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January 19

Stats question (header added)

Can someone tell me what firearm per capita rate is for the US, handgun per capita, and car(personal vehicle, including truck, SUV etc) per capita? Cite sources please. I looked over the US government websites, but couldn't find it. Thanks! MSTCrow 01:37, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

Star Wars

What is the generally accepted reason for the fact that no civilization in the Star Wars universe has discovered nuclear power, nuclear weapons, or any form of nuclear technology?

--24.29.92.197 01:45, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

Given that civilisations in that universe are capable of FTL travel, blowing up planets, and producing batteries with the capacitance of a power cell the size of the Moon, I'd say they've discovered nuclear technology and moved on. GeeJo _{(t) (c)} • 02:08, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

I Concur. TomStar81 03:17, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

I disagree. Despite their apparent high levels of technology, there isn't really anything on show that replaces nuclear technologies. Ships, for example, tend to engage at extraordinarily close ranges, and still MISS! - a nuclear missile armed space shuttle would stand a good chance against an Imperial Destroyer. It is more likely that the Star Wars universe simply uses different laws of physics, which prohibit nuclear weapons, whilst somehow allowing sound to travel in a vacuum.--Fangz 04:08, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

Perhaps Lucas doesn't believe in Nukes, and how would have anyone reacted to the use of nukes in the 1970's

I'm not familiar with the SW universe, but is it possible that all the technologically advanced races discovered an easy way to generate a field that suppresses fission and fusion reactions? If such a device became routine defensive armament, then no one would bother carrying nukes as an offensive weapon, because they'd so often be useless. JamesMLane 06:25, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

"Because it's fiction" is not a good enough reason? --Nelson Ricardo 07:10, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

Excellent point. It's one thing to debate these discrepancies in hard science fiction but another entirely to expect to find rational explanations for space opera. — Lomn Talk 13:46, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

It could be that Star Wars races never went in that direction; in War of the Worlds, the aliens never discovered the wheel, and they seemed to do alright (although I question how the striders work without any wheels of any kind, but that's off topic). smurrayinchester^{(User), (Talk)} 15:01, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

You just have to suspend disbelief and accept the Star Wars universe as is. The same is true in just about all science fiction. Since the trend in combat has been for combatants to be farther and farther away (at least in all out war, if not in low level conflicts), I would expect this trend to continue. An all out war today would be fought with nuclear weapons on ICBMs launched from around the world. In the future, perhaps combatants will be in adjacent solar systems, each hiding behind their respective stars to prevent their immediate destruction via particle weapons. They could launch periodic weapons ships from behind the star to detect and destroy any enemy ship not hidden behind that system's star. Also, alien races always have nearly identical military capabilities whenever they meet in science fiction. In reality, there would likely be millions of years of development difference between them. Why don't science fiction wars reflect any of this ? Because it would be boring to watch, of course. StuRat 23:19, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

Don't know if anyone will ever read this, but in addition to the above, note that a civilization would have to have either uranium or plutonium in significant amounts to even think of nuclear weapons and technologies. Both of these elements are rare (elements 90 and 92 on the periodic table). Captain Jackson 18:47, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

Good point. I suppose we could just assume those elements don't exist in usable quantities in the Star Wars universe. That might be easier than changing the rules of physics to make nuclear weapons impossible. StuRat 00:13, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

The American Flag

What does the stripes on the american flag represent? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.210.201.238 (talk • contribs)

The original 13 states. User:Zoe|^(talk) 03:03, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

Please read the Flag of the United States article to learn other things that might interest you. hydnjo talk 03:34, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

Abstract topic of discussion

GREEN IS BETTER THAN RED

Uh... Vegetarianism? Or perhaps it's an ellipse: GREEN IS BETTER (perceived by the human eye) THAN RED. Regardless, red sucks. ☢ Ҡieff⌇↯ 04:13, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

Uhh... homework. "Write an essay on an abstract topic of discussion. Choose one of the following..." --Anonymous, 5:00 UTC, January 19.

Yeah..think traffic signals! deeptrivia (talk) 05:08, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

This user likes traffic lights. A lot.

Take a picture folks; I don't use these too often unless I'm handing out awards... Cernen Xanthine Katrena 07:38, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

• It's that sort of ideology that ruined the left-wing coalition in Germany! --Mareino 16:00, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

The recent election has shown that green is not in fact better than red. --Optichan 15:24, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

Headline text

I am moving to Roanoke, VA. Is the bicycling good there? Are there bicycling trails?

I am disabled, and do not have a car, so I will be walking and bicycling mostly.

Thanks for your help.

Try Blue Ridge Bicycle Club and East Coast Cycling Links. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 12:39, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

Unilever

I know this is a bit silly, but to me, the logo for Unilever most frequently used on small products (about .5 mm across) looks quite a bit like a dental diagram (due to low resolution printing capabilities on product labels). Has anybody else noticed this? -Tim Rhymeless (Er...let's shimmy) 10:47, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

If they're only 0.5mm across I suspect nobody else has noticed this. What products did you have in mind? --Shantavira 15:54, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

You don't mean 5mm do you? .5 mm is about the size of this dot: . .smurrayinchester^{(User), (Talk)} 16:16, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

I did. Wasn't paying attention. -Tim Rhymeless (Er...let's shimmy) 20:53, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

Sanrio MMORPG

Sanrio has been talking about putting out their MMORPG for ages now; can anybody help me figure out whether it's a dead project and/or when it's going to be released? -Tim Rhymeless (Er...let's shimmy) 11:00, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

Sanrio is making an MMORPG? Since when did Hello Kitty earn that right? Cernen Xanthine Katrena 13:54, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

Looking forward to a Hello Kitty MMORPG? Well, unfortunately I've heard nothing about Sanrio making a MMORPG. --Optichan 16:26, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

Here's the project page. I've saw beta registration back in 2004, but haven't really heard anything further. -Tim Rhymeless (Er...let's shimmy) 21:09, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

Anybody? -Tim Rhymeless (Er...let's shimmy) 03:33, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

Cocks

Figured the title of this one would get some attention. I'm editing Wikipedia right now, and according to my clocks (I have more than 3 in my room, not including my two watches and iPod), the current time averages out to about...oh...0609hrs pacific standard time. The damn rooster next door has been crowing for three solid hours straight and it's really pissing me off. Why does a rooster feel the need to do this at the damn crack of dawn when dawn is easily several hours off? I've checked the Rooster article and there is no indication of why, aside from a predator warning call. Any ideas? Cernen Xanthine Katrena 14:04, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

See this. David Feldman has been researching this stuff for years. So hard not to make jokes.... Aghhh! CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 14:13, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

On a related note, how easy is it to toilet-train a rooster?

CBW - lemme help you. Perhaps I should inform the neigbor that her rooster is being a WP:DICK? Cernen Xanthine Katrena 21:20, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

As always, CambridgeBayWeather, you assist me in ways you cannot possibly imagine. And now, a question for the legal experts: what can I do to get him to stop? (Killing the cock is not an answer.) Cernen Xanthine Katrena 06:40, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

Hmmm, so you don't want me to tell you to choke the chicken. Have you tried discussing this with the cocks owners? CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 07:02, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

Everyone is always 'me, me, me'. Rather than killing the bird, or having a (potentially ugly) discussion with the owner, consider the rooster's rights. If the bird wants to crow, he should be able to. Respect the cock, and get some earplugs. ;) Proto t c 11:04, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

BJAODN'ed!

I'd like to thank the Academy...naah, just kidding. Thank you for your assistance, all of you; though the rooster still won't shut the hell up, at least now I know that I shouldn't shoot him for being himself. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 09:40, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

Attention span

How can I increase my attention span at work so I'm not checking email every 5 minutes and ping ponging between projects inefficiently?

If we knew that we wouldn't spend our days checking every five minutes if there's a new question on the reference desk we can answer. David Sneek 18:38, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

There are some ideas in the time management article. One popular approach is described in the book Getting Things Done. If you find the answer, please let me know! --Heron 18:47, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

At home I find it's best to take the hard drives out of the computer and hide them. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 00:20, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

Drugs. Namely, Methamphetamine, Methylphenidate, Amphetamine, and sometimes Caffeine help. Also, perhaps it might be worth getting a psych eval to find out if you have Attention Deficit Disorder or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder; both of these exist in juveniles and adults. Amphetamines and other Central Nervous System stimulants all increase focus in people with ADHD for some unknown reason. The drugs seem to have reverse effects on people with those disorders; stimulants actually calm them down. I am not a doctor, and will not give you medical advice, so don't go out to your local meth lab and find some guy to see you crystal meth, but it may be worth looking into the AD(H)D thing. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 00:39, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

As you can see, this is not the home of efficient people... --Zeizmic 01:57, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

Yes, we may be inefficient, but we have a very sexy encyclopedia that we can play with. ^_~ Cernen Xanthine Katrena 19:14, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

Dont Mess with Texas!

Where did the term originate? --TexasLonghorns2006 15:47, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

Presumably in Texas. --BluePlatypus 16:41, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

See Don't Mess with Texas. — BrianSmithson 16:58, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

The things we have articles on. :) DirkvdM 07:03, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

And people wonder why there are deletionists. If you think that's amazing, you should check out the List of The Price Is Right pricing games. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 19:10, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

Holy Cross track

Who's the fastest track member of College of Holy Cross? --TexasLonghorns2006 15:47, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

• Holy Cross is the name of multiple schools and colleges. Most notably the primary school in Northern Ireland. If you want any sort of useful answer, it would help if you told us where it's located. - Mgm|^(talk) 09:59, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

Worcester, Massachusetts! --FragileFrigateBird 15:19, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

Television Credits

Most television shows have opening credits at the beginning, usually accompanied by a theme song and pictures of the actors. Some shows have the name and picture of several actors, and then the very last credit shows both the name of the actor and the role he or she plays. What is up with that? Roman Soldier 16:06, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

Placement in the credits may be part of an actor's contract. Other than that, I'm not sure what you're asking. — Lomn Talk 16:35, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

Example:

The All-American Television Show

• Actor 1's name
• Actor 2's name
• Actor 3's name
• Actor 4's name
• Actor 5's name
• Actor 6's name
• Actor 7's name
• Actor 8's name as This Character

So why is Actor 8's character so important (ususually not the main character) that we need to know his or her role? Roman Soldier 16:46, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

Perhaps Actor 8 is being introduced, i.e. it's their first major work. Just a thought.

I imagine it ends up being one of two cases:

1. It's a big-name actor who may lack the screen time of other actors but adds recognition to the series (Martin Sheen on The West Wing is an example of this; his character's name isn't used but he's broken off the regular cast name progression as a special case)
2. It's a contractual sop to balance the ego/viewership of being the last name on the list. I would imagine lots of people go grab a snack when the credits hit, as they know a commercial break follows, so the last name in the list gets seen least. Making it stand out in any fashion might improve overall name recognition.

However, these are just guesses. I've got no idea as to specific references or actual rationales. — Lomn Talk 18:09, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

Star Trek: TNG used to do that with Whoopi Goldberg. They'd go so far as to remove her from even the main title credits, tacking her on to the end of the Guest Star listings (even though she was often listed as being in every episode when she didn't have any lines). Could also be that their character is the least important, and so they list it to remind them who it is. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 21:26, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

On Law and Order shows, the Assistant DA (who is an important character) is always shown this way in the credits.

O_o Not really; the only law and order shows that do that are Law and Order: Special Victims Unit and Law and Order: Criminal Intent. On Law and Order itself, it isn't done that way, probably because the ADAs are half of the show, whereas they are not featured nearly as much in the other two. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 19:07, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

This is interesting. Didn't CSI used to do that with Eric Szmada (before he became a field CSI)? And didn't they do this with Robert David Hall?

It's a good question. They do this with Rachel Griffiths on Six feet Under, too. I suspect it's partly an aesthetic thing - it leads the viewer into the show (okay, you've had the actors, but now remember they're characters!). It often seems to be a special features role, too - one of the main ones that you wold expect to be a bit further forward in the list. Grutness...wha? 05:50, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

PostSecret

Is there any way to read the older postsecret entries? The only ones available on the official website (postsecret.blogspot.com) are this week's, and the waybackmachine doesn't capture blogspot.

As a matter of fact, they have published a book. While this solution is ultimately not free, it does give you the opportunity to see the older postcards, as well as see a few that you haven't seen before. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 06:54, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

Dumb question

How do I get a password on the SNES version of Sparkster? I can see the password screen, but I don't know how to get the password so I keep having to start again. I got it from my cousin so I can't check the instructions. Vitriol 16:53, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

Have you tried [1]? Night Gyr 17:02, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

Yes, of course. Vitriol 17:05, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

Here are some: [2]. --jh51681 23:52, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

It's worth noting that the "Passwords" section on GameSpot is the same as the Cheat Codes and Secrets section on GameFAQs. Except I don't think you can submit stuff to GameFAQs from GameSpot. --Optichan 14:59, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

You can, as long as the code description isn't copied directly. One of the GameFAQs help pages says, "Do NOT copy codes or secrets from other online sites or offline sources. While the code or secret itself is not protected by copyright, the presentation of it is." (from [3]). --jh51681 00:14, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

No that's not what I meant. I meant submit it to GameFAQs directly from GameSpot without leaving the site. GameSpot's cheats, codes, walkthroughs, and whatnot are pulled directly from GameFAQs. They are owned by the same company. You can log into both sites with the same email address and password. What I was asking was whether or not you could make contributions to GameFAQs without leaving the GameSpot website. It appears that you can't, although you can post on the forums. --Optichan 16:17, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

Portable Piano

I recently saw a documentation about the pianist João Carlos Martins. In the documentation I see he uses a portable piano. I'm looking for a similar device too so I can practise if I'm not at home and in holidays. I've looked in the internet but all I can find are some rather unpractical keyboards ar very heavy stage pianos. What I am looking for should be portable, come with a protection case for transport, correct key dimensions and a good key action. Like the one I saw in the movie. If it also makes sound will probably not matter but would be nice to have (but only if it works with a rechargeable battery, because of transport). helohe (talk) 22:57, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

I once heavily research the digital portable pianos for my kids. The big money is all in the weighting and velocity response of the keys. Standard keyboards have a terrible response. I think it's something that you really have to try out. --Zeizmic 23:27, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

Can't exist, I'd say. A good action requires weight (you need the inertia). And 88 small weights make for one big weight. You can't knock too much off the number of keys. Halve them and what's left is hardly a piano anymore. On top of that you want a sturdy (yes?) case. That means either weight or a very high price. If you find the product that proves me wrong, I'd be very interrested to know. I also play the piano and travel. And encountering a piano while travelling is something rare. DirkvdM 07:19, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

It seems like the effect of weights can be mimicked in many ways, such as with springs and/or a compressible fluid. Another option might be to have some type of removable weights. Perhaps you could pour water into the piano, which would be delivered to the appropriate keys via channels, and then drained out after usage. StuRat 09:20, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

Neat solution, but a bit hard to do yourself. And you certainly wouldn't want water splashing around (it gets some heavy beating) in an electrical apparatus. Springs lack the effect of inertia of a weight; first, you get resistance, but then, once it's set in motion it continues while your finger moves elsewhere. The 'feel' is essentially different, facilitating fast playing. I never heard of the use of compressible fluids, but that would probably suffer the same problem. DirkvdM 07:56, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

I have found a quite good one: The Doepfer PK88 . But it is quite expensive Euro 749.00 . helohe (talk) 23:24, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

And pretty heavy at 20 kg. Almost as heavy as my Roland A90 at 27 kg (which is a beauty for piano players who want to go digital, by the way). I surely wouldn't want to travel with that on my back. It weighs more than the rest of my luggage put together. DirkvdM 10:23, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

Camino Del Rey / Kings Pathway Pictures

I'm searching for many good pictures of the pathway "Camino Del Rey" in spain. It would also be great if they could be put to Wikipedia:Commons if the author allows. I was not able to find much pictures in the internet. Also are there any similar paths like this? As it is quite spectacular.

Thanks. helohe (talk) 23:02, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

It might be worth reposting this question at Wikipedia:Requested pictures. I checked, but there's not spanish-language version of the page. You might get lucky though. GeeJo _{(t) (c)} • 09:27, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

Apparently you're not the only one to be inspired by it. A pair of Australian visitors were so impressed they made a game based on it, called Chasm. The backstory for the game includes some pics:

http://www.abc.net.au/gameon/chasm/more.htm

http://www.abc.net.au/gameon/chasm/morephotos.htm

StuRat 09:35, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

January 20

Cabinda Wood

I know that this is wood from Cabinda, Angola, but what is the real name of the tree and what is it commonly used for?

Could be African Blackwood (used for musical insruments like clarinets) or Camwood (African sandalwood, used to make a red dye). Cabinda apparently is known for a variety of woods. -- Rick Block (talk) 04:01, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

1906 Indian head penny

I have come across a 1906 Indian head penny that is silver on the heads side and copper on the one cent side. Please advise if you have any information. Thank You!~~!!~~

Take it to an appraiser. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 06:30, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

US pennies at that time were made of bronze. Probably someone electroplated one side of this one, or even painted it; something like that. I have no idea why. As to value, coin collectors like their coins as close to original condition as possible, so it probably has no premium value beyond the value of the metal itself. --Anonymous, 07:22 UTC, January 20.

Do you mean an Indian coin or a U.S.A. Coin with the head of a native american on it?

The general usage of 'Indian Head Penny' is the US coin featuring the Native American wearing a feather headdress thing on the obverse, and I think the words 'ONE CENT' on the reverse.

also the original question said "on the one cent side". India has never used cents. Grutness...wha? 04:02, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

I don't think they mean a coin from India, but rather a coin from the US. In 1906, US pennies had the face of a Native American (called an "Indian" in the US), on one side. StuRat 04:23, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

that's my point. If it's a one cent, it can't possibly be from India, so it is definitely a US 1906 one cent piece that's being talked about. Grutness...wha? 04:32, 21 January 2006 (UTC).

Golf ball markings

I have Nike golf balls marked with a very small "B41" twice, 180 degrees apart,,there is also a 4 character code marked on some of the balls,,Example "2220",,what do those 4 characters mean? Gary Day Rocklin California

Presidential Wiretapping

Why are people so concerned about wiretapping. If you have nothing to hide, you shouldn't worry about it.

• See privacy and Nineteen Eighty-Four and Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution and so forth. --Fastfission 04:55, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

• See secret police. And think very deeply about whether you truly have "nothing to hide". Ever said nasty things about your boss over the phone? Called your mistress on it? Neither of those things are illegal, but both would be very handy blackmail material. If you don't have "something to hide", either you've got tenure at Berkeley or you're lying. --Robert Merkel 06:03, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

• Another aspect of wiretapping is that the info the President acquires can give him a level of power dangerous in a democracy. For example, if he knows the strategy of the opposing political party beforehand, he can almost guarantee winning every election. Then, if you add the ability to blackmail his political opponents based on what was learned, he can basically abolish democracy and rule as emperor. StuRat 06:23, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

Ah, but that works both ways, doesn't it? And when people start to find out all sorts of things about each other they'll get bored by yet another 'revelation' and stop caring. We'll simply get used to it and taboos will disappear. When it comes out that everyone breaks a certain taboo it's hardly a taboo anymore is it? This does require that everyone is 'watched' equally, and there is a potential problem there. But you get selective phone tapping and such only when it can only be done to a limited extent. So break the taboo on 'espionage' and the problem will go away because it's a problem that perpetuates itself. (I know this idea is controversial, but that only makes is more attractive to me :) ). DirkvdM 07:31, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

• I don't see people ever getting bored with other's sexual antics. There will be plenty of variety, too. Some will be guilty of a simple foot fetish, while others will be adulterous, homosexual, into S&M, etc. Then there would be the illegal activities. If everyone who ever did drugs, went to a prostitute, had sex with an underage partner, etc. was imprisoned, the prisons would overflow. Perhaps in the long run this would force us to have more reasonable laws, but a short term crisis would still be the result. StuRat 09:04, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

Ah, but life is one long successio of short term crises isn't it? And about the long run, do guys drool over naked breasts in a society where women walk around bare-breasted all the time? DirkvdM 19:36, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

• Perhaps you should read about J. Edgar Hoover. Did he ever use his authority for personal power? Did 'innocent' people have nothing to fear from him? How would you stop that from happening again? --BluePlatypus 11:42, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

• Yes, but since J. Edgar Hoover was a transvestite, all you would need would be a pic of him in some fish-net stockings, and you would have nothing to fear blackmailwise. StuRat 11:55, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

• If that had been the case, then he would never have acquired the power he did - the press, the Mafia etc knew about his quirks, but he kept that kind of thing ruthlessly supressed, and noone in the media dared reveal anything. Proto t c 14:12, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

Actually the article on Hoover cites Mafia sources saying there never were any such pictures. And it doesn't really sound that probable to me since it smacks of the incorrect stereotype that homosexuals are transvestites and vice-versa. --BluePlatypus 14:21, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

I only said tranvestite, not homosexual. But, in any case, there are some who are both, so he might have been one of those. StuRat 16:58, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

I didn't mean to imply that you said that either. What I meant was that there were reasons to suspect the man was a homosexual, but that there weren't any reasons to assume he was a transvestite other than by assuming he was gay, and that all gays are transvestites. --BluePlatypus 18:37, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

• "If you have nothing to hide, you shouldn't worry about it." What a perfectly succint way of saying "Only criminals would ever need even a semblance of privacy". JIP | Talk 15:01, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

If you have nothing to hide, should you be upset by hidden video cameras in fitting-rooms at the clothing stores? Of course you should, because your nudity is something you have a reasonable right to expect control over. Likewise, you should reasonably expect to control the privacy of your personal communication unless probable cause to suspect you're up to something exists, and in that case an impartial third-party needs to authorize the spying. You might think that your naked body is much more private than your personal correspondence, but that's up to you. It should be up to me if I consider the privacy of my personal correspondence much more valuable than the mere view of my naked body. Telling people they have nothing to hide and therefore should not care is like telling an attractive woman that since she's so good-looking, she shouldn't care if anonymous observers are watching her undress without her knowledge or permission. -- Mitchell k dwyer 17:08, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

Despite Godwin's Law, may I ask you wether Jews had anything to hide before there country was invaded by Germany? -guety is talking english bad 02:01, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

Just to refresh my memory, which nation was that of the Jews when it was invaded by Germany? Would that be Germany by any chance? User:AlMac|^(talk) 04:51, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

Judging by the number of Jews living there that might also have been the Netherlands. DirkvdM 07:58, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

Do you really have nothing to hide? Fancy posting your home address here? how about your credit card number? bank account details? Social security number? Sexual preferences? Medical records? Having things to hide doesn't necessarily mean you're some kind of evil commie-.. err..terrorist. It just means there are some pieces of information which you wish to control access to. Noodhoog 15:05, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

The point is what if everyone would (have to) do that? Then society would adapt itself to the new situation. For one, that stupid credit card system would disappear. :) By the way, indeed, now that the 'commies' are no longer perceived as a threat, they had to find another enemy, so thank God for '11-9-2001'. :) DirkvdM 08:10, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

• The important thing about the wiretapping debate is not that the President/FBI was ordering wiretaps, but that he was doing it without a warrant, even though US law currently allows the executive to obtain a warrant up to 72 hours after wiretapping someone. Think about that. They wiretap the conversation, conclude that it's not useful to a criminal investigation, and keep the tape rather than destroying it! --Mareino 16:07, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

2lp backed with 'wrong' side

Why is it that some double lp's (especially from the US I believe) have sides 1 and 4 on one lp and sides 2 and 3 on the other? 1/2 and 3/4 would be a logical prigression and 1/3 and 2/4 would make sense if one wanted to have a continuous play with two players. But 1/4 and 2/3? DirkvdM 08:15, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

A lot of those double LPs you're talking about are lengthy classical pieces split into four sides. If you stack the two records, you can play side 1, and when the needle arm swings back at the conclusion of the side, the second LP would drop to the turntable (side 2). It does make more sense to have 1/3 and 2/4, because then you could just flip the stack over and then listen to 3 and 4 in that order, but I think the primary concern was just to make sure 1 and 2 were on separate records, and 3 and 4 were also on separate records. --08:58, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

Uh, you haven't used a turntable with a stack player lately, right? 1/4 and 2/3 is exactly what you want if the idea is to flip over the stack of two LPs, and that is why it was done. On the other hand, if they assumed that nobody would be stacking their LPs, then they'd pair the sides as 1/2 and 3/4. --Anonymous, 23:00 UTC, January 20.

Oops. You're aboslutely right. It actually has been a long time since I did a classical show on college radio, and I wasn't envisioning the flip properly. Thanks. --Mitchell k dwyer 04:27, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

Unless the idea would be to play it all in one go, with two players, which would require 1/3 and 2/4. By the way, I've never used a stack player and don't really know how it works. The phonograph article doesn't mention it either, so maybe you could edit in your wisdom there. DirkvdM 08:02, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

It's a very finished-looking article that seems to have been well researched and is written in excessively posh language. I ain't touchin' it to add sumthin' just based on my recollections.

With the stack player my parents had, instead of a short center post to put the records on, there was one about 4 inches high, with a pair of little prongs sticking out (like thorns, angled upwards) about an inch down. There was also a holder arm, (shaped like a backward ? with the curved part relatively small), mounted on a second vertical post to one side of the record. In its normal position its curve was hooked around the center post without touching it, but it was free to be lifted upward on the post, and in its highest position you could pivot it around the post and swing it to one side, clear of the area above the actual turntable.

To load the player, you first lifted the holder arm and swung it to the side. Then you put one or more records on the center post and let them slide down as far as the prongs. Since they were suspended in the air by their centers, they would now tend to tilt, but now you would swing the holder arm back in and lower it onto them, letting it lie on the top of the top record in the stack.

When you pressed the start control (or when the end of a record was reached and the tone arm had returned automatically to its start position), the prongs would retract for a moment and allow one record to drop to the turntable. I think there was a second pair of prongs that protruded at a slightly higher level during this process to keep more than one record from dropping, or something like that. Once the record dropped, then the tone arm would move back in and start playing it. When the last record dropped, the holder arm would finish in a position below the prongs and this would trigger a sensor that kept the mechanism from trying to start another record. Then when the record finished and the tone arm returned to its start position, the turntable would just switch itself off instead.

If you used the stacker, you had to use it even to play a single record. You also had the option of not using it, if it wouldn't work with your record (I think it wouldn't work with 78 RPM records because they were too thick, although we never had any 78's) or if you were afraid of it getting scratched. In that case you would lift out the center post and insert a short one without the mechanism. I think if you then used the normal start control it would detect that no record was stacked and would stop instead, so you had to move the tone arm onto the record by hand.

--Anonymous, writing entirely from memory, 18:25 UTC, January 21, 2006.

Wicca

Hey there On the covers of the series 'Wicca' who plays Morgan Rowlands and the other people like Cal? Thanks Seeing as there are diff versions, here is an example of one:

http://www.girl.com.au/img/wicca_eclipse12.jpg

thanks!

Nice Wiccapedians! --DLL 21:07, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

Florida buses in the Netherlands

I recently saw an old Florida schoolbus drive in Maastricht (the Netherlands). You know, the ones that look like they'd tip over backwards if too many people would sit in the back (I bet lots of US schoolkids have tried this :) ). How does a bus like that end up across the ocean? I've also seen old English doubledeckers, but it's rather a shorter distance across the channel. When in the US, I thought about sending the car I had bought there home by ship, but that turned out way too expensive (can't remember the price now). So wouldn't this be very uneconomical? Or would people spend a lot of money to own an 'oddity' like this? Ironically, in Cuba I saw Dutch buses. It turns out the Netherlands donated 1500 buses to Cuba. Speak of inefficiency. Florida buses get sent to the Netherlands and Dutch buses get sent to Cuba, which is just a raft's hop away from Florida (ok, that's a sick joke :) ). DirkvdM 15:13, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

I don't have an answer for you, but I just wanted to add that an American schoolbus somehow ended up in Cameroon, too. It was used to transport paying customers from Yaoundé to Bertoua. It even had the retractable stop signs on the sides! Very odd indeed where these decommissioned buses end up. — BrianSmithson 15:32, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

There was an item on the news this week about a New York City man whose brand new Corvette had been stolen in {mumble} 1968 or so, and had never been recovered, until customs people just recently discovered it in a shipping container on its way to Sweden. Nobody has any idea where it's been all these years, it was apparently never registered or insured, or the VIN would have given away its stolen status (as the VIN was used to determine who it belonged to). User:Zoe|^(talk) 17:23, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

It is quite common for buses to be imported, especially by third world countries, when their city of origin wants to upgrade their fleet and sell off their surplus. You can find old London buses in India, and old Hong Kong buses in London. --Shantavira 19:00, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

Hmm, does that make England a third world country by Hong Kong standards? :) DirkvdM 08:05, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

In 1988, I was hitch-hiking in Austria. I got a lift in an early-1970s vintage American road-boat station wagon with a "British Columbia Automobile Association" sticker on the bumper. The Goth drivers were playing loud Goth music, so I was not able to ask them how they came by the car. Ground Zero | t 20:16, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

I also saw a yellow American school bus in Prague, being used as a charter, I think. -- Mwalcoff 04:17, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

abc/xyz analysis

i need an information on the abc/xyz analysis (conected with paretto law) urgently as i am a student and having a project where this analysing method has to be implemented (logistics; retail business; analysing turnover on the individual articles in sales/warehousing;...). any information or suggestion is valuable e-mail: removed please contact or send information asap. thx

Here's a discussion that might be helpful to you, because they spell it the same way you do, here on Wikipedia however, it is spelled Pareto efficiency. User:AlMac|^(talk) 04:55, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

America, as depicted on TV

How different is America from its depiction on TV series? I know that most TV shows depicting America are actually made there, but how it is glamourised/stereotyped/etc? A lot of shows seem to exaggerate the country they're set in (Kath and Kim, 'Allo 'Allo, All Aussie Adventures, etc).

Well, of course they make everything more interesting on TV. Violence especially is exaggerated and people don't all look like models in reality. Also, they tend to televise the rich far more than the poor or middle class. StuRat 16:38, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

A related point is that such professions as doctor and lawyer are overrepresented in television programming. JamesMLane 02:47, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

There are more people of color in the United States than on TV, and average people don't live in beachfront property or highrise penthouses. User:Zoe|^(talk) 17:24, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

Perhaps more hispanics, orientals, native Americans, and Arabs. Blacks, on the other hand, may very well be over-represented with such current and recent shows (in syndication) as Eve, Girlfriends, Moesha, The Parkers, The Jamie Fox Show, The Steve Harvey Show, Martin, Living Single, My Wife and Kids, One on One, All of Us, Half & Half, Everybody Hates Chris, Love Inc., Cuts, Soul Train, The Fresh Prince of Belaire, etc.

However, as these shows are aimed at the domestic US black audience, few of them may be shown in other countries. StuRat 17:40, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

I was tormented by French-language Family Matters reruns in Cameroon, so don't bet on it. As for how Americans differ from the stereotypes, people in Cameroon often thought that Western women were easy due to the high sexual content of a lot of European and American TV and movies. They also wondered if Americans really all carry guns, which is, of course, not true. On another stereotype, many Cameroonians assume that all East Asians know karate. — BrianSmithson 18:10, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

If we go back to the 1970s and 1980s, we can also include Good Times, What's Happenin', What's Happenin' Now, Fat Albert, Gimme a Break (half black), The Jeffersons, Cosby, The Bill Cosby Show, A Different World, In Living Color, etc. StuRat 18:53, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

I'm up in Canada, but I've gone lots of times in the States, and know lots of people. Life for most people in any country is pretty humdrum, and nobody wants to see that on TV! You'd be better off reading some articles from the Economist, or use general statistics. --Zeizmic 18:12, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

• In any country, it'll be fairly accurate for the marginal things which make for good TV. But it will never tell you the representative story of what average daily life for the average citizen is like. Because "everyone" already knows what that's like. It doesn't make good TV. It's taken for granted. So the closest you'll get to that is when they parody it. --BluePlatypus 19:04, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

Well, there's always reality television and talk shows. Some of those are more "reality" than others, though. If Oprah Winfrey does a show on some family whose daughter was abducted, it's likely the family will be pretty normal (if likely white, upper-middle class). If Jerry Springer does a show on a 70-year-old stripper who's dating a man with Down's syndrome, that's further from the norm. — BrianSmithson 19:46, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

Life everywhere is basically very similar, as far as I can tell. The avarage American, European, Israeli, Arab, orAsian all have very similar lives , and similar houses etc. There are often details on how things are arranged, and in some places trains are faster than planes (or vice versa), or people have more cars or less cars, more bikes or less. Homes can be single room appartments (New York) to wide stretching single floor homes with a swimming pool in the garden (melbourne, brisbane), to being set up on a mountainside with a view out to sea (parts of new zealand). If you watch films and movies, they depict all kinds of exciting things going on in what are ordinary humdrum, familiar environments.

It's rather more exciting to see godzilla or king kong trash that shopping center around the corner than it is to see them do their thing someplace you have never heard of. :-)

Things you can learn about cultures from movies are often things that go on in the background, or are incidental to the story. Like what people are eating or drinking, their manners during quiet parts of the movie, the layout of homes and buildings, what the roads look like, where people go to worship, or perhaps what they do to relax (though don't look at the main character, look at the extras. :-P)

Kim Bruning 20:07, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

I'm always amused at how, in US movies, there's always an available car space on the street right outside some major hotel, or corporate building, or court house (yeah, right..). The hero just drives right up and parks there, with no competition and no hassles. In the real world, parking outside the building would probably not be allowed at all. They'd have to look for a carpark, find one that wasn't full, drive around various levels for a while until they found a free bay, then walk to their destination. I know the movie hasn't got time to go through all that just for the sake of realism, but it's another example of how the truth of everyday life is not presented. See this sort of thing often enough, and the impression that gets ingrained is of relatively traffic-free and hassle-free American cities, when the truth is exactly the opposite. JackofOz 21:06, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

• Actually, most American buildings have free parking. It's only in downtowns of big cities -- or around malls on busy shopping days -- where you might actually have to look for a parking space. No one would consider opening a store or restaurant in the U.S. outside of a major downtown unless it had adequate parking. Can't expect people to walk more than a few feet, you know. -- Mwalcoff 04:15, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

It's also interesting how a car chase and shooting spree always happens yet never seems to attract any police attention. StuRat 04:18, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

When there is a car chase, involving the police, they are often depicted as buffoons who don't know how to drive without crashing into lots of other cars and each other. Unrealistic there. Most any profession you are in, hollywood representation is more fantasy than reality.

Mmm-hmm. Apparantly in America every scientist is a polymath, and every linguist a savant polyglot. GeeJo _{(t) (c)} • 13:09, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

Statistically, America is paved over with houses of worship. Unbelievers are a tiny fraction of the population, but if you believe the news media, religious people are some kind of fanatical fringe movement. User:AlMac|^(talk) 05:00, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

American film and particularly television disproportionately depicts life in the coastal urban centres, particularly Los Angeles and New York, because that's where most of the TV studios are based and where the entertainment industries are run out of. LA and NY represent only a part of the United States - and amongst the wealthiest, most urbanised (or at least suburbanised), most multicultural, and most secular part. How often do you see TV dramas set in Salt Lake City, Atlanta, Georgia, Detroit, Michigan, and so on? Furthermore, American television and film usually centre around upper middle class people - America is a wealthy country, but not that wealthy! --Robert Merkel 05:19, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

Being from Detroit, I can name a few things set there. There's the Tim Allen sitcom Home Improvement, the Martin Lawrence sitcom Martin, the Beverly Hills Cop movies start in Detroit then move to Beverly Hills (they even used our former police chief, Gil Hill), the movie Eight Mile was set in Detoit, too, as Eight Mile Road is the northern boundary of Detroit. There are others, but those are the main ones that come to mind. Most are not filmed here, however, except for possibly a few shots near local landmarks. StuRat 18:45, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

If a movie is set in a minor American city, it's probably filmed in Toronto! --Zeizmic 14:28, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

Every American television show set in New York City shows all its characters living in apartments far larger than they could ever possibly afford in real life. --Aaron 02:21, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

I saw this on a rerun episode of Law and Order:Special Victims Unit last night. A woman who had been raped wasn't able to deal with the rape and had quit her job (as a waitress) and moved out of her apartment. The police tracked her down to try to ID a suspect in the rape, and she was now living in a huge, expensive-looking apartment that she apparently had no job to pay for. User:Zoe|^(talk) 20:40, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

Yea, Friends was one of the worst this way. Their apartments were in a very expensive part of town and no out-of-work actor, waitress, masseuse, etc., could afford them, even with roommates. Toward the end of the show, when Monica was a head chef, Rachel was a fashion buyer, Chandler was a Data Procesing Manager, Joey was a successful actor, and Ross was a professor/archeologist/paleontologist, they might have been able to pay rent. Phoebe, on the other hand, never could make rent (unless she was rubbing parts of men she wasn't supposed to rub, for extra tips). StuRat 19:08, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

Judgment funds account

When US companies are fined by court action, where is the money put in the budget or organization such as Federal Reserve general fund. Thank you. Btfsplk 16:23, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

??? (no answer yesterday) Should be the budget. Do you imply that there could be money leaks between Bud and Fed ? --DLL 21:03, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

Miscellaneous

Hi,

Do you know which word describes a person who was born and died on the same day?

Many Thanks Helen:-)

This question should be posted under the Language section. But, how about ephemeral ? (I asssume you mean they died the actual day they were born, not on their birthday some years later.):

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=ephemeral&r=66

StuRat 17:43, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

I assume the poster was referring to people who are born and have died on the same day of the year. In that case, there's not a specific term in English, but we have a list of people who'd fall into that category at List of people who died on their birthdays. GeeJo _{(t) (c)} •  17:46, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

Oh dear me, my tummy hurts. First there was the List of U.S. Presidents by height order and now this. To be complete, that list would include one in every 365 people who ever died. Even if you limit it to well known people it would be humongous. Who on Earth could be interrested in this? Or bother to compile such a list? JackofOz, what's up with this, mate? I suppose there's little else to do in the outback. :) DirkvdM 18:41, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

Ah, but it can't be one in 365 people who die, because there's both the day that they die on and the day they were born to consider. I read a similar thing once, with the statistics of a classful of little kids charting their birthadys (in Muse magazine, maybe you can find it). The problem is that once a day has been used, it's still available. Just because someone is born on a day doesn't mean that noone else can be born on that day.

Uh, wrong. That's the Birthday Paradox, which answers "How many people do you need for it to be more likely than not that two share a birthday?". That is not the same question as "What is the probability that someone shares my birthday?" which is essentially the same as "What is the probability of someone sharing his birthday with his date of death?", the question relevant here. --BluePlatypus 21:12, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

I agree with DirkvdM and BluePlatypus. One in 365 is the correct ratio, if we ignore the complication of leap years and if we assume that a person's chance of dying on a particular day is independent of that person's birthday. If people are more likely to have heart attacks after riotous birthday parties, then the proportion of birthday diers could be higher than one in 365. JamesMLane 02:37, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

Agreed, with a slight alteration to account for leap day. Those born on Feb 29 will be about 1/4 as likely to die on their birthday as others. Of course, the chances that any one person will have been born on any given non-leap day (say March 1) and also have died on that given day would be 365^2. StuRat 03:55, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

There are the still born as in babies who are born dead, but that is two words. User:AlMac|^(talk) 05:03, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

Actually Stillborn is one word. GeeJo _{(t) (c)} • 13:02, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

To DirkvdM particularly:

• I guess you singled me out because I've made a few edits and improvements to the List of people who died on their birthdays. I certainly can't claim credit for starting it, though. Anonymous user 130.37.24.11 did that, back in September 2003. I didn't come upon it till quite late in the piece, in 2005.
• Clearly a number of people are interested in this list. That in itself is a good reason to have it. I've maintained my own list of such names for years, which is why I was able to update it with such apparent ease. If you don't find much use for it, live and let live and go and find something that does interest you. Wikipedia has enough for everybody.
• I agree with those who say the probability of a person dying on their birthday is not 1/365 but 1/365 squared. Or more accurately, it's 1/365.2425 squared or 1/133,402.08. (I'd be happy to justify that number separately, for those who are interested.) This explains why the list is as short as it is. Its size is completely predictable by the mathematics.

• I disagree. There are 43 people in the list, with 3 others listed as "maybes". If this was 1/(365^2) of the total number of famous people, that would give us almost 6 million famous people. If we use the correct 1/365, we get almost 16 thousand famous people. When we consider that many famous people from antiquity had unknown birthdates (and a few had unknown death dates), we can probably only do this check on half the famous people. And, beyond that, many people are just missing from the list. So, that might make the 16 thousand famous people far more, when those factors are accounted for. StuRat 15:20, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

• OK, let's settle this. We're not talking about all the people who have ever died. We're talking about a much smaller subset of people, but the principles should still apply. Can anybody come up with:

the number of biographies we have on Wikipedia

of them, the number of dead people

of them, the number of people whose exact birth and death dates are known.

• Comparing that last statistic with the 43-odd on the list would be very informative. It should either be roughly in the order of magnitude of 1/365, or roughly in the order of magnitude of 1/365 squared. If it's significantly different from either, then there's something wrong somewhere. I would have thought we had a lot, lot more than 16,000 biographies of dead people whose exact dates are known. But I agree it's way short of 6 million. JackofOz 21:10, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

• While nobody claims the list is complete, I would challenge anybody to come up with a very well-known name that's missing.
• Australia is one of the most culturally diverse nations on earth. I'm sure there's plenty to do in the outback, otherwise why would people bother to live there. But I don't know much about it (maybe I should check out the Wikipedia article on it). I happen to live a thousand miles away, in Melbourne, a wonderful home to over 3 million people, and twice independently rated as "the world's most liveable city". All stereotypes suck, and the less said about their perpetuators, the better. JackofOz 05:53, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

Nah, the outback isn't as much as 1.609344 km from Melbourne. Hell, even Waga Waga is less than 500 km away, and that sounds outback enough to me. :)

Get it right, Dirk. (a) It's Wagga Wagga. (b) 1.6 km is a lot, lot shorter than 500 km, so your maths is crap today. You probably meant 1.6 thousand km. (c) What "sounds like" the outback to some guy in Amsterdam is not exactly the criterion Australians use. Maybe I'll start saying that the Netherlands has a windmill and a dyke on every street corner, and all Dutch people wear clogs. (d) I lived in Wagga for a while (the locals refer to it by one name), and I can assure you nobody there thinks it's in the outback. You'd need to go a lot further inland. I meant what I said when I said Melbourne was 1000 miles from the outback.  :) JackofOz 21:10, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

(a) Oops (b) Oops again (forgot to shift the decimal point) (c) Note the smiley :) I have been to the Land of Aus, though. Also, a dike in every street (not just the corner) is not too far from the truth in Amsterdam - most of the Netherlands (the dry bits) is diked in (because they're lower than the wet bits). (d) If, after going from Melbourne to Wagga, you continue in a straight line, you end up in Bundaberg, which is worse than the outback (I know, I've been there). But where is the Outback anyway? The article is pretty vague (with the excuse that the term itself is vague - fair enough). And my atlas doesn't give me the location of the black stump. For example, would you say there is any outback at all in NSW?

Greetings from the Nether-nether-lands. :) DirkvdM 11:01, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

(c) I did notice the smiley, but I was just having a bit of fun (did you notice my return smiley?) (d) I agree the article on the outback needs some work. But it's a bit like trying to define where is the "heartland of America", or "back of Bourke" - or indeed, the "black stump". There is no definite boundary. I would say that large parts of NSW are in the outback, but don't pin me down to any particular places. I really don't get what this straight line thing is about. I never said Melbourne was 1000 miles from the outback in a straight line that passes through Wagga, all I said is that it was 1000 miles from the outback. You first raised Wagga, not me. One final question - if you don't know where the outback begins and ends, then presumably you don't claim to have been there, so how do you know that Bundaberg is worse than the outback? What's your basis of comparison? And worse in what sense?  :) :) :) JackofOz 22:40, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

Quite simply nothing can be worse than Bundaberg. I might have said Los Angeles, but it seems LA has a nice bit along the coast. However, as in Bundy, I hightailed it out of there after just one night. Since Bundaberg feeds off destitute backpackers, sucking them dry with hard labour for a few pennies and I'm a backpacker, you can imagine I didn't quite like the place. I wasn't destitute, so I could escape, but the one night at the backpacker's was quite enough. When I told the guy at the desk it was the worst place I'd ever stayed, he said that I was the wort customer he'd ever had with such an uninterested face that it was obvious this was a standard answer and he was beyind caring. DirkvdM 08:35, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

Good story. I hope you've recovered. Cheers JackofOz 08:56, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

No-one said the chances of dying on your birthday were 365^2 (if we ignore leap years). Anon suggested as much but didn't say it. And StuRat said the chances of being born and dying on the same day are 365^2. However, in the phrase 'dying on your birthday', the birthday is already given. It's a matter of what info you already have. What are the chances that my brother was born on 1 March? To you that's 1/365. To me, however, it's 1, because I know my brother's birthday. And if you ask what the chances are that someone is born on their birthday, that birthday is already given (even when they're not born yet, because by saying 'birthday' you assume that to be given).

It's incredible how many people get this sort of wrong. And it cuts through national boundaries. But also through cultural boundaries? Are people bad at this by nature or is it a matter of upbringing? Are our educational systems so deficient? Do, say, Indians suffer from this too? Either way, something should be done about this. This specific example is pretty trivial, but people often make mistakes when it comes to making assessments of something. Which is probably at the heart of this. Details like leap years (in this example) matter to some extent, but assessing the magnitude of the outcome of a calculation is in real life waaay more important than getting it exactly right. Even in, say, rocket science. There, you need to get things exactly right, but you also need to have made an assessment first to detect a 'slight' error like getting the power of an equation wrong (which looks like a little number in the equation but can have dramatic consequences for the outcome). How can we improve our educational systems to avert this problem? This is really really important. I don't remember getting any education in this respect (I had to teach myself). Mathematics at school only deals with exact calculations, not the much more important issue of getting things roughly right in a quick assessment. Sorry about this rant, but, like I said, I consider this to be really important. How can democracy work properly if voters don't realise that, say, terrorism is a relative triviality in the grand scheme of things? (Then again, that is also a matter of geting fed the right basic data.) DirkvdM 08:59, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

This just in. In the Netherlands last year there was the issue that pabo students (future teachers) are bad at calculating. In today's NRC (science section) there is an article that says the government concluded that mathematics should be obligatory for pabo students. However, when experts were asked, they said mathematics and ordinary calculating are two completely different things and wondered if those politicains knew what they were talking about (considering the fact that about 90% of them have studied law and economics and such that is a very legit question). DirkvdM 12:49, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

Agreed. In the US, they now seem to be teaching estimating as a way to check the rough magnitude of your answer. For example, if prices increase by 10% each year relative to the previous year, for 3 years straight, you would expect the increase to be somewhere near 30%. It's actually (1.1)^3 or 1.331 or 33.1%, but 30% at least gives you the rough answer. StuRat 15:10, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

• I can't determine from the above who said it, but it's certainly not 1/365^2. The probability someone died on their birthday is 1/365. The probability someone both was born and died on a given date is 1/365^2. Choose a date, choose a random person. The probability that person was born on that date is 1/365. Does everyone follow? Ok, now the probability that person also died on that date is 1/365, so the total probaility is 1/365^2. The probability someone died on their birthday is still 1/365, because the first step isn't there. The 'given date' is the person's birthday, so that probability is 1. If someone still doesn't believe this, it's the same thing as rolling a die. You have a 1/36 chance of rolling a given number (say, 4) twice in a row, but you have a 1/6 chance of rolling any number twice in a row, since only the second roll is important. --BluePlatypus 21:55, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

It's astonishing that such a trivially simple question has given rise to such an amount of discussion. Suffice to say that, ignoring the slight complication of leap years, the latest post from BluePlatypus is spot on - anyone who doesn't have enough maths to see this really should shy away from this kind of question altogether. There is plenty of non-mathematical stuff on Wikipedia to keep everyone happy. Maid Marion 16:35, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

Agreed. StuRat 18:37, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

Title of a piece by Beethoven

Greetings,

I would appreciate if someone could give me the title of a famous piece by Ludwig van Beethoven featured in the Civilization IV video game.

I thank whoever may be of assistance,

Grumpy Troll ^(talk) 18:10, 20 January 2006 (UTC).

Symphony 6 ('Pastoral symphony'), first movement - Awakening of Cheerful Feelings upon Arrival in the Country. Taiq 18:15, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

Thank you very much — I am new to classical music … Grumpy Troll ^(talk) 18:19, 20 January 2006 (UTC).

• What software do I have to have to play an *.ogg file? alteripse 04:03, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

See the article Vorbis which lists software able to play Ogg Vorbis files. --Canley 05:00, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

Or even better, Wikipedia:Media help (Ogg). —Keenan Pepper 05:04, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

I recommend VLC Media Player, for a multiplatform lightweight option. Taiq

Winamp, Audion, XMMS. (For Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and X Windows for Linux, respectively.) Cernen Xanthine Katrena 19:03, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

• I prefer using Foobar2000. - Mgm|^(talk) 20:15, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

• Already upgraded to Foobar2006. Did you not ? Beethoven was so dumb that all his life he believed he was a painter. Cavanna. --DLL 20:54, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

Playboy

Is it legal in the United States for minors to read or "read" Playboy or similar material? (ie not harder porn). (read but not buy, like if a parent subscribes and you find it or something). What about going to the website or subscribing to the free e-mail newsletter? Hypothetical questions. Thanks in advance. Interrogus 20:01, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

I imagine it would be perfectly legal to just "read" it. Your parents might not be too pleased if they found out, though. --Optichan 20:12, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

I wasn't sure because I thought I had read that it is illegal for minors to see more explicit porn. Interrogus 20:24, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

I doubt it. However, it may be illegal to show minors porn. Since that could be regarded as sexual harassment, child abuse, etc. --BluePlatypus 21:07, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

For that last one, see disseminating pornography to a minor. Yeltensic42.618 don't panic 00:41, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

Read? Can you read a playboy? Well, I'll be damned, indeed, there is some writing in between the pics. Thanks for the tip! DirkvdM 09:03, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

Oh dear, you guys completely missed my Freudian slip.  :)

I see that Interrogus typed "read", rather than read. Yeltensic42.618 don't panic 17:22, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

Now is that really a hypothetical question? I think not. Yeltensic42.618 don't panic 17:23, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

Yes, read, DirkdvM. Last time I checked, Playboy had articles, containing words, which can be read. It also has pictures. JackofOz 20:34, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, we already knew about the pics. It's the words that can be read that are a new discovery. I wonder how many people read the articles? Yeltensic42.618 don't panic 21:41, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

I've always just read Playbody for the articles. --Zeizmic 21:41, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

So you mean to say that when you stumble upon any of the pics while reading, you completely ignore it? Yeltensic42.618 don't panic 21:43, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

That seems to be your spin on Zeizmic's comment. But Zeizmic can speak for him/her-self. JackofOz 21:55, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

Oh dear, you guys completely missed my Freudian slip.  :) --Zeizmic 22:47, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

Oh yeah, there it is. How did I miss that? Yeltensic42.618 don't panic 02:16, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

The penny just dropped Zeizmic. Took me a while. The eye sees what it thinks is there. But what about the one above? You hadn't joined the discussion at that stage. Now I really am mystified. JackofOz 04:41, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

I think the first one refers to the lack of a capital "P" in DirkvdM's comment. Thus playboy as a person being read as opposed to Playboy as a magazine. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 06:17, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

Since I can't follow any of the above anymore let me point out the little bit of trivia that the Dutch word 'plee', which means 'toilet', is pronounced the same as 'play' in English, so 'playboy' sounds something like 'toiletguy'. DirkvdM 11:10, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

Dirk's comment didn't sound to me like he meant a "playboy" as in a person, but he can speak for himself. Yeltensic42.618 don't panic 21:21, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

Odd phone number, recorded message

My mum got one digit in my phone number wrong, and dialled 07846 141174 (this is in the UK, incidentally). She got through to a recorded message which repeats "This is the 3 Network in Hemel One." It's probably nothing whatsoever, or merely something to do with 3 (telecommunications) but it just seems rather odd and I'm the curious type. Any ideas? --Sum0 22:26, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

I'm guessing it'd be an unallocated 3 (telecommunications) number which they'd reserved for some area #1 they'd defined in Hemel Hempstead. --BluePlatypus 22:51, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

January 21

Help

I was unable to edit the Wikipedia help desk because of some Spam Filter notice. I am not allerting you of this. I tried to contact the meta wikimedia people but when i tried, it did the same thing. Please help. 5aret 00:25, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

Please include the full text of the error message here. StuRat 03:50, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

If the error message includes the text that the spam filter is objecting to, it can't be posted here. User:Zoe|^(talk) 20:42, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

Wikipedia appearance

I edit both at home and work using the same browser and OS. Most of the time the appearance is identical, dark blue links that are underlined. However, at work sometimes pages will show the links as light blue and not underlined. It does not happen at home and seems to be a random effect. Any ideas? CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 07:10, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

This happens to me as well, but at school. The only thing i can think of is making sure the setting is on when you log on at work.--Ali K 07:31, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

Which setting, because the browser and Wikipedia preferences are the same at both locations. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 08:07, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

My preferences are occasionally 'lost', even when I'm logged in. I solve this by logging out and then in again. But you say some links are light blue? Sounds like external links. Are the same links coloured differently depending on the machine you're working at? DirkvdM 09:10, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

It's the internal links that turn light blue and loose the underlined feature. I don't have to log out to get back the normal setting. It will eventually return to normal. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 10:01, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

Pages sometimes look weird for me too, though I can't put my finger on exactly what's wrong. I think that it may be because the stylesheet/skin has failed to load completely. Mark¹ 17:29, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

geography

what is the name of the 360km chain of small islands and reefs off the south east coast of america--195.93.21.69 11:11, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

The coast of North America or South America ? StuRat 11:26, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

"Barrier islands" alteripse 13:02, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

If it's the US, then the Florida Keys stretch about 360 km from Key Largo to Ft. Jefferson. Grutness...wha? 18:37, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

Nice to see that even people from the US get confused about the meaning of the term 'America'. Next time I have a discussion about the subject (again....) I'll use this thread as a reference. :) DirkvdM 19:48, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

to StuRat and all north or south i dont know the question does not say

Still homeworking ?

Rey Mysterio and Booker T? wrestlers only... that know about wrestling... ASAP

Why are they always on the card? --MaoJin 16:16, 21 January 2006 (UTC) ASAP --MaoJin 16:16, 21 January 2006 (UTC) huh--MaoJin 19:40, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

Because they're wrestlers that most Smackdown fans feel strongly about. -Tim Rhymeless (Er...let's shimmy) 23:17, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

Wikipedia logo

I read your article on the history of the Wikipedia logo. I did not see any information on the significance of the symbols, if any, on David Friedland's puzzle ball logo. I know what the Omega symbols means. But what about the other symbols? Amber

A small Omega looks like a 'w', but the cyrillic letter below the 'W' is a short 'I', so I'm stuck too. DirkvdM 19:55, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

I don't think there's any particular signficance. It's just letters from various scripts. The ones I recognize are Omega from Greek, "W" which you probably know already, the Cyrillic Short I (which DirkvdM apparently beat me to while I was submitting this :)), the Hebrew Resh and the Katakana "fi". I don't think it's supposed to spell anything out. --BluePlatypus 20:06, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

It's the symbols on the Wikinews logo you ought to be worried about [4] . That thing always creeps me out. --Aaron 02:29, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

The symbols? Do you mean the map? (Looks a bit like a face.) Neat map, by the way. Does it give the landsizes in correct proportions? Is Africa really as big as Asia? Geography of Asia says the latter is 50 million km², against Africa's 30 million km². But it doesn't define the area and that is a bit vague in the case of Asia. DirkvdM 11:25, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

Oh, my Philip's Atlas says the size of Asia is 44.500.000 km², but it doesn't say what constitutes Asia either. DirkvdM 13:06, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, I meant the map. (I should have said "symbolism" instead of "symbols".) It looks like the logo that the United Nations would use if they ever acquired any actual power and nationalized all the news organizations in the world. In fact, it looks so similar to the UN logo that I'm surprised they haven't sent a cease-and-desist letter to the Wikimedia Foundation. --Aaron 22:12, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

Or we could join them a an NGO and make it legit (or doesn't it work that way?). By the way, in the case of the UN, that would be an internationalisation in stead of a nationalisation. DirkvdM 08:46, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

Zodiac

I was born in December, so I'm a Capricorn, but I was actually two months premature, so should I have a different sign?--Givnan 17:01, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

Yes, one on your forehead to warn other people that you care about this sort of thing. :) DirkvdM 19:57, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

Just ignore DirkvdM, he's being silly. Firstly, just being born in December doesn't make you a Capricorn. Capricorn starts when the Sun moves into that sign from Sagittarius, usually around 21-22 December. If you were born on either of those dates, you'd need to consult an ephemeris to find out the exact time the signs changed (it is almost never conveniently at midnight). Secondly, the natal chart is drawn as at the moment of birth. That you were born premature is irrelevant. You were born when you were born, not when the doctors thought you would be born. JackofOz 20:28, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

What about caesarians? Doesn't matter? What influence does being surrounded by flesh have? If a child is going to be born into an unlucky sign, could the mother keep the newborn in a box made of meat for a month to simulate a later birth? Or does it have to be a womb? If so, why? --BluePlatypus 00:35, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

See Ephemeris for more about ephemerides. (I love cool plurals!) —Keenan Pepper 20:47, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

BluePlatypus has a point there. I would have thought it would actually be the moment that you come into existence that determines what sign you are, and therefore the surrounding body would be irrelevant. As I was probably conceived sometime in May, I'd be something entirely different. --Givnan 06:16, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

Now you're all just making it up as you go along. A box made of meat??? How revolting. And suggesting that conception time replace birth time, a basis that has been used for thousands of years, just because you think it feels better or whatever, is an absurd way to proceed. Do your research, study the subject, then make comments. Uneducated comments can sometimes be quite amusing, but on this occasion ....? Nah. JackofOz 06:38, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

That's just ad hominem. How about actually providing an answer instead of being arrogant. Astrology is made up nonsense. The fact that it's old nonsense doesn't mean anything except that it's been discredited far longer. --BluePlatypus 14:29, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

And not only is it nonsense, it's dangerous nonsense. Do you think race should be a factor in job applications? No? Why not? Because science (that is, simple observation) tells us that skin color has absolutely nothing to do with your personality, competence and ability to do a job. Yet the theories of race holding that black people were inferior to whites is something that was held for centuries. And it would be just as wrong for an employer to reject an applicant because his birth-date suggests (via the discredited theories of Astrology) that the applicant would be unsuitable. If you believe astrology, do you think employers should use it when screening applicants? Do you feel the same way about using skin-color? And if you don't, for what reason apart from the fallacy of Appeal to tradition that is the only basis for both ideas? --BluePlatypus 15:00, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

I agree that astrology is utter nonsense, but that's still a POV that should ideally stay off the Reference Desk. Note that the original question was a technical question about astrology that could be answered using verifiable sources, without resorting to saying "it doesn't matter because it's nonsense anyway". —Keenan Pepper 17:33, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

No answer on astrology is complete without a warning that it is utter nonsense. That said, one's ascendant sign (and therefore presumably the sun sign as well) is nearly universally claimed by astrologers (today at least) to correctly be that which is on the horizon at the precise moment of a person's first breath. So yes, one could plan a caesarean section to select one's descendant's ascendant, and I suspect that some have so done. - Nunh-huh 21:31, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

Blue Platypus, I provided an answer to the original question based on my years of study of the subject (decades actually). You posed a question about caesarians, which I would have happily answered had you not gone off on a weird tangent about boxes made of meat. Then Givnan started talking about the way he/she thinks astrology should be practised, totally ignoring the long tradition of the way it actually is practised. That’s like a person who has never studied a word of Greek, suggesting that Greeks use the Latin alphabet to write their language, because they think it would work better. That’s why I made my comment about uneducated opinions. I’m sorry if you thought I was being arrogant – I was merely frustrated.

But now, you demand answers, while in the same breath taking the view that the whole subject is “made up nonsense”. Why would anybody bother to provide answers to an obviously closed mind? So you can perhaps understand my scepticism that you’re actually expecting a serious response. But what the hell, I’m game. I said in my original response: “You were born when you were born, not when the doctors thought you would be born”. That principle can be extended to caesareans: You were born when you were born, not when you might have been born had nature been allowed to take its course. As Nunh-huh says, it’s all based on when the child takes their first breath. The circumstances leading up to the birth don’t come into it.

After years of serious consideration, I am still open-minded about whether astrology is worthy of serious consideration. It’s funny how those who decry it as “utter nonsense”, “made up nonsense” or “dangerous nonsense” don’t appear to have ever given it any serious consideration at all. Without proper investigation, how would they know?

Your example about an employer rejecting an applicant purely on their birth date has nothing to do with astrology. If you want to discredit astrology, be my guest. But please do it on the basis of what astrologers claim for astrology, not on superstition or newspaper columns. Popular newspaper astrology has about as much connection with proper astrology as the Ku Klux Klan has to do with human rights. JackofOz 23:39, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

Since astrology never bothers to provide any mechanism whereby people get their personalities and fate from their birth date, it would be impossible to say how the birth date should be determined in unusual cases. I consider myself one of the many who considers all horoscopes to be total BS, BTW. StuRat 23:52, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

Here we go again. What is it about astrology that induces people to proudly proclaim their closed-mindedness about it, and yet still feel qualified to offer opinions about it? There is no such thing as an Ultimate Book of Holy Writ that tells you what science has to say on any particular subject. There are millions of sources of scientific information, and many of them say conflicting things. Ultimately it's down to what the individual believes to be the truth. Or, they go to an expert on the subject, a scientist. Same with astrology. There are millions of books on the subject - so please substantiate this claim that "astrology never bothers to provide any mechanism whereby ...". JackofOz 00:14, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

You have no understanding of the scientific method, which likely explains why you believe in astrology. Well established science (stuff that's been around for many years) doesn't come down to personal beleifs or trusting an expert, but to overwhelming proof. For example, the fact that the Earth orbits the Sun is not "a matter of opinion", but quite firmly established via numerous astronomical observations over centuries. A new scientific theory may very well have supporters and detractors, but will be either accepted or rejected after a few years of observation and experimentation to either prove or disprove the theory. Astrology, on the other hand, has been around for thousands of years and has yet to prove it's case. Where it makes vague generalities about personality, testing is impossible (by design), and where it predicts specifics, like date of death, it hasn't been shown to be any more accurate than a life insurance agent's mortality tables. After so long without proof, any theory in science would be tossed onto the trash heap, as should happen with astrology. StuRat 12:19, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

Also, if you claim that astrology does provide some mechanism whereby the position of the stars (which is really due to the orientation of the Earth) is supposed to effect people, based on their date of birth, let's see it. StuRat 12:25, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

That's all a bit full-on, StuRat.

• I have no understanding of the scientific method, eh? Hmmm ... interesting how you could come to that conclusion from what I've said so far.

• "Which likely explains why you believe in astrology" - Huh?? What I said was: "After years of serious consideration, I am still open-minded about whether astrology is worthy of serious consideration." If you think that amounts to a confession of belief in astrology, I have to seriously question your knowledge of the English language. But yes, I have studied it, for 30 years. I think a discipline that has been around for 5,000 years in many different cultures is worthy of some serious scholarly attention.

• Now we come to the juicy bit. What on Earth (forgive the pun) is this stuff about "if you claim that astrology does provide some mechanism whereby the position of the stars (which is really due to the orientation of the Earth) is supposed to effect [sic] people, based on their date of birth"? Where did you get that from? No, really, where? Those are entirely your words, mate, not mine. I have made no claims for astrology whatsoever, so there is nothing that I have to prove.

• The only person who has made a claim that requires proof is your good self, StuRat. You said that "astrology never bothers to provide any mechanism whereby people get their personalities and fate from their birth date". I asked you previously to justify that statement, and I'm still waiting.

• What interests me is that people such as yourself tend to get very defensive about astrology. If it really is the hogwash you claim it is - and I'm not necessarily disputing that - why do you lose any energy bothering to even discuss it all? It's not as if science has anything to feel threatened about ... is it? What ever happened to the spirit of open-minded enquiry? Just damning a set of beliefs or claims out of hand, when you have never even scratched the surface of them, is hardly a scientific approach, is it? Cheers, mate JackofOz 13:48, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

I find it a fascinating concept worthy of scholarly attention that people actually give serious consideration to astrology. It deserves it about as much as my theory that the Earth is held up by a giant aardvark with Jon Stewart's head, driving through the heavens in a chariot pulled by gerbils. Yeltensic42.618 don't panic 17:09, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

BTW, no idea is valid just for having been around for 5,000 years. Racism, for instance, has been around for millennia in a great variety of cultures. Yeltensic42.618 don't panic 17:09, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

Yes, that's right. But who here has said that astrology is valid? Certainly not me. I have explained twice now that I am not making any such claims. But just being a practice that is illegal, immoral or possibly scientifically worthless does not mean it should not be studied. You mention racism. How much literature is there on racism - a huge amount. Criminologists spend their lives studying murder and other illegal practices. James Randi has made it his life's work to debunk paranormal etc claims - but despite his utter scepticism, you can bet he has studied ALL the serious literature on these subjects. Until it was finally proven that there is no such thing as perpetual motion, the impossibility of trisecting an angle, or the irrationality of π (pi), inventors and mathematicians spent their lives studying these things in an effort to get to the truth. Astrology is no less worthy of study - I did not say belief - than racism; ESP; murder; the 67 scientifically unexplained "miraculous" healings from the grotto at Lourdes; or why people who uphold the scientific method routinely consign astrology to the dustbin without ever having even tried to study it in depth in an effort to understand why it has been so pervasive in human society since Adam. Way back on 22 January, I said "Do your research, study the subject, then make comments." I stand by that. JackofOz 21:01, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

Studying astrology in the way you've described (the bit about literature on racism, murder and paranormal claims) is quite different from, as you have upheld, considering it a serious possibility. You can study a subject without that (eg criminologist who study murder generally don't consider committing it). Yeltensic42.618 don't panic 14:38, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

I think you're putting words into my mouth, Yeltensic. Seems to be the flavour of the month at the moment - yum, those words taste really great, you should try them - sorry, but people insist on telling me what I said while using words I never used. I have never said that I "consider it a serious possibility". I have said, over and over, "I am still open-minded about whether astrology is worthy of serious consideration". It sounds to me like you and others have decided up front that astrology must be bunkum and therefore it is bunkum, and therefore one would be wrong to spend any time at all in researching it, and therefore anyone who does bother to scratch beneath the surface is to be regarded with suspicion. Yes, criminologists study murder without ever getting tempted to practise it. And your analogy is ... ? Where have I ever advocated that people should practise astrology? Nowhere and never. I have studied it as a private interest, but this debate is probably the most I've ever written about it. And the debate is not even about astrology any more, it's about the psychology of science and the attitude of certain people who uphold the principle of open-minded objective enquiry (which is what the scientific method is all about), but seem to be selective about where they apply that principle. When it comes to some subjects, their attitudes are subjective their minds are closed. Why, I really don't know. Maybe they can speak for themselves. I've heard plenty of criticism of me for daring to suggest that astrology is something that might legitimately be studied, but absolutely nothing about why it shouldn't. JackofOz 00:01, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

Sorry, there must have been a misunderstanding. When you said, "worthy of serious consideration", I (and most likely the others on this thread) thought you meant serious consideration in the sense of "seriously considering that it might be true". Now I see what you meant, but you might want to consider your wording more. Yeltensic42.618 don't panic 00:19, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

Right, let me get this clear. It's possible to have an open-minded, objective study of something even though you've already dismissed the possibility that it could be true? Is that what you're saying? Of course I have entertained the possibility that it might be true. If I had already decided that was not the case, why on earth would I have spent any time studying it at all? I'm not an adherent of the Sir Humphrey Appleby school of investigation, where one never conducts an enquiry unless one is certain of the outcome beforehand. It's not my wording that needs changing. JackofOz 11:50, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

Let me give my opinion as to why astrology isn't worthy of a major scientific study:

• Since no mechanism is given for describing how birth date would affect personality or fate, this mechanism can't be studied. (Again, if you claim the mechanism is given, let's hear it.)

• There are many different versions of astrology, so which one to study would be a problem. In Chinese astrology, for example, the birth year is more important than the birth month and day.

There are other unproven theories which should be tested, however. Here is one: "Trans-fatty acids cause acne. The mechanism is that these solid fats 'melt' at body temp, are digested with the aid of bile in the ileum and cesium portions of the small intestine, are absorbed by the intestinal wall, then pass into the blood stream, where they proceed to the sebaceous pores. Once excreted by the pores, these trans-fatty acids cool enough to re-harden, thus blocking the pores and causing pimples." Now, this theory may or not may be correct, but at least there is a mechanism described which could be studied. It is also quite specific, and not at all vague. A general and vague statement, similar to astrology, would be "food causes acne and we don't know how". Such a statement could not, and should not, be studied.

StuRat 00:40, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

Basically, the problem with scientifically studying astrology is that it's more akin to religion to science. That doesn't mean it isn't worthy of study, but it does mean it can't be studied the way you would study an unproven scientific theory. Yeltensic42.618 don't panic 01:29, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

need help locating a car cover

i am looking for a way to locate a original vw factory car cover that was used in the transportation of the 1945 and later vw bugs from factory to dealerships in germany.the cover can be seen in the history channels special vw bug, documentary on the creation and life of the little car. my question is how or who would i contact to find out where one of these covers might be obtained from germany? my contact info is vwbugg2275 at yahoo dot com (no spam). please respond cause i'm lost and need help , thanks

Dear anonymous, the best people to ask for specific car-related help are usually internet forums or clubs devoted to that model of car. Search for "vw beetle forum" on Google turned up this one, for instance. You might also try contacting VW themselves; they might be able to help, particularly if this is for some kind of event that would gain them favourable publicity. --Robert Merkel 10:24, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

ELC included?

Hello! I'm a german who wants to move to Tokyo for half a year, so I'm looking for a Guest House or apartment there. On every homepage I've been there are some remarks. I understand most of them; the only one I don't get ist "ELC included". What does that mean? Is it bad if it isn't included? As english isn't my first language I don't know most simple things, so thank you very much for your help!

Danijel

Edible love couch?

English Language Course ? --DLL 20:37, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

"Evangelical Lutheran Church", European Localization Center, Early Learning Centre, East London College (Tokyo branch), &c. But for sure, inc.

It's probably an abbreviation for electricity, in that the bill is included in the rent. GeeJo _{(t) (c)} • 21:22, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

This seems to be a problem more with the English on the part of the Japanese (and Koreans. and Chinese. Etc.). They seem to have a fling for making very cryptic abbreviations when using latin alphabets. Not sure why though, but I suppose it has something to do with how their own writing systems work (where there are loads of characters to choose between!). I see it all the time in technical manuals from Omron, supposedly at least partly written by native Japanese people. TERdON 23:28, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

Quiz

I am completing a quiz with my 9 yr old son and we are stuck on a couple of questions they are :-

• what country accounts for 35% of the worlds cities with more than on million inhabitants?

• What unusual charecter name and part of a 1990's us well known sitcom means "the ultimate truth in all things " in Hindi

For the first one try Thirty most populous cities in the world. The external link leads to a list of 32. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 21:09, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

But that lists only a few dozen. My Philip's Atlas (from 1998) gives the following numbers of cities with more than one million inhabitants (for countries with 10 or more): US 38, China 34, India 22, Russia 13, Brazil 12, Japan 10. Out of a total of 284, so even the US has only about 15%. However, this also depends on how you define 'city'. This listing is for the total metropolitan area (such as 'greater Paris'). Even Amsterdam and Rooterdam ar listed, even though Amsterdam officially has only about 850.000. Also, over the last few years, most cities will have grown, and judging by the 'runners up', the top 3 will now probably be China, US, India, because for the US it drops straight to 665.000 (Jacksonville), whereas China and India have 8 over 800.000, and those may exceed a million by now.

For some more stats, as far as cities over 10 million are concerned, there are 15, of which 3 in China and 2 in India and the US each. And none in the UK. London once was the biggest, but now that is Tokyo-Yokohama, with a staggering 26 million! Next biggest at around 16 million are Sao Paulo, Shanghai, Bombay, Mexico City and New York City. After that numbers drop off quite fast. Most have 'just' 1 or 2 million. There are only 41 cities with more than 4 million inhabitants, with India and the US each having 6. What also strikes me is that there aren't too many African cities on the list. And Iran has 5 over 1 million, with Teheran having almost 7 million.

In short, the assumption in the question is wrong, unless they define 'city' differently. DirkvdM 13:49, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

Africa is quite sparsely populated, so I won't be too surprised with that. deeptrivia (talk) 04:47, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

I once heard that in Africa most people live in the capital (so just one city per country), in which case you'd expect at least one city with over 1 million inhabitants per country. Actually, there are 22 cities over 1 million in Africa, 5 of with in South Africa. So for 61 countries, that means about one in three countries have a 'million-city'. So it's not as bad as I suggested. But for most countries there is indeed just one city on the list. Which is probably why I overlooked them. DirkvdM 08:55, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

---

For the second one, Dharma should help. GeeJo _{(t) (c)} • 21:15, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

I thought too that the quizmaster must have intended Dharma, though actually it doesn't remotely mean "the ultimate truth in all things." The answer to the first question is hidden here. deeptrivia (talk) 21:20, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

Pity that "Ken" isn't an unusual name, or that might be it... As for Dharma, I found a Buddhist website which stated In the face of the profusion of ideas and practices which were later developments, it is useful for us to return to the positive and timeless Dhamma taught by the Buddha. Whatever people believe and practise in the name of Buddhism the basic Teachings of the Buddha still exist in the original Buddhist texts. ([5]). Grutness...wha? 01:48, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

The word Dharma essentially remains untranslatable in the English language. Perhaps the "ultimate truth" definition is inspired by the following verse:

" Verily, that which is Dharma is truth.

Therefore they say of a man who speaks truth, 'He speaks the Dharma,'

or of a man who speaks the Dharma, 'He speaks the Truth.'

Verily, both these things are the same."

(Brh. Upanishad, 1.4.14)

deeptrivia (talk) 02:14, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

It's true that Dharma cannot be translated into English, but Ancient Chinese and Early Japanese texts use the word 法 (Chinese 'fa', Japanese 'hou'), meaning 'Law' (like we say the 'laws of physics', for example), but as this does really explain it properly, any Japanese texts now use the word 達磨 (daruma), which is closer to the original pronunciation. The characters actually mean something like 'infinite patience', and are an example of an 'ateji', or characters used to fit the pronunciation of another word. Usually the characters are also intended to convey a related meaning. --Givnan 06:31, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

By the way, the Web says there was a sitcom in the US in the 1990s called 'Dharma and Greg' --Givnan 08:38, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

Indeed, Dharma and Greg was the reason I mentioned the name :) GeeJo _{(t) (c)} • 17:43, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

Intelligence agencies

How many intelligence agencies are in the world?

I'd say about the same as the number of nations. But it depends on what you mean by "intelligence agency", since there's domestic and foreign intelligence. Most countries have some form of domestic intelligence going on, even if it's only a small branch of the police force. If you mean "How many countries have foreign intelligence?", it depends on what you mean by "foreign intelligence". Some countries just sit passively around listening to whatever radio signals they can interpret, others are active with spies and informants in foreign countries. It's not really possible to say how many, since having operatives in foreign countries isn't something governments like to talk about publicly. --BluePlatypus 22:06, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

And of course there's military intelligence (the old oxymoron) as well. But there are certainly less nations with military intelligence than with civilian domestic intelligence. Also, there's any number of private firms like Jane's, and companies selling satellite imagery who are in the intelligence business even if they don't qualifiy as government agencies. --BluePlatypus 22:15, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

See List of intelligence agencies GeeJo _{(t) (c)} • 22:11, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

last quiz question

up to 1992 how many expressways did china have?

Very few. Maybe a few 10s of kilometers. They made most of them in the last decade. (Sorry, I know this won't exactly help your quiz question. ) deeptrivia (talk) 01:10, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

Of course, that depends on how you define expressway (yes, it's me again). And what constitutes one expressway. Naturally, in China they're pretty long. At 2000 km, the Jingzhu Expressway might be longer than all the expressways in the Netherlands combined. Expressways of China doesn't seem to say how many there are. DirkvdM 14:01, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

Really? I thought the Netherlands was full of autosnelwegen. Dunno how many of them are expressways though. deeptrivia (talk) 15:42, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, I suppose I exaggerated a bit. Not too much, though. The Neterlands is about 200 x 200 km if you'd compress it into a square. So 2000 km could then be a grid with about 30 km between the highways. In the central western region (Randstad) that would be a lot denser, but in the less populated regions it's less, so I suppose it's not too far off. DirkvdM 22:24, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

By the way, only now do I notice that the question stipulates 'before 1992'. Why is that? Is there also a question about the present situation to highlight the change? Sounds a bit like the quiz has a hidden political agenda. :) DirkvdM 22:27, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

January 22

Baked beans

In the WP article, it says some cans of baked beans "are as expensive as 2 pounds sterling" in the UK. Is this true? --Uthbrian (talk) 00:50, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

It sounds pretty dubious to me. The most expensive I've found online so far is £1.57/can (425g) for "Organic Nomato Baked Beans"[6], "Nomato" being a brand of tomato-free products for people who for whatever reason can't or don't eat tomatos.[7] The only way I can see them being £2/can is for "catering-size" cans - the first cash and carry price list I found online says £12.12 for 6x2.62kg cans, or £2.02/can, but the normal size of a can of beans is about 400g, not 2.62 kilos. -- AJR | Talk 01:33, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

oh if only they had those here! (one bite of tomato and I'm off to hospital) Grutness...wha? 01:52, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

Wow, those Nomato baked beans are expensive! I can't imagine being allergic to tomatoes, it's nearly in everything nowadays. --Uthbrian (talk) 02:41, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

tell me about it :( Grutness...wha? 09:49, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

How about making your own ? You can buy raw beans, cook them, then add brown sugar, that chunk of "pork" which is 95% fat, etc. StuRat 12:35, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

worth trying... thanks. I'll file that away with my "mock pizza" (base sauce made from cheese and worcestershire sauce). Grutness...wha? 22:39, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

Here's a recipe for a non-tomato sauce. And another for a non-tomato potato pizza. No idea if they're good, though. --Uthbrian (talk) 23:14, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

thanks for that too! Grutness...wha? 05:21, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

If you buy your beans at Harrods maybe you'd pay £2, frankly I doubt it. In most supermarkets you'll pay about 15p. AllanHainey 13:26, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

What about Harvey Nicks? ^KILO-_LIMA 18:53, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

Heinz is about 46p. ^KILO-_LIMA 18:53, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

Well that sounds great. A can of plain baked beans here is $2.45/£1.12 for a 498g/16oz can and a 1 liter/35 fl oz of milk is $3.99/£1.83 CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 22:07, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

NFL

Wanting to find out the stats on, what are the chances of a person making it into the NFL.

From http://people.howstuffworks.com/nfl-draft4.htm: 1,000,000 high school students play football, 1 out 17 of these go on to play in college, and 1 out of 50 college seniors (who play football) are drafted, which they claim adds up to 9 out of 10,000 high school seniors (I get closer to 12). Not all players selected in the draft end up playing - according to http://www.nfl.com/draft/story/6301644 11.5% of the players drafted in 2002 were cut by the team that drafted them. -- Rick Block (talk) 03:49, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

Tennis jargon

I've just been watching Marcos Baghdatis beat Andy Roddick at the Australian Open on a 41 degree day - top marks to both of them for not melting. Something I've always wondered about came up during the match. On 3 occasions, Baghdatis was at "match point". The second and third time, the commentators called this "two match points" and "three match points" respectively. They're supposed to be describing what's happening right now, not keeping a running tally of how many match points there have been over the course of the match. But if they must refer to that, why don't they call it "second match point" and "third match point"? Can anyone enlighten me? The tennis articles don't help. JackofOz 06:14, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

They might also be referring to the number of match points (chances to win the match by winning a single point) a particular player is guaranteed to have in a particular match situation. For instance, if a player is serving in men's singles at the Open, with the score in the current game at 40-0, 5-4 up in the current set, and, say, 2 sets to 0 ahead, if they win any of the next 3 points they will win the match; if their opponent wins all three the game score will be "deuce", at which point the server can no longer win the match with a single point and it is no longer "match point". So, therefore, player at 40-0 up and the game score as described has 3 match points. A player can theoretically hold up to 6 match points (if they lead 6-0 in a tiebreaker). --Robert Merkel 08:02, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

That makes a lot of sense, Robert. Thanks. Except I don't think that fits what I saw today, or previously. Maybe I should concentrate harder next time and work out what's really going on. That's if I can drag myself away from Wikipedia - easier said than done. JackofOz 08:15, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

I was watching the match, probably with the same commentators, and Robert Merkel has perfectly described the usage of "### match points" that the commentators were using.--Commander Keane 20:48, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

Robert is certainly correct. A player at 40 - 0 has three (consecutive) chances to clinch the set. Even if he misses the first chance, and the score moves to 40 - 15, he still has two (consecutive) chances, ie two set points/match points etc. Similarly, a player enjoying a lead of 40 - 0 during his opponent's service game is said to have 3 break points, ie 3 consecutive chances to break service. The phrase has nothing at all to do with how many such points have arisen over the course of the match. Maid Marion 16:25, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

Thanks folks. Seems I've had the wrong idea for a long time. Next time I watch a match I'll take particular note of what the commentators say. JackofOz 04:12, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

War of the Worlds movie questions

I was wondering, in the 2005 movie "War of the Worlds", what was the significance of the red weed? Also, near the end of the movie, Tom Cruise yells to a military office "LOOK AT THE ***DAMN BIRDS!!" What was the significance of this? I think it was something that the alien/tripods couldn't see the birds, but so what? --172.140.78.82 08:34, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

See red weed. About the "damn birds" part, Ray (Cruise's character) noticed the birds reached the machines, trespassing their supposedly-on protective force fields. The fields were off because the machines got infected by Earth's microorganisms. ☢ Ҡieff⌇↯ 09:07, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

Now go back to see the film, that was the climax. You sigh, relax, and try and find some pop corn left : none. The birds ? --DLL 20:56, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

Optimal kind of paint for epoxy

Anyone knows which is the best type of paint to use over epoxy (cured putty, in particular)? Apparently these accrilic and oil ones I've tried don't stick to it at all. :| ☢ Ҡieff⌇↯ 10:22, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

Not really an answer to your question, but the important thing with things like cured putty is that they need to be well primed. They still have a high oil content, which makes it difficult for paints to stick. It might even be worth going for a plaster-based paint (like artists' gesso), but there are almost certainly proprietary products that will do the job. Grutness...wha? 22:41, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

That was not really the issue, but I just tried accrilic spray paint and it seems to stick ot it very well. I'll give it a few white layers and then paint over this. Seemed to work well. ☢ Ҡieff⌇↯ 08:44, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

What is the name of this "sport"

People dress up like clowns and fall down 10 meters in comical ways ending in a splash of water. Someone might even walk on stilts and act like he falls down accidentally. Usually a group of kids gives ratings for the jumps and the clown with the highest score is declared the winner. Lapinmies 11:57, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

Dunno, but it sounds awesome! Almost as good as extreme ironing and urban golf --Noodhoog 21:03, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

I know that Sweden and Finland have national teams in this sport. Lapinmies 21:18, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

A literal translation would be "clown dive" or "clown diving", and it seems to get a few Google hits too. So who's up for starting the article? —Ilmari Karonen (talk) 13:36, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

Advice

How can I deal with a hypocritical and immature mother that is determined to make my life a living hell? she is a dramma queen and she doesn't really care about what happens to other people, she just pretends and cryes over the phone when something happens (like when my dog died earlier today) but she never does so alone... and I wanted to burry my dog in our garden but she says that she's been told that burring a dog in a garden brings problems and arguments to the family I can't believe she's this superstitious, but I'm sure she isn't and she says that because she never loved my dog, in fact he was ill and she always said it was pretend so he could get our attention...I'm hating her so much right now. and that's nothing compared to what she does to me,she tricks my dad into hating me I don't know how, by playing the victim... but all she cares about is herself, she's obsessed with how she looks and I just feel she is just full of envy and ressentment towards happy people and even towards her daughters. is there any webpage I can get some advice in?

Every time I say that you won't get good advice on this here, somebody goes ahead and proves me wrong. My advice is to see 'The Perfect Man', and realize there are 2 sides to everything. --Zeizmic 14:59, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

Just talk to her (read: at her). Tell her how crazy she sounds, saying a dog was faking illness, and that she's putting a lot of stress on everyone. Ask her to just calm down and suggest psychotherapy (though many people will take this as an insult). You might want to record a conversation you had with her to illustrate how irritating and strange she can seem. Try not to hate her, though: establish motivation. Why is she acting this way? Emotional problems? Is she trying to avoid dealing with her feelings about the death of your dog? (k-Parry)

Judging from your writing I would say you are a kid. Kids are notorious for misinterpretting the actions and feelings of their parents as hostility toward them. You say she never cared about the dog. If this was true, she wouldn't be crying after it died. I suspect she cares about the rest of you, too, and you just can't see it. StuRat 22:00, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

That wouldn't explain her comments about the dog faking illness, or her dumb superstitions that ruin things for others. There really isn't room there for misinterpretation on the asker's part. Yeltensic42.618 don't panic 22:52, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

It's a combo of both. She misinterpretted her mother hating the dog but not her mother thinking it was faking or being superstitious. StuRat 00:04, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

Tupac

TuPac is still alive. I know it. Pacific Coast Highway|^{Leave a message ($.25)} 12:17, 22 September 2024 UTC [refresh]

Sorry. Nope. I know it.

If only we could delete sections. A much better question would be "what the hell makes Tupac so damn popular, and why do people worship him?" He's just another murder-rapper to me. Somehow I have strange feeling that I already had this conversation somewhere else. Captain Jackson 18:52, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

People who list Usher as one of their favorite bands shouldn't throw stones. :) But I agree - I think he had the good sense to die young, which has always done wonders for mediocre careers. --George 00:56, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

He's alive and well and kicking it with Elvis and the real Paul McCartney who actually wasn't killed but faked it as part of an elaborate double hoax to throw the FBI off the scent of what really happened on that grassy knoll when JFK knew too much about the plans to fake the moon landing --the wikipedian on the grassy knoll 20:06 22 January 2006

hey... only one person would know that... Jim Morrison, is that you? 22:31, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

I strongly suspect that J.D. Salinger and Thomas Pynchon are involved in this scheme, because they want to keep Bigfoot and the Loch Ness monster hidden, and hide from the world the fact that Shakespeare didn't really write his plays, and they're in on it that 9/11 and the Holocaust didn't really happen. Yeltensic42.618 don't panic 22:44, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

I talked to Elvis the other day and he told me Tupac is most certainly dead. --Optichan 18:56, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

But I'm guessing it was actually Elvis Costello, who is most certainly alive. Or is he?....Yeltensic42.618 don't panic 16:52, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

I saw Tupac at McDonald's.

He got a Big Mac and some fries.

I saw Tupac at McDonald's.

I looked right into his big brown gangster rapper eyes.

I said, "You lied to me and my family and the whole world watching MTV.

I can't believe the things you did."

I looked at him and I think I cried,

He looked at me and then replied.

He said "Wweessttssiiddee is the best side. (Westside is the best side)"

He said "Wweessttssiiddee is the best side. (Westside is the best side)"

I saw Tupac at McDonalds.

He got a Chicken McNugget.

I saw Tupac at Mcdonald's.

That OG first taught me to thug it.

I said "You lied to me and my family and the whole world watching MTV.

I can't believe the things you did."

I looked at him and I took a breath,

"Please tell me why you faked your death."

He said "Wweessttssiiddee is the best side. (Westside is the best side)"

He said "Wweessttssiiddee is the best side. (Westside is the best side)"

In the city, city of Compton.

There ain't no life like a Tupac life

'Cause a Tupac life don't stop.

Zafiroblue05 08:04, 25 January 2006 (UTC) Great song.

I'm still waiting for the question about Tupac. This is a reference desk where questions get answered, not a venue for general chat - well, that's far from true, but it's supposed to start off with a question. No question was ever posed. Why couldn't this just have been deleted in the first place? Life's too short for this. JackofOz 23:31, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

Look what I started. Pacific Coast Highway|^{Leave a message ($.25)} 12:17, 22 September 2024 UTC [refresh]

Maryland

Is Maryland in the South or the Mid-Atlantic. Heegoop, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

Please read the first sentence of the Maryland article. Dismas|^(talk) 18:23, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

unless of course you mean Maryland in Liberia... Grutness...wha? 22:34, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

It is sometimes said that Baltimore is the southernmost city in the Northeast, and Washington is the northernmost city in the South. Also, some consider Baltimore a Northern city but Maryland a Southern state. For the most part, the climate is more akin to the South, and ditto for the terrain (no glacier-carved features), though a bay such as Chesapeake Bay is probably a more northern feature for the coastline. It is part of the Eastern Seaboard urban belt, which is mostly in the Northeast; it is mostly a politically left-leaning state; and the accent is generally considered Northern (or at least in Baltimore, perhaps the accent in other areas is Southern); however, in addition the climate and terrain already mentioned, it was a slave state before and during the Civil War, which would historically put it more in the South. So, with all of that in mind, you can decide whether you think it's in the North or the South. Yeltensic42.618 don't panic 22:37, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

"Washington DC is a city of Southern efficiency and Northern charm." - Mark Twain

StuRat 23:57, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

PS3

Hello, I have at my house a wi-fi connection, and I was wondering if i would be able to connect my PS3 to that connection and be able to play online. Thank you daniel 19:24, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

Bring me a PS3 and I'll tell you. In other words, it's stupid to ask a question about a device that isn't on the market yet, but if I was a bettin' man, I'd say yes.--Ridge Racer 21:30, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

According to the PlayStation 3 article, the PS3 is equipped with IEEE 802.11g Wi-Fi, so you should certainly be able to use it with your existing Wi-Fi network. --Canley 23:14, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

Well, technically yes, but I was refering to the point that Sony may attempt to limit you in other ways, such as requiring you to pay for service like xbox live. Until the system is released, nothing is set in stone.--Ridge Racer 00:01, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

thanks for your contribution guys and gals, i'll just have to hope that technicaly YES I will be able to... daniel 16:14, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

From what I understand, Ridge Racer, they've already announced they'll never have pay services for the PlayStation line, because they're all about worldwide compatability and online gaming community formation; this is the official reason behind why they removed region encodings from PSP games and plan to do so with PS3 games as well. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 05:20, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

Kids cartoon shown in the UK in the 70's or 80's

Having hopefully identified a cartoon for someone above, I was talking to my mum about old kids cartoons, and now I've got another to ID, so here's what I know...

It was a foreign cartoon about a bear who might have been an orphan. Apparently the general format was that he'd make friends with other creatures, and have very simple adventures with them. It was shown for a while during the late 70's/early 80's in a lunchtime slot in rotation with other shows like The Clangers, Trumpton, Mr Benn, so it sounds like it was for a very young audience. Also, apparently it had a very nice theme song.

I don't remember it at all, but I've had a look through a bunch of 70's & 80's kids TV sites, and can't find anything fitting that description, so I'm thinking it might be fairly obscure, particularly if it was an imported show. Does this ring any bells with anybody? --Noodhoog 19:52, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

Izzy Noho? I remember him being a panda and that's about all. Google doesn't throw up much information beyond that I'm afraid. --GraemeL ^(talk) 20:04, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

Found it! it was "Colargol", shown in the UK as "Barnaby the Bear". Turns out it's a puppet type animation rather than a cartoon, which is why I hadn't previously found it, but thanks for your help GraemeL :)

Arrrgghh! Now I have the Barnaby the Bear theme tune going round and round in my head. --GraemeL ^(talk) 20:42, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

How tall is the L-Train track in Chicago?

Our article on the Chicago L doesn't say. I am curious too. Rmhermen 00:13, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

If you read through the external link at the fan site it would seem to indicate that the track is not always at the same height, which I assume is what the question means. However, it does not give a peak or average height, which I believe you can find in terms of depth for underground systems. Perhaps someone could email the the site and ask. I'd do it but I'm at work and don't want the email coming back here. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 06:06, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

If you can find a photo showing the stairs leading up to a particular station, you should be able to estimate the height at that station within 10% or so by simply counting the steps and figuring a height of 7 inches (18 cm) for each one. --Anonymous, 10:46 UTC, January 23.

According to this article on Accessible Transit Station Design at least one station (characterized as one of the lower stations in the system) is 22'11". Crypticfirefly 06:37, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

Three Gorges Damm

What is the current status of Three Gorges Damm? Is it under construction?

Try Three Gorges Dam. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 23:00, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

Cardiff Devon

I've done a bit of fruitless Yahoo!ing (not Googling) on the subject. Is there any kind of sea travel between Cardiff and Devon or Cardiff and Cornwall? Or maybe between Wales and the South West of England in general? Thanks --Dangherous 22:39, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

How much did you want to spend? You might try looking through here or here for cheaper stuff. On the other hand if expense is not a problem the this or something like it might be what you want. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 23:12, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

According to our Ilfracombe (in Devon) article, there is an "occasional ferry service" to Swansea and to Penarth, which is near Cardiff. -- AJR | Talk 02:28, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

Certainly nothing regular. The Ilfracombe things are probably just occasional day-trips in the summer. I dont know if you can fly from Newquay to Cardiff. If so, it would be better than the long road-trip. Jameswilson 05:12, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

Animal gender nouns

I am trying to find a list of terms for male and female animals, eg dog and vixen (fox), buck and doe (deer), bull and cow (cattle)etc. Does such a site exist and if so under what heading? Help much appreciated, M.Walmsley.

Try List of animal names. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 00:16, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

January 23

Bachelor's Degrees

Why are Bachelor's degrees called Bachelor's degrees? Is it to imply that people who have them still aren't married? Captain Jackson 00:36, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

The article Bachelor explains this. The "degree" meaning is not derived from the "unmarried" meaning, but both terms have the same Latin root: baccalarius, meaning a vassal farmer.. --Canley 00:48, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

It only gets worse. ☢ Ҡieff⌇↯ 04:19, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

Pictures of the Mujahedin

I am looking for any pictures of the Mujahedin because I am learning how to make die cast miniature figures and I would like to get some photos so I have something to work off of. I would like to add them to my collection. Thank you for any information you might be able to give me. sliddude

• Try Yahoo! Image Search and Google Images. Both have a good handful of photos. Deltabeignet 05:54, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

Wicca

Hey there On the covers of the series 'Wicca' who plays Morgan Rowlands and the other people like Cal? Thanks Seeing as there are diff versions, here is an example of one:

http://www.girl.com.au/img/wicca_eclipse12.jpg

thanks!

Toy packaging

I've noticed that it's getting harder and harder to remove toys from their packaging-- often there's multiple twist-ties through part of the toy that then go through cardboard, through some sort of brace and is then taped in the twisted position. Some have thought this was to protect from theft, but it seems to me like it would cost more money to install all this protection, then would actually be lost to theft. Also, what's with screwing all the battery compartments shut? Thanks, Melanie 141.152.250.37 01:01, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

I too find the twist-ties annoying, but I think you're overestimating the cost of adding them. As for screwing all the battery compartments shut, I'm happy for it. It stops the compartment opening on its own and the batteries falling out. - Nunh-huh 04:07, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

I suspect the reason for the battery screws is to stop the batteries from being put in the mouth of a small child. The twist-ties are also to help stop children from playing with the toys in the store. On the other hand the screws on the battery compatments are there to provide entertainment for my 2 year old grandson. First you have grandpa remove all the batteries and then try and fit them in different toys. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 05:49, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

"I see that toy dog is a girl."

"No dad, that's just where the batteries go." - Frasier

StuRat 15:16, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

How do you power wash CREOSOTE from wood furnace--

What can you use in a power washer to clean creosote from a woodstove, that can run off on ground with no clean-up required, and will neutralize any corrosive actions to metals of stove which are 409 stainless and mild steels..I thank you in advance for your time on this matter..dco

Do you plan to remove the furnace and power wash it outside ? If so, that seems like a lot of work. I would find a way to clean it inside. If it's already outside, why not sandblast it instead ? StuRat 20:47, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

Pewter trademarks

I have an old pewter mug and an even older pewter plate. Trademarks are visible on both. I am looking for reference material that will help me identify the manufacturer and approximate age of thes items. Can anyone tell me where I might find this information?

Thank you, Dick

This site may be helpful. --Uthbrian (talk) 03:30, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

I doubt you'll find a full list of hallmarks on-line. There are excellent references in book form though, check your local library or bookshop (or an online one). It'd be helpful if you knew the country of manufacture though, since there are literally thousands of hallmarks from each country, and most books of hallmarks concentrate on a single one. --BluePlatypus 14:41, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

Sexual Question

Why does my wife have to urinate after have sex?

---Tom Brinhower

Lots of people do. Lots of tubes are connected up down there, and the bladder takes quite a pounding too.

I've always been told that if women urinate after having sex their chances of getting a urinary tract infection (UTI) drop dramatically. So it is actually more healthy for her to urinate after sex than not to. Dismas|^(talk) 04:48, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

After having read the UTI page, I see that it confirms what I said: "For sexually active women, and to a lesser extent men, urinating within 15 minutes of sexual intercourse to allow the flow of urine to expel the bacteria before specialized extensions anchor the bacteria to the walls of the urethra." Dismas|^(talk) 04:52, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

Oooh, I just asked this question yesterday at the Science desk, only it had to do with me and not my wife as I am not married. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 05:17, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

Serena and Venus Williams played which male tennis player?

I'm recalling Venus and Serena were at the pinnacle of women's tennis (about five or so years ago), they were so dominant in fact they were claiming their right to play on the mens' ATP tour.

Some ex-professional challenged the sisters and promptly whipped them 6-1 and 6-0 in an exhibition match (there would be no BJ King/Riggs revisit here). He was a German, ranked below 300, a chain-smoker and with the name 'Carsten Branch', or something like that.

WHO was that player? It's been driving me insane and all web searches have been rendered fruitless so far. Anybody remember?

The guy was named Karsten Braasch, then ranked 203rd. He beat Serena 6-1 and Venus 6-2, and it was in 1998 at the Australian Open. BBC The Observer CBS Player profile DTB player profile Braasch retired end of 2005. No mention of chain smoking anywhere. Lupo 09:39, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

What is the measurement of the neck and opening of a Wine Bottle

I need to find out if the neck of the wine bottle and the opening has a standard size..I don't think so..but what does it range from for most bottles..from the thinnest neck and opening to the widest..I appreciate any knowledge you may have..

A standard wine bottle has a neck opening 18.5 mm in diameter. To give a good seal, standard cork size for wine bottles is 24 mm, with the exception of champagne bottles, which use 32 mm corks. There are bottles with different neck sizes on the market, and you may encounter some as used bottles. In particular, the flagon shaped bottles from Portugal have a much smaller neck opening, and screw-top bottles have a very large neck opening. GeeJo _{(t) (c)} • 08:47, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

Jill Murphy: The Worst Witch

When I read the end of the 4th book I figured that was the end but then I looked at the list of the books and they have very seperated years of publication, and I just realised that the 5th one came out, do you know if she'll be writing more?

I would create a fan club and ask her first place. Since I ain't got time, would you ? Hint : If the hero(in) is not married with plenty of children to come, there should be more books instead. --DLL 20:40, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

I must sound so dumb but sorry I don't understand your answer :(

Well, try my answer, with extra simplicity for young readers :)

I did a search at amazon.com for "The Worst Witch", and found that her books are published by "Candlewick". I then did a google search for "candlewick publishers", and found their website. If you click the link marked "FAQ" on their site it explains how you can send Jill Murphy a letter; that way you can ask her personally whether there will be any more books in the series. --Robert Merkel 02:31, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

Where is this place

I am searching my family history and have come up against a block. One of my Ancestors was born in Remmen in Berkole in 1781, I have found a Remmen in Sweden and Cpoenhagen but can find no Berkole. Is this a town or county that no longer eists, please can you help?

Many Thanks

Could it be a farm name? Rmhermen 13:58, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

In the old Scandinavian form, a farm name would come first though, then the name of the "sogn" (Denmark) or "socken" (Sweden) and then the "Herred"/"Härad". The name "Remmen" is fairly generic though (it means "belt", "the belt" or "belts" in Dutch/German/Swedish/Danish/Norwegian), so there may be places by that name in all five countries. Certainly there are multiple in Scandinavia, so you won't get anywhere with that alone. I can see why you're having problems with "Berkole". That does not sound like a Scandinavian or Dutch/German name at all to me. (Nor can I quite place it anywhere else) If you take some liberties with the spelling there's a Berkel river in Germany/Holland though which flows past a place named Rekken. --BluePlatypus 14:36, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

Apparently nl:Rekken is in the Berkelland municipality, too. So that'd be my best guess. --BluePlatypus 19:04, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

Family Reasearch

I really want to know more about my family, so far I can only get up to three greats and it's not distant at all, I want to see everything, where they were from and all that and see how far I am related to a celeb lol, how can I do this?

Start with the article genealogy. In particular, try taking a look at the "External links" section to find a good link, so you can start an online search. --Uthbrian (talk) 12:30, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

One of the best resources is your own family. Start with the oldest members and go from there. It can be very surprising what they will tell you. The best way is to talk to them when there is no one else from your family around as they will tend to open up and give you information that they might have not told anyone else. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 13:25, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

chemical compound

DMSO 2 AND DMSO 4

could someone please advise what dmso is?

there are two variations dmso2 and dmso4. for what use would they be applied.

thanking you in advance,

jaclyn m.

See DMSO. Rmhermen 13:58, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

i appreciate this info: but, what is that???rmhermen????

Their name. It links to their userpage.

Swiss Bank Account

How would I go about opening a Swiss or Cayman bank account. (If I had the cash i wouldn't be asking but it would be quite fun saying i had a swiss bank account).

Americans can apply at their nearest IRS office. --Zeizmic 15:38, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

LOL. StuRat 17:35, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

Try this: go to a bank, online or otherwise, and tell them that you want to open an account, and be prepared to pay quite hefty fees for an account which is less convenient than a domestic one. (UBS charges $150 a year for a general savings account). --BluePlatypus 17:57, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

As I mentioned earlier to someone, it's really not worth it unless you have a lot of money; typically, Swiss banks require an opening balance of $50,000 or more. That's why they're referred to more often as "wealth management firms." Cernen Xanthine Katrena 03:15, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

"The theory that you can avoid paying taxes on a Swiss bank account has several large holes in it." StuRat 01:49, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

Waste

What do u mean by waste? Info About dry waste & Wet Waste. How they pollute the atmosphere

me? I don't mean anything. But you might want to try the pages on waste, pollution, air pollution and the Earth's atmosphere. Good luck with your homework ;) --Noodhoog 17:11, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

MVP College Baseball!

Why is Texas ranked 1? always? no offense Texans! --MaoJin 15:34, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

Because we are the best? :) Keepitrude 03:23, 24 January 2006 (UTC) (I'm from Texas)

Ranked 1 where and for what? DirkvdM 20:25, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

I'd assume MVP College Basketball, like the title says. No idea where.

PS3

Hello, I am writing again about the PS3 and I don't understand what it means when people say that it is X many times more powerful than a computer. Does it mean that it is faster? or that it's graphics are better? daniel 16:25, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

Generally people who make statements like that are fanboys, either claiming "The PS3 is gonna be the BEST THING EVER!" or "The PS3 is gonna SUCK". While comparisons can be made between certain aspects of it's architecture and components as compared to other games consoles, computers, etc, for the most part it's all meaningless speculation. What actually matters is how it performs when it's released. Until then, it's all just "My dad could beat up your dad" posturing. --Noodhoog 17:03, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

thanks....daniel 18:05, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

For further information, you might want to have a look at Cell (microprocessor), though much of it probably won't make sense unless you're a computer programmer. Basically, the PS3's processor has many parallel "work units" to which you can assign different tasks to run in parallel. If all of them are used to their maximum efficiency, the total amount of work that can get done far exceeds that on a standard PC. The type of tasks required to support a computer game are well-suited to this kind of parallel processing. In practice, much of the grunt work that the Cell is optimized for is performed by the graphics card on a gaming PC anyway, and so the supposed speed advantage of the PS3 will not result in nearly as dramatic improvement in graphics as you might think. Additionally, PC's are a moving target. --Robert Merkel 02:21, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

Food

What dose it mean when I no longer crave food? I get hungry but I know that if I just wait for a little while the hunger will go away? Is this a normal feeling?

Sounds to me like you're lucky. I think it's normal for hunger to come in waves. StuRat 17:32, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

That's how it goes with me. In effect, I'm underweighted and everyone pisses me off to eat more. ¬¬ ☢ Ҡieff⌇↯ 04:07, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

By any chance are you a smoker ? Smoking is notorious for ruining the appetite. StuRat 11:28, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

As long as you can still eat when not hungry, you should do fine. You just need to be sure to eat the proper amount instead of relying on your appetite to tell you what the proper amount is. This is the same thing millions of people must do, only you need to force yourself to eat more, not less. StuRat 11:26, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

Smoking is notorious for ruining the appetite. You're probably not a smoker. When I smoke a cigarette that actually wets my appetite. Of course I could be the odd one out, but I've heard so much utter crap about smoking that I'll assume this is also complete nonsense. It's sort of like when someone lies too often, after a while you will start to assume that anything else that person says will also be a lie. DirkvdM 20:32, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

I think the truth for most people is somewhere in between being "notorious for ruining the appetite' and "actually wets [sic] my appetite". See this article about nicotine being an appetite suppressant for most people. JackofOz 23:25, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

That link doesnt work on my browser (FireFox). It looks like you may have to register to see the subpages. StuRat 01:45, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

Oops, no I have made a spelling error. After my comment below this was your chance at getting back at me. Missed it! And the link doesn't work with Konqueror or Mozilla either. DirkvdM 09:30, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

I've fixed the link. It should work fine now. Cheers JackofOz 11:23, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

CHEMICAL COMPOUND DMSO 2 AND DMSO 4

Could someone pls advise what application these chemicals would be used for? what exactly are these chemicals? my original message seems to have disappeared.

thanking you in advance

jaclyn m.

See Dimethyl sulfoxide Rmhermen 17:23, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

It's a solvent. See the article under "Uses". --BluePlatypus 18:16, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

many thanks for the response. jackie

They are used as by veterinarians to treat horses. They are also a carrier to transport whatever they are mixed with through the skin (eg to expose a medicine directly to where it is needed). AllanHainey 08:44, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS INFORMATION-JACLYN

assasination

The current Wikipedia entry on "assassination" refers to the following --

"One remarkable recent example involved a political figure who made the mistake of keeping to a regular route and schedule. Assassins were able to plan for his travel, and detonated an explosive charge beside the roadway, which propelled a metal plate through the target's vehicle at lethal speed, killing him."

All I want to know is the name of this victim.

Could be Giovanni Falcone, although they blew up the entire highway for several hundred meters in that case. --BluePlatypus 20:26, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

Sounds very much like a Mossad assination I saw on a TV documentary. Maybe there's a list of these assinations somewhere... I might look for it later.--Commander Keane 08:20, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

There's probably multiple victims. Many assassination attempts are based on the assassin going to where the victim is expected to travel. Also there's games that simulate this. User:AlMac|^(talk) 13:13, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

Building a post-and-rail fence

I'm looking for information on how to construct a traditional British three rail post-and-rail fence. If anyone can help, I'd greatly appreciate it. --88.109.224.92 20:51, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

Help in identifiying a plant.

Took this picture a while ago, and I've always wondered what kind of plant this is since I took it. Could anybody tell me what kind of plant this is, or if this is in the wrong place, tell me where I could get this question answered?

Thanks in advance for any help offered. --P. B. Mann 22:06, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

I'm really, really bad at this stuff, but I think it's some kind of Hibiscus. --BluePlatypus 22:39, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

IANAB, so i can't help, but it would probably be useful to know where this plant was - both what part of the world (southern US? Scandinavia?) and what type of land (marsh? mountain?). Grutness...wha? 22:50, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

This flower was in one of the gardens at Disneyland, if that's any help. --P. B. Mann 23:12, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

Definitely a hibiscus of some sort.. here's an almost identical picture of a hibiscus. --BluePlatypus 23:24, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

Thanks! I probably have to find an expert on the subject to find out what species it is, though. --P. B. Mann 23:39, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

• I do believe this is a Hibiscus rosa-sinensis ‘Seminole Pink’. Here's one a little earlier in its lifecycle: [8]. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 02:07, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

January 24

karate- Sen no Sen

I am a karate student of the Seito Matsumura Ryu style. I can not find the meaning of sen. There is also Sen Go Sen and also Sen no Sen. Do you have an answer to its meaning? Thank you. Jan end.

According to this page of karate terminology:

• Sen: Initiative
• Sen no sen: Seizing the initiative earlier; attacking at the same moment your opponent attacks.
• Go no sen: Seizing the initiative later; Allowing your opponent to attack first so as to open up target for counter-attacks.
• Sen sen no sen: Seizing the opponent’s sen no sen; Attacking before your opponent attacks-a preemptive attack.

They seem to be different timings of attacks. AlbinoMonkey ^(Talk) 01:38, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

Benji: Off the Leash

I was wondering what kind of dog Benji is. I am looking to get a dog that looks like Benji and the Wikipedia article is not detailed enough. Thanx --Zach 01:36, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

He is a mutt, meaning a mix of different breeds. The first Benji was a poodle x cocker spaniel x schnauzer. I'm not sure what the new one is though, but they look pretty similar. AlbinoMonkey ^(Talk) 01:46, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

That's just a guess about the first one, though -- they're both pound puppies. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 01:47, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

A bit of trivia for you: the dog, Higgins, which played the original Benji, was also the dog on Petticoat Junction. StuRat 11:20, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

What you do when you sleep

Do you swallow, sneeze, or cough while you're asleep? JW RENTASTRAWBERRY ^{FOR LET?} röck 02:27, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

Swallow yes, cough yes, sneeze no (or at least not very often without waking up). alteripse 03:58, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

• Did you know that if you dream about food, your stomach thinks that the food is actually real and begins making juices in the stomach? ^KILO-_LIMA 18:19, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

• My dad runs in his sleep. He has a tendancy to kick the covers off of my parent bed. I have a tendency to moan and chew in my sleep; I suspect this may be a leftover adaptation my body made from back when I had my tawnsills and adnoids. I also have a tendency to cacoon my self in the comforter, the blanket, and anything else left on the bed. TomStar81 04:47, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

• Do you mean tonsils ? StuRat 15:56, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

Dreams

Are dreams like an astral plane? Having a different life somewhere else? Also is true that dreams only happen as your waking up?

From what I understand, dreams are your minds way of dealing with your thoughts and feelings, not to mention all the things you see and hear during the day. And about occuring in the waking state, I also recall that you have several 11(est.) second dreams that occur in the deepest cycle of sleep R.E.M. If I am incorrect about any of this. Please correct me. Keepitrude 03:19, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

See dream. The neurologists reckon it's just the brain trying to interpret random noise from the sensory input parts of the brain. Scientists are a bunch of killjoys, but they have a disconcerting habit of backing up their arguments with actual evidence. --Robert Merkel 03:54, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

"Scientists are a bunch of killjoys, but they have a disconcerting habit of backing up their arguments with actual evidence." this is a great quote, man. ☢ Ҡieff⌇↯ 04:01, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

Trailor Song

On the VHS copy of Benny & Joon, there is a trailor for a movie called Untaimed Heart. In the trailor there is a song in the background and it has been driving me crazy, I cannot figure out what it is. I tried the soundtrack but it is not there. So if anyone could help me out, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.:) Keepitrude 03:35, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

I watched the trailer here and the song that played was "Tom's Diner" by Suzanne Vega. --jh51681 04:12, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

Thank you, so much. :) Keepitrude 00:26, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

Jurys

Why aren't there more hung Jurys in criminal cases? How can you get 12 people to unanamously to agree to acquit or convict someone consistantly?

Because, much of the time, cases are far less ambiguous than the ones that you hear about in the news and especially in tv shows. In practice, more often than not, cases in the United States are resolved by plea bargain and thus a jury never has to make a decision. Of the cases that actually go to trial, a large majority result in a conviction. Actual jury acquittals are quite rare, as this graph indicates (it's only for San Diego, but it's indicative). Prosecutors don't tend to take a course to trial unless they think they've got very strong evidence. --Robert Merkel 06:21, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

In Canada, trials go to jury (as opposed to just a judge), when the accused is technically guilty (as viewed by a judge), but where they hope to get sympathy from a jury for a special case. This was the case when I was on jury duty once -- the lady got off. --Zeizmic 13:19, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

Juries also get to discuss the case after the evidence is presented. That's what they are doing while they are 'out'. So if ten people think the defendant is guilty they get the chance to persuade the other two to agree. Actually they get potentially a long time to do that persuasion. If they really can't agree a jury can also (in most jurisdictions) return a 'majority verdict' in which only most of the twelve have to agree. DJ Clayworth 16:26, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

In the US, a finding of criminal guilt by a jury has to be unanimous.--Pharos 15:36, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

Having to go

Is it bad if you don't go to the bathroom right away when you have to go? Sometimes i feel i have a bowel movement, but if i wait, the feeling wouldn't comeback for a couple hours. I am curious.

Mmm, a very interesting query. I don't think so; I've never had a bad experience whilst doing it. In some cases, it's a tad more appropriate to hold back. You don't want to take a BM on company time; if you do, chances are people are going to ask where you went. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 05:13, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

Check out what reportedly happened to Tycho Brahe. alteripse 05:27, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

Holding back when you have to urinate could possibly lead to kidney stones, but holding back on defacation should be fine as long as it's within reason. Note, however, that many people can hold off for at most a few minutes, then risk soiling themselves. Holding back for days could also lead to constipation, as too much water is removed by the bowels, so should be avoided. StuRat 11:09, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

William H. Macy, Wrecked 1915

A ship named the William H. Macy sunk off of the coast of North Carolina in 1915. This seems too much of a coincidence, not to be related somehow to the eponymous actor. Any insight?

My email is slittle@talos.com (though I know you specifically told me not to bother providing my own contact information.)

Cheers.

Scott Little

Actually, the actor William H Macy is not eponymous - unless there's something been named after him I'm not aware of. The above ship was certainly not named after him. JackofOz 07:29, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

Indeed not, as William H. Macy was born in 1950. This raises the question after whom the ship was named. Lupo 07:50, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

Lacking a time machine, the ship can't have been named after him, but the possibility remains that he was named after the ship. Since that is his birth name, only his first and middle names would have been chosen, so perhaps his parents named him "William H." in honor of the ship. Then again, "William H." is a fairly common combo. StuRat 11:02, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

I did a bit of research, and you're right about the contemporary use of the word "eponymous". Originally, it referred to the person after whom something is named, but not to the thing itself. But now it has become used for both. Webster's 3rd has recognised this usage since 1986. The Oxford Dictionary was still holding out in 1989, but it made it into the 1998 New Oxford. I think it's unlikely that the actor was named after the ship, but if that were to be the case, both he and the ship would be called "eponymous" these days. I learn so much from WP, I often wonder how I got on without it before I discovered it. JackofOz 01:40, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

I'm guessing that before Wikipedia you found other people to molest. :-) StuRat 01:37, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

I have just thanked you, voluntarily, for educating me about a bit of language, and you respond with a disgraceful comment like that?? Really, StuRat!! However I see the smiley at the end so I will take it as a very strange form of humour. Thin ice, mate, very thin ice. Cheers JackofOz 05:37, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

Well, who was the ship named after? It's just possible it could have been named after his grandfather or something.--Pharos 15:31, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

Genesis

(heading added by Akamad 08:34, 24 January 2006 (UTC))

what happened before genesis?

Well, according to the Bible, which is where Genesis is found, nothing happened before Genesis. It starts off "In the beginning, God created ...". JackofOz 09:01, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

How, then, shall I respond to him who asks, "What was God doing before he made heaven and earth?" I do not answer, as a certain one is reported to have done facetiously (shrugging off the force of the question). "He was preparing hell," he said, "for those who pry too deep." It is one thing to see the answer; it is another to laugh at the questioner--and for myself I do not answer these things thus. More willingly would I have answered, "I do not know what I do not know," than cause one who asked a deep question to be ridiculed--and by such tactics gain praise for a worthless answer. —Augustine of Hippo, Confessions book XI ch. 12

—Charles P.  (Mirv) 09:19, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

God thought: "Crap, this place is so BORING". So he created existence and humans, and now acts like a little kid with a magnifying glass torturing little ants. ☢ Ҡieff⌇↯ 09:25, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

To address the question another way, Before Genesis [was written], people believed in other gods and other creation stories --Noodhoog 11:12, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

Well, some may have. I wonder if the belief in gods has risen or declined over time. I mean, in terms of thousands of years. And when was genesis written anyway? I believe that if you add up everything in the bible then creation is supposed to have happened some 7000 years ago. But then again, according to the bible, the early people lived close to 1000 years, so I wonder how that can be then. Then again, there's more nonsense in Genesis, like where did the third generation come from? Incest? No, it turns out that Kain left and met another people. Another people? By a different god or something? I suppose the old testament is really a story about the origin of the Jews, not mankind as a whole. DirkvdM 20:50, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

I believe only one group of people was said to have lived to those lengths of time. One explanation is that they measured age in months instead of years, as hunter-gatherers in general and Native Americans, in particular, tended to do. For such people the cycle of the moon is most important, since it dictates when the full moon will make night hunting possible. It also corresponds roughly with a woman's period, which brings up the idea that women may have originally had their periods on the full moon, when the men were away hunting, to avoid them killing each other.

Farmers and herders, on the other hand, care more about years since that dictates when to plant, harvest, move their animals to new ground, etc. A hunter-gatherer who is asked their age might very well say 390, meaning 30 years, figuring about 13 moon cycles per year. StuRat 15:47, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

It's pretty much the whole of Genesis where people live that long, most notably Methusalem (I once read that while waiting for someone in a hut in New Zealand that had a Gideon's bible in it). A little theory of mine is that since 666 is the number of the beast and the Devil is often portrayed as God upside-down, God may very well be 999. So reaching an age close to that means being close to God. Ok, that's a bit far-fetched. DirkvdM 09:37, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

I'll say. I believe some lived past that age, so would have surpassed even God, under your theory. StuRat 11:26, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

Ms-word

Is Ms-word a word processing package? If yes suitly emphazi

Yes, Microsoft Word. 62.119.184.141 12:27, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

Now suitly emphazi it. --Optichan 16:52, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

Uhm, I did suitably emphasize it. I made it a link. Click it. Is that not easy enough? TERdON 23:05, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

May I humbly request that "Now suitly emphazi it!" become a WP:RD running joke? --Sum0 23:15, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

Yes, it can be used to "suitly emphazi" the importance of checking your own typing, LOL. StuRat 15:36, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

Excellent, it's catching on! --Sum0 15:55, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

Mmm. Wikipedia:Civility: "Petty examples that contribute to an uncivil environment... belittling contributors because of their language skills or word choice". We should be using clear English here anyway, there's no need complicate answers.--Commander Keane 19:46, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

I agree that sometimes the RD can be a little unkind to honest contributors, and I don't like it when it's like that, but when it's just between us editors, ya know... Anyway, I digress. --Sum0 20:05, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

What is all of this about, "suitly emphazi"? I keep seeing it all over the reference desk, what does it mean? Yeltensic42.618 don't panic 01:23, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

If you look at the top of this item, you will see that the author misspelled "suitably emphasize" as "suitly emphazi". Some of us found such poor spelling and lack of checking one's own typing to be quite entertaining. StuRat 01:33, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

Oh, okay, so this is where it all started? I'd seen it other places first, didn't realize this item was its birthplace. Thanks. I wonder how far it's spread? Yeltensic42.618 don't panic 07:05, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

Yes this is the birthpalce. You have just outlined the problem with this runnnig joke - it's confusing. Even to regulars like Yeltensic42.618. I'm sure an Edit > Find search in your browser will outline the spread.--Commander Keane 09:22, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

Computer animation job questions

What is so interesting about being a computer animator?

Why are people so interested in computer animation?

How much do computer animators get paid?

how many years of college do you have to attend in order to get a computer animation job?

Where can I find more information on computer animation?

See Computer-generated imagery and Computer Animation --Noodhoog 13:53, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

elven history

i would like to know if there is any information that may prove that elves once existed or any writings that may have actual proof

If you can become one of the very few people in the world that could live through Tolkien's Silmarillon, then you will have your answer ... or you'll be dead. --Zeizmic 15:04, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

Aside from a form of upper atmospheric lightning phenomena, the only evidence for elves is found in fiction. — Lomn Talk 15:36, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

Well, there was a race of tiny people, Homo floresienses, but calling them elves might be a stretch. We apparently need an article on them. See this page for info:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/10/1027_041027_homo_floresiensis.html

StuRat

• That's Homo floresiensis.--Pharos 15:21, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

• Thanks. StuRat 15:31, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

Booker T. Washington

in my english class we are writing a research paper on specific authors and i have choosen Booker t. washington. In your opinon why is he a great american, what did he do to influence the thoughts of others?

Your homework assignment asks for your opinion of Booker T. Washington, not ours. — Lomn Talk 16:33, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

If you don't have an opinion on the guy, try to think of an opinion someone else may have on him. --Optichan 16:54, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

He's a 'great American' because people who do their own homework say he is. He influenced outhers by writing things, which you may or may not care to read. AllanHainey 08:50, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

Organized religion

I was emailing with a friend last nite, and we were talking about organized religion (specifically the Catholic church). It seems to me that I remember seeing something in the book of revelations about organized religion leading people down the wrong path in the final days. Is there such a statement in the bible..........or did I read this somewhere else?

I don't know of anything in the Book of Revelation; it's never so straightforward as all that. See that article for info.

There are, however, some passages elsewhere that you could spin that way. I'd suggest using one of the many online "search the Bible" tools or, perhaps better, online concordances. Try this site. --George 17:17, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

Isn't all religion organised? I mean, religion is when people decide to have the same belief, and that is a form of organisation, right? DirkvdM 20:54, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

Some religions and sects are more hierarchical, with the Catholic Church being perhaps the most so. Others, like the Quakers, leave much of the interpretation of the Bible to the members, rather than having somebody up high decide what it means and tell you what to believe. StuRat 21:36, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

So its a gradual thing, so the term makes no sense because there is always some level of organisation. One can only speak of 'more organised' religion. DirkvdM 12:36, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

There are also people who have their own unique religous beliefs, and aren't organized with others in any way. Perhaps this is what Revelations had in mind as the ideal. StuRat 14:55, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, but my point was that that is a belief, not a religion. At least, that is how I sort of define the terms. Then again, it makes littel sense to argue about the meaning of English terms when the question is about a book that is originally written in, ehm, what? Well, something that will be hard to discuss in English. Or even impossible. Which would make all discussions about Christianity and Judaism invalid because they're based on texts in dead languages. Or am I exaggerating now? (Not that I think any religious discussion makes any sense, but that's a differnt matter). DirkvdM 20:45, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

Not a different matter at all, Dirk. It's very germane indeed. You've just acknowledged that you have a bias about this subject and thus your entire contribution to this debate is POV-tainted and should be taken with a grain of salt. (I've got to find ways of reducing my sodium intake. WP ref desk is a health hazard.) Cheers. JackofOz 23:13, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

If only people who lack any opinion on a subject may comment on it, then we will have many unanswerered questions here. StuRat 01:26, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

People who lack opinions would have nothing to contribute at all. Everyone has an opinion on certain things; sometimes those opinions are educated, sometimes they're baseless, sometimes they're in-between. Dirk says that he doesn't think any religious discussion makes sense, which is quite a sweeping statement. I don't quibble with his right to have that point of view, but equally nobody should quibble with my right not to give much credence to anything he said on the subject of religion, because it would be, by his own admission, inherently biased. JackofOz 04:00, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

And of course I reserve the same right to ignore you. :) What I meant to say is that religious discussions usually end the way they start, with people having different opinions. They may use all manner of argument but will only listen to themselves and stick to whichever preconception they started of with. I've seen this happen many times and decided I would never enter another religious discussion. Not very successfully, as you may have noticed. But the issue I raised is of a rather different nature. Can one discuss a book written in a language one doesn't quite understand? Especially one that is said to have indisputable truths that may not be altered! DirkvdM 09:53, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

Yes, translation from one language to another is an obvious conduit for the introduction of error. For example, the Biblical commandment "Thou shalt not kill" must be a misinterpretation, as the word "kill" in English means to intentionally end the life of any person, animal, plant, or even bacteria. Surely they didn't mean that. Either it means "Thou shalt not kill people" or perhaps "Thous shalt not commit murder" if some forms of killing people, such as during war, self defence, or capital punishment for crimes, are to be allowed. With the poor translation available to us, we don't really know the intent of the commandment. StuRat 11:13, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

I've never read the book of revelation, but I'll just pass on what little I know. I guess you're thinking of the antichrist. As that article states, he's not mentioned much in the bible, so it's open to interpretation, but some interpretations are that the antichrist will be a false teacher pretending to follow the teachings of Christ. Some believe he will be a religious or world leader. Anti-Catholics think he'll be (or even is now) the Pope. So there are interpretations where it's organized religion leading people astray. Probably the bible doesn't mention organized religion itself, that's only modern interpretation. -lethe ^talk 21:20, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

I do not remember the name for it. There is probably a Wiki article on the subject. But there are people who read holy books like The Bible and are devout believers in what they get out of it, but they do not attend any church or congregation. User:AlMac|^(talk) 04:12, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

Sports

I'd like to know Franco Harris's jersey number while he played with the Seahawks.

Glenn --64.12.116.199 18:04, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

At some point his jersey number was 32, but I'm not sure if that was when he was playing for the Steelers or the Seahawks. [9] --Optichan 18:46, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

I haven't found a picture, but I've found a couple things that suggest it was 34. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 06:08, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

According to the picture here, the answer is indeed 34. (ESkog)^(Talk) 06:12, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

Crops

What is Britains largest cereal crop? --195.92.67.75 20:14, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)[10], the United Kingdom produced 15 million tons of wheat last year compared to 5.5 million tons of barley and 0.5 million tons of oats. Triticale, mixed grain and rye were in much lower amounts (and zero maize, sorghum or soybeans) Rmhermen 22:46, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

Also try Economy of the United Kingdom and look at the section on agriculture. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 22:50, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

Wheat is Britains largest cereal crop? Sorry, couldnt resist it! Jameswilson 00:56, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

LaTeX

Your page discusses LaTeX. Can this editor (software) properly read a Word Documend such as a book and prepare if for ofset printing; or must the book or document be prepared originally in LaTeX?

As far as I know there is no way to convert a Microsoft Word document into LaTeX (or TeX), and in any case such would certainly run counter to the fundamental design principles of LaTeX. As for preparing a Word document for printing, commercial desktop publishing programs like Adobe PageMaker can import Word documents, but the quality of the results may vary a lot. In my experience, as often as not it can be easier to just export the document as plain text and recreate the formatting from scratch in the DTP program. —Ilmari Karonen (talk) 20:38, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

If you want to offset print a LaTeXdocument (or for that matter a Word document), I would recommend first converting it to the PDF format using Adobe Acrobat or other such software. LaTeX can also output directly to PostScript which can also be handled by most commercial printers. If your document is in Word and you are happy with the way it looks, there is no need for it to be converted to LaTeX. --Canley 23:13, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

There are ways. How well they work is an open question... [11] --Fangz 03:32, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

Odd Light

Yesterday I was on my computer and a light went on and off, naturally I assumed it was my light which flickered, but it never flickers unless I switch it on and then it'll flickier if the light bulb is out. But then a few minutues later I switched on the light and as usual it bathed the room in light, but the light that flickered was a much deeper yellow and it didn't bathe the room, and it was above my head, diagonally which isn't where my lamp is. What could it have been? I just tried flickering my light and that was definitley not how it happened! I am now thinking it could have been a faery?

I would work through the more mundane explanations first. Perhaps there was a "power bump" or minor brown-out. This will cause your lights to flicker/go on and off. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 22:53, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

A common source of odd lights is reflected sunlight off objects outside the window, including the possibility of a double reflection. --Anonymous, 11:00 UTC, January 25.

Tower of Bable

How tall was the tower of Bable mentioned in the Bible?? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.227.239.174 (talk • contribs)

According to our Tower of Babel article, the Book of Jubilees states that its height amounted to 5433 cubits and 2 palms. Those units of measure are not precise, please see our articles Cubit and Palm (unit). hydnjo talk 00:16, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

That is only according to the Book of Jubilees. The Bible contains no mention of the tower's height, and the Apocalypse of Baruch describes it as 463 cubits. See Tower of Babel for more information. СПУТНИК^{ССС Р} 00:27, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

At 1.5 feet per cubit, 5433 cubits would be 8150 ft or over a mile and half high, which is about 4 times beyond even current capabilities, much less ancient technology. Even 463 cubits would be 695 feet tall, or about 50% taller than the tallest Egyptian pyramid, which would seem like a stretch, but perhaps at least in the range of possibilities. StuRat 14:38, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

January 25

U.S. President - total compensation

The President of the United States has an annual base salary of $400,000. What would be the value of all the perks? I can think of:

• Free housing for him and his family
• Free medical care
• Free meals, complete with a master chef
• Free transportation
• Secret Service protection

Basically, everything he needs is paid for. I'm thinking the total compensation must run tens of millions of dollars.

— Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.164.146.127 (talk • contribs)

• Have you tried looking at the budget for the office of the president? You'll need to look in several places, though. Things like Air Force One and Marine One alone run to tens of millions of dollars a year. That and his use of the white house/executive branch staff are probably the two largest benefits, if you consider all the salaries added together. Night Gyr 00:55, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

• Consider this, HMX-1, the squadron that operates Marine One, is about to spend six billion dollars to buy new helicopters. Their old helicopters lasted over 40 years, but that's still an average of almost 150 million per year. Night Gyr 00:59, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

• Check out President_of_the_United_States#Salary_and_benefits. hydnjo talk 01:29, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

Work-related travel and security expenses don't really count as "benefits". I don't consider my work-related travel part of my benefits, why should the President of the United States, who probably gets a lot less time off to sightsee on his travels than I do? --Robert Merkel 07:02, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

Agreed. He can't just rent out Air Force One and Marine One if he wants to, so they aren't really his. The Secret Service isn't just for their personal benefit, but also to protect the nation from the problems caused by assassinations, such as the need to declare war on whichever country or organization is thought to be responsible. Presidents have, however, basically rented out rooms of the White House, allowing contributors to their party or campaign to stay overnight in the Lincoln Bedroom, for example. Many in the US find this practice repulsive. So, distinguishing which perks are a form of compensation for the job and which are merely provided to aid in the performance of the job is a bit tricky. Perhaps the biggest perk is the resulting fame which can be turned into money by writing books, giving paid lectures, becoming a lobbyist, endorsing a product, etc. Fortunately no taxpayer dollars go into this. StuRat 14:03, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

Precisely. Hillary Clinton has to file income statements, including both her and Bill's earnings, as a Senator. Therefore, it's not hard to find out just how much Bill can earn. this article suggests he earned about 20 million dollars from his autobiography and his speaking engagements in 2004. A fit, healthy ex-President is unlikely to want for money. --Robert Merkel 05:13, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

the wild parrots of telegraph hill

I saw this movie and I loved it but I was so sad how he had to leave, where did he leave to because I've been on his site and he writes about seeing the old flock he was with? Just what happened after he left?

He was on a BBC radio programme some time back & I think he just got a house somewhere else in San Francisco (I think it was S F, I haven't seen the film). AllanHainey 08:53, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

Yes, it was San Francisco. There are other populations of wild parrots in the US, though, such as in New York City. It's amazing a tropical bird can survive there. StuRat 13:48, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

Parrots

Where are red masked conures found? Is there a site which can tell me where all birds are found?

They seem to come from Ecuador, see Red-masked Parakeet. As for a site that might be able to tell you where all birds are found, there are a LOT of birds. This site is pretty extensive, but probably nowhere near complete. I'd venture a guess that you won't find such a site. -- Rick Block (talk) 04:38, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

Anastasia

Why was the royal family murdered? And also why is it that Anastasia or her sister could have survived?

See Nicholas II of Russia and Russian Revolution of 1917, and Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia. You probably would have found these quicker if you had used the search box on your left--Robert Merkel 06:58, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

• I saw an episode of Mystery Hunters last weekend in which they investigated the possibility of Anastasia surviving. Basically, the woman who said she was Anastasia was a Polish factory worker (based on DNA evidence) which means the body of the Anastasia is still unaccounted for. Without a body, we can never be sure she actually died in the attack. - Mgm|^(talk) 09:37, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

Those articles don't seem to answer the first question. The most logical answer, I'd say, is that after the feb revolution they were kept alive and thus a threat to the revolution. Any monarchist counterrevolutions would have litte point if there is no monarch to put on the throne. Since any relative could be used for that, the whole family had to be killed. Being born into nobility usually has some serious perks, more so in Tsarist Russia, where the alternatives were pretty lousy to put it mildly, but in this case it was rather tough luck. You may be innocent, but you can be used as an excuse for less innocent people, so you have to die. DirkvdM 13:03, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

Agreed. StuRat 13:50, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

Convert SVGs into GIF animation

Hi all, I'm planning to make a GIF animation from some SVGs, I am using ImageReady, but which does not recognize SVG format, Illustrator recognizes SVG format, but I do not know how to batch convert SVGs to file format ImageReady recognizes. I also tried convert tool comes with ImageMagick, but its SVG render engine seems buggy, and produced a corrupted rendering, so how can I do this job? — Yaohua2000 05:37, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

british royal family

May i get the link for history of british family and also the relationship between russian and british family?How the disease in which blood production stop is called royal family disease?

See British Royal Family. There is a search box on the left hand side of every page that can help you find many more articles that may be of interest as well. Dismas|^(talk) 10:13, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

See Hemophilia for reasons as to why it's called "The Royal disease". GeeJo _{(t) (c)} • 10:59, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

And of course they will all have to die too (see Anastasia above). And them being inbred haemophiliacs, that shouldn't be too hard to acomplish. :) DirkvdM 20:48, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

Hemophilia has nothing to do with inbreeding. - Nunh-huh 22:13, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

Dirk, if that was Dutch humour, I don't much care for it. Sounds pretty insensitive to be appearing to advocate the killing, or the early death by disease, of a person just because they happen to be born into a royal family. Or maybe your English skills failed you this time. JackofOz 23:07, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

Hmmm, my humour is rather sharp at times, so maybe I should tone that down a bit (it has occasionally gotten a bit out of hand lately). But I thought that haemophilia (which is recessive and should therefore largely 'peter out') perpetuated in European royal families because they don't breed outside their own little circle. I don't know how this works, just something I picked up once (or twice). Is this some 'urban myth' then? DirkvdM 10:01, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

No, that's quite correct. It's a recessive disease, meaning you need two such chromosomes to exhibit symptoms. The bad chromosome is fairly uncommon in the general population, so having two is quite rare. However, it was carried by the European royal families, which are inbred with one another, thus greatly increasing the chances a person will be born with two such chromosomes and exhibit syptoms. It was just bad luck that the royal families had this particular bad gene to begin with. On the other hand, the chances that any one individual will have at least one chromosome for some recessive disease is fairly good. If their descendents all interbreed, that makes the chances their offspring will exhibit some recessive disorder much greater. On the other hand, if those which exhibit the disease either die or are prevented from reproducing, this results in purging the bad chromosomes from the gene pool far quicker than would happen without interbreeding.

The effects of the disease have been dramatic. The son of the last Tsar of Russia suffered from the disease, which caused his mother to allow Rasputin into the palace to calm him down with a type of hypnotism, which lowered BP and thus limited bleeding. This weirdo then gained influence over the Tsar and Tsarina, causing a backlash of public hatred against them. The Russian nobles saw what was happening and murdered Rasputin (after several nearly simultaneous attempts) but it was too late. The Russian Revolution followed shortly afterward, changing the world forever. StuRat 10:53, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

Furlong

The furlong article states:

The city of Chicago's numbering system allots a measure of 800 to each mile. Logically, streets were subsequently laid out 8 to the mile. This means that every block in a typical Chicago neighborhood (in either North/South or East/West direction but rarely both) is precisely one furlong.

I grew up in Chicago and knew that there were 8 blocks to a mile but I can't figure out what that first sentence is supposed to mean. 800 what?? Dismas|^(talk) 11:07, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

Just a wild ass guess from someone who's never been on the same continent as Chicago, but maybe house numbers? The spacing sounds a bit dense (one number every two meters), but I guess at least that way one wouldn't run out of numbers even in the most densely built areas. —Ilmari Karonen (talk) 13:51, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

That's my guess, too. The dense numbers might be needed for multi-family homes with multiple addresses. My Brother lives in such a home in Detroit, for example. Apartment buildings, on the other hand, generally have one address and then add an apartment number to distinguish between units. StuRat 14:18, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

It isn't quite as dense as you think, as odd numbers only are used on one side of the street and even numbers only on the other side of the street. Crypticfirefly 05:41, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

Drinking Songs

Okiedokie. (So much for my wikibreak I suppose...the drinking song from the Aquafina commercials. Is that an actual drinking song or marketing hype based on one? In either case, what's the song's title (the actual song title or the song title it's based off of)? Bonus points for ITMS links. Even better if they're for the US store. --MPA

Are you talking about "Drink Drink Drink" by Mario Lanza? (Here's the iTMS link.) --Aaron 00:19, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

In the immortal words of Luigi (as heard on Mario Kart 64): "Bingo! Ho ho ho ho!" Thanks much for your assistance. 12.72.244.198 11:46, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

orchard

I searched orchard and it's actually a group of trees, but I always thought it was a flower...i'm an australian if that helps?

Maybe you're thinking of orchid. JackofOz 12:49, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

Agreed. Also note that an orchard is a group of the same type of fruit or nut trees. A general group of similar trees is called a "stand". StuRat 13:41, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

When it comes to spelling, being Australian doesn't usually help, in my experience. Oops, sorry. :) DirkvdM 13:05, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

Oi, I saw that. But actually you've got a point. I've been bemoaning the standards of education in this country for years - and spelling and grammar just don't seem to matter any more. I can't understand what the educators think they're going to achieve with that approach. Anyway, Happy (honorary) Australia Day. Cheers. JackofOz 22:56, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

Hoping to find A Niece To add her to the family web site

Hi Hope you can help, My half brother died in 1971 I never met him but he had A daughter who was about 17 at the time of his death, The family has A web site and would like to meet her an add her to our family tree,www.kycrossroads.com Her mom and Dad were seperated she lived with her Mother in Holtom City Texas, Her name was Sharon Lynn Burke I think her birth day is in August Have been told her Dad died on her birthday,1971, She should be about 51 possible married could be A grand mother she could be looking for her family, I know how that feels becaust I just found the family 6 months ago We would love to let her know she has A loving family who cares about her.Hope you can help we will be forever thankful, I am happy thare people like you who make the impossible happen, William Burke //Montgomery RR 2 Box 800 Point Pleasant Wv. 25550

Googling her name comes up with this picture. Could that be her? David Sneek 15:15, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

In the USA, the Salvation Army has a program to help families get re-united. When people move from one snail mail address to another, they can file a change-of-snail-mail-address with the US Post Office. Because junk mail is a major source of income for the post office, they put this stuff on computer so the junk mail people can access it and find the new snail mail addresses for their targets. I do not know if ordinary people can access this stuff, and I do not know how long the post office has been doing it. User:AlMac|^(talk) 04:17, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

coping with work pressure at college

What do you mean ? You work and go to college and the work load makes college difficult ? StuRat 16:28, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

You think college is pressure? You will probably for the rest of your life think it the most relaxed time you ever had as a grown up. alteripse 22:02, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

Why do British people have bad teeth and smell funny?

I never noticed that. David Sneek 15:26, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

It's a Ethnic stereotype. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 16:21, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

Us Brits have sterotypes of other people, too. Heh heh! ^KILO-_LIMA 16:42, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

It's odd people think that, because braces are free for kids on the NHS and we even have a town called Bath! How much cleaner could we get‽ smurrayinchester^{(User), (Talk)} 19:25, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

BRITISH PEOPLE SMELL BAD BECAUSE THEY DONT TAKE SHOWERS, THEY HAVE BAD TEETH BECAUSE THEY DONT BRUSH THEM.

I'm afraid that sounds like original research. Can you find some sources to back it up, or, failing that, suitly emphazi? smurrayinchester^{(User), (Talk)} 20:29, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

Strange thing to say considering the toothbrush article says that it was an englishman who invented it. My guess is that this schoolboy style insult was written by some inbred redneck who's never even seen a Brit let alone smelt their breath, lol!--Goshawk 20:54, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

Well, on the BBC (the British Broadcasting Corporation!) I heard that just a few decades ago the Brits (or more specifically English, I believe) bathed on average once a week. Never mind showering, showers probably didn't even exist then in England. Then again, showering too often, and especially when you use soap, is addictive. The body will adapt and get smelly quicker, so you have to bathe again sooner, etc. So they may not have smelled that bad. Anyway, what's bad? Not bathing makes you smell of yourself. Getting rid of that will make you alienate from yourself. Smell is a very potent mood-determinant. So losing your smell is like losing yourself. And to top this off, if everyone smelled like that, we wouldn't notice. So it's really everyone else who've got it wrong. (especially in the US, where it seems people bathe more than once a day and put on a 'clean' shirt every day). DirkvdM 21:03, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

I thought by 'Bad Teeth' that they meant Austin Powers style malocclusions. That seems to be a typical part of the 'Great British Stereotype'. smurrayinchester^{(User), (Talk)} 22:08, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

Actually there is some historical evidence that Continental travellers in the 16th and 17th centuries were appalled at how seldom English people had a proper bath. Once a year or some such. If they got a bit whiffy, they just put on some lavender water, but they didnt think of having a bath. So maybe its a stereotype which started among the early non-English settlers in North America. Jameswilson 00:09, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

Of course, if we go back far enough, pretty much nobody anywhere bathed regularly. I would have guessed that was because the cost of soap, a bathtub, and fuel to heat the water was beyond most people then. However, rich people bathed infrequently, too. I'm not sure why they preferred to stink rather than bathe. StuRat 10:36, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

I seem to recall reading that drinking tea can discolor teeth worse than coffee or smoking. But they don't smell - that's your upper lip. KWH

The British mother of a school friend of mine had bad teeth, she remarked once that it was the result of poor nutrition during WWII when she was growing up. Crypticfirefly 05:36, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

The Movie Fargo...

I just took a trip to Minneapolis and I was expecting them to talk like the people in Fargo. They sound nothing like the movie???

"Oh, ya, ya, well, that's not quite close enough now, dontcha know ?" The distance between those two cities is greater than that between New York City and Boston, and you wouldn't expect the same accent in those two cities, "now wouldja now ?" StuRat 16:19, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

But the movie Fargo isn't set in Fargo, North Dakota, it's set in Brainerd, Minnesota. User:Zoe|^(talk) 16:30, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

The movie Fargo is a stereotype. They do not talk like that.

They really talk like the folks on Garrison Keillor's Prairie Home Companion, if you want to hear the accent. alteripse 22:00, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

Some people there really do talk like that. I have an e-mail friend in Sioux Falls, South Dakota who sort of has the accent. Also, the distance matters less in the Great Plains than the Northeast, since it's a matter of population density more than area, but the distance between Fargo and Minneapolis still matters nonetheless. Yeltensic42.618 don't panic 23:32, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

The isolation of an area is the main factor. If people from City X and City Y regularly moved to each other's cities, I would expect a similar accent in both. If they don't, then I wouldn't expect the same accent. StuRat 01:08, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

Exactly. And because the Northeast is more densely populated, with New York and Boston being part of a continuous urban belt (BosWash), there is likely more travel between them than between Fargo and Minneapolis. Yeltensic42.618 don't panic 01:17, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

• And whoops, there goes your theory, since there are much larger differences in accents between 40 mile distances between Boston and Washington than between 200 mile distances in the north central plains. alteripse 02:48, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

• I don't believe that a densely populated area in between two cities assures heavy travel between them. StuRat 04:16, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

• Actually, come to think of it the high population density could mean less travel between the two cities, as each small area is more self-sufficient (ie Bostonians don't have to go to New York to buy anything). Yeltensic42.618 don't panic 06:58, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

• But actually, I'm pretty certain I've read that it has to do with the population density (that's why cities like New York and London have different accents within the city). So it probably has little to do with people moving between the two cities. In retrospect, my post about the "whoops theory" was a pretty glaring error, whether or not the "moving theory" is right. I need to stop posting while listening to music. Yeltensic42.618 don't panic 06:58, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

According to our Fargo article:

• The accents used by characters in the film are a stereotypical overapplication of North Central American English. Actual spoken language in Minnesota deviates little from General American.

StuRat 01:15, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

It also varies from area to area. In some parts of Minnesota and the Dakotas, the accent many people have isn't far off from the movie; in other areas it is entirely different. Yeltensic42.618 don't panic 01:18, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

Australians

Going on from the question above about British people. Where does the Ethnic stereotype about Australians wearing large floppy hats with corks on strings come from? And if there is even a minor bit of truth in it why would anyone do that? Please ensure that you suitly emphazi your answer. Thanks. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 16:48, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

Could be due to the incorporation of the Slouch hat in the Aussie military uniform. --BluePlatypus 17:23, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

Aaargh! BluePlatypus, you're no longer red, you've actually turned blue! And now that I've checked your user page to see what happened you've turned purple! Can you do a rainbow? DirkvdM 21:11, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

Shouldn't have clicked it! :) For the record, I have no relation to the user PurplePlatypus. --BluePlatypus 23:00, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

The corks are supposedly a mechanical insect repellent, meant to keep flies off the face. Whether this actually works, and whether any Australians actually wear such hats, I don't know. —Charles P.  (Mirv) 18:26, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

I've never seen anyone wear those hats, not even in Alice Springs or on farms. Maybe they used to, I don't know. --Vzzbx]

it used to be (and maybe still is) a British stereotype. They were featured in Monty Pythons Flying Circus at least once. I live in the Arctic and we have a lot of mosquitoes in the summer perhaps I should try it. Even it it doesn't work, it should be fun drinking the wine to get the corks. Thanks for the replys. 02:35, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

The only people you *ever* see wearing those hats are backpackers from overseas. Farmers certainly don't, though many sometimes wear the hats without the hanging corks (though more probably just wear baseball caps advertising John Deere tractors or the like).

That said, in many parts of Australia the flies are extremely annoying at some times of the year. "The Great Australian Salute" is a ironic commentary on the regular need to wave flies away from your face. --Robert Merkel 05:06, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

My favorite Aussie TV ad was for Fosters beer...It started with two men on a porch drinking Fosters, when one's wife comes out, bitching incessantly, followed by a cloud of flies. After she leaves, this exchange takes place between the two men:

"Why do you put up with that, mate ?"

"She's got her good points, at least she keeps the flies offa me beer."

StuRat 10:27, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

Wallace Brothers Circus

> Hi, > I'm trying to locate anyone that may have historical records from the Wallace > Brothers Circus around 1940. My grandparents used to have a knife throwing and > whip act. Their names were Robert Walter and Pearl Collins. Their show names > were Texas Slim and Montana Nell. My mother was in the act also as a horse > back trick rider and rifle sharp shooter. Her show name was Little Miss Peggy. > I have my mothers autograph book with a lot of famous names in it such as Lee > Powell, the original silver screen lone ranger. His wife Norma signed the book > also. Also Clyde and Harriett Beatty signed the book. > Current day champion knife thrower and maker Joe Darrah is nominating my > grandparents into The International Knife Throwers Hall of Fame in Austin, Tx > next Labor Day weekend. > My question is, can you tell me how to get in contact with anyone from the > Wallace Brothers Circus to ask them if they have any knowledge or records of > my mother and grandparents performing for them in the summer of 1940.. > Thank you for your time on this. > Respectively, > Chuck Engel > Daytona Beach, Fl

Perhaps try the Circus World Museum's Robert L. Parkinson Library and Research Center. Rmhermen 19:51, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

First, your formattting, using ">" at the front of each line, doesn't really work in Wikipedia. Now, as for circuses in the US, they have been in a period of decline for many decades now, so only a few remain. Smaller circuses, like the one you mentioned, are likely defunct. The reasons for this decline include:

• Competition from new forms of entertainment, like TV, video games, and the Internet.

• Popular feeling that forcing animals to do tricks is unethical, and they are best viewed in their natural habitat, engaging in natural behaviour, or as close as we can get in a zoo or wildlife santuary.

• Concern that animals may be abused in a circus.

• Reduced availability and increased cost for exotic animals like lions and elephants.

• Popular feeling that looking at deformed or diseased people for entertainment is unethical. People still do this, but prefer to do it in the privacy of their own home, say by watching the Jerry Springer Show.

• Increased skepticism over the honesty of associated carnival games has reduced revenue.

StuRat 00:59, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

Ovaltine

In your article about Ovaltine, you mention Captain Midnight; but not "The Lone Ranger." I seem to remember Ovaltine mentioned in the series. I also remember sending in an Ovaltine label and 10/25 cents for a pedameter. Am I wrong/correct??????

You are correct and you are dating yourself. See here and follow the link to "The Premiums". CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 02:56, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

Sorry I read that backwards. This mentions the "Lone Ranger" but this mentions "Tales of the Texas Rangers". CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 03:04, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

psp and digital cameras

digital cameras savecard work with psp?????

Which psp? Or is that a stupid question? DirkvdM 21:18, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

i was talking about playstation portable

Most cameras use SD cards, some use CF cards. Sony cameras use a memory stick; I'm pretty sure the "savecards" from a Sony camera will work with a PSP. Noone else's will. See Memory Stick.

Yeah, Sony is the only company using memory sticks and they're rather pushy about it, so it makes sense the playstation only uses memory sticks (and umd's - also by Sony). See the frame in PlayStation Portable (could have done that yourself!).

By the way, I thought that CF cards were the most popular. Am I out of date or is this a regional difference? I'm from the Netherlands. DirkvdM 10:13, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

Depends, Dirk. At the photography studio I work at, they live on Compact Flash. My grandmother uses SecureDigital, and so did I for a time (with my color palm that ended up dying a very messy death). Anyone with Sony products uses Memory Sticks; most Fuji devices rely on XD cards, which are the same width as an SD card but are half as long (so if you tried to use it in an SD slot, you'd lose it...). For data transfer, most people will use a thumb drive. I use a combination of a thumb drive and an SD card just to be a prick, but for digital images...eh, I've confused myself. To put it simply: CF is very popular, and is generally accepted as the de facto image storage thingy. (Don't quote me on that--it's strictly POV.) 12.72.244.198 11:53, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

need title of this song.

what is the title of this song in this video? : http://thatvideosite.com/view/1520.html -chris

nevermind. i found it. the title is 'behind' by lacquer. -chris

need name of chinese singer.

In my last trip to China, i noticed that there was a cover from modern talking´s brother louie wich was performed by a chinese girl, Does anybody know the name of the girl? --blackman 23:26, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

January 26

croisa a new country

hello wikipedians i was watching an episode of the usa tv show monk. monk was investigating a murder in which a movie star who was believed to have died in the late 1960`s may have faked his own death. monk was looking at what was supposed to be the movie stars hair brush it said made in croisa.but monk said croisa is a new country and that it did not exist until 1992 is that true. thanks and just in case you are wondering iam not doing my homework.

I think you mean Croatia, which formed from the former Yugoslavia at about that time. StuRat 00:45, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

american pov of brasil

why americans think that brasilians are slut, since they aren't?? A Friend of my friend travelled to USA and said that there he had easy sex with womans that are very beatiful?

For similar reasons certain parts of the developing world think that all Western women are sluts, as you so bluntly put it. "They" get a very distorted picture from portrayals in the media, both journalistic and fictional, and also from the tourist places they tend to visit. Their mental picture of Brazil probably starts at the scantily clad women on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro, and ends with the Carnival.

That said, the USA is a very large and diverse country. Don't assume because *some* Americans have an unrealistic view of your country, that all of them do. And don't think you're immune to unrealistic views about other countries. I work at a university in Australia. Of all the different sporting clubs on my campus (one for each sport, like tennis, the different sorts of football, and so on) which one do you think is the biggest? --Robert Merkel 05:01, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

Kangaroo racing? :)

Indeed, where I come from (Netherlands, but I'm not sure if that is the cause), there is some preconception about Brazilian women being rather 'loose' (mostly to do with carnaval and strings on beaches), but that is largely recognised as a preconception. There is, however, also the (stronger?) notion that girls in the US are easy lays. This is based more on actual experience from people who have been there. DirkvdM 10:20, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

I'm a Brazilian and I must admit these views are actually very realistic and valid. It's one of the reasons I loathe this place. ☢ Ҡieff⌇↯ 10:37, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

First Article on Wikipedia

What was the first article ever on Wikipedia. When was it submitted?

Thanks, Yeow

See History of Wikipedia. --Robert Merkel 04:47, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

Gabrielle Delacour

Angelica Mandy is an actress best known for playing Gabrielle Delacour in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

I would just like to know where Angelica Mandy was born?

How is the question related to the title ? StuRat 05:26, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

Uh... Angelica Mandy is the actress who played Gabrielle Delacour? Couldn't find anything on where she was born, though. Too many noise from Harry Potter fancruft. ☢ Ҡieff⌇↯ 08:25, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

For StuRat's question, see Angelica Mandy. For the original poster's question, I have no idea. --Anonymous, 08:23 UTC, January 26.

Ok, I added that clarification to the question and struck out my question. StuRat 10:05, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

Paula Deen Show

Can anyone help me find the name of the music (theme) for the Paula Deen show.

ThNK You M. Kessler [e-mail address removed]

blue ribbon vs. red ribbon to indicate first place

I have always understood that to win the blue ribbon meant to win first place, and that the red ribbon was awarded for second, yet in the U.K. and in the Commomwealth countries this custom is often reversed. Can anyone explain the origin of this reversal and perhaps clarify which order (blue-red vs. red-blue) should win by virtue of priority?

Robert Dietz

WW2 era brick markings

hi can anyone tell me what these signs mean on a brick taken out at 36ft level.this was the site of a japanese army camp in 1945 and is beside the h jap hose of officers quarters.sorry i cant scan it in but it has the letter p inside the shape of a diamond and the letter c inside the shape of another diamond and repeated inside the next shape of a diamond

Where did you find the bricks ? StuRat 10:01, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

A question about a mysterious (?) holiday for Canada.

On a trip to Barcelona , Spain , in November - December of 2000 , I bought a great Barcelona calendar for 2001 to bring home to Vancouver with me. I've kept it , to verify the content of my question , which I haven't looked into for quite awhile . On the calendar , April 28 is listed as being 'National Day of Mounthing' for .....Canada ! Does anyone have any idea what this might be ? Thanks .

Dangling doorway thing

You know they have these dangly curtain-esque things in doorways, like in hippies' houses and others, where kinda braids hang down from the ceiling of the doorway, and you can walk through these dangly braids into the next door, and all the dangly braids get in your mouth and stuff, and make a jiggling sound. But they also prevent you from seeing into the room throught the doorway (at least, the top half). This is the best description I can come up with for them...What are those things called? Thanks very much in advance -WF--Dumbelievable 11:19, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

Help With Electronic Chips

  I am doing a project which requires me to work with 74ls245, 74l373 and 28c256. I have a problem since I am into computers and not into electronics as such. I would like to have the pin descritions of these chips(not the voltage level...).For eg, whether the pin is active low and some more information. I have tried searching for these but to no avail. 
  I would be glad if you could help.

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