Wikipedia:Reference Desk archive 5

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[edit] Can you identify a pond insect?

Who do we have here who is good on insects? In particular pond insects in the UK? I have a funny creature I can't identify, I'll upload a drawing. -- Tarquin 14:57 17 May 2003 (UTC)

Heh, the TOC helped me notice this - if you're still puzzled, I have a couple books on the subject to work from. Stan 01:45, 29 Jul 2003 (UTC)

[edit] A Maratta painting

I'm looking for a high-resolution, color version of this picture:

Image:Haf1x.jpg

It is by Carlo Maratta, and the caption only says "destruction of pagan art". From the paper it is reproduced in it might be inferred that it is in the Vatican, but I'm not sure about that. Any art history buffs have an idea where to look? --Eloquence 20:54 24 Jun 2003 (UTC)

My 1000-page Art History book only has a photo of the façade of St Paul's Cathedral designed by Maratta. --Menchi 21:20 24 Jun 2003 (UTC)
Could this be his "Constantine destroying the Idols"? If so, it's in the Baptistry of the Lateran in Rome, but I can't tell you where to find a picture of it. He's alternately spelled "Maratti", as though one name weren't hard enough to look for<G>. -- Someone else 01:30 2 Jul 2003 (UTC)
Try getting Zerschlagung heidnischer Bildwerke translated. -Smack 01:33 4 Jul 2003 (UTC)
That would be "Suppression of Heathen Idols", which is why I think it may be the painting in the Lateran -- Someone else 01:38 4 Jul 2003 (UTC)
You could open up your pocketbook and go to Google Answers. -Smack 22:43, 4 Aug 2003 (UTC)
That's not a bad idea, actually. Maybe I'll give it a try.—Eloquence 05:54, Aug 5, 2003 (UTC)

[edit] Diffusion vs. radiation

Transport phenomena contrasts diffusion and radiation, but none of these three articles makes it clear what the difference is, and how to know if you're looking at one or the other. Is there, in fact, a principled distinction here? --Ryguasu 23:46 1 Jul 2003 (UTC)

The problem here is that "radiation" is not defined in Wikipedia, in the sense used by transport phenomena. The nature of the difference depends sensitively on which definition you choose to use. Suffice to say that here, radiation is visualised as a one-way motion of particles, whereas diffusion is random motion in every direction. If you allow for "radiation" in the reverse direction, then indeed the distinction is blurred. -- Tim Starling 01:06 2 Jul 2003 (UTC)

[edit] Scientific classification vs. Linnaean taxonomy

moved to talk:scientific classification

[edit] Calling European-history buffs again

My new page (really too wimpy to be called an article) Rurik Dynasty has a list of rulers from that dynasty, compiled from two separate lists in Rulers of Kievan Rus' and List of Russian tsars. The problem is that there's an approximately 150-year gap running from the 12th to the 13th centuries. I was wondering if someone had a list handy from which I could fill that gap. I already searched the 'pedia to find the two rulers at either end of the gap, but came up blank. -Smack 07:25 5 Jul 2003 (UTC)

Part of what happens is that Grand Duke Andrew I of Vladimir sacked Kiev sometime in the later part of the 12th century, and after that Kiev declined. Then there was the Tatar invasion in the first half of the 13th century. Then finally comes the rise of Moscow later in the 13th century. I've got some geneological tables but the question is how the present this in a clear fashion. Loren Rosen 21:45 8 Jul 2003 (UTC)
Ah, yes, I'd forgotten about the inconvenience of thousands of Mongols tearing up the country on horseback. :) But it's my understanding that the dynasty was continuous through this time, though it was initially confined to Novgorod and then somehow relocated to Moscow. -Smack 17:45 10 Jul 2003 (UTC)

[edit] Citric acid

Apparently, UK pharmacies control the sale of Citric acid; citing that it can be used in the manufacture of a drug. Which one, and how?

It may be this: oral medications often have their pH adjusted by some sort of bufferring; this facilitates their proper absorption in the digestive tract. Sometimes this is done using the citrate salt-- Viagra is an example. Loren Rosen 06:24 9 Jul 2003 (UTC)
In this particular instance, citric acid is a popular buffer used to increase the solubility of street heroin in Scotland. Single-use citric acid sachets have been used as an inducement to get heroin users to exchange their dirty needles for clean needles in an attempt to decrease the spread of AIDS and hepatitis. See the .pdf article here. Other acidifiers used for brown heroin are ascorbic acid, acetic acid, and lactic acid: in their absence, the drug abuser will substitute lemon juice or vinegar, so it is quixotic at best to seek to reduce harm by restricting the sale of citric acid. -- Someone else 23:57 11 Jul 2003 (UTC)
note added to citric acid

[edit] What is a Hat Trick in ice hockey?

What is a Hat Trick in ice hockey? Does anybody know?

A hat trick is when one player scores three goals in a single game. I don't see an obvious place to work it into the ice hockey right now, but I'll see what I can do. -- Stephen Gilbert (a friendly neighbourhood Canadian)
When a player scores a hat trick, the fans generally throw their hats onto the ice. The game is then stopped while the cleaning people sweep up the hats. I don't know what happens to the hats after that, I've heard they're given away to charities, but I'm not so sure I'd want to wear a used hat. RickK 01:48, 29 Aug 2003 (UTC)
The triple is when a player scores three goals, three assists, and gets three penalties in a game. This is a rare achievement. --Daniel C. Boyer 17:30, 21 Aug 2003 (UTC)
don't other sports have hat tricks too?
I'm not allowed to say, because it's not in Wikipedia....... Nope, I can't help it. Cricket. It's when a bowler gets three out in as many balls. Two in a row is a golden duck. -- Tim Starling 14:41 6 Jul 2003 (UTC)
I think a golden duck is when a batsman was out first ball (needn't necessarily be the same bowler as took the previous wicket). --Camembert
Yes, a golden duck is when the batsman gets out on the first ball faced. This event often corresponds with two in a row out. But a hat trick is generally considered an achievement of the bowler, not the team. -- Tim Starling 14:59 6 Jul 2003 (UTC)
In horse racing, when a jockey wins three races on the same day it's called a hat trick. Loren Rosen 21:12 8 Jul 2003 (UTC)
It has the hat trick in soccer as well. But there it is not only three goals in one game, but it also needs to be three goals in a row (no other goal scorer in between), and in one halftime. At least that's how it is defined here in Germany. -- andy 09:35, 3 Aug 2003 (UTC)
In Britain a football hatrick is any 3 goals by a single player, I think once there used to be a stricter interpretation but not any more --Bob Palin 07:12, 10 Feb 2004 (UTC)
Speaking of ducks, in ten-pin bowling, three strikes in a row is called a Turkey. --Zeke 20:52, 1 Oct 2003 (UTC)

[edit] What is a base note (perfume)?

when speaking of perfume, etc, what is a base note? -- Tarquin

I don't wear it, but my perfume-wearing friends told me base's the thing that stays with you the longest, deepest. And there's also heart note (medium), and top note (light). It has to do with the adhesiveness of the chemical that attach to skin or hair even after the liquid evaporates. Parallels to the stickiness of resin, oil and water, I suppose. --Menchi 21:16 6 Jul 2003 (UTC)
I added this as a note to perfume - if you're lucky, someone will improve upon it further... Martin

[edit] Question regarding copyright law

If I read a textbook and take notes on it, does anyone besides me have any legitimate copyright claim to the notes? The reason I'm asking is that I have some notes that could be a goldmine for History of the United States. -Smack 23:41 11 Jul 2003 (UTC)

I think this is similar to how most Wikipedian do research on things they can't remember or know by heart (although most people probably don't have their old school notes with them. I have a little, but they really suck and are not legible). This like writing a research paper or thesis. You take the facts and evidence, not the stylistic prose. And in your case, you're not even starting from zero, you're incorporating cementing bits into cracks. I mean, there is a noticebale difference between most normal students' notes & the textbooks. --Menchi 23:50 11 Jul 2003 (UTC)
The thing is, when someone writes a research paper, they generally cite their sources. I hardly even remember the title of the book, let alone the names of the five co-authors (it's a marvel I even remember even that!). -Smack 05:49 12 Jul 2003 (UTC)
As long as your notes are your own words rather than simply copied, you own the copyright, and you are not required to cite sources. Citing a source is useful for the reader, and is a courtesy to the author, but it is not required by law. The only exception to this that I know of is when you have a specific contractual obligation requiring you to cite. See my user page for an IANAL statement. -- Tim Starling 11:07 12 Jul 2003 (UTC)
I don't think that putting things in one's own words necessarily means that no copyright violation has occurred; it is a bit more complicated than that. If you rewrite a story that has the same characters and plot line that may be a copyright violation, even if you change all the names, words, etc.. If one is just writing down everything in the same structure as the original text, that may also be covered by copyright. Of course history is sequential, and as long as you follow a historical sequence such facts cannot be copyright. Generally speaking facts, information, and knowledge cannot be copyrighted. Hope that helps. Alex756

[edit] Political pardons

Clinton pardoned 140 men in his last day of office. What's this American pardon thing? I'm sure Canadians and Taiwanese have it too, but I'm not familiar with them either. How can you just like -- bing! -- and all your crimes legally vanished? It makes no sense to me whatsoever. A president is not a judge, how can he revoke the judgement? Is this the remanant of a time when rabbits jump around the sky, or feudalism age when the king has the political superiority? How can it survive? Does it really make sense (logically, not legally)?

We need an article on this strange thing, if not, tell me what you know here. Maybe somebody else can make an article out of it. --Menchi 03:43 17 Jul 2003 (UTC)

It exists and always has done worldwide. Often it is used to clear someone wrongly convicted of a crime. But different states apply different meanings. Some states operate pardon systems on the basis that in being pardoned, you are being declared innocent, others that you were guilty but are being forgiven. The power to pardon is a standard power of an executive almost everywhere and always has done. There is nothing abnormal or strange about it. FearÉIREANN 00:05 19 Jul 2003 (UTC)

There is a U.S. federal court precedent that acceptance of a pardon means that you are acknowledging factual guilt; Ford carries it around in his pocket. Who can remember the name of this case? --Daniel C. Boyer 13:47, 21 Aug 2003 (UTC)

And i think that Bill Clinton, knowing WHO was coming after him, decided to save some lives. GWB is known for not listening to apeals while governor of Texas, even when dealing with the execution of minors and retarded individuals. Muriel Gottrop

I understand the case-by-case pardons, but 140 pardons a day? Was Clinton saving them up?! :-} --Menchi
My understanding of these phenomenoun is that since this executive privilege has political connotations it is often done at the end of a presidential regime. In NY (the only state I am specificly familiar with) the governor tends to issue pardons around the end of the year. Alex756
The copious last-minute pardons were the last in a string of Clinton scandals. Many of them are believed to be corrupt (do a Google search for Marc Rich). -Smack 01:58 22 Jul 2003 (UTC)
Pardon is a basic page on the mechanisms and origins of pardons in the US and Canada. Alex756 06:36, 5 Aug 2003 (UTC)
Well, since you bring personalities into it, and in all fairness to Clinton [pause for laughs], he was urged to pardon two notorious wrongdoers because after all they had only swindled rich people, so what the hey; and two becuase they had been useful to Israel. He only pardoned one of each: Marc Rich. Meanwhile, poor Michael Milken labors under the hilarious legal fiction that he's not allowed in the finance biz; and Jonathan Pollard languishes in the highest-security luxury cell in the world, as far as possible from any US border. For choosing right, you can give him a score of .500 or .667, depending on how you count it. Dandrake 04:32, 20 Sep 2003 (UTC)
The power of the pardon in the U.S. came out of compromises made during the creation of the U.S. Constitution. When devising its system of checks and balances, the constitutional convention decided that federal judges would hold their position for life; the check the congress has on that matter is they can vote to impeach a judge; the check the president has on that matter is he has the power of pardon.
The number pardons made by Bill Clinton have been noted in the media. However, he pardoned half as many people as either Nixon or Eisenhower. Nineteen presidents made more pardons than Clinton.
A list of controversial pardons would be nice to have.

Kingturtle 20:41, 20 Sep 2003 (UTC)

[edit] Calling American-history buffs for a change

Does anyone remember the difference between the Pilgrims (Plymouth Colony) and the Puritans (Mass. Bay Colony)? I know that there was a substantial difference, but my notes don't cover it, and that means that I'll have to leave a gaping hole in Colonial History of the United States. -Smack 01:58 22 Jul 2003 (UTC)

Both were concerned that the Anglican church needed reforming. The Pilgrims were Separatists (and moved to Holland before they came to America). The Puritans aimed to correct the church.
The Pilgrims arrived in a small group and formed a compact. The Puritans came with hierarchy and established a theocracy.
Orcalover 11 Aug
Umm. I know aught all about all this, but did all of the separatists who went to Holland subsequently move en masse to America? -- Cimon Avaro on a pogo-stick 05:15, Aug 12, 2003 (UTC)

[edit] Army of Taiwan

Is the current ROC Army officially the National Revolutionary Army (國民革命軍)? Was it ever? Or was it only the KMT's private militia? --Jiang 04:02, 3 Aug 2003 (UTC)

I do not think it is still National Revolutionary Army. It is just called The Army (lùjun). I know that the air force is abbreviated in English as ROCAF, after RAF, USAF etc. --Kaihsu 14:01, 21 Aug 2003 (UTC)
And sometimes it is called 'Guójun' (National(-ist) Army). --Kaihsu 15:58, 26 Aug 2003 (UTC)

[edit] UK travel in 16th Century

Does anyone have information about or where I can find information about travelling between London and the West Country in the mid 1500's? - Barry Winson 4 August 2003

The Normans in South Wales, 1070-1171, by Lynn H. Nelson, (Austin and London: University of Texas Press, 1966), Library of Congress No. 65-21296. Online book, 184 pages in 9 chapter. Strays forward a good deal from the 12th century, including the final days of the Welch. May not reach mid-16th. Prof. Nelson was very active with "The WWW Virtual Library". --Ted Clayton
External Links

[edit] Enumerating mathematical functions

I have heard that the number of functions of the form f(x) = y (where x and y are real numbers) is \aleph_2. I'm not sure, but it seems to me that the number of functions which have at least one interval of nonzero size on which the function equals a Taylor series is \aleph_1. Is this so?

How many infinitely differentiable functions exist?

--User:Juuitchan

moved to function
The number of functions from real numbers to real numbers is cc, where c is the cardinality of the real numbers. Note that c is not the same as \aleph_1; the assertion that it is the same is known as the Continuum hypothesis. It is known that c is no smaller than \aleph_1; if the continuum hypthesus were true, the set of real-valued functions would then have cardinality \aleph_1^{\aleph_1}. How big is this? It's known that it's at least \aleph_2, but whether it's equal or not is again related to the continuum hypothesis--equality is implied by the generalized continuum hypothesis.
The continuum hypothesis has been shown to be independent of the usual axioms of set theory, which means it can't be proved either way--mathematicians' ideas about sets turtned out not to be detailed enough to determine the answer either way. So probably the most that can be said is that the number of real functions is at least \aleph_2. Dominus

[edit] For information only

I have both been told, and personally observed that abrupt physical force to "the groinal region" can not only cause debilitating pain in males, but if unfortunately targeted, even in women. While it is clear to me from personal experience that the place with the unfortunate concentration of pain receptors are within the testicles in men;.what is the biological organ in women that is the culprit with such nerve endings? (or should I ask Guardian instead?) -- Cimon Avaro on a pogostick

If a strike to the groin is hard enough to jar an ovary, the effect is the same. As the ovaries and testicles are analogous structures, the sensation is supposed to be similar. Obviously, since pain is largely subjective and no one can experience both types of pain, this is kind of a crap shoot, but it is very painful for women to have an ovary knocked about. This can also occur from being struck in the abdomen (a more direct route to the ovary) or even from very vigorous copulation. --Dante Alighieri 20:17, 27 Sep 2003 (UTC)

[edit] Origin of Linux/Linus

I know that Linux was named after Linus Torvalds, and that (per the article) he was named after Linus Pauling. But was the chemist named after the mythological figure Linus? Googling 'linus pauling apollo' or 'linus pauling psamanthe' (the father and mother of the mythological Linus) returns no useful results; does anyone know for sure either way? Geoffrey 01:58, 13 Aug 2003 (UTC)

It's just a common male name, prevalent since ancient times. -- Tim Starling 01:51, 22 Aug 2003 (UTC)
Behind the name - from Greek Mythology. Martin 23:15, 23 Aug 2003 (UTC)
Linus Torvalds initially intended the name for the Linux kernel to be "Freex". But then one of his friends told him the name was dull and suggested "Linux" as a better name and he liked it. BL 21:52, 17 Oct 2003 (UTC)

[edit] 1920s fire in Hancock, Michigan

Can anyone provide me with more information on the serious fire in the 1920s in Hancock, Michigan? This might be significant enough to include in the article, but I think there should be more than just very vague information. --Daniel C. Boyer 14:51, 24 Aug 2003 (UTC)

Can't find anything widespread after the big fire of 1869: the Finnish Lutheran Church apparently burned down in 1896 and 1910 and the Kerredge Theater in 1959. Sure about the date? Graculus 20:03, 24 Aug 2003 (UTC)

[edit] Any engineers available to take a look at the Phi article?

Me again, calling for engineers once again. :) Please take a look at the Phi and Talk:Phi articles -- I think Phi is used for diameter notation, User:Radiojon says it isn't. Could someone else decide this for us? Thank you! --Gutza 22:28, 24 Aug 2003 (UTC)

I've had a go. Correct me if I'm wrong. -- Tim Starling 00:00, 25 Aug 2003 (UTC)

Thank you, check my comments on the talk page, I managed to get completely confuse on this issue, maybe someone with a little more background could shed some light on the topic? Maybe a Danish or a Norwegian would know more about this, given ø's origin? I mean, your changes look right to me, even in my confuse state :) -- I'd just love it if someone could really clarify the issue (why do we say "Phi" and use the Norwegian/Danish letter instead?).

Did those peoples invent the notation and the rest of the world didn't know what to call it so they called it "Phi"? Or did the notation originate as "Φ" and it ended up like "ø" because it was easier to draw back in the hand-drawing engineering days? Or did it plain look better? Or... ? --Gutza 00:50, 25 Aug 2003 (UTC)

I'm not an engineer, but in other sciences like Geology it is "phi" or φ or Φ (Greek). I agree, the use of "ø" is probably a bastardization and has nothing to do with the Norse alphabet – and probably should not be used since it would not pe pronounced "phi" - Marshman 19:59, 28 Aug 2003 (UTC)

[edit] Punishment, type of

I am searching for the word defined by "punishment of an entire group for the misdeeds of one or a few of that group"

From plee@catrala.com

Collective punishment, a method which has been used in the past to deal with guerilla war. -- Tim Starling 02:01, 29 Aug 2003 (UTC)
Closely related to the concept of guilt by association. -Smack 02:19, 29 Aug 2003 (UTC)

[edit] Packing peanuts

What is the "official" term for the little Styrofoam eights used in packaging, and what should I do with them? --User:Juuitchan

I've heard the term "packing peanuts" (or "packaging" or "plastic", maybe) used almost everywhere, though there might be a more "official" name that nobody ever uses. --Geoffrey 03:21, 31 Aug 2003 (UTC)
I'd stick with "loose foam packaging" or something to that effect.

--

I worked for a company that bought peanuts in bulk. They were called "styrofoam peanuts" by the vendor, or just "peanuts". Even the cellulose (water soluble, biodegrable) packing peanuts were oddly called "styrofoam peanuts" or just "peanuts". Occasionally, the cellulose variety were just called "nuts", but I think that was an attempt at humor. The cellulose peanuts are edible; they taste like rice cakes. --Zeke

[edit] Intolerable Acts

I have trouble believing the British called their own laws "intolerable". The page is not very clear on this; was the "real" name of the Intolerable Acts the Coercive Acts? Or something else? (Coercive sounds also more of a name given by the colonists than by the British government.) --Geoffrey 03:21, 31 Aug 2003 (UTC)

Don't take my word for it, but I do believe that the Brits called them the Coercive Acts. -Smack 05:17, 31 Aug 2003 (UTC)
They did (per Barbara Tuchman), and I've changed the wording. I've mentioned in the Talk page that the article title isn't really NPOV. Dandrake 04:48, 20 Sep 2003 (UTC)
See my comments on the talk page. --Dante Alighieri 20:37, 27 Sep 2003 (UTC)

[edit] Britishness test

According to the Guardian, typical citizenship test questions (proposed) may look like:

  • Who is the prime minister? (Wikipedia has the answer.)
    The Right Honourable Anthony Charles Lynton "Tony" Blair, Member of the Parliament
  • How do you pay a phone bill?
  • What does it mean to be a good neighbour?
  • How did the United Kingdom come about? (+) (Wikipedia has the answer.)
  • When was Britain last invaded? (+)
    They are playing this game on BBC Asian Network right now, and according to them, the last successful invasion was the Battle of Hastings of 1066. --Kaihsu 21:50, 4 Sep 2003 (UTC)
    That depends how you define "Britain", and whether a invasion must be of the whole place to qualify. Some of the outlying parts of the British Isles were successfully occupied by Germany in the 1940s. —Paul A 01:11, 5 Sep 2003 (UTC)
  • Identify the political party with each of the following three policy statements ... (Wikipedia has the answer, given a bit of research on the user's part.)

Some of them are trivial, but some of them look like doctoral thesis topics! In particular, I wonder about those marked with '+'.

Another list of typical questions from the BBC has in addition:

Perhaps an article should be created on this.

--Kaihsu 21:36, 4 Sep 2003 (UTC)

This is very funny. I am going to make an article based on your post. -- Taku 17:12, 7 Sep 2003 (UTC)

[edit] Ohm's Law question

A 1.5k ohm resistor is found 2 have 22.5V across it,

a. what is the current in the resistor? I got 15A is this right?
b. What is the power dissipated in the resistor?_____ 
& please tell me how u came 2 this answer so I can figure it out 4 myself next time?
c. Could a 1/4W resistor be used in this application? Explain why?

What physical characteristic determines the power rating of a resistor?

What happens 2 electrical energy in a resistor? User:Gvampyr

Energy is dissipated in heath. For the rest I don't remember.
Ericd 23:08, 7 Sep 2003 (UTC)
a. 15 mA or 0.015 A (I = V/R). It's 1.5 KILOohms.
b. 337.5 mW or 0.3375 W (P = IV).
c. No. A 1/4 W resistor can only be used when the power dissipated through it is less than or equal to 1/4 W. Since 0.3375 > 0.25, the 1/4 W resistor would burn out in this case.
Physical characteristics? Depends on the material used. But the electrical and thermodynamic properties of the resistive material used in a resistor typically determine the power rating. Resistors resist current by converting electrical energy to other forms, usually thermal energy as heat. Too much power would provide a large amount of heat which could potentially destroy the resistor. --seav 23:31, Sep 7, 2003 (UTC)

[edit] difference between phylum and division

Is there any difference between phylum and division, apart from what they're talking about (animals/plants)? Why the different words?

Why I ask is that ncbi says Embryophyta for the phylum of most plants, yet every plant article here says Magnoliophyta (which ncbi has below embryophyta.)

Thanks -Tristanb 10:56, 8 Sep 2003 (UTC)

No difference rank-wise. However, traditionally, botanists and mycologists use the term "division". This is not always observed by modern biologists. --Menchi 22:09, 9 Sep 2003 (EDT)

[edit] Wiki software for personal use?

I'd like to set up some kind of hypertext system that I could use to keep track of my notes and ideas on various topics. I'm curious if it would be better to set up a private wiki server, just for myself, or to craft a bunch of web pages in html. Creating wiki pages seems faster, but installing/maintaining a wiki engine is perhaps a relative pain, and html is also a more universal file format than any wiki format. Are there any opinions one way or the other? Anyone have experience with running a "just for me" wiki? Are there any wiki engines that would be good for this purpose? --Ryguasu 19:30, 9 Sep 2003 (EDT)

Search google for "twiki", it is my personal favourite. All the wiki texts are stored as text files. Wiki text becomes html when you view the page, so really it will be HTML if you copy and paste. twiki takes a little effort to set up, although it is really well documented. Should take a few hours or less. I've only installed it on a Linux server, not in Windows. dave 12:46, 11 Sep 2003 (UTC)
[AspWiki] can be set up within minutes. However it has no GPL and very few features. Useful if you're learning ASP though. Angela 13:31, Sep 11, 2003 (UTC)
I ran a personal wiki for a while on phpwiki which has an interface which is nice and clean. It does requires a sql database though and any user login beyond administrator is completely broken. As I recall it was more or less drop in install. Generally was a great tool. I've recently moved to Wikipedia's Wikimedia which is simply wonderful with all it's features (like section editing)--pretty sure they're unmatched elsewhere. It took a few hours to set up though, even with quite a bit of experience in these things. Twiki seemed to have a bloated interface and felt slow to me when I used it before on another server. Thadk 2:55, Oct 10, 2003 (EDT)
Lots of options at wiki software

I'd like to know about "book collecting". I searched in wikipedia, but did not get an article on that. What other articles should I read to learn more?

Have you seen Book collecting and Comic book collecting? Angela

Thank you, Angela, when I searched on the other day, I could not find this article. This is useful -- Ramesh

[edit] WOG

Has anyone out there heard of the term "wog" deriving from a shortening of the phrase "Westernised Oriental Gentleman" I have read the entry in Wikipedia, but it doesn't mention the phrase above. can anyone help ?

                               Beverley.
                                      11/09/03
I think our article on wog is reasonable, and it does in fact mention it possibly being derived from "Westernised Oriental Gentleman". --Camembert

[edit] possible effect?

Is there any basis to support a theory that hormones in sperm may effect muscle tone in the female??

These are things I've heard, not sure if they are true, and actually I'm really interested in knowing if these are myths or fact:
  1. Testosterone, a hormone, plays a role in muscle growth
  2. Men have significantly more testosterone than women do
  3. Testosterone is produced in the testes, though I don't know if testosterone has anything to do with sperm, as you implied in your question.
Testosterone does play a role in muscle growth, and men do have more testosterone than women do. It has been used for similar purposes to steroids by athletes in the past, though elevated testosterone levels are detectable in tests and so now I think athletes use harder to detect substances. It is generated in the testes, but I do not know whether it is present in semen --Robert Merkel
Semen contains hormones called prostaglandins that induce uterine contractions. IIRC, prostaglandins are also produced by the female reproductive system itself for non-intercourse-related purposes. -Smack 19:46, 16 Sep 2003 (UTC)

[edit] Souliere

I met a man the other day whose surname is Souliere, which suggests that perhaps an ancestor was a cobbler. "No", he said,"the word 'souliere' is not in the dictionary." - and he's right. So I went to google and entered "souliere" and came up with a genealogy site which led to Quebec.

Question:Is souliere a French-Canadian coinage, meaning cobbler? I bet that it is, but I couldn't find an appropriate dictionary.

ss: stonetps@AOL.com

In Quebec, souliere is a synonym for chaussure (Eng. "shoe"). It can show up in these specific uses:

  • soulier de quilles -- bowling shoe
  • quilles a soulier -- shoehorn
  • soulier de boeuf/soulier sauvage/soulier de chevaux -- moccasin

Hope this helps, Bcorr -- Брайен из Детройте 21:06, 1 Oct 2003 (UTC) ++++++++++ Lacking the e on the end makes all the diference... Among the various 'meanings' I've uncovered over time: - "Under the (Ivy) - "Sous l'Iere" which leans towards a number of things --- as in someone way out in the woods --- also, hidden in the bushes, as in a sniper - reportedly also indicating a person of means that lived in a 2 story (large) house

You can find around 17 variations on the name in the list of places in France, with the closest being the village of Soulieres near Epernay.

My aunt (sadly now deceased) had come back from Quebec with some info about the family having been brought over with the Carrigans, which may imply some irish connection, perhaps leftover normans. Getting irish translations is all but impossible for me, but I've been told it's related to some bandits, back when.

During treks across the US, I've tripped over a reference to a Mr. Souliere in St Charles MO who was among the last surviving families from the french settlement there.

Another mysterious reference pops up with Mary Souliere, who was a prominent Cree.

Not having time nor wealth enough to fully explore it, I remain happy with these and other odd explanations; more fun to imagine that there may have been some excitement in the past than to spend a lot of time only to discover the whole family was unremarkable (as Andy Warhol pointed out "in the future" - so I guess I'll have to wait it out)

[edit] afterlife?

Could someone please explain how the vast majority of souls can "only go to that reforming place" for a short while, while the reward of an afterlife with God is not guaranteed.


According to the Kabbalah, (not a universally-accepted work) G-d judges who has followed His commandments and who doesn't and to what extent. Those who do not "pass the test" go to a purifying place called Sheol lit. gloom (sometimes called Purgatory, sometimes called Hell) to "learn their lesson". There is , however, for the most part, no eternal damnation. The vast majority of souls can only go to that refoming place for a limited amount of time (less than one year).

The concept of "life after death" in the Jewish view is therefore fuzzy, but whatever its nature, is a reward from God, not a punishment, and is not guaranteed to everyone. Jews are encouraged to concentrate more on the life they live now than on a possible afterlife, and to ritually remember (yizkor) those loved ones who have died, as an important (and possibly the only) form of continuation for their lives. User:Fieriee

[edit] Bots

How do you create bots? Just wondering... --Jiang 06:47, 20 Sep 2003 (UTC)

You mean like Rambot? Use Perl. Here's a subroutine to replace all vowels with asterisks:
sub DoPage
{
    print "Getting page $_[0]... ";
    $request = HTTP::Request->new(GET => 
        "http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=$_[0]&action=edit"
    );
    $response = $ua->request($request);
    if ($response->is_success) {
        @forms = HTML::Form->parse($response->content, 'http://www.wikipedia.org/w/');
        foreach $form (@forms) {
            if ($form->find_input('wpTextbox1') != undef) {
                $articleText = $form->value('wpTextbox1');
                $articleText =~ s/[aeiou]/\*/iog;
                if ($articleText ne $form->value('wpTextbox1')) {
                    $form->value('wpTextbox1', $articleText);
                    $form->value('wpSummary', $summary);
                    $form->value('wpMinoredit', '1');
                    print "saving... ";
                    $ua->request($form->click('wpSave'));
                    print "done.";
                }
            }
        }
        print "\n";
    } else {
        print $response->error_as_HTML;
    }
}
-- Tim Starling 10:23, Sep 20, 2003 (UTC)


[edit] yellow spider with black spikes!!!

Help, I found a spiked spider in my garden and can not identify it. Can you help me? It's body was 1/2" long, head and mid-section and legs reddish brown, but it's abdomen was neon yellow with bright orange spots and black shiny spikes of various sizes. I have a picture that I can e-mail if you want. My e-mail address is cactus2238@Yahoo.com. I'm concerned that this alien looking creature may be poisonous to me or my pets. I did not harm it in any way and let it spin it's web on my Butterfly bush. It has moved on now, but I still would love to find out what it was. Thanks for any help you can give me. 152.163.253.38

replied at Talk:Spider#yellow spider with black spikes

[edit] Distorted images of keywords

When registering for Hotmail or Yahoo-mail or using PayPal, they show you images where words look like they are under a river, and you must re-type the picture-words out. It's for anti-counterfeiting. What are they called? There is a WP article on it, but I forgot where it is. --Menchi 01:20, 25 Sep 2003 (UTC)

Captcha
Ah, that's it! --Menchi 08:32, 27 Sep 2003 (UTC)

[edit] Questions about ozone layer.

26 september 2003.

Subject: Questions about ozone and the ozonelayer.

My first visit to the villagepump. I am Frans, an old dutchman with a very inquisitive mind. Shortly I got access to internet and that was reason for me to visit several encyclopedia, looking for information about above mebtioned subjects. I am very astonished about the controversial statements i met and are now looking for someone who can and will explain things to me.

Now for the first problems. According to the Columbia, the Brittanica, the Encarta and also Wikipedia; Ozone is formed by the action of ultraviolet light (UV) on oxygen. Ultraviolet light is absorbed when it strikes an ozone molecule (see Columbia); the molecule is split into atomoc and diatomoc oxigen, Later in the presence of a catalyst, the atomic and diatomic oxygen reunite to form oxygen.

So, as long as there is oxygen ozone is formed. And, UV is absorbed by splitting ozone molecules. The ozone is recycled. The impossible conclusion is, that the amount of oxygen increases. So why bother about depletion af the ozonelaer bij certain chemical compounds?

I have more questions including the some marked 'energie'but enough for now.

Frans

Would Ozone depletion help? --seav 01:16, Sep 28, 2003 (UTC)

[edit] Four letter words

Anyone know why "dirty" words are often four letters long in the English language? A few spring to mind. Cock, Fuck, Shit, Piss, Cunt, and Dick are all four letters long. Coincidence? --Dante Alighieri 06:03, 29 Sep 2003 (UTC)

Except cunt, all those words are three-letter in phonetic spelling. Three is the # of components a typical English syllable has: onset, nucleus, and coda. Although one can ask why there aren't two-letter or one-letter dirty words. Well, I guess "actually important" words got that slot: I, hi, you, me, die, bye. --Menchi 06:25, 29 Sep 2003 (UTC)
Why don't you see how many dirty words there are which aren't 4 letters. You have to do a histogram of dirty words and then do a histogram of all the words in an English dictionary. Then you will see whether or not your assumption that dirty words are often four letters long is correct or not. I can think of many right now: ass, asshole, prick, dammit, snatch, fucker, fag, etc... Oh wow, looks like I've already outnumbered the number of 4-letter dirty words that you came out with. Better do the analysis before you assume. dave 01:39, 16 Oct 2003 (UTC)

[edit] Sorting order for Chinese, Japanese, and Korean entries

For wikipedia editions that use syllabic or logographic writing systems (chinese, japanese, korean, etc.), how are entries sorted? Languages that use the latin alphabet are ordered according to their first letter, followed by their second letter, etc. Therefore, "aardvark" comes before "artist" which comes before "justice". How are entries ordered for logographic systems and syllabaries? Do the characters in those kinds of alphabets (ex. Hanja and Kanji) have a specified order like the ABC... ordering for languages using the Latin alphabet? --Zeke

Traditionally, first by radical; then, under the same radicals, by stroke number. I'm not sure what happens if the radical and stroke number are identical. Nowadays, especially in Mainland China, it's often sorted alphabetically by Romanization, such as Pinyin. The later method is what's employed on the Chinese Wikipedia lists now. --Menchi 23:16, 1 Oct 2003 (UTC)
I checked my dictionary from Taiwan, when radical and stroke number are identical, it's sorted by Zhuyin. But I don't know how they were sorted at this level before Zhuyin was invented in earlier last century.
And for Korean, see Hangul#Jamo order. There is a specific order for the two kana syllabaries as well. --Menchi 23:25, 1 Oct 2003 (UTC)
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