Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2006 November 16

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[edit] November 16

[edit] Astigmatism?

I have a friend in my string orchestra who plays viola, not too well, I have to confess. He is convinced that he can't play because of "astigmatism in his hand." I'm trying to convince him that he needs to practice more, but he insists that he is busy with a whole bunch of chores and such. How can I get him to overcome his conviction? bibliomaniac15 Review? 00:38, 16 November 2006 (UTC)

He has got "astigmatism in his hand". Fortunately there is a cure. Practice. It trains the motor nerves & suchlike. --Tagishsimon (talk)
Your friend could practice forever and still not be good. I took piano lessons for many years. I finally quit because I had no real talent for it, even though I was "good". The last straw was when a friend with no musical training could copy anything I could play (of reasonable length) instantly. -THB 01:07, 16 November 2006 (UTC)
Your friend also seems to have "astigmatism of his vocabulary". If he really believes he has a physical problem with his hand that prevents him from playing well, why does he believe his contribution to the orchestra will be adequate? I understand the human need for association with groups, but maybe you can convince him to choose a group in which he can really shine, not one where he has to make excuses for inherently poor performance. JackofOz 01:27, 16 November 2006 (UTC)
Has he been diagnosed by a competent professional? Maybe the condition he is suffering from is myopia of the hand.  --LambiamTalk 01:57, 16 November 2006 (UTC)
It could be presbyopia of the hand, if he is growing old. Edison 05:33, 16 November 2006 (UTC)
Well Jeez, that'd be no problem... He'd just have to hold instrument further away! ---03:33, 17 November 2006 (UTC)
So he has a third eye on his hand? Does it shoot lasers? --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 08:36, 16 November 2006 (UTC)
I assume you meant to ask whether he can change into a furry form. —Tamfang 07:46, 20 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] the hierarchy of WIKIPEDIA

Moved to Computing/IT Reference Desk--link at top of page. -THB 03:29, 16 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Fast Food Choices when high...

Do you know of any good places to go eat when you are high? Especially late at night. Are there places people go almost exclusively when high? I'm thinking Taco Bell for starters. Adam Nicholson 04:44, 16 November 2006 (UTC)

See Harold and Kumar go to White Castle. If you live in the South, substitute Krystal (restaurant). And yes, avoid Taco Hell. -THB 05:04, 16 November 2006 (UTC)
Having a pizza delivered might be a great idea, so you d not attempt to drive while impaired. Remember to tip a couple of dollars so they do not put you on the "spit list." A larger tip is always preferred. Edison 05:35, 16 November 2006 (UTC)

Greasy spoons that are opened 24 hours a day could be handy, like Denny's. StuRat 06:27, 16 November 2006 (UTC)

It would be nice to know where you're from. Note that the answers so far all seem to assume you're from the US. DirkvdM 07:42, 16 November 2006 (UTC)

I live in London primarily and in Boston Massachusetts about 3-5 months out of the year. I think I should refine my question in asking rather are there places that tend to draw the "pothead" clientele? Like I don't think anyone eats at Taco Bell that's NOT stoned right? Adam Nicholson 08:15, 16 November 2006 (UTC)

Taco Cabanas are open 24-7, but I don't know what area you live in. It's not really authentic but it's not super fake like Taco Bell either. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 08:33, 16 November 2006 (UTC)
In Southern California, the primo location for any late night snacking was Del Taco, sometimes called, the Del. Especially on Tuesdays - 3 tacos for 99 cents!

[edit] Wii disagree.

A friend and me are arguing about the Nintendo Wii. I asserted that it is ludicrous to believe stores will have a general stock around Christmas (due to the fact it was released very close to Christmas and all the parents buying them up). He says that because there will be so many shipped, it won't be difficult to find a system. I'd just call him an idiot, but I want to see the refdesk's opinion on this. From the amount of units shipped, and the media hype surrounding the system, will the Wii be as difficult to find in stores as previous consoles such as the XBox or PS2? --Wooty  Woot? | contribs 05:42, 16 November 2006 (UTC)

Yes, because everybody has to have the newest thing the microsecond it comes out. Heaven forbid they wait a month or so. All game consoles, games, trendy toys, etc. follow the same example. I'm not sure why - wouldn't you rather wait a month or two to make sure you're not spending an enormous amount of money on a lemon? It's as if they're so terrified they might lose out on one or two weeks' worth of fun that they're willing to plonk down hundreds and hundreds of dollars on something completely untried. --Charlene 05:54, 16 November 2006 (UTC)
The problem with waiting is that you may not get what you want when you want it. If the Wii takes off, then yes, it will be hard to get in the comming month. It might bomb - but even then that takes time, Christmas is comming, parents can be misguided and this is the cheapest current gen platform. The Wii will have better numbers than the PS3, but I expect a lower price tag will mean early stocks will sell out. The only console that probably will have steady available stock through the holidays is the 360, as it has been out for a year. Robovski 06:10, 16 November 2006 (UTC)
Then you wait another month, or two, or six. It's not as if you're waiting for clean water or antibiotics for an infection; it's an absolutely unnecessary item. It's just a game console; it's not important. --Charlene 07:09, 16 November 2006 (UTC)
But in another month, or two, or six, it won't be Christmas. Children are unlikely to be able to buy it for themselves, and parents are unlikely to be willing to just buy it for them out of the blue. Isn't this sort of thing usually got as a present, when children (including teenagers) are involved? Skittle 13:36, 16 November 2006 (UTC)
To be fair, birthdays mean at least a steady trickle of parents buying consoles the year round. Laïka 15:30, 16 November 2006 (UTC)

A 'trickle' release always has some nasty political reasons, and causes great pain for rice parents with very whiny kids. My university son is using all his contacts to get a ps3, but it turns out that the first ps3's for a large store are all going to the rich executives! (with whinging kids). Thus, is the corruption of the real world. --Zeizmic 15:49, 16 November 2006 (UTC)

What are "rice parents"?? Dismas|(talk) 16:12, 16 November 2006 (UTC)
If your friend wants one at launch, he should preorder, whether he thinks there will be stock or not. Preorder is free at most shops and means that he should almost certainly get one on launch day. Laïka 16:11, 16 November 2006 (UTC)* Oh no! Sony isn't even going to fill pre-order quotas.People waiting in line have been shot at.damn,it's just another manufacturers hype to get people fighting over their dumb.non-essential goods.The suckers buy it every time.hotclaws**== 13:54, 17 November 2006 (UTC)

Ahh too late! I meant rich parents, and I think the pre-order is very uncertain if they are only bringing in a few hundred thousand in NA. --Zeizmic 16:22, 16 November 2006 (UTC)

Apparently some people have been camping out since Sunday night to preorder this evening. -THB 17:11, 16 November 2006 (UTC)

Now it looks like only 200,000 for NA, and I don't even think my son will be able to get one. --Zeizmic 22:18, 16 November 2006 (UTC)
So is the consensus he's wrong? Hah! Time for him to pay up! Thanks guys. This is the only time Wikipedia has made me money. :p --Wooty  Woot? | contribs 22:44, 16 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] CD ROM

i wanted to ask which IRQ(INTERUPT REQUEST) does a cd rom use is it number 11 or does it depend to which adapter its attached to?coz i thot that it can be on the secondary IDE 2.which DMA channell is not free FOR USE on a standard pc? is it 2 or 0?n why I HAD POSTED THE QUESTIONS ON THE COMPUTING SECTIONS BUT ITS IF THEY DINT HAVE AN ANSWER.

  • Do you mean that "it is as if they didn't have an answer"? It's probably best to repost over there. If they didn't answer, chances are they didn't see it. - Mgm|(talk) 09:17, 16 November 2006 (UTC)
See computer desk reply Seejyb 14:37, 16 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Sitcoms about university

Are there any sitcoms about university students? The only one I can think of is The Young Ones, and they never actually went to their university.

Well, The Paper Chase was about law students, although not exactly a sitcom; The History Man and Porterhouse Blue both feature students and university life and were made into TV mini-series; and there is a film version of Educating Rita. Gandalf61 13:45, 16 November 2006 (UTC)
Several years back, there was A Different World. –RHolton≡– 14:06, 16 November 2006 (UTC)
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air had some episodes near the end with Will and Carlton in college. TinyLittleRobot 14:16, 16 November 2006 (UTC)
Saved By The Bell followed the characters into college. Dismas|(talk) 14:26, 16 November 2006 (UTC)
  • Didn't Buffy end up in college?82.138.214.1 15:22, 16 November 2006 (UTC)
Yes, but I don't think Buffy classifies as a "sitcom". — QuantumEleven 16:14, 16 November 2006 (UTC)
Are you sure? Sarah Michelle Geller trying to act is very funny to me.
Ditto for Beverly Hills 90210. It wasn't really a sitcom but an evening soap opera. -THB 16:22, 16 November 2006 (UTC)
I think two guys a girl and a pizza place did much the same. As did Zoe, Duncan, Jake and Jane. Quite a few teen-sitcoms are set at university/college. Boy Meets World definitely featured through college/university in the later, less entertaining, years. Seems a popular setting for shows aiming at teenages (for obvious reasons). Usually I find them pretty darn good but they can appear tacky/cheap/etc. to others. ny156uk 17:18, 16 November 2006 (UTC)
Buffy didn't stay in college for long. —Tamfang 07:52, 20 November 2006 (UTC)
Undeclared (Fox Network, 2001-02). -- Mwalcoff 00:22, 17 November 2006 (UTC)
Porterhouse Blue One of the most hilarious university based comedies ever seen on UK TV IMO. 8-)--Light current 00:29, 17 November 2006 (UTC)
See Porterhouse Blue#TV mini-series for the coverage of the TV show. StuRat 05:44, 17 November 2006 (UTC)
A Very Peculiar Practice DJ Clayworth 18:58, 17 November 2006 (UTC)
THat wasnt meant to be a comedy was it?--Light current 20:06, 17 November 2006 (UTC)
OK Comedy drama it says on our page.--Light current 20:10, 17 November 2006 (UTC)
How about The Class Menagerie? —Tamfang 07:52, 20 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] IRC drops out

Moved to Computing/IT Reference Desk. See link at top of page. -THB 15:39, 16 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Selling patents: where and how

If patents are a form of property (intelectual property), where and how is it traded?

Intellectual property isn't bought, sold, and traded like a commodity. They are legally granted monopolys on a proccess, design, symbol, or artistic work. Companies can license out intellectual property but they still retain ownership. Sometimes when companies go under another company by its assets like patents, copyrights, and so forth. —Mitaphane talk 18:30, 16 November 2006 (UTC)
Yes, they can be, and are, bought and sold. But because they're not a commodity (that is, every patent is different, and its value must be judged on its own merits) these are bespoke transactions. A patent is worth much more if it has been tested in court, if people are already paying licencing fees for it, or if it is sold in combination with a suite of related patents and/or other related stuff (copyrighted software or designs, trademarks, an existing business unit, and goodwill). A new, untested "virgin" patent is, in most cases, nearly worthless. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 18:37, 16 November 2006 (UTC)
There are several ways you can "sell" your patent:
  1. Assign your patent.
  2. Exclusively license your patent.
  3. Non-exclusively license your patent.
Simplest Answer: When you license your patent to someone, you give up your right to sue her if she infringes your patent. It's her business to practice the patented invention or not. Patent right is a right to exclude. It's not a right to do something. She pays you and you are not allowed to sue. If you're not allowed to sue, no one else can sue her.
Let's say you invented a new mixure fuel and got a patent. You license the formula to the Big And Fat Oil Company. However, the one component of your fuel was patented by other people. Without obtaining the license of the patented component, Big And Fat Oil Company cannot manufacture the new fuel.
#1 and #2 are quite similar. Usually when two parties enter an exclusive license, they sign an assignment contract with some clauses that enables the patent's ownership reverted to the assignor at the end of the contract, or if the assignee fails to pay the license fee.
If you're the assignee or exclusive licensee of a patent, you have the right to sue infringers. If you're a non-exclusive licensee, you have no right to sue anyone because the patent is not your own property.
A "virgin" patent can still be highly valuable. Let's say you're the Big And Fat Oil Company's CEO and you have one billion MIT-graduated scientists and Stanford Law School-graduated patent lawyers. You asked them how to invalidate or circumvent the patent and they fail to figure out how. It doesn't take a zillion-dollar lawsuit to know that you may want to pay the licensee fee and transfer the costs to your poor customers.
Sometimes, a not-so-perfect patent may still worth a few bucks. Let's say you have a miserable patent for a rubber band-powered widget. Somehow you managed to sue a deep pocket with this lousy patent drafted by your own 12-year-old kid following the instructions of an outdated DIY redneck inventor's manual. Anyway, they may just pay you some money and not to see you again. Some patentees are known to harass. In the bad old days, the worst badass may give you a list of 100 screwball patents and say you could have infringed one or more of these patents. ... -- Toytoy 19:18, 16 November 2006 (UTC)
To directly answer the original question, you would sign a contract or licensing agreement with someone, to do one of the three above things. Incidentally, if you're asking because you are thinking about sending money to one of those businesses that advertise that they'll help you patent your invention and sell it, don't send them money. Contact a reputable patent lawyer instead. Tempshill 19:13, 16 November 2006 (UTC)
Or go to a public library and look for some patent application DIY manuals. -- Toytoy 19:18, 16 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Thailand

Hey, what did Thailand used to be called?

Thanks!

Chris Lopez, Hollywood

Seems like a quiz or homework question, but alright: "Siam". 惑乱 分からん 23:05, 16 November 2006 (UTC)
Too bad you weren't steered to our Thailand article where you may learned more than just one word. --hydnjo talk 23:22, 16 November 2006 (UTC)
Actually he was... Redirect... 惑乱 分からん 23:28, 16 November 2006 (UTC)
See The King and I--Light current 00:32, 17 November 2006 (UTC)