Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2011 March 13

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Miscellaneous desk
< March 12 << Feb | March | Apr >> March 14 >
Welcome to the Wikipedia Miscellaneous Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is an archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages.


March 13[edit]

Dome of the Rock UFO 2011[edit]

I have recently been shown some videos on YouTube that I cant find just at the moment but concerned a UFO over the Dome of the Rock in Israel in early January 2011. I wanted to get further information concerning this. Is this real? Is this a hoax? Is it just a video posted on you tube for fun? Was it real? Who was it? Was it scientifically analyzed? What was it please? Thanks you, and I will try to find a link for the video and will post it here from my home computer. (Can’t access YouTube from work) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 195.2.26.146 (talk) 14:12, 13 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I'm sure this was mentioned on www.forteantimes.com - check the Breaking News section for january 2011. --TammyMoet (talk) 15:16, 13 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdcq1xQtwz4

and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAjFeoWfDqs —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.3.145.145 (talk) 17:41, 13 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnWo1kbu5QE&feature=related what is this thing too please —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.3.145.145 (talk) 17:56, 13 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]

The first one looks like a helicopter plus some basic photo editing. The last one is obviously photo editing fakery. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof, sorry! I trust people on the internet far less than I trust the sneakiest of governments. --Mr.98 (talk) 21:08, 13 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]
That "incident" was discussed at Discovery News: Jerusalem UFO 'Almost Certainly a Hoax', Feb 4, 2011. It sounds like it was a relatively well-organized and well-executed hoax, though. WikiDao 21:45, 13 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]

American fact finder help[edit]

Topeka City, KS, what do they mean in the AREA CHARACTERISTICS Area (Land)? What is it measured in? Albacore (talk) 15:34, 13 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I don't think I'm looking at exactly the same table as you are (I get the impression there's individual session data that isn't coming across), but in the overview by state the areas given are all in square meters. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 16:35, 13 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]
The linked data for each state says Kansas has an "area (land)" of 211,754,095,913 and an "area (water)" of 1,345,868,930 making a total of 213,099,964,843. That ties in well with our Kansas article which says the total area of the state is 213,096 square kilometres (82,277 sq mi). Since, 1 square kilometre is 1,000,000 square metres, I think it is safe to assume census.gov is using square metres as a unit of measurement - quite surprising considering the USA's reluctance to adopt the metric system of measurments. Astronaut (talk) 00:03, 14 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]
The metric system is the preferred system of measurement in the U.S. Government according to a 1988 law. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 00:06, 14 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]
I thought that was just the National Parks Service putting up a few distance signs in kilometres. Astronaut (talk) 02:24, 14 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]