Wikipedia:Reference desk/Miscellaneous

Welcome to the miscellaneous section
of the Wikipedia reference desk.

skip to bottom

Select a section:

• Computing
• Entertainment
• Humanities
• Language
• Mathematics
• Science
• Miscellaneous
• Archives

Want a faster answer?

Main page: Help searching Wikipedia

   

How can I get my question answered?

• Select the section of the desk that best fits the general topic of your question (see the navigation column to the right).
• Post your question to only one section, providing a short header that gives the topic of your question.
• Type '~~~~' (that is, four tilde characters) at the end – this signs and dates your contribution so we know who wrote what and when.
• Don't post personal contact information – it will be removed. Any answers will be provided here.
• Please be as specific as possible, and include all relevant context – the usefulness of answers may depend on the context.
• Note:
  • We don't answer (and may remove) questions that require medical diagnosis or legal advice.
  • We don't answer requests for opinions, predictions or debate.
  • We don't do your homework for you, though we'll help you past the stuck point.
  • We don't conduct original research or provide a free source of ideas, but we'll help you find information you need.

Ready? Ask a new question!

How do I answer a question?

Main page: Wikipedia:Reference desk/Guidelines

• The best answers address the question directly, and back up facts with wikilinks and links to sources. Do not edit others' comments and do not give any medical or legal advice.

See also:

• Teahouse
• Help desk
• Village pump
• Help manual

September 24

Miltiades in IPA

How would you write the Greek name Miltiades in IPA? Horselover Frost (talk · edits) 01:55, 24 September 2010 (UTC)

See here. Click "Show IPA."--el Aprel (^facta-_facienda) 04:05, 24 September 2010 (UTC)

That's assuming you are asking about how it is pronounced in English. It's different in Greek (and different again depending on whether you mean Ancient or Modern Greek). --ColinFine (talk) 15:57, 24 September 2010 (UTC)

dead horses

I heard recently that in Virginia horse country, when horses die they can be fed to the hounds and this process is called dedication. I have been around horses for many years in other parts of this country but never heard of this. Can someone find out more and let me know? Thanks —Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.255.45.105 (talk) 03:39, 24 September 2010 (UTC)

Can you provide a bit more information about your question? In what context, for example, did you hear of this? WikiDao ☯ (talk) 03:47, 24 September 2010 (UTC)

It would also be helpful to state whether you're asking whether this is a widespread practice. I mean, sure, you can feed a dead horse to some hounds; I'm sure it's happened at least once; it is unlikely that there's a Virginia law stopping you; but are you asking whether this happens all the time? Comet Tuttle (talk) 15:39, 24 September 2010 (UTC)

Unwanted horses are often given to the MFH for hounds (you never use "the" in front of hounds in the UK) by hunt followers to help keep down the flesh bill in the UK.Hotclaws (talk) 12:48, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

September 25

Number of Pakistani Armed Forces reserves

The "List of countries by number of troops" article has an unresolved dispute concerning the number of Pakistani Armed Forces reserves. Right now the article relies almost exclusively on the 2010 self-published report put out by the IISS. That lists reserve forces as "zero" apparently, which is the cause of the dispute. Do any other reliable sources trump/clarify/confirm what we have from IISS? I've had no luck trying to get ahold of something from Jane's, and the other sources being considered by the disputants concerned so far do not seem to help much. Anyone have any other clues? WikiDao ☯ (talk) 00:25, 25 September 2010 (UTC)

The problem with disputes like this is that they are often intractable because there are often no universally reliable sources for the numbers. For various reasons, countries may mask the actual size of their armed forces. They may inflate the numbers to make themselves appear stronger, or they may underreport them to hide certain elements of the military. Who knows, but there are lots of good strategic reasons why you wouldn't want to reveal the actual size of your military, or its composition. You may want to publish or announce some numbers, but there is no guarantee these numbers would be reliable or trustworthy. Furthermore, independant estimates are also often impossible or wildly unreliable because most countries do not allow unfettered access to their military for, again, very good strategic reasons. --Jayron32 03:01, 25 September 2010 (UTC)

Reporting Fraud Against DMV

I was wondering how I report fraud against the DMV in California. I would like to report anonymously and can't find a form to do it. Any help would be greatly appreciated —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.169.33.234 (talk) 05:24, 25 September 2010 (UTC)

You should probably contact them via phone, so you can ask them directly. Their webpage at http://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/home/dmv.htm has a phone number prominently displayed on it. --Jayron32 05:27, 25 September 2010 (UTC)

I would rather do it online if possible. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.169.33.234 (talk) 05:30, 25 September 2010 (UTC)

You don't have to report it by phone, you can call the number and ask them how to do it online. --Jayron32 05:37, 25 September 2010 (UTC)

Send them a letter. That will be much more anonymous than either the telephone or the internet.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 06:16, 25 September 2010 (UTC)

For anyone who (like me) is confused by TLAs, DMV is the Department for Motor Vehicles, not the manufacturer of milk products. Dbfirs 07:19, 25 September 2010 (UTC)

I'm 99.9999% certain you're aware that you including a random acronym in your comment about how confusing they are, but just to make sure...? ny156uk (talk) 12:12, 25 September 2010 (UTC)

Yes, I was aware that it was a self-referential initialism, but it wasn't random. Dbfirs 16:35, 25 September 2010 (UTC)

Morgue safety

Do the refrigerated units that morgues store bodies in have safety devices to allow them to be opened from the inside like many walk in refrigerators used for food storage? Dismas|^(talk) 09:45, 25 September 2010 (UTC)

I certainly hope so. Please someone say it's so, this is one of my worst fears. → ROUX ₪ 09:50, 25 September 2010 (UTC)

Safety regulations will vary from one country to another, but in general, yes, all walk-in refrigeration units can be opened from the inside for obvious health and safety reasons. Coffins are a different matter of course.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 10:08, 25 September 2010 (UTC)

Don't suppose that the morgue chiller manufactures have received any complaints so far.--Aspro (talk) 10:47, 25 September 2010 (UTC)

Maybe you mis-understand. I'm not referring to a walk-in unit in a morgue. I'm thinking of the drawer type that hold one body each. Dismas|^(talk) 11:10, 25 September 2010 (UTC)

This manufacturer, at least, does (http://media.mopec.com/media/pdf/Morgue_frigs_wfcover.pdf). ny156uk (talk) 12:10, 25 September 2010 (UTC)

It is comforting to see that this manufacturer provide an always on light so that an occupant can see to scribble a Kilroy was here inscription upon the interior of the chillers wall ( Hey, I've found my way to the dead center of this hospital... I've been parked here soooo long that I've got a ticket on my toe... Yours -John Doe). What would be a nice addition, (apart from a chinagraph pencil hanging on a chain, with which to write with) would be sticky labelled, public information sign, giving instructions on: how in the hell you open one of these things with your toes!!!--Aspro (talk) 20:54, 25 September 2010 (UTC)

I would imagine the coroner would carry out a number of checks to establish you were actually dead before locking your body in a morgue drawer. Astronaut (talk) 08:05, 27 September 2010 (UTC)

You would, would you.

Allison, who is now married with four children, said: “When the doors closed it felt like being in a tomb. It dawned on me that someone had to die before they'd open the doors so I was wishing it to happen.” [1]--Aspro (talk) 14:49, 27 September 2010 (UTC)

I wonder if a medic alert bracelet may help. Something like "May look dead, but severe narcolepsy so probably not". Or if no one will check it. Nil Einne (talk) 01:34, 28 September 2010 (UTC)

Or even I ATE'NT DEAD. CS Miller (talk) 13:19, 1 October 2010 (UTC)

Morgues are rarely unattended, and metal cooler doors make a wonderfully satisfying boom if kicked or pounded on. Someone locked in a morgue cooler (even without a safety release) would be rescued in fairly short order (assuming the attendant didn't freak out and run at the hollow booms coming from the enclosed slabs). --Ludwigs2 01:58, 28 September 2010 (UTC)

Jinja: SHIRAMINE JINGU / AKAMA JINGU & MINASE JINJA

According to the listing here at Wiki..., the three above jinja are categorized at Imperial Shrines, Rank 2. But when I visited these sites a few weeks ago, they are actually Imperial Shrines, Rank 1. I presumed at first the in-charge of those jinjas who gave some sort of historical accounts are right but when I read the articles here, I am now a bit confused. I need clarifications because I am studying these subjects. Can you please verify as to which is which. Thank you very much and more power. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Jizt (talk • contribs) 12:03, 25 September 2010 (UTC)

Well, a quick look at the Shiramine Shrine article reveals that the shrine was elevated to Rank 1 in 1940 - the list in the Modern system of ranked Shinto Shrines that I assume you are referring to and which lists it as Rank 2 has got the original rankings from 1871. This raising of the rank is also noted in the list notes on the same article - in fact, all three of the shrines you mention seem to have been elevated in status to Rank 1 in 1940. TomorrowTime (talk) 14:39, 25 September 2010 (UTC)

The rankings were set aside in 1946, when State Shinto was officially abolished. "Ex-imperial shrines" would be more correct way to described them today. And the three shrines are Rank 1 under Association of Shinto Shrines. Oda Mari (talk) 14:47, 25 September 2010 (UTC)

Meg Whitman and Jobs

Meg Whitman has TV ads saying she took eBay from 30 jobs to 15,000 jobs. How many of the 15,000 jobs were outsourced overseas? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.107.248.212 (talk) 12:59, 25 September 2010 (UTC)

Political silly season notwithstanding - the apparent majority of eBay jobs are in the US (about 10K/16K) [2], mainly in California. Some CS folks are in Vancouver it appears. Which last I looked, is in Canada. And many employees around the world are there in conjuction with subsidiaries. Any abnormal outsourcing? Not that I could find. Collect (talk) 13:23, 25 September 2010 (UTC)

if you delete your facebook profile...

if you delete your facebook profile, are all the wall posts and comments you wrote on other people's walls, comments and photos automatically deleted as well, or do they remain? (It would be quite a pain if I had to delete them all by hand first)
--MrMahn (talk) 14:28, 25 September 2010 (UTC)

No, they all disappear automatically. But they aren't really gone for good; if you re-instate your account, they will re-appear again. Adam Bishop (talk) 16:41, 25 September 2010 (UTC)

As I understand, that is if you reinstate your account within the two week period immediately following your deletion. It's not possible to reinstate an account after that period - you could still use the same email address to open one, but it would be a different account, I think. I've never tried this, though. --KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 18:42, 25 September 2010 (UTC)

I have friends who disappear for months, maybe even a year, and they can still reinstate it. I don't think Facebook ever actually deletes anything...it's pretty insidious. Adam Bishop (talk) 22:52, 25 September 2010 (UTC)

It's worth noting that there are two options - to deactivate your account, and to delete it. Last I was aware, the former option was easily accessible, but the latter required substantial digging to find. 94.168.184.16 (talk) 23:39, 25 September 2010 (UTC)

Right, well, I did actually delete my account about 9 months ago - it is not easy to find, but is doable - and as a test I have just tried to get back into Facebook with the same Email address, and I now have a blank account, but with all the same friends I had before. Just no posts or anything. I can see problems potentially arising with this sort of state of affairs. --KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 00:40, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

Are any of the posts you wrote on other people's walls still there, or did they vanish too? --MrMahn (talk) 01:50, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

No idea, sorry - the last message I will have left on anyone's page will be at least 9 months ago, and probably before that, and I don't want to trawl through hundreds of pages of LOLcats just to find something from me. Sorry. If you want to test it, though, make a new Facebook account, become 'friends' with yourself and write something on your own wall using this new account - then delete the account and see what happens. You might have to wait until the two week period is over before you see any results. --KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 17:00, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

Hundreds of pages of LOLcats? I thought you said your account was blank.--MrMahn (talk) 21:08, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

Yes, mine is, but you're not asking me to look on my own account for messages from myself, are you? You are asking me to look on my friends' accounts - that's where the LOLcats and other useless stuff is/are. --KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 03:05, 27 September 2010 (UTC)

Chinese Lanterns

Don't worry - this is not a request for legal advice. Over the past year or so, I have been seeing these Chinese lanterns floating over our house - quite a few each night (I mean dozens here) and I've been wondering whether there are any legal restrictions on them, as they consist of a paper lantern with an open flame (a candle?) inside. If one of these comes down in the wrong place they could cause a world of nightmares for someone. As I say, this is not a request for legal advice, as I am not intending to complain about them - I have no idea where they are coming from for a start. The legal aspect of these lanterns, however, intrigues me. They obviously are legal, but I am wondering if there are any laws which govern their use in any way, or even laws which pertain to their design, or anything in fact. TIA! --KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 20:23, 25 September 2010 (UTC)

I'm assuming you're talking about in the UK (surely things are surely very different in fire-risk places like California) it would seem not - this story suggests that there have been calls to ban them (but hey, it's Britain, there are calls to ban everything), or at least the ones with a wire structure. I'd imagine there is some civil liability to be had if one accidentally lands on something of value and sets it ablaze, but I can't find any evidence of anyone having actually litigated that in the UK. They have also been mistaken for UFOs in Wigan, but curiously not in Bonnybridge. -- Finlay McWalter ☻ Talk 20:36, 25 September 2010 (UTC)

One can not mistake something for an unidentified flying object. Either one can identify it, or one can not.--Aspro (talk) 21:03, 25 September 2010 (UTC)

Sorry, yes, I forgot to specify the country - actually when I was outside before watching these things floating over, I was wording this post to myself and I did include the UK then, just not when I typed it. Anyway, yes, thanks for those links. I'll take a look into that. Incidentally and coincidentally, I went out after the posting and saw one which seemed to come down in the back garden of someone down our street. Pretty sure they won't be happy finding that tomorrow morning. Anyway, thanks. --KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 21:34, 25 September 2010 (UTC)

We released some last Chinese New Year (in the UK), and because we're near an airport a phone call was made to establish what rules we needed to follow. There didn't seem to be any, other than the requirement to phone the airport itself and let them know exactly what time we were releasing the lanterns, which was duly done. Original research, but in the case of all the lanterns we released, the light vanished when the lantern was pretty high in the air and rising (logical, since heat would be generated until the flame went out). One would assume that when it subsequently hit the ground the flames would be out, so there would be little fire risk, as with used rocket fireworks. (Although my brother, who lives in a thatched house, dreads the latter.) The wire structure does seem to be more of an issue because of the risks for livestock and wildlife - ours had a bamboo framework, which is said to be less potentially dangerous. Karenjc 22:27, 25 September 2010 (UTC)

Yes, there's a lot of info about them - including the bamboo ones - in that BBC link that Finlay gave. Fascinating read, actually. On a side note, a few weeks ago it was my late-cousin's birthday, the first since his untimely passing a few weeks earlier at the age of 35, and my family had a special celebration for him, setting off about 50 or more of these lanterns. I don't know if any phone calls were made, though, but I do know that the celebration was in Speke, which is very near to Liverpool John Lennon Airport. --KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 22:39, 25 September 2010 (UTC)

They might be Thai lanterns. Watch videos. Why don't you consult your local police or fire station? Oda Mari (talk) 05:18, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

Gillenbie Outhouse

I see in the 1841 Census four men in the Gillenbie Outhouse, Applegarth, Dumfriesshire, Scotland. What exactly was the Gillenbie Outhouse? Thank you for your time.

David in Rutland —Preceding unsigned comment added by David in Rutland (talk • contribs) 22:07, 25 September 2010 (UTC)

A bit of googling informs me that Gillenbie is or was a farmstead of 2000 acres in Applegarth Parish. There are references to a "Gillenbie Cottage" that was used by shepherds; it isn't clear whether this is the same thing as Gillenbie Outhouse. I found no references to Gillenbie Outhouse other than the one you cite. Looie496 (talk) 23:08, 25 September 2010 (UTC)

The only mention on Google for Gillenbie Outhouse I found was the 1841 census and the names and ages of the four men living there at the time. The occupation of one was listed as 'agricultural labourer', which may fit in with what Looie496 has found. The link is here, but I am suspecting that it was you who posted the original question on that site, so this may not be useful for you. --KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 00:48, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

It should be noted that the term "outhouse" as a synonym for "latrine" or "shitter" is euphamistic. The term originally refered to any building outside of the main house, whether it was a shed, latrine, barn, etc. See Outhouse#Terminology. Eventually it came to mean "latrine" exclusively, but the term "Gillenbie Outhouse" as a residence doesn't mean that they were living in a latrine. It is more likely the men were living in an ancillary building on the Gillenbie estate, such as a shed or barn or stable, which may have not usually been used for habitation. --Jayron32 01:01, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

They were lucky to have a latrine to live in. When I was a lad we lived in a hole in t' road.... :) -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 01:13, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

Here in Northern England, I didn't understand the question because "outhouse" still just means "outbuilding" here, as in Scotland, and as in most of England for the last 700 years. Is the euphemistic usage exclusive to the USA? ... and Jack, were you not "of Oz" in your youth? That joke sounds familiar! Dbfirs 02:34, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

Aye - our Jack were on 'ere, by ekkithump. --KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 02:56, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

Aye, tha's reet. A'd fergitt'n aboot them lot. Dbfirs 03:46, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

Flippin' 'eck Jack, we dint even 'ave roods! Caesar's Daddy (talk) 07:38, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

And you try and tell the yoong people of today that, and they won't believe you.  :) -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 07:46, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

To get back to the point, I can confirm that "outhouse" doesn't mean a toilet anywhere (as far as I know) in the UK. Alansplodge (talk) 22:04, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

Here in California, one of the reports for a local wildfire referred to the destruction of "eight homes and five outhouses", generating amused indignation... --jpgordon^{::==( o )} 02:30, 27 September 2010 (UTC)

Wait, you mean those things that I've always called Kato Kaelins are officially outhouses? --Trovatore (talk) 07:34, 27 September 2010 (UTC)

French food

French food is full of sugar, oil, butter, alcohol, etc., so why are French people generally so healthy? --70.245.189.11 (talk) 22:28, 25 September 2010 (UTC)

See our article on French paradox. ---Sluzzelin talk 22:30, 25 September 2010 (UTC)

Wikipedia:WHAAOE. Everard Proudfoot (talk) 05:09, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

In my experience, the French diet may be higher in fat but they eat smaller portions, rarely snack between meals and don't eat lots of deep fried foods. The idea that the French consume more alcohol has some truth, but I also noticed that they rarely drink to excess (I've rarely seen a French person obviously drunk and staggering down the street). Astronaut (talk) 10:01, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

I understand that the more recent research indicates that it is Proanthocyanidin and not Resveratrol that provides the health benefits. You get eight times more proanthocyanidin from eating an apple than from a glass of wine. 92.15.22.106 (talk) 17:43, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

The general summary I have heard, probably from NPR or the New Yorker, is that they eat less (smaller portions), eat better (e.g. not just endless fried or microwaved things), and walk more (than your average American, anyway). The article seems to go along with most of that. --Mr.98 (talk) 12:46, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

They also eat a lot of vegetables and fruit. The healthy things found in wine is obtained more abundantly by eating an apple. 92.15.22.106 (talk) 17:32, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

That's debatable. As I understand it there's considerable evidence that a large part of the protective effect of wine comes from the alcohol. Highly dose-dependent of course; over-indulge and the curve turns rapidly the other way. --Trovatore (talk) 22:08, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

See reference number 19 in the Proanthocyanidin article: 'Oenology: Red wine procyanidins and vascular health'. In any case I'm skeptical about the health benefits of alcohol. See Long-term effects of alcohol. There are other possible explainations. Many of the academic studies would get their results from what happened decades ago when people (apart from the French) did not eat much fruit and veg - see dreadful 1970s cookery books for example - so that a glass of fermented grape-juice may have been better than nothing. I recall one woman then who said that she alway ate an orange a day being regarded as eccentric. I wonder if the reduced rate of prostate cancer for men who ate tomato sauce/ketchup was due to a similar reason - when the population was eating very little fruit or veg, some from any source had a noticiable health effect. (Yes, I'm already aware of the beneficial effects of cooked tomatoes). Some ethnic minorities who avoid alcohol have a poor diet and poor health, so that may influence the findings. Drinking wine may be just a marker for affluence, and hence better diet and health care. The big alcohol industry wants alcohol to be seen as healthy, and people welcome an excuse for drinking. 92.29.116.227 (talk) 11:33, 27 September 2010 (UTC)

Alcohol and cardiovascular disease may be relevant here. I admit I had my doubts but reading the article, it appears that the state of research isn't that bad and the evidence seems resonable. Of course I always have doubts about most dietary research even when the evidence is supposed to be strong. I would note that from Alcohol and cancer, it's clear that the evidence doesn't suggest much of a benefit of even moderate consumption for cancer in general. In particular theres only a few cancers which it appears it may benefit and quite a few where it in fact is a disadvantage (including Alcohol and breast cancer). Whether the claimed benefit for cardiovascular health is worth the apparent increase cancer risk would likely depend on the individual although the benefit for cardiovascular health does seem quite high if true. In terms of the original question, I think it's sometimes claimed red wine is beneficial when it comes to cancers too, which would suggest that aspect isn't related to alcohol. Nil Einne (talk) 14:06, 27 September 2010 (UTC)

I think that the cancer claims for red wine are typically based on the properties of grapes, rather than alcohol. See Grape#Health claims for more information. Buddy431 (talk) 04:08, 28 September 2010 (UTC)

September 26

Astronauts and cosmonauts

what is the difference between astronaut and cosmonaut? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.20.239.158 (talk) 01:48, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

Cosmonauts are Russians, astronauts are everyone else. See Astronaut#Terminology. They are basically synonymous, it is just that the Russians called theirs one thing (from one Greek root, "space sailor") while the US called theirs another thing (from a different Greek root, "star sailor") and because it was the Cold War Space Race people had to make a big deal about it and keep them as separate terms. From a strictly functionalist perspective, cosmonauts have CCCP written on their helmets, astronauts do not. I'm sure there's a "what's the difference" joke in here somewhere, as well. --Mr.98 (talk) 02:15, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

I added a section heading to this thread. --Theurgist (talk) 03:02, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

Add the recent addition to the terminology: taikonaut. TomorrowTime (talk) 08:27, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

RFID

How cheap and easy to use has this technology gotten?

How much does it cost for a device to locate something that is rfid tagged? Can an RFID tag be put on a sticker and just stuck on an object?

Newcastlebrownisgood (talk) 04:00, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

Are we talking about Radio-frequency identification? Everard Proudfoot (talk) 05:10, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

Do you know of any other definition of RFID that fits in with the rest of the OP's question? Dismas|^(talk) 06:20, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

I don't know any definition of RFID at all. Everard Proudfoot (talk) 07:31, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

Now you do! :-) RFID redirects to Radio-frequency identification. Dismas|^(talk) 07:34, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

Library books around here have RFID stickers on them, so they must be pretty cheap. Range to the reader is quite small though, only a range of a few centimeters. Graeme Bartlett (talk) 08:17, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

Googling for rfid tag price finds several kinds of tags that you can order online in various quantities. Some indeed appear to be stickers. 88.112.56.9 (talk) 13:37, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

The thing that doesn't seem to work well enough yet (where "well" means "both accurate and affordable at the same time") is mass RFID scanning. This is something of a holy grail for retail applications, and for stock-keeping in general. They really want to be able to wand a shelf, or push a little cart down the aisle of a warehouse, and have the equipment there interrogate every RFID on the items on the shelf (and for the cart locate which shelf each is on). Retailers are virtually salivating over the possibility of en-masse RFID self-checkout. That way you walk around the store with your own bags in your cart, filling them as you go. Once you're done you just walk through an arch (or maybe put the bags, still packed, on a belt that puts them past a detector and weighs them to verify that the the scans match the expected weight). The big retailers love this, because they can get rid of about 80% of their checkout staff; the potential for a much faster and simpler checkout will be a big sell to customers too. But right now it seems that equipment manufacturers haven't managed to get such mass-scan equipment working reliably enough (they need to handle 100 or so RFIDs all replying essentially at once, and still not accidentally detect the neighbouring customer's or neighbouring shelf's tags). -- Finlay McWalter ☻ Talk 23:09, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

In a somewhat related way, some grocery stores in the US have started a scheme where you pick up a hand-held scanner when you enter the store, load your own bags in your cart, and as you do so, you scan each item. When you leave, the scanner is plugged back in to the charger unit and you are given a receipt for your purchases. You never deal with a cashier. This whole thing requires that you register your credit/debit card with the store before hand. Once your card is in the system though, it's good until the expiration date of the card is reached. Dismas|^(talk) 09:29, 27 September 2010 (UTC)

And it's not just retailers - anyone involved in stock-keeping is either dreading this (as it will make some jobs redundant) or waiting impatiently for it to come to fruition (as it will reduce/remove a lot of the grunt work from stock-keeping). While the sales brochures say it's right around the corner, there are several roadblocks that have to be cleared. First, you need everyone to do it - or almost everyone. That's tricky because many manufacturers still haven't even gotten around to working with UPCs/SCCs. Second, you need the reading range to get a lot larger, like an order of magnitude larger, from a few tens of centimeters to at least meters. Third, there are various security aspects that need to be worked out. So much more information can be encoded directly on one of these babies than on a traditional barcode that corporate espionage becomes a serious problem. As it sits now, RFIDs are mostly used as theft deterrents in books and DVDs and various other retail and library items. In those case, little or no information is actually encoded on the tags, all that's needed is for the scanner to see that something is leaving the building. Matt Deres (talk) 13:26, 27 September 2010 (UTC)

Not to disagree with your general points, Matt, but on the library front, my (UK) County's libraries uses RDIF stickers on the inside of the back cover combined with a counter-top scanning pad (and touch-screen menu) to identify the individual book and add it to (or when returning remove it from) the (County-wide) database of one's current loans - I suspect Graeme Bartlett above was alluding to this. 87.81.230.195 (talk) 20:48, 27 September 2010 (UTC)

I'm not as current on RFID as I used to be, so you may well be right. Most libraries around here still use a barcode scanning system to manage all that - the RFID scanning is only to prevent overt theft. Seems silly to do it that way, but the barcoding was much more reliable. Matt Deres (talk) 13:28, 28 September 2010 (UTC)

prank smses

had u ever received SMSs saying ur mobile will switch off, and when u try to exit or delete or even just want to leave the screen mobile just switch off. Can u tell me how those SMSs are made. Also how could they be deleted. I will be glad to read more about it..thanx--Myownid420 (talk) 09:47, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

I'm not sure if this is what you are referring to. However, my mobile can be set with a lock string. If it receives a SMS that contains ONLY that string, then the phone will lock, and can not be used until a PIN number is entered. This is also needed if the SIM is changed. Combined with a PIN on my SIM, then if my phone is stolen, then I can get a friend to send the lock message to my phone. Unless the PIN numbers are known, the phone is useless if it is turned off, the SIM is changed when its on (the SIM isn't under the battery, so this is possible), or it receives the lock message. The lock message, unlock PIN and SIM pin have all been chosen by myself (and only known by myself), so it can't be locked maliciously by pranksters. CS Miller (talk) 13:30, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

in that way u r locking the phone, n making it useless until one knows the pin. but those messages do not lock neither need a PIN.--Myownid420 (talk) 16:42, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

Thinking about it a bit more, I seem to remember reading about SMSs that would crash mobile phones, via a bug in the way the SMS was handled. Most mobile phones have a watchdog timer that will reboot them if the phone locks up. Otherwise removing and the reinserting that battery will perform a cold boot, which should work. It is conceivable that the phone's operating system could be damaged enough that it wouldn't reboot, but I doubt how likely this is. I can't remember the details off-hand, and a quick web-search didn't reveal anything. CS Miller (talk) 17:35, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

Dates on magazines

Why do magazines date issues and stories so far in advance? I received the latest issue of Time on September 25 (and it had been in stores even before that), yet it was dated October 4. I'll receive the next issue before that date. And then how do you reference it? This article has been cited on Wikipedia using its date of October 4 despite being released well over a week before, so it seems like we can tell the future. Shouldn't it technically be cited to the date used? What is the reason behind this absurdity? Thanks, Reywas92^Talk 16:47, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

It's simply so that they can keep selling copies for several weeks; once the date has passed, it will appear to be out of date. It's not unusual to see monthly periodicals on sale two months before the date on the cover. One references them by the date on the cover, whether or not one agrees with the policy.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 17:22, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

For the reason above and: Magazine like Time have international distribution. Printers have to print well in advance in order to mitigate for things like late deliveries, strikes and things generally beyond their control. Then the copies have to be distributed from different printers in different locations to the local warehouse distribution centres. Whilst this is going on, publicity for the new issue is being placed with newspapers, TV, radio and other media organization. This takes time to negotiate good rates and send in the necessary artwork etc. The whole system needs to have ample amount of reserve built into it for the unexpected, because the buying public get very upset if their magazine does not arrive when they expect to be there. The publisher will do anything to avoid disturbing the regular habit that their have of buying their publications. --Aspro (talk) 17:47, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

None of which alters the fact that the public will expect the next issue (of a weekly publication) to be available one week after whenever the last one was issued, totally regardless of whatever date is printed on the cover. -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 19:35, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

You expect the next issue of your monthly (and every 2 months, fortnightly etc) magazines to be out one week after the last one was issued? Is that an Australian thing? Nil Einne (talk) 19:43, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

Odd question. We're talking about Time (magazine), which happens to be a weekly publication, so I would expect its issues to be issued a week apart from each other. I expect my daily newspaper to be delivered one day after the last one, and I expect my monthly arts magazine to be available one month after the last one. And so on. Do my trans-Tasman cousins have difficulty understanding these basic concepts? -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 19:59, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

It wasn't clear you were referring to Time, since Time was given as an example, but it's clear the OP was asking the question generally. Similarly the person you responded to said "Magazine like Time" but was also clearly referring to the general case. Shantavira also referred to monthly publications. Notably, no one else has referred to Time specifically, without making it clear they were referring specifically to Time. It is true in New Zealand we have no difficulty understanding basic concepts like what an example is, and the need to specify what we're talking about when it's not clear from the discussion, unlike I guess in other countries. Nil Einne (talk) 20:11, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

OK, I've made it clear now. (But did you really have to make this point? Did you really think we expect a monthly publication to be issued 4 times a month? Really? I know we have a monthly magazine called Australian Women's Weekly, but that doesn't mean we're generally confused about such things. :) ) -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 21:12, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

Okay I admit the Australian thing was an unnecessary but typical dig at Australian. Apologies if I caused offense. However I did find your comment odd since even if it was obvious you must be referring to weekly publications, it wasn't really clear to me why and it was also obvious no one would expect a monthly publication to come out a month later. So well it just sounded off. I admit after reading your clarification that you were referring to Time and reading the earlier comments more carefully it was far easier to understand why you said what you said. Nil Einne (talk) 14:39, 2 October 2010 (UTC)

Often times those are the dates that the magazine should be removed from store shelves, not the release date or the publication date.

See The Straight Dope's article on this subject. APL (talk) 17:55, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

I would hope that the stores would just know to remove issues one week after a printed dates. It's one thing to be a few days in advance, but ridiculous when the next issue is still before that previous one's date. Reywas92^Talk 19:42, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

We actually have Cover date Nil Einne (talk) 19:43, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

For citation purposes, you cite the date labeled on the magazine. In most cases it does not matter whether it came out a week earlier or later. In the rare instances that the actual date of release is important, you can note that in the text or a footnote. In any case it would be extremely hard to establish when different localities received issues in question. --Mr.98 (talk) 22:05, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

Old publications are still useful.—Wavelength (talk) 22:12, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

It's the same reason why the model year of cars is always a few months early, why Madden NFL's dates are always a few months early, etc. It's mostly marketing. --Jayron32 05:13, 27 September 2010 (UTC)

ObPersonal, but as a decades-long collector of (mostly fiction) magazines I have noticed that the default dating protocols differ between the UK and US. In the UK, monthly magazines usually appear on shop shelves around (or only a few days before) the beginning of the month with which they're dated (though subscription issues may be posted to the subscriber a little earlier), while in the US it's usual, as others have already mentioned, for the cover date to indicate when they are to be taken off sale to make way for the next issue. I suspect also that having the cover date well ahead of the appearance date discourages a casual shopworker with limited shelf space from thinking "Hmmm, that's getting old" and taking the issue off the shelf earlier than the publisher would like.

Where there are several magazines competing in the same niche, there must be (I surmise) a temptation to creep the newsstand appearance ever earlier so as to secure a sale ahead of the competitors (though 'title loyalty' is often strong), and I too have seen some 'zines appear in, say, early May dated July. Also, early appearance is slightly exacerbated by the strategy of some 'zines (introduced in the 1980s?) of publishing 13 issues annually with the 13th 'special' issue appearing late in the year, which has the effect of shuffling the preceding ones a little earlier. 87.81.230.195 (talk) 20:33, 27 September 2010 (UTC)

The editors at Wikipedia:WikiProject Magazines might be able to provide additional information.

—Wavelength (talk) 21:02, 27 September 2010 (UTC)

Colour of Motherboards

Typically Motherboards seem to be green...is there a reason for this? (I was going to ask 'why are motherboards green' but a quick search for motherboards shows up quite a few that are blue and some purple and so on). Anyhoo is there a reason? ny156uk (talk) 21:47, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

It's not just motherboards - most printed circuit boards are green (in consumer, automotive, telecoms, and all kinds of other equipment). Strictly what's green is the solder mask layer near the surface. This article (which claims to be a reprint from Printed Circuit Design & Manufacture has some theories why green was (until quite recently) the overwhelmingly popular choice for solder masks - see the "color your world" section near the bottom. -- Finlay McWalter ☻ Talk 22:17, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

PCBs themselves vary a bit in colour, depending on what they're made of. Some are made of epoxy resin, which seems to be of a vaguely greenish tint (although can often be essentially white), and some are made from other plastic-y substances like bakelite, which tend to the brown. You can see the colour of the board itself by looking at the edge. There's no reason why the solder mask has to be the same colour as the board - it could even be clear, although that would make visually verifying it's been applied okay rather tricky. Flex circuits are usually natively clear, but (for whatever reason) the masking on them almost always seems to be brown. -- Finlay McWalter ☻ Talk 22:28, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

The third post on this bulletin board seems to have some possible answers in relation to halogen content: - 220.101 talk^\Contribs 08:18, 27 September 2010 (UTC)

September 27

Number of civil servants

I'm looking for a source on the number of civil servants in various countries, particularly smaller ones and especially Singapore. Any ideas? Thanks. DOR (HK) (talk) 04:07, 27 September 2010 (UTC)

That's a good question. I don't have a good answer, but I do have a cautionary note. Be very careful, when looking at any numbers you do find, that you're comparing apples to apples. The definition of 'civil servant' may vary quite a bit from place to place. Everyone agrees that elected officials and tax collectors, are civil servants. But do teachers at publicly-funded schools count? University professors and staff? How about doctors and nurses, in countries with public health care? (Do all doctors count, or just the ones working for 'public health' programs?) Police? Firefighters? Construction workers employed by private companies that have been contracted by the government? TenOfAllTrades(talk) 13:35, 27 September 2010 (UTC)

Just a cautionary note. Whilst agreeing with the above response, here in the UK elected officials are NOT Civil Servants; they are elected officials whose terms of office are limited to a specific period - and nothing more. Civil Servants are exactly as per that definition - employees directly in the pay of the national Government - on a permanent and established basis, barring dismissal, resignation, and redundancy procedures. Others, such as teachers, soldiers, lighthouse keepers, or doctors and dentists in the National Health Service, or local government employees are more correctly described as Public Servants, whose pay and pension arrangements may emulate those of the Civil Service, but they are, nevertheless, Public Servants and NOT Civil Servants. Hope that helps. 92.30.89.62 (talk) 18:04, 27 September 2010 (UTC)

While in Australia, what the UK calls civil servants, we call public servants, and what the UK calls public servants, we call teachers, soldiers etc. -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 20:42, 27 September 2010 (UTC)

We rarely use the term "public servant" here in the UK, but we do have a Civil Service. with better pension arrangements than teachers, soldiers, nurses etc. Dbfirs 23:19, 27 September 2010 (UTC)

I refuse to be drawn into an argument here but the last comment is demonstrably wrong. As one who worked on teachers' and nurses' pensions for over 35 years I can assure him/her that their pension arrangements matched those of my civil service pension in every respect. 92.30.52.58 (talk) 09:04, 28 September 2010 (UTC)

Not in every respect (though I'm slightly confused by the four different Civil Service Pension Schemes). Don't you get a pension based on sixtieths in the Civil Service? Teachers' and nurses' pension is based on eightieths, with a compulsory "lump sum", giving a significantly worse deal in the current economic climate. The subject of pensions is off-topic, so I apologise for introducing it. Dbfirs 18:32, 28 September 2010 (UTC)

No. My 36 years in the Civil Service qualified me for 36/80ths (taxable) of my best annual salary out of my last 3 years of service - slightly less than half pay - subject to inflation proofing at the previous year's September rate of RPI - plus 3 times that amount as a one-off tax-free lump sum. I accept that towards the end of my career HMG introduced an option to convert to a 1/60ths system for all members of the PCSPS (with reduced lump sum arrangements) but I, like many others, including doctors, dentists, teachers, nurses, firemen etc., etc., and my wife, who was a midwife and latterly a local goverment social worker (Public Servant) who enjoys exactly the same pension scheme and options as I do/did, chose to stick with our 80ths scheme, and who now find that our newly (non) elected coalition government are attempting to (illegally) change the T's and C's of that contractual arrangement so as to shift the goalposts from RPI to CPI (a traditionally lower calculation of annual inflation). If you have any further challenges, please let me know. 92.30.150.226 (talk) 23:37, 28 September 2010 (UTC)

In that case, I apologise and withdraw the (unnecessary) comment I made above. There are differences in early retirement rules (including the "85-rule" in some funded Local Government pensions schemes until recently), and Civil Servants have traditionally contributed a much lower percentage from their own pay (1.5% compared with 6%, though both have recently increased), with the employer contributing correspondingly more. I am fully in agreement with your objection to the present and previous governments' attempts to manipulate figures, and the coalition's illegal change in contractual arrangements. Whilst searching for comparisons, I came across this document which has some figures on public-sector employment in various countries (pages 8 & 9), and might be of interest to the OP. Dbfirs 20:16, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

Interesting off-topic discussion, but I'm still looking for numbers. IMHO, civil servants are those who are employed on civil service terms: pensions, tenure, pay scales, etc. Privatizing a hospital takes the staff out of the civil service, but hiring contract workers during a civil service hiring freeze is just cheating. DOR (HK) (talk) 05:10, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

Maybe it's cheating, but it happens a lot, all over the world, and will completely distort the figures you're after. I would be interested to know the purpose of your enquiry. HiLo48 (talk) 05:14, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

Working for a local government in the US, like a county, should count as "civil service", but these days it is unlikely you will get a pension. Just saying. Pfly (talk) 06:52, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

Well for a start, from a simple search for 'Singapore civil service size' [3] (see the discussion for Singapore figures). From that article, I guess UNPAN has such figures but I was unable to find any from a search and looking thorough their website. You could try asking. In general, I'm pretty sure I've size comparisons aren't uncommon, usually in terms of percentage of population, e.g. nearly 1/3 of people in Sweden work for the public sector. I admit I couldn't find any with much info from searching though. I did find [4] Nil Einne (talk) 13:13, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

Using my DVD player in another country

I can connect my DVD player to my TV using either analogue RF cables, a SCART cable, or a HDMI cable. I know that if using the RF cables the signal is encoded in the UK's flavour of PAL which may not be completely compatible with other flavours of PAL used in other EU countries (I might lose sound and/or colour). Will I encounter similar incompatibilities if I use the SCART or HDMI cables to connect the player to a foreign TV? Astronaut (talk) 07:14, 27 September 2010 (UTC)

PAL, SECAM and NTSC are analogue coding systems and are not, in general, mutually compatible. As far as I know, you will have no problems world-wide with the digital standards of HDMI connections, or with SCART (Euroconnector) in the areas where this is common. I need to add the caveat that I don't have worldwide experience of these, so perhaps our experts from around the world can confirm compatibility without any glitches? Differing DVD region codes is a separate issue about which I know little, but our article DVD region code might help. You should have no problem with the DVDs that you already own, but ones purchased abroad might not be playable on your own DVD player. Dbfirs 08:35, 27 September 2010 (UTC)

AFAIK, most PAL TVs have no problem accepting a NTSC signal from component, composite or s-video (which is a kind of component). However I've heard that NTSC TVs often don't work with PAL signals. When it comes to HDMI, I think most TVs sold in PAL regions similar have no problem with 1080i60 (and other p60 or i60 signals) but again I'm not so sure if all US TVs can handle 1080i50 (or other i50 or p50 signals) Nil Einne (talk) 14:32, 27 September 2010 (UTC)

One thing that might not be compatible are any new DVDs you buy in the other country, unless you have a Multi Region player. -- Q Chris (talk) 14:37, 27 September 2010 (UTC)

Dbfirs already mentioned that Nil Einne (talk) 03:59, 28 September 2010 (UTC)

... but the link was a useful addition. Dbfirs 18:12, 28 September 2010 (UTC)

... but it's also the same link you already linked to (note it's not a redirect but a link with a different name), so only really useful if the OP didn't read the link enough to realise it discusses multi-region players (somewhat irrelevant given the below). Nil Einne (talk) 12:25, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

... oops! I'd forgotten what I linked to! Sorry. Dbfirs 19:36, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

You might have noticed I implied I was talking about taking my UK DVD player to another country in the EU. The region coding and the possibilities of NTSC coding are irrelevant in this case. Are there technical signal incompatibilities getting my UK DVD player to output to a non-UK (but still EU) TV, things like distortion in the aspect ratio, loss of colour or sound, when playing via SCART or HDMI connections? Astronaut (talk) 03:13, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

I'm pretty sure HDMI will be fine. I think SCART will be fine too, but less sure 12:31, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

I agree that SCART will be fine, too, since it is a European standard. Aspect ratio can be a problem within any country, but most modern TVs and DVD players give plenty of choices to achieve an "acceptable" match. TVs without SCART are rare in Europe (though I still have one). Dbfirs 19:36, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

Japanese speakers or translators?

Thing is in Japanese wikipedia there are lots of these -> Wikipedia:Database reports/Living people on EN wiki who are dead on other wikis that show people dead, however they aren't referenced as such and the people that are fixing these things currently on the English Wiki can't find web references either. A lot of news sites that would be reliable sources in Japanese, apparently don't publicly archive their articles, particularly their obituaries. Could someone who can read and type Japanese please forward it to the Japanese wiki so we can get some refs to fix this hole? I know I am really reluctant to do anything unless there is a good source (not blogs and such). Also they seem to have several foreign people listed as dead who aren't. Williamb (talk) 09:49, 27 September 2010 (UTC)

Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Japan would be a better place to request this, since you aren't asking a question, but requesting something. Smartse (talk) 15:07, 27 September 2010 (UTC)

A lot of people on that list are long dead people who simply do not have a date of birth or death listed. (Mauger, Count of Troina, I'm pretty sure, is not alive...) Adam Bishop (talk) 18:42, 27 September 2010 (UTC)

Listing rules

on what basis can a company be rejected from listing in the stock market?

Can a individual having revenues from the net list his company taking into consideration that he has no employees in his copmpany?

Can a .com company only earning revenues from the internet list itself in the capital market?? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Glendsouza87 (talk • contribs) 12:17, 27 September 2010 (UTC)

Different stock exchanges will have different conditions for listing. Large, widely-recognized (like the New York Stock Exchange) will generally have more stringent requirements (for company size and/or cashflow, minimum number of shareholders, track record, corporate governance, etc.) than smaller exchanges. For example, NYSE Euronext (the NYSE's parent company) also operates NYSE Amex, which is an exchange for smaller companies meeting much lower earnings and capitalization thresholds: [5]. Many exchanges require there to be a certain minimum number of public shareholders prior to listing; most exchanges also reserve the right to reject any application for listing on the basis of their own judgement, regardless of any numerical criteria. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 13:25, 27 September 2010 (UTC)

Another criterion is the price of a share. The NYSE, the last I checked, won't list a stock whose price is below $1 per share, and will eventually drop a stock if the share price falls below that level. This rules out so-called penny stocks. Looie496 (talk) 22:52, 27 September 2010 (UTC)

The listing criteria are in the link I provided. The NYSE won't list a new stock below $4 per share, and will delist a stock whose 30-day average price falls below $1 for six months or more. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 16:31, 28 September 2010 (UTC)

intvu

How do you determine someone’s background /stability and if he is going to stick around for a year or more in a company after he is selected. how eager someone needs to show to grab that job interviewed for and is it necessary to show eagerness to be short listed or does it prove detrimental compared to the ones who are relaxed.? Please help —Preceding unsigned comment added by 61.95.140.188 (talk) 14:39, 27 September 2010 (UTC)

Are you wanting to hire or wanting to get hired?--Aspro (talk) 17:45, 27 September 2010 (UTC)

If you're the interviewer, there is some hard data that's more important than the candidate's demeanor in the interview. Some things to look for include how long the candidate has spent at his previous jobs — if the candidate has had 6 jobs in the last 5 years, that's probably a good indication that the candidate is only going to stay with you for a short time. Another red flag is gaps in employment history. This does not speak of life stability, and may even point to the inability to hold a job for those periods of time (think periods of addiction or drug rehab). Another yellow or red flag is if the candidate is interviewing for a job that's clearly "below" the candidate's previous job or two. If the candidate formerly earned US$80,000 as a manager and now wants to earn US$40,000 as a worker, the candidate is presumably still out there interviewing like crazy to jump to another US$80,000 per year job as soon as possible. (It's not always terrible to hire an overqualified worker, but you can assume that worker is likely to be bored and frustrated.) Comet Tuttle (talk) 17:59, 27 September 2010 (UTC)

By the way, my comments above are US based. I see the original poster geolocates to India, where the above observations may be totally off; they are culturally based. My understanding, for example, is that most Indian information workers are much more likely than American workers to switch jobs frequently, so seeing "frequent job changes in the last few years" on a CV may be universal in India, for all I know, and hence useless as a data point for the interviewer. Comet Tuttle (talk) 18:01, 27 September 2010 (UTC)

old photo for Automobile article

I remember there was a photo which showed alot mini cars in a square and it was used for the article "Automobile"? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.31.17.206 (talk) 16:52, 27 September 2010 (UTC)

Maybe like this?[6] Alansplodge (talk) 17:23, 27 September 2010 (UTC)

No, it was different. It was black and white and when i mean mini cars, I don't mean the british car mini. I mean small size cars. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.92.149.157 (talk) 02:46, 28 September 2010 (UTC)

If you have a vague impression of when you saw the picture in the Automobile article, you can look through the history. Just click on the "View History" tab at the top of the Automobile page, then scroll down to the appropriate date. Click on the date and time to see the article as it was then. -- Having had a quick browse through myself, you may be talking about File:Automobiles.jpg "A small variety of cars, the most popular kind of automobile", from ca. 2005 [7], which unfortunately has been deleted, with the note that a file of the same name exists on Wikimedia Commons. Unfortunately, the file Automobiles.jpg was deleted from Wikimedia Commons in April of this year because of permission issues. By the way, the Wikipedia:Help desk is usually the better place to go for questions about Wikipedia itself. -- 174.31.192.131 (talk) 04:07, 28 September 2010 (UTC)

9/11 Dust Storm

Please believe me when I explain that in posing this side issue question, I am not being aloof to the enormity or the horror of the human disaster that was perpetrated on the World Trade Centre on September 11th (9/11). I have just received by e-mail a series of previously unseen (by me) aerial photographs of the aftermath of the strikes on the twin towers, and apart from the unimagineable suffering caused that day, whether directly or indirectly, I was and am, amazed at the amount of smoke and dust created by the impacts of the aeroplanes on the buildings and surrounding area. My question? What subsequent damage was done to the air-conditioning systems of the adjacent buildings and perhaps to other air-intake systems such as, vehicle carburation systems and other similar devices, and were such damages claimable against insurance companies, should that consequential information be known? Thanks in anticipation. 92.30.89.62 (talk) 17:53, 27 September 2010 (UTC)

This report (http://www.comptroller.nyc.gov/bureaus/bud/reports/impact-9-11-year-later.pdf) shows the fiscal impacts of 9/11. If I get round to scanning and finding anything about the clean-up air-con unit wise i'll like but probably worth scanning yourself. ny156uk (talk) 19:19, 27 September 2010 (UTC)

Was September 11 considered an act of war for insurance? Because a lot of American insurances do not cover acts of war in the standard policies. 69.134.144.157 (talk) 19:24, 28 September 2010 (UTC)

I'm going to say "no" to 69's question. The insurance companies paid for the World Trade Center destruction. Also see page 8 of the end-of-2001 Warren Buffet letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders, in which he writes, "In short, all of us in the [insurance] industry made a fundamental underwriting mistake by focusing on experience, rather than exposure, thereby assuming a huge terrorism risk for which we received no premium." They all have made sure since then to specifically address terrorism in their coverage — it's now always either explicitly included or excluded from policies. Comet Tuttle (talk) 22:39, 28 September 2010 (UTC)

I predict considerable debate over exactly what terrorism is. HiLo48 (talk) 22:57, 28 September 2010 (UTC)

Some insurance companies define "terrorism". Eg RAC WA Insurance defines it in their thus policy thus:
Terrorism means an act including but not limited to the use of force or violence and/or threat, of any person or group of persons done for or in connection with political, religious, ideological or similar purposes including the intention to influence any government and/or to put the public, or any section of the public in fear.
Mitch Ames (talk) 13:28, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

That is a pretty broad definition. They could use that to deny any arson claim at all. Googlemeister (talk) 18:27, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

Long-range RFID

After reading the RFID thread above, I must ask: What's considered the best current RFID-like technology that can sense the "sticker" at a range of a meter or so rather than just a few inches? By "best", I think I mean "cheap and of barely acceptable quality". You see, I want to put such a sticker on my TV's remote control. Even if the detector isn't directional it'll improve my life. Comet Tuttle (talk) 21:41, 27 September 2010 (UTC)

It depends by what you mean 'cheap', what is 'barely acceptable quality' and what sort of size you're asking. There are plenty of devices made for this purpose (along with wallets, keys, pets etc), e.g. [8] [9]. These are RF but probably are not technically RFID, aren't passive, aren't what I would call cheap but may be a good bet if you're willing to pay the price and the size is acceptable. I haven't looked but I'm guessing there are plenty of similar items, include some cheaper stuff from China in places like eBay, DealExtreme, KaiDomain, Lighttake, Focalprice, DinoDirect, Buyincoins... Nil Einne (talk) 00:45, 28 September 2010 (UTC)

Actually from a quick look on eBay I might have been wrong. Also I forgot to include [10] which may be more expensive then some of the others but is an interesting and IMHO smart addition to the common concept. (Even with the expensive price, the FOFA actually sounds like the one most worthwhile to me since otherwise it'll likely be easy to end up with a case of 'lost the device which helps you find the lost device' situation. Not perfect of course, personally I would suggest 8 devices would have been better and they probably have enough space for that many buttons.) Nil Einne (talk) 00:57, 28 September 2010 (UTC)

September 29

Bananas

I bought some green bananas three weeks ago (I swear I did NOT accidentally buy plantains), and they're still green as of now! They never ripened! WTF? 24.189.87.160 (talk) 00:49, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

How well ventalated were they? Because bananas ripen better in a closed area. Ripening is caused by ethylene gas, which is also produced by the ripening bananas, so keeping them in a paper bag usually results in faster ripening. Also, it may depend on how green the bananas were to begin with. Did you check the banana, or just look at it? It could be that the banana ripened fine, but retained its green color. For the record, I find three weeks hard to believe. If a banana sits around in my house for three weeks, it's black. Normally, even for the really green ones, a week is the outside shelf-life. Is it possible someone ate the old bananas, and replaced them recently, and you just didn't notice? --Jayron32 03:19, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

Dude, I am positive that no one touched those bananas. They sat in a fruit basket by the window... for three weeks straight. Not a single variation in color. At all. I guess they were picked before their time. 24.189.87.160 (talk) 04:07, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

OK, not plantains perhaps but are they discribed as Guineo--Aspro (talk) 08:52, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

Although until recently the large majority of internationally traded bananas were all of one variety, there are many different ones and the range of those widely traded is growing. Not all of these varieties turn yellow when ripe: when (in the 1960s) I lived in Hong Kong and Singapore, we always ate bananas that were green but nonetheless perfectly ripe - by the time they became yellow they would have been overripe! I suggest you try peeling one of your green bananas and check its ripeness directly; flesh texture and flavour are more important than the colour of the non-consumed skin. (87.81 posting from . . .) 87.82.229.195 (talk) 10:43, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

Travel by horse

In eras when this was a major form of travel, how far did someone on horseback generally travel in a day? 165.91.175.11 (talk) 08:07, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

Horses we never a major form of travel. Most people walked, due to the cost of keeping said animal. Even when they did own one, it was usually reserved for productive work. Suppose a ball park figure for the average distance for an average horse would be about a couple of dozen miles. --Aspro (talk) 09:11, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

Depends on the terrain, the horse, the rider, and whether or not you had a change of horses available. In our article Horses in the Middle Ages#Transport it suggests: "Large retinues ... could rarely cover more than fifteen to twenty miles a day. Small mounted companies might travel 30 miles a day ... Richard II of England once managed the 70 miles between Daventry and Westminster in a night". In the early 20th century, Louis and Temple Abernathy's 4500-mile ride from New York to San Francisco took 62 days, so 72.58 miles per day. And they were children, travelling alone. Karenjc 09:33, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

Mongol armies managed 50-60 miles per day, by using spare horses (and, usually, suitable terrain). As a rule of thumb, in most situations horses are no faster or slower over long distances that humans on foot - indeed, humans are excellent long-distance travelers. The main advantage of horses is that they allow more baggage. --Stephan Schulz (talk) 09:51, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

I thought their main advantage was, that with their excellent night vision, they would always be able to get you back from the pub to your home, regardless of how much you had drunk and long before the advent of satnav. --Aspro (talk) 10:23, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

Compare these to the American Pony Express, which flourished briefly before the telegraph. The mail on horseback travelled coast to coast in ten days. BrainyBabe (talk) 11:12, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

The Pony Express went from St. Joseph, MO to Sacramento, CA, not from coast to coast. Telegraphy could carry the message half the distance about instantly. The riders could cover about 1900 miles in about ten days, with fresh horses about every 10 miles.Edison (talk) 16:48, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

17th Century highwayman, John Nevison, is supposed to have ridden from Rochester to York (200 miles or more) in one day, arriving at sunset to give himself an alibi. Daniel Defoe wrote an account of it, but the event was later attributed to Dick Turpin[11]. Alansplodge (talk) 11:25, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

I agree that horses were never a major form of travel. One person riding a single horse could not expect to travel much more than 20 miles a day. Anything more than that would exhaust the horse. As others have said, it was possible to travel much farther than that in a single day on horseback, but only if one changed horses every few miles, so that each horse could gallop. I believe that this is the way the Pony Express worked. This was only possible if one had a job with the Pony Express, or if one was the ruler or a powerful figure in a state that could provision or commandeer (or a criminal who could steal) a supply of horses for this purpose. Marco polo (talk) 16:19, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

Some of the extreme claims of distance from history are unbelievable. Another factor to consider is that a horse can be literally ridden to death, as in cases where a messenger sacrifices his horse to get an urgent message through. One report from the 1860's says a horse was ridden to death covering 25 miles in 1.5 hours, for an average speed of 16.7 miles per hour or 26.9 km/hour. Edison (talk) 16:48, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

regarding plug sockets

Supposing I have something that would normally be plugged in to that little round socket inside a car, but for a while will be in a place where I have no access to the car, is there any way I can plug it in to a normal socket instead, anywhere I could, for example, buy an adaptor for it?

148.197.121.205 (talk) 09:35, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

The little round socket is a cigarette lighter receptacle. cars once upon a time had ashtrays in them too! Dismas|^(talk) 09:43, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

And I think this will do what you want. It was the first result of a search of "cigarette lighter adaptor to AC". Dismas|^(talk) 09:45, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

The IP address locates to the UK, so the OP might find this item a better choice. Having said that, both people who left reviews said theirs didn't work. Astronaut (talk) 10:14, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

I suspect that these are all low-power switched-mode power supplies, and will work only for low-power applications. We need to know what power the OP's "something" requires before we can give sound advice. Dbfirs 19:24, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

Non lethal trap

My kitchen has a new resident. I've seen it a few times now and it's some type of mouse or vole. Very cute little thing. I am a cuteness bigot and do not kill cute furry mammals (whereas if it was a rat I'd have no qualms). Anyone have a recommendation of a specific non-lethal trap to use? (or one that I can make?).--162.83.168.103 (talk) 13:46, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

Because rats aren't cute and furry mammals? [12]. Buddy431 (talk) 16:03, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

A pest-control supplier should be able to sell you a no-kill mousetrap (see mouse trap#Live-catching mousetraps). Note that, as in Ratatouille, there is very rarely such a thing as "one rat". -- Finlay McWalter ☻ Talk 13:56, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

The Big Cheese - Live Catch Mouse Trap. Very cheap.--Aspro (talk) 14:17, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

See the "Havaheart" trap. Catch the critter, release it outside, and it will be back in the house before you are. Take it to the forest preserve, and it will enter someone else's home. Edison (talk) 16:33, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

Should you have a change of heart however, here is a wiki article that solves the problem without leaving your kitchen. Souris a la Creme--Aspro (talk) 17:20, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

here are some more durable live rodent traps (more expensive though). It appears that the entire website is to sell all sorts of live traps for all manner of critter. Buddy431 (talk) 17:27, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

I don't know where you are but here in the UK, living as I do on the edge of the Scottish countryside, we experience a lot of mice, rabbits, foxes, bees, spiders, wasps and squirrels etc., in our garden, and we don't mind their presence one little bit - outside the house. But last year, we had an infestation of "little cute furry things" in our basement and loft, and we did use a lot of killing machines successfully, but then thought it wasn't fair to kill a nice wee furry thing, just for adopting our home as theirs, when the country is awash with illegal immigrants claiming social security benefits for themselves and their extended families; so we decided to give them (the furry things) a second chance and started using a neat little and very cheap device available from our local garden centre that invites the mouse to come inside and partake of this "nice little repast I prepared earlier for you". It's a little grey box that has a kind of portcullis gate that drops down behind the mouse when he investigates the food at the back of the box - it's on a kind of rocker platform that shifts its fulchrum as the mouse moves inside it. And it works without killing the mouse - but boy, does that mouse get angry??? I have collected several from inside the box that have gnawed great big holes in the plastic; and I have seen several mice that have eaten their own limbs off trying to make themselves small enough to escape through the resultant hole. Poor things. But if you are intent on catching a mouse in any kind of a trap - forget the cheese - mice aren't attracted to cheese. Try peanut butter or something equally sweet and sticky like condensed milk - and the mice will beat a pathway to your door - as the saying goes. 92.30.7.243 (talk) 17:32, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

Get (or borrow) a cat. Astronaut (talk) 19:22, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

Though not if you want to live-release your mice. If you want to dead-release them, then no problem! I have always been amused by the conceit of "building a better mouse trap" when Mother Nature has spent millions of years carefully crafting a machine which does little more than sleep in the sun and catch mouse-sized mammals - and does them both very, very, well. Matt Deres (talk) 20:39, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

We had mice in our kitchen cupboards once, Mum took all the saucepans out and put Kitty Fisher (our splendid pure-bred Bristolian mog) inside for twenty minutes or so. Never had any mice again - the smell of cat put them off. DuncanHill (talk) 21:35, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

Fused LED in LED tv

what will happen if one or more LED of Led tv fuses. Is it repairable? will it deteriorate the picture quality? thanX............--Myownid420 (talk) 17:26, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

I've never heard of LEDs fusing (though I've melted them by running them at overly high voltages; perhaps that counts). It seems more likely that the TV would have a fuse that could blow. That could be the case regardless of whether LEDs are present, and fuses are generally trivial to replace. — Lomn 18:00, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

mining and forest laws

laws governing mining and forests in india —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ravipranay1988 (talk • contribs) 20:00, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

What about them? Do you have a question? Astronaut (talk) 21:08, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

Ramen Noodles

Is it alright to eat Maruchan ramen noodles raw? It's certainly better for you than eating them cooked, seeing as how you wouldn't be consuming as much sodium... Battleaxe9872 ^{وکیپیڈیا} 20:05, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

Oh? Is there sodium in your boiled water? In either case, I would say they are safe to eat. --KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 20:08, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

:), they have flavoring packets, like here, which are like 8/10ths salt, so if you don't mix in the packet, you wouldn't eat as much sodium. Battleaxe9872 ^{وکیپیڈیا} 20:13, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

I thought you meant you were going to have crunchy noodles :). Merely not adding the flavouring packet is not what I would consider eating it 'raw', and the flavouring packet is perfectly optional. You can add what you want to the noodles, or if you prefer, not add anything at all. I hope this helps. --KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 20:54, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

I was talking about eating them w/o cooking. Battleaxe9872 ^{وکیپیڈیا} 21:41, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

They are good uncooked. :) And there is nothing on the packages I have on hand to say cooking is required. See Ramen#Health_concerns for various other health concerns. WikiDao ☯ (talk) 21:50, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

• Yes you can eat them raw, as in uncooked. For one, they are dried which inhibits the growth of most nasties, two, they are intended to keep for very long periods of time and are thus designed to not grow any bacteria. In fact, when he was much younger, my nephew's favourite snack was dry ramen noodles. Further, almost all foods are safe to eat raw as long as one is in good health. Regulations about cooking times and temperatures are geared towards edge cases and the greater good. For most products, assuming that one is not very young, very old, or immunocompromised in some way (e.g. HIV, leukemia, chemotherapy, etc), it is perfectly safe to eat raw. I eat raw fish, egg yolks, beef, etc on a regular basis. Do bear in mind of course that those are my choices and to be completely sure you should check with your physician before consuming raw foods which are generally intended to be cooked. → ROUX ₪ 21:04, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

. Really, now, this is idiotic. Edge cases? Tell that to the hundreds of thousands of people per year who get sick from salmonella, parasites, and other foodborne illness that's preventable by cooking. Comet Tuttle (talk) 21:19, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

on that whole section of that article. 81.131.15.168 (talk) 21:48, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

Facial Features

I'd really like a book that describes different facial features with illustrations, preferably using proper names where they exist. So, for example, it might talk about noses, and point out the main parts that vary (the nostrils, the bridge, etc?) and how they vary, and illustrate this, and perhaps name the parts and the most common variations.

I've had trouble, because I don't know what area to look in. Art? Anatomy? I haven't seen what I need. Ideally, it should be available in a British library, or at least on general sale in the UK. 109.155.33.219 (talk) 21:52, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

Are you mostly interested in the "art" aspect of this, yourself? WikiDao ☯ (talk) 21:53, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

I'm mostly interested in learning to spot the facial features that are likely to allow me to identify someone in future, and verbalise these features (in my head) so that I can remember them! I have great difficulty spotting unchangable-yet-distinct features, and when I do I have to 'explain' them to myself, as I can't just 'picture' them in a distinctive way. I'm trying to re-educate myself, but I think I'll need a lot of connected words and pictures to do it. 109.155.33.219 (talk) 21:59, 29 September 2010 (UTC)