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May 20

DVB-s2 Card reader

I've read your articles on this subject. I'd like to purchase a DVB-s2 PCI/USB card. The TSReader and other software's I have. Can you assist in where to purchase the Hardware?? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.228.101.77 (talk) 00:56, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

Assist how ? You might do better to ask this at the Computer Ref Desk. StuRat (talk) 01:01, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

Try a search for the item on PriceWatch. I've found very few pieces of computer hardware that the site does not have, so it's worth a shot. --McDoobAU93 (talk) 04:22, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

Jamglue.com

Does anyone know why jamglue.com is shut down? I would like it if Wikipedia could help with this answer. Thank You. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.241.19.155 (talk) 04:02, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

Have you tried asking the maintainers of the site? After all, the home page clearly says "Thanks for all your support. If you have questions, contact holla@jamglue.com". This would seem to be the easiest and most direct way of finding out. Dismas|^(talk) 04:06, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

Considering what the site was about (from searches, I haven't come across the site before) my first though was 'copyright violations'. A quick search comes up with many people suggesting the same thing although I wasn't able to find anything more definitive like a statement or court case. You can try e-mailing them (and there's no harm in it, it's the only way you're likely to get an any more useful answer) but considering they didn't say either now or when they were shutting down on their website, it's possible a lawyer has advised them not to explain why they are shutting down. Or perhaps they reached and agreement with someone not to say (probably unlikely, I would expect an agreement is far more likely to ask them to direct visitors to some anti copyright violation site like [1] or otherwise warn people about violating copyright) Nil Einne (talk) 10:23, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

Light bulb that contacts the dead

This video shows a light bulb that comes on and off at the will of the "spirits" (the live human operator). I'm wondering if anyone can confirm how it works. The board looks thick enough to hold some other electrical units, such as a radio device??91.109.194.40 (talk) 07:28, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

A- its really dead people contacting him.

B- some electrical device. I seen something that can be done with an remote.

But I am just judging from a video. wiooiw ^(talk) 08:41, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

I'm at work at the moment, and so can't watch the video, but historically lights that flash "because of spirits" are usually triggered:

• If the operator (con artist) is touching any part of the device, by the operator touching a concealed switch
• If the operator is holding strings or wires from which the device hangs, by the operator touching a concealed switch connected by the wires by which the device is hanging
• if the operator is not holding the device, and the device is on a table, by the operator closing a switch on the floor or table which operates an inductive power source under the light, turning on the light
• if there's no way for wires to get to the device, and no way for power to get to the device by induction, it's being operated by radio - yes a radio device to do that could be miniscule.
• If it really is the spirits, why hasn't the operator claimed his million dollars from James Randi yet?

--203.202.43.53 (talk) 08:53, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

I just watched the video on my phone - the most likely answer is it turns on or not randomly based on sound detection. Given that they're advertising the device to sell, I doubt it's controlled by the operator. The electronics could easily, for example, after 10 seconds of noise (talking), followed by 5 seconds of silence, randomly either switch on the lamp or not. --203.202.43.53 (talk) 09:08, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

203.202.43.53 is probably right.It is a simple devise. Something like that could easily be done. And we are looking at a video off from youtube, so anything could be done. wiooiw ^(talk) 09:15, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

The board is a 2-layer sandwich with wires concealed between the layers. The battery is held by a cutout in the upper layer. I bet it contains a magnetic switch that the operator affects by moving a magnet on his knee under the table. Around 2:48 in the video he may have bumped the table. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 22:20, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

Cuddlyable3, these devices are being sold on e-bay as if they were really supernatural. Think of them more like a magic 8-ball than a card trick -- that is, it's intended to fool or entertain the purchaser, it requires no skill to operate. It's not intended to be cleverly operated by the purchaser to fool an observer. Also it is described in adverts as able to be used without touching it or with someone else holding it, so that leaves control only by light, radio or sound. With the presumption that it is intended to trick or entertain the purchaser/operator we have to assume that the operator does not deliberately switch the light. That leaves sound. --203.202.43.54 (talk) 04:45, 21 May 2010 (UTC) (aka 203.202.43.*)

I disagree. I think they are being sold as trick items. Only they don't want to give away the secret of how it works, so you have to buy it to find out.91.111.87.81 (talk) 14:22, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

17th & 18th century mail coaches

Where can i find a list of mail coach numbers, especially trying to establish the number(s) of the mail coach from Bath to London / London to Bath. Each mail coach had a number painted on the side.Oaktp (talk) 11:58, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

The British Postal Museum & Archive state that they welcome research enquiries. Worth an email? Dalliance (talk) 12:39, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

Some of the references or links at our article mail coach may also be of use. DuncanHill (talk) 12:59, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

Song

Is there a specific name for when a song changes in tempo, tone and rhythm? Here is an example of what I mean, at time 2:12 link 82.44.55.254 (talk) 14:36, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

Transition? What about trying at the Wikipedia Language Desk or the Wikipedia Entertainment Desk? Chevymontecarlo 18:24, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

Thank you. I will try asking at the Language desk (the ent desk is dead except for the same people who browse misc) 82.44.55.254 (talk) 21:17, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

need money for collage

hew do i need to contact to git financial help for school from my tribe the northern cherokee nation of the old louisiana territory? thank you —Preceding unsigned comment added by 97.87.120.80 (talk) 15:10, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

I suggest you contact the college you want to go to and ask them for advice. Is English your first language, because the spelling in the question meant it took a while to understand the question being asked? -- SGBailey (talk) 16:08, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

Well, here are some Native American Scholarships, but I don't think any of them are specifically for the Northern Cherokee Nation. You could go to a free scholarship search engine, like Fastweb, and search there. At Fastweb, you have to create a username and profile. The Reader who Writes (talk) 16:16, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

The Northern Cherokee Nation of the Old Louisiana Territory are not a federally-recognized tribe so scholarships would probably be limited to only those (if any) offered by that non-profit organization. 75.41.110.200 (talk) 22:31, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

Fridge dial

I have a second-hand fridge, with the usual dial tucked away inside to set temperature. Is it usually the low numbers on these dials which signify lower temperatures, or the high numbers (in which case a higher setting would mean "put more work into making things cold")? Trying to find out by experimenting is hampered by time-lag and by the possibility that the fridge is broken. (Currently the fridge is too cold for my liking and I'm getting ice in my tomatoes.) 81.131.0.25 (talk) 15:36, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

In my experience higher numbers mean more powerful cooling. (I guess they go from 0 to 5 or something - sometimes you can start at 0 and turn the dial up until you hear the thermostat on the fridge switch on - and the motor starts chugging..) It's quite possible that some manufacturers have done it the other way - but higher = colder has been my experience.77.86.115.45 (talk) 15:47, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

Cool, thanks. 81.131.0.25 (talk) 15:49, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

Yes, every fridge I have ever used has had high numbers = more cooling, so to stop your toms freezing, turn it down. DuncanHill (talk) 15:54, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

Don't refrigerate tomatoes. See this [2] or this [3] or this [4] or this [5]. Zoonoses (talk) 00:49, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

Elevator doors

How many kinds of elevator sliding doors exist in the world? --84.61.146.104 (talk) 16:11, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

Have you tried looking here? It gives a little bit of information. Chevymontecarlo 18:22, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

Six or seven87.113.245.170 (talk) 20:15, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

Archive question

In the question answer section the results are shown for only last five days.how could i get my answers if by chance i miss to see it?

thank you —Preceding unsigned comment added by 117.197.254.21 (talk) 16:22, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

I've split this apart from the previous question since it seems to be unrelated. To search for a question that is older than five days (and thus, has been archived), use the search bar at the top of any of the individual Ref Desks (NOT the Ref Desk portal, which will just search the whole of Wikipedia). It will search all the archives. If you have a username, a great way to find your old question is to type that in...but since you're not using one, I assume you don't have one. Vimescarrot (talk) 16:32, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

Specifically this link Wikipedia:Reference_desk/Archives

You can also search the archives using google or similar eg http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&safe=off&q=reference+desk+archives+wikipedia+&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai= and add the title of your question or some key phrase. The archives are in googles search index.77.86.115.45 (talk) 17:34, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

Or you can just go to the relevant reference desk archive and look for the question on the list there, if you know the date of it.148.197.114.158 (talk) 15:30, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

Trousers

Do mens/womens trousers fly area open to one side or the other based on gender, like button-down shirts? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 155.178.4.10 (talk) 21:08, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

Yes - and it all traces back to the old days of yore when men wore swords on their left hip (being mainly right-handed) so that in an emergency they could rip open their coat with their left hand, and gain rapid access to their sword hilt with their right hand. Naturally, the fairer sex didn't have that problem so probably chose to advertise their femininity by NOT copying the male fashion. And it followed that what happened to men's coats, eventually happened with their trousers - though to be historically accurate, men's trouser openings did not initially have flies at the front - instead they had a flap or fall, that buttoned or tied at each side. Fly front openings followed much later, first with ribbons, then buttons and finally zips. But the pattern of the coat was copied into the trousers (and again, women didn't originally wear trousers so when they did, they chose to differ from the male fashion) and hence, your assumption is correct. 92.30.141.198 (talk) 21:47, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

Is there a source for this myth? Cuddlyable3 (talk) 21:56, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

See Suit (clothing)#Front buttons. -- Wavelength (talk) 22:22, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

I've heard both of the stories listed in our article — drawing the sword is one; women were dressed by their maids and therefore had buttons on the opposite side would be the other. Unfortunately, our article provides no cite for the latter hypothesis, and an unreliable non-academic source (a website for a clothing designer) for the former. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 22:53, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

Obligatory link to The Straight Dope. Dismas|^(talk) 01:08, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

Could the design of womens' clothing be so as to make it easy for a right-handed man to remove it? Edison (talk) 15:15, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

No! I've checked my and my husband's trousers, bought in Sweden, Holland and Turkey, and all flies open to the right side (from the viewpoint of the one wearing the trousers), and we open them with our right hands.Lova Falk talk 15:55, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

Swedish Universities: Academic Requirements for Postgraduate Admission

Hello! I am an American citizen who, in 2 years, wishes to attend the University of Gothenburg and study their Master's program in International Administration and Global Governance. I couldn't find precise academic prerequisites (GPA, etc.) that are required for admission. I am interested in applying to many Swedish universities for post-graduate studies; generally, what seems to be needed for admission into Master's programs there? Thank You! - Vikramkr (talk) 22:26, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

Assuming that the program you are interested in is taught in English and you are a native speaker of English, a bachelor's degree from an English-language university seems to satisfy the basic requirements for application to a master's program in Sweden according to this site. According to the web page for the program you mention, the förkunskapskrav (prerequisites) also include 60 hec (higher education credits)—in Swedish terms the equivalent of a full year of study—in a social science discipline. So, if you studied for four years, at least 25% of your credits would have to be in a social science discipline. The other prerequisites involve results on English-language exams. You'd need to contact the program to see if they'd waive these for a native speaker with a degree from an English-language university. Under Urwal (selection) they mention further criteria that affect their admission decision. Beyond that, presumably they will want to see good grades and strong letters of reference. Generally, it's impossible to know for certain in advance whether one will be accepted into an academic program. Here is the home page for the program. Marco polo (talk) 00:48, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

Indeed, this program is taught in English. They waive the requirement to prove proficiency in English if the language of instruction at the undergraduate institution was English. Additionally, I am pursuing an undergraduate degree that is interdisciplinary and completely grounded in social sciences, so that is good to know. Thank you for your help. However, as it is of course impossible to predict admission with certainty, I was hoping for some insight from Swedes in regards to the general academic requirements for admission, for postgraduate studies in Sweden. In other words, whether it be in reference to the University of Gothenburg or another university, what are the general expectations grade-wise? - Vikramkr (talk) 02:38, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

Since these programs are intended for students with undergraduate backgrounds in Sweden and worldwide they usually don't have any actual expectations "grade-wise". The grading system used in undergraduate studies will be different for almost every applying student. It is also worth noting that in Swedish Academia - at least outside the technology field - there is very little focus on grades. Many undergraduate courses and programmes in the social sciences use only pass/fail grades, and it is definitely different between universities. Thus, I assume other factors are used to determine suitability of applicants, but I am afraid I failed when trying to look it up right now. /Coffeeshivers (talk) 07:31, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

Great, thank you so much for your help! - Vikramkr (talk) 19:32, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

Graduation Dress

What is the significance of a wide yellow scarf in traditional commencement dress? As compared to a gold rope for example. 132.209.95.55 (talk) 22:31, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

I think you're referring to an academic stole, the meaning and significance of which can vary widely. Our article on academic dress generally may also be of assistance. — Lomn 22:45, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

There is nothing specific in either of those articles. I was looking for something more specific. 132.209.95.55 (talk) 23:23, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

The article on academic stoles tells you some of the reasons that a person might wear that garment. Unless we know where you saw someone wearing an academic stole, it will be difficult to be more specific. Marnanel (talk) 00:01, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

Individual schools generally create their own system of significances for colored stoles and cords- they can represent honors, organizations, areas of study, or something else. The best way to find out what an individual one means is to ask the faculty member in charge of graduation at the specific school in question. -FisherQueen (talk · contribs) 01:26, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

The colors are pretty standardized. Here's a good chart: [6] Shadowjams (talk) 07:22, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

Really? Because science in that list is gold, whereas I'm pretty sure it's blue in the University of Auckland or perhaps the whole of New Zealand (according to the academic dress article), which follows the University of Cambridge system I believe (so Academic dress of the University of Cambridge may also be of interest). (This Australian university [7] appears to have a similar trend.) Perhaps you meant standardised within the US?

The IP didn't give any indication they're only interested in one geographical location, in any event looks up to Canada, specifically the Université du Québec so at a random guess, they're more likely to be interested in Canada then what goes on in the US. These two Canadian universities do use golden yellow for science [8] [9] which may be the same as in the US and this one uses gold [10] which I guess is, however this one uses mint green [11], whether this is just an abnormality of it's less standardised in Canada I don't know.

More to the point, the colours and dress in the Université du Québec could easily be quite different, perhaps being based on the French dress and system, which according to our article uses Amaranth for science. (The website may say, but I don't speak French, it's unsurprisingly largely in French and I was lazy to use Google or Bing translate to research).

Nil Einne (talk) 22:03, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

May 21

Tesla Motors

Where are Tesla Motors cars manufactured? Everard Proudfoot (talk) 01:15, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

Model S sedan [12]

Roadster - final assemby [13] chassis [14]

electric Powertrain [15] 77.86.115.45 (talk) 01:41, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

Crab Lice

Why can't animals get crab lice (also known as pubic lice)? - I need to know for a school project!
~QwerpQwertus |_Talk_| |_Contribs_| 04:30, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

We have an article on the buggers: Crab louse. It confirms that humans are the only known host, but does not say why (and that particular assertion is not supported by an inline citation). I've also left a message on the talk page to see if there are any experts on the critters over there. Buddy431 (talk) 04:49, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

As an ancillary point – and assuming that our article's note about species specificity is correct – one wonders if there are not other, related lice which occupy similar niches in other mammals. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 11:57, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

Thanks! I know that there they have counterparts in some other mammals - like gorillas, maybe it's just because they are different enough to be another species.
~QwerpQwertus |_Talk_| |_Contribs_| 13:37, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

Presumably it must have been quite difficult for those living on different animals to interbreed, so they may well over many generations have drifted apart.148.197.114.158 (talk) 15:27, 21 May 2010 (UTC) though that still doesn't answer the question of why the animals can't catch them from humans. Perhaps they can, but just rarely do?148.197.114.158 (talk) 15:28, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

Given that crab lice are predominantly spread by sexual contact, and making the (hopefully reasonable) assumption that inter-species sexual contact is sufficiently rare there may have been allopatric speciation involved. This is just an informed guess on my part, I have no evidence one way or the other. 131.111.185.68 (talk) 17:28, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

• sufficiently rare--excludes large areas of Somerset on a lonely weekend... Lemon martini (talk) 11:01, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

Historical Centuries and Decades

Hello:

I was unaware that decade boundaries overlap century boundaries. Example: Wikipedia defines the Tenth Century in the Julian Calendar in the Common Era as being from 901 to 1000. I agree. However, the same source discusses that century's first decade as being from 900 to 909. Shouldn't the first decade of ANY century begin at the first year of that century? E.g., first decade XX01-XX10, second decade XX11-XX20, third decade XX21-XX30 . . . LAST decade XX91-XX00.

In the Tenth Century, this logic would dictate first decade 901-910, second decade 911-920, third decade 921-930 . . . LAST decade 991-1000. At the present time in 2010, we would be ENDING the first decade of the 21st Century and beginning the second decade in 2011. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Dick1945 (talk • contribs) 05:24, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

Yes, your logic is sound, but, unfortunately, logic and common usage don't coincide. Most people assume (wrongly) that there was a year zero, so they take January 1st 2010 as the start of a new decade, just as they celebrated the millennium on January 1st 2000. Then we could start arguing over whether the Common Era really began in 4 BC, so I celebrated the millennium at the start of 1996. Dbfirs 07:22, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

(e/c)Yes. Because there was no year "zero" all decades and centuries should logically start with "1". (Of course there was no year 1 either, but that's beside the point.) However, most people are not as pedantic as us, and prefer the equally logical view that all the 'seventies, say, start with 197x and so on.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 07:30, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

I would very much like to see a citation about most people assuming there was a year 0. In my view, most people would assume no such thing, because it makes no sense to start counting anything at all, whether it be years of a new era, pages of a book, fingers on your left hand, days of the month, or Mother Courage's children, with a zero. They're all assumed to start with 1, unless we're told otherwise in some particular case. People group decades in a certain way for common convenience. It's intuitively obvious that "the 1940s" are the years 1940-1949, for example, so this needs no explanation. But if they're talking about "the 5th decade" of the 20th Century, that's 1941-1950. These are equally valid ways of grouping years into decades, as long as you don't confuse them. -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 08:34, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

The same goes for centuries as well. If I said "the fifteen hundreds", I would be talking about the years 1500-1599, which is slightly different than "the sixteenth century", 1501-1600. But while both constructions for specifying centuries are used, nearly everyone refers to decades as "the twenties" rather than "the third decade" or "the one-hundred and ninety-third decade". Buddy431 (talk) 12:27, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

The difficulty is that people tend to think of 'BC' dates as negative numbers and 'AD' dates as positive numbers. Which would lead you to believe that the years -3 to +3 went: 3BC, 2BC, 1BC, 0, 1AD, 2AD, 3AD. But that's not how historians do it. There was no year zero. Hence, 2000 years of AD-ness ended in 2001, not 2000. But people are obsessed with round numbers and base-10 arithmetic. Jan 1st 2000 would have been just another boring day if we had 12 fingers - or if the earth's orbit was just a little bit longer - or if people revered numbers ending in '7' instead of '0' or if the christian tradition had decided to pick a different poor schmuck to be "the son of God", or if some nation other than the British had found the best way to calculate latitude and chose where the zero meridian should be! But it would still have been cause for great excitement whether the historians had thought more carefully about 'year zero' or not. Since the system is already totally arbitrary and people-mindset-centered, we might as well label millennia, centuries and decades according to how most people think they should be labeled rather than trying to get all scientific/mathematical about it. Hence, it's worthless to wonder "why" - that's just how it is. SteveBaker (talk) 13:20, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

That decimal obsession is how we got stuck with the Metric System. :) However, the first millennium ended "in" 2000, not 2001; i.e. on December 31, 2000, not December 31, 2001. Years 1 through 2000 are two thousand years. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 21:52, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

Maybe you just have to "come to terms" with it in your own way:

• Every decade goes from xxx0 to xxx9 -- EXCEPT the first one.
• Every century goes from xx00 to xx99 -- EXCEPT the first one.
• Every millenium goes from x000 to x000 -- EXCEPT the first one.

Solves the problem rather neatly, for me! DaHorsesMouth (talk) 01:26, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

Speaking as a member of the group of most people, this is my feeling on the matter as well. Except the last instance should be x000 to x999, was that a typo? 81.131.7.15 (talk) 09:11, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

Not only was there not a year 0, there was also no year 1, 100, or even 501, so really when people started counting the years such, they could start wherever they wanted, and 0-9 seemed to make sense. Just to confuse things a bit more, the date of the new year has been moved a few times as well, I have seen it recorded as being in December, January, March, June and possibly May, if I remember correctly. Then there is the question of leapyears, the date on January 1st 2000 was quite a few hours out, and that is before we get on to the problems of months, equinoxes, easter, lunar calendars and the start and end of each day. Finding the date is a very complicated business, I for one appreciate any attempt to make it a little easier. 148.197.114.158 (talk) 09:35, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

Or, if you don't like the system, you can always create a new calendar or your own, and that can do anything you want. 148.197.114.158 (talk) 09:47, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

Equivalent of B.A.M.S. Degree of Panjab University with B.A.

I want to know whether Degree of B.A.M.S. (Bachelor in Ayurvedic Medicine & Surgery) awarded by Panjab University is considered equivalent to B.A. or not.

Dr Jyoti Bala —Preceding unsigned comment added by 210.56.110.84 (talk) 08:52, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

In what country, and for what purpose? TenOfAllTrades(talk) 11:55, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

I doubt it, but it depends what you mean by "equivalent". That subject would not normally be classed under "Arts". See Bachelor of Arts.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 13:35, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

Bend test

Pls. Clarify 0t,1t 2t bend test. Need of this test in reference to galvanized/colour coated coils. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Rakeshknit (talk • contribs) 11:36, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

What? ╟─TreasuryTag►consulate─╢ 11:39, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

This appears to be a follow-up to an archived question; see Wikipedia:Reference_desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2010_May_10#BEND_TEST. I'm not sure how much more help we can provide, beyond the links given in response to that question. -- Coneslayer (talk) 12:32, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

I'll repeat the link here for ease of finding:

Answer [16] 77.86.115.45 (talk) 12:57, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

That text is a bit confusing. this is a bit more clear.LeadSongDog come howl! 05:58, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

I'm looking for a pseudonym that has the name "Butch"

I suppose when people here the word "butch" they might think lesbians, or tough guys like Bruce Willis's character "Butch Coolidge" in Pulp Fiction (here). I tend to think of Butch Vig (as in here). (I've also thought "Butch Diamond"). I'm not intending it for internet purposes, but rather for snailmail, so it should resemble a real name to an extent. Additional note, I'm a male het. Any suggestions? Thanks.205.189.194.208 (talk) 15:24, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

I'm not sure what your question is, but Butch is a real name. It's short for butcher of course. Why not call yourself Butch if you want to? If you're looking for a word to go with it, only you can decide that. Butch the Bulldog has a nice ring to it.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 17:16, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

I've known folks named "Butch", and I'm fairly certain there have been public figures with that name. Butch Wynegar and Butch Buchholz come to mind right off the bat. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 21:44, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

If you search under "Butch", there are a number of notable figures with that nickname. I do NOT recommend adopting any of their last names for your use. And probably not an obviously fake name like "Butch N. Femme", either. Maybe some white-bread name like "Robertson", or whatever. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 21:48, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

"Butch Cassidy" actually is a pseudonym! — Michael J 22:22, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

Homer Simpson used the macho name Max Power, so I recommend Butch Power. Deor (talk) 02:26, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

Ones that occur to me as sounding good: Butch Majors, Butch Willis, Butch Abrams.

Infinity

If you sit at the top of a bottomless pit and lower an endless rope down into it, how much rope can you lower into the pit?

148.197.114.158 (talk) 15:34, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

Any amount you want to. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 15:42, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

Let D be the depth of your bottomless pit. Let L be the length of your endless rope. If D−L≥0 then all the rope will fit without lying on the pit's nonexistent bottom (assuming that's what you want). If D−L<0, then the answer is D. Karenjc 16:00, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

Hold on thar, Baba Looey. Infinity is not a number it's a concept of expansion without bounds. Both "infinities" would be the same "size", i.e. boundless. You could lower 1 foot, or 1 mile, or 1 parsec of rope into the pit, and you would be no closer to finishing off the rope than you were before you started lowering the rope. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 16:04, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

Infinity is so a number! Or, well, it's several numbers. Marnanel (talk) 02:42, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

Infinity can be thought of as kind of the "inverse" of 0, in that some of the properties are complementary. That is, if you multiply 0 by anything, you get 0 back; and if you divide 0 by anything, you get 0 back (except 0 itself, as division by 0 is undefined). Similarly, if you multiply infinity by anything, you get infinity back, unless you try and multiply it by 0, which doesn't really work. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 03:04, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

Well apparently you can have different sized infinities. Indigestible, isn't it. 81.131.7.15 (talk) 09:22, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

Mathematically speaking, yes. Physically speaking, no. The only way I can think of for this to work would be if the rope going into the black hole were somehow then being spun out through a wormhole and closing back in on itself. But that's no longer an "infinite" rope, it's simply a very large loop. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 11:16, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

The core problem is that the universe, as far as we know, has a finite amount of mass/energy. As far as we know, it's a "closed system", albeit a really big one, but not infinite. So while a black hole could metaphorically be a "bottomless pit", it's not really bottomless, it just acts like one. And it's not possible to have an infinitely long rope, because it would require an infinite amount of substance, which the universe does not have. (Maybe a physics expert could jump in here and explain if there's some theoretical possibility that it could work.) The OP's premise is kind of a cousin to the old riddle about an irresistable force heading for an immovable object. The answer to that riddle is that it's self-contradictory, because both entities could not possibly exist in the same universe. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 11:23, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

Actually, to the best of my knowledge, the question of whether the total mass contained in the whole universe is finite or infinite, remains entirely open. A lot of work has suggested lower bounds, but as far as I know there are no upper bounds, and no refutation of the possibility that the universe is actually infinite.

However there are indeed bounds to the mass/energy contained in the observable universe. Any mass past that horizon cannot, in any way that we know of, be transported here to make up part of the rope (roughly speaking, because universal expansion means that objects past the horizon are receding from us faster than the speed of light, and there is no way to make up that deficit). --Trovatore (talk) 23:57, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Actually, you know what, I'm not so sure about the "bounds on the observable universe" part. We know that the observable universe is finite, in the sense that the particle horizon, the collection of things that could in principle have produced a signal that could have reached us by now, is only a finite distance away.

But to get the bit about never being able to get the rope here, you need to look at the event horizon instead. It's not immediately clear to me whether the event horizon has to be only finitely far away. Maybe BenRG or someone can clarify. --Trovatore (talk) 18:20, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Depends on the tensile strength of the rope. At some point, it's going to break under its own weight. Warofdreams talk 16:07, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

Since an infinite rope and an infinite pit are imaginary, let's also imagine that the rope is weightless. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 16:22, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

Why? That would change the problem. Warofdreams talk 15:58, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

You're going to have trouble lowering a weightless rope anyway - it'll just kinda float there in a big clump. This is a silly question anyway. I don't believe our OP really cares about the answer. SteveBaker (talk) 15:20, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Would there be any gravity under the rope if the pit is bottomless?148.197.115.54 (talk) 17:44, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

Then you're pushing rope, so the answer is "not much". --Sean 17:50, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

Uh, Bugs nailed this question, not quite sure why we need to add mathematical forumlae and the like... Vranak (talk) 18:08, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

If you are interested in what happens when you try to place an infinite amount of something into an infinite space, Hilbert's Hotel is worth reading about. -- 140.142.20.229 (talk) 20:07, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

It occurs to me that the so-called "bottomless pit" could equate to a black hole. And if you have an infinitely long rope, then at the very least you're going to end up feeding the entire universe into that black hole. You might get a big bang out of that, eh? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 20:16, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

More like a big whoop.--WaltCip (talk) 05:19, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

Elevators in skyscrapers

I want a skyscraper in which any path between two different floors involves only one elevator (i.e. any two floors have at least one elevator in common). --84.61.146.104 (talk) 16:08, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

And where would you like it delivered? To clarify, are you looking for the name/location of the tallest building where there is an elevator that stops at every floor? Dismas|^(talk) 16:10, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

The most staightforward approach would be to have one elevator which stops at every floor, although it would be slow and might get pretty crowded. Perhaps a paternoster lift? Warofdreams talk 16:11, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

Why aren't there any paternosters in the United States? --84.61.146.104 (talk) 16:12, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

Who says there aren't any?

I don't believe there are any. George R. Strakosch's gripping Vertical transportation: elevators and escalators, from 1967, states that the installation of paternosters is not allowed in the United States. But it doesn't explain why, other than saying "its use demands agility". Warofdreams talk 15:58, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

It also requires that the elevator shaft be open to the rest of the building at every floor, which could be a fire hazard. I think that's why. 67.170.215.166 (talk) 03:26, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

I have seen something that looks like a bargain-basement paternoster lift at a parking garage in the District of Columbia. It was reserved for the garage's employees; attendants take your key, give you a receipt, park your car, and retrieve it for you on your return. This manlift (an industry term, like belt manlift) was the fastest way for the attendant to travel to another floor to retrieve your car. See also aerial lift. --- 03:21, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

Why have most skyscrapers pairs of floors which have no elevator bank in common? --84.61.146.104 (talk) 16:17, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

If true it's probably to distribute the traffic. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 16:23, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

Because elevator design is not about linking floors by one single elevator/bank but about design a service that can facilitate the movement of the most amount of journeys most efficiently. A single elevator going from floor 1 - 100 can only service 1 request at a time, 2 elevators (1 from 1-50 , 1 from 50-100) can service 2 calls more rapidly but at the expense of those going from 1-50+ (or those going from inbetween floors) having to switch elevators on the way. The question would become a case of studying how elevators are used and designing a system that works best based on expected average usage. ny156uk (talk) 16:26, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

also... This Architecture Weekly article may be of interest to you (http://www.architectureweek.com/2002/0612/building_1-2.html) ny156uk (talk) 16:26, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

Why have some skyscrapers pairs of floors which have no directly reachable floor in common? --84.61.146.104 (talk) 16:36, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

If you re-read my comment above this can easily be explained as...design. The elevator designer in some buildings will have decided that some floors not being directly reachable is a reasonable trade-off in terms of improvements elsewhere (e.g. faster response times for the most common journeys etc.). ny156uk (talk) 16:47, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

Are there any skyscrapers with a split-level configuration? --84.61.146.104 (talk) 16:37, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

A number of double-deck elevators stop at every floor, sort of.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 17:22, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

Are there any skyscrapers with a split-level configuration, as in parking garages? --84.61.146.104 (talk) 17:25, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

Do you mean where part of the building is like half a story "off" from the other part of the building? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 20:18, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

How many elevators with at most 13 stops are needed to have a direct connection from any of the 42 floors to any other floor? --84.61.146.104 (talk) 20:17, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

I have a solution with 45 elevators. I have no math proof that this solution is optimal. Comet Tuttle (talk) 20:38, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

The least amount of elevators needed is 4, but with the stop limitation, they wouldnt be direct, one would need to exit at a lobby or mezzazine (is that the right term? like a lobby but on a higher floor) to transfer elevators. Plus, if you stretched the elevators to go 13 floors at a time, you would have one bank that went up and down only six floors. 206.252.74.48 (talk) 20:50, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

I always called those skylobbies, like in SimTower. 99.241.68.194 (talk) 02:16, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

The article on Empire State Building says it has a total of 73 elevators. Presumably it was set up with some optimal efficiency in mind. The typical elevator rider doesn't want to go to every floor in the building, but probably only one. The exception would be maintenance crew, which is why they have something like 9 of those 73 allocated to themselves-only. But in their case, speed would not be important, as they would be going floor-by-floor methodically. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 20:55, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

This doesn't quite answer the OP's growing list of questions, but the approach to elevator design at Watterson Towers might be of some interest. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 20:22, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

Which building has the most wheelchair-inaccessible floors? --84.61.146.104 (talk) 07:34, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

Alan King used to tell a joke about a shopper who would buy her groceries one item at a time and slip between customers in the queueu saying, "I only have this one item". Similarly, I'm wondering if you're just really curious and that one question leads to another? Or whether you're writing a book on the subject, asking one question at a time? :) More to the point, have you tried looking for any of this info on Google? Just google [skyscraper elevator] or something like this, and you're liable to get a gazillion references, some of which might tell you anything you're looking for. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 11:12, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

I don't know about now, but Kowloon Walled City must have been a good contender. Warofdreams talk 16:05, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

Making a whistle from White Deadnettle

I came upon a reference to making whistles from the hollow stem of white deadnettle but can find no instructions as to how to go about this. Can you help? 95.149.39.70 (talk) 20:20, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

The .pdf document here (p.19) simply says "Children can make whistles from the square stems by hollowing out the middle." This says: "The corners of the hollow stems are strengthened by specially strong columns of fibres. In the country, boys often cut the stems and make whistles out of them." Any help? Ghmyrtle (talk) 21:03, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

From memory, the pith in the middle of a deadnettle stem is quite soft and could be easily poked out (with a stick or piece of wire perhaps?). A better-known alternative is elder; instructions here[17]. Alansplodge (talk) 22:06, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

After removing the pith, one could use one's penknife to cut a labium lip ("C" in this image) in the stem to make a one-note "flute", as shown in the link provided by Alansplodge above. Poking holes in the stem judiciously, I believe, would allow one to produce other tones. Deor (talk) 23:01, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

And for once I thought this would be an RD answer that didn't involve taking the pith out of thomething :) Lemon martini (talk) 11:03, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

May 22

website error!!

how do i create my website to ensure top listing in google search, it a travel site , how does seo help? anyone please.. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.122.36.6 (talk) 08:57, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

Essentially it takes a great deal of effort and time to get and keep a listing at the top of google's search. You need to 'optimize' your site so that it helps push itself up their Pagerank. This site (http://www.webworkshop.net/pagerank.html) gives some suggestions on how to improve your pagerank and explains a bit about how it works (at least based on what google have released as they're pretty secretive of what is one of their more valuable assets). ny156uk (talk) 09:09, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

Search engine optimisation can help a little, but the main thing you need to do is make your site useful. Google's algorithms are very clever and it is very hard to get a site high up their search results without it being a good site. --Tango (talk) 15:44, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

I think some companies pay Google loads of money to get on the first page of search results, either that or they pay someone else. It's a lot of hard work and you are better off using different methods to advertise your site, although if you get the search engine things right it can really drive loads of traffic to your site. Chevymontecarlo 06:00, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Unfortunately for you, but fortunately for the rest of us who actually want to use Google, Google's algorithms are very good these days. The only way to get a top listing on Google is to make your site one of the best, most popular and most useful for the searches that you want to be top listed for. /Coffeeshivers (talk) 09:09, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

To Tango's point, note that there are many online companies that will advertise that they will take your money and use SEO to boost your site high, high, high in the rankings. Personally I'd insist on a money back guarantee and specific performance benchmarks required for payment before sending any money to these companies. Comet Tuttle (talk) 16:45, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

I would go further then that and ask about their methods or at least seek assurance they won't spam. Even if you don't have any qualms about such methods, you should be aware that the increase you get from this spamming could easily be offset by the long term negative reputation your website will gain from this combined with the potential risk to your hosting. Nil Einne (talk) 21:55, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

See Wikipedia:WikiProject Spam/Internet Brands. Took a long time to catch them but now they have been caught you can see people ain't happy with them Nil Einne (talk) 02:20, 1 June 2010 (UTC)

Debt.

We keep hearing about the global debt problems following the recent financial boom and bust in the international banking and money markets. But as a simple taxpayer, I feel bamboozled by media experts and politicos constantly referring to foreign debt, structural debt, sovereign debt etc., etc. Please, will someone here either enlighten me or else point me to a layman's wiki article covering the subject? Thanks. I am reminded of, "you can fool some of the people some of the time.......". 92.30.55.247 (talk) 11:56, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

[The first posting to a discussion should not be indented.] This topic reminds me of a discussion about ambiguous wording, now archived at Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2010 January 9#Which is the subject?.—Wavelength (talk) 14:03, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

There is a pretty good (and quite popular) recent book on this topic by John Lanchester with the title Whoops!: Why Everyone Owes Everyone and No One Can Pay (in the US the word "Whoops!" is replaced by "I.O.U."). I recommend picking it up at your local library. Gabbe (talk) 17:07, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

It may help if you ask a slightly more specific question. Like, what caused x. Or what do they mean when they say y. Ref-deskers love being verbose, but the scope of this question might be just a bit wide.--Jabberwalkee (talk) 11:42, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Sword to identify

A friend recently brought me a sword to look at in the hopes I could help him get more information about it - provenience, age, etc. I have a small collection and I've read a bit about swords, so I agreed to do what I could, but I'm stumped. None of my books have a sword that looks like this. I've uploaded some pictures here. It is a straight-edged iron/steel backsword, with a back-edge point (i.e. part of the back is also sharpened near the tip to make it a more effective thrust weapon), which is common enough, I guess, but the work at the hilt is what's throwing me off. The grip is quite small (about 8cm - just enough room for my somewhat smallish hand) and strangely curved, though it's not uncomfortable to wield. The hilt also includes these strange flaps that come up over part of the blade on both sides, but they are not flush with the it - almost as if they were designed to trap an opponent's blade, though I don't see how they'd be very effective. The entire thing is quite rusty, so any marks it may have had are obscured, though the convex face of the cup-shaped pommel was at some time (perhaps originally?) painted a dark green. The scabbard is simply a couple of slats of wood covered with a canvas-like fabric. As you can see, it's not exactly top-quality, but it fits the sword quite well. The blade itself is about 60cm. To be honest, my opinion is that the thing is probably homemade, but I'd be interested to know (as would my friend) if it's been made "in the style" of something else. Any help appreciated. Matt Deres (talk) 14:33, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

All I can say is that the hilt is a Mameluke-style, and could be in imitation of the US Marine sword. I can't be sure, though, without seeing the whole thing. 67.170.215.166 (talk) 03:21, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

The sword in question is straight; the Mameluke-style swords, including the ones used by the Marines are all (so far as I know) sabres (i.e. curved). Also, the "flap" shapes appear to be an added decoration; on the sword in question the cross-piece, grip and "flaps" are one piece. You're still closer than anything I've found, though; any other suggestions? Matt Deres (talk) 14:26, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

The hilt appears to be similar to that of a tulwar (or talwar) (see these google images). The "flaps" you describe are langets, designed to fit over the scabbard for secure, water-proof fit: as per 2nd photo here. The tulwar is a curved Indian sword, but perhaps an old hilt has been fitted to a straight blade? There are a few around. Gwinva (talk) 00:04, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

This forum has a photo of a straight-bladed tulwar, but no provenance. Another forum offers a discussion on straight blades with tulwar hilts (also this one). In addition, our tulwar article notes that some Indian hilts were fitted to European blades. Gwinva (talk) 00:27, 24 May 2010 (UTC) Here are two more photos: [18] and [19]. Gwinva (talk) 00:53, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Gwinva, thank you so much - excellent work! A tulwar, eh? Very interesting indeed, since the fellow who owns the sword had been told it was from the French Revolution! (I didn't bother mentioning that earlier as I was already 99% sure that wasn't legit). I may post a link at that forum you mentioned; the folks there might be interested in the piece and/or provide more info. Many thanks again! Matt Deres (talk) 20:25, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

No problem - I was intrigued by the straight blade. If you hear anything back from the forum, post me a link or drop me a line sometime - I'd be interested to hear more about it. Gwinva (talk) 01:05, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

Are they different from gay blades?  :) -- 202.142.129.66 (talk) 01:52, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

Marine Manufacturing Company Question

Can you please find out what happened to Cimmarron Marine Manufacturing Co. out of Jackso, GA. I need some info on my boat and all you list is the models they made. Like to know the history of the company like who bought them out. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.95.133.87 (talk) 17:09, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

Odd Restaurant Voucher T&C

I have just downloaded a delightful voucher from Cafe Rouge which entitles me until Tuesday to a free portion of snails with any main course to celebrate the week of the snail (apparently). I was reading the T&C just to check anything I should know, and noticed something which is on lots of vouchers. The deal isn't available at airport or Center Parks restaurants. Why not, and why them? Is it a licensing thing, that these locations run the place separately and they aren't actually part of Cafe Rouge?

Cheers, Prokhorovka (talk) 18:45, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

It could be something to do with the location - they might have to pay a ton of money to Center Parks and the airport(s) in order for them to have a restaurant there. There might also be something in their contract with the airport/Center Parks which stops them from letting customers use offer vouchers. Chevymontecarlo 05:54, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Possibly to do with some places being franchises who's owners don't want to participate for a variety of reasons..hotclaws 08:46, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Could also be something as simple as not having compatible Point of sale terminal equipment in these locations. I visited an airport Starbucks a couple of days ago which had a sign apologising that they were unable to honour some form of starbucks money-off voucher for exactly this reason. --Tagishsimon (talk) 00:33, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

This seems common in NZ and Malaysia. I've always assumed it's because of the high prices in airports which relate to high rental costs and monopoly. I was planning to say it at the time but then remembered reading [20] which bizzarely suggests the airport monitors prices and tries to keep them down so got confused and didn't bother. But thinking about it again, I'm resonably sure that Burger King in the KLIA and McDonalds right here in the Auckland Airport which supposedly monitor prices do infact have higher prices so the Auckland Airport claims may be a little 'enthuastic' because despite [21] and [22] AFAIK McDonalds prices thoroughout Auckland (perhaps all of NZ but I'm not sure) still generally remain the same other then the airport so it's not that hard for them to realise that the prices are above 'average'. Perhaps their measures to get the retailers to lower prices consist primarily writing a letter to McDonalds once are month asking them to consider lowering prices :-P This [23] also mentions the generally higher prices at airports. Nil Einne (talk) 02:16, 1 June 2010 (UTC)

old magazines

How do i find out if an old magazine is worth anything. i have an isssue of 1930 popular mechanics shop notes and a issue of 1952 golden anniversary issue of popular mecnanics —Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.219.39.201 (talk) 20:07, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

I always do this by searching eBay. You haven't mentioned the month of the 1930 issue, but an eBay search for popular mechanics 1930 shows several for sale for about US$10. (I didn't investigate important details like the condition of the magazine.) Comet Tuttle (talk) 20:16, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

Popular Mechanics are not usually worth a whole lot. There are about a million people on eBay selling them. It was quite, err, popular, and seems to have been the sort of magazine that people saved rather than just threw away when they were done with it. --Mr.98 (talk) 20:27, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

That reminds me, I have loads of old TopGear issues that need attention... Chevymontecarlo 05:55, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Abebooks.com is another good site where you can search for mostly any kind of literature, and check its current pricing amongst the antiquarian book dealers. A good advice would be to always use the lowest avaialable price there for the value of your literature, because it seems there is always a couple of dealers that charge ridiculously large sums of money for just about anything. A single issue of Popular Mechanics from 1930 is about 10-20$ worth, and the 1952 anniversary can be bought for 4.95-8$. --Saddhiyama (talk) 09:49, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Legality of Lolicon

Is lolicon (depiction of nude children) legal? I've read on the WP page about it that it's legal but only when there isn't anything "obscene". What do they mean? --TylerDurdenn (talk) 23:01, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

Beyond the dictionary definition, see the Obscenity article. What counts as "obscene" in different communities, and legal jurisdictions, varies wildly, and is notoriously difficult to define (cf I know it when I see it). -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 23:08, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

Uh, so, for example a picture of a girl (drawn in japanese style) with her hands down in the pants can be acceptable? TylerDurdenn (talk) 23:11, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

You'd need to ask a lawyer for an opinion regarding a specific image in a specific jurisdiction and in light of specific jurisprudence. -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 23:15, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

Probably the best answer we can give you is "Maybe". Like Finlay says, it depends on so many things. If you had a specific image that was involved in a case already, we could probably help find information about that case but as far as a hypothetical image in some random jurisdiction, our best is not a solid answer. Dismas|^(talk) 23:43, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

The image shown at the top of the Lolicon is unlikely to be illegal in any of the 'liberal democracies'. In the case of depictions of things beyond "pyjama parties" there is an article Legal status of cartoon pornography depicting minors.87.102.18.191 (talk) 23:53, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

In the United States, a drawing cannot be considered child pornography if it doesn't include any real children, as per Ashcroft v. Free Speech Coalition (in some Countries, like the UK, it can be considered child pornography). They can, however, be illegal under the Miller test for obscenity. It's easy to prosecute someone for possessing child pornography: if it depicts children in sexual acts, it's child porn: throw the guy in jail. It's much harder (in the U.S. anyway) to prosecute someone for obscenity. Obscenity is notoriously hard to define, and thus also notoriously hard to prosecute for. In particular, under the Miller test, prosecutors must show that the work "lacks serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value". Do cartoons of children engaging in sexual acts have any artistic value? It certainly could. So in the United States, people are rarely successfully prosecuted for lolicon or similar types of images. If it's nearly impossible to prosecute you for it, does that make it legal? I'll leave that up to the political philosophers here. Buddy431 (talk) 04:07, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

There is no way a drawing can include real children. It might depict children or be an incidental product of an act exploiting real children. I think only the latter would be prosecuted. WHY ARE WE GIVING LEGAL ADVICE ANYWAY? Cuddlyable3 (talk) 19:08, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

I expect they are referring to realistic depictions of real children. The example in that article are not realistic looking children, they're cartoon characters. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 20:13, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Well, i was asking because there are drawings like this: http://rule34.paheal.net/post/list/rin_kokonoe/1 circulating online, and everyone seems to be fine with it... --TylerDurdenn (talk) 20:53, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Eek. I could see where those could be trouble. I doubt "everyone" is just fine with it. But they're still just cartoon characters. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 21:14, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

That character is from Kodomo no Jikan. Look around on YouTube for clips, you can notice that there's a lot of innuendo... implied bare chest, lowered panties, improper licking... it must be that peculiar Japanese culture striking again. --TylerDurdenn (talk) 21:21, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5Iq-_HiIvM LOLOLOL, she bites her t-shirt and lowers her panties in front of the teacher --TylerDurdenn (talk) 21:37, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

@Cuddlyable3: In the United States, I believe that to be prosecuted as child pornagraphy, it must be a photograph of children (I should have said image rather than drawing in my first sentence) (and I'm not a lawyer, so don't take anything I say as legal advice). The rationale in Ashcroft v. Free Speech Coalition is that the law is restricting the First Amendment by making child porn illegal. This is acceptable when real children are involved, because real children were sexually abused to make the porn (and the Supreme court felt that the welfare of children was more important than Free Speech in this case). But they held that in the case of drawings, Computer generated porn, etc, it was not acceptable to restrict the First Amendment in this way. In other countries, notably the UK, even things that don't contain photographs of children can be considered child porn. Finally, I maintain that none of this is legal advice: I advocate neither for nor against possessing such images, nor what to do if you are caught with said images. Buddy431 (talk) 22:26, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

And @TylerDurdenn: you'll notice that the website you linked to has a notice to UK users at the top about how much of that content is illegal to possess. Buddy431 (talk) 22:50, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

May 23

Junichi Masuda

e-mail address? --70.129.186.243 (talk) 02:16, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

I doubt the address is publicly available, but he may have an email address for media or for the press etc. but I doubt you would be able to find it - people like that would get so much mail from fans and haters that they usually don't bother announcing any contact information to the public. Chevymontecarlo 05:58, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Junichi Masuda is one of the applicants for this patent and could be contacted via the patent agents in the US shown at [24] the link. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 18:55, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

What's a "BIAXIALLY ORIENTED WHITE POLYPROPYLENE FILM, REFLECTION PLATE AND RECEIVING SHEET FOR THERMAL TRANSFER RECORDING"? It doesn't sound like it has anything to do with video games. --70.129.186.243 (talk) 00:45, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Maybe it's another Junichi Masuda. Maybe this Junichi Masuda knows the Junichi Masuda that you really want. After all, they have at least one thing in common. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 11:28, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Ace status

Is it possible to become a flying ace without actually piloting the aircraft? Say for example if a tail gunner on a Flying Fortress shot down five or more enemy fighters, would he be considered an ace? 67.170.215.166 (talk) 03:16, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

The U.S. Air Force says yes. Col. Charles DeBellevue was a non-pilot ace with six victories in the Vietnam War as a weapons systems officer. Not only that, he was the top American ace of the conflict. Clarityfiend (talk) 03:22, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Thanks for the info. 67.170.215.166 (talk) 03:44, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

My pleasure. Plus I learned something new and interesting. Clarityfiend (talk) 04:26, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Who build the McDonald's franchise restaurants?

God, I hate fast food companies... Anyway, who exactly builds all the McDonald's franchises? Here in the UK the ones at junctions and roundabouts look exactly the same - low and rectangular with a roof that is a slight trapezium shape. Is it just the franchisee or multiple companies? Chevymontecarlo 06:03, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

In a delicious bit of irony, I've heard that the French McDonald's stores sell escargot. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 12:57, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

McDonalds is relevant. From that article, "A McDonald's restaurant is operated by either a franchisee, an affiliate, or the corporation itself." Shadowjams (talk) 06:11, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

I think the question is whether they all use the same firm of architects (and I'm sure they do). (No doubt different local builders are employed.) One way you might find out is to look up the planning applications of these buildings at the websites of the relevant local councils. You will find the architect's details among the supporting documents.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 06:26, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Some years ago MacDonalds had their own team of in-house architects, but I doubt that they do now in the current culture by most large companies of out sourcing EVERYTHING!--Artjo (talk) 10:24, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Around 10 years ago the McDonalds building near me was owned by some private person and they designed the inside entirely themselves. I think the owner was married to someone from Japan so everything had an old style Japanese theme, with special chairs and plants near the windows, and a custom built ceiling decoration. Then at some point it changed and now it's just a generic McDonalds interior. 82.44.55.254 (talk) 13:04, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Hey, thanks for your replies everyone. Chevymontecarlo 13:59, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

If you changed your question to 'built' -- that'd be the late Ray Kroc. However, presently each franchise will be operated by a local franchisee, except in special cases, like the one in the Louvre (I imagine). Vranak (talk) 14:05, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

I don't know the answer but they must not check local building ordinances very well. When one went in near where I live, the franchisee was fined some stupid amount of money because they had the standard tall lighted McD's sign. Signs are pretty regulated here in Vermont (we don't have a single billboard in the entire state), so they eventually had to take the sign down and put up a much more sedate version. Dismas|^(talk) 14:33, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

The people who actually build the restaurants are likely to be local construction companies, who spend most of their time building a wide range of local, commercial buildings. However, the look of a building is not decided by the construction company, but by the architect. I would imagine that McDonalds and other such franchise companies have commissioned standardized blueprints for their iconic buildings, which they then pull off the shelf and license to their franchisees, the same way they license the recipes, tableware, furniture, decor, etc. (A local architect may also be involved in siting the building and arranging things like the parking and landscaping on the available space.) As far as who funds the construction, it's probably a combination of the central company building some, and then trying to find a franchisee for the site later, and a franchisee obtaining a license, and then funding construction of a building to house their business. -- 174.24.200.38 (talk) 18:09, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Thank you. All of your replies have been great. Chevymontecarlo 19:14, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Uh, OK, were you in fact talking about the buildings themselves, as opposed to the corporation? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 20:10, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Typically in North America there are usually several architects, distributed regionally, who do most work on chain restaurants (I used to know somebody who did a lot of Burger Kings), conforming to the franchise's design guidelines. There's actually a lot of individual variation, but the franchise must adhere to the overall requirements. I've worked on several automobile dealerships, which have similar requirements, but which are generally designed by local architects and reviewed by somebody in Detroit for compliance. Acroterion _(talk) 20:15, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Left Handed Knot Tying

I am researching the above subject matter - not having a left handed person to perform this task I thought there may be help here. The issue is: when a left handed person ties a knot, such as a reef knot; can it be determined that, that knot was tied by a left handed person as opposed to a right handed person? The difference may be very slight, but in a situation of utmost importance can it be done (detected forensically if necessary)? And if so, would there be any references of this having been done (I've tried querying a variety of worded descriptors without success)? Thanks. TouLeGit TouLeGit (talk) 12:15, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

I'm knot sure that it would be possible. I teach knotting to my Cubs and Scouts, and have taught myself to tie the commoner knots both right-handedly (my natural preference) and left-handedly (to help left-handed children). Left-handers may tend to tie a mirror-image of an asymmetric knot, but it's not a hard-and-fast rule, and for a reef knot it just depends if you go left-over-right first or right-over-left - which anyone of either handedness may switch between without thinking about it. DuncanHill (talk) 12:21, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

My guess would be that many people don't know the difference and would tie a granny knot in a way that correlates strongly with whether they are left or right handed. If they tie a reef knot though my guess is the correlation with the order of the two ways would be slight but I might be wrong there too, perhaps people do the first bit in the more natural way for their handedness. It sounds possible someone has studied this so have you tried Google? Dmcq (talk) 13:07, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

A reef knot is probably one of the least likely knots to display handedness, as both hands work equally when tying it. A sheetbend may display handedness, as one hand does most of the work and the other basically just holds the loop. Sheepshanks wouldn't be handed, a clove hitch or a round-turn and two half-hitches might. A bowline also could. However, many left-handers will have learnt knotting either from diagrams or from right-handed teachers, so may not display any tendency to switch. The reason I have taught myself to tie either way is that I've noticed an increasing number of children with little awareness of left or right, and an inability to recognise the difference between holding something in their left hand or their right hand. I just go with how they pick up a rope and adapt my style accordingly. DuncanHill (talk) 13:37, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

(OR)When I tie shoelaces my left hand holds passively the laces crossed right lace over left lace while my right hand fingers pick up the end of left lace and push it down behind the crossing. It seems less natural to begin with laces crossed left over right because then the right hand fingers have to reach further to catch the end of the right lace and pull it to the gap behind the crossing. Assuming that shoelace tying is a uniform daily routine, my right-handed experience suggests that a left-handed person would begin with their right hand passively holding the laces crossed left over right. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 16:16, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Interesting - I tie my left shoe as the mirror image of the right. This makes the pressure on my feet from the laces symmetrical (I should probably also mention that I can tell which sock has been worn on which foot, and put them on the same foot each time. I suspect I may have slightly odd habits in things like this.) DuncanHill (talk) 16:56, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

I confirm that these habits are unusual. I expect you store your CDs alphabetically too (a common and sensible habit). :-) -- SGBailey (talk) 09:49, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Yes I do. I also can't bear to wear odd socks, and find it painful to see them on others (actual physical discomfort). DuncanHill (talk) 09:58, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

As a left-handed person and an Eagle Scout, the bowline always presented problems for me and it occasionally looks a bit odd when I do tie it. The other scout knots - reef knot, tautline, two half hitches, even the lashing hitches clove hitch and timber hitch - I have never had a problem with these knots due to my left-handedness. The sheetbend...I only know how to tie that with a shortcut starting with the reef knot, so I don't know about that one. Hope I helped, The Reader who Writes (talk) 17:07, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

In my experience, which way you tie your shoes is not really dependant of left or right handedness, but is dependant on how you were taught. If your parents always tied your laces from the front, your method of tying is usually reversed to your parent's (though some children might mentally reverse the procedure). However, some parents reach from behind their child so the child learns the "correct" way to tie the knot. Of course, there is no "correct" way when both ways are equally good at keeping the shoes on. I doubt many people's feet are as sensitive as DuncanHill's are. Astronaut (talk) 13:26, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

When I tie shoelaces for a child, I can only do it from behind. You're probably right about my feet - they are extraordinarily sensitive, and I do wonder at what other people do to theirs. DuncanHill (talk) 13:29, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Cuisinart food processor problem

So we have a two-decade old Cuisinart food processor, I think a DLC-5 DLC-10C. We've had to swap out parts over the years as they crack and etc., but it's generally been pretty rugged. But we've had one big problem the other day that I thought I'd ask about on here.

Basically these things work by rotating a little stick that then can be hooked up to a blade and that mashes up your food, right? So at the base of the rotating stick a bunch of gluey substance has come out the last time we used it. It looks to me like it's some kind of plastic seal that is meant to make sure that any food or liquid substance wouldn't be able to get inside the overall mechaism (which would not necessarily be a terribly common thing—the liquid would have to go in between a number of pieces of plastic to do so).

My question is: 1. how worried should I be that this has come out? Is my guess about its purpose probably correct? 2. does this sound like the sort of thing I could repair on my own? How would someone more used to repairing appliances go about fixing such a thing—is there a standard plastic gluey material that is used for this sort of thing? --Mr.98 (talk) 15:57, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Cuisinartr is a Canadian manufacturer with customer support address, telephone and e-mail here for your question. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 16:25, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

I would think that the gluely stuff is an issue because it could contaminate whatever food you put in there (I apologise if this is massively obvious, I am still in the new/inexpereienced/dumb user help mode!) Sometimes with electricals it's cheaper to buy a completely new product that try and repair it, although that's not very environmentally friendly. As it's a fairly old model I would think the company that sold it would have plenty of spare parts available. Cuddlyable3's link is a good one to follow - the company itself would probably be the best people to contact. Chevymontecarlo 19:12, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Time Zone

Just now, at the bottom of the page was "This page was last modified on May 23, 2010, at 21:21" why does it not say which time zone please?--Artjo (talk) 21:34, 23 May 2010 (UTC —Preceding unsigned comment added by Artjo (talk • contribs)

It's the 0 UTC time zone, the time of the United Kingdom. --TylerDurdenn (talk) 21:40, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Actually, the UK is on UTC+1 at the moment, due to daylight saving time. --Tango (talk) 21:42, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

You are right, it should say the timezone, however the standard timezone on Wikipedia is UTC, so we can safely assume it is UTC. --Tango (talk) 21:42, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

There is an option in your "User preferences" under "Gadgets" that says "Change UTC-based times and dates, such as those used in signatures, to be relative to local time." --ColinFine (talk) 22:16, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

The "last modified" line ought to be changed to include (UTC), to conform to its use elsewhere. Although it's fairly clear that, for talk pages anyway, it's liable to match the most recent entry (this one). ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:21, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Yep. "This page was last modified on 23 May 2010 at 22:21". I bet that will change, though. :) ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:21, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Bug 19002. --Tagishsimon (talk) 00:54, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Great! It's labeled, which is a start. The downside is that they are only just now working on bug number 27. All these hot young amateur programmers keeping turning pro early, and going to work for Microsoft. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 01:06, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

For the avoidance of doubt, and since we're in the business of providing factual information rather than facetious misinformation, bugs are not tackled in numeric order. See also Wikipedia:Bug reports and feature requests. --Tagishsimon (talk) 01:52, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Well, that question seemed to wake up a few people regardless of the time...thanks.--Artjo (talk) 06:07, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

May 24

Brie

Hey guys. I've bought some brie, ina slice. Unfortunately, I'm not quite sure how to cut and serve it. It is quite soft and sticky, so cutting it with a knife is hard and makes a mess. What would someone recommend? Thanks in advance! ```` —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.248.231.100 (talk) 00:49, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Using a cheese cutter (a device which cuts by means of a wire, rather than a blade) instead of a cheese slicer or a cheese knife may be a little easier. If you don't have one, you can improvise with dental floss, preferably waxed, although I would recommend you stay away from the mint/cinnamon flavored flosses. -- 174.24.200.38 (talk) 01:30, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

What kind of knife are you using? A sharp enough knife should be able to cut brie without too much difficulty. --Tango (talk) 01:34, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Well, you can cut it, and it will deform over the knife, then you spread (as opposed to place) on a cracker or what have you. Being so pliable you can treat it more like a cream cheese than is the norm. Vranak (talk) 03:08, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Not to sound uncultured, but do all brie cheeses have that... poopy smell? 24.189.90.68 (talk) 06:34, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

They don't have a "poopy" smell. As they ripen, they can develop ammonia, which smells a bit like urine. Some people like it, but it is usually considered a flaw and a sign that the cheese has not been stored properly (I forgot what exactly was wrong - I think to cold, or too little air - mine never survives long enough). As an anecdote, it's rumoured that brie that has reached its "best before" date in Germany is then shipped to France, where it is considered "not yet ripe enough for consumption". --Stephan Schulz (talk) 08:25, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Just in case you're not aware of this, the rind is edible and you shouldn't try to remove it. AndrewWTaylor (talk) 08:10, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Cool the brie before cutting. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 11:22, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Yes, I was going to say, if it's too mushy for your tastes (or cutting), put it in the refrigerator for 15 minutes or so and it will firm it up. You generally want it to be soft but not too soft. --Mr.98 (talk) 12:38, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Well, you can remove the rind if you like. I don't think there's a great deal of nutrition in it. Vranak (talk) 12:50, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

I work as a cheese specialist in a major UK supermarket. There are several things you could do to improve serving: Firstly, as Cuddlyable3 suggests, first chill the cheese so that it stiffens up and is more amenable to cutting; next rather than use a cheese wire, use a soft cheese knife - a knife whose central portion has been cut away to leave a gap. This cuts down on resistance from the cheese as you cut it. Don't remove the rind as the paste adheres to it in such a way that slicing is made easier. As it comes back to room temperature (which it should be for serving) it will liquify again. The rind is edible and adds to the overall experience in eating, in that there is a difference in texture. Alternatively, you could allow the cheese to come to room temperature, when the paste (the gooey centre of the cheese) will become runny, in which case you could remove it with a spoon and place it onto bread, crackers or whatever and spread with a knife as you would with a soft cheese. As for the unpleasant aroma - brie style cheeses should smell mushroomy when they are fully mature. As they over-ripen the smell of ammonia begins to dominate, which is quite wrong. Never purchase cheese that smells of ammonia. Any reputable cheesemonger will allow you to smell and taste any cheese before you buy. Those that don't for 'hygiene reasons' should be viewed with suspicion. Finally, don't be scared to cut a cold cheese and warm it up under a grill once it has been applied to the serving medium - A warm, sticky brie can be utterly sublime. Should you ever find a brie-style cheese that smells of wet nappies you should reject it immediately. I hope this helps —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.177.175.194 (talk) 23:48, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

This advice does not apply to all soft cheeses, for instance Vacherin, whose rind is inedible. Only Brie style cheeses should be treated in this way —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.177.175.194 (talk) 00:13, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

I don't know what the OP thinks, but I think you deserve some applause for a very thorough answer which will improve my future cheese experiences. 81.131.38.74 (talk) 02:20, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

Ruined stainless steel pot?

Hello, dear Wikipedians. I am in great need of advice on a matter I do not know much about.

My flatmate just yesterday decided she would boil up some jello in a pot of ours (stainless, cheap IKEA cr*p). Water, powdery essence, etc. Apparently she forgot it on the stove and, while I cringe to think what the turn of events were, our biggest pot now looks absolutely awful. In the bottom, there are dark streaks in spiralling patterns (I wish I could photograph it), and basically the entire flat surface is tainted very dark, darker in some places than others; this is not a layer of something, but seems indistinguishable from the metal. When one attempts to clean this, a distinctly metallic smell rises from the pot. Also worth mentioning is that the bottom has taken on a light orange hue.

I assume that the pot had been left standing to boil until it was basically dry, and so the air humidity in the kitchen would've been considerable. I am looking for answers to two questions here, mainly: 1) From my description, is there any method of cleaning the bottom? 2) Can the pot be used again? I worry about the smell and what it might herald. Thank you in advance! 88.90.16.232 (talk) 13:03, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

If it's available where you live, I would suggest giving Bar Keeper's Friend a try, with plenty of elbow grease. It's performed very well for me in cleaning stainless cookware, although nothing quite as bad as you describe. -- Coneslayer (talk) 13:13, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Try putting in some water and bio washing powder (as used for cleaning clothes) and then heating it up and leaving it for a while. The washing powder often dissolves organic stuff like you have on the bottom of the pan. --Phil Holmes (talk) 13:26, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

The biological washing powder is supposed to work well - but don't use boiling water - use 40C or whatever.87.102.85.123 (talk) 13:42, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Bio washing powder is good, or use a washing machine tab in the pot with hot water. Brillo pads are also worth a try. I'd add that discolouration itself is no real problem, and most pans will discolour in time. Washing soda and hot water is also good, and should remove any odours. DuncanHill (talk) 13:47, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

To quote the leaflet on care of kitchen utensils from my local kitchen supplies shop (which also supplies caterers): "Overheating can also cause blue/bronze tints to appear. These are harmless and can usually be removed by using stainless steel cleaner unless the overheating is severe. In extreme cases of overheating the pan and its conductive base [see Cookware and bakeware#Stainless steel] may separate and will be unrepairable." Stainless steel cleaner has worked well for me in the past (when i shared a kitchen...) But I also found this on eHow, which suggests simmering a vinegar-water mixture. Qwfp (talk) 02:25, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

Will the oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill heat up the Gulf?

There doesn't seem to be anyone talking about it, at least in my spectrum of searches and articles, so I'm really not sure if it is an issue at all.

Will the oil floating on the surface of the Gulf from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill get heated by the sun? Does the oil absorb sunlight? Will it raise water temperatures?

I read on Wikipedia "Because oil floats on top of water, less sunlight penetrates into the water, limiting the photosynthesis of marine plants and phytoplankton." - [25]

I just can't find out anywhere whether or not the oil absorbs the sunlight and will heat the waters.

Down4digital (talk) 14:29, 24 May 2010 (UTC) I changed your Wikipedia reference to a simple link and hope you don't mind. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 15:21, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Oil is black - therefore it absorbs visible light - it's not clear what it's like in the ultraviolet and infrared range. But if it absorbs over most of the energetic part of the spectrum, that's definitely going to warm up the oil - and therefore the layer of water immediately beneath it - but it's blocking light from reaching further down into the water column - which will result in less heat reaching there - so a reasonable guess might be that you'd end up with colder than normal water at depth and warmer than normal at the surface. We're also learning that there is a considerable amount of oil in the water column itself - not just floating on the surface - and that complicates matters still further. Overall, it's tough to predict exactly what the detailed effect will be. However, reducing the amount of reflected sunlight certainly means that more energy is entering the system (and less is reflected out into space) - so the overall effect will almost certainly be a net warming. SteveBaker (talk) 15:15, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

This was discussed on National Public Radio last week - link. --LarryMac | Talk 15:17, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Another wrinkle is that the oil could limit cooling evaporation. It has been theorized that this could cause hurricanes to lose energy over the slick. --Sean 15:32, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Though a hurricane would disturb the water so much that the thin slick would be broken up and plenty of (oil-heated) water would be exposed to the surface. This is probably a question that we can't answer reliably without a very complex computer model. Marco polo (talk) 15:49, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Leviticus 9

While reading a question on the Science desk I came across the above mentioned section of the (good)book. In this section God is telling the people what they can and cannot eat, he has already told them that they cannot and may not eat Bats he then later goes on to state that they can eat, anything that flies, swarms, and has four feet, what animal could this refer to? I am stumped the only thing I can think of that fits into this catagory, is bats. I would not eat a bat but I can imagine some one somewhere would, so what can it mean? Thanks —Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.172.58.82 (talk) 14:35, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

There is no text such as you describe in Leviticus chapter 9. But in Leviticus 11:13,19 Moses declares the bat to be "an abomination" you shall not eat. Regarding permitted foods in the KJV Bible, (a book that IMHO is not an entirely good one) the key directions allegedly by God are:

Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. But flesh with the life thereof, shall ye not eat. Gen 9:4,5.

Paul the Apostle writing to christians advises as follows.

If any of them that believe not bid you to a feast, and ye be disposed to go; whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no question for conscience sake. But if any man say unto you, This is offered in sacrifice unto idols, eat not for his sake that shewed it, and for conscience sake: for the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof...Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do it all to the glory of God. 1 Cor 27,28,31. Bon apetite. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 15:15, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

There's something along these lines in Leviticus 11. It appears to refer to the kosher locust. Warofdreams talk 15:20, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Which have apparently grown another pair of legs since the Good Lord last described them. --Sean 15:35, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

The key point in most translations is that they walk upon four legs, while using their other two legs to jump. Warofdreams talk 15:45, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

OP, different computer, this does not answer the quetsion, what animal has four legs, flies, and swarms that one would willingly eat. Think of it as a riddle, clue? its not a bat —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.3.145.145 (talk) 16:35, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Did you read the Kosher locust article? It seems that it's talking about walking on four legs, not having four legs, which makes the riddle easier. Comet Tuttle (talk) 17:13, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Could it be a cow, they're often surrounded by flies, and gather into large swarms. Though personally, I would not willingly eat beef. 148.197.114.158 (talk) 18:07, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

The reference is indeed to locust, and the mention of four legs is to speak of their hind two legs as "jumping legs" as explained previously. (Lev. 11:20-23) As with the rest of the Five Books of Moses, this verse cannot be properly understood without the assistance of the oral tradition that was given simultaneously. In the Minchat Chinuch (Vol.2), commandment #158 delineates the positive commandment to "evaluate and identify kosher signs of locusts (מצות בדיקת סימני חגבים)", referring to verse Lev. 11:21. The Minchat Chinuch provides the three kosher signs that can be used to identify kosher locust:

1. that they have four wings that span the majority of the length and circumference of their bodies (ארבע כנפים שחופות רוב אורך ורוב היקף גופו)
2. that they have four legs (וארבע רגלים)
3. that they have two knees with which to jump upon the earth (ושתי כרעים לנתר בהן על הארץ)

The manner of writing that splits the four fore legs from the hind two is with the intent of separating the dissimilar legs -- not because locusts grew more legs since then, as that would be at odds with reality. More detailed information is laid out in the 3rd chapter of Chullin. DRosenbach ^{(Talk | Contribs)} 20:10, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

A swarm of cows? Bizarre mental picture, there. -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 20:59, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

body shape

why are people so tall? wouldn't we be more efficient if we were round, so everything was closer together?

148.197.114.158 (talk) 18:06, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

If you go to Google Book search and search for human height "survival value" you get several results: [26]. Height is helpful in getting berries from trees or bushes farther from the ground. Height of the eyes aids in seeing things at a distance in savannas. A taller person can reach a branch and pull himself up into a tree to get bird eggs or escape a nonclimmbing predator. Long legs might assist fast running,(up to a point) to catch prey or escape predators. Male height might possibly be a benefit in attracting mates. A tall person has more surface area and can dissipate heat better, but a stocky person fares better in a bitter cold environment[27], [28]. But see also Spherical cow. Edison (talk) 19:18, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

(ec)Like this? (video) Cuddlyable3 (talk) 19:21, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

So, there is no advantage then to designing something else, say a city, to be layed out in the same shape as a person? Since they don't have to steal eggs or pick fruit. 148.197.114.158 (talk) 21:57, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

That's right. Cities are not subject to the same environmental pressures that humans have been subject to during the course of human evolution; and in any case cities don't evolve in the way that living organisms do. Comet Tuttle (talk) 22:11, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

However, cities often do develop organically, which shows similar tendencies to evolution. --Tango (talk) 00:50, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

Defective product

hi this is tarun verma.i m graguate (mechanical).i m working in aluminium foil rolling mill as a maintenance engg. my question is.....

here we r using oil filter of superstack from achenbach gmbh.in this filter ,we have to create vaccum in filter stack completely.other wise their may be fire ...so my question is is how this vaccum pump create vaccum .and some times it is not working properly...

can u give the idea about pump and problem occouring during working in pump.we just knock it ,it will start it self.this pump working is based on air (low pressure)

thanks rehards tarun verma <e-mail address removed> —Preceding unsigned comment added by Tk.verma (talk • contribs) 20:10, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

I've removed your e-mail address to protect you from spam etc., answers will (hopefully) appear here, so it's unnecessary. Have you tried looking at our article on vacuum pumps. Without knowing how good a vacuum is required it's difficult to be more specific as there are so many different types. Mikenorton (talk) 21:04, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

What did the vendor say when you contacted them about your badly functioning vacuum pump? Comet Tuttle (talk) 22:01, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

BTEE

Hi, to who ever is at the other end. My name is <personal information removed>. I used to study BTEE at 38 convent ave. New York during the years 1983,84, I think, and for reasons that I recently discovered it became clear that I had a problen about VietNam, so I have findly decided to continue my educacion after being lost in limbo for so many years. Please, I am now living in South America and it is my wish to acquire all my recors so that the school board in this country can balidate what ever I have conpleted at CCNY and Finish my degree and be able to say " I DID IT ". I hope you can feel some compasion for this VET. and help with this so needed assistance...Cesar Cardenas-Servat. <e-mail address removed>...Thank you. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 201.240.183.31 (talk) 21:21, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

This website is unaffiliated with the college. You need to contact the college directly at registrar@ccny.cuny.edu. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 23:25, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

sale of people

So, supposeing someone decided to hold a promise auction, where people would offer services, either as part of their job or just to work for someone, for sale to raise money for charity. What I need to know is a range of things someone could then be asked to do by the person paying for them, stuff that might take a few hours, maybe most of the day, and be worth giving money to charity for.

148.197.114.158 (talk) 22:00, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

OR here, but in my experience people who volunteer services at charity auctions like this usually offer services they're expert in, or have some interest in. A webmaster might offer 10 hours of web design work time; a gardener might offer 2 days' gardening work, a baker might offer a month's worth of desserts baked on the weekends, and so on. Comet Tuttle (talk) 22:08, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

I dunno: I've offered unskilled manual labor (clean out garage, etc.), and people will buy it. At a charity auction, people are generally willing to pay a premium over what the market rate for the service is. Buddy431 (talk) 22:15, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Lawn care is usually a good item. Mowing, raking, etc. Dismas|^(talk) 00:53, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

Either the service someone performs for a living, as Comet suggests, or household chores (cleaning, weeding, ironing, etc.). If you are the one organising it, you shouldn't need to worry too much - the people offering their time will decide what they want to offer to do. You might want to put a few ideas on publicity/application form to let people know the kind of thing you are thinking of, but you don't need much. --Tango (talk) 01:01, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

Tango has the best of it there. You can make suggestions. Some people might offer specific service, as above, or general physical labour (unspecified). If you're worried about what people might ask of them, a short disclaimer might be appropriate, ruling out inappropriate demands, like sexual favours, not allowing breaks, humiliation, etc. Although they're often called 'slave auctions' as an amusing title, most people understand that it's for volunteers, etc. In some of them I've seen, it was for an afternoon, or a day's work. Others were more specific. I recall one in which the auction was for a date with the person being auctioned (like in Groundhog Day). The person being auction agrees take the winner out to dinner and give them a fun night out. Steewi (talk) 03:01, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

If all the lots are dates then it is a "Bachelor auction" rather than a promise auction. That's quite different but still a fun way to raise money for charity. --Tango (talk) 03:11, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

Counseling

I just found out that counseling is very interesting and I'm beginning to consider taking it for a Master's degree. However, I'm not sure yet since my training is focused on the academe and research. Are there any activities that could simulate activities that I would expect in practicing counseling?--121.54.2.188 (talk) 02:18, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

There are lots of charities that offer counselling services. You could volunteer for one of them. See Samaritans (charity), for example. --Tango (talk) 03:08, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

I would think that a decent degree in a subject like counselling would include a practical component. It might include sitting in on sessions with an experienced counsellor (with the agreement of the clients), and/or taking simple cases yourself with a mentor on standby. In terms of simulation, the simplest form is role-playing situations that you might expect with other students. You pick a situation (perhaps at random) and role-play a client in a counselling session. I have heard of this happening with drama students playing the role of clients in mutually beneficial simulation (you get practice with counselling, the drama student can practise difficult roles). If you do not have access to other people, it can be theoretically done by listing different situations that you might come across, and outlining the approach you would take, with reference to appropriate theories and practices from your course. Your undergraduate teachers would probably be able to suggest the situations you should know. Steewi (talk) 03:10, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

If it is possible, you could approach a working counsellor and ask to sit in on some sessions and discuss them afterwards. Steewi (talk) 03:10, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

Thanks for the tips. I'll try the counsellor route since I know some of them. Perhaps I could do sit ins on his sessions as well.--121.54.2.188 (talk) 05:17, 25 May 2010 (UTC)