Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2008 February 16

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[edit] February 16

[edit] Text message from unknown source

Yesterday I received a text message. The "phone number" it was sent from is "36245". So that confused me from the start since it isn't a phone number. The message reads:

Woody@andelini.com(WEG)like to c.hat see my pf @:*(Rosetta.somegrooves within.com)


What is this??? Does spam now come in text messages too? Is it a virus or what? Any help to what this is or how they got my phone number would be appreciated. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.7.130.43 (talk) 01:19, 16 February 2008 (UTC)

Yes, spam comes in texts, too, sadly. Some unscrupulous companies will sell your details, including phone numbers, on to third parties for 'marketing purposes'. You may or may not be able to opt-out, depending on laws and just how devoid of scruples any given organisation is. Angus Lepper(T, C, D) 01:59, 16 February 2008 (UTC)
Note Short code, an article revealing that with the magic of cell phones, phone numbers aren't nearly as limited in size as they used to be (although I think these are only usable for SMS/text msgs). Five- and six-digit short codes are increasingly common in the US. Be aware that messages sent to them can cost more than messages to normal phone numbers. Faithfully, Deltopia (talk) 03:49, 16 February 2008 (UTC)
Also be aware that replying to spam texts can sometimes be taken as you "choosing to subscribe" to a service where you pay to receive texts. AlmostReadytoFly (talk) 10:44, 16 February 2008 (UTC)
If it makes you feel any better, spam bots will probably pick up on that e-mail address and start spamming it. 206.252.74.48 (talk) 14:56, 18 February 2008 (UTC)
I have a sneaky suspicion they may send you spam without your phone number being sold. The only time I've ever received spam was when I turned my cell phone on in the taxi leaving the Las Vegas Airport heading to the casino I was staying at. Maybe they have a false tower set up which records the details of the cell phones coming online outside of the airport (this seems more likely than them having access to actual cell phone towers).--152.2.62.27 (talk) 12:38, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] eiggnr

what sixletter word do these letters rearrange to form —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.175.125.54 (talk) 01:24, 16 February 2008 (UTC)

GINGER; so, what's the prize? ៛ Bielle (talk) 01:29, 16 February 2008 (UTC)
(triple edit conflict) It can spell "Ginger". Use this. Useight (talk) 01:30, 16 February 2008 (UTC)

Something tells me that's not the sixletter word he wanted us to find... Lemon martini (talk) 23:55, 17 February 2008 (UTC)

Yes, in fact he wanted us to find the verb erging (exercising or simulating a race stretch on the erg machine) or the adjective gering, meaning "little", or Greing, a little island near Unst, or gringe for grunge so bad, it makes you cringe and some expectable definitions in Urban Dictionary. Next puzzle, what five-letter English word can be formed out of the letters lolrt? ---Sluzzelin talk 00:57, 18 February 2008 (UTC)
Harsh, but still funny, Sluzzelin. Steewi (talk) 01:12, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] error with corn article

i searched for "corn" and got some goddamn mexican named article. please fix this. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.175.125.54 (talk) 01:41, 16 February 2008 (UTC)

Do you mean maize? If so, this is unlikely to change (although corn is a redirect there) because maize is the more specific term (and so avoids ambiguities). Angus Lepper(T, C, D) 01:56, 16 February 2008 (UTC)
To explain a little further, the word corn refers clearly and specifically in American English (and probably Canadian English) to the grain crop with a tall stalk that produces kernels on a cob. However, in all other varieties of English, the word corn refers to any kind of grain. In England, it typically refers to wheat, but it can also refer to rye, oats, and so on. The word maize is a perfectly good word in American English, although it is mainly used by scientists in the United States. In other parts of the English-speaking world, maize is the only word that clearly refers to the plant Americans know as corn. Since the English-language Wikipedia is meant to be accessible to all English speakers, the main entry is under maize, which is understood throughout the English-speaking world. Marco polo (talk) 02:24, 16 February 2008 (UTC)
where i come from maize is what the mexicans call corn in spanish but its not an english word. its just confusing is all —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.175.125.54 (talk) 19:36, 16 February 2008 (UTC)

I'm afraid that maize is an English wordhotclaws 11:53, 17 February 2008 (UTC)

And where I come from (New Jersey), maize is those pretty multi-colored dried ears of corn you use for autumn decorations. --Milkbreath (talk) 21:28, 16 February 2008 (UTC)
It is likely that more corn is produced in countries where it is called corn than in countries where it is called maize. Edison (talk) 03:49, 17 February 2008 (UTC)

Unfortunately, Image:2005maize.PNG shows most of the maize/corn in the United States as apparently being grown in New York state, which is pretty obviously not the case. Corvus cornixtalk 05:27, 17 February 2008 (UTC)

I live in England and I've never known anyone to call anything maize. Corn we call corn and wheat we call wheat. HS7 (talk) 12:28, 17 February 2008 (UTC)
I think it is true that 'corn' for grain in general is less common in the UK than it used to be - both because few of us are familiar with farming, and because 'sweet corn' is a familiar vegetable, sometimes referred to as 'corn'. But if I see a field of growing grain I may be unsure whether it is wheat or barley or some other grain, and will quite happily refer to it as 'corn'. (It's unlikely to be maize). --ColinFine (talk) 13:29, 17 February 2008 (UTC)
This may not count for anything, but the species name is also mays. 206.252.74.48 (talk) 21:27, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Two questions

  • Did you know that:
  1. There is a lunar eclipse on or near Feb. 20,2008, but 1/2 to 3/4th of the US will have problems with foul weather, so could someone get some pixes ?
  2. That the US will shoot down a disabled spy satellite this week ? 65.163.112.114 (talk) 02:42, 16 February 2008 (UTC)
I know that US will shoot down a disabled spy satellite but I don't know the time. Most probably it will be this week. Visit me at Ftbhrygvn (Talk|Contribs|Log|Userboxes) 04:00, 16 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Lethal injection needles

Why are they sterilized? Bellum et Pax (talk) 04:15, 16 February 2008 (UTC)

The article on lethal injection goes over this point. Dismas|(talk) 06:18, 16 February 2008 (UTC)
Lethal injection#Procedure in US executions to be precise. Clarityfiend (talk) 21:17, 16 February 2008 (UTC)
You don't think Bellum has a "find" function in their browser? :-) Dismas|(talk) 21:34, 16 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Can't find the article: "What the #$%@ Fridays "article.

The show is on Spike TV, but can't find the article. 65.163.112.114 (talk) 04:16, 16 February 2008 (UTC)

It's possible it just hasnt been created. BonesBrigade 04:18, 16 February 2008 (UTC)
Its on Spike TV Right NOW. 65.163.112.114 (talk) 04:23, 16 February 2008 (UTC)
I didnt mean it doesnt exist but no one has created an article on wikipedia yet about the show. You could consider registering an account and creating the article yourself or request it be made. (Someone show him were to go with wikilinks cuz i hve no idea what the shortcuts are called) BonesBrigade 04:27, 16 February 2008 (UTC)
It's also not a show, but a theme day of shows like Most Amazing Videos and whatnot. 63.165 needs to go outside and get some fresh air. Adam Bishop (talk) 08:01, 16 February 2008 (UTC)
Tsk, Adam, we don't give medical advice on the Ref Desk. SaundersW (talk) 12:03, 16 February 2008 (UTC)
Besides, where I'm from, going outside at this time of year will get you killed, so WP:BEANS. 206.252.74.48 (talk) 15:09, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Meaning of dreams

What does it mean when a woman dreams that she has a penis? --124.254.77.148 (talk) 07:58, 16 February 2008 (UTC)

Try (http://www.dreammoods.com/) there is no 'true' meaning of dreams but plenty of sites exist that speculate on the meaning of things that appear in dreams. ny156uk (talk) 10:21, 16 February 2008 (UTC)
Ambition?--Mrs Wibble-Wobble (talk) 10:22, 16 February 2008 (UTC)
More likely lack of ambition.  :) Corvus cornixtalk 05:28, 17 February 2008 (UTC)
You could consider penis envy... Julia Rossi (talk) 13:04, 16 February 2008 (UTC)
From my limited OR into these matters I have deducted that some 50% of humans do, indeed, suffer from penis envy. However, my late countryman Freud did ascribe it to the wrong gender :) --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 00:20, 17 February 2008 (UTC)
You seem to have revealed a hithertto overlooked classical case of projection, herr doctor. Julia Rossi (talk) 11:33, 17 February 2008 (UTC)
As you seem to have diagnosed my shortcomings from the distance of a Southern penile colony, may I congratulate on your visual acuity which may prove the phallacy of said projection. Regards to Down Under (I lived there for 20odd years). --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 16:17, 17 February 2008 (UTC)
Down Under salutes you for those odd years Cookatoo, regards Julia Rossi (talk) 10:06, 18 February 2008 (UTC)
Well, I added a comment before which someone else decided was unimportant to the discussion, but there I opined that the problem is you watch too much pornography. I opine as much now: your dreams almost always are just a product of what you're thinking about at a given time. The Evil Spartan (talk) 05:46, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Pouch Envy

The above reminded me of a scene from Seinfeld regarding the male kangaroo having pouch-envy. I've had a quick scan around on google but I can't find anything to confirm whether or not this really exists (or is just a funny idea). I found some stuff about the pouch and its role for Joeys but not about whether male kangaroo exhibit jealously over the pouch. Does anybody know anything more about this? ny156uk (talk) 13:13, 16 February 2008 (UTC)

Well, you know, Seinfeld was probably using it as a metaphor for what males could be envious of without offending anyone. IMO male kangaroos would know there's no spare room in the house once they've grown up and left home. Julia Rossi (talk) 13:45, 16 February 2008 (UTC)
No real evidence, but I'm prrrettty darn sure that real kangaroos do not suffer pouch envy!--Eriastrum (talk) 23:53, 16 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] dedicated refdesk site?

can some body tell me what is this site ? it looks like wikipedia refdesk but a whole site for it only?? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 85.225.51.82 (talk) 13:21, 16 February 2008 (UTC)

There are tons of forums on the internet where people ask questions and other people (try) to answer them. That one just looks like a plain old forum. In any case, what differentiates any given set of sites of this nature are the people who answer the questions, and how many active people there are at once (which determines who long before you get a generally good answer). I doubt you'd find as many knowledgeable people on so many different topics too many other places than the Wikipedia ref desk. In my opinion it's one of the better "generalist" sorts of places you can go to ask questions, and has real strengths in the humanities and sciences in particular. (With computing there are fewer points of view represented than you would find in a more specifically dedicated computing forum, in my opinion.) --98.217.18.109 (talk) 16:37, 16 February 2008 (UTC)


[edit] Hair growth after cutting

Does the cutting of human hair increase the rate of its growth? Ray Schwartz Memphis, TN. 74.170.83.241 (talk) 16:55, 16 February 2008 (UTC)

There's an article here that touches on this, mostly, although obliquely. The thrust of the matter is that hair has no idea when it has been cut, and it doesn't much care, since it's dead tissue, so it doesn't grow differently. Hair does -look- like it's growing faster after it has been shaved (if you shave your legs or face, for instance, it will seem to grow back quickly) but that's largely because a day's growth is more visible against bare skin than it is on top of several days' growth. Hope this helps. PS- I advise removing your e-mail and name and address and such all; things are set up so that we don't need them to answer here, and you will probably be spammed mercilessly. Faithfully, Deltopia (talk) 17:00, 16 February 2008 (UTC)
I agree with Deltopia. The hair does not grow back faster, thicker or somewhat more in quantity. The reasons above sufficiently explain the matter, yet I must add that new hair looks darker and thicker because the sun has not had a chance to bleach it yet. Λua∫Wise (Operibus anteire) 17:48, 16 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Pavement/Sidewalk--only in Philadelphia??

I'm moving this one over to the Language reference desk. --Anon, 08:20, February 17, 2008.

[edit] Lawnmower car

I have 2 lawnmowers and I want to make kind of a motor-wagon out of them. This would constitute taking a regular wagon (or something of that sort, maybe even make something myself) and attaching 2 lawnmower engines to it, a throttle, and just steer with the handle. Can someone give me a website or resource with help as to doing this, or tell me how to rig it up? Thanks. Scutterbotch (talk) 22:05, 16 February 2008 (UTC)

Try Popular Mechanics. They're known for all manner of things mechanical. 65.173.104.126 (talk) 00:18, 17 February 2008 (UTC)
A lawnmower engine would need quite a gear reduction before it drove the wheels. How about using it to run a generator and making it a hybrid car with a storage battery? This would also help with the problem of the regular lawnmower engine being unable to start up under load at loew speed. Edison (talk) 03:47, 17 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Another Tornado Outbreak

Is there a article yet on this:

  • Feb. 16, 2008 Tornado Outbreak

There are tornadoes forming all over the place right now. Two Texas counties are under a tornado warning right now. The tornadoes just started forming. Damage estimates are unknown at this time. 65.173.104.126 (talk) 23:58, 16 February 2008 (UTC)

Correction: The weather service just added another TX county to the list. 65.173.104.126 (talk) 00:00, 17 February 2008 (UTC)
I'm monitoring th Weatherband on a "Self powered radio" and now getting all manner of watch info, tornado watch AND warning info. 65.173.104.126 (talk) 00:08, 17 February 2008 (UTC)
I'm in the affected area, and nearly got hit by a tornado producing storm. 65.173.104.126 (talk) 00:19, 17 February 2008 (UTC)
Is this outbreak notably different from those that happen every year throughout the region? —Tamfang (talk) 08:33, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Wikipedia is not a news service. If you want to write first-hand accounts of current events, perhaps you want Wikinews? FiggyBee (talk) 04:01, 17 February 2008 (UTC)