Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2007 November 14

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[edit] November 14

[edit] European Hares in Connecticut

Where are there lots of European Hares in Connecticut?--76.28.67.224 01:58, 14 November 2007 (UTC)

A quick Google search of "european hares Connecticut" reveals that this previously non-American animal was introduced into upstate New York, Connecticut, and Maryland starting in the late 1800s. The plain answer, then, is "people brought them here". At least one source claims that the purpose was to provide a game species, though it also notes that, in Ontario, less than a dozen "escaped" to provide a thin wild population there as well. That said, most references also suggest that the population is not characterized by "lots" but by being "rare or extirpated", so if you've seen "lots", you might want to contact someone about it. 71.123.80.6 04:20, 14 November 2007 (UTC)
I have done some hiking in Connecticut and have never seen a European hare. I hike frequently in other New England states and have never seen one on any of these hikes either. If they were common anywhere in Connecticut, I would expect them to have spread to neighboring states, as the distances are not great. I agree with the previous post that, if they are present in Connecticut at all, they are rare. Marco polo 15:10, 14 November 2007 (UTC)
That said, according to this site, there are localized populations of European hare (locally also known as jackrabbit) in southwest Connecticut (i.e. Fairfield County). These hares prefer an environment of grassy fields interspersed with woods and are quite fond of orchards. You might look for that sort of environment in southwest Connecticut, though most of these hares are likely to be on private property. Marco polo 15:30, 14 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Quote?

I seem to remember a quote/poem, something about whether hell is cold (icy?) or hot, and which one the writer would prefer (it definitely rhymed). For curiosity's sake, does anyone know the exact quote? -Wooty [Woot?] [Spam! Spam! Wonderful spam!]

Robert Frost's Fire and Ice? About the end of the world though, not Hell. Rmhermen 05:10, 14 November 2007 (UTC)
That was it. Thanks. -Wooty [Woot?] [Spam! Spam! Wonderful spam!] —Preceding comment was added at 05:30, 14 November 2007 (UTC)
For some reason the original question reminded me that hell is exothermic. :P Dureo 10:34, 15 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Job Title position

What is The job title position that entails overseeing the design of branding and advertising for a client and ensuring that the new branding and advertising fits in with the clients requirements and the image they wish to promote for their company or product and is primarily responsible for managing the communications risks and opportunities of a business, both internally and externally —Preceding unsigned comment added by Lord Lutz (talk • contribs) 05:19, 14 November 2007 (UTC)

"Overseeing the design [...] for their company or product" and "primarily responsible for [...] both internally and externally" are copy and pasted from the articles Creative director and Chief communications officer respectively. FiggyBee 05:30, 14 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Can I attend the Virginia Military Institute?

I have taken sat and act; I have some college credits. However I already sworn in to join the army in the summer, with four years of active duty and four years reserves. But the VMI says it does not accept someone over the age of 22 without a waiver. Seeing as how I'll turn 19 in January, and I'll be 23 when I'm out of active duty, what are my chances of being admitted? Can I attend while on the reserves? I don't understand how they admit people with a military background. Since when is someone who is finished with the military between the ages of 16 and 22?--Goon Noot 05:43, 14 November 2007 (UTC)

I strongly suggest you talk to the admissions staff at VMI, the sooner the better. It may turn out that active military service is one of the things they will give you a waiver for. As for the reserves, I can't see how it would be possible for you to be in ROTC and the army reserves at the same time (since you'd have two different ranks). But again, you need to talk to the admissions staff. I can't imagine you're the first person who's ever been in this situation. FiggyBee 06:04, 14 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Best Availiable Rate/Checkout

If i make a hotel reservation where i would have to pay upon checkout from the hotel and i wanted to pay instantly before i arrive, would calling the hotel and telling them to take out the cost right away help at all.--logger 06:32, 14 November 2007 (UTC)

One thing that hotels usually make very clear is how and where to pay. This is after all the most important components of their relationship with guests. As for paying in advance, contact the hotel and ask. Many have websites that explain this kind of thing. -- Hoary 08:38, 14 November 2007 (UTC)
For most major hotels, paying before arrival or at check-in is a bit unusual (though many places will take a credit card imprint or a cash deposit in case of damage to the room). As Hoary says, it never hurts to ask.
A related feature that many hotels offer is usually called something like 'express checkout'. You leave your credit card information with the front desk, and at the end of your stay one of two things happens. Either you receive an itemized bill delivered to your room first thing in the morning on the day that you're scheduled to depart, or you can check your bill through an online system that's built in your room's pay-per-view cable television box. If you're satisfied that the charges are correct, you can pick up and leave. There's usually a box in the lobby or at the front desk where you can drop off your room keys; you often don't need to see or speak to a human being when you leave. Again, call your hotel or check their website to see if this feature is available. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 14:47, 14 November 2007 (UTC)
The problem is that the hotel doesn't know in advance how much your bill will be. In addition to the room charge, you might use room service or take something from the MiniBar, watch a Pay-per-view movie or use the phone. They don't know in advance how much that could add up to - so they can only take payment when you leave. However, if you leave them your credit card number when you check in, they can usually debit that when you leave without you having to literally hand over money at the end. SteveBaker 20:33, 14 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Flowchart On Global Warming

Can anybody please find me a flowchart on how global warming changes the Earth's Climate??220.233.83.26 07:18, 14 November 2007 (UTC)

Global warming changes the Earth's climate by making it hotter - that's what "global warming" means. If you want to know about a particular mechanism of global warming, perhaps read the article, particularly the "causes" section? FiggyBee 09:08, 14 November 2007 (UTC)
Isn't this more the kind of thing (although this isn't about global warming).
Isn't this more the kind of thing (although this isn't about global warming).
A flow chart is a diagramming technique that's best suited to a single-threaded process. (eg: To drive to work: First find car keys, then go to car, if door is locked unlock it, get into car...etc). Global warming is a lot of trends all working at the same time - so that as CO2, methane and water vapor (and other greenhouse gasses) are added into the atmosphere by half a dozen major sources, there are simultaneously feedback processes such as glacial and oceanic ice melting that causes a drop in albedo that causes more heat input. These things are all going on at once - and a flow chart really doesn't cover that. What I think you need is something more like the diagram on the right here (which is NOT about global warming) - I have no idea what these are called - but they aren't flowcharts. SteveBaker 20:29, 14 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] trivia

i recently heard a trivia question that i knew way back but cant recollect the answer...it suck and it soars what is it? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.49.74.131 (talk) 11:29, 14 November 2007 (UTC)

A jet engine? A blowfly? A baby bat? China Airlines? This is more like a riddle, isn't it? --Milkbreath 11:44, 14 November 2007 (UTC)
MegaMaid — Lomn 14:07, 14 November 2007 (UTC)
lol ur mom on a airplane. Esskater11 23:36, 15 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] highest lake in each continent

Dear Reference Desk

I have begun to research the highest lake in each continent and thought Wikipedia might be a help, plus what I find could be of help to others.

Definion of a lake is the first start - I think it has to be over 3 feet deep.

Can you help and I woudl also like to set up the bit I have found. Not sure about any of it though - only from looking at maps. Maybe Google earth might help.

Thank you Nonie —Preceding unsigned comment added by Nonie Hodgson (talk • contribs) 13:27, 14 November 2007 (UTC)

Have you seen highestlake.com? I have no idea why somebody picked up a domain name just for this, but it looks to be quite relevant. — Lomn 14:06, 14 November 2007 (UTC)
Extreme points of the World and its child articles may have coverage in this area. --Tagishsimon (talk) 14:36, 14 November 2007 (UTC)
Hmmm - I bet the highest lake in Antarctica is below sea level - and underground! You'll have fun figuring that one out! SteveBaker 20:21, 14 November 2007 (UTC)
Not exactly underground, more like under-ice... See Lake Vostok and the whole category Lakes of Antarctica.--mglg(talk) 22:21, 14 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Subheadline in online news articles

What's it called when an online news article has a headline, in bold, in the middle of an article. It often is a key phrase or a heading for a new section of the article. BBC News often does this at least once per article (sometimes even more). For example, in this ABC article, the "subheadline" would be "Computers 'terrific'", and in this BBC article, the "subheadline" is "Wide variations". —Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.208.110.207 (talk) 14:12, 14 November 2007 (UTC)

One of the terms used for it is actually a 'subhead', which is just a shortening of subheading. Dictionary.com defines this as "a title or heading of a subdivision, as in a chapter, essay, or newspaper article" and "smaller heading or title in a book, chapter, newspaper, etc". I seem to recall there being some fancy/punchy neologism for this as well such as a 'bite-tag' or something, it's only purposes are to break up the text and keep you interested in the article.
Another term used is 'crosshead'/'cross-heading' - defined on journalism.co.uk as "A few words used to break up large amounts of text, normally taken from the main text." 86.21.74.40 14:45, 14 November 2007 (UTC)

"pull quote" is the term I have most often come across. i.e. pulling a quote from the piece.86.219.163.217 14:57, 14 November 2007 (UTC)DT

A pull quote is something different from a subheading or subhead. A subhead is an internal subtitle written by the author or editor. A pull quote is a quote from an external source cited by the author and somehow set off (for example, with indentation or larger type). Marco polo 15:06, 14 November 2007 (UTC)
Actually, a pull quote is typically a brief quote from the article itself, sometimes edited for succinctness, set off in a box or in larger type to attract interest. It is not (necessarily) from an external source. And it is not what the OP asks about. --mglg(talk) 17:33, 14 November 2007 (UTC)
But I'm glad I found out what to call pull quotes. I've recently been wanting to refer to one, but didn't know what the term was. -- JackofOz 23:00, 14 November 2007 (UTC)
We don't disagree, mglg, I just didn't express myself clearly, I guess. When I said "external source", I meant "a source other than the author of the article or the editor". And you are right that it is a quote pulled from the article (or book) and set off somehow for emphasis. Marco polo 02:11, 15 November 2007 (UTC)

what you're looking for is 'crosshead'. (see http://www.thefreedictionary.com/crosshead) 83.104.131.135 10:30, 15 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] What is Glucose BE45 confectionery grade?

I would like to know what Glucose BE45 confectionery grade is, what it is used in making, how and where it's made, and why it's use would be preferred over another type of sweetener? OKODUGHA 17:47, 14 November 2007 (UTC)

It would probably be best to start with our article on Glucose. I seem to remember a bottle of it in my mom's cupboard that she used to make Sugar paste when decorating cakes, so I looked up a cake decorating supplier. Here's what I've found at Maid of Scandinavia:
   Glucose is a special type of corn syrup made for the confectionery trade. 
   Use it in hard candies to prevent candies from getting sticky so quickly 
   and in caramels to help them hold their shape better without over-cooking.

--Mdwyer 01:54, 15 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Women

I need help. Almost all of my friends are men. Could someone advise me on how to make friends with women? Whenever I see one, I look away, and I'm too scared to approach one. I'm 18(sadly)and heterosexual. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.175.116.95 (talk) 22:48, 14 November 2007 (UTC)

People at Yahoo! Answers can give you some good advices. Have a look at this google search. 132.206.22.25 23:46, 14 November 2007 (UTC)
That's not what I mean. I mean just for a friendship. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.175.116.95 (talk) 23:57, 14 November 2007 (UTC)
I would just talk to them like normal friends. Cheers,JetLover (Report a mistake) 00:00, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
Indeed. Listen, ask questions, have a genuine interest in the responses. It's easy to make friends... don't be offensive, don't be staunchly political, don't make statements that are radical (at least until you are in a position that the friendship can survive arguments), be light-hearted, laugh, smile, ask questions - but don't make it feel like an interrogation, be agreeable - but don't be a push-over. For me the most important I consider to find people friendly is that they are relaxed, fun and non judgmental. Were I to become friends then I love to argue till the cows come home, gotta love the debate, but certainly it is rarely a successful policy in the early days of a friendship. ny156uk 00:31, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
Yeah - you could also try joining any local clubs or societies relating to things that girls also enjoy doing...this gives you a great reason to get in there and chat - and also a ready topic for first conversations. Debate clubs are great for this. SteveBaker 01:19, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
Practice talking to women you aren't sexually interested in (so women where there's no pressure). In fact, practice talking to everyone everywhere, perhaps just by making casual small talk. The same skills you learn in those contexts will eventually be honed well enough to work in the context of women you are attracted to. And who knows -- along the way, one of the "practice" women may turn out to be far more interesting to you than you first assumed! And remember: One of the skills that will get you highest-rated as a brilliant conversationilst is the ability to shut up and listen to what the other person is saying. ;-)
Atlant 13:51, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
A very good friend of mine (who has the enviable knack of being able to talk to absolutely anyone on absolutely any topic and being interesting) once told me that if a guy is lost for a reply to anything a woman says, the line: "So how does that make you feel?" (emphasis is important) is like magic. My experience is that it works totally - although you need to figure out a few variations on the wording if you plan on using it more than once in any consecutive 3 minute period! We guys (especially the geekier amongst us) find that a 100% abhorrent idea - and something we'd probably never consider saying...which is perhaps why it is so sucessful. SteveBaker 16:34, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
To 71.175: you are 18 and SAD about it?! Oh, my! You do not know how lucky you are. I agree with Atlant--talk to everyone, ask people about themselves, and practice the art of listening. Doing this will benefit you in all aspects of your life, not just getting a date.--Eriastrum 18:01, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
Volunteer occasionally in an aged nursing home. The women there are easy to talk to, often flirtatious, and if you become friends you can ask about these matters. Remember, they are only old on the outside.
Otherwise, try to be in a situation where you are working together. E.g if you volunteer to help with revegetation or animal shelter you wont have to think of things to say, you will have normal conversation in the process of getting the work done.
Someone please back me up with this.-- Polypipe Wrangler (talk) 21:21, 16 November 2007 (UTC)
Sounds good to me! The key to learning to talk to people is talking to people!
Atlant (talk) 23:35, 16 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] List of articles in the english wikipedia with audio version

Are there a list of articles in the english wikipedia where the entire article are recorded in audio format. Also, is there any free program (without needing installation since I don't have administrative rights on those computers) to play .ogg audio files? Thanks 132.206.22.25 23:29, 14 November 2007 (UTC)

Wikipedia:Spoken articles. All the programmes listed at Wikipedia:Media help (Ogg) appear to require downloads. Rockpocket 00:19, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
Thanks anyway. 132.206.22.25 00:29, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
Nevermind, I've found it. It's here for those who did not know. Wikipedia:Media help (Ogg) gave me the instructions on how to play .ogg files. Don't mind to respond to this thread. 132.206.22.25 00:27, 15 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Use of Acrobat Reader's 'Read Out Loud' feature to create more spoken articles

Is it illegal for wikipedia to make use of the 'Read Out Loud' feature of Acrobat Reader to convert all wikipedia articles into spoken articles? It is easy. We just print the articles into .pdf using PDFCreator and have it read loud by Acrobat Reader. We then just record it while it is being read. Is it because Adobe Systems does not allow this that wikipedia does not do it? 132.206.22.25 01:02, 15 November 2007 (UTC)

I don't know about Acrobat Reader - but there are several OpenSourced/Free text-to-speech programs out there that definitely could be used for this. However, people who want the article read to them (predominantly blind or poorly sighted people) already have perfectly good text-to-speech software and there would be no point whatever in filling up Wikipedia's hard drives and network bandwidth with two million robotically read sound files that the end user can produce for themselves any time. The only things worth having voice recordings for are when someone with a nice voice reads the article. SteveBaker 01:13, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
Thanks for your response. I think if I have more questions on this issue, it's better that I ask them at Wikipedia:WikiProject Spoken Wikipedia. Adiós everyone. 132.206.22.25 01:26, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
I'm convinced the spoken article people (who all have very nice voices and do a good job, by the way) choose bizarre, controversial and unusual articles because they get a kick out of counterpointing their spoken academic tone with the unusual or taboo subject matter. Listen to the .ogg at nigga for example. Rockpocket 02:54, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
As a regular contributor of spoken articles, I can say that it can be tempting to pick an esoteric or "interesting" article when deciding my next contribution, but I try to go for topics which will benefit/be of interest to more people and which have been written well (ideally, Featured Article status). From my list of recordings, only one is "unusual", and I was asked by the article's author to provide a spoken version (I had to use my best imitated Scottish accent...). Having said that, I would have narrated this legendary article had it not already been done! Hassocks5489 12:45, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
  • I think Adobe would have a problem with us using the software like that. You'd have to read the TOS very carefully. In general it's better to use a free alternative. Anyway, the aim of that particular wikiproject is to have articles that are not spoken by a robot but a real human. Visually impaired people are likely to have a robot-reading program already, so it wouldn't add any value for them if we did what you suggest. - 131.211.175.189 12:13, 15 November 2007 (UTC)