Wikipedia:Reference desk/Miscellaneous

velocity of a body orbiting the sun in an elliptical orbit

There are some interesting formulas given for determining the velocity of an object at a given point on its orbit, but it's unclear what units are required. The answers I'm getting aren't adding up to anything that makes any sense or agrees with what's in the literature.

Could you clarify this, pleasse?

• It would be easier if you'd tell us which formulas you are referring to, please? --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 01:58, 20 August 2005 (UTC)

• Possibly the one on Elliptic orbit or Orbital speed. 82.210.117.215 08:12, 21 August 2005 (UTC)

Any consistent set of units should work. I'm assuming you're using this equation from elliptic orbit:

$v={\sqrt {2\mu \left({1 \over {r}}-{1 \over {2a}}\right)}}$

where:

• $\mu \,$ is the standard gravitational parameter= $GM$,
• $G$ is the gravitational constant
• $M$ is the mass of the larger body (or actually its reduced mass, I think, but as long as the orbiting body is much smaller than the body it's orbiting we can ignore that for now)
• $r\,$ is the radial distance of orbiting body from central body,
• $a\,\!$ is the length of the semi-major axis of the orbit.

So if you do all the lengths in meters, the mass in kg, and the gravitational constant in m^3/(s^2 kg), you should get your answer in m/s. Alternatively, do the lengths in km, the gravitational constant in km^3/(s^2 kg), and get the velocity in km/s, or even, if you're old-fashioned or American or crazy, do the lengths in ft, the gravitational consant in ft^3/(s^2 slug) and get the velocity in ft/s. The article on the gravitational constant gives it in m^3/(s^2 kg), but strangely the article on the standard gravitational parameter gives it in km^3/s^2. moink 17:59, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

One more quick thing, just in case you're the person who wrote at Talk:Standard gravitational parameter. I glossed over the idea of the reduced mass above, but if you're trying to solve a two-star problem, you should read that article. From what I remember (it's been a long time since I took astrodynamics, hopefully someone will correct me if I'm wrong), in the orbital equations for a two-body problem you should use the reduced mass of the system. When a small object is orbiting a large object, the reduced mass is very close to the mass of the large object. But if they're two objects of comparable size, use the reduced mass. moink 18:04, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

Major Vivion de Valera

The rank of Major does not exist in the Irish army, where the equivalent rank in Commandant. So where did Vivion de Valera get the rank of Major. I understand he was in the Irish army during the Emergencey (WW2). Incidentally, it is interesting to note that he was always referred to as Major rather than Doctor (as in PhD).

Frank O'Shea

indent in the capslock key

Why is there a indent in the capslock key?

I not know, but speculate it may be related to assisting people who are blind and totally touch type. AlMac|^(talk) 04:15, 20 August 2005 (UTC)

Or who can see, but take seriously the fact that you are not supposed to look at the keyboard when you touchtype... 05:50, 20 August 2005 (UTC)

This was my first thought too, but touch-typing assistance is usually limited to bumps on the 'f' and 'j' (or 'd' and 'k') keys. I think the indentation on my caps lock key is to keep it separated from the 'a' key so that it's not so easy to hit the caps lock accidentally. I'm not sure if this is what the original poster was referring to, though, since keyboards vary in details like this. --Zeborah 11:32, 20 August 2005 (UTC)

I don't have any indent on my capslock. PS those "bumps" are called the 'home keys' (F,J and NUM5). User:Nichalp/sg 19:05, August 20, 2005 (UTC)

I've always used 'home keys' refer to all the keys your fingers rest on when typing 'properly', ie asdfjkl; - the first site I googled uses this definition. --Zeborah 00:37, 21 August 2005 (UTC)

asdf-jkl; is "home row," and f and j (or d and k on old-school Mac keyboards… took me forever to get used to it when they switched) are the "braille keys." At least, that's how I learned it. As for the indent in the caps-lock key, perhaps the OP is referring to how some keyboards have caps-lock keys that are "flat" for about half a centimeter on the right side, before the key rises up to normal height. I also believe it's to reduce headaches from accidentally pressing it. Garrett Albright 02:19, 21 August 2005 (UTC)

Sickle-cell anemia vs. sickle-cell disease

Traditionally, the hemoglobin disorder that causes misshapen red blood cells was known as "sickle-cell anemia"; now, however, I'm seeing the more general "sickle-cell disease" used, especially in medical journals and such sources as my IB Biology II book.

Is "disease" preferable to "anemia"? My guess is that the naming standards changed because anemia is not the only sympton, but I could be wrong.

Google suggests "anemia" is more common (in all Web results and news results), but there are factors that lean towards the use of "disease," such as the name of the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America and the results of a search of the New England Journal of Medicine website (190 for "disease," 156 for "anemia," and 14 for "anemia").

A search of only university sites yields 399,000 hits for "disease" and 560,000 for "anemia"; the same search for only government sites yields 88,800 and 115,000 hits, respectively. Switching to "disease" would eliminate some thorny American/British spelling issues ("anemia"/"anaemia"). Any advice as far as what our article name should be? Neutrality^talk 04:41, August 20, 2005 (UTC)

It doesn't matter! It's all the same condition. Sickle cell anemia was the original name. Some people prefer SCD because the anemia is often not the major problem for people and SCD reflects the multi-organ nature of the condition. Current American textbooks and medical journal articles tend to prefer SCD. alteripse 09:48, 20 August 2005 (UTC)

Yup. At the Children's Hospital in Detroit, where they see a lot of SCD, they prefer that name too for the reasons Alteripse explained. For more detail, as I understand it, there are four major complications that can arise from SCD, and like he said, anemia itself isn't the real problem. So I would suggest the disease name for the article. - Taxman ^Talk 12:58, August 21, 2005 (UTC)

It seems as though someone has done the move, but not updated the redirects. I would take care of it, but my wife dripped watermelon juice on my mouse (ostensibly by accident), and my efficiency is greatly reduced until the mouse works again. — Pekinensis 19:19, 23 August 2005 (UTC)

Yeah, sure it was your mouse. As for excuses, I've got the one about a dog eating my homework too, but I'll save that one! Just kidding, but there are about a hundred to fix from a glance, so I could use some help. If you can't get to it, I may be able to later today. - Taxman ^Talk 18:08, August 24, 2005 (UTC)

Da Vinci Code Filimg at Rosslyn Chapel, Scotland

We will be in Edinburgh in September. We understand that Ron Howard will be filming at the Chapel in September. Do you happen to know the dates of the filming in Scotland?

Thank you,

Abernathy's Texas--12.147.148.195 05:21, 20 August 2005 (UTC)

• I don't, but I would expect the local tourist organization knows more. - Mgm|^(talk) 06:33, August 20, 2005 (UTC)

Photos and copyright

I was wondering, if you were to take a photo of a copyrighted photo, who would then own the rights to the photo you have take? And does it depend on things like how much of that original photo is visible in your one? Thank you, Akamad 08:45, August 20, 2005 (UTC)

Well, if it's a clear and non-creative representation of the original copyrighted photo, then your photo would be a breach of copyright... Notinasnaid 13:24, 20 August 2005 (UTC)

If a substantial portion of the old picture is used, even creatively, and clearly or unclearly, it is a copyright infringement. The best you can hope for is fair use in the US. Superm401 | Talk 21:15, August 20, 2005 (UTC)

Your photograph is a derivative work of the original. You hold the copyright to whatever original input you have in your new photograph, but still need permission from the original copyright holder to do stuff with it. -- Cyrius|✎ 20:37, 21 August 2005 (UTC)

Derivative Software Copyrights

There is a concept in programming, of derivative software in which we write a program, but copy chunks of code to do various standard things, from other programs, which may be copyrighted. Suppose I write a 100,000 line program, and use only 10 lines of code that are copyrighted ... the copyright on the microscopic addition applies to the whole result, because I used ANY copyrighted material in crafting my new program (actuallty my employer's because the program is the property of who is paying for the work to be done, unless there is a contract to the contrary).

Suppose in crafting the new program, I use chunks of code from several prior programs that have DIFFERENT copyrights ... ALL of them now belong in the copyright statements of the new program.

The reason it is important to keep track of this ... my employer has a contract with some supplier of software that gives us permission to use their source code in the development of our internal other programs, but let's suppose future management decides to end that contract, quit paying annual fees to maintain it ... that means that we have lost permission to use that source code ... we have to find all programs we used that code in, and stop using those programs, because they contain source code, whose right to use it in a derivative matter, has now expired.

Different rules apply to different kinds of copyrightable material, so this derivative rule for software might not apply to photographs, music, other intellectual property.

AlMac|^(talk) 23:18, 20 August 2005 (UTC)

If you look at the copyright notices for large programs that have evolved over time, like various Unix flavours, you will usually see that there is a whole list of "Portions copyright...." which is how they acknowledge the bits they have used. If you wanted to use a chunk that was really only ten lines or so you would be better to rewrite it. IANAL, but if you rewrite code yourself, even if it does exactly the same as the original, you are not violating copyright. DJ Clayworth 23:43, 20 August 2005 (UTC)

Upper Nile University Sudan

What is the actual contact address of the "Upper Nile University" in Sudan? Will that be in Karthoum or Malakal?

According to this website among others it is PO Box 1660 in Khartoum, and the phone number +249 (11) 222 174. A Yahoo Groups message suggests that the university moved to Khartoum during the civil war, and that in 2004 plans were announced for it to move back to Malakal, but I'd imagine this move back would take some time and so the university is probably still at this address. --Zeborah 11:20, 20 August 2005 (UTC)

earth shift off axis

did the earth really move off its axis? if so how far?and last question,did it cause a difference in the distance from the earth to the moon? (anon)

To whomever may be intelligent enough to answer this question (if it is answerable), I offer this addendum: How can a planet (or ball or any other spinning object) move off an axis? Doesn't whatever imaginary diameter it is currently spinning around just become its new axis? Garrett Albright 11:58, 20 August 2005 (UTC)

The earth already has a tilted axis. If you draw a plane through the sun and planets, the earth doesn't spin on an axis perfectly perpendicular to that plane. This is one thing that helps make the seasons vary. I don't know when the poster of this question is thinking that it "moved". The earth did change it's speed of rotation ever so slightly with the earthquake that caused the tsunami that caused all that damage in the Indian Ocean. See: 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. Dismas 13:40, 20 August 2005 (UTC)

Also, the earth's axis is not fixed but changes slowly (with respect to the fixed stars). See precession as well as nutation. However, the question appears to concern a more sudden axis change. You may want to look at the (controversial) "earth crust displacement" theory. See Charles Hapgood for that. 82.210.117.55 19:20, 20 August 2005 (UTC)

See swing bowling and reverse swing! Dunc|☺ 19:52, 20 August 2005 (UTC)

If you accept the theory that one of the things that contributed to the Dinosaurs going Extinct had to do with planet Earth getting plastered by a humogous rock from space, that left a crater that is now the Carribean, supposedly when that happened, it had a humogous impact on how the Earth was spinning on the old axis. This theory "explains" how come some Dinosaur bones got dug up in which the critter was frozen, but there was food in its stomache from a climate other than arctic. AlMac|^(talk) 23:24, 20 August 2005 (UTC)

No, that's due to continental drift. For the Antarctic to get moved from the tropics to its current position would require the axial tilt to have previously been near 90°; this would make life impossible. ~~ N (t/c) 23:27, 21 August 2005 (UTC)

Earth's tilt changing enough to move a tropical continent to an artic climate zone is really unbelievable, and would, I assume, leave obvious traces in the geologic magnetic record. If a dinosaur did freeze to death (rather than after the fact) I would be more inclined to credit weather changes due to particles thrown into the air and obscuring the sun. Freezing long after the fact can be explained by continental drift, specifically the breakup of Gondwana. — Laura Scudder | Talk 02:16, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

Syrian Rite

What is/was the Syrian Rite and is there a specific Syrian Rite different from the West Syrian Rite and the East Syrian Rite? I have an assignment for Catholic studies and my teacher said they were different but there is no information on the net, even on the Catholic Encyclopedia. --Anthonymorris 10:52, 20 August 2005 (UTC)

Have a look at this article -- Syriac Christianity -- and also Syriac Orthodox Church. If these articles and the ones they link to don't answer your question, drop a note here. Jwrosenzweig 11:57, 20 August 2005 (UTC)

Jeff Foxworthy

I am looking for an email address for Jeff Foxworthy. I have "redneck wedding" pictures that someone sent me I thought he may like. Thanks.

You could try addresses.com or Yahoo people search -- each have several different possibilities though it's possible that none of these will be the one you're looking for. Good luck! --Zeborah 11:44, 20 August 2005 (UTC)

You could also try writing to his management. They may forward them on to him. Dismas 13:32, 20 August 2005 (UTC)

In response to the comment you left on my talk page (in case you don't go back there but do come here)... Well, I'd try going to his web site first of all. Then scroll all the way down and follow the link for the web designer. Ask them if they have some contact info for J.F.'s management and go from there. Dismas 13:32, 23 August 2005 (UTC)

energy base climatology

Unsigned question title by 210.212.42.114. hydnjo talk 20:55, 20 August 2005 (UTC)

Yes, I dig it too. Groovy, man. Peace. — JIP | Talk 15:12, 20 August 2005 (UTC)

Pope & citizenship

Do you know if the Pope is still considered a citizen of his native country (i.e. German for the current one). How about cardinals? Are they citizens of their respective countries, the Vatican, or both? Ornil 16:27, 20 August 2005 (UTC)

Presumably it depends on whether his native country allows renunciation of citizenship - if they don't, he has to maintain such citizenship. I believe Cardinals retain their own citizenship - Vatican citizenship is pretty rare.

There's nothing saying a head of state can't also have foreign citizenship, though it is understandably unusual - consider Alberto Fujimori, who was both a Peruvian and Japanese citizen whilst he was President of Peru. (Elizabeth II would be a rather unusual example, as well, come to think of it, or the heads of state of Andorra who are by definition foreigners) Shimgray 16:34, 20 August 2005 (UTC)

It is a moot point as to whether Fujimori was a Japanese citizen while he was President of Peru, as Japan does not allow dual nationality. It is not clear whether Elizabeth II has any citizenship—she does not possess a passport—although she fulfills the criteria of the British Nationality Act 1971. Physchim62 22:33, 21 August 2005 (UTC)

My understanding, though IANAL, is that she is treated as a British citizen for the purposes of a lot of law - we have various laws relating to dealing with the Crown in a personal capacity. Whether or not she's actually a citizen of the UK, or if she's a citizen of (say) Canada as well, is an interesting question - but I'd argue she's definitely a de facto UK citizen. There's also the Sophia Naturalisation Act, to throw a spanner in the works. This would mean that a wide number of European monarchs descended from Electress Sophia, and born before 1949, would probably be considered British citizens by the law here; Harald V of Norway, for example.

As for Fujimori, hmm. I really have no idea there. The article does imply he retained citizenship rather than re-acquiring it, though - perhaps Japan uses the legal fiction of pretending the other citizenship doesn't exist, so the person only ever has one, even though the other country may disagree? I vaguely recall something like this being done by some nations. Shimgray 23:22, 21 August 2005 (UTC)

Interesting you should mention this. Canada's governor general-designate, Michaëlle Jean, is a dual citizen of Canada and France. (She was born in Haiti.) This fact, along with Jean's friendship with Quebec separatists, has generated a lot of controversy in Canadaland. Mwalcoff 01:20, 21 August 2005 (UTC)

This debate is getting into some fascinating byways, but they are not really addressing the original question. I am confident that Cardinals retain the citizenship of their home countries. Why? Because the thing that distinguishes the Pope from the other Cardinals, in this context, is that because of his election to the Papacy he both de facto and de jure becomes Head of State of the State of the Vatican City, an independent nation recognised by most other countries. Cardinals are simply the Pope's advisers, they have undergone no process of being formally subject to the "citizenship laws" (whatever they might be) of the Vatican City State, whereas the Pope has. I suppose there have been cases where a particular cardinal has acquired Vatican citizenship for one reason or another (other than by being elected pope), but as a general proposition this does not happen. Interesting that the Vatican's head of state, the pope, is elected by the cardinals, none of whom is himself a citizen of that nation. Is this a unique circumstance?

One of the two Co-Princes of Andorra is the President of France, elected by the population of France, which may count - his Spanish counterpart is a Catholic bishop, though, so presumably he's appointed not elected. If you consider the Sovereign Military Order of Malta to be a nation (which can be argued either way), then its head of state would be elected by (a very small number of) non-citizens - my understanding is that they only issue about three "citizenships", to their most senior members, in order not to cause legal tensions. Otherwise, I can't think of any de jure cases (as opposed to de facto situations where a foreign nation effectively imposes its choice of head-of-state). Shimgray 01:36, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

As to whether the Pope retains his native citizenship, it would probably depend on the laws of the country concerned. Am I right in assuming that Italian-born popes do not lose their Italian citizenship? In modern times we've only had 2 non-Italian cases to consider, Poland and Germany. The last non-Italian Pope prior to JP2 reigned at a time when the modern concept of citizenship didn't even exist, so that means there are really only 2 cases altogether. Cheers JackofOz 00:33, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

A further thought on the Australian context. My understanding is that Australian law does not, generally, prevent an Australian from holding citizenship of another country. Many Australians have dual citizenship. However, in particular contexts, citizens of other countries are not eligible to hold certain Australian offices. For example, a citizen of another country, even if they have dual Australian citizenship, is ineligible to be elected to Federal Parliament, and we've had a few well-known cases where a member of parliament was expelled for this reason, eg. the One Nation senator Heather Hill, who was an Australian but had also been a British subject. She renounced her British citizenship before her term as senator commenced, but at the date of her election she had not yet done so. Under the law, it's not the date of commencement of the term of the parliamentary term, but the date of election that is relevant.

In the highly contrived (and therefore extremely unlikely) scenario that (a) an Australian cardinal such as George Pell was elected pope, and (b) he acquired Vatican citizenship by virtue of being the head of state of that nation (whether or not he lost his Australian citizenship), and (c) he wanted to stand for election to the Australian Federal Parliament, he would be ineligible. He would have to abdicate as Pope first.

Which raises a further interesting question, that of whether a Pope who abdicates retains his Vatican citizenship given he is no longer the head of state of the Vatican, or whether he returns to his native citizenship. What about a pope who was from a country that was inimical to Catholic interests, and deemed him to have renounced his original citizenship upon acquiring Vatican citizenship? What if that Pope abdicated and his original country refused to reinstate his original citizenship? Would he then be stateless? JackofOz 02:13, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

Re Elizabeth, I am pretty sure that she is not a UK citizen, because the concept of citizen in the UK is set in contrast to the monarch. She cannot be both the monarch and a citizen. Trollderella 15:32, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

From talk:Septic tank

How long do septic tanks (systems) last? We are in the process of buying a 20 year old home with the existing septic tank, what questions or concerns should I have? 67.184.249.226 (talk · contribs)

Highly dependant on how well the previous owner(s) cared for and maintained the system. At the very least the there should be documentation as to how often the tank was pumped out. Every year or two is good, every five years or so is not so good. There are so many variables (I just mentioned one of them) that it really is difficult to answer the question quantitatively. A well designed and maintained system can be fine for a 60+ years whereas a poorly designed and/or maintained system may fail after 20 or 30 years. Best bet, hire a professional to inspect the entire system. A couple of hundred dollars will buy either lots of peace of mind or a significant reduction in the value of the home. hydnjo talk 20:04, 20 August 2005 (UTC)

BTW, the septic tank itself rarely fails. The usual failure mode is the leach field (or leach(ing) bed) which becomes clogged and unable to percolate (perc) properly. Your home inspection company or your home appraisal company (not the seller's real estate agent) should be of help in this matter. hydnjo talk 20:34, 20 August 2005 (UTC)

President Nixon's letter of resignation

When Richard Nixon resigned as president, the letter of resignation was addressed to Henry Kissinger, the secretary of state. Why was Kissinger the adressee of the letter and not the president pro tem of the US Senate and/or the speaker of the US House? In many US states, the secretary of state is responsible for the certification and enrollment of official executive actions, but this role is not customary to the US Secretary of State. Can anyone shed some light on this? EdwinHJ | Talk 19:52, 20 August 2005 (UTC)

Not without starting an edit war here. ;-) hydnjo talk 20:42, 20 August 2005 (UTC)

I seem to remember that the President can resign to a whole lot of different people (maybe it has to be someone who's part of the line which the president's powers fall to if he's killed/incapacitated/etc.?). Good question. ¦ Reisio 21:01, 2005 August 20 (UTC)

I know this question was asked and answered here, but I can't find the question. Superm401 | Talk 21:27, August 20, 2005 (UTC)

I don't think it is in th earchive, whic definitely annoys me. I found it on User:PedanticallySpeaking's personal archive. I think some parts have been removed by him, though. Superm401 | Talk 21:38, August 20, 2005 (UTC)

RMN's letter of resignation:http://www.watergate.info/nixon/resignation-letter.shtml hydnjo talk 23:10, 20 August 2005 (UTC)

The letter states " I hereby resign the Office of President of the United States" Shouldn't it be "I hereby resign FROM the Office of President of the United States"? JA

Er, no, I wouldn't have thought so. What's wrong with what he wrote? — Trilobite (Talk) 12:14, 21 August 2005 (UTC)

Nixon is correct in his usage. He is using the word office with the meaning "A position of authority, duty, or trust given to a person, as in a government or corporation:" not "the place where your desk is." Here's a dictionary definition. --bodnotbod 18:08, August 22, 2005 (UTC)

By definition, it is correct. By usage, one does not resign a position, one resigns from a position; one does not resign a duty, one resigns from a duty. an instance is John Ashcroft's resignation where he writes "Therefore, I humbly state my desire to resign from the office of United States Attorney General" http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6446686 - JA

I think most people would say "resign a position" is an acceptable way of saying "resign from a position" but I'd be interested to hear what others think. I'm fairly sure I've heard both used with some regularity. (in fact resign my position v resign from my position tends to go against you). --bodnotbod 18:42, August 24, 2005 (UTC)

it appears that both the forms are acceptable, at least in practice. still, i would also invite further discussion. JA

Supreme Court resignations

If the President or Vice President of the U.S. resigns, he sends a letter to the Secretary of State as required by Title 3 of the U.S. Code. I know it is customary that Supreme Court justices write the President when they choose to leave the court, but what, if anything, does the law say about how justices resign? How do judges of the lower courts resign? PedanticallySpeaking July 8, 2005 19:59 (UTC)

Really? I thought there was no formal law or policy about where anyone should write to resign, even the president. I heard once that Nixon thought it best to resign to the Attorney General, though I might be wrong. Flcelloguy | A note? | Desk 8 July 2005 20:20 (UTC)

Title 3, Section 20 of the U.S. Code reads: "The only evidence of a refusal to accept, or of a resignation of the office of President or Vice President, shall be an instrument in writing, declaring the same, and subscribed by the person refusing to accept or resigning, as the case may be, and delivered into the office of the Secretary of State." [1]. When Nixon resigned, his letter was addressed to Henry Kissinger and presented while Nixon was 30,000 feet over Illinois on his way back to San Clemente. Read his letter here. PedanticallySpeaking July 8, 2005 20:23 (UTC)

This Title and Section of the Code reads that if there is a contested resignation, then the officeholder can offer his proof of denial only to the Secretary of State. An actual letter of resignation can be submitted to anyone in some position of authority. By submitting his letter directly to the Secretary, RMN eliminated any potential contest to the resignation - thus, irrevocable . hydnjo talk 23:00, 20 August 2005 (UTC)

RMN's letter of resignation:http://www.watergate.info/nixon/resignation-letter.shtml hydnjo talk 23:07, 20 August 2005 (UTC)

Contact for Christian Clavier

dear wikipedia,

i'm a great fan of Christian Clavier. i've been looking for a long time just for a fanmailing of him. do you, wikipedia maby know how i can contact him? at least send him a email. i'm not a person who wants to know what's his phone number or such other stuff, but just a fanmailing. i would like to ask him something very important for me. please, could you help me? i hope for a request. many greetings Sanela

email: meluvchris@hotmail.com

There's no guarantee they'll pass it on to him, but you can mail his production company, Ouille Productions, at ouille2@wanadoo.fr Superm401 | Talk 21:11, August 20, 2005 (UTC)

Spanish Heroines

I am searching for a woman whos' name was Francesca, guardi del Castell-Fort. Was told that she has a portrait in either the Museo of Armas in Madrid, Spain or Museo del Ejercito in Madrid, Spain. Can you help me?

You might do better in the Spanish Wikipedia. In Spanish your question would be "Busco a una mujer quien se llamaba Francesca, guardi del Castell-Fort. He oído que tiene un retrato de ella o en el Museo de Armas en Madrid o el Museo del Ejercito, también en Madrid. ¿Pueden Vds. ayudarme?" Also, you may be interested to know that "guardi del Castell-Fort" sounds almost certainly Catalan rather than Spanish, so you might want to try the Catalan Wikipedia as well. -- Jmabel | Talk 22:16, August 21, 2005 (UTC)

Japanese subway sleeping hats?

A friend of mine has indicated that the Japanese wear a hat with a veil on subways that cover your face so you can sleep on the subway without the embarassment of drool, etc. What is the name of this hat? (It may be a Chindogu... I don't know.) --AllyUnion (talk) 21:12, 20 August 2005 (UTC)

I believe it is Chindogu, though the specific name for this piece of Chindogu I don't know. I might ask my Japanese housemate, if I remember. Dunc|☺ 21:24, 20 August 2005 (UTC)

Oh, btw, Photograph Dunc|☺ 21:25, 20 August 2005 (UTC)

The hat shown in the citation above [2] seems designed to keep the wearer from slumping forward and to announce the wearer's destination so that they be awakened at the appropriate station. It seems to offer no veil to drooling, mouth-agape, lip-movement or other potentially embarassing sleep conditions. Thus, it is truly Chindogu, an "invention" of little practical utility. hydnjo talk 23:35, 20 August 2005 (UTC)

Actually, according to my friend, this product is widely used, and is very useful apparently. It's kind of like a short veil that covers your face which is a hat. --AllyUnion (talk) 06:28, 21 August 2005 (UTC)

The photgraph above is not quite what you're looking for, try this [3], where it's just called a "subway sleeper's screen." 132.175.9.1 17:17, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

That site ^ is a hoot. Lots of funny chindogu. :-) hydnjo talk 19:53, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

famous pubs

I previously asked this question. What is the most famous pub? There's so many in the world, surely theres some world-famous ones --Wonderfool t(c) 23:55, 20 August 2005 (UTC)

Why, the "Fool & Firkin at 2 Gasking Street in Plymouth of course. ;-) hydnjo talk 00:17, 21 August 2005 (UTC)

The Cheers pub in Boston could be considered one of the more famous pubs. Rentastrawberry 01:32, August 21, 2005 (UTC)

Cheers. Famous TV tourist trap - yes. Famous for other than popular entertainment: guess where I am - no. hydnjo talk 02:03, 21 August 2005 (UTC)

The oldest pubs tend to be famous if they brag about it. For example, the oldest pubs in england are either The Bell Inn (Nottingham), or The Old Trip To Jerusalem (Nottingham) depending on your definition of pub.

Similarly, anything used as a location in a work of literature, film, etc. will be famous. I don't know if you're counting fictional pubs such as the Prancing Pony*.

(* didn't I once see a List of fictional drinking establishments page which should be in Category:Lists of fictional things?)

• • The World's End in Edinburgh was briefly notorious after a spate of murders (the "World's End Murders" in 1977, recently solved), though I believe that was only nationally - I note the article is on the London pub of that name. We have a Category:British public houses, but most of the ones I can name aren't in there. Shimgray 13:40, 21 August 2005 (UTC)

It's hard enough to pick the most famous in any given city... -- Jmabel | Talk 22:22, August 21, 2005 (UTC)

• Very location-specific. The Wunderbar, the Greyhound, the Crossways, the White Hart, the Jack-O, etc. All pubs local to me; all "known" within the community for something. Perhaps one of the most famous (albeit fictional) pubs in the UK would be the Queen Vic from Eastenders; the Rover's Return from Coronation Street, etc. Rob Church ^{Talk | Desk} 01:25, 25 August 2005 (UTC)

Discrepant voltage of rechargeable batteries

AA Batteries typically offer 1.5 V. However, NiMH AA batteries offer only 1.2 V. My questions are:

1. Is this in compliance with the relevant ANSI/IEC Standards?
2. Does this noticeably affect NiMH performance in common use?
3. Why aren't NiMH batteries made to provide 1.5 V?

--LizardWizard 00:35, August 21, 2005 (UTC)

Each chemical composition for a voltage cell has its own EMF (voltage). As the engineers and scientists develop new combinations they allow for particular parameters to be within a range. Some of the parameters are: manufacturability, availability of component chemicals, hazardous waste, volatility, size of a cell, charge capacity, number of recharges, cost to consumer, etc, etc, etc. One of the parameters is of course the natural voltage of a particular chemistry. It's a battle of compromise. A combination of compromises that gives the consumer a 10¢ battery that has too low a voltage (say 0.5 volts) will fail in the general marketplace whereas a battery that can be charged a million times and provides exactly 1.5 volts but would cost $100.00 may also not succeed. So, after too many words for your question, if it's available in the consumer marketplace then it's OK for general use. The product that is receiving the energy must also of course be flexible or it will fail in the consumer marketplace. hydnjo talk 01:31, 21 August 2005 (UTC)

Oh, BTW, NiMH at this time has the most rechargeability capability without concern for the memory problem which plagued NiCad technology. This feature alone has propelled NiMH to the leading thechnology choice for most consumer products in the 2004-2005 timeframe. hydnjo talk 04:28, 21 August 2005 (UTC)

On a side note, this is thanks to some nifty solid state chemistry. --HappyCamper 04:36, 21 August 2005 (UTC)

I have a question.....

The south asian subcontinentis separated from the rest of asia by the?

A. Himalayas and the Hindu Kush
B. Nile Valley
C. Ganges
D. Arabian peninsula
Question contributed by 67.182.209.137 hydnjo talk 02:12, 21 August 2005 (UTC)

Why do I feel like saying Go little sparrow, and use this idea to help you find food. And then little sparrow, you will not only not go hungry but you will pass this on to your offspring, and they also will not go hungry. hydnjo talk 02:24, 21 August 2005 (UTC)

Why take the word of a stranger and risk getting the wrong answer. Please read South Asia and the answer may become obvious. If after reading the article you are still confused as to the answer then, by all means, c'mon back and we'll give you some additional help. hydnjo talk 01:06, 21 August 2005 (UTC)

Also realize that this is not a place for direct answers to homework questions. ¦ Reisio 01:13, 2005 August 21 (UTC)

Maybe the IP was a somehow involved with Who Wants to be Millionaire? :-) --HappyCamper 02:48, 21 August 2005 (UTC)

Perhaps. Does that somehow make us complicit or even better, beneficiaries. Go Fundraising. hydnjo talk 03:06, 21 August 2005 (UTC)

Wikisolution

Hello,

I was wondeing if Wiki will start a new project which will be similar to Google Answers.

It could have endless amount of problems with the solutions.

IE. How do you find the square root of something?

For example type in http://www.google.com which means call up Google and put "sqrt of 7" in the question box. And then magically you get the answer. I guess I don't get the question, hydnjo talk 03:57, 21 August 2005 (UTC)

Then someone could answer it.

Is there any furtue for this type of project?

Wikipedia is first of all an online Encyclopedia. To the extent that someone has a question about a specific topic, our article will I think provide a comprehensive response. To the extent that an arbitrary question is posed, then we have Wikipedia:Ask a question to help the user that may have a question not addressed in our catalog of articles.

Google Answers is an excellent place to pose specific (out of the ordinary) questions that most likely wouldn't be addressed within an encyclopedia article (How do I know if my septic system is working?). These types of questions may also be posed at the Wikipedia:Reference desk (or as a shortcut: WP:RD). Both places will probably get you a satisfactory response although at the Wikipedia:Reference desk there is no cost for an answer.hydnjo talk 03:57, 21 August 2005 (UTC)

Maybe he's asking if we could create technology like Google's that instantly answers questions automatically. If so, the answer is definitely not. However, the Reference Desk(this) is a great free substitute for Google Answers, IMHO. Superm401 | Talk 04:50, August 21, 2005 (UTC)

hut in the Melbourne Botanical Gardens

Does anyone know what this hut is? Like is it Captain Cook's Cottage? It was taken at the Royal Melbourne Botanical Gardens --Fir0002 05:23, August 21, 2005 (UTC)

It does look like Captain Cook's cottage, but that is in the Fitzroy Gardens, not the Royal Melbourne Botanical Gardens (unless it's been shifted again since I saw it in 1998).-gadfium 05:40, 21 August 2005 (UTC)

Whatever it is, it looks far too new to have been used by Cook! At a guess, I'd say it is less than 30-40 years old - MPF 11:43, 21 August 2005 (UTC)

Babe Ruth Or Honus Wanger

Did either Babe Ruth or Honus Wagner ever play ball for the town of Bulger PA. ?

Identification of photos

Hi! I have some more photos for identification:

• Parasites or caterpillar eggs?
  Parasites or caterpillar eggs?
• 
  Taken in Melbourne Australia, during winter months
• 
  Taken in Melbourne Botanical Gardens. Is it a strangler fig?
• Taken in Melbourne Botanical Gardens. I've already named it a strangler fig, but I'd like to have a second (or more!) opinon
  Taken in Melbourne Botanical Gardens. I've already named it a strangler fig, but I'd like to have a second (or more!) opinon

Thanks again! --Fir0002 05:50, August 21, 2005 (UTC)

The second from left are Red Hot Pokers MyNameIsClare talk 09:20, 21 August 2005 (UTC)

More answers at Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Tree of Life - MPF 11:44, 21 August 2005 (UTC)

dolphin and an anchor seal

I am trying to figure out what the saying is that is around the dolphin and an anchor seal. If you could help me i would appreciate it!

Thanks Jessica.

You mean "Festina lente" ("Hurry slowly")? "...the anchor symbolizes delay in considering and the dolphin speed in finishing." [4] (Erasmus) David Sneek 06:32, 21 August 2005 (UTC)

Mathematics: Handshakes

Prove that the number of people who have shaken hands an odd number of times is an even number. --anonym

Do you have a question to ask, or are you just giving us homework problems? ¦ Reisio 07:58, 2005 August 21 (UTC)

Hint: count the number of people-handshakes in two different ways. On the one hand, it is twice the number of handshakes (because there are two people involved in each handshake) so it must be even. On the other hand, it is the sum over all people of the number of times each person has shaken hands. What can you say about the number of odd terms in a sum whose result is even ? Gandalf61 09:54, August 21, 2005 (UTC)

• $H={\frac {P*(P-1)}{2}}$

Where H=handshakes, P=people, (p-1) because out of p people I do not shake hands with myself. There are p*(p-1) encounters, and I divide by 2 because John and Mary shake hands once.

$p*(p-1)\$ has to equal an even number because

$2H=2*(2n+1)=\ even$, where n is any positive integer.

What do you think? Am I wrong? Do you proceed with a different thread of reasoning and would you like explain in a less verbal fashion? --anonym.

Yes, you are wrong. First of all, H is the number of times P people would shake hands if all had to shake hands with each other. The problem never asks about such a case. Second, all you've proven is that 2H is even, which is obvious anyway. See hint above, it pretty much solves the problem for you. Ornil 19:21, 21 August 2005 (UTC)

I get confused starting with "On the other hand, it is the sum over all people of the number of times each person has shaken hands. What can you say about the number of odd terms in a sum whose result is even ?" Can someone symbolically explain this part?--anonym

Classic "double counting" argument. Symbolically:

$\sum _{\mbox{people}}{\mbox{handshakes per person}}=\sum _{\mbox{handshakes}}{\mbox{people per handshake}}=2|{\mbox{handshakes}}|$

$\Rightarrow 2{\big |}\sum _{\mbox{people}}{\mbox{handshakes per person}}$

• Thank for the symbols.

If $2{\big |}\sum _{\mbox{people}}{\mbox{handshakes/person}}\neq P*(P-1),$then what does it equal?

>Suppose there are two people. Then each person shakes hands once.

  People       Handshakes per person
  ------       ---------------------
     2                   1

Now another guy walks into the room. He shakes hands with the two people already there (two handshakes for him), and each of the people already there adds a handshake to his collection (two total for them):

  People       Handshakes per person
  ------       ---------------------
     2                   1
     3                   2

Now another guy walks into the room. He shakes hands with the three people already there (three handshakes for him), and each of the people already there adds a handshake to his collection (three total for them):

  People       Handshakes per person
  ------       ---------------------
     2                   1
     3                   2
     4                   3

If you continue this for a while, you'll see that the number of handshakes per person is odd only when the number of people is even.

> 2H=N*(N-1)

Odd handshakes-->even people, e.g., 45 handshakes-->10 people.

--even people ---does not imply--> odd handshakes because, for example, 24 people shake hands 276 times.

But the basic equation is (handshakes)*2=(people)*(people-1).

-anonym - learning that I was initially right.

But the original problem does not say that everyone shakes hands exactly once with everyone else. In your example, suppose some of the people entering the room only shake hands with a few people, not with everyone already there ? Suppose some pairs of people shake hands more than once ? The number of people who have shaken hands an odd number of times is still always even, but your argument does not work because the total number of handshakes may be more than or less than p(p-1)/2. Gandalf61 09:14, August 23, 2005 (UTC)

• You are right because if there are 24 people, then EACH person has shaken 23 hands; however, the TOTAL number of handshakes is 276, if everyone shakes hands with each other once.

I think I got it right; however, if I still do not understand another aspect of the problem, then let me know. --anonym

Partial Sum

Find a simple formula for $F_{1}^{2}+F_{2}^{2}+F_{3}^{2}+...+F_{n}^{2},$where $F_{k}^{2}$is the kth Fibonacci number. --anonym

Do you have a question to ask, or are you just giving us homework problems? ¦ Reisio 07:59, 2005 August 21 (UTC)

Fibonacci tiling

Hint: what is the area of the rectangle formed by a Fibonacci spiral tiling (the diagram on the right shows a Fibonacci spiral tiling of squares with sides equal to the first 6 Fibonacci numbers). Gandalf61 10:11, August 21, 2005 (UTC)

$F_{1}^{2}+F_{2}^{2}+F_{3}^{2}+...+F_{n}^{2},$is

$\sum _{k=1}^{n}F_{k}^{2}=F_{n}*F_{n+1}$.

In the case of the picture, we have

$\sum _{k=1}^{6}F_{k}^{2}=F_{6}*F_{7}=8*13=104$.

Thank you.--anonym

Mathematical Product

Find the product $\left(1-{\frac {1}{4}}\right)\left(1-{\frac {1}{9}}\right)\left(1-{\frac {1}{16}}\right)...\left(1-{\frac {1}{n^{2}}}\right)$. --anonym

Do you have a question to ask, or are you just giving us homework problems? ¦ Reisio 07:59, 2005 August 21 (UTC)

Check out the article Infinite product first...there is one equation there which seems to almost match the one here...A nice closed form expression exists for the product if you take the limit as n tends to infinity... --HappyCamper 13:43, 21 August 2005 (UTC)

• This problem can be solved without using limits because it is from a pre-calculus contest. I have evaluated the starting factors and think the answer is 1. Am I wrong? --anonym

You are certainly wrong. A product of several terms each less than 1 cannot be 1. Ornil 19:14, 21 August 2005 (UTC)

• anonym may have been thinking about 1/2+1/4+1/8+1/16 .... =1 hydnjo talk 20:50, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

It's pretty simple -- just use brute force. For n=2, of course, it's 3/4. For n=3, it's 4/6. For n=4, it's 5/8. Figure out the relationship between n and the numerator and the denominator, and the answer will fall into place. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 19:52, 21 August 2005 (UTC)I know that $\lim _{n\to \infty }{\frac {n^{2}-1}{n^{2}}}=1$.

But what does $\prod _{n=2}^{n\to \infty }{\frac {n^{2}-1}{n^{2}}}$

equal?--anonym

This is exactly the same expression as the original expression. Have you tried jpgordon's heuristic? It should be written as

$\prod _{n=2}^{\infty }{\frac {n^{2}-1}{n^{2}}}$ --HappyCamper 17:33, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

>

  1 - 1/4 =  (1 - 1/2)(1 + 1/2) = 1/2 x 3/2

  1 - 1/9 =  (1 - 1/3)(1 + 1/3) = 2/3 x 4/3

  1 - 1/16 = (1 - 1/4)(1 + 1/4) = 3/4 x 5/4

  ...........................................

  1 -1/n^2 = (1 - 1/n)(1 + 1/n) = (n-1)/n x (n+1)/n

If we multiply these all together we get

1/2 x 3/2 x 2/3 x 4/3 x 3/4 x 5/4 x .... x (n-1)/n x (n+1)/n 

All terms cancel except very first and very last giving the result

  1/2 x (n+1)/n

If n -> infinity (n+1)/n -> 1 so the product -> 1/2

--Anonym with Dr. Math's help.

• Right. Or, by my heuristic (brute-force) approach -- hm, 3/4, 4/6, 5/8, oh! That's (n+1)/2n, right? (Easy to prove, he says waving his hand); then the limit also falls in place. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 23:45, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

  I'm dying to ask...is the convergence uniform? Is there a product for which the heuristic fails? --HappyCamper 23:47, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

  • Well, it's not a heuristic for the value -- it's a heuristic (I don't think that's the right word, actually) to glean the formula from the first few values of the series. My mind tries immediately to turn series into generating functions: f(n) = f(n - 1) * g(n) sorts of things. So the formula is exact and converges uniformly. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 23:58, 24 August 2005 (UTC)
    • Thanks for the explanation. I learned something new today! --HappyCamper 00:15, 25 August 2005 (UTC)

Blood types in bio articles

I've noticed a few biographical articles that had the person's blood type listed. Of those I've seen, all of them concerned someone who was from China or Taiwan. Is this some sort of cultural thing over there? Or is it maybe just coincidence that I ran into the articles that someone pulled info from the same source books or magazines that happen to list this sort of info? Dismas 09:34, 21 August 2005 (UTC)

See Japan_blood_type_theory_of_personality - it seems to be like an astrology type thing MyNameIsClare talk 09:44, 21 August 2005 (UTC)

The closest similar idiocy in the US was the Eat Right for Your Bloodtype book by Peter Adamo, which read as if it were describing how to feed different species of pets (e.g., herbivores vs carnivores) all based on this single inheritable cell surface protein! alteripse 10:40, 21 August 2005 (UTC)

• In some Japanese computer games, you get a character's blood type, as well as their ability to jump and run fast etc, to help make your descision.--Commander Keane 12:26, August 21, 2005 (UTC)

Thanks for the explanations. The more I learn about Japanese culture, the more strange it seems... Which of course begs the question, how weird are we Americans to them? Dismas 13:30, 21 August 2005 (UTC)

First off, remember that "strange" is a loaded word… As my high-school Spanish teacher taught us, "it's not strange, it's different. As an American currently living in Japan, I can attest that it is very different at times. How are Americans portrayed in Japanese culture? That's probably fodder for an entire article… English is used (and often misused) all over the place here. One of the schools I work at (teaching English, natch) is located in a shopping mall, in which nearly every single store has an English name, even though almost all of them are entirely Japanese companies (the The Gap right next to the Starbucks being an exception — right next to, fer crissake). It's kind of odd seeing your language being used solely for ornamental purposes, though I suppose Chinese people feel the same about all these Americans getting Chinese character tattoos without the least clue about what they mean.

Anyway, to sum things up, there's a commercial running on Japanese TV now where a bunch of Japanese people are at a wedding reception, singing a heavily accented version of "If You're Happy and You Know It" while dancing, cutting a cake, and doing other things associated with Western wedding receptions. As we get quick clips of people enjoying themselves at the party, our POV is deliberately drawn to the black man playing the piano to the tune of the song, and the handsome blonde photographer. I could go on, but this reply is getting long enough and I think that says plenty for now -- hit up my Talk page if you'd like to talk about this some more. Garrett Albright 15:16, 21 August 2005 (UTC)

I can't resist adding one more thing; for all that people worry about the McDonaldization of the world, McDonald's is one of the few American (or Japanese, for that matter!) outfits over here that use a logo in Japanese; マクドナルド, "Makudonarudo". Interesting. See the pictures of Japanese restaurants on McDonald's. Garrett Albright 15:21, 21 August 2005 (UTC)

G8 presidency order

The G8 article states that the presidency is alternated between each member country yearly in the order which they joined (France, United States of America, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Italy, Canada, Russia). However, according to the article, Russia is president next year in 2006, between the United Kingdom and Germany (out of order) and when Russia should be president after Canada, in 2011, they seem to skip Russia and France becomes president. Anyone know the reasons why they aren't going in order? --Colonel Cow 12:28, 21 August 2005 (UTC)

charles stross' father

i am looking for information about a man named ricki stross. he was is cairo in 1937. he fell in love with a girl of 19 called vera faithfull. ricki stross was czechoslovakian. he was working for his fathers company in cairo. he went back to czechoslovakia and sent vera a photo of himself in a soldier's uniform. vera faithfull (now mcnair), is my mother. she is 88 now and remembers her first love very vividly and with great affection. she says: we both knew there was a war coming, and we would be on different sides. if charles stross's father was called ricki, there might be some connection. josie thomas.

Are you asking about the author Charles Stross? I have absolutely no idea, though I'd guess it's pretty unlikely statistically speaking...

Our page at Charles Stross links to his website, which has a contact email form, which would seem to be the best way to ask. (If you meant someone else, then who? If it's someone we should have an article on, it'd be helpful to know so we can create one) Shimgray 15:24, 21 August 2005 (UTC)

Language codes

In HTML, you can mark text as being in english with either <meta http-equiv="Content-Language" content="en-gb">, or with <div lang="en">. How do you mark text as being in quenya and other fictional languages? Ojw 16:10, 21 August 2005 (UTC)

HTML language tags are described in detail here and use ISO 639 country codes. ISO 639 seems to have an entry for some fictional languages, e.g. Klingon (tlh), but not Quenya (or Sindarin, or even Elvish). x-quenya is probably as good as anything. -- Rick Block (talk) 18:08, August 21, 2005 (UTC)

Sheffield Milk Jug

I need to find some info about a silver plate milk jug marked on the bottom =="Sheffield Plate with a crown, crossed keys, and the number 29.

Well, it was made in Sheffield from Sheffield steel and silver plate. The mark to which you refer is the hallmark See here, but googling around I tihnk you might have to have a look at a book. Dunc|☺ 20:18, 21 August 2005 (UTC)

Correction: it's Sheffield plate. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 20:19, 21 August 2005 (UTC)

My violin is 22 inches long. What size is it -1/2, 3/4?

Just want to know what I have. I have an Allan V-15 small violin measuring 22" from its bottom to the very top. I want to know if this a a 1/2 size or 3/4. Thanks

I believe it is 3/4 size. I have a 7/8 and two full size, and they are both slightly larger. Here is a size chart: [5] Hope that helps! Antandrus (talk) 19:53, 21 August 2005 (UTC)

Are you concerned that the violin may not be the correct size for you? A quick check I do with students is to tell them to try and grab the scroll of the violin while it is on their shoulder. Can you reach it comfortably? If not, it might be a bit too big. --HappyCamper 22:10, 21 August 2005 (UTC)

tv show northern exposure

what network is northern exposure now on being hallmark doesn't have it on anymore? thank you

If you're asking what television network originally aired Northern Exposure, it's CBS. See our Northern Exposure article for more. Garrett Albright 01:36, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

Um, I think our reader wants to know what network, if any, is currently screening the show in the United States. The answer may, sadly, be "none"; Yahoo's TV guide doesn't reveal any cable, satellite, or free-to-air broadcaster showing the program at present. However, you can buy the first three seasons on DVD, for instance from Amazon.com. I think it's highly likely that subsequent series of this well-loved show will be released in the future. --Robert Merkel 01:50, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

wanna help u!

hi i am from shiraz/iran! i would like to work with u to complete the infos on shiraz my city! contact me @ (email removed)

Welcome! Thanks for your offer of assistance; you don't need our permission, just go to the Shiraz, Iran page, click on the link that says "edit this page", and make any corrections and improvements you'd like to make to it, or indeed any other article. You may also be interested in the Persian language Wikipedia and the Arabic-language wikipedia. (NB: I have sent an email to our Iranian friend pointing him to this reply). --Robert Merkel 00:33, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

first broadcast of shoot out on TV

According to Lee_Harvey_Oswald#Oswald.27s_death, Jack Ruby shooting Lee Harvey Oswald (in 1963) was the first time in TV history that a homicide was captured and shown publicly live. But General Nguyen Ngoc Loan executing a Viet Cong prisoner in Saigon (in 1968) says the broadcast of the execution gained notoriety as the first broadcast of a death on television. Is there any truth in the latter statement or the anon user just made that up [6] ? Jay 22:01, 21 August 2005 (UTC)

• Oswald didn't die instantly; his shooting was televised, but not his death. -- Jmabel | Talk 22:30, August 21, 2005 (UTC)

• • I was under the impression that he died instantly. Any idea what time he died ? Article gives the time of the attack as 11.21 AM. Jay 16:55, 23 August 2005 (UTC)

• I would also question whether the TV footage of General_Nguyen_Ngoc_Loan was broadcast live. DJ Clayworth 17:03, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

• The user that inserted that stuff seems a genuine chap, I've been looking at his contributions. That's not to say he can't just be plain wrong though ;o) --bodnotbod 21:03, August 22, 2005 (UTC)

MLA Citation

I am trying to cite the Leonardo Da Vinci article on the Wikipedia online encyclopedia and I dont know what to do. Could you help me??

See Wikipedia:Citing Wikipedia. Guettarda 22:10, 21 August 2005 (UTC)

Washington State desert names

What are the names of all the deserts in Washington State. The one in particularly I would like to know is the one that is on the east side of Washington and runs from the Canada/Washington border through Oregon and into California.

Hmm. I live in said desert, and I have no idea. I don't think it has a name. --Matt Yeager 00:49, August 22, 2005 (UTC)

• Isn't that the Columbia Plateau (and the northern part of the Great Basin)? --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 01:20, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

clip clop

You know when people ask you to an impression of a horse walking, and you make a "clip clop" sound with the tongue. Well, how do u write that sound in IPA? It's for a weird short novel that I'm writing - and this in needed in a scene, without it the scene would be a lot less funny. --Wonderfool t(c) 00:05, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

Perhaps something here might be useful? Click_consonant, Xhosa language, Xhosa --HappyCamper 00:46, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

A Dam, A Rock, A City, but what's the name

I am trying to find a name of a dam and city in the US that share the name of a rock.

Plymouth? Plymouth rock. The city Plymouth. Results on yahoo show that there is a Plymouth Dam. I don't really understand your question, but I hope thats what your looking for. Rentastrawberry 03:30, August 22, 2005 (UTC)

How about Boulder? The dam is a bit better known. alteripse 03:34, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

Yeah but the dam's name is Hoover Dam. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 04:04, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

Yeah, but originally it was called Boulder Dam; Boulder_Dam#The_naming_controversy ¦ Reisio 04:20, 2005 August 22 (UTC)

Yeah, and Old New York was once New Amsterdam. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 05:14, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

Yeah, and one time my sister and her friends dressed up like The Bangles and made a music video, but that's also completely irrelevant. ¦ Reisio 05:23, 2005 August 22 (UTC)

Rock Island Dam? I tried :( K1Bond007 05:26, August 22, 2005 (UTC)

Sudoku

I am stuck on this Sudoku problem and would like some help with it. Ideally, the solution and perhaps an analysis of where I went wrong :-) I don't know where this particular puzzle came from since I found it lying around in the office.

Here's the puzzle

4	6	2		7
5			1		2		6
					3	5	2	4
6	8		2			4
		9		6	5		1
		3	7				5	8
2	5		3		7
		6		5		1		2
	1			2		3		5

I have:

4	6	2	5	7	X		3	1
5			1	4	2		6
			6	X	3	5	2	4
6	8	5	2	X	X	4
		9	X	6	5	2	1	3
		3	7	9	X	6	5	8
2	5		3	1	7			6
		6		5		1		2
	1			2	6	3		5

In particular, something seems incorrect in the middle, but if I backtrack, I find a contradiction! Any tips would be appreciated. --HappyCamper 04:05, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

See, perhaps, http://www.soduku.org.uk/. -- Rick Block (talk) 04:46, August 22, 2005 (UTC)

Nothing seems wrong to me; I solved it and all your numbers are right, though I don't know what the X means. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 05:12, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

I have changed the numbers he got wrong to Xes. --R.Koot 05:31, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

• I don't know where you went wrong, but I managed to solve it without problems. You probably had some duplicate numbers in the same row. I suggest you double check before you put them in. - Mgm|^(talk) 08:07, August 22, 2005 (UTC)

  Ah, of course. I put an 8 in the very top X without noticing a 9 in the other row. Thanks! --HappyCamper 10:38, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

This puzzle is interesting because (1) the layout is not symmetric and (2) the initial position has an unusually large number of filled-in cells: in newspapers, puzzles typically have 20–30 filled-in cells in the initial grid. This has 36. So I suspect the puzzle has been generated by computer, and rather naïvely too. Gdr 13:05:53, 2005-08-22 (UTC)

European Cup & Champions Leauge.

Hi,

Could you please clarify, if possible, the following questions!

1. How many Republic of Ireland players have won a European Cup or Champions League meadal?

2. Who are they?

3.And if a team wins the Champions League how many medals are awarded and what is the criteria for the allocation?

Thank you for your help in thios matter.

Joe.

Tryptophan vs. L-

And your question is... - Mgm|^(talk) 10:32, August 22, 2005 (UTC)

Are you asking a question about the amino acids? They come in L and D forms and the L form predominates in biology. --HappyCamper 10:34, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

Want to be registered

I am a Namibian citizen and old Swapo support. However, I have realised my support, to be invisible hence I am not a registered member of Swapo.

Therefore, my question goes like, "How do I become a registered member of Swapo? I am not in Namiba now and I have been living in a marginalised village while home therefore.

I'm reachable at the following e-mail addresses. rkanime2001 at yahoo dot ca rubestov at yahoo dot com

Your kindly attention will be highly appreciated!!

• Sorry, this is not the website of SWAPO but of Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Apparently SWAPO does not have an operating website (though I would check on www.swapo.org again in the future), so we were the first google result. I suggest calling friends and family back in Namibia or talking to fellow Namibian expatriates in the country you're in now (presumably Canada) about registering with SWAPO.--Pharos 11:07, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

Underground

(moved from article space - Mgm|^(talk) 10:32, August 22, 2005 (UTC))
i am looking in the unergroud of old sacamento,ca i have heard there is a undergound but not much is know any thing that is know would be good to know. - anon User:12.72.149.184

• Please be more specific. Do you mean an underground railway? I looked on www.urbanrail.net and www.lightrail.com, but could find nothing. Do you mean underground tunnels? Ground Zero 20:15, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

The streets of Sacramento were raised in the 1860s because of repeated flooding. Try http://www.newsreview.com/issues/sacto/2003-07-17/cover.asp. Zoe 23:44, August 22, 2005 (UTC)

Writing data to a disk

what term is used to refer to the process of writing data to a disk?

• Saving? — JIP | Talk 13:10, 22 August 2005 (UTC)
• Many people will say "burn" when referring to a Compact disc or DVD. Though "writing" is also correct. Dismas 13:19, 22 August 2005 (UTC)
• Writing. ¦ Reisio 13:21, 2005 August 22 (UTC)
• To a hard disk or a magnetic disk, I'd say writing; to a recordable-CD or derivative, I'd say recording. Rob Church ^{Talk | Desk} 01:32, 25 August 2005 (UTC)

product and its territory with refernce to its a organisational structure

hi, my name is mervyn. i wanted information about companies that have an organisational structure for its product in a certain territory. hope u can provide me this infomation asap. my email id: aqua_thirsty AT hotmail DOTcom. thankyou.

• Please be more specific, if you can.--Pharos 13:26, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

Who is the author and title of this book?

I remember reading a science fiction novel many years ago that referenced a "new" race of humans that were developed from "normal" human genes, but altered for various qualities. As a result of this "tampering" the birth rate of the "new" humans was very low. To alleviate this problem, a special scheme of "breeding" was created which was called "braiding". As I recall the family consisted of "inner" and "outer" siblings. The inner siblings were brother and sister and each inner sibling chose one outer sibling to mate with. Can anyone tell me who the author is and the name of the novel? I would like to re-read this book, if only I could find it.

--anon

This is The Family Trade by Charles Stross. There is a recently published sequel, and more books in the sereies are expected. This kind of question is often usefully asked on the usenet group rec.arts.sf.written. DES ^(talk) 05:12, 23 August 2005 (UTC)

But Family Trade is fairly new - his site says first published December 2004, which fits my memory - and the questioner remembered it from a few years back...

It did have the braiding thing, but it wasn't a new race per se, nor do I remember the inner-outer sibling thing. It's a similar book, but I don't think it's the one being looked for. (I second "ask RASFW", though) Shimgray 22:56, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

just war / just price

Hi, I would like to know of what is the meaning of just war and just price? Is it closer to a "fair" or a "righteous"? roscoe_x 13:49, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

Well the meanings are pretty clear from the articles, perhaps if you could re-phrase the question, or add some context, we could help. Trollderella 15:12, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

I think I've found the answer from a dictionary. Thanks for your response. Cause I only knew "just" (meaning) when it is used in "just now". roscoe_x 21:18, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

you want this link then -- "just" is from yewes- "ritually pure" :) dab (ᛏ) 21:32, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

and, in this sense, has the same etymology as "justice". -- Jmabel | Talk 06:16, August 24, 2005 (UTC)

Ok, I got it. Thanks for all the responses. roscoe_x 14:23, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

bengals vs. broncos mnf 2004

Last night me and some people had a disagreement about the 2004 monday night football game bengals vs. broncos 2004. The issue was, when they came back from commercial they showed a local chili place called Camp Washington Chili. When they showed it John Madden said he loved Cincinnati style chili. The dispute over this is they say that the local area here is the only ones that seen this. Did the people of Denver see Camp Washington Chili on TV like we did?? Please let me know

Thanks,Chris

Without having any specific knowledge of that particular broadcast, I would say that the answer is no. It is unlikely that a local restaurant would pay the amount of money necessary for a national ad. What seems more likely is that since it was a Bengals game, that John Madden was watching the Cincinnati feed and so made the related comment. --CVaneg 19:07, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

It sounds like they showed the place as part of the ABC feed before returning to the game, in which case everybody saw it -- it's not an ad but rather a culture spot. There wouldn't be a Cincy or Denver TV feed for a nationally-broadcast game, anyway. — Lomn | Talk 19:23:35, 2005-08-23 (UTC)

pronuciation

where is the guide to pronunciating words like

/tʃe/ or /ʃeɪ/

At International Phonetic Alphabet, or (more concisely but less complete) International Phonetic Alphabet for English, or (even more concisely and even less complete) IPA chart for English. —Cryptic (talk) 16:38, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

Pronunciation of Old English Personal names beginning with 'C'

I am in the process of researching my surname 'Kidd', but have no linguistic qualifications.

Bishop Cedd established a church at Lastingham (654), Yorkshire, and was a pupil, under Aidan, at Lindisfarne. Although of a 'missionary Roman Christian' upbringing, he and his younger brother Chad (as well as Cuthbert) were much influenced by 'ascetic Celtic Christianity'. The ministry of Bishops Cedd and Chad was widespread (including Northumbria,Mercia,East Anglia,Essex)- in fact, at times, Cedd involved all his brothers, Cynebil, Caelin and Chad, at St Mary's,Lastingham.

Placenames : Kedington is in Suffolk (20 miles from Soham,Cambs - a hive of ancient Kidds; all early American Kidds are thought to descend from a Thomas Kidd of Soham) Keddington is in Lincolnshire. I understand these may derive from 'tun'=farmstead of ingas='the people of' 'Cydda/Cedd'.

Surname Variants : Kyd/Kid/Kydd/Kidd - In the Borders area there are Kide/ Keid/ Kede/ Keed(e)/Kead(e)/ Ked(d); these were probably all subject to a later scots dialect. Other names mentioned in "The Sunames of Scotland" by George F.Black are Kiddie/Keddie/Kiddy/Ceddy and Aidan,Cuthbert,Colman (saints names).

I understand the letter 'K' was rarely used in Old English. And that the Celtic 'K' may easily have replaced the Anglo-Saxon 'C', considering that the aboriginal population were predominatly Briton and not of Anglo-Saxon stock.

Another pointer is that the Anglo-Saxons used alliteration in naming children of the same family, therefore it is likely that Cedd,Cynebil,Caelin and Chad sounded similar. Does King translate from the Old English 'Cyng'? Did the 'Ch' of Chad have a hard 'K' sound? Would all have these brothers' names been pronounced with a hard 'K'?

Specifically, am I correct in assuming Cedd is translatable as Kedd/Kydd/Kidd, if not in immediate Saxon times, over the passage of time? My feeling is that Bishop Cedd converted families of Britons during his missionary work and that such families/communities may have adopted a 'baptismal surname'. Villages like Keddington were such communities, and people with surnames such as Cuthbert and Aidan may have had similar origins. I have recently had my Y-DNA analysed and the haplotype matches against individuals of Border Reiver surnames Beattie, Burns and Dixon, suggesting that my direct paternal genetic roots are indeed the Borders area. --Derek44 16:05, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

company registerred in gibralter

can i get info on a company reg. no 52251 adress po box 847 gibralter

Write to them at PO Box 847, Gibralter? What information do you want? Trollderella 16:30, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

I'd recommend spelling it Gibraltar when you do. DJ Clayworth 16:54, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

Tickets for sights in London

Is it possible to purchase tickets for 1. Buckingham Palace 2. Tower of London in Victoria Station? I have heard there is a shop for this right in Victoria Sta. Can you help? Regards Dave email DAVE5907@aol.com

Why not buy a ticket to Buckingham palace at the official Royal Collection site and for the Tower of London try calling (0171) 709 0765 (British dialing code is 44) Superm401 | Talk 21:13, August 22, 2005 (UTC)

Ye gods, it's years since we had 0171 numbers! That number maps to (020) 7709 0765 since London now has 8-digit local numbers. Buckingham Palace is only open in the summer when the Queen's away on holiday (only in August if I recall). The only other way in (other than hang-gliding or climbing the walls, which usually results in a quick exit) is to get invited to a Royal Garden Party, as I did in 1997 - no, I've no idea how you get invited, the invitation from the Lord Chancellor's Office just came in the post one Saturday morning.... -- Arwel 13:09, 23 August 2005 (UTC)

Oooh, royalty in our midst, eh? Rob Church ^{Talk | Desk} 01:34, 25 August 2005 (UTC)

If you are a citizen of a Commonwealth country, contact your High Commission. I believe that they may be able to help get an invite to a Royal Garden Party. Ground Zero 13:26, 23 August 2005 (UTC)

Rules for Translation

I am trying to translate some of the articles in the English version to the Bahasa Melayu language. As the contents of the articles are therefore not original, what are the applicable rules involved and how do I credit the original source? I have been searching for the Wikipedia Guidelines on this matter but have been unable to find it. PM Poon 17:12, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

If you were translating the articles into English, I would suggest giving a link to the Wikipedia article which you have translated and also linking to any references used by that article (noting their language). The Bahasa Melayu Wikipedia may have their own guidelines on this, if not, you may like to propose some there. Warofdreams 17:25, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

• It would also be a good idea to make note of of the original language on the translated article's talk page. BTW, I translated part of a German article a while back and I think some sources were deleted because they weren't in English. To me, that seems to break some rules. Shouldn't citing the original sources be more important than language considerations? - Mgm|^(talk) 18:09, August 22, 2005 (UTC)
  • Deleting sources never adds any value, but I think it is reasonable to encourage having at least some references in the language the article is translated to. - Taxman ^Talk 18:46, August 22, 2005 (UTC)

The food clasification of a pumpkin

Is a pumpkin a starch?And is any squash a starch or carbohydrate?

• You'd best start with our articles on pumpkins, squash and starch. You need to realize that neither of the two vegetables (or are they fruits?) are made up of one type of molecule. But I do think they contain some type of sugar which is a carbohydrate. - Mgm|^(talk) 18:14, August 22, 2005 (UTC)

Edith Falls and other unknown places

Hello I would like to know where Edith Falls should go? Thank you. --Newsreporter 19:03, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

Wikipedia:Naming_conventions ¦ Reisio 23:06, 2005 August 22 (UTC)

Unknown

http://www.psu.edu/ur/about/oldom.jpg Hello what is this place? --Newsreporter 19:43, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

• If I may hazzard a guess its a farm somewhere in Pennsylvania since it is on a Penn State server. 68.83.229.146 22:11, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

• Clicking around in the folder that image is in finds some links and it appears much of it is about penn State history. Then this was linked to from one of those pages. It is the history of the Old Main building on what I assume is Penn State's campus. So your picture looks like farming around the unfinished old Old Main building sometime between 1856 and 1864. - Taxman ^Talk 22:46, August 22, 2005 (UTC)

Unknown

http://www.dreamlandscapes.com/space/space13.jpg Hello what is this? --Newsreporter 19:42, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

Looks like a poorly managed piece of macadam to me. --bodnotbod 00:09, August 23, 2005 (UTC)

Unknown road

Hello what road is this http://www.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/97489/2/Road_to_the_unknown.jpg? --Newsreporter 19:40, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

Unknown location

Hello where is this? http://www.trailblazersww2.org/gettypics3/Unknown%20Location%201.jpg --Newsreporter 19:36, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

• With absolutely no proof and very limited memories of the city, it reminds me somewhat of Bristol. --Brasswatchman 06:04, August 23, 2005 (UTC)
• I'd concur that in some respects, it does look a little like Bristol, although of course, Bristol has been redeveloped so much that some of the older architecture is no longer there, making deduction and comparison like this tricky. I'll ponder this one for a while in the back of my head and get back to you if I have an answer. Rob Church ^{Talk | Desk} 01:37, 25 August 2005 (UTC)

War in Iraq

• discussion has been moved to Iraq War --HappyCamper 11:06, 23 August 2005 (UTC)

Oil

It says petroleum Iraq is the lowest and Saudi Arabia is the highest so why is it that Iraqi oil is more important? --Newsreporter 19:20, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

On the list on the petroleum page, Iraq is the lowest because it has been producing far under its capacity for a long time, first as a result of the sanctions, later because of the war. Iraqi oil itself is not more important of course, but now that global supply (84,12 million barrels per day) has been exceeded by demand (84,38 million) [7], the possibility to produce more makes Iraq of strategic importance. David Sneek 19:47, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

Thanks anything else? --Newsreporter 19:48, 22 August 2005 (UTC) What is oil in america right now? The price for a barrel? --Newsreporter 20:00, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

Oil prices are heavily based on supply, demand, and uncertainty. Demand has gone through the roof due to the explosion of China development of their economy. Uncertainty is also very high due to many elements

• Iraq war
• Venezuala economy
• various scientific evidence that the world may be running out of petroleum

Consequently the price of oil is going to get much higher before we see any relief. AlMac|^(talk) 20:20, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

Oil is currently about US$60, though. Superm401 | Talk 00:57, August 24, 2005 (UTC)

To clarify--see peak oil for an explanation, but the theory isn't that we're running out of oil, but rather that it will get harder and harder to produce. Meelar (talk) 20:22, August 22, 2005 (UTC)

Bell of Silence

Hello does anyone know anything about this? --Newsreporter 19:24, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

Did you mean the "Cone of Silence" of the comedy Get Smart? -- Toytoy 01:26, August 23, 2005 (UTC)

Serial Number Location on a Model T Ford Truck

Are you asking where you would find it, or what format they take, or what they mean, or who came up with them, or ... ? Proto t c 14:59, 23 August 2005 (UTC)

Pedefiles

Do they abuse both male and female children, or do they choose one gender only?

• There is no simple answer. Some prefer one sex over the other, while others abuse children of both sexes. See Pedophilia. Ground Zero 21:52, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

• In exactly the same way as for adults who are attracted to other adults it depends on the individual - some are attracted to girls, some to boys and some to either. I cannot cite any sources for this, but I have a vague recollection of hearing somewhere that the proportion attracted to either gender is higher than the proportion of bisexual adults in the general population; if this correct or even if the study was scientifically rigourous and statistically significant I cannot say. For those attracted to both, I suspect that the 'availablity' (for what of a much better term) of the children has an impact on who they become involved with. See also the Paedophile article. Thryduulf 21:58, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

• I don't think it's a question of these paedophiles being "bisexual" as much as it is that they are attracted to "children" as children, and not as boys or girls. Ground Zero 22:03, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

I agree. Many people tend to confuse paedophilia with homosexuality. The fact that a particular paedophile is attracted to children of the same sex does not make them a homosexual. The fact that a particular paedophile is attracted to children of the opposite sex does not make them a heterosexual. The fact that a male adult is attracted to other male adults does not mean they have any sexual interest in little boys (or little girls for that matter), despite what some elements of popular culture and media-induced hype would often have us believe. Hetero-, homo- and bi- sexuality all relate to sexual activity or relationships between adults. Where the victim of an adult's sexual attention is a child, that is paedophilia, pure and simple. I am even tempted to say that the majority of paedophiles whose victims are the same sex are heterosexual rather than homosexual when it comes to their relationships with adults. That is just my belief and I have no evidence to back it up, but certainly media reports would tend to suggest this is the case. Cheers JackofOz 02:14, 23 August 2005 (UTC)

The Greek word "paedophilia" means "love of boys". Despite this, paedophiles can be attracted to boys, girls, or both. While most paedophiles are men, I'm sure female paedophiles exist. — JIP | Talk 18:49, 23 August 2005 (UTC)

• Arguably, see Mary Kay Letourneau. Ground Zero 18:55, 23 August 2005 (UTC)

Catholic orders (?)

I am trying to find out what the letters S.S. mean following the name of scholars such as Raymond E Brown. I know SJ refers to the Society of Jesus and I figure S.S. indicates a similar order of the Church, but was not able to locate it in the list in found in the encyclopedia. thanks william williamhjensen@hotmail.com

Our Catholic Order article states that it stands for the Society of Saint-Sulpice (also known as The Sulpician Fathers)--CVaneg 22:56, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

Our Raymond E. Brown confirms this. --CVaneg 23:02, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

• That should probably be included in SS (disambiguation). - 131.211.210.12 07:59, 23 August 2005 (UTC)
  • done --Tagishsimon (talk)

Yngwie Malmsteen Rock Guitarist Record sales in Soviet Union (Russia)

In your article on Yngwie, you said this:

"Odyssey would be his biggest hit album, mainly because of its first single "Heaven Tonight". Shows in Russia during the Odyssey tour were recorded, and released in 1989 as his fifth album Trial By Fire: Live in Leningrad. Not only was the concert in Leningrad the largest ever concert by a western artist in the Soviet Union, but subsequent Malmsteen record sales in Russia totalled 27 Million. Interestingly that is as many recordings as the Red Hot Chili Peppers had sold in total by 2003, worldwide."

I would like to ask your source on the sales in Russia and if you could direct me to where I might find his total worldwide sales to date.

Thank you,

Adam Kralic

If you check the edit history, you'll find that information was added in this edit, dated 09:57, 6 December 2004. The edit was made by an anonymous user, and no source was provided. Frankly, the Malmsteen article is not one of our better ones; articles about popular musicians tend to be written by fans whose grasp of our NPOV policy is a little bit less complete than it should be. --Robert Merkel 00:37, 23 August 2005 (UTC)

Fire logos in the US

[8] why do fire depts have logos like this?--216.228.164.6 00:41, 23 August 2005 (UTC) PS: I mean the general shape, not the star of life.

• Here's what the FDNY says: [9] --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 04:26, 23 August 2005 (UTC)
  • We just discussed this earlier this month. See this link Dismas 04:44, 23 August 2005 (UTC)

ent_fire code

I want to know what the word or code is to make an npc move or attack.

jtl--24.255.95.187 00:44, 23 August 2005 (UTC)

Personally I prefer to modify the game binary in a hex editor myself...seriously, what game are you referring to? There's thousands of them :)--Robert Merkel

Don't reply to this - go to Wikipedia:Reference_desk#Half_Life_2_code ¦ Reisio 00:05, 2005 August 24 (UTC)

"It tastes like chicken."

A few stand-up comedians have commented on the real-world phenomenon of people who have eaten exotic (to a Westerner's palate) animals reporting that the animal tastes "like chicken".

What I'm wondering is whether any chemical analyses have been done of different meats that shows that the cooked flesh of various animals is near-identical and would account for the similarity in taste. --bodnotbod 01:09, August 23, 2005 (UTC)

When I was in high school, I believed trilobites would taste like shrimps while dinosaurs would taste like chicken jerky. I still think so. -- Toytoy 01:19, August 23, 2005 (UTC)

Well you're wrong. Sorry I've said too much.

Where do people get those high resolution pictures of classical paintings?

Say I want a poster of the Mona Lisa. Since it's in the public domain, I should just be able to print one off at Kinko's. But where do I find high resolution pictures like [10]? Wikimedia commons is full of them. --Jbaber 01:32, August 23, 2005 (UTC)

If you look at the image's page (Image:Georges_Seurat_004.jpg), it should tell you where it's from. ¦ Reisio 01:42, 2005 August 23 (UTC)

Sorry, I have to edit your reply to make the image offline. -- Toytoy 01:56, August 23, 2005 (UTC)

Addle-minded :) ¦ Reisio 01:59, 2005 August 23 (UTC)

Sometimes they are simply not available -- denial of access (no camera, etc.) is in part how museums and archives maintain control over things for which they cannot fall back on intellectual property law. --Fastfission 14:50, 23 August 2005 (UTC)

There are a lot of different paintings here. --Think Fast 23:09, August 23, 2005 (UTC)

need to know 1,000,000=1 million pounds of sterling

Yes, 1 million is written 1,000,000 in the conventional numbering system. so 1,000,000 pounds = 1 million pounds. Was that your question? --Robert Merkel 04:58, 23 August 2005 (UTC)

If you are asking about British/American English differences with regards to numbers, I think they are only around the word billion, not million. --Fastfission 14:58, 23 August 2005 (UTC)

You may want to take a look at Names of large numbers. hydnjo talk 20:47, 23 August 2005 (UTC)

VS Naipaul's Mr Stone and the Knight's Companion

What is the main character's occupation in V.S. Naipaul's Mr Stone and the Knight's Companion?

He's a librarian. David Sneek 05:25, 23 August 2005 (UTC)

Song from Prozac Nation trailer?

I need to know the names of the songs from the Prozac Nation trailer. Specifically, the song that is playing during Ricci's "I call this the crack house where I come to score..." speech.

I think you can see the trailer here:

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/prozac_nation/trailers.php

Cheers

--Scapegoat pariah 06:10, 23 August 2005 (UTC)

You can also try this and this. -- Sundar ^{\talk \contribs} 06:20, August 23, 2005 (UTC)

More links to the trailer doesn't really help me, I have a copy of the trailer at work on a promo disc (work at a video store). Thanks anyway, though. The promo disc plays over and over again, and I hear this song every 15 minutes. It started growing on me. I don't suppose bumping this question would help all that much, since this isn't a forum.

I've e-mailed the company that sent us the disc, still no reply.  :( --Scapegoat pariah 04:39, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

• Assuming the song used in the trailer features in the film the IMDB's soundtrack listing might help. Or couldn't you rent the film (which may feature a longer segment of the song than the trailer), show it to some friends and see if they recognise the artist? --bodnotbod 18:55, August 24, 2005 (UTC)

I listened to a sample of every song listed on imdb.com's soundtrack listing page last night, it wasn't one of them. I am really starting to believe that I may never find out what song this is. --Scapegoat pariah 05:49, 25 August 2005 (UTC)

double base

who made the double base first

• Our article doesn't say. I think your bests bet is http://www.doublebassguide.com/ from the external links of that article and drop the creator a line. He seems to have the sources to find out. - 131.211.210.12 08:04, 23 August 2005 (UTC)

Translation from english to lithuanian

Hi i need to know how to spell/write "From Heaven" (as in I'm from heaven) from english to lithuanian. If you could please e-mail me back on kellyjuch@hotmail.com that would be great. Thank you for your time. --Kelly.

Specificity

I feel that there is an error in "Specificity" term: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specificity

You write that: "For a test to determine who has a certain disease, a specificity of 100% means that all people labeled as sick are actually sick."

But I feel that "For a test to determine who has a certain disease, a specificity of 100% means that all people labeled as NOT sick are actually NOT sick."

• Then go to Talk:Specificity and explain your reasoning to the editors who are involved in the article. - Mgm|^(talk) 12:49, August 23, 2005 (UTC)

Each ... it, or Each ... them?

Moved to Wikipedia:Grammar desk.

Wikipedia:Citing Wikipedia

We have an article on how to cite Wikipedia, and it seems likely that some people do. Are there some examples of books, papers or articles that cite Wikipedia? Radiant_>|< 14:03, August 23, 2005 (UTC)

There's Wikipedia:Wikipedia as an academic source. Frencheigh 14:18, 23 August 2005 (UTC)

• Excellent. Thanks. Radiant_>|< 14:25, August 23, 2005 (UTC)

NTB IN BENIN

You need to ask a question. See NTB and Benin perhaps? Dunc|☺ 15:15, 23 August 2005 (UTC)

I found the NTB article to be pretty uniformative, to be honest... but I would hazzard a guess that the user is looking for the application of negotiations to end non-tariff barriers to trade in agricultural produce for Benin, one of the major achievements of the Uruguay Round of the Agreement on Agriculture here is a start. Trollderella 16:47, 23 August 2005 (UTC)

Adam Smith

I noticed that the Adam Smith entry makes no mention of the influence of Stoicism on his thought. Could some mention of this be made on that web page, with a link to further info on the Stoics?

Thanks, Eve D'Onofrio

Please, be our guest! Welcome to Wikipedia! Trollderella 17:01, 23 August 2005 (UTC)

In case, you didn't get that, you may edit the page yourself. Just click on the "edit this page" link on top of it and add the information in the appropriate place. Ornil 17:56, 23 August 2005 (UTC)

If it is correct of course. Please have some sort of reliable reference to cite so that the change will be trusted. - Taxman ^Talk 18:50, August 23, 2005 (UTC)

Led Zeppelin

I've been listening to some Led Zeppelin songs, and have noticed that most of them have 5 parts. Singing - Robert Plant, Guitar - Jimmy Page, Bass and Piano - John Paul Jones, Drums - John Bonham, but there is another guitar too. The only explanation that I can think of is that Robert Plant plays the guitar too, but I didn't think that he did this. If you don't believe me go to the song Stairway to Heaven during the solo. There are four musical parts, but then Robert Plant isn't singing. Can someone please explain this. It has really started to bug me. Thanks. Rentastrawberry 20:02, August 23, 2005 (UTC)

My guess would be that these are just overdubs of Jimmy Page. Obviously if you're hearing this on something that was recorded live, it might not be the case. ¦ Reisio 22:53, 2005 August 23 (UTC)

InuYasha

In the wikipedia article on Inu Yasha, found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inuyasha

It states that there is an episode #168 available only in Japan.

The most popular/frequented websites on the Inu Yasha anime do not list or mention this episode, neither do the various fansub sites that have followed and translated the Inu Yasha anime.

Can I please have further information on this reference?

Thank you

Someone here might know but the better bet would be to ask on the talk page for that article, Talk:InuYasha. Dismas 21:26, 23 August 2005 (UTC)

General Hospital

Can anyone give me a plot synopsis of what's happened in the past week on General Hospital? I haven't been able to see the show due to my schedule. Hermione1980 20:42, 23 August 2005 (UTC)

Soap Opera Central has recaps of several soap operas, including General Hospital. Chuck 21:47, August 23, 2005 (UTC)

Half Life 2 code

Can someone tell me the code to make an npc attack and fight in a multiplayer game?

shortyjtl--24.255.95.187 23:07, 23 August 2005 (UTC)

See ent_fire code above. Elf | Talk 00:28, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

PLEASE HELP!

I am writing a term paper on James D Watson and i would like his emaill address

The article James D. Watson says that he serves as chancellor of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in Cold Spring Harbor, New York. This link http://www.cshl.edu/ at the bottom of the article gives a contact link. hydnjo talk 00:54, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

Spanish translation

Can someone translate this for me; I have my own translation but I want to compare it to someone else's (it is a bit tricky):

"Se dio cuenta de que acabada de morirse cuando vio que su propio cuerpo, como si no fuera el suyo sino el de un doble, see desplomada sobre la silla y lo arrastraba en la caída. Cadáver y silla quedaron tendidos sobre la alfombra, en medio de la habitación."

--Neutrality^talk 00:28, August 24, 2005 (UTC)

How about, "He realized that he had just died when he saw that his own body, as if it wasn't his own but that of a double, was collasped on the chair and dragged it as it fell. The body and chair remained lying on the carpet, in the middle of the home." That was good practice. I had to refer to the translator for a few words, but translated it manually. What's "see"? Also, what'd you get overall?

See http://babelfish.altavista.com/ for a quick and easy DIY translation service. Shantavira 14:09, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

What is Wikipedia's copyright date?

Please see Wikipedia:Citing Wikipedia (presuming that's what you're aiming at).--Pharos 01:40, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

Race date

I need to know the date of the 1958 Indy 500 race

According to [11], May 30. -- Rick Block (talk) 03:22, August 24, 2005 (UTC)

Patriot Act

Does any article of the Patriot Act require citizens that win sweetstakes to purchase insurance to cover the shipping of any amount of a monetary insturment?

I suspect that someone is trying to defaud you. Be wary of sending money or revealing any personal information to someone who contacts you out of the blue. You can read the full text of the USA PATRIOT Act here. Bovlb 04:48:51, 2005-08-24 (UTC)

• No, until it actually gets into your posession, the company who organized the sweepstakes are responsible for the money. Don't ever send money to receive more money. As Bovlb said, it's probably a scam. Could someone link to the discussion we had earlier this month about that? - 131.211.210.10 07:28, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

Take a look at Advance fee fraud, I think this is what is happening to you! Trollderella 15:44, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

beggarman, thief (1979)

Hello, Do you know where I can purchase a video of the mini-series Beggarman, Thief (1979)? thank you,

• I think you actually mean Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy of the same year. Hopefully you'll find it easier to buy now (especially with shopping links on the right hand side of that IMDB page). --bodnotbod 19:05, August 24, 2005 (UTC)
  • Beggarman, Thief is the sequel miniseries to Rich Man, Poor Man, but there is no listing for it at amazon, so I imagine it isn't released on video. Zoe 22:29, August 24, 2005 (UTC)

Düül

According to various accounts, Düül (as in the rock group name Amon Düül) is variously a Turkish mythical figure, or a Turkish word for "moon". I can't find any evidence for this, nor any cites about what "Düül" actually means. According to various online dictionaries, the Turkish words for "moon" are "ay" or "uydu". Can anyone offer any enlightenment, preferably with a cite? -- Karada 07:50, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

Never heard of the word "Düül" but moon is definitely "ay". Jared Preston 10:45, August 24, 2005 (UTC)

cemetery of Bagneux (France)

Can you tell me what's the best way to find the index of persons who are buried on the cemetery of Bagneux?

Some are named in the Cimetière de Bagneux article. See also this page. David Sneek 08:39, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

Longest Word in Alphebetical Order

What is the longest word in English such that all its letters are in alphabetical order? --Anthonymorris 10:06, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

• abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz (song), if proper nouns count.--Pharos 10:48, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

• Aegilops, which is a form of grass, and also an alternate spelling for 'egilops', an ulcer in a part of the eye. [12]. Proto t c 12:58, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

Further question: What is the shortest phrase or sentence in the English language that includes all the 26 letters in alphabetical order, with possible other letters between them? — JIP | Talk 07:41, 25 August 2005 (UTC)

Pop out side menus

How do you create pop out side menus for a website similar to these? Is there a nice little java script or a program which will generate the necessary code? --Fir0002 10:41, August 24, 2005 (UTC)

http://www.htmldog.com/articles/suckerfish/dropdowns/example/vertical.html
http://www.htmldog.com/articles/suckerfish/dropdowns/ ¦ Reisio 13:46, 2005 August 24 (UTC)

where did glass wasp catchers originate from in europe, how long ago?

My 9 year old son is researching to origins of the small glass wasp catchers used in gardens. To date we have found they came from europe and were blown glass. A vague reference as far back as 1792 states that a dutch masters oil painting shows one in the back drop.

Can you generate any further information on this item? The company I work for sells them to garden centers and very little is known about the item. Any assistance would be appreciated by from my son and I.

Regards,

John Foy

All I can find is this picture of an old-fashioned piège à guêpes à poser. David Sneek 16:38, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

How many priests are there in the US

How many clergymen are there from all Christian denominations are there in the population of the United States? Either the number or a % of the population would be okay - census data? An idea of the number of lay clergy would also be useful. Dunc|☺ 11:51, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

A quick search didn't get any results for me, and if no one else answers you could try to "Contact the HHES Information area at 301-763-3242 or visit ask.census.gov for further information on Industry and Occupation Data." You could also try to extrapolate some estimates from: 31 421 diocesan priests and 14 709 religious priests [13] [14], and the The National Council of Churches' stats. — Jeandré, 2005-08-24t22:15z

It will definitely be helpful to somehow define what you mean by "clergy" and "priests". Are you counting Episcopal priests (some of whom are "clergywomen")? Different church bodies have very different structures and standards for clergy—do you mean to count people who have been ordained? If so, do you include Episcopal deacons (who are ordained but are not yet considered priests)? And Lutheran deaconesses and diaconal ministers are rostered, but not ordained... -Aranel ("Sarah") 23:22, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as I understand it they have a very strong tradition of lay ministry and relatively small numbers of "professional" priests. --Robert Merkel 03:00, 25 August 2005 (UTC)

Adding a Biography

I would like to add the biography of Roberto Alvarez-Galloso,CPUR to Wikipedia.

Well, I don't know who he is, and google wasn't much help, but if you can establish the fact that he's notable for something, go ahead and write the article! You don't need anyone's permission to write an article. Happy writing! Dismas 13:04, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

How to determine if a book is first edition or first printing

How would you determine if a book was first edition or first printing? Does it mean anything if there is not an ISBN # on the book? Are Book Club Editions thought to be worth less or are they altered in any way from a "normal" publication? What is a "remainder mark?" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_publishing Thanks for any help. Barbara Guest

• Usually stuff like the book's edition are mentioned on one of the first few pages together with it's copyright notice. Each seperate edition needs a new ISBN, so if you could establish one it would help. Maybe the book doesn't have an ISBN because it's self-published. I could try to find out more if I knew the title. - 131.211.210.12 13:27, 24 August 2005 (UTC)
  • If the book is old it might not have an ISBN number. Ornil 14:17, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

First editions are generally those which do not mention on their imprint page any other editions or reprintings. Book Club editions are generally worth less than original editions as they are mass produced and sold direct to the consumer. Since they are new editions they might well be altered in some way; they might even be completely resigned and re-set. Books without an ISBN are those published before about 1970, or for private circulation, or self-published by someone who does not understand the ISBN system. A remainder mark is any mark, on the outside of book, used by the publisher to show that the book has been withdrawn for the normal markets and that the remaining stock has been sold off cheaply to a remainder specialist. Shantavira 14:30, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

Since books don't necessarily tell you whether they are first editions, try searching a large antique book seller like http://www.abebooks.com/. See if they list a first edition of your book. See if it matches your book in every respect. If so you probably have a first. Notinasnaid 17:47, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

• I was under the impression that the edition numbers in the front page counted down sequentially to 1 if the item was a first edition. Some newer titles also specify "First Edition." As an example, I've a book near me which counts "10 9 8 7 6 5 4" indicating a fourth edition. Rob Church ^{Talk | Desk} 01:47, 25 August 2005 (UTC)

english bank notes

Can you tell us which denomination of bank note did the Bank of England introduce in 1752 and withdraw in 1945.

joyce.peter@tesco.net

Peter

• I can't answer your question, but our article on British banknotes provides some clues. Warofdreams 13:57, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

I'm assuming that this is a quiz question. If I recall correctly all denominations above £5 were withdrawn in 1945 to counter the forgeries produced by Operation Bernhardt. Question is what was introduced in 1752? I would guess the tenner. Jooler 01:38, 25 August 2005 (UTC)

Astronomy

What are at least four planetary attributes that determine atmospheric composition and behavior of a planet?

1. The size of the planet (because of...)
2. The distance of the planet to the star it revolves around (because...)
3. The speed of rotation of the planet (what might this do?)
4. The location of the planet with respect to debris in space (or this?)
5. The amount of radiation received by the planet...(what happens when radiation hits the atmosphere? Influence of energy?)

Et cetera...

Think: What is an atmosphere? What might influence its thickness? What about its turbulence? What about its colour? Does temperature play a role? What about asteroids? Et cetera, et cetera...

This sounds very much like a homework question, and I'd highly encourage you to think of different reasons why this question is being asked. Be creative: what concepts does your educator want to convey to you? Why might the question be phrased in an open ended manner? There are lots of factors which influence atmospheric composition. To show you understand the concepts, try to give a reason why you think X is a contributing factor for influencing atmospheric charateristics. There might not be a "correct" answer, but there are always well reasoned ones. Aim for these and I think you'd get pretty close to answering what is being asked! :-) --HappyCamper 14:09, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

• Our article on atmosphere may also hold some answers. - Mgm|^(talk) 17:39, August 24, 2005 (UTC)

• Also look at Celestial body atmosphere for additional stuff. hydnjo talk 19:22, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

Rot or Spoil?

Does bread rot or spoil? Or is there another term applied for bread? --anonym

• Bread goes stale, or even mouldy. Warofdreams 16:40, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

...and eventually rots. All these states spoil the bread. Shantavira 16:52, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

Annuities

If I invest in monthly ordinary annuities, do I have set aside a fixed amount of my income to pay for the annuity every month? Or do I receive a fixed monthly amount? --anonym

• Bread goes stale. You invest a lump sum in an annuity, which then pays you monthly (e.g.) income. Unless you are a financial institution, then you receive the lump sum, and pay the annuity. Ground Zero 15:02, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

• Where are you located? In the United States, there is the concept of a deferred annuity in which there is an accumulation phase where you can invest various amounts to build up the account value, and then later annuitize it, which means to turn it into a stream of lifetime payments. Here we call a pure annuity (no accumulation phase) an immediate annuity because it starts the stream of income immediately. I can see the sense of generating taxable income immediately at the same time as when you are saving money into the annuity, especially when there are other options. Though outside the US, I don't know what those options are. See our annuity article for more. - Taxman ^Talk 16:57, August 24, 2005 (UTC)

Do banks or other financial institutions offer an annuity in perpetuity to their customers? --anonym

• Annuities are offered to individuals during their life-spans. When you die, the annuity ends. The pay-out of the annuity is usually based on your expected remaining life-span. Some financial instutions may offer a lump-sum pay-out to your estate if your die within a short period of time. In the past, "perpetual bonds" were issued, which continue to pay interest to this day. These are not annuities per se. I do not believe that anybody issues these anymore. A bank, building society, credit union or insurance agent would be able to give you more information on annuities. Ground Zero 16:19, 24 August 2005 (UTC)
• In the US only insurance companies can issue annuities because they are insuring (guaranteeing based on their assets only) that they can continue making the annuity payments for the life of the annuitant or for a period certain. - Taxman ^Talk 16:57, August 24, 2005 (UTC)

There are financial instruments that pay out in perpetuity. For example I inherited War Bonds from a relative, who bought them for a one-off payment. They could not be cashed in but would pay out an annual sum. Since they were bought in the war their annual payment would now be a couple of pennies, and I have no idea what happened to them. DJ Clayworth 18:36, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

Did you read the annuity and pension articles? Trollderella 19:29, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

Electric Inductor

Can you explain to a layperson how an inductor differs from a resister? Don't they both lower the flow of electric charge, and thus current? If you can include an anology or picture, it would be excellent; however,I will appreciate any comment. --anonym

• Please read inductor and resistor. They will probably answer your questions. And they have pictures. You can search for answers to questions that you have by entering the term in the "search" box on the left of the Wikipedia screen, and clicking "search". Ground Zero 15:06, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

Quite a few perspectives can be used to answer this question. Sometimes, a resistor is considered to be an energy dissipative element, while an inductor and a capacitor are considered energy storage units. This means that a resistor can't be used to store energy. It simply drains it away in a circuit as heat. Of course, this doesn't mean that resistors aren't useful. All the passive circuit elements have some utility - some are specialized in certain things. Inductors in particular, can store energy due to a magnetic field. Contrast this with a capacitor which stores energy due to an electric field. Check out RL circuit, RC circuit and RLC circuit which might interest you too.

An ideal resistor is a device whose voltage depends on the current "flowing" through it. An ideal inductor is a device whose voltage depends on the change in current which "flows" through it. Typically, inductors and capacitors are considered together in circuit theory, so you also might want to check out capacitor. In very general treatments of circuit analysis, resistors, capacitors and inductors all contribute an impedance to a circuit. Hope this helps! If you need more help, please feel free to return with more comments. :) --HappyCamper 17:58, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

An inductor tries to keep current flowing if it's already flowing, and resists its flow if it's not already flowing. A resistor resists in either situation. Michael Hardy 22:19, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

• Best answer yet to the original request for an explanation to a layperson. hydnjo talk 03:44, 25 August 2005 (UTC)

Origin of cricket ball design

I have been a keen cricketer and cricket fan for a number of years and have enjoyed the current debate regarding 'reverse swing'in the ashes series. The phenomena of swing and reverse swing, and others such as seam movement off the pitch are well explained.

However, one question that seems unanswered to me is this:

"Is the design of a cricket ball deliberately intended to be exploited by bowlers? In other words was it given a prominent seam and manufactured from a material that can be shined, with the express intention of aiding bowlers? Or is its design simply a historial accident that has been gradually understood and exploited by bowlers and fielders looking to gain an advantage?"

Any suggestions hugely appreciated.

James Christopher

My understanding is that it is a historical accident. We have an article on the cricket ball, but this doesn't seem to go into the history of it. Thryduulf 15:21, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

If you fail to get an answer here, you could try visiting the Guardian talk boards. There's a lot of cricketing types who hang around there (though, I'm not one of them). Try the Notes and Queries threads (linked to on the left) or the sports folder (linked to on the right). --bodnotbod 19:21, August 24, 2005 (UTC)

I think it's time we mounted the which is more challenging from the batsman's perspective, cricket or baseball question. I remember reading a treatment of this in New Scientist upon a time, which said baseball was more difficult. Never agreed. Time for a recount. And was the baseball also historical accident? --Tagishsimon (talk)

As far as reverse swing goes, the Times of India mentions that Sarfaraz Nawaz invented the reverse swing. I too feel that swing was invented by an experimenting cricketer. User:Nichalp/sg 07:23, August 25, 2005 (UTC)

Swing, seam or spin bowling are experimental successes of bowlers during the course of development of cricket. "Experiments" such as application of vaseline (infamous vaseline series of Lever : England vs. India), using cola caps to roughen up one side of the ball and lifting seams to aid spin and seam bowling are all bowler innovations. JA

submarines of the world

According to a NY Times article about the recent distressed Russian submarine, 38 countries currently have submarines. Do you all know which countries?

thanks, Richard

our article on List of submarine classes lists:

1. Australia
2. Canada
3. France
4. Germany
5. Italy
6. Japan
7. Netherlands
8. Singapore
9. Soviet Union / Russia
10. United Kingdom

    the Category:Submarines by country also inlcudes

11. Norway
12. Turkey
13. Peoples Republic of China

    Other countries can be inferred from separate articles

14. Poland (ORP Orzeł)
15. Finland (Vesikko)
16. Pakistan (PNS Hangor)

Although that doens't get to 38. Thryduulf 16:13, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

17. The United States Navy has the odd submarine or 10. -- ALoan (Talk) 17:03, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

18. Denmark (HDMS Sælen (S323))

Also this from [Jane's http://www.janes.com/regional_news/europe/news_briefs/jdw990602_04.shtml] about Danish submarines surving military budget cuts. AlMac|^(talk) 07:28, 25 August 2005 (UTC)

19. Argentina (ARA San Luis) -- ALoan (Talk) 17:07, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

From a Google search, 20

20 Israel,

21. Sweden (HMS Gotland (Gtd)),

22. India,

plus from here ,

23. Greece,

24. Iran,

25. Indonesia,

26. North Korea,

27. Malaysia,

28. South Africa,

29. Taiwan,

Query Spain and Portugal.

Does anyone have a copy of Jane's submarines? -- ALoan (Talk) 17:22, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

Also

30. Ukraine [15]

31. Spain [16]

Holland [17] [Holland is the Netherlands!]

32. Portugal [18]

DJ Clayworth 18:18, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

33. South Korea -- ALoan (Talk) 19:16, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

From hazegray.org...

34 - Bulgaria (1 ex-Soviet) [19]

35 - Croatia (1 "ex-Yugoslav midget") [20]

36 - Romania (1, inoperable) [21]

37 - Yugoslavia (1) [22], though this dates to 2001 so presumably Serbia/Montenegro now.

38 - Colombia (4) [23]

39 - Brazil (4, 1 building) [24]

40 - Venezuela (2) [25]'

41 - Peru (4, 2 reserve) [26]

42 - Chile (3, 2 building) [27]

43 - Ecuador (2) [http://www.hazegray.org/worldnav/americas/ecuador.htm

44 - Egypt (4) [28]

45 - Algeria (2) [29]

It also looks like Cuba may have had subs, now derelict. Note we're past 38 - some of these may have recently been paid off/scrapped, or are too small / sufficiently inoperable to not be included in the counts. I think I culled all the duplicates, though. Shimgray 22:47, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

A key source is [Jane's http://www.janes.com/]. AlMac|^(talk) 07:25, 25 August 2005 (UTC)

Unidentified insect on a stick!

What in the world is it? It looks very similar to a fly to me, but it's only 20-30 times bigger..

Also, I would like to preserve it. If i keep it in a peanut butter jar, will it stay in good condition? What about if I put it in acrylic resin?

--Phroziac ^(talk) 16:26, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

It is a cicada. See our insect collecting article for links on how to mount them. In a case protected from water spills, etc, they generally keep for years, so your jar should be fine, though restricting the air flow in a tight jar may actually be worse rather than better. I guess they'll mold eventually, so you could use some preservative, but since they are so common, you could always just get another. - Taxman ^Talk 16:47, August 24, 2005 (UTC)

You could preserve it in an alcohol mixture. If I recall correctly, which I doubt, it should be 30% ethanol and 70% water. Although it may actually be 50/50. I dropped out of my entomology class. --Lord Voldemort ^{(Dark Mark)} 16:57, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

From the last external link in the insect collecting article, it says "Since insects have a hard shell or exoskeleton and all of the soft parts are on the inside, they tend to keep rather well after drying, even for long periods of time. Only a small amount of maintenance is necessary to keep them in good condition. Many specimens in museums today are over one hundred years old and look just as they did on the day they were collected.". It also mentions alcohol only for soft bodied insects. The cicada is hard bodied so it should be fine. - Taxman ^Talk 18:01, August 24, 2005 (UTC)

Cool! Thanks :) --Phroziac ^(talk) 17:04, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

Large cicadas, like large beetles, can rot internally if pinned straight off. Removing the innards and stuffing with cotton wool or similar is sometimes useful if you wan tto keep it dry. I can't see exactly how large the cicada in the photo is, however, so this may not be necessary. 80.255 18:11, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

It is 1 3/4" long. It wasn't my choice to jab it with a stick, my dad kinda did that when i showed it to him. I have epoxied the stick to the inside of a peanut butter jar lid, with JB weld, and have a pair of needlenose pliars holding it up. Will make a neat display when it dries. And if it doesn't work, then oh well, it didn't cost me anything to do. --Phroziac ^(talk) 18:32, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

Maths: tetrahedron inside a sphere

I understand that inside any sphere you can place a tetrahedron which touches the surface of the sphere at each of its four vertices. Now, if that sphere is the planet earth, I'd like to think there's a way (a formula, a spreadsheet, a simple piece of software) to calculate the latitude and longitude of each of the four points of the tetrahedron. My A-level maths just isn't up to the job. Of course, because there are an infinite number of different ways to position a tetrahedron inside a sphere I would need to input a starting point, e.g. the latitude and longitude of one of the vertices (and some other parameter?), and the formula/spreadsheet/program would provide the lat and long of the other three points.

Now, my questions are: Has anyone out there done this already? Can any wikipedia readers/contributors do this for me? If not, can anyone suggest anyone they know who would be knowledgeable enough and kind enough to help me out? Thanks a million ... Nick

Okay, now math isn't my strong point, but this is right... I think (someone please correct me if I've ballsed it up). If you put a tetrahedron within the earth, assuming it's a perfect sphere, and have one point at the north pole (ie, at 0 N, 0 W), the other three points will all touch 19.47 degrees south of the equator (or 199.47 degrees south of the north pole). The latitudes will be 120 degrees apart - you can assume they'll be at 0, 120 west and 120 east (call it 240 west for simplicity during your calculations). There are your four points. You can now freely adjust any and all of them by amending the initial location of point 1 (at the north pole); if it is moved 1 degree south, and 2 degrees west, then the other three points will all have their longitudes changed by 1, and their latitudes by 2. I don't know enough about Excel to know how to set up a little spreadsheet that would do it for you, although I'm sure it's very possible, just as I'm sure someone will laugh at me for suggesting a Microsoft product (despite it's what 95% ofpeople owning a computer would use). I hope I've got the latitude and longitudes the right way round, though. It is longitude that goes up and down, right? Proto t c 20:10, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

I think your arrangement for the situtation where one vertex is at the north pole is right, but moving the vertex to another location won't work as you describe. Ornil 20:25, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

Agreed - Proto's suggestion is not robust enough to handle the general case. More help needed ... Nick

• I think the question might be puzzling. It didn't ask about a regular tetrahedron; any tetrahedron can be circumscribed by a sphere (in much the same way any triangle can be circumscribed by a circle). --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 22:16, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

Testing randomness

How can one test the randomness of a set of numbers? --anon 19:29, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

Check out the random article, it is really very tricky. What exactly do you want to know? When people are 'testing the randomness' of numbers, they are usually estimating a probability that a certain series of numbers occured randomly, a central concept in statistics. Give us a bit more detail. Trollderella 19:40, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

Given two sequences of numbers, in the range [0, 5000], one was generated "randomly", and the other was not. I need to determine which was not random (the random one is supposed to be a uniform distribution over the integers within the range). --anon 19:45, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

I'm not trying to be difficult, but if there is a "uniform distribution", then those numbers aren't really random, are they? -Aranel ("Sarah") 23:22, 24 August 2005 (UTC)h value has an equal probability of appearing. If I generate a series of numbers by throwing two dice and recording the sum, the series will be random but not uniform. most random (and pesudo-random) number generators create (or approximate) a uniform distribution, but some intentionally generate non-uniform but random distributuions. DES ^(talk) 02:15, 25 August 2005 (UTC)

To say tha a random sequence has a "uniform distributuon" means that eac

Actually after about five seconds of thought I more or less get it. But it depends on the size of the set of numbers. If there are, say, only five numbers, and they are uniformly distributed, that would be highly suspicious. The uniformity of the distribution becomes a more useful indicator as the size of the set increases. It is also more useful applied as an average—you would expect there to be some clumps and some large, open gaps, but in general it should average out about even if the set is truly random. -Aranel ("Sarah") 02:24, 25 August 2005 (UTC)

Have you looked at the frequency of each integer? Are you interested in the sequence, or the distribution of the integers? Trollderella 20:01, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

Looking at the frequency, each number appears at most once. (The sequences are rather short.) I am interested mainly in the distribution of the integers. --anon 20:04, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

The shorter the sequence the more difficult the task. Taking a two random number sequence in the range [0, 5000] that you specified, the two numbers would be identical every 5000 times or so. hydnjo talk 22:22, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

This may be a pretty good question if it is made precise. As it is, it's too vague to know what you mean. Michael Hardy 22:29, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

I assume that the random set has a uniform distribution. The easiest way is to look at the average value. This would 2500. So add up all the numbers in the set and divide by the $|S|$, the number of elements in the set. The random set should be the one closest to 2500. You can also look at the average deviation from the average. This should be 1250.25. Calculate

$\sum _{i=0}^{|S|-1}|S_{i}-2500|$ for a set S.

The set that is closest to 1250.25 should again be the random set. --R.Koot 00:27, 25 August 2005 (UTC)

In addition, if the sets are small, I would be skeptical that the random one does indeed have a uniform distribution. Trollderella 01:04, 25 August 2005 (UTC)

Uniform distribution would be a property of the random number generator used. As this sounds like a homework assignment I think this method should work. --R.Koot 01:08, 25 August 2005 (UTC)

Am I wrong in thinking that uniform distribution would not necesarily be a property of small, random sets sampled 'in the wild'? Trollderella 01:24, 25 August 2005 (UTC)

No, I just assume the set were generated by a RNG, and are large enough to satify the proberties above with a high probability. --R.Koot 01:26, 25 August 2005 (UTC)

This is an enormously complex topic and has been the subject of reams of research; as well as being a fundamental problem in statistics it has massive applications in cryptography. It is also of pragmatic interest to researchers in physics and chemistry in their simulations, who want numbers that are "random enough" but want them as quickly as possible. It's also something that keeps online casino proprietors awake at night; if their random number generators are insufficiently random they'll lose a lot of money very quickly. The random number article has some pointers to start with. You might also want to have a look at Donald Knuth's The Art of Computer Programming - while the specific algorithms he suggests are obsolete some of the randomness-testing techniques aren't. However, if your interest is because you want a good random number generator for some project my sincere advice to you is to have a look in the literature and pick one. The Mersenne Twister has got some attention recently as both fast and good for simulation purposes, for instance, but is useless for the cryptographic and online casino purposes mentioned above.--Robert Merkel 03:22, 25 August 2005 (UTC)

Squares Inside a 6×6 Grid

• Why is the number of 2*2 squares in a 6*6 grid 5^2=25?
• Why is the number of 3*3 squares in a 6*6 grid 4^2=16?
• Why is the number of 4*4 squares in a 6*6 grid 3^2=9?
• Why is the number of 5*5 squares in a 6*6 grid 2^2=4?

I am utterly lost and cannot picture this. [Perhaps, I am dumb, yet I do not wish to remain so.]

--anonym

How many ways are there of putting a length of 2 into a length of 6? 5, because trying to put it in starting at the 6th square would put it partly outside the grid. For a length of 3, you have to remove another, because starting at both the 5th and 6th would put it outside, so it's 4. And so on. Then just square them because there are two dimensions. Frencheigh 20:13, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

It is sometimes helpful to picture the extremes:

• How many 1*1 squares are there in a 6*6 grid? (Hint: 6^2=?)
• How many 6*6 squares are there in a 6*6 grid? (Hint: 1^2=?)
• Got the picture? hydnjo talk 21:24, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

Typesetting tip:

Why is the number of 2×2 squares in a 6×6 grid 5² = 25?

This forum is not limited to plain ASCII. Michael Hardy 22:15, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

• The number of 1×1 squares in a 6×6 grid is 6² = 36.
• The number of 6×6 squares in a 6×6 grid is 1² = 1.

In addition, the total number of squares in a 6×6 grid is $1^{2}+2^{2}+3^{2}+4^{2}+5^{2}+6^{2}=91$.

I thank you for all the responses including the typesetting tip.

--anonym

Let's start with the 6 by 6 square. If you place a small 2 by 2 square inside it, right at the corner, how many squares can it slide horizontally or vertially? In both cases it's 5. So, the total number of 2 by 2 squares in a 6 by 6 square is 5×5=25. Now, use the patterns suggested above and the answer becomes clearer... --HappyCamper 00:58, 25 August 2005 (UTC)

Frank Willis - Etchings

I have 3 etchings by Frank Willis, done early 1900s. Wellingborough, Reading or Terrington area. Does anyone have any information on him?

Thanks,

Mark Fysh. Pretoria, South Africa--196.2.124.250 20:04, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

Apparently not, our Frank Willis article currently points somewhere else. Trollderella 21:28, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

Smiling

I have a question about smiling. How common is it if your natural smile doesn't expose any teeth? When I smile naturally or for photos or anything like that, I can never expose my teeth. I can expose my teeth if I'm specifically thinking about it, but it looks like a very fake smile. Not that I'm interested in changing my smile, but I'm just curious about this phenomenon. Sx755 20:12, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

Don't know but it may be interesting to also compare the percentage of women who show their teeth to men who do. I've noticed most men won't show their teeth unless asked. Dismas 20:54, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

where in the hell can i purchase group x's albums?

hey up everybody, i wanna get stepping on the crowetch owf your americain presidaint, (by group x) but, i cant find anywhere that supplies this c.d that can send it out to either the u.k or spain, just what can i do?! please help!

magie mai

This delightful question by 81.47.71.21. hydnjo talk 21:38, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

The Group X article has a link to their website which has a section for buying exactly what you want: http://www.groupxarab.com/buy.html ¦ Reisio 22:59, 2005 August 24 (UTC)

Vincent Persichetti article

I have a question about the article on the American composer Vincent Persichetti. In the article it mentions that, among Persichetti's students is the jazz pianist-composer Thelonious Monk. I haven't been able to find mention of this tantalizing bit of information anywhere else -- not in any Monk or Persichetti biographies. If possible, can someone please tell me who wrote the Persichetti article, so that I can try to track down the veracity of this contention? Thank you so much.

Steven Bodner Williams College

That bit of info has been there since the earliest version, written by User:Hyacinth. You can ask him where it came from here. - Nunh-huh 22:33, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

Citytv Edmonton through the internet

I am interested in getting CKEC through the internet, because I live in another province and my cable provider doesn't have rights to that channel. I don't have money to invest in a satelite dish, which is the only way I could get the channel on TV. Can anyone guide me with regards to how to obtain access through the internet, and which website I should visit to set it up?

Salouah

botany

can beetroot leaves be eaten? duncan

Yes, you can use them in a salad. [30] --R.Koot 01:32, 25 August 2005 (UTC)

Chard is the same plant, bred for its leaves. Eating qualities are similar. Personally, I find both a little harsh raw, and would advise at least a brief steaming. — Pekinensis 02:20, 25 August 2005 (UTC)

swelling of female organs

I am 27 years old. Two years ago I had my 3rd child. Every delivery I have been though I have had natural birth. During these births I have torn or been cut bewteen the vagina and anus. Well I am now noticing that were the doctors have sown me up is begining to tear and there is some swelling and tissue that is extruding out. I have also had my tubs tied if maybe that maks a differance. I am lost for words and scared to go to the doctor. Please if you can give me some insite it will be greatful. Thanks anon

There are many potential side effects to episiotemies. I think you should see your doctor about it right away. It is not at all unusual to suffer side effects from this procedure, so don't be shy about telling your doctor. — Laura Scudder | Talk 01:53, 25 August 2005 (UTC)

Agreed. It is vital that you consult a doctor immediately, and put out of your mind using internet forums as a primary source of medical advice. Believe me, your doctor will have seen this kind of thing many times, and it will not be anything like as scarry or embarrasing as you are fearing. Trollderella 06:34, 25 August 2005 (UTC)

Subsidiary vs. Joint Venture

To whom it may concern:

I am writing a case study for a foreign enterprise [ABC Co.] that set up an equity joint venture with a local company here in Shanghai, China [ABC (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.]. I would like to know if it is correct to call ABC (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. a subsidiary of ABC Co. (the mother company) even if its not a wholly owned subsidiary but a joint venture with a local chinese company. The equity share is 70% foreign, 30% local.

I appreciate your kind help.

A Wikipedia member Lui Dacera

P.S. I am extremely thankful of this website. I am hoping that I can contribute some contents as soon as I get some free time. Thank you again.

Mosquito immunity

I have an unusual condition which earned me much envy over a summer spent on the Chesapeake Bay and in the Maine woods: I am almost immune to mosquito bites. When I am bitten all traces of the bite disappear within fifteen minutes (sometimes literally right before my eyes), while everyone else I know retains an itchy welt for days on end. Does anyone know why this might be? (Sad to say, I lack a similar immunity to the bites of horseflies and black flies and the stings of jellyfish.)

--edward

Hi Edward. I don't know where you live, but we in India have never heard of an itchy welt for days on end [following a mosquito bite]. It is common here to see all traces of the bite disappear within fifteen minutes. So, I don't think you've an unusual condition. -- Sundar ^{\talk \contribs} 04:48, August 25, 2005 (UTC)

You must be having an alien blood group. :) I have noticed that mosquitoes tend to go for certain kinds of people. For example, I've noticed that mosquitoes hover around some people in the same room I am in, whereas they rarely come near me. (Oh, and yes I have a bath daily :D ) User:Nichalp/sg 07:43, August 25, 2005 (UTC)

The Church of Santa Croce

I am a history teacher in Philadelphia and a student of Jewish history. I was wondering if someone could tell me why there is a star of David on the top of the Church of Santa Croce?

Jonathan Turk ssteachergw@verizon.net

If you mean the one on the Basilica di Santa Croce di Firenze, then I don't know, but you can see an illustration here. Bovlb 05:12:47, 2005-08-25 (UTC)

Regiomontanus & Maximilian

In your article on Regiomontanus, it says:

"In 1457 he graduated with a degree of "magister artium" (Master of Arts) and held lectures in optics and ancient literature. That same year he built an astrolabe for Maximilian I, the Holy Roman Emperor..."

This would be somewhat difficult in that Maximilian was only born in 1459...

GLB

• You may have been looking at the article when it was in a vandalized state. I'm looking at it now and apparently he was born in 1436. - Mgm|^(talk) 07:52, August 25, 2005 (UTC)

use of word Chairman

I wish to check advice given to me re the use of the word "Chairman". I'm advised the "man" comes from the Latin "man" (pronounced marn) meaning "to lead or direct". This thereby debunks the use of Chairperson or Chairwoman. If not then to be politically correct we should also say "persondate" for mandate; "personager" for manager etc. Would appreciate your thoughts on this.

Yes, and followers of Hare Khrisna should chant persontras. But no, I don't think the "man" in "chairman" comes from the Latin word, I think it really means man. — JIP | Talk 06:47, 25 August 2005 (UTC)

Latin doesn't have a word 'man' and none of the words beginning with 'man' means anything like lead or direct. Mandate comes from latin mandare which means something like confide. -EnSamulili 07:31, 25 August 2005 (UTC)

A chairman, like a spokesman, can be female or male. If you're really concerned (and I see no reason to be), use "convenor" as they do in Scotland, jguk 07:42, 25 August 2005 (UTC)

• Even if your statement about the origins of the word where true, it doesn't automatically "debunk" the use of the word just the etymology of "chairwoman". It might be wrong, but people still use it as a politically (in)correct version of the word chairman to refer to a woman. - Mgm|^(talk) 07:55, August 25, 2005 (UTC)

Lapping Proces Possible On Aluminium Extrusions ?

I will like to know how effectively one can do Lapping / diamond polishing etc. like smooth surface finish ( to obtain mirror finish to the extruded aluminium slab / surface ) process on Aluminium extrusions / ingots. The surface may not be perfectly parallel and still we want to do surface finishing process on one side.We want to achieve @10 to 20 nM finish on the surface . Kindly inform me a process to achieve this much surface roughness

NEW YORK AREA

Could you please let me kmow if any part or district of South Shields was known as New York. I have an address 1 Coronation St New York 1907., but very much doubt if this refers to America. regards Robert

Why Was President Jackson Really Impeaced?

I have been reading a People's History of the United States and remembered reading about it, but when it came up in conversation, for the life of me I couldn't remember what the congressional motive was. Thanks a ton! 86.43.66.207 09:01, 25 August 2005 (UTC)