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March 19

Names

Why do we call famous people by the names we do? I mean, why is it that we call some people by their full names (e.g. Percy Bysshe Shelley, Ralph Waldo Emerson), others by their initials (e.g. H. G. Wells, J. D. Salinger), some by just their first and last names (e.g. Charles Dickens, Edith Wharton), and still others by a combination (e. g. Dwight D. Eisenhower, F. Scott Fitzgerald)? – Psyche825 _(talk) 00:45, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

When it comes to the J.D. Salingers, H. G. Wellses and F. Scott Fitzgeralds of the world, we call them that because that's the authorial name that appears on the cover of their books, rather than "Jerome Salinger", "Herbert Wells" or "Francis Fitzgerald". As for the Shelleys, Emersons etc - it seems to be just that we've come to know them by their full names, and referring to "Percy Shelley" or "Ralph Emerson" would now sound odd, because nobody says that. Which doesn't really answer the question of how this habit started in the first place, I acknowledge. On the other hand, we do also refer to them by surname only - Shelley, Dickens, Shakespeare - exactly as we do for John Keats, Robert Frost, Henry Lawson etc, as Keats, Frost and Lawson. The other side of the coin is that composers are more often than not referred to by surname only (Beethoven, Mozart, Brahms), except for living composers. But some very well-known long-dead composers always get their full name, most notably César Franck. Why this is so is a mystery to me. -- JackofOz (talk) 01:05, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Famous people aren't always known by the names they prefer. Lee Harvey Oswald was just "Lee Oswald" to those who knew him, but he died before he could get the Dallas PD and the media to stop calling him that. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 02:14, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

I've heard (perhaps it was speculation) that criminal suspects' names are often given in full to lessen the chance of embarrassing the hypothetical R. Lee Oswald, James Robert Ray, John Donne Gacy, and so on. —Tamfang (talk) 07:22, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Yes, that's why police and the media initially use full names of suspects. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 23:14, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

(afterthought) Dan White escaped the phenomenon because he was already a public figure, but what about Charles Manson? —Tamfang (talk) 21:07, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

The New York Times long referred to him as "Charles M. Manson." But once a defendant becomes well known, there's no need to keep using his full name if it's not how he was generally known before his arrest. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 03:07, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

I agree entirely. That doesn't explain why John Gacy, James Ray, Lee Oswald et al still always get the full-name treatment, whereas Manson doesn't. The media are paragons of inconsistency on such things, though, so I guess they have a reputation to defend. -- JackofOz (talk) 03:14, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Perhaps the name on the cover has something to do with some of them. For example, neither Fitzgerald nor C. S. Lewis cared for their given names, so when they published their books, they didn't use their given names. Others may have just signed their names in some way for some other personal reason (like the other ones given). – Psyche825 _(talk) 20:10, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Sometimes it's the real world's equivalent of disambiguation. I've no idea how chuffed Pitt the Younger was about his epithet (probably less happy than Pliny the Younger was) but it's handy being able to differentiate the composers called Bach, the Bushes called George etc As such, the need for disambiguation sometimes will come after the person's time, in which case they'll have no say in the matter. Pliny the Elder died when his namesake was a nerdy stick-at-home scholar, as the latter makes clear in his own tale of the former's death. --Dweller (talk) 11:33, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

I don't know about the others, although the posts above are educational, but it's pretty common for female writers to be required by their editors to use their initials rather than full names--or even to take a male pen name--because they don't think people will buy stuff by female writers, especially science fiction books. This is as modern as J. K. Rowling, whose friends know her as Joanne or Jo. Other examples are Andre Norton, James Tiptree Jr. and C. J. Cherryh (whose last name is actually Cherry). There's a website somewhere that lists a bunch more, and it's bizarre and freaky how many there are. I wish I could remember where it is... --Masamage ♫ 23:36, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Oh, hey, check it out: Category:Female authors who wrote under male or gender-neutral pseudonyms. --Masamage ♫ 23:44, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Phyllis Dorothy James remarked that in hindsight she was glad to have chosen that form because it made booksignings easier on the hands. —Tamfang (talk) 21:10, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

I know I put mostly authors' names for examples (my mind went blank, and there's a bookshelf right next to my computer), but this question extends to other well-known people, as well. – Psyche825 _(talk) 20:10, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Depth parameter

How is this parameter calculated when determining the depth of a Wikipedia? Please be as detailed as possible. -- Leptictidium (mammal talk!) 01:12, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

According to m:List of Wikipedias it's ((Edits/Articles) × (Non-Articles/Articles) × (1 − Stub-ratio)). Algebraist 02:21, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Having a ton of stubs seems to result in great shallowness - the Polish WP has a depth of 8, barely above Volapük WP at 6. Following Jimbo Wales's comment here led me to meta:List of Wikipedias by sample of articles where Volapük comes in 93d, far behind Polish WP which receives the 10th highest score by that measurement ---Sluzzelin talk 15:46, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Scivias online?

Does anyone know where I can find a copy of Hildegard of Bingen's _Scivias_ as an e-book or webpage or something similar? 71.220.109.203 (talk) 01:22, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Unfortunately it is a book which has only been translated fairly recently in the 20th century—the original is out of copyright, clearly, but any translation would be copyrighted, which reduces its chance of being online in anything other than Latin, and even that seems wanting. --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 04:25, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

At least some of the book is on Google Books here. Astronaut (talk) 11:33, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Thank you both. I'm just going to buy it - no need to stay online and be unable to see parts. 75.161.129.138 (talk) 19:56, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

US census -- basements

I'd like to get statistical data on where in the United States basements are more common. I know that generally that the West and South don't have them and the Midwest and Northeast do, but I'd like some hard data if possible. The basement article gives some interesting information about what types of soil are necessary, etc., but again, it'd be nice to have data.

(I'd also ideally like it for around 1980, but if that wasn't possible, I'd survive).

I found this list of census data available for 1980—amazingly out of all of those variables I couldn't find anything that would help me with this task. But maybe you are more clever than I am? --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 02:02, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Can't help you with census results i'm afraid, but US basements are generally obligatory nowadays in areas most susceptible to deep ground frosts so that services like gas, water, electricity etc. can be located below the house at a level below the frost line. As a resident of Scotland, where we don't usually have basements, and where we have cold water storage tanks in the attic, it sounds like a good idea to me. So I would tend to concentrate on the northern states were I you. Good luck. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.145.241.243 (talk) 18:49, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Who is Louis C. Waldman?

I really want to know who Louis C. Waldman is. All I really know is that he was living circa 1902 and was an "certified architect in Riverside, California. He was an active architect around this time. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 123abd? (talk • contribs) 02:24, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Try this: go to the Wikipedia page on Riverside, California. Follow the external links at the bottom of the page to the municipal government's website and the local history societies. The city's website will give you the contact information for the local library, which is usually the best place to search for historical information on a local person. (826-5213). The historical societies also offer contact information, as well as links to old phone directories. Good luck! WikiJedits (talk) 13:10, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Alarm clock

For years, I have owned this alarm clock whose design I have always liked. However, it no longer works properly. It appears to be a copy of a regular alarm clock and it is made in China based on the sticker on the bottom. Does this particular design look familiar? Is there a replacement somewhere? It could be a brand name like Braun but my Google search leads me nowhere. What can you tell me about my alarm clock? --Blue387 (talk) 03:03, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Googling (hint hint) gray desk clock (images) gets you something close-ish but newer in Seiko. Julia Rossi (talk) 06:34, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

If it's the case you like you could 'easily' get a replacement mechanism - I assume it's quartz. Make friends with a proper jeweler and hopefully they should be able to just pop a new mechanism in?83.100.183.180 (talk) 14:22, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Blister

When a person has blister, such as from a burn, what is the liquid that forms it? The article on blisters simply calls it a "liquid". —Preceding unsigned comment added by 195.194.74.154 (talk) 08:40, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

It's serum — blood with red blood cells and clotting agents filtered out. [1][2][3]. Weregerbil (talk) 09:45, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

See Blood plasma --Tagishsimon (talk) 15:16, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Rush Plant

Can anyone get me a picture of the pith of a rush plant? 220.233.83.26 (talk) 09:21, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

No, but in a couple of months, once they start growing again in my water garden, I could mail you some ;-). Seriously, there's nothing too unique about rushes (juncus) as compared to any of the fibrous grasses you may have seen.

Atlant (talk) 12:14, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Strange illnesses

What are some of the strangest human illnesses? 200.127.59.151 (talk) 11:34, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

I do not think "strange" is aa good category for an encyclopedia. You might look at the existing article on rare disease. WikiJedits (talk) 13:03, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat describes a number of very unusual mental illnesses. --Sean 13:28, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Perhaps leprosy or ebola. Useight (talk) 15:12, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

What's the one that renders the sufferer insensible to pain? 200.127.59.151 (talk) 16:28, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis? Skittle (talk) 17:42, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

I knew someone who had that condition, his girlfriend liked kicking him at random. 206.252.74.48 (talk) 19:10, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Exploding head syndrome definitely has the coolest name. I guess it's a little strange too. Recury (talk) 20:38, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

There was also a condition where every injured area of the body turned into bone until the person became a living statue. Unfortunately I have forgotten its name. 206.252.74.48 (talk) 20:46, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

You're referring to Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva. I always thought Harlequin type ichthyosis is quite strange. Dismas|^(talk) 21:32, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

This is great, thank you very much. I'll add another two, but I don't know their names. The first is a neurological (?) condition that renders the sufferer inherently sociable and friendly but makes it very difficult for him/her to follow logical reasoning or perform practical tasks. (insert name). The other is also neurological and the sufferer feels as if he is being grasped and moved by invisible hands. This can happen in any part of the body even inside. I wish I knew the names. 200.127.59.151 (talk) 22:24, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

For the first, try Williams Syndrome Bunthorne (talk) 06:13, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

How about Foreign accent syndrome? -- Mwalcoff (talk) 23:12, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

It's a pity that Oscar von Redwitz-Schmölz died in 1891 and isn't around to answer this question. He was a German dramatist and poet (composers such as Liszt and Pfitzner set his poems to music), and also an extreme hypochondriac. He visited a doctor every day for 28 years, during which time he complained of over 10,000 different ailments, most of which were completely unknown to medical science. (This information was contained in the Book of Lists #2, ed. Irving Wallace et al, and the author of the article was William A. De-Gregorio, but it isn't confirmed by any English-language Google hit.) -- JackofOz (talk) 03:41, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Water urticaria, an allergy to water. (Okay, technically it’s not an illness.) Aquagenic pruritus is similar and is an illness however. --S.dedalus (talk) 06:20, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Water urticaria is sometimes described as an allergy, but it is poorly described in the literature because of its extreme rarity. My friend who suffers from this - and once almost died from it - is a nurse, and his father is a doctor, and I think they'd both have a lot of trouble in accepting that it's not an illness in the ordinary understanding of the term. It's certainly a debilitating medical condition. -- JackofOz (talk) 07:18, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

What does a sufferer from this condition do when they get thirsty? --S.dedalus (talk) 22:54, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Afaik it only happens when water contacts the external skin, and even then it depends on the temperature. The Melbourne girl mentioned in the article seems to have an extreme case, where any water contact is bad. My friend is only affected by cold water; he loves long hot showers. -- JackofOz (talk) 23:39, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Here's some interesting psychotic ones that I like: Capgras delusion, Folie à deux, Fregoli delusion, Intermetamorphosis, Syndrome of subjective doubles, Cotard delusion, Mirrored self-misidentification, Somatoparaphrenia, Reduplicative paramnesia, Syndrome of delusional companions, Clonal pluralization of the self. These are all monothematic delusional misidentification syndromes. Mac Davis (talk) 21:12, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Also, progeria, and xeroderma pigmentosum. Mac Davis (talk) 00:09, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Thank you all very much. 200.127.59.151 (talk) 21:30, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

vandalizing the vandals

I tried to fix some vadalism stating that this can make green hair grow out of ones arse. however, I sem to have made a bit of a mess, could someone with more knowlege plese fix this up for me as I feel quilty now thanks Phencyclidine

I took care of it. Just a couple missing }} at the end of the info-box template. --LarryMac | Talk 15:42, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Well done Captain Cheers and Beers and PCP —Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.115.175.247 (talk) 16:11, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Oven - What does "the war" and "the ovens" refer to?

Was talking to an old man recently and he kept talking about the war and the ovens what was he on about? wiki the ovens comes up with nothing as does google. thanks —Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.115.175.247 (talk) 16:35, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Presumably the old man was referring to World War Two and The Holocaust. The end of this section should answer your questions. --Dweller (talk) 16:52, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

The Nazis burned the corpses of their concentration camp victims in ovens like these ones at Buchenwald concentration camp. --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 16:56, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Consider the possibility that old men occasionally talk to fools. I do, even in soliloquy. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 18:33, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Most likely the second world war. But also depending on the age of the user it could refer to world war two, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Iraq: part two. Its basically assuming that you understand which war they served. БοņёŠɓɤĭĠ₳₯є 20:10, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Well, but ovens didn't really play a major role in any of those wars. If it had been the war and Khe Sanh, or the war and the IEDs, that'd be something different. --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 00:54, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Or maybe "the war" and the inconsistencies. Mac Davis (talk) 21:15, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

I have started the article, buy boy does it need work. any help would be greatly appreciated.

lord of the trolls

I am of the opinion that some people enjoy or benefit from the actions of internet trolls, whilst not being trolls themselves. Such persons might exhibit an 'authorative' or 'holier than thou' attitude and seek out positions of responsibility - in short relying on trolls to justify their existence on the net.

Joking aside (ie Answer=administrators) has the internet or popular culture got a name for such people or such activity?83.100.183.180 (talk) 17:08, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

I don't know of a specific term, but here we tell people not to feed the trolls. You may hear people refer to such folks as "drama queens" but this is a more generic term. Friday (talk) 17:14, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

I think his question was "is there a word for people that appreciate trolls/trolling." And such people are not trolls themselves. Good question. I don't think there is 1 (can't instantly think of 1). I'd have to think about it. Neal (talk) 19:28, 19 March 2008 (UTC).

Yes that's right - a bit like a witcherfinder general might appreciate the activities of witches - if you see what I mean.83.100.183.180 (talk) 20:33, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Maybe petty king? Vranak (talk) 20:08, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Mmh that's an interesting answer - and a good one. Thanks hadn't even thought of that.83.100.183.180 (talk) 20:32, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Ratcatcher Shirt

My granddaughter takes riding lessons...part of the show apparel is a "ratcather shirt". HOW IN THE WORLD DID THE SHIRT GET THAT NAME? Where did it come from? Help. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 205.156.188.254 (talk) 20:19, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

That's like asking why things are the way things are. Take a look at cause and effect. Ask for the particular question, you may need to provide the company of the shirt, or ask them. Or your grand daughter. Neal (talk) 21:06, 19 March 2008 (UTC).

And we need to ask why things are the way they are. ;) Sometimes it's even fun. Take a look at etymology. --Kjoonlee 21:13, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

The OED defines rat-catcher as "Unconventional hunting dress" (our article on fox hunting refers to it in the Attire section). I can't find any information on how it came to be used in hunting - maybe that style of shirt originated with actual rat-catchers, or maybe 'rat' was slang for fox (as they are considered by some to be vermin). Just a guess. — Matt Eason ^{(Talk • Contribs)} 21:33, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

The two earliest citations for ratcatcher shirt in the OED are:

1910 KIPLING Diversity of Creatures (1917) 310 He came back to the bar, after he'd changed into those rat-catcher clothes. 1928 J. B. THOMAS Hounds & Hunting 254 Rat-catcher - referring to one informally dressed when hunting.

Remarkable that what in 1928 was thought of as informal is by now considered formal wear. It rather sounds like a slur which has made its way to being some sort of in-style dress code. See also Euphemism Treadmill --Tagishsimon (talk) 21:41, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

... what in 1928 was thought of as informal is by now considered formal wear: Yes, remarkable. In many cases, the opposite would be true. -- JackofOz (talk) 05:37, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

We have an article for such topics: semantic change has some info on amelioration. --Kjoonlee 11:53, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

If you went hunting,it was considered to be bad form to wear a pink coat(that is, the red jacket you see on hunting prints,they are called pink after the original maker not the colour)until the hunt invited you to.So you would wear a tweed jacket like the sort we now call a hacking jacket.This was everday countryside sporting wear for other activities such as shooting or ratcatching.Only when you had shown you knew how to behave were you invited to wear a red jacket with the hunt's button on it.

mm/dd/yy

Not sure if Wikipedia has a page on this, what is generally the more accepted format in formal writing when writing the date- mm/dd/yy or dd/mm/yy? Acceptable (talk) 22:07, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Calendar date is the nearest thing we have. mm/dd versus dd/mm seems to be country specific, with our USian cousins choosing to employ the less logical format, and most of us failing to employ the most logical, which is yyyy//mm/dd. Meanwhile in formal writing, I'd opine that 22 February 1977 or 22^nd February 1977 would be favoured. Your country / rules of etiquette may vary. --Tagishsimon (talk) 22:16, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

I think it's regional. The USA uses mm/dd/yy but just about everywhere else uses dd/mm/yy. See Date formats for more. APL (talk) 22:18, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

In formal writing, write out the name of the month, in one form or another. It is much more precise that way, and avoids the sort of ambiguity that "03/02/2008" leads to (is it March 2, or February 3?). Whether you do it as "3 February" or "February 3" hardly matters. Personally I avoid indicated the ^nds and ^ths because it looks a little informal (more like speech) but again, it's not all that important, certainly not wasting too much time fretting about. Above all else, pick a style, and stick with it—consistency does matter. --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 00:52, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

I notice on your user page that you are Canadian. I've checked the banners of a couple of respected Canadian publications and found that they follow the same standard that prevails in the United States: mm dd, yyyy (for example "March 19, 2008"). Note that in running text, a comma needs to follow the year as well. (For example, "On every day from March 19, 2008, through the end of the year, Jessica visited her mother in the nursing home.") Marco polo (talk) 01:07, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

(slightly OT) When dealing with automated alphabetisation, the Chinese format is most convenient: yyyy-mm-dd. The alphabetisation puts dates in chronological order. Steewi (talk) 01:10, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

See also ISO 8601— Matt Eason ^{(Talk • Contribs)} 01:51, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Sometimes, to reduce ambiguity, the month is given in Roman numerals, thus "20.III.2008". —Tamfang (talk) 20:11, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

However, the original question was about formal writing, and in formal writing the use of small numbers or abbreviations is avoided. "March 3" would generally be acceptable, but some documents use things like "the third day of March". 03/03 is right out. --Anonymous, 04:24 UTC, 2008-03-20.

See also Names_of_numbers_in_English#Dates. BrainyBabe (talk) 17:27, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

March 20

Big Lake, TX

What is this big purple thing on the yahoo map at these Coordinates: 31.189466,-101.444438 ?

The same object is dark green on Google Maps. It's hard to say what it is, but I suspect that it is an irrigated field where sod or maybe vegetables or flowers are grown. There are other odd purple spots in the area on Yahoo Maps, and I suspect that they are the result of an error in the coloring of the photograph. Marco polo (talk) 00:59, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Your coordinates appear to me to point to a patch of ground to the west of Big Lake Country Club, in Big Lake (Texas). The purple thing to the north west is Reagan County Airport. --Tagishsimon (talk) 01:00, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

The airport is on the other side of the town from the object the questioner asked about. Marco polo (talk) 15:44, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Earthquake (comedian)

I love the comedian Earthquake! I kind of want to go see him perform. Does he have a website, or at the very least is there an unofficial site listing his tour dates. I tried a Google search, to no avail.--The Fat Man Who Never Came Back (talk) 01:41, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

http://www.quakeshouse.net/loudbaby and http://www.myspace.com/quakeshouse2. Can't find any tour dates though. — Matt Eason ^{(Talk • Contribs)} 02:49, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Thank you! I think he must not be touring at present.--The Fat Man Who Never Came Back (talk) 23:21, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Formula One gear ratios

What are some sample gear ratios a modern Formula One car, such as the one used by Scuderia Ferrari, might have? Thanks Acceptable (talk) 03:14, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

I can't find a damn thing online talking about the gear ratios used by F1 teams, and I've tried about eight different permutations of search terms at this point. The F1 site itself has nothing, and every piece I've seen talking about the cars doesn't get to that level of detail. Sorry... anyone else? Tony Fox (arf!) 17:39, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

I can't give you any example numbers - like Tony, I drew a blank. What I can tell you is that they change the ratios (that is, the physical cogs) for each race. So for Monaco, for example, they'll have a much smaller change between each gear and a "lower" top gear, for maximum acceleration. Whereas for the circuits with longer straights they'll need a higher top gear to let the car reach top speed. Even the weather will affect the choice of what gears they drop into the box before the race. FiggyBee (talk) 18:42, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Uhm, best I can tell you is to try rFactor's F1 mods available online - they do have numbers, though unsure how accurate they are. It seems that 1st gear does about 0-100, and then the remaining 100mph is divided more or less evenly between 2-7. -mattbuck (Talk) 19:31, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Basic gear ratios from F1 2007 MMG Rfactor mod, for comparison with whatever. -mattbuck (Talk) 20:03, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

I figure that since the car have such ridiculously high acceleration and have extremely high-revving, but relatively low engine torque, engines, they must very aggressive gear ratios to achieve such accelerations. Acceptable (talk) 21:32, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

I'll post a little more information on your talkpage, because the details qualify as WP:OR, technically, though the formula used is relatively simple and can be used on any car--what it boils down to is dividing the engine speed by the rotational speed of the tyres themselves. Of course, these vary greatly depending on the track, and which gear is being considered; rear differential gear ratios used by NASCAR teams, for example, range from approximately 3.90:1 at the superspeedways to as high as 7.0:1 or more at the short tracks, according to various broadcasters. Rdfox 76 (talk) 04:41, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Don

Why does the Mafia use the word DON to describe the boss? Where did it start, who was the first? I've looked in Wikipedia, and was unable to locate anything. Grazie.

There's some discussion of this in Don (honorific). Regards, -- Flyguy649 ^talk 04:16, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Logic Boldface Opinions

As humans beings we say a lot of things are based on logic. Even scientific study we base on logic, but wouldn't be cool if logic was just boldface opinions. Opinions with some data given to them to make them logical. What is your "logic" on this theory?71.143.3.182 (talk) 05:12, 20 March 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

It's very illogical. There are lots of ways to define/describe logic, but one of the traits of logic is that if all your assumptions are correct, then logical conclusions derived from them cannot be wrong. --Kjoonlee 11:35, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Kindly note that Wikipedia is not a forum; we are not here to do your homework for you, or to answer about opinions. Thank you. --Kjoonlee 11:36, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

For one, you aren't very clear in distinguishing between Inductive reasoning, which is used in science, and Deductive reasoning, which is what "logical" traditionally refers to. Deductive reasoning isn't a matter of opinions. If something follows deductively, then the conclusion is guaranteed from the premises. Inductive reasoning involves taking data to confirm a given theory (and hopefully providing disconfirmation of rival theories).--droptone (talk) 11:56, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

This might be a long-shot but it sounds like what you want are something like Rudolf Carnap's contributions (in particular) to logical positivism -- a world full of simple, axiomatic statements from which to build up a strong logical and rational understanding. Check it out. --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 12:57, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

past to present in fiction

Has any one ever made a correlation between the Elves and the Vulcans, as the Elves left earth. Also and likewise the Orks and the Klingons. Dragons and dinosaurs. ect

I assume you mean 'elves and orcs' in the sense Tolkien wrote about them - these are fictional works, as are 'flash gordon' and 'star trek'. I don't think there is much of a connection in terms of influences of the respective authors. They could be considered similar variations of archetypes which might be worth reading. eg archetypical 'bad guys' - I haven't heard of anyone talking this any further.

As for dragons and dinosaurs - yes numerous people have made this connection, and there are various theories of this - including legends of dragons being based on memories of human/dinosaur interactions.

For instance dinosaur bones were considered to be evidence of the flood destroying vile beasts such as dragons.

Searching for 'dragons dinosaurs' will turn up numerous links that explore this connection83.100.183.180 (talk) 16:45, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

eg try http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=dragon+dinosaur&meta= and take your pick - you can see that many have made the 'dinosaur=dragon' association83.100.183.180 (talk) 16:47, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

It's a shame Isaac Asimov isn't around anymore; I think he'd get a kick out of the idea of elvin/Vulcan goblin/Klingon unification. IMNSHO, one of the coolest things ever done in fiction was when Asimov took several disjoint series of his novels and short stories (the original Robot short stories, the Foundation/Galactic Empire series, the Elijah Baley and R. Daneel Olivaw detective series see) and wove them all into one grand tapestry. He'd be just the guy who could have done what is proposed in the question.

Atlant (talk) 16:59, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Not everyone loved the result. It has been said that a thriller or a farce is allowed exactly one preposterous coincidence, and good scifi ought to have just one preposterous piece of technology, e.g. Laws of Robotics or FTL or psychohistory ... —Tamfang (talk) 20:14, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Star Trek put dinosaurs and aliens together in one bizarre Voyager episode. Who knew dinosaurs were capable of space flight? Adam Bishop (talk) 01:14, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

The episode in question was Distant Origin, if you're interested - quite a good one, and easy to enjoy even if you're not a Star Trek fan :) -Elmer Clark (talk) 08:24, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

recycling

What countries buy recycled products?? or where can i find out this information?? MaryRom (talk) 20:38, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Water is the oldest recycled product and is the main component of all agricultural produce. I suspect that all countries import some food stuffs.

Ignoring humus - presumable the second oldest recycled stuff - you would have ferrous metals, glass, paper and timber. Our article on recycling may be a good starting point, unless you have already checked it. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 21:39, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Fox News UFO

I have seen on Fox News (of all places) that someone took some really bizarre UFO pixes, and now two PIs are after the photog, who has since disappeared. Has anyone else seen this ? The UFO looks like - well you have to see it for yourselves. 65.173.105.141 (talk) 22:13, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

From what I've seen, this is a bizarre looking ship, and a HUGE one at that. Has anyone else seen this ? 65.173.105.141 (talk) 01:12, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Not wanting to be condescending but Fox News is a dodgy source, famous for irresponsible journalism and sensationalism. They are about two steps above Weekly World News when it comes to UFO stories—they don't claim Bat Boy is out there but they'll imply, wink, and smile that he is. Anyway, they have reported all sorts of silly UFO sightings over time (and of course never follow up on them to see how unidentified they stay over time), and there are a million non-conspiratorial reasons that someone might not be able to be found. Would you trust Fox News to report on if they end up finding him, and it turns out he just took a vacation? I wouldn't. --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 01:58, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Distances on road-signs

How accurate are the distances given on road-signs (i'm primarily interested in the UK)? Are they 'as the crow flies' or are they the actual distance using that road? Also are they 'exact' - is the sign that says "York 22 miles" bound by rules on how far/close it can be to be 'legal'? If it were 22.7 miles away but said 22 who would know? Just wondered if anybody knows about this sort of thing. ny156uk (talk) 22:43, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Here's a recent discussion on the same topic, though more US-centric. As for being exact (again, US-centric) I can note that they're not. I've observed variation in distance remaining (for instance, signs 15 miles apart might show a 17-mile difference) and having multiple cities per sign strongly suggests that measurements are not exact to any fraction of a mile. — Lomn 23:57, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

More US-centric info: I've been told that the milages are to the main post office of the city. Otherwise the question would be "15 miles to where in the city?" Edison (talk) 00:16, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

For some Australian-centric info... The distance is by the shortest available route using that road in the direction the sign is facing, not as the crow flies. I just assume the distance given is rounded to the nearest whole number on the big main signs; however we also have very small signs replacing the old milestones that I assume are meant to be the exact distance. The distance given is usually taken as the distance to the post-office of the indicated town, as that is typically at the town centre. I can also vouch that they're not entirely accurate, at least the main signs. For example, I have seen instances where a sign will display distances to a number of towns on the one sign, while a similar sign say 10km down the same road will give different relative distances, i.e., they don't all decrease by 10km. I have seen other errors as well, but haven't made a practice of measuring exact distances very often. Personally, I just take them as an indicator of how far away the town is. --jjron (talk) 14:33, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

UK info, from personal observation: they don't show crow-flies distances, but they're not necessarily the shortest road distance either. They show the distance by the route the planners intend you to take from that point, which is not always the shortest. This is noticeable with the distances to the channel ports on the M2, IIRC. Algebraist 16:22, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

UK-centric, again: each town or city has a point from which the distances are measured. There used to be a small monument to mark this point in Exeter until the area was redeveloped. SaundersW (talk) 17:25, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Similarly I've been a bit puzzled by signs at city limits of the form "San Francisco, elevation 150 feet". Is it the altitude at the sign? The ground at City Hall is only ~70 ft; elevation in the city varies from sea level to 925 feet. —Tamfang (talk) 04:36, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

I think in the US, the distance to a city is based on using the city hall as the reference destination. --71.162.242.38 (talk) 23:43, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

March 21

The Bolles-Brendamour Company

The Bolles-Brendamour Company I recently acquired a bicycle headtube badge with this company's name on it. It was a sporting goods business in the 1920's and '30's in Cincinnati,Ohio. I am looking for more information on the company and the bicycles they sold. I would imagine the bikes were built by Schwinn or another company and rebadged when sold at the sporting goods store. Anyone know of or have ever seen a bike with the Bolles-Brendamour name on it?

• A Google search turns up very little. Hopefully someone from around that way has some more direct info. --jjron (talk) 14:35, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Mistake

In the East York Collegiate Institute article, you guys made a mistake. According to the TDSB site, there no such name as George A. Brown, but Gordon A Brown.

Thank you for your suggestion. When you feel an article needs improvement, please feel free to make those changes. Wikipedia is a wiki, so anyone can edit almost any article by simply following the Edit this page link at the top. The Wikipedia community encourages you to be bold in updating pages. Don't worry too much about making honest mistakes — they're likely to be found and corrected quickly. If you're not sure how editing works, check out how to edit a page, or use the sandbox to try out your editing skills. New contributors are always welcome. You don't even need to log in (although there are many reasons why you might want to). -Elmer Clark (talk) 08:27, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Trolling or just being an a##hole?

I was playing a nice good old game of Halo on my PC when this guy reads my name and starts making crude comments towards me. I ignored it for awhile until it started to bug the crap out of me and my clan.(please excuse the poor use of grammar)What was his motive? Was it to piss me off? or Was it to get under my clan's skin? In the end we ended up banning him so all is good.--SlaveofBetrayal (Talk)

Maybe he was having a bad day, maybe he gets kicks out of making random strangers mad, maybe he was losing and was trying to make up for it by running his mouth. Perhaps you could have just muted him? Useight (talk) 05:12, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

I'd got the impression that this was common. Quite probably just 'being friendly' in a spirit of 'heated competition' - some people love this sort of this and give back. Seriously. If you don't like it - yep - just ban him. Some people like 'trash talking' each other.. Don't ask me why.87.102.16.238 (talk) 12:14, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

I'm not sure the title question actually presents two opposing ideas. In my mind, trolling is being an ass. It sounds like you took the best course of action, ignoring and then banning. --LarryMac | Talk 14:36, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

As we aren't him, I would say it looks like an example of cyberbullying. Which I am against. So your ban was justified, in my opinion. Neal (talk) 20:11, 21 March 2008 (UTC).

I don't appreciate that kind play and I am glad you all agree I took the apropitiate course of action. The fact that trash talking is not allowed in the server what so ever is the fact that bothered me the most and I wish people could follow the rules accordingly.--SlaveofBetrayal (Talk)

Dr. Detroit

Why is it Detroit became center of the auto industry? I'm aware Cleveland was a major car mfg center early in the 20h Century, & so was Indianapolis, with places like Racine, Wisconsin, & Springfield, Massachusetts, among pioneers. I'm also aware Detroit/area was fairly big in wagon manufacturing (in the 200K-plus/yr range). Was that the sole reason? Were there others? In a similar vein, why was the Model T so successful? Just price? Reliability? Something else? Thanx! Trekphiler (talk) 05:07, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Our article on the history of Detroit says Henry Ford chose Detroit due to the wagon industry and others followed him there. -Elmer Clark (talk) 08:33, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

One reason Detroit became a center for automobile manufacturing is its location. Almost all of the resources needed to make cars can come down Lake Huron or Lake Erie to the factories. The iron could come from the UP or Canada and wood could come from anywhere. One thing that wasn't so close was rubber which had to come from Central and South America. Henry Ford's good friend Thomas Edison tried to solve this problem with a plant called goldenrod which rubber can be made from. The plant wasn't productive enough to use on an industrial scale. The location of the other cities is also near the Great Lakes (Massachusetts by the ocean) so would have the same reasons for being a major automobile manufacturing center. The Model T was so successful mainly because of the price. The assembly lines were so fast that they made the car cheap enough for regular people to afford. I think the time it took to make a car was 90 minutes, but I'm not positive on that.

Incidentally, our article on the assembly line lends credence to the 90 minute thing. 93 man-minutes isn't really the same as 93 clock-minutes, but it's an impressive figure regardless. — Lomn 16:45, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

The goldenrod research was to provide for rubber substitites in future wartime. Tires made from goldenrod were never very good or very cheap. Edison (talk) 22:22, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

I understand New England was also strong in technicians/tech-skilled people, one reason Springfield nearly became "Detroit". Trekphiler (talk) 03:20, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

do NIOS passed persons face any difficulty??

The person passing from the National Institute of Open Schooling,Do they face any problems regarding jobs as compare to a CBSE or some other Board passed out?

Lilt

Does anyone know why Lilt is less fizzy than other carbonated drinks by Coca-Cola? Lanfear's Bane | t 14:14, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Presumably they don't carbonate it as much. Preference by the drink's original manufacturer most likely. -mattbuck (Talk) 20:07, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Would they have done this to make it distinctive as well or was there a demand for less fizz? Julia Rossi (talk) 23:48, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Free Range Chickens

Do free range chickens run away often?

While free range chickens have more space than caged chickens, they aren't running wild as you seem to think. My chickens have a yard of appox. an eighth of an acre and can be considered free range. They do have a fence which confines them though. It also aids in keeping predators out. Also, last year we bought a few chickens from a local farm when we lost some of ours to a predator. The chickens that we bought can legally be called free range although they aren't kept outside. They were kept in a barn and the only sunlight that they saw was through a couple of windows in the wall. They had never seen grass before we bought them. Dismas|^(talk) 15:03, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Nice answer - I think this was a joke though (I hope) and probably funniest of the day. Best wishes.87.102.16.238 (talk) 15:24, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

This wasn't a joke....

While it's true that "free range" chicken are not really "free", I find the question of whether chicken tend to run quite interesting. (Yes, there were and still are some of those chicken held without any fences.) Apparently they don't run all too often, otherwise nobody would do it. But why do they stay close to the house/barn at all? Food? Fear of predators? Convenience? ... And how often do they go for a stroll? ... --Thanks for answering (talk) 17:40, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

When I first got chickens, we weren't as strict about keeping them in their yard and would let them roam. They did stay fairly close, though they did wander to the neighbor's houses. They would come back every night to roost and, although they could find food while scratching around on the ground, they would come back for food as well. Every so often though, we would lose one during the day and they wouldn't come back at night. We suspected that predators got them. When we moved to our new house, we started keeping them confined more often as we have more wilderness around us now than before. Dismas|^(talk) 17:56, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

There are "feral" chickens which roam all over Fair Oaks, California. The town has an annual Chicken Festival where ... chicken ... is served in a variety of ways. There have been suggestions to round up the chickens, but they've apparently been there for years, they don't belong to anybody, they just wander the streets. They've become sort of a town mascot. Corvus cornix_talk 18:09, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

In villages that I have visited in the Usambara Mountains, non-feral chickens roam the dirt "streets" scavenging for food. Though they wander, villagers know who owns which chickens, and the chickens do not stray any farther than the outskirts of the village. I suspect that they don't stray because the people and the activity of the village keep them safe from predators, and because they do not want to be too far from their roost. Marco polo (talk) 20:00, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

When I was growing up we had chickens in a fenced in chickenyard. A very few went feral, flew over the fence, and set up housekeeping in trees in the woods. Not sure how long they lasted there. Perhaps a whole summer. They might have come back in the winter. Edison (talk) 22:20, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

dooomeeessstttacccatiooon :) Perry-mankster (talk) 22:44, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

What is purpose of the notch in butter knives?

Pretty much my question. I was eating breakfast in a swank hotel this week and they had a full table service. I wondered what the purpose the little notch in butter knives is for? The entry on butter knife didn't mention it. --70.167.58.6 (talk) 16:47, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

I guess the obvious is that it makes the utensil readily identifiable. It may be as simple as that. FiggyBee (talk) 17:18, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Personally I think the article has it wrong - the top knife in the image looks like a fish knife, anyway - what's the knotch for in a 'fish knife' - yes - i've often wondered that myself!87.102.16.238 (talk) 17:43, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

One possibility (ie I'm guessing) is that the notch can be used to pick up a knob of butter (inverting the knife) - in a polite way - rather than spearing it. See cheese knife87.102.16.238 (talk) 18:56, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

I didn't see that there could be considered two notches in the butter knife entry. I was originally asking about the notch on the side. The butter knife I used had a smooth rounded end (like the last two "butter spreaders" in the entry photo), but also had the side notch that the top two "butter knives" have. --70.167.58.6 (talk) 19:31, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Agree with 87.102 they are fish knives esp after checking with google images. Maybe the rounded end with a notch is a butter knife image like this[4] and these butterknives[5][ should replace the two fish knives in the article. A cheese knife usually has two prongs at the tip[6] for picking up the cheese slice. Julia Rossi (talk) 23:41, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Whether a butter knife (or a fish knife, for that matter) has a notch on it has NOTHING to do with its type. The notch is solely a design feature and is only meant to look nice: it has no meaning whatsoever. You can take two similar cutlery patterns by the same manufacturer, and one will have a notch in the top of the butter knife but not the fish knife, and the other will have a notch in the top of the fish knife and not the butter knife.

The difference is that a fish knife is supposed to be sharp (to cut through the backbone of a fish steak). A butter knife is generally blunt so it doesn't tear the bread. --NellieBly (talk) 07:57, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Butter knives are not used on bread, but merely to transfer butter from the dish to the side of your plate. Each diner uses his own knife to butter the bread (at a formal setting there will be a separate knife for this, smaller but similar in style to the main knife). I don't believe the Wikipedia picture discussed shows fish knives; they are too small, for a start. Gwinva (talk) 21:26, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

The notch marked knife is used for transferring the butter from the butter dish to your plate. You then use a non notched knife to spread the butter. Each person should have a butter knife of his or her own and this knife should not have a notch. The only one with the notch is the one used to tranfer the butter.

best time for foliage in New England?

When is the best time to see the foliage in the New England states, esp. in Vermont and Maine? Rather in the first half of October, middle of October or end of October? (Any even more specific times are even more welcome.) I know that some websites tell you about the foliage each year, but are there any sites with an overview/average to get an idea when it will be most likely in upcoming years? Thanks, thanks, Thanks for answering (talk) 17:37, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

It depends on the weather. Yes, October is the best time in general but getting any more precise would have to take into account weather patterns. I don't have any links for you but just wanted to make sure you realize that whatever date range is given is still just a guess. The color in the leaves also varies slightly due to altitude. So if when you come, you don't find the color you're looking for, check a mountain side. Whenever you come, I hope you enjoy your stay here. Dismas|^(talk) 17:46, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

P.S. http://www.foliage-vermont.com/ seems to have some helpful information about 2007, they may have some about 2008 as the year goes on. Dismas|^(talk) 17:50, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

The time of peak foliage depends not only on the weather and altitude, but also on latitude. The farther north you go, the earlier the peak comes. The timing is actually fairly predictable without huge variation due to weather. Weather is more likely to affect the intensity of color. You can't control the weather, of course, but you can be fairly sure of seeing some color if you book a holiday vacation according to the normal peak for a given region. In northernmost Maine and the higher mountains of central Maine, the peak may be as early as mid-September. The last week of September is a good bet for the mountains of central and northwest Maine and northernmost New Hampshire. The week around October 1 and maybe the following weak is usually the best time for the White Mountains of New Hampshire and the Green Mountains running through the center of Vermont. During that week, you will still see some green mixed in with the yellows and reds. During the following week, you will mostly see yellow and red in those places, and the peak will have moved south to the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts and the rolling hills of the lower parts of New Hampshire and Maine. By the second or third week of October, northern New England and the higher-elevation parts of southern New England are past peak, but we are enjoying our own peak foliage in the low hills of eastern Massachusetts (likewise in Connecticut and Rhode Island). Marco polo (talk) 19:45, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

See our article on leaf peeping. There's a map and everything. --Milkbreath (talk) 19:48, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

The map in our article suggests earlier dates than I am used to seeing. I think that it may be based on old data (before the onset of climate change in the 1980s and 1990s). You might also look at the narratives and maps in this archive. Marco polo (talk) 19:53, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Plumbing

What does term top out mean in the plumbing fieldGilligan01 (talk) 18:02, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

My ability to summarize seems to have deserted me, so I'm going to point to this page, specifically the first paragraph. --LarryMac | Talk 19:32, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Ways of meeting lots of people

How can I meet thousands of people in the shortest possible time? (meeting just on-line counts, too) --Taraborn (talk) 18:13, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

I think "thousands" is overly ambitious, and I am unclear what "meeting" technically entails, but a few preliminary suggestions might include:

• WP:IRC and other chat rooms
• Church
• Speed dating
• Depending on where you live, you might find websites like Meetup.com useful

--The Fat Man Who Never Came Back (talk) 18:35, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

You'll need to define "meeting" a little more rigorously here. Send them a message? Get one back? Become their "friend" on MySpace? What counts, what doesn't? --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 18:40, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Who appointed you captain of the reference desk?--The Fat Man Who Never Came Back (talk) 18:57, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

The Commodore Ref Desk, I guess. --Masamage ♫ 19:21, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

The job had been open for awhile, so I took it! ;-) Some might call it presumptive—I call it entrepreneurial. Anyway, I've been around here a lot longer than this account's creation date would let on (more years than is healthy to admit). Note that it is simply an honorific title, of course. --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 20:04, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Taraborn, I can't really help you if you need to meet zillions of people urgently. But if you're prepared to wait a little longer, you could always go into politics. Then you'd have a perfect reason to knock on every single door in your city or electoral district, and who knows how many new friends you'd make. Even better, run for the Spanish Senate and you'd have a perfect reason to knock on every door in your entire province. Better yet, run for President, and you'd have the ... you can see where is leading, I hope. When people ask you why they should vote for you, tell them you're a Wikipedia Ref Desk volunteer, and they'll in most cases promise you their perpetual vote and those of their entire family, then invite you in and make you their life-long friend. A few poor benighted souls will ask the Spanish equivalent of "Wiki what? What's the hell's that!!" and then slam the door in your face before you've had a chance to tell them. But that's the swings and roundabouts of public life for you. -- JackofOz (talk) 21:57, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for the useful and funny replies :) In this case having them as an instant messenger buddy with whom you can have a 5 to 10 minutes lasting conversation about twice a week would be enough. --Taraborn (talk) 09:39, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

You could sign up to an MMOG, either a free one like Second Life, or a subscription one such as Ultima Online, World of Warcraft, etc, where there are many people online at any time, and start chatting to whoever you meet there. Some will then exchange messenger details with you, and others will not. SaundersW (talk) 10:31, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Harder to shift in lower gears

When driving a car outfitted with a traditional manual transmission, why is it harder to attain a smooth 1-2 shift compared to a 3-4 shift? When I'm driving in 1st gear and let go of the gas to shift to second, I can feel that the temporary decrease in speed when I let go of the gas to be much more drastic than when I let go of the gas in, for example, 4th gear. Why does this phenomenal exist? My guess is that since the lower gear has a larger reduction ratio, its engine braking effect is much more pronounced than the higher gears. Am I right? Thanks. Acceptable (talk) 20:34, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Yes, you're right. If you're feeling a big lurch due to engine braking, then you're not putting the clutch in soon enough. FiggyBee (talk) 20:41, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Automobile Terminologies

I have several questions about transmission terminologies in automobiles:

• The engine torque after being multiplied by the transmission is called the transmission output torque.
• The transmission output torque after being multiplied by the differential gears is called insert name.
• Is the differential gear also called the final drive ratio and the transaxle ratio?

Are these correct? Acceptable (talk) 21:16, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Purpose of differential gear reduction

What is the purpose of the reduction gear in the differential?

For example, suppose the following for a car:

• Differential gear- 2:1
• 1st gear- 4:1
• 2nd gear - 3:1

So the torque after being multiplied by the differential and transmission is 8:1 and 6:1 for first and second gears, respectively. But why not just have the following?:

• Differential gear- 1:1
• 1st gear- 8:1
• 2nd gear- 6:1

Would the car not perform similarly? Thanks. Acceptable (talk) 21:19, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Well, you need a differential whether it changes the gear ratio or not. So, they might as well add a reduction gear there. This allows you to change your overall gearing just by swapping out the differential. That wouldn't be possible, under your idea. Friday (talk) 21:20, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

There are (at least) a couple of reasons, mostly relating to ease of manufacturing and engineering. Take a look at the picture of a cutaway differential at right—the drive shaft enters at the bottom right of the image, the power is transmitted to the rear axles at lower left and upper right. In order to have a 1:1 differential gear ratio, the incoming drive shaft (with its helical gear) would have to drive the bevel gear of the differential around once for each revolution of the drive shaft. Accomplishing this would require a larger helical gear (and consequently more weight, and more space to accommodate) or more aggressive pitch (requiring more costly materials or reducing the torque the gear can survive). In other words, it's just 'easier' to have a reduction at the differential.

Similar arguments apply at the transmission/gearbox. Material strength puts a lower limit on the size of the smallest gear in the set. If the highest gear ratio is 8:1 then the largest gear must be eight times larger (roughly) than the small gear with which it meshes. Dividing the gear reduction into two stages thus reduces the size and weight of the transmission/gearbox.

Per Friday, it is also possible to adjust the overall gearing of a vehicle by swapping the differential—a process that is almost always faster, easier, and less costly than replacing the entire gearbox. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 17:01, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Free or cheap music composition software.

Is there any free or cheap (cheap means $0-40, not $200-2000) software I can use to compose music? Please no MIDI stuff, it sounds too unnatural to me. MalwareSmarts (talk) 23:18, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

How about trackers? They usually sound a lot better than MIDI and there are a million of them available for free. FL Studio comes in a few different flavors with different prices—I used it once a long time ago and thought it was both very easy to use and produced very good sounding results. --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 00:27, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Schools abroad

When I finish my undergraduate degree, for a change of pace I'm considering moving to the UK, specifically England. I want to get a Master's degree, what would in the US be a MFA in Graphic Design; I understand that MAs in the UK are still around 2 years of study, like MFAs here. Furthermore, I'll be moving with my boyfriend (we plan to get engaged by then), and he's graduating this summer with a degree in Biology so will need to get work. Does anyone have some advice as to resources I can use to conduct research as to schools offering Master's degrees in Graphic Design and areas with large companies where he could get work? Kuronue | Talk 23:59, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

For courses, Prospects might be useful. The Sunday Times University Guide is probably the best-known information source about how students feel about their university, as well as facilities, local area etc. For jobs, The Guardian Newspaper has a large number of job adverts, but mainly in arts areas. Most of the biology-related jobs seem to be for teaching posts. Milkround offers job ads and information for graduates, concentrating on graduate-training programmes (The Prospects site also does job ads). One of the British-based orgs in Category:Biology_organizations might be useful; I don't know much about them, but my own trade body does ads, and the British Society of Biologists (or whatever!) probably will too. --Kateshortforbob 00:16, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

It may not be such an easy matter for your boyfriend to find work legally if he is neither an EU citizen nor possessed of rare skills as a biologist highly in demand in Britain. British employers are not allowed to hire non-EU citizens unless they can make a convincing case that no EU citizen was available and qualified to fill the position. Even if your boyfriend does have unique skills that might be needed, some employers will hesitate to go through the bureaucratic effort of sponsoring a non-EU citizen. Marco polo (talk) 00:57, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Actually, I need to correct myself. It seems that the situation has changed since I tried this. There is now a program called the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme, for which your boyfriend might well qualify. According to the UK Border and Immigration Agency, most applications are decided within 3 months, so now would be a good time for him to apply. Marco polo (talk) 01:13, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

That's a good point - what sort of visa or whatever would we need to do that? We'd be living there at least two years, and probably by then be married (particularly if it helps). (BTW, this will be in about 2 years when I graduate, he's got a job lined up for after he graduates already around here in the meantime). Kuronue | Talk 00:54, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

Addendum: with a little research it seems the best way to do that is to get married first, then when I get a student visa, if we're there 2 years he can legally work (since that's longer than 12 months). Kuronue | Talk 01:08, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

March 22

Why is Everything Sexual? Why do we view the body disgusting?

Why does everything go back to being something sexual? Such as nakedness. And why do we find the human body so disgusting? Such as someone saying we shouldn't be naked because its gross. It's you right therefore you are saying you are disgusting. Not everything is sexual. When you take a shower is that disgusting, is that sexual?

Thank You

Always

Cardinal Raven71.143.3.182 (talk) 02:36, 22 March 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

Regarding the first question, I believe it is the society that leads us to that conclusion. Advertisements show people getting what they want by eating the promoted chocolate to give the impression anyone can get what they want by simply eating a candy. Just as in the dark ages everything had to do with witchcraft, or when Dungeons & Dragons and metal music began to get recognized everything had to do with the devil, nowadays society thinks (or even wants) everything to have to do with sexuality. I would even quote 4chan "Rule 34": If it exists, there is porn of it. No exceptions.

About the second question, again society is the one that leads us to believe the naked body is disgusting. Original tribes didn't cover their bodies because they thought they were disgusting, but because of feeling cold or warmth. -- ReyBrujo (talk) 03:00, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

You can largely thank a man named Sigmund Freud for Western culture's belief that everything must have a hidden sexual undertone. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, though. And sometimes it's a penis. You win some, you lose some, with Freud. --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 03:21, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

But really there is nothing sexual about being naked. Sometimes the naked body is used for sexual desires, but other times it doesn't. Our bodies are our temples. Do we really want to look at our temples as sexual and disgusting beings?71.143.3.182 (talk) 04:47, 22 March 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

What leads you to think that most, or even many people do regard nudity as being sexual? What makes you think that most people even regard sexuality as being disgusting? As for the question of why everything is about sex, this can be easily explained by evolution. A species that does not propagate will die. Therefore sex is fundamental to the way we view the world. From a humanist point of view it is our purpose in life. --S.dedalus (talk) 05:13, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

The majority of our society is religious, therefore leading me to think most people do regard nudity as being sexual. Many religious friends when I ask why someone can't be naked in public and they reply "because its disgusting." The naked body just doesn't mean sex. Yes, evolution does control most of what we view as sexual and non sexual. I watched a show about how woman wanted breast feeding mothers to feed there child in a restroom and somewhere nonpublic because they thought that seeing another womans breast is gross. Breast feeding your child isn't gross. Our world has a problem with viewing the body. In English dubbed versions they cut out unnecessary things such as someone taking a shower. Nudity is nudity. Sex is sex. As long as it isn't being used in a sexual way it should be all right to be naked.71.143.3.182 (talk) 07:21, 22 March 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

I agree with you that nudity doesn't mean sex (incidentally, I'm an atheist). Perhaps when Christianism is almost completely wiped out in Europe (in a couple generation's time?) the equation nudity = sex will make no sense to most people, I guess. --Taraborn (talk) 09:50, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

I think you are exaggerating Cardinal Raven - people don't see these things as disgusting at all - they just have boundarys and a sense of propietry.87.102.16.238 (talk) 12:00, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Do you really want to see everyone walking around naked? Imagine an old woman walking down the street naked. Disgusting, isn't it? Now try to get that image out of your head. You should be grateful people wear clothes now. It's just the way our minds are wired, it's got nothing to do with Christianity (one of God's earliest commands was to have sex, also a whole book about sex), so don't complain.

I don't mind. An old ladies body is an old ladies body. There is nothing different between and older persons and mine. Yeah, there are wrinkles. That's not disgusting. In our first years of life when we first evolved and stood up right. I think we were all naked. I don't see problem with that. If its a hot summer day and you need to cool down. I don't mind. Its only natural. Do we put clothes on animals? No, they walk around nude. Well, technically they have fur, but that's not really clothing. Its natures protection. I am not exaggerating were I live and who I talk to they view nakedness as disgusting. Shoot, I just have an example. Do you really want to see everyone walking around naked? Imagine an old woman walking down the street naked. Disgusting, isn't it? An old ladies body isn't disgusting. That's rude. You just viewed the human body as disgusting and traumatizing.71.143.3.182 (talk) 16:34, 22 March 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven

Why is everything sexual? False question - everything isn't. Why do we view the body disgusting? Who's we - not all people view bodies as discusting. Not all bodies are equally discusting. Wondeful - more redundant questions. Sigh. Neal (talk) 18:50, 22 March 2008 (UTC).

Good point Neal. There are many bodies one would find to be the antithesis of disgusting. Everything would balance out. --S.dedalus (talk) 21:59, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Photo ID?

Can somebody clarify? I know baseball cards are sold in (for instance) gum packs, but are they ID for the gum maker or for the printer? I'm thinking specifically of the Star Player cards (which I've heard of but never seen), & I have trouble imagining "Star Player" gum (which I've never seen, either). Thanx. Trekphiler (talk) 03:16, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

I can't understand your question exactly, but Topps was originally a gum manufacturer. They began selling baseball cards in 1951 and put the two together in a package one year later. For decades, it was the norm for baseball card manufacturers to include a stick of gum with each pack of cards. During the baseball-card boom of the 1980s, new manufacturers, like Upper Deck, began selling cards without gum, which appealed to collectors (who thought gum messed up the cards). Topps stopped including gum in their packs in 1992. I have no idea what you mean about "ID." -- Mwalcoff (talk) 00:32, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Black allegiance

This discussion has been closed. Please do not modify it.
The following discussion has been closed. Please do not modify it.
Have any Whites who have befriended Blacks at work, on the bus, in stores or in their neighborhood begun to experience the phenomenon I am experiencing? To my surprise the Blacks I had come to think of as compatible friends seem now to be rejecting that friendship since Obama has started running for office, as if to say "I was friends with you because you were White but now we have Obama and we do not need White friends anymore." Mind you this is not the case with every Black I know but it is the case with a large majority. What I am wondering here is was I merely thought of as a means to an end and if so how would I be treated if Obama were actually elected? 71.100.0.235 (talk) 04:26, 22 March 2008 (UTC) ...but my friendships... at least the friendships I thought I had were based on the inside similarities despite the obvious exterior differences. If by "ignorant" you mean do not consider as many variables or have as many variables to consider then I could perhaps agree. But what I am asking is have Whites in the minds of Blacks now been replaced by Obama's White grandmother and if elected are we now to see a continued effort for mulattoes to displace Whites? 71.100.0.235 (talk) 05:35, 22 March 2008 (UTC) ...what on Earth are you two talking about??? Original questioner - you're suggesting your black friends were only friends with you for some sort of...political gain? Feeling that they needed white friends to move up the ladder, but Obama is making them rethink that? This seems absurdly unlikely and I think you're just a little paranoid or reading into things too deeply. And Raven, I think somewhere like Stormfront might be a better location for your opinions on black people's "ignorance" and the death of the white race...ugh. Wikipedia is not a soapbox, especially for racist nonsense. -Elmer Clark (talk) 10:40, 22 March 2008 (UTC) I'm trying to find out if this is in fact why Blacks have developed and maintained friendships with me up until now when Obama is running for office and appears to be doing so on their behalf and speaking out in support of them. As far as paranoia is concerned the truth is that I could care less no different than if a girlfriend found a guy with more money or a faster car. In fact I would now like to thank Obama for exposing these pretend friends. This phenomenon, however, has not effected my friendships with females of either race, whether platonic or otherwise. 71.100.0.235 (talk) 23:01, 22 March 2008 (UTC) Yup - exact same thing happened to me.87.102.16.238 (talk) 11:56, 22 March 2008 (UTC) It is profoundly disturbing to read the statement "black people as you may call them are ignorant". It would be disturbing in a publication of white supremacists, it is unacceptable in a multi-cultural construct as the WP:RD is one. I would like to express my strong disagreement with opinions of Cardinal Raven and other anonymous users. I hope to speak for the majority of contributors to the reference desk --62.47.143.101 (talk) 12:56, 22 March 2008 (UTC) Oops, --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 13:15, 22 March 2008 (UTC) Well were not supposed to debate things, so the question wasn't really suitable for this page.87.102.16.238 (talk) 13:25, 22 March 2008 (UTC) Surely the point of a 'multicultural construct' is that everyone is allowed to express their viewpoint...(sigh).87.102.16.238 (talk) 13:51, 22 March 2008 (UTC) Nope. Sigh your heart out, but nobody is supposed to be expressing their viewpoint on the reference desk. This is not a discussion forum. This is a reference desk like you see in a library. This question is out of place here mostly because it has no answer but is at best a purported attempt to conduct a poll. --Milkbreath (talk) 14:00, 22 March 2008 (UTC) hummm... I was not so much looking for yes and no as in a true pole as confirmation of my interpretation of a current event from my personal experience. If you see it as a pole then please refer me to a political forum that provides a mechanism for posting a pole (like Simple Machines Forum) so I can post it as a pole and see just how many people have been so effected. Thanks. 71.100.0.235 (talk) 22:51, 22 March 2008 (UTC) I already said that.87.102.16.238 (talk) 16:01, 22 March 2008 (UTC) I removed my comments. I didn't mean to offend anyone. Just saying something that was completely obvious.71.143.3.182 (talk) 16:28, 22 March 2008 (UTC)Cardinal Raven You say you're trying not to offend anyone but then claim that what you said was "completely obvious?" How sincere... -Elmer Clark (talk) 01:43, 23 March 2008 (UTC) I like the phrase "Whites who have befriended Blacks" in the original post. It's like he made a special effort to go some place where blacks were congregating and he picked out one he liked and arbitrarily decided to be friends with him. Like picking out a puppy. Just in case the original post wasn't a troll, have you considered the possibility that the reason your token black friend isn't hanging out with you anymore is because you're a racist ass? 24.2.176.64 (talk) 00:22, 23 March 2008 (UTC) Whites who fail to befriend Blacks or who uphold a different set of rules than Blacks at work, school or anywhere else are usually deemed racist asses anyway. As a result the situation is very much reversed and the other way around. If I were actually a "racist ass" I would use words like "Nigger" and "Niggerhood" not words like "Blacks." I would also avoid making any Black friends and staying away from any place they are. The real issue for me in regard to race, however, is that I do in fact try to uphold a superior set of rules like not spitting on the sidewalk, which 99.99% of the Blacks I know do not uphold at all. I can quite understand when someone who upholds an inferior set of rules refers to me as a racist ass because that is what they are. 71.100.0.235 (talk) 08:02, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

DivX to MP4 Converter

Can somebody find me a program that converts DivX files to Mp4 format? Also I don't want silly trial versions that only let you convert 5 mins of the file and I don't want to be buying anything!! 220.233.83.26 (talk) 07:15, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Your best bet would be to ask at the Doom9 forums. http://www.doom9.org/ --Kjoonlee 09:13, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Or the WP:RD/C computer desk. ;) --Kjoonlee 12:52, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

RfC: UK versus England

Template:RFChist I keep finding people (Roomstep444 would seem to be the latest of several) going about changing each geographic reference they find from United Kingdom → England. Is there any guidance, or better still, a rule? I'm sure this must have been asked already somewhere else ...Zir (talk) 12:54, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Well, I'd hate to see what would happen to wikipedia if someone tried to claim that Edinburgh was in England rather than the UK... I myself would personally go for UK, since I'm somewhat of a unionist, but I don't think there's a hard and fast rule. -mattbuck (Talk) 13:12, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

It's a bit touchy. What Roomstep444 is doing is changing nationalities from "British" to "English" and changing descriptions of towns in England so they say they're in England and not the UK. You're right that the UK and England are different: England is one of the four countries that makes up the nation of the UK, along with Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. (It's the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, after all.) But many people in the UK strongly and vehemently protest the use of the term "British" to describe nationality. It can make them figuratively foam at the mouth. To them, someone from England is English, from Scotland is Scots, from Wales is Welsh, etc. All are citizens of the UK, but none are "British". I don't know why this is, but they will fight you almost until death about it. (Of course, much worse is what too many Americans do - call people from Scotland or Wales "English" or assume the entire country is England. It's a mess.) --NellieBly (talk) 13:14, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Agreed, but I was after something more along the lines of "house style" rather than starting a long discussion....Zir (talk) 13:21, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

I'm afraid this is far too fraught an issue for Wikipedia to have managed to agree on a house style. Wikipedia:Nationality of people from the United Kingdom is an attempt, but it doesn't seem to say much. Algebraist 13:43, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

See the numerous discussions at Wikipedia talk:UK Wikipedians' notice board and its archives, including Wikipedia:Manual of Style (United Kingdom-related articles) and its talk page. -- zzuuzz ^(talk) 13:47, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Thanks, I shall wade thro' UK Wikipedians' notice board archives when I have time to spare. The others seem to favour UK, so I'll not feel toooo bad about reverting any England → UK when I come across 'em...Zir (talk) 14:00, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

It's easy. All the above comments are absolutely correct - BUT - whilst most folk in the UK have no difficulty with constituent residents calling themselves Scottish or Welsh etc., it is, as an Englishman living in Scotland, my experience when filling out Passport Applications etc. that clearly have a wider world context, that we generally call ourselves British. Of course, there are vehement protesters to that rule, but hey, you can't satisfy all the people all the time, including those Scots who claim to detest the English, but who spend all their summer holidays in Blackpool. 81.145.242.134 (talk) 14:59, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

I personally consider myself british first, then english. Generally, I think, Scots have more problem with being British than the English do, though there are exceptions on both sides of the border. Northern Ireland is a very touchy issue, and Wales... is generally just happy to be included in discussions. See also the West Lothian Question, Scottish Nationalist Party, etc etc etc. -mattbuck (Talk) 16:31, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Likewise - if asked my nationality I would always say "British", and I find the sort of insistence on "English" that NellieBly describes to be in somewhat bad taste (though I can't really say why). A few weeks ago I was a test subject for some research into the 2011 UK census, and the interviewer made quite a big deal about this question. I got the impression my opinions on the topic were slightly unusual - which if true would be a shame IMO. 81.187.153.189 (talk) 12:42, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

I don't know if this is wandering off the subject,but there does seem to be a rise lately in English nationalism-maybe with the devolution of Scottish and Welsh Parliaments and the strong support for their nationalist parties,the English want to state their nationality as a definite identity.Apparently in mediaeval times,'England' was used to describe the entire United Kingdom. Lemon martini (talk) 21:06, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Cost of electricity (UK)

What is the approximate cost of electricity per kilowatt-hour in the UK? I'm particularly interested in central Scotland, if the prices vary at that kind of regional level. Ta. Angus Lepper^{(T, C, D)} 17:00, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Southern England. I pay 9.32pence per unit for my electricity. I have no idea how big is each unit. Richard Avery (talk) 18:25, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

And I am in Central Scotland where I am supplied with Electricity by .....Scottish Gas.......who have just this week told me to expect a 15% hike in both Gas and Electricity prices forthwith. But currently (no pun intended) I am paying 22.772 pence per kWh for the first 67 kWh and 9.962 pence thereafter - but that is subject to me getting a 5% reduction for buying both Gas and Electricity from the same supplier - and a preferential rate (so they tell me) for paying my bills by regular Direct Debits. And yes, utility prices here do vary significantly from street to street, depending on who your supplier is - we can have 5 or 6 different meter reader vans in our little street in the same day. Hope all that helps. 81.145.242.134 (talk) 18:41, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Interesting... In the US I only know of one community that has two different utility suppliers serving the area. One has a line on the road back of the property and the other has a line on the road in front of the property. Do your utility companies have different lines on the same pole or is the distribution service shared on only one line with the utilities charging the same for distribution but different for supply? How does your system work? 71.100.1.14 (talk) 22:40, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Since privatisation of electricity began in Britain in 1990, quite a large market has developed in electricity suppliers, although they all use the same lines. In the last couple of years, the idea of switching suppliers to get a better deal has really taken hold, and there are many websites which will compare electricity suppliers in your local area; there are also "specialist" suppliers which sell electricity generated from renewable sources (although it is all sent into the National Grid to be dispersed). There also exists the ability for private citizens to generate their own electricity using wind turbines etc. and feed it into the Grid: they are paid or have money deducted from their electricity bills in return, although obviously this is only a small percentage of the population. There is an (incomplete) article: Electricity billing in the UK which may give some additional information. --Kateshortforbob 00:00, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Actually, that's now the norm in much of the US as well. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 00:26, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Care to provide a map and a list? We have no such thing for local telephone service or electricity, although it has been the norm from the beginning for Internet Service Providers and a little earlier for Long Distance Carriers. Local phone and electricity service in all places in the US as far as I know are limited to the original constructor of the telephone and electric lines. 71.100.1.14 (talk) 07:46, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Do a Google search on /utility deregulation states/ and /local telephone competition/. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 15:43, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

In the Scottish Highlands, Scottish Hydro charge me 9.05p plus standing charge of £29.88, plus VAT (17.5%) less direct debit discount of £18.40.--Artjo (talk) 19:55, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Are you sure that you pay 17.5% VAT Artjo? I only pay 5% (response prior to your own).

SORRY! yes you are right, 5%--Artjo (talk) 13:58, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Thanks, that's a good bit of information I was looking for! Angus Lepper^{(T, C, D)} 16:13, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Exercises to reduce flabby waistline girdle??

I don't want surgery, I don't want to take drugs, I am already doing regular and testing rowing exercises, and crunches, walking, and other gym work, and am willing to do more specialist exercises, and I have started using an abdominal pulse-belt, but I would like to reduce the circle of girdle flab that has developed since I embarked on a weight reduction programme that will continue for some months and another 50 pounds or so. I am middle-aged and reasonably active, so is there any chance it will just shrink and if not, any advice - not medical advice - would be most gratefully received. Thanks. 81.145.242.134 (talk) 18:12, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

If your energy usage is > than your calorie input then the difference is supplied by the reserves of your body.

In any case, if you take the high road and then take the low, or, on your travaux to Athens to accompany a moose in Greece with the bagpipes, fifes and drums you will lose on your roundabout what you have gained on your swings. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 21:25, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Sorry - maybe I should explain - I do not speak German - and maybe you don't understand what I meant by flab - ie - it is not flesh, that has gone, what I am talking about is the loose skin remaining after the flesh went. Kaput? Danke.

It just takes time for your skin to catch up. It's possible that some sort of collagen cream would speed things up, since it's the reduction in collagen that makes skin less elastic as we get older. I know I've seen such creams around. — Laura Scudder ☎ 21:49, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Sorry for my infantile jokes, 81.145.

Maybe, if you are concerned about flabby skin, you should check with a dermatologist in your area. As you know, the RD is not a venue for medical advice. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 22:34, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

I remember seeing some investigative report where they concluded that abdominal pulse-belts were essentially scams, but I can't seem to confirm this anywhere. I'd look into it at least, but since you've already paid for it I guess it doesn't really matter... -Elmer Clark (talk) 01:49, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

The RD is not a venue for medical advice, but there's one point the above responders are forgetting: skin isn't fat. No amount of exercise will get rid of excess skin: none. The ability of skin to shrink back after being stretched is limited, and varies wildly due to age, sex, genetics, and avoidable risk factors such as sun exposure and smoking. (The best chance is for a young redheaded male who doesn't smoke and stays out of the sun.) If there were a better way to get rid of excess skin than expensive and risky plastic surgery, millions would be happier. --NellieBly (talk) 08:29, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Grozny

Can someone give me a link to some photos of grozny. БοņёŠɓɤĭĠ₳₯є 21:50, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

grozny links at bottom

http://images.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&q=grozny&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=grozny&meta=

87.102.16.238 (talk) 21:57, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Learning a language

Okay, so I want to learn Arabic, right? I got this teach yourself course with cds, but the basic phonology is just so difficult to understand from their descriptions and audio. It's bothersome to the point where I've just about given up. If I can find some way to master the sounds of the language, I think I'll be good to go, but I need help with that part. Please help with both your own knowledge and outside resources. If someone knows a way to do this for any common language in general (for future use), that would be great--Abccbaqwerty (talk) 21:58, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Arabic is extremely difficult to learn on your own, especially if you only know English. You should take a class taught by a native speaker, who can teach you the sounds (it takes a lot of practise and repetition!). Just listening to the CDs is not enough, because they can't correct you, you can't see their mouths, and you can't ask them questions. I suppose this true for all languages - "teach yourself X language in 30 days" or whatever is a cash grab, no one will be ever become fluent using something like that. Adam Bishop (talk) 22:49, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Yeah, it took me several months of living in the Philippines to get a handle on Tagalog. Useight (talk) 01:55, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

With no commercial axe to grind at all, I can recommend Pimsleur language audios. They break down the sound and make you speak as well, at a pace that allows your ear to become accustomed to the phonology at the same time that you practice speaking. They also ask questions that refresh your memory at just the point when you are about to forget something. On the downside, they are not cheap. SaundersW (talk) 12:34, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Differences between flaming and baiting

I don't see the difference between flaming on the internet and baiting. Can someone please elaborate?--SlaveofBetrayal (Talk)

I'm not positive, but I think baiting is saying something with deliberate attempt to make them lash out back at you, while flaming is just ragging on someone without needing a reply. Useight (talk) 23:12, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Im pretty sure thats it useight. БοņёŠɓɤĭĠ₳₯є 23:34, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Okay, good. Useight (talk) 01:54, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Book source

I'm a book that talks about geodes. See me as Rocks and Minerals, written by Fredrick H. Pough, ISBN 0-395-91096-X. Can I be used in the Geode article ? 65.173.105.141 (talk) 23:44, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

You appear to be a reliable source, so if a Wikipedia editor finds useful information from you to add to the geode article, it would be very nice if he would do so and cite you. (Interesting question format, by the way!) -Elmer Clark (talk) 01:53, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

March 23

RAW SCORE

IN MEDICAL EVALUATION: WHAT IS RAW SCORE AND WEIGHTED SCORE?

A raw score is simply the number of questions gotten right, points received, or something similar on an examination. Weighted scores weight certain sections or categories to give them more or less influence on the overall score. -Elmer Clark (talk) 10:49, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

There is even an article on raw score. ---Sluzzelin talk 13:27, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

"Leading sour cream dip"

What is the "leading sour cream dip" that Philadelphia dips are advertised as having less fat than? NeonMerlin 05:49, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

In 2005, the market leader in sour cream production appears to have been Daisy Brand Sour Cream (16.69% market share), closely followed by Kraft Foods' Breakstone's Sour Cream (15.72%) . See DairyField Don't know about dips. What brand does McDonald's use? ---Sluzzelin talk 09:03, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

It's just a marketing phrase. Admiral Norton ^(talk) 17:46, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Uses of expired milk

Can long-expired milk be used for any purpose, culinary or otherwise? NeonMerlin 06:01, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

No, it absolutely cannot. Spoiled milk contains a large number of disease-producing bacteria, including staph and bacilli, as well as yeasts and molds. All of these can cause serious food poisoning, and some produce toxins that can't be inactivated even by boiling. They also digest the proteins in the milk, causing putrefactive odors and tastes.

This is why it's factually inaccurate to say that yogurt, cheese, etc. are just "rotten milk". (This also explains why people get confused and wonder why they can't drink spoiled milk.) Culturing milk involves the use of certain specific bacteria (mainly members of the Lactobacillus genus) that digest mainly lactose. --NellieBly (talk) 08:13, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

To add to my previous comment - because of the high bacteria load, it isn't a good idea to use it in any non-food ways, either, because it would be dangerous to even handle it excessively. I wouldn't even put it in my compost pile. --NellieBly (talk) 08:14, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Come,come the compost will survive - that's probably were the bacteria that started it hang out anyway.87.102.16.238 (talk) 11:33, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Well, actually, no. The average home compost pile is notoriously unable to deal with meats, dairy products, and fats. If you put a bunch of those into your compost pile, they will turn into a stinky, disgusting mess. (And I'm talking the-neighbors-two-houses-down-will-complain stinky.) I'm not sure whether the other bacteria and their by-products would active poison your compost, but they certainly won't do anything good for it, either. Pour the rotten milk down the drain. —Steve Summit (talk) 14:35, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

ooooh... what about yogurt that has been left out of the frig all night, not stowed before hitting the sack, having been left on the counter after shopping that same morning? Smells okay - just a lot warmer than I'm use to with the strawberries a bit squishier than I like and the container a bit swollen but still sealed. 71.100.1.14 (talk) 11:16, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

I've never known yoghurt not be ok - I'd put that back in the fridge (because I like yoghurt cold) and yes - still eat it.87.102.16.238 (talk) 11:33, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

I once took a swig out of a gallon of milk that turned out to have gone bad, wow, that was the grossest thing I've ever tasted. Useight (talk) 15:25, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

In my opinion it really depends on several factors the first being how long past the sell date is it. If milk is kept cold it is supposed to be good for up to a week after the sell by date. Also if it has not gone sour you can freeze it for cooking. I have made soup with milk I have frozen many times with fine results. It tends to be a little too watery to drink after being frozen. Also I agree that you should not discard it in your compost pile as it does not improve the quality of the compost, but rather the opposite can occur.

You can pour spoiled milk on masonry and garden sculpture to "age" it. Have fun. Paul

Question: insects and insect repellant

What is the longest time an insect has been on a person who has used pour-on insect repellent? 58.164.118.252 (talk) 11:18, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Now that's an interesting question...you could try looking at insect repellent reviews, but aside from that it may be hard to find an answer to that :). FusionMix 20:29, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Sony Corporate Addresses

Can someone provide me with the physical mailing addresses for the Sony Corporation's main office in the USA and their main corporate headquarters in Japan? I would appreciate it greatly. 95springer (talk) 16:21, 23 March 2008 (UTC)John

1-7-1 Konan, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-0075, Japan [7] and 550 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10022 [8] — Matt Eason ^{(Talk • Contribs)} 16:27, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

What was the first edit ever made on Wikipedia?

I'm just curious. Also, what was the first case of vandalism? MalwareSmarts (talk) 17:11, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

This is the oldest edit still preserved, although there were probably edits made prior to this. Carom (talk) 17:21, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

(For some explanation of the edit, you might be interested in the current version of that page) Angus Lepper^{(T, C, D)} 18:27, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Thanks! :)

Oldest Living Person Still Living Independently

I am trying to find out the age of the oldest living person still residing in their own home versus a retirement home or other institution. Missymiss1000 (talk) 19:56, 23 March 2008 (UTC)missymiss1000

Here's a link to a New York Times article about the topic: click here. That's for oldest woman, try this for a list of oldest people in general. FusionMix 20:24, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

According to this source it seems to be CoppBob ;-) --hydnjo talk 20:35, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Sorry, but I live in an "independent-living" retirement community in Ann Arbor,Michigan. CoppBob (talk) 02:24, 25 March 2008 (UTC)

That makes him only 87. Let's not confuse anybody here... FusionMix 20:46, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Well, sorreeeee ;-)  ;-) ;-) --hydnjo talk 21:19, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

I recently read about a plumber in the UK who, at the age of 101, still goes to work every day and refused to have a day off for his 100th birthday. There must be a refence around somewhere. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 22:51, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=757172. It seems he is going to run the London Marathon this year as well. Good luck, Buster ! --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 22:55, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Well all the same I think we should recognize our oldest contributer, CoppBob, before he is replaced by some youngster.

Happy next birthday CoppBob! From hydnjo talk and the rest of the WP gang.

My grandmother will be 107 this July and still lives in her own home and takes care of herself. She is as sharp as a tack, has a great sense of humour and keeps up on local and world news. She was the primary caregiver for her son until he passed away. Her 3 children and predeceased her.209.135.112.55 (talk) 13:05, 24 March 2008 (UTC)missymiss1000

trolls (2)

are all trolls dumb? how does the troll intelligence distribution fare against that of non-troll internet people? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Happyangler (talk • contribs) 21:34, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Is this a real question or a troll? Who can tell! Anyway, lacking any sort of rigorous study of trolls vs. non-trolls I think it is pretty much safe to say that nobody knows. --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 21:45, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

1) No, not all.

2) See the Captain's response above. --hydnjo talk 22:25, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

most of us get viewed as both from time to time

Interesting. From the article, "Intelligence may include traits such as creativity, personality, character, knowledge, or wisdom. However, some psychologists prefer not to include these traits in the definition of intelligence." Hmmm... If both trolls and non-trolls are smart then how it's contributed and valued comes into it. Your question raises interesting questions – would a troll care about the answer? Julia Rossi (talk) 22:45, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

I've actually managed to get a couple of trolls into a one-on-one conversation in a newsgroup, and they were dumb as dirt. It was pathetic, and I now feel sorry for them, mostly. They feel left out and inferior, so they try to get the upper hand any way they can to make themselves feel like they have some control. I'm sure there are other kinds, though. --Milkbreath (talk) 23:23, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Trolls are either really dumb and don’t have anything better to do with their lives, or they are really smart and are consciously trying, for whatever reason, to spread ciaos and destruction in a given internet community. The smart ones are the dangerous ones. I don’t have any sources for any of this though. :) Here’s an interview with a self proclaimed Wikipedia troll. I find this interview confusing to follow though. --S.dedalus (talk) 23:50, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

The vast majority of "trolls" I've met weren't really trolls. The ones that really were trolls have generally been pretty sharp. -GTBacchus^(talk) 23:56, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Intelligence (a few more human traits come to mind) is party evaluated by the quality of its public application and public reception.

• Consider, for instance, Sequoia, whose efforts in devising the Cherokee writing system was considered by some to be just trolling by a busybody smart arse.
• Consider the option that the Pope and the cardinals may be seen as a bunch of obnoxious trolls by other cultures.
• Consider the stance of a blind person to whom Michelangelo, Picasso and the WP:RD are arrogant trolling agencies who aim to exclude her/him from participation.

Having said that, I partly agree with Milkbreath. Most people who embark on pathological attempts to gain attention (= trolling / sometimes vandalism) suffer from some psychological problems, diminished self esteem and feel the sense of powerlessness. My working assumption, however, is that the psychological condition is unrelated to intelligence.

As Julia Rossi says, the method of contribution and the method of evaluation seems to count more than the weight and substance of the contribution. I am, of course, excluding gross and malicious vandalism. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 00:05, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

The question asking if there is a correlation between the intelligence of trolls and non-trolls is nonsensical. Trolls aren't trolls because of their intelligence. Humans can be trolls because humans have free will. Neal (talk) 02:19, 24 March 2008 (UTC).

I want to become a troll/. Any advice welcome

Looks like you’re a natural. :) --S.dedalus (talk) 03:36, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

Have a look at our article on trolls and Norse mythology. The entry, memorably, describes them as "small giants". There is also a paleontologist who hypothesises that trolls are ancient memories of Neanderthal folks. Fascinating stuff if you wish to attain the exalted level of a professional trollop. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 15:00, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

Of course, I meant to say "...professional troll, OP"! This must be contagious. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 15:27, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

March 24

Land needed for Livestock

Approximately how much pasture land is needed for each of these animals? Sheep(meat) and Cattle(beef). I prefer not to get the industrial land amounts.

In short, however many land is necessary for whatever your expectations or requirements are. Seriously, though, it should depend on how many of these animals you have. 40 animals may have to take up twice as much space as 20 animals.

It depends on the land.Good pasture is about 1 acre per horse.I believe in scrub land you can times that by 3 or 4. hotclaws 17:53, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

Effeminacy versus male homosexuality

When I was in high school working for the summer in a job in New England I met a young man who lived with his grandmother and who had been raised by her after his parents were killed in a highway accident when he was only three. Although he attended public school he had identified closely with his grandmother's personality and gender but was fortunate in that despite his effiminance his first sexual experience and those which followed were with members of the opposite sex. In other words he was effiminant but heterosexual. Everyone who heard him talk or read his writing believed him to be gay. While it is understandable that effiminant males might attract a homosexual male as their first sexual partner the fact that this did not occur in this case tells me that the gender of the person with who one has their first sexual experience has the greatest influence on whether they are heterosexual or not. Can anyone confirm of refute this conclusion? 71.100.1.14 (talk) 00:48, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

Sexual orientation is a characteristic one is born with like eye or skin color. You seem to be laboring under the impression that it is a matter of choice. --S.dedalus (talk) 01:05, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

What S.dedalus has said is completely untrue. There may be genetic elements to it but it is in no way whatsoever as concrete as eye or skin color. As far as your question, the "gender of the person with who one has their first sexual experience" is of course going to be correlated with hetero- or homosexuality, but it's not what causes it. Prior events in the person's life caused them to have sex with either someone of the opposite sex or the same sex during their first experience.--Swungtrader (talk) 01:30, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

Actually you’re incorrect. There is virtually no scientifically credible evidence that homosexuality is a choice. From a person’s own point of view their sexual orientating is as fixed as race. In fact I would say sexual orientation is less changeable than skin color. Michael Jackson essentially changed his skin color through plastic surgery didn’t he? --S.dedalus (talk) 03:52, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

Actually, Swungtrader is far more correct than you. I'm a mentor for troubled teens and I've known several who were homosexual early on due to being picked on and ostracized from social groups but later became heterosexual once they overcame that. I've also known a few who started out being heterosexual and later became homosexual.--Pilotphases (talk) 18:13, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

Well, I defiantly won’t try to argue against your personal experience. I’m not arguing that sexual orientation can’t change over time (eye color was a bad analogy), I’m just saying it can’t be changed consciously. I notice that the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health reported that "For some people, sexual orientation is continuous and fixed throughout their lives. For others, sexual orientation may be fluid and change over time."[9] however they also state that they do not consider sexual orientation to be "a conscious choice that can be voluntarily changed."[10] --S.dedalus (talk) 20:38, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

Sexual orientation is determined by psychological and environmental factors.. it's just as certainly not something you're born with as something that's a choice "ok i'm 13 now, do I want to be gay or straight". :D\=< (talk) 22:29, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

I doubt the validity of this (ie. the OP´s) hypothesis. It would turn sexuality into a sort of conditioned reflex of salivating at the ring of the proper bell. The one you heard first (plus the ensuing satisfaction) determines all subsequent libidinous preferential modes.

I must add that I have not the slightest idea on different psychological theories on the various forms of sexual preferences. I think, nevertheless, that any simplification of the complexity of the human psyche is a poor starting point for any attempt to understand others.

Basically, we are at the question "Nature vs. Nurture" and it may be both on many subtle levels. Our article on homosexuality seems to have a balanced section on theories / etiology / physiologial differences at al. The querent, 71.100, may be interested to have a look at this to get some ideas.

Maybe WP regulars with relevant knowledge can add some personal comments. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 02:00, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

I have known many gay men whose first sexual experience was with a woman. Their experience disproves the questioner's hypothesis. Marco polo (talk) 02:24, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

Did you mean Effeminancy as in effeminate nancy boy?

Yes, thanks for the correction. What I am saying is that it is the Effeminancy that is ingrained not the homosexuality. Homoseuality is merely a practically unavoidable consequence of effeminancy in a world where the majority of males (and some females) are sexually attracted by effeminancy. In other words while an Effeminant male's own sexual preference may be decidedly female the individual is unable to escape their own Effeminancy but quite able to escape homosexuality although invariably mislabeled by others as a homosexual. In other words effeminancy in males will automatically guarantee they are labeled as homosexuals whether or not they are. 71.100.1.14 (talk) 04:10, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

Does it matter????

With the greatest respect to you personally, I'm assuming you expressed yourself very poorly; because otherwise that would be the greatest load of rubbish I've ever read. What makes you believe that effeminacy (note the spelling) in males, generally speaking, is unchangeable and inescapable? If it can be learned, it can be unlearned. But you can't teach a straight male to become sexually aroused by the sight or presence of other males; either they naturally do get aroused, or they naturally don't. Similarly for gay people being taught to become sexually aroused by a person of the opposite sex - it can't be done. Yes, it is true that effeminate or camp males are routinely assumed to be homosexual. And in many cases they are - but not necessarily. It's also routinely assumed that butch, unmarried women who don't seem to have boyfriends or husbands are lesbians. Again, not necessarily. An effeminate person is not necessarily gay, and a gay person is not necessarily effeminate. As people grow towards maturity, they try out different sexual things along the way. It's quite normal for a boy who will ultimately identify as straight to have one or more gay experiences; and vice-versa. Their very first sexual experience with another human will not necessarily be with a person of their ultimately preferred gender, and it does not determine anything. Whether they will ultimately identify as straight, gay or whatever, is hard-wired in the brain. -- JackofOz (talk) 12:21, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

I'm not sure it's impossible to change.. it's probably not something that can be "taught" but people change over time.. :D\=< (talk) 22:31, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

I'd like to put in a word for something as complex and multifaceted as human sexuality being more nuanced than a simple scalar trait like skin color. I do agree with the consensus view that there is a strong genetic predisposition towards a particular orientation, but to completely discount all the effects of one's early childhood experiences and later environmental factors is letting the pendulum swing much too far. Fetishization, for example, can have an enormous effect on sexual thoughts, and is inherently environmental. --Sean 14:31, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

Gearing car for a 1/4 mile drag race

Suppose one is driving a car that redlines at 8,000 RPM. How should one gear this car for a 1/4 mile drag race assuming one is trying to achieve the fastest time possible? There are multiple factors to consider here. Since there is no target speed when trying to cross the line, it is hard to set a target gear ratio for that last gear. Generally, shifting more than 2 times is too excessive and will slow you down due to shifting time. Am I trying to cross the line with my engine RPM on the torque peak? Acceptable (talk) 02:13, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

Yes, each shift costs you a bit of time, but close-ratio transmissions are good for acceleration, which means more shifts. It's a trade off. I don't know that there's a formula that's going to tell you this answer. There's no point being geared so low that traction is a problem. Also, just because the car redlines at 8000 doesn't mean you want to go up there- some engines run out of breath at high rpms and the torque drops off dramatically. As a general rule of thumb, lower gearing is better for acceleration, at the expense of speed and mileage. If it's a drag car only, you might not care about top speed and mileage. As one data point, I have a Mazdaspeed3 which is a good tradeoff between performance and practicality. In this car you want to shift around 6000 as torque gets crappy past that. You'd already be in fifth gear in this car by the time you finish that quarter mile, if you had a good run. (It should run low 14s at about 100.) Friday (talk) 21:25, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

Tattoo meaning or symbolism

I am curious about the meaning or symbolism associated with a tattoo design that looks like a cross with demon or dragon wings. It can be viewed at http://www.tattoofinder.com/find_tattooDB.asp?NewSearch=yes&justartistid=26. It is Loft Cross 2 by Demon Dean. I have searched the web, but have only found general Christian symbol information. Can you assist me in my quest for more specifics? Confusedmom (talk) 02:34, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

Um, "demon or dragon wings" conventionally don't have feathers like in the picture cited. —Tamfang (talk) 04:06, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

They're keeping up with the times. :) --Sean 14:33, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

I am not sure what kind of wings they are or if they are even supposed to be wings. The picture is labeled "Loft Cross 2". I would just like to know if there is a symbolism or meaning associated with it and if so what it is. Often times these days young people communicate in alternate ways such as texting shortcuts. I am wondering if this tattoo is a form of letting others know what they think or believe. Any ideas on where I can search? Confusedmom (talk) 11:53, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

The following is pure (but mildly educated) guesswork:

The loft, in medieval churches, referred partly to balconies / raised platforms in the area of the choir, just in front of the apsis with the altar or at the back, above the main portal.

These platforms were reserved for the most excellent singers in the choir and adorned with loft crosses on the walls.

These were normal crosses, but, to symbolise the angelic voices of the singers angels´wings were added to the arms of the cross.

The image may have been appropriated by tattoo designers and modified to carry some intuitively pagan meaning. As I stated above, this is just a guess. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 12:42, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

Ice hockey

In ice hockey, if team put the puck into their own net after opening face-off (meaning that no opposing player touched the puck during whole game) who gets credited for the goal? West Brom 4ever (talk) 03:30, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

I would guess, based on this article, that credit would go to the closest player to the goal from the other team. --Onorem♠Dil 03:35, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

Hmmm... I quickly looked through the NHL Rulebook, and it does not appear to cover that possibility. It mentions that the last opposition player to have touched the puck is awarded the goal. The IIHF rulebook states, "A “Goal” shall be credited in the scoring records to the player who propelled the puck into the opponent’s net". No help there, and in short I have no clue. Onorem's suggestion is reasonable. -- Flyguy649 ^talk 03:53, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

If they have to credit the goal to someone, and they do, I think the only logical choice would be the center who took the face-off. Good question though. Vranak (talk) 17:23, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

I thank you all for your time. This is highly unlikely situation (I personally don't think this will ever happen), but hey, that soccer goalie conceded an own goal from a throw in and Talbot scored on Niittymaki while he was watching commercials. So there is a possibility :) West Brom 4ever (talk) 18:32, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

Meaning Of A Name

Can anyone please tell me the meaning of the name Carsvell? Or get the closest similar names for me?

The name Carswell and variants thereof seem to mean "dweller by the water-cress-stream", from Old English carse (or caerse or cerse) meaning watercress and wiella, meaning stream. (from A Dictionary of English Surnames, Routledge, 1991, p 85, ISBN 041505737X) ---Sluzzelin talk 08:47, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

The cat monk

Any guesses what's hanging around the neck of the cat monk in today's Get Fuzzy? [11] Dismas|^(talk) 13:00, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

Good question. It looks familiar, but a search in Google Image got me nowhere. Nothing yet. --Milkbreath (talk) 15:08, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

It looks like an energy efficient lightbulb. Or possibly a european style plug. HS7 (talk) 15:59, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

Or a torii, to me. (snap, Milkbreath) WikiJedits (talk) 16:22, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

Wild stab: a torii, though it doesn't look exactly the way I'd like it to for it to be that, and I could swear it is something I used to know about that isn't that.--Milkbreath (talk) 16:20, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

How to wear Somali dress

Is there site where I can find in order to wear the Female Somali dress step by step?

Well I couldn't find anything that was specifically called a 'Somali dress' but a site I found suggests typical clothes worn by women in somali cutlure. The Hijab has an e-how page on how to wear one but I can't link to it as it seems to be blacklisted by wikipedia for some random reason A google search of e-how and hijab should get you what you need. Hope this helps ny156uk (talk) 14:00, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

Urdu and Punjabi dramas download

I notice that a lot Bangladeshis in Canada are watching dramas on the computer by downloading it. they said the websites they got it from are bdbangla.com and bengaliguru.com. But what about Pakistani and Punjabi dramas? Which website can I get from so I can download it from and watch it?

Independence Hall complex Phila Pa.USA.

Is Carpenters Hall & Congress Hall the same building?

No. Algebraist 14:49, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

Popular Phone

My friend and I were wondering what phone is more "popular" and popular we've defined as more unit sales. The phones we are comparing are the Sony Ericsson w580i vs. Casio G'zOne Type-S.

Well I've got a 580, so that's one you can count on.--Artjo (talk) 15:21, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

Please Tell Me About Rochester Institure Of Technology!!?

I've seen that a few other people have asked a similar question but there weren't desirable answers so I decided to ask again. I recently got accepted to RIT for the computer science program w/ a 6k scholarship per year. After deep search on the internet i have found, every kind of comment about this school!!..From having a gr8 academics based program...to...being the most saddest and the dullest place to go!!..i really want to know a unbiased opinion about it. Is it a place that will dull out a student/student will find it dull? or is it a gr8 place to go?..I'm a student from India..I have also applied to Marist College, Michigan State Ohio State, Penn State and Purdue...from none i have hrd so far...i xpect replies anytime..can i pic RIT over each of them?? Please pic the rest of the colleges individually and explain...what my choice should be!!

As you're discovering, college experiences being "good" or "bad" is highly subjective, and there is no one right answer. I would advise, though, sticking to neutral sources such as the multitude of college ranking magazines rather than various internet testimonials. One such starting point might be US News' college ratings site. — Lomn 15:24, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

Well, I don't know a thing about RIT specifically, but note that it is in upstate New York, which is a very cold climate most of the year. It is also probably a lot farther away from New York City than you realize—it is practically in Canada, and upstate New York might as well be in another country from NYC. Coming from a very different climate you might want to take that into consideration. I lived in California all my life and then moved to upstate New York for a few months sometime later, and found the transition to be very depressing in terms of weather, temperature, landscape, etc. --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 16:19, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

Captain Ref Desk is correct that Rochester is far from New York City in a place with a somewhat depressed economy and long, cold, VERY snowy winters. (It is not unusual for Rochester to get 5 or 6 metres of snow per winter!) However, all of the universities that you have mentioned are in places where winter is somewhat cold and snowy (if not quite as extreme as Rochester), and none of them are in booming metropolises. I had never heard of Marist College. It is a small and not very prestigious institution. It is in Poughkeepsie, New York, which is not a very appealing place, but it has the advantage of being about two hours from New York City. Michigan State University and Ohio State University are located in their respective state capitals of Lansing, Michigan, and Columbus, Ohio, neither of which is a large city, but both of which are small, modest cities with some cultural amenities. These two universities are HUGE, with many thousands of students and probably the potential for an interesting social and academic life, though the bureaucracy may be overwhelming. Both universities have decent reputations. Pennsylvania State University is another very large university, but it is located in a small town in a remote part of northern Pennsylvania. It may feel a little isolated. It has also has a decent reputation. I'm not sure which of these universities is strongest in computer science. Now, as for RIT, it has a fairly good academic reputation, particularly in computer science. I don't know how it compares with the computer science programs at the other universities, but it could well be the best. Rochester is not the most interesting city, but it is bigger than a small town, with a few cultural amenities. It is about 3 hours from Toronto, which is a very vibrant city, though I don't know whether it would be difficult for you to visit Canada as an Indian national. Marco polo (talk) 20:42, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

barnstars

Hi, i've been in wikipedia for a while, but i have one question. What's the point of barnstars? Are they just given to people to make them feel good about themselves?--Dlo2012 (talk) 14:31, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

Yes. They're how Wikipedians say "nice work, you!". Same as stickers in kindergarten, cash bonuses at work, and tattoos in the Russian Mafia. :) --Sean 14:36, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

From the article on Transactional analysis: "Strokes are the recognition, attention or responsiveness that one person gives another. Strokes can be positive (nicknamed "warm fuzzies") or negative "cold pricklies". A key idea is that people hunger for recognition, and that lacking positive strokes, will seek whatever kind they can, even if it is recognition of a negative kind. We test out as children what strategies and behaviours seem to get us strokes, of whatever kind we can get." ---Sluzzelin talk 14:50, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

Unfortunately people sometimes use their barnstars as proof that they are a valuable editor, or that they have done excellent work, or that they have some authority on Wikipedia. I seem to recall that barnstar counts are (or were) used for support at Requests for Adminship. All it really means is that they run with a barnstar-happy wiki-crowd; I can think of a few people who have numerous barnstars even though their articles are total crap. Adam Bishop 01:45, 25 March 2008 (UTC)

What are these objects?

This is the coastline of Nauru:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=nauru&ie=UTF8&ll=-0.531681,166.909291&spn=0.002559,0.00501&t=k&z=18

What are those long pole-mounted things? They look quite large.

They're bulk ship loaders, the ones in the background of this picture. Nauru's economy used to be based on phosphate mining, although their resources are all but depleted now. FiggyBee (talk) 15:59, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

business website page

I noticed that hp.com (a business website has a wikipedia page). What is the policy (or guidance) for a privately held company that would like to have a similar business information page listed on wikipedia? Thanks Bill

See Wikipedia:Notability (organizations and companies) --Tagishsimon (talk) 16:35, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

Marines in combat zones

How/where do Marines in combat zones (Iraq, Afghanistan) get tattoos? Are there makeshift parlors, or is it similar to how they do it in prison? --AtTheAbyss (talk) 16:37, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

I don't know ... but your question made me think of two relevant thoughts. One, I thought that I read pretty recently that the Marines started a new "rule" that tattoos are no longer allowed ... or were being very tightly restricted. I remember there being a big rush of Marines who went to get new tattoos before the new rule took effect. Two, Marines take their tattoos very seriously ... and they are usually pretty ornate and highly elaborate (i.e., professionally done). I can't imagine -- nor have I ever seen -- a crude home-made "prison-type" tattoo being acceptable (or even worth considering) to a Marine. Thanks. (Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 19:18, 24 March 2008 (UTC))

multipurpose river valley projects

what do you mean by multipurpose river valley projects?

We ought to have an article on Multipurpose river valley project, judging by the number of times the phrase crops up in our articles. It appears to mean a dam which provides more than one thing, such as

• Electricity generation
• Flood prevention
• Basis for improved irrigation,
• Improved navigation
• Habitat improvement
• Improved fishery populations.

It is unlikely that all MRVPs provide all of these functions. A google search on the term is also probably instructive. --Tagishsimon (talk) 16:47, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), a project that dates back to the Great Depression, is a good example. --Nricardo (talk) 16:58, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY

SOLDIERS WHO GUARD THE TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN : ```` 1. THE QUALIFICATIONS```` 2. THE DAILY LIFE AND RESPONSILBILITIES WHILE ON DUTY```` 3. THE EATING AND SLEEPING ARANGEMENTS WHILE ON DUTY```` 4. THE LENGTH OF TOUR OF DUTY```1

Answers here. --Sean 17:48, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

The difference between diamond certificates from GIA, EGL, and AGS

I want to get diamond stud earrings but I am a bit confused about the different kind of certificates that come with the diamond studs. I recently visited the following website: www.DiamondStudSource.com They had a lot of options but with different certificates too. I realized that the stones with the same specifications vary in price according to the certificates. I am unclear and uncertain why the prices vary with these certificates and why some reports/certificates may be better than others.

buffalo bills trivia

who wore the #40 jersey,and acted as a quarterback

Here's the all-time roster for the Bills. 40 isn't a standard quarterback number, so this may be a case of a single trick play (or more likely, in my opinion, a busted play) that has to be tracked down. At least you've got the possible pool narrowed down, though. — Lomn 19:34, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

Yeah, 40 is a strange number. Although perhaps the regular QB pitched it to a wide receiver who threw it down the field. I hope the play resulted in a touchdown. Useight (talk) 19:48, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

People who played as #40 for the Bills: Ed Rutowski, Roland Moss, J.D. Hill, Terry Miller, Robb Riddick, Chip Nuzzo, Eric Smedley. Pick one. Paragon12321 (talk) 00:03, 25 March 2008 (UTC)

Sony vs. Casio

What Phone has sold more units, the sony ericsson w580i or the casio G'Z one type-s?

The same question ("My friend and I were wondering what phone is more "popular" and popular we've defined as more unit sales. The phones we are comparing are the Sony Ericsson w580i vs. Casio G'zOne Type-S.") has been posted above, at around 15:00 / 3:00 PM WP time. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 21:08, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

finding answer

i m new user of wikipedia. n just want to know one answer.i hope u will satisfy me. I M INDIAN N I WANT TO KNOW THAT IF I MARRY WITH PAKISTANI GIRL N WANT TO SHIFT OR GET PERMANENT CITIZENSHIP OF PAKISTAN AFTER MARRIEGE OR SHE (PAKISTANI GIRL)COMES INDIA AFTER MARRIEGE N GET CITIZENSHIP OF INDIA THEN WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS WE MUST HAVE. WHAT ARE THE FORMALITIES TO IMMIGRATE IN PAKISTAN, ALL I WANT TO KNOW. HOW MUCH POSSIBILITIES N WHAT BARRIERS ARE IN BETWEEN?

                                I WILL BE VERY THANKFULL TO U IF U HELP ME. 
                                                                 YOURS WIKIPEDIA USERMankuha (talk) 19:40, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

I recommend contacting the embassy to find out what kind of forms will need to be filled out. Useight (talk) 19:46, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

77HP TRACER 2

What is a 77HP TRACER 2?

You could have Googled this and had an answer faster. Google's first result says it's some sort of tone tester. Whatever that is. Dismas|^(talk) 20:29, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

This Google search gives many links. --hydnjo talk 20:32, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

According to http://www.stayonline.com/detail.aspx?ID=132, 77HP Tracer 2 Tone Generator from Tempo - Progressive is a proven tester for generating selectable audio tones on cabling in premise wiring installations. Continuity and polarity testing is also capable.

By applying a tone signal to a wire pair or single conductor, and using an inductive amplifier (probe), the tone generator permits technicians to identify the conductor within a bundle, at a cross-connect point or at the remote end.

This may be all Greek to me, but I hope you understand what it means. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 20:35, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

Getting Right to Customer Service

I am wanting to terminate my DISH Network DBS service and i know the numbers and such, however i am having trouble figuring out the options on the phone. if anyone knows what is the best way to get to a voice directly.--logger (talk) 21:01, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

Often hitting 0 will get you someone more quickly but some systems are built in such a way where that doesn't work. They usually will have a menu of, for example, five items and the fifth one will be an option to talk to a real person. So one through four will get you another menu but pressing 5, instead of 0, will get you where you want to go. Dismas|^(talk) 21:14, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

I always try doing nothing. Simply wait until the artificial person at their end exhausts itself trying to get a response out of you, concludes that you have a dial phone or don't speak English too good, and connects you to a real human being. --Milkbreath (talk) 21:30, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

milk the strategy worked. you are the bomb at that. Good Work.--logger (talk) 21:42, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

Another strategy is to just repeat, "Agent" every time it asks for a response. That usually works for me. Useight (talk) 22:29, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

Song?

What's that song from Cartman Gets an Anal Probe, when Stan sees Wendy? It's also the song played when two Sims kiss in The Sims. --M1ss1ontomars2k4 (talk) 22:47, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

For reference, it's at 7:44 in the official video on southparkstudios.com. --M1ss1ontomars2k4 (talk) 22:56, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

I can't watch the video, but going from memory, I'm sure it's the "Love Theme" from the Romeo and Juliet symphony. In fact, Romeo and Juliet (Tchaikovsky)#Used in movies and TV there is a section that gives these two exact examples. We've had this question before, and I myself asked it once before (apparently before the archives were created) - that's the only reason I know the answer this time! Adam Bishop 205.210.170.49 (talk) 01:40, 25 March 2008 (UTC)

Just one technical point: it wasn't a symphony but an "Overture-Fantasy". -- JackofOz (talk) 02:06, 25 March 2008 (UTC)

Mazda MX 5 full of rubber ducks - thanks.

First off, I realise this isn't a question. But before the deletionists rush to get rid of it, please remember that the RefDesk works as well as it does at least partly because of a sense of community, continuity, and shared understanding. Is it so bad to come back to say thankyou?

Some time ago, I asked for help in determining the interior volume of an MX 5, with a view to filling it with rubber ducks. The RefDesk regulars stepped up admirably, with an estimate that turned out to be wonderfully precise as well as an intriguing suggestion regarding balloons. Well, you'll be pleased to know that the day has finally come.

If you would care to visit http://greatduckcaper.com you will find a description and a few photos of the event. As Sean said, "it's against all laws of God and Man to fill a person's car with rubber ducks and not take a picture" - though in fact we mostly took video. We've put together a 25-minute short film of the whole event from inception to planning to aftermath, but that's not yet online for a number of reasons so the pictures will have to do for now. A shorter, more focused, "ADHD YouTube Version" is in the pipeline too.

Thanks to Ouro and everyone else that helped us figure out quite how many ducks we needed to pull this one off. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.187.153.189 (talk)

What kind of crazed fool would want to get rid of something as awesome as this? Sure, it technically belongs on the talk page rather than on the ref desk proper, but it doesn't really hurt anything. Anyone who thinks Wikipedia can't make a difference in the world needs to see this. Friday (talk) 23:14, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

Agreed, this is just what the Reference desk wants to achieve. Give answers to questions others may not care about. -- ReyBrujo (talk) 23:22, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

LOL! Bookmarked. :) · AndonicO ^Hail! 23:29, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

Question

I know I'm not supposed to ask medical or legal questions, but I'm going to ask one falls into both categories. Here it goes:

I'm sick of lawyer commercials on TV, what should I do? 216.49.181.128 (talk) 23:31, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

Turn off your TV. --Onorem♠Dil 23:33, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

Hire two on a no-win-no-fee basis and make them sue each other. -mattbuck (Talk) 23:53, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

lol. Acceptable (talk) 01:15, 25 March 2008 (UTC)

Get a Tivo (or something similar) and skip past them. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 01:25, 25 March 2008 (UTC)

Watch TV only when it's utterly unavoidable, and spend your time being a Wikipedia editor. Your website needs YOU! -- JackofOz (talk) 02:04, 25 March 2008 (UTC)

How cough syrups work

How do cough syrups work? Does the chemical relax one's diaphragm? Why are narcotics, such as codeine and morphine such effective cough-suppressants? Thanks. Acceptable (talk) 23:43, 24 March 2008 (UTC)