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January 31

Duration vs running time

The Academy Award article lists some films by "Duration (not running time)". However, I haven't been able to figure out the difference between the two, and there is apparently a big difference. Anyone?--Shantavira|^{feed me} 18:32, 31 January 2010 (UTC)[reply]

The Awards themselves are listed like that sometimes too - maybe it means the length of the show, minus the commercials on TV (so a four-hour broadcast might actually be only three and a bit of ceremony time). For movies, maybe it means the length of the movie, minus the credits, which can go on for quite a long time? Adam Bishop (talk) 19:30, 31 January 2010 (UTC)[reply]

It's definitely about the movies. A few reviews I've checked, especially British ones, give the "duration" of the movie and it's identical to the "running time" given at IMDB. DJ Clayworth (talk) 19:37, 31 January 2010 (UTC)[reply]

It's definitely not about the movies. Shakespeare in Love was not 4 hours long! I think can only mean the length of the broadcast/ceremony including commercials. I haven't been able to confirm those numbers online, but I've watched a lot of those broadcasts and just over 4 hours is about as long as they get. --Anonymous, 21:50 UTC, January 31, 2010.

Anonymous is right, the table in the Academy Award article lists various stats of each Academy Awards ceremony, including the "Duration (not running time)". That is, the times in that table refer to the Academy Awards ceremonies. --70.254.86.38 (talk) 23:20, 31 January 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Sorry, you are absolutely right. My mistake. DJ Clayworth (talk) 23:41, 31 January 2010 (UTC)[reply]

After digging through the revision history, the "(not running time)" disclaimer seems to have been added over the course of these three edits by the same editor: 1, 2, 3. In the first edit, it appears the editor mistook the times in the the table as the running times of movies and changed one of the times. In the next two edits, the editor noticed the mistake and reverted the time back to its original value, then added "(not running time)" in the column header, supposedly to clarify to future editors that the times are the duration of the ceremonies, not the running times of the movies. --Bavi H (talk) 00:23, 1 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Well, since it evidently wasn't clear, I've changed it to "Length of broadcast". --Anonymous, 02:13 UTC, February 1, 2010.

Thanks everyone. Obvious when you know! I was evidently thrown by the fact that that column follows the title of the Best Picture for that year, so I assumed it somehow referred to the film.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 09:13, 1 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

How to invent/write dialogue

I can imagine a film with the scenery, characters, and some of the plot. But what I find more difficult is what (and when) the characters will say. Are there any techniques etc that could help with this? Thanks 92.24.73.102 (talk) 21:46, 31 January 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Plagiarism comes to mind, although that is usually frowned upon :(
Much of the dialog in many films goes along what seem to be standard formats which apply no matter what the particular monster is for that particular blockbuster. Unless you aren't planning a blockbuster, I believe there are some standard script dialog templates circulating around. There must be. --Neptunerover (talk) 22:21, 31 January 2010 (UTC)[reply]

When I write, I write down the bare minimum of what must be said. Keep in mind any foreshadowing or plot points that must be brought up. I don't even write full sentences - just who says what. Then, when I'm falling asleep, I usually think of one or two things that someone could say in one of those places and jot it down. Over time, I end up with complete dialog. Unfortunately, this has only worked once. Everything else I've written has been utterly terrible. -- kainaw ™ 23:24, 31 January 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I'll provide a reference: I recommend a trip to the physical library. There are thousands of books that speak directly to this problem. (Writers love writing about writing, apparently.) Here is one example, for screenwriting specifically. Comet Tuttle (talk) 00:04, 1 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

The best way to understand dialogue is to listen to real speech. Eavesdrop at cafes, on buses, stations, lifts, the street. Listen to your work colleagues, concentrate on what they say and how they say it. Consider how speech differs by setting or subject, by the speakers' age, class, relationship or role. Develop a good ear. Then watch films, read books and scripts to see how the author portrays speech (ie. adapts real speech for dramatic purposes). Then practice your own. Write, write, write. Read it aloud to see how it sounds. Ask friends' opinions. A quick google seacrch shows up these for starters: /www.associatedcontent.com/article/5301/how_to_write_dialogue.html; writingfiction.suite101.com/article.cfm/how_to_write_dialogue; www.howtodothings.com/hobbies/a4274-how-to-write-dialogue.html; www.ehow.com/how_4478980_write-good-dialogue.html. (spam blocked, so can't add links; you can find more by googling "how to write dialogue"). Gwinva (talk) 00:31, 1 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

There is the Vladimir Nabokov system: Write words and sentences on index cards. Then go sit on a park bench with the stack of cards and write more words and sentences. Another method is called the "step outline": Summarize the entire film in a paragraph. Later, expand that paragraph to fill two pages. Finally, write a full outline that covers all the major scenes. As you write that, you can add any dialogue that occurs. The dialogue then becomes a natural outgrowth of the situations. Avoid cliches. If you find you are about to have someone say, "I have a bad feeling about this," write something else instead. Pepso2 (talk) 03:21, 1 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

What I do when I translate literature is, I let the characters "live" inside me, i.e., I try as much as possible to let a character get under my skin, and eventually I know instinctively what a character would say and what they wouldn't. This works better with some characters than with others, and of course, since I'm talking about translating, I am bound by the original and cannot stray from it, but knowing what a character feels like helps nonetheless. You could try it - get the rough estimate of what you want your characters to talk about, then imagine what makes them tick, how they react to stuff, what they like and dislike etc. and from there, what they would talk like. Of course since writing is a creative labor that requires a personal approach there is a high probability my approach won't work for you, but some of the ones above mine could. Experiment a bit and see what works best for you. Good luck! TomorrowTime (talk) 16:05, 1 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Why not write a silent film? Juliankaufman (talk) 23:14, 5 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

February 1

Does anyone happen to know if the polarized glasses I got at Avatar will work for the Grammys' 3D tribute to Michael Jackson?

A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 02:29, 1 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

There are two types of polarized lenses in use. Most are linear polarization. To work properly, the polarization has to match almost exactly. So, if left is 0 degrees and right is 90 degrees, that is what your glasses need to be. It is not possible to know if that will be the angles unless you go to the same theater (I see no reason for them to change the polarization on the projector). The other is radial polarization. One is clockwise and the other is counter-clockwise. You have a 50/50 chance of them working. -- kainaw ™ 02:32, 1 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for the quick response, Kainaw. I'll find out in about 20-25 minutes. I'll DVR it, so if it doesn't work, I'll just run out to Target to get the glasses. A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 02:38, 1 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Nope. A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 02:55, 1 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

The Grammys are on TV, so the 3D will probably be the red-blue kind. --70.254.86.38 (talk) 03:00, 1 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

It's red/green, and looks awful (without glasses, anyway). Comet Tuttle (talk) 05:56, 1 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Correct. Red/Green and Red/Blue 3D has absolutely nothing to do with polarized 3D. That technology is old and will die out soon. Polarized-based 3D televisions are now ready for the consumer market so 3D movies (including broadcast 3D) will be available very soon. -- kainaw ™ 15:07, 1 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I would like to bet that red/blue anaglyph stays around for a long time. In print if nowhere else. APL (talk) 19:49, 1 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

For those interested, RealD Cinema gives info about the glasses & 3D system.--220.101.28.25 (talk) 01:44, 2 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Bronowski's computer

What computer is Jacob Bronowski shown using in The Ascent of Man? (He manipulates some very basic vector graphics on it using I think a trackball.) 81.131.17.113 (talk) 14:44, 1 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Is this the one? I don't know what it is but there's an interesting device on the left that appears to have indentations for putting your fingers in. --Frumpo (talk) 16:42, 1 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

For those of you too young to remember this stuff, the keyboard/screen behind Bronowski is just the display for the computer. Some of the actual computer can be seen behind him, to our right. The display appears to be actual vector graphics, which probably means it is some kind of Tektronix terminal. They were once the leader in this kind of display. However vector graphics terminals were already rare in the 1980s. DJ Clayworth (talk) 16:58, 1 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

There is a hint here that it might be at the National Research Council in Ottawa.--Frumpo (talk) 17:17, 1 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

The picture in this article looks like the same device (and it's at the NRC). In which case the Q&A section indicates that it's a SEL 840A with the graphics controller built in-house. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Frumpo (talk • contribs) 17:51, 1 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

darn it, that's a good article. Way to go, Frumpo. DJ Clayworth (talk) 02:21, 2 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Big 8 German TV stations

Which German TV stations fall under the Big 8? --84.61.165.65 (talk) 17:26, 1 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

The German wikipedia Einschaltquote (=rating) mentions the 8 biggest in an external weblink to dwdl.de. That site lists 8 logos when you click on tv-quoten for the 8 channels: the logos are from ARD (the '1' logo), ZDF, RTL, SAT1 (the 'ball' logo), PRO7 (also known as Pro Sieben), RTL2 (also known as RTL-II), VOX and the last KABEL1 (also known as Kabel Eins). 195.35.160.133 (talk) 13:21, 3 February 2010 (UTC) Martin.[reply]

Please add the German TV stations to the article Big 8! --84.61.165.65 (talk) 15:49, 3 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

The "article" is a disambiguation page. It only links to existing articles. To what existing article would you like to link from that disambiguation page? Also, perhaps you could try it yourself?! 195.35.160.133 (talk) 16:16, 3 February 2010 (UTC) Martin.[reply]

The Real Ghostbusters episode

There is a The Real Ghostbusters episode, where Peter dreams of Tahiti, seeing Tahitians. What is the episode's title? 85.132.99.117 (talk) 20:38, 1 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

There's an episode guide here. You could try emailing the maintainer. They're probably closer to an expert than anyone here. Dismas|^(talk) 06:53, 2 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Unknown children's melody

Can anyone identify this melody? It has been recorded from a musical toy for children. --Fistanes (talk) 22:41, 1 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

This may or may not help you out, but after about 21 seconds into the song, I'm hearing I Have a Little Dreidel in there. If it was a recording from a musical toy, it might not have a name, and the music may simply be a variation of I Have a Little Dreidel with some other parts added in. ~SuperHamster Talk Contribs 02:20, 2 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

What's the toy? Can you post a picture of it? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 04:31, 2 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

You can find a picture here. It's an 'Electronic Book' with the shape of a Butterfly. It's in Spanish, but it must have been translated from French. The one I have is titled 'The adventures of the little bear Dadoo'. Other characters are the cat Barbilou (sometimes written as Barbilú, as if it was adapted to Spanish) and the frog Barbotina. The manufacturer is mbi-international. There's an additional code that reads 'registered/design/model/bravel MBI-2582-W435fr49629-M4068256-BXF44'.--Fistanes (talk) 09:11, 2 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I notice that the melody is designed to facilitate learning to count as each additional verse has more repeating notes in the first two phrases than the previous one. The would suggest that if it was not written for that toy that it is the kind of song that adds words to each successive verse snowballing into longer and longer verses, like Alouette. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 206.55.186.95 (talk) 15:35, 2 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

February 2

Penelope, dog used in Lucky 13 movie

Please tell me the breed of the black little dog named Penelope used in the 2005 movie, "Lucky 13"?

It might help if you could direct us to a picture of the dog. Dismas|^(talk) 06:50, 2 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

or at least a description. Have you looked through our list of dog breeds? You will probably find it there.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 08:27, 2 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Lucky 13 is our stubby article on the movie; here is the IMDB page. Unfortunately the IMDB credits don't list the dog as an actor. Any dog-breed-identifying editors wishing to help the original poster can go here for a scan of the DVD packaging; the dog's head is visible on the back of the package; he's being cradled by one of the actors. Comet Tuttle (talk) 18:13, 2 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

My best guess would be something from the Bichon family, or a similar class of toy dogs. Most bichons are small white-haired dogs, but other colors appear in certain breeds. --Jayron32 21:12, 2 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Can you help me identify this person?

[1]

I'm trying to identify the person in this picture. He may be a surfer or someone portraying a surfer in a movie. Any idea where to even start?

Thanks! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 206.55.186.95 (talk) 15:16, 2 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

That pic is a bit hard to interpret, the contrast is a mess, so its real hard to see. Judging by the hairstyle on the man and the style of surfboard he has, it may likely be a shot from the landmark 1966 documentary The Endless Summer, but that's a complete WAG. --Jayron32 17:53, 2 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Not that this is likely to be much help, but the "14" printed on the image suggests that it's a clipping from a pictorial magazine (which you may have already known). If you can first make some educated guesses about the rough age and national origin of the clipping (from clues such as the hairstyle, and anything you know about the clipping's provenance), and then look through some copies of popular magazines of that era and area (on line or in a large library), you may be able to identify the magazine from the number's typeface. You could then use any available archives or indices for that publication to look for likely articles, or (if you have the time) plough through copies until you find the picture itself. 87.81.230.195 (talk) 08:53, 3 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Is that a beard? Maybe it's Jack O'Neill. Is this part of a quiz and, if so, it there some kind of theme that might give us a clue. --Frumpo (talk) 11:27, 3 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

February 3

Movie of the Week Identification

This movie aired on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. I can't be sure of this, but as I type this out, I feel fairly certain of the air time. It would have been 20-26 years ago (again, I can't be sure, but I'm convinced it was on ABC.) The only scene I remember is a flood, and there was a cougar on the banks. It's possible an entire house was floating down this flood-swollen river at the time. Thanks in advance, Taggart.BBS (talk) 11:37, 3 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

A house floating down a flood-swollen river brings Huckleberry Finn to mind. There was indeed an ABC movie of the week of Twain's novel in your time range, a loose adaptation entitled The Adventures of Con Sawyer and Hucklemary Finn (1985), with Drew Barrymore as Con Sawyer. I didn't see it and don't know if the scenes you remember were in it. There may have been other Huck Finn adaptations during your time period, if indeed what you remember was Huck Finn but not this particular adaptation. —Kevin Myers 14:02, 3 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

NCAA Lacrosse

What is the name of the Division 1 Championship Trophy?98.25.191.11 (talk) 15:43, 3 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

According to NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship, it used to be the Wingate Memorial Trophy which has been since retired. The champions now just receive the standard NCAA championship plaque. See this image. All NCAA sports champions receive this plaque; the only difference being the inscription on it which identifies the sport, the division, the year, and the team that won it. --Jayron32 16:06, 3 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Hitler movie clips on YouTube

What film is the clip with someone portraying Hitler and all the (un)amusing sub-titles taken from? Here is an example. Thanks, Dismas|^(talk) 18:05, 3 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

See the page on "Know Your Meme" for the original with English subtitles. The movie is Downfall. Comet Tuttle (talk) 18:07, 3 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Great! Thanks, Dismas|^(talk) 20:10, 3 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

February 4

Arsenal Soccer Club

Is the Arsenal Soccer Clubs acronym GET? Like Denmark's Acronym is DAN, or Norway's is NOR, or Canada's is CAN, or China's is CHN.174.3.98.236 (talk) 00:26, 4 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Well, one of these things is not like the others. The last 4 you list are all abbreviations used for national teams in international competition, like the Olympics. The only abbreviation I have ever seen for Arsenal is AFC, as noted at Arsenal F.C.. --Jayron32 00:42, 4 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I saw a soccer game on a channel today, it was GET against another team.174.3.98.236 (talk) 01:05, 4 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Are you sure you weren't watching Getafe CF vs Sevilla FC? The 2009–10 Copa del Rey semi-final was today/yesterday and a bit of googling tells me it was shown in North America on Fox Soccer Channel. Nanonic (talk) 02:09, 4 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I saw it in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada at around 3:10pm. On screen, they had 3 letter acroynms, so I'm not sure if GET was Getafe CF.174.3.98.236 (talk) 03:57, 4 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

At the Sorrentio's cafe in West Edmonton Mall. The (one) t.v. that was on, showed it.174.3.98.236 (talk) 04:04, 4 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Arsenal and Getafe seem to have similar kits, if that helps. Wow, I think that's the first time I've ever used the term "kits"!) Adam Bishop (talk) 05:13, 4 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

In the UK, when Arsenal appear on TV, the three-letter abbreviation used is ARS. Which is a source of amusement to non-Gooners! --TammyMoet (talk) 18:20, 4 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

barbershop quartet song

I was watching a rerun of Emergency! on hulu. The episode I was watching was "Firehouse Four". In a latter portion of the episode, Johnny and Marco rehearse a song. It opened with "We are for some girl that dresses neat, a girl that's got big feet, she's walking down the street...." At least that's what those lines sounded like. Johnny and Marco are then joined by Hank, Mike, and Chet. I'm trying to find out what the song's name is. Anyone know?24.90.204.234 (talk) 09:42, 4 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I googled ["some girl that dresses neat"] and it looks like the song is "Goodbye, My Coney Island Baby", a number from 1924. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 13:51, 4 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

No, it's not. The one I'm talking about has a more upbeat tempo.24.90.204.234 (talk) 15:24, 4 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

If you don't think that's the song from the episode, why did you vandalize the article page to say that it was? Or have you changed your mind? Please don't add stuff to articles you know to be incorrect. 64.235.97.146 (talk) 17:42, 4 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

The other words of the lyrics that the OP quoted matched the references I saw in google. Being upbeat or whatever has nothing to do with it. Most any melody can be orchestrated to be upbeat or downbeat. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 20:59, 4 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

GBMCIB is one of the most upbeat barbershop numbers there is. This rendition is also a good refutation of the opinion that Wikipedia editors are the greatest geeks on earth. (I particularly like the aircraft noise in the middle.) Deor (talk) 00:45, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Franco Harris, Jim Brown, the rushing record controversey, and the Browns-Steelers rivalry

Al the news about the Super Bowl and the new class of Hall of Fame enshrinees to be announced soon got me to thinking. I recall when I was young that Franco Harris got a lot of flak, especially from Jim Brown, for his running style, going out of bounds a lot instead of getting a few extra yards. This grew as the 1984 season neared, to the point that Brown threatened (hopefully jokingly) to unretire and extend his record if Harris passed it. As it was, Harris didn't pass it, and Walter Payton eventually became the first of a few to pass Brown.

Now, my question is, were Brown's histrionics due solely to the record, and Harris being deemed not as worthy of it? Or, were they borne more out of the intense rivalry between the Browns and Steelers? I don't know much about the rivalry in the era when Brown played, but they were still nearby cities, so I would suepect that it was still big. Did he ever (at least officially) state that he really couldn't stand to see his record "broken by someone from *that* team"? After all, Jackie Robinson retired rather than play for the Giants. (Admittedly, being in the same city made that rivalry perhaps the biggest there's ever been.)

Of course, some might say it was implied, but that would probably call for more speculation than is wies on the desk.Somebody or his brother (talk) 20:43, 4 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I can't say, but I would speculate it had more to do with Jim Brown's ego than anything. Keep in mind the Steelers were an NFL doormat for most of their existence until they completely reversed course in the 1970s and became a perennial contender and frequent champion. Also, Brown was forgetting that the objective of the game is to win, and Harris would have been using a strategy that worked for the team. Brown and Payton liked to hit the defenders hard. That's not a requirement, though. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 21:02, 4 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

There's a "tough guy" image that pervades football to this day. Players often put their bodies at risk on every play, which can be reckless, considering that a badly injured player is less of a value to his team than one who ducks out-of-bounds rather than take a hit. Its a balance between giving everything you are capable of, and being so reckless as to actually harm your team by your own recklessness. In the modern NFL, the "Harris" style would seem to be favored given the focus on preventing concussion. The so-called "classic" type players would find themselves so penalized they would hardly be able to play. Night Train Lane built a career out of tackling people by the neck. He turned the clothesline tackle into a viable defensive strategy. Can you imagine a player today getting away with that. This is all actually a good thing, as players from the past are almost all universally crippled from their injuries. --Jayron32 00:31, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks; I hadn't thought about how much the game had changed; wow, those defenders from the old days were tough. LOL, I guess the Steelers were pretty bad when Brown played; i'm just so used to hearing about the "Curse of Three Rivers" growing up (The Browns didn't win a game in Pittsburgh, if memory serves, from 1970 to about 1987.)Somebody or his brother (talk) 16:05, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Players were made of tough stuff in the old days. It boggles my mind that Hall of Famer Bill Hewitt, who played end for primarily the Bears, played without a helmet for most or all of his career. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 05:14, 6 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Thank You for Finding

Can someone identify the japanese tapestry behind the actor in these stills from the movie Thank You for Smoking: [2], [3]. You can also see it here [4] (2.40/5.16). —Preceding unsigned comment added by 151.51.62.164 (talk) 21:33, 4 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

What is the name of this song? CLASSICAL MUSIC

What is the name of this song being played at 5:11? --Reticuli88 (talk) 23:58, 4 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

They are Igudesman & Joo's own variations on "I Will Survive". Here is the full clip. ---Sluzzelin talk 12:29, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

February 5

Why so much fuss about a footballer (UK) having an affair?

Why so much verbage and drama in the British media about a footballer having an affair? Surely that is normal footballer behaviour? Nothing remarkable at all. There must be countless other people in the public eye who have had affairs, and nobody bothers to report it. 78.146.193.0 (talk) 00:41, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Presumably, you are asking about reports of John Terry's supposed affair with Wayne Bridge's former girlfirend. It might be unremarkable, but there is a long "tradition" of the british media's obsession with the personal lives of celebrities and politicians; the more lurid the better. This is particularly true of the tabloids, though the bigger stories are sometimes mentioned in the broadsheet papers. Maybe they believe it will sell more papers or advertising, or that they are telling their readers something of Earth-shattering importance. Unfortunately, it can sometimes get so much out of hand that there are calls (usually started by journalists) for that person to resign. Astronaut (talk) 00:56, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

It wasn't just "an affair". It was with his teammate's former girlfriend, and as far as macho footy culture is concerned, Bridges is supposed to have some sort of proprietary rights over her continuing activities, particularly if they involve his friends or team mates. The principle seems to be that being someone's ex does not necessarily mean that they're a free agent. This attitude would be roundly condemned by most people, but the media are happy to pander to it if it can make some lurid headlines. This was reported in Australia as "another Wayne Carey episode", but the parallels are slightly tenuous. -- 202.142.129.66 (talk) 02:24, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

wasn't it his former-teammates girlfriend? My understanding was A) it happened whilst Bridge was seeing this lady and B) it was happening after Bridge had left Chelsea. The reason why it's a scandal is, well, it's not very becoming of the captain of the team (trust from your team-mates wise) to be violating the trust of one of the players you are supposed to 'lead' at a national level. (Think of it like this - if your manager slept with your wife would your level of trust and willingness to work hard for them be affected? I suspect yes, and I suspect it might concievably have an impact on that of your un-affected (directly) colleagues. 194.221.133.226 (talk) 10:00, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Our article says the lady in question, Vanessa Perroncel, was the former girlfriend of Wayne Bridge. Bridge had left Chelsea but was still playing under Terry in the current England team. -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 21:06, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I don't think it would have been that big a deal (and it generally isn't usually in the UK) if he hadn't got a legal injunction out in the first place to stop newspapers reporting it. It would most probably have blown over very quickly. The same can also be said for Avram Grant's visit to a brothel and also the alleged images of Tiger Woods engrossed in a sexual activity. All have been barred from being commented on in the UK press over the past few months. And now the papers can finally reveal some of those, they're milking it for all they can. Nanonic (talk) 02:43, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Because it sells newspapers to millions of people who wish they were having affairs.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 08:40, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

He is not just "a footballer" - he is the captain of the England football team which (ahem) "carries the hopes of the nation" in this year's World Cup. As such, he is seen by many as, symbolically, the leader of the country (England that is, not the UK) in a massively important international competition. Ghmyrtle (talk) 08:49, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Spiritual scale (music)?

Hi. In the C major scale, the "spiritual scale" descending could be C-A-G|A-G-E|G-E-D|E-D-C|C-A-G-A, though not neccesarily in that order. Are there any other scales with similar unique properties? I'm not looking for modal scales or the blues scale. Thanks. ~A H 1^(TCU) 02:54, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I'm not quite sure what you're asking about. Do you mean things like major sevenths, which are typically included in music exams with other scales and arpeggios? Eg, one octave major seventh in the key of C: G B D F G F D B C. What unique properties are you specifically asking about? 86.179.145.61 (talk) 00:58, 6 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Oh wait, are you just looking for pentatonic scales? 86.179.145.61 (talk) 01:09, 6 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

steam

is steam (game) working right now for u guys? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.246.254.35 (talk) 03:09, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Could you possibly be referring to Steam (content delivery)? -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 08:19, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I presume so. There's a handy site called downforeveryoneorjustme.com - worth a visit if you're not sure whether other people are experiencing the site being down or, well, it's just you (hence the name!). Not sure it covers Steam, but a useful site nonetheless. 194.221.133.226 (talk) 09:56, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Broadway lights song

I was shopping in my local chain drugstore. Over the loudspeaker, I heard a song. It had a chorus with a line sounding like 'Livin' It Up (On the Lights on Broadway)'. Could that be the song's title, or am I just out of my mind?24.90.204.234 (talk) 08:13, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Are you possibly thinking of "On Broadway"? It was covered fairly often, possibly most famously by George Benson. Dismas|^(talk) 12:38, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Possibly Nights on Broadway by the Bee Gees. --LarryMac | Talk 13:49, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I'd agree with LarryMacChief41074 (talk) 15:07, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Except the Bee Gees song is blaming it all on Broadway. Mis-heard, perhaps? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→

There's also Billy Joel's "I've seen the lights go out on Broadway", but that doesn't quite match either. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 17:21, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Lyrics to Schubert's Song "The Trout"

At school, in England, in the 1950s, we sang a version of "The Trout" which began: "As by a crystal brooklet I wandered on my way Amongst the gentle ripples I spyed a trout at play

And here and there he darted As swift as swift could be Was ever fish so lively Or frolicsome as he?"

I should be grateful for either, the completion of these lyrics or, how to find a source of them. Searching so far has yielded a quite different set of lyrics but they do not serve my purpose.Philsu (talk) 11:53, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Know any other heavy-on-the-bass songs that sound like this cover of Blueberry Hill?

Jah Wobble - Blueberry Hill (Computer version).
Follow up question: what would you describe this music as? 192.30.202.13 (talk) 15:00, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Unsurprisingly, Jah Wobble is known as a bass player, so wouldn't his interpretation of Blueberry Hill be "heavy on the bass". Astronaut (talk) 00:46, 6 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Know any songs with fast jazzy drums, groovy guitar, and at least 3 analog synths that really cook?

Thanks.192.30.202.13 (talk) 15:00, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Are you thinking about prog rock or synth rock? If prog rock, check out anything by Yes, Genesis or Pink Floyd. --TammyMoet (talk) 20:08, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Not quite--though I'm a fan of all you have mentioned. I'm thinking ELP's Lucky Man, but a bit faster. I remember hearing a song on the CBC. Heavy on the synths--they sounded like Moogs. It sounded like they were parodying the late 60's and 70's, but it sounded pretty good. Lots of drum rolls and cymbals, and a few synths. Kinda hinted at Frank Zappa too.192.30.202.11 (talk) 21:43, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Don't think I can help directly but if you go to www.uk70sprogrock.com you should be able to find some sort of track listing or artist listing which may give some ideas... --TammyMoet (talk) 10:16, 6 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

How to correctly burn a PS2 disk?

So far I have heard many tale about burning PS2 disk, for example: the disk cannot be read, the screen blinks through the game, the loading time is awful long... and so on if you burn the disk at high speed. When I download a PS2 DVD image via torrent, the one who uploads it also leaves a comment that I should not burn it too fast -- 4x is maximum, use 2x or 1x if possible (see here).

To make sure correct burning, I even visit http://www.youtube.com/ and watch some guides before I actually do it. These guides revolve around DVD Decrypter and Alcohol 120% are the best programs to burn PS2 games, and using 4x or lower speed to burn the disk. I eventually choose Alcohol 120% because of its "PlayStation 2 datatype" option when ripping/burning.

Using Alcohol, I burnt my Final Fantasy X-2 disk at 2x speed, which is the lowest possible, with "PlayStation 2 datatype" option selected -- exactly what these guides said. I insert my careful work to my modded PS2. At first run, the TV displays the text "PlayStation 2", it means the disk can be read, but it prompt me to insert a PlayStation or a PlayStation 2 CD/DVD right after. Reset the console, I hope it will work. Thanks gods, the disk is played after... 30 seconds loading.

It seems that everything is ok. The opening cinematics is great with Yuna performing Real Emotion. But after this wonderful moment, I realize that everything is not perfect as I expected. The subtiles shows up, and then the character voice-over is played after 5 → 15s. During the delay, all characters stand in their places and do nothing. The characters start speaking immediately only when I press the square or triangle button, but it's not working all the time. Worst of all, when a Yuna is speaking and has not completed her sentence yet, she is immediately interupted by Rikku. There's the same problem with all other characters. I suppose it's time to throw my work away.

I'm at my wits' end. I need your help. My only desire is to have Final Fantasy X-2 in the 2 week lunar new year holiday. Those who have successfully burned PS2 disks please share some of your experience to me. -- Livy the pixie (talk) 17:29, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

This is a request for help with software piracy, and the mostly upright, mostly law-abiding Reference Desk community is unlikely to help you. Many of us here derive our livings from consumer software sales. How about going and buying a copy? It's like US$15. That's pretty inexpensive to satisfy your "only desire". Comet Tuttle (talk) 17:33, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I myself is an IT student, and will become a software developer in the future, and of course will derive my living from consumer software sales. But you know, I can announce that there is NO copyright law in this cursed country. Not even software, but movie, music... all of these are posted throughout the net. They use pirate software publicly in schools, offices... The government knows full well but you think they will seft-sentence? Hah. The sky will fall if you find an original PS2 game DVD in Vietnam (only PS3 games are original blu-ray disk, but it is hard to say how long it lasts because of some news I've heard recently 'bout PS3 is getting hacked -- the PS3 owners say that's a very, very good news). In fact, pirate DVDs are sold in may store and cost only $1. I don't know how they can burn PS2 disk. I asked, but was met with silence. Final Fantasy X-2 is no longer available because it is too old. So I have to download and burn it by myself. So, please help! -- Livy the pixie (talk) 18:07, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

That doesn't make it okay. You're still asking people to give away their life's work for free. Not illegal doesn't make it not wrong. Aaronite (talk) 18:35, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

No one is giving away their life's work. The copyright is held by Sony, or EA or somesuch, and the people who worked on it, well their efforts do not belong to them anymore. Besides, isn't it legal to make a copy for "backup purposes"? Maybe that is not the intention of the OP, but why are we so quick to assume that he/she is trying to do something illegal? Googlemeister (talk) 21:34, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Because the OP told us that he or she is pirating the disc. And you are jumping to a conclusion when you say that the employees' "efforts do not belong to them anymore", meaning you are assuming that employees don't get compensated based on sales. Comet Tuttle (talk) 23:21, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

My classmate just offers me his Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2 disks. Pirate disks cost only $1, so we do not hesitate to offer the others once we already play the games to completions. But I still want to know how they make the disk run smoothly. Perhaps I should go back to some forums and seek out for the answer. I put my question here only because I can't judge who is believable. In this cursed country, the stupid is everywhere, and usually give others advices while they have no basic knowledge about it, and they also assume that they are always right (we DotA gamers' motto is "We cannot defend the stupid because they are too agressive and many in number" -- and that's the reason which I left Vietnamese Wikipedia). Some noobs (or maybe he want to fool me) even said that there's no differrent beetween burning PS2 DVD and burning the other types of disk. I don't want to put myself at risk and destroy dozens of my DVD-R just to burn a game. Very well, I'll looking for it anyway. -- Livy the pixie (talk) 01:48, 6 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

New York Times calling Meat Loaf "Mr. Loaf"

It is an oft-repeated rumor that the New York Times once called Meat Loaf "Mr. Loaf." Can anyone cite the piece in which this occurred? The Hero of This Nation (talk) 18:17, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

P.S. It would be neat to say to The Edge "Mr. Edge—or may I call you The?" The Hero of This Nation (talk) 18:24, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

"The notion that The Times referred to Meat Loaf as "Mr. Loaf" is more or less apocryphal." --LarryMac | Talk 18:30, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

(e/c) The Chicago Sun-Times did it in 1993. However, according to Deputy News Editor Philip B. Corbett, the NYT has never done so, only using it in a headline as a joke:

The notion that The Times referred to Meat Loaf as "Mr. Loaf" is more or less apocryphal. As my colleague Merrill Perlman explained when she took questions in this forum, our one use of "Mr. Loaf" was as a joke, in a headline for a review of a movie about him. The headline was, "Is He Called Just Plain Meat Or Should It Be Mr. Loaf?"

Any piece that I could find refers to him as "Meat Loaf" throughout. Xenon54 / talk / 18:39, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

In Newsnight,when interviewing Dizzee Rascal,Jeremy Paxman refered to him several times as Mr.Rascal Lemon martini (talk) 01:32, 6 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Reminds me of a mailing list story from decades ago, where a computer program tried to personalize the contents by guessing the sex of the recipient. One of the recipients was "UNIV O WISCONSIN", and the personalized letter began, "Dear Mrs. Wisconsin..." ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 05:10, 6 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Athletes who appeared in the playoffs without ever appearing in a regular season game

In the history of the big four American sports leagues (MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL), has there ever been a player whose only recorded appearance came in a playoff game (or in playoff games)? Zagalejo^^^ 22:56, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I believe Deion Sanders tried with the Oakland Raiders (but my memory is fuzzy). If I am correct, he was retired and the Raiders were doing great. So, he tried to get signed for the postseason, but couldn't. -- kainaw ™ 04:33, 6 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

He was a regular player, though, for several years (in addition to playing MLB, as with Bo Jackson and some others in ancient history). The OP is asking whether there's anyone who never played in the regular season, but only in the post-season. Seems very "unlikely", but I've got no factual basis for saying "not ever". For baseball, the rule for a long time is that you can't play in the post-season unless you were on the roster September 1 or earlier. Theoretically you could be on the roster September 1 and not get used at all during September, but that's also unlikely, unless you're injured. Obviously that rule is to keep teams from bringing "ringers" in. The exception is if someone on the regular roster gets injured in September and is unable to play in the post-season. Then they can add a player to their roster, but I think the particular player has to get approval through the Commissioner's Office, which runs the post-season. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 05:07, 6 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

February 6

Wii Memory Cards

My friend transferred some save data from his Wii to an SD memory card. We put it in my Wii, and under Data Management it showed that there was a card inserted and all the data he had saved on his card, but when we actually went to play the game, it didn't show his data. How can we play the game with his save data? Nick4404 yada yada yada What have I done? 00:44, 6 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Well, first things first, "have you Googled it?" If not, do that. I've read that the Wii won't accept memory cards over 2gb, so. Moptopstyle1 ("I Feel Fine.") (talk) 06:52, 6 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Panasonic DVD recorders

I've had 2 different Panasonic DVD recorders and both have had problems with the DVD recorder drive. Often discs (whether DVD-R or DVD+RW, old or new-out-of-the-cellophane) are not recognised, and it seems that often once one disc is said to be faulty, no others will work either. Are Panasonic DVD recorders particularly susceptible to disc quality problems, particularly fragile, or prone to random faults? It's not like Panasonic products are particularly cheap to buy. Astronaut (talk) 00:56, 6 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Song in "Bill Nye the Science Guy's Stop the Rock"

There was a video game that came out in the '90s called "Bill Nye the Science Guy's Stop the Rock". I was an educational game where the player used science to solve riddles presented by a rouge supercomputer in order to get the supercomputer to stop a meteor from striking the Earth. In the game, there was elevator. The elevator had some very unique elevator music: it was a choir "singing" an upbeat tune. There were no (or very few) instruments and no real lyrics (just "ba ba ba ba ba ba..."). I have been unable to find name of the song or identify who sang it. The website for the game and the back cover of the CD offer no clues. I also heard the same song in a documentary about skyscrapers. Can anyone here at the RefDesk identify this song? - SigmaEpsilon → ΣΕ 03:09, 6 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Have you looked for it on youtube? If it's there, someone might be able to figure it out even if they never actually saw the show (like moi). ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 04:59, 6 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

VH1 CLASSIC

For the past 4 days VH1 Classic has had all of it's programs titled as "VH1 Special." Why isn't it changing?

Moptopstyle1 ("I Feel Fine.") (talk) 05:57, 6 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Lost question

In the storyline, approximately how long are they supposed to have been on the island as of this point in the last season? If it's longer than a few months, do they ever explain how Hurley could not be losing any weight, living on coconut milk or whatever they found on the island? 71.168.0.41 (talk) 15:35, 6 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

In the second season, Hurley was in charge of the food distribution. See "Everybody Hates Hugo". Pepso2 (talk) 16:07, 6 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

They were on the island for 108 days before being rescued. They were off the island for 3 years and then they returned. With all the time travel, I'm not sure how long they've been there the second time. A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 16:47, 6 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Cats

Hi, do you know the plasticine music video from the late 70's? There is a black cat singing and other is playing piano. Later a white cat comes and it falls in love with the singer. A bodyguard throws him away but the white cat doesn't want to stop. I think the artist's name is Simon. What is the title of this song?

@@ Line 219: / Line 219: @@
 :::They were on the island for 108 days before being rescued.  They were off the island for 3 years and then they returned.  With all the time travel, I'm not sure how long they've been there the second time.  [[User:A Quest For Knowledge|A Quest For Knowledge]] ([[User talk:A Quest For Knowledge|talk]]) 16:47, 6 February 2010 (UTC)
+== Cats ==
+Hi, do you know the plasticine music video from the late 70's? There is a black cat singing and other is playing piano. Later a white cat comes and it falls in love with the singer. A bodyguard throws him away but the white cat doesn't want to stop. I think the artist's name is Simon. What is the title of this song?