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April 25

Tight top?

What exactly is a "tight top" (in terms of mattresses)? Does this mean that there is no middle upholstery between the insulator and the quilt (or maybe even between the insulator and the ticking), so the only cushioning is due to the springs themselves? 69.181.91.208 (talk) 04:59, 25 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Where have you seen this? --←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 11:10, 25 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

A simple google search for "tight top mattress" would give you plenty of consistent answers. Clarityfiend (talk) 11:53, 25 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

A tight top mattress also known as a “firm” mattress does not have a plushy cushion padding on top. Philvoids (talk) 05:12, 26 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks, that's what I guessed initially (and what my own search confirmed as well)! And that's exactly what I'm looking for to replace the mattress I recently got as a birthday present -- that new mattress (which was labeled as "extra firm" but was a pillow-top) was totally unsuitable for me, it felt like sleeping on a sack of cotton wool whereas what I need for best comfort (and what my old mattress is like) is one as firm as the armored deck of a battleship! 2601:646:8A81:6070:880C:526C:600E:CA36 (talk) 03:35, 28 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

April 26

Beneficial superstition

The word “superstition”, at least in my experience, is generally used in a disapproving way. Since our article superstition seems to pussyfoot around that question, let me ask here: Is superstition always bad, or are there any examples for superstition being (rationally) beneficial? ◅ Sebastian 09:34, 26 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Do you mean like, having a superstition to prefer double blind placebo controlled studies? --Jayron 32 10:50, 26 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Hmm, if that's truly a superstition, one would think that this multiplication of entities praeter necessitatem would sooner or later be cut by science. Conversely, if it's truly beneficial, science would sooner or later find that out and it wouln't be a superstition anymore. ◅ Sebastian 13:49, 26 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

I think you answered your question then. If, as you say in your OP, "there any examples for superstition being (rationally) beneficial", then you just said "if it's truly beneficial, science would sooner or later find that out and it wouln't be a superstition anymore". QED. Well done. --Jayron 32 15:30, 26 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

That particular example is about something scientists do (double blind studies). So if science has something to say about it, they'd all know about that conclusion and respect it. A superstition about something else - which way up to eat eggs, say - might continue to be a superstition among the unscientific, even after scientists have established that it is indeed beneficial. Just because something should be done for rational reasons, doesn't prevent people from doing it, and benefiting from it, for silly reasons. (Though there's a complication in that any superstition can be argued to be harmful to rationality.) Card Zero (talk) 18:08, 26 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Well, if you don't put shoes on a table, you won't get a clip on the ear-hole from your mum. Sounds like a plus to me. 41.165.67.114 (talk) 10:52, 26 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

And it also avoids getting muck on a surface you will be eating from. Alansplodge (talk) 12:34, 26 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

I didn't know that one. Yes, with the benefit Alansplodge brings up, that answers my question. The article also calls it an old wives' tale, which may be a good pointer to more examples for what I'm looking for, since it's a somewhat more neutral term. ◅ Sebastian 13:34, 26 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Various modern and historical ritual purification traditions could be called superstitions, and many are beneficial in ways that the originating cultures didn't fully understand. Staecker (talk) 13:31, 26 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Good example, too. Thanks, guys! ◅ Sebastian 13:34, 26 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

I thought of Japanese swordsmithing, which was full of complicated rituals that had been discovered to result in sharp blades - because the folded micro-structure is strong and the process admits the right amount of carbon into the steel, but they didn't have those explanations for what they were doing, they had magical ones. Card Zero (talk) 18:28, 29 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

If a superstition does no harm (and forbids no benefit), either to the person expressing it or to any other entity, then there is no reason to consider it “bad.” If a superstition also makes one feel – or actually be – better, as might be the case with faith healing (i.e., placebos) , then there can be a positive effect. Whether science can rationally come to grips with the question, however, is a non-starter, since the question isn't “true/false,” but “good/bad.” As for the case of 'old wives tales,' these may be reflections of wisdom passed down through the generations in the form of stories or taboos. Many religious prohibitions on eating certain things, for example, make perfect sense in an economy that has no refrigeration. DOR (HK) (talk) 20:46, 26 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

A common superstition in English-speaking countries is that walking under a ladder is (a sign of) bad luck. If this belief makes superstitious people avoid walking under ladders, a case can be made that the net effect is beneficial. --Lambiam 21:30, 26 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

The superstition, if genuinely believed, could be a symptom of poor education though. That does hurt both the person and society as a whole in the long run. Fgf10 (talk) 13:40, 27 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, the poor education might be a harm, but the topic is superstition. DOR (HK) (talk) 15:09, 27 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Superstition is a bad explanation, so it's worse than a better one. But better than nothing. Card Zero (talk) 18:31, 29 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Walking under a ladder has two real, though likely rare, risks. You risk knocking the ladder over, which could harm the person on the ladder. You also risk having something dropped on you from above. If you avoid walking under ladders because of superstition, you avoid both possible bad outcomes. Therefore, this is an example of a superstition which is, to a small degree, good. 97.82.165.112 (talk) 23:51, 27 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Another example is the superstition in Britain that it's unlucky to bring blackthorn into the house, on the grounds that it once formed the crown of thorns at the Crucifixion. [1] Anyone who has worked with this common hedgerow shrub/tree knows that its thorns cause horrible septic wounds and that it's so dense that it's hard to cut and doesn't burn easily, so not the best choice for domestic firewood. Alansplodge (talk) 20:41, 28 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Penalty shots in the European Cup Finals

Hello. The first final to be decided by penalty shoot-outs was Roma-Liverpool in 1984. But if the final of the previous season (1982-83) between Hamburg Juventus, had ended in a draw after the classic 120 minutes, would the match have been repeated? Thank you very much. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 93.41.96.22 (talk) 15:52, 26 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

It's hard to say. At Penalty shoot-out (association football)#History it explains that, prior to the adoption of the shootout, there were three possibilities 1) extra time 2) replay 3) drawing of lots. It seems that all three methods were used at various times by various competitions. A demonstrative example was the UEFA Euro 1968, where a semi-final match was decided by lots (Italy advanced on a coin toss after a 0-0 draw against the Soviet team), and the final match had to be replayed after ending at 1-1 on the first attempt. Both of those matches featured a 30 minute extra time period. --Jayron 32 16:04, 26 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

The German article claims that UEFA had made the decision in 1975 to decide drawn finals of the Cup and Cup Winners' Cup competitions on penalties. Given that the 1976 European Championship finals was decided on penalties (I saw that, I'm old), it seems likely that that would have applied for the 1983 cup final as well. But someone would have to dig up the rule book to be sure. (Doesn't UEFA employ a historian for such questions?). --Wrongfilter (talk) 16:36, 26 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Perhaps influenced by the only replay of the European Cup Final, which was between Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid in 1974. [2] Alansplodge (talk) 17:09, 26 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

April 27

is it possible to contact the last updater of a given info/history post

Question for/about use of Wikipedia.? NOT on your list of subjects by the way...Is it possible to contact the last updater of a given post?. Just a question about an un-included reference book, that may not be known about by the poster; or was excluded for reasons...unknown to me? Looking at some family history in Michigan. John Johnstone and his native American Wife Ozyguscodaywayquay. (Ojibawe) Sault St. Marie, Mackinack Island etc. My relatives. sorry I am not very tech savvy. 70.57.41.83 (talk) 13:47, 27 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

@70.57.41.83: If you want to know how to contact someone who updated a particular article recently, you can find a list of people who edited an article at the "view history" tab when you are viewing that article. There should be a list of names of editors who have changed the article recently; you can look through the changes by comparing two different versions using the radio buttons under "cur" and "prev" columns, and see what was changed at each edit. If you want to contact a particular person, just click the "talk" link next to their name in the "view history" list, and that will bring you to their user talk page. Once there, you can leave that person a message. If you want to just leave a general message for anyone that might be interested in the source you found, you can do so on the article talk page. For example, it looks like you have a book relevant to the article Michigan. You can go to the talk page of the article at Talk:Michigan (or click the "Talk" tab while viewing the article) and leave a message there. I hope that all makes sense. --Jayron 32 14:10, 27 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

April 29

In the past were there more jobs for disabled people

A friend told me once that (forgive me as I don't remember exactly what my friend said) some disabled people sometimes worked in factories in the past. Were there more jobs available in the past for disabled people like in 1980's or 1990's? I'm a disabled woman in my 30s and I have someone looking for a job for me but she isn't finding it easy. 2001:569:5262:A00:347E:9954:18CA:BA82 (talk) 03:55, 29 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

This November 2021 Phys.org article's title should answer your question: "Employment for people with disabilities reaches historic levels. Clarityfiend (talk) 07:03, 29 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Mind you, "historic levels" (33%) are still less than half of the employment levels of the able-bodied (73%). Clarityfiend (talk) 09:42, 29 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

This search suggests some job openings in the Vancouver, BC, area. --Lambiam 07:44, 29 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Depending on where you live, the definition of "disabled" can differ to a great degree. It also changes over time. Therefore, a person currently considered disabled may not have been considered so 30-40 years ago. That makes it difficult to compare statistics between the two time periods. 97.82.165.112 (talk) 17:59, 29 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

This article suggests that the "historic" boost in employment that disabled people got due to "work-from-home" during Covid is already reversing... Demony, Catarina (26 July 2021). "Disabled workers fear COVID-19 silver lining to fade as 'old normal' returns". Reuters. Retrieved 30 April 2022. -- Roger (Dodger67) (talk) 08:24, 30 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

In the UK, the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, replaced by the Equality Act 2010, made it unlawful to discriminate against people on the grounds of disability and required employers to make "reasonable adjustments" for disabled workers. Prior to that, I imagine that there were plenty of reasons why employers would avoid taking on disabled workers. Alansplodge (talk) 13:48, 30 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Sources needed for administrative divisions

Hello. I want to make an article on the new Central Gondar Zone (in Amhara Region, Ethiopia) and need help on what sources I need for the article.Ue3lman (talk) 14:35, 29 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

I did not find usable material, but from the history of File:Map of zones of Ethiopia.svg I understand that the former North Gondar zone was split into three zones: North, Central and West. So "North Gondar Zone" is ambiguous; our article is still about the old zone before the split. --Lambiam 06:08, 30 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

April 30

Arrosticini

Has anyone got a good recipe to go with arrosticini? Am thinking, not so much a single thing—like, say peppers—but a pasta meal on the side. What think ye, Miscellaneite Refdeskers? SN54129 12:49, 30 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

It really depends on your taste, but having pasta with your arrosticini is like a cardinal sin to Italian gourmets. I think they go well with an assortment of roasted veggies, such as (indeed) peppers, onions, zucchini, tomatoes, fennel, ..., which can be oven roasted or roasted on a skewer like the arrosticini. This is super simple to prepare: clean, cut into bite-size pieces, toss with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper, and let the heat do the rest. I'd eat this with fresh crunchy bread like a baguette on the side, and don't forget to pair it all with a nice wine like Montepulciano d'Abruzzo. --Lambiam 18:20, 30 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

May 1

hacksaw

For a dumb project I want to cut up some sheet steel. I have the crappy style of hacksaw, like this, i.e. the blade is supported at just one end, sort of like a keyhole saw. Is that going to take a lot more sawing effort than the normal type of hacksaw where the blade is under tension in a frame? I could buy the other kind if it will really save a lot of work, but I'd otherwise rather use what I have. I'm not worried about the cuts being clean. It is called hacking for a reason, heh. Thanks. 2601:648:8202:350:0:0:0:4671 (talk) 02:16, 1 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]

The saw you have will be much harder to put pressure on, and the extended blade will wobble around, resulting in a wider cut, more friction on the side and more effort. however for a large sheet, the regular hacksaw will not be able to cut much width. Tin snips will be much quicker, and if it is thin, you may be able to use scissors to cut it. Graeme Bartlett (talk) 04:37, 1 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]

It's too thick for normal household scissors. Tin snips would work but I'd have to go buy some, and a tension hacksaw might be a better bet at that point. Anyway I'll figure something out. The amount of cutting needed is not huge, so if the one-ended hacksaw is usable at all, maybe I'll just slog through it. Thanks. 2601:648:8202:350:0:0:0:4671 (talk) 06:50, 1 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]

In the image the blade is hidden by the packaging. Isn't the lower part of the blade tight? If you use only that part to cut, the wobble will probably be acceptably small. The maximal depth of the cut is rather small, though, being the distance between the blade and the parallel part of the frame. By cutting from two sides you can double that distance and then finish the rest with the protruding part of the blade. Make sure the sheet you're cutting is held steady and tight, so that it won't wobble either. --Lambiam 07:06, 1 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]

The lower part of the blade is supported so it won't flop around, but it's not under tension like a real hacksaw. But yeah, that approach might work, so thanks. I also looked online and it turns out suitable tin snips are less expensive than I expected, and are probably the best way to do this, so I might just buy a pair. I'll find other uses for them too. 2601:648:8202:350:0:0:0:4671 (talk) 15:24, 1 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]

@@ Line 93: / Line 93: @@
 ::It's too thick for normal household scissors.  Tin snips would work but I'd have to go buy some, and a tension hacksaw might be a better bet at that point.  Anyway I'll figure something out.  The amount of cutting needed is not huge, so if the one-ended hacksaw is usable at all, maybe I'll just slog through it.  Thanks. [[Special:Contributions/2601:648:8202:350:0:0:0:4671|2601:648:8202:350:0:0:0:4671]] ([[User talk:2601:648:8202:350:0:0:0:4671|talk]]) 06:50, 1 May 2022 (UTC)
 :In the image the blade is hidden by the packaging. Isn't the lower part of the blade tight? If you use only that part to cut, the wobble will probably be acceptably small. The maximal depth of the cut is rather small, though, being the distance between the blade and the parallel part of the frame. By cutting from two sides you can double that distance and then finish the rest with the protruding part of the blade. Make sure the sheet you're cutting is held steady and tight, so that it won't wobble either. &nbsp;--[[User talk:Lambiam|Lambiam]] 07:06, 1 May 2022 (UTC)
+::The lower part of the blade is supported so it won't flop around, but it's not under tension like a real hacksaw.  But yeah, that approach might work, so thanks.  I also looked online and it turns out suitable tin snips are less expensive than I expected, and are probably the best way to do this, so I might just buy a pair.  I'll find other uses for them too. [[Special:Contributions/2601:648:8202:350:0:0:0:4671|2601:648:8202:350:0:0:0:4671]] ([[User talk:2601:648:8202:350:0:0:0:4671|talk]]) 15:24, 1 May 2022 (UTC)