Wikipedia:Reference desk archive/Miscellaneous/2006 August 29

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[edit] loch sheldrake, sullivan county, new york how deep?

i am a scuba diver used to live in sullivan county, ny.......i have never dived in loch sheldrake, ny and im curious how deep is this mysterious lake? thank you..signed r van loan

If this is where it is, from up here it somehow doesn't look very deep. --LambiamTalk 00:29, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
No idea, I'm just amazed that you have a Loch in America, I thought there weren't any outside Scotland. AllanHainey 12:46, 31 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] What type of names are these?

  1. Akcay-a person name from which language?
  2. Almondacid-a person name from which language?
    a pesticide. JackofOz 06:02, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
    I'd guess Spanish, then JackofOz 03:30, 30 August 2006 (UTC)
  3. Prissekina
    Russian, female form of Prissekin. --LambiamTalk 01:33, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
  4. Hatamian
    Like most names ending on -ian, this is an Armenian name. --LambiamTalk 01:24, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
  5. Qorri
    Albanian. --LambiamTalk 01:30, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
  6. Beghian
    Armenian; see 4 above. --LambiamTalk 01:24, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
  7. Entezari
    Persian. --LambiamTalk 01:30, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

—The preceding unsigned comment was added by 74.12.155.41 (talk • contribs) 00:29, August 29.

I propose deleting the above 7 questions apparaently serving no purpose other than implied criticism of some user names. Objections?--Light current 00:35, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

None appear to be Wikipedia user names. --LambiamTalk 00:40, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

OK. Maybe not. What does the question mean?--Light current 00:48, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

Curiosity? A budding sociologist, perhaps? Black Carrot 04:57, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
Pub quiz? Rockpocket 05:46, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

Yes or IQ test? Actually, the questioner must be given full marks if it is as the most intelligent thing to do is to ask here! 8-)--Light current 14:23, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Stripper clothing

I find these do the job nicely for stripping -- Rockpocket 05:44, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
I find these do the job nicely for stripping -- Rockpocket 05:44, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

what types of clothing do strippers wear to strip?

Stuff that comes off easy!--Light current 00:36, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

dressmakers come into the clubs and sell g-strings etc. to the staff on the spot. hobgoblin

So they get their G-strings fresh out of the box ? :-) StuRat 05:03, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
I dont think theyd be quite fresh at that time do you?--Light current 14:24, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
Which spot is that? THe night spot?--Light current 04:14, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
Why, the G-spot, of course. :-) StuRat 05:08, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
Why didnt I think of that one? 8-)--Light current 14:25, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
Pasties are always a treat, especially when slathered with butter. :-) StuRat 04:17, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
Yummy. No butter, just eat em warm. (yeah I thought that wasnt a word!-- deduct 1 point)--Light current 04:24, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
My ex-girlfriends who worked as strippers used to get their clothes from the local mall most of the time. They were normally bikinis or short dresses. Though it depends on the stripper. If they were more into leather and such, that might be harder to find. Dismas|(talk) 06:16, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
Yeah but they must have had to modify em for easy and dramatic? removal!--Light current 14:27, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] types of bikini

How many types of bikini are there?

Not many atoll.--Light current 00:37, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

Very good! :D Rentwa 00:48, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

THe other answer is 2. Theres the 2 piece swimsuit and the island called Bikini--Light current 01:01, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

There are many types of bikini. Our bikini article describes many of them. An easy way to get a good survey of them is to browse the online store of a swimsuit manufacturer (i.e. Victoria's Secret). --Fastfission 01:43, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

"an easy way to get a good survey" i've never heard it called that before. MeltBanana 01:50, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
I have a bikini on my Jeep right now. It keeps the sun off but tends to sag and drip when it rains. Dismas|(talk) 06:13, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

How big is your bikini?--Light current 16:51, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

Is "Jeep" a euphemism for something else?  sʟυмɢυм • т • c  00:07, 3 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] highways in Europe

When I went to Google Earth, I notice that on Portugal, there are highways on the map saying "A8", "A15" and "N45". Are these the names of the highway in Europe?

It depends on the country of course. Our article on Portugal has nothing, while Transport in Portugal only gives the total length of all Portugal's main roads.
In many countries, N signifies a national road, A and B indicate main roads and secondary roads respectively, while some other letter ("M" in the UK and "A" in France indicates highways. Some countries (eg Ireland) use N for highways. --Howard Train 03:01, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
Don't we have an article on this? The most general thing I could find was International E-road network, but that is about the E-numbering. DirkvdM 07:01, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
Road number?--Shantavira 07:35, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
The "A" designations mean auto-estrada (expressway or motorway). Many of these are also part of an IP (itinerário principal/main route) or IC (itinerário complementar/complementary route). Some of these roads may also have "E" designations, which are European routes. By the way, I created stubs for A8 and A15 not too long ago. http://www.aeatlantico.pt/index.asp has info. on Portuguese about these two highways. --Nelson Ricardo 02:25, 30 August 2006 (UTC)
"N" roads (formerly "EN") mean estrada nacional, national road, and are typically not modern expressways. --Nelson Ricardo 02:27, 30 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] My house

Is there a website I can look on that will give me the history of my house? It's a fairly old house and I was just wondering if it has some history to it. It located in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England. thanks for the help

Go to the local museum to start with and talk to them there--Light current 01:59, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
I agree with Light Current, but you could try Googling the first line or two of your address just in case. You might also bear in mind that most older houses in England started out with names rather than numbers. Also check out http://www.old-maps.co.uk --Shantavira 08:38, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
Don't forget the Web has only been around for 15 years or so; it's unlikely that the history of your house is on a website unless you put it there. Try this BBC site for a guide to researching the history via old records. Best of luck! Tonywalton  | Talk 08:50, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
My suggestion would be to ask your solicitor to obtain a copy of your title deeds from the Land Registry. You should already have seen these when the conveyancing was being done on your behalf by him/her at the time you purchased or mortgaged the property, but it may be that in the latter case, s/he has simply bypassed you and lodged the documents back with them once the deeds were modified and completed. I think you will be amazed with the information contained therein. My pal in Scotland makes an extremely good living researching old title deeds on behalf of solicitors acting for buying/selling clients, and as he has a good command of Latin and also Old Scots, his services are very much in demand. Good Luck.
I fear the last responder may be taking the Wikipedia advice to "be bold" a tad bit too literally. :-) StuRat 10:48, 30 August 2006 (UTC)
He's just applying this Uncyclopedia policy. – b_jonas 13:56, 30 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Cabron

Greetings

I was searching for the word "cabron" a american spanish swear word to find out exactly what it means. Instead I was routed to the "Carbon" page, which has nothing to do with it.

I apologize but I'm not quite as familiar with the innards of Wikipedia to fix this, although I am a user for some time now.

Thanks for the effort on this project

Alex Hartov

e-mail redacted

Yeah looks like a wrong redirect. Ill remove it--Light current 01:05, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
What you did was blank it. We don't want blank articles lying around. I've proposed it for deletion; see WP:PROD. --Trovatore 01:12, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
By the way, Alex, Wikipedia is not the right place to look for dictionary definitions. See WP:NOT. An entry on the Spanish word would go well in Wiktionary, say at wikt:cabrón. --Trovatore 01:26, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

Yes I removed the redirect, (as it happens leaving a blank page). I thought this page might hsave been populated by Mr Hartov. Anyway It should go in Wiktionary. --Light current 01:57, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

I'm not so sure it was a bad redirect: Are most people who type "cabron" into English Wikipedia looking for "carbon" or a Spanish swear word ? StuRat 04:12, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
My guess would be the latter. --Trovatore 04:30, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
If the word has a meaning in another language which is well-known, it shouldn't be a redirect. Usually we don't do redirects for typos (common mispellings, sometimes, but not typos). --Fastfission 15:13, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
The only reason I would type it in would be if I was looking for the Red Hot Chili Peppers song. -- Chuq 07:53, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
And look what I found at By the Way#Miscellanea! -- Chuq 08:00, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

Yeah thats why I thought it had been done. But hey, gringo its a FR8****G (Spanish) swearword innit?--Light current 04:21, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

If there is to be no Wikipedia article on it, then couldn't it redirect to Wiktionary? Is that possible at all? DirkvdM 07:05, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
  • We're an English encyclopedia. It makes far more sense to redirect to something that could easily be misspelled than to redirect to something else. Besides, I don't recommend linking to other projects as it hinders the page being used for something else. If you want a dictionary definition, go to Wiktionary. Even better, if we keep it empty, the automated box that appears will suggest searching in multiple other projects. - Mgm|(talk) 08:20, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
The tag {{Widirect}} might be useful. Tonywalton  | Talk 08:36, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
"cabron" means "goat" (technically male goat; a female is "cabra"). Colloquially it can be used affectionately ("how you doing, you old goat") or as an insult ("get out of my lane you stupid goat"). The difference is all in the delivery, so don't use it with a stranger who might misinterpret what you mean. Worse, I think in some latin american countries it mean cuckold. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 14:54, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] os crucis

I have a book which mentions the "os crucis" as being the same as "kreuzbein", which is apparently also "os sacrum"??

Why does this contemporary book call is os crucis? Jasbutal 04:41, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

Assuming you mean the bone in the pelvis, apparently it is the kreuzbein or os sacrum. "Os crucis" is a literal translation of "kreuzbein", while "os sacrum" is not, so I guess that is why they call it that. Adam Bishop 06:19, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] ordering checks online

is it safe to order checks online from a third party that is not my bank? (i.e. is it safe to reveal all my personal info. and my routing/bank # to these check printing companies) Jasbutal 05:05, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

If it's an authorized website and such; use good judgement and if in doubt don't. --Proficient 05:13, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
Why on earth would you order checks (or cheques) from anyone other than your bank? I would only do this if your bank had specifically told you that it was OK to order checks from this company. Otherwise don't touch it with a bargepole. Your pretty checks will be useless if your account has been emptied. DJ Clayworth 16:00, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
(At least in the US) the bank is perpetrating a fiction if it pretends its cheques are magically more "authorised" or "secure" than are those printed by others (a fiction from which it profits, as bank cheques are generally more expensive than those printed by a cheque printing company). In reality a cheque is just a piece of paper with your name written on it and some banking numbers (generally printed with MICR, but at least in theory handwritten would do, if you could presuade someone to actually take the cheque). All that you (or anyone) needs to have to make more cheques is an existing cheque (the cheque printing companies generally want payment by cheque, and they use the payment cheque to obtain the details and as basic verification that the account exists). There's no additional danger from Jasbutal ordering his cheques this way; anyone who has received a cheque from him could use the same information to manufacture a new cheque. As long as the sequence numbers don't take a huge jump (or repeat) the bank will honour the cheque just as it would one they've printed themselves. Now you'll be wondering "so what's all that security printing on the cheque for then?", and honestly I recon it's for decoration. With the passage of Check 21 Act every major corporation digitises your cheque and shreds it; having had to trace a cheque problem (caused by the bank's incompitence) the quality of these digital captures is pretty poor (you certainly can't see the security printing at all; I could barely read my own writing). Personal experience shows that banks will happily pay cheques into the wrong account (despite the payee account being written on the back), deposit unsigned cheques, cheques with amounts that differ in the numbers field and the written part, or will just deposit a different amount than the payer wrote. These are all elementary mistakes made by innocent cheque writers, and should all have been caught by even the most elementary checking procedure - if they don't catch these they're not going to catch even basic forgeries and reworked cheques, never mind Frank Abignale. I have a nice Sesame Street chequebook (I pay taxes using the Oscar the Grouch cheques) and the only ones who ever rob me are the bank. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 16:54, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
Nothing I said above was in any way related to the security of the cheques themselves, it was to do with the unbelievable high risk involved in giving your bank account details to anyone you are not completely sure about. DJ Clayworth 17:28, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
You don't give them any more bank details than you give anyone to whom you send a cheque. Indeed, many of the online printers will happily not put your address on it, an idiotic practice still common to many US banks' own cheques. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 18:52, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
When I opened an account in the US, I found very strange the idea that I had to order checks from a third party. In the UK, AFAIK all banks supply their customers with cheques as required. ColinFine 20:44, 4 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Date System

I just bought a book that is, according to its inside cover, copyrighted 2007. Am I missing something here? Black Carrot 05:15, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

Could it be pending, and anticipated in 2007 ? StuRat 05:55, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
It sounds like the publisher messed up. They changed their publication schedule for that book but forgot to alter the date inside. Theoretically, someone could now reprint their material, give it a 2006 date, and claim prior copyright. But otherwise the date is irrelevant: stuff is automatically copyrighted as soon as it first appears.--Shantavira 07:44, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
This is very rare, and is indeed probably a mistake. The opposite used to happen sometimes with pornography. By putting a publication date many years in the past, the publisher hoped to convince anyone planning to prosecute them that it all happened so long ago you'd never find the relevant people. Notinasnaid 08:37, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
Or one could argue that the actors were seriously underage. :) DirkvdM 06:33, 30 August 2006 (UTC)
Crediting a fictional printer in Amsterdam or Paris was also common, though not so much for porn as for political/religious texts. Shimgray | talk | 14:40, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

I asked a friend, and he claimed a lot of things (cars were an example) are dated a year off, for no other reason than that that's the way it's done. Any thoughts? Black Carrot 03:56, 30 August 2006 (UTC)

I believe this was also the case for one or more of the year-numbered msWindows versions. DirkvdM 06:33, 30 August 2006 (UTC)
Maybe the book was from a foreign country that's in a timezone a few months ahead of most of the earth? – b_jonas 13:47, 30 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] assignment help

I need help answering the following question, Which approache is more relevant to the development process of developing countries -the IMF or World Bank approaches to the strutural Adjustment Programme.

The more relevant approach is the one that enables you to do your own homework. --Richardrj talk email 10:03, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
Pointing them in the right direction is not doing their homework for them. You should probably start at World Bank and IMF, from there you can go on to Structural adjustment. Always check the see also and external links, they can give you a lot more info. Nowimnthing 13:31, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] CRT televisions.

I have a 58cm LG pure-flat CRT. I'm looking at upgrading to an 80cm Magnavox curved CRT for $500. Wise or foolish? What are the disadvantages of Magnavox, and of a curved screen? Will this TV be better or worse than my LG one?

Are you sure you want a CRT at all ? Plasma and LCD screens are rapidly coming down to a competitive price with CRTs, and are much better in many respects. StuRat 13:08, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
yeah, for the $500 price range you could get a 20"-30" widescreen HDTV like this one [1]. The benefit of curved screen used to be that you could see the screen from a wider angle than flat screens, but that has changed with technology and there should be little difference now. Now the advantage is with flat as they offer a more film-like experience. Nowimnthing 13:25, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
Don't you have that the wrong way around? When viewed from an angle, a curved screen distorts the 'other end' more. DirkvdM 06:40, 30 August 2006 (UTC)

Note: this is $500 AUD, which is around $300 USD. I'm looking more into large screens than HD ones, 480p/576p is enough for me; and 4:3 is actually preferable as I watch older TV shows and video games. It's just in my bedroom, so I'll be close to directly in line with it at all times. What do you mean by "a more film-like" experience, though?

DirkvdM, I suppose it would be better top say that curved screens distort less at an angle than older LCDs as they tended to get darker as you increase the angle until they are completely black.
$300 US will still get you a small LCD, though if you are looking for size, I would go with a flat CRT like this or one of the Sony Wegas. 6:9 or 4:3 is up to you. If you think about a movie theater, the screen is flat and the films are widescreen, so any tv that tries to more closely replicate that is going to be more film-like. Since you are looking at something just for a bedroom, I'm assuming occasional viewing and game playing, you may look at super-large used rear projection tvs. Their quality isn't great but having video game characters almost a foot (30 cm) tall is a unique experience. Nowimnthing 17:53, 31 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Can anyone identify the artist of this song?

The song name, both in its filename and the track name that shows up in Winamp, is 'Neapolitan'. It has no attached artist or album name, and a Google search for 'neapolitan' was totally useless because of the number of other neapolitan things out there. Wikipedia appears to have no article about the song, so it's either non-notable or was mislabelled.

I'm not very good at describing music, but most of the lyrics are sung clearly and the singer is clearly male. There's not a lot of accompanying music, but it picks up in the chorus.

A portion of the lyrics are as follows:

When the waitress walked by
She must have caught his eye
And at that moment, he was mine
A little sleight of hand, and I had poisoned his bowl of Neapolitan
What else can I say man [chuckle]
Enjoy your ice cream

Murder is such an ugly word
[But/I'll] use another if you so prefer
Me, I like to call it art
Art is its own reward
Just ask buttwad
Years of livin' in the shadow of the bat
But we'll come back to that
Right now let's roll this little [memo/pebble] out to the big boss
Next time you think I'm goin' soft
Send some punk to knock me off
Here's a reminder, you fuckin' hind-grinder
With a cherry on top

Is this enough? I'd rather not transcribe everything now (particularly the apparently-nonsensical chorus), but I will if I need to.

CameoAppearance 07:25, 26 August 2006 (UTC)

Google is your friend:A quick search points to Neopolitan by Tin Foil Phoenix. –RHolton≡– 12:21, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
Beat me to it :P Benbread 13:12, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] lubrication 2004 Hyundai XG350L

Furk11 13:42, 29 August 2006 (UTC)What does the Hyundai service manual say on how to lubricate a 2004 XG350L Hyundai?eg.Where are the grease fittings located?what else should be checked routinely?etc.Furk11

Wouldn't you be better off asking your local Hyundai service centre? rather than random persons on the internet? :-P Jayant,17 Years, India • contribs 14:52, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
Maybe this will help you. Try to contact them if you can. Jayant,17 Years, India • contribs 14:54, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
It should specify what to do in the manual in perhaps another section. --Proficient 01:28, 31 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] The Queen of United Kindom

Is it possible under British law, that the Queen could commit an offence such as theft, murder etc and be tried for the crime?--Light current 15:40, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

We answered this very recently. Please look at the archives. DJ Clayworth 15:56, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

Any idea approximiately wher in the archives?--Light current 17:23, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

It's on the humanities desk, still on the current page. Not a huge amount of helpful stuff there though. DJ Clayworth 17:31, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

Found it thanks--Light current 19:45, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Trapped wind

I ve been suffering from what I think is trapped wind (abdominal) on my recent wikiholiday, where I ve been doing a bit of walking. I only seem to get this quite inconvenent condition when I do walk. I can only walk a bit then I have to find a public convenience again (or sit down to let the pressure subside). I did mention this to the doc once when I was on some medication that didnt agree. Any ideas as to what it could be, how to prevent it. Please do not suggest flying a kite! 8-) --Light current 16:39, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

Is that how you got your username? J/K. Russian F 16:48, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

You mean current as in flow of gas? No--Light current 16:53, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

Sounds as though you picked up a local bug, and these are sometimes difficult to avoid. Even a simple change of diet can have this effect. Try drinking bottled water rather than from the tap, make sure all you food is cooked thoroughly, and avoid takeaways.--Shantavira 17:49, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

Well it didnt fell like a bug. I dont know whether large quantities of alcoholic beverage gas anything to do with it tho!--Light current 18:24, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

  • If you're female, this might be an ovarian cyst (which can resemble gastric pain). I suggest you see a doctor (I'm no doctor). Durova 19:15, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

I wasnt female when I checked this morning!--Light current 19:44, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

Does this only happen when you go walking (and so might be associated with other things you do then, like drinking), or when you walk any distance generally? Because you mention drink, and that can do weird things to some people's insides. Gas or constipation etc. Skittle 20:26, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

Yes. When on holiday I usually drink large quantities in the evening. I also eat more than at home. I then go walking a few miles and this gas thing (its not diarrhoea) almost cripples me until I get rid of it. But half an hour after getting rid (so to speak) its the same thing again!--Light current 20:30, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

I'm sure Acupuncture would provide some interesting results :) Lemon martini 20:42, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

Ha Ha--Light current 21:08, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

Mythbusters TV show investigated various supposed causes of flatulence. Swallowing air for whatever reason or consuming carbonated beverages can produce gas, as can consumption of cruciform vegetables or beans. If y

  • Ginger can help-hotclaws**==(82.138.214.1 21:21, 4 September 2006 (UTC))

[edit] european university applications

I'm an American looking to get a Ph.D. in engineering in europe. what standardized tests (if any) do they require on applications (norway specifically). Jasbutal 16:43, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

I should imagine you have to speak the language- do you?--Light current 20:51, 30 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Toilet Paper in Muslim Countries

Serious question - do mainly Muslim countries manufacture their own toilet paper, or do they import it? If the latter, where from predominantly? Thanks.—Preceding unsigned comment added by 195.93.21.101 (talk • contribs)

Toilet paper is not difficult to manufacture locally, but there are lots of different Muslim countries, each with their own resources. However, many Muslims do not use toilet paper. See the article.--Shantavira 17:40, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
Then what exactly do they use?Evilbu 21:29, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
their (right I think) hand and water. --Charlesknight 21:33, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
Surely the left (evil) hand.?--Light current 21:34, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
I been Rollin' Stoned and Beatled till I'm blind
I been Ayn Randed, nearly branded
A Communist 'cause I'm left-handed
That's the hand ya use—well, never mind
A Simple Desultory Philippic, or how I was Robert Macnamara'd into submission, Simon and Garfunkel
I've never thought that wiping his ass was the use he was talking about. DJ Clayworth 14:58, 30 August 2006 (UTC)
you are right, me being sinister - I should have known! --Charlesknight 21:46, 29 August 2006 (UTC)


Indonesia is the biggest predominantly Muslim country and they've got toilet paper. Also, they have plenty trees (not for long if they keep it up, though), so the means to manufacture it, plus the size for a sufficiently large market. So I'd be surprised if they didn't manufacture most. Many other predominantly Muslim countries are located in deserts and may not have enough trees (or am I exaggerating now?). That said, water isn't abundant in deserts either, so I'm a bit puzzled. I thought they traditionally used sand (ouch!), which the toilet paper article also mentions, but not specifically for Muslims/desert people. DirkvdM 06:59, 30 August 2006 (UTC)
"Why is there a watering can in the bathroom?" "Well Muslims don't use toilet paper..." I didn't question any further, but I had a "he doesn't know how to use the three seashells!" moment. Adam Bishop 15:08, 30 August 2006 (UTC)
Apparently the ancient Roman soldiers used a sponge on a short stick (or is it s**t stick- not sure). THe sponge was then rinsed in running water. Actually I thing this is a good idea-- saves paper!--Light current 16:30, 30 August 2006 (UTC)
It can also give you relief after an extra hot curry, or salsa!--Light current 20:53, 30 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Need website that is possibly infringing on someone's copyrights.

As part of my assignment, I need a website that is possibly infringing on someone's copyright. Provide the URL of the site. I have to state why I believe the website might be in violation of copyright law. Thanks!

There's a warning in bold on the top of this page that reads "Do your own homework." Pesapluvo 17:42, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

I did not ask for anyone to do my homework, I simply asked for assistance in finding a website that may be infringing copyright law.

Why not look for sites in Eastern Europe that host very cheap MP3's or sites with lyrics to modern songs. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 18:14, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
Search flickr for the name of a famous person (an actress or model) and you'll find lots of copyright problems. Similarly search youtube for the names of a famous TV show (e.g "Desperate housewives") and you'll find plenty of unauthorised clips. Or (for extra credit) discuss the many copyright problems at WP:COPY. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 18:14, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
  • Yeah, YouTube is the way to go. - Mgm|(talk) 18:24, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

Any site that posts song lyrics and isn't a record company or the band itself. User:Zoe|(talk) 01:52, 30 August 2006 (UTC)

Seriously? Song lyrics? --iamajpeg 03:41, 31 August 2006 (UTC)

Well they profit by "selling" (through ads) other peoples writing.. --Froth 03:57, 1 September 2006 (UTC)
Perhaps you'd like Copyscape.com? Iolakana•T 17:19, 2 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Photoshop 30-days trial

Hi, I have downloaded and installed the Adobe Photoshop CS2 30 free trial from www.adobe.com and the 30 days has been used up. Is there someway that I can uninstall photoshop and re-download and install it to use it again for 30 days? I have tried this, but photoshop must have installed some files in my computer that tells it that I have used the 30 days trial already. What do I have to delete in order to re-use the trial? Thanks Jamesino 17:46, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

If it were that easy, Adobe would be out of business. Notinasnaid 17:51, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
  • You could just go for a free program like Gimp. As far as I can tell it can do all the stuff Photoshop can... - Mgm|(talk) 18:23, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
And GIMP also runs on both msWindows and Linux, which Photoshop doesn't. However, it seems to lack the many keyboard shortcuts that I love so much about Photoshop. DirkvdM 07:08, 30 August 2006 (UTC)
  • Back in 1999, Nokia offered a 30-day free trial version of their WAP gateway. I found the trial period could be extended indefinitely by simply turning back the system clock. JIP | Talk 19:13, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
How do you turn back the system clock on a Windows XP? Jamesino 15:38, 30 August 2006 (UTC)
Settings-->ControlPanel-->Date&Time--Light current 16:38, 30 August 2006 (UTC)
A lot of people just "acquire" it illegally. --01:49, 31 August 2006 (UTC)
That's the easiest way. If you can find the PARADOX keygen (as part of a torrent or http cs2 download) you can activate your copy and not have to reinstall. Also many programs use HKLM\SOFTWARE\Licenses in the windows registry to store that kind of info, and many "quick n dirty" fixes for expired evaluations have at least something to do with that area of the registry, but for that you'll probably have to reinstall. Anyway, adobe probably has its own system. --Froth 04:00, 1 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] UK Accounting terms

24.218.44.24 17:53, 29 August 2006 (UTC)What does the term "Annual fee turnover" mean? What would be the US equivalent term? Thank you. °

I'm going to take a stab at this - from the context I've seen it used, (as in: "firm has an annual fee turnover of 30 million pounds"), I'm going to guess it's similar to profit, or possibly revenue more likely, but I can't be entirely certain. That term appears to change regularly depending on what you look at. Tony Fox (arf!) 21:03, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
You're right, it's the same thing as revenue. --Richardrj talk email 05:42, 30 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Architecture

What individual during the middle ages designed and built a formidable church with using any plans? --69.117.81.26 18:12, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

The way you phrased that question leads me to believe that this is a homework question or similar. Most emphatically, do your own homework!!! With love, Hyenaste (tell) 18:18, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
Looks more like a pub quiz question to me. Homework is not normally a puzzle like this. Don't know, though. --Tagishsimon (talk)
Well I looked and the closest thing I could find was this, the only example of a church built without plans (or suggested there are no plans). Hyenaste (tell) 19:43, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
look in the Category:Architects. Jon513 19:03, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
A very skilled one? -- the GREAT Gavini 19:05, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
Most of them did it with using plans. Tonywalton  | Talk 19:11, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
What makes you think that? (Sorry, misread what you'd written). Most mediaeval architects drew detailed plans, although these have rarely survived. Warofdreams talk 00:38, 30 August 2006 (UTC)
The original question was "with using any plans". Tonywalton  | Talk 10:28, 30 August 2006 (UTC)
How about this guy? --LarryMac 19:58, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
'Design' and 'without any plans' seem to contradict each other. In shipbuilding no plans were used for a long time because simply stating the type of ship and its size were enough for the shipbuilders to go by. I can imagine (don't know) that for the details the same was true in building churches, but the overall plan had to be more specific because it was less of a routine job and churches differed more. Although some Scottish (I believe) church was taken as the basic plan for many churches. Or was that monasteries? Sorry, vague memories. DirkvdM 07:23, 30 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Shouting & damaged hearing

Why do so many people (esp young ones) shout at high volumes when conversing when they are only a few feet apart. Have they all got damaged hearing or are my ears now super sensitive? --Light current 20:12, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

Increasingly many young people suffer from noise-induced hearing loss, not only from rock-music concerts and discothèques, but also from iPods. See Hearing impairment. The proclivity to using a loud conversational tone is culture-dependent, but particularly prominent in the United States. While auditory sensitivity in the sense of acuity of hearing declines with age, there is a little-understood tendency for the psychological sensitivity to increase: older people complain more about noise, possibly because it actually bothers them more. While several people have raised this as a hypothesis, as far as I'm aware the cause of the diminished tolerance has never been investigated. --LambiamTalk 21:54, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
THEY ARE SO WITTY, INTERESTING AND INTELLIGENT THEY THINK THAT EVERYONE SHOULD BENEFIT FROM THEIR OPINIONS. MeltBanana 00:37, 30 August 2006 (UTC)

Pardon? I cant quite hear you!--Light current 02:21, 30 August 2006 (UTC)

They're so used to talking on their cell phones that they don't know how to hold conversations at normal decibels. User:Zoe|(talk) 01:54, 30 August 2006 (UTC)

Some people actually dont need the phone!--Light current 02:18, 30 August 2006 (UTC)

Strangely enough, I agree with all of the above replies (esp #1). I actually find loud conversation etc painful altho' i play in a band and listen to other band (admittedly somtimes with earplugs)--Light current 02:15, 30 August 2006 (UTC)

OK since we have consensus on this, How about a limit on the noise people can make in public places (cf smoking in public)--Light current 02:51, 30 August 2006 (UTC)

Lambiam is right about there being a cultural factor about conversational volume. Western culture - (I use the term deliberately, as I doubt that the problem is particular to the USA; it is certainly the case in Australia and, from Light current's question, in the UK as well) - seems to be changing from one where conversations were kept private between the people involved in the conversation, to one where they are nowadays generally regarded as public. Well, that's how they're perceived by the hapless bystanders, office co-workers, or the captive audience on public transport, who have no choice but hear whatever the talkers are talking about. Once, you would only have heard what other people were talking about if they particularly wanted you to hear them, or if they didn't know you were eavesdropping; now, people generally seem to neither know nor care who overhears them - and the more the better, apparently. In an office, people applied the Golden Rule by keeping their conversations to a minimum volume, out of respect for their co-workers who were trying to concentrate on something else. The same rules applied in public transport or in restaurants. Despite endlessly chanting the "what goes around comes around" mantra, which is the same concept packaged slightly differently, people seem to have little or no regard for the Golden Rule any more. But apart from that, I don't understand what has happened to the "embarrassment factor" (for want of a better term) that should apply when you're talking about private and personal matters. One factor leading to overly loud speaking is the design of mobile (cell) phones - the mouthpiece is not as close to the mouth as it was on the traditional handset, so even though people know that the technology can pick up their voice regardless of the distance, they are at a psychological disadvantage so they feel the need to shout rather than just speak at a normal volume. The people who are bothered most by these phenomena are those who cannot switch off one sound in amongst various sounds. In fact, most people cannot do this very well, if at all. Those who, like myself, grapple with "recruitment" (we don't have an article on this, strangely), have to allow for this and keep their criticisms of conversational loudness in perspective. But even allowing for recruitment, tinnitus, and a significant high frequency hearing loss, I can still sometimes quite clearly hear people conversing 200 yards away from me. That cannot be put down to anything other than shouting. So, back to square one and Light current's question. Why do they shout? Clearly, their level of self-awareness is extremely low. While the world has become a lot more aware of itself, individuals have become so enmeshed in world-awareness that they have ceased to be aware of how unaware they are that they are unaware. JackofOz 03:22, 30 August 2006 (UTC)

Absolutely well said (in a quiet voice) I like it!--Light current 03:37, 30 August 2006 (UTC)

I don't remember having noticed this elsewhere, so maybe it's a Dutch thing, but right wing ('neoconservative') people here have a tendency to speak in very loud voices. One of my sisters has moved to such circles through her husband and picked that up, so now when I talk to her on the telephone I keep it some distance away from my ear to avoid hearing damage (well, pain, actually). DirkvdM 07:31, 30 August 2006 (UTC)
A similar recent trend is to play music using a mobile phone on public transport without any headphones! So the recent of the travellers are subjected to tinny rubbish at high volume!

--Charlesknight 10:16, 30 August 2006 (UTC)

I really do think tho that todays young people have actually got significant hearing loss due to loud discos rock concerts and esp walkmans or iPods Also most older people have hearing loss thro a life time of exposure to loud (>80dB) noises. Its time some laws were brought in otherwise well all be deaf.--Light current 16:35, 30 August 2006 (UTC)

Never mind rock concerts, unless we're talking about people who visit them very regularly (few times per week) and stand right in front of the speakers. And rocj concerts aren't quite a recent phenomenon. And why rock concerts? Musicians in sympnony orchestras are known to often loose hearing. For other people, headphones are indeed a major cause for deafness because it is too tempting to set them too loud (why is that, by the way?). They've been around for quite some time too, but wearing them almost all the time is a more recent phenomenon, I believe. DirkvdM 07:30, 31 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Wikicharts?

I came across a YTMND that had a "Wikichart" on it. This was the list of the top searches on Wikipedia.

Where can I find this "Wikichart" and how?

Wikicharts seem to be a part of Wikistats, which shows statistics for Wikipedia. See Image:WikiCharts1.png and Image:WikiCharts2.png. bibliomaniac15 21:32, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

You may be thinking of [2].-gadfium 21:44, 29 August 2006 (UTC)