Wikipedia:Reference desk/Miscellaneous

Reference Desk

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June 10

Song at the end of Germany vs. Costa rica game

Hello, After the game ended between Germany and Costa rica in the world cup, there was a song playing in the stadium. It is a very famous song, but unfortunatly I don't know the name. Did anyone happen to catch the game to hear it and does anyone know the name? And also, it isn't the german national anthem. Thanks --(Aytakin) | Talk 00:18, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

If its the same song that was played at the end of England-Paraguay, then its an operatic version of Go West, originally by the Village People but better known as a Pet Shop Boys song. A number of football chants are based around the tune. Oldelpaso 15:32, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

Having fun with SmarterChild

I was bored just now so I was asking SmarterChild about countries and their systems of government; it was generally very helpful, even labelling Iraq as a 'transitional democracy', which was better than last time when it just said '-none-'. I decided to look up Belarus (Belarus being a fairly obscure country, at least to me), and this happened:

lsdjbtsrdhq3#' says: What type of government is there in Belarus? - SmarterChild - says: The type of government of Belarus is republic in name, although in fact a dictatorship.

That's a bit subversive, isn't it? Is SmarterChild allowed to say that? Is it right? And does it say something similar for any other countries? Vitriol 00:52, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

• I'm not familiar with SmarterChild, but lots of people say that Belarus is a dictatorship. For example, the European Parliament adopted a resolution saying Belarus is the last dictatorship in Europe. [1] --Metropolitan90 03:22, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

• The alternative is to just trust whatever a country chooses to call itself. This would lead to absurd conclusions like that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) is really a democracy. StuRat 13:29, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

- SmarterChild - says:

The type of government of the Republic of Korea is republic. Try again. Vitriol 17:16, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

• The Republic of Korea is South Korea, which is a republic. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is North Korea, which is nominally a republic but operates as a Communist dictatorship. --Metropolitan90 18:02, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

"The type of government of the Democratic Republic of Korea is Communist state one-man dictatorship." Ha-ha! That's better. Vitriol 20:25, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

..."democracy= one man,one vote" only in some cases it's only the one man who has the one vote..(hotclaws**== 11:44, 12 June 2006 (UTC))

Many countries were called a "People's Republic" or a "Democratic Republic" under the communist regime, e.g. People's Republic of Hungary, German Democratic Republic, People's Republic of China. – b_jonas 11:49, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

Some pin that I have

I have a metal pin and on it are the letters "RN" and there's a yellow loop ribbon at the end of the N. The ribbon is in the fish shape but the round part is on the top. What does this pin mean? I'm guessing it means "registered nurse" but I dont know.--Valuefreeperson2 20:52, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

Nurses' pins often seem to have the caduceus, any of that there? Any of these look like ~what you have: [2]. Or get a digicam somewhere and upload a picture here... Weregerbil 10:43, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

It could also be RN for nurse combined with an awareness ribbon; although the yellow ribbon is most famously associated with supporting overseas troops, it also has links to a number of diseases, including cancer. Although I suppose there's no reason why a nurse couldn't support troops. (Our awareness ribbon article has a full list). --ByeByeBaby 16:49, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

Fine then, I took a photograph of the pin. Here it is.

Disregard the Canadian flag pin beside it. I found the RN pin inside a car; in a car scrap yard a few years ago. Remember--it might not mean 'registered nurse', that was just a guess of mine.Valuefreeperson2 20:52, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

Royal Navy? TastyCakes 21:05, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

Most probably it means Royal Navy, take a look at this link that will explain some things, also, this link says it could have something to do do with nurses, but my guess is the Royal Navy, because of the RN letters.--Captain ginyu 21:37, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

OHH! OHH! On one of the websites you gave, it says on the website

 The "Yellow Ribbon" was used as a symbol in the fight nurses waged to keep the Emergency Rooms in Winnipeg open in 1995. 

I found this pin while I lived in Winnipeg! So it does mean the nurses!--Valuefreeperson2 20:52, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

Looking for Names/Lists/websites of Accounting firms in Norway

Dear sir/madam, I'm an accountant/student from Sydney. I've been looking for names of Accounting firms in Norway for past few weeks, but have been unsuccessful.

Before I started working in the accounting firm I did google search which returned a list of top 100 accounting firms in Sydney. Then I managed to find the home pages of those companies by doing a name search. I wanted to do the same for Norwegian accouting firms. I've tried Wikipedia and it gave me plenty of information on Norway, but nothing on the names or lists of accounting firms there.

It would be a great if you could help me with this search as I need to look at the profiles of the Norwegian accounting firms in order to apply for jobs there.

Regards, Andrea

Google is your friend. A search of the .no domain for "accounting" yields several sites. Perhaps some of these pages will serve as a starting point.

As an alternative, try contacting the Norwegian embassy. If you tell them you're looking to spend a few years working in Norway, they may give you a list of accountancy firms who take on qualified accountants from other countries. Another possible starting point. --Howard Train 04:29, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

• You could take a look through Category:Companies of Norway, but the additional information the Embassy can provide you with would make that the better option. Road Wizard 11:10, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

A partial list is here, a more complete list is here. You could start by contacting the local branches of "the big four". Here are links to their home pages:

• PricewaterhouseCoopers,
• Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu,
• Ernst & Young,
• KPMG.

--vibo56 ^talk 13:29, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

Human Isolation

I was watching a movie and a thought occurred to me: what would happen if a young child was literally isolated from all humans for an experiment (Maybe like in a small room or something with a food slot) and what would happen to her/him when she/he was let out after an extended time? Just curious to see what y’all will say. ~Cathy~

• I can't remember the name of it right now, but such things have been proposed by several psychologists. I don't believe it's ever actually been -done- in a controlled environment, of course, but there have been theories. Cases have existed, though, where abusive parents have kept children isolated for years, and as far as I know, none of them were able to survive in the real world to adulthood after being rescued. Sorry I can't think of the names right now for you to look up.. -Goldom (t) (Review) 05:12, 10 June 2006 (UTC)
• I learned about this in my psych class back in college; the most famous case is a girl named Genie, who really was locked up. Click the link, but the short answer is, when found, the isolated child is dumber than a hamster (literally), but she can be taught, and although certain abilities are lost forever, the human mind is plastic enough that a few abilities can rise to near-normal levels.--M@rēino 05:41, 10 June 2006 (UTC)
  • Of course, wouldn't you know, Wiki has an article: Genie (feral child).--M@rēino 05:46, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

That's so sad! ~Cathy~

Take a look at Danny the Dog (film), a film about that issue.--Captain ginyu 21:08, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

• I seem to recall a story in Herodotus about a Pharoah carrying out this experiment with a pair of twins. It's an old question. Lisiate 22:45, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

Actually this is a question I ponder almost everyday. How would their customs be different? How would they use human tools? We would find out home much of our world is cultural and how much is "human". Of course this is highly unethical to actually do, but an important question nonetheless. --mboverload@ 06:15, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

Largest University Presses

I'm looking for a ranking of the largest university presses, or largest book publishers (including universities), or something of that sort. -mercuryboard^talk ♠ 06:10, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

Do you have a specific language or type of publication in mind? Some university presses also do sheet music. Are you including that? Mrplastic 07:30, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

I am looking for whatever data is available. University presses has a list, but I need a ranking. I'm interested in the United States but it wouldn't be hard to extract non-US presses from a list if I had one. -mercuryboard^talk ♠ 16:48, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

Celebrity lookalikes

Does anyone else think that Keira Knightly looks like Winona Ryder? Mrplastic 07:28, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

Well I've asked everyone, and some of them do and some of them don't. I hope that answers your question.--Shantavira 14:01, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

If we are taking a poll, yes, I do think she looks like Winona Ryder. --Cam 17:17, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

Kind of a resemblance. I suppose. --Proficient 01:57, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

If they weren't in makeup and I saw one on the street, I guess I could mistakenly mix up their identities, but they do look rather different.. --Froth 05:01, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

Personally, I've always been convinced that Lady Diana and Wayne Gretzky were actually one person. Has anyone ever seen the two of them together in the same place at the same time? Of course I'm kidding, but take a look at the two of them, I swear they're the spitting image of each other. Loomis51 20:58, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

She looks more like Natalie Portman, as shown in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. --Canley 05:04, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

That's funny, because I always thought that Natalie Portman looked more like Scarlett Johansson. --Maelwys 18:36, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

BTW - has anyone seen anything of Ringo Starr since the death of Yasser Arafat? Grutness...wha? 06:52, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

A way hotter version that doesn't steal, yes =) --mboverload@ 06:13, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

technical info

I am looking for information on shipbuilding,specifically,shaft and engine alignment,in steel hull vessels.

• We have an article on Shipbuilding, but it probably doesn't include enough technical details to answer your question. Have you tried a Google search? Road Wizard 13:27, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

Here is a link I found on Google; a page about marine propulsion and shaft design problems. Hope it helps. Road Wizard 13:33, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

top 20 NFL quaterback lifetime rushing leaders.

Randall Cunningham rushed for 4928 yards in his NFL lifetime.

Where does he rank in the top 20?

According to football.com, as well as our own article on him, Randall Cunningham is the all-time leader in QB rushing, ahead of Steve Young with 4239 and Fran Tarkenton with 3674. Of course, none of these numbers are close to the all time leaders for rushing overall, Jerome Bettis is 10th and has over 11,500 yards rushing. --ByeByeBaby 16:43, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

male or female?

If someone is left-handed, are they male or female? Similarly, if three specific left-handed people are in a group, is the gender at least two of them share male or female. This is not a general or mathematical question. This is about a specific case.

82.131.189.11 16:36, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

• I am now working on the assumption that you may be asking us a trick question. If you have 3 specific people, then it should be obvious to you what gender they are. Road Wizard 19:51, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

No, it's not a trick question!!! If you have 3 specific people, then it should be obvious to you what gender they are. Great, so you know the answer, but could you write it too? Are the two "obviously" male or "obviously" female??? 87.97.8.244 20:52, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

I think your emphasis of the term specific is confusing the issue; if you know specifically who the 3 people are then you know which gender they are. If that is not the answer, then based on the current information you have supplied us with the people could be either male or female. There is no way to guarantee an outcome of such a question without directly selecting the candidates. The only answer that can be given to you based on a random selection is a probability, in x% of occasions 2 of the 3 will be male. To work out that probability is a mathematics question and should be referred to the maths desk. Either take your question there or supply us with more of your specific information. There is nothing more I can help you with as the position currently stands. Road Wizard 21:17, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

According to left-handed, it's more likely for a male to be left-handed than a female. The relative percentages are 5.24% male, 4.76% female. But that general result cannot be used to predict whether any particular male or female is left-handed. And it can't be used to determine the sex of a person from their handedness. JackofOz 01:55, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

(below was my first attempt with this question, I've tried to be clearer above.)

I'm afraid you'll have to try a bit harder to make the question clearer. I'll try to answer your questions as simply as possible:

Q: If someone is left-handed, are they male or female?

A: Being left handed says nothing definitive about a person's gender. The question is unanswerable. It's like asking: If a person is owns a toothbrush, are they male or female?

Q: Similarly, if three specific left-handed people are in a group, is the gender at least two of them share male or female.

A: Come to think of it, yes. But the left handedness of the three seems to be a total red herring. Take any three people and, barring hermaphrodism, at least two are bound to be of the same gender as there only exist two genders and it is therefore impossible for three people to be of three different genders.

Keep in mind that I'm doing my best to assume good faith, which is extremely difficult given this absurd question.

Maybe you can actually give the details of this "specific" situation, so we may finally understand what on earth you're talking about, rather than be forced to assume that you must be asking some sort of trick question, or worse, you're just wasting our time with some sort of annoying prank. Loomis51 20:49, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

older answers, tangents

They could be male or female. Your best bet may be to ask them. --Optichan 15:46, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

Though the article currently has a verifiability warning on it, we do have one that talks about the condition of being left handed. According to the figures in that article, roughly 10% of the world's population is left handed (5.24% Male, 4.76% Female). Road Wizard 16:32, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

I actually thought of writing in my question that I looked at this; however, 5.24% of population vs. 4.76% of population is almost no difference when I ask about a particular case. In my case I would like to know whether if someone in particular is left-handed, are they male or female? Here's also a separate question as follows. [also I got like the experiment template from someone, so let me sign all three posts]82.131.189.11 16:36, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

There must have been some sort of edit conflict when I was writing my first answer, as your 2nd question only showed up on my screen after I had saved my answer, even though yours was first. I have now supplied the answer to your 2nd question below. Road Wizard 16:47, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

Secondary Question

If three specific people are left-handed people, are two of them guaranteed to have the same gender? (no hermaphrodites). 82.131.189.11 16:36, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

p.s. I think the answer is guaranteed to be yes because of the pigeon-hole principle, I would just like confirmation. 82.131.189.11 16:39, 10 June 2006 (UTC).

*If you have three people (assuming no hermaphrodites or those who have had their gender changed) then the only possible combinations are; 3 female, 2 female & 1 male, 1 female & 2 male, and finally 3 male. In that case there is always two of the same gender. Road Wizard 16:43, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

Wonderful answer! I think this is the case too, that given three left-handed people (no hermaphrodites/sex-changes/etc), the group will always consist of one of the following possibilities:

1. 3 female
2. 2 female & 1 male
3. 1 female & 2 male
4. 3 male

(this seems obvious, but mathematically how do you know you've listed all the possibilities above? Maybe you left something out, who knows...) Anyway, assuming that those really are all the possibilities, we can see that in all the cases there are at least two left-handed people of the same gender, and in half the cases (#1 and #2) the gender that two left-handed people share is female and in half the cases (#3 and #4) the gender that two left-handed people share is male. (There's no case that has both two left-handed people of the male gender and two left-handed people of the female gender, and there's also no case where no two left-handed people from the three share a gender). So, with that established, what I'd like to know is, in a specific case of 3 left-handed people in a group, which gender do they share? 87.97.8.244 17:56, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

*This started as a simple question about whether left handed people are male or female. From your evovled question above, you appear to be asking about the likelihood of finding a certain number of left handed people being of the same gender based on the proportions of 52.4% being male and 47.6% being female. This is now obviously a mathematical question and should be referred to the Mathematics desk. Road Wizard 18:58, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

But what in the world is this to do with being left-handed...? -Goldom (t) (Review) 17:31, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

Maybe this all works into a school assignment. --Optichan 19:05, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

It has nothing to do with being left handed. This has to do with people putting stupid questions into the help desk to get a rise out of people. TastyCakes 19:06, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

"New" Products

Sometimes I see commercials for a product that is advertised as "new," but it has actually been around for quite a few years. Is this legal?

(Corrected spelling, "leagal" > "legal".)

"New" has no legal meaning, unless the government chooses to define a meaning, such as "patented within the last year". StuRat 16:24, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

In human terms, a few years may be a long time, but geologically, 2 years is very little time and the product could thereby be considered "new", I suppose. The term "new", used to describe products, although perhaps misleading may not be illegal, but it would depend on the country you were in- for example, in England, you could complain to the Office of Fair Trading, but perhaps they made "minor" improvements to the product, thus creating (arguably) an effectively "new" product. EvocativeIntrigue 16:19, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

I always remember the furniture retailer dfs, who ran the same adverts claiming "Hurry! Offer ends this Sunday at 5PM!" every week for several years! smurrayinchester^{(User), (Talk)} 17:26, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

How about the US's "JCPenny this saturday only sale" every single saturday for as long as i've been alive? --Froth 02:27, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

Well, as long as different things are on sale each Saturday, it's not the same sale, but many sales. StuRat 00:01, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

calender

i dint get the calender ordates of muharram in the year 1976 and 1977... please help me. its very urgent.. its a matter of somebodies birth.. he doesnt know when he was born.. if u could get that dates probably he will find his birth date.. please help.. --219.64.65.19 17:07, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

• You can try the Islamic-Western Calendar Converter to convert between Western and Islamic dates. If you are still stuck, let us know. Road Wizard 17:15, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

• alternatively, you can try the form at the bottom of this page. You should convert to a Gregorian calendar, since that's what we have used in the West since well before 1978. However, there's a bit of a problem with your phrasing, since you mix Western and Islamic years (according that that page). For example, I tried to convert "the 4th day of Muharram in the year 1976", but the Islamic year 1976 won't happen until 2540. Specifically, the 4th day of Muharram in the year 1976 will occur on the Western date "7 September 2540", ie more than 500 years from now. (Muharram is just the name of a month).
  So, you should try working backwards, using the first form:

The Western date January 1, 1977 was already the 10th day of Muharram [in the Islamic year 1397] and the Western date February 1, 1976 was already the 30th day of Muharram [in the Islamic year 1396].
Do you know which day of Muharram your friend was born? 82.131.187.22 17:29, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

There is not an ad! A freeware application for Windows called Calendar Magic, a Eurosoft Product, gives this kind of conversion from and to almost any known calendar system (plus bells and whistles +++). I recommend this to my Muslim acquaintances. I'm sure there are other effective programs, freeware and commercial, but since I downloaded this my computer has become a date-related info center for family and the kids' school friends, apparently more convenient than downloading their own version. --Seejyb 09:32, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

How to stop bogus insertions in articles?

Hello, I recently went through the article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dharamsinh_Desai_Institute_of_Technology, which is about a college in India. But it seems, the person who created it always inserts some personal info about himself in the article. Like "xyz is a talented person from this college", or "the greatly intelligent xyz passed out in this year..." (where xyz is the name of that person). So how to tell that person that he maintain some composure and maintain decency of articles when creating articles? Thank You.

Use the vandalism warning messages on their talk page. See Wikipedia:Vandalism & Template:TestTemplates. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 17:29, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

• You can also give them a friendly pointer to WP:BIO or Wikipedia:Vanity and explain that talking about yourself in an encyclopedia is not appropriate. Follow up with vandalism warnings if they persist. - Mgm|^(talk) 20:38, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

Edit count

How can I find the number of edits I've made? I click on 'my contributions,' but the edits are bulleted instead of numbered. Thanks! Reywas92 21:07, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

You could count your edits since 3/11/06 then add them to your number on Wikipedia:List of Wikipedians by number of edits. —Mike 21:33, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

• Another editor asked the same question on the Help desk the other day. See the answer here. Road Wizard 21:39, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

Make sure you do not click the 2nd link mentioned in that answer though as that was specific to the user who asked the original question. Road Wizard 21:41, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

June 11

Black Hole

There was a scifi original movie on TV today:

xyz and xyz star in this scifi drama about a laboratory malfunction that creates a black hole and unleashes an energy monster on st louis

"energy monster" aside, discuss the plausability of a black hole ravaging a major city. there were several questionable ideas in the movie, like driving through the black hole's event horizon, and blowing it up with a large bomb..

Can anyone dispense devastatic critical prose regarding this movie?

--Froth 02:44, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

I think that if they could get the bomb to remain intact beyond the event horizon, and it was a big enough bomb (as in, big enough to disintegrate a mass several tens of thousand times the mass of the sun)...then in might be possible to "blow up" the black hole (it would be promptly replaced with several stars of varying size and having total mass roughly equal to that of the disintegrated black hole). Of course, those are rather large "if's" (and I'm quite certain that someone with a PhD in Physics will come along and give you a much better answer) :D --inks^T 04:10, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

Keep in mind that the black hole was quite near the earth (it was moving about the city I believe) and the method you proposed would probably cause considerable damage to local residences. --Froth 04:56, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

Haven't seen the movie, but you can't "blow up" a black hole; doesn't matter how big a bomb you use. Inside the event horizon, even light, pointing directly outwards, cannot escape. So it doesn't matter how big the energy release is; everything is staying gravitationally bound inside the event horizon. Barring some error in currently understood physics, of course. --Trovatore 06:22, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

Scriptwriters really shouldn't be allowed to get away with this nonsense, even (or especially) if it's meant for kids. I suggest you write to the tv company and complain that this is inimical to education.--Shantavira 10:18, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

Yes, but if you start there, where would you ever stop? Most of what's on TV gives a false representation of "real life". JackofOz 22:40, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

The amount of energy released by anything being sucked into it would be so great as to vapourise everything nearby anyway (approximately 10% of the matter's rest mass energy, so 1kg of material would release about a million billion joules). Besides, the black hole wouldn't just roll about on the Earth's surface, it would fall straight down, boring a hole right to the core of the Earth. Then the Earth would collapse in into it, if it hadn't already been blown into space by the ridiculous amount of energy being released. And it would all happen in less than a minute. There'd but nothing but plasma left, spraying into the void of space.  -- Run!  22:11, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

Wouldn't the majority of the solar system get sucked into it eventually, before it finally attained a stable orbit around the sun? --Kurt Shaped Box 22:40, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

Would an object with sufficient mass to capture light orbit the sun? --Froth 02:27, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

Well yes, it would. It would become a binary system, I suppose. But there's no reason why the black hole should fall into the Sun - the black hole is just a body with mass like everything else. This black hole in particular would have the mass of the Earth, so at long distances it wouldn't affect any of the planets - it would just replace the Earth. While we're here, the radius of an Earth-mass black hole (i.e. the event horizon) using semi-classical derviation would be about a centimeter.  -- Run!  05:37, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

If the black hole started out on the surface of the Earth, it wouldn't even eat the moon. There's nothing magical about black holes: one with the mass of the Earth would act exactly like the Earth in terms of gravitational effect on the rest of the solar system. --Serie 22:51, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

When it comes to movies on the SciFi Channel, don't believe a second of it. There's a new one each week and they are poorly made (you can tell by the Doom-level CGI they use). They are made PURELY for the fun of watching (which is doubtful) and have no scientific basis behind them. 'At all =D --mboverload@ 06:11, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

please help identify a freemason cemetery stone

i am plotting and trying to rebuild the records on a local cemetery i have run across a freemasonry stone other than the simbol of the freemason theres no name or way of knowing who is there how can i find out who was buried in the cemetery with with this stone i know that the grave behind the stone is dated 1831 i am not sure if the freemason stone is as old or older than that please let me know how i can reseach this if you can thank you yvonne —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 205.203.44.69 (talk • contribs) 21:58, June 10, 2006 (UTC)

Working out who is buried there, if anyone, would depend on whether proper records were kept at the time. Can you specify what country and state/town you are in, as someone here may know the appropriate records office for you to check at. Road Wizard 10:21, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

THE cemetery is in Texas, Robertson County, Hearne from what i can find out so far the cemetery was there before the city of Hearne was and also that the cemetry was also there before Texas won its indepenence from mexico in 1836 and became a free nation onto it self for 10 years till we joined the U.S. in 1845 I have two stones that are dated 1821 and 1831 county records only go back too 1838. I was told that maybe the freemason chapters could tell me who had or has a chapter in this area and if anyone from that chapter was buried in this county from what I have read and what I have been told the freemason were and still are a very select group of people. thank you for all your help if you can give it I really appicate it —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 205.203.44.69 (talk • contribs) 05:39, June 11, 2006 (UTC)

I have been searching through the external links of our Freemasonry article for the organisation in your area. You might want to check with the The Grand Lodge of Texas (established 1837). They may be able to give you the answer or point you in the right direction. Road Wizard 17:47, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

thank you road wizard for the information if you come across anything else could you post it for me i will keep checking again thank you very much —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 205.203.44.69 (talk • contribs) 10:59, June 11, 2006 (UTC)

Xbox-to-N64 controller adapter?

Does such a thing exist? I've spent lifetimes searching for one, with no luck. Anyone know where I could fine one, preferably in Australia? (To clarify, I'm looking for an adapter that lets me use an Xbox controller on a N64). —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 202.7.176.130 (talk • contribs) 22:41, June 10, 2006 (UTC)

I highly doubt one exists. By the time the xbox came around, no one was making anything for the N64 anymore. One going the other direction might be slightly more probable, but I've never heard of one. Only N64 controller adapator I've ever heard of was to USB (for computer), and even that is no longer being made. -Goldom (t) (Review) 05:43, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

Perhaps if you could get an Xbox to USB and then a USB to N64...--SeizureDog 10:21, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

But they're competing companies, so why would they make adaptors? Why do you need such a thing, is there nothing better to do with your "lifetime". Philc _T^E_C^I 22:58, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

Lifetimes. --Froth 02:23, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

They don't make adapters, other companies do. You can purchase a PS2-to-Xbox controller, for example; I'd like to use an Xbox one on my old N64, so I can play my N64 games. You might not have noticed, but N64 controllers deteriorate to an unusable state after 3 or 4 years, and are no longer being made.

But the supply of unwanted N64 controllers is almost inexhaustable [3]. Philc _T^E_C^I 00:09, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

old schools

I am searching for a picture of my grandperents when they went to school and some useful info on what was happening at that time my grandma whent to kimberly state school in 1952 but the school was closed down I cant even find the school let alone the pictures I have gone mastly through google but nothing seems to come up my grandpa went to a school called weegena around the same time it is there 60th anniversary on the 24th of this month I would very much like to have a pic and/or some info on what they have achieved together my grandmas name is shiela gaffney and my grandpas name is mick poole my name is luke poole and you can contact me on (email address redacted) even if it the most minute info it would still be very much appreciated the schools are both in tasmania and they have both been closed down your sencerly luke —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 203.164.143.97 (talk • contribs) 23:06, June 10, 2006 (UTC)

You have a very nice idea for your grandparents. Don't you think that maybe the names of the state, and /or country could help us ? --DLL 19:16, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

Thay told us: Tasmania. I'm assuming by this they mean the island by the big landmass of Australia, but it is possible they mean a town called Tasmania somewhere else. Skittle 21:36, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

I (JackofOz) have taken the liberty of providing a punctuated version of Luke's post (below). Luke, if you really want people to read your questions, a little bit of effort to make them readable would not go astray, otherwise you do yourself no favours at all. You wouldn't speak that entire paragraph as a single sentence, so why write it that way?:

I am searching for a picture of my grandparents when they went to school, and some useful info on what was happening at that time. My grandma went to Kimberley State School in 1952 but the school was closed down. I can't even find the school let alone the pictures. I have gone mostly through Google but nothing seems to come up. My grandpa went to a school called Weegena around the same time. It is their 60th anniversary on the 24th of this month. I would very much like to have a pic and/or some info on what they have achieved together. My grandma's name is Shiela Gaffney and my grandpa's name is Mick Poole. My name is Luke Poole and you can contact me on (email address redacted). Even if it [is] the most minute info, it would still be very much appreciated. The schools are both in Tasmania and they have both been closed down. Yours sincerely, Luke.

Economic Applications

What is the role of commercial banks in an economy like India's? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 221.134.46.227 (talk • contribs) 23:34, June 10, 2006 (UTC)

Pretty much the same as in any other country. Have you read the article about banks? --Shantavira 10:22, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

Sounds like a homework question. --Froth 02:21, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

Doorbell with flashing light for deaf person

I would like to get a doorbell for a hearing-impaired man living in my apartment building but the regular doorbell makes noise. I would like to find one that flashes light and my Google search isnt turning up good ones. Where do I look? --Blue387 07:32, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

• Any online deaf communities should be able to help you get your hands on such a doorbell. - Mgm|^(talk) 08:34, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

The old age home near us has a handyman who modifies wireless doorbells to give light flashes instead of ringing. The components are cheap, and the design is apparently by the owner of the electronics store, who sells the kits. One feels that Mgm's advice should yield answers, but if you do not find what you are looking for, I can stop off and get the circuit diagrams at the home if you wish (I know they are free for anyone to use). Let me know on my user page. --Seejyb 10:10, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

• From your use of the term "apartment building", I am assuming that you are not in the UK. However, the Royal National Institute for Deaf People in the UK has a handy website that lists a series of useful technological devices. If you contact them, they should be able to give you the contact details of a related organisation in your own country. Alternatively, let us know which country you are in and someone here may be able to give you a better link. Road Wizard 11:19, 11 June 2006 (UTC)
  • Here is the RNID technology webpage I mentioned above . Road Wizard 11:24, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

Space Agencies and the Military in Science Fiction

I have two questions to ask you:

1.In Star Trek, do most of the individual planets(including United Earth) have their own a or do they have a space agency similar to Starfleet or NASA?

2.In most science fictions that talk about world government,space exploration, or aliens, do most of the planets with their own central government have an army or do they have a space agency similar to Starfleet or NASA? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 60.241.147.187 (talk • contribs) 00:48, June 11, 2006 (UTC)

For number 2 that would depend on the author of the book. I have read books which have either. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 15:16, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

Also for #2, be aware that the two aren't necessarily mutually exclusive. Consider the US, which maintains a separate Army and Navy as well as a naval-embarked army (the Marines). It's fairly easy to extend the analogy to a "space navy" that doesn't sacrifice other military branches. — Lomn Talk 19:06, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

If aliens existed, I'm sure NASA and other space agencies(or an International Space Agency if one existed) would have fighting against aliens in times of war as one of their duties, though space exploration would continue to be their main mission.But a space navy would have global defence as their main mission, not exploration and research.

I'm not quite sure about Star Trek, but I've read a lot of science fiction and planets (or groups of planets in an empire, federation, whatever) usually have a space navy and space marine and (less often mentioned) army (for occupation of planets). Obviously, it's very common for individual planets in an empire to have their own defense force - usually an army for ground defense and sometimes a wet navy and/or air force (though these are often left out in favor of simply deploying atmosphere capable space forces). Big O

Personally, I think the military proper (particularly the air force, most likely, seeing as that's where the first astronauts came from) would most likely take over the fighting-aliens duties, and not NASA. As it happens, though, I think if we ever do meet extraterrestrial intelligence, the difference in level of civilization between us and them would so great as to preclude the possibility of war, for the sheer uselessness of it. That is, either one side would destroy the other (utterly and quickly), or, more likely, neither would bother. zafiroblue05 | Talk 00:39, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

I agree. While NASA is the only agency currently able to do anything significant in space (if you don't belive the conspiracy whackoa) in the future any military force will want their own capabilities. HOWEVER I think the future version of NASA will "take the lead" contacting the aliens with the military ready to launch nukes at any second. --mboverload@ 06:07, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

I love the way that in movies "united Earth agencies" are always American!(hotclaws**== 12:49, 13 June 2006 (UTC))

Salvia divinorum

What negative, if any, effects have been shown in the use of Salvia divinorum? In regards to health, both physically and mentally. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 67.162.157.185 (talk • contribs) 03:49, June 11, 2006 (UTC)

Our article Salvia divinorum discusses some of the possible effects. Road Wizard 11:07, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

Please don't double-post. The science desk was the right place to ask this. —Keenan Pepper 20:13, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

Panda dog

Anyone know what this is? Genetic experiment, panda pup, dog with odd fur? http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2619210151090763074&q=panda+dog —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 202.7.176.130 (talk • contribs) 04:16, June 11, 2006 (UTC)

Really, really cute, or cruel? It's a poodle x Maltese dyed to look like a panda. Natgoo 11:56, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

According to the text in the Google video sidebar, this is an abandoned dog in Tokyo, which was given a new lease of life after being given a makeover to make him look like a panda, by covering parts of his coat with black dye. Accordning to the same source, his name is Columbo, and he is a poodle-maltese cross. The text appears to be taken from www.itnarchive.com, although to confirm that I would have had to sign up, something I didn't want to do. --vibo56 ^talk 12:02, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

That is damn cool. --Froth 02:17, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

Pandas don't have such long tails and protruding snout/nose so it's definitely a dog. -- Миборовский 04:12, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

How to send details for International Simon Bolivar Prize

To, Respected Sir,

Please send the contact details and email add in my email (email address removed)

Maheshjani —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 59.144.132.203 (talk • contribs) 05:30, June 11, 2006 (UTC)

• We have an article on International Simón Bolívar Prize and the contact details on the associated website is shown here. Road Wizard 13:01, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

Inside the park home runs

Anybody know which major league baseball player has the record for hitting the most "inside the park home runs"? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 152.163.100.199 (talk • contribs) 09:13, June 11, 2006 (UTC)

According to the Inside-the-park home run article, "The record for most inside-the-park home runs for a single season (12) was set by Sam Crawford in 1901. He is also the holder for most career inside-the-park home runs with 51. The career leader post-1950 is 13 by former Royals outfielder Willie Wilson." --smcro 16:36, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

Countdown Word Round Rude Words

Does anyone know if there is a compilation of funny/rude words appearing on the UK Channel 4 Countdown show in the word round. (The one where you choose consonant/vowel and try to make the longest word). When these come up they really crack me up, but after googling and looking at the Wikipedia article i've had no luck, i'd have thought someone would have put together a little archive. Thanks very much -Benbread 17:06, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

• Please see our article on Countdown (game show), it has an external link at the bottom of the page which mentions rude words from the show. Road Wizard 17:15, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

england football team

what is meaning of three lions insignia —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 80.1.192.66 (talk • contribs) 12:14, June 11, 2006 (UTC)

Coat of Arms of England should help you. Sum0 19:25, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

Unknown song

Does anybody know that song that goes "Ohhhh, Annie Ah, Ah, Ah". It was in Austin Powers, but I don't know what one. Thanks a lot. Kilo-Lima|^(talk) 20:52, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

Check the soundtrack from Austin Powers:International Man of Mystery, Austin Powers:The Spy Who Shagged Me and Austin Powers in Goldmember, maybe you can find something useful there.--Captain ginyu 21:22, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

I'm pretty certain you mean Mas Que Nada. Sum0 21:50, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

finding out a store name that has come and gone

Moved from Help desk. Road Wizard 22:11, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

Hi, I am trying to get a history on the store space in Garfield Hts. oh,.. i am tring to remember the name of the store that was there back in the seventies and eighties How would i do that or does anyone know.... —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 24.93.164.118 (talk • contribs) 21:44, 11 June, 2006 (UTC).

If you know the address, call the local library and see if they have a city directory for the year in question. -- Mwalcoff 23:26, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

Or look at that location in google earth or mapquest; those maps tend to be so outdated you might find that store :D --Froth

"Officer on deck!"

From pop culture I've learned that Navy and Marine enlisted let others know an officer is nearby and requires saluting by calling out the above phrase. Can anyone tell me if there was an equivalent custom among the sailors of 17th century France, and if so, what they called out?

Thanks Adambrowne666 23:15, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

PS I asked this at Humanities a week ago, but no one was able to help.

Try asking them http://www.defense.gouv.fr/marine, there is a contact link on the top right. If you don't speak french try in english. If they can't answer ask if they can direct you to an organization devoted to french marine history. Good luck. Jon513 15:22, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

Excellent, thank you very muchAdambrowne666 01:15, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

June 12

Duracell's bunny

I am wondering what is the name of the Duracell's long time known bunny (which it seems to keep walking and walking and so on). By the way, does it have a name?. When did this character appeared to the media?.--HappyApple 00:52, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

It's named the energizer bunny. He was introduced in October 1989--Froth 02:15, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

See Energizer Bunny. It keeps going and going and going and going and...Adambiswanger1 04:32, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

Perhaps HappyApple is referring to the Duracell Bunny, which predates the Energizer Bunny (although the article doesn't give a date). Adam Bishop 05:33, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

There's a geographical difference. He's simply called the Duracell Bunny in the British Isles and mainland Europe, and the Energizer Bunny in North America. They're not exactly alike, though. Andrew 17:43, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

Well, they're different bunnies and they represent different companies. The Energizer Bunny is a parody of the Duracell Bunny. Of course, most North Americans probably don't know about the Duracell Bunny. --Optichan 18:53, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

I'd never heard of it --Froth 20:36, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

Italy's size in square miles

Hi, May someone please tell me the legnth of Italy in square miles? I need this information for an academic project and my brain is not up to speed. Thank You! :) Jerry C. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 4.243.215.179 (talk • contribs) 19:24, June 11, 2006 (UTC)

The Italian Peninsula is about 1000km in length. You did want length, not area right? --Froth 02:29, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

Our article on Italy gives it in sq. mi. as well as sq km. Rmhermen 02:31, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

The area is 116,346.5 square miles (301,230 km²), --Yarnalgo 02:39, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

Pity those two numbers don't agree. – b_jonas 22:52, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

I believe that would because of using an abbreviated conversion factor. The true value is 116,305.5 (difference in conversion factor of 0.000136 mi²/km² or 0.03%) Rmhermen 23:04, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

The Age of the Earth

Some Christians in the world not only claim that creation is right and evolution is wrong, but they also claim that the earth is not billions of years old but only 6,000 years old.Those Christians are called the young-earth creationists.I have three questions to ask you about young-earth creationism:

1.The young-earth creationists claim that for some reasons, the six days of Genesis Chapter 1 can only mean six literal 24-hour days.Is that true?

2.They also claim that radio-carbon dating is not very accurate.They claim that it can be contaminated with samples that can distort the result.Is that true?If it is, then how accurate is it?Is it accurate enough to prove that the earth is billions of years old?

3.Many people have criticized the advocates of Intelligent Design for proposing a theory that is not really science.If so, than whether you're creationist or evolutionist,Christian or not; what do you think about these more radical creationists?

220.245.178.140 07:49, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

• My answer:

1. No it's not. The fun thing about writing is that it can mean a lot of things. What was actually meant, we'll never know, because the people who wrote it down are no longer alive to tell us. On a side note, the people who wrote down the bible lived at least a 1000 years after actual creation would've occured and bibles were copied and subject to interpretation until the printing press was invented. Who's to say the very original earliest draft off the bible didn't say something different. They want it to mean 6 days, but that's not the only possible interpretation.
2. No, that's completely untrue. Scientists consider radiocarbon dating accurate to about 60.000 years. Carbon dating works by measuring the amount of radioactive carbon 14 in carbonaceous material (corpses, plants, pottery, wood,etc). Each 5730 years this amount halves (see half-life). By the amount of carbon 14 currently remaining, scientists can determine when the material would have the regular amount of carbon 14 in its system (i.e. when it was alive). To make such material seem older, you'd have to remove carbon 14 rather than adding something. It's not very specific anything less than 5000 years can't be measured accurately, but according to the stuff I just found here in Wikipedia, you can use it to prove the earth is at least 60.000 years old, not 6000.
3. I don't think I'm qualified to answer this. - Mgm|^(talk) 08:34, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

1. I believe it is true that they claim it, however I don't know what their basis for doing so it. In general even assuming that the bible is an accurate record of past events (a massive assumption unsupported by most evidence/science) there has been a huge amount of translation/mistranslation/editing & dispute over the precise meaning of words & passages. It is probably impossible tobe definitive about anything in it.

2. Carbon dating is accurate enough, certainly accurate enough to indicate ages of >6,000 years (as do many other forms of dating). The claim of contamination throwing off the dating doesn't seem to hold water as if the universe (& earth) was created in 4004BC (as asserted by Archbishop Ussher) there wouldn't be any older material to contaminate the carbon dating & provide an older date.

3. Both seem to be motivated more by their religious beliefs than any desire to determine the truth, as such they do not deal in verifiable science but unverifiable faith. AllanHainey

--

1)Yes that's what literal creationism is; the literal reading of Genesis (the first day, the second day, etc). 2) Radiocarbon dating can only be accurate up to about 60,000 years in the past. 3) Young-age creationists aren't radical, the young age theory is mainstream within creationism, and a very significant portion (a majority?) of Americans subscribe to the theory. Anyway, it's clearly not in the realm of science to guess at the origin of the earth or even life; whether on the creationist or evolutionist side, it's pseudoscience if the Faith card isn't played, a powerful move by the way--Froth 08:44, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

.1 no, they relate to God-years, In hinduism (if one is willing to look at the correlation between our differing rligions) one will notice that one day for God or the Brahma relates to many thousands of years for us, this is better explained in A Treatise on Cosmic Fire by Alice Bailey, i will see if i can dig up the relative passage for you....hence, ill be back. oh, and carbondating is pretty accurate, it can be contaminated, but if 100 000 samples all say the same thing, are they all wrong, i think not.193.115.175.247 13:55, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

No, Young Earth Creationism is not mainstream within creationsim. Creationism is the belief that the Universe was created (by God, usually) which you pretty much have to subscribe to if you believe in an all-powerful God. The young-earth variety is a minority worldwide. But they make the most noise, and they make the most noise in the US, both of which give them undue prominence.

To Froth: it is certainly 'in the realm of science' to investigate the age of the Earth, if not its ultimate origin. DJ Clayworth 14:00, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

Almost every "Evangelical Christian" denomination subscribes to that theory, as well as the Roman Catholic Church. And since Christianity's the world's most popular religion (the athiests are just the ones who "make the most noise") I'd say it's pretty mainstream. And I'd challenge you to come up with any even theoretical way of determining the origin of the universe; that's clearly a question of philosophy, or probably just Faith. Even going with the big bang theory, the theory itself makes it clear that (i'm not sure exactly what this is called) since the entire universe was basically a singularity, this universe's causal chain began at that point and there is no way to know what happened beforehand. --Froth 20:33, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

I have left my book at home, but will answer the first part of tour question fully tomorow. 1 year of the brahma equals 432000 years of man.193.115.175.247 15:08, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

While radiocarbon dating cannot prove the age of the Earth beyond aprox. 60,000 years, using other elements, scientists can prove the Earth is far older than 60,000 years; closer to 4.5 billion years, in fact. See Age of the Earth. zafiroblue05 | Talk 00:46, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

the days in the bible are correlatted as follows. The various eastern philisophical deities correspond to varios hirachies of angels and demonds all the way up to the supreme being which is the same in most monothiestic religions: 360 days of a human egauls 1 year krita yuga contains 1,728,000 years tetra yuga contains 1,296,000 years dwarpa yuga contains 864,000 years kali yuga contains 432,000 years the total of the said four yugas constitute a maha yuga 4,320,000 years 71 of such maha yugas form the period of the reign of 1 manu 306,720,000 intervals between the reign of each manu which is equal to 6 manu yugas is 25,920,000 the total of the reigns and the interrgnums of 14 manus is 1000 mahu yugas which constitute a kalpa or one day of the brahma 4,320,000,000 But the Brahmas night is of equal duration (the rotation of the sun with its binary dual) there fore one day and night of the Brahma is equal to 4,640,000,000 years 360 of such days constitute one year of the brahma or 3,110,400,000,000 human/mortal years

I hope this will help you in answering your question concerning the 6 days of creation if this does not make scence to you, read A treatise on sosmic fire by alic bailey. Futher more, thanks for asking, i really enjoyed answering. Anton 10:15, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

Sorry to hog the answers, but if one reads Darwins' Origin of Species, it is quite clear that evolution is fact. One only needs to look at your dog, and ask why it is not a wolf. Then fibally to answer the last part of your question. While being brought up christian myself, though not stick. It is clear that if one looks at various aspects of the neo-christian evangelist movement currently sweeping the united states, Evangelistic Christianity is much more akin to a cult than to Christianity, this may offend some, i realise, but more importantly, it should scare most, as due to the USA's foreign policy... I have heard them referred to as Gods New Army.

I made a mistake, because when I said contaminated, I mean the samples could be contaminated with new stuff and old stuff could leak away.

Reinstalling Windows XP

Miscellaneous seems to fit my question(s). I'm not sure if it's technologic or computer science related.

I've been planning my reinstallation of Windows XP, but I am still a bit nervous that I may mess up. I've never reinstalled it, and it has been two years since I've bought my computer. The reason for the reinstallation is that I want to see if there is an improvement in overall computer quality. I've been reading TweakingCompanion 3.1 and downloaded the recommended software to ensure proper installation. But I have some questions concerning the process. (They are after the specifications, so you can just scroll down then reference the specs as needed.) Here are my computer specifications:

I have a new maxtor 200 gb 2.0 usb hard drive that I plan on using. I am going to make a backup of my current hard drive onto the hard drive in case I mess up. I have the sound blaster audigy drivers, the monitor drivers, and two other cds with drivers.

Do you know of any good software (freeware) that I can use to create backup drivers of the drivers I already have installed on the computer, for further caution? I also downloaded ERUNT to create registry backups. I have the Dell MS Windows XP Pro SP 1a Operating System on a CD to reinstall. One concern that I have is that I do not have a floppy for the RAID 0 volume that I plan to keep when I reinstall. Is there a guide to making one of these floppies? (82801ER SATA RAID Controller)

Also, does a computer that is around two years old need a BIOS update?

So my overall plan is that I will reinstall windows with the RAID 0 volume configured, then transfer some of the files from the external maxtor drive back to the computer for my normal use.

If I decide later on, will I still be able to install another operating system (perhaps Linux) so that it will be a dual booting computer? This is because I heard it is bad to reinstall windows many times especially in a short time period. I'm not sure why though.

Finally, do you see any flaws in my thinking? Will my reinstallation process be successful? If you know of any freeware that will provide me with necessary software for backing up drivers, or making my reinstallation easier, or that will provide me with a more detailed checklist, I will be eternally grateful.

I've been searching on google for guides and have come across some good ones, but before I potentially mess up my computer, I would like advice from fellow Wikipedians. ;o

Thanks for your help. (Anecdotes of your past XP reinstallions might help if you can't specifically answer any one of my questions.)

I have my computer specifications if you need them. This is somewhat the "universal" method of relaying your computer specifications for computer help:

Motherboard: CPU Type Intel Pentium 4, 3400 MHz (17 x 200) Motherboard Name Dell Dimension XPS Gen 2 Motherboard Chipset Intel Canterwood i875P/E7210 System Memory 2048 MB (PC3200 DDR SDRAM) BIOS Type Phoenix (02/19/04)

Display:

Video Adapter 256MB DDR ATI Radeon 9800 XT Sec (256 MB)

3D Accelerator ATI Radeon 9800 XT (R360)

Monitor Dell E172FP [17" LCD] (M160944C0W5S)

RAM: PC3200 DDR SDRAM 512 mb x4 @ 400 mhz ( Form Factor DIMM

Type SDRAM) [Module Name Hyundai HYMD264 646B8J-D43]

Sound: [ SB Audigy Audio [CF00] ]

DirectSound Device Properties:

Device Description SB Audigy Audio [CF00]

Driver Module ctaud2k.sys

Primary Buffers 1

Min / Max Secondary Buffers Sample Rate 4000 / 192000 Hz

Primary Buffers Sound Formats 8-bit, 16-bit, Mono, Stereo

Secondary Buffers Sound Formats 8-bit, 16-bit, Mono, Stereo

Nothing in other PCI slots.

Storage: IDE Controller Intel(R) 82801EB Ultra ATA Storage Controllers

SCSI/RAID Controller Intel(R) 82801ER SATA RAID Controller

Floppy Drive Floppy disk drive

Disk Drive Raid 0 Volume (298 GB, IDE) (There are two internal hard drives and windows recognizes it as one because it is RAID 0 [both of them are 149 gb each.])

Optical Drive HL-DT-ST DVDRRW GSA-2164D USB Device

Optical Drive SONY CD-RW CRX216E (48x/32x/48x CD-RW)

Optical Drive TEAC DVD+RW DV-W58E (DVD:8x/4x/12x, CD:32x/16x/40x DVD+RW

Power Management Properties:

Current Power Source AC Line

And if I do indeed mess up, the backup will be in the external hard drive. How would I go about restoring my system before I had theoretically messed up? Certainly it would not be as simple as unplugging and plugging the hard drive back in. ._.

--Proficient 09:51, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

My advice is to do a completely new install rather than a re-install. Windows, over time, tends to get cluttered with driver versions, DLL's, miscellaneous and temporary files, broken registry entries, and heavens forbid spyware or worse, and a clean install is always guaranteed to take away niggles you might have started to experience with performance or other areas. Apart from your usual methods of backup (onto cd/dvd/tape) I don't see why you need to use a third party utility; just keep your driver installations within a single folder on your hard drive for easy access. Note that your 200 gig hard drive requires service pack 1 or above, so make sure your XP install has this built in, OR remember to install the service pack immediately after installation to avoid data corruption on your hard drive. Regarding your BIOS update, I personally only do this if recommended by the motherboard manufacturer. If you're thinking about dual-boot into linux later on, I recommend you research this carefully NOW as many people prefer the linux boot loader to be installed first, as the primary loader. It is not bad to clean-install windows many times, except for the life of your hard drive which will be thrashed a bit. I am sure MCSE-type people would disagree on my advice for a clean install, but this is after personal Windows use for 12 years. --> Sandman

Perhaps you can go the Dell and download all the drivers for your system. That way you would have the latest drivers and wouldn't have to worry about backing up the old ones. If you have devices you've added, you can download drivers at the manufacturers' Web site. As for installing on RAID, you'll have to copy the driver onto a floppy disk, and then during install, Windows will ask you to press F6 to install any third-party drivers. After pressing F6 insert the floppy, select the driver, and continue the install. The only problem I can think of with reinstalling Windows numerous times in a short period is that you'll end up having to call MS to activate. —Wayward ^Talk 15:15, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

All right. Thanks for both of your help. =) --Proficient 04:04, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

Treasure Hunters

Hello, I was wondering if someone could help me find the team websites for each team on the new tv show Treasure Hunters. I have found 3: the Brown Family, Southie Boys, and Miss USA. If someone could help, that would be great. --Zach 10:43, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

Closest I can see is this, on Coming Soon.net, but it's nowhere near, really. You could try Googling/Asking Jeeves/All The Web/Yahoo-ing the names on that page, though.

The search box feature would have pointed you towards Treasure Hunters, which may be of some use. EvocativeIntrigue _{TALK | EMAIL} 14:01, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

On a second look, I came across TreasurePedia....EvocativeIntrigue _{TALK | EMAIL} 14:02, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

I do know there is a team of FBI Agents... Political Mind 01:13, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Way to increase thumbnail size in Windows XP?

I view many folders by thumbnails, and I was wondering if there's some way I could increase the size of the thumbnails, say to 250x250 or more?

yes, there are a group of application known as power toys. They are make by microsoft, but not fully supported. They "add fun and functionality to the Windows experience". The one you want is Tweak UI - a programs that allows you to customize many features of windows. After installing Tweak UI go to Explorer --> Thumbnails, and you can change the size to anything you want (I think it the limit is 256). And while you are there you can download other fun windows goodies. Enjoy. Jon513 15:08, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

geography

there are how many countries in the world there are how many states in india how many languages are in india

• see List of countries, States and territories of India, and Languages of India. You also might want to see that little box at the top right that lets you search things for yourself. СПУТНИК^{CCC P} 12:13, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

seeing as no one else has answered, i can name 2: Urdu and Punjab I think, but i just have asian friends rather than being an expert.

• СПУТНИК's answer is correct. --M@rēino 20:31, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

Fot the first one, see How many countries are there in the world?, an article by David Madore. – b_jonas 22:17, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

Pyschology career

My girlfriend is majoring in Pychology and is considering going to either Med School to get an M.D. or graduate school to get a Ph.D (or just getting her B.S. degree). She's leaning toward Med School, but is uncertain that's what she wants to do. I would like to give her some advice, but I don't know much about the difference in career oppertunities from a Ph.D & MD degrees. Also, how much should she be able to expect to make, and will she have difficulty finding a job due to over-saturation in the marketplace? It seems like a lot of people major in pyschology, so I am tempted to advise her to change her major to business or something more practical. Any advice would be greatly appericated. XM 13:00, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

My advice: she needs to decide what she wants to do with her degree before making a choice between an M.D. and a Ph.D. Does she want to be a psychiatrist? Does she want to do research for the rest of her life? Does she want to teach psychology? There are a lot of ways to go with a psych degree - don't decide which degree to get, decide what you want to do first and then the degree choice will become more clear. Big O

Oversaturation? As far as I know, there's actually a shortage of mental health workers in the industry right now. To be a psychiatrist, who is able to diagnose mental disorders (such as bipolar disorder) and prescribe medicine, you need an M.D. To be a counsellor (people who talk to other people about their problems, but are unable to diagnose), I believe you need at least a Masters degree and job training. A clinical psychologist tends to diagnose behavioural problems (such as ADD) or mental distress (like depression), and don't use medical treatment (drugs). You'd need a PhD and additional work experience to become one. The three are different and are easily confused. --ColourBurst 23:05, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

2 Professional Careers

I am an engineer and my fiancee is going to be a physcologist/physcritrist shrink. To me it seems very hard to find a job in a specified area--It seems like every time I have changed or have had an oppertunity to change jobs, I have had to re-locate. In a situation where two people are living together, their career search must be limited to the same area as their companion--this seems highly restrictive. What can a couple do to deal with this, especially if they expect to change jobs/ presue oppertunities rather frequently? XM 13:06, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

If you both plan to take the best opportunity you can find, you're "screwed." It's pretty obvious that the chances of you both finding the best job opportunity in the same area at the same time (unless you're both in the same field) are almost 0. The best thing you can do (in my opinion) is to search together - start by looking for the best job opportunites but don't get too attached - then cross-reference them to see which locations match, if any. If one of you has a really good opportunity make sure the other one immediately scours the same area for a similar opportunity. If one of you is less career / work oriented consider taking a solid job (as opposed to an awesome job) in the same area as the partner's "super" job. Chances are if you're both intent on finding the best job you'll both end up with solid jobs in the same area (instead of super jobs in different areas). If you truly love each other (which is presumably why you're getting married) you both need to be ready to sacrifice the perfect job to stay together. My advice is not even to consider any sort of long term (greater than 6 months) seperation - work isn't worth it.Big O

Have you considered speaking to a shrink counsellor about this?

On a more serious note, if your fiancée has a practice (or would like to have a practice) and regular patients, she is not going to be able to move around freely. She has a moral and professional obligation not to abandon her patients. On that basis, I recommend encouraging her to find work in a city that you both like, because you're probably going to be there for a while.

You don't mention precisely what type of work she does, nor what type of engineer you are. (Psychology and psychiatry are different beasts, and you don't mention if she is clinically or research-oriented.) This may affect your choice of city.

Perhaps you should just pick a large city somewhere—engineers are usually useful, and there are likely to be more people with mental problems. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 15:00, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

She is still in college, with 2 more years + Med school (or grad school) to go. Im a mechanical engineer, but can do other types of engineering. I want to live in Flordia, she wants to live in NYC (which I am unwilling to do because of the high expense). She has a 4.0 in college, so I think she would be able to do well in any city, though I am concerned. Are most pyscholgist/pychirtrist shrinks self-practice, or do they work for established firms/clinics typically?

TenOfAllTrades, I understand you're trying to be cute, but a shrink is not a counsellor. A counsellor usually has less schooling than a psychologist (A Master's is typical, but they can hold PhDs) and their job descriptions are usually different too (A counsellor cannot diagnose, for example). --ColourBurst 23:11, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

I am really worried about this issue as it appears to be a brewing storm, that is going to create tension/resentment and other problems XM 16:44, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

All we can really say from our view point is that at some point one of four things will happen - you will concede to living in New York, she will concede to living in Florida, you will both compromise and live somewhere in between or you will break up and live in seperate places. I am sure there are many cities where both a mechanical engineer and a psychologist can have succesful careers, so unless she is really attached to NYC and you really hate it or likewise for you in Florida, I don't think there'll be that much of a problem. TastyCakes 17:31, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

If you've both already decided were you're going to live you're in trouble. You're right, NYC is expensive. But Florida has its own problems - I, for example, would never choose to live there because I don't like the wheather there. Why does your girlfriend want to live in NYC? Why do you want to live in Florida? If you're both just clinging to personal preference's you've got a long road ahead of you. Big O

• Both of you are going to be able to get fine jobs and afford a solid upper-middle-class living with those professions. So what really matters is finding a couple of places where you would BOTH enjoy living and agreeing to only apply to jobs in those cities. Don't forget, though, that NYC offers higher salaries -- even if you take a government job -- to compensate for higher expenses. In my profession (law), for instance, I could be making another $10,000/year if I moved to NYC. I recommend that you try this tool: [4]. It's a highly acclaimed website that helps people determine where to live by comparing their preferences against statistics about that location.--M@rēino 20:38, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

After you actually get a degree, come up to Toronto, Canada! Lots of crazy people building new nuclear plants! --Zeizmic 21:32, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

Bah! Clearly Calgary is the place to be ;) TastyCakes 22:59, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

Hey, he's not trying to combine the professions of bull riding with orthopedic surgery. :) --Zeizmic 23:56, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

Chessbase

When will the next Chessbase be out? The current one (Chessbase 9.0) only has games to 2003 and I want to see if its worth waiting for the next one to come out.I know that you can buy upgrades and game databases, but I would prefer to buy the whole package and wouldn't mind waiting for a couple of months.

I would ask the writers. If they don't know, then we can't tell. DJ Clayworth 13:53, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

DISTANCE EDUCATION

I WANT TO KNOW THE NAMES OF UNIVERSITIES PROVIDING TECHNICAL EDUCATION THROUGH CORRESPONDANCE WHICH IS APPROVED BY AICTE? SAMIRAN MITRA. CHANDIGRH --—The preceding unsigned comment was added by 61.17.116.95 (talk • contribs) 16:17, 12 June 2006.

Please don't WRITE IN ALL CAPS, as it makes your question hard to read (and thus lesslikely to be answered). Thanks for signing it though, although you could have just edited your previous post. It's best to sign your comments by typing four tildes (~~~~), as this automatically adds the time, date and your IP or username to the post which helps us keep track of what's going on. --Howard Train 16:06, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

Hello Samiran. the All India council for technical education gives lists. Please take a look with this link or ask them directly. --DLL 18:43, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

advice?

can i ask for advice in wikipedia?if so where? --— Preceding unsigned comment added by 59.92.55.174 (talk • contribs) 16:34, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

You can ask for advice anywhere, really. The advantage of posting here is that there are lots and lots of people who read this page, so you might get a quicker response. You might want to check out the reference desk front page and see if one of the bold links might be the most helpful for you. --HappyCamper 15:53, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

yes, how can we help you in our infinate wisdom?Anton 16:08, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

Apparently your wisdom is not so infinite as to include the fact that infinite is spelled infinite and not infinate. (lol). But now that you know, maybe it's become infinite after all. JackofOz 23:34, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

Yours isn't infinite either. "it has become" can't be shortened to "it's become". "It's" stands for "it is" not "it has". - Mgm|^(talk) 07:36, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

It can stand for either, actually. It's been nice chatting with you.  :--) JackofOz 10:23, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

Please note that we are (mostly) not lawyers, doctors, pharmacists or firefighters round these parts. You should not trust medical or legal advice given on wikipedia, as paid professionals are paid for a reason. On the other hand, if you need to identify a flower, find out the capital of Burundi or want to know if a sheep makes an effective lawnmower, we're your folks. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Offtherails (talk • contribs) 17:14, 12 June 2006 UTC.

Go on then. I'll bite. Do sheep make good lawnmowers? What about flower depredation? My lawnmower has broken down & I have access to sheep... --Tagishsimon (talk)

Here's a good place. The Reference Desk is a great place to ask questions and maybe get answers. --Optichan 19:06, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

moths

where can I find any imformation on very large moths of Bulgaria

You might try asking a question here, or looking through the beautiful images here, and maybe contact the maintainer of that site, or sign up for this newsletter. --vibo56 ^talk 17:52, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

Potato Famine

I've been wondering recently, have any studies ever been done on the effect the Irish potato famine had on the demographics of America? What would the population of America be today if the potato famine hadn't happened? How would the demographics differ? I'm sure no definitive answer can be given, but could approximations be made? TastyCakes 17:36, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

So far I've only been able to find this :Image:Irish_population_change_(1841-1851).png, which is a map detailing movements shortly after the potato famine (and links to Irish potato famine), but I'll kep looking for you. EvocativeIntrigue _{TALK | EMAIL} 19:23, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

Have a look at our Irish American article for a rough idea of the numbers.--Pharos 00:09, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

Copyright question

If I ask someone to draw a picture of myself for me, am I then allowed to publish that picture on the Internet if I give proper credit for it, or would it violate the artist's copyright? JIP | Talk 19:29, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

Unless agreed with the artist, the copyright of the resulting image would remain with the artist, not you. However, if you were to use it with the artist's permission on your website, I believe that would be Ok. EvocativeIntrigue _{TALK | EMAIL} 19:36, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

If you paid the artist for it it's a work for hire which means you own the copyright, not him. Otherwise, you'd need his permission. Oskar 23:59, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

If you hired the artist to draw the picture, then it may be a work for hire, and you would own the rights to it. However, the rules on what is a work for hire of an independent contractor are pretty complex. (You should check with a lawyer, if this is important to you.) Either way, the author would still retain the moral rights to the work. As long as you don't violate the author's moral rights, you should be OK to publish the work on the Internet even if it was not a work for hire, due to the implied contract in the commisioning of the artwork (mentioned in the work for hire article). --Booch 00:14, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

• If you ask them to draw it for you, you might as well ask permission to post it online at the same time. And while we're on the subject of work for hire. It's only work for hire if you make a contract that says it is. - Mgm|^(talk) 07:33, 13 June 2006 (UTC)
  • Thanks for the replies. My question is not about work for hire, it's about someone drawing pictures of people for a hobby. So I think I have to ask the artist's permission. JIP | Talk 09:54, 13 June 2006 (UTC)
• Yep. - Mgm|^(talk) 11:09, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

Measurements

How can a person measure the height of a very tall object such as a light pole, tree, building, etc?

The Shadow knows . . . --LarryMac 20:07, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

Trigonometry and right angles would be a good place to start...you have to know one side of the triangle and an angle (say, how far away you are standing from the lamp post, and the angle up from where your feet are to the top of the post.--24.80.70.174 20:18, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

I remember learning how to do this in school, but I have since forgotten. --Optichan 20:30, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

Well, it sounded kind of homeworky to me, so I was cryptic, but the "easy" method I learned in grade school is to measure yourself, measure your shadow, then measure the tall object's shadow. Then the tall object's height is computed by multiplying it's shadow length by the ratio of you to your own shadow. This should be not be attempted early in the morning or late in the afternoon, as the shadows would be longer than you or the tall object. --LarryMac 20:34, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

There's also the barometer trick. – b_jonas 22:07, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

Which one? --Serie 23:38, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

You can work out the height of something by measuring the air pressure at the top of it and then at the bottom and finding the difference (the pressure difference is equal to density of air * g * height I believe). You have to be able to get to the top of whatever you're measuring, so it might work better for say a building than a tree. TastyCakes 00:52, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

I thought you meant the one where you mark off the height of the object in barometer-units, then measure the length of the barometer in your target measurement systems, and convert. --Serie 21:38, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

There's an old story about a group of students who were all goven a barometer and told to work out the height of a particular tall building using it. The geography student found the difference in atmospheric pressure between the top and the bottom of the building and calculated it from that. The geometry student measured the barometer's height, the length of its shadow and the length of the building's shadow, and calculated it from that. The physics student dropped the barometer off the top of the building and timed its fall, and calculated it from that. And the commerce student visited the building's caretaker and said "I'll give you this nice barometer if you tell me how tall the building is!" Grutness...wha? 01:32, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

I remember that story. There's a fuller version of it at Snopes.-gadfium 05:49, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

Similar to the barometer trick you can also measure height/altitude by measuring the temperature at which water boils (lower temp greather the altitude) and checking a table or calculating the altitude from this. It's only really useful for mountains & the like rather than buildings though. AllanHainey 10:25, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

those are all very good, why not try a measuring tape?

God Almighty, I must have a lame sense of humour for laughing at that. Vitriol 15:06, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

This reminds me of a story my World History teacher told. It goes something like this:

There was a philosophy professor who was known for giving very hard final exams, and for grading them even harder. One year, as the students wandered in for their final, they saw a chair sitting on top of the desk at the front. Once they'd all sat down and gotten ready to start, the professor told them to, using everything they'd learned that year, tell him about that chair. Naturally, they all started writing immediately, and continued writing for the next two hours, desperately scribbling down everything they'd ever heard that might apply. Except one, who wrote for a moment, then sat back and relaxed for the rest of the test. Everyone assumed, of course, that he would fail, but he got the only perfect score in class that year. His response: "What chair?"

It's got a different moral, though, along the lines of "true understanding is rewarded" instead of, as snopes says, "teachers can get tricked into anything." Black Carrot 20:48, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

Google Web Clips

I was wondering why google doesnt use their dictionary for the web clips. If anyone could help, that would be great! Thanks --Zach 20:36, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

I don't think google has a dictionary.. Do you mean their main search box? And by web clips do you mean google video? TastyCakes 00:53, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

I meant Gmail Webclips. Sorry, I was a bit tired yesterday. And I guess google doesnt have a dictionary. That makes sence. Thanks anyway! --Zach 10:51, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

I take that back, if you type in something like 'define:gainsay' it gives you a definition. huh. --Zach 10:54, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

Actually it gives you links to definitions on the web, so it's really just a specialized search. There still is no "Google Dictionary". Although if there was, you can be sure it would be Google Dictionary Beta. --LarryMac 13:59, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

haha, yea, Everything google is beta. Gmail is still a beta. I joked about that in a newspaper article I wrote. --Zach 01:07, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

dogs

I would like to know where the breed of dog called the cock-a-poo originated, please.

The article Cockapoo would be a good start. Dismas|^(talk) 21:51, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

originated with the Wolf.

girls

hi there,

I was wondering if there any website that involves latina, black, and asian girls, like pictures of them so I can rate them as good or bad.

Maybe Hot or Not can limit by ethnicity...? Dismas|^(talk) 01:46, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

June 13

Driving Time for Teens

About how much time do experts recommend a teenager (In Austin, Texas, Specifically) should drive before he/she is allowed by their parents to drive? I am already aware of the minimum number of hours legally required for a drivers licence, but am wondering what is recommended for the best levels of safety.

(By The Way, this question is regarding a teenager drving a standard two-axle \"house-car\")

Thanks

--CE

I don't have any data to back up my assertions but I would think that this would vary greatly on the teen. Other things to take into consideration would be time of day, where they're driving to/from, who will be in the car with them, if they have a cell phone, will they try to answer the phone if it rings or pull over, etc.

And really, how many adults do you know that don't drive with "the best levels of safety"? Dismas|^(talk) 01:43, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

In my part of the world (Australia), the government has been running a road safety campaign suggesting that learner drivers should be given 120 hours of supervised driving (preferably in as many conditions as possible) before solo driving. In some parts of Europe, drivers must take substantial professional training to gettheir license (though unfortunately, we don't have much information on this in the Wikipedia). --Robert Merkel 05:31, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

Walkthroughs..?

Just wondering, what is Wikipedias stance on inserting a game walkthrough/guide on the relevant page, or a subpage? Is it allowed?

Wikipedia is not an instruction manual, but there may be a WikiCity where that would be appropriate. Emmett5 01:02, 13 June 2006 (UTC) GameFAQs is the central source for this kind of thing. Submit it there. --mboverload@ 06:01, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

• Link to it in the external links. It's generally not the type of material to insert into an article. - Mgm|^(talk) 07:27, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

Dealing with unregistered users

I have an unregistered user who is messing up my page. I know how to deal with registered users but how to deal with unregistered editors, please? BlueValour 01:46, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

Go to the history section of the page and click on the IP, you will find a list of that editors contributions, and also a small word labeled talk at the top, click there and post a vandal warning, you might want to try one designed for anonymous users. Emmett5 02:16, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

What do you mean by "my page"? Nobody seems to have messed with your user page or your talk page, and these are the only pages on Wikipedia that might be said in any sense at all to be yours.--Shantavira 06:36, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

I stand corrected - using a loose shorthand for 'the page that I am currently rewriting'. Thanks to Emmett5 for the help. --BlueValour 19:17, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

Preventing Mass Deletions

I am concerned about the effeciency caused by the abundance of articles deleted every day due to ambiguity about what is an acceptable article, particularly the notion of non-notability. Such articles should either never be created in the first place (saving editors time) or not be deleted (improving content). Regardless of what this might be, WP needs a better, comprehensive policy addressing notability. How can I contribute/start to this process? --Ephilei 01:54, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

The policies are already documented in detail at Wikipedia:Notability and all its subpages, and frankly, I don't care if some stranger wastes time writing a useless article. In general, the people who are capable and willing to provide good encyclopedic content are the ones who will read the guidelines beforehand and not waste time on non-notable subjects. Sorry, but I don't think there's much you can do except tell people to read the existing guidelines. —Keenan Pepper 02:36, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

If the articles should never be created in the first place, then deleting them improves content, and leaving them there makes the encyclopedia worse. Deletionism is your friend! Adam Bishop 16:40, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

The cost of doing the deletions is just a price you pay for having an open-content encyclopedia. Deleting most of them is not very taxing, either physically (pushing a button twice) or mentally (most are obvious rubbish). If you are concerned then become and Admin and come and help us out. Please, help us out. I've done hundreds of these things. DJ Clayworth 17:14, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

But on the other hand if there's not a lot of admins around and it's a busy day then cleaning out Category:Candidates for speedy deletion can almost turn into a full time job (yesterday was bad). But the complaints make it all worth while, as they try and defend an article that says "my girlfriend is the best" or something like that. The oddest complaints though are when you don't delte it but make a redirect or say the article shows some sign of notability. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 17:41, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

Let me rephrase this: I'm not so concerned about users making absurd articles that are deleted; I am concerned with users, like myself, who have read all the pertinent policies and guidelines, put time into an article, and then editors of one 'opinion decide the article isn't worthy because it's nn. this article, for example. The article is on a non-notable subject but does not violate any official policy. (It does violate Wikipedia:Notability, but that's not a policy or even a guideline.) I am not on a quest to undelete this article; but as the whole process was frustrating and seems inconsistent with Jimbo's philosophy of inclusion, I'd like help improve the lack of policy about non-notability. I've spent some time searching AfD and voicing my opinion in order to change individual outcomes and set precedence (or rather, try to reverse the deletionist precedence) but this has seemed an inefficient use of time and helps nothing in the long run. I'm not looking for a debate here, I'm looking to help create policy. Even if the created policy ends up being the opposite of my own inclusionist opinion, it is better to have an inclusive, logical, and thorough discussion that we can agree was conducted properly instead of working thru the unofficial nn precedents. Where/how can this take place? --Ephilei 00:39, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

find articles on an individual

how do I find any and all articles of an individual that was found guilty and had their license professional revoked in 9-2004 with the Divison Of Professional Licensure?

If you know the individual's name, type it in the search box. If not, could you be a bit clearer: what was he liscenced in and where? A better starting place might be your newspapers archives. Emmett5 02:18, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

discontinuted products

Frito Lay and Chips Ahoy both had products that I really enjoyed--Cheetos EDGE, and low-carb chocolate chip cookies. Do companies typically let customers make special orders for products they not longer offer on a large scale? How could I go about ordering some of these?

Have you tried contacting either Frito-Lay or Nabisco (the maker of Chips Ahoy)? That would seem to me to be the first step in such an endeavor. The company's websites are linked off their articles. Dismas|^(talk) 05:21, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

Unless you have millions of dollars to spare, they would be really unlikely to restart production lines just for you. These companies are just not in the one-guy's-snacks business. Your best hope is to somehow get a hold of a recipe (maybe chat up folks who used to work at the plant?) and make this stuff yourself.--Pharos 06:21, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

Indeed. It would appear very unlikely that they would tailor your wish, since the product has already been discontinued for seemingly quite a while now. --Proficient 06:34, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

Sure was fun for a while for us that actually benefit and enjoy a low-carb diet; the last year has seen the wonderful cornucopia of low-carb items (well, most of them sucked, but still) disappear, while the downright harmful "low fat" (i.e., high in HFCS) products continue to fill the shelves. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 14:45, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

Deputy Secretary Generals of the United Nations

Who was the first Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations? 203.101.23.220 05:32, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

Sir Gladwyn Jebb. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Secretary-General --Proficient 06:35, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

Web Site Address

Will any one please tell me the web site address on which I can translate Dutch(German) to English to Dutch. Even a single word or a phrase?

• If you have Mozilla Firefox you have several translation addons that can do this right from your browser. If you prefer websites, try one of the links in the box on top of my userpage. - Mgm|^(talk) 07:22, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

Or there's this one. --Richardrj 08:03, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

try putting the word or phrase on here, and maybe some one will translate it for you, I speak dutch and english among others so...Anton 09:56, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

By Dutch(German), do you mean Deutsch(German for 'German') or Dutch(language spoken in the Netherlands)? Either way, this site also works well. Reywas92 12:58, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

Google Translator works well too. --Zach 01:04, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

sex p.s. im asking this for my friend

ok my friend lied so i deleted his freaking message im sick in tired of you guy say oh we need to get the cops oh he needs to see a shrink im fuckin gay you dumb ass bitch you all are very stupid for beliving a fuckin 13teen year old who i told need to get a life so any one who says i need a doctor go fuck your self cuz i got a girl and you dont im going to show my fater what you all said and then im going to tell the police what my friend said so god calm down–71.99.117.233

Military Stratagies

Where can i get a study material for military strategies used in war from ancient days to the information age? I am a reserch student reserching about the subject"War Strategies from ancient to Information age" — Preceding unsigned comment added by Sreekanthg (talk • contribs)

You're basically asking for a history of warfare, circa 10,000 BC to present. A good overview on the subject (albeit slightly dated now) was published in 1985 - "War" by Gwynne Dyer. Raul654 09:58, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

Try reading some military histories of famous generals or campaigns, "Napoleon" by David Chalmers is quite good, "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu while not a military history is probably the pre-eminent guide to oriental military strategy. "On War" by Clauswitz is meant to be good but I haven't read it. AllanHainey 10:38, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

You might have better luck asking your question at Portal talk:War. User:Zoe|^(talk) 17:45, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

Water rising

Hi why does water expand when it rises? seeya madison.byfield --210.50.108.192 10:04, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

Fall in air pressure if I understand the question correctly. Philc _T^E_C^I 10:08, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

Your question is not very clear. Could you give us an example of this effect?--Shantavira 15:26, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

Do you mean why does water rise when it expands? It does that because if it expands it becomes less dense than the water around it. It has the same amount of mass as before, but now it is in a larger area. So heavier water "falls" under it. This is why everything "floats". See buoyancy and convectionTastyCakes 15:59, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

Rosicky

On the BBC coverage of Template:WC in england I noticed that the commentators repeatedly pronounced the czech midfielder Tomáš Rosickýs name as if it were Tomas Radzinski (i.e. Rad-ssin-skee), now this seems to me to be a very strange interpretation, as I have always heard it pronounced Ross-ik-key, and I was wondering if it were correct, or if they were getting confused with the also relatively well known footballer Tomasz Radzinski, despite the fact he is a canadian of polish origin, and not czech. Philc _T^E_C^I 10:07, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

Yes, the commentators are confused. If you really want a Czech expert you'd probably be best at the Language reference desk, but I believe that the correct pronunciation of the common Czech name "Rosický" is approximately "Rossitsky". And that "Tomáš" is pronounced "Tomash": it's the same as "Tomasz", just with Czech versus Polish spelling. —Blotwell 18:46, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

Blotwell's right -- it's TOE-mahsh ROH-sitz-kee. In North America, they botch Czech and Slovak hockey players' names, too. -- Mwalcoff 00:26, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

Tomáš Rosický's name is pronounced in /ˈto̞.maːʃ ˈro̞.sɪʦˌkɪ/ (using IPA notation). Roughly, you can pronounce it Tomash Rositski. — Gareth Hughes 00:50, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

One minor correction -- it's a long "i" sound at the end. The "ý" has an accent on it, since "Rošický" is an adjective name. -- Mwalcoff 03:43, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

Is it just me who thinks that the IPA is the stupidest idea ever, tell me people how to pronounce things in their language, using a langauge nobody speaks! Philc _T^E_C^I 17:24, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

on a related note, it's not only the commentators confused on this coverage - the Togo vs. Rep. of Korea match had the scored listed on the screen alongside the ISO codes TOG and PRK. Someone should tell them which Korea was playing... Grutness...wha? 02:30, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

Create and article

I know i have asked this before, but would some one please help me, i am STILL unable to create an artice, After answering a question an the age of the earth i wish to make my answer into an article. here it is. the days in the bible are correlatted as follows. The various eastern philisophical deities correspond to varios hirachies of angels and demonds all the way up to the supreme being which is the same in most monothiestic religions: 360 days of a human egauls 1 year krita yuga contains 1,728,000 years tetra yuga contains 1,296,000 years dwarpa yuga contains 864,000 years kali yuga contains 432,000 years the total of the said four yugas constitute a maha yuga 4,320,000 years 71 of such maha yugas form the period of the reign of 1 manu 306,720,000 intervals between the reign of each manu which is equal to 6 manu yugas is 25,920,000 the total of the reigns and the interrgnums of 14 manus is 1000 mahu yugas which constitute a kalpa or one day of the brahma 4,320,000,000 But the Brahmas night is of equal duration (the rotation of the sun with its binary dual) there fore one day and night of the Brahma is equal to 4,640,000,000 years 360 of such days constitute one year of the brahma or 3,110,400,000,000 human/mortal years

thank youAnton 10:22, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

Try typing the exact title of the article after http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/. I'm pretty sure there's a similar article in existence to the one you described though, you may want to Google some phrases first, or try asking at the Science reference desk. EvocativeIntrigue _{TALK | EMAIL} 10:45, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

Umm, and you might want to provide a little context. Currently the "article" makes little sense. Where exactly in the bible are dwarpa yuga mentioned? Must have missed that bit.--Tagishsimon (talk)

Instead of creating a new article, you can contribute to the article Hindu cosmology which covers exactly this topic. --Canley 12:33, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

This is a joke, right? TastyCakes 16:01, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

no joke, im writing a book on the correlation between the major world religions and how they are all the same thing, and though this might be interesting to some people on wiki.

It is of interest, but original research is not welcome on wiki. I think there is plenty to do, both in Hindu cosmology and in comparative religion; your contributions would be welcomed and, I hope, appreciated. btw, the easiest way to start an article is to search for it using the search box to the left: if the article is not found a red link is provided to start the article. --Tagishsimon (talk)

This is not original research, it was first laid out by Dr Hunt former president of the Anthroposophical society, Prof Huxley, Mr Davis and Alice Bailey. so na nana na naa

creation

what is the purpose of our creation...what happens to us when we die...did any body have answers to these questions?????//

Though i suggest you don't, you could always jump off a bridge and find out... -Benbread 13:28, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

I think that the poster of the question need to see this site instead of posting questions on the reference desk. (or see Meaning of life and (Portal:Philosophy) Jon513 13:33, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

For all intesive purposes, procreation. But as far as what happens to us after death, there are some conflicting opionions. bearing in mind no one exept maybe Jesus has died fully and come back. Therefore 1 we die 2 we go to heaven 3 we go to hell 4 we get reincarnated 5 we pass to another plane of existance 6 we pass into another form of vehicle but are you asking about what happens to the soul or the mind, which dies dead, or the body, this decays and becomes: food for worms and insects then dirt then dust.193.115.175.247 14:20, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

"Intensive purposes"? Don't you mean "intents and purposes"? JIP | Talk 14:28, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

Adhesive papooses ? --DLL 19:41, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

some other question tangle my mind that did this life ..this rise of the sun..that setting of the sun...the coming of days n nights...is this all ETERNAL...uptil how much time this process continue...????

No, it's not eternal, neither in the past nor in the future. The universe began about 13.7 billion years ago. We are as yet uncertain as to how and when it will end, but it will most likely either collapse back in on itself, or expand forever and end up as a diffuse, mushy, lukewarm soup. However, you don't really need to worry about either of these, they will happen an obscenely long time into the future. A more immediate concern is the sun - it started shining about 5 billion years ago (before which time there was no solar system, so no Earth, so no sunrise or sunset), and in about 5 billion years it will expand to form a red giant and swallow the Earth, before collapsing back in on itself as a white dwarf. However, even 5 billion years is a long time, so no need to worry about that just yet! — QuantumEleven 10:14, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

What, are you actually advocating procrastination, QE? How shocking! (lol). But seriously, there may have been no matter in existence prior to 13.7 bn years ago, but wasn't there still a heck of a lot of empty space? The space must have been there for the matter to expand into. By that reasoning, the universe didn't start 13.7 bn years ago, it started (if it ever started at all) whenever the empty space was put ... where it is. I personally have never been able to conceive of absolute nothingness, not even empty space. But that's just me. JackofOz 10:52, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

But, according to leading cosmological theories, the space itself also started 13.7 billion years ago, at the same time that the matter did. And it's not that the matter expanded from a point (or nearly so) into a bunch of empty space around it; it's that all the space there was at the time was a point (or very nearly so), and the space itself expanded. Along with space, time also began with the big bang, so it is meaningless to talk about "before the big bang." As Stephen Hawking notes, asking "what was before the big bang?" is like asking "what's north of the north pole?" Chuck 21:40, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

firstly the only thing constant is change so yes it will all end sooner or later and secondly, before the big bang there was nothing, the statement that there must have been something for it to expand into is false im afraid. read the article on expanding space, very interesting.81.144.161.223 15:50, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

Thanks. I've been doing some reading, but I still hit a brick wall. Chuck says "all the space there was at the time was a point (or very nearly so), and the space itself expanded". But my question is, expanded into what? There must be space to enable expansion to occur, even if it's expansion of other space. If I could suddenly transport myself to the furthest point that any matter or space has travelled from the Big Bang, and then go a little further than that, where would I be? Space doesn't just stop. It goes on forever. Or are you saying it does just stop at some hypothetical place way out there? JackofOz 10:06, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Why do all salt & vinegar potatochips/crisps contain lactose?

Why? It doesn't really seem useful... don't you just mix vinegar in with the oil when making it, or drizzle it on later? Why lactose?

More guessing, from this: reduce sweetness and prevent discoloration, enhance browning. --Tagishsimon (talk)

Flour

Hello, I am trying to find the meaning of the word "entoleted", it is some process or treatment applied to wheat flour before distribution.

I have searched the net, online dicionaries etc. but can not discover what it actually means.

I would be grateful if you could find an answer.

Thanks, Bill

There is no such word in English. Have you checked the spelling? What language do you think it might be? Could you give us some context?--Shantavira 15:30, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

A few people disagree there's no such word. Not that it gets us any closer to understanding what it means. I'm going to guess that it has something to do with Particle Size Reduction, since a company called Entoleter has a form enquiring about the Incoming Particle Size and the Required Exiting Particle Size of that which is milled. --Tagishsimon (talk)

How interesting. It's a US Government requirement for something or other, but it's not defined. I like the Entoleter link as a start though ... --LarryMac 15:56, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

If you'd prefer to think of your flour as a clean wholesome product, perhaps you don't want to look at this page on the Entoleter site. I'd guess at this point that "entoleted" is coined from the company name, a generic trademark type of situation. --LarryMac 16:01, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

Playing with verb-forms I get this:

The Infestation Destroyer (EID®) was designed by Entoleter and tested in conjuction with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Thousands of Entoleter Infestation Destroyers in mills worldwide confirm the efficiency of the unique EID centrifugal impact machine to destroy eggs, larvae, and mature infestation in flour and other grain products with a 100% effective kill rate. The importance of the EID in the flour milling industry is clear – “entoleting the flour” has long been a generic term that originated with the use of Entoleter’s Infestation Destroyer over several generations. Principle of Operation: A high-speed rotor is the only moving part in the processing zone of the Entoleter mill. Feed materials enter the rotor from the inlet(s) located at the top of the mill.As material enters the rotor, it is thrown outward due to the centrifugal force of the spinning rotor. The processed material then spirals to the bottom of the conical discharge hopper and out to conveyors or bins. [5]

"At this point, the wheat may be processed in an Entoleter, a trade name for a device with rapidly spinning disks which hurl the grains of wheat against small metal pins. Those grains which crack are considered to be unsuitable for grinding and are removed." [6]

Help at all? 57.66.51.165 15:59, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

Entoleter would like you to know that "WE DO MORE THAN KILL BUGS!". This was a public service announcement on their behalf. Case closed, I think, good work people. --Tagishsimon (talk)

Whatever it means, I'm going to enjoy using it in everyday conversation. --Optichan 19:45, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

Going About Article Modifications

I've been working a bit on modifying and editing the List of Portable Applications article, though it is no where near complete and have come to the conclusion that it may need a number of changes to ensure the it's accuracy, usability, and precision. The word "applications" in the title of the article is too general in that while it refers to software in its most general sense, other definitions include a wide range of topics. The term "Applications Software' is more specific and less open to interpretation which I believe would allow users seeking information on the subject an easier time finding it since both the terms "applications" and "software would come up in search. Additionally the article has become extremely unwieldly, topping 50kb with only minimal new additions. It would seem appropriate that the article be split into several categories along the lines of the Application Software article. How would I go about implementing this and who if anyone do I need to ask permission before going ahead with the above actions? --WalksWithGrizzlies 15:52, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

If you think it might be controversial or just want to be polite the best thing is to discuss major changes at Talk:List of portable applications. But really the idea is to be Wikipedia:Be bold in updating pages. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 17:16, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

Thank you Cambridge, I will certainly do that. --WalksWithGrizzlies 17:31, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

UK Joining the EU

Hi, are there any articles on UK joining the EU, of any kind, however big or small? Can anyone suggest anything...

I don't think there is anything specifically on the UK, but the UK's involvement is outlined in various articles like History of the European Union and there's also Euroscepticism in the United Kingdom. There are a bunch of links at the bottom of the EU article. TastyCakes 16:12, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

ditto refs from List of European Union member states. Are you looking for a wikipedia article, or anything on the net? A search such as this seems to yeild results. --Tagishsimon (talk)

There's Maastricht Rebels about the UK ratification of the treaty establishing the EU. 84.239.128.9 19:45, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

THANKS ALOT PEOPLE!! MUCH APPRECIATED.. Peace

rubbish

hey id like to know if any one could help, i was wondering how much house hold waste the uk produces a year. thanks. 213.122.75.75 18:05, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

• [7]. Shimgray | talk | 18:24, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

500kg, [8]. Kilo-Lima|^(talk) 18:48, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

AfDs - action taken

Is there a page, please, where the final action taken on AfDs is summarised? --BlueValour 19:18, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

It would be on the actual AfD page, such as Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Deviant Realms. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 21:48, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

Thank you. --BlueValour 02:26, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

Afd removed

The AfD for Carmyle Primary School was deleted by an unregistered user. I have rv'd it but how do I stop this happening again?

Well, there's no way to completely stop it from happening, but you can leave messages about it on the anon's talk page, and if they keep it up, report them at WP:AN/I or WP:VIP, and an administrator will come around and block them. JIP | Talk 19:33, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

Thank you. --BlueValour 21:26, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

• Unregistered users can't delete pages, merely blank them. You can simply revert the blanking and warn them. If they continue you can have them blocked or semi-protect the discussion. - 131.211.210.11 07:43, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

He means that the afd notice was removed. DJ Clayworth 13:55, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

Sex

I asked a question awhile back about Hydromorphone. I really never got the answer I was looking for. I was wondering if you would have to take it after you have surgery to remove something that might be grown inside your Uterus. Something like if a women were to become pregnant, but might want to have an abortion.

You may not have got the answer you were looking for, but I believe you got the answer to your question. People told you it was a pain-killer and that there was no way to tell what the pain was it was killing. Also, that you should ask the person themselves, rather than trying to guess from their medication. Skittle 19:56, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

Baseball: Pitch Count Stats: Balls vs. Strikes

I have researched this and can not easily locate the answer so would be grateful for some help with a general question on recording pitch counts accurately.

When a batter hits the ball and it ends in an out, whether it is a ground out, force out, pop up or line drive out, regarding the pitcher, is the pitch added to his pitch count as a strike or a ball?

Alternatively, if the batter hits the ball and reaches safely due a clean hit or an error, does the pitch count get recorded as a ball or a strike?

Thanks!

KK

Pitches which the bat hits are all counted as strikes, regardless of whether they land foul or fair, and regardless of whether they result in hits or outs. Wild pitches (if not swung on) and hit batters count as balls in the pitch count. (ESkog)^(Talk) 20:13, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

If you have 2 strikes and it's hit foul it doesn't count as a strike. I don't think that's the guy's question though, he wants to know if a fair hit (or a foul hit that is caught) counts as a strike, and I have no idea. I don't think it's usually thought of like that, strikes and balls become meaningless when a fair hit is made. TastyCakes 21:20, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

Only for the batter - they still divide the pitches into balls and strikes for the pitcher, in which case ESkog's answer applies. Adam Bishop

Thanks ESKOG...that's the answer I was looking for to record an accurate ball and strike count for a pitcher's statistics. I hadn't thought about the wild pitch or HBP so thanks for that extra piece of information too.*

MLB has a good site with all the rules,stats etc.for future queries D'Backs rule!(hotclaws**== 11:54, 14 June 2006 (UTC))

tennis string technology

While watching the French open recently, some Australian commentators were talking about changes in racquet technology, but said that in the last 2 years, the new string technology has made even more of a difference, providing prodigious spin. Does anyone know specifically what string(s) they are referring to? Or point me to a web site that talks about or sells this string? PS/ Congrats to Nadal on a "stifling" performance, even though I am a Federer fan. Hang in there Roger you will win the French one day! -- sandman

McWorld '90s ad campaign ("Hey, it could happen!")

Back in the early '90s McDonalds had a prominent ad campaign with commercials, magazine ads, etc. that asked "What would happen if kids ran X?" (where X could be the space program, school, etc.), always ending in the memorable slogan "Hey, it could happen... MCWORLD!" I added what I remembered to the part of the McWorld article that mentioned the ad campaign, but it's been virtually impossible for me to find any info about the original McDonald's ads given the new meaning of corporate Americanization that the word took on afterward.

Does anyone know how I could find out anything about the original campaign (for example: an example of one of the ads, or the actual year(s) the campaign ran, or who came up with the slogan, or any information at all?) Anything (even anything anecdotal, if you happen to remember the ads yourself) would be appreciated, I've been able to find next to nothing. --Gzabers 00:01, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

June 14

Football scores

When presenting the score for a football match, occasionally a second set of scores is given in parentheses (such as at 2006_FIFA_World_Cup_-_Group_F). What does the second set represent? Trevor Andersen 00:41, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

Half time scores. Some people will bet on anything.MeltBanana 02

28, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

statistical anomalies

Reading the old bathroom reader about 5 minutes ago, I saw that "yellow and bright blue cars are statistically less probable to be in accidents."

Of course, nothing about the color itself affects the crash rate, but some color has to be on top. And it's not really random; that's just the way all the nonrandom events turned out. So what is this called? Is there an article on this? --Froth 00:43, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

But this is true! Those friggin' red and black cars zoom by me all the time! --Zeizmic 02:13, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

Ah but in New Zealand it's silver that is safest and there is a pdf (98kb) here and of course there is Car safety#Color or Car safety#Colour. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 06:40, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

The car colour a driver chooses is related to his moods. Try to be peaceful in a red room! --DLL 18:54, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

But who's rich enough to have 50 cars all of different colours, to match any conceivable mood they might happen to be in? Or were you talking about the mood they were in when they bought the car? JackofOz 10:05, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

I think you might fail to realize that when the Reader says "statistically less probable" it means just that -- it doesn't mean "it just so happens that over the past x years, out of x million crashes, this color comes up a few dozen (but statistically insignifacant) times more often". I think you assumption Of course, nothing about the color itself affects the crash rate, but some color has to be on top is mistaken: no color "has" to come up on top by a statistically significant margin, as the Reader stated. (Btw as a rough approximation the square root of the sample size is what would be significant. So, while we would expect a given set of 10,000 coin tosses (starting now, for instance) not to result in exactly 5,000 heads and 5,000 tails (we "expect" one to come up on top), we do not expect this happen by a statistically significant margin. In order for one side to be "statistically less probable" [the phrase you copied from the Reader] one would have to come out on top by 100 out of the 10,000. So if you go ahead and toss a coin 100 times now, then 47 to 53 isn't an unusual result, but 42 to 58 is very unusual and implies you don't have a fair coin. If you toss your coin 100 times twice in a row, and heads wins 58 to 42 one time and 57 to 43 the next, you can be pretty darned sure the coin isn't being random enough. However, 54 to 46 and again 57 to 43 do not imply the same result [since the deviation is less than about the square root of 100, which is 10]. Indeed, this isn't unexpected: I guarantee you $1,000,000 to $10 that if you throw any "fair" coin 5 times it won't come up 50% heads and 50% tails. :)

A separate issue is that people don't get a random color car, so the color not only might effect accidents (not just because of visibility reasons, but the effect could be psychological on the driver -- driving a red car makes you more daring or something), it could also reflect something else, like safer drivers prefer psychologically safer colors, and therefore buy them. For example, if Ford introduced a color scheme almost identical to a black they have now, with the difference that it clearly shows a pirate (skullbones, etc) overlay, I would expect less safe people to prefer buying them. In this case, it isnt the color that causes accidents, rather the accident rate is reflected in the choice of color, which wouldnt happen if people were given a random color car (the color would still affect visibility, psychology of driver and oncoming drivers, etc). So statistically significant isn't enough to show causality one way or another, but if people got randomized colors it sure would be, and poring over accident statistics when Ford went from "any color as long as it's black" to real color choice should prove interesting, especially if somehow some people randomly got a non-black color (werent self-chosen into the new colors pool).

etc etc. any other questions? [Recap: "statistically significant" means something, and it's not that "one color HAS to come up on top" -- it doesn't have to: it could be about even for each color.]

82.131.188.126 19:13, 14 June 2006 (UTC).

individual business matter

Trying to find out about this gentleman.

MOSNEWS.COM According to the newspaper’s information, it is David Guggenheim, chairman of the board of New York-based company Dabir International Ltd, and self proclaimed representative of the Guggenheim dynasty.

Need profile , photo , business pratices. I am to enter into an oil deal with him.

Thanks,

ukupfront

This is not the place to get free business research, and practise due diligence. --Zeizmic 02:11, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

this is a classic nigerian 409 scam. someone warn the poster before its too late. link snopes, etc. QUIOCLK BEFORE OT STOOO lLATE!!!!

Nigerian Scam may help. Skittle 12:24, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

Where can I go for free business research?? What do you mean warn the poster ?? Please tell me about this " link snopes, etc. QUIOCLK BEFORE OT STOOO lLATE "

Thankyou ukupfront

This doesn't appear to be a Nigerian Scam, but if you are seriously looking on Wikipedia for business advice, I really don't think you should be investing your retirement money in anything more risky than a bank long term deposit. According to this article, "No trace of Dabir International could be found either in the Internet, or in the Western press. The representatives of Solomon Guggenheim Museum and of the John Simon Guggenhem Fund have refused to acknowledge David Guggenheim as a member of the world-famous dynasty. " (emphasis added). Note also these synopses from the New York Times; I can not access the content beyond that as I don't have a subscription, but I think the summaries are clear enough. --LarryMac 15:22, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

Although this is likely a scam indeed, regardless of whether or not this it's the traditional Nigerian Scam or some other version, let's assume it's totally legit for the moment. You say you're about to enter into an oil deal with a person you've never met, and have virtually no information about. Do you think that is how normal business is actually done?

The most obvious piece of advice I can give you is to simply forget about the whole thing. However, if you insist on pursuing this in any sort of way, don't you think it might be a good idea to at least MEET THE MAN before signing away your life savings? Ok, forget the last sentence, it was purely driven by emotion. Please, by all means, forget about this whole thing. It's a SCAM. Loomis51 02:23, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

15TH COMBINATION

Hi

does anyone know of the 15th combination attack from the Genesis rpg PHANTASY STAR IV? Closest i have to it is that the english version of the game had several spells removed,one of these being a technique "FEEVE" which was part of the combo. I cant find any other media regarding this so i cant even confirm whether the original japanese version retained the technique. Any help appreciated. cheers Logan

Sorry Logan, but we're not GameFAQs. You might want to try here instead. Proto||type 11:16, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

Wikipedia participation -- I am sooo lost!

I'm new to Wikipedia. Trying to read the instructions, but it's a bit overwhelming at first. I added a parapgraph and heading to an article, but I don't quite understand what happened.

I'm looking for a peer support forum where other users will answer questions about participating in Wikipedia when I get stuck. This doesn't seem to be it, but I can't find it.

Please advise.

Tim Bigvalleytim 02:18, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

You might want to start by editing your user page while you are learning WIki Markup, etc. ...IMHO (Talk) 02:23, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

Try the Wikipedia:Help Desk. User:Zoe|^(talk) 02:26, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

• Wikipedia:Welcome, newcomers and Wikipedia:Tutorial are good places to start. - 131.211.210.11 07:40, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

---As an ex-new Wikipedian myself, (can you believe that such a creature can be allowed to exist?), I would caution you not to be too offended by respondents to any questions you might pose, using non-English expressions such as "suitly emphasi" or similar, which clearly serves only to emphasi their natural superiority over your own understandable ignorance of Wikipedia, and doesn't fulfil the commonly accepted purpose of an encyclopaedia, which is of course, to harvest, store, and disseminate information to those seeking enlightenment. Otherwise, you will, I feel sure, discover many extremely helpful respondents who don't behave in such a high handed and crass manner, but who instead, bend over backwards to either answer your questions directly, or else direct you to other sources of reliable reference. To that latter group, let me say how reassuring it is to know that you by far exceed in number, those sad and unfortunate members of the former group, who should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves for attempting to belittle the efforts of others who are openly and honestly attempting to avail themselves of knowledge and information from a (new to them)previously undiscovered and rich seam of such material. Thankyou to all positively intentioned subscribers.

dont know what this is!

i bought a fish and it has a snake-like mouth, only two fins,and very long with spikes along its back. what is this?--71.81.51.178 02:58, 14 June 2006 (UTC)dustin

its a fish

Oh come on, we can crack this one! You could try starting with the fish article, and investigating some of the many links from there. To stand any chance of answering your question here we need a lot more information. Did you buy it at a fishmongers or supermarket, or a pet shop? What colour is it? How many spikes? How long is it? What shape is it? Round, thin, flat? Can you post a photo of it for us to look at?--Shantavira 08:31, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

If it's silver and you bought it from the fishmonger's, it might be a cutlassfish. They're excellent deep fried or cooked in soy sauce. --Kjoonlee 02:31, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

But it has to be fresh. They go bad relatively quickly, if I'm not mistaken. --Kjoonlee 02:40, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

Is it a Pipefish ?? Go here for a picture. Or is it an Eel?--Valuefreeperson2 23:18, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

Korean eating utensils

Why do Korean people use so many stainless steel eating utensils? Other than spoons and forks, many Koreans use steel bowls and chopsticks. In most Asian countries, these items are made of earthware, porcelain, wood, bamboo or plastics -- anything but metal because it's much easier to manufacture non-metal bowls and chopsticks. Some Korean chopsticks are nothing but two pieces of flat stainless steel. I don't think it's Korean tradition because stainless steel was only invented less than 100 years ago. Did the South Korean government encourage people to use stanless steel utensils as a way to strengthen national metal industry? -- Toytoy 07:01, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

I asked this question of one of my Korean hosts when I was in Seoul in May, since it was the first place I had used metal chopsticks, and his answer was that they are easier to wash and re-use. Naturally, however, I have no idea if his answer accurately reflects the reasons that their use is so common, or if it's simply a rationalization of their use after the fact. As a side note, I did notice in the shops that the stainless steel utensils tended to be labeled as "modern <insert utensil name here>." --DavidGC 07:51, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

I think I will visit Seoul this summer or after Christmas. If I can't get a good answer here, I'll ask. :) To a typical non-Korean chopstick user, stainless steel chopsticks are very very heavy. I've been using chopsticks ever since I was a baby, it still takes much time for me to get used to. I find the flat chopsticks especially difficult to use. There must be a great and wise reason for the Koreans to use metal bowls and chopsticks. Otherwise, why don't they use cheap bamboo or plastic ones. -- Toytoy 09:45, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

I don't know if this is an urban myth, but I remember reading somewhere that Koreans are especially sought-after in the genetic manipulation field as technicians, becuase their fingers are unbelievably dextrous and they have an uncanny ability to work the controllers, which apparently stems from their use of metal chopsticks. I don't know if that's true, but I have Korean friends and they all have very dextrous fingers - they can twirl pencils like nobody else can. СПУТНИК^{CCC P} 12:46, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

This is more or less true. As far as I know, many IC and LCD fabs use chopsticks to test their applicants. They may give you a plate of mixed uncooked beans. You're required to separate the beans using chopsticks. If you accidently drop a bean, you're out. Being able to eat a bony fish properly with chopsticks is also considered a must for many jobs that require excellent hand-eye coordination. You need to eat the fish very quickly and without leaving a tiny bit of meat on the bones. Moreover, the fish head and bones must remain in one piece. From start to finish, you must not use anything other than the chopsticks to pick up the meat and place it in your mouth. Many people learned to do it because they eat fish almost every meal. Sorry, I cannot do it. I can finish a whole roasted 20 cm Pacific saury in three minutes. I swallow all these tiny bones. By the way, Wikipedia has an article on pen spinning. -- Toytoy 16:11, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

Stainless steel utensils replaced heavy brass ones. I don't know why brass was used instead of ceramics, though. --Kjoonlee 02:50, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

I am not very sure, but brass utensils seems to be a health hazard if you use them improperly for a very long time. -- Toytoy 08:26, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

Shirts

What is the relationship between Atari & Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and shirts?

To explain, other game companies [in refrence to Atari] don't have their company logo and/or name on any shirt, & for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, you see people in their 20's wearing these shirts, but they don't wear Pokémon shirts.

(email removed to prevent spamming. answers will be posted here)

Thanks 24.70.95.203 06:58, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

I see people in their 20s wearing Pokemon shirts, but not as many as wear Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles shirts. This is because people in their 20s used to watch Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles when they were small, whereas Pokemon came out when they were older. They often still watched it, but it doesn't have the same pull. I'm not sure I understand what question you're asking. Could you be more specific about where you think Atari comes into this? Skittle 09:25, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

Sorry, what doesn't have the same pull?

Regarding Atari, what I meant is that you don't see people wearing shirts with the Nintendo logo; & if there are, I haven't seen any, or via extrapolation, not as much. Is it a meme? Was it due to mad advertising? But if it was due to mad advertising, how come Atari logoed tshirts only started to appear in the late 90's? I hope I explained this further & helped. & as how Atari comes into this, it is similar to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles phenomenon on tshirts, eh?

Please contact me (I removed you email address to avoid you being bombarded with spam Skittle 11:05, 15 June 2006 (UTC)), too that would be great.

Thanks

24.70.95.203 05:09, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

What I meant was that people in their 20s tend to feel nostalgic for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the way they used to feel about them. Typically, people this age were very 'into' them as children, so the thought of wearing them on a T-shirt now is very appealing. It also allows them to identify other people who watched them and liked them as much. Pokemon, while 'cool' on a T-shirt, were never as obsessively followed by the people who are currently in their 20s; they weren't as big a deal to them.

Atari, again, are something that certain people remember very strongly with very strong feelings. In addition, wearing an Atari T-shirt and getting misty-eyed about the brand suggests that you were 'into' very early computers and computer games, before most people had them. Hence, there is a certain social advantage in certain areas. However, I also see Nintendo T-shirts, particularly ones with just an image of the NES controller. I suspect it is worn for much the same reasons as the Atari T-shirts. There is also the whole 'old-school' appeal. Hope this helps a little. Skittle 11:05, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

Yes I thought it had somthing to do with the Oldskool Appeal, but the thing is, there are A LOT of other things that could have the Oldskool Appeal, yet it hasn't caught on, i.e., game shows; how come they don't have shirts Advertising games shows in the past, for instance.

Regarding Identifying Other People Who Watched Them And Liked Them As Much, I find that hard to believe;; take for example how UNlikely someone would come up to you & say, 'Hey, I like Ninja Turtles, too!' [for example]... (Any comments?)

Thanks.

Thanks for removing my email, but I already get enough spam; doesn't hurt me anymore if I get more.

Please contact me iooiioioo@hotmail.com, too that would be great.

24.70.95.203 06:09, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

The Atari logo is an "iconic logo" (see http://www.creativity-portal.com/howto/a/logo.html); it is a simple graphic that has become identified with the company (cf the Nike "swoosh"). If other game companies had such a logo, you might indeed see it used on t-shirts. Additionally, it seems to be "hip" these days to wear clothing that somehow recalls the styles or images of the 1970s or 1980s. Cynically, it is all these kids wearing the same thing so they can be unique. --LarryMac 14:18, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

Atari teenage riot.

Atari teenage riot? Can you say Sentence Frag or Forgot To Sign?:-S

24.70.95.203 06:03, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Islamic Question

Tell me can a husband taste his wife's breast milk (by Sucking) according to Islamic Religion? Thanks

Fundamental Islamists seem to me in some ways like puritan Christians, so having one's mouth or tongue touching one's spouse's breast or genitals (or vice versa) would I think be prohibited. Similarly, I would assume sodomy is right out.

Really? Some Christians prohibit kissing their wife's breasts? Never heard of that. If that is the case with Islam, would it be OK to express the milk and give it to the husband to drink? (Not sure why you would want to do that, of course) DJ Clayworth 13:51, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

That's just a guess - and, if I may be frank, is clearly from a position of the most superficial knowledge of the topic. I don't know the answer either, but I might suggest a bettter way to find out.

The best way to ask this question would be to ask an authority on Islam, which presumably means an imam. Unfortunately, to the best of my knowledge there aren't any imams contributing to the reference desk. That said, just like Christianity, there are distinctly different strands of thought in Islam, as the United States has collectively discovered with its Iraqi misadventure. So you might well get different opinions on the topic within different branches of Islam. --Robert Merkel 13:54, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

No need for the absolutely gratuitous political remark, Rob. The question was simply about religion, not international affairs. Loomis51 21:04, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

It is Forbidden that the husband can taste his wife's breat milk in Islam because Prophet Muhammad didn't say anything about tasting breast milk.

The above post doesn't seem to make any logical sense. I'm sure the Prophet Muhammed didn't say anything about watching TV or surfing the net, does that mean that these things are also forbidden? Are you saying that everything that Muhammed didn't say anything about is therefore forbidden? I'm assuming we must be experiencing some sort of linguistic difficulty and that the above poster did not mean exactly what s/he is trying to say. Loomis51 00:26, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

jaon baez

does any one know where i can get the chords or tabs to the songs: For Sasha, Song at the end of the Movie, and After the Deluge by joan baez, i wanna learn them but cant find them ANYWHERE. thanks

its not for public performance i just wanna play em for my enjoyment, please, NE1?

Searched the web with three keywords and two quotes. "For Sasha" lyrics. --DLL 18:34, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

Oops, it's harder for chords. Some bloody copyright still in use ? I'm trying to invent a "growing old" pill to give to Joan. --DLL 18:47, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

Ginger players

How many ginger players are there at the 2006 FIFA World Cup? 82.109.186.194 09:23, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

If you mean players with red hair, I doubt whether anyone knows, but you could try asking here. --Shantavira 09:38, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

The prime candidates for redhead players are the US, Australian, and possibly the English squads. The photos aren't very good, but here's one of the Socceroos. AFAICT, only Craig Moore is a candidate for being a carrot top, and the photo isn't good enough to tell. Here's the USA's World Cup Roster, and the English Squad. Then again, the Japanese and Korean squads might well feature somebody who's died their hair red. --Robert Merkel 14:10, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

Kim Källström is the only other one (Moore is definitely a ging) I can think of at the moment. Germany used to have a ging or two, but I think they're clear of that affliction right now. All the players are listed at 2006 FIFA World Cup (squads).
 SLUMGUM  yap  stalk  14:23, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

With the retirement of Paul Scholes from international football, and the unfortunate injury to Wes Brown, I can confirm there are no gingers tainting the English squad at the 2006 Fifa World Cup. Boris Becker is commentating for Germany TV, but I don't think that counts ... Proto||type 15:20, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

The free web-based e-mail service with the largest PER MAIL capacity

The commercial database currently I am using has a nasty bug. It can never transfer too many files to me with each download. I think it's a good idea to let it send file packages to my mailbox. However, my mail server does not accept files that are larger than 5 MB.

Is there a free web-based e-mail service that can receive really huge e-mails? -- Toytoy 12:20, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

Gmail is good for larger attachments, but I think it's capped at 10MB per email... you might want to try an ftp or similar direct file transfer. 82.109.186.194 12:40, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

Yahoo Mail is also capped at 10MB per message. --Richardrj 13:09, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

Skype. They say there are no limits for files. --DLL 19:04, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

Yup, Skype has no limit to the filesize you can send, as long as both computers can handle it. It's because Skype transmissions go your comp. > other comp., instead of your comp. > server > other comp. Wizrdwarts (T|C) 22:59, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

PHP forum

Hi

I am a software engineer working with PHP and the same time am a reserch student of military technologies. Where i can join in to a PHP forum in wikipedia

                                                        Thanking You
                                                          Sreekanth
                                                            Sreekanthg 12:27, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

You seem to have misunderstood something - Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, not a programming forum. We have an article on PHP which you are of course welcome to read and contribute to (just like any other article on Wikipedia!), however, Wikipedia isn't the place for discussion of how to program in PHP. For that, you'd be better off at a specialised website - take a look at some of the links on php.net. — QuantumEleven 13:19, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

saftey of flying small plane vs. safety of driving Rt. 29N in Central Virginia

Looking for statistics on fatality rates for driving short distances (100 miles or less) versus flying in a small 4-seater private plane with an experienced pilot. Thanks in advance.

Wasn't this asked and answered recently? However, you should be able to find an approximate answer at transportation safety. You'll have to check with some local authority (say, the sheriff) if you want specific data on a given road. — Lomn 14:42, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

Here are some aggregate statistics for driving and [9] flying. If we assume that the average GA plane cruises at roughly 120 mph, the statistics give a fatality rate of about 15.8 per 100 million vehicles miles, compared to roughly 1.46 for cars. However, those numbers aren't really that good a comparison for your purposes. The aviation includes high-risk flying such as crop dusting (which is apparently so dangerous that a career crop duster pilot stands a 30% chance of dying on the job) aerobatics, Alaskan bush pilots, and so on. Similarly, the vehicle statistics include low-speed local driving which represents a relatively low risk of fatality (but also include drunk and inexperienced drivers and poor road conditions). Still, if I were buying a light plane, I'd seriously consider all the safety-increasing options I could afford, notably the Cirrus Aircraft Parachute System--Robert Merkel 14:43, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

So, at some point/distance it becomes safer to fly than it would be to drive... how would I determine this?

Copyright types

Is there a table that shows each copyright type and its characteristics? ...IMHO (Talk) 14:29, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

Copyright laws vary with local legislation, and the issue is well covered in the Copyright article, with subpages for the copyright laws of some countries. I'm not sure I understand exactly what you are looking for, but we have a list of software licences. --vibo56 ^talk 20:32, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

Where's a good place to download film and game trailers?

And I mean download in the sense that I get to save an AVI, MPG, MOV, etc etc

Have you tried Google Videos? ...IMHO (Talk) 14:52, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

They won't let me download videos in a convenient format that'll play on my XBMC, such as RMVB, AVI, MPG, MP4, MOV, etc.

Google's video format, GVI, is actually a AVI with a different name. Try renaming "file.gvi" into "file.avi" and see if that works. Wizrdwarts (T|C) 22:56, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

I think Dark Horizons is a nice website to visit. -- Toytoy 15:38, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

Unknown book

I don't know if I am really meaning Misery, but my English studies teacher was talking about it. The book is, to cut a long story short, about a woman who murders her husband with some meat (a large piece of lamb, I think). She then, after murdering her husband, goes down to the shops etc and when she returns acts as though she doesn't know what has happened. She then cooks the lamb (or whatever animal it was) and phones the police. The police come to investigate, but serves the lamb to the police officer, and thus gets rid of the murder weapon. Does anybody know what book this is? Thanks, Kilo-Lima|^(talk) 15:51, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

I know it's by Roald Dahl, but I've momentarily forgotten the name. Hang on. Skittle 15:57, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

I don't think it's Misery. It's a TV series episode, though it may well have been based on a short story. The episode name is Lamb to the Slaughter. Here's a reference [10] I dimly remember seeing a version on Roald Dahl's Tales of the Unexpected TV show too. DJ Clayworth 15:57, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

It's the short story Lamb to the Slaughter; some people at my school did it for GCSE. I found it on List of Roald Dahl short stories. Skittle 16:03, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

The catch phrase is found in Jeremiah 11:19. It is now 18:26, so just wait a little. --DLL 18:26, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

Monkey brains...People from which country/countries eat monkey brains?

Hi people...ive been told that there are few countries who eat monkey brains as delicacy... can anyone justify this with any links to websites etc please? I couldnt find anything in google!! I dont belive it though but wouldnt mind to read justfying articles on it or proofs! thanks— Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.118.251.61 (talk • contribs)

• I always thought it was Canada—Yi^pe 15:53, 14 June 2006 (UTC)
  • Nah, our monkeys are too busy with politics.--24.231.16.109 05:12, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

i think your watching to much Indiana Jones.

Quite true, I remember that! Kilo-Lima|^(talk) 16:13, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

There's an article on this at Wikipedia's good friend, the Straight Dope. --Shantavira 17:50, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

Spam Mail

Much of the spam e-mail I receive is for 'the little blue pill' Viagra, Cialis, and Levitria. Doesn't one have to have erectile dysfunction to use those pills anyway? And wouldn't most people just go to their doctor? Reywas92 16:11, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

Some men like to use those drugs recreationally, and a reputable doctor would not write a prescription for them unless there was an actual need. Thus the spammers have yet another thing to hawk. Of course it is quite likely that what the spammers are selling is a useless lookalike, but what do they care? They'll have their money - or even some fool's credit card information. --LarryMac 16:17, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

If only those fools would stop replying to emails, spam would be killed off overnight.--Shantavira 17:52, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

I'd assume you'd need erectile dysfunction for them to work properly, but the spammers don't care. They're probably not actually selling anything at all. --Optichan 18:52, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

I think the answer about "recreational" use is a good one (as well as the others). IANAD, and I've never used any of those pills, but I would imagine that a man that doesn't have "full-out" ED would still "enjoy" the "benefits", as they would likely dramatically "improve" sexual performance by providing "extra-duration" during intercourse. I'm writing all these words in quotes because these drugs, just like pretty much all other pharmaceutical concoctions, if not taken with GOOD, SOUND advice from a GOOD doctor, are very risky and can be a serious threat to one's health. And that's if you're actually getting the real thing. If you're lucky, you'll simply be ripped off for a few bucks (as well as have your credit card info revealed) and be sent a harmless placebo. If you're unlucky, who knows what you may be putting into your body. Loomis51 20:42, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

Just a tip about SPAM I'd like to add. I may be wrong, and if anyone can confirm or deny this fact I'd be very grateful. From what I understand, if you ever get SPAM that has a hyperlink at the bottom saying something along the lines of "I do not wish to receive any further solicitations from your company" or "Please remove me from your email list", by all means, DON'T click on it! These are traps! They are the exact opposite of what they purport to be. They tell the SPAMMER that s/he has in fact located a "live" email address, and the inevitable result will be to actually INCREASE the amount of spam you get, since evidence of "live" addresses will inevitably be sold to other SPAMMERS. Loomis51 20:51, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

Wow. I never knew that. Thanks for the tip. --Passerby Cat ^{talk cat} 02:59, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

Not only that, but if you set up an out-of-office autoreply while you're on holiday, it will respond to all the spam and thereby confirm your address. I noticed a huge increase in spam after I returned from a recent holiday, and I'm sure that's the reason.--Shantavira 07:25, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

Would it be possible to set an autoreply program to only reply to addresses that you've sent mail before? This would take care of the problem with spam mails you described. JIP | Talk 08:49, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

I agree with you about the link thing... Unless you genuinly subscribed to something like that, then clicking the link is likely to get you more spam. Unfortunately, I found out the hard way... I get more than 100 spam emails a day... Google Mail is very good at filtering them out though. --62.254.220.101 08:22, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

On Viagra & 'recreational uses' I've heard that they're popular with frequent ecstacy users as, apparently, after a few E's it's hard to get it up so they use viagra, etc. AllanHainey 07:24, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Football (Soccer)

1) What are some reasons football (soccer) does not have much popularity in America? 2) Why is it the most popular sport for kids, but much lower in the sport rankings for adults? Reywas92 16:15, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

I will look that up. General Eisenhower • (at war or at peace) 16:19, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

1) Perhaps something to do with its British connections after the American Civil War, 2) the energy levels required to play are quite high (compared to tennis and tiddlywinks, anyway)- older players do seem to be more prone to serious injury at a professional level too.

And I thought Wikipedia would be football free!

EvocativeIntrigue _{TALK | EMAIL} 16:29, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

What do you mean British connections after the Civil War? I always thought it was just because at the time soccer was becoming popular elsewhere, America already had more than its share of "national sports" - Baseball, Football and later Basketball. TastyCakes 17:19, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

Some suggestions for part (1) based on American stereotypes: Because 45 minute periods are too long - Americans need more time outs to advertise and eat fast food. It has its roots in other parts of the World, and most Americans don't know that the rest of the World exists. It's a non-contact sport which does not satisfy their blood lust. The percieved lack of goals does not satisfy their capitalist urges. ...And some other reasons related to American stereotypes that I can't think of right now.
 SLUMGUM  yap  stalk  17:39, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

From what I've heard it's more popular for kids because due to the current "touch me and i'll sue your pants off" attitude in the US, some schools are to worried about legal action to play a game with as little control as american football, i.e. someone gets hurt, and their money dissapeares.

Regarding to the less popularity with adults, football has had several bouts as one of the most popular sport in america, including when the NASL was about, and in the 1930s when the US team was relativley succesful. Since then popularity has waned, partly due to the collapse of the NASL which was run by a bunch of people looking to make a quick buck after seeing how succesful the New York team was (cosmos?) a lot of people bought into the NASL unaware of the investment that had gone into that team in order to reap the rewards. After the NASL collapsed there was no football for americans to follow until the MLS set up almosr a decade later, this coupled with the desperately cautious approach the MLS takes in order to prevent a repeat of the NASL (notably limiting the allowance of international quality players) and the fact that the american public, whos heart was captured for a breif moment by talents such as Pele, lost all interest after the collapse, and it hasn't regained since. Philc _T^E_C^I 17:12, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

Has it occured to anyone that soccer is very popular with kids because its such an incredibly simple sport? The basics of soccer are so incredibly easy to understand. Think about it, what's easier for your little 5 year old munchkin to understand, the basics of soccer: "Run after the ball, kick the ball, and try to kick it inside that square thing with the net behind it. If you do then yay!!!!! your team gets a point. Oh, and don't use your hands" -- or the basics of baseball: "Stand in the batter's box and try to swing the bat and hit the ball whenever it's thrown inside a little imaginary box that stretches from your armpits to your knees in height, and is the width of that odd shaped five sided flat thing on the ground. If you hit the ball and it lands between the two white lines drawn on the field that form a 90 degree angle, the hit is considered "fair", whereas if it falls outside, it's foul. If the ball is caught by a player of the opposing team, whether fair or foul, before touching the ground, you're "out", with the exception of when it's caught by that very heavily padded guy behind you, in which case it must have flown in the air at least six feet after your bat touched it for it to be considered an out. The exception to that exception is that if you happen to have two strikes agianst you (a whole other topic), and the heavily padded guy behind you catches it, if your bat has only slightly touched the ball and it hasn't flown over six feet into the air, you're still out." And what I've just gone through is probably just about 2% of the rules of baseball! Young kids love soccer because it's fun and simple. It's American adults that prefer more complicated sports. In fact soccer is EXTREMELY popular among American children. What's more North American than a good old soccer-mom using her mini-van to drive her kid to soccer-practice? Loomis51 20:18, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

In all fairness if you simplify baseball to the same extent that you simplified football, it would be when i throw the ball at you if you hit it and run round me you win, but if I catch it you lose. You have three tries. The reason baseball is so un-enticing to the young 'uns I think is because its desperately boring unless your a fanatic. Either your standing in a field, waiting, or on a bench, waiting. Then every hour or so, you get about 30 seconds to do the thing you waited for, hit the ball. But yes football is a really simple concept, which can be quickly grasped, even by simpler minds. Whilst things like american football, again for children, to much violence and advatage to 'the big kids' to mcuh waiting, to many rules, complicated and discontinuous play. Philc _T^E_C^I 20:38, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

Are you sure you're not confusing cricket with baseball? I'm not saying complicated=good and simple=bad. That would imply that I like American/Canadian football, which in fact I cannot stand, while I would tend to dislike hockey, a significantly simpler sport than American football, which I in fact like. But to say that baseball is a simple sport, love it or hate it, is extremely innacurate. The "official rules of baseball" are practically as thick as the telephone book of a small town, whilst there simply aren't enough details and rules to football to require the sacrifice of a good part of a tree. In any case, say what you will about baseball. It's my sport and I love it. But you mention boring: How else would you describe watching a couple of dozen grown men kick around a ball, for what seems like hours, with the score often remaining nil-nil?

There are some interesting sidenotes to this question. It's easy to find people and studies that claim American Football is popular because of the violence, but then why is hockey not more popular? Also look at the rankings for both the woman's and men's national team. Pretty good when compared to soccer mad countries listed below them. One thing I see at Soccer in the United States is the low TV audience (see the footnote), also look at Sports in the United States. One thing with the simplicity of the game may have to do with the field and equipment. American Football takes more equipment, as does hockey (plus the need for ice). All the others, soccer, baseball & basketball, use less equipment. Also think of the number of people required to play or practice. Only basketball and soccer can be played/practiced by one person. While baseball can be prcticed by two people it's not much fun for the person pitching who has to retreive the ball. And of course you can compete at basketball and soccer with only two people. In this case soccer only requires a ball while basketball requires a ball and a net set at a suitable height. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 21:50, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

Football = simple? Explain the offside rule! The basics are simple, but then so are the basics of baseball (as said). The details get, well, detailed, because the sports have been around for long enough for people to try to get round rules and play in unsportsmanlike ways. Interestingly, some studies have suggested the football is the most exciting of the popular spectator sports because of the low scoring; it is much more likely that the 'David' will win than in other games. 22 people constantly interacting with each other and a ball versus people taking it in turns to hit a ball and run? I know which I find more exciting :-D Each to their own. Skittle 22:06, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

Indeed, if the offside rule is the most complex aspect of soccer you can think of, it only strengthens my position that soccer is a relatively simple game. Should I go into details? It's very similar to the offside rule in hockey actually. Basically, if a player is in the offensive half of the field, and he is closer to the goal than the ball is, as well all opposing players other than the goaltender, he is offside. If and when he gets "involved" in the play of the game, the fact that he is offside becomes an offence. And just to prove to you that I didn't simply research the rule and basically repeat it, I'll give you the obvious rationale for it (which would, I would imagine, be quite a bit more difficult to find than a simple explanation of the rule). It's actually pretty simple: It would be extremely unfair to allow a player to wait around at the opposing team's goal while all the game action is going on at the other end of the field, just hoping for one of those giant kicks by one of his teammates, leaving him all alone at the other end of the field with only the goaltender to stop him. And I actually know relatively little about football.

Now that I've explained the offside rule in football, it's your turn. I'll give you a relatively simple one: Explain the "infield fly" rule in baseball, and just to prove that you didn't simply do a bit of web-research, explain to me the rationale of the rule, with an example of why it would be unfair not to have it. Have fun! Loomis51 00:04, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

I didn't say baseball was simple, I simply said that it is if you simplify it to the same extent as football was in that example, as he mentioned a lot of specific rules and boundries in the example of baseball, but none for football. Philc _T^E_C^I 23:07, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

Ah, yes, the great question of our time. Why do Americans and Brits listen to the same music and watch the same movies but play different sports?

Actually, it's a fairly easy question. Most American sports fans think soccer is boring. The real question is why do American sports fans think soccer is boring when Brazilians and Mexicans and Italians think it's the most exciting thing in the world?

My own personal opinion is that Americans are used to sports where people run at full speed for short periods of time. Soccer appears to Americans to be a much slower game. There appears to be a lot of kicking the ball around midfield, jogging and looping crosses that seem to hang in the air forever. To a British person, American football might seem boring because the players spend a lot of time standing around in huddles. An American-football fan would say that the time in between plays doesn't count, but what's important is that whenever the ball is in play, players are running at full speed. Basically, soccer is more like watching a marathon, while American sports are more like watching a series of 100-meter dashes.

The other thing that differentiates American sports from soccer (and rugby) is that American sports, especially football and baseball, are divided into dozens of individual "plays" rather than spread out over 90 minutes. This creates several games-within-games. In American football, for example, you only get four chances to move the ball 10 yards, so every few plays, there is either a victory for the offense or the defense. From an American's perspective, something is always happening in a football or baseball game, while all that happens in soccer is about one goal every for 45 minutes of game play.

Finally, the fragmented nature of American sports allow for far more strategizing than soccer appears to have. Before each play of an American-football game, each team will choose one of dozens of plays from its playbook. The coach factors in things like the down, distance, field position, time remaining, score, etc., in choosing which play to run. This strategizing is what makes football football. A fake field goal that goes for a touchdown isn't a particularly amazing athletic feat, but the surprise factor and the chutzpah of the play call make it really exciting to fans. Soccer is a very different sport. Americans aren't used to watching athletics for sheer athleticism.

I don't think it's a coincidence that when you rank the "big four" American sports by popularity -- football, baseball, basketball, hockey -- you're also ranking them by increasing levels of spontaneity. It's also no surprise that basketball and hockey, the most spontaneous of the American sports, are also the ones popular in parts of Europe. -- Mwalcoff 01:18, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

"Basically, soccer is more like watching a marathon, while American sports are more like watching a series of 100-meter dashes." Exactly, just the same old thing over and over.... Also hockey is essentially exactly the same as association foorball, except sticks are used to hit the ball. Philc _T^E_C^I 13:23, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

Whenever North Americans say 'hockey' they mean 'ice hockey', which is certainly not the same as soccer but with sticks, as anyone who has ever been involved in the regular mid-game fights will tell you. DJ Clayworth 19:07, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

The reason football is so widely played across the world is almost undoubtedly because all you require is a ball. The 'pitch' can be any size, it needn't necessarily be square, and jumpers can be used for goalposts - assuming you even bother with goals. Kids in America have far less time on their own than elsewhere in the world - their so-called "free time" is more regimented and timetabled by their parents than in other countries, and they are far less likely to be allowed to play in the street or in a park unsupervised than in Brazil or England. So they have less experience of the simple joy of a kickabout. What soccer they do play is tightly controlled by adults, with all the pressure that implies, and when you're doing that you might as well play rugby/American football or baseball/cricket. --Sam Blanning^(talk) 11:42, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

You dont even need a ball... All you need is something of the appropriate size and weight, that doesnt hurt to kick.. Ahhh, memories of football with a coke can... Philc _T^E_C^I 13:27, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

Probably the wierdest thing I've ever used for playing soccer was an American football -- the pointy ends means it never goes where you kick it. --Serie 20:32, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

More surreal was playing with an old trainer; trying to make it curl was a game in itself. I did score a free kick with it, but whether that was the wall being afraid of a flying boot or any skill on my part is debatable. --Sam Pointon 19:27, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Wiki Problems

Sorry if this is the wrong place to ask this, but, I'm having a bit of trouble with a Wiki I run. For some reason, the image on this article wont display properly. It works fine if I chose not to show it as a thumbnail, but as a thumbnail, I get that error message. Any ideas? --Saxsux 18:13, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

What is the file extention and how many pixels is the original and the thumbnail? ...IMHO (Talk) 18:29, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

Whoops, sorry - I just realised I did the link wrongly. Fixed now. The thumbnail isn't being generated properly. The image is a JPG, 100 x 725 pixels. --Saxsux 18:36, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

Your wiki may also prefer png. ...IMHO (Talk) 18:39, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

Corporate Finance Topic on Basic Goods

Please define "basic goods." Is this non-durable, durable or what kind of goods.

-Dao

Try google, like this this or this --vibo56 ^talk 20:43, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

Marathon Infinity Vacuum BOB sounds

Does anyone know a way to extract the sounds used for the vacuum BOBs in Marathon Infinity from the files available for Windows (i.e. for Aleph One) at the Trilogy Release website or if there's somewhere I could download them? Thanks! --128.100.36.228

Who wrote "Hypocracy is the lip service vice pays to virtue"?

I would appreciate further information on the author/compiler of this and other sayings; believed to be a French nobelman named Rauchfaucauld [probably miss-spelt] writing in the 17-18th centuries(?). Thank you. SJR spelt

You're right; it was Rochefoucauld. For more quotes including the original French, see world of quotes Dar-Ape 22:24, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

And it is not hippocracy either because "they kill horses, don't they ?" --DLL 23:06, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

Yes. To be precise, they shoot them. (They should also shoot people who can't spell hypocrisy. Oh, and all bigots should be shot too). (lol) JackofOz 02:50, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Assume good faith, Jack. Perhaps DLL was referring to a state ruled by horses, in which case "hippocracy" would be the correct spelling. Of course no such state has yet emerged, so the word has yet to be coined...but one can dream...;) Loomis51 09:07, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

OK, chill out, Loomis. Your lecture was not necessary, but an explanation clearly is. I was aware that DLL/Harvestman was referring to a state run by horses, that's what his allusion to horses was about. But I was not smart enough to notice his subtle way of referring to SJR's odd spelling ("hypocracy") without ever mentioning it. If I had noticed it, I wouldn't have made my remark. My remark was not directed at DLL at all, but at SJR. I've been itching for 3 days to find a witty way of helping him/her with his/her spelling without being schoolmasterish about it, and I thought my chance had finally come. So I saw my opportunity and sprung into action. But then .... no matter, there are more battles to be fought elsewhere. Onwards! (on horseback, of course). JackofOz 09:50, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Surely you must be kidding around, Jack. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. Yet you seem so terribly angry, and I can't find any tell-tale alliteration. Of course there was that last line about galloping away on a horse. You just always leave me guessing about the actual mood you're in. I'll just assume you were kidding around, in fact I think I'll propose a new rule especially designed for JackofOz: Assume Jack's Joking. All the best - Loomis51 12:58, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

wiring a 1/8" stereo phone to stereo RCA outputs

What would be the correct way to wire a 3 prong 1/8" stereo phone plug (like what you use for many headphones) to two RCA plugs (left and right). Obviously you've got 4 wires among the two RCA plugs and they need to be wired to the 3 prongs of the 1/8" phone plug. (I'm using Radio Shack phone plugs). There are two solder terminals across from each other and then the longer shank (which I believe is the ground). Do you take the left + of the RCA to the respective left teminal on the phone and likewise with the right +, and then finally connect BOTH left and right - (grounds) to the shaft? Will you still get stereo? Thanks in advance.

• The tip (pointy part) is the left signal; the ring (the next part) is the right signal, the sleeve (the longest part) is the ground. See Jack plug. So, yeah, wire both grounds together. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 22:40, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

Name that game

A while ago in first grade, our schools computer lab had this game. It had you controlling a dog, you had to pick up bones and find doghouses, and "troggles" or something like that came and attacked you. TO get rid of them, you had to make a math equation equalling the number of them and then you could escape. SO, anyone know what this is? Wizrdwarts (T|C) 23:02, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

Was it Munchers? —Keenan Pepper 02:51, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

Nope. Wizrdwarts (T|C) 20:56, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

Gee, it sounds familiar. I think it had "math" in the title. Mrplastic 21:42, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

You're telling me there's more than one game with "troggles"?? —Keenan Pepper 01:47, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Apparently so. Wizrdwarts (T|C) 16:04, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

15TH COMBINATION PTII

Thanks for your help. Ive already tried gamefaqs as well as captain code and a couple of other PS4 dominated sites. No one seems to know about it but then they tend to deal only with the english version. I was more than hoping that someone may have played the japanese version or knows a guy who knows a guy............. and so on. At this point a rumor would even do. Cheers anyway. Logan.

June 15

The Article Card Location (located on wikipedia)

I do not understand how to do this magic trick. Where do they get 13 from. this article is not clear enough. Anyone who understands it, can you please explain it to me in a simpler fashion. [[11]] Here is the link

The way this article is written is pretty bewildering, but I'll attempt to fix it. The 13 values in each suit repeat in modulo 13 fashion: KQJT98765432A-KQJT98765432A-KQJT98765432A-KQJT98765432A. Because 13 is not a multiple of four, the modulo 4 pattern of the suits (SHCD-SHCD-SHCD...) instantly ccan locate any card by where in the four card suit cycle and where in the 13 card value cycle it is. If a card is clubs, it has to be either card 3 or a multiple of 4 plus 3. If a card is a Queen it is either card 2 or a multiple of 13 plus 2. That means 2, 15, 28, or 41. The only one of these numbers that 4x+3 will work for is 15, so it must be the 15th card. Grutness...wha? 08:29, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

In other words, the cards are preordered to a set pattern that looks random. Instead of having to memorize a real random pattern (to know where every card in the deck is) the cards are order to a pattern that looks random but is really a subtle pattern. By having certain suits and certain number only allowed in certain places of the deck the location of any card can be determined through a little math. Jon513 11:49, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

I'll eat my hat

Has anyone literally eaten their hat? And I don't mean a novelty hat like a tortilla sombrero hat with built-in dip, but a real, genuine baseball cap, fedora, or what have you.--24.231.16.109 00:37, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

See Pica (disorder). I can't point with certainty at a case of someone having eaten a hat, but I would be very surprised if there didn't exist at least one individual who had done so. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 00:44, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

There was The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat. Maybe if he ate her ..... (sorry). JackofOz 00:52, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

Very likely. A hat would be like a wafer thin mint to Monsieur Mangetout. See also Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe. MeltBanana 01:22, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

Have a look at this which looks like nonsense and the second which looks a bit more reliable. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 05:35, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

Unfortunately I do not have the book at hand but the "Book of Lists" by Irving Wallace, David Wallechinsky and Amy Wallace has a list of "People who have eaten their hat" (I'm possibly parpahrasing here. I can't remember who the person was who ate his hat but that's where you'll find your answer. --Roisterer 12:14, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

Solution to tv show Push Nev.

I liked that show but the answer to the money winning question was not made available. Somebody in N.J. won the prise which is fine and fair with me but does anybody know the answer? Thanks 24.0.47.184 00:45, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

You would be much more likely to get a response if you tell us what the actual question is, there may be people who haven't seen the show but will still know the answer. --Sam Blanning^(talk) 11:20, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

Well I finally worked out that the name of the show being referred to here is Push, Nevada. According to the official website, which is linked from the article, the answer was simply the phone number that you had to call to claim the prize.--Shantavira 13:30, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

Can I wire inputs from 2 devices into one output without shorting?

I've only got one Aux. input (RCA) on my cd player, but I want to wire 2 sets of outputs into 1 set of RCA inputs. SO, one of the outputs is RCA and one is the 1/8" phone plug. I want to bring these together into one set of RCA plugs to put into the aux. input. [obviously, I'd only use one output device at a time]. Will this work or short/induce noise, etc.

There are 2 to 1 adaptors adaptors for RCA plugs, and I have used them before with 2 aux out sources to 1 aux in with no problems on an oldish Sony stereo. Like you, I've never tried using both outputs at a time, although I'm rather curious now.--inks^T 04:16, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

Edit: It was taking the audio output from a PS1 and a Gamecube.--inks^T 04:17, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

I've done it. I had two 2-to-1 plugs for the separate L/R of the audio cable. When you played both at once, only one of them would play. I presume this was the device with the higher output but I'm not certain. It never messed anything up.--24.231.16.109 05:09, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

Image for Feist "Monarch"

Hello,

The image for the for the album cover in the article Monarch (Lay Your Jewelled Head Down) seems to always have text attached to it, any idea on how to remove it? or why it is there to begin with? It would be nice to have a pic there, I originally added the image to give more interest to the article. Vihrea 05:33, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

I have fixed it. —Centrx→talk 07:42, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

game

My friend had a game where one could place a bowling ball, then below place bellows, then in front place an arrow and then a baloon, then place a lever that holds a cage, then place a mouse. You then press play and hey presto! the bowling ball falls onto the bellows which blow the arrow into the string of the balloon which then floats up and switches the lever to drop the cage on the mouse. This is only one of many man combinations that could be done, one could use any of the devises in a cartoon type situation to do just about anything from catching mice to blowing up the dynamite to ect ect ect. does any one know what this game was and where i can get a copy, it was really small and was able to fit one a stiffy disk. thanks

Sounds like a mini version of Mousetrap (game). My brother had one, and it was much harder to play than the full-size version. Skittle 10:49, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

Or are you meaning a computer game? The Mousetrap (disambiguation) page lists an Atari game. Skittle 10:53, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

It will be a computer game. I had a copy of this a few years back. Can't recall what it was called though. I'll have a look through my backups and see if I can find a reference to it. -- SGBailey 10:55, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

Sounds like The Incredible Machine to me. --Sam Blanning^(talk) 11:18, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

the incredable machine!!! Thank you dude!

estopple letter

can you please explain what exactly is an estopple letter? thanks.

I imagine the answer is somewhere in estoppel (note correct spelling). --Richardrj 13:04, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

Manga

Does anyone know where I can find manga series?

We are not supposed to promote piracy here. But if you cannot obtain legally published Japanese manga in your country, or the manga series you're interested has not been translated into your language, you may Google or torrent for it. There are some fan-translated mangas available over the Internet. For example, you can download some earlier volumes of Shamo from a sketchbook website. These illegal fan translations actually help Japanese publishers to gain a foothold in many promising markets. -- Toytoy 16:27, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

To put voice to the other side of the debate; illegal fan translations in already established markets harm the interests of Japanese publishers as fewer readers will buy their products. You do not have to go the illegal route as there are plenty of online shops that sell manga and deliver worldwide. A simple Google search will direct you to some of these shops. Road Wizard 20:47, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

Looking at your question again, you may be asking about where to find articles related to Manga series. In that case, try Category:Manga series. Road Wizard 20:51, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

Try your local library (as they would always say), but I think it will pretty scarce there. Try a large chain of book stores like Borders Group (Int'l) or Waterstone's (UK) or Strand in New York - I like that book shop. Kilo-Lima|^(talk) 19:17, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Weights And Measures In Wikipedia

Is there a standard for weights in measures in wikipedia, such as meters or grams, the reason im asking is because i was reading on a subject, and the subject kept referring to meters, and not feet, now how would i change that like this - 3 meters (9 feet) - or like this - 9 feet (3 meters). Or do you have a page i can read on this, because i couldnt find one.

Here's the page you're looking for. Wikipedia:Manual of Style (dates and numbers)#Units of measurement. It should help answer your questions. --Maelwys 13:33, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

world distances

What is the easiest way to find out air/ground distances between different places around the world? Is there a specific website that has this type of database.

Well, the air distance between two different places would depend on altitude, flight path, etc, so I doubt there's any data on that (if there is, it would have to be quite specific). Regarding the (shortest?) ground distance between two different places, you might try this site, although who knows how accurate it is (it looks like it uses some travel site to do the calculation). --18:23, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

Four (4)

Some things, such as the official rules of a contest, use numbers in the format above. Example: "Grand Prize: One (1) trip for two (2) people for a five (5) night stay in Las Vegas." Why do they do this??? Reywas92 13:50, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

To avoid ambiguity in the event of a dispute. Seems pretty bogus to me - probably lawyers charging by the word. --Tagishsimon (talk)

To prevent forgery? "Grand Prize: One (1) trip for ninety-two (92) people for a ninety-five (95) night stay in Las Vegas" wouldn't look authentic. --Kjoonlee 14:35, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

Hard Drive Recovery Tools

I was using partition magic to partition my files. I decided on a clean install of windows xp and had previously made a backup of my files on a 200gb maxtor drive. I decided to revert back to my old settings using the backup, but there was not enough space on the C: drive so I moved windows vista (it was on the way of expanding with partitionmagic) to the maxtor. PM stopped working right in the middle and my BACKUP is corrupt. I don't care what happened to vista, but my backup is gone. My backup is technically not my backup anymore since it contains everything I have. It was made using the Windows backup utility. So it is a .bkf file. I need my files urgently and need them recovered. Thanks. Do you know of reputable software that can do this?

I also had a deleted partition that had this backup. (I deleted it since I needed my files on the C drive.) Is there anyway to recover a deleted partition?

Thanks again. I am really worried. This data is critical.

All I need is software that will recover a deleted partition and I should be fine I think. I have been searching literally for hours. Please help. --Proficient

Try testdisk from http://www.cgsecurity.org. I had the same problem once where PM crashed and 'deleted' my boot partition - the drive showed up as 'unallocated' I think - which is a good sign. Run the find utility from testdisk - should work - do NOT let windows attempt to fix your files from your corrupted partitition or you will end up with irrecoverable data. Please use at your own risk as a last resort as testdisk is VERY powerful software. Once testdisk restores the volume, if windows does not boot then run fixmbr.exe from windows to fix your master boot record. Sandman30s 20:18, 15 June 2006 (UTC) PS/ do NOT use PM to undelete partitions, you see what happens when it crashes, in fact don't use PM period unless you have a full backup.

I managed to get into a similar situation not very long ago (a bunch of critical files on a deleted partition). After having tried various freeware tools with no luck, I bought getdataback for fat32 from http://www.runtime.org/. It worked exactly as advertised. I managed to restore every single file (using a separate usb disk). Highly recommended. --vibo56 ^talk 20:19, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

I used some software that I got for 50 dollars and it worked. Thanks for your help though. Now I am having problems restoring my backup. Windows XP keeps giving me so many errors and I've reinstalled XP like 10+ time already. Wow. ._. --Proficient 13:07, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Calling Florida

I need to call a telephone number in Florida. It's not a private number - it's the number to the motor vehicles department. The number is listed as "850/617-3003" in the contact list on their homepage. Now, I realize I need to put the international prefix for the US in front "+1" - but I'm still a bit weary about calling. The number does not seem to be big enough for a US number - is there some sort of Florida area dialing code or can I just punch 001-8506173003 on the phone and get through? Gardar Rurak 14:21, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

While I'm unfamiliar with international dialing to the US, I can confirm that 10 digits is the size of an internal US number (the leading "850" is the area code you're wondering about, though it's a subset of Florida, not the whole state -- see Area code 850). Whatever the international code is, plus what you've provided, should work fine. — Lomn 14:26, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

In short: yes. You've got all the digits you need. :) kmccoy (talk) 18:08, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

Old Dairy Company

I'm trying to find some info on an old dairy company called Standard Dairy that was located in Rockford, Illinois.. I'm assuming it must have been around in the early 1900's.. I have just received an email from a Jim Redmond @ Wikipedia & he suggested I pose my question to you..I would really appreciate any info you could supply..Thank-you!!

I found references to a Standard Dairy in Melrose Park, IL (see here), and several results pointing to auctions featuring bottle that evidently say "Standard Dairy, Batavia, Illinois." Melrose Park and Batavia are both much closer to Chicago than to Rockford, though. Also, this page has mention of a collection of documents that were donated to the Northern Illinois University Regional History Center, and it appears that some of these documents might relate to the Standard Dairy. If you are located near NIU perhaps it would be possible to view this collection and see if it provides any further clues. Evidently there are or were "Standard Dairy" companies in Michigan and Oregon as well; just thought I'd mention that. --LarryMac 20:17, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

Wiring a standard 2-pin European plug

How do you wire a European 2-pin plug? I.e., which way round do the live and neutral wires go? --Richardrj 15:07, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

If it's a two-pin plug, it doesn't matter which way round they go. Please see our article on domestic AC power plugs and sockets for detailed information.--Shantavira 15:24, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

Thanks very much. I would like to put a two-pin plug on a UK appliance which has three wires. Is this advisable? If so, what do I do with the earth wire? --Richardrj 15:50, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

DO NOT DO THIS HORRIBLE THING! UK has a very high voltage, if it trickles out, it can kill you. North America has a voltage that can only kill you if you connect with your tongue, while pissing on a pipe. --Zeizmic 15:54, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

Europe uses 230 volts (if you measure two phases). You sure don't want to touch a live wire but it's not that bad... Anyway, for a grounded appliance you should preferably use a grounded plug, i.e. Schuko, and a grounded socket. Are you sure you know what you are doing? Like which wires to cut shorter for safety? If you don't know please find someone who can show you how to wire it. Weregerbil 16:19, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

Voltage isn't fatal, amperage is. Accidental finger contact is unlikely to be fatal at either voltage, but you should always be doing this sort of thing with the power off and other proper precautions in place. — Lomn | Talk 17:18, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

Strictly speaking, yes, but amperage (current) is proportional to voltage for a fixed resistance, so it amounts to the same thing when talking about electrocution. Basic electrical equipment (table lamps, shavers, soldering irons) will usually work without the earth wire (though they might not be as safe). Electronic equipment, on the other hand (tvs, chargers, computers), might not work at all, and could be damaged, if the live and neutral are reversed.--Shantavira 17:48, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

In most European 230V wall plugs ("type C") there is no such thing as "reversing live and neutral". The plugs are symmetrical, so there is no predicting which gets plugged to which. The earthing pin in Schuko plugs is not used for carrying current. Schuko plugs work fine in most unearthed sockets, you just lose the protection (as explained in the article on Schuko). Domestic AC power plugs and sockets also shows some unsymmetrical plugs used in some countries. I don't know but I'd guess most (all?) appliances are built not to care which wire is which; otherwise you couldn't sell them on half the planet... Weregerbil 16:52, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Why not just go to the store and buy an adaptor? kmccoy (talk) 18:06, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

Because I don't have the UK plug any more. Thanks to all for their comments. --Richardrj 18:32, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

The Gambia

I am searching for information on an area in Gambia refered to as Kairaba. An immigrations document has the Area Officer's stamp on it, but can't locate anything as to where it is located. Can you help me?

Good luck,

Harry Whitecross

All I've found, so far, is Kairaba Beach, Kotu, Gambia, and various Kairaba Roads - from the search [12]. There is also a Kairaba Hotel, which gets many hits. --Tagishsimon (talk)

PS2 box-art

Why do some PS2 games have designs on their spine, just like other DVDs and games, while a number of others have a simple white spine with the title written in black? Is it a country thing?

Because they can. That's about it, really. It's not exclusive to PlayStation 2 boxes. --Optichan 20:23, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

england football players earnings

Does anyone know how much footballers earn per game for playing for the english national side in the world cup? (i'm not interested in sponsorship, just their match fees).

Judging by tonight's dismal performance, too much. --Richardrj 18:33, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

A little harsh to call it dismal - The first half was rather sloppy yes, but the second half was much better, well, the last 10 minutes anyway... -Benbread 20:29, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

If gerrarg hadnt scored that goal, I'd be annoyed, but he did, so I'm not. Philc _T^E_C^I 20:40, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

They're not going to get far playing like this. Sven has to get the midefield sorted out. In regards to the question, sorry Ican't find anywhere that backs me up, but I seem to remember it being 10,000 pounds a game. Could be totally wrong. --Chapuisat 21:20, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

As long as they keep shutting the other team out, it doesn't really matter how many goals they score.  :) User:Zoe|^(talk) 15:42, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

---

Sorry, but I think the original question went something like this "Does anyone know how much footballers earn per game for playing for the english national side in the world cup? (i'm not interested in sponsorship, just their match fees)."

Concerning Hamelin de Balun

Dear Volunteers,

I wonder if you might be able to help me: I'm trying to identify, as closely as possible, the parents of Hamelin de Balun (the uncle of Brien Fitzcount, Hamelin's name is listed in the Domesday Book; he helped William in the Norman Conquest and was the first Baron Abergavenney). *Anything* you could offer me would be a help; as I say above, I'd especially like to know who Hamelin's parents were, if possible, and to whom he was married (if he married at all). I thank you for your time and for all your great work on the Wikipedia site. Very Sincerely, Bruce Bromley (Lecturer in Expository Writing, New York University)

He is mentioned in a footnote to Giraldus Cambrensis's Itinerary Of Archbishop Baldwin Through Wales

"Hamelin, son of Dru de Baladun, who came into England with William the Conqueror, was the first lord of Over-Went, and built a castle at Abergavenny, on the same spot where, according to ancient tradition, a giant called Agros had erected a fortress."

Could not find Dru de Baladun's wife but thats life for a Norman wife. MeltBanana 21:45, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

Which part-time jobs are teenagers suitable for?

What sort of jobs can I, as a 16 year old, apply for with a chance of getting? Which sort of job would you recommend? (Money isn't the issue)

The first ones that came to my mind are waiter/ressing in a cafe, working in a fast food "restaurant" (not recommended) and stacking shelves in a supermarket. If I had to choose between those three, I'd go for the supermarket. I'm sure there must be other options, though. --Richardrj 18:36, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

To get a good answer, you need to say something about where you live. --vibo56 ^talk 20:06, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

Work in a lab if you're intellectually endowed. Pays well, too. -- Миборовский 22:21, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

Data entry, if you're computer literate enough & in a city. --Tagishsimon (talk)

The other option is the "job" of starting your own (small) business. It occasionally works out very well--inks^T 22:56, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

Yes, yes it does. Kilo-Lima|^(talk) 19:21, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

According to The Telegraph earlier this week (I forget which day), a McJob is actually "rewarding", which I find hard to believe. At 16, you could still do a paper-round I suppose.EvocativeIntrigue _{TALK | EMAIL} 13:46, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Gun Calibers

Is there any where to find a listing of gun calibers from biggest to smallest? Rifles, Handguns, and shotguns?

Well of course there is, take a look at a list of rifle cartridges, a list of handgun cartridges, and a list of gauges(shotgun). Also, you may find something here.--Captain ginyu 19:10, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

Nice. Does anyone know where I can get a handgun chambered in 20x110? --Serie 20:40, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

We don't even know what that means, much less where to get one. Might you consider taking up stamp collecting instead? --Tagishsimon (talk)

Presumably you're in the U.S.A. so I'd think your best bet would be to go to a gun shop, if they don't have one they should have means of finding you one. AllanHainey 07:48, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Florida drivers license

Ok - I called the Florida DMV (a previous question) and they didn't help much. The thing is I'm goping to Florida and I would like to get a Florida drivers licese:

• I'm European
• I don't have a European drivers license (although I can drive)

The rules are somewhat confusing and I need some natives to help interpret the laws, rules and regulations. Can I get a Florida drivers license provided I have proof of identity (passport) and pass the tests?

http://www.lowestpricetrafficschool.com/handbooks/download.php

Here is the list of requirements --

• • United States Citizen proof of identity.
  • Non-United States Citizen proof of identity.
  • Social Security number, if issued.
  • Proof of completion of a Traffic Law & Substance Abuse Education Course or license from another state, country, or jurisdiction.

So you not only have to pass the tests, you have to have taken a class. And the proof of identity information is fairly complex if you are not a US citizen. --LarryMac 18:48, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

It sounds like what you really need is an International Driving Permit, which will be much easier to come by (as Florida will likely not award a Florida license, with all the proper ID status stuff it entails, to a tourist) but that requires a country-of-origin license. — Lomn | Talk 00:09, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

I don't have any special knowledge of Florida, but every (U.S.) place I've known of also requires some proof of residency (within the jurisdiction) when getting a drivers' licence. --Walt 00:49, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

When you say you don't have a Euroepan driving license, do you mean you don't have a valid driving license from any country? If that is the case it will probably be easier to get a license in your own country and get a Florida license on the basis of that. DJ Clayworth 18:23, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Marbleized paper

Do you have an article on this subject

The best way I know of finding out, is googling with "site:en.wikipedia.org" as one of the search terms. When performing such a search, the only match is Japanese handicrafts. --vibo56 ^talk 20:59, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

Try Paper marbling. Road Wizard 21:48, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

Always reasonable to add a redirect: Marbleized paper --Tagishsimon (talk)

Confusing talk page

I went to the article "Coach House Books". When I clicked on discussion, a page came up that said "The article: Coach house books does not exist. To create it...". I don't understand what's going on. I would like to edit some factual errors out of this article. 199.243.196.26 21:10, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

I guess I should have logged in (that was me). Now I'm not getting the same message but it is still telling me that there is no talk page. Is it possible that this article was submitted with no input on the talk page? Mrplastic 21:16, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

Yes - Wikipedia articles are not automatically created with a discussion page. The first time someone wishes to discuss the article via its talk page, they have to create the talk page (using the link you just mentioned). Hope that helps! Proto||type 21:38, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

More, billions of articles never needed a talk page. And maybe they are not so encyclopedic. 1 of 20 random pages are about an unnotable townlet with the census results of 2000 : "0,01% hispanic ..." and such. --DLL 22:51, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

FWIW, the ratio of these 'census result' town pages is 36,000 to 1,193,519, or about 3% of wikipedia. Lord knows why I thought it was important to impart this gem. I'll get my coat. --Tagishsimon (talk)

Um, isn't that there are 36,000 U.S. city and town articles, a number of which are large important cities and another number of which are very small towns? So less than 3% are unimportant U.S. towns. And if it says "0,01% hispanic", somone needs to slap the robot because it just broke three MOS rules in that phrase. Rmhermen 01:34, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

50's supermarket music

Hi, I'm looking for a type of music I like, but I don't know what it's called. This music is best described (in my opinion, anyways) as a 50's supermarket background music. I already read the articles Elevator music, MOR, Furniture music, Ambient music, Background music, Music on hold, Beautiful Music and Muzak. They aren't the types of music I'm looking for. I tryed searching for 'elevator music' and 'muzak' and all the above on Limewire, with no success of finding what I like. Can anyone help me find a few songs like this, or name the type of music this is? Any help would be appreciated.--Valuefreeperson2 22:47, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

Is this Page Worthy?

I am considering writing a page for a (relativly) new Online MMO. It was started by some friends and me, and has branched out to include over 40-50 members in around a year, not all of them in one location. I was just curious whether this was too small to deserve a Wiki page, or if it fell under local intrest pages? Thanks.

It's probably not notable enough. --Tagishsimon (talk)

Oh go on, be bold! Some creativity might pay off! If it's NN it might well get the chop. I had to log out to say this, but a year ago I wrote a Wikipedia article about a NN group that consists of just two guys. It's still there...--83.245.18.34 08:17, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Yea, we know: Simon & Garfunkel. ;) --Tagishsimon (talk)

Macaroni and cheese

Here's my situation...

I live near Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

I shop at a store called Fortinos

I buy NoName brand Macaroni and cheese. (There's no article on NoName foods?!)

(There is at No name (brand), and I've made / fixed various redirect pages to sort out the search issue --Tagishsimon (talk))

And here is the problem...in the winter, Macaroni and Cheese only cost 39 cents.

In the spring...it cost 49 cents

Now, it costs 59 cents!

I really like this food, and I buy it in bulk, but the price keeps going up! When is it the best time to buy this? When will it cost the least? And why does it keep going up in price?! (Kraft brand macaroni and cheese is also following this trend, but it costs 99 cents. That's why I don't buy this brand. Kraft brand M&C used to cost 39 cents in the winter) --Valuefreeperson2 23:00, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

As the pasta harvest falls in the spring, I can understand why you might be confused. However, you must remember to take into account the lengthy cutting and drying process that follows collection of the fresh pasta from the trees. (Drying and powdering the cows to prepare the cheese mixture is also a slow procedure, but may be performed throughout the year.) The macaroni isn't ready for packaging until late fall, and the new vintage of mac and cheese arrives on our store shelves in early winter; this leads to the low winter prices that you've observed.

Due to significant storage and handling costs that accrue between vintages, prices rise throughout the spring and summer, and don't drop back unti lthe following winter. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 00:26, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for that clarification, Tagishsimon. And TenOfAllTrades, that's not helpful at all. I can't possibly see how you're an administrator for wikipedia.--Valuefreeperson2 01:14, 17 June 2006 (UTC)

Tapping-beat

There's this one toned tapping beat that everybody's heard, but nobody pays much attention to. You probably don't know what I mean, so just listen to it.

Media:taptrack.mid

People knock on the doors this way, honk their horns this way, or do it at hockey games (and many, many other occasions) Where did this originate from? When was it first invented? Is it called anything? --Valuefreeperson2 23:16, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

As far as the internet shows me, there is no true history.

Check out Shave and a Haircut. --jh51681 01:57, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

That's not it, but thanks for the link anyway - I never knew that couplet had a name. --Richardrj 12:31, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Is it the one that goes: Duh duh du-du duh du-du-du-du -du duh ? As in "slow slow quick quick slow quick quick quick quick --quick slow". (or crochet crochet quaver quaver crochet quaver quaver quaver quaver (quaver rest) quaver crochet) I tend to hear it in football crowds when it's mostly played on horns or clapped, with the last two beats replaced by "England!". Skittle 13:03, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

If that's what you're thinking of, it's mentioned in out article on football chants, but only briefly with no history and an apparent advert. "A variation upon this clapping is: "clap clap, clap clap clap, clap clap clap clap, clap clap". The most famous instances of this rhythm were firstly, during the late 1990s when AAPT Smartchat released a successful Australian advertising campaign - "A, A, A A P, A A P T, Smart chat!". The rhythm can also be heard at the beginning of the Hoodoo Gurus song "Wipeout (Like Wow)"." Skittle 13:07, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Don't know if it's the original source, but sounds like Centerfield by John Fogerty. (Known from American baseball games and the line "Put me in coach, I'm ready to play today.") KWH 16:11, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Thankyou, that is very helpful. Especially the part about the Shave and Haircut (as I was going to ask about it too).--Valuefreeperson2 01:19, 17 June 2006 (UTC)

June 16

Permanently enlarged text in Mozilla Firefox

I'm looking to permanently enlarge the text in web pages in Firefox, as the native resolution on this new monitor is too honking fine for me to comfortably read a lot of sites (such as the left column here). While I can find the setting for minimum font size, what I really want is to duplicate the effect of the Ctrl+"+" hotkey which enlarges all text, preserving the relative font sizes. Unfortunately, said hotkey isn't persistent across browser sessions. Anybody know how to make an effect like that persistent? — Lomn | Talk 00:14, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Tools > Option > Content > Font & Color -- Миборовский 00:28, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Unfortunately, that just forces all fonts to one size, not the relative size differential. — Lomn | Talk 03:03, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Control + and Control - work in firefox --Froth 17:23, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Eggs

Is it possible to balance an egg your head? This has always intrigued me... I can't do it, I am just wondering if anyone can. Political Mind 00:50, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Given enough hairspray (and hair) I'm sure I could handle half a dozen :D --inks^T 01:55, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Depends on what state the egg is in - a poached, scrambled or fried one would sit rather comfortably, although you should let it cool down first, particularly if you have short hair / are bald. But it also reminds me of my favourite surrealist joke - "A guy walks into a bar with a fried egg on his head. The barman says 'Hey, why've you got a fried egg on your head?' The guy says, 'Because a boiled one would roll off, idiot'." Proto||type 08:35, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

I mean a normal egg, still in the shell. Political Mind 23:30, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Try it, I suggest hard-boiling it first, the boil shouldn't affect it's balance, but it will affect the clean-up. Emmett5 23:36, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

I have tried it. Political Mind 01:34, 17 June 2006 (UTC)

Ship me to Wayne's World

I'm staying in Chicago for a while, and the movie Wayne's World takes place in Aurora, IL, a suburb of Chicago. Was it filmed there? Can I visit places in the movie?

According to Aurora, Illinois, it was not filmed there. But if you want to visit Stan Mikita's, a Tim Hortons anywhere in Canada will do. Adam Bishop 06:44, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

According to imdb, it was filmed there, as well as Cerritos, California, Chicago, Illinois, Covina, California, Los Angeles, California, Mesa, Arizona, Scottsdale, Arizona and West Covina, California. User:Zoe|^(talk) 15:51, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Where

Where do you get the Atari, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, & Transformers tshirts?

I'm looking for the orignal Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles logo on a black shirt, & how did the Transformers tshirt style start?

Also, where do you get the fiber bacelets & necklaces? I've been trying to find that style that the most people wear for males. Is it made of hemp or somthing? [Something like that, right?] & where do you get the chain bracelet? Its like a bike chain.

Please, you can contact me [email address removed to prevent spam].

Thanks 24.70.95.203 06:19, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

It would help if you stated where you live. In the United States, you can find a store called "Hot Topic" in approximately every other shopping mall, and they carry exactly this type of merchandise. --LarryMac 13:51, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

??? I live in the US and have never heard of Hot Topic. User:Zoe|^(talk) 22:00, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

good questions

where can i find a list of good or interesting questions and answers that have been asked on the ref desk.

Best you can do it rootle around in Wikipedia:Reference desk archive. If you want to put together a Best of the Desk, umm, that'd be fine :) --Tagishsimon (talk)

There is a pilot scheme in action at the moment on the Science desk to mark "exemplar questions", but it's only been running about a month, so there isn't much done yet with it. Grutness...wha? 11:18, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

1935

Ques. #1; How many people were born in the US in 1935? Ques. #2: Is it possible to know how many of those born in the US in 1935 are still alive today?

1) Not sure, I'll look it up for you,

2) It's 2006 now, so anyone born in 1935 would be (2006-1935 = 71) 71 years old, so I'm guessing there are quite a few people still alive in America who were born in 1935: what's need is a [65 years and over: 12.5% (male 15,542,288/female 21,653,879) (2006 est.) recent census] (from CIA World Factbook), but the age breakdown only goes as far as 65 here...the United States Census, 1930 is lacking in detail too, with just a summary of population, and is 5 years before your query.

Try the humanities reference desk, you may get a more coherent answer!

Don't forget to sign your posts using --~~~~!

EvocativeIntrigue _{TALK | EMAIL} 13:17, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

African peace

where can i get a list of English speaking countries in Africa that are at peace, i wanna go on holiday to a tropical/jungle type area in africa, but i want to live through it and not have a problem with the language. I have already been to South Africa, Namibia, Botswana. So other than those? Thnks

Map of nations using English as an official language

Geographic areas with ongoing armed conflicts.

These two images should answer your question. Philc _T^E_C^I 13:06, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Also, may I recomend zambia, the Victoria Falls are worth a visit. Philc _T^E_C^I 13:34, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

It appears that Phil's maps leave us with Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana, Cameroon, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland and Namibia.

Sierra Leone and Liberia were recently in civil war, so the tourist infrastructure probably isn't well developed. Zimbabwe is a mess right now. Botswana and Namibia are peaceful and relatively modern, but there's not much to see unless you like deserts. (And from the pictures, Windhoek looks like it's in Canada.) South Africa is a beautiful country, but don't step into the wrong neighborhood. Lesotho and Swaziland are teeny. French is bigger than English in Cameroon, I think. Kenya and Tanzania are famous safari destinations. Wikitravel recommends Ghana for a first trip to Africa. I don't know what to say about Nigeria other than that Lagos is probably not a place for a fun weekend.

It's probably best not to limit yourself to "English-speaking" countries. People involved in tourism the world over learn English, and you can always use phrasebooks. -- Mwalcoff 23:38, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Wine

What kinds of wine are good to have with grilled steak? Siri.

One would assume red wine with red meat (in contrast with white wine with white meats (chicken etc) and fish). Rosé could provide a nice, refreshing wine if you're having a barbeque outside on a hot afternoon though. EvocativeIntrigue _{TALK | EMAIL} 13:08, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Whatever kind of wine you like. I don't care for white much and tend to drink red with white meat. Don't worry about other folks opinions and what they think. Just enjoy yourself. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 13:35, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Personally, I would recommend a Cabernet sauvignon or a Syrah. Chuck 18:51, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

That is a favorite on Saturday Kitchen. Kilo-Lima|^(talk) 19:26, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Image copyright question

I'm looking for some help determining whether a few images are in copyright or not. It's a bit long but I'll try to keep it as short as I can.

• I'm looking for a photo for the Jim Hall (boxer) article. He died in 1913, so any photos of him were obviously taken before then.
• This photo is the one I've seen used most often. The "Dana Photo SF" on the print refers to Dana Studio in San Francisco, who specialised in boxing photos from 1900-1916. The photographer, Percy Dana, was born circa 1865. There doesn't seem to be any indication of when the photo was published.
• {{PD-US}} says images published before 1923 in the US are PD only in the US. {{PD-old-50}} says the same thing, and the author died 50 years ago (1956). I haven't yet been able to determine when Dana died (he would have been 91 in '56), but I'm not sure if it is OK to assume the photo was published before 1923 (since the photography studio closed in 1916).
• Alternatively there is this ("circa 1895", no info about the ownership of the photo though), this (published in 1910 - but in Britain) and this (no info i could find)

So in short my question is whether (1) it is OK to use the first, under the assumption it was published before the photography studio closed and/or the subject died; (2) either of the second lot i've listed (in particular, the British one) are OK; (3) it's best to make no assumptions and try to find a new photo/concrete info; or (4) this is completely the wrong place to ask this question... Thanks — AlbinoMonkey ^(Talk) 13:18, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Have you tried asking at Wikipedia talk:Copyrights. They are helpful. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 13:36, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

I'll try that. Thanks. – AlbinoMonkey ^(Talk) 13:37, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

If memory serves, an image published 1910 in the UK should be fine... at least in UK law. Shimgray | talk | 22:20, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Using similar slogans

We would like to use the slogan got Realtors??? get Results!!! Is this okay since this is similar to the "Got Milk" slogan?

Create a new article

i have been skimming all of your files, but I cannot find any simplified instructions on how I may go about creating a new article. Can you please provide me with instructions on how to accoplis this?

Darris Johnson

As you've already got an account, first go to where the page should be, either by clicking on a red link or typing the name in the search box and clicking 'Go', then click 'Start the (whatever) article' on the resulting page, or 'edit' at the top. Help:Starting a new page has the full instructions, and Wikipedia:Your first article should be read first (it's not that long and can save you a lot of bother). Future questions on how to use Wikipedia should go the the Help desk. --Sam Blanning^(talk) 15:27, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Looking For Gmail Invite

I'd like you use gmail but can't find anyone to invite me. --Username132 (talk) 16:00, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

I'll invite you if you leave your email on my talk page. TastyCakes 16:36, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

One can also sign up with a cell phone. zafiroblue05 | Talk 23:55, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Graduation Class System

In the United States and now over here many schools are creating yearbooks and year photographs etc. The title of these is often "class of....". How does this system work? is it the date the students arive or the date they leave? if so if I was doing a year 11 yearbook (current year 11) would I use: Class of 2001 (entry year), Class of 2006 (some are leaving this year) or Class of 2008 (the rest are leaving in '08)???? Please help I need to get the yearbook off to print and I am unsure as to which to use.

Many thanks James

It's supposed to be the year they graduate (for example, for high school, I was in the "class of 98"). This is not necessarily the year they leave, depending on how your education system works. Adam Bishop 18:05, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Thankyou, but I am still unsure whether it is class of 06 or 08??? Can anyone help?

If the person graduates this year, they would be in the class of '06. If they graduate in two years, they would be in the class of '08. Normally, if a person graduates early because of skipping a grade or whatever, a person will use whatever year they actually graduated in. They may go on to say, "Well, I was supposed to graduate in '08 but I skipped two grades and graduated in '06." If they are still in school and don't expect to graduate early, by skipping or whatever, then they will say "I'll be in the class of XX". Dismas|^(talk) 20:05, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

The yearbook itself should simply be called QuaintName 2006. (My high school yearbook was "Sequin YYYY", my college's I won't even name, save to say "hooray for faux-Native American names!"). If you have separate photographs of the year 11 students leaving this year and those leaving in '08, you could label them "Class of '06" and "Class of '08" respectively. If you have one photograph of the whole group, then it might best be labelled "Year 11, May 2006" or something like that. --LarryMac 20:29, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Thanks very much I shall do that.

It's worth noting that many UK schools have in the past used the year to be the year of arrival, and a few still do for the sake of consistency; I've had to deal recently with a large collection of records whose "year" was given consistently as 1910 rather than 1915 for (arrived 1910, left 1915). The year-of-mass-leaving system is, IMO, the more sensible one. Shimgray | talk | 22:16, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Name saying

I am wondering how to pronnonce the name diem i believe it would be someome from vietnam. I just want to know how it is said.

DIE-em or DEE-em, I would think. Not so sure on my Vietnamese. Kilo-Lima|^(talk) 19:30, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

That sounds nearly right thanks for the info.

It's one syllable. DYEM. User:Zoe|^(talk) 22:02, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Do wiki delete contents on the my talk portion of user space

Do wiki delete contents on the my talk portion of user space ? Thanks.

Not unless someone deletes it themselves, it's not automated. Edit: There might be some bots that clean up inactive user pages. Wizrdwarts (T|C) 18:45, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

2005 company slogan

In 2005 there was a company slogan "Always thinking so you don't have to." I would appreciate knowing what company it was? Possibly banking, insurance or investment firm

TechGeeks? --LarryMac 20:34, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Copyright clarification

The US Copyright web site says that all images and documents are automatically copyrighted when they are created without having to be registered and that it is only prior to an infringment suit that the creator must register his copyright. Therefore in the copyright article where the word "copyrighted" is used does this mean pre-registered copyright or post-registered copyright? ...IMHO (Talk) 20:56, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

There is no difference unless you are filing an infringement suit. --Fastfission 00:28, 17 June 2006 (UTC)

captains that go down with the ships

I would like to read about captains going down with their ships. When, why, how often, etc. Sinking ship has a reddish hue. -lethe ^{talk +} 22:20, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Have you tried Enron? 82.131.188.130 00:11, 17 June 2006 (UTC)

It may not be an exclusively British tradition, but it's certainly part of the "British rules about death". There was a great line spoken by William Holden in Bridge on the River Kwai. It went something like: "You people have the stench of death about you. You're always concerned about dying by the rules, dying like a gentleman - when what's really important is living like a human being". JackofOz 01:09, 17 June 2006 (UTC)

Pronunciation

I friend and Iare in an argument. We are both good friends with a boy from Vietnam named Duy Nyugen. He (as a joke) has refused to tell us the proper pronunciation to his last name, and has bet us we won't ever get it. He returns from a camp in about a week and was hoping to surprise him with a banner with the pronunciation key to hi last name on it... any suggestion on how it is properly pronounced or a place to find out?

For one thing, are you sure it's Nyugen and not Nguyen? Nguyen is a common Vietnamese name. —Keenan Pepper 23:12, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

And we even have an article on it, with a sound clip of the pronunciation: Nguyen. —Zero Gravitas 23:14, 16 June 2006 (UTC) Okay, I'm an idiot and didn't see the link above.

I added it after I realized we had an article, so don't worry, you're not going crazy. =P —Keenan Pepper 00:33, 17 June 2006 (UTC)

when are criminal convictions spent?

in my youth i was stupid enough to get into trouble with the law in northern ireland. i was 16 and got sentenced for a number of crimes. most of these are now spent as i am now 27 and have kept my nose clean but there is 1 that is still haunting me. it was a three year sentence i got back in 1995, i know that usually a sentence of more than 2 1/2 years are never spent but the law also says that its different if your under 18 at the time. i hope somebody will be able to put my mind at rest and give me an answer because i find it hard to get a job, as soon as an employer asks about criminal convictions and i tell him i get a nice smile and a we'll be in touch and are never heard from again.

Well, in the US, your criminal record is usually wiped clean at 18 (but not for serious crimes), I would imagine it's similar for N. Ireland, but you should probably consult an attorney. Wikipedia cannot provide legal advice. Emmett5 23:32, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Graham Coxon's Freakin' Out

Does anybody know which British TV program uses the intro to Graham Coxon's Freakin' Out as its own intro? It's really bugging me. Anand 23:29, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

June 17

Can you be more specific? You may want to read the article June 17.--172.168.44.159 01:04, 17 June 2006 (UTC)

Stupidest repley of the day. Or ever, replying to a date banner!! Philc _T^E_C^I 01:12, 17 June 2006 (UTC)

No, seriously, June 17!

(This has got to be the funniest thing I have ever seen at the RD!) Loomis51 01:49, 17 June 2006 (UTC)