Wikipedia:Reference desk/Miscellaneous: Difference between revisions

Reference Desk

Science Mathematics Computing/IT Humanities Language Entertainment Miscellaneous Archives
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July 29

Boat Odometers

Do any boats come equipt with odometers? If not, then why? Are these not a desirable feature for boats or are they simply not made for boats? Thank you.

I don't see how a boat odometer could be very accurate, unless it used GPS or something. A car's odometer increases each time the wheels turn. Generally if the wheels aren't turning, the car isn't moving (the only exceptions would be things like skidding on ice). On the other hand, it's impossible to tell whether a boat is drifting without reference to some fixed position. —Keenan Pepper 00:41, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

If I'm not mistaken, boats have a gauge that measures hours that the engine is in use, instead of an odometer. Here is a page with several instruments for sale; you can see that some of the multifunction meters have measure fuel, RPMs, hours, etc. --LarryMac 00:54, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

LarryMac is correct: Boats do not have odometers. They have "hours of use" instead.

What are "Architectural plants"?

I know they are types of plants used in a garden, but how does an architectural plant differ from other types of plant? I once read the first few pages of a book about Architectural plants to find out, but it seemed to assume that the reader already knew what they were, and similarly with other gardening books I've looked at. Thanks. --81.104.12.13 00:33, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

Maybe this? Someday someone will make a website where you can just type in words and it will show you other websites about the words you type in... (just kidding, seriously though: searching is your friend) Digfarenough 02:08, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

North American Union

Why were all references to the North American Union deleted from Wikipedia, and then security protected to prevent the topic from being recreated?

--24.196.86.238 02:33, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

Please see Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/North American Union. Articles that are recreated after being deleted are deleted again and sometimes protected to prevent them from being created again. -- Rick Block (talk) 05:02, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

Peak Oil

Most geologists say that global oil production will peak about 30 years later from now.But in November 2005, an episode of the TV show Catalyst called "The Real Oil Crisis" [1] talked about the possibilty that global oil production might peak early, in only 3 years later rather 30.Just like Pascal's Wager, it said that because oil is so important for our economy, we should pay attention to this possibility just in case.

I don't understand.When will global oil production really peak?In 3 years or 30 years later.There must be a mistake.Either the geologists who believe oil will peak early or the geologists who believe oil will peak later must have made a mistake!

A passage of the episode said: "These (Arab) governments have not let anyone in to verify how much oil they have got for a quarter of a century and in the 1980s there was really suspicious treatment of oil reserves data." I don't understand.The rest of the comment has been removed as trolling.

60.241.116.24 03:09, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

In order to regulate the price of oil on world markets, the members of OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) have voluntarily agreed to limit their production and exports of oil. The amount of oil each OPEC member country is allowed to produce under this agreement is tied to the size of that country's oil reserves. By overstating its reserves, a country can snare a larger portion of the production quota and therefore a larger amount of oil revenue. There is strong suspicion that several OPEC countries have engaged in such overstatement of reserves; several countries also cheat on their quotas more directly, simply by exceeding the set quota limits. Because OPEC countries represent about two thirds of the world's total (estimated) oil reserves, misstatements about either their reserves or their production can significantly affect projections about peak oil. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 03:32, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

post-edit conflict

"If they're Muslims, how come they're not more honest?" That's an absurd generalisation. Why should Muslims be more scrupulous than anybody else? Maybe the people in question aren't very good Muslims. Devout people who scrupulously follow the laws of their religion tend to be taken advantage of. Those in power are more likely to be the ruthless, pragmatic individuals who are happy to bend or break the rules.

Besides, it's much more complicated than simply looking to see how much oil is in the ground. Oil reserves (good article, check it out) aren't huge underground caves with a defined volume of liquid crude sloshing around like some vast subterranean lake - they tend to be more like a sponge, with the oil filling the gaps in rocks such as sandstone. It's hard to tell how much oil there is in such circumstances, and harder to estimate ahead of time how much oil can be extraced before it becomes economically unfeasible to do so. The useful size of a reserve is more a matter of professional judgment than a simple measurement. Check out the article on Petroleum for a rundown on how oil is extracted, and the point at which it would take more energy to get the oil to the surface, transport it, refine it and transport it again than could ever be extracted from the oil itself.

In addition to that, some middle-eastern countries have very little in the way of assets besides oil - a dry climate means poor farming conditions, which means either a small population or large-scale importation of foreign foodstuffs; only Iran has notable iron ore reserves, nowhere in the middle east has much in the way of bauxite, copper or gold. Tourism is unlikely to become big business around there any time soon, thanks to the remoteness of the area and the history of conflict. It's good business practice for such a nation to obfuscate the details of their principle asset, perhaps driving up the price in the short term and delaying the day when their customers are able to look elsewhere for their needs. --Howard Train 03:54, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

What's with the muslim honesty? Was text you reacted to removed or something?

The tourism thing might not be entirely right. One of the bad things about Israel invading Lebanon is that it will chase away tourists. If that is such a bad thing then tourism must have been an important part of the economy, despite the troublesome recent history of the country. People have very short memories. DirkvdM 05:52, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

Yes, I removed part of the question when I posted my own answer: [2]. I didn't think that a paragraph whinging about those 'deceitful' 'fucking Arabs' was going to be useful. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 12:57, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

Hmmm, that's a bit iffy. Not to say 'not done'. You can't edit other people's contributions to the ref desks. The above shows one problem with that, but it's also rather rude, even if what you removed is itself rude. It's censorship. Not fine with freedom of speech, which includes the freedom to offend (a rather lively discussion in the Netherlands in recent years). DirkvdM 18:11, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

What does 'peak' mean? That production goes down after that. That largely depends on the relative prices of different energy sources. Suppose someone would find a miracle way to use solar energy that is very cheap. Then the demand for oil would go down, and the production with it, despite the fact there is still 'loads' of oil in the ground. And there is (notice the scare quotes, though). Maybe for another 100 years or more. But it will become more and more expensive to extract it. Canada has recently started tapping it's reserves of oil in sand, which is hard to extract. Rising oil prices have made that a viable source now. So on the one hand the cost of alternative energy goes down and on the other hand the proice of oil goes up. Where the two lines meet is where oil peaks. Determining that point is probably a hard thing to do. DirkvdM 05:52, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

Howard, lots of people go on holiday to the Middle East. The bloke who delivers my groceries has been twice this year already! If you go to the travel agents, there are loads of offers for Egypt, Qatar, Tunisia, Israel, UAE, etc.

The 'Peak' in this context is when the highest point in a bell shaped curve depicting total oil production over time. See Hubbert peak theory for more info. Essentially it is the point at which we've extracted half the oil reserves in the world. Up to the peak you could increase oil production (relatively) easily whereas after the peak it will cost (on average) more to extract each barrel of oil than it would have the previous barrel

Original Poster - It is impossible to tell when global oil production will peak until we've passed that peak and can look back with hindsight (though it may be hard to tell until a while after). That said there is a lot of evidence & comment coming from a range of retired geologists that indicates their belief (disputed by the United States Geological Survey & most national governments) that reserves are vastly overstated and that we're more likely to hit peak oil (if we haven't already) by 2012 (dates vary but I take this as the latest early date) at the outside. Personally I believe we're likely to feel the effects of peak oil in closer to 3 than 30 years but there is a lot of information on the internet about this, just search for peak oil or Hubberts curve on google. AllanHainey 12:52, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

So, the fact that we've thought oil would peak later than in reality is not completely the Arabs' fault?Then, those Arabs aren't really big villains like Osama bin Laden or Saddam Hussein?

History of Headstones/gravestones/tombstones

I heard a long time ago that the French invented the headstones. It was a way to mark a grave so the spirit wouldn't 'haunt' around looking for their bodies. Is that true?. Thank you so much in advance.

Headstone has information on this subject, and more links where you might find more information. I don't see anything in there about *why* they were used, however. Tony Fox (arf!) 05:29, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

Grave markers with engraved names go back thousands of years; many Roman and Greek epitaphs have been published. They were not invented by the french. Also there is no evidence they originated from such a belief. Stories about cultural practices were often "deduced" (i.e., invented) in early years of the 19th century when anthropologists were beginning to bring the first descriptions of primitive societies back to the West. There were a lot of theories about a unilinear evolution of society from primitive to advanced in which it was assumed that most of the cultural practices of "primitive" or "early" societies had magical purposes. In most cases these were "inferred" or "deduced" from the anthropolists' ideas of how "primitive man" thought. In many cases there was little or no evidence for such "why" explanations. The ones that made good stories continued to be told, but an educated person should learn to immediately recognize them as such. alteripse 11:50, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

Thank you so very much for answering my question! I really appreciate it.

Art owned by Rita Hayworth

I own 5 paintings that were supposedly owned by Rita Hayworth. They were supposed to be in her freize. The only signature is on one of them & it looks like an asian letter. I'm wondering if there is anyone that would be able to verify this for me.

Take pictures so we can see. --Proficient 18:27, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

Unless they came with letters of authenticity, I think it's unlikely you'll be able to verify this.--Shantavira 18:21, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Australian larrikin

Is crocodile dundee considered an australia larrikin

thank you

In a word, yes. JackofOz 00:21, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

What is a Larrikin? AllanHainey 13:17, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Larrikin.--Shantavira 18:15, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

My dog got skunked

I'm already doing the peroxide baking soda solution, but is there anything else anyone knows from personal experience that can help me? She took it mostly in the face, so I can't really use the solution there. I've got a vet's appointment tomorrow.--Anchoress 08:20, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

If memory serves, tomato sauce (the stuff you put on cooked pasta) will take away skunk stink. Raul654 08:31, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

Strike that - according to [3] - it simply masks it. Raul654 08:32, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

From the same article: If you are sprayed, a shower is your best first defense. If your pet was sprayed, a better solution is to mix a quart of three percent hydrogen peroxide with a quarter cup of baking soda and a teaspoon or two of liquid detergent, according William Wood, a chemistry professor at Humboldt State University. This will neutralize the smell, Wood says, which is much better than masking it. Don’t store this magic potion, however, because the oxygen buildup could blow off the top of the container, and it could also bleach your dog’s fur. Raul654 08:32, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, thanks... as I said in my original post, I'm already doing the peroxide baking soda thing. The problem is tho that it can't be used near the mucous membranes, and she was sprayed right on the muzzle and around her eyes. She doesn't have any eye irritation, but she still really stinks there.--Anchoress 08:41, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

So, did the vet solve the problem? Hyenaste ^(tell) 02:41, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Well, she got a rabies shot, but they didn't do anything about the smell. The peroxide wash is OK except I can't use it around her mouth. They said it'd just go away eventually.--Anchoress 02:45, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

I </3 peanut butter

I am by no means allergic to peanut butter or peanut oil, but the smell of peanut butter sickens me. I can smell it on peoples' breath, when used in cooking, or even in a non-peanut butter cookie that has been stored with peanut butter cookies. The odor makes the back of my throat feel dry and my nose stuff up and causes general displeasure. Is there any physiological explanation for this aversion? Hyenaste ^(tell) 09:09, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

This isn't a medical opinion, but if you're sure you're not allergic to peanuts, you might be allergic to the mildew that commonly grows on them. I find that certain foods, when they get musty, really choke up my throat and lungs and it sticks with me a while. It's kind of like a dry throat thing, I feel a little like I'm choking but it's not from a closed throat, it's cuz it's so dry and I'm almost dry-heaving. Peanuts don't do that to me but other things do.--Anchoress 12:33, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

One possibility is that you've experienced conditioned taste aversion which is a very powerful form of learning. Chances are it would have had to happen when you were rather young and hadn't had much experience with peanut butter. Your question is related to the interesting question of why some people like certain foods and others dislike the same foods, even though the chemicals (and, supertasters aside, the sensation of the taste and smell) are identical. Aside from conditioned taste aversion, I've heard the hypothesis that disliking foods can come from experiences with the food your mother ate while you were still in utero. 128.197.81.223 14:44, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

Oops, that was me, neglected to log in. Digfarenough 14:51, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, I recently saw that in a documentary. First shot wolves were happily eating a sheep. Next shot they were fed some sheep meat with a pill in it that would make them very sick very fast. Last shot there were the two wolves again, with a sheep. They repeatedly snapped at the sheep, but instantly recoiled every time. At first the sheep stood there rather, ehm, sheepishly. :) But after a while it started noticing what was going on and even started attacking the wolves! DirkvdM 18:18, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

CTA is quite possible. I understand that when I was in utero, consumption of peanut butter caused my mother to throw up. Anchoress mentioned peanut butter mildew; could that have caused the reaction? And would that incident be enough to cause a lifelong peanut butter aversion? Hyenaste ^(tell) 22:23, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

This doesn't really relate to topic, but the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of one's mouth is arachibutyrophobia.

• I think your aversion is psychological and so strong it has physiological effects. - Mgm|^(talk) 13:04, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

Charged for postage twice

So I ordered a bulky item by mail order. The seller didn't give any indication of when it would be delivered. A couple weeks later, I went on holiday. When I got back, I found that the item had been kept in the post office for a week, then returned to the seller because I hadn't collected it. When I got in touch with the seller, they told me I had to pay the postage again in order for the item to be delivered again. Was this reasonable of them? Please note, I am not asking for legal advice, I don't want to know if they were within their rights to do this. I just want your opinions on whether it was a reasonable thing for them to do. Thanks. --Richardrj 09:27, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

Well it's not their fault you didn't pick it up from the post office, but IMO the problem is with the post office; I've never heard of items being held for that short a time. I'm in Canada, and I've never had anything held for less than 3 weeks.--Anchoress 09:31, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

This was in England, and it was a registered item. It's standard for these to be sent back after a week. --Richardrj 09:49, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

Assuming you didn't ask them not to post it while you were on holiday, I think they were perfectly reasonable. Henry^Flower 11:54, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

My opinion: yes they were. It's a very unfortunate set of circumstances. Only if the seller had indicated delivery schedule A and then delivered on schedule B would I think it right for them to cough up. FWIW. --Tagishsimon (talk)

Yes, it is reasonable. --Proficient 18:33, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

Buisness practices

While most companies advertise encouraging you to buy more of their product, Hydro Ottawa (the main provider of electricity and water in Ottawa) advertises on radio stations and transit buses to use less water and electricity. What is the reason for this? Don't they want to make more money?! Do any other water/power providers do this? 13:15, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

Because there is only a finite amount of water and power, and since public utilities are required to meet customer demand, if they run short of demand they will have to either buy enough to cover the shortfall (from other utilities, at a premium) or build more infrastructure to make higher quantities of the commodity available. Either one is expensive. So they ask consumers to conserve so there will be enough for all, available at a (hopefully) reasonable rate.--Anchoress 13:53, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

Adam, I know you read my reply (because you then went and vandalised my userpage), so why didn't you acknowledge my answer? It's really nice to get a little 'thank you' from question posters, just so we don't run out of juice. Wouldn't you thank someone who answered a question like that in person?--Anchoress 14:31, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

I wanted to give an answer, but since you're a vandal I won't. I wanted to check your talk page to check if you've done this sort of thing before, but you remove everything from there, which looks rather suspicious. DirkvdM 18:30, 29 July 2006 (UTC) Your intentions weren't bad it seems, so I'll give you the answer after all.

They can't sell 'no'. Normally that is bad business, but here it's an absolute imperative. A difference with a normal business is that the amount of customers doesn't depend on how well you perform. The number is fixed and you have to perform well no matter what. This is why such services are normally in public hands (the free market system doesn't apply here). Their website isn't clear about that. It seems to be a private company, butbit's probably bound by certain rules. The main one being to deliver enough water of sufficiently high quality. It may also be a public/private cooperation, something that has become popular in the Netherlands in the last decade or so. DirkvdM 07:16, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

website dilemma

does somebody know any website where i can download free novels in html form. i dont need classic novels i need some recent novels by authors like stephen king, salman rushdie, sidney sheldon, john grisham etc. please help me. i will be very grateful to u. thank u very much

You won't find them, cuz they are a) copyvios, and b) very very easy to find and shut down. You might find rips of e-books thru a filesharing program like Kazaa, or if it's to your taste some mp3s of books on tape. But also, those kinds of authors are very popular in second hand bookstores, and you can often find paperbacks there for under a dollar each.--Anchoress 14:29, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

Actually they can be found (or could in the past) pretty easily. Not gonna mention any places here though, but if someone had blatant disregard for the law or lived in a country where the books either aren't available or where laws wouldn't forbid such activity, said person could probably track them down with a little effort. But everything you say is true :) Digfarenough 14:51, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

I respectfully disagree with you. Text is extremely easy to search for, and the publishers of famous authors are always on the lookout for copyvio uploads; if they were online, they would be so well-hidden that they would be virtually impossible to find.--Anchoress 15:38, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

And I'm going to respectfully disagree with you - if you can access usenet there are many, many e-book channels. There are also many, many e-books available on bitorrent sites. If you know how to use google you shouldn't have any trouble finding free books. They're not usually in html format, though - .pdf and .doc are more common formats. Natgoo 16:36, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

The author must be dead for quite some time before they are released into the public domain, thus have no copyright and can be edited, re-published etc. etc. This website may be the best bet. And here are some questions about when a book can be published on the internet. Hope this helps. Iolakana|^T 14:33, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

Most popular p2p programs are distributing extremely popular books and such, but not many people usually share lesser, not-as-popular books. Not that I am telling you to download books illegally. --Proficient 18:37, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

Project Gutenberg has lots of public domain novels. User:Zoe|^(talk) 03:17, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

Baen has some of their older titles available online for free: see the Baen free ebook library. --Serie 23:50, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

Time zone in Alaska before the present one came in to bing.

I am looking for an older map of the time zones of Alaska before the present one that is now in use. A map of the older one is needed.

can send to (please don't use an e-mail address, wait for a reply here) Thank You Allan Fuller

I don't understand: the position of Alaska hasn't changed since many, many, many years ago. However, although you say you do not want a modern time, Alaska is -9 (minus nine) hours from GMT time. Iolakana|^T 16:23, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

See Alaska Time Zone where there is some history. It's a little complicated. Did you have a specific year and settlement in mind? Before 1900 the inhabitants observed local time, i.e by the sun, even though it was officially all on Central Alaska Time. From 1900 to 1967 Alaska was divided into four time zones. Then it was divided into three time zones until 1975.--Shantavira 18:39, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

When alaska belonged to russia, surely they wouldn't have had a nearly 24 hour difference with the nearest part of the empire, surely they would have been in a time zone so that they were in the same day as the rest of russia. Philc _T^E_C^I 18:44, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

When it belonged to Russia, it operated on the Julian calendar, so I thought it best not to go that far back. But like most of the world at that time they would have used local time anyway. I'm assuming we want figures for the twentieth century. From 1967 to 1975 the Yukon Standard Time Zone (UTC-9) was applied to the area between 127° 30' and 141° 00' longitude; the "Alaska-Hawaii time zone" as it was then called (UTC -10) was applied to the area between 141° 00' and 157° 30' longitude; and Bering Standard Time (UTC -11) was applied between 157° 30' and 172° 30'.--Shantavira 18:57, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

Two things,

1. Julian calender doesnt affect time zones, just month lengths/names
2. Even if people are using local time, the date line has to be somewhere, so when alaska was russian, which side was it on.

Philc _T^E_C^I 19:12, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

You refer to "the rest of Russia", assuming that Russia uses one time zone for the whole country. In fact, its spread is so wide that is uses, from memory, no less than 14 (!) time zones. When it's dawn in Vladivostok, it's already evening in Kaliningrad. JackofOz 00:19, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

Isn't it (by the most reasonable conventions) always earlier in Kaliningrad than Vladivostok? —Blotwell 07:03, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

How very true. Right principle, wrong direction. My bad. JackofOz 23:39, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

sports

What sport was played first in the space by the astronauts? baseball, football, golf or volley ball?

Is this part of a trivia quiz? Might want to check out Apollo 14 for the answer. Hyenaste ^(tell) 15:48, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

I seem to recall astronauts playing golf on the moon (!) - could be that... - THE GREAT GAVINI {T-C} 16:09, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

On the Moon is not "in space". :)

The first astronauts were Russian, and the Russians had almost all the firsts in space travel for the first ten years, so it's more likely to be something Russians play. And something that requires little space, because it would have to be done in a space craft. Space walks are too risky to play around. And it would have been more likely if they had some time on their hands, a wish to relax and some stuff lying around to play with (Russians don't have such a wish to show off, so it was probably done out of a genuine desire to relax). So my guess it would have been on a spacestation, probably a Salyut. Chess is very Russian and something astronauts, being well educated, might like, but pieces flying around would not help (could have been a magnetic board, though). Actually, it would probably have been something that makes use of the weightlessness, playing around with that new phenomenon. most likely something with throwing a ball. Volley ball wouldn't work because the ball goes in a straight line (the net would be pointless). And for the others you need too much space (no pun), at least if you want to play it as a real sport, not putting in a glass or something. Are you sure it's one of those four you mention? DirkvdM 18:50, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

The Salyuts were not launched until after the US moon landings. The first sport in space was golf. User:Zoe|^(talk) 03:19, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

Like I said, that's not in space. The Moon may be in space, but so is Earth. DirkvdM 07:19, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

I think golf is what's being looked for. How can you play a real sport out in the middle of nowhere? No nets, no goals, no holes, no nothing. I don't think the engineers would be too happy with astronauts whacking a ball around in their expensive craft. And anyway, chess is more of a game than a sport - see its article and its Wiktionary definition. - THE GREAT GAVINI {T-C} 09:52, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

Depends on how you play it, playfully or seriously. Chess played competitively is a sport. Golf played by yourself without any 'holes' and therefore any well-defined goals is a game. So that's a second reason golf can't be the answer.

And calling chess a game based on the article is like saying they don't play any sports at the olympic games. It's playing with words. DirkvdM 07:10, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

Is saying that the moon is not in space anything different? Where does "space" begin? JackofOz 09:54, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

Space is all around. But when you're on the surface of an object on space, you're not in space. That's a physical thing, not linguistic. Of course, there are border cases, like being on a asteroid. To make sure, I'll ask this at Talk:Outer space. DirkvdM 07:25, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Thank you very much.

I don't know what sports have been played in space, but surely table tennis is a viable one. although the ball will travel in a straight line, you still have to bounce off the opponents half of the table and avoid the net. Spin would work. and controlling your floating body would compensate for the ball going straight. -- SGBailey 20:18, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

I'm not willing to speculate on the answer of the question because I would tend to doubt that most spacegoing vehicles have enough room for any sport other than aerobics (exercycle, treadmill specifically). That said, I have heard in soft SF (specifically the early-80s incarnation of Tom Swift) of the idea of zero-g racquetball. In theory, you could also have variants of tennis, soccer/team handball, possibly hockey, and even quidditch. Some sports would be pretty much impossible -- baseball, rugby, and American football don't seem to lend themselves to zero-g play, for example. Some form of basketball seems possible, though it would be radically different from anything played on Earth. Haikupoet 20:47, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

I suppose that in those SF stories they have spacecrafts that are big enough to play such sports. Or maybe it was done outside any craft, in 'open space'. But neither option is realistic at the moment (let alone in the first decades of space travel). So it would have to have been something small, preferably with nothing flying around. My bet is still on chess. DirkvdM 07:10, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

animal

In the cat family, among tiger, lion, wild cat, leopard, etc. which of them go hunting in group, not alone?

I think lions do, although the article doesn't really make it clear. - THE GREAT GAVINI {T-C} 16:16, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

Lions certainly do. And I can't think of any other cat that does. Cats are generally pretty solitary. DirkvdM 18:52, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

Male Cheetahs may hunt together and Jaguars might during breeding season. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 22:18, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

Lions are sometimes described as the only social cat, so maybe none of the others do. Jameswilson 00:19, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

What do you mean by "groups"? Females and their cubs hunt in groups. User:Zoe|^(talk) 03:20, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

Thanks very much.

Haircut clipper lengths

I usually get my head shaved with the clippers when I go to SuperCuts... and I usually ask for a 6 on the top and a 3 on the sides. But always been curious, what length of shave do these clipper numbers correspond to, and how high do they usually go? --Rc251 16:11, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

Six on top? You long-haired hippie! :P

Based on my set, #1=1/8" (3mm), #2=1/4" (6mm), #3=3/8" (9.5mm), and #4=1/2" (13mm). My set doesn't go up to six.

Is that the length it cuts off? Because where I've always gone, 1 is the shortest cut (leaving the head almost shaved) and 6 leaves a fair bit amount of hair on the top. --Rc251 17:33, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

Surely the length that it doesn't cut off. Henry^Flower 17:35, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

That's the length that is left behind, all else is cut off. 1 gives you the closest shave, and 4 leaves your hair quite long. Curiously, I measured each of the attachments and the measurements I got were different from what was printed on each attachment. I suspect that it has to do with your hair being bent over at an angle by the attachment, as for example, the #1 attachment measured less than 1/8" thick.

Turks and Caicos joining Canada

I see the benefit to Canada for these islands to join - tax dollars being spent in the own country, an excuse for exotic holidays for politicians(!), etc. But why would these islands want to join Canada? Surely this is taking a step backwards since many of these islands are becoming independant (I know the population is very small). Why do they have a good relationship anyway? Finally, would Britain allow the 'capture' of one of its dependencies? --Bearbear 16:12, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

Well this Briton doesnt mind - full of expat tax-dodgers and swindlers! Jameswilson 00:22, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

Sadly, Proposals for new Canadian provinces and territories doesn't really answer this either, although a little bit of the background history can be found at Canada-Caribbean relations. Grutness...wha? 01:21, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

I can't find any detailed information on why they might want it, but it's possible to speculate. Like you say, the population is small — if they believe they're too small to be independent, they're going to be part of someone, and if their links with Canada are stronger than those with their nominal "owner", they may well want to change. Maybe Canada is just deemed more likely to pay attention to the islands than Britain — Britain is further away, and has many other territories to deal with, and the Turks and Caicos might feel neglected. If there is significant tourism or investment from Canada in the islands, being part of Canada would encourage and facilitate that — Canadians (and their money) could visit the islands with a minimum difficulty, as they wouldn't actually be leaving the country. The Turks and Caicos might also anticipate development assistance.

As for whether Britain would allow it — I don't know, but if the Turks and Caicos expressed a definite, democratic wish to transfer, I wouldn't expect the British to block it. They don't really gain much from the islands that I can see. There are precedents in history, too — the Cook Islands and Niue were both British until they were transferred to New Zealand (although that was a century ago, when New Zealand would still have been regarded by the British as a colonial possession itself). -- Vardion 08:05, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

I think we need to examine the most important aspect of this; what will happen to cricket in Turks and Caicos. Currently Turks and Caicos are part of the West Indies cricket team but presumably under this proposal would become part of the Canadian cricket system. I doubt they get any financial support from the England Cricket Board and the West Indies Cricket Board is habitually broke. If they could source funding from Canada and in turn supply cricketers to the Canadian national teamm, then surely everyone is happy. On the other hand, if the Turks & Caicos are forced to take up Lacrosse at the expense of cricket, then there would be wailing & gnashing of teeth down Turks & Caicos way. --Roisterer 09:15, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for the lengthy answers everyone! --Bearbear 10:39, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

I'd like to see the Turks & Caicos Canadian football, baseball and ice hockey teams.  :) User:Zoe|^(talk) 21:27, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

First I've heard of it, but our retired snowbirds might want to vacation there rather than Florida if George Dubya insists on requiring passports. That being said, I just have this grotesque image of our Mounties in red t-shirts and brown bermuda shorts (shudder). Clarityfiend 02:06, 6 August 2006 (UTC)

Racko

Who was the game designer for the classic Racko game? --WAC 17:52, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

I found it for you, Travis Fischer, [4] hope it helps, cheers —Minun ^Spiderman 18:57, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

Homebrewing

Is it possible to use Honey in Homebrewing instead of sugar for carbonation? helohe (talk) 18:26, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

Of course it is. You can use any sort of sugar. Or no added sugar at all, because the malt is supposed to supply that. But there are all sorts of variations on beer. In kriek, for example, cherries are added. And other lambics use other types of fruit. None of them very tasty, if you ask me. And that's the more relevant question. You can do anything you like, but will you like the result. There's only one way to find out .... DirkvdM 18:56, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

I don't know anything about brewing beer, but IIRC from a cooking show I saw on home brew, you have to get a special recipe if you use honey because of the moisture content and relatively lower sugar content, and I think you have to pasturise it right before, to kill any microbes, because honey is friendly to some nice, harmless bugs that are fine for us to eat but wouldn't be so nice feeding off the starch in beer. However... this site makes no mention of any issues with using honey, other than that it will take longer to mature.--Anchoress 19:02, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

Do you mean mead? Skittle 21:02, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

You can use honey for homebrewing, with some adjustments (see some example recipes here and here and an overview on using it here). A number of commercial brewers also manufacture honey beers, off the top of my head I can think of Young's' Waggledance and Lefebvre's Barbar. --Daduzi ^talk 19:04, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Termites?

I think I have termites in my house. (In the Termite article it doesn't show the termite holes). The holes are vertically 1 inch high and about 2 mm wide. Thanks, SoaP 19:50, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

If you take a photo of the termite holes, and upload them to wikipedia, you'll solve two problems. FIrstly, people will be able to confirm whether they're termite holes, and secondly (if they are) we'll have a photo of termite holes with which to enhance the termite article. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 22:59, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

If you search Google Images for "termite hole" you get just one result, which seems to match your description exactly.--Shantavira 09:41, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

insects

--Frank london 20:04, 29 July 2006 (UTC)slender, non-stinging insect that lives and dies around waterways and whose wings fold when at rest?--Frank london 20:04, 29 July 2006 (UTC)--Frank london 20:04, 29 July 2006 (UTC)fr

Practically anything in the odonata order of insects would fit.--Shantavira 09:29, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

• One signature is enough though... - Mgm|^(talk) 13:00, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

He actually wants us to identify the insect from that description? Or what? Jayant,17 Years, India • contribs 19:45, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

Criss Angel: Mindfreak

How does Criss Angel (of the popular A&E series Mindfreak) create the illusions of levatating and walking on water?

• By learning how other magic effects were done and building on that knowledge. Anyone who knows how this is done is likely a magician who would be breaking their oath by revealing the secret to you. If you're still interested in finding out, you could simply buy the levitation effect Criss developed. - Mgm|^(talk) 12:58, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

Actually you can usually find explanations of illusions online, if you want to spoil the mystery for yourself. If you do so, perhaps spend some time trying to figure it out for yourself first to better appreciate the cheap tricks used. :) digfarenough (talk) 15:26, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

Th links from levitation and the article walking on water will give you some strong hints. The secret to most illusions of this sort can be found on the web if you search hard enough.--Shantavira 17:20, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

Whenever people ask this sort of question, people always say camera tricks and paid audience or to look hard enough on google and find it. They never actually give a link or describe how the feat is actualy done. ._. --Proficient 17:55, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

What are the USA's busiest airport by departing passengers only?

Can we add a Wikipedia page listing the busiest USA airport's by departing passengers? There are several pages listing world airports by arriving/departing/connecting passengers. Along with aircraft landings/departures.

It's not a stat that I've ever seen. I suspect the actual number of passengers is just an estimate anyway. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 01:38, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

O'Hare International Aiport in Chicago is very large, as is JFK International Ariport, and the ariport in Atlanta (I forget the name, you can check yourself). Viva La Vie Boheme

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Both "Hartsfield" and "Jackson" were former Atlanta mayors. Mike H. I did "That's hot" first! 00:10, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

I can't think of a reason why the number of passengers departing an airport would be significantly different from the number arriving, under normal circumstances. DJ Clayworth 16:03, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

July 30

WikiLibel

I removed an entry on a talk page a couple of months ago because it libelled someone. It's only just occurred to me that - under UK law at least - the libel is still present because anyone could read the offending entry by looking at the history of the talk page or by clicking here [[5]]. As such, the defamatory material is still being published and the person in question could, in theory, sue Wikipedia for an awful lot of money if she stumbled upon the page in question. Unlikely, yes - but is this a risk Wikipedia decides to take or is there a legal loophole here? Ericatom 00:38, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

In circumstances like this it is possible to delete specific parts of a page history. Can't remember whether admins can do this (I certainly never have) - it may be a bureaucrat-only capability. But it is possible. Grutness...wha? 01:25, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

It will take more than just deleting the entire talk page and restoring all but the original edit. As I just found out. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 01:36, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

Deleting revisions is a feature supported in the MediaWiki software, and is called Oversight (policy for using the feature, and a list of the very small number of users with Oversight permission, can be found at the link). --MCB 05:47, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

And then there are loads of copies of Wikipedia articles all over the Internet. Who is responsible for any inaccuracies there? DirkvdM 07:24, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

In the case of copies of Wikpedia articles copied by another website, the publisher of that other website is responsible (again, under UK law). Should I report the Elliott Smith thing to an administrator? How should I go about doing that? Ericatom 11:47, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

This stuff gives me a headache, but the Wikipedia:Libel policy and Wikipedia:Requests for administrator attention should help. (The Elliott Smith article is up for FA status right now, by the way, so that may make this more important.) --Galaxiaad 18:38, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

Fastest Military Aircraft?

Which plane currently in service/use (2006) is the fastest (in the world)?

Official or theoretical Black project? The fastest manned object is the space shuttle, the Concorde was the fastest civilian plane, and the SR-71 Blackbird was the fastest used military plane ever. --mboverload@ 01:00, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

Hehe, I saw you bolded the currently in service/use part. I saw it =D. I thought it would be easy, but I had no luck finding the fastest one currently in use. --mboverload@ 01:20, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

The first google hit for fastest aircraft gives a list. Now your turn to check which ones are still in service :-) Weregerbil 17:40, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

Oh, an any additions to air speed record you find be sure to update the article. Weregerbil 17:45, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

So probably the MiG-31 unless some MiG-25's are still flying. Rmhermen 18:01, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

Puzzle

hi,

Can any one pls tell me the how to find the 13th item in the room.( thr r totally 13 items to get out of the room). The link is of the puzzle is g http://www.fasco-csc.com/works/crimson/crimson_e.php.

Please do not post your questions on more than one reference desk as this could waste volunteers' time in trying to answer an already answered question. I have removed your duplicated question from the Mathematics desk. Road Wizard 02:15, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

http://www.phoons.com/games/crimson.html -- SGBailey 09:59, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

And another solution. – b_jonas 22:46, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

User Page Template

I'm new to Wikipedia, and I'd like to make a User Page for myself. I've read though the entry on User Pages, and I understand what I can and cannot have on on my User Page. However, being new, I'm having trouble creating articles from scratch. I'd like to know if there is a template I could use and edit so my User Page would meet quality standards and help me get a better grasp on how to edit Wiki pages. Failing that, is it reasonable to use another user's page as a template? If that's ok, should I cite them as a template source? Sorry for all the questions, and thank you very much in advace for the assistance : ) Teh Janitor 03:02, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

Seems fine to me. I also looked at other people's user pages to see what I could put on mine and then copied parts of the source. As long as the contents are changed I don't see how anyone could object. If you really copy someone's style you might point that out as a friendly gesture, but I don't think that's necessary. Then again, I don't know what precisely you have in mind. Nice user name, by the way. :) DirkvdM 07:36, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

Thank you for your response. I greatly apperciate the help :) And thanks for the compliment! --Teh Janitor 07:59, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

What I did (when laying out my first proper user page, I've since tweaked it and made it more personalised) was have a search around the user pages of some of the members of Esperanza; they have (or rather had, it's now spun off) a Trading Spaces programme where users improve other users pages, so there's a lot of high quality examples to check out. Of course, you could always sign up for the programme and let someone else do the hard work for you. --Daduzi ^talk 04:07, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

Graphical modification of existing product images

Hi,

if I take an existing picture of a product (e.g. RAID) and I modify it so it reads something different (e.g. RAIDYMILK) but keep the graphism of the original bottle, and modify the print (e.g. it reads "The wiki milk for admins" instead of "Insect Killer") for a prank, what is the legal risk, knowing that this article would be a joke and would not be in any shape or form created for a bad publicity for Johnson & Johnson ? Fabwash 03:11, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

We don't give legal advice here, and such a picture wouldn't belong on Wikipedia. If you put it on your own website, it might or might not be considered parody.-gadfium 04:15, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

Question on editing the Marka Ragnos Picture

I found a picture of the Sith Lord of Marka Ragnos to put on the Marka Ragnos article that doesn't have one, but when I put in the correct HTML tags, and/or the Embedded Image, it never works, can you please help me.

Marka Ragnos Site:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marka_Ragnos

Maraka Ragnos Picture Sight:

http://www.dmeb2.org/fanart/3dimages/shadowofmarkragnos_alch_tmb.jpg

• This is a copyright image (see http://www.dmeb2.org/fanart/). Notinasnaid 19:39, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

Dairy products

Who was the first person who made cheese from milk? and when?

Thanks very much for your possible answers, as I cannot do that for my daughter

Oh, cheese is WAY older than you think =D. See Cheese#Origins --mboverload@ 05:56, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

How can you know what people think? :) DirkvdM 07:46, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

People he/she assumed they had a name --mboverload@ 09:34, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

You pretty much refuted your own statement. We had to domesticate cows (or some animal) first. That happened just thousands of years ago. And we had to eat before that. Humans evolved millions of years ago. So it's a relatively recent food. DirkvdM 07:46, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

There you go. People who sit in front of the telly all day, stuffing their faces with packaged food are incapable of seeing the broader picture. :) DirkvdM 07:21, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

I heard something about cheese first occuring when milk was stored for transportation in skins made from animal stomachs. The natural rennet in the stomach would have then began to separate curds from whey and all that, and considering some estimates of humans settling down (12,000-10,000 years ago, from what I've heard) and how certain it is that as soon as milk began to be transported it would be done so in stomachs, the first "cheese" probably occured about ten thousand + years ago. I think. So I don't think there's really a "who" or even a which culture that we'd know about having first made cheese. Blue cheeses as we know them are relatively recent, because they began being produced after the advent of penecillin (sp?), which is still the most common molding agent injected into blue cheeses. Sashafklein 09:53, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

I think blue cheeses are far older than the discovery of Penicillan - you don't need to know what you're encouraging to grow to make the veins, most probably the process was discovered by trial and error. See the Roquefort article for an appropriate legend - a shepherd forgot his lunch in a cave and the rest is history. Not also Pliny praising the local cheeses in 79 AD. Lisiate 03:10, 1 August 2006 (UTC).

Non-physical cultural heritage

How many non-physical cultural heritages in Vietnam have been acknowledged/recognized by UNESCO so far?

Thank you for your valuable answers—Preceding unsigned comment added by 125.234.138.64 (talk • contribs)

Two, according to the article Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. The Nha nhac, a type of Vietnamese classical music and dance, and the 2005 entry was the space of gong culture in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. The candidates for 2007 include quan ho singing style and the ca tru festival tradition, according to the references in the article. -- Graham talk 12:05, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

70's Interior Design

Y'know that wood paneling that they loved to use in the 70's and early 80s for rec rooms and such? Yeeeeah, anyone know what that's called?

Wood grain?--Jamesino 20:02, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

It's just called wood paneling, what else would it be called ? StuRat 23:51, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

Tacky! That's what.

Petite vs. Teenybopper

Are Petite and Teenybopper the same?

I don't think so —Minun ^Spiderman 14:18, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

Petite is a French verb meaning "small". A teenybopper is a stereotypical western teenager. Click on the links.--Shantavira 18:43, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

Petit(e) is an adjective in French, not a verb. David Sneek 19:10, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

Yes? Who said it was a verb? User:Zoe|^(talk) 21:30, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

Well, since you asked, Shantavira did. But that's ok, nobody's perfect. JackofOz 23:33, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

Gaa. I looked for that, and couldn't find it. My eyes are starting to fail me. User:Zoe|(talk) 02:57, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

In response to Shantavira, I thought teenybopper referred to 50s era teenagers? I don't think it's used very much to refer to modern teenagers, and I think the description 'Western' (which I realise is in the article, which is itself not very good IMO but that's another discussion) is a little too broad, as IMO the term was only used for English-language teens, and perhaps only US/UK/Canada. Or maybe just US/Canada, lol.--Anchoress 05:34, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

Yes of course petite is an adjective, not a verb. Sorry. FWIW, the OED puts the first recorded usage of tennybopper in 1966, in Australia, and I think it's worth quoting: A girl in her teens or younger, esp. one who is a fan of pop music and follows the latest fashions.

1966 Telegraph (Austral.) 12 Oct. 58/3 The teenybopper is aptly named because her two distinguishing features are her teeny size and her cool boppy with-it attitude to life.--Shantavira 07:51, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

Whew, was I wrong! I'd better get on the trolley.--Anchoress 10:58, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

Dragon Flies vs Pine trees

We live in Michigan and are having a problem with dragon flies this year. They are sucking the water or nutrients out of the new growth on our pine trees and maple trees. For example: the dragon flies sit on top of the new pinetree leaders and suck out the water or nutrients and within a week the leaders begin to turn brown and die. They are also doing the same thing to the new growth on our maple trees.

We have tries using insect sprays, but they do not bother the dragon flies. Any suggtestions as to how to keep the dragon flies off of our trees. We have about 50 trees we are concerned about?

I would not worry about the dragonflies they are predators and eat other insects, not trees. Not sure what is killing your pine trees though. --Sherool (talk) 16:07, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

Yeah. Dragonflies are your friend, unless you really really like mosquitoes. --jpgordon^∇∆∇∆ 16:18, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

How do you know the dragonflies are causing this and did this start happening before or after you started spraying? And how many dragonflies are there anyway? A tree weighs a tonne (or something). Much smaller plants can survive an aphid infestation. Surely a maple tree can handle some dragonflies. DirkvdM 07:31, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

I wouldn't have to work at all, I'd fool around and have a ball?

There's a Japanese reality TV show called "The Legend of Gold" (ja:いきなり!黄金伝説。) which regularly holds a ¥10,000 (US$87) for a month contest. They would hire four celebrities, send them to an apartment, and give each of them ¥10,000 as a month's fees for foods and utilities. The one who keeps most money at the end of the months wins.

I wonder if is it possible for a person to spend 100 million yen (or about $870,000) a month on foods. You cannot buy anything other than foods and reasonable food-related items. You cannot waste your foods. You have to pay reasonable money for your foods. If the dealer gives you a volume discount, you have to accept it. You have to eat most of your foods by yourself. You cannot buy ingredients developed for biological purposes (e.g. a clone sheep with a sky high price tag; a single cell made by artificially synthesized DNA; ...). You cannot buy ingredients made for scientific purposes (e.g. salt consisted of unstable isotopes of sodium and chlorine; see isotopes of sodium and isotopes of chlorine). You cannot burn diamonds to roast your marshmallow. You cannot pay Bill Gates $869,998 and have him fetch you a $2 soda. ...

So far the most expensive food I've found are 7 bottles of 1978 red wine auctioned for $167,500, or $23,929 per bottle in 2001.[6] There are more expensive wines but these 18th century wines are not drinkable. I think you can stir fry lots of highest quality saffron and truffles, but these things are simply dirt cheap if you have $29,000 a day to burn.

So how do I spend 100 million yen a month on food? -- Toytoy 17:48, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

One word: restaurants. It's easy to spend $300 on food (e.g. at kobe beef steak houses in Tokyo), but the wine list is where the real action is, since a top restaurant might multiply the retail price by 6 or more, and readily available wine retails for as much as $5000. Apparently Walnut Creek restaurant has an imperial (big) bottle of 1975 Chateau Petrus, for $29,000. Of course, you would die before the month was out. Notinasnaid 19:12, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

Cleopatra was said to have once drunken a pearl dissolved in vinegar - I imagine that would cost quite a bit if you can stomach it. Ziggurat 22:26, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

I thought the pearl was dissolved in wine? But then, the wine of the time probably wasn't that far removed from vinegar. User:Zoe|(talk) 03:00, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Cleopatra VII of Egypt#Cleopatra and Mark Antony specifies vinegar. But of course I first heard about it through Asterix and Cleopatra :) Ziggurat 03:07, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Sequential manual gearbox

Do cars with a seguential manual gearbox have the clutch pedal? More specifically, does the Enzo Ferrari have a clutch pedal?--Jamesino 19:59, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

Using a search engine will tell you pretty quickly that the Enzo Ferrari doesn't have a clutch pedal. For example this image show the two pedals (the four shiny metal things in the photo are: foot rest, brake, accelerator, and reflection of the accelerator).--Commander Keane 00:59, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

Interesting, that they list sixteen different possible configurations of the brake and accellerator pedal. If I spent a million dollars on a car, I'd expect a pedal that causes it to dispense margaritas, so perhaps that's one of the combinations!

Image hosting

Where the heck can I find a public, free of charge, non-pornographic image hosting site that accepts photographs of topless women? I've tried Photobucket, Webshots, Flickr and Smugmug, but they all forbid any pictures of women with bare breasts, regardless of the situation. JIP | Talk 20:14, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

If you compromise by censoring out some of their body parts, you might be able to host it onto Photobucket or other hosting services. --Jamesino 23:02, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

Does National Geographic accept them ? I was of the opinion that they only allowed topless native women in their mags. :-) StuRat 23:44, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

If they are ARTFUL nudes, DeviantArt with gladly take them. --mboverload@ 03:36, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

I'm not sure if they constitute artful nudes. They are from the World Bodypainting Festival, featuring models in various states of painting. The festival is open for families and children. The women in the photographs are just posing for normal photography, not in some fancy artful poses. I showed some of the photographs to my mother, who has been an amateur photographer for years, and she complimented the quality of the pictures. JIP | Talk 09:23, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

Sounds like an epitome of artful nudes, to me. I note that our article on the subject is devoid of images - perhaps you would consider uploading one for us? --Tagishsimon (talk)

I would, but I'm not sure if the festival rules allow that. They say any photographs taken are only for personal use. Here is a detailed FAQ. Does this mean I can upload pictures to Wikipedia or does it mean I can't? JIP | Talk 10:38, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

Hmm. Were you a registered photographer? Then yes. If not, then I'm not sure. You might, I suppose, have entered into a contract by buying a ticket, under which you agreed to abide by their conditions. I suspect that if you approched them and explained that you wanted to put one or two images onto Wikipedia, they' give you permission. Looks to me like they're trying to dissociate body painting from "erotic" (read pornography) publications, which Wikipedia clearly isn't. Perhaps enclose the images you'd select for us. It would be great to have them. --Tagishsimon (talk)

I don't see anything in the FAQ about personal use. It says that registered photographers can only use pictures for non-commercial purposes, but the only restriction on unregistered photographers seems to be that you aren't allowed to take photographs in a "special area". As I understand it, all Wikipedia content (including the Reference desk and any images here) has to be usable for commercial purposes. So if you're registered, you can't upload images here; if you aren't registered, you can. Which is an odd state of affairs. Henry^Flower 12:12, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

This does indeed sound odd. There were also signs at the festival entrance forbidding commercial use of photographs, and I think I saw something about personal use only, but I'm not sure. As for the "special area", well, everyone is allowed to take pictures of models in that area, but if you're not registered, you can't go in that area yourself. I took pictures through the fence. I was there as a normal visitor, not as a registered photographer. But I think I'll have to ask the festival staff themselves about this. JIP | Talk 12:17, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

They may have some promotional images that they'd allow you to upload... just a thought. Dismas|^(talk) 12:27, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

I asked the staff, and they said it is OK to upload the pictures, as long as I mention it was taken at the festival, and provide a link to it, and it would also be good if I mentioned the artist's name. Trouble is, I don't remember nearly all the artists. The only artists I remember were a couple of Finnish teams and a German team I got acquintated with. JIP | Talk 16:22, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

Wel, put them up; quite possibly someone will be able to reunite the photos with the names in the wikipedia way of things. Good work on contacting the organisers. Looking forward to seeing them. --Tagishsimon (talk)

OK, but how many pictures should I upload? Should I only put pictures normally on the side of the article, or make an image gallery? JIP | Talk 07:22, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

If the photos are good and distinct, I'd put one or two on the side & a gallery at the foot of the article. --Tagishsimon (talk)

I'm having trouble picking the sidebar images out of the hundreds of model photos I made. Should I go with female models, male models, or both? Every picture in the main body painting article seems to only show female models. Also, the images are 2560×1920 pixels in size, and weigh almost 2 megabytes each. Is this OK, or do I have to shrink them before uploading? JIP | Talk 12:05, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

I uploaded eight pictures, six of bodypainted models and two otherwise from Seeboden. See for yourself. It turns out that Wikipedia automatically makes thumbnail images of the pictures in the articles, and doesn't just resize the originals. Kudos for that. I only know the names of the artists in one picture - in the second female picture, the man is called Olaf and the woman is called Ruth. JIP | Talk 17:57, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Concerning Allergy (RAST test)

In an allergy test result (RAST test), a number was given after "food allergy" and "anaphylaxis" in the result sheet. What do these numbers mean? I am asking what scale or measurement the numbers are measuring. Thanks. --Proficient 23:44, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

This suggests that the results "are reported semi-quantitatively as a score or as a category of reactivity to indicate either a negative result or low-, medium-, high- or very high degrees of sensitisation." Were the numbers 0-4? That might correspond to those categories of reactivity. digfarenough (talk) 23:56, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

No, the numbers were in the hundreds, but thanks for your help. --Proficient 17:17, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

July 31

Maine

Did the U.S. purchase land from canada that would for the northern portion of the state of Maine? If so does the purchase have a name does it have a Wikipedia article and is their any maps of the purchase and maps of the U.S. before the purchase?

Webster-Ashburton Treaty Rmhermen 05:43, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

To answer your question more directly, at the time of the Webster-Ashburton Treaty, Canada was a British possession. The United States claimed a northern border for Maine that runs through what are now the provinces of Quebec and New Brunswick. The United Kingdom claimed a southern border for Canada that runs through what is now Maine. The territory between the two borders (northern Maine, a southern slice of present-day Quebec, and northwestern New Brunswick) was disputed between the two nations. The Webster-Ashburton Treaty was a compromise that set the border between U.S. and British territory that is now the northern border of Maine. There was no purchase. Any map of the United States before 1842 will show the disputed area. A U.S. map from before that date would show the area claimed by the United States, while a British map would show the British claim.Marco polo 22:59, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

Fireflies

Is it possible for a firefly or lightning bug to give off a blue light instead of a green-yellow light? Thank You

I don't think so —Minun ^{Spiderman • Review Me} 13:38, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

There are many subspecies of firefly some glow yellow, others green and some blue.Anton 15:14, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

help

what can neither gain or lose weight?does anyone know the answer to this riddle?

Wasn't this comprehensively answered the last time it was asked? Notinasnaid 08:03, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

This is not really a riddle, is it? A riddle is "1. A question or statement intentionally worded in a dark or puzzling manner, and propounded in order that it may be guessed or answered, esp. as a form of pastime; an enigma; a dark saying. 2. transf. Something which puzzles or perplexes; a difficult or insoluble problem; a mystery." (OED). --Shantavira 10:07, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

Weight is a measure of how two masses attract each other at a given distance. Given constant masses, the weight will change with a change in distance. Therefore, anything with mass can have a change in weight. Thus, something which "can neither gain or [sic] lose weight" would have to be something with no mass. Such as: a thought, an idea, a word, love, hate, time, etc. –RHolton≡– 22:44, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

A cylinder made of an alloy of platinum and iridium of 39 mm height and diameter, which is kept at the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (International Bureau of Weights and Measures). If it looses or gains weight it still weights a kilogram - but the weight of every other item in the universe changes. AllanHainey 13:55, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Bubble era

Hi, i bumped into a term "bubble era" couple of times lately. What does it mean exactly? Does it describe some period of Internet development only? I would appreciate anybody's answer greatly, thank you! T

Possibly refers to Dot-com bubble, though could point to any of a number of other bubbles, back to the The South Sea Company or Tulip mania. Or Real estate bubble, United States housing bubble, Irish property bubble, Economic bubble, California property bubble, Spanish property bubble, Japanese asset price bubble, New Zealand property bubble, &c &c. So you'd need to consider the context of your bubble era. --Tagishsimon (talk)

u guyz aint that smart..the answer actually is an active monkey..it can hardly gain or lose weight...

Is putting your comment against the wrong question an example of how smart you are?  :--) JackofOz 12:27, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Brute force and code breaking

what is brute force...is it a means of code breaking...and how does it work.what are other means of breaking codes?

Brute force can mean a few things. What you seem to be interested in is a Brute force attack. There are a variety of other means of cryptanalysis, such as rubber-hose cryptanalysis.--Philosophus ^T 09:01, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

Philosophus explains the basics of it fine, so I'll just add that brute force attacks are the "baseline" for how secure a digital cipher is. If there's a method that breaks it faster that means the cipher is insecure. --ColourBurst 19:43, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

I think of "brute force code breaking" as trying every possible combo. For example, a 4-digit numeric PIN for a credit card only has ten thousand possibilities, which can all be tried out in a few minutes or hours using a computer, provided the software isn't sophisticated enough to lock out the PIN after a small number of mistakes. StuRat 23:37, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

sloths

just wanting to know if the male,female and baby south american sloth are known by any other names? e.g moose males,females and babies are also known as bulls,cows and calves. thankyou for your help jinine--220.238.26.5 09:14, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

Neither sloth nor list of animal names mention any other names. In fact the sloth article refers to "infant sloths" at one point. Rmhermen 17:21, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

Lunar Rover

There is a featured article concerning the above. However i have noticed the following in varios places and pictures: Why in the picture of the lunar rover, are there no stars? The moon has no atmosphere, and should therefore show millions of stars, however the sky apears black. please explain if possible. Thanx193.115.175.247 13:17, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

Since this is a Wiki, you can fix it yourself, but you have to register to upload images —Minun ^{Spiderman • Review Me} 13:37, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

Stars are not visible because they are very dim compared to the moonscape. If the film was exposed long enough for stars to show up on it, the foreground dust would be hopelessly over-exposed. If you own a camera you can experimentally verify this yourself tonight. Earth's atmosphere has little effect on things; clear non-polluted air blocks very little visible light (sorry, can't find an exact figure right now, I think it is a fraction of a percent). Weregerbil 14:28, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

Because they were filmed in a soundstage on Earth! Adam Bishop 15:31, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

There is a more detailed discussion of this at Apollo Moon landing hoax accusations#Photographs and films. --Shantavira 15:32, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

I assume that you can see both the stars and the surface of whatever celestial body you're on with your eyes because human vision adapts, whereas in a camera the same sensitivity and exposure are used for the whole CCD or film. But where is this done? In the eyes or in the brain (or both)? And wouldn't it be possible to do something similar with cameras? I often have this problem that different parts of the photo differ so much in brightness that I can never give them both the right exposure. An intelligent camera could notice that different sections of the image differ greatly in brightness and adapt the sensitivity of the different parts of the CCD to that (wouldn't work with film). However, thinking of it, it seems rather complicated. How does the camera (or editing software) know which of the two an average-lit part belongs to? This again gives me great respect for the way human perception works (or any other animal for that matter). DirkvdM 07:58, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Proper Pronunciation

I would like to ask you how to pronounce the Minotaur and Centaur are they ( Tar ) or ( Tor) if you can help me out thank you, and if not thanks anyway. (e-mail adress removed to prevent spam) —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 69.47.252.104 (talk • contribs) 13:58, 31 July 2006.

Go to [7] and [8]. Click on the a loudspeaker to hear a word. Jacek Kendysz 14:12, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

According to wiktionary:centaur, 'centaur' is pronounced closer to an 'o' (specifically, IPA: [ˈsɛntɔː(r)]). I presume 'minotaur' is much the same. --Sam Pointon 14:23, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

Binary dual

I have recently been reading about Monadic Cyles, I wish to know does the earth's sun have a binary dual? or to simplify, does our sun and galaxy revolve in with another? It is said in the book i am reading that it does, and with Andomeda, but that is a galaxy, acn any one shed any light on this subject in any way thanxAnton 15:11, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

Just tell me if theres anything about the book you don't believe, and then we can decided if you should believe it or not, cheeers —Minun ^{Spiderman • Review Me} 19:52, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

Sounds like you're mixing up stars and galaxies. Our galaxy (the Milky Way) may revolve around another, but our star (the Sun) doesn't. DirkvdM 08:04, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

What i believe to be true is irrelavant, What i want to know is Does our Sun have a binary dual and if so which/what/where is it.

Let's go back. I've never heard of a binary dual, and there aren't any hits in Google that seem to be relevant (except one earlier question here). So, since this is a specialised term, can you let us know where you have found this term used (a URL, if possible), and how it is defined if it isn't on a site we can visit. Thanks. Notinasnaid 14:32, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Right, Wiki has an article on Binary star. (dont know how to make link) Does our sun have such a Binary dual.? I really apreciate your help. Thanx193.115.175.247 14:54, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Ah, I think you would have got a quicker response if you had said "binary partner" or "companion star". No, the Sun does not have a binary partner; it is not part of a binary star, as scientists would mean the term. However, if you are dealing with esoteric cosmology, this is more like religion than science. Notinasnaid 15:16, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

I am dealing with esoteric cosmology actually. Well done Dude. But how would we know whether or not we are part of a binary. To observe a binary one needs to use the dopler shift, but this cannot be done as our binary partner would always be either moving away or toward us. So my actual problem is i am trying to write a book on the correlation between esoteric religion, christianity, hiduism, budism and science and how they all come together as part of a greater monadic cycle. any help in any way would be appreciated. thanks.

If the sun was part of a binary system with a nearby star, we would see it. Or, if it was black, it would still have a significant effect on the orbits of all the planets. However, scientists are able to calculate planetary orbits very accurately, which means there cannot be a nearby large gravitational source unaccounted for. If you posit that the entire solar system was in a dual relationship with a further away star, we would see the effects of the orbit in that the galaxy would appear to be rotating against our system. Or so it seems to me. But how about this for cosmic philosophy: it is never correct to say that one thing just orbits around another. While the earth orbits around the sun, so the sun orbits around the earth. Both influence each other. However, because the earth is so much smaller than the sun, the effect is that the sun has a tiny wobble, while the earth goes round very nearly the centre of the sun. So the Sun has a partner in each of its planets, and asteroids. Notinasnaid 15:57, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Very true, however, we might not notice the other scource rotating around us as it would do so so slowly. we might notice it comeing or going depending on what part of its cycle it was on but the sideways shift at its furthest point is impossable to observe, true or false. And again thanks.

Coffee

Cofee beans are edable. Are Coffee berries, the fruit from which the beans come, edable, and if so what do the taste like? Are they available comercially? Why is coffee only made from the seeds of these plants? why not others such as orange seeds for different types of coffee?

For starters, check out the article on the coffee plant. It mentions that the berries are in fact edible (note the spelling). You might also be interested in the article on drupes, which are the classification of fruit in which the coffee berry belongs. --Bmk 16:11, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

I asked this same question a while ago and never got a really good answer. Maybe you'll have more luck. —Keenan Pepper 22:03, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

We don't take that "I didn't get a good answer from the reference desk" kind of thing lying down, you know. Oh no. I'm actually propped up on my sofa as I intimate that a) Two nuggets I've picked up are "I tried the berries David, they're quite pleasant in a sweet sort of way. Apparently it was originally the berries that were used as a beverage, the beans were discarded."[9] and "The coffee berries are difficult to chew so early coffee experimentation involved roasting the coffee beans to make them edible. Gradually, people began pouring hot water over the roasted coffee beans to make the well-known cup of coffee."[10]. Perhaps the best overview is here - enough on the history of coffee berry munching. Been going on for thousands of years, they reckon. b) Why not other seeds. Why not indeed. Google, being your friend, would like you to look up coffee substitute where you'll observe an offer of organically grown chicory, figs, cereals and acorns; and later Soy. So clearly there are nutty & legume substitutes c) And you'll recall Ersatz coffee from the war years, made of some bean or other. In short, I imagine that there are a bunch of things which make more or less palatable beverages, and many that don't, and/or that'll make you proper ill. By the same token, why not tea from chesnut leaves or grass? And yea, we see a plethora of herbal infusions including Ersatz tea made from raspberry leaf. Conclusion: get out there and start roasting & boiling things & see what the result is. --Tagishsimon (talk)

When at a coffee plantation I once ate peeled coffee berries, straight from the plant, and they weren't difficult to chew at all. However, they didn't taste like coffee at all. Nor did I notice any effect of the cafeine, but I'm an avid coffee drinker and I only ate a few. But that will have been the original reason for coffee consumption. Once people find something like this out they start experimenting and thus someone must have come up with the idea of roasting them for taste and then someone else came up with the drink. Or the other way around (although that sounds less likely).

Oddly, when people use other plants for brewing a hot drink, it's usually called 'tea'. Shouldn't there be a separate name? DirkvdM 08:12, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

By the way, coffee brewing has developed in something way too complicated. The best coffee is the simplest, cowboy style. Just add hot water to the ground coffee. To avoid the sludge at the bottom you could also filter it (afterwards!), whic makes it more complicated again, but that doesn't affect the taste. I suppose the reason this tates so much better is that all of the ground coffee comes into instant contact with almost-boiling water. The Coffee preparation article says "The recommended brewing temperature of coffee is 93 °C". If the water filers through a heap of coffee, only the top will get the water at the right temperature. DirkvdM 08:29, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

I've tasted a new beverage that claims to be coffee berry juice(O.N.E. Coffee Berry Juice available at Whole Foods Markets). It has a sweet, and very mild flavour. A bit like redcurrant juice, but milder. It's amazing that this comes from the same plant as coffee. JIP | Talk 10:32, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Timeline for admission to law school

I'll be a junior at UCLA this fall, after transferring from a community college. I would like to attend law school as soon as I graduate, which I estimate will happen by the summer of 2008. Supposing that most law schools would begin their academic calendars during the fall of that year, this means I would have to submit my applications the year prior, doesn't it? (That is, the fall of 2007, when I would be beginning my senior year.) If this is the case, would anyone like to share their thoughts on whether this would be a good decision? I feel that I would not have much under my belt at the university so soon after arriving. --71.103.130.75 17:42, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

The European e-mark

Hi,

I have searched here and many places to no avail to find information about what the International/European "e-mark" is and what the criteria is for a product to receive this mark.

It appears on a product as a lower-case e. I am aware of certain products that have this, but I don't know what it means and what it takes for a skin care line, as an example, to receive this mark. I have been told it is some mark of excellence that has to do with the approval of some commitee of the European Union. Your help would be appreciated.

Yours,

Jeremiah Charles

I think its just some kind of logo —Minun ^{Spiderman • Review Me} 19:03, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

Do you mean CE mark or more probably Estimated sign? MeltBanana 19:32, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

It explains in the article about that, check it out if thats what you mean —Minun ^{Spiderman • Review Me} 19:46, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

Maybe the "Estimated" sign, a lower case e, which certifies that the actual contents of the package comply with specified criteria for estimation. See also[11]. The EU does not award marks of excellence, but of standardisation. In some cases it will be illegal to sell products that do not conform to EU standards, which may include carrying marks. Notinasnaid 20:06, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

There are also European Quality Charters for all sorts of products and services (above the legal minimum standards). Is that what you mean? For example the 1998 European Quality Charter for CFL (Compact Fluorescent Lamps) link.

For specific info for businesses re EU Directives, Regulations, etc, contact any of the Information centres (EIC's). Here is a list of the ones in Britain [link]. Jameswilson 23:16, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

Cool, I did some more digging and found the info that you were saying about the standardization mark. It has to do with quantity regulation of pre-packeged goods, of consistancy, and honesty in labeling. Thanks for your help. -Jeremiah

In short, if you don't give it the mark, every package has to contain at least the quantity the package says it does. With the mark, it only needs to be that amount on average (and within certain limits). DirkvdM 08:34, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Rechargeable Batteries

Do rechargeable batteries(AA) specifically made for digital cameras work effectively for other divices? Thank you.

Ask Jeeves claims that they don't —Minun ^{Spiderman • Review Me} 19:01, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

Strange, I was fairly confident that they would but wanted verification. Any ideas as to why not? Thanks again.

I'd like to see a link for the claim that they don't. If they are AA batteries, why wouldn't they work for other devices? For the record, I did go to Ask.com (it hasn't been called "Ask Jeeves" for some time now), typed in the question and found no links supporting the above responder's claim. --LarryMac 19:28, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

Sorry, my mistake I found I was reading about a different kind of battery [12] sorry —Minun ^{Spiderman • Review Me} 19:48, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

Now that I think of it they would perform better if anything being as digital cameras go through batteries like nothing-sounds like a good 8th grade science fair project.

A similar project would be to see it the batteries packaged as "for digital cameras" behave any differently from standard alkaline batteries. I have a feeling it's all a marketing game. --LarryMac 20:40, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

I suspect otherwise. The charge-voltage curve for standard alkaline batteries is decidedly unfavorable towards use in cameras and other digital devices: the voltage drops too low for the device to use it long before the battery is fully discharged. If these "digital camera" alkalines have a different curve, they'll appear to last longer even though they don't actually store more power. --Serie 00:08, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

NiMH batteries (which is what I assume you are asking about) can be used almost anywhere. In practice a problem is that they suddenly go from good to totally flat, whereas ordinary alkalines gradually lose power, giving you some warning that they are running low. This means that for NiMHs you start off with a good beam from your torch and 2 minutes later you can have nothing at all! And then a set of NiMh batteries running with one flat destroys the flat one permanently (even if it were its first use). See the WP article link above. The Star batteries Faq (although quite obviously biased in order to sell the stuff) gives valid, scientific, understandable information. For medium drain applications such as cameras and cd-players they are the most economical. But they discharge spontaneously on storage, so for inclusion in a "disaster emergency kit" a box of waterproof matches would be a better choice :) --Seejyb 00:16, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Serie gave an important part of the answer. Of course standardised batteries could easily be made, but that would mean a drop in sales - good for the manufacturer, but not for the producer. Consumers may demand what they wish, but if manufacturer don't deliver, that's the end of the story. The free market system isn't as perfect as it is often made out to be. It's sort of like with democracy: it sucks, but it's the best alternative we seem to have at the moment. DirkvdM 08:40, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

the time of day of Zidane's headbutt?

Hi...I really need to know the exact time of day (to the second even IF possible) that it was when Zidane headbutted the Italian in the worldcup final on July 9 2006.

The game began at 8pm I believe (Germany time) and the headbutt was int he 110th minute, but I need to find out the exact time of day that it was when that happened (i.e. 10:00 PM)...

This is a real challenge I think so thanks for any help

Well Zidane headbutted the guy on the 117:41 minute and the game started at 8pm German time, then it would have happened at approximatly 9:57:41pm in German time, give or take a few seconds due to the fact that the match wouldn't have started precisely on the 8pm mark. --user:02pollaj

--squiggly things

Don't you have to add in half-time to that? And stoppage time? Adam Bishop 06:00, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Yes you would need plenty of extra time for half time + stoppage time + the time in between full time and extra time... I didn't record the match, but if someone did on one of those HDD recorders, they will usually tell you the exact time you started recording and the exact time something happens. – AlbinoMonkey ^(Talk) 08:49, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

You'll never get the exact time by trying to add duration of match time, half time, injury time, etc. The best way to get the actual time it occurred would be to either get a full recorded video of the match or to check FIFA records as presumably the Referee recorded his red card somewhere & this woud have the time on it. I've just thought, some TV companies show the time as well as the score, who's playing, etc superimposed on the screen so just a picture of the headbutt from TV might do it. AllanHainey 14:11, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Re: Criss Angel

Could anyone direct me to the site(s) that explain these illusions. Maybe supply some vauluable keywords or simply the links. I have put considerable time into finding them for myself as well as previously trying to determine the explanations for myself all to no avail. Thanks.

Do you mean images (by illustrations)? —Minun ^{Spiderman • Review Me} 19:48, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

Try Google Image search to find examples of images, and CrissAngel.com for most other info, cheers —Minun ^{Spiderman • Review Me} 19:59, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

I never mentioned illustrations, perhaps you misread illusions?

Walking on water is explained at walking on water. How else?--Shantavira 07:24, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

"Levitation" is explained at invisible thread and David Copperfield's flying and the "patent" link from there. All rather obvious when you know, isn't it?--Shantavira 09:50, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

kung-fu actors' attire

i watch a lot of kung-fu movies, and some of the actors have a white square with a red circle on the square pasted to their head. i was wondering, what is the significance of the square.

Hinomaru? David Sneek 20:29, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

bible question for a prisoner

genesis 2:16-17 Gensis 3:22-24 Did God did not want man to live forever???

Or does he not want man to live forever now that man has eaten of the fruit and knows right &wrong, good&evil ???

It was alright to eat from the tree of life &live forever, until man ate from the tree of conscience?

Man was never told "not to eat from the tree of life...? This Question is haunting my son (JoeyHipp)who has done extensive study of the Bible... "Please if at all possible" could somone answer this so i can send it to him???

There isn't going to be any "right answer". It's all the opinion of the reader. Of course, if you give us a particular denomination, we might be able to find their official stance on this issue. StuRat 23:31, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

I am not quite sure what your question is. are you asking if eating from the tree was a sin. do you want to know what God plan was if man did not eat from the tree? Jon513 23:37, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

I find the story a bit silly myself; what was God's plan, just for them to avoid temptation and sit there in Eden doing nothing but "being happy" ? No human civilization, no nothing, just a whole universe created for two people ? Not much of a plan, if you ask me. StuRat 23:47, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

You are very astute to recognize that. God's purpose was origianlly, and remains, that humans live forever in peace and harmony not only with each other, but with nature, forever. The first man was told that he could eat from every tree in the garden except for the one that the Creator reserved as his special posession. The only time death was even mentioned was as a penalty for disobedience and rebellion against God. In essense, what the first man and woman did when they ate that special fruit, was tell the Sovereign Lord of the Universe that they had the right to determine for themselves, "good and bad". 6,000+ years later, we see the result of man's self rule. Utter failure. That is why the prophet Jeremiah was inspired to say at Jer 10:23 that "It does not belong to man who is walking even to direct his step." But the Bible also outlays that this time will pass and that the earth will be restored along with obedient humanity to it's originally intended state. You see, God does not change his mind. The Bible clearly teaches that the Earth is here forever. It also teaches that is was made to be inhabited. It also clearly states that the righteous and the meek would inherit the Earth and that the wicked would be cut off and be no more. Death will be brought to nothing, sickness will be no more, nor will outcry, or pain be anymore. This is the purpose of God's Kingdom that was the theme of Jesus' ministry. This is the promise we hope for...that we look forward to seeing fulfilled. BibleTeacher89

But if you believe the story god created man in the first place. So he put the disobedient streak in him and then punished mankind for behaving in a way that he created us to behave. The story makes no sense. Theresa Knott | Taste the Korn 03:15, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

It was not a disobedient streak that was put into man, man deliberately chose to disobey. It was the godlike quality of free will that was given man. But, just because you are free to make choices, you are not free to choose the result of those choices. They were made aware of what the law was. They chose to ignore that law. Just as someone who decides to "break the law" of gravity...you don't break any law of God, you break yourself against it. If they would have ignored the misleading advice of the rebellious spirit son of God who became the one called "Devil" and "Satan", they would have continued to prosper, and to fill the earth with perfect human offspring. Even if Adam would have chosen to not follow his wife, he could have been provided another wife and we would not have inherited sin as we all did. But this was not the case. Adam, the responsible and more experienced one, chose to disobey. Hence, death spread to all his offspring. That is why the ransom sacrifice was provided to buy mankind out of that condition. Jesus, having come to Earth as a perfect human, was qualified to "give his life as a ransom in exchange for many" and act as a propitiation for the perfect human life that Adam forfeited. That is why the Scriptures refer to him as "the last Adam". That act of love by Almighty God and his only begotten son paved the way for those in the memorial tombs to come out in the resurrection of the dead and for those and the ones who are preserved through and survive the "Great day of God the Almighty" to live everlastingly and have the priveledge of restoring the Earth to it's potential and filling it with perfect human society who live in peace under the rule, not of imperfect man...but of God's messianic Kingdom. BibleTeacher89 03:47, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

I don't believe that either Adam or Jesus were perfect. The evidence on Adam is his choice of actions (eating the apple). The evidence on Jesus was his questioning God: "My God, why have thou forsaken me ?" (Matt 27:46). And while we're at it, why did God allow the evil serpent and the tempting tree to exist in his "perfect" world ? I must conclude that God, which produces all these creations with a slight evil streak in them, must be both good and evil, as in Eastern Philosophy, where Good exists in the heart of Evil, and Evil in the heart of Good (see the Ying Yang symbol). StuRat 06:25, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

God, being omnipotent, knew before hand that they would sin, therefore he placed the plant in the garden for them to sin with so everything is part of his plan. He planned for them to sin ect.193.115.175.247 09:20, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

To be honest, rereading the thing, it looks like the story got a bit garbled. It makes sense (to me) if you consider that the knowledge of good and evil (right and wrong) can only be learnt through experience, and therefore they had to choose to do something wrong (when they had no sense of right or wrong) and be punished in order to know what right and wrong were. All other explanations I've seen fall down for me because they had no sense of right and wrong, so how can they be expected to know it is wrong to eat the fruit? Plus, if you have an omnipotent, omniscient god, he must have set it up so that they would disobey. Seems to me the tree was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil only in the sense that Death was waiting under the tree in the Parson's Tale. It possibly got garbled once people started taking it literally. Skittle 10:17, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Maimonides theorizes that before they ate from the tree they saw right and wrong in the same way we view true and false. That is to say that before the sin of the tree they were able to derive a moral system by pure logic. Only after the sin did right and wrong now exsist as separate consepts from true and false. Jon513 11:44, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

I also think your question is a bit vague, but if you take away all the question marks what you are saying is generally correct - in my opinion. Perhaps you could explain what exactly is bothering your son specifically?BenC7 11:51, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

God, being omnipotent could have chosen to know beforehand that they would sin, or he could have configured events so that they would have, but that is not a complete picture of what omnipotence is about. Just as the dial on a radio allows we as people to tune in on a particular frequency, The Creator has the ability to choose to or to not see events that have not taken place yet. Placing the tree deliberately there to stumble them and to caste future mankind into the state of sin and death is not fitting with God's character. God is love, and also outlined in the Scritpures is the fact that it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, this act of deceit is impossible for Him and against all that he stands for since it would have been, in effect, a lie. As said before, man was given the ability to choose his actions. He was told that statute and the consequences of that statute, therefore, he knew what God's requirements were and what good and bad was in the eyes of God. Whether he chose to obey this, however, is another matter. However, the rebellious angel under the guise of a talking serpent, told Eve that making her own choice in the matter of deciding what was good and bad would make her like God. He, in essence, called into question God's sovereignty, His right to rule and determine for mankind what would benefit them and what would not. By following this deceitful advice, Adam and Eve therefore rejected God's sovereignty and decided to choose for themselves the knowledge of what was good and bad. That is why they lost their lives. He decided to choose an act that he knew had dire consequences. Cause and effect. It is like when you pick up one end of a stick, you are free to do that, but you cannot then choose to not pick up the other end. That is the consequence of that action. Adam deliberately went against God's clear command (action/cause). That is why human perfection, albeit temporarily, was taken from them and their offspring. (consequence/effect) It is a matter of God's right to rule; His right to tell us what it beneficial (good) and what is detrimental (bad). Once this matter is settled to the universal law's satisfaction, this little experiement of man's self rule will come to an end, and with it, as the Bible clearly points out, death, the last enemy, will be brought to nothing. --BibleTeacher89 14:54, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Even if God gave them free choice he would have known exactly what would happen. If God is omnipotent then he is complicit in their sin. Your particular interpretation is a bit disengienious. It requires that an omniscient omnipotent being be able to act without understanding the consequence of his actions, which is clearly impossible as it presents a logical paradox. It violates the definition of omniscience. If you believe in a truly unbound God, a God with complete omniscience and omnipotence then you must believe that God preordained the fall of man. No amount of circular logic can get around this. By the bible's own ethical rules not-acting creates the same responsibility as acting. --Darkfred ^{Talk to me} 15:52, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

This is some of the funniest stuff i have read in a long time! Well Done people! I just wanted to point out that this is all metophoric. Thanks, Oh, and basically it doesnt matter to the original question as the prisoner has no concept of right and wrong or he would not be a prisoner. i am still laughing at the previous two responses, bloody brilliant hahaha

Well, first of all, where in the Holy Scriptures do you see Almighty God apply any human definition of omniscient/omnipotent to himself? You are relying on human understaning to define the divine and spiritual. Forget, for a moment, your definition of omniscient/omnipotent. God himself, by means of his personal name, defines himself as "He Who Causes to Become" and "I Shall Prove to be What I Shall Prove to Be". He is not limited by your definition of what you think his state of being is. He can be what he wants to fit any situation. The only thing He cannot be, is a liar and deceitful. That is something that He hates and is against his very nature. Also, being complicit in their sin is against his very being. God is love. He is the personification of love and his very essense is love. He fully intended to allow them free will and for them to obey him due to love and respect; To make the choice to obey him, not out of robotic compulsion. There is nothing circular about it. It is a logical and straightforward concept. Forget predestination, it is not a Biblical teaching. It is a philosophy of man. The bottom line and the answer to the question is that Almighty God created humans with everlasting life in mind. He created us with the intent to have us live, prosper, progress, and fill the earth with perfect offspring who live in peace and care for the planet. This intent has not changed. It will be filfilled in its due time. And, if you look at present events and circumstances, that time is drawing ever closer. Our deliverance is at hand!

--BibleTeacher89 17:08, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Bible teacher, I invite you to take a look at Predestination, specifically the section on the Christian doctrine of predestination, predestination is a basic biblical concept, as you should well know. Anyway, it was a fun debate, although in an inappropriate forum. Because you seem new to this sort of debate I also invite you to have a look at circular logic, logical paradox and Argumentum ad populum. Argumentum ad populum, or the appeal to belief is a tricky argument to use in debate, it can force a false choice in the viewers mind between literal inerancy and atheism. This debate is a very old one see Fall of Man. The position taken by most christian religions is that the story is in at least the small details allegorical. And cannot be considered a literal paradox in that sense. If you had argued this way, then you would have avoided my entire argument. My argument relied on a literal interpretation. This way if your argument fails then most you have lost is your listeners trust in biblical literalism, not loss of faith. --Darkfred ^{Talk to me} 19:11, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Dark Fred, I don't seek debate. I don't care for debate. I care to teach and there is no learning in a debate, only the desire to win the argument. As for this literal paradox, I simply don't see the paradox. I hold that the account does relate an actual event and that there is nothing allegorical nor paradoxical about it, when you use discernment. When talking about the Bible, I believe in letting the Bible answer the Bible, not leaning on pagan-influenced church doctrine of men like Protestant Reformer John Calvin who defined his concept of predestination in the book Institutes of the Christian Religion. Christendom is littered with these types of empty philosophical attempts to try and understand and extrapolate the Scriptures. In my experience, the Bible answers itself. That is why my points are not circular nor are they based on the fear of loss of certain listeners' belief in the Bible or faith. Even Jesus himself, the Great Teacher, lost some listeners on occassion. He was not concerned with pleasing everyone nor am I, because he was confident that his sheep would hear his voice and respond. He was well aware that not everyone was ready to hear.

Getting back to this non-Biblical doctrine, the Scriptures reveal that there are situations in which God chooses not to foreknow the outcome. Just before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, he declared: “I am quite determined to go down that I may see whether they act altogether according to the outcry over it that has come to me, and, if not, I can get to know it.” This text clearly shows us that God did not foreknow the extent of the depravity in those cities before he investigated matters.

True, God can foresee certain events, but in many cases, he has chosen not to use his foreknowledge. Because God is almighty, he is free to exercise his abilities as he wishes, not according to the wishes of imperfect humans. Rather than attach a concept of obligitory omniscience to God's perfection, it is more in harmony with the Scriptures to say that his power is more in line with selective foreknowledge. This would mean that, rather than all history from creation onward being a mere rerun of what had already been foreseen and foreordained, God could with all sincerity set before the first human pair the prospect of everlasting life in an earth free from wickedness.

You and others who agree with Calvin say that God predetermined man’s fall before his creation and that he had predestinated the ‘chosen ones’ before that fall. But if this were true, would it not have been hypocritical for God to offer the prospect of everlasting life to Adam and Eve, fully aware that they would be unable to realize it? Moreover, the Scriptures nowhere deny that the first human couple were given a choice: either to follow divine directions and live forever or to reject them and die.

The fact that God did not choose to know which course mankind would take did not prevent him from prophesying the consequences of man’s good or bad actions. A mechanic who warns a driver of the poor condition of his vehicle cannot be held responsible if an accident occurs or be accused of predestining it. Likewise, God cannot be accused of predestining the sad consequences of individuals’ actions.

The same was true with the descendants of the first human couple. Before Cain killed his brother, God put a choice before Cain. Would he master sin, or would sin get mastery over him? Nothing in the account indicates that God predetermined that Cain would make the bad choice and murder his brother.

Later, the Mosaic Law warned the Israelites about what would happen if they turned away from God, for instance, by taking wives from among the pagan nations. What was foretold did happen. This can be seen from the example of King Solomon, who in his later years was influenced by his foreign wives to practice idolatry. God warned his people, but he did not predestine what their individual actions would be.

Man was given free will, being created “in God’s image.” Free will was indispensable if humans were to honor and serve God out of love, not as robots with every movement determined beforehand. Love displayed by intelligent, free creatures would enable God to refute unjust accusations. He says: “Be wise, my son, and make my heart rejoice, that I may make a reply to him that is taunting me.”

If God’s servants were predestined—or programmed, so to speak—could not the genuineness of their love for their Creator be called into question? Also, would it not be contrary to God’s impartiality for him to make a predetermined choice of persons destined to glory and happiness without taking their individual merits into account? Moreover, if some receive such preferential treatment, while others are destined to eternal punishment, this would hardly arouse sincere feelings of gratitude in the “elect,” or “chosen ones.”

Finally, Christ told his disciples to preach the good news to all mankind. If God has already chosen the ones to be saved, would this not dampen the zeal Christians show in evangelizing? Would it not make the preaching work essentially pointless?

Impartial love from God is the strongest force that can move men to love him in return. The greatest expression of God’s love was to sacrifice his Son in behalf of imperfect, sinful mankind. God’s foreknowledge respecting his Son is a special case, but it assures us that the restoration promises resting on Jesus will indeed be fulfilled. So may we put faith in that Son and draw close to God. Let us show our appreciation by accepting God’s invitation to come into a fine relationship with our Creator. Today, God addresses this invitation to all who want to exercise their free will and show their love for him. --BibleTeacher89 07:23, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

The Bible only said God didn't know the conditions in Sodom, it didn't say that the reason was that he chose not to know, that's purely your interpretation. Another example is that God apparently had to "walk" in Eden and "see" that Adam and Eve had clothed themselves, before he "knew" what they had done (all very anthropomorphic compared to our modern concept of God). Not only does this show a lack of knowledge of the future, but even the present, on God's part. My interpretation is that the Bible was written by many different people, each of which had different concepts of God. Most, but not all, conceived of an omnipresent God. The few who didn't added the portions where God doesn't seem to know what's going on. StuRat 08:45, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

I would like to point out that User:BibleTeacher89 is clearly a Jehovah's Witness and thus does not represent Christian theology in his answers. BenC7 04:32, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

I would like to point out that it never says the question wasn't for a jehovahs witness. Xcomradex 01:11, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Statistics of average earnings in parts of London?

I am looking for average - preferably median average - earnings of people in various parts of London such as Westminster, Chelsea, the City, Richmond, and so on.

I am seeking the earnings for both where people work and where they live.

I'd prefer the median average as the arithmetic average is distorted by a small number of high earners, meaning that most people earn less than the arithmetic average.

Thanks very much.

in the Winter 2005/06 the Average gross weekly earnings of full-time employees in London was 595 pounds. Information provided by Office for National Statistics of the UK, specifically here and here. Jon513 11:40, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

DVD-R Shelf-life?

I have a collection of files I need to store permanently. I've been warned by people that DVD-Rs only last 5 years if I'm lucky -- is there any truth to this? I'm not pinching pennies, I'm using Ritek, Ridata and Verbatim discs. About 150 are stored in standard plastic DVD cases on a shelf, and another 100 are stored inside a hard plastic DVD binder. How long will they last? Should I re-burn these discs every 3 or 4 years?

The answer is yes. --ColourBurst 07:15, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Actually according to that very article, the answer is no. 100-200 years for DVD-/+R and 25 years for DVD-/+RW. Nowimnthing 14:08, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Sorry, my bad. That 5-10 years is what the manufacturers claim. The tests are different. --ColourBurst 16:35, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

August 1

Dr. hugo eckener/ captains german airships 1930's

i am trying to locate the burial sites for the following famous captains of german airships: dr.hugo eckener; ernst lehmann; max pruss.can you assist me & much thanks for your help.

                                        david helms
                 Removed e-mail address

Apollo Group?

Has anyone ever heard of a company called Apollo Plastic Systems or the Apollo group and if so what do they do? There based in North Yorkshire, England by the way. - Thanks Joel

Do you mean the company that is located in Scarborough, with a Managing Director called "Shaun Pollard" and whose place of business is marked on this map? If so I have never heard of them. I don't think the Apollo Group will be of much interest to you as I can't find a Pollard listed for them. And by the way, 81.158.83.44 what is your obsession with Pollard? CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 08:13, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Who shot him!?

Does Anyone have any idea who the man was who killed the French man who shot Captain Horatio Nelson? Thanks For any help on this subject

I haven't bother to read it myself, but you could look at Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson. Jon513 03:10, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

See my answer at the next question. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 07:51, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

J P

Eya rite who woz jack pollard?? Thanks n dat

Jack Pollard woz a Aussie author n cricket historian. Or a British engineer. No prob sa. Hyenaste ^(tell) 01:03, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Iz dis Inglish? Whoa iz us! JackofOz 03:55, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

The correct question is who is "John Pollard" and of course he's the man that shot the Frenchman that shot Nelson from the question above. We don't have an article on him (John Pollard is not there) but you can see here and here. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 07:51, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

plz suitly emphazi n dat, ya? --Howie da Trane 08:14, 1 Aug '06 (UTC)

Was Pollard related to "The Man That Shot Liberty Valance"? JackofOz 12:23, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Thanks you for youn help people.

He exists now as John Pollard (1787-1868). CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 19:18, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Can I keep track of my userpage?

In other words is there a possible way that I can keep track of the amount of people who read my userpage? -- TheGreatLlama ^{(speak to the Llama!)}

no. While there is a feature in the mediawiki software for a page counter on every page, on wikipedia it has been disabled because of the great server load that would entail. Jon513 01:57, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Thanks you for your help people.

oh here's a link Wikipedia:Technical FAQ#Can I add a page hit counter to a Wikipedia page? Jon513 16:22, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Six days war : When was the picture of Yossi Ben Hanan taken?

Hello,

The Yossi_Ben_Hanan article does not say when the famous picture of him in the Suez Canal was taken. I was interested in the progress of the Israelis in the Six Day war, and found it a bit weird that the Six-Day_War at best gives 'june 1967' as a date for the pictures.

I asked in humanities but maybe this is a better place for this question. I got no answer there.

Can anyone help? Thanks, Evilbu 21:39, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

I failed to find it at http://www.timelifepictures.com/. Perhaps your best chance is to ask them. Still it is clear that it was taken in between june 7, 1969 and june 23, 1969. It was taken either from the 7 to 10 (durring the war) or from the 10 onwards (after the war). My guess it that it was after the war. Jon513 11:25, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

funnel web spider

Hi,I live in the USA on the south eastern part,I have a large black spider on My porch that has spun a funnel shaped web,I have never seen one like this,I never see it in the daylight and to be honest it has me a bit unsettled,I have taken a picture of it and it actually stayed on top of the funnel for Me to take several shots.Can someone please help Me.Thank You. Angela Kaye

Does your spider look like this one? If so, you could have an Out Of Place Australian Funnel Web Spider, whose bite can be deadly. It would be a long way from home though, so it is more likely you have a far less poisonous relative. Still, I wouldn't handle it if I were you. --Roisterer 04:29, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

There are a number of different funnel-web spiders. Take a look at the various articles and links. Most of them are harmless.--Shantavira 10:03, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Chip Chewer

So a long time ago (in the 90's) I was a little kid with simple taste in games. There was this great game I liked to play called Chip Chewer. My dad had downloaded it for me, I believe off of tucows or something very similar. It was basically a Pac-man ripoff with a little purple guy with eyes on a stalk, but I really liked it. I was wondering if anyone knew where I could get a copy? (And no, it's not Chip's Challenge. I have that one, I know they're different).

Thanks in advance, ¡209.180.29.73 05:03, 1 August 2006 (UTC)!

See here for Chip Chewer and several others. And this appears to be online games. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 07:43, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Template Trouble

I am not sure where to ask for help on this troubleshooting issue with a template, but perhaps someone here can direct me to the right area of wikipedia. I have been trying to create a template to allow easy surfing between entries on U.S. Cavalry units, but I have trouble getting the text to wrap around it rather than start in line with the template. Consequently, wherever the template is placed in the entry, that is where the entry begins (instead of at the top and then wrapping around the template when it gets to it). An example is better than words: visit 1st Cavalry Division (United States) and then see if you can fix the problem in the template at Template:Cavalry. Thanks, User:Atfyfe

I think that it would need to be included with Template:Infobox Military Unit to work. Or you could just fiddle around with it to fit it where you want it to appear, see User:CambridgeBayWeather/Sandbox. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 07:36, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

circumcision

hi im 14 and i am curious if anyone knows how to tell if youve been circumcised? and if im not circumcised how can i get circumcised at my age? because i hate having the skin covering the tip of my penis. thanxx kevin

( im kinda new at this whole wikipedia thing )

Why not take a look at Circumcision and foreskin. They both have some excellent links to read up on as to it being a good idea or not. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 07:27, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

If you're not sure whether you're circumcised or not, circumcision is probably not the thing you need to be thinking about. If you turn out to be uncircumcised, before you do anything about it, be very sure this is what you want to do. Talk to a doctor, or an adult male you can trust. If you have it done now, you may live to regret it when you're an adult. Adults who want to be circumcised can always go off and have the operation, but if it's already been done, and you wished it hadn't been, you can't grow it back. JackofOz 07:39, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Mother Nature (sometimes referred to as 'God') must have put it there for a reason. Don't insult Mother Nature (or God, if that's your thing). Of course someone is going to throw an appendix at me now. Thank Mother Nature this is all virtual. :) DirkvdM 08:51, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Hey Kevin! Agreeing with everything everyone else has said, you maybe want to talk to an adult about why you hate the skin covering the tip of your penis. They may have other suggestions for how to deal with this. A doctor, nurse or counsellor of some sort would probably give you an answer with less of the embarassment you might feel telling others. And if you put ~~~~ at the end of your post, it signs your username or IP address along with the date, so we know when you posted and that you're the same person who posted earlier. Skittle 10:05, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

I was circumcized at 10 due to an infection and I can tell you it is not a pretty business. It requires a medical operation with anasthesia, after which your entire penis is wrapped in gauze for about two weeks, and urinating is extremely painful. After it heals and urinating is not painful the gauze must literally be pulled off (which by now has bonded with your skin) and is one of the most painful experiences I have ever had in my entire life only behind being stabbed in the leg with a butcher knife. I would suggest against it if you can avoid it.--69.138.61.168 02:22, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Woah. That's rough. --Proficient 20:29, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Is this Martha Stewart?

Right now I'm writing a new article: "Us Tareyton smokers would rather fight than switch!" I found a good source saying Martha Stewart did a Tareyton ad in 1964. The weird thing is...I think I actually found said ad. Honest opinion: Do you think it's her? She seems to have the same blonde hair, facial structure, and brown eyes that Martha does. The only thing that's making me think it's maybe not her is that the woman's nose looks a tad smaller than Martha's. Input, please! For reference purposes, that ad was in the September 1964 issue of Playboy. Do alert me on my talk page when you make a conclusion. Mike H. I did "That's hot" first! 08:44, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

It doesn't look like her, in my opinion. --Cam 12:32, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Could be. Difficult to tell. --Tagishsimon (talk)

Matthew Mcchounghey in superman returns

i just read on a website called notstarring.com that mcchounghey was offered the part of both superman and lex luthor in the film superman returns if this is true than it should be included in the matthew mcchounghey article i would have put this on the talk page but i just don`t know how.

I presume you mean Matthew McConnaughey. JackofOz 10:28, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

How definitive is the site? What are their sources? Can they verify their information? If not, it doesn't meet out requirements at WP:RS. User:Zoe|(talk) 20:39, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Table-top speaker (near-field monitor) stands

Does any kind Wikipedian know where I might be able to get a pair of these in the UK? Google and other searches have thus far revealed nothing! They'll be used to support a pair of M-Audio BX5 speakers at about 20cm above the desk. Cheers, Neilius 10:04, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

studiospares, maybe?

Unfortunately not, I have the catalogue and there are no speaker stands like this in there, thanks for the suggestion though. :( --Neilius 09:36, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Ebay perhaps? --Proficient 21:46, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Identifying an Atari game?

Hi, I came across this picture: http://www.rombay.com/images/center_nav/roms.jpg

Can anyone tell me what the name of the game is and what system it was produced for?--195.93.21.101 10:08, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

I don't know the sytem, but I think the game is called Roms —Minun ^{Spiderman • Review Me} 11:16, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

The reason the filename of the picture is called "roms.jpg" is because it was used to link to a ROM database. --172.206.212.40 13:38, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Staring at the little picture and trying to interpret the blurred pixels into something recognisable is a lot like playing an atari game. The cart says O.B.S.E.S.S. in blue, see here. MeltBanana 15:23, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

How

How can someone be in a relationship with someone for 5 years, commit to spend the rest of her life with you and then suddenly and completely out of the blue leave for someone she just met? How can someone be so cold and heartless to someone she claimed to love for 5 years?Sindweller 12:42, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

do we need a new category on the reference desk for retorical questions?Jon513 14:14, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Women are like that. So are men, probably - I wouldn't know. --Howard Train 16:17, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

There is something incredablly wrong with this. How could anyone do this to someone they love? Doing so is more morally dispicable than any other type of harming someone, because in doing this, someone can hurt someone so much more. Sindweller 17:00, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

You're mixing up reasoning (which is done up in the brain) with 'love' (which is hormones wreaking havoc a little further down). DirkvdM 18:14, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

It is not wrong to leave someone. One should do so in a way that causes the least hurt, but one does not need to stay in a relationship that they do not want to please someone else. Jon513 19:16, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Perhaps you did something wrong and she just left because the other person could offer her more material worth. --Proficient 21:47, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Relationships

Why do people bother? If a relationship can fall apart after devoting yourself to buidling it for a long, long time, why would anyone put themselves in a situation like that--where all their efforts can be destroyed by the whim of another? It makes no more sense than building a house on a flood plane Sindweller 12:42, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

If you have no choice but to live on a floodplane, and you want a house, you have little alternative. Think about it. --Tagishsimon (talk)

Do what i have done, I quit woman, they are just too much trouble and bad for my health mentally physically and emotionally. And just keep it together, hearts and thoughts fade with time. In South Africa there is a saying: Sterkte. It simply meens Strength. But does not translate well.

In England we have a similar saying: bollocks. --Howard Train 16:18, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Is that where the English get their strength from then? DirkvdM 18:15, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Yes. The Irish, of course, get theirs from Guinness. --LarryMac 19:17, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

All relationships involve a degree of risk; there is no guarantee they will work out. But that is also true when it comes to investing money, starting a new job, learning a musical instrument, and lots of other things. Some people are highly risk-averse and prefer not to face the prospect of failure. Others consider that certain risks are worth taking, and allow their decisions about relationships to be governed by their heart more than their head. If this were not so, the human race may have died out a long time ago. JackofOz 03:25, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

But relationships require a much larger investment, expose you to more harm, are more volitale and completely dependent on one other person... Investments for example, can be spread out, and are not subject to being destroyed by one girl... Sindweller 13:55, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Yes, that's all true, and it is scary. But so is crossing the road, yet we all do it. The rewards of a magnificent long-lasting relationship far outweigh the risks. You can argue all day for why you shouldn't enter into a relationship, but at the end of the day you'll be very tired, and lonely, and not getting any sex, and not sharing your life with someone in a way where the whole is much, much more than the sum of the parts. You may think that's a reasonable way of living your life. JackofOz 23:16, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Well it's all subjective what you think. --Proficient 21:47, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Bempton

Does anyone have any knowledge on the underground base at Bempton, North Yorkshire, England. If so can they please tell me about it. Thanks for the help

My Google-fu is mighty! Check out this site as a starting point. There are more links on there. Tony Fox (arf!) 17:27, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Stock Valuation

Hi

Can you tell me how to value a stock?

Regards KK

Many web sites, like Yahoo, offer sections where you can get the trading value of a stock. Note that it changes minute to minute. Notinasnaid 15:08, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Thank you for the response. I am not looking for trading price. How do I make sure that I am not giving much more than the stock is worth?

Regards KK

I value stocks by summing up the value of their future earnings. It is difficult to estimate future earnings though. If a company earns $1/share per year I would say it is worth about $10/share. If that same company is earning $1/share but I expect it will increase earnings every year by 10%, it might be worth $15/share. Sindweller 16:58, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Stock valuation is a complex pseudoscience. (And calling it "pseudo" just made 1,000 economists very angry at me.) If you want to own stock I recommend buying it from a reliable high-volume stock market. That way there are lots of people who continuously form a consensus price for the stock using all publicly known information about the company (i.e. the holy grail of an efficient market.) Weregerbil 20:09, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

People will tell you different things. Check web sites for the values. --Proficient 21:48, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Sock Valuation

Hi

Can you tell me how to value a sock?

Regards DB (—Daniel (‽) 17:52, 1 August 2006 (UTC))

Take it to the bazaars of Tiraq, where the wise old men tell you its worth from the ancient scriptures. smurrayinchester^{(User), (Talk)} 18:13, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Just one? Depends who you want to sell it to. Does he have a patch over one eye and a parrot on his shoulder? DirkvdM 18:19, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Your first WP:SOCK will be worth, say, one day's block. Depends on how abusively you use it. Weregerbil 20:09, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Thank you for the response. I am not looking for trading price. How do I make sure that I am not giving much more than the sock is worth?

Regards DB (—D aniel (‽) 13:54, 2 August 2006 (UTC))

Sell them. AllanHainey 15:21, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Check the sock markets. - THE GREAT GAVINI {T-C} 08:34, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Is it a Right or a Left sock?

Nominal roll

Was there any type of Nominal Roll kept regarding civilians who joined the Woolseley Expedition as my Grandfather joined them in Northern Ontario? If so where may I obtain this information?

R Cooper <e-mail address removed, see Reference desk rules above>

do you mean the Wolseley Expedition? Jon513 19:54, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

How to become an investment banker

Wasn't sure where to put this so it ended up here: How do you become an investment banker? Does it include getting an MBA or...? Jack Daw 18:17, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

This video offers some great tips; beware of exploding cows and pirates.

Yes you should get an MBA if you possibly can. If you have not yet obtained an undergraduate degree, then a degree in accountancy would be the one to get in addition. I have never been an investment banker myself, but I knew someone who did. He was probably chosen by that particular bank as he had languages skills also. On the other hand Nick Leeson did not have a degree but started being a bank clerk and worked his way up. He said that there were a huge number of applicants for one of the jobs he got. I expect that MBA or no MBA, there will be competition, but even if you dont become an investment banker, accountancy qualifications or an MBA should lead to a well paid job of some kind. You could try looking for job vacancies to see what is required - I'm not sure where these would be advertised - you could try the Financial Times etc. You'd probably have to take junior job for several years.

A look at the Nick Leeson article suggests that he was either a graduate or an undergraduate student at some time. From what I now remember of his autobiography there were in fact several jobs in which he succeeded despite there being many other applicants. Regarding finding out about job vacancies, you could try scrutinising the websites of various banks to see what they say about vacancies and careers. Writing to the Personnel Officer about a career with the bank, and asking about internships, probably wouldnt do any harm even before you get an MBA. I expect that many jobs for investment bankers are in fact obtained from internal promotion rather than being advertised. Remember also that, at least in the UK, some MBAs have more prestige than others. In the UK the two year London Business School MBA has the most prestige.

The book Liar's Poker covers similar ground with the author becoming a stock broker (in actual fact he was just selling stock to people by telephone etc). I expect a search on Amazon for this and Nick Leeson's book would provide several other books written by people who have done something like what you hope to do. Good luck.

Access

Who has access to the wikipedia database??

I need something of mine hacked because the password I chose for User:Qho now says the password is wrong.

How crazy the password list I set out for Qho does not work and I put down the 2nd password it the list of 4.

HELP please or is this a Q. for the ref. dsk.?

Missingno 18:35, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

On the log on page you can click "email new password" and that should solve all your problems. This is the reference desk, by the way. David Sneek 19:36, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Dear David

My password will not allow my to access my account.

It is like someone came in and changed my password.

Because I only had 4 passwords to chose from.

And any way password manager says what my password is yet it will not let me access my true account.

--Missingno·^(talk) _(contribs) 20:03, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

--Missingno^(talk) _(contribs) 20:03, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

And if you click "E-mail new password", do you get an email? You must have given an email address when you signed up... David Sneek 20:15, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

It is not true that he must have given an email when he signed up. Many people don't, however it leaves them in situations like this. I suggest to all reading this to add an email address so it doesn't happen to you. —WAvegetarian•(talk) 23:15, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

I think David's point was that if he wanted to have a new password emailed to him, he "must have given an email when he signed up." Otherwise it won't work. That's how I read it, anyway. –RHolton≡– 23:24, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Dear Missingno,

What do you mean when you say password list? When creating a user name, you should have had a free choice of passwords, anything you could type. Where is this list of 4 passwords? Skittle 17:27, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

I took that to mean that Missingno has a list of 4 passwords that s/he consistently uses. digfarenough (talk) 17:49, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

That's what I was hoping, but it looked to me like it could be read two ways. I was wondering if these passwords could have been compromised in some way, giving a source to the 'hacker'. Skittle 19:43, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Robert Moton High School, Westminister, Maryland

Robert Moton High School was the only black high school in Carroll County, Maryland. What happened to it?

according to this it seems that they now allow white people to attend also. Jon513 20:31, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

SVG animation

Does anyone know of a free (doesn't have to be libre free, just gratis) program which can do SVG animation. Preferably one which isn't too complex. That said, it doesn't need to be idiot proof, just easy to at least learn to use. But even that said anything gratis which conforms to the SVG standard would be greatly appreciated. I don't even need it to have the entire SVG specs, as long as what it does have conforms to SVG standard. - ^Рэд_хот 20:41, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

It doesn't look like it. Since most players and editors are still trying to get full static support, it doesn't surprise me that animation development in the format is still lagging behind. --Fastfission 21:39, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

That's what I thought. Thanks for confirming it. There was one that never moved near alpha. It was called Beez or something like that. It was good, but couldn't save or load!! But by good, I mean that the interface was easy, but had what would probably be the most needed features. - ^Рэд_хот 10:40, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Question

what is the URL for the site?

If you're referring to Wikipedia, it's http://en.wikipedia.org/ for the English. For any others, put its language code in place of en eg: fr for French and de for German. Is that what you meant? - ^Рэд_хот 21:43, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

If you're asking generically, the URL is the address of the website. It is contained in the address bar at the top of your browser (most likely Internet Explorer, Safari, Firefox, Opera, or the like) and almost always begins http:// . Ziggurat 23:28, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

See URL. DirkvdM 11:41, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

www.wikipedia.org --Proficient 21:50, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

4 x 4 Auto Vs Manual

Which is better for 4WD off-roading: manual or automatic transmission?

Personally, I think I'd go for a manual, as you generally get more opportunity to vary the power and torque getting to the wheels with a standard than with an automatic, for those times when the back end is dangling off a cliff and you really, really want lots of low-end power. Tony Fox (arf!) 02:32, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

It doesn't have to be that extreme. If your wheels are spinning in mud, an automatic gear would think you're moving along quite nicely and shift up gear. when you really want low gear. So I'd say a 4WD with automatic gear is a fake piece of crap for yuppies who just want to impress their neighbours. That said, the Jeep Wagoneer stems from 1963, so that was for yuppies avant la lettre.

Btw, if you have to ask this, you shouldn't do any serious off-roading and therefore don't need a 4WD, so there's no point in the question. So Why did I answer it then? Well, it could have been an academic question and anyway I like to spew what knowledge I have. :) DirkvdM 11:53, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Also the questioner could be new to offroading and looking to learn. DJ Clayworth 15:36, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Dirk should note that there are reasons to want 4WD without off-roading. I loved dropping mine into 4WD in the snow. Rmhermen 20:53, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Dirk is entitled to his opinion (...if you have to ask this, you shouldn't do any serious off-roading ...) but it is liable to bring the WP Ref Desk into disrepute. Nobody is born with all the knowledge they ever need, and it is certainly wise to ask such questions before just attempting potentially dangerous activities. If a person can't ask a simple question here, of all places, without getting abused, where can they ask? JackofOz 23:06, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Manual as long as you know how to operate one correctly. Nothing like the smell of burning clutch after you got stuck in the snow, mud, etc. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 23:11, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

It's that clutch burning that makes me think that auto could be better. What if the manual driver shifts gear while, say, crossing a flood. Does this open up the transmission allowing water to flood in? Plus DirkvdM, the original question seems like a fairly straightforward one to ask. Wheter or not you think that the questionner is worthy of owning a 4WD or not is completely irrelevant--Downunda 03:22, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

If you start a maneouvre like that you should try to get the gear right at the start so you don't need to switch gears because you need to keep the momentum. Which is another reason not to have automatic gear, because that might kick in at an inconvenient moment, but then Tony sort of already said that.

My derogative remark was inspired by the yuppie status of 4WD's and a feature like automatic gear is a clear sign of that. A 4WD is a special piece of equipment for special purposes. Most definitely not for ordinary on-road driving. Of course they can drive on roads, but that's not what they are primarily built for. Most people will never ever go off road and when they do they had better hire one that is really suited for the job. It's not like you're likely to run into such a situation (for snow use snow chains). To operate a 4WD you really need to know what you're doing. For example, accidentally driving in 4WD on a road will ruin the car and turn it into a gas-guzzler. And the clutch burning is another example. I once saw some cocky idiot do that and what pissed me off was that I had to share in the expense. Why would someone want a 4WD? If you have to ask a simple question like this, that means you haven't even come around to the important issues so it's probably not something you need. Then again, it may be that the questioneer doesn't plan on buying a 4WD and is just asking an academic question, in which case there is no problem at all. :) DirkvdM 08:29, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Manual, without a shadow of a doubt. Off roading requires a lot of control over torque and wheel speed. Engine breaking is a very important part of off roading which is not as effective with an auto and you can sometimes be required to start the engine with the vehicle in gear which is not possible on autos. Most 4x4's that are actually capable of going off road (i.e. not BMW's and the like) have at least two gear levers and some early Land Rovers have as many as four.

Several gear levers? Do you mean shifitng the whole transmission into a different gear (or how should I say this?), thus doubling the amount of gears? BUt 4 levers? How many gears would that give? And is something like that necessary for a car? I know trucks have them, but they are way heavier. DirkvdM 18:10, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

They've all got the usual gear lever then (apart from the very newest ones) they've got a high/low ratio lever (which may also operate the central diff lock) which would double the number of gears (although low ratio 3rd is almost the same as high ratio first). The early land rovers (series II, IIA, IIB and III) have the usual gear lever, the high low ratio lever (which also enables four wheel drive) and a thrid lever for enabling four wheel drive in high ratio. In addition to this, if they are equipped with an overdrive, that adds another gear lever. This means that (technically) they have 36 forward and 4 reverse gears.
As to whether that's necessary; for off roading you mostly just use low ratio (occasionally high ratio in four wheel drive) but you wouldn't often use the overdrive at the same time. For road driving you usually accelerate in high ratio going 1 (optional), 2, 3, 3+overdrive, 4+overdrive.
Low ratio gears are used for quite different things on trucks and off roaders. I believe trucks have low ratio gears to help them get moving with heave loads. Off roaders use them to slow down in a controlled way on slippery surfaces.

When does lottery have positive expected value due to rollovers?

I've only played the lottery once, as I believe its a stupidity tax.

However I am willing to play it when the expected value is more than the ticket price. That is, when the total lottery pay-out divided by the number of tickets bought is more than the ticket price. (However taking into account the chances of another rollover occuring may make this formula a little more complicated). I am referring to a UK-style National Lottery when the prizes are tax-free and paid out all at once.

The one occassion when I played the lottery was when there had been two or three rollovers so that the expected value was more than the ticket price. Surprisingly, I did win about £12 net of the ticket price. Although I am unlikely to win again, I am willing to play when there is a positive expected value.

So, how often do lotteries have a positive expected value?

And, whats the easiest and most convenient way to find out when the UK lottery(s) have a positive expected value? I don't watch much tv, but is there a website that specialises in this sort of thing for example? How many rollovers would it take for example?

I do not consider this a maths question so I'm putting it here.

Thanks --81.104.12.25 22:58, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

This is both a maths question and a sociology question. Let me explain. There are three variables and one constant (the ticket price). The control variable is the amount of money to be won. This increases with rollovers. An increase in this variable raises the amount of expected winnings per ticket if the the number of tickets remains the same. An increase also tends to raise the number of tickets sold. As the pot goes up the ticket value goes up. As pot goes up the number of tickets goes up. As the number of tickets goes up the ticket value goes down. You have to make a guess about how many people are going to actually buy tickets and how much this increase in sales offsets the rise in total winnings. There is no simple formula as there are multiple interdependent variables. —WAvegetarian•(talk) 23:11, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Numbers over 31 also increase your chance of a higher payout, but do not affect your chances of winning. Notinasnaid 09:25, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

It's because a lot of people use their birthdays and other dates as their numbers. Therefore the numbers 31 or less are chosen by more people than 32 or over (numbers 12 or less are chosen still more frequently). Therefore when the winning numbers include many over 31 there tend to be fewer winners than when they are under 31. DJ Clayworth 15:35, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

For non-Brits, the National Lottery draws six numbers at random between 1 and 49. Tickets cost 1 GBP, and the probability of winning the jackpot is one in 13,983,816. Hence the expected return is positive if the rollover (jackpot not distributed from previous drwas) exceeds 14 million pounds, which happens occasionally. Physchim62 (talk) 15:32, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Good answer, but this dosnt take into account that you can also win lesser amounts if you match fewer numbers, plus as I said above there is also the possibility of there being another rollover.

Interesting. --Proficient 21:52, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Why do they succeed in scaring us away?

I am 59. and have 3 children and 2 grandchildren and I strive to stay abreast of technological progress, and am not frightened to buy new products such as DVDs, CDs, MP3s, and most recently, a new Mobile Phone (I live in Scotland - (Deo Gratia)) that incorporates Digital Photography, MP3, Walkman, Internet Access, Memory Sticks, and goodness knows what else. My point is - when showing all these technological attributes to my friends, colleagues and family members, they all say, without exception, "No way", life is too complicated already - "I already have to get my 7 years old grandson to change the time on my video for British Summer Time."

Am I alone in thinking that such progress, whilst being very appealing to me, who has the time (due to retirement), is designed so as to exclude people in my general age group who are simply not prepared to suffer (and I really do mean suffer) the frustration of merely trying to transfer a picture file from a Mobile Phone to a PC and or back again?

The technological consumer market must be extremely confident in its approach to antagonising such a large (and prosperous) sector of our communities by pursuing such blatantly ageist, non-conformist, non-uniformist, and discriminatory design, marketing and merchandising policies?

Oh, and before our WP experts in such protocols as SUITLY EMPHASI jump on the bandwagon; or our other friendly and carrot-juice-quenching experts in the linguistic arts and juxtapositions pertaining between closed brackets, quotes, commas and periods join them, please just let me say this, at 59 years of age, with a brilliant pension, no mortgage, and well-invested capital reserves, I don't give a shit.

I got the money that you sad b------s can only dream of.

Is it your common practice to insult people who you are asking for help from? In any case, I doubt very much that they are designed to exclude anyone; the unfortunate nature of technology innovation often just isn't user-friendly regardless of age (I know just as many non-techno-savvy 20-somethings as I do 70- and 80-somethings). Ziggurat 23:25, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Er, S'cuse me Ziggurat - you have peremptorily missed the point (which was not too unexpected - given the immediacy of your response); You seem to have overlooked the fact that I was not actually seeking your own - or anyone else's help- I was merely making the point that the technogeeks out there in Alice in Wonderland are either in ignorance or arrogance forgetting that those non-techies such as myself, my family, and my friends are choosing by default NOT to invest our hard-earned financial resources in the magic and black arts of tech. stocks. If you need further illumination, please only ask. But please take at least 30 seconds before responding.

If you aren't asking for anyone's help then why are you writing this here at the reference desk? Hyenaste ^(tell) 23:55, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

hum...AOL was made for non-techies and it failed. what does that say? Perhaps there are less of you than you think. Jon513 23:51, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

I think you meant FEWER!

And I think you meant "SUITLY EMPHAZI"! Sorry, I must be mistaken - I thought we were volunteering thousands of hours of our time to develop an encyclopedia for all people, tech-savvy or otherwise. However, it appears we are all here to force Scottish pensioners with huge chips on their shoulders (pun intended) to buy complicated mobile phones. For a 59 year old, you have a lot to learn about maturity, take it to Slashdot instead.

By the way, did you need help programming your VCR for British Summer Time? We may be able to help you with that. This reference desk is for helping people with questions, not for sharing your opinion on technological progress, insulting others and grammatical nit-picking (oh, who am I kidding, it is actually). --Canley 00:18, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

What exactly was the question in this post? All that money that you make must've lead you to the conclusion that you do not need to read or follow the directions of the reference desk, which, ironically, you WOULD need to be able to do in order to work all of your techno-gadgets. From a personal standpoint, though, I neither have a cell phone nor want one; it's just a matter of preference. Damn people CALLING me all the time really annoys me to no end, also I have no need for silly pictures. An IPOD is just as bad, gotta jam it into a pocket when you aren't using it; then you worry about dropping the stupid $300 thing and breaking it. I do carry a Ka-bar and a Spanish-English phrasebook, though, very handy where I come from: you use the knife to protect yourself and the phrasebook to talk to the Mexicans. --69.138.61.168 05:22, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Even though you haven't actually asked a question, let me attempt to answer anyway:

1) It isn't necessary to have a product that appeals to every demographic to be profitable. Devices that only appeal to the technical-savvy can still sell to millions of customers, and make billions of dollars, for their producers.

2) Now, had you asked the reverse question, "why don't more people write software and make hardware for the technically challenged", I think you would have a valid point, there is quite a market out there, which is currently underserved. In a classic example, most microwave ovens have a keypad and require you to enter functions in a specific order (read the manual) to get the damn thing to turn on. I, however, have a microwave with only two dials, one is the timer, and one is the power level. I close the door, turn the timer dial, and it goes. That's the way I like it. I can't stand when I go to use somebody else's microwave oven and have to "learn" how to use it...a device this simple should be intuitive to use. If it needs a manual, it's too complex.

StuRat 06:53, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

I should also address some reasons why devices the manufacturer intends to be usable by everyone only turn out to be usable by the technically savvy. One reason is that the developers and engineers are themselves technically savvy and can't easily view things from the perspective of the novice. This can be solved by bringing in focus groups of potential customers and observing what confuses them. Another reason is language difficulties. The most basic label, on an ON/OFF switch, is frequently missing, as they intend to market the same product outside the English speaking world. You can get a 0/1 label instead, in an attempt to make it understood by all languages. This method is almost certain to fail, and individual stickers should be added to label the controls in each language. Instruction manuals are frequently written by foreigners with only a vague understanding of English or, even worse, using a direct translator from another language. The results are incomprehensible gobbledygook. They need to hire competent translators. Finally, size is becoming an issue. As devices get smaller and smaller, the controls become tiny and are used for many different things. My cell phone, for example, does not have an alphabetic keypad, so I have to hit the numbers 0-9 multiple times to get the letters A-Z out of them. I guess this is just a compromise we have to take to get the size down to what will fit in a shirt pocket. Perhaps when voice recognition actually starts to work properly, this issue will go away. StuRat 07:15, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

You may have a lot of money, but there are fewer of you. People with average incomes are so numerous that the total of their money exceeds yours. And even that doesn't matter, because you're not going to buy ten walkmans, are you? You count as just one consumer, no matter how much money you have.

If you'll allow me to be blunt (and judging by your style of asking you would or at least should) you're dying out. Why invest a lot of money in developing a product for which there will be fewer and fewer consumers and none in about 10 or 20 years time?

A better question would be "Why don't manufacturers write decent manuals?" That would be a lot easier. I suppose the answer is that consumers don't learn. They buy a product based on what the commercials tell them they can do with them, everytime forgetting that in the past again and again that turned out not to be true because they didn't understand. When buying a spiffy new product, how often do you ask to see the manual? DirkvdM 12:16, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Er, what's a mixed metaphor? Or a split infinitive? And is Suitly Emphazi now recognis/zed as accepted English? Or to put it another way, what's a Ka-Bar? Oh, and for those respondents who patently lack the art or science of basic comprehension and literacy (apart from StuRat who actually addresses the questions posed, for which I thank him profusely (he is clearly a prescient guy who adds value to this site), there are in fact 2 questions in my query - the first asks "Why do they succeed in scaring us away?", and the second is "Am I alone....." Over to the Geek Supporters...............—The preceding unsigned comment was added by 195.93.21.101 (talk • contribs)

First you say you weren't asking for help, now you say that you asked two questions. I won't attempt to answer your section header question, because it is rather senseless, but with the interpersonal skills I've seen displayed here, then yes, you probably are alone. A troll by any other name . . . . --LarryMac 21:03, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

o.o;;;;; --Proficient 21:53, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

The title "Why do they succeed in scaring us away ?" contains a flawed assumption, that scaring away potential customers is their goal. They may, however, decide not to market to the technologically-challenged, because the cost of making devices which are easier to use would be more than the benefit in increased sales. I think globalization is partly to blame, as the larger potential international market makes the smaller, technologically-challenged market seem insignificant. StuRat 03:22, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Wouldn't globalisation have the opposite effect? A group of consumers that was previously to small too bother about becomes large enough. Apple has a very small market share, but that doesn't matter because the market is so big. So globalisation should be an impulse for relatively (!) small companies. But reality is said to be quite the opposite. Assuming that that is true, why is that? There is an advantage to a company growing bigger (what's that called again), but that stops at a certain point and if you get even bigger it actually works to your disadvantage, which is why big companies often split themselves up into smaller companies. DirkvdM 08:44, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

No, because the technically challenged markets can't easily be combined due to language differences. With my previous example of the ON/OFF switch, there is one solution for the technically proficient, regardless of language, just label them all 0/1 and they will figure it out. However, for the technically challenged, they would need the appropriate label for each language, or would be confused. So, the company is left with the choices of building specialized products for many different technically challenged markets, or ignoring them and going for the larger and more profitable technically proficient market. StuRat 18:16, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

If you had followed the link attatched to Ka-bar that was in my response, you would have learned that it is a knife. Also, if you are unaware of what a English-Spanish phrasebook is, it is a book that has different phrases in it in both English and Spanish. Go figure? --69.138.61.168 02:36, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Does it give a literal translation for "Attatched"?

• While the question was vague and a bit snotty I know what he means.I'm not very good at "Techstuff" I have to get someone to show me or explain it in ordinaryspeak.I may one day have a better level of skill but everyone has to start somewhere and I think not enough care it taken to help us.--hotclaws**==(82.138.214.1 06:30, 8 August 2006 (UTC))

Longest Articles?

I am attempting to calculate how much, if anything, Wikipedia could save on storage and bandwidth charges by consistently using American, as opposed to British, spelling conventions. As a first step, I intend to take a sampling of articles and compare their character counts in English and American spellings. Longer articles would provide better data, but I have been unable to find a list of very long articles. Any suggestions of places to look for articles with high word counts?

Thanks!

--Jed Blue

Special:Longpages see also Special:Statistics. Jon513 23:48, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

I doubt this would work, quite frankly. Wikipedia stores all edited versions, so a large change like this would use up even more storage space. Even if you mean that Wikipedia should enact a global replacement ("colour" -> "color" and so on) without storing the version/edit, the discussions and re-editing over this change would easily outweigh any possible storage space "saved", which I think would be miniscule anyway. By the way, are there that many words which use fewer letters in American spelling? --Canley 00:02, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

You're probably correct as regards storage space, but it might effect bandwidth, since the latest edits of pages are far more likely to be accessed than older versions. At this point I'm mostly just curious.--Jed Blue

According to the lists on American and British English spelling differences, only behove (behoove) and pernickety (persnickety) are shorter in Bristish versions than in American spelling. Hyenaste ^(tell) 00:13, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

I don't think those words would appear very much! There's also common words like "color/colour" and "honor/honour" which the poster may be referring to. --Canley 00:21, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Sorry, I misread your question. I thought you asked which words are shorter in BrE than in AmE. Hyenaste ^(tell) 00:31, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Seems like an offensive and fatuous exercise. Other than that, no objections from me. --Tagishsimon (talk)

The differences in text-length between EE and AE versions would be minute and if there is just one image in an article that would make the text size relatively irrelevant. A change from EE to AE would decrease bandwidth usage by at most one permille.

Btw, am I feeding a troll here? DirkvdM 12:25, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Agreed - "color" and "cookie" for "colour" and "biscuit" may save space, but "teeter-totter" and "behoove" for "seesaw" and "behove" does not. I don't think there's much point in your experiment - it reeks of an attempt to prove AmE "superior" to BrE or maybe even vice versa. The difference is negligible.- THE GREAT GAVINI {T-C} 15:52, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Is "teeter-totter" specifically American? Maybe it is used in a few parts of America, but everyone in America understands "seesaw." (Of course, they'll understand "colour," too - but not everyone would understand, say, "lorry.") zafiroblue05 | Talk 20:42, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

The savings in bandwidth by reducing the number of characters would almost certainly be outweighed by the additional comments from non-US contributors complaining about American Imperialism. DJ Clayworth 15:31, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Your quest will probably fail. :\ --Proficient 21:54, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Nd Wkpd cld sv vn mr spc b sng Hbrw spllng cnvntns. (Or what about txtspk?) Not going to happen. EdC 03:24, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Wll, jst n cnvntn, nml lvng t th vwls. DirkvdM 08:49, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

"Well, just in convention, namel living to the vowels"? Skittle 19:38, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

"Well, just one convention, namely leaving out the vowels." I knew the 'one' and 'out' would give problems. The word 'a' would even disappear completely. So there would be no distinction between 'sheep' and 'a sheep'. DirkvdM 05:57, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

August 2

Are chickens able to swim?

Yes, are chickens able to swim? This question really bugs me. I have heard reports of chickens drowning in buckets, but that makes them stupid, not unable to swim. Do YOU now? Jobjörn (Talk ° contribs) 02:54, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

There are reports of human beings drowning in a couple of inches of water. Does that make them stupider than chickens?--Anchoress 04:32, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Yes, I would say so, unless there was some sort of mitigating circumstance involved. --69.138.61.168 05:09, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

The mitigating circumstance is usually that they are toddlers. But to answer the original question, no, chickens are not designed to swim and will stay out of water if they can avoid it. If you put a chicken in water it will no doubt make a valiant effort to struggle out, but it will not naturally swim, and it will probably drown simply due to panic. In fact, out of all the animal kingdom, land birds are some of the worst equipped when it comes to going for a dip, as their feathers will quickly become waterlogged.--Shantavira 10:19, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Budgerigars are definitely unable to swim. I saw a BBC documentary a few years ago where they showed one drowning after falling into a shallow stream. Sparrows don't seem to be able to either - I once had to rescue one from a bucket in my garden. --Kurt Shaped Box 12:18, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

I originally read this as Bulgarians and was distraught. --Darkfred ^{Talk to me} 20:21, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

You can also drown in your own vomit. Being able to swim doesn't always help. DirkvdM 12:38, 2 August 2006 (UTC)Chickens are smarter than most people!

I can't think of many situations where being able to swim in vomit would help. --Daduzi ^talk 13:02, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Then you just haven't been going to the right parties. --Allen 20:26, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Deaths in Friends

Hi,

I have read your artical on the TV sitcom FRIENDS and i noticed that you have made a section on all the births that have happened in the 10 series of FRIENDS. I was wondering if you have a list of the people that have died on FRIENDS.

Thank You

Mikey

I doubt if we do, but if you want to start it here's the only 2 I can think of: Mr Heckles and Ross & Monica's sweetex collecting Nanna. AllanHainey 15:28, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Add Phoebe's grandmother. Dead people referred to but not seen: one of Phoebe's mothers, Monica&Ross's aunt Silvia (Monica inherits the doll house). Are we counting animals? Ross's dog (though that was earlier), Old Yeller and Bambi :-) How sad is it that I know this? Weregerbil 17:40, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Joey's agent, too...what's her name? and i second Weregerbil's sadness and apply it to myself. --198.125.178.207 21:48, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Bambi didn't die it was his mum that was shot. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 22:57, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

And Rachel's boss, shortly after promoting her but not telling anyone. Skittle 19:35, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

And that old Dutch lady whose apartment Ross wanted, and Fun Bobby's grandfather, and at least one of Phoebe's ex-boyfriends ("but that's OK; he was really old"), and that old lady who possessed Phoebe... wow... Friends was one morbid show! smurrayinchester^{(User), (Talk)} 20:19, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

And Richard's parents, and his snow-shovelling friends and Phoebe during both World War I and the American Civil War... smurrayinchester^{(User), (Talk)} 20:21, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Wrestlers taken off the road?

I was looking threw a few Wrestling websites and i found one that has a list of the complete WWE Roster (both Raw and Smackdown) and i found that they have listed quite a few wrestlers as "taken off teh road" when there has been no reason why i was wondering if you could help me. The list goes as

Jimmy Kordiris (ref) Joey Mercury Kid Kash Matt Hardy Paul Birchill Super Crazy Tatanka The Great Khali

Also Rob Van Dam got caught with drugs, Because he is famous is he being let off by the police.

Other Questions

1) What is the extent of Chris Nowinskis head injury

and

2) WHat causes elevated liver enzyme count as that is why Bobby Lashley missed The Great American Bash.

Thanks

Is this about wrestling or some fake entertainment? DirkvdM 08:54, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

WWE Wrestling.

Cricket Umpire

what should i do to become a cricket umpire?

Join an amateur club and offer to umpire occasionally? For professionals these guys might be able to help [13] --Darkfred ^{Talk to me} 15:07, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

And here I didn't even know that crickets were into pro wrestling. Well, if they are, I suppose they need umpires/referees, don't they ? :-) StuRat 03:49, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

In England and Wales, the ACU&S is in charge of umpiring. Sam Korn ^(smoddy) 10:38, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Sawmill Gravy

While on vacation in Florida last week, I stopped to eat at Cracker a Barrell restaurant. I ordered breakfast and got a serving of biscuits and "sawmill gravy." I asked the staff why it was called "sawmill" and no one had an answer. I've checked a number of other places since and no one can link sawmill with gravy. Any thoughts?

Thank you,

Sammy Payne--15.235.153.107 17:27, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

I've wondered that too. It's definitely a southern thing (the name, that is) and is a very simple gravy to make (just flour, milk, and sausage grease). Maybe people who worked at sawmills made their own gravy? Hardly a satisfying explanation, but I did a bit of searching and couldn't find much. Hope someone else comes up with something. digfarenough (talk) 18:04, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

The closest thing to an explanation I could find, and it's by no means authoritative, was on this page: "The workers at the sawmills apparently ate the sausage the night before, or for breakfast, and took the grits and sawmill gravy with them to eat for lunch.". --LarryMac 18:49, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

I would have guessed it was called that because it resembled a mixture of sawdust and water, a common sight in a sawmill. StuRat 03:46, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for the help...that's pretty much what I'd found as well. To further complicate matters, I ran onto the reference to "cathead" biscuits as going with "sawmill gravy." That was new as well but had more luck finding a reference. Apparently, when they made biscuits in the South, it was considered bad form to actually cut the biscuits from the dough with a knife or the top of a glass etc. You were to pinch off the appropriate amount of dough. And how much is an appropriate amount you might ask. Well, you'd pinch off a amount equal to the size of a small "cat's head." I don't own a cat so now I've got to find one of them to gauge how much is appropriate should I ever be faced with such a dilemna! ha

A cat's head, at least the one I have, is bigger than my closed fist. That would be a mighty big biscuit. [Upon the request of my sister, I have edited my response and add that the cat is alive and it's head is indeed attached to it. I do not have a decapitated cat head laying around in a jar somewhere.] --69.138.61.168 07:57, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

• I make my own gravy from scratch,i.e. water,flour and meat juices;it does indeed look like sawdust in water at first,and is pale and delicious and nothing like instant gravy.I have a tomcat with a huge head,the size of a fist,maybe the biscuit makers 'cats,full up with bread sopped in greasy gravy grow to be equally huge.

christian era

i am filling an application form and i dont know how to write date of birth in christian era could you please help me out.

Just write the year followed by CE or AD. For example: In 1215 AD AD 1215, the Magna Carta was issued. For more information on the meaning of these abbreviations, see the CE page and the AD page. Hope this helps. Dar-Ape 18:39, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Note, as in the AD article, that AD goes before the number, not after. --Jed Blue

I wouldn't think that there was really any need to put in either AD or CE. Most people will know what you mean for the year. Check the form to make sure that they don't ahve some special requirement as to the date format. Some will say (d=day, m=month and y=year) dd/mm/yy others mm/dd//yy and others yy/mm/dd. If the form does not say which to use then I suggest that you write the day using 1 or 2 digits, the year using 2 or 4 digits. And write the month using letters, either the full month or an abbreviated version such as Jan, Feb. That way there is no confusion to the reader as to what you mean/ CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 22:48, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Are you used to a different calendar system, such as the Islamic calendar or the Juche calendar? If so, let us know which year you want converted and which calendar you want it converted from, and we might be able to help. Ziggurat 02:25, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

The current date in the Christian era is August 7, 2006 (in U.S. style) or 7 August 2006 (British style). Marco polo 22:59, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

British Empire

Was the British Empire the biggest that ever there was, EVER!? - Thanks Joel

Please use a header, and yes (geographically), unless you are looking for the largest contiguous empire, which would by the Mongol Empire. Dar-Ape 21:50, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

I believe so. --Proficient 21:56, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

You can ask new questions by clicking on the "ask question" link at the top. In answer, I don't know, but I would be willing to bet that the Russian empire controlled more landmass. Did you mean by population? Landmass? Naval control? There is a great list of empires at empire, if you're curious. Wait! At British Empire and at World's largest empires, it says that the British empire did indeed control the largest landmass. Second was the mongol empire, and third (alas, my bet was poorly placed) was the Russian empire. --198.125.178.207 21:54, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

That's the British Empire in 1921, but the two biggest countries in it, Australia and Canada, were already independent by then. So that doesn't make sense. DirkvdM 09:03, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Appearances can be deceptive. Exactly when Australia ceased to be part of the British Empire is not clear cut. We became a sovereign nation in 1901, but we were far from independent in any practical sense. We had our own Foreign Ministers from 1901, but Britain conducted all Australia's external diplomatic affairs on our behalf until, I think, after WW2. The choice of Australia's Governor-General was always made by the British government until James Scullin put his foot down in 1930 and demanded the right to directly advise the monarch on this matter. George V was extremely unhappy, and even let his feelings be known officially, but he had no choice but to accept the advice of his Australian Prime Minister. (Other Commonwealth countries soon followed suit.) When Britain declared war on Germany in 1939, the then Prime Minister Bob Menzies considered that this automatically and immediately meant that Australia was also at war with Germany. There was no formal proclamation, no parliamentary discussion, just Menzies telling the nation it was his "melancholy duty" to inform us we were now at war. Nobody really thought anything of that at the time, Britain being the "mother country" for the great majority of Australians at that time. Menzies was also notorious for saying "Australia is British to the bootstraps", and he didn't cease being PM until 1966 (!), by which time we had welcomed huge numbers of non-British migrants from Europe and other places. Until 1986 (!!), the UK Parliament had the power to unilaterally amend (or even abolish) the Australian Constitution. Bob Hawke put a stop to that, by ensuring the passage of the Australia Act 1986. By this time, the British Empire had long since evolved into the Commonwealth of Nations, but it's all part of a pattern. JackofOz 11:55, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Well, if you count in all countries that blindly follow the example of a country then how big is the US empire now? DirkvdM 18:14, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Not very, considering the US states rarely follow the example of the government. Fortunately. User:Zoe|(talk) 18:40, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Canada was not fully independent in 1921. See Canada Act 1982. --ColourBurst 23:05, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Moesha's final season

After Moesha's final season, I want Ciara, T.I., DMX, Countess Vaughn and all other rappers and actors to be in the series finale of Moesha.

Well, good for you. I hope get wish your wish. By the way, did you happen to have a question? JackofOz 22:56, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Your patronizing him and you said "I hope get wish your wish"....wow.

No, I wasn't patronising him/her. I'm sorry if it appeared that way. Better a kindly response like that than the vitriolic abuse such non-questions often elicit. JackofOz 01:11, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Moesha ended a number of years ago. Sadly, you won't be getting your wish. Mike H. I did "That's hot" first! 00:02, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

This sounds more like something one would say to Santa, sitting on his knee, at the local mall. --69.138.61.168 07:44, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Supercharging American Muscle

Can you Supercharge/Turbocharge traditional American Muscle car, such as the '70 Hemicuda or various Doge, Ford models? Most American Muscles appear to be stock while Japanese imports are stereotypically all supercharged--Jamesino 22:55, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Yes. 30 seconds on Google returned [This picture]. Superchargers are commonly used on American muscle cars to develop very high horsepower.

Yes, sir. --Proficient 23:18, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

August 3

Mississippi River

What direction does the mighty mississip' flow? Ive heard conflicting stories. One particular one goes that Jim and Huck Finn went north to Ohio. Then Ive that the delta down in Louisiana demonstrates that it flows south. Whats the real story? By the way, what are some rivers that do flow north, opposite of the poles.

Thanks!!!

The Mississippi River flows south. The most famous river that flows north is the Nile, and others are on this list. Hyenaste ^(tell) 05:56, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

What's with the poles? DirkvdM 09:17, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

The poles have nothing to do with the direction in which rivers flow. Rivers tend to flow from the centers of continents outwards. Marco polo 23:09, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

Extra question : is the Mississippi river connected/fed by Lake Superior? If so, it effectively cuts one of the largest nations completely in half? (I asked this before but someone reverted the page back then because of an indecent post and destroyed mine as well).

No, the Mississippi is not connected to or fed by Lake Superior. Its source is Lake Itasca. Lake Superior is part of the Great Lakes system, which drains to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River.Marco polo 23:09, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

You might want to take a look at Niger River! Evilbu 14:08, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Close but not quite. However, the Amazon and Orinoco rivers almost touch in south Venezuela. DirkvdM 18:19, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Lake Superior drains east through the St. Lawrence River, not south. Rmhermen 19:26, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

North America is essentially cut in two by waterways, but not by the Mississippi River per se. Going upstream, the Mississippi connects to the Illinois River then to the Des Plaines River. That river is connected to the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, which in turn connects to the Chicago River, which is linked to Lake Michigan. — Michael J 01:05, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Reliable online pharmacies?

Can anyone recommend a good online pharmacy that sells prescription drugs? Doing a google search is absolutely useless due to all the linkspamming and some of the sites I've been too look a bit 'suspect' to trust with my money (some of them look like outright scams). Anyone here used one that's actually delivered on its promises? Thanks.—Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.76.104.19 (talk • contribs)

Surely if they sell prescription drugs online they are not "good". The whole idea of prescription drugs is that they should only be available with a prescription, i.e. under the supervision of a doctor.--Shantavira 14:07, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Not entirely true, there are some reliable mail order pharmacies that work with a doctors prescription and I assume some of those would have some web presence. I suggest checking out pharmacies that have a bricks and morter operation like Walgreens or something like that wherever you are from and see if they offer mail/internet transactions. Usually you might have to either go to a store in person the first time to set up the arrangement or your doctor may be able to do it. Nowimnthing 17:41, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Your IP address suggests you're in the UK. In that case, I don't think any online pharmacies are legal. Don't risk them, as you will not know what you are taking in, and are probably funding something nasty. Skittle 19:23, 3 August 2006 (UTC) Boots do seem to offer home delivery online if you have an actual prescription [14]. Skittle 19:26, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Buzzing sound made with two front teeth

Is there a name for the sound that can be made by some people using the front teeth? It sounds like a buzzer. The tone can be changed aswell. In fact the only place i've publicly heard it is in Dane Cook's Retaliation as "the sound of growing up".

For a sound clip: I could only find a clip of the sound in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjZG7wBA9Yc at ~0:31 seconds into the video (contains clips from Dane Cook's stand-up comedy)

-Chris

Martin Dillon (musician)

Does anybody know where Image:MartinDillonFidelio.jpg and Image:Martin DillonTails.jpg come from? The creator of the Dillion article had uploaded 5 pictures. 2 were copied from here and one was a CD cover shot or from here. All the images were tagged as GDFL-self but they are not. I tried Google pictures but they didn't seem to have them. Cheers. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 08:44, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Value of Wikipedia in human lives

Based on another discussion (which I don't wish to restart here) I wonder what the value of Wikipedia is compared to a human life. Of course an impossible question to answer, so let me rephrase it. Wikipedia has the potential to empower the powerless with knowledge, something that has in part caused the rise of cultures (like the invention of bookprinting). The technological advances that may result from the spread of knowledge may result in saving lives. So is Wikipedia a lifesaver? To give an example, a decent article on ors could spread knowledge that could save lives in cholera-ridden refugee camps (if someone there would have access to the Internet). DirkvdM 09:44, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

For value in lives, you don't ask how many lives it saves, but how many lives should be sacrificed for it.--Teutoberg 12:47, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

This question is indeed very hard to answer. The Internet in general saves lives as well as Wikipedia, although. --Proficient 01:26, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

In this instance I'd say there is no distinctive value. Nothing you've put above there makes Wikipedia different than any other site on the internet with similar information; anything you can credit to Wikipedia in that situation could probably just as easily be credited to Google, if not easier. --Fastfission 15:28, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

That's all not even considering the bad effects, such as that both Wikipedia and Google provide information on napalm as well as CPR. But perhaps I'm restarting the discussion you wished to avoid restarting? Dar-Ape 22:26, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

It would indeed be strange -absurd- to sacrifice lives for wikipedia. I doubt any wikipedian is so tied to it that they'd sacrifice their own life, and apply the categorical imperative and you have 0 lives sacrificed. I suppose that then is its worth. Also, though the idea is appealing, I wouldn't be so quick to assume wikipedia has saved lives. it certainly has the capability to but I doubt anyone but a very hardcore wikipedian would go to wikipedia for their dying child instead of the hospital - and there just aren't that many that dedicated --Froth 15:22, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

Carelessness

How do I overcome carelessness? I want to know all about it.I am curently a student who is really careless.NO matter what i do, no matter how hard i try, i just cant seem to be rid of carelessness.I have tried being careful but its futile.I flunk my maths tests and exams just because of that.somebody please tell me all about carelessness please so i can tackle this annoying problem...

You've already taken the first step. Wanting to overcome a problem, and reaching out to others for help, is the key. JackofOz 11:16, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

People have a tendency to be careful with things that are important, or things that may have a dramatic negative consequence if they are careless. It may be important for you to become more aware of the results of your 'carelessness'. As for maths, I tutor high school maths and see careless mistakes all the time. If you want to get better at maths, you just have to learn to check as you go. Do each step and ask, "Is that right?" It may be slower, but there are no rewards for getting a wrong answer quickly.

From a physiological point of view, you could also try fish oil supplements or brahmi, which are supposedly good for the brain. BenC7 12:02, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

(after 3 edit conflicts!Grr....!!) If you mean that you are being careless in your exams, it means that you are not getting enough practise. One way to overcome carelessness in maths is to practise the sums or problems for a long time. While carelessness in everylife is almost totally due to trying to do things quickly or in a hurry. I'd suggest you do things step by step and not to worry about being careless. Jayant,17 Years, India • contribs 12:07, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Practise mindfulness. A lot of people take up meditation to help them with exams, sport, or whatever.--Shantavira 14:02, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Math is particularly susceptible to carelessness, as complex problems can involve dozens of steps, and an error in any step can cause a wrong answer. StuRat 19:03, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

For math, there is usually another method to do the problem, so use the other method in your check. Using the same method again is likely to cause you to repeat an earlier mistake. Other problems, like solving for X, can be checked just by plugging the values you found for X into the original equations. Estimating can provide a quick check that the answer is at least in the expected range. StuRat 18:52, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

copyright issues when making a fan page about a film

Hello,

me and my sister were joking about making a critical page about the movie Lion King. It could involve text, mixed with some pictures that are discussed from the movie. (BSplayer can take screenshot)

But is that legal?

Take a look at this snopes page :

[15]

As far as I know, Snopes has no dealings with Disney or anything. Is this legal? (apart from the fact that their picture is moving, and there is only one, this is what I had in mind)

So what do you think? Thanks,

Evilbu 14:05, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

If you live in the United States, then it is potentially legal. The relevant legal code is the fair use clause of U.S. copyright law. Warning: it's vague, ambiguous, and tough for even lawyers to deal with. But if your page is anything like the Snopes page is, then it is probably legal. My favorite website covering fair use issues is Stanford Copyright and Fair Use Center - Fair Use Overview. It goes over the issues clearly and gives lots of practical examples. Notice though that on the web, a copyright holder is required to send a takedown notice before they can sue (under the DMCA) so you would get fair warning before any real legal danger could develop. My vote would be to go for it if it is anything like the Snopes page in format. If you're not in the United States, then it is an entirely different legal situation (one I know next to nothing about). --Fastfission 03:33, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Thanks, unfortunately I live in Belgium. And my site would, if I choose to proceed, involve more than one picture though, like fifteen, with lots of text. Evilbu 11:10, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

I wouldn't worry about it --Froth 15:27, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for going back to the archive to still answer my question! Evilbu 15:37, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

New York Yankees/John Sterling

There is a bottle opener that has the voice of John Sterling. He talks about a game ending grand slam -- It is high, It is far. It is gone. etc. Does anyone know what game he is referring to? Linda Baskey

Something called baseball. See John Sterling (sportscaster)#Home run calls. (He often says this. It doesn't seem to date from one particular game if that's what you're asking.)--Shantavira 18:02, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Like a lot of broadcasters, he has a standard call that he pretty much uses word-for-word the same on every home run. Fan-1967 22:16, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Paddocks(?) at Newmarket

A friend of mine flew his light plane over Suffolk just recently and took a photograph of Newmarket racecourse. I noticed a couple of fields near the helipad both of which had a small knot of trees right in the middle. There two more further away from the race course, so they must have a purpose! Could you tell me what it might be? As a former scientist I have an insatiable curiosity and would come personally, but I live in the wilds of Scotland.

Yours sincerely, P.Brown Bsc,Dip SAD.

You might be able to play around in google maps and get a better idea, or find an image which contains the two fields of interest. I'm not sure which you're referring to. --Tagishsimon (talk)

Farmers often keep a small patch of trees, to attract game. Notinasnaid 20:43, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

• Farmers would often plant clumps of trees in fields used for livestock for shelter from both sun and rain.In the middle so they could not be used to climb the fence.Hope this helps-hotclaws**==(82.138.214.1 08:57, 9 August 2006 (UTC))

Germany/Israel

Can some one please tell me, what are the relations between Germany and Israel like? Do they support each other, does Germany do whatever Israel asks, and Do Israel recognise germany as a relavent international power? Do germany accept Israel as an entity at all? This all being in hindsight of WWII and the fall of the Eastern Block. Thanks

Hi, good question. I cannot prove overview (someone else will definitely), but this might be interesting:[[16]]

And let us not forget about the Munich massacre in 1972: [[17]] claims they agreed to release the prisoners during a hijacking that was only a show.

Elchanan Tenenbaum tells about German negotiating for the 2004 swap between Israel and Hezbollah. Evilbu 15:08, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Wouldn't that be rather politically incorrect? It would suggest that there is a link between Israel and the holocaust, that Israel was given some slack because the world felt sorry for the Jews. Of course there is at least some truth in that, but to officially recognise that would be rather iffy. DirkvdM 18:25, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

My understanding is that relations between Germany and Israel are generally quite good, although Germany is not quite as pro-Israel as the USA is. As an EU country, Germany is one of those countries that generally abstains rather than vote one way or the otehr during those General Assembly votes that go like 135-4 against Israel. But Germany is far less anti-Israel than, say, France. German media baron Axel Springer was very pro-Israel. The EU is part of the "quartet" that has been pushing the so-called road map to peace, so Israel certainly recognizes Germany's contribution in that regard. Israel and the Federal Republic of Germany established normal diplomatic relations in 1965. -- Mwalcoff 23:00, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Doesn't Germany have to pay compensation to Israel for the Holocaust or something? That might strain relations a little... - THE GREAT GAVINI {T-C} 18:58, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Nazi

when Flying into Poland last year i noticed that near to Katowice Airport there is a forest, The forest appears to be evergreen, exept for a collection of trees grown in a swastica formation, thus producing a clear red swastica in the forest, that could only be seen from the sky. Can someone please tell me when this was done, why it was done ans why it has not been reversed by cutting down the trees and eradicating the legacy of the Nazi scum. Thanks guys and dolls.

That's odd, Germany has something like that too: Forest swastika

Evilbu 15:00, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

That is almost exaclty what i saw in Poland, But no one has cutt down any of them, it was Very, very very obvious, and huge.

Just wanted to point out concerning my above question, that i hold NO hostility to any German man or woman under 60, but the rest voted, or should have.

Perhaps people objected to wasting trees on environmental grounds. Notinasnaid 15:37, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

I think I found the airport[18] but I can't spot the trees. The satellite data drop in resolution to the East which is where planes seem to land from. Weregerbil 15:55, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

The sat photo could be from the wrong time of year. --198.125.178.207 17:45, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

"Under 60"? Do you blame all pre-1946 (?) Germans for the war? Are all Usonians responsible for what Bush does?

Also, could y'all sign your posts and indent properly? That would make it a lot easier to see who wrote what. DirkvdM 18:30, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

The poor trees didn't do anything to anybody, so just let them be. It's not like a symbol from a regime that was wiped out over 60 years ago is suddenly going to bring the regime back to life. However, if neo-Nazis start hanging out by those trees, then my opinion might change. StuRat 18:43, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Well I would disagree and say the forest should be cut down. No reason to leave the occupiers' mark. You might want to write the city about this and see what they have to say. -- Mwalcoff 23:02, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

It seems to me that you couldn't just cut down the differently-colored trees, because that would still leave the swastica. So they would've had to cut the whole forest. --Ornil 01:15, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Cutting down differently coloured trees to fight Nazism? Sounds a bit paradoxical.

Anyway, it may be left standing as a monument. Not unusual. DirkvdM 06:02, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Everyone is assuming that the swastika patterned trees have some connection with Nazism or organisations following those beliefs. That isn't certain & is just an assumption based on the most recent usage of that symbol.

In any case even if the trees were planted by disciples of Dr Mengle with the aim of glorifying the Nazi cause and encouraging rural growth in Nazi or Neo-Nazi activities there'd still be no reason to cut it down. If you really object to it (& have the legal right to do so) then just plant some new trees around them to fill in the gaps & stop it looking like a swastica. AllanHainey 08:52, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

I doubt they were planted by Buddhist monks. True, they're not technically hurting anyone now, but generally Nazi symbols were taken down after WWII. Everyone's seen the famous film of the swastika on the stadium being blown up. -- Mwalcoff 23:11, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

But that wasn't a bunch of trees. And the swastika may be used by buddhists (Aryans also come from India, by the way), but also by lots of other cultures, including European ones. I once followed an Indonesian language course on tv, part of which consisted of people showing how they live. In one such episode the camera had a peek in the son's room, saw a nazi flag there, and immediately swung back. The mother was totally unaware of anything being wrong and probably the same was true for the son. They apparently didn't realise what the flag stood for and just liked the swastika on it.

Anyway, there may be something in the ground the trees stand on (some nutrient deficiency maybe), causing them to turn red. So new growth may not change anything. DirkvdM 07:42, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Crisps/Chips

I used to each fish flavoured chips in south africa. They stank! But were Lovely! they were called Creols and i assume they came from Maritiaus (spelling) can any one tell me where i can get them in the Uk?

Ask a fish'n'chips shop to use some old fat in which they have fried loads of fish. Also, do you mean Mauritius? DirkvdM 18:33, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

How much does an MH-53J Pave Low helicopter cost?

Would the government ever sell a demilitarized one to a civilian?

Well MH-53 Pave Low says it cost $40 Million US. And it's a version of the CH-53 Sea Stallion and CH-53E Super Stallion. Maybe Sikorsky Aircraft would sell one. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk)

Do you want a fully functional flying new one or will you settle for decommissioned gutted-out scrap metal (great as a lawn ornament though)? There is probably a 10,000x price difference right there... Weregerbil 20:27, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

No, I don't believe that US governmet does that.

Dinosaurs' Nervous System

Can someone tell me what we know about the nervous systems of dinosaurs? For example, would they respond to drugs the same way, or did they have completely different receptors then animals today?

most of what we know from dinosaurs comes from bones that don't reveal much about nerves. We can assume that their nerves were not that different from other animals. A biologist can correct me here but I don't think nerves (in their basic makeup) themselves vary that much even between very different species. Of course different chemicals affect different animals slightly differently. The best guess we can make is to look at how chemicals affect the closest living creatures to dinosaurs, i.e. birds and say that the same chemicals may have affected dinosaurs in somewhat the same way. Nowimnthing 17:53, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

One likely diff is that large dinos would have needed to have more of a distributed control system, with functions like walking controlled by nerve centers in the hips. This is because the time delay for signals from the brain would make walking difficult otherwise (think of trying to walk when drunk, which involves a similar delayed reaction problem). StuRat 18:36, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

after edit conflict:

Right, opiates (heroin and such) would probably have the same effect on all animals because it imitates a very basic endomorphin (a naturally occurring brain-drug). THC on the other hand has very different effects even on different humans.

Oddly, there is no article on 'endomorphin', but when searching for it, I found an article on Dynorphin. Cute! :) DirkvdM 18:41, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

I've created a redirect from endomorphin to endorphin.-gadfium 03:26, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Shark eats Gorilla

In the Simpsons episode Lisa the Vegetarian there's a classic scene where a gorilla is reaching out for a banana over a lake, and a shark just surges up and eats it. Where can I get a screencap of this? Short of buying the actual DVDs?

By screencap do you mean just an image of a single frame of the episode? You might be able to find a clip on a video site like youtube.com or google video. Then you could just take a screenshot of your computer with the frame displayed. digfarenough (talk) 17:39, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Bear in mind that this method may result in problems getting an image because of the video overlay which, like vampires and ghosts, doesn't show up in screenshots/screencaps. However, there are ways around this (dedicated screenshot programs often have special modes to deal with this) and since YouTube uses Flash to display videos, it might not be a problem. Sum0 21:06, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Peterborough Lift Lock

Greetings:

Does anyone know what the address of Peterborough Lift Lock? I need it in order to get directions from my home to Lift Lock on Google Maps.

Regards,

Shuo Xiang 17:25, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

With a little searching, I found that that the geographic coordinates are 44° 18' 51" N 78° 18' 06" W (from this page). You can plug those co-ordinates into Google Maps, and then get direction to that location. In the map-only view, they do not seem to acknowledge the existence of the canal, however you can see it in satellite or hybrid view. (You can't zoom in close enough to actually see the lock, though). Hope this helps. --LarryMac 18:39, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

There's a streetmap here. Looks like it's at the Junction of Hunter Street East and Ashburham Drive. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 18:42, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Thank you all soooooooooooooooooooooo much! Shuo Xiang 20:26, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Name of a song

I'm trying to remember the name of a song. I don't remember much about it, except that I know it was on MTV, and had the lyrics "Thanks for making me finer", or something like that. Does anyone know the name of that song? Thank you.--Summonmaster13 17:33, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Male, female singer? Anything about the musical style: teeny pop, slow dance, rap, ...? Was that recently? Anything else at all you can remember about the song or video? I typed Thanks for making me finer lyrics into google and it came up with Christina Aguilera's song "Fighter" [19]. How's that for a random guess? Weregerbil 20:23, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Municipal bond payment dates

Why do most municipal bonds pay interest on May 1 and November 1, instead of being evenly distributed around 6 month intervals of various months (January 1 and July 1, April 1 and October 1, etc.)? I have had a number of such bonds in my investment portfolio for many years, and have alays been curious as to why most of them pay in these 2 months.

Richard A. Horvitz --****

Probably has to do with the Fiscal year of the municipality. Nowimnthing 17:58, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

I don't know why they'd pick those particular months, but paying less often means they're paying less in processing fees, and they make interest on your interest while they're holding it.--Anchoress 20:27, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Follow up clarification, I work for a government agency that issues bonds and runs on tax monies. We get our tax distribution twice a year based on the state fiscal year. I assume we pay on the bonds right after getting this distribution so that is why the wacky times of year for payment. Nowimnthing 15:10, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

How do Artic explorers go to the toilet?

.....without getting frostbite? No. 1s and no. 2s? When it's cold, you want to go a lot. I've puzzled over this for a long time.

At a permanent base they would have indoor toilets in a heated area. So, no difference from anywhere else. In a temporary camp they would probably have something like a chamber pot they would use inside a tent, then dump outside. They could also urinate on the go with a tube to drain directly into the snow (this would be easier for men, but still possible for women, using catheters). Bowel movements would likely need to wait until they pitched a tent. Also note that the temps in the arctic aren't that bad in the summer. In the winter, it's dark out all the time, so they would likely stay near the permanent base or evacuate entirely. StuRat 21:29, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Funny how words change their meaning. "Evacuate" was originally an intransitive verb meaning to defaecate, involving one person performing an action in usually a very private place. Now it means the act of possibly thousands of people leaving a building, or causing such an action. JackofOz 22:51, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Yes, I intentionally used that word for it's double meaning. Good catch. StuRat

I suppose he means 'freezing one's butt off', almost literally. This reminds me of going for a crap in a mosquito-ridden area. Also not nice. In both cases you'll just have to endure it ('take it like a man', which would also be a problem for women :) ). However (serious answer now), this won't lead to frostbite. The body has to be kept warm, so if too much heat is lost, it is taken from the less important extremities, which consequently get frostbitten. Better to lose a toe than having your heart stop beating. You may be left with a limp, but you're still alive. I don't know your anatomy, but I assume your butt is not an extremity. And that one important extremity (not just evolutionarily speaking) has the good sense to tuck itself in when it gets cold. DirkvdM 06:18, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Most men have the common sense to keep their pants on when it gets that cold, but there have been some rare examples of frostbitten penises. "Jack Frost nipping at your..." :-) StuRat 06:24, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

If this is true we are very badly adapted to such conditions because that would have serious evolutionary consequences, as I hinted. DirkvdM 07:49, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Yes, naked people are rather poorly adapted to the arctic. I don't believe people lived in the arctic until warm clothes were invented. An exception might have been back when the arctic was much warmer than it is now. StuRat 04:20, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

People in the Arctic go to the toilet the same way as the rest of the world. When at home we use the bathroom. When out camping we move away from the tent area and if possible go behind a rock. In the winter (and no contrary to popular belief it's not dark all the time, see Polar night) we go quickly. I don't recall ever having gone outside at a temperature much below -40C and I never froze anything. Of course the modern day "explorer" has a bit more difficulty. They always seem to wear the latest in cold weather clothing which takes forever to get off and put on. Plus they are not used to the weather and tend to get cold quicker. Anyway feel sorry for the women, at least the men only have to pull down a couple of zippers to take a pee. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 12:00, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

• Like most expeditions it's a hole in the ground they use. How do they go? As little as possible. The cold is indeed very unpleasant. But if you have to go... - Mgm|^(talk) 21:25, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Do you know how hard it is to dig a hole at -30C, even with a jackhammer? At best you might cover it with snow. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 03:40, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Thanks, although I was thinking about explorers not people with a base camp, and was using the word Artic to refer to both the Artic and the Antartic. Scott of the Antartic, for example, the man who reached the South Pole second in the 1910s. I suppose the answer is "very quickly".

Note that both "Arctic" and "Antarctic" contain the letter C. 08:17, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

But so do "Artic" and "Antartic". They just don't contain enough C's. --LarryMac 23:36, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

True. StuRat 16:18, 10 August 2006 (UTC)

Believe it or not, I have heard stories of people in the Antartic who catch animals with traps secured to the ground with their own frozen urine. They set the trap down, piss on it, piss freezes...and that trap isn't going anywhere. --69.138.61.168 07:27, 10 August 2006 (UTC)

Is this a true story, or is the reporter guilty of "yellow journalism" ? :-) StuRat 16:17, 10 August 2006 (UTC)

Too much baking soda?

Greetings,

A recipe for American pancakes which I followed recommended the use of 2 tbsp of baking soda, but I believe that I put in some 3 tbsp. Could this greatly affect the pancakes' taste or texture?

Thank you for your answers,

--anon.

I don't know about 'greatly', but it will affect the taste and possibly the texture. Baking soda, formally known as Sodium Bicarbonate, is a leavening agent. It does this by reacting with acids in food to create carbon dioxide. (This is also the basis behind the common baking soda and vinegar 'volcano' science demonstration). So, if there's still excess acid in your pancake recipe (my guess is the most common pancake source of acid is buttermilk or possibly cream of tartar), the excess baking soda will react with it and create more bubbles than normal, resulting in puffier pancakes. In this case, the baking soda will also reduce any tartness from the excess acid. If, however, there is no excess acid, the baking soda won't produce any extra bubbles. In either case, there may be additional taste from baking soda, commonly described as 'soapy'. While it's usually recommended that one follows the recipe closely, this is particularly important with products like leaveners and spices where a small amount can affect the whole dish (1 tbsp extra of flour would have much less effect), and double-particularly important in the case of baking soda, which has to be paired with an acid. --ByeByeBaby 23:13, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

(after edit conflict) You may find them to be more salty than they should be (baking soda has a lot of sodium) and the texture may be less smooth, with more large bubbles. But since pancake batter doesn't tend to have a lot of gluten, extra gas from the extra baking soda (assuming there's extra acid in there to react with it) may just bubble out before you start cooking them. digfarenough (talk) 23:16, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

I would be most worried about the water balance, meaning the pancakes might be rather dry. The obvious solution (assuming you don't want to toss the batter and start over), is to increase all other ingredients by 50% to match. Invite the neighbors over to eat the extra pancakes. StuRat 06:32, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

After edit conflict:

Try it. We're talking pancakes here. It shouldn't be to difficult to repeat the experiment with a different value filled in for that variable. DirkvdM 06:34, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Just don't eat the baking soda right out of the package. It'll make your stomach explode if you eat a bunch of it. --69.138.61.168 07:25, 10 August 2006 (UTC)

Bassist Guitarrist

Does someone know who is the most famous heavy metal bassist guitarrist in the world?

Famous is subjective - according to whom? Ziggurat 23:34, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

"Geddy Lee, best bass player ever". digfarenough (talk) 04:26, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Steve Harris? Geezer Butler? Duff McKagan? Surely it's one of them. It's impossible to measure them for popularity unfortunately - perhaps it depends on how many records the band's sold. - THE GREAT GAVINI {T-C} 19:03, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Seth Nettles. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 10:20, 9 August 2006 (UTC)

August 4

Are any Ghost 'n Goblins games on Capcom Remixed for PSP?

I really want to know because I want the game mostly for Ghost 'n Goblins. I don't want to waste $30 on a game I won't play often. I want the two other games too, Ghouls 'n Ghosts, and Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts, or I won't buy this.

Surely using Google (or the search engine of your choice) would be quicker than posting a question here and waiting for a response. I can't access any "game" sites from this PC, but here is the link directly to Capcom. Looking at the reviews on Amazon, I see that it has Bionic Commando. I'd almost be willing to buy a PSP and this game pack just to swing that grappling hook around once again. --LarryMac 13:00, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Vomit

If my Vomit is teal colored, what does that mean?

Vomit is usually or generally the color of the food that is vomitted, I believe. I may be wrong. --Proficient 03:08, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

I have found that vomit is usually the color and consistancy of what I've eaten or drank. Unless, of course, there is blood in it. Then it would be a dark reddish color. I am a translator, though, not a doctor. --69.138.61.168 07:09, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

If you are asking about the literal meaning, see teal (color).--Shantavira 07:16, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Maybe it means you've just eaten a teal? Notinasnaid 09:11, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Sigh. :-)

Also, if your vomit is teal it means you are a woman. Men know black, white, red, blue, green, brown, orange. Peach and lime are fruit, eggshell is what omelettes come in, teal is a bird, maroon is what happens to the captain after a mutiny. Weregerbil 18:07, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

There's no need for broad stereotypes like this; for all we know, the questioner might just be gay. --ByeByeBaby 06:03, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

American TV shows in Australia

Why do American TV shows in Australia often premiere much later than they do in the States? For example, Lost premiered in September 2004 in the USA, but only began in February 2005 in Australia. Likewise, the season finale of 24 wrapped up just last night here in Australia, whereas it finished in May in the USA. (The gap started out much larger, but channel 7 insisted on showing FOUR episodes a week, so we came close to catching up. Probably so they could make way for a new season of tripe like Dancing With The Stars).

Why does this happen? Why don't networks just show us new series simultaneously with the US? The reason it bugs me so much is because I can never stop myself from using Wikipedia to find out what happens in an upcoming season. Battle Ape 04:18, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Perhaps our stations are waiting to see how positive the response from American audiences is. We have five standard channels, but the USA has far more. Our stations will likely only pick the cream of the crop (ratings-wise, that is).

The US networks make agreements with producers, giving them exclusive first runs. They will then make secondary agreements to sell the overseas rights. Most overseas broadcasters (since they do not have the creative control the primary US networks have) will wait to see the product before buying it (though this isn't always the case, talent with a track record can sell based on reputation and a pitch alone).

Historically the same thing would happens with movies, but you may have noticed that big budget films are now often released globally near simultaneously. This is because DVD/internet technology has forced their hand. Its likely, as TV shows can now easily be downloaded soon after their US airing, that we will begin to see a reduction in the time US shows are aired abroad, especially in english speaking (a lot of countries dub US series into local languages, so that takes time), internet savvy countries like the UK and Australia. Rockpocket 06:51, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

In the U.S, shows usually run their new episodes from fall to spring and take summer off (when less people watch TV?) Are you sure they aren't just delaying them so they don't run during the local summer? Rmhermen 16:42, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Most countries do not run "seasons" like the US networks do (hence they use the terms series instead of season). In the UK, Channel 4 is running season 2 of Lost throughout the summer as is Australia (though it is their winter, of course). So that theory doesn't hold up, i'm afraid! Rockpocket 19:15, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Some shows may also have to go through editing, subtitling, checking and possible conversion in formats before it airs. Also, the US tend to take breaks during seasons (like Lost, which will break for 13 weeks!) while foreign markets don't tend to. --Bearbear 19:39, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Rmhermen has a good point about the seasons. Australia does has a ratings break during summer (when expensive shows like Lost are typically not shown). So it seems the Australian TV executives decided to start Lost in February - straight after the summer ratings break. Another advantage of running the shows way behind the US is more flexibility. Since the show will never be allowed to "World Premiere" in Australia, it has to run behind anyway. If it only ran one day behind, the Australian schedule would be controlled by when the American network decided to air the show (eg by American breaks, big events etc). This might not be that important though.--Commander Keane 01:41, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Scope of failure analysis

Does failure analysis apply only to physical systems, as the article suggests, or also to other things such as business ventures and military campaigns? NeonMerlin 06:26, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Failure analysis can be applied to most fields. Agreed, the article comes at it from a narrow perspective and could do with much improvement. --Tagishsimon (talk)

Clippy thingies

I know this sounds a little vague, but, does anyone know what the little plastic E-shaped connectors are called that are commonly used to hold a baby in the 'seat' of a shopping cart?

To clarify what they look like, one side is (I guess) a male side shaped like a curved 'E' and the other side is a female 'side' into which it slips into, then it 'clicks' and is locked in place when the outside parts of the 'E' go into two holes on the female side. To release it, you have to press on the outside edges of the female side, which puts pressure on the 'E' shape, allowing you to remove the male side of it.

I know that sounds slightly convoluted but that is as best as I can describe it. --69.138.61.168 07:06, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

A form of buckle? or just a clip? don't know if they even have a specific name. AllanHainey 09:02, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

I know what you are talking about, but I can't seem to find it in Category:Fasteners. Jon513 09:29, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Look on the body of the clip - there will (hopefully) be a patent number. Look up the patent number in the US patent database and you'll see who the "assignee" (the company) for the patent is. That will, I guess, be a large manufacturer of fasteners. Then go to their website and browse their online catalog. I'm sure there will be a technical name specifically for such fasteners. Middenface 10:44, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

I think it's called a "snap buckle". Google for images. One of the branded versions is called an airloc buckle.--Shantavira 12:23, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Fastex buckle is the predominant name for them, there's more information here.

Hmm, the above seem to call them "side-release buckles". Whatever they are, it looks as though we need an article. One reason I was interested is they they always seem to slip after I've used them for a while (they secure my rucksack, and my trousers). I found that slightly "re-sharpening" the teeth with a small file helps to prevent this.--Shantavira 15:01, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

You have these things on your trousers? Picture, please! Henry^Flower 15:16, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Strange as it may seem, I have a pair of nylon hiking pants which use a small Fastex buckle to secure the waist. The buckle halves are connected to an integral elastic web strap.

Allow me to help: Side-release buckle --Tagishsimon (talk)

It looks like you're trying to secure a baby in a shopping cart. Would you like help?  :-) --LarryMac 15:11, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Yes, the links you have provided are these buckles. I also had trouble finding an article about these on Wikipedia. 'Fastex buckle', then. Thanks! --69.138.61.168 21:36, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Jogging/swimming coefficient?

Greetings,

(Thank you for your answers concerning my American pancakes; they were a little soapy, alas.)

I was wondering where I could find the coefficient between jogging and swimming, as in, how much jogging a certain time of swimming is worth.

Thank you for your answers,

--anon.

If you google for "calorie swimming jogging" you'll find any number of tables that claim to rate one exercise against another. The trouble is that swimming is so technical that different people (same age, sex, weight) swimmng at the same speed can consume radically different amounts of energy. Jogging is less technical (although still there are efficient joggers and inefficient ones; I'd guess some are at least twice as efficient as others). So it's pretty hard for a web-page to actually tell you how much energy you're burning. Middenface 10:35, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

In what sense? Energy loss (measured in soapy pancakes)? Muscle gain? Fun? DirkvdM 07:54, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

New user questions

Yesterday, Aug 3, I registered for the first time and was confused about whether my email address will be avaialable to anyone. I DON"T want to received junk mail, so I don't want my email address to be available except to the administrators for password confirmation. Please take care of this and let me know that my email address will not be available to readers.

Also, I spent a long time editing a page, and didn't realize there was a time limit - when I went to finalize/send it, it said my time had expired and all of my changes were lost. This was annoying/discouraging.

It was also hard to figure out where to send theses comments to.

I added a title to your post. These questions sound like they should be directed to the Help Desk (I'd try to answer but I don't quite follow whatever you're asking). Well, I guess I can try: 1. Your email address isn't made public as far as I know. 2. Yes, I've lost a post due to an error before too--it is indeed annoying. It's best to copy your comment before posting just in case something goes wrong (save early/save often sort of thing). 3. I do not understand your last paragraph, sorry. digfarenough (talk) 17:52, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

• I think that last bit of text was from your email or some sign up page. It won't be posted, but of course you shouldn't post it here if you don't want it to show up (I've removed it). If you want to avoid being accidentally logged out while editing, you should select the remember me box when logging in. This means you're logged in until you log out (be sure to log out when you're on a public computer). - Mgm|^(talk) 21:21, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Finding where to ask questions doesn't seem too difficult. There aren't any confusing ads and banners and such. At the top left there's the 'help' link (maybe that should be made a little more visible - perhaps at the top of that list) and the top box at the page that that leads you to has the header 'where to ask questions'. That should make clear that your question should have gone to the help desk in stead of here. Then again, it is true that every now and then we get help desk questions here. So how did you get here? Did you follow a different route? DirkvdM 08:03, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Youtube Question

I apologize if this isn't the right place to ask this question. Anyways, I am trying to be able to post comments on Youtube, and have an account. When I try to post a comment this message shows up.

"Before you can upload, we need to verify your email address. Enter it below, and when you receive the confirmation email, then check your email and click on the link provided to confirm your account. If you do not receive the confirmation message within a few minutes, please check your bulk or spam folders."

The confirmation email showed up, and I clicked on the link, however the following message showed up. "This confirmation link is no longer valid".

So my question is, how do I post comments, when it can't confirm my email. Thanks in advanced. --Summonmaster13 16:39, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

• If you ask for a new email or reset your password only the most recent message is valid. All others expire. If you have trouble, I guess you should contact them. - Mgm|^(talk) 21:17, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Total Number of Homeowners in America

What is the total numer of homeowners in America?

What is the breakdown per state?

The US census is your friend. Nowimnthing 18:37, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Water Tables

I need to know whether a water table can change? If so, what could cause it to change? Greg Kreft 19:49, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Nothing is forever. Be more specific?--Teutoberg 20:03, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

• Are you talking about one of those tables that are really television screens showing water, sand or something else and actually act as if they're touched if you touch the screen? I think that is touch screen technology. - Mgm|^(talk) 21:15, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Why not try our snappily and conveniently named Water table article? Lemon martini 22:21, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

(Yay! My first proper edit as a real live Wikipedian!)

the artist that performs the song "half the man iused to be

hi there!i would like to ask who is the artist that performs the song "half the man i used to be,as i've been told that it's a song of nirvana and i don't believe it.... i'm sorry that i ask such an unimportant question.....but i got to know anyway,if you are willing to contact me,please send me an email in[snip], as this is not my computer. thank you for your time.. frances mckee

There is a song which includes that line on The Return of the Space Cowboy.

Yesterday I was

half the man I used to be.

Maybe it's because

you're the other half of me.

 Slumgum T. C.   20:30, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

I believe you are refering to the Stone Temple Pilots song "Creep", on their album Core.--Andrew c 21:30, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Let's not forget "Suddenly/I'm not half the man I used to be/There's a shadow hanging over me/oh I believe/in yesterday". See the beatles, or yesterday. I don't think it's what you're looking for, but it's a great song anyways. --198.125.178.207 22:25, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Funny smelling CDs

When buying music CDs, I often that on opening the case, there is a strange chemical smell completely unlike anything else. It doesn't happen to computer CDs or DVDs, as it only seems to affect CDs in plastic jewel cases. If anybody has a copy of any of them, the smell is especially strong on Through the Windowpane and A Certain Trigger, at least in my music collection. So what is that smell, and how can I prevent it, given that the sensitive nature of CDs makes using a chemical airfreshener risky. smurrayinchester^{(User), (Talk)}

<gripe>I hate it when people say "chemical smell" — all smells are caused by chemicals.</gripe> —Keenan Pepper 22:54, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Why do you want to prevent it? If it bothers you that much, leave 'em open at night and let a fan blow over them or something. It's quite unlikely to be damaging the CDs. It's likely just a remnant of some chemical used in the production of the jewel case, the liner notes, the tray, or the CD (think I covered all the bases there...) digfarenough (talk) 23:36, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

CDs by Matchbox 20 really stink. --Teutoberg 03:12, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Wow, I thought I was the only one who knew it. My ex-girlfriend bought some CD-R's, and they smell absolutely awful. I've worked with fiberglass, and it kinda smells like fiberglass resin. I have no idea why, but the smell is truly revolting. --Abnerian 04:02, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

extra kwh reading itron?bersus mecanical meters

--68.202.34.54 21:51, 4 August 2006 (UTC)i dont have the money(need exponsor)test itron meters read doble kwh I TRY TO FIND AND STUDY,TEST,OR WHATEVER-COMPARE THE OLD METER (ROTATIBE) TO THE NEW ITRON CENTRON,SOLID ESTATE+WITH THE NEW METERS WITH THE SAME CHARGE THE KWH GO NEAR TO DOUBLE kWh??I DON'T GOING TO TELL YOU(FOR THE MOMENT)ALL I DO TO TEST THIS FABULOUS METER...I CALL PROGRESS ENERGY(FLORIDA)TO CHECK THE METER,IS IN THE PARAMETER THEY WANT>>>AND SAID IT READING THE CONSUME<<THAT THE PROBLEM I DON'T USE THAT AMOUNT OF kWh!!!! HERE COMES YOU:::::THIS METER IS DONE TO READ,VARIATION IN ELEC,RUMORS AND PEAK OF VOLTAGE(IN THIS READING IS WHEN THE ELECTRIC COMP,GET THE EXTRA $$$$$$$$$,IN kWh,NOT MATER WHAT YOU GET MORE kWh THAN YOU USE,AND THAT IS NO LEGAL!!!!!ITS SUPPOUST THE PEAK OF ANY APPLIANCE GET IN THE METER,AND AUTOMATIC GO DOWN TO READ CONSUME,BUT THIS SOLID STATE METER????????????????????????????DO YOU KNOW A TEST(SIDE BY SIDE)OFF ITRON CELERON & ROTATIVE METER,SAME CHARGE(ALL THE SAME)ITS SUPOUST THE READ VERY SIMILAR,ANY KWH OVER IS ILLEGAL,MY POINT IS DIRECT TO READ KWH,(COMPARE)NOT INCLUDE FUEL,TEMP,OR MONEY UNDER THE TABLE,,ONLY COMSUM KWH!!!!IF YOU HAVE INFORMATION OF A CLASS ACTION ,SEND ME THE INF.,FORMULA:SAME VOLTAGE INPUT + SAME CHARGE +/- X(WATTS,,AMPERES,,) =KWH,,ONLY IN ITRON IS DOBLE?????why??(only can change the %=1%.2% charge the power comp.)but that not justify the high reading of kwhANY,ANY INFORMATION WELCOME

I'm afraid I didn't understand a single word of that, but thank you for introducing me to the far right corner of my screen. --Daduzi ^talk 22:05, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

I speak six languages fluently.Which one are you using?It ain't English,but let's try...

"You're comparing an old Rotative meter to a new Centron solid estate meter.With the same charge on the new meters,the kwH nearly doubled.You're not going to tell us how you tested it though. When you called Progress Energy in Florida to check it,doing the tests they suggested,the amount they told is much more than you are using.

The meter is calibrated to read variations in electricity, rumors(whatever they are) and voltage peaks. Whatever test you try,you get much more kwH showing than you actually use.

It's supposed to show the peak kwH of any appliance and automatically read your consumption from there,but it doesn't. You want to know a side-by-side test of the Celeron(sic) and Rotative meter with the same charge to show that the Celeron(sic) one is showing more kwH than is correct,which is illegal.It should only be reading the kwH,not including fuel,temperature or money under the table(???)

You want to launch a class action against Celeron/Centron as their meter is showing double the kwH it should be compared to the Rotatibe with the same data put in,even allowing for some variation in the data which might affect the results."

If I've deciphered this correctly,basically your new meter is showing almost double what the old one did with the same variables and you feel this is illegal. Is it possible the new one is just malfunctioning? Why not return your meter and explain this to the Celeron/Centron sales guy and see whether they can replace it or give an explanation as to why this happening.They are likely to know the most about what their products do and don't do and shouldn't do...

Lemon martini 22:34, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Talented bit of suitle emphaziation there, Lemon martini. --Howard Train 04:39, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

It sort of looks like the poster typed in in a different language and used some online translator to get it into English. Probably all the strings of punctuation are meant to separate different sentences, as things like babelfish ignore newlines. Or am I just stating the obvious? :) digfarenough (talk) 23:32, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Why don't you ask us in your native language? --Abnerian 03:56, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Sockpuppet

I accidentally created a sockpuppet (Fsdfsdfsdfsa), and I really want it to be deleted. Is there a way that it can be deleted other than not logging in for 90 days? -- TheGreatLlama ^{(speak to the Llama!)} 23:11, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

I think that, technically, it's only a sockpuppet when used as such. It is allowable for a person to have multiple accounts, as long as they aren't being used, e.g., to provide an illusion of greater consensus or to avoid policies like the three revert rule. As for deleting the account, not sure about that one... digfarenough (talk) 23:26, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Cinema

The film "The Miracle of" was released in German cinemas in 2004. What sprtin event dose it deal with?

Don't suppose you mean Das Wunder von Bern... it was 2003, though. Oh, to answer your question: the World Cup (football). digfarenough (talk) 23:29, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Monday's Final Jeopardy

On Monday, I saw that the answer (or sould I say question?) to Final Jeopardy was "Who is Einstein?" What was the question to it? (or should I say answer?) Reywas92 23:59, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Jeopardy is in summer reruns right now, which means that it's difficult to determine which episode you saw; particularly since this may vary from market to market.

Of course, I said difficult, not impossible. Never underestimate the internet: According to a search of J! Archive, the only time that Einstein was a correct Final Jeopardy question was Game #4866, November 7, 2005, in the college tournament quarterfinals. The answer given:

He declined the offer to lead a country & once said, "Politics is for the present... an equation is... for eternity"

Both women got it right, but the one man had it right, crossed it out, and put Newton in instead. What a dumbass. (BTW, the country was Israel). --ByeByeBaby 06:14, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Thanks! I'm suprised that Jeopardy plays reruns of the tournaments. Reywas92 17:45, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

August 5

Super Smash Bros. Melee

Are there really no more characters to unlock in Super Smash Bros. Melee after Mr. Game and Watch? It just makes me so sad that there are probably no more characters to unlock. *sniff*-- TheGreatLlama ^{(speak to the Llama!)} 00:09, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Yes, he's the last character. But take heart, you may not have unlocked everything. Have you the Final Destination stage? --Froth 01:35, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Main Page

Why are anonymous users sometimes allowed to edit the Main page? -- TheGreatLlama ^{(speak to the Llama!)} 00:10, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

A very good question; I had never noticed it until you asked! --Froth 01:31, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

When was it unprotected? I looked through the last 500 edits (to 6 July 2004) and can't see it. Also take a look at this version according to the date it should be 00:59, 6 July 2004 but although the layout is different it shows the same content as today. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 02:42, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Ah didn't read that correctly. Here is where the anon edited the page but it still shows the current version. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 02:44, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

That's the very same edit that I at first saw. What happened? --Froth 03:37, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

It was April Fools Day, and spirits were high! :-D Karma Llama 12:42, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

War and Peace

I'm about halfway through War and Peace.. it's a bit over my head, but quite good so far. There's one part, though, that I'm wondering about. I'm hand typing this, so pardon any mistakes, but you should get the general idea:

--

Prince Ippolit is telling a story at a reception:

"In Moscow there is a lady, and she is very miserly. She has to have two footmen behind her carriage. And very tell ones. That was her hobby. And she had a chambermaid, who was also very tall. She said--"

Here Prince Ippolit paused to think, evidently at a loss to collect his wits.

"She said--yes, she said, 'Girl (to her chaimbermaid), put on a livery and go with me, behind the carriage, and make some calls.'"

Here Prince Ippolit snickered and laughed long before his hearers, and their silence produced a very disheartening effect upon the narrator. However, a few, including the elderly lady and Anna Pavlona, smiled.

"She drove off. Suddenly a strong wind blew up. The girl lost her hat and her long hair came down."

Here he could not hold in any longer but through his bursts of broken laughter he managed to say these words: "And everyone knew about it."

--

The whole story seems rather random to me - like a computer constructing a randomized story from various parts of speech - and the others at the party seemed to think so too- but Ippolit obviously found it quite funny and could anyone here explain the story to me please? :)

--Froth 01:29, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Just a guess but from what I recall women in those days nearly always wore a hat and kept their hair up. It may be that they are making fun of the fact that the maid is improperly dressed. As an example my maternal grandmother who was born about 1900 would never go outside without a hat. And even in here 80s would still shop for them. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 02:33, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

It sounds like the chambermaid was asked to pretend to be a footman hence the livery. The number of footmen was being used as a mark of wealth but they certainly should never have long hair. The story is strange and rather random probably in order to show Ippolit was out of place and bad at small talk. MeltBanana 02:46, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Ohhh thank you very much, that must be it, it's quite clear now. She was miserly- she wanted people to think she was wealthy by having footmen follow her. So she got her maid to dress up as a man so she could go out and visit some friends, but the maid's hat was blown off, revealing to everyone that the lady in fact only had one footman and that she faked her second! To be honest, I thought at first that the lady and her maid were going behind the carriage to make some calls on the footmen! :D --Froth 03:33, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Is Sony Still Making PSP Videos?

I went to Target to get a new PSP video, but they were all gone. A women told me Sony wasn't making them anymore. Wal-Mart didn't have any either!! On the Sony site it showed me upcoming videos. So are they just releasing them on web sites and not stores? You know, what's goin' on here? Is there something I'm not getting or...?

The UMD format did not catch on, so Target and Wal-Mart are not selling them anymore. Other companies that began to release movies on the format are starting to skip it, since the last ads I seen were perhaps in April or May of 2006. I think the shift is now towards the Blu-Ray format, which I seen in heavy release now. User:Zscout370 ^{(Return Fire)} 01:59, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

I wouldn't be surprised.. AFAIK the umd movie format was a catastrophic flop. --Froth 02:00, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Not really surprising. Given the choice between a UMD that can be played on a PSP, or a DVD that can be played on anything more advanced than a microwave oven (including a PSP with a bit of jiggery pokery), most people plump for the most flexible option. Ten or even five years ago, UMD might have worked. Now, unfortunately, the proprietary format offers no advantage over the market standatd. Ah well, they know for next time. --Howard Train 04:48, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

PSP no longer exists. In 1989 it dissolved into GroenLinks. DirkvdM 08:18, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Why are some men more successful in wooing women?

My qusetion is , why are some men more successful in wooing women than others? I am asking this because I have a friend who is incredibly succesful in wooing women just by talking to them over the phone. It is beyond my comprehension how he manages to do it so consistently and succesfully. sumal 04:13, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

I console myself in situations like this by telling myself he's probably gay. --Howard Train 04:41, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

As are the women who don't want to sleep with you, probably. DirkvdM 08:19, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

I don't know why your friend is so successful; I have known some men and women who are almost supernaturally good at captivating the opposite sex, but I know this; my male friends who do extremely well with women do so not by being unusually charming, but by being better than the average male at recognising female interest. They don't waste time on women who aren't interested in them, and they can quickly recognise the signals women give off when we are interested.--Anchoress 09:26, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Since it's over the phone, I would guess charm, flattery and a sense of humour play a large part. I think our article on seduction is missing a few tricks here.--Shantavira 09:35, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Some have a natural aura. --Proficient 20:32, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

How do I pronounce Audrey Tautou's name?

KTHX.

Her name is given in IPA in the Audrey Tautou article. (If you don't know IPA, it's something like "Oh-dray Toh-too", and the final syllables of both her first and her last name will sound as if stressed, though strictly speaking French has no word stress.) David Sneek 07:11, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Zipper care

Once again, a zipper has failed me. I lose quite a lot of pants this way. Pants that have hardly worn may become useless if the zipper fails because repairs or replacements can be to difficult. Is there a way to make zippers last longer? This especially happens with Fjallraven pants. The material is very durable (which makes them worth the price), but the zippers are flimsy plastic ones. I could ask them to switch to metal zippers, but I doubt if that will work. DirkvdM 09:31, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Keep them lubricated by rubbing a wax candle up and down them occasionally. And avoid those cheap ones that have very small teeth.--Shantavira 09:40, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

I suppose I'd better take the pants off when I do that to avoid staining them from the inside. :) DirkvdM 17:22, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

ask YKK_Group

Well, the problem is I like this brand of pants, partly because they material (called G1000) is so sturdy (I've got a shirt that I have used extensively for ten years and it hardly shows any wear). But the zippers don't last as long as the cloth. So I'm stuck with the zippers they put in them. DirkvdM 17:22, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Any tailor should be able to replace the broken zipper with a sturdier one for you for a reasonable price. Pburka 18:19, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Do you know where this particular mountain range is?

I've searched and searched, along with countless other people, and noone is yet to come across this area. I will give you the link, to where i have uploaded this image, if anyone can help me, i would greatly appreciate it!

link ==> http://img85.imageshack.us/my.php?image=6c2e1dy5.jpg

Could it be in Australia...? Dunno, but it's a start. --Abnerian 13:27, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Thats the other thing, i've searched every mountain form in Oceania period...i just can't seem to find where this place is :(

It looks to me a bit like the area around Guilin or Yangshuo, e.g. very much like this image. Google for images of those places.--Shantavira 14:40, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

SEARCH IS OFFFFFFFF!!!!! yaaaaaaay! finally! i'ts in Mogotes Valley in cuba!

Also known as the Viñales Valley. I was going to say, before you found the answer, that it looked like a karst limestone formation -- of which the Guilin area is a good example. --ByeByeBaby 18:01, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Gruesome images

I have been exploring pages that talk about gruesome diseases and deformities, and I appreciate the fact that there were no pictures of such things posted. Specifically, I am referring to the pages about harlequin skin disease and anencephaly. However, I am just wondering if there are any formally stated criteria regarding what types of images are considered to be too graphic to post. Thank you in advance -Thomas Shields

I'm not aware of any restrictions of that sort (as long as they are not in bad taste or illegal). See WP:Images for the complete policy.--Shantavira 15:57, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

You have been specifically looking for gruesome images, hoping you wouldn't find any? Or am I reading you wrong? If the subject is 'gruesome' by your standards then any illustration will be gruesome too. That doesn't mean the image shouldn't be there but you shouldn't look up that page. DirkvdM 17:28, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Difference

what are the meanings of Meeting, Conference, Congress and Seminar? Is there any difference among these terms? What are the difference ammong them?

The difference is the connotation of those words.

To me, the connotation of meeting is just a general gathering.

A Conference would be more official and planned, perhaps for corporate purposes, and maybe a couple days.

A Congress would be official and within the government, very important, in a nice building, maybe lasting a couple weeks.

A seminar would be like a conference except where some people come to learn and others come to teach.

feel free to check the dictionary for the "standard" meanings, or just make up your own within the context!

Corporate ROI's

Do corporations think of employees in terms of ROI (return on investment),

i.e. if I make a net of $1 million in a year for a corporation and they pay me $100,000 would their investment in hiring and paying me be thought of as a 1000% ROI?

I'd guess that generally, the answer is no. It's hard to say exactly who produced a given income, with the possible exception of the salesmen (who, if paid commission, get a fixed % ROI). As an example, say Apple makes a deal to sell a billion dollars of iPods to a major retail chain. How much of that income was "made" by the sales team? The retail chain wants to carry iPods because they're popular, so maybe most of the income was really because of the marketing team. But iPods are popular not just because they're marketed well, but because they're good products, so maybe that income was really because of the product engineers. And people also like iPods because there's lots of music on iTunes, so maybe the income is partly because of the coders who made that site; or the lawyers who negotiated the licensing deal for the music. And all of these people work for Apple because they get paid regularly and get benefits and so on, so maybe part of the income is because of HR and Accounting.

Instead of this line of thought, companies tend to look at units that are more self-contained; retail companies at individual outlets, manufacturing companies at products or types of products they make, and so on. --ByeByeBaby 17:54, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

The Hunt

Hi! I was recently wondering about this: In hunting nowadays, people always use an arsenal of firearms. I'm interested if people hunt animals nowadays, especially big game, using only cold weapons(knives etc.), not using modern weapons, so animals can stand a chance?--Captain ginyu 17:44, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Ted Nugent uses a bow and arrow. Spear fishing is also still practised as is trapping. Does that count? Why do you think it's more 'fair' to use primitive weapons? Most animals don't use weapons at all, but without weapons humans never would have reached our position of dominance (or probably survived at all). Also note that firearms are more likely to produce a quick and relatively painless death for the animal whereas primitive weapons are more likely to cause a slow, painful death or maim the animal. Pburka 18:14, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

I disagree, hunting animals with firearms is like slaughter. I was thinking, if there is anyone who hunts animals(possibly big game), using only knives and similar weapons(not like bow and arrow, but short distance weapons)(fishing doesn't count)?--Captain ginyu 18:22, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Which part do you disagree with? I'm not sure that humans have ever hunted big game animals with knives. First of all, it's hard to get that close to an animal. It would have been much more effective for our ancestors to throw large stones and spears. There's a good description of ancient hunting techniques on the Hunting page. Pburka 18:35, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Mystery Songs

What is the "self preservation society" song off the origional Italien Job film called and what was the artist/band.

Also what is the song off the film "jonny english". it is the one off the part, if you know the film, when they are at the coronation and as jonny english is getting, kind of, arrested he uses a tv camera to tell Bough to play the DVD. Bough, at gunpoint, tells some tv technical guy to play the dvd, which is broacasted across the world to those watching the coronation, but it turns out to be the wrong dvd. instead of being the dvd about evil Sauvages plans it is the dvd of mr english singing to the song im talking about in his bugged flat. if its any help it was sung by a woman and it might be ABBA.

thank you--84.66.227.74 17:56, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

This is, in fact, covered in The Italian Job Wikipedia page. The song is called "Get A Bloomin' Move On!" and is written by Quincy Jones. Pburka 18:07, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

changing a title of an article

i have edited the text of the article, "kings highway conservative district" in wikipedia, but cannot find how to change the title of the article. i live in the district, and the actual neighborhood is called "kings highway conservation district." this needs to be edited. thanks for your help in advance. <email removed>

You can change the title of the article by clicking "move" at the top of the page, but you need to have an account and to be logged on to do that. David Sneek 19:20, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

song about a dog 1960s?

please can you help. This song is about a man who came home from war on the bus in a storm (or fog) to find his dog waiting for him to guide him home, when he got home his parents told him his dog had died while he was away.1960s or early 1970s? Thankyou.

Nembatol

Can an American Citizen, cross the border into Mexico at Juarez, find a local physician, and obtain, and fill a prescription of Nembatol, for consumption, in Mexico? With no plans to attempt to bring this controlled substance back across the border is this possible, and if so, where might I find a list of physicians in Juarez, Mexico?