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[edit] April 5

[edit] Mongolia Map

Hi there,

I could see the Mongolia Map on the Mongolia page. that was really detailed with all the 3xx 'sums' included. However I would like to see the map of UlanBaator, the capital, as well. According to the Ulan Baator page, it was said that UlanBaator has 9 districts. can i have the map of these districts (like that of the 'sums' and 'aimags') on the UlanBaator page or the Mongolia Page?

thanks!! —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 61.18.170.43 (talk) 03:08, 5 April 2007 (UTC).

If it isn't on commons:category:Maps of Mongolia, then there's a probability that it doesn't exist within Wikipedia... AnonMoos


[edit] raising short-term interest rates

How does FRB's raising short-term interest rates affect our daily life? Kymotegi 04:23, 5 April 2007 (UTC) Kyosuke

Raising interest rates is likely to raise local currency, take investments from stocks and place them in the cash market. It dampens demand, encourages saving. It is occasionally useful in strong economies to raise interest rates so as to prevent economic bubbles, where growth is created from growth, and not from legitimate wealth creation activity. DDB 11:22, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
I know it reduces inflation. But how does an interest rate hike take investments from stocks and places them in the cash market? --Khunter 18:31, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

When interest rates rise, the disparity between stock offerings and bank returns is less. It is rarely worthwhile to leave money with banks, but always safer. The result of higher interest rates, then is for people to take money from stocks and put money in banks, who in turn put the money into short term cash. To provide an example, in 1991, Australian interest rates were 19%, far exceeding the return of the stock market. Many put there money into 90 day term deposits, wiser people put there money away for five years at lesser rates of 16%. DDB 08:40, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Dirty dancing carried to its logical extreme

Has anyone ever danced (for instance) a ballroom tango nude and with genital insertion? Is such a thing possible? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 69.183.116.25 (talk) 05:20, 5 April 2007 (UTC).

There are over 7 billion people in the world, so chances are that someone has tried that at least once.--Ķĩřβȳ♥♥♥ŤįɱéØ 06:13, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Also, that's how many people there are today. You asked "ever", so all people that have ever lived are included in the calculation, which makes it all the more probable.--Ķĩřβȳ♥♥♥ŤįɱéØ 06:13, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Well, it's probable that someone has tried. But is it possible without coitus interruptus raising its ugly head? JackofOz 06:16, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
As an aside, our article on world population (and pretty much every other source i've ever seen) disagrees with your statement of "over 7 billion". Do you have a source for that value? Or just a mind blip? Capuchin 11:06, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
You'd have to be very skilled to dance in that fashion!! Think outside the box 12:11, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

@ [69.183] Yes. (see also Frottage Grinding (dance)). dr.ef.tymac 17:02, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

That's only rubbing though, what about the genital insertion? 212.159.16.175 17:21, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
The article links give context. The details and proof are documented elsewhere. I will defer to the capacity of your imagination and discernment to flesh out any other specifics. dr.ef.tymac 17:35, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Some years ago, a veteran Finnish tango singer anwered an interview question about the weirdest event in his long career with quite a memorable anecdote: It was a dance night at a small-town restaurant, and the house was half full but the people were having a good time. One particular middle-aged couple really hit it off with each other, at first they were just kissing passionately as they danced, but soon their dancing got more and more physical, and after a while they lowered their pants just enough and performed the entire act standing up, at a corner of the dance floor, and they even were discreet enough that few people noticed. The singer however had the best view, and all he could do was to try to concentrate on the singing. According to the story there was no commotion, and the couple did soon leave for a more private place. 84.239.133.38 18:45, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

I believe it has happened at the local high school during one or more dances. [Mαc Δαvιs] (How's my driving?) ❖ 03:25, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Poppy pomegranates at the Metropolitan Museum

The Opium article states At the Metropolitan Museum's Assyrian relief gallery, a winged deity in a bas-relief from the palace of Ashurnasirpal II at Nimrud, dedicated in 879 BC, bears a bouquet of poppy capsules on long stems, described by the museum as "pomegranates". Can somebody tell me who is correct? Are those poppy capsules or pomegrantes?--202.164.137.91 13:49, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

I can't claim familiarity with all varieties of poppies and pomegranates, but according to what I see in today's Israel: the poppy is indeed a long-stemmed flower that develops a seed pod, whereas the pomegranate is a fruit attached by a short stem to the branches of a small-leaved bush. The pomegranate shape, however, is a popular folk motif in the Middle East symbolizing fertility due to the fruit's many seeds; I don't know if the shape of poppy seed pods is as familiar. So perhaps the museum curators were conflating the two images? -- Deborahjay 21:48, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

The article here [1] on The Pernicious Opium Poppy, says that 'the two fruits, which have a similar outline, have often been misinterpreted.' This does not really take us that much further forward; sorry. I've looked through some material on Assyrian mythology, and all I can find is a reference to the godess, Nisaba, who is often depicted with poppies growing out of her shoulders. I suspect that the only way you will be able to get a definite answer to your question is to contact the museum directly. There is, however, a wider mythological connection between the poppy and the pomegranate, though this belongs to the Greeks, rather than the Assyrians. Persephone, the daughter of Demeter, the godess of fertility, was obliged to stay in Hades for part of the year as the wife of the god, Pluto, after she ate six pomegranate seeds. To forget her grief, Demeter went into hibernation, bringing on the winter. To aid her sleep, and forget her grief, she ate poppies. The poppy plant then became one of her symbols, often depicted alongside corn. The poppy-head is to be found in the hands of various of the Greek gods, and because of the number of its seeds is associated with abundance and fertility. Eastern cults have a tendency to transfer from one culture to another, so it is possible that the Assyrian deity depicts an earlier example of this practice. Clio the Muse 01:35, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Advancing the article to legitmate status

Pjt48 15:25, 5 April 2007 (UTC) I'm stymied about how to get my article to meet the WIKIPEDIA standard of submitting it for other to edit. I was trying to convert my particular on a poet to an American poet stub with no avail. If there is a clear step I can take to advance my article to take it to a legitmate standing, please advice me. I've tried reading about WIKIPEDIA'S templates and formats hoping to incorporate my article into these frames but I'm simply overlooking the steps. Where my article stands now, it still has unhidden codes that I can't seem to rid it of in order to make the article clean and professional. I see no evidence that I've made any contact with other users. I think of my userpage of being in a state of isolation and wonder how long does it stay in this state.Pjt48 15:25, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

  • The help desk is probably a better place to ask about this. I'll answer the question here, though. The "unhidden codes" are probably signatures. If you type four tildes (~) in a row, or press the button on the edit toolbar that looks like a signature, that's what produces your signature. I'll send you a welcome message (on your talk page) that gives pointers on how to edit pages and all of the other stuff. In the meantime, since you wanted to create an article entitled Robert Peters, I moved your user page to the Robert Peters article. --Elkman (Elkspeak) 16:02, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Data on women in paid workforce in the states of the US

I am looking for data on what percent of women (or, if possible, mothers) are in the paid (i.e. out of the home) workforce, in each state in the United States. I have heard that my state is the highest, but I can't find anything to confirm this.

Thanks,

206.176.19.201 16:31, 5 April 2007 (UTC) Robb Campbell, Spearfish, S.D.


According to the table on page 4 of this document, which draws on 2000 census data, South Dakota had the 7th-highest labor force participation rate for women over 16. At the top of the list is Minnesota. Despite much searching, I could not find similar data broken out by state for mothers. Marco polo 22:36, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Preston Tucker article

The Wikipedia article about Preston Tucker needs cleanup. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 148.61.38.108 (talk) 17:56, 5 April 2007 (UTC).

Never fear -- Wikipedia is a work in progress! If you're informed enough about the topic to clean it up some yourself (and you're not Preston Tucker, or some other biased observer), click on "edit this page" at the top of the Preston Tucker page to get started. (On the other hand, if you just need some info on him right now, might I suggest Google?) Jfarber 18:59, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Which Corporations sell these:

Which Corporations sell these:

Six-axle Advance Ready Mix truck
Six-axle Advance Ready Mix truck
Concrete transport truck
Concrete transport truck

--Khunter 18:24, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

According to the data on the image page the one on the left was built by Advance corporation, but I haven't found which of many corporations of that name it would be. The one on the right is from McNeilus.  --LambiamTalk 19:17, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
I am just looking for corporations that sell "Concrete transport trucks". Does wikipedia have an article regarding "Concrete transport trucks"? Does wikipedia have an article regarding the corporation McNeilus? --Khunter 19:29, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
McNeilus is a division of the Oshkosh Truck corporation. Marco polo 20:11, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Advance Mixers are apparently made by Terex, formerly part of General Motors, per this page. Marco polo 20:21, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Yeah, the article concrete transport truck redirects to concrete mixer where there's a section on the trucks. Whenever you're looking for an article, your best bet is usually to try the "Search" field on the left side of the page. It would have gotten you an answer even faster than the reference desk. --JayHenry 20:15, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
McNeilus does sell them, or at least they try to.[2] Although we don't have an article on McNeilus, the company is mentioned in the articles on Oshkosh Truck, Dodge Center, Minnesota, and Morgantown, Pennsylvania. Oshkosh itself also sells mixer trucks.[3]  --LambiamTalk 20:27, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
  • I am very gratefull for the answers provided, thank you; --Khunter 02:16, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Last name (family name) conventions in Mexico

I am often bewildered when reading articles about Mexican politicians and celebrities. For instance, I've seen articles that referred to former President Carlos Salinas de Gotari as both Salinas and as Salinas de Gotari. Likewise with Andrés Manuel López Obrador. I've seen him written up as both López and López Obrador. Can you please clear up my confusion regarding the proper usage of last names (family names) for Mexicans?Jimbofromwilco 18:30, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

See Spanish naming customs and Family name#Spanish Language areas. The two components making up the surname are the (first components of) the father's and the mother's surnames. For every-day use often only the first of the two is used.  --LambiamTalk 19:01, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Consensus and unanimity

What is the difference between consensus and unanimity? Even if there's no short answer, I'll be glad if people post any good information about the subject. A.Z. 19:08, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

If your question relates specifically to Wikipedia, then Wikipedia:Consensus is probably the best place to start. --LarryMac 19:16, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Thank you, but it's not about Wikipedia. I want to learn more about consensus and unanimity. A.Z. 19:31, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Consensus is less strong than unanimity. It implies that there is some discussion, bargaining and compromise involved. Clarityfiend 19:37, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Thank you for your post. I think an unanimity could have discussion involved. It could even have been reached only after a lot of discussion. For instance, if there was a group of 100 people and only 99 supported something, and then all of them worked together to convince the dissenter of the rightness of their opinion and the dissenter was eventually totally convinced of it, then it would be a unanimity with discussion involved. A.Z. 20:07, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
(after edit conflict) Unanimity on some issue means that every individual agrees with, or at least does not oppose the majority, without a single exception. Consensus is the agreement resulting from a group decision making process. Normally this does not require unanimity; there may be some dissenters. However, just a simple majority is not enough; you can use the term only if there is broad agreement in the group.  --LambiamTalk 19:38, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
I can see that, Lambiam. But who decides how many people a "broad agreement" takes? And is then consensus the same as a qualified majority? A.Z. 20:07, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Suppose you're chairing a meeting, and as chair, next to making sure that the discussion on some item on which a decision should be reached proceeds in a fair and pleasant manner, you also have the task to promote conclusions being reached, rather than the discussion continuing interminably; after all, there may be more items on the agenda, and there is a limited amount of time, and, furthermore, endless discussions are demoralizing. So, when, after some time, no further new arguments or new compromise proposals are being introduced, and no-one appears to be inclined to change their positions anymore, the time has come to try to reach closure. If everyone agrees with each other, that's easy. If it is close to fifty-fifty, you probably have to call a vote – or have the decision postponed, if possible. But what if there is a clear majority? You could call a vote, but (a) that takes time; (b) it puts the minority of opponents in a visible position of being losers. Instead you say something like: "I think that the consensus is to ... Do we all agree?" The opponents, knowing that they are going to lose anyway if it comes down to a head count, can now just refrain from voicing disagreement, thus not losing face nor (further) goodwill from the majority. This notion of consensus, which plays a role in group dynamics, cannot be expressed in terms of a qualified majority. It is not a numerically expressible requirement agreed upon in advance. What also plays a role is the strength of the conviction of the participants; if the majority has a weak preference for A, but a sizable minority finds A totally unacceptable, then don't suggest that the consensus reached is A. If the same majority as before has a strong and deeply felt preference for A and further has made some serious compromises to satisfy the minority, while the same minority as before thinks that A as amended, while not bad, is not a real improvement, then you can reasonably suggest that a consensus position has been reached. Note also that consensus means the agreement itself, and not the criterion by which something is decided.  --LambiamTalk 23:44, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

You might also want to compare with the term plurality, which means the largest group (not necessarily the majority) supports this candidate or view. Also, see quorum, which is the minimum number of people needed for a vote to be valid. This is used to prevent occurrences like only 10 legislators showing up to work during a hurricane and rewriting all the laws. StuRat 20:20, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

I'm not a political scientist, so this is more of an etymological view than a technical one, but my sense is that unanimity is when everyone agrees (is of one animus), while a consensus is when everyone consents (which is weaker, since while each member might not agree, s/he doesn't disagree strongly enough to deny consent to the group action). --TotoBaggins 22:55, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

The definition of consensus is often contentious, no rhyme intended. Some people complain about the commonly heard statement of a scientific "consensus" that humans are contributing to global warming, because there are a few guys out there who disagree. Merriam-Webster gives two main definitions for consensus: unanimity, and majority opinion. -- Mwalcoff 01:58, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

I asked my wife about this. The consensus is that we are entirely in agreement, on all points, and so unanimous. She is right and I was wrong. DDB 08:30, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

You will have a long and happy marriage. Bless you. JackofOz aka Jack the Guru

I complement you, DDB, on your perfect comprehension of the feminine will! Jack is right: you will indeed have a long and successful marriage. My regards to your wife. Clio the Muse 09:33, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] What were Samuel Beckett's political views

What were the political views of Samuel Beckett author of Godot? --Gary123 Apply now, exciting opportunities available at Continental Op Detective Agency! 19:14, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

In Samuel Beckett: Damned to Fame, James Knowlson writes: "He was deeply committed to human rights; he firmly and totally opposed apartheid and was hostile from an early age to all forms of racism; he supported human rights movements throughout the world, including Amnesty International and Oxfam; he supported the freedom movement in Eastern Europe; and, although as a foreigner living in France he was wary of having his residential permit withdrawn, he was involved in a number of specific political cases." I don't think Beckett subscribed to any specific ideology such as socialism.  --LambiamTalk 20:06, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

In The Cambridge Introduction to Samuel Beckett, Ronan McDonald says that he was 'an opponent of totalitarianism in all its forms.' Although he was involved in the wartime French Resistance, largely dominated by the Communist Party, he appears not in any way to have been politically compromised, or to have been attracted to Stalinist doctrines. Like Lambiam, I too have never come across any evidence that he had any specific ideological or party political commitments. I have to say, though, as a general observation, that the pessimistic tone of his major work is about as far as it is possible to get from the left-wing aesthetics of his day. In addition to Damned to Fame, Knowlson's Beckett Remembering: Remembering Beckett: Unpublished Interviews with Samuel Beckett and Memoirs of Those Who Knew Him is also quite useful. Clio the Muse 00:17, 6 April 2007 (UTC)


[edit] April 6

[edit] Sweeping the floor

A child is instructed to sweep a floor. He concludes that to sweep every single bit of the floor- he must sweep it in a systematical way, going up and down the floor, then moving a broom's length to the left or right. By doing this, it is deduced that the chance of sweeping every part of the floor is 100%. Therefore, it is deduced that if the child did not sweep it systematically, there would be a much less chance of sweeping 100% of the floor.

Would this be true, or is it a flaw in our logic? --Howzat11 01:14, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

If the alternative is that the child would sweep at random, then there would be a lower chance than the systematic approach. However, you can probably think of some other non-random, systematic approaches that would work just as well. For example: A) sweep any tile, then b) sweep any tile that has not been swept yet. Right there you guarantee that the floor will be swept after a given amount of time. − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail )
Also, this question might be better suited at Wikipedia:Reference desk/Mathematics. − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 01:21, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

Being systematic only guarentees efficiency. Even random sweeping may end in the floor being completely swept. DDB 02:18, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

Of course! What was I thinking. After a given period of time, all of those method will eventually get the floor swept. But like you said, some methods are more efficient and get the job done sooner than others. − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 05:59, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

See also, Stochastic_process, random walk, Wikipedia:Reference_desk/Mathematics. dr.ef.tymac 18:31, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Philosophical idea?

Is there a phrase in philosophy (or any general study) for the attempt to forcefully shift one's own worldview, and how there's always a certain leap of faith required, beyond the simple tweaking of a couple minor points? An analogy might be living one's whole life underwater, then deciding to take a risk and go to the surface, even though by definition one has no experience to give any sense of what the surface might be like.

This might be equivalent to religious conversion, or even an "emotional conversion" — the way in which, say, an angry or nervous person has to "break through" a certain something (the nameless idea I'm trying to get at) in order to calm down, even though doing so currently makes no sense in his/her mindset. Or the way a nihilistic person might choose to break from nihilism, despite the fact that nihilism should in principle perpetually feed itself. Generally, those who don't believe in free will would no believe in the concept I'm trying to describe either, I would imagine. What major (or minor) philosophers have explored this realm? 66.195.208.91 02:30, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

Howabout the oft-misused and semi-buzzword paradigm shift? Or you can go back to Kuhn's own inspirations in psychology with the Gestalt switch. Or move into more Foucaldian territory with talk of changes in your episteme (though that's a much bigger shift than you are talking about — it's the shift of an entire era of thought). --24.147.86.187 02:46, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

I am not sure if this is really what you had in mind, but your preamble reminds me of Louis Althusser's contention that Karl Marx underwent an 'epistemological break' in about the year 1845, shifting away from his earlier roots in German idealist and humanist philosophy towards a fully developed historical materialism. Assuming you accept his contention-and there are many who do not-this is perhaps the best example of a paradigm shift in the history of western thought. Clio the Muse 03:07, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

@[66.195] For another oft-misused, hackneyed expression (in some circles), look for "shifts in Assemblage point" (see e.g., Nagual (Castañeda)). Since your question did not request an assessment of credibility, none is offered. There are myriad other expressions that the classicists will offer when they respond to your question, and there are myriad others. dr.ef.tymac 03:14, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

Maybe this is too simple, but the attempt to forcefully shift one's own worldview sounds like doubt to me. Pfly 03:35, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Doubt is not the shifting of a world view, Pfly: it is the beginning of wisdom. Clio the Muse 09:43, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

Kant experienced some kind of shift that he said was caused by Hume, but I don't really know much about it nor do I know if it was as dramatic as you're saying. Other editors may know about this and explain it better and say whether this applies to the question. A.Z. 04:22, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

He said that reading Hume woke him from his 'dogmatic slumber' and sent him on the way to becoming a critical philosopher, uniting the rationalism of Leibnitz with the scepticism of the Scottish empiricist, his so-called 'Copernican Revolution in philosophy.' In practice, he simply slipped back into an even deeper sleep, haunted by unknowable things-in-themselves, lying beyond the limits of experience. Clio the Muse 05:08, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

In contrast, there is the Derrida Stutter, whereby the true believer is not aware of the disparity between sincerely held, but oppositional, ideals. I liked the Logan's Run aspect of your question. I suspect Guantanomo Bay is not yet an adverb DDB 08:23, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

Cognitive dissonance. Vranak

Daimonic. dr.ef.tymac 18:26, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

Gosh thanks for all the thoughtful responses. It seems that there's currently information lacking on the "Derrida Stutter" here, but I'm sure that can be amended — I might do it if I find the time. "Gesalt" and "Daimonic" are fun words to say (all right, and useful ideas to), and I also liked the elegance of the answer "doubt" (though I wouldn't quite equate it with the beginning of wisdom, given that one might start out with too much as well, even if we don't see that often in contemporary thinking).

The inherent issue I'm grappling with, the paradox-that-isn't-really-a-paradox, is the seeming truth that you will never be able to break out of your worldview from nothing but that worldview itself — you can't use pure Xian thinking to become a Zist, the ideological enemy of Xianists. You need to learn about Z, or at least something similar, in some form. This seems to overlap a good deal with the people and ideas y'all directed me to, so thanks again.

PS: What do you mean by "I suspect Guantanomo Bay is not yet an adverb"? 66.195.211.27 02:29, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

I suspect this person meant "adjective" and not adverb, as in "I liked the Guantanamo Bay aspect of your question," possibly meaning something like breaking free from a maximum security prison (of the mind, in your case). Incidentally, check out stuff on relativism if you think there isn't enough doubt going around. Relativists, some may argue, are too sure of themselves, but they often doubt the most basic principles of everything else, even (especially?) science and mathematics. The Mad Echidna 20:11, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
All right, then. Hmm, paradigm as distopia, food for thought… well, I've never been a fan of relativism per se, at least when people make the mistake of thinking that's all they can be if they have any uncertainty in their beliefs. Anyway, thanx, Echidna. 66.195.210.117 01:38, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Medæval Haircut

Whenever I see peasants portrayed in movies which take place in the Middle Ages or Medæval Times, the men always have the same haircut: sort of a bowl cut across the middle of their heads. A representation of the haircut can be seen on the image on this website(guy in the middle) . I want to know, did the peasants of the Middle Ages really cut their hair like that, or is it just something invented by movie directors? Also, what is this haircut called (other than "Medæval Style Bowl Cut" or the 'bob cut')? Thank you. --Codell«T» 04:30, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

Have a look at Henry V of England-no peasant he-for the perfect 'pudding bowl' haircut! Charlton Heston emulated this look in The War Lord, a movie from the mid 1960s. And if you have a look at the sixth century depictions of the soldiers in the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy, you will note that the Byzantines have cuts not that different from the English king. The cut in your illustration is fairly typical of medieval styles, though they would be a lot less neat than that of Henry and his royal kin. What might be called the 'peasant fringe' survived until quite late in European history, and was still to be found in the nineteenth century in Tsarist Russia. It should go without saying that the peasants depicted in Holywood movies are a lot cleaner, and far more uniform in appearance, than the real thing would ever have been. If are able to look out a library copy of History Today, (you can call it up online-for a fee!) the May 1999 issue has an article entitled Scissors or Sword? The Symbolism of the Medieval Haircut by Simon Coates. His focus is more on 'upper class' coiffure, but it still gives some useful general guidance on a much neglected subject-the politics of hair! Clio the Muse 07:15, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
As for what the haircut is called, I suppose you could call it a pageboy. —Angr 14:40, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

Thankyou.Codell«T» 17:57, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Cheating in a Relationship

1) How common would you guys say is it for someone to cheat in a relationship? Either normal or marriage. I'm starting to notice that many married couples, or just couples, cheat.


2) Is it REALLY a bad thing to cheat on your partner? I don't think it's really possible to say there's such a thing as "good" or "bad" or "right" or "wrong". Everyone has an idea of what their morals are because of experiences or what they've been taught, so it can't be concrete.


3) Psychologically, what drives people to cheat? (for the people that cheat, or want to) Making my own conclusions, I think it may have to do with evolution. We're supposed to have many partners to reproduce with for the safety of our species...? (safe from extinction) I still want another possible answer though. =) PitchBlack 17:59, 6 April 2007 (UTC)


And just a quick edit, I've also heard a phrase along the lines of "If you don't or can't get something from your partner, he/she's gonna find it somewhere else. PitchBlack 18:04, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

Welcome to Wikipedia. You can easily look up this topic yourself. Please see Infidelity. For future questions, try using the search box at the top left of the screen. It's much quicker, and you will probably find a clearer answer. If you still don't understand, add a further question below by clicking the "edit" button to the right of your question title.
.dr.ef.tymac 18:21, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
  • Hmm, I'm not sure that was the fairest response, given that that article is currently in a state of major flux, and really needs a bit of cleanup. It does, however, appear to list statistics for married couples in the United States,. Other statistics might be found by other research methods, but I'm not sure what source will give a reliable number on "general" infidelity.
  • As for "Is it REALLY a bad thing to cheat on your partner?" you might want to check out Wikipedia's neutral point of view policy to see why a Wikipedia article would never give an answer to this. Anyway, if you assume that the cheating involves dishonesty (as opposed to being part of an open relationship), then what you're really asking is whether it's morally wrong to lie; see honesty for a couple of philosophical answers to this (although I think it could probably be expanded a bit as well). My personal, totally-not-Wikipedia-endorsed answer is yes, it's wrong to lie. But it doesn't have to be the end of the world either; many couples seem to forgive, get past that, and go on to live happily. A dissenting opinion might be provided by sex columnist Dan Savage, who occasionally advocates infidelity as a way to keep relationships healthy.
  • Ideas which may help you with your third question may be found at Evolutionary psychology, and hopefully that article will point you to some good sources on the subject you're specifically interested in. \sim Lenoxus " * " 19:58, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
From an evolutionary perspective it is good for the individual cheater because they can 'hedge their bets' by combining their genes with a more diverse gene pool, so it is more likely that some of their offspring will survive. It is bad for the cheated-on partner because they may end up spending resources helping someone elses offspring to survive. So a cheater promotes their own reproductive fitness while possibly decreasing their partners.
Hopefully someone can provide a good wiki link to some articles on reproduction strategies, i don't know where to look. -- Diletante 21:09, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
As for #2 it depends on the individual couples — some people have more open relationships than others. But the sure-fire way to know whether it is "bad" or not is to ask yourself, "Would I mind if my partner cheated on me?" Usually when people think in the hypothetical they end up finding ways to excuse behavior when it is their behavior but not their partners (i.e. the common trope of one partner wanting an "open relationship" but being horrified when the other partner starts dating someone else). While one cannot generalize for all relationships, one usual factor in any close romantic relationship is trust, and cheating is usually, by definition, a violation of trust. In that sense I would say it is generally not healthy for a relationship, but I might also add — just to complicate things — that in many cases relationships themselves aren't healthy for individual psychologies. Which is kind of the double-bind for relationships — part of humans seem to not want to be monogamous, while another part does way monogamy, at least in respect to how their partners act. If I were going to generalize wildly I'd suggest that this is the essential conflict at the heart of every relationship. --24.147.86.187 22:15, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

It is not cut and dry what cheating is. Does one include 'window shopping' as cheating? A newlywed friend of mine was on honeymoon, walking with his wife. They passed a woman in a bikini and my friend walked into a telegraph pole. His wife accused him oif not watching where he was going, but the girl .. It is human behaviour to test boundaries. It is poor form to cross some boundaries. People today live longer within a relationship than they were conditioned in the past. However, some couples manage to survive without cheating. Mental maturity is not acquired in males before age 25, on average. I don't judge immature behaviours, accept in social terms. Society does not encourage monogamy, but beauty worship. A mature adult is responsible for their choices. Some don't choose monogamy. DDB 04:13, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Central Powers Plans

Did the Central Powers have any plans for the reorganization of Europe for if they had won World War I?

--Shadarian 18:32, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

To begin with, Shadarain, you should have a look at the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, which will give you some practical indicators. The book you need to refer to on this subject is the by now classsic Germany's Aims in the First World War by Fritz Fischer. Germany's chief aim was essentially to eliminate France as a world power and to chase Britain from its traditional role as a power broker in European affairs. A new political and economic unit would have been created, which Chancellor Bethman-Hollweg and others, refered to as Mitteleuropa. By this Germany would have retained control of Belgium, Luxembourg, Poland, the Baltic States and large parts of northern and eastern France directly, and the Ukraine, White Russia and other parts of the east indirectly. It is also likely to have demanded considerable colonial gains, though I do not believe there is any precise information on this particular subject. Austria-Hungary had much less to gain for itself, other than parts of central Serbia and possibly the western Ukraine and Rumania, but would in essence have been an economic and political dependancy of Germany in the said Mitteleuropa. Bulgaria would have attained the borders it formerly gained by the Treaty of San Stefano, subsequently lost by the Treaty of Berlin, and the Ottoman Empire parts of the Caucasus and possibly Egypt, though again I have no precise information on this. Clio the Muse 19:24, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
I've adjusted the spelling of Mitteleuropa above.  --LambiamTalk 19:50, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Thanks, Lambiam! Clio the Muse 19:59, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Supplementary to the above I found this lovely propaganda map [4] illustrating what some sections of the French press feared might be the outcome of the war! The French state still exists, just, but Britain has been reduced to a German colony, the implications of which can only be guessed at! My God, just think: all that Wagner! The horror, the horror! Propaganda aside, there was, I have since discovered, also a plan for Mittelafrika., paralleling that for Mitteleuropa , which would have given Germany control of a huge chunk of territory around the Congo Basin. Clio the Muse 23:08, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
A millenium of imposed Wagner would indeed have been a horror, but just think of the upside - all that lovely Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Mahler and maybe even Mendelssohn. JackofOz 04:44, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Yes, I could take Mahler in very large doses, but he was Austrian, was he not? You probably know, Jack, that Mendelssohn was a great favourite of the Victorians, including the dear old Queen. Did you also know that when Wagner was in London he would only conduct the music of the Jewish composer while wearing gloves? Clio the Muse 05:04, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Well, Mahler was born in modern-day Czech Republic (then the Bohemian part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire), but moved to Vienna. And Mozart and Schubert were Austrians too, however the Germans did incorporate Austria into Germany, so under the map you provided there would have been no distinction made - they would all have become propagandised into "German composers". Same for the Johann Strausses and the other Viennese waltz kings. And many, many others.
Mendelssohn was much loved in England, and chose England for the premieres of some of his major works. The German composers have always had a strong following across the Channel (just as English composers like Elgar, Delius and Holst had their early strong following in Germany when England wanted little to do with them). However, listening to, say, Beethoven because you want to is a different proposition from listening to him because you have no choice (even if you love his music). Even the British would have railed at that. JackofOz 05:26, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Britain's resistance to Ireland's independence

Having recently seen The Wind That Shakes the Barley and read our articles on the Irish War of Independence and on Irish history during the late 19th century, I am left wondering why Britain was unwilling to grant effective independence to Ireland, or to the 26 counties that later became the Republic. When it was clear by 1918 that Irish public opinion (outside of Ulster) was overwhelmingly behind some form of independence and by early 1919 that the British would face violent resistance to their continued rule, why did Britain undertake such a brutal and bloody campaign of repression? Why didn't the British government call for an early truce and the dominion solution that was ultimately adopted in the Anglo-Irish Treaty, a solution that had long since been tried and tested in Canada and Australia? Marco polo 18:36, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

This is a highly complex issue, Marco, but Britain had a far greater emotional, political and strategic attachment to Ireland than any other territory under its control. In the nineteenth century Prime Minister Gladstone's attempt to grant a measure of Irish Home Rule effectively split the Liberal Party. The Home Rule Act of 1914, the only of three such measures that passed into law, may very well have brought Britain into civil war but for the onset of the European crisis. Neverthless, the measure remained in place, and is likely to have been implemented in whole or part at the conclusion of the Great War, but for the new radical dimension in Irish politics, brought on by the Easter Rising of 1916. In the wake of the victory against Germany few in the British government were immediately prepared to grant concessions to political terrorists, as they perceived the Republicans, instead embarking on a campaign of militant supression, which had the backing of Winston Churchill, among others. A political settlement was finally reached, but with Michael Collins and the less militant section of the Republican movement, which would leave the north under the direct and the south under the indirect control of Britain. On your wider point the concessions granted to Canada after the Durham Report were born, in part, from the failure to make similar concessions to the thirteen Colonies. Wisdom is sometimes born from experience. Clio the Muse 19:48, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

I think it a mistake to interpret Ireland's current structure as being solely a result of London's decision making. which isn't to suggest anyone has. Ireland's Northern state has not wanted to leave the UK. The separatists (from the UK) have been vocal, but not representative. Overseas support for terrorism in Ireland has not helped issues.

The solution negotiated with Michael Collins was good at the time, but the IRA, whom Collins helped found and train, killed him under orders from later Irish Statehead Éamon de Valera. de Valera later admitted his mistake, but the killings continued. I feel, had Northern Ireland wanted to unify with the Irish Free State, London would have let them. DDB 03:18, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

Well, as far as Ireland's 'current structure' is concerned, DDB, you might want to look at the page on the Plantation of Ulster for some background information. In Ireland history has the longest of shadows. You are quite right, though, that London would long have conceded the wish of all of the people of Northern Ireland ( a province rather than a state) to unite with the Republic, a move that clearly would have saved a lot of expense and much trouble, if such a wish had ever been expressed. It has not, nor is it ever likely to be. However, it may be that, in the course of time, the process of European integration will supersede history-even history in Ireland. Clio the Muse 08:09, 7 April 2007 (UTC) Thanks for the reference, clio, very enlightening. I usually view rulers in terms of their times. Eliz 1st needed to juggle, finesse and occasionally do nothing in order to obtain her goals. James first was in the sorrier position of losing anything he touched, unless he became a despotic tyrant. Still, it doesn't excuse modern people who hearken back to excuses they know little of, and are unrelated to, so as to justify their petty extortions. DDB 09:27, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Chak De

This question applies to Punjabis only. What does "Chak De" means in Punjabi?

You might be better off at the Language desk. \sim Lenoxus " * " 20:00, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
You can try the Language Desk, but we rarely have respondents who speak Indian languages. A more fruitful approach might be to contact one of the people in the list of Wikipedians whose native language is Punjabi with this question. Marco polo 20:19, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

It's a gesture along the lines of a high five. No, I do not speak Punjabi, but I asked a friend who does! Clio the Muse 01:07, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Jesus' crucifixion

If Jesus was crucified, I have a few questions about it. My first is, why did the Jewish people, allegedly, call for his execution? Second, why did they choose crucifixion over other forms of death? My last question is to do with Jesus and not his execution. Why do people believe he was capable of performing things that are seemingly impossible; for example, walking on water, or feeding the five thousand with just a few loaves of bread. Forgive my ignorance, but it all seems a little far fetch'd. This question is from a Jewish person, who has a limited understanding of Christian doctrine --HadzTalk 20:38, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

Jesus was crucified by the Romans, not the Jews. The Jews had no right to capital punishment, only their Roman overlords had that right. Corvus cornix 20:44, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
So, why are Jews labelled the Christ-killer --HadzTalk 21:31, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Corvus cornix is right that, according to Christian scripture, Jesus was executed by the Romans, who often used crucifixion as a means of execution. However, according to Christian scripture, the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, was urged to do so by Jewish elites, particularly the Sanhedrin, who saw Jesus' following as a threat to their power. In the scripture, guilt can be assigned to both the Roman governor and the Sanhedrin. Interpretation of these passages has shifted over the centuries. Some have suggested that early Christians blamed Jews in general as a way of distinguishing themselves from the Jewish religion, from which they had broken away, or as a way of currying favor with Rome during and after the Jewish-Roman wars. Modern Christian scholarship has generally rejected blaming Jews for the death of Jesus and instead see his execution as the fault of all humanity, for whose sins Jesus is sacrificed. This makes sense in the context of the doctrine that Jesus' resurrection and message of forgiveness is a sign of God's forgiveness of humanity for sin. As for the miraculous stories, most mythical founders of religions have fantastic stories associated with them. Fundamentalist Christians see these stories as literal truth, while most mainstream theologists see them as metaphorical. Marco polo 21:41, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
(after edit conflict) According to Matthew 27:11–26 – which many Christians believed or believe to be the word of God, or inspired by God, or in any case an accurate historical account – when Pilate offered the crowd a choice between Jesus of Nazareth and a "notorious prisoner" named Barabbas, the crowd, persuaded by the chief priests and the elders, chose to have Barrabas released and Jesus crucified. As to the ability of Jesus to perform miracles, wouldn't it be stranger if God could not perform miracles? After all, most Christians believe that Jesus was God. See further Christian views of Jesus.  --LambiamTalk 21:43, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
(also after edit conflict) They are no longer called Christ-killers by anyone with a fair view of history. Pope John Paul II apologised to the Jews for the persecution they suffered over 20 centuries at the hands of Catholics. In Christian theology, it was essential for Jesus to die in order to fulfill the prophecies about the Messiah, so blaming the instrument of that death was always problematical. As for the impossible things Jesus is said to have performed, these come under the category of miracles. They have no scientific explanation, so one either simply believes he had such supernatural powers and he really did do them (after all, he is said to be the Son of God, that is, God himself in human form), or one does not. JackofOz 21:50, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

As for why people would believe in miracles then, this was before the rise of science, and people would believe just about anything. Moses, if you recall, not only performed miracles, but also met an Egyptian priest who performed miracles (turning staffs into snakes). Moses, however, was able to perform more impressive miracles, which supposedly showed that his God was stronger than the Egyptian gods. Another possible interpretation is that the Egyptian priests were faking their miracles, but this also suggests that Moses would have known the same tricks, having been raised by them. StuRat 00:25, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

Miracle#In Japanese philosophy. Vranak

Hadz, the Easter story forms the basis of much Christian faith. It is also an expression of fulfilment of Old Testament doctorine. What the others have written so far is valid. We know some facts regarding the crucifixion that sheds light on the story, from a modern perspective. Most people crucified suffocated, as their feet did not support them. However, when Jesus died, a roman soldier opened him with a spear, revealing blood and water. When a person suffers a major heart attack, their blood can seperate under the centripetal forces to blood and water, which is a nineteenth century discovery.

While no sane person blames Jews for the crucifixion, there is a suggestion that those tribes present have been cursed. I understand that most Jewish peoples today are decended from tribes that had migrated away from Judea before the crucifixion. Migrating to Russia, before spreading to the rest of the world during the times of persecution from Tsars and Communists. Those tribes that had been present at the time of the crucifixion were dispersed by the Romans throughout the empire. Those Jewish peoples that went to Western European nations endured persecutions so that today, most Jewish peoples have Russian sounding last names. PLO propaganda has it that there are no decendants of Jewish peoples from biblical times, that Jewish peoples of today merely adopted the faith from migrants. Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ movie is a dramatic representation which doesn't explain what happened very well, but which shows the apparent story. DDB 02:24, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

Assigning culpability to the descendants of those present at the Crucifixion (Jews, Romans, authority figures, rabble, et al.) is an issue in itself. Apart from that: the relative proportion of Jews throughout history whose origins were linked to the population of Roman-occupied Palestine early in the First Century would require an understanding of Jewish migration patterns, which are far more extensive and somewhat other than what DDB has indicated. -- Deborahjay 05:40, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
If the Jews of the 1st century had no right to capital punishment, then why were they able to stone people to death? Dead is dead, whether by crucifixion or stoning. See Saint Stephen as well as the woman Jesus is reported to have saved by saying "Let he who is without sin throw the first stone (John 8:7)." Edison 04:54, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

Edison, Romans tended to allow civil administration. Death by stoning was for certain offences like marital infidelity, which wasn't an issue Roman civil administration needed to involve itself. Jesus was accused of insurection, Barrabas accused of theft. Both capital offences. Well done Deborah for those references. They are appropriate, and I approve. DDB 06:03, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] April 7

[edit] New motive revealed?

Did the Iranian terrorists capture the British sailors and marines and force them to confess to straying into Iranian waters simply as a logical basis to back up their claim that the waters the British were in were not Iraqi waters but their own? Nebraska bob 01:54, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

It's clearly going to take some time-if ever-for all of the details of this affair to come out. I'm not sure, though, if it is either helpful, or meaningful, to refer to the Iranian coastal units as 'terrorists.'. What I would really like to know is why such a small British force was allowed to operate in such dangerous waters without adequate back-up or support, especially foolish when one considers that this has happened before? On a more general point, Iran is an important regional power, and there can be no solution to the political and strategic problems in the area without dialogue. Clio the Muse 02:10, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
I'm not sure in which news report the captives were quoted that the Iranian "coastal units" changed from their uniforms into black with hoods and lined the captives against a wall but that is certainly the behavior of terrorists and everyone I know is defined by what they do or do not do and how they act or do not act. Nebraska bob 05:06, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

I don't think this is a reference desk issue, but opinion. My opinion is that the Brit troops were doing, as they were supposed, the job of looking for pirates/smugglers, and were not equipped to deal what is an act of war. A similar incident has happened when North Koreans opened fire on a south Korean police boat, or when China forced down a US spy plane. The activity is typical of the cold war. DDB 03:56, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

Mankind has always been faced with the problem of sewage but as time has progressed mankind has improved its dealing with the problem while knowing it will never go away. This is how I characterize terrorists. They have always been around and a problem for mankind from the beginning but mankind has learned to deal with them better just like it has with sewage. Terrorists will never go away because they are the result of the workings of society but they can be delt with by society in the same way as society deals with sewage under normal conditions and whenever a mishap occurs. Nebraska bob 05:06, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
It always worries me when people use expressions like 'mankind has done this or mankind has done' that, just as the use of injudicious terms like 'sewage' in reference to human beings worries me, with all of the horror this 'distancing' has conjured up over time. It may not be very fashionable to say so but, in the shade of Euripides, I too believe that only reason can overthrow terror. However, it's obvious to me that you are on a soapboxing crusade, Nebraska bob, and there is very little I can say that will make any difference to your manner of thinking or your mode of expression. I do hope you begin to think of these matters, though, with a little less passion. My best wishes. Clio the Muse 07:42, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Actually sewage can be quite a good thing if it is handled with knowledge and respect. It has abundant nutrients which are needed by the plants upon which we feed; allow it to contaminate a field of spinach, on the other hand, and it may present a problem no one needs. Acts of war inspire passion in me especially when they are to serve a soapbox crusader who is on the wrong side of the law, like the President of Iran. I consider my reaction, though not my feelings, to be almost benign. What concerns me and what you might like to think about is that terrorists may be doing these things for no other reason than to inspire passion in people who are even more dispassionate than you might like me to be. Nebraska bob 09:29, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Well, it is obviously within your power to deny them that victory, if at no other level than the personal. You may never have any other opportunity to do so. Clio the Muse 20:59, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

I certainly understand the emotinal need for answers and resultion when the world goes wonky. But questions about motive (WHY someone did something) are only able to be answered via reference if a guilty party admits motive...and, even then, people lie. Until an official representative can provide proof of their reasoning and justification leading up to an act, all we can offer is conspiracy and conjecture.

Which is a long-winded way of reminding folks that conspiracy and conjecture are inherently POV, and are anathema to the reference desk. Questions like this are emotionally valid, but -- due to their inherent inability to be answered with any certainty or fact -- out of place here. Jfarber 13:44, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

@ Jfarber Although the recent Nebraskan musings and speculation about political motives may indeed be inimical to the ideals you cite, the ongoing discussion suggests not everyone agrees this kind of conjecture and emotional invective is off-limits for the "reference desk." dr.ef.tymac 14:44, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Interesting. I see (but do not agree with) support for conjecture as a valid response for some TYPES of questions, it is true. But I've been following those discussions, and nowhere have I seen it suggested that questions which are fundamentally ONLY answerable by original research -- that is, by asking people as-yet-unasked questions about their own motives, and then accepting those answers as fact -- have a place here. But I may have missed something. Can you help me find where, in this discussion, there is support for such types of questions -- that is, for questions which are inherently not answerABLE by reference work of any type? Jfarber 20:51, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
@ Jfarber since, personally, I agree with your conclusions, I'd rather not elaborate here, and thereby inadvertently lend credibility to the alternate viewpoint. It's enough to know you've been following the discussion, which was not obvious at first because you make noteworthy points here that I do not recall seeing there. But then, perhaps *I* may have missed something. dr.ef.tymac 21:59, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

It's possible that the Iranian units were outside of their own territory, but calling them terrorists is extremely biased and makes a decent discussion impossible. If they were terrorists, they a) would have just killed then b) would have killed civilians instead. Their treatment might have been harsh, if that makes them terrorists, the USA-ers working on Guantanamo are terrorists just as well.

[edit] Concrete Mixing Trucks & Corporations manufaturing them

Which corporation has the lion's share, or market share in manufacturing concrete mixing trucks??? Are the corporations Terex & McNeilus the only corporations that are competing??? --Khunter 02:17, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

I can find no data about market share, but in Europe Stetter GmbH is definitely a player. The Liebherr Group is another manufacturer[5], but my browser does not agree with their web design, and I could not quite figure out what and how. Here is a claim that SANY in China makes them, but I could not find a mention on SANY's own product page.  --LambiamTalk 08:52, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

Thanks Lambiam. --Khunter 19:00, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Spiro Agnew vandalism?

Spiro Agnew, former US Vice President Under "Trivia and Pop Culture" near the end of the article:

In Yippie phone phreaking newsletter TAP Issue #22 (October 1973) it is noted that Spiro Agnew's name is an anagram of "Grow a penis."

Is this vandalism??? or not? VK35 02:18, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

No, not vandalism; the source given verifies it. In the future you'll want to post questions like this at Wikipedia:Administrators' noticeboard/Incidents. Picaroon 02:23, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

Why, so it is! (the anagram, I mean). Trivial, yes; vandalism, no. Clio the Muse 02:28, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

Our style manual says that "lists of facts, as found in trivia sections, are better presented within the context of the text rather than in a section of unrelated items." If the "true but trivial" bothers you as much as it bothers me, feel free to restructure the article accordingly. Jfarber 02:47, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

Not vandalism, but typical of those beholden to leftwing ideology who feel it acceptable to insult, belittle and lie those that don't share their views. Views and tolerance as seen here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. That last link was the one I was looking for, the rest are related sidetracks DDB 03:48, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

I fail to see why pointing out that someone's name anagrams to something funny and slightly offcolor is insulting, belittling, and it certainly isn't lying. The anagram isn't a commentary on the person anymore than my friend BRAD is DRAB; the only difference is that BRAD isn't famous, and DRAB isn't really noteworthy enough to mention in the press. Jfarber 04:00, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
I took it out. There was already a vote on it in the discussion page (14 to 6). Clarityfiend 04:33, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
The thing here is not so much about trivia as about relevance. I sometimes learn a lot from relevant trivia but if it’s not relevant and not trivia it still belongs in the trash. Nebraska bob 05:38, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

@ DDB The misdeeds of some interloping malcontents notwithstanding, it is disappointing to see such a broad and unqualified generalization against leftwing ideology. dr.ef.tymac 15:00, 7 April 2007 (UTC) Check again with what I wrote, dr.ef.tymac, you should notice I was specific, not broad and sweeping. To further clarify, I only meant those who felt it acceptable to .. I'm disappointed if you identify with them. DDB 22:25, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

Come now DDB, you can see that the grammar of the sentence can be easily parsed both ways. But such pathetic duplicity in language is typical of those beholden to rightwing ideology who feel it acceptable to generalize wildly. ;-) --24.147.86.187 23:47, 7 April 2007 (UTC) I get the joke, but for the record, I'm conservative, not right wing. I have a distrust of the politics of those who excuse the dropping of an atomic bomb on a civilian population .. twice. Smile Harry. DDB 01:41, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
@ DDB I'll buy that. Thanks for the clarification and for correcting my mistake. I'll call my buddies and cancel the scheduled protest outside your flat. :-D. dr.ef.tymac 01:42, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

You are quick! I was going to add, dref didn't identify himself with that group, but it is really easy to impute meaning. DDB 01:44, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Keys of musical instruments

Orchestration would be simple if all instruments were in the key of C. Why are trumpets in B flat, French Horns in F, etc etc, etc? Plus many compositions are written for an instrument in one key but universally transposed to the actual key of the instrument used. Edison 05:08, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

The simplest explanation is that then one can use the same fingering, and read the same notes with that fingering, for instruments of different sizes within the same family. See transposing instrument. The clarinets and saxophones are good examples of this, with more than four sizes of each. Read a middle C on the staff, and it sounds respectively a Bb below for the standard Bb clarinet, Eb above for the high Eb clarinet, Bb a ninth below for the Bb bass clarinet, Bb two octaves and a second below for the Bb contrabass clarinet, etc. These days many composers write their scores at "concert pitch" so the conductor does not need to read the transposed part (but the player sees the part transposed). Antandrus (talk) 05:11, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Some instruments are not stable in certain keys. For example, Beethoven and Schubert (and many, many others) both wrote for Clainets in C, but now we use Clarinets in Bb and A (and Eb...whatever). Why? Well, they work better and sound better. The C Clarinet is fundamentally flawed in terms of maintaining a stable pitch. It's a slightly different story for French Horns - which used to only play natural tones (in the baroque period anyway), and it was customary to just change the whole instrument if you're playing in a different key. Why don't we all just use Horns in C? Especially by now? Good questions. Well, what good is a horn in C if you mostly play music for horns in F (or your double [or triple] horn in Bb, too) and you're used to transposition? It's at the same time a salute to the musical canon, a question of stability in tone and pitch, and - well - just the way it's done. Hope this helps. Coolsnak3 19:25, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Looking for award list and particular book

Sorry if this is impossible, but I knew it once, forgot it, and it is now driving me nuts. I once came across a list of young adult books ranked by the number of awards and honors each book recieved; I know Monster was near the top of the list. Any idea of the name of that award and a link where I can find that list again? All my keyword searches are netting me nothing beyond a list of hundreds of awards or something aimed at adult readers, not young adult literature.
The second question, is I remember a novel near the top of that list that was based in a small town slightly in the future just as the county became invaded; a girl trys to evade the occupying forces. Any idea what the title of the book might be? I know, shot in the dark, but an bibliophile can hope. Thanks! ~~ubercreatrix —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 207.255.164.85 (talk) 05:33, 7 April 2007 (UTC).

I think this is what you are looking for: [6]. Enjoy. --Sn0wflake 12:27, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Latin usage in the House of Lords Minutes

I've asked this question elsewhere (not the Ref Desk) and got no response, so here's hoping.

In the article for George Jellicoe, 2nd Earl Jellicoe is this: The House of Lords Minutes of Proceedings for Die Martis 23° Novembris 1999 records ....

Why is Latin used for this reference?

(In case anyone wonders why this isn't posted to the Language desk, I know the meaning of the words but the issue is why Latin is used in this context. I'm sure the reasons are historical, hence the Humanities desk.) JackofOz 07:08, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[7] This pdf says it used to be all in Latin once, and then eventually things started to be written in English and only the dates in Latin remained. A.Z. 08:05, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

OK. But why? Clio? Anyone? JackofOz 04:38, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Jack, never ask why when it comes to the dear old House of Lords; just be thankful that the minutes are not all in Latin. They still, so I understand, have pegs for hanging up their swords! Clio the Muse 04:50, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Clio, you surprise me. For one normally so replete with scads of curious historical minutiae, you are somewhat reticent on this occasion. Has the Easter bunny got to you? I'm quite happy to accept that they do it this way because they've always done it this way, and one simply does not question hallowed British tradition. I'm not questioning the tradition, I'm wondering how it came to become a tradition. Might it have something to do with those who wrote the transcripts of proceedings back in the good old days - presumably the scarce literate people such as monks, who wrote all their Church-related texts in Latin? JackofOz 05:42, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Sorry, Jack, I though it was the residue you were interested in, rather than the history of the record keeping practice as such. But, yes, you are quite right, this is a tradition that dates back to the monkish scribes of the Middle-Ages. English only began to make its rude appearance in any volume during the reign of Henry VIII. By the beginning of the seventeenth century, Latin had given way in all but some formalised residues, including the use of dates, as you have noted. And as far as my Easter Bunny is concerned, he is still curled up in bed, warm and toastie! Clio the Muse 07:21, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Thanks, Clio. Does the House of Commons have a similar tradition? If not, why (and when) did they change to English dates if the Lords preferred to retain Latin? JackofOz 10:20, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
They did have a similar tradition, though as far as I can determine the use of Latin in the records of the Commons ceased to be standard practice in the nineteenth century, though I do not have a precise date for the change. Clio the Muse 19:45, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Gratias tibi, Clio. JackofOz 01:06, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Anti-American Latino Presidents

Besides Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and Fidel Castro of Cuba, are there any Anti-American Latino presidents? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 76.64.133.10 (talk) 13:59, 7 April 2007 (UTC).

It really depends on what you mean by "anti-American". That is a very loosely defined term. Many presidents of Latin-American countries have made remarks, or pursued or supported policies, that may not have been in the best interests of U.S. companies – and particularly not those with an interest in their countries. Some people indeed consider Evo Morales and Lula, for example, to be anti-American, but with that looseness of the concept you could in the same vein call the current POTUS anti-Brazilian, anti-Bolivian, anti-French, and in fact about anti-most-of-the-rest-of-the-world.  --LambiamTalk 14:45, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Hugo Chavez claims to be anti-Bush, not anti-American. A.Z. 17:39, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

I would go further than Lambiam and-sticking my neck out-say that there are no, nor have there ever been, Latin American Presidents who were 'anti-North American' as such. That is not to say, of course, that there have not been a great many opposed to specific aspects of American policy in the continent. Even in the good-old, bad-old days, when Latin leaders were largely US sponsored dictators, they could sometimes stand up and kick, as did Alfredo Stroessner during Jimmy Carter's human rights crusade. Clio the Muse 20:03, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

The rhetoric employed to get in government in South America is no more sincere than elsewhere. Hugo Chavez demonising US leadership is not very different from those employed within the US for electioneering purposes. Both Chavez and Hilary Clinton have labelled President Bush as 'stupid' or 'incompetent.' One might think that Communist leaders like Castro did not need to employ such rhetoric, as they are not elected through popular election of the general population, but that would ignore realities; Castro needs to justify, constantly, keeping his people in poverty. Because the US has, and has had, such power and influence in South America. In much the same way as political decisions made under James 1st of England motivates separatists in Ireland, decisions made by the US influence internal politics of South American nations. Further, the feeling that is anti US is as strong as the IRA's militant opposition to London based politics. DDB 22:17, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

I think I am probably as opposed to Communism as you are, DDB-just as I am opposed to dictatorship of any colour-but Castro has done far less to 'keep the Cuban people in poverty', as you put it, than the economic embargo imposed on the country by successive American administrations. I would even go so far as to say that this strategy has effectively shored up Castro's dictatorship over the years, allowing him to draw on the deep wells of Cuban patriotism. More understanding, and considerably more subtlety by Washington, would, I believe, have driven him from his throne long years since. He did not survive the tsunami that swept the Communist world in the Revolutions of 1989 by force alone. Clio the Muse 22:46, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

I don't view the anti American rhetoric in terms of anti Communism, nor do I lay poverty solely at Castro's doorstep. Rhetoric is a device. I think it impossible for any reasonable person to endorse Che Guevarra's acts, but for some, rhetoric has given them license. It is true that much of the Rhetoric is personal, and directed against the US President, but it still remains anti US Rhetoric. DDB 01:35, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

I occurs to me that every Latin American political leader must share some of the sentiments of Porfirio Diaz, one time President of Mexico, when he said Poor Mexico; so far from God, so close to the USA. Clio the Muse 02:58, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Questions about Chechens/Greek/Turkish ethnic tensions and population transfers

Hello, I was reading Wikipedia articles and I have some more questions that some might be able to answer.

1. How many people were living in Greece after the population exchange in 1923. I'm just trying to get an idea of the impact of the transfer.~

2. Where did those Greeks settle? Did they take Turkish homes (I guess not since there were less Turks moving out)? Did the Greek government build thousands of new homes?

3. Didn't this create tensions between Greeks and the thousands of "new Greeks" joining them? Can Greeks still hear whether or not people moved in from Turkey by listening to the family's accent?

4. What exactly was the criterion for Turkey's modern borders? Judging from the population transfers, I'd say the idea was to make a quite homogenous nation state, for people who'd say they themselves were Turks (and spoke Turkish?) But what could have been the reason to include the lands with a Kurdish majority? Was is just brute force or were they unwilling to let Turks living there become a minority themselves in an independent Kurdish nation?

5. Why is it that some ethnic groups in Russia turn against Moscow and seek independence, and others don't? I mean : Chechens are (mostly secular) muslims and speak another language, but Ossetians speak a different language as well and many of them (including victims in Beslan) are muslims just as well!

6. I find it amazing to hear that almost all Chechens and Ingush were deported to Kazakhstan.. what happened to their homes and cities when they were gone? Just left to go to waste?(I know Ossetians took some of the land)

7. How exactly do the Armenians justify their claim that Nagorno Karabach is theirs, I was reading [8] and it seems obvious that it used to be completely Azeri.

8. How exactly were the borders of nations like Kazakhstan and Ukraine determined? I mean, they used to be part of the Russian Empire and after the revolution, they constructed those constituent republics. Isn't kind of their own fault that some many Russians got stranded in other countries. Since the Russians pretty much ruled the Soviet Union, would it have been more interesting for them if they held a census every ten years to expand Russia's borders? (I mean : what makes the Russians in the eastern part of Ukraine more Ukrainian than Russian)


Sorry for the many questions, they are sort of related in a way. I will be very grateful if you can answer some. Evilbu 15:30, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

Good grief, Evilbu, what a lovely set of complex questions! Your mind has clearly been working out of hours! Anyway, I will respond in like terms in trying to provide you with at least some answers.
For the Greek and Turkish part of your inquiry there are several pages of relevance: Partitioning of the Ottoman Empire, the Treaty of Sèvres, the Greco-Turkish War, the Treaty of Lausanne and finally-phew!-the Population exchange between Greece and Turkey. If you have any energy left I would also suggest, assuming you wish to go into some of these issues in greater depth, that you read Atatürk: the Rebirth of a Nation by J. B. Kinross, and Atatürk by Andrew Mango, a superb biography of the great Turkish leader which I cannot recommend highly enough.
As a result of the Turkish victory in the War of Independence, and the subsequent peace settlement of Lausanne, approximately one and a half million Greeks were expelled from eastern Thrace and parts of Asia Minor, contrasting with the half million Turks who were forced to leave Greek territory. Clearly at least part of the Greek diaspora would have been accommodated in former Turkish homes, but this would still leave a million people adrift. Most of them were settled in parts of Attica and Macedonia, where the government established a number of new townships and suburbs. There was also wider settlement in the towns across Greece, and even today many still have what is called The Refugees' Quarter. It is a reasonable deduction that there would have been tensions between the local people and the migrants, some of whom came from as far away as Trebizond in eastern Anatolia, but I have no specific information on this. Accent, and dialect differences, must have been acute at the time, but I imagine these have declined over the years.
In essence the Treaty of Lausanne was no more than a recognition of political and strategic realities. The Turkish army already had possession of Smyrna, the main Greek base in western Anatolia, and was widely established across the rest of the Asian hinterland of the old Ottoman Empire. In Thrace, the border between Bulgaria, Greece and the new Turkish Republic was essentially that which existed prior to the outbreak of the First World War. The new agreement also subsumed the earlier Treaty of Ankara between France and Turkey, which established the border between the Republic and the French Mandate of Syria (not, incidentally, the exact border that exists today). The fate of the Kurds was left undecided, in the rather empty and pious hope that the matter would be settled by the League of Nations, though the earlier Treaty of Sèvres had, in fact, provided for the creation of a separate Kurdish state. In political terms Turkey's south eastern border became something of an open wound. Established there by force of arms, the Turks successfully supressed several rebellions, including one that had been backed by the British from the nearby Mandate of Iraq, which led to the brief establishment of the Republic of Ararat in 1927.
If anything the pattern of ethnic tensions and conflicts bequeathed to the world by the old Tsarist Empire and the Soviet Union are even more complex. Largely owing to the superficial treatment of contemporary news media, most people are unaware that the present Chechyn conflict is merely the reappearance of a very old pattern. There is a Wikipedia article on the Caucasian War, not, I have to say, among the best, but at least it will give you some clues on the topic, as will the slightly better History of Chechnya. The Chechyns did not settle down easily to Russian occupation, rising again during the war between Russia and Turkey in the late 1870s. A further conquest of the Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus followed by Communist forces in the early 1920s. During the Second World War the entire Chechyn population was exiled to Kazakhstan on the orders of Stalin, where a great many died. They were only allowed to return to their homes in 1957, where they found a statue of their old Tsarist conquerer, Aleksey Yermolov, erected in 1949 by the Soviets, of all people, with the inscription There is no people under the sun more vile and deceitful than this one. Other Muslim minorities have indeed, as you indicate, adjusted more readily to Russian hegemony; but they do not have the history of the Chechyns.
Whatever the historic population of Nagorno-Karabakh may have been, it is now predominantly Armenian, and it is upon that alone that the area has established a shadowy independence. Most of the former Muslim population of what was, at one time, the Karabakh khanate moved to Persia soon after the Tsarist conquest in the early years of the nineteenth century. Under the encouragement of the Imperial Government, many Armenian families moved into the vacated area, particulary after the 1828 Treaty of Turkmanchai. Geographically and ethnically, the area is still surrounded by Azeri territory and people, hence the current problem.
The precise borders of both Khazakhstan and the Ukraine were established during Soviet times, though these had both been Russian territories for some time before this. I'm not quite sure how to respond to your question about 'fault', as patterns of Russian migration were well-established, with government encouragement, predating the political upheavals of the early 1990s by many years. The people in the eastern Ukraine are 'more Russian' than Ukranian, to reverse your contention, because they, well, speak Russian, rather than the Ukranian dialect, more dominant in the west.
I hope this helps, but please hit me with more questions, if you wish! Regards Clio the Muse 19:42, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
My ex-wife and my children are descendants of Aleksey Yermolov. Beat that!  :) JackofOz 04:36, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Really and truly? Did you, perhaps, feel the distant whip of Tsarist oppression, Jack? Clio the Muse 04:47, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Yes, really and truly. When my wife and I separated I vowed never to speak ill of her, so I must decline to make any comment about whips or oppression.  :) JackofOz 05:04, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for trying to answer many of my questions. I am just trying to catch up on the "really interesting history"( not the boring stuff about the trading of sheets in Scotland 450 years ago:)) I found this website [9], apparently there were about 5-6 million people in Greece. The transfer is of an enormous magnitude... From your answer, I'd deduce that the Kurdish territories were just taken out of sheer imperialism? I'm sure there must have been "some frowning". About the Chechens : well not only do they like the Russians much less than their neighbour-minorities, they consider those other minorities Russians as well and thus a potential target just as well! (I mean : the Basques are a bit more violent in their struggle for independence than the Catalonians, but I don't think they will ever target Catalonians...

What I mean about "fault" is that is-for instance: the Soviets made Transnistria a part of Ukraine in the interbellum, while the rest of present day Moldova was just a part of Romania... didn't they create the present-day mess when they transferred Transnistria from Ukraine to the new Moldovan constituent republic. (weren't they thinking ahead or something?). In short : I just find it weird there weren't a lot more border regions where Russians tried to break loose and join Russia.Evilbu 22:42, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

The Turks would, of course, have a different view, but, yes, their rule was established in the Kurdish areas of south-east Anatolia by force. As I have already said, some recognition was given to the national aspirations of the Kurds by the Allies at the end of the First World War, and the British went so far as to aid the rebellion of 1927. Nobody, however, was prepared to risk outright war with the Turkish Republic, one of the strongest military powers in the region, for what was in terms of Realpolitik a quite peripheral issue. More than that, the Kurds, a little like the Poles in Europe, were the victims of both history and geography, divided between more powerful nations.
Transnistria, although geographically part of the Ukraine, was in fact reconstituted politically between the wars as the Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. The aim was essentially to keep alive the Russian claim to Bessarabia-the main part of Moldova-which had passed to Romania in 1918. In 1940, after Russia regained Bessarabia, it was united with the western territory in the Moldovian SSR. Though a large number of people of Moldovian origin had settled in Transnistria, there were also significant numbers of Russians and Ukranians, and language differences were to be directly responsible for the split between the east and west after Moldova gained its independence in the early 1990s. As far as the broader issue of Russian settlement is concerned this has created tensions elsewhere, the Ukraine being a case in point. To a certain degree this has also been the case in the Baltic states, though the Russian minority here was not sufficiently concentrated in a given geographical location to cause major problems.
Incidentally, you are wrong about the Basques and the Catalans: Barcelona was once an ETA target; perhaps it still is. Clio the Muse 23:34, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Who Says that Existence Precedes Essence?

Are there major modern phylosophies, other than existentialism, that purport to existence precedes essence?--JLdesAlpins 18:37, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

As far as I am aware, the concept belongs uniquely to existentialism in general, and to Jean-Paul Sartre, the man who coined the phrase, in particular. Clio the Muse 19:54, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

What is that philosophy, related to the worship of Science, which notes that people are comprised of star matter made before they ever became their individualised selves? It sounds similar to your question .. DDB 21:53, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

That, DDB, would be just the reverse-essence preceding existence. Clio the Muse 21:59, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

I beg to differ Clio. I understand Essence to be that spirit unique to an individual, comprised of generic elements. The movie Metropolis explored the concept regarding an automaton. Even more interesting, parts of an individual tend to only be with that person for some five years max, except maybe the calcium of bone. In such a case, the elemental existence precedes the identity formed person :D (I had to clarify that with my wife). DDB 22:41, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

That's fine, DDB, but what you are saying is far more akin to traditional concepts of the human soul, the very thing that Sartre was placing under challenge in his contention that existence precedes essence. But, please, do not simply take my word for this, read Being and Nothingness, Nausea, and Existentialism is a Humanism, and say goodbye to your personal life for some considerable time to come. Clio the Muse 22:58, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

It always puzzles me to see people forwarding analytical exposition of Being and Nothingness. Admittedly, I read it a long time ago without the benefit of a scholarly context into which to place this work, but it always struck me as the linguistic equivalent of abstract expressionism ... fun to look at, thought provoking, but not amenable to any single authoritative explanation. I'm sure someone out there will be happy to prove me wrong. dr.ef.tymac 01:10, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

It's great fun, though, Dreftymac! Try reading it side-by-side with James Joyce's Ulysses (one of my all time favourite novels), chapter about. A whole brave new world will open up in the eye of your mind! Incidentally, H. G. Wells, in an early review of Ulysses, described it as 'cultural Bolshevism', which, I suppose, comes close to comparing Sartre with abstract expressionism. However, you should really attempt to roll your boulder up the hill of Martin Heiddeger's Being and Time, then you will really know what abstract expressionism is all about! Clio the Muse 01:44, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Dreftymac, I understand that statements like "Consciousness is a Being that, within itself, is consciousness of the Nothingness of its being" may indeed sound 'expressionismly abstract'. I would like, however, to add a caveat: Sartre's uses of the French language is extremly precise, so much so that subtilities are bound to be lost or broken in any translation. Sartre even created new words such as "néantiser", which has no equivalent in any language. That is what I noticed when I reviewed an English version a while back. And this is not because the translation was not correct--in fact, the use of the English language was impeccable. You have to consider that Sartre did not invest much effort to use an easier French. The text was written during an hellish period of European history. Sartre has even been a Nazi's POW during that time. Sartre admits it himself: this is why he called his book an 'essay'. L'être et le néant, in its French version, may be abstruse, but is certainly not abstract.--JLdesAlpins 13:34, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Please note, my remark was not offered in disparagement of Existentialism or Sartre. One might justifiably feel a strong affinity for both, and even profess an intimate understanding of what is being communicated. Indeed, my point is not very far from yours. You'd agree that some concepts cannot be readily translated from French into English; even by one adept at both ... and, perhaps, some cannot be readily translated into human language at all? Nevertheless, your response and thoughts are greatly appreciated. dr.ef.tymac 16:17, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
  • "Existence precedes essence" is Sartrean, but it's an offshoot of Kierkegaard. "Essence," as in the "is-ness of the thing" or the irreducible expression of ideal form, cannot come before the actual, the existent. If it does, there is "human nature" and other things related to a universal soul/nature which Sartre rejects. Geogre 01:57, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Jews

Some orthodox Jews in Jerusalem and elswhere, where the big fury hats. Others were shorter regular hats with a rim all the way around and have those long hair loks. What is each group called. I am confused, is it Haredim, Hasidim, Chasedim, chasidic..ect.

In short, your question is fundamentally unanswerable -- variation among subgroups and regional communities (and even in individual preference) in Jews, AS IN ALL RELIGIOUS GROUPS OF ANY TYPE, is common enough that neither dress nor headgear will tell you "which group is which". In general, I'd suggest, "how can I tell what kind of person someone is based on how they look" is always a null-set question.
In long, however...
  • Charedim (or Haredim) are members of the most theologically conservative groups OF Orthodox Jews. Chasidim are a subset of Charedim -- all Chasidim are Charedim; not all Charedim are Chasidim. Hasidim and Chasidim (two spellings of ONE concept) are people who are Hasidic or Chasidic (two spellings of one concept).

It has been said that within the Hasidic world, one can distinguish different groups by subtle differences in appearance, though this is not necessarily the case. Many of the details of their dress are not peculiar to Hasidim, and are shared by many non-Hasidic chareidim. Much of their dress was historically the clothing of all Eastern-European Jews before and after the start of the Hasidic movement. However, it is mainly the Hasidim who have continued with these styles to this day, although many non-hasidic haredim do also don such clothing. Furthermore, hasidim have attributed mystical intents to these clothing styles.

as we see, we can't assume...but some dress styles are more typical of some groups for some occasions than others, and this goes for hat-wearing, too. Happily, there is a great section on headgear in the article on Hasidim which will prevent me from having to write seven pages about the difference here on the Reference Desk!
  • As with hats, the "long hair locks" you describe are worn by many Hasidim, and some others, and thus are not a useful way to determine who is who either. If it helps, our informative article on Peyot tells us that they result from a biblical commandment in Leviticus, which states "You shall not round off the corner of your head, and you shall not destroy the edge of your beard".
The long hair locks you describe would generally be worn by any Jews who take seriously the commandment to grow them, which would generally include both types of hat-wearers you describe. You may not have noticed it before -- maybe their locks were hidden under or obscured by their hats? Jfarber 20:10, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

Great answer...thank you. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 69.12.243.61 (talk • contribs).

Just one correction. There is a biblical prohibition for a Jew to completely remove the corners of one's head (so you won't find any Orthodox Jew with shave sides), growing them long is a custom unique to certain haredi sects. Jon513 15:03, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Looks like agreement, not correction. But perhaps clearer.  :) Jfarber 17:47, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Emergency Government

What Is Definition Of Politics Terminology " Emergency Government " ? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 213.42.21.83 (talk) 20:35, 7 April 2007 (UTC).

Do you mean forms of rule established during a State of emergency, or the kind of administration that may emerge after a Coup de etat? Clio the Muse 20:42, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Sounds like a test question. Geogre 01:55, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] United States Congressional committees

How are members of congress placed into these committees? Is it by voting or do the members just willingly go into whatever committee they choose? You never hear about this process, which is why I'm asking. Once all the people are in the committee, is it then that they, in the committee vote for a chairman or does the house/senate as a whole vote for each chairman? └Jared┘┌talk┐  23:45, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

In brief, it's by seniority. Members ask for certain assignments, and the leadership of the party caucus approves them. The chairman and ranking minority member are chosen by the party leadership. (Actually, it's a steering committee, which includes the leadership, that recommends the assignments, and the full caucus votes on those assignments, but in essence, it's usually the leadership making the decision.) There has been some movement toward democratizing this process in recent years. Notably, there are now term limits on committee chairships. -- Mwalcoff 01:01, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
So if I understand correctly, each party chooses who should be in which committee, usually by seniority? Is this mainly figured out before the House or Senate convenes for the first time in January? Do House or Senate rules dictate how many of each party should be in a certain committee, or is it left to the Democrats and Republicans to negotiate this? Thank you very much. └Jared┘┌talk┐  01:40, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
The answer to your first two questions are "yes," although you should be aware that seniority doesn't technically guarantee a plum committee assignment anymore. (If everyone hates you, they can still assign you to the District of Columbia Oversight Committee or something.) Regarding the committee party ratios, I don't know if there's anything in the rules that addresses this, but it's worked out between the two party leaderships at the beginning of the session. In practice, party ratios on committees tend to reflect the overall party ratio of the chamber, with the majority party always having at least a bare majority on all committees and subcommittees. So in the current Senate, for instance, you can expect that every committee or subcommittee will have one or two more Democrats than Republicans. See this document from the Government Printing Office website. -- Mwalcoff 02:45, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Also, the chairperson of each committee tends to be of the majority party in that chamber. StuRat 04:30, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
If by "tends to be" you mean "is always", then you are correct. Corvus cornix 05:19, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
I could imagine a case where it might not be, say if the minority party says "we'll stop our filibuster on bill X if you agree to give us the chairmanship of committee Y" and the majority party agrees. StuRat 05:54, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Has that ever been done? It seems like a highly unlikely way to give in on the part of the majority. └Jared┘┌talk┐  12:57, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
I'm not sure if it has ever been done, but keep in mind that some of the committees aren't nearly as important as others, so the majority party might not be giving up all that much. StuRat 05:21, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

As a political science major and an American lawyer, I found this question and answer illuminating. Most Americans pretend they know the rules to avoid embarassment. These rules and customs are not taught in secondary school which is a shame. Arlen Specter,R-PA, ran into trouble when he was supposed to become chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee based on seniority. His voting record is not as conservative as most Republicans. He developed quite a bit of expertise in federal judicial matters. Members of the Republican caucus wanted to strip him of his chairmanship. He appeared before his caucus in a tense standoff. He was allowed to become chairperson but the more conservative members thought they had chastened him. The basic Senate and House rules should be taught in high school in the states.75Janice 02:58, 9 April 2007 (UTC)75Janice 8 April 2007

[edit] April 8

[edit] Economics problem!

Ok, I'm stuck with an economics problem. It looks easy to me, but somehow my brain isn't functioning. Problem : In a market, for in increase in price from $1.50 to $2.00, the elasticity coefficient of demand is 0.97, which is almost unitary. The question is, "Should the government consider increasing the tax on fish at a price of $1.50 as a way to generate revenue?" From what I think, the government should because at this point the response not only is close to unitary meaning the revenue will stay the same, it also is a bit inelastic which means a bit of profit. So if the government does add the tax, they can generate a revenue. Am I right? --(Aytakin) | Talk 02:33, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

You might have better luck posting this under the Science Ref Desk. StuRat 04:27, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
This makes logical sense, so the science desk might say yes. The humanities desk might say no, because in many places fish is considered a staple food, and the government has a responsibility to ensure healthy food is affordable by everyone. In any case, it would be difficult to administrate a tax on fish, which are freely available from the sea where catches are difficult to monitor. Far easier to tax the manufacturing industries.--Shantavira 08:22, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

It's difficult to guess the type of answer being sought here, because some critical facts were left out, and that might have been intentional, to prompt students to fill them in and discuss. We might wish to consider, for example:

Normative economics:

Positive economics:

[edit] Can anyone identify this painting?

This is a photo I took back in November '06. It's a guy copying out a painting which looks like it's from around the Dutch Golden Age, but I can't identify either the original artist or the name of the painting. Can anyone help? —DO'Neil 03:15, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

It's The Cardsharps by Caravaggio. It belongs, of course, not to the Dutch Golden Age, but to Italian baroque, painted by an artist who really liked to live dangerously, in every conceivable sense of the term. Clio the Muse 04:41, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Dang, Clio's good! --Wetman 04:13, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
You, Wetman, are invited to my party! Clio the Muse 04:25, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
The pavement artist is pretty good too!--88.109.20.242 19:37, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Lincoln`s cabinet

i was watching the daily show with jonh stewart and he was interviewing jonh bolton (u.n. Ambassador) , during the interview stewart made a referance ton abraham lincoln`s cabinet and how it was democraticaly the oposite of goerge bush`s because lincoln placed his rivals in high position to make for a well balanced democratic party and boltn replied that he was historicaly wrong and that you cant have an efficient democratic party where there are members constantly opposing the president.

from what ive read in the wiki article on lincoln , jonh stewart seem to have been right and ive seen this comparison a 2 or 3 times with similar out comes ,i would like some insight on this matter clockwork fromage —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 216.113.99.58 (talk) 06:50, 8 April 2007 (UTC).

I can tell you this much: John Bolton is about as wrong on this issue as it is possible to get. Lincoln's Cabinet was conceivably one of the most devisive and back-stabbing collection of men ever assembled in the whole course of American political history! Almost every member thought he could do a better job than the President, and it is to Lincoln's credit that he somehow managed to get the barnyard hens all clucking to the same general tune. The beginnings were not at all auspicious, because the new government included all of Lincoln's main rivals for the Republican Party nomination for the 1860 election, including Salmon P. Chase, Simon Cameron, William H. Seward and Edward Bates, some old Whigs, others former Democrats, all divided by politics and ideology, all united in resentment of the President. Stanton, the Secretary of War, had openly refered to Lincoln as the 'original gorilla.' Writing to James Buchanan, the former president, after the Battle of Bull Run, he said, "The imbecility of this administration has culminated in that catastrophe, and irretrievable misfortune and national disgrace are to be added to the ruin of all peaceful pursuits and national bankruptcy as a result of Lincoln's running the machine for five months." It was only later in the war that he turned into one of the President's strongest supporters. Salmon P Chase, the Secretary of the Treasury, to take one other example, was said to be so unlike the President as it was possible to get, and even William H Seward entered office highly sceptical about Lincoln's abilities, and convinced he was far better suited to the position. "No President", one contemporary wrote, "ever had a cabinet of which the members were so independent, had so large individual followings, and were so inharmonious." If some of them resented Lincoln, they resented and hated each other even more! At the close of 1861 Bates noted in his diary that the administration was not a cabinet but a collection of seven independent officers "each one ignorant of what his colleagues are doing." I suppose you might liken Lincoln a little to Caesar in the forum, surrounded by 'friends', all with daggers in their togas. But, as I have already said, he got the job done, by a mixture of common sense, decency and quite authority, the very qualities that make him one of America's greatest Presidents. Clio the Muse 08:19, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Is there a topic that Bolton
is not a terrible dolt on?
 --LambiamTalk 13:17, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Yes: moustaches.
Clio is right. Lincoln's cabinet was filled not only with past rivals but future rivals, too. Further, his commanding general was a future candidate for his job. Every single "Washington insider" regarded him as a political lightweight and a rube to be easily replaced, and they were ravening. Some were more for peace, some for more total war, and most were for personal enrichment, but they had Lincoln in their political sights during the entire first term. When he won re-nomination and re-election, they grew, if anything, more surly. Bolton is a bit of facial hair with a crypto-Birchite attached to it. Utgard Loki 12:13, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
I am a little late to this, but if you have the time or inclination to pursue Clio's excellent answer from above, you might try Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin - it is probably the most comprehensive treatment of the subject matter in question. Carom 01:00, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] veterans of the punitive expedition against Pancho Villa (1916-7) and the Russian expedition (begun during WWI, and lasting for over one year)

When did the last veteran of the Mexican Expedition die? I believe there was at least one as of last year.

When did the last veteran of the Russian Expedition die? I know that most of them were sent over late in World War I, but at least some reinforcements/replacements were sent over in the spring of 1919, and possibly later.

Thank you. Fred —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Fmlondon (talk • contribs) 08:37, 8 April 2007 (UTC).

Fred, I thought I should let you know that your request has not been ignored. Unfortunately, I can find no specific information on this subject. You might be best contacting the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs directly. You will find their website here [10]. The best of luck. Clio the Muse 20:09, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
If care to read the article Polar Bear Expedition, you will find that the last one died quite recently. However there seems to be another expedition at the same time. Flamarande 20:18, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Yeah, American Expeditionary Force Siberia went to Vladivostok. There were other Allied expeditions into various parts of Russia, but only those two major ones for American troops IIRC. Shimgray | talk | 20:24, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
  • The last surviving Mexican soldier who fought Pancho Villa’s rebels was believed to be Teodoro Garcia, who died at age 110 on 25 April 1999 [11].
  • Also, for those who are interested - Villa had at least 9 and perhaps as many as 24 wives. According to our article, Villa's legal widow, Luz Corral, died in 1981. But one of the others, Soledad Seanez Holguin, is also reported as being his legally accepted widow - she survived for 73 years after his death, until 12 July 1996! [12]. JackofOz 00:57, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Well, now, if we are talking about Pancho Villa trivia I saw a bullet hole, yes, a bullet hole, made by him, and now carefully preserved in the ceiling of the Bar La Opera in Mexico City. It's worth eating there if for no other reason than to see people troop in and out just to see that hole! Clio the Muse 01:14, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Some people call her Maurice

Is there any history of the name Maurice being given to a girl? Are there any famous female Maurices? Anchoress 08:42, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

fr:Maurice (prénom) says "Maurice est un prénom masculin, mais il peut aussi être féminin." Skarioffszky 11:35, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
In English, "Maurice" for a girl is as self-conscious as "Sam" (ostensibly for Samantha). --Wetman 12:56, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

There seem to have been female people named "Mauritia", which would be the Latin feminine form of the name: Mauritia "Moritz" Mayer (1833 - 1897) - Find A Grave -- AnonMoos 14:31, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

Really cool web site if you're interested in this sort of stuff. nameplayground.com. I did an econometrics paper on a similar topic once. The site uses data from the United States Social Security Administration on naming trends (which became a really hot topic after Freakanomics). Anyways, the data on this site is fun (though limited, because it only has data on top-1000 names in the years that they were top-1000 names, leading to some seriously damaged statistics on names that have fallen off the list). Here's the entry on Maurice: http://www.nameplayground.com/Maurice. Indeed, from 1913-1931, Maurice was one of the 1,000 most popular names for girls! --JayHenry 15:09, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Wow thanks everyone for all the great replies! Anchoress 23:21, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Dragon Ball (Z and GT too)

What was censored in the manga and in te anime Dragon Ball? --Vess 18:13, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] US vs. Iran in 1980s/naval conflicts

Is it true the USN sank most of Irans navy in the late 80s? If so I didnt here about it at the time. What happened? Did the USS Nimitz take part? Please advise, thanks —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 76.187.36.112 (talk) 18:21, 8 April 2007 (UTC).

The information you are looking for is in Operation Praying Mantis. The Americans damaged the Iranian frigate, Sahard, and sank six speedboats. Clio the Muse 19:58, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Also see Operation Prime Chance in which a SEAL team destroyed an Iranian mine laying ship. GreatManTheory 20:26, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Furthermore, prior to the Gulf War (when the US was allied with Iraq), US and British naval forces had methods for "tricking" Iranian naval ships into attacking heavily armed vessels, resulting in damage or sinking of the Iranians. Utgard Loki 12:16, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Liberty, Equality, Fraternity

It has been shown that France's slogan is also the official slogan of the Grand Orient. They have been caught on video admitting their political heists. [13]

In fact, according to Father Le Tourneau, the motto is called the Republican Trinity and is based on the christian Trinity : Father, Son and Holy Spirit. [14]

In 1791, the motto was adopted by the Cordeliers [15], ie Danton, Desmoulins, Marat, Fréron, Chaumette, Hébert, Legendre and Robert.

Many these men were rumored to be masons. In fact, there was a famous and controversial book called Mémoires pour servir à l'histoire du jaboninisme that made similar claims.

In 1998, it was revealed that the freemasons had been infiltrated by French trotskists. [16]. They began fighting over benefits, rituals and personal benefits. [17]

What will happen to the famous motto if the freemasons begin to decline ? Inside sources claim that they have lost influence inside the EU and were absent from the 2005 referendum [18].

In 2006, Eric de Montgolfier published an major book called Le devoir de déplaire [19] in which describes financial and political scandals caused by the masons. Indeed, several top cabinet ministers are members of the group. [20].

By these accounts, what can we tell about the future of Europe and France in particular ? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 69.157.232.52 (talk) 18:44, 8 April 2007 (UTC).

Not much.  --LambiamTalk 19:27, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
You are far too generous, Lambiam. The real answer is that is that it tells us nothing at all, which is fairly usual with conspiracy theories of all kinds. Clio the Muse 19:49, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
I'm a mathematician, Clio, and to a mathematician, nothing is not much. Both answers are perfectly true, although one is more specific than the other.  --LambiamTalk 20:06, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] ‘Utilitarianism can only ever lead to the treatment of individuals as means rather than ends in themselves.’ Discuss

Hello,

i think someone else has already asked this question but i cant find the link to it, so would it be possible for you to post any comments you have again please. I really dont know where to begin with this essay!

Many thanks xx

The reference desk won't give you answers for your homework assignments, although we will try to help you out if there's a specific part of your homework you don't understand. You might start by reading Utilitarianism, including the section entitled "Criticism and defense".  --LambiamTalk 21:07, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Here's the previous discussion on the topic: Wikipedia:Reference_desk/Archives/Humanities/2007_April_3#Utilitarianism. I think that's what you were asking for. --JayHenry 21:57, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
And if you had done "search first" as indicated under How to ask a question, you would have also found this:
   User_talk:Clio_the_Muse#Utilitarianism

if you had submitted this:

   site:wikipedia.org utilitarianism refdesk

to this:

   http://www.google.com/

obviating the need for others to do this. dr.ef.tymac 22:03, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

Follow-up: ... and if this is for the jurisprudence course, you will do well to heed Clio's extremely astute advice (especially re: Rawls), or depending on the constraints of your library, and your calendar, and your willingness, just download any of several freely-available essays (such as this one by Adler and Posner) and familiarize yourself with the basic arguments and referenced sources. dr.ef.tymac 23:01, 8 April 2007 (UTC) With apologies to User:Vranak for perpetuating mediocrity by implying "U"tilitarianism necessarily coincides with "Cost-Benefit Analysis". :P..dr.ef.tymac 23:15, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

(after EC) ::It sounds like the question being asked HERE is not the homework question, but the question "how can I start/write an essay on this topic?" Given that, after you follow Lambiam's suggestion, I would look carefully at the question itself. This type of question is in the logical form "all x are y", which, to me, suggests several possibilities for inclusion in an essay, including

  • Don't forget that any essay on such a subject is designed (at least in part) to test to see if you understand what Utilitarianism IS, and how it works, with great specificity. As a teacher, any essay I get on this sort of subject had better include some substantial discussion/definition of what Utilitarianism is, preferrably with citations and quotes, so that we can then explore those parts of the definitions which would lead to / affect treatment of individuals as means OR ends.
  • Do you think Utilitarianism USUALLY leads to the treatment of individuals as means? If so, that's worth saying, and showing why that is generally so.
  • Do you think there are cases -- even just one, even a theoretical case, where Utilitarianism might not always lead to the treatment of individuals as means, rather than ends? If so, then you'd want to describe/present that case, and show how it made the "always" clause of the original question too strong. If not, then you might take a case where others might THINK people are being used as ends, and show how, even then, people were being used as means.
Hint: the above makes a good loose organization for a paper on this subject. It's just missing two things:
  • an intro (maybe an anecdote about Utilitarianism in which it DID cause pepople to be treated as means, so we can show that it is at least sometimes rue, and anticipate the question "is this always true"?), and
  • the usual conclusion (restate the question and answer, and point to where in the definition there either is or is not room for the "not always true" you've concluded.)

Jfarber 22:05, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

Wow -- looks like between Clio's archive and my outline, you're golden! Hoorah for the ref desk! Jfarber 22:07, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Is there any way I can find out who purchased Piero Manzoni's shitcans in 1961?

I know a lot of them ended up in the Tate gallery, but did they purchase them when he first made them? I really am just looking for a general idea of what the clientele for Artist's Shit was like, with maybe some specific names or organizations. Thanks! Toko loko 23:13, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

Have you visited the Tate Online website, provided as an External link on the Tate page? The site has its own internal Search feature, plus an internal link to the Tate's Press Office, to which you can send a particular query if the info you seek doesn't emerge from your search nor already among the site's FAQ. -- Deborahjay 23:40, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Not the answer you're looking for but an addendum that many of the cans have exploded due to the expanding gases in the cans. So there are a lot fewer left than were produced. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 194.193.170.84 (talk) 15:07, 9 April 2007 (UTC).

Thanks for the advice, Deborahjay. They were very helpful in getting me what I needed! I also love the idea of cans of shit exploding in the Tate gallery. Art is awesome. Toko loko 00:44, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] US Military Code of Conduct in dealing with enemy POWs

What is the US Military's position stated in some code of conduct when attempting to interrogate an enemy POW? How does the United States' definition deviate from that of the Geneva Code? -- Johnnyboy221

Do you want the official one (widely proclaimed and legal) or the unofficial one (what really happens behind closed dooors and always denied)? Flamarande 00:17, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

- Both if possible, but more the official one. - johnnyboy221

One detail you seem to be missing is that the prisoners in GITMO have not been granted POW status, but are instead referred to as "illegal combatants". Thus, the Bush administration argues, they are not entitled to protections under the Geneva Convention. In practice, however, the prisoners are still granted most of those provisions. StuRat 05:02, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] April 9

[edit] Giotto Painting

There is a painting of ... well somthing and he painteda fly on it and i can not find it anywere i was wondering if there was a link for that picture or beter yet put it on the Giotto page and to my user page here it is user:WrestlingManiac also it will be in my sig. i need it by tonorow by 6:30am (to just show my history teacher. If this pulls off THANK YOU SO MUCH > [[Wrestling Maniac]] 00:47, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

I'm not sure, but I think you're referring to the anecdote as reported by Giorgio Vasari, one of Giotto's most famous biographers.
"It is said that when Giotto was only a boy with Cimabue, he once painted a fly on the nose of a face that Cimabue had drawn, so naturally that the master returning to his work tried more than once to drive it away with his hand, thinking it was real. And I might tell you of many other jests played by Giotto, but of this enough." (from fordham.edu)
This was probably merely Renaissance's rehashing of the legend of Zeuxis and Parrhasius. The described work of art most likely never existed. The fly was a popular trompe-l'oeil motif in 16th century painting, when Vasari wrote his text. ---Sluzzelin talk 01:05, 10 April 2007 (UTC)
The fly-painting anecdote I remember from school was about the Spanish painter Bartolomé Esteban Murillo. Our article has nothing on this, however. JackofOz 01:09, 10 April 2007 (UTC)
So far i've found flies in the foreground of a portrait of Giovanni Agostino and Nicolo della Torre by Lorenzo Lotto in 1515, and on the frilled cuff of John Keteltas' sleeve in a 1767 portrait by John Mare. Nothing by the two artists already mentioned tho.—eric 01:28, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Is poetry dead

Once, poetry was a central form of artistic expression. It has long since been overtaken by the novel (which maybe has even been overtaken by the movie). Are there any (young) poets of any significance - say, who will be read a century from now - writing today? The only at all prominent poets I can think of are people like Seamus Heaney and Derek Walcott - in other words, very old people. So is poetry dead? What do people think? zafiroblue05 | Talk 00:23, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

Waters on a starry night

Are beautiful and fair;

The sunshine is a glorious birth;

But yet I know, wher'er I go,

There hath pass'd away a glory from the earth

Poetry is one glory that will never pass from the earth. Who the great contemporary poets are only time stands as the real arbiter, but there are many, young, youngish and old versifiers here in England, just as I am sure there are in many other places. I could mention Andrew Motion, the current poet laureate, Gary Bills, Sean Bonney, Simon Armitage, Billy Childish, Wendy Cope, Anne Brooke, Chris Emery, Gillian Allnutt and so on and so forth; and, oh yes, I almost forgot to mention Attila the Stockbroker. I myself belong to a poetry society at my university, and we have had guest poets from various parts of the world, including a very nice lady from Lithuania, who came last year, but whose name now escapes me! Yes, poetry lives; it will always live. Clio the Muse 01:05, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

Slam poetry lives and has been called "the death of art" - I'd disagree, but admit that most of it wont be read a century from now. ---Sluzzelin talk 01:31, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
That's true of most poetry. Most of Byron, Shelley, Wordsworth, Akhmatova, Goethe et al is not read much these days - it's the individual poems that stand out that remain deathless. That's also true of most forms of literature. JackofOz 01:44, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
If history has taught us anything, it's that those who are accused of killing art are often responsible for revolutionizing it.Toko loko 05:04, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

The great poets of all time, will be read hundreds of years from now, and some mediocre ones. Poetry is like art, and the really notable ones aren't recognised immediately. I like these words Everything is Illuminated. I've got more, but I can't print them at this time ;) DDB 02:30, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

Inspiration begets inspiration? The title of the film mentioned in that link is based on a novel of the same name, which took its title from another novel: "In the sunset of dissolution, everything is illuminated by the aura of nostalgia, even the guillotine" − Milan Kundera, The Unbearable Lightness of Being − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 08:10, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
As with the Internet and information, I fear the fact that anyone can "publish" helps obscure the good stuff. Also true: as with much other branches of literature, the last half-century's move towards broadening the canon to be more inclusive of multicultural and ethnic poets has produced such great young folks as Martin Espada and Rita Dove, but has also widened the field overall (which makes the top of the field less obvious, and the field more competitive for attention), and brought poets with more community-specific (rather than universal) goals in mind for their poetic works. But that doesn't mean there's less good stuff that speaks to the soul of any human -- just that it might take longer to be uncovered, as DBB points out. Meanwhile, to provide a counterpart to Clio's great list, back in the USA, Billy Collins is noted for being the first poet in a very long time who can make a living off the stuff, Donald Hall and Robert Pinsky and Mary Oliver still thrive, Garrison Keillor reads a poem every day on NPR, usually by a living author, and the next generations show up in the Best American Poetry collections every year. Bias note: as my list shows, I seem to identify most clearly with middle-aged white guys myself... Jfarber 03:01, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Poems aren't really dead, if you think of song lyrics as poems. It's just moved to a different medium. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 05:37, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
But what about the courage / of the cancer cell, and what about Tony Hoagland and his "Brave New World"? − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 08:14, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Small companies and Credit Ratings?

Say I start a small company, (incorporated in Canada), is it possible to get a credit rating for that? I know of Transunion which provide credit ratings for individuals, but what about corporations? --Shines8 01:50, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] statute of limitation in NSW, Australia

I want to know informaton about statute of limitation in NSW, Australia relating to fraudulent crime. Jych 11:22, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

I know unfair dismissal must be reported in ten days, or it is timed out. But I don't know about fraud. You could ask Gary HughesDDB 13:36, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

Where someone is a victim of crime in Aust., I believe they can apply to the supreme court to prosecute if the time limit is up.Polypipe Wrangler 22:37, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Asana

There are a infinite number of Yoga Asanas, so then how are stretches differiantiated between stretches and asanas? A response on my talk page would be greatly appreicated, or to let me know there's a response would still be appreciated, thanks!100110100 11:33, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] the middle ages - LAST-NAMES

Hey, i have found a great interest in last-names in the medieval times... in at least central-europe..

Did people get their names from where they came from, or did they get normal last names liek today ?

You have famous names like "Balian D'Ibelin" (Balian of Ibelin) and "Balduin D'Ibelin" (Balduin of Ibelin).

Was Ibelin a city, or the name of the land, or a castle that those lords owned ?

Was it only LORDS and BARONS that got such names ? noblemen/women that had a land of their own ? what about the peasants and lower people ? did they have last names that are more like today, names that isnt the name of the place they came from.. ?

you have other last names that could be such as :

- DE COURTENAY Godfrey OF IBELIN Reynald DE CHATTILION Odo DE SAINT AMAND Maria OF ANTIOCH Guy DE LUSIGNAN


those are a few examples of last names... and I wonder what made them get last names like this, that were in fact names of cities etc. ? or was it? forexample, Ibelin was a town, was it not, or a citadel perhaps ?

was it their nobleranks that decided if they got such names ? if you were a BARON that owned a land/territory called IBELIN, would you only then be called "OF IBELIN" as last name ? Or did EVERYONE from Ibelin get these names ? even peasants ? everyone just had their own first-names but the same lastnames if they came from the same place, like "OF IBELIN"? Sons and daughters and wives, would they take on such name if their father had it ?

'De' as in front of the last names (forexample : Balian DE Ibelin) means the same as 'Of', right ? (Balian OF Ibelin). 'De' is French ?

Was it only the French (Franks) that used those kind of names I describe, saying "of/De" and then the place/city they came from or owned ?

if they didn't have last-names like "of" and then the name of the place, what names would they have then ? names that remind more of todays modern names like Johnson, Williams,

I find this very interesting, but a bit confusing, and hard to get a real understanding of...

I hope you can help me, i would appreciate it big-time :)

88.90.148.250 11:39, 9 April 2007 (UTC)Krikkert7

  • Your question can't be answered, because you have not specified a place. Various places handled surnames variously. In England, most surnames are descriptors. Now, they described whichever was the most identifying characteristic. If you were "the John from Chilton," because there were a lot of people named John who were smiths or franklins or carpenters, then you'd be John of Chilton. That might simplify to John Chilton. If you were Samuel the Guard, you might become Samuel Gar or Samuel Pike (dep. on a lot of things). If you had a particular by-name that was identifying, that might be passed on. In other nations, patronymics were a rule (notably the Northern nations, where the -sen/-son names rule). In some parts of contemporary Germany, there were purchased names. In some places, they mixed professional names, geographical names, and patronymns. In other words, "it depends" is the best answer. Utgard Loki 12:23, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
The Wikipedia article surname offers some rather generalized help. --Wetman 15:17, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

This is a fascinating and fairly complex issue, Krikkert. By and large I think Utgard Loki has provided a fairly comprehensive answer to your question-and flagged up some of the difficulties involved, but I have one or two supplementary comments. My remarks, moreover, focus solely on the practice in the Anglo-Norman world, which, I think, is that in which you are specifically interested. In the examples you have given the 'de' does indeed denote noble origin, and is the Norman-French equivalent of the German 'von.' Every nobleman or knight in Medieval England and France would carry this as part of their name, and it most often refers to a castle or the demesne that they either owned, or where they were born. Take the single example of John de Balliol, the founder of Balliol College, Oxford, and the father of the Scottish king John Balliol, whose family originated from Baillel-en-Vimeu in Flanders. Over time these place name origins simply became family names. Peasant names, on the other hand, were determined on a quite different basis. To begin with they would simply be known by their Christian names alone. To distinguish a particular 'John' or 'Jane', especially in legal documents, variations would be introduced, like John son of Robert, which in time would become Robertson or Robinson. Or they may have been called after a specific geographical feature close to where they lived, like John Hill or Jane Forest. They might also simply be known by their occupation, like John the Weaver or Jane the Spinner, or even simply by nicknames based on their appearance, like John Small or Jane Long. In the Gaelic world John, or Iain, to be more exact, would simply be known by the name of his father, becoming Iain McDonald or MacDonald, meaning Iain son of Donald. So, in conclusion, the naming of ordinary people breaks down into four basic elements: patronyms, place names, occupational names or descriptive names. Clio the Muse 17:14, 9 April 2007 (UTC)


Thank yo ufor your helpful answers ! :D

Particularily you Clio the Muse answered my answers perfectly. Your answers couldnt be better i think :) but thanks to all :)

In answer to your specific Ibelin question, if you go to that article, you'll see that Ibelin was a castle, and its lords took their surname from it. Corvus cornix 18:29, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] scottish poet 20th century

hi all, I can't remember the name of a poet i studied years ago (and can't remember any of the titles of his poems or quotes - my memory is doing really well so far!) but i do remember that one of his poems compared sparrows sitting on a gutter, chriping to each other to 'common' working class people chatting amongst themselves. I'm fairly sure he was from one of the scottish islands orkney, lewis etc. if any one can point me in the right direction this sparrow would be very happy - abe- 195.188.254.82 12:14, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

Hi, Abe. I thought I was reasonably familiar with quite a bit of twentieth century Scottish poetry, but I cannot recall any of the themes you have outlined here. Two obvious 'island' candidates do spring to mind, though: Sorley Maclean, who was born in Raasay to the east of Skye, and Edwin Muir, originally from Orkney, but who grew up in Glasgow. Of the two I would go for Muir, a deduction based purely on his background and experience. Terribly vague, I know, and I do hope you are able to get a more precise answer. Best wishes. Clio the Muse 14:42, 9 April 2007 (U
Try Edwin Morgan as well. —The preceding

unsigned comment was added by 194.193.170.84 (talk) 15:02, 9 April 2007 (UTC).

Thanks guys have checked out the links - abe - 195.188.254.82 15:13, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

Was it, perchance, George Mackay Brown? JackofOz 21:43, 9 April 2007 (UTC) (Postscriptum: Nope. It seem to have been Edwin Muir). JackofOz 00:39, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Christianity and denominations

Hi, I'm Christian and I've been trying to find a denomination which is consistent with what I believe. I believe that faith alone is enough to save you, and I do not believe that works have anything to do with it, so I know a protestant group is where I want to be. I've been attending church for almost a year with my gf and I do very much like it there. But after recently talking with the pastor there I don't know if I can really be affiliated with them. This is mostly due to what I see as a disregard for modern science and because he explained to me that this is the well detailed beliefs of the Baptist church I can't see myself ever calling myself Baptist. I also do not believe the bible to be inerrant because there is much proof that it is very often allegorical and metaphorical. So any ideas on what would be more suited for me? Chris M. 14:39, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

Noone can truly help you. You have to find your own truth, and follow your own beliefs. Asking someone else opinon only gets you his views about the best religion for you. There are a lot of moderate protestant groups out there who accept evolution and most things of moden science and scholarship. You have to find the one which you fell is the best for you. Good luck in your quest and be careful about "false prophets who only want to rip you off" (there are plenty of those in the US as far as I know). Flamarande 15:10, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
I'm not as much asking for peoples opinion as I'm asking for ideas on what churches in general follow the thought pattern that I have outlined above. Chris M. 15:33, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

There are many Protestant sects, particularly among the fundamentalists, that take a stand purely on the importance of faith as a route to salvation, though I think you may find some difficulty in in finding one which will walk comfortably with Darwinian concepts of evolution, or accept your contention that the Bible is in error in any point of fact or doctrine. Your belief in the allegorical or metaphorical significance of parts of the Bible is, in fact, far closer to Catholic teaching. And as far as Justification by faith is concerned, might I suggest that you read Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner by the nineteenth century Scottish novelist and poet James Hogg. Justification by faith was, in essence, a response to the abuse of Indulgences prior to the Reformation, and I do not believe was ever meant to stand completely alone, even by Martin Luther. Could faith, you might very well ask yourself, save an individual from the consequences of their earthly actions, no matter how bad? Are you familiar with the Medieval heresy of the free spirit? Anyway, it seems to me that you may very well find a home in mainstream Presbyterianism, far more liberal in point of doctrine than it used to be. Clio the Muse 15:20, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

I understand where justification by faith came from, and while I believe it in theory I would not suggest simply having faith if your goal is to get to heaven. The basic determination to retain traditions of the catholic church while stating that not following those will effectively bring damnation is what turns me off from them mostly. There are many reasons for my disagreements with the catholic church, contraception is a big issue as well, but is in itself not significant to turn someone away from a church, in my opinion. I personally believe that indulgences are wrong in all circumstances, although their abuses prior to the reformation were particularly horrendous. I am not familiar with the medieval heresy of the free spirit though so if you'd like to explain that I'd appreciate it. I was thinking about presybyterianism earlier, so that may be a good idea. Chris M. 15:33, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Thanks for that qualification, Chris. Your position is obviously more subtle than I originally assumed. But there are indeed Protestant denominations that believe-or have believed-that faith alone is sufficient grounds for salvation. Read the novel I have linked, which deals with the terrible errors that could, in theory, emerge-to a level of fictional absurdity-if someone believed simply in the sufficiency of faith. It's gothic horror rather than theology, but it was written by a man who was closely acquainted with Calvinism, particularly in its unbending Scottish guise! Besides, it's great fun! The heresy of the free spirit is essentially a variation on this theme. You will find all of the grim details in Norman Cohen's The Pursuit of the Millenium: Revolutionary Millenarians and Mystical Anarchists in the Middle Ages. That, too, is a very good read. Clio the Muse 16:13, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Based on what you've said, you would probably want to avoid any of the denominations that subscribe to the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy. This would include most, if not all, evangelical churches. You may be more comfortable with churches that subscribe to Liberal Christianity. Despite its name, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America tends not to be evangelical in the common American sense of that word, though this may depend somewhat on the congregation. Some of the more liberal Congregationalist congregations might suit you, as might some Presbyterian congregations. This is not an exhaustive list of denominations where you might be comfortable. Probably the best approach would be to speak with pastors of mainline Protestant churches in your area to determine whether you find their beliefs agreeable. Marco polo 15:22, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
I personally find problems with a lot of the evangelizing I see supported by those churches in that statement, so I'm not surprised there are other things we disagree on. Thanks for your help. Chris M. 15:33, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

Hi Chris M., I am assuming you are U.S. American. Marco polo and Clio the Muse raise some historically and socially relevant considerations, but I know for a fact there are also specific sects within U.S. mainstream christianity that forward doctrinal views consistent with what you have described, whose doctrinal lineage does not (exclusively) trace back to Martin Luther nor the 95 Theses. Instead, these are distinctly American responses to distinctly American attributes of contemporary evengelicalism.

The problem is this. It is difficult to imagine a congregation of any significant numbers of any mainstream religion that maintains 100% uniformity with a formally-stated creed. Even when the adoption of a creed is a prerequisite to participation, close examination reveals differences and refinements in either interpretation or applicability to all adherents.

In short, part of your journey may consist of accepting the wheat with the tares, which grow side by side, and holding fast to what you believe wherever you may find yourself. Best regards. dr.ef.tymac 15:47, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

I just thought I'd point out that there are many moderate congregations within the baptist denomination, its not monolithic at all. Churches associated with the Cooperative_Baptist_Fellowship are usually more moderate than those associated with the Southern_Baptist_Convention. -- Diletante 15:49, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Southern Baptist is the one I'm familiar with, but thanks for pointing that out. Chris M. 17:27, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

This may be a link that would interest you Religion Quiz-Czmtzc 16:03, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

Thanks also. Chris M. 17:27, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
I suppose being nondenominational would fit you, although there's really no defining factor for being one. bibliomaniac15 02:52, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Police brutality

What do you think about police brutality

The Wikipedia Reference Desk does not provide answers to questions seeking an opinion, particularly very general questions such as this one. Reference Desk editors' opinions on these questions are no more valuable than those of the general public. Reference Desk editors are, however, happy to answer questions of fact. Marco polo 15:01, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Marco is absolutely right: this desk is intended to deal with specific issues and to focus on matters of fact, not to air vague opinions on this, that or the other. I will say, though, that brutality is bad, in whatever form it comes. Clio the Muse 15:38, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
See our article Police brutality.  --LambiamTalk 15:48, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Welcome to Wikipedia. You can easily look up this topic yourself. Please see Police brutality. For future questions, try using the search box at the top left of the screen. It's much quicker, and you will probably find a clearer answer. If you still don't understand, add a further question below by clicking the "edit" button to the right of your question title.
. dr.ef.tymac

Since this question calls for opinion, I've responded here: [21]. StuRat 19:09, 9 April 2007 (UTC) I also responded. [Mαc Δαvιs] (How's my driving?) ❖ 02:41, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] civilians in war

What are the limitations on the principle of non-combatant immuntiy in war? Are there any circumstances in which it is justified to attack civilians, or is this an absolute principle and the killing of all non-combatant/civilians is outlawed? thank you xx —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 86.1.13.36 (talk) 15:22, 9 April 2007 (UTC).

The Geneva Conventions, specifically the Fourth Geneva Convention, prohibit in all circumstances and at all time violence to life and person of persons taking no active part in the hostilities. An intentional attack on civilians is, according to international law, a war crime. Taken literally, there are no limitations on the principle. The protection offered is not strong if the parties waging war consider collateral damage a regrettable but unavoidable consequence of the methods used. Also, if civilians can be arbitrarily designated illegal combatants, this voids any effective protection. Note how the casualties of the use of force by an occupying power always turn out to be "insurgents", and never innocent civilians who happened to be at the wrong spot at the wrong time.  --LambiamTalk 16:18, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
On the other hand notice that all these laws and agreements are (unofficially) disregarded if the war really becomes a Total War. Civilians (and their homes) who work in a factory who produces military equipment are many times considered a valid military target. The same can be done with people who work in the oil business (petrol/gas has a vital military importance for the military transports, airplane, tanks, etc). If you accept oil then food is also valid (no army fights on an empty stomach). ETC (it goes on and on). In the end all of us are targets in a true war. It is better to think really hard before we begin a war. Flamarande 17:01, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
This question has generated some soap boxy answers. That said, we may examine the behavior of the victors in World War 2 who formed the United Nations after the war and prosecuted leaders of the losing side for war crimes, but no one (that I have heard of ) from the victorious allies. In the first months of WW2, transportation centers such as airports, port facilities, bridges and rail lines were subject to attack because they aid the war effort, even though they are likely to have civilians present, whose injury or death is unavoidable collateral damage. Ditto for civilian homes near a military installation or armaments plane. Toward the end of the war the fire bombing of Tokyo and Dresden were intended to kill as many civilians as possible. The nuking of 2 cities in Japan was likewise intended to kill so many civilians that the leadership would surrender (although there were certainly military installations and war industries in the two cities). This must have been in accord with the Geneva Conventions, because no allied leaders were indicted. If no action could be taken in a war which would result in harm to civilians, warring parties would merely surround their troops with hostages and the other side would have to yield to them like in a sappy western. Edison 03:15, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] How to start an article?

Hello, I am very limited to my knowledge of the internet and today was the first day I viewed Wikipedia...I have heard of you all but today was the first day to actually view it...great idea! I would like to list 70x7 Evangelistic Ministry on your site...how can I do that...thanks!

... —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Pastorgregg (talk • contribs) 19:13, 9 April 2007 (UTC).

Hi, Pastorgregg. I left a welcome message for you on your user page. When you have an opportunity, please feel free to review the links and familiarize yourself with the basics. There is a lot of information, but you can always ask for help by typing "helpme" on your user page. Hope that helps, Regards. (Note: generally it is not a good idea to post e-mail address here.) dr.ef.tymac 19:31, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Follow-up: Since this specific page is for research questions in Humanities, please consider using Wikipedia:Help_desk for your proposed contribution. I will also be glad to help you personally if you'd like help getting oriented. Just click on the name and press "leave a new message." dr.ef.tymac 19:41, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

To whom it may concern, my name is Terelle Gunter and my Facebook page was deleted as of today. I did nothing wrong! Chemone Callaway is the person who changed my profile picture. She has my password and I don't know how to change it. Can you please reactivate my page so I can continue to use and enjoy Facebook? Thank you!!!!!

Hi Terelle, unfortunately this not the Facebook section of your computer. You may want to try: click here instead. Hope that helps. dr.ef.tymac 02:05, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] State Court Decision

I am taking business law, I do not understand what a state court decision is. From my reading I think that it is a law passed within an individual state but I am just not sure. Any help?

66.188.39.50 01:35, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

Sounds pretty much right. Case law has a few things to say but the article doesn't look like the absolute cream of the crop. (See also, Statutory law, and Jurisdiction#State_level). Best regards in your studies. dr.ef.tymac 02:01, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Don Juan, Byron

In Byron's version of Don Juan, at the end was Don Juan sold into sexual slavery to the wife of the sultan by the pirate girl? [Mαc Δαvιs] (How's my driving?) ❖ 02:37, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

The last canto (XVII) appears to be incomplete, according to this site: [22]. bibliomaniac15 02:54, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] yes

I was just watching the movie Jesus Camp, and noticed something a bit strange. Many of the children (and some of the adults) have extremely dilated pupils, like they were on MDMA or something like that. One of my friends recently became a born again christian, and I noticed the same thing happening to him... huge dilated pupils. When people feel this way, I'm thinking it must be the body releasing endorphins that make them feel that way, which allows them to feel like jesus is inside of them, and that leads to the dilated pupils. Has anyone else noticed this, or have any thoughts on it? 128.61.52.213 03:12, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

I think you asked this before, and don't spam your question across desks. Splintercellguy 03:14, 10 April 2007 (UTC)
That makes 3 different desks on which exactly the same question has been asked. JackofOz 03:15, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Science

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[edit] April 5

[edit] Lifespan of cats

this is my first reference desk question but what is the average lifespan of a cat? yuckfoo 03:01, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

I don't know precisely, but cats kept indoors as pets can live somewhere around 15 years, while outdoor pet cats and wild/feral cats don't live nearly as long. StuRat 03:15, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
The average lifespan of a cat is nine times the median age of cats when they die. 202.168.50.40 03:03, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Maximum life span says the record is 34. Clarityfiend 03:21, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
can we add this to the cat article once we are sure about it yuckfoo 03:19, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
For domestic cats, estimates range from 10-18 years [23], 10-12 years [24] and 9-15 [25] though factors such as whether a cat is permitted to go outside will influence their average lifespan. [26] Rockpocket 06:52, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] The Impact of the Immune System on the Nervous System

Hey. I've been exploring a bunch of topics on the development of cephalization in humans, and I recently came across "neuroimmunology." I have seen a few studies on how the nervous system can impact the immune system but none for the reverse. I wouldn't readily assume that the immune system would have such an effect (unless it was detrimental as in autoimmune disease), but is there any literature on the subject? Thanks. Robinson0120 05:09, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

I'm not sure how you define "impact", but there is certainly evidence that key molecular players in the immune system can have a role in neuronal signaling. Major histocompatibility complex molecules have been implicated in synaptic development and plasticity. (PMID 16698261) In addition MHC-binding peptides have been shown to activate neurons of the vomeronasal organ and thus act as putative pheromones. (PMID 15528444) Rockpocket 06:42, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Sorry, I was vague. I was looking more along the lines of behavioral modification, but pheromones and plasticity look like great starting points. Thanks for the input! Robinson0120 07:02, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Instructables web site

I know that the Wikipedia is an encyclopedia and frowns on articles that include a "how to" section (except maybe a list of useful formulas, etc.) so I went looking for sites that could help me figure out stuff like how far apart I can spread the fork on a bike to fit a new axle and came across a site that is just what the Wikipedia is not and does not want to be. Its the Instructables web site. So my question is how come the Wikipedia does not have an article on this very extremely useful site? Nebraska bob 05:26, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Because you haven't created one yet ? Seriously, go ahead and add it, it sounds like a good addition to Wikipedia. StuRat 05:47, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Well, Stu this would be my first article and I want to start off doing it right. Even though this is a wiki there are some things you have to live with which the first editor does like the name of the article for instance. So what should I use for the title, "Instructables web site" or just "Instructables"? (Thanks for the vote of confidence, which I do not deserve BTW. I created the "Instructables web site" article page and put a REDIRECT tag on "Instructables" in preparation for development but a couple of BOTS immediately posted SPEEDY DELETION TAGS stating the subject is not "notable." . Nebraska bob 12:25, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Excuse me, but I'm not a bot, and I'm pretty sure Longhair isn't either. You created an empty page that included an external link and a broken redirect. That is a textbook candidate for a speedy deletion tag. I've since commented on your talk page about what you might want to start with and even offered to search for sources myself. --Onorem 12:53, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
You are how the things under your control act. (Mighty jumpy if you ask me.) Nebraska bob 13:00, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
You really need to put together at least a couple of paragraphs and one solid reference (perhaps testing it out in the Wikipedia:Sandbox) before you paste that into the edit box to create the article - that way there is never a time when it looks like someone just stuck a random link onto a page for promotional reasons (which is probably why your first attempt was killed). However, there is a good chance that your article would get deleted anyway if the web site in question is deemed 'non-notable'. You should first check up on Wikipedia's standards for this in WP:NOTE...or more specifically: Wikipedia:Notability (web) - I strongly suspect that this site is not going to meet the guidelines...but I confess I'm not all that familiar with it. SteveBaker 14:49, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Forgotten just how I came across this site... probably from a search for something... oh yes if a rear triangle could be spread 30mm... Anyway a few things caught my eye that I may have seen somewhere else and so I started browsing. You know sometimes policy in general is probably a good thing if you do not let it go to your head. After all it is possible to sacrifice usability for showmanship or so called professionalism. Anyway I found the site to be notable (unlike even some of the very good RC sites) simply because it is a wiki (or actually a user blog where other can comment on the stuff you have contributed but not flush it, for others but only for themselves, down the can.). That said it is notable to me and maybe to others but that will not change the fact that it is notable to me. If the Wikipedia wants to go "High Brow" hey that's fine with me. Just find it strange the first time I stick my toe in the water it gets bitten off by a couple of piranhas. Nebraska bob 15:07, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
You have to put this in context. The problem is that tens of thousands of web site owners have had the idea of creating a Wikipedia page that points to their web site (and says almost nothing else) - relying on Wikipedia's page rank score (which is astronomical) to boost their own ratings on Google, etc. In fact, this doesn't work (for technical reasons to do with how Wikipedia presents outside links) - but that doesn't stop people from trying. The result of this is that dozens and dozens of these things get created every hour of every day. There simply isn't time and/or effort to carefully examine each one to see if it's valid or not - so they tend to get speedily deleted without much care. Sadly, your article looked 100% identical to the other gazillion 'junk articles'...whether you planned to eventually expand it or not. That's why I suggested that you write a good chunk about the web site BEFORE you create the article - so it starts off as a substantial chunk of text. However, even if it were a substantial article, that's not enough to meet the 'notability' criteria...so it might be problematic even if you spent a lot of time on improving it. It's unfortunate that this has badly affected your first experience with Wikipedia - but I ask that you consider it from our point of view. We simply cannot allow the kinds of abuse that your initial effort looks so much like. If you had created an article about (say) a car or a bird or a Romanian emperor or...almost anything other than: (i) a web site, (ii) a living person or (iii) a band - it would not have been deleted. But those kinds of subject are subject to continual abuse 24/7 and the consequences for those with something serious to say are rather nasty. SteveBaker 16:16, 5 April 2007 (UTC)


You might try to create an article about HOW TO web sites in general in order to avoid the perception of bias. Of course you would include the instructables site and maybe add some others like wikihowCzmtzc 15:53, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Okay, I'm working on composing an article off-line and will upload it as soon as Eric Wilhelm, (instructable's owner) can send a history file.

Here are some notability references:

  • Time:

“step-by-step instructions for making things you never knew you wanted”

  • The Village Voice

“you’ll find detailed, well-illustrated, friendly instructions for constructing your own at instructables.com”

  • Lifehacker

“This is a great place to start if you’re looking to find a cool DIY project to try out”

In the meantime I suggesst everyone have a visit and explore... Lots of fun! Nebraska bob 16:34, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

You may not know this, but you can also create pages in your own user area, like say, User:Nebraska_bob/instructables, just by adding a slash and word after the web address at your own home page. Pages you create in your own user area generally go unmolested, (unless you invite people to molest them). This will allow you to test all the links and get the page up to a high quality standard to avoid the problem of it being immediately deleted when you first create it (because it's not yet perfect). StuRat 19:52, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Alcohol's effect long-term effect on growth

Does ingesting ethanol during puberty really stunt one's growth (i.e. diminish one's final adult height)? Anti-drug websites claim so, but they'll claim anything they can get away with. Academic sources are preferred. Thanks, LWizard @ 07:26, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

I'm a teacher. Kids that I've known who came to school drunk were shorter than others. Coordination and motor control are damaged from alcohol use in young, whose brains have not fully developed before 23 years of age (female average) and 25 years of age (male average). Size tends to be related to diet from birth to age three. Genetics is also important. Poor diet in adolescence still affects height. I suspect the science would show Alcohol provides no benefit to children, and will harm health, but as to restricting size, I can omly go on observation. DDB 11:52, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Alcohol affects smaller people more than larger people. It could be that they were all drunk, but only the smaller ones showed symptoms. Think outside the box 12:08, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Also note that this refers to alcohol abuse ("getting drunk"). Small amounts of alcohol (such as naturally occurs in food) can be metabolized by the liver before any damage is done. StuRat 19:42, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] The need for a balance in relation to Energy articles

Hi, I notice that Nuclear power by country is a featured list, and that Nuclear power is included in the 2006 Wikipedia CD Selection, or is a candidate for inclusion in the next version. But what about the important and broad topic of Renewable energy?

Are there any comparable high-quality renewable energy articles? Or is it possible to get an indication of renewable energy articles which are potential candidates and just need some further work?

It seems very one-sided to be showcasing nuclear power and not renewable energy -- Johnfos 09:47, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Renewable energy tends to fall into categories of Solar Energy, Wind Power, Water Power Generators or Geothermal Power. There are advantages and disadvantages of each.

Geothermal is not yet used anywhere in industrial size, although some baths are powered by it, and plans are being made. It requires a substantial water supply.

Solar power is not yet cost effective, and does not run for an entire day.

Wave Power generators have been blocked on ecological grounds. Water power through dams is less popular as fresh water increases in value.

Wind Power has been blocked on ecological grounds, and is unreliable.

One brilliant idea is a km high tower which uses convection currents through a green house to turn wind turbines. It has been promised at most state elections in Australia since '96 but to little effect. DDB 11:44, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

I think you are way out of date in your assessment of renewables. Please take a look at Renewable energy commercialization, Renewable energy commercialization in Australia, Wind power in Germany, Solar power plants in the Mojave Desert and Deployment of solar power to energy grids to see what has been happening recently.
But I'm not asking for a debate about renewables vs nuclear. I'm writing about WP articles in these areas, and asking if there are any renewables articles that are seen to be of high quality, in the same way that some nuclear articles have been identified as being of high quality. Or if there are any renewables articles that could be high quality articles if a bit more work was put in. -- Johnfos 12:14, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
It takes a lot of time and effort to get an article to featured status and only a very few editors can be bothered with the amount of hassle and red-tape involved. So the matter of which articles are pushed to featured status is not a decision made by Wikipedia as a whole - it's a matter of whether (typically) a single individual editor has enough passion for the subject, knowledge about it (and, rather crucially) books on the subject sitting on his/her bookshelf so that the article can be sufficiently well referenced. Hence the spread of articles deemed good enough for the CD selection is not so much determined by an attempt to get a balanced view of the universe of knowledge (although that is a consideration) as it is by the set of articles that particular editors had an interest in. Only a few hundred editors out of the millions who come here manage to get an article to featured status and less than a tenth of one percent of articles ever get to that level. Worse still, the quality bar for featured status is rising all the time - and many former featured articles have been downgraded in light of 'modern' standards. SteveBaker 14:38, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Many renewable energy sources have their uses, although no single renewable source has the ability to replace all nonrenewable sources at this time. I believe only a few places have sufficient geothermal energy to power industry, such as Iceland and Yellowstone National Park in the US. Solar power can be quite useful for places which are "off the grid", especially in desert environments. Wind is similarly most useful only in a few places with consistently strong winds. Hydroelectric power (dams with turbines), however, has been used for many years to power cities around the world on an industrial scale. Other forms of renewable energy have their places, too, like wave and tidal power. Wood, ethanol, and other biofuels do tend to create greenhouse gasses, just like fossil fuels, but are good alternatives in other ways, like energy security. But, back to the original question, we would be very pleased if you would take on one or more of the renewable energy articles and improve it to featured article status. StuRat 19:38, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Worldwide installed capacity and prediction 1997-2010, Source: WWEA
Worldwide installed capacity and prediction 1997-2010, Source: WWEA
As with any energy source, renewables have their advantages and disadvantages, and we need to work with these. But I must say I'm surprised by some of the comments above in relation to wind power, such as this "Wind Power has been blocked on ecological grounds, and is unreliable" and this "Wind is similarly most useful only in a few places with consistently strong winds" How then do you explain the graph shown, or the installed capacity of 20,621MW in Germany in 2006, and the fact that Denmark gets 20% of its electricity from the wind? Thirteen countries around the world now have over 1000 MW of wind generating capacity and more wind farms are planned in most of these countries.
I'm not trying to be argumentative in saying this. I'm just trying to bring a few basic facts to the fore, which help to underscore the growing importance of renewables.
As for a possible feature article on renewables, I appreciate the comments made. I'd be prepared to put significant effort into Renewable energy, but would need more guidance as to specific areas that need to be improved. Would anyone be willing to provide some comments in relation to that article please? -- Johnfos 01:29, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Wikipedia:Featured article criteria lists some suggestions. After that you would probably get more help from Wikipedia:Peer review. Shinhan 19:13, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Hepatitis B vaccine

Are all three of the doses of the Hepatitis B vaccine (given over the course of 6 months) identical? —LestatdeLioncourt 12:16, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Some googling (look for keywords like hepatitis b vaccine schedule) suggests that the schedule for Hep B vaccination can be rather flexible, and in some places Hep B vaccines are combined with vaccines for other maladies.
For the three-jab Hep B-only vaccination, the three inoculations are identical in composition and dosage. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 15:24, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Cardiac Cycle

Many books/online sources etc refer tot he cardiac cycle in 2 phases: systole and diastole (ventricular), with diastole encapsulating atrial systole (PQ interval). Some sources say that it begins at SL valve closure (others say after ventricular pressure reaches maximal) and ends with AV valve closure (ventricular systole initiated). Could someone clear up exactly where and when each phase begins/ends (have read wiki!).

And on a related note, could someone please explain to me exactly when day begins, as opposed to night? Some sources say that it begins when there is light enough for someone with normal vision to read unaided, and ends when light is insufficient for reading, Others relate it to the position of the sun with respect to the horizon. Could someone clear up exactly where and when each phase begins/ends (have read wiki!). --62.16.173.45 20:05, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Is that hard to distinguish in Norway?

[edit] Hearing tests

what is the advantage of the absolute bone conduction test in comparison with other tuning fork tests, i.e. rinne's test and weber's test?

Weber test, Rinne test, absolute bone conduction (bottom of page 4) --JWSchmidt 21:51, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
It's not exactly an advantage - it's a different test. Listening to a tuning fork requires that eardrums are working and nicely flexible. Very, very overly-simplistic: The bone conduction test tests the inner parts of the ear only. So if you can't hear the tuning fork - but you can hear the bone conduction test - then your outer ear is faulty - if you can't hear either of them then your inner ear is the problem. SteveBaker 04:24, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Why does hot water clean better than cold?

I was curious why hot water (with detergent) cleans better than detergent in cold water. Not necessarily laundry, but also housecleaning and sidewalk cleaning. --24.249.108.133 16:56, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

I would guess because it has more energy in it, the water molecules have a higher KE, which is what temperature is—more bumping and rubbing around? [Mαc Δαvιs] (How's my driving?) ❖ 17:37, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
When dealing with fats, they gradually become more liquid and less solid as they are heated up. The more liquid they are, the easier it is for them to be washed away by water. StuRat 19:24, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Also, when the detergents are supposed to do a chemical reaction (e.g. a redox reaction in case of acidic or basic detergents), the Arrhenius equation tells us that mnost chemical reactions happen faster at higher temperature. User:sanders_muc 85.127.180.138 20:06, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Solubility of most substances increases with temperature. If you make a substance more soluble, it will be easier for it to dissolve in water and be carried away. Johntex\talk 20:38, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
(edit conflict) As well, the goal is often to dissolve the dirt, not just physically move it away, and solubility often increases with temperature (see how much and how fast you can dissolve sugar in hot tea vs iced tea). DMacks 20:39, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Also, hot water has less surface tension allowing it to penetrate fibres better. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 209.53.180.29 (talk) 23:02, 5 April 2007 (UTC).

[edit] What if... Earth was frictionless?

Here's one of those silly Wiki hypotheticals. What would a frictionless or very low friction planet be like? (like all surfaces were super smooth and slick) --24.249.108.133 17:03, 5 April 2007 (UTC)


it would be like asteroids (game). Seriously. -- Diletante 17:07, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

I love that game! and lets just say there would be no need for car breaks as they wont work XD Maverick423 17:29, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Just as a note, cars would break fine. It's the braking that would be an issue.
To the original question, though, consider an ice rink, and then expand it globally. That's what a low-friction planet would be like. — Lomn 18:38, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Continuing that direction (sorry:) hockey goals don't slide around because they are anchored below the surface. Even if there weren't a non-frictionless sublayer, one could use an expanding bolt to fix things in place. That would allow one to move around in a controlled manner by gliding from fixed object to fixed object, similar to how a mountain climber moves from hand-hold to hand-hold. DMacks 18:44, 5 April 2007 (UTC)


Actually car brakes would work perfectly fine. The car would never move anywhere, though, no matter how fast the wheel spun, because the planet surface would have no static friction. If you study the wheel movements, you'll notice that the wheel needs high friction at the contact point with the ground, and low friction at the contact point with the axle. Nimur 21:03, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

You could never drill or set the expanding bolt. But there would still be wind, and we would blow all over the place. :) —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Zeizmic (talk • contribs) 22:15, 5 April 2007 (UTC).
The exhaust/intake would provide a small force to move the car. Planes would fly perfectly fine, would "frictionless Earth" have drag? What other effects would that cause? -- atropos235 ✄ (blah blah, my past) 00:24, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Who said anything about drilling? One gun, two bullets: get two holes in the ground. Two sticks, now you've got two things to hold, and you can move around in any direction from them...even just one would be enough if the pole didn't rotate freely in its hole. If you've got strong enough arms, you can keep your legs motionless and still cross-country ski. You could even drill if you had a counter-rotating mass to keep you stationary (or an air jet or somesuch)...consider the tail rotor on a helicopter. DMacks 02:16, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Sorry - won't work. You make a hole in the ground - but the total lack of friction between particles of dirt and rocks would cause the hole to fill back in almost as soon as you made it. In fact, dirt and sand would be like a liquid - we'd sink in up to about our chests in the dirt - think 'quicksand'. Buildings and roads and anything that's heavier than the soil beneath would sink without trace. This is a pretty silly question. SteveBaker 04:21, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
IT sounded like we were talking about the surface being frictionless "like an ice rink", not "the whole material of the earth is frictionless including lack of cohesion". DMacks 04:25, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Really interesting insights! My original concept imagined all surfaces coated with frictionless nano particles. --24.249.108.133 17:22, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] How do satellites orbiting the earth avoid colliding with each other?

There are thousands of satellites in near-space orbit. How do they not hit each other? Is there a navigational database to track them? Can satellites change their orbit in order to prevent foreseen collision with other satellites or space debris?141.213.90.148 17:10, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Suppose that there are 105 satellites in orbit (unlikely), and that each of them is a square sail 10 meters on a side (100 m2 in area: very large) presenting itself perpendicular to its motion (for best collision chances), and that they all orbit in circular orbits between 200 and 250 km in altitude (many are much higher) at a speed of 8 km/s with an inclination of no more than plus or minus 15° (many are polar). Then the volume of space they peruse is that bounded by the (two-cut) spherical caps between the minimum and maximum latitudes at the minimum and maximum altitudes. The mean radius of the earth is about 6370 km, so the area of our orbital region is a bit more than the average of 2\pi(r+h_1)(2(r+h_1)\sin 15^\circ)=1.40\times10^8\mbox{ km}^2 and 2\pi(r+h_2)(2(r+h_2)\sin15^\circ)=1.43\times10^8\mbox{ km}^2, so call its volume 7.1\times10^9\mbox{ km}^3=7.1\times10^{18}\mbox{ m}^3. Our ridiculous fleet of oversized satellites traces out a total of 8\times10^{10}\mbox{ m}^3/\mbox{s}, so even if they were not almost all travelling in the same direction we should expect collisions to occur on about the same order of time as it would take them to sweep out the entire volume: 88.8 million seconds, or about 2.8 years. (Recall that we made the probability much higher by restricting the orbits and using a rather large number of giant satellites.) In other words, they manage to not hit each other because they would have to try very hard to hit each other. It won't happen by chance. --Tardis 17:50, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
While the probabilities of collision are very low, satellite orbits are very carefully catalogued. The UN, among other organizations, maintains a thorough listing that is publicly searchable. See International Designator, and note the external links at the end. Note also that military satellites are generally not in public databases. — Lomn 18:46, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
It's also worth noting that while Tardis references the big sky theory, it's primary caveat (namely, that it's far less effective if conditions are restricted) applies in full force. There are comparatively few classes of orbit suitable for most satellites, and geostationary orbits in particular are subject to relatively high volumes of satellites. — Lomn 18:50, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
But, of course, objects in geosynchronous orbits aren't moving at all (relative to the Earth's surface) or are moving at the same speed and direction (relative to the Sun), so they can't hit each other. A bigger concern than satellites hitting each other is all the space junk out there in essentially random orbits. This includes nuts and bolts, tools, spaceship components, etc., that were intentionally discarded or accidentally lost. There are databases of such objects, but many are also unlisted. StuRat 19:20, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Lots of stuff is carefully tracked and catalogued by the government, military, and commercial contractors. Take a look at this cartoon animation by Analytical Graphics, which demonstrates the ability to monitor not just satellites, but debris and dust, via radar. Nimur 21:37, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
“ China has acknowledged that it tested an antisatellite missile on January 11 when it targeted and destroyed an aging Chinese weather satellite. Along with fueling debate on global space control, the incident has raised concerns that the debris could jeopardize satellites in low-Earth orbit (LEO), including the International Space Station (ISS). ”
More details from the AGI website... Nimur 21:36, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
I put the animation on YouTube in case anyone wants to see it without a 50 MB download. Nimur 23:35, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Nuclear Shelter

hey guys well i was checking out some stuff about nuclear shelters however i want to know what kind of walls will make it 100% radiation proof? besides that, is it logical to have a window in one? wont radiation go in through a window? and if not then how will a person inside it be able to renew the air already inside so as to not sufficate? Maverick423 17:26, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

100% stoppage is virtually impossible. That said, have you checked fallout shelter? Gamma rays are the deepest penetrator (that is, anything stopping them will stop alpha and beta particles as well. — Lomn 18:23, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Not virtually impossible, theoretically impossible on many orders assuming you want a physical wall. Even, all baryonic matter is radioactive. Keep in mind there are several different types of radiation, and nuclear radiation. Try reading the articles! You should get enough out of them to know. [Mαc Δαvιs] (How's my driving?) ❖ 21:44, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

A window is definitely out. Some type of well filtered air intake could work, however, as most of the radioactivity is in particles floating in the air, not in the air itself. If you can remove those particles, you can get breathable air. Another approach would be to have a supply of compressed air and/or reuse the air with equipment to remove the CO2 from the air and split it into carbon and oxygen, the latter of which is then returned to the air. Some combo might be best, such as using stored air during the first few days or weeks, when fallout would be heaviest, then going with filtered outside air after that. StuRat 19:10, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

While it is impossible to build a wall that is guaranteed to stop absolutely 100% of incident radiation, it's relatively straightforward to construct a wall which will block a large enough fraction of radiation to preserve and protect the soft and squishy living matter inside. A meter of concrete or soil will probably protect you adequately from radiation at any distance from a nuclear blast that doesn't physically destroy your shelter. The half value layer for lead and 1 MeV gamma rays [27] is 9 millimeters; ten centimeters will attenuate incident gamma rays to 1/2000 of their original intensity.
Windows are possible, but costly and a weak point; you'll want to look into a thick layer of lead glass. It's used regularly in the radiology and nuclear industry. Most fallout radioactivity comes from radioactive solid material affixed to dust particles; you'll want to have a HEPA-filtered air system to remove the bulk of these particles. As others have noted, our article on fallout shelter should give you a good summary of the important construction considerations. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 14:55, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] field lines

respected sir/madam,


i have a wireless router(wr) connected to the modem.i wanted to ask you what was the pattern of field lines created by wr & acc. to it what could be the best position for convenience122.162.99.104 17:31, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Perhaps radiation pattern can help you? -- mattb @ 2007-04-05T19:03Z
The best position for your conveniece could be iether the bolw or the cistern, but not both! —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 88.109.246.75 (talk) 01:24, 6 April 2007 (UTC).
Huh?Edison 04:38, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Ha. Fvasconcellos 22:47, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Driver programs for wireless lan cards can usually display the strength of the received signal (this is similar to the signal strength display on most mobile phones). You can use that to experiment with different placements. Note also many buildings have iron in the beams which is an obstacle for reception. – b_jonas 10:52, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Burying carbon dioxide

There are plan for some coal-based power plants to catch the carbon dioxide resulting from burning the coal and stash it away somewhere where the sun doesn't shine so that it cannot contribute to global warming. Am I missing some facts or is this raw political nonsense? Wouldn't it be far safer (outgasing), cheaper (no or nearly no preprocessing) and easier (no gas involved) to bury some sewer sledge with the same carbon content instead? 84.160.247.123 18:32, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

The key is carbon versus carbon dioxide. While sewer sludge may well be rich in carbon, that carbon isn't CO2 and so isn't capable of contributing to a greenhouse effect. As for how CO2 would be captured and buried... beats me. I have no idea if that's raw political nonsense or not. — Lomn 18:56, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
See also Carbon capture and storage and Carbon dioxide sink. DMacks 18:59, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
(After edit conflict) Right, carbon is not carbon dioxide, but the idea is to take away carbon that takes part in the carbon/carbon dioxide cycle to compensate for the coal that wasn't part of it previous to burning. The carbon of the sewer sledge will become carbon dioxide via bacterial decomposition soon enough. (And I didn't really expect an answer on the 'political nonsense' part here, not in the science section anyway.) 84.160.247.123 19:07, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
I would expect that, proportionally, comparatively little sludge is converted to CO2. — Lomn 21:33, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Oxydizing sewage is the main thing a sewer plant does, aside from concentrating and dehydrating the sledge. If it is not done by the plant it's done by the unlucky river or lake downstream. Of course, main portions are minerals and water but, what is easier and cheaper to bring deep down and keep it there: 1kg of artificially compressed and cooled gas or, say, 50kg of sledge? 84.160.225.164 22:47, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Sledge is solid/liquid and will have minimal impact on the atmosphere compared to CO2, which is immediately released. Carbon sequestration can turn the evil coal-burning powerplant into something that emits virtually nothing, but is still cheap and safe. I'm not sure what oxydizing sewage means, but it doesn't mean that all the carbon in it is converted to CO2. Sewage is typically aerated near the end of the journey so it's not totally devoid of oxygen so it doesn't suffocate fish, to destroy some of the nasty anaerobic microorganisms present, and to allow other microorganisms to further process the sewage. -- atropos235 ✄ (blah blah, my past) 01:11, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Oxidizing sewage is turning it into carbon dioxide http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sewage_treatment#Aerobic_digestion. As it takes a while to build a power plant, deep down depositing of sewer sledge (= carbon containing material whose carbon would otherwise be converted into carbon dioxide within a short time) could start well 3 years ahead, so the net balance of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would be the same. But I see the point: the evil coal burning plant would still be an evil coal burning plant, it's not so much about reducing the net release of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere but to make the guilty power plant look better. 84.160.225.164 10:33, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] shape of ionic compounds

I was tutoring chemistry, and drew a simple picture of NaCl, where the Na ions and Cl ions formed a lattice with the atoms alternating Na - Cl - Na - Cl etc., chessboard fashion (so no Na was orthogonally adjacent to another Na). Then a problem occurred to me: I had absolutely no idea what the shape of, eg. Magnesium Chloride was. There are two Cl ions for each Mg ion. How do they arrange themselves into a lattice? The Mad Echidna 19:14, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

I was part-way through writing the answer, when I happened to look at the page for your specific case, magnesium chloride and saw that there was a whole section of "Structure" information in the infobox in the upper-right portion of that page...see especially the Crystal Structure information and links. DMacks 19:18, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Cubic crystal system may help also, it's a common way to categorize a lot (all?) ionic compound crystal structures. Nimur 21:07, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
For this particular case, the link Cadmium_chloride#Crystal_structure seems most useful (found following DMacks's idea), although it takes a while to 'see' where everything is. Skittle 22:33, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Thanks folks for these answers, and sorry for not checking myself. It didn't quite dawn on me that the structure might be given for individual compounds, so I had only searched for the general term "ionic lattice". Even so, if I had searched for Magnesium Chloride, I would probably have missed the structure section in the infobox anyway. So I'm glad I asked. Fascinating how the lattice "knows" to just knock out a neat layer and leave everything else intact. The Mad Echidna 16:51, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Lambertian verus Batwing radiation

Where can I find a comparative description for Lambertian versus Batwing radiation patterns. Nebraska bob 20:38, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Lambertian reflectance is probably the same as radiation: it is isotropic, meaning the emitted light is the same at all angles. This might be described as a diffuse light source, as opposed to a spot-light or specular lighting. Batwing seems to be more of a "marketing" term, presumably for lighting and LEDs, as well as some antennas. This LED[28] seems to generate this batwing pattern. Nimur 21:18, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Also, schematic of a batwing beam pattern and a technical article and a datasheet with graphs. Nimur 21:23, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Open to Suggestions

Hypothetically, lets suppose that I live with a family member who for practical purposes displays obvious signs of unhappiness with his job and his life. Lets further suppose that he runs his own business, but it is in finiacial trouble because the mans unhappiness with his job has resulted in serious slide in business. Those around this person believe that he probably suffers from clinical depresseion, but the man in question refuses to believe it and, having a background in medicine, would likely know how to spot and stop any attempt made to treat such a condition. Furthermore, lets suppose that his co-workers, friends, and family are trying to help him, but are not sure what should be done to get the man back to his former self. Would anyone have any suggestions about what should be done? I'm desperate here, so I'll take any advise I can get. 70.254.22.164 22:32, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

May I ask why you are desperate for this hypothetical situation? − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 01:34, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
I've lost friends to military moves. I would rather not lose my house and my parents to a divorce. Thats why I ask. I relaise that Wikipedia doesn't offer medical or legal advice, I just want some brainstorming help so I can try and save what little I have left. 70.254.22.164 03:05, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

Since this calls for speculation, I've answered here: [29]. StuRat 02:03, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

I would suggest that you talk with a psychologist, psychiatrist, therapist, or social worker. Be prepared to spend a bit of money; it's worth it. Obviously, the person who really needs help is this "hypothetical family member", but equally obviously, having that person talk to the psychologist etc. is not an immediate possibility. But (a) a professional might be able to help you figure out how to get this person the help they need, and (b) let's face it, you do need help, too -- otherwise you wouldn't be asking the question!
Good luck. (And thanks for caring.) —Steve Summit (talk) 03:15, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
We cannot give medical advice or psychological counseling. That said, a person the depressed person trusts who is not a direct family member can sometimes be helpful in getting them to a psychiatrist or psychologist. Their trusted medical doctor is an extremely good choice to push them to get the help they need. A priest or minister or rabbi might also be useful. Depression can result from a bad situation which counseling can help or can reflect chemical imbalances correctable with medication. Edison 04:37, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
I didn't think about having a clergyman take the matter up with my "hypothetical family member", although that does sound like a good idea. On this issue of medicine: we tried that once, but our family members' medical background came to his defense; when he relized that we were trying to get him to take an anti-depressent medication he got very angry with us and accused us of trying to interfere in his life. If there was a way to get him to take the medacine without relising what it was we likely would have figured out how by now :/ 70.254.22.164 06:50, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

My psychiatrist takes referrals directly from religious leaders, as well as family doctors. For hereditary depression which comes out in the forties, a few pills are a life saver! Problem is that many self-medicate with drugs or alcohol, and deny they are depressed. This tends to lead to violence and suicide. I know many, many men who should take the pills... --Zeizmic 15:02, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] date format history

While exploring a Salado Indian ruin(about 600 years old)in central Arizona recently I came across graffiti with a date formatted as: 6/18/19. I am wondering if that date format was in use at the time indicated or is this a later, bogus entry. Thank you. macinyartMacinyart 23:08, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

I'm pretty sure that would have been added later, probably June 18th, 1919, but possibly June 18th, 1819. StuRat 01:35, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
What did the graffiti look like? Spray paint? Stone carving? − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 01:59, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
If you are just asking if they used that sort of date notation then, the answer is probably yes. My guess is that it became common to use abbreviated dates like that sometime in the 19th century, with the rise of the bureaucratic state and the need to constantly fill out forms. But that's just a wild guess. --24.147.86.187 02:45, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Candles were sometimes used by hikers to leave dates and initianls on rock walls in caves. I saw some that were 90 years old when a Scout many years ago. Edison 04:32, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

Thank you for your responses, in fact I am interested in whether the graffiti dated in 1919 was placed there at that time (using that date format) or whether it was written much later by a more modern prankster. It appeared to be in pencil, but I did not touch it, since that is sort of the rule when looking at antiquities. I know that simply finding out that the date format in question was used in 1919 proves nothing, but it makes its presence have a bit more credibility. I plan to put images taken that day on my website soon and wanted as much credibility as I could get. There were other examples of modern graffiti (as compared with those images done by the Salado) but this one was the best. Some of the art like works done by the Indians are remarkable and charming. These are heiroglyphs rather than petroglyphs and the artist utilized pigment rather than "pecking" the design in the rock. Great stuff. Thanks again for the responses. macinyartMacinyart 17:16, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

On a vaguely relevant point, I have at hand a British book "Railway Tickets, Timetables and Handbills" by Maurice I. Bray. It shows a number of late-19th-century tickets date-stamped with forms like "22 JA 96" and "17 SEP 90" and "NO 26 86". None of them use all-numeric dates, but they all use 2-digit years. So we can say at least that that convention was established in at least one country before 1900. --Anonymous, April 7, 2007, 10:11 (UTC).
Indeed, I have British postage stamps from the Victorian period which have cancels dated e.g. 15 JA 70. -- Arwel (talk) 23:12, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Mushrooms

I always knew they were some kind of fungus but I recently discovered that fungi have a seperate kingdom than plants. So basically that means that fungi, including mushrooms are not plants!? so what do their cells look like, do they have the things that plant cells have and animal cells lack? do they have cell walls? photosynthesis capabilities?
So basically, we eat three things: animals, plants, and fungi?

Try reading up on fungi. Perhaps the main thing which distinguishes them from plants is that they don't do photosynthesis to get energy from the Sun. Instead, they mostly get their energy from decaying matter (although there are parasitic/carnivorous fungi). BTW, we also eat things that aren't plants, animals, or fungi, such as the bacteria used to make cheese, yogurt, etc. StuRat 01:26, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Fungi are actually more closely related to animals than they are to plants! Check out Eukaryote#Differences between eukaryotic cells for some more info. − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 01:31, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Also, mushrooms are only the "fruit" of the fungus organism, the main part of which is underground and called mycelium. Pfly 03:28, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
It is odd that fungi are not considered to be plants - but when you consider things like yeast - which behaves much more like an animal than a plant, it's perhaps not so odd. But like with so many questions we get here, we shouldn't be surprised at the oddness of the choice of name...it's just a name. The fact that scientists decided to exclude them from the name plant is about as arbitary as the decision to exclude Pluto from the list of planets or the Chimpanzee from the genus Homo. It's just a name. SteveBaker 04:00, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
I don't agree that it's "just a name", since you seem to be saying it's an essentially arbitrary decision, like whether Pluto was classified as a planet. There are good reasons for most of the scientific classifications, such as similarity in form, genetics, and ancestry. There are a few cases where species may have been misclassified, but the classification of the majority of species are not in question. StuRat 04:07, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
I agree. Not being able to produce its own carbon through photosynthesis is a huge difference. In general, reproducing with spores is different too. Some things are arbitrary, but this is like classifying the stars from planets. There are clear distinctions. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 05:35, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
It is just a name. What we recognize as "fungi" are polyphyletic. Fungus is a way of life, not a taxon. − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 05:41, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
You misunderstand what I'm saying. I'm not saying that fungi should be classified in the same branch of the classification hierarchy as grass, trees, daisies, etc - I'm sure the present classification is 100% reasonable. I'm saying that our questioner finding it strange that 'Mushrooms Are Not Plants' is an arbitary fact of how the word "Plant" has been defined. If scientists had chosen some new term ("photoplant" say) to denote the organisms that photosynthesise and that are therefore not animals or fungi - and chosen to use the word "plant" to informally encompass both fungi and 'photoplants' (as most non-scientists would certainly do) then this question would never have arisen. The question is not about the nature of biological classification - no layman would be too surprised to find that fungi have their own branch in the classification system - the question is why such "obviously" plantlike things (to a layperson) are not called "plants" by scientists. That is a question about why scientists chose to use some particular word for some particular branch of the classification scheme (which is entirely a matter of history and linguistics) - it's not in any way a question about the biology of fungi. In that sense, it's no different from the "problem" of whether Pluto is a planet. The discussions about Pluto were not questions about it's mass, size, orbital characteristics...it was a discussion about what the historical/linguistic implications of the term 'planet' is. How many textbooks would have to be rewritten - how many signs in museum display cabinets would have to be corrected. No new science was involved. Choosing to exclude Pluto from the arbitary term "planet" was every bit as arbitary as using the common word "plant" to describe only photosynthetic organisms rather than using it's more common meaning which includes fungi. It's just a word. SteveBaker 15:54, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
I believe there was some new science that went into the Pluto decision, such as discovering that several Kuiper belt objects are similar in size to Pluto. This, combined with Pluto's peculiar highly elliptical orbit at a high inclination (out of the plane in which most planets orbit) caused speculation that Pluto was actually an Kuiper belt object captured by the gravity of Neptune. Thus, it's classification as a planet was called into question. StuRat 01:30, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
For what it is worth, the OED agrees with you. After defining "plant" as 1. an organism of kingdom Plantae, and then 2. "green plants", multicellular and photosynthesizing, there is a note about how bacteria used to be classes in kingdom Plantae but are not now, and that ..in the broadest (non-technical) sense, the term still may include fungi (and lichens), which are now classified in a separate kingdom, but were formerly regarded as lower (non-vascular) plants, together with algae and bryophytes.
Also, the requirement of photosynthesis for plants fails in some cases, such as Monotropa uniflora, which while clearly a kind of flowering plant, do not photosynthesize and behavior more like fungi -- in fact tricking other plants into thinking it is a friendly fungus, and receiving food from them. Pfly 19:55, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Cravings

Why do women in labor have unreasonable cravings for inedible things (e.g. paint)? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 209.53.180.29 (talk) 23:32, 5 April 2007 (UTC).

I don't know about inedible things, but their cravings for unusual foods are likely to provide vitamins and minerals needed for the baby (and later, for lactation). StuRat 01:23, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Do you have any evidence for that rather startling statement Stu? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 88.109.246.75 (talk) 02:06, 6 April 2007 (UTC).
I assume you're being facetious. :-) StuRat 03:41, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Well, he didn't ask you for personal evidence, if that's what you mean! —Steve Summit (talk) 03:47, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
It's not in 'labor' - it's pretty much throughout pregnancy. It's an unconscious effort to get sufficient intake of odd-ball vitamins and minerals and such. With my wife it was Toblerone bars wrapped in crusty French bread...at 3am...on a Sunday...when the nearest store that was likely to be open and have anything approximating the required ingredients was 40 miles away. Yep - it's definitely not an urban legend. What's utterly miraculous is that the ladies seem to be able to somehow know precisely that certain foods contain whatever dietary thing is missing. They aren't reading the ingredient list...it's gotta be some amazing unconscious memory for the vitamin and mineral content of all of these obscure foods...very, very strange. SteveBaker 03:56, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Gonna have to put a big [citation needed] tag on the claim that the pregnant woman has some near miraculous instinct telling her that if she doesn't get dill pickles and ice cream RIGHT NOW the baby will be missing earlobes or have a pointy head. Is there any scientific data to back up the claim, interesting as it is? In some cultures pregnant women eat clay. Correcting a dirt deficiency? Edison 04:30, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
It's not that pregnant women gain some instinct; we all have such an instinct. It just becomes more urgent, and the things needed change from those usually needed. Isn't it generally accepted that people tend to feel a need for things they need? Like thirst when thirsty, hunger when hungry, a craving for bananas (if you have previously eaten bananas) when low in potassium, etc? Skittle 17:58, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
I agree that this seems unlikely - but the existance of cravings during pregnancy is exceedingly well documented...and it's evidently an evolved behavior because other mammals and birds exhibit it. The only explanation that has been put forth is a subconscious need to get some trace substance that is needed for fetal development. What is very stange is the extreme specificity of the craving. In my wife's case, no other chocolate than Toblerone would remotely satisfy her "need". But I certainly agree that it is dubious to claim that their brains have somehow memorised the exact content of a bazillion different foods and are homing in on the one thing that best matches this need...however, I don't know of any other explanation. But if we do buy into this explanation, it's not a "dirt deficiency" that's causing women to eat dirt - it's some obscure mineral - or trace element - or salt - that's likely to be present in dirt. It's weird - but it's hard to deny when you see it happening right in front of your eyes...and in that LONG 3am emergency drive to the Toblerone and French Bread store, you have plenty of time to reflect on the oddities of human biology and evolution! SteveBaker 15:34, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Yes, that's actually an important nutrient for fetal development. "Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground" (Genesis 2:7). See also pica. DMacks 04:35, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
There are also some parrots that eat clay, apparently needing whichever mineral the clay has. StuRat 13:16, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
There are no scientific studies that have demonstrated the exact reason behind pregnancy cravings, but experts tend to suggest that it is associated with one or more of the following:
  • A manifestation of a biochemical signal that the mother is lacking specific nutrients (the nature of the specific food craved appears to be culturally influenced).
  • A result of altered hormone levels in pregnancy inducing olfactory and/or gustatory cravings.
  • In the case of pica, the result of an iron or zinc deficiency.
The body of literature on the subject can be accessed here [30] Rockpocket 05:56, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

It is known that psychological cravings have nothing to do with "what the body needs," and we are very interested in finding out what is the cause of cravings. It isn't the same as being thirsty or hungry. [Mαc Δαvιs] (How's my driving?) ❖ 23:18, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

Really, do you have a source for that? My reading of the literature suggests the mechanisms driving craving are not known, so I would be interested to read about the experiment that demonstrates it has "nothing to do with" what the body needs. Rockpocket 00:10, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

I believe food cravings are due to a number of factors:

1) As stated previously, people tend to crave foods which contain nutrients their bodies need. This ability, providing a huge evolutionary advantage to those who possessed it, would have be strongly selected for. In pregnant or lactating women, many nutrients are removed from the body of the mother, causing her to crave foods which will replace those nutrients.

2) During most of human evolution, certain nutrients, such as salt, sugar, and fat, were in such short supply that we developed an almost insatiable desire for foods containing these things. Since few people encountered foods rich enough in those items to suffer from the problems caused by an oversupply, and many suffered from nutritional problems as a result of not having enough, our evolution guided us towards excessive consumption of these items in modern times.

3) Psychological factors can also play a part. For example, "comfort foods", which we associate with a pleasurable experience in the past, can cause the memory or feeling from that experience to return when we again consume those foods.

StuRat 01:12, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Population growth

If a city's population increases from 1,000,000 to 1,100,000 in 5 years, how do I calculate annual growth rate? im asuming 2% (one fifth of 10% in 5 years) close but not exactly the right answer, it should be a little less right?

Right. It would be calculated as follows:

{(1,100,000/1,000,000)^(1/5) - 1} x 100 = 1.924...%
See Compound annual growth rate for more info. adam the atomTEC 23:47, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Yes, and the reason is that population growth is generally considered to be proportional to the current population, all other factors being constant. For example, a city with twice the population likely has twice as many babies born each year, and also twice the immigration, as there are twice as many jobs to be had and twice as many people to invite their relatives to live with them. StuRat 01:21, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

It is an example of exponential growth, which in early stages closely approximates linear growth, but which may vastly exceed linear growth in middle stages. DDB 08:50, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Starlings - how do they know where the worms are?

As I was stood waiting for my bus today, I watched a couple of European Starlings pecking around on a nearby patch of grass. At first, it looked to me as though they were just wandering around and probing the ground randomly with their beaks - but they would frequently (maybe once in every four pecks) pull an earthworm from the ground. This suggests to me that the starlings were *not* just sticking their beaks into the soil at random and somehow knew the position of the worms beneath the soil (take a small pocket knife and stab it into the ground a few times - what are the odds of hitting a worm by chance?). How were they doing this? Any ideas? --Kurt Shaped Box 23:58, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Worms leave little tunnels behind, which likely collapse noticeably when a bird pecks at the ground above them. The birds could then follow the tunnel to the worm with continued pecks. StuRat 01:18, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
I think I've heard that they can hear the worms burrowing through the soil, if they're close enough to the surface. —Steve Summit (talk) 03:05, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Yes, they can hear the worms burrowing. Most birds eating worms use their ears to locate the prey. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 195.236.222.1 (talk) 12:18, 6 April 2007 (UTC).
I don't know about starlings, but I have found a few references to a study by ornithologist Frank Heppner regarding how robins find worms, and the conclusion he came to is that they do it by sight. A brief item relating to the study can be found here (in the section titled The Eyes Have It. --LarryMac 20:10, 6 April 2007 (UTC)


[edit] April 6

[edit] shit

Is shit flammable?

Yes, but not in wet form. It needs to be dried first, before being lit. DDB 08:45, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Dried Cow dung is sometimes used as a fuel in the Third World. — QuantumEleven 11:40, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Of course dried cow dung burns so well because it is mostly plant fiber. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Czmtzc (talk • contribs) 12:45, 6 April 2007 (UTC).
I read an article a couple years ago about a power plant in Russia using retirement home used diapers as a fuel source (instead of coal). --Kainaw (talk) 13:53, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Thats a whole load of shit and I find it a bit hard to believe!  :-)
I believe dried camel dung can also be used for fuel in the deserts. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 88.110.208.218 (talk) 18:04, 6 April 2007 (UTC).
And bison dung was used by the Native Americans on the Plains. Corvus cornix 18:33, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Do birds reject sick offspring

Baby birds are often found on the ground. Do they fall from the nest or were they pushed? Is there any evidence that adult birds can detect illness or deformity in chicks and reject them? A practical reason to know the answer is for use when deciding whether to try to reunite a wild chick with its parents, when for instance you have cared for it for a brief time.—The preceding unsigned comment was added by Haulpak (talk • contribs) 07:43, 6 April 2007 (UTC).

I think it's rather the siblings. Their chance of survival increases if they have less siblings to share the food with, and hence, a very strong one might push a weak one out of the nest. From the point of evolution, this makes sense, but don't ask for a reference as I can't remember where I read this. Simon A. 08:20, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Here is a nice overview of this behaviour in cockatiels. Rockpocket 08:17, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

They were probably pushed. The culprit could have been a brood parasite, a selfish sibling, or a mother. See also, bruce effect. Are baby birds really often found on the ground? I've never seen any. --JianLi 01:16, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

The bruce effect describes a mammalian behaviour (birds are not mammals). Rockpocket 18:55, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Oops, my mistake. But it still is a good example of a situation where a mother's and baby's interests are in conflict. --JianLi 19:08, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Bouyancy in dead sea

In the dead sea, we can float without any equipment by "lying" on the surface. What will happen if we "stand" on the surface of the water? Will we float? IF no, what must be the desity of the sea water? Is it possible to achieve such density in nature/ by human?Invisiblebug590 10:21, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

Your posture is irrelevant to floating, what matters is the "amount" of you above the water's surface. If you were to "stand up" in the Dead Sea, you would still float, but the only bit of you above the water's surface would likely be the top of your head. Take a look at our article on buoyancy - if you increase the density of the water you're swimming in, more of you would protrude from the surface of the liquid. As far as I know, the water in the Dead Sea has the highest density of any body of water on Earth, however, there are other liquids with higher densities, such as mercury - but you certainly don't to go swimming in mercury, as it's poisonous! Does that answer your question? — QuantumEleven 11:38, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
I've seen a picture (an old picture!) of a worker in a mercury mine lying on -- not in -- a pool of mercury. —Steve Summit (talk) 22:59, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Do you mean this one (scroll down a tenth of the way)?
No, but that's a nice one, too. —scs
Mercury has tremendous surface tension, so I wouldn't be surprised if someone could stand on it without sinking in. --Bowlhover 04:29, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
More than just the top of your head would stick out, even in fresh water. In Dead Sea water I believe the head and shoulders stick out. Note that the denser the liquid, the harder it would be to "stand up", as you become top-heavy. Because the lack of friction with the liquid allows your feet to slide out from under you, it would be impossible to stand up in mercury. StuRat 13:10, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Anecdotal data point - it's impossible to stand up in the Dead Sea (with only your head above the water), as your legs rise to the surface every time you try to put them below you. To answer the OP, you still need a surface between yourself and the water to float standing upright on the Dead Sea - it's not just about the bouyancy but about the distribution of weight on the surface. Feet aren't wide enough to keep you upright on the water, at its current bouyancy. Natgoo 14:25, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
I don't buy User:Natgoo's explanation. The density of your body is pretty constant - there shouldn't be a net force pushing your legs to the surface unless they are less dense than your torso. Furthermore, in the Mythbusters episode where they attempted to show whether quicksand really sucked you down (as per bad movies!) they created a 'fluidised bed' of fine sand by pumping water up from beneath. The resulting "liquid" was a suspension of sand in water that had a considerable density - more than the dead sea - but still liquid enough to permit swimming in the stuff. One of their presenters was easily able to 'stand' in the artificial quicksand and he floated around with the liquid only just reaching his chest. You might be amused to watch this demonstration of a 'non-newtonian fluid' which evidently has pretty high density...[31]. SteveBaker 15:24, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
The density of your legs and your torso should be roughly the same, which is why buoyancy dictates that your legs should follow your torso to the surface (your torso is already there; the force pushing your legs up is that which is already holding up your torso). The only way you can remain vertical in the Dead Sea is by keeping your body ramrod straight, and even then you can only hold it for a few seconds. Perhaps the difference between the Dead Sea and the Mythbusters experiment is the complex chemical composition, and the flow, of the DS water? Natgoo 18:05, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Doods... you're stuck on buoyancy and you're forgetting about gravity, which acts as a destabilising force on upright objects in fluid (think of a bowling pin or a log in water). The fact that people in Mythbusters could stay upright in quicksand is probably because the particulate made it easier to resist tipping over. Anchoress 18:43, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Right. As anyone who's tried to design a boat knows, something floating in water is stable only if its center of gravity is below its center of buoyancy. But that's obviously not so for a biped standing in a liquid so dense that only the legs are submerged! —Steve Summit (talk) 22:57, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Yeah - but look at this picture of someone actually floating in the dead sea (see right). It's clearly not dense enough that the guy's center of gravity is above the surface of the water. We're not thinking of someone floating up to their knees or something - that's completely the wrong mental image. 16:37, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Nice pic! Thank you.
The side discussion about CG/CB had to do with Natgoo's statement that "it's impossible to stand up in the Dead Sea (with only your head above the water), as your legs rise to the surface every time you try to put them below you." If you were in a fluid so dense that the volume displaced by just your shins and feet were sufficient to support you, you could try to stand, but it would be very difficult -- you would have to (as Natgoo also suggested) try to "keep your body ramrod straight". It's not that your legs would tend to fly up due to higher buoyancy or anything, it's just that your body would tend to fall down. —Steve Summit (talk) 18:36, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] shit

What is the chemical formula of human shit(faeces)? Invisiblebug590 10:26, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

What is the chemical formula of the human diet? What comes out is just as complex and varied a combination of things. There is no single chemical formula. alteripse 10:48, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
The color is mostly due to bilirubin and biliverdin. Cellulose is a major component, depending on your diet (much healthy plants with low nutritional value). Some mucus also, so it doesn't go 'clank, clank' when dropped. 84.160.225.164 11:01, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Chemical formulae are for describing chemical compounds, but faeces is a mixture of different substances. Hence there is no singular formula. - SpLoT // 14:49, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
There's gases, dead intestinal cells, dead bacteria, digested organic matter, nondigested matter, and other mentioned things. bibliomaniac15 20:37, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Electron Microscopes

Can anyone explain in terms of Higher Tier GCSE level how an electron microscope works, surely you would end up seeing the atoms in the lens and not the object/atom you want? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 84.13.132.232 (talk) 11:51, 6 April 2007 (UTC).

All "seeing" works by bouncing a smaller particle off of a bigger particle — I see a stapler on my desk because tiny photons are reflecting off of it and hitting my eye. The problem is that when you want to see very small things, the size of a photon of visible light becomes relevant — blue light has a resolution of 400 nm which is pretty small but when we are talking about things like the size of an E. coli bacteria (1 nm µm across or so) that ends up not being enough to really see very much. So instead of using photons, an electron microscope uses electrons as the particle that is bounced off of the object; electrons can have much smaller wavelengths depending on how fast you shoot them (de Broglie's formula relates a particle's wavelength to its velocity), and thus can make out objects that are much finer. As for seeing individual atoms, you can do it, if you set the wavelength of the electrons to be small enough (.1 nm or so). But in any case what's important is that you can adjust the resolution by varying the velocity of the electrons. That's my understanding of it, anyway. --24.147.86.187 12:06, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
It might be useful to compare an electron microscope with the computer monitor you are viewing now. It doesn't ever really show an object, like a sphere, but rather shows a series of 2D dots which approximate the object. Our brains fill in the missing data (usually, but not always, correctly). Our brains are actually quite good at filling in missing visual info, as the signal that comes in from the retina is much worse than you would think. In addition to the blind spot in each eye, there are also numerous locations where you looked at the Sun or a flash bulb where damage was done. Yet our brains fill in those spots with whatever's around them without us noticing. Normally this is good, but it's sometimes bad, as when a hidden car is in the blind spot. StuRat 13:02, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
No bacterium is just a nanometer across; E. coli is about a half-micron across. 1 E-9 m says that DNA is already 2 nanometers across. But optical microscopes still have problems because the wavelength of visible light is not much smaller than the target, creating all sorts of image-distorting wave behavior. --Tardis 16:03, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
My bad — I misread the Greek script on the image. --140.247.251.165 16:20, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
The answer to your question depends on the type of electron microscope that you're talking about. The type that most closely mirrors a conventional optical microscope is a transmission electron microscope, which passes a beam of electrons through a sample and forms an image out of the electrons which reach the other side. In such a microscope, there are no physical lenses of the type that you would find in an optical microscope; as you've intuited, the electron beam would hit the glass and be absorbed or scattered, leaving nothing with which to form an image of the sample. Instead, the beam of electrons in an electron microscope is focused, bent, and manipulated using electric and magnetic fields. Carefully shaped electromagnetic fields can have the same types of effects on an electron beam as cut and polished glass does on a beam of light—and electromagnetic fields propagate perfectly well inside the vacuum of an electron microscope. (Our article on electron optics, unfortunately, is still a stub—experts in the field are invited and encouraged to flesh it out.) TenOfAllTrades(talk) 14:39, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Static Electricity

Sometimes, when you go to bed at night and you move your feet around quickly against the sheets, you see an interesting effect. What is happening? --Mayfare 12:33, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

You seem to know the answer already, you're seeing a static electricity discharge between your feet and the sheets. I've noticed this happens when the sheets are just out of the dryer, and hence full of static charge. StuRat 13:05, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

The charge may come from yourself, as you walk on cheap carpet, you may build a charge which you discharge getting into bed. Also, some blankets and some sheets can collect charge as Stu suggested DDB 14:12, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for your responses. --Mayfare 17:36, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] graphing forces

forces can be indicated on a graph paper by the use of? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Deasedanielle (talk • contribs) 14:49, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

Floating vectors ? StuRat 00:57, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
A pencil?--Shantavira 08:01, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

Disciplined mental effort, coupled with sound education and a little luck, given that your teachers really were right. DDB 11:33, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Geriatrics

Hi, I have a question: would anyone, especially a geriatric doctor or someone who works in an elder care setting be able to provide a comprehensive and high school level list of vocabulary terms that would apply to general elder care and the problems associated with it. I have a few terms like reluctant patient and I know the basics but a good advanced list would really help my score. Thanks in advance! --Uchihah 15:01, 6 April 2007 (UTC) Uchihah

Sponge bath? :P Vitriol 16:14, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Try asking a Personal Support Worker and/or a geriatric doctor. --Mayfare 17:38, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] a topic related to taxonomy of angiosperm

please give me details about a topic related to taxonomic tools that is, COMPUTERS AND GIS (Geogrophical information system)59.94.115.227 16:00, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Belly button problem

In the human or other mammals, where does the umbiliacal cord connect to inside the baby before birth. And how is this pathway shut off after birth? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 88.110.208.218 (talk)

See the articles about the umbilical vein and umbilical artery. DMacks 19:26, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
So in other words you mean:
Inside the fetus, the vein courses alongside the falciform ligament and then to the liver's underside. At the transverse fissure, the vein divides into two vessels, one larger than the other. The larger of the two is joined by the portal vein, and together they enter the right lobe of the liver. The smaller vessel, now called the ductus venosus, diverges away from the liver and joins with the inferior vena cava. Whatever that means!
Why didnt you say so? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 88.110.128.130 (talk) 23:33, 6 April 2007 (UTC).
Because DMacks assumed you could read on your own. Which, apparently, you can. − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 04:40, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Composition

What is the composition of the isotope C-12? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 76.64.52.108 (talk) 18:59, 6 April 2007 (UTC).

Carbon, specifically the isotope with 6 neutrons. DMacks 19:09, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

And 6 protons Czmtzc 19:21, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
And 12 electrons. − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 04:39, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Six electrons, not twelve. But in addition to the six protons and six neutrons, there are bunch of thingees in the nucleus that hold it together. These are the virtual particles that embody the nuclear strong force. Of course, this force may be a mere artifact of deeper interaction amongst the quarks and gluons the comprise the protons and neutrons. -Arch dude 05:12, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Oh damnit, what was I thinking? There goes my university degree in biochemistry… − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 09:09, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] relative atomic mass

Explain why the relative atomic mass of carbon, referenced on the periodic table, is not exactly 12? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 76.64.52.108 (talk) 19:01, 6 April 2007 (UTC).

Explain why we should do your homework for you. Please at least try to use this bazillion-page encyclopedia to look up answers for yourself and then ask about what's confusing. DMacks 19:10, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

It is not homework. Don Mustafa

The atomic mass of an element is the average mass of all of the isotopes for that element weighted by the relative abundance of each isotope. --Czmtzc 19:17, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Ironically, the mass of carbon 12 is exactly 12 amu, since the definition of atomic mass unit is one-twelfth of a carbon-12 nucleus. Now that I think about it, I'm not sure if it's the nucleus or the whole atom with electrons too, but that should be reasonably negligible, less than one percent. The original question, though, is referencing isotopes. Nimur 20:15, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Made-up example: if I have 50% Cl-34 and 50% Cl-35, the average atomic mass of the chlorine atoms I have would be 34.5 --Bowlhover 05:36, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] mass of fractions

Why would you want to avoid calculating the mass of fraction of an atom? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 76.64.52.108 (talk)

Why would you want to avoid doing your own homework? --LarryMac 19:49, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
It is not homework --Don Mustafa

—The preceding unsigned comment was added by 76.64.133.10 (talk) 13:36, 7 April 2007 (UTC).

I would guess because it probably isn't much use to you—most of the atom is empty space anyway, and all but the nucleus is ignored. So you would be finding the mass of part of the nucleus, and that would be unnecessary since you already known the masses of the nucleons. [Mαc Δαvιs] (How's my driving?) ❖ 23:20, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
But the mass of the atom is less than the mass of the nucleons, because of the energy needed to bind them together. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 68.117.135.99 (talk) 04:58, 7 April 2007 (UTC).
Binding energy increases the mass of the atom, does it not? --Bowlhover 04:39, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Some people spend huge energies on finding a prime number larger than the largest known one, or the 10 zillionth number in the decimal expansion of π. These aren't of much practical use either, but they're justified on scientific grounds. JackofOz 06:25, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Normalized Mean Square Error

I am instructed, without further context, to calculate a normalized mean squared error for one of my data processing projects.

I am struggling to decide which is a better "normalization":

error = \frac{1}{N} \sum_{i=1}^{N} (x_{i} - x_{exact})^2

or

error = \frac{1}{N} \sum_{i=1}^{N} (\frac{x_{i} - x_{exact}}{x_{exact}})^2


I will be comparing several different fast methods for calculating the xi. I know the xexact and want to obtain relative errors for each method, to determine which is "optimal." Which normalization technique will result in a more straightforward comparison between different values? Any other suggestions? Any suggestions? Nimur 20:25, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

The two values will differ by a constant factor of {x_{exact}}^2. In a sense, it's really just a unit conversion issue: for example, if x is measured in meters, then the former value will be units of meters2, while the latter will be in units of {x_{exact}}^2. It would seem to me that, if the instructions explicitly call for a normalized value, then what they mean is probably the latter; if they meant the former, they would just say "mean squared error" without any additional qualifiers. —Ilmari Karonen (talk) 01:13, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Heat transfer in space

If i was to be closer to the sun in space and I was to be standing in the shadow the temperture would be cold and if I was to step out in the sunlight I would burn, on earth the shadow would still be warm but in space does the heat travel into shadow AT ALL? Wuld there be a definitive line of hold and cold? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 86.136.246.197 (talk) 23:25, 6 April 2007 (UTC).

There is a much more dramatic difference between shadow and light when close to the Sun in a place without an atmosphere, yes. With no atmosphere to transport the heat to you from the bright areas, the only heating would be from the blocking object, which would eventually warm up and radiate heat onto you (although still less than you would get from direct sunlight). Also, space around the Sun isn't quite empty, and particles might still strike you on the far side of the object, if you are in turbulent currents of the solar wind, for example. StuRat 00:49, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Heat is transferred by: Radiation, Conduction or Convection. Without air or water or some other fluid, there is no convection - so we're left with radiation and conduction. No air means less conduction of heat into the air. If you imagine a big rock on (say) Mercury - then how does heat get from the sunlit areas to the shadows? Well, bright light reflecting off the surrounding landscape will slightly illuminate the shadows - so some radiation does make it into the shadow, not as much as on earth because we aren't getting any light scattered from the atmosphere. But unless we're looking really deep under the rock or in a cave or something we're getting some radiation from the brightly lit surroundings. Then there is conduction - so some heat from the sunlit side of the rock will be conducted through the rock and will warm the shadowed side. But rock doesn't conduct heat all that well - so heat is coming in there rather slowly. However, temperature is also determined by energy loss - so our rock will lose heat as well as gain it - no air means that the shadowed side of the rock isn't losing as much heat as it would on earth because heat isn't being conducted/convected away by the air. It's a complicated question - but undoubtedly it's going to be a heck of a lot colder in shadows and a heck of a lot hotter in sunlight when there is no atmosphere. SteveBaker 16:29, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Proof of global warming

Does this not underline (get it?) today's events?

71.100.6.150 23:34, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

OK those are your underpants, now what about the females?
What makes you so sure I can't darn well pack a bra? Be 'shamed your self young feller! 71.100.6.150 00:18, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
I like how it goes from 18th century (1700s) to 1900. Skipped the whole 19th century there! --24.147.86.187 00:20, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Yep, them peoples back then were a lot closer to the Victorian age and wearing less bulky clothes did not occur to them somehow to be the right solution. That's were the saying "... just don't seem right somehow..." comes from. 71.100.6.150 00:33, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

So the moral is "don't get your panties all in a bunch over global warming" ? StuRat 00:42, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

Don't quote me but its probably more like "Take you panties off over global warming." 71.100.6.150 00:48, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Yeah will we all be wearing no panties at all in a few years if global warming continues?
Yes. It will be the garment industry versus global warming. 71.100.6.150 01:10, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
See also: Microkini], post hoc ergo propter hoc. [Mαc Δαvιs] (How's my driving?) ❖ 01:31, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
A Google image search on Microkini, reveals that more than one women has found that a reduction in clothing size can provide relief from heat caused during Ovulation by basal body temperature which can be exaggerated by Global warming. Nebraska bob 03:52, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Greenhouse Gases

I am interested in the partition of greenhouse gas emissions by sectors, and the only reference I found within Wikipedia is this diagram:

Are the numbers in this diagram totally agreed upon? Or is there much variance between different sources? Does the emission from vehicles account really to only 14% of the total emission? Gidip 23:57, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

I don't know, but I know it does not seem almost anything is totally agreed upon regarding things having to do with the anthropogenic global warming hypothesis. Sometimes they can get more precision than order of magnitude estimates for global carbon producers and reservoirs, and I would not be surprised if that chart was based on only the US. [Mαc Δαvιs] (How's my driving?) ❖ 01:26, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Thanks Gidip 01:19, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] April 7

[edit] Primordial soup

I was reading through abiogenesis in my biology textbook and Wikipedia, but couldn't find any specific details on it. Are there any findings that substantiate such an environment? bibliomaniac15 01:06, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

The existence of life on Earth substantiates the concept that, at some point in the past, there must have been a specific set of conditions in which early lifeforms could spontaneously arise and evolve. − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 04:34, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Panspermia contests this, but there have been attempts to reproduce abiogensis directly. -Arch dude 04:56, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
However, if terrestrial life originated from an extraterrestrial source, there must have been a specific set of conditions in which early lifeforms could spontaneously arise and evolve. − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 09:08, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
There have been experiments that take the kinds of non-biological things that would have been around in the early earth - added sparks to simulate lightning - and those experiments have produced basic amino acids - and those amino acids do spontaneously form short chains and such. The question for abiogenesis is whether it is possible - by pure chance - that such a chain could form something that could replicate itself - perhaps an RNA molecule. That's all it takes - once you have thet, the well-understood processes of evolution gets us from there to animals and plants. So the problem is: What is the probability of something like a short RNA strand forming spontaneously? Bear in mind that this could have happened at any time over millions of years in any of the quadrillions of gallons of water in the oceans and in any of the molecules in each gallon of that water. The number of opportunities for that to occur are truly astronomical - and it only had to happen ONCE in the entire history of the earth. The event could be spectacularly rare. Indeed, it must be fairly rare because we don't see new RNA-like molecules forming all the time in modern earth. That being the case, it is not possible that a laboratory experiment could reproduce this event - you might well need an entire planet full of soupy amino-acid-laden water and to cook it for a hundred million years in order to make this happen. We can only deduce that it did indeed happen...once. There is some evidence that it may in fact have been so spectacularly rare that it did only happen once - if it had happened lots of times then I suspect we'd see multiple kinds of DNA in modern organisms that showed absolutely no common amino acid sequences whatever...we don't see that - so I strongly suspect that this was one single astronomically unlikely event. SteveBaker 16:10, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
The only thing is, what evidence do we have for such a soup? If such a concoction existed, why don't we find a nitrogen-rich layer of earth? Where in all the strata we have unearthed have we found remnants of such a world? Saying that because we are here, there has to have been spontaneous generation of living beings is a rather biased view. And how would only one single strand of RNA suffice to create what we have today, even if it overcame the odds? Infinite Monkey Theorem, it seems. bibliomaniac15 20:32, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
We have experiments that show that an amino acid 'soup' will arise when the mixture of gasses and water that we believe would have existed in pre-biotic times is stimulated with UV light and an occasional spark of electricity - the sun and lightning storms respectively. This shows that unless there is no reason whatever why the oceans of early earth would not have had the necessary ingredients for the spontaneous formation or an RNA molecule at some time in the past. Once the one single molecule existed, it would replicate until the oceans had a LOT of these peculiar molecules floating around in them. Once that happens, the molecules are competing for resources (the free floating amino acids for example) and they are mutating (because RNA copying errors would be relatively frequent - and survival of the fittest would also be there - so evolution kicks in and the rest is really well known. Why don't we find a "nitrogen rich layer"? Well, because the land surface is a mess of shifting tectonic plates that slide over and under each other. Whenever a plate goes under, it gets melted back into magma and mixed up...since the events we are talking about are so very old, not one scrap of the earths surface from those ancient times still exists for us to examine. No firm records of that era can possible have survived. We can only do experiments, calculate probabilities and produce believable mechanisms. This is less than satisfying as solid proof goes - but it's the only explanation we have that doesn't rely on supernatural intervention - which we generally rule out using Occams Razor. If there were a competing theory (which didn't require magic or whatever) then there would be a lot of interesting debate about it - but there really isn't. The Panspermia hypothesis is (in a way) a competing theory - but even if life arrived on earth on a meteorite or something, it still had to start SOMEWHERE - and we're back to needing an abiogenesis mechanism to make that work. SteveBaker 07:16, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Direct evidence? The answer is basically no. Very, very few rocks survive for over 3 billion years, and those are so heavily metamorphosed that no complex organics would be expected to survive. However, we can make a variety of arguments about the simple ingredients of that world. We know for example that it had low oxygen and very high carbon dioxide (e.g. 1000 times modern). We know there would have been much greater volcanic activity (providing a potentially interesting energy source). We know liquid water was abundant (just as is it today). Various simple organic precursors (e.g. methane, ammonium, hydrogen) would have been created naturally in that environment. Work like the Miller-Urey experiment has shown that the synthesis of complex organic molecules and polypeptide chains is plausible (at least in small concentrations) from these raw ingredients. With neither oxygen nor microbes to break them down, some of those organics should have persisted in the environment for a long time and this gives rise to the classical idea of an organic "soup". Given the existence of complex life today, many scientists are willing to make the leap that somehow the accumulation of such organics eventually gave rise to cellular life, but we have very little evidence to show how this occured. Some parts are fairly easily. For example, lipids are easy to make and will spontaneously roll themselves into balls, effectively enclosing cell like spaces. RNA (once generated) can both act as genetic material and catalyze reactions, in a way similar to how proteins function today, though proteins are more efficient. In the presense of sufficient nuclei acids, RNA can also easily duplicate itself. This has led to speculation that an "RNA world" might have existed in the early development of life. Dragons flight 21:08, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
There weren't microbes or oxygen to break them down, but keep in mind that there was no ozone layer to protect such substances from the UV rays of the sun. The Miller/Urey experiment is interesting, but a) only two percent of the resulting sludge was amino acids, b) only 2 amino acids were actually created, c) these compounds reacted with the other chemicals created, and d) they used a carefully controlled apparatus to create these compounds. As for "RNA world," the chances that one RNA molecule spontaneously generates is big enough, what are the chances that there are two identical ones? bibliomaniac15 01:29, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
I agree that the classic Miller/Urey experiment left something to be desired - but we don't know the exact conditions - and other experiments using other starting conditions produced quite different results. So it's peossible for four amino acids to have formed instead of two given a different value for some concentration or a different temperature or whatever...it's not a huge stretch of the imagination at least. You don't need two RNA molecules to exist - a single strand is enough (see RNA virus for some examples of single-stranded RNA)- its complementary strand will form spontaneously from the first half - then they unzip and each half makes another complementary strand to match. That part is OK - there is even some evidence for such simple "organisms" (iffy terminology!) still exist (see Nanobe for example). The really, really unlikely part is that very first strand forming with exactly the right properties to replicate spontaneously with enough precision to make working duplicates over enough generations for evolution to cause it to survive more robustly. But even at low concentrations, given the enormous volume of the earths oceans and the veast time-span during which it could happen - it's really not so very unlikely. Suppose we estimate that there is a mole of reagent in every cubic meter of primordial soup and that 'candidate' reactions happen every millisecond or so...yeah there are lots of reasons why the numbers might be a lot lower than that - but stick with me for a moment.
  • The oceans contain 1.37x1018m3 according to 1 E+18 m³.
  • Avagadro's number (the number of molecules in a mole of reagent) is 6x1023.
  • A billion years is 3x1019 milliseconds.
So there could easily have been 2.4x1060(!) attempts at this happening before we got a result. That's an insanely large number! If it only has to happen once - then the odds can be long indeed! Furthermore - since we could have ended up being brought into existance on any planet during the entire life of the universe - the timeframe and volumes of reagents is MUCH more than that. SteveBaker 07:50, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Monarch Butterflies

Do Monarch butterflies help to cross pollinate flowers and plants? IF they don't, which butterflies do? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 67.186.153.196 (talk) 01:18, 7 April 2007 (UTC).

Yes, as do pretty much all butterflies ; simply said, if it goes from flower to flower, it carries pollen, if it goes to two flowers of the same species then it helps cross pollination. Pro bug catcher (talk • contribs). 02:19, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Umbilical cord

A developing fetus is connected to the mother via three blood vessels in the umbilical cord. My question is: whose are they? If you were to take tissue samples from the fetus and do genetic analysis, you'd obviously get fetus DNA. Presumably the placenta is the mother's tissue. But where does the baby start and the mother end? What is the interface like (gradual, discrete, etc.)? Thanks! --TotoBaggins 01:54, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

The umbilical cord develops from the embryonic allantois; it will have the baby's DNA. As you've correctly deduced, the placenta is indeed entirely Mom's. The interface is at the chorion (on the fetal side) which forms chorionic villi that project into the decidua (mother's side); this is interface where nutrients and blood gases are exchanged in the placenta. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 02:56, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Awesome answer; thanks! --TotoBaggins 03:28, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
No, the placenta is not entirely maternal; in fact, the functional placenta is almost entirely fetal, with a rather minor maternal component. The chorionic villi comprise the majority of the functional placenta. These villi are entirely fetal in origin, which is the rationale behind using chorionic villus sampling to screen the fetal genome. Maternal tissue only plays a role in support (the maternal decidua basalis is the supportive structure to which the fetal placental component attaches) and in placental circulation (the spiral arteries of the maternal endometrium penetrate the developing chorionic villi and bathe the fetal tissue in maternal blood). The interface between fetal and maternal components of the placenta is rather distinct: the decidua basalis (maternal) is separated from the chorionic villi by a cytotrophoblastic shell that is derived from fetal tissue (the trophoblast) and is several cells thick. Also, it is a common misconception that the allantois gives rise to the umbilical cord. True, the allantois begins as an evagination of the gut that extends into the body stalk (the umbilical cord anlage), but the umbilical cord itself is made mostly of extraembryonic mesoderm and Wharton's jelly. The allantois regresses into the embryo to give rise to the urinary bladder and median umbilical ligament. To answer the original question: the blood vessels of the umbilical cord are fetal, as TenOfAllTrades said. --David Iberri (talk) 22:14, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Dinosaur age

How old could a dinosaur become? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 62.78.246.132 (talk) 09:07, 7 April 2007 (UTC).

There were many different species of dinosaur, so this question is a little like asking "how old can a mammal become" - it all depends on whether you look at a shrew or a whale (note to experts - yes, I know that mammalia is a class and dinosauria is a superorder, so the analogy is not exact). Dinosaur lifespans probably covered a wide range, with the larger species having longer lifespans, as they would take more time to grow to maturity. This page] gives a range of "tens of years to hundreds of years", and makes some comparisions with the maximum lifespans of modern reptiles in captivity; whereas this page suggests a typical dinosaur lifespan of about 40 to 50 years, based on growth rings found in fossil teeth and bones. Gandalf61 11:12, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Just to provide some additional info, this page lists the life spans of the huge Apatosaurus, Brachiosaurus, Diplodocus, and Supersaurus as roughly 100 years; smaller dinosaurs die sooner. This page says the life span is 75-300 years, though I doubt 300 years is accurate. --Bowlhover 05:15, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

Turtles can reach a great age. cf Tortoise DDB 11:24, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

And of course it is widely believed that birds evolved from Dinosaurs - some species of parrot can live for 100 years in captivity. SteveBaker 16:00, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] WARTS

DEAR SIR, MY WIFE's DOCTOR HAS DETECTED WARTS ON HER VAGINA AND ANUS FOR WHICH SHE IS UNDER GOING THE TREATMENT. VAGINIAL WARTS AEE ALREADY FINISHED BUT STILL THEY ARE ON HER ANUS. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW FROM WHERE DOES SHE CAUGHT THIS VIRUS AS I AND MY WIFE NEVER HAD SEX WITH ANYBODY ELSE AS SHE HAD IT ONLY WITH ME AND I ONLY WITH HER AND NOBODY ELSE AND STILL THERE IS A VIRUS. I WOULD LIKE TO SPECIFY THAT WE HAD ANAL, ORAL, AND VAGINIAL SEX.

THANKING YOU GAGAN

It depends on the type of warts. You would be best to seek advice from a medical professional—your family doctor, or at a walk-in clinic if you're too embarrassed. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 12:15, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
For what it's worth, we have an article HPV, the set of viruses that cause warts. Friday (talk) 17:54, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Noting, of course, that there are other causes of genital warts and wart-like symptoms (some are listed in that article). See your doctor to be sure. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 18:12, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
It is not necessary to have had sex with someone in order to catch a sexually transmitted virus. As everyone says, it is better to ask your doctor or physician why the symptoms are still persisting and if it is normal for this to happen. That will put your mind at rest, as his/her answer will either be 'yes', in which case there is no problem, or 'no', in which case he/she will find another method of treatment. ScouseMouse - スカウサーUK! 23:11, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Though in my experience most doctors will give you a condescending look, the "you can pretend if you want to but we all know what this means" sort of look. The "I don't actually know anything about you or your life but I'm going to presume that I do because I'm the one with the M.D., and this ain't no television show where doctors actually give a shit about ferreting out statistically unlikely causes." But maybe that's just my experience with doctors, which I admit is fairly infuriating. Statistical medicine works some of the time, but not all of the time, and when it fails it fails miserably. I wish more doctors seemed to care about that. Which is just a long way to say, you can ask your doctor for alternative possibilities, but don't expect them to really offer them up, or think they are necessary. They are going to tell you "they are spread by sex with people who have them" and no matter how much you inquire to the hypothetical that such might not have been the case, they'll just look at you like you're an idiot. --24.147.86.187 01:12, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Two things occur to me. First, 99% of people "just can't imagine" where they got an STD, so if your doctor acts like she has heard it before and is a bit skeptical as to your amazement, and seems reluctant to engage in unprovable speculation about other alternatives, you shouldn't be surprised. Second, doctors being human beings, they often respond the way your attitude and signals tell them you expect them to respond. alteripse 17:34, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Packing density

What is the packing density of grains with different regular shapes? E. g. how much air is in a bag of table salt? I'm quite sure that people have made mathematical models for these problems - is there a wikipedia article about the topic that I didn't find? Icek 13:45, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

Try crystal structure and lattice model (physics), for explanations at an atomic scale. For more mathematical explanations, some of which are not quite as applicable to this question, try some of the links listed at lattice. − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 22:35, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Interestingly "packing density" is a specific concept in crystallography (that's what I thought when I saw the title of this question), that uses a hard sphere atomic model to estimate how much "free space" exists in various crystal structures. Your example is a little trickier since, in practice, there's no way of knowing the exact size and shape of any grain of salt. Solid NaCl arranges itself into an FCC lattice and will cleave along the major faces, leading to the rectangular prism shape of salt grains, but with the grains oriented in all manner of directions and coming in varying sizes, any model for the free space in a bag of salt would have to be statistical in nature.
That's a long-winded way of saying "I don't really know", but hopefully the crystallography links can give you some useful information. -- mattb @ 2007-04-07T22:42Z
You might start at sphere packing and close-packing. —Steve Summit (talk) 23:59, 7 April 2007 (UTC) (Yes, I know you said "grains" and not "spheres", but it's a start.)


Thank you for the answers, but I already knew about crystal lattices and sphere packing. I hoped someone would know something about statistical models of e. g. a heap of cube-shaped grains. Btw, I measured and weighed a sample of ascorbic acid (grain size roughly 0.1 mm) and arrived at a space filling fraction of 0.56. Icek 17:59, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

I know this is an active area of materials research. For clarification, Icek is talking about macroscopic packing of grains, not crystal-lattice structure of atoms/molecules. I haven't yet found a specific article on Wikipedia, maybe we should create one. Here's a MathWorld article on cubic close packing. Nimur 21:01, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
This journal paper was published in AIP, and has a nice table of experimental, statistical data for various natural and man-made grains (such as "Nevada sand," "Daytona Beach sand," ASTM graded sand, and a few dozen others. You might need a subscription to view the article. Nimur 21:05, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
On a somewhat related note, is there a name for the phenomenon where smaller grains percolate down while larger ones percolate up? (I was noticing this in action while sorting a bowl of assorted Lego bricks yesterday.) —Steve Summit (talk) 01:01, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Pen Lasers or 'Penned' Lasers

Those pen lasers, are they true "lasers" or are they just fancy, more sophisticated mini-flashlights?--JLdesAlpins 13:52, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

As it states in the article you linked "Most inexpensive laser pointers use a deep red laser diode [...]", so yes, they are actual lasers. --LarryMac 15:00, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
LarryMac, sorry if I don't always take what others write at face value and seek to doublecheck others' statements. This must be a scientific bug in me. One has to always be wary of marketing claims...--JLdesAlpins 15:20, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
See also our article on laser diodes. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 15:02, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

Sorry for hijacking the question, but I've always wondered: why does light from laser pens (...or in fact, lasers in general), reflect in all directions when hitting a boundary, such as a wall? Surely if all the laser's photons are heading in (ideally) exactly the same direction, the laws of reflection should make all the photons reflect through the same angle? Is it because the boundary is not a perfect reflector, and is atomically "bumpy"? Thanks, Icthyos 15:36, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

Yeah - when the laser reflects off almost any surface, the teeny-tiny bumps will scatter the light off in all directions - which is why you can see where the laser is pointing. It's no different from other kinds of light in that regard. The light rays coming from the sun are very nearly parallel when they reach us - if all reflections were 'perfect' - it would be almost impossible for us to see anything! SteveBaker 15:58, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
The beam is coherent, but it has a non-zero cross-section. In fact, it has the cross-section of the laser, more or less. Therefore it is hitting a small area of the wall, not a point on the wall. Unless this small area is an optically flat mirror, different parts of the spot will affect the photons differently. For the same reason, you do not see your reflection in that same wall. -Arch dude 16:08, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
The beam has roughly the cross section of the exit point of the resonant cavity waveguide unless it is further shaped by optics (it often is). -- mattb @ 2007-04-07T22:26Z
And with all the laser pointers I've used in the past, none of them are really that straight. The light all have an angle that you can clearly notice if you shine it far away when it's dark. The circle always increases. So with that imperfection built in, the light should also scatter slightly radially even with a perfect surface. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 17:43, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Perpetual Motion Machine Idea

What is the fatal flaw with the following "pereptual motion machine"? A pendulum with a magnetic bob swings between two attractive magnets that are positioned near the top of each swing. However, the pendulum mechanism is also to attached to a kind of magnetic shield that is thrust between the bob and the attractive magnet towards the peak of its swing, thus cutting off the attractive force and allowing the magnet to fall. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 76.211.141.7 (talk) 19:04, 7 April 2007 (UTC).Z

Well, one fatal flaw is that your innocent-sounding "some kind of magnetic shield" doesn't actually exist! If you could find a shield for magnetism (or, equivalently, a shield for gravitation) you could make quite a few very interesting devices!
More seriously, even if you did have a magnetic shield, how do you know that it wouldn't have some magnetic properties of its own? If thrusting the magnetic shield into the gap between two magnets also required force, it could (and almost certainly would) end up canceling out the gain you hoped to get from the device. —Steve Summit (talk) 20:17, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
If human intervention is needed, for example to insert the magnetic blocker, then it's not a pertual motion machine. But Steve: the "magnetic blocker" could be another magnet with the same polarity as the bob. --Bowlhover 04:07, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
A magnetic blocker like mu metal certainly does exist. DMacks 18:19, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Bowlhover: I'm sure human intervention isn't needed; presumably some mechanism linked to the pendulum is supposed to shift the magnetic shields in and out. But in the case of "another magnet with the same polarity as the bob", I think that would always end up requiring extra force, and end up "canceling out the gain", as I said.
DMacks: Oh! I'd never heard of that stuff! So why wouldn't it work here? Does it, too, end up requiring substantial force to thrust into an existing magnetic field, before it can start blocking it? —Steve Summit (talk) 00:24, 10 April 2007 (UTC)
What about air resistance? This would have to be done in a vacuum, would it not? -Wooty Woot? contribs 04:08, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
No, the idea is to use the magnetic force to overcome air resistance and friction. --Bowlhover 05:03, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
The interesting and important thing about perpetual motion machines is that they quite simply cannot exist because of that boring old first law or thermodynamics. In the end it's a big waste of everyone's time to debumk each and every wild-assed idea for one. The reason it won't work is that the universe won't let it. Precise details of why are unimportant. SteveBaker 07:03, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Except that the precise details are precisely what we were asked for ... there was no suggestion that the thing ought to work. Steve Summit thought the question was worth answering. If you think it's a waste of time, then I suggest picking a different question to answer. --Anonymous, April 9, 2007, 02:57 (UTC).
Thanks for sticking up for me, whoever you are, but in all honesty, I very nearly replied as SteveBaker did! If we have faith in conservation of energy and the three laws (er, make that the three laws), it's true, we don't have to think too hard about these claims; as soon as we hear the words "perpetual motion" we can reflexively say, "Pish-tosh! Won't work! Next question."
...except of course that faith is what those other systems of thought depend on. If challenged, we're supposed to be able to explain these scientific beliefs of ours rationally, without handwaving or appeals to authority. (Not that I'm trying to lecture anybody. I'm sure other Steve, and anyone else who cares enough about science to be answering here, understands this.)
Invoking a well established scientific law is not handwaving or appeals to authority - any more than claiming that the magnet will attract the pendulum in the first place is handwaving or an appeal to authority! How do you know that the magnet will attract it? You only know because you are appealing to a scientific law relating to magnetism that (in all likelyhood) you don't understand! You may be thinking of claiming that you've seen lots of magnets attract lots of pendulums - but that's no more valid than me claiming I've seen lots of perpetual motion machines that don't work. You cannot possibly expect every single scientific argument to go all the way back to primary evidence...there always comes a point where you have to say "We know this to be true". It's not an act of blind faith because we know that if called upon to do so, we could look back at the original mathematics and experiments that caused science to adopt those laws. It's "trust" - but it's not "faith". SteveBaker 02:19, 10 April 2007 (UTC)
Also, figuring out where the energy goes (or doesn't come from) in a putative perpetual motion machine is often a good exercise, to keeps one's energy conservation skills finely honed. (Me, I still can't figure out where the energy comes from when water lifts itself up a tube by capillary action, which'd be a dandy way to make a perpetually-flowing waterfall, if only you could get the capillary action lifing the water fast enough to build up some momentum to push it over and past some lip at the tip of the tube... :-) )
—Steve Summit (talk) 00:12, 10 April 2007 (UTC)
Capillary action - like magnetism and gravity - exerts a force. But there is a lot of misunderstanding about the difference between exerting a force and doing work. These misunderstandings are at the heart of a lot of perpetual motion machine proposals. Work is force moved through a distance. When your fridge magnet defies gravity by exerting a force against the metal door it's not doing work - it's just sitting there. If you misunderstand the difference between exerting a force and doing work, it appears that magnets are mysterious devices with some infinite supply of energy just waiting to be tapped...this promise of infinite power attracts crank pseudo-science like...well...like a magnet. Same deal with capillary action - the water is clinging to the side of the glass - but once it's there, it's not expending any energy to stay there. Now - certainly the liquid does move in order to take up that shape - so if you lower a glass rod very gently onto the surface of some water, the water will crawl up against gravity to form the meniscus. This looks like the water is generating some kind of energy in order to propel that small amount of liquid upwards against gravity. What we're missing is that the meniscus forms because it's a LOWER energy state than if the water surface was horizontal. So the water flowing uphill to form the meniscus is LOSING energy - just as a rock loses energy when you drop it or a fridge magnet is in a lower energy state when it's stuck to the refrigerator than it would be if it was a quarter inch away from the door. So just as there is no mysterious 'magnetic energy' - there is no mysterious capilliary action energy. If you really want to boil your brains - figure out how supercooled liquid helium can flow right up out of a container and down the sides! SteveBaker 02:19, 10 April 2007 (UTC)
I don't think so. It would be really awesome to find one. [Mαc Δαvιs] (How's my driving?) ❖ 02:47, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Now this is the guy that Steve Baker's comment should be addressed to, not the original poster. --Anonymous, April 9, 2007, 02:57 (UTC).
I thought it was the second law that prevented that from ocurring? Titoxd(?!? - cool stuff) 03:01, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Point. "First law: you can't win. Second law: you can't break even. Third law: you can't quit the game." As to perpetual motion machines, which one applies depends on whether you're talking about the kind generates energy output or the kind that just keeps running forever. --Anon, April 9, 05:45 (UTC).
And from a practical perspective, even the kind that that people imagine "don't generate any output energy" are still generating heat in any moving parts in overcoming friction, tidal gravitational forces, air resistance or photon pressure - so both first and second laws apply in essentially every case. SteveBaker 23:23, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Where do birds get their blood cells from?

I was wondering if the bones of birds are hollow, how do they produce red bloodcells and B-cells? Do they have another organ dedicated to this task or can their bones still produce blood cells even though they are hollow?PvT 19:49, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

The bones of birds aren't hollow; they just have a bunch of air pockets in them. There's still enough marrow to generate blood cells. bibliomaniac15 20:33, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Thanks for the answer PvT 20:38, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
There are other hematopoietic organs involved as well. See also Bursa of Fabricius (the "B" in "B-cell"). --David Iberri (talk) 21:43, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Voice power

Does being a fat person help in any way to have a powerfull voice? If yes how does it work?Bastard Soap 22:54, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

Well, it would depend on what you mean by 'fat'. Having large, strong lungs, backed up by large, strong stomach muscles would certainly help if you needed a strong voice, but just being clinically overweight would not really help at all. Pavarotti is certainly a large man, but then, so is Forrest Whittaker. ScouseMouse - スカウサーUK! 23:04, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
There is an article in the register about "Why are opera singers fat?" it discusses some of the theories but not in much depth. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/06/23/the_odd_body_opera_singers/ —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Sifaka (talk • contribs) 00:25, 8 April 2007 (UTC).
The article about Maria Callas reports on theories relating her voice decline to weight decline.  --LambiamTalk 00:43, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
I've never accepted those theories about her. Despite the stereotypical image of opera singers, the vast majority of them are not fat, and don't need to be. A strong voice comes from good voice training, admittedly helped by naturally solid physical attributes, but obesity as a necessity is a myth. I suspect the reason many earlier opera singers were overweight was because they typically commanded much higher salaries than other mortals, and could afford more food. Singing for a whole evening is a very physically strenuous activity, so having a good meal after the performance would be natural, and if this is followed by going more-or-less straight to bed and having little or no exercise other than for the voice, it would tend to produce obesity. JackofOz 06:19, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] gluconeogenesis/glycolysis regulation

PFK-1 regulation: insulin activates PFK-2; increasing F2,6BP formation while also inhibiting FBPase-1 activity. Increased F2,6BP activates PFK-1. My question is does [F2,6BP] inhibit FBPase-1 (directly- not through decreased insulin)?

Not an expert, but I want to help. Fructose 2,6-bisphosphatase doesn't seem to help. Try this I found on pub med. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/picrender.fcgi?artid=45462&blobtype=pdf The two proteins in question were crystallized together. (they seem to gave good R values) This means it is a direct interaction. They also seem to discuss how the inhibition may work, but I only gave the article a cursory look. Sifaka talk 00:23, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] April 8

[edit] Understanding the Feline Way of Picking Food

I have three cats. Every day, I keep for them two bowls of dry food. I noticed that the food level in the two bowls, during the day, is decreasing at a similar rate. When I spy on them, it seems that they are purposedly picking food from the one bowl which has more food at that time. Why could that be? Why not finishing one bowl then attacking the other?--JLdesAlpins 00:39, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

In nature they need to protect their food or it could be stolen. Given the choice of two food morsels to protect, it would make sense to protect the biggest one, so perhaps that instinct is still with domestic cats. StuRat 01:38, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
I don't know about your cats, but mine will start to complain if I feed him the same brand of food more than once or twice in a row. Maybe yours just like some variety, too. —Ilmari Karonen (talk) 02:20, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Alternatively, if the bowls both contain the same food, maybe they find it easier to eat from the larger pile. After all, they have no hands, and the feline mouth, while capable of it, isn't really adapted to fishing bits of dry kibble from the bottom of a bowl. Or maybe they just instinctively pick the pile that looks more appetizing, which might well be, in the absence of any other differences, the larger one. I doubt cats have the capability for the kind of abstract rationalization that would allow them to convince themselves that the piles really are homogenous and of identical consistency, even if one of them looks intuitively like a better meal than the other. And even if they did, why would they care — it's not like any other eating strategy is actually any better than the one they're actually using. —Ilmari Karonen (talk) 02:30, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
In most public restrooms, there are two rolls of toilet paper, so that if one runs out before an attendant can replace it, a hapless stall user will not be left high and dry (or something).
In many such restrooms, the second roll is concealed in a dispensing device and does not drop down until the first roll is consumed. In some restrooms, however, both rolls are equally accessible (i.e. on two simple dispensers, without any fancy, expensive cascade mechanisms).
When both rolls are equally accessible, you will notice that they are used up at a nearly equivalent rate, such that they run out at almost exactly the same time, thus negating most of the utility of the scheme.
I submit that the reason for this phenomenon is the same as for the two bowls of cat food. —Steve Summit (talk) 02:36, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

Another less likely possibility is that they can't find the food in a bowl that's almost empty. I don't believe cats have color vision, which makes it hard for them to find certain items that are the same shade as the background. I've been amazed at my cat's inability to find certain foods on the floor. It sniffs around the area, but can't seem to locate food that I can see as plainly as daylight. StuRat 04:12, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

Instead of believing, you could look it up. For example, here: www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_004.html Or even here. Cats do have color vision; it just isn't as good as ours. (So, yeah, they may have trouble picking out small objects by sight sometimes.) --Anon, April 4, 2007, 05:44 (UTC).
As I have read from a book of a Sahara explorer, some snail-eating foxes have the habit of picking only a few snails from a bush (so they can reproduce until the next meal) and traveling miles to visit other bushes. If they had eaten all the snails from a given bush, the snail population would have died out (and a little later, the foxes too because of starvation). Maybe there is some reason in the case of the cats too. In their natural habitat they eat live food, so they must spare some of it. --V. Szabolcs 12:06, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Information entropy of the universe

What is the total quantity of information entropy in the universe? Is it increasing or decreasing? NeonMerlin 02:05, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

see Entropy#Entropy and cosmology. Jon513 13:55, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Total Entropy is constantly increasing. Entropy is a measure of disorder - chaos - whatever. The tendancy for entropy to increase is very evident in daily life - things break - things that once worked stop working - tidy things get untidy. It's very rare for disorderly things to spontaneously get organised. It takes work - energy - to make something more organised than it was. Extracting energy disorganises things - so creating a little pocket of better organisation causes more disorder elsewhere...so whilst you can locally reverse the flow of entropy - on a global scale, it increases continually. SteveBaker 17:47, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] microbiology

why are eukaryote diseases more difficult to treat than prokaryote diseases? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 4.152.24.220 (talk) 03:05, 8 April 2007 (UTC).

Many diseases, including infectious ones that you are asking about, rely on drugs exploiting the differences between human cells and cells of infectious organisms. For example, one of the first antibiotics, penicillin, worked well and was well tolerated because it inhibits the synthesis of bacterial cell walls, which human cells lack. In general, because humans are eukaryotic, there are fewer differences between humans and other eukaryotic organisms than there are between humans and prokaryotic organisms. The more differences between host and infectious organism, the easier to treat. I'm sure there are other good reasons, but this is a major one. --David Iberri (talk) 04:28, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Evangelical christians with dilated eyes

I was just watching the movie Jesus Camp, and noticed something a bit strange. Many of the children (and some of the adults) have extremely dilated pupils, like they were on MDMA or something like that. One of my friends recently became a born again christian, and I noticed the same thing happening to him... huge dilated pupils. When people feel this way, I'm thinking it must be the body releasing endorphins that make them feel that way, which allows them to feel like jesus is inside of them, and that leads to the dilated pupils. Has anyone else noticed this, or have any thoughts on it? 67.142.130.20 03:12, 8 April 2007 (UTC) Anonymous

Its caused by the Jesus juice. Seriously, pupil dilation is a autonomic response and therefore if one could imagine that is there is such a thing as the Holy Spirit then it is not a huge leap of "faith" to imagine it could influence the release of neurotransmitters during spiritual possession. Of course, it could simply be a type of mass hysteria and resulting physiological effect. Alternatively they could be whacked out of their mind on alcohol or be brain dead. Rockpocket 05:47, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Yellow moon?

As I was walking back home last night/this morning (~6:30 UTC), I noticed that the moon was yellow-orange. The lunar eclipse happened weeks ago, so what else could account for this?

Thanks. 137.99.165.83 06:08, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

When the moon is at a lower angle in the sky, its light has to pass through more atmosphere, which scatters the higher wavelength light (like the sun at sunset). Pollution makes this worse (more crap in the air to scatter light), and can be so bad that the moon appears oddly coloured even when at a pretty high angle. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 06:28, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Human carry electric

A man carry electric which could be felt when we touch him like we feel mild electric shock. What is cause ? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 89.148.17.212 (talk) 06:33, 8 April 2007 (UTC).

One way to generate that charge is by rubbing socks on some carpets, due to the triboelectric effect. Another way for a charge to build up is if a person maintains insulated above ground, such as riding in a car for a length of time. Then the person will get out and it'll discharge when he or she touches something like the car frame. I also get it wearing my dockers shoes and walk around in one specific store, and I have never figured out why. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 07:11, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
The soles of your shoes and the carpet material in the store are widely spaced on the triboelectric series? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 88.110.155.118 (talk) 18:50, 8 April 2007 (UTC).

[edit] Magic mushrooms - effect on non-humans

Does anyone know if magic mushrooms have a psychedelic effect on living creatures other than humans? On a more general note - do animals and birds ever actively seek out and consume naturally occurring psychedelic substances? --Kurt Shaped Box 07:34, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

According to Animals and Psychedelics: The Natural World and the Instinct to Alter Consciousness, Giorgio Samorini, Park Street Press, (ISBN 0892819863), literally hundreds of animals seek out hallucinogenic substances (and plenty more get wasted by accident, ruffied by Mother Nature, or by nasty men in white coats). A few examples: a type of ant will suck a hallucinogen from the abdomen of a lomechusa beetle. Male mandrills will get high on the root of a iboga root then hang around until the are tripping nicely before before fighting it out without another male over territory. Of course, in addition to experimenting on themselves those crazy scientists in the 60s tried out lots of drugs on animals. It appears elephants and LSD don't mix too well [32], but cats get a groove on (note: if you are of a sensitive nature, don't click here) and dogs that ingest magic mushrooms "frequently snap at invisible flies, may be extremely depressed, stagger when walking and become comatose." [33] Not unlike a trip I once had. Rockpocket 09:09, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
A friend of mine had a cat who ate some of his mushrooms. This was a few years ago, but the cat was acting strangely, with a wobbly walk. − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 15:17, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
A friend of mine had left some LSD tabs lying around and his cockatiel chewed some of it. The poor thing spent the rest of the day wandering in circles on the floor, occasionally fluttering a couple of feet into the air and squawking and spending a long time staring intently into the middle distance. He couldn't get near the bird to put it back in its cage - it absolutely freaked when he approached it. --Kurt Shaped Box 19:06, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
What a sad waste of acid [Mαc Δαvιs] (How's my driving?) ❖ 02:45, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
A waste, definitely, but I would call it a funny waste of acid. − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 17:33, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Does it help to be fat to play the tuba?

(following on from the question above) This may just be a TV/movie/cartoon stereotype but generally, whenever I see guys playing the tuba on TV, more often than not, they are the fattest guys in the orchestra. So, is there any real advantage to being fat when playing this instrument? --Kurt Shaped Box 07:44, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

You can lay it on your stomach? PitchBlack 07:58, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

I think it's just for the comedic effect. Tuba is often used in "funny" songs and a fat guy playing it makes it look even more ridiculous. Even if it's not a comedy in question, fat guy + tuba may have become such a strong stereotype that directors use it anyhow. --Nitku 17:24, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
That's the great unmade Jackass skit, isn't it? Johnny Knoxville hiding in some bushes and going 'Ooompah! Ooompah!' on a tuba whenever a fat guy walks past, in time with his steps, until someone punches him... ;) --Kurt Shaped Box 22:46, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

The first page of a Google Image Search for "tuba player" does not support a hypothesis that they are fatter than average. --TotoBaggins 17:34, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

Brainiac:_Science_Abuse had a section in one of their series to see if a obese or a underweight person would survive longest in given situations (heat, cold, wind, water, etc). I'd love to have seen which was best at surviving a tuba audition, although i suppose it would come more down to talent :p 80.229.228.229 19:36, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
It would be interesting to find out if the 'fat tuba guy' idea has become so universally accepted that they'd choose a fat guy over an equally skilled skinny guy at a tuba audition just 'because'... --Kurt Shaped Box 22:42, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
I played tuba when I was in high school (a few years ago). I don't believe we were more overweight than any other representative sample of the band (although we did have one HUGE kid). Actually, we tended to be a little more in shape in marching band (or so I like to think) since we had to lug that thing around. I suppose being LARGER (not necessarily fatter) could facilitate carrying it. It is possible that fatter kids may better play the tuba than other brass instruments due to the size of the mouthpiece; I had trouble playing anything with a mouthpiece smaller than a trombone/baritone mouthpiece, and I didn't even have a fat face. :) --Bennybp 21:01, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Anecdotal, but one of the finest tuba players I know is a rather short ~90 lb woman. -- mattb @ 2007-04-08T22:50Z
I concur with Bennybp's assessment that it probably helps to be larger/stronger as far as transport goes, particularly when marching with a sousaphone. That's not to say that mattb's 90 lb. female tuba player couldn't carry a sousaphone, but on average you'd expect it'd be easier for someone with a large base and a few extra pounds of muscle and/or fat to not be overwhelmed by the 25+ pounds of instrument on their shoulder. As far as actual playing goes, I don't know enough about anatomy to say whether lung capacity has any real correlation to body size. I suspect not (at least as far as fat goes), but does anyone care to comment on that? Eric (EWS23) 12:35, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
I haven't seen it on TV, but at every high school and middle school band concert I've seen it's always the fat kids on the baritone and tuba. [Mαc Δαvιs] (How's my driving?) ❖ 02:43, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Extinction

I saw the original 60's film "Planet of the Apes" tonight on TV, and got me thinking about extinction. And I thought:

1) Is there a reason why we should preserve species and not just let them die out?

2) Would it be possible to get DNA from living species now, and be able to create living copies of it in the future, incase they ever became extinct? (WHEN they become extinct)

If number 2 is possible, there should be a place/laboratory/museum where they have multiple DNA's from each species they were ever able to get DNA from (that is, if they haven't already). Any views for or against this idea? PitchBlack 07:57, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

1) That is a matter of opinion. Many people consider there to be an inherent value in biodiversity, others don't. However, ecosystems tend to be pretty finely balanced. So there remains the possibility that if we permit a certain species to die, its absence from the ecosystem could cause a chain reaction which could severely effect us humans. See, for example, the concern over the mysterious disappearing bees in the USA. [34]
Note: also see here: Colony Collapse Disorder. zafiroblue05 | Talk 00:27, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
2) We could try to clone some animal species by nuclear transfer, but would need a host egg and a mother in which to gestate the embryo. See here and here for info about current attempts at this and the problems they face. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is being built at the moment to house seeds in case of a doomsday scenario and a similar Frozen Ark project has been launched in the UK for endangered animals. Rockpocket 09:30, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
You also need to take into account probably technical difficulties, consider the pandas, there aren't any physical barriers but it still is very hard to make them get it on.Bastard Soap 10:48, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
1) I can think of a number of reasons to keep non-competitive species around. For example, if a plant provides some sort of medicinal value, keeping it around might be very advantageous. However, realizing that a species is non-competitive pretty much means that it can never survive naturally.
2) We already pin hopes on this with the collection of cord blood. --Tbeatty 11:02, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
I don't think there is any reason to conserve organisms to keep them alive if they deserve to die and can't adapt, unless of course we need it. How much "reason" there is in the world is a matter of philosophy. [Mαc Δαvιs] (How's my driving?) ❖ 02:41, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
The problem with that, of course, is that when we realise that infact we did need a particular extinct species it will be too late. Rockpocket 04:16, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
If we didn't want to change nature we'd let whatever was set to die out, die out. [Mαc Δαvιs] (How's my driving?) ❖ 14:36, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Emotional Crying

Why do we produce tears when we're in a strong state of emotion? (sadness, happiness, anger) I looked at the article on "tears" but all I see is that it's because of a "different chemical makeup" but it doesn't actually explain how or why it happens.

Like when our eyes get too dry, our brain notices and does doody-dah-bahbooloo and releases tears to lubricate them. So, when we're emotional, how is our brain reacting, and why does it ultimately react by making us tear?

Another question I think of when thinking of this is how can people focus and force themselves to cry? I'm occasionally able to do it, but me knowing that I, or others are capable of doing it does not let me know why it's possible, or why it's allowed to be done. PitchBlack 08:24, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

Not completely sure, but simply, such states of emotions activate the parasympathetic nervous system inducing secretion by the lacrimal glands.
Actors often "force themselves" to cry. I believe they do it by either getting sufficiently emotionally in tune with the script that they get affected by it, or by remembering something similar in their own lives that caused them to cry and letting that do the work. JackofOz 01:15, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Just like how we have facial expressions, body language, and changes in speech, it is to let others know how we feel. That's what I've always thought. [Mαc Δαvιs] (How's my driving?) ❖ 02:39, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Exactly right. We feel the emotions in our bodies, and express them (ie. communicate them to others) in various ways. JackofOz 03:58, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] could electrons be splitted ?

is it possible to split an electron. if possible then how and what is emitted while electron splits up ? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 202.56.7.139 (talk) 11:39, 8 April 2007 (UTC).

Good question. The answer is no, we have no evidence that it is ever possible to split an electron, and we have some good theoretical reasons to believe that an electron is indivisible. Our article on the electron says "The electron is in the class of subatomic particles called leptons, which are believed to be fundamental particles (that is, they cannot be broken down into smaller constituent parts)." Gandalf61 12:13, 8 April 2007 (UTC)


From experiments in particle accelerators it is known that electrons show no internal structure down to a size of 10-18 meters. Icek 18:10, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Also known as 1 attometer --172.130.96.204 22:24, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] NOx Production

How many tonnes of NOx are produced daily by human activity? Tobes (talk) 13:26, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[Nitrogen oxide] has some information on the subject but not number of that sort. Perhaps some of the links at the bottom can help you. Jon513 13:49, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Atmospheric NOx is at least sometimes measured in terms of just the mass of the nitrogen involved. The NOx produced by human activity amounts to about 33 Tg of nitrogen per year,[35] which is equivalent to about 90,000 tonnes per day. MrRedact 16:41, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] DVD/CD Writing

Do CDs/DVDs write better if they are hot or cold? Becuase when i take them out i find they are always hot, but then again after extensive game playing they are also hot... —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 85.210.157.80 (talk) 15:26, 8 April 2007 (UTC).

Your question is similar to "does water hydrate you better if it is warm or cool? Because after it is in your belly it is always warm". The CD's are hot, in both cases, because they have just been spinning at incredibly fast speeds. You should always keep your CD's around room temperature. − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 15:56, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
It's warm inside your computer's case (that's why it has fans) and the drive's motors, when in operation, also generate heat. Even when I'm not doing anything, my computer's CPU is still at a fairly steady 45°C/113°F. So while the drives don't deliberately heat the discs – indeed, excessive heat will shorten their lifespan, and very high heat may warp the disc and make it unreadable – there's not a whole lot that you can do about the ambient 'waste' heat they pick up. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 15:56, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
They are also heating up because there is a pretty bright laser shining on them. But whether the peculiar light sensitive dyes in writable CD/DVD's work better at different temperatures - I don't know. The fact is that once it's inside the drive it's going to be warm come-what-may so you don't really have a choice. Store them on their sides at room temperature though - keep them out of the sun. SteveBaker 17:23, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
I believe I've also read to store burned cds and dvds horizontally, because the ink can run after several years. And don't store them with too much weight on them, so spindles are a pretty good bet, since they keep them horizontal and the casing is what holds up whatever you stack. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 18:45, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
...what are you talking about? Ink? Spindles? Or is this a joke? [Mαc Δαvιs] (How's my driving?) ❖ 02:38, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
I wouldn't call it 'ink' - it's a dye. SteveBaker 05:13, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Genetic disorder transmission

In the movie X-Men 2 (possibly not the most realistic portrayal of genetics, but still), one of the characters claims that the "mutant gene" (stupid name for a gene, given that any gene be mutated) can only be passed on by males. Of course, if the gene was on the Y-chromosome, then this would be possible, but since females do not have a Y-chromosome, they could not become mutants. So, more generally, are there are genetic conditions which can only be passed on by one sex, but expressed by either? Laïka 19:58, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

There are a few diseases mentioned in the article on mitochondrial DNA. Mitochondrial DNA is inherited only from the mother because the mitochondria of the sperm cell are destroyed after they enter the ovum (sometimes a paternal mitochondrion can survive, but this is rare in humans). Icek 20:53, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Outside mitochondrial DNA, no. Genotypically speaking, if it can be expressed by either sex it can "be passed" on by either sex (though there are some hypothetical scenarios involving sex-specific uniparental disomy though could confound that, I suppose). However, there are some phenotypes that could result in that sort of scenario. For example, a autosomal-dominant gene mutation that had a sole phenotype of extremely abnormal oocyte development would - in practice - only ever be passed down the male germline since females that expressed it would be infertile. Similarly, a dominant gene that had a phenotype resulting in abnormal semen composition might only be passed on by females, since males that expressed it would be infertile but the female phenotype might be rather inconsequential. There likely are such disorders, though I can't think of any specific examples off the top of my head. Come to think of it, any X-linked recessive disorder that resulted in death in males before puberty would essentially have the same result: both sexes express the allele (at least in some cells) but only females will pass it on. Rockpocket 22:02, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Natural Environment

I regret that such an important concept received such a poor article (I myself don't have any knowledge to improve it). It seems that the expression "natural environment" has two different meanings in the article:

  1. In the opening paragraph, "the natural environment" (with definite article) is described as all natural things on earth.
  2. in the Terminology section, "a natural enivronment" (with indefinite article) is described as any region or landscape with little human intervention.

These two meanings are quite different from one another. Do they really exist in parallel? If someone could improve the article and make things clearer, that would be great. Gidip 20:08, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

Is the problem with the use of "the" vs "a"? Or whether nature includes humans or not? Pfly 06:33, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
The problem is that two different meanings are described, but there is no clear distinction, and the article doesn't clearly mention that there are two different meanings. So, are there really two different meanings, or is it just a broad term, without any clear definiton? Or maybe I've misunderstood everything? Gidip 12:51, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
To me it sounds like the first definition is a general all-inclusive one, and the second is for specific cases, but otherwise essentially the same in meaning. Like, to take a different example, "the human population" meaning all people, while "a human population" being a specific subset. Either way it's still human populations, or natural environments. After all, the planet is an environment -- a region or landscape in a broad all-inclusive sense, no? Pfly 03:17, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Vinageroon

Looking deadly is an over-rated survival strategy - this little guy is doing just fine with cuteness. Rockpocket 01:14, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Looking deadly is an over-rated survival strategy - this little guy is doing just fine with cuteness. Rockpocket 01:14, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

I am looking for info. on a Texas arachnid known as the "vinageroon". Can find nothing on them, but know they exist because have seen them. They exist in the desert areas along with the scorpions. The common name comes from their toxin made up of acetic acid.

Vinageroon Greglocock 21:18, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
That's a horrible-looking beast! You would think that after 4x109 years of survival of the fittest everything would look that deadly. Thank God for koala bears. :) --TotoBaggins 01:07, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
They're not bears, but give them 4x109 years and they may yet evolve into bears. But probably not. JackofOz 01:11, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Wow, that is one awesome bug!! Yeah I know it's an arachnid, but I'm calling it a bug. Anchoress 03:52, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Oh God, how'd you like to find that one in your bed when you wake up? Oh, and look, they spray acid! a combination of acetic acid and octanoic acid when they are bothered. The acetic acid gives this spray a vinegar-like smell, giving rise to the common name vinegaroon. Other species spray formic acid or chlorine. [Mαc Δαvιs] (How's my driving?) ❖ 14:35, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] A question on " self "

A little blurb came up in my mind a few years ago, and is still with me to this day.

If who I am, is formed (in simpel terms) by my neural net. And this neural net is constantly changing, adapting, reconnecting and restructuring itself. Then aren't I in a fact being reborn over and over again? Only with little changes in stead of large ones? Changes so small that nobody would doubt that PvT is still PvT? Countless of other PvT's have existed and died, are no longer here. Yet nobody mourns them.

So if I am in a constant state of flux then when am I me? And what then does it mean to die?

Are there any branches of science/philosophy that touch this subject? I've been trying to read the article on the philosphy of mind and such. But they are rather, bulky.PvT 21:36, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

Philosophy of the mind is all about questions on this — you are essentially asking questions about the nature of consciousness and its relation to the self. But yeah, it's bulky, if bulky you mean "full of specialized terminology and obscure concerns based on very old debates some of which are still relevant and some of which seem less so." As for branch of science, cognitive science is an interdisciplinary approach to questions like this, building on philosophy, linguistics, neuroscience, psychology, etc. You might try Steven Pinker's How the Mind Works, which is a readable popularization of cog sci and phil of the mind. --24.147.86.187 22:33, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
There's also Self (philosophy), which I haven't read fully but looks at first glance like it should probably be merged with Self (psychology). --Allen 02:40, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Wow, and there's Self (sociology) too. I'm skeptical about whether we can or should separate these different senses of the word. --Allen 02:45, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
If who I am, is formed (in simple terms) by my neural net. --that's a mighty big if. Pfly 06:44, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Really. Who I am is formed by my butterfly net. − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 06:55, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
You might be interested in Ship of Theseus, this is an old paradox... tucker/rekcut 22:28, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Intelligent, non-Terrestrial Life?

Does it exist somewhere in the universe?--172.131.75.193 22:25, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

Nobody knows. At the moment all we have are guesses, but there is no solid evidence of it as of yet, and no strong reason to think that intelligent life has existed simultaneously with the intelligent life on this planet (i.e., did not evolve sentience and then kill itself off as the human race has threatened to do at many points in its feeble and geologically-brief existence). --24.147.86.187 22:30, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
The International Space Station is manned isn't it? Vranak
Yeah, but I'm pretty sure life didn't evolve on it :). Splintercellguy 00:14, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
As 24 says, no one knows. There is no evidence that there is or has been intelligent life elsewhere in the universe. For that matter, there's no evidence for extraterrestrial life of any kind, aside some from some controversial, unconfirmed claims of Martian microbes. That being said, the universe is a huge place: with some 200 billion stars in our galaxy, and some 100 billion galaxies in the visible universe, many people the chances are very high that not only life, but intelligent life would evolve elsewhere in the universe. Of course, even if it did, the enormous distances might preclude any contact between our species. — Knowledge Seeker দ 03:37, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Obviously - we don't know. I strongly suggest you read about the Drake equation. That is a rational effort to put together an estimate for the probability and number of intelligent races in the universe. The trouble is that this equation has an awful lot of unknown terms in it (eg What is the average number of earthlike planets orbiting each star? We don't know because our technology isn't good enough to detect earthlike planets orbiting other stars.) - depending on what semi-informed guesses you plug into that equation, you can get answers anywhere from it being very unlikely to there being tens of thousands of extraterrestrial civilisations out there. SteveBaker 05:10, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Unknown Plant Picture

Can this photograph be identified? Thegreenj 22:42, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

No idea, but googling 'blue flower' sure turns up a lot of beautiful pictures. I'd thought it might be ragweed, but I guess not. Anchoress 00:08, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Could it be lupin? The pic in the article doesn't look the same, but some of the internet pics do. Also check lobelia, spiderwort and pickerel weed. Anchoress 00:53, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

Looks to be in the family Boraginaceae; good chance of Echium genus. try those as search terms.Polypipe Wrangler 01:54, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

I have uploaded a new photograph just for identification purposes. Thegreenj 00:10, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Morphological Crystallography,the Tschermak forms and the 48 simple forms in mineralogy

  • Hi ,i have been astonished by this subject on my mineral science class last monday about this topic.
  • What are the Tschermak forms? , are they related with Gustav Tschermak von Seysenegg? And what are them in the first place?. Does they only belong to the isometric form (crystal forms classes) system on morphological crystallography?--HappyApple 23:54, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Can the octet rule be explained in terms of more fundamental behaviors of sub-atomic particles?

Can the octet rule be explained in terms of more fundamental behaviors of sub-atomic particles? --71.162.233.206 00:41, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

This sounds like homework to me! Pauli exclusion principle, no? [Mαc Δαvιs] (How's my driving?) ❖ 02:36, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Actually I did look at the article on Pauli's exclusion principle but did not make any connection between the two. Still haven't figure out how PEP explains the octet rule. (And no, it's not homework — I don't have homework.) --71.162.233.206 03:18, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
My memory of quantum mechanics and such is pretty weak, but I believe it has to do in part with electron orbitals—one s and three p orbitals can hold eight electrons, and fully occupied orbitals are in general associated with increased stability. The reasons those orbitals exist arises from wavefunctions and quantum mechanics, I believe, but I cannot remember more. Perhaps someone more well-versed in this area could comment (and improve the article)! — Knowledge Seeker দ 03:29, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Take a look at Atomic orbital#Qualitative characterization. Here's my explanation:
Every shell is numbered by the number n. For every n, there are as many subshells as there are numbers between 0 and n-1. So for example the first shell, n=1, has 1 subshell numbered l=0 (l represents the subshell number). For n=2, there are two subshells, numbered l=0 and l=1. The electrons inside each subshell all have a magnetic quantum number; this describes the shape of the electron's orbit. All numbers from -l to l could be taken as values. This gives 1 unique orbit to the first shell, 4 to the second, and 9 to the third. But because electrons also have one additional property, called the spin, that can either be positive or negative, the total number of electrons that can be held is 2 for the first shell, 8 for the second, and 18 for the third.
Although the 3rd shell has 3 subshells, the 4th has 4, etc., in the outermost electron shell only the bottom two subshells are used. This is because an electron in an outer subshell will have more energy than one in an inner subshell, and atoms always try to have the lowest possible energy. Subshells beyond the second one will only be used if they're not in the outermost shell (remember that electrons in the outermost shell have a lot of energy, too).
So the outermost shell can have 2 used subshells, with the first one containing 1 possible value of the magnetic quantum number and the second one containing 3 possible values. With 4 different orbitals and each electron having either a positive or negative spin, there can be a maximum of 8 electrons with no two electrons having the same properties (if they did, they would be the same particle). Obviously there can't be any more chemical reactions with a full shell.
I hope this helps, but feel free to point out any errors or make my explanation clearer; I'm far from being an expert! --Bowlhover 05:03, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Artichokes polish aluminum?

I was just cleaning up after dinner, and I noticed that that aluminum lid for our cook pot was bright shiny and silvery. The pot is fairly old and is usually a dull gray color. We had boiled artichoke in it tonight and as usual, the inside of the pot is stained dark. I did add salt to the water that we boiled with which is different than usual. So what would it be about the combination of Salt, steam, and essence of artichoke that would polish the pot lid so bright? -Czmtzc 01:25, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

Well, the description definitely suggests there might've been some electrochemistry going on, but I can't really say off the top of my head exactly what. The presence of the steam, possibly including spray carried up from the surface of the boiling water, rather complicates things, too. I doubt the artichokes had much effect, except maybe to adjust the pH of the water, although I guess it could be remotely possible that some kind of chelation effect might've played a role. All this is really just wild guessing, though, and could be completely off base. Some questions that might help solve this would be whether the pot is also aluminum like the lid, and whether the pot and lid are normally in direct electrical contact. —Ilmari Karonen (talk) 17:16, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Yes, the pot and lid are both aluminum and were in direct contact. The stove uses an electric coil for heating. According to Globe_artichoke#Cooking acids are produced and the pot should be uncovered in order to prevent the artichoke from turning brown. - Czmtzc 18:22, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Hmm. The article doesn't cite any references for the claim about the acids, though. Indeed, I found several sources recommending the addition of acids (usually vinegar or lemon juice) to the cooking water to prevent discoloration of the artichoke. Anyway, I still have no clue on the specifics, but it does sound like the salty water and steam might have produced some kind of a concentration cell. In principle, all it would take is something to reduce the electrode potential on the submerged part of the pot, making it anodic and the exposed part and the lid correspondingly cathodic. I did find a note about chloride ions, as found in salt, accelerating the corrosion of aluminum, but it's not clear to me if this would be at all significant at the conditions normally found in a cooking pot. (How much salt did you add, anyway?) Of course, I could still be barking up the completely wrong tree here... —Ilmari Karonen (talk) 01:41, 10 April 2007 (UTC)
I added about a tablespoon to about a gallon and a half of water. Maybe 2 g NaCl to 6 l H2O.-Czmtzc 02:48, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Easter osmosis ?

I have a chemistry/biology question related to my Easter dinner (do I have you hooked yet ?). One dish was sliced ham (precooked and injected with salt brine) heated with canned yams, canned pineapple rings, and some brown sugar. As always, it's quite good during Easter, but something bad happens to the leftovers. The ham slices left floating in the yam/pineapple juice seem to lose their water content (but retain all their salt) and become shriveled up, almost like bacon. I'm looking for an explanation of what's happening here. I would have expected, that since the ham is much saltier than the yam/pineapple juice, the ham would have absorbed water, not given off water. Perhaps the higher sugar content in the juice is able to suck more water out of the ham than the salt sucks in ? StuRat 03:53, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

I don't know exactly why it became like that but fresh pineapples are very good meat tenderisers because they contain some enzyme or something, so maybe you have some half digested meat floating around? --antilivedT | C | G 04:42, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Earth Re-Entry

Is there anyway to re-enter Earths atmosphere without heating up, for example could you inflate a large ballon in space then slowly re-enter or maybe slow yourself down with engines? This reminds me of SpaceShipOne and how it re-enters could the same process be used for an orbital craft? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 67.127.97.132 (talk) 04:47, 9 April 2007 (UTC).67.127.97.132 04:48, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

The problem is that in the uppermost layers of the atmosphere, there is very little air resistance - so parachutes, wings and balloons won't have much effect in slowing you down. By the time you reach layers where there is significant resistance, you're falling so fast that you get into all of the heating/burning up problems. SpaceShip One didn't get very high - nowhere near orbital altitudes. So it had less far to fall - less time to build up speed - so when it did re-enter the denser parts of the atmosphere, it was going a lot slower than (say) the Shuttle does. You could certainly slow yourself down using engines - but the amount of fuel you'd need to slow down would be about the same as it took to get you up there in the first place. When you see the size of the fuel tanks and boosters that the shuttle needs to get up there - and imagine needing about that much to get back down again...then imagine the amount of extra fuel you'd need on launch to get the re-entry fuel up there as well as the spacecraft - you can see that it rapidly gets out of hand. Heat tiles and the older 'ablative' heat shields are a cheap and (relatively) easy way to do the job. SteveBaker 05:00, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
I agree with most of that response, but not that the amount of fuel would be equal. This is because air resistance is hurting when a rocket is trying to gain speed during launch but actually helps when trying to reduce speed for landing. Perhaps a lower thrust mechanism, like an ion engine, could therefore be used to lower the ship to the surface at a safe speed. StuRat 06:17, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Even if aerodynamic heating were not a factor during atmospheric reentry, the thermosphere is about 2,000°C (3,600°F). − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 07:06, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Well, yes, but the air is so thin there that very little heat would be transferred to a descending rocket. StuRat 08:14, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Yes, and the International Space Station has orbited in the thermosphere for years without getting significantly heated, as the main heat transfer mechanism is radiation. You might be interested in project ARCHIMEDES by the German Mars society. They are planning to enter Mars' atmosphere by balloon in 2010. Icek 12:43, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

An object which had a large surface area relative to its mass would not heat up as much as did the Space Shuttle or the Apollo capsule from atmospheric friction. This is why when the most recent Space Shuttle disaster occurred and it broke up, nylon bags with computer equipment inside, a videocamera with a tape of the early reentry, and plastic containers with worms from biology experiments landed intact. MOOSE was an early project to allow an astronaut to reenter with only a shield-like disk, a little expandable foam and a space suit as protection: the kilograms per meter of surface area would have been less than for a normal spacecraft reentering. At 30,000 feet he would have opened a chute. Edison 14:11, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Wirenetting allowing blackbirds, not magpies

Every year, a couple of blackbirds builds a nest by my house. And every year, their young/eggs are eaten by magpies. Although that is the course of nature, I would like to find a way to shield their nests from the magpies. I am thinking about some kind of wire-netting. Do you think this would be feasible? How large should the holes be to allow blackbirds, and not magpies?

Thanks in advance

Søren 83.73.238.25 07:06, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Protein digestion

Can protein form a white substance when becoming digested in the stomach, looking like the white of a cooked egg yolk? Thank you for your help

CorinneQ 07:21, 9 April 2007 (UTC)Corinne Quinones

I would guess yes, as many forms of protein start out looking like that. Besides ovalbumin, there's also chicken and many other sources of protein. StuRat 08:08, 9 April 2007 (UTC)


Thank you very much for your help, I really appreciate you taking the time to answer me StuRat =)

CorinneQ 08:12, 9 April 2007 (UTC)Corinne Quinones

You're quite welcome. StuRat 08:15, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Wake imaging

I am looking for OPEN source material on the subject of " Wake imaging "

That is, the detection of surface or sub-surface craft using Synthetic Aperture Radar.

Rather than open a new subject page, I would be grateful if you could let me know where in Wiki I might find any related data SPECIFICALLY on wake imaging

(I have reviewed the material held on Synthetic Aperture Radar and related discussion on Doppler beam sharpening etc.)

Thanks

Goatman81 09:40, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

I am looking for OPEN source material on the subject of " Wake imaging "

That is, the detection of surface or sub-surface craft using Synthetic Aperture Radar.

The wake of a ship or submarine is the long lasting disturbance in the water caused by its passing.

Rather than open a new subject page, I would be grateful if you could let me know where in Wiki I might find any related data SPECIFICALLY on wake imaging

(I have reviewed the material held on Synthetic Aperture Radar and related discussion on Doppler beam sharpening etc.)

Thanks Goatman81 09:50, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Light pens/light guns

Any idea how does a light pen work?Any what about the GUns that used to come with the video games that can detect the images or moving image that we shoot on the TV??210.212.194.209

Check out light pen--Shantavira 10:46, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
The old NES light gun (NES Zapper) used an interesting method. When you pulled the trigger the screen would be momentarily blanked and white boxes indicating the hit zone for targets would be drawn. The sensing mechanism was a pretty basic photodiode behind some cheap optics in the back of the gun. -- mattb @ 2007-04-09T15:15Z
Dusting off some twenty-year-old memory cells here: I seem to remember that you could cheat by pointing the gun at a light bulb and pulling the trigger. Your description of how the gun worked would explain that. --TotoBaggins 15:19, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
You could also change the optics to make the targets a lot bigger... Like by holding a magnifying glass at the end. -- mattb @ 2007-04-09T15:36Z
That all depends on how stupid the software is/was. As our article describes, real light pens were timing-based devices and identified to the computer the coordinates of the region of the screen that they were pointed at (or, for vector graphics systems, the particular vector object they were pointed at). They'd never have been fooled by stupid light bulb/lens tricks. See Lunar Lander for an example of a light pen in action on a vector graphics system.
Atlant 16:28, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Motion Sensors

How does a motion sensor for games, work? if i start with the controller upside down it knows! is is mercury switches or something else. Also how can games consoles tell were you are pointing light guns, wii nunchuks etc. on the tv? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 84.13.132.232 (talk) 10:31, 9 April 2007 (UTC).

Check out motion sensor.--Shantavira 10:47, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
It depends! There are many ways to realize motion sensors. A lot of modern applications use MEMS accelerometers and gyroscopes. The Wii controllers you refer to both use monolithically integrated MEMS accelerometer chips and a CMOS SoC image sensor: [36], [37] [38]. You could conceivably use some kind of mercury switch scheme, but on top of being bulky, fragile, inaccurate, and unable to really measure acceleration, it might not be a fantastic idea to put a toxic heavy metal into children's toys, especially ones that are going to be thrown around (I'm pretty sure nobody uses mercury switches in thermostats anymore, either). -- mattb @ 2007-04-09T14:18Z
If you are asking about the Wii, the controller does two different things. Firstly, it uses a very low resolution infrared camera to look at two infrared LED's in the little gizmo you put on top of the TV screen. This tells it in absolute terms where it is pointing relative to the TV screen - which is used for 'aiming' games and to move the pointer around when selecting from menus and such. You can prove this by replacing the light bar with two lighted candles about a foot apart! The other sensor is a set of accellerometers that measure the accelleration of the remote. The nunchuck controller only has the accellerometers - no camera. The accellerometers measure how the remote is moving or rotating - but it doesn't know exactly where the controller is positioned - the actual games within Wii sports work just as well with the 'light bar' disconnected - so we know they only use the accellerometers. Different games use that data in different ways so it's hard to explain in detail how they figure out where the controller is. Some of them can't tell whether it's upside down or not.
Light guns work differently. The gun has a light sensor at the end of a long, narrow tube that sees the light from the TV screen. The game console gets a signal whenever the gun sees light. By measuring the amount of time from when the TV screen starts it's raster scan to when the gun sees a blip of light from the screen, the game can figure out where on the screen the gun is aiming. It's hard for the gun to see light coming from black areas of the screen - and you'll notice that games that use light guns don't generally draw large areas of dark pixels. SteveBaker 23:09, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Name that celestial body

So, I've seen a star/planet in the sky a few times over the past month, and I was hoping someone could tell me what it is. I'm in Salt Lake City, Utah, and the object was almost directly due south at about 5 a.m. MDT (23 UTC), and not too far off the horizon, probably about 30 degrees or so. It had a reddish glow/tint, leading me to speculate that perhaps it was Mars, but really that's a pretty baseless guess. I've never been very good at reading various star charts, so I'd appreciate some help. Of course, if you'd also like to "teach a man to fish..." as the saying goes, then feel free to provide me a link and tutelage either on this page or my talk page. Cheers! Eric (EWS23) 12:14, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

It was not Mars, but the much brighter Jupiter. See http://www.fourmilab.ch/yoursky/ for an online starchart program, enter your time and location (5 a.m. is 11 UTC), and look south. The symbol that looks like "4" is Jupiter, and at magnitude -2 it's much brighter than any star.
Mars should also be visible from your location, but you'll have to go to an open field and scan the eastern horizon just before sunrise to see it. --Bowlhover 12:46, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Apologies for the UTC error...that's what I get for being up so early in the morning. Eric (EWS23) 13:27, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Stellarium is the program I use whenever I have a question like this one. It is free and very easy to set up. Once you have it up and running, you can see exactly what the sky looks like from where you are in the world and all the stars, planets and constellations are labelled. Graphically it is the best program of its kind that I have seen, the view is very clear and easy to use. Vespine 00:10, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Dyssomnia vs Insomnia

What is the difference between dyssomnia and insomnia? Thanks a whole bunch!!!!58.153.97.57 14:38, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

Try reading our encylopedia articles on dyssomnia and insomnia; you can use the search box on the left side at the top of the page next time. [Mαc Δαvιs] (How's my driving?) ❖ 14:52, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
I agree - read the articles - but briefly, a dissomnia is any kind of sleep disorder - which could be too much sleeping, too little sleeping, inability to control when you sleep...all sorts of things. Insomnia is specifically a problem with getting to sleep or staying asleep. So insomnia is a kind of dissomnia. A specific case of dissomnia might be insomnia but it might be something else. SteveBaker 22:56, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Electric Cas vs not driving

Hi, I dont drive but recently find myself lusting after electric cars. I was wondering, given that normally i take the bus to work (i'm supposed to cycle but everytime i get a puncture it takes me about a month to get round to fixing it), what are the pros and cons environmentally speaking? Some of these cars can apparently do the equivalent of 300 mpg which can't be far off what one person "does" in a bus. Also, is there an argument that if you buy an electric car (which in the UK are extrememly rare) you're both rasing awareness (people see you driving) and help lower the cost of future electric cars, which are obviously both environmental good deeds? So what are our thoughts people - bus vs electric car? I'd love to hear your comments....87.194.21.177 14:58, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

See our article on fuel efficiency in transportation for some numbers. The sort of comparison that you're looking for is probably on the basis of passenger-miles per gallon. Depending the location, age, fuel type, and maintenance, a full-sized city bus in city traffic typically gets an ugly-looking 6 to 10 miles per gallon. However, the same bus holds fifty or sixty passengers. So the same bus, one-third full, positively sips fuel compared to most other vehicles on the road: about a 150 passenger-miles per gallon. Fully loaded (or more, in the morning crush), each gallon of fuel equates to more than four hundred passenger-miles. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 17:07, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
The bus runs whether or not you are riding it, so from a fuel standpoint your ride to work is free. anonymous6494 18:06, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
True, if just one person switches to an electric car, but if thousands do they may cut back on bus lines. Unfortunately, this makes bus service less convenient, causing some former riders to buy old gas guzzler cars. Also, you should consider the entire environmental cost of an electric car, which isn't just the fuel but also the energy used and pollution resulting from production and the inevitable pollution when those old batteries, and eventually the entire car, end up at the junk yard. When you said 300 miles per gallon, are you talking about hybrids ? A fully electric car doesn't burn any gasoline at all, so gets an infinite number of miles per gallon, although that would be an odd way to put it. Many people also neglect to consider the pollution created when the electricity is generated which is later used to run the car. If that electricity is generated in a well-run, modern nuclear power plant, the environmental impact may be slight, while an old, inefficient coal-burning plant may create far more pollution per mile than gasoline does. Keeping all that in mind, I find it unlikely that getting an electric car is better for the planet than riding the bus. StuRat 18:49, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

HI its me again. THe figure thats quoted by smart's new "ev" is that it does the equivalent of 300mpg, judging from the sentence that preceeds it, that seems to be on a cost basis i.e if you charge it at peak times, its costs £0.85/mile - equivalent to 300mpg. I'm not sure the "bus is going to run anyway" is viable thought is it? i mean, people use that just justification for short haul flying- thus implying that their not responsible for the pollution that their "seat" causes. Also, surely the environmental cost of building a bus is fairly substantial? but yes, it does seem that i'm bus bound... boo. (cheers for the figures though, i think thats what i was really asking)87.194.21.177 19:15, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

I'll note that flying may not be as fuel-inefficient as you might think. In the U.S., air travel averaged a fuel consumption of 50.1 revenue passenger-miles per gallon in the third quarter of 2006 [39]; this puts them ahead of most cars driven by a single occupant, and ahead of many cars driven with two passengers. Most aircraft also haul a significant amount of freight in addition to their passenger load. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 19:30, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
That's true for long flights, but for short flights you must also consider the substantial fuel used to get to and from the airport (this should be considered for long flights, too, but it's a less significant factor there). StuRat 22:04, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Chicken or the egg?

I know the chicken or the egg dilemma is usually a philosophical problem, but from a scientific perspective which one actually came first? Heycos 15:09, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

Various creatures have been laying eggs — even bird eggs — long before domestic chickens, or even their immediate wild ancestors, emerged, so I'd say it's a pretty clear-cut case. —Ilmari Karonen (talk) 15:18, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Fair enough, but from an evolutionary biology perspective do we know whether it was the "chicken" egg or the "chicken" which first appeared? Heycos 16:19, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Evolution is mostly a gradual process, so it may not make much sense to define a specific the point at which a "chicken" (for whatever definition of the word) emerged with such precision. However, if we did single out a specific gene mutation as marking the emergence of the modern chicken, then presumably the mutation would have to have occurred in the germ line, since mutations occurring elsewhere don't get passed on to subsequent generations. Conversely, a mutation in the germ line doesn't really get expressed properly until a sex cell carrying the mutation undergoes fertilization to produce, in the case of birds, first an egg, and then a mature individual. So my answer would still be the same: the egg came first. —Ilmari Karonen (talk) 16:51, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
The problem, I think, is that people tend to think of evolution as something which builds up on one species over time, and then all of a sudden a "more modern" species forms. This is what Richard Dawkins calls "the tyranny of the discontinuous mind" in "The Salamander's Tale" of his wonderful book The Ancestor's Tale. Submitting to this tyranny, we begin with a "pre-chicken", which undergoes some mutations over time—but still remains a prechicken—until one of these prechickens lays an egg, and suddenly we have the chicken! I think everyone but the most insane severe fundamentalist would agree that the pre-chicken parents of the first chicken are more closely related to that first chicken than they are to every earlier pre-chicken (except their own parents), and the first chicken is more closely related to its pre-chicken parents than to any subsequent chicken (except its own children). There is no precise point in time where two parents are of one species, and their offspring are of another species. Ever. A species is not a discrete unit, but a continuum of genetic similarity as anagenesis or cladogenesis occur. See ring species and speciation. − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 17:22, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
I agree that the chicken egg came first. Whatever arbitrary definition for a chicken is used (like having 99.9% of genes in common with a selected modern chicken, for example) will lead to that conclusion, because the egg is genetically identical to the resulting offspring, while not necessarily genetically identical to the parents. StuRat 18:36, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Neither or both, and don't let anyone else tell you otherwise. − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 16:11, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
It all depends on how you define "(chicken) egg". What actually makes an egg a chicken egg? If you define "chicken egg" to be a) an object that has been laid by a chicken, then chicken came first. If you define it to be b) an object from where a chicken hatches, then egg came first. You can do the same kind of reasoning with "chicken". --Nitku 17:52, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Doing a search on YouTube, yields two videos with sciencey-conversational analyzations: [40] and [41]. [Mαc Δαvιs] (How's my driving?) ❖ 19:55, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Geomagnetic reversal

Would a pole reversal have any effect on magnetic storage devices? --Cody.Pope 15:52, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

You could test this by yourself: just turn you computer around 180° and see if the operation of the hard disk is affected. (Seriously, field reversals appear to be associated with a weakening of the magnetic field, which might leave the Earth more exposed to stuff like solar flares that might disrupt long distance communications and power distribution (see geomagnetic storm). However, I don't think isolated storage devices on the surface are likely to be significantly affected.) —Ilmari Karonen (talk) 16:24, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
OH MY GOD!!! YOU BASTARD! ALL MY FILES ARE GONE! [Mαc Δαvιs] (How's my driving?) ❖ 17:04, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
SteveBaker 22:43, 9 April 2007 (UTC) .enif tsuj gnikrow si yM !drieW
Sure, but it's a period of increase geomagnetic instability. Not just one reversal, but many over a period of time. But in general I see your point. --Cody.Pope 16:27, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

Agreed, the Earth's magnetic field is so much weaker than the field associated with magnetic storage devices that it wouldn't directly affect such a device. StuRat 18:31, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

More to the point, when it's in use, your disk is spinning at around 10,000 revolutions per minute. From it's point of view, the earth's magnetic field reverses about 300 times each second! SteveBaker 22:47, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Identifying an Ethiopian goat antelope

Can anyone identify the animal in this picture Image:Ethiopian Highlands 01.jpg? I am quite certain it is a member of the Caprinae subfamily, and would tentatively narrow it down to the genus Capra. I checked the Flickr page from which this image was taken, the animals listed at Category:Fauna of Ethiopia, and most of the subfamilies of Bovidae (even coming across this awesome animal), but alas! to no avail. − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 16:02, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Arthritic cat

My cat is almost 18 years old now, and he seems to be rather arthritic, though otherwise perfectly healthy and active. Are there medicines for cat arthritis? Corvus cornix 18:32, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

You'd be best to consult your veterinarian for advice, but yes—there are a number of treatments for osteoarthritis in pets: [42]. Many therapies and drugs are similar or identical to treatments used for humans. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 19:35, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Thanks. I wanted to know if there were any treatments before I took him in to the vet. Corvus cornix 21:36, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Nuclear fuel rod disposal

Why can't we load the fuel rods into a rocket and send it to the sun?? It would seem that the incineration would certainly be complete and there would be no excess radioactivity after the burn. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Baron196 (talk • contribs) 19:29, 9 April 2007 (UTC).

Imagine what would happen if a rocket containing that payload were to explode in the atmosphere. -- mattb @ 2007-04-09T19:39Z
The two chief objections boil down to cost and risk. It is currently very expensive to launch material into space; the price to loft a kilogram of payload to geosynchronous orbit is about twenty thousand dollars; to the sun would be even more. Lofting tons of waste would be an expensive proposition.
Perhaps more difficult to overcome are the concerns about safety. The catastrophic failure of a launch vehicle resulting in an explosion or crash has the potential to spread dangerous radioactive waste over a large area. Appropriately shielding the waste and packaging it to survive such an accident would add greatly to its weight, increasing the costs of launch. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 19:43, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
It is probably more economical to recycle the fuel rods. After you let them cool down you can reprocess them into plutonium and use them again. However, it is probably more economical than that to just throw them in the ground. [Mαc Δαvιs] (How's my driving?) ❖ 19:49, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Nuclear generating plants must already solve the problem of radiation containment. So, there's really little additional cost or risk to having spent rods sitting in storage in these places. If such a place leaks, we've got trouble with or without some extra spent fuel being stored there. Friday (talk) 19:53, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
There are a few reasons why moving nuclear waste to a central repository is better. One is security. While it would be difficult for terrorists to get fuel rods out of an active nuclear reactor, it might be possible for them to steal them from a used fuel rod storage area and make a "dirty bomb" (or just bomb the area where the spent fuel rods are stored). Another reason is that nuclear power plants only have a useful life of a few decades, while the spent fuel rods may remain radioactive for centuries. Rather than keep guards on site for centuries, it makes more sense to move the waste to one site which can be extremely well protected. However, the transportation of nuclear waste poses it's own risks. StuRat 20:48, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
I am still not sure why people worry about terrorists stealing fuel rods from nuclear plants. What?, are they going to pick one up and walk away with it? Even without the security it would be touch to get to it, then how are you going to move it to where you want it? [Mαc Δαvιs] (How's my driving?) ❖ 21:14, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
They could transport them in a lead container. Then again, if they are on a suicide mission anyway, they may not care if they get a fatal dose of radiation. The theft of spent fuel rods would be considerably easier if they have an "inside man", possibly one or more of the security guards. StuRat 21:54, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
I'd be much more worried about a large aircraft being crashed into the spent fuel pool. Not as much of a concern as it was at one time as we no longer store spent cores in that pool forever, but the spent fuel pool is generally not a very well-protected building! --BenBurch 21:45, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Solar disposal might be an option in the future, with advances in rocket thrust and reliability. At present it would take many launches of our largest boosters, and we occasionally see one fail and have to be blown up. Yucca Mountain is the intended location for U.S. nuclear waste to be stored until the radioactivity has decayed over a period of many thousands of years. Political factors and environmental objections have kept the transportation of spent fuel on hold, until at least 2017. Meanwhile utilities continue to store nuclear waste in pools or casks. Some of these are located near large cities and/or important sources of fresh water. In the worst case, they are stored at decomissioned nuke plants, with guards whose only duties are to watch the otherwise unmanned plant. The spent fuel could be reprocessed and used in a breeder reactor but that would involve plutonium. In the U.S. there are thousands of functional nuclear weapons, so the presence here of additional plutonium might not be as alarming as in countries which have not so far chosen to build nuclear weapons. Edison 03:01, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Measurements

Would someone knowledgeable please explain liquid measurements ending as follows:

mg ml mcg

The question is in regard to liquid vitamin B12. I am totally confused even after searching - Wikipedia and the internet in general.

Thank you, LM —The preceding unsigned comment was added by LiterateMuse (talk • contribs) 19:42, 9 April 2007 (UTC).

mg is a milligram (one-thouandth of a gram); ml (properly written mL) is a milliliter (one-thousandth of a litre; thirty mL is about one fluid ounce); mcg (also μg) is a microgram (one-millionth of a gram). Presumably, the packing specifies the concentration of the vitamin in the liquid solution in units of mass (mg or μg) per unit of volume (mL). Given that information, you can convert a desired mass of vitamin B12 into an equivalent volume of B12 solution. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 19:48, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Tarpan fact check

I find this edit somewhat suspicious, and both it and the article before it are contradicted by the IUCN, which makes reference to a Novak 1999 I have not been able to find. Could someone please help sort this out? --Tardis 20:42, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

...it is known from authoritative sources that the last remaining tarpan mare was killed in 1876 on the Agaimany pod, in the region of the present Askaniya-Nova, or Chapli preserve.(Berg, L.S. (1950) Natural Regions of the U.S.S.R, p. 107)

They were hunted and exterminated, the last tarpan having been killed around 1860 in the steppe north of the Black Sea.(Dobzhansky, Theodosius (1955) Evolution, Genetics and Man, p. 197)

Those are old sources, so i don't know how much faith to place in them. Also note that the redlist link states: "The last known wild individual died in Ukraine in 1879", which would not conflict w/ a later date for the last specimen.—eric 22:11, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Terminal velocity of a droplet

Hi

I'm trying to find out what the terminal velocity of a 10uL droplet of water would be at ~1atm. Terminal velocity gives an equation to calculate it, but I don't know what the drag coefficient of this droplet would be. And I'd just be guessing on the cross sectional area. Does anyone have any insights to this, or an emprical measure of the terminal velocity of a 10uL drop of water?

Thanks for your help.

Aaadddaaammm 23:36, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

Conveniently, someone's done the measurements. The abstract is here, follow the link on that page to get to the PDF. 10 μL of water weighs 10 mg, or 105 104 μg. Using their tables on the fourth page of the paper, they give a terminal velocity of 7.65 meters per second. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 23:59, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
That should be 104 μg (but the terminal velocity is correctly looked up). By inverting the formula the drag coefficient can be calculated , it is 0.5. Icek 00:16, 10 April 2007 (UTC)
Oop, you're right. Typo fixed. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 01:15, 10 April 2007 (UTC)
Thank you, that paper is very useful. But, now I'm not sure if the drop will be at terminal velocity - it's only fallen 3m - and they say that "the largest drops" (they go up to 100uL) take 12m to reach terminal velocity. Do you have any hints for calculating the velocity after falling only 3m? Aaadddaaammm 01:24, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] motorola razor v3

hi! how can I download a song to my motorola razor v3 (which is not an mp3 player ) from the internet? and set it as a ringtone? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 75.69.195.133 (talk) 02:44, 10 April 2007 (UTC).

The easiest way is via Bluetooth. Your carrier is also important, if you have Verizon then you need to go through them, for example, while a Cingular customer would be able to bluetooth it to their phone directly without having to do anything wacky like reflashing the firmware. - CHAIRBOY (☎) 02:46, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Control that Oscar Meyer..

Can preventing yourself from masturbation or sex cause you to be more aggressive or energetic? PitchBlack 02:56, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] yes

I was just watching the movie Jesus Camp, and noticed something a bit strange. Many of the children (and some of the adults) have extremely dilated pupils, like they were on MDMA or something like that. One of my friends recently became a born again christian, and I noticed the same thing happening to him... huge dilated pupils. When people feel this way, I'm thinking it must be the body releasing endorphins that make them feel that way, which allows them to feel like jesus is inside of them, and that leads to the dilated pupils. Has anyone else noticed this, or have any thoughts on it? 128.61.52.213 03:11, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

Didn't you ask this question before? Splintercellguy 03:13, 10 April 2007 (UTC)
In a word, "yes". On 8 April. JackofOz 03:16, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Time Dilation

According to special relativity, an observer moving with respect to a clock will observe the clock running slower, i.e., the clock will be subject to time dilation. However, I have some trouble conceptually with this... Here's an example:

If two space ships are moving toward each other at velocities that are a substantial fraction of c, an observer in either ship will observe time dilation in the other ship. I.e., Observer A in Ship A will observe time dilation (time slowing down) for Ship B, and Observer B in Ship B will observe time dilation for Ship A.

However, if Ship A and Ship B were to slow down and dock together (both slowed equally), which observer would have aged more?

To my understanding, both would have perceived the other passing through less time, and it seems that observer A would think observer B is younger, while observer B would think observer A is younger. That's paradoxical, and I don't think it's right. Which would have aged more? Jolb 03:43, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

I think you're describing the Twin paradox. It's a thought experiment that has one of two twins travel some distance at the speed of light, and the other stay behind on earth. When the space-traveling twin returns, he will not have aged much, whereas the earth twin will. The (false) paradox arises when we consider that velocity is relative, and we could just as easily have considered the spaceship to stand still, and the earth to move away at the speed of light, causing the space-faring twin to age faster. The resolution lies in the fact that the space faring twin accelerates, which is not relative (even with his eyes closed the twin can feel the spaceship accelerate, while the twin on earth can't feel the earth accelerating backwards). The acceleration of the spaceship changes the reference frame of the twin causing his time to move faster, relative to earth. risk 04:26, 10 April 2007 (UTC)
Your understanding is correct. They both see the other's time as moving slower. If they slow down, then they would be accelerating, and what happens there is complicated and not covered by special relativity (I think). --Spoon! 04:32, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Language & Grammar

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[edit] April 4

[edit] The Oath - Frank E. Peretti

I am having to write a paper for my night school class, based off of the book I have been reading, which is Frank E. Peretti's - "The Oath." In beginning my paper, I have tried to find and introduction to write, can you please help me further understand what a possible introduction, could be in this fictional book?

What exactly are you supposed to be writing about? Just a book report?? -Elmer Clark 04:59, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

Well, you need to get some basic info out of the way first, like the name of the book and author, year published, etc. Next you can briefly describe the genre of the book (sci-fi ?), setting (location, time), and perhaps a few main characters. That should about do it for the intro. StuRat 20:01, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Need an English word for this definition

Definition: Inappropriately dignified treatment of the commonplace. What is the word? NoClutter 02:27, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

"An incongruous combination of high and low" could be bathos; a more artful use of a high style to treat a low subject could be parody. Wareh 03:19, 4 April 2007 (UTC)
Affectation, grandiosity, pomposity, pretension, ostentation, portentousness. Any of these might fit the bill to a greater or lesser extent. --Richardrj talk email 11:29, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

"Exalt", "glorify", "aggrandize", "enshrine", "boost", "elevate", "lift", "promote", "raise", "upgrade", "uplift", "heighten", "idealize", "romanticize", "canonize", "deify", "acclaim", "extol", "laud", "praise". StuRat 19:56, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

Those refer to "dignified treatment", but most don't cover "inappropriately" or "commonplace", StuRat. Jfarber 21:36, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Russian

I've been trying to find the translation of 'спрус'. Doing a google search in wikipedia, I deduced that it is a last name, Sprouse. Is this correct? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 68.231.151.161 (talk) 04:54, 4 April 2007 (UTC).

Yes, you could transliterate "Cпрус" as "Sprouse" -- it'd be a little unconventional, but surnames don't always follow the rules of transliteration. It's probably not a Russian surname, more likely Sprouse is the original name, and it's transliterated into Russian, and not the other way around. --JayHenry 05:47, 4 April 2007 (UTC)
I think "Spruce" would better convey the pronunciation. For me, "Sprouse" rhymes with cows. —Angr 05:52, 4 April 2007 (UTC)
Yes, "Cпрус" would rhyme with Moose. But I doubt it's a Russian word or name at all. "Sprouse" is likely the real name, and "Cпрус" is just a Russian approximation, therefore, when translating back into the Roman Alphabet, you return to the original spelling. --JayHenry 05:56, 4 April 2007 (UTC)
Unless it's the name of a person whose family moved to Russia some generations ago and have become thoroughly Russianised but without going so far as to Russianise their name to, say, Спрусов. In such a case, Спрус should be transliterated according to whatever transliteration system you're using. Not sure how you'd know whether that's the case or not, though. Btw, there's no such word as спрус in the Oxford Russian-English dictionary - the closest words are спрут (octopus) and спрос (demand). JackofOz 06:42, 4 April 2007 (UTC)
For what it's worth, Russian Wikipedia's article on Big Daddy transliterates the actors Dylan and Cole Sprouse to Дилан Спрус and Коул Спрус . And the article on West Virginia transliterates the state's highest point Spruce Knob to Спрус-Ноб. ---Sluzzelin talk 09:27, 4 April 2007 (UTC)
Some people pronounce "Sprouse" like "Spruce".[43]. Perhaps that also applies to the Sprouse brothers.  --LambiamTalk 10:44, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] French

How does this go in English ?

C'est dans un temple du Dieu de l'Evangile, c'est dans l'Eglise de ces religieux appelés Jacobins, que Mirabeau appelle tous les adeptes des Loges Parisiennes. C'est là qu'il s'établit avec ces mêmes hommes qui composaient son club Breton. La horde des Frères conjurés se hâte de le suivre. Dès cet instant, le temple n'est plus connu dans l'histoire de la révolution que sous le nom de Club; le nom de ces anciens Religieux, qui jadis faisaient retentir des louanges du Dieu vivant, passe à la horde même qui en fait l'école de ses blasphèmes & le centre de ses complots. Bientôt l'Europe entière ne connaît les chefs & les acteurs, les promoteurs, les admirateurs de la Révolution Française, que sous ce même nom de Jacobins. La malédiction une fois prononcée sur cette dénomination, il était juste en quelque sorte qu'elle dît à elle seule, tout ce qui existait de Sophistes de l' impiété, conjurés contre Dieu & son Christ, de sophistes de la rebellion, conjurés contre Dieu & les Rois, de sophistes de l' anarchie, conjurés contre toute société —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 69.157.226.53 (talk) 08:26, 4 April 2007 (UTC).

If you don't need a polished translation: It is in a temple of the God of the Gospels, in the Church of these friars called Jacobins, that Mirabeau calls all the followers of the Parisian Loges together. It is there that he established himself with these very men who formed his Club Breton. The horde of the conspiring Brothers hastens to follow him. From this moment on, the temple is only known in the history of the revolution by the name of Club; the name of these former Friars, who formerly made the praise of the living God resound, passes on to the horde, which even turns it into the school of its blasphemies & the center of its complots. Soon, all of Europe only knows the leaders & the actors, the promoters, the admirors of the French revolution, by this same name of Jacobins. Once the curse had been pronounced on this appellation, it was in some sense fair that it only applied to itself, all of it consisting of Sophists of impiety, conspiring against God & his Christ, sophists of the rebellion, conspiring against God & the Kings, sophists of anarchy, conspiring against all of society. From Google Translate, with a few touch ups.  --LambiamTalk 12:36, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Linguistica.

Nel passaggio fra termini simili di varie lingue europee, si rileva abbastanza spesso uno scambio fra le lettere "B" e "V". (ora mi viene in mente il "basilico" in greco, oppure il termine marinaro "mettere le vele a riva" che vuol dire issare le vele ,vedi lo spagnolo "arriba"). Da cosa deriva questa intercambiabilità ? Graziepaolo de magistris 16:28, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

The /b/ sound is a plosive consonant, while the /v/ sound is a fricative consonant. It is very common for plosives to become fricatives through a process called lenition. It has happened in the history of both Greek and Spanish. —Angr 16:38, 4 April 2007 (UTC)
(Il suono di /b/ è una consonante occlusiva mentre il suono di /v/ è una consonante fricativa. E molto normale per occlusive di diventare fricative per un processo che si chiama lenizione. É successo così nella storia di entrambe la lingua greca e la lingua spagnola.) —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Sluzzelin (talk • contribs) 16:52, 4 April 2007 (UTC).

[edit] Which is correct?

Which is more correct... "Turn for the worse" or "Turn for the worst"? We have been having a big debate for a few minutes now on which one is more grammatically correct. Thanks a million!!! --Zach 18:14, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

I've always heard it as "(taking a) turn for the worse". The Cambridge International Dictionary of Idioms (1998) agrees with me. Jfarber 18:40, 4 April 2007 (UTC)
Well, I've googled both and Turn for the worse gets 24,500,000 hits while Turn for the worst gets 35,000,000, so it looks like more people are using the latter. Also used a dictionary for both:
  • Worse: more unpleasant, difficult or severe than before or than something else that is also bad.
  • Worst: of the lowest quality, or the most unpleasant, difficult or severe.
I'd have gone with worst as it is often used in similar examples: He is my worst enemy, the worst meal I've ever eaten, etc.
Worse is used more is sentences like If the rain gets any worse we'll have to stop walking. But this one throws me off again: The heat is much worse in the daytime. So, in conclusion, I don't know. Think outside the box 19:52, 4 April 2007 (UTC)
You have to search for the complete phrase. Searching without quotes around the phrase just finds pages that have the words "turn" and "worse" or "worst" in them. "Turn for the worse" gets 1,020,000 results [44] and "Turn for the worst" gets only 179,000, [45], a ratio of more than 5 to 1 in favor of the former. Nohat 20:17, 4 April 2007 (UTC)
Interestingly, equivalent Google News searches, which has results consisting mostly of professionally-edited sources, the ratio is even higher, at almost 20 to 1. This leads me to believe that the form "turn for the worst" is a low-frequency accidental permutation (an eggcorn) of the original idiom "turn for the worse". Nohat 20:27, 4 April 2007 (UTC)
From the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary: "take a turn for the better/worse". I've never heard "turn for the worst" and would personally regard it as a minor error, the kind of slip native speakers often make. It's rarer to use "turn for the better", which might more easily be altered to "turn for the best" by analogy with "hope for the best". However, Google produces a 20:1 trend favouring "better". While Google books is only 4:1, most "turn for the best" are false positives like "where to turn for the best advice". Compare also "if/when worse/worst come(s) to worst" where the Random House Dictionary of the English Language says "worst comes to worst" is the original while the Columbia Guide to Standard American English surmises "worse comes to worst" might be the original. jnestorius(talk) 22:55, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Toponymic names in Irish?

How would you say in Irish that a person is from a particular location? I've looked up the word for "from" - which is as according to Wiktionary. I'm trying to figure out how to construct a name based on a person's origin (something that generally doesn't appear in Irish names, since most Irish surnames are patronymic in origin); so say if I wanted to translate the name "Michael of Derry" into Irish. Would that be "Mícheál as Doire"? If not, could you please explain? Thank you very much for your time. --Brasswatchman 21:44, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

Hmm... The way to say "Michael is from Derry" is Is as Doire é Mícheál, but I've never encountered names of the "Robin of Locksley"/"Joseph of Arimathea" format in Irish. The closest I can think of is names like Mac Lachlainn "son of Scandinavia" and Breatnach "Welshman", but of course those are used for people whose ancestors were from outside Ireland, not from a town in Ireland. —Angr 04:59, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Thank you again for your help, Angr. A quick follow-up question: I'm assuming that the Breat part of Breatnach is related to Briton; so that should mean that nach is equivalent to "man" or "of somewhere," right? So maybe you could get away with Doirenach in the example I described? Thanks. --Brasswatchman 15:25, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Well, the breatn- part is related to Briton, and -ach is a suffix (cf. Francach "Frenchman"). But it's not so productive that you can automatically add it to anything; I don't know how to say "Dubliner" in Irish, but I'm pretty certain it isn't "Baile Átha Cliathach". So I wouldn't assume that Doireach is Irish for Derryman without evidence. —Angr 15:33, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Right. Oh, well. Thank you for your help again. I really appreciate it. --Brasswatchman 21:38, 5 April 2007 (UTC)


[edit] April 5

[edit] quick documentation of wiki

i'm doing a project and i used wiki.. i am wondering how to write a proper bibliography for a website. what is the proper way to write one for wikipedia? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 63.165.212.181 (talk) 00:39, 5 April 2007 (UTC).

Check out Wikipedia:Citing Wikipedia. --TotoBaggins 02:10, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] pre-SSR: "Belorussia" vs. "Byelorussia" in US English

Query posted on the Belarus discussion (Talk) page: I need to know the preferred spelling in US English for this region's name when it was part of Imperial Russia. Is there a particular etymology for either of these variants that indicates which might be the more authoritative? -- Thanks, Deborahjay 05:44, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

The choice has nothing to do with etymology, but purely reflects different ways of transliterating the Cyrillic into the Latin alphabet. The traditional name in Russian is Белоруссия (note the letter о, unlike the Belarusian name Беларус), in which the single letter "е" is pronounced like /jɛ/, or English "ye". There have always been different methods for the romanization of Russian, some of which would render Russian "е" like Latin "e", others like Latin "ye". For geographic names the currently common BGN/PCGN system is a standard (adopted both by the United States Board on Geographic Names and by the Permanent Committee on Geographical Names for British Official Use), and the choice (which is context-dependent) made here, following a consonant, it just "e". The system is not entirely rational; since "э" is also romanized as "e", there is no easy way back (the system is not "round trip"), and in the similar cases of ю and я the transliterations are always "yu" and "ya". In any case, its use is official policy on Wikipedia. So, for example, we also write "Belorechensk", and likewise it should be "Belorussia". (Not everyone is always happy with this policy.) See the end of this page for more on the etymology.  --LambiamTalk 08:08, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Postscriptum. Actually, following the BGN/PCGN rules, it should be "Belorussiya". Now that is a fairly uncommon spelling. In Google hits:
  • Byelorussia: about 827,000
  • Belorussia: about 1,420,000
  • Byelorussiya: about 377
  • Belorussiya: about 13,100
 --LambiamTalk 08:20, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
In the days of Imperial Russia, the region in question was probably most commonly called White Russia in English anyway. I think Belorussia or Byelorussia was the usual English name in the days of the USSR, and Belarus has predominated since independence in 1990/91. —Angr 08:21, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
(Remark drafted prior to edit conflict):My question's specificially about the pre-SSR name. The translated term "White Russia" may indeed have been an historical usage in US English (though perhaps not exclusively of "Byelorussia"), as W.R. appears in the Random House unabridged dictionary with the definition: Byelorussia. However, some of the argument of that page indicates that the term may have a bogus quality I'd do well to avoid, as my text is for a museum exhibit. So I'm following Lambiam's lead to represent the name in transliteration from the local language of the period. -- Deborahjay 09:27, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
List of country names in various languages has: "Belorussia or Byelorussia (former English), Belorussiya - Белоруссия (Russian)". The choice seems to be (apart from the English name used then) between the English name commonly used now for the region then (where there are two contenders of about equal frequency), and the transliteration of the Russian name.  --LambiamTalk 08:53, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
It seems to me the question is not about how Белоруссия should or should not be transliterated today, but what English speakers actually called the region in 1886. I think it's more a history question than a language question. I agree with Angr, and I'd be surprised if it wasn't simply generally called "White Russia" back then. JackofOz 09:23, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
See above remark regarding rejection of the translated name for my purposes. -- Deborahjay 09:27, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
For a museum exhibition, you might just say something like "in what is today Belarus". Using either "Belarus" or "B(y)elorussia" in a reference to an 1886 event is an anachronism. Also, as I comment at Talk:Belarus, there wasn't an administrative unit corresponding to Belarus/Byelorussia/White Russia at the time. —Angr 09:46, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
That's our practice for explanatory texts (such as in the online archives) where space is not at a premium. However, to remain within the style and space limitations of the exhibit display, using an historical form of the region's name (coupled with a date in the 19th Century) suits the purpose just fine. -- Thanks, Deborahjay 10:21, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Well, the least anachronistic historical form of the region's name in English is "White Russia". —Angr 11:21, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Persian alphabet

If anyone has a second for my little question, what I was trying to find out was whether there is a difference in pronunciation between the following groups of letters in Persian/Farsi:

  • se, sin, sad
  • ze, za, zad
  • te, ta

Does each group have the same pronunciation (i.e. /s/, /z/, /t/, respectively)? Thanks in advance! --Dpr 17:41, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

According to our articles Persian alphabet and Persian phonology, the letters on each line are indeed homophonic. For /z/ you even have a quadruplet: you can add the letter zal to it.  --LambiamTalk 18:44, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Chinese character number 1

Image:Chinese character charm number 1.jpg

Can you tell me the meaning of this Chinese character before I make it into a charm? Thanks. Nebraska bob 18:21, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

It means number.
  • In Chinese: 数
  • In Japanese: 数
  • In Korean: 數
The Korean version is the most conservative in this case. --Kjoonlee 20:09, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] onery

What is the etiology of the word "onery?" I have to assume that since it isn't in wikipedia that it existed before the beginning and human understanding of the word has been as inherent to our selves as remembering to breathe while we sleep. Please help. ^^^^

Assuming you have the same word on'ry, ornery, etc., in mind, your question was answered recently. See: Wikipedia:Reference_desk/Archives/Language/2007_March_28#Lonesome.2C_On.27ry_and_Mean. Wareh 20:38, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Is etiology the right word here? It kinda works - in its meaning as cause - but did the questioner mean etymology? Adambrowne666 04:28, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
The etiology of a word could be the circumstances that led to its coming into use; more obviously applicable to loanwords. —Tamfang 00:40, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Pertaining to Linguists/Speech Pathologists

I hope this doesn't go under miscellaneous. I'm an instructor who is teaching an intro spanish/english phonetics course in the coming weeks, and I'd love to be able to direct my students to websites where they can download a font that would allow them to type in IPA, thereby making their homeworks easier. I've always used the symbol mode of microsoft word, and it proves tedious and frustrating. Does anyone know of a place where these fonts can be downloaded for free, or even a good program to use? I'm new to this field of linguistics. Also, I'm sure some students will have macs, is there one for them as well? Will they be mutually intelligable so I can have them submit transcriptions online and I can grade them? Help! (I really appreciate whoever sits around to answer these, it's so helpful)

Pañuelo24.123.234.125 20:49, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

The IPA article has links to online resources for IPA input. If it's fonts you want, the IPA article also links to Doulos SIL, Charis SIL and Gentium. (Get the Unicode versions, not the legacy versions.) My personal favourite is DejaVu Sans. --Kjoonlee 21:32, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
But for printing, I might use Gentium or Doulos SIL. I've been getting very fond of Gentium lately. :) --Kjoonlee

[edit] What is the word origin of "sticks in my craw"?

What is the word origin of "sticks in my craw"?

The word "craw" refers to the crop or stomach, usually of an animal. To "stick in the craw" literally means to get stuck during or following swallowing. This explains why the idiom means "to leave an unpleasant feeling". The word "craw" is related to the Danish word "kro" and the Dutch word "kraag", meaning craw or neck. I'm not sure whether it entered English from Anglo-Saxon or through borrowing from Dutch or Old Norse. Apparently it can be traced to an Indo-European root, *gwrogh, which meant something like "throat" or "gullet". Marco polo 22:00, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
There's an entry on this expression in fossil words by the way Adambrowne666 04:26, 6 April 2007 (UTC)


[edit] April 6

[edit] Chinese character number 9

Image:Chinese character charm number 9.jpg

Can you tell me the meaning of this Chinese character before I make it into a charm? I think it means model or pattern but I'm not sure. Thanks. Nebraska bob 01:37, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

The pinyin is xíng. Here is its wiktionary page. --Cam 01:53, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
I noticed in the definition that the strokes and other criteria were listed. Where can I find a complete list and the patterns for every character? Nebraska bob 02:27, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
A Chinese dictionary? --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 03:32, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Not sure if a standard Chinese dictionary lists the character criteria as the Wiktionary does for my purpose of classification but that's what I need. I also need bitmaps in order to apply a very simple neural networking technique for character recognition. Nebraska bob 03:47, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
I linked to Chinese-Chinese dictionaries. In these, they're sorted by radical, then stroke, then pronounciation. Radicals are sorted by the number of strokes as well. So you would get number of strokes in the radical plus the number of strokes not counting the radical, the same way wiktionary does it. As for bitmaps, paper-based Chinese-Chinese dictionaries obviously won't have that. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 05:44, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
  • Chinese: 技 术 发 电
  • Korean: 技 術 發 電
I'm pretty sure these letters are correct, but I'm a bit curious about the second letter; the top-right point is a Zhuó in your image, but I think it should be a Cè. Eight Principles of Yong.
BTW, the first two letters together mean "technique/technology" and the last two letters together mean "generation [of] electricity". --Kjoonlee 08:58, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
  1. 数
  2. 码
  3. 变
  4. 频
  5. 技
  6. 术
  7. 发
  8. 电
  9. 型

--Kjoonlee 09:15, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

And if you only need a few bitmaps for personal use, then there's Unicode Character Search from FileFormat.Info. They provide bitmaps, SVGs and more.
  1. 数
  2. 码
  3. 变
  4. 频
  5. 技
  6. 术
  7. 发
  8. 电
  9. 型
--Kjoonlee 09:32, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

The character editor in the program Learn Chinese by Jerome Dangu offers character recognition capability but produces extremely varied results based on extremely minor difference in input.

The character recognition approach I’m using is intended to recognize characters which have been recreated from hand drawn characters by pasting preformed strokes. A list of uniform strokes is therefore required for character recreation by method of pasting uniform strokes.

Once hand written characters are duplicated in this manner the program can attempt to recognize the character by simply assessing multiple two dimensional attributes of the character within each cell; each character being overlaid with a logical grid of cells. If stroke direction is indicated by the width of the ends of a stroke, for instance, then stroke direction will be used by the program as an attribute. Likewise any two dimensional difference within a cell can be used as an attribute by the program. A uniform stroke set used in this way to recreate hand drawn characters makes analysis by the program much easier and accurate. The program does not yet have the ability to slide characters around within the grid or change their size or orientation.

Nebraska bob 13:30, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

Err, maybe you'd want to ask at the Computing Desk instead..? :) --Kjoonlee 19:45, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

In Windows XP, it should be possible to use Microsoft's character recognition. Just install a support pack for any CJK language, switch to East Asian script via the IME, click on "Pad" and then "Handwriting". Wikipeditor 11:49, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Japanese lyrics translation

I need some help translating these Japanese song lyrics "dareka o suki ni naru, fushigi na kanjou o,dou sureba ii no ka saeyoku wakaranai yo". Sorry I only have the romaji! --Candy-Panda 12:21, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

Not an exact translation, but I recognize some of the words. It says that when you like/love someone, you get strange feelings and you don't know what to do. I wonder what saeyoku means. --Kjoonlee 12:37, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
I think it should be sae yoku, so the translation is more like if only I knew what to do. --Auximines 13:00, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
It means "When I start to love someone, I don't even know what to do about these feelings I'm not used to". 'Sae' serves to intensify or emphasize the words that come before.CCLemon-ここは寒いぜ！ 19:54, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

Arigato gozaimashita! ^^ --Candy-Panda 06:15, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] F

What is the earliset (known) instance of someone speaking the F word? As in, when did it become a part of the english language?Cuban Cigar 13:29, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

Because people regard the word as a taboo (as you show by referring to it as "the F word"), we can be sure that it was spoken in English long before our first record of it in print, which is in the poetry of William Dunbar, 1503 ("Be his feiris he wald haue fukkit"). By 1535, the OED can give us a sentence that could still be spoken today: "Bischops..may fuck thair fill and be vnmaryit." Wareh 13:51, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
We actually have an article, Fuck, which discusses the etymology of the word. Its origins are quite ancient. The word is older than the English language, as it was part of Proto-Germanic. So it became a part of the English language at the same time as the English language came into being. Marco polo 14:13, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

Lol it seems they have everything on wikipedia-thanks all.Cuban Cigar 07:46, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] root words in arabic

82.42.72.5 15:00, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

How do I work out a root word in arabic?

I have been trying to figure out the root of الايامى I thought it may be AYM, but this is the plural of the word, so would i need to know the singlular then find the root? Would it make a difference?

Thank you.

As a beginner, I find a good dictionary very helpful, but it still takes me a lot of flipping back and forth to find the roots. I know that الايام (without the yaa at the end) means "the days" so maybe this is from the root YWM. --Cam 16:11, 6 April 2007 (UTC)


So the singular of "ayama" is "yawma"?

I believe it's "yawm".CCLemon-ここは寒いぜ！ 23:59, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] 发 电 型

Is there a better translation than "brushless electric type" for 发 电 型 ? Nebraska bob 16:23, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

"发电" means "electricity generation" so "发电型" would probably be "type of electricity generation". --Cam 16:42, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
I'm not sure that phrase is in popular or common usage. All my dictionaries do not include it. - SpLoT // 17:26, 6 April 2007 (UTC)


The photos of the actual characters have slight differences to the unincode text. Perhaps the difference holds a different meaning:

Image:Chinese character charm number 7.jpgImage:Chinese character charm number 8.jpgImage:Chinese character charm number 9.jpg

Nebraska bob 20:17, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
发电型 probably means "electricity-generating type". --Kjoonlee 20:24, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Google translate agrees. What would be the characters for "electricity-using type"? Nebraska bob 22:18, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
The Korean way of saying that would be 非發電型. 非发电型, or non-"electricy-generating" type. --Kjoonlee 23:02, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Google translation is: 电力用型 Nebraska bob 23:17, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Putting all characters together in listed order: 频 技 术 发 电 型 数 码 变 Google gives: "Power-frequency technology, several code changes" which makes no sense to me at all. Nebraska bob 23:23, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

数码变 is probably related to cameras or zooming. Try a Google image search. --Kjoonlee 00:22, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

Wow! That is amazing. A Google image search reveals there are literally hundreds of possibilities. Nebraska bob 00:41, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Errrr, that's nothing. Just try a Google image search for "set". (j/k) --Kjoonlee 01:33, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Digital zoom? 数码 seems to mean digital, judging from zh:数码照相机. 照相机 means camera. --Kjoonlee 00:31, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
So it would be more like "frequency technology electricity-generating type digital zoom". --Kjoonlee 00:33, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Here is another translation after removing spaces between characters and inserting a extra space between #6 and 7..."...Digital variable frequency power generation technology..." Could this be "...frequency (phase) modulated digital power generation technology..."? If so it might make a little more sense. Nebraska bob 02:00, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Even better is "...Variable-frequency generation digital technology ..." found by puting #7-9 characters first followed by #1-6, i.e, 数码变 频技术发电型 Nebraska bob 02:04, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Errr, machine translation can't be trusted very much... What was the actual original order of the letters anyway? BTW, Chinese (Classical Chinese, anyway) doesn't use spaces. --Kjoonlee 07:02, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
The order can only be determined from the meaning of the characters since they were inscribed on a ring or circle perimeter with the center of 7-9, 180 degrees opposite the center of 1-6. The order with 7 first seems to provide the best (computer) transalation and less so if the space between 9 and 1 is removed, i.e., 数码变频技术发电型 "Frequency - generation digital technology" versus 数码变 频技术发电型 which gives "Variable-frequency generation digital technology" that better describes the function, although 可变相位代数字技术 which results in "variable-phase generation digital technology" would be more precise depending upon what the statement is actually refering to. Nebraska bob 22:37, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Old Egyptian language

What language did Amenhotep III speak?

Since this pharaoh lived in the 14th century BCE, he most likely spoke Middle Egyptian.  --LambiamTalk 20:41, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Translation from German to English

Could you please translate this paragraph from your website, as it is about a part of my family I have been looking for for many yearsStormiegri 23:00, 6 April 2007 (UTC) The following is copied from this website and pasted hereStormiegri 23:00, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

Die Magdalena Farmwald odder die Magdalena Fordewald waar en Amischfraa ass gewuhnt hot in Strasbourg, Alsace. Sie iss zu Amerikaa kumme in 1847. Sie iss kumme mit ihrer Schweschder die Elizabeth Farmwald unn mit ihrem Buh, der Jacob Farmwald. Die Magdalena hot welle noch Amerikaa geh eb ihre Buh Military-Age waar. Sie waare uff em See fer sex Woche. Sie hot fimf Schweschder ghatt. Sie waare die Elizabeth, die Barbara, die Fannie, die Katie unn die Mary. Mir weese nix meh baut die Fannie, die Katie unn die Mary. Es iss meeglich ass sie gesettelt hot in Holmes Kaundi, Ohio, awwer mir iss net schur

Thank you stormiegriStormiegri 23:00, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

Well, it not really (modern) German, but I give it a try:
Magdalena Farmwald, or Magdalena Fordewald was an Amish woman that lived in Strasbourg, Alsace. She came to America in 1847. She came with her sister, Elizabeth Farmwald, and with her son Jacob Farmwald. (incomprehensible sentence here). They were on sea for six weeks. She had five sisters. They were Elizbeth, Babera, Fannie, katie and Mary. We don't know anything about Fannie ,Kathie and Marry. It's possible they settled in Holmes Kaundi (county?), Ohio, but I'm not sure.

-85.212.33.33 00:18, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

My guess for the "incomprehensible sentence" is "Magdalena wanted to go to America because before her son was military age". I should point out it isn't written in Standard German, but rather Pennsylvania German (it comes from the Pennsylvania German Wikipedia at pdc:Magdalena Farmwald). At any rate, Holmes County, Ohio is right; it's a county with a very high proportion of Amish residents. —Angr 05:33, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Eb here means "before".  --LambiamTalk 10:54, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Thanks! I've corrected my translation accordingly. —Angr 11:30, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
The language in question looks like Luxembourgeois to me.ScouseMouse - スカウサーUK! 21:33, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
It is a direct quote from the Pennsylvania German Wikipedia; see pdc:Magdalena Farmwald. —Angr 22:02, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Where Pennsylvania German is the same as "Pennsylvania Dutch" – Dutch here has nothing to do with the language of the Netherlands and part of Belgium, but means Deutsch, i.e., German.  --LambiamTalk 22:05, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] April 7

[edit] Latin phrase

Sir Thomas Bodley, in one of his many letters to Thomas James, the first librarian of the Bodleian, quotes this Latin proverb: "Ad pauca respicientes de facili hallucinator." Can anyone provide a rough translation? Babrahamse 06:59, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

I think it is a variation on a saying ascribed to Aristotle, which in Latin is: Ad pauca respicientes de facili enunciant. I think (but am not too sure of my translation) that this roughly means "They speak with ease about (a) few things." I don't have a Latin dictionary here, and all online dictionaries that I know of are unreachable right now. In the variant, instead of "They speak", read "I dream". The Latin master is quoted by Fortescue in his Governance of England.[46] He provides the following explanation in English, which does not truly aid my understanding: thai that see but few thynges, woll sone say thair advyses. I think I'm better in understanding a translation into Russian found here: "They understand too little, but too easily give advice". I cannot quite match that with the Latin, in particular the word "understand". If respicientes refers to the subject of enunciant, then the grammatically required agreement in number is not obeyed in the Bodleian variation.  --LambiamTalk 10:41, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Hallucinator doesn't mean "I dream", hallucinor/alucinor does. It could be a misprint for hallucinatur, or, to agree with respicientes, hallucinantur. —Angr 12:03, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Hallucinator could be the agent noun (nominative singular) derived from the verb. The verb (apparently more often spelled with a single "l" in classical Latin, according to what my dictionary says) could also mean "to talk idly", which could be the meaning here... AnonMoos 12:34, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Right. Hallucinator could possibly mean "dreamer", or "idle talker"; however, that does not seem to make sense in the context. As a verb "to talk idly" fits with "say thair advyses" / "give advice", and could possibly be simply an alternative translation of the (to me) unknown Greek. I saw that the version with enunciant is also quoted by Gaetanus in a commentary on a work by Aquinas.[47]  --LambiamTalk 12:46, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
I found the original Bodley quote at Google Book Search. It is "Ad pauca respicientes de facili hallucinantur." --Cam 14:09, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Using Google Book Search I found the Greek original in a page of notes in an edition of Governance of England. Unfortunately, the text was scanned at a low resolution and is hard to read; in particular I could not make out the last word. This is what I deciphered: προς ολιγα βλεφαντες, αποφαιναντες ρ??ον. Here we find both verb forms to be agreeing participles. Αποφαινω can mean many things, including "to give an opinion". So altogether we have something like: "Seeing [= understanding] few things [= little], [but] ρ??ον [= eagerly?] giving an opinion". I further found another Latin version with the variant paralogizantur for the last word; presumably this Greek loanword also means something like "to utter" or "to talk (idly)".  --LambiamTalk 18:07, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
The Aristotle passage is De generatione et corruptione 316a9-10 (πρὸς ὀλίγα βλέψαντες, ἀποφαίνονται ῥᾷον). For many more Latin quotations, google pauca respicientes facile. Alucinantur means "talk idly, prate," so it doesn't change at all the meaning of the Latin tag as usually quoted, which is that a narrowness of experience makes it easy to babble forth ignorant proclamations. Oh, and, for Lambiam, there's a place online where you can consult Lewis & Short's Latin dictionary (LSJ too) at lightning speed that is not as precarious as Perseus, etc. Wareh 18:35, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Maybe we should make this the motto of the reference desk :) :(. Thanks for the link.  --LambiamTalk 18:53, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Those interested in the original Aristotelian context should see Joachim's translation (search for "those whom devotion to abstract discussions has rendered unobservant of the facts are too ready to dogmatize on the basis of a few observations"). Wareh 18:40, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

Thank you all, and sorry for the "scribal error." I copied it out of a book into my notebook, because I couldn't check it out. Lambian Wareh's "a narrowness of experience makes it easy to babble forth ignorant proclamations" makes sense in the context of the letter. Babrahamse 21:23, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Pupil, Student, Academic, Scholar

Is there a difference between those four words mentioned above?
Also, is 'anomaly' the antonym of 'normally'? Are they related in some way? Can an elementary school or infant school be considered academia?69.218.220.86 16:47, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

Yes, no, no, no. —Angr 18:07, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Explain why you stated 'no'.69.218.220.86 18:30, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
For the last question, see Academia.
The Greek word nomos means "law" or "rule", and the prefix a- indicates a negation. The word anomaly is a noun. An anomaly is something that "does not fit the rule", in particular a rule or law that is proposed as an abstraction of observed phenomena. You might call four-leaf clover an anomaly, the rule being that clover is three-leaved. See further Anomaly. The corresponding adjective is anomalous, and the adverb is then anomalously. If an observed rule is turned into a norm, then something anomalous is also abnormal – the true antonym of "normal". There is also a word anomie, which also comes from a- + nomos, but it originally meant a situation of lawlessness. The origin of the Latin word norma (whence norm and normal) is unknown, but a relationship with Greek nomos is not particularly likely.
The word scholar has three distinct meanings. The first is similar to academic, but puts more emphasis on learnedness than on institutionalized knowledge transfer. The second is similar to student. The third is someone who has been awarded a scholarship, who may be a scholar already in the first or second sense. Student can also mean: someone who is studying something outside of any regular context. Apart from that, pupil and student mean almost the same, but for differences in use see further Student. You can find out such things yourself in Wikipedia by typing the word in the seeachbox in the left margin and clicking Search. --LambiamTalk 18:45, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Some people say "pupil" should be used for youngsters (say, before high school) and "student" thereafter. A scholar or academic sould be someone like a university professor or researcher. -- Mwalcoff 01:10, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
That's a fair account of current U.S. usage, but certainly "scholar" has often been used appropriately of schoolboys and "pupil" of disciples who only met their masters during adulthood. Wareh 00:09, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] April 8

[edit] iris-out

What does iris-out mean? I can't find a definition even on Google. --Smokizzy 03:05, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

One of the top "iris out" google matches is an explanation of Iris-In/Iris-Out from All Movie Guide. "Iris-out" effectually wipes the full image from the screen by seemingly closing the aperture decreasing the size of the picture on the screen until it becomes a circular point of light, eventually going to black. jnestorius(talk) 03:54, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Thanks! --Smokizzy 04:18, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Punjabi words

What does "Chak De" and "Punjabi Virsa" mean? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 74.14.119.84 (talk) 13:33, 8 April 2007 (UTC).

[edit] Icelandic runes

I know that Younger Futhark was used in Scandinavia, but which variant, specifically, was used in Iceland? Was it the Danish version, or the Norwegian one? --Śiva 18:44, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

According to the article Younger Futhark, it is not clear whether the two variants were really regional variants or whether they were instead functional variants (one for stone, the other for wood). If they were regional variants, it is likely that Iceland would have used the Norwegian one, because during the period of Younger Futhark use (from around 800 until superseded by Medieval runes around 1100), Iceland was part of the sphere of influence of Norway, rather than Denmark. It was settled by Norwegians, and its main connection to the rest of Scandinavia was through Norway. Norway (and its dependency, Iceland), were not united with Denmark until 1397, after the Younger Futhark had passed out of use. Marco polo 14:50, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] To Be or To Have Been... a Brother

Take two brothers, person A and person B, and B is deceased. Why is it that in many languages, as with English, one says that A's brother was B? Why is it that the status of brotherhood between two siblings has to be lost when one dies? Onthologically, wouldn't being a brother once make one be a brother forever, whether alive or dead?--JLdesAlpins 19:52, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

It's precisely because fraternity is permanent that it is not necessary to use the present tense; "B was my brother" implies, not that B is no longer my brother, but rather that B is deceased. OTOH, "B was my husband" could mean either we are divorced or he is deceased; hence "ex-husband" and "late husband" to resolve the ambiguity. jnestorius(talk) 20:44, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Unless we have a major medical breakthrough, being a "late husband" is also rather permanent. So would you say "B was my late husband" rather than "B is my late husband"?  --LambiamTalk 20:55, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
A person's status of being dead is a present and ongoing situation. So I think that when referring to a deceased spouse, one might say "Bob was my husband (but he died three years ago in a freak car-waxing accident)" or "Bob is my late husband." But because a dead person isn't doing much currently, you might also say, "that orbital waxer belonged to my late husband" rather than "that orbital waxer belongs to my late husband." Crypticfirefly 22:43, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Language isn't about logic. Words like "brother" are not mathematical arguments and tenses (and other functional elements or forms) only superficially resemble mathematical operators, mapping logical relationships. There is only a superficial resemblance. In other words, don't expect tenses to act like time indicators relating things in the real world. What happens is that words relay information in a kind of indeterminate way, which is only determined in the brain. The most reasonable way to construe "he was my brother" is that the brother is dead. That's why it works. mnewmanqc 01:15, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
"Bob was my late husband" would suggest resurrection has occurred. Even if she had divorced Bob and he later died, she would still use the present tense to say "Bob is my late ex-husband". JackofOz 01:38, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
All this leaves the question open: when, in admittedly non-logical natural language, is it idiomatic to use the past tense in the copula for deceased subjects. The criterion is apparently not simply the proposed permanence of the relationship given by the predicate, as evidenced by the counter-example of the late husband; in fact, another contributor argues the opposite, but that does not conform to the case of the deceased brother. Two aspects appear to enter: Permanence of the relationship ("P"), and eXplicitness with which the predicate implies that the subject died ("X"). A possible criterion is: mark for past tense unless both P and X. This even explains the resurrection implied by "Bob was my late husband"; since "late" implies X, and the past tense implies NOT(P AND X), we conclude to NOT P: Bob has ceased to be the speaker's late husband. If Bob was still dead, he would still be the speaker's late husband. Therefore, Bob is.  --LambiamTalk 03:36, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
I would never, ever say "Bob is my late husband", except to be sardonic ("Who's this 'Bob' guy who's in all your family pictures?" "'Bob' is my late husband, you ignorant twat.") . I probably wouldn't use "late husband" in this construction at all ("Bob was my husband" is more natural), but if I did I might use "Bob was my late husband" in recounting a story about the past that takes place after my husband died. ("I had to get all of Bob's affairs in order -- Bob was my late husband, you see -- before the marriage with Harry could proceed.") Tesseran 07:07, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
In the phrasing "Bob is/was my late husband", "Bob" is the existing information and there are two pieces of new information, i.e. "husband" and "dead". It's unlikely the listener will be aware of "Bob" and yet unaware of both "husband" and "dead". In those unusual circumstances I think it would be more natural to give the two new items separately, e.g. "Bob was my husband; he passed away 3 years ago".
Lambiam's (and I guess JLdesAlpins's) general question, when does one use the present tense with a deceased subject, is an interesting one: there must be research on this somebody can quote. No doubt this varies considerably between languages. Some English examples with present tense:
  • Bob is deceased. [copula + "dead"]
  • Bob is buried in Mountpleasant. [ metonymy for corpse]
  • Bob is in heaven, he watches over his family and prays for us. [life after death]
  • Bob is sadly missed; he is commemorated by this fountain. [passive]
  • Elvis is my favorite singer. [semantically similar to passive: "was" would imply I've changed my mind]
  • Dickens is always worth rereading. [metonymy for oeuvre]
  • Elvis holds the record for most hit singles, is one of the all-time greats, and never goes out of fashion. [legacy]
And with past tense:
  • Bob was my brother / my husband
  • Bob was six feet tall / Jewish / afraid of spiders
jnestorius(talk) 10:14, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] April 9

[edit] The term blue

Need to find a connection to the word blue via it's definitions. For example the word court can be a court of law, a basketball court, or to court an individual. With all of these you have boundaries, competition, you have rules, there is a code of behavior, I am wondering how to with the use of the word blue find some connections with its' definitions.68.237.12.156 00:19, 9 April 2007 (UTC)≠

Well, this should help some. It gives a list of definitions, and explains at least how the "sad" meaning of "blue" came to be. -Elmer Clark 04:29, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Blue in human culture might help too, but I'm not totally sure I agree with the premise that the definitions of a word are going to necessarily have connections. Recury 20:28, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] What is this German word?

I remember correcting a German person at a conversation only to be met with a reply that sounds like "Act-zol!". Anyone know what it means? --JDitto 04:34, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

Ach so – rather untranslatable (literally "Oh, thus"), but definitely an acknowledgement that they hear what you're saying, and do choose not to contradict you. In English you might say "I see" in the same circumstances.  --LambiamTalk 04:53, 9 April 2007 (UTC).

Ohhh, okay. Thanks Lambiam.--JDitto 05:53, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

Which reminds me of a story. A German woman I know was in Canada visiting her cousin (who spoke no German). Although they spoke English together, little German phrases like ach so crept into her speech. She noticed her cousin looked increasingly uncomfortable, but she couldn't figure out why, until finally he asked in a very hurt tone of voice, "Why is it whenever I say anything, you call me an asshole?" —Angr 07:31, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
I thought that was an urban myth, and something we VERY OFTEN joked about years ago in Japan, where the equivalent is, coincidentally, "Ah, so!". ScouseMouse - スカウサーUK! 00:48, 10 April 2007 (UTC)
Well, maybe it is; I wasn't there in person myself. Still, she told it to me as something that had happened directly to her, not as something that happened to a friend of a friend of hers. —Angr 03:58, 10 April 2007 (UTC)
Hahah, I imagine many things in German come across as insults to those who do not understand. Weiner schnitzel! − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 17:26, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Why do you single out German? Try saying "postalveolar fricative!" to a policeman. By the way, it's Wiener.  --LambiamTalk 18:44, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
There is a good story about a german officer trying to find his way to G6 div. in the UN base at Rheindalen! Anyone who knows the numbers/letters in german can extrapolate for themselves (Walking round a millitary base saying ,where can I find G6'). BTW I agree, it is Ach, so! MHDIV ɪŋglɪʃnɜː(r)d(Suggestion?|wanna chat?) 21:00, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Theater of Cruelty

In the commentary for the Interview with the Vampire DVD, they explain some background for the Theater of Vampires. Apparently, around that time in Paris there actually were theaters that specialized in the low-tech equivalent of horror movies and snuff films. The word they used for these theaters I couldn't quite understand, but it sounded like 'gongignole', and they translated it as Theater of Cruelty. Any idea what the word is? Black Carrot 06:41, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

Grand Guignol. Tesseran 07:00, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Could perhaps also be a nod to Artaud's 'Theatre of Cruelty'. --Shirt58 11:49, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Translating a title into Japanese

My brother is making a video he wishes to title "Pretty Cherry Tree Forest" in Japanese. (I'm just hoping that the translation will include 桜 in it. :P ) My guess is that "cherry tree forest" would be something like 桜森 (sakura mori), but I'm clueless when it comes to describing the forest as being "pretty" (and I obviously don't know if my translation of "cherry tree forest" is correct; I don't speak a word of Japanese :P ).

I would greatly appreciate it if someone could translate Pretty Cherry Tree Forest into Japanese and give me the kanji and the rōmaji. Thank you! :D —OneofThem(talk)(contribs) 16:56, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

"可愛い桜の森" (kawaii sakura no mori) would be the best one, as far as I can see. Notice the addition of 'no' between 'sakura' and 'mori', adding to the rhythm. ScouseMouse - スカウサーUK! 00:40, 10 April 2007 (UTC)
I laughed out loud when I saw this because I had just finished coming up with my own translation. I came up with 綺麗な桜の森 (Kirei na Sakura no Mori). Is that a possible alternative? I know of a j-pop song that uses kirei to describe a sky as being pretty, so I'm pretty sure that it's acceptable. The な (na) was added to convert the quasi-adjective kirei into an adjective, and the の (no) was obviously added to show possession regarding the forest. (Thank you, Wiktionary! If you're right, that is. :P) Thank you for the translation, by the way. :) —OneofThem(talk)(contribs) 01:02, 10 April 2007 (UTC)
I would think "pretty" would be better represented as "kirei", not "kawaii", though I could be wrong. -Wooty Woot? contribs 01:18, 10 April 2007 (UTC)
I'll take your word for it, seeing as your user page claims a ja-3, and I know from memory that kawaii more closely means "cute", and my guess it that it would probably be referring to a person (keeping in mind that I don't speak Japanese at all :P ). If I'm wrong regarding kawaii's usage, then at least I know that my translation is acceptable. :P
I thank you both very much! I may have come up with the translation myself, but you guys validated it. :) —OneofThem(talk)(contribs) 01:36, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] From English to German

What is the German term for a "mover"? That is, a person or company that moves furniture and household goods. For example, "United Van Lines is the largest mover in North America." 66.213.33.2 17:21, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

Hmm... I'm going to go with Möbelspediteur. —Angr 17:42, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
I'd also suggest Umzugsfirma for the company, and Möbelpacker or Packer for the person doing all the lifting necessary to move the furniture. Where I live, we call them Zügelmane, but that's hardly standard German. ---Sluzzelin talk 21:08, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Oh yes, der Möbelpacker from Wie die Karnickel. How could I have forgotten about him?! —Angr 03:55, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Why not "i" or "Me"?

Hi! Um, this might be a weird question to bring up, but I couldn't find the answers anywhere else, and I thought someone here might know. Why do we, (people who use the Latin alphabet) capitalize the nominative first person singular pronoun "I", but not the objective first person singular pronoun "me"? What was the motive, or was it just subconscious? (Also, since I added that bit about "users of the Latin alphabet" above, do other writing systems' grammar rules teach this? Plus, are there some Latin alphabetically based writing systems which don't do this?) —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Kaiilaiqualyn (talk • contribs) 18:12, 9 April 2007 (UTC).

The rule isn't about using the Latin alphabet, it's specific to English. In most (maybe all) other languages that use the Latin alphabet, the first person singular nominative pronoun is not capitalized (unless it's the first word of a sentence, etc.). I suspect the reason it's capitalized in English is because i is such a tiny little letter that's easily overlooked, a whole word that consists of nothing but that letter just doesn't have enough "body" unless it's capitalized. To answer your last question, all of the languages that use the Latin alphabet whose word for "I" I can think of off the top of my head do not capitalize it: German ich, Dutch ik, Danish jeg, French je, Spanish yo, Portuguese eu, Italian io, Irish mé, Scottish Gaelic mi, Welsh mi, and so on. —Angr 18:20, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
In fact, many other languages capitalize the second person: especially the polite/formal pronoun (see T-V distinction); sometimes also the informal pronoun, especially in correspondence. jnestorius(talk) 20:35, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
You will find some discussion on the history of I/Ich's capitalization in Middle English here, including a selected sample of manuscripts and their spelling. ---Sluzzelin talk 21:49, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Fascinating. I fear that in 25 years (or less), we'll no longer be capitalizing the I. It's already on the way out, if internet users have any say in the continuing evolution of our written language. And, like it or not, they do. -- JackofOz 00:46, 10 April 2007 (UTC)
They've gotten to you already, Jack. It's "Internet", with a capital I. Bhumiya (said/done) 01:40, 10 April 2007 (UTC)
since when  :) JackofOz 01:42, 10 April 2007 (UTC)
a better question perhaps is until when —Tamfang 02:06, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] English to Chinese

Could some kind RD denizen tell me what the Chinese translaton of "Golden Dragon" would be, both written and pronounced, in Mandarin and Cantonese? Thank you. Corvus cornix 18:25, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

"Golden Dragon" is "金龍". The pronunciation is "Jin Long" ('long' is pronounced 'lung') in Mandarin and "Kin Lung" in Cantonese. ScouseMouse - スカウサーUK! 00:31, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

should be approximately "gum lung" ("gum" as in "chewing gum", but voiceless) in Cantonese. Cheers.--K.C. Tang 01:17, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Antonia Ax:son Johnson

What is the deal with the colon? Is this common in Swedish names? Recury 20:20, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

It's probably just a misprint or something. It is definitely not a normal part of Swedish names. ScouseMouse - スカウサーUK! 00:55, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

I'm not so sure about that. Björn J:son Lindh and Georg J:son Karlin both have colons in their names. It seems to be a way of indicating an abbreviation. —Angr 03:51, 10 April 2007 (UTC)
So if J:son is Johansson, then Ax:son is presumably Axelsson. --Anon, April 10, 2007, 04:25 (UTC).
The first sentence of the article calls her "Antonia Margaret Axelson Johnson". JackofOz 04:33, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] April 10

[edit] Mathematics

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[edit] April 2

[edit] is a sum of f(eigenvalue) meaningful?

I just recently got interested in eigenvectors. If xi are the eigenvalues of a given matrix, is \sum x_i or \sum x_i^2 or \prod x_i equal to anything interesting? —Tamfang 20:47, 2 April 2007 (UTC)

The sum and product of the eigenvalues (taken with appropriate multiplicities) are related to simple properties of the matrix. There is more information in our article on eigenvalues (although you have to look quite hard to find it). Gandalf61 21:00, 2 April 2007 (UTC)
  • Since the trace, or the sum of the elements on the main diagonal of a matrix, is preserved by unitary equivalence, the Jordan normal form tells us that it is equal to the sum of the eigenvalues;
  • Similarly, because the eigenvalues of a triangular matrix are the entries on the main diagonal, the determinant equals the product of the eigenvalues (counted according to algebraic multiplicity).
From eigenvalues. --Xedi 23:43, 2 April 2007 (UTC)

Thanks. Why I asked: the application that interests me at the moment is deriving topological coordinates from a graph's adjacency matrix. It occurred to me that the entropy function of the set of (some increasing function of) eigenvalues would give an objective, albeit fuzzy, value for the "natural" number of dimensions, possibly better than the subjective number given by the "scree test". —Tamfang 06:18, 3 April 2007 (UTC)

If your matrix has finite order, then the sums \sum x_i^k over all k in fact determine all the eigenvalues. (A fact of basic algebra, not matrices or eigenvalues. This fact is related to the power of character theory in the group representation theory of finite groups. (If this interests you and you can't see how this is relevant, I can elaborate. Respond here or leave me a message.) Tesseran 01:39, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Simple groups

Is it true that any group is expressible as the direct product of a number of simple groups? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 129.78.208.4 (talk) 22:56, 2 April 2007 (UTC).

This is true for any finite group No - any finite group can be constructed as a product of simple groups, but not necessarily as a direct product. A construction that creates a finite group as the direct product of a sequence of simple groups is called a composition series, and every finite group has a composition series (note that this is not true for infinite groups). As an analogy, we can construct the following composition series to show that 12 is the product of a sequence of prime numbers:
1\xrightarrow{\times2}2\xrightarrow{\times2}4\xrightarrow{\times3}12
Of course, this composition series for 12 is not unique - two alternative composition series are:
1\xrightarrow{\times2}2\xrightarrow{\times3}6\xrightarrow{\times2}12
1\xrightarrow{\times3}3\xrightarrow{\times2}6\xrightarrow{\times2}12
We can see that the prime numbers involved in each of these composition series are the same (2,2 and 3) although they appear in different orders. The Jordan-Hölder theorem says that the same property holds for groups - each composition series for a given group contains the same set of simple groups as composition factors, in different orders. In this sense, the "factorisation" of a finite group into simple groups is unique. Gandalf61 08:46, 3 April 2007 (UTC)
Thanks, I think I might have actually asked that before, but promptly forgot the answer ;) —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 149.135.62.165 (talk) 10:05, 3 April 2007 (UTC).
I think the answer is false, even for finite groups. – b_jonas 13:49, 3 April 2007 (UTC)
Ah - yes - because the group products involved in a composition series are not necessarily direct products ? Gandalf61 14:40, 3 April 2007 (UTC)
Sometimes they're semidirect, but it gets worse than that even. Incidentally, the simplest counterexample to the original question is the cyclic group of order 4. Algebraist 00:19, 4 April 2007 (UTC)
Right, that counterexample is helpful. Then does that mean that the necessary paragraph on Simple group is wrong? (or if not wrong, needs clarification?) Is there still some known notion of "irreducible" arising from a decomposition of a group into a direct product of smaller groups? (we would consider the cyclic group of order 4 as an "irreducible", then). There is a well-known notion for abelian groups. Restrict to finite groups if needed. 01:20, 4 April 2007 (UTC)
Okay, I have corrected my original response above, to avoid confusion. One more question - why don't the product operations in a composition series have to even be semidirect products ? Since a composition series is a normal series, each subgroup in the series is a normal subgroup of the one above it - so doesn't that mean that the product operations are at least semidirect, even if they are not direct ? Gandalf61 09:24, 4 April 2007 (UTC)
No. Consider C4 again. It has a normal subgroup isomorphic to C2, but no disjoint C2 subgroup to form a semidirect product with. I think (haven't done enough algebra to be sure) that the Jordan-Hölder theorem is about the best you can do here. Algebraist 19:04, 4 April 2007 (UTC)


[edit] April 3

[edit] time for thrown baseball to reach height s

Heres my problem from homework: "If a baseball is thrown straight upward from a level ground with an initial velocity of 72 ft/s, its altitude s (in feet) after t seconds is given by s = −16t2 + 72t. For what values of t will the ball be at least 32 feet above the ground?" So I figured you make an equation 32 ≤ −16t2 + 72t and figure it out algebraically from there. However, in the back of the book it gives the answer as 1/2 ≤ t ≤ 4. Could someone guide me to how you would obtain this answer? Thanks 65.30.153.24

Solve the inequality. You don't know how to do that? Factor the quadratic. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 129.78.208.4 (talk) 03:18, 3 April 2007 (UTC).
We know from physical experience, if not from mathematics, that the ball will rise up and then fall down again. If it goes above 32 feet, then for two values of time it will be exactly 32 feet high. Thus we seek solutions for the equation
72t - 16t^2 = 32 . \,\!
If you cannot solve this equation on your own, probably you should drop the course, as the challenges will only get harder.
But let's assume you can find two solutions; then one of the times will be less than the other, and on physical grounds we may expect times between these to satisfy the demand. (To verify, calculate the height at their average.) --KSmrqT 04:01, 3 April 2007 (UTC)
=================================================================
32 <= X
Add (-32) to both sides
0 <= X - 32
Replace X with -16t^2 + 72t
0 <= -16t^2 + 72t - 32
From here on, the problem is very simple to solve.
If you are a lazy bastard then plot the curve -16t^2 + 72t - 32 on your graphical calculator.
220.239.107.54 13:33, 3 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] how to generate prime numbers?

is there any way to generate an arbitrary prime number?or ageneral way to generate prime numbers? 80.255.40.168 08:04, 3 April 2007 (UTC)ARTHER

Take a random number, test if prime. If not, add one and repeat. There are reasonable primality testing methods so this method is valid to generate a random prime. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 149.135.62.165 (talk) 10:03, 3 April 2007 (UTC).
Some minor points. First, "random" or "arbitrary" on its own is not well defined - you need to say what distribution you want your prime numbers to follow. But let's assume that "random" means that you want a uniform distribution, where each prime number is equaly likely to be picked. Then you need to put an upper limit on the range of your prime numbers - so you want a random prime number between 1 and 1,000, say, or between 1 and 1,000,000. Finally, if you pick a random number with a uniform distribution and the discard non-primes, this will not produce a uniform distribution of primes. There will be a small bias towards smaller primes because a large number is less likely to be prime than a small number (see prime number theorem). Gandalf61 10:59, 3 April 2007 (UTC)
See also Generating primes. PrimeHunter 11:53, 3 April 2007 (UTC)
To clarify a bit on something Gandalf said, you won't get a uniform random distribution of primes if you follow the "discard and add one" procedure. In fact, though, I think the bias in that procedure would be to make individual large primes more likely than individual small primes. The reason is that prime deserts, which are large sequence of consecutive composite numbers, will all result in the same prime number being chosen. If you start in a desert, and add one repeatedly until you get a prime, you'll get the prime at the high end of the desert. So the probability of getting a prime at the high end of a desert is proportional to the size of the desert of composite numbers preceding it. Thus the most likely individual primes in that distribution are the ones that are preceded by a large number of non-prime numbers.
You can modify your procedure, though, to get a uniform distribution by doing a new uniformally random selection over your range every time (ie randomly pick a number in the range, check if it's prime, and if not randomly pick a different number). Under that algorithm the probability of any particular prime number being eventually chosen is equal. Dugwiki 15:34, 4 April 2007 (UTC)
Aha, I should have read the anon contributor's answer more carefully. Yes, the "discard and add one" method introduces a variable bias because the probability of a prime being chosen is proportional to the length of the non-prime gap immediately below it. The upper prime in a twin prime pair, for example, will have a much smaller chance of being chosen than a prime at the high end of a "desert". But the "discard and choose a new random number" method - which is what I thought had been suggested - still has its own systematic bias towards smaller primes. For example, there are 15 primes below 50, and only 10 primes between 50 and 100, so if your upper limit of your range is 100, then 60% of your "random" primes will be in the bottom half of your range, and only 40% will be in the upper half. Gandalf61 15:59, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] why cannot we find ln(-1)?

we know that sqr(-1)=i,this complex number comes from finding roots or (x^2)+1=0.the function f(x)=(x^2)+1 has no graph when x<1.the question is,the function f(x)=lnx has no graph when x<0,so why cannot we find roots or sort of numbers like ln(-1)?

80.255.40.168 08:22, 3 April 2007 (UTC)ARTHER

The complex logarithm is defined for all non-zero complex numbers. It is also multi-valued. Since e(2k + 1)πi = − 1 (for any integer k), ln( − 1) = (2k + 1)πi for any integer k. Usually people restrict the angles to be within ( − π,π], so they say ln( − 1) = πi. --Spoon! 09:40, 3 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Geography

1) What is the angle (degrees from North) from Lahore, Pakistan to Makkah, KSA? 2) What is the angle (degrees from North) from Lahore, Pakistan to Mashhad, Iran? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 203.81.194.11 (talk) 09:14, 3 April 2007 (UTC).

How accurate do you want the answer? If a not very accurate answer will suffice then bring out a map and draw a line from Lahore to Mecca. Then read the angle off the map.
This is obviously wrong. This method gives you always direction of 90° or 270° for two places on the same circle of latitude, while the orthodrome is a circle of latitude only if it is the equator — but in most cases it is not a circle of latitude, so the direction sought is neither west nor east. For some pairs of points of the same latitude it can even be NORTH! (Consider two points at latitude 50°N, one at longitude 90°W, the other one at 90°E.) --CiaPan 14:19, 3 April 2007 (UTC)
If you want a very accurate answer then you need to use spherical coordinates. Using the dot product multiply the two vectors (from the centre of the earth to both cities) to get the angle between the two cities. Then use the Law_of_cosines_(spherical) rule to find the desired angle. Problem solved. 220.239.107.54 13:11, 3 April 2007 (UTC)
PS: You probably figure out by now that we will not give you the answer. We just tell you how to find/calc the answer for yourself. 220.239.107.54 13:44, 3 April 2007 (UTC)
Who is "we"?  --LambiamTalk 13:51, 3 April 2007 (UTC)
The OP actually was asking for the azimuth from one point to the other, not the angle subtended at the core by the great circle segment between them. Anyway, tools to calculate this for you are readily available online. --Tardis 16:16, 3 April 2007 (UTC)
.....and the 220.239.107.54 user's answer leads toward finding the azimuth value. Given the calculated (angular) distance from A to B you can construct a spherical triangle A-B-pole, which has all sides known. Then it is possible to calculate its angles (actually you need only one of them) and eventually get the described direction as the horizontal angle from North. --CiaPan 16:55, 3 April 2007 (UTC)
I found only one free online azimuth calculator: the Great circle azimuth bearing and range calculator (with magnetic north). From the results I get it appears that it uses a spherical model. For the locations that are relevant here, the resulting discrepancy with the standard ellipsoid model is about 0.1°. The data I used as geolocation coordinates, picking, if possible, a striking spot in the cities using Google Earth – but I didn't find anything particularly striking in Lahore:
  • Lahore:    31.549°N,  74.342°E
  • Makkah:   21.4225°N, 39.8261°E
  • Mashhad: 36.290°N,  59.598°E
The azimuths I found with respect to Lahore, using the oblate spheroid model with standard parameters, are:
  • Makkah:   99.60°
  • Mashhad: 64.89°
These are the respective deviations from true North, measured counterclockwise (in Westerly direction).  --LambiamTalk 20:53, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Cox proportional hazards model

In survival analysis, I was wondering if it was possible to use a Cox PH model to calculate expected survival times. From what I see the cumulative hazard will never be infinite so the expectation will always diverge. Am I missing something? Thanks. Faisel Gulamhussein 23:35, 3 April 2007 (UTC)


[edit] April 4

[edit] Foot and Penis Size

Hi, I heard that if you take 3 quaters of the measurement of your foot then times it by 3, it shows your erect size. Is this true? Thank you —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 202.161.2.238 (talk) 06:54, 4 April 2007 (UTC).

This reference desk is for questions about Mathematics, Calculus, and Accounting.  --LambiamTalk 08:05, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

If you take 3/4 of the length of a typical adult male foot, say 10 inches, then multiply by 3, you get 9/4 of 10 or 22.5 inches. Does that sound like the proper length to you ? StuRat 20:51, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

BTW, doesn't this question sound like it would also work under the title of the previous question ? :-) StuRat 20:53, 4 April 2007 (UTC)
Sounds proper to me! :D Splintercellguy 22:50, 4 April 2007 (UTC)
HAHA. --JianLi 01:24, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Differentation

\cfrac{(x + \delta x)^2 - x^2}{\delta x}

Then...

\cfrac{x^2 + 2x\delta x + \delta x^2 - x^2}{\delta x}

Then...

\cfrac{2x\delta x + \delta x^2}{\delta x}

According to my book, by simplification, we get:

2x + \delta x \,

But I notice that two δx have been removed from the numerator when there is only one in the denominator. What have I missed here? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 164.11.204.51 (talk • contribs).

A single factor of δx has been removed from each of the terms in the numerator. Filling in the missing step, we have:
\cfrac{2x\delta x + \delta x^2}{\delta x}=\cfrac{\delta x(2x + \delta x)}{\delta x}=2x + \delta x ... Gandalf61 10:16, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] largest prime number

i read in wikipedia that there are prizes to find the largest prime number. can we put (10^n)+1,n,is integer.then we start to pick up n`s as large as possible to find the lrgest prime number???is`nt 100001,10000000000001 are prime numbers??? 80.255.40.168 12:39, 4 April 2007 (UTC)fwfabii

Prime number records are typically created in this fashion. Take a look at Mersenne prime for example. (note that not all numbers of the form 10^n+1 are prime, for example 1001 is not. Sander123 12:45, 4 April 2007 (UTC)
To be precise, there is no such thing as the largest prime number. Euclid already proved that there are infinitely many prime numbers. The prizes are for very large prime numbers. The example numbers you give are not primes: 100001 = 11 × 9091 and 10000000000001 = 11 × 859 × 1058313049. They are also not very large; the largest of these two has 14 digits. To win the least of the prizes, the prime needs to have at least 10000000 digits; printed in a book that would take up something like one thousand pages. Although we have "fast" primality tests, they are not nearly fast enough to cope with primes that large. For that we need some mathematical breakthrough.  --LambiamTalk 13:05, 4 April 2007 (UTC)
Actually, there are known primality tests that can test numbers of special forms above 10,000,000 digits, for example the Lucas–Lehmer test for Mersenne numbers. A test takes a long time and a lot of tests are probably needed. Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search (GIMPS) has tested many candidates with it and found the largest known prime which currently has 9,808,358 digits. Note that 10n+1 for a positive integer n is known to be composite when n is not a power of 2. And 10^{2^m}+1 grows so fast that it appears likely that 11 and 101 (for m = 1 and 2) are the only primes of that form. PrimeHunter 02:03, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Angle problem

I was e-mailed this angle problem and I'm stuck trying to figure it out. It consists of a regular hexagon inside a circle. Below the image is what I've been able to figure out. Any help with this brainteaser would be greatly appreciated. Cheers. --MZMcBride 22:19, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

  • \angle{1} = 30˚
  • \angle{2} = 70˚
  • \angle{3} = 50˚
  • \angle{4} = 30˚
  • \angle{5} = 45˚
  • \angle{6} = 45˚
  • \angle{7} = 120˚
  • \angle{8} = 60˚
  • \angle{9} = 90˚
  • \angle{10} = 100˚
  • \angle{11} = 50˚
  • \angle{12} = 30˚
  • \angle{13} = 60˚
  • \angle{14} = 120˚
  • \angle{15} = 45˚
  • \angle{16} = 45˚
  • \angle{17} = 60˚
  • \angle{18} = 120˚
  • \angle{19} = 90˚
  • \angle{20} = 105˚
  • \angle{21} = 75˚
  • \angle{22} = 55˚
  • \angle{23} = 125˚
  • \angle{24} = 110˚
  • \angle{25} = 70˚
  • \angle{26} = 100˚
  • \angle{27} = 80˚
Once you have found the answer for any of the blank slots, the remaining ones should be easy. Let us give a name to the point on the side AD of the squares serving as the vertex of angles 10, 11 and 12, and call it J. Also, for simplicity, set the length of the sides of the square to 1, and think of the diagram as embedded in the Euclidean plane with Cartesian coordinates, with B = (0, 0), A = (1, 0) and C = (0, 1). First, work out the length of the sides of the hexagon. That gives you the coordinates of H, and therefore the length of AH. Then find the length of AJ, and thereby the coordinates of J. Also find the coordinates of E. You then have the slope of the line EJ, and thereby the angle it makes with the horizontal. I performed these calculations, and unless I made a mistake, the answers are not nice round numbers. Once you've solved it, you can return the favour by posing essentially the same question with a pentagon.  --LambiamTalk 23:01, 4 April 2007 (UTC)
Just glancing over the data filled in, clearly angle 20 is wrong, and angle 13 is obvious (both for the same reason). When two lines cross, we have two pairs of equal angles, which will help. My suggestion is to use the theorem on external angles of a polygon. --KSmrqT 00:29, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Great catch on angle 20! I put the answers that I got up. The slope method seemed to work really well, the answer I got for the slope was 10˚. I wasn't really sure what you meant about using a pentagon instead, but I made one below anyway. Thanks for all the help. --MZMcBride 01:00, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
I meant sending it as a problem to whoever sent the first problem to you. Another variant would be one in which the upper vertex of the pentagon lies on the upper side of the square.  --LambiamTalk 11:00, 5 April 2007 (UTC)


[edit] April 5

[edit] square root of pi

My siblings sometimes mention the square root of pi to make fun of me when I get too technical in my explanation of something. I was wondering if the square root of pi actuall has any use anywhere in mathematics.J.delanoy 01:31, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

One in in the probability density function of the normal distribution. (Note you can factor out the root of 2.) There are many others if you look around... Baccyak4H (Yak!) 01:55, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Error_function, although this is the reciprocal of \sqrt{\pi}--Ķĩřβȳ♥♥♥ŤįɱéØ 02:45, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

"square root of pi" gives 15100 Google hits. I have no idea how many have use in mathematics. PrimeHunter 02:55, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Γ(1/2), and Stirling's approximation. —David Eppstein 03:14, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

It shows up when you try to square the circle. It's the width of a square with the same area as a circle of radius 1. In fact, that's why squaring a circle is impossible using ruler and compass - Pi is transcendental. Black Carrot 04:03, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
I don't know much about \sqrt{\pi}, but apparently \left( \sqrt{\pi} \right)^2 has a lot of use. --Hirak 99 15:16, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
That's hilarious, NOT.J.delanoy 23:47, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
\int_{-\infty}^\infty e^{-x^2} \,dx = \sqrt{\pi} Gaussian integral --Spoon! 19:32, 5 April 2007 (UTC)


Thanks for answering the question!!!! You guys ROCK!!!!!J.delanoy 23:49, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

And gamma(1/2) = (-1/2)! = root pi→81.153.220.170 11:52, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Triangle integrals?

The Riemann, Darboux, Lebesgue, etc. integrals use rectangles. By are there any integral definitions which use triangles? After all, triangles are very "special" and have their own study (trigonometry). Couldn't the area under a curve be calculated using triangle approximations? All polygons can be broken up into triangles, but not all polygons can be broken up into rectangles. So wouldn't triangle integration converge towards the actual value much quicker than Riemann integration? Thanks.--Ķĩřβȳ♥♥♥ŤįɱéØ 04:28, 5 April 2007 (UTC)


Sure. Take any rectangular integral, and divide each term by two. Then multiply by two. This corresponds to slicing each rectangle from one corner to another, and reassembling the triangles. Or, measure it with trapezoids (which are triangle-like) or, for something even more fun, try wiggly segments of polynomials. There are loads of choices, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was possible to define integrals using pretty much any shape you want. For instance, applying your idea about polygons, it's possible to find the area of a circle by essentially integrating over triangles. Probably other blobby shapes too. It wouldn't be all that different from polar integrals, which use wedges of circles. Then there's integrating solids of revolution, which use washers and disks. The big question in each case is, is this really the easiest way to do this? Rectangles are useful because, in a rectangular coordinate system, they're really really easy to keep track of. If you'll think back to trigonometry, you may recall that powerful as the system is, it's anything but convenient. Black Carrot 05:59, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
So is it because of the orthogonal coordinate system that makes rectangles simpler? If, say, we wanted to find integrals in non-orthogonal coordinate systems, would triangles be better(Like, if instead of the x and y axes being perpendicular, if they made a 45° angle)?--Ķĩřβȳ♥♥♥ŤįɱéØ 06:12, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
That's right. For example in polar coordinate system the area would be easily integrated by triangles, which approximate sectors between some points (ri,θi) and (ri + 1,θi + 1) with common third vertex at the system's origin (0,0). --CiaPan 06:19, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
You can dissect a rectangle into a trapezoid and a triangle. Remove the triangle and you get a trapezoidal approximation. For an example see Riemann sum#Trapezoidal rule. This in fact is almost (i.e. for partitioning into small sub-intervals) equivalent to Riemann sum#Middle sum. For some cases the Simpson's approximation with parabolas is even better than trapezium method. --CiaPan 06:15, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for all the information. I thought up triangle integrals in the shower today... yes, I am that "weird". In any case:

This picture answers my question.--Ķĩřβȳ♥♥♥ŤįɱéØ 06:31, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Now keep in mind, those aren't triangles in the picture, they're wedges from circles. It's just that triangles give almost the same answer if they're narrow and exactly the same answer in the limit. Black Carrot 07:59, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
yes, those are sectors, but their similarity with a triangle shape makes triangles a possible surrogate.--Ķĩřβȳ♥♥♥ŤįɱéØ 09:26, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] how to undestand this?

suppose we want to devide($17)up on 3 shares,the first share is(1/9),second share is (1/3)and the third share is(1/2).abviously we cannot get integer shares.NOW,add (1+17=18),the three shares of(18)would be(2,6,9)respectively.we can see(9+6+2=17)which means that we get fully three shares without losing the additional($1).how can we understand this in mathemetical way?80.255.40.168 11:59, 5 April 2007 (UTC)ARTHER

Suppose you were asked to split $100, giving 1/3 to one person and 1/3 to another person. You could borrow $50 so that you have $150, then give 1/3 of this to each person ($50 each), and still have $50 left to repay the loan. Of course, you haven't really split the $100 into 1/3 and 1/3, because 1/3+1/3 is not equal to 1 - it is only 2/3. Your problem is just a slightly more complicated version of this $100 split. Notice that 1/9 + 1/3 + 1/2 is not equal to 1 - it is only 17/18. Gandalf61 13:31, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
On the other hand, in the example above, you are not really splitting $100 into thirds, you are splitting $150.J.delanoy 23:51, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Perhaps David Eppstein can clarify the history of this classic use of Egyptian fractions, but some version of this puzzle has been challenging and entertaining minds for a very long time. I believe I first saw it as a tale of Nasrudin, but it was already old by then. --KSmrqT 20:10, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Initial Value Problems convergence etc

hi, i'm going through my lecture notes (on Numberical solutions of ODEs btw) and i cant get what my lecturer has done. I wont write out the whole thing becuase a) its 3 pages long and b) i dont have latex. but i'm guessing what i'm stuck on isn't IVP specific but maybe it is, i dont know... anyway, heres an outline... we're dealing with Eulers method which we've found the local truncation error for, we're also told that f(t,y) satisfies a lipschitz condition so

|[f((tj), y(tj)) - f((tj), zj)] | ≤ L |y((tj) - (zj) |.

So we keep chunking through, doing our thing until we get to:

|ej+1|≤ (1+Lh)|ej| +½h2k

so we're then supposed to replace j with j-1 sp predictably enough we get:

|ej|≤ (1+Lh)|ej-1| +½h2k  (*)

she then says that (*) is less than

(1+Lh){(1+Lh)|ej-2|+½h2k} +½h2k

wtf?

If anyone knows whats going on i'd be so appreciative. (Apologies if i'm not being very clear or its not readable). thanks 130.88.52.26 12:32, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

That's the result of writing your (*) expression again — expressing | ej − 1 | in terms of | ej − 2 | — and substituting into (*). --Tardis 14:55, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Famous function?

Does the graph of x / (1 + x2) have any specific name or function?Wbchilds 13:25, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

It's related to the Lorentzian function; in fact, integrating it over all reals would yield the mean of that probability distribution if it existed. --Tardis 15:15, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Volume of sphere

How to calculate the volume of a 'perfect' sphere besides putting it into a jar and see the rise in the water volume? If so, what is the formula? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Invisiblebug590 (talk • contribs) 13:51, 5 April 2007 (UTC).

\frac{4}{3} \pi r^3 where r is the radius of the sphere. See sphere. x42bn6 Talk 14:02, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
And where π is tasty. − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 17:21, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Proof that Ke^x for contants K are the only functions that are their own derivative

The article exponential function correctly says that functions of the form f(x) = Kex for contant K are the only functions that are their own derivative. Any suggestions on a link to a proof of that uniqueness? Dugwiki 16:11, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Assume that f is a differentiable function with f(0) = 1, and put g(x) = log f(x). Then by the chain rule g'(x) = f'(x)/f(x), which equals 1 if (and only if) the functions f and f' are the same. Function g'(x) is then Lipschitz continuous. Now apply the Picard-Lindelöf theorem to obtain g(x) = x, and use f(x) = exp g(x). The extension to other values of K is not hard. You don't actually need this sledgehammer to swat this gnat; all you need is that only constant functions have a derivative that is 0 everywhere.  --LambiamTalk 16:28, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
In fact, as I mentioned below, the solution using the Picard-Lindelöf theorem appears to be even simpler. Set f(t,y(t)) = y(t) (the identity function) and y(0)=K and y'(t)=f(t,y(t))=y(t). Then PLT says that y(t) = Ket is the unique solution. No need to even mess with the chain rule there. Dugwiki 17:52, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

It's the only solution of the differential equation dy / dx = y. Basically you get dy / y = dx, and integrating ln(y) = x + C. From there your equation follows. For more detailed proof, see Lambiam's links above. --Hirak 99 16:35, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

PS. Unless you allow complex values for the constant of integration C, you won't explain why negative (and for that matter, complex) K works in your equation. --Hirak 99 16:40, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Yeah, someone else pointed out my error on the article discussion page. Basically the PLT says that y(t) = Ket is the unique solution to the differential equation y'(t) = y(t),y(0) = K with f(t,y(t)) = y(t). Dugwiki 17:41, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
P.S. I almost overlooked Hirak's comment about negative K. I think you are reading what I typed as "(Ke)x" (which doesn't make sense in the reals if K is negative). That's not what I mean, though. I'm talking about "K(ex)", which is well defined for all real K. Dugwiki 20:05, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
I think Hirak referred to the relationship C = ln(K), which, if C is real, implies K > 0. To avoid the issue I assumed f(0) = 1 in my first reply.  --LambiamTalk 21:01, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Ok, I thought he was replying to my post. Thanks for clearing that up. Dugwiki 21:06, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Actually, dy / y = dx integrates to ln | y | = x + C (ln | y | is a better antiderivative of 1 / y because it works for negative numbers). So the absolute value around y ensures that for every solution y = f(x), y = − f(x) is also a solution. Which accounts for the negative K's.
Also, when you divided by y initially (like when you divide by any expression), you need to separately consider what happens when the thing you are dividing by is zero. When y = 0, that is indeed a (trivial) solution to the equation, so that accounts for K=0. --Spoon! 10:48, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Which Statistical Test?

I've done a test with 3 groups, one control (in this case water) and two experimental (two different kinds of drinks) and measured final time for a distance covered. I know how to standard deviations and all that but after that i am slightly confused, what do i have to do after this to find any statistical difference between all the groups, will i need a t-test, ANOVA or some other test? If it is an ANOVA could someone explain how to do it in a laymans way or put a link up to somewhere that does, i can never make sense of the mathmatical stuff on wikipedia.

Any help would be appreicated. Rickystrapp 19:45, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

I won't comment on the math involved, but will comment on your control. The subjects presumably can tell if they are drinking water or one of the drinks. This makes the control not very valuable, as the placebo effect can come into play. Ideally, the study should be double-blind, where neither the experimenter nor subjects can identify whether they have been given the control until the results are in. In the case of water, at very least you could add dye to make it look like it might be something else. If you can find an additive you're sure will change the taste and smell without altering performance (perhaps you know this from a previous study), you could also add that to the control. StuRat 20:05, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

I did take that into consideration when designing the study, however i decided it didnt matter enough, i wont go into my experiment but it was agreed not to do that but mention it in the limitations of the study. Rickystrapp 20:26, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

If the only variable in the experimental set-up under your control was the type of potion quaffed, then I see no use for analysis of variance. If the data in each group looks like it follows a normal distribution – you can use Shapiro-Wilk or Kolmogorov-Smirnov to test for that – then indeed Student's t-test is a reasonable test for significant differences. In view of the origin of the test it would be quite fitting if one of the experimental elixirs was Guinness. You should decide on the confidence interval before you compute the test statistic.  --LambiamTalk 21:16, 5 April 2007 (UTC)


[edit] April 6

[edit] Sweeping the floor

A child is instructed to sweep a floor. He concludes that to sweep every single bit of the floor- he must sweep it in a systematical way, going up and down the floor, then moving a broom's length to the left or right. By doing this, it is deduced that the chance of sweeping every part of the floor is 100%. Therefore, it is deduced that if the child did not sweep it systematically, there would be a much less chance of sweeping 100% of the floor.

Would this be true, or is it a flaw in our logic?

p.s i have tried the humanities desk but have been referred here.--Howzat11 01:38, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

Not a great question. "He concludes that … he must …." (Emphasis added.) If the conclusion is correct, then there is no choice. If the conclusion is incorrect, it is rather confusing to state it. Without the "conclusion", we have the following parallel example: "A child has a piece of cake, and finds it a satisfying dessert. If ice cream is substituted for the cake, dessert will not be satisfying. True or false?" --KSmrqT 01:52, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
If it is true that withered flowers come only from not watering them, then not not watering them cannot result in (as opposed to give "a much less chance of") withering them. If on the other hand withering can come by several means (e.g. age), (not not) watering them gives no guarantee of unwitheredness.
Reverting to the floor, it seems reasonable anyway that a systematic way is not necessary for 100% sweeping - a sufficiently long random approach would eventually cover every part.81.153.220.170 12:15, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Wouldn't the area not sweeped just become infinitely small? --YbborTalkSurvey! 13:30, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
No, the expected area sweeped would never reach zero, but the actual area sweeped will. The probability of the floor being completely sweeped will approach, but never reach, 100%. As to answer the question, assuming not sweeping systematically makes sweeping the whole floor highly probable, but not certain, the probability will be slightly less, but the odds will be infinitely less. For example, if there is a 99% (0.99) probability of sweeping the whole floor randomly, then the probability is 1% (0.01) less, but the odds of doing it randomly are 99:1 (99) and the odds of doing it systematically are 1:0 (infinite) making the odds infinitely less. — Daniel 17:32, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
These are sweeping statements. For a mathematically and logically rigorous treatment of the original question, we need a definition of "systematic". The method of sweeping only along the edges of the area is a system and so could be considered systematic under at least one reasonable definition of the term. It is not clear why the age or developmental phase of the sweeper is introduced; can we abstract from that?  --LambiamTalk 20:06, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
One reasonable interpretation of the question is, "I have to sweep a floor. I'll start at a corner. I'll clear the floor in parallel lines, starting from one wall and moving to the opposite wall. Doing this, I'm guaranteed to clean the whole floor. However, if I swept in a less systematic way, I'd risk missing a spot. Am I right?" It's hard to answer that fully without knowing why you're asking the question, but I'd say, yes and no. It's true that that would clean every part of a normal floor, but there are other systematic ways of doing it. For instance, you could spiral inward and sweep the dust into a pile, then sweep that pile away. Or you could start at the center and sweep outwards in radiating lines, then sweep around the edge. Or (to steal a maids' trick) you could sprinkle coffee grounds over the whole floor, then sweep it any way you please until all the grounds are gone. You're right, however, that if you go at it blind, with no plan and no way of telling when you're done, you'll probably miss a spot. Black Carrot 08:14, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Numbers not definable

Is there any name for numbers not definable in a finite amount of data? e would not be one because in could be defined as e = \sum_{n = 0}^\infty \frac{1}{n!}. They can be proven to exist because each definition can be given a unique Gödel number which will be a natural number and therefore there will be at most \aleph_0 numbers that can be defined and there are Cardinality of the continuum real numbers, which has been proven to be more. An interesting paradox arises because, although they exist, it is impossible to find an example. — Daniel 21:18, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

You might call them "undefinable numbers". Precisely because a counterexample cannot be constructed, constructivists will deny that such numbers exist – and escape a contradiction because they don't believe either that a bijection can be constructed between the natural numbers and those Gödel numbers that effectively define a real number.  --LambiamTalk 22:06, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

Excuse my ignorance, but in the original question isn't Euler's number being defined by a "non-finite" amount of data, in that n has to go to infinity? Icthyos 22:11, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

Depends on what you mean (BTW, no one calls it "Euler's number"; took me a minute to figure out what you were talking about -- it's just e; that's the standard name). You have kind of hit on the key issue, though. For a given fixed, precise notion of definability, we can define a specific real that isn't definable according to that fixed scheme. "Definable" itself, it seems, is not definable. --Trovatore 22:36, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
I'll just edit the phrase "Euler's number" out of the second sentence of its article, shall I? :P~ So what you're saying is, for any interval of real numbers there will always be an irrational number in there? I know irrational numbers aren't undefined, but I think I've come across a proof of that (my case) before. What precisely do you mean by "notion of definability"? Icthyos 22:44, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
I think the "specific real" refers to Cantor's diagonal argument; look for s0 there.  --LambiamTalk 23:02, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
See also Definable real number. PrimeHunter 23:43, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
But take it with a grain of salt. It's not as bad an article as it once was, but it's still a bit shaky. --Trovatore 23:47, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] April 7

[edit] Poor Little Suzy

One day Little Suzy found a circular spot of bacterial growing in a pond. Deciding to include it in her Science Report, she measured the size of the bacterial everyday. The first day the bacterial patch had a radius of exactly 10cm. The next day it was exactly 11cm. For the next 8 days, she got the following results.

Radius of the circular bacterial patch
r[0] = 10.00 exact
r[1] = 11.00 exact
r[2] = 12.21
r[3] = 13.70
r[4] = 15.58
r[5] = 18.00
r[6] = 21.25
r[7] = 25.76

It soon became clear to her that the radius of the bacterial patch follows the following rules. The first 3 days are a dead give away.

r[0] = 10
r[t] = r[t-1] + ( r[t-1] * r[t-1] ) / 100

For her Science report, she decides to use a differential equation.

She wrote \frac{\text{dr}}{\text{dt}}=k \cdot r^2 \,
with the solution r(t)= \frac{R_0}{1 - R_0 \cdot k \cdot t } where R0 is r(t=0) which is 10.00

However no matter how hard she tried, she could not find the values of k that will give the results consistent with her measurements.

She tried k=1/100 which gives r(7)=33.33

She tried k=0.00874 which gives r(7)=25.76 but r(3)=13.55

Why can't Little Suzy find a value of k that works? 220.239.107.54 06:31, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

Is this a serious question? The function r, at least for the observed experimental data, satisfies
\frac{\Delta r}{\Delta t}= 0.01 \cdot r^2~ \mathrm{for}~\Delta t = 1\,.
In general, the difference quotient will not be the same as the derivative.  --LambiamTalk 09:12, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Indeed. Suzy is approximating a difference equation by a differential equation. In the general case, the solutions to the two equations may have quite different behaviours. In this case, for example, the solution to the differential equation becomes unbounded ("infinitely large") as t approaches 1/kR0, whereas the solution to the difference equation is clearly bounded for all t. Gandalf61 10:37, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Tell me. If you are Suzy, what differential equation would you use for your Science Report? It has to be consistent with the actual measurements. 220.239.107.54 12:55, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
If I was Suzy, I would disguise my homework question as a cute little story. − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 23:06, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
If this is homework, it is an impossibly difficult assignment. Compare the related sequence 1, 2, 6, 42, 1806, 3263442, 10650056950806, ... (sequence A007018 in OEIS). Although a closed-form expression for the n'th term an is given, it cannot in any obvious way be extended to a differentiable function f on the reals such that f(n) = an. The relationship becomes obvious if you define an = rn/100, where rn is Little Suzy's sequence. The recurrence relation is then the same as for A007018: an+1 = an + an2. The only difference is the starting value.  --LambiamTalk 23:48, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] New exciting developments ?

I was just wondering if any of you helpers here have written any noteworthy papers on mathematics or made any contributions in general to math. I know there are some brilliant minds here like Lambiam and Ksmrq (and many more). Or are you noticing any new exciting developments in the field of mathematics? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 144.132.64.209 (talk • contribs).

Thanks for the compliment. I choose not to reveal my real-world identity, but some publications of which I'm an author or co-author are cited in Wikipedia articles (not added by me). I think some noteworthy papers by KSmrq are also cited, if I'm not mistaken about his/her identity. There are many new and exciting developments (for instance the novel techniques and insights in the proofs of Fermat's Last Theorem and the Poincaré conjecture, or the advances in number theory and other fields of mathematics made possible by fast computers), most of which is regrettably too technical for me to really understand it.  --LambiamTalk 13:26, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Flattery, eh? Mathematics is a field in which humility is recommended; for, the really good problems are so difficult, and the accomplishments of Euler, say, are so overwhelming. (Euler could do great mathematics late in life, blind, with children playing in his lap, across many topics, more prolifically than any other mathematician that ever lived.) Even if you prove Fermat's Last Theorem or the Poincaré conjecture, the world takes only fleeting notice and few will ever understand (or care) what you have done. For Wikipedia, I just try to explain a few things as best I can.
In a field as old as mathematics, most researchers dig deeper and deeper into very specialized topics trying to extract some gem. Broadly speaking, many fascinating recent events have the opposite character, revealing structure connecting specialties. More subtly, I see indications of a renaissance in attitude towards teaching, shaking off some of the bad side effects of the Bourbaki approach, which left students bewildered by seeing the general without the prior motivation of the specific. Also, connections to physics and other applications are no longer quite so unsavory, and we see inspiration and insights flow both directions.
Computers have helped, in ways we tend to overlook. Especially, the web has facilitated world-wide conversation and collaboration, and allowed papers to be seen much more quickly. Computer typesetting, the ubiquitous TeX, has also made publication of results considerably easier than in the days of typewriters (with hand-lettered symbols) and "penalty copy" burdens on publishers. Explorations and experiments can also use computers (sometimes), and a computer algebra system can help us keep our signs straight.
If you would like to keep an eye on advanced developments, try the AMS web site. --KSmrqT 23:23, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] April 8

[edit] Advantages!

I am trying to find out in which instances would be advantageous to use a mixed number and in which an improper fraction. 72.40.60.1 00:01, 8 April 2007 (UTC)jc

If what you care about is the magnitude, and you require more precision than offered by rounding to a whole number, then a mixed number is probably more reasonable than an improper fraction. Imagine asking for a 315/8th inch joist, rather than a 393/8" joist. (Of course, 100 cm is even easier.) In this case mixed notation is also traditional, and using traditional notation, even if irrational, has certain advantages when attempting to communicate with people who are used to traditional notation. In mathematics, the convention is to use vulgar fractions for rational numbers (except of course integers), improper or not. So the fourth convergent of the continued fraction for π will be given as 355/113, not as 316/113. Doing arithmetic is easier with vulgar fractions: try to compute 25/14 ÷ 213/21.  --LambiamTalk 01:15, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Big pi notation

What is the origin of the "big pi" notation for products? Who introduced it and when? Is it related to Gauss's notation for the gamma function (was one derived from the other)? Fredrik Johansson 00:30, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

I don't know when the notation was introduced, but I could not find a use by Euler and Leibniz. They still wrote a bunch of multiplied factors (or summed terms for a sum), followed by "etc." (in present-day notation "···"). But the introduction of the integral sign by Leibniz clearly paved the way for a summation sign. Since the Latin letter "S" for Summa had already been taken (in a shape nowadays no longer recognized as a letter), the Greek letter "S", or Sigma, was used instead. From there the step to using the Greek letter "P", or Pi, for Productum, is obvious. The large size gives more horizontal room for denoting the limits of summation (subscript and superscript) and matches the traditionally long shape of the long s.  --LambiamTalk 01:50, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
A list of notational "firsts" can be found here. There seems to be a conflict of claims:
The product symbol (∏) was introduced by Rene Descartes, according to Gullberg.
Cajori says this symbol was introduced by Gauss in 1812 (vol. 2, page 78).
The references in question are
  • Cajori, Florian. A History of Mathematical Notations. 2 volumes. Lasalle, Illinois: The Open Court Publishing Co., 1928–1929.
  • Gullberg, Jan. Mathematics: From the Birth of Numbers. New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 1997.
Since Descartes flourished long before Gauss, he would have priority; however, since one would expect numerous intervening uses, Gauss seems more likely. --KSmrqT 03:07, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
In Gauss 1812, Disquisitiones generales circa seriem infinitam ... §18, the notation Π (k, z) is introduced for a two-argument function, and in §20 the notation Π z is defined as "the limit of Π (k, z) for k = ∞". This is the same as the Gamma function shifted one over. Although the two-argument function could have been defined as a product, it is not; the expression used by Gauss is
\Pi(k, z) = \frac{~1~~~\,.\,~~~2~~~\,.\,~~~3\,\,.\,.\,.\,.\,.\,\,k~~~}{(z+1)(z+2)(z+3)\,.\,.\,.\,.\,(z+k)}k^z\,.
This should, in my opinion, not be considered an introduction of a product symbol. It is not in any way different from the introduction, a few sections later, of Ψ for denoting what we now call the Digamma function. The case is not closed. What we really want to see is a use with a running index.
I also looked at Euler's use of Σ for summation, said to be the first (Institutiones calculi differentialis, 1755). Interestingly, what Euler defines is an "indefinite sum" or "antidifference" operator, just like the integration symbol without bounds functions works as an indefinite integral or antiderivative operator. When the notation is introduced, Euler writes:
\mbox{For if thus}~\Delta~x=\omega;~\mbox{then it will be the case that}~\Sigma~\omega=x+C\,,
complete with an "indefinite constant of summation". Again no running index. It is funny to see how the printer, at some point apparently having run out of \Sigma\,\!'s, resorts to using \mbox{M}\,\!'s rotated by a quarter turn.  --LambiamTalk 10:27, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
For those who would like to examine Gauss for themselves, here is a link. (Euler's works are also online.) --KSmrqT 11:07, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Did a bit of digging myself, and found one use of Σ for summation in Fourier's 1822 Théorie analytique de la chaleur and one in Cauchy's 1826 Leçons sur les applications de calcul infinitésimal. Both authors assume the reader is unfamiliar with the notation and provide an explanation. Some thirty years later, Riemann in his 1859 Über die Anzahl der Primzahlen unter einer gegebenen Größe and Dedekind in his 1863 Vorlesungen über Zahlentheorie are both using Σ andΠ without further explanation. This indicates that the summation and product notations passed into general usage sometime between 1820 and 1860. Gandalf61 11:34, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Carpet cleaning

I s u p p o s e this counts under "Accounting"...I spilled some Pepsi on white carpet, and Mum's making me pay for cleaning it. How much do you think it would cost to have the carpet cleaned?--the ninth bright shiner talk 02:30, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

The Misc Desk might be more appropriate. If you give us your city and country we might be able to find a price to clean the carpet in one room in your area, though. (They will likely need to clean the entire room so the cleaned spot matches the rest of the carpet.) The minimum charge is $75 at one company in northern Kentucky, just to give you an idea of the prices you are dealing with: [48]. StuRat 04:00, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
I'm in Kernersville, North Carolina (27284-7844). Something to consider is that the spot in question is in the room of my grandmother, who is crippled and therefore bedridden, and I doubt we'll be able to move her, or the computer desk in the room. This carpet is relatively new, less than half a year old, so maybe cleaning all of the carpet won't be necessary.--the ninth bright shiner talk 04:40, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Why not just get a good spot carpet cleaner? Althought the sooner after the spill you do it, the better / easier it is to remove it, in general. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 18:20, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
I agree. Get some good carpet cleaner and do as good a job as possible yourself. Show it to your mum and hopefully she will accept that. You could also apologize and promise to help her out in some other ways to make it up to her (like washing dishes, etc.). StuRat 04:53, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Or try (diluted) white vinegar with a dash of mild detergent; spray, let stand, blot gently; repeat as needed; spray with clean water and blot. Do not wet too much or the carpet may wrinkle.  --LambiamTalk 05:55, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
What on earth has this got to do with mathematics?
It is like integration over an area.  --LambiamTalk 05:55, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Not quite, you don't need to be so accurate. Some polygonal region will suffice. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 58.163.129.56 (talk) 06:40, 9 April 2007 (UTC).

[edit] Factorial Problem

1! + 2! + 3! + 4! ... 97! + 98! + 99! + 100! is divided by 18. What is the remainder?

How would one go around solving such a problem? What concepts are involved? Are there any online calculators that can brute force it? But more interestingly, how can it be solved without doing so? --Proficient 06:07, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

This is much easier than you might think. Factor 18 as 3×6. Now recall that 6! is 6×5×4×3×2×1, and every higher factorial is a multiple of this one; what major simplification does this allow? --KSmrqT 06:23, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Easiest way I can think of for solving it is that it's equal to 100 * 1 + 99 * 2 + 98 * 3 + 97 * 4 + ... + 2 * 99. But that doesn't seem any easier to put into a calculator. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 18:19, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Perhaps you wanted to say that it's equal to 1*(1 + 2*(1 + 3*(1 + 4*(1 + ... 98*(1 + 99*(1 + 100))...)))) – b_jonas 19:41, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
KSmrq's point is that anything that has a factor of 18 does not contribute to the problem. You can dramatically reduce what you have to calculate. Root4(one) 18:42, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
To answer your less interesting question, yes, it can be brute forced, after all 100! is only 158 digits long. 1! + 2! + 3! + ... + 100! =
94 269001 683709 979260 859834 124473 539872 070722 613982 672442 938359 305624 678223 479506 023400 294093 599136 466986 609124 347432 647622 826870 038220 556442 336528 920420 940313
Dividing that by 18, the remainder you get is 9. – b_jonas 19:41, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
I see now. Thanks for your help. --Proficient 22:44, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Great. So to wrap up, instead of summing factorials from 1 to 100, we need only sum from 1 to 5. And using the Horner's rule idea, we can compute this efficiently as
(((5+1)4+1)3+1)2+1 , \,\!
to get 153. If we like, we can use one last shortcut, because 18 = 9×2: casting out nines gives 0 — so the remainder upon division by 18 is either 0 or 9, and we have an odd number — so 9 is the only possibility. A little simpler than brute force, yes?
We got lucky with 18; if we had to work with 19 (which is a prime), we would have to sum factorials up to 18. Still, that's much nicer than summing to 100.
To introduce some higher mathematics into the discussion, we stand on the shoulders of Gauss, taking advantage of a homomorphism from the ring of integers, Z, to the ring of integers modulo n, Zn. (In the given example, n is 18.) And if n has coprime factors p and q, say, then we may use Zp×Zq and the Chinese remainder theorem. In simpler language, the homomorphism tells us that the remainder of a sum is congruent to the sum of the remainders, and likewise for a product. That is why we could replace all terms in the sum from 6! and above by their remainder of zero, and thus ignore them.
If we had n = 20, we could work with the factors 4 and 5, computing
\begin{align} (3+1)2+1 &\pmod{4} \\ ((4+1)3+1)2+1 &\pmod{5} \end{align}
to get remainders of 1 and 3, then reconstruct the full answer as described under Chinese remainder theorem. According to the algorithm we could note that (−1)×4+1×5 = 1, so the algorithm would sum 1×5+3×(−4) to get −7, equivalent to 20−7, namely 13. (Of course, for a small number like 20, we can simply compare the list (1,5,9,13,17) with the list (3,8,13,18) — each consistent with its remainder — to find the only common member, 13.)
As luck would have it, we can end this exploration with a recent news item, involving the "exceptional" Lie group named E8. A team of mathematicians worked for four years to describe the structure of this complicated object, and discovered along the way that they would be dealing with huge quantities of very large numbers. At first it appeared that the final calculations would be too big for their available computer to handle. What saved them was the realization that they could use this very idea of homomorphic images and the Chinese remainder theorem to replace one large computation — which would not fit — with several smaller ones — which would fit. (Specifically, they used 251, 253, 255, and 256, with product 4 145 475 840.) To give a sense of scale: "The final answer is contained in a pair of binary files of respective sizes 14 gigabytes and 60 gigabytes." The story of this accomplishment is inspirational. --KSmrqT 11:00, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] significant or nonsignificant

The study examined moderators of the relationship b/w trait anxiety and information received by patients postmyocardial infraction. When information received was regressed on the product of trait anxiety and gender, the beta was -.10 (p=.42) and the R squared change was .009 F= .66 and p= .42. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Rtuscan (talk • contribs) 23:28, 8 April 2007 (UTC).

Besides for not knowing what you're talking about, I have no idea what you're asking. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 23:43, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Maybe the question is: what does this mean? It should be postmyocardial infarction, not infraction, but even then we too are lost when it comes to explaining what it means to multiply anxiety by gender.  --LambiamTalk 02:27, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
The variable "F" above presumably stands for the value of a test statistic that has an F-distribution. Here is an online table of upper critical values.  --LambiamTalk 02:55, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Can your heart be arrested for commiting a serious infraction ? :-) StuRat 04:48, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] y = x^2

What's the curve called if y = x2? Thanks very much. 208.72.125.179 02:20, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

It's a parabola. -- JackofOz 02:24, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Perhaps I am setting a terrible precedent, but I just made a redirect: y=x^2 − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 07:12, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Please don't do this. Do you have any idea how many different ways we could write a parabola? Now an admin will have to delete this. --KSmrqT 07:33, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Done. By the way, the answer to the original question could be "It is a function in Cartesian two-dimensional space"... so the redirect wasn't proper to begin with. Titoxd(?!? - cool stuff) 08:02, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
We have an article E=mc², which is also the equation of a parabolic curve for varying speeds of light :)  --LambiamTalk 11:06, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Is there are a statistical method like this?

(Disclaimer, this is not homework!). I have data from two treatments that I'd like to compare (treatment 1 and 2), n=5 for each. I have performed a t-test, but p=~0.09 (unpaired, one-tailed). However, 80% of the values in treatment 1 are higher than 12, wheras 20% of the values in treatment 2 are higher than 12. Is there any statistical method like this using cut off values?

These are my results:

treatment 1 treatment 2
8.67 3.88
21.74 31.39
43.23 7.22
17.94 11.86
24.17 7.12

Thanks for any help! —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 140.251.33.179 (talk) 16:15, 9 April 2007 (UTC).

If the assumptions behind the t-test are true, then you really cannot do better than it. But by looking at your data, I would suspect that the assumptions are not all true (the data seem right-skewed, and I suspect that values less than zero are impossible). It would be possible to do a cutoff type test (e.g., Fisher's exact test), but please note the issues on pages such as testing hypotheses suggested by the data, data snooping bias, and data dredging.
A more appropriate test which is somewhat in the spirit of what you are getting at by looking at the ordering of the values is the Wilcoxon rank sum test (this was mentioned in the See Also section of the t-test article, BTW). But again, pay attention to what the test means, and the assumptions it makes (albeit less than those of the t-test). However, note that you still are deciding what to do after seeing the data, so your type I and II errors will not be exactly as you say they are. See Regression Modeling Strategies (F. Harrell, 2001) for a great discussion of this issue in many different contexts. Baccyak4H (Yak!) 02:33, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Operations on PowerSeries

Can someone help explain how to do this.

Find the power series representaion for f(x) and specify the radius of convergence.

f(x) = \frac {x}{(1+x) ^ 2}

Thanks in advance! Azninvazn88 03:20, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

Maybe even how to do power series in general. Azninvazn88 03:33, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Computing

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[edit] April 2

[edit] RAM

I know a guy with a laptop who claims he can use hard drive space as RAM, so he can get like 10GB of RAM. Does anyone know if this is possible? I don't believe him Mix Lord 00:40, 2 April 2007 (UTC)

See virtual memory. --cesarb 00:54, 2 April 2007 (UTC)
Any machine can do that, though physical memory is always better. Splintercellguy 03:19, 2 April 2007 (UTC)
Once upon a time, a quintessentially moronic newbie remark was, "Virtual memory? Coool! Now I can make me a really big RAM disk!" —Steve Summit (talk) 04:51, 2 April 2007 (UTC)
What steve is trying to say in a satirical way is that while you can make a large virtual memory for your computer, hard disks are limited in their speed compared to RAM. RAM has no moving parts, but hard drives require motion, and are therefore limited to the speed at which these parts can move. See the virtual memory article, and hard drive.--Russoc4 15:21, 2 April 2007 (UTC)
Uh, no it's not. Using VM (which uses hard disk space) to create a RAM disk is no different from using a regular hard disk, which is why it's stupid. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 129.78.208.4 (talk) 03:26, 4 April 2007 (UTC).

A DVD, CD, or even diskette can also be used as a "RAM disk", to provide extended memory. Of course, as with hard disks, this makes things run much slower. StuRat 20:37, 2 April 2007 (UTC)

Okay thanksMix Lord 00:12, 3 April 2007 (UTC)
You can't use VM on read-only media, of course, because it wouldn't work.
Yes, quite true. StuRat 15:29, 4 April 2007 (UTC)
Au contraire! You could do demand paging perfectly well out of a file on a read-only disk, and as far as I know this would be exactly what would happen if you were to exec an a.out file (i.e. a Unix executable) in a directory on a mounted CD-ROM filesystem. It's true you couldn't use the "virtual memory" so exposed to create a RAM disk, but hypothetically, you could make a ROM disk (i.e. a read-only filesystem) out of it... —Steve Summit (talk) 02:22, 6 April 2007 (UTC) [P.S. But yes, of course, building a "ROM disk" on top of read-only memory on top of a demand-paged file on a read-only disk would be precisely as pointless as building a RAM disk on top of virtual memory backed by a read/write disk.]

[edit] Allowing DVD player, Video game system, and cable box to run on same TV.

Anyone know how to? Currently the guys that put the cable box in, I didn't have a cable box before, made it so the DVD player would run on Video1, same as before. They set the cable box to component 1, so therefore right now, I can't record TV. Now, I believe that if I plugged out the video game system out of the DVD player (yellow white red jacks), I could allow my DVD/VHS recorder to record the TV, currently I can only play DVD's/VHS's. But then of course I couldn't run the video game system. Can anyone think of a solution? (This is the most accurate topic area I could find, thought it would be better than Miscellaneous.) 71.175.79.130 02:21, 2 April 2007 (UTC)

Does your TV have a TV-out or something like that? If you connect that to your VHS then it can record whatever that's on your TV. --antilivedT | C | G 08:01, 2 April 2007 (UTC)
OK I figured it out, but do you know if plugging in your cable box composite cables into your DVD player, then plugging av cables into your television distorts the HD picture? Also, before doing this my HD was coming in full screen, but now comes in wide screen. I mean I compared the HD and standard and the HD seems better, but do you know if it distorts it at all? 71.175.79.130 17:08, 2 April 2007 (UTC)
That is bad as you basically wasted your component connection, which means you now cannot get HD signals into your TV. I haven't tinker with the VHS/DVD combo players too much but I doubt any of them can relay component video without lost (assuming that you use component both from yoru cable box to your VHS/DVD and from there to your TV). --antilivedT | C | G 06:24, 3 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Cable Question

i am trying to get high speed cable internet in my home however i have two cables to the outside of my house. on the outside layer of one cable it says CATV on the other it says digital satellite which was iniatialy connected to a DISH network dish but was disconnected which one of the cables would work?--logger 03:37, 2 April 2007 (UTC)

Unless things are drastically different where you are as compared to every place that I've lived, you would not have to hook up your own cable internet. Your cable company or your ISP would normally do the outside work for you and then you would hook up the modem, router, etc. yourself from a cable jack inside your house. Or am I misunderstanding what you're doing? Dismas|(talk) 03:41, 2 April 2007 (UTC)

i am trying to use comcast to do the intenet they appear to have service in my area because i see CATV cables in my house. what i want to know is if the CATV cable would work without the need of a professional.--logger 03:46, 2 April 2007 (UTC)

Assuming you've already signed up for their services and it's all setup, all you have to do is hook the cable modem to the jack. Splintercellguy 04:11, 2 April 2007 (UTC)

should be getting the stuff this week has not yet shipped but should ship soon.--logger 04:34, 2 April 2007 (UTC)

Cable modems require a high-quality (broadband) coaxial cable line; when we had one installed, the Cable Guy pulled in a new line that extended from the pole to their splitter in our basement and thence on to the cable modem itself (that we provided). They also put in a trap, downstream of which we connected the rest of the house's older CATV wiring. They advised us that putting any clunky old (e.g., RG-59) cable in the way of the modem would probably cause it to not work so well.
Atlant 14:54, 2 April 2007 (UTC)
When ours was run, they also had to turn up the signal at the main line. It was too weak and we weren't getting synced on the cable modem. I helped it out further by removing the splitters in the crawlspace that were being used as end-to-end connectors and replacing it all with one long cable. --Kainaw (talk) 20:49, 2 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] what is

that little image in the left hand side of the web address bar called? (on wikipedia it's a 'W')--HoneymaneHeghlu meH QaQ jajvam 04:34, 2 April 2007 (UTC)

I call it a favicon. —Steve Summit (talk) 04:49, 2 April 2007 (UTC)
That's because it is a favicon. --Russoc4 15:19, 2 April 2007 (UTC)
Aha! Good to know. :-) —Steve Summit (talk) 16:00, 2 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] XP and available RAM

What is the miniumum actual ram (not recommended values etc) I would need to run XP home on my old computer? O yes, and why?--SlipperyHippo 15:24, 2 April 2007 (UTC)

Microsoft says 64 Mb. But even at 128 Mb, Windows XP is painfully slow, taking several minutes to start up and shut down with a few programs installed. x42bn6 Talk 15:44, 2 April 2007 (UTC)
OK Ive got 192M and I cant even get XP to install so it shouldnt be a memory problem? I should say that I have MagnaRAM running. Is this likely to cause a problem?--SlipperyHippo 20:46, 2 April 2007 (UTC)
XP should certainly install with 192M. Are you trying to upgrade? Why not just format and install from the cd? A clean install is always better IMO. If you want to keep your data, I would still suggest backing up your important files, then doing a clean install. Sandman30s 21:32, 2 April 2007 (UTC)
256M to get it running smoothly and 512M (minimum) if you want to play games that load large levels at a time such as first person shooters, or work with large pictures or videos. Of course it always depends what you want to do with your old computer. The moment you notice a lot of page swapping going on, it's a sign you need more RAM. RAM is cheap so why not just get 512M, you won't regret it. Modern PC's come standard with 1G; and 2G is not uncommon. Sandman30s 21:24, 2 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Hardware for reading PDF files

Hi. I read LOTS of electronic books and it's an annoyance having to sit in front of the computer to just read them. Printing them isn't a possibility, due to logistic problems. I was thinking in something like a PDA, but it apparently has much more features than I would need. What do you think? Do you know any hardware that would fit my needs? Thanks in advance. --Taraborn 16:34, 2 April 2007 (UTC)

Wouldn't an electronic book suffice? --Kainaw (talk) 16:54, 2 April 2007 (UTC)
Sounds fine... but is that hardware commonly available and allows information to be uploaded to it from the main computer? Thank you very much for your response. --Taraborn 09:00, 3 April 2007 (UTC)
Yes. The electronic book article even includes a list of available products, such as the Sony Reader which comes with software to move files from your computer to the book. --Kainaw (talk) 12:47, 3 April 2007 (UTC)
I've also heard that the iPhone will be able to read PDF files (it's running Quartz Extreme). -HuBmaN!!!! 15:53, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] SQL query

Using mySQL, I am trying to find a way to select both a random number and that random number multiplied by a column in my table. I have got as far as

SELECT RAND(),RAND();

which outputs

+------------------+--------------------+
| RAND()           | RAND()             |
+------------------+--------------------+
| 0.74826139095077 | 0.0067676957759705 | 
+------------------+--------------------+

which obviously isn't what I want. A different query,

SELECT RAND() as number,number;

would, I hope, select the same random number twice. However, it only gives

ERROR 1054 (42S22): Unknown column 'number' in 'field list'

Does anyone know how to do what I'm trying to do here?

Many thanks, Sam Korn (smoddy) 21:46, 2 April 2007 (UTC)

Did you try
   SELECT RAND() as mynumber, mytable.foo_number as tableval, (mynumber * tableval) as myresult
by chance? dr.ef.tymac 21:50, 2 April 2007 (UTC)
Same error, I'm afraid... Sam Korn (smoddy) 21:59, 2 April 2007 (UTC)
You can use a subquery.
select rand1.number,rand1.number from (select rand() as number ) as rand1;
look at the docs on the mysql website because i might be doing something silly for all i know. -- Diletante 22:09, 2 April 2007 (UTC)
Super, that's exactly what I was looking for. Many thanks! Sam Korn (smoddy) 10:11, 3 April 2007 (UTC)
Hmmm ... mySQL requires a subquery for that?! —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Dreftymac (talk • contribs) 16:16, 3 April 2007 (UTC).

[edit] Ask.com Service

Does Ask.com offer a paid service? 68.193.147.179 22:25, 2 April 2007 (UTC)

Do you mean like Google sell their search engine in a hardware box format?
http://www.google.com/enterprise/mini/#utm_medium=et&utm_source=bizsolssearch&utm_campaign=mini
Or like how Google sells advertising via Adwords?
Anyway I'm not sure if ask.com can come in a box, but this may help:
http://sponsoredlistings.ask.com/

Ronnystalker 05:31, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Research Services

What are some paid research services? 68.193.147.179 22:26, 2 April 2007 (UTC)

Your question is too broad or general, please clarify by explaining what sort of information you are looking for
For example, certain companies may do market research, where they may interview their customers. There are telephone research companies that will telephone people and ask to do a survey. There's medical research. There's research for film where you need to come up with examples of ideas for things. There's research as in fact-finding, like Google Answers, where you might have to research certain facts of information from a series of data. Your question is far too non-specific. Rfwoolf 12:05, 3 April 2007 (UTC)

To research information about companies. 68.193.147.179 16:55, 3 April 2007 (UTC)
Paid financial research:
Free corporate profiles, SEC filings, annual statements, etc.:
Is this what you are looking for? —EncMstr 18:03, 3 April 2007 (UTC)
I am looking for something that is like Google Answers. -68.193.147.179 21:45, 3 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] TiVo on iO cable

Can you run TiVo on iO cable? 68.193.147.179 22:28, 2 April 2007 (UTC)

They have their own DVR recievers. It's just like TiVo. --TeckWiz ParlateContribs@(Lets go Yankees!) 03:49, 3 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Text messaging

I know that it is possible to:

  • Send a text message from a phone number to another phone number.
  • Send a text message from a phone number to an e-mail address.

But how do I send a text message from an e-mail address to a phone number? Is it even possible? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 155.43.52.21 (talk) 22:47, 2 April 2007 (UTC).

It is possible if the telephone service attaches an email address to the telephone's text messaging service. Most do not do this because nobody wants to pay for spam-text constantly clogging up their phones. --Kainaw (talk) 23:08, 2 April 2007 (UTC)

Well, first of all any phone that is web-enabled can send and receive email - but it does this quite literally through the internet, just as you would ordinarily send and receive an email on a PC - it simply connets to the internet to their email service, provides their account details (such as email address, username and password) and uses the relevant email protocol to connect and download the email.
But I think you are asking if it's possible to send an email to a phone and have it arrive as an SMS. It is certainly possible - but depends on your service provider. Some service providers will allow you to create an account like 0825557779@vodacom.co.za - and when an email gets sent to that address it would send an SMS to that number with the text of the email. But certainly not all service providers provide this service - in fact these days it would be pretty uncommon for them to do that because they want to encourage people to buy web-enabled phones and to subscribe to WAP and other cell-phone internet services.
Oh and one more possibility... SOME service providers will allow you to send a free SMS to one of their subscribers - and you'd do that through their website - but like I say, only if they offer this feature. Generally if they do offer that feature it's just a service that they offer to their existing subscribers, to be able to send a free SMS to another one of their subscribers.
Hope that all helps. Just by the way 'SMS' stands for Short Message Service - which is the standard TEXT message that people use to message eachother on phones - but certain western countries have corrupted this term by using the word "TEXT" instead, as in "Just text your mate" - which is fine, but the actual service was originally called SMS. Rfwoolf 12:01, 3 April 2007 (UTC)

The same way people improperly say "send an email to", which complete disregards the SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) required to do so; or "receive email" which disguises what're they're really doing, which is using a client program to connect to an IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) or POP3 (Post Office Protocol 3) server. --64.0.112.54 19:32, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Pandemonium 1 does not work

I just got the game Pandemonium. I tried to run it but it does not work. I searched online and I read something about using a Glide wrapper. So I downloaded dgVoodoo and I placed the DLL files in the Pandemonium directory. However, the game still does not work. Whenever I run it, it gets to the title screen but it quits a second later. Please help. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Metroman (talk • contribs) 23:44, 2 April 2007 (UTC).


[edit] April 3

[edit] Geforce 8800, Soundcards.

Does anyone know if the Geforce 8800 needs two PCI-e cables (from the PSU), or just one? Secondly, do sound cards need a connector from the PSU, or is the power supplied by the motherboard enough? (The card in question, if it matters, is Chaintech AV710.) Froglars the frog 03:26, 3 April 2007 (UTC)

In general, no, the motherboard powers the soundcard. The only extra cabling is the one going from CD/DVD-ROM drives to the sound card, which is for... I forgot. Either direct analog or digital connection. And for the GeForce 8800, do you mean the SLI cable? If so, see the last question of the nVidia faq. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 04:05, 3 April 2007 (UTC)
I think the OP means the extra power cables from the PSU that goes into PCI-e graphics cards, which I think the 8800GT needs 1, and the GTX needs 2. --antilivedT | C | G 05:45, 3 April 2007 (UTC)
I have a 8800 and I can confirm it only needs one PCI-e cable. --Kiltman67 17:59, 3 April 2007 (UTC)
The 8800GTX requires two PCI-Express(6-pin) power cables from the power supply. The 8800GTS 640MB and 320MB versions require only one PCI-E power cable.

[edit] backing up files

does anybody know of a simple, free program that will synchronize my computer files with a backup file in an external hard drive? thanks. i've tried just copying and pasting, but this requires all the files to be rewritten. --Gujarat10 06:05, 3 April 2007 (UTC)

What is your operating system? I use rdiff-backup to backup my computer. --Kainaw (talk) 12:44, 3 April 2007 (UTC)
If you have Windows Vista, it comes with an automatic backup called "Backup and Restore Center". --TeckWiz ParlateContribs@(Lets go Yankees!) 14:06, 3 April 2007 (UTC)
I have windows xp 04. --Gujarat10 03:06, 4 April 2007 (UTC)
For Mac OS X, there's SuperDuper! and CarbonCopyCloner. --24.249.108.133 17:05, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Google summaries

When you search for, say, "douglas adams" on google, you will get Wikipedia entry listed quite above. What is interesting is the information below it:

Douglas Adams - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Provides information about the "Hitchhiker" author and his work.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Adams - 162k - Cached - Similar pages - Filter

But there is no such sentence in the whole web page! (I am talking about the HTML source). So from where does this sentence comes from? Is some one at google writing this up? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Scheibenzahl (talk • contribs) 09:54, 3 April 2007 (UTC).

Google Directory/dmoz I think. Search for Douglas Adams Wikipedia on either of them (they use the same index) and you'll get the same snippet. — Matt Eason (Talk • Contribs) 12:32, 3 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] to send as a mail

how to send this page as an email —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 61.8.139.98 (talk) 10:24, 3 April 2007 (UTC).

There are two options (that I can think of). Email the the URL, or save the page on your hard disk and email the file (but images won't show up). - Akamad 11:49, 3 April 2007 (UTC)
If you wish to email THIS COPY of the page, click "Permanent link" in the "toolbox" on the left. An example of this can be found here. JoshHolloway 12:27, 3 April 2007 (UTC)

If you want the contents, including all the markup, you can pick "edit this page" at the top of the page, select in the edit window, use Control A to select all, then use Control X to cut all text, then hit the back button to undo the edit. The full contents of the page are now in the text buffer and can be pasted into most word processors using Control V. Note, however, that the markup won't be interpreted correctly by most programs. StuRat 21:06, 3 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Vista compatibility.

I'm building a new PC and I'm debating whether or not to use Windows Vista. Will game performance be lesser on Vista, due to the higher requirements, Aero, superfetch, etc? How much XP software is incompatible with Vista? Some of the essential apps I run are foobar2000, Nero, DVD Shrink, uTorrent, Knights of the Old Republic 1 + 2, Firefox, VLC Media Player, The Sims 2, Fallout 1 + 2, Call of Cthulhu, Desperate Housewives game, Last.fm, Half-life 2/Counter-strike Source, Battlefield 1942, and ePSXe -- do any of these have issues on Vista? I know I could have googled for some of this information, but a lot of what I found was untrustworthy (things like "works" and "fails" without giving any details, out of date, etc). I'd appreciate any response. Cheers. Pesapluvo 13:49, 3 April 2007 (UTC)

Most programs run in Vista, and there's also a capability mode like in Windows XP, so you can run the program as if it was running in XP. --TeckWiz ParlateContribs@(Lets go Yankees!) 14:08, 3 April 2007 (UTC)
The Vista compatibility tool should find out whether these programs will run on Vista. x42bn6 Talk 16:56, 3 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Processor

Which one is better?

  1. Intel® Core™2 Extreme QX6700 (8MB,3.2GHz Factory overclocked)
  2. Intel® Core™2 Extreme X6800 (4MB,3.46GHz Factory overclocked) —68.193.147.179 (talk) 16:54, 3 April 2007 (UTC).
(http://www23.tomshardware.com/cpu.html) May be able to help. You can compare the two against differing tasks. On Unreal Tournament it seems the X6800 is ahead. ny156uk 17:01, 3 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] troubleshoot remote desktop

I am unable to connect from home to work with remote desktop....home is XP home edition; work is XP professional. I have voip phones at work. Called them to open a port.....typed in internal computer ip address:portnumber in the computer spot......typed in user name and password for work computer. Domain.....not sure what to type......old IT company had computers at work networked with an S drive and each computer had a name...(domain???) such as \\computername\shareddocs. New IT people have installed real vnc.....also am running microsoft SQl Server 2000 sp4.....when I try to connect at home error message reads; unable to connect.....too many people accessing network, network connection not established......please help mf8.9.193.154 20:20, 3 April 2007 (UTC)

Clarify, clarify! Check ports? What's the exact error message? Splintercellguy 21:47, 3 April 2007 (UTC)

How do you check ports? the exact error message is The client cannot connect to the remote computer. remote connections might not be enabled or the computer might be too busy to accept new connectionsl It is also possible that network problems are preventing your connection. I'm a novice and not a programmer.Flippinep 22:04, 3 April 2007 (UTC)

Make sure your router has port forward entries for the Remote Desktop ports. What router? Splintercellguy 22:20, 3 April 2007 (UTC)
Wait, I misread the question. Can you check to see if the remote computer has its appropriate ports open? Can you do a port scan test on it? Splintercellguy 22:22, 3 April 2007 (UTC)
And check correct IP :). Splintercellguy 22:22, 3 April 2007 (UTC)
You could also try using RealVNC Viewer to connect. Sorry for billion responses, I'm forgetting to put stuff in. Splintercellguy 22:22, 3 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Page break in MS EXCEL

How to remove page breaks in MS Excel? 21:39, 3 April 2007 (UTC)

Page breaks are only a part of the print setup. If you don't want any page breaks, you need to set the print setup to print 1 page wide by 1 page tall. Worm 22:53, 3 April 2007 (UTC)


That doesnt work too.....Its an automatic page break..... I dont knw how to clear it after successive futile trials..... 20:28, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

"File, Print Area, Clear Print Area". Anchoress 21:00, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Apple Cinema HD Display (30" flat panel)

Would a "Apple Cinema HD Display (30" flat panel)" work with a Windows-based computer (ex: Dell)? -68.193.147.179 21:41, 3 April 2007 (UTC)

In short, yes. Vespine 22:39, 3 April 2007 (UTC)
But the computer has to have a "dual link" DVI port to work with a screen that large.
Atlant 23:35, 3 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Installation help

I need help installing The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (video game) onto my macintosh. My current issue is that when I open the program after installation, it says there was an error in opening OpenAL framework. What does that mean?

OpenAL has to do with audio. Perhaps: 1. you, or it, selected the wrong audio card or audio setting (OpenAL is for 3D audio), 2. your audio drivers need to be updated? --140.247.251.165

[edit] file.writelines() in python

How do I make file.writelines() work with a list of unicode strings? --Anakata 23:46, 3 April 2007 (UTC)


[edit] April 4

[edit] Screenshot

How do I get a screenshot of a window in Microsoft Windows XP Home without using Alt+Print Screen? 68.193.147.179 00:11, 4 April 2007 (UTC) Press the prnt scrn button on your computer it will take a screen shot of your computer.keyboard Staffwaterboy 03:23, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

Why don't you want to use it? --TeckWiz ParlateContribs@(Lets go Yankees!) 02:12, 4 April 2007 (UTC)
From Windows Help...
To copy the window or screen contents

To make a copy of the active window, press ALT+PRINT SCREEN. To copy the entire screen as it appears on your monitor, press PRINT SCREEN. Note

To paste the image into a document, click the Edit menu in the document window, and then click Paste.

Hope that helps...72.28.56.83 02:47, 4 April 2007 (UTC)
There are many free programs you can use where you can set the screen capture key to your liking. Also most graphics editors (eg. Photoshop or GIMP) have built-in screen capture functionality. You can start with Google or Screenshot#External_links. --Nitku 09:51, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Webcam video

I'm looking for a program that can stream a video, say a home made video through a webcam feed when using my webcam in msn or something. A similair feature appears in manycam but i can't use my own videos, can anyone help me out?

89.242.151.217 09:51, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

VLC media player is able to stream videos. Aetherfukz 15:40, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] DVD capacity

I've had a look at the DVD page but capacity is only given in bytes or GB. I've tried to work it out but frankly its beyond me, so could someone please say how much capacity a 4.7GB DVD has in MB? Thanks! Think outside the box 13:42, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

it may be around 4796 MB expecting....just converted into mb on the basis of 1gb=1024mb 1MB=1024KB 1KB=1024BYTES 1BYTE = 8BITS
Thank you! Think outside the box 14:24, 4 April 2007 (UTC)
That answer above might not be right, according to DVD#DVD_disc_capacity "GB here means gigabyte, equal to 10^9 (or 1,000,000,000) bytes" so a 4.7G disc has 4,482 megabytes (if a megabyte is 1024KB) -- Diletante 15:07, 4 April 2007 (UTC)
Yea, it's never quite clear if they are using decimal values or binary values:
Term   Decimal Value        Binary Value
====   =============        ==============
 KB    1,000                1,024
 MB    1,000,000            1,048,576
 GB    1,000,000,000        1,073,741,824
So, depending on the combo you are using, there could be 1,000 MB per GB or 1,024 or around 1,074 or around 954 (the last two requiring that one term is decimal and the other binary). StuRat 15:25, 4 April 2007 (UTC)
And we can all sit and wonder why we allowed marketing people to call 1,000 bytes a KB, leading to calling 1,000KB a MB and 1,000MB a GB. --Kainaw (talk) 16:39, 4 April 2007 (UTC)
This is the sort of thing the IEC binary prefixes were created for. The reason the "marketing people" call 106 bytes a "megabyte" is because this utilizes the proper SI definition of the prefix "mega" (a megawatt isn't 220 watts!), and this works to their advantage if they sell digital storage media. -- mattb @ 2007-04-04T18:33Z
I just always remember that a DVD is approximately 4.38 GB in units that we're used to in the computer world. Anything under will always fit. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 03:33, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] rounding calculations to decimal places

Dear Helpers, I am unable to find out the correct html/java code for rounding calculations to a given number of decimal places. If I multiply , say, "2.33 by 6.2", I get "14.446". How do I round that to two decimal places to get the answer "14.45"? Kind regards,

Stuart Sanderson

HTML is not a programming language. It cannot round. Java is a programming language. You use rounded_number = Math.round(100*unrounded_number)/100;. Are you actually asking for JavaScript and not Java? --Kainaw (talk) 14:40, 4 April 2007 (UTC)
Use printf. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 03:31, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Thank you Kainaw, Either Java or Javascript - whichever works, but I need to know what computer code tags have to surround the calculations

[edit] A Windows muffler

Microsoft Windows is stupid and noisy. I only have a collective volume control. I cannot turn down the system noises only.

Most system beeps and ta-da's are stored in Windows/Media folder as WAV files. Is there a free-software solution for batch level reduction? I want to make these noises much less noisier. -- Toytoy 15:01, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

You might want to experiment with the various sound schemes, you may find some quieter, or at least less annoying, than others. You select them from Settings + Control Panel + Sounds (at least in Windows 98). Also, be sure all applications with volume controls have them on max, so you can reduce the general volume setting as much as possible. StuRat 15:07, 4 April 2007 (UTC)


You could do some Windows equivalent of the below. sox is free and available for Windows. --~~

 for i in *.wav; do
     # reduce volume to 25% of original value
     sox -v .25 $i quiet-$i
 done

[edit] Can I add bluetooth remote function to my mobile

I have a java ready phone and of course bluetooth. So can I change my phone to a bluetooth remote control, for example to control my notebook? If it can, how? If it can't, why? roscoe_x 16:20, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

You may write a program on the mobile and a program on the notebook so they can talk to one another (sending commands from the mobile to the notebook). As for can you, it depends on your coding ability. Personally, if you aren't currently a programmer, it will take a while to get to the level where you can write a program on the notebook to listen for commands (securely) on bluetooth and then forward commands on to other programs. --Kainaw (talk) 16:37, 4 April 2007 (UTC)
Do you have any web resources on these topics? Thank you. roscoe_x 09:19, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
If you have Mac OS X, check out Salling Clicker -- it's been available for four years. Use any Bluetooth cell phone or PDA to control your Mac. There also "Bluetooth Remote Control" made specifically for Sony Ericsson phones. Sony makes that for both Mac and Windows. --24.249.108.133 17:09, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Yes, I've checked their website. And you can get it for windows for $23.95. And not just for sony ericsson phones. Well, I don't think any open-source program available yet. roscoe_x 22:26, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] download

how to download a particular page —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 122.164.146.70 (talk) 16:26, 4 April 2007 (UTC).

Which page in particular? One here on Wikipedia? --Kainaw (talk) 16:35, 4 April 2007 (UTC)
Right click on any page and select save page as or equivalent thingy on the menu. Coolotter88 17:15, 4 April 2007 (UTC)
File, Save As --h2g2bob 20:18, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

file>save as >webpage (html only) Staffwaterboy 03:26, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Help! Microsoft Pinyin IME version 3.0

Can a nice knowledgable Wikipedian help with this problem? I have Microsoft Pinyin IME 3.0 pre-installed on my PC. But it's ruining my MS Word experience. It automatically starts up when MS Word starts and there doesn't seem to be any way to switch it off (there's no exit option or off button I can see, and the program help doesn;t tell me anything about this). I can switch it to English characters mode, but this is not good, as it does not let me type in ordinary English fonts. It uses Chinese-style English fonts instead. I can try to switch to regular fonts but it just default switches back to the Chinese-style English font. This is annoying. Suggestions about what to do (up to and including removing Pinyin IME altogether - I can't see it listed on the Control Panel add/remove programs/components list though) would be most appreciated. Thanks! —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 88.109.222.27 (talk) 17:46, 4 April 2007 (UTC).

Uh never mind, I just worked it out myself... —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 88.109.222.27 (talk) 17:52, 4 April 2007 (UTC).

[edit] Photoshop

In Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0, how do you capture a screenshot using that program? —68.193.147.179 (talk) 17:50, 4 April 2007 (UTC).

I am pretty sure that Photoshop Elements can not do a screen capture itself (cf. this page about version 3]), but you can, of course, use the standard Windows PrintScreen or Alt-PrintScreen keystrokes and then paste the contents of the clipboard into a new file. --LarryMac 18:00, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Video Capture

How do I use video capture using Windows Media Player? Can I do Video Capture in Photoshop? 68.193.147.179 21:43, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

What kind of video do you mean? Video you input from a digital camcorder? Videos from YouTube? In any event, Photoshop is meant for working with single images; Adobe makes other software for working with video. --LarryMac 22:19, 4 April 2007 (UTC)
Do you mean something like this? - Akamad 23:26, 4 April 2007 (UTC)
I don't know if Windows Media Player able to capture videos. But in Vista you could use Windows Media Center. roscoe_x 09:24, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Drivecleaner on my Mac?

I've read the wiki security page, but couldnt find any answers.

I use a Macbook Pro running OSX 10.4.8 and I received a pop up when visiting a website, which had the applemac Safari browser logo and warned me to download drivecleaner. I clicked cancel, but after some research, am worried that it could have still worked its way onto my laptop. I've searched for the file types using spotlight, and have run ClamXav through most of my computer, and it hasnt found any viruses.

Am I safe? Can Drivecleaner even affect macs?

And JUST HOW SAFE am I using a mac in relation to getting malware and viruses? Are we really immune, or is that an old myth?

Like any software, there is no such thing as 100% perfect immunity. I believe there are indeed exploits out there, though I can't think of what they are top of my head. Drivercleaner, whatever that is, probably doesn't even run on Mac OS X. Splintercellguy 00:15, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
You are much, much safer using a Mac. (Disclaimer: I'm a Mac user, so I suppose I'm biased.) But Splintercellguy's right: you're not automatically 100.000% safe. Maybe 99.99% safe.
If you're using a Mac, and you practice good computer security habits, you're probably as close to being 100% safe as makes no difference. (But if you practice good computer security habits, even Windows machines are almost reasonably safe these days.)
It's also worth looking at the kinds of things that make you safe or unsafe. For example, I was just reading this explanation of a recent Windows security problem:
Users are being infected after visiting a malicious Web page that has embedded malware designed to take advantage of the flaw. They also can be infected if they open a specially crafted e-mail message or if they open a malicious e-mail attachment sent by a hacker. [49]
Now, I would say that if all it takes to get infected is to visit a malicious web page, or to open a malicious e-mail, then your computer unambiguously has an egregious, nearly fatal bug. That is, I would say that "good computer security habits" should not even be necessary to protect against those two particular threats; protecting you against those two should be 100% your computer's responsibility. But of course not everyone agrees with me -- there are plenty of people who believe that a computer "can't be expected" to protect against all of those threats, and that "user education" is a vital and inescapable part of the computer security equation, that people are ultimately responsible for making decisions about which web pages are safe to visit, which emails are safe to open, and which attachments are safe to click on.
At any rate, the fact that no operating system is perfect, that even well-intentioned ones (such as Apple's) do occasionally have bugs, means that user vigilance is still at least an important part of the equation. If something looks fishy, don't open it. If an unexpected dialog box is asking a suspicious question, don't automatically click "OK".
(One nice thing abut Macs is that the dangerous operations -- but only the truly dangerous operations -- do almost invariably end up involving confirmatory prompts. That is, you won't get pwned just by visiting a website or opening an email. Even if some malicious content does figure out a way to try to install itself, you'll almost certainly get a prompt, which if you're smart you'll say "no" to. Furthermore, if you're using a Mac, you won't be getting those infamous "Confirm or Deny?" prompts for all sorts of other, unimportant reasons, so you won't be conditioned to reflexively say "yes" to all of them, without thinking.)
—Steve Summit (talk) 00:49, 5 April 2007 (UTC)


[edit] April 5

[edit] Starting a job stopped

Is it possible to start a job in 'nix and then immediately stopping it, without me having to enter ^Z once it starts? Please highlight shell-specific assumptions you may make. 00:08, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Good question! The only way I know of is using a debugger. It would also be possible to write a tiny little "helper" program, that just started a program stopped, in the same way that a debugger does. (But I've never heard of such a program being standard anywhere.) And even this probably wouldn't be exactly what you're looking for, because the "stopped" state that programs-under-a-debugger have is, I think, pretty different from the suspended state that ^Z gives them. —Steve Summit (talk) 00:54, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
IIRC the command "kill" can be used to send arbitrary signals, one of those signals happens to be the same signal that is sent when ^Z is typed. Root4(one) 02:02, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Sure. But starting a process and then killing it with -STOP is only quantitatively (not qualitatively) different than starting it and hitting control-Z. (But it's true, the former can be scripted, so the window during which the process runs could be made considerably smaller.) —Steve Summit (talk) 02:14, 5 April 2007 (UTC)


^Z just sends a SIGSTOP, so starting the process and then immediately sending it a SIGSTOP with kill will be pretty close to what you're looking for. In bash, $! is the PID of the process most recently started in the background. Doing:

yes & kill -stop $!

will start a yes (which normally prints an endless series of the letter "y" to the screen) in the background, and then stop it quickly enough that it doesn't even get the first one out (though that's not guaranteed). --TotoBaggins 02:23, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

I thought of this, but if you put this in a shell script, won't this have a problem? (controlling the jobs started in a child process?) —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 129.78.208.4 (talk) 03:33, 5 April 2007 (UTC).
No. The beauty of interacting with a shell is that you effectively *are* in a shell script, so (almost) everything works the same. What you're trying to do is unusual; maybe you're doing something the hard way. Mind telling us what you're trying to accomplish? --TotoBaggins 11:53, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
No, it doesn't work, I just tested it. The calling shell doesn't know anything about the jobs that the shell process invoked by the script. I have to use ps to interact with jobs that the script backgrounds.
Ideally I want to have a script or failing that an executable that starts a command and then immediately halts it. This is, for example, to queue up some jobs that may cause excess load to a system if run in parallel. I can then monitor with the shell's job control which jobs have finished so I can continue another one. Ideally something like this should be automated, or I can run each job one after the other in a subshell in the background, but I want to know whether it's possible to do this as I've described. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 58.163.129.56 (talk) 11:30, 6 April 2007 (UTC).
For the record, ^Z sends SIGTSTP, which by default has the same effect as SIGSTOP but is a handlable signal. If you can arrange for the job to attempt to do terminal input (or, in some cases, output) as soon as it starts, you can arrange for it to get SIGTTIN (or SIGTTOU) which can suspend it. If you're writing your own code, you can use ptrace(), in particular the PTRACE_TRACEME option (on Linux; 0 on Solaris, ...) which literally allows you to start a process (really exec() a file) suspended. --Tardis 15:29, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] RTHDCPL.EXE illegal system DLL relocation

I got an error message with the above heading. The message said: "The system DLL user32.dll was relocated in memory. The application will not run properly. The relocation occurred because the DLL C:\WINDOWS\Ststem32\HHCTRL.OCX occupied an address range reserved for Windows system DLLs. The vendor supplying the DLL should be contacted for a new DLL."

What does this mean? What should I do? --Halcatalyst 01:08, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Download the latest drivers from http://www.realtek.com.tw/ for your Realtek audio device. If is an onboard chip, check with your board manufacturer for drivers. --Kainaw (talk) 01:52, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Thank you! I downloaded the drivers and ran setup.exe. The error message went away and the audio now works fine. --Halcatalyst 03:12, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
You can also apply KB935448, which is the fix for that specific problem. It will fix the problem for all programs, not only the Realtek one. --cesarb 22:24, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
So the problem was caused by a Microsoft update I downloaded. Hunh. I hope there isn't an infinite regress here. :P I'll apply KB935448. Thanks for the tip! --Halcatalyst 03:25, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] my perfect blog

I want to create a blog. My main issue, for what constitutes a perfect blog, is that it create interlinks, at least as easy, as wikipedias double brackets. Are there blog hosts which interlink this easilly? I know of wikilogs, but as for thers editing my page...that is...eh...not so much. Do most or alll blogs fit that requirement, and I don't know about it, yet? Thaddeus Slamp 20:03, 3 April 2007 (UTC).

Try Tiddlywiki. Its a wiki-like page that you can edit, with interlinks, and its all on one html page! Think outside the box 06:17, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Thank you.Thaddeus Slamp 23:36, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] 'Virtual' graphics card for openSUSE linux?

Is there a project to emulate a graphics card under openSUSE? I need it to 'pretend' to be a graphics card and put the calculations on the processor. Thanks!--71.195.124.101 02:37, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

I doubt it. Graphics cards are useful because if processors done the calculations graphics cards did, everything would be horribly slow. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 129.78.208.4 (talk) 05:20, 5 April 2007 (UTC).
I know. I have a core duo 2ghz and no 3d ecaleration. A little help anyone? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 75.31.163.211 (talk) 05:34, 5 April 2007 (UTC).
Uhhh why on earth do you have a C2D but no 3D acceleration? Is it just that you don't have the correct drivers installed? What is your graphics card? --antilivedT | C | G 08:23, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
I added the core 2 to an ancient box I had. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 75.31.163.211 (talk) 18:09, 5 April 2007 (UTC).
Yeah, it's possible but even with a C2D you're going to find it pretty slow going. What you need is Mesa3D. It's basically a software replacement for OpenGL. It actually gives better standards compliance than many proper driver sets. The link for it is here

Elaverick 23:25, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Comcast Technician labor

if i wnted to install comcast high speed internet and i already had a modem and an install kit would i still be charged for labor by the technician just because they come and install the stuff for me.--logger 05:41, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Yes, that's exactly what "labor" means. What you already have is called "parts". StuRat 05:50, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

What would the average labor costs be if anyone knows?--logger 05:54, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

It depends on what you need to have done. If someone just has to come out and turn on a switch, it might be $50-$60, which they often bill as a "setup fee". If they have to do wiring and cable drops in your hours, it could be $200 or more. If you already have cable or cable outlets in your home, they most likely will not have to do any wiring. --Mus Musculus 13:33, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
As for the "if anyone knows", I bet the Comcast sales people at 1-800-comcast know the exact cost of installation. --Kainaw (talk) 14:00, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Incidentally, Comcast charging high installation prices is really stupid. They should offer cheap or even free installs, then make the money back in cable fees. They risk scaring off customers which could be worth thousands of dollars in profits due to this short-sighted policy. StuRat 19:02, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Why shouldn't they charge high install fees? They don't have a competitor. They claim satellite is a competitor, but it isn't. If you want a land-line cable, you have one choice and only one choice. Here, they try to confuse things with "Knology" as a competitor. Knology is just a Comcast reseller and they charge more to install that Comcast does. --Kainaw (talk) 22:01, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
There are many other forms of competition besides satellite TV, from broadcast TV, DVD rentals via Netflix, downloadable movies such as TiVo and streaming video services via DSL connections, etc. And in these days of everybody living on borrowed credit, an extra few hundred dollars on installation just may be enough to sway somebody to go with the competition. StuRat 01:13, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Ebay Sales info

Hey All,

Does anyone know the easiest way to get information on what prices things have gone for on Ebay in a data format for free?

I know that you can perform a search using "Completed Listings Only", but I was hoping to get it in data format. I know Ebay offers "Marketplace Research", but I'd rather not pay for data (I'm a data miner!)


Is there any free 'market research'-type information on ebay sales?


I am considering just writing a VB macro to just run repeated advanced searches, locate the information within the search, and then organized it into some sort of categorical format. Has anyone done anything like this before? I did it for a local auction site for my city and it works pretty well. I don't know about Ebay though... it's pretty big. It will either take a looooong time or my IP may get banned!!

Thanks!!!

NByz 06:14, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Before you do create a macro to do repeated searches, check the terms and conditions of your account as using it in this way may be a breach of the T&Cs. - X201 08:10, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Well certainly achievable with some scripting, I would use maybe some php and grep and output it to a nice pretty table. What are you trying to do though? Find stats for prices of completed auctions? --antilivedT | C | G 08:21, 5 April 2007 (UTC)


Yeah pretty much. I'd like to be able to export a nice pretty data set of all sales in say... the last 30 days in the category X w/ the phrase Y in the title. Then apply some stats to the data once I have it. Overkill maybe... but I'm a stock market guy, and I say every market needs to be analyzed for arbitrage opportunities!

24.68.64.122 09:05, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Windows update problem

After an automatic update of XP MCE edition, I get a message that user.exe has been moved to a different location in memory because of hhctrl.ocx. It says I should contact the vendor to get a more recent one. I thought I found one at Microsoft, but when I tried to install it, it said what I had was more recent. What should I do now? Clarityfiend 07:48, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

About 4 or 5 posts above this is a similar question (RTHDCPL.EXE illegal system DLL relocation) having trouble with the same OCX file. Have a look at that and see if it applies to your problem. - X201 14:55, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Thanks, that did the trick. (I hate Bill.) Clarityfiend 19:32, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Low ink consumption printer

Which is the printer/technology with the lowest ink consumption or, being more specific, cost per printed paper? Maybe some kind of inkjet printer? --Taraborn 12:39, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Pretty much any inkjet (aka bubblejet) printer that allows you to refill your own cartridges is the cheapest. I use a BJC-210 for black and white printing. I paid $25 for a big bottle of black ink (that is actually darker than the original cartridge's ink). I refill it every other month and I've used about half the bottle in the last year. So, I'm getting about 2 years of printing for $25. It is a hell of a lot better than the laser printers here at work. Every day they want a new toner cartidge or a new drum or a new phaser... I hate them with a passion. --Kainaw (talk) 14:03, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Man, if they want a new phaser, you're probably SOL until the 23rd century ;-( ! Hopefully, all they want is a fuser.
Atlant 17:16, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

It all depends on the volume and the desired quality of your printouts. You can't beat an entry level inkjet and refillable cartridges for cost per sheet, if you print low volume so that the time overhead isn't a big deal. Low cost laser printers have become quite popular in the consumer market recently, which will feature sharper, more durable printouts and operate much quicker than an inkjet. Also, Phaser is a name Xerox uses for laser printers, they perform disappointingly despite my attempts to set them to 'kill'... --Jmeden2000 17:57, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Actually, many of Xerox's Phaser printers are crayon-jet printers; it's the line and trademark that they bought from Tektronix.
Atlant 20:03, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

I would expect an old dot-matrix printer to use the least ink, because they don't print solid letters, but just dots. StuRat 18:43, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

The trick with ribbon-based dot-matrix printers is that they never actually "run out" of ink, the printouts just get lighter and lighter. So you could print Sagan's of pages as long as you don't care if you can read them or not.
Atlant 20:06, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
  • Actually, my advice is to go laser (toner). Although, the first answer about $25 for a year's ink with refillable cartriges sounds very interesting indeed. But generally speaking, ink costs more than blood! Also, a lot of inkjet/bubblejet companies scam you by selling you their printers at a really low price (see lost leader) and then bleed you dry when you come to refill your ink - it's the same principal with Gilette's razers - the 'handles' come cheap with a free blade or two, but the cartriges to buy are really expensive (although this has now changed a bit and balanced out). Toner's much better, especially for volume, and in theory it's faster - more pages per minute, and you don't have to wait for it to dry. If you're in an office environment then get a toner printer - no doubt. The only downside with toner printers is that some of the ink ones are capable of printing on CDs and DVDs - but other than that I don't like them. Oh, and some inkjets tend to do better with picture quality - if you're looking to print out a lot of photos on fancy paper - the lasers don't always support fancy odd papers - but having said that there are definitely toner printers that can do great quality printers with excellent colour matching and can even support odd papers. Rfwoolf 19:59, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
  • That's a loss leader, although perhaps Bush is a lost leader ? StuRat 01:31, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Ahh, thank-you. I've always known the term as 'lost leader' - and perhaps we need to do a redirect to 'loss leader' - I will probably say that the word 'lost leader' is a term meaning the same thing, but only when it's referred to incorrectly - you know because they have similar connotations - and if enough people started referring to the concept as a 'lost leader' eventually they would be both correct. Anyways, now I've learn to differentate between the two. ... wow, so it is true, you do learn something new every second or third day ;) (or fourth in my case). Rfwoolf 02:00, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] new technology

hi, i should give a seminar on technology that has just come so pls anybody suggest me where i can find the info and ppts. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Chakrirajini (talk • contribs) 14:26, 5 April 2007 (UTC).

Perhaps you should tell us what exactly you wish to know. Splintercellguy 14:39, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

it will be just ppt presentation that should be any technical like a OS or any Softwares....like that so ineed info where do i get latest

Wikipedia tends to have the latest information on technical topics. Just pick one and type it in the search box. If your plan is to give a talk on "technology", you need to reserve about 200 years for the presentation just to give a very brief overview of technology. You need to focus on a single technology. For example, wireless network technology. Or, get very specific and cover bluetooth technology. --Kainaw (talk) 15:10, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

I suggest that you get a copy of Popular Science, they always include the latest technology. Also check out HowStuffWorks.com: [50]. StuRat 18:37, 5 April 2007 (UTC)


Some sources of new technology information: I have somehow subscribed to these in my Bloglines account, http://www.bloglines.com , (i think I ticked a box saying I like techy stuff when I set up the account and I get all these interesting things as feeds - you could set up an account and get similar info too): Wired: http://www.wired.com/ Small Business Trends: http://www.smallbiztrends.com/ The Next Net : http://blogs.business2.com/business2blog/ I also lurve New Scientist http://www.newscientist.com/ (although their site is down from my end of the web at the moment) My favourite new technology is RFID. I think it will be absolutely massive - imagine if every car was tagged with an RFID tag - and all roads had RFID receivers in the Cats-Eyes. Then they all hooked up to the net and also talked to each other. The data could be processed using some form of AI to predict where everything is heading and at what speed. It could mean no car would ever have to collide with another again! Most pedestrians are already "voluntarily" tagged with an RFID chip (its on their credit card) - so they could be demobilised if they are about to step in front of a car (perhaps a little electric shock to the knees ;o) ). Put all that info together and wow! On the down-side, Big Brother will probably want to get a piece of the action :o( Anyway, for RFID and other techy stuff, see: http://www.epcglobalinc.org/home Ronnystalker 07:49, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Sharing photos on a LAN.

My PC is always on. I have a Picasa installation that has all my photos (~2,000) all tagged and organised. I'd like the others on my LAN to be able to access a read-only Picasa-WebUI via HTTP, or something along those lines -- even like a Picasa Web Albums that's only on my LAN. Failing this, an aesthetically appealing browser-based way of sharing photos would be great. Can anyone make any recommendations? (Note: I have almost zero knowledge of PHP, MySQL and databases.) —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 202.10.86.63 (talk) 15:48, 5 April 2007 (UTC).

Do you want all your tags and descriptions retained while it is access on LAN? I think gallery2 can do what you want, with some tinkering. Just get an all in one package of Apache, MySQL and PHP somewhere and you have an easy web-server, then install gallery2 on it and somehow import the photos in with all the descriptions and tags (the hardest part). --antilivedT | C | G 00:28, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] SQL Problem

I have a (SAS) dataset which has UNQ_ID, DATE, EXPENDITURE.

For each record, I require to add a variable EXP15 to the table, which stores the sum of EXPENDITURE for the rows which have same UNQ_ID, and DATE's which are within the past 15 days from the DATE in this row.

I've tried to solve this problem, but I feel my current solution can be improved. Any hint how I can write an SQL query for it will be really helpful. --Hirak 99

ALTER TABLE and triggers. You could potentially do what you're after purely with a SELECT query, but it will be rather horrid due to your "row date minus 15 days" requirement. I think you can accomplish what you're after with a trigger or just by having your application do the necessary updates. The potential gotcha is that you'll have to update the EXP15 field for practically the entire table if you ever modify EXPENDITURE in old rows or delete rows. This may not be a very desirable situation. I can't think of a way to do this that isn't fairly awful; I guess you have to decide whether you want to spend a lot of time updating the table or a lot of time on the SELECTs. Personally I would step back and see if you can work things so you don't need this EXP15 field or accomplish its intended functionality in your software. -- mattb @ 2007-04-05T16:36Z

[edit] Screencast

I am looking for software like Lotus ScreenCam that can work on Windows XP that can record my computer screen and save it to a video file. 68.193.147.179 18:49, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Please refer to the link posted by Akamad in response to your previous query. A Google search for Screencam yields many additional options. --LarryMac 18:56, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Web 2.0 in Museums

How are Web 2.0 technologies being employed in museums? 141.211.8.253 19:34, 5 April 2007 (UTC)Jason

They are being used to deter people who do not do homework. Splintercellguy 19:50, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Goodness gracious, as much as I hate the mere mention of the "Web 2.0" hypeword, I think I'd break down in tears if I visited the High Museum and saw some POS terminal with a bubbling pastel-toned AJAX interface... -- mattb @ 2007-04-05T20:36Z

[edit] lastmeasure

how long does it take the Trojans and computer viruses from the shock site lastmeasure.com to start acting on your computer?--71.234.233.163 21:18, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

I'm not exactly sure Last Measure deposits trojans and viruses onto your machine, but if it does, you can easily remove with AV/anti-spyware. Splintercellguy 01:57, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Last Measure does none of that, it's simply a product of ActiveX and Flash. So, infinite? :) -Wooty Woot? contribs 10:08, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] removed article

hi,

i added a new article, "Realm versus Realm" and it has been removed (i think it is deleted, i can not see it anymore on wiki).

I'd like to know why. I didn't add anything against which is against any laws or rules and the data was not fake, so I don't know what did i do wrong -the article could have been removed because of that-.


Thank you for the information and for your time in advance.


All the Best, Mark Kondor

ps.: the link was "http://en.wikipedia.org/Realm_versus_Realm" —The preceding unsigned comment was added by FoolorganIC (talk • contribs).

According to your contributions, you made no such article. Also, checking the creating log, no article has recently been created or deleted with the name "Realm" in the title. --Kainaw (talk) 21:58, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
According to the deletion log, it was called "Realm versus realm", not "Realm versus Realm". The log also has the deletion reason. --cesarb 22:17, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for the fast reply. RE: Yes, that's exactly my problem. Edited it, added with "Save page" button, tried to access it from a blank tab in my browser and it was working properly. A couple of minutes later (let's say 20 minutes) when i checked back -to revise- it said page not found. Tried to search for "RvR" and "Realm versus Realm" on wiki (generic search) - no article... ps.: i think it could be possible that it hasn't been removed but was not created at all. In that case: a)what did i do wrong (selected "Start a new article..." on main page's "Did you know" section)? b)Why was i able to browse the page for a couple of minutes on wiki with a direct link to the article?

cesarb: Thank you for the info! (and sorry for the upper/lowercase typo). Now i see it says the reason is i tried to advertise something but this is absolutely wrong:
1st) RvR is really "their word" ('WAR' makers)
2nd) WAR Online, as fully and definitely a game advert is available on wiki (but that's OK imo, there are a lot of definitions like that, e.g. "Portal (computer game)"
3rd) I spent a couple of minutes searching for "RvR" (including wiki) but didn't find it: that's why i decided to create an account here and add the topic so i can save some time of other people
The question is: What can i do now? How can i complain against the decision?
p.s.: I'm open to remove the "advert feeling" parts of the definition.

(Thanks for all the fast responses and info, and so sorry, i'm really that noob :)



update: okay, sent a message to the wiki admin who has removed the article so... hopefully he will tell me what's up related to this topic.
to "Kainaw" and "CesarB": thank you again for the response, much appreciated!

[edit] Virus on my PC!

Hi there,

Recently, my computer is affected by a virus (I don't know what kind of virus it is). First infected yesterday, around this time. Then, I want to turn it on again, but for some reason (which I believe it is a virus), it got on very, very, extremely slow. The computer seemed to not move. I was trying to get to Wikipedia and edit, but I struggled for few hours, and was unable to log on. Today, I was trying to get to Wikipedia again. This time, my account (You know in Windows XP, you are able to create several accounts) was not able to log on. Panicked, I used the "Guest" account, and to be delight, it works! But I really want my account back, and restore my files. Waht should I do? (Please do not suggest buying Anti-Virus CD!)  Smcafirst | Chit-Chat | SIGN  posted at 23:31, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

--> Please reply at User talk:Smcafirst/Requests.

I'll reply here. Use a free online anti-virus scanner of course. [51] Splintercellguy 01:56, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
When you say "Please do not suggest buying Anti-Virus CD", is that because you don't want to pay for one, or because you're opposed to using anti-virus software at all? I agree, anti-virus software should never be necessary on a computer with a proper operating system, but if yours is deficient in the area of security (as most versions of Microsoft Windows indubitably are), then running various kind of add-on security products is an absolute necessity, unless you run your PC in isolation and never connect it to the net or allow it to interact with other computers in any way at all. —Steve Summit (talk) 02:29, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
I don't run add-on security products. I gave them up a good while ago, and don't have any issues. If I'm about to run an executable from an iffy source, I run it through Virus Total; I don't run very many of those though. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 02:38, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Online virus scanners won't solve anything if it's already hit. You can get a free virus scanner like Avast! or AVG Free, put it on a floppy, boot with it, and hopefully clean it. It doesn't sound like you necessarily have a virus though; a number of things could probably cause issues like that... -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 02:38, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

If you want to you can re-install windows, it will get rid of the virus and as long as you DON'T reformat the hard drive you can get your files back by going into C:\Documents and Settings\Your_old_username_goes_here there you can acsses your old desktop and your old My Docs. It's hard thing to do but it'll get ride of the virus(if it is a virus, sound a bit like spyware or a recource hog to me) good luck --Lwarf 09:51, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

Take back what I said before, I have a better idea. Start up you're PC in Safe Mode (hold down F8 when booting up) then log in as administrator you should then be ablre to go into My Computer and get at your My Docs, if you Have file on the desktop you want take a look for them here : C:\Documents and Settings\Your_user_name_goes_here\Desktop . Once you've found all your files copy them onto a thumb drive. Now you can safly re-install windows (this time DO reformat the harddrive). --Lwarf 09:51, 7 April 2007 (UTC)


[edit] April 6

[edit] Screenshot in Adobe Photoshop CS2?

How do I take a screenshot in Adobe Photoshop CS2? 68.193.147.179 01:07, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

Press PrintScreen, open a new document in Photoshop (or any other image editor for that matter, even Paint), paste. --antilivedT | C | G 01:38, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Disable ClearType if you capture text. Cacycle 13:08, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Grub menu

how do you delete or rename items in the Grub menu at startup? Thanks!--71.195.124.101 01:33, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

Edit /boot/grub/menu.lst as root. --antilivedT | C | G 01:37, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] bit torrents

hello, im new to bit torrents and im wondering what steps to take in order to put a dvd torrent on a dvd disc to play it on my home dvd player? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 60.230.51.250 (talk) 08:02, 6 April 2007 (UTC).

I'm assuming you've already downloaded the files? If the files are > 4.5 GB and you don't have a DVD-9 blank, you should recompress. Else, just burn using Nero or any appropriate burning software. Splintercellguy 08:15, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

Excellent thanks for that.Well I was kind of also thinking that I might of had to download a burning program or something special for dvd's, as you can see I am a novice at this, may I say thank god for wikipedia. I downloaded the linux torrent the other night and all i have are some useless files that I dont know what to do with. It was the Linux Light version. Having never used linux before I thought it might be fun to have a look. Once again thanks. ; )

[edit] Superior notepad

Hi - I'm looking for a program like notepad (on Windows), but which has greater features. The specific feature that I'm looking for is the ability to alphabetise lists (with one item per line). If anyone know of such a program (on Windows), I'll be most grateful! Thanks, Martinp23 10:48, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

Try Notepad++ or UltraEdit32. The first is free and opensource and the second available on trial for 30 days. I don't know if they have the specific feature you're asking for, but if they haven't it, that I'm quite sure that no other notepad has it. Snowolf (talk) CON COI - 10:52, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Excel can alphabeticise lists, as can Word! JoshHolloway 12:16, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Or just use the good old sort and some bash scripting. --antilivedT | C | G 12:38, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Ask for the addition of this feature into the Wikipedia in-browser editor wikEd. If implemented, this could allow you to sort lists of wiki links after the displayed link titles. :-) Cacycle 13:06, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
TextPad can do it. If you are just working with lists, try Raptor (surf around here). x42bn6 Talk 17:57, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Although TextPad will fall down if you try to work with unicode. dr.ef.tymac 18:17, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Yeah, shame about that... I have rendered so many articles useless because of that, unknowingly. I guess Raptor is best, then, although it can only work with lists. x42bn6 Talk 18:19, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
How about emacs? You can get it for Windows too, you know. And yes, it does sort lists (and does pretty much everything else you could think of, too). —Ilmari Karonen (talk) 02:08, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
You might also want to take a look at Comparison of text editors. —Ilmari Karonen (talk) 02:12, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Country-specific internet search

The advanced Google search features don't include a country field. How can I restrict a web search to sites specific to one country (specifically Australia)? (Including "Australia" in the seach terms doesn't work.) Thanks.Shantavira 11:50, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

It won't be perfect, but if you ask it to search the .au domain. Anchoress 11:55, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Go to the country specific site (in the case of Austrailia its - http://www.google.com.au) type your advanced search, when the global results come up just check the "pages from Austrialia" checkbox and click search again. Google remembers your search terms between searches and anything accessible from the advanced search can be expressed in a standard search request.

Elaverick 13:30, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Excel: Calculating average of a product of two columns

I am trying to calculate the total average time to complete a case where I have two columns Column A is number of cases and Column B is the Average duration.

I can't just average column b, because if on day 1 there was 1 case solved in 60 min and on day 2 there were two cases solved in an average of 120 min If you strictly average the durations you get 90 min (60 + 120) / 2. If you multiply by the # of cases first you get 100 minutes (1*60 + 2*120) / 3.

the excel formula would look something like this, but this does not work. sum(a1*b1:a2*b2)/sum(a1:a2)

I could create an extra column to contain the product, but I was wondering if I could do somthing that looks like this.

Excel gives an error and automaticlly convets the formula to sum(a1*a1:b2*b2)/sum(a1:a2)

thanks, Czmtzc 13:38, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

Solved it myself. Needed to use Sumproduct: sumproduct((a1:a2)*(b1:b2))/sum(a1:a2)-Czmtzc 13:47, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Character Palette

Image:Character Palette.png Does Windows have anything similar to Character Palette for a Mac? Nebraska bob 14:12, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

I'm not familiar with Mac OS, but all versions of Windows have included the Character Map utility. --LarryMac 14:20, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
I've linkfied the picture. Please, no "fair use" images outside of the article namespace. --cesarb 20:57, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Loophole in blocking IP adresses

I have noticed that everytime I switch my ROUTER on my IP changes, but always in a range 52........... Also while I checked my latest USER: contributions I saw some contribs tht were not done by me. My friend explained something like "IPs in my network providers' range are DYNAMIC and they change everytime I log on. And they pass frm one person to another in the network. So your IP is never constant!"

So this implies That if an IP address is 'blocked' the real culprit can never be penalised as he does not hv a fixed IP. On the other hand it is a headache passed to someone else in the network.

Isn't this a loophole in blocking of IPs. Can anyone explain? Please!!!

Also how can I check my contribs. which are solely mine. As it is hurting to see someone who got my 'once' IP vandalizing and giving me a bad name.

I know making a UserID may help. Can anyone explain please. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 59.182.27.59 (talk) 15:13, 6 April 2007 (UTC).

Just go here, fill out the form, and press "Create Account". --TotoBaggins 15:51, 6 April 2007 (UTC)


Yes, it is a problem. But so far, no one has come up with a better solution to limit vandalism. If you have one, please speak up! There are even more ambiguous cases such as large institutions (high school, college campus, megacorporation) with large internal networks connecting outside through a carefully controlled firewall. All those zillions of users appear outside to be at the same IP address, or one of a few. If only there were a unique identifier for the particular PC—or, better yet—for the biometric fingerprint/retina scan of the logged in user to key off of.
Despite the ambiguity, this scheme does work for many users. This computer is connected through the local cable ISP, but my public IP address remains the same for many months at a time (maybe over a year?), even though the broadband modem is power cycled from time to time. —EncMstr 17:32, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
The fact is that it takes less time to block a given IP than it does to switch it — especially when more than one admin is on the case. So even if you are very dedicated you are quickly going to run out of available IPs, and in any case it is easy to revert vandalism. So in the end the vandal has to be pretty committed to causing trouble to make it more than a momentary thing, and even then their trouble will be quickly erased. --140.247.251.165 17:42, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Of course it's a loophole. It's the reason you see IP talk pages with lines and lines of warnings and yet when you go through the contributions, you find loads of good faith edits (as well as mindless vandalism). Creating an account is always a good idea. Even if vandals create accounts too, they waste their time validating and registering emails, when sysops ban in 1 or 2 keystrokes. In other words, vandals can't win. If vandalism becomes widespread, there are things that Wikipedia can do such as range blocks, or in serious cases, a lockdown of the database. x42bn6 Talk 17:55, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Um, I agree, but you don't have to enter an email/validate it for an account on WP. -Wooty Woot? contribs 00:49, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Wireless internet problem

I have a weird problem with wireless internet on my IBM thinkpad T60. Every now and then, the wireless internet stops working. I have pasted on the right what I observe on my desktop tray. The wireless internet icon shows green waves permanently, and completely stops responding. It shows "excellent" signal strength, and the status is "connected", but it stops showing the name of the network. Everything related to networks connections, even in Control Panel stops responding. This can happen any time, and the only solution I have found till now is to switch off and restart again (shut down doesn't work.) I have even tried reinstalling my network driver. Any ideas what the problem might be? deeptrivia (talk) 17:47, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

I've been having the same problem - when I try to repair the connection (in XP), I'm told that it cannot retrieve DNS settings. The way that I've fixed this in the past is to restart the router, though this is being successful less often, leaving me wondering whether my use of WPA encryption is cauing issue on old hardware. (Note that I'm desciribng the problem here on 2 other systems, neither of which are thinkpads)Martinp23 17:52, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
PS: This problem doesn't happen on other laptops, including T60s on the same wireless router. deeptrivia (talk) 18:16, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Wild guess here, but since it's "connection 2", could it possibly be trying to connect to the same network twice with two separate adapters? -Wooty Woot? contribs 00:47, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Might be a DHCP sever error, take a look in your router setting and make sure that the DHCP sever option is enabled, then go into the TCP/IP properties on your laptop and set them to obtain an IP address automaticly. --Lwarf 09:44, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
"connection 2" is because I reinstalled network driver in an attempt to solve the problem. All other laptops work fine on the same router, so I don't think there's a problem with the router. And with my laptop, the same problem happens on different router at different locations. Thanks for the suggestions, and I'm still looking for the solution. deeptrivia (talk) 15:48, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

Your firewall or router's firewall could be the cause. You might experiment by disabling your firewall(s) temporarily to see if that still happens. If you try repair a connection for example - once again the firewall(s) can either prevent it completely or make it take ages. If you do notice a major difference with the firewalls disabled, try looking into that. Rfwoolf 19:45, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] LG DVD firmware update

I need to update the firware of my LG GSA-4167 which is currently on my primary IDE, but the "read me" file of the update software says I should place the device on the secondary IDE controller before running the firmware update. At the moment it's impractical for me to do so, so do you think I could do the update as it is anyway? Or would it cause problems? --Sn0wflake 18:43, 6 April 2007 (UTC)


This also happened to me...and unfortunately it did not let me Update the firmware in this configuration...there someway to bypass this? Maybe a command line / shortcut command? Although I don't think an update will help my burner because I cannot burn double layer discs and I've read recently on forums that LG drives are known for their 2nd laser which burns the other Layer failing. Anyone know if this is true?

200.12.231.42 22:51, 6 April 2007 (UTC) Ag for MemTech

[edit] Internet browser windows

What's it called when an inactive internet broswer window forces itself to become active once it's finished loading, hence "snatching" away your attention? I've often had this happen with webmail programs; I open the webmail, then a new window, begin typing an address, and find the windows "switch" in the middle of my writing, sometimes resulting in a text input I never intended. It seems like this might be related to the way some popup ads can hide by sticking themselves behind other windows. Any word for this "feature"? \sim Lenoxus " * " 20:06, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

It is called Focus stealing --LarryMac 20:14, 6 April 2007 (UTC) (oops, fixed my wikilink).
There is a hidden feature in Windows called "prevent focus stealing" or something along those lines. Don't remember much about it, though, and it could be related to open windows only. --Sn0wflake 20:23, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
I'd like to know how to prevent that myself. I often start loading a page in one browser window, then start typing in another, only to be interrupted when the first window loads and insists on stealing the focus back. StuRat 01:45, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Got it... here it is: [52] --Sn0wflake 01:56, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Thanks. StuRat 05:25, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Photoshop's weak text support

With Photoshop CS and CS2 (haven't tested CS3), everytime i type some text with the Text Tool, I noticed that the quality of the text is not as good as text editors. For example, when I print using optimal DPI and printer settings, the text shows up quite visibly pixelated when compared to text printed with Microsoft Word. This could be perhaps that the text is turned into pixels when you type in PS, but regardless, is there any way to change the quality of the text in photoshop so that it matches the quality in text editors such as Microsoft Word? Jamesino 23:25, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

Go to the place where you rezie images (forgot the exact name), increase the dpi to at least 300, and that will make your text look better. --antilivedT | C | G 00:24, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Yeah, you need to set the overall DPI higher, because your printer is using a higher DPI than your file is supporting. Text in a program like Word automatically takes advantage of how much DPI your printer can operate at (as it stores it as vector directions, not a bitmap), but a bitmap editor like Photoshop will not automatically do that. If your laser printer prints at 600 DPI then you'll need to make your image at 600 DPI as well. --24.147.86.187 17:23, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Snipping Tool in Windows Vista

Is there a way to download the snipping tool in Windows Vista to my Windows XP Home laptop? 68.193.147.179 23:27, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Linux and graphics cards

Hi, does anyone have suggestions for a cheap and well supported graphics card for openSUSE linux? Thanks!--Ryan 23:47, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

NV cards have good proprietary driver support, internal intel graphics card have great built in open source drivers, radeons can use the opensource r200 driver for the 9x00 series (I think) or install the proprietary fglrx driver. --antilivedT | C | G 00:18, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
As far as cheap cards go, you could try the reasonable GeForce 5700 (packs a fair punch and is very cheap nowadays) or the 6200, which is basically the same thing, but slightly more powerful and slightly more expensive. I have used the 6200 for a while and can attest that it holds very well, despite not being amazingly powerful. --Sn0wflake 01:32, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] April 7

[edit] Photoshop Question

According to the Wikipedia article, Screenshot, it states:

Third party screenshot software There are many third-party programs available on different platforms to take screenshots with advanced functionality. Most computer graphics software (e.g., IrfanView, GIMP, and Photoshop) can acquire screenshots. Typically, these programs can be configured to include or exclude the mouse pointer, automatically crop out everything but the client area of the active window, take timed shots, areas of the screen not visible on the monitor (autoscroll), and so on.

But, I did not see any feature in Photoshop that says that it can acquire screenshots. Does anyone know how to capture screenshots within Photoshop?

Yes they can acquire images such as screenshots or just any other random image you have in your clipboard. But first you have to put it into clipboard by pressing printscreen if you want the whole screen screenshot or alt+printscreen if you want one window only. --antilivedT | C | G 00:26, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
It looks like the GIMP can actually capture a screen shot directly into the program, as described here. The description on that page seems to imply that Photoshop can not perform this function. I certainly can't find anything like it within Photoshop Elements (although I am only running version 2). I don't have access to my copy of IrfanView right now, but some of the summaries I found by Googling seem to indicate that it too has this function. It is always possible that the information on any Wikipedia article is incorrect. I will go to the talk page for that article and see if anybody can confirm whether or not Photoshop has this capability. --LarryMac 01:24, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
As a follow-up, I got a response on the article talk page indicating that Photoshop does not have the screenshot capability, so the article has been edited. The respondent on the talk page mentioned that PSP also has the ability, so that is another option to the two that had been listed. --LarryMac 14:41, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Building a cheap linux box

Hi everyone. I'm planning to build my first computer, and make it a linux box. I have good experience with the software side of things, but not hardware. Could anybody refer to me a good (and cheap) motherboard and a compatible (and cheap) x68 processor? I'm not sure Intel integrated graphics comes to play in this, is it in the motherboard? Because I would really like to have Intel graphics (well supported in linux). Thanks everyone!--Ryan 00:33, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

Most Linux distros can run well on pretty much anything, and if you just want integrated graphics, you're best off just buying a crappy computer (P2/P3) for $50 bucks in the classifieds, wiping its hard drive, and installing Linux on it. EDIT: Read your query above: if I may ask, what do you plan to do with this computer? Are you putting it together for experience? -Wooty Woot? contribs 00:45, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
You could by a cheap P3 box, I've foumd I can run linux well on them (only problem is that the install is genraly quite slow) If your looking for somthing better than a P3, I'd go for a cheap AMD, however if you want intel and it must be better than the P3, i'd look around for a celeron the new versions go at 3gh. --Lwarf 01:15, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

I'm building this for experience, so I don't want a used computer. I just want to build this for fun, experience, and to run an ssh server at home.--Ryan 03:28, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

Ok, if your building it then, this is what I recomend(This is assuming you are on a tight budget and want the most bang for buck) get an AMD CPU (They range for $50 - $500, I'd get an athlon the're the AMD version of Intel's P4), for a mother there are lots of cheap ones on the market, just make sure you get one with onbord sound and video(and SATA port if possable), now for RAM most brand are the same so this a price/memory issue, get 256MB min i'd recomend getting 512MB, now onto hard drives 20GB min, 40GB rec, 80GB if you can afford it when buying your hard drive try and get a SATA drive insated of PATA. On to the issue of optical drives, DVD-ROM is a min(just about all linux distros come on a DVD, you'll thank me later when you see that they come in packs of 6 CD's and 1/2 of them are broken and have to be sent back), if possable get a DVD-RW. Onto the topic of case one word formfactor amke sure the formfactor maches you motherbord's formfactor. Good Luck. For more nfo on building I think there is a wikibook on it if not take a llok round the net there's lots of great tips. --Lwarf 07:47, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

Thanks! Yea, this machine is just gonna get 256 ram. It's just going to be running an ssh server at my house. Do most motherboards come with built in networking? I just need 1 ethernet port. THanks again for all the help everyone.--Ryan 15:19, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Perl or Python

What are differences between Perl and Python and which one is much easier to learn? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 69.241.232.192 (talk) 01:10, 7 April 2007 (UTC).

Python is more formal than Perl, somewhat closer to a strongly-typed language like Java. For example, saying: "print '44' + 5" will print "49" in Perl, but will give a syntax error in Python. Perl will generally try to "do what you mean", which can be convenient, but can also undermine comprehensibility. They're probably equally easy to learn, if you're starting from scratch. They both have excellent standard libraries, documentation, and community support, which tend to be more important than intrinsics of the language. You should write a few programs in both and see which one you like better. --TotoBaggins 01:29, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
I would say that Python is somewhat easier to learn than Python. I would recommend that language 83.254.160.182 08:13, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
I'd go with perl, I find it's great for writing up small tasks to do (I made one program that does my algebra for me). Beware becouse perl compiles at run time I've found you have to go to a lot of trouble to get it to run on windows (I've got around this problem by using Perl Edit but that cost money) so I'd recomend using linux. --Lwarf 10:09, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Windows versions of both Perl and Python can be had for free and with similarly easy installations from ActiveState. --TotoBaggins 13:41, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Bottom line: you are never going to get a complete, direct, unbiased, and useful (to you) answer to this kind of question. It's like asking whether Spanish is better than French. If you can learn a little of both then do so. If you have a specific project or some other constraint, ask specific questions in a forum like Perl Monks or Usenet. Better yet, if you have a friend who knows both, and is not a partisan of either, but simply uses them as tools to get a job done, learn as much as you can from him/her and ignore everyone else who tries to sell you on one or the other. dr.ef.tymac 15:25, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

I'm of the opinion that if you can learn to program in one language, you will then be able to program in any language. I'm especially firm in this opinion if we're discussing languages that all have "familial resemblence", so any C-like language including C, C++, Perl, Python, Java, Javascript, PHP, etc. Among the C-like languages, I also don't think there's a clear "better first language". Learning to program in Java (or Python?) will probably teach you the best habits while Perl may lead you into sloppiness, but you'll probably be maximally productive fastest in Perl and that may give you a better sense of success in your early endeavors. I say this because Perl really is good at DWIM; this is good for a beginner but won't help you when you get to a pickier family member that is more strongly typed or has less intuitive I/O operations.

Atlant 00:17, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Monitor wont turn on

Wierd lines appeared on my monitor as if there was interference and my monitor went off and until now I still can't turn it on. I checked the cables the back, and when I unplug/plug back the power to the monitor, I hear a clicking sound in my monitor so I am guessing its receiving power. Anyone know a solution to this? I'd really appreaciate it. 65.95.21.81 01:47, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

The clicking sound sounds like the relays trying to decide what video mode to put your monitor into. Could be a problem with the computer video card
I don't think so cause the light in front of the monitor is not turning green~(or responding at all), as it does usually when the monitor is on.65.95.21.81 01:56, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
After detailed examinations, I found out that the cable that connects the monitor to the hardrive is missing one of the little needles, Is this the reason, or does someone knows otherwise? 65.95.21.81 03:20, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Probably not, unless the pin just broke off. It is common for some of the pins which aren't currently used (reserved for future use) to be omitted. I suspect your monitor is broken. I doubt if it can be fixed. I'd try it on another computer to verify that it's indeed broken, then get a new monitor. Unfortunately, monitors are one of the most expensive components of a computer these days. StuRat 05:23, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
I had a monitor which was making clicking sounds before; after sending it to maintenance some times, I decided I'd end up wasting more money fixing it every few months, and bought a new one. Your monitor is probably broken too. --cesarb 17:13, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
  • Yeah you need to determine if it's your monitor your computer (and the monitor cable would count as being 'the monitor'). Try a different monitor. One thing I can offer is that in my experience, if some monitors just get power, but no signal, their 'power light' will be 'on' but will not be 'green' to indicate that they are not receiving a signal (such as when your PC is off but the monitor is switched on, or such as when you unplug the monitor's cable). The unfortunate thing is you may not remember if your monitor did this. Another thing you should try do is verify that your PC is outputing a signal, usually you just make sure your computer is indeed booting up - when you power on your PC your keyboard lights should change at first, and you should hear your harddrives firing up - but ultimately try plugging in some headphones or speakers into your sound card, and wait a while and try log into windows - looking out for any sounds/noises generated by windows such as the 'log in' sound or an 'error' sound (if you type in the wrong password). If you're sure your PC is indeed booting up, then you can only point your finger at the monitor itself, or its cable, or the video card (which should be showing SOMETHING). At this point you'd check if your video card is seated properly - and if there's power to it. Good luck Rfwoolf 19:39, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Monitor bonk

When I turn on (or wake up) my CRT monitor (a Hitachi SuperScan Elite 751), it sometimes makes a loud and reverberating (and somewhat disturbing) BONK noise. What causes that? Thanks! --TotoBaggins 02:20, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

Degaussing? Our article would seem to imply that. Root4(one) 04:02, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

That's right. I like the noise :) It does that to ensure that the picture is as free as magnetic artefacts as possible. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 58.163.129.56 (talk) 10:08, 7 April 2007 (UTC).


Thanks, I guess that's it. It's just a lot louder than when I press the "degauss" button, but I guess that's due to it being off and accumulating bad juju. --TotoBaggins 23:53, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] limeware

is limeware is a kind of distributed system? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 202.136.68.194 (talk) 03:43, 7 April 2007 (UTC).

Limewire is a P2P network, yes. Splintercellguy 03:44, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
More specifically, it runs on Gnutella (pronounced like the hazelnut spreat, Nutella). The person who created WinAMP (I have no idea who) wrote it. (wait... Limeware?)-HuBmaN!!!! 15:38, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Audio and Video problems.

Hi I have been searching for a long time now how to fix my audio and video problems for my computer and have yet to find anything useful. When I play a music file on my computer it will randomly decide to mute itself,the volume icon says that its not muted. When playing a video,like something from Youtube or Media Player, the audio shuts off and the video pauses and then stops and then pauses again. This is extremely annoying because every time the audio or video stops I have to reboot my computer. I also don't think that this has anything to do with my speakers. So if you could please help me, or give the name of another site that could, I would be very grateful.

-Godz Hammer

You could try installing newer drivers for your audio card, or you could check to see that the Windows Audio service is not unexpectedly stopping. Splintercellguy 05:11, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Strangely encoded MP4 WAV files

My MP4 player has a record function which can be used to record FM stations or from the built-in MIC itself. However, it uses some unusual format to encode the file which normal quality uses 32kbps, high quality 64kbps and recording from the radio: 256kbps. 64kbps on a fully empty 2GB MP4 (Exact value: 2,092,138,496 bytes) allows 70:56:08 hours of recording. I have to emphasise that the WAV file generated uses very strange encoding which it cannot be played by Windows Media Player/Audacity directly. Only by importing it with Audacity using the "Import RAW data" function at Signed 8 bit, mono, Sample Rate 8000 Hz, I managed to get the audible contents of the file, but it's so contaminated with noise that using the noise reduction is necessary. By then the quality is so poor that directly connecting the audio output of the MP4 to the computer is better. Is there any way to extract the WAV file without any noise? --Bruin_rrss23 (talk) 05:52, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

P.S. I can upload the file if you want to have a look at it; it's a WAV file, which Wikipedia doesn't accept.

Try running file on it and posting the results here, or if it doesn't return useful results, do an hexadecimal dump of the first few bytes of the file; it's probably not a normal WAV file. --cesarb 17:10, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

I used the online file service (Because I'm using Windows) to check the file and the results are:

RIFF (little-endian) data, WAVE audio, Microsoft ADPCM, mono 16000 Hz

Since I already have the necessary data, I made an attempt to import it into Audacity but the Import button becomes greyed out when I select Microsoft ADPCM. For the Hex Dump, I couldn't do so since I don't have a proper Hex Editor. I just used Notepad on the file and I got this on the first line:

(First 16 chars)RIFFÿÿÿÿWAVEfmt (At the end before the long blank space) INFORock fish

That's all results I got. Regarding the attempt to open the file using Audacity, I learnt about the "patent restriction" thing that prevents it from opening specific files when I tried to open a WMA file. That's the reason why I can't import the file. Are there any other options on how to open the file? --Bruin_rrss23 (talk) 07:53, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

Then it's ADPCM instead of PCM. Most programs can only understand the common PCM WAV files. You could try using something like sox to convert it to the standard WAV format (use 16-bit samples when doing that to avoid loss of quality). --cesarb 15:50, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

Finally I managed to extract the file noise free (Although the warnings were "Premature EOF on .wav input file"). This proves that to listen to WAV files recorded using a Chinese MP4/MTV Player, the recorded file needs to be converted first to the proper WAV format before it can be listened to on the computer. Many thanks for helping me out! --Bruin_rrss23 (talk) 08:59, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] clearing up a pic

Hi After enlarging a pic from say 560x580 to 700x800 the pic becomes blurry or grainy depending on the original quality of the pic. Using Arcsoft photo studio 2000 does anyone know how to get rid of the blur or grain without losing the new size of the pic? Cheers —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 219.88.3.89 (talk) 06:14, 7 April 2007 (UTC).

That's something implied when you redimension an image to a higher resolution, unless it's a vector image. To actually reduce and/or avoid the blurriness you could try a combination of Lanczos filter and sharpen tool, both avaliable on the free Irfan View. --Sn0wflake 12:19, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] DVD Decrypter error or Videora iPod Converter error?

Hi today I ripped a DVD into my computer and tried converting it using Videora iPod Converter, the trouble with the output file is that the audio seems to be tuned down to a ultra-low pitch with an extra slow tempo, while the graphics remained applicable.

I used DVD decrypter, these are the EXACT steps I did in the software to rip the DVD 1) Insert DVD 2) Open DVD Decrypter 3) Go to mode and selected "IFO" mode 4) Go to tools and I selected settings, in settings I went to the IFO mode tab and in the File Splitting place I selected "By Chapter" 5) I confirmed the "By Chapter" setting and went back to the main screen of DVD Decrypter. I then clicked the icon "Decrypt" 6) Files are transferred to my computer.

I then converted it using Videora converter. Is there any way to fix the distorted sound? Thanks in advance! —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 219.78.206.75 (talk) 09:16, 7 April 2007 (UTC).

[edit] Image:School_ip.svg

Hi, I recently created this vector image using inkscape(i'm not that familar with inkscape, I created the image to get the hang of using inkscape) but I'm having trouble making the background transparent. Can any one help me? Thanks. --Lwarf 09:59, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

I've done it for you. I uploaded it as plain svg rather than inkscape svg which did the trick. Theresa Knott | Taste the Korn 10:24, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

I think Lwarf wanted to know how it was done. − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 22:57, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

Sorry to say this Theresa knott but your upload was reverted by someone (take a look here), something I've found though is that when I open up the image in my image viewer(gthumb) the image viewer says it had a trasparent background, also I thought in inkscape the white background is by default transparent. --Lwarf 00:08, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

What I think is going on ( and I'm no expert) is that as inkscape svg is not standard so browsers are not understanding it. Whereas plain svg is standard. As far as I know the difference between inkscape svg and plain svg is inkscape preserves things like canvas size, layers etc that are useful when you are in the process of drawing the object but aren't really needed afterwards. I always habitually upload images as plain svg (which you can set when you save the drawing) because I really don't think that we should stray from the standards when we are on the web.I've no idea why I was reverted.Theresa Knott | Taste the Korn 07:46, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

Actually I wasn't reverted. He uploaded some other versions , decided against them, reverted back to me then deleted his versions. So it looked like he reverted me.Theresa Knott | Taste the Korn 08:34, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

Good point it could be browser problem, however it might be a bug in thw iki meta severs, worth looking into? By the way thanks for all the help. --Lwarf 11:38, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

Yeah could be, I never thought of that. I left a message on the village pump (technical) for a developer to come look here and see if it can be fixed. Theresa Knott | Taste the Korn 12:16, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

Either one of the developers fixed it up or it's a browser problem, I just loaded up in firefox and it looks fine (try looking at it here, I'm going to see what it looks like IE 7 insted of IE 6. --Lwarf 01:00, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Unknown virus

I am positive I have a virus on my computer, but my antivirus (which I update daily) can't seem to catch it. It keeps deleting the ntoskrnl.exe file from my system32 folder (for some reason, every 48 hours) and now it deleted my windows profile. Any advice on how I should deal with it? —LestatdeLioncourt 10:37, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

There's a site (http://www.trendmicro.com/en/home/global/enterprise.htm) that lets you scan your computer online. I use it and it is generally very good at finding things. ny156uk 11:49, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Hm... foremost, "ntoskrnl.exe" is a vital system component, so you should use the Windows XP boot disk's "repair" function to install it again. Second, related viruses could possibly be: [53]. --Sn0wflake 12:15, 7 April 2007 (UTC) PS: Fix your freaking signature.

Yes, I know how important ntoskrnl.exe file is. Luckily I have a linux partition, and I keep a copy of the file there. So, every time the file is deleted I mount the windows filesystem and paste a new copy in the system32 folder. The related virus doesn't seem to be a match. I'm very intrigued by the selective nature of the "virus" and it's periodicity, which I never saw in a virus before. How can I report my problem to people who develop antivirus software? —LestatdeLioncourt 13:33, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

You might want use Task Manager to monitor your processes when the virus is again due to delete that file. If you can get the name and location of the program that starts up at that time you will then be able to get more help. StuRat 01:24, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Windows Vista Sleep

When you click start in windows vista and put the computer into sleep mode, the internet connection is automatically disconnected, is there any way to stop that from happening? I want to quickly resume working when I wake the computer up. Thanks in advance —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 219.79.61.119 (talk) 13:58, 7 April 2007 (UTC).

If you have a laptop, you can set your computer to do nothing when you close the display. If you do that, the only thing that will happen is that the monitor will turn off, saving some power. Your computer will stay connected. --TeckWiz ParlateContribs@(Lets go Yankees!) 14:27, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

How do you do that in Vista? Sorry but I'm relatively new in Vista!

If you have a laptop, go to start. Click "Control Panel". Then click "Mobile PC". Then, under the "Power Options" section, hit "Change what closing the lid does". Then select what you want. --TeckWiz ParlateContribs@(Lets go Yankees!) 14:58, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
This doesn't really answer the question. The fact is putting the computer in any sort of "sleep" mode will cut network connections. Changing what the laptop does when you close the lid doesn't mean that putting the computer in "sleep" mode won't cut network connections -- it just means that the laptop isn't going to "sleep". —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 58.163.129.56 (talk) 06:44, 9 April 2007 (UTC).

[edit] Icon when image is loading in browser

You know that icon in your web browser that appears in the upper left corner of where an image is supposed to be before it has loaded? Usually, in both IE and Firefox, I remember it to be an assortment of shapes (triangle, square, etc.) of different colors. However, recently, in Firefox, it's been a red dot/diamond that appears in a white box. What is the name of this "placeholder" icon, and why has mine been a red dot recently? Thanks in advance. --JianLi 17:07, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

In IE if you go to Tools - > Internet Options - > Advanced Tab, under the 'images' settings section, there is a setting for "Show Image Download Placeholders" - so I think to answer that part of your question, I believe they may be called "Image Download placeholders".
Unfortunately I don't know the answer to your second part of the question because I'm not familiar with Firefox - although I can confirm that in earlier versions of IE the image placeholder icon was indeed a small picture of a square, circle, and triangle featuring the colours red, green, and blue. One possibility for your case includes that your version of Firefox uses that different image as an image download placeholder. Rfwoolf 19:29, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

I'm pretty sure it's not a matter of which version of Firefox it is, since right now it's back to the "normal" assorted shapes placeholder that IE also has, while when I wrote this question just a few hours back it was the "red dot" placeholder that had been puzzling me. --JianLi 23:46, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Firefox, Thunderbird trying to act as servers

Why does my firewall tell me Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird are trying to act as servers? Why do I sometimes have trouble connecting when I block them from doing so? I connect to the Internet through a LAN, and I'm on Windows XP Home. I have no Thunderbird extensions, and my Firefox extensions are: ChatZilla, Clustybar, DOM Inspector, Showcase, Google Notebook, Google Toolbar, Google Web Accelerator, IE Tab, McAfee SiteAdvisor, Talkback and Web Developer Toolbar. NeonMerlin 17:07, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

Because it's trying to send more data that just the destination, which is picked up by the firewall as trying to be a server. I'm assuming ZoneAlarm is what you're using. At least, that's what I always assumed it does. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 17:55, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
BTW, Wirbelwind, I'm not trying to pick on you here, but I'm trying to help you out. You might want to ask yourself what you think is "the destination" and how is the firewall supposed to know about it? When would the firewall know when the application is not sending data to "the destination"? There may be a viable definition of "the destination" for some applications, but I'm not seeing one that matches common sence reasoning about destinations. When Firefox requests some service, the destination could be anywhere. Now, I suppose we might consider "the destination" to be a port range instead of some IP address on the internet As in, if there's some request to port 63000 on server xxx.evilbotnet.ru from Firefox, which should only (hypothetically) use https, http, or ftp, we might want to note the problem and have the firewall do something as a reaction. In reality, though, that may be far to limiting for personal use. Root4(one) 00:39, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
ChatZilla is possibly the problem. When your firewall says Firefox is acting like a server, it means the execution instance is actually listening for and accepting connections, not just asking for connections on other servers. Several messaging protocols appear to need "server" access (If I recall correctly Trillian won't work with ICQ if it doesn't act as a server.) IRC (servers) also often requires usage of some sort of AUTH protocol. usage of the IDENT protocol for some reason. Root4(one) 23:59, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Quicktime, itunes in vista: lot'sa issues

Does anyone know of a way to get Itunes and Quicktime to work properly in windows Vista? Ive get the latest versions installed (i check for new ones about once a day)but they still don't work. Itunes wont play any sound (this makes lightening to music incredibly difficult). Quicktime also refuses to play any sound. I can get sound in all other applications and I know my sound card drivers are up to date. Ive tried running both app's in windows Xp service pack 2 compatibility mode but they still wont play sound. Apple and Microsoft downright refuse to be helpful (Microsoft tells me its Apples fault and to switch to there music player and Apple tells me its microsofts fault and tells me to switch to there operating system). Can anyone help me? IsaactheNPOVfanatic 17:22, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

Hmm...I have no problems. --TeckWiz ParlateContribs@(Lets go Yankees!) 17:33, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

Ok now ive tried a complete uninstall and reinstall of both programs. Please im gonna drive my slef mad if i dont get this fixed!!! *slams head into wall while curseing apple and microsoft*IsaactheNPOVfanatic 17:57, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

you're gonna have to wait until enough people are complaining at apple about vista being mean to itunes that they release a newer version for vista. did you try to run the programs in compatibility mode? 68.162.29.63 18:55, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] MACs and MP3s

I have a small problem. Everytime I delete data from my MP3 players using my MAC (by dragging to the bin), all the icons are gone and, of course, there is no music to play, as I expect. However, my 'available space' does not go up, and now I have an empty MP3 player with only 4kb available space, which is a bit of an embuggerance. I just borrowed a friend's MP3 to transfer some music from one PC to the MAC, and ended up with the same problem. What is happening, and how do I get all the memory back?

Cheers in advance.CCLemon-ここは寒いぜ！ 20:46, 7 April 2007 (UTC)


Have you tried emptying the trash? Sounds like a dumb question, but USB drives wont show their full amount until the binned items are actually deleted. Sorry if thats not much help

Yes, I have tried emptying the bin both on the MAC and the Win PC I have. I still can't get my MP3 to be blank. (Signature changed ->)ScouseMouse - スカウサーUK! 00:17, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
What type of mp3 player is it? What program are you using to delete the files? And are you sure you've emptied the trash on the Mac while the mp3 player is still connected? --24.147.86.187 01:00, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

It's a Rio MP3. I was using no program to delete the files, just dragging to the bin, but, now you come to think of it, I don't think it was still connected..... So, what do I do in that case? ScouseMouse - スカウサーUK! 01:16, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

Maybe mac stores the trash on the storage device from which you deleted the file? Sounds stupid, but nautilus does that. If so, just do a simple rm -r . --wj32 talk | contribs 09:20, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Plug the mp3 player in and empty trash.--Ryan 15:14, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Yes, Macs store "trashed" items right on each volume, in a hidden directory/folder called .trashes (IIRC). So yes, to fully recover the free space you must first trash the files to be deleted and then empty the trash.
Atlant 00:30, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Hard Drive (And More) Question

Hey. Some of you might remember me as the hapless fool who asked about fixing an internet problem. The "solution" has been to get a new (luckily free) computer. Unfortunately, I had a number of useful files on my old computer, and it stopped working after an acquaintance of mine fooled around with it. In the end I decided to try and move the hard drive to the new computer, which has been successful. My problem now is that the computer doesn't seem to be able to read Windows from my old hard drive, coming up with an error message. I have tried all three safe modes (Safe Mode, w/networking, and another) as well as restarting to the "last specifications" and trying to start Windows normally. Both computers (hard drives, rather) have Windows XP.

I should specify that the new computer is a Gateway, while the old computer was a Dell. The old hard drive was apparently an IBM, and I am not sure what the new one is. Everything is hooked up as it should be. I initially assumed it was a compatibility problem, but then thought it might

My questions on this problem:

1) Is it a compatibility problem? 2) Is the data just corrupt? 3) If the data is corrupt, can any of it be salvaged?

This isn't a life or death situation for me, but it certainly would be nice to get my data back. Thanks for your input. Robinson0120 21:23, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

I've no idea to the answer to any of your questions above but one possible solution worth a try is to get a live linux disk such as knoppix and boot it from the cd drive, if it can see the contents of your old hard drive you can copy them onto a memory stick. Theresa Knott | Taste the Korn 21:30, 7 April 2007 (UTC)


You need not boot the drive to access the files on it. It might seem inconvenient at first to find the files, but persevere. Start by looking in X:\Documents and Settings\user name\My Documents where X is the old drive, probably D or E, which you can find under My Computer.
Booting windows from a drive which was set up in another system usually doesn't work. In the old days (~1995) this was probably due to differences in the hardware installed and the way drivers were configured for them, but modern Windows might be detecting what it assumes is fraud.
If you want to recover data on the drive, resist the urge to change anything on it, including deleting stuff. Various forensic and data recovery programs are then in a better position to find and salvage the data. —EncMstr 21:57, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

(After edit conflict...)

  • It's unlikely a compatability problem - and yes some of the data could be corrupt and certainly windows could be corrupted on that drive. If you can't get Windows to boot up you can look at doing a repair using the Windows repair consol - technically by inserting your XP disc and booting with it - and it's actually an advanced operation, takes a long time, and if your hard drive isn't working so nicely I would not consider this option til later.
The best thing to do with this Windows that you want to boot up is to reinstall Windows. Unfortunately, that means reformatting the drive. So let's look at recovering your data before we resort to that.
To recover your data, you'd need an operating system (much like Windows XP) and a place to put the data. This means two options: 1) You do the repair thingy on the corrupted hard drive (not recommended in this case) or 2) Connect the corrupted drive to the working PC but this time as a slave or secondary drive - so that your PC won't attempt to boot from the corrupted drive, but will instead boot from the working drive (which should be set to be a "Primary Master" (as opposed to a "Primary Slave" or "Secondary Master" or "Secondary Slave" -- as you can see there is a hierarchy of drives and the one that is set highest is the one that your PC will try to boot from first)). Righto, so, you boot from the working drive, but have your corrupted one connected as a drive lower in the hierarchy. So now you have your operating system (Windows on the working drive) and you have your place to store the data (your working drive). Once you're in Windows, you'd go into My Computer and you'd try to access the corrupted drive - and this time it will show you everything it sees - and you just copy over whatever is salvagable. Once you've done that, you can look at either throwing the corrupted hard drive out the window, or you can format it and try use it.
Some possible obsticles in this solution:
  1. You will need to know how to set your drives up in their hierarchy to keep the working hardrive as a "Primary Master" and make the corrupted harddrive something less in the hierarchy - if the working harddrive is configuered properly and is using the correct ribbon cable you probably won't have to do anything
  2. If your corrupted hard drive is using a FAT32 filing system, and the working hard drive is using an NFTS filing system, there's a chance your working hard drive won't be able to read anything off the corrupted one. When you install Windows XP it formats the drive and it will have asked you if you want to format it to the NFTS format system or the FAT32 format system.
Well, that should give you some idea of what's involved - it's actually not that difficult, hopefully it's as simple as connecting your corrupted hard drive to your new PC, booting windows, and copying the files across - but make sure you know how to 'undo' each thing you do - make notes if you have to. Good luck Rfwoolf 22:03, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
What I had tried to do was use the cables attached to the hard drive, using them instead on the new hard drive. You said something about using the "correct ribbon." Would this cause a problem? I do have the old ribbon still- should I try to use that instead?
The XP CD boot idea looks good to me (even though you said it is advanced) because I don't want to fool around with the hardware as much, but the XP on my old computer is different from the XP on my new one. Would this cause a problem, or would I still be able to use XP to simply boot it? Robinson0120 19:35, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
The ribbon itself is only important in the following areas:
  • a) if it's damaged or not,
  • b) if it can plug into your hard drive on the one end and plug into your motherboard on the other end (some ribbons have more pins than others, and similarly some drives use more pins and some motherboards use more pins - but most of them are all the same),
  • c) the place the ribbon plugs into on the motherboard -- look at the motherboard you are using, it usually has 2x or more ribbon cable plugs right next to eachother, and usually each ribbon cable furthermore connects to 2 drives - this is your typical 4-drive setup (which can include CD roms as drives). These 2x ribbon cable plugs on your motherboard, look closely to see if they're labelled 1 or 2 (or 'P1' and 'P2' etc) - because one would be a Primary and one would be a Secondary - once again this is all used to set up a hierarchy of hard drives so that your PC will boot from the most senior one. Then going down a ribbon, if the ribbon has 2x drives attached to it, by default the PC will see harddrive that is nearest on the ribbon as being senior to the one that is further away on the ribbon. To top it all off, a lot of this can be overridden by things called jumper pins on the hard drives themselves - and that is a difficult thing to adjust), oh and
Based upon the above, I wouldn't stress too much, in fact for now ignore (c) altogether - just use a ribbon cable that is not damaged and has the right pin-holes to connect your hard drive to your PC
I'm not sure what you meant at the last part of your question there - but if you go and plug your bad hard drive into your new PC and boot up using your good hard drive, it doesn't matter that the two XP versions are different between the two drives - in fact the bad drive needn't have XP installed at all. What does matter is that they use the same file system like I mentioned earlier (both FAT32 or both NTSF) - if they don't use the same file system then the bad drive just won't appear to have anything on it.
With regard to repairing the Windows XP on your bad drive, aside from being slightly advanced and all that, if you're certain the hard drive is corrupt or experiencing hard drive failure, then more often than not it isn't a good idea to keep the drive. But on the other hand it could be an okay drive that somehow got Windows corrupted and maybe you want to try it all again. So you can try look at a guide on repairing Windows XP here or do a google for "Repairing Windows XP" - and you also have some further options if you still want to use the bad drive: Like I said if you install Windows XP it has to format the drive it's on, but what you can do is insert your Windows XP CD and go into setup, and try to create a drive partition on the bad drive, which will actually 'separate' it into two drives - one that is full of data - and one that is empty, and then it will try install on the empty one - this will technically keep your data where it is and maybe copy it over to your other partition. The downside is once again, if the bad drive is failing, or is prone to data errors, why keep it? Maybe you still have a warranty on it - go and swap it for one that won't mess up your data.
Good luck. Rfwoolf 20:06, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] HDD Question

(Sorry, I usually make a point of not asking two questions at once, but...) Why is it that occasionally (about twice or three times a day) my WinXP PC's HD suddenly gets really busy (for a very long period of time), thus stopping me from working, as the PC just gets too slow and does nothing unless I go into the Task Manager and quit everything (and all applications say 'no answer'). I can understand this would happen when a scheduled application is meant to run, but it happens even when there is nothing. Can anyone help here? CCLemon-ここは寒いぜ！ 21:25, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

Check your swap settings. Start | Settings | Control Panel | System, select the Advanced tab, push the Performance button. Click on the Advanced tab. Press the Change button at the bottom in the Virtual memory section. The bottom of this dialog should show a recommended value and actual values. Your description suggests there is way too much paging memory configured. Or it could just be that the CD/DVD is having a hard time reading the disc which—on my computer—pretty well shuts down other operations until it is concluded. —EncMstr 22:02, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Some anti-virus applications run periodic 'background' scans of all or selected files on a partition. The anti-virus program wouldn't likely show up in the application list, but should show in the process list of the task manager. Depending on the speed of the machine, the amount of fragmentation on the hard drive or the efficiency of the anti-virus program, these scans could slow your machine quite substantially. Defragmenting the partitions on the drive could also lessen the impact of the seemingly random activity. In relation to what EncMstr was saying, the task manager displays a graph showing your 'Page File Usage History' which would be worth checking after one of those periods of activity. See Commit Charge for more info on that. Johnnykimble 22:23, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Thank you, both of you. My PC is WinXP Prof, and doesn't have the 'Settings' in the Start Menu. I looked in Control Panel itself and found 'System', but there was no 'Advanced' tab. I was thinking that it might be something to do with the RAM and the Virtual Memory/Swap File, but could not really imagine why, as I am not using multiple applications at once (most of the time). I've defragged the PC twice in the last week or so (as I usually do), so I cannot think why it would be a problem with files being fragmented. The 'Page File Usage History' I will look into. Thanks again! ScouseMouse - スカウサーUK! 22:51, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

My Linux machines do this periodically, too -- the culprit is a cron job which is indexing the disk for use by the locate program. Since Windows machines (and Macs) have optimized, index-based file search programs, too, it wouldn't surprise me if they also fall prey to periodic slowness due to background indexing tasks.

Obviously a well-written and well-tuned operating system will not permit a less-important, batch-oriented or background task to usurp so many machine resources that foreground, interactive tasks are affected. Somehow, in my experience, Unix and Linux are absolutely stellar in this regard, Mac OS X somewhat less so, and Windows absolutely bletcherous. —Steve Summit (talk) 23:17, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

I agree. I actually bought a MAC about 6 months ago and put OS X on it (after getting used to OS 9) and found that it was considerably slower, and, furthermore, started playing the same game as my Windows machine, only with a multi-coloured spinning top as a cursor. I started thinking I was just incompetent with PCs after a while. Having said that, getting a MAC was a good idea, even though, nevertheless I will also use my Windows PCs. By the way, Steve Summit (talk) , is there any way I can get Linux on my Windows PC, without getting a CD, without having to burn downloaded files onto a CD, and only by single-clicking (everything you need all at once rather than lots of files) on a button on a website? We are going way off topic here, but I also wanted to ask this anyway.ScouseMouse - スカウサーUK! 23:40, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Moved to subsection below. —Steve Summit (talk) 00:17, 8 April 2007 (UTC) [P.S. The computer manufactured by apple is a "Mac". A "MAC" is a Media Access Control address, or a Message Authentication Code, among other things.]
From the fragmentation point of view, typical linux file systems usually do a much better job at keeping things in shape compared to file systems often used with Windows. So, when a background task does run, it completes quicker because the system is less fragmented. Johnnykimble 00:08, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] one-click Linux download?

...is there any way I can get Linux on my Windows PC, without getting a CD, without having to burn downloaded files onto a CD, and only by single-clicking (everything you need all at once rather than lots of files) on a button on a website? ScouseMouse - スカウサーUK! 23:40, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

I don't know of one, but I wouldn't be surprised if one exists. On the one hand, a CD seems to me to be the right way to do it, and a one-click web download sounds like a bad idea securitywise, but on the other hand, given how much else you can download and install from the net these days with a single click, why not? —Steve Summit (talk) 00:17, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Cheers, I'll keep looking. The reason I'm asking is because my CD drive is playing up too. Not having a good month with this PC, am I? ScouseMouse - スカウサーUK! 00:28, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Actually there may be a solution. You could run Linux as a virtual machine under Windows XP using something like VMware. You might want to look under its "See also" section if VMware is too expensive for ya. That's probably not a "single click" solution, but it may be possible that you could download a CD or DVD .iso and whatever Virtualization software you choose might be able to read from it BTW, I've never used it, but I've certainly thought it might be fun for some experiments. Root4(one) 00:58, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
There is exactly something you want, but I forgot what it's called. There was this beta software that can install Ubuntu while running Windows, without using any new partitions (it uses a loop-back mount as a file on an existing partition). --antilivedT | C | G 01:11, 8 April 2007 (UTC)


[Found IT] [54], called Wubi for some reason... --antilivedT | C | G 01:13, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
look at Instlux --Spoon! 01:16, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Check out the ZipSlack distro. A 100mb version of Slackware Linux designed to fit on a ZipDisk (or USB pen). Haven't tried it myself, but just beware because I notice it only mentions FAT and FAT32 partitions in the installation section of the site, so if you are using NTFS for your Windows partitions it might not work. Johnnykimble 09:14, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

I think you can isntall SUSE with somthing like this, not sure but it might be worth looking into. --Lwarf 07:55, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] blocking ip ranges

Do you need to install any programs on a website for administrators and syops to block whole ranges of ip addresses such as 213.5.0/0 or 4.xxx because on paleos.org and evo wiki it wont allow administrators to block whole ip ranges.--Fang 23 22:20, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

If you own the server and running linux on it (otherwise go run linux on it), this is very easy to do with iptables. --antilivedT | C | G 23:58, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Or even .htaccess file can block IP addresses. These methods are not very graceful towards the blocked addresses though. --antilivedT | C | G 23:59, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
You could use Apache's rewrite engine [55] in your .htaccess, to redirect an IP range to a page that exlians the situation. risk 12:35, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Custom Equalizer Changes In Songs

OMG I JUST HAD THE BEST IDEA....

ok so you know how you can't a custom equalizer for the ipod, BUT I thought maybe you could convert the files themselves using a certain EQ setting. This is certainly possible. Theres only two issues: What program would do this and could this program do all the files at once? Any ideas?

  • also would be good if it didnt just convert mp3s, also converted m4a's*
152.7.20.253 00:16, 8 April 2007 (UTC)name
Yes this had been around for quite a few years now. It is very easy to do with mp3's but a lot harder with m4a's because of the DRM. Anyhow, you don't need EQ. The CD's are mastered according to the music, and any EQ will just worsen it or be used to mask imperfectness in the earphones. You should try and get a better pair of earphones instead of fussing about EQ settings. --antilivedT | C | G 23:56, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Ok first: my m4a's have no DRM so that is not an issue. Second: I have $400 shur earphones so thanks for telling me what I should do but thats not an issue either. Tell me why then do most mp3 players (including ipods) come with the ability of changing EQ settings if natural EQ's are really desired. But anyway that's unrelated, ALL I want to know if there are any programs that do this. (Professional expensive programs to Cheap freeware, does not matter) 152.7.20.253 00:16, 8 April 2007 (UTC)name
Ok, in that case, use foobar2000, open the files you want to EQise, select all of them, right click, convert, tick DSP processing, pres the "..." button, find "Equalizer" and move it to the left, select it, configure selected, move the sliders to whatever you want, ok 3 times, go to the place where you want to put them and wait til it's done. This is how you do it with MP3's and FLACS and stuff like that anywyas, and no guarantees it will work with m4a. --antilivedT | C | G 01:09, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Yea, it's a personal preference thing. I find high pitched sounds annoying, so turn down the treble. Others may like them and turn it way up. I wish we had the individual tracks available from which the final songs were mixed, so I could turn up a decent singer and turn down an annoying drum machine. StuRat 01:11, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Ok thank you sooo much antilived thats all I was looking for ;)152.7.20.253 01:42, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
You should know that this probably doesn't come free. mp3's and the like have lossy compression, which means that from the original to the mp3, you lose information (and thus quality). Any kind of change to the sounds in the file means uncompressing it, modifying the sound, and then compressing it again. This means you lose quality again on the recompression. The effect may be negligible for just two recompressions (depending on the settings), but then again, if you're used to $400 earphones... risk 12:27, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Yeah i know, the program warned me of this also. But after I converted all my songs (mp4s included) they didnt seem to be a noticable decrease in audio quality, while at the same time the EQ change was evident. So I think this was a success...The only problem is the program takes roughly 24 hours to convert 6000 songs.152.7.20.253 23:02, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] MP3 players and cars

Why is it so hard for car manufacturers to make cars iPod/walkman compatible by merely having line-in jacks directly to the audio system? I don't know much about cars, but this seems to be easily possible for externally powered speakers, so why not with those of a car? It seems that the most common solutions right now are needlessly complicated, such as iPod specific adaptors or tape adaptors with line-in jacks. --JianLi 23:57, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

Many automakers are finally starting to come around and do this, my 2006 Nissan Sentra has a line-in port, and I'm pretty sure I've heard it advertised for other makes/models as well. Cyraan 00:25, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

Of course, there is still the issue of the jacks becoming obsolete over the life of the car. Remember those huge jacks that headphones used to have ? Would you want to buy an old, used car which accepts that type of jack ? Maybe the same will apply to the current jacks in the future: "What kind of old, piece of crap car is this ? The jack doesn't even have the bandwidth to transmit standard holographic info !". StuRat 01:08, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

Those 1/4 inch plugs are not really obsolete, just inconvenient for the average consumers. 3.5mm plug t 1/4inch plugs are still very common in these days. --antilivedT | C | G 01:45, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Multi-touch

Where could I purchase a Multi-touch tablet PC? -68.193.147.179 00:17, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

  • Hmmm... not sure what that is, but you can look at Ebay, but if it is what I think it is, then you'd have to look at companies that supply the retail point-of-sale trade, you know, where in the supermarkets they can use their screen to press the buttons they want. Rfwoolf 04:00, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Unix and shells

Are there certain types of shells that cannot be installed on a given UNIX variant/OS? If so, are there any reasons in particular? Thanks.

137.99.165.83 01:58, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

Anything not expressly written for POSIX? eg., Windows shells. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 58.163.129.56 (talk) 03:32, 8 April 2007 (UTC).

[edit] Display contrast

(I posted the monitor question above) - I bought a new monitor for my computer and it is supposed to have really high contrast resolution (3000:1). All I adjusted until now was screen resolution under display properties to the max. The sharpness of my screen is somewhat better but when I watch a video it's in poorer condition that it was on my old monitor. What else should I adjust? Hiilp 02:05, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

Just an idea: in your Display Settings, try lower your DPI to 96. Or of course try different numbers. Rfwoolf 04:12, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

I would spend some time changing each of the monitor's settings until you get each to the optimal setting. For example, just because your monitor can support a max contrast of 3000:1 does not mean it's currently set that way. StuRat 04:17, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

I am not sure what 3000:1 means and how good the picture is supposed to be. Can someone explain this to me please. Hiilp 17:12, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
I'm presuming it's a TFT and not a CRT monitor? If your new screen is bigger than the previous, it could be that the native resolution of the two screens are different. This means that the image could be stretched, resulting in an ugly blurry image. You'll have a similar lack of sharpness if the image is bigger than the new screen's native resolution. Check the manual of the new screen, or search for it on the internet, and you'll easily find the native resolution listed (it's one of the most important things when setting up a new screen). Ideally all applications you run on the TFT should be run in the native resolution. However, this doesn't necessarily explain your issues when watching video. Johnnykimble 20:32, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

I think it depends on the context. It probably means 3000 pixels per 1 inch (unlikely) or perhaps it means 3000 pixels per 1 foot. Another context - although extremely unlikely - is the format of your monitor, where for every 1 inch high your monitor is, it is 3000 inchs wide. -- so I'm not sure. Rfwoolf 19:16, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

Does the 3000:1 contrast ratio not mean the brightest colour is 3000 times more luminous than the darkest? Johnnykimble 20:22, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
That would indeed make more sense. But having a screen with the ratio of having its width 3000 times its height was a close second I'd say ... ;) Rfwoolf 20:32, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
My monitor is LCD flat screen 19" and on the corner it says "3000:1 Digital Fine Contrast". My old monitor wasn't flatscreen, but it was also 19". I don't know what the 3000:1 means, and I was wondering if someone knows if I am supposed to activate some option or adjustment, because the picture is fine when its still, but any video is poorer than my old monitor's. Hiilp 20:57, 8 April 2007 (UTC) One more thing, is it normal that as you change the angle from which you look at the picture on a LCD monitor, the color also changes - because this doesn't happen on older monitors.Hiilp 21:06, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
If still pics look good but motion looks bad, perhaps the refresh rate is too low. If you have an option to change the refresh rate, try setting it higher. StuRat 03:39, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Oh hang on, it's probably a poor panel response time you're noticing. Forget about the contrast ratio, you don't have to do anything to adjust that. Check the manual for the response time specification. Ideally it should be about 8ms or 12ms. In the early days, response times of 25ms were common, which meant for any moving images, even moving a window across the screen, you would see blurriness and 'trails'. If your old monitor was a CRT monitor, then you'll be even more likely to notice the response time issue with the LCD as CRTs don't suffer from any problems with response time. Fast action or panning scenes in films will be most likely to show up the problem. Unfortunately if your new screen has a high response time, there's nothing you can do to improve it. Johnnykimble 10:00, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
And to answer your other question, yes, the viewing angle is an important factor for LCD monitors. Again, like response time and contrast ratio, this is a pretty important specification when deciding which screen to buy. The large the viewing angle, the more you'll be able to look at the screen from an off centre position without noticing any change in the image. Both horizontal and vertical angles should be considered. Johnnykimble 10:05, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Starting program

When you open a new file it automatically opens with a certain program. How do you change that default program (for .Pdf for example). Because my Adobe reader is not responding and I can't open the necessary files (as "open with" is not available in this case). Hiilp 02:05, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

In Explorer, go to Tools->Folder Options, select the "File Types" tab, and you should see a list of recognized extensions (jpg, pdf, etc). Select the type of file you want to configure, and then click "Change" below it, there you can select the default program to handle it. Cyraan 02:39, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
I had quite a few issues with Adobe Reader, from the huge update sizes, to frequent crashes when opening files - not to mention the occasional paralytic effect it had on my browser when viewing PDFs online. If Adobe Reader keeps crashing on you, you'll need an alternative program, and for that I'd recommend Foxit Reader. I've found it much more reliable than the Adobe one, and much much quicker. Johnnykimble 09:20, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Thanks, This solved my problems with default programs and now X-Adobe.Hiilp 17:12, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Load up

Last question - My computer is pretty fast, but it takes 8 sec for a program window to open up when I double click on it (ex. Microsoft word - but every program does this) - and then it takes less than a sec to open lets say file/open. Can I somehow load up programs faster? Thanks Hiilp 02:05, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

You can purchase & install more memory, or possibly a faster hard drive (SATA if your PC supports it). You can also free up some of the memory you already have by disabling startup processes you don't need, MSConfig can do this (Start->Run, type "msconfig" without the quotes, click the startup tab. Do not mess with the other tabs in it, especially if you don't know what they are). Many programs nowadays load one or more processes at startup you don't necessarily need to have constantly running and consuming resources, but be careful what you disable, when in doubt, google the filename, or leave it alone.
Also, a format & fresh install of windows can often speed things up a bit. Cyraan 02:46, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
You can try defragment your hard drive - "So that your programs run faster" !. In windows, click Start -> Run, and type "dfrg.msc" and press enter.
Here's another helpful hint: Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc. This will bring up the Task Manager. Click on the "Performance" tab, which will show you on top how your CPU is performing, and on the bottom the size of your page file. The CPU of course handles all the tiny calculations your computer needs to 'compute' all the time, so when it's handling a zillion different processes your CPU usage will end up quite high. So the interesting thing is, if you boot up your computer and get into Windows, wait for it to finish, how high is your CPU performance? How high is it now? If it's excessively high all the time (when you're not really running any difficult processes) then you could have background programs that are stealing all your thunder. So go into the 'Processes' tab, and look for suspicious processes that are using up a lot of memory - and then, google their names to find out what they are and what they do - and if it's something you don't need or it's spyware then end the process. (Note: ending processes is considered only something advanced users would do - so exercise some caution but fortunately there isn't much you can do that a simple reboot of your PC won't fix - but more importantly you don't want to terminate your antivirus software or some important documents you were working on).
If your computer is still struggling, then look at upgrading your RAM or your processor. Good luck Rfwoolf 04:09, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Thanks guys, this helped me a lot and solved many of my problems. My computer is now faster, as well as my long problem of having to close twenty programs upon a start up is now solved. Thanks Hiilp 17:12, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Good to know you came right. How did you end up solving the problem? Rfwoolf
I "End Process"ed many programs because it turned out that many programs/updates/and so on were running at the same time. And now my computer performs faster (I hope it lasts). (Also, the disabling of programs to activate when I start my computer saves me the trouble of manually closing down ten icons in my right down corner). But, I didn't go through the dfrg because it seems that I have 60% free space.Hiilp 21:02, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Backup problems

Over the past few years I have been backing up my PC to a 250GB External HDD. This has resulted in a massive mess. All my family files have mixed with my work files and resulted in a great big problem. In total the HDD has 240GB of my files on it -many files a duplications but their are also many originals. I have no idea how to attack this problem. Any suggestions? May Software that will aid in the sorting process? Many thanks for any help :) —The preceding unsigned comment was added by I.scheme.a.lot (talk • contribs) 02:26, 8 April 2007 (UTC).

I don't know how to sort out this mess but I would suggest you to use a better method of backing up such as rdiff-backup. --antilivedT | C | G 03:35, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
It would be interesting if there was some software that can do this - I'm sorry I don't know about that - but here's just a suggestion in the spirit of helpfulness:
In windows Explorer, you can right-click on the column-headings which gives you a list of extra headings - make sure you've got "Date Modified" and "Date Created" open - as you'll need either of theses, and of course "Size" and whatever else. Then you could consider going into your mass of files and taking a chunk of it and -- in the case where all the files are in the same folder -- sort the files by "Date Modified" to determine which files supercede the others. Of course if you have two files with the exact same name then you can't put them in the same directory - but indeed that's another strategy altogether: it involves taking one folder, and copying its contents into another folder - when there are duplicate filenames, Windows will prompt you and ask "Do you wish to replace MYWORK.XLS (Size: 40KB, Date Modified: 25/12/1998) with this version: MYWORK.XLS (Size: 63KB, Date Modified: 06/08/2005) - and of course you must say "no" if it wants to replace the newer file with the older one! All in all this can get very complicated.
Another solution is to simply leave it as is, and whenever you need a file approach it on an ad hoc basis - you can push F3 and do a search (you can search *.xls for all "xls" files or you can type "week" for all files containing the word "Week" - and so forth.
Good luck. Rfwoolf 03:57, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
If you are going with Rfwoolf's approach you might find Subversion (SVN) with TortoiseSVN (http://tortoisesvn.tigris.org/) is useful as a tool (it can run on most platforms e.g Windows). If used properly, the SVN system will help you keep track of all the file structure changes that you make as you try and sort the mess out. Once set-up, this means that you DO NOT have to agonise over the "Date Modified" or "file size" attributes etc to determine which files supercede the others. As an extreme example, you could just go-with-your instincts and don't worry about the consequences of ANY cut/copy/move/paste you make as you tidy up the situation. Using tortoiseSVN you could,for example, delete a whole folder of files if you think they are duplications of another folder and do this WITHOUT the dire consequences. If in 6 weeks time, you suddenly notice that you shouldn't have deleted 3 particular files in that "deleted" folder, you could revert your deletion and bring them back. If space is an issue you could even use the internet in combination with a "Subversion server hosting company" as a place to store your "tidied up repository of files". NOTE: This is an over-simplification to get the point accross. Read the software's manual first and learn the basics of Subversion, before you use the software! See: http://svnbook.red-bean.com/en/1.2/svn.intro.html#svn.intro.whatis
By the way, do not get put off and think its all too technical - Subversion is really easy to learn, and there is alot of help on the net from people who use it. (Its useful for anyone who stores digital data, which these days is pretty much everyone. I think it should be taught in schools like 'home economics for your computer')
Subversion is, if you like, a "Wikipedia on your computer". E.g Where your files are like peices of wiki content, that are susceptable to be modified, but it doesn't matter even if they are deleted because they could be brought back. In this analogy there just happens to be a smaller set of collaborators (you and your family).Ronnystalker 10:54, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Another path to follow, (slightly more bizarre thinking here), might be to offer your self as guinea pig for researchers on "The MyLifeBits lifetime store" project. Or just pick their brains via email. They seem to have spent many research-hours on this problem. http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=The+MyLifeBits+system Ronnystalker 11:09, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] MSAccess2000 problem with running wizards

I used to use Access a lot when I was in the IT profession, but I haven't had occasion to for several years. Two years ago, after I'd quit using Access, I reformatted my compy and reinstalled everything. Since then, I haven't had to do a DB until last night, when I discovered that none of the wizards worked. Thinking they just weren't installed, I spent about 2 hours doing supplementary installs, using the repair feature, etc etc to no avail. When I try to run the wizards it doesn't even show a dialog box or notice or anything. I would rather not have to uninstall Office and re-install it; any ideas? If not a fix, at least a good place where I could go to ask? I haven't gone to the MSKb yet, I'm hoping to try a couple of quick things before slogging through it. Anchoress 04:15, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

Hmm... yeah, I don't know if there is going to be a quicker way than uninstall office and reinstall it. Sounds like something has borked and doesn't want to go back without a struggle. --24.147.86.187 15:35, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Thanks for the reply. Yeah, it's time in a way I guess. Not the time it takes to re-install, but the time it takes to reset all my customisation. But actually I did a bit of looking and it looks like a fairly common problem which re-installation doesn't seem to fix, so maybe it's better that I don't try it anyway. Anchoress 20:04, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] What does "mount a network drive" mean in Unix/Linux?

What does "mount a network drive" mean? I am new to Linux and have viewed my #history on my new dedicated server via SSH and i see the first line has the command

  1. mount /somethingimnotgoingtosayincaseitsasecurtityrisk/

I've looked it up and everyone explains this command by just saying it mounts a network drive. BUT what on earth does that mean to a human being??? Arrgh. please help my head hurts. Thanks in a dvance Ronnystalker 04:49, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

Look at your /etc/fstab to see the mount table associations. /somethingimnot...' is a name there, and probably has a filesystem type of nfs (if it's a "network drive"). —EncMstr 04:57, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for that. However, i'm not too worried about the particular filename/folder/drive. I'm just trying to work out what "Mount a network drive" means. Does it mean, say, "copy all files from that drive to here" or does it mean "whenever i say x i mean the-network-drive-being-mounted". As far as the dictionary goes mount, means either a "mountain" (i don't think that applies here :o), to "get on top of" and so on... But, none of the dictionary definitions seem to explain exactly what happens in a "linux sense" when a "drive is mounted". I hazzard a gues to think that "one thing is being put on top of another thing". So, is one thing copying onto another thing. Or is one thing physically on another thing? or being Symbollicly linked to another thing, diverted to another thing. Any way hope you can help. P.s thanks for making me explore a bit more my linux anyway. I have now seen my /etc/ folder. ;o)

Nothing is copied, it's like defining an alias. That is, you are telling the computer "whenever I say /home, I really mean the hard disk in the primary master position on my PC". StuRat 05:34, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Sorry I didn't answer the question. It means "make the file system available for access". It derives from the old days where disk drives nearly the size of clothes washing machines used removable disk packs (the size of a medium size wedding cake). An operator "mounted" the desired disk pack when a program requested access with a resource mount command. Under Unix/Linux/etc., it's still the case for tapes, DVDs and floppies, unless some automount software is running. The opposite—umount—disconnects the association between the mount point and the filesystem ("unmounts"), finishes up pending i/o (sync) and takes the file system offline, making it inaccessible. —EncMstr 05:55, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Except that I always got the error "Can't perform the unmount because the resource is currently in use", and I wasn't able to figure out what was using it. StuRat 06:03, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
For me, the most common user of the disk I can't umount is me, having cd'd to the volume and forgotten that fact. lsof can probably help determine who/what's using a volume.
Atlant 00:40, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Don't you wish the unmount command was actually named 'unmount' instead of 'umount'. I make that mistake every time :) Johnnykimble 09:25, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Apparently, Pike (was it Pike?) stated that if he had his time over with Unix, he'd add an "e" to the creat system call ;)
Looks like it was Ken Thompson. Not that that old posting is a reliable source, but notice the code comment... Johnnykimble 09:57, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for that StuRat and EncMstr, it really cleared it up for me. As always, it seems, once the good folk of Wikipedia have answered my question here, I end up finding the answer was already waiting for me on this vast resource. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_%28computing%29 I hereby promise to invest some time in learning how to search this site more effectively. (Lol at the "scale references", I checked to see where you were from to see if you were American or not. Cakes and washing machines tend to be bigger over there).

On a side note, I have just read a book on Subversion http://svnbook.red-bean.com/ and been introduced to the whole concept of Revision Control Systems. "Aaahh I geddit! Wikipedia is a gigantic revision control repository for managing knowledge... ding!" - I'm now looking at this site in a whole new light. Ronnystalker 07:07, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Backup .bkf file with Vista

My PC died, but fortunately I have a recent backup of the entire drive c: on an external hard drive made with the Windows XP Backup utility, which creates files with the .bkf extension. However, Vista "Backup Status ad Configuration" on my new PC doesn't seem to recognize the file type when I try to restore. What can I do? Thanks. --Halcatalyst 05:32, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

P.S. I have Vista Home Premium --Halcatalyst 05:38, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
I don't think Vista supports the old backup format... And anyway, if you tried to restore your whole backup then you would overwrite heaps of system files. --wj32 talk | contribs 09:27, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Check out the Microsoft article which describes how to 'Restore a backup created on a previous version of Windows'. Johnnykimble 09:32, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

Thank you. I got the utility working and have restored some documents. Now the problem is to figure out which files (besides documents) I can transfer without breaking Vista. For example: can I restore applications? How do I find and restore my Microsoft Outlook data (outlook.pst?). Thanks in advance! --Halcatalyst 14:39, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

As far as applications go, you can consider them 'lost', i.e. you will need to reinstall them. Any application specific data, for example an Outlook address book, account data, or folder store, can often be 'imported' once you've installed the application again on your system. The procedures for restoring this data will vary between applications, but for Microsoft programs they should be well documented. Searching the Microsoft Knowledge Base should give you the answers you need. Johnnykimble 15:03, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Program to change the keys on a keyboard.

I remember PC World magazine once recommended this program which lets you change the keys on a keyboard. For example, you could change the Enter key to the spacebar, so that when you press the key labelled Enter, it acts as if you pressed the spacebar. I am looking for this program because my spacebar is spoilt. It does not affect my typing, but it does affect my gaming. Where can I find and download this program for free? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 59.189.64.225 (talk) 14:02, 8 April 2007 (UTC).

I don't know of a program to remap keys in Windows, but in most games you can change keyboard key assignments. If you look in the options for the game, you should be able to reassign whichever function was controlled by the spacebar to the enter key (or any key of your choosing). Johnnykimble 14:17, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

Some games let me remap the controls if the default is the arrow keys, but for games which need me to use the spacebar, they don't offer options to remap.

Here is one option. I don't know anything about it, just found it during a search. --LarryMac 16:34, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
You could also get a new keyboard? They are not terribly expensive. --24.147.86.187 17:21, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] The Return of the Stickiness

Some of you might remember that I posted a question here earlier, about cleaning some coke out from some electronics, and I was directed towards isopropyl alcohol, rubbed in with a q-tip. Well, it worked great! But there are some more issues to take care of. When this coke can burst, it got into some really hard-to-reach places. The q-tip can't quite get into the "L" and "R" buttons of the Game Boy micro, or the "Start," "Select," and volume buttons, for that matter. There's also the issue of the game slots. Would it be safe to use the isopropyl inside the slots on the GBm and the Nintendo DS Lite (the GBA one)? And the "plug" for the DS Lite's second slot...it seems to have the pins necessary for a game, even though it's empty. Would anything happen if those pins were damaged? Thanks for all the help.--the ninth bright shiner talk 15:52, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

I'm afraid that the game slots are a touch too sensitive, and could have been permanently damaged. Your best possibility would be seeking the help of a professional, as I doubt any "home" solution would be 100% effective. --Sn0wflake 05:10, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
I'd suggest taking it apart: the plastic parts (and any screws and such) can probably be simply washed in soapy water, and the button sensors (which may be just thin film contacts) wiped with water or alcohol. If there's any of the gunk on the circuit boards themselves, which there might or might not be, use the alcohol. Just take care not to damage the boards with static electricity while handling them, and make sure you know how to put everything back together again after it's clean and dried. (A useful trick, in these modern days, is to use a digital camera to photograph everything you're going to take apart while it's still together — that way you can later use the photos to check what goes where.) —Ilmari Karonen (talk) 17:33, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Oh, too bad about the pins. Both systems themselves work perfectly well, it's that there's still some sticky stuff around the GBA slots, is all. The digital camera would make taking it apart a lot simpler, true, but I'm probably too much of clutz to mess around inside. I'm going to see if I can possibly smash the end of q-tip to fit into the smaller nooks and crannies. So, just to be sure, the isopropyl will hurt the pins? Thanks.--the ninth bright shiner talk 20:37, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
No, I don't think it should harm the pins at all. I was wondering how you were going to clean the slots without dipping the whole device in the alcohol if you couldn't fit a Q-tip inside them, but then I reread your question and realized that you probably weren't saying that at all. So, yes, I'd expect cleaning the slots with a Q-tip dipped in isopropyl alcohol to be OK. (CYA disclaimer: All this is just my guess based on personal experience. Don't sue me if it voids your warranty, makes the problem worse, explodes and destroys your house, or whatever.) —Ilmari Karonen (talk) 02:02, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] synchronization

confusing about which synchronization primitives is the best and why? i know about monitors ,semaphores,synchronization h/w.....etc . so i would like to know about it as i am new to this concept and what is the first operating system . help pls thanx in advance.Chakrirajini 17:05, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] "US Server down" for over 24 hours now

After calling through to my Internet Service Provider's technical support, they informed me that everyone's been having trouble accessing domains from certain countries such as the UK or South Africa - and they said the reason was that a US server was down (since over 24 hours now already), and believe it or not I think it's still down 'cos I'm still having trouble! Anyways, I'm not sure I still quite understand. Do they mean that a DNS server is down - or what? If major DNS servers go down, does anybody know where this would be reported? Isn't there like a DNS organisation that could give me some more information?
(If you're bored: Just for interest's sake, I'm having trouble accessing sites like www.madamandeve.co.za and www.iol.co.za - if you wanna try them and report back to me)
Thanks as always Rfwoolf 19:21, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

I can get on both of them - you could try proxying your way around if you are really desperate. Either way, I have experienced some trouble with my forum but not sure if it is the host's problem or a general network issue. Either way, I use this for a quick overview on whether there are any serious issues at the moment, looking for spikes. As for information, I have no idea and would like to know too. x42bn6 Talk 19:26, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

Update:
Thanks. But all South African 'co.za' sites don't connect - I end up getting google's results on them - and even www.bsalsa.com (not South African) doesn't go through. One site that worked was iss.org.za but not even the South African government information portal is accessible! I'll just have to wait, but I'd really like to know WHY. Rfwoolf 19:44, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

Try doing a traceroute, it'll show you where your connection is hitting a snag. --24.147.86.187 21:21, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
If you want to see if it's DNS, try their IP addresses directly (which would require that someone with a working DNS give you said IP addresses). i.e. [56] and [57] are the two you provided. If they work, even if they don't lead exactly to the expected website, it's probably a DNS problem. In that case, you might be able to use OpenDNS or something as a replacement. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 21:32, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

Update:
Just called service provider again, they say they're still working on it - something about a router system or whatnot - the previous consultant I spoke to said it's not a problem with the service provider and its not their fault - but this time this consultant said it is 'a problem with [them]'. Information seems very very minimal - they can't tell me what kind of server, what I can google, what's wrong with it, where I can get more information - zip!
Doing a tracrt on one of the sites lists one IP address before timing out: "10.40.160.1" - which when I type in just gets me to a google search for that term.
Thanks for all your help anyways - when I get to the bottom of it I'll let you all know. Rfwoolf 21:42, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

That's a local IP address, presumably on your ISP's network. That means you're probably not going to find out much about it except from your ISP. —Ilmari Karonen (talk) 02:39, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

Update: Well, after using a proxy I was able to access a lot more sites - even certain google caches that weren't working before were finally working. Then a few hours later I took off the proxy and things were back to normal. Rfwoolf 03:06, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Batch generation of SVG files

Over at Category:Images which should be in SVG format (or more specifically here) we have about 200 images which are simply Unicode characters (U+2100 to U+21D4). Obviously the requested conversion (well, recreation) should be easier to do with a batch script than doing 200 by hand. Is anyone able to write a script that can do this?

I'd imagine a possible sequence could be something like:

  • Construct PostScript/EPS file containing just that character in a font that has it
  • Set bounding box (somehow) to be tight to the edges of the character
  • Use pstoedit to convert PS to flat PS with beziers.
  • Use pstoedit again to go from flat PS to SVG
  • Bot upload to WP or Commons, add {{vva}} to the .gif file, replace instances of files with SVG version. (Needs someone with a bot account, presumably.)

Unfortunately, I have no idea how to write any of these stages, and don't have a bot account. Cheers, Stannered 23:02, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Skills for user interface design

What is/are the most useful programming language(s) for someone interested in user interface design to study? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 68.42.111.47 (talk) 23:04, 8 April 2007 (UTC).

Until someone who is more sure comes along, I would venture to say something in the lines of .NET programming through Delphi or MS Visual Basic or C#. Generally speaking when you create an application you can use components that help you with the interface design - or with some skill you can create your own. So it is possible to do nice interfaces (GUIs) with very little experience, just having the right components - assuming you are referring to Object-Orientated programming. Rfwoolf 23:13, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
.NET Progaming is very easy when it comes GUI design, how ever the software is quite costly, for a cheap c++ GUI try Trolltech's Qt, It's very similare to .NET and you can port it to Mac and Linux (which you can do with the .NET's via MONO, but I've found you can spen days getting it to work). --Lwarf 01:19, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
To get started in Windows UI design, Microsoft offers the free express edition of Visual Studio. You should be able to get a UI up and running really quickly with it. For someone starting off you don't have to code a thing to study the general layout of UI's. For Windows, I'd say this is definitely the way to go. Johnnykimble 01:27, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Though not a programming language, why hasn't anybody mentioned HTML, which is probably the most adaptable markup language for user interfaces? XUL may be interesting to research as well. Heck, many programs including the McCafee (sp?) virus scanner appear to use html/IE as part of the front end interface. Root4(one) 04:19, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
XHTML + CSS, and any number of extra things (i.e. SVG, JavaScript). Good fun to be had. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 04:22, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] MAC vs. Mac

This may be better suited to the language desk though it's computer related so I'm trying here... Why do people, who in my experience are generally not Apple Mac buyers/users, call Macs "MACS"? It's not an abbreviation acronym and never has been. So why do people capitalize it? Dismas|(talk) 02:27, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

I'm thinking it's three letters (like file extensions) and doesn't seem to mean anything at first glance, so it sounds to them like it should be an abbreviation acronym. And I've seen a few Mac users call them MACs :P -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 02:51, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
I don't know about them, but MAC capitalized means MAC address to me, so the computers are Macs. Maybe they think it's like IBM and HP etc. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 04:02, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
It's not supposed to be capitalized, whenever I se it I think MAC Address, too.--Ryan 16:13, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
I am both a MAC and a Win user, and I capitalize MAC, probably for the reason that Wirbelwind says. I don't capitalize Win, though. ScouseMouse - スカウサーUK! 00:23, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Hooking up N64 to PC

I have question. You see, I have a site for a Nintendo 64 game. The only problem is that it has no game pictures, and it wold be unethical to steal images of Google Image search. So I thought I may hook my system up to my computer to take screenshots. But how do I do this? Ftw I have both a MacBook Pro with Vista and Leopard beta. I also have an HP Pavilion a814x desktop computer (which I would prefer to use). How do I hook it up, or if that not possible, how do I take screenshots on it in general? Thank you. --TV-VCR watch 04:12, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

You need a TV / video capture card that can accept composite or coaxial or whatever type of video output you have from the N64. That, or an emulator along with the appropriate ROM. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 04:21, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
My desktop has NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 4000. Laptop has ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 256 MiB GDDR3. Or if neither work, where may I find a free emulator? Thank you. --TV-VCR watch 04:50, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
The best N64 emulator currently is Project64. Concerning ROMs, you are on your own, but in theory it's not illegal to own ROM copies of the games you phisically own, in case you are wondering. --Sn0wflake 05:01, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
You would probably know if either of those were the TV tuner versions; it would say somewhere, and they might have come with an input cable or have extra ports for input. As for ROMS: there are (somewhat expensive) devices to copy them off of the carts, and there are websites/P2P networks/"etc." that distribute them. The legality of the latter method is, indeed, not happy. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 05:08, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Does ROM mean the game cartridge? If that is so, I own the game in question, San Francisco Rush 2049. :D --TV-VCR watch 05:11, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
It refers to the data on the cartridge, which you need off of the cartridge and on your computer to use with an emulator. It's possibly legal to download the ROM file off of some site if you own the actual game, but I can't provide legal advice here :P. It's not ethically wrong. (And as an aside, I used to own that. Fun game :D) -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 05:15, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
I will download the P64 program, and contact if I have any questions. Thanks. --TV-VCR watch 05:19, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Well now I have a question! How do I get the ROM onto my computer to use in in Project 64 v1.6? --TV-VCR watch 05:30, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Again, you need either to use a somewhat expensive device to do so, or simply search for and download a ROM that someone else has ripped. The latter is of questionable legality, though it may or may not be okay if you own the actual cart. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 05:36, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
I am confused! Where may I find a ROM to download of SFR49? Or what is this device you speak of? --TV-VCR watch 05:44, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Well, I lol'd! I searched for one and found one instantly! It is downloading as I type this, but my, it is 16.2 megabytes, and I am still using dialup while waiting for my DSL to activate! This may take a while. T_T --TV-VCR watch 05:49, 9 April 2007 (UTC)


It's common misconception that you can dl a ROM if you own the cartridge. In reality, the only ROMs you can legally own are those you ripped yourself from cartridges you legally owned and still legally own. Although we are not supposed to give legal advice here, I figured making you more worried as opposed to less could never hurt. ;) Chris M. 14:54, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
This is likely to depend on the jurisdiction, and in many if not most of them, on the specific interpretation a judge might arrive at when and if such a case ever came up. The specific circumstances, where a person in possession of a legal copy of a work would find it more convenient to download a second copy off the net than to simply copy his own are sufficiently recent, and even today sufficiently uncommon, that there are likely to be few precedents or statutes explicitly addressing the issue. In any case, in practice the legality might end up depending on secondary issues, such as what purpose the copy was downloaded for, whether the downloaded copy was identical to the original, whether the original was deliberately copy-protected rather than merely incidentally difficult to copy, whether the user had accepted any EULAs, whether said EULAs actually are legal and enforceable or not, and, perhaps most importantly, on whether the download was made through a file-sharing application that would simultaneously upload the content to third parties. In short, "it depends." —Ilmari Karonen (talk) 02:32, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Movies in ppt

Hey, I'm trying to put a movie in powerpoint and it won't work! I hit the Insert>Movies and Sounds>Movie from File... and the thing won't work. I mean, it doesn't even show up on the "Undo" drop list. Is there anything I can do? --JDitto 04:21, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Laptop keyboard - stuck key

I replaced my enter key. It previously worked OK without the little metal bar but I found it today and wanted to make the edges work well when I hit them (the bar makes it so that when you hit the edges it registers with equal weight as in the center). Well I tried with and without it and the key is stuck - it pops up a fraction of an inch, works, but won't pop up all the way. Laptop is a DV1000 series. Got suggestions? -Wooty Woot? contribs 06:27, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

It sounds like the tiny spring isn't able to push the key up any more, possibly due to the added weight of the metal bar. Can you find a stronger spring with the same dimensions and substitute it in ? StuRat 06:34, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
The thing is, it doesn't work even without the metal bar! I haven't messed with the button ("nipple" is the best way to describe it) but as a last resort that's an option. I just had a thought: perhaps the force of pushing it in rather misaligned the spring inside, so it no longer is pushing back on the key. Of course, this is just a hypothesis at this point. -Wooty Woot? contribs 06:50, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Yes, that's possible, but this misalignment might have bent the spring beyond it's elastic limit, in which case it will permanently be weakened. In any case, I believe you need to pry that key off and see what's going on underneath. You could "borrow" a good spring from some key you never use (like "scroll lock", in my case). StuRat 18:22, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
There are too interlocking rectangles above the key "nipple" that I can't remove. I think either I'll glue the back of the key to the "nipple" (it works fine if I don't press and click it in) or replace the keyboard, since I can't get inside. -Wooty Woot? contribs 23:22, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Beginner's use of a database

I have an XML file that is a database formatted for MySQL. Each record has, among other fields, a name and three fields called HD, CR and LA. HD will contain a number (usually an integer, but occasionally a fraction with a '/' separating the sides) followed by a 'd' and some other text; the number before the 'd' is the part I'm interested in. CR will always be an integer, and LA will be either an integer or a dash (a dash is distinct from zero). What I'd like to do is create a table whose four columns are name, HD, CR and LA and copy it into OpenOffice.org Calc. Can I do this in OpenOffice.org Base, or straight in Calc? If so, how? (Base doesn't even recognize XML files as databases when I use the Open command, and there's no Import or Insert File command that I can see.) NeonMerlin 06:36, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

You could of course load it into MySQL and do an appropriate select statement to get it into a format that Calc will recognize, but a quick Perl hack might do. If the record you describe looks like:

<record name="some name" hd="42/19dSomeOtherText" cr="99" la="-">

Then a one-liner as below should give you a comma-separated values file that Calc can grok. --TotoBaggins 14:06, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

perl -wnle '@fields=qw(name hd cr la); for $field (@fields) { ($h{$field}) = / $field="([^"]+)"/ or next LINE } $h{hd} =~ s/d.*//; print join ",", @h{@fields}'  <  db.xml  > db.csv
Unfortunately, the fields aren't parameters, but child tags of the record tags, like this:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>
<ms>
 <m>
  <name>Example</name>
   :
   : other fields
   :
  <hd>38d10 (xyz)</hd>
  <cr>22</cr>
  <la>-</la>
 </m>
</ms>

NeonMerlin 22:04, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Limewire not working

Lately when I try to open limewire, nothing comes up. I keep clicking and clicking and nothing's happening! What should I do? --124.181.241.101 06:59, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

Sure it's not loading behind your windows? (it doesn't automatically go on top). Also check ctrl-alt-del and make sure only one copy is running. -Wooty Woot? contribs 07:06, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Limewire plugs your computer up with lots of malware/adware. Try something else? − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 07:07, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Not true, Limewire is malware-free. -Wooty Woot? contribs 07:21, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Try Phex if you want to keep using the Gnutella network. NeonMerlin 18:40, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Hey it's working for me. I have 4.9.33. Btw, you should also try Ares Galaxy. It's free (opensource), and it's good. --Hirak 99 07:35, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
I miss the days of Audiogalaxy. − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 17:28, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] ~$ on Microsoft Word documents

Hi, When I save certain documents (in Word it seems to be randomly), it creates a hidden file, the name of which is the saved document's filename but with the first two letters of that filename replaced with ~$. Does anyone know what this is or why it happens? Thanks very much, Bioarchie1234 08:59, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

I believe it is a backup. Try opening it to see. -Wooty Woot? contribs 09:03, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
When I try to open it it says the program needs a converter to open this. When I say yes it takes ages doing nothing and when I say no another conversion thing comes up but it wants to use Japanese (Shift-JIS). If it is a backup is it safe to delete? Thanks. Bioarchie1234 09:13, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
It's a temp file, not a backup. It's created when you work on a file without saving it, or when the file is so large that it needs to save itself more often than your regular saves. I get lots of them when I am working with my really big (200 pages) tables. I mean lots, like a dozen during a sitting, despite saving regularly and often. It's nothing to worry about. Anchoress 09:17, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Yes, that's right. You can delete them after closing your Word document if they don't delete themselves. JoshHolloway 09:53, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
There's an MSKB article for this: Description of how Word creates temporary files. The '~' sign is the standard sign for the temporary file. The '$' sign indicates the file is an owner file. See the owner file section in the article. Johnnykimble 11:42, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] LINUX open source sponsoring

Any idea how the linux community churns out latest versions and updates for their software?Are there any sponsors?Any if they are volunteers, they are really really helpful people i guess...210.212.194.209

I don't know of any distros that have sponsers. Slackware from what I've read, pays for their CDs, web site bandwidth, and other expenses with the money they get from selling hard copies of their distro, Slackware books, and t-shirts. The software, AFAIK, is written by volunteers though. Dismas|(talk) 10:02, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Some major developers of key projects are actually employed by companies that have significant interest in open source software. This allows these developers to work full time on the projects that said companies make revenue off of. -- mattb @ 2007-04-09T16:01Z

[edit] DVD BURN

I burnt two sessions on a DVD-R. The two sessions can be read on the same computer, but not on my home computer running XP, and only one session on Win98.Any idea why??~~ —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 210.212.194.209 (talk) 10:07, 9 April 2007 (UTC).

I'm not sure why, but the same type of thing happens to me. StuRat 18:14, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

Tons o things come into play here, one thing could be the book type you used when burning the DVD in question. It is preferable to use DVD-ROM book type for higher compatibility, also if burning with Nero (sorry if you don't like its the first that comes to mind) then you can also check a check box for higher compatibility. Then you have to check the speed, despite how many times people may argue this, older DVD-ROM's are sometimes bad at reading new technology read: Dual Layer (DVD9), and it's higher technologies, and higher speeds come into play as well. Next some DVD-ROM's if they're not burners themselves, will have problems reading more than 1 session. If the DVD is not finalized will also cause non-burners to not pick up the info. One last tip is disabling Windows Burn feature for some odd reason cures this sometimes. To disable it Right click on the burner, select properties,and select the recording tab and disable it. Hope this helps. 200.12.231.42 22:29, 9 April 2007 (UTC) Ag for MemTech

[edit] Samba asymmetrical speeds

I have a 'nix computer and a Windows XP SP2 box, with a share on the XP box. Downloads are nice and quick, yet uploading only takes place at about 15k/s. Is this an inherent Samba thing or what's going on? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 58.163.129.56 (talk) 10:56, 9 April 2007 (UTC).

All I can say is that it should be the same both ways, whether copying from the 'nix box to XP share or the other way round. It certainly shouldn't be as slow as 15kB/s (kilobytes). You are talking about transfers over your LAN and not the Internet? Obviously if you were talking about internet transfers, 15kB/s is a pretty normal upload speed. With many cable\DSL services, the upload is often ~15kB/s (128kb/s), ~30kB/s (256kb/s) or ~60kB/s (512kb/s), while the download speed can be as high as 2mB/s (16mb/s). Johnnykimble 11:36, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
No, this is indeed over the LAN. I've noticed from a little Google search that I'm not the only one with this problem and that there aren't any real solutions posed, so the question is still an open (and interesting) one.
You could take a look and see if there's any odd looking traffic in a trace when you're uploading. You will of course need to know what to look for (and what you're looking at), but if you're familiar enough with network protocols it might be useful. You can use Ethereal to get the trace (it's possibly already on your *nix box). Johnnykimble 11:50, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
The XP box is running NAT for the 'nix box, but I doubt the overheads incurred by NAT would be so great as to swamp the Samba upload.

[edit] Full Screen

Hey guys, how would I exit fullscreen in a computer game (Starcraft-I know its old, but its still good) if that option is not available in the game option menu? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 65.93.133.10 (talk) 12:40, 9 April 2007 (UTC).

Usually Alt-Tab will get you out. Or you could try Winkey or Ctrl-Esc. If not, on Windows XP, you could try Ctrl-Alt-Del or Ctrl-Shift-Esc. x42bn6 Talk 12:46, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Alt-Enter is a common combination to toggle full screen mode in Windows. Johnnykimble 13:23, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

Just plain ESC (escape key) works for some games. StuRat 18:11, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Question about bibliographic management software

How do programs like EndNote extract bibliographic information from online databases & library catalogues? 68.40.198.80 12:36, 9 April 2007 (UTC)Susie

Ummm... have you tried EndNote#Operation? --♪♫ ĽąĦĩŘǔ ♫♪ walkie-talkie 16:21, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] DVD burner not allowing the burning of DVDs

I have a DVD burner and I never used it to burn DVDs until today. I have a case of 50 blank DVDs and I've tried several. What happens is I put the DVD in the drive, then when I go to move a folder into the drive (as I would when burning a CD), it says "windows encountered a problem when trying to move this folder, what do you want windows to do?" I'm not completly sure if the drivers are correct but I'm also not completely sure where to find the make and model of this drive without opening up the system and unplugging stuff (if that would even work). If that is the only course of action I'll do it but I imagine it's somewhere on the computer, if that is the problem. Not sure what to do, so if someone can give me a hand, I'd appreciate it, thanks! Chris M. 14:32, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

Personally I use Nero Burning ROM for burning, works better for me. Splintercellguy 14:59, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Any tips on how I can get that? Chris M. 15:34, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Yeah me too it works nicely. Here, But it's a Trial. I can give you some pirate copies even, but I think promoting such on Wikipeida is not a good idea. --♪♫ ĽąĦĩŘǔ ♫♪ walkie-talkie 16:14, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

Are you sure that your DVD burner is compatible with the DVD blanks that you're trying to use? Aside from the question of DVD-R and DVD+R (different media!), there's also the question of burning speed.

Atlant 16:24, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

Yup, I have a +/- R/RW 16x burner and have 16x discs. Chris M. 17:33, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

The Nero suggestion above is good, but I also wanted to mention why the drag and drop copy doesn't work. I believe some of the older current operating systems (like Windows 98) were written back when computers either didn't have any DVD drives at all or had read-only DVD drives. Thus, the O/S didn't include drag-and-drop DVD burn drivers. This is why you may need to run a separate software product, like Nero, to do copies to the DVD (even though you can copy from the DVD using Windows). Incidentally, I would have expected the DVD burner to come with the required software, such as Nero. You might want to check the box. StuRat 18:08, 9 April 2007 (UTC)


The reason for your error is what StuRat says, windows cannot address anything after the 80 mins on a normal disc. Even WinXP which is slightly newer cannot burn onto DVD's with it's built in burning engine. I do believe Nero now makes Nero Express Lite or something like that for free. You might want to look into that. 200.35.168.129 22:34, 9 April 2007 (UTC) Ag for MemTech

[edit] acceptance testing

why is acceptance testing important? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 122.167.149.144 (talk) 15:50, 9 April 2007 (UTC).

We have an article for the Acceptance testing. Read it yourself, it will better than asking from someone, isn't it :-) --♪♫ ĽąĦĩŘǔ ♫♪ walkie-talkie 16:04, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Do your own homework. The reference desk won't give you answers for your homework, although we will try to help you out if there's a specific part of your homework you don't understand. Make an effort to show that you've tried solving it first. JoshHolloway 16:08, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

I'm not sure this is homework, so I will assume good faith and answer.

[Oh, come on, it was clearly a homework question! —Steve Summit (talk) 01:06, 10 April 2007 (UTC)]

Acceptance testing is important because it has the potential to find bugs not found in testing done by programmers. There are many reasons for this:

1) The most ominous is that programmers may intentionally hide a bug they know about.

2) Programmers inevitably see things from a programmer's POV, which often is different from what the customer wants. As a result they may not consider something to be a bug which the customers do. A programmer might say "You wanted the supplier list sorted in alphabetical order ? Why would you want that when it's already sorted by the hexadecimal supplier index number ?".

3) During acceptance testing, realistic use of the program is more likely. While the programmer might have tested the program alone, on a high-end computer, the acceptance tester might have other programs running which they normally would run along side the one being tested, and might use less powerful computers in different configurations, with a different operating system, etc. Some of this is also encountered in integration testing and cross-platform testing, but those tests still may not have the same combo that a real customer is likely to use. StuRat 17:28, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Content Based Image Retrieval

What is the current state of content based image retrieval?

Annevbast 18:13, 9 April 2007 (UTC)annevbast

It is possible to reliably retrieve porn by telling the CBIR to search for images with skin tone color. All joking aside, I wouldn't use any content based image retrieval solution unless your images are a very specific and small image domain. CBIR may be useful for retrieving particular fonts with qualities that you want, for example. But my experience has been that most CBIR systems are pretty much useless if your trying to organize random images semantically.
Source: (I did a lot of reading on this kind of stuff for my CS master's thesis 2 years ago). Root4(one) 18:46, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
This is some very promising recent research. Even got picked up by slashdot. risk 18:35, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Free Video Edit / Subtitle

Hi,

I have a video taken from Sony handycam. I need to add subtitle to it. How can I do that?

Thanks Slmking 20:04, 9 April 2007 (UTC)


Hey Slmking

this is normally a dvd site but feel free to look into it for it provides subtitling info and tutorials www.doom9.org http://www.doom9.org/subtitle_guides.htm i would recomend substation alpha,vobsub, and subrip

Also most editing software for videos has subtitle options in them, i use Sony Vegas for example or sometimes Premiere you can usually get trials for this software to see which best fits your needs. Hope this helps. 200.35.168.129 22:39, 9 April 2007 (UTC) Ag for MemTech

[edit] Free tools for creating PDF file from HTML file with inline TIFF images?

Are there free tools available that can convert an HTML file with inline TIFF images into PDF? A requirement is that the tool must recognize some kind of size specification for the TIFF images. That is, the tool must recognize some form of specification, be it HTML or CSS, or something else, that specifies the scaled size of inline TIFF images (e.g. 4 cm x 5 cm).

(Converting the TIFF images into another format first would be an unattractive option, as the file size penalty would be substantial. The input to the process has a simple structure, so if a freely available tool does the job but takes a different source format, that would be OK, so long as it's relatively easy to convert the source document into that format.)

Thanks. --64.236.170.228 20:32, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

  • Well this may help - cutePDF appears as a printer on your PC, and anything you send to it to get printed it will convert to PDF and ask you where you want to save the file to. The nice thing about it is that it's freeware, opensource, and doesn't watermark itself on any of the documents. So in other words, if you're happy with a PDF of how the page would look like printed, then that's the solution to look out for. I'm not sure about TIFF image support - but if TIFFs can be printed from whatever program you're viewing them in then rest assured it can PDF it. Rfwoolf 03:19, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Connecting my computer to my TV

My video-card has an S-Video out plug. Can I just connect that to my TV (using a SCART converter, for instance) to use my computer to show video on my TV? Obviously I would have to make a separate connection for the audio, but would it work other than that? Can I use any resolution (which is downscaled to PAL), or will I have to use some special resolution when doing this? --Oskar 20:58, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

Oh, and by the way, I'm using Ubuntu --Oskar 21:06, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
I've no experience of this on Ubuntu unfortunately, but this link looks pretty promising. You don't have to use a scart converter if your TV has a composite connection. In this case you can get an S-Video>Composite cable. On your TV, next to the composite-in, there should be two phono connections, for L and R audio. You can get a lead for this that connects to the 'line out' jack on your sound card. Composite is lower quality than S-Video though, so the converter might be a good idea (but get one that has audio connections on it if possible). Johnnykimble 21:20, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
I actually have a SCART-converter, so that's not really a problem. It has audio-inputs on it (that is, it has a composite video input, a S-Video input and two audio inputs). But is that all it takes, it just works? --Oskar 21:26, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Eh, yea. That's all you need as far as hardware is concerned. The hurdle is the software though. If you follow the instructions in that link I mentioned, and make the correct changes to your xorg.conf, it should just work. As far as resolution is concerned, you can just pick the one that looks best. On a 28" CRT TV, this is typically 800x600, anything bigger can look too small and blurry. Johnnykimble 21:30, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Yes I just read that link you provided the second after I posted. I guess it's not that easy :) I looks doable anyway, so I'll experiment with it. Thanks! (I do have windows installed although I almost never used it, so that's a last resort, I guess) --Oskar 21:32, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Actually, one more other thing I forgot to mention was Macrovision. You might have some issues with the desktop displaying correctly, but any video overlays not showing up on the TV. This is usually to do with the Macrovision protecion on the TV-Out so that you can't record to a VHS tape or other media. In most cases however, you can get software to disable this. Johnnykimble 21:34, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Recommender system

How does the recommender system in Amazon work to provide recommendation to users?

I don't know the exact mechanics but it records the products you buy and those you just look at and then it finds products which are similar. For example if you buy a copy of Season 1 of Battlestar Galactica then it will recommend Season 2 to you. Recommendations normally come with information on the exact reason it's been recommended to you.
The exact algorithm is no doubt a well guarded secret, but considering the amounts of data involved, it would have to be a very fast system. Something that only needs a couple of passes over the set of customer purchases. This is one way: http://www.sigmod.org/vldb/conf/1994/P487.PDF . A very basic method would be to estimate the probability that someone who bought product A, will enjoy product B, P(A|B) by the number of people that bought product A, B and both. The definition of Conditional probability tells us that P(A|B) = P(A and B) / P(B). The probabilities can then be setimated from the number of people who bought the items. So if you bought a Battlestar Galactica DVD, the system can check if you would like an Alias DVD, by calculating P(A and B) = the number of people who bought both DVD's / The total number of customers. And P(B) = the number of people who bought the BSG DVD / the total number of customers. Divide the first by the second, and you have an estimate of the probability that you want to buy Alias. Simply return those products for which that probability is the highest. This is all oversimplified of course, but I would guess that that's the basic principle they use. risk 22:24, 9 April 2007 (UTC) (NB: The first paragraph is an unsigned comment, not mine)


I agree completely with you risk, it's highly probably and likely. Also they do take into consideration key words such as directors,actors,and genre those are used as multipliers i would assume at the final product of risk's formula. it would increase the likelihood of you wanting to purchase it by lets say 1.25 if it had the same actors. that's my 2 cents 200.35.168.129 22:44, 9 April 2007 (UTC) Ag for MemTech

[edit] Climate Change

I am making a research on the environment for my personal use and will like to know some of the basic things such us climent change and things that can be done to save the environment

Manay thaks Benjji

Try typing climate change in the "search" box and clicking on "go". You will quickly find a very good answer to your question. --Kainaw (talk) 22:36, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] 14 inch widescreen or 14" ordinary resolution

I mostly use the laptop for reading only. should I go for a 14" widescreen laptop or should I go for ordinary resolution (1024 * 768) 14" laptop? which would be conienient for me? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 59.92.124.223 (talk) 04:13, 10 April 2007 (UTC).

[edit] Entertainment

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[edit] March 24

[edit] Name that film

I was wondering if someone could identify a film that I remember seeing a few years ago. The main character was an air crash investigator who was working on a series of crashes. In the process of his investigations he found out that the air hostesses were actually people from the future, they were taking the planes into the future, swapping around the passengers and then sending it back to crash. I don't know much else about the film other than that it seemed to be made in the 80s. --Kiltman67 02:34, 24 March 2007 (UTC)

Millennium (film) meltBanana 02:37, 24 March 2007 (UTC)
That's the one, thanks for the fast reply! --Kiltman67 02:48, 24 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] List of Jakks WWE Action Figures?

So I have been searching this site for a long time and can't find an article I used to find so easily all the time. I am looking for the article about current WWE Jakks Pacific Action Figures. I used to just search for it & it came right up but I can't find it now! Anybody know what happened?

Do you know the name of the article, a few key words of it, or an article it was linked from? If I had to guess, I'd say it was deleted (or moved into an article as a subtopic). An article solely about a line of action figures is typically the type of stuff deleted for being too trivial. You can search the deletion logs for it. —Mitaphane ?|! 18:54, 24 March 2007 (UTC)

I thought it was real useful because it had all the upcoming series' and the like. I searched the deletion log and it's not there, I think I have seen it within the last few weeks. I am confused.

It was deleted on 26 February. Natgoo 09:39, 27 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Rave/Trance song

I think there was a rave/trance song whose video included some persons going to Mars in a rocket, and the aliens greeting them by saying "let's get out the speakers", and in the end, the one who sent the people to Mars getting hit by his own bomb or something like that. Can anybody tell me the name of that song?--Orthologist 19:45, 24 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] song

What is the song played in this video at around 3:05? URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTKs5ZT16PM Thanks —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 63.231.243.111 (talk • contribs).

Everyone Loves Magical Trevor... which we apparently have an article on at Weebl's cartoons. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 21:54, 24 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] peter graves documentary

Question removed from Entertainment Desk due to duplicate posting. Original question [here]. And please do not post questions on multiple reference desks!Jfarber 14:25, 25 March 2007 (UTC)


[edit] March 25

[edit] Seaon Four of The Wire

Im looking for the time release of the fourth seaon of The Wire on DVD. Any idea?

Upon searching, looks like their is no official release date yet. Baseballfan Talk 08:20, 25 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Is this a hoax?

When I was look for a cheat code for Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex (PS2 version) that had "WOMBAT" as a cheat code for a name to unlock everything, it didn't work for me. Am I doing the code wrong or is this a hoax?--69.233.93.235 05:46, 25 March 2007 (UTC)

Its not a hoax. --125.238.28.194 06:35, 25 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Is it possible to e-mail Shueisha for a question about the Naruto manga?

I want to e-mail Shueisha to tell Naruto' creator Masashi Kishimoto to have a new character in it. Is it possible to aske Shueisha a question?

I imagine that it is possible to ask Shueisha a question. − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 15:21, 25 March 2007 (UTC)
Check out their home page. I doubt Masashi will include new characters because a sole fan thinks so, however... 惑乱 分からん * \)/ (\ (< \) (2 /) /)/ * 18:25, 25 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] a Science fiction Movie

I do remember that some 20 years ago I've seen a sf movie with a human cover agent (visitor) on another planet inhabited by humans as well but in midleages. although ive seen it only once and so long ago I still remember .... for some time now im looking everiwhere & seems that is doesnt exist though a game with a similar name and story will be out this year.

iirc the moies title was:

Not easy to be God

help…

thanks alot

Delexit Delexit 20:23, 25 March 2007 (UTC)

Any more info? An actor's name maybe? I couldn't find it by that title at IMDb, and I don't recall a film answering that description. Clarityfiend 22:02, 25 March 2007 (UTC)
It isn't Army of Darkness, is it? Or maybe The Starlost: The Alien Oro? Anchoress 22:10, 25 March 2007 (UTC)
Army of Darkness was my first thought as well. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 194.75.128.200 (talk) 14:04, 28 March 2007 (UTC).
Hard to Be a God (film, 1989), maybe? Based on Arkady and Boris Strugatsky's novel Hard to be a God. Joe King 17:43, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Adding an article

How do i add a page under the theater listings under the art category. I'm representing a shakespeare summer festival in san pedro california and would like to list the information there. thank you

First you create an article, then you add the category flag to the bottom of that article. See Stratford Festival for an example of how it's done. A possible name for the article is San Pedro Shakespeare Summer Festival. StuRat 21:20, 25 March 2007 (UTC)

You may want to have a read of WP:NOT & WP:NPOV first - X201 13:02, 26 March 2007 (UTC)

It sounds likely to be notable to me, unless it's at a much smaller scale than I imagine. StuRat 16:52, 26 March 2007 (UTC)
One Gentleman of Verona? The Merry Wife of Windsor? Clarityfiend 19:33, 26 March 2007 (UTC)
Perhaps they could branch out to plays by other authors, like the Tale of One City or Snow White and the Dwarf ? :-) StuRat 21:55, 26 March 2007 (UTC)
Watch out for their next production, to be staged under the Firth of Third. JackofOz 06:38, 27 March 2007 (UTC)


[edit] March 26

can you tell me the name of the somg that chance in "sweet bird of youth" sings in the bar when he returns to town and when he goes to the black side of town.and who orignally sings it. I have heard it before but I cant quite place it.

Any lyrics/words? I'm pretty adept at finding songs based on a few words from the song so could potentially help if this you know any. ny156uk 21:43, 26 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Music Industry

Hye guys,my name is Animesh Kundaji and I want to make in a career in the music industry as a music producer and in the artiste and repertoire department.Can you help me out?What do I have to do to get into this industry?Any courses that I can do in a college or an institute?I live in Inida and there is no such course for this sort of thing. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 59.93.86.13 (talk) 15:17, 26 March 2007 (UTC).

Do you mean more of the technical side, like working in a recording studio mixing tracks, or more in terms of management ? StuRat 16:50, 26 March 2007 (UTC)
Stu, read again: he said artists and repertoire. − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 06:11, 27 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Twister/Child in Time

Hey I was just wondering about Deep Purple in the movie Twister. Now, you hear the song Child in Time but the actual concert (California Jam 1974) which exists on dvd, says that the song list on it has no Child in Time performance. That's actually funny itself because when you look very briefly at Ritchie Blackmore's fingers on the neck of the guitar, it fits the song. In this concert, he's really playing one of the last two songs because that's where he changes his clothes to what you see briefly see on Dusty's TV. I'm just wondering why would the movie crew put that song as a recording to that little footage?Jk31213 15:29, 26 March 2007 (UTC)

Factual errors like that are actually quite common in films. In Forrest Gump, for example, there's a USA Today article clipping with a publish date that's actually before USA Today was actually a newspaper. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 10:43, 31 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Flamethrowers in video games

Even early WWI era flamethrowers shot out like 70 feet, so how come in every video game I've played that has flamethrowers, they throw flames about as far as a bottle of no-stick cooking spray throws no-stick cooking spray? The ones in the Grand Theft Auto games have a max range of about 5 feet for example. Speculation? Thedoorhinge 21:02, 26 March 2007 (UTC)

This would most likely be due to the requirement of games to balance skill with realism. If the weapon is 'too' effective it would likely be dominant in your arsenal during gameplay and thus lower the skill required to make the game enjoyable and challenging. If you have Half Life 2 Episode One it is worth playing the game with the 'commentary' on. It is very interesting seeing what the designers do inorder to 'push' you to make specific decisions/prevent you doing specific things. Also the risk/reward they discuss in the commentary is interesting. ny156uk 21:42, 26 March 2007 (UTC)
That sounds like a good explanation, I'll buy that one. I want my half-kilometer river of fiery death though. Game designers take notice. Thedoorhinge 01:04, 27 March 2007 (UTC)

Also, there might be limitations on the ability to draw a huge flame on the screen. StuRat 21:51, 26 March 2007 (UTC)

Were the real flamethrowers really that effective? I know the tank mounted ones had that kind of range, but I wasn't aware that hand-held types did. But even then, flamethrowers in games usually are effective weapons at short ranges only, with a good deal of power. Oh, and there's at least one game I can think of that had flamethrowers reaching 75-125 meters, but the mechs are also rather large, so the end effect is that it's like all other 5' type flamethrowers. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 22:37, 26 March 2007 (UTC)
Some of the disadvantages of a flame-thrower were the heavy tanks you had to carry, the total lack of ability to hide your position while using one, the lack of ability to use it if any friendly forces are between the flame-thrower and the enemy, the relatively low speed of the flame front (which might allow an enemy soldier time to duck behind a wall), and the vulnerability of soldiers using them. As being hit with flames was a rather horrific death, enemy soldiers might well selectively target soldiers with flame-throwers, occasionally hitting their tanks and causing an explosion. For these reasons, they tended to only be used for "cleanup", after the area was mostly cleared, to make sure no enemy soldiers were hiding in caves or rubble. StuRat 23:17, 26 March 2007 (UTC)
In addition, they were useful in clearing up bunkers. The fire would seep into the tiniest holes and consume the oxygen inside, suffocating the dwellers within. bibliomaniac15 04:41, 27 March 2007 (UTC)


the flamethrower in red faction only reaches 2 feet in front of your character, although it is still fun to watch people run around screaming on fire.--Lerdthenerd 09:24, 28 March 2007 (UTC)

Did you mean something like this boat-mounted napalm launcher? bibliomaniac15 05:33, 29 March 2007 (UTC)
Did you mean something like this boat-mounted napalm launcher? bibliomaniac15 05:33, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

no i think he/she meant a hand held flamethrower--Lerdthenerd 10:42, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

There was a flamethrower in Red Faction there wasnt in RF2 OMG JIPPED.no i don't have usfull info i think everything required is above ;D.1337 H4XZ0R 10:19, 31 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Music's influence on war times

How is today's current war issue similar to that of the previous wars in terms of the music influence to end or start war? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 129.108.126.135 (talk) 21:52, 26 March 2007 (UTC).

I'm not exactly sure what you are asking, but check Category:Anti-war songs and the article anti-war song. − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 06:31, 27 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Look Magazine Film Awards

I am trying to find more information on Look Magazine Award winners, especially a list of winners of the 1940s. The Look Awards ceremonies were hosted by Bob Hope, as far as I can tell. Incidentally, Look Magazine would also give television awards later. --PhantomS 22:19, 26 March 2007 (UTC)


[edit] March 27

[edit] Far Cry Multiplayer

What is the maximum amount of players Far Cry's multiplayer mode can support (for PC)? BeefJeaunt 02:10, 27 March 2007 (UTC)

Thirty two [58] - X201 09:22, 27 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Days Go By

Every now and then on XM radio I here this eight or so minute long version of Days Go By, by Dirty Vegas, yet when I go looking for this version I can not find it. Anyone know where I can get my hands on a copy of this version? 75.6.216.157 04:37, 27 March 2007 (UTC)

The mixes on this CD are all over 8 minutes long. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 05:30, 27 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] can you name that song

im sorry i don't have much info the lyrics go something ( i think) like this

"a yea yea yea yea a yea yea yea a whoa whoa a whoa whoa"

i know thats probably not enough but thats all i have —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 71.98.86.190 (talk) 05:08, 27 March 2007 (UTC).

Believe it or not, it does remind me of a song. I can hear it in my head too but the only part I can recall is the same part that you posted. I want to say that it came from the 80s but I'm not certain. Dismas|(talk) 05:20, 27 March 2007 (UTC)
This is a longshot but, Return to Innocence? --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 05:23, 27 March 2007 (UTC)
"Lonely No More"? zafiroblue05 | Talk 15:02, 27 March 2007 (UTC)
Try "Hey Jude" by the Beatles —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 88.109.141.135 (talk) 15:26, 7 April 2007 (UTC).

[edit] Please...does anyone knows the name of this song and artist???

This song I heard before on radio.And this song was used in the commercial for Skoda Octavia(or Fabia) cars...when the couple is sitting on the stairs and something like that??? I remember only this part of song: "...passing by, day and night, and we try to..." thats all If enyone knows the name and artist of this song let me know! Thanks anyway!!!

P.S. And I hope if someone can tell me the artist and song name of commercial for Ford cars.This commercial often plays in the Champions league.Song with drums, were people are driving scooters and cars with flags, and going to the match???

THANKS! —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 213.137.125.192 (talk) 20:37, 27 March 2007 (UTC).

Possibly the Skoda one is "Frameless - I try" (http://www.martylloyd.com/artist_f/frameless_lyrics/i_try_lyrics.html)
The Ford commercial may be listed here (http://www.commercialbreaksandbeats.co.uk/results.asp?searchString=ford) sorry I can't remember the song so not sure which it is - yet I watch every Champions League game I can! 22:19, 27 March 2007 (UTC)

Thanks! I think that is the song (according to the text). And I think I have found Ford music also, on that link you gave me - the song is for commercial "Destination football". Thanks again!!! :)

Carnaval de Paris by Dario G - X201 18:40, 28 March 2007 (UTC)
Aaaahh, nice song. By the way, didn't they copy the tune from some old football anthem, or was it that the anthem came after the Dario G song? 惑乱 分からん * \)/ (\ (< \) (2 /) /)/ * 23:21, 29 March 2007 (UTC)


[edit] March 28

[edit] Krishnakumar Menon

This might come off a bit confusing, but here goes. In the Indian entertainment industry, there are two completely different men, both of which are named Krishnakumar Menon. Both have shortened their first names to KK or even Kay Kay as a nickname, and both are from the same city. However, they are two different people. One is an upcoming actor, and the other is a highly successful playback singer. Wikipedia has two seperate articles one titled Krishan Kumar Menon, and the other is titled Kay Kay, however, both deal with the singer. I was wondering if it would be possible for someone to remove the article titled Kay Kay, and corect the spelling error of the title of the other article from Krishan Kumar Menon, to Krishnakumar Menon. Thank you :D ImtiazAA 17:13, 28 March 2007 (UTC)

I suggest creating two articles: Krishnakumar Menon (actor) and Krishnakumar Menon (singer) with a disambiguation page under Krishnakumar Menon directing to both. The current Krishan Kumar Menon and Kay Kay articles can then be merged, with their contents moved to Krishnakumar Menon (singer). Once the content has been removed, Krishan Kumar Menon and Kay Kay can become redirects to the disambiguation page at Krishnakumar Menon. I suggest copying this discussion to the talk pages of the existing articles, to see if anyone disagrees, before making the change. However, there's no reason you can't create the Krishnakumar Menon (actor) article right now, by clicking on the link, although your description of the actor as "upcoming" makes me wonder if he is yet famous enough for his own article. StuRat 18:15, 28 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Wireless connection, an MMO, and Windows Vista

When I'm running Voyage Century Online, I often have trouble maintaining connection to the server when I'm on my home wireless connection. I never lose connection to the internet, I am merely booted from the game server, and the problem is only on my home wireless connection; other wireless networks and broadband give me no problem. This mainly happens if I stop playing for a few minutes to browse the internet or grab something to eat, and I leave the game running. If I maintain activity, however, I rarely have a problem. Could there be some sort of feature, either for Vista, my for my wireless card, for my router, or for my modem, that blocks connection when there is a lack of activity? If not, what could be causing this problem? —Akrabbimtalk 02:56, 28 March 2007 (UTC)


[edit] trying to think of an actor

Looking for an actor, born early 1940's, has done television and motions pictures, last name starts witb "L" and he's married to a singer/actress with a different last name.

Any ideas? 74.165.3.251 15:28, 28 March 2007 (UTC)

One idea is to go to the "L" section under: [[Category: 1940 births]],[[Category: 1941 births]],[[Category: 1942 births]],[[Category: 1943 births]],[[Category: 1944 births]],[[Category: 1945 births]],[[Category: 1946 births]],[[Category: 1947 births]],[[Category: 1948 births]],[[Category: 1949 births]] and see if any of them ring a bell. However, there's somewhere around 1500 people listed and no guarantee that the person you are looking for is there or that you will recognize them if they are. StuRat 20:59, 28 March 2007 (UTC)
Can you name at least one movie or TV show he was in? --24.249.108.133 02:21, 29 March 2007 (UTC)
  • There is a wikipedia tool called CatScan which allows you to search where categories overlap. You might be able to find them by combining their birth and death year cats. - Mgm|(talk) 09:57, 29 March 2007 (UTC)
  • I don't think his death year is known, or even if he is dead. StuRat 19:09, 29 March 2007 (UTC)
It would be so much easier given a famous role characterization or movie he has starred in. 惑乱 分からん * \)/ (\ (< \) (2 /) /)/ * 11:14, 30 March 2007 (UTC)

Steve Lawrence? His wife is Eydie Gorme. He was born in 1935, but he looks younger than he is. --Charlene 02:25, 31 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Adding to a list of films for 1933

Dear Sir or Madam

I'm doing some research on 1933 films

How can include the film 'The Woman Accused', which was released on 17th Feb 1933, included in the list of 1933 films80.229.56.89 16:25, 28 March 2007 (UTC)

I logged on. I tried to include the above film. I can't do it

Thanks Joanne

That's Duck Soup, just add [[Category:1933 films]] to the bottom of the article on the movie. StuRat 18:00, 28 March 2007 (UTC)
No, The Woman Accused is a different film [59]. It doesn't appear to have an article. IrishGuy talk 22:26, 28 March 2007 (UTC)
Well, first you create an article (or get someone to do it for you), like say this one, with what StuRat specified. ("Duck Soup" = slang for "piece of cake".) Clarityfiend 23:05, 28 March 2007 (UTC)
Presumably, 'Duck Soup' is slang for 'easy', which 'piece of cake' is also slang for? Or is 'Duck Soup' actually slang for literally 'piece of cake'? I can see that leading to confusion.... Skittle 10:08, 1 April 2007 (UTC)
They both mean "easy as pie", "no sweat", or "as easy as falling off a log". Duck Soup also happens to be a 1933 Marx Brothers movie, which is why I chose that way to say "easy". StuRat 19:01, 3 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Music and war

Are there any musical movements or songs that had a hand in war? That changed anything or started anything? [Mαc Δαvιs] (How's my driving?) ❖ 19:22, 28 March 2007 (UTC)

The antiwar songs were a significant component of the antiwar movement that brought the Vietnam War to an end. "War ... what is it good for ? Absolutely nothing." StuRat 20:51, 28 March 2007 (UTC)
Heh, the Vietnam War saw a lot of music. Any other wars or battles?
Music has always been part of war see the poor article military band. I don't know a war where it has been instrumental (ahem). meltBanana 18:12, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Magma = Progressive Rock?

Hello everyone,

I am an avid progressive rock fan, and I would like to learn of more bands that I would enjoy listening to. I really enjoy the massive and sprawling melodies and chords which are found in progressive rock, along with everything else that is avant garde in relation to it. My favorite bands are Yes, ELP, Gentle Giant, Rush, Pink Floyd, and Camel. One of my favorite progressive rock albums is Utopia by Todd Rundgren's Utopia, due to its complexity. Another favorite of mine is Close to the Edge by Yes. A favorite song (or should it be referred to as an epic?) of mine is ELP's "Karn Evil 9" I do also enjoy listening to some John Coltrane and Miles Davis, but only occasionally. I recently came across the band Magma, and it says they are progressive rock, but they also use a combination of many other genres in their music. Would you recommend them to me with the other bands and genres I like? If so, which album should I purchase first? Could you recommend any other progressive rock bands/compilations that I might enjoy? Thanks for the help,

MAP91 21:09, 28 March 2007 (UTC) Mike

I am an avid fan of The Mars Volta. Magnificent psychedelic progressive rock. Others would be Tool (band), Porcupine Tree and Muse (band) avant-garde wise. Maybe not what you are searching specifically, but progressive metal band Opeth have recorded a very nice album by the name of Damnation (album) which has a very 70s sounding progressive rock sound.

Other than that maybe Riverside (band) or Dream Theater. If you like Dream Theater, you might want to check out Liquid Tension Experiment for nice instrumental rock/progressive metal.

Or even Orphaned Land and the rest of the discography of Opeth if you don't dislike growling death metal vocals. (Although both singers of the afformentioned bands often switch to clean) Matt714 03:29, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

I urge you to check out Van der Graaf Generator, I think you would like them. Also there is a fun website here that allows you to type in a band name and get the names of many similar artists. --Richardrj talk email 05:14, 29 March 2007 (UTC)
  • King Crimson? Tangerine Dream?hotclaws**== 09:03, 29 March 2007 (UTC)
I wouldn't put TD in with this lot, they were more of a synth rock outfit. King Crimson are a good tip though, as of course are Genesis, who you don't mention. And you might well like OK Computer by Radiohead, as well. It's the most proggish of their albums, and (not coincidentally in my view) by some way their best. --Richardrj talk email 09:23, 29 March 2007 (UTC)
Magma = underground rock. Anchoress 09:09, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

I would recommend their third album Mekanik Destruktiw Kommandoh (1973). You stated that you only listen to jazz rarely, so I think you'll find this album moves away from their jazz-like percussion on earlier records, and may thus be to your liking. It has an almost gospel feel, and there's also a funk influence detectable. you may also like Kohntarkosz (1974). Cnwb 12:12, 31 March 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for the help everyone. I enjoyed a lot of the recommendations given to me, and regarding "Mekanik Destruktiw Kommandoh", I really enjoyed it. I also downloaded the first six songs of Kobaia from iTunes, and it was quite good as well. I also enjoyed some of the Van der Graaf generator songs I purchased on iTunes, as well as some of the other bands' songs. Thanks again!

MAP91 01:46, 3 April 2007 (UTC) Mike

[edit] March 29

[edit] Who is this

In this video: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Koj-zau52bk), who is the black guitarist that licks his guitar at 00:41 ? It's driving me crazy. Matt714 03:13, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

See Jimi Hendrix - the video, if I remember correctly, is the Monterey Pop Festival. It is the one where he set his guitar on fire also. --Kainaw (talk) 19:48, 29 March 2007 (UTC)
I think you're mistaken. When did Hendrix have a short back and sides and specs?  Sʟυмgυм • т • c  21:10, 29 March 2007 (UTC)
Looks like Bo Diddley to me. Karlusss 21:52, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

I am aware that it is Jimi Hendrix. I'm talking about the black man at 00:41. Matt714 02:05, 30 March 2007 (UTC)

Sorry. I got bored about 5 seconds into it. Karlusss is correct. It is Bo Diddley. --Kainaw (talk) 12:33, 30 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] compose music on computer?

Moved to Computing

[edit] Lock, Stock and two smoking barrels

Nearing the conclusion in the film, Gary (the Liverpudlian) is seeking revenge for the shooting of his friend, and bursts into a room firing two pistols, screaming "YOU BASTARD", killing Hatchet Harry. What is the music played during this scene?

Thanks in advance for any answers 88.109.200.67 15:38, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

I don't know off hand, but check the soundtrack listing at IMDb. − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 01:22, 30 March 2007 (UTC)
Ah i thought it might be on there, but after youtubing all of the titles, none sounded like the music. Some additional information for people who might help, the music plays for about 10 secs during the film at 1.25.53(ish. I might trawl through the credits later, see if i can find it in there. 88.109.200.67 16:05, 30 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Rap Producer

Where would a music producer of for example rap/hip-hop music actually get the drum sounds used in beats from? I don't mean ones that have actually been performed and recorded. Sorry, this is sorta hard to explain. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Dylan-thompson (talk • contribs) 21:23, 29 March 2007 (UTC).

There's nothing magical about drum sounds. As with any sound, your basic choices are to use a recording of the sound, or to use a synthesizer. The question is made a bit trickier because one technique that a synthesizer might use is to play back a recording of a sound (see Sample-based synthesis). Typically, a drum machine or drum module will have recorded sounds of actual drums, and recordings of synthesized drum sounds. Some modules may even do the synthesizing themselves, altho I don't know how common this is. Friday (talk) 21:40, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Blueprint 2

While watching a dodgy old video in a geography lesson at school the other day about deserts or something in south/central America, i noticed it played part of the song Blueprint 2 by Jay-z. I thought this was strange can anyone help me with information concerning this?

I wonder if the problem is that the video was older than the Blueprint² song (apparently from the bonus album on The Blueprint²: The Gift & the Curse). According to the article, Jay-Z has sampled (Italian movie soundtrack legend) Ennio Morricone's song "The Ecstasy Of Gold". That probably explains it. 惑乱 分からん * \)/ (\ (< \) (2 /) /)/ * 23:25, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] American Pie 5:Naked Mile

What is the name of that actress who is a midget in that movie who had sex with Dwight Stifler?

They should have it at IMDb... I'll check--$UIT 02:28, 30 March 2007 (UTC)
The full cast and crew listing for the film is here [60]. There are a number of actors credited as "Little Person" but they all appear to be male. Cnwb 12:02, 31 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] March 30

[edit] Song Title

I wanted to know the title of a song I heard, it was around in the '80s, I believe. The one with that music video where that dude was animated in a white background. It was parodied in Family Guy where Chris was pulled into the orange juice shelf. A reply would be appreciated,--$UIT 01:06, 30 March 2007 (UTC)

The song is Take on Me by a-ha. 161.222.160.8 01:28, 30 March 2007 (UTC)
Thanks--$UIT 01:36, 30 March 2007 (UTC)
The most expensive music video produced at the time, a massive worldwide hit, and the best known pop song to ever have come out from Norway. 惑乱 分からん * \)/ (\ (< \) (2 /) /)/ * 11:18, 30 March 2007 (UTC)
See rotoscoping for details of the interesting technique used in this video. Hassocks5489 08:12, 2 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Ding Hoy little Feathermerchants

Where did the phrase "Ding Hoy little Feathermerchants" come from? I have been able to discover that many moons ago on an old Chicago kids TV show, a man named Chuck Bill would greet his audience with this phrase. But.....where did it come from and what does it mean?

Thanks for you help.

EngerkfEngerkf 01:57, 30 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Carlos Mencia

So are the rumors true about Mencia that he stole some of his jokes? Or are the rumors fake? Is there any evidence that Rogan is right about his accusations? --Agester 03:39, 30 March 2007 (UTC)

There's this...--$UIT 04:17, 30 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Humoresque

Could anyone please tell me what opera "Humoresque" (Dvorak) belongs to? Thanks. --218.186.9.5 11:53, 30 March 2007 (UTC)

It doesn't belong to any opera. It was originally a piece for solo piano, and has since been subjected to countless arrangements for other instruments. JackofOz 11:56, 30 March 2007 (UTC)
Thanks! --218.186.9.5 12:11, 30 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Camp Lo "Luchini AKA This Is It" video

I have been looking for information on Camp Lo's music video "Luchini AKA This Is It". There is a rapper at the end of the video that doesn't seem to be a member of Camp Lo but I cannot identify him.

[edit] House of Leaves film?

Does anyone know if they have or will they make a film out of House of leaves. it would seem this novel is exceptionally right for making a film of it. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 24.21.171.25 (talk) 16:57, 30 March 2007 (UTC).

According to the author in this interview, he does not want to make it into a movie. ~ Amalas rawr =^_^= 17:44, 30 March 2007 (UTC)

Pretty uncool of him...I think

Oh, come now. I have the leet skills, man. Duplicate questions aren't allowed per the rules, yo. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 07:24, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] The Mayfair Witches

Do you know if there is a Mayfair Witches publication out that is a graphic novel? Do you know if this will ever make it film? --Juliet 18:28, 30 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] KUPD

My name is Mark Randall from 98KUPD radio in Phoenix.

I am learning the abilities of edit the existing content but cannot find the ability to create the block with logo on the right of the page as others have.

Also how does one confirm or make valid the content on the page for I am a member of the company and would be able to authorize it's content.

Thanks,

Mark Randall 98KUPD, Arizona's Real Rock Promotions Director / Webmaster

Information should be verifiable from a reputable source, so it doesn't matter who you are. Just no original research. Use {{Infobox Radio station}} to provide the infobox you require. You will need to upload the logo to Wikipedia.  Sʟυмgυм • т • c  20:10, 30 March 2007 (UTC)

As far as your statement about being a member of a company, you should read WP:NPOV and WP:COI before you start editing, they'll let you know about what is and isn't allowed and what is & isn't frowned upon by others. - X201 21:57, 30 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] March 31

[edit] Lyrics

I want the lyrics of that typical yet racy song'ACHI MACHI BAMBOL BUM CHIKI CHIKI CHIKI CHIKI CHIKITHA'.I dont even know the singer's name but it was sung in the 90's.The tune is really catchy and cool and was very popular at that time.210.212.215.141 07:20, 31 March 2007 (UTC)Ecclesiasticalparanoid

It's probably "chiquita", not "chikitha". Where did you hear the song? Which country? 惑乱 分からん * \)/ (\ (< \) (2 /) /)/ * 15:17, 31 March 2007 (UTC)
Mario Luis's "La Chiqui Chiquita" maybe? --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 17:39, 31 March 2007 (UTC)
The Ketchup Song by Las Ketchup. Was a summer hit somewhen in the 90s. Aetherfukz 11:18, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] two questions

1.i heard part of a quote but dont know who said it 'its just different when it comes from your own'

2.who know this newjack song- mama just killed a man i don wanna die i wish ad never bin born @all carry own nuthin really matters its a song by a lady.i don no tha name —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 212.49.85.114 (talk) 10:10, 31 March 2007 (UTC).

Your second question seems to be referring to "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen. I'm not sure if that's what you're actually asking though. Cnwb 11:50, 31 March 2007 (UTC)
Aaahhh, that line was covered in an r'n'b version. I remember that, but I forgot the band name... Possibly The Braids. 惑乱 分からん * \)/ (\ (< \) (2 /) /)/ * 15:27, 31 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Musical torture

Before anyone asks: I moved this from the Misc. desk to this desk because I just recently found out we had...this desk. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 10:58, 31 March 2007 (UTC)

Okay. Recently, I've been cycling through my music library, and I stumbled upon this little nugget of song that apparently came from Yoshi's Story, but wasn't used in the general soundtrack. I swear to all that is holy, though, that I've heard these few notes before somewhere, and can't for the life of me remember just where. I thusly put to you these few notes, in the hopes that you will be able to identify them.

Cernen Xanthine Katrena 11:01, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

It sounds like a common lullaby. I can't quite place it but it reminds me of "When You Wish upon a Star". Dismas|(talk) 11:16, 29 March 2007 (UTC)
P.S. Haven't seen you in a while around here, Cernen. Dismas|(talk)
Sounds like an opera aria I can't think of the name of at the moment. Edison 18:21, 29 March 2007 (UTC)
It's not from any opera I've ever heard, and I'm familiar with virtually the entire standard reportoire. To me, it doesn't sound the least bit operatic (but you never know). JackofOz 06:24, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Im definitelly sure I've heard the first bit before, but I can't remember where from, then after that it sounds like those boxes you open and there's the person inside spinning, but I'm usually wrong about most things :( HS7 19:08, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

You're right about that; the composer for Yoshi's Story intended a lot of the musical pieces to pass for children's music (the game was designed around a sort of child's world of imagination). You wouldn't be too far off the mark there to guess that. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 20:27, 29 March 2007 (UTC)
My grandfather and I have come up with a possibility: could it have come from a Disney film? Cernen Xanthine Katrena 20:43, 29 March 2007 (UTC)
to me it kind of sounds like My Favorite Things (song) also sounds like the water music in super mario brothers, and like the music from super mario 3 when you enter a mushroom house, (i think). -- Diletante 20:52, 29 March 2007 (UTC)
The part after the xylophonish music is vaguely familiar, yes. I remember something like it being played with strings, but I can't remember where. -Wooty Woot? contribs 18:08, 2 April 2007 (UTC)

during exercise time taking breath by mouth is ok. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Sharmila 99 (talk • contribs).

Thank you for the advice. I was always curious as to whether or not that was kosher. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 02:01, 2 April 2007 (UTC)

If I hadn't just watched Happy, Texas, I wouldn't have made a connection, but the first notes of the melody remind me of Bjork's "It's Oh So Quiet" which is itself a cover of a Betty Hutton song. - 21:22, 2 April 2007 (UTC)

It sounds like a Donkey Kong version of La Vie En Rose. Addendum: OMG, I didn't even realise that this version is from a video game, lolz. Go me! Anchoress 06:46, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] April 1

[edit] Old MTV Base Idents

Does anyone know what song or whatever the music was on the old idents they used to have on the TV channel MTV Base, (the UK version if that makes a difference). They would have been showing around 2005-early 2006. Not the new ones with the beatboxing and stuff and that little kid rapping. Dylan-thompson 00:22, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] States in India

How Many States are there in India

Probably better asked at Humanities. 惑乱 分からん * \)/ (\ (< \) (2 /) /)/ * 06:37, 1 April 2007 (UTC)
But! Just in case, check the India article. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 07:25, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Werewolf movies

Which of the many films do die-hard werewolf film fans consider "essential viewing" or pivotal in the genre? (And a sentence or two to explain what or why would be useful, for films named). many thanks! FT2 (Talk | email) 01:52, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

I'm not all that into werewolf movies myself but I would say that An American Werewolf in London is probably one of the top five most famous werewolf movies. Dismas|(talk) 12:38, 1 April 2007 (UTC)
And then who could forget Teen Wolf. It had a cartoon spin-off. Dismas|(talk) 12:54, 1 April 2007 (UTC)
Both had unnecessary sequels. This link may be useful in your project. I can't think of any better than the two mentioned. Teen Wolf reminded me of a John Hughes film, only more realistic. Sʟυмgυм • т • c  18:16, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

For those who prefer the classics, there's the original 1941 Lon Chaney, Jr. version, The Wolf Man. StuRat 18:50, 3 April 2007 (UTC)

I can't think of many, at the moment, but American Werewolf in London is tops for me. The music was sensational and the scriptline was not predictable. The characters developed with the story, and the story teller was not too sympathetic. DDB 12:09, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Spanish?

Does the single Always by Erasure exist in Spanish? As http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-NyiDIO9TQ indicates? A response on my talk page would be GREATLY appreciated! Thank you!100110100 06:35, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

According to the Wikipedia in Spanish they did record a version of Always titled "Siempre" in 1994. [61] --RiseRover|talk 09:48, 2 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Song Title by Akon

What title is this song? It goes: Hey hey I'm coming down, just wanna see you touch the ground...--203.124.2.24 11:54, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

Akon - Bananza? ny156uk 12:17, 1 April 2007 (UTC)
Belly Dancer, possibly. Wolfgangus 11:16, 2 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] April 2

[edit] Kids Sci-Fi Series from the 80s

I'm trying to remember the name of a kids sci-fi series that was on after school in the 80s. I think it was on PBS, but might have been a BBC production. All I can remember is that it featured two kids trying to unravel some kind of complex mystery about some crystals and foreign/alien objects. And that the climax was inside a volcano or mountain in Hawaii or something like that, and that there were these huge alien creatures at the end that resembled huge slugs buried inside the mountain. Anyone recognize what I'm thinking of? Not a dog 01:50, 2 April 2007 (UTC)

Chocky ? - X201 11:29, 2 April 2007 (UTC)
  • I'm trying to remember the name of a similar-sounding program from the 80s or 90s. About two kids who have a pink/red and a blue stone with which they have to do something before a comet crashes into earth. The story also features slug creatures that look like heaps of garbage and is set mostly underground, though definitely not on Hawaii. It may have been Australian, but that's just a guess based on the other programs the channel I saw it on bought at the time. - Mgm|(talk) 11:36, 2 April 2007 (UTC)
Both of you appear to be describing Under the Mountain - Joe King 17:33, 2 April 2007 (UTC)
That's it! Thanks! And I just found episodes on Google Video! Not a dog 23:31, 2 April 2007 (UTC)
I can't be sure until I am able to check it on Google Video, but from my initial browse, it appears Joe King solved a longstanding question of mine. - Mgm|(talk) 08:04, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Help indentifying an unknown music

There's an instrumental music which has a part that goes like this: MP3 LINK

Any idea which it is? Apparently, The Forminx had a version on it. — Kieff | Talk 01:58, 2 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] What is Shueisha's e-mail address?

On Shueisha's site, I got to the inquiry page. But I saw numbrs. What is their e-mail address?

According to the Shueisha article, Shueisha is a division of Shogakukan. I would browse around the Shogakukan website. -Haikon 05:49, 2 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Wii commercials

Rather obscure to be placed under the "Entertainment" category, but oh well. In the commercials for the Wii, there are two Japanese men driving around and playing with the Wii with random families they visit. I'm pretty sure one of them is Shigeru Miyamoto, but who is the other guy?--the ninth bright shiner talk 04:28, 2 April 2007 (UTC)

It's not Miyamoto. Adverts are here [62] if anyone wants to help. - X201 11:25, 2 April 2007 (UTC)
I suspect they're both actors, same as everyone else in those adverts. If they were development staff, that's the sort of detail fan sites all over the world would have jumped on with glee, but Google yields no traces of them. Spiral Wave 11:40, 2 April 2007 (UTC)
Talking about that same ad, what's that car they drive? Corvus cornix 02:28, 3 April 2007 (UTC)
It's a Smart car; more specifically, the article says it's a Fortwo. Spiral Wave 07:54, 3 April 2007 (UTC)
Cool!  :) Corvus cornix 19:38, 3 April 2007 (UTC)
What's the name of the song in those commercials? I know it's by Agatsuma but that's all I know. @_X 24.18.6.204 17:22, 6 April 2007 (UTC) (CXK)
According to Wii, the music in the ads is from the song "Kodo (Inside the Sun Remix)" by the Yoshida Brothers. --Kusunose 02:04, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
The guy looked a bit like Miyamoto, but oh well. I was under the assumption that some Nintendo officials would be in the commercials, but apparently not.--the ninth bright shiner talk 02:32, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Guest stars on Smallville

Can anyone tell me who the man from the episode "Combat" on Smallville is? He was also on an episode of Blood Ties,he was the one that was summoning the demon. If you can give me any info on him please e-mail me at: *email removed* Thanks. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 75.177.38.7 (talk) 20:21, 2 April 2007 (UTC).

Try here. Clarityfiend 22:22, 2 April 2007 (UTC)
Which suggests it is Michael Eklund. − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 23:41, 2 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] April 3

[edit] lotr ttt song

What's the name of the song sung at the end of the Two Towers movie? thanks —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 71.82.132.77 (talk) 14:34, 3 April 2007 (UTC).

I don't know the film or its soundtrack, but this article suggests it's "Gollum's Song" by Emiliana Torrini. --Richardrj talk email 14:41, 3 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Creating my own article

I'd like to create a page myself , because i am a local musician . Ho would i go about creating an article page just like music artists have at the moment? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Fredrockz919 (talk • contribs) 14:56, 3 April 2007 (UTC).

While you can create a page for yourself, it will likely be deleted very quickly. There are two reasons. First, there is a Wikipedia policy against making pages for yourself (be it for yourself as some kind of artist or for your company or for your organization...). Second, there is a Wikipedia notability policy. This is not youtube or myspace. If the subject of an article is not notable, it will be deleted. Your best bet is to become notable and have your fans create the article. --Kainaw (talk) 15:34, 3 April 2007 (UTC)
Hi, i have added a welcome template to your talk page. It contains links to everything you need to know about contributing to this encyclopedia. It is best to never write about yourself as this creates a conflict of interest. Many band pages are deleted due to problems with notability and autobiography. Articles on musical groups have their own notability guidelines. Also WP:HELP is the correct place to ask for questions about editing wikipedia. -- Diletante
I can't believe I'm saying this, but that's what Myspace is for. bibliomaniac15 04:34, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Young and the Restless question

Are Scott David Mechlowicz (Peaceful Warrior) and Eyal Podell (young and the > restless) related? > > Thank you >

[edit] What's the name of that documentary? Father films a conversation with his daughter once a year...

Hello! I've been browsing through Wikipedia and when I stumbled upon the Up series article, it reminded me of a movie I saw about six years ago, when I was eleven. I think the film was Russian. The concept was similar, but instead it was a father who was filming his daughter once a year, if I remember correctly. He asked her various questions and one of those was 'what does homeland mean to you?'. It was a great film and it made a big impact on me, but I can't remember any real info about it... I'd be glad if anyone could help!

Regards from Slovenia, Missmarple 18:10, 3 April 2007 (UTC)

I've found it, yay! :) If anyone's interested, it was Anna:6-18 (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106290/). --Missmarple 18:23, 3 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] April 4

[edit] Fameos car

What is the most fameos car in Gta Sa? 194.144.16.149 09:52, 4 April 2007 (UTC)


Isnt it the ghost glendale that rolls down the hill in Back o Beyond 85.220.43.253 16:29, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Venetian Carnival

What kind of music is played on the venetian carnival? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 201.78.249.46 (talk) 12:20, 4 April 2007 (UTC).

[edit] identify this game of solitaire??

This is a solitaire game I can't find the name for... the goal is to try to end up with this ending position, and if i recall correctly you can remove pairs of cards that add up to 10 or something like that to make room and go through the deck and try to have all the face cards in those positions.

http://www.kisa.ca/lj/misterasolitero.jpg

What's it called?

(Btw in case you were wondering, the deck is Swedish)

--Sonjaaa 16:20, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

I don't know off hand, but check out list of solitaire card games if you have the time. − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 23:14, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

It's called "Kings Corners". I recognised it from a solitaire game I have for Windows called "Patience Pack". --Lumina83 02:42, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] mad monster party?

What's up, mofos! Anybody here know why there's an exclamation mark after Mad monster party? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by EverybodyLookAtMyBigButt (talk • contribs) 19:02, 4 April 2007 (UTC).

Are you talking about the Official Monster Raving Loony Party? Think outside the box 19:56, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

no I ain't a limey. I'm talking about the stopmotion movie with the monsters.

You mean Mad Monster Party? (that's not a question :) jnestorius(talk) 00:22, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Anyway, its a question mark, not an exclamation mark. Think outside the box 06:08, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Famous Bands and Their Guitars.

I'm looking for some information about guitars used in bands (past and present) mainly in rock and indie genres and the brands/models of guitars they use. Specifically information on bands such as:

The Killers, Muse, Led Zeppelin, Klaxons, Travis, The Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Zutons, Arctic Monkeys, Blink 182, Cold War Kids, The Fratellis, Kings of Leon, Jamie T, Stereophonics, The Kooks

However information on any guitars used by any artists in in the genres mentioned previously would be appreciated. Sam.mulhearn 22:14, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

See Lucille (guitar), and Category:Gibson electric guitars. Dismas|(talk) 22:33, 4 April 2007 (UTC)
See also articles such as Fender Stratocaster. Dismas|(talk) 22:38, 4 April 2007 (UTC)
And if you're after something a little different have a look at Red Special - X201 08:01, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
See also the list at electric guitars, notably Rickenbacker and Gretsch. --62.16.173.45 20:35, 5 April 2007 (UTC)


[edit] April 5

[edit] Rolling Stones fans

In both the Let it Bleed article and the Delia Smith article, it states that Delia baked the "cake" that appears on the cover of the Rolling Stones album. I don't believe this. Can anyone refute it for me? Thanks (a Delia fan). --87.194.21.177 20:01, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Why don't you believe it ? StuRat 20:32, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Out of interest I did a google search and all the sources I can find seem to back up the claim that she made the cake. This and this seem to be the most reputable sources for this piece of trivia. Let's be avin ya!  Sʟυмgυм • т • c  20:34, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Okay, the Daily Mail bit is better than anything I'd seen. I'm coming round to the idea. Maybe. --87.194.21.177 00:13, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Piano Music in film: Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma

In the movie Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma, someone plays a piece of music on the piano that sounds like if it starts with the B-A-C-H motif (I'm not sure if its exactly b-a-c-h because I have no perfect ear). Does anyone know what music is played there at the piano, and who has composed it?

Thanks --helohe (talk) 22:03, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

I did see the movie years ago, but don't intend to repeat the experience. I don't remember the music you mentioned. The music for the film was by Ennio Morricone, and I'd be surprised if it wasn't by him. JackofOz 01:50, 9 April 2007 (UTC)


[edit] April 6

[edit] formating a dvd for recording

I have a centrio dvd player/recorder it asks me to format a dvd rw for recording I'm real laddite please help--70.48.102.163 15:47, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

Any DVD recording tool such as Nero Burning ROM, AnyDVD, DVD Shrink, etc. offers that feature. Take your time reading the software's documentation and you will easily find how to do so. --Sn0wflake 13:09, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] April 7

[edit] WDAM-TV

The call letters DAM in WDAM stand for Don And Madison, the founders of the station. I heard the fact from the 50th Anniversary special of WDAM, which is on DVD (can be ordered from the website). —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 71.226.70.83 (talk) 02:17, 7 April 2007 (UTC).

And we would give a WDAM because...? Clarityfiend 02:31, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

If you're asking permission to add that info to our WDAM article, go right ahead, and list that source. StuRat 05:38, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Telegram/phone Prank

I'm thinking of anecdote about somebody who would send out telegrams or make telephone calls at random telling the recipient to the effect of "I know everything, the jig is up, you must leave town" and then observe the results. I'm thinking it may have been in the Washington DC area. My first thought was H. Allen Smith. 141.213.175.164 02:25, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Female Rappers

How many female rappers belong to each genre: East Coast, West Coast and Dirty South? I asked this question because every time I count, I always get lost. This is not a quiz or for homework. Thanks --Don Mustafa —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 76.64.133.10 (talk) 14:10, 7 April 2007 (UTC).

[edit] Bing Band Swing Brother Lead Singers - Ray Eberle & Bob Eberly

I have been trying to research the correct spelling for these brothers' surname. Ray Eberle fronted for The Glenn Miller Band and Bob Eberly fronted for the Jimmy Dorsey Band. They are brothers, but their surname is spelled differently - ending in "le" and "ly", respectively. I've seen places where Ray's surname was also spelled ending in "ly", and I've seen places where Bob's surname was also spelled ending in "le". Wikipedia states that they are indeed brothers, but spells their surnames as listed in the "Subject/Headline". There is no explanation, that I can find, as to why their surnames are spelled differently. Is this the way they spelled their respective surname? Or is one spelling the only correct spelling? If so, which is the correct spelling. I'm amassing an MP3 database and wish to credit the lead singer and spell their surname correctly. Thanks for your assistance. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Rossbarranco (talk • contribs) 15:12, 7 April 2007 (UTC).

imdb says that Bob was born "Eberle" but changed the spelling to "Eberly", but not why. But imdb is not a reliable source. Corvus cornix 05:29, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Music video: dancing pants

Around 1983 or 1984, there was a music video on MTV with some sort of techno music and robotic dancing pants. I can clearly remember rows of pants hanging in a closet, and they kick their legs and dance. Anybody remember this video and know the song / artist? Thanks. --Reuben 17:10, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

Was it Herbie Hancock's Rockit? That's a YouTube link, we also have articles on both Herbie Hancock and Rockit. --LarryMac 18:21, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
That's the one! I have never seen anything else like it. Unfortunately, googling for "dancing pants" just wasn't coming up with anything. Thanks for the extremely fast reply. --Reuben 18:42, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] April 8

[edit] What is the content of the "Entertainment" at the center of David Foster Wallace's "Infinite Jest"

In David Foster Wallace's "Infinite Jest" what is the actual content of "The Enterntainment"--the fatally addictive movie at the center of the novel? Is there a controversy over its content? Does Wallace leave it somewhat ambiguous? Are there competing theories?

[edit] Musicians performing in The undertaker's theme songs

Question from the Spanish refdesk: Does anyone know who plays the songs "Dead man" and "You're gonna pay", from the album WWE Anthology? Googling brings up lyrics, but no band, so I suspect it's a bunch of studio musicians(?) But who's singing - does The undertaker sing as well as wrestle? --NorwegianBlue talk 10:09, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

Both are composed, written and most likely played by Jim Johnston, but I don't know who is singing. -Lapinmies 11:50, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] In a movie's production crew, what do you call the person who's in charge of the music?

In production notes, they always put "Music - [name]". —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 59.189.64.225 (talk) 14:42, 8 April 2007 (UTC).

Music supervisor. Skarioffszky 16:38, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Simpsons Reference

Which Simpsons episode includes the quote, "it was apt, i tell you, apt!"? I am pretty sure it was Homer who said the quote.

It was Lisa in the episode She of Little Faith, when she used the term Whore of Babylon to describe the new commercialized church, Lovejoy said "That is a false analogy!" leading Lisa to reply with that. Cyraan 18:05, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] actor with a large chin

It's not Jay Leno, and it's not Bruce Campbell, but it's an American "B movie" actor who has an exceptionally large chin and I can't think of any movies he's been in by name, all I can remember is his distinctive very large and round chin that looks almost like a prosthetic. Name please? NoClutter 22:25, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

Do you mean Clancy Brown or Gary Busey? Anchoress 22:43, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
I'd bet money you're talking about Bruce Campbell. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 70.108.199.130 (talk) 01:10, 9 April 2007 (UTC).
He just said that it ain't Bruce Campbell, though the description is really similar. Could NoClutter describe a scene from one of the films?--$UIT 03:59, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
How much are you betting, because he said it isn't Bruce Campbell? =P --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 04:00, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
How old is he about? What decades did he show up in? --Charlene 04:35, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

hi noclutter, could it be Robert Z'Dar? big, big chin, played a bad guy in the movie 'Tango and Cash'and apparently (according to his entry) the lead role in 'manic cop' - abe - 195.188.254.82 15:21, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

I was going to say "All I know is, when I see a picture of the guy I will know it."
Fortunately, thanks to (IP address), now I have one! Yay!
Yeah, it was Robert Z'Dar (not exactly a household name?)! Thanks everyone who helped out with guesses, and to 195 who spared my sanity :). NoClutter 16:35, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Toy Story

Does anyone know what the green three-eyed aliens (that worship a skill crane) are called? Teak the Kiwi 03:50, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

They don't really have a name. They're usually just referred to as the Green Aliens, or something like that--$UIT 03:57, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Apparently they are called "Squeeze Toy Aliens" − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 08:17, 9 April 2007 (UTC)


Thanks alot! Teak the Kiwi 14:10, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

And also "Little Green Men", if you followed that link. − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 17:28, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Music used in video

What is the name of the tune used in this video? NeonMerlin 21:27, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Openings/Endings

Why do shows have openings and endings? --Taraborn 00:54, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

Otherwise, all they'd have would be a middle, and who wants to hear only the middle of a show. Shows should have a beginning, a middle, and an end (although not necessarily in that order, according to Jean-Luc Godard). -- JackofOz 01:00, 10 April 2007 (UTC)
I knew many would misunderstand. I mean those intros and endings with music and graphics about the show, don't know if there's a more specific name. In the fan culture, the exact name is that: opening and ending. Please, next time read more carefully in order to provide a useful answer. --Taraborn 02:01, 10 April 2007 (UTC)
It's not easy, Taraborn. Please, next time provide a question that isn't capable of a multitude of interpretations. If you knew many would misunderstand, I suggest it was your responsibility to phrase your question clearly and unambiguously, rather than just asking what you asked and hoping for the best. JackofOz 03:11, 10 April 2007 (UTC)
For what it's worth, I initially also thought you were referring to dramatic structure, but now I don't know the answer to your question. I would like to point out, however, that if you "knew many would misunderstand" and, at the same time, you didn't "know if there's a more specific name" then perhaps it's not necessary to lecture editors trying to answer your question about how they should read it next time. ---Sluzzelin talk 02:45, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

A catchy song does make a show easier to remember. bibliomaniac15 03:00, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

Taraborn is right, though: theme songs and ending credits aren't a good idea for every show. NeonMerlin 04:01, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

I believe they are called title sequences and closing credits. Certainly there is some basic info that just about everyone wants to know, like the name of the show and the major stars. The title sequences also often set up the story, as in The Brady Bunch theme song. There is also, unfortunately, info that almost nobody cares about, like the name of the catering company, in the closing credits. StuRat 04:16, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Miscellaneous

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[edit] April 5

[edit] Copyright in Public Libraries

how are public libraries dealing with copyright in specificity to digitization efforts?

Every library finds a different solution, but all are addressing the issue in some way. For example: I'm a school information specialist, but I've researched several digital versions of things-that-were-books with our local public library, and can point you towards several solutions which allow digital files to be lent out without physical media...everything from download-and-listen solutions like Overdrive to loaner audiobook players much like an iPod, but with no way to get the file "out". Each manages to protect its copyright inherently via the limitations of the media -- for example, Overdrive files are software-proprietary (though the software is free), and once the book is downloaded from their website, it's checked out and unavailable until I return it; the software requires that I delete the file to "return" it, and I get charged just like a book was overdue if it's late. But I've yet to see a solution that leaves it easy and open for patrons to copy, or to keep media after it has been "returned". On the other hand, as a serious user of four town libraries, I can tell you that there is still nothing in place to keep patrons from copying CDs before returning them...and no mandate to start buying only CDs with DRM, either. Jfarber 02:48, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Sole traders and minimum wage

Where would I find up to date info on Sole traders and whether thay are obliged to pay themselves the minimum wage in the UK?--SlipperyHippo 02:33, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

According to this document from the UK government, "you are not entitled to receive the minimum wage if you're... genuinely self-employed". This document defines self employed to an extent that would appear to include sole proprietorship. Rockpocket 07:36, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

The minimum wage for soul traders is typically the wages of sin. :-) StuRat 14:05, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

How the heck can a sole trader be forced to pay himself a wage, if he has a bad period he has no income, therefore no personal earnings. Silly question.90.4.126.146 14:21, 5 April 2007 (UTC)petitmichel

With respect, if I thought the answer was obvious or the question was silly, I would not have asked it here. I ask because on the first web site to come up on Google, when entering minimum wage uk it said that even the directors of the smallest startup company must pay themselves the minuimum wage. Ok this may be incorrect-- Im asking where I should find the correct info --SlipperyHippo 16:26, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
It's worth noting Slipperhippo that much of business-regulatory law doesn't apply to very small businesses, and certain regulations/requirements only come into force at set business-sizes. So (without knowing the details) say someone employing less than 10 people does not need to complete the same health & safety/pay-scheme/etc. etc. as a firm employing 100 or 1,000 staff. I don't know where to point you regarding small-business law other than to say if you were more interested try request details from a local government agency, they should be able to help point you in the right direction. ny156uk 16:05, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
You are right to suspect that the Google result may be wrong; company directors do not have to pay themselves anything, any more than a sole practitioner would - though bear in mind that the way in which each earns their money is different. Many directors do not pay themselves for the first few months while things are tight. (Note: from a UK perspective) Adrian M. H. 22:13, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
OK thanks for the sensible answers! I'd still like a refernce though.--SlipperyHippo 19:05, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] How to read faster

I have read several books and tried several methods for reading books faster, including Photoreading techniques such as mind-mapping, dipping, and super-reading. One problem I cannot get over that I think is really slowing me down is that whenever I do start reading word-for-word (in the sections that are most relevant) I must say the words "out loud" in my head in order to comprehend. If I just pass my eyes over, I don't retain it. Is there any way to train myself to comprehend without "saying" every word?

Thanks very much,

Jron5 02:53, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Try paraphrasing it in your mind, especially with difficult material. For example, "Hark, what light through yon window breaks ?" can become "What's that light shining through the window ?". StuRat 05:34, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Yes, try experimenting with general reading where you cut off your inner voice and try reading by letting your brain do all the work - just start looking over the words and letting your brain interperate them for you instead of using your inner voice to "recite" the words. Of course this might be your very stumbling block and you might not be able to do it - but that's why you might start with something simple, perhaps something in the 1st person, then try reading something written in the 3rd person, and so on. I'm not an actual "Speed-reader" per se, but I read quite fast, and find I can read things much faster if I turn off my inner voice and/or stop 'reciting' what I'm reading, and much like StuRat said, it helps if I paraphrase by letting my brain do the interpreting for me. we're just so used to analysing what we read as we're reading it, or pronouncing things as we read it - we're taught to do this in school and especially when we read 1st-person writing. Rfwoolf 07:16, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
We have an interesting article on speed reading. You might get more specific help if you explain why you want to read more quickly. Speed reading methods usually involve a drop in the level of comprehension of what is being read. There are situations where a lower rate of comprehension is acceptable - for example, you may be skimming a long technical or legal document to find the 2-3 paragraphs that you really need to read carefully. But if you are revising for an exam then speed reading may be inappropriate. Gandalf61 10:58, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
The problem you describe is called subvocalizing. Besides what that page discusses and the comments noted above, you might consult with resource advisers at your local public library or community college to help you evaluate options for the most effective training suiting your personal requirements. -- Deborahjay 21:57, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Thank you all very much for your responses. To explain my problem more specifically: I am able to read very quickly and find relevant information when I am doing my own research. For classes, however, we are often given readings where it is necessary to pick out and remember the important points. When I don't know exactly what I am looking for at the beginning and must read at least certain sections in depth, I am very slow. I will try the paraphrasing and keep working at not vocalizing. I would welcome any other suggestions as well.

Thanks very much once again, 68.73.206.95 23:00, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

If the reading material comes accompanied with questions to be answered, read these first. Otherwise, try asking your teacher or teaching assistant in advance to help you identify the relevant issues. (Don't worry about showing ignorance - you're there to learn, and the teaching staff will probably welcome your demonstrating interest!) Another suggestion: learn to highlight or mark significant material as you go. This improves with practice, but at the outset (and with particularly densely written texts) it can be daunting: how to know what to mark? and of course not to clutter up the page with what might after all be irrelevant. So instead of a yellow highlighter, try working with a light touch, i.e. using a 0.5 mechanical pencil to make check marks/asterisks/arrows in the margin, bracket significant passages, circle or box key phrases, etc. Even if you don't go back and review the text, the act of marking will help fix some points in your memory. Discover what works for you. Let your system evolve. You need reading comprehension as well as speed, so give yourself some time. This is a skill worth developing, that's useful also after graduation. -- Deborahjay 07:46, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] any legal drug to obtain instant energy

I am totally unfit and do not like exercise nor dieting. Is there a safe supplement to instant burst of energy for say a couple of hours ?

I don't think so, most I've heard of are illegal drugs such as speed, and all that.--$UIT 05:20, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Well, there's caffeine, nicotine, and plain old sugar (not a drug, but it does give you quick energy). Of course, all of these can be harmful to your health. StuRat 05:30, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Well you might find that if you commence exercising - you will gain a lot more energy - exercising can be anything from swimming (even lightly), walking, pilates, yoga, running, etc. - and this would be far superior to any ideas of taking drugs (legal or otherwise). Diet can play a role too - I would be more conscious about what you consume, for example drink more water (buy bottled water if you can't handle the taste) try to get at least 1.5 litres a day (other sources aim for 3 litres a day as an ideal goal) and lay off things like soft drinks (diet or otherwise). Stay away from things with harsh preservatives - and actually if you can cut down on salt that might help you with water retention. Finally, your sleeping patterns can affect your energy levels - you might look up circadian rhythms and see how your body releases certain hormones throughout the day that assist you with things like energy, allergies, digestion, etc.
To strictly answer your question, caffeine might be your best bet for a legal drug. Things like sugar would work too, but you might react badly to sugar, and, things like fructose might be a better form of surgar for you.
Note: We cannot give medical advice, please consult your doctor before following any medical advice. Rfwoolf 07:09, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Our article on energy drinks compares the active ingredients of some of the more popular drinks. Rockpocket 07:12, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
I highly recommend getting off your ass. It is worth it! − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 10:42, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Milk chocolate works for me: sugar + caffeine + milk solids (protein etc.) Vranak
Take Twas Now's recommendation, definatly. · AO Talk 12:33, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
You say you don't like exercise, but how do you feel about life? Exercise does not have to be something you hate. It doesn't even have to feel like exercise. If you're totally opposed to any deliberate form of "exercise" right now, you could start by just walking more, or taking the stairs instead of the escalator or elevator. (If even those feel like ordeals, you're really out of shape, and it's even more important that you do something to get out of this trap!) —Steve Summit (talk) 02:47, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

I doubt this is a drug, but there are Energy Gels that can quickly (15-20 minutes digestion time) give you energy. Jamesino 21:59, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] 1st/3rd

I was wondering if there are any books in which the narrator was killed well before the end (and does not narrate from beyond the grave), meaning that the first person narrative would have to be changed into third person.Cuban Cigar 12:04, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Thats interesting. I haven't seen a book where the narrator was killed but its a cool idea. There probably is one, and if I find any I post them. Think outside the box 12:16, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

If I remember correctly DOUBLE INDEMNITY continues....??90.4.126.146 14:19, 5 April 2007 (UTC)bookwarm

I believe I've read a few like that, although I can't currently place which ones. I seem to recall the device of a found diary or letter being common in certain sorts of stories, which would then finish with the equivalent of "No more entries written. However, 5 years later a body was found walled into the old church." or whatever. Skittle 16:37, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Not a book, but a movie. Sunset Blvd. is narrated by the corpse we see floating in the pool in the first scene. Corvus cornix 18:40, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Isn't at least part of the TV series Desperate Housewives narrated by a woman character who committed suicide ? StuRat 20:37, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Both of those are 'beyond the grave' narration, which the querent specifically excluded. Oo, one that I remember in the 'found diary' category would be Witch child. Skittle 21:45, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

I might have not phrased my original as accuratley as i'd like. I wouldn't consider letters journals etc as narration, rather they are just ... well, not part of the narrative, they are an addition.Cuban Cigar 07:26, 6 April 2007 (UTC)


In the Murder of Roger Ackroyd (Agatha Christie) the story is written by a person who turns out to be the murderer. The book finishes as he puts down his pen immediately prior to committing suicide. In a sense, then, he communicates from beyond the grave.86.219.161.217 15:01, 6 April 2007 (UTC)petitmichel


hey up cuban, if i remember correctly 'song of stone' by iain banks is 1st person (present tense as well i think) and the narrator is killed at the end - something i'm sure my english teacher told us was a no-no, but hey banksy is an award winning writer he can do as he pleases - abe.195.188.254.82 12:10, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

Not to sound anal, but my original question said the narrator is 'killed well before the end'. That said, I'm very thankful for the input.Cuban Cigar 13:19, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

Iain Banks book Consider Phelbas has the narrator killed quite close to the end. Polypipe Wrangler 10:17, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] The Office

When does "the office" (us version) come back on air? they stopped so they could make more episodes, i just dont know when they'll be airing them.

The NBC website says that a new episode will be on tonight, i.e. 5 April 2007. As they say, "check your local listings." --LarryMac 13:48, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENT DETERIORATES HUMAN ABILITY

upto what extent do you support the above subject? - 61.2.76.79 14:33, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

I find it interferes with my ability to do my own homework. --Tagishsimon (talk)
  1. Questions about what WE support are not reference questions. If you're looking for a bunch of opinions, I recommend asking your question on an Internet Forum.
  2. On the other hand, if you're looking for the set of arguments which would let you make your own informed opinion on this topic, or you'd just like to see to what extent experts in the field support or deny the validity of the above statement, the article Technology contains several strong sections with overviews of(and links to discussions of) the various ways in which people see the relationship between technology and ability evolving over time. Jfarber 15:43, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

I don't really understand what you mean. By technical development, do you mean technological improvements or technical abilities acquired by people? And what do you mean by "human ability": is it creativity and imagination or is it technical knowledge? A.Z. 19:03, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

This article descibes a report demonstrating that "human small toes became weaker during the stage of prehistory known as the Upper Palaeolithic, and that this can probably be attributed to the adoption of sturdy shoes. The invention of rugged shoes reduced humans' reliance on strong, flexile toes to grip and balance." So in terms of little toe ability, technical development appears to have played a role. Rockpocket 20:33, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
The question can mean basically anything if the querent doesn't make it clearer. A.Z. 20:41, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Marketing

How can you find out names and addresses of new people movoing into a neighborhood? Does the Power Co. , US Post office, Phone Co. or any other source sell that info to marketers?

I doubt any federal services would sell personal information of that sort to private companies, especially with the foreknowledge that it would be used by scum marketers. − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 16:15, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
(However, my comment is based more on hope than certainty.) − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 16:16, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
I don't know where you live, but (at least In the U.S.) your hope is an absolute uncertainty. Every time I've moved (with the exception of the time I took care not to fill out any change-of-address cards or otherwise let anyone except my immediate family know my new address), I've been deluged with junk mail targeted at new move-ins ("Call us for a quote on drapes for your new home", etc.). —Steve Summit (talk) 02:40, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
If you read the fine print on the change-of-address forms, it actually says that they are funded by the Direct Marketing Association (USA), and that in return you permit them to spam you. I once heard a hilarious quote from a member of that body on the topic of the mail being unwanted by most recipients: "There is no junk mail, only junk people."  :) --TotoBaggins 10:48, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

If the newcomers are buying property, then in the US, that property transaction is a matter of public record and is often reported in the local newspaper. Marketers definitely pick up and utilize this data.

Atlant 17:27, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Domania lists dates of recent home sales around a particular address. You could probably use the address you find on a site like this to get the name. (I'm less sure about the last link, in my test in gave me the name I was looking for, but use at your own peril.) I don't know how often either site updates, so you may miss a move-in by a month or two, or the name you lookup may be the old resident. It's better than nothing. (It's morality as an invasion of privacy however, is up to you.) --YbborTalkSurvey! 23:03, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Exercise...

I am working on a blog post for an exercise blog but before I posted it I had a question. Other than the usuall sports, running, bike riding, etc. what other forms of exercise are there? Or rather, other ways to burn calories... One that I came across was carrying the grocery bags makes you stronger. Any websites come to mind? --Zach 18:03, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Carrying groceries isn't a sport, or did I read that wrong? If you're looking for everyday things that you can do to burn extra calories, you could take the stairs instead of the escalator or elevator. Dismas|(talk) 18:12, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Yeah, I'm not saying carrying the groceries is a sport, its just a simple way to become a bit stronger (or so I've read)... If you know of any sites that give you examples of every day activities that are calorie burners is what I'm saying. Thanks!! --Zach 18:20, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Google search everyday activities burn calories returns a bunch of links that look pretty relevant. --LarryMac 18:27, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Perfect!! Thanks! Wish I thought of that search :) --Zach 18:36, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Are there gaming websites where you can win money without having to pay?

There are gaming sites I could visit, but in winning money, I'd have to pay for it. Are there any game sites where I can win money and NOT have to pay for it?

Bear in mind, any site doing this would have to be making money somewhere. Since it seems unlikely that they would be making enough money from advertising alone (or we'd probably have heard of them!), I would imagine any site claiming it was offering this would have a horrible, horrible catch somewhere. Just something to remember in your search... Skittle 21:35, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Poker websites have free tournaments (freerolls). The prizes aren't huge and the number of players tends to be large (which means it takes a while to get in the money), but it is ==> FREE <==. Clarityfiend 00:16, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

Pogo.com gives away money on many of their games, up to around $10,000, I believe: [63]. The catch is that only a very few people ever get any money, and they get the money from advertising and premium memberships (which doubles award amounts, as well as providing other member benefits). StuRat 02:42, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Ronin Warriors OVA question

I noticed something weird in the Ronin Warrior OVAs.Everytime the warriors armor up,they say "2 ARMS!!". But when I watched the Japanese version this was never said. How come this phrase was added?

I would expect that the English version is actually using the phrase "to arms", which would sound entirely different in Japanese than "two arms". It may also be the case that "to arms" simply isn't a direct translation; it seems exclamatory rather than expository to me. — Lomn 21:29, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

But in the Japanese version "To arms!!" was replaced with a yell or battlecry or sometimes nothing at all.

A lot of things change due to translation. In general, dubbed anime gain a significant amount of material aimed at Westerners. For example, there are dialogue in English missing from a few scenes in an anime DVD that I have (Key the Metal Idol). Other examples include putting in Western jokes in place of the original (Full Metal Alchemist). Some add in dialogue explaining something that most Japanese would know, thus cutting out the original dialogue (happened in Cowboy Bebop). Japanese voice actors are also a lot more highly respected than the Western counterparts, who I (and others) believe they're better at it overall. Thus, in the case of Ronin Warriors, the actors probably thought it sounded better for them to say something instead of making a convincing battlecry. Even the name Ronin Warriors wasn't the Japanese name directly translated either, but Ronin is a good selling point, just like Wanderer Kenshin (Rurouni Kenshin) became Samurai X in the U.S.). Of course, the examples I gave were the first ones that popped to mind, and there are countless more changes between the original and redubbed. There is one good thing about the dubbed tracks though. Original Japanese dubs usually only have 2.1 stereo, while the English re-dubs often have 5.1 surround. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 02:41, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Resistance training vs. Free weights

What are the pros and cons of resistance training (using 'rubber bands' and exercise bands) when compared to free weights/barbels? For example, is it more effective for muscle mass/tone, is it better on the bones, etc... Thank you. 74.14.72.116 22:03, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Resistance training has both a section on Benefits and drawbacks. More specific information on Barbells and dumbbells is more difficult to come by, but a look at Strength training should be a good place to start (particularly Strength_training#Benefits, Strength_training#Safety, and Strength_training#Free_weights_versus_exercise_machines). --YbborTalkSurvey! 22:48, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Make-up of poop

So yeah...What's in boop? It smells so bad...kinda like fart

and what about poopstains?

Typically it is from colon bacteria which release gases either as they grow or if they die and their cells breakdown. An example of these bacteria is Escherichia coli. 121.45.238.81 22:59, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Try Human feces#Composition − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 01:51, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Also it comprises large amounts of cellulose, dead blood cells etc —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 88.109.246.75 (talk) 01:53, 6 April 2007 (UTC).
And I believe that at least part of the smell comes from bile. StuRat 02:38, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
The gases in it also allow it to maintain a limited amount of buoyancy. bibliomaniac15 04:33, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
There are many resources available on the Web with advice on "stain removal" + feces (particular for source and surface). The key factor seems to be enzyme action in the laundry detergent or a pre-wash treatment, to break down the stain before it sets and become impervious to subsequent removal. -- Deborahjay 07:31, 6 April 2007 (UTC)-

[edit] Senses

The sense of sight, sound, taste, smell, and touch are senses. But, are "sense of humor" or "common sense" senses too?Coffsneeze 22:58, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Hello, Coffsneeze. As the article on sense explains, living beings are equipped with many faculties for perceiving stimuli that go beyond the "classical" five senses you listed. (nociception for a human example, electroception for a non-human example) Common sense and sense of humor, however, use sense in a non-physiological meaning. See wiktionary's entry on sense to make sense of the possible senses of sense. ---Sluzzelin talk 00:34, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
But aren't there people who reduce psychology to physiology and therefore give sense of humor a physiological meaning? A.Z. 02:22, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Of course, the sense of humor, just like the sense of justice or other similar qualities, can be explored neuro-scientifically. This involves studying cognitive processes of information though, a huge field in neurosciences, but not quite the same thing as "a system that consists of a sensory cell type (or group of cell types) that respond to a specific kind of physical energy, and that correspond to a defined region (or group of regions) within the brain where the signals are received and interpreted.". We may receive the humorous information through our perceptory senses (watching a funny situation, hearing a joke, etc), but the trigger to our brain's humor-centres (wherever they may lie) happens through cognition, which isn't part of the sensory system. ---Sluzzelin talk 02:34, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
The nerve centres for humour are located in the funny bone, which is of course located in the humerus. That's why observing the chicken dance evokes so much mirth; watching the subject exercising her/his funny bones through repetitive motion stimulates a sympathetic nervous response which activates the giggolipids, which carry the nerve signals to the hippocampus, so named in a regrettable transliteration of 'Harpo Campus', the institution where the hippocampus was discovered. The existence of giggolipids explains why people find fat people funny. Don't bother saying any of this is wrong unless you can provide evidence that proves it. ;-))) Happy Friday! Anchoress 19:23, 6 April 2007 (UTC)


[edit] April 6

[edit] Portal

I need help here.Portal:Roman_Catholic_ChurchBewareofdog 00:45, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

  • From the condition of that page, I assume you need coding/formatting help?--VectorPotentialTalk 00:48, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

Yes I do.Bewareofdog 04:55, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Estimate of American game show contestants

How many people have appeared on at least one episode of a game show shown on national US television? List of U.S. game shows could be used as a guide. A rough estimate is okay. Thanks! Reywas92Talk 01:49, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

Wow, I'm not sure if this is a number anyone has thought to calculate before. Well, if we say, totally randomly, that there are/have been 100 notable American game shows, and that each has had 5 seasons of twelves episodes with 2 distinct (important because many people appear multiple times on the same show; see Brian Jennings) guests each episode, that comes out to 12,000 of us, which would come out to a measly .1% of the US population. Ah, the wonders of making things up! Anyway, working along these lines might get what you're after. Or counting each of those episodes, but that sounds awfully tedious. 66.195.208.91 02:49, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
You're thinking of Ken Jennings, of course. --Maxamegalon2000 03:11, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

By my link, there are obviously much more than that. I'd prefer an estimate with larger, less random numbers. That must be way off, because Jeopardy! alone, with over 5,000 episodes and two new players each, is over 10,000 contestants already. Wheel of Fortune (US game show) has three new players per episode. Thank you, Reywas92Talk 03:47, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

And there's The Price is Right as well, with how many episodes per year, six contestants per episode, for how long? --Charlene 04:24, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

The article says 6,684 episodes. And don't forget the three contestants who don't make it up to the stage. That comes out to 60,156 contestants. --Maxamegalon2000 05:23, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
I'll take miscalculated statistics for 500, Alex.. If we're going to do original research (which our evolving Ref Desk policy guidelines suggest we will not be doing, ahemhem...) please note that the question being asked here is "How many people have appeared on game shows at LEAST once." As such, your current calculations are seriously flawed, enough to create a significantly overinflated estimate, because the above suggestions assume that each incidence of "person on a game show" is unique -- that is, that evey time someone is on a game show it is their first and only time on any game show.
This is patently untrue. In some game shows, the winner comes back the next day. And surely some folks have been on more than one game show before -- we only get to count them once. For example: in Jeopardy, there are most often only TWO new contestants every day, since yesterday's winner comes back to play again (cf Ken Jennings, above). And if there's a tie, the same folks come back the next day. Given that, the "three contestants per episode" calculation will itself be too high by a factor of roughly 1/3. Jfarber 02:41, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Actually Reywas92 said two new players per show per Jeopardy. The Three contestant remark was for Wheel of fortune. --YbborTalkSurvey! 02:52, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Whoop! That gets us closer, but my greater point about the calculations being overinflated stands, as does the even greater one in subscript that we don't do original research here. Of course, as Anchoress points out below, there's also little reason to do the research if the OP has a set methodology in mind; applying it is merely math, and calculation is just not reference desk work. Jfarber 04:12, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
The fact that the respondents have had to be corrected in their methodology several times by the original poster indicates to me that perhaps s/he is better qualified to determine the answer her/himself. Anchoress 02:57, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Musical Genre

I play guitar in a band,we play stoner rock because is a mix of Grunge and Psychedelic rock but now we want to play a mix of alternative rock and pop/rock but we don't know the name of that genre,can someone tell me the name of alternative rock and pop/rock's mix?,THANK YOU!!! —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Lord Lutz (talk • contribs) 02:29, 6 April 2007 (UTC).

That may more be a matter for the Entertainment desk. The best answer I can give would be alt-pop-rock, but it's possible I made the term up. Or you could try "diluted pop" or "diluted alternative" on for size. My guess is that there is no one correct answer, and that you've reached a point where the subgenres are so close together it's kind of silly to draw the lines. Maybe you should just tell people you play some enjoyable music ultimately inspired by all those crazy revolutions of 60s America, and leave it at that! 66.195.208.91 02:54, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Try consulting broadcast DJs you respect, or behind-the-scenes staff such as the music librarian or playlist coordinator of a radio station playing the kind of music you're moving toward. The station's website (you can search on Google) will probably have a "Contact us" e-mail feature, since many organizations in the entertainment industry, as well as mainstream cultural institutions, don't take phone inquiries. -- Deborahjay 07:23, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
College rock. Anchoress 19:37, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Gas prices

After Katrina (or whenever prices change), the gas prices at the stations went up immediately. But why don't the station owners only change their price when they actually get a new delivery of gas? Surely the price you pay should be based on whatever they paid when they got the gas, which isn't changing? 68.231.151.161 04:20, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

The Master took care of this one here. anonymous6494 04:41, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
You take out X gallons from their tank - they charge you what it costs to refill the tank afterwards. It just depends on how you look at it - and you can just guess which way they look at it. The question is - what happens when prices are dropping? Do they keep their prices high until the new delivery at the lower price comes in? SteveBaker 04:43, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
There are also expenses involved in operating a gas (petrol) station, not least the wages and taxes. You may recall that, post-Katrina, quite a few gas stations went out of business. This was because the prices they were charging were not enough to cover their internal expenses plus the next (much more expensive) tanker-load of gas (petrol). It isn't gas stations that have been making huge profits in recent years, it is oil companies and refiners. Marco polo 13:00, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

The economy does not work to plan, but supply and demand. In times of crisis, retailers turn to price gouging. This is said to be an acceptable, effective method of rationing, although it is also heartless and cruel. Other reasons for pricing of petrol is transport. In Sydney, where I live, petrol is more expensive in nice neighborhoods. This is partly because lousy neighborhoods have industry that subsidise transport costs of petrol to the outlets. Weekend filling is a silly idea, as prices jump midweek. Presumably there is a fill cycle that makes it profitable to charge more on weekends, but less early in the week. DDB 14:25, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

On the other hand, we had a sudden gas shortage in Ontario (lasted a few weeks), because of a refinery fire, and a train strike. Many gas stations just went dry instead of popping up the price like they should have. Lots of people hoarded gas. Eventually gas came back, but at a much higher price. So the moral question is: should all the gas stations just close, or should they instantly jack up the price? --Zeizmic 15:07, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Here in Massachusetts (U.S.A.), prices have been rising steadily, though there has been no shortage. I think that gas/petrol prices tend to move in the same direction worldwide, although there may be spikes in areas with shortages. The spike in the area of the shortage brings in supply from elsewhere and drives prices up slightly worldwide. I have not noticed that prices rise midweek here. Stations seem to raise prices steadily and somewhat randomly throughout the week. I don't think that Americans necessarily fill up on weekends. Many people have commutes such that they need to fill more than once a week. On the other hand, posher neighborhoods in Massachusetts do tend to have higher gas prices, as in Sydney, even though the poorer neighborhoods no longer have much industry, if any. So I don't think that industry subsidizes the gas price, at least in this region. I suspect that it is more a matter of higher land prices and retail rents (and lower price sensitivity) in the "better" neighborhoods. Marco polo 15:17, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Ethanol prices

After George W. Bush's trip to Latin America and Brazil last month, the ethanol prices at the stations here in São Paulo went up. Are both events causally related? A.Z. 05:01, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

Maybe, maybe not. We can't tell you for sure. But to assume so is to commit the error of Post hoc ergo propter hoc. --YbborTalkSurvey! 13:44, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Cleaning scratches off my mobile phone

How do I get rid of scratches on my mobile phone screen? --Candy-Panda 05:51, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

Plastic polish, maybe. In my experience there is little you can do to significantly restore the surface of a soft thermoplastic. -- mattb @ 2007-04-06T06:31Z
You get a new moblie phone! Theyre cheap enough —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 88.110.208.218 (talk) 21:09, 6 April 2007 (UTC).
How about clear nail polish ? StuRat 00:09, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Some have used ordinary toothpaste such as Crest to polish clear plastic, but obviously you would have to avoid getting the toothpaste under the keys or in connectors where it would interfere with operation. Edison 05:03, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
I've never risked toothpaste on screens - but on other plastic it works pretty good so it's worth a try. Toothpaste is a really mild abrasive so it's good for smoothing out all sorts of scratches in soft materials. SteveBaker 17:19, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] about magnetizing current and voltage relationship in Power Capacitor for Improving Power Factor

plz tell me the relationship for magnetizing current in improving the voltage/ making the flux stronger/ improving the power factor in Power capacitor??? Regards

imran jalal —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Imranjalal (talk • contribs) 08:23, 6 April 2007 (UTC).

I would expect magnetizing current to be a big factor in inductors and transformers but not in capacitors. Where is the magnetic field in a capacitor? There would be a small one around the leads when it is connected to alternating current or when charging or discharging, but not much of a magnetic field stored in the dielectric between the plates of the capacitor. In a circuit with motors (inductive and resistive load) the current lags behind the ac voltage. Adding a power factor correction capacitor (in which current leads ac voltage) of the right size and voltage rating can put the voltage and current closer to being in phase, reducing the reactive current, which serves no purpose in the electrical distribution network, but which only reduces voltage on the circuit and increases the loading on lines and transformers. Edison 18:33, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Geelong buses

I live in Geelong, Australia and would like to know if there are any buses available for any of these these locations and times.

  • Highton to Grovedale (before school)
  • Grovedale to Highton (after school)
  • Grovedale to Belmont (after school)
  • Grovedale to the city. (after school)
  • Grovedale to High St, Belmont (after school)

I would also like to know the respective bus stops. Thanks! --124.181.241.101 11:35, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

Here is the website for one of Geelong's transit providers. Here is the route map. As you can see, routes 70 and 71 link Grovedale Secondary School with the rest of Geelong. Here is the outbound timetable to Grovedale. Here is the inbound timetable from Grovedale. These bus routes run to High St., where you can make connections to other lines. Line 14 serves a different part of Grovedale and links it to Belmont. Line 15 also serves Belmont from High St. Here is the timetable for routes 14, 15, and 19, which apparently also links Grovedale with Belmont. Here is a timetable for Line 16, which links Grovedale, High St., and Highton. For the bus stops, you will have to scout the streets shown on the network maps or else phone the respective bus companies (listed at the bottom of this page). Marco polo 12:54, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

Thank you so much! That is very helpful to me! :) --124.181.241.101 13:07, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Certification for archivists

What percentage of archivists currently working in the U.S. are certified by ACA, the Academy of Certified Archivists? I am about to enter the field and wonder whether the certification fees are worth it. Thanks!

I cannot answer the specifics of your question, but I prefer to employ people who can convince me and/or demonstrate to me that they can do the job at hand, rather than those who have a bit of paper that claims that they can do it. In other words, there is little in favour of an employer simply picking those who look good on paper. Against other candidates, even those with some accreditation, you can still win out by presenting yourself really well. I would guess that the ACA accreditation will not necessarily mark you out in any significant way. Be proactive and offer to work on a short-term volunteer basis in order to gain experience, pointing out that you would like to stay there long-term if they want to keep you (otherwise, they won't get much out of the deal if they train you and you leave in three months). Hope that helps some. Adrian M. H. 15:11, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
I strongly recommend talking to others in your field. Credentials matter much more in some fields than in others. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find the percentage you ask for, but dropping by a few archives and talking to the staff should help. Marco polo 15:24, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] How to organize a Wikipedia meeting

I live in Delhi/Noida. I am keen to meet other wikipedians hailing from these places. How do I get to meet them? sumal 16:01, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

You might start by getting connected with them over e-mail via the most relevant Wikipedia mailing list though I don't see one for India or the Hindi language. You might try at the Hindi Wikipedia, Wikipedia:Notice board for India-related topics, Category:Indian Wikipedians, or Wikipedia:WikiProject India? --140.247.251.165 16:30, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
You could place a notice on the talk page for the article(s) on that location saying that you would appreciate if anyone from those regions leave you a message on your talk page. Others might object to this, but it's worth a try. StuRat 00:07, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Velvet

Can a spot on velvet fabric that has been crushed be re-raised? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Bethewishes (talk • contribs) 17:21, 6 April 2007 (UTC).

Try gently brushing it against the nap. Anchoress 20:20, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

Try steam

[edit] CHANEL, CHANEL, CHANEL.........

does anyone know where to buy good vintage chanel in the UK? and where's the cheapest place to buy chanel in the world (from boutiques or well known department stores) or are the prices still the same no-matter where you are?? :) XOXO —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 80.42.11.179 (talk) 17:48, 6 April 2007 (UTC).


What is chanel ? A perfume can't be vintage, so I am confused.90.27.43.195 14:22, 7 April 2007 (UTC)puzzler

The House of Chanel is a company based in Paris which sells hatue couture fashions as well as perfume. Thus, I think the question may be more about buying a vintage clothing item than perfume. I am sorry that I can't address the question of where to buy such items. --LarryMac 16:37, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] why do women need toilet paper when they piss?

Sorry for the bluntness, but this is a serious question and I honestly can't figure it out!

They are not able to 'shake it' like men. So to avoid dribbling into their pants, they wipe it with paper. Sorry for the bluntness!
Yeah thats right! They wipe their urethral meatus with paper —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 88.110.128.130 (talk) 23:23, 6 April 2007 (UTC).

In all seriousness, I believe our article on urination has a different answer:

In women, the urethra opens straight into the vulva. Because of this, the urine does not exit at a distance from her body and is, therefore, hard to control. (emphasis added by poster)

Harder to control = more likely to be messy, n'est pas?. The issue is not that "shaking it" is needed, in other words -- it's that men pass their urine through a tiny hole, which CAN be shaken clean; women do not, so they end up with a mess of a size requiring clean-up. Jfarber 02:24, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

Short answer, if we didn't wipe ourselves we would feel all slimey and gross, and it would probably make our underwear all slimey and gross too. --124.181.241.101 08:52, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for witholding the long answer. dr.ef.tymac 21:00, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Fraud

If I have a LOT of semi-legitimate complaints for a food corporation's product, but I use a fake name, but they eventually link up all my names and track me down, can I be sued?

Wikipedia does not dispense legal advice. --YbborTalkSurvey! 19:34, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
I'm not asking Wikipedia, I'm asking the people who reply here. If your words do not add to the question or the response, keep silent. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 76.199.8.98 (talk) 19:48, 6 April 2007 (UTC).
The people who reply here do not dispense legal advice. Check the bulleted list at the top of the page. --LarryMac 19:56, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Neither do we respond to threats. Please do not bite the ref desk volunteers! Jfarber 02:13, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
This is not legal advise and I've never been a lawyer or studied law. However I would say if you aren't doing anything illegal or unethical then even if someone were to sue you they would lose (can't say for sure in the US though). Of course, if by semi-legitimate complains you mean you are making stuff up then you are doing something unethical so I wouldn't try it. Also, I don't see any reason why you would want to use a fake name if you have a legitimate complaint and aren't doing anything unethical. Nil Einne 20:18, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] metabolites

What enzyme would you recommend to dehydrogenate ethylbenzene into styrene?

I can't answer your question, but someone at the Science Reference Desk might be able to. Marco polo 21:54, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] paper products

I heard that Roaring Springs was involved in a class-action suit for having too much acetic acid in their paper. Will this affect their stock price?

I know nothing of the case or the company in question, but if it is true, then I suppose that it might do, but it might not. One can only speculate. Adrian M. H. 20:39, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
If you have heard this, then so have investors, and it has already affected their stock price. Marco polo 21:57, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Agreed, the company could definitely end up in a pickle and sour investors by using too much acetic acid. StuRat 00:01, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] fashion industry

Do people actually buy those weird clothes that fashion designers make? how do they make money without targeting the middle-class consumer?

I'm no fashion expert, but I think that the most outlandish stuff is probably just there to show their creativity and promote their designs, while other, more toned down designs will actually be sold. The weird stuff gets seen in the tabloids, but it's only one part of fashion design. A bit like concept cars in that sense. Adrian M. H. 20:42, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] cheat codes in software

Are there any hidden codes in commercial software?

What ever happened to the guy who made the Excel first-person game? Was he fired?

Easter egg (virtual) may answer some of this. Don't know about the second question tho. Friday (talk) 21:21, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
What Excel game? Black Carrot 03:09, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
The article says that there was a flight simulator hidden in it. [best Montgomery Burns imitation]: Excel-lent. Clarityfiend 15:58, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Lots of commercial software has hidden codes. Sometimes these are there to unlock features that allow the developers to diagnose problems - other times they turn on easter eggs that bored programmers put in to 'sign' their work. But cheat codes - not as such. I mean - cheat codes are there in games to make the game easier to play (or perhaps more difficult)...with commercial software you wouldn't want to make it any harder to use than it has to be - so any sneaky 'improvements' would be in there all the time and not be unlockable with some magic code. Easter eggs are seriously discouraged in most non-games situations because of the scope for embarrassment of the software vendor - and because they may expose security loopholes or maybe make the software less reliable. Easter eggs in games in recent years have been carefully planned - the idea of both cheat codes and easter eggs is that when your game first appears, you get reviews in magazines (free advertising!) - but after a couple of months, the magazines don't want to talk about it anymore. 'Leaking' details of cheat codes and easter eggs to particular magazines gets you an extra free mention months after the game has slipped from the headlines. This is a symbiotic relationship between game publishers and magazines because publishing cheat codes and easter eggs are a major way that games magazines get readership. The myth is that easter eggs are still slipped into games 'under the management radar' - but that's not typically been true for maybe 10 years. The original reason for 'cheat codes' was to make it easier for the game deveopers to get to places in the game quickly while debugging or demonstrating it without having to fight their way through 50 levels of mayhem each time (trust me, that gets old, fast) - the story has always been that programmers "forgot to take them out before publishing the game". The I don't know what happened to the guy who put the game into Excel all those years ago - but I guarantee if he did it today, he would get fired for sure. SteveBaker 18:17, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] wooden slats

why were wooden slats so popular on the walls of rooms in the 70s-80's? What's the psychological interpretation of this indoor decoration trend?

Possibly you're referring to what's termed wooden panelling, which page will also point you to one on interior decorating. Reading on those topics, there and on related Web pages is likely to provide insight on the particular style in question, regarding aesthetic, economic, and "psychological" aspects affecting its period popularity. (Also, please sign your posts with ~~~~) -- Deborahjay 22:27, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] salt domes

Why are they curved domes? Why not make them rectangular like every other building?

Wouldn't that make it a pyramid? Adrian M. H. 20:44, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
no, you are purposefully misreading the question.
AGF. I am not deliberately misreading anything. Maybe your phrasing needs revising, because it appears to me as if you are asking why a domed roof is round. If you are asking why a particular building has a domed roof, I cannot answer that, certainly not without knowing what the building is. Adrian M. H. 21:05, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
As Dome states, they "have a great deal of structural strength." Rectangular structures have corners, so they're weaker at some spots than others. Also, a minor point, but domes enclose the same volume with less material. Finally, they are more aesthetically pleasing. Clarityfiend 21:49, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

If you are actually asking about Salt domes, per the heading, they are not man-made but form naturally, and the highly varied shapes depend on the relative densities of the rocks surrounding the salt as it rises buoyantly. Cheers Geologyguy 22:34, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

I'm going to assume you mean the structures used to store salt for use on roads during winter. They are often midway between a dome and an inverted cone. They are shaped like this because this is the shape the salt naturally takes when poured from a single location at the top. Thus, the structure fills up nicely without having to shovel the salt to fill a rectangular container. StuRat 23:56, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] cork board

Is the cork in cork board real or fake?

Cork (material) mentions its use in bulletin boards. I'm sure there are many that aren't really cork. also. Friday (talk) 21:23, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
In cork boards its real. The cheaper ones are not called cock boards —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 88.110.37.37 (talk) 21:26, 6 April 2007 (UTC).
I hope the cheaper ones aren't called that, or they wouldn't sell well, except in a few specialty stores, perhaps. :-) StuRat 23:50, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
The cork industry is in trouble because their main market (Wine bottle corks) is vanishing (artificial corks are both cheaper and better at preserving the wine). Hence there is probably an excess of the stuff on the market - so it's very likely that corkboards are truly made of cork. SteveBaker 17:16, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Indian state names

How come the US never gets credit from INdian tribes that many of the state names use Indian words in them?

"Hey, thanks a lot America! You killed millions of our ancestors and stole the land, but at least you named Connecticut after our river quinnitukqut!" − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 05:09, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Many countries use native names for various geographical locations Nil Einne 20:21, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] franking priveledge

Is there a way I can pay my congressman to send mail for me so I get discounts on stamps and he gets cash for his franking privledge?

So you want to find a congressman dumb enough to risk his reputation and probably commit some kind of crime for a few hundred dollars? Clarityfiend 21:57, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

Yeah, that's way too cheap! :) --Zeizmic 22:48, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] economy

Why does the stock market go up when there's a ton of mergers? Do mergers indicate the strength of an economy?

In mergers and acquisitions, one firm purchases another by buying its stock. This increases the demand for the bought company's stock, and according to the basic principles of supply and demand, this raises the price of the company's stock. If many mergers and acquisitions occur in close sequence, this activity can drive up the prices of stocks as a whole. We are currently in such a period. Market commentators differ on whether this activity indicates the strength of the economy or whether it stems from a glut of liquidity or easy credit. In the latter case, prices of assets such as stocks could be driven up faster than their ability to yield a return. Marco polo 22:06, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Also, people often are unreasonably optimistic that mergers will increase efficiency and improve both companies. A few years later, when the merger turns out to be a failure, companies often split up again. For example, the acquisition of Chrysler by Daimler-Benz in 1998 has now soured. StuRat 23:45, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] iPods and flat screens

I heard that high-tech electronics were banned from import into N. Korea. How do you get goods into N. Korea in the first place? Is there a trade route with S. Korea or one with China? I wish to sell goods, especially cheap food products with high caloric content such as Cinnabons to N. Koreans.

Who's going to pay for it? The "Dear Leader" and his cronies don't particularly care if the average North Korean is well-fed or not. Clarityfiend 22:05, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Well, the cronies can afford Cinnabons. For the rest, I'd aim lower, like a big vat of lard. It might sound disgusting here, but anything which would keep them from starving would likely sell there, if they could afford it, and lard is probably about all they can afford. StuRat 23:40, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Mmmm...lard. Clarityfiend 00:36, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
There are some Special Economic Zones on the border with SK, I heard.CCLemon-ここは寒いぜ！ 20:34, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Lard seems like something that would be a rather expensive option to feed the poor (not to mention difficult to transport and store) to me. It may be somewhat of an undesirable product but it's still something that comes from omnivores. Also, regardless of whether or not you could legally export luxury goods into North Korea, it being illegal in North Korean means you would get in deep shit even if you managed to bring them in Nil Einne 20:25, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Who designed the first stop sign?

Is there a memo explaining the original rationale for the stop sign being octogonal? I heard it was an octogon so you could see it and recognize it even from the side and behind it. Is this true?

Well, any unique shape would accomplish that, wouldn't it ? StuRat 23:35, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Yes, but an octagon - being a square with the corners chopped off - is probably much easier to manufacture than a pentagon (which can also be a temptation to those with Satanic leanings), a hexagon, a star, an ellipse, or almost any other regular shape I can think of. That's a logical take, but whether that was the actual reason they chose the octagon, I am not able to say. As for who chose the octagon, and when, Stop sign#History says it was an American initiative in 1922. JackofOz 06:05, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] cheaper/expensive?

Are things getting cheaper or more expensive? For example, 10 years ago was the ratio of the price of a 20oz coke to the price of a flight from NYC to LA greater or less than it is now?

See inflation. Friday (talk) 21:11, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Some things are getting cheaper, some are getting more expensive. See Mars bar
Geez, you could have made it easier - it took me a while to find the Mars bar trivia. Clarityfiend 04:47, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] research

Why doesn't the gov't give money to companies specifically for research into making their products cheaper and with less waste? why do they give it to academia who pump out tons of useless, nonpractical (but nonetheless interesting) papers every year?

Are you serious?
To answer your first question: Governments don't need to give money to companies for research into making their products cheaper, capitalism's economies of scale, of research and development and of innovation take care of that. If the costs of waste were internalized in the companies' production costs, that part might be addressed by the system of capitalism as well. Governments can use various instruments, such as taxes, tariffs and quotas on pollution or other environmental regulations for balance and incentive, and some governments do. To answer the second question: Mu. ---Sluzzelin talk 22:33, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

The problem is that any subsidy given to companies could be used to favor some companies (those which give the legislators the most money) over others. Such subsidies often also come with strings that make them not so useful. For example, legislators from farm states might only agree to give auto companies subsidies if they agree to build vehicles that run on ethanol, while that may not be the best solution, since ethanol production (from corn) is currently quite limited and inefficient. StuRat 23:25, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

Without basic research there would be no foundation for applied research to build upon. So while basic research does not have an immediate short-term commercial benefit, it is still essential for a strong, modern economy and thus government invests a proportion of its resources in maintaining it. Applied research does tend to realise a more immediate benefit and therefore it is more attractive to industry to fund themselves. Our article on research funding covers this in more detail. That said, governments do attempt to persuade companies to invest in research efforts that will benefit the consumer (and tax-payer) in the manner you suggest. They use subsidies, tax breaks and project-based grants (collectively called "corporate welfare" initiatives by critics) to encourage research efforts that will favour their political will. Rockpocket

[edit] Ben Folds

Why is Ben so popular in Japan where othe rAmerican musicians have not even been noticed?

This is probably a question the Japanese themselves could best answer. Maybe it's all about marketing. Maybe it's about him resonating with the Japanese culture in some ineffable way. Ian Thorpe became a cult figure in Japan, when many other famous and successful swimmers were virtually unknown there - why? better ask them. JackofOz 21:57, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
The reason some Western popular musicians are "Big in Japan" is somewhat of an a mystery (and, as such, a bit of an in-joke, see Big in Japan and the end of This Is Spinal Tap). I recall a few UK bands in the mid 1990s, specifically Silver Sun and Out of My Hair who had or or two minor hits in Europe, but managed to carve a decent career in Japan (to the extent that Silver Sun now release music in Japan first (or exclusively) and in Europe as an afterthought). It hard to know quite why these bands appealed to the Japanese market but many others did not. A certain demographic among Japanese music fans, the otaku, are described as having a "fetishistic devotion [that] marks them out as a breed apart" [64], so it may simply be that Folds' first single hooked enough fans and they stuck with them. If anyone knew the magic formula sure, they would be a very rich person. If you wish to learn more, there are some studies on the subject though:
  • Not-so-Big in Japan: Western Pop Music in the Japanese Market, Guy de Launey, Popular Music, Vol. 14, No. 2 (May, 1995), pp. 203-225
  • How Western Music Came to Japan, Takatoshi Yoshida, Tempo , No. 40 (Summer, 1956), pp. 16-17
  • The Genre Preferences of Western Popular Music by Japanese Adolescents, Alan Wells and Hiroshi Tokinoya, Popular Music and Society, Spring, 1998
Hope that helps. Rockpocket 03:35, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] marketing theory

Is there a theory that you tell the quality and need of a product by the percent spent on marketing it versus actually making and developing it? can I have a link to said theory?

It sounds like Strategic Marketing, which you may find under marketing DDB 12:13, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

This would be a really muddled theory (if it existed). Marketing at its purest is about supplying identified needs. Quality, therefore, should reflect the need. i.e. a fast used basic product (toilet roll) is functional and the quality has to do with strength sufficient to do the job. On the other hand people want to project an image and so a rangle of coloured, perfumed, etc, rolls is available. Thus marketing is responding to identified need for status as well as function. Of course marketing (wrongly used) can create want (not need) and this is where promotional spend comes in. Finally, the amount spent on promotion (ad, PR, sales, etc.) is less important than the quality of the promotion - the ability to lock into the minds and affect the actions of the targetted people. Remember good promotion is highly targetted, thus many are unaffected or wonder what the promotion is about.90.27.43.195 14:19, 7 April 2007 (UTC)petitmichel

[edit] complaining to companies

When you complain to companies and you use false names to do so, do they get angry at you if they find out? What if you make up the complaints and they're not even real?

Asking the question a second time will not get you a different answer. Adrian M. H. 20:47, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
I do not understand, I am only asking if someone will get angry at me? Does this break policy? Please, no personal attacks.
We cannot get involved in commenting on a situation or action that may have legal issues around it. You have intimated that you might want to make up complaints and use false names. Hopefully, that was just a hypothetical question, but we just should not go there. And nobody is attacking you; don't be over-sensitive. Adrian M. H. 21:02, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

When you waste police time, they charge you for service (in many nations). Banks charge for service. People who make up nuisance complaints can be charged with a range of different things, and possibly serve jail time. Posting lies on the internet can result in computer equipment being confiscated and serious fines issued. I know after one such lynching, the townspeople gathered in times square and cheered, as the poor schmuck was struck with tomatoes and rotten fruit. DDB 12:09, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

You might be interested in the Wendy's finger case. As DDB has aptly put it, and I also mentioned in response to your earlier question, making stuff up is not a good idea and can get you into some serious shit. Even making stuff up to your partner is a bad idea Nil Einne 20:30, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] baby killing cults

Are these true or just from urban legends?

See blood libel. jnestorius(talk) 20:37, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
The articles on child sacrifice and infanticide might interest you as well. Cult is hard to define, but rituals of sacrificing infants don't appear to have played a significant part in our anthropological history. ---Sluzzelin talk 20:52, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
I forgot to add, I have defined a cult as any faith or religion less than a century old. Perhaps this will help when you are trying to answer my question.
I couldn't find any sources credibly reporting this occurence in new religious movements . This doesn't mean it never happened anywhere, I only scanned a limited amount of sources. To answer your question: No, the claims are almost certainly not true, but the origins of these misconceptions date back way outside the realm of urban legends, as explained in the article jnestorius linked to. ---Sluzzelin talk 21:51, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

But check out Moloch and the history of Carthage. alteripse 22:47, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Toilet times

Why exactly are women allowed longer to go to the toilet than men in a factory situation? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 88.110.208.218 (talk) 21:11, 6 April 2007 (UTC).

There's little the reference desk can do to help explain the policies of some unnamed company. This may be a question to ask the foreman. Friday (talk) 21:17, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
No you misunderstand: this is/used to be general pracice in most factories regardlesss of the company.
Could be the 'wiping time' 8-)
Could be the de-kecking and/or 'wiping time' 8-) —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 88.110.37.37 (talk) 21:22, 6 April 2007 (UTC).

Here are some reasons women take longer in the bathroom at work:

1) Women have to deal with feminine hygiene products.

2) Women need stalls for peeing, and stalls take up more room than urinals. The result is that, given two bathrooms with the same square footage, there are fewer places to urinate for women than men. This, combined with the other factors, leads to lines (queues) in women's rooms that slow things down further.

Dubious. most female toilets have more stalls that male urinals
Not if they are the same sized bathrooms. You can fit about 50% more urinals in a bathroom than stalls, so 3 urinals for every 2 stalls. StuRat 05:49, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

3) Women are more likely to go to the bathroom to pass gas, than just let fly in the office.

How do you know thay can hold gas longer than men? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 88.110.128.130 (talk) 23:27, 6 April 2007 (UTC).
Men could probably hold it, too, but just don't bother. StuRat 05:49, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

4) Women frequently fix their make-up in the bathroom, while most men only put lipstick on at home. :-) StuRat 23:12, 6 April 2007 (UTC)


For 1, it can be 3-7 days. And if they take longer only during those days, everyone will know when their periods are, which could be embarassing. And women can get infections there too. For 2, I really doubt there's more stalls than there are stalls plus urinals in the men's bathrooms, but I've never been in a women's restroom. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 01:36, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

Really?? You haven't lived. The stuff they talk about would curl your hair.  :) JackofOz 06:38, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

Females produce less gas than males, but more urine. I understand there is a hormonal difference. DDB 12:03, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

In the abscence of any satisfactory answers above I suggest that the reason is that it takes women longer to
  • find an empty cubical
  • enter said cubicle and disrobe sufficiently
  • sit down - pee - do the wiping
  • get dressed
  • come out of cubical
  • wash hands- fix hair make up etc
Would that be fair? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 88.109.190.127 (talk) 17:52, 9 April 2007 (UTC).
Well, that would explain the messes I occasionally find in my office cubicle. :-) StuRat 20:12, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Quote: Praise from Caesar

What is the origin of the phrase "Praise from Caesar is praise indeed?"Jamesbatic 21:30, 6 April 2007 (UTC)Jamesbatic

There is a biblical phrase "Praise from on high" or "high praise." Possibly this is an adaptation, and so its etymology might never be known. DDB 11:58, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for your reply; however, I'm unable to find any such passages in the Bible ... much praise of God, and some praise by God of man, but nothing seeming to fit. I'm intrigued that such an apt phrase seems to have no origin. I guess the internet is not yet the ultimate source of all knowledge!  :)Jamesbatic 05:23, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

Possibly from Horace Satires 2.1.84: iudice laudatus Caesare "praised by such a judge as Caesar"?—eric 22:45, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

The quote is a pretty close fit, but the context does not seem to agree with what I understand to be the meaning of the expression. I have seen suggestions that attribute this to Shakespeare, but a search of the complete works has not produced any result ... appreciate your efforts on my behalf!Jamesbatic 05:23, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Edit conflict

Why in Wikipedia people often write "after edit conflict" on their edits after experiencing edit conflicts? I mean, does it matter to people reading the posts whether they were posted after edit conflicts or not? A.Z. 22:16, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

It's (among other things) to indicate that the (ec) poster is acknowledging that her/his contributions may already have been made by the pre-ec editors, but s/he isn't going to bother reading the other contributions and retooling their post accordingly. BTW, 'not going to bother' isn't meant pejoratively, it's just the way I talk. I do the 'ec' thing too, and it's often because I'm afraid that the time I spend reading and re-tooling will be wasted because I'll encounter more edit conflicts with my revised message anyway. Anchoress 22:20, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Thank you! A.Z. 22:25, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
(Edit Conflict) Oh well, I lost my reply to an edit conflict (Irony no?) but I thought I'd share my template anyway--VectorPotentialTalk 22:27, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
I agree that's probably the major reason. For some people, it's also an ego thing. Some editors see the Ref Desk as a race to be the first to answer a question - not that there's anything wrong with that - and like to be able to honestly claim they were typing their answer while the first poster was beating them to the "Save page" button. That way, even if they got beaten to the button, they know they weren't far behind. Something to do with testosterone/oestrogen and competitiveness. Anyway, it's all jolly good sport. JackofOz 22:29, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
You might as well just say testosterone. Both men and women have it, and I doubt estrogen is the cause of messageboard competitiveness. ;-) Anchoress 22:31, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
That's really interesting. I didn't know I would learn that some people see the reference desk as a race when I asked here about edit conflict. Some questions lead us to some places unexpected at the time when we ask them. A.Z. 22:37, 6 April 2007 (UTC)
Word. Be grateful for that, by the way. Seeing as none of us are reimbursed for time spent, there's only intangibles available to motivate us. None of this would work if it weren't for a blend of competitiveness, gossipiness, and intellectual generosity. Black Carrot 00:10, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
And you're right, BTW, it's probably testosterone in both cases. Estrogen handles other stuff. Black Carrot 00:11, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
(edit conflict) All the above answers were exactly what I was about to say! --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 01:33, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Which perfectly illustrates my point.  :) JackofOz 03:49, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Damn! All of you got in ahead of me! :-) --Anon, April 8, 06:04 (UTC).
Not just an ego thing but a 'fick I spent 10 minutes writing a reply and I'll be damned if I'm going to abandon it' thing as well. In other words, if editors have spent an amount of time writing something they want to get it out even if it's just a repeat, not because of ego but because they don't want to feel their time was a complete waste. Even more so if this is the second reply, e.g. because you somehow lost an earlier reply. (Obviously the point anchress is important as well.) Ironically this was an edit conflict too... Nil Einne 20:37, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
aka Sunk cost. dr.ef.tymac 20:46, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
That brings me to the purpose of the RefDesk, and our target audience. Imagine you're a student or whatever, and you ask a question here. Are you more interested in a single, accurate, concise answer to the question, or are you more interested in a number of people telling you essentially the same thing? Sure, if you have additional information to provide, or some humorous aside, or an argument that the foregoing answer is incomplete or inaccurate, of course it's ok to provide your alternative view. But if there's nothing (or nothing much) different from what someone else has already said, it adds nothing (or nothing much) to the debate, so the purpose of sending it can only be: "I was going to say the same thing, and now that I've spent 10 minutes typing it up, I'm going to say it anyway". If that's not an ego thing, what is it? Not that there's anything wrong with ego. You're entitled to believe that sending your answer causes the work you've done not to be reduced to a waste of time. The questioner may well have a different viewpoint, and after all it's principally the questioners to whom we're of service here, rather than each other, or ourselves. JackofOz 00:15, 10 April 2007 (UTC)
Seeing as none of us are reimbursed for time spent ... huh??!! You mean you are not getting monetary compensation for your Wikipedia contributions? *LOL* How quaint! dr.ef.tymac 20:33, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] General knowledge Q.

Who was first Indian Women to fly aboard? Please help me to answer this Q. --Nirajrm Δ | [sign plz] 23:44, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

Aboard what?
Questioner presumably means abroad, i.e. overseas. --Richardrj talk email 00:19, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Do you mean "fly abroad"?CCLemon-ここは寒いぜ！ 00:21, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Just in case you're asking about female pilots, Sarla Thakral seems to have been the first female pilot from India (1936). Wikipedia has nothing on her, but a short section on Air India's female pilots. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Sluzzelin (talk • contribs) 00:30, 7 April 2007 (UTC).
Not sure if she was the first female pilot from India to fly abroad though Nil Einne 20:39, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Nor am I, in fact I doubt it. Then again, we still don't know whether Nirajrm meant abroad, aboard (an aircraft), or something else altogether. Nirarjrm, what did you mean? ---Sluzzelin talk 23:55, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] April 7

[edit] Sources

There's a news story going around that somehow drew my eye: Police: 5th Graders Charged After Classroom Sex. I tossed some keywords into Google to find out more. I discovered something odd, though. No matter how many articles I read, I wound up with very little additional information. In fact, not only did they all say nearly the same thing, they all used nearly the same words to say it. [65] has a listing of some of them, under the "169 more versions of this story are available" link. How does something like that happen? Are they all just cribbing off each other, or was there a single press release of some kind that they're all "paraphrasing", ie quoting without citation? If the latter, is there a way to get hold of it? Black Carrot 00:22, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

The key is probably this line which appears underneath the story in your first link -
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press.
Many news outlets receive stories via wire services, such as the Associated Press and use them verbatim. You might be able to see the story at the AP website. --LarryMac 01:57, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

Such stories are subject to strong legislation. Journalists who give identifying details can be very harshly treated, as can any news providores. The truth is, this is not in public interest for immediate examination and the possibility of further damage to the children's interests is incalculable. However, if you are interested in such stories, you can hear much by talking to Elementary School or Primary School teachers .. unofficially. DDB 11:47, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

What on earth are you talking about? --LarryMac 16:42, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

I think he said that, if I found out the kids' names, I might visit the school personally and make fun of them. Which would doubtless hurt their feelings more than being arrested did. Anywho... Thanks for the Associated Press tip. That's what I was looking for. Black Carrot 17:35, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

What DBB is talking about, BC and LarryMac, seems pretty clear to me. The laws and journalistic standards which protect minors allow very little of this sort of story to "come to light" -- which in this case seems to have led to a perfectly common and legitimate pattern in which that small amount of information which can be reported without compromising these standards was covered by the AP, which was then picked up and passed along legitimately by other news media. Of the many very valid reasons why such laws and standards exist, "if I knew what happened people might confront the kids personally" is pretty trivial, and hardly mentioned in the legal cases on this subject. More commonly, the premises for such protections include a) the legal assumption that children should not later (as adults) be held socially responsible for acts they committed when they were children, which can only be accomplished if one does not name names when children end up in court, and b) the idea that minors have limited abilities to protect themselves, and as such need extra protections from law (such as anonymity) that adults may not get. As DBB suggests, to get a general sense of how this SORT of thing COULD have happened, speaking to someone intimately familiar with the age group, the dynamics of classroom peer dynamics, and the school settings which frame this and other events, will garner some understanding of theory, and help one understand why this could have been both possible and in some cases unavoidable given the current state of classrooms and schools...though it certainly would not give you information about these particular kids, nor does it suggest you should try to track them down for any reason. Jfarber 19:44, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

I interpreted BlackCarrot's question "How does something like this happen?" to be in reference to all of the seemingly identical news stories he found. I was in no way attempting any comment on the topic of the particular news story; nor would I in the context of the reference desk. --LarryMac 21:38, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
I interpreted this the same way. But I think the relatively small amount of information is part of what drives the similarity of news items. AP sources with more information may be more noticibly different in different news outlets, given more material to pick and choose from. Small stories cannot be rehashed much without losing so much they're not worth mentioning. This is, then why the journalistic (& more often closed-court) standards of kid cases are relevant to the phenom of multiple almost-similar stories. Jfarber 02:45, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
To clarify here, there is no law in the United States preventing media from reporting the name of juvenile crime suspects. Courts have struck down such laws as unconstitutional. -- Mwalcoff 01:08, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
In a number of Commonwealth countries though, there tends to be great restrictions regardless of age (usually ordered by a court) on what can be published once there's a case before the court. As well as additional restrictions regardless of trials when minor are involved. Note also while it's unlikely that random people will confront the kids, there is I would assume many potentials problems from people who actually know the kids knowing about what happens (and that includes other kids). It would presemuably be very difficult for these kids to 'move on' if everyone was talking about them Nil Einne 21:43, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

You make a good point. It could be a shortage of data that them from reporting separate stories. Black Carrot 07:36, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] What is the song playing here called?

[66]-I can't think of it. ~Siggy

Probably because it isn't a real song. It sounds like a little midi ditty created specifically for the site. Basic, basic chord progression, drum beat and arpeggio 'melody' common to thousands of songs. Anchoress 02:00, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Actually, it's "Wizards in Winter", from Trans-Siberian Orchestra's The Lost Christmas Eve album. — Kieff | Talk 00:33, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Oh! LOL my bad. Anchoress 04:08, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
I thought it sounded something like trans-siberian orchestra... ~Siggy —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Russian F (talk • contribs) 19:07, 8 April 2007 (UTC).

[edit] Bloody sex offender

I'm trying to find the current status of the notorious criminal Joseph E. Duncan III to edit the article on him, to see if he's sentenced or executed yet. But I can't find anything. Also I can't find what profession he is. Please help, Thanks! WooyiTalk, Editor review 01:50, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

Google is my friend. Anchoress 01:58, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
I found that his trial is delayed to next year...ehh...but I haven't find anything from google about his profession before becoming a criminal. Can anyone help? WooyiTalk, Editor review 04:24, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] What was that song called in Blades of Glory?

The song Chazz and Jimmy were skating to the 1st time? It was something about closing one's eyes. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 71.172.28.176 (talk) 02:33, 7 April 2007 (UTC).

I personally haven't seen the movie, and can't say anything with certainty, but the Internet Movie Database has only two soundtracks for the movie [67]: "Blades of Glory" and "Hot Blodded." Although I would assume that list is incomplete, but check if either of those songs jog your memory. --YbborTalkSurvey! 03:00, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
It believe Aerosmith's I Don't Want to Miss a Thing (aka the theme from Armageddon) got the nod over Chazz's preference, My Humps. Rockpocket 04:38, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Arbitration on Paranormal Topics on Wikipedia ?!

What is going on ?! 65.163.113.145 03:14, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

I don't know!!!!eleven!!1111 Can you give us some more information so we can figure out what you're referring to? Which articles? What do you disagree with about their arbitration? Did you try the talk pages, or is there a project where you can ask this question on the project pages!? Jfarber 04:04, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
You were expected to use your paranormal powers to divine the name of the page in question. If you're unable to do so, then you fail to qualify to arbitrate the discussion. :-) StuRat 05:42, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
See Wikipedia Project Paranormal's Talk page. 65.163.113.145 04:17, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
As near as I can tell, there's not much there. The project page you refer to makes a wild claim that "an arbitration will go on regarding paranormal topics at Wikipedia", but the page THAT claimant links to seems to be little more than a pretty standard conflict between two people about whether a bit of language is POV which seems to have degraded into an equally common rantfest that is making them both look bad while causing some members of the talk page's regular "crew" to take sides. Why that would be a threat to "paranormal topics on Wikipedia" is absolutely beyond me. Insert slightly humorous snarky comment about tinfoil hats, anal probes and fairies here. Jfarber 05:50, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
I think Marion Bradley covered this with her Darkover series. It was the fault of the terranan who rejected the idea of female chastity. DDB 11:38, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Can anyone identify this aeroplane for me?

Earlier this evening I was going through my family's slide collection for the purpose of digitising them with my brand new scanner, and I came across this. It's an airliner landing at what I think is Kingsford Smith International Airport, though it may have been an air show at a smaller airport; neither of my parents can remember exactly. Anyway, can anyone identify the make of the aircraft and airline? Thanks. —DO'Neil 09:28, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

Can't help you with the aircraft, but I can tell you it's not Kingsford Smith airport.--Shantavira 10:58, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Ask at the talk page of WikiProject Aircraft. I bet someone will know. Adrian M. H. 13:00, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
I think it is a Fokker F28, even though it looks like the plane in the picture has a shorter nose. -Lapinmies 16:38, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
No idea about the aircraft, but I'd be prepared to bet money it's not Sydney but Canberra Airport. -- JackofOz 05:47, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Broadest shoulders

Who is the person with the broadest shoulders in the world? Guess some bodybuilder. Thanks. --Taraborn 14:21, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

My guess is the tallest man, since your shoulder bones don't exactly increase when you "beef up". --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 17:38, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Since when was shoulder breadth measured from inside the shoulder? Muscles can add a good few inches. I'd bet somebody with Andre the Giant's build. Black Carrot 17:44, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
I too would expect it to be the tallest person in the world. My understanding is that most humans have several consistencies. Things like their foot size being the distance between their elbow and their hand or (more related to this question) that their height is the same as the distance from one finger-tip to the other. Not sure this is true, but if it is I would suspect that means the shoulder-width of that person would be proportional to their height. Obviously these sort of 'rules' aren't 100% perfect but i've heard it is pretty accurate. ny156uk 00:12, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
I don't see any reason to assume it's definitely the tallest man. Body shapes are quite variable even without considering 'beefing up'. Pacific Islanders for example tend to be larger then Asians (I'm not talking fat here). This is reflected in the height too but I suspect you'd find their average shoulder width/person's height is larger too. And as Black Carrot has mentioned muscle can add a fair amount of mass. If anyone is that interested, try comparing Bao Xishun (find a better photo tho, one where's he's standing up straight e.g. [68]) to someone else e.g. Mariusz Pudzianowski. Use the heights as guides. Unfortunately the only image 'editing' software I have on my computer at the moment is paint having just recently reinstalled but I'm pretty sure Mariusz's shoulder width is not much less then Bao but they have a large height difference. Nil Einne 22:30, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Reed Ice Cream Company

My grandfather C.F. Becker and Claude Reed opened this ice cream company in 1929. I used to visit my grandfather when he lived in Dundee. I'm 71 and all my relatives who knew him are gone. Do you have any info on his exact address in Dundee or any other info on the company other than what I found on MTOGuy's blog or how I can reach anyone who may have info. C.R. Becker lived in Iowa Falls IA and had a cigar and news store prior to moving to Omaha. I grew up in Iowa Falls and now live in Florida. Any help or direction would be appreciated

(personal info removed to prevent spam) —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 63.215.27.165 (talk) 15:26, 7 April 2007 (UTC).

Dundee in what state? Did he live there in 1930 and do you know the names of other persons living at the same place, to aid in searching the census files. Edison

[edit] tobacco

Is there fiberglass in chew tobacco? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 66.61.116.228 (talk) 17:17, 7 April 2007 (UTC).

Yikes! I hope not. Fiberglass is a nasty skin irritant - you definitely wouldn't want it in anything you plan to put into your mouth. But on the other hand chewing tobacco is sufficiently dangerous by itself that it might as well have fiberglass for all the difference it would make. SteveBaker 17:45, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Dipping_tobacco calls that an unsubstantiated rumour. -- Diletante 17:50, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
It's a rumour according to Snopes as well: article. Dismas|(talk) 18:29, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
It's obviously false. The tobacco companies don't want you to die...that fast. Clarityfiend 06:47, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
It's not just a matter of dying. Anyone who has ever touched fibreglass would know how nasty it is (especially the wooly kind). You'd know if you were putting it in your mouth and no one would chew tobacco as a result. Nil Einne 22:35, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Training specific muscles

Hi, I just have a few questions about muscle training:

  • How do I build the muscle that is on the side of my arm, like in-between the biceps and triceps on the surface. It kinda looks like a bump. I think this is called the Brachialis. A well-defined brachilias shows good seperation of the biceps and triceps i think. Here is a diagram
  • How do I build the muscle on the back of my shoulder?
  • How do I get well defined deltoids like this photo Picture —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Hustle (talk • contribs) 18:35, 7 April 2007 (UTC).

I would appreciate it if you could tell me how to build these muscle regions using free weights and resistance bands. Thank you very much. Hustle 18:22, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Wet cat food without wheat gluten

The Fat Man is having cat food issues. My cat will only eat the chunks-and-gravy style of wet cat food (the sort that contains tainted wheat gluten, which is being recalled by pet food manufacturers). Are there cat foods that offer gravy-and-chunks style foods but do not contain wheat gluten? Is it even possible for manufacturers to achieve that texture without using the forbidden ingredient? Note: I am not looking for just any wet or canned cat food. I am only curious about the gravy-and-chunks texture.--The Fat Man Who Never Came Back 19:05, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

Okay I was able to find a pretty useful link myself after much searching. If anyone else is interested in grain-free (and therefore wheat gluten-free) wet cat food, here's an article by a vet. It seems fairly independent and does not promote one particular brand, so I don't consider it spam: [69]--The Fat Man Who Never Came Back 19:54, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

You might also consider feeding your cat regular people food (like lunch meat or tuna fish) until the pet food issue is completely cleared up. StuRat 02:39, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

I think now they'll find melamine in a lot of things! Cats seem to be the most sensitive. Luckily, my monster bag of dry dog food lasts over 6 months, but I don't have a problem getting another one now, since there won't be much in dry food, and dogs aren't that sensitive. --Zeizmic 15:20, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Indie Rock

I posted a question like a week ago about alternative rock and pop rock but this time i am asking:what are the musical traits of indie rock?i hope i will receive a answer,thank you.

Well the Indie rock article is flagged for lacking sources, but it seems on target and quite comprehensive. Did you read it? If so, do you have further questions? Anchoress 23:56, 7 April 2007 (UTC)
Indie rock is used for bands of a wide variety of styles, so it is not easy to pin down an "indie rock sound". − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 15:50, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] April 8

[edit] MCA question paper

Can any one tell me any web site where i can find MCA entrance question paper(it should be free downloadable) Or any one can send me the question paper. just send me the clickable link through which it can be download directly. thanks i will be very thank ful. one imp point I am an indian so the question paper should be for india —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 203.145.188.130 (talk) 03:19, 8 April 2007 (UTC).

[edit] Cows

Are there more cows in Vermont or Michigan? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Pythagoraspanda (talk • contribs).

According to the United States Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service, there are an estimated 1,060 thousand head in Michigan and 265 thousand head in Vermont.—eric 05:34, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Singer

I am a 19'yr old guy who simply lovs singing and music'I try to create a musical atmosphere of the song just with my voice and then gets lost into it.After singing to myself for a fe minutes I start studying but what I hae sung rverberates in my mind and I involuntarily start humming what Ihave sung.This posing a prblem to my concentration.I cant altogether sop singing because I am addicted to my own voice.What should I do? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 210.210.53.45 (talk) 13:14, 8 April 2007 (UTC).

When you study, read the words in your books out loud. That will probably make the singing voice in your head disappear. Skarioffszky 15:03, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
I guess you might try tricking your brain into listening to other music - try listening to music on headphones. Maybe pick something in a style you wouldn't normally sing to - classical maybe. SteveBaker 17:04, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Avianca airlines

Does Avianca airlines (or did it ever) have any flight from Rome, Italy to Vienna, Austria? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 209.139.109.140 (talk) 13:47, 8 April 2007 (UTC).

According to our article on Avianca destinations, it has never flown to either of those places.--Shantavira 15:31, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
No, the article makes no such statement: it does not claim to be a complete list of places that the airline has ever flown to (and given that this is Wikipedia, I wouldn't trust it if it did). However, in this case it seems very unlikely that there was ever such a flight, simply because airlines based in one country don't typically get permission to fly between points in two other countries, especially not when the countries aren't even closely related ones. See Freedoms of the air#Eighth freedom. --Anonymous, April 9, 2007, 03:08 (UTC).
Note Freedoms of the air#Fifth freedom (the beyond and intermediate bits) are relevant here as well. Nil Einne 22:02, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Are there other free sites besides Pogo.com?

The answers to my last question are good, but...are there any other sites to try for money than Pogo.com? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Sirdrink13309622 (talk • contribs) 16:28, 8 April 2007 (UTC).

[edit] Sexuality

Do girls find gay guys as enticing as guys find lesbians? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 84.13.132.232 (talk) 18:08, 8 April 2007 (UTC).

The article on Shōnen-ai (see also Yaoi) offers a weak, uncited argument that at least in some cases, the answer might be "yes". Sorry that's not a very general answer. -Haikon 18:35, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
I'm not sure about the supposition of the question; are you talking about actual lesbians or stereotypical lipstick lesbians? jnestorius(talk) 23:35, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
Fag hags do. Rockpocket 00:40, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Some women are, some aren't. This might shock you, but women aren't all cookie-cutter identical on the inside. --Charlene 02:37, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
I think your premise is flawed. Not all guys (even straight ones) find lesbians enticing. JackofOz 02:49, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
If it helps, the common wisdom is that men like to watch lesbians have sex, and women like to have gay friends. If you want something more solid than stereotype, I'm afraid I can't help you. I've never heard of anyone doing an in-depth controlled study of the subject. Black Carrot 07:42, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Plenty of women on 4chan say that they would find a straight guy doing homosexual stuff attractive/sexy, though of course there are no women on the internet. Plus that's original research. -Wooty Woot? contribs 07:46, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Ironically, considering the variety of prejudices and pre/misconceptions about the scope (or lack thereof) of female sexuality, I read a study recently where men and women were studied for their sexual response to different visual sexual stimuli. What they found was that men were very 'monogamous'; straight men were aroused by hetro sex and female gay/bisexual. Gay men were aroused by gay male sexuality. But women... Well, regardless of sexual orientation, we were turned on - if not equally, then to an unexpected degree - by hetro, gay men, gay women, dogs going at it, three-ways, masturbation, people sticking their fingers in and out of donut holes (OK the last one I made up), you name it. So it seems it's women who are really broad-minded about sex: men just like to joke about it. ;-))) Anchoress 07:59, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

Where is this "study" you speak of? I'm female and I find this reply questionable... --124.181.241.101 08:37, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

I don't remember where I saw it or what it was called. I read it at least 14 months ago. Sorry. ;-) If I feel 'in the mood' I'll go look for it. Anchoress 08:41, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
I think this must be what you're referring to [70] (well not a link to the actual study but a news report with an outrageous title). The report does mention a key issue from the study which is it's impossible to actually say whether the reseachers were measuring arousal (or sexual interest) effectively. (and that men might just be more effective/succesful at supressing their arousal) I actually seem to remember a study which found most participants (male or female) found animals having sex arousing and even the most seemingly heterosexual men found gay porn arousing to some degree. But I too can't remember where I read it. Nil Einne 21:25, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

Personally I find campness in a man (even a hint of it) a total turn off. Those women that I have spoken to about it feel much the same way. Gay but not camp is different. Theresa Knott | Taste the Korn 10:28, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

I asked the same question on an Internet forum once. One woman replied that if she had her way, sex would have nothing to do with women at all (apart from herself). I had to reply that I have the exact same wish, only with the sexes reversed. JIP | Talk 17:29, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

As someone has already mentioned Shōnen-ai, which is manga depicting non sexualised romatic relationships between males which is evidentally predominantly targeted at a female audience. Note however I agree this premise is flawed. It is very likely true that quite a number of men find lesbians having sex arousing and lesbian erotic is aimed at predomanantly a male clientale (Lesbianism in erotica). However it's difficult to say for sure what percentage of males do find such work arousing. So how can you compare the two if you don't even know what percentage one is? Note also that it's important to remember most erotica targeted at men has 'lipstick lesbians'. I'm doubtful whether more butch and femme type persona are as arousing in general to heterosexual men Nil Einne 21:25, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] question

Have there ever been any questions on here which haven't been answered? 147.197.215.15 22:56, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

Yes, many. And there are many more that are answered poorly. We used to keep a list of unanswered questions (see Wikipedia:Reference Desk archive unanswered 2005) but now they are simply archived with the answered ones. Rockpocket 23:03, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
The best answers are when we can point to a non-obvious article, or external source. The worst are when people are just gabbing... --Zeizmic 13:12, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
I did a quick-and-dirty analysis of the questions on the Science Ref Desk back in January. Of the 144 questions that were more than a day old, all but one had received a response of some sort. Of the 21 questions posed on the final day, only the four most-recently asked questions had not received a response.
I cannot comment on the other Desks, and I did not attempt to evaluate the quality of the answers given. The data set that I used is here, and the summary is here. My own impression of the Science Ref Desk is that the vast majority of questions are answered rapidly and correctly. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 18:25, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] April 9

[edit] Phrase Origin

Does anyone know where the phrase "there's more than one way to skin a cat" comes from? I've Googled it, but everything that comes up is just someone else who wants to know the answer, and no one that actually knows. Steveo2 19:01, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

The best I found on Google books is in Speaking of Animals: A Dictionary of Animal Metaphors By Robert Allen Palmatier. Apparently there are two ways skin a cat: from head to tail and from tail to head. As well as being a disgusting image, it seems a rather inadequate metaphor for the idea expressed. First attested 1830. Maybe the sheer gratuitous grotesqueness tickled the collective funnybone of the anglosphere enough to make the expression stick. jnestorius(talk) 21:44, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Well I would think it's obvious that there's more then one way to skin a cat (although it doesn't really explain how the metaphor got into being) Nil Einne 22:04, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
People coin metaphors all the time; the question is why this one took off. I don't think skinning cats is one of those forgotten folk-skills that everyone understood when metaphors were being invented. A variation on earlier "killing cats" seems plausible in that there are lots of ways to kill a cat, but relatively few ways to skin a cat, which reduces the force of the example. jnestorius(talk) 22:28, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
A Dictionary of American Proverbs (1996) lists several variations:
  • There's more than one way to skin a cat without tearing the hide.
  • More than one way to kill a cat besides choking him with butter.
  • More than one way to kill a cat besides skinning him.
  • More than one way to skin a cat.
  • There are more ways than one to kill a cat.
  • There are more ways to kill a cat besides choking him to death.
  • There is more than one way to kill a cat.
  • There is more than one way to kill a cat besides choking him on cream.
Earliest known written source: 1678 Ray, John English Proverbs.—eric 22:21, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Proverbs in which the cat suffers horribly are commonplace. "There isn't room in here to swing a cat" for example. 'swing' means "hang with a noose"...not a nice image. They seem to be old and I suspect that at some time in the past there was a common idea that doing bad things to cats was a humorous image. This is still true - remember the best-seller book "101 things to do with a dead cat" which consisted of 101 cartoons showing creative uses for cat corpses? SteveBaker 04:03, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Taxes

I want Wiki pedians on here to help me with my taxes this year. I think it would be a good idea, seeing they are due soon. I have questions. Gatorphat 02:52, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

I don't know if this explicitly falls under our "no legal advice" rule, but common sense should tell you that you should get your tax questions answered by a professional accountant. Your money isn't something I would recommend staking on the advice of strangers on the internet. -- mattb @ 2007-04-09T04:45Z
You might find some useful information in our Category:Taxation in the United States. Check out also the Free File Alliance (if you earn under $52k). Rockpocket 07:19, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
I recommend you transfer all your money to me. I'll make sure the IRS gets their share. Black Carrot 07:45, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Surely you would need to actually know some financial history to work out how much is owed to the IRS and you would also probably need to get their permission to act on their behalf. Indeed is it even possible if your not a professional accountant? Bearing in mind you not only have to work out how much they owe but you have to pay it. Nil Einne 20:54, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] "Gimme got stuck in a bottle"

I remember as a kid i was told this everytime i use the word "gimme." Does anyone know the tale behind this phrase? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 209.30.45.124 (talk) 04:36, 9 April 2007 (UTC).

Maybe a pun on Genie (Djinni)? The story of the genie stuck in a bottle becomes "gimmi stuck in a bottle"?? It's a long shot - but it's the best I've got! SteveBaker 04:48, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
That's much better than my thought about a reference to the movie My Life as a Dog (with "Gimme" perhaps a nickname for Ingemar ?). I see we don't mention the scene in question in our summary, so here's one that does: [71]. StuRat 05:37, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] paypal transfer

if i were to get money from a survey website for taking their surveys and it goes into my paypal account is there a way to get that money intu my bank account.--logger 06:37, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

Yes, although it's been years since I've done it. There is a way. Dismas|(talk) 07:41, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Just checked. Go to their website at http://www.paypal.com/ then click on the word "Help" in the upper right of the page. The very first question on the page is "How do I withdraw funds from my PayPal account?". Dismas|(talk) 07:45, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Yes - I do this a lot. Remember that PayPal take a cut of the money you earn - check their rules carefully so that you charge your customers enough to cover that charge! You can even get a PayPal credit card and spend money directly out of your PayPal account without messing with a bank account. SteveBaker 02:34, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Bayo beans

Are bayo beans and pinto beans the same? I'm having trouble finding the answer. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by KeeganB (talk • contribs) 08:57, 9 April 2007 (UTC).

They're listed as different entries (without either one mentioning the other as substitute) on foodsub's bean page (still, the beans pictured there do look similar). ---Sluzzelin talk 14:31, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Asana

There are a infinite number of Yoga Asanas, so then how are stretches differiantiated between stretches and asanas? A response on my talk page would be greatly appreicated, or to let me know there's a response would still be appreciated, thanks!100110100 11:33, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] How do you start a number list at a number other then 1 using Wiki markup?

How can you start a numbered list at 3 and still use the #?

In HTML you would use <OL start=3> and then each line you would put a <LI>. How is this done in wiki langage.

192.195.234.26 14:43, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

I don't think it's possible. You have to fake it. JIP | Talk 16:54, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

1) I rarely use wiki numbered lists, since they get messed up if even an extra blank line is added, much less a comment (added by somebody else) between items.

2) I agree that you should just fake it. StuRat 20:08, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

Have you tried just using HTML? Just try your <OL start=3> syntax in here and see if it works. NoClutter 20:13, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

This question really belongs at WP:HELPDESK, not reference desk. jnestorius(talk) 21:15, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Cleaning

How do I get paint off a silken necktie? JIP | Talk 16:51, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

What type of Paint? Is it a water soluble one? If not, I'd suggest white spirit. MHDIV ɪŋglɪʃnɜː(r)d(Suggestion?|wanna chat?) 17:14, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

I don't know the exact type, but it's the kind of paint used for painting Easter eggs. Not artistic and certainly not industrial paint. JIP | Talk 17:17, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Is it more of a paint (with an opaque pigment that forms a coating) or a dye (something that gets absorbed into the eggshell and colors it)? The former is probably going to be easier to remove (with the right solvent) than the latter. In addition to white spirit (or mineral spirits, or paint thinner) you might also start with something gentler like rubbing alcohol (ethanol with denaturants). In all cases, test a patch on the back of the tie first—you want to be sure that your solvent of choice doesn't remove the dye from the tie. You can also try having the tie dry-cleaned. In any case, you may have to give up and replace the tie: [72]. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 18:16, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
This "How to Clean Practically Anything" book I have in my drawer (don't ask) notes that silk usually needs to be dry-cleaned, as water doesn't usually agree with silk (nor do some dyes). You might want to see if the tie has a fabric care tag, or even ask your local dry-cleaner. --YbborTalkSurvey! 01:49, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Old Surveying Transit

Wikipedia Experts,

My Dad owns an old surveying transit..we think. The name on it is Texas-Asiatic Co.. Atlanta-Dallas..#12440..Eagle. These were all the words we could find on it. We would like to know what this piece of equipment is. How old it may be. What it was used for. Or any information you can find for us. I've looked on the internet in every topic and search I can think of and came up with nothing except ones that look simular on E-Bay. But no information with them. Thanks in advance for your time and knowledge.

63.215.29.119 19:27, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

Does theodolite answer your questions ? StuRat 20:05, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
The pictures in that article are modern ones. Try searching Google images for older models. Otherwise could it be a sextant?--Shantavira 20:09, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
I just checked and there is evidentally an Antiques Roadshow in the US. It sounds like you're from the US and if you are, you could see if they will be in your area any time soon. If they are, you could take this item there. Alternatively, posting pictures here or elsewhere would help people identify it Nil Einne 20:46, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Rawfoodian Etiquette

What do you do if you are attempting to adopt Raw foodism and you would like to attend a social outing at any of your typical "greasy-meat-only" restaurants with family and friends. I don't want to give off any attitude of judgement, and I don't want to be accused of being a cheapskate by bringing my own food to the restaurant with me and eating that instead (even though it is cheaper). What do people do in this situation? NoClutter 19:52, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

This question calls for opinion, so I have answered here: [73]. StuRat 20:02, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Well, it seems like there should be some reliable source out there that addresses this issue, not purely requiring personal opinion. You might be surprised at the number of places that do not serve _any_ kind of vegetables except coleslaw and salad (I was). NoClutter 20:11, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
You have a few options.
  1. Find raw-food-only friends.
  2. Eat something cooked (see flexitarianism).
  3. Eat something substantial before or after the outing (or bring a snack with you) and eat the garden salad from the menu at the restaurant.
  4. Persuade your friends to have dinner at a raw-food-friendly restaurant sometimes.
I actually don't see what the problem would be with #3 or #4.... TenOfAllTrades(talk) 20:35, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

Note if you do plan to bring your own food, you need to check with the restaurant first that it is okay. Many don't like people bringing their own food for obvious reasons although in your specific case given the circumstances you may be able to convince them to make an exception Nil Einne 20:42, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

Yah I figured I could bring my own food, and just oder something off the menu, but when it comes, eat my own stuff I stashed in instead. Apart from looking like a rediculous gag from a Seinfeld episode, as long as I buy their food and dont stay longer than ordinary customer, nothing to gripe about. NoClutter 21:30, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Could i start a page for runescape?

Could i start a page for runescape? (an online game with over 1 million users )by jagex. plz let me im one of the players .

please tell me on my talk page

thx brendan 20:13, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

There already is a page for Runescape, which redirects to RuneScape. − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 20:16, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Death on the internet

I was reading about skOt, the guy who said he was going to disconnected a street light on IRC and ended up electrocuting himself as mentioned in Brandon Vedas. I seem to remember a similar incident where someone accidentally killed themselves somehow (i.e. I'm not talking about a suicide or overdose here) and mentioned what they were going to do on the internet (probably IRC)) beforehand (obviously no one knew they were going to die). I.E. some sort of internet famous last words. Anyone have any ideas? Of course maybe it is just skOt I'm thinking about... Nil Einne 20:49, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

Simon Ng was stabbed to death shortly after complaining on his blog that this sister's unsavory ex-boyfriend wouldn't go away. —Tamfang 03:57, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Amount of time a person spends cooking a day

Does anyone know the average amount a time a person spends cooking during a day?

Best Regards, MPcookbook

Almost impossible to know but I'm sure you can find estimates (i.e. random figures someone pulled out of their ass). It would be extremely variable since some people don't cook at all. Also, are you talking about a worldwide figure or what? Nil Einne 21:38, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] how many cookbooks are in publication?

Best regards, MPcookbook

Um... 'A lot' is probably the most accurate answer you'll get Nil Einne 21:39, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Actually on second thought how about this more then a million, less then a trillion Nil Einne 22:05, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
Amazon.com turns out a result page of around 57,000 for "cookbook," 56..5 thousand of which are actual books. --YbborTalkSurvey! 00:03, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] The sims 2 pets (gamecube)

How do you become a Werewolf? Is it rare? How often does the wolf leader come to your lot? I realize that there is a artical about this, but it doesn't have what I want to know in it, so if anyone could answer this question, that'd be great! thanks!

[edit] Course Management Software use in high schools

What percentage of high schools use course management software?

Any help on this is greatly appreciated. I'm having significant difficulty locating any data on this topic. Vendors such as Blackboard and Edline tend to keep a tight hold on their data, while open source projects like Moodle provide inflated values. Does anyone have any keen ideas on where to find information on this topic? Thanks in advance. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 68.40.48.69 (talk • contribs).

this article suggests one in five college/university courses used course management software, and about 80% were provided with the software.
As for High School: it'll probably be difficult to get specific numbers on course management software because it's pretty narrowly defined (and kinda obscure), and if blackboard doesn't want the information out, it'll be pretty hard. If you broaden your question to technology in the classroom you'll probably have more success, albeit less meaningful. This article suggests "about half of U.S. teachers use technology in classroom instruction." And This article notes that 40% of teachers don't use technology at all. While not related to your question, this article had some very interesting numbers.--YbborTalkSurvey! 03:06, 10 April 2007 (UTC)
Maybe I'm too close to the issue, professionally speaking, but I don't think the question is too narrowly defined at all. I would agree, though, that statistics may be difficult to compile or obtain, for two reasons:
1. As a public school teacher, I can assure you that neither the state nor the federal government have been gathering data on this subject, and
2. What counts as "course management software" is both pretty broad and often hard to pin down. For example, | First Class has many of the qualities of a course management software, and it's being touted by those selling (and buying) it as addressing most of the course management needs of a district, but it isn't technically course management by many standards. Plenty of districts use it; do we count it, or not? And the Massachusetts DOE provides | MassOne, which is pretty much a course management web-based system, albeit not "software", is provided free of charge to all teachers and students in the state; though anecdotally I can report that only a small handful of teachers are using it as if it were course management potential, many more use it for virtual storage and professional development -- does this count? Should it? Jfarber 03:49, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] yes

I was just watching the movie Jesus Camp, and noticed something a bit strange. Many of the children (and some of the adults) have extremely dilated pupils, like they were on MDMA or something like that. One of my friends recently became a born again christian, and I noticed the same thing happening to him... huge dilated pupils. When people feel this way, I'm thinking it must be the body releasing endorphins that make them feel that way, which allows them to feel like jesus is inside of them, and that leads to the dilated pupils. Has anyone else noticed this, or have any thoughts on it? 128.61.52.213 03:11, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

This question (worded exactly the same) was asked on the Science ref desk 2 days ago. JackofOz 03:14, 10 April 2007 (UTC)
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