Wikipedia:Reference desk/Miscellaneous

Welcome to the miscellaneous section
of the Wikipedia reference desk.

skip to bottom

Select a section:

• Computing
• Entertainment
• Humanities
• Language
• Mathematics
• Science
• Miscellaneous
• Archives

Want a faster answer?

Main page: Help searching Wikipedia

   

How can I get my question answered?

• Select the section of the desk that best fits the general topic of your question (see the navigation column to the right).
• Post your question to only one section, providing a short header that gives the topic of your question.
• Type '~~~~' (that is, four tilde characters) at the end – this signs and dates your contribution so we know who wrote what and when.
• Don't post personal contact information – it will be removed. Any answers will be provided here.
• Please be as specific as possible, and include all relevant context – the usefulness of answers may depend on the context.
• Note:
  • We don't answer (and may remove) questions that require medical diagnosis or legal advice.
  • We don't answer requests for opinions, predictions or debate.
  • We don't do your homework for you, though we'll help you past the stuck point.
  • We don't conduct original research or provide a free source of ideas, but we'll help you find information you need.

Ready? Ask a new question!

How do I answer a question?

Main page: Wikipedia:Reference desk/Guidelines

• The best answers address the question directly, and back up facts with wikilinks and links to sources. Do not edit others' comments and do not give any medical or legal advice.

See also:

• Teahouse
• Help desk
• Village pump
• Help manual

January 23

How to find private persons in other countries?

I want to find a specific person in China. Have this information name: XXXXXX Born: XXXXXX Lives in: XXXXXXXXXXX, XXXXXXXXXX, XXXXXXXXXXX. What do i do? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 46.194.128.229 (talk) 00:37, 23 January 2014 (UTC)

I have removed the personal information you posted. I do not believe you should post personal information about private individuals on Wikipedia without their permission. Richard-of-Earth (talk) 06:47, 23 January 2014 (UTC)

International directory assistance from Sweden is 118 118.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 08:46, 23 January 2014 (UTC)

BUS 80 and I-80 sign replacement

Our article said the actual sign change on BUS 80 in Sacramento and I-80 to replaced the deleted I-880 is November 1983. I am confused is it 1983 or 1982, I tried to find a reliable source for November 1983 but it is unsourced. Interstate-Guide said the sign creation is 1982. Which one is more accurate 1982 or 1983?? I know that 1981 was the year it changed legislately only, when I emailed Daniel Faign and Cameroon Kaiser they taught me 1981 is when BUS 80 and I-80 to deleted I-880 was changed legislatively by documentary in 1981 which is not actually signed in reality. To actually signed can't even occur with next few weeks or few months, first they need to get the money, then engineers have to draw inspections to measure how many overhead signs they need to replace so CAD can make the signs. Not only that, it may take few years if the soonest before Caltrans can actually do the sign replacement.--69.226.44.206 (talk) 00:58, 23 January 2014 (UTC)

I'm guessing that English isn't your first language. If you can write the question in your native language, maybe we can translate it into English so it makes more sense. The confusing part, for me, is that you are talking about the 1980's like they are in the future, not the past.

If I understand your question correctly, it may well have taken years to complete the changeover, so each year might be partly correct. StuRat (talk) 03:14, 24 January 2014 (UTC)

looking for a open minded forum for discussion

WP:DENY per this. OrganicsLRO 13:15, 23 January 2014 (UTC)
The following discussion has been closed. Please do not modify it.
I have a Prophecy about the Future, and I want to find People to discuss it seriously, think about ways to avert a specific Event foretold by this prophecy, ands can help me to implement this Ways. Where could I find them? --AlaneOrenProst (talk) 11:42, 23 January 2014 (UTC) Shouldn't the premonition have shown you where to disseminate your warning of said future event? Kinda pointless otherwise... Thanks ツ Jenova20 (email) 12:09, 23 January 2014 (UTC) it don't work that way. Although the Prophecy is Vast, it's still limited, and the early 21. Century iis far from being a point of focus, rather the periphery. There's not that much said about now, especially about a single, unimportant Person like me.--AlaneOrenProst (talk) 12:17, 23 January 2014 (UTC)

Please identify the GPS device

can someone please tell me which device is this, I am doing research work on gps and their technology,but little knowledge on device type and any other information in tis domain would be helpful http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2013/10/warrant-required-gps-trackers/ thanks — Preceding unsigned comment added by 117.220.67.205 (talk) 13:20, 23 January 2014 (UTC)

We have an article on GPS tracking unit, but I don't know which models the police use. If you are thinking of the "Starchase" device, then their website is here. Dbfirs 14:21, 23 January 2014 (UTC) Dbfirs 13:50, 23 January 2014 (UTC)

If you're talking about the specific GPS tracking unit shown in the photo, using info found there easily finds more details. In particular, a search for 'california gps tracker found' should lead to this story [1] which says it's probably a 'Sendum PT200 GPS tracker' with a custom (Revanche) battery. Besides some Sendum devices, the battery apparently works with some Nextel so it's possible some of those are used as well. Nil Einne (talk) 14:39, 24 January 2014 (UTC)

Artemis

Did Mary, the mother of Jesus, ever worship or have statues of Artemis in her home?50.55.80.91 (talk) 17:53, 23 January 2014 (UTC)

Artemis is only mentioned in the Bible in Act 19, a story about Paul in Ephesus. Rmhermen (talk) 18:40, 23 January 2014 (UTC)

Assuming that Mary was a historical person and not a fictional character, we will never know anything about her for sure, since nothing written about her in the Bible or other Christian scriptures can be verified by other sources. Marco polo (talk) 20:08, 23 January 2014 (UTC)

If Mary is a fictional character then does that mean Jesus is a fictional character too? 202.177.218.59 (talk) 03:01, 24 January 2014 (UTC)

See historicity of Jesus Christ. Dismas|^(talk) 03:19, 24 January 2014 (UTC)

It is extremely unlikely,given that we rely on the Biblical presentation of her as being Jewish(attending the temple,having the baby Jesus circumcised,taking him to Jerusalem for the Passover) that she would have had a pagan statue in her house or taken to worshipping it-being that those are the first two of the Ten Commandments. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.32.213.216 (talk) 04:39, 24 January 2014 (UTC)

Also, according to at least Catholic dogma, not only was she the only non-divine human born without original sin (hence the Immaculate Conception), but she also never committed a sin post-birth (and worshipping false gods would definitely have qualified). -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 12:56, 24 January 2014 (UTC)

That conception still counts as adultery in my book. Of course, there are mitigating factors. InedibleHulk (talk) 20:06, January 25, 2014 (UTC)

The Ten Commandments apply to humans, not to God. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 01:08, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

The virgin birth of Jesus, I mean. InedibleHulk (talk) 20:10, January 25, 2014 (UTC)

Panning for gold in Suriname and Guyana

This short video was interesting and raised few questions for me. video

It looks like panning for gold along that river yields a lot of nuggets. A week of prospecting brings in about 10 ounces according to the article. If the manual haul is that much then I can only imagine what industrial mining would extract. So why haven't big mining companies taken over all those claims? Also if gold was around 1600 at the time of that video, then why are the miners only getting 25 dollars? Like 1-2%.

Gullabile (talk) 19:03, 23 January 2014 (UTC)

1) I'm skeptical that they normally find that much. That was probably a record week or something like that.

2) The "miners" probably don't own the land, and hence the gold, but are only hired to work there. The low amount they pay the workers is why it's cheaper than bringing in engineers and mining equipment. It may take longer to extract the gold this way, but at a lower total cost.

3) Gold nuggets in those places are worth less than refined gold in Europe, say, since they still have to be refined, shipped with security, distributed, etc. Taxes and bribes may need to be paid to get them out of those nations. Only getting cents on the dollar is also the case for other African resources, like coffee and cocoa.

4) And the miners, even if they do own the gold, have very little bargaining power individually. Compare to what you could get for gold at a WE BUY GOLD corner store, and it's pennies on the dollar, too. StuRat (talk) 20:25, 23 January 2014 (UTC)

Suriname and Guyana are neighbouring countries in South America, Stu. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 23:58, 23 January 2014 (UTC)

Oops. Since I'm an American, I've never had a geography class. We apparently need to have wars in those two nations, so I can find out where they are. :-) StuRat (talk) 03:08, 24 January 2014 (UTC)

I hear they have weapons of mass bananafication. Clarityfiend (talk) 03:57, 24 January 2014 (UTC)

Nuggets, especially larger ones, generally bring a premium over gold value (with the exception of Dahlonega gold, most American gold is only 18K or so, and the rest mainly silver, Dahlonega gold is 23 to 24K gold) -- fakers of pre-Columbian gold objects tend to make then the wrong alloy. Most gold is not found as discrete nuggets but as "dust" or small particles. And why in the world would anyone sell gold to a person at a kiosk in a shopping mall? Collect (talk) 16:31, 24 January 2014 (UTC)

Obama care

is income the only basis for the healthcare subsidy or does cash and assets affect it also — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.178.85.95 (talk) 20:41, 23 January 2014 (UTC)

In the UK, cash and assets (over a modest level) do preclude subsidy for prescription, optician & dental charges, but I assume from your heading that you are asking about the USA. Dbfirs 13:06, 24 January 2014 (UTC)

January 24

Is the info below really from Walmart??

Walmart
    Save money. Live better.  
 

Sir/Madam,

Your order WM-0092767487 delivery has failed. Reason: Failed delivery attempts

To fix this issue you must fill this form and send it back to us.

If your reply is not received within one week, you will be paid your money back but 19% will be deducted.

Walmart Manager Armaan Cherry

2013 Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.22.83.37 (talk) 05:26, 24 January 2014 (UTC)

Did you receive this as an email? Do you have an order with Walmart and, if so, is that your order number? At any rate, it is very easy to make such mail and send it out, thus, without more information, I'd caution trusting it (it doesn't read right, for several reasons, either). Personally, if you have an order with Walmart, I would contact them directly, perhaps by phone or in person, and see what they say; you can even ask them about this, they'd be able to give you a direct answer.Phoenixia1177 (talk) 06:04, 24 January 2014 (UTC)

No - it's a scam - just delete it. I've seen the exact same message - despite never having ordered anything from WalMart. The form will probably provide the sender with the information necessary to steal your identity - or something equally obnoxious. SteveBaker (talk) 06:51, 24 January 2014 (UTC)

I'm sorry, sir/madam. There just was no room in your driveway for the bridge you ordered. Our Nigerian prince of a deliveryman just couldn't fit it in. Clarityfiend (talk) 17:31, 24 January 2014 (UTC)

The relevant article is phishing. 50.0.121.102 (talk) 08:37, 25 January 2014 (UTC)

If you Google "To fix this issue you must fill this form and send it back to us", you'll see that your fake refund deduction was also quite steep. InedibleHulk (talk) 09:30, January 25, 2014 (UTC)

Watermelon cups

Ok, drinking from watermelon cups, what it have to do with racism? 50.100.190.61 (talk) 07:51, 24 January 2014 (UTC)

The party was clearly intended have a racist theme, see: [2]. For the specifics of watermelon, see: Watermelon stereotype. If it was just people drinking out of watermelon cups, and nothing else, I doubt this would have been an issue.Phoenixia1177 (talk) 08:13, 24 January 2014 (UTC)

Thank you for providing a link to explain what OP was on about, User:Phoenixia1177. I doubt I was the only confused one. Dismas|^(talk) 14:19, 24 January 2014 (UTC)

I've heard a different version of the Watermelon stereotype, which stated that black farmhands were given the cheapest food available, just like some of the animals, often watermelon. Hence, why it is considered offensive. I have no idea if it's missing from the article or just untrue according to our article. Thanks ツ Jenova20 ^(email) 09:44, 24 January 2014 (UTC)

Watermelon had two things going for it -- it was cheap and available. The poor in every society end up eating what is cheap and available - in many cases that food is better than the "fancy stuff" - rice and beans ends up being pretty good as a diet, while the royal Elizabethans who dined on swan were getting pretty foul food (it tastes pretty bad). Collect (talk) 16:21, 24 January 2014 (UTC)

Yes, and I understand that lobster was once in the category of "low class foods". Amazing how things change. As for watermelon, it's OK, but berries are a much healthier fruit. And the other black stereotype food, fried chicken, is about the most unhealthy food possible (although removing the skin and tossing it out helps a lot). StuRat (talk) 16:49, 24 January 2014 (UTC)

Cross-dressing question

where online can i see pics of lads wearing there sister's school uniforms or things like their sister's netball kit? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.32.213.216 (talk) 12:40, 24 January 2014‎

I assume you mean Cross-dressing porn? I also assume you meant "adults" in place of "lads". Google it. The internet is made of porn and i doubt anyone here would suggest a specific site. Thanks ツ Jenova20 ^(email) 12:36, 24 January 2014 (UTC)

no...i mean like lads in girls'school uniform,skirts and blouses and tights -like still at school. not porn stuff,just wearing girly things — Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.32.213.216 (talk) 12:40, 24 January 2014 (UTC)

I don't know, and, even if I did, I wouldn't provide links, because, the internet being as it is, "innocent" pictures of this type are likely to lead to illegal content of a less innocent nature. Dbfirs 13:09, 24 January 2014 (UTC)

Header changed to a post to avoid me looking like the OP. No actual message content in question changed. Thanks ツ Jenova20 ^(email) 13:25, 24 January 2014 (UTC)

Type whatever things you want to see into a Google search, but add the word "tumblr". --Navstar (talk) 02:44, 25 January 2014 (UTC)

[3] ← Look if you want. I am not saying anything about it. Richard-of-Earth (talk) 07:53, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

Entering Guinness World Records with the largest userboxes

Since Guinness World Records accepts anything, is it possible for a wikipedia to enter GWR as the member with the most userboxes?--Kuwaity26 (talk) 15:51, 24 January 2014 (UTC)

Well, they don't accept anything. So you'd have to back up to there. And ask them. Dismas|^(talk) 15:53, 24 January 2014 (UTC)

Was there any request they didn't accept? --Kuwaity26 (talk) 16:07, 24 January 2014 (UTC)

They no longer accept "consumption" records, IIRC. Collect (talk) 16:16, 24 January 2014 (UTC)

Thank for your answers, I don't really know what does "consumption records" mean, but i'll search for it because it may help finding an answer to my question, thanks again --Kuwaity26 (talk) 16:26, 24 January 2014 (UTC)

"Consumption" as in eating lots of something. I can see why they no longer want to encourage idiots like "Donald Gorske of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, USA consumed his 23,000th McDonald's Big Mac on 17 August 2008. He is now in his 37th consecutive year of eating Big Macs on a daily basis.". Alansplodge (talk) 01:46, 25 January 2014 (UTC)

Take a look at Guinness World Records#Defining records, an answer at least using Wikipedia to assist you, I hope. The Rambling Man (talk) 16:53, 24 January 2014 (UTC)

They also don't accept anything sexual, if I remember correctly. And they tread lightly around anything that would be life threatening. Even a Guinness official has said that they "don't just accept any old thing". I've found a few mentions of them not accepting things that are subjective like beauty or nice handwriting. And their own FAQ mentions a few things they won't accept. I would suspect that they wouldn't accept "most user boxes" since it's not especially hard to do. Dismas|^(talk) 17:37, 24 January 2014 (UTC)

@Dismas: Thanks for the links , I asked this question because I saw a lot of silly things in the 2009 GWR book and I thought everything could be accepted, but as the FAQ says actions that are not challenging enough won't be recognised as records. @Alansplodge: @The Rambling Man: Thanks for your time and answers --Kuwaity26 (talk) 06:50, 25 January 2014 (UTC)

You want challenging? Try these! (In case you later decide to sue me, I only mean try reading about them.) InedibleHulk (talk) 07:48, January 25, 2014 (UTC)

(The guy balancing the car on his head is a fake...that's a classic Mini - which should weigh at least 1300lbs. The record says that he's balancing 352lbs - the engine alone weighs more than that - so this is an incredibly stripped-down car! Probably just the body shell and wheels. Another clue is that the Mini has a 70/30 weight distribution - so the balance point should be somewhere right under the windshield - and he's balancing it roughly mid-way between the wheels.) That said, balancing 352lbs on your head is fairly impressive...just not *THAT* impressive. SteveBaker (talk) 16:41, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

The reason this is a record that they're not going to accept is that it's utterly trivial to beat it. Just go to the record-holder's page - copy/paste it all into your own page - then add one more userbox! If they really did publish it as a record, then the first reaction would be for someone to write a very simple search tool to find every single user-box and automatically generate a list of them into your user-page. Even that wouldn't result in a long-lasting record because it's easy to create new user-boxes yourself. Basically, if our OP is here to complain about people with "too many" user boxes - then please take it elsewhere. Otherwise, no, of course Guinness aren't going to accept it. SteveBaker (talk) 16:41, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

There are good reasons Guinness shouldn't touch this but "trivial to beat" isn't necessarily one of them. If they were dumb enough to allow it, the opposite in their FAQ conditions could soon become relevant: "Breakable (all our records must be open to being challenged)". Assuming the userboxes must be displayed on the same page and don't have to make much sense, there are size limits which means it could quickly become a question of how little code is considered valid for a user box. PrimeHunter (talk) 17:23, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

Wikipedia:Wikipedia records might be of interest.

—Wavelength (talk) 17:37, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

Electricity unit costs in 1939. Watford England.

I would like to know the cost per Kw Hr of domestic electricity in 1939. The specific query is for Watford Hertfordshire England, where The Borough of Watford generated their own power at Cardiff Road and were not connected to the grid. Watford Urban District Council Act 1909 is relevant. I would also like to know the price of Town Gas in the same year. I believe the authority was the Watford & St Albans Gas Light and Coke Company. A gas works and gas holder were situated in the Lower High Street Watford England. The two costs for other distributors would help if the more specific request is not re-searchable. Alan Orchard86.130.161.39 (talk) 16:53, 24 January 2014 (UTC)

If this were me. I would start off by inquiring at the Watford Central Library. They have indexes to historical archives [4]. Be persistent, as these days of staffing cuts they are often very busy and might fob you off with a no, you have come to the wrong place. If so, speak to the Chief Librarian. Go in a a quiet day -not a Saturday. The price of such utilities as gas and electricity was as import then, as it is now, so some record must exist somewhere in the dark recesses of their dusty shelves. P.S. They should also have the Minutes of the Watford Urban District Council meetings, were the prices etc. would have been discussed.--Aspro (talk) 17:50, 24 January 2014 (UTC)

If you don't get any joy there, try the Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies at County Hall in Hertford. The staff there are REALLY helpful. Alansplodge (talk) 01:55, 25 January 2014 (UTC)

(EC)*A search for online information was not successful. I found US electric rates for the early 20th century, but the books which might furnish price data for England are only viewable in unhelpful snippets from government reports such as [5], [6], [7] and [8]. A college library in the UK would probably have old electric industry journals describing the high price in the immediate post WW1 period and decreasing prices in the 1930's as demand sagged during the Depression and as efficiency of generation increased (more kwh produced per unit of fuel burned). For my town, the local library and local historical society would include historic reports from the authority which operated the gas plant and generating plant, so local paper records might be a good resource. Rural towns with isolated generating plants likely charged more than when the high voltage national grid was connected later and larger and more efficient base-load generating could supply the demand. Edison (talk) 18:10, 24 January 2014 (UTC)

And there is also the National Grid Archive--Aspro (talk) 19:40, 24 January 2014 (UTC)

When were coin-operated gas meters introduced to England?
Sleigh (talk) 19:51, 24 January 2014 (UTC)

Not sure whether this should be under a separate heading. Anyway, the first patent appears to be 1887. - Karenjc (talk) 20:38, 24 January 2014 (UTC)

Thank you all for your interest and comments. I will investigate them when I return from a holiday in the sunshine where heating bills are relatively unimportant. On the other hand A/C units are even more expensive.86.148.181.86 (talk) 12:05, 25 January 2014 (UTC)

Where is this church?

I have a little time today and thought I'd take some photos for Wikipedia while running my errands. One place I came up with is Monkton Borough Baptist Church. Clicking the coordinates in the article and then following the link to Google Maps gives me a pin on a road called Boro Hill Rd. I know the area fairly well and there is no church there. It's just woods and houses. If I go to the National Register of Historic Places web site, I'm unable to find an entry for this building. I've been through Monkton a few times and only remember a Methodist church there. So, could someone help me find this place? Thanks, Dismas|^(talk) 18:28, 24 January 2014 (UTC)

There's an entry for the place at the NRHP,[9] but the pdf file is empty, and I get a message that the information hasn't been digitized yet. Plus it gets a chapter in this book.[10] Clarityfiend (talk)

It definitely exists. This 2013-2018 Monkton town plan (on p. 34) gives a few details about it, but alas, not the specific location. Clarityfiend (talk) 00:22, 25 January 2014 (UTC)

This HISTORIC RESOURCES REVIEW OF THE PROPOSED VERMONT GAS ADDISON NATURAL GAS PROJECT (December 2012) has a map called "Figure 23" on page 29 (actually page 33 of the pdf file). Monkton Borough Baptist Church is marked #14 on the map. According to the text above, the church "sits back from the west side of the road" which is shown on the map as Vergennes Road which runs north from the junction with Boro Hill Road. On both Google Maps and OpenStreetMap, "Vergennes Road" seems to be marked "Monkton Road". Alansplodge (talk) 01:18, 25 January 2014 (UTC)

I know where that is now. I talked about it with my wife today and she reminded me of that location. It's set back from the road and I hadn't thought of it. Possibly due to the cold that I've come down with today. (I'm covered in blankets right now trying to stay warm even though it's probably over 70 in the house.) Thanks for the reminders and confirmation. Maybe I'll have a chance to swing by there next week. Dismas|^(talk) 02:02, 25 January 2014 (UTC)

You may be encountering a datum issue: according to Wikipedia:NRHPMOS#Coordinates, many NRHP coordinates use the NAD27 datum, while Google Maps and GPSs use the WGS84 datum, which can differ by several hundred yards. --Carnildo (talk) 02:28, 25 January 2014 (UTC)

I've emended the coordinates in the article. Deor (talk) 14:26, 25 January 2014 (UTC)

Mystery satellite image

Any idea what this weird looking thing in google satellite view is? Looks a bit like athletes stretching, but probably too regular and oddly positioned. Is this a common image artifact that occurs elsewhere? Staecker (talk) 20:35, 24 January 2014 (UTC)

They look like athletes to me. I don't see why they couldn't be spaced like that. However, they should be careful going from first base to second. Looks like the Hellmouth is opening up on the basepath. Clarityfiend (talk) 21:23, 24 January 2014 (UTC)

Could we get a better description of what you're referring to? The Google Earth marker is out in the woods. What Clarityfiend seems to be referring to is a rough circle of athletes on the baseball diamond to the left. But then refers to the artifact in the image of the diamond on the right. Dismas|^(talk) 21:56, 24 January 2014 (UTC)

The main topic is the 17 white objects in 3 rows, north of the large diamond on the right. Some are sort of Y-shaped, and appear to be athletes exercising. As for the "hellmouth" on the diamond, there's another smaller one to the left near the clubhouse. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 22:58, 24 January 2014 (UTC)

The resolution isn't sharp enough to be sure but the image certainly looks like a baseball team stretching/warming up before a practice or game. D Monack (talk) 23:34, 24 January 2014 (UTC)

These guys are lined up in rows and have their hands up.[11] Clarityfiend (talk) 00:13, 25 January 2014 (UTC)

Ah! Jack, thanks. Yes, they are baseball players stretching. Players will often lay on the ground with their legs in a Y and then stretch their torso by turning it back and forth. You can see someone assisting another person do this here. Dismas|^(talk) 00:51, 25 January 2014 (UTC)

Ballplayers doing stretching exercises; and the two black gashes look like imperfect "stitching" between images or maybe just "pixelation". ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 11:13, 25 January 2014 (UTC)

January 25

Safe Driving Technique

Suppose one is driving a car fitted with a traditional manual transmission on a snowy/icy winter highway. Is it safer to drive at more or less a constant speed on a higher gear or lower gear (say, 4th vs. 5th)? On a higher gear, there is less output torque at the wheels, so it should spin out less easily right? But on a lower gear, you have more engine braking to handle emergencies. Does this make a difference if the car is Front wheel drive vs. rear wheel drive vs. all wheel drive? Thanks Acceptable (talk) 15:55, 25 January 2014 (UTC)

Advice from the British RAC Limited recovery service (the majority of cars in the UK have manual transmission); How to drive in snow says; "In these conditions, it's all about keeping the revs down.... drivers going up a hill should try to stay in the highest gear possible, rather than being tempted to drop down into first. But when going downhill drivers should go down gears." Alansplodge (talk) 18:24, 25 January 2014 (UTC)

The American Automobile Association (AAA) has Winter Driving Tips (see: "Tips for driving in the snow"). In addition to advice above, they emphasize maintaining inertia (momentum); and accelerate / decelerate slowly. Also "Know your brakes", and apply "threshold breaking". At the bottom there are 2 PDF downloads that might be helpful. For specifics on how to regain control of your car under varying scenarios, The Weather Channel has good advice here: Driving in Snow and Ice. As far as type of vehicle is concerned, all-wheel drive is obviously best, followed by front-wheel drive. Optional advantages would be having traction control and anti-lock brakes. ~I hope this helps, ~E:71.20.250.51 (talk) 05:07, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

In an emergency, you don't use the engine brake (unless if the emergency is that the brakes fail). Sjö (talk) 09:31, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

What is an engine brake? Alansplodge (talk) 13:02, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

See engine braking. Dismas|^(talk) 13:16, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

Aha! I was expecting it to be some fancy gizmo that they have on American cars (some lorries do have a compression release engine brake). The British Institute of Advanced Motorists recommends that in snow, you ought to "Drive so that you do not rely on your brakes to be able to stop - on an icy surface they simply may not do that for you!".[12] That implies at least an element of engine braking; but I agree that for general driving, it's a bad idea. Alansplodge (talk) 15:11, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

... unless you generally drive down steep hills, when relying just on brake pads can cause them to overheat. I've seen cars with smoke pouring from their brakes because they didn't know about engine braking. (I occasionally use it for corners, too, when I need the lower gear afterwards.) Dbfirs 17:11, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

There are other ways to stop without using your brakes. With a manual transmission, or an automatic in neutral, it will slowly coast to a stop on level ground, and quickly stop when going uphill. The uphill part is particularly applicable when leaving a recessed highway. If you get it right, by the time you leave the exit ramp you will be almost stopped. Of course, in most cases, some use of the brakes is still required, but hopefully not so much as to cause the car to spin out in snow and ice. StuRat (talk) 17:13, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

You've just reminded me of the time when I used those techniques to drive a hundred miles, including city roads with traffic lights, motorway, and country roads, without ever touching my brakes (because I knew they were leaking and might fail). I sometimes repeat the exercise for shorter distances, reserving my (now good) brakes for emergencies, or for when another driver does something I didn't anticipate. (Safety warning: it is dangerous and illegal to drive with faulty brakes!) Dbfirs 17:48, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

It's generally a good idea to use engine braking, and it's taught in driver's education in Sweden to increase mileage. The downside is that if you don't sometimes brake hard, rust will build up on the brake discs, especially at the rear wheels. This might mean that you have to replace them earlier. As for engine braking in in snow, the reason you should drive slow is that the friction on ice and snow is so low that the wheels might skid. Engine braking won't help against that, the opposite in fact as it's harder to apply just the right amount of braking and anti-lock brakes don't work with the engine brake . (Also, using only two wheels to brake will increase the risk of the wheels losing traction. ) Sjö (talk) 21:11, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

Incidentally, one will fail the "Emergency Stop" section of the UK Driving Test if one does not use the engine to assist deceleration. Although it's been a good many years since I took it. :) Tevildo (talk) 22:29, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

Engine breaking is a vital technique to learn - but with ABS, and on ice/snow, it doesn't do much that just using the brakes will do. The advantage in doing it is because most people aren't sufficiently gentle with the brakes to do a good job and letting the engine slow you down provides for a more gentle deceleration. That said, it's perfectly possible to induce a skid with engine braking...so it's no panacea. But using engine braking routinely as an alternative to the actual brakes is a bad idea...not that it doesn't work...it most definitely does...and it's also a hell of a lot of fun! The problem is that a new clutch costs a heck of a lot more than new brake pads...so when choosing which surface you intend to wear down, you might want to go with the ones that are designed for that purpose!

In the end, all good driving (in the snow and ice, when it's wet, on gravel or even in the dry) is about balancing the amount of acceleration you need to achieve some manouver against the amount of grip your tires are providing. (With "acceleration", in this context being taken in the sense of the way the word is used in Physics - meaning speeding up, slowing down, turning or some combination of those things). Driving in a dead straight line at 90mph works just fine in ice and snow...so long as you don't need to go around any corners, or slow down because the guy in front is going 30mph! So it's all about balancing the demands you INTEND to place on the vehicle in terms of speed and direction changes against the grip your tires are able to deliver. It's also about driving in such a way that other people can predict what you're going to do so that they too can balance the demands they may have against what their car can do. Leaving a HUGE stopping-distance gap to the car in front is essential - and if there is some idiot behind you who isn't leaving enough space - then pull over and let them get on with it without you! It's perfectly possible to drive fairly fast, and safely in ice and snow - but only if absolutely everyone around you is doing the same. In places where everyone gets lots of practice at it, I don't mind driving in snow and ice at all - you just have to calibrate your brain to the much lower rates at which you can turn, speed up and slow down - and you'll be fine. But here in Texas, where people get to do it maybe once in every ten years (and insist on driving rear-wheel-drive pickup trucks with no weight over the back wheels!)...I stay home if there is even the slightest sprinkle of the stuff! SteveBaker (talk) 16:22, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

A good tip for safe driving in snow is to not do anything sudden, no sudden changes of direction, no sudden changes of speed, and try to avoid doing both (changing direction and speed) at the same time. Anticipate what may happen ahead including that the car might slide, and remember that a slow slide is easier to control than a fast slide, and is likely to cause less damage if you do hit something. Astronaut (talk) 12:16, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

Absolutely! SteveBaker (talk) 16:22, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

bents fort

In the descriptions of bents Fort it offers a quote from Ralph Emerson Twittchell about where the Old Bents Fort was located. Somewhere along the Arkansas River between Pueblo and Canon City. I thought it was out by Las Animas Colorado, way east of Pueblo? Which is correct? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.129.184.141 (talk) 16:04, 25 January 2014 (UTC)

Well, the statement that it was between Pueblo and Canon City is presented, as you say, in the context of a quotation from a 1909 book and not as a statement by Wikipedia itself. The location of Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site in Otero County, between Los Animas and La Junta, is clearly correct as the site of the current National Historic Landmark and reconstruction of the fort, and it seems to be the site of the original fort. Perhaps Twitchell was mistaken about the location. Deor (talk) 17:29, 25 January 2014 (UTC)

Ralph Emerson Twitchell's bio suggests that he would have known the area thoroughly. Is it possible that the description was for Bent's Fort and not Bent's Old Fort? Although I am ignorant of this specific place, I have come across similar dual-location names. If there is a Bent's Old Fort one might assume there was/is a Bent's [New] Fort (which might have been temporary?). ~Just a thought, ~E:71.20.250.51 (talk) 05:32, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

Good call. PBS - New Perspectives on the West - William Bent (1809-1869) says "...Bent's Fort, a massive adobe outpost on the north bank of the Arkansas River in present-day Colorado, which William Bent constructed in 1833...". The article continues; "In 1857, Bent constructed a new outpost thirty-eight miles downstream from his old fort, gathered a group of settlers and created the first permanent American colony in Colorado". So it seems that there are (or were) two Bent's Forts. Alansplodge (talk) 12:35, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

Some more information about "Bent's New Fort" is in this article which says; "In 1853 Bent built a new stone fort east of the old one, in what is now known as Amity in Prowers County." Another fort was built by the army "a mile west of Bent's New Fort in 1860", which came to be called Fort Lyon and is now a "correctional facility" (a prison perhaps?). Alansplodge (talk) 17:54, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

And finally, everything that you wanted to know about Bent's New Fort is here. Alansplodge (talk) 18:03, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

In the article, one must read between the lines to deduce the facts about two separate entities; the article certainly needs improvement to clarify this apparent ambiguity. For example, the quote by Twitchell. So... which knowledgeable, friendly and helpful Wikipedia volunteer feels up to the challenge?    ~:71.20.250.51 (talk) 20:06, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

The problem is that none of these locations are "between the present cities of Pueblo and Canyon City" as the Twitchell quotation states. Bent's New Fort was, as has been mentioned, east of the old fort, whereas a site between Pueblo and Cañon City would be a considerable distance (60–100 miles) to the west, as the OP pointed out. Deor (talk) 22:14, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

January 26

Land of Linkin'

I would like to be able to link from one page to a specific line in a table on another page. I tried using the "anchor" template, but it positions at the top of the table rather than where I had put the "anchor". Does anyone have experience with this kind of tinkering? Thank you, all. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 13:09, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

Due to the overwhelming lack of response, I suspect that you're out of luck. If {{anchor}} doesn't work, then (probably) nothing will. However, you get bonus points for creative header titles. ~E:71.20.250.51 (talk) 20:29, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

Is this in Wikipedia or HTML? For WP, you could try adding <a name="target" />. You could always look at the generated HTML to see what's going on. CS Miller (talk) 21:10, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

Just checked wp:HTML#a, and it isn't supported, but your can use any named element as the target in HTML2.0. CS Miller (talk) 21:12, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

The question is how to post an "anchor" within a table and have it jump to that line instead of jumping to the top of the table. I'm thinking there's something about the nature of the table itself that prevents it from working. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:57, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

I suspect that the problem arises because everything between {| • • • |} is considered a single line of code. ~:71.20.250.51 (talk) 23:11, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

So an apparent 2-D table would actually be a single line of code. That makes sense. Thank you all for trying! ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 00:56, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

@Baseball Bugs: this link, Fort Simpson/(Great Slave No. 1) Heliport, will do what you want. It takes you from here to the particular line in the table at List of heliports in Canada. It looks like this [[List of heliports in Canada#304|Fort Simpson/(Great Slave No. 1) Heliport]] and the target is |<div id="304"></div>Fort Simpson/(Great Slave)||. CambridgeBayWeather (talk) 17:01, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

Ha. Trying to find where I picked that up from and I came across Help:Table#Section link or map link to a row anchor which does the same thing but a little bit differently. CambridgeBayWeather (talk) 17:08, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

Awesome. I'll look into those techniques. Thank you! ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 18:55, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

no problem. Questions like that might get a quicker answer at Wikipedia:Help desk. CambridgeBayWeather (talk) 19:16, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

Mōri Motonari

This image is very interesting, for what reason the image can not be imported? The image is very old, is public domain. Bruno Ishiai (talk) 19:09, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

I'm not sure what you mean by "can not be imported" but I think you mean that you can't use it on this English Wikipedia when you try to put its file name into an article. That is because it is on the Ukrainian Wikipedia and images cannot be used from one Wikipedia to another like that. In order for an image to be used on multiple Wikipedias, they must be uploaded to Wikimedia Commons. It is from there that they can be used across several Wikipedias.

And it likely can't be uploaded to Commons since it appears (I don't read Ukrainian) to be copyrighted. Images on Commons must be licensed under a free license.

Also, questions about how to edit Wikipedia go on the Help Desk. This page, the Reference Desk is for general knowledge questions about things outside of Wikipedia. Dismas|^(talk) 19:27, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

This is the problem: "can't be uploaded to Commons since it appears to be copyrighted", the image is old, in other words, public domain. Thanks. Bruno Ishiai (talk) 19:41, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

I have asked for assistance from someone at WikiProject Ukraine. Perhaps they can read the license info and help out. Dismas|^(talk) 19:51, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

According to the Ukrainian page, the image is copyrighted. It probably is not copyrighted under US law (where faithful photographic reproductions of public domain images are PD, too), but may be copyrighted under Ukrainian law. IIRC, commons requires images to be PD in the US (because "that's where the servers are") and in the country of origin. That means that the image probably can be uploaded to en.wikipedia, but not to commons. --Stephan Schulz (talk) 22:42, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

In the wiki-en, ok, but equal this page? Or other license? Bruno Ishiai (talk) 14:33, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

Actually, partly as a result of National Portrait Gallery and Wikimedia Foundation copyright dispute, the Wikimedia Foundation has made it clear [13] they believe we should ignore claims of copyright on such reproductions of PD 2D artwork in other countries. So even in the Wikimedia Commons such cases are an exception to the general requirement that content be of a suitable licence in the country of origin and the US, Commons:Commons:When to use the PD-Art tag.

So it may be okay to upload this image to the wikimedia commons.

That said, you will still have to comply with commons requirements. I'm not an expert, but I'm pretty sure some info on the sourcing of this image would be needed. It's all very well to say an image or artwork is old, but except in a case where the image can't be anything but old (e.g. a photo of a person who died in 1830) it's difficult to tell without knowing more about the image whether it's old or just recent contribution, perhaps designed to look like something from another time. Going by the Google translate, I think the source is listed as a book possibly [14]. Although from Google Image search, the image itself may have been taken from [15] (which seems to have the same dimensions etc, but maybe they took it from the Ukranian wiki or they both took it from another place) and similar images also appears in other places [16] [17] all of which suggest it may very well be an old image but you should ask someone more familiar perhaps at Commons:Village pump/Copyright for what they require. It may be simply affirmation from the book listed as a source that it's an old image.

You should however bear in mind that as in all cases, our concern relates to protecting wikimedia. If you live in a country where such reproductions may be protected or heck even if you live in the US but don't want to have to deal with possible legal cases elsewhere, if it's believed copyright over this reproduction may be claimed by someone who may wish to enforce their copyright, you may want to pass over dealing with this to someone else.

Nil Einne (talk) 15:04, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

The image is pd in the world. The image seems to be copied from this book. The book is copyrighted, but not the images of two-dimentional pd works. I once asked about it to an expert and she said "Even if the book was published yesterday the two-dimentional pd images in it are free to use". As for the painting, it is called "毛利元就座備図". Our version might be #17 on this list. Another version can be seen at here and the page says the painting belongs to this museum. If the image at uk:WP is copyrighted, I'd like to know who is the copyright holder. Oda Mari (talk) 15:42, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

Minerals by ranked by value of what is produced annually

Out of curiosity this would be something interesting to see. I know iron is the most important mineral and about 300 billion dollars of it is produced every year. While cobalt is just about 4 billion dollars a year. But I can't find any sort of ranking on this anywhere. Anyone know of another resource? Gullabile (talk) 19:57, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

First, you seem to be talking about chemical elements, rather than minerals. Second, since most of the economic value is from items composed of multiple elements, how would you propose to split up the value among them ? By weight ?

If, on the other hand, you mean just to count those which are sold as pure, single elements, then maybe carbon would top the list, in the form of diamonds, or perhaps a precious metal like gold (although gold is often alloyed with other elements). StuRat (talk) 21:44, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

I've often seen the term minerals or mineral resources to mean the products of mining like iron, copper, gold, etc. I don't think there are methodology problems because customs keeps track of the type of minerals imported or exported. So the total value of iron ore produced in a year is known as is the number for other minerals but I just haven't seen a ranking of the top 20 or so minerals stacked up to each other. Gullabile (talk) 22:07, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

"Minerals" would include things like bauxite, which contains aluminum, but isn't just aluminum. StuRat (talk) 05:51, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

No, indeed. There's usually a decent amount of aluminium in there as well. Not to mention trace amounts of platinium, molybdenium, lantanium and tantalium.  :) -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 19:29, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

Bail in provisions for banks

Greetings: Could you provide a list of the countries which currently have enacted bail in provisions for their banks. I cannot locate this information in Wikipedia. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Wango89 (talk • contribs) 20:03, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

Do you mean bailouts ? StuRat (talk) 21:48, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

No. A bail-in is the financial restructuring of a distressed bank by mandatory conversion of bond issues to equity, essentially turning bond holders into shareholders - see this definition from the FT. The US has enacted bail-in provisions through the Dodd-Frank act. Gandalf61 (talk) 22:54, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

Suicide

How many suicides will there be in 2014? Can be calculated. There are sources that say how many there have been in 2014 so far>>>Spoiler: click here for a source.--78.156.109.166 (talk) 20:23, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

Nobody knows till it happens, but if you multiply your so far number by 12, you'll have a decent guess. InedibleHulk (talk) 21:12, January 26, 2014 (UTC)

Following the WHO source from your counter, "Every year, almost one million people die from suicide; this roughly corresponds to one death every 40 seconds." InedibleHulk (talk) 21:15, January 26, 2014 (UTC)

No, there isn't a source for the number of suicides in 2014. Worldometer's claim to be real time statistic is only a steaming pile. There is no way they is a real time reporting of all the births and deaths and so on going on all over the world. Sjö (talk) 21:16, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

Not real-time, it just takes a recent rate and does the relevant math. Should be taken with a grain of salt, since statistical rates constantly change, but can give a rough estimate. InedibleHulk (talk) 21:25, January 26, 2014 (UTC)

• The user is aware we don't do prediction, is just off a month-long block for disruption, and already has two warnings since then for disruptive talk-page activity. μηδείς (talk) 21:36, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

I have un-hatted this thread - this is a reasonable question - and a reasonable answer has been given. SteveBaker (talk) 16:01, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

It is not possible to "calculate" how many, although it's possible to "estimate". The OP seems to be heavily into apocalyptic stuff, so this probably goes along with it. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 18:53, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

January 27

regarding materials used in zero energy building

how can i get the materials used in zero energy buildings with complete details  ?

- jaswanth jan/27/2014 — Preceding unsigned comment added by 122.252.231.226 (talk) 12:28, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

Hellp, Jaswnth. Have you looked at Zero-energy building, and followed some of the references and biblography there? --ColinFine (talk) 20:37, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

Russian driving

Lately, I've seen quite a few videos on YouTube showing various crashes and other on-the-road stupidity in Russia. It is mostly in urban areas in reasonably good conditions, with many incidents seemingly due to poor decision making on the part of the driver, excessive speed or simply failing to stop at intersections. Is this simply selection bias due to the number of dashboard cameras fitted in Russia or is there some other reason like the standard of driver education being particularly poor in Russia? Astronaut (talk) 19:03, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

You must not have spent much time driving on American highways. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 19:14, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

Funnily enough, I have driven many thousands of miles in the USA, but seen very few accidents. Certainly never someone rocketing through a red light at 60 mph, or trying to turn left from the right lane across three lanes of traffic on a busy highway, or just driving on the wrong side of the road and insisting on pressing ahead even after a head on crash (except of course in those police chase shows). That kind of thing seems to be almost normal for Russian roads if the amount of videos on YouTube are anything to go by. Astronaut (talk) 19:33, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

I've seen quite a few accidents, or maybe I should say the results of quite a few accidents, and I've seen American drivers do some crazy things. The common thread, apart from obvious issues like drunkenness or other impairment, seems to be the result of one or more drivers not paying sufficient attention to what they're supposed to be doing. I've seen lots of lane-swerving as you describe. I've also seen drivers run red lights and smack somebody and/or get smacked, although usually not at 60 mph. I can think of more than one case of drivers taking the wrong ramp and ending up facing the traffic - and getting killed. News reports turn up from time to time, talking about what a high percentage of American accidents are a result of "distracted driving" - phoning, texting, etc. Accidents are the exception to the norm, and maybe there are proportionally more of them showing up in youtubes from some countries than from others. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 19:58, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

It's all relative. Russia looks safe compared to say Ethiopia, but rather dangerous if compared to Germany. Here is the Google Translation of the Drivers Education page off of the Russian Wikipedia. 202.4.114.18 (talk) 19:31, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

I'm reasonably sure the Russian law lays out a reasonable standard, but is the law enforced, with police carrying out checks on the driver's licenses? And are drivers expected to actually pass before being let out on the road or are there other means of obtaining a drivers license? Astronaut (talk) 19:39, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

You will find these videos about any country. Russia is just larger, and to the American mind, somewhere (at last!) where they know where it vaguely is, and YouTubers still like to show how 'primitive' it is (because of the Cold War mentality). Traffic accidents occur all over the world on a daily basis. Some Russian cars have cameras - usually to prove that the car in front was wrong when there is an accident (this is good practice - we should have this in the UK). Bear in mind, the YouTubers are not the ones posting these videos. It's the drivers themselves - IN RUSSIA. They are complaining, and due to the sheer size of the biggest country on Earth, there are bound to be more accidents, and videos on YouTube. They are recording the (potential) accidents so as to show them to law enforcement, not for teenage entertainment. KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 20:36, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

That would be a good thing in the US too. A lot of police cars have it, but I don't know that the average citizens do. But wasn't it those dash-mount cameras which gave us some good footage of that large meteor over Russia last year? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 21:52, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

Alcoholism in Russia is probably a contributing factor. "In the early 1980s, ... drunk drivers were responsible for 14,000 traffic deaths and 60,000 serious traffic injuries'". Clarityfiend (talk) 02:06, 28 January 2014 (UTC)

We have List of countries by traffic-related death rate which shows Russia's rate is higher per person and per vehicle than the U.S. rate (but no figure is provided for per km) Rmhermen (talk) 02:13, 28 January 2014 (UTC)

The Exemplary Egyptian Welfare State

According to this ranking, Egypt is tied for first place among 137 countries in progress in Millennium Development Goals. [18] Is there any analysis on how this factor didn't seem to matter in turning back a revolution? Gullabile (talk) 20:01, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

Who says it didn't? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 20:08, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

January 28

Which model of headphones are these?

http://cfile3.uf.tistory.com/image/191E5C2E4CC8C3BB4C9721

I'm talking about the ones held up by the woman on the right, I know the left are the Sony MDR-ZX700.