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May 2

Any idea what is on the bottom of this plaque Bill Clinton is holding?

I'm quite puzzled by what the bottom item on the plaque could possibly be? [1] 61.161.170.254 (talk) 00:53, 2 May 2010 (UTC)

It looks like the outline of a country or state (or some other geographic region). I don't recognise it, though. --Tango (talk) 01:01, 2 May 2010 (UTC)

It doesn't look like any of the US states. Nor does it seem to be Queens, New York where the US Open is held. Nor the Tennis Center where it is held. Dismas|^(talk) 01:39, 2 May 2010 (UTC)

It could be a souvenir from the grounds. I can't think what, since the U.S. Open is played on hardcourt and not clay or grass, either of which would be easier to "take" as a souvenir. But that's my best WAG. --Jayron32 01:55, 2 May 2010 (UTC)

Wouldn't matter. He still wouldn't have inhaled. --KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 23:58, 2 May 2010 (UTC)

Does the text here tell anything that could help? --Магьосник (talk) 03:52, 2 May 2010 (UTC)

Not really. The only text related to the image says basically "The president met with the U.S. Open winners. Serena Williams changed her hair for the event." Nothing about the plaque itself. --Jayron32 03:56, 2 May 2010 (UTC)

The court was green and [2] says: The singles finals were played on Arthur Ashe Stadium court. [Joe] Favorito said Agassi and Williams will present President Clinton with "a piece of the court," during an exchange of mementos in the Oval Office. I haven't found a source connecting this more directly to the image. PrimeHunter (talk) 04:01, 2 May 2010 (UTC)

Clinton hid his disappointment well, after finding out what they meant when they said an "Open piece" was his for the taking in the Oval Office. :-) StuRat (talk) 04:53, 2 May 2010 (UTC)

Clinton could cure cancer since he left office, those jokes will still not get old. Prokhorovka (talk) 18:40, 2 May 2010 (UTC)

Persians-Mughals

I am confused as to how, almost 2000 years later, the Mughals put a distinctively Persian cultural gloss on their nascent empire. How was this culture ,the Persian, maintained for so long without a base country to nurse it? Further, it is my view that there is absolutely no connection, except for the land, between ancient Persians and the vast majority of today’s Iranians.

Arthur Finn,<email removed> —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.118.52.147 (talk) 02:25, 2 May 2010 (UTC)

That may be your view, but it is unsupported by any reliable historical study. --Jayron32 02:27, 2 May 2010 (UTC)

To your first question, "Persia" is a term used to describe Iran at pretty much any point in history, and the Mughals were getting a Persian influence from the Persia that existed at that time, not the Achaemenid Empire which is sometimes referred to as the "Persian Empire". The term "Persian" has indeed been applied to many different cultures living in what is now called Iran, but if you check out History of Iran you'll see that while the culture of Iran has undergone many changes, there are also aspects that have held over from previous periods. Buddy431 (talk) 04:30, 2 May 2010 (UTC)

And if you think the term "Persian" is imprecise, try nailing down what makes one a "Turk". Matt Deres (talk) 13:25, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

downloading in google chrome

when u download in google chrome, there's this download page which keeps track of all the downloads you do. but, suppose, let's say, you are downloading something, and halfway through, there's a powercut. so your download gets cancelled and you have to start all over again. it happens with me very often. so, can anyone help me find some software which would resume the download when i restart my computer??

plz i seriously need help on this!!! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 117.197.236.47 (talk) 07:05, 2 May 2010 (UTC)

The Computing Reference Desk is here. Dismas|^(talk) 07:12, 2 May 2010 (UTC)

Yes, please ask questions to do with computers and technology at the Computing Reference Desk. Chevymontecarlo. 09:48, 2 May 2010 (UTC)

Oven temperatures

What does an oven use to measure the temperature? If it uses a thermometer, is it a digital one and where would it be located? Is it actually inside the oven cooking area or recessed into the walls? Chevymontecarlo. 09:47, 2 May 2010 (UTC)

On my oven, there is a temperature probe that sticks into the oven from the back wall. It's in the upper left hand corner as you're looking in. I've replaced it before and it was a quick 15 minute job. Dismas|^(talk) 09:51, 2 May 2010 (UTC)

On a fancy digital oven with temperature readout and such, it might be a digital thermometer - but in cheaper ovens with simple dial controls, it's just a thermostat. The design varies a lot from one oven to the next. If you need to find/replace one, I suggest doing a Google search for the make and model number of your oven and the words "oven thermostat" or "oven thermometer". You'll find half a dozen companies selling that part - and it's usually pretty obvious how to replace it if you look carefully inside the oven. SteveBaker (talk) 15:31, 2 May 2010 (UTC)

Hang on, Steve, I don't see how that makes sense. An adjustable thermostat, as I understand it, consists of a bimetallic strip, an electrical switch, and a control affecting how the two are positioned in relation to each other (i.e. how far the strip has to bend in order to operate the switch). How's that possible when the control is distant from the oven? I mean, I'm sure there's a thermostat involved, but there can't be just a thermostat. --Anonymous, 20:37 UTC, May 2, 2010.

Why not? Old dial ovens don't give a readout of the temperature, they just cycle on-and-off based on where you set the oven temperature dial. No need for an actual thermometer; a calibrated thermostat is all that is needed. --Jayron32 03:21, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

Of course. But I don't see what the physical arrangement is, for it to be "just a thermostat". If the thermostat is inside the oven, how does the dial control affect the way the switch is positioned in relation to the bimetallic strip? And if it isn't inside the oven, how does it respond properly to the temperature inside? See what I mean now? --Anonymous, 05:20 UTC, May 3, 2010.

I don't see why the thermostat (bimetallic strip) couldn't be connected to the dial by means of some sort of pushrod or cable. --Jayron32 05:58, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

Hmm. I think it would be hard to make that reliable, but it is possible. I've just realized the other thing that's been tickling my brain about this, though. It's my impression that what's likely to be inside the oven is a thermocouple, generating a voltage that depends on the temperature; the ones I've seen look like the thermocouple I've seen in a furnace, anyway. The control knob would then be a simple rheostat, producing an output voltage that depends on the setting. The electronics to compare the two signals and turn the oven on or off would likewise be very simple. This seems a more likely construction to me, at least for an electric stove. But some actual references would be better... --Anonymous, 08:12 UTC, May 3, 2010.

Anti-vandalism names

Where did the commonly used vandal-reverting tools Twinkle and Huggle get their names? And why are there several more that nobody seems to use? What are the differences? 2D Backfire Master ^{pretzels rule} 13:31, 2 May 2010 (UTC)

AzaToth developed Twinkle and Gurch developed Huggle, so you may wanna ask them. As for why people don't use other anti-vandalism tools as often, there's a myriad of reasons why. Some of them you have to be an admin or obtain a certain level of rights to use them, and some of them are either outdated or not as convenient to use. 24.189.90.68 (talk) 20:23, 2 May 2010 (UTC)

I was under the impression gurch named it huggle simply because he "huggles" everyone each time he enters an IRC chat room.--92.251.185.162 (talk) 23:33, 2 May 2010 (UTC)

Google was not very helpful. One source suggested these were inside jokes about gays, but I suspect they were being facetious. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 03:04, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

UN veto records

Is there a searchable online record of vetoed Security Council motions? I want to know if there was a Soviet veto on a French motion to send a warship to Mahe, a French occupied territory in India, in 1954 --117.204.83.105 (talk) 15:37, 2 May 2010 (UTC)

This site (http://unbisnet.un.org:8080/ipac20/ipac.jsp?profile=voting&menu=search&submenu=power#focus) seems to be the voting records archive you want. ny156uk (talk) 17:36, 2 May 2010 (UTC)

I find the search options on that site utterly useless. Instead I checked this article on Jstor but I don't find anything in it about a vetoed vote on French decision to send a warship to Mahe in 1954. Can anybody help verify if there was such a veto from Soviet Union's part?--117.204.83.13 (talk) 16:22, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

Annex 3 of Document A/58/47 (it's a PDF, and the link is flaky) lists all vetoes at public sessions up to 2004. For 1954 it lists:

Date	Draft	Meeting No.	Topic	Vetoing member
20-Jun-1954	S/ 3236/Rev. 1	675	Cablegram dated 19 June 1954 from Guatemala to the President of the Security Council	USSR
18-Jun-1954	S/ 3229	674	Letter dated 29 May 1954 from Thailand to the President of the Security Council	USSR
29-Mar-1954	S/ 3188/Corr. 1	664	The Palestine question	USSR
22-Jan-1954	S/ 3151/Rev. 2	656	The Palestine question	USSR

No reference to Mahé anywhere in the list. jnestorius^(talk) 20:47, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

Submarine

Why does the crews of the submarine stand on the top of it when it comes into habor? --Tyw7  (☎ Contact me! • Contributions)   Changing the world one edit at a time! 20:15, 2 May 2010 (UTC)

"Manning Ship - A ceremonial mark of salutation, originally as shewing your peaceful intentions, in that with all hands on deck you could have no guns manned. The present method of manning ship - along the sides of the upper deck - was introduced (to the Royal Navy) in 1873, replacing the manning of yards and rigging which by then had largely disappeared"[3]. Alansplodge (talk) 20:39, 2 May 2010 (UTC)

Presumably at least one man stays below, to drive it? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 20:48, 2 May 2010 (UTC)

A number no doubt do stay below. The idea that it would in effect prove no malicious intent is outdated today, to be sure (especially since so much of this sort of thing is computerized). Even in the 19th century it was probably more a gesture of goodwill than a guarantee. --Mr.98 (talk) 21:01, 2 May 2010 (UTC)

It's pretty effective in the case of a submarine! At least you know it's not gonna submerge any time soon. SteveBaker (talk) 14:29, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

This salutation doesn't seem applicable for all military craft as these Russians appear to be getting blown off before they can form an orderly line – but full marks for even trying. [4] Aspro (talk) 09:46, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

Short list of the most important general skills

I'm looking for a short list (say top 10 or top 20) of the most important general skills a young person can learn. The skills should be learnable, be of great general applicability or practical importance, and whose mastery tends to make a significant difference in a person's life, regardless of the person's chosen field of pursuit. I understand that on a question like this, opinions differ, but I'm hoping that there is good agreement on at least the top few items. --98.114.146.58 (talk) 21:39, 2 May 2010 (UTC)

• The three Rs Graeme Bartlett (talk) 22:07, 2 May 2010 (UTC)
• This question appears to make certain assumptions about "where he is". Look at the hierarchy of needs and that will tell you what's important. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:16, 2 May 2010 (UTC)

In the last decade or so, British universitites emphasis so called "transferrable skills". Many are embedded into PDP (personal development portfolio). It is a complete waste of students and teachers time. The pipe dream of mastery on some general skills without or little core discipline knowledge. Get a part time would gain more life skills plus pocket money. --Chan Tai Man 22:17, 2 May 2010 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Chantaiman (talk • contribs)

If you're a Sherpa, knowledge of survival in the mountains is probably way much more important than knowing how to read the collected works of Shake-speare. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:32, 2 May 2010 (UTC)

There are plenty of skills that are useful regardless of your chosen career, but they aren't usually as useful as the ones that are specific to your career (beyond the three R's, as Graeme mentions). --Tango (talk) 22:40, 2 May 2010 (UTC)

The three R's are not required for survival. Helpful, maybe, but not required. And they would be pretty much useless if you suddenly found yourself in the middle of a foreign land where no one speaks your language. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:45, 2 May 2010 (UTC)

Who said anything about the basics for survival? Read the question, it is asking about general knowledge, not "I am living in a Cormac McCarthy novel" knowledge. And I disagree that knowing how to read and write in your language (especially English) is not useful when "in the middle of a foreign land". You might not have someone nearby who can read it, but if you can communicate with people at a distance (even through old-fashioned hand mail), you'll be at an advantage to an illiterate. --Mr.98 (talk) 23:45, 2 May 2010 (UTC)

The question is rather vague, so a wide range of answers is possible. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 03:02, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

Since I'm the OP, I can provide some clarification. I think Mr.98 has the right idea about what the question is about. I have my own candidates for the list, but I'd like to hear other people's views. I was surprised that critical thinking skills didn't get mentioned more times—IMO it's one of the top generally applicable skills and is helpful whether you're a doctor, lawyer, politician, auto mechanic, or just trying to be a responsible citizen. Another skill that I consider important is the skill to learn things effectively and efficiently, on your own, making good use of all the resources available. College education cannot prepare a person to be an expert in every possible specialties within he/her field. A lot of in-depth expertise will need to be acquired on the job or as needs arise. These are the kind of general skills I had in mind when I asked the question. --98.114.146.58 (talk) 03:46, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

Situational awareness. If you are oblivious to what is going on, none of the other skills can be used effectively. Googlemeister (talk) 19:36, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects." - Lazarus Long -- Dismas|^(talk) 23:21, 2 May 2010 (UTC)

If you quote Heinlein, quote it right. "Anyone who cannot cope with mathematics is not fully human. At best he is a tolerable subhuman who has learned to wear shoes, bathe and not make messes in the house." (ibid.) --Stephan Schulz (talk) 11:48, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

Here's a few: how to cook, morse code, how to behave in a group, how to drive, how to defend yourself, how to make gunpowder (yes even today). Another would be how to live life without worrying about why you are here, how you got here, death, or the solar system dying in a few billion years time. Those thigns are depressing, and can't affect your life in any way, yet are there any of us who don't sometimes worry about crap like that for no reason?--92.251.185.162 (talk) 23:30, 2 May 2010 (UTC)

Morse code? I've yet to find that ever useful in my life and I doubt I will. I'm not even sure exactly how relevant it is to emergency situations these days. And I would disagree that one's own mortality is worth ignoring—it can be a pretty useful tool by which to decide exactly what one really wants to do with one's life. I don't see making gunpowder as particularly useful (better to just save up bullets, in my opinion, if one is worried about surviving some kind of collapse of civilization). --Mr.98 (talk) 23:40, 2 May 2010 (UTC)

A very basic understanding of mathematics and statistics is quite useful for many different walks of life. Literacy is important in most countries in the world. Being able to articulate yourself clearly is useful in almost all occupations that I know of. Being able to manage one's own finances is an under-appreciated skill. Critical thinking skills are generally applicable and quite useful (though hard to define). Touch-typing is a pretty-valuable skill in most industrialized countries at the present time. --Mr.98 (talk) 23:48, 2 May 2010 (UTC)

Also tae a look at soft skills. ~AH1^(TCU) 23:56, 2 May 2010 (UTC)

I did a Google search for "Short list of the most important general skills" and the first result was the following.

• 10 Skills You Need to Succeed at Almost Anything - Stepcase Lifehack

(public speaking, writing, self-management, networking, critical thinking, decision-making, math, research, relaxation, basic accounting)

You can do the same search to find more results. -- Wavelength (talk) 04:13, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

"You invented the wheel today, Thag? Not bad. But check out these debits and credits!" ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 05:44, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

And swim. Kittybrewster ☎ 11:27, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

I second swimming. It's one of those things that is second-nature if you know how to do it (you never have to review it, really), but if you don't know how to do it, aside from the very real possibility of drowning (even in areas without large natural bodies of water), it seems to be something that is much harder to pick up as an adult than as a kid. My friends who don't know how to swim are pretty hampered (and I was amazed they didn't know how) and are more fearful than they ought to be of boats, docks, etc. --Mr.98 (talk) 14:10, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

The skill I wish I had when I was a student and since was touch typing. It would have saved me hundreds of hours of time, and given a better product as I would have had more thinking time and less time spent doing one- or two-finger typing. More important than learning to drive. Other skills are how to file away stuff, and bookkeeping. Being experienced and relaxed about chatting up women would help for a man. If the person is going into business or self-employment then other business skills too. Learning how to cook and eat nutritiously may extend their lifetime considerably. Skills relating to exercise such as swimming, sailing, hiking, cycling, and group sports similarly. Do It Yourself and self-learning painting and decorating has saved me a lot of money. Knowing how to evaluate credit card and otrher loans are important too. People above have mentioned more abstract skills, but concrete practical skills are important too, even for intellectuals. Learning a foriegn language, as learning one makes learning others more easy, and opens up the world to you. 92.28.253.63 (talk) 11:39, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

Emery board

The two sides of an emery board are very distinct from one another. What is the material used on each side? And, more importantly, for what specific purpose does a person use each side? The Wikipedia article on Emery board was not helpful for my question. I always assumed that one side was to file down the finger nail ... and that the other side was to buff it or to smooth it out, after the filing is complete. But this is only a guess. Any insights? Thanks. (64.252.65.146 (talk) 21:52, 2 May 2010 (UTC))

I think that's exactly right. In the common one, the brown side has rougher grains, so it's for filing down quickly, while the beige side has finer grains, for buffing. As for the material, I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that it's emery. :-) StuRat (talk) 22:06, 2 May 2010 (UTC)

Oh ... in other words, both sides are actually made of emery? I assumed that one side was made of emery ... but I was unsure of the other ("different") side. Thanks. (64.252.65.146 (talk) 23:02, 2 May 2010 (UTC))

I doubt it's actually emery, and I would think that the Wikipedia article is wrong when it says it's emery paper. Real emery paper is normally dark grey and is used for smoothing metal. Sandpaper or glass paper (coo - no link or redirect) is used for smoothing things like wood and feels much more like what you get on an emery board. It also looks clear, which ties in with the appearance of all the emery boards I've seen. --Phil Holmes (talk) 09:25, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

Emery (mineral) says that, "However, demand for emery has decreased with the development of sintered carbide and oxide materials as abrasives." So maybe it is these replacement materials actually in use. Bus stop (talk) 11:46, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

Great ... thanks for the responses! (64.252.65.146 (talk) 16:52, 9 May 2010 (UTC))

May 3

Mineshaft

Is/was there really an S&M gay club of that name? 24.189.90.68 (talk) 00:04, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

In what jurisdiction? The world is a big place. What part of the world supposedly had such a club? --Jayron32 00:51, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

NYC. At least that's what I heard. 24.189.90.68 (talk) 01:08, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

Have you used Google? This is the first hit. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 01:28, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

Right, I don't know why Google failed to enter my mind. It's just that someone in a video was wearing a shirt with the name and emblem on it, and someone commented about its ties to the club. So I got super-curious and came straight here. 24.189.90.68 (talk) 01:52, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

Doing anything "straight" won't get you very far if you're interested in gay clubs.  :) -- 202.142.129.66 (talk) 02:46, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

Hey now, I didn't mean I was curious in that sense. ;) 24.189.90.68 (talk) 03:11, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

Not that there's anything wrong with that.  :) Dismas|^(talk) 05:28, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

Apparently, the answer to the question is yes - [5] and [6] - "the area’s premier members-only club. Located on Washington St. at Little W. 12th St., it was open around the clock from Wednesday night through Monday morning, featuring a roof deck, clothes check, dungeons and other amenities. The S&M free-for-all opened in 1977 before the AIDS era, and was finally closed by the city’s Department of Health in 1985." Ghmyrtle (talk) 08:09, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

Garfield Vault

When I try to read the Garfield comic strips at http://www.garfield.com/comics/vault.html, the screen where the strip is usually displayed is blank. What do I need to download that will allow me to view the comic strips?--ChromeWire (talk) 00:04, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

It's a problem with the website (on mine it says that this is the strip for "Undefined, NAN NAN", which is computer talk for "Something has gone horribly wrong"). So probably just wait until tomorrow and it'll probably be fixed. --Mr.98 (talk) 00:57, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

Yes - "NAN" stands for "Not A Number" - which is what the computer says if you try to do something like divide by zero or take the square root of a negative number. However, all we can tell from that is that they have a software bug of some kind. It's really impossible to deduce much from that - other than it's not your fault and that there is probably nothing you can do about it other than wait for them to fix it. SteveBaker (talk) 14:26, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

Ok thanks. --ChromeWire (talk) 01:33, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

It still seems broken to me today. If you're jonesing for Garfield, you might try one of the other sites that comes up for a Google search of "Garfield comics". The Garfield.com site seems extraordinarily poorly programmed—a real disaster of web design. --Mr.98 (talk) 13:25, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

And if you can't see Garfield anyway, you might as well be reading Garfield Minus Garfield, which is actually much funnier. Matt Deres (talk) 13:35, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

Yeah - I'll second that - Garfield minus Garfield is much funnier. They just removed the Garfield character and all of his dialog from the strip - leaving the other characters talking to themselves more or less nonsensically. You wouldn't expect that to be good - but it's actually really hilarious! SteveBaker (talk) 14:26, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

And tying into not a number and garfield and garfield minus garfield, there's the square root of minus garfield which being a mezzacotta project is of highly variable quality --Psud (talk) 07:50, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

TELKOM SA

I would like to know what different function codes there are for telkom telephone users. When you dial *31* before the actual contact number you automatically hide your caller I.D. I would like to know if there is any more functions you can use for private use? I cant find it on any site or on Wikipedia. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 163.195.192.70 (talk) 07:38, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

The article you are looking for is vertical service code. Unsurprisingly, however, it deals only with US telephone codes. Doubtless there is a website somewhere that lists those for SA. Perhaps you could try putting that expression into your search engine.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 08:29, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

Ipod

My ipod, when put onto shuffle will play various songs for hours on end, howver, if it plays one slayer song it will thenshuffle between only slayer songs for the next few hours, why is this? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.172.58.82 (talk) 07:41, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

There are technologies that will remember which songs you skip and which you listen to and give you more of the music you listen to and gradually phase out songs that you skip. I don't know if you'd have to specifically tell it to do this; I've never owned an iPod. But that would be my first guess; are you skipping lots of the non-Slayer songs? Vimescarrot (talk) 08:46, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

You're over-thinking this, Vimescarrot. I do own an iPod and several other Apple products. When you simply hit "shuffle" or pick a song out of your "songs" list, then it shuffles between all songs on your iPod. But when you go to a specific artist, then you are basically working your way down a tree structure and the iPod doesn't go back up the tree to retrieve songs to work into the shuffle. It assumes that because you went to a specific artist's folder, that you only want to hear songs from that artist. Dismas|^(talk) 09:31, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

I'm not sure I understand. Are you saying the OP must have gone into the Slayer folder for it to only be playing Slayer songs? Vimescarrot (talk) 13:04, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

I also have an iPod (never leave home without it). It doesn't sound like the OP is in his Slayer folder, because he seems to imply that he kind of "came upon" a Slayer song, and somehow the random player got stuck in a Slayer groove (but then again, he might be, and that would be an easy answer to the question). I don't know a whole lot about the algorithm(s) that Apple uses to jump to the next song, but I've wondered myself if they program a certain degree of non-randomness into it-- from time to time, I'll hear a cluster of songs from one group in a row. I googled "iPod" "shuffle" "random" and "algorithm" and came up with some interesting discussions. Kingsfold (talk) 14:06, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

Relatedly, there's a setting in iTunes (haven't seen one on my Touch, but that's not to say it's not there) that dictates whether you're more or less likely than random to hear songs from the same artist in a short period after one has already played on shuffle. 131.111.248.99 (talk) 14:08, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

Because even your iPod knows how awesome Slayer is! 8') 74.218.50.226 (talk) 14:16, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

Slayer are awesome, but sometimes you are in the mood for something a bit more chilled and a slayer song comes onto shuffle, not a problem but when shuffle as been on for 2-3 hours and then all of a sudden all you hear is slayer after slayer it can be a bit annoying, I love slayer as much as the next guy but... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.172.58.82 (talk) 15:09, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

Looks like I'm the next guy, but I don't particularly like them. I agree with Vimes on this one, though. On Shuffle settings, iTunes tends to play the songs you listen to the most, which ends up being a vicious circle if you only listen to iTunes on Shuffle - the more you play the songs, the more you'll play the songs, basically. I suggest just switching it off altogether. --KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 19:23, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

Yep. This is why I usually partially manipulate my random playlists by programming them to not play songs that have been played in the last X days. Then, as soon as one is played, it drops out of the playlist for a while. Kingsfold (talk) 11:31, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

birds

what was the oldest living cockatiel on record? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.66.193.73 (talk) 08:47, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

This wikipedia item[7] says 36 years. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 08:58, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

Do main parties ever lose their deposits at general elections?

The election is on Thursday, and I was thinking about the fact that UKIP lost over £200,000 last time on deposits. I know it on rare occasions happens at by-elections, but at main General Elections do the three main parties ever lose their deposits anywhere?

Thanks, Prokhorovka (talk) 09:12, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

Rarely, but it does happen. In most constituencies, only two of the main three parties have any real chance of winning (outside of England, it can be even fewer due to national parties), so the other major party can end up with very few votes. The Tories were close to losing their deposits in some Scottish seats at the 2005 general election, but I can't find any examples where a major party actually did lose it. (There are plenty of examples from by-elections, as you say.) --Tango (talk) 15:07, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

Contrast with the Monster Raving Loony Party, who have never fielded a candidate who retained their deposit, and have a deal with William Hill this election to give them a chance to win their deposits back [8]. 86.178.228.18 (talk) 20:47, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

[9] has a table showing how many deposits each party lost in the 2005 election, the Conservatives lost 5, the Lib Dems 1, and Labour 0. [10] has a list of some by-elections where Labour lost their deposit. Hut 8.5 08:56, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

That's perfect. Thank you. Prokhorovka (talk) 13:34, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

Karma

there is a bird building a nest ontop of a gate that gets used regularly. The nest is a wast of time, if i shake the gate the nest will be ruined and the bird will realise that it is a waste of time. Is this good karma as i will save the bird time, or bad karma as i will be ruining its nest? should i go and shake the gate, or not? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.172.58.82 (talk) 10:07, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

I would shake the gate. The way I figure it, you're doing the bird a favor by pointing out (in terms that the bird can likely understand) that building a nest there is a foolish thing to do. Dismas|^(talk) 10:56, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

I agree. Kittybrewster ☎ 11:33, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

I also agree. The bird will re-nest somewhere else—this is what birds do. The sooner they realize that their nesting site is inappropriate, the better. You definitely wouldn't want the nest to be disturbed when it already had eggs in it, would you? --Mr.98 (talk) 14:07, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

Making money online with very little investment?

Is it possible for an individual to make modest amounts (say a few hundred to few thousand $ per month) online?. There are many snake oil salesmen who promise quick wealth in the internet, I don't believe them, neither am i interested in illegal businesses. If you could please give some websites of average joes who actually make a living online, that would be an inspiration for me. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 89.244.144.251 (talk) 10:11, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

This question comes up quite frequently here - and sadly, we're never able to give a satisfactory answer. The problem is that we need to know what skills you have. Without that, there is little chance of making money legally. So - what are you good at? What would you be prepared to learn? SteveBaker (talk) 14:18, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

ok, let me state the strongest of my skill, which is artistic skill. More specifically, using an image editor to create static artwork. I also have some business skill, I have been sporadically buying and selling stuff for some profit. I have an uncanny ability to find deals ( so I think lol). Iam prepared to learn anything that would earn me success in this endevour - online business.

—Preceding unsigned comment added by 89.244.144.251 (talk) 15:17, 3 May 2010 (UTC) 

Depending on how much time you want to put into it, you could try Mechanical Turk. I did some turking for a while, and if you really dedicate yourself to it, I could see it bringing in a few hundred dollars a month. Its mostly low-skill, repetitive tasks (like data entry type stuff). I found that, in terms of money per hour, it wasn't worth my time, but depending on how fast you work and what your interests and skills are, you could make some small amount of coin turking. --Jayron32 15:24, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

Presumably you mean Amazon Mechanical Turk, rather than sitting in a "machine" playing chess. --Tango (talk) 15:32, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

These links might be helpful: What Color is Your Parachute? (book) and JobHuntersBible.com:. -- Wavelength (talk) 17:02, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

If you can paint things that 3D artists would find useful as texture maps - you might maybe make some money by selling 2D images at places like http://www.TurboSquid.com - this isn't going to be about painting gorgeous pictures of things - we're talking stuff like repeating brick patterns, grass, dirt, rusty metal...that kind of thing.

I wonder if there might also be a business in retouching photos for people - I don't know of a forum for selling that kind of service - but maybe if you had your own website and managed to somehow advertise it.

SteveBaker (talk) 02:10, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

If you're a world-class poker player, you can do it with no investment. Clarityfiend (talk) 20:47, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

For a look at what others are doing to earn $5 here and there, check out http://www.fiverr.com. Warning, lots of crap on the main page, but if you go off into the side areas, there are more professional offerings. DaHorsesMouth (talk) 03:16, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

This guy http://todoodlist.com/ charges £6 for a PDF download. British, shamefully. 78.146.23.126 (talk) 21:17, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

Sense of culture

1. Countries like Poland that were seperated and ruled by others for ages, also see Macedonia, how have they managed to retain their owns sense of culture without being absorbed into the ruling country?—Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.172.58.82 (talk) 10:55, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

Even though many maps show it as part of Russia, Poland specifically still had a seperate identity for much of the 19th century, see Congress Poland. It really only had no seperate existance for about 50 years, probably not long enough for full assimilation into Russian culture. Other people still retain distinct identities, sometimes because no country will "accept" them into their culture (see the Romani people). Other times, a people will retain its seperate identity despite hundreds of years with no country. Greek people, for example, lacked a state of their own from the fall of the Byzantine Empire in the late 15th century until the modern state was created in 1822. The Basque people haven't had a state of their own since the Kingdom of Navarre was partitioned by France and Spain in a series of events in the 16th century. Its a complex melange of situations, sometimes cultures are lost as they assimilate into the majority culture. I was somewhat disappointed myself in researching this answer, as the article Cultural assimilation deals mostly with immigration issues. --Jayron32 12:08, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

I'd say it comes down to 4 main factors:

1) The degree to which the ruling nation is committed to forcing assimilation. If they destroy all churches, ban the language, and take the children from the parents to be re-educated, this will have a major effect.

2) The degree to which the subject nation is willing to resist assimilation. Are they willing to risk fines, jail, or death to continue practicing their religion in secret, speaking their language, etc. ? This may vary by the level of technology of the nations. A "backward" nation may assume that the institutions of a more developed nation are superior to their own, and thus may be more willing to accept them. For example, if the conquered nation had no written language, they may be more wiling to use the written language of the conquerors, than if they already had their own.

3) Relative numbers. Is the subject nation still 90% the original people, or is it 90% colonists ? The majority will tend to overwhelm the minority, over time.

4) The length of time of the colonial period. StuRat (talk) 14:16, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

Another factor is the extent to which other nations try to help the conquered nation resist assimilation. In the case of Tibet, attempts by China to wipe out the native culture (specifically, their religion), may have been offset by India's willingness to allow Tibetans to live in exile there, and to maintain their culture. StuRat (talk) 14:30, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

Don't forget religion, especially in Poland but probably most other stateless nations. Until mass education in the late 19th century, most people in most places were illiterate - but priests could read and write. Outside big cities (where most members of the "occupying" group would live) churchmen would often be the only literate people in a community, and by default the written culture that survived would be produced by the Church. If the "occupiers" followed a different religion (as Russians and Germans, but not Austrians, did in Poland), the Church would come to represent the nation. 81.155.57.153 (talk) 14:48, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

Pepperspray

2. Is it possible to buy pepperspray in the UK for personal protection of woman. if so where? if not is it because it is illegal, and if so why? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.172.58.82 (talk) 10:55, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

In the United Kingdom, "Any weapon of whatever description designed or adapted for the discharge of any noxious liquid, gas or other thing" is a Prohibited Weapon, under S.5 of The Firearms Act 1968. The same act covers other prohibited weapons such as automatic firearms and rocket launchers, all of which can only be possessed by permission of the Home Secretary. Although legal for police officers, recent debates have arisen whether such a weapon should be legal for civilians as means of defensive purposes only. Pepper_spray#In_Europe Kittybrewster ☎ 11:11, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

I was advised some years ago to keep a cologne spray in my pocket for use in the same circumstances as pepper spray would be used. Being female it would be deemed to be an appropriate thing to have in my pocket, so no questions would be asked. --TammyMoet (talk) 12:45, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

Alternatively, many places hand out attack alarms/rape alarms (the security guards didn't like us calling them "rape alarms") that, at their most useful, are minature air horns. Although not terribly useful for the supposed purpose of attracting help, these can be sounded close to the attacker's ears, being very loud and startling. Like pepperspray, this is supposed to give you an opportunity to run away. Having played with them, I'm pretty sure that anyone having one sounded in their ears is going to feel some pain and alarm. 86.178.228.18 (talk) 20:27, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

You can buy pepper spray as "Squirrel Stop" in litre containers in garden centres. It is not pressurized. You can then decant some into a cologne spray to carry in your pocket. (It would presumably then be illegal.) Alternatively I have heard of people keeping loose pepper or chilli powder in their pocket which they could throw at an assailant's face.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 07:05, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

Heh. I'm now imagining someone walking through a park late at night when an assailant leaps out. Person holds out a jalapeño, "Here, eat this!". FiggyBee (talk) 07:32, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

Bertrand Gachot was jailed for two months for using CS spray, so you would risk imprisonment for using as a weapon any of the sprays described here. --Phil Holmes (talk) 08:54, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

This is exactly why I repeated the advice I'd been given by the head of security at my workplace, to carry a cologne spray: as I'm female, it would be deemed an appropriate article to be carried by a woman and so would not be classed as an offensive weapon. Clearer? --TammyMoet (talk) 11:34, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

Unless it was used as an offensive weapon. --Phil Holmes (talk) 13:42, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

Spiders, Penguins, etc.

3. How long can your average spider go without food? I know snakes can go months, but there is the same spider in my bathroom, and while always in the same place but never in the same position, so its alive, but there is never anything in the web, and i doubt its gets food often if ever. how long can it live, its been months now, I am almost tempted to give it something to eat. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.172.58.82 (talk) 10:55, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

I don't know about spiders - but we too often judge food requirements by our own standards. We (being active, warm-blooded animals) need food almost constantly. Cockroaches can survive for three months without food and one month without water - I suspect your spider (which probably just sits dead still for days at a time) is at least as capable. Even quite large animals can go for a long time without eating. Crocodiles and some snakes can last for six to eight months without food, Emperor Penguins can go for over three months in arctic conditions without eating. If you don't have to generate body heat - and if you don't run around a lot - you can last a long time on very little indeed. So don't worry - your spider is probably doing just fine. SteveBaker (talk) 13:57, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

The warm-blooded/cold-blooded dichotomy is deprecated since it is more complicated that that in reality but, in simple terms, aren't birds (including penguins) warm-blooded? --Tango (talk) 15:14, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

Yes, but I'm guessing that their adaptations to the extreme cold means they lose (and thus, need to produce) a lot less heat. The feathers and the group huddling, for example. They also look quite tubby for birds - more fat would mean more insulation - though that one's not in the article, so I'm not sure. Vimescarrot (talk) 18:23, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

The current issue of the Cousteau Kids magazine discusses penguins. Unfortunately, it does not address the specific question of how they go without food for periods of time. But one thing it mentions is that they can stand stock still for days while sheltering/warming an egg. I imagine that tends to conserve energy. Penguins have such a thick coat of feathers, which in turn are coated with oil from preening, that they are practically impervious to the cold. So much so, that their "bare" feet are needed to dissipate extra body heat. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:18, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

Those adaptations mean they don't lose more heat than birds in warmer climates, but do they mean they lose less? --Tango (talk) 22:46, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

The Cousteau publication doesn't say anything about blubber, but it does say they have "heavier" (which I take to mean "denser") bones, which is part of why they can't fly. Maybe that's also connected with their ability to retain heat? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 23:36, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

Robinson Crusoe

In the original book, I seem to remember that he tried to cut down a tree, that took him ages, and later discovered that it was an...iron wood tree and so was very hard, he later chose not to use these trees, he later then found a use for these trees, what was the name of this type of tree, does it really exist, and do we have an article on it? I may have been metal wood tree, or iron wood tree. Also, I cannot find our article on Red Wood Tree please help thx —Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.172.58.82 (talk) 11:04, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

Redwood. Kittybrewster ☎ 11:13, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

We have an article Ironwood - which says that there are several dozen different kinds of tree that are commonly called "Ironwood" - so this is more of a generic term for any exceptionally hard wood. I can attest to the toughness of some of these species though. Here in Texas, the Bodark tree is amazingly hard. We had a gigantic one slap bang in the middle of where our house was to be built. Our builder blunted two brand new chainsaw blades and needed three gallons of gasoline to cut it down and remove the larger branches! You'd certainly be there a very long time with a hand-axe. The remaining stump had to be removed with dynamite! The resulting bright yellow wood is extremely heavy and doesn't seem to rot. On that basis, I wanted to make a bench for the back yard out of the main log - but after my efforts to cut it (first with a hand axe - then with my chainsaw) met with no more success than the builder had with his, I gave up, removed the bark - and we just sit on the log! SteveBaker (talk) 14:12, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

Additional Ironwood question, what is the species in Hawaii called ironwood? Googlemeister (talk) 19:32, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

According to this[11] site it can be one of several Casuarina sp. Caesar's Daddy (talk) 21:26, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

For "Red Wood Tree", see Redwood. Alansplodge (talk) 11:42, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

Arteries and Veins

What are the differences between arteries and veins? —Preceding unsigned comment added by ASSG (talk • contribs) 20:33, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

See artery and vein. Comet Tuttle (talk) 20:53, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

The main difference is that arteries carry blood away from the heart and veins carry blood towards the heart. 82.43.89.71 (talk) 21:28, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

That would be a physiologic difference, but it wouldn't help you if the cross-section of the vessel in question in on a slide. Anatomically, arteries and veins differ in their muscle layers, with the former having muscle tissue contribute more to the thickness of the vessel wall. DRosenbach ^{(Talk | Contribs)} 16:51, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

May 4

poem possibly titled Sand

The Pennsylvania Railroad had a handbook which had a beautiful poem either in the front or badk. I read it in my fathers book. He died nin 1948. They read it at his funeral and I want it read at mine. I can not find the poem anywhere. It tells in verse, to always carry a load of sand for slipery times. Like they used when the train was climbing a steep grade. Then they threw sand on the tracks to give the wheels traction. I would love a copy. thanksBarbaraclaycomb (talk) 00:06, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

I suggest you make contact with the person running the Pennsylvania Railroad fansite, since he may recall the content of the many booklets he's scanned. --Tagishsimon (talk) 01:13, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

How about:

The Locomotive (Author unknown)

(in memory of Russell Land – his favourite poem)

It appears the locomotive

Cannot always get a grip

On the slender iron pavement

‘Cause the wheels are apt to slip

And when they reach a slippery spot

The tactic they command

To get a grip upon the rail

Is to sprinkle it with sand

That’s about the way with travel

Along life’s slippery track

If your load is rather heavy

And you’re always slipping back

So if a locomotive

You completely understand

You’ll provide yourself in starting with

A good supply of sand!

SteveBaker (talk) 01:31, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

And the nature of your google-fu on this occasion was? --Tagishsimon (talk) 01:40, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

Luck! On about my fifth try, I typed "slippery sand railroad" in to Google and nailed it! (Um - I guess I'm supposed to make it look arcane and difficult - right?) - it was on the site of some old people's home - where I guess it had been read at someone's funeral. SteveBaker (talk) 01:43, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

Hmmmm - now I have a decent chunk of the poem - I googled several entire lines of the poem - and found a bunch of sites that quote it. I found the poem at another place that says the title is "Sand" and adds a bunch of extra verses: Sadly, because it was a Google books search, I can't cut and paste it - so click: HERE to read it all. SteveBaker (talk) 01:40, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

Or here if you;re a UKian frustrated by google's refusal to serve brits with the same content they serve to USians. Good find, Steve. --Tagishsimon (talk) 01:56, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

And at THIS LINK it attributes the poem to "Mrs Fred Peterson (St Petersberg)"..this one is different yet again!

The problem here is not finding the poem - it's finding the true/original version of it! No two places I've found it at have had the exact same set of verses! SteveBaker (talk) 01:57, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

Steve's cite was from 1900, with no author cited. The one which attributes it to "Mrs. Fred Peterson" is from a 1979 newspaper, and it is quite possible that she was just the contributor to the paper of an old anonymous poem, rather than the original pre-1900 author. This citation is from an 1899 book and attributes it to "E.P. Walling." Edison (talk) 15:12, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

An "E.P. Walling" was involved in prayer meetings in 1878 in New York City. Additionally a 1918 "Index to poetry and recitations" credits Walling with authorship of "Sand." A Mr. E.P. Walling of Brooklyn New York, who was an official of the American Sunday School Union, died April 13, 1900.Edison (talk) 20:24, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

stx38 John Deere

Where is the neutral starter switch located on a John Deere stx38 lawn tractorTommy261 (talk) 00:10, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

This forum post says it's under the floorboards by where the brake pedal goes through...which kinda makes sense. SteveBaker (talk) 01:06, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

Poetry

I've amassed a rather large collection of poems over the years, some good, some bad -- I recall there being ways for people to publish their prose and possibly make a buck or two off of it (I write for the sake of writing, but I certainly wouldn't mind financial help), but I've never figured out how (short of actually publishing a full book, which I've not the time, resources, or talent to do)... So: does anyone know of any viable publications where one can send poems? Magazines, books, newspapers -- anything? I've asked the almighty Google before, but 99% of what I found was obvious scam artistry, and the other percentage was shady, at best. I hadn't even considered the possibility until an English teacher of mine talked a few years back about some poems he had published once. --72.175.191.53 (talk) 02:19, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

Poetry (magazine) used to be a fairly small, niche, publication until they received a huge financial endowment in the will of a very wealthy widow. See also Category:Poetry literary magazines. --Jayron32 02:41, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

Ah, thank you very much. I've submitted a few I believe to be worth reading, so we'll see how it goes. --72.175.191.53 (talk) 03:11, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

There used to be (and maybe still is) a book called Writer's Market XXXX (meaning the year, e.g., 2010) and another called Poet's Market XXXX. They were published by a speciality publisher in or near Cincinnati, Ohio. 63.17.78.34 (talk) 02:35, 8 May 2010 (UTC)

gas/oil mix ratio club car golf cart

Hello. I recently acquired a 1988 Club Car golf cart and would like to know the proper gas to oil ratio for it. The former owner didn't even know. I know it has a Kawasaki 9 horsepower 2-cycle engine. I imagine it to be somewhere between 24:1 to 50:1. Thanks in advance--Mark12.179.40.184 (talk) 03:11, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

can you live off bonds?

I had a talk with an officemate regarding financial security at a late age. She said that bonds would be my best bet and/or stocks. The question is, can you live off bonds? I mean can you collect monthly interest off it, re-invest the capital in bonds, and live a modest life? If so, what kind of bonds would be the best to invest on? I won't ask how much you need to do a sustained bond earning since I don't know if the variables in the Philippine economy is that stable.---121.54.2.188 (talk) 05:05, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

It is pretty easy to do the math. US Treasury 10 year bonds have recently yielded around 3.7%. If you invest US$1 million in such bonds, you'll get paid US$37,000 per year by the US Treasury, and then you get the US$1 million back at the end of the 10 years. I don't know anything at all about bonds in the Philippines, so you'll have to consult a local expert; but if you can look up the interest rates of the safest available bonds, then you can do the math yourself, similarly. Comet Tuttle (talk) 05:40, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

Bonds wise yes you can theoretically take an income. You can use things such as 'automatic partial withdrawls' to regularly pull money from the bond, but a key thing is understanding how much you'd need 'in' the bond (or how rapidly it would need to be growing) for you to be able to live off of it. In terms of which is a 'bet' then you need to seek financial advice. You will often be told to invest in more volatile investments when you are a long way from retirement (as time should smooth the peaks/troughs and result in good growth) but then to move to less volatile areas when you near retirement (as you should've built up a pot and then want to protect it more, rather than risk it). Individual cirumcstances affect this enormously so take it with a pinch of salt and see a financial adviser. 194.221.133.226 (talk) 08:14, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

Not over the long term because bonds don't protect you against inflation. That's the main reason for including some stocks in your portfolio. Zain Ebrahim (talk) 12:54, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

This sort of comment is one reason why it's a good idea to talk to a qualified, compentent, experienced financial advisor instead of the blokes from work — or random people on the internet. Have a quick look at Bond (finance) to get some idea of the breadth of the topic, and remember that 'bonds' include government issues (your mational government as well as – in many cases – regional and local levels) and corporate bonds. Interest can be paid in many different ways on many different timelines; rates can be fixed or floating; bonds can be purchased at issue and held until maturity, but they can also be traded in an assortment of ways. (To respond to Zain's comment above, a number of governments issue inflation linked bonds.)

Planning for one's retirement is a task that does require a certain amount of time, attention, and skill. You're unlikely to find useful information in a general forum such as this one, particularly if you're looking for Philippines-specific advice. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 13:22, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

To add to the complexity of this, financial advisors tend to offer advice based on how assets have performed in the past. Sometimes, they pay attention only to the recent past, such as the past 10 or 20 years. At best, they might look at performance over the past 50-80 years. Hardly any mainstream financial advisors consider the possibility that the future may not look like the past and that investments that have been secure in the past may not be secure in the future. With government bonds, there is a risk of sovereign bond default. A number of observers have identified the possibility of a sovereign debt crisis leading to defaults across the developed world. The recent situation in Greece, where default has been put off if not prevented, may be a harbinger of similar crises in other countries, including even possibly the United States. See, for example, this report. If such defaults do occur, then bonds would not be a safe retirement investment. But then, nothing is certain, and it may not be possible to identify a "safe" investment in today's world. Marco polo (talk) 15:51, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

The view quoted in the Financial Times is extremely ignorant, insane, stupid or dishonest. The risk of default from Japan, the UK or the US is zero, unlike from Greece, for the simple reason that Japan etc issue debt in their own currency, which they can print at will. The markets have of course recognized this recently, offering a premium to debt issued by nations who issue it in their own currency. Hereis an article making this simple point, and suggesting reasons that people who know better make these transparently false statements.John Z (talk) 11:56, 9 May 2010 (UTC)

Hello, what is a "snake fence" ? and "run" ?

Could this breastwork be a "snake-fence" in soldier's slang ?

I'm reading now Arthur Fremantle 's "Diary" to sum it up in the french article I'm now completing, and 2 words are puzzling me. They are on " july 3rd, 1863" page, after the Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg.

Could you explain me :

• what is a "snake-fence" . Fremantle writes : " Longstreet was seated at the top of a snake fence at the edge of the wood, and looking perfectly calm and imperturbed". Is it a snake-proof fence ? If so, are snakes so obnoxious in Gettysburg that they must be kept away by fences? Or is "snake" ment for evil people (like in "copperheads") who must be kept out , or is it a barricade built up by soldiers against ennemy's charges ? Or is it a fence winding away like a snake ? .
• what is the "run" spirit Fremantle offered to Longstreet in his silver flask : "He (Longstreet) asked for something to drink: I gave him some run out of my silver flask, which I begged he would keep in remembrance of the occasion; he smiled, and, to my great satisfaction, accepted the memorial.". Is it "rum"? .

Thanks a lot beforehand I just hope I'll be able to find my way back to that rubrique.... T.y. Arapaima (talk) 07:44, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

According to the OED a snake fence is "a fence made of roughly split rails or poles laid in a zigzag fashion."--Shantavira|^{feed me} 11:49, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

Something like an abatis? By the way, Abatis is so scanty of information mentioning nothing about the Russian abatis fortification against Tartars. 117.204.83.25 (talk) 12:42, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

A quick google for "my silver flask, which I begged" shows in a couple of google book sources that it is rum. meltBanana 13:00, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

Here's a snake fence. Buddy431 (talk) 13:24, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

Just to be clear, a snake fence isn't any sort of fortification. It's just a type of boundary or enclosure fence that can be constructed from rails without nails or other sorts of fasteners. The zigzag pattern keeps it from falling over. The one on which Longstreet sat was almot certainly a preexisting feature of the Gettysburg landscape. Deor (talk) 17:15, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

It is also called a "rail fence", and gave its name to the Rail Fence Cipher. --Anonymous, 05:33 UTC, May 5, 2010.

Split-rail fence? Although the fence in the photo doesn't look quite like a split-rail fence to me. Pfly (talk) 08:36, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

Thanks awfully for your answers, ladies & gentlemen, either preciously pseudonymated or anonymous !

So the "snake fence" somewhat looks like a latin "plexus". In french w'd call it "une barrière en Z" (Z-shaped fence), or "une barrière en dents de scie" (saw-teeth fence) since it's not as flexuous as a wriggling-away snake ...

Thanks for the nice photo of that bleached piece of handywork, I'd like to use it in french WP, how'd it be possible ?...

Abattis : sorry , no , an "abattis" is made of felled trees ("abattre un arbre" is "to fell a tree") , purposedly laid down with the extremities of their limbs pointing towards the ennemy. Try to penetrate such a falled tree if you find one, you'll see it must be very difficult for foot soldiers, and that horses can't leap over it. Besides horses are very reluctant to force their way through it, since their sensitive belly & nostrils 'll be harmed by the broken sprigs & limbs. If I remember well "de Bello Gallico" (it's so far back now !!!..) , Caesar wrote that the Gauls used a lot of "abattis", & that he used them himself because their were very simple, at hand, & effective...

T.M.A.L.S.S. : A mug of ("run") grog for all hands ! I hope to see tracks of your visits on [[Arthur Fremantle , frenchWP. BTW , why do your nice iconos I select in Commons so often come out as a maegre red title on my french editings ???.

& if you are interested in my other question ("Polish Soviet War : is the soldier on the left of the photo a woman?") , I think I posted it on "Help, Humanities" .

T.y. & thanks again Arapaima (talk) 08:31, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

GCSE exams in England this winter

Anyone know which GCSE subjects I could do as a private candidate in November 2010, and if it's more difficult to arrange than in the summer? Looks like I'm too late for the summer exam sittings. I have found the private candidate pages on the exam board websites, but I'm a bit confused by the jargon and different types of exam. How many exam papers are there, for example, if I don't do coursework? I'm English myself but went to school abroad and never took GCSEs. Didn't think I needed them, until last week a Manpower consultant told me many employers automatically throw away job applications from people without 5 GCSE passes, regardless of their other qualifications! So I'd like to do at least English, Maths and some kind of Science (there are various science options which I didn't figure out yet) as soon as... thanks! 81.153.237.194 (talk) 12:44, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

If you're in the UK (and it sounds like you are) I'd say don't take this "consultant"'s word for it. If you're under 19, find your local Connexions service. There's this website [12] which should cater for adults, and they have a contact us facility so I suggest you use this to confirm (or otherwise) the advice you've been given. --TammyMoet (talk) 14:22, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

Thanks Tammy, I will definitely check out your site. I'm still interested in doing the exams though, unless they are really expensive or hard to arrange. Do you know how many exam papers there are in a normal GCSE? Seems to be too simple a question for the exam boards' sites to answer... 8-) 81.155.57.153 (talk) 16:18, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

Now that depends on the subject. I don't think there are any that only have one paper: most of them I think have two: and others will have theory and practical papers. Over the past few years, there has been a move towards assessed coursework as part of the final assessment. If this is the case, you basically wouldn't be able to pass a GCSE on exams alone. However, there are many colleges who do GCSEs by open or distance learning over a year. You may even be able to find summer schools offering tuition this summer. (Please note I'm not a teacher at the moment so my info may be a few years out of date.) As to when the November dates are, this site should be able to help you. [13] --TammyMoet (talk) 17:16, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

I would recommend you try Education Otherwise, a charity that supports and campaigns on behalf of families who choose home education for their children. Many such children take GCSEs as private candidates rather than through a registered exam centre, and EO publishes various guidance and useful contacts to help them. These might be able to answer your questions on cost, syllabus and subject options. Their website is here. I don't know what their rules are about membership, but you could always offer a donation in return for good advice. Karenjc 11:06, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

Thanks! I've applied to join the Education Otherwise forum. If they come back and say they can only afford to answer questions if I pay for membership, probably I'll do that. From Tammy's second link I found that AQA offer Maths, English Language, Chemistry, Biology, Physics and Combined Science in November... and also in January. If I do all those except Combined Science, I have enough time from now to brush up my knowledge. Then I'll have my 5 good passes and should never have to worry about GCSEs again :-) As for finding an exam centre, Pascals College in south London [14] will take private candidates at £150 per subject, no questions asked. They also do IGCSE, which are exam-only so I wouldn't have to find anyone to mark my coursework. It's a bit expensive, but I'd like to get this sorted out so I might go for it. 81.132.218.0 (talk) 16:13, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

Thinking I might pay for this by working as an exam invigilator [15] (for other exams of course) with a temp agency. I could take a month's unpaid leave from my current job, but still earn money while doing my exams. I'd have to wait til the January sitting, when A-Level exams take place as well as GCSE, but the shifts are flexible and (especially in London) the agencies seem quite short of people. I've seen lots of job ads for invigilators to cover this summer, and they don't ask for any particular qualifications. 81.132.218.0 (talk) 16:20, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

Dormitory accommodation

What's the protocol when sharing dormitory-type accommodation. Is it acceptable to undress entirely when going to bed? I'm assuming dormitory accommodation (eg hostels) is normally single-sex only, but are there mixed examples? --rossb (talk) 12:49, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

(This answer is from my experience in US female dormitories; other countries may be different). If you're talking about undressing to put on pajamas, it's acceptable to undress to your underpants, though it's good manners to turn away from other inhabitants. Underpants are generally changed when dressing after a shower, where there is more privacy. If you're talking about sleeping naked... this would be very problematic in any college dorm or hostel I've ever stayed in. While you're sleeping, you should be wearing at minimum (for women) a shirt and shorts or pajama pants, and (for men) shorts or pajama pants. -FisherQueen (talk · contribs) 13:39, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

My experience with dormitory-type accommodation (specifically youth hostels in Europe) is now about 25 years old, but at that time, I never experienced a mixed-sex dormitory, only male dormitories. In male dormitories, some people were more modest than others, but it was acceptable to be completely naked both to change and to sleep (inside the sleep sack). If you slept naked, though, you'd dress as soon as you woke up. People certainly did not parade around naked. Even when walking between the bedroom and the shower, a person would cover up at least with a towel. I'd say that most men did not sleep naked, but probably most were briefly naked while changing, facing away from the rest of the room. In general, most males would try to show modesty, but not to the point of avoiding nakedness when it would be cumbersome to do so. If I were planning a trip now, more than 20 years later, I'd plan to pack a pair of shorts to wear in bed and/or to and from the shower just in case modesty is more extreme now than it was then. If it turns out you don't need them for that purpose, you can always use them for swimming or something. Marco polo (talk) 15:38, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

I've stayed at quite a few hostels in Europe, and only some of the official IYHF places had same-sex dorms. All the private city centre hostels were mixed. Anyway, I haven't noticed anyone sleeping nude. People changed in the shower room and slept in at least a tshirt and underpants. 81.155.57.153 (talk) 16:25, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

That rather depends on the type of hostel and the country it's in. In my (extensive) experience, Youth Hostels are stricter in their rules, especially in the US. I don't know if they have any rules about this, but the sort of people who attend them might be more likely to mind nudity (again, especially in the US). Then again, they're often single-sex, so that should solve that. Not sure though, since I spent as few nights in them as possible. Except for the ones in rural areas, which are often in beautiful locations and vary hugely in style, depending on the manager. I prefer to sleep in so-called Backpackers' Hostels (which are really just hostels, but the name is meant to more clearly distinguish them from Youth Hostels). There, mixed-sex dorms are quite common, and of course that limits the acceptability of nudity much more. In single-sex Backpackers' dorms I think few people would mind nudity just to change your clothes, although prancing around might raise some eyebrows. However, I've never seen that happen and any nudity is normally brief and not an issue. I can't remember ever seeing anyone sleep in the nude, but then again since I wouldn't mind, I wouldn't take note, so I may have just forgotten. I don't think anyone would mind.

Btw, there's a third kind of dorm, which I like to frequent (especially in New Zealand): back-country hiking huts. There, nudity is much less of a problem (despite being mixed-sex) because the situation is more 'primitive' (closer to nature anyway :) ). But since they're often cold, it is also not likely to last very long. :) DirkvdM (talk) 18:54, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

All very interesting. Back in my day, there were few hostels other than the IYHF hostels. I remember a handful in Athens and Amsterdam. Even those did not have mixed-sex dorms back then. I don't think women would have felt comfortable with them. It makes sense that people would cover up more in a mixed-sex dorm. Marco polo (talk) 20:00, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

laptop

hi....... I have a retail shop,I want to bye a laptop for maintaining stock in my show room and billing in my shop. any laptop can perform 12 hours in a day .please suggest me can I used laptop for such a long hours or I used pc.Supriyochowdhury (talk) 12:54, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

Unless your retail shop doesn't have mains power, both a laptop and a pc can be plugged into the mains electricity and run pretty much forever (not including power-cuts.) If you are in an area where there isn't mains power, or there are likely to be lots of power-cuts, a laptop will continue running for maybe 6 or so hours on it's battery, whereas a pc will be unusable during the power outage. 82.43.89.71 (talk) 14:30, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

Regular contributor 82.43.89.71 did you mean to type "on its battery" ? Cuddlyable3 (talk) 21:52, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

If you expect to be without mains power for extended periods of time, you can also purchase more than one battery for your laptop. (Though for most machines you will need to be able to plug the laptop into mains power – or shut it down briefly – whenever you switch batteries.) Battery life varies from laptop to laptop. Generally larger displays with brighter backlights will shorten battery life. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 14:44, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

An uninterruptible power supply is also an option, if you are concerned about intermittent power. -- 174.21.225.115 (talk) 15:34, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

For what it's worth, I interpreted Supriyochowdhury's question as asking whether it's OK to leave a laptop on a lot, not about uninterruptible power. Comet Tuttle (talk) 18:03, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

As her countryman I can assure you that what Comet Turtle interpreted is the meaning of her question. Can she work her laptop for 12 hours continuously? She knows that she can do that with a desktop. So, she asks if it is OK with the laptop to be on for that long or should she look for a desktop.--117.204.86.44 (talk) 19:46, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

I understand now. For just maintaining stock, using spreadsheets, microsoft word etc a laptop will be absolutely fine to do that all day (if plugged into the mains electricity of course..). If she wanted to do more resource hungry stuff like gaming or processing videos all day I would suggest a desktop, but even then a modern laptop would be fine too. So to sum up; a laptop is more than capable of doing what she wants and for long periods of time. 82.43.89.71 (talk) 20:00, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

'Popsicle'

Resolved

Hi. I'm looking for the name of the wooden popsicle-like thing doctors use to push down the bottom of the mouth when they are examining it. Cuban Cigar (talk) 12:59, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

Tongue depressor. Dismas|^(talk) 13:10, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

...or as some comedian called it "an ahh stick".--Artjo (talk) 22:10, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

That's exactly what it is. Thanks =)114.77.47.75 (talk) 01:37, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

Soccer Record

Hi... Just curious and can't find any meaningful answer on google... My football team (called it soccer in the title for any US editors reading this) Swansea City A.F.C. have just finished the 46 game season having scored just 40 goals... It's this season's lowest scoring team, but I was just wondering what the record is for lowest scoring team... I know there are many leagues, so I'm talking just the main English Leagues (Premiership, Championship, Leagues 1 & 2)... Just wondering if there are any other teams over a 46 (roughly) game season that have scored less goals? Just to try and ease the annoyance...

Thanks! Gazhiley (talk) 13:59, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

The article Football records in England provides the answer: 18 by Loughborough in the Second Division, 1899–1900, in a season of 34 games is the fewest goals ever scored in an English League season. No doubt there are more scores in between 18 and 40 over the intervening century! FiggyBee (talk) 14:14, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

Sweet... That over a 46 game season works out as just over 25 goals, so I feel a bit better now... Thanks! Gazhiley (talk) 14:47, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

Swansea's achievement this season is actually rather impressive, I think - when you consider that the 18-goal Loughborough that was mentioned there lost the league in extreme style, winning only one game and conceding 100 goals. Swansea, on the other hand, came 7th and very nearly made the playoffs thanks to conceding very few goals too. If the Championship was ranked on goals scored, they'd have been 24th, but if it was on goals conceded, they'd be 2nd. ~ mazca ^talk 15:52, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

True, and I am proud of that... But the reason we were 7th not 6th is the inability to put the inflated pig's bladder into the over-sized onion bag on a few more occasions... Gazhiley (talk) 21:38, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

If awarded losses count too, you may want to see the current Turkish championship season. --Магьосник (talk) 16:53, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

Derby County managed a mere 20 goals from 38 games in the 2007-2008 Premier League.--Frumpo (talk) 17:53, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

I know the question is specifically about English football, but Tasmania Berlin famously ended the 1965/66 Bundesliga season with a mere 15 goals from 34 matches. Tasmania only played at the top level because someone thought for political reasons Berlin must be represented and Hertha Berlin had just been relegated. That's what you get when politics interferes with football.213.160.108.26 (talk) 23:52, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

We have an article on Tasmania 1900 Berlin. Why a German football club would want to name itself after part of Australia is beyond me... FiggyBee (talk) 00:03, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

It's explained on the talk page. They even had a Tasmanian devil, of all things, as their early logo. (Mind you, Tasmania wasn't a part of Australia as such in 1900, except in a geographic sense; that occurred at federation in 1901. In 1900, it was still a British colony.) -- 202.142.129.66 (talk) 01:00, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

size of foals

What is the average size of a Quarter Horse colt and Shetland pony filly at birth? It's for a school project and I cannot find the info anywhere online or in my books! Thanks! PrincessofLlyr ^{royal court} 15:28, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

This site (http://www.shetlandponies4sale.com/id31.html) says that they range in size from 12" to 20" at birth. No idea if that's average or based on any facts but it's a start. (I got to this by searching for shetland pony foal. ny156uk (talk) 12:13 pm, Today (UTC−5)

Thanks so much! That helped. PrincessofLlyr ^{royal court} 17:22, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

Gloria Allred

I'm confused. Isn't what Allred did to tiger and David Boreanaz called EXTORTION? How is it that she gets these sleazy clients and then demands money or the dirt gets publicized and doesn't get prosecuted? Is the D.A. her best buddy, or what? the guy who did it to david letterman went to jail. a example of what im talking about is here

http://www.tmz.com/2010/05/04/gloria-allred-attack-david-boreanaz-extortion/ —Preceding unsigned comment added by Tom12350 (talk • contribs) 15:10, 4 May 2010 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Sf5xeplus (talk • contribs)

Is your question why Allred has not been prosecuted? If this became public knowledge yesterday, it may simply be too soon- if she broke the law, she may be prosecuted once the lawyers involved have a little more time to look at the evidence and decide the best course of action. -FisherQueen (talk · contribs) 15:56, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

she did the same with tiger woods and his girls. it was common knowledge and the law never cared. example

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20001577-504083.html —Preceding unsigned comment added by Tom12350 (talk • contribs) 17:29, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

It is an interesting question. Demanding cash for silence is blackmail, but in a case where the victim and the blackmailer both got what they want, neither is going to talk to the police and present evidence of the blackmail. Without anyone to press charges, the prosecutor probably lacks evidence to charge the blackmailer with a crime. Comet Tuttle (talk) 17:45, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

yes but why would a lawyer agree to help blackmail if they know its illegal. why would they risk it? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Tom12350 (talk • contribs) 18:45, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

$$$ —Preceding unsigned comment added by Googlemeister (talk • contribs) 19:23, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

Often — not necessarily in these cases, but often — it's because the lawyer is comfortable in a particular gray area of the law. Most tort lawsuits end in a settlement where one person ("A") pays another ("B") in order to stop a lawsuit. In cases where A did something harmful to B, and the allegation itself would damage A's credibility publicly, A really, really wants to settle the case before the allegations are made public. This is a gray area and it sounds a lot like blackmail, and it could be in some places, depending on the exact definition of blackmail. In general, if B says to A, "Pay me $5 million or I will tell everyone what you did to me," that's different than B saying to A, "I am going to sue you for $5 million for the harm you did to me" and then negotiating a settlement with a confidentiality agreement attached. That said, I don't know anything about the specific two cases you linked to, and don't know what harm might have befallen each "B" in those cases. Comet Tuttle (talk) 20:37, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

how is that different from the guy who did it to david letterman and went to jail. example

http://www.tmz.com/2010/05/04/david-letterman-extortionist-robert-halderman-sentenced-jail/ —Preceding unsigned comment added by Tom12350 (talk • contribs) 20:51, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

According to our Joe Halderman article, Halderman told Letterman that he would expose Letterman's affair if Letterman didn't pay Halderman $2 million. This is simple blackmail, which is different from Halderman telling Letterman that Letterman had caused damage to Halderman in some way, and that Halderman was intending to sue Letterman for damages, and that he (Halderman) wanted $2 million to settle the lawsuit. It's pretty close, isn't it. Comet Tuttle (talk) 21:50, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

IP Blocks

I enjoy trivia about anti-vandalism, so what's the longest time that an IP has ever been blocked from Wikipedia? 2D Backfire Master ^{pretzels rule} 20:51, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

Don't open proxies get banned forever? I've just noticed a vandal has been on my house connection today... living in hope that one incident is not enough for a ban :-o 81.155.57.153 (talk) 21:10, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

To 81.155: See WP:WHY. You can stop such problems forever. Your call. To 2D Backfire Master, see Category:Indefinitely blocked IP addresses. --Jayron32 21:27, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

Note that an indefinite ban is not a permanent ban or 'banned forever'. An open proxy for example would be blocked as long as it's an open proxy. But if the person in control of the IP removes the open proxy, the block would almost definitely be lifted if they make a request. If the problem is persistent vandalism, if the person says they will no longer vandalise or they're sure no one behind the IP will vandalise or whatever, the blocked is likely to be lifted albeit with a low tolerance for any futher misbehaviour. In terms of the longest time, I guess you'd have to find a way to find the oldest IP which remains blocked. However I don't know if it means much. As I've already mentioned, they could be unblocked at any time, it may just be no one asked. Further, I suspect several cases they shouldn't have been indefinitely blocked anyway, Wikipedia:Blocking IP addresses#Indefinite blocks strongly discourages it even for open proxies (see the section above the one I linked to as well). For example I just removed an indef block tag from a user page of a no longer blocked IP User:24.205.30.158, from what I can tell no one requested it be unblocked (it hasn't contributed since it was blocked), simply somene noticed it and decided it shouldn't have been indefinitely blocked. Or another example, User:78.129.201.189 blocked for one year then 5 years as a TOR exit node. Nil Einne (talk) 00:56, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

May 5

the 5 string fiddle

Who first invented it and where?99.20.93.204 (talk) 05:02, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

Does the vielle count? PhGustaf (talk) 05:06, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

Kilgore Trout

I was just reading about Kurt Vonnegut and his character Kilgore Trout. It says in the article that the name derives from Theodore Sturgeon and the name.... was a transparent reference to the older writer (substituting "Kilgore" for "Theodore" and "Trout" for "Sturgeon").... I understand the fish reference, but what's the Kilgore/Theodore link?91.111.86.2 (talk) 06:59, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

Probably just that they sound similar. Not too much rhymes with Theodore... "evermore" ... 218.25.32.210 (talk) 09:06, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

A Good Night's Sleep

I have been feeling miserable for the past few days, with a near constant cough and runny nose. However, I seem to be able to sleep soundly at night. I don't remember waking up to cough or blow my nose at all. Given the fact that I am just as sick at night as I am during the day, how is this possible? Hemoroid Agastordoff (talk) 08:02, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

We've previously covered this topic, here: Wikipedia:Reference_desk/Archives/Science/2009_September_21#Why_don.27t_I_sneeze_when_I.27m_asleep.3F. StuRat (talk) 08:28, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

Humanist movement

I was reading the article on Diane de Poitier yesterday where it stated that she was educated in the humanist movement, however when searching for our article on this movement later, i came across the page that I have linked to above. This is obviously not the correct article as the article mentioned as an educational model in the 15th centurey as it states it is a movement started in the 60's. I would be very curious to read the article on the medival education. Please can some one help me find the article and also fix the redirect or create a disambigous page for the two. Further more, the above article is a red link but if you type it into the search box it will take you to the humanist movement article. Thank you —Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.172.58.82 (talk) 09:54, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

You want Humanism and specifically for de Poitier Renaissance humanism which isn't so much simply an educational method, more the world view that began to flourish in that era. meltBanana 10:45, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

(edit conflict)I'd just changed the link in Diane de Poitiers to Renaissance humanism. The sentence was added in this edit by an IP that had edited no other articles. It's not sourced and still feel unsatisfactory, so another editor with better knowledge might find it preferable to remove it altogether. By the way, Wikipedia links should be identical to the target article's title in terms of spelling, capitals and punctuation. If you capitalise Humanist Movement thus, the link goes blue. Karenjc 10:50, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

Shorefields Holidays

is any part of shorefields holidays site at st leonards nr ringwood a designated s o s i site —Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.253.218.10 (talk) 13:59, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

What is an s o s i site?91.111.86.2 (talk) 14:38, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

I think he means S. S. S. I. Site of Special Scientific Interest--Aspro (talk) 14:58, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

Usually shortened to SSSI. --TammyMoet (talk) 15:00, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

Anyway, be that as it may; back to the question. There are SSSI's all over the place. The nearest one to the afore said establishment is just under a mile to the south. Here is some info on it:Highcliffe to Milford It is quite large as you can see on google: [16]. List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Hampshire does not yet have an article about it, so do please, think about helping us to write one. Can you obtain some useful information it. Photos would be very welcome too. Is this info what you where after?--Aspro (talk) 15:36, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

MEASUREMENT UNIT - THACHU MUZHAM

Can anybody tell how many feet is equal to one Thachu Muzham (an unit mentioned in old registration documents of land in India) —Preceding unsigned comment added by POORNA65 (talk • contribs) 14:58, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

According to Tamil units of measurement 1 muzham= 46.6666 centimetre [= 1.53 ft]. I don't know what Thachu means though.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 16:06, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

These folks suggest that it may have something to do with the scale used in a drawing. The highly esteemed CBW presents the Talk Page! 16:37, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

Thachu is carpentry in Tamil and Malayalam. A carpenter is called a thachan. Thachusastram is the "science" of carpentry. A muzham is the length of the part of a hand from elbow upto palm. From the shoulder to palm it is gajam. the length from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the pointing finger when stretched is a chaan. A muzham is two chaans. A chaan is said to be nine inches. By that reckoning a muzham would be 18 inches. But I am not sure if that is a hard and fast idea of a muzham. If you buy jasmine garland in Tamil Nadu you would know that it is measured in muzham. A carpenter's scale was scalled a muzhamkol (kol means a stick or scale). Traditionally muzham is a very loose idea of measurement as the muzham would be different for each person according to his physique. 117.204.86.44 (talk) 19:39, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

Sounds a lot like a Cubit, typically also 18 inches and defined the same way. Edison (talk) 19:53, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

There is no standard length for a cubit - it's changed throughout the world and over time. The guys who built Olympias (a fully functional replica of an ancient greek warship) got 'the wrong cubit' - resulting in a vessel that is about 20% too small - and very difficult to row properly! SteveBaker (talk) 02:37, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

Well, 18 inches o half a yard was the version I learned in school, based on the fingertip to elbow distance, which admittedly differs between people. My "Webster's Collegiate Dictionary" says "usually equal to about 18 inches." Edison (talk) 16:48, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

Name of lawsuit

If Wikipedia is going to have an article about this lawsuit, what should the title of the article be? -- Wavelength (talk) 15:19, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

Skiping the d/b/a parts in the naming would result in :

• Jerry Forte v. Cameron International Corporation

which would seem to be a perfectly acceptable title for such a suit. Should it be notable under standard Wikipedia practice. --Jayron32 15:35, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

The name of the lawsuit mentions eight different defendants, of which Cameron International Corporation is mentioned first. Is it appropriate to single out that defendant for the title of a Wikipedia article? Would "Jerry Forte v. Cameron International Corporation, et al." be acceptable?

-- Wavelength (talk) 16:06, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

Possibly. Actually, the ONLY way this lawsuit would be worthy of a Wikipedia article is if the lawsuit meets WP:N requirements; by definition that means that the lawsuit is discussed extensively in reliable sources. So, what do OTHER sources call the lawsuit? Per WP:UCN, the title of the article should match the predominant name of the subject. --Jayron32 16:10, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

This page calls it "Forte v. Cameron International Corporation et al", but I have not been able to find extensive coverage of the lawsuit. Perhaps I should await ripeness for a Wikipedia article [pun]. -- Wavelength (talk) 16:55, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

Road Marker

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:20030614_08_Orpington_High_Street.jpg

In my search for why pelican crossing is named after a bird (it isn't), I found this picture of a road, presumably in the U.K. Why are there white zig-zags on the road?

Thanks, The Reader who Writes (talk) 16:27, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

To warn traffic that the crossing is ahead and to show the no parking area. The highly esteemed CBW presents the Talk Page! 16:34, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

The zig-zag applies to pedestrian crossings in general. From the Highway code: 191 "You MUST NOT park on a crossing or in the area covered by the zig-zag lines. You MUST NOT overtake the moving vehicle nearest the crossing or the vehicle nearest the crossing which has stopped to give way to pedestrians."[17].--Aspro (talk) 16:40, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

The name pelican crossing shares the bird theme with puffin crossing and toucan crossing, and, more generally, the animal theme with panda crossing and Pegasus crossing and zebra crossing; there is also HAWK beacon. -- Wavelength (talk) 17:12, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

From many years ago (when I was at primary school and these things were introduced) I remember the name "Pelican" being derived from PEdestrian LIght CONtrolled crossing. (OK so I know there's an A in Pelican but still...) --TammyMoet (talk) 17:53, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

The article explains exactly that, Tammy. Dismas|^(talk) 20:41, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

Nice to know my memory's not gone yet, although my eyesight may be! --TammyMoet (talk) 09:31, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

Pinky in the air

Here's an odd question. I was browsing through Wikipedia's database on hand gestures and behaviors, hoping to find a reference to a particular behavior where one extends the pinky straight upward from their hand while carrying and drinking a beverage (it was referred to once in a Robin Williams movie which I cannot recall at this time). This is supposedly something that upper-class people do, and it's something that I find myself inexplicably doing from time-to-time. What is this called?--WaltCip (talk) 19:52, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

I do this involuntarily as well, and I often see it in sitcoms and such. I remember hearing somewhere that it is the exact opposite of what upper-class people do. Rimush (talk) 20:35, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

Was the film possibly Mrs. Doubtfire? Dismas|^(talk) 20:38, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

I've heard many possible explanations. The habit of holding items with just three fingers is one. [18]. However, it was the upper-classes that looked down their noses at any member of the lesser classes for mindlessly copying their drinking style. A 'practical' reason for sticking out the little finger can be appreciated in these two images (you will need to click on them and look at the larger version). --Aspro (talk) 23:12, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

There are indeed many explanations - only one of which can be true! One that I've heard is that prostitutes in France would hold their teacups in that manner in order to leave their pinky finger free to beckon to potential customers. Is this the true reason? I kinda doubt it - it's exactly the kind of story someone might have dreamed up to make rich people look stupid! But who knows? One of these odd ways of holding things IS verifiable. The habit of people to hold white wine and champaign glasses by the stem with just one or two fingers and thumb - while holding red wine and spirit glasses with the bowl cupped in the palm - is for the good reason to avoid heat from the hand warming up the chilled white wine - while deliberately TRYING to warm up the red wine. Extreme wine snobs will hold white wine glasses with a couple of fingers on the extreme outside edge of the foot of the glass to yet further reduce the horrifying risk of a few ergs of heat leaking from the hands into the liquid! SteveBaker (talk) 01:13, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

Possibly overthinking this. :) If you've got a cup with a small handle, the little finger has to go someplace. You could curl it the same way as the others, but then it might touch the hot cup. So holding it away is kind of a natural thing to do. If you've got a larger container, like a stein or a tall coffee container, you can grip the handle with all your fingers. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 03:20, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

That could be the case, but I do the pinky finger routine with every beverage, from frappuccinos to soda bottles to lemonade, so I don't think it's temperature-specific. It could probably be a habit I've built related to handling hot beverages, but I'm not that much of a heated coffee fanatic. Also, seeing as how there are so many differing viewpoints about why certain people grip their cups certain ways, I'm not surprised to see that there's no article about it.--WaltCip (talk) 03:37, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

It could also just be that it's a more natural position to hold it out straight when you're not using it to grip something. Next time, try consciously to include the little finger in the grip, and see if it feels natural or not. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 03:49, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

No one has mentioned the 'practical' reason for sticking out the little finger. The images above show normal sized cups but they are both wearing gloves. Repeated stains from beverage are difficult to remove. People who thought of themselves as being of a superior class would (out of snobbery) ridicule those who mindlessly did this, as though they too were wearing gloves. It could be that this became a bone of contention due to reverse snobbery. This seems makes more sense than the other etiquette explanations. Another point is: some people find the sensation of having a wet (and sticky) little finger unpleasant. Long after individuals have forgotten why they keep their finger out of the drip and saucer area, they still do it out of habit, just as the non-conscious mind remembers how to ride a bike. Even today, actresses playing period dramas, could well be harangued by continuity to do this (although it would be far safer not to have any liquid in the cup at all). I've also noticed that people in labs often display this habit when holding anything containing liquids (which could often be corrosive). When handling laboratory glassware etc., it appears to give one greater dexterity which is missing if one handles things like a neanderthal. After a time, it would not seem natural not to hold things this way. --Aspro (talk) 09:26, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

Hyacinth_Bucket does this. Kittybrewster ☎ 14:28, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

Of course, no-one with any class at all has a "pinky". We have little fingers. DuncanHill (talk) 14:34, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

I do so much agree with you. It is such a common and vulgar word which has no place here on an encyclopædia ;-) Aspro (talk) 15:41, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

Of course the "pinky hold" is commonly used as a reference to gayness in commedies. Someone above mentioned Mrs. Doubtfire, where cross-dressing is an important component of the story. [19] The source here quotes a song from Hello Dolly!. --Kvasir (talk) 15:20, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

Metric or imperial for Wikipedia?

Which is preferred in Wikipedia? and if both are preferred what should go first in order for conformity? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Si Co15 (talk • contribs) 19:57, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

Wikipedia:Manual of Style (dates and numbers)#Units of measurement explains, at some length. -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 20:00, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

Thanks. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Si Co15 (talk • contribs) 20:03, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

I think the general idea is:

• For articles about the United States, use US customary units first, metric units second for articles about commonplace topics. For articles about scientific topics, use metric only.
• For articles about the United Kingdom, use Imperial units first, metric units second for articles about commonplace topics that have existed for at least half a century. For newer commonplace topics, use metric units or Imperial units in whichever order you feel best. For scientific topics, use metric only.
• For articles about any country whose native language is not English, use metric only.

JIP | Talk 22:04, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

Non-US or UK articles should still use US/Imperial units, only after metric. (In other words, not "metric only", as the third point says). AlexiusHoratius 22:08, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

Does this mean, that an article whose topic is limited to some continental European or Scandinavian country, which has never used either the US customary or the Imperial system, has to provide conversions for either or both systems, just because this is the English language (not the American or the British) Wikipedia? JIP | Talk 22:10, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

Basically, yes. According to the MOS anyway. Although you'll often see non-US articles using only metrics, technically they should use both (but metric first). The only area I know of that is metric-only are space-related articles. AlexiusHoratius 22:19, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

Some other purely science-related articles are also metric-only, I think. But for things like lakes or cities, one should use conversions, regardless of the location. AlexiusHoratius 22:32, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

While the landmark might be in Europe, it's still somewhat likely the reader will be in the U.S., so it's helpful to provide U.S. measurement equivalents to make the article easier to understand for those readers and save them the hassle of doing conversions. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 23:07, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

Yes. An obvious example that comes to mind is mountains. Informing the American reader that Everest is 8,000+ meters is not overly helpful. We would have to divide the figure by .3048 to come up with feet. Luckily, there are conversion functions in wikipedia. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 03:15, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

For science (and most other) articles, "metric" isn't enough - you shouldn't (for example) talk about volumes in cubic decimeters or distances in decameters (both of which are perfectly acceptable "metric" measurements). We're expected to use the International System of Units - which is (essentially) a more constrained subset of 'metric'. So we use 'liters' for volumes and the preferred nano/micro/milli/kilo/mega/giga prefixes rather than centi/deci/deca/hecto. SteveBaker (talk) 00:55, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

Slavish adherence to SI is neither required nor desirable. For example, in articles on fields (such as electrical engineering) where most practitioners say micron rather than micrometre, you should say micron. --Trovatore (talk) 01:36, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

One correction: it's not correct that powers-of-1000 prefixes are "preferred" in SI. This is a still more restrictive idea that one sometimes encounters from British sources, and I suspect it reflects a British national standard still more restrictive than SI. --Anonymous, 04:26 UTC, May 6, 2010.

I seem to remember that the UK Metrication Board (which has since passed away) recommended mm rather than cm for use in engineering to avoid confusion with inches. For example, a specification for a part 30 cm long could conceivably be 30 inches, but 300 mm couldn't be confused with 300 inches. I have had a quick Google but haven't found anything yet. Alansplodge (talk) 16:37, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

Car muffler

Would a soccer ball stuck under a car damage the muffler? The soccer ball in question is not pumped very full. --Homework2 ^{pass a note}sign! 20:27, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

As they say, anything is possible. The air in the ball, however inflated it is, would have to be compressed when it got stuck under the car. If the car were to move and force the ball to compress even more, then it's possible that the strength of the ball outdid the strength of the muffler. It would be even easier for damage to occur if the muffler were rusty or if the ball were stuck in the center of the muffler where the cylindrical curve and thin sheet metal were more easily bent. Dismas|^(talk) 20:37, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

Some mufflers, exhaust pipes or catalytic converters could be hot enough to ignite the ball. If the muffler/pipes are rusty, a hit by a soccer ball could break something. Edison (talk) 22:46, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

It's unlikely it would damage the muffler unless it's on its last legs anyway. A lot depends on the car. My modern MINI has everything pretty much buttoned up under there - but on my 1963 Mini, there are brake lines, a brake cable, a fuel line and many wires clipped up to the underside of the car. All sorts of mischief is possible under those circumstances. But I'd expect there to be very little risk with a modern car. SteveBaker (talk) 00:44, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

The car is like a '08/'07 four door Infiniti I believe...and the soccer ball is underneath the bar thingy between the two front wheels...Homework2 ^{pass a note}sign! 01:22, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

Then I wouldn't worry about it. If you can push it out sideways using a broom handle or something - that would probably be better than driving over it. I suppose if it's really well stuck under there and you're really worried about driving over it - then you could jack up whichever corner of the car is nearest to the ball and it should just roll out...but I honestly wouldn't worry. You have a modern car with a lot of ground-clearance (well, compared to my car anyway!) and the 'bar thingy' is a chunky bit of metal without sensitive stuff around it. SteveBaker (talk) 02:31, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

Have you ever watched Dad's Army? In one of the earlier episodes they improvised weapons. One was a kitchen knife tied to the end of a broom handle. Make yourself one of these, and use it to puncture the football. Football deflates, stops fouling the underside of your car, and Bob's your uncle. DuncanHill (talk) 13:31, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

A harpoon should work. Or if it is accessible, it could be deflated to allow nondestructive removal. Edison (talk) 16:43, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

holistic massage

how could a massage be adapted for a person with sensory/motor disorder?

 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.0.43.16 (talk) 21:43, 5 May 2010 (UTC) 

We aren't allowed to give medical advice here. If you don't know what you're doing, talk to an expert first. SteveBaker (talk) 00:39, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

As an holistic therapist, I'd say this isn't a request for medical advice, but it does sound like a request for help with homework! If you have a client with this disorder or range of disorders, then come back and I'll try and help you. If you are looking for help for homework, first let us know your thoughts on the question, then we'll see where we can help. --TammyMoet (talk) 09:25, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

Real "your account has been limited" warnings?

All of you have, of course, received fake "your account has been limited" warnings from eBay, PayPal, and other services you might or might not have ever used, trying to trick you to give them your credit card information to steal.

But has anyone ever received a real warning from such a service? I mean, the service itself honestly sending a warning, to try to protect both its own business and the customer, not to illegally steal money? Do such warnings exist? If so, then do they look anything remotely close to the fake warnings? JIP | Talk 21:54, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

Generally not. None of these business would ever send you a request for your credit card number, there is simply no reason to. If your credit card to which your pay-pal account is tied is in good standing, then pay-pal has no reason to limit your account. If there is a problem with the credit card itself, then the credit card company is the one who will contact you, usually through snail-mail or phone call; in fact such notices are usually included in the same envelope as your bill to reduce the likelyhood of fraud. --Jayron32 22:38, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

Yes, I have received such warnings which were legitimate, such as large purchases on a credit card in a part of the world other than my usual residence. Major credit card companies and banks in the U.S. will on occasion call a person with a computerized message that some security operation within the organization needs to speak to the account holder urgently. On pressing the number indicated, a live person comes on the line and request the account number and possibly other identifying information. I have objected strongly in these cases that such interaction is a gross security breach, since they could be scammers, but the bank/credit card employee on the other end of the line never understands what I am complaining about. I then call the organization's number and get connected to a (different) person who tells me what the concern is. It is not always a scam, just stupidity that they use a contact method similar to that used by scammers. Edison (talk) 22:44, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

The trick is to ignore any web sites, links, phone numbers or email addresses in the communication. If you think it might be genuine, find a recent bill and phone the number there - or type in the 'obvious' email address for the company you want to talk to. Both of those approaches mean that you know who you're talking to and the worst thing that can happen is that you wasted 10 minutes only to find out that your account wasn't terminated after all. SteveBaker (talk) 00:38, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

Is it safe to patch runflat tires?

I heard from someone you shouldn't patch runflat tires, but I am looking for some used runflat tires on ebay and a lot of them are patched. Does anyone know? Thank you —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.91.30.156 (talk) 23:07, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

If your car already has RFT's then you should look in the maintenance manual for this information. See also:[20]. Personally, I would not bother! --Aspro (talk) 23:24, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

The answer is very tricky.

1. There are places where you can get a puncture - where it can safely, and easily be patched...no problems.
2. There are other places where (with the right equipment and a careful technical inspection) they can also be patched.
3. There are yet other places where it is not just impossible - but downright dangerous to patch them.
4. Runflats are only good for driving about 50 miles after they go flat. Why only 50? Well, the specially reinforced sidewalls are damaged by doing that. Hence, if someone got a flat, drove for 49 miles, then got them correctly patched, then the next time YOU get a flat - you're good to drive about a mile before they crap out on you. The worst part of that is that you don't know how many miles you have left! On a good, new runflat, you can drive on them at 50mph - so long as you keep an eye on the odometer and stop before they die on you. But if you buy one of these tyres you have absolutely no clue!
5. Even when the tyre could be safely and cheaply patched, many places (like my local car dealership) have decided not to do the work for liability reasons!

So I've gotta say - I wouldn't buy a used runflat unless I could be 100% certain that it either had never had a puncture - or if it had - that you knew the precise circumstances.

Actually, I wouldn't buy a used OR a new runflat. I loathe and detest runflats - they are horrible. The ride is hard, the cornering is crap, your braking distance is worse (especially in the dry) and they wear out faster. Then when you do get a simple nail-in-the-tyre flat, there is about a 50/50 chance that you're going to have to buy a new tyre because the odds are good that it can't be patched. Since runflats cost two or three times more than regular tyres (at least that's true for my MINI Cooper'S) - an unpatchable hole becomes a horribly expensive deal. I don't like to drive on mismatched tyres - so if my tyres are moderately worn and I have to replace one - I usually have to replace two.

I ask myself this: How many times have I had a flat? The answer is three - in my entire life (I'm 54 years old). In two of those cases, the leak was slow and because I carry one of those tiny 12volt air pumps, I was able to drive home at speed without problems - without runflats. So we're down to one time in nearly 40 years when runflats would have done me any good...and guess what? I ACTUALLY HAD RUNFLATS!! The problem was a total blow-out, so patching it was out of the question. So I happily drove (carefully) to the nearest tyre outlet - plonked my wallet on the table and said "Two of your finest runflat tyres please!" and they said..."Sorry - we have no call for those around here - but we can order them for you and they'll be here tomorrow...or our other branch (30 miles away) has them."...so I ended up needing a 30 mile tow ANYWAY!

My MINI doesn't have a spare tyre (not even a 'skinny spare') - so runflats are standard equipment. But you have to ask yourself - what thing kills your car more than anything else on the road? Is a spare tyre really the smart thing to carry? Since I've been driving, I've had three radiator hoses blow and at least three belts. So it's clearly more cost-effective for me to carry a spare radiator hose and a spare belt - and they weigh less than a spare tyre - so I'm getting better gas milage because of it.

So - my advice, buy a can of "fix a flat" and a mini-airpump and buy a set of nice, sticky brand-new regular tyres. They'll last twice as long and cost a third as much - and that (for my car at least) represents a $1600 saving over runflats. You can pay for a lot of AAA membership for $1600!!

Even if you only need one runflat - it's cheaper in the long run to buy four regular tyres because with twice the life and at less than half the cost, they are more than four times cheaper!

So in these days of cell phones and more or less universal phone coverage - and with modern tyres and decent roads - unless you live in a particularly puncture-prone area (next door to a roofing contractor maybe!) you're better off without runflats - and better off not even carrying a spare!

SteveBaker (talk) 00:06, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

The only case for run-flats I can think of is if your body guard recommends them: Bodyguard#Driving. The Beast obviously has them. Does all this answer your question?--Aspro (talk) 00:30, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

One other issue I just remembered - for some bizarre reason, you can only patch a runflat tyre once. I can't imagine why that would be - but that's what the manufacturers tell you! That's another strong reason not to buy a used runflat. SteveBaker (talk) 02:26, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

Thank you to everyone for all the great replies! I didn't think about how many miles the patched tire was driven on while flat, great point. The reason I was looking for used was because I have about 6 months left on my lease and they will charge me $250 each for 4 tires because it will be under the minimum allowed tire thread for a lease return by then and it needs to be returned with run-flats. Its true that they are not as quiet, cheap, and all that, but they are not just safer (I have had a blowout on the freeway with a regular tire), but also, you can just keep driving and don't have to pull over so its so much more convenient if you really need to get someplace. Once again, thank you for the help —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.91.30.156 (talk) 03:05, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

May 6

volcanoes

please can you help me by providing detailed information about volcanoes? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Rosalie Roy (talk • contribs) 02:34, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

Yes. See volcano. If you're interested in the recent Iceland eruption, see the article 2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull. Comet Tuttle (talk) 02:47, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

Well, we have this really big encyclopedia! Have you read our Volcano article yet? You might also enjoy Pacific Ring of Fire, Volcanology, Caldera, Magma chamber, Lava, Magma, Types of volcanic eruption, Explosive eruption, Volcanic crater, Lists of volcanoes (in which you'll find links to lists that contain pretty much every volcano in the world - organised by which country they are in - most of which we have articles on), Category:Volcanologists contains a list of people who study volcanoes - with links to their biographies. Category:Volcanoes has links to hundreds of other articles relating to this subject. As you read those articles, you'll find hundreds of links to other articles about subjects relating to volcanoes. I think it's safe to say that you could spend several months of your life reading everything Wikipedia has to say about volcanoes! SteveBaker (talk) 02:55, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

Another good place to start might be our Volcanoes Portal. ---Sluzzelin talk 12:01, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

British Rail Class 220

Are these trains British Rail Class 220?

• 
  Picture 1
• 
  Picture 2
• movie 1

If not what Classes are these? --Tyw7  (☎ Contact me! • Contributions)   Changing the world one edit at a time! 20:22, 2 May 2010 (UTC)

Yes, they are - ex Virgin Voyager, now Cross Country. You can even see the "220" on the lower bodyside in this one. FiggyBee (talk) 03:46, 3 May 2010 (UTC)

Does this not strike anyone else as an odd question? Given the the OP actually linked to the article that he got the pictures and video from which confirms they are that class, and also has multiple other pictures of identical trains from the same class... Gazhiley (talk) 09:55, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

Well, Tyw7 contributed the photos, so I'd imagine they just wanted to be sure they were right. Fribbler (talk) 14:30, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

First of, I'm only one person not multiple persons. Secondly, British Rail Class 221 AKA Virgin SuperVoyager look very similiar to the 220s. By the way, any "train expert" tell me the difference between these two series as they look very alike! --Tyw7  (☎ Contact me! • Contributions)   Changing the world one edit at a time! 08:29, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

It's not uncommon to use "they" and "them" to refer to a person whose gender is not known. See singular they. decltype (talk) 09:09, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

Well, I would say the user or editor. :D But this is just me. BTW, what's the difference between BRC220 and BRC221? BRC=British Rail Class (easier to type at least). --Tyw7  (☎ Contact me! • Contributions)   Changing the world one edit at a time! 09:15, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

I recommend you read our excellent articles on British Rail Class 220 and British Rail Class 221. The latter states "The Class 221 are similar to the Class 220 Voyager units, but they have a tilting mechanism offering up to six degrees of tilt to allow faster speeds on curved tracks."--Shantavira|^{feed me} 15:12, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

I mean visually. Unless it's safe to assume CrossCountry only have 220s and Virgin Trains only have 221s. --Tyw7  (☎ Contact me! • Contributions)   Changing the world one edit at a time! 16:36, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

No, it isn't. I'd say you can't visually tell the difference without being able to see the numbers or the bogies. Perhaps if you have more photos from the shoot where the numbers of the trains are visible (such as the one with the 220 visible I pointed out before), you could definitively identify them. FiggyBee (talk) 10:14, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

nails

what are those white spots that appear on ones nails called and what causes them? thx —Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.172.58.82 (talk) 10:24, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

Leukonychia 131.111.248.99 (talk) 10:38, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

Bed chair with proper sprung mattress

Anyone know where in the UK I could buy a single armchair with a folding bed inside? One with a metal or wooden frame and a real mattress with springs. I know these things exist because I slept on one for a month last year.... in Russia. But I can't find any for sale in this country, and I'm probably using the wrong search terms. 81.132.218.0 (talk) 16:54, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

Companies who make sofa beds generally have one of these too - suggest you search on "sofa bed". --TammyMoet (talk) 17:09, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

What about looking at mobility companies? They may produce things like this and there are many based in the UK. Chevymontecarlo. 17:34, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

How about using google? I found many search results linking to sofa beds

• http://www.archiexpo.com/architecture-design-manufacturer/armchair-bed-2373.html
• http://www.archiexpo.com/architecture-design-manufacturer/armchair-bed-2373.html

Hope that helps! --Tyw7  (☎ Contact me! • Contributions)   Changing the world one edit at a time! 18:56, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

Thanks for all replies! I don't think I could afford custom-made mobility furniture, though I'm sure the suppliers would be happy to build me a chair. I've been searching a bit more, and found two models that I'm trying to track down in a showroom: John, by Flame, and Kip, by Slumberland which is actually a footstool, but fits the space perfectly. 81.132.218.0 (talk) 22:28, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

Gas pipe maintenance

How do workmen know where to dig when they are repairing gas pipes? Chevymontecarlo. 17:33, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

This looks like two pipes, both 4ft in diameter

I think most local authorities in the civilized world today, demand that utility companies keep more accurate maps than they did before. Plastic gas pipes are of course harder to locate but it can be done. This article has some interesting insights into below ground utilities and finding them again.[21]. You no doubt know that there are also gas pipe line markers giving the distance to and the diameter of pipe. Most common use, is to give the location of a control valve, which might need to be located and shut of in a hurry. --Aspro (talk) 18:27, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

If the pipes are metal, then a metal detector will work. If not, then utilities can use ground penetrating radar to locate buried pipes. --Jayron32 18:35, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

I think most pipes are too deep to be detected by the metal detector. Plus, there can be many pipes and other objects to disturb the metal detector. In addition, by digging randomly, there is a chance of damaging other buried cables/pipes/electric cable. I don't think the workmen/workwomen would want to be responsible of damaging an internet or phone cable and causing a communication blackout for the whole street :D. I think most companies use the maps or the pipe line markers. Most places there is a marker warning of a pipe line/buried cables in the vincity. --Tyw7  (☎ Contact me! • Contributions)   Changing the world one edit at a time! 18:59, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

Cool, I had never thought about that before. I was thinking about using maps of some sort, maybe something from the house builder who built the estate, street or road. Thank you for your replies :) Chevymontecarlo. 19:25, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

I've worked in mapping for a utility company (an Australian telecommunications company). Utility maps tend to be fairly accurate, showing, for example that a pipe or cable is 'x' centimetres from a road or surveyed boundary, and at 'this' standard depth. Before digging more than 30cm/1 foot deep, one should have gotten copies of maps from each utility company in the area. Armed with those maps it becomes trivial to avoid other peoples' pipes and cables, and to have a fair chance of finding your cable quickly. Phone and electric company cables and pipes are generally buried with a plastic ribbon a short distance above them, so you're unlikely to accidentally hit one when digging with hand tools. Of course you want to make sure you know exactly where everything likely to be in the area is before you bring in excavating equipment. --Psud (talk) 05:11, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

Oh, and you can (probably) get access to utility network maps from a dial-before-you-dig organisation (a quick google gave me this for the UK. The Australian equivalent is a free service, I don't know about the UK one. --Psud (talk) 05:41, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

You need a cat and jenny (unfortunately a redlink). It's a jolly bit of kit that's great for finding lost pipes. You can also use a kind of stethoscope to listen for the noise of the pipe. Or you could do what South West Water did in the 80's, and rehire as consultants lots of the men you gave early retirement to a couple of years before and who knew where the pipes were. DuncanHill (talk) 13:41, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

There are little plastic rf passive responders which look a bit like Frisbies, which can be buried with utility pipes, plastic or metal, or with buried powerlines. They respond to test instruments above ground with a power and specific response of "gas pipe buried here," "water pipe buried here," power line buried here" or whatever. Edison (talk) 16:39, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

"Escape options" in statistical surveys - how to make them meaningful?

There are many statistical surveys such as "at what age did you first move to live on your own?", offering to select from several answer options, each representing a statistical category. For example:

• Earlier than 15 years
• 15-20 years
• 20-25 years
• 25-30 years
• 30-35 years
• Later than 35 years

But there are people who still live with their parents. So the obvious thing to do is to amend the above options in this way:

• Earlier than 15 years
• 15-20 years
• 20-25 years
• 25-30 years
• 30-35 years
• Later than 35 years
• I still live with my parents

The problem, though, is that the added option does not convey any information about how old the participant is. Infants who couldn't survive a single day without their parents' care, university freshmen who have found it very difficult to find an available apartment, and middle-aged people who have steady jobs and active hobbies but can't bear to break ties with their parents are all grouped together. How should the options be fixed to make the added "escape option" more meaningful? JIP | Talk 19:55, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

How about a second question asking the current age of the participant? Googlemeister (talk) 19:58, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

Plus, no infant can access the internet... :? So it would be silly to ask whether the user is still an infant or younger than 5 years old (assuming the youngest age that can access the internet is 5). It is a safe bet that most young people accessing the survays range from 10 to 19 years old. --Tyw7  (☎ Contact me! • Contributions)   Changing the world one edit at a time! 20:00, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

I don't think the question specifies the surveys are carried out on the Internet. I'm not up on my statistics; is "Other (please specify):" not feasible? Vimescarrot (talk) 20:02, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

That is true, the question is about statistical analysis about "when did X first happen?" in general, having the compulsory "escape option" of "X has never happened so far". JIP | Talk 20:09, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

I think yould be better off targeting the people of the internet age. Basically people older then 10 years old. Plus, most people, such as me, feel unconfortable giving my real full age in surveys. Perhaps you can "group" the age groups? --Tyw7  (☎ Contact me! • Contributions)   Changing the world one edit at a time! 20:16, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

What does it mean to "group" something that has already been grouped? Wouldn't it just mean making the grouping less specific? JIP | Talk 20:39, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

I think escape is probable the wrong concept. The homo sapiens is a tribal and social animal. Throughout our recorded history, people have left home not only when they got married but also, to go into religious orders, armies, joined households as servants, etc. Not everyone is well adapted to living independently, and on their own. In fact, some people are hopeless at it. There are others that are naturally self-resourceful and become independent very early on. A survey would yield more useful results if it could identify and separate out these different types of individuals. 'Escape' is the wrong word but probably favoured by those that left home as soon as possible and can't fathom out why others take so long about doing the same. The lack of financial resources to find an apartment is just an excuse. There are many examples of people who left home with very little. Premier Nikita Khrushchev was a shepard boy, but that did not stop him leaving home early. People may identify more closly to a survey that asks the questions they ask themselves --Aspro (talk) 20:36, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

This question is not specifically about people leaving home, but about the statistical theory about "when did X first happen?" in general. JIP | Talk 20:39, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

We cannot answer how to make the survey more meaningful without a statement of what meaning one wants. What is the motivation for making the survey? Ages when people left home, or categorizing people who have not left home are separate survey subjects; the latter subject does not lend itself to a multiple-choice questionaire because the range of reasons is too open-ended to predefine exhaustively. I think Aspro connects "escape" with the idea of escaping from home but the OP just means a logical alternative for cases that do not qualify to any of the other choices. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 22:05, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

Try this:

1. “Do you still live with your parents?”

2. “If you answered ‘no’ to question one, skip down to question 3. If you answered ‘yes’ to question 1, how old are you now?” [followed by multiple choice list of age brackets]

3. “At what age did you move out of your parents’ home? ” [followed by multiple choice list of age brackets] DOR (HK) (talk) 02:43, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

Old oil cans

Before the days of plastic motor oil bottles with the spout off center to make pouring easier, there were round cans. I've seen them in old films and TV shows. I've seen pictures of them with a spout on them which was taken off the can when the oil had been used and put on the next can. How did these work? Did a person open the can with a church key and then put the spout on? Or did the spout have some sort of church key like gadget on the bottom of the spout to open the can? Dismas|^(talk) 21:16, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

The old round cans I remember had a tab near the edge of the top which you pulled, and the hole was under that. Some had a little spout that was inside the can and pulled out with the tab so you could pour it. I don't recall seeing detachable spouts such as those you describe. DuncanHill (talk) 21:21, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

Even before those, oil cans could be opened using a Churchkey. You just punched two holes in the top (one for pouring and one to let air in so the oil didn't splash as it came out) and used either a paper or plastic or metal funnel to direct the oil into the fillpipe. --Jayron32 21:31, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

This is not quite the image I was searching for but is this the sort of thing you mean?[22]. I remember something like this only they also had in addition, a smaller tube also, to allow air to go back into the can so as to prevent the oil coming out glug - glug – glug -glug -glug. --Aspro (talk) 22:42, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

I don't know about the OP, but that would have been my answer. You would line it up at the rim and push hard. And of course you always got oil on your hands, or worse. But it worked. And it was generally the station's grease monkey (as noted below) who would do that work anyway. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 23:20, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

Hey, do you remember those days when one would drive into a gas station and an attendant would appear from nowhere, then wash your wind-shield,, spit on the wing mirrors an' give 'em a polish, then go round your wreak, kicking the tires, lift the hood, check the fluids an' say “ Howdy partner! Your 'gin could do with a quart of oil an' we have a special offer on! If your tired and weary, why not stop off at the Bates's Motel. He'll be real pleased with your company, what with his mother dyeing an' all.” Oh yes, a real personal and friendly service - those where the days..!Aspro (talk) 23:10, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

Maybe you also remember the choral group that used to sing, "You can trust your car to the man who wears the star... The big, bright Texaco star!" ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 23:22, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

Nope. But then I always watched Bishop Sheen. PhGustaf (talk) 04:43, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

And you know they had the same boss, right? :) ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 07:57, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

As a former gas-station attendant, I can tell you that those metal spouts had an angled and pointed part (on the inside, parallel to the lengthened portion that rested on the side of the can when in use) that pierced a hole in the top of the can when the spout was pushed onto the can. You can see one version of such a spout here (the dark part is the piercing part). Deor (talk) 00:34, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

Oh, yeh, those are them. I wonder if they are still used, or whether all the oil comes in plastic now. (You can tell I no longer change my own oil.) ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 01:59, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

I don't remember seeing motor oil in anything but plastic. Course, I live in the US and have never looked for motor oil in other countries. Dismas|^(talk) 04:47, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

Are you terribly young? By which I mean under 40 DuncanHill (talk) 04:52, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

Terribly young is under 40?! Then yes, I am terribly young! Though my sister-in-law says that I'm "old and boring" and a friend once referred to anyone in my age group as "ancient". Dismas|^(talk) 05:08, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

I've been concerned about our youth, but as long as they're still saying "don't trust anyone over 30", all is well. :) ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 07:59, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

@Aspro: Yes, that's basically what I was thinking of. @Deor: Cool! Thanks! Now I know. Dismas|^(talk) 00:55, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

When I worked in Australian service stations in the 1970s, oil was sold from glass bottles with long spouts. From memory these were 1/4, 1/2 and 1 pint. They looked very swish all lined up on the driveway in their rack. I don't think any of the customers knew that we filled them up at the start of the shift, from a 44 gallon drum of oil. Later, we moved to sealed cans with a spout that you forced in, as Deor describes above. I too remember cans with a pull up plastic spout, after you unscrewed the cap, but these were mostly for petrol. Often the spout would pull out and get lost; maybe Dad was too zealous in pulling it. If the can has no spout, he used to pour the liquid down the back of can somehow and rarely spilled a drop.--TrogWoolley (talk) 13:14, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

See the "Texaco Star Theater" theme song from the Milton Berle Show:"I wipe the pipe, I pump the gas, I rub the hub, I scrub the glass, I touch the clutch, I mop the top, etc." When Milton Berle appeared on Saturday Night Live in 1979, a parody of this included Garret Morris singing "I slash the top, I pick the lock, I take your car around the block..." Edison (talk) 16:36, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

May 7

"How did this get here"

Does anyone know if this is shopped? It's probably already been answered, but I can't find it. http://catmas.com/images/2006/10/newspaper-filler.jpg —Preceding unsigned comment added by KyuubiSeal (talk • contribs) 00:58, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

Well, it's a university newspaper, so it's not completely implausible (the rest of the comics page is pretty low-rent). But the fact that if you search "Badger Herald how did this get here" (or "Badger Herald cheezburger" or "Badger Herald LOLcats" or "happycat newspaper") that only one image pops up, that makes it seem unlikely to me that it is real. One would assume that with the popularity of LOLcats and etc. that more than one person would have found this amusing enough to photograph or scan. --Mr.98 (talk) 01:19, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

I didn't understand the question. What does it mean for something to "be shopped"? -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 08:33, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

It means "the image was enhanced with Adobe® Photoshop® software", to quote a snippet of Adobe's 'please don't verb our trademarks' page. AlmostReadytoFly (talk) 09:22, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

Oh. That. You young'uns and your high falutin' lingo. -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 09:28, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

(offtopic) I can understand Adobe's upset with people saying that something has been "photoshopped" because that dilutes and genericizes their trademark (recall what happened to "Jello" here in the USA - or in the UK with "Hoover"). It's gotten to the point where I have to tell people that I "photoshopped" something even though I use the GIMP rather than the actual PhotoShop software to do it! (GIMP is free!) So I greatly prefer the shorthand "shopped" which simultaneously removes the connotation that I did it using PhotoShop and avoids the Adobe trademark dilution problem (which I greatly sympathize about). I like that 'shopped' kinda fits with 'chopped' and has connections with words like "workshop". It's a good verb that's long been needed. SteveBaker (talk) 13:18, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

I don't know what kind of journalistic standards the Badger Herald has, but if it is anything like the student newspapers I am familiar with, a Lolcat would not be out of place. It also seems that it is easy to put any old crap in the Badger Herald for a small fee, such as an advertisement for a Holocaust denial group. Adam Bishop (talk) 15:24, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

First Call Resolution

Hello! I am very interested in getting information on First Call Resolution as it relates to Call Centers. I am curious what kind of metrics are used to determine this. (We are looking into it at my workplace, and I would like to know what we are getting into.) Any help would be appreciated! :) 69.241.97.178 (talk) 01:44, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

Simply putting "First call resolution metrics" into Google, like this produces a number of promising results. Dismas|^(talk) 02:03, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

I've worked in call centres in customer service and technical support contexts, and in both cases the seemingly obvious definition of "first call resolution" was along the lines of "the caller no longer had the problem when they hung up". Examples of what this meant, in my career, are;

• the call centre worker solved the problem,
• the call centre worker re-framed the caller's issue so it wasn't actually a problem in the first place,
• the problem somehow resolved itself during the call,
• the caller hung up before full disclosure of the problem to the call centre worker (or full disclosure of the resolution to the caller).

I always thought some of these seemed a bit crazy, but in reality they were real, contractual agreements between my company and the internal or corporate (in the case of outsourcing) client we were serving. I suspect how you decide in your case will be informed (if not determined) by whoever is considered to be your "customer", internally or otherwise. --Rixxin (talk) 13:33, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

I've just realised I forgot my point on metrics themselves. Believe it or not, on both systems I used in the two jobs I've had, there was literally a "FCF" (First Call Fix) ticky-box on the case management system. This was how they tracked it in metrics. In my current job (where I am no longer on the telephone, thankfully) every ticket closed generates a automated feedback email to the caller, and they are polled via their response. --Rixxin (talk) 13:37, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

Uses for miniature amounts of heroin?

My local newspaper reported the arrest of a couple who were returning from a city an hour's drive away to purchase heroin — they were arrested after ½ gram of the drug was found in their possession. Would such a small amount really be enough for either of them to get high on it? If not, any idea why individuals might travel such a distance for such a small amount? Our article doesn't appear to discuss what amount is generally necessary for an adult human to become intoxicated. I definitely do not have any plans to use this drug, so please don't interpret this as a question of "how much do I need?". Nyttend (talk) 02:32, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

This government site states, "Recreationally, daily heroin doses of 5-1500 mg have been reported, with an average daily dose of 300-500 mg", so it looks like they had 100 small or 1-2 average size doses. Heroin#Recreational use says "A first-time user may ingest between 5 and 20 mg of diacetylmorphine [heroin], while an addict may require several hundred mg per day." Clarityfiend (talk) 04:11, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

Ah, okay, thanks. I ran a search for "gram" and " g ", but I didn't think to run a search for "milligram" or "mg", and I hadn't read the article in depth. Nyttend (talk) 04:49, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

exlibris early-time-exlibris wants description

I have some exlibris found in old western books, now we want to know the backgroud of this exlibris. so hope anyone who fond of it,can give me some suggestion.thank you ! we got about 200 types of exlibris,we can contact here. btw:i dont know how to post my pics online in wikipedia. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Axitel (talk • contribs) 05:23, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

Have you read our thorough article about exlibris? There are plenty of suggested links there too.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 07:29, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

If you would like to learn how to upload your pics, you can best do it on our sister project Wikimedia Commons (which Wikipedia can then use). We already have some examples of Ex libris and more would be very welcome. See : [23]. You can upload your pics at this upload page. [24]. The First Steps tutorial contains a brief explanation of what you need to know in order to contribute to Wikimedia Commons. [25] Do not worry if it looks complicated. Just upload the first one as best as you can and a more experienced editor will probably come along and give you advice on anything you don't understand.--Aspro (talk) 16:17, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

Government Whip

Where does the term 'Whip' come from in a political context? Is it simply the image that the whips essentially herd the MPs like a farmer with a sheepdog (or rider with a whip), or is there some other etymology? Prokhorovka (talk) 12:24, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

According to the 'Word Reference Forum' it evolved as shorthand for "whipper-in" – the member of a fox hunting party responsible for keeping the hounds in order (who no doubt used an actual whip). ╟─TreasuryTag►duumvirate─╢ 12:26, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

That seems to clear it up, slightly disappointed it is such a literal history, but that's life. Thank you! Prokhorovka (talk) 12:45, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

3d films, seem flat?

I've seen a couple of the more recent 3D films in theatres recently, and though I find the effect much more smooth and convincing than the 3D I've seen in the past, I've noticed that the 3D planes feel as if they are sheets of flat paper layered in a 3D arrangement, not necessarily right on top of each other, but something like the Paper Mario game would be if it used realistic characters. Basically, the objects seem correct in their placement within the 3D world, but many of the objects themselves (people, etc.) seem flat, as opposed to round, concrete, substantial. Has anybody else noticed this? Does anyone have an explanation for why I may be perceiving the films in this way? Could this be something to do with the fact that 3D films don't compensate for the accommodation of the eye? (the fact that objects out of focus do not, actually go out of focus). Thanks in advance! 210.254.117.185 (talk) 14:00, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

Some recent films have jumped on the 3D bandwagon by taking film shot in 2D with one lens and "making them 3D." This is a silly gimmick. For computer graphic content, and special effects added by greenscreen, or other postproduction optical trickery, effects or graphics can easily be made to "jump off the screen" but when you look at a face it will still look flat, with no parallax between the nose and ears, say. When true 3D cinematography is done, there are two lenses a slight distance apart which approximate the viewpoints of our two eyes, so that there is different parallax depending on the distance. When Hitchcock made "Dial M for Murder" it was shot in true 3D, and the films were screened with special projectors and polarizing filters on the projection with polarizing lenses for the viewers, providing good 3D effects in color (personal observation). There was usually some visual element in the foreground, like a plant, to make up for the effect that the farther away the actors are, the less parallax effect there was, In some closeups, like a telephone dial, the 3D effect was artificially enhanced. Accommodation (or the muscle effort required in the eye to pull the lens into focus) is indeed one way we sense distance, but that effect washes out at a small distance from the eye, with parallax having an effect much farther away. Edison (talk) 16:22, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

It has been noted that some people have problems viewing 3D that others don't. This explains some of them.[26] However, we don't give medical advice here.--Aspro (talk) 16:52, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

Roger Ebert has some problems with them as well. (With regard to the OP's question, see especially item 3.) Deor (talk) 18:39, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

Rusty barbells

I've recently discovered 2 of my weights sitting outside and getting quite rusty after a couple of months in the rain. I'm wondering if there's a simple, cheap way to stop them from getting rust all over my hands. Simple covering them with paint would do the trick, but if so, what kind of paint should I use? I'm not really concerned with the way they look, so if I could just get the rust to stop coming off, that would be great! Thanks again! 210.254.117.185 (talk) 14:02, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

There's a paint called Hammerite (and Smoothrite) that can be painted directly on rusty surfaces and requires no primer - it's easily obtainable from DIY stores.83.104.128.107 (talk) 14:16, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

That is a good method but a tad pricey and messy. Why not get some glass paper, emery paper or wire wool and buff the rust off. Once they are back to metal either keep them dry or wipe them over occasionally with a lightly oiled cloth. Caesar's Daddy (talk) 15:36, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

Wouldn't gloves be the cheapest option? But you would probably want to sandpaper it or the rust could get worse... Zain Ebrahim (talk) 16:10, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

If you want cheap and quick: Coca-cola has phosphoric acid in it and will remove the rust. --Aspro (talk) 17:01, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

Soaking in molasses is said to remove rust also. 78.146.27.220 (talk) 18:09, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

sweat

Is zer any mechanism than can prevent a sweat that pores through our face in time of pressure or in crowd? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 196.200.103.1 (talk) 14:23, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

Not that I know of. Anti persperant? Plus are you german? --Tyw7  (☎ Contact me! • Contributions)   Changing the world one edit at a time! 14:44, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

Probably Eritrean. IP location features are on the bottom of the User Contributions pages. AlmostReadytoFly (talk) 15:53, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

Don't assume German just because of "zer" :P Rimush (talk) 16:17, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

Yes, antiperspirant, but if you use it as a spray -do NOT breath it in and keep your eyes and mouth closed.--Aspro (talk) 17:06, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

Unusual "hedgehog" spherical device seen in Theobalds Road, London

The device was positioned on a utility pole on the pavement. It was a pale-grey ball with many very long rods radiating in all directions from the surface. On the ball itself were several small round things which might have been lenses. It was connected to an electrical wire of some kind. It did not look like a work of art, but some surveillance device. There were at least two of them. Does anyone know what they are please? The long rods might have been to prevent people from covering the lenses, if thats what they were. 78.146.27.220 (talk) 18:08, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

They remind me more of spiny sea urchins. Err... Doing a bit of Lateral thinking I've had an idea. One is directly outside a sandwich bar. They must know why the have a grey urchin climbing up their lamp post. Give them a ring and ask them. City Snacks. Remember to post back here with the answer. --Aspro (talk) 18:37, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

One of them can be seen in Google Street View for the WC1X 8SP postcode, looking south-west. http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&q=WC1X%208SP&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wl Isnt it charming that the government likes to watch us as if we are all criminals in a prison, if that's what the devices do. 78.146.27.220 (talk) 19:06, 7 May 2010 (UTC)