Wikipedia:Reference desk archive/Miscellaneous/2006 July 11

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Contents 1 Chronological order on internet... 2 Concealed carry 3 Lip synch? 4 STAMPS OF THE U.K 5 ballistics gel 6 the life cycle of an resort 7 2 homers 2 stolen bases same game 8 Sunni and Shia 9 Online Gaming 10 Warhammer calendar 11 How can I prepare mango sauce? 12 Urinal Design 13 Newspapers 14 Can someone recommend some nice instrumental rock? 15 Inefficent goverment 16 My new account is not being recognized!! 17 least expensive 18 Driving in America 19 How do I.... 20 Number of Stores nationally that sell liquor 21 An Average Question 22 spicing food 23 Downloading Streaming Videos 24 Mattress sizes 25 old stock 26 Creature Inhabiting Blackpool Tower 27 Utilizing old photographs in marketing and advertising 28 GIF Resize

[edit] Chronological order on internet...

Writing an article about a persons life or career normally starts with date of birth and then the pinpoints follows in a cronological order. In traditional books/encyclopedias that is more or less the rule. Using that principle on Wikipedia means that the oldest stuff is on top and fresh stuff is far down under... On internet it is normally the other way around - the latest news is on top and older stuff "stored" further down. I like the internet order and I assume internet users are getting more and more used to that "new" way of making "time-descriptions". So, I simply want to update the article about this particular person with the latest stuff on top and the birth information etc at the bottom. Do you think that is a good or bad idea? If I get the feeling that the first alternative is the concensus opinion I will simply rearrange what is already written and update new facts and information on top and hope that others wont think I am vandalizing...If you/consensus think its a bad idea, I will wait (sooner or later the inverted cronological order will win in appreciation anyway I believe...).--Openmind

You're more or less suggesting that a biography should be like a blog (or a résumé) which, while not right or wrong, isn't likely to become a standard at WP in the near future. For that matter, I rather doubt blog-chronology will supplant the usual first-to-last order of biographies at any point. And of course, WP uses the "newest comes last" model anyway :) — Lomn | Talk 00:24, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

For substantial biographical articles, it is appropriate to have one or two summary paragraphs at the very top of the article. These paragraphs serve to introduce the person and their major accomplishments; they should briefly explain why we have an article about a given individual. More detail then follows in chronological order in the sections which follow. To take an example, our article on John Glenn is probably just about right. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 03:03, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

Reverse chronological order might work for a list. But if it gets more like proze it'll become a mess. Also, going to the end of a list is actually easier on an Internet page than in a book - just hit the 'end' button. DirkvdM 07:20, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

It's also worth noting that any article with three(?) or more sections will also have an automatically-generated table of contents at the top that lets you jump to the desired section immediately. It's yet another way we're different from paper. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 15:55, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

The automatically generated table is indeed quite useful. --Proficient 22:47, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Concealed carry

In the US, if you don't have a concealed carry permit, does that mean you have to carry your gun in the open? Do you need another permit for that? thanks WP 00:48, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

IANAL, and IANAAmerican, but don't gun laws vary greatly from state to state? --Robert Merkel 00:57, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

Indeed, as well as between jurisdictions within states. User:Zoe|^(talk) 02:26, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

All that said, if you don't have a concealed carry permit (and you're in a jurisdiction that issues them), yes, you'd have to keep the gun in the open. Things like "stashed under a car seat" can also violate the "concealed" bit. As for basic ownership permits, applications, fees, and whatnot -- that will vary too drastically for a good general answer. — Lomn | Talk 04:11, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

Um... I think that if you don't have a permit to carry a concealed weapon, you probably have to keep it at home, unless you're a cop or something or are transporting it unloaded somewhere. -- Mwalcoff 04:50, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

Not really. In 11 US states you can freely carry a visible weapon, and in others it is available with an open carry license, in others forbidden. See article for a map. Notinasnaid 19:05, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

I remember reading in the novel Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson about some people who liked having guns, but the state they were in didn't allow concealed carry, so they always carried large rifles in plain view, like in an old western, just because it was legal for them to do so. --WhiteDragon 20:17, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Lip synch?

Is Shakira lip-synching here? (I think so, but the football remix of Hips Don't Lie has so many random vocal sounds that it seems it would nearly impossible to lip-synch to.) zafiroblue05 | Talk 01:04, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

Dunno, but as I understand it that particular song's chorus has Shakira's voice so heavily processed by Auto-Tune you'd be hard-pressed to tell the difference. --Robert Merkel 04:26, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] STAMPS OF THE U.K

Queen Elizabeth's Coronation was on June 3rd 1953, yet her postage stamps were first issued in 1952 I would like to know what day in 1952 they were issued. Thank you

The penny halfpenny and twopence halfpenny definitives were the only two QEII stamps issued by the UK in 1952, issued on December 5th 1952. Grutness...wha? 01:48, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] ballistics gel

Is ballistic gelatin edible?--Anakata 02:52, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

I can't say that I know this for a fact, since I don't, but if it is indeed made of pork gelatin powder and water (and nothing but pork gelatin power and water), I don't see why it wouldn't be perfectly edible. (Well, unless you're keeping kosher.) Still, I can't imagine it being a particularly interesting meal. -- Captain Disdain 04:13, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

• To avoid mould growing in the gel, sometimes propionic acid acid is added. Depending on the concentration that could be dangerous. Also, I don't think that the pigs the gelatin is made of are checked for diseases, so if they are ill, eating it could be a bad idea. Besides, anyone who watches Myth Busters knows the stuff smells. You'd have a really bad breath if you did eat it. - Mgm|^(talk) 10:58, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

Thanks. I probably won't try that soon!--Anakata 13:04, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

Why wouldn't the pigs be checked for disease? I mean, isn't pork gelatin a perfectly normal and common food ingredient? Am I missing something obvious here -- are they using some kind of a different, more industrial and less picky process for the pork gelatin that they use for ballistics gels than foodstuff gelatins, or...? -- Captain Disdain 05:58, 13 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] the life cycle of an resort

resort life cycle

This isn't a search engine. If you have a question, please type it out so that we can understand it. --Fastfission 04:25, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

Did you not type the complete question? --Proficient 22:50, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

Designed, built, used, demolished. Next non-question? Grutness...wha? 04:20, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

Physics exist thus. Well, you asked! DirkvdM 19:03, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] 2 homers 2 stolen bases same game

Has anybody hit 2 homers and stolen 2 bases in the same game?

The best place to ask this is likely at Jayson Stark's Useless Information Department at ESPN.com. — Lomn | Talk 04:15, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

Yes, but in MLB, I am not sure. --Proficient 22:50, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

Barry Bonds likely did this sometime in his career, given how good he was at both of these skills.--69.171.123.148 03:03, 17 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Sunni and Shia

Of the violence by the "insurgents" in Iraq, is it mostly committed by the Sunni or the Shia? Or are both sides in the "civil war" equal in their killings? (You hear about so much violence in the news, but you never really get the broader perspective of who is doing what and who wants what.) zafiroblue05 | Talk 04:47, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

Have you read the article Iraqi insurgency? DJ Clayworth 17:44, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

Don't forget that apart from Iraqi sunni and shia muslims, there are also Al Qaeda insurgents from Saudi-Arabia, Egypt, Jordan (like Zarqawi)... in Iraq. Al Qaeda is sunni (they have even targeted shia muslims) : just a few weeks before his death, Zarqawi seemed intent on war with the shia muslims. What I was wondering myself : you often hear of brutal suicide bomb attacks on simple civilians, sometimes a bunch of kids just playing in the street. Which of these groups target civilians (of their own religion?). Is that mostly an Al Qaeda thing? Evilbu 11:55, 13 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Online Gaming

Hi am new to online gaming.My question is simple one.I intend to play a sci-fi, say Anarchy online.So how do i start? what are the requirements(i have a system that plays POP-TTT easily. i need info about te kind of connection, etc..)? And where should i register? ...Phoenix.

Try the official site.  -- Run!  11:49, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Warhammer calendar

Hi, in the Warhammer Fantasy setting, which calendar do the High Elves use? Is it the same as the Imperial Calendar? Would "c. -4000" imply IC? If it doesn't, what would it mean? --Kjoonlee 08:28, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] How can I prepare mango sauce?

--213.207.212.229 08:52, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

Go to www.google.com. Type in mango sauce recipe. Hit "Search". Weregerbil 09:57, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

Don't literally hit it. Move your mouse until the cursor is above the 'search' box and press the left mouse button. Wikipedia accepts no responsibility for damage to computing equipment caused by people taking it too literally. —Daniel (‽) 10:59, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

What kind of trauma is your mango sauce about to experience that you feel the need to prepare it for? DJ Clayworth 17:41, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

All things considered, being eaten can be a pretty traumatic experience. —Ilmari Karonen (talk) 01:27, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

Are you speaking from personal experience, or just guessing? -- AJR | Talk 01:35, 12 July 2006 (UTC) (P.S. I was just about to make that same joke, but when I hit edit you had beaten me to it. Great minds think alike, eh?)

I'd say use a very ripe mango, peel it, then spoon the mango flesh off of the pit, as opposed to cutting it off, to avoid including fibers attached to the pit. If you do cut it off, you will need to use a widely spaced strainer to remove the fibers or pick them out. Use a blender to liquefy the flesh. I don't see any need to add sugar, as a ripe mango is quite sweet already, but suggest brown sugar if you do. May be served hot or cold. StuRat 01:41, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

You might add that to the chutney article. Or is that not what this is? DirkvdM 19:06, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

I think of a chutney as being more like a relish than a sauce. That is, it contains larger chunks. In the case of mango chutney, they seem to use unripe mangoes, as well. StuRat 00:06, 13 July 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, I agree. I use a ripeish mango and mash it with a potato masher or ricer.--Anchoress 00:25, 21 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Urinal Design

Many male urinals have a image of a fly printed on it. Normally it is printed at a place slightly above & off centered to the place where males discharge their urine.I would like to know what is the the purpose of it.

Best Regards, Rajeeva

As opposed to female urinals ? StuRat 01:34, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

The Japanese used to make female urinals. They were cone-shaped and set into the floor. Bhumiya (said/done) 15:34, 13 July 2006 (UTC)

Many men will aim at the fly when pissing. "Fly-in-urinal research found that etchings reduce spillage by 80%." [1] David Sneek 09:45, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

I now appreciate good urinal design. In the new office building, we have these god-awful waterless urinals that were designed by a pee-brain! You always have to step around the puddles. They are testing some new ones with a better design, and a 'kill the bee' picture at the back. --Zeizmic 11:54, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

This question was asked in the Totally Official Summer Doldrums Competition in 2005. See [2]. Hope this helps.—msh210℠ 19:22, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

That is pretty disgusting. --Proficient 22:52, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Newspapers

What is the actual name of the board that is put outside newsagents' shops showing the headlines of the daily newspapers?

I don't think it has an actual name. It's just a board. --Richardrj 12:10, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

I've seen them called "A-boards", though the term is not in my dictionary, but it does seem to be appropriate. I've also seen them called sandwich boards, but that seems not to be correct.--Shantavira 12:40, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

I used to work in a newsagents'. If I remember correctly we called them A-boards or A-frames. But it was a long time ago. Phileas 05:36, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

• A-boards because of the shape.hotclaws**==(81.134.99.206 08:48, 12 July 2006 (UTC))

[edit] Can someone recommend some nice instrumental rock?

Especially some with emphasis on the guitars.

When you say 'nice', I presume you mean not too heavy. I'm with you on that. One recent band you could investigate is Tortoise. They are the original post-rock band, with guitars, loping percussion and a jazzy feel. Have a look here for some more ideas. And one other fun website is this one. You type in the name of a band you like and it comes up with a bunch of similar ones, floating prettily on the screen. --Richardrj 12:21, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

You might like Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Their tracks are long, long (20 minutes plus) instrumentals that are mostly quite chilled out. Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven and F Sharp a Sharp ∞ are ideal places to start. --Howard Train 19:58, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

Or you could try Ghosts and Vodka (specifically the album 'Addicts & Drunks'), members of Joan of Arc if memory serves. The band Karate is aslo known (in the New England area I guess) for their jazzy instrumental work, though detractors often toss around adjectives like 'over-worked' and 'mastrabatory' when the style of the lead guitarist, Geoff Farina, is mentioned.72.200.191.145 22:42, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

It's only a single track, but one I like is "Kids from Philly" by George Thorogood and the Delaware Destroyers. It's from their second album in 1980. — Michael J 23:36, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

How about "Classical Gas"? User:Zoe|^(talk) 02:12, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

I Advance Masked by Andy Summers and Robert Fripp has been on my playlist a lot lately... Grutness...wha? 04:23, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

Mogwai are the best guitar-based instrumental rock band out there, in my opinion. Especially their first album, Mogwai Young Team Phileas 05:38, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

Any Malmsteen Album, especially rising force.Anton 15:36, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

Nice? What about the Nice then? :) And the follow-up Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Not all instrumental, but quite a fair bit. Actually, there are way too many examples because 'rock' is such a general term. Pink Floyd has some wonderful pieces too. The best style to check fro instrumental rock would probably be symphonic rock. DirkvdM 19:33, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

Joe Satriani -LambaJan 01:10, 17 July 2006 (UTC)

It's a little more like a "Sweet Philly" variation of Motown/funk, but I love "TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)" by MFSB and The Three Degrees. It only features short singing parts twice in the entire five-minute song. Mike H. I did "That's hot" first! 01:17, 17 July 2006 (UTC)

Walk, Don't Run by the Ventures is an all-time classic; No Matter What Shape (Your Stomach's In) by the T-Bones is also pretty good. Clarityfiend 17:00, 17 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Inefficent goverment

Our goverment seems to be inefficent, i.e. goverment subsidized farming, housing, foolish spending (FEMA, Boston's Big Dig), over-regulation of business, tarriffs, welfare, and a tax code that overtaxes income, while undertaxing wealth--making it harder to become wealthy, but easier to stay wealthy....There are (many) people that contribute nothing to society, and instead of letting them starve or go homeless, our goverment takes resources away from the contributors and redistributes it to these worthless people.

My question is, someday, there will be a nation that is much more efficent, would it be able to quickly surpass the US (and all other ineffecent nations) quickly? A nation that refused to support its non-contributing citizens (the lazy, the mentally-challanged, the perminately infirmed, etc), would clearly be more efficent in its use of resorces, and should therefore have a huge advantage over other nations. Mayor Westfall 12:31, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

So the plan is to let Internet trolls starve? Sounds good to me. Please stop wasting our time. --Robert Merkel 12:35, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

Go screw yourself, Robert Merkel. Mayor Westfall 13:42, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

Ooooh, you are never going to get a Wiki-date with that attitude... or maybe you will.. --Zeizmic 13:50, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

No, really, Westfall. We're sick to death of your stupidity and of our time being wasted by you. Is there any possibility at all that you would either a) wise up or b) go away. Quite why you want to put your very many inadequacies and your limited intellect and paucity of understanding on display as you do is way beyond me. Please understand that you are repeatedly committing the most grevious sin: you are boring, so very very boring. Please find some other site to troll; who knows, there's probably a K9-15 site somewhere that wouold think you're ahead of the pack. --Tagishsimon (talk)

Who's "we"? Are you the Official Spokesperson for the Reference Desk now? And to answer your quesiton no, but there's always the possibility that I'll be killed by a drunk driver or eaten by wolves. But, I wouldn't hold your breath.

Thank you for condesendingly insulting my intellectually capibilites. Although I am certainly lack the knowledge & understanding I would like, I am a member of Mensa, and therefore feel you personal attack is...inaccurate.

And I must respectfully disagree with your subjective opinion on morality that being boring is the most grevious sin. Of all the apparent evils mankind has committed, you think being boring is the most worst act a person can commit? Regardless of how boring you think my question is, it is valid. If it is not, why don't you refute my claim that certain actions that may seem heartless, would make our society more efficent, rather than by throwing ad hominem attacks around?Mayor Westfall 14:46, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

As long as we're all being silly... Mensa? Seriously? Why? I've always seen it as a club for people who want to pay money to tell people that they are smart. 128.197.81.223 15:15, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

(Oh, I meant that as an honest question as I've never met anyone who bothered to join Mensa, but I imagine it may come across as me being an ass like the above people.)128.197.81.223 15:28, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

It seems most Internet trolls are self-proclaimed Mensa members with poor spelling. It's an unexpected correlation. ("Inefficent" in this question and "Chineese" in another.) —Bradley 19:01, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

Getting back to the original poster's question (though it's only barely that) "My question is, someday, there will be a nation that is much more efficent, would it be able to quickly surpass the US (and all other ineffecent nations) quickly?" - As you seem to be able to see the future with enough accuracy to assert that "there will be a nation that is much more efficent" you should be able to answer your own question. Were any of us, without your oracular powers, to answer all we'd be doing would be speculating on a hypothetical question riddled with questionable & arguable assumptions.

On a seperate point I don't think your assumptions are accurate. You seem, from the tone of your comments, to think that those citizens which don't contribute to society (in what way isn't made clear) are all homeless, lazy, mentally-challenged or infirm and are being paid for by those who contribute (which I take to be taxpayers). In effect those at the lower end of the social spectrum subsidised by those at the top. Actually I believe it is the case in the U.S.A. that taxes currently favour the 'rich' rather than the 'poor' (defined as something like top 10% & bottom 10% I think) with the rich being subsidised by the poor. That is the top 10% are gaining more than they pay due to exemptions, company tax rules, rebates, etc. This is ignoring those who don't pay any taxes because their investments are held in Lichtenstein or somewhere similar. Frankly you could refuse to support these people but it wouldn't make much of a difference. AllanHainey 15:49, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

I find it blissfully ironic that the sentense which tells us how clever he is goes "Although I am certainly lack the knowledge & understanding I would like,...". In response to your question about why Mensa, I can confirm that it's basically a way to pay for a)bragging rights b)the chance to meet people who will not laugh at you for being obsessed with your IQ. That said, I have an IQ of 161 and am in Mensa (once my form arrives at their office). —Daniel (‽) 15:55, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

In response to your actual question I would like to say that you strike me as incredibly cold-hearted and much too lacking in humanity. Please don't become ruler of the world. —Daniel (‽) 15:57, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

When people tried this before, the US (and other countries) beat the countries that tried it. See WW2. So no, this 'more efficient' country would most likely not overtake the US (or whatever country was ahead at the time). For one thing, people would be unlikely to take business risks if there was no safety net, otherwise useful citizens can be lost to the system if there is nothing to catch them when things go wrong, etc. And that's without the moral issues. (By the way, it's taking every ounce of resistance I have to avoid creating a redirect at Official Spokesperson for the Reference Desk to User:Tagishsimon) Skittle 18:51, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

Redirect away, old chap. --Tagishsimon (talk)

That might be the best option, assuming that the goal you choose for society is making it more efficient. However, that isn't a safe assumption. As well as discouraging risk, a policy like that would hurt foreign relations, which would have negative effects on the domestic economy. You also have to consider what belief systems would have to be in place before policies like that could implemented. Most collectivist societies respect the elderly too much to just throw the infirm out on their asses. And in an individualistic society, it's nice to have a safety net in case you are unlucky, get hurt, or just suddenly become lazy. Crazywolf 21:49, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

Perhaps. But the Earth's territory has already been divided into nations, generally. So it is unlikely that a new nation with extreme efficiency will generate suddenly. An efficient nation would more likely grow slowly, but surely. In fact, many would say the United States is heading that direction (in getting more and more efficient.) This is debatable. --Proficient 22:56, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

In terms of efficiency, Japan and China probably have it one-up on the US in some cases. But I think you are missing the point - a nation may be extremely efficient, but that does not necessarily mean that it respects the value of a human life. The goal of a nation is not to be "the most efficient". There are a lot of important things that could be sacrificed for efficiency (marriage, family, friends, warmth towards others, kindness), but what kind of world would that be? We are people, not machines. BenC7 02:27, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

• Maybe a lot of inefficient, handicapped people use their considerable knowledge on here helping useful members of society like you? hotclaws**==(81.134.99.206 08:54, 12 July 2006 (UTC))

I dunno, this sounds like an actual question to me, doesn't seem very 'trollish'. Why don't you people actually help people instead of calling people trolls. I appluad the people who actually answered the question asker rather than calling him trolls.And I've always wondered why the government helped those kinds of people anyways. Wizrdwarts (T|C|E) 18:46, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

Who do you think write Wikipedia? The more time people have on their hands, the more they can spend writing. So a large portion of Wikipedia must be written by unemployed people. Also, where does our wealth come from? Put differently, would someone from a rich country earn as much if they would have grown up in a poor country? Nowhere near. The wealth we live in was produced (or stolen) by our ancestors. Not by us. So who decides how this wealth is to be distributed? If everyone has equal rights (that's a constitutional thing) then it should be distributed evenly. Anyone who works now contributes just a tiny part of the wealth and should thus get just a tiny bit more. What we have is not justice but a practicalsolution to the fact that a just distribution would stop people from working. Which makes a lot of sense. Alas it gives some people some wrong ideas. Thirdly, a dynamic society needs a dynamic work force, where people are easily fired and hired, and thus always have a group of people literally 'between jobs'. Most of the unemployed are next years work force. Don't cut off the hand that feeds you. By the way, I'm also a Mensa member, but that is neither here nor there. DirkvdM 06:17, 13 July 2006 (UTC)

To the anon who said "I've always seen it as a club for people who want to pay money to tell people that they are smart". That may be true of some members, but in my case (I failed the test, by the way), my desire to join was in order to become associated with people of like minds with whom I could create friendships, have stimulating intellectual discussions, and promote harmony. I would think that most persons of such lofty intellect would have a similar attitude. I certainly would never gratuitously flaunt my membership in the way that Dirk here has just done.(Lol) But then, that's speaking as an outsider. Maybe if I had achieved the Parnassus of Mensaship, I would be different. But I doubt it. (However I can still decline "mensa": mensa, mensa, mensam, mensae, mensae, mensa; mensae, mensae, mensas, mensarum, mensas, mensas. I think. Vale.) :--) JackofOz 06:34, 13 July 2006 (UTC)

In stead, you flaunt your not having been accepted as a member. I haven't reached that level of modesty yet (nor do I think I ever will). :) If this makes you feel better, I don't even know what 'decline' means in this context, so you're ahead of me there. And as for the reason I joined, that was the travel sig (special interrest group), similar to servas, of which I am also a member, but it works way too complicated, so I never used it. Servas is a great alternative to meet people from all over the world. It's sort of like travelling without leaving home. I recommend it. DirkvdM 17:51, 13 July 2006 (UTC)

Decline: see declension. Mensa is a Latin word, and the ending changes depending on the case. It's typically the first noun that students are taught. Why, I don't know. JackofOz 21:20, 13 July 2006 (UTC)

Isn't the joke that that particular 'Mensa' means 'table', unlike the word 'Mensa' for the society which is some form of 'mind'? Where 'mentes' is the genitive plural. Probably 'mens', but I can't remember what bit of that would be 'mensa'. Skittle 13:11, 15 July 2006 (UTC)

Yep, mens means mind, but mensa is not a form of that word. Still, it's not hard to see what the founders of Mensa were getting at. JackofOz 23:39, 17 July 2006 (UTC)

Is "goverment" a more efficient form of government? Getting rid of a useless, freeloading letter must do wonders. (I'm a charter member of Densa, by the way. I'd be proud of it, if I knew what it meant.) Clarityfiend 16:49, 17 July 2006 (UTC) See: Libertarian | Common Law | Mises | Rothbard 71.48.62.251 04:30, 20 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] My new account is not being recognized!!

Hi there, I have just signed up with a new hotmail account (email redacted to prevent spam) and I get a message saying this user is not recognized. Since I am trying to set up something important for my business, can you please tell me why it is not being recognized??

Thank you

Perch Creek Press

Um, do you mean that your Wikipedia account is not working? If so, the best place to ask this question is the help desk.

Secondly, don't put your email address on Wikipedia pages. You'll get deluged with spam. Questions are answered here, not by email.

Thirdly, and this is just a matter of opinion, you shouldn't ever use Hotmail for something important connected with your business. It's too buggy and insecure. --Richardrj 15:06, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

[I only noticed point 1 above when I typed this out] I think he means that his Hotmail account is not working. Firstly, I emphasize that you should not put your email adress here, because within 30 seconds it will be on someone's email list and people will be paying money to buy it. Secondly, if this is so important for your business I strongly suggest that you don't use Hotmail. It's badly organised, lacks storage capacity and people won't want to spend money on whatever it is that you're doing if they see you have a free email adress service. Get a personalised address (with your company's name on it) or use GMail (the coolness factor of GMail counteracts the freeness). Thirdly, you could try waiting a day or two (perhaps the server hasn't updated), see if there's a confirmation email you have to reply to to active the account, check to see that you've typed the address and password correctly, or just sign up to a new address. Don't put the new one on the internet. —Daniel (‽) 15:47, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

• Unless you're planning on violating WP:SPAM, I don't see how a Wikipedia account can be important to your business. - Mgm|^(talk) 05:03, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

Ha, you guys have protected a potential spammer from getting spammed. :) DirkvdM 06:25, 13 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] least expensive

Because this question involves accounting (mathematics) and business (humanities) I have decided to ask it here. Which would be the least expensive means of transferring oil from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico by Supertanker:

1. navigation around Cape Horn, or
2. offloading and on loading via cross country pipeline from the West side of Panama to the East side of Panama?

...IMHO (Talk) 14:50, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

Why doesn't the supertanker with the oil in it go through the Panama Canal? This would seem to be easier, and presumably cheaper, than option 2. By the way is there even a cross-country pipeline in Panama? If there is and the 2 options above are the only ones there are then I would say pumping it over Panama is still likely to be cheaper than sailing round the horn. AllanHainey 15:26, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

A problem is that the Panama Canal was made long ago, before the current supertankers existed. It is already too small for some of the largest ships, as I recall, but an effort is underway to create a larger canal. It is probably true, however, that a cross-country pipeline would be cheaper than sailing all the way around Cape Horn. 128.197.81.223 15:50, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

FYI, panamax is the relevant term for vessels with the capability to traverse the Panama Canal. Along the lines of the original question, as I understand it, current economic considerations dictate that oil simply isn't moved (in meaningful quantity) between the Atlantic and Pacific. For instance, despite being a net oil importer (primarily on the Atlantic coast), the United States exports Alaskan oil in the Pacific region because of relative costs. While a Panama pipeline would almost certainly reduce transoceanic shipping costs, it might still not be an incentive to implement such shipments. — Lomn | Talk 16:26, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

Or option 3, transferring the oil into a group of panamax tankers, which could presumably just sail up and down the canal if this is a common requirement, or just one tanker with oil holding facilities at each end. This would require much lower investment than a pipeline, but might have higher running costs (perhaps $100,000 per tanker??) Notinasnaid 18:33, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

That would also be far more risky from an oil spill standpoint -- close-quarters maneuvering is where most stuff goes wrong. — Lomn | Talk 03:45, 13 July 2006 (UTC)

Spills in areas of coastline not equipped to handle them or to perform recovery operations coupled with far greater distances with much greater risk of bad weather, mechanical failure, operator and navigational errors, encounters with other shipping, etc. would seem to increase the risk and cost of an oil spill rather than lower it. ...IMHO (Talk) 18:31, 13 July 2006 (UTC)

I'm sorry, I don't grasp your point -- How has the pipeline, with an additional point of loading and unloading, removed any coastal approaches? The ultimate beginning and end of the transit remain unchanged. — Lomn | Talk 19:40, 13 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Driving in America

According to driving licence, different US states have different ages for driving. So, if I were a 15 year old South Carolinan with a driving licence, could I drive in New Jersey, where the minimun age for driving is 17-18? Also, should the hypothetical 15 year old South Carolinan move to - for example - the UK, with a minimum age of 17, could they drive? smurrayinchester^{(User), (Talk)} 15:43, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

I believe that they are not allowed to drive, but I am not certain. Jon513 15:46, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

I remember my teacher talking about this and I remember him saying that they usually let this go... but I'm not sure. One of my relatives got pulled over for not having headlights (for some reason that I can't remember that that state does) but he only got a warning.

I think it just depends on the state's rules... in order to answer that question, you would have to tell us what state you're talking about.

There is national law and then there is state law that handle things like marriage, traffic laws, divorce, and so on.

In the UK, anyone can drive a car on private land. Anyone aged 17 or over can drive a car on the public highway, provided they have a licence or are accompanied by someone with a licence and attach L plates to the vehicle. Finally, only someone with a licence can drive on the motorway. --Howard Train 20:04, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

As with many laws, I expect it varies by state both in law and in active enforcement. This site shows that it is illegal to drive in New York under age 16 even if you have a valid license from another. Illinois allows other states' learner's permits and claims "Most states reciprocally recognize the Illinois instruction permit." Rmhermen 20:29, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

Does the fair faith and credit clause not require states to recognise the licenses of other states? Crazywolf 21:21, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

No, any more that the clause requires states to recognize the medical licenses or other professional licensure from other states. Full Faith and Credit Clause might or might not be of interest (not valid in Delaware, New Mexico, or Alaska.) --jpgordon^∇∆∇∆ 14:04, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] How do I....

How do I create an artical?

What article are you trying to create? XM 17:57, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

See Wikipedia:Your first article. BTW, you can sign your comments by adding four tildes (~~~~) to the end of your comments. Emmett5 22:10, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

I believe you mean an article.

Of course. We've got an article on 'article'. :) DirkvdM 06:27, 13 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Number of Stores nationally that sell liquor

How many stores, liquor, convenience, gas stations, mass merchants, sell liquor, not just beer, but liquor?? I am interested in finding the total number that sell alcohol for consumption off-premise.

Globally? In Lichtenstein? Could you be more specific? Skittle 18:34, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

Nationally, United States.

• The US Economic Census collects this sort of data. I found your answer in about 30 seconds by drilling down through the tables. From the 2002 economic census, go to "reports by state", select "United States", find "retail trade" and hit "more data", then "food and beverage stores". The NAICS code for Beer, wine, & liquor stores is 4453, and in 2002 there were

28,957 establishments

$28,246,426,000 in sales

133,035 paid employees.

Looks ok off the top of my head, but you can get more details. But note that this is not all stores that sell alcohol! In many states groceries and other stores may do so. bikeable (talk) 16:25, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] An Average Question

This may sound odd but what can be the average amount of belts that a girl of woman in general may own?--Biggie 18:16, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

Perhaps two? This is extreme speculation. --Proficient 22:59, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

Is she my sister? If so, only God knows! If it's not my sister, I'd say it could be anywhere between zero and a hundred. I doubt you'll find any sort of statistics anywhere for such a specific item. Dismas|^(talk) 00:35, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

My wife owns three, my daughter two. That's the best I can do.

And it rhymes. DirkvdM 06:28, 13 July 2006 (UTC)

• That's a good question. I would try to call up the lobbying wing of the belt industry ... but I have a feeling that3 the belt industry doesn't have a lobbying wing. --M@rēino 15:12, 17 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] spicing food

Some people put salt, herbs, spices, and seasonings into food in quantities that allow someone eating the food to recognize the seasoning included. For example, some people put salt into soup to the extent that someone can actually taste the salt. Others frown upon this, thinking that the seasoning should just bring out the flavor of whatever food is being made. (An obvious exception would be something like onion soup.) Of course, one can't argue over what tastes good: it's a matter of personal preference. But I wonder two things:

1. What do most of you prefer? (Straw poll.)

1. What do experts (chefs, I guess) think on the matter?

—msh210℠ 19:13, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

When I was young, I'd always add so much salt that it gave food a clear salty taste. Since then, I've backed off a lot on the old NCl, using it in a more "proper" manner. While I'm no expert, I expect that if you're going to go to fair lengths to make a good tasting food item, you want to taste the food itself and not the salt. Salt is definitely important (try eating rice, potatoes, pasta, etc. without any salt), but I think it should be used in a manner to turn up the volume on flavor without adding its own flavor. For other spices, I think it depends on the dish. Curries obviously depend on a large amount of spices to the point where they are the prominent flavor, whereas a nice hamburger is better off with just a few grinds of pepper for a nice background flavor (in my opinion). 128.197.81.223 19:47, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

I prefer little to no salt. I think most chefs would add enough salt to suit their needs, but no more. They definitely would not want to overpower their dish, nor make it underflavored. Through experience, chefs tend to develop their own style in garnishing meals. --Proficient 23:01, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

The point of adding seasonings, herbs and spices to food is not to directly make them taste of the ingredients. Soup, for instance is a chemical mixture of lots of different substances, and is designed to stimulate as many of the senses as possible: visually, texturally, flavourwise and oderous. Humans are capable of sensing roughly five distinct flavours - acidity, bitterness, sweetness, salinity and umami. Salts, vegetable acids, fats and sugars excite the palate by keying into tastebuds on the tongue. Herbs and other flavourings are added to produce an interesting aroma, as almost 90% of what we perceive to be our sense of taste is actually retro-nasal in nature. The overall point is to introduce as many harmoneous but contrasting elements as possible, so as to produce an interesting and enjoyable flavour. No elements should jar, but should work together, and this is something which comes through practice and patience. --russ 22:56, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

You can influence the taste in useful ways with things like salt without making the taste notably salty. That is because each taste bud has taste receptors for more than one of the 5 tastes, but only a single neuron to transmit information to the brain. So the brain recieves really confusing information from your taste buds, and has to decode it based on the frenquency of the firings of all the different taste buds, not just whether the sweet receptors or the salty receptors are firing. So adding salt or sugar can influence how your brain interprets the effects of a sour taste, but there is a threshold below which you can't notice a difference, even subconsciously, since the concentration of spices has to be large enough to have a chemical effect on a large number of the taste receptor cells. So if you are diluting your spices to homeopathic levels, you aren't going to affect the taste. But if you add too much of one flavor, you are likely to actually decrease the sensation of some of the other flavors. Crazywolf 23:51, 13 July 2006 (UTC)

it should be noted that some foodstuffs excite the palate by deliberately keying into a desire to be stimulated, as is the case with salted nuts, or ice cream. Similarly one's perception of taste is personal, so if you are dehydrated salty flavoured foods may be perceived as unpalatable --russ 00:00, 14 July 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for your responses, folks (and I'll continue monitoring this page for further responses).—msh210℠ 18:06, 14 July 2006 (UTC)

I remember once I was watching Iron Chef and they were competing to see who would make the best dishes with rock-crabs. Everyone was like 'ooohh Bobby Flay is using too many spices! He's going to lose! You wont even be able to taste the crab!' Bobby ended up winning. He said he tried a taste of the crab and it wasn't as aromatic and flavorful as he was hoping it would be so he made up the difference by adding more herbs and spices than he normally would. Cooking really is an art more than anything. I think if you choose tastefully then people won't mind if it conforms to this or that philosophy of cooking. One thing about salt and pepper, though, is that those particular seasonings are commonly on the serving table, so if you're unsure about where 'just right' is, then it's generally best to err on the side of less. -LambaJan 21:52, 17 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Downloading Streaming Videos

OK, so I'm trying to find a good free program to download that will download streaming videos... I've tried a few and they all don't work or don't work right. So any suggestion would be great! Thanks!

What kind of streaming videos? Have you tried youtube or google video? TastyCakes 21:42, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

You can use google to find plenty of videos (the actual search engine as well as google video.). --Proficient 22:59, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

I think the question-asker is wanting a program that will allow him/her to save streaming videos onto his/her computer. (I don't know of any personally - leastways not a free one.) BenC7 02:32, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

UnPlug is a Firefox extension which lets you save video and audio which is embedded on a webpage. (I used to look in the source code and search for file format extensions). I works great most of the time, but sometimes the site has done a bit more to protect their videos (youtube and good video for example) and unplug won't work. Jon513 15:36, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

Now stop me if I'm wrong, but if he saves it to his computer it's no longer a streaming video. No? In any case, most videos that stream through Windows Media Player can be saved just by clicking file, save as, and a lot of google videos let you download the movie. TastyCakes 15:43, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

No, it's no longer streaming once it is downloaded, but I don't see how that's really an issue here. Many streaming video formats will not allow you to download them (often if you click "save" you are really just saving a link to the streaming video, not the actual video content itself). --Fastfission 20:11, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

NetTransport 2 is a good application for this, also Keepvid.com does this as well.--69.171.123.148 03:07, 17 July 2006 (UTC)

I could be wrong, but doesn' fire fox have an extension which allows the user to download streaming video from websites? 71.48.62.251 04:33, 20 July 2006 (UTC)

Also, you might try mencoder, which is part of the mplayer project. I think they support windows. Kyle Cronan 06:41, 21 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Mattress sizes

What's the difference between a regular king or queen mattress versus a split king or queen mattress? And what's the advantage if any? Thanks, Bill

Google gave me this page, which gives dimensions and even shows your a little pictures of the relative sizes. The split mattresses are easier to move through tight spaces and around corners—at least in my experience. —Bradley 23:08, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] old stock

I am trying to determine whether stock my parents purchased in the 1950s is of any value today. The stock was Mollusca Oil Ltd., and was purchased through the stock brokerage firm of Francis I. DuPont & Co., the latter being located in Los Angeles, CA. I have searched the internet for both companies, but with no result. I would like to know if either of the two companies was purchased by another company which I could contact to determine whether the stock has any current value. Thank you for any help you may be able to provide.

Allen Abersman

Hmmm. Do you have any other information, for instance what exchange the stock was listed on? --Robert Merkel 16:08, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

this news article refers to a firm which specialises in investigating, for a fee, precisely this kind of question. --Robert Merkel 16:14, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

Probably your best bet is either paying a professional finance person to track down the history of the company or to do a bit of research at the stock exchange. You should be able to find at least the years trading in that stock started and ended & probably whether there was any takeover/merger too. If not it gives you some dates so you can check old newspapers which may have some info. AllanHainey 07:36, 13 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Creature Inhabiting Blackpool Tower

I've recently heard rumours of a goblin like creature that supposedly inhabits Blackpool Tower. I was wondering if anyone had any details of this creature or even just the name of it? Cheez talk 22:38, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

Hmm... Robert Smith's from Blackpool. Could it be...? Grutness...wha? 04:27, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Utilizing old photographs in marketing and advertising

I have a 30 year old photograph that I wish to use in an advertising piece for my business. It was given to the owner of our business as a gift. The photographer at the time was just starting a business. The photo was not copyrighted, marked with instructions or limitations, nor was the photographer's name and address affixed to the photo, or any document attached to the photo. It is a great photo however, and we would like to utilize it. My question surrounds guidelines for doing so. Can we use it given that we have ownership of the photo, or should we not even though we can't find the photographer. Thanks for any suggestions!

As far as I know, you probably can't use the photo legally, although, depending on local laws, a good lawyer just might be able to argue otherwise, or at least make an attempt. The real question presumably is, do you want to take the risk that the photographer finds out and sues you? The answer to that will depend one several factors, not all of them legal. For the legal issues, I suggest asking a lawyer. —Ilmari Karonen (talk) 01:24, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

As with all legal questions, we hesitate to give you an uninformed opinion without knowing your location. In general, in the US, anybody could sue you for anything, but in other countries, such as Canada, they would have to demonstrate damage. --Zeizmic 12:10, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

These days you often see disclaimers on books and websites saying something like "we have not intentionally infringed any copyright, if you find that we are using something to which you own the copyright please let us know." Maybe you could try putting in something like that. --Richardrj 12:59, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

If it was an unpublished photo in the U.S. then it has an automatic copyright of life-of-the-author plus 70 years. Unless you have any good reason to suspect that it was given with the express agreement that it could be used in advertising then you shouldn't assume copyright is not an issue. Saying that you are not intentionally infringing a copyright doesn't really help you much, legally. Of course, it is up to you as to whether you think it is a real legal threat or not: if nobody out there knows to sue you, then you won't get sued. --Fastfission 20:09, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

He didn't say he was from the US. Which also probably greatly reduces the risk of getting sued. DirkvdM 06:37, 13 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] GIF Resize

Can someone resize this picture for me to something under 200xsomething? I can't find any programs that will, so could someone also give me a link to a free GIF resizer? Wizrdwarts (T|C|E) 23:47, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

You should probably specify that it's a moving picture. StuRat 00:42, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

Try gifsicle. The command gifsicle -O2 --resize 200x_ -o zidaneff6vy_200px.gif zidaneff6vy.gif will produce this. —Ilmari Karonen (talk) 01:18, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

That is pure genius! -Benbread 17:31, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

The miracles of the command line. It's so powerful that it's crazy I haven't yet taken the time to fully master it. DirkvdM 06:40, 13 July 2006 (UTC)