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June 17

Should there be other servers in other countries?

This is not a reference desk question but a polemic.
It is the wrong place to have such a discussion, and we shouldn't have legitimised it by engaging with the OP

The following discussion has been closed. Please do not modify it.

Ok so I keep being exposed to this United States copyright law thing on images that aren’t even tooken from the USA. To me, Wikipedia is still thinking that the USA is the only country in the world when it’s not the only country in the world. Even if primary servers are in the us. I think that there should be secondary servers in other English-speaking countries, particularly in Australia, Canada, India, and the UK, just in case the primary American servers are needing maintenance. Really, Should there be secondary servers in other countries?Metric Supporter 89 (talk) 00:49, 17 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

You mean, like the ones in Amsterdam and Singapore? --jpgordon^{𝄢𝄆 𝄐𝄇} 01:09, 17 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Yeah! Metric Supporter 89 (talk) 01:38, 17 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Doesn't make any difference. The corpus of content is replicated across these servers, rather than sharded. So if it's on one server, it's on all of them. And if some content is infringing somewhere, it's infringing. We'd need to only store subsets of content in particular jurisdictions. Now that's certainly doable (it was demonstrated in 2002, at least) but it's not how WP / WMF wishes to operate, so it's never going to happen. Andy Dingley (talk) 01:54, 17 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Arguably, spreading Wikipedia servers over different jurisdictions makes it subject to the union of all the legal requirements, so it's a questionable idea to begin with.... --Stephan Schulz (talk) 10:54, 17 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I'm not sure what you are suggesting as an alternative. Do you think that images should only be allowed if they are equally subject to (or exempt from) copyright in ALL countries? Or do you envision images only showing up when they are okay under the laws of the country the viewer is located in? Either way seems hideously complex to me. It is much simpler to have copyright laws of one jurisdiction apply and simplest for that jurisdiction to be the one that the overall project is organized in. --Khajidha (talk) 18:22, 17 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

How can I contact him?

Hello all! I am enthralled by Japan and its people and culture and deeply admire Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Is there anyway to contact him? Must it be in Japanese? --LLcentury (talk) 02:24, 17 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

At that level, virtually everyone knows English. And their translators know it very well. That's the only easy part of your journey, but good luck! InedibleHulk (talk) 03:12, June 17, 2019 (UTC)

His official English web site is given in the article as http://japan.kantei.go.jp/index.html. There's a "Contact us" link at the bottom, which will get you to his office, at least. Rojomoke (talk) 05:56, 17 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

However, the Prime Minister's office may or may not pay much heed to inquiries from foreign nationals. A better place to contact would be the Japanese embassy in your country, if there is one (there likely is). They will be much more familiar with handling inquiries from the foreign public. If you are interested in learning about Japan, you might also try contacting Japanese language or Japanese/Asian studies departments of universities in your country. And we might be able to help as well if you can give some specific topics of interest. --47.146.63.87 (talk) 07:45, 18 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

June 18

Hi Do you have the email addresses of Ethan or Joel Coen?

Hi Do you have the email addresses of Ethan or Joel Coen? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 197.99.0.237 (talk) 06:53, 18 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

If it's not public information, then we don't have it. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 10:10, 18 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Yeah he's kind of asking whether it's public information or not. --Viennese Waltz 08:11, 19 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

This is one possibility.[1] ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 12:09, 19 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

try cohen.brothers@hudsucker.com Although that could be hosted on a proxy server. Lugnuts ^{Fire Walk with Me} 19:15, 21 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

June 20

Annie aspect ratio (along with other films)

In the slasher film Serial Mom, there's this infamous scene where the titular serial killer whacked Mrs. Jensen who was watching Annie on a 4:3 television. Since the film was in 2.35:1 and most home video releases at the time were pan and scan, were the opening credits really that squished on VHS? Blake Gripling (talk) 00:01, 20 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Not sure, but note that at the time (1994), cathode ray tube televisions had dials to control the height and width of the image, so it was possible to adjust it somewhat, although there was a problem with trying to make the image wider than the screen, which would cause that part that should have been off the edge of the screen to reflect back into the visible portion. But the height could certainly be reduced. SinisterLefty (talk) 01:32, 20 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

The Samsung TV set which David Murray of the 8-Bit Guy often uses in his videos is from around that era, and he mentioned a service menu of sorts that allows the image to be resized. As for Annie itself, I did notice that at least one release presented the intro in letterbox, but apparently the rest is pan-and-scan. Blake Gripling (talk) 04:01, 20 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

That sounds more like a digital TV, which came out shortly after that. They often have a choice of display ratios/sizes, although every TV seems to offer different options, and sometimes the options depend on the size of the source. So far I've seen STANDARD/NORMAL, FILL, OVERSCAN, WIDE, ZOOM, CINEMA, PANORAMIC, LETTERBOX, PILLAR, STRETCH, 4:3, 16:9, etc. So it was just trial-and-error to figure out what setting would work for a given source. I found the old analog dials easier to figure out, although the remotes didn't control those, unlike on digital TVs. SinisterLefty (talk) 06:26, 20 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

It's an analogue TV. Blake Gripling (talk) 08:24, 20 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I'm old enough to have used many analog CRT TVs and CRT computer terminals. I never saw one where there was a control for the height and width of the image. Such a thing might exist somewhere on the set where a repairman could use access it (I've repaired a computer terminal or two and found that sort of thing inside), but it would only provide for small adjustments in case the picture did not fill your screen properly. I don't know what was depicted in some slasher film, but it was indeed common for the credits to be squashed when wide-screen movies were seen on TV; sometimes they would distort the aspect ratio so the letters became very narrow, and sometimes they would fill the top and bottom of the screen with black or with some pattern, and letterbox the credits. This was done even though the rest of the movie was pan-and-scan. --76.69.116.93 (talk) 22:31, 20 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I may be thinking of CRT computer monitors. I tended to watch TV on those, via a tuner card on my PC. Here's a link that describes the typical controls on a CRT monitor: [2], including width and height adjustments. Of course, if they could have those controls on a CRT computer monitor, there's no reason a CRT TV couldn't have them, too, and maybe some did. SinisterLefty (talk) 03:35, 21 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

My childhood floor set certainly had stretch screws on the back (and no futuristic A/V ports, had to screw our own input). How I learned what V and H meant. "Hold" screws, too, for positioning. Wasn't supposed to touch them, but I did. Not sure why anyone would want to, in hindsight, or why I liked hanging out in that corner. Possibly handy after a fall or something, those things were heavier than couches. My grandma's had curtains! The closest thing to a service menu on mine was a dim red LED that told you what channel you were on, if you got up to squint at it. InedibleHulk (talk) 04:25, June 21, 2019 (UTC)

In my experience "vertical hold" and "horizontal hold" used to be front-of-the-set controls, though you never touched them in normal viewing. (This may have changed toward the end of the analog CRT era.) Their purpose was to synchronize the TV's vertical and horizontal scanning rates with the incoming signal. If the horizontal hold was set wrongly, the picture would shear into a series of thin parallelograms each shaped like this /________/; if the vertical hold was wrong, the picture would "roll" (slide) vertically out of the frame and be replaced by another copy. You didn't have to get them perfect; the TV would synchronize itself to the broadcast signals as long as you were close. --76.69.116.93 (talk) 09:36, 21 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Yeah, aside from being on the back of mine, that describes the experience "positioning" didn't quite. Thanks. More info at Analog television#Synchronization. InedibleHulk (talk) 16:58, June 21, 2019 (UTC)

Summer gardens

What is the best vegetable to plant in a summer garden? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.253.72.112 (talk) 01:04, 20 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Define "the best". Cullen³²⁸ Let's discuss it 02:38, 20 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

It's more of an herb than a vegetable, but mint has the property of repelling many insects and animals, which otherwise might chew on your veggies, so that's a good place to start, if you like mint, that is. It also grows quickly, in many environments, and even grows as a weed. It can be harvested at any time, with little risk of it being unripe or rotten. The simplest use is a few leaves as a garnish for just about any dish (desserts included) and many drinks. For a more complex recipe, try mint sauce, which goes well with meats, especially lamb, or would be nice with vanilla ice cream. And mint tea is always nice (hot in winter, iced in summer). A side benefit is that the garden will smell nice. You can also freeze mint for use year-round. And any mint that isn't deemed edible can still be used in a potpourri for aroma. SinisterLefty (talk) 02:48, 20 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Find out at a local plant nursery what grows best in your area. Your local soil pH, climate and pests will determine what plants will grow "best". It does not make sense to grow lettuce in the dessert. 41.165.67.114 (talk) 10:08, 20 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I presume you mean a small dry often hot and sandy expanse rather than a sweet pudding. --- SGBailey (talk) 14:14, 20 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

No, it's good advice. Lettuce does not do well in desserts, and spoils the pud to boot. DuncanHill (talk) 15:16, 23 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

A sprig of mint, on the other hand, complements most desserts. SinisterLefty (talk) 15:47, 23 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

A good chunk of the US lettuce crop comes from Arizona (or, at least it did prior to the big E. coli illness situation a year ago). Customers were famously warned against eating romaine lettuce from Arizona, which was grown in such numbers that it was exported to Canada and beyond. Matt Deres (talk) 14:59, 20 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Thus began the decline and fall of the Romaine Empire. Clarityfiend (talk) 18:55, 20 June 2019 (UTC) [reply]

Yes, they made a book and movie about it, called The Romaines of the Day. SinisterLefty (talk) 14:53, 23 June 2019 (UTC) [reply]

Yes, we can grow food in the desert, with enough irrigation, fertilizer, etc. But it's not sustainable in the long run, and the underground reservoirs we've been tapping will one day run dry. SinisterLefty (talk) 03:39, 21 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

According to Yuma Lettuce Days, the irrigation for lettuce in Yuma largely comes from the Colorado River. It sounds like most lettuce grown in Yuma may be in or around Yuma. Interesting [3] claims that water rationing resulted in a switch from alfalfa to lettuce although there are still significant concerns over water levels in the river and associated reservoirs (not necessarily underground e.g. Lake Mead). Also in relation to the original question, from the earlier article and some other sources, I think a key reason for the importance of Yuma or Arizona is because of their contribution during the winter months. The article says "Up to 90% of the leafy vegetables grown in the U.S. from November to March originate in Yuma." BTW as a related but OT "fun fact" that may interest some, I found out from our article 1 years ago that China is the largest producer of lettuce worldwide by far, with over 50% of totals. IIRC I never worked out how much of this was stem lettuce and how much of it was other kinds but the sourcing I looked at did support the figures. Nil Einne (talk) 10:33, 21 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Demands on the Colorado River have reduced what makes it to the ocean down to a trickle, in good years, and nothing at all, in most years, damaging the wetlands at the river delta. According to Colorado River#Uncertain future (with sources): "...in case of a reduction in water supply, Nevada and Arizona would have to endure severe cuts before any reduction in the California allocation, which is also larger than the other two combined. Although stringent water conservation measures have been implemented, the threat of severe shortfalls in the Colorado River basin continues to increase each year. After a much lower-than-average snowpack in the 2018 water year, Bureau of Reclamation officials projected the odds of an official shortage declaration in 2020 at 52 percent, in 2021 at 64 percent, and in 2022 at 68 percent.". So, growing lettuce in Arizona may become impractical, quite soon. SinisterLefty (talk) 10:56, 21 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

We still don't know where the garden is. From a British point of view you could grow second-main and late-crop potatoes, a wide variety of salads, get started with your broccoli and cabbages to crop in winter. A little late perhaps to start your peas and runner beans from seed, but nurseries sell plugs ready to plant out. Herbs are always a good addition to any garden, and many of them require little in the way of watering or feeding once established. If you do plant mint then make sure the roots are contained as it's something of a bully. DuncanHill (talk) 15:15, 23 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

The IP address is from Virginia. If that is accurate, a good reference is the Norfolk Botanical Garden. They have a good website that discusses what plants grow best throughout Virginia at different times of the year and a page specifically about summer gardens: https://norfolkbotanicalgarden.org/explore/our-gardens/summer-gardens/ 12.207.168.3 (talk) 11:32, 24 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

June 21

Past question

I am trying to find a question which was asked on one of the reference desks this year relating to voice over-dubbing in Australian adverts. I have searched the archives but cant seem to find it. Please help. Thanks Anton 81.131.40.58 (talk) 10:04, 21 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

See here: [4]. I typed "voice over-dubbing in Australian adverts" into the "Search reference desk archives" box near the top of this screen, and picked the result from this year. If you manually searched the archives, you would need to look through the Entertainment Desk logs for June 1st. SinisterLefty (talk) 10:29, 21 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

June 24

x linked ichthyosis

if x linked ichthyosis is a skin condition does that mean it applies to anywhere where there is skin or only certain parts of the body where theres skin?https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-linked_ichthyosis — Preceding unsigned comment added by 110.151.127.156 (talk) 05:20, 24 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

What parts don't have skin? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 11:27, 24 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

The interior, eyeballs, etc. SinisterLefty (talk) 17:42, 24 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

The article says "particularly on the neck, trunk, and lower extremities"; so, less, but not necessarily none, elsewhere. SinisterLefty (talk) 17:45, 24 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Cancer research

I have been told that there is an urban legend which says that institutions which are supposedly seeking a cure to Cancer, Aids and the like don's actually want to find a cure as this would stop their funding. While it sounds reasonable, as the scientists have mortgages to pay and don't want to lose their jobs, my thin faith in humanity urges me to not believe this. Is there any truth to this and if so, what is the evidence used to support this claim? Thanks Anton 81.131.40.58 (talk) 14:04, 24 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

The team who finds the cure would have enormous fame in their own field and could either stay on to help their employer make the cure cheaper to produce, or they would easily find an other job thanks to their newly acquired fame. Also if they are not making any progress at all, the company that hired them would cancel their contract and instead hire someone who can show they are making some sort of progress in their understanding of where the problem is and how to fix it. I think there are enough incentives to find cures, and no incentives to hide good results. --Lgriot (talk) 14:48, 24 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Not to mention that the ides of "the cure" for cancer is flawed. Cancer is not "a" disease, it is a category. What works for one type of cancer may not work for others. Even the same type of cancer in different patients will respond differently. --Khajidha (talk) 14:59, 24 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

What the OP calls an urban legend is more like a conspiracy theory. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 16:28, 24 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, of course there's an urban legend which claims this. Bertrand Russell also had one about a teapot. These are easy to invent - maybe the Illuminati cancelled Firefly too - and there are an infinite supply of them. As unfalsifiable claims, the onus is on the person claiming these things to supply their proof. Otherwise they may be discarded out of hand. Andy Dingley (talk) 16:57, 24 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

If they actually had a cure for something ready to go, then no, they wouldn't hide it, but they might need to charge a huge amount for the cure, as they only get to sell it to each patient for one course of treatment, and need to recover all their costs and make a profit from that. Look at the costs for the cure for hepatitis C: [5]. Where it gets uglier is when the pharma company has to allocate funds for study. They of course look at potential return on investment, and a one-time cure has less ROI than a lifetime treatment, so, unless they have reason to believe it will cost far less to find a cure, then the money goes toward the treatment, not the cure, as that's the more profitable option. This is a limitation on capitalism, and a reason why government (taxpayer) funded university studies make sense, as they don't have the same profit motive, unless they have been co-opted by big pharma. A university makes money primarily from enrollment and endowments and government grants, all of which may well increase if they find a cure for a major disease (and a Nobel Prize for Medicine sure wouldn't hurt). SinisterLefty (talk) 17:39, 24 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

The urban legend reminds me of the Board of Longitude, which was created in 1714 to offer prizes up to £20,000, and other financial support, to people who developed better methods for navigators to determine their longitude at sea (which at the time was a most serious problem). Some members of the board worked on solutions themselves (I forget the specifics), and there were accusations that they never paid out the £20,000 prize because then the board would have no reason to exist. The fact that the board was abolished in 1828 because the problem had been solved, and yet the £20,000 prize was never paid, seems to suggest that the accusations were true. --76.69.117.113 (talk) 10:20, 25 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

June 25

industrial design

is it hard or easy to tell what makes something industrial design? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_design — Preceding unsigned comment added by 110.151.16.135 (talk) 09:31, 25 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Very easy. If it is designed first and then put into mass production, it is industrial design. The complication comes in when someone misuses the term. As an example, I saw a bit of one of those house design shows and they had exposed aluminum beams in the house. The lady commented on the "industrial design." Metal is not automatically industrial design. What she probably meant was, "It looks like something you would see on in an industrial factory." 12.207.168.3 (talk) 11:25, 25 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

There is though an overlap from "put into mass production" to "made using the techniques of mass production". There have been notable examples of one-offs, made by these techniques and having all the appearance of being one of a multitude, except that the true "mass" production never happened. There was a lot of this in the 1930s, from major designers such as Raymond Loewy and Buckminster Fuller.

This led (as you're rightly opposing to industrial design), through the 1960s and '70s, through beatnik and boho chic and beyond Brutalism into "the design of industry" becoming fashionable, from its association with post-war artists in cities living and working in abandoned industrial spaces, rather than the traditional Parisian garret. Andy Dingley (talk) 12:27, 25 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Unusual road feature

On the M1 motorway in Northamptonshire, UK, just south of the village of Hartwell, there is an unusual junction featuring a tunnel under the road that allows for emergency vehicles to change from the northbound to the southbound carriageway, or vice-versa. It can be clearly seen using the satellite picture on Google maps.

I'm guessing it is there because it's near the middle of an 11-mile stretch of road with no other junctions, and would allow emergency vehicles from Northampton or Milton Keynes to reach incidents more quickly.

I drive down this section of road most days on my commute and it took me a while to notice it, but now I have, I have a couple of questions I can't find the answers to: Firstly, is there a name for this feature? And secondly, does anyone know of any others anywhere else in the UK?

Thanks! Turner Street (talk) 15:58, 25 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Not exactly the same (not entirely isolated), but it's fairly common for a bridge across the motorway, even an accommodation bridge to be used as emergency access to both sides, or as a U-turn point. There's no public access to the slip roads, but they're there for service use. The old toll plaza on the new Severn Bridge [6] has a large one. Nearby the A449 has a very large intersection which is of unclear and intermittent public access, but likewise acts as a U turn point when there isn't a junction otherwise for some distance. [7]. Up on the M6 in Lancashire there's another using a public road for the tunnel, but with isolated slip roads.[8]

One of the best known secret motorway slips would be the one on the M4 at Greenham Common, with the circular quadrant countdown markers to it, back in the 1980s. Andy Dingley (talk) 18:40, 25 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

As to the name for it, Wikipedia calls this a type of turnaround. --76.69.117.113 (talk) 22:08, 25 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

@@ Line 141: / Line 141: @@
 : Not exactly the same (not entirely isolated), but it's fairly common for a bridge across the motorway, even an [[accommodation bridge]] to be used as emergency access to both sides, or as a U-turn point. There's no public access to the slip roads, but they're there for service use.  The old toll plaza on the [[Second Severn Crossing|new Severn Bridge]] [https://www.google.com/maps/place/A449/@51.5812085,-2.7809247,537m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x48705aff38621341:0x1a47ddb26b175579!8m2!3d52.2132662!4d-2.1596667] has a large one.  Nearby the A449 has a very large intersection which is of unclear and intermittent public access, but likewise acts as a U turn point when there isn't a junction otherwise for some distance. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/A449/@51.6237706,-2.903555,550m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x48705aff38621341:0x1a47ddb26b175579!8m2!3d52.2132662!4d-2.1596667]. Up on the M6 in Lancashire there's another using a public road for the tunnel, but with isolated slip roads.[https://www.google.com/maps/place/A449/@53.4631366,-2.6179087,545m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x48705aff38621341:0x1a47ddb26b175579!8m2!3d52.2132662!4d-2.1596667]
 : One of the best known secret motorway slips would be the one on the M4 at Greenham Common, with the circular quadrant countdown markers to it, back in the 1980s. [[User:Andy Dingley|Andy Dingley]] ([[User talk:Andy Dingley|talk]]) 18:40, 25 June 2019 (UTC)
+As to the name for it, Wikipedia calls this a type of [[turnaround (road)|turnaround]]. --[[Special:Contributions/76.69.117.113|76.69.117.113]] ([[User talk:76.69.117.113|talk]]) 22:08, 25 June 2019 (UTC)