Wikipedia:Reference desk archive/Miscellaneous/2006 September 25

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[edit] AK47 vs M16

During the Vietnam War, were the American M16 (M16A1's I believe) overall better than the Vietnamese AK-47's under the conditions in Vietnam? Jamesino 00:21, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

AK-47's were more reliable, but American troops using captured weapons found that the distinctive sound of the AK-47 tended to draw friendly fire. TheMadBaron 00:45, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
Better- in terms of peformance, firepower, accuracy, reliability, ease of portabillity, ease of maintenance, ease of operation. Jamesino 01:05, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
The M16 is a pretty garbage weapon compared to the AK-47. The AK-47 was made to endure pretty much anything you can throw at it and still work when you need it to. The M-16... not so much.

The loading screens for Battlefield Vietnam have factoids about the war.. one of them was that the AK-47s were much more reliable but soldiers couldn't use them because their distinctive sound drew friendly fire. Funny.. almost the exact wording as themadbaron's response! --frothT C 04:29, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

Interesting.... do you think Wikipedia should sue? TheMadBaron 06:16, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
are you suggesting that he's a bot?

I never fired one, but heard that the M16 was good for short range and rapid fire, compared to the M1, which could fire more accurately at longer range. The AK-47 was supposed to be reliable and rapid fire.Edison 04:54, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

Sidenote: This is a nice example of the difference between the Russian and the US approach. Russians go for anything that works and keeping things simple (KISS). The AK-47 was specifically designed to be as simple as possible. The US tends to use the latest technology (which may lead to unusable overdesign). This is also exemplified by the respective space crafts. The Russians used simple design and today still use decades old technology, with success (if it ain't broke, don't fix it). DirkvdM 07:11, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
I'm not sure how this fits into that paradigm: the original AK-47s went into service in 1947 and have had plenty of descendants. M16 rifles have been in service since 1960 - hardly a rush to new technology. Soviet space program#Failures and Space disaster don't support the contention that the Soviet space program was safer than the American one. Soviet space program conspiracy accusations is also worth a serious look because the Soviets did have a record of hushing up disasters of other sorts. The original poster could check out Comparison of the AK-47 and M16 for a good rundown of the two weapons. Durova 14:01, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
That phrase should be had been in service since 1960. The question was about the Vietnam war, shich was already going on in 1960, so it was definitely the latest technology.
About the rockets, of course there were many failures because the cost meant that they were taken into use during the testing period. After a while the accidents grew less common. My poiint was that the USSR went for simpler design and stuck to that (which makes sense considering the risks). i wonder if there are any statistics on the death toll after, say, 1975. That should be less in the USSR, by my rasoning, but I haven't a clue really. Indeed, the USSR only told about their missions after they were successful, and not if they weren't, but all that info is in the open now, isn't it? And if there had been a high death toll that would have been exploited by the West ("see how bad the USSR was"). So if you can't find any statistics on this, you now know the reason. :) DirkvdM 06:04, 26 September 2006 (UTC)
Eh, the rockets are probably more reliable (but not significantly); the spacecraft certainly aren't. Soyuz has no deaths since the seventies, sure, but it's flown fewer missions since then than the Shuttle flew between Challenger and Columbia... Shimgray | talk | 17:56, 26 September 2006 (UTC)
Well, there you have the advantage of experience with an unchanging design. But how can you base anything on lack of data? That there have been no deaths is a positive indication. That there have been fewer flights means the indication is weaker, but it's still positive. DirkvdM 06:38, 27 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] the martiel art where a people that is drunk fight exist??

the martiel art where a people that is drunk fight exist?? I a huge amount of places this martial arts is showed, there is a wikipedia article about this martial art where a man that is drunk fight?/

You're probably thinking of Zui Quan, also known as Drunken Boxing, and made famous in films such as Drunken Master. The people who perform this martial art are not actually drunk, instead, they move fluidly, as a drunk person might, creating the appearance of drunken boxing in much the same way as your question gives the appearance of drunken typing. --ByeByeBaby 02:01, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
As stated above they don't actually fight drunk. The reason they look drunk is that instead of keeping their center of balance stable, they actually shift it. --AstoVidatu 02:39, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
please to note: There are absolutely no sources on Zui Quan. I would not trust anything beyond the fundametnals. Jasbutal 05:50, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
Please note: There are indeed several online references on the Zui Quan page, at least one of them in English.---Sluzzelin 08:13, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
Ah, so you're not referring to Broad Street, Birmingham on a Saturday night then? ;-)--Shantavira 10:29, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Mangalsutra/Mangalyam

Why do Married Tamilian Women hide/not display their Mangalyams, when the others like North Indians and Women of Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra dont?

apparently trying to get a job is one reason?
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/canvas/2004/07/24/stories/2004072400040300.htm
Jasbutal 05:45, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
When I first read that, I thought mangalyams was something kinky... 惑乱 分からん 11:53, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
So did I, but they're certainly not dingalings (disturbing image warning). I've worked out what they are and created some suitable redirects.--Shantavira 15:17, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
And also not dingalingams. --LambiamTalk 22:01, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
This makes me think of Swedish Rock Legend Pugh Rogefeldt's classic song Dinga Linga Lena... (Click on "musikprov" for sample.) "Ding" in Swedish means "goofy"/"screwy", and is a borrowing from the Romany word "dingalo". 惑乱 分からん 23:01, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
Actually, my second or third guess was that they could be marriage-related... ;) 惑乱 分からん 21:42, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] why to go warp

why to go warp at natural numberS? If Kirk want s to warp at 6, he may as well warp at 6.01 and save 10^8-10^7 megawatttts! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Warptable.gif Jasbutal 05:43, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

Are you confusing the axis? Speed and megawatts are on the same axis, so it doesn't matter what number you choose. Warping at 6.01 will save megawatts, and make Captain Kirk go just that much slower at the same time.  freshofftheufoΓΛĿЌ  06:10, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
No, he has a point. The yellow line is power usage and the white is speed. I think the author may have it backwards; the peaks for maximum power efficiency should occur at the natural numbers, not the peaks of power usage... --frothT C 07:14, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
Ah, now I see it. Yes, treknobabble.  freshofftheufoΓΛĿЌ  10:04, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
See treknobabble. Star Trek is firmly in the school of science fiction (sometimes called space opera where the accuracy of any science is suborned to the needs of the plot. --Robert Merkel 07:19, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
Indeed. The warp drive article highlights (and attempts to resolve!) some of the many inconsistencies in the use of this concept.--Shantavira 10:07, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

I would imagine that the concept is similar to shifting gears - the "RPMs" being energy in this case, it takes less energy to go from 6.0 to 7.0, then it pops back up again for constant speed. Wooty 19:15, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] wiki ajax

What's the deal with this page? It's some kind of ajax application, but the wiki code seems to just be cryllic... --frothT C 07:35, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

I fixed your link so it was a link to the category rather than putting this page into the category. It looks like a normal category to me. If you're seeing something weird, try refreshing your browser cache, and if that doesn't work, please explain more clearly what's wrong.- gadfium 08:25, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
Are you referring to the "In other languages" link from that page? There seems to be something weird with that link and the page it links to.--Shantavira 10:12, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
I'm assuming you are talking about the subcategories that expand and load dynamically (that's the only ajaxy thing on the page). It's that way with all categories (see for instance Category:Mathematics), it was implemented a while ago. PS: this is more of a Wikipedia:Help desk question Oskar 10:27, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
Oh, I thought that it was some special wiki code. Just out of curiosity, what is all that text at the bottom of the page (hit edit this page on a category page)? --frothT C 19:13, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
It's the interwiki link to the equivalent page in Georgian. —Daniel (‽) 20:19, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] shirt epaulette

Is there a purpose for non-military shirts to have epaulettes? Phil

Just style, I think. They're quite common in industrial fashion. --Richardrj talk email 10:53, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
They can serve a purpose similar to shoulder pads (to make the shoulders look squarer and broader). StuRat 12:50, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
You can keep your cap/gloves there.--Light current 15:48, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
Or your trout. --LambiamTalk 21:51, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
Or indeed any other small fish 8-|--Light current 22:35, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
Actually, its also quite suitable for storing your hose--Light current 22:36, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
Now you're just bragging. DirkvdM 06:15, 26 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] How To Jump From A Train

Hi, Two of my sister's friends recently jumped from a freight train going approx 45 mph and badly injured themselves. One of them cracked open his skull and both were in the hospital for over a week. I was wondering, in a worst case scenario, what would be the safest way to jump from a train? Thanks!!Dagmar301 14:54, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

Have really, really good karma. Chris 15:00, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
...into a pile of pillows? I guess try and make sure your legs break your fall instead of your head. — X [Mac Davis] (SUPERDESK|Help me improve)15:09, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
As above, land on a forgiving surface (loose snow or sand, for instance), and probably some type of parachutist-style roll. — Lomn 15:11, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
I'd say they were lucky not to be killed at that speed. In the Westerns they often seem to roll down a slight embankment, thus slowing themselves down gradually, but those trains look as though they're only going at half that speed. Unless you're right at the front of a train that's about to crash, I'd say brace and hang on.--Shantavira 15:23, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
OK, I've got to ask. What were they doing on a freight train, and why did they jump off? --Richardrj talk email 15:45, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
Throw yourself out in the direction the train is going, rolling yourself into a ball with your head tucked into one shoulder and the matching arm curved in front of you. Aim to hit the groundwith the curved arm first. This may require some dyamics calcultions.8-) The other arm should be on the abdomen until you have stopped rolling, then it should be used as a final stop by hitting the groud with it. If the ground is fairly smooth,you may even end up standing!(Based on Judo etc front break fall/roll)--Light current 15:57, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
I'd run out the door in the opposite direction as the train's movement. A person can sprint up to around 15 mph, so that would cut their speed by a third. However, 30 mph still seems quite dangerous to me. Jumping into water would be a good idea, so long as the fall isn't very far. StuRat 19:42, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
If you do this, you will actually fall ot of the train backwards, and will not be able to put yourself into a forward roll position. I think it will be more dangerous landing backwards as you cant see where you are going. Also a higher horizontal component of velocity may be advantageous as the angle of impact will be reduced possibly cuasing less damage to the shoulder -- not sure about this. Mind you, hitting the ground at 30mph - it might not matter that much! But wouldnt you like to see whats going to kill you before it does?8-)--Light current 21:08, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
There may not be any way to safely jump from a train moving that fast, by my method would work well if the train was only going 15 mph. StuRat 11:47, 26 September 2006 (UTC)

They were drunk and decided to jump on the freight train that was passing through the station when they were on their way home. (This happened in Hamburg, Germany). They figured they'd take the train to their station and get off again. Except the train didn't stop at their station, but rather kept going while picking up speed. Afraid that the train was going all the way to Sweden without stopping, they figured they would jump off. My sister actually read about it in the paper before she found out that the two people concerned were her friends. For those interested and those who understand German, here's part of the article from the Hamburger Abendblatt: Leichtsinniger Sprung vom Güterzug

Zwei Jugendliche (18 und 19 Jahre alt) sind verletzt worden, als sie sich in der Nacht zu Sonntag von einem Güterzug vom Schanzenviertel nach Altona mitnehmen lassen wollten. Die Jungen waren gegen 2.30 Uhr nachts auf einen langsam rollenden Waggon aufgesprungen. Als der Zug jedoch weiterfuhr, sprangen die "blinden Passagiere" in Höhe des S-Bahnhofs Eidelstedt wieder ab. Der 18-Jährige hatte dabei Glück, als er gegen einen fahrenden ICE prallte und nur eine Kopfplatzwunde erlitt. "Unglaublich leichtsinnig", urteilte die Bundespolizei. Dagmar301 17:26, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

They should've bought my Jump off the train while drunk kit. It can only be bought while drunk for an enormous sum, just before sneaking onto the train. It consists of one genuine Mary Poppins large black umbrella. --Zeizmic 20:26, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
My brother used to ride freight trains back home from college back in the 70s. Not often mind you but he did it. Dismas|(talk) 21:23, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
And....?--Light current 21:24, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
Sorry, I guess I should have put that higher up under User:Richardrj's question as to why someone would do this. My brother used to use it as a cheap means of travel. From what I understand he and his friends would also occaisionally just ride from place to place on weekends to see the sites. Dismas|(talk) 01:36, 26 September 2006 (UTC)
45 mph is the speed you'll have when you hit the ground after jumping down from a height of 20.6 m (22.6 yard). Was the train really going that fast? Then they were quite lucky. Hitting an ICE train in motion is not recommended even when you're not jumping off another train. --LambiamTalk 21:57, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

Nobody has yet suggested that the safest method to jump off of a train is when the train is not moving. Яussiaп F 01:51, 26 September 2006 (UTC)

But one can assume he wanted to know the safest way to jump off when the train is at said speed. --Proficient 05:25, 26 September 2006 (UTC)
Im not too sure about that! I would think its the vertical impact velocity that is going to do the damage, not the horizontal!--Light current 01:59, 26 September 2006 (UTC)

You might like to check out the book [http://www.amazon.com/Worst-Case-Scenario-Survival-Handbook/dp/0811831310/sr=1-1/qid=1159468219/ref=sr_1_1/102-1171643-6691339?ie=UTF8&s=books

Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook:Travel] which includes instructions for how to jump from a train, as well as land a plane and jump out of a building. Apply pinch of salt liberally. DJ Clayworth 18:32, 28 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] ANSWERED -> Nose picking

I'm interested to know if anyone has ever researched nose picking. What proportion of adults in "western" countries pick their noses? (Seems like almost 100% in traffic jams, but that's just my opinion) Seems like an important topic worthy of research :-) --Dweller 15:27, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

Did you read Nose-picking. It was easy to find I didn't have to dig. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 15:42, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
Such delicious nuggets of information! Durova 17:07, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
I would like to keep my dinner to myself please....:-D Jayant,17 Years,India • contribs 17:45, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

I'm glad we were able to answer this without getting snotty. :-) StuRat 19:26, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

Erm... you haven't. The article Nose-picking doesn't answer my question. Sorry, I didn't mean to be picky. --Dweller 22:49, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

Excuse me being nosy, but why are you so picky to find out the answer?... 惑乱 分からん 23:16, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
Repeating pun word already used (picky) Minus 10 points! Im determined to root out these cheaters 8-)--Light current 02:02, 26 September 2006 (UTC)
Goshdagit, I'm bad at this stuff... 惑乱 分からん 11:03, 26 September 2006 (UTC)

Here are two articles that point to studies done on the subject Useless information and The BBC. And here are two less serious articles The Fine Art of Nosepicking, Volume 3, Enhanced and Pickboogers.com. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 10:36, 26 September 2006 (UTC)

Fantastic! What a result. CambridgeBayWeather, you're a star. The first of those links is a humdinger. I recommend that everyone should read it. Now that's what Science should be doing, not wasting money on trying to cure cancer or help people survive disasters. --Dweller 11:27, 26 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Does Caffeine Disintegrate?

Does caffine disentergrate in the container, after the container is opened? And also before? I'm talking about coffee. Thanks.100110100 15:31, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

You asked the same question on 07:40, 20 September 2006 (UTC). The spelling is "caffeine" and "disintegrate". The technical term you want is degradate. The answer seems to be: not much if you keep the coffee dry. For the taste it is better to leave the lid closed. --LambiamTalk 17:53, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
Worthy of FAQ. Or doesnt it count if the same person asks more than once?--Light current 21:03, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
I think you'll find the verb is "degrade", Lambiam. JackofOz 23:24, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Is water wet?

Is water wet, or does it just feel like that when it comes into contact with skin?

It is wet on most surfaces, such as skin or glass. Water does not wet teflon. Rama 16:29, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
Thanks - but that is surely due to the chemical or structural properties of the teflon - not the water? My question relates specifically to the water. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 195.93.21.101 (talk • contribs) 17:59, September 25, 2006 (UTC).
The normal meaning of the statement water is wet is: it is a liquid. That is true when water is in its liquid phase, like it comes out of your tap (faucet, spigot). It is not true when it is frozen (ice) or a gas (water vapour). The sensation of wetness is a combination of sensory impressions of touch and usually temperature change. There is no separate "wetness" sense. --LambiamTalk 18:04, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
Wet does have a slightly different formal sense. Rmhermen 18:37, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
That's about wetting, not wet per se. --LambiamTalk 21:37, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

See angle of contact or wetting--Light current 20:53, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

Oh, water is wet! Water is wet! How much wetter could water get? Water is wet! Water is wet! Water, water, water, water, water is wet! --Maxamegalon2000 21:31, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

Is it wetter under water than it is in the summertime?Edison 22:51, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

Apparently water is not wet for small insects. ie they do not get wet in the rain. THis is suppoedly due to the combination of the surface tension ot the raindrops and the increased air pressure under them pushing the insects out of the way. Interesting uh?--Light current 22:57, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
That's not what happens in A Bug's Life --frothT C 23:10, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
Sorry I, unlike some, am not an expert on kids' films 8-)--Light current 23:49, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
Which, btw, aren't particularly well-known for their scientific accuracy... ;) 惑乱 分からん 00:26, 26 September 2006 (UTC)
  • Yes the famous Disney pushing-the-reluctant-lemmings-off-the-cliff film(hotclaws**== 15:26, 27 September 2006 (UTC))
Really? IDKT--Light current 01:36, 26 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Spiders

Hi, I have a large spider on the roll off container here at the Airport. If I take a picture of it, is there some one who I can send it to, so that it can be identified? Please let me know. Any help at all would be greatly appreciated. Have a great day, Gil

See this web site --frothT C 16:51, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] James Bond

After Matchbox Twenty, would Rob Thomas (musician) be playing James Bond anytime soon?

I don't think so.. Isn't he American anyways?? :-/ Jayant,17 Years,India • contribs 17:43, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Creation week

Moved to Wikipedia:Reference_desk/Science#Creation_week_.28moved_from_misc.29 --frothT C 19:27, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Application

I wanted to know how fill out an application to be an employee of the railroad. If you could write me back that would be great.

First get the application form, then answer the questions in it--Light current 20:55, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

Perhaps you meant to ask what you should put on a resume to get the job ? An application is quite straightforward, you just fill it in as instructed. StuRat 23:26, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Internet access for prisoners?

Are people in jail in the US allowed access to the internet? --84.64.127.191 20:48, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

That varies by circumstance (depending on the prison, the prisoner's status, and so forth) — Lomn 21:52, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
I thought they generally were not allowed by pure assumption. --Proficient 05:32, 26 September 2006 (UTC)
Many prisoners in the US are actually employed to process bank statements, credit card applications, etc. If people knew who was reading their personal business ... User:Zoe|(talk) 02:43, 27 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] encyclopedias

Does an encyclopedia have all the main topics in the world in it?

Actually I doubt it, although that depends on your definition of topic. 惑乱 分からん 21:21, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
Certainly, in most if not all encyclopedias there are omissions due to oversights and other errors, and further omissions due to lack of resources. But it will be hard to find two people who agree in all cases about the judgement whether a given topic is encyclopedic (that is, worthy of inclusion in an encyclopedia). --LambiamTalk 21:33, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
And in a traditional paper encyclopedia, space is also quite limited, so they must choose to omit many topics. StuRat 23:22, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Conan

Does anyone know why Conan O'Brien use to only have new episodes on tuesdays thru fridays?

Shows such as his used to be, and may still be, filmed the day before they were aired. Therefore the Monday episode would have to be filmed on a Sunday. Since Sunday is on the weekend, they would just show a repeat of an older episode on Mondays. I suspect that the producers wanted the political humor to be more timely though, so some shows may film in the afternoon and air that episode the same day. Therefore if anything happened over the weekend, they don't have to wait till Tuesday to joke about it. David Letterman used to be the same way, though I haven't watched TV in years so I don't know if he still does it this way. Dismas|(talk) 00:49, 26 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] korean film

i saw a korean film a few years ago ..i think i watched it on FILM FOUR ...it was about a korean photographer who had an affair with a korean schoolgirl whilst his wife was away in Paris. It was quite an eyeopener and contraversial but very interesting and unique film. Does anyone know the name of this film??

If the man was a sculptor, not a photographer, this would be the 1999 film Gojitmal. See also IMDB. --Canley 01:01, 26 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Why are crisp packets particular colors?

A good hunt through Potato chip and Salt & vinegar found nothing,so here goes. Traditionally crisp packets come in various colors-red for plain,blue for salt and vinegar,green for cheese and onion,pink for prawn,dark red for tomato ketchup and brown or black for barbeque. So who assigned them those colors and how did they come into common use? Intriguingly Walker's Crisps reverses them-green is salt and vinegar and blue is cheese and onion.Why have they done this? It always catches me out... Lemon martini 23:22, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

That's not the case in the U.S. We don't even have shrimp or ketchup chips. -- Mwalcoff 23:50, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
Any Brit who grabs a red bag of chip in the U.S. thinking it is plain may be in for a surprise: [1][2]. Rmhermen 00:02, 26 September 2006 (UTC)
As with Canucks. I was actually shocked to find out that next to no places in the States sell ketchup chips. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 04:31, 26 September 2006 (UTC)

The packaging should be as different as possible to make the distinction visually obvious, and color is a good way to do this. Which colors are used is less important, people will learn that their fav is the purple bag, for example. Of course, some color choices are rather obvious, like pink for shrimp. As with any standard, it will be tricky to get different companies to agree. StuRat 00:38, 26 September 2006 (UTC)

Some products seem to do just the reverse, and intentionally mimic other packaging as if to show you that "it's really the same thing". An off brand may try to deceive buyers of an "equivalent" name brand in this way. The worst case is when some god-awful "diet" product, containing a host of toxic chemicals, is placed next to the real product in almost identical packaging, so as to make people think it's the same. I've ended up having to throw out products that I bought that way (after choking when I tried them). StuRat 00:38, 26 September 2006 (UTC)

Certainly the colours vary between countries, so in terms of "common usage" within each country, I suppose one dominiant snack company decides a colour scheme for their flavour range, and the other less popular brands may follow that scheme to avoid their customers getting a nasty surprise! In Australia (plain = blue, salt & vinegar = pink, chicken = green, barbecque = orange) I think these colours were set by Smiths, the dominant crisp manufacturer. --Canley 00:54, 26 September 2006 (UTC)
In the U.S. the usual colors are yellow/plain, green/sour cream and onion, red or black/bar-b-que. We have no prawn or chicken flavors that I know of. Dismas|(talk) 01:31, 26 September 2006 (UTC)
...and orange for cheese-flavored. StuRat 11:35, 26 September 2006 (UTC)
Off-brand names or weaker brands (ie. not Lays) often come in interesting flavours like that. Not sure that I've seen prawn though. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 04:31, 26 September 2006 (UTC)

In Canada, plain Ruffles are blue, but plain Lays are yellow, and plain Wavy Lays are red. Humpty Dumpty are some other colour, maybe also yellow? Adam Bishop 06:13, 26 September 2006 (UTC)

Dunno the answer to the question, but I have read that per-capita Britain is the crisp-eating capital of the world and within Britain, the Scots are supreme. Anyone got a sauce for this? <grins> --Dweller 09:24, 26 September 2006 (UTC)

Walkers Crisps - get asked this alot. Apparently Walkers have always used these colours (green for salt and vinegar and blue for cheese and onion) against the grain of other brands. It's just that Walkers dominates the market now. Walkers and Smith's Crisps are now both owned by PepsiCo and the Smith's brand is being phased out and Golden Wonder has gone into administration Jooler 12:06, 26 September 2006 (UTC)
Surely the UK has more than 3 crisps makers? The U.S. has all sorts of small regional brands and flavors. I grew up in Jays country but now live in Better Made territory who put little stickers on each bag in the fall when they are made with "New Crop Michigan Potatoes". Rmhermen 15:14, 26 September 2006 (UTC)
Certainly. Walkers, Smiths and Golden Wonder were the big players, but I imagine McCoys are getting pretty big now (blue = salt and vinegar, green = cheese and onion). There's also Jonathon Crisp (sp?) and several other small manufacturers, plus all the Supermarket own-brand stuff. Own brand tends to follow the non-Walkers colouring. Jonathon Crisp don't seem to have colour coding. Skittle 15:35, 26 September 2006 (UTC)
When I was growing up it was either Smiths or Golden Wonder and occasionally KP ( BTW Mccoys are just a sub-brand of KP for thick/crinckle cut crisps), and very very occiasionally some really cheap brand, that tasted cheap. Walkers were not sold in my part of the country. Now the market is pretty much dominated by Walkers. I reckon that Walkers and and supermarket own brands probably account for over 75% of crips sales. There are other brands, probably quite a few, but they are all much smaller operations. The Jonathon Crisp and Tyrells and so on don't sell nearly as well, they're more expensive and they use non-regular (i.e. not RS, S+V, or C+O) flavours and market themselves as more upmarket, you see them in mostly in pubs. Basically Walkers i.e. PepsiCo rule. Jooler 22:25, 27 September 2006 (UTC)

It's interesting that every country seems to have its own set of potato-chip flavors. In the U.S., the usual flavors are plain, barbecue and sour cream & onion, with cheese and salt & vinegar often available. In Canada, they have those flavors, plus ketchup, dill pickle and something called "all-dressed," which is like all of the flavors put together. In the UK, they have Marmite-flavored chips. In the Czech Republic, ham is the most-common flavor. -- Mwalcoff 02:49, 27 September 2006 (UTC)

In Australia, pink packets are used for salt & vinegar, blue for original, yellow for cheese & onion and green for chicken. This extends to almost every brand, including Lays, Monsoon and Smiths. For cassava chips, every single barbecue packet I've seen has been orange, while most plain flavours are blue.

[edit] deporting

I married a colombian woman 4 months ago and filed for divorce 3 weeks ago.I need to find out how I can withdraw my support for making her a us citizen.If she doesn't have someone to support her she would have to leave.The paperwork was filed about 5 weeks ago

* See a lawyer
* Just divorce her

--frothT C 00:10, 26 September 2006 (UTC)

My first impression is that this seems a very bitter thing to do. You seem to be in an emotional crisis, but wouldn't it be more humane to act calmly and trying to cooperate, instead of just trying to hurt her? 惑乱 分からん 00:22, 26 September 2006 (UTC)
I suppose, if he discovered that she pretended to love him just to get into the country, then deportation would be appropriate. In such a case, I would contact the INS. StuRat 00:26, 26 September 2006 (UTC)
Yeah, well, it would be superhumanly noble to act otherwise... 惑乱 分からん 00:28, 26 September 2006 (UTC)
We don't know the circumstances of the case, and even if we did, we're in no position to be making moral judgments about his motives. JackofOz 01:48, 26 September 2006 (UTC)
Possibly, but my first impression was that it seemed as such a bitter act. If we're just helping him out, of course we'll be taking his side... 惑乱 分からん 13:03, 26 September 2006 (UTC)
Actually United States law does have provisions that might allow her to remain in the country in even if he withdrew his support. In case she (or some other woman in similar circumstances) sees this question, I'd like to advise the woman to see a lawyer - certain charitable groups offer free or low-cost services. Durova 14:17, 26 September 2006 (UTC)
It took a niece of mine a year to get her green card. She's married to a US citizen, speaks (American) English fluently, has a university education (as a translater) and already had a job. If it was so difficult for her to get just a green card then your ex can just forget about getting citizenship. I don't think you need to do anything. It's her who has to make an effort. Immigration is bound to ask for a final interview and if you don't show up .... DirkvdM 07:14, 26 September 2006 (UTC)
Yeah and Gerard Depardieu had a heck of a time, too. --Dweller 09:28, 26 September 2006 (UTC)
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