Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2007 June 5

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June 5

Title added: Bio project

i have completed my 2nd year in biotechnology engineering and presently undertaking training program in which i need to work on a disease to develop a drug for its treatment. disease should be such that it has not yet been eradicated from most parts of the world and my research and drug should help contribute to its treatment. please suggest me any such disease. is tuberculosis a good choice to work on?--Gurmin 13:42, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

The Science desk would be better, but you should clarify a little bit. Nobody would expect a 2nd year student to come up with a miracle drug! What have the previous students done for this? --Zeizmic 15:02, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

What?

Is it just me or is all the text much bigger suddenly? What is going on here? HS7 14:23, 5 June 2007 (UTC) HS7 14:23, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

Just you. Try "Ctrl -" to reduce your font size. — Lomn 14:40, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

What? When should I try that, and what am I supposed to do :? Sorry I know nothing about computers, can you bve a bit clearer :( HS7 14:53, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

What he's saying is you probably accidentally changed the size of text in your browser. On IE, hit on the toolbar, View -> Text Size -> (whatever size you want). It should be the same for other browsers (On firefox, holding control and scrolling with the mouse wheel will change the size, so that might have happened)--GTPoompt 15:14, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

And, he's saying hold down the control key and press the minus key to decrease the size of the text. (Holding down control and pressing the + key has the opposite effect.) --Richardrj ^{talk email} 15:22, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

No it doesn't :( But I have fixed it now, thanks :) HS7 15:35, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

Clever ways to save space?

I'd seen this: http://www.treehugger.com/bothstairs.jpg and it got me thinking of ways I could save space when (Or maybe, if) I ever have a custom house built. Basically, just looking for interesting ways to save space, like using the space under/over beds, desks, etc, especially interesting would be to see ideas from boats, since the nicer ones i've seen tend to really use every nook and cranny. Also, this would be in a dome house, so any ways to save space using the unique shape would also be welcome -- Phoeba Wright^OBJECTION! 15:09, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

Futon's and a Murphy bed are a good way to save space. Combined with the steps with drawers, You can have a half-bathroom in the small triangle space that is under the stairs.--GTPoompt 15:22, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

I've heard tell you can actually live under the stairs in a pinch.

Atlant 16:03, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

Check out what they do on boats. Gzuckier 18:27, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

Like I said -- Phoeba Wright^OBJECTION! 00:50, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

Be aware that your local/national building code/regulations will have an effect on what you can do eg there are often minimum requirements for floor areas/space etc and safety issues. For example the two stairs and handrails you pointed to would be illegal in New Zealand where we are developing a conservative and risk averse highly regulated culture that is resistant to innovation (IMHO anyway!) Mhicaoidh 22:36, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

I have a bed that has drawers in the space beneath it. I don't have to clean under my bed ever! (Is there a name for this kind of bed?) V-Man - ^T/_C 00:43, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

I had one of these, although I have no idea what the name was -- Phoeba Wright^OBJECTION! 00:50, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

I have one of those, its from pbteen. I think it's called a captain's bed.

"A captain's bed (also known as a chest bed or cabin bed) is a platform bed with drawers and storage compartments built in underneath" according to Wikipedias article bed Mhicaoidh 01:41, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

Yay! I have a captain's bed! Too bad all the online sources are commercial sites, or I'd be making that article right now. V-Man - ^T/_C 02:28, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

Divan bed in the UK and Commonwealth refers to a day bed or armless couch which is often on a solid base with drawers Mhicaoidh 11:09, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

"Storage bed" is a term commonly heard in the United States. I had one for quite a while.

Atlant 12:49, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

I live in a building whose ceiling height isn't quite high enough to be a proper loft, but a lot of owners get around the rules forbidding construction consistent with loft living by building platform beds, about 7-8 feet high, under which is a perfect place for a computer nook or kids' play area. Anchoress 01:54, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

• Also Romany caravans are often miracles of space utilisation.hotclaws 10:44, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

RIAA

The aformentioned warns that under US copyright law you're liable for up to $150000 in damages per infringed work if you're caught downloading music. But wouldn't courts just grant the $.80 per song or whatever they actually cost? --froth^t 15:38, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

Presumably that's punitive damages as a deterrent. Otherwise, stealing is just the equivalent of a long-term interest-free loan. — Lomn 15:52, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

But surely 150,000 is heavy handed for a single song.. that's not a deterrent, for a single album that's a life-crushing debt that will have your great grandchildren dipping into their kids' college funds to pay off. Is there precedent for courts actually awarding damages? How much was rewarded? You wouldn't be in that much trouble for stealing a real CD from a store, why is downloading so much worse? --froth^t 17:02, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

Most people settle for between $3,000-8,000, but this article says that if the case goes to trial then the minimum the courts can award is $750 per song. Recury 17:52, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

Congress made a judgement in writing the law the way it is that it was necessary to have a much larger maximum damage. That being said, courts do have discretion in punishments to a certain extent (how much discretion with respect to sentencing guidelines is a hot topic at the moment); you probably will not be fined $150,000 for a single song; rather that penalty is likely to be reserved for the worst offenders (the RIAA of course is going to quote the highest amount you could be liable for as a deterrent measure). Even if you aren't fined the maximum, you can still be fined more than the "retail value" of the song for means of retributive, deterrent, and punitive means. Punishments do have to be proportionate to the crime in question per the Eighth Amendment, but there is a tremendous amount of leeway in that regard. I don't have any statistics on me to determine what a "typical" fine for infringement is (although Recury above seems to have an idea) but I could easily see fines in hundreds to thousands of dollars for the reasons above. –Pakman044 18:02, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

Some perspective: these numbers are in the same ballpark as the proposed caps on punitive damages for medical malpractice. You can download "My Lovely Lady Lumps" or drunkenly saw off the wrong lady's lumps for about the same price! --TotoBaggins 16:56, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

National costumes of The Gambia

As part of my sons school's, READ A MILLION WORDS WEEK, my sons class are having a drerss up day, so I need to have pictures of the national costumes of The Gambia (male)

Can Anyone help?

Theres some general pictures of gambians here http://www2.hawaii.edu/~westm/gambia/images.html I dont think theres a decidedly "national" attire the gambians use. Joneleth 16:39, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

Something like Boubou (clothing)? --mglg_(talk) 18:55, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

swimming pools

How difficult is it to maintain a salt water pool, cost of, compared to regular chemical swimming pools. Bizzzzy

Start with Saltwater pool. --Zeizmic 19:49, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

POW Article

why does http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongol_invasion_of_Europe completly glorified hungarians in every sentence. Joneleth 15:54, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

It isn't the best written article on Wikipedia for sure, but I don't really think it's problems are limited to being too pro-Hungarian though. It's very, um, sensationalist throughout. The best place to bring this up is on the discussion page where several other editors have been critical of it as well. Recury 17:47, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

See The protocols of the elders of hungary Gzuckier 18:28, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

Beaver lamb

Can somebody please tell me what a Beaver Lamb fur coat is made of ?86.219.38.109 16:08, 5 June 2007 (UTC)DT

"Contrary to what many people think, beaver lamb is not beaver fur. It is lambskin that has been sheared, dyed and treated - glazed - to make it resemble sheared beaver, hence the name. In the USA and Canada beaver lamb is called mouton" Joneleth 16:32, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

If it's glazed sheared beaver you're after, you should look on Craigslist ... in the "clothing" section. --TotoBaggins 17:03, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

I ve heard about sheared beaver alright, even seen a few. But glazed? The mind boggles.

Adoption by Gay Couples

What is the status of the adoption of children by gay couples in the United States? in the United Kingdom? and in France? In the USA does it vary from state to state? 71.36.35.76 16:37, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

We have an article on the relevant laws here, though it is still in the process of being created. In the US, not only does it vary from state to state, but it is still in flux in many states. -FisherQueen (Talk) 17:05, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

LGBT adoption will tell you everything you need to know... --saxsux 14:19, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

21 questions

hey i need some help. 1.which famous female personality as married for 25 years.she was older than the husband.they are both famous

Cleopatra? Joneleth 17:08, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

I daresay hundreds of famous women would meet these criteria. -- JackofOz 01:57, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

Jack is right, many women can fit those criteria. among them:

1. Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart
2. Rachel Hunter and Rod Stewart
3. Vivienne Westwood and Andreas Kronthaler
4. Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas
5. Edie Brickell and Paul Simon

My source is [1] which is from the page Age disparity in sexual relationships, which I found by search (in google) for "site:en.wikipedia.org marriage age difference". the "site:en.wikipedia.org" part makes google only return answers on the English Wikipedia. Jon513 13:18, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

I misunderstood your question. I thought you ask for a women that was 25 years younger than her husband. I don't think you gave us enough information. Two famous people married for 25 is very common, and it is also not uncommon for the woman to be a little older than the man. Jon513 13:22, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

Is it true and legal to download video games?

I like video games since I was a little boy. Now, I'm just wondering -- rather than getting a video game from a store, is it true and legal to literally download a video game?

Only if it's Freeware or Shareware, or you purchase it from the manufacturer (some companies are doing digital download sales now, where you give them your credit card number, they charge you $40, then they send you a link to download the game). Other than that, no. --Maelwys 17:28, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

Here is a list of freeware games: Category:Freeware games. A lot of non-freeware or -shareware games can be downloaded and tried as a demo or a trial. Just search on Google for the game you want and look around on the game's site, they might have something. Recury 17:37, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

One content delivery source steam is popular with games like Half-Life and Counter Strike. This delivery service sells games at varying price-points and in my experience is a very good game-purchasing method. ny156uk 18:43, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

I wouldn't say very good, because if Valve/Steam goes bankrupt, then anyone who paid for the games won't be able to get another copy. I'm not saying it'll happen for Steam, but if software went in that direction. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 19:03, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

They have the ability to disable the need for authentication. Presumably they'd do that before going bancrupt. See Steam_(content_delivery)#Possibility_of_system_failure. --24.147.86.187 22:29, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

And it doesn't matter whether you buy Half-Life 2 and its derivatives via steam or hardcopy, you need Steam to play it. So if valve disappered without turning off the authentication, you are screwed either way (however unlikely that would be). --antilived^{T | C | G} 06:28, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

Not true, the DVD version of half life 2 does not require steam to play, or any sort of online activation at all- not even a no-DVD crack, or a serial code. And anyway, custom no-steam installers are widely available on the internet (probably not legal unless valve actually did go defunct and there was nobody left to protect their IP) --froth^t 17:06, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

There are plenty of good MMORPGs available for free download. --Candy-Panda 07:16, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

Nanoground

What is nanoground?

From what little I can get out of Google, it seems to be a term that refers to making surfaces very, very smooth. Recury 18:04, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

(nanogrinding) these websites provide a good deal of info. WP:RDAC time! V-Man - ^T/_C 02:36, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

Does anyone know of a free version of the Pro Wrestling Simmer TNM?

TNM (computer game)

Obviously of similar quality. I'm just looking around to see if I can find one, no luck so far. Thank you 71.172.28.176 19:46, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

MMR blood test timing

I might need to get a MMR (mumps, measles, rubella) blood test for myself (I mean just the test, not the vaccination yet). How long will it take to get the blood test results back? Thanks for any answers!

Typically around 5 days in my experience. --Tλε Rαnδоm Eδιτоr 23:05, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

In France, typically same day. In the UK, perhaps a fortnight.90.14.17.10 10:45, 6 June 2007 (UTC)DT

I checked for London. It completely depends on the clinic you use (at different price levels). the very cheap level may take two weeks. pay a bit more, it takes a week. pay a bit more, it takes 2-3 days. Pay a bit more, its same day. *shrug*

I had such a test when Kaiser Permanente hired me; it came back within two days, maybe the same day (memory is hazy as to what happened on which days that week). —Tamfang 07:01, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

Availability in Shanghai

Plus... anyone know where to get a MMR vaccination in Shanghai??? thanks!!!

In France, typically same day. In the UK, perhaps a fortnight.90.14.17.10 10:45, 6 June 2007 (UTC)DT

cause of homosexuality?

is it a freak of nature?

See Homosexuality.Bielle 22:25, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

Relevant quote from that article from the American Academy of Pediatrics: "Sexual orientation probably is not determined by any one factor but by a combination of genetic, hormonal, and environmental influences." Still, science continues to seek more evidence and information, and your question has not yet been fully answered. -FisherQueen (Talk) 22:27, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

That's assuming there's any question to be answered. Maybe a better question would be "What causes some people to be heterosexual but others to be homosexual?". Many people who seek knowledge about this subject seem to assume that heterosexuality is absolutely taken for granted and never to be questioned, while homosexuality is somehow viewed as something odd, strange, freakish and wierd. To my mind, that is not a proper basis on which to explore this subject. -- JackofOz 00:53, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

Indeed, best rephrased: what influences sexuality? When you look at mice, and ablate the organ through which mice appear to selectively identify another individual to mate with, male mice will attempt to mate with both other males and female. Therefore, based on this model system, one could argue the default coding is for bisexuality - and both homo- and hetero-sexuality are restrictions from that. Rockpocket 06:11, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

Well, from an evolutionary standpoint, it kind of makes sense to look at heterosexuality as the norm and homosexuality as the exception, simply because you'd think that evolution would encourage sexual attraction that leads to procreation. That's not to say there's anything wrong morally with homosexuals or homosexuality. But you probably wouldn't ask, "What causes heterosexuality?" We all know heterosexual attraction comes from the evolutionary imperative to perpetuate the species. To put it another way, you might ask, "What causes deafness?" That doesn't mean you have anything against deaf people or think that there's anything wrong with deafness. -- Mwalcoff 08:05, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

Ah, but you're wrong. Look at Dolphins, they have sex for non-procreational reasons. It's not too hard to imagine that non-reproductive sex helps creatures release stress, which would be advantageous. -- Phoeba Wright^OBJECTION! 11:17, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

(After edit conflict) Let us assume that if two advantageous factors drive evolution in opposing directions then (ceterus paribus) evolution will tend towards the direction which the stronger of the two factors commands. So which is stronger: man's (woman's) desire to exist or his (her) desire to feel less stressed?
Zain Ebrahim 12:46, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

One proposed "evolutionary" explanation for the existence of homosexuality is that, in a social species, homosexuals enhance the survival of closely related siblings, nephews, and nieces, by providing for and protecting those close relatives without having to provide for and protect offspring of their own. Homosexuality is also another way to create social ties among family groups, which can enhance the social cohesion and survival of the community as a whole. Thus, by carrying inactive genes for the predisposition toward homosexuality, individuals enhance their own survival and that of their offspring. Obviously, this works only up to a point, and there is probably an optimal ratio between heterosexual and homosexual individuals, perhaps the ratio that we find in human societies. Marco polo 13:01, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

That explanation seems to show more how homosexual incest is an evolutionary tendency, but not homosexuality in general (unless you meant it differently than I read it). Further explication? V-Man - ^T/_C 00:01, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

It's kind of amusing to think of a critter like the one at right being homosexual, but I suppose it happens. It's like a Far Side cartoon waiting to happen. --TotoBaggins 17:13, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

Longest page name

What's the article with the longest name (excluding list pages, etc.)? Is it Tarquin Fin-tim-lin-bin-whin-bim-lim-bus-stop-F'tang-F'tang-Olé-Biscuitbarrel? — SheeEttin {T/C} 23:47, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

Go look here for your answer. dr.ef.tymac 00:46, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

Darn it! You beat me. I think it is humorous that that particular page has to be cut off because of Wikipedia's 256-character limit. It's a redirect, though... V-Man - ^T/_C 02:17, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

Not an article but, User:Thryduulf/Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, pede et congue viverra velit placerat, amet nec mauris nullam justo ac praesent. Urna maecenas in neque, ridiculus aliquam sodales nec turpis volutpat ullamcorper, mauris sodales velit sit a. Aliquet id fusce. Auc has 256 characters. I created it in April last year in connection with bugzilla:5570. 09:21, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

If only we could have Wolfe+585, Senior's name in full; it's so long, a scrollbar has to be added to the name to prevent linebreaking... And of course, there's When the Pawn Hits the Conflicts He Thinks like a King What He Knows Throws the Blows When He Goes to the Fight And He'll Win the Whole Thing 'Fore He Enters the Ring There's No Body to Batter When Your Mind Is Your Might So When You Go Solo, You Hold Your Own Hand And Remember That Depth Is the Greatest of Heights And If You Know Where You Stand, Then You Know Where to Land And If You Fall It Won't Matter, Cuz You'll Know That You're Right. Laïka 16:36, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

Somewhat strange request...

There's an Italian editor who doesn't speak a wordof English and blanked Jimbo's page. They seem a bit confused. I've tried talking to her using Google's translator, but it sucks (she called it 'ugly', I think) and I have no idea what I'm doing. Does anyone speak Italian? --Captain Wikify ^Argh! 23:49, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

I wouldn't bother. The entire text on her user page translates to five letters in English. The notes left on your talk page are written in poor Italian and suggest that this thing does in fact understand English (but maybe not Italian). So all that's left to say is Ciao. ---77.56.100.189 01:04, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

I did suspect something along those lines, but I wasn't entirely sure. Oh, well. Thanks for the help! --Captain Wikify ^Argh! 01:05, 6 June 2007 (UTC)