Wikipedia:Reference desk/Miscellaneous

June 6

Copyright status of Neue Liszt-Ausgabe

Over at IMSLP.org, I am collecting the works of Franz Liszt. There are many editions to choose from, one critical edition of Liszt collected works is Neue Liszt-Ausgabe. However, this edition is very recent but it might be "scholary" (hence, pre-1982 editions are public domain in Canada [Berne rule] were IMSLP's server is hosted). What is the copyright status of Neue Liszt-Ausgabe? Does it fall under the Berne rule of shorter term? Is it a scientific edition? Is it published by Bärenreiter or Editio Musica Budapest? Is it public domain in Canada (which is a member of Berne)? Is it OK to typeset from Neue Liszt-Ausgabe? --Funper 00:03, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

I would think only the publisher is in a position to give you the definite (and legally binding) answer that you need. I suggest you put your questions directly to Bärenreiter and Editio Musica Budapest.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 09:16, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

One week now, they haven't answered yet.. --Funper 17:28, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

Most places don't. They don't want to give up copies to other people - and if they are on shakey ground, they find it's better to shut up than to enter into a debate. SteveBaker 02:24, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

Hmm, maybe something is into it ("shakey grounds") since Bärenreiter and Edition Musica Budapest both worked jointly on Neue Liszt-Ausgabe, which atleast would render any pre-1982 publications as public domain if it turns out that Bärenreiter has a part in publishing. I will try with one more email to them both. Also, please take a look here: [1] but I don't believe him since everything regarding Neue Liszt Ausgabe is kind of mysterious. --Funper 21:30, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

Nope still no answer. Could somebody please fill in what Edition Musica Budapest is leaving out? --Funper 19:50, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

Driving Directions

I'd like to know why that I can get different results for Milage and times from different driving directions websites.

For example:

Milwaukee, WI to Marquette, MI

Yahoo: 290.9 Miles and 4 hrs 52 mins Mapquest: 290.5 Miles and 5 hrs 16 mins Rand Mcnally: 291 miles and 5 hrs 20 mins

The milage is almost identical, but the timing is almost 1/2 hour different. Why is that?

This could be because of many reasons. The time it estimates you will take will be calculated in different ways. eg: one could assume you are going to travel an average of 30mph for the entire journey, and thus $distance/speed=time$. So one site may calculate it this very simple way, and another may calculate it by adding lots of little distances and speeds together, so it might know the speed limit on a certain road, so add the time for that, to another road, and another. Another way to calculate time may be to work out the time, and then for every junction add a bit more on. Obviously the way time is calculated can be incredibly complicated, or incredibly simple, but there is clearly a lot of room for significant differences in results. 87.194.40.165 03:10, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

There may be time factored in for fuel stops as well. One site may assume that you are going to drive the speed limit the whole way while another may assume that the average driver is going to go a couple mph over the posted speed limit. They're all making a prediction on what they believe is the "average" driver. Average probably has different meanings to each of the sites. Dismas|^(talk) 06:26, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

The differences in mileage can be much greater than you have found for these two points. This is because each site has different route-finding software. Some software will always choose interstate highways over other roads, which can lead to greater mileages, or one will make different assumptions about average speed and decide on a different "fastest" route than a competing route finder. Since your distances are so close, I am guessing that all three route finders chose essentially the same route, but they may have differed slightly on the start and end points (if you did not specify addresses in those cities) or on the calculation of distances along that route. This could be something as simple as one route finder accounting for the added distance involved in making lane changes, or it might be that one has maps that show curves more accurately than the other. Marco polo 12:52, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

The mileage may also vary because little things can add up. For example, simply adding (or not) the mileage of the ramps in all the highway interchanges can have a noticeable effect on the overall route mileage. You can often see this if you measure the mileage in both directions on the same trip. The mileage in the direction where you (by chance) travelled the "inner" ramps of all the cloverleaf intersections might be as much as a mile shorter than the direction where you travelled all the "cloverleaf" ramps of the intersections. Various mapping programs might take this into account or not. This effect is significant enough to be obvious even on my daily commute.

Atlant 12:57, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

There are many further sources of discrepancies between the measurements: differing map projections or datums, the quality and precision of the transportation dataset used—some may have a finer representation, more line segments used to model sections of roads (the map scale of the dataset), and some of the route finding algorithms might take into account the differences in elevation along the path while others do not. There are quite a few sources of error when calculating the distance of a wavy path running on a curved, bumpy, and rough surface such as Earth's. There are bound to be differences in measurement when different algorithms are used.—eric 05:40, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

You really need to re-read the question. The distances reported by the various tools were very similar - so none of the things you describe were a significant matter. The question is: Why (if the distances are virtually identical) do the travel times differ by such a huge amount? The answer can only be the assumed speed at which each of the systems estimate you'll be able to drive. Nothing else can account for the discrepancy....hence my answer below. SteveBaker 02:21, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

Hmm: "...why that I can get different results for Milage and times..." Seems they were asking why both measurements differed, though after rereading my response i could have made it clearer that it was only a partial answer.—eric 04:07, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

I'm guessing that the speed limit changed on one of the roads on the route and one of the services is out of date and using the old data. I also suspect (but don't know for sure) that some route finders have data on typical traffic densities on these roads - so they may be using average practical speeds rather than the speed limit. However, if I'm right then I'm a little surprised that these sites aren't asking what time/day you plan to travel. SteveBaker 11:34, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

GNAA and Wikipedia Red Faction

Why doesn't Wikipedia allow articles for those groups? I wanted to know more about them but the only thing I know is that the first one is something like a trolling organization. --Taraborn 12:03, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

Here's the discussion on keeping versus deleting the article on GNAA: Wikipedia:Articles_for_deletion/Gay_Nigger_Association_of_America. ---77.56.100.189 12:47, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

Thanks. I've read the whole discussion. --85.50.128.17 19:01, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

pacific

Where (on the internet) can I find a map which clearly shows the islands of the pacific ocean, so that each island can be identified but where they are all still on the same scale as the ocean around them?

This is pretty good size (I started googling for "large pacific ocean map" and related terms), but you should bear in mind that clear identification and proper scale are often mutually exclusive when it comes to small islands in the middle of the ocean. — Lomn 14:46, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

This is probably the best one at Wikimedia Commons (Category:Maps of the Pacific Ocean). But it's fron 1906 and in German.

So there aren't any maps with the sea in one colour and the land another, and nothing else? Is there anywhere on the internet I can go to find lots of maps like this, and see which is best?

I'm sure they're out there (start googling!), but as I noted above, you're going to see blue. Here is a larger one (it allows you to see the dots under the highlighting, which should aid in appreciating the scale), but even then, I remain skeptical that the smaller islands are correctly proportioned, even as dots. Note that Google has a "large images" filter when image searching. — Lomn 15:25, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

The trouble is that the pacific is HUGE and some of the islands are TINY - so you are are really asking for two contradictory things - if portrayed at true scale, small islands are very small indeed compared to the ocean, so they aren't going to be clearly legible. If we make them big enough to be legible, they won't be at the right scale. Your best bet is to get the largest map you can find - bigger maps can show true-scale islands at reasonable sizes. To give you an idea of the scale of the problem, the Pacific Ocean covers 169 million square kilometers. Easter Island (which isn't by any means the smallest of pacific islands) covers 163 square kilometers - so at true scale, it's going to cover a millionth of the area of your map! An online map of the pacific which was (say) 1,000 x 1,000 pixels would only be able to devote a single pixel to Easter Island. But consider the Cook Islands - fifteen of them - and even if you take them all together they don't even cover one and a half pixels at that scale! You need a wall-sized map and a good magnifying glass. The alternative is something like Google Maps (or better still, download Google Earth) where you can zoom in and out of the map and see it at any scale. Many of the smaller of the Cook Islands are here - and there is a pretty good image of it. SteveBaker 02:17, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

Invention of the blue ice pak

Does anyone know the date (even a year will do) that blue ice paks were invented? Blue ice paks are the freezer packs people use in coolers & insulated lunch bags. I have checked with companies which manufacture them but they couldn't tell me. Is the date that the paks went into mass production the same as when they were invented? Tks. Rhapsody55 15:20, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

Speaking generally, there is usually a significant delay between the invention of a thing and its mass production and use. See prototype. An interesting counterexample is the gun-type nuclear weapon: they were so sure it would work that they didn't do a full-scale test before dropping the prototype over Hiroshima. --TotoBaggins 16:45, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

It could be added to our general disclaimer that any poatent research we do is not to be relied on for any serious legal purpose. I could not find a date in Wikipedia or Google, but I do seem to remember them from the 1980's and do not remember them from the 1960's, if that helps. I believe I had some by the late 1970's. The early ones seemed prone to cracking and leaking. One manufacturer of newer ones is Lifoam [2] who makes the "Freez pak_tm. Another is Ice-pak made by Cole Parmer [3]. Igloo Corp [4] once made "Igloo Ice" blue plastic liquid filled cold packs, but they apparently no longer do. You could contact any of the above and ask about the history of the product. None of these had a patent number. Early on, people would freeze milk cartons full of water to keep things cold in a cooler. When milk started coming in plastic jugs, those would be used. I also found several old unbranded ice packs. All were blue, perhaps because blue suggests colder. This seems an unfortunate tie-in to "blue ice" which is a term for leakage from airplane toilets which freezes and falls through people's roofs from 20,000 feet. The icepacks generally did not seem to keep a cooler as cold as actual ice, and when placed next to a sandwich caused one side to become stale and the other side to become soggy. There were reusable plastic ice cubes filled with water sold by novelty dealers early on, probably in the 1960's, and some of these products were supposed to have caused illness when they leaked due to the contaminated water inside. There might be news items related to that, or in Consumer Reports, which could help date the introduction. Patent 3,703,816, filed October 15, 1971 was a specialized application as a beverage cooler, but used "blue ice" as if it were a generic term needing no explanation "blue+ice"&RS="blue+ice" That patent does review prior art, and says that H. Mock in 1930 received patent 1,771,186 for a double walled container, open topped, to be mostly filled with water and frozen. The earliest US patents I found for a gel to fill such a cold pack is 2,800,454, filed June 22, 1953, issued July 23, 1957, to J.C. Shepard, "Gel refrigerant and a method of making same," but the images do not display correctly on my computer for some reason. They don't display the page images at all in some browsers, and only the top inch or so of a page in other browsers. Edison 18:24, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

Margins in page layout

I'm looking for information about which set of margins on a page of printed text is considered to be the most pleasing. I've seen some people use identical margins all around the page, like 20 mm on A4. Sometimes I've seen slightly larger margins used at the top and bottom of a page: like 28 mm top and bottom, with 20 mm left and right (which is in keeping with the aspect ratio of the page). I've seen some people use unequal margins, like a larger margin at the bottom (with historical context: canons of page construction), or a larger margin to the left or right. I imagine that various publishers have their house styles, but are there any generally accepted guidelines for margins: equal all around, retaining aspect ratio of page or unequal margins? Any thoughts? — Gareth Hughes 15:30, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

There are many guidelines out there, but I'm not aware of any being generally accepted. I've often seen the suggestion of setting the top margin somewhat larger than the bottom. And on facing pages it is common to set the outside margins wider than the inside. Sometimes you see the outside margins set very large and used here and there for extra bits of text, sidebars, etc (marginalia I guess). So I think it depends on various factors. Another factor might be, what is the final result to be? A small but thick paperback book may be better with wider inside margins. In contrast, in newsletter or report type publication sometimes designers use a lot of whitespace. If the type leading is extra large one would probably want to use larger margins too. Then there is the question of whether the type is justified or left "ragged". A smaller right-side margin might look better with unjustified text. In short, there are a lot of factors. I'm skeptical that any guideline will always result in the "most pleasing" layout. Sorry I don't have links to guidelines on the topic. I'm sure there are plenty. Just making the point that guidelines are a decent way to get started, but in the end the most pleasing layouts are often thoes which break the rules! (as an analogy, see the Rule of thirds in photography) Pfly 19:35, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

For something that's going to be bound into a book or booklet, you may need a wider margin on the side of the page nearest the spine in order to keep it readable as the pages curve in towards the center - but for spiral-bound publications, that's not a problem. Hence, the margin size is definitely going to depend on the use the thing is to be put to. For web publications and other online material, efficient use of screen-space usually demands smaller margins than on printed media. Finally, some printers (both electronic and old-school) have mechanical limits that force certain minimums on margin sizes. SteveBaker 11:58, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

Searching Gizmo didn't work.

I am looking for something. I am hoping that I am using the correct formate.

Back in the early part of the last century, there was a cartoonist that would draw these "Gizmo's".(Gizmo is the only word that comes to mind.) It would be a series of mechanical functions such as a flowing of water from a bucket, with a hole in the bottom. Flowing into another bucket that is tied off in such a manor, that it pulls a string, which opens a door... etc, etc. I can not remember the name that was given to his drawings. I think the board game call Mouse Trap was fashioned after his drawings. So does anyone know the name of this guy and what they called his drawings?

Thanks a billion! Dntknwhw2b 15:49, 6 June 2007 (UTC)Dntknwhw2b

If you're American, you're thinking of Rube Goldberg, while if you're British, you're probably thinking of W. Heath Robinson. The machines are normally called either "Rube Goldberg machines" or "Heath Robinson contraptions". Laïka 15:51, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

 Thank you very much Rube was the word I was looking for! Tank you Tank you. (As Libarache would say.)

Dntknwhw2b 16:13, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

By the way a search for Rube Goldberg on youtube reveals many intersting videos.-Czmtzc 19:47, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

postnominals

I am about to recieve a Certificate of Higher Education (CertHE), can I use this after my name? Christopher

The Open University thinks so. See e.g. [5] Algebraist 16:42, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

Ah thank you. Would you say it is RIGHT to use it? Christopher

I'm not familiar with the intricacies of British higher education, but from reading CertHE, I would say it would come off as a bit pretentious. Clarityfiend 18:06, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

Depends on context. Me putting "BA (Hons) (Cantab)" is definitely valid (or rather soon will be), but would come off as extremely pretentious in the wrong circumstances. Like this one. Algebraist BA (Hons) (Cantab) (pending) 20:07, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

Someone I once knew didn't ever finish his degree, but for years afterwards he put after his name "BA (ANU) (failed)". -- JackofOz 00:00, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

If I remember rightly, in The Two Ronnies TV show's 'series-within-a-series' Detective Drama spoof with "Piggy Malone" and "Charley Farley", in every episode's opening titles Corbett's character was introduced as "Charley Farley, BA(Oxon)(failed)."--Shirt58 09:15, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

You can do it - but it's awfully pretentious for anything less than a doctorate. -- SteveBaker BSc (Hons)(Kent) 17:00, 7, June 2007 (CST)

To be honest, its pretty pretentious even from those with a doctorate. I know one guy who got his PhD and then would write his name "John Smith, PhD" for absolutely everything, even his computer login was written like that. Consequently, eveyone who works with him (most of who had PhDs also) began to refer to him as such. e.g. "Does anyone know what time the meeting room is booked?" "Dunno, ask John Smith, PhD." He got the message soon enough. Rockpocket (MBiochem, MA, Ph.D)

Matrimonial ads from India used to, and perhaps still do, say things like BA (Failed). I presume this is to suggest that, even having to failed to acquire the degree, there is status or merit in having been accepted for the degree program in the first place. Bielle 00:18, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

That's funny. The guy in question was actually from India. -- JackofOz BA (Mod. Lang.) (Canberra)

Trust me, after a month or two, the desire to add letters after your name wears off and you will look back in embarrassment on the occasions you use them. I'd say its only really appropriate for your business card and CV. Rockpocket 05:20, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

There is a character in the TV programme Red Dwarf called Arnold Rimmer who uses Bsc and SSc after his name these stand for Bronze swimming certificate and Silver swimming certificate :) Perry-mankster 08:45, 7 June 2007 (UTC) IBFYAWBHYBP (failed) {Introduction to Basic Finding Your Arse With Both Hands in Your Back Pockets}

What color/size are coyote's?

I am looking for any information on coyote's/wolves. Are they the same. I have heard them and seen them at 9am in morning are they to be watched, should I call the officials. Are they big, small, brown etc etc..any information would be appreciated?Lapaze03 16:32, 6 June 2007 (UTC)j

No, coyotes and wolves are different species, though very closely related (and the coyote is sometimes called the prairie wolf). Your other questions depend somewhat on your location: for example, I (in the UK) would contact the authorities if I saw a wolf or coyote, but elsewhere this may not be appropriate. Algebraist 16:38, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

Coyotes have recently moved into suburbs of large U.S. cities. They eat "varmints" such as rabbits, possums, and squirrels, but they have also eaten a great many pet cats and small dogs, and have attacked and killed humans. They would be a danger to children and babies left outside. They lose their fear of humans if people feed them, but this makes them more likely to attack children. They have attacked small dogs being led on a leash by owners and tried to carry them away. They look like scrawny small gray dogs. Edison 16:52, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

Coyotes are common in most parts of the United States, but wolves exist only in the remote northern fringes and perhaps the Rocky Mountains. Most coyotes are afraid of people, and it is not necessary to be afraid of them as long as you stay away from them. They tend to avoid people. I would like to know how often they attack dogs that are accompanied by owners. On the other hand, a baby or small child by itself without adults nearby might be a target. (They tend to be interested in smallish animals that look to them like an easy meal.) I agree that they are scrawny-looking, but they tend to be a brownish gray or a grayish brown rather than simply gray. Also, I would not describe them as similar in size to "small dogs". Adult coyotes are much larger than a chihuahua or a toy poodle. They are about the size of a largish medium-sized dog, such as a retriever or a small German shepherd. In fact, they look a lot like a German shepherd, except scrawnier, with shorter hair, and perhaps a smaller snout. Marco polo 17:21, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

The quite informative Wikipedia article that Algebraist linked states that there is only one known/recorded human death from a coyote attack. --LarryMac | Talk 17:33, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

I was gunna chip in that the info from Edison doesn't sound very accurate based on my experience. Coyotes do not tend to be aggressive toward people. I'm not saying there couldn't be exceptions, but it sounds to me like what Edison describes are more likely feral dogs than coyotes. Friday (talk) 18:31, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

Small dogs, as opposed to large dogs. Definitely not the size of little yipping ankle biter purse dogs, whom they delight in carrying off and eating. [6] lists numerous coyote attacks on humans and attacks on small pets accompanied by their owners in California alone. The 1981 killing of a child in Glendale was the "latest" and the only known killing of a human. It is possible that some disappearances were more successful snatchings by coyotes. They get no sympathy for "only" being known to be guilty of eating one child, with adults rescuing the child and driving off the coyote in most of the other cases before he could finish the child off. Of course rabbits and squirrels also attack people, and deer have killed more people with their antlers and little pointy hooves than coyotes have with their teeth. Edison 18:42, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

Wow, interesting. Thanks for the link. Sounds like it's been a real problem in that area. The article says they average about 35 lbs. I'd guess that the ones in my area may tend to be a bit bigger than that, but maybe they're more well fed than average. Coyote#Relationship_with_humans also makes it sound like aggression toward people is linked to being fed, as you said above. Friday (talk) 18:53, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

Friday, it's my experience (multiple close coyote encounters here) that they look bigger than they are, because of their long legs and bushiness. Remember that border collies average only about 35lbs; german shepherds and labrador retrievers range from 70-110 lbs, but they have a very husky build compared to coyotes, which are pretty much daschunds under their coats. On another note, my weirdest wildlife encounter here in urban Vancouver was a recent baby deer sighting in an alley behind a very main street. Hope it hadn't gotten a taste for coyote flesh, or it might have been after the one I saw a couple of weeks ago. Anchoress 08:58, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

Feeding a wild animal apparently just makes it associate us with food and lose its inhibition about approaching. Our remote ancestors probably took many, many, many generations to get dogs domesticated, and some breeds still seem prone to attack, or are easily trained to be vicious. Edison 19:00, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

It could be a dog-coyote hybrid (Coydog), which would not necessarily have the same degree of fear of humans that a pure coyote has. Corvus cornix 18:53, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

Predators who bite off heads?

This is going to sound weird, but the coyote question brought to my memory an incident from many years ago. This was in the central US area. One morning we discovered our two baby goats with their heads bitten sort of, well, off. Completely off, in fact. The heads and the bodies were both still there, and I don't recall seeing other injuries. I'd assumed at that time that whatever killed them was going to drag them off and eat them, but got run off by one of the other stock animals nearby. There would have been an adult goat or two, and possibly also a donkey or pony in the same large fenced-in area where the goats were. Does anyone know if biting off heads is a common killing technique for some predator that may live in this area? It would need to either have been small enough to get through a somewhat large-spaced woven wire fence, or perhaps it climbed over. I always did wonder what would have done this. Friday (talk) 19:11, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

Chupacabra?  :-) --LarryMac | Talk 19:19, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

Oh, that's a good one. The bizarre thing is, I don't remember seeing any pools of blood, which I'd sorta expect given the nature of the injury. But, maybe there was blood and it just didn't stand out on the ground. Friday (talk) 19:23, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

Can you rule out the decapitations having been done with a blade of some sort by a human? I know that tomcats will kill kittens and dogs will kill chickens or sheep, but the effect is more tearing open the throat than removing the head. Edison 16:52, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

Great Horned Owls are notorious decapitaters. Rana sylvatica

I'm not sure his mouth is big enough for goats. Anchoress 19:16, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

I'd be shocked if an owl or an Ozzie had a big enough mouth (but does anyone know where Mick Jagger was that day?) As for a blade, I can't think how I could rule it out, but damn, that's creepy. These goats were very small though, as I recall, so maybe an animal that would usually tear a throat ended up biting all the way through in this case. I remember reading that some predators have pretty standard ways of killing things. Things like bobcats and cougars aren't particularly known in that area but I suppose that doesn't make them impossible, either. Friday (talk) 22:04, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

Massachusetts geography

Why is there a bump in the soouthern border of Mass with Conn? Does it have anything to do with the formation of Lake Congamond? 152.3.113.109 21:05, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

According to Google Maps there is one small bump near Southwick, MA and one which follows around Douglas State Forest. The latter is for completely geographical purposes (so that the whole forest is administrated by one authority). The former, which is what you were talking about, also looks like it's completely due to Lake Congamond, for the same reason as the forest (and also for military reasons - a lake acts as a barrier). JoshHolloway 21:21, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

It seems extremely unlikely that one state would give up land to another just so that a state forest could be "administrated by one authority". If that's true, please post a cite. If not, please don't guess.

As to the bump at Lake Congamond, this page (which I found by simply searching in Google for "Massachusetts", "Connecticut", and "boundary") says the state line was disputed until 1804 when a compromise was agreed on that gave one side of the lake to each state. --Anonymous, June 7, 2007, 02:37 (UTC).

It is not true that the border between Massachusetts and Connecticut follows the border of Douglas State Forest. On the contrary, the border of Douglas State Forest follows the borders between Massachusetts (within which the forest lies) and neighboring Connecticut and Rhode Island. Those state borders were established, through treaties such as the 1804 treaty mentioned above, before the state forest existed. Marco polo 14:33, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

Well, one theory is that it's to keep massachusetts from sliding off into the atlantic. otherwise, the Connecticut article says

The northern boundary of the state with Massachusetts is marked by the distinctive Southwick Jog/Granby Notch, an approximately 2.5 mile (4.0 km) square detour into Connecticut slightly west of the center of the border. Somewhat surprisingly, the actual origin of this anomaly is not absolutely certain, with stories ranging from surveyors who were drunk, attempting to avoid hostile Native Americans, or taking a shortcut up the Connecticut River; Massachusetts residents attempting to avoid Massachusetts' high taxes for the low taxes of Connecticut; Massachusetts' interest in the resources represented by the Congamond Lakes which lie on the border of the jog; and the need to compensate Massachusetts for an amount of land given to Connecticut due to inaccurate survey work.[7][8] The dispute over the border slowed development in the region, since neither state would invest in public services for the area until the dispute had been settled.[citation needed]

Gzuckier 16:03, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

Airline Voucher

My boss just bought me a first class ticket to Munich for a few weeks from now. My question is, would I be able to demote this ticket to coach and take the resulting flight vouchers without he knowing? I would then be able to use these vouchers for an extra flight or so around europe when I'm there. I just don't want for him to think I'm cheap/do anything behind his back. My question is, I suppose, does the credit card payer/email account related to a ticket purchase receive notice if there are alterations to the ticket (done in person at the airline's desk)? Thanks172.192.96.119 22:38, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

In order to get new tickets, you first have to turn in the original one. Most companies purchase tickets on a corporate account and the credit will show there. Your new tickets will also show there, if not as line items, certainly as a total amount. You may not even be able to purchase other tickets unless you are an authorized signatory to the corporate account. These types of changes often have to be made through the corporate office. (The exchange of tickets has tightened up considerably since 9/11, and not just in the USA.) The corporate argument for first-class travel -aside from it being a perk either tied to position or some specific achievement- is that its employees arrive better rested and thus better able to do their jobs upon arrival. If you are talking a North-America-to-Europe length of flight, believe me, there is a lot of truth in this. If you have a choice, you do not want to travel coach, arriving first thing in the European morning, on almost no sleep, to a wide-awake, foreign business world. First-class gives you a chance at sleep, if nothing else. Of course, if your trip is not a business one, and your boss has purchased you a holiday perk, you might just ask if you can make the change to better suit your interests. Bielle 00:34, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

Internet access in the military

Do low-ranking members of the Canadian Navy have access to the internet on a regular basis? What about when on a long patrol mission (ie aboard a ship) is there internet access there? 209.53.181.67 22:42, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

Driving on the right/left - and why are trains different?

I live in the UK and am interested to know how and when, and at who's insistence, the decision was made to direct traffic to drive on the left or right of the road, dependent on the country, of course. If one country decided say, to drive on the right, why then would another decide to drive on the left? Was the world so short-sighted just 100 years ago that globalisation was so out of sight as to be also out of mind? The sheer madness of of such international non-conformance simply defies comprehension (to me anyway).

Driving on the left or right will give you quite a lot of information about this subject. -- JackofOz 23:56, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

fascinating. especially the little snippet buried in the Sweden section; they used to drive on the left, with the driver on the left side of the car. holy moly.Gzuckier 16:07, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

They must have had some pretty weird intersections at the Norway and Finland borders. Corvus cornix 18:56, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

These standards can get started without us ever thinking about them. In this case, a convention probably appeared with horse-drawn carriages and wagons, as to which side they should pass each other. This would then naturally be maintained in each country as they switched over to cars. Unlike horse-drawn carriages, however, cars must be designed to have the driver on one side or the other. So no, when some farmer decided to pass his neighbor's horse on one side, he wasn't thinking about how this would increase production cost for automobile companies having to build vehicles with the driver on different sides for different markets, a centuries later. StuRat 05:57, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

June 7

Hairy Armpits

Whats their purpose?

A lot of body heat is lost through the armpits. The hair traps some of the heat in. Hustle 00:36, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

See Underarm hair, where its role in sexuality is discussed. Bielle 00:41, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

Looking for a cite but underarm hair and hair between legs also acts as a means of reducing friction between arm and chest, legs Mhicaoidh 11:43, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

Odd, I find that it increases friction :( HS7 14:56, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

To every thing there is a purpose?--Shantavira|^{feed me} 15:44, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

do most most people shave the hair between the legs?

Not that I wish to gain a reputation as an expert in the underarm area but the three main rationales a bit of googling provide are: to help pheromones linger, to reduce friction and chafing, and to aid in evaporation of sweat. Apparently in contrast to head hair, both armpit and pubic hair have flat sides in cross-section which helps to reduce rubbing friction. Pubic hair is slippery and assists in reducing friction when two pubis bones come in contact...or so I am informed. I will resist the urge to update our underarm hair article until I can provide reputable citations rather than original research ; ) Mhicaoidh 04:04, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

Their purpose is to give feminists something to not shave as a political protest. -:) StuRat 05:42, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

Something else not to shave! SteveBaker 16:22, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

Actually, women don't shave mainly to annoy young hip men, many of whom are pathologically terrified of any woman who has hair below the nape of her neck. What? You don't look like a chemo patient in a wig? Anathema! Anathema! How dare you look like an adult! Evil! --Charlene 20:37, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

Axilary hair can be braided, for decorative effect. It also can serve to retain and diffuse the musky perfumes from the scent glands in the armpits. Edison 02:34, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

Formula One vs Indy Car

Which one is generally faster, more exciting to watch, has more spectators and costs more? Thanks. Hustle 00:33, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

Formula One has more spectators and costs more. More exciting to watch , of course, is Nascar (well, you asked for an opinion there). Rmhermen 01:15, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

As a general rule F1 tickets are more expensive. Indy attracts more spectators. Speed wise about the same. Excitement level, personally I like Indy races better. All those factors can be different though. --Tλε Rαnδоm Eδιτоr 01:16, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

FOrmula One has "average course speeds" ranging from 88 to 148 mph depending on the track with peak speed reaching 222 mph[7]. IndyCar can have average speeds of 236 mph[8] but that is on simple circle courses (not road courses). Rmhermen 01:24, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

Since Formula 1 cars tend to be more technically different from each other, there tend to be long periods of time when one team or another is so much superior that the 'races' are just two hour long parades. Not always, though. And the visceral aspects of the cars are such that even a parade is exciting. As somebody once said, the sound is like somebody trying to chainsaw a live tiger in half while it is clawing its way through a circus tent.Gzuckier 16:11, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

Well, it's only an opinion - but Nascar bores me beyond what words can explain! The tracks is just a boring oval - the sides are banked to make it easier - they only ever turn one direction and the cars are essentially identical...yaaawwwwnnnn! F1 is better - *much* better on a good day. No two tracks are alike - they all have a wide range of speeds and everything from tight turns to long straights and the cars have more technological variety. But to be honest - here in the USA the most fun thing to watch is the SCCA club racing events where lightly modified street cars driven by amateur drivers race around (mostly) narrow, twisty tracks - it's nowhere near as fast as F1 or Nascar - but the cars are not glued to the track, so there is vastly more excitement - you can generally go and watch events at a local track - probably at $0 cost and they run them on most weekends. The lower speeds mean that you have the cars in view for longer and there is much, much more overtaking. If you like motor racing, then better still - buy yourself a $50 approved helmet and take your unmodified street car to an Autocross event...it's a very safe sport and it's more fun than you can possibly imagine! The first couple of times you go, they'll even lend you a helmet. SteveBaker 16:19, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

disadvantages to have bank regulation

See Bank regulation Rockpocket 05:22, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

H1-B To F-1

Does anyone (especially UK citizens) have experiences of getting a F-1 visa for a US PhD program after being in H-1B status? How did you prove intent to return to the UK (or home country)? (This is not a change of status - this getting a F-1 in the UK about 3-4 months after leaving the US. I applied to the PhD program (and a major research university - in the top 15 or whatever) while I was working in a job in the US I wanted to leave. I was originally planning to resign after getting a PHD place and funding (which I didn't know for sure I would get of course), but it turned out my company laid my team off unexpectedly before the I got news of the phd place anyway....)

thanks for any advice/experiences...

Chances are that few, if any, Reference Desk editors have been in your position. You will probably get a more satisfactory response on an online immigration forum, such as this one. Marco polo 14:38, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

I haven't had the exact same situation, but did apply for a J-1 in Britain after having F-1 status in the past. I had no major problems. However, you need to make sure that there is no exceptions on H-1B (i.e. that there is not a period of time that has to expire before you can apply for another visa). As far as proving intent to return, pretty much all you need is proof of financial ties (a bank account, a mortgage, student loans) or significant family ties. If you are a UK national and have spent a significant proportion of your life there, you will most likely be fine. The real problem with this is for non-British nationals who are resident in Britain, and are planning to get a US visa in London. Rockpocket 22:00, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

The university you are considering very likely has an office called Services for International Students and Scholars or something along those lines. They will be happy to give you the full story. --mglg_(talk)

thanks for the answers, everyone... I didn contact the international office at the university before, but they were less helpful than you guys....

Quiz sites

Can anyone recommend any quiz internet sites that are geared for intellectual people? --13:39, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

There's funtrivia, with various topics and degrees of difficulty, but all the questions are multiple choice. Try the Assyrian history quiz. ---Sluzzelin talk 14:21, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

I like to think that the various Ref Desks function as quiz sites for some of us. --LarryMac | Talk 14:40, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

Have you checked out Wikipedia:Wikifun?--Shantavira|^{feed me} 15:48, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

payment of an early cancellation fee to a mobile phone operator.is it necessary if the network service is poor?ie constant 'dropped calls'for no apparent reason.

I'm just ending a 3-odd year relationship with '3'(Three)network due to a series of inexplicable 'dropped calls'on two mobile phone lines, which '3' customer service attribute to 'cell shortage'or congestion between substations ie more calls than available lines between substations or 'masts'.most of my calls are made and/or received from/at my flat in s.e.london (SE25 4RP)where the coverage is mostly described as 'very good' by '3'agents/operators.this is confirmed by 3's coverage map, available on their website,www.three.co.uk.i have a copy of that coverage map,available for inspection.the 'dropped calls'occur throughout the day,recently at 11pm approx.when most local residents are probably in bed.so,why 'cell shortage', and do I really owe '3' £170.00 odd and £113.00 for 'early cancellation'of two contracts,1 ending on 1.11.07, the 2nd on 21.9.07.?What about 'poor service' and my statutory rights?Are '3' performing their part of the 'contract'which they are invoking?for the 1st number I have requested a 'pac code'in order to transfer my old number to an account I opened with 'orange'on 5.6.07.'3' 'customer options'are refusing to release a 'pac code',unless I pay them c.£170.00.Where do I stand, and where do they stand?Iver Mackay APR (removed identifiers for privacy - Bielle 17:08, 7 June 2007 (UTC))

This is a legal and contractual matter, and, as a consequence, not something with which Wikipedia's Ref Desks can help. Good luck! Bielle 17:06, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

This sounds like a mission for the telecommunications regulator Ofcom. I suggest you study the information on their website to see whether you have a case.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 17:18, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

This is a good example for why it's a bad idea to get a long term contract with a cell phone company (the longer the term, the worse). It's possible that you may get out of paying the cancellation fee, but likely only after a major effort on your part. From the POV of the phone company, it's not in their interest to continue to pay to offer you good service when you have a long term contract. They actually get a higher profit margin in the short run by getting customers to quit so they can get cancellation fees and not provide any service in return. StuRat 05:31, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

Maid of Scandinavia Company

In my Mom's cupboard, I came across a bottle of "Oil of Peppermint" bottled for "Maid of Scandinavia Company of 3245 Raleigh Avenue, Minneapolis, Minn 55416". It is a little over half full and the contents are: oil peppermint, propylene glycol, and it holds 2 Fluid Ounces, Net. I'm trying to find out approximately what year the bottle was issued for sale. Any help will be appreciated.Cat322 17:48, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

Since the address on the bottle contains a ZIP Code, it most likely from the mid-1960s or later. (Oddly enough, one of the example ZIPs in that article is 55416. Spooky!). That address now seems to belong to Northland Aluminum Products, which this link seems to indicate was related to Maid of Scandinavia (scroll down to "Who Was David Dalquist?"). A quick Google search shows that Maid of Scandinavia was acquired by Sweet Celebrations [9], but I don't know when. --LarryMac | Talk 18:13, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

Gay Pride Parade of São Paulo

I would like to know which page of which edition of the Guinness Book states that the Gay Pride Parade of São Paulo is the biggest Gay Pride event in the world. A.Z. 18:10, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

...so I can add the reference to the article. A.Z. 21:26, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

Well, it'll change issue by issue, surely. I can't help you with the page though, sorry. JoshHolloway 10:24, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

It'll be one after 2002; my 2002 copy gives the largest Gay Pride event as the San Fransisco one. Laïka 10:54, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

It would have to be no earlier than 2005, the year of the big parade all the news websites refer to when googling "largest gay pride" and "world". Almost all of the ones I checked wrote "might/could have been" not "was". But maybe googling more specifically for the date will give you a reference. Unfortunately, the people from Guinness Book only show a tiny fraction of their goods to the online community. ---83.78.138.55 11:39, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

I was hoping someone here owned the book... It was definitely after 2002. I think I'll go to a book store and check the last edition. Thanks for the help. A.Z. 19:29, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

Reference desk history

How was the reference desk created? And why? And when? What about its name, which user invented it? A.Z. 21:34, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

I'm new, but i can answer 2 of those questions. Why? To answer questions. Name? It a reference desk. :P Maddie ^{was here} 21:57, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

Yeah, to answer questions. But the Help Desk is also to answer questions, for instance. I would like to know whether something happened which caused the creation of the reference desk, if there was some need for it, which were the circumstances of its creation, in details. I would also like to know whether it was named "reference desk" because it was supposed to be a reference desk or it's becoming a sort of reference desk just because it has its name. I like to believe that the name is like the name of the village pump, i.e., just a loose metaphor. A.Z. 22:05, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

Being a question about the Ref Desk, I think this is best raised on the Ref Desk talk page. -- JackofOz 22:35, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

According to the edit history, the first version of this page was created by User:Magnus Manske in February 2002. He was the original creator of the original software which later became MediaWIki - which is the software that runs Wikipedia! So it should come as no surprise that he was here at the beginning of the reference desk. How it was created was presumably just like any other Wikipedia page...he typed in the name and then typed in the initial content. His first edit comment says "moving to wikipedia namespace" - and that very first version already included a bunch of questions. So we may presume that it was tried out in his userspace or somewhere else outside of 'WP:' before 'going public'.

The first question (clearly setting the tone for most of the rest!) was: "Here's a question that any encyclopedia worth its salt must answer: why do dogs eat other dogs' poop?"...which we had again only last week (sigh). It doesn't look like that question was ever answered (it never is - to any degree of satisfaction). But in any case, the Help Desk wasn't used for six months after it's initial creation - questions didn't appear at a rate more than a handful per month until September. By October, the dog poop question was still there - and still completely unanswered. Finally, someone eventually removed it, commenting that this probably wasn't the best start to the help desk. Sadly, it is a commonly asked question and is pretty typical of a large percentage of the questions that we get here. SteveBaker 01:56, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

"In the beginning", there was one namespace. Users had to choose names that wouldn't conflict with article titles, and technical pages were in there with the rest. Then with the advent of the new "namespaces", Wikipedia and User, lots of pages had to get moved or redirected. (Koyaanis Qatsi could get confused with Koyaanis Qatsi, the user, for instance). Rmhermen 02:46, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

And User:Magnus Manske said "Let there be light!" And there was a question about dog poop. And User:Magnus Manske saw that it was good. V-Man - ^T/_C 03:25, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

I don't see any problem with that question. Odd animal behavior like that even has potential for scientific study (although I can just imagine the headlines if that study ever got government funding). StuRat 05:21, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

Haven't you heard of the National Center for the Study and Prevention of Canine Coprophagia? Edison 15:46, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

Write your own headline. Rockpocket 07:32, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

Hey, larry sanger asked a question about dog poop- and it was before Feb 2002 --froth^t 12:03, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

Also here's a very old ref desk page that precedes even "Wikipedia help desk" into mid 2001 --froth^t 12:05, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

I thought it was really interesting that someone asked on that page "Why isn't there powdered alcohol?", when this story just recently appeared in the news. :-) zafiroblue05 | Talk 05:13, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

"'Because the alcohol is not in liquid form, we can sell it to people below 16,' said project member Martyn van Nierop." A.Z. 19:55, 2 September 2007 (UTC)

What do do with this?

Perhaps someone knows what to do about This guy/this page. —ScouterSig 21:43, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

I doubt it. There's nothing there. What's the problem? BTW if you want a better response, use a diff rather than a dynamic page link. Anchoress 22:11, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

Friday blanked the page seven minutes after you posted this here. A.Z. 22:14, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

The edit history shows that before the page was blanked, this might have been an article that someone was working on - or it might be someone who is very confused about how to create an article. But the subject is identical to the person's user name which is a bit of a warning sign. The sole contribution of this user to Wikipedia is that page - plus the image on it. The term "Noble order of Exemplar" turned up zero Google hits (aside from that very page on Wikipedia) - and the content of the page suggests that this is some kind of fraternity in the Phillipines with just 10 members - so if this was indeed an effort to work on an article before copying it into main-space, it would have been AfD'd into obvlivion anyway. But it's not really a good idea to edit people's user pages (let alone blank them) and even though this is pretty dubious stuff, I don't think I would have done it. SteveBaker 01:30, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

I'm gonna go tag it for speedy now. Lol, just noticed it was a user page.T_TShindo9Hikaru 03:36, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

Just seen on the Sci-Fi Channel.........

Did you know that the Sci-Fi Channel has started a new show called "Into the Unknown" ? This ios about a paranormal organization that goes after paranormal matters, like ghosts, UFOs, Bigfoot, etc. 65.173.104.247 23:23, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

No, though is there a fact question you wished to ask? Splintercellguy 01:10, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

There was, and you answered it - we presume correctly! Of course if it's asked again, the answer will be have changed since now you do know it. SteveBaker 01:15, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

I didn't know that either. ---Sluzzelin talk 03:06, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

I definitely did not know it. I hope the programs are all very objective and scientific, and do not promote pseudoscience. ;-) Edison 04:43, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

I didn't know either! I don't even get the sci-fi channel! I think this question could become one of the best answered questions on the reference desks! 213.48.15.234 07:23, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

I agree. I didnt know that either ML Mhicaoidh 08:02, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

You might also be interested in Project Blue Book and the TV series about it. StuRat 05:13, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

June 8

I've found the e-mail address...

On Shueisha's e-mail address, I've finally found an e-mail address,[e-mail address removed] So, the question is, would Shueisha receive an e-mail at Manga Capsule?

im not sure, but fairly sure Shueisha would not like spam :) Perry-mankster 09:40, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

Chinese visa services in London

anyone use these kind of services before? Are they ok and reliable? any problems? thanks....

http://www.chinesevisadirect.co.uk/

www.orientaltravel.co.uk/biztravel/visa.html

http://www.mdxchineseschool.co.uk/?gclid=COuE4uKhzIwCFQrnlAodHj4Org

I have several times used a visa service in London for American visas and they were first class. Quick, no effort on my part.86.197.170.130 15:08, 9 June 2007 (UTC)DT

Why?

Why does a chicken bone bend when you place it in coca cola for a few days? What ingredient causes it?

If I had to guess, I'd say it's a combination of the acidity eating away at the bone and gravity bending it -- Phoeba Wright^OBJECTION! 12:11, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

That's most likely correct. If I remember correctly, coca-cola will eat away at a human tooth if you leave it in a a decent time, don't see why it couldn't do the same to a bone.--GTPoompt 12:43, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

See here for endless Cokelore (yes, there's even a word for it). What I want to know is why so may people stick various items in glasses of Coke and leave them lying around the house.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 13:11, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

I'm sure that there's an equal amount of lore obtainable about every other substance on Earth, just people seem to concentrate their investigative abilities on coke. 213.48.15.234 13:20, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

That's because us coca-cola is drank around the world widely. I'm sure if people started drinking Perchloric acid it would have negative views towards it too just like coke does ;).--GTPoompt 13:46, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

I think this question would have been better suited for the Science desk but oh well... Dismas|^(talk) 15:19, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

It is indeed the acidity. Simply putting the bone in acetic acid (vinegar) will do the same thing. You can also put an egg in vinegar and the shell will get strange and rubbery. In both cases, the change is due to the acid dissolving the calcium (and, to a lesser extent, phosphate) from the material. --TotoBaggins 16:32, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

The calcium on the bone is dissolved by the vinegar. After the soak, all that is left is collagen, which gives the bone flexibility. This is what allows you to bend the bone. bibliomaniac15 An age old question... 17:54, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

Contact details for online retailer

I have been totally screwed over by an online retailer called Caiman.com [10]. Firstly, I would urge everybody to avoid this retailer like the plague. Secondly, can someone help me to find a postal address, phone number or an email address for a real live person, perhaps in their press/PR office, that I can use to contact this shambles of an outfit? Many thanks. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 13:58, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

We can't endorse your personal opinion or help you here. Sleazy people, or retailers (not that I'm saying there are any around here!) tend to sue anybody who might limit their ability to rake in money without delivering (See Conrad Black). If you are a big target, or actually use your own name, you are at risk. --Zeizmic 15:20, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

See this page for contact details. It only offers an email address as far as I can tell but it's something. Dismas|^(talk) 15:22, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

Thanks, Dismas. Zeizmic, I'm afraid I don't quite follow your argument. Are you saying that my question about contact details is unsuitable for answering here because I framed it within a rant about the company? If I had just written "Does anyone know a postal address for Caiman.com?", and nothing else, would that have made it a suitable question for answering? --Richardrj ^{talk email} 15:37, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

The company's full name, appearing at the very bottom of its web page, suggests it is registered in the British Virgin Islands, but I could find nothing for it in the Caribbean Yellow Pages. According to the "Jobs" section in the Caiman [11] website, the company has offices in Miami and Montreal. There are two listings under "Caiman" in the Miami Yellow Pages. (I've lost the link, but you can google "Miami Yellow Pages" and then just type "Caiman" in the "search" box.) Both are labelled as publishing companies -one seems to specialize in music publishing- but a phone call might give you more information. I could find no listing using the name "Caiman" in either the White or Yellow Pages directories for Montreal or for Montreal and surrounding area. The company is also affiliated with Amazon in some way, as its web site references payments made, and orders directed, to Amazon. Perhaps you can access Caiman through Amazon. A list of Amazon’s Officers and Directors can be accessed here [[12]] and its corporate address is listed in its Restated Articles of Incorporation, Article 2 here [[13]]. Bielle 16:27, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

According to whois, the domain is owned by

	Registrant:  	
  	Caiman Holding BVI 
  	Wickhams Cay
  	P.O. Box 662
  	Road Town, Tortola 33126
  	VG
 	 
  	Domain Name: CAIMAN.COM

  	Administrative Contact : 	 
  	Pilon, Yannick
  	atupia@yahoo.com
  	640 Saint Paul West
  	Suite 204
  	Montreal, QC H3C1L9
  	CA
  	Phone: 514-223-4811
 	 
  	Technical Contact : 	 
  	Network Solutions, LLC. 
  	customerservice@networksolutions.com
  	13861 Sunrise Valley Drive
  	Herndon, VA 20171
  	US
  	Phone: 1-888-642-9675
  	Fax: 571-434-4620

Sorry, I focussed on the rant, but this information gives a good contact. Still looks very sleazy..., so I'm with you on the rant.. --Zeizmic 14:54, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

How do I find stats on the total amount of mortgages offered in the Ukraine for 2002-2007

I need to find out how the total volume of mortgages offered by Ukranian banks to Ukranian citizens has progresse over the past 5 years. It can be in any currency. I looked at:

- The Stattistical Committee of Ukraine - The State Bank of Ukraine - The Ukranian Ministry of Finance

websites, but was unable to find any information where would I find such figures

thanks

Teo

where do i buy a disposable mobile phone in london

where is a good place to get a cheap disposable pay as you go mobile phone in london? (not one where you have to wait 8 days before you can use it... one you can use right awya) thanxxxx

Get a second hand phone and a Pay as You Go SIM card from a shop on your nearest high road. I don't know where in London you are, otherwise I'd recommend an actual shop. JoshHolloway 16:36, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

There are thousands of places to buy a cheap phone in London. Railway stations, newsagents, supermarkets.... If you really want to be spoilt for choice, start in Tottenham Court Road.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 18:01, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

Mare sure you pay with cash and don't use your real name with the sales clerk -- that's how they catch the bad guys with disposable phones in Law & Order :).--Cody.Pope 07:51, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

National Diet Library Pictures

Here we go...

I desperately need detailed interior pictures of the National Diet Library.

I have googled and wikipedia-ed the heck out of it, but my (once-thought-mighty)google kung-fu was defeated.

I've only found pictures of the exterior, of people meeting in conference rooms, or people sitting at some desk tucked away in a back room. I have a floor plan, I just need detailed pictures of each floor, including the main desk, book stacks, reading rooms, etc.

While I have the inclination and linguistic aptitude, I do not pressess the finances to travel to Japan. If anyone knows how I can travel and board there cheaply (under $600), I'm listening.

I would rather just work with good pictures, though.

Thanks in advance, --67.177.170.96 15:52, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

Have you tried emailing someone who works there (especially since you have "linguistic aptitude")? Maybe you could get them to take some photos and send them to you? There is a 'Contact' page on their web site that contains the email address of their tour guide - a person like that ought to be very happy to help you. In future tours, the guide will be able to tell visitors "The library was featured in a book by User:67.177.170.96 in 2007." SteveBaker 15:59, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

Excellent idea. Thank you. --67.177.170.96 01:44, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

Voting

Is it irresponsable to vote?— Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.175.128.134 (talk • contribs)

Doesn't the answer rather depend for whom (or for what) you are voting?--Shantavira|^{feed me} 18:04, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

For the bozos in [insert country of your choice], it sure is. Clarityfiend 18:07, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

I suspect it is never irresponsible to vote for what you believe in, though someone will often disagree whole-heartedly with what you agree (indeed this appears to be the point of voting - to try to make a decision based on what is the dominant desire). ny156uk 18:17, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

I think it can be irresponsible to vote - perhaps if you are conscious of the fact that you have not been following the debate and you don't know the candidates and their policies as well as you should - then the responsible thing would be to let others (who...one presumes...have been following events more closely) make an informed decision. However, in general one's responsibility is to be cognisant of the candidates - and therefore the responsible thing would generally be to vote. SteveBaker 20:36, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

Funny there was just a New York Times article about how irrational voters really are. Op-ed more or less, but worth a read . --Cody.Pope 07:49, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

Winston Churchill had it about right: "Democracy is the worst form of government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time." - But certainly the results can be bizarre. In the USA, there are probably 200 million people who could legally become president on any given election year. An ideal electorial process would produce the best person out of those 200 million and elect them president. What are the odds that the son (or wife) of an ex-President would turn out to be that person? The statistical odds of that being the best decision are almost negligable! We could argue similarly for a movie star as president or governator of California - or for a WWF Wrestler to make governor. Is there evidence that media personalities make better policies than the average person in the community? I don't think so - quite the opposite in fact. So why are people from the performing arts so much more likely to make it into high office than would be statistically expected? Clearly, the forces at work here are far from rational. But the problem isn't really with the election itself - it's the process of selecting the candidates in the run up to the election that's the problem - and that has nothing to do with what the majority of voters want. SteveBaker 13:10, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

Earmuffs and their strength

By how much do a standard pair of earmuffs reduce sound? I am looking to photograph very close to an air force base (down to 300-500m from fighterjets) and would love some advice on what kind of ear protection which is the best kind. To my knowledge these fighters average on 150db, more and less during different parts of takeoff/taxi/landing. 81.93.102.185 18:36, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

Look for earplugs that can cancel out sound much more (I suspect) than your average earmuff. I guess the air-force have a specific varient they use to save their staff's ears from the noise. I've seen them wear them big headphone shaped ear-protectors (I guess you could call them ear-muffs?). According to the earplug article they are 'rated' by their sound-proofing. ny156uk 18:51, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

We do have an article on earmuffs, which is not very detailed. The information at this website seems to cover a broad range of topics about hearing protection. --LarryMac | Talk 19:09, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

I used to have a job where the noise level was so high that we'd wear earmuffs over earplugs, and the noise would still be pretty darn loud. In my opinion, I'd say the earplugs, as ny156uk stated, are more effective. If you want to play it safe, try the plug-muff combo. V-Man - ^T/_C 00:56, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

Some of the best passive earmuff-style "hearing protectors" are rated 29 dB of noise reduction, but it varies depending on the frequency PDF. One pair of David Clark Noise-cancelling headphones is rated 50 dB cancellation, but only of repetitive noise.

Atlant 01:25, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

Shepard-Risset Glissando Followup

As an extra point of my previously discussed question about creating a Shepard-Risset Glissando, someone said that it would be possible to create one in Audacity. May I ask how? How do you set it up so that it generates a constantly changing tone rather than a fixed pitch, and what would be the correct way of setting up the volume curves? Any help you can give on this matter would be greatly appreciated, as my knowledge of audio and maths is quite limited. --80.229.152.246 20:50, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

If you enjoy coding in lisp, you can write a nyquist plug-in for audacity. There are a number of example audacity plug-ins here. The stand-alone nyquist package has a demo (demos/pmorales/b9.lsp) which i think does exactly what you want, generating a continuous descending Risset scale.—eric 18:47, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

Thanks very much for that, it looks very useful. --80.229.152.246 20:28, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

who is this

Hi, this may seem a strange question, but curiosity got the better of me - who is the person in Image:0000.JPG? She appears to have at least some notability to her. Blood Red Sandman ^{(Talk) (Contribs)} 22:04, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

I'm going to guess Nicole Kidman. --Tagishsimon (talk)

I don't know who it is, but it's definitely not Nicole Kidman. Anchoress 22:44, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

Tagishsimon, it's way past time to see an optometrist. Nicole Kidman?! Nooooo.Clarityfiend 22:50, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

I think it's Beth Ostrosky. --Joelmills 01:50, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

Mutual funds

Is it possible to sell a mutual fund short? NeonMerlin 23:13, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

Get a list of the holdings of the fund, then sell the individual stocks short. That's the long and the short of it. Clarityfiend 05:23, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

So strictly speaking, no, you can't short shares in the mutual fund itself. But you could achieve equivalent economic benefits by short selling the individual stocks in the fund, if you know how the fund is invested. You would, of course, have to pay the costs of borrowing the stock in order to short sell it. Or you could achieve similar results using CFDs or futures. To replicate the fund performance exactly, you would have to keep re-balancing your portfolio, and the costs of doing this are likely to make your strategy uneconomic. Gandalf61 09:28, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

HP 27 Cartridge

Hello. I can fill more than 10 mL of black ink (the sticker on my cartridge said it can hold 10 mL) into my HP 27 cartridge. For example, if I refilled 15 mL of black ink, when the cartridge is empty, can I print 50% more pages? Thanks. --Mayfare 23:39, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

I would heavily advise against putting more than the rated capacity of ink into a refillable cartidge. This could damage it (and your printer, and any documents in progress). To directly answer your question, if the cartridge can physically contain 15 mL, then I'd say it is possible to print 50% more pages, at least until the cartridge breaks from being overfilled. Inkjet refill kit has some more info. V-Man - ^T/_C 02:45, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

June 9

Internet access in the military

Do low-ranking members of the Canadian Navy have access to the internet on a regular basis? What about when on a long patrol mission (ie aboard a ship) is there internet access there? 209.53.180.38 00:23, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

You will get the best answer by asking them, here: [14] Mhicaoidh 01:25, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

And incidentally there is no such thing as the Canadian Navy! see Canadian Navy Mhicaoidh 01:36, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

Well they certainly have naval force of some kind, no need to insult them by refusing the honor it with the name "navy" :) --froth^t 11:58, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

Froth, check the references I've provided, its a matter of nomenclature. The Canadian government has not called it a navy for decades Mhicaoidh 12:03, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

It was a deliberate misinterpretation- they only have four submarines.. a lot more than I have (zero) but not much of a navy nonetheless! --froth^t 16:33, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

It's not officially a navy, and the fact that it isn't a navy is a sore point with them. A navy is a maritime force constituted as a navy and called officially a navy. The Maritime Command of the Canadian Armed Forces is not a navy. --Charlene 20:34, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

What? It's a navy whether they want to call it one or not (despite its dubious strength) --froth^t 17:16, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

I wouldn't expect to have much leisure time to just be browsing the internet.. if you're going to dedicate a portion of your life to the armed forces you shouldn't expect any concessions --froth^t 16:35, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

I imagine they have regular access to email. - Akamad 01:11, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

Best eyesight?

Hi, there's an urban legend (IMHO) in Korea about Mongolians having 100/20 vision and the Moken having 180/20 vision. There's even been a report that a fisherman in Sicily is the current Guinness World Record holder for best eyesight, with 120/20 vision. I personally think this is all bunk.

I think Wikipedia says 40/20 would be beyond human capabilities, and various authorities I can find on the web seem to say 24/20 or 26/20 would be probably the best. I'd like to know the truth. Could someone cite some well-documented examples, please? --Kjoonlee 07:38, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

Fractions are probably a bit off, because Korea uses decimal notation and I'm converting from memory. --Kjoonlee 07:41, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

Without commenting on the actual question, I point out that Snellen fractions are normally given with a numerator of 20 (feet) or 6 (meters). The idea is that the eye chart is placed at that distance and tests how your vision at that distance compares what people with normal vision can see at other distances. I presume that 20 feet is used because it is a conveniently short distance but far enough for the eye to be focusing as it would at infinity. So rather than 40/20 for vision that much better than normal, one would expect to see 20/10. --Anonymous, June 9, 2007, 11:10 (UTC).

There has been studies on the Moken's apparently unusual ability to accommodate well underwater [15]. It turns out, however, that it is just a learned trait. There was no indication in that study that they have superior vision. Rockpocket 19:22, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

Exactly. The researcher from Lund, Sweden said that the visual acuity of Moken children on land was not significantly different from that of European children. --Kjoonlee 20:28, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

It is 20 first. Eagles have 20/4 vision. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 172.213.43.56 (talk • contribs).

That number about eagles changes everytime I read it from somewhere else. I can't trust that. --Kjoonlee 19:22, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

Removing permanent marker writing from clothes

As a joke, a couple of freinds of mine decided to write all over a white t-shirt of mine with permanent marker.What is the best way of removing this marker so that it is no longer visible; I've heard that hairspay works on surfaces - does it also work on clothes? 86.144.148.249 14:39, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

For a white shirt, strong bleach is probably the best. --Zeizmic 14:46, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

Try reading this Permanent Marker Stains on Clothing Dep. Garcia ( Talk + | Help Desk | Complaints ) 14:47, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

Prince Charles

Big ears begets big ears

Is it true that Prince Charles' big ears are the result of inbreeding?

My theory is that he's the result of a royal indiscretion with Clark Gable. Clarityfiend 15:53, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

Unusually pronounced features can be seen in consanguineous offspring, but the Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh are not particularly closely related. I'd say it is more likely that his big ears are the result of his father having big ears. Rockpocket 19:38, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

Prince Charles, like his father before him, and ALL other Polo Players, need very big ears to slow them down like air-brakes when they are approaching a short-stop on the Polo Field.

And he's old. Ears don't stop growing.

Old? Sigh. Corvus cornix 20:20, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

Twins Games at the Metrodome

I have been looking on the Minnesota Twins' website for almost an hour trying to find how early before games the gates open at the Metrodome. Im going to the game on Saturday June 16th, if that makes a difference.--ChesterMarcol 16:39, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

You would think they'd make this information easy to find, but I had as much difficulty as you finding that information. This page lists the opening time to be 1.5 hours before first pitch, but that page also happens to be eight years old. Your best bet is to call the box office at 1-800-33-TWINS, as they should be able to answer this question. –Pakman044 19:39, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

Prep?

I know this is very opinional, but generally do girls find guys who wear "preppy" (A&F, American Eagle, Hollister) clothing attractive? If not, what kind of clothing for guys would girls find attractve (tight, loose, etc...)? Thanks. Michael.74.111.82.91 19:10, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

What country are you in? How old are you? What kind of woman (intellectual, athletic, etc.) are you trying to attract? --Charlene 20:28, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

Personally, i like preppy or sporty clothes on guys. Thats just my preference. Maddie ^{was here} 22:09, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

Under Armour

I have some questions about the clothing company Under Armour

• The company is American and was founded by an American in America. Why does "armour" take the British spelling?
• What are the "sweat-wicking" fibres made from? Polyester?
• How does it compare to Nike's line of Dri-FIT?

Thanks. 74.111.82.91 19:30, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

I don't know about the last two, but you could ask them via e-mail about the name. There once was a company called "Under Armor" that made rustproofing for automobiles, so perhaps that's why they used the CanadianBritish spelling. (edited) --Charlene 20:32, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

Where can I buy US letter size paper in London??

Anyone know where to buy US 8 1/2 inch by 11 inch letter size paper in London?? thanks a lot for any help!!!

You might have a hard time finding it... You may want to just buy some A3 paper (11.7" x 16.5") and cut it down to 8.5" x 11". -- Mwalcoff 02:11, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

You might also consider buying it on line and having it shipped to you. Paper is heavy, however, so this will only work if you need relatively small quantities, or so large an amount that supplier will give you discounts as if you were in the import business. (And, no, I have no idea about what restrictions or costs there might be in respect of importing paper into England.) Paper size says that only Canada and the US still use the 8 1/2 x 11-inch format. You could just change the paper size on your printer to A4. Bielle 04:39, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

Egad! 8 1/2" by 11" isn't standard the world over? What is the equivalent in heathen (i.e. metric) regions? (Paper size is confusing and it's late.) Clarityfiend 06:54, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

A4 paper size is the short answer. (The article that link redirects to is slightly less complicated.)--Shantavira|^{feed me} 07:45, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

Yes, paper is just another thing that won't work in Europe, like televisions, VCRs, regionalized CDs, electrical plugs and appliances, some cellphones, etc... Globalization my eye. -- Mwalcoff 08:57, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

Just like the metric system, the 'A', 'B' and 'C' series of paper sizes are logically thought out and not just some strange quirk of history. Each A size (A0, A1, A2, A3...down to A10) is exactly half the area of the one before it. So a paper mill can manufacture sheets of A0 paper and simply cut them in half to make A1's, cut those in half to make A2's, cut those in half to make A3'a and so on down. If you are a printer and someone gives you a pile of pages on A5 paper and asks you to bind them into a book, you can print them on A4, fold them down the middle and center-staple and know that the pages will fit. If you want to print Xmas cards with single-sided printing (which demands that you fold the card twice to get the writing in the correct place - then you know you can print on A3 and the result will fit perfectly into an envelope that's designed for an A5 card (which would be a 'C5' envelope). It's a vastly better system than the US paper size mess. The same properties apply to the 'B' paper sizes - although these are much less commonly used - the 'C' sizes are the paper size you need to make an envelope for 'A' sized paper - so an A5 birthday card will fit into a C5 envelope with a bit of space around the edges). A4 is the closest to US letter-sized but if someone has written software or pre-formatted a document for Letter and all you have is A4, you'll definitely find a problem! Also, if you have to photocopy US letter-sized documents, you'll run into grief too. Having said that, I know for sure that you can buy US Letter-sized paper in the UK because when I last worked there we had a photocopier set up with both letter and A4 paper for this very reason. However, I have no clue where we bought it from. SteveBaker 12:43, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

Try the Students' Union and/or bookshop of any University that has a substantial number of American students.90.4.255.117 14:56, 10 June 2007 (UTC)Dt

Pre-consumption alcohol related amnesia

Now, i know you can get amnesia revolving around the events occuring after drinking large amounts of alcohol (i've had my fair share of that) - but do you think it's possible to drink so much you don't remember things from _before_ you started drinking/had drank enough to cause a blackout? And if so, has anyone ever had it?

Thanks!

-Benbread 22:27, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

I don't know if this is exactly what you're asking about, but Korsakov's syndrome destroys long-term and short-term memory. But it's more of a permanent condition than a temporary loss of memory. --Charlene 22:37, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

3D pool

Have astronauts ever played 3D pool where, in freefall, they fill a clear rectangular box with a gas and have pool balls in there and try to make the balls into pockets that are built into the box?--71.185.142.181 23:24, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

I really doubt it would work as the balls will take a long time to stop bouncing off each other due to the absence of the pool table surface which creates lots of drag. --antilived^{T | C | G} 00:48, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

There's the potential for a game to last just one turn. If a ball is struck and it strikes another ball and so on. Then all the balls by random chance eventually fall into a pocket, you're game is over. The reduced drag makes this much more likely than in a Earth-bound game of standard pool. Dismas|^(talk) 00:57, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

Edit conflict, but many experiments have been performed examining the behaviour of objects in freefall, but no games of pool. The problem with pool in freefall would be keeping the balls still in relation to each other as various forces such as air currents, cetripetal force etc would affect them. Pool relies on the friction of the table to slow and halt balls, whereas in freefall they would keep moving til air resistance stopped them meaning a long time between turns! See The microgravity section of Weightlessness Mhicaoidh 00:59, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

I said that the box would be filled with a gas, which would provide friction. Or maybe a liquid would work better.--71.185.142.181 01:18, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

If you could find a liquid with the right viscocity to make the game playable, you could use neutrally bouyant balls - and then you could play it right here on earth - no zero-g required. There are plenty of 3D Pool/Snooker/Billiards computer games - but they don't make good games because there is simply too much space in 3D. Think about this: The most interesting situations in these games comes from balls blocking each other, colliding with each other, etc. The probability of this happening in 2D is much *much* higher than in 3D. I just don't think it would be much of a fun game. (Plus - what do you rest the pool cue on?) SteveBaker 02:13, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

Vince McMahon

Why is Vincent Kennedy McMahon borderline psychotic?

Because he is NOT "politically correct". Those that are NOT politically correct are "diagnosed with a mental illness", like gun owners, UFO/Alien witnesses, hunters, those that spot Bigfoot,those that believe that criminals and illegal aliens should be punished, kids who are NOT on Ritalin. This goes on and on. 65.173.104.15 01:02, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

I'm in a EXTREMELY conservative area, here even Disney is seen as being a bad influence, since it promotes liberal matters, like Bambi, as seen by the preachers in my area. 65.173.104.15 01:17, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

Why do you beat your wife? Anchoress 05:45, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

June 10

Jackofoz

Moved to Wikipedia_talk:Reference_desk#Jack_OfOz_-_moved_from_misc_desk_by_Anchoress. Anchoress 01:30, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

boarding pass printing

I have just used easy check in online on united airlines website, However i have no printer avaliable and cannot print out the pass. I already confirmed my check in online but did not print out the pass. Am i able to go to the airport and use the kiosk to print out the pass.--logger 01:58, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

I've never flown on United, but I've never had any problems with checking in online and then printing out a boarding pass at a kiosk. The airlines know a certain percentage of people will lose their e-boarding passes anyway. And if you have problems at the kiosk, the attendants at the ticket counter can almost definitely print it out for you anyway. So no worries! –Pakman044 02:04, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

all right just wanted to be sure.--logger 02:16, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

How do birds catch worms

How do common garden birds such as thrushes and blackbirds locate worms? Is it sight of hole, smell, sound, vibration...? Mhicaoidh 05:01, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

This study suggests that in Robins, it is mainly the sound. ›mysid (☎∆) 08:43, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

Speakers. vs. Beatles

I have an old set of computer speakers (4.1/quadraphonic; 4 speakers, 1 sub) in my room. I also have an iPod. Last night I noticed that a certain Beatles song, Day Tripper sounded odd. Then, checking through other songs, I noticed the same with We Can Work It Out. Both were ripped to MP3 from the 1 CD.

The issue is with the vocals. They're still present, but they're very quiet and have an odd reverberation. All other songs are fine, and these songs are fine played through an other speakers. Can anyone explain this? -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 05:44, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

It might be a problem with the stereo speration through the speakers. The Beatles did a lot of playing around with the vocals coming from one side of the speakers with the music coming from either both or just the other side. Dismas|^(talk) 09:48, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

It definitely sounds like a stereo versus mono problem. Is it possible that your iPod is connected up so that only one side of the stereo is connected and it's going to both speakers? Check the cables connecting them. How does your 4.1 speaker setup decode four channels from two anyway?

Cigarette-cowboy Engrish sign.

I'm trying to track down a photo I saw a while ago. It was of an engrish sign in Japan that went something like "Warning: do not put your cigarettes on the ground! The cowboy does but he is a character in an old film!". Can anyone remember where it was posted, or link me to it? Froglars the frog 05:51, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

http://iconglobe.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2006/05/smokingmanner.jpg ›mysid (☎∆) 08:39, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

Business

who are the main exporter of Red Table wine?

France obviously. I know that Australia is now a huge wine exporter of all types. Some other major exporters include Italy, Spain, the USA, and Chile. Did you bother to look at the wine article, where you would have seen this table? The information there is starting to get a little out of date and note that it's not specifically about red wine; I believe that China is now starting to strongly get into the game too. --jjron 12:31, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

I think by the title "Business", he wanted the main company that exported it. JoshHolloway 13:54, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

Bodys In A Trunk

This is a serious question, as it is research for a novel. How many bodies could one fit into the trunk of a Chrysler 300C compared to the trunk of a Lincoln Navaigator? --125.238.24.115 14:21, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

The only obvious solution here is to rent or test drive them, and pile some friends on in. It would be impossible to tell from a size standpoint, since a larger trunk in cubic space could be much less capable of holding bodies, due to the design of it. If you don't have friends that would let you stack them on top of one another, you could try using golf bags as an analog... -- Phoeba Wright^OBJECTION! 15:02, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

Do the bodies have to be whole? Or can arms and legs be cut off in order to economize on space? Dismas|^(talk) 16:14, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

Or a giant blender. A lot of people is just air. Dehydrating them would help too, then you would just have dust. You could probably fit dozens of dehydrated bodies into a car.

In soviet russia, stalemate gives up you!

I was watching WarGames last night, and at one point it was mentioned that the US had deployed bombers because of the simulation, and Russia responded in kind, and the US didn't want to recall their bombers until the USSR did. How did real life situations like this play out during the cold war? Which side usually gave in and retracted their forces first? It really doesn't seem like either of them would ever give up, logically. -- Phoeba Wright^OBJECTION! 15:01, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

I imagine that the backing off was done incrementally and piecemeal. Given the huge overkill both sides enjoyed, it's possible to back-down small sections of one's force without materially changing one's actual strength. You'd probably start by freezing further escalatory deployments - ships that have been making ready for sea stay in port, troop formations on the move stop at an intermediate point. Then you'd deescalate existing deployments - when their fuel runs out bombers orbiting at aggressive forward points are replaced by aircraft flying a less provocative patrol. Finally units would be returned to their barracks, fueled missiles defueled, aircraft returned to their normal patterns, etc. Incidentally, there's a school of thought among some historians that contends the rapid escalation of hostilities at the start of WW1 was due to the inflexibility of the railway-based deployment schedules of the continental powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, France, and Russia) - i.e. the complexity and fragility of the railway deployment timetable meant that units couldn't be meaningfully stopped, slowed, or reversed without jamming up the whole complex deployment horribly. So, these historians contend, there was no means for the continental belligerents to show their willingness and capacity to fight without going the whole hog and actually committing a huge force to the field (forcing their adversary to do likewise, and thus making conflict very likely). -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 17:00, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

Belmont Stakes?

Who sung "New York, New York" at the start of the Belmont Stakes?--172.131.84.175 16:21, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

View from Continental Aircraft flying from San Diego to Newark New Jersey?

In April when returning to Scotland after visiting San Diego, our flight, as described in the Subject Line, which took about 5+ hours, flew over vast tracts of land with no recognisable features (to the naked eyes and from that height). But I was amazed to see many enormous perfect circles on the earth and couldn't begin to imagine what they might be other than, say, for agricultural purposes. They seemed too large to be buildings, and they weren't bodies of water, so, does anyone here have any clues please? I know, I know, I should have asked someone on the 'plane at the time, but we Brits are an extremely polite and restrained race and I didn't like to disturb my fellow passengers. Thanks in anticipation.

Please sign your posts with ~~~~. They could've been Crop Circles, although without some sort of reference as to it's size it's hard to say. They could've also been sports stadiums, but having one out in the middle of nowhere would be odd. They could've also been hills (shadows can play some devious tricks on your eyes) or roadways. Do you have any description other than "circles"? If they were off the ground, they might very well have been silos, if it looked like a natural feature it could be very odd -- Phoeba Wright^OBJECTION! 16:53, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

Center pivot irrigation. anonymous6494 17:06, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

Yes, that's the right answer. Complete circles are fairly well suited to the square lots that land was surveyed into much of the US and Canada; in some places you will also see partial circles. --Anonymous, June 10, 2007: 17:27 (UTC).

Thanks Anonymous. I followed your lead and saw immediately that what you describe above was exactly what I saw from the aircraft. Interesting though, as an aside, is the pattern that is emerging as I periodically pose a question here on Wikipedia. I usually get 2 answers these days, one from respondents such as yourself that proves to be well-informed and correct. And the other from Phoeba Wright that is usually an uninformed shot-in-the-dark that proves to be howlingly WRONG. Thanks again Anonymous, I am most grateful to you.

Being right is quite overestimated here at the reference desk. A.Z. 20:21, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

How much would it cost to sell electricity?

I've heard that people with solar/wind power to their house can make a bit of extra income by selling their excess electricity back to the grid. Assuming average US energy costs, how much would a single average solar panel save (or in the case of excess) per month? And how much for an average turbine? And would it be possible, assuming you had a large enough amount of wind/solar power, to profit off this? Such as, if a solar panel makes 30$ worth of electricity a month, and you had 100, would it be possible to sell the electricity for 3000$ (of course, after your usage, this could be a bit lower, but you understand my point), and thus basically live off money from the electric company? Ignoring the cost of the panels/turbines themselves, of course...

Unfortunately the answer to this is contingent on the circumstances of your local power supplier and the prevailing public utility regulator. So few individuals sell power back to the grid that the price is determined by the fiat of the PUC not by the market. In some places the PUC forces the utility to buy the power at several times the market value (forcing the power company to essentially subsidise new deployments of renewable microgeneration). Such a regulatory environment will inevitably evaporate as adoption increases. Even now the economics don't really make for really much profit - this guy makes $3000 annually on a capital outlay of $50,000 - a 6% return, and most of his capital cost was paid by the PUC. Home microgeneration makes a bit of sense for supplying your own needs (but only after you've taken care of the lower hanging fruit like better insulation and more efficient appliances). -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 17:30, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

Backwards stars and stripes on U.S military uniforms

this has been bugging me. The U.S army and marines have the american flag on their sleeves, however the flag is backwards. ie. the stars are at the top right corner, instead of the top left. WHY? Willy turner 18:10, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

This is known as the "Reverse Field Flag"; it gives the impression of a flag being carried, blowing backwards in the wind. Laïka 18:18, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

Simple Shield list

Can anyone please write down a large list of all the shield types they know {Example: Buckler, Kite shield} and at least try to have a good Simple english description and facts about them, this is for the simple english wikipedia's List of shields

Deflector shields? :) --froth^t 19:06, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

You can find a lot of them mentioned in Shield. Clarityfiend 19:11, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

Printing Costs

I've been sending off for loads of quotes, and I want to know if I'm expecting too much. What I want is a document printing, with the following specs. -Gloss cover (full colour) -52 pages inside, in B&W + 1 colour "OR' Full colour 'depending on price variation' -A4 size -150 to 250 copies

I'm prepared to, aside from these demands, be very flexible. Do you think it is possible to get what I want for abou £700, and if so could you point me in the right direction?

Many thanks!

--Fadders 19:27, 10 June 2007 (UTC)