Wikipedia:Reference desk archive/Science/2006 June 16

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Humanities Science Mathematics Computing/IT Language Miscellaneous Archives
The page you are currently viewing is an archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions at one of the pages linked to above.

< June 15 Science desk archive June 17 >


Contents

[edit] Large-caliber guns

Does anyone make a revolver chambered in .50 BMG? If so, where can I get one? --67.185.172.158 00:11, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Going elephant shooting with a pistol, are we? See our article on .50 caliber handguns. There are such weapons, though other .50 caliber cartridge handguns seem to be more popular. --Robert Merkel 01:46, 16 June 2006 (UTC)
The Desert Eagle .50AE comes to mind.--inksT 01:51, 16 June 2006 (UTC)
The .50AE Desert Eagle is just that, .50AE. Hes asking about a .50BMG, which is a much longer cartridge/round with MUCH more powder. Accordng to .50 caliber handguns a few do exist, but the recoil would be rediculous for practical use.

[edit] If God exists

Question moved to Wikipedia:Reference desk/Humanities by JackofOz

End If. --Heron 16:34, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Why does the last thing I ate effect my taste?

Why is bitter food more bitter after eating something sweet? Why isn't taste absolute? -Quasipalm 00:27, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Maybe because you get used to the sweet? Wizrdwarts (T|C) 00:46, 16 June 2006 (UTC)
The phenomenon where you become unable to smell a particular smell after long durations of exposure is called olfactory adaptation, so I assume the same phenomenon with your tastebuds would be called gustatory adaptation.  freshofftheufoΓΛĿЌ  01:26, 16 June 2006 (UTC)
Great guess, thanks! -Quasipalm 00:47, 18 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] ARTHROPOD APPENDAGES

i was wondering if you could help me describe three functions of arthropod's appendages? -tracy

Well, walking should be obvious. I think spiders, at least, mate using them (if the pedipalp is an appendage, and if not, the male holds the female with undoubted appendages during mating). And some species use them to make noise. (Do any have sensory organs on them? that might be another bonus use). - Nunh-huh 04:14, 16 June 2006 (UTC)
..and to hold their food/prey. Were you not listening in class?--83.245.18.34 07:48, 16 June 2006 (UTC)
Maybe they use them to make their own homework. VdSV9•♫ 14:45, 19 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Physics

i was told that if you are driving at 20mph and do a sudden stop that a person in the back set (who doesnt have a seat belt on) will hit the back of your seat at 40mph. is this true? i think it sounds fishy

Don't think so. If car is going 20mph and stops, person is still going 20mph into a now 0mph car. That's a 20mph impact. -Goldom (t) (Review) 03:55, 16 June 2006 (UTC)
what i thought but what is the term for that effect
Inertia is the term that explains the motion: the person keeps going in the same direction and with the same speed until something stops him. Organ donor is the term that may describe the result. DMacks 04:10, 16 June 2006 (UTC)
Actually, if the person's knees hit the seat first, their head will impact the seat at a speed that could be greater than 20 mph, due to rotation - but probably not at 40 mph, by my guesstimation. --AySz88\^-^ 04:13, 16 June 2006 (UTC)
You could be thinking of whiplash but that only affects the spine. --ColourBurst 04:55, 16 June 2006 (UTC)
If two cars travelling towards each other at 20 mph collide head-on, then the impact on the persons inside each car would be 40 mph -- Wikicheng 05:12, 16 June 2006 (UTC)
? Maybe if my car is very small, going at 20 mph and collides head-on with a lorry going at 20 mph. Then I'd be going at nearly 40 mph relative to my car, but the lorry driver would be practically stationary relative to his cab. The cars would be going at 40 mph relative to each other. The thing that really got me to strap in, apart from reflex, was the ad with the teenage son in the back, behind his mother. Car crashes, son is thrown forwards against mother's seat, crushes mother to death on the steering wheel, then sits down relatively unharmed. *shudder* I'm guessing his mass is important here, as well as the relative speeds and deceleration. Skittle 08:56, 16 June 2006 (UTC)
There was a question here a few weeks ago where we determined that if two identical cars going the same speed ran into each other, it would be identical to each running into a perfect wall. Black Carrot 14:52, 17 June 2006 (UTC)
That doesn't make sense to me. If two identical cars were each traveling 20 kilometers per hour and they hit each other, at the time of impact they would both be traveling at 40 kilometers per hour relative to the other. Therefore the impact should have been the same as each running into a perfect wall at twice the speed. --M1ss1ontomars2k4 (T | C | @) 00:32, 18 June 2006 (UTC)
No because the other car isn't a perfect wall (i'm presuming this is defined as something that will not move or deform under any impact).
When the car hits the perfect wall all its kinetic energy must be dissipated into the car.
When the cars hit each other the total kinetic energy is doubled but it is also split equally between the cars (assuming the cars are identical and the collision perfectly head on) so the energy that must be absorbed by each car is the same. Plugwash 23:07, 19 June 2006 (UTC)
Let's use the ground as a reference, since it's not moving as far as we're concerned. The car is moving at 20mph relative to the ground, as is the passenger in the backseat who should have been wearing a seatbelt. Mr. Newton says that an object in motion tends to stay in motion (not accellerate to twice its original speed). As the car gradually slows (again, relative to the ground), the guy in the back seat continues moving at 20mph because he has nothing to stop him from doing otherwise. Except for that seat in front of him, which still may be moving (relative to the ground) by the time he plows into it. So if the car was still moving at 3mph by the time he hits the seat, he would hit at 20 - 3, or 17mph. Adhall 11:09, 23 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Radiation therapy and Brachytherapy

When did doctors start using radiation therapy and brachytherapy to treat cancer?

First reported cure was 1899 (basal cell carcinoma), but it wasn't widely used until the 1920s. [1] - Nunh-huh 07:04, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] SVG Map problem

It sounds weird that any 'technology' question goes here, because my problem has little to do with science. I just finished making Image:Ladakh1.svg. It shows if you click to see the full resolution version, but doesn't show on the article, or even the image page. Any solution to this? deeptrivia (talk) 06:23, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

I solved the problem. Thanks anyway. deeptrivia (talk) 06:43, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Why do airplanes draw their wheels in ?

Why do airplanes draw their wheels in while flying? My guess is: To reduce drag due to air friction. Any other reasons? -- Wikicheng 06:59, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

reducing drag saves fuel. Saving fuel saves money. - Nunh-huh 07:00, 16 June 2006 (UTC)
Air friction would also affect their handling characteristics. Light aircraft, of course, don't withdraw their wheels, but they are relatively small ones.--Shantavira 07:54, 16 June 2006 (UTC)
Yes. Reducing the air friction has many benefits. So am I right in concluding that reducing air friction is the only reason for withdrawing the wheels ? -- Wikicheng 09:05, 16 June 2006 (UTC)
Well, see above. It would reduce noise too, for the same reason. I guess you could also say it looks a lot neater, and reduces wear on the landing gear which would get very dirty if it continued to dangle, and prevents birds getting bashed by the gear....--83.245.18.34 10:12, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Katrina is really a ghostbuster scam.

Also, think about it. You've got a plane going at 400mph with some relatively thin bits of complex machinery dangling from underneath. Machinery that you'd really really like to have in full working order when it comes time to land. Which is better, to keep them exposed to wind going by at a relative velocity of 400mph (i.e., three times Hurricane Katrina's velocity) or safely tucked up in a recess under the plane? Grutness...wha? 10:34, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Hmmm... okay. I am convinced. It is not for nothing that they spend so much on designing the landing gears :-) -- Wikicheng 11:03, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

No human really invented this. Birds do it better. --DLL 19:22, 16 June 2006 (UTC)
But some human presumably got a patent for it. JackofOz 03:53, 17 June 2006 (UTC)

Without retractable landing gear, where would Stowaway's hide?

I'd stow away in the hold anytime!  freshofftheufoΓΛĿЌ  06:00, 19 June 2006 (UTC)
Not sure if it's relevant, but there is a difference between friction and Air resistance - since air is a gas, it is not really well-described as a frictional interaction. Nimur 16:40, 22 June 2006 (UTC)

Why do we need a possessive apostrophe in the foregoing plural stowaways?

[edit] shaving with acne

hi, for someone (me) with acne-prone skin, is electric shaving better for my skin than wet shaving or is there no difference? i'm 21 (although 22 on tuesday-yikes!) and (if it was in doubt) male, if that helps.... if anyone is capable of giving a definitive answer it would be really appreciated by my rapidly-ageing self..thanks! 87.194.20.253 10:06, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Type of shaving doesn't really matter. However, if you are getting outbreaks right after shaving, you might actually have pseudofolliculitis barbae! If so, you'd want to avoid shaving too closely. InvictaHOG 10:53, 16 June 2006 (UTC)
I read that wet shaving is better for exfoliation. If your acne is bothering you, maybe you should speak to your GP. I'm not sure, but I recon 22 is getting a bit old to still be affected by acne and doctors have got all kinds of crazy treatments that'll clear that stuff right up. --Username132 (talk) 21:05, 18 June 2006 (UTC)
By wet shaving it sounds like you're referring to shaving in the shower, but that's not necessary. It is necessary to moisten the skin of your face in order to remove dirt that could obstruct the blade and to clear/open your pores to allow the hairs move when they are cut, which prevents ingrowth. It's a good idea to shave right after you shower, but 30 seconds of water-heavy rinsing should have the same results.
Secondly, probably doubly important due to the fact that you are acne-prone, do not cut your facial hair too short. Single and double razors tend to cut the hair too short for some people and end up irritating the skin around the hair follicles, and electronic razors are recommended because they tend to leave a reasonable amount of hair at the root, preventing irritation and ingrowth. Hope this helps.  freshofftheufoΓΛĿЌ  05:55, 19 June 2006 (UTC)

yeah that really does, i think. i do take pills for the record but ahave decided to become a facial beauty nazi. thanks!

[edit] Audio files on websites

Sometimes there is audio or video on websites that refuses to play on my computer. All the stuff on putfile.com for example. It shows the media player thing, and says Ready but nothing happens when I press play. Any ideas? 86.130.171.10 11:06, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Due to the Eolas patent, you might have to click twice. --cesarb 20:46, 17 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] First Software written

How was the first software for computers written?

Carefully. Ohanian 12:37, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

You could take a look at history of computing hardware. Weregerbil 13:29, 16 June 2006 (UTC)
The earliest computer programs were stored on paper tape or punch cards. I imagine they were written using the time-honoured methods of hard thinking and a large pot of coffee. Gandalf61 13:38, 16 June 2006 (UTC)
Sorry paper programs was not the fist, I though it was Ada lovelace that wrote the first program, but after reading that article it seams like it was Babbage who wrote the first 'program'! See Ada_Byron's_notes_on_the_analytical_engine for some insight. As for how it was done, sorry no answer. Stefan 15:23, 16 June 2006 (UTC)
Babbage's analytical engine, if he had managed to build it, would have run programs stored on linked strings of punched cards like those used to control the Jacquard loom. The same technology was used to create the book music that was played by fairground organs. Same principle as paper tape, but more rugged. Gandalf61 16:09, 16 June 2006 (UTC)
The first electronic computers (i don't believe there were ever any fully successfull mechanical ones) were "programmed" by moving wires arround, then came switch based entry (with machines like the baby) probablly followed by electromechanican and then magnetic storage. All early programs were written directly in machine code (assemblers and compilers came much later) .

[edit] What happens if you fall into a aeration tank at a sewage treatment plant?

WHat happens if you fall into a aeration tank at a sewage treatment plant?

Are you one of David Blaine's research team?--83.245.18.34 13:07, 16 June 2006 (UTC)
I think that's the funniest comment I've seen in Wikipedia. Certainly funnier than The Aristocrats (joke) (which is considered so funny they made a dang film of it). --Dweller 13:09, 16 June 2006 (UTC)
Not much will probably happen, unless you stay there for a while while holding your breath. --M1ss1ontomars2k4 (T | C | @) 00:28, 18 June 2006 (UTC)
Not much? Not much? Would you care to try it? The questioner no doubt suspects that air being blown up through the sewage (I'm guessing that's how they work) will reduce the density so that the idiot will sink. I suspect this too. Googling around this suggests that lots of people have drowned in sewage treatment tanks. So "you might die" is a not unreasonable answer to this intriguing question. From the onlooker's point of view, "not much" trace left, or "not much" to see, might be fair comment.--Shantavira 19:08, 18 June 2006 (UTC)
Well I guess it depends why you're in a sewarage treatment plant. If you're working or visiting then hopefully there will be enough people around to rescue you in time. Incidently, you could die if you fall in to any water deep enough to drown you. I can't swim and have never been good at floating so I may easily die if I fall in to deep water and there is no one around to rescue me and I have no floatation device. Of course, it might be more difficult to survive in an aeration tank then a different body of water, but it's reasonable to expect you would die if you fell in to any body of water. What I'm hinting at then is it might have been better to ask specifically whether it's more difficult to float/swim in an aeration tank rather then what would happened then what would happen because you might die seems a given (as I said) Nil Einne 16:58, 21 June 2006 (UTC)
I think that was implied by the mention of an aeration tank as opposed to any body of water. Philc TECI 17:16, 21 June 2006 (UTC)
You get covered in sewage. --Username132 (talk) 18:21, 23 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Movement of the Earth's Crust

The article title seems reasonable enough, but the contents of this newly created article seem highly dubious to me.

However, I know enough about Science to fill a reasonably small matchbox, so I wondered if some of you friendly boffins might like to take a look. --Dweller 12:36, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

(Incidentally, the boffin page seems over-the-top on the disparaging/admiring spectrum, don't you think?)

Yeah, it's garbage, err 'original research'. --Zeizmic 13:01, 16 June 2006 (UTC)
Title makes a good redirect, though - it now points to Continental drift. Grutness...wha? 06:34, 19 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Reductants for use in aldehydes/ketones

Normally, NaBH4 is used to reduce an aldehyde or ketone to an alcohol (e.g. H3CCOCH3 -> H3CC(OH)CH3. However, normally hydrogenation with a nickel catalyst works fine to add hydrogen to a compound. My question is, why is that not used here? Is it because hydrogenation with nickel would remove the oxygen altogether, leaving (in this example) propane? --83.147.171.12 13:23, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

As far as I know, hydrogenation is only used to convert alkenes (and sometimes alkynes) into alkanes. On the other hand, a Google search for "acetone hydrogenation" yields some interesting results. BTW, you must have made a typo in your formulas because you have dimethyl ether and then an impossible compound. Acetone and isopropyl alcohol both have three carbons. —Keenan Pepper 01:09, 17 June 2006 (UTC)
Oops, sorry, left out a C in each case. Now corrected above. As for hydrogenation being used only for alkenes, I know I've seen it suggested for use with nitrates (to get to an amine), along with converting an acyl group to an alkyl group. --83.147.171.12 11:12, 17 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] How does the thickness of the metal affect the force needed to compress a spring?

Something of a random question (one that came to me as I fell asleep a couple of nights ago and which has no practical application at all for me), but...

How does the diameter of the metal used to make a spring affect the spring's resistance? Even with my extremely limited knowledge of physics I know it's unlikely to be a 1:1 correlation, where a double thickness wire yields a double strength spring. But is there a simple formula for it?

Thanks for reading: this is my first post on Wikipedia!

Ben Wells, UK

Congratulations! Yes, indeed - you can edit almost any page on Wikipedia. Check out Wikipedia:Welcome, Newcomers - there might be some useful links there. As for the spring question, I suspect that there really is a simple formula - so long as you are operating in the linear regime of things - that is to say, you're not trying to stretch or compress the spring beyond it's typical limits. The stiffness of a spring is governed by its spring constant...does anything in the article help? --HappyCamper 15:07, 16 June 2006 (UTC)
Doesnt hookes law deal with the correlation between forc and compression, not thickness and force recquired to compress. Philc TECI 15:54, 16 June 2006 (UTC)
Assuming the shear stress doesn't change between thicknesses for a given compression, the force should be proportional to the cross-sectional area, or the square of the thickness. Melchoir 16:16, 16 June 2006 (UTC)
As I recall, bending stiffness of a piece of metal increases as the fourth power of thickness. For a cantilever or leaf spring, doubling the thickness will increase the force by a factor of 16. Other types of spring are more complicated to figure out. --Serie 18:45, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Thanks. I think Melchoir's explanation is probably the easiest for my layman's head to get itself round!

[edit] Weather Balloons

I am confused how or even if possible would you gget a craft lifted by weather balloons or any baloon to return to Earth without the balloons reaching a high altitude and exploding? Or how can you get the craft to return to Earth before that dreadful fate?
—Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.120.85.145 (talk • contribs)

One way of returning safely is to let out some of the helium. "Lawn chair Larry" used a pellet gun for this purpose, and returned safely to Earth. Since he survived, the experiment earned him only an honorable mention at darwinawards.com --vibo56 talk 18:10, 16 June 2006 (UTC)
Helium is the second element in the periodic table of elements. Atoms of helium (there are no molecules: this is an inert gas) are relatively tiny, and it is hard to design and manufacture membranes that are absolutely impervious to helium. As a result, weather balloons tend to progressively loose their helium, and thus eventually return to the surface, although many may in fact explode at high altitude. The attached equipment (e.g., a radiosonde) usually includes information about the origin of the balloon: if you find one, you are supposed to return the entire device to the meteorological service that launched it originally. --Michel M Verstraete 22:50, 19 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Soccer balls and helium

I've always thought it would be cool to play football with a helium-filled ball. However, football (soccer) balls have to be the same size and weight, so the actual ball would have to be weighted-down. Would a weighted but helium-filled ball act differently (in terms of flight and control), or would it be the same a normal air-filled ball?
 SLUMGUM  yap  stalk  17:11, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

I suppose you are effectively redistributing the mass so that a greater proportion of it is at the surface of the ball. Wouldn't this increase the angular momentum of a rolling ball?Keep it rolling a little longer. Just a guess. ike9898 17:22, 16 June 2006 (UTC)
Putting helium in the ball would not redistribute its mass, as all of the mass of the ball would act from its centre of mass, and that has not moved. Philc TECI 23:36, 16 June 2006 (UTC)
A similar question was addressed on an episode of Mythbusters. Ah, here it is, Episode 47 on that page. They found that there is no significant effect if an American football is filled with helium to regulation pressure. Of course, you asked a slightly different question in which extra weight is added, but at least this is something... 128.197.81.181 17:40, 16 June 2006 (UTC)
I saw that episode, and my recollection is that in fact, the balls filled with helium did not fly as far, because they fluttered instead of cutting through the air. User:Zoe|(talk) 02:49, 17 June 2006 (UTC)
A quick back-of-the-envelope calculation puts the mass of air in a regulation football (at regulation pressure) at about 20 grams. The same volume and pressure of helium masses about 3 grams. Meanwhile, the total mass of a soccer ball is about 400 grams. So the change in mass, while not completely negligible, is pretty small: less than five percent. Redistributing that mass to the shell of the ball will make but a small difference; the bulk of the ball's weight is already there anyway.
Note, also, that regulations specify a fairly broad range of permissible weights for a football: fifty grams or more. In other words, reducing the mass of the football by twenty grams may result in a ball that is still 'regulation', even when filled with helium. It may even be heavier than some other 'regulation' balls. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 18:54, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Law 2 of the game specifies the ball to be an air-filled sphere with a circumference of 68–70 cm (or 27–28 inches), a weight of 410–450 g (or 14–16 ounces), inflated to a pressure of 60–110 kPa (or 8.5–15.6 psi)

Of course, the use of helium is prohibited, but otherwise, the ball would be completely legal without having to weigh it down. Therefore, the Mythbusters evidence becomes more relevant. Thanks for all your suggestions.  SLUMGUM  yap  stalk  19:15, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Summer Meteor Showers 2006

I want to know which meteor shower is going to have more visible meteors this year: the South Delta Aquarids, on July 28th which are accompanied by a evening crescent moon, or the Perseids on August 12th which are accompanied by an almost full moon. I know that the South Delta Aquarids are about 15- 20 meteors per hour with a possible peak of 60, and the Perseids are about 60 meteors per hour, with a possible peak in the hundreds. Taking into account the moonlight, however, which shower will have more visible meteors this year? David G Brault 17:39, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

I don't know the answer, but suspect it may vary depending on your location, such as Northern or Southern Hemsiphere. StuRat 02:00, 17 June 2006 (UTC)

Thank you. I am living in Maryland, in the U.S. Anybody know the answer? From what I have been reading, it seems like the South Delta Aquarids will be the most dramatic this year David G Brault 04:00, 17 June 2006 (UTC)

If he called these the "Summer Meteor Showers" then naturally he is in the Northern Hemisphere...or else they would be the Winter MS.
and I don't know the answer either, but I'll try to watch these showers here from the Southern Hemisphere (if that is possible) and I'll tell you about which one had the more visible meteors. VdSV9•♫ 15:25, 20 June 2006 (UTC)
Of course, the questioner might have adjusted his terminology for the Northern Hemisphere, since most Wikipedia readers and contributors are located there. So, it's best for questioners to explicitly state their location, which he has now done, rather than have people guess at it. StuRat 13:04, 21 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Playing Windows games on a Core Duo Macintosh

I just ordered a MacBook Pro to replace my ailing PowerBook. I'm a longtime Mac user, but the fact that the new Core Duo machines can run Windows XP is a definite plus in my book; I like to run a game every now and then. Now this leads to my problem. I plan to buy a copy of XP to install on the machine, but doing this requires using the Boot Camp software to partition the hard drive. You get to set the size of the Windows partition, but I have no idea how big to make it. What kind of hard drive space are games using nowadays? How big should I make this partition if all I'll ever use the Windows partition for is gaming? I don't think I'll ever have more than a game or two on there at once. Thanks, — BrianSmithson 17:51, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Some of today's larger game environments can sequester up to 5 gigabytes of storage, but most probably wont need more than 2.5Gb. Assuming that the smallest possible hard drive you could have purchased is 40Gb, I would partition 10Gb to Windows (leaving at least 30Gb to the Mac), as the operating system and all it's buddies take up some space too.Tuckerekcut 18:13, 16 June 2006 (UTC)
If I remember correctly, the last time I had Diablo II installed on my computer it took up approximately 2 GB of space. Tuckerekcut, I assume you meant "B" as in byte and not "b" as in bit. Windows XP can take up about 2GB of space (I think). --M1ss1ontomars2k4 (T | C | @) 00:26, 18 June 2006 (UTC)
Many games nowadays are coming on DVD and can easily take 4gb or more. I would recommend at least 15 gb. Preferbly 20-30gb. If you only have a 40gb hard drive, I would sue Apple for selling you a POS laptop. Nil Einne 16:43, 21 June 2006 (UTC)
It may be possible to create a 10 GB partition for your Macintosh, a small ( 5 GB or less!) partition for Windows XP, and a large 40 or 50 GB FAT32 partition which can be accessed by either system. This will maximize your productivity - you will not waste space. Furthermore it will allow you to reformat your system partitions without losing your data, in the event of system crash or update. I do not know if the Mac utility can be used to create such partitions, but it's a fairly standard practice (I have done this with Windows / *nix). Any Mac wizards know specific details for Core Duo systems? Nimur 17:06, 22 June 2006 (UTC)

I would recommend against using shared disc space. Any viruses or malware which are able to infiltrate the shared partition via the Windows partition could then make their way to the Apple partition when you switch OSs. (Though you may be able to get around this by making the shared directory read-only for Windows, and installing permanent game info there, while using a directory on the Windows partition for saving files, not that I know of any games that can do that...)Tuckerekcut 00:29, 23 June 2006 (UTC)

Tuckerekcut, I respectfully disagree- it's my professional opinion that there's very little risk of malware jumping platforms like that; especially not via a shared partition. Very few malwares are crafted to assume anything other than a specific operating system with default directory locations. Finally, even if malware did make it on to the shared space, it would be easy to remove since it would not be affecting any systemfiles at all. However, depending on how critical your system and data are, this level of extra paranoia and security precautions may be worth your effort... Nimur 04:10, 23 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] HTML .chm files in a program

Is there a way to include multiple help .chm files onto a program's installer and then have a way to code it so that depending on the end-user's license information will be pulled from the appropriate .chm? Basically, I want to know if I can put two chums on my installer and be able to tell the program to pull from the right one depending on licensing.

It depends on what software you're using to make the installer. --Serie 18:50, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

We use Install Shield. Can we do two chums with that?

No idea. I'm only familiar with InstallerVise. --Serie 23:27, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Glycol and Methanol Brines?

An unregistered IP edited brine to list brines used in the pharmaceutical industry. When I went to wikify that edit, I noticed it included glycol brines and methanol brines, in addition to those of NaCl and KCl. What are these? I thought a brine was a concentrated solution of water and a salt. I took those two out of the list, but I'm asking those of you who are chemistry experts if they should be added back, what it means, and what if any wikilinks are appropriate. --Ginkgo100 talk · contribs 19:13, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Well, as a practising University lab chemist, 'brine' to me specifically means NaCl in H2O. However, I can see how others might interpret it as a solution of NaCl in anything, including MeOH or glycols. Since the person seems to know a bit about what goes on in the pharma industry, I'd be tempted to leave it.--Chris 22:07, 16 June 2006 (UTC)
Yes, but the other editor specified (and numbered!) four kinds of brine: NaCl, KCl, glycol, and methanol. No mention of water; I just assumed water was present in all four. No citation. Maybe someone else knows a source? Chemistry is not my subject and I'm not even sure how to go about searching for verification. --Ginkgo100 talk · contribs 03:54, 17 June 2006 (UTC)
Certainly "brine" is a solution of salt in water. No idea if in chemical engineers' jargon any liquid that freezes below 0 °C and is used for cooling a vessel can be called brine. Dr Zak 22:49, 16 June 2006 (UTC)
This article from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, shows how the word "brine" has come to be applied in the refrigeration industry in a generic way, to mean any secondary refrigerant: "In many cooling applications, heat is transferred to a secondary refrigerant, which can be any fluid cooled by a primary refrigerant and used to transfer heat without a phase change. These liquids are also called brines, secondary coolants, and heat transfer fluids." Googling for secondary refrigerants reveals more substances called "brines" in this sense. --Seejyb 21:45, 17 June 2006 (UTC)
Yes but I don't particularly get what the pharmaceutical use of methanol or glycol brines would be (although polyethylene glycol may be useful for treating spinal injuries but I doubt it would be called a brine). And I'm doubtful they would be called brines (NaOH and KOH yeah, sure). Nil Einne 16:50, 21 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Global Warming

I have heard that as the icecaps shrink less light gets reflected back to the sun and therefore absorbed--heating the earth up (makes sense), causing Global warming to snowball as the earth gets warmer....

Wouldn't the opposite be true? Back in the ice age, why didn't the ice continue to cool the earth...allowing the ice to expand further, and thus cooling it further, until the earth was completely frozen?

because there are other things affecting the warming/cooling of the earth, besides this reflection. (Cj67 23:10, 16 June 2006 (UTC))
There are many factors tending to stabilize the Earth's surface temps and other factors tending to destabilize it. One factor tending to stabilize it is that a hotter object (like the Earth), inherently radiates off more heat than a cooler object, all other factors being equal. StuRat 01:45, 17 June 2006 (UTC)

The feedback between surface albedo and temperature has long been known and studied by climatologists; it works both ways (more ice further cools the climate, less ice further warms it). See the albedo article for a start. But, as indicated above, this only explains the maintenance or intensification of a trend. Since paleoclimatologists have evidenced frequent changes from warm to cold periods and conversely, there must be other factors that are over-riding this simple feedback. On 19 June 2006, a search on Google for 'albedo temperature feedback' gave over 220,000 pages... A good starting point for many such climate-related issues is the IPCC reports available from http://www.ipcc.ch/. --Michel M Verstraete 23:05, 19 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] human genome company

Moved from Wikipedia talk:Reference desk. Road Wizard 20:43, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

What is the name of the company that is trying to name every genome is human body? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 75.5.46.98 (talk • contribs) 17:36, 16 June 2006 (UTC).

You mean the Human Genome Project? GeeJo (t)⁄(c) • 21:24, 16 June 2006 (UTC)
That's one possibility. For the questioner, you meant every "gene" in the human species, not "genome". For gene nomenclature information, take a look at this page. For information about human genes and diseases, see this page. You might have Celera Genomics, which participated in the Human Genome Project, in mind. - Nunh-huh 21:31, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] foreskin smells

hi, having just asked an acne-based question i thought i'd complete the image with a question on penile smells.... now, i'm really rather high maitenance (it pains me to admit it, but its true) so i wash often (once or twice a day, depending on exersize taken) and eat reasonably healthily. i dont smoke, i dont drink too much (a bit of binge drinking once a fortnight but whose counting) and i don't do drugs....and yet recently i've been getting less than pleasant smells from under my foreskin-there's no discharge and the smell remains regardless of how many times "it" (whatever the technical term is)has been washed. is there a "bad smell" season or are there foods i should be eating/avoiding? does masturbation frequency have an effect? any thoughts would be much appreciated as i'm going travelling soon so would want to be a good ambassador...... thanks! 87.194.20.253 21:56, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

If you are genuinely concerned you should see a doctor. My understanding is that masturbation could be a contributing factor (as it will stimulate the production of secretions), however the smegma article (and links therein) may address some of your concerns. Rockpocket 00:27, 17 June 2006 (UTC)
How in the world can you tell where it's coming from to that level of accuracy? Black Carrot 14:42, 17 June 2006 (UTC)
Probably because it only starts to smell when he pulls back his foreskin.  freshofftheufoΓΛĿЌ  05:38, 19 June 2006 (UTC)