Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2007 August 29

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[edit] August 29

[edit] About the "Rejection Hotline"

Hello,

A friend of mine sent me a number to a hilarious recording called the Rejection Hotline. I called it but afterwards wondered about a service charge or something like that. I looked on their website and the wikipedia article about the Hotline to try to find anything about fees, either good or bad, and came up with nothing in the search.

Was just wondering if someone here might have some better research skills than I, and be able to find it. (Also, adding it to the article about the Hotline might be good.)

142.46.4.94 02:27, 29 August 2007 (UTC)Tyson

Presumably they did not ask for a credit card number, so as far as I know the only way you could be charged a lot is if you called a premium-rate telephone number or made an international call. Does the number that you dialed look like one of the ones listed for your country in that article? Or if it looked like an ordinary North American number, was it one of the area codes in the Caribbean and therefore an international call? --Anonymous, August 29, 2007, 03:17 (UTC).
Oh, look, Wikipedia has an article -- not very well written -- about the Rejection Hotline. Ordinary U.S. phone numbers, so no problem. --Anon, 03:21 (UTC).
Oh, look, the original question mentions that the user looked at the article. Please try to leave the condescenion at the door when replying to Ref Desk questions. --LarryMac | Talk 17:30, 29 August 2007 (UTC)
The condescension was addressed to myself, not the original poster! I missed the bit where he/she referred to the WP article. --Anon, August 29, 2007, 22:00 (UTC).
The article says "the voicemail system was upgraded to allow more cities across America to host a number leading to the recording". To me, that sounds like it is a local call. The website confirms that these are not international calls. Reading through their website they say that is started as a joke, and their revenue seems to come only through their website advertising and merchandise. Nothing seems to indicate that the hotline charges a fee. Plasticup T/C 16:22, 30 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Xenosaga copyrights

Hi. A while back Namco-Bandai sold the majority of its stock in Monolith Soft to Nintendo. Monolith Soft was the developer of a video game series called Xenosaga. I was wondering if anyone could help me find out if the copyrights to this intellectual property stayed with Namco-Bandai or did it move with Monolith Soft over to Nintendo. I tried the official websites of all parties, their wikipedia articles, google searches, and found nothing. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance. Sima Yi 02:53, 29 August 2007 (UTC)

If Monolith is a publically traded company owned jointly by Namco and Nintendo then the odds are that Monolith retains the rights. Buying shares in a company doesn't give you the right to steal their IP! SteveBaker 18:00, 30 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Terms for two roof shapes

What is the term for a roof that is similar to a Mansard or gambrel roof except that the inner pitch is steeper than the outer? NeonMerlin 02:53, 29 August 2007 (UTC)

ok I've don't think I've ever seen such a thing except in a spire - called a "splay foot spire"87.102.18.14 11:37, 29 August 2007 (UTC)
Yes you have, I daresay: McDonald's restaurants are built with them. Not that I know what they're called, either (I've often wondered). Splay-foot spires are similar but not exactly the same. Surprisingly, even the Wikipedia article on the Mansard roof says McDonald's restaurants have Mansard roofs, which is clearly not the case. I suppose I'll have to correct that.--Rallette 15:06, 29 August 2007 (UTC)
mmh "chinese style roof with upturned eaves" is the best I can do at present.87.102.18.14 16:33, 29 August 2007 (UTC)
It's a pretty impractical style since:
  1. It minimises the amount of attic space (the complete opposite of what a mansard/gambrel does).
  2. When water or snow hits it, the steep part sheds precipitation easily - but dumps the runoff onto a shallower section that's less able to shed it. So all benefit of the steeper section is lost.
  3. It's more complex to build than a singly-pitched roof.
...so we can probably deduce that this style is purely decorative.
(All of which leads up to me having to confess that I have no idea what they are called either!) SteveBaker 17:22, 29 August 2007 (UTC)
Hmmm this page suggests that the McDonald roof (which is the kind that the OP is asking about) is also a 'Mansard' - although almost every other source says a mansard has a steeper lower roof than upper - and McDonalds are the other way around. That page also describes it as 'flared'. The Free Dictionary also offers 'curb roof' as meaning a roof with two different slopes on each side of the ridge - so both the McDonald style and the true Mansard are examples of 'curb roofs' if you accept that definition. SteveBaker 17:36, 29 August 2007 (UTC)
Mmmh looking at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Ch%C3%A2teaudeDampierreenYvelines.jpg these roofs (in this case) do have a slightly pitched eave. That said - has anyone got a photo of the ubiquitous macdonalds from above - I'm guessing that they have flat roofs beind the facade - or am I wrong - and does a steeply pitched roof or eave plus a flat roof on top still constitute a mansard..etc87.102.18.14 19:15, 29 August 2007 (UTC)
There is a written description of the roof here, and there is a picture on this page (scroll down) in which you can barely see over the upper slanted portion. I couldn't find any photos from a higher angle. I'd say yes, the roof is flat, and the upper angled portion is meant to partially hide the equipment up there. --LarryMac | Talk 19:32, 29 August 2007 (UTC)
Ah yes - lots of air conditioning and extracton fans (plus solar heating) (Would make a nice house for me). Thanks.87.102.18.14 19:48, 29 August 2007 (UTC)
I think that the style most similar to the McDonald's roofline is something known in Canada as the "Bell cast" roof. It is/was very popular in the province of Quebec. See this site [1] for photos. Bielle 19:18, 30 August 2007 (UTC)

(outdent) This isn't quite the right answer, but Saltbox houses have this style of roof, in the back at least. Pfly 04:38, 31 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Training module for international BPO

Shweta kathuria Hi my name is Shweta and I am working as the process trainer for an international BPO. I would like to know what should the training module should contain apart from culture, process details, script, rebuttals/ objection handling. Also, how can I start with the business development. What exercises and patterns should be followed? Shweta kathuria —Preceding unsigned comment added by Shweta kathuria (talk • contribs) 03:26, August 29, 2007 (UTC)

Please post questions using the + button, which reminds you to supply a title. I have added one for you. As to your question, I have no idea. --Anonymous, August 29, 04:21 UTC.
I'd spend a great deal of time on language skills (including expression and dialects). I recall an instance where I contacted a French software vendor about a problem and said "when I go into this function, it blows up on me", to which they replied "I'm sorry, if there has been some type of explosion, this must be a hardware issue, our software can't possible be at fault". StuRat 14:17, 31 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] British and American education systems compared

For years I've tried to understand the British education system. I think that with the help of Wikipedia and British friends, I can make the following comparison between secondary school in the US and UK. Am I right in saying:

The GCSE years are not all that different from grades 9 and 10 in the U.S. Students take some required subjects, plus a few electives. At the end, students take an exam that counts for a chunk of their final mark. The differences are that a GCSE "class" takes one or two years rather than one or 1/2 years; the exam generally counts for a bigger chunk of the final mark than it does in the U.S.; and the exam is consistent nationwide rather than drawn up by the teacher.

It's in the last two years where it gets really different. In Britain, if you don't go into a vocational program, the entire goal of your last two years is to perform well on a few A-level exams at the end. In America, grades 11 and 12 are no different from grades 9 and 10; you take a mix of required classes and electives (typically about six total) and get semseter-end grades in each based on coursework, tests and a final exam. Courses geared toward the passage of Advanced Placement exams seem similar to A-level classes, but AP classes (and exams) are optional, not offered everywhere and generally do not make up the entirety of a student's schedule of classes. Because there is no consistent national curriculum or grading standard in the U.S., students take SAT and/or ACT exams so universities can judge them against other students. But the SAT and ACT are separate from the school curriculum and are studied for on the student's own time and budget. States may require that students pass a standard graduation test to get a diploma, but that's a generally easy test to ensure students meet a bare minimum, not anything meant to impress university admissions people. American university-admissions candidates brag about their grade point average, or average semester-end mark from all of their high-school classes. British students, on the other hand, tend to talk about the number of A-levels and GSCEs they've passed.

Yes, I know that Americans call it "college," not "university," and that Scotland is different from England and Wales, but I'm hoping I've got the gist of it. -- Mwalcoff 03:41, 29 August 2007 (UTC)

Your description of GCSEs and A-levels in England is broadly correct, but I can add a few points of detail:
  1. Although the curriculum in each subject is set nationally, the exams are not set nationally - they are set by exam boards such as AQA, Edexcel and OCR. Exams from different boards are not the same - but a GCSE is a GCSE, adn an A-level is an A-level, regardless of which exam board was used.
  2. Most GCSEs and A-levels are now modular, with each module having a separate exam (and some modules may be evaluated on coursework, not an exam). Module exams may be taken at various points during the course - most boards, I think, set their exams twice a year, typically in January and May. A module exam may be re-taken to try to improve results; the student may be asked to pay a fee for a re-take. The overall grade for the GCSE or A-level is based on a combination of the marks awarded for each module.
  3. Each A-level course is split into two halves - AS and A2 - with each half usually taught over one academic year. Students typically take four A-level courses up to AS, get their AS results, and then drop one subject, and continue with three courses to A2. University applications are made after AS results are known, and offers of university places are usually contingent on achieving a certain target in AS and A2 results.
Hope this helps. Gandalf61 10:54, 29 August 2007 (UTC)
A minor point: one doesn't talk about number of A-levels passed, since most people take the same number of A-levels (3) and almost all pass. One talks about grades achieved, e.g. 'I got an A and two Cs'. Algebraist 12:52, 29 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Starting a school

How do I start my own high school? --124.254.77.148 05:09, 29 August 2007 (UTC)

Now this may be a serious question, but, honestly, if you're looking at doing something as substantial as starting your very own high school, is the Wikipedia Miscellaneous Reference Desk really the place to be going for advice? I mean, maybe you'd start with the Government Education Department in your State or Country for example. --jjron 05:46, 29 August 2007 (UTC)
haven't you seen Accepted? Jon513 12:58, 29 August 2007 (UTC)
In parts of the U.S., individuals or groups can form their own schools outside of the regular public school system called charter schools. You have to meet all the requirements of the state department of education, of course. — Michael J 00:45, 30 August 2007 (UTC)
In the US I'd go with a religious school for two reasons, it won't have any taxes on it, and, if the government tries to shut it down the Constitution is on your side, since they could be accused of interfering with the free expression of your religion. As long as you aren't training suicide bombers in that school, you'd likely win. StuRat 14:08, 31 August 2007 (UTC)
Or even if you are training suicide bombers, according to certain people regarding some New York school lately. --lucid 14:17, 31 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] 2010

In the year 2010, will people call it two-thousand-and-ten or twenty-ten? --Candy-Panda 06:29, 29 August 2007 (UTC)

There is some discussion of this at 2010. I'm gonna call it two thousand and ten, cos that's what it is.--Shantavira|feed me 06:43, 29 August 2007 (UTC)
Both. --jjron 09:54, 29 August 2007 (UTC)
I'm gonna call it 'Twenty-Ten', but around the intelligentsia I'm gonna go with 'TwoTen'. I got this 'Twenty-Ten' from playing an old Sega game called 'Crazy Taxi' back in 1999 with the music of Greg Graffin with Bad Religion. On their 1996 Album 'the Gray Race'/song track 'Ten In 2010'. You can pull up the video online, great band, great song. --JacobV
I think people are already calling it 'Twenty-Ten'. SteveBaker 17:08, 29 August 2007 (UTC)
When referring to the London Olympics both 'twenty twelve' and 'two thousand and twelve' are used by the UK media. So we'll have to wait and see but my guess is it will be 'twenty ten' because it's easier to say. It also follows the 'nineteen ten' model Richard Avery 17:52, 29 August 2007 (UTC)
I haven't yet heard years prefaced by "twenty" much in the United States. We are still using "two thousand" for the most part. However, I expect to hear "twenty" more often by 2011, because of all of the syllables, if not in 2010. Marco polo 18:42, 29 August 2007 (UTC)
I do a lot of volunteer work in sports, I am in Canada, and so I routinely hear references to the upcoming 2010 Olympic and Paralympic games. Invariably, people say "twenty-ten"; I don't think I've ever heard it expressed "two-thousand-and-ten". - Eron Talk 21:14, 29 August 2007 (UTC)
To appease the grammar aficionados, please note that it is "two thousand ten", not "two thousand and ten". The use of "and" is reserved for the decimal point. -- 22:50, 29 August 2007 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.33.121.200 (talk)
That's not true at all - at least not in Australia. We say "two thousand and seven" etc, so I'd be very surprised if we dropped the "and" when it comes to 2010. -- JackofOz 22:58, 29 August 2007 (UTC)
Yep - I agree. We Brits don't drop the 'and' out either. It's an American thing. —Preceding unsigned comment added by SteveBaker (talk • contribs) 00:50, August 30, 2007 (UTC)
In fact, if I recall from an earlier discussion I read somewhere, it's a fairly recent American thing, largely introduced by teachers. Skittle 14:02, 30 August 2007 (UTC)
Is the reason behind dropping the and even correct? So you should say 107 one hundred seven not one hundred and seven? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Antilived (talk • contribs) 08:49, 31 August 2007 (UTC)
This Brit says "Two thousand-seven", and a quick ask around the office suggests I am not alone. I would image once we get past 2009, we'll be onto "Twenty-ten" and so on (a la "nineteen-ten" for 1910, as opposed to "one thousand, nine hundred and ten" or "ninteen hundred and ten"). Neil ム 10:45, 31 August 2007 (UTC)
You actually say "Two thousand-seven"? I have never met a briton who missed the 'and' in the fleshworld; to me it suggest 2000/7 or 2000-7 or some such, although I make the translation when I hear it said in an American accent. Skittle 11:27, 31 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Network subscribers in South Africa

Hey Wikis, i was wondering if any one could tell me how many subscribers are listed on the mobile networks in SA(Vodacom, Cell C,MTN,Virgin Mobile etc)I have already searched on wiki so thanks for that info....Also what would you consider to be luxury features on a cellphone and which are a basic needs. Any added info on this topic would be appreciated!Crazypinkster 12:42, 29 August 2007 (UTC)

Note you have already asked this question on the Science reference desk, but frankly the miscellaneous desk I think would be the better place. I gave you numbers for MTN, not sure about Cell C, Vodacom, or Virgin. I think in particular Virgin's haven't been released. Rfwoolf 05:57, 30 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Winnie the Pooh

How was it resolved that Winnie and his friends should stay permanently at the New York city public library? They crossed the ocean several times back and forth and then the New York library just kept them. There was some sort of frumous in Parliament which appears to have been resolved. The New York city website just says that it was resolved to unanimous satisfaction that they should stay in New York. That seems so unlikely without some kind of political muscle flexing or something. Some kind of deal? Is this like the Stone of Scone thing where the US said "we got 'em and we aint giving 'em back, so there" or what? Morton000 12:57, 29 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Island Of Fun

If i were to buy an island and declare it my own country, what would be the consequences of staging an event like Motorstorm or The Arena (in Oblivion)? Also would using prisoners in these events (with a "Last Man Standing Goes Free system) be a breach of human rights? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.76.125.193 (talk) 15:09, August 29, 2007 (UTC)

You can't buy an island and declare it your own country. Most of the islands of the world are claimed by (at least) one state.
But if you would be able to find an unclaimed island, you would not need to buy it, because no one owns it. Declaring it a state is not that simple, you would need international recognition to be a real state.
Then you would want to host a large real life game event there like MotorStorm (racing), The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (rpg focusing on man to man combat) or The Elder Scrolls: Arena (rpg focusing on man to man combat). This is possible but you would need to find people who would want to participate in it.
Using prisoners would be impossible because prisoners are always prisoner of some state, since you want to form your own state you would need to obtain your own prisoners.
Assuming that people would want to live in your state and that they could be able to obtain citizenship of your state, you could then take them prisoner and force them to do any thing your law would prescribe, including man to man combat until one survives. The problem however is whether other states will accept that their citizens lose their citizenship in favour of that of your state. If they do not it would still be legitimate for them to take action in order to protect their citizens.
Assuming that you have been able to become a state without joining the United Nations and entering in its treaties, the question whether it is a breach of human rights (which it obviously is namely the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment) is irrelevant since international treaties do not apply to states which are not member.
So if you are able to claim an unclaimed island, and if you are able get citizens to that island, then you can take them prisoner and force them to kill each other, without breaking international law. Both steps are extremely problematic, if not implausible.
So your killing games are best left virtual. C mon 15:43, 29 August 2007 (UTC)
Worse still - you'd need a police force or military in order to capture and imprison these people for whatever crimes they committed. That means that you need laws - and it's going to be pretty tricky to get a significant number of people to live under (and police) those laws if they say things like "If you steal something, you're (essentially) getting a death-by-gladiatorial-combat sentence." - yet you have to say "It's not illegal to force people to kill each other.". You simply won't find a population who would stand for that kind of thing. Before you know it you have rioting in the streets - the police/army rebelling against your tyrannical rule. International opinion will be strongly against you so you known that (at the very least) the rebels will be well funded - and you won't be. This kind of behavior can't last for long. SteveBaker 17:06, 29 August 2007 (UTC)
See Republic of Minerva for a sad tale of what happened to one micronation project. —Keenan Pepper 17:53, 29 August 2007 (UTC)
Have a look at jus cogens as well. There are some "rules" or "laws" which are internationally recognised even though there may not be a corresponding law in an individual national legislation. Consider this: During the breakup of the former Eastern bloc, several countries "ceased to exist" for an (albeit short) period of time. While the legality of some of the laws of these countries may have been a matter of contention during this transitional period, no sane person would argue that basic rules (what could be simplified as jus cogens) still applied; e.g. it would still be illegal and punishable to murder or rape someone in a country where the legal system was in transition, whatever other non-fundamental rules or laws might be contended. Asav 07:25, 30 August 2007 (UTC)
And then there is "The Most Dangerous Game", which morphed into one of my more interesting high-school classes. Bielle 18:52, 30 August 2007 (UTC)
The key thing you need in order to hold a certain territory is an army powerful enough to defend its independence. Nowadays some paramilitary organizations have de facto control over some territories but, generally speaking, it is rather difficult to accomplish that goal. --Taraborn 13:48, 3 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Bookbinding & papermaking materials resistant to fungus & termites

I would like to know what materials for bookbinding can be used that will have the most resistance to termites and fungus. Paper with high cotton content and glues like methyl cellulose are often used in bookbinding, but would provide little resistance to pests in tropical areas. I am wondering which additives in the papermaking or binding process might be used to increase resistance--would kaolin or other mineral additives be effective, or mixing wool or silk fibers in with cotton? Is wheat paste likely to degrade from pest damage, or are there better alternatives to use for the paste?

130.132.179.160 16:49, 29 August 2007 (UTC)Charles Riley

non natural glues will be much more resistant to fungus than natural glues.
Anti-fungal (fungicide) additives would be the way to go here, at the risk of not really answering your question, further more a synthetic fibre for the manufacture of the paper would help - perhaps some sort of polyvinyl alcohol/polyethene copolymer?.87.102.18.14 17:24, 29 August 2007 (UTC)
Plastic paper (see tyvek or teslin) such as that made from polypropylene probably wouldn't be eaten/rot/go moldy87.102.18.14 20:12, 29 August 2007 (UTC)
I agree that plastic sheets may be the way to go, although fungus can still grow on them, but won't destroy them. An anti-fungal agent may still be coated on them to prevent this. As for the adhesive, I'd go with a non-adhesive binding method, such as stapling sections together at the binding (but then the staples could rust, I suppose) or running nylon strings through them at the binding. Also, you might want to keep the books dry by storing them with a desiccant, like silica gel. StuRat 13:55, 31 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Paper recycler

I saw a small machine that wet waste paper is put into. It gets compressed and comes out as a block that can be burned in an open fire/stove etc. I was wondering what this machine was. It's a bit like a paper shredder

"Paper brick maker" seems to be the common name.87.102.18.14 19:44, 29 August 2007 (UTC)
I recall seeing something of the kind on Tomorrow's World in the '80s. Googling paper brick maker comes up with many links, such as this one [2]. DuncanHill 21:33, 29 August 2007 (UTC)
Wouldn't a standard kitchen trash compactor do the job just as well? They crush things up pretty tight. But I object to describing taking paper and burning it as 'recycling'...it's the opposite of recycling. To recycle it, you have to turn it back into paper or cardboard or something. SteveBaker 00:48, 30 August 2007 (UTC)
Or a tree? Dismas|(talk) 07:11, 30 August 2007 (UTC)
This item was quite widely advertised on TV in Australia, probably about 1982. It went under the name Combusta Brik. I haven't heard of them for many, many years. In fact, probably the only reason I remember it is that one of the less bright kids when I was at school got rather cruelly called Combusta Brik as a nickname at the height of the advertising. A quick Google search returns a number of results, including ones for sale on ebay (you could also try some variations on the spelling, such as 'brick'). It appears to have been a Kambrook tradename in Australia and New Zealand. --jjron 09:02, 30 August 2007 (UTC)
If you are in the UK, a company called Coopers of Stowe have one, they might have a web page too.--88.110.215.190 10:01, 30 August 2007 (UTC)
I suppose I agree with you SteveBaker. It's just when I asked someone what it was they said it was a "paper recycler" —Preceding unsigned comment added by Pheonix15 (talk • contribs) 19:08, 31 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] transportation

How much money is spent annually on both highway and air traffic control safety planning? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Hollyibs (talk • contribs) 18:40, August 29, 2007 (UTC)

Did you have a specific country in mind? Or were you thinking globally? Dismas|(talk) 23:56, 29 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Price of enriched uranium

How much does 1gram of weapons-grade enriched Uranium cost? Please note, I have no intentions of buying or using it in anyway and his is mere curiosity. Thanks. Acceptable 18:41, 29 August 2007 (UTC)

That's going to be 100% dependent on who you are and where you want it delivered. SteveBaker 19:11, 29 August 2007 (UTC)
If you can convince the right people that you're an Islamic terraist state, George W. Bush may be willing to deliver it for free. Of course, you'll only posess it for a few milliseconds...
Atlant 12:26, 30 August 2007 (UTC)

Hey, thats interesting, but here goes an attempt. I hope nobody uses this as a template: -find the uranium ore ($100K)[[:Template:where would you find it??]] -set up a mine to extract it, and the rig's etc. A small manufacturer size ($5-10Million)[[:Template:got to capture a country to do this]] -set up an enrichment process as the Iranians.[[:Template:need a Dr Q to help, but I think they shackled him]] -a) requires power, lets say 1 Megawatt ($1Billion)[[:Template:that's easy, siphon off the grid, if there is one where you set up]] -b) centrifuges, assuming you are a start-up operator, lots of them. I'm going to assume 20,000 equivalent washing machines, superior grade! ($200 Million) -c) bunch of engineers (500 @100k) ($50 Million) Somehow you crank all this up to create a functioning system. Scale required, so I would say you have to spend a few Billion before you get the first ounce! Wow, totally guesswork, but if anybody knows the answer, I'll be happily corrected. So, for purpose of analysis lets rest on $10B/ounce.

Ah, but once you have the infrastructure in place, what would your marginal cost be? Donald Hosek 21:34, 29 August 2007 (UTC)

http://www.uxc.com/review/uxc_Prices.aspx may help. It makes no sense to me but might to someone! Hope this help, or at leasts is of interest. ny156uk 19:38, 29 August 2007 (UTC)

I think it's not the sort of thing you can buy, and as such has no price, (though see above).87.102.18.14 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 87.102.18.14 (talk) 19:41, August 29, 2007 (UTC)

It is indeed a hard question to answer. Here's one data point: under the Megatons to Megawatts program, the US bought 500 metric tons of HEU from Russia for $12B ($4B for the natural uranium, $8B for the enrichment) in 1993. That's apparently enough for 20,000 warheads, so a single pit would be about $600,000. I wouldn't put too much stock in those numbers, though, since it's a weird deal in a weird market. --Sean 22:14, 29 August 2007 (UTC)

Are we looking at the Thousands of dollars per gram or millions of dollars per gram range? Acceptable 23:46, 29 August 2007 (UTC)

If you accept the (marginal cost) figures I provide above, and accept the nuclear weapon design article's estimate of a 10 kilogram pit, you're talking about $600,000 for a 10kg pit, so $60 per gram. Millions per gram would make a single weapon cost 10 billion dollars, which is ludicrous even by Cold War standards. The whole Manhattan Project only cost 23 billion (2007 dollars), and they had to invent the stuff. --Sean 00:05, 30 August 2007 (UTC)
But I bet that if you were (say) a researcher at some respectiable university - and you had a reasonable experiment that needed just one gram of the stuff - you could get it from the US government pretty cheaply. SteveBaker 00:44, 30 August 2007 (UTC)

It has a price (in the US), if you are approved to buy it (and of course as a private individual you would not, but if you were a nuclear engineer working for a major corporation, perhaps you could). In the US though the price might not be set by the market value, but artificially by the DOE.

If you were trying to calculate it by how much it would actually cost in real terms, you would have to specify what type of enrichment you were performing. Generally speaking enrichment is calculated in terms of SWU, where an SWU is a "work unit" of enrichment. How many SWUs you need depends on how much material you are enriching, and to what level of enrichment. How much it would cost would depend on the cost per SWU for a given enrichment method, plus the raw input materials.

Here's my crack at the numbers: The site linked to above seems to say, if I am not interpreting it correctly, that per SWU of enrichment is currently $140. Using a SWU calculator, we could say that getting 10 kg of natural uranium enriched to 90% would require around 1931 SWU, and thus cost around $270,340. But that's just the enrichment cost; you'd need 2 tonnes of natural uranium to input for enrichment, and at the current spot price of UF6 ($240/kg) that would mean your uranium (milled into U3O8 and converted to UF6) would cost an additional $480,000, putting the total cost at over $750,000, or $75 per gram (very close to TotoBaggins' estimate above). Yowza! Someone correct me if I've messed up or made bad assumptions, as I'm just winging this. --24.147.86.187 00:56, 30 August 2007 (UTC)

$75 per gram...cheaper than pure cocaine! Acceptable 18:13, 30 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Amor Comprado's Plot

Can somebody from Wikipedia [help]] me find a plot to Amor Comprado so I could write it in my article on Amor Comprado, please? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ericthebrainiac (talk • contribs) 19:49, August 29, 2007 (UTC)

It is difficult to find a plot for something that does not, yet, exist. I suspect this article may be a candidate for Speedy Delete, which may be why the OP is anxious to write up what it is about. Bielle 23:07, 29 August 2007 (UTC)
It seems that Ericthebrainiac is the sole contributor to that article. Hmmm:
  • STEP 1: Find information.
  • STEP 2: Write article.
Doing it the other way around is not recommended. SteveBaker 00:42, 30 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] mysterious flying sign

this thing happened at year 1999 to 2000.it's located in several places which i will describe below ;

  1. Senawang, Malaysia - Brown
  2. Kuchai Lama Route, Malaysia - Coral Red
  3. Sri Sentosa Apartment, Malaysia - Coral Red
  4. Old Folk House, Klang Lama, Malaysia - Shadow
  5. Kuala Lumpur City Centre (Tower 2), Malaysia - Small Object (Fast move)
  6. National Castle, Malaysia -Silver (like wearing gladiator helmet)
  7. Ampang Route (Naluri Tower), Malaysia - Blue and long size

I concluded that this sign(some kind Fish) and with different colour...Dragon.I can't believe my eyes because all this sign i seen in the morning...or did i go insane myself. For your information i am not taking any medicine or drug...

Can you help me...please explain or advise me to get psycology treatment...Maybe my explaination here not details...Some claims that there is 7 Sign but no ordinary human could seen...What is 7 Sign actually...? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 202.186.17.18 (talk) 20:25, August 29, 2007 (UTC)

7 Sign Regime? Bielle 23:10, 29 August 2007 (UTC)
This question is far too confusing to answer. Slow down - tell us more details. Please describe in more detail what these 'signs' look like. Do you see them only in the sky - or can you see them (for example) hovering in front of nearby objects? Are they visible in daylight or only at night? Can other people nearby see what you are talking about? Do these objects seem very detailed or extremely fuzzy? Do the objects move if (for example) you turn your head or do they appear to stay at the same place in the sky when you do that? SteveBaker 13:25, 30 August 2007 (UTC)