Wikipedia:Reference desk/Miscellaneous

How do you say "Niger"?

I've always pronounced the nation of Niger as NYE-ghur, but I heard a BBC reporter calling it NEE-zher, very French-sounding. So is there a preferred way to say it? PedanticallySpeaking 17:04, August 8, 2005 (UTC)

Well, Niger says the latter is correct but the former is acceptable. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 17:14, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

The article you link to seems to answer the question very directly; basically nee-ZHER, but NYE-jur also acceptable. Am I misinterpreting your question? — Pekinensis 17:17, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

I could have sworn it was on this list, List of words of disputed pronunciation, but I don't see it there now... Dismas 19:27, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

The French pronunciation is nee-zhay, with a pure vowel in both syllables and pretty much equal emphasis on each. NEE-zher is a slight anglicization of this. Physchim62 22:59, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

The Chiltern Hundreds

Can anyone point me to the text of the commission issued to parliamentarians that formally appoints them to the office of steward of the Hundreds? PedanticallySpeaking 18:09, August 8, 2005 (UTC)

Air distances

Can anyone point me to a site to calculate the distances by air between cities? PedanticallySpeaking 18:09, August 8, 2005 (UTC)

• Do a google search for air distance between cities and you'll find bunches of 'em. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 19:04, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

Can someone who has actually used one of these sites recommend one for ease of use, accuracy, etc. PedanticallySpeaking 15:27, August 9, 2005 (UTC)

If you're looking for the length of the great circle between two cities (which is the route an aircraft would typically follow in the flight levels), I always use the calculator at Air Routing International (usually via an Infobot, but still, that one). Before that I used the calculator at landings.com but I find their site innavigable these days. — mendel ☎ 00:01, August 10, 2005 (UTC)

Paris

Which of the arrondisements (wards) of Paris is considered the most upscale? PedanticallySpeaking 18:09, August 8, 2005 (UTC)

Le 8ème arrondissement? --HappyCamper 23:11, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

hot cds

My cd player is making cds hot. When I remove them immediately after play, thet are hot. They soon cool when removed from the player, however I am worried that this effect may be damaging to the discs. Is it?

I'm fairly certain that you should be fine. I had a CD player that did that too and never had an issue. The plastic and metal data layer of the disc would have to melt (although just slightly) to render the disc unplayable. I would hope they're not coming out that hot!  :) Dismas 19:18, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

CDs are essentially a really thin piece of metal sandwiched between two pieces of plastic. Unless the CD player is hot enough to melt the plastic, you should be fine. BTW, check out this really cool image on the fractal page: It's a microwaved DVD! --HappyCamper 20:07, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

Microsoft Jet

Need some help on Microsoft Jet Database Engine: I have tried quite hard to see what locking mechanism this used. I need to know if it uses read and write locks, and whether it uses Strict two-phase locking (was asked on FAC). - Ta bu shi da yu 05:22, 3 August 2005 (UTC)

Does this question have anything to do with this recent read lock error on Wikipedia? This afternoon, I couldn't click on "edit this page" without getting an obscure SQL error. --HappyCamper 06:44, 3 August 2005 (UTC)

Not that I'm aware of... we don't use Jet for Wikipedia (thank goodness). Anyone have any idea? - Ta bu shi da yu 06:18, 4 August 2005 (UTC)

Casting Director

I am looking for anything and everything related to the revenue that these firms generate, the profits that their partners take home, individual contract rates per production, anything that can give me a better sense of the yearly incomes of these people. Obviously, the top top Casting Directors make alot, but I don't know exactly how much. If one could provide this data (but not solely for the top directors), it is what I'm looking for.

Ideally, I would like percentiles/groupings (i.e. 2% of casting directors had revenues (or profits) in excess of x dollars a year) or some other way to gauge the comparative success of one casting director to another.

• Since nobody else has answered I'll give you my inexpert guess about how you might go about finding out this information. You would need to look at the specialist press, ie Variety Magazine or, better still, any trade magazine that Casting Directors buy (ie, there may well be a magazine called Casting Director, it seems like every profession has a trade magazine).

However, even then it's unlikely you'll get as detailed a breakdown as you're after. You'd probably need to get a report from a market research company (there's a big one in the UK called Mintel, you don't say which country you're in). Such reports are costly to produce, though, so tend to cost a lot to the purchaser.

A shortcut would be to make friends with a casting director and pump him for the information --bodnotbod 21:42, August 5, 2005 (UTC)

Assigning values to function keys

Ok, I know how to do this in unix like systems, but in Windows 2000 and XP how do I assign a text string to a function key so that it pastes in when I hit the key. It would really help in some editing situations. Microsoft.com was useless, as was the OS's help system. Thanks - Taxman ^Talk 22:10, August 3, 2005 (UTC)

There's a proprietary program called Regsoft that does it. I don't think it would be that hard to code a program that did the same thing. I can't do it myself, but I'm sure someone on Wikipedia can :) Hopefully, they'll release it as open-source. It would seem to be a simple matter of keeping a process running in the background and trapping some keystrokes. I could do it in JavaScript, but it would only work in your web browser and for the document that was running the script. Ahh.... Superm401 | Talk 22:27, August 3, 2005 (UTC)

So how do you do it in unix-like systems? Ojw 23:11, 3 August 2005 (UTC)

You can redefine keyboard scancodes in the registry. I've used this to disable keystrokes on kiosks before. Now that I've typed this response I see that it has nothing to do with your question, but I'll post it anyway. Nyahh. Rhobite 01:19, August 4, 2005 (UTC)

How do you make bales of hay?

How do you make bales of hay? I mean, what is the procedure that people use to dry up the grass, and roll them up? Certainly this is not done by hand. What is the machine used to do it? Why do they seem to be randomly spaced out when the are on the field? Do you need to store them outside for a while before taking them inside?

And finally, do cows prefer hay, or grass? Thanks for the answers! --HappyCamper 17:25, 4 August 2005 (UTC)

• See Hay and Baler. Can't help with what cows like to eat. Joyous (talk) 17:28, August 4, 2005 (UTC)

• As to the spacing in the field: the balers eject each bale when it's the right size, after collecting enough hay off the ground. If the crop yield is perfectly uniform over the whole field, then you should expect a bale exactly every so-many metres apart, as the baler is hauled up and down the field. In the real world hay is likely not perfectly uniform owing to rich and poor spots in the field, crop circle damage, etc. Traditionally hay was cut and left to thoroughly dry before it was baled or stored, to prevent subsequent mouldering or even fires owing to spontanous combustion (yes, really!), but more recently techniques have emerged to bale and store "green" (undryed) hay for better nutrient content; see silage. Once baled, hay can be put into storage immediately, but the larger bales are reasonably weatherproof and can be left outside, possibly with a loss of the outer few inches of hay. Some farmers wrap them in plastic material for better protection; there's a machine separate from a baler that does this. I think cows prefer fresh grass, certainly it's more nutritious, but year-round pasture is unavailable in many climate zones. Traditional small farmers pastured their cows in summer and fed them hay and supplemental feed over the winter. Sharkford 18:02, 4 August 2005 (UTC)

How does the bale of hay not separate apart when it falls off? It looks like it's just rolled up. --HappyCamper 20:19, 4 August 2005 (UTC)

According to the baler article there is some twine that is wrapped around the bale, although it may or may not be knotted, depending on the type of baler. --CVaneg 21:06, 4 August 2005 (UTC)

"Baling wire" is a kind of very flexible thin wire that automatic balers use to tie the bales with. Joyous (talk) 21:16, August 4, 2005 (UTC)

Oh, I see. I didn't think that wire could hold the whole thing up. Thanks! --HappyCamper 21:44, 4 August 2005 (UTC)

As everything gets so tightly packed, you only need a little bale wire to keep everything together. If you try to pull clumps of hey off the edge of a bale, where there is no twine, you'll find it's still quite difficult to remove much. Note that hay can also get stored as cubes, which makes packing easier in the barn. Also note that, for questions of taste, cows are big fans of silage. — Asbestos | Talk 11:03, 5 August 2005 (UTC)

From my girlfriend, who works with cows daily... They're going to prefer good grass (different grass tastes better... if you're a cow...) but will eat hay to get roughage to help with digestion. Also, the big round bales of hay are held together with twine or thin mesh netting. Dismas 22:10, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

What happens when there is a drought, and "normal hay" can't grow? Do farmers plant some grass seedlings from more temporate places for the cows to eat? --HappyCamper 03:57, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

The Grid lyrics question

Does anyone have the lyrics to "Rise" by the British techno band The Grid? I'm particularly interested in the chorus:

Will you rise, brothers?

Will you -I can't understand this word-, sisters?

Brothers and sisters...

And what does the "Hodba hodba!" or something mean? Is it just a nonsense word? — JIP | Talk 12:39, 5 August 2005 (UTC)

Can someone clearly define Hispanic?

Can someone clearly define Hispanic? The more I read the more confused I get. What I seem to have gleaned from various sources is that anyone of any Spanish ancestry or from any former Spanish colony is Hispanic, but it is a self indentification thing for people of any race. So a few questions:

• Are Filipinos Hispanic? If so why, if not why not?
• Is a person German-Italian from Argentina hispanic?
• Why aren't Brazilians considered Hispanic?
• It would seem that people from Spain aren't considered Hispanic. Why?

See our articles: Hispanic and Hispanic culture in the Philippines Rmhermen 18:19, August 5, 2005 (UTC)

I don't think any cultural group can be clearly defined. For instance, there is great controversy on just who is Jewish/a Jew. Hispanic is a term that is generally applied to those of Spanish or sometimes Portuguese descent who live in Latin America. There are lots of gray areas there. I would venture to say that Spaniards are rarely called Hispanic, because their culture is distinct and quite different from cultures in Latin America, due in part to the influence of Native Americans on the Spanish settlers. James 19:05, August 5, 2005 (UTC)

"Hispanic" is more difficult than most terms in part because it is very arbitrary -- it refers to a number of distinct and different cultures, linked primarily (but not exclusively) by language, and as a census category in the U.S. it is used as an awkward surrogate for race (even though as such it is problematic to the point of meaninglessness). It is a very awkward category as such. --Fastfission 19:34, 5 August 2005 (UTC)

• You may want to check out the U.S. Census Bureau site [1] and its definition of Hispanic:

For the Census 2000 and the American Community Survey (ACS): People who identify with the terms "Hispanic" or "Latino" are those who classify themselves in one of the specific Hispanic or Latino categories listed on the Census 2000 or ACS questionnaire—"Mexican," "Puerto Rican," or "Cuban"—as well as those who indicate that they are "other Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino." Origin can be considered as the heritage, nationality group, lineage, or country of birth of the person or the person’s parents or ancestors before their arrival in the United States. People who identify their origin as Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino may be of any race. [2] That hopefully won't confuse you more! 24.158.18.138 22:53, 5 August 2005 (UTC)

• According to Wisconsin Statute 560.036, "'Hispanic' means a person of any race whose ancestors originated in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Central America or South America or whose culture or origin is Spanish." Mwalcoff

Hispanics are just people of the Spanish-speaking culture, many times including Spanish people. 2004-12-29T22:45Z 01:31, August 10, 2005 (UTC)

OpenOffice.org 2.0 XSLT

As you may or may not know, you can change an odt file to a zip file and inside is xml info containing styles/content/etc. Can anyone make some code up or find it that can style the content.xml file (perhaps using the styles.xml file)? This might come in handy if I bring the odt file to a computer that doesn't have openoffice [ignorant friends]. I'm not real good with XML, so I need help here :D — Ilγαηερ (Tαlκ) 04:19, 6 August 2005 (UTC)

Maybe the JAXP might help [3]? --HappyCamper 04:29, 6 August 2005 (UTC)

Where can I purchase Acacia oil or perfume?

Hello, I am looking for Acacia oil or perfume and I can't find where to purchase it. I know Acacia farnesiana or famesiana is used by perfume industries, but where can I buy it? Thanks

Google is your friend. Add your country to the search string for good luck.

No, we're their friends. Google is a search engine. It doesn't answer questions(except on the rare occasions it takes the answers from Wikipedia articles). We do. If you don't like answering questions, don't man this page. Superm401 | Talk 22:13, August 6, 2005 (UTC)

It would help if you said where you were from, though. Superm401 | Talk 22:18, August 6, 2005 (UTC)

legitimate online work-at-home business

I would like to enquire if anyone has knowledge of legitimate online work-at-home businesses such as typing, data entry, transcription, surveys, focus groups etc. to make cash or a reasonable income.

--anon

I you serious??? Are you telling me that you fall for the work-at-home or get-rich-quick schemes? Perhaps, software creators and other professionls such as Stephen Wolfram, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and others create their products at home. But this is not for you and me who do not even know the design of an airplane, car, telescope, and so on. [Some people don't even understand compound interest nor can they calculate their mortgage payment!] The reality is that all people are not equal.

Why do you think people work 40-50 hours/week? These are the facts.

I've heard from that some companies really did use to pay people for envelope stuffing, but I think it's become more efficient to automate it. However, I personally know someone who does phone support from home, so that's at least one legitimate business. Superm401 | Talk 22:16, August 6, 2005 (UTC)

• • Sure. I know people who do phone support too, several of them; I know a number of programmers who work out of their homes; good typists and translators can always work out of their homes. For example. However, any company that advertises "Work at home! Earn big bucks" without requiring any sort of skills is most likely going to scam the hell out of you. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 22:21, 6 August 2005 (UTC)
    • True. But the asker requested legitimate suggestions, and we should provide as many as possible. Superm401 | Talk 22:39, August 6, 2005 (UTC)

• • • • I understand that proofreaders work from home. It's unlikely you are currently qualified to review books/TV, but you could aim for those as long term goals. Web design. Depending on your definition of legitimacy you could take phone calls from people looking for erotic conversation. Being a writer is another one, though with that you're even more likely to get f***ed. --bodnotbod 00:55, August 10, 2005 (UTC)

Deriving Escape Velocity

Can someone tell me why is the square root of 2 multiplied by the circular orbit velocity formula to get the escape velocity formula? Where does the square room of 2 come from? why that number and not another? how was it determined to do so to get the escape velocity? Thank you.

--anon

As escape velocity explains, it can be calculated by setting the kinetic energy equal to the negative of the gravitational potential energy. Kinetic energy is 1/2*m*v^2. In order to isolate v as the variable of interest, you multiply both sides by 2, divide by the mass, and then take the square root. Does that help? James 17:48, August 6, 2005 (UTC)

Here's a derivation since I don't see one at escape velocity:

Initially the object has kinetic energy

$KE_{i}={\frac {1}{2}}mv^{2}$

And potential energy

$U_{i}=-{\frac {GMm}{R_{E}}}$ where $R_{E}$ is the radius of planet you want to escape from, like, say, Earth in this case. So the total initial energy is

$E_{i}={\frac {1}{2}}mv^{2}-{\frac {GMm}{R_{E}}}$

What is the final energy? Well, by definition, if you just barely escape the orbit of the planet then you have just enough energy to get infinitly far away from the planet with no extra kinetic energy. So when you get to r = infinity you should have v = 0. So the final energy is

$E_{f}={\frac {1}{2}}m(0)^{2}-{\frac {GMm}{\infty }}=0-0=0$

Since there's no nonconservative forces, $E_{f}=E_{i}$ so

${\frac {1}{2}}mv^{2}={\frac {GMm}{R_{E}}}$

When you solve for v you can see that you'll have a 2 under a square root. --Laura Scudder | Talk 18:02, 6 August 2005 (UTC)

That's a very helpful derivation. Could you add that to escape velocity?

What is linixpedia

Hello, Today I googled "acetone polar aprotic solvent", and a wikipedia article about solvents faithfully popped up. In addition, a linixpedia link also came up. I was surprised to find that the linx link led me to a copy of the wiki link, minus the wikifeatures and plus an ad-bar on the left side of the screen. My question is, what is linixpedia? Thanks for taking the time to answer --Levittating 18:52, 6 August 2005 (UTC)

It would appear to be one of the many sites that copy Wikipedia's content for free. James 19:11, August 6, 2005 (UTC)

For more see Wikipedia:Mirrors and forks. --Laura Scudder | Talk 19:16, 6 August 2005 (UTC)

However, if you're referring to the Linix Encyclopedia that serves this solvent article, they appear not to attribute Wikipedia or host their own copy of the GFDL. That means they're in violation of the GFDL, and hence guilty of copyright infringement. I'll go post that info to the appropriate page for non-compliant mirrors. Superm401 | Talk 22:25, August 6, 2005 (UTC)

It's already listed under low compliance. Superm401 | Talk 22:36, August 6, 2005 (UTC)

They do have a GFDL notice on the bottom of every page, though no attribution to Wikipedia. James 01:07, August 7, 2005 (UTC)

However, they don't host the text of the GFDL locally. I'd forgive that if they mentioned Wikipedia. Superm401 | Talk 04:37, August 7, 2005 (UTC)

I don't care about mentioning wikipedia; they don't have to as long as they provide/provide means to find out the authors behind the text.. — Sverdrup 07:47, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

Yes, the important thing here is that the GFDL access providor (be it Linix Encyc or Wikipedia or whatever) references the copyright holder under the GFDL. Referencing Wikipedia is irrelevant under the GFDL as Wikipedia does not hold any of the copyrights. The only justificiation for referencing WIkipedia would be that you can find the copyright holder by looking at the history of Wikipedia, and that the authorship of some articles is so complex that this is one of the only reasonable ways to do it. Comply! 12:43, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

Deadlines in Book Publishing

Do publishing companys, like Random House, give deadlines to the writers who write for them, or can the writers turn in a manuscript whenever they are finished?

Though I'm nowhere near getting anything of mine published, the way I always understood it is that a publisher will sign you to a contract to have X number of books written over X number of years. It may change by author though, if you make them enough money, I'm sure they'd be happy whenever you got them something. Dismas 04:48, 7 August 2005 (UTC)

• If it's fiction, it's actually quite common for authors to write something in advance and then offer it to publishing houses. If the publisher likes the manuscript they sign the author. When it is about non-fiction, the publisher usually gets an idea either from an author or from another source after which they commision the author to write the manuscript in a certain amount of time. - Mgm|^(talk) 09:51, August 7, 2005 (UTC)

• This varies a great deal depending on the publisher and the author. Newer authors may not get a contract until they turn in an acceptable complete manuscript. Authors with an established reputation may get a contract and a payment on promising to have a book done within a particular time limit. It has been known for authors to fail to deliver on such promises. Publishers usually do not sue or demand the return of the advance in such cases, but it may well mean that the author will get poorer terms in future, or even be unable to get accepted at all. In short, it all depends. DES ^(talk) 22:15, 7 August 2005 (UTC)

• Douglas Adams had a famously casual approach to deadlines:

"I love deadlines. I especially like the whooshing sound they make as they go flying by."

Of course, Douglas Adams had a great deal of clout. I would say that, if you're a writer starting out, you should establish precisely what the publisher expects of you and do your very best to meet those stated requirements. If you're particularly prolific like Stephen King or Barbara Cartland I assume the publisher just takes your manuscript, and says "see you next Tuesday" as he waves. --bodnotbod 01:04, August 10, 2005 (UTC)

Windows Update review site?

Is there a site that reviews updates from Windows Update and says whether or not an update breaks anything, or other things it does? Just wondering, because I have Windows Update open in a Firefox tab right now and there are some for software that I don't use, like Messenger.

As to how I have it open in a tab in Firefox, see here: [4] --pile0nades^{talk | contribs} 03:32, 7 August 2005 (UTC)

While Microsoft certainly has sinister plans of IM client domination, MSN Messenger does serve a purpose now - it's used for remote assistance, iirc. Anyways, if you don't want it, don't get it. If you're upset that you're being force-fed stuff you don't want, don't use Windows. ¦ Reisio 14:18, 2005 August 7 (UTC)

Unless the description sounds like something you'd actually use, there's no reason to get the "recommended" or lower priority updates. If you're tired of seeing the same updates you've decided not to install, you can remove them from your list by clicking on "Customize this site" (at least I think that's what the link says. I'd check, but I'm on a Mac right now). James 15:28, August 7, 2005 (UTC)

Nausea / Feelings of aversion while looking at art

Hello, it was some time ago I came across a wikiarticle explaining a phenomenon whereby a person looking at a piece of art can be so profoundly moved that a sense of illfeeling, nausea, aversion, etc. can be precipitated. The viewer is emotionally overwhelmed. The effect has a name. Does anyone know what I am talking about? Thanks in advance! DonCamillo

Yes, it is Stendhal syndrome. Hope this helps. Graham 08:41, 7 August 2005 (UTC)

how do a construct a fish pond for my baloney cheap

For your balcony, rather? Dismas 06:49, 7 August 2005 (UTC)

BJAODN submissions

Do bad jokes (according to convention) have to be placed somewhere within Wikipedia before being moved to BJAODN? I'm asking this because, being a rising Wikipedia geek and possible addict, I sometimes come up with BJAODN-worthy Wikipedia-type jokes, and I was wondering if I should submit them to BJAODN. (As a sidenote, I don't find it very meaningful to create/change something, then speedy-delete/revert it just for putting something on BJAODN.) ~GMH 06:37, 7 August 2005 (UTC)

Yes, BJAODN is for material that people contribute to Wikipedia, not for material people intend only for BJAODN. There should probably be a Wikipedia:Wikipedia humor or Wikipedia:Wikipedia humour page for people who intentionally want to make amusing comments about wikipedia. It should be placed in Category:Wikipedia humor. Please create one. I suspect it will be submitted to VfD, but it might survive if it's funny enough.-gadfium 06:51, 7 August 2005 (UTC)

Uncyclopedia is an un-serious Wikipedia knock-off expressly for articles more humorous than factual.Garrett Albright 16:50, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

Could someone check this American's rusty English?

Okay, so it's been a while since Mrs. Hesslau scolded me for my poor grammar in the fifth grade... If someone had the last name of "Jones" and you wanted to refer to a shoe owned by Mr. Jones, would it be "Mr. Jones' shoe" or would it be "Mr. Jones's shoe"? I think the second looks wrong but I'm beginning to doubt myself. Maybe I need some sleep... good thing work is almost over... Dismas 10:37, 7 August 2005 (UTC)

In my understanding, it would be Jones'. However, referring to Fowler's Modern English Usage (Oxford University Press, 1926 & revised in 1947) we find, under Possessive Puzzles: "It was formerly customary, when a word ended with -s, to write its possessive with an apostrophe but no additional s, e.g. Mars' hill, Venus' Bath, Achilles' thews. In verse & in poetic or reverential contexts, this custom is retained, & the number of syllables is the same as in the subjective case, e.g. Achilles' has three, not four. But elsewhere we now add the s & the syllable, Charles's Wain, St James's not St James', Jones's children, the Rev. Septimus's surplice, Pythagoras's doctrines." So, armed with enough reference books from as long a time-spread as possible, you can defend most uses. :--Tagishsimon (talk)

Oh, and the Economist Style Guide - much more up to date, since I don't have the latest Fowler to hand - splits the difference with Fowler [5]:

Use the normal possessive ending 's after singular words or names that end in s: boss's, caucus's, Delors's, St James's, Jones's, Shanks's. Use it after plurals that do not end in s: children's, Frenchmen's, media's.

Use the ending s' on plurals that end in s--Danes', bosses', Joneses'--including plural names that take a singular verb, eg, Reuters', Barclays', Stewarts & Lloyds', Salomon Brothers'.

Although singular in other respects, the United States, the United Nations, the Philippines, etc, have a plural possessive apostrophe: eg, Who will be the United States' next president?

People's = of (the) people.

Peoples'= of peoples.

Try to avoid using Lloyd's (the insurance market) as a possessive; it poses an insoluble problem. The vulnerable part of the hero of the Trojan war is best described as an Achilles heel.

Do not put apostrophes into decades: the 1990s.

--Tagishsimon (talk)

To misquote Teresa Nielsen Hayden on copyediting (in Making Book, buy your copy now!) - read Fowler's for enjoyment, not accuracy :-). It is quite archaic in places, I believe... Shimgray 12:17, 7 August 2005 (UTC)

• Yes, it's Jones', although I believe Jones's would be technically correct too yet less commonly used. - Mgm|^(talk) 11:39, August 7, 2005 (UTC)

So now I'm in a quandry... Because someone used Spears's all over the Britney Spears article. I think it looks odd and puts too many Ss in there. I started to change them to Spears' but then thought I should double check. (wasn't sure where to put the question though since it's a matter of grammar more than a matter of the wiki) Dismas 12:05, 7 August 2005 (UTC)

Perhaps you could ask at Wikipedia talk:Manual of Style, though we don't seem to have details there on standard grammatical queries. Apostrophe may help (and if not we should probably add a section)... and if all else fails, ask Bob. Shimgray 12:17, 7 August 2005 (UTC)

I love Bob :D gkhan 12:59, August 7, 2005 (UTC)

Chicago Manual of Style, The Elements of Style, Modern Language Association and A Pocket Style Manual all agree that it should be "James's", "Jones's" and "Spears's", though not for historical names: "Jesus'", "Archimedes'". Our in-house guide, Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style#Usage_and_spelling, however, expresses no preference. — Asbestos | Talk 12:48, 7 August 2005 (UTC)

Alford's Queen's English is definite that "we form the possessive cases of James, and Thomas, and Charles, not by the mere apostrophe, but by the apostrophe with the s. "Thomas is Charles's son ...""... but that for plural nouns, like 'sons', the apostrophe is used without the extra s. So it'd be Jones's childrens' toys... Shimgray 13:46, 7 August 2005 (UTC)

And now for some sanity... you can do it however you like. These associations on English usage are not absolute authorities. Both ways have merit and most people will be able to understand the meaning either way. ¦ Reisio 14:22, 2005 August 7 (UTC)

That's strange. I went through a phase of looking at style guides and the advice I remember seeing was that you add the second s if you would say it. Ie, if you would normally say Jone-zez (as I would) you would use Jones's. Whereas with Britney, I think I would normally say just Spearz (hence Spears'). --bodnotbod 01:25, August 10, 2005 (UTC)

Hey, are you all pretty sure it doesn't depend on grammatical number? 2004-12-29T22:45Z 01:29, August 10, 2005 (UTC)

Number doesn't enter into it, as standard practice is to use only an apostrophe on plurals ending in S, regardless of whether or not it is a name. So it is always "the Jones' book". James 01:41, August 10, 2005 (UTC)

But number enters into it when "Jones" is singular, that is, when you refer to a single person with "Jones" as a last name. For example, you can say "Jones's book" when you refer to the book of a single invidual with "Jones" as a last name. It's "the Joneses' book", because the plural of "Jones" is "Joneses" and the genitive of "Joneses" is "Joneses'". 2004-12-29T22:45Z 01:47, August 10, 2005 (UTC)

Fair enough... sorry for the bad example. Still, number has nothing to do with it. The singular "Jones" can be written either "Jones's book" or "Jones' book." Different sources seem to prefer one over the other, but they do not agree and do not give very good reasons to think either one is more correct. James 02:00, August 10, 2005 (UTC)

It doesn't depend on pronunciation. Many times, Americans don't pronounce the schwa phoneme with the zee/zed phoneme at the end, and they still mean a word that is written with "'s". 2004-12-29T22:45Z 01:36, August 10, 2005 (UTC)

Both spellings of the singular possessive, Jones' and Jones's, are considered correct and are commonly used. Note that some answers above refer to style guides; style guides are the wrong place to look for this information, because their purpose is to recommand a particular style, so they will pick one or the other.

As stated just above, the non-possessive plural is always Joneses, while the possessive plural is always Joneses'. (I met Jones; I read Jones's [or Jones's] book; I visited the Joneses; I went to the Joneses'. The last is possessive because it's elliptical for the Joneses' house.) As the last poster states, there are many people whose choice of spelling, Jones' or Jones's, does not correspond to their choice of pronunciation. --Anonymous, 15:15 UTC, August 10, 2005.

Guiness in US

Is Guiness in the US different that the product in Ireland and Europe?

I think that Guiness in Europe is already different than in Ireland; it's quite a decent beer in Ireland, but in Europe, it feels like making love on the beach. Chances are that it is different in the USA as well then. Rama 13:05, 7 August 2005 (UTC)

Guinness is different all over the world. See the Guinness FAQ, or even our own Guinness article. — mendel ☎ 17:03, August 7, 2005 (UTC)

Configuring port 25 on a server

How do I configure my apache server so that I can use the PHP mail() function? I'd like to send users an e-mail with their user information when they register. — Ilγαηερ (Tαlκ) 13:13, 7 August 2005 (UTC)

That would depend on the operating system you're running. You won't have to configure Apache for it, though.

For Linux, the problem is simple; you just need to place the sendmail binary in one of: a directory in your PATH, /usr/bin, /usr/sbin, /usr/etc, /etc, /usr/ucblib, or /usr/lib.[6] Obviously, you'll have to configure sendmail as required.

Under Windows, PHP talks directly to the SMTP server. Modify php.ini using the above link as reference. You can probably use the same SMTP server as the one you use for your regular mail account (but no guarantees). --Pidgeot (t) (c) (e) 23:15, 7 August 2005 (UTC)

Thanks...sounds about right. I think I'll try that. — Ilγαηερ (Tαlκ) 23:23, 7 August 2005 (UTC)

mathematics

is there a formula to calculate prime numbers???if there is, please tell me the formula...thanks

See the Prime number article, and those it links to. Thryduulf 13:41, 7 August 2005 (UTC)

Or go directly to Sieve of Eratosthenes and Sieve of Atkin. David Sneek 13:43, 7 August 2005 (UTC)

• "Mathematicians have tried in vain to this day to discover some order in the sequence of prime numbers, and we have reason to believe that it is a mystery into which the human mind will never penetrate." — Leonhard Euler

See Formula for primes. Dysprosia 01:57, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

A vitamin is a vitamin is a vitamin, right...?

Is there any chemical difference between a vitamin in a pill and a vitamin in food? Is one healthier? Is a vitamin in food easier to digest than from a tablet dissolved in water? And is there any truth to the idea that cooking can destroy vitamins? How?

Thanks! --Mary

• The only difference I can think of between tablets and food vitamins is the amount. Vitamin tablets may be helpful to get in stuff you're missing in your regular diet, but eating only tablets may lead to a overdose of vitamins in your system you're not using. Chemically there the same. I'm not sure whether cooking can destroy vitamins, but I'd assume if it did, it would be the heat that made the molecule fall apart. - Mgm|^(talk) 15:29, August 7, 2005 (UTC)

Some vitamins are not absorbed as well from pills as they are from food, hence the "overdosage" you see in most multivitamins. A good site on the issue is here. James 15:37, August 7, 2005 (UTC)

If you're talking about the chemical structure of the vitamin molecule, then no, there is no difference. The difference, for what I know (as merely a college student) is in presentation: a slice of carrot has much less of any vitamin than does a pill, and contains other things, for example. but no one eats just one or a few slices of carrot like he/she may take a pill. As for dissolving, which I believe occurs via the various enzymes and acidic conditions in the digestive system, I don't know about that, but it just has to be ready for absorption, molecule by molecule, in the small intestines. I'm pretty sure modern vitamins get that job done.

As for vitamins being destroyed, I'm not sure if any of them are, but people use the term 'destroyed' sometimes to apply to vitamins that aren't actually chemically ruined, but just lost in some way. For example, Vitamin A is not soluble in water, but is soluble in nonpolar solvents, so cooking carrots (which contain Vitamin A) in oil would result in the Vitamin A leaving the carrot and mixing with the oil. Therefore, if you don't eat the oil used for cooking, you won't get the Vitamin A. (I'm pretty sure that example's correct.) ~GMH 15:43, 7 August 2005 (UTC)

As far as I know, technically there is no difference - BUT, just taking vitamins is not a replacement for a healthy diet. You need a healthy diet, and you may as well try to eat food that includes the nutrients you need. As for cooking: http://tinyurl.com/86n3a ¦ Reisio 15:53, 2005 August 7 (UTC)

I'm trying to get to the bottom of this one for folic acid, as the current article seems a bit confused on the issue. Normally the answer is yes, the vitamin in the pill is chemically the same as the vitamin in food. Cooking can destroy vitamins (usually only partially, luckily) by a number of reactions: pyrolysis (simple action of heat), oxidation(action of air) and hydrolysis (action of water) are probably the most important. All these reactions are much faster at higher temperatures. Physchim62 22:27, 7 August 2005 (UTC)

Maybe. Vitamin D comes in different analogues (at least D2 and D3). Dietary vitamin is D3, but vitamin D-supplements are either D3 or D2. There mey be similar issues with other vitamins, especially the hugely complex B12. -EnSamulili 07:30, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

Vitamin RDA

My box of vitamins has, among other stuff, vitamins in the following (high) amounts

                RDA %
Vitamin C         793
Vitamin B1        743
Vitamin B6        355
Vitamin B12       860
Pantothenic Acid  379
Riboflavin        850

Are these amounts safe to take as one-a-day pills? From the vitamin article, all the vitamins above but B12 don't get stored in the body. B12 gets stored in the liver, however. Is 860% RDA safe? What about the other two? And is there any need for such high amounts?

Thanks! --Mary

• RDA stands for Recommended Dietary Allowance. I'd say 860% is way more than you need. Personally, I'd only take extra vitamins if my doctor would prescribe them. - Mgm|^(talk) 15:32, August 7, 2005 (UTC)

• Maybe 860% of RDA doesn't hurt you but personallt I wouldn't recommend it. It sounds a bit scary to eat nine times as much as is recommended. As far as I have heard (and remember) there are no known dangers with those vitamins listed but other ones like vitamin A can kill you in too large doses. Jeltz talk 15:43, 7 August 2005 (UTC)

None of those vitamins are toxic in those levels. Some of them, B-12 in particular are not well absorbed when taken in large doses, which is why there is so much more than the RDA in the pill. It is not very toxic at all, with people taking more than 4000% of the RDA daily with no side effects. For this reason, the FDA chose no upper limit for Vitamin B-12 consumption. The only vitamins to worry about are Vitamins A and D, which are both deadly if you reach toxic levels. An extremely detailed reference on each vitamin and mineral is available here.

Despite it being safe to consume vitamins at these levels, it is far better for the body to get them from fruits and vegetables, as they are absorbed better and fruits and vegetables provide other benefits that vitamins aren't able to, such as fiber and anti-oxidants. James 15:50, August 7, 2005 (UTC)

• James pretty much worded a point that I tried to make myself. I wholehartedly agree. - Mgm|^(talk) 16:57, August 7, 2005 (UTC)

All the vitamins listed are water soluble, and effectively non toxic. The excess is excreted in the urine (except for B12, which either passes out in the feces or is broken down: it is not stored to any significant extent). Fat soluble vitamins (A, D and E) can be fatally toxic at high doses. Fatal vitamin D poisoning has caused the death of several polar explorers who ate the livers either of polar bears or husky dogs. Very high doses of vitamin C (several grams a day) can cause diarrhea, and one possible case of fatal vitamin C poisoning has been reported, also at doses of several grams per day (the victim also had a problem with iron metabolism, which may have enhanced the toxicity). Physchim62 22:12, 7 August 2005 (UTC)

The only other thing to bear in mind is that some vitamins are are absorbed competatively. That is to say that the body can absorb only a certain amount of certain types of vitamin per unit time, and that one vitamin can be 'blocked' from being absorbed by having too much of another. This is only really an issue when you take a boatload of everything at once, you may find you only actually absorb a subset of the vitamins, and, in fact, less of some than you would have if you had taken less of everything. In general, if you must take that much (and I don't think it is necessary unless you have some unusual medical issues) then spread it out over the day, not all at once.

Réunion's flag

what is Reunion's flag? --Revolución 17:12, 7 August 2005 (UTC)

• Could you be talking about Réunion the island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar? It is an overseas département and région of France, so I'd assume it's the French flag. - Mgm|^(talk) 17:00, August 7, 2005 (UTC)

• The French Wikipedia's page on Reunion [7] states that it has no flag, although one has been proposed ("drapeau", shown on that page).82.210.117.55 17:09, 7 August 2005 (UTC)

• Could someone translate this from the french wikipedia:

Un drapeau pour La Réunion ?

Alors que la période féodale a installé de nombreux drapeaux et blasons en France métropolitaine, la Réunion ne possède pas de drapeau officiel. Cette situation risque de perdurer : un drapeau réunionnais serait assimilé à une revendication indépendantiste.

Le drapeau ci-contre a été sélectionné par l'Association française de vexillologie en 2003. Il représente physiquement le volcan de la Fournaise sur un fond azur et les rayons du soleil. De plus, il symbolise l'arrivée des populations qui ont convergé vers l'île au cours des siècles.

"A flag for Réunion ?

While the federal period installed a number of flags and [tokens?] of metropolitan france, Reunion doesn't have it's own official flag. Due to this risk this situation might continue: a Reunion flag will be welcomed as a vindication of [our] independance.

The flag was selected by the french association of vexologists in 2003. It represents the volcano of Fournaise, on a gold background with sunbeams. In addition, it symbolises the appearance of populations who converged on the island at the turn of the century." Ojw 17:28, 7 August 2005 (UTC) (not a real translator)

I'm pretty sure of that "blason" should be translated as "coat of arms", but my French isn't that good. Jeltz talk 20:51, 7 August 2005 (UTC)

---

And I forgot to sign my name earlier,

--Revolución 17:12, 7 August 2005 (UTC)

• See also the entry for Reunion in Wiktionary http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/R%C3%A9union

I've made an edit to Flag of France to start to include this - though based on the above it needs expanding Richard Taylor 17:20, 7 August 2005 (UTC)

The French quote above refers to the flag of [[8]] Reunion island, which can be seen on this page, http://www.nationalflaggen.de/flags-of-the-world/flags/re!.html the french describes the symbolism of the flag elements Red for the volcano, blue for the sky, yellow for the sun, Red for strength, blue for sweetness, yellow for clearness. Richard Taylor 17:24, 7 August 2005 (UTC)

People’s Will and Alexander the Third

There's a line in Alexander III of Russia which says : "In 1887, once again the People's Will planned the murder of Tsar Alexander III". This line was added by an anon user. Wanted to know if it's known that they had planned attempts before; if so when was the first attempt ? Jay 21:50, 7 August 2005 (UTC)

It doesn't look like there were any attempts before, but that they planned it can hardly be doubted. They killed his father a few years prior and he took great care of personal safety, so they probably couldn't get to him earlier. Ornil 01:57, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

Then maybe what the anon meant by "once again" was the earlier assassination of Alexander II. I'll modify the article accordingly. Jay

computer slow while playing game

I recently installed World of Warcraft, and I notice that during certain parts of the game, my computer starts to get really slow. It is the worst when I am in Ironforge or when I'm riding a gryphon. The framerate drops, and the game lags so bad that it sometimes causes me to lose my connection. I was wondering if there is anything I can do to speed things up, without spending any money, to hold me over until payday. Looking specifically for things like software for Windows, tweaks for RAM/HD/VIDEO, etc. My computer: 2.4gHz processor, 256mb of RAM, 128mb agp nvidia video card, cable internet. Thanks a bunch!

• Get more memory, to start with. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 01:56, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

The biggest thing you can do is shut down all programs not needed to run Windows or the game. An excellent way to do this is click on start, then on run, and type in "msconfig" and hit enter. Select the bullet next to "Selective Startup". Deselect "Process SYSTEM.INI", "Process WIN.INI", and "Load Startup Items". Then click on the Services tab and select the box next to "Hide All Microsoft Services" and then click on "Disable All." This will load Windows with an almost bare minimum of background programs running. If you still have problems, you can go through the Microsoft services and turn them off, though you should not do this without knowing exactly what the service does. Hope that helps some. Also, memory is not very expensive and greatly improves game performance, much more than improving processor speed. Take a look at PriceWatch for memory prices. James 02:25, August 8, 2005 (UTC)

I forgot to mention, you then have to click on OK and restart your computer. You must open msconfig again and click on "Normal startup," click OK and reboot to get your normal background programs running. James 02:27, August 8, 2005 (UTC)

• I don't know the details of World of Warcraft, but most games have an options menu where you can turn off some of the flashier graphics details, or reduce the resolution, to gain a better framerate. If the game is unplayable, that's an option I'd be seriously considering. Another thing you can do is update your video drivers, as sometimes new drivers can improve performance significantly. Moving up the difficulty scale somewhat, you may be able to overclock your video card, processor, and memory - essentially, run them faster than what's specified on the box - but doing so will void your warranty, may damage your computer, and even if it doesn't damage your computer straight away will shorten the life of its components. It's just like hot-rodding a car - do it at your own risk... I have to agree with Jpgordon that if I was spending money more RAM would be my first option...--Robert Merkel 02:31, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

I don't think that there is much gain from doing anything with the video card or the CPU. I don't think that World of Warcraft is very CPU intenistive. Overclocking probably doens't affect the speed noticably since you have a pretty fast CPU already. If I was in your situation I would, as others alredy have recommended buy more RAM but since you have no money to spend follow James's advice. Jeltz talk 12:27, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

I am not now, nor have I ever been, a player of World of Warcraft. That said, perhaps the problem would be with the connection, not the hardware? It reads to me like a very laggy internet connection... Shimgray 13:17, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

As the only Warcrafter here (weird) I feel like I should say something... It's nothing to do with the connection - I get the same problems on 2Mb. I get this problem in crowded, popular places like Ironforge, leading me to think it's a problem with the server itself being slowed down. You might want to try a less-populated server, because I definitely find Ragnaros (medium population) has less slowdown than Skullcrusher (practically full to the brim). The problem also disappears somewhat if I wait around for a few minutes after entering a slow area like a capital city, giving time for the lag to dissapate. It seems to work. --Sum0 20:08, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

Source of ATX connector color standards

On nice, new ATX motherboards, the connectors are color-coded. For instance, the VGA port is dark blue, the mini DIN mouse port is green, serial ports are teal, and so forth. Who came up with this idea, and why wasn't it done from the inception of the ATX standard? (It almost makes up for the keyboard and mouse using the same connector despite not using interchangeable ports!) I looked at the ATX standard 2.2, but although page 15 shows those colors in use, it doesn't define them. The PS/2 article says that the PC 97 standard specifies them, but that article doesn't say anything about port colors. I can't read MS Word documents at this point, so I can't tell if the linked MS page defines those colors. Does anyone know when these were defined? grendel|khan 02:49, August 8, 2005 (UTC)

AFAIR, it was defined exactly on one of these Microsoft standards you linked to. --cesarb 03:04, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

Khatri subcastes and their meanings

Hi,

I am a writer on Sikhism and I am interested in knowing the origin of the Khatri surnames, their meaning or why they were called so and for what reason, etc.

Same information on Jatt subcastes would also help.

Rajinder Nijjhar,

Someone left this on my talk page. I have no idea what prompted the OP to ask there. lots of issues | leave me a message 03:36, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

You can start by asking the question on the respective talk pages - Jat, Punjabi Khatri. Jay 11:40, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

ADSL Linux

Hello. I am currenly happily connected to Fasthosts Broadband with an ADSL Speedtouch 330 on Windows (XP). I had always bought the modem in mind of Linux as there were a few tutorials on the web to getting the Speedtouch 330 going on Linux. SOme of them have now disappeared and others seem not to work. I was wondering if anyone knows:

 How to get the Speedtouch working easily without messinbbg around with source codes etc.?

OR

 A modem that can easily be working in Linux without much/any problems?

By the way, I am using SuSE Linux 9.2 Professional.

Thankyou.

Um, the reason why there are so many tutorials and stuff is because traditionally, it has been hard to get Speedtouch modems (which depend on windows to do most of the processing) to work with Linux. I've had some success on Mandrake though, by using the speedtouchconf script. It's pretty obvious how to use it, I think, though you might have to fiddle with your shorewall settings. -Fangz (Temporarily too lazy to log in)

If you can't get it working, if you have a working Ethernet card in your machine it's trivial to get just about any Ethernet-interface ADSL modem/router going under Linux. All you need to do is point a web browser at the router's address on the internal network (usually 192.168.0.1, but mine uses 10.1.1.1 for some reason) which brings up a web interface through which you can configure the modem to work with your ISP. --Robert Merkel 12:06, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

Lyre-like instruments

Is there an instrument called "eten"?

A quick google search didn't yield anything, there isn't a Wiki article with that name, so I would guess not... Do you have a particular context that you can quote that would make you think there was? Maybe there was and I just wasn't looking for the right keywords. Dismas 10:28, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

Perhaps the Chinese erhu? --HappyCamper 11:53, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

BIG Brother UK Credits

I am looking for a full list of credits for the people who produce, direct etc big brother in the UK

• The Internet Movie Database is your friend. Here's a link detailing full cast and crew of the British Big Brother. - Mgm|^(talk) 12:39, August 8, 2005 (UTC)

Honorary title usage on tombstones

Are honorary titles usually inscribed with the names of people on tombstones or memorial plaques? I am thinking of titles such as MBE, OBE, CBE, MC, DFC, etc.. What is the correct thing to do include or not the title on plaques.

The latter two are decorations - the Military Cross and Distinguished Flying Cross - not honorary titles. Traditionally major military decorations are given on a grave, but I don't know about OBE and the like - I doubt not. Your best bet would be to consult a manual of etiquette - try your local library? Shimgray 13:14, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

The Salon - Credit List

I am looking for a full list of credits for the people who produced, directed etc. the British reality TV series "The Salon" - about a hairdressing salon - in 2003. I would like credit list for the 2003 series

None of these look entirely complete, but you might want to start with the iMDB list or TV.com's cast list. grendel|khan 13:58, August 8, 2005 (UTC)

Can't find a reference indicated in Eastland's article

Hi

I just read in the James Eastland article, in the "Further reading" section, that Patricia Webb Robinson wrote "A rhetorical analysis of Senator James O. Eastland's speeches, 1954-1959 by Patricia Webb Robinson. ASIN B0006WZP1Q". I wonder where I could find this analysis; I've search a bit on the web but couldn't find it. Does anybody know if some library has that text ? How can I get it ? It would be very helpful for my masters' thesis. Thanks.

Alienor

Ugh... why do people think an Amazon internal reference code is the least bit of use? The code doesn't resolve to anything inside Amazon, Library of Congress doesn't know about the book... this looks like weird grey literature. I'll dig for a bit and get back to you here. Shimgray 13:35, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

Having looked more... they were added to the page after an Amazon search a while back, but the book no longer exists there. The ASIN number is something given by Amazon when it doesn't have an ISBN to work on. The Library of Congress doesn't know about it; I suspect this was never formally published.

My current guess is that it's someone's thesis (or possibly an individually reprinted journal article, they do sometimes crop up), but I don't know how to track down a thesis in the US. I strongly recommend going to your university library and asking there; they have access to more relevant bibliographic sources than I do. Shimgray 14:30, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

The author's institution would've been more helpful than the ASIN. Then you could at least get ahold of her. --Laura Scudder | Talk 15:39, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

A search on Google Scholar reveals that the article was written in 1978 at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge. I'd recommend contacting their library for more information. James 19:56, August 8, 2005 (UTC)

I think this link is what you meant. HTH HAND —Phil | Talk 08:49, August 10, 2005 (UTC)

Yeah, thanks for catching that. I don't know what I was thinking... James 14:51, August 10, 2005 (UTC)

Which shuttle mission landed at White Sands?

The article about White Sands Missile Range mentions that once in the history of the Space Shuttle a mission landed at the range, due to poor weather at both the Kennedy Space Center and Edwards Air Force Base. However, it doesn't link to a mission number (e.g. STS-xxx). This should be fixed if anyone happens to know what mission it was. moink 14:40, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

Fill up the camper, drive down to White Sands,

And we'll pour the champagne when the Space Shuttle lands - Leslie Fish.

Slightly more seriously, STS-3. White Sands was written off as a routine landing site thereafter - dust got everywhere, and when Columbia was flown back to the more humid climes of Florida, it basically all turned into cement. Very time-consuming to fix. Shimgray 14:48, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

Thanks Shimgray! I actually had just figured it out myself too, from List of space shuttle missions. The article has been changed to reflect my new knowledge. moink 14:52, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

Yeah, I noticed someone had already added STS-3 when I went to add it... I originally thought it was STS-9, then guessed -5... hmph. At least I got the orbiter right! (In future, it might be helpful to try going to the White Sands page, hitting "What Links Here", and seeing if any missions were listed there) Shimgray 20:39, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

what are the indications for analgesics

I'm afraid you're going to have to be more specific. Indications of what for analgesics? - Mgm|^(talk) 16:39, August 8, 2005 (UTC)

I think the person asking the question was using the medical definition of "indication." As the article linked by Mgm notes, analgesics, by definition, are used to treat pain. Individual analgesics might also have additional indications; see the articles for each individual drug, such as Aspirin. Chuck 20:52, August 8, 2005 (UTC)

Can anyone direct me to a picture of a white flag (on wikipedia)?

See headline... Frenchman113 16:57, August 8, 2005 (UTC)

Surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown (John Trumbull, 1797). On the right is the American flag, on the left is the French flag (white flag of the monarchy). Despite the painting's title, Cornwallis (claiming illness) was not present and is not depicted. Washington is on horseback in the right background; because the British commander was absent, military protocol dictated that Washington have a subordinate—in this case Benjamin Lincoln—accept the surrender.

Richard Taylor 23:21, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

George Fisher

Dear Wikipedia:

The following quote on perfection is floating around the net: When you aim for perfection, you discover it's a moving target. ~George Fisher

The problem is that no one (and I went through at least 3 search engines using different criteria) gives any information about WHICH George Fisher this quote can actually be attributed to. Unfortunately there are quite a few George Fishers out there, including the cartoonist you feature on Wikipedia. Can you help?

Thank You and best regards!

Jacqui Ehninger

I have no idea but you might give the folks over at Wikiquote a try. Dismas 19:15, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

The quotation is also frequently attributed to Geoffrey_Fisher, who was once Archbishop of Canterbury. --Tabor 19:42, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

Religeon

What are the three vovws of the Catholic clergy, and what are the purposes behind each of these vows?

Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience, as noted at Profession (religious). For the purposes, you might want to look at this section of the Summa Theologica (What is now called "chastity" was called "continency" in the Summa.) Chuck 21:13, August 8, 2005 (UTC)

Note that this is for monks, not priests. Priests may be different. DJ Clayworth 19:20, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

Sunday Morning Classical Radio Show

I live in York PA. On Sunday mornings around 7AM, i receive a show on public radio by Carl Haas {SP?}. He teaches about music and is wonderful. Please send me his name [correct spelling] and the name of the show. Also, please advise where I may access or buy anything he authored. Thank you, Dr. Mary-Louise Hooper

• That would be the late Karl Haas. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 18:53, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

When you use opium how long does it stay in your body?

That depends what you mean on "staying in the body" As far as drug tests are concerned, the standard five part drug test can detect it from 24-48 hours after use. The good folks at erowid can help you with more information:

http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/opiates/opiates_testing.shtml

Note that this applies to urine tests, which I believe are the most commonly used. Many drugs (I don't know about opium specifically) will remain in your hair in testable quantities until the hair grows and is cut off. Bovlb 01:05:24, 2005-08-09 (UTC)

It should be noted that many drug tests don't actually test for the drug itself, rather they test for metabolites of the drug. Many times metabolites can remain detectable by testing long after the drug has stopped affecting your body. This is why heavy Cannabis users can test positive even if they have abstained for the past week. Anyways, back to your question. There are two major active ingredients in opium: morphine and codeine. Morphine has an elimination half-life of 2-3 hours and codeine has an elimination half-life of 3-4 hours. This means that for the average person, the drug will be approximately 90% eliminated after 9 hours. steffinb 6:44AM 08/09/2005 (PST)

Note that the definition of half-life means that theoretically, there is always some quantity of the drug left in your body after any amount of time. But practically, after a certain amount of time, the concentration becomes so low that it is undetectable. There are constantly new techniques being developed in analytical chemistry to deal with low detection levels, and for certain things, quantities of around 1 part per trillion can be detected. I'm not sure about detection limits for drugs, but there are standardized procedures and tables for this. --HappyCamper 23:54, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

Train Wrecks/crashes located in the Angola, New york area in the USA.

We are looking for some information on any train crashes or wrecks in the Angola, New York area. We are located outside of Buffalo, New York in case this may help. We are looking for dates, maps, if possible, or any information you may be able to give us.

Thank you for your help, Donna

Supposedly, there was an accident referred to as the Angola Horror on December 18, 1867. I can't find any references of the event that I would consider reliable, but this search will point you to a couple of the not so reliable ones. --CVaneg 21:15, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

Digitial communications in Wikipedia

Not sure if this is the best place to ask this question, but I'll give it a shot anyway: Would there be any use for a Wikiproject:Digital Communications on Wikipedia? I think it would be really neat to have consolidated resource for digital communications on Wikipedia. Or perhaps it already exists somewhere on Wikipedia already? Thanks for your help! --HappyCamper 20:52, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

• Why not? You should probably call it Wikipedia:WikiProject Digital Communications, though.- Mgm|^(talk) 21:00, August 8, 2005 (UTC)

Or you could join the #wikipedia IRC channel. --pile0nades^{talk | contribs} 03:38, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

How does one do that? I've seen those links before, but whenever I click on them, I get nothing...just some error. --HappyCamper 04:40, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

IRC's basically a large network of chat rooms. Since you get an error when clicking on the link, your browser doesn't support the IRC protocol, so you'll need to download a separate IRC client to connect to #wikipedia. There's a decent introduction and tutorial about IRC here. -D. Wu 05:19, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

If you have Firefox you can use the ChatZilla extension --pile0nades^{talk | contribs} 05:22, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

Plank time

Is an (SI) second an exact integer multiple of Planck time? --R.Koot 21:10, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

The second is defined as 9,192,631,770 times the period of the electromagnetic radiation related to a specific electronic transition in a cesium-133 atom. In order to answer that question, you'd need to be able to measure that period with an error of considerably less than ${\frac {t_{p}}{9192631770}}$. But since times of less than the Planck time are immeasurable, you'd never be able to measure the period with this accuracy, so the question is unaswerable--not just unanswerable given our current technology, but theoretically unanswerable regardless of any future advances in technology (unless physicists' current understanding of quantum mechanics turns out to be horribly wrong). Chuck 21:33, August 8, 2005 (UTC)

I was afraid you were going to say that. My guess would be that following question is also wrong: "But the fact that we can't measure that precise doesn't mean that events happen which takes n × Planck Time, were n is not an integer"? --R.Koot 21:58, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

Very interesting comment! As far as I am aware of, time is not quantized, in the sense that the evolution of the universe does not occur in units of the planck time. So, it's perfectly possible to have an "n" which is not an integer in the equation you specified above. In certain "fringe" theories of the universe, n is indeed restricted to integers. However, keep in mind that even if time were quantized, the sheer enormity of n and the smallness of the planck time would render the quantized nature somewhat irrelevant to the world we perceive everyday. --HappyCamper 22:46, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

Isn't time quantized in loop quantum gravity? --Tothebarricades 01:32, August 9, 2005 (UTC)

Indira Gandhi

I am looking for the collected letters of Indira Gandhi. The name in the letters I'm looking for is Jean Ewing-Scott.

Jack Collins

Do you mean the letters written by Jawaharlal Nehru to Indira Gandhi which were later compiled into the book Glimpses of World History. Jay 16:32, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

Fall Out Boy

What is the name of the song Fall Out Boy sang on MTV when MTV was on the Strip in Vegas, they were singing on a stage in a swimming pool? It was this past summer (2005). I think it was early summer, around May maybe. I can't find it anywhere. Thanks for the time. Jared

It was Fall Out Boy's only charting single, "Sugar, We're Goin' Down", which got to #30 on the US Billboard chart. On June 23, 2005, the video for "Sugar, We're Going Down" reached number one on the MTV show Total Request Live (TRL). Proto t c 14:30, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

Family Guy

Hey you guys know that episode of Family Guy where Chris gets pulled into that sketchy zone at the supermarket? Could someone tell me what song that is at my talk page? Thanks, Redwolf24 22:10, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

a-ha's Take On Me. -- Cyrius|✎ 01:18, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

Paper from milkweed

I've got another bumper crop of milkweed coming along, and I've contemplated making paper from it for years, but I have no idea how to do this. The link to the wiki article about milkweed says it's good for papermaking, but doesn't explain how you get past the water-proofness of the fibers to make it a mush. Any suggestions? --Mothperson cocoon 22:36, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

[9] might be of interest. Shimgray 22:43, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

Oh, my god. --Mothperson cocoon 00:43, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

International Law Career

It would be great if you could help me with the following question:

My objective is working in an international field of law outside my country Peru. As a student of Law in Peru, Latin America.I would like to know what is required to be able to pratice law in other countries as consultant, for example. Is there a MBA for law students or Post grade which allows an international licened or state approved law career?

I really appreciate your help! Gracias.

It is my understanding that all that is necessary to practice law in the states is to pass the BAR in the state you wish to hold a practice.

In order to take the bar exam you generally have to show evidence of having had a legal education (that is, a certified transcript from a lawschool). I just checked the California Bar Association's terms for the bar exam and they say foreign educated applicants should contact the Bar Association's admissions office. I suspect they'll send you off to lawschool for a conversion course before you can take the California bar exam. I suspect other US states will have much the same policy. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 23:23, August 8, 2005 (UTC)

On looking further at California (just as an example) you definately have to undertake further legal education if your existing law qualification isn't from a system based on English common law (which is the case for the US, England, and most commonwealth countries). So I guess you would be going to college again. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 23:37, August 8, 2005 (UTC)

The legal code in Louisiana is based on the Code Napoleon. Does the same requirement hold there? Zoe 21:38, August 9, 2005 (UTC)

The LLM is available from many law schools for international students. It is usually a year-long program. -- Essjay · Talk 08:15, August 9, 2005 (UTC)

No one will hire a LLM holder (if he wants to do corporate work). lots of issues | leave me a message 21:48, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

List of most frequently misspelled words

I am trying to help an ESL student out with their English. Is there a List of most frequently mispelled English words in Wikipedia? --HappyCamper 23:58, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

No, as that list would be quite difficult to maintain... Redwolf24 23:59, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

Yes, take a look at List of common misspellings in English in Wikipedia and Wiktionary:Wiktionary:List of common misspellings in Wiktionary. hydnjo talk 00:17, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

Sorry. Redwolf24 00:21, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

You might also find List of frequently misused English words and List of commonly confused homonyms useful. All should be taken with a grain of salt, though. Not all of the words listed are all that common. -Aranel ("Sarah") 00:40, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

Most architects cannot spell fluorescent. I don't know why. --Mothperson cocoon 12:21, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

Fear of Buoys

I have an overwhelming fear of buoys (the kind that are in the ocean and not of the male variety) i know it sounds very silly but cannot explain it. Was just wondering if you could tell me the name of it? if there is one

PUediphobia? Displacement (psychology)?, Displacement (fluid)?, irrational?, a sinking feeling? Have you tried avoiding open water?MeltBanana 00:49, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

How about this: http://www.unusualphobias.com/buoys.html. BTW, good job on finding this page with your very first edit from 84.9.65.35. hydnjo talk 01:01, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

TI-89 question

Is it possible, on TI-89 calculator, to have it return integer values which satify an expression? For instance, if I wanted to find which integer values (or at least AN integer value, perhaps the lowest) n satisfy the expression n^2+1 / 3 such that the answer is also an integer. I'm doing some number theory stuff and this would be helpful. --Tothebarricades 02:07, August 9, 2005 (UTC)

The TI-89 calculator is programmable so you can program the problem and then specify a range of n's searching for the first n which yields dp=0 (decimal place = zero). hydnjo talk 01:55, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

I'm afraid I don't know how to do that. Could you explain? If it's not too hard, that is. Thanks. --Tothebarricades 02:12, August 9, 2005 (UTC)

I'm sorry that I cannot provide explicit program language as I'm using an HP-48. But, generally, you should be able to write a program in which you enter the lower n and the upper n in ((n^2)+1)/3. Having done that, the program should then provide (if you ask) all of the n's which result in an integer solution, that is, the decimal place equals zero (dp=0) which are integer solutions.

Write the program so that the boundaries (lowest n to highest n) are asked for right up front and then supply those limits to the main program. hydnjo talk 03:02, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

Do you know how to program? It's a matter of writing a simple loop. I have a TI-89 myself, but I don't remember TI-BASIC all that well. Dysprosia 04:20, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

Chapter 17 of the TI-89 manual, downloadable from education.ti.com, explains how to use loops in TI-BASIC. The For...EndFor loop is one of a number of different sorts of loops that can be used to do what you what.

If you graph your equation, and iPart(x), and find the intersections, that should give what you want. ~~ N (t/c) 03:00, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

Excellent, if the intersections are sufficiently accurate. The approach I suggested inputs integer n's and looks for integer results. That's why I went in that direction. Of course, graphing a range would provide additional insight to the general solution. Tothebarricades is now able to select from a couple of approaches to get his integer solutions. hydnjo talk 03:22, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

Baronets

I know the UK stopped awarding hereditary peerages at least 20 years ago, but has it stopped awarding other hereditary honors, like baronetage? Ornil 02:04, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

Thatcher's husband snagged the last one in 1990 and before then the last title was awarded in 1964. lots of issues | leave me a message 06:23, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

NBC Television Show "24"

Does anybody have information as to when the NBC TV show 24's next season starts? Which seasons have been released on DVD? Thanks a lot in advance!

See 24 (television) -- Chuq 03:23, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

All four seasons have now been released on DVD. Season 5 will premiere in the USA in January 2006 on NBC FOX (and there will definitely be at least one more season after that ^[10]). Only six months to wait! Proto t c 09:22, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

Also note that 24 airs on FOX, not NBC. Chuck 15:00, August 9, 2005 (UTC)

Whoops.  :) Proto t c 15:35, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

cardinal directions

are cardinal directions magnetic north or true north?

True North. See North Pole.  RasputinAXP  talk * contribs 03:27, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

Depends. On home deeds, magnetic north is the usual reference (stupid as that may seem). hydnjo talk 03:29, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

Does that mean the boundaries of my home lot shift by a few minutes a year? DJ Clayworth 19:15, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

It's probably not as bad as other problems with changing property lines. I know of a particular California earthquake where an entire town's houses ended up technically on their neighbor's land. --Laura Scudder | Talk 21:18, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

Not to mention particular winter storms where entire blocks of houses (and sometimes the state highway) end up in the Pacific Ocean. Gentgeen 21:43, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

Correct this English sentence

I cannot seem to rewrite the following in a more elegant way. Chopping up the sentence, adding more words, anything to make it better - I'd settle for it. Could someone provide suggestions I could use? Perhaps briefly explain what grammtical concept is being misused would be nice too. I know it has something to do with the word "its" and the vagueness surrounding its use.

"An example of work completed prior to the submission of this document is attached to its end."

I want this to mean

"An example of work A completed prior to the submission of this document B is attached to the end of this document B".

Thanks for your suggestions! --HappyCamper 05:00, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

Is A a first draft of B or is it a seperate piece of work? If so, maybe this would do...

"Appended to the end of this document you will find a previous draft of the work being submitted"

How's that? Dismas 05:17, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

Hmm...that sounds better. Actually that gave me an idea: "At the end of this document are preliminary results supporting the work of this thesis" ... better, but just doesn't seem to quite cut it. A is a separate from B. B is a new document describing what someone would like to do with A. --HappyCamper 05:44, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

Or "Appended to the end of this document you will find an example of earlier related work." -- Jmabel | Talk 05:50, August 9, 2005 (UTC)

How about - "At the end of this document is an example of related, earlier work, supporting this thesis." Or, "A piece of earlier work supporting B is attached to this document." Or, "Appendix A contains an example of previously completed work (A) supporting the conclusions of this thesis." Proto t c 08:55, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

Could you use something more specific than "work" and "document" to help clarify? For example, "An example of a short story completed prior to the submission of this application is attached." Also, is the sentence appearing in B itself, or in another document outside of A and B? If it appears in B, it should be sufficient to say "...is attached" rather than "...is attached to document B." But if the sentence is not in B, some clarification of where it's attached may be necessary. Chuck 15:06, August 9, 2005 (UTC)

I haven't thought about it that way before..."Preliminary calculations supporting the development of this model are attached to the end of this document." Hmmmm not bad. Thanks for the ideas! --HappyCamper 00:01, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

"At the end of this submission is an example of work completed previously." ? --bodnotbod 01:45, August 10, 2005 (UTC)

Website desgin

Hi, what are some of your favourite website in terms of design. Thanks --Fir0002 06:08, August 9, 2005 (UTC)

Try UK Yahoo Finds of 2004. It's a bit old now, but the websites that have been voted as better than the rest, and design has contributed to that. My personal favourite webstie deisgn is bill-bailey.co.uk, particulary the posters section, but the site is really complicated to make yourself. Hope that helps. --Commander Keane 10:47, August 9, 2005 (UTC)

Ug, it's all Flash-based and it plays music without my permission… I strongly disagree with Mr Keane about that site being good web design. In terms of technically impressive website design, I like Google's Gmail and Google Maps, because they do things that "shouldn't" be possible with just normal web standards (see AJAX). Garrett Albright 16:36, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

I like The Guardian and BBC News as they are clear (especially if you use Firefox on the Guardian to remove ads). Flickr is very nice. I'll probably think of more later. --bodnotbod 01:50, August 10, 2005 (UTC)

Help With Strip mining

Hello Sir/Ma'am i am after some infomation about Strip mining (surface mining)

We have the mining and Strip mining articles. Let us know if these links help you find what you need. --HappyCamper 06:47, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

There is also Surface mining, which clearly needs to be merged with Strip mining. James 06:48, August 9, 2005 (UTC)

Merged strip mining into the surface mining article (as strip mining is a form of surface mining. Proto t c 09:07, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

Yay! Score 1 more point for the RD. --HappyCamper 16:26, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

your company information

Wikipedia is not a corporation and has no need of supplies from Vietnam. ~~ N (t/c) 07:52, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

Is some idiot running around eastern Asia telling them that we build engines and import shoes? -- Cyrius|✎ 08:02, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

can't this question just be removed, it's cleary not meant for here. Boneyard 08:40, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

Yes, it can. Done. Proto t c 08:56, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

Modern day Judea

What are the modern day physical boundries of Judea? Thank you, Patrica Burns

have you checked judea? it contains some info on this, not sure if it's enough for you. Boneyard 14:08, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

Is teaching a profession?

Of course it is. And a very noble one. Proto t c 15:47, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

See Profession and Professional for more. Chuck 15:49, August 9, 2005 (UTC)

Pennsy-Ohio border

What is the meridian that forms the boundary between Ohio and Pennsylvania? PedanticallySpeaking 17:04, August 8, 2005 (UTC)

• This article on the Pennsylvania-Ohio Border Retracement Survey should get you started. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 17:20, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

Page cited does not contain the information requested. PedanticallySpeaking 15:26, August 9, 2005 (UTC)

This isn't too reliable, but superimposing a boundary line on Google Earth and reading off positions makes it look like 80 degrees 31 minutes west, give or take a couple of seconds of arc. Shimgray 18:04, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

Using the topographic maps at TerraServer, the state line appears to fall between 80°31'10"W and 80°31'11"W. Chuck 19:10, August 9, 2005 (UTC)

Called the "Ellicott Line", it should be at 80°31'12"W according to this USCG document. Lupo 08:57, August 10, 2005 (UTC)

BTW, there's a second "Ellicott's Line" that was supposed to follow 31°N and that defines the border between Alabama and Florida. Lupo 09:00, August 10, 2005 (UTC)

Outside doors on homes

Watching MTV's Room Raiders I noticed in Florida, most homes had outside doors that opened outward. Here in Ohio, every home I've seen had its doors opening inward. Is this some sort of Florida peculiarity? Does the building code there mandate this?

Possibly hurricane related? Rmhermen 17:15, August 8, 2005 (UTC)

I don't know how my response got erased but I dug it up from the history...

Normally the outside residence doors that I've seen in the U.S. have two doors.

1. ) The screen door of either wood or metal that opens out. This door usually has a self closing mechanism and a screen so that it can be left closed while the other door is open to allow air travel without letting bugs in.
2. ) The main door which is made of wood and at least an inch thick and opens in. This is the main security door and normally has small windows, called "lites" in the door industry. The windows provide light and a way to see who's at your door without sacrificing too much security.

Dismas 23:34, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

• There is a similar, but reversed arrangement within the old colleges of the University of Cambridge. There there is a heavy security door between the college staircases and the sets of rooms in which Fellows and some students work and live. This heavy outer door is known as an Oak http://www.quns.cam.ac.uk/Queens/Misc/jargon/CUjargon-all.html and opens outwards, there is also an inner door, which may open in either direction. When a Fellow is present in his rooms the outer door will usually be open indicating that he is in, but the inner door will be closed to protect against the cold drafts of the staircases of the old stone buildings which are sometimes open to the elements at the bottom.

Java program works differently under debug mode

This is an extremely frustrating variation on the old "tv only works when the tv repairman is around" problem.

I have a fairly simple program written in Java which contains no threading or anything that needs to be synchronised (though obviously a calculation or line must be completed before the next line is excecuted). I'm currently running the program in Eclipse.

The program doesn't work the way I expect it to (though no explicit bugs are produced). However, when run under debug mode, even with no breakpoints or any other reason to stop, the code runs perfectly. This happens every time (I've run the program about 20 times now, 10/10 errors in normal mode, 0/10 errors in debug mode).

What could possibly be happening? Obviously I don't edit the code what-so-ever between trials. Could the slow-down experienced when the code runs in de-bug mode have something to do with it, like for some reason lines aren't being fully executed before starting the next line when the prograsm is run in normal mode? The code uses lots of random numbers — could the production of pseudo-random numbers (just the java Random class) be different in debug mode? Any help much appreciated, I'm tearing my hair out... — Asbestos | Talk (RFC) 15:37, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

Some more details would be great. But since you say you don't use any threads (and I assume doesn't rely on user input) it can't be a timing problem. (BTW, a line not being executed is something that just can't happen, period.) are you using Math.random() or a Random object? Random objects sometimes generate the same sequence over and over if you copy them or create new ones. --R.Koot 15:51, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

Well, I don't know what further details would help, but here we go:

• I'm running a genetic algorithm with many environments (in a separate Environment() class). In each environment there is a little creature that, in each generation, decides randomly whether to go forward, backwards, left or right. Upon making that decision, he looks at where he would be from the shape of the landscape generated back in the main class, and if he would be higher than his current position he moves in that direction. He's trying to get to the top of the hill.
• When the java program is run like a normal program, the creatues climb about half way up and then stop making any further progress.
• When the program is run in debug mode, to find out why the creatures aren't progressing, all the creatures get to the top of each hill with no problem.
• The directional decision is made using a Random object, rand, created by 'rand = new Random()', and then the decision is made using 'rand.nextInt(4)'.
• No threads, no user input, no changes at all between trying the program using debug mode or not.

— Asbestos | Talk (RFC) 16:07, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

What if you use Math.random() instead of the Random objects. I remember that a friend of mine described that had problems with the Random object when we had to write a genetic algorithm half a year ago. --R.Koot 16:11, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

I now remember the exact problem. If two Random objects are created within a microsecond, they will generate the same 'random' numbers. In debug mode, thing being slower might prevent this from happening, or some precations have been enabled in debug mode to prevent this from happening. --R.Koot 20:30, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

BTW are you sure you copy the dna-vector before mutating and not just makeing an assignment, this would cause both the original and the copy to be mutated? --R.Koot 16:14, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

I would try dumping all or most internal data to a file as you run (start with the random values you get, but be sure to seed the random generator with some fixed value). Then compare the file you get with and without the debugger. The first difference would probably pinpoint roughly where the problem is. Ornil 18:33, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

It's possible that you're running the two test cases (debug and non debug) with different bootclasspaths. Personally I'd manually run both from the command line, so you're explicitly defining which java executable (and which jdb executable) you're really using. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 19:10, August 9, 2005 (UTC)

Also, if you're doing anything with random numbers, it's a very good idea to have a flag that has it use a PRNG with the same seed each time, rather than the system random code. That way any bugs than the randomness exposes are reproducable. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 19:13, August 9, 2005 (UTC)

Eclipse has been working terribly all day — freezing, losing projects, getting errors when loading up (wretched buggy university unix network). After tearing out most of my hair and throwing the computer out the window, I managed to restart (during one of the four-second periods when the computer was responding) and now everything appears to be working perfectly once more. The program runs as it does when in the de-bug mode, that is, exactly as I expect it too.
Thanks very much for the good replies above. I'd look into them further, but, with my dissertation deadline two weeks away, I'm going to run with good results while I can. For the moment, I should probably just not use Eclipse, as the command line is obviously safer — it's just a bore when I'm basically writing the program as I'm running it. Thanks all! — Asbestos | Talk (RFC) 19:35, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

Brooks Range

My first cousin, Jule Thibedeau, was a bush pilot in Alaska. He was killed in a crash, in the Brooks Range, in the late 1960's. I understand, from other relatives, that there is a mountain range, Mt. Thibedeau, named after him. Do you have any information on this, or any photographs of it. I'd appreciate your response. Thank you. Meri Will, awill3065 AT charter.net

A search of the U.S. Geological Survey database did not show any summit in the U.S. with the name Thibedeau. Rmhermen 21:01, August 9, 2005 (UTC)

That seems like an unusual spelling of the name. Thibodeau(x) is more common, but neither turns up anything in a simple google search. -- Cyrius|✎ 22:51, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

That's it. Meri, I guess you're talking about Thibodeaux Mountain in the Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve. Note that this entry in the USGS databases seems to have some typos: the pilot "crashed", not "rashed", and the elevation data seems to be wrong; according to [11] and the USGS map, it is 7539 ft (2298 m) high. Lupo 07:38, August 10, 2005 (UTC)

Ancient name for Lebanon

What would have been the Roman name for the land now known as the nation of Lebanon? PedanticallySpeaking 16:22, August 9, 2005 (UTC) Lebanon in Roman times was called Phoenicia. http://www.romansonline.com/h_oth_Lebanon.asp

The land now occupied by the state of Lebanon was part of the Roman client kingdom of Judea from its conquest in 63 BC; from AD 6 it became a directly administered province, Iudaea Province. From 135 it was part of the larger province of Syria Palestina. See Roman province, History of Palestine, and Palestine (region). Gdr 20:25:12, 2005-08-09 (UTC)

From this map of 120 A.D. and this undated map it looks like modern Lebannon was part of the province of Syria rather than Judea. What time period are you interested in? I'll pull out one of my historical atlases. --Laura Scudder | Talk 21:34, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

Oops, yes, you're right. Lebanon extends as far south as Tyre, which in ancient times was part of Phoenicia, was conquered by the Romans in 68 BC and became part of the province of Syria, which was combined with Iudaea in AD 135. Gdr 12:54:55, 2005-08-10 (UTC)

Random category changes?!

is it really a bad thing if someone adds a Category:Herbology tag to dozens of random articles? don't random changes just make life more interesting? doesn't fish taste better when you dip it in lime juice? doesn't the pineapple of life deserve a little bit of random postage stamps? didn't it?! -- anon (unsigned question by 172.163.228.215)

• Yes, it is a bad thing. Categories are meant to help sorting our articles. If the article tagged with "Category:Herbology" and it's not related to said category in any way, it should be removed. Random changes are a good thing, but not when you're trying to make an encyclopedia, which is the case here at wikipedia. - Mgm|^(talk) 17:55, August 9, 2005 (UTC)

Brush strokes

I'm looking for either, a) a way to create those kind of hand painted, slightly rough 'hand painted' lines that those stylized japanese caligrahpers use, or b) clip art of basic shapes (arcs, lines, circles) drawn in that style. I am creating a basic diagram that I want to look like it is painted with a thick japanese style brush. Any thoughts? Thanks!

Do you wish to create these on paper? Or stylize them on digital media? --HappyCamper 00:05, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

A number of computer graphics programs, such as Inkscape, have brushstroke tools. For one that is somewhat realistic, you'll probably want to look at add-ons for Photoshop or GIMP, or else a specialized program such as xshodo. This latter is a program for X11 which attempts to simulate realistic brushwork. It requires an X11 graphical environment -- e.g. a Linux/BSD/Unix system, Apple X11 for Mac OS X, or Cygwin X11 for Windows. --FOo 03:32, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

• A great program for creating realistic stroked paintings is Painter It is a drawing tool similar to photoshop but based on substrate mediums and brushes for realisticly drawing strokes as they would appear in a real painting or inking. It is rather expensive and for the best quality you need an electronic brush tablet with angle sensitivty like the upper end wacom tablets. Another thing to consider in japanese ink brushing is the unique dye diffusion of the papers used. This effect is very difficult to simulate. (the softening tendrils that appear around the edges of shapes on close inspection). But using a wet-on-wet medium with a very heavy brush load in Painter can simulate this to a degree. If the symbol is simple enough i could take a crack at brushing it it shouldn't take more than 5-10 minutes, email me. Another alternative is buying a brush and some ink and trying to do it in real life. --Darkfred ^{Talk to me} 13:33, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

climate for rubber trees

What kind of soil and climate would rubber trees require for healthy growth ? For one I guess it grows only in the tropics. Jay 18:25, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

• You would obviously need rubber soil- (unsigned answer by 172.144.193.86)

You can find more information about rubber trees than you'll ever need from the Project Gutenberg's online source of "The Romance of Rubber" by the U.S. Rubber Company here. In particular: The tree grows wild in the hot, damp forests of the Amazon valley and in other parts of South America that have a similar climate. The ideal climate for the rubber tree is one which is uniform all the year round, from eighty-nine to ninety-four degrees at noon, and riot lower than seventy degrees at night. -D. Wu 00:04, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

Cleopatra's children

Hello. My name is Aleta, I'm 15 years old and I love history. I read your pages about Cleopatra and her children and I have a question: where did you find the information that her son Ptolemy Philadelphos died in 12BC by an accident? I thought that the last information about the children of Cleopatra and Mark Antony was their depart to Mauretania - that's the only thing that the ancient historians wrote about their life after the marriage of cleopatra Selene. Please, explain me that mystery.

Aleta

You might get a better answer to this question at the talk page of the articles in question. HTH, Meelar (talk) 21:12, August 9, 2005 (UTC)

Unfortunately, the person who added that information has been banned from Wikipedia and thus can't give us her sources. I have a feeling she's mistaken, however. This site suggests that he may have died in 29 BC and no other information is known after Marc Antony and Cleopatra died. James 23:03, August 9, 2005 (UTC)

McIntyre System

Can you advise who comes third in the national rugby league finals using the McIntyre Top 8 system.

How does the Wikipedia "Show Changes" function work?

When editing a wikipedia article, authors have the ability to click "show changes", this compares their current version with the original and highlights any differences.

How does this work using PHP? Is there a script that demos it?

Are you asking for the general idea, or Wikipedia's specific implementation? The general idea is that there is a class of computer algorithms for efficiently determining a minimal set of differences between two strings of text. One algorithm I'm familiar with is due to Stone, and was used in the original Unix diff program. A general-purpose diff program is a fantastically useful utility -- I couldn't live without it, and it's one of the many reasons I love Unix so much. But since wikipedians obviously don't have access to the command line of the servers where wikipedia runs, it was very nice of the designers to somehow make this "show changes" feature available via the web interface. Steve Summit 14:29, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

(If you're curious, do read wikipedia's diff article -- it's quite comprehensive. Steve Summit 14:53, 10 August 2005 (UTC))

Mediawiki, on which Wikipedia is based, is open source software, so you can see exactly what it does yourself by browsing the source in the CVS repository (or by downloading it and reading it locally). I'm not familiar enough with the Mediawiki source to point you to a specific file, sorry. — mendel ☎ 00:24, August 10, 2005 (UTC)

Wilhelm scream in Family Guy?

According to List of films using the Wilhelm scream, the Wilhelm scream is used in an episode of Family Guy. I don't doubt that this is true, but I've seen every episode and the leaked film and can't recall any instance where the sound has been used in the series. Does anyone know in which episode and where within it the scream is used? --Jacj 21:49, 9 August 2005 (UTC)

The article title is "List of films using the Wilhelm scream." If I recall correctly, the scene is parodied in the Family Guy movie, which was recently released on DVD. Garrett Albright 17:19, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

Anteroom of hell?

I recall reading in a National Geographic some years ago that a conquistador (it may have been Pizarro) named a place in Peru after the "anteroom of hell". I cannot recall what this anteroom was actually called, and can't seem to find reference to it in Dante's famed work. Can anyone help? DO'Иeil 22:00, August 9, 2005 (UTC)

• Limbo? -- Essjay · Talk 02:50, August 10, 2005 (UTC)

Energy required to maintain water at certain temperatures, Cal or BTU vs. Temp chart

Please direct me to a resource where I can find charts showing the energy required to maintain water (and other substances) at certain temperatures, Cal or BTU vs. Temp chart.

Thank you, Erik

That would depend on the difference between the air temperature and the water temperature. This site has a table of various gallon amounts of water and the wattages needed to maintain different temperature differentials in an aquariam. You can convert that to calories or BTUs.

As a side note, calories and BTUs are poor choices for this sort of thing, as they vary depending on a number of variables. A calorie or BTU actually corresponds to less energy when going between 14.5°C and 15.5°C than the average between 0°C and 100°C. James 22:53, August 9, 2005 (UTC)

abbreviation

How do you abbreviate the title "Pastor"?

The handful of style manuals I found on the Web that addressed the issue all indicated that Pastor was not abbreviated, but many of them suggested that it wasn't a title in the sense of a form of address anyhow, just a position like "minister" or "archbishop", and that the title of a pastor is "The Reverend" or "Mister". There's some talk about referring to clergy at Reverend. — mendel ☎ 00:31, August 10, 2005 (UTC)

I think it depends on the denomination. A lot of denominations use "Pastor" interchangibly with Minister, and would refer to the individual as "Pastor Jones" or "Pastor Bob"; some denominations reject using the title "Reverend" for ministers. Other denoms, like the Roman Catholic Church, use pastor as an office only; the pastor of a given Catholic church is a priest, and as such is addressed as "Father" (Fr.) and would not be addressed as "Pastor." If it is a case of the former, where the individual is called "Pastor Bob" and the church rejects titles like "Reverend," I think it would be appropriate to spell it out wherever possible, and abbreviate to "Pstr." if absolutely necessary. -- Essjay · Talk 02:47, August 10, 2005 (UTC)

Natural Science

How many grams of water can a cubic meter of air hold at 37°C and 100% relative humidity?

Ragnar

Do your own homework--172.166.153.55 14:53, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

It's been a while since I've done any physics, but I think you could compute it by calculating the partial vapour pressure for water vapour and then using the ideal gas law to compute the mass. This sounds very much like a homework question, so I hope you'll excuse me for not just giving you the answer. --Robert Merkel 01:21, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

A table of saturated vapor density and saturation vapor pressure vs. temperature is available here. They say it can hold 44 grams of water. The site doesn't mention it, but I imagine the values are for 1 atm of pressure, so things would be different on top of a mountain. James 01:22, August 10, 2005 (UTC)

Actually, they wouldn't be much different. To a first-order approximation, the saturation vapor pressure is independent of any other gases occupying the same space (unless you're talking about very dense, near-liquid gases, which is not the case with the atmosphere. The oft-cited explanation that "warm air can hold more water vapor than cold air" is incorrect; it is more accurate to say that a given volume of empty space can hold more warm water vapor than cold water vapor. The fact that there's also some nitrogen, oxygen, and other trace gases occupying the same space doesn't make much difference. Chuck 18:36, August 10, 2005 (UTC)

Tommy Kramer

HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT MAKIN A MOTIVATION BIOGRAPHY MOVIE ABOUT TOMMY KRAMER?SUCH AS RUDY OR FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS OR OTHER INSPIRATION OF THE SORT. (added by anon user)

The Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, not a movie studio. It is put together by the collective volunteer efforts of thousands of contributors, and survives on donations from its users and a few companies (who have not asked for anything in return). The broader Wikimedia Foundation also supports a wiki-based news service, dictionary, quote collection, and some other projects, but documentaries or other movies are not on the agenda any time soon!

Our article on Tommy Kramer is a bit short, but anyone, including you, can extend and improve it; given you feel that Mr. Kramer's life story is motivational, you obviously know enough about him to do so. You might also be interested in adding notable quotes by Mr. Kramer to Wikiquote. --Robert Merkel 04:17, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

Robert, this is the best possible answer for the above question. :-) -- Sundar ^{\talk \contribs} 04:36, August 10, 2005 (UTC)

ATP in blood plasma?

Is there any ATP in blood plasma outside of cells, in appreciable concentrations? ~GMH 04:52, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

Yes, ATP resides in the extra-cellular space and indeed performs many vital functions. "The role of intracellular ATP as an energy source and its complex biochemical interactions with living cells have been the focus of extensive research. A natural progression of this research has lead investigators to speculate on the function of extracellular ATP in biological processes. The potential regulatory effects of extracellular ATP on platelet aggregation, vascular tone, muscle contraction, the generation of pain signals, and the ion channel have been the foci of numerous in-depth studies. [12]" James 05:19, August 10, 2005 (UTC)

Signing Reference Desk Answers?

How does one add their user name to the end of questions they answer on wikipedia reference desk? Also, I have asked a couple of questions and done my best to answer a couple of dozen others, but who generally provides the answers to these questions? Is it generally a core constituancy of nice people, or a broader sampling of users?

Users may sign comments by inserting 4 tildas (~) with no spaces between. James 05:20, August 10, 2005 (UTC)

Which looks like this: ~~~~ Proto t c 14:59, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

At the top of this page there is a section entitled "How to ask a question" - read it. ¦ Reisio 05:32, 2005 August 10 (UTC)

The answer to your first question is indeed at the top of the page. The answer to your second... well, nobody is assigned to answer questions but as I've been reading this page for the last few weeks (I only recently found it myself) it seems there are a number of Wikipedians that cruise through here on a daily basis to add what they know. Also there have been a number of anonymous users that have asked and answered questions as well. Dismas 06:23, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

Yeah, there's a group of pretty nice Wikipedians who are regulars here too. Also, every 2 months or so we get a new cohort of new Wikipedians who help out. --HappyCamper 06:31, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

Gigue in simple meter: how to play?

How should I play a Baroque gigue in simple meter? The particular gigue is the last movement of J. S. Bach's sixth Partita in E minor. Should I transcribe it into a compound meter (which gives me bars of 24/8) or should I play it as written (in 8/2) or what in between? ~GMH 05:16, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

That all depends on which makes it easier for you to play. Personally, counting 24 of anything per measure is difficult. I would suggest possibly using the time signature as written and sub-divide in your head. James 05:23, August 10, 2005 (UTC)

I would suggest counting in groups of 3, 3, 2, with each half note receiving the beat. Do you have a link to the music? I can give a more detailed answer, as right now I'm shooting in the dark...--HappyCamper 06:36, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

There's an extended discussion of Bach's "baffling binary gigue" at [13], which says, "The majority of players, it seems, choose to play it as written. Angela Hewitt, Glenn Gould and Gustav Leonhardt adhere to the original score. The Hewitt and Leonhardt interpretations are rather straightforward, while Gould's recording manages to dance despite the duple metre. Trevor Pinnock, Kenneth Gilbert and Andras Schiff choose the path less taken and transfer the duple metre to triple." Gdr 13:57:30, 2005-08-10 (UTC)

Graphs, Nodes, and Business Rules - Can't refind it in Wikipedia

I was on a page describing graphs as nodes and edges. Then it applied it to business rules. The example was something like "Customers who spent x amount in last 60 days get a discount of 10%." Then they showed how nodes can be customer, x spending, get discount 10%. Also there was a link on the page to either business classifications or business rules.

If you can help me refind this page I would GREATLY appreciate it! Thanks!!!!

--anon

Are you sure it was in Wikipedia? The English wikipedia? I just did some google searches for those words restricted to en.wikipedia.org, and didn't find anything. Steve Summit 14:08, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

contact process of manufacture of sulphuric acid

why the process is called contact process?

The contact process is so called because it involves the contact of the heated sulphur dioxide and oxygen with Vanadium(V) oxide (a catalyst) to form sulphur trioxide far more efficiently than any earlier processes. See contact process for information on the process itself. Proto t c 14:57, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

Insurance, Vehicle

Definitions:

Is there a "2nd party" insurance?

Can only find definitions for 1st and 3rd party insurance on web.

Ted...

In contract law, the first party and the second party are the two principals who agree a contract. A third party is any other person affected by the contract. (Note: the Wikipedia articles on these terms need some work!) So in insurance, you are the first party, the insurance company is the second party, and anyone else is a third party. So you can see why there's no such thing as "second party insurance". Gdr 13:13:59, 2005-08-10 (UTC)

Edit: (02:36 AM Malaysia/Singapore time [18:36 UTC ?])

Well thanx loads. How and where do I thank the party (Gdr?)for this fantastic, concise and perfect answer? Read my mind. The above is exactly the answer I was looking for via several search engines, Dictionaries, Insurance Co. sites, Encyclopedias, what have you - without even a sliver of luck. Thanks again.

Ted...

You can be my bitch

Bash quote #16245 mentions a song by Master P entitled "You can be my bitch", however I've been unable to track down this song. The quote probably refers to some other song, what is it? —Ævar Arnfjörð Bjarmason 07:18:48, 2005-08-10 (UTC)

Moral of story: don't trust anyone on IRC. There is no such song. - Ta bu shi da yu 07:22, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

Standard deviation of a sum

Supposing that a variable is normally distributed has a mean of X, and its standard deviation is Y. When you sum N pieces of X's, what is the standard deviation of the sum? (No, this is not homework - if it were I'd look it up in a book :)) -EnSamulili 07:21, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

Try the central limit theorem....--Robert Merkel 12:38, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

This sounds like a counting problem. Percent errors in counting go like 1/N^1/2, so the error in your sum would be N^1/2Y. Another way to arrive at this result would be to use a standard independent error summing formula: if z = x + y then δz = ( δx² + δy²)^1/2. So for adding N seperate X you would get (N Y²)^1/2 = N^1/2Y. --Laura Scudder | Talk 16:26, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

flat pack furniture

Hello I am not sure if you can help me but my son has to do a dissatation and he needs answers to the follwoing questins and cant seemt o find them so thought you could either help or point me i the right directions

1. Who first invented flat pack furniture 2. When was flat pack furniture first invented. 3. When was it introduced to the public. 4. What social affects did it have

Can you please email me at my personal address

teresajanedyson@aol.com

I really appreciae any help you can give me

kind regards

Teresa Dyson

Unfortunately the article on RTA furniture doesn't give much information about who started it. But you might try calling the people at Ikea since they're pretty much the #1 retailer of flat pack furniture. Dismas 09:57, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

I've added Ikea's story of the invention of flat pack furniture to the RTA furniture article. Warofdreams 12:14, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery

How was J (Sidi Rezegh) Battery involved in the battle in Java during WWII?

Are you sure that it was?

According to the brief history of the 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery on its website [14], "Throughout the desert campaigns of 1939–1943 and the North West European campaign of 1944–1945, Regiment supported 7th Armoured Division "The Desert Rats". During the first campaign at the battle of Sidi Rezegh on the 21st November 1941, 2Lt Ward’s Gun was awarded the Posthumous Victoria Cross for Conspicuous Gallantry, The Regiment commemorates this by wearing a red backing to the Cypher." J Battery is named after that battle, of course. [15]

137 Battery of 40th Regiment Royal Artillery ("The Lowland Gunners") is known as "Java" battery [16], but that seems to date from its history as "I" Company of the 2nd Bengal Artillery, and its involvement in the capture of Java in 1811.

HTH. -- ALoan (Talk) 14:06, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

Logging industry

Hi Hope you can help me out with a couple of questions to do with the logging industry: What are the differences in machinery/tools used in logging between now and 100 years ago?

Has safety changed a lot?

For how long has resource management been an issue in the forestry industry (as in not just cutting down all the trees but planning to make it sustainable)?

What are some of the problems caused by logging?

What do logging companies need to operate in an area (amount of trees in density/size of forest etc. The species; Type of labour - cheap labor/skilled labor etc.)?

Is wood mainly used for the same products today as it was used 100 years ago?

What are the most important dates/events in world forestry industry (I.e. what is a chronological timetable for logging) ?

What are the most important dates/events in Australia’s forestry industry?

Does Australia rely on its forest resources as much today as 100 years ago?

Thanks for your help --Fir0002 11:22, August 10, 2005 (UTC)

It would not be difficult to write an essay on any single one of these questions; and some of them, particularly the last, are typical social science/arts essay questions in that a huge part of writing a successful essay is coming up with a sensible interpretation of the question. Do you really need comprehensive answers to all of the above questions?

From the looks of it, what you do need to do is some general background reading. You can start with logging and forestry here on the Wikipedia. You can also try web resources such as the National Association of Forest Industries and, for an opposing viewpoint, green groups like The Wilderness Society. To get an idea of the technology involved in contemporary logging, you can look at companies like John Deere (and this is only a fraction of the gadgets used in advanced logging operations). But, ultimately, I think you'd be well advised to go get some actual books on the topic from the library; ask your librarian for help.

By the way, one big hint: Chainsaws were invented in 1926. --Robert Merkel 12:34, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

Angel Falls and the Amazon

Is the Angel Falls located in the area of the Amazon forest?

Basically, yes, although they do not lie in the Amazon Basin. Warofdreams 12:16, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

Portly spider crab

I was wondering if there was a photo of the "Portly Spider Crab" available, to be inserted in the current article on these crab. I have fished a crab that fits the description given, but would like to see a photo to confirm it. I have fished these crab commercially(we call them "toad crab")in Bonavista Bay, Newfoundland. If I can confirm that these crab are the same as I fished, I may be able to expand on the article. --Wade Turner 11:56, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

I don't know of a picture which could be used in the article, but there is a picture available here which may help you establish whether it is the crab you fished. Warofdreams 12:41, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

Kodachi/Wakizashi

I am looking to find out which of the two japanese weapons is longer than the other, but have been unable to find reliable information about them. The wikipeida articles both state that they are larger than the other, and no other page i have looked on has had trustworthy information about it.

Please help.

Our article does say " though the blades differ greatly in construction, the kodachi and the wakizashi are similar enough in size and technique that they are sometimes (mis)used interchangeably." It appears that the difference is in the design, not necessarily in the length. I suspect that you could find examples of both styles of the same length. Rmhermen 14:38, August 10, 2005 (UTC)

Industrial/Engineering Management

Which colleges in USA offer major in industrial and engineerig management?and also let me know their rankings.

The College Board has a search feature by major on their site. Search for "Engineering/Industrial Management" and then you can limit the search by several factors including location, price, size, etc. As for college and university rankings, it all depends on who you ask. You can go buy a copy of US News and World Report's rankings magazine (which won't rank the engineering/industrial management program separately anyway) or there are a few books that rank them as well. Rankings don't really mean anything though, as you could be do better and learn more from a lower ranked school, depending on the circumstances. James 15:07, August 10, 2005 (UTC)

How do I get a record deal?

Many smaller and "indie" record labels will have contact information for sending them demo CDs. Start here and track down some of these labels, then send them your CD and cross your fingers. Good luck. Garrett Albright 17:28, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

Also, this might be helpful. Garrett Albright 17:30, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

Are you really sure you want one? It is usually a really lousy deal for the musicians. -- Cyrius|✎ 18:28, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

How long do I have to insure my home after the sale?

I am selling my home, its 6 years old and in perfect condition. My realtors tell me I should buy special insurance so that if anything goes wrong with the house when the new buyers take over, the insurance will cover it. (i.e. appliances, furnace, etc...) I don't believe I am responsible to buy insurance for the new buyers. Everything in the home works now and if they break something why should I be responsible for the repairs? I know that builders are responsible for the first year on a new home and I understand that but this house is not new. I live in Oregon, are the laws different in all states? thanks so much Marcea copied from the helpdesk DES ^(talk) 16:59, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

According to Oregon's Insurance Division, state law doesn't require homeowner's insurance at all. Most lenders require insurance, but that doesn't really seem to apply to your case. James 18:04, August 10, 2005 (UTC)

Perhaps your realtor is concerned about liability issues. Oregon does have a full disclosure law regarding property sales [17][18]. Your realtor may be concerned that if something breaks within a short period of time, then the new owners may assume that you witheld information and sue you to recover the costs anyway. It wouldn't hurt to look into it and evaluate it for yourself. If you find that you can get quite a bit of coverage for not a lot of money, then maybe it would be worth it. On the other hand, if it looks like your broker is just trying to line his pockets with some kickbacks, then maybe you need a new realtor. --CVaneg 18:27, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

Some states have a hidden and undisclosed fault provision. However, the seller must wilfully conceal the problem in order to be liable. So long as you're not trying to hoodwink the buyer you should be fine with no insurance. And besides, if you do wilfully conceal something chances are that the insurance company would find you in default and not pay. hydnjo talk 18:19, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

technology behind measuring race times

I was wondering what kind of technology is used to measure lap time of various sport events. For example running, swimming skiing and others. This also goes for motor-sport as formula 1, motors ... How do they know when a person or car has gone passed finish? Specially if there is more than one through finish in very short time.

• For final race results a camera is triggered in front of the finish line. Pictures are taken in a continous strip (shutter opens/closes then film is advanced and this is repeated) the speed is such that the strip forms a virtual view of the positions of each racer from the side. Time markings along the bottom of the photo can be used to find the exact crossing time of any racer. Or merely comparing their positions along the strip. See [19] for an example strip and an explanation of how this works. --Darkfred ^{Talk to me} 17:25, 10 August 2005 (UTC)
• For some sports where the ending requirement is easy to define and competitors are seperated into lanes, (such as edge touching with swimming) an electrical contact or laser breaking system can be used to measure the timings of arrivals. But in sports where it is not easy to determine this photos are always considered more exact and lasers are considered merely an estimate. For instance, the front wheels of a car or the chest of a runner are what determines a winner rather than the first body part to break the line. --Darkfred ^{Talk to me} 17:30, 10 August 2005 (UTC)
• One more comment, we need a Photo finish article. Or am i just missing it? --Darkfred ^{Talk to me} 17:42, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

Getting Euros?

I live in the United States preparing for a trip to Europe, is it possible to withdrawl Euros from a local bank? What is probable to be the cheapest option for converting currency before I leave? Thanks! -anon

• Trying posting your question at Lonely planet (on the "Thorn Tree"). You will get a better anser than here. Or call your bank. Ground Zero 18:55, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

Well, being from the UK, I'm obviously not familiar with how things work "over there", but I imagine it will be similar - what you need is a Bureau de Change. These are often located inside banks or travel agents, as well as in international airports and the like; there are probably even online Bureaux, though as with many such things, I'd be careful of the reputability and any hidden costs involved.

As for finding the cheapest, there are two things you need to look out for: commission, and exchange rate - commission is the bureau's charge for their service, usually proportional to how much money you change, subject to a minimum fee; the exchange rate will vary day-to-day, but companies will also hide charges in it - they won't give you as many Euros as they get off their European counterparts - and some will hide more than others. One last thing to check is whether you will be charged (either in commission or in a vastly different exchange rate) for converting any money you still have when you get back.

There are probably sites/articles giving you US-specific comparisons, but I think these criteria will be basically the same anywhere. - IMSoP 19:07, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

When I travel I usually end up buying my cash at an American Express office, as they have reasonable rates and I can also buy travellers checks while there if I want (unless you need several currencies get any checks in local currency - it'll be easier to cash and you'll probably get a better rate here than at some random place that happens to be next to the shop you want to visit).

Now days though, for convienance's sake I don't really take a lot of cash or any checks with me, but bring my credit and ATM cards and get any extra cash I need there. You do have to pay ATM fees this way, but you only need to worry about losing two cards rather than a wad of cash, and the rates I got from my bank were fair so I wasn't bankrupted by them even when living abroad. --Laura Scudder | Talk 19:02, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

Withdraw your money from a bank machine. It will be converted from your currency to euros at either the bank rate or close to it. You may be assessed a fee for a foreign ATM withdrawal, but I am sure it will still be cheaper (I am charged $1.50 flat). You can use a debit or credit on a normal purchase with no fee and will again get the best exchange rate there. 119 19:25, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

Interesting - perhaps this is a difference in attitudes between the respective banks, because from the UK you will very much be worse off using an ATM, debit card, or credit card abroad; not only do the banks charge substantial fees for this, they apply extremely uncompetitive exchange rates, which you generally only notice when you get back and receive a statement. - IMSoP 19:49, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

Hotels, restaurants, theatres, museums etc. will all take credit cards (although you'll have trouble with Amex in smaller places), but you should have some local currency when you arrive, for public transport, taxies, and sundries. Don't rely on being able to find an ATM immediately in an unfamiliar foreign airport when you've not slept in (what feels like) a week, so buy some (maybe 100 or 200 euros in 20s, depending on the size of your party) at the airport Bureau de Change. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 19:51, August 10, 2005 (UTC)

the Teshoo Lama

Kipling's Kim makes mention of the Teshoo Lama, and the book An Account of An Embassy to the Court of the Teshoo Lama in Tibet--Containing a narrative of a journey through Bootan and part of Tibet by Samuel Turner was first published in 1800, London. Is this a real position/lama title, or was it made up? does it represent a real title if it is fictional?

thanks

Can pouring hot water into a glass container cause it to shatter

I've always thought this, but I've never seen it happen.

Yes it can. I have had this happen before. Occurs when the glass is reasonably thin, and the temperature difference between the glass and the water quite substantial. In fact, can be dangerous enough that the glass can shatter very much like an explosion. Think: "laboratory safety" with test tubes, bunsen burners, and the like, to get an idea of where these preventable accidents happen often. --HappyCamper 19:49, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

I am not an expert but I have had this problem with a glass vase. I beleive that 'real glass' and crystal will shatter. But cooking glass and pyrex are different, Pyrex has a different structure and whiteware is nearly industructible ceramic. BTW: in my case the water was boiling (tea) and the glass already contained iced lemonaid, the chance is greater with a bigger heat difference. --Darkfred ^{Talk to me} 19:53, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

Yep, and it can happen the other way round too - I had it happen when I poured cold water into a glass that had just come out of the dishwasher (hot from being air-dried) - as HappyCamper says, it's the difference in temperature between the glass and the water. What actually happens is that the glass either expands or contracts - as most substances do when heated or cooled - too quickly, causing it to shatter, sometimes violently. - IMSoP 19:56, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

It's not the speed of the temperature change, but the fact that it occurs unevenly. The part of the glass first coming into contact with the hot water tries to expand, but is still attached to cold glass. That creates stress zones within the glass. Contrary to what was said above, a thick glass is actually *more* likely to shatter from the stress than a thin one. What's even more important is uniformity of thickness, as variations in thickness can act like a sort of lever, causing the stress to be concentrated in certain areas. Mkweise 20:14, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

Computerese (Synchronization ?)

1. Synchronization - definition? - specifically, as when saving this page to "Favorites" and the little "Synchronizing" box appears... Impressive - but what's it all mean?

Not being on the 'inside', myself I think this may be a corruption, denigration or mis-use of the term. Sorry, but, honestly, just can't see why a simple old fashioned 'file save' should all of a sudden require something as complex as "synchronization"; unless I'm way off - or there's some new twist to the meaning...

Ted...

If I understand correctly, the bookmark was saved as an offline bookmark which 'synchronizes' every so often. That way when you're not online you can see a reasonable updated version of the webpage. Many people without always-on connections do this with news pages (or if they have a pda). Hope that helps. — Ilγαηερ (Tαlκ) 20:21, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

So, to be doubly clear, the two things being "synchronized" are the current copy of the page on the WWW, and the local copy on your hard-disk ready for viewing when you're not connected. If you come back in a week, the two will be different, and need synchronising again, so this isn't the same as just saving the file. - IMSoP 20:26, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

What should one do if one has amnesia?

I think I have amnesia. By the description I got here of it, I'm pretty sure I do. I don't know what kind, but I can eliminate a few. My head doesn't really hurt so I don't think it's that. I can remember when I woke up an hour and a half ago. I don't think I can remember anything before that. I only know my name and location because I've searched the room and house I'm in. I don't recognize myself in the mirror. Frankly, I'm pretty scared. I don't know who to trust, but I really need to get some ideas of what to do or where I might can find what to do. I'm pretty sure there's got to be something I should do. This thing was on the computer already. I looked up memory and then clicked amnesia and it still didn't really give me an idea what I might do so I clicked help and now I'm here asking. I really hope someone can give me an idea what I might should do. (Why I should do it might be a little more comfortable, if you could answer that too, but that's probably asking a little much.) - Amy (I think)

Good evening everyone.

Here's a challenge for you. I've just finished dinner, and I want some dessert. However, I'm broke and can't go out to buy anything. I just took an inventory of what I have in my pantry to see if there is anything I can make. Here is what I have:

Confectioners Sugar, Dark Brown Sugar, Nestle Toll House Cocoa (Baking Cocoa), Crisco, Salt, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Almond Extract, Ground Cinnamon, Sprinkles, Pure Vanilla Extract, Flour, Butter, Water, Pudding Mix, Yellow Cake Mix, Pound Cake Mix

Here is what I don't have: Milk, Eggs, Sugar

So, is there anything that I can make that will satisfy my sweet tooth?