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May 24

Background music

This will be difficult but I was watching some clips on YouTube and was watching this clip. I was wondering what the background theme music? I believe it has been used before, probably in an ad. --Blue387 (talk) 01:44, 24 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

You should ask this on the entertainment ref.desk...they are very good at identifying music. SteveBaker (talk) 14:43, 24 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I can barely hear it *sigh* —Tamfang (talk) 23:53, 24 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Sounds to me like it was meant to suggest the Trek title themes while avoiding rights issues. —Tamfang (talk) 00:03, 20 September 2023 (UTC)[reply]

University Transcripts (UK)

In the UK (not the US - I know about that already), what is the general policy regarding university transcripts ordered in triplicate and sent through the post? I have received mine (for my work permit for Korea), and specifically asked them to stamp and seal the envelope. However, they seem to have done this on the envelope they sent me the transcripts in, and I have no way of knowing whether they have done it on the transcripts inside, or even whether they have put them in individual envelopes (which is what I need). I don't wish to open the main envelope and risk invalidating the entire package if the ones inside are not stamped and sealed. I will call them on Tuesday to find out (Monday is a bank holiday), but it would be nice to know a bit earlier, as this gives me an extra couple of days to work with (application for work permit needs to be done as soon as possible). --KageTora - (영호 (影虎)) (talk) 08:11, 24 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The transcripts themselves should be individually stamped, do you really need them to be in a sealed envelope? I've never heard of that before and don't recall an option to request that when I last ordered some transcripts. --Tango (talk) 14:56, 24 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I've been told that for immigration purposes they need to be in sealed envelopes. --KageTora - (영호 (影虎)) (talk) 15:13, 24 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

This probably doesn't help you but when I ordered mine in NZ, IIRC the main letter was sealed and so were the invidual copies. I did actually order one that wasn't sealed as well Nil Einne (talk) 19:57, 25 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

online library

does anyone know an online library site?? i tried wikisource but there were only classics, like sherlock holmes and monte cristo.... i need a site where i could read dan brown's and rowling's and tolkien's, (actually every major author's. the book i want to read right now is angels and demons. i googled for it but every site seems to demand payment), so if anyone knows this sort of site, please tell me.

thanx!!!!!! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 122.50.134.149 (talk) 10:44, 24 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

You could try Internet Archive and Google Books, but they won't have anything by Dan Brown or J.K. Rowling, since those books are very recent and still under copyright. Google Books might have excerpts but every once in awhile a chunk of pages will be missing. Why don't you try an actual library? That is also free. Adam Bishop (talk) 13:54, 24 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

You won't be able to legally get new digital books without payment. The "classics" are on there because they are in the public domain. Everything else is under copyright and the authors need some money in order to keep at it for a living. Go to a regular library or pay for the book. --98.217.14.211 (talk) 14:30, 24 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

All true - but you could (for example) get an Amazon Kindle - which allows you to buy books from their online bookstore and download them immediately. Because those books are paid for - this isn't a breach of copyright and modern books are widely available. But in terms of free sites - no - everything has to either be out of copyright or donated by their authors. However, free, modern books by popular authors is an impossibility - the authors have to make a living somehow. SteveBaker (talk) 14:40, 24 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

An exception is Baen, which make many recent books available for free download. Their business model is that most people who download the free books alos buy them in hardback. In particular, almost all of David Weber's novels are available, along with a bunch of other stuff. -Arch dude (talk) 16:46, 24 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Another exception is Cory Doctorow who releases his books via a Creative Commons license. Dismas|^(talk) 19:49, 24 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

True, but the poster specifically asked about Brown, Tolkien, and Rowling. Which you aren't going to find (legally) online for free. --98.217.14.211 (talk) 19:55, 24 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

They also said "actually every major author's" and Doctorow is a well known if not "major" (whatever that means) author within his genre. Dismas|^(talk) 20:01, 24 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Some public libraries (mine for example) lend e-books as a downloadable pdf. They work it so that (unless you hack it) you can't copy it and must "return" it at the end of the loan period. It's quite effective. I'm sure there are ways to hack it so you can copy it, but it's not easy. I have found some sites (which I can't recall) that offer a particular book free each month. Steewi (talk) 02:57, 25 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

To my knowledge, most ebook DRM systems are relatively simple to break. (Worst case scenario, since the output should be exceptionally high quality, you can easily OCR the book.) But to be frank, there's little point hacking it if it's a library book. If you're going to violate copyright, you might as well just download the book from a good P2P network. Both are just as ethically, and in some countries, legally questionable (I'm talking about criminal law here, in most countries it will be a violation of the copyright owner's right so they could likely sue you) Nil Einne (talk) 19:53, 25 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Cigarette machines?

Do they still have cigarette machines in England or have they been banned? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.1.161.76 (talk) 13:09, 24 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

We still have them in pubs, even though you have to smoke outside. --KageTora - (영호 (影虎)) (talk) 15:10, 24 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Lol still good to know they haven't been completely outlawed. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.25.185.62 (talk) 15:55, 25 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Good? Good?! Please switch your brain into the "ON" position before posting! They allow ridiculously young kids to buy cigarettes despite the laws against that. I presume that the only reason they are still allowed in pubs is that kids who are too young to buy cigarettes are not allowed in pubs unless accompanied by an adult - so it's reasonable to assume that if all of the other laws are obeyed then these machines cannot be gotten at by kids. If you think that allowing little kids to get addicted to this terrible stuff is "good" then you have an argument on your hands here! SteveBaker (talk) 16:10, 25 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I don't think the OP was implying or hinting at that, but I can see your point Steve. In Japan, there are cigarette machines in the streets, and they can be used by kids. They are closed between 11pm and 5am, and this is apparently to stop kids from buying cigarettes at that time of night (as if they are out that time of night). Recently, machines have had 'cameras' fitted, supposedly to check the age of the buyer, but in actual fact, they are only motion sensors set at 'adult head height' and can be easily foiled by a child sticking his/her hand up over the motion sensor (I know! I tried it myself and it worked!). Cigarette machines in pubs in the UK, however, are not a threat to children, as children in pubs are constantly being monitored either by parents, staff, or other punters. --KageTora - (영호 (影虎)) (talk) 16:41, 25 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I don't think SB was saying the OP was implying or hinting that but rather he or she should have recognised the potential harm from such machines and the reason why they may not be good. I agree though it seems from a kid POV such machines in pubs are mostly harmless since it's likely children would generally be supervised. A bigger problem is probably stores who don't follow the law and sell to kids Nil Einne (talk) 19:32, 25 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Ferrari F430 spider

Please could someone tell me how the doors open on a ferrari F430 because I am using the model in a book I am writing and cannot find a picture of one with the doors open. I think they go upwards. Thanking anyone in anticipation. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Geekiss (talk • contribs) 16:18, 24 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The photo at right is of the F430 Scuderia - it's doors evidently open conventionally. SteveBaker (talk) 16:27, 24 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Picture of Teufelsberg?

Does anyone know where/if there are pictures of Teufelsberg before it was planted with trees? It was made from the rubble from Berlin, so I'm looking for an impressive picture of an enormous mound of rubble. Any tips on where I could look? Aaadddaaammm (talk) 16:30, 24 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I had a look on Google Images for you, and the second picture was of rubble in Teufelsburg, but not really the 'impressive picture of an enormous mound of rubble' that you asked for. It was more like a few bits of concrete on the floor of what looked like a forest. Anyway, there were dozens of pages of images, so if you want to check through them (if you haven't done so already), go ahead. --KageTora - (영호 (影虎)) (talk) 00:07, 25 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for the reply, I had seen this picture (and similar images with my own eyes), but really want a historical picture of the mound, perhaps as it's being added to still. Google images and English and German WP pages are no help. Any more tips? Aaadddaaammm (talk) 13:33, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Microeconomics homework question

"From the society's viewpoint a benefit of advertising is the revenue it provides to some firms to enable them to supply public goods. Discuss this statement, starting by outlining the characteristics of a public good."

I'm quite confused because I don't understand why firms need to supply public goods in the first place? Please, any help? 117.0.61.25 (talk) 16:37, 24 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

OK then let's pick this apart. "The society's viewpoint" - which society is this? "Benefit of advertising" - how does advertising benefit anybody? The answer is "the revenue it provides to some firms" in other words, it gives money to some companies. How does it do this? "Supply public goods" - obviously this is what these companies do. What is the "public good" these companies provide? Well it appears to be the services of an advertising agency. So we can deduce that one of the characteristics of a "public good" is that it is a paid for service: one side offers the service (in this case, advertising) to another side who pays for the service. Does this help? --TammyMoet (talk) 17:48, 24 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

It's difficult to determine exactly without more context. Certainly, the broadcasting of TV shows in the United States might be considered a benefit to the U.S. public (or it might not, depending on one's view of Family Guy), and it's the revenue supplied by advertisers that allows the broadcasters to supply those public goods. Deor (talk) 19:00, 24 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Deor has it. Advetising pays for broadcast TV in many countries. It pays for Google searches. It pays for bus shelters &c. So those are examples of your public goods. We have an article on Public goods which may assist wih the rest of your homework. --Tagishsimon (talk) 19:55, 24 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I fixed your link, Tagish. --KageTora - (영호 (影虎)) (talk) 22:58, 24 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Public goods are not always provided by the government. Remember a public good is simply any good that is non-vivalrous and non-excludable203.217.46.79 (talk) 11:26, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

May 25

SS Jackets Open

Might be obvious, but all the pictures of Secret Service agents that I've seen, depict the agent with their suit jackets open. This is to allow for easy access to their firearms right? Acceptable (talk) 00:46, 25 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

That and/or it's easier to move with it open. Dismas|^(talk) 00:51, 25 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Or they are just copying Hollywood, that copies them, who copy the movies, who....86.209.155.227 (talk) 15:17, 25 May 2009 (UTC)DT[reply]

Postmodern Humanism

What is postmodern humanism? Is it the same thing as posthumanism?

Bowei Huang (talk) 01:23, 25 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Posthumanism means a lot of things, as our page indicates. Definition #3 is probably the closest to anything like "postmodern humanism." --98.217.14.211 (talk) 01:59, 25 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

But is it really postmodern humanism? What is really simply postmodern humanism?

Bowei Huang (talk) 05:00, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Here is a paper that purports to explain. I tried to read it; really, I did. I thought I might be able to extract some pithy synthesis. Instead, I feel as if the author is taking the pith. YMMV // BL \\ (talk) 05:31, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Voice actor

How can Tara Strong lend her voice to both Raven of Teen Titans and Bubbles of The Power Puff Girls?? The voices are so different! 117.0.58.102 (talk) 08:06, 25 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

She can do that because she's good at her job. Skilled voice actors don't just read the lines into the microphone, they create distinct voices and vocal mannerisms for their characters. A well-known example of this is Billy West, who voices Fry, Professor Farnsworth, Dr. Zoidberg and Zapp Brannigan, as well as various incidental characters on Futurama. And of course, there's "The Man of a Thousand Voices", who single-handedly (single-mouthedly?) voiced Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Barney Rubble, Marvin the Martian, Porky Pig, Sylvester the Cat, Tweety Bird, Yosemite Sam and dozens of other well-known characters. Another example is Frank Welker, whose ability to fashion animal-like sounds has been in consistent demand. He's got about 1,200 voices under his belt, apparently. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 10:18, 25 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

And, following up on the female focus of the OP's question, let's not forget the very accomplished June Foray. Deor (talk) 16:36, 25 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Oh, sure! As far as female voice actors go, one of my personal favorites is the consistently funny and versatile Tress MacNeille. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 22:01, 25 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Remember that Bart Simpson is voiced by a woman. Steewi (talk) 00:47, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

10 million and 1 billion articles

Are there any statistical projections about when we (en wiki) will have 10 millionth and 1 billionth (if ever) article? Thanks - DSachan (talk) 09:51, 25 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

See Wikipedia:Ten-million pool. Dismas|^(talk) 10:09, 25 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Oh, and this: Wikipedia:Modelling Wikipedia's growth Dismas|^(talk) 10:12, 25 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

It may never reach 10 million even. Deletionists go around deleting interesting pages like List of fictional characters by IQ as being unencyclopaediac. You'd need an awful lot of non-notable and original research pages as well to get anywhere near the billion mark! Perhaps Deletionpedia will eventuallly reach such dizzying heights. Dmcq (talk) 11:18, 25 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Seems Deletionpedia has not been updated since December 2008, so I doubt it will get anywhere near there soon. --Saddhiyama (talk) 11:54, 25 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Well at least wikibin which is a bit more discriminating has List of fictional characters by IQ. ;-) (Don't bother starting an article on wikibin unless you can defend it properly - see Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Deletionpedia ) Dmcq (talk) 14:20, 25 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I think we're close to having articles on everything that meets our notability criteria today - since about 2 million articles, it's becoming quite difficult to come up with things that we don't have articles for. I very much doubt that there are 10 million concepts in the world today that are sufficiently notable to warrant articles. However: new, notable, things appear all the time (just today - the North Koreans detonate a nuclear weapon - and voila! We have a new and notable article). So the growth rate will probably flatten out considerably - but I don't see how it can stop altogether. Until that flattening out is actually observed, I don't think we can estimate when we'll hit 10 million articles. It's possible that some unexpected catastropy or technological advance might obsolete or destroy Wikipedia before we get there - but again, there is no way to predict that. Certainly, I don't think you can take the time it took to get to 2.5 million and multiply by four...it's going to take a lot longer than that. If we can't predict the 10 millionth article's creation date with any precision - don't even think about the billionth article. The only thing that MIGHT make a significant difference would be if there were to be some kind of policy change to relax the notability criterion. I think that would actually be quite welcome in the Wikipedia community - and if there were a significant 'levelling off' of new article creation, there might be the political will to make that happen. SteveBaker (talk) 14:30, 25 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I think that there is the possibility of 4 or 5 million at least. For example concerning notable persons from non-English speaking countries the coverage is still nowhere near the relevant language Wikipedias. A translation of all the notable persons, objects, events etc from the various languaged Wikipedias would easily amount to 1 or 2 million (if the number of articles added to these while this process is going on is added). Then think of all future events, objects and persons that will gain notability in the future, this will also secure a steady increase of articles, although of course not at the same rate as before. --Saddhiyama (talk) 14:52, 25 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I'm not sure that article about the North Koreans exploding a nuclear device satisfies WP:N#TEMP. Shouldn't it just be part of a more general article about their nuclear potential? This sort of argument can be applied quite rightly to many old new stories so I'm not sure there is inevitable growth. Dmcq (talk) 15:13, 25 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I agree that we'll likely end up in the 4 to 5 million range before the article creation rate starts to significantly level out...but if you think of 10 subjects off the top of your head that would be notable and encyclopeadic - and go look them up - do you find that three quarters of them don't exist? Do you find that half of them don't exist? Personally (and I do a LOT of article searching in answering questions here) - I doubt that one in fifty of the things I search for don't exist.

Notable persons from non-English speaking countries is certainly an area where we are missing articles. But whether they'll EVER be created is also problematic. Getting someone to write these articles AND to reference them properly is going to be tough. It's not just a matter of translating them into English. The standards of referencing and notability in many of the more obscure non-English-language Wikipedia's is appallingly bad. So what may have survived deletion in the Bulgarian Wikipedia might not make the cut in English or German Wikipedia's where patrolling for that kind of thing is much more intense. There may ultimately be holes in our coverage of things that are notable - but without "English language notability". As for the North Korean nuclear test - WP:N#TEMP say that notability is NOT temporary. If this article is considered notable today (and I doubt VERY much that it'll be AfD'ed on grounds of non-notability anytime soon!) - then it's notability is established for all time. It's possible that with the hindsight of history, it might be better rolled up into an article with larger context - but that's not always the case - and that source of article-lossage is pretty well balanced by articles that get too large and have to be split. Often, when a large article is split - there wind up being not two - but half a dozen resulting articles. SteveBaker (talk) 16:01, 25 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

(after ec)

Wikipedia is excellent in its coverage of subjects that have contemporary and English language Googleable sources, but otherwise it can be quite spotty. For example here are a few thousand subjects that are indisputably notable by current wikipedia standards, but are yet redlinks:

I can go on, but I think my point should be clear. Going from 2.5 million to 10 million articles does not necessarily involve diluting the notability standards, but perhaps will need more involvement of editors from non-English speaking countries and overcoming of some other systemic biases that ail current wikipedia topic selection. As for the date ... my best guess is eventually :) Abecedare (talk) 15:08, 25 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

You are assuming that articles about all of those people could be written. Having an article that says "so-and-so worked on such-and-such and got some prize for doing it" isn't enough. You have to write something more about them otherwise they should merely be relegated to "List of SSBPST recipients". In order to write more, you have to find references - if nothing has been written about this person in multiple respectable sources - then that's going to be very difficult. Besides - nobody is denying that there is a likelyhood of another million articles - the question is whether we're only hitting a QUARTER of the notable subjects about which properly referenced articles could be written. You've found "a few thousand" - but that's maybe 0.05% of the number needed to hit 10 million articles. Can you really find me 2,000 lists as long as the one you just presented us with (without duplication)? I very much doubt it. SteveBaker (talk) 16:01, 25 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

"You are assuming that articles about all of those people could be written." Yes I am, because I know that to be true. People do not win some of India's highest civil awards without having a documented body of work. If you wish I can even list reliable sources that undoubtedly contain biographical material about most of the above listed literary and science awardees.

But, anyway, the point of my post was to illustrate that wikipedia's coverage is highly uneven and that it is not difficult to come up with things that we don't have articles for. I provided examples from India (since I knew exactly where to look) but the situation is similar, if not worse, for topics about China, Eastern Europe, Africa, South America etc. So 10 million articles is not really a stretch.

Finally, I don't think the "think of 10 subjects off the top of your head" and see how many of those are covered by wikipedia is an adequate test. For example, try it for Britannica (which has only 65,000 articles, and <0.5 million indexed terms) and you'll think it is already complete. The fundamental reason the test does not work is that thinking of subjects off the top of our head does not sample the space of all notable subjects uniformly. Regards. Abecedare (talk) 17:40, 25 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I strongly disagree - back when Wikipedia had around 100,000 articles, it was extremely easy to find things that were not written about - pretty much anyone could find dozens of things to write about. As an owner of a set of Britannica - I can tell you that in most areas of life, it's woefully and obviously inadequate.

As for your Indian civil awards - that may be enough to guarantee passing the notability criteria - but a body of work isn't enough to write a properly referenced biography on that person - we'd need background material - who were the person's parents? What was their childhood like? ...and we need REFERENCES for those things. Without that kind of in-depth detail, you don't have an article - you have a brief entry in a "List of..." article or a table someplace. Furthermore, as I said, a few thousand such people from India doesn't come even close to one million articles - even if every country in the world awarded such things (they certainly do not!) and even if every one of those countries had population sizes comparable to India (which they don't) - there are only about 200 countries times a few thousand articles - you're maybe getting half a million articles that way...nowhere CLOSE to enough to hit the 10 million mark. SteveBaker (talk) 03:55, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I should add: I do agree with Steve that it will be a looong time before we actually have adequately referenced 10 million articles. We seem to have already picked the low-hanging fruit, and now are are in the long tail of our growth don't you love mixed metaphors :) - which IMO will depend heavily on increasing the (geographic, cultural and specialization) breadth of our contribution. Abecedare (talk)

Each day, Wikipedia gets more and more articles documenting a specific episode of vaguely notable TV shows (etC)... surely this is a more likely way of reaching the 10 million mark? Catoutofthebag (talk) 18:17, 25 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Not at all! Suppose there were new episodes of TV series made at a rate of one episode per day - it would take 19,662 years to create the needed 7 million new articles that way! There certainly aren't 20 new episodes made every day (assuming you don't count news programs and such) - and even then, we'd be looking at around 1000 years for that source of articles to get us across the magic 10 million line. But beyond that - you have to find something to say about each episode - and you have to back that up from reliable sources - that's pretty tough for the more obscure TV shows. Wikipedia does have extensive episode-by-episode articles for some of the most popular series - but really only for the top few shows. For example - we do have an amazing 441 articles - one for every single episode of "The Simpsons" (and one page for almost every character - and one about running jokes...and so forth) - and there is one article for each episode of "The Sopranos" too. But that's quite misleading - it's certainly not true of every popular series. Take 24 (TV series) - a spectacularly popular TV series. It has a main article - one article about each series - but each show warrants only a single paragraph of synopsis. If something as significant as 24 doesn't get one article per episode - it's not reasonable to assume that much more obscure shows will have them. It's a similar situation with many shows - "The Apprentice" (to pick one at random) - same deal one main article plus one per series. Top Gear - same deal. So I don't think we can get even 100,000 articles this way for the forseeable future. SteveBaker (talk) 03:55, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

New topics - easy peasy - There are oodles of bugs and bacteria that one could write articles about. Finding reliable sources and people who know enough and have enough access to write said articles - highly unlikely. But we are no where near that desperate yet. My personal "laundry list" contains such mundane and "low hanging" fruit as Color catcher sheet and tension rod. (Please feel free to take them off my plate.) There are still plenty of redlinks for quite ordinary things in the plant and animal kingdoms, too. 71.236.24.129 (talk) 11:08, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Yes - but we need SEVEN MILLION...that's an awfully big number. SteveBaker (talk) 20:49, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

You just have to allow for time to find and describe them all. [1] If you run out there BTW you could go to describing chemical substances. We make between 1500 and 2000 each year. (We barely scratched the surface for those already created and in use.) The various results of protein folding might also be worth an article each to future generations. Given our historical track record for technological progress we create numerous new words, products concepts and named pieces of software each year. I'm also reminded of the "15 minutes of fame" saying which will probably lead to articles on newsworthy people and events. I guess it's going to be a while till we have to resort to bacteria or proteins for material. 71.236.24.129 (talk) 05:36, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Indeed. Lets just take it in terms of time. There are 60 minutes in an hour, and 1,440 minutes in a day, so if we created one good article per minute, it would take 694 days, or a bit less than 2 years, to create 1 million articles. To create 7 million new articles at that rate, it would take 13.3 years. If you go to: Special:NewPages and page back about 2 days (to get past all the stuff that gets speedy deleted, then you see that a new worthy article gets created about every minute or so. For example, this page: [2] lists 500 articles created between 12:20, May 25, 2009 and 19:48, May 25, 2009 which is 7*60+28 = 448 minutes, or about one article every 54 seconds or so. So, revise my original estimate. At that rate, it would take 11.9 years to reach 7 million more articles. Looking at the rate of article creation over time, Wikipedia had its 1 millionth article after 5 years (see [3]), which is one article every 2 and a half minutes or so; and had its 2 millionth article after an additional 1.5 years or so (see: [4]) that the 1,000,000 to 2,000,000 rate was rougly one article every 47 seconds. Now, as of this minute, there are give-or-take 2,893,878 articles, and its taken roughly 1 year, 8 months to get those extra 900,000 or so articles, meaning that we are now at a nominal article-creation rate of one article every 53.6 seconds, which is almost exactly what my random sample size showed above. So, Wikipedia grew slow at first, hit a big burst of speed around 2,000,000 articles, and has now plateaued at about one article every 54 seconds, which means we should hit 10,000,000 articles some time in April, 2021. Assuming that rate remains constant. I suspect it will taper off some over time. And we will hit 1 billion articles (at the rate of one article every 54 seconds) in roughly the year 4,009 AD. Give or take a year or two. --Jayron32.talk.contribs 02:52, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Questions about paypal

I'm trying to set up a paypal account so that I can send a friend a small amount of money to his paypal account. I have some questions

How long do the transfers take?
Is it possible to use a prepaid credit card to send money with through paypal?
Will my personal details be viewable to the other person when I send the money?

Thank you —Preceding unsigned comment added by Questions needs answers111 (talk • contribs) 14:36, 25 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

What did Paypal say when you emailed them? 86.3.22.178 (talk) 15:44, 25 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Wow, the PayPal help section is pretty wretched. On this page, PayPal says "We keep your bank and credit card details private from sellers." Your name and address are shown, however, if memory serves. The transfer of money from your PayPal account to your friend's PayPal account is immediate; if your friend wants to transfer the money from PayPal to his bank account, then I think it takes 3 or 4 days. Not sure about prepaid credit cards, sorry. Tempshill (talk) 23:39, 25 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Paypal is pretty simple in the way it works. Even better if the recipient has a premium or business account (still free, but they take fees through paypal to paypal transfers as well instead of a monthly fee)

Transfers are immediate, but withdrawing can take additional time depending on the method. The first time I transferred to my bank account it took over a week. As I did it more, it took around 2 to 3 days.
If the prepaid card is through a company that paypal accepts credit payments from, you may do this. However, you are less likely to have problems with paypal if you use a verified bank account to withdraw money.
Personal details such as your address are generally viewable. However, this depends on the method of giving money and the requirements of the particular form or request for money. It will tell you what information wil be seen on your receipt.

As a tip, verify everything in your account and you are unlikely to have paypal take the money or hassle you in any way. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 206.131.39.6 (talk) 15:18, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

why is it we hear more stories about people being shot dead than animals?

do less animals get shot dead, or are they better at surviving gunshots, or do the media cover up animals shootings? Catoutofthebag (talk) 18:10, 25 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Because people are more interested in shootings of people than animals, which happen all the time. DJ Clayworth (talk) 18:12, 25 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

If you were to understand whale songs, your perception of newsworthy massacres and slaughters may be a different one. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 19:01, 25 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Private Eye Magazine - Eye Need...

As an occasional reader of Private Eye i'm always intrigued by the 'eye need' part of the magazine. Is there any examples of people getting a response to their request? Example one includes:

"Struggling student: require £5,000 to pay fees: NatWest XX-XX-XX XXXXXXX" (where Xs is the account number and sort-code).

or

"YOUNG, GIFTED VIOLIST with a guaranteed place at London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama desperately needs funding to complete her studies. Needs 12K. Will even play for you! XXXXXXX NatWest XX-XX-XX XXXX" (removed phone/sort-code/account number).

Many of them are quite comical and so i'm assuming they are a joke, but some of them seem to be potentially real (or at least I don't get the joke). Anyone know if they are real or fake? (And if real do they get responders?). (Link http://www.eyeadvertise.co.uk/?section=classified&catid=13 )ny156uk (talk) 19:45, 25 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

As someone who's been involved in fundraising for registered charities in the past, I've often wondered this myself. Private Eye does have a smallish circulation, but it's a pretty affluent one, and the lineage ads are fairly inexpensive. I often considered placing such an ad for a genuine cause (as opposed to the usual gamut of hard luck stories and possible charlatans, such as those you cite) but never got round to it. I'd be fascinated if anyone has hard info on this. --Dweller (talk) 10:44, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I've often wondered if these are parody or real, I'm occasionally tempted to call one of the numbers. I'm afraid I have no information from you, so consider this response just me adding myself to your question. 91.85.138.20 (talk) 14:22, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I've always wondered about these too, and have occasionally been tempted to give some money to those with the more heart-wrenching stories (but I've always been a soft touch!) There was an article about charitable giving in The Guardian at the beginning of the month [5], where the writer contacted several people who advertised to see whether they had received any responses/donations. Apparently, the answer was a pretty resounding no, at least as far as getting money was concerned. Actually, it seems someone at The Guardian is quite invested in getting the answer to this, as they also had a go at contacting Eye Need advertisers in 2000; again they apparently didn't find anyone who had gotten money.[6] --Kateshort forbob 11:08, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

What the heck are these things?

Any idea what these things could be? I found them at a garage sale in California, and I've spotted a couple of them online (eBay and such) but none of the sellers know what they are either. They're made of brass, with some dense wood on the handle; the longest is about 6 inches (15 cm) long. The tips are not spoon-like; they seem more like the instruments are to be pressed down on something. The reverse (behind the Buddha) says "Willy Made In Siam".

Any informed guesses? --jpgordon^∇∆∇∆ 23:49, 25 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Looks like a Hair stick to me. Nanonic (talk) 23:54, 25 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Could be. But why would they come in a graduated set? And what's the purpose of the blunted end? Hair sticks are usually pointed. --jpgordon^∇∆∇∆ 23:58, 25 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Google Willy Siam and check the first ghit. They are ornamental letter openers. 152.16.59.190 (talk) 02:52, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I found that too - but look closely - it has a blade - jpgordon's don't. SteveBaker (talk) 03:13, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Wow! This is a good one! A couple of places I found claim that the handles are made of ivory. One points out that they must have been made before 1949 because that's the year Siam became Thailand. This is an interesting lead - it has an identical-looking end and handle - but with a blade instead of the rounded rod - the claim is that this bladed form is a letter opener - which I have to agree with. OK - but it's otherwise identical to your 'sticks'. So I wonder if these are used in a similar office setting? SteveBaker (talk) 03:12, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Intriguing indeed! Found some more instruments apparently made by the same company, but still have no idea what they or the "mystery thing" is. JPgordan, can you post higher resolution pictures of the instrument tips ? Abecedare (talk) 03:53, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Oh - jeez - that just makes things worse! So they made letter openers and tableware with matching handles - that just means that they might have made almost anything else with the same handles - so these things may not be used in either an office or a tableware setting. Argh! The fact that these artifacts come in three sizes (and one of the online sellers of these things had a boxed set of two that were also different sizes - so they were obviously sold like this)...that's gotta be a clue. SteveBaker (talk) 04:05, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

More pictures (with names) of the tableware: [7], [8]. The mystery objects don't seem to be part of the set. Abecedare (talk) 04:14, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I'll try to get better pics tomorrow. More info -- I think these were three of a set of four; they came in two boxes, and I think one "thing" was missing. I do so love mysteries like this. --jpgordon^∇∆∇∆ 05:13, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

This is just a wild guess, but: I dimly remember seeing a film of an artist (Japan ? / calligraphy ? / silk painting ?) using similar sticks in his art work. The tip has a hollow sleeve and is used to insert the appropriate sized brush or nib or whatever. Unfortunately, Googling does not show any examples of such a tool. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 06:06, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Maybe they are for eating nuts. You insert the correct end into the newly cracked nut to pry out the contents. We are a very evolved species. Bus stop (talk) 06:16, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Can you make a photo of one of those things from the side? Letter openers are blade-shaped and flat, these things would seem to be round. Also, I think the pointed tip is more important than the ornamental handle. --Ouro (blah blah) 06:29, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Those things might date back to the point in time at which man broke away from his animal ancestors. This may be the proof of evolution we've been looking for. Bus stop (talk) 06:37, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I might not be able to get to a photo today -- it's a trans-Death-Valley commute day for me and the photographer. But: the ends are solid cylinders, not pointed, flat perpendicular to the axis of the rod (and the rod is also completely cylindrical, round in cross-section for the entire length including the end.) I do like Bus stop's theory, however, even though it implies man broke away from his animal ancestors, which the photographer and I question (she says woman may have done so, but she doesn't think man has yet.) --jpgordon^∇∆∇∆ 14:32, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Are they some sort of weaving/knitting needle, macrame comes to mind, yes I know macrame does not normally use a needle, I'm grabbing at anything! On the other side of the spectrum the shape of the shaft and tip reminds me somewhat of a urological probe or ear wax remover, yes I know, but I can't help my previous experience. Richard Avery (talk) 19:00, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Again - the problem with this theory is the question of why you would want weaving/knitting needles, urological probes or ear-wax removers in a range of subtly different lengths? SteveBaker (talk) 20:45, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

A graduated set of smooth-ended long probes suggests they might be medical sounds which would be successively introduced in the Urethra for Urethral sounding to restore urine flow (or for whatever reason). Edison (talk) 19:28, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Urethral probes, beautifully decorated to match your letter opener and tableware? There must be some amazing cultural differences in Thailand! :-) But why the three subtly different lengths? (Oh - wait. OK - on the other hand, I don't want to know!) SteveBaker (talk) 20:45, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Question: We know they are different lengths - and that's very puzzling - but is it possible that the protruberances on the ends are different diameters? That might be a significant clue. SteveBaker (talk) 20:45, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Nope. They're all identical. And of course I can't take any more photos until Saturday, since I left them in Kernville, CA. And, no, these sure aren't going into any urethras. And since they're blunt ended, they're not going to scraping anything. --jpgordon^∇∆∇∆ 22:58, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

When you say "handle" in your OP, which end are you talking about, the buddha end, or the weird-shaped bit at the bottom of pic#1? And when you say "pressed down", this can't mean a force exerted transaxially at one end producing a force at the other end, they're much too slender for that. Even an axial force from one end to the other is questionable.

I'm wildly guessing something to do with ear (or possibly nose) cleaning at this point. The difference in length would affect the precision with which you could clean the ear canal, depending on how big the ear was. Franamax (talk) 23:40, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Maybe it's a pointer, for reading holy texts. Bus stop (talk) 01:43, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

may be used as Toothpick or Cocktail stick - manya (talk) 03:34, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

or even better as Hair stick - manya (talk) 03:52, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Sure, a toothpick for people who have 1/4 inch gaps between their teeth. Oh, good idea regarding being a pointer; the blunt end might be to prevent from tearing fragile material. When I say handle, I mean the part with the Buddha and the wood/laminate/horn/whatever dark part riveted there. No, they aren't slender -- they're quite sturdy, not easily bendable. --jpgordon^∇∆∇∆ 04:14, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Who the heck needs three pointers, three nose pickers or three ear cleaners all in different lengths?!?! We know they were sold in boxed sets with 2 or four of them in different lengths. SteveBaker (talk) 18:13, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Since we seem to have narrowed the objects down to having something to do with Thailand, you might get lucky by asking at Project Thailand. Since most of the other similar items were tableware, these might be used in a loop to hold rolls of tablecloth together or something like that. We have no page for toggle=button. (another wild guess, I'm afraid.) 71.236.24.129 (talk) 06:26, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I've asked at Wikiproject Thailand Nil Einne (talk) 17:49, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I've decided to guess that they are cocktail stirrers. Different lengths for tall, medium or short glasses. Rounded ends so that they don't scratch the glassware. That fits with the tableware theme too. I bet I'm wrong though...this is a tough one! SteveBaker (talk) 18:13, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The issue for me with that is that would imply you use the Buddha end to stir. To me this seems unlikely (it seems more likely to be the handle), but I could be wrong Nil Einne (talk) 19:00, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

For sure the skinny end is the end you'd have to stir with - all of the other utensils in the range have the same handles as these objects. But do a google images search on "cocktail stirrer" and you'll see gazillions of different stirrers - mostly with fancy decorated handles and a simple 'bulge' at the business end. SteveBaker (talk) 22:08, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

If they did not come in sets of 3, I would have guessed chopsticks. 65.121.141.34 (talk) 20:39, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

No! Chopsticks of different lengths?! SteveBaker (talk) 22:08, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

They don't look like chopsticks to me, but our article does claim (uncited) that chopsticks may come in three sizes (for men, women and children). Angus Lepper^{(T, C)} 15:07, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Maybe, but they would come in pairs of the same size, not one of each. --Tango (talk) 15:14, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Agreed, my point was more that the different lengths alone was not necessarily enough to dismiss the idea. Angus Lepper^{(T, C)} 15:17, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

True - but they look like they'd be really badly unbalanced for chopsticks - that big heavy top end...I can't imagine them being very easy to use that way. SteveBaker (talk) 03:20, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I am now convinced that these are the Thai analogs of the Chinese water torture. In the 1940s they used to leave the three sticks in a prisoner's cell, who would drive himself insane trying to imagine what purpose they could possibly serve. The blunt ends prevented him from using them for any nefarious purpose; the Willy mark is a (cunningly misspelled) clue. With the advent of the internets, simple photographs of the instruments suffice. That's my theory and I am sticking with it! Abecedare (talk) 04:11, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

<drip>, <drip>, <drip>...OK! I'll talk!

I took another careful look at the picture at right. Look at the rivets that hold the black parts together. They are in totally different places on all three 'things'. That suggests to me that these things are at least somewhat hand-made. A machine would have put them in more or less the same place each time. So I suppose it's possible that the reason behind the three different lengths is just that the guy who makes them is just a very sloppy worker. Well...it's a thought. SteveBaker (talk) 03:27, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

One guess is that these were used to undo button boots, which were worn about a hundred or more years ago. See a picture here http://www.corsetsandcrinolines.com/timelineitem.php?index=191024 The clue is in the tapered neck near the end - this seems more complicated to make than just a straight wire, so it must have had a purpose. The neck may be to aid in levering around something - the buttons on the button boots. The end was not sharp to avoid damaging the leather. From what I vaguely remember of mentions of them in old literature, the boots were worn tight, and they took a long time and were difficult to put on or remove. While the plain items would have been thrown away when the fashion for button boots ended, the fancy ones were kept. Searching for "button boots" gutenberg on Google produces many mentions of them. Looking at the photo I imagine they were undone by levering a button away from the edge of the button-hole, so that it could be released, by using the lower button as a fulcrum. If that is the case, then the neck is in the right place. I understand that hooks were used to do up the boots, and these may have been quicker and easier alternative to undo them, and perhaps something of a luxury item. On the other hand as I cannot find an illustration of these and button hooks together, perhaps they were just letter openers, with a blunt end to avoid damaging the contents, and the thinner neck to help in ripping the envelope open. Or staying with the lever idea, perhaps they were for cracking open lobsters or oysters. The decoration may perhaps have something to do with a fashion for orientalism which occurred at some time after the re-discoverey of Angkor Wat in 1860; from the PDF here https://doi.org/10.1007%2Fs103080200002 "The temple ruins of Angkor Watt, a Siamese possession attached by the French to Cambodia, became one of the most popular attractions for French artists and tourists alike. A mammoth replica of Angkor Watt was the centerpiece of the 1931 Colonial Exhibition in Paris, an event that drew several million visitors." The fact that "Siam" is on similar ones to them does suggest those ends were mass-produced by moulding, but assembled by hand, which more suggests a 1930s origin, and too late for button boots. The black parts might be teak, also from the East. I would like to see more pictures of the narrow end - are the tips cylindrical as I suppossed, or are they flattened? If flattened then they were made for inserting or poking in something, most likely letter openers as previously suggested. 89.240.40.4 (talk) 08:03, 31 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

So to add to the mystery.... I found a set of three of these at my dads house in the kitchen drawer with all of his other decorative stir sticks. Im selling my set of three on ebay as such. A rude person emailed me to inform me that they were hair sticks. I have very long hair and tried to use them as hair sticks. Because of the "NUB" on the end without the god/godess, it pulls at your hair. The end is not pointed like most hair sticks. It sounds more reasonable to me that they are drink stirrers because of the different lengths.I found another website that stated they were bronze not brass and bone. Shanendale 04/02/2013

May 26

Shoe Polish

Does neutral shoe polish work to make white shoes shiny? --omnipotence407 (talk) 02:22, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Yes - or any other color for that matter. It's basically just a wax and it works like car wax by filling in the tiny cracks and crevices and making a smooth surface that reflects light more effectively. Colored shoe polishes will also dye the surface if a scratch or scrape goes deep enough into the leather to get below the colored layer. SteveBaker (talk) 03:16, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Utilitarianism

I've read the articles on utilitarianism, moral relativism, and moral absolutism, but still they don't say or mention whether utilitarianism is a form of moral relativism or moral absolutism. So is utilitarianism a form of moral relativism or a form of moral absolutism? Bowei Huang (talk) 05:34, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

These are all concepts. Why would one concept be a form of another? Bus stop (talk) 06:46, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

It claims to be a form of moral relativism, because every circumstance must be taken new without preset rules. However, critics claim that it actually works by applying it's one rule (greatest good...) to each circumstance, so it has an 'absolutist core'. True moral relativism claims there is no such thing as good and evil, and utilitarianism does somewhat do this. It's debatable is the answer, so wikipedia which requires neutrality and consensus steers clear.

And Bus Stop, the reason one is a form of the other is because of the scope of each concept. Utilitarianism is an ethical code, Absolutism and relativism are Meta-Ethics so are codes about codes. 91.85.138.20 (talk) 14:18, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Staple gun

What's the best brand of Staple gun for home use? --PirateSmackK^Arrrr! 06:19, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

We don't really do opinions here. So, unless you can objectively define "best" then it would be hard to answer you with anything worth your while. That said, I have a Stanley staple gun and I don't have any complaints about it. It does an excellent job holding down papers. It only does an average job gathering dust though. About the same as any other inanimate object. ;-) You could check with your local library to see if they have a copy of Consumer Reports that has staple gun ratings in it. Dismas|^(talk) 09:30, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

There are two big distinctions you need to decide upon: Electric versus manual - and whether you want the staples bent flat (as when stapling three sheets of paper together) or whether you want them left in a 'U' shape (as when stapling fabric onto furniture). I've owned several different kinds over the years and there isn't one particular one that I'd say was any better or worse than the others. SteveBaker (talk) 20:32, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

words that alternate hands on keyboard

I'm looking for a long, comprehensive list of words that when typed on a QWERTY keyboard alternate the use of hands. Examples: antiskepticism, authenticity, neurotoxity —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.23.156.30 (talk) 07:36, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

What is the purpose of this list? One could be generated fairly easily. decltype (talk) 07:42, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

A list can be found at User:decltype/Words. The examples you listed are not there, however, because I only had a small dictionary. 1783 words out of the 80269 in my dictionary meets the criterion. decltype (talk) 08:21, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

If you have something Unixish:

grep -i '^[yuiophjklnm][qwertasdfgzxcvb][yuiophjklnm][qwertasdfgzxcvb]$' /usr/dict/words

will find four letter words that start with the right hand. Add alternating [...] sequences for longer words. Start with the "qwert" group instead of "yuiop" for left-handed words. May want to move "b" and "g" to the other group depending which handedness you consider them. You can prepend "anti" to many left-handed words; keep an eye out for more prefixes and suffixes. Both grep and /usr/dict/words may be available for non-Unix system too; ask google. 88.114.222.252 (talk) 10:58, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

You can extend that technique to words of any length by doing

r="[yuiophjklnm]"

l="[qwertasdfgzxcvb]"

~~egrep -i "^($r($l$r)*$l|$l($r$l)*$r?)\$" /usr/dict/words~~

egrep -i "^($r($l$r)*$l?|$l($r$l)*$r?)\$" /usr/dict/words

On this system, with 235,882 words in the dictionary file (here called /usr/share/dict/words), this finds 2,622 hits from length 1 to 13 letters, the longest words being "antiendowment", "antisudorific", "autotoxicosis", and "dismantlement". However, this method will not pick up inflected forms unless the online dictionary file lists them separately. For example, it will find "protogospel" but not "protogospels". Also, online word lists meant for general purposes will not likely include the exotic sort of words that tend to provide the best answers to this sort of question, anyway. --Anonymous, 17:02 UTC, May 26, 2009. (Corrected later, see below.)

Your regex seems to miss words that start and end with the right hand. I think "^$l?($r$l)*$r?\$" will catch everything. -- BenRG (talk) 22:04, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Damn, I missed a ? when converting from the original to the two-alternative version. Sorry about that and thanks for the correction, Ben. I've corrected my code above; it now produces 3,139 hits (the longest words are still the same four as I said above). Your version produces the same hits but will also match a completely empty line, so it takes advantage of the fact that we know there aren't any in the file, which I preferred not to do. --Anonymous, 00:05 UTC, May 26, 2009.

Note: that should be "neurotoxicity". here is one list with more examples. ---Sluzzelin talk 10:43, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I was going to make the same point yesterday, but I thought I'd better check. Google gives over 15,000 hits for "neurotoxity", some of which are probably errors, but it seems to be a recognised word. -- JackofOz (talk) 22:59, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

FYI, the longest such Wikipedia articles are Euroskepticism, Hanaiakamalama, Helanshanensis, and Dorkrockcorkrod. --Sean 18:44, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Hey Sean, how did you do that? auto / decltype (talk) 19:00, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

You can download a list of all article titles at http://download.wikimedia.org/enwiki/latest/enwiki-latest-all-titles-in-ns0.gz. Grepping through that turned up two longer titles, Rubyrubyrubyruby and Bobobobobobobobo, though they are mere redirects to Ruby (song) and Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo. -- BenRG (talk) 22:04, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I've loaded a DB dump into MySQL, so I can do SQL queries against it. I didn't list the longer ones BenRG mentioned because the Ruby one seemed bogus, and the Bobo one had punctuation which messed up the left-right alternation. --Sean 17:33, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I type the 'b' key with both hands. Is it supposed to be a left or a right hand key? 65.121.141.34 (talk) 13:34, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

My beloved GoldTouch split keyboard has 'F6', '6', 't', 'g' and 'b' (and everything to the left of them) on the left hand - so I assume that's the "correct" way to touch-type. Hence 'b' is on the left hand. SteveBaker (talk) 14:27, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Hmmm - that's interesting - the 'ergonomic' keyboard I have at home has F6 on the right hand. But 6,t,g and b are still on the left. Touch-typists with ergonomic keyboard needs who use the F6 key frequently must be few and far between! SteveBaker (talk) 03:15, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Including punctuation and allowing B and space to be hit with either finger, the non-redirect winner is Clement Claiborne Clay, and the redirect winners are Clement Claiborne Clay Jr, Authenticity of the Bible, and S.W.A.T.A.W.A.T.A.T.A.A.. -- BenRG (talk) 19:18, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

cat /usr/share/dict/words | grep -iv '[qwertasdfgzxcvb][qwertasdfgzxcvb]' | grep -iv '[yuiophjklnm][yuiophjklnm]'

grep -v chooses lines that do not contain the string in question, so the first grep excludes words with consecutive left-hand letters, and the second excludes consecutive right-hand letters. I get 3072 words, the longest being antiendowment, antisudorific, autotoxicosis, dismantlement. —Tamfang (talk) 21:34, 3 June 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Recent temperatures in the city of Paris

No doubt this is relatively easy to find, and I'm just being thick, but where can I find a list of recent (say the last week or two) daily high temperatures for the city of Paris? Thanks in advance --Dweller (talk) 09:39, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Wunderground carry records back to 1996. Quite handy that. Fribbler (talk) 11:24, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for that. I had thought the max temperatures were warmer on Sunday and Monday of this week, than those recorded there, by several degrees C. Is there a way of double checking? --Dweller (talk) 12:04, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

You coult try Météo-France here. My French isn't very good at all though, so I find it hard to use. Fribbler (talk) 12:37, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Yes Meteo France is perhaps the best bet, but to correct Fribbler's link, here is the link to the weather and temperature for the last week. Astronaut (talk) 17:33, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks, my knowledge of French is non-existent. Fribbler (talk) 19:44, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Merci, to you all. --Dweller (talk) 11:29, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Psychology video

I was watching a video in psychology class that had Phillip Zimbardo in it (the video, not my class) and it was about visual perception and they showed a video of a fake robbery or something where everyones wearing black and some guy shoots another guy and you think its one guy who shot him but it turns out to be another, and the video is supposed to show that eye-witnesses can be unrealiable. Does anyone have a link to the fake shooting video? --124.254.77.148 (talk) 13:55, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I don't - but here is something much more convincing! [9] (Please: People who have seen it before - please refrain from explaining what's in it in too much detail - because it spoils the effect for other people). SteveBaker (talk) 20:28, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

That page doesn't give the instructions for what to do while watching the video, so it doesn't work. You are supposed to count how many times to balls are thrown or something, isn't it? --Tango (talk) 22:23, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Ack! I didn't actually watch it again. Let me see if I can find a better link. The idea is: "I encourage you view this Java video of a basketball game and try to count the total number of times that the people wearing white pass the basketball. Do not count the passes made by the people wearing black."...then come back and we'll tell you what to do next. SteveBaker (talk) 23:16, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Yeah, those instructions should work. Does somebody that didn't click the link before seeing the instructions (be honest!) want to try it out? --Tango (talk) 22:43, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

It worked perfectly on my wife. SteveBaker (talk) 05:34, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

It might be helpful to mention the people in black don't throw the ball to the people in white, so you don't have to worry about them Nil Einne (talk) 14:45, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I don't know the video, but it's true that many eyewitnesses can be extremely unreliable, and that tendency can be increased in all sorts of ways. For example, if someone witnesses a crime and sees the perpetrator, and a police officer asks the witness what kind of a hat the perp was wearing, suddenly the witness can "remember" the type and color of hat -- even though the guy wasn't actually wearing one at all. To get an accurate description, it's important to not inadvertently suggest the witness details. As I recall, David Simon's absolutely fascinating book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets discusses this phenomenon at some length. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 20:44, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

So, I counted 14 passes by those in white. Do I pass or fail? // BL \\ (talk) 03:36, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I put a proper answer on your Talk page so that people who haven't watched the video yet won't have the effect spoiled for them. SteveBaker (talk) 05:26, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I've not been able to find the Phillip Zimbardo video that the OP asked for, but my three favorite videos along those lines are these: 1, 2 and 3. The first one is a different version of the video that SteveBaker linked to, above. 152.16.16.75 (talk) 00:32, 30 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

US politicians education background

I am trying to find out the college backgrounds of members of the US House and Senate. Rather than going into all ~550 individual articles, can anyone suggest a way to get this information at a glance?

Thanks —Preceding unsigned comment added by 128.223.163.109 (talk) 23:02, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Wire-bound congressional directories like this one are popular on the Hill; they list colleges for each member. Your local library might have one or might order a new one if you ask. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 02:28, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Nike founder, Phil Knight, is a Portland, Oregon native. I'm trying to find out precisely where he grew up in Portland

What is the address of Nike founder, Phil Knight's, childhood home? What is the address of the (now defunct) Pink Bucket Tavern, which, according to a Sports Illustrated article, was next door to where Knight first sold his prototype Nike shoes? 65.161.188.11 (talk) 23:07, 26 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

If no one has the answer here, call a large library in Portland and ask if they have phone books or city directories going back to the year in question. Then ask them to look up the address of the tavern. As far as where he grew up, it looks like his dad's name was William W. Knight, so it's simply a matter of going back to the appropriate era and finding William W. Knight in the phone book or city directory. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 02:21, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Many libraries have a reference desk accessible through their web site. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 02:33, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Indeed, here is the link for the online "Ask a Librarian" service of the Portland central library. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 02:39, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I'm the guy that asked the original question, and I've taken Mwalcoff's advice and consulted the Multnomah Co. Library. The county librarians responded to me via e-mail this morning. This is what they said:

"According to our catalog, Phil Knight was born in 1938. Wikipedia says his father was a lawyer and later a newspaper publisher. 1962 city directory - Pink Bucket Tavern - 5021 SE Powell Blvd 1962 also lists William W & Lota Knight (publisher) at 3650 SE Claybourne. Going back to his childhood time. we checked the 1943/44 city directory. It lists William W & Lota Knight at 6536 SE 36th Ave."

May 27

Résumé question

Years ago, I authored an op-ed for a software development magazine. Since then, the publication has changed its name. Is it acceptable to use the new name of the magazine on your résumé? A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 01:30, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Why not indicate both names? Just say "Authored op-ed piece for Awesome Magazine (known since 2002 as Coolness Journal)" or something like that. No need to be obfuscatory... --Jayron32.talk.contribs 01:33, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

To be frank, I'd rather use the new name of the publication as this is the current name and the name that most people would be familiar with. Anyway, here's some background information. I have a list of publications on my resume. The name of each publication is in bold-face and in a slightly larger font. An explanatory description is provided underneath with a regular font and without bold-faceing. Somewhat attempting to follow your advice, here's how my résumé currently looks:

MAGAZINE'S NEW NAME
I authored an op-ed on TOPIC A for MAGAZINE'S NEW NAME then known (formally known as MAGAZINE'S OLD NAME).  My two main areas of focus were on the importance of SUB-TOPIC-1 and SUB-TOPIC-2."

Is this acceptable? A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 02:10, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I don't see why not. Look, no one is going to bust you on having this one entry formatted right. The purpose of a resume is not to check you adherance to some "resume format" and you get docked "points" if you don't do it exactly right. The purpose of a resume is to get you an interview. That's it. If the information sets you apart enough to get someone to notice you enough to call you in for an interview, then it has served its purpose 100%. It doesn't matter a whole lot whether you list the old name first or the new name first. Whatever makes you more comfortable, and whatever you think does the best job of getting someone to put you in the "interview this guy" pile rather than the "recycle bin". --Jayron32.talk.contribs 02:24, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

A word to the wise: make sure you use the right word. In the example you give, the word is "formerly". "Formally" implies it has a formal name. For example, my nickname is TammyMoet, but I am formally known as Mrs Pampling. I was formerly known by my maiden name of Barratt. --88.108.222.231 (talk) 11:25, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

How about just "formally MAGAZINE'S OLD NAME"? A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 13:24, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I don't think you should use formally at all. If you used formally it would mean that the magazine has two current names, one formal and one informal (for example the US is formally known as the United States of America). What you mean is that the magazine changed its name, so it was formerly know by another name. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Eiad77 (talk • contribs) 13:58, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

"Formally" is not the right word at all. You're looking for "Formerly". Two Rs. One L. APL (talk) 14:05, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Doh! Thanks. A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 14:08, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I would say "New Name (then Old Name)". "Formerly" doesn't tell you if the name change was before or after you wrote for it. --Tango (talk) 22:41, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

OK, thanks Tango. I'm trying to avoid any appearance of impropriety. A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 15:42, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Stopping the Car

So I did my road test the other day and my instructor told me that when approaching a stop sign or a red light, say I'm on 4th gear, I need to downshift gear-by-gear until I reach 1st gear before coming to a complete stop. Seriously? Does anybody actually do this? What I did was what she called "coasting", where I hit the brake and once my engine begins to lug, I pop it into neutral. Jamesino (talk) 02:13, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I just put the foot down on both pedals until reaching a complete stop. I generally will shift down into the appropriate gear based on my speed, without engaging it, so I coast with the car completely disengaged via the clutch pedal, but I keep the gearshift lever in the appropriate gear, should I have to suddenly engage. I generally don't like using the transmission to slow down the car instead of the brakes, which is what you seem to be implying is being recommended here. Why? Worn out brake pads: $50.00 plus 1 hour labor. Worn out transmission: $1000.00 plus 4 hours labor. You do the math. --Jayron32.talk.contribs 02:21, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

(ec)I undertook driving lessons in the UK recently and this was actively discouraged both by my instructor and later by the examiner when I took the test. The reasons they gave me were

By moving from the current gear down to 1st; I would be keeping the car straight or moving between lanes with the one hand whilst braking with one foot and depressing the clutch with the other, using the gear stick to select each gear and also looking ahead for hazards and slowing traffic. That's a bit much for anyone to do in the 1-200 yards approach to a junction or roundabout with the car's centre of gravity moving forward evermore as the vehicle decelerates. It's even worse if there is an unexpected hazard or if the road is slippery. I was taught to approach the junction in whatever gear is safe at that time, usually downshifting to 2nd (as you may only have to slow down momentarily before pulling away again) if there is time and selecting 1st when stopped if necessary.
Disc brakes work a lot better than the old drum brakes, are more reliable and are very effective at stopping a car. Some road authorities used to recommend engine braking to offset the 'sponginess' of drums back in the day, it's just not necessary now.

As to coasting, I got a big black mark for that as it's not the done thing to be moving without being in gear. I experienced an acceleration in some cases when moving in neutral (especially downhill) and was thus deemed to not be in full control of the vehicle.

Of course this is mostly "somebody told me.." info and from a different country but still... Nanonic (talk) 02:46, 27 May 2009 (UTC)`[reply]

Oh and by 'approach in whatever gear is safe at that time' I do mean if you're in 4th, stop in 4th - the thing that matters is that you pull away in the correct gear. Nanonic (talk) 03:04, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

You certainly shouldn't slow down in a high gear with your foot off of the clutch until the engine revs are so low that you have to put your foot on the clutch. As the engine RPM drops, below about 2000 rpm - you are "lugging" - which is damaging the engine...very bad indeed...don't ever do that!

On the other hand, if you stay in a high gear and put your foot on the clutch while the revs are still reasonably high to prevent the RPM's from dropping then you are indeed coasting - and that's also bad because you have no control over the car's engine - in the event of some kind of problem, you can't easily drop into the right gear to accellerate away because you'll have no clear idea of the right gear for the current RPM's. Coasting is dangerous...so that's out too.

Hence, downshifting is DEFINITELY needed - it's safer and it prolongs the life of your engine. There should be no debate about this - and your driving tester was 100% correct in complaining about your failure to do that.

However, when I slow down, I don't go through every gear - and I never wind up in 1st gear. The reason for not winding up in first is somewhat quirky. It's because I drive a lot of old British cars (from the 1960's) and they don't have synchromesh on 1st gear. If you try to downshift a classic Mini or MG into 1st while it's still in motion, you'll wreck the gearbox! But on modern cars, this isn't a problem. So unless you plan on getting hooked on small British cars from the 50's and 60's - don't worry about it! But shifting down from (say) 6th through 5th, 4th, 3rd, 2nd and into 1st in a 6-speed transmission is a lot of work - and it's distracting at a time when your attention is needed - and it takes your hand off of the steering wheel more than is necessary at a time when you might well have to manouver suddenly. So I tend to use alternate gears when downshifting. 6th/4th/2nd/neutral. But even that is somewhat misleading. On a fast road, in 6th gear - I'll downshift into 5th or 4th as I pull off onto the slip-road. So long before I have to stop - I'm probably already in 4th. So in truth, I stay in gear - let the RPM drop off - and when they get close to 2000 RPM - I drop into 2nd gear - and stay there until the revs are again - close to 2000 - then (if I've gotten it right) - I can apply brake and clutch for the last 10 to 15 feet up to the line. Doing it smoothely is a matter of planning...after a while it becomes instinctive - but sadly, you have to take your test before you've gotten that off pat.

HOWEVER - how you drive on your test is how you have to drive to pass it. A good driving instructor will tell you that you need to do such-and-such in order to pass the test - but in normal driving, you'd do some other thing. A great example is the three point turn and the reversing around a corner thing - those are about convincing the tester that you have control of the car - it has nothing to do with manouvers you commonly have to do in daily driving. It sounds like this is another example of that. SteveBaker (talk) 04:40, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Steve, you drive small british cars, so I understand that you'd rarely need to do a three point turn. I learned to drive in Toyota Landcruiser Troop Carrier 4WD. Vehicles like can't often do a U-turn. --Polysylabic Pseudonym (talk) 06:23, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Even in a 'standard' length of car, you can usually turn around in a road that's too narrow to U-turn by first reversing then driving forwards and away...a '2-point turn'. But the UK drivers test specifically requires that you start the manouver by going forwards - and that ends up forcing you to do a 3-point turn. Lots of people never learn to do a 2-point turn and continue to do it the inefficient way. But the test isn't making sure you know how to turn the car around in the road - it's making sure you have the skills to keep control of the car and not hit the curb as you move back and forth across the cambered road. SteveBaker (talk) 18:02, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Of course the first point is free as you're generally traveling forward anyway. --203.22.236.14 (talk) 12:23, 31 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I think it's been renamed to a "turn in the road" rather than 3 point (since you can do more than 3 points to your turn). I do find it an odd-one. In my 8 years driving I don't think i've ever done a 3-point turn. I virtually always just drive to the next road and make a turn at the next junction (reverse round a corner I think they call it on the test). Anyhoo like SteveBaker says, it's all about what the examiner wants you to do to show you can control the car and are a safe road user. Once you have your test you can't just ignore the rules, but some things (e.g. parralel parking) people will never want to do again after they get a license. 194.221.133.226 (talk) 10:45, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Yeah - I think it was formally called that since the beginning - but 'three point turn' was always the colloquial name for it. SteveBaker (talk) 18:02, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

It probably depends where you live (size of roads and whether they have good places to turn around) and the type of car. I've done a million of them. Ditto parallel paring — if you live in high-density, very urban areas you have to know how to do that without even thinking about it. --98.217.14.211 (talk) 14:35, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

You don't normally do parallel parking? Really? Good luck driving in KL or Auckland them... I also believe you'd general fail if you need to do more then 3 points for your turn here in NZ. They may give you an exception with a very large car and narrow road but I wouldn't count on it (more likely they'd choose a road when they feel you should be able to manage it). I don't drive much but I can see the need for a 3 point turn in some NZ roads particularly with larger cars. (Well obviously no one cares if it takes more then 3 points when your actually driving.) Driving to the end to find a place to turn, on a quiet road, particularly if you do it every day seems a fairly pointless waste of time to me. In reply to the question, I was thought to downshift and so you end up in 2nd gear when stopping, not first. Nil Einne (talk) 15:19, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

You were probably taught to drive in an era before synchomesh-on-1st-gear was commonplace too. It really is necessary to be utterly stationary before shifting into 1st with such older cars - I do hope the driving testers and instructors know to teach that if people are still taking their tests in beat-up old 1970's or older Mini's because it makes a god-awful grinding noise if you do try to downshift into 1st while moving. When I got my 1963 Mini - the very first time my wife drove it she did that very thing before even getting out of our driveway! She's never driven it since (her choice - not mine). Some people can use the double-declutch trick to get the car into 1st while moving - but I don't like to risk my poor babies' 46 year old gearbox by practicing it! 18:02, 27 May 2009 (UTC)

I believe in the UK driving test a "turn in the road" is allowed to take as many points as is necessary for the width of the road and the length of the car. I can't see an examiner asking you to do one somewhere that wasn't wide enough to do it in 3 points, though (unless, for some reason, you decided to do your test in a stretch limo, which you are probably allowed to do). --Tango (talk) 22:37, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I seem to remember hearing (terrible start to a ref desk answer, I apologise!) that the official guidance in the UK has recently (last 10 years) changed and you are no longer expected to work your way down through all the gears, but were before. I think you are now taught to change straight down into second (which, to be honest, in most cases would only involve skipping 3rd, as Steve says above) as you approach the junction, then put the clutch down as you stop (if you need to stop - you stay in 2nd if you don't) and immeadiately (before stopping) change into first (so you are ready to pull away again straight away). I haven't actually gotten around to learning to drive yet, though - I got half way there last year and then stopped for exams and didn't take it up again. I intend to do so this summer, so remind me and I will let you know the official advice! --Tango (talk) 22:37, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

architect and anthropologist

hi, i want to be an architect and i am from india. so please could anyone tell me whether i should pursue studying science or humanities??

my friend here wants to be an anthropologist. so it would be nice of you tell him what he should pursue.

thanx —Preceding unsigned comment added by 117.197.250.135 (talk) 05:58, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Both require a bit of both. To ask such a question probably implies that you should not already have made up your minds on your eventual careers. That is my short answer.Julzes (talk) 07:17, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I largely agree with Julzes. Since I have a degree in anthropology, I'll try to handle that part. The answer really depends on two things - the kind of anthropology you want to do and how your potential university(ies) consider it. Most anthropology is geared heavily toward the humanities, but there are sub-disciplines that are much more science oriented (archaeology, physical anthropology, palaeo-anthropology). In very generic terms, the question you need to ask yourself is whether you want to study people physically (which requires more science) or whether you're more interesting in understanding what people do (which requires a background in humanities). Matt Deres (talk) 13:33, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Are there not courses for both subjects in India? Very few undergraduate teaching departments for archeology or anthropology would be so specialised as to prevent postponing a decision about which sub-area to specialise in. eg. Any general anthropology degree should qualify you for further study in the areas you find more interesting. If you want to know about what to study in school, university departments usually specify which subjects they prefer, but this is not especially stringent - few courses mandate more than 2 subjects, and are always flexible. eg. A physics degree may demand school-level physics and maths, but the 3rd and 4th subjects are then not important (although grades still count!)

A quick search find for example in UK, this anthropology course, which is very science orientated, but doesn't care whether you have chemistry or biology, as long as you have one. And this, which does not specify any subject, but prefers a "mix of arts and sciences". From those i checked, biology is the most asked for school subject, followed by chemistry - but this may only reflect the lack of good sociology/anthopology education at UK schools ("core" subjects are generally more common and better regarded there.Yob Mod 13:54, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

To the original poster: Can you specify what grade of schooling, and state you are currently in ? Do you have any specific architecture institutes or programs in mind ?
To others: India (generally) follows a 10+2+3 plan for most fields of study (10+2+5 for B.Arch, although there are post-graduate alternatives too) and students usually have to decide the "stream of study" they wish to choose at both the +2 (i.e., equivalent to Junior year in highschool in US) and the +3 (i.e., entry into undergraduate degree programs) level. At either stages one cannot (again generally) choose from an a la carte menu, but needs to decide on a stream of study (eg, science, commerce arts etc), and the choice one makes at each of these stages limits the courses of study one can undertake later. The system is much less flexible that the US/European model, and therefore one does need to plan on a course of education well in advance - especially if one desires admission in one of the premier institutions, which have strict eligibility requirements and (often) competitive entrance exams. The specifics vary from state-to-state and some premier institutions set their own admission policy. That is the reason it is important to know what level of schooling the OP is at and what (state/national) institutes they are considering, in order to provide a specific answer to the question. Abecedare (talk) 02:35, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for the info! So school students choosing a scientific stream would not be able to study languages or music? I can think of a lot of university programs that require a mixture (eg. studying the Physics of musical instruments). The 2 asked for above fit into this area - both science knowledge and language skills would be very useful. But more specialisation also has advantages (I far prefer the UK model than countries that would have required i continue to study some arts through my whole education (the US?)).Yob Mod 13:43, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

UK Driving License

Is it legal for someone to drive solo on private land in the UK without a license? I hear about this all the time in news from the US, about kids as young as 7 driving cars on their parents' ranch and so on. What is the situation in the UK? Specifically, what about factory workers in car factories driving cars off the trim line and into the depot? I'm asking this because that was part of my father's job and he has never had a driver's license. --KageTora - (영호 (影虎)) (talk) 07:50, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Yes it is legal and our article says "As a licence is required to drive on a public road, any person may drive on private land with the consent of the landowner, but it is illegal - regardless of any licence - to drive on any common public land, such as moorland." This is especially useful for farmers who have many people using their machinery etc and as you suggest - car factory workers. Most car parks are also owned privately by companies or stores and deemed to not be "public roadways" as well as any road not maintained by the Highways Agency or local authorities. Nanonic (talk) 10:41, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

There is a further exception for farmers, I think - an agricultural vehicle being driven a short way along a road to get from one field to another (I'm not sure of the exact limitations) doesn't fall under the usual rules. They don't have to pay fuel duty, they don't need MOTs, etc. and, I think, they don't need a drivers license (although I wouldn't swear by that one). --Tango (talk) 11:58, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

So does that mean I can give my niece some driving experience before she has even applied for a licence, by letting her drive my car round a supermarket carpark (long after the store has closed, on Sunday evenings for example)? Astronaut (talk) 16:49, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

It said "with the consent of the landowner". DJ Clayworth (talk) 17:40, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

You might also want to check the terms of your insurance policy. It probably covers you for teaching another person to drive - but probably not if they don't have a provisional license. Either way...CHECK IT CAREFULLY! SteveBaker (talk) 17:46, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Do you need insurance to drive on private land? If so does that render illegal all those 10 year olds being given a 1 minute drive on the front driveway? Prokhorovka (talk) 22:20, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

You only need insurance if they crash your car (at which point you, of course, claim you were driving and the insurance company is none the wiser The Wikipedia reference desk does not condone insurance fraud.). --Tango (talk) 22:27, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

No way that you can let her drive round a Tesco car park. CottonGrass (talk) 22:31, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Tango should note that a woman in Scotland was recently fined for doing just that, a short drive on public roads, from a field to another, without a licence.--81.170.40.155 (talk) 06:20, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

It is entirely possible that Scottish law is different from English and Welsh law in that respect. Do you have the details (or a link to the story)? What vehicle was she driving? --Tango (talk) 07:38, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

In Australia, certain privately owned car-parks maintained for the use of the public are considered to be public roads -- eg shopping centre, sporting field or college visitors' car-parks. A staff-only park at a business is regarded as private. There are numerous cases of people being booked for driving without seat-belts, or using a mobile phone while driving, in supermarket car-parks. The tractors which trawl the car-parks and nearby streets to pick up abandoned shopping trolleys have restricted registrations (allowing them to operate only within 500 metres of the car-park). They may be driven by 16-year-olds, a year too young for a driver's licence, but just old enough to operate dangerous machinery under labour laws. KoolerStill (talk) 20:24, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I thought this was true in the UK too - a law student told me. A supermarket's carpark is "semi-public", and if it has standard road markings, they have to be obeyed. So speeding is still illegal on carparks, and a liscence and insurance is still needed, etc. Anyone know for sure? Is it just lack of landowner consent, or are there agreements between local councils and carparks?YobMod 13:22, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Heck, where I live, you can't drive a car until you are 16, but you are allowed to operate a 5 ton tractor at 12, without a license. You can also be booked for DUI while sitting in your car in your driveway with the keys in it (but the engine off). 65.121.141.34 (talk) 20:47, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Wartime crossdressers

What is a catchy title I can call my English essay about women who pretended to be men to join the army?? I know I'm supposed to think of it myself but I decided "Dude Looks Like A Lady" was in bad taste... --124.254.77.148 (talk) 07:57, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

"Real Life Mulans"? (As in the basic story that the film is based on is a girl pretending to be a boy to join the army). 194.221.133.226 (talk) 09:05, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

"Dressed to Kill"? Maybe list of wartime crossdressers can be of assistance. ---Sluzzelin talk 09:20, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Sluzzelin's first answer is the best title by far - use that. 194.221.133.226 (talk) 09:33, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Love it, thank you! :) --124.254.77.148 (talk) 10:09, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Which war? Don't forget about Joan of Arc. --Dweller (talk) 11:25, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

One that's been done is Monstrous Regiment. --PalaceGuard008 (Talk) 11:51, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Sweet Polly Oliver is a handy example, but Sluzzelin's is probably the best ;) 80.41.18.94 (talk) 18:06, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Since women wanting to be soldiers in long bygone wars had to conceal their boobs by wrapping something tight around them, how about "Bound for Glory?" Edison (talk) 04:05, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Or, on the same theme, 'Berlin Or Bust'? --KageTora - (영호 (影虎)) (talk) 08:58, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Free as in FREE ringtones

If you Google "free ringtones" you get lots of sites, but as far as I can tell, they're all bait and switch, or they want your email and other personal info so they can sell you to mailing lists and so on. Does anyone have any links for actually free ringtones in the true sense of the word? —173.68.38.218 (talk) 18:44, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Depending on your phone model and carrier, you should be able to email mp3s to your phone. If you don't know your phone's email address, you can send an email from your phone to your personal email account. (my phones email is: mynumber@mms.att.net) Send an email to your phone with the mp3 as an attachment, save the contents to wherever ringtones are stored, and voila. This also works for pictures (phone wallpapers) and video. Again, this will depend on your phone and carrier, but everyone I've used over the past 10 years or so has had this option. 96.227.82.128 (talk) 18:59, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Although you appear to live in the US so this may be fine for you, this may not be possible in quite a number of places (it also requires your phone supports MMS obviously). Here in NZ, with Vodafone you can send MMS to email addresses, but you can't send mail in the reverse (well you may be able to subscribe to an MMS gateway). I believe this is quite common in a lot of the world, since you do not pay to receive MMS (or similar things) it makes sense that they will not want to allow you to email your phone so easily. You can of course use an email client or webbrowser but that would likely include data charges, and so it may simply be more effective/easier to download the file from somewhere with your phone. Depending on how you carrier charges for casual data, it may be a better idea to just stick with a midi presuming you don't mind how it sounds, which will be a lot smaller. Presuming your phone does not have a lot of memory, this will save space too. Alternatively a data cable may be more effective. (This may also be the only way if your phone is an older one without MP3, MMS or WAP.) Many phones support them although perhaps only in Windows, perhaps even only Windows XP x86-32 and 2k depending on the age of the phone. I don't know what the situation is like in the US, but you may find it cheaper to buy one from eBay (generic obviously) whether from the US or from HK. I'm presuming of course your phone doesn't have infrared or bluetooth support nor a removable memory card. Nil Einne (talk) 19:16, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I have found links (though I don't have them handy) for tutorials on creating one's own ringtone. Generally, it's a pretty simple matter to sample a song and adjust the bitrate down to whatever the phone requires (free software such as Audacity can do this). A valid file can then be transferred to the phone in various ways -- USB, memory card, MMS message, etc. It's worth noting that I am completely unaware of the legal ramifications of this -- I'd like to imagine that it's fair use (at least for songs for which I've paid), but I don't really know. — Lomn 19:04, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Most modern phones (say, less than 3 years old) come with the ability to play MP3s, bluetooth and a data cable. Use the data cable or bluetooth (if your PC can use bluetooth) to get your chosen MP3 onto your phone. As far as I can tell, all those Ringtone sites (whether free or not) are a complete rip-off. If anything there is free, it is most likely poor quality and requires you to give your phone number or email address, or tie you in to some expensive subscription based service you don't want. Avoid at all costs is my best advice. Astronaut (talk) 16:48, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Some new phones allow you to make a voice recording to use as a ringtone. You could have a caller's own voice set to be the ringtone for their calls. What's to stop you recording a snippet of (your or their) favourite music? KoolerStill (talk) 20:28, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Public debt and deficit across all levels: US vs. Canada

How do Canada and the US compare in terms of public debt and deficit relative to GDP, if states, provinces, territories and municipalities are included? Neon Merlin 20:00, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Most US States are not permitted to run a deficit for the fiscal year. 65.121.141.34 (talk) 20:36, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Does anyone keep track of these numbers? In the U.S., the federal government typically runs a deficit. State governments, as noted, generally cannot run a deficit, so they typically contribute a surplus (since some states are positive and almost none are negative). Municipalities can and do run large deficits, financed by municipal bonds. In economic terms, it's the sum of all these that matters, but we almost never hear anything about that number. John M Baker (talk) 23:53, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Actually, most state governments can and do run deficits. "At least 46 states have looked ahead and anticipate deficits for fiscal year 2010 and beyond."[10] —D. Monack ^talk 03:52, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

No, they are anticipating a deficit, which means they need to find a way to increase revenues or decrease spending by then. Ask California how that works. 65.121.141.34 (talk) 13:31, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

California does it with debt.[11] How did they accumulate over $60 billion of debt without ever running a budget deficit? —D. Monack ^talk 23:48, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I haven't found the numbers for all levels of government, but Canadian federal debt is about C$458.7 billion and US federal debt about US$11.3 trillion, given as 36.8% of GDP in 2007. So it really depends on the exchange rate, if you use today's exchange rate of 1US:1.11Cad and the GDP of Canada you get a Canadian percentage of 32%, somewhat lower. Of course since the end of last year both countries look set to balloon their federal debts, the US perhaps more so. TastyCakes (talk) 19:24, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Also, it's probably worth noting that Canada has had federal surpluses (ie is paying down its debt) every year since the 1997. I don't know the exact numbers, but this is not the case for the US federal government. TastyCakes (talk) 19:43, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

If you are comparing them as percentages of GDP then exchange rates should cancel out. Each country will have both its debt and its GDP denominated in local currency. --Tango (talk) 21:28, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I had to use exchange rate because I had the debt in Canadian dollars and the Canadian economy in US dollars. TastyCakes (talk) 17:04, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

You may find the information at List of countries by public debt useful. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 23:57, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

May 28

Really obvious candidates for articles that don't exist yet

The question above about how long it would take to reach our 10 millionth and 1 billionth article got me thinking about subjects that should have articles but don't yet.

Can anyone suggest some subjects for articles that would cause a lot of people to say "Good Lord! How come nobody got around to writing this article before now?". I'm talking about major, significant, widely known people or events, not just footnotes to history or whatever.

The best answers will qualify for my personal GLHCNGATWTABN Award. -- JackofOz (talk) 01:07, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The article which I'm still surprised no-one has written is road numbering scheme. It's been a redlink under numbering scheme since January 2004, and we have articles on road numbering schemes in various countries, but nothing summarising the various systems. And while perhaps not "major", and certainly not exciting, it's a fairly significant, everyday thing for many people. Warofdreams talk 02:19, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

One are where I think that wikipedia is really lacking is in its coverage of legal issues. There are tonnes of cases/concepts that don't have an article (e.g. Gordon v. Goertz, Housen v.Nikolaisen). Eiad77 (talk) 03:01, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Some candidates for GLHCNGATWTABN Award:

Cardiovascular system (currently redirects to a non-synonymous Circulatory system)
- Find sources: Google (books · news · scholar · free images · WP refs) · FENS · JSTOR · TWL
Cardiovascular imaging or Cardiac imaging
- Find sources: Google (books · news · scholar · free images · WP refs) · FENS · JSTOR · TWL or Find sources: Google (books · news · scholar · free images · WP refs) · FENS · JSTOR · TWL
~~Cardiovascular MRI or Cardiac MRI~~
- Find sources: Google (books · news · scholar · free images · WP refs) · FENS · JSTOR · TWL or Find sources: Google (books · news · scholar · free images · WP refs) · FENS · JSTOR · TWL
Cardiovascular CT or Cardiac CT
- Find sources: Google (books · news · scholar · free images · WP refs) · FENS · JSTOR · TWL or Find sources: Google (books · news · scholar · free images · WP refs) · FENS · JSTOR · TWL

Obviously, not many cardiologists or radiologists are editing wikipedia... although they seem to have the time to write 100s of books and 1000s of papers on the subject. Twisted priorities. :-) Abecedare (talk) 03:17, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Nice ones. I'm not at all surprised that I haven't been flooded with ideas. In years to come, there'll be thousands of articles that will be on thousands of editors' watchlists, that don't exist yet. They may be on various people's To Do lists, but in most cases they're probably not. This question is like asking about the fantastic ideas that you're going have in the future but haven't thought of yet. If you could think of them in order to answer the question, you'd probably have thought of them already (which I appreciate is a logical absurdity). Anyway, I hope it's prodded some thinking processes. -- JackofOz (talk) 21:29, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Please take a look at Wikipedia:WikiProject Missing encyclopedic articles, which has a bunch of subprojects. If you think we need an additional subproject for GLHCNGATWTABN, please suggest it there. We could use your help. I work on the Project Gutenberg authora subproject and on the DNB subproject, and occasinally on others. -Arch dude (talk) 01:23, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

There are plenty of resources to assist this search: Wikipedia:Most wanted articles, Wikipedia:Most missed articles and Wikipedia:Articles requested for more than a year, and Wikipedia:WikiProject Missing encyclopedic articles. What never fails to amaze me is how few academic journals have articles (see Wikipedia:List of missing journals/A-C for just a sample). For example of we are missing Developmental Biology (journal) and Developmental Cell, both among the top journals in their field by impact factor. Rockpocket 01:23, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

A list of the many surveillance, centralisated record keeping, and other anti-privacy government measures that have been piling up in the past few years in the UK, the fourth or fifth most monitored country in the world. I'm not sure what the title would be. This really ought to be made easily available to the public, so that people can see how things are insidiously getting worse. 89.240.40.4 (talk) 09:03, 31 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

80s movie concerining the African Bushmen

I'm trying to think of this movie I watched a couple of months ago. It was like, the Gods were Fools, or something like that. It dealt with an African bushman trying to get rid of a Coke bottle he thought the gods sent them and then a story of some South African (?) schoolteacher. Anyway, it's a rather poorly produced movie but I'm trying to think of the title. Any help? 75.169.197.132 (talk) 04:27, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The Gods Must Be Crazy sounds like the one you're looking for. AlexiusHoratius 04:34, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Yes! Thanks. 75.169.208.114 (talk) 05:00, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The bit with the land rover is hilarious. It's a great movie. SteveBaker (talk) 05:11, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I for one liked the helicopter scene. --Blue387 (talk) 21:42, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I love that movie too, in some ways Nǃxau's real life was even more surreal than his movie role, as a consequence of being in it. Rockpocket 00:19, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Worldwide population of Stuffed Animals ?

In my house the ratio of stuffed animals to humans is at least 20 to 1. Furthermore, stuffed animals generally do not die like humans; most of the stuffed animals ever made still exist. I expect the total to be in the billions if not tens of billions. Any more accurate estimates out there? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.36.216.34 (talk) 04:46, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I can see two problems with your thesis:

Not everyone in the world can afford stuffed animals - you might find some large ratio of stuffed animals to humans in (say) North America - but would you find anything like that number in the more populous countries like India and China? I suspect not.
You haven't met my dog have you? If you think stuffed animals are immortal - just put them up against a real animal! Sarah can eviscerate a teddy bear in about 2 minutes flat. Not a pretty sight!

SteveBaker (talk) 05:08, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Not an ad but Vermont Teddy Bears are guaranteed so that if your dog chews it up, they'll fix or replace it. Free. Dismas|^(talk) 02:22, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Actually due to the Japanese kawaii-culture influence the ratio might be higher than you'd think in China (and other East Asian countries), perhaps even higher than what you'd find in North America. --antilived^{T | C | G} 08:40, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Do you mean stuffed as in once-was-alive-but-now-stuffed (Taxidermy?) or stuffed as in 'cuddly toy'? I can imagine that there probably exists more cuddly-toys in the world than people, but no way will there be more stuffed-animals (Taxidermy) as it's expensive, not exactly the most popular ornament and, well, i just can't imagine it's true. Cuddly toys, however, will be being produced by the millions every year - that grey one that every girl in the entire world loves (you know the one that looks like it's been beaten up) probably out-numbers humans on its own! At least it feels that way whenever I go to a card shop 194.221.133.226 (talk) 07:33, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

What grey one? Nil Einne (talk) 15:44, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I think 194.221.133.226 is talking about Me_to_You_Bears.Last Polar Bear (talk) 16:05, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Indeed, I have over 100, most of whom are around 30 or older, and the ones I kept are in pretty decent shape. While most people don't keep all of their as adults, nor collect so many (I had about 170), it does seem that children in the United States, at least where I'm from, really enjoy them. I'd say the ratio of stuffed animals to people in the U.S. is about 1:1.Somebody or his brother (talk) 23:59, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I don't know about that. There are those who are working to improve the ratio. Tempshill (talk) 06:26, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

A question about ePSXe...

I downloaded the Playstation emulator, ePSXe. I was about to get the utility BIOS for the emulator when I saw that I coan downloaded it if I have the legal right to do so, that is, if I owned a Playstation, then I can download the BIOS. I do own a Playstation, but it's in ny house somewhere and it's not working. So, would owning a Playstation that does not work still count in the legal right to download the utility BIOS? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Sirdrink13309622 (talk • contribs) 10:10, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The real question is "It is Ever OK to download the BIOS?". This is very disputed. It depends on a lot of nuance of copyright law. The answer is probably "no.", especially in the USA, but you'd need a high priced lawyer to hash out the details.

If this worries you, then you really should not download it.

However, I don't remember which one, but isn't there a PS emulator that doesn't need a separate bios download? (I may be imagining that. I haven't needed a PS emulator since I bought a PS2 years ago.) APL (talk) 13:10, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

It is a tricky question - and we're straying into the realms of offering legal advice - which the Ref.Desks are not allowed to do. However, in broad terms - and in the USA: If you buy (for example) a music CD - you have the right to make a copy of it (eg to listen to on an MP3 player). If the CD gets scratched or broken - that's OK, your copy is still legit. If you sell the CD (or perhaps if you toss it into the trash), you're required to erase all of the copies you ever made because you no longer own the original CD. Even if you have the original CD, you can't sell your copies and you can't even give them away for free to your friends - and you certainly can't put your copies up on your website for other people to download.

That much seems well established in US law. But:

It's not clear that the rights to the software in a BIOS ROM are conveyed in the same way as the music on a CD. Certainly the license terms for (say) a copy of Windows do not permit you to make copies for running on other computers in your house - although you may make a copy for backup purposes. So you might be allowed to make a backup copy of your BIOS ROM - but not run that software on your PC. However, you didn't sign a 'EULA' when you turned on your Playstation - so you didn't agree to any special licensing terms.
Even if it's legal to copy your own BIOS ROM for use on your PC, it's not clear that downloading a copy from someone else is legal...even though the data might be utterly identical - the fact that you didn't copy it from your original ROM might make that illegal. That was the issue with the original Napster lawsuit. Napster claimed that only people who'd bought the music on CD were allowed to download it...but the courts didn't buy that argument.
I don't think it matters whether your Playstation still works or not...that's not the issue.

So it seems likely that the people who are offering to let you download the BIOS ROM are breaking the law. It's not clear whether you'd be breaking the law by downloading it from them. The fact that this is a tricky matter underscores why we're not allowed to tell you "It's OK" or "It's not OK". If this is important to you - you should take advice from a qualified lawyer. SteveBaker (talk) 14:09, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Walking from London to Edinburgh

Can anybody please tell me if it is actually possibly for an able bodied person (with only an average level of fitness and physically dexterity, and without any specialised training), to walk from London to Edinburgh, without having to use any other means of transport and without trespassing or otherwise breaking the law? If it is possible, are there any resources to assist with planning a route efficiently? Just in case there are any other Londons and Edinburghs on the same land mass, I am talking about London (England) to Edinburgh (Scotland)! :) Any help would be very appreciated. Thanks Chuny Beetroot (talk) 10:54, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Yes it is possible, Janet Street-Porter even managed it in 1998 by walking in a straight line but walking 350 miles or more isn't anything to be taken lightly. Ramblers may be able to help you with routes but nothing beats the OS maps (you can even get small scale ones online now too) and other websites have other information such as the national footpath map (our article) and even accommodation near to popular walking routes. All I can really recommend is lots and lots and lots and lots of planning. Nanonic (talk) 11:32, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

That map only refers to some long distance footpaths. In my area, at least, there are several named footpaths that are not mentioned on that map. And there is a dense network of interconnected footpaths all over the countryside, something which no other country seems to have and thus a national treasure. 78.146.211.210 (talk) 21:50, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks Nanonic. That is incredibly helpful, especially the footpath map. As you say, this needs a huge amount of planning, but I am hoping that somebody can give me a headstart (which you have certainly helped with!). Am I being too simplistic in thinking that a good route might be one planned around the major footpaths (for example, on the footpath map you linked to, planning around the following route 30 -> 22 -> 19 -> 8 -> 15 - using numbers for clarity). Obviously it would be longer than a more direct route (a very rough estimate on Google Earth seems to be 400-450 miles), but it would seem that I have a much better chance of not getting stuck somewhere and/or misreading the terrain, because those paths are a better known quantity? Thanks again Chuny Beetroot (talk) 11:58, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

That makes sense. You also probably want to try and walk along pleasant roots. You could probably do it pretty quickly by walking straight along the route of the M1, but it wouldn't be very enjoyable (I don't think you are allowed to walk directly along the edge of a motorway, but you could follow it at a slight distance). --Tango (talk) 12:54, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I'll leaf it to the other editors to make jokes about your pleasant "roots". :) Matt Deres (talk) 13:23, 28 May 2009 (UTC) [reply]

Have you got enough roots to get water to those leaves? ;) --Tango (talk) 14:20, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Depending on whom you meet along the way, you might have some pleasant roots to tell your friends about. :) -- JackofOz (talk) 21:20, 28 May 2009 (UTC) [reply]

Doing a walk (trek?) of that distance seems like something that would best be attempted with company in my opinion, would make a decent camping holiday for you and a friend maybe. Also, at the end will you walk back or fly or something? Prokhorovka (talk) 20:40, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I think you are right, it would make a lot of sense to go with somebody else, although I have had no luck recruiting anybody, especially as I plan to maybe do this in the next few weeks so it is short notice. If I go on my own, I am hoping that planning, overdoing the safety, navigation and communication equipment and making sure that I do not go over terrain that is overly risky, should keep me safe. As for getting back, I was thinking that I would get the train back to London. Chuny Beetroot (talk) 08:14, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Every year there are brave souls who walk from Land's End to John O'Groats. It can all be done along long-distance footpaths (or bridleways, etc.), or across open land where there is no legal need to keep to the path, and anyway there probably isn't a path per se (see Right to Roam). Planning is key, as stated. I recommend you join the Ramblers, for £25 or whatever, and they will be delighted to help you plan your route, complete with B&Bs or youth hostels or campsites. BrainyBabe (talk) 22:09, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks, I had a look at the Ramblers website last night and will definitely join them. Thanks for the advice. Chuny Beetroot (talk) 08:14, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

More specifically, we have an article titled Land's End to John o' Groats, and it actually has routes. The "London to Edinburgh" route would likely take up most of the middle third of the LE-JOG route... --Jayron32.talk.contribs 00:59, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks, I will study this in detail. Having read the article, I am now wondering what is a realistic pace. I am 30, and probably of "average" fitness, but certainly this walk would be far more exercise than I normally do (although I am planning to spend a few weeks doing longer and longer walks within London, to see if I am up to it). Thanks again Chuny Beetroot (talk) 08:14, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

It is possible to walk 30 miles or more in a day, but I doubt that you could sustain a pace of more than about 20 miles a day. That would still be an athletic challenge, in my opinion. If you want the walk to be an enjoyable experience, I would aim to walk no more than 16 miles a day. Personally, I'd want to average no more than 12 miles. That would let you walk 16–20 miles when the weather is good and the terrain is not too tough but fewer when the weather or terrain are challenging. If I were you, I would also plan to take a day for rest and relaxation once every week or ten days. Marco polo (talk) 15:11, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

And plan in extra time for contingencies, eg. injuries (or blisters!) that keep you from walking for a day or two, extremely bad weather that means you lose a day, etc. Nothing ever goes to plan. --Tango (talk) 21:35, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

You want to get some experience of walking along muddy footpaths - so different from walking alonmg the pavement. I suggest having a weekend in the countryside, perhaps try camping overnight too. Its very important to get the right footwear. When I've done trips like this, the main problem has always been getting drinking water. 78.146.211.210 (talk) 21:56, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

So I think the message is, take a sabbatical. Prokhorovka (talk) 22:01, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for all the above advice. To be honest, I had been hoping that I could maybe do 30 miles a day and wanted to be away for no more than two weeks (which would just about fit with an estimated 450 miles using the main footpaths). From what is being said here, that now seems unrealistic, although could maybe be almost workable with a far more direct line route and a pace of 20 miles per day. Having said that, I don't mind if I fall short of Edinburgh. I do have concerns that I would fall foul of blisters or chaffing (without being too graphic, I do tend to get chaffing on my thighs when walking more than a few miles at a decent pace in warm weather) that would slow be down considerably. I think that a mini-trek is in order, to iron these things out and to also iron out any issues with the camping. The idea of heading off down the Thames Path for a couple of days (starting around Westminster and heading west) seems like it could be a good idea. I also had an idea that I could take all of the food I would need with me from the start, but obviously carrying the necessary amount of water would be impossible. As 78.146... mentions, getting fresh water can be a problem, so I am now wondering how I would go about that. Thanks again for all your help, and any further advice would be very appreciated. Thanks Chuny Beetroot (talk) 16:09, 30 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

This is why planning - with detailed maps - is so important. Clearly you aren't going to be able to carry food and water AND camping gear on 30 mile hikes, day after day for weeks. It's just not realistic unless you've been doing this kind of thing for years and are very sure of your capabilities. Failing that, you need to travel light and pre-plan where you'll be able to stop for food, water (and ointment!)...you need to map out where the little villages are along your route - realise that shops may be shut on Sundays or if you arrive unexpectedly late. You need a day by day plan for the entire route - with rest days built into the schedule and to know where the 'hard' days will be (eg when the terrain is rought) and where the easier stretches are. I think it would be unwise to aim for more than 20 miles per day or more than 5 days hiking per week. I think you shouldn't even consider being more than 1 day away from someplace where you can buy food and water...so you only have to carry at most 2 days of supplies. You should also be sure to take a cellphone and a spare, charged battery that you keep in reserve for emergencies - and plan to spend at least your 'rest days' in some kind of proper accomodation so you can fully recover before the next few days of activity. I agree that you should try a few practice hikes of four to five day duration to be sure your body will hold out without shredding itself(!). SteveBaker (talk) 17:25, 30 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

If you have problems with chaffing, then wear some very loose trousers. Tight jeans are uncomfortable to walk in. The advice I had was to buy some boots a size bigger than your normal size. I prefer leather boots that rise up over the ankle, that can be secured around the ankle and leave your feet fairly loose inside. The modern trainer-type boots might fall off if you tried that. If you are buying new boots, then work up to wearing them all the time to get fully comfortable in them before you go hiking. With a rucksac to carry, and no previous experience, I would plan on doing only 10 miles a day. Try to keep the weight down as much as possible - the worst part can be the pain from sore shoulders. The rucksac will feel heavier and heavier and more and more uncomfortable as time goes on. It may be worth not having a rucksac and just staying at B&Bs and Youth Hostels, 10 or 12 miles apart. You could walk along the coast for example, where places to stay and drinking water is easier to find. But I'd definately recommend a trial run(s) at least one weekend. 89.240.58.231 (talk) 19:34, 31 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

How many are there television stations in the world

A dumb pondering had befallen us today: How many television channels could there be in the world? My ballpark figure and first guess would be something close to 20000, including different channels of the same provider (like BBC 1, BBC 2 or BBC Sport, or BBC Poland if there are such things - consider these an example, I just read the news on BBC Online) and regional channels, but not covering direct translations (i. e. should BBC be aired in Poland just with a voiceover). Anyone have too much free time - feel free to ponder. Cheers, Ouro (blah blah) 13:35, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Are there any cases of a channel being broadcast in another country just with everything dubbed? Dubbing is a time consuming process and you wouldn't use real-time translation for pre-recorded broadcasts. When content is dubbed it is usually selected and broadcast separately (and much later) than the channel it was originally on. --Tango (talk) 15:28, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I seem to remember seeing CNN being broadcast, dubbed, in Japan. But not certain. --PalaceGuard008 (Talk) 00:10, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The World Radio TV Handbook (a real book on paper) would be a good place to start counting.--81.136.174.160 (talk) 16:08, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

One complicating factor to find your answer is the difference between the e.g. European idea of a tv channel, e.g. BBC2, ZDF as one channel broadcast from many locations (with local content at times, still considered BBC2), and the Network model used in e.g. the US and Australia, where say NBC is a network, broadcast by a number of channels throughout the country: KING-TV,KALB-TV and the other 200 or so in Category:NBC_network_affiliates. /Coffeeshivers (talk) 21:18, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

And one more thing to consider: there are schools that have their own local school/student TV station. When I watched German TV there used to be quite a few channels that broadcast dubbed programs; almost exclusively except for the news. Voiceovers are used for some interviews. They buy their series and movie rights from various sources. Don't forget armed forces TV and radio like AFN and BFBS. 71.236.24.129 (talk) 01:39, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks, guys. These are points to consider. I get the feeling nobody's gonna want to venture a guess? --Ouro (blah blah) 06:08, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I'd guess 3356. If you want an estimate, however, that's a different story... Aaadddaaammm (talk) 21:23, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

airplane pilots

In the US, the pilot generally sits in the left seat, same as the driver on American cars, with the backup pilot on the right (for larger planes). Is this the configuration also used for countries with their cars having a right side driver such as the UK, or is it reversed? 65.121.141.34 (talk) 13:40, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

That´s why - travelling from Paris to London - you have to switch planes in the middle of the Channel, hopping from wingtip to wingtip :) --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 14:10, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

No - that's a worldwide standard...except for helicopters, which are reversed. SteveBaker (talk) 14:17, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I noticed that helicopter thing in the new terminator movie. 65.121.141.34 (talk) 14:42, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The movie was so bad you were noticing details such as helicopter pilot positions? I'll steer clear of it then. Prokhorovka (talk) 20:41, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Oh, come on, the Terminator movies are set in the future in a time of chaos. Things can change. Who then was a gentleman? (talk) 20:46, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I actually thought it was entertaining. I am just a detail oriented person, and like finding fault with the science in movies. 65.121.141.34 (talk) 20:52, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Kancamagus Highway

I have been unable to find any explanation as to why the Kancamagus Highway in New Hampshire is said to extend from Conway to Lincoln, when Route 112 ends in Bath. Is this just the result of someone's marketing effort, or is there some reason why they chose not to include the rest of the road? Route 112 is just as scenic the rest of the way past Lost River, over Kinsman Notch, then down the other side along the Wild Ammonoosuc River. Nlusby (talk) 15:47, 28 May 2009

Certainly on my map, the western section of route 112 is identified as "Lost River Rd", while only the eastern section of 112 is identified as the "Kancamagus Highway". You should remember that the road naming process is different from the road numbering process - the names are often traditional and the numbers are often added later for the convenience of ... (who? state/county/mapmakers/?) when the road is upgraded from dirt track to a properly maintained highway. IIRC (though it was a few years ago), nothing on the big sign in Conway suggests the Kancamagus Highway extends beyond Lincoln. If it is simply marketing, it worked on me when I drove from Conway to Lincoln in blizzard, rather than take the safe way back to Boston! Astronaut (talk) 16:36, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

As a New Hampshire native, who has driven the Kancamangus many times, I can confirm that it does end at Rte 3. in Lincoln, and Rte. 112 continues on to Bath. Yes, Rte 112 is quite pretty on the west side of Lincoln. But it's just not called the Kancamangus Highway. The Kancamangus opened in 1959, and was specifically built as a single road. The other portion of 112 may be quite older, and may predate the Kancamangus by some time. See Kancamagus Highway and New Hampshire Route 112. Having the same route number traverse different road names is very common, and not just in New Hampshire... --Jayron32.talk.contribs 17:09, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Book Title

Resolved

I recall reading a book probably 15 years or so, it is a very well known book possibly a modern classic, set around World War 2, Burma if I am not mistaken, I think it follows a girl, I recall a solicitors maybe the reading of a will, I think maybe the will is read out and it contains the story about the girl in Burma and escaping or capture (not sure) from Japanese soldiers, any ideas thanks. BigDunc^Talk 17:01, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

A Town Like Alice? Nanonic (talk) 18:25, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Thats the one thanks I was really starting to annoy me that I couldn't recall the title. BigDunc^Talk 18:29, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

short selling and hurting

If I make $1000 profit in short selling a company's shares, does this mean, I made that company loose $1000. --V4vijayakumar (talk) 17:49, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

No, the company has been valued by the market as being less than what it was. You have made the $1000 off of someone that thought the opposite was going to happen. TastyCakes (talk) 17:51, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The vast majority of share trading happen on the "secondary market". That means the company has already sold the shares and now it is other people buying and selling those same shares to each other. The company has nothing to do with it. --Tango (talk) 17:54, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Indeed, unless the company itself bought the shares from you and then sold them back. The only time a company makes or loses money in the stock market is when it buys or sells shares of itself; such as at a Share repurchase or at an Initial public offering, and these sorts of things do not happen very often. Otherwise, the company itself makes or loses no money on its own shares. Under normal operations, the only people who make or lose money on a company's stock are the people who are buying and selling the stocks. Now, what can happen is if the company performs poorly, and starts losing money, the people who own the stock can fire the board of directors. Thus, the people running the company have the motive to maintain a high stock value for its shareholders, since their job depends on it; but the company itself does not make or lose money based on stock value. --Jayron32.talk.contribs 17:59, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The above answers are correct. See Short (finance) for a more precise explanation of what exactly occurs when you short a stock. Tempshill (talk) 18:54, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Further to Tango's answer, see primary market and secondary market. --PalaceGuard008 (Talk) 01:11, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

National Spelling Bee

Has this event ever been won by a student not in eighth grade? One of the rules is that if you win this event you are no longer eligible to compete. It would be cool to be in eighth grade and not be able to enter your school spelling bee because you are the defending national champion. Also, has a contestant ever missed their championship word and ended up losing?

Are we talking a US national spelling bee? - Mgm|^(talk) 09:33, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Presumably the bee linked in the section header, which is held in the United States, but which (according to the article) is now international in scope. -- Coneslayer (talk) 11:54, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

pits of gold

I recall watching a TV program that mentioned that the Aztecs or Mayas or some old culture that would throw gold artifacts into some very deep pits that had water in them. I would imagine that these are protected sites. What are they called, and where are they? Is there a specific museum that holds artifacts from these pits? 65.121.141.34 (talk) 20:50, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Are you thinking of something like the Sacred Cenote, the pre-Columbian Maya archaeological site of Chichen Itza, in the northern Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico? BrainyBabe (talk) 22:13, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

That sounds like the legend of el Dorado? --PalaceGuard008 (Talk) 01:12, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

These Cenote things sound about right. Thanks. 65.121.141.34 (talk) 13:40, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

How do you download "Whip it good" by Devo as a ring tone

I live in South Africa and am unable to find a site to download the song "whip it good" by Devo as a mobile ringtone. I am prepared to pay for the download. Usually You can sms a reference code to a short mobile number at specified sms rate and recieve the ring tone.

Please advise41.240.134.34 (talk) 22:29, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

If you use the right title it may help. The song is called Whip It and a google search titled Whip It Devo Ringtone yielded dozens of free options. Crack that whip! --Jayron32.talk.contribs 00:54, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Or if you have the album on CD, you could rip that track using you favourite MP3 ripper (or download it from an online store), then copy it to your phone using one of the methods suggested above. Astronaut (talk) 17:19, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

241 South Tollway extension?

Is 241 South Tollway likely to be complete someday. From sources found only say EPA is so upset about the 241 South, because it destroys most precious lands in orange-San Diego County Line. From 2008 votes like on California State Route 241 article said 8-2 votes say to STOP 241 extension. But the magazine I got mail home say by 2025, the 5 San Diego Fwy will totally SUCK without 241 extension, and Antonio Pkwy will become a parking lot, with deficient traffic (meaning waiting for 5 green lights to even move), that's even worse. So finally, will we ever extend the 241 Tollway sometime in our life? This will not bother me though will upset many of the folks out, I still support this extension.--69.229.240.187 (talk) 23:23, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I think you answered your own question; if the EPA has removed their approval the the road is likely dead. For the record, it would not be the first needed bypass route to be stopped in this way (it may not be a bad thing, sometimes the net good of a new road is outweighed by the net bad of the damage it does to an area). See Circumferential Highway (Nashua) for another road with similar problems. It has been in the planning stages for over 50 years. --Jayron32.talk.contribs 00:51, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

But those is a different story. Numerous of route extensions in orange county have be planne extension for over 40 years when trying to extend (118, 91, 605, 57, 47 and many naive ones) and one major issue is Interstate 710 building from Alhambra all the way to I-210 in Pasadena. Those are far unlikely than 241 extension, however 241, 261, 133, 73 is much younger, and hasn't last >14 years. --69.229.240.187 (talk) 03:42, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

By the way, there is an argument that adding lanes to freeways does not help with traffic in the long term. When you expand your 8-lane freeway to 12 lanes, after the 2 years of construction are done, traffic congestion is improved along the stretch that has been widened (until you reach the end when everyone crams back into fewer lanes, but that's another story). But this is temporary because many people who are considering moving to the area will choose where to move, in part, based on their commute time. With lowered traffic congestion and shorter commutes, it can be expected that demand will rise for housing in the area; apartment buildings will replace some single-family residences, the population will rise, until you're back to traffic being congested again. This is all via indirect reward systems so it's easy to disagree with me — I don't see a Wikipedia article on this hypothesis, and our Transportation planning article is surprisingly almost a stub. Tempshill (talk) 06:18, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The feeling here in the UK, is that widening/extending/building a motorway tends to attract more even traffic and soon the road is once again stuffed beyond capacity with slow moving vehicles. This concern, coupled with green protests and rampant nimbyism has brought a halt to major road building in the UK (and even if a project does get through all that, it is mired in many years of planning inquiries). Astronaut (talk) 17:32, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

With this site said 241 South extension should start construction by 2011, and they even be in bold if nothing is done, then traffic jam on I5 in south orange county will skyrocket by 60%. I don't know when is this site update.--69.229.240.187 (talk) 02:29, 30 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

May 29

Diana Buttu Email Address

Anyone know where I can find Diana Buttu's email address? For those who are wondering she is a Palestinian-Canadian who was (is?) the PLO spokeswoman and legal advisor. Eiad77 (talk) 00:21, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

To interview Diana Buttu contact the IMEU at 714-368-0300 or info@imeu.net . From IMEU. Hope that helps. Bioskope (talk) 04:46, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Hills in Ireland

Are most of the hills in Ireland man made? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.146.124.35 (talk) 02:15, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

List of mountains in Ireland would indicate not. Carrauntoohil, the highest peak on both the island and in the Republic of Ireland, is entirely natural. --Jayron32.talk.contribs 02:19, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

We have virtually no man made hills here. In fact, none that I can think of. I'd be interested to know where you heard the suggestion? Fribbler (talk) 13:41, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

AFAIK, all Hills, Irish or otherwise, are "man-made". Clarityfiend (talk) 03:34, 30 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

architect

hi, i'm the one who posted the "architect and anthropologist" question and i'm the one who wants to be an architect. my friend, after reading your responses decided he would take up science. he sends his thanks. u asked me which grade i'm studying in. well, i'm currently in 11th grade and studying science. thanx for the help u have already given me and i would appreciate some more. also, it would be great if you tell me what specific subjects should an architect be well-versed in, like, for example, whether it's physics, chemistry, mathematics...... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 122.50.129.159 (talk) 02:38, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I would think that physics and mathematics would be the most useful to an architect. An anthropologist would probably benefit more from some biology and mathematics. However, I always advise people who are picking college course to pick the ones they have the most interest in - a good grade in a less-relevant subject is generally worth more to future employers than a poor grade in a more-relevant subject. You'll probably only have one shot at college - and it's very important for the time to be be a happy one for you. SteveBaker (talk) 02:58, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

As Steve notes, typically you will be required to have studied mathematics and physics at the 10+2 level in order to be eligible to gain admission into the 5 year B. Arch programs in India. In addition the schools will also evaluate you for your drawing and engineering drawing skills. You should read up the information at the following websites carefully for specific information and requirements:

All India Engineering Entrance Exam
National Aptitude Test in Architecture
IIT JEE for admission into B Arch programs at IIT Kharagpur and IIT Roorkee. In particular take a look at the Aptitute test information for the type of skills most architecture programs will look for.
The Directorate of Technical Education website for your state. (Just google for it.)

Also check the websites of some of the premier architecture programs to orient yourself better with what studying to be an architect will actually involve:

School of Planning and Architecture (SPA), New Delhi
Sir J.J College of Architecture, Mumbai
Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology (CEPT), Ahmedabad
School of Architecture and Planning (SAP), Chennai
Any other institutions you are particularly interested in.

Finally and perhaps most importantly, try to get in touch with current students and/or qualified architects in real life, since they will be able to provide you with specific guidance tailored to your particular education, aptitude and circumstances. All the best. Abecedare (talk) 03:35, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Firstly, let me say that I agree wholeheartedly with Abecedare - check the required qualifications and speak to current student and architects. But I also agree with Steve's suggestion that, once you have ensured that you are studying the required subjects, it is wise to consider where your interests and aptitudes lie. Having studied architecture, I agree that mathematics is extremely useful - even if you find a course for which it is not a prerequisite, knowledge of mathematics will be essential for the degree. Physics is useful, but less so - only the materials aspect of the subject, and to a small extent studies of light and sound, really come in to it. Some institutions (at least in the UK) want an art portfolio or qualification, and this is also very useful. Finally, humanities subjects can also be useful - history will give useful background for your study of architectural history, and psychology is useful for considering issues around environmental psychology. Warofdreams talk 13:34, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

It's best to prepare yourself well with mathematics - a good knowledge of calculus will form the basis for structural design courses. However, the emphasis in architecture school is on design, and any art courses you can take that will increase your facility with hand drawing and computer-aided drawing will be helpful. Architecture schools tend to assume that you can already draw, both technically and artistically, when you arrive. You can expect to spend more than half your time in design studio, and any skills that you can bring to make yourself more productive, or less preoccupied with making up ground in presentation skills, will be of benefit. Likewise, whatever you can do to prepare for the technical subjects, such as having a good grounding in math, will allow you to focus on the design portion of the program. A by-product of art courses will be a portfolio showcasing your design abilities. Acroterion _(talk) 20:22, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Also, it's a good idea to see if an architect will let you help around the office. These are lots of semi-skilled tasks, and you can pick up some skills along the way. It can be a good way to see what really happens in an architectural practice. My firm generally has high school interns around; some are now architects themselves, and some decided that architecture wasn't for them, saving them wasted time finding that out through other means. Acroterion _(talk) 20:31, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

King Kong sized Anime

Anyone know how this King Kong sized anime character was made? Is it inflatable? Is it an ad? Dismas|^(talk) 10:55, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Probably just photoshopped. --98.217.14.211 (talk) 11:33, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Here are some other images. They also look fake to me, and the fact that there's no news about it supports the 'shop theory. --Sean 14:28, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Looks like some small figurines photoshoped into a picture of the city. APL (talk) 16:11, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The photoshop theory is also supported by the fact that for gods' sake, how crazy do you think they are? Aside from the subject matter, which would already be enough to prevent any city from approving this, the thing is a fatal accident waiting to happen. Look at the power lines. Your perception of Japan is pretty warped if you took this seriously for even a moment. -- BenRG (talk) 18:53, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Any country that vends schoolgirl saliva is one you can suspend your disbelief about. The only unbelievable thing about that picture is that there aren't octopus tentacles shoved in all the orifices. Matt Deres (talk) 05:37, 30 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

It's very clear that these are faked. Take a close look at the left foot from Sean's second link - I've made a blow-up of it here - notice how the person who photoshopped it didn't bother to make the region inside the loop of the shoe-lace transparent? And there is a blue 'glow' at the edge of the tongue of the shoe. This is perhaps the most obvious mistake - but all of these pictures exhibit similar errors. It's a dead giveaway. SteveBaker (talk) 17:08, 30 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

relay setting calculation for spaj 140 c

Please do not post the same question in multiple places. This one is also on the Science Ref Desk and answers should be posted there. Edison (talk) 14:44, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I'm looking for roleplaying chat site for omni-roleplayers...

Well, I've been a member of some roleplaying sites. I like to add buddies on messengers (like AIM, Yahoo!, Windows Live, etc.) so I can do roleplays on messengers/ I consider myself an "omni-roleplayer" -- I like to roleplay about anything. I ;ole to roleplay any genre, and I like to play with fictional or fan-made characters. Not to be cocky or anything. I searched for other omni-roleplayers like me on the roleplaying sites I joined, but there were quite a few. Mostof the roleplayers in the sites can roleplay in only one genre of another preference, like they can only roleplay in a fantasy world or only in a sci-fi world. So, anyone, are there any roleplaying chat sites with a thorough amount of omni-roleplayers, like many of them? And would those sites have some of the users with messenger address on AIM, Yahoo, Windows Live, etc. so I can add them? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Sirdrink13309622 (talk • contribs) 12:29, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Bridal Shower Gift Amount

I have been invited to a bridal shower in Canada and the invitation suggests a money gift. What is the rule of thumb for an appropriate amount for a bridal shower (monetary) gift? What is the rule of thumb for the gift amounts for the bridal shower vs. the wedding present? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 209.82.105.12 (talk) 15:30, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Monetary gifts are a terrible invention, they make the gift-exchange system fall-down. That said I would suggest that a bridal-shower gift should be (value wise) reasonably small. I don't think i'd personally spend anything more than 1/4 of what i'd spend on the wedding present. This site (http://www.favorideas.com/learn-about/etiquette/bridal-shower-etiquette/) or a search for 'bridal shower etiquette' may be worth a look too. ny156uk (talk) 15:41, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The amount you give the broad should reflect how well u know her. If its just some chick you work with, not much. Best friend, more. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Wikivanda199 (talk • contribs) 15:56, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I'm sorry, I really don't get the point of money gifts for a bridal shower. For a wedding present, maybe - they are supposed to get the couple set up in their new house and money can be helpful there, but a bridal shower is about having some fun, pampering the bride a bit and showing how much everyone loves her. You don't do that with money, you do that with gifts that have some thought behind them. Unless you think the bride will be offended by you not following the instructions on the invite, I would advise against giving money. Find something fairly cheap (compared to the wedding present) that is somehow relevant to the bride or, even better, relevant to your relationship with the bride. --Tango (talk) 16:06, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

max speeding

What is the most over the speed limit that someone has been cited for? I have heard of someone doing 120mph in a 30mph zone, which is 90mph over. How much over is the record? 65.121.141.34 (talk) 16:19, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The fastest speeding ticket ever was for...242mph, I think, in a 75 zone. That's 167 over. Vimescarrot (talk) 16:39, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Speeding ticket, at the bottom, has the relevant info. Vimescarrot (talk) 16:42, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I think the guy qualified simultaneously for the "Dickhead of the Decade" award. Richard Avery (talk) 16:45, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Forgive my ignorance, I don't drive and I'm familiar with this occurence only inasfar as it was described as Top Gear - so based on that information: what's the problem with driving quickly on a very long, very straight, very empty road? Vimescarrot (talk) 00:50, 30 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Well, one problem is that at that speed, few roads are "long"! At 240mph - you're covering a mile in 15 seconds. Small problems (debris in the road perhaps) that is too small to see at half a mile away - are only 7 seconds from being under your car. People who have driven for a while have reaction times that are tuned to the 30mph to 70mph range. At twice that speed, you're quite unprepared for how fast things happen. The tendancy to twitch the steering to avoid a pothole or something is just lethally dangerous at those speeds - and you're just not used to looking a quarter mile ahead of your car for potholes that you must avoid with less than four seconds of warning in a car that's probably horribly unmanouverable at that speed. But people rarely have that expertise. The guy in the Koenigsegg was going three times faster than his reactions and experience were attuned to. That is definitely dangerous. The one (and only) time I took my tricked out MINI Cooper'S to 140mph - I was scared out of my wits!...Only too happy to drop back to 70! SteveBaker (talk) 02:43, 30 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

There's also the fact that you can't know the road up ahead is empty. If someone pulls out of a side road in front of you when you're doing those kinds of speeds, you don't stand a chance of stopping in time. Yes, they were wrong to pull out in front of you, but that doesn't make either of you any more alive. --Tango (talk) 16:08, 30 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Indeed - the person pulling out isn't mentally attuned to the closing speed of a 240mph car! When you see another car a quarter mile away, it's a little speck - you're very likely to pull out figuring you have fifteen seconds to get up to highway speeds - which is plenty. You don't expect it to be right next to you going probably 10 to 20 times faster than you just four seconds later! SteveBaker (talk) 16:54, 30 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Okay. Vimescarrot (talk) 10:16, 30 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

There have been others that would rival that record but many tickets at this level are successfully appealed on the grounds that the prosecution can't prove the car is physically capable of the speed recorded. It is perfectly possible that a higher speed was achieved but only because the driver of the car worked it in mysterious ways. Prokhorovka (talk) 21:09, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Why would the prosecution have to prove the car physically capable of that? You have the evidence from the radar gun and if you need it - the manufacturer's specification for the car showing that it can do that kind of speed...what else do you need? You go to the Koenigsegg web site - and right there it says that the car is capable of 245+ mph. (Note the '+'!) The car was clocked at 242mph. Case closed. The primary evidence here is the record from the radar gun and the testimony of the cop. The defense has to find a way to disprove that evidence - and it's going to be difficult. It might be a different matter if the car (as purchased) was only capable of much lower speeds - but that the owner had modified it to go faster...but that's very unlikely to be the case and it could easily be shown that the car had been modified. In this case, it could also be shown that the driver was participating the Gumball 3000 rally (yes - just like in the movie "The Gumball Rally"!) - and racing on public highways is illegal at any speed. SteveBaker (talk) 16:54, 30 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I took the liberty of fixing your link. Matt Deres (talk) 21:59, 30 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

In the cases I've heard about where people have got off of tickets by claiming the car couldn't do that speed have been cases where the measured speed was faster than the manufacturer's specs said it could do. Whether that was because the measurement was wrong, the specs were wrong or the car was modified, I don't know, but the burden is on the prosecution to prove it wasn't the former, and that is rather difficult to prove beyond reasonable doubt. --Tango (talk) 13:34, 31 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Well, the manufacturers specifications are sometimes on the safe side. Engines produce more power in cold weather than in hot - and air resistance changes with temperature and humidity. Also, two individual engines off the same production line but build six months apart have different engineering tolerances and will produce slightly different performance numbers. So if the manufacturer provides a conservative figure for top speed - it's certainly possible to exceed that number. Although, in many modern cars, there is a speed limiter fitted to the car to ensure that it won't go faster than the specification - but such things can be removed. It seems to me though that you'd have to be going a LOT faster than the car is theoretically able to go in order to cast sufficient doubt on the radar gun's readout. Speed guns are known to have an error range of +/- several percent...so if the gun said "240mph" and the car manufacturer said it could only go up to 235mph - you'd probably still be convicted for speeding...but just by a lesser amount.

There was a case in the UK many years ago when radar speed guns were new - of one of those front-end dumper trucks (which had a maximum speed of 25mph) being clocked by police as 120mph - but that turned out to be because the vibration of the vehicles' body was enough to fool the radar gun into thinking it was going 120. Clearly that was cause for dismissal (presumably, the police never even charged the driver because it's so obvious). SteveBaker (talk) 19:22, 31 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Torch the streets

Just now I started watching an episode of Doctor Who and it showed a quick clip of workmen using a blow torch on the pavement of the street. It wasn't new construction, it looked to be repair work. Why were they doing this? I've never seen this happen in the States... Dismas|^(talk) 19:00, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Was this the episode with the 2012 Olympics (that's the only one I remember having any roadworks in it)? If so, they were filling in pot holes, I guess the blow torch was to heat the tar up again if it hadn't set level (which was a problem described in the episode). Alternatively, it could be to burn off something that was covering the road (as a by-product of the repairs, presumably). --Tango (talk) 19:06, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

That is indeed the episode. The tar doesn't ignite? Dismas|^(talk) 19:14, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Bitumen boils at 525c, I would imagine you'd have to get it a bit hotter than that to burn it. Nanonic (talk) 19:19, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Asphalt doesn't burn without a great deal of help - it's hard to heat the mass of the street and keep it hot long enough . They may have been softening the surface to allow adhesion of new asphalt. Also, there are some kinds of thermoplastic markings that have to be torched down, like crosswalk lines. Acroterion _(talk) 19:21, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I haven't seen the episode in question, but I've seen workmen using blow torches to remove lines from the road. Astronaut (talk) 20:38, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

One should remember that at the end of that episode it is revealed that the alien homed in on that point for it's heat, so the blowtorch may just be to highlight the heat there. Would be a bloody subtle hint though. Prokhorovka (talk) 21:06, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

US bank safe deposit boxes

Are the contents of safe deposit boxes in banks of the US insured in the event of a natural disaster or robbery? How is that handled since only the renter of the box knows the contents? 65.121.141.34 (talk) 19:38, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

As this article notes, the FDIC does not cover the contents of safe deposit boxes. Under certain circumstances, the bank's liability insurance should apply (such as if a robbery is committed by a bank employee) but generally SDB contents fall under the remit of the renter's own insurance policies -- which nicely solves the issue of knowing the contents. — Lomn 19:43, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Sports car vs truck engine

I believe this question was asked maybe a year ago, but I felt that it did not receive a sufficient response.

What is inherently different about the engine of a fast sports car and a pick-up truck that allows the former to drive very quickly and the latter to tow a lot of weight?

Suppose if I was to take the engine of a Ferrari F430 and drop it into a Ford F-150, would the truck suddenly be able to accelerate very quickly (of course slower than the Ferrari because its heavier)? Similarly, why do sports cars with, say 500HP, have such low towing capacities, when trucks such as the F-150 have a much max lower HP rating, but a high towing capacity?

Is it because the engine of trucks are producing more torque at a lower RPM?

Acceptable (talk) 22:12, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

There may not be very much difference at all - the difference is in the weight and streamlining of the body and (crucially) in the gearbox and suspension. It's the gearing that distinguishes high speed versus pulling ability - and the suspension that provides better cornering (at the cost of ride comfort, ground-clearance and off-road ability). However at low speeds, a sports car needs "pulling power" (torque - to give it a proper name) just as much as a truck does - so the gearing may be kinda similar in the lower gears...that's why weight is also so important. F=ma - Force (or torque in this case) equals mass times acceleration. If you can halve the mass - you get twice the acceleration. Consider that a farm tractor can easily out-pull a truck - and may well have a relatively puny 100hp engine...it's all in the gearing. Perhaps the most clear example is the Dodge Viper - undeniably a sports car - with a Dodge's V10 truck engine (See: Chrysler LA engine). The only concession to 'sportiness' in the engine was a switch from iron to aluminum for the engine block in order to save weight - the Viper weighs 3,400lbs - but the Dodge RAM 2500 (which you can buy with the iron version of exact same engine as the Viper) weighs in at 12,000lbs and can tow twice that. At four times the weight - it's going to be four times slower off the line. SteveBaker (talk) 02:29, 30 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

But in the case with the Viper, why can't it tow 24,000 lbs as well? Surely the difference between the frame and structural integrity of the two vehicles won't make that much of a difference? Acceptable (talk) 17:11, 30 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I doubt that the Viper could - primarily because the gearbox isn't set up that way - but also, the clutch is unlikely to be able to hold that much. Also, the Viper is so light (relative to a truck), that it's not going to have enough traction. SteveBaker (talk) 19:23, 30 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

What exactly is the difference between a gearbox geared for high-speed vs a gearbox geared for pulling ability? If one uses a large gear ratio, hence a larger overall transmission output torque, won't that maximize both speed and pulling ability? Acceptable (talk) 01:18, 31 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

No - think about it - if one turn of the engine moves the wheels only a small amount - then you have lots of torque - but not much speed. If you gear the same engine to move the wheels a large amount for every revolution of the engine - then the vehicle will go faster - but have less torque. Hence the needs for trucks and sports cars are very different. SteveBaker (talk) 02:15, 31 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Perhaps I was being unclear. By speed, I was referring to the car's acceleration. A large transmission output torque equals large towing capacity and acceleration. Acceptable (talk) 18:25, 31 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Well, for acceleration - you're right, you need lots of torque. The design of gearboxes for good acceleration is a subtle business. Too much torque in a light, front-engined/rear-wheel-drive vehicle - and you'll just get wheel-spin and not much acceleration - so it may be completely pointless to provide a really low first-gear ratio only to find that the traction control pulls off the power to avoid wheel spin. Also, the peak torque generally only happens over a fairly small range of RPM's - so you need gears that are sufficiently closely spaced to allow the driver (or the automatic transmission) to keep the engine in the middle of it's optimum RPM band. But if you use too many finely-spaced gears, the gearbox gets large and heavy and the car becomes hard to drive...so there are a lot of trade-offs there. So you might maybe find that the lower gears (which are for acceleration) are similar in a truck and a sports car - but the higher gears certainly won't be.

But acceleration depends hugely on the mass of the vehicle...and not so much the gearbox. As I pointed out before, the weight of the Viper and the Dodge RAM 2500 differs by a factor of four...so with even with identical gear ratios and identical engines - you'd expect the Viper to have about four times the acceleration - which means that the Viper's fairly impressive 4.6 second 0-60 time probably translates into a painfully lumbering 18 second 0-60 time for the RAM 2500 pickup.

At top speed, weight doesn't hardly matter at all - it's down to overcoming the air resistance and (to a much smaller extent), the rolling resistance. Getting the highest possible top speed means having a gear ratio that'll let the wheels turn fast enough at an engine RPM at which it delivers sufficient torque to overcome that resistance. The Dodge RAM's aerodynamics are sure to be a hell of a lot worse than the Viper - and given the heavy-duty transmission, differential, axles, etc - it probably has a much higher rolling resistance too. So pushing the pickup through the air requires more torque than the Viper - so even in the topmost gear, the pickup truck needs more torque so it can't possibly go as fast as the Viper because it needs that lower gear ratio.

It's also possible for the top speed of the car to be limited by the available gears. In my 2003 MINI Cooper'S (which has six forward gears) - you couldn't get up to it's top speed of 135mph in 6th gear because the engine's RPM at 135mph was just a bit lower than the peak of it's torque curve. To get to the car's maximum speed, you actually had to drop down to 5th gear to get that extra RPM and higher torque to push it through the air - but because the engine's RPM's are limited, the car wouldn't go any faster than 135 because 5th gear wasn't a high enough ratio. In the 2005 version of the exact same car/engine, they changed the gear ratios and thereby enabled the car to reach 140mph in 6th gear. However, that too was a compromise because by lowering the 6th gear ratio to provide that extra torque, they risked getting lower fuel consumption at more sane highway speeds because the engine would not be in it's optimum fuel efficiency band.

This is why car design is so complicated - and why cars differ widely in performance between types and manufacturers. Even something as seemingly simple as picking gear ratios ends up being a complicated trade-off between cost, reliability, weight, drivability, fuel-efficiency, acceleration and top speed. The difference between a good car and a great one lies in how those kinds of trade-offs are made.

SteveBaker (talk) 19:04, 31 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Backgrounds specifically for Photoshopping

Hello. Is there anyplace online that specializes in photos of locations specifically to be Photoshopped as a background? Let me make myself clearer: It is very simple to do a Google search and find scenic photos of just about anywhere. But almost always, those shots are composed to feature the locale itself. What I am looking for are photos that are composed and framed specifically so that someone could place a person in that photo and it would be at the right angle, distance, etc. (For example, in New York City a photo of the Empire State Building with the building a little off-center in the background, but looking straight down an adjacent sidewalk as if someone were standing there, but there isn't really anyone there. With that, I could take a photo of someone just standing anywhere, remove the background and align them with the background photo.) If such a site existed, it probably wouldn't be free, but I'm just wondering if anyone has heard of such things. — Michael J 22:33, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I doubt there is any web site like that - but WikiCommons is an amazing resource for photos - I'd be quite surprised if you couldn't find something suitable. One big issue though is that you need to find a picture that has the same lighting as the picture you are trying to blend into it. It's really quite difficult to correct lighting differences - so picking two pictures that are close is a huge benefit. I wouldn't fret too much about the framing of the background image - you can always take one of the really high res images on Commons and crop it to make it look like the subject was off-center. Alternatively - find a photo that already has someone in the foreground and replace them. Then you have a photo that was posed completely naturally as a portrait. SteveBaker (talk) 02:10, 30 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Do keep in mind that many, perhaps most, of these images are copyright, though licensed under GFDL or CC-by-SA. With either of those licenses, you will have to release your work under the same license, and give credit to the author of the original photo. If you don't want to do that you'll have to look for photos that have specifically been released into the public domain. --Trovatore (talk) 08:00, 31 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Ahmadinejad vs. Mousavi

I'm a non-Persian trying to figure out the state of play in the upcoming presidential election in Iran. Our article quotes widely divergent poll results, and I'm wondering if there is anyone here in the know who can tell me what the realistic probabilities of victory the leading candidates Mr. Ahmadinejad and Mr. Mousavi have of winning, or point me to sources with some authority on the issue. Any help appreciated, Skomorokh 22:38, 29 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The BBC radio 4 news interviewed an Iran expert (sorry, I didn't catch his name) today. He said that if asked two weeks ago he'd have been convinced Ahmadinejad was going to win, but that recently Mousavi (who he said had the support of intellectuals and students, and who he credited as being a particularly thorough organiser) had made great strides. They didn't ask for a prediction or odds, but the way he spoke it seems he thought Mousavi had a very realistic chance (although still with Ahmadinejad as the favourite, maybe). 87.114.167.162 (talk) 17:59, 30 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Ah, it was the PM program (the news before the news), which had a lengthy interview with Sadegh Ziba Kalam (a professor of politics at the University of Tehran). I'm listening again now on iPlayer - he says Mousavi enjoys support among women (in addition to those groups I mentioned above), and in general among more educated Iranians. 87.114.167.162 (talk) 18:12, 30 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks very much, that is very helpful indeed, I'll be sure to look up the program! Mahalo, Skomorokh 17:15, 31 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

May 30

How is a photo like this taken?

How is a photo like this taken? That is, with the solid white background and no evidence of a sheet or anything (except a little shadow)? Bubba73 (talk), 00:46, 30 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Well, there are really three possibilities - one is that they really are using a very flat, white surface and very bright lighting. Another is that they used a fairly normal white background and then went in with a computer and painted out all of the imperfections - the third is that this is a computer model. It's really almost impossible to tell which of those things it is. However - because this is Wikipedia - we can scroll down a little and discover that: "(w:Audio-Technica w:shotgun microphone from the 1990's. Camera: Canon EOS 300D with Tamron 28-75 mm f/2.8 lens. Created by User:PJ and User:Piko.)" - so we know it's not computer graphics. We even know what camera and lens were used! However, the picture was 'created' by two people? That suggests that one person photographed it and the other cleaned up the image on a computer. But you don't have to guess - you can leave a question on User:PJ's talk page and just ask! SteveBaker (talk) 02:04, 30 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks - PJ hasn't edited for more than 6 months, so may not be around anymore. I think PJ and Piko are likely to be the same person. Bubba73 (talk), 02:33, 30 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Why do you think there isn't a sheet? A lot of photos like these are shot with a similar set-up to this, with a diffuse light and maybe slight over-exposure to blow out the background. With a small enough object you can even do it with a piece of A3 and a bounced flash. --antilived^{T | C | G} 03:06, 30 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

When I said "sheet" I meant "bed sheet". If I tried that with a bed sheet, it wouldn't come out that way. The type of setup you linked to was probably used. Bubba73 (talk), 03:18, 30 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The image says it was taken with an f-number of 2.8, now I'm not much of a photographer but I think that is on the low side, meaning there would be a low depth of field. Whatever was used for the background is going to be completely out of focus, so as long as it is mostly white and well lit, it's going to look like a completely white field. --Tango (talk) 13:02, 30 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Using a Light box. I made one myself - you just need the right type of bulb and paper/fabric. Bristol board is what I was told to use. ny156uk (talk) 08:20, 30 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

My wife, a professional photographer, confirmed that was indeed done with diffused lighting and a seamless sheet or piece of paper. Dismas|^(talk) 15:28, 30 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks. Bubba73 (talk), 15:30, 30 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I think the trick is not to use cloth because at these magnifications it's fluffy and textured. Good quality paper or art board is probably the best bet. But you can fix a lot of imperfections with GIMP/Photoshop/whatever after the fact. SteveBaker (talk) 16:27, 30 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Buying a Bike

Where would be a likely place to buy a cheap adult bike (50 dollars or less)? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 216.45.232.112 (talk) 03:09, 30 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

A garage sale Graeme Bartlett (talk) 03:35, 30 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

A police auction? Clarityfiend (talk) 03:43, 30 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Craigslist? Freecycle? Thrift store (Goodwill/St. Vincent de Paul's/Salvation Army)? A local used bike shop?-- 76.204.101.11 (talk) 04:14, 30 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

6E (triple wide) steel-toed leather work boots

My husband has had no success searching for this product, no longer in stock from Dunham (acquired by New Balance) and apparently unavailable through any other vendor found via Google. It's hard to believe there's no market for such a standard item in triple width. (He wears an 11-1/2, hardly a giant size.) Any advice on where to seek further? -- Thanks, Deborahjay (talk) 10:33, 30 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Would these work? They come in 6E. // BL \\ (talk) 11:14, 30 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Fixed link. Jørgen (talk) 23:23, 30 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

self-discipline for the lazy and uninspired?

I am a procastinator to the core. Sometimes I don't get things done due to the lack of mental energy or resources. Sometimes i am just lazy. Websites that help such individuals teach different methods. To be honest I have not tried any of them. Do you know any solution that is universally applicable to lazy people such as myself?. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 131.220.46.22 (talk) 10:46, 30 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

There is no one solution that works for everyone, but some that work for lots of people include working/studying/whatevering with others, so that you have a peer pressure to continue and not let them down. For example if you sign up to a gym, and agree to meet a friend there every week to work out statistically you will have a better chance of keeping joining. Also you could try making lists of jobs you have to do, and not allowing yourself certain privaledges until you have finished the list (this requires personal self-discipline though). Good luck. Prokhorovka (talk) 11:11, 30 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

My old studio master said, when I was faced with something that I was reluctant to do, "DO IT, get on with it, it's GOT to be done, do it NOW!" It worked for me 50 years ago and I still remember it and get it done, if it has to be done, whether I like it or not. Lovely feeling when its done too!--88.109.68.129 (talk) 12:41, 30 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I can personally speak for the effectiveness of "just do a little bit". Procrastination (at least for me) is inertia; it's the reluctance to start something (and the bigger the something, the greater the reluctance. The procrastinator part of me says "you can put this all off until tomorrow; it's not due for ages". The solution is to say to yourself "just do a little bit now, and put the rest off until tomorrow". So say I have to prepare my taxes, which involves sorting and inputting lots of receipts, calculating which (and to what extent) are valid business expenses, collecting a bunch of other info, and then filling out the forms. I'll say "I'll just put the receipts into month twelve envelopes, one per month, and stop then". That little task only takes maybe 20 or 30 minutes. Some of the time I really do stop then, but often that's gotten me into doing the task (and I remind myself that it's actually not that unpleasant a task, or that daunting) and I do a bunch more then and there. 87.114.167.162 (talk) 16:51, 30 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I agree. Promise yourself to do say 20 minutes work on something a day. Use a timer. Then when the 20 minutes are up, you can enjoy the remainder of the day without guilt. Or more likely you will continue what you are doing for longer. When reluctantly studying, such as revising for exams, at first do a cycle of ten minutes work then 10 minutes break, repeat. Then when you are accustomed to this do 20/10 and repeat. You can also give yourself a pre-planned reward of some kind in return for yourself doing X amount of work. What I find difficult is to start some large detailed project which is not urgent, which may have unhappy associations for me - which in fact if I was prepared to be a feckless person I would never even start or think about. 78.144.254.133 (talk) 19:36, 30 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I was going to write a really good answer - but...Meh...maybe tomorrow. SteveBaker (talk) 18:34, 31 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

MySpace

Does someone know how I can add Amy Winehouse (official profile) on MySpace? I tried to add her but I have to put in the last name or the e-mail address. Does someone know the word(s) for “last name” which I have to put in? — PsY.cHo, 13:54, 30 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I know next to nothing about MySpace, but does the last name "Winehouse" not work? That is her last name... --Tango (talk) 17:40, 30 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

somehow advising anyone whose user name is "psycho" how to add a celebrity on MySpace rings loud bells with me...--88.108.222.231 (talk) 19:39, 30 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I was assuming it was short for 'psychotherapist'...WP:AGF and all! SteveBaker (talk) 01:53, 31 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

@Tango: “Winehouse” is not correct.
@88.108.222.231 and SteveBaker: I do not understand your messages. — PsY.cHo, 08:56, 31 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

They're just joking about psychopaths stalking celebrities, don't worry about it! You're probably better off asking your question on MySpace, I don't think we have many MySpace experts here. --Tango (talk) 13:19, 31 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Mostly, when Ref Desk folks write things in small letters - we are joking in some way. Don't worry about it - it keeps us sane! Well, as sane as any group of people who answer questions from random strangers for no reward! SteveBaker (talk) 18:33, 31 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

It is rewarding in itself! --Tango (talk) 19:04, 31 May 2009 (UTC) [reply]

Privacy of A-Level module results

Just wondering if British A-Level results for non-certificated modules (results from individual exams, not cashed in as part of a full qualification) can be looked up by third parties. Most importantly universities, and prospective employers. I failed several modules a few years ago which I am now repeating, and if possible I'd rather not mention in future that I ever took the failed exams. I am a mature student, taking exams as a private candidate, and it wouldn't be obvious from my employment history that I took exams before.

Will universities ask for my UCI number when I apply, so they can check previous results?

Can I also choose not to mention exams that I passed and certificated, but with a bad grade? Many thanks. 81.132.218.238 (talk) 14:48, 30 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

In terms of what you mention on the forms, you don't have to put down your UCI number or any qualifications/exams taken which you don't want to disclose. Whether they can find out individual marks through some name search, however, I'm not sure - they couldn't until a couple of years ago, but some universities. I'm not sure whether:

They ask you for them, or whether they can find out without your permission.
Since they couldn't until a couple of years ago, whether they can find out the results of modules taken before this restriction was lifted, as yours seem to be.

--Joth (talk) 18:09, 30 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

If you are applying for an undergraduate course in the UK, you will need to apply through UCAS, who state that you "must include all schools, colleges and universities that you have attended since the age of 11, even if you withdrew from your course" and that you must include "All qualifications for which you are currently studying or for which you are awaiting results". UCAS will check your qualifications with the awarding body - I don't know whether they will search to see whether you have omitted anything. Universities rely on the information which they receive from UCAS, and will not check these details themselves.

But bear in mind that almost any university will be interested in your latest grades (and your employment history), and will put little or no weight on grades from some years ago, provided you've made the grades now. If you're still concerned that previous poor marks may reflect badly on you, you can put a positive spin on it in your personal statement (you've decided this course is your future, you've shown the drive to retake these qualifications as a mature student, and your results/predicted results in them show your potential). Warofdreams talk 20:17, 30 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Eaten by boa constrictor

Are there any documented cases of a person being attacked and killed by a boa constrictor? Would a person of normal physical strength be able to fight off a boa, or would they likely be crushed to death? If the latter, would the boa be able to consume the unfortunate individual? --Richardrj ^talk ^email 15:19, 30 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

[12] says that an 8 to 10 foot Boa can kill an adult human. They don't so much crush as suffocate by wrapping tightly around neck, stomach and rib-cage. Every time you exhale - it tightens so you can't inhale again - so bit by bit you suffocate and don't have breath to shout for help...nasty! (for example) Many other sites say that there is no record of a human being eaten by a boa because their jaws are not large enough to accomodate our shoulders. But they certainly can and do kill people. There are a couple of sites that purport to show people who've been cut out of Boa's stomachs - but as far as I can tell, they are all faked. SteveBaker (talk) 16:13, 30 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I think adults being killed by boas is rare, but I've heard plenty of stories of children being killed by them. The advice I've heard regarding being attacked by a constrictor is to try and grab hold of either the head or the tail and uncoil them. Just pushing outwards isn't going to work, they are too strong, you have to start at one end and gradually free yourself. --Tango (talk) 17:29, 30 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

This farm labourer fought off a python with his phone [13]! BrainyBabe (talk) 22:42, 30 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

May 31

Checkmate.

Why is it that a chess game ends when it's possible for a player's king to be captured - rather than when it's actually captured? They are clearly equivalent in concept. SteveBaker (talk) 01:32, 31 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Well, it's equivalent for perfect players, at least if you discount the clock. But it's not equivalent for real players — if you accidentally hang your king, you don't lose; you just have to take it back. --Trovatore (talk) 01:41, 31 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Oh, also, don't forget the stalemate rule — if your king is not under attack, but you have to move, and any move you make would hang him, you also don't lose. It's a draw. --Trovatore (talk) 01:43, 31 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The question came about because I'm a notoriously terrible chess player - and I was teaching a neighbours' kid to play. I get him in 'discovered' check - but fail to notice - so I don't say "Check". He doesn't notice on his turn either...now it's my turn again and I finally notice that I can now take his king...but I can't because of the weird way the rules are written. SteveBaker (talk) 02:43, 31 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Well, I think that's the intent. Hanging the king is an uninteresting way for the game to end, so it was disallowed.

Another possibility that I may have heard somewhere is that it was considered disrespectful, or maybe politically dangerous, to actually capture the king. Don't know whether that's true or just one of those factoids that floats around in my head sometimes. --Trovatore (talk) 02:47, 31 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Oh, given that you don't play that much chess, maybe I should explain the term: To hang a piece is to leave it vulnerable to capture without adequate compensation (of course there's no adequate compensation for the king). --Trovatore (talk) 04:44, 31 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I thought it was because it would be deeply unwise for the creator of the game to give a king a game in which the objective is to kill the king, but our article says the actual term means "the king is ambushed," not "the king is killed." DOR (HK) (talk) 06:36, 31 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

It's more realistic this way - in a real battle once the King's death is inevitable the King will surrender. There is no point playing that final turn, so why do it? As for forgetting to say "check", apparently there is no rule requiring you to, and experts often don't (Rules of chess#Check), so the rules were violated when your opponent didn't move out of check. I'm not sure what happens then in a formal match, but in a friendly match you would roll the game back and let them make a legal move. I'm glad I'm not the only one that is terrible at chess - I have an excellent record of teaching people to play by playing a game with them and them beating me in that game, it has happened several times! --Tango (talk) 13:02, 31 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

British Lions

Something I've wondered about, and I'd like the opinions of British people about this; is there some kind of local thinking or politics about the issue? The question applies to both rugby and soccer. Why do the British send individual teams to World Cup events? When the British Lions play, they are so much stronger. Surely a Lions team will have a better chance of winning a world cup? This applies even more so to soccer, where in the past so many talented players would have made a Lions team, instead of the stronger England team accompanied by the minnows Scotland, Wales, etc. Sandman30s (talk) 11:51, 31 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

There is a lot of politics and posturing involved. It is rooted in each of the Home Nations individuality, even though England, Scotland, Wales and NI are not countries per se under the United Nations - we like to think we are and will fight to a certain extent to keep it that way. By forming a united UK or GB team for these sports, there is a perceived to be a high chance the ruling bodies would dissolve the individual national teams and force the fielding of a united team from then on, see for example United Kingdom national football team#London 2012. Hopefully someone may come along and give a better and more rounded answer. Nanonic (talk) 12:17, 31 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I think part of the problem is that England is such a large portion of the UK than a UK team would basically be the England team with maybe one or two players changed and the smaller Home Nations would end up without a team. --Tango (talk) 13:10, 31 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

If that's the case, someone is not thinking straight. It's not the numbers that count, it's individual brilliance. I can think of some Welsh superstars in soccer (Ian Rush, Ryan Giggs), or really good Scottish or Irish rugby players that would have bolstered the English majority in a Lions team. Sandman30s (talk) 16:39, 31 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

All else being equal (which, within the UK, it pretty much is), a larger country will, on average, have more brilliant players than a smaller country. If 1 in 100,000 people make good top level footballers, say, then England would have about 500 while the rest of the UK would have about 100. Chances are good that more players would be chosen from the former pot than the latter. --Tango (talk) 19:01, 31 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Well historically Wales and Scotland have had some fantastic individuals, but beyond a handful of players per generation the full squad would still likely be an 'England + a few others' squad. Based on Wales_national_football_team#Senior_squad there are 7 'Premiership' players - with only 3 of those being regular starters for the Premiership team they play in. Compare that to the England_national_football_team#England_squad where all but 1 (Beckham) play in the Premiership and most of them are regular starters for their Premiership club. Scotland_national_football_team#Current_squad is a bit harder to compare due to their top-flight division, but they only have 4 Premiership players in their squad. This doesn't mean that these countries don't produce great talent, but another telling factor is...the population of the entirety of Scotland and Wales is barely that of London. England has a much bigger 'pot' to choose from in general (obviously not all individuals in a country are eligible but you get the idea). I don't think there'd be much fan-based support of the idea, given the rivalry and tribalistic nature of football. ny156uk (talk) 17:10, 31 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I'm a little surprised that the international sporting authorities allow it. We don't compete in the Olympics as separate countries...why the World Cup football people would allow it, I have no idea. As for the relative strengths of (say) an "England" team versus a "British" team - I suspect that we'd do best of all if we sent a Manchester United team (or whoever are doing best this year) instead. The fact that the guys all know each other so much better, have trained and played together for years and there would be no internal rivalries from players of different teams who's been playing as mortal enemies a month earlier...I think they'd do much better than a team put together from many separate teams just a short time before the important games. But I'm not a "sports person"...so I probably shouldn't be answering this at all! SteveBaker (talk) 18:29, 31 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I think we were kind of grandfathered in. It helps that we have separate domestic leagues as well (although I'm not sure Wales does). --Tango (talk) 19:01, 31 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Well obviously the difficulty with Man U would be that their team is made up of multi-nationalities (along with all clubs just about - save for Atletico Bilbao who I think still play only Basque players). ny156uk (talk) 18:46, 31 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

In all of these answers, one word jumped out at me: tribalistic. As an outsider, it's hard to believe that sports unity is that hard to achieve given that the once terrible political problem with the IRA/Sinn Fein has been over for years now. All UK nations accept the same queen, do they not? So surely the 'Home Nations' should see the light and unify sport? We South Africans need a challenge in the next Rugby world cup ;) Sandman30s (talk) 19:17, 31 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

UK Trains

I've been noticing recently that in smaller stations - those with only two platforms and two tracks, not large stations with multiple platforms and tracks - trains always approach the platform from the right-hand side. This means that the trains are essentially driving on the left-hand-side, as on UK roads. What happens on the continent? --KageTora - (영호 (影虎)) (talk) 12:10, 31 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

They drive on the right. I've noticed before that trains seem to follow the left/right rule of the road of the country they are in. Fribbler (talk) 12:13, 31 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Hmm. Actually it's a bit more complicated. See here. Fribbler (talk) 12:23, 31 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Interesting link, thanks. It also reminded me that on the Liverpool Underground (UK), the trains approach from the left, making them essentially driving on the right-hand-side. --KageTora - (영호 (影虎)) (talk) 14:15, 31 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

verifying ISSN

I would like to verify the ISSN code of an online magazine. How can I do this? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Mosquitoyer (talk • contribs) 17:20, 31 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The ISSN Register is available online through the ISSN International Centre. I'm unconvinced that access is necessarily free, however: see their products page. Angus Lepper^{(T, C)} 17:36, 31 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

brightness of LED flashlights

How does the brightness of LED flashlights compare to traditional flashlights? (I know they use less battery power.) Bubba73 (talk), 17:39, 31 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The white LED variety seem much brighter - I have both the single-LED 'pen-light' AA-battery variety and also a massive aluminium-cased, four-D-cell monster with about 20 LED's in it. Both seem to out-perform the incandescant bulb variety - although the LED light is much whiter than the incandescents - and that makes it tough to do comparisons 'by eye'. Also, it may depend on the manufacturer and cost...clearly the larger kind have a trade-off between more LED's or fewer LED's - giving more light or longer battery life respectively. However, I think that the convenience of never having to change another bulb means that I'll never buy another incandescent flashlight...that era is over. SteveBaker (talk) 18:20, 31 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I bought a new regular Maglight two days ago and I was looking at the LEDs. They are a lot more expensive. Brightness matters to me but battery life is not much of a factor. Bubba73 (talk), 18:36, 31 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

They are certainly more expensive...but for me, reliability was the main thing. When I need a flashlight, it's generally because the power is out - or I'm stuck beside the road with a broken car at night or something. Replacing batteries is generally easy - but I find that the bulbs in incandescent flashlights don't last long - even if they aren't being used much - and vibration (such as when I keep the thing in the trunk of my car) kills them very quickly. So that's why I use the LED kind. The price difference seems much greater in the smaller flashlights - the big ones, not so much so. SteveBaker (talk) 19:28, 31 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]