article". --Tagishsimon (talk) 14:05, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

Reading and citing an external reference, even if it's a placard in an elevator car, isn't original research. Original research would be if you gathered a bunch of people and started stuffing them into the elevator car, stopping only when the car was volumetrically full or the safety systems actuated.

Atlant 16:42, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

If it helps, the elevators in the ESB were installed, and are maintained by, the Otis Elevator Company ([5], [6]). They have a capacity of 3500 lbs each ([7]) - capacity depends on how fat the passengers are. If you assume an average weight of 200 lbs (and the average weight of an American male is now 191 lbs(!)), then the capacity is 17 people. This link ([8]) states it is 15 people, or 200 per elevator per hour. Neil ム 14:35, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

"Rainbow Stylin'"?

I like the song, but what exactly is "Rainbow Stylin'"? --Candy-Panda 11:39, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

Rather rude, I'm afraid: urbandictionary. Naughty Swedes. --Tagishsimon (talk) 12:39, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

Note, that link is NSFW. Plasticup ^T/C 13:14, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

It describes a sexual practise. Whether that makes it NSFW is probably a matter of opinion. I did flag it as rude; was that not enough? --Tagishsimon (talk) 14:16, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

It's entirely possible that definition was just made up by a single person who put it in urbandictionary- we cannot assume the term is widely used for that meaning just from one very unreliable source. Friday (talk) 14:19, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

True. Another definition I came across was "A hairdresser's in Hounslow". --Tagishsimon (talk) 14:30, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

Sari - Source of image

Can someone please help me in trying to trace the source of an image on this page, under gallery. The actual image is no longer there, although the reference remains - traditional sari fabric.jpeg. I would like to get hold of the image at 300 dpi to use on a book jacket. Any assistance would very much be appreciated. Kind regards Lyn Parr ((email removed for your protection)) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.96.151.94 (talk) 11:43, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

• Where did you find the name of the image referenced? I can't find any mention of it anywhere, not even an old one on Google. - Mgm|^(talk) 12:14, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

I suspect it was "Sari fabric.jpg", shown in the gallery at [9]. --Tagishsimon (talk) 14:10, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

The log shows no history. Does this mean it never existed? I also searched through Wikipedia:Images_and_media_for_deletion/Log and found no mention. Plasticup ^T/C 17:03, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

It definitely exist because I found it on another website and they told me that they had got it from this page. Lyn

Cathedral

Having visited many cathedrals in Europe, I have noticed that most are divided internally to make several smaller churches within the one larger cathedral, why is this. Thanks guys and girls81.144.161.223 12:44, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

We don't seem to have much on this. Passing references, which don't explain the underlying logic, at Cathedral architecture of Western Europe#Presbytery and chapels and Cathedral diagram#Liturgical east end. I'd opine that Cathedrals are, somewhat, the shopping malls of devotional buildings. Chapels within Cathedrals provide a means of honouring favourite saints & the Virgin Mary; are things which can be endowed by the well-off, for whatever purposes such endowments serve; and presumably were built a) because they could be and b) because they were copied from prior examples of cathedral art. Hopefully someone who actually knows will now visit this question. AFAIK, cathedral buildings had wider uses than merely as sites for religious devotion in ages past - the mall analogy may indeed be accurate; I vaguely recall that they were used for a range of commercial and social activities, upon a time. --Tagishsimon (talk) 12:55, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

You may be thinking of the temple in Jesus' day. I don't recall mention of commercial activity inside the cathedral itself. Fairs and markets took place in the town square which was often right out the front doors of the cathedral though or in the cathedral close. Here in a interesting article with a historic quote on the problems these markets presented: [10]. Rmhermen 13:34, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

Side chapels provide a more intimate space for private prayers or meditation or small services. A side chapel in a central position to the east of the high altar is traditionally dedicated to the Virgin Mary and is known as a Lady Chapel - this plan of St. Alban's cathedral shows a Lady Chapel at point O. Gandalf61 14:10, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

Sometimes the cathedral is a later building constructed over a number of smaller shrines; the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, for example. I don't think that's true for most European cathedrals, but perhaps they were influenced by the design of buildings in Jerusalem. It was conventional (and I guess it still is) to build churches in the shape of a cross, which handily provides lots of little nooks and crannies for smaller devotional spaces. Also, I do remember reading that Old St. Paul's Cathedral was filled with merchants and chicken coops and homeless people at some point. Adam Bishop 15:31, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

Increasing the life of electric/electronic equipment ?

hi, other than the precautions such as protecting the equipments from dust, surge, mechanical shocks, liquids etc, turning off the power supply in the wall outlet increase its life (when not in use)?. This is based on my assumption that transformer of the equipments function even when on stand by mode or when it is powered. please provide other suggestions that might increase their longivity. 13:08, 21 September 2007 (UTC)~~ posted by User:131.220.46.24 - where's SineBot when you need it? Tagishsimon (talk) 13:30, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

Opinions may be divided as to whether unplugging the power supply increases the longevity of said power supply. There's a contra-supposition that most wear and tear originates when power is applied, and then power is turned off (e.g. through the thermal expansion and contraction associated with powering up & down). Clearly there's the slightly more important question of saving the planet, &c. --Tagishsimon (talk) 13:27, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

For most items without moving parts (motors, etc.) I think keeping the unit stable would be good; i.e., powered up all the time. It reduces the temperature cycling which leads to failure of marginal solder joints, and keeps the unit dry from condensation in humid areas. Also, some items are less than stable when not at operating temperatures; I recall a particular Quatre DG250 audio amp I owned which would deliver 250 watts of howling feedback for the first day or so after powering up, but sounded very nice afterwards.

Special mention must be made of the original IBM PC which singlehandedly inflated the market for outlet strips, by dint of its power switch being one of the most frequent points of failure, requiring replacement of the entire riveted together power supply. Gzuckier 14:51, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

Transient currents may cause damage too when turning things on and off. That's why light bulbs often burn out right when you turn them on or off. Transients can be much higher than the steady state currents. It may be better to leave something on if you will need it soon rather than turn it off. 128.196.149.25 03:40, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

It depends on the parts in question. Electrolytic capacitors, found in many power supplies, last longer if they're used -- a power supply that sees regular use will last longer than one that's sitting on the shelf. Integrated circuits last longest if they're operated at a continuous temperature, to prevent cracking from thermal fatigue, and if they're operated at a low temperature, to prevent electromigration of the wires. Other parts, such as resistors and inductors will last a very long time under any conditions. --Carnildo 21:43, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

Chip sockets

Any electrical/electronic device with moving parts, a heater, or a filament will probably fail sooner if operated continuously than if turned off. For low power, all solid state equipment, or transformers/inductors/capacitors, I don't see that leaving them operating would be much of a factor in the lifetime. One issue is that if they are plugged in, they may fail because of spikes from utility switching operations or lightning that they would not be exposed to if they are stored unplugged. Heat is an enemy of electrical equipment, and a heavily loaded transformer would fail before a non-loaded one because of insulation breakdown and oil deterioration if oil-filled. That said, corrosion due to moisture might cause earlier failure of non-energized equipment than equipment kept warm, unless it was stored in a dry environment. I agree that electrolytic capacitors might deteriorate while non-energized for an extended period. Storage batteries might deteriorate if left uncharged. Resistors would fail sooner if hot. Edison 01:45, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

With electronics where the chips are not soldered in or clamped in position (ie those in sockets like the ones in the picture to the right) thermal cycling will gradually work the chips out of their sockets. Generally you can just push them back in again and all will be well. Fortunately, these days, most chips are soldered in so this particular problem hardly ever happens. However, that issue has generated a lot of urban quasi-legends in that it used to be true that powering PC's up and down wasn't recommended - but now it really doesn't matter. I fyou really can't bring yourself to power down your PC, at least turn the monitor off. SteveBaker 02:47, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

Thank you for your answers. I conclude that I power off only the solid state devices when not in use and leave the other equipemnts as it is?. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.201.71.192 (talk) 18:40, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

As for temperature, the fans they provide with electronic equipment are usually the bare minimum. You might want to remove the cover and point an external desk fan at the device to keep it cool. I've done this with computers that tended to overheat.

If the device has moving parts that can be lubricated, like a fan, do so regularly. If the device can be operated at different power levels, use the lower power level, such as with a dimmer switch on a light bulb, by turning the monitor or TV brightness down, or by running an electric space heater on low. StuRat 04:05, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

JD Whisky

Why is alcohol (especially spirits such as Jack Daniel's) more expensive in some states than in others? Is it because of tax laws in the differing states? --MKnight9989 13:15, 21 September 2007 (UTC) YES86.209.24.71 13:31, 21 September 2007 (UTC)DT

Yes, liquor and tobacco products are heavily taxed at the Federal, State, and sometimes, locality level. They call it a "sin tax" so they can feel more justified laying these taxes at every possible point. Saturn 5 13:33, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

Additionally, in some states the prices for alcohol are set by the state. Wherever you go in Vermont, for instance, the price of a bottle of Jack Daniels will be the same. The prices are even available online on the state's web site. Dismas|^(talk) 15:30, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

Here in neighboring New Hampshire, we do Vermont one better: our state has a legal monopoly on the sale of "hard" liquor and such booze is only available at "state stores". My favorites are the giant ones we locate at the rest areas of interstate highways. "Buy booze along our highways, but don't drink and drive!" We do this, of course, in an attempt to snatch business (and revenue) from the other neighboring states' liquor arrangements.

Atlant 16:49, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

NB Jack Daniel's is whiskey with an e. To nerds like me, the difference is important. Mine's a Laphroaig, thank you for asking. It's a whisky. And it's like drinking Islay mud. Yum. --Dweller 11:23, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

Please help me

Three stripes on my shoes...

I would like to know:

1. How many points ou score in Scrabble for the letter Z ?
2. Which sport label uses three stripes on its clothing and footwear?

thank you. --124.121.51.83 13:29, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

See Scrabble letter distributions for the scrabble question. Depends upon the language. 10, in English. Adidas, IIRC, for the second question. --Tagishsimon (talk) 13:32, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

Regarding the shoes: Doesn't it state the manufacturer's name on the tongue? Plasticup ^T/C 17:08, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

Looks like. It's right there in the photo. --Masamage ♫ 17:26, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

That is what I found so confusing. Plasticup ^T/C 17:39, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

It confused me until I looked through the history of this page to find that the OP didn't post the image, Tagishsimon did. That would have been good to put into the caption of the pic or stated in the response. But yeah, it wasn't the OP. Dismas|^(talk) 18:52, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

• Adidas has actually gone to the World Intellectual Property Organization to prove that they are the brand with the three stripes. --M@rēino 19:45, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

Yahoo News using Wikipedia article

I read a news article on Yahoo [11] about Channel 4 reporter Sarah Smith's impending marriage, and then decided to check out her article on WP. The last part of the Y! article (a potted biography) appears to be almost a direct quote from WP with no attribution and "Copyright © 2007 Yahoo! All rights reserved." at the bottom, but the GFDL apparently "requires all copies and derivatives to be available under the same license" (GFDL). I know there are probably a bunch of sites that use WP content, but is it common for such a high-profile one to do so, and aren't they breaking the terms of the license? Thanks! --Kateshortforbob 15:10, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

The source of the article is ITN; yahoo is merely carrying the feed. The last paragraph, about 40 words, is clearly a cut & paste from the wikipedia. But I guess this is at the lower end of the offending scale, and we could account for it as payback for all of the 40+ word phrases wikipedia has "borrowed" from here, there & everywhere. AFAIK Wikipedia:Mirrors and forks#GFDL compliance is the place we report instances like this that cause us enough angst. --Tagishsimon (talk) 15:38, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

Thanks. She works for ITN, so you'd think they could make up their own biography! I was just curious - I'm used to seeing (and removing) copy and paste stuff on Wikipedia, but I've never seen WP stuff elsewhere, except in mirrors. Thanks also for the link; I didn't realise there was actually somewhere to log that kind of thing. --Kateshortforbob 22:02, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

The article is also on ITN's site here — Matt Eason ^{(Talk • Contribs)} 23:32, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

Thre is always the hazard that someone will see a commercial website which has ripped off text from Wikipdia, then tag the Wikipedia text as a copyvio from the commercial site. Edison 01:33, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

In most cases, our comprehensive history mechanism can resolve those situations. We know exactly which editor added which words and when. Also, it's NOT wrong for Yahoo to copy our words - it's only wrong for them to copy them without giving us credit for it. SteveBaker 14:00, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

Which appears to be the case here. Plasticup ^T/C 15:16, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

I've noticed that quite a bit of use is made of Wikipedia articles on eBay auction pages now. Sometimes, there's a credit. I may be wrong, but I can't see any harm in this development? Xn4 02:25, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

Fourth Geneva Convention Article 1

Where is Article 1 for the Fourth Geneva Convention. The artical in Wikipedia starts with Article 2. What does Article 1 state? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.21.165.172 (talk) 21:02, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

The full text of the Fourth Geneva Convention is available here. Article 1 states "The High Contracting Parties undertake to respect and to ensure respect for the present Convention in all circumstances," i.e. that the signatories promise to uphold the Convention that they are signing. - Eron ^Talk 21:08, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

Spike Lester

What does Spike Lester know about my soap opera characters' lives and where they are living? Ericthebrainiac 21:05, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

Judging from his extensive Evil Genius-esque resume on the article you linked, most likely everything. -Wooty [Woot?] [Spam! Spam! Wonderful spam!] 23:24, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

September 22

Music in youtube video

What is the music in this Youtube video here. It sounds vaguely familiar and I was thinking of John Williams but my search of him doesn't make it likely. What is it? --Blue387 01:18, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

I believe it is the theme from From the Earth to the Moon, a miniseries from HBO in 1998. Can someone find a copy I can download? --Blue387 08:30, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

Hmm, it doesn't sound the theme to me, judging by the clip on the soundtrack's Amazon.com page. Personally it sounds like one of Holst's The Planets though I don't know which one (and am no audiophile). --24.147.86.187 19:10, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

It is similar the Mars portion of The Planets, but is not. Plasticup ^T/C 21:15, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

I think you're right. It is probably meant to be evocative of Holst? I dunno. --24.147.86.187 15:33, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

Maybe I'm just ignorant, but it sounds very stock music (no article?) to me. Recury 00:53, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

Homework for social studies

im 11 years old and i need hlp with my homework for social studies. it's due on monday the 24th of september. hi. i need help with social studies. my teacher is asking me to define:continent, Eurasia, Hemisphere, Prime Meridian, and International date line. If you could help me that would be awesome! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.212.96.210 (talk) 01:57, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

I suggest looking at all those articles. Just type them (individually) into the search bar at the left side of the page, near the top. -- Flyguy649 ^talk _contribs 02:00, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

I wikilinked for you! 128.196.149.25 03:33, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

Alternatively, you'll find a definition of all those in a good dictionary.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 08:27, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

Good to see that the Reference Desk is doing its job. That's what it's here for :) Rfwoolf 13:33, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

Hi there. We don't do homework, but if you still need help after you look at the articles, please come back and ask for specific help. You can even give your answers here and ask for comments, but if you do, show the results to your teacher. -Arch dude 16:40, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

A New Wikipedia?!

Having read the article in New Scientist, I'm asking is it true that there will be a new version of Wikipedia where in order to make the site "realiable", users' edits won't be displayed immediately unless they are part of some hierarchy of users with "trust"? Is this for real? Is there any way I can vote against this? Or will I just have to vote with my feet like I know many others will do once this new system is implemented? --Candy-Panda 08:17, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

There are a lot of Wikis and a lot of publically-editable encyclopediae (like Citizendium), and they may have different rules of their own. But much like Kleenex for tissue, the name Wikipedia tends to get applied to a lot of things that aren't strictly it. So no, as far as I know there are no plans to do anything that drastic to Wikipedia. You can bet there'd be an uproar if anyone suggested it. --Masamage ♫ 08:24, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

Nevertheless, you might be interested to read Wikipedia:Trust network and Wikipedia:User access levels.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 08:37, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

• Wikipedia:Stable versions is a new part of the software that is in the works. As far as I remember it doesn't affect how soon material is displayed, but it does allow some trusted users to tag a certain version of an article as stable, correct and vandalism-free - Mgm|^(talk) 09:20, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

I believe the questioner was refering to this article: Wikipedia 2.0 - now with added trust. Unfortunately, as with many articles on Wikipedia, it is jumping the gun, announcing changes that are not finished or even yet agreed upon. Rmhermen 13:57, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

There have been long debates about this kind of thing in various Wikipedia forums - and this is certainly one of the things that's been discussed - but I don't think it's been widely agreed upon. As for whether a Wikipedia clone with different rules might come about - I would be rather surprised if that hadn't already happened - but such things are a total waste of time because they don't get many editors and within a matter of months they are hopelessly out of date compared to "the real thing". You can start a Wikipedia 'mirror' and you can set up alternate editing rules - and you'll start off with 2 million articles too - but when the real Wikipedia hits 3 million, I doubt you'd have 2,001,000. SteveBaker 14:07, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

• Indeed. Citizendium is probably the best attempt out there at a Wikipedia reboot, but they seem to have levelled off at around 500 edits per day (as compared to WP's 2000 new articles per day). The public's preference for Wikipedia reminds me of the slogan for one of the early full-automatic paintball guns: "accuracy through volume". :) --Sean 15:33, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

I got the impression that an unvandalised cache would be kept - for display to search engines etc - editing proceeds as usual - but the 'official page' is only updated by 'an expert' -- or something like that...87.102.89.127 16:08, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

It's also worth noting that the changes discussed in the article are currently only being proposed for the German-language Wikipedia. I doubt that we'll see them rolling over here any time soon. GeeJo ^(t)⁄_(c) • 17:14, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

How uninstall FLVDownloader

How do I uninstall the FLVDownloader and all of its components from my computer? Also, where would I find the temporary internet files such as ones I had just viewed on youtube on my computer? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.120.231.244 (talk) 14:14, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

The control-panel add/remove programs should contain a removal link for your application. In the Windows folder of your main drive (usually C:\) there is a folder (I think) called "Temporary Internet Files" which would have them in. Alternatively inside your browser there will be an option to 'clear cached pages' or 'remove temporary internet files' that sort of thing. ny156uk 15:41, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

Is it under another name because when I went to the control panel FLV, Moyer didn't show up, nothing that seemed like it appeared, am I just searching under the wrong name? Also, my computer which is new and I just put on Windows Vista onto it, it does not have a temporary internet file folder, index.dat, or a content IE5 folder. All the links that supposedly take me to it just are dead ends. But, when I go the internet tools and click on delete temporary internet files it seems to be clearing something. Is it possible not to have a folder, or am I just looking in the wrong place or under the wrong name? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.126.242.169 (talk) 16:08, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

Carparo

I need some help. The Carparo case I believe was an australian court ruling in which a Universal rule was formed.

Would I be right in stating that the Carparo rule is to with damages awarded for child maintainance cases. In that the rule states that damages shall only only be awarded if there is a sufficient relation between defendant and pursuer and that it can be proven fair, just and reasonable enough that full maintainance costs ( or part?) are awarded.

Thanks —Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.111.107.4 (talk) 15:30, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

Anyone lol? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.111.107.4 (talk) 19:16, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

You seem to be thinking of the Caparo test based on Caparo Industries Plc. v Dickman, but it isn't an Australian case, nor a case on child maintenance. In some circumstances the Caparo test could be authoritative in family law on the question of 'sufficient relation', but go carefully. Xn4 02:47, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

Losing weight by thinking?

Per Brain, towards the bottom of the article, it is stated that the brain can consume about 1.5 calories per minute performing crossword puzzles. Does this mean one can lose weight by engaging in neuronically stimulating activities such as writing tests and essays, while maintaining minimal physical movement? Acceptable 16:52, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

Theoretically, any time you burn more calories than you take in, you can lose weight. At 1.5 per minute though, don't base your diet around it. :) Saturn 5 17:27, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

What would be the rate of calorie burning for an average adult male during moderate jogging? Acceptable 20:34, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

12-15 Calories per minute. But the real weight loss comes from the effect that exercise has on your metabolism, not the exercise itself. Plasticup ^T/C 21:17, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

I'm not convinced the brain uses more energy "thinking" than not thinking. "Thinking" is a small part of all the stuff the brain does. Gzuckier 17:47, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

"5 alarm fire"

News reports of a big fire characterizes it as a "5 alarm fire". What does that mean and how are the numbers assigned? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.117.125.195 (talk) 17:18, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

The number of "alarms" is the number of different fire stations that have been called in to fight the fire. So a 5-alarm is so big, it requires equipment from 5 stations. Saturn 5 17:21, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

Or sometimes, the number of alarms refers to the number of dispatches must be made to bring additional firefighters to the scene. For example, the initial call ("alarm") might send one or two fire stations. The chief on the scene will assess the situation and request help — a second alarm, which could include multiple stations, often specifically requested by the chief. If the fire starts spreading, the chief (or by this time, perhaps someone higher in the chain-of-command) will call in with, "We need a third alarm here!" And so on. A five-alarm fire is really huge, and could actually have crews from 15 to 20 stations. — Michael J 20:11, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

Does anyone have references for the alternate definitions above? Which Wikipedia article should contain such an explanation? Samw 21:03, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

The definition apparently varies from one city to another. Some fire departments have official designations for number of alarms, while in other areas the terminology is created by the local media reporting on the fire. According to WRC-TV in Washington, D.C., on a first alarm the city's fire department "sends 5 fire engines, 2 ladder trucks, one rescue squad and one fire chief. This is call a box alarm. If the fire is confirmed, it becomes a one-alarm fire meaning one more engine, one more ladder truck, one battalion fire chief and one ambulance. A two-alarm fire brings 4 more engines, 2 more ladder trucks, 1 more fire chief and EMS equipment, in all about 110 firefighters and 45 pieces of equipment. 3 alarms brings 4 more engines and 2 more ladder trucks. Four alarms signals a huge fire and the department sends much of the equipment it has available." [12] A few years ago, the New York City newspaper The Villager reported on a fire this way: "At 6:39 p.m., it became a three-alarm fire, meaning 33 engine and ladder trucks and 138 firefighters responded. ... At 8:01 p.m., the blaze was upgraded to four alarms, meaning 39 units and 168 firefighters were at the scene." [13]. In rural areas, there is often no official designation. I write for a rural newspaper, and we go by the number-of-dispatches method, regardless of the number of fire companies. — Michael J 01:24, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

Here's what the wise Ogden Nash had to say on the subject. Marnanel 03:05, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

The one-L lama, he's a priest,

The two-L llama, he's a beast,

And I will bet a silk pajama

There isn't any three-L lllama.

The author's attention has been drawn to a type of conflagration known as a three-alarmer. Pooh.

-- The Bad Parents' Garden of Verse, 1930

Thanks everyone. I've added a new section: Fire_fighting#Categorizing_fires. Feel free to elaborate more there. Samw 04:36, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

How does a "water expander" trick work?

I realize this is pretty obscure, but I once saw a trick where 500 mL of water was poured into a 5 gal bucket, and 1000mL came out the other end. Obviously there's a reservoir of water inside somewhere, but I was wondering about specifics on how it works. Thanks! 76.226.103.14 18:00, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

Never heard of the trick, but an easy way to make such a thing look real without a reservoir of water would be to have the "1000mL" bucket or measurer or whatever actually only have a volume of 500mL and have it just appear to be twice as much volume (thicker inside than outside, less depth, whatever). (There's also the possibility of keeping the original 500mL at twice its normal density but that seems like it would be both hard to prepare as well as obvious when executed.) --24.147.86.187 18:59, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

We had a similar problem in my freshman biology class. We put in water, and then a different amount of water would come out. Sometimes some, sometimes none, sometimes alot of water would poor out. After a few trials we found that it was a repeating cycle, and then had to diagram how we thought the system worked, as we could not see the inside of the box. When we were seniors we got to go back and open the box. It turned out it was a system of siphons. I would assume your situation is the same. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 128.101.53.147 (talk) 19:53, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

I think this is an old magic trick that I had a small version of as a child (marketed under Paul Daniels' name) In the one I had, it was a jug that had a hidden hollow section between the jug's exterior and an inner wall that became the apparent wall of the jug if you looked inside it. So, the apparent volume of the jug was far less than its real capacity. Flow from the hidden reservoir was controlled by placing a thumb over (or releasing the pressure on) a small airhole. My Physics knowledge is sparse to say the most, so I won't hazard a guess as to how it worked, but it did. If I approximate its design in section, it would be:

         ___________
spout->  \  |     | |
          \ |     | |
          | |     |    <- air hole
          | |     | |
          | |     | |
          |_________|

The natural shadows at the bottom of the jug hid the (otherwise) tell-tale small gap between the inner walls and the jug's bottom. I now resign my membership of The Magic Circle --Dweller 11:12, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

Can not find the Internet Folder

I have a new computer and recently put Windows Vista onto it. I can't seem to find the temporary internet folders although when I go to internet tools and press delete temporary internet files folder it erases, so where could it be erasing from? Is it possible I don't have and internet folder on it? And, how could I find it? (There aren't any folders when I do a search on index.dat, Contents IE5, or twmporary internet folder, why can't I find these? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.126.242.169 (talk) 18:34, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

Do you have it enabled to show you hidden and system files? Often that is turned off by default, both in viewing as well as searching. --24.147.86.187 18:55, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

Have you tried The Computing Reference desk? They specialize in knowledge questions, and will try to answer any question. Just follow the link, select the relevant section, and ask away. I hope this helps.--Ybbor^Talk 18:59, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

Injecting oneself

It is often depicted in movies where the character needs to inject him/herself intravenously, he or she will often slap the forearm and possibly tied a constricting fabric around the arm. Why do they do this? Is it done to see the blood veins more clearly? If so, how does it work? Thanks. Acceptable 21:46, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

This is done to raise the veins up so that you can see them and inject into them more easily. Try it yourself by slapping the inside of your elbow a few times: you should see the vein rise up. Why it does so, I dont know.--212.139.98.210 21:49, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

doesn't work on me. Gzuckier 17:49, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

I'd assume it's because even very minor skin trauma makes you swell up, so everything gets poofy. As for tying it off with fabric or rubber, that traps blood in the arm and increases the pressure as blood tries to get back out, which also makes veins rise. (This one you should probably not try on yourself.) --Masamage ♫ 23:57, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

The principle is explained at tourniquet. Rockpocket 19:38, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

"Being a Wikipedian User"

Hello, I was wanting to know how are users able to use another font on Wikipedia besides the one provided (which is Arial)?

P.S. Sorry for getting on your nerves jjron

--Writer Cartoonist 22:15, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

I don't understand what you want to do: Do you want to control the way what you write appears? Or do you want to change the the default appearance on your screen of what everybody writes? --teb728 02:54, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

Click on "my preferences" at the top of the page, then select the "skin" tab. You can preview different skins until you find one you like. I find it handy to use a different skin from the default, so that I know if I've been logged out.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 07:28, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

Do you mean like this? If so, just look at the coding I have used in answering this post. NOTE: Don't do stuff like this is actual articles. --24.147.86.187 15:32, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

Arial? Ptui! Everything on Wikipedia is displayed in Lucida Sans – coincidentally the font that I've chosen as default in my Firefox settings. —Tamfang 06:47, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

September 23

Burning a volleyball

Purely theoretical, but assuming an Olympic-regulation volleyball in a gym with a constant air temeprature of 20 degress Celsius and a barometric pressure equal of that at sea level, how much of an impact force or energy would a player need to hit the ball with in order to set the ball on fire from air friction? Thanks. Acceptable 02:37, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

A heck of a lot. Actually, if you hit it with enough force to accelerate it to such speeds, it would just explode, you would need to gradually accelerate it in a vacuum, then have it strike the air, much like a meteor hitting the atmosphere. StuRat 03:48, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

You'd probably get a more exact answer on the science desk. Exxolon 15:35, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

K thanks, i'll ask again on the Science Desk. Acceptable 16:08, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

Madden NFL 2008 PC

Is there a way to turn of the salary cap in Madden 2008. Just so i can freely sign players. Any files that might help.--logger 04:23, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

Jacqueline Wilson

What is the surname of Tracey, the heroine of Jacqueline Wilson's books? --124.121.46.128 04:30, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

Are you thinking of The Story of Tracy Beaker? Xn4 05:10, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

No, Tracey not Tracy. Thank you very much. --124.121.50.210 05:16, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

She has written scores of books. Which one(s) are you referring to?--Shantavira|^{feed me} 07:34, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

• The heroine of Wilson's books is called Tracy, not Tracey. - Mgm|^(talk) 09:36, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

Digging in dirt

What is a good machine that will dig/burrow through dirt and dig up a backyard? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.121.105.34 (talk) 05:00, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

One of the very best is a pig. Xn4 05:12, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

A backhoe isn't just a prostitute who submits to unconventional sex acts. StuRat 05:14, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

How big is the backyard? Actually, the right machine depends on the intended purpose and end result. For gardening, you'll probably want a rotary tiller; general heavy digging would call for a backhoe and installing underground pipes might call for directional boring. 152.16.59.190 05:29, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

Are you digging a large hole, a narrow hole, a deep hole or just turning over all the soil? (Backhoe, trencher, posthole digger/auger, rototiller) Rmhermen 05:30, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

Or if you are thinking about doing some gardening, a garden trowel might be what you want. Dismas|^(talk) 02:39, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

Or a Bobcat compact excavator? Of course, if you're in the UK, you'll want a JCB instead, which you can operate whilst listening to JCB.

Atlant 15:01, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

Awwwww... that video brings me to my happy-place... :) --Mdwyer 21:31, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

You're not alone.

Atlant 00:54, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

help

how can i translate chinese to english —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.90.43.175 (talk) 05:57, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

Try Babel Fish or any other online translation tool. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.208.110.207 (talk) 06:55, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

Though you might want to try to get it to convert the result back to English to see the kind of quality you are getting, I get the impression that automatic conversion between European and East Asian languages doesn't work that well. The alternatives, of course, are to learn Chinese or to hire a professional translator. Bistromathic 11:32, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

Babelfish is good at conveying the core meaning, but it has light-years to go on translating grammar and context. Every real conversation I've used it for, the other paty told me my grammar was atrocious. :-) Saturn 5 00:49, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

Rollercoaster Tycoon 3

I know that this game upon release was absolutely berated for it`s numerous errors. My question is did they actualy release a patch fixing these errors and if so where would I find such a patch in it`s most recent form. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.111.107.4 (talk) 10:33, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

The most recent patch is here — Matt Eason ^{(Talk • Contribs)} 10:37, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

If I may, though, even with the errors fixed...it's just not a good game. After 3 days I gave up trying to figure out how to build a ride exit on one of the attractions - it simply would not let me, thus I was unable to make the dang thing work. I was much happier with RCT2. Kuronue | Talk 15:41, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

"Fonts"

Yeah I would like to change the font of what I've been writing with on Wikipedia. I think everyone calls it a IB. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.44.155.52 (talk) 11:29, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

I'm going to take a real guess here and assume that by the above you are meaning that you don't want your IP address to be your "name" on Wikipedia that is displayed when you are editing. All you have to do is just click the "Sign in / create account" button at the top to pick your own name.

Now if you really mean "change the font" as in "change what style the text is displayed on Wikipedia," you can do that, but it requires you to create an account in any case, and then modify a style sheet for your account (I think you can do that pretty easily under your account preferences). --24.147.86.187 15:30, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

Sounds like they're referring to the <small> font the bot uses to sign their IP for them. In which case the answer is simple, sign your own posts by typing 4 ~ or ~~~~, and the bot won't sign your name for you anymore. --VectorPotential^Talk 19:02, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

lost DSL filter

We lost four DSL filters when returning a modem to a store to get a new one. The DSL filters are provided by the ISP. We don't have money and time to get a new one. What should we do? Should we go back to the lost and found at the store and say, "We lost the four DSL filters that the ISP provide us." and because we want it back. Jet (talk) 16:48, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

Well it's worth a try. Good luck.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 18:02, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

They aren't insanely expensive - I bought a bunch at Radio Shack for something like $10 each. But going back to the store and asking if they kept them is worth a shot. You certainly need one for every telephone in the house - without them, your DSL will be flakey. You could also (I suppose) call up you ISP and claim to have added more phones - maybe they'll give you some filters for nothing. But you can't do without them - that's for sure. SteveBaker 18:33, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

The store is Best Buy. Jet (talk) 18:49, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

Explain that when you returned the modem you returns X filters and that when it was collected they were not here. Large firms often have very good policies on things like this (it is often cheaper for them to do things in good will than to risk a disgruntled customer). I find your best chance is not to be angry but to be assertive, not to be aggressive and also not to be accusing. It is more than likely that they got lost rather than anything else - like the above user says they aren't pricey. Alternatively if that's no luck - ask friends. I know a lot of people who only got a phoneline for the internet and so they tend to have only 1 filter in use and therefore have the rest from their ISP spare somewhere in the house. ny156uk 20:03, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

I mean that I put the DSL filters to the box and return the box to the customer service at the store and I didn't have time to check it. Jet (talk) 22:03, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

I don't mean "Buy a new one" because we lost it and maybe we can't get it back. Jet (talk) 22:04, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

They can't help me. I can only claim it as my lost property or buy a new set of DSL filters. Jet (talk) 04:10, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

Removing beer smell from fabric

OK, this is a random question. I took my nice Tamrac waterproof backpack to a party and got most of a pint of ale spilled over it. It's dried out now, isn't too sticky, but absolutely reeks of beer. I don't want to properly wash it, because the bag has lots of padded compartments and I'm worried they'll just absorb water (luckily the beer only got the top, unpadded compartment wet). Question: is something like Febreze likely to be able to "remove" the smell, even on a waterproof fabric? Rawling4851 16:55, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

I don't know anything about Febreze, but if I were you I would try wiping it all over with a damp cloth (rinse frequently) before trying out any chemicals, as you don't want to compromise the waterproofing.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 18:05, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

In my experience Febreze works its magics on all smells under almost all conditions, and I would give it a try. SaundersW 18:33, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

I suggest hand washing the parts that had beer spilled on them, then dry it with a hair dryer or space heater. Beer, being mostly water and alcohol, should readily dissolve in water alone. StuRat 18:46, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

Try washing it - (as I always say) - use a shower head and do it by hand. Why would there be a problem with getting a waterproof bag wet?!87.102.17.252 18:58, 23 September 2007 (UTC) You could just leave it outside and wait for it to rain.87.102.17.252 18:59, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

• I've never tried it, but Dawn works for everything else, so it probably works for this too. --jpgordon^∇∆∇∆ 18:58, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

Yeah, I'll probably try washing it with water first. It's only waterproof from the outside, and I'll probably manage to get some water in if I'm actually washing it, I'm just worried about water soaking into the internal padded bits. Rawling4851 19:47, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

I've cleaned a backpack with foamy bits using a shower head - nothing bad seemed to happen - and if the foam gets wet - I'm sure it will dry out.87.102.21.91 12:25, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

You could take it to a dry cleaners if you really don't want to wash it in water. Neil ム 15:07, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

TAQWA acronym

im running madrisa as well as school syllabus.i want to name the institution. i have a word in my mind TAQWA. there are three abreviation of this word in my mind —Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.99.175.191 (talk) 16:58, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

203.99.175.191 17:06, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

Im running madrisa as well as school syllabus.i want to name the institution. I have a word in my mind TAQWA. there are three abreviation of this word in my mind

• true aims quranic wit apex
• true aims quranic ways acadmey
• true aums quranic ways apex acadmey.

I want you to examine these words or phrase and suggest me what is the better one or beter one else of these. if there is any other then let me know.

If I understand you — You're starting a school, the school needs a name, you want the name to have the acronym TAQWA. Well, of those that you suggest, I think True Aims Quranic Ways Academy is best because it makes some sense. —Tamfang 06:55, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

Audio mixing question

I have a recording of someone speaking where the microphone was placed below and behind the subject. The result is that while the recording is clear, it sounds a little out of the way, a little less "direct" than had it been placed more in front of them. What sorts of things can I do with this audio to make it sound a little less murky? It somewhat sounds like it was recorded in a tin can. I'd like to "brighten" it a bit. I have access to various professional audio tools, I'm just not sure which sorts of things will help such a recording. --24.147.86.187 17:47, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

The human mouth is shaped (inside and out) to project sound forwards. Thus the microphone did not pick up a large portion of the audio energy that was emitted. You can experiment with omni- and uni- directional mikes to try and get better pickup, but I think you will want to have the mic in front of the speaker to avoid the murky sound quality. (Thank you sinebot) Saturn 5 00:46, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

Well, I know the root cause of it. I'm just asking about after the fact processing that can improve the current recording. --24.147.86.187 04:59, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

I imagine that you lost a lot of the high-ends stuff. You MIGHT be able to cut the lower frequencies and boost the higher frequencies, but that's just going to bring the noise floor up. Will you have the chance to re-record it? --Mdwyer 03:27, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

This sounds like what I will play with. It's just a small, in-house job, so I'm not going to bother re-recording it. --24.147.86.187 04:59, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

Another issue is that a large portion of the sound recorded is likely to be echoes, perhaps more than the direct sound. You would need a rather fancy electronic filter to detect and reduce (or eliminate) the echoes. StuRat 16:55, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

brokerages

Say out of all the Fidelity customers, there are a total of 1 millions shares of IBM in their combined portfolios.

Has Fidelity actually purchased 1 millions shares, or could it have gotten away with just buying 800,000 and investing the rest of the money in its own vices? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 12.217.199.246 (talk) 23:34, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

Public funds are (usually anyway) subject to varying levels of scrutiny. While it is possible for a fund manager to not follow the intentions of the contributors, with Enron type scandals in the news lately, that would be begging for the SEC to come calling. Saturn 5 00:41, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

September 24

Facebook question

Does Facebook have a "log" application or feature that allows you to see who has visited your profile and when? Thanks, anon.

—Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.19.23.161 (talk) 00:32, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

No, as that would be all kinds of privacy violations. The developers might track that sort of thing, but I doubt it. Neil ム 15:06, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

That wouldn't be any more of a privacy violation than the sort of logging most websites do on their visitors. You make it sound like there's a law against such monitoring; there isn't. --24.147.86.187 05:01, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

Why does Japan hate Dragon Ball GT?

Why does Japan hate Dragon Ball GT? I mean it was cancelled after only 64 episodes. The show was shown after Z ended and at the time GT aired, the Dragon Ball series was VERY popular. So why did they cancel it? Did Akira Toriyama like GT? Or did he hate it as well? Thanks. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.189.57.235 (talk) 01:24, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

Maybe in Japan they know how to cancel a show just when they run out of good material for it (rather than one or two seasons later as seems to be common in North America). Or maybe they decided the rest of the story would be better presented in other media (as seems to have happened when Serial Experiments Lain got only one 13-episode season). NeonMerlin 03:18, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

Actually, many anime are 13 episodes long; it's a pretty standard run, called a "course". Gunslinger Girls, Record of Lodoss War, Niea_7, and Haibane Renmei are examples; KareKano has a doubled length at 26 episodes, also common; I think it might be the length of a full TV season in Japan. Some of this is discussed at Television season#Seasons/Series. --Masamage ♫ 05:27, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

Where do video game cheats come from?

They seem to appear out of no where. Where do they come from? How do people find out about them? Im guessing that the developers send them to video game sites, but im not sure.--Coasttocoast 02:22, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

Well, as far as the (in)famous Konami Code goes, according to our article, the developer put it in to test the game and then never took it out. How people found out about it, I'm not so sure. Dismas|^(talk) 02:36, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

I would guess that the cheat code in Contra, at least, was put in intentionally. The game was way too difficult to play with only three lives. I'd surmise that the programmers gave the game a default of three lives so it would be consistent with the coin-op version but ensured that the "secret" code was disseminated through official Nintendo guides and the like. -- Mwalcoff 02:44, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

I would disagree with the assertion that it was "way too difficult" to play without a cheat code. After using the 30 lives cheat code for some time, I eventually found myself only using one or two of those lives. So the cheat code became pointless to input. Being one of the early games, the enemy became really predictable because their placement and timing never changed. Dismas|^(talk) 04:50, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

I guess you were a much better Contra player than I was. -- Mwalcoff 09:21, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

Cheat codes get put in so (obviously) the developers, testers and the like can playtest the game as much as needed right through. Sometimes, cheat codes are revealed when you complete the game (and then obviously, get passed around). Other times, people figure them out themselves. And yes, sometimes developers release them for the reasons above, or one of the hundreds of playtesters, who are usually not employees, pass them on, as they don't have anything to lose. Neil ム 11:46, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

Some (eg, the famous JUSTIN BAILEY cheat from Metroid) come from the fact that early systems used procedurally generated passwords to save data - if you knew the algorithm behind the password, you could then work backwards and find a password which gave you infinite lives or max-ammo. Others, such as the Chris Houlihan room in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past are easter eggs, created by the programmers either to hide their names within the code, or to provide a bonus for dedicated players to find. The ones that appear on websites are generally found in one of three ways: 1) The developer releases the cheat codes (Maxis does this with The Sims 2, to make it easier to play the game in non-linear fashion), 2) The cheat is found by accident (such as the Sequence breaks in the Metroid series), and 3) The cheat is found, generally by more dedicated hackers or gamers, by searching the source of the game or messing about with the game in debug mode (see POKEs as cheats and the glitches in Pokémon games). Laïka 20:32, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

Secular use of the Discordian calendar

Have there been any serious proposals to replace the Gregorian calendar with a version of the Discordian calendar (possibly with St. Tibb's Day moved and the names changed)? The latter seems to have several of the advantages over the former sought by calendar reformers -- the five seasons all have the same number of days, each day of the year is a fixed day of the week, and five is easier to divide by than seven. NeonMerlin 03:15, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

By "serious" do you mean "seriously made" or "taken seriously"? —Tamfang 06:57, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

The Egyptian calendar is the closest that I'm aware of - that had 36 10-day weeks, with 5 "wandering days" left over at the (you may wonder why they didn't use 73 5-day weeks, but apparently it made the sums easier for the 10-fingered innumerate peasants). This calendar was then reformed into the Coptic calendar, but the Coptic calendar doesn't skip leap-years divisible by 100 but not 400 (as our calendar does), and no longer uses weeks (instead, as far as I'm aware, they just call each day "n month", as in "16 Paremhat"), so it doesn't have enough useful features. Laïka 21:37, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

The "Naked at school" dream

What do dreams about being naked at school mean and why are they so common? --124.254.77.148 04:37, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

Fear of embarassment? Maybe there's a sexual element.. the child's mind trying to explore the unfamiliar of sexuality, and picking a familiar environment. IINAP --froth^t 06:44, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

Please see my comment at Wikipedia talk:Reference desk/Professional advice#Interpretation of Dreams. -- JackofOz 02:10, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

None of this is officialor expert, of course, but I don't think it's sexual; I think it's about embarrassment and exposure. When I have this dream, I come to school clothed, get overheated during class, and remove something, only to realize that this is socially inappropriate. I then have to try and put my clothes back on without the teacher or anyone else noticing my error, which may or may not work. (Once I didn't notice until all my clothes were gone, and I had to trace back through all my classes naked, picking up a shirt here and a sock there, while all the seated students sniggered at me.) -Masamage ♫ 05:20, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

today's slashdot quote

...is "Quark! Quark! Beware the quantum duck!" This gets tens of thousands of google results yet I can't find an origin. What's this from? DS9? --froth^t 06:42, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

The joke "How does a quantum duck sound? Quark, quark!" is decades older than DS9, I'd say. —Tamfang 06:57, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

If you ask on the scieece desk someone might be able to trace it's origins to a science lab somewhere in the 1970's...(but if i'd quacked that joke i wouldn't bragg about it - now i die)83.100.254.150 07:24, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

But why the "beware"? --froth^t 17:07, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

It's spooky. It's both alive and dead at the same time. Or maybe it's a reference to the Jabberwock that burbled as it came. --Milkbreath 17:22, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

The moon on my birthday

Hi there, after fruitless searching I thought I'd ask you guys if you could please help me find out what the moon was doing on my birthday. Which is 25th April 1985?? (P.S- does it matter where on earth you are looking from? If so, it was Perth, Western Australia)

Thanks a bunch Mel —Preceding unsigned comment added by Melissa85 (talk • contribs) 09:46, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

This Google search links to many calculators which should show you what you want, such as [14] or [15]. Sadly the two sites I've linked to disagree as to the phase :( so you may have to take a consensus from a few, or find one which for some other reasons seems especially reliable. --Tagishsimon (talk) 10:07, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

it was four days after the new moon. Jon513 11:09, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

If you're asking for the purposes of astrology, note that the moon moves through about 13 degrees of the zodiac per day, so the time of birth is important. At midnight (00:00 hrs GMT) on 25 April 1985 the moon was at 27 degrees of Gemini. By the end of the day (24:00 hrs GMT) it was at 10 degrees of Cancer. (Those are the signs of the zodiac, not the constellations, which are different.) And yes it does make a difference where you look from, because of parallax. An ephemeris will only give you geocentric positions for the moon. Unless the moon is overhead, the parallax effect can make a difference of up to about 1 degree either way.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 13:14, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

• I just looked it up at Sky and Telescope, and got a different result. From midnight to dawn on April 25, there would be no moon in the sky over Perth. From dusk until it set around 9 pm, the new moon was in Gemini. --M@rēino 15:57, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

Physicals

Why, particularly in movies set in American high schools, does a doctor cup someone's balls and ask them to cough? There's nothing in coughing about this, as far as I can tell. Neil ム 10:32, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

They don't "cup" anything, as far as I know. I am not a doctor, and I don't play one on television. They are feeling for hernia at the place where the testicles descended in infancy. Coughing increases the pressure inside the abdomen, allowing the doctor to feel to what extent the stuff inside is able to get out at the weak spots. If you watch a lot of movies set in American high schools, you will see all sorts of salacious behavior, but this isn't that, usually. You should see Rock and Roll High School if you haven't already, by the way. --Milkbreath 10:52, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

It's usually whenever there's a physical, for football players and the like. It seems to be a pretty standard thing, and has appeared in lots of movies. So it's to check for hernias? Thank you. Neil ム 11:12, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

It's a hernia check. Physicals are often required before entering high school here in the U.S. Some schools don't require it on admittance but do if the person is joining some sports team. Though generally, to keep the paperwork easier to maintain, they just require it for everyone and don't have to worry about whether this person or that person had their physical. Dismas|^(talk) 20:52, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

Awesome, I had been wondering about that too and never thought to ask here about it. Thanks Neil and answerers. :) --Masamage ♫ 05:15, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

And what about the part where your doctor uses his penis as a rectal thermometer? That's always struck me as strange. Gzuckier 18:28, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

Joe DiMaggio

You do realize that Joe DiMaggio batted and threw right handed and played center field, don't you? What you have on his listing really makes Wikipedia look REALLY bad. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 216.193.141.173 (talk) 11:00, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for your suggestion. When you believe an article needs improvement, please feel free to change it. You can edit almost any article on Wikipedia by just following the Edit link at the top of the page. We encourage you to be bold in updating pages, because wikis like ours develop faster when everybody edits. Don't worry too much about making honest mistakes—they're likely to be found and corrected quickly. You can always preview your edits before you publish them or test them out in the sandbox. If you need additional help, check out our getting started page or ask the friendly folks at the Teahouse. --Dweller 11:01, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

The article says he bats right handed, and played center field, and has done so since April 2002 ([16]). Neil ム 11:03, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

I am talking about the box on the side of the page. Not only that, Joe never played for anyone besides the Yankees. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 216.193.141.173 (talk) 11:04, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

The box says Joe Di Maggio, then his picture, then Centre Fielder. Below, it has his date of birth and death, then Batted: Right and Threw: Right. Then, further down, there's Teams: New York Yankees 1936-42 and 46-51 (there was no baseball between 1942-46, guess why). I don't understand your question. Neil ム 11:11, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

The article was vandalised by 172.135.39.234 (Talk) at 02:01, 21 September 2007. That sort of thing happens on wikipedia. Normally the damage is reverted without song and dance. --Tagishsimon (talk) 11:13, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

I don't think that having incorrect information on which hand Joe DiMaggio used makes Wikipedia look half as bad as some of the more blatant stuff, of course. Eran of Arcadia 14:11, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

Well, please do feel free to fix any blatant stuff you come across, or point it out on the article's talk page. Neil ム 15:05, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

(nitpick) Actually, there was baseball during WWII, it's just that there was no Joe DiMaggio baseball, as he was in the military. Matt Deres 20:27, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

You are absolutely right. I've seen A League of Their Own(!) Neil ム 11:23, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

requesting articles?

Do you know where? --Plament 15:29, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

This is among the most admirably brief questions I have ever seen. Mad props. If you would like to request an article be created, try going to Wikipedia:Requested Articles. You can then find a suitable topic and subtopic for your article. Good luck.Deltopia 16:21, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

"Revive the Twinkie Perm"

My One True Ex has been listening to Mark Thomas's monologue My Life in Serious Organised Crime in heavy rotation, and remarked to me the other day that the one thing she couldn't make sense of was someone's demonstration to "Revive the Twinkie Pound". I took a listen and penetrated the imitation Scots accent (MT was quoting a PC Paul Macanally) to find that the concept in question was really the twinkie perm, a phrase that turns up (independently of MT) on two forum webpages, both times in proximity with "blue rinse" and a quantity of Scots dialect. Can anyone tell us more? —Tamfang 15:29, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

See Twink (home perm).--Mrs Wibble-Wobble 17:33, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

William Forsyth....

I am looking for the address that William Forsyth (1820-1902) lived at in Washington DC. I know that he was the DC survoryor and worked with Alexander Shepherd laying the sweage system in the Washington DC area. Also I would love to see a picture of his grave, and the house that he lived in. Any help that you might be able to provide me would be "very" much apprecaited. Thank you, Stephen101 —Preceding unsigned comment added by Stephen101 (talk • contribs) 19:13, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

Upton Sinclair..

I am looking for information about Upton Sinclair (1878-1968). I know that for a while in his life he spent in the Washington DC area. I am trying to find out where he lived during those years. Also I would enjoying seeing any kind of pictures that might be available of Upton Sinclair during thoses years. Anything that could and can be found would be great and much appreciated to be seen. Thank you. Stephen101 —Preceding unsigned comment added by Stephen101 (talk • contribs) 19:24, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

Harry S. Truman

In his own writing, no less!

Mr. Truman's middle name wes "S". Why do you insist on using a period after the letter In his name? His Name should read "Harry S Truman", not Harry S. Truman. Please correct this in your article on the man.— —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.110.63.149 (talk) 19:56, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

This is addressed in the article, as well as having been debated quite a bit on the talk page for the article. --LarryMac | Talk 20:02, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

He even signed it with a period (see image). Neil ム 11:26, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

Adding the American Red Cross Celebrity Cabinet Members

I was wondering if it would be possible to add all of our Cabinet Members to your site. More specifically add that they are part of our 2007 Celebrity Cabinet.

The American Red Cross National Celebrity Cabinet was developed in 2002 as part of the Entertainment Outreach Program to help our organization highlight important initiatives and response efforts.

The award-winning combination of well-respected actors, musical artists, television personalities, athletes and other public figures are "on-call" to help the Red Cross by donating their time, skills, passion and energy for a one-year term when it's needed most.

We are grateful to these generous people for pledging their assistance and look forward to providing them with meaningful projects that inspire them while helping the Red Cross fulfill its humanitarian mission.

All of our members are listed as such:

http://www.redcross.org/news/other/entertainment/natcelebcab/2007_members.asp

To reach me - (email address removed) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 162.6.226.11 (talk) 20:59, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

Thank you for your suggestion! A section has been added to American Red Cross, although I have not added every name, as it would be too long for the article. Neil ム 11:34, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

Cheque retrieval

Is it possible to cash a cheque, but then to keep the cheque for posterity. For example, if I were to earn a Knuth reward check, could I cash it in and have it on my wall, framed and virtually unmarked (I'd allow maybe some sort of cancellation stamp), or would I alas have to allow $2.56 to slip through my fingers? (In the United Kingdom, BTW) Laïka 21:10, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

Check with your bank. At my bank, at least, they destroy the original check, but provide scanned images of the check's front and back. --Mdwyer 21:28, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

I let the money slip past. The check is worth far more to me than the money would have been. Donald Hosek 23:18, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

The issuer of the check gets to keep the check, not the recipient, if it is returned at all. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Equal Enjoy (talk • contribs) 01:15, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

Might I suggest you make a color copy for the wall at your local print shop/copy center and cash the original ? StuRat 02:48, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

Or see if it works the other way around. :) I've been wondering about this too, because I recently received a cheque from the US for my first photo-sale (yippee!), a memorable event, so I want to cash in the money, but also keep the cheque, also because it's the first cheque I ever received (money transfers are all electronic in the Netherlands these days). DirkvdM 13:16, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

I think you've discovered Knuth's cunning plan. --Sean 17:11, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

Another Youtube video with uncertain music

I have another video from Youtube where the music is vaguely familiar but unknown. The music is familiar as it appeared previously in the trailer for Pearl Harbor shown here. The comments provide a probable answer for the origin of the music but my search at amazon.com did not match the answer. So, what is it? --Blue387 22:52, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

Wasn't the score written by Hans Zimmer? Is there any suggestion he used pre-existing music by another composer, and if so, wouldn't it have been credited as such? The fact that it turned up in the later, unrelated, video doesn't necessarily mean that it's a non-Zimmer piece. Mind you, we're told that "Other composers like Steve Jablonsky, James Dooley, Heitor Pereira and Geoff Zanelli work in Zimmer's studio ... composers including Harry Gregson-Williams, Mark Mancina, John Powell and Klaus Badelt are also all former members of the studio" - so it's possible that one of them actually wrote this part of the score, a score that was attributed in the movie to Hans Zimmer alone. -- JackofOz 01:45, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

September 25

Names

Hey, I'm writing a story and I want some special names for my characters, the names I prefer are greek-sounding. My male character's name is Ouranos and my female's Gaïa. I really like those names and would greatly appreciate a list of both male and female names. Thanks --Ninjawolf 01:10, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

Since you've clearly got a motif going, I would start by checking out all the articles relating to Greek mythological figures. :) There's some cool stuff in there. I also like looking through the names of real people, e.g. List of Greeks, List of philosophers, etc. --Masamage ♫ 03:42, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

for a woman, I'm quite fond of Incontinentia Buttox --Dweller 08:36, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

We have Category:Greek surnames, and Category:Greek names, which have some pretty good stuff (although Surnames is a bit sparse). Laïka 12:10, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

Swedish names are pretty great, too. My friend's dad has a coworker named Torfin Borkin. --Masamage ♫ 14:30, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

If I'd had another son I was going to name him "Alexander Isosceles", and we're not even Greek, so I know where you're coming from. --Milkbreath 18:11, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

HOW many?

how many penises can a man have? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.59.237.41 (talk) 03:35, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

With science, anything is possible. --Masamage ♫ 03:40, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

I believe there is a medical condition where the penis is split in two at birth, if that's what you mean. StuRat 03:58, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

You're looking for diphallia. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 04:12, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

Yep, that's it. Somehow that brings to mind the saying: "There's twice as much of me to love". StuRat 05:05, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

Is he a curator or owner of a penis museum? The total could be 245. Edison 05:20, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

Those fellows need to find a nice girl with uterine didelphys. --Sean 17:15, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

We have a contender! --Dweller 08:33, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

Do you mean 'how many at once', or just 'how many'? --jjron 09:49, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

Depends how many orifices he has.--Mrs Wibble-Wobble 11:24, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

slight ot: Proud father:"Hey congratulate me, my wife just had twins!" Stranger in bar:"Good for her! I had twins once myself and it was great." Gzuckier 18:26, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

Shipping costs

How much fuel does it take to move a ton of goods a thousand miles over an average route by:

1. Boat
2. Train
3. Truck
4. Airplane

--67.185.172.158 03:53, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

What types of airplane, truck, and boat? What do you need the answers for? If we knew what you needed the answers for we could be more precise. You could move a ton of goods in a pickup truck for instance but the fuel consumption for that would differ from a semi-truck pulling a ton of goods inside a trailer. Both are used for commercial transport but one or the other may not suit your needs. Dismas|^(talk) 04:03, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

Don't forget to ask what type of goods are involved. A ton of lead (with a volume of about 0.09 m³) will have different requirements for shipping than a ton of extruded polystyrene billets (about 8 cubic meters). A ton of fresh produce may need to be refrigerated; a ton of sulfuric acid will require special containers and paperwork, and will accrue extra costs. Finally, don't forget to ask if there's a mountain in the way. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 04:19, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

By boat can be the most efficient method - especially if you are near a waterway and the goods are to be delivered downstream (or by sail)! In general, airplanes are least efficient but much depends on delivery locations as many deliveries will have to be multimodal. Only rarely are factories located at airports while trucks more often make direct deliveries or complete aircraft deliveries. Rmhermen 04:30, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

From the US Bureau of Transportation Statistics, average freight revenue per ton-mile in 2001 was:

• Domestic Air; 80.4c
• Truck; 26.6c
• Class I rail; 2.24c
• Barge; 0.72c

Those numbers would be a fair indication of the relative fuel costs, I'd say. FiggyBee 04:44, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

Probably not for the air transport, because that is not taxed, so the fuel cost will be a lot higher. Art least, that lack of tax for airplane kerosene is a serious point of debate in Europe. in the US, the difference will probably not be as great because there are hardly any taxes there (compared to most European countries anyway). Btw, is the question about the financial cost, the energy consumption, the ecological (climate) cost or the volume of fuel used? Keep in mind that different modes of transport use different fuels, so values may not be comparable, depending on what you are asking about. DirkvdM 13:21, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

U.S. aircraft fuel is taxed (with both federal and state taxes - California has a 8% tax on top of the federal 0.044 dollars per gallon tax) Also in the U.S., we don't call it kerosene which as our article Jet_fuel shows is an incomplete description of the fuel. Rmhermen 13:33, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

• If the train is electrified (as many freight lines are, especially in Europe), then you don't necessarily need any "fuel" at all -- the electricity could come from a non-fuel source such as hydropower. --M@rēino 18:12, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

Print a calendar

Anyone know a site where I can upload my own pics and print out calendar pages (for free)? --124.254.77.148 05:02, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/ - number of neat little tools here including a calendar. Lanfear's Bane 08:50, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

I don't think it's that hard to find free calendar making software that uses your own pics, but are you actually wanting to get them printed for free as well? --jjron 09:34, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

Was the "States List Puzzle" ever solved?

I was just reading a Straight Dope thread about the States List Puzzle. Out of curiosity, did anyone ever figure out the solution? Or was it generally assumed to be a big ruse? Zagalejo^^^ 06:32, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

Ruse or not, if it has been solved it has never been posted as such anywhere online. (Wikipedia used to have an article States List Puzzle which stated pretty much that, but it got deleted by some admin). --24.147.86.187 14:46, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

what are the differences...

between the basic infantryman MOS and rifleman MOS in the United States Marine Corps? --MKnight9989 13:04, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

We have an article for MOS 0311, for riflemen, but nothing for MOS 0300 basic infantryman. Googleing MOS 0300 gives you some sites which might help. Meanwhile List of United States Marine Corps MOS could do with wikilinks for any MOSs for which we have articles, if anyone is feeling sufficiently obsessive. --Tagishsimon (talk) 13:21, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

We only have three - MOS 0311 (Rifleman), MOS 0331 (Machine Gunner), and MOS 0369 (Infantry Unit Leader). Now there's a fun Wikiproject. Neil ム 15:44, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

86'd

We all know what the term "getting 86'd" means. We have an "86" board at work for menu items which are currently out of stock but does anyone know the actual significance of the number 86 in these terms? We can't figure out why it is 86 and not another number. Help!!! Please. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.156.53.61 (talk) 14:03, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

I don't know what "getting 86'd" means. DuncanHill 14:05, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

See 86 (number), third section. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 14:06, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

To be clear, 86 (number) seems to answer both questions. --Tagishsimon (talk) 14:25, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

I've always been (a,be)-mused by the rebus-like product name: RU-486. --Sean 17:20, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

Electricity waste

How much electricity is wasted in a year on average in the UK? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Mheaver (talk • contribs) 15:05, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

Can you provide some more detail on this question? Some figures might be possible if you can supply some who, why, what or where details. Lanfear's Bane 15:15, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

here's a start (http://news.zdnet.co.uk/hardware/0,1000000091,39268538,00.htm) this is a guesstimate for PCs, there will be literally hundreds of other guesstimates for different products/different processes. I know stand by mode for electrical equipment is fast becoming a disliked feature and there has been talk of banning it from new appliances. Light bulbs are often held out as a culprit of 'wasted' energy. It depends on defining waste...The electricity itself isn't wasted - it does power something - but the use of the electricity could be removed and thus it is 'waste' as it is unnecessary use. I am led to understand that power-stations lose waste and that also storing electricity on a national scale isn't feasible so i guess any over-production would be considered waste too. ny156uk 17:24, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

Also look at (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_the_UK_National_Grid_is_presently_controlled)...Actually quite interesting read. Never knew things were so ridiculously complex (though it does figure that powering a whole nation would be!). ny156uk 17:28, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

Ice and water density

If ice is less dense than water how come most of an iceberg is underwater —Preceding unsigned comment added by Mheaver (talk • contribs) 15:07, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

If you have a look at the iceberg article you can find the answer to this in the second paragraph. Lanfear's Bane 15:14, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

Thanks

San Francisco Bay area

I am curious to know the perimeter of San Francisco area Bay. I would be grateful if somebody answer this question.

Andres del Rio Madrid Spain

(ae-mail removed)

—Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.24.47.162 (talk) 15:46, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

Our San Francisco Bay Area article may be helpful, but basically, the Bay Area is all of the counties that touch the bay.

Atlant 15:57, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

By perimeter, I think he means the distance of the bay's coastline, rather than the counties around the bay. Neil ム 16:51, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

This question is fraught with difficulties. Apart from the basic problem that lengths of coastlines are not well-defined, there is also (according to San Francisco Bay) no general agreement on which areas actually constitute the bay. As a result, you should expect any figures you find to differ by large margins. Algebraist 17:22, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

how can i find my artical or did it get deleted?

I asked for information on rebus puzzles to find out where I can see more of them and what thier most comonly known as (I used an example of a picture with "dog" and an underscore seperating it from "flying" with flying being below "dog" and the underscore meaning "flying under dog"). now i cant find my artical so that i can read if thier we're any more responces.

how can i find my artical or did it get deleted? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.140.46.245 (talk) 16:07, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

The contents of the reference desks get archived regularly; your question is here. If you click on the "Archives" link at the top of the page (right side, under Topics) there should be instructions on how to format a search string to help you find things in the Archives. --LarryMac | Talk 16:26, 25 September 2007 (UTC)