Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2007 March 1

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[edit] March 1

[edit] the value of my baseball cards

im not sure where to go in order to find the value of a set of 1994 mint condition topps series 1 and 2 trading cards for baseball. cant anyone help me out?

Presuming you live in the United States, your local library will probably carry a price guide. However, this seems to suggest a retail of $44.99, and this suggests $49.99. Carom 01:52, 1 March 2007 (UTC)
Back in my baseball card collecting days, Beckett's Baseball Card Monthly was the magazine to get price information from. Assuming you live in the U.S., most any baseball card shop should carry a copy or at the very least, have one behind the counter that the owner would be willing to have you leaf through. Dismas|(talk) 16:08, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Bees disappearing

What the fucking hell is going on ? I've heard on the news TODAY that these things are disappearing. Can you say MASS STARVATION and/or WAR over FOOD ?! Need a template on the Bees article. Something is killing them, maybe it is Foul Brood, a disease that if it got into one hive, the rest of the hives have to be destroyed to stop this shit. 205.240.146.224 02:13, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

Ehh, source? 惑乱 分からん 02:36, 1 March 2007 (UTC)
I hear the problem is caused by people who are overly worried about bees. V-Man737 02:39, 1 March 2007 (UTC)
Don't know what the original questioner was looking at, but here's a recent news story from the NY Times about disappearing bees: Honey Bees Vanish, Leaving Keepers In Peril. Crypticfirefly 03:28, 1 March 2007 (UTC)
With the bees gone, this could mean WAR over food. Agree ? Disagree ?205.240.146.224 06:03, 1 March 2007 (UTC)
Perhaps among those people who depend on bees as their main source of food (but honestly, I haven't really met anyone who eats bees). Other than that (and, more seriously, even considering the absence of honey), if bees really are disappearing, I really don't see a direct consequence on the world's food supply. If you are concerned about the ecosystem that the bees are in, and how it relates to the world's food supply, I could conceivably see a vague connection, but still not an immediately direct one (or, at least, one that is not esaily overcome by simple solutions). V-Man737 06:19, 1 March 2007 (UTC)
From the Bee article: "It is estimated that one third of the human food supply depends on insect pollination, most of this accomplished by bees.". I believe that this is what all the hub-bub is about... Discuss? Capubadger 08:05, 1 March 2007 (UTC)
If all honey-bees become extinct (which seems highly unlikely to me), we would need to move to alternate pollinators, like other species of bees, other insects, and hummingbirds. Also, we might need to replant some fields with crops which don't require pollination. However, I suspect that the bees, feeling a strong evolutionary pressure, will quickly mutate to develop a resistance to whatever is killing them. If 99% of the queens are susceptible and die off, that will leave the 1% which have a resistance, which will quickly rebuild the population with resistant bees and queens to form new colonies. StuRat 11:54, 1 March 2007 (UTC)
Pollinator decline talks about these issues. Looks like it is related to an environmental ELE if you follow a few links.. Sandman30s 13:02, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

Do we really need the third word in the question?--88.111.98.95 15:38, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

Based on the seriousness of the problem, I'd say yes. Here in my part of the world (where we have quite a business in things pollinated by bees such as apples), there's a lot of concern over this problem and it's in the news frequently. I would also remind you of WP:NOT#Wikipedia is not censored.
Atlant 17:33, 1 March 2007 (UTC)
Yes, we might all end up being stung by this problem. StuRat 17:08, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Flash Video Query

Does anybody know what has become of a flash video that begins with Neville Chamberlain's declaration of war with Germany in '39 and ends with the movement of Great Britain to Mars? It was on Albino Blacksheep years ago but seems to have disappeared. Mach Seventy 05:42, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

copied to Entertainment V-Man737 06:25, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Beauty consciousness

I think I am very conscious about my looks.I get easily disturbed when anyone says anything relating to my looks.I am very embarassed abut it since it makes me feel very girlish and even have been subject to others ridicule.

This is a common problem. What was your actual question? JackofOz 08:56, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

Please don't worry about this. I'm guessing that you are in your early teens? Well, you may find this hard to believe, but other people are just as sensitive and vulnerable as you. Some are simply better at hiding it than others. In time you will come to live with yourself as you are. Many, many people have been down this same road. Clio the Muse 10:48, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

True beauty is one the inside ;) --IvanKnight69 12:03, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

I read somewhere that in the development of people from child to adolescent to adult etc - they begin most self-conscious of their face and head, and next this self-consciousness moves to the upper body, and then later to the stomach, then to the waste, and lower and lower as we get older. I don't believe this is a hard and fast rule, but could be part of behavioural psychology. In other words, over the years if you remain extremely self conscious, in theory you will eventually move on to being more or equally conscious of other areas of your body -- such as your muscular build or your levels of fat or your height or something else.

You didn't ask a question however.

I believe the reason you are so self-conscious is because you think you need to be. You may feel that unless you check your hair all the time or unless you spend 30 minutes doing your hair every day that you won't look good. This on some level may be true, but being young you aren't very aware about how the world sees you -- your self-consciousness might even make you look over-neat to others, or stuck up to others. You may end up applying too much make-up, or having over-perfect hair. So some solutions include learning to like yourself, finding ways to relax about your looks a bit more -- maybe you need to find a new hairdresser that can give you a look that you'll feel more comfortable with -- or buy clothes/shoes that suit you better and make you feel more comfortable with yourself -- or earings or whatever. It may also help to get feedback from people you can trust - like a parent or older friend.

Finally, over time as you get older and you learn about the world and how shallow young people can be, you will begin to relax a little about your looks. As you get older you might find someone that likes you or approves of you no matter how you look - or you will just be more conscious about other things like work, money, gaining weight, sports, etc.
Good luck.
Rfwoolf 16:13, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

I found it ironic to the point of hilarity that my ugliest years were the ones when I most cared about my physical appearance. V-Man737 02:23, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Phone Question

I currently have a cingular pick your plan phone. if i wanted to get a better phone could i just go to a cingular store and get the smartchip transfered to a new one.--logger 08:14, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

Go to a store and find out!--88.111.98.95 13:16, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] contact information on this person

I have been cheated in dataentry jobs many times so I want to make sure that this person is genuineI want his contact no and address.He is Joe Kerz. He runs a website called www.thehomeworker.org.122.167.154.209 10:11, 1 March 2007 (UTC)thanks

You can try entering his web site name into one of the many WHOIS servers out there (eg http://www.networksolutions.com/whois/index.jsp). That should tell you the name, address and phone number of the owner of the site. However, this may not get you the data you want for two reasons: 1) Some people enter false data when they register their domain name in order to avoid Spam, etc. 2) The domain name may be owned by a web hosting company and not by the guy who actually runs it. SteveBaker 15:44, 1 March 2007 (UTC)
Do you find that employers are picky about typos when you do data entry? Edison 16:06, 1 March 2007 (UTC)
Nah, the computer knows what you mean. anonymous6494 16:27, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

I just saw his ad. Kinda caught my interest until I read the name... sounds like JOKERS.

hey is this guy for real or what?

[edit] roger penrose´s Road to Reality in Spanish?

Hello, I would like to know, wheater the bokk od Roger Penrose: Road to Reality, has been translated into Spanish. Thank you in advance. With kind regards, Alice Šimerová

The answer is "yes" but when I saw it in a bookshopt I already have the English version so I do not bought it and I do not remember the printing house. --Igor21 20:15, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Fastest Growing 'Rich' City?

Does anyone know what the fastest growing city in the developed world (North America / Asia / Australia), not including South America, Africa, Asia etc. Thanks to anyone who is kind enough to help. --IvanKnight69 12:00, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

Asia is in both lists. StuRat 12:03, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

Don't know if it's in the areas you're interested in, but DUBAI in the United Arab Emirates claims to be the fastest growing city, and I would not be surprised if they are right.--88.111.98.95 13:13, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

The answer to your question depends on precisely how you define "rich" or "developed world" and how you define "city". Marco polo 14:07, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

The city growing by the most number of people each year is probably tokyo, but that is likely to be mostly because it already has almost as many people as every other city put together in it

Melbourne is the fastest growing city in Australia, if that helps. --Candy-Panda 01:14, 3 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Game derived from football

As a kid, living in the UK, I (and kids I'd meet from elsewhere in these fair isles) used to play a playground game called "Wembley". My question is, does this game exist elsewhere in the world and if so, what's it called? Rules:

  • One goal/goalkeeper would be used
  • Other than the goalkeeper all players would try to score a goal
  • Once you scored, you'd sit out that "round"
  • Last player left was eliminated
  • Rounds would be played until the final (2 players left) when they might need to score more than once to win the game.

I couldn't find an article on this game. It could be that it has a different name elsewhere (hence my question) or that someone applied WP:NFT, lol. I think Mancunian friends might have called it "World Cup". --Dweller 12:01, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

I'm from New Zealand, and I've never heard of it, but it sounds fun. --IvanKnight69 12:04, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

I used to play that game when I was a kid, the only difference was we called it FA. Ken 13:49, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

We called it Wembley too, also people in my area called it 'cuppy' or FA cup, or world-cup (during the world cup season). Great game. We used to play a game called 'heads and volleys' where you had 1 goalkeeper and a series of players who were trying to score goals by either a head or volley, if you missed the target/keeper caught the ball you went in nets. A game '60 seconds' was a branch of this but instead of missing/keeper catching it was trying to score within 60-seconds to reset the clock. A wikipedia article on small-scale versions of football (games like this) would be excellent in my opinion. ny156uk 22:03, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

We still play all those versions you've mentioned above (Wembley singles when the outfield players played 'alone', Wembley doubles when all the outfield players were split into pairs) --iamajpeg 23:22, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

We called a similar game "World Cup" Downunda 02:25, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Slip-slidin' away...

I have wall-to-wall carpet in most rooms, but not where spills are likely (bathroom, kitchen, entry hallway, dining room). In those places, I have throw rugs, instead. (Some rugs are needed because I don't wear shoes inside and the floor is darned cold !) The problem is that those rugs keep sliding all over the place. I've tried those with a rubber backing, but the backing seems to crumble after a few years, especially if you dare to wash them. What other solutions are there to keep the throw rugs in place ? I was thinking about two-sided tape, has anyone tried that ? How well does it work ? Would it damage the hardwood flooring ? StuRat 12:18, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

A good solution, if you find the rubber backing works, would be to stick some velcro to the back side of trhe rug, and the other side of the velcro to the rubber. Now you can remove the rubber for washing! Capubadger 12:48, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

I'd suggest cheap netted rubber matting (I've seen it as a shelf liner most frequently). It's easy to cut to size, cheap, grips well, and can be replaced independently of your throw rugs. — Lomn 14:33, 1 March 2007 (UTC)
I don't quite follow, does this rubber matting attach to the rug with an adhesive ? StuRat 15:17, 1 March 2007 (UTC)
I believe the rug just sits on top, the rubber will grip the mat better than the floor anyways... Capubadger 15:34, 1 March 2007 (UTC)
Capu is correct, the stuff just sits in between the floor and the mat. No adhesive is used. — Lomn 16:19, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

":You can get special non-slip tape for just this purpose. It has a sticky side to attach to the rug, and a grippy side for the floor. Skittle 15:22, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

Some men have found that "You're Lookin Good Cosmetics, Toupee and Fashion Tape" at [1] does a good job of keeping their rug from moving around. Edison 16:03, 1 March 2007 (UTC)
LOL. Maybe trannies also find it useful for keeping their bits and pieces in their proper place. StuRat 17:09, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

IKEA sells products that keep throw rugs from sliding around. One (which may now be discontinued) looked like heavy grey Tyvek (and was some kind of spun-bonded something) but had a tacky surface so it didn't slip against the throw rug or the floor. Another product (still available recently) looks just like that netted rubber matting/shelf liner that Lomn mentioned; it's tan. Both products work well (and yes, that's WP:OR!).

Atlant 17:38, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

Or you could just get a hypocaust :] Hidden secret 7 18:11, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

I have seen a netting made of rubber which is so tacky it prevents a rug from moving at all on a varnished wood floor. If the back of your rug is tacky or you place somethingtacky under it thre should be much less movement. But it might seem--"tacky." Edison 19:49, 1 March 2007 (UTC)
How do you keep the tacky netting from getting dust on it and losing it's stickiness ? Is there any way to wash the dust off ? StuRat 17:06, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] ARRGGGHHHH US TV SITES!!!!!!! GRRRRRRRRRR

GRRRRRRRR what is it with these us tv sites like NBC, showtime or whatever & your not allowed to watch the full episodes on them (cause u dont live there SHUT THE !&$% UP blah blah blah $#!@ing location thing) why do they do this!!! cause some people really like heroes, lost, prison break (etc etc')and dont like waiting every week for it, or curious to see the next episode plus how come when DVD sets for these shows come out, there like part 1 of season yeah whatever and then you gotta wait for next part 2 DVD set (stupid *!%&# %&*!?@! greedy sods want you to pay more) ARGH

XOXO :)

He sounds upset--88.111.98.95 15:35, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

Well, the reason is that the company that made the show licenses it to TV stations around the world. Those companies aren't going to pay big dollars for the rights to the show if people can watch it online. SteveBaker 15:38, 1 March 2007 (UTC)
It is called Bittorrent, my friend... —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 161.45.243.112 (talk) 15:56, 1 March 2007 (UTC).
It is called copyright infringement. --Nélson Ricardo 18:56, 1 March 2007 (UTC)
Couldn't you just use a proxy? FruitMart07 21:58, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Hawking's monetary worth

I read an article today [2] which said that Stephen Hawking would be taking one of those flights in a Boeing 727 to experience weightlessness. The cost was paid for by the company's owner. Also, Richard Branson has said that he'll pay Hawking's way on one of the Virgin Galactic flights in '09. This got me wondering, can Hawking not afford these trips? The Virgin flight is $200,000 according to the article so that's a bit pricey. But the 727 flight is only $3,750. Even I could scrape together four grand and I'm an idiot. I would have thought that Hawking made enough from books and personal appearances that he could afford at least the 727 flight. Not to mention that his pay as a professor should be on the higher end of the scale considering he's Stephen Freaking Hawking! Any ideas? Dismas|(talk) 16:03, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

Hmm... maybe the company owner is sponsering the gig for publicity reasons. Also, even remotely wealthy celebrities like possibly Stephen Hawking still might still find $200K a bit much. Rfwoolf 16:19, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

Also, he has considerable medical bills as a result of his condition, so scraping together $200K may indeed be difficult. StuRat 16:43, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

I considered the medical bill reasoning but forgot to include that. I could see where that would keep him from paying the $200K but not the $4K. Dismas|(talk) 16:50, 1 March 2007 (UTC)
It's not that he can't afford it. Famous people get free stuff all the time. Free shoes, clothes, even cars! It's an ironic tragedy that the rich are given free things. − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 17:27, 1 March 2007 (UTC)
Congressmen get even more free stuff, mainly from lobbyists who have a bill up for a vote. StuRat 17:32, 1 March 2007 (UTC)
But maybe then he has a mean nanny that doesn't want him to waste his fortune on silly things like an extended roller coaster ride in the sky. Many rich people, especially when they are disabled, are discouraged from doing anything that is fun. Even Anna Nicole Smith was disciplined by her nanny (or Manny, - a guy nanny) not to take drugs or do anything that might waste his eventual money. 71.100.171.80 13:56, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Are broccoflower leaves edible ?

The broccoflower/brocciflower is a hybrid of cauliflower and broccoli. Are the leaves outside the head edible ? Do they need to be cooked first ? Do they taste any good ? StuRat 16:41, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

I reckon you could eat them, but they might not taste very nice and could do some odd things inside you, but I you say yes they are edible :] Hidden secret 7 17:12, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

I don't recall the source, but I seem to recall reading that Brassica (or cruciferous) vegetables, which include broccoli, cauliflower, and everything else in the cabbage family, contain some chemical that is slightly toxic when the vegetable is uncooked. But I don't think that it is a serious issue unless you consume vast quantities for days on end. On the other hand, I think that these vegetables tend to taste better cooked. That said, the leaves of broccoli and cauliflower should be perfectly edible, just as the leaves of the very closely related cabbage and kale are. Marco polo 17:19, 1 March 2007 (UTC)
By the way, if you cook these greens, I can recommend two methods: 1) steam for 20-25 minutes, then dress with salt, pepper, extra virgin olive oil, and lemon juice and toss; 2) stir-fry in olive oil and garlic, then sprinkle with salt. Marco polo 17:22, 1 March 2007 (UTC)
OK, I will cook them. I'm boiling them with many other veggies to make a stew. And before anyone chimes in, no, there will be no stewed rat. :-) StuRat 17:31, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

You should try eating stued octopus instead

A saying over here goes that everything is edible, though certain things only once. --Ouro (blah blah) 20:33, 1 March 2007 (UTC)
I've got a challenge for you: The Moon. I bet you couldn't even eat it once! V-Man737 02:42, 2 March 2007 (UTC)
Heck, you've got me. For now I'll go by this, I love it when it's melted :) --Ouro (blah blah) 10:48, 2 March 2007 (UTC)
I now consider myself to be absolutely pwned. V-Man737 02:48, 3 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Olympics

If a country is just starting to participate in an Olympics event, is it allowed to send the best team they have, even though it is substantially worse than that of the other countries? --Masatran 16:43, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

Absolutely, many countries send teams that are completely incapable of being competitive, and are quickly eliminated in qualifying rounds or qualify but then do poorly. The 1988 Jamaican bobsled team is one such example, although they did manage to come in 14th by the 1992 Olympics, better than many would have expected. The resulting experience and prestige allowed them to get funding for continued practice and equipment so that they eventually won a gold medal in 2000. Why do others do it ? Some feel it's an honor just to go to the Olympics, regardless of their chances for bringing home a medal. StuRat 16:46, 1 March 2007 (UTC)
And then they are made the subject of a movie with John Candy. − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 17:52, 1 March 2007 (UTC)
See also Eddie 'the Eagle' Edwards who was the reason for the Eddie 'the Eagle' Rule which eliminated the possibility for a lot of these longshots to get into the Olympics. Dismas|(talk) 18:03, 1 March 2007 (UTC)
Each country can send one representative for most events, irrespective of how good they are. Some sports do have limits in the number of total teams though (e.g. relay events). In athletics, the 2004 Olympics qualifying standards were:
Each country may send a maximum of three athletes per event provided they have achieved the "A" standard and a maximum of 1 athlete per event provided they have achieved the "B" standard within the IAAF's qualifying period. In the event that a country does not produce any athletes to that level they may still select one male and one female athlete for a maximum of one event each. Up to 16 teams will be invited in each relay event based on the average of their 2 best times between 1st January 2003 and 21st July 2004. [3]
Rockpocket 18:45, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] 2006

what is the picture of a bridge of on the back of 2006 english pound coins?

Google is your friend... this page says that it's the Forth railway bridge. The article for the bridge even mentions the coin with a picture. Dismas|(talk) 17:22, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

Actually that isn't it, it's a little stone bridge.

Also, Wikipedia is your friend: British one pound coin. − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 17:23, 1 March 2007 (UTC)
Ah, I looked for info here but British pound didn't seem to have anything. Oh well.... Dismas|(talk) 17:26, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

There were two different bridges on 2006 £1 coins. Do you mean the head-on one or the one viewed from an angle? Tim (Xevious) 17:27, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

I've found it now. But what is up with there being bridges on almost every year's coin now?

Look at the sequences. They did an early series for about 8 years of national plants in crowns, to represent the 4 parts of the UK. Then they did a series of other symbols, one for each part of the UK. Then they did a series of iconic bridges, one for each part of the UK. I imagine they will mint the bridge designs one more year each, along with 1983's original design again, then come up with another series in 2014. Skittle 19:38, 1 March 2007 (UTC)
Better hang on to any notes or coins depicting the existing Forth Rail Bridge before it falls down (predicted soon).
According to the link first cited, the 2004 £1 coin had the Forth Bridge, but the 2006 has something called the Egyptian Arch. Ah, here we are. The Royal Mint's web site has pictures and descriptions of all versions of the coin. --Anonymous, March 2, 2007, 00:50 (UTC).

[edit] How many times did Concorde crash???

thanks

Only one Concorde crashed (Air France Flight 4590), but everybody onboard was killed, and some on the ground. Because there were so few planes, this instantly made it go from one of the planes with the safest records to one of the worst safety records. StuRat 17:17, 1 March 2007 (UTC)
See also Concordski which quacked like a duck, flew like a duck and crashed not unlike a duck. meltBanana 20:36, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Sheep

Why are there so many sheep around kent at the moment? Is this some new EU idea, or has the price of wool increased a lot recently? There really are thousands of them all over the place, even on patches of grass along the edges of roads. Hidden secret 7 17:04, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

  • They're revolting over the imperfect pluralisation of their name. Tim (Xevious) 17:34, 1 March 2007 (UTC)
They've escaped from the oft-vandalised Wales article!
Atlant 17:42, 1 March 2007 (UTC)
Thoughts: Are there actually more sheep than there usually are at this time of year? (ie, were you in Kent this time last year?) Is this a very recent thing? Have you seen it for several days on end, or just today? (could they have escaped?) Having said that, a man on The Archers mentioned the price of lamb being bouyant at the moment. Oh, and this link isn't terribly relevant, but I love that first page.[4]This link [5] however is relevant. If you look, lamb prices are up compared to 2001, but down compared to 2004 (when they were high enough for the BBC to write about them[6]), it looks to me like the prices are gradually settling higher than a few years ago, so maybe farmers are starting to have capital to invest. Skittle 19:27, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

Yes I was hre last year, and the year before, and the year before that, and there have been lots around, all over the area since about november, and where would they have escaped from, unless there were already lots here :) Hidden secret 7 20:15, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

It was just the mention of them on grass verges that got me thinking of that :-) Maybe they could all have been kept in remote fields and barns, and escaped into view :-D Skittle 22:05, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] names

what does LF mean before someones name? It isn't their initials.Hidden secret 7 17:15, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

no

Could you provide the context? Was this in a news article? Book? Was it on a web site which you could provide a link for? Dismas|(talk) 17:29, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

some members of staff at my college use it :) Hidden secret 7 18:01, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

Which members? Are they all in the same department? What college? Where was this listed? Was it in a directory, scientific journal, etc.? Are you being difficult by giving us very limited information to work with for a reason? Dismas|(talk) 18:55, 1 March 2007 (UTC)
Hey! Shouldn't you be assuming good faith? FruitMart07 21:50, 1 March 2007 (UTC)
First, I asked and did not accuse. Second, why the smiley if they're not trying to play a joke on those who may try to respond? Dismas|(talk) 22:17, 1 March 2007 (UTC)
Faculty members or staff members? Do they have some fellowship? − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 22:50, 1 March 2007 (UTC)
  • In answer to your question, I don't think it's a widely recognised title/prefix. Having looked at your user page, says you might be at Langstone Student Village. If it's part of a local network of colleges, maybe it stands for Langstone Faculty or some such? England Expects 00:48, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

Don't worry about it any more, I found out by listening to their conversation :] Hidden secret 7 16:11, 4 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] "I'm not a doctor..."

After reading the article on Sanka, which states:

The product was known in the 1970s for a series of television ads featuring actor Robert Young (who was also playing the television series character Dr. Marcus Welby at the time), in which he encouraged various individuals to switch to Sanka, and thus bring down their blood pressure and become less anxious and irritable.

I started wondering if this is where the phrase "I'm not a doctor but I play one on TV" came from. After doing a (very small) bit of research, I found this page which says that the commercial that got the phrase started was a 1980s commercial for Vick's cough syrup.

I then read this which says that there's a lot of confusion about the issue but it only cites anecdotal research.

So I turned back to Wikipedia and the article for Robert Young and it cites this page which only mentions Robert Young in passing. It says that the ad that made the phrase famous was for a drug company and not Sanka.

The show Marcus Welby, M.D. ran from '69-'76 which predates the Vick's cough syrup commercials. And if the '80s Vick's comment is right then he shouldn't have said "... but I play...". Instead he should have said "... but I played..." since it had been at least five years since the show ended.

So where did this start? Anyone have any better idea? Dismas|(talk) 17:18, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

I have not owned a television or watched television much since I was a teenager, in the 1970s. I distinctly remember that line from a commercial during the 1970s, and I'm fairly certain that it was Robert Young speaking in the present tense. I do not have a clear memory of the product he was selling. I am quite certain that the line first appeared in a TV ad before the 1980s. Marco polo 20:53, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] editing

i posted some information and wondered how long it takes to appear.

thanks, gene —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 76.176.206.100 (talk) 18:55, 1 March 2007 (UTC).

It should appear right after you press save, unless there is a delay in updating the database, which happens often. If you dont see your change, reload the page (Ctrl+F5 on IE). If you still don't see it, check the history (the tab on top) and see make sure you saved it (or see if it ws reverted). Mr.Z-mantalk¢ 19:10, 1 March 2007 (UTC)
According to your contributions though, this is the only page you have editted. Perhaps you didn't press save or you pressed preview instead.Mr.Z-mantalk¢ 19:14, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] How to promote a discussion forum?

I've started a messageboard dedicated to the discussion of issues relating to politics, religion and philosophy, called Open 2 Question. It's at http://open2question.dynalias.org (I hope that's OK; it's an entirely non-profit-making venture and it's certainly not in competition with Wikipedia).

We have a small handful of regular contributors, but I'm concerned that we don't have the necessary critical mass to maintain the conversation. My question therefore is: what's a good way to promote it? Anyone have experience with this sort of thing? Promoting it at other discussion fora seems unethical and disrespectful, so I'm at a bit of a loss to know how to attract new contributors. Thanks for any suggestions! jamesgibbon 21:14, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

Well, mentioning in other forums is how I found most of the places I chat, particularly when rules changed in one and I was looking for somewhere else to chat to the same people. Otherwise, I suppose you could ask members to link to your forums from any other pages they may have (such as blogs) with decent descriptive tags. For example, if I linked to a Wikipedia page like this tasty, when people search for "tasty" on Google, they are a little bit more likely to get the Wikipedia page "cake" in their search results. Getting your members to do this increases the chances that people searching for a forum like yours will find it. Skittle 22:03, 1 March 2007 (UTC)
  • Hi there. Interesting idea for a forum - how do you stop things deteriorating into a flame war? I concur with Skittle that word of mouth and other forums would be a great start. After all, since most forums are themed, a lot of them specifically discourage discussion on religion and politics as they often deteriorate into argument. I've posted the link up on a gaming forum I'm in - they always love to talk politics and religion! I'm just reading the evolution thread as we speak.... England Expects 01:15, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

Set up policy and guidelines. You may want to emulate Wikipedia's excellent policies like WP:CIVIL or WP:NPA. bibliomaniac15 01:27, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

The one about not being a dick is good, too. V-Man737 04:56, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for the suggestions everyone - nice to see you on the site England! Thanks for the plug, and for registering yourself. jamesgibbon 12:25, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Moped

Anyone know what I can do to make my Yamaha JogRR go abit faster??? it is not yet deristricted and I dont know hwere to start. Thanks

That sounds illegal, so I don't think the Ref. desk will be able to help. 惑乱 分からん 22:00, 1 March 2007 (UTC)
Yup, 'cos it's not like wikipedia has an article on hotwiring or anything ... I think we just don't know how to derestrict a moped. Google probably knows. --Tagishsimon (talk)
Presented only for the sake of discussion, and not as advice: Have a good machine shop increase the stroke and bore of the engine to increase the power? Nitrous oxide injection? JATOrockets?(see Mythbusters for the downside. Various products [7] from the Acme Corporation as used by Wile E. Coyote in attempts to catch Roadrunner ? Edison 07:46, 2 March 2007 (UTC)
There are lots of ways mopeds can be speed-restricted - on something fairly modern, I'd expect that there is some kind of software doing it - so replacing the computer might be the only way. These guys seem to be selling alternative RPM limiters: [8] - so that would probably be the first step. Once the RPM limiter is gone (or at least adjusted to a higher limit), replacing the air filter and exhaust might get you a little more speed. Beware though - tweaking engines when you don't know what you are doing can cause untold damage that your warranty won't cover! SteveBaker 12:37, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Userpage help

Could someone please help me add this timepiece to my userpage in the open space to the right of the TOC? I'm not very good at that kind of thing. Thanks!! Reywas92Talk 22:20, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

Well, I got it in the right place horizontally but not vertically. Perhaps someone else can help get it lined up better... Dismas|(talk) 22:56, 1 March 2007 (UTC)