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December 14
Santa
Hey my mummy said you have rolled up the santa story becuase hes a troll. whats a troll? Katie (age 6) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.111.8.127 (talk • contribs) 00:32, 14 December 2006
In answer to your question Katie -- a troll is someone who posts things to the internet for the purpose of irritating other people. They ask questions, but aren't interested in the answers. They just want to see people get angry and confused.
thank you i was aksing how santa cud deliver to all the childern in the wirld at the ssame time. Katie age 6
Note -- I have been told that this question is a well-established troll. Even if this is the case, I will answer the question as well as I may, for anyone else who may be interested in the logistics of global gift delivery...
Short answer: it's best not to worry about such things. Santa is very very clever. How else would he know what you want for Christmas? :) Vranak18:18, 15 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
we usuly writ to him at north pole. But mummy sais sum his nomes now work here so i thot i can say what i want here. i wud like a big big dolly Katie age 6
Santa's nomes may well read wikipedia but I'm sure Santa would prefer a letter from you to him at the North Pole in Lapland. You have to ask nicely otherwise he may forget you, the nicer you are the more likely you are to get what you ask him for. Its the personal touch that counts.AMX19:09, 21 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Cell phone through washer
Last night I accidentally put my cell phone through the washing machine. It's been about 24 hours and there's a ton of condensation inside the display. It doesn't turn on at all. Do phones usually recover after being washed? Is there anything I can do to fix it? I talked to someone today and they said dipping it in alcohol would dry it out. Is that a good idea or completely ridiculous? Thanks, Xcfrommars01:04, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
try going to a repair store or something. If the phone has flash memory, it should be fine, with a bit of drying, but if it has a hard drive, then its about time you invest in a new phone, but still, you should take it in to somewhere like radioshack and ask if they can do something about it. It might also have a warranty or something. As for the alcohol, that's a bad idea probably. Ilikefood01:17, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Take the battery out and let it dry. It may take a few days, but you should be patient. With the battery out, use a paper towel to sop up any moisture you can and clean the contacts for the battery. - CHAIRBOY (☎) 01:22, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Applying any kind of heat to speed drying would be a bad idea, but you can place the opened phone in the gentle stream of a fan or a hair dryer (on a cool setting), OR if you have a dryer rack in your dryer (for shoes), and a cool 'air' setting, you can put the phone (covered) on it and run the dryer on the 'air dry' setting. Anchoress01:29, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
The paper towel might be a bad idea because if your fingers get wet, you could get zapped by the battery and that wouldn't be good, even if its not deadly, it may be painful. Best idea is to check the warranty. Ilikefood01:35, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
At least this is better than a friend of mine, who was leaning over to fix a public toilet that was running full blast,,,, drop and whoosh! --Zeizmic03:31, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
We should probably ask what type of detergent or bleach you used, as they might cause irreversible corrosion of the circuit board inside. StuRat04:00, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Well, I can tell you that dipping electronic devices in Alcohol isn't generally a good idea; I did that with a print head once to try and clean it, and ended up setting the printer on fire. CernenXanthineKatrena11:59, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
OK. Now listen to someone who has actually washed the inside of his TV set -- me! THe most important thing not to do is switch the phone on when its wet as this may cuase all sorts of unintended low resistance paths to appear. What you should do is:
remove the batties
shake out the excess water by hand or leave to drain on your draining board
if you have a hair dryer, gently try to blow the excess moisture out of the phone
then you need to put the phone in front of your dehumidifier output and leave it thre for at least 24 hrs (the dehumid must be on and pumping out dry air.) This will eventually remove every last drop of moisture from your phone.
replace batties, cross fingers arms and legs, then switch on! If it donrt work, its downt o the shop for a new one. But at least you tried! 8-) --Light current22:02, 15 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
So long as it was off before getting wet and you don't turn it on again untill you are 100% sure that it is TOTALLY dry you should get away with it.AMX
Pickles
Can Pickles be packaged with less salt, or is that needed in the pickle juice?
New York style "fresh pack" cucumber picles are made with no salt or just a little for flavoring, not for the actual pickling. Sweet pickles also have little or no salt but use sugar instead. See [1]. -THB02:23, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I could probably list eight or ten distinct ways of preserving food. You only really need to use one of them, unless you're planning on storing a foodstuff for many months. So, you can get away with pickling with just vinegar, or packing in sugar, or packing in salt, or coating in oil. The thing is, these unmoderated solutions don't have the best effect on taste, when you finally getting around to eating the pickles.
I'm hoping to find information on the 2007 Inaugural Ball following the inauguration of Phil Bredesen. It would be nice to know date, location, and how to get tickets/invited.
Most of the search results generated from the above link produce information unrelated to the inaugural -- or they refer to the previous inaugural ball. I've checked on "gubernatorial" as well, but no luck so far.
wikipedia success
Eric Goldman said that wikipedia will fail in 4 years because of heave vandalism and spam. Bots alone can't revert vandalism forever. Do you think Wikipedia will survive in the next few years?--PrestonH05:05, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
This seems like a request for an opinion/speculation. The reference desk is better suited towards finding answers that are a bit more... empirically based. Now, if, say 4 years from now you ask whether Wikipedia survived, we can help there. - CHAIRBOY (☎) 05:13, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Unfortunately, Chairboy, the nature of the reference desk is such that speculative questions are quite common. As for your question, PrestonH, bots aren't the only things reverting vandalism; we have a whole task force of volunteer editors that focus on just that sort of thing: the Wikipedia Counter-Vandalism Unit. CernenXanthineKatrena12:03, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Developers are working on a new feature that allows editing while stable versions are shown. Vandalism is a lot less fun for the vandals when they can't see it show up immediately. - Mgm|(talk)12:07, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I think that it will take a little more than four years for wikipedia to fail, although people are losing all of their trust in wikipedia after finding numerous pages that have a bunch of nonsense in it.
There seems to be the assumption that no new measures will be taken to combat vandals. There are numerous methods available, including automatic rollback of all of one person's changes, locking pages, restricting edits to registered users only, blocking or banning users, banning I/P addresses, etc. StuRat17:12, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I wonder what is meant by "fail?" If my first impression is correct (that Wikipedia will be disbanded and cease to exist), the monument that has been put up is very far-reaching and deep-set. The fact that its very mainframe and existence has been set up and drawn from chaos into order by the sheer number of volunteers (as well as the fact that the very nature of Wikipedia is to allow these volunteers to easily contribute to it) practically ensures its eventual growth rather than decay. There are almost assuredly more conscientious editors than vandals, and the vandals that do exist, for the most part, don't stick around for long.
For these reasons, Wikipedia is quite similar to a reverse model of entropy, with all the loose bits of information eventually coming together in a neat structure, despite opposing efforts. 64.90.198.620:36, 15 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
At the moment I can't see any reason for wikipedia to suddenly "fail" and I sincerly hope it never does, the great people out there who contribute and edit are far bigger in number than the scum who try to wreck it.
I am a great fan of wikipedia and I take my hat off to all the people who put a positive effort in towards it, long may it continue.AMX18:55, 21 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
tomb of Averroes
Was he buried in Marrakesh? I wish to pay homage to him.
Supposedly he was buried in Marrakesh but later exhumed and re-buried in Cordova but I can't find any detail on the exact location. I always think that the best way to pay homage to any writer is to read his works. meltBanana16:27, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Alan Watts on Christianity
how are Watts' works on Christianity viewed by modern theologians and his contemporaries? Is he thought of as a rogue or a true apologetic?
This isn't a homework question, I've been reading Watts and I want to know how "reliable" his views on Christianity are with more established thinkers, especially those of the Church. I know he's been considered a rogue academic, and therefore I suspect he's been considered a rogue Christian theologian, but I want to read the where and how of it. I've deleted the last comment lest it prevent others from answering.
I had to do it. It's roGUE, not roUGE.
DMT
so what's the deal with Dimethyltryptamine?
From the article, it doesn't seem too harmful, only a 30 minute high max when smoked? And in the 1990's researchers have conducted experiments in the USA with it? So is it comparitively safe?
The problem with drugs is not always physiological side-effects. A large part of drug-caused mortality and morbidity (i.e., injury, illness) is caused by accidents related to drug use, for example when people drive or go to work while under the influence of a drug. Drug-related crime is also a major problem. BenC711:16, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
If it's anything like Diethyltryptamine - don't expect a 'high' - expect to be lying on the floor with blue lips - feeling like you've just been really hit by a truck - they are hallucinogens - but don't expect it to be 'fun' like some speed or cannabis or shrooms - it isn't. As for safety - nobody ever died from eating shit - but how many repeat the experience...83.100.174.7011:45, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Why not read the Dimethyltryptamine page twice? Expect a 'near death experience' - this includes feeling like death, also expect to hallucinate aliens (see machine elf for more info).
With very little regard to safety; in Washington state, there are very few enforcable (or enforced, for that matter) regulations surrounding the safety of construction cranes, and recently, one fell over in Bellevue, Washington and killed a man in his condo. CernenXanthineKatrena12:12, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
The crane you see on top of a building probably lifted itself up to the roof. The main cable control mechanism can pull itself from the ground to the top, using a temporary structure at the top to support its weight. Then it can lift the rest up. It is generally self assembling (with humans of course to control it and bolt things together). That way no "UberCrane" is needed to lift and assemble the construction crane. Edison18:21, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Wikipedia Grafffiti
Hey i was just looking at a page on Adam Smith and saw a line that said "i like boobies" it was graffiti, so i refreshed the page and it was gone. it just made me wonder: what is the wikipedia page that gets the most graffiti?
The thing is, about a third of Canadians are 'Liberal for life' -- they have never, and will never, vote for any party other than the Liberal Party. So, you can always expect there to be a significant amount of criticism (and vandalism) directed at a non-Liberal Prime Minister -- especially one who is very popular in Alberta. For some reason, the rest of Canada doesn't seem too fond of Alberta or Albertans. Could just be jealous of their oil and gas wealth, of course. :) Cheers. Vranak16:26, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Being an Albertan who has lived in other provinces, I can state categorically that it's not envy of our wealth. It's the belief that we are greedy, culture-free troglodytes who want to force everyone in the country to be a conservative evangelical Christian at the point of our dear, dear guns while we blow up the CBC and replace it with anything American. In other words, they think we're stupid, selfish, heartless, hate-filled rednecks who worship the United States. --Charlene00:39, 18 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
thanks for the words, i loved that article about stephen harper. does wikipedia keep stats? say what articles get the most edits or how often the anti-vandalism bots have to act?
I read somewhere that if you melt all the gold in the world, it would fit in a volume the size of a tennis court. Now that is alarmingly rare, and shows as well the quantity of cheaper metals that are added to make jewellery. Now I wonder, why does man use gold as a yardstick for wealth? Gold is just pretty and 'rare' but there are elements that are more rare. Gold does not have intrinsic value. Sandman30s13:29, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
While the cost of gold is far above it's intrinsic value, I disagree that gold has no intrinsic value. It is highly resistant to corrosion, an excellent electrical conductor, and highly malleable. Those characteristics make it useful for electrical contacts, for example. If it were as cheap as iron, gold and gold alloys could be used widely, such as in wiring, "silverware", and for car body panels. Rust would then be a thing of the past. StuRat17:04, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Maybe I'm missing something but a tennis court doesn't have a volume, it's a two dimensional area. Or did you mean that the height of the net would provide the third dimension? Dismas|(talk)13:36, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Yes. If you want to be technical the height varies, but the whole volume measurement is an approximation to give the layman an idea of the size. Sandman30s14:07, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I saw a program on, I believe, the Science Channel, saying that, if all the gold in the core of the earth (which they said makes up only 1% of all the materials there) were melted, the entire land mass of the world would be covered with gold almost a meter deep. I'm doubt that's the volume of a tennis court, but you do the math. ;-) | AndonicOTalk | Sign Here13:35, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I think that Sandman was referring to the gold already mined on the surface, which is no doubt a minuscule fraction of the gold inaccessibly contained in Earth's core. Marco polo13:54, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
The article on gold says:
Gold in antiquity was relatively easy to obtain geologically; however, 75% of all gold ever produced has been extracted since 1910.[2] It has been estimated that all the gold in the world that has ever been refined would form a single cube 20 m (66 ft) on a side (8000 m³).
Silver is so common that a lot of the supply comes as a byproduct of mining for other metals such as gold and copper. -THB14:03, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I received an email from the World Servants. They respected woman - man parity and lived on prayers. Their abbey, Thelema, had just received a gift that had helped to clean the gold layers on the walls, floors and roofs … Down to the bin went the email. -- DLL .. T18:28, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Really? That's a pity, there is a lot that can be learnt about modern mythology and concerns through spam. Unfortunately I only get the same crap about V1arga. was Thelema abbey mentioned or was it only your elaboration? meltBanana19:37, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
If an astronaut jumped out of a space ship in orbit, he would also be in orbit, and would circle round the earth rather than fall straight down. If he did find a way to fall straight down his parachute wouldn't work, because there is no atmosphere up there. When he did reach the atmosphere, the friction would burn him up. --Auximines09:52, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
The 'easy' way to fall straight down would be to have a rocket firing sideways to reduce the circular orbital speed to zero (or, looking at it another way, to equalize the relative speeds of the top of the Earth's atmosphere and the astronaut). Then gravity would bring the astronaut straight down. Now add another rocket firing downwards, and you can slowly move downwards in complete safety. Unfortunately, this would require prodigious amounts of rocket fuel.
Extending the question, what I've never been clear on is how the Earth's atmosphere reacts to (a) the rotation of the Earth; and (b) the motion of the Earth through space. Does the atmosphere trail off behind the Earth as the Earth moves in its orbit around the Sun? Does the top of the atmosphere move at a different speed to the part of the atmosphere in contact with the Earth's surface? Carcharoth11:21, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
You are wrongly assuming that space exercises appreciable drag on the atmosphere. There is no reason for the upper atmosphere to be moving at a different speed due to drag. There are coriolis effects (see also [2]) and other meteorological factors but space drag is not one of them. --Justanother14:26, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Well the only thing that would knock it back would be the solar winds which are deflected by the magnetosphere, so what would push it back? PhilcTECI22:45, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
NASA studied possible emergency procedures for the astronauts to evacuate the shuttle in orbit in their spacesuit and come back to earth. I think the idea has been put on hold because of too many technical difficulties and of the feasability of integrating all the gear needed for a return to earth into the spacesuit. The main way to make the high speed transition into the atmosphere was with a huge balloon slowing down the astronaut and keeping him stable. I can't find the ref. on that though. Keria10:46, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I found these two articles: [3] and [4]. The first link is the system proposed after the Columbia disaster, the second (an astronautix entry on 'Rescue') looks at the history of such systems, and has some pretty pictures. For future reference, I found these with a Google search using the following separate terms: "nasa" "astronaut" "emergency" "reentry" "balloon". Carcharoth11:21, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
We already have an article on one of these systems at MOOSE. Our material on the FIRST re-entry glider seems to be at Rogallo wing and Paresev. But that is only 2 of the 35 re-entry systems listed at the astronautix 'Rescue' page I linked above. Does anyone want to check out Wikipedia's coverage of the other re-entry systems? Carcharoth11:38, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Highly unlikely - the main problem is heating when re-entering the atmosphere. An astronaut in low Earth orbit is moving at 8 km/s (relative to the Earth), he needs to shed most of this speed in order to land safely. Also, if your astronaut is in a stable orbit you first need to reduce his speed enough so that the periapsis of his orbit is far enough inside the atmosphere to slow him down further - this will require rocket engines of some sort strapped to your astronaut. Once you've done that, the astronaut will re-enter the atmosphere at the above 8 km/s. Think of what happens to the Space Shuttle when it re-enters the atmosphere, it glows white-hot from the friction of re-entry - that kind of heat will reduce your astronaut to cinders in a few seconds. So you need to encase him in some kind of heat shielding, which will probably end up looking more like a miniature spacecraft than a space suit. Assuming you can survive the brutal heating, a multi-stage parachute (à la Project Excelsior, which you linked to) should get your astronaut down the rest of the way, assuming he hasn't spun out of control during re-entry. Bottom line: theoretically possible, very hard to do in practice.
<geek hat on>The Mandalorians used a tactic similar to this in planetary assaults, they would encase their soldiers in power armour, and drop them into the atmosphere of a planet from orbit, where, with the help of a Basilisk war droid, they would reduce their speed enough to be able to land near the target and attack it directly... </geek> — QuantumEleven11:58, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Strictly speaking, the 8km/s is the escape velocity needed to attain the orbital speed relative to the Earth's surface needed to avoid falling to Earth (ie. to instead fall in a parabola large enough to fall continuously around the Earth - which is another way of describing the process of orbiting the Earth). The heating when re-entering the atmosphere assumes that you re-enter at this speed. This orbital speed (I'm assuming it to be 8km/s) is only needed if want to orbit by free-falling around the Earth. As I said above, you can reduce this orbital speed relative to the Earth's surface by firing a rocket against the direction of your orbital movement, and you then naturally fall to Earth as the endpoint of your parabola falls below the horizon. But if you also fire a rocket straight downwards, you can hover in orbit at that point. Takes far too much energy to do in practice, as to reduce the orbital speed to zero you have to expend the same amount of energy used in take-off to attain this orbital speed in the first place. But once you've done this, then the "8km/s problem" vanishes, though you do need to have continuous upwards thrust equal to the weight of the spacecraft to hover at that position in orbit. Reduce the orbital speed relative to the Earth's surface to zero while maintaining this upwards thrust, then manouevre over a particular point on the Earth's surface, then remove the upwards thrust and watch the spacecraft fall downwards towards that point. Terminal velocity in the upper reaches of the atmosphere is quite high, so you might want to adjust things so that the craft doesn't burn up. Once the craft reaches the denser parts of the atmosphere, it will fall normally at terminal velocity until it hits the surface. I'm not sure how much effects winds and the Coriolis effect would have, but I suspect that because the object is not moving laterally relative to the Earth's surface below, the Coriolis effect would not apply. Carcharoth14:23, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
The likelihood of an Astronaut (or anyone else for that matter) free-falling from anything above 20 meters, let alone 20 kilometers, and surviving the ordeal is vanishingly-small in my estimation. Vranak16:30, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I understand that the atmosphere is vanishingly thin above the stratosphere. So if the space shuttle was in geosynchronous orbit and the astronaut pushed off with all of his might toward Earth, what's the difference between that and starting your descent a few miles lower, like in my link? Why would the astronaut burn up and not the guy going up in a balloon? --frothTC19:06, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I think you're making a common mistake: that of mixing up "orbit" and "space". Space is an altitude (and an arbitrarily defined one at that). Orbit is a velocity (and for Earth it's a huge velocity). A guy in a balloon isn't moving w.r.t the atmosphere, so he only has his potential energy to lose on the way down, which is something his chute can comfortably handle. Someone in orbit is moving at around mach 35: he has a huge amount of kinetic energy too, and in order to get down to the ground (and be stationary wrt it when he gets there) he has to get rid of that too - that's a job way beyond any existing parachute/shuttlecock technology - only a heatshield is capable of handling the energies involved (using modern technologies).
This is all true, but you are talking about a stable orbit here. One where an object just orbits indefinitely without needing to burn any fuel to maintain the orbit. Have a look at orbit. It is entirely possible (if rather difficult) to expend fuel to hover at a point above a planet. If you start from that point, then re-entry becomes a lot easier. Most cases of re-entry assume that it is an orbiting object, rather than a hovering object, that is re-entering the atmosphere, and in most cases that is a correct assumption to make. But it is not the only possibility. Carcharoth01:21, 15 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
You are right that in geostationary orbit you are not moving relative to the atmosphere. Have a look at the article. You will see that for the Earth, geostationary orbit is a long way out. The Space Shuttle and the ISS operate in near-Earth orbit, but the communications satellites are a lot further out. To move inwards from geostationary orbit, pushing downwards is not the best way. As you move downwards, you are not losing your tangential speed, and something will happen (not quite sure what - probably your circular orbit will become elliptical). The best way to move downwards is to push away from the direction you are travelling, ie. slow down your motion along the tangent of the orbital circle. Carcharoth01:20, 15 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
The heating effect on something (or someone) reentering the atmosphere from space is related to its kinetic energy. The Space Shuttle heated up so much because it was massive (heavy). Every square foot of wing had to dissipate the kinetic eneregy of a massive amount of ship and contents. After the breakup some computer equipment in nylon bags, some biological experiments, and even a videotape in a camcorder survived the latest Space Shuttle disaster because they were less massive relative to the surface area dissipating the heat. Please read the MOOSE article and the associated cites and Google it as well. The engineering calcs by GE showed that a small (1.8 meter diam) expanded foam cone would allow survival during reentry. Now consider that the retrorocket need not be as powerful as the engine that put the astronaut up there: it only has to reduce his velocity by about 1% to allow reentry. If the Shuttle is going about 17500 miles/hour, a retro rocket need only eliminate about 175 mph of the velocity, or about 256 feet/second (78 meters/sec). Then the relatively small ablative heat shield and finally a parachute does the rest. The total system, including astronaut, weighed 215kg. It would make as much sense to use the MOOSE system to reenter when a space shuttle was too damaged to reenter or a space station had to do an emergency evacuation and there was insuccifient reentry vehicle space as to use a rubber raft when you plane ditched or your ship sank in the middle of the ocean. An set of updated MOOSE devices could be shipped up to a stranded shuttle by a cargo rocket if they did not want to carry the extra 150kg or so of reentry device per crewmember. Edison19:31, 16 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Add funds to paypal using credit card?
Can you add funds to a non US paypal account using a credit card? How? I tried looking through the help pages but couldn't find a definite answer. Thanks. WP09:29, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, you can, the same way you would use a credit card for a US account. I have a non-US PayPal account and add money to it using my credit card. — QuantumEleven11:35, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
You would probably have to register the cc with them first. That is where they deposit two small amounts to the account and you tell them what the amounts were. --Justanother13:37, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Roman Numeral Clock Face
If the correct way of indicating the number"4" in Roman numerals is "IV", why are all clock faces having Roman numerals showing the number "4" as "IIII"?
That article has too many explanations; the first one is obviously right. Note that IX, not VIIII, is used opposite III. --Anon, December 15, 00:11 (UTC).
A Sex Question
Note that it is clearly labeled. Anyway. My supervisor, a shop lead and I were having a bit of a discussion at work today about sex (God knows why my supervisor, a single adult middle aged male, an elderly woman who looks like the Crypt Keeper and myself were having this discussion, but it's a factory, anything's possible), and my supervisor asked me if it was possible to catch a cold from an act of oral intercourse. (He used more colorful language...) I told him no; not all bodily fluids are the same. He asserts that you can, while the lead (the woman) said, "See? I told you so. It's not possible." So...uh...I guess the question is, can you catch a cold from oral sex or not? CernenXanthineKatrena12:08, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
My uninformed non-medical-professional opinion would be yes, because the cold virus is transmitted through the mucous membranes, which exist in the mouth, on the glans penis and the vulva/vagina. Anchoress12:11, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
As a side note is there any chance of having a Wikipedia:Reference desk/Bodilyfunctions and sexual behaviour(age restricted) section where people of like mind can discuss their diseases/unnatural bodily growths etc to there hearts contents... Not that I object... Maybe we could call it medical anatomy/human behaviour - there seems to be a lot of interest. Dr.Wikipedia.83.100.174.7012:27, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
My understanding is that cold viruses infect the respiratory system. Thus they would not infect reproductive organs. However, cold viruses are often transmitted via the hands of an infected person (who may frequently wipe or blow his or her nose). It is not unusual for hands to touch reproductive organs before or during sex. In this way, oral sex could contribute to transmission of the virus. That said, if an infected person washed his or her hands and genitals thoroughly with soap and water immediately prior to sex and kept hands away from face during sex, and if the sex did not involve kissing or other face-to-face contact, I think that it would be reasonably safe, from the point of view of cold transmission. Marco polo13:40, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
See: Common cold. This type of virus is usually spread through droplets. If you're close enough to someone to have oral sex with them, you're close enough to inhale droplets. (Unless you hold your breath.) -THB13:56, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Without attempting a medical explanation, my inclination would be that contracting the common cold as a result of engaging in oral sex is an unlikely prospect. After all, people tend to only do that sort of thing if their partner is looking relatively clean, healthy, and not exhibiting signs of illness. Cheers -- Vranak00:02, 15 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
83.100.174.70: Wikipedia is not censored for minors we have hundreds, possibly thousands of pages that society would deem "innapropriate" for minors. I'm a minor myself, and day after day revert sexually-based vandalism, or have to remove sexually-depicted images from Userpages etc.. We have no age-restricted material on Wikipedia, and I doubt that it will ever happen. A new desk is possible though :-) — Deon555talkdesk08:38, 18 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
As far as I'm concerned, say you give a book voucher, it's like saying "I know you like books, but don't know exactly what you want or already have - so here is a voucher to go and buy one you'd like". It's just a bit more personal than cash as it shows you've considered what the person may like, where they may like to shop, and you've actually made the effort to go out and buy something for them instead of just pulling some cash out of your wallet. --jjron13:15, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Not all gift certificates have expiry dates. Also, though I (and others) call book vouchers, vouchers, it seems that the precise meaning of voucher differs from that of gift certificate (a redirect to scrip). I'd never heard the term 'scrip' before. Thanks for linking to that. Carcharoth13:21, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
The voucher article says "A voucher is a certificate which is worth a certain monetary value and which may only be spent for specific reasons or on specific goods". I'm not sure how that makes it an invalid term - certainly seems to cover gift certificates. It may vary in different places, but it's certainly a very commonly used term in Australia. --jjron13:56, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Sorry, I meant this bit: "The term voucher is also a synonym for receipt, and is often used to refer to receipts used as evidence of, for example, the declaration that a service has been performed or that an expenditure has been made." - you are right though, voucher has two meanings. Carcharoth14:29, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I can confirm that the travel industry issues vouchers. I think it is to do with the way the money circulates. You pay the travel agent. The travel agent books the hotel and gives you a voucher. You give the voucher to the hotel and stay there. The hotel sends the voucher to the travel agent (or scan it) and the hotel get their money from the travel agent. I think that is more like a coupon than a voucher. But though these processes of circulating money and paper substitutes are distinct, the terms used can sometimes be rather fluid and interchangeable. The linking with receipt might be a misunderstanding, as people might think the voucher is a receipt for the money they gave the travel agent. Carcharoth15:24, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
A lot of what we see is differences in usage between English-speaking countries along with the desire to WP:NOT a dictionary and to keep the usages together. It is possible that voucher should be WP:MERGED to scrip. --Justanother14:38, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
While I did know what scrip was I'd never heard of it used in reference to gift certificates before, as Carcharoth also said. Now I'm not sure where Carcharoth is from, but while there could be an argument for merging these articles, I'm not convinced that 'scrip' is the best or most widely used term. --jjron14:50, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, good point. I notice that there's also a Trading stamp article. Any others come to mind? And furthermore, trading stamp links to half a dozen different articles on different brands of trading stamps. There'd be quite a bit of work in merging all these successfully. --jjron15:15, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Gift certs were originally sold at a discount, so there was a value in them. For example, a gift cert for $100 in merchandise might only cost $50. This $50 gain had the potential to offset the following losses:
Risk that the cert will not be redeemed at all, due to loss, expiration, or the recipient not caring to shop at that store.
Interest lost on the money during the period between purchase and redemption.
Risk that the cert won't exactly match the purchase amount, and either a portion of the cert will not be redeemed, or extra money beyond the value of the cert will be spent.
Risk that the recipient will buy unwanted items to "use up" the gift cert before it expires.
Extra cost of buying items at that store, likely not on sale, versus on sale and/or elsewhere.
Sale items were typically excluded.
Over time, however, retailers realized that people bought the gift certs more as a quick gift that doesn't require much thought, but doesn't seem as crude as cash. Thus, they reduced, then eliminated, the discount, added exclusions, shortened the period before expiration, and now have started to have them lose value, before expiration, as well. Thus, they no longer make financial sense. It's up to each purchaser to decide if the convenience of not having to put much thought or time into a purchase is worth the additional cost of a gift cert. StuRat15:29, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
That's interesting. Do you have any sources so this can be put in articles? A timeline would be good as well. What sort of dates are you talking about here? Carcharoth15:33, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Interesting, but I'd like to see some refs. We used to get/give 'record vouchers' in the 80s, there was no discounting from the retailer. In fact, if I remember correctly, some stores in fact charged for them (like $1 above face value). Some probably still do. --jjron15:50, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Here's a site where you can view some of the terms for certain gift certs, although it doesn't address the historic changes in gift certs: [5]. StuRat16:06, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
There's actually a huge flaw in your 'historical' argument. If I was going to buy something from a store, why wouldn't I go in, buy myself a gif certificate, then redeem it for my purchase, automatically getting myself a 50% (or whatever it may be) discount? --jjron01:24, 15 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
They could, and did. 50% would be the about the upper limit on discounts, with 10% or 20% being more typical. Places that gave a 50% discount had high normal prices and substantial, frequent sales (around 50%) most of the time, anyway. Since the gift certs excluded sales, they really didn't provide much savings over what you could get normally. Still, this "misuse" of gift certs may be one reason they stopped selling them at a discount. StuRat21:39, 15 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Another reason gift certs might be preferred over cash is to provide the giver with a degree of control. For example, giving gift certs for a clothes store might be a parent's way of getting their teens to buy new clothes, while still allowing them the autonomy to shop for themselves. StuRat15:36, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Another reason is so that the receiver thinks of the giver when making the purchase, and associates the item purchased with the giver. Cash is far more likely to just go in with a lot of other cash. --jjron15:50, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Within a family or between close friends, the smartest and best gift certificates are those which are written out by the giver and included in a card. It could say "This gift certificate entitles (insert name of recipient) to the leather jacket of his choice, cost not to exceed $(Insert estimated price of nice jacket). This coupon expires (insert date not too far in the future, to get them to actually go and get it." If the giver knows the receiver wants a set of diamond earrings, a plasma TV, a speedboat, a new computer, a new celphone, an audio system, a PS3 which is almost unavailable but will be common as dirt in a couple of months, a telescope, plastic surgery, a remodeled kitchen or bathroom, a new car, or cosmetic dental work, this shows that the giver wants the recipient to actually get the thing, and soon, and guarantees the cost, but avoids the pitfalls of certificates which get eaten up by exhorbitant "maintenance fees" by the store, or arbitrary expiration dates, and it serves as a reminder to make sure they go ahead and splurge out of a common bank account, and it gets around the problem of it being sometimes impossible to know which size, color, model, features, appeal to another person. The doorman, mail carrier, or cleaning lady prefers cash. Edison16:20, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
An excellent suggestion. But why not take it further and make it a non-material gift cert like "entitles the bearer to one free foot massage" or "may be redeemed for one free gutter leaf removal service" ? StuRat16:42, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Thankyou for your thoughts. The best way would probably just to agree with the family that no one will buy presents. It would save a lot of money and time.--Codell[ Talk]22:25, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I agree on not buying presents, but you can still give presents, just have them be homemade gifts. Remember, the best gifts come from the heart (although some people may be a bit touchy about getting an aorta for xmas). :-) StuRat21:31, 15 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Disagreement
Nine out of Ten Americans belive that One out of Ten americans Disagrees with the other nine
Why is this? For What reason do we have to always argue over pointless things? Why do we do this? Is it in human nature?
Catman50313:18, 14 December 2006 (UTC) Catman503[reply]
This is a very strange question - where did you hear "Nine out of Ten Americans belive that One out of Ten americans Disagrees with the other nine"? In any case, it's human nature to disagree, people have different views of the world. — QuantumEleven13:37, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Why do people disagree?.. If we didn't we'd all be the same - like clones, not a very good answer, sorry. Also perhaps it's good to argue over trivia - we agree on the important things - don't like being chopped in to bits, like food, squirrels etc. - at least it encourages humane interactions.. Some people don't argue over pointless things, but they often lead quite quiet lives - see hermit or asceticism.83.100.174.7013:49, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Not saying I agree, but wouldn't Wikipedia:Reference desk#Medicine or Wikipedia:Reference desk#Medical be a bit more succinct? --jjron15:40, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
There are obvious problems with anonymous persons of unknown qualification and motivation answering people's psychological and medical questions. Someone who died or was harmed by bad medical or mental health advice would likely have a cause of action against the anonymous adviser, and possibly against the Wikipedia Foundation. That is the reason for the disclaimer which people often forget to include in their response. In contrast, GoAskAlice.com [6] is an online Q & A service of healthcare professionals at Columbia University, which has a library of FAQs and which will answer questions about what could be causing the voices in a questioner's head or the soreness and oozing from their private parts. Better them than random volunteers at the Reference desk of Wikipedia. The instructions at the top of the Ref Desk page would be improved by links to such online or phone help lines for people with medical or psychological questions, and with links to suicide help lines, since sometimes people ask questions implying an intent to harm themselves or others. I have seen people here ask for the most painless way to commit suicide and the responders giving them serious or facetious suggestions, which is unacceptable. Edison16:08, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I read the archive - and think it was a good idea. I can give two extra reasons - 1. shorter desks will mean that the archiving is less often - I can't help thinking a few days before the question dissapears into the mists of the archives is not always a long enough time to get a good response. 2. More specialised desks may improve the overall quality of the responses, I've noticed more than once that people respond to questions that they are not really qualified to answer - ie giving an obviously wrong answer (not saying I never mess up or do this). Dividing the desks into departments (like at a university) seems like a good idea. For people who are a little confused there could be a reference desk:science general - and then their question could be directed to the more specialised place..I'd like to promote again the tree like structure proposed by person "freshoftheuk"83.100.174.7016:50, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I think I would call such a Reference Desk 'Psychology and Personal Advice'. If you called it 'Counselling and Psychiatry', persons practicing those professions would likely frown upon it. Vranak16:34, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I was really hoping it would not deal in advice but facts and theories..either as a medical subsection or as two subsections "biology" and "psychology" - the latter would leave the science desk as a 'physical sciences' question place.83.100.174.7016:39, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Experimental psychology is science, and belongs on the Science desk. Counseling could go on another desk, but unqualified, or possibly malicious (how many articles get vandalized each day?)people giving potentially harmful advice would create serious liability exposure. Edison15:36, 15 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Composite cable splitters.
In a local hardware store, I've seen devices for sale which I would find quite handy: you plug three sets of composite cables into them, then plug the device into the composite cable ports on your TV. Would these degrade the signal at all? I've seen some for sale for $80, and some for $15 -- how big would the difference be, and why the massive difference in cost? I have four or five machines, all using composite cables, so something like this would be excellent -- but if it introduced flickering, blur, or any other flaws into the picture, I wouldn't want it. I'd appreciate someone enlightening me about these devices, and what they're actually called. Pesapluvo15:05, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Sounds like a switching box -
a. these shouldn't be expensive at all - the $80 ones I would guess are a rip off unless they have other functions.
b. I wouldn't expect any noticable degredation of the signal (unless the thing is really badly made)
I think I know what you mean, one of my friends has one of these. Of course adding any complexities to the cabling can and will degrade the signal, but it's really not noticeable in general use. And it is convenient. The one my friend has has I think four inputs, and a switch to select between them. The biggest problem is with cables coming loose; I'm guessing it wasn't a very expensive one. I suppose the more you pay the better quality plugs, switches and internal wiring, but whether the difference is that significant ($15 to $80), who knows. Mind you, it could be worth the difference if you got that remote with it. --jjron15:32, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
16:33, 15 January 2007 (UTC)16:33, 15 January 2007 (UTC)~~== Mystique ==
Wedgie board is as mystical as the word itself. The word widgie does not even appear in English dictionary. Even the Wikipedia misses it out. Most people know its mystical powers as a means of communication with non-worldly presence. There are real life accounts of such phenomena (not just in movies).
Ouija Boards: Purportedly not to be played with. Apparently Ouija boards somehow act as "portals" to another dimension (the after-life, if you can believe in it). And spirits use these boards as a gateway into our world. Once the entity has entered our world, it is very hard to get rid of, and takes lots of cleansing or "exorcising". This is what most psychics and clairvoyants will tell you. Tini K16:33, 15 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Nazi
I recently saw a television show about the holocaust. It was filmed in Poland during the cold war. Many lay people were interviewed such as women and old people. They stated in a matter of fact way how the Nazi killed all the Jews, but left one boy alive to burn bodies, he was kept alive because he could sing well. They showed him, the only Jew left, standing infront of a church where many were gassed. Who was this man? Where in Poland did this take place? What was the name of the show?
Also, does wiki have any articles on Jews who survived the war, while remaining in Poland.
Thank you
Was it possibly part of Shoah that you saw? I haven't seen it for many years, but your description is reminiscent of parts, especially the "matter of fact"ness of the interviews, the church scene, the one kept alive. If I remember correctly (and I may not) many of those stories came from Treblinka. Antandrus (talk)16:35, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Just wanted to clarify my request, I wanted to know about Jews who survived the war, in Poland but not in a camp or ghetto. Further more Shoah is the film I saw. It is one of the best things I have ever seen on tv, thank you for helping.
The individual in question was indeed featured in Claude Lanzmann's documentary, Shoah. The name of the boy was Shimon Srebrnik, who was transported from the ghetto at Lodz to the death camp at Chelmno. He was shot before the Nazis evacuated the camp, but managed to survive despite his wounds, one of only two people to emerge from what was a pure extermination facility. Some 350,000 people perished in the gas vans of Chelmno. Clio the Muse00:10, 15 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Not if you follow the conference agenda currently being discussed in Iran!!!!!!!!!!!!
Has anyone ever heard of an Italian pastry called a Catidad?
After my Nana passed on, we were unable to find a recipe for a sweet honey drenched pastry she used to bake. She called them Castidads...does anyone know how to make them or what the true name for them is???
Thanks, DB
Maybe this helps: With the "honey drench", and being an Italian dish, and thinking "not Baklava", I'm guessing Nana made rice fritters, but Italian recipes give the name "Frittelle di riso". Possibly the traditional name you learned was derived from, or similar to Calas-tous-chauds (rice fritters)?"Calas" (the "L" not pronouced) by itself is a sort of rice fritter (and in Wikipedia). -- Seejyb22:52, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Analog Land Phone Line
Does anyone know exactly what an analog land phone line is or refers to?
In case you wanted to know what the line bit of telephone line refers to, follow the link I provided. It is called a land line because the signal from most installed domestic telephones travels through cables either underground, or anchored to structures on the ground. This is as opposed to wireless signals that travel through the air. Of course, at any point in the journey, a signal may be travelling in a cable, through the air as electromagnetic waves, or being routed through places like a satellite. But the last parts of the journey to telephones integrated into the structure of a building, will be through a land line. Carcharoth17:00, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
What this is probably getting at is that lots of devices like ordinary modems, fax machines, answering machines, and the like will all work with an "analog phone line" (also referred to as POTS, "Plain Old Telephone Service") but will be blown up if connected to certain "digital phone lines" (such as are used in businesses in Key telephone systems and PBXs). These digital lines often contain power supply lines as well as non-usable digital telephone data.
It's just a regular telephone line. They never used to need to specify that it was "analog" before we had digital phone lines, and they never used to need to specify a "land line" before wireless phones came into use. I suppose, in the future, if we have flying cars, our current cars will all need to be called "terrestrial cars" or some such thing. StuRat17:16, 15 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I wish to know more about Simon Srebnik.
I wish to know more about Franz Sachomel too.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.:-)
Please see what I have written above under the heading 'Nazi' above. Shimon Srebrnik was one of only two survivors of the extermination camp at Chelmno. He died in 2004. SS Unterscharführer Franz Suchomel served at Treblinka and Sobibor. He, too, was interviewed by Lanzmann in the making of Shoah. A google search under this name will give you all of the relevant details. Clio the Muse00:30, 15 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
no shows
Our local grocery store never seems to have everything done at all much less on schedule. One of the managers said it is because many of his stockers never show up which put an extra burden on those who do so then even the steady ones begin to not show up. I was wondering if an acceptable solution might be to set a "job price" for getting the store done by a certain time and then scheduling only enough people so that the "job price" would match the agreed upon wages and then pay those who show up the "bonus" created by those who do not show up as an incentive to not only show but to get the job done on time even though the store would be technically short handed? Adaptron18:05, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Yup, that might do it. It certainly looks as if something in the supply/demand equation needs to change. --Tagishsimon(talk)
It sounds like we first need to determine the existing problem. That is, why exactly do steady workers stop showing up after a while ? One possibility is an extremely abusive boss. If that's the problem, get rid of him. Perhaps pay is just insufficient. If so, raise pay. Maybe they just injure themselves. If so, perhaps better equipment is needed. StuRat17:10, 15 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Good in theory, but it sounds like they can't find enough employees willing to do the job for the pay offered. So, if they fire those they have, they will be even more under-staffed than they are now. It's apparent to me that the pay needs to be raised. StuRat14:22, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
December 15
loss prevention at sea
Would the cost to build submersible ocean going vessels to go deep enough to escape the ravages of surface storms (variable but say around 30 to 50 feet) be worth the savings of ships that sink at sea from an insurance provider point of view? 71.100.6.15218:15, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I doubt storms sink many ships, but see the article Rogue wave (oceanography). A submersible ship would be more expensive than a conventional one. IMHO, it wouldn't be worth it: the one that was sunk would be replaced ten times over before it surpasses the price of the submersible one. A good idea, but very impractical. | AndonicOTalk | Sign Here18:30, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Modern ocean-going vessels of any significant size simply don't sink because of the weather (bar a tiny number of freak incidents, and even then not entirely). They sink because of poor maintenance (fire breaks out and fire suppression system broken, engines fail and ship driven onto rocks, structural members rust through) and bad seamanship (hatches left open in storm, captain drunk, first officer steers ship on sandbank because owner too cheap to buy up-to-date charts). Making ships submersible (or somehow semisubmersible) just adds lots of expensive complicated bits for the bad sailors and crooked shipowners to abuse and neglect. If you want to make the seas safer then have decent standards for your own ships (most developed countries do) and ban from your ports the ships registered in poverty-stricken landlocked countries and crewed by illiterate guava harvesters from Upper Zamboni (which most developed countries should, but don't). -- Finlay McWalter | Talk18:36, 14 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
A boat has one major advantage over a submarine: it's inherently stable. Left to itself, a boat on the surface will stay on the surface, with the keel down and the hatches up. A submerged submarine, on the other hand, will tend to tumble, and will either rise to the surface, or sink to the ocean floor. --Carnildo01:21, 15 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
One proposal for the US military is a semi-submersible missile boat. Unlike a traditional missile boat, this one would ride very low in the water, giving it a low radar profile, with the majority of the boat below the waterline. The deck would be waterproof, with sealed covers at the end of each missile tube and would lack the mast, guns, conning tower, and other equipment normally on deck. Waves would also break across the deck in high seas. However, it wouldn't be a full submarine, as it would not be intended to fully submerge. It would not be deployed alone, but as part of a major task force, as a platform for cruise missiles and other weapons systems. Other ships in the task force would provide for communications, ship defense, etc.:
I saw/read about a proposal, and reproduced it above, as best as I could, from memory. The proposal was an attempt to increase the missile capacity of a task force at minimal cost and risk. StuRat05:53, 16 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I am doing two tricep exercises using dumbbells, and I'm wondering if they are both necessary, or if one is better? One is an overhead reverse tricep curl (French curl, letting the free weight (which I hold in both hands) drop (controlled) down behind my shoulders while supine, and curling it to above my forehead (a standard exercise). The other is like the exercise people do in aerobics, pushing my parallel straight arms back and up behind my back, except I use free weights. Anchoress03:22, 15 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
It's probably better to do different exercises - rather than concentrate on just one (unless you are a body builder and want to create muscles that look a specific way). I don't actually recognise the second exercise. The more exercise you do the better right? And it doesn't all have to be 'power stuff'87.102.8.614:57, 15 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I wish I had my Strength Training Anatomy (ISBN 0736063684) handy - it shows specifically which parts of which muscles are worked with each exercise.. I'm certain that the two exercises will exercise different parts of the triceps, though. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆16:53, 15 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Tricep exercises are not called curls (those are for biceps), they are typically called extensions. From the way you describe the exercises you are doing, neither of them sound especially good for triceps - the first sounds like pullovers which will affect more delts, lats and pecs, the second I can't picture having seen anyone do with weights, but sounds like it would mainly work the posterior delts if I'm picturing it right. I recommend three better basic exercises:
Standing tricep extensions: raise the weight fully above your head with straight arms, then lower behind your head bending only at the elbows, then extend your arms to fully straight. Can be done with bar or dumbell/s.
Lying tricep extensions: lay on a bench, hold a bar (or dumbell, but it's not as good) with fully extended arms with a close grip above your face, then bending only at the elbows lower to your forehead, and lift again in same manner. These are sometimes called skull-crushers in common terms (I think this is what you're trying to do with your French curls, but from what you describe, it's not what you are doing, as I said above it sounds like you're doing pullovers).
Pulley pushdowns (or pulley tricep extensions): assuming you have access to a pulley system like a lat-pulldown, take a close grip, hands at shoulder level, elbows tight at your side, then extend arms fully straight to waist level, elbows remaining tightly at side throughout.
These exercises have slightly different focuses, but all are good for overall tricep development. Vary them one or two at a time, depends on what you are looking for. --jjron14:04, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Yay, I found the book I was looking for. (Actually, I bought a new one -- there's an expanded edition now.) Anyway, the first version depends on whether you lower the weight behind your head or over your face (hence the term "skullcrusher"); it emphasizes either the long head or the medial and lateral heads, respectively. The other version stretches the long head. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆14:46, 20 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Mr. Wales as a keynote speaker
I am inquiring about the possibility of having Mr. Wales as a keynote speaker. Who within Wikipeadia should be contacted?24.163.62.32Debra Singleton
For a moment there I thought you were referring to one of Princess Diana's sons, Princes William and Harry, both of whom were referred to as Mr. Wales during their officer training at Sandhurst. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 81.145.242.100 (talk) 20:28, 16 December 2006 (UTC).[reply]
A fall
Wikipedia states that Vesna Vulović “holds the Guinness Book of Records world record for surviving the highest fall without a parachute: 10,160 meters (6.31 miles, or 33,000 feet).” Although it is implied that she was saved by the fact that she was still strapped onto part of the plane (and that this cushioned her fall), I have heard other stories of parachutist who survived falls when their parachutes failed open. What would be the best position to be in order to maximize ones chances of survival from such a fall? Also is it even possible to change ones position as related to the ground when in free fall? Thanks! S.dedalus05:05, 15 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
You might think that landing in water would be best, but there is the problem of being knocked out and drowning immediately. So, landing in other soft areas, like freshly fallen snow, tree branches, peat, etc. may actually be better. StuRat16:28, 15 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I remember seeing a documentary about Jimmy Edwards, who won the DFC in World War II for surviving a crashlanding in a Douglas Dakota. He said that he was lucky to hit 'small trees' when he came down: no vegetation and he would have just hit the ground; large trees and he would have hit a branch and cartwheeled; but small trees just broke with the impact and slowed the aircraft down. I imagine it's the same for people. Sam Blacketer00:01, 16 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Responding to StuRat: water is useless at breaking falls from a great height. There are probably three height ranges that can be characterised by the impact on the faller. (1) No damage to faller - faller remains conscious and swims to safety (typically this is the diving board sort of height, though diving from high diving boards (such as 10-metre ones) can easily knock people unconscious if they hit the water incorrectly). (2) Impact is sufficient to cause bruising/loss of consciousness - drowning becomes a real danger (probably 5-20 metres). (3) Impact speed is so great that the effect is like hitting concrete, with effects ranging from broken bones to splat (probably anything above 20 metres). I first realised water was useless for breaking falls from a great height when watching a James Bond film where some poor guy got trapdoored out of an airship. Anyone know which film that was. I think it was the one with Grace Jones. Carcharoth01:21, 16 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
A View to a Kill. "So, does anybody else want to drop out?" Another Bond film that comes into this question is Moonraker; if you're falling without a parachute, it's useful if there's a bad guy beneath you with a parachute; just free-fall over towards him and take his 'chute.
Right, but that's for pure freefall. If we assume a partially opened parachute, then maybe the person remains in your stage (2) from any height, hence the worry about drowning. StuRat05:50, 16 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Also if you hit broken water like at the bottom of a waterfall or the center of a whirlpool/maelstrom, then it dramatically improves your chances of survival. If you don't drown a few seconds after. --frothTC07:29, 16 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
youngsters
Why is it that youngsters think that because their world is based on their consideration of only a few obvious variables that the rest of the world is based on only a few obvious variables as well and that adults who have had much more time to consider additional variables having many more states in addition to many more combinations are somehow inferior? 71.100.6.15205:15, 15 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Because to be young is to be all-knowing and all-wise. In growing older one begins to understand the limits of both knowledge and wisdom. And that is the beginning of true understanding. Clio the Muse05:25, 15 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I think this question suffers from the fallacy of many questions. It presupposed that the following are true:
that "youngsters think" in those ways,
that "their world is based on their consideration of only a few obvious variables",
that adults "had much more time to consider additional variables", and
that those variables have "many more states in addition to many more combinations"
Here is a letter by Paul Morphy, the greatest chess player of the 19th century, who wrote:
I am more strongly confirmed than ever in the belief that the time devoted to chess is literally frittered away. It is, to be sure, a most exhilarating sport, but it is only a sport; and it is not to be wondered at that such as have been passionately addicted to the charming pastime should one day ask themselves whether sober reason does not advise its utter dereliction. I have, for my own part, resolved not to be moved from my purpose of not engaging in chess hereafter.
In absence of a persuasive article I can offer a persuasive comment... In high school the game of Chess helped me to think ahead and anticipate the consequences of my actions. 71.100.6.15217:25, 15 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
The kind of article I was looking for was a persuasive article that A)stated the problem B) expresses the opinion C)Offers solution to the problem and D) emphasizes the main issue. After searching archived issues of Chess Life and Review and a useless search engine I am very tired. --JDitto08:10, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I'm not sure you've really clarified what is you're after. What "problem"?
I'll take a guess at what you mean... are you looking for an article about chess theory, exposing a possible flaw in, say, an opening system and then either refuting the flaw or proving it (and therefore refuting that line of play)? --Dweller14:13, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I have a hunch the answer may be 42. In reply to the original poster, however: you have given us no clue what 'the problem' is, but in any case, Wikipedia is not supposed to be persuasive. It is supposed to be neutral. --ColinFine22:46, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
It's not Wikipedia. It's a school project that got me looking for any persuasive-style chess article I could find. I merely needed the help of people smarter than I to assist me in this quest...
Kudos to your funny replies Sluzzelin and ColinFine. It was very funny. I'm still laughing from the Kasparov-Brain Dead monkey game.(But the uncyclopedia article did make fun of Jesus...) --JDitto04:22, 18 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Have there yet been any projects to create fully stand-alone pen-and-paper RPGs based on the SRD or MSRD and released under open source licenses? NeonMerlin06:20, 15 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I'm not a lawyer and wikipedia does not give legal advice. However a cursory glance over the open gaming license on d20srd.org indicates to me that it would not be compatible with "traditional" open source licenses, and a full redistributed d20 system based on it might well violate United States copyright laws. Again, I'm not a lawyer and this is not trustworth legal advice, but it IS something you may want to investigate if you're going to make one. i kan reed08:44, 15 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Open Game Content (such as the SRD) can be combined with closed content, so why couldn't it be combined with cc-by-sa or GFDL content? The SRD and the new content could just be rendered in different fonts to show which text was whose. And the GFDL certainly doesn't demand that the whole book be under the same license, else how would we be able to use cc-by-sa images on Wikipedia without fair use templates? NeonMerlin12:55, 15 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
S.A. de C.V. and S.A.B. de C.V.
What do these abbreviations stand for? I know that basically they're Spanish for a Mexican corporation. I've encountered the second one just recently. Cemex had the first designation, but is now using the second one, according to its web site (but yet to be reflected in our article). Thank you. --Nelson Ricardo11:45, 15 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
S.A. de C.V. means "Sociedad anonima de Capital Variable". It describes a company where the partners are anonymous. Most foreign investments in Mexico are SA de CV, I think. It's kinda like the French Société Anonyme. - CHAIRBOY (☎) 15:31, 15 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Why does everything taste like chicken?
With the Christmas holidays upon us and the dwindling attention span of our physics class, we were asked to do a presentation on a few "science conundrums".
With other crackers such as "how many people does it really take to change a light bulb", we came up with the title of this question.
So, what's that about, and any personal opinions, it is really true, is the Matrix telling us this or have we all got such crappy taste buds we honestly can't tell the difference?
Maybe because it feels stringy, and (IMHO) has bad texture? A tastier food with similar texture might be transmitted to the brain in with a similar chemical message. Of course, I'm just making this up, but... | AndonicOTalk | Sign Here12:30, 15 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
You know something? In Britain where I live, unless you go to the farm and buy (and then cook) the freerange chicken that you see pecking away in the farmyard, you simply cannot buy a chicken that tastes like chicken. That's why our supermarkets do such a roaring trade in bottled cook-in sauces that set out to add some flavour. So I will freely interpret your question as really meaning, "Why does everything, including chicken, taste of nothing, unless it is marinaded in a flavour intensifier?"
Dismas - I knew it was around someware! Unfortunately "why does everything taste like chicken" didn't send me to that page, maybe it should..? Benbread15:00, 15 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
For what it's worth, I've tried rattlesnake and alligator and squab and they don't taste particularly like chicken to me. Alligator reminds me more of octopus and rattlesnake is very gamey. Pigeon is darker than chicken and fatty, more like duck. And in case anyone is wondering, oppossum resembles mild ham. DurovaCharge!21:17, 18 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Because every massed-produced meat product you'll ever eat has been fed enough beef spinal column and sat in enough animal crap to be riddled with enough bacteria that it has to be cooked to enough of a crisp that it just tastes like plain denatured protein that never saw the sun while it was living.
Nightclubs to the extreme!!!!11!!
A while back I found an interesting site that basically pulls up random open directories on the net and shows you all the images within the directories. No surprise, most of them are porn with the remainder of them full of vacation photos of various NN people. Many times though, there are a series of photos in what appears to be a nightclub or bar with people milling about while some of the people are having sex in the middle of the crowd such as seen here (WARNING: Wikipedia isn't censored but that link is not safe for work in most places). Where are these clubs? Do the photographers just rent out the club for the night and invite a bunch of people to party along with porn actors? Dismas|(talk)13:12, 15 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
What is the name for the legal concept that nobody can obligate anyone to do anything else without their permission? Is there an article about it? Thanks.--Keycard(talk)13:22, 15 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Is there a name for getting music "stuck in your head?" What's the best way to keep it from happening? What's the best way to get it out of your head once it's stuck in there? When I was a little kid I had mild OCD and I got music stuck in my head a lot, to the point where now (even though my OCD is basically gone) I despise music and I cringe when I walk into a room where music is playing.. is there any hope for me? --frothTC14:53, 15 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Distraction by something that requires your entire attentional ability is one way to stop a catchy tune from running through your mind. If you play , sing, or hum, or perhaps even think about a different tune, it will pretty much stop you from thinking about the annoying one. Memorizing a poem should also work, but see A Literary Nightmare for an example of a verse stuck in the mind. Warning! do not read it if you do not want it stuck in your mind as it was in Mark Twain's. Edison15:50, 15 December 2006 (UTC).[reply]
Most of the time, the trick is not minding. I kind of like having a jukebox in my head, even if I don't have full control over the playlist. One time when it was playing HEY MAMBO! Mambo Italiano for four straight days, it did get a bit excessive.
Anyway, I think Edison is on to something -- if you really can't stand it, substitute it with another song that you like better. --Trovatore05:46, 18 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
One thing that works for me is to switch gears into something nonmusical. I tend to be a verbal thinker so I may rehearse a conversation I intend to have later or compose a draft for something I intend to write. DurovaCharge!21:24, 18 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
On the news, i heard that chewing on a cinnamon stick helps. I don't know how, but it just does it. Also you could just get another song stuck in your head!
You'd probably want to visit the official government site and see if it's up there - having someone who might not be familiar with the documentation try to interpret it for you here could be problematic (I've been trying to translate health and safety codes, and it made my brain cry). Looks like they have a good resource there to draw on. Good luck! Tony Fox(arf!)21:34, 15 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
You got me burning, you got me burning
I've just got the terminator on the box while doing a bit of editing - what's the actual name of the song in the Tech Noir nightclub which goes "I feel the heat of your desire, you got me burning, you got buuuuring!" and who is it by?
When I went to Bebo.com(Im a user)it asked me to sign in.I typed in my username and password.IT DID NOT RECOGNIZE MY PASSWORD.I asked to reset my password and even when I reset it,it still won't let me sign in!What should I do?No help topics on bebo will help me!
If you're sure that resetting the password won't work (also making sure to check capitalization, since it's probably case-sensitive), get in touch with the crew at bebo.com and whine loudly. If they don't help you out, you'd probably just want to make a new account. 64.90.198.600:18, 16 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I would guess you've been the victim of a hacker, who guessed your password, logged in, then changed your password. Was it something simple, like your username or an English word ? If so, once this issue is resolved, try a more complicated password, of mixed numbers and letters, and with mixed case. StuRat05:46, 16 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I'm not sure I see the analogy. The influence of the character Dr. Strangelove was to become a stock symbol for the (il)logic of nuclear strategy. I'm not sure what Borat is supposed to be taken as a symbol of — the success of the character is less in its own portrayal than the reactions it gets from others, and I'm not sure that has much to do with the war on terrorism as a whole. --24.147.86.18700:38, 16 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I was wondering if anyone knows of a website where I can find out if Lord of the Rings is going to be playing again. I see that it's on tonight, but I would like to tape all of them, but I can't find a website that would say that. I've tried Yahoo, and T.V. Guide, but they don't seem to help me, any suggestions.
Again, there are numerous lists. On a personal note, I have an extremely high tolerance for scary movies, and I'm picky. The only scary/horror movie I've seen in the last few years that I thought was good, although I wasn't scared, was The Ring. I thought Se7en was boring, I thought Saw was OK, but the only horror movie that ever kept me awake at night, even though I saw it as an adult, was It. I swear balloons gave me a start for about 2 years after seeing that movie, and if I happened to think of the movie at bed-time, I slept with the light on. No fooling. Anchoress02:47, 16 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I thought the movie with Freddy Kruger was scary as shit, granted I was not particular old when I saw it but still its one of the only movies that ever scared the shit out of me. Joneleth05:32, 16 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
When The Wind Blows; depsite being just a PG, the deceptively childish animation and simple yet brutal concept (old couple survive World War II, underestimate power of atom bomb, survive World War III, die slowly and painfully). Laïka21:12, 16 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Well I don't know whether it's any good or not, but THIS SITE has a host of educational videos, including those about childhood obesity, and you can preview them (so you can decide for yourself if they're good). I found the site with THIS GOOGLE SEARCH.Anchoress02:49, 16 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
What I really meant to ask was: Is it true that some people cannot lose weight however hard they try? The article doesnt seem to come down on one side or the other.--Light current18:19, 16 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Certainly not the fault of a child who is fed lots of empty calories (via soft drinks and junk food, for example) and encouraged not to exercise. Marco polo02:57, 16 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Blame the original robber-barons, and guys like Henry Ford -- I think that it's an echo-effect of industrialization. You can make cars in a factory -- why not food? Vranak03:11, 16 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Its peoples own fault, while they may have gotten fat while they were children then theres no excuse for why they are still fat when they are adults. Joneleth05:29, 16 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
LC, have you read our article on obesity? I'd have expected an experienced Wikipedian like you to know about our convenient search feature, over in the tool panel on the left side of your browser window. Cheers! TenOfAllTrades(talk) 06:21, 16 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Blame the bastard Evolu Sean. It's winter and scare ressources that turned us into fatbags. The absence of predators helps. Keria11:36, 16 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
There are rare individuals with mutations in genes encoding, for example, Proopiomelanocortin and the melanocortin and MCH receptors, that result in a disregulation in the appetite pathway. These unfortunate indivduals can become morbidly obese because their body tells their brain that they are hungry, so they eat continuously, even when they are full. In extreme cases, individual will go to extraordinary lengths to eat. It is very difficult indeed for these individuals to lose weight unassisted, though clinical intervention can help. Rare mutations in the gene encoding leptin have a similar phenotype. In such cases leptin replacement can help [8]. It should be noted that such dramatic genetic effects are very rare. While there are very likely complex genetic predisposition in a lot of obese people, the environmental effects (such as doing not exercise and eating high calorific diets) are majorly responsible. Thus for most people, "blaming ones genes" is not a particularly constructive, nor accurate, interpretation of their obese condition. Rockpocket02:38, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Wikipedia Strengths and Weaknesses
If you had two choose two wikipedia articles to demonstrate Wikipedia at its best. And two articles that showcase the weaknesses and disadvantages of the wikipedia format... which would they be?
Thats an extremely subjective question, theres no definitive answer to that and thus any answer you will give is a direct opinion of the person answering. Joneleth05:27, 16 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I personally like the series on Bait (dogs) -- especially the Monkey vs Dog article.
The worst? -- anything written in esoteric (specialized) language. If it's worth explaining, it's worth explaining in straightforward, comprehensible layman's terms. Vranak
Yes, many of the science and math articles fall into that category. Others suffer from repeated vandalism or constant edit wars over controversial issues, like terrorism. Then, we still have articles which simply lack sufficient content and/or lack sources. Wikipedia might do best on certain obscure, but uncontroversial issues. One example is the SR-71 Blackbird, a discontinued US spy plane. A paper dictionary would likely have no mention of the plane, or perhaps a paragraph on it, while we have a rather extensive article. StuRat05:41, 16 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
The SR-71 obscure?? What are you, a non-geek or something? --Anon, December 16, 05:55 (UTC).
The following answer is a subjective answer to a subjective question. It consist entirely of my own opinions. Although it does not meet WP:V, please do not delete it. For Wilipedia at its best, try Project Excelsior for interest and detail (I have to confess bias as I originated that article), and global warming as an example of a great objective and balanced article on a controversial topic. Not so good stuff - well, there are lots of rather sad stubs like The Fighting Temeraire (a random example) that deserve more care and attention. And well-meaning but poorly written articles like this one (another random example) do not show us at our best. Gandalf6112:38, 16 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I suspect editors will have favorite pages and metapedians will have hated pages. I can think of pages, like List of U.S. state legislatures that I like, but not really any that I don't... The REAL bad ones are generally so bad that the most superficial fix (EG. Blanking) is the best course and so don't survive vary long. Also, edit warrers and noxious editors will probably have favorite pages. 68.39.174.23806:44, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
how do I destroy my profile on Facebook?
Incorrect spelling of surname in title
Hi!
Title for WILLIAM DUFRIS has incorrect spelling (Dufries). There should be NO letter 'E' in the surname.
Hi, thanks for posting. The correct place for your comment would be either the Help Desk, or the talk page of the article in question. If there is reliable evidence that the title is incorrect, the article can be moved. Anchoress03:00, 16 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
"What links here"
When we look at the "what links here" page of a Wikipedia article, the articles are arranged in some order. They're not alphabetical, so what is going on there? -GTBacchus(talk)06:58, 16 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
The "what links here" articles are kept in a database record. When you click "what links here" the database record is retrieved and I believe the referencing articles are listed in the order they appear in this database record. New references are added on the end, so the sort is chronological by date of creation of the reference (not creation of the article). These database records are also sometimes rebuilt (for example for some software updates), in which case they seem to end up alphabetical. So, in general, there's an alphabetical list of "old" references followed by a chronological list of "new" references. I think the bottom line is you can't really count on any particular ordering. -- Rick Block (talk) 18:13, 16 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
how can i join you?
hello.
first of all whoever is reading this mail.or rather request,i want to thank him/her for spending your valuable time on it.
as you have requested for some monitory help for this noble mission to spread free knowledge.
i realize i shuld make myself useful to this organization.i'm a student of B-Tech [in I.T dept.] final year,
so i dont have any money to help your mission.
but still i want to help you. may be you have thousands of employee,working on this project.so you dont need another one but i want
to join your project.
now my problem is how will i be able to do that? as you know my qualification.what i have to do to join your company/project?
now again thank you for your time.I'll wait for your sugession.
I think you have the wrong idea. We don't have employees, everyone is a volunteer here. I suggest signing up for an account, and/or simply start editing! I've left a message with useful things on your talk page. --WootyWoot?contribs07:17, 16 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
If you have particular areas of expertise (like computers), you could either add to articles in that area or answer Ref Desk questions in that area (at the Computer Ref Desk, for example). While it's not required to sign up to do most edits here, it is encouraged. StuRat07:48, 16 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Hey there Wikipedia, there are apparently two state colleges which do not reference the name of the state they're in in their title. One of them is Rutgers; what is the other one? Thanks a bunch! 71.128.115.24707:45, 16 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
There are many state colleges in the US that do not contain the name of the state. Just in Pennsylvania, I can think of about half a dozen (including one which bears the name of another state!). alteripse13:36, 16 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
A few weeks ago in Atlantic City, police found the body of four women, most of them prostitutes, in a drainage ditch. There was some coverage in the newspapers/TV, in the region, but that's about it. [9] Now in England, five women were found dead, and it's a huge story not just all over Britain, but even in parts of the rest of the world. (It's on the Wikipedia front page, for example.) I'm just wonder, how does stuff like this work out? One more body surely didn't change the "newsworthiness" of the story much... So why is one story huge and another not so much? Is it merely random chance? zafiroblue05 | Talk08:03, 16 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
How sympathetic the public is to the victims is of critical importance. Here are some factors that make people more sympathetic:
Living near the victim.
Age of the victim, with children and elderly getting more sympathy.
Gender of the victim, with females getting more sympathy.
Rarity of the event.
Heinous nature of the crime.
Morality of the victim.
Similarity with the victim in race, ethnicity, etc.
Attractiveness of the victim and availability of photos/video.
So, a young, female, attractive, morally pure victim of a rare and heinous crime with a major collection of available photos and videos gets major media attention, like JonBenet Ramsey, while an ugly, middle-aged male criminal who is shot during a drug deal gone bad may not make the news at all. Of these, I suspect the rarity of the event is the diff here, as Atlantic City has a higher murder rate than England, making each murder less significant. StuRat08:20, 16 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I think it's also to do with the timeliness of the findings - the women whose bodies were found on Tuesday only went missing last week, so the killer is still active and still a threat, and women are continuing to work despite it. Too little is known about the Atlantic City killings yet for there to be the same sense of imminent danger. Most of the coverage in the UK has centred on three themes - the safety of streetwalking in general, the impetus of heroin addiction and 'there but for the grace of God go I' - these were (generally) middle-class girls gone bad. Coverage such as that of the interview with one of the victims last week stating she was well aware of the danger but was compelled to work to feed her habit highlights the sadness of the case, and feeds public sympathy. Natgoo09:48, 16 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I was also struck by the disparity of coverage, especially right here on wikipedia. Despite StuRat's and Natgoo's erroneous assumptions, the two stories are nearly identical. The local papers in Philadelphia have covered the AC story in some detail. For example, AC has a fairly low murder rate (as opposed to, say, Philly, which just logged its 400th or 500th for the year-- I forget which). The overwhelming majority of US big city murders are young black men shooting each other over drugs or disrespect and that sad story is too common to be newsworthy. But the road to prostitution and the kind of people who get there seem to be very similar in Ipswich or New Jersey. You will have to come up with some other distinctions than the kind of victims or the local murder frequency. And this is the antithesis of the "MWW syndrome"-- no one even noticed these white women were missing until the bodies were found. alteripse13:31, 16 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
The murder rate is, indeed, significantly higher in the US. Here are the relevant rates in murders per 100,000 people [10][11][12]:
United States: 5.7 England and Wales: 1.61
Atlantic City, NJ: 3.3 Ipswich, England: 2.16
That's still significant. The 350% plus increase in the overall US murder rate relative to the England and Wales rate is even more significant in the perception of US murders as not newsworthy, relative to England and Wales murders being perceived as newsworthy, however. StuRat15:00, 16 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Looking at the murder rates and population, I see that Ipswich has 2.5 murders a year average while Atlantic City only has 1.3! Rmhermen16:58, 16 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
That's why the stats are always equalized by population. Otherwise, even the most dangerous little towns would look safe, because there aren't many people there to kill. StuRat17:11, 16 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Plus, prostitution in the United Kingdom is legal (although most activities surrounding it are illegal). Therefore, there's much less of a "who cares - they were criminals!" attitude surrounding them, and far more of a "who on earth would do this to five flawed but essentially innocent girls?" Laïka19:22, 16 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Tanning inner arms
Hi there. I just spent a week out in "the bush", being outside a lot of the time with my shirt off. I've come back from my holiday with a nice tan everywhere except on the inside of my arms. The contrast is quite bad: I'm completely pale in that area, but very tanned everywhere else. I figure I now need to do some form of corrective tanning. What are the best ways to tan one's inner arms? Any specific positions or techniques? Any help appreciated. 196.25.255.25007:06, 16 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
It's difficult to answer this without stating the obvious - assume a position in which the inner arm are exposed to light and get into some sun. Arms outstretched in a gesture of openness seems like one possibilty. Alternativelt arm over the head lying on the side is an other. Maybe you could get a t shirt and put slits down the side..87.102.4.18013:37, 16 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
This would also be my recommendation. If you live above the Tropic of Cancer, you'll have to wait until May to do this of course. :) Vranak20:41, 16 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Hi, I tried searching for some info at the Invest in Sweden Agency and sweden.se, but I couldn't find what I was looking for. What would be the rough cost of life in Stockholm, within commuting distance from Danderyd Municipality? I read there needs to be a deposit of around 3-to-6 months' rent, but how much rent would you pay for one month's lodgings for one person, or two? I don't need precise numbers at the moment, so rough numbers would do nicely.
This article has a great graph table to put it in comparison to a few US cities, and as such it appears very expensive (more so than San Francisco!). Also, keep in mind that Sweden is a socialist nation with fairly high taxation, a burden all its own. Droud15:11, 16 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks. :) Um, that's actually a relief, because Seoul (where my brother lives) is number 2 on that list. ;) Yep, I need to keep the tax on my mind. Can anyone give me some pointers about the costs of food, coffee, clothes, housing, and entertainment (CDs), please? --Kjoonlee15:35, 16 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I live in Stockholm. What do you need to know? Rent is generally quite high, reaching thousands of Swedish Krona/SEK each month (That's a couple of hundreds of Euro or US$), I think commuting is about 600 SEK a month, a CD is about 150-200 SEK, depending on where you buy it, and how popular it is. A movie is between 50 and 100 SEK. I think overall, Stockholm is quite expensive, say, compared to Berlin... 惑乱 分からん17:17, 16 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Uniross charging times
I recently bought some 250mAh AAA rechargeables and realised that I lost the instructions with the charging times.
I have a really old Uniross charger that is no longer manfactured by Uniross, so they have no documentation on charging times. So I'm afraid I may blow the batteries.
What is the charging time for the batteries?!
The only useful info that I have is that it charges 800mAh AA batteries in 7 hours.
Some chargers scale the charging current with battery size while others just run the same current no matter what the size; for this later type, you could just scale the charging time with the battery capacity. I don't suppose your charger knows enough to stop when it's done, no matter what the size?
In that case you are taking a risk, but I recommend the following: Your charger seems to be a relatively simple model, so I doubt it does anything fancy like scale current with battery capacity, or automatically detect the end of a charging cycle. From "charge 800mAh in seven hours" indicates that your charger charges at around 115mA. For a 250mAh battery, that adds up to just over two hours of charging time. Something to watch out for - NiMH batteries heat up fast when they are full and still being charged, so keep an eye on your batteries when you charge them the first time, if you notice them heating up (or if two hours have passed), remove them! If you have a voltmeter, check their voltage when fully charged (it should be around 1.25V), if it's below 1.2V your batteries are probably not fully charged (depends on how new they are, NiMH need several charge-discharge cycles to attain their full capacity). Good luck, and if you are planning on using many rechargeable batteries, I recommend you do some research and invest in a good charger which regulates currents and automatically ends the charging cycle when the batteries are full. It will save you a lot of pain in the long run. — QuantumEleven11:26, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Religious publication
I listened to an interview on a radio program sometime ago. I don't remember the the name of the person being interviewed or the person doing the interview. The person being interviewed was the editor of a magizine of religious satire. The name of the magizine was the Guttenburg(or berg) Door. I remember the editor saying that they had misspelled the name but did not realize it until after the first edition was out, so they kept the spelling. I can't find anything on the publication. I want to subscribe. 64.81.114.11716:33, 16 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
And so the intended reference was to Wittenberg. English-speakers typically confuse the German endings -berg (mountain) and -burg (castle, etc.), because we typically pronounce them both the same way. --Anon, December 17, 03:44 (UTC).
I have an existing retail business which I will put up for sale. Sale price of anything is generally determined by cost with a profit margin. Putting a price tag on a business is however not that simple as we need to look at certain considerations such as startup cost, current sales, sales potential, location, goodwill, etc. In my case, it's a fairly recently established retail store of somewhat high end characteristics and I have been approached by an interested buyer who will be dealing in different but similar line. Concerns about sales and growth potential thus become irrelevant for this prospective buyer as his decision will seem to be influenced by non-financial factors, most probably the outlook and location. So what would be the best way for me to make an assessment to arrive at the reasonable selling price of my retail store? Thanks. --61.6.206.10419:02, 16 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Determining what it's worth to him should be relatively straightforward, just look at the prices for similar properties in that area. Determining the worth to you should be done by looking at the amount of profit it generates per year, multiplied by some factor, say 5, to arrive at it's value to you. Now, if it's worth more to him than you, there is a basis for a sale somewhere in that range (where in that range depends on haggling). If, however, the business is worth more to you than the facility is worth to him, then there's no basis for a sale. Also, if you have valuable equipment that can be sold, that could be considered, as well. StuRat19:41, 16 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Forgotten joke
Im trying to remember a rather good joke about an elderly lady who has trouble with her sense of smell and hearing who goes to the doctor. If it is allowed by such an erudite community, would anyone be able to remind me of the joke?--Light current19:20, 16 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
The one I remember goes something like this. I'm just going through the generals:
The lady goes to the doctor, claiming:
-You know, doctor. I have a problem of constantly passing gas, but at least there's an advantage.
They don't sound anything, and completely lack odor.
Believe it or not, I actually have let four of them out, since I came.
-Well, lady, first things first.
First of all, we need to check up your complete lack of smell, and second to that, we should check up on your bad
hearing.
I heard it about 30 years ago as "Here is a prescription for a decongestant, and this is the address of a hearing aid company."Edison21:48, 16 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
thnx for your info but i have checked both of them out but none can give my answers perticulerly..........
so i'm still waiting.........for answers.
Cost of weapon production
Does anyone know how much it costs for the military to produce bullets and kinetic energy penetrators? Any info would be helpful. --DebateKid19:35, 16 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Does anyone know the names of each Christmas-themed Simpson episode? The ones I can recall are Miracle on Evergreen Terrace, Simpsons Christmas Stories, and Marge Be Not Proud -- but I know there are half a dozen more. I'd appreciate it if anyone could mention some. Joenn20:08, 16 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Could any one remind me of the name of the procedure to look at the coronary arteries by feeding a camera or something up an artery in the groin?--Light current20:24, 16 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I have a freind who says that all that noise you hear miowing and screetching at night , is actually 2 cats (1 m, 1f) having sex. She says the screaming is because the males penis is fitted with spikes thay do not allow it to come out for over 15 mins. and causes a lot of pain to the female cat when finally withdrawn. Is that true?
The spike part is true, but I don't think the 15 mins part is true. The spike actually stimulates (painfully) the female to ovulate. Cats don't ovulate on a regular basis like human females. I don't know why a painful spike is required to stimulate ovulation, versus the stimulus of intercourse alone being sufficient, however. StuRat22:21, 16 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
However, the yowling you hear at night is mostly cats proclaiming their territory and having stand-offs with each other. (This seems to be missing from our cat communication article.) They do sex fairly quietly, with little more than a sharp miaow to conclude.--Shantavira10:07, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I remember times that when I was working late at night, I had to close all windows because the cats were simply taking over. I was always wondering.... could it be a combination of sex and fighting... I mean : do male cats often rape female cats??! At some times I tried to intervene... to no avail of course.Evilbu12:34, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
No, I don't believe male cats often rape female cats. The males aren't much bigger, so it would be difficult for them to rape the females. StuRat12:57, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Quite how one animal can "rape" another is not quite clear to me. The human concept of non-consensual sex doesn't really apply to animals, for which (in most cases) the purpose is solely reproductual. Rockpocket22:56, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
All animals can give or withhold consent, humans included. Also, some other animals use sex for social purposes, like humans. Bonobos are one example. However, whether sex is purely for reproductive purposes in a species makes no difference in whether that species can given or withhold consent. StuRat04:18, 18 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
It can also just be "being barred". In bridge a player can be "barred from the auction" (although the official term is something like "required to pass for the remainder of the auction"). Different games would likely have different terminology. --Anonymous, December 17, 03:51 (UTC)Z
A lot of magazines in the UK contain lottery-type promotions by various companies. These normally consist of a scratchcard or similar which offers fantastic prizes (carribean holidays, £25,000 etc.) if you find the three matching symbols. The thing is: every ticket seems to win. And unless I am freakishly lucky (which I'm not), it's a scam. The commonest method seems to be asking people to send text messages to a premium rate number. However, this rarely costs more than £10, when the prize (guaranteed according to the ticket) is worth at least 10x that. It doesn't appear to be a Lottery scam; the tickets give the address, phone number etc. of the company which issued the ticket, as well as a customer service number, and it seems therefore relatively simple to get a refund under the Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982. So where's the catch? How can the companies make money by giving everybody a prize? Laïka00:54, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I don't know about the holiday things you describe, but some mail order "prizes" say you've won "a car, a big-screen tv, or a portable music player", and of course you've always won the player, and it's worth about three quid. And you have to pay 4.99 shipping and handling. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk00:58, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
They vary. Always read the (extremely) small print. (Sometimes this is hidden on the inside of the envelope.) This has the complete list of prizes, most of which are not worth the £10 phone call. In one I read recently, your call only bought you "entry into a draw" to win the star prizes. Yes, it is a scam really, but the promoters know the rules and usually manage to stay the right side of the law.--Shantavira10:15, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Anything which appears too good to be true usually is. Even if they did have that money to give away, and the tickets really "won" it, they wouldn't last long so there'd be little chance of collecting. --24.147.86.18719:23, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Most popular selling item online
To whom it may concern:
I was wondering...what is the #1 most popular selling item or product
sold on the internet today?
I'm looking for several responses to see if there is any concensus.
Thanks.
Rich C.
Great question. I can't find any reference to a single product - and the nature of Internet commerce would probably mean accurate sales figures would be almost impossible to obtain. However, in 1998 Forrester Research calculated that "PCs, porn, CDs—things the consultancy calls “boy-toys”—and gift items such as flowers made up a little over half of all online consumer revenues [the previous year]." [14] Zoom forward to last year and Forrester reports "The most popular categories were travel (at $62 billion), followed by computer hardware and software ($14 billion), autos and auto parts ($13 billion), apparel ($11 billion) and home furnishings ($8 billion)." [15]. Forrester has a prediction for 2006, but will cost you $279 to access it. [16]. Rockpocket01:34, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Weight loss
To whom it may concern:
Q. What is the most reliable and successful weight loss product on the market today?
I heard sugar intake was just as important to reduce. If you don't use all the energy sugar gives you directly, it would be stored as fat or something... 惑乱 分からん03:17, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Sucrose has a high food energy content (4 kilocalories per gram) and is used widely to sweeten foods, thus is a major contributor to the Western, hypercalorific diet. Cutting down on sugar is a good start towards cutting calories. Rockpocket03:43, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I can tell you what worked for me: eliminating all meat and poultry from my diet (and replacing it with fish, shellfish, crustaceans, eggs, and cheese), avoiding anything that contains or may contain hydrogenated or partially-hydrogenated oil, and avoiding any foodstuff that contains preservatives, other than harmless stuff like salt, citric acid, and so on. Vranak03:30, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
In short, weight loss products are usually unreliable if you don't alter your life style to match. Exercise and adjusting what you eat will have more effect (without yo-yoing). 0- Mgm|(talk)20:05, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Get a high-energy job. I've heard that running a preschool or daycare is especially good -- running around after a gaggle of three-year-olds will burn off pounds like you wouldn't believe. --Carnildo00:35, 18 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Introduction services
Are there any legitimate mail order bride or marrage introduction services and how would I obtain a list? When you search online for one they come up by the hunreds but I am hesitant to try one.
Thank you. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Rider Jay (talk • contribs) 01:39, 17 December 2006 (UTC).[reply]
I looked at some of these agencies a while back and this one, Elena's, seemed the most legit to me based on the way they conduct their business. There are others too that seem pretty legit; don't know about any list though --Justanother02:41, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I have a large supply of organic muesli. Is there a simple way of making this into nice tasting snack bars for taking out with me? I prefer solutions without baking.--Light current01:44, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Microwave some marshmallows to soften them up, then mix them with the muesli and form into bars. Allow to cool and harden. StuRat02:26, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Mix it with little bits of unsalted butter, and brown sugar, and cinnamon, spread it on a baking sheet, and bake it until it smells nice! At least, that works with just oats. Should work with muesli too. Vranak03:28, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I was looking for something simple like: mix with honey for sweetness and roll out on kitchen table. Then cut into slices. Would that work- or would it need heating?--Light current14:12, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
They wouldn't be very hard, but would remain limp. Baking is one way to remove the moisture. Adding something to harden it is another idea. I believe marshmallows already contain thickeners (probably gum arabic or something similar), so that's why I suggested them. StuRat15:15, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Honey+Muesli = luxury Flapjack am I right? This shouldn't need baking - but it would be hard work to mix the honey and muesli intimately - I've tried this (plus milk powder) and it sticks together (sort of) A press might help if you don't want to cook it87.102.13.23516:23, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Ah now thats more like it! I agree mixing may be a problem. Maybe you need to let the honey soak in over night? then squeeze out any xs. Could be messy--Light current17:56, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
In practice - it absorbs a lot of honey - and it's very slow to absorb (honey isn't all that runny). I'd suggest a christmas pudding type preparation - make the mixture at least weeks before you want to use it.. (You'd probably need more honey than muesli by volume).83.100.132.12118:09, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
And to summarise, there are a few telltale signs, although more info would be good. One, if you are expected to get other people to participate it's usually a scam. Two, if you 'win' something but must pay something in order to claim your winnings, it's almost always a scam. Three, if you are asked to give personal information like banking info, credit card info, etc, it's almost always a scam. Four, if it's explained to you, but you just really can't figure out how everyone's supposed to make money. Things that aren't always dangerous but are warning signs: You're asked to keep it a secret; it's related to someone you don't know - a 'friend of a friend', someone offshore, etc; it's supposedly to help someone out of a jam, but somehow you're going to strike it rich at the same time; it's a great, sure thing investment that happens to be the best-kept secret in the investment world. Anchoress05:05, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
To give you more info, I find the scheme well orchestrated as it has stark similarities with the multilevel marketing (MLM) concept in which the lead member would solicit for more members to form a network of member under the lead member, hence multilevel. The scope of multilevel marketing scheme as we know it is usually limited to consumer products such as health and beauty, appliances, etc. and it is indeed a legitimate marketing scheme. The one which I came across is that deals with money or cash between the members. Unlike most financial investment, membership under this scheme only requires as little as $20 and the return is deposited into the member's online account on daily basis. What's more, the principal or invested sum can be withdrawn on demand and to top it off, one may draw on the whole investment after after 100 days or so. I also understand that upon withdrawal, the payment is made through the lead member who may make use of his/her networks of members across the organisation to gather sufficient funds in case of any shortfall anywhere in the system. Does this sound like a scam? That's what I call literally money makes money. --61.6.206.10406:51, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Sounds like a ponzi scheme, which is the pure cash version of MLM. The question you should be asking yourself is, how is the money making money? In ponzi schemes, the early investors typically win big, but later investors make nothing and some lose their principal. In a closed system (100 investors each investing $20), if anyone walks out of the project with more than they invested, then someone else will leave with less. Unless the money is coming from somewhere else? Is that the case? Anchoress07:00, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I agree with you and that's exactly what I told my friend about the inner workings of this scheme. It seems enticing and the early birds may benefit while those come later may lose their investment completely. I warned him against it but he wouldn't listen as it's not much of a loss for just $20 anyway. But we never know when human desire meets temptation. Thanks. --61.6.206.10407:24, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
How can you tell if something's a scam? There's a simple rule I like - "If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is." Sort of cuts right to the point. --jjron13:02, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I generally agree, but every once in a while something "too good to be true" really takes off, like Google or Youtube. So, be skeptical, but don't completely reject anything in that category, out of hand. StuRat15:09, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Google was never really "too good to be true", though. It was just a very odd business strategy (building up enough name recognition through free services that one could easily branch into pay services), one which only could work in the information age (and had a very high chance of failure). And in any case, exceptions often only prove the rule — the one or two dotcom successes are only really remarkable when compared to the sea of failures. --24.147.86.18719:26, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Sites with intelligence training
I am trying to find websites that have intelligence training. Ideally, ones that have free access or at least free trials. 05:52, 17 December 2006 (UTC)211.30.5.124
I may be biased, but think that reading Wikipedia articles, or Ref Desk questions, and contributing to them, is an excellent way to keep your brain active. StuRat12:47, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Can you give me any info on a movie that aired once, it was called Amerika. Any information will be appreciated.
thank you, shirley.
—The preceding unsigned comment was added by 207.40.83.112 (talk) 05:58, 17 December 2006 (UTC).[reply]
There's always been talk about woman raping guys. how is it possible. don't men have enoguh muscle power to prevent this from happening? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 219.88.164.105 (talk • contribs)
That's a stereotype. Not all women are weaker than all men, just as not all men are the same strength as one another. As well, women with training in the martial arts, or a weapon, can overpower men stronger than them. There's always psychological weakness and age differences too. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 06:50, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
But even still? What does it mean when a woman rapes a man, I never got this. Do they mean that the woman managed to force the man to have sex with her (because she's older or because she's beating him up or whatever)? Because - due to male and female anatomy- I don't understand how a woman can force herself onto a man?Evilbu12:31, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
There are two quite different defs of "rape". The older and universally accepted meaning is to force somebody into sex against their will. The newer def is much broader, and includes cases where "consent can't legally be given", such as consensual sex with somebody below the age of consent. Other people deemed unable to give consent might include those who are intoxicated, mentally retarded, unconscious, in a subservient social role, etc. Now, as for women raping men, that could use either term. A woman with a gun could certainly force a man to do sexual things he did not want to do, possibly including intercourse (men sometimes get erections even when in fear). The term could also be applied to a woman who has sex with an underage boy, even if he is a willing participant. In a truly bizarre legal definition of rape, two underage kids who have sex can also both be charged with raping each other, in some jurisdictions (these laws aren't enforced, however).StuRat12:43, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Depending on your jurisdiction, you may also want to distinguish between "rape" and "sexual assault"; in English law, for example, a woman can never commit "rape", because the legal definition of "rape" requires the insertion of the penis of a human male by the perpetrator. As women don't posess these, they cannot commit "rape". --Mnemeson12:57, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Also, it is important to remember that drugs may be involved. While it is unlikely that a small-framed woman could drag a larger man back to some alley, it may be likely that an already inebriated man could be drugged up a bit more so he 'wouldn't care.' 209.247.21.17916:41, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
The Sexual Offences Act 2003 defined "rape" to require 'penile penetration', and also created the offense of "assault by penetration" (as a distinct crime from rape, this can be perpetrated by women). Our article on that act does say that rape has since been redefined, apparently to basically make the definition for 'rape' the same as was for 'assault by penetration', but that comment is unsourced, and I'm not familiar with an act that did this, I may have missed it, but I believe(d) the 2003 act and definition remains in effect. --Mnemeson16:46, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, woman-on-man rape does exist and has occured.
I remember learning in Gender Psychology, back in 2002, that a Western researcher encountered a peculiar occurence on one of the islands (or group of islands) in the South Pacific, many many decades ago, perhaps even in the 19th century.
Apparently, a group of young women would pin down and rape a lone young male (taking turns of course), and after they were finished, defecate and urinate on him. I do not recall enough particulars of this observation, to provide something cite-able, but I am neither making it up, nor did I dream it. Remember though, this was decades if not centuries ago. Vranak20:24, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I am a blogger at the popular website, www.steeplemedia.com (actually the "in-training" webmaster) and I was wanted to know a few things.
1) Would I be able to have an article on Wikipedia about it?
2) If so, I couldnt figure out which topic i should put it under (on the Request Articles page).
and 3) I would create the article my self but I would never have the time to sit and figure out how to format it correctly.
Please see WP:WEB. Unless you've been covered in newspapers or other reliable sources, you shouldn't create an article, and even then, creating one of a website you're involved in is a bad idea. --WootyWoot?contribs09:56, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Why is Newtonmas deleted and protected on Wikipedia? Is it because it's secular?
I can't see why really. Newtonmas and Wikipedia are similar in many ways, on Newtonmas people are ment to share gifts of knowledge such as books, and Wikipedia is even saying "You can give the gift of knowledge by donating to the Wikimedia Foundation!".
Or has this place been infultrated by radical Evangelical nutcases?
Thanks. 84.70.132.22615:33, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I found your discussion of SACD very interesting and exciting. I could not determine exactly what is needed electronically, Hi Fi wise, to get the system to work. Do I need two preamps and two amplifiers? I am a loyal dynaco fan, but I have more than two amps and two preamps, is this sufficient or do I need something more, or is this multichannel something else entirely. In other words is it possible to take, say, 4 channels from the SACD player as two sets of two, or three sets of two and amplify separately? I hope you understand my confusion. Do I need three preamps and three amps? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 209.244.30.237 (talk) 15:38, 17 December 2006 (UTC).[reply]
SACD is at the minimum two channel - so you'd need a 'set up' capable of reproducing stereo at the very least. I'd guess that most (or at least some) players can downmix multichannel to stereo as well.
Multichannel eg 5.1 is 5 normal channels (front(center), left, right, rear left, rear right) plus a separate low frequency channel. To reproduce this fully you'd need 5 amps+speaker and a special subwoofer amp and speaker.
Modern multichannel recievers/decoders can downmix multichannel to stereo as well - if you don't want to buy all those extra amps and speakers.
A SACD doesn't have to be multichannel - it may just be stereo (of a higher quality than CD), the ouput depends on the disc you are playing.
SACD multichannel goes up to 6 channels - so you could need up to 6 amp/speaker.
The SACD disc will say (somewhere) on it exactly how many channels are used - I'm not sure what is normal for such a disc.
As for taking 4 outputs as two sets of two - i guess you mean join left rear and left to make one channel and right rear and right to make one channel - something like that - yes this is possible to do if you want to - though I wouldn't suggest just 'joining them together via a stereo to mono plug. - You could end up shorting out the op-amps - if you want to do this I recommend a special mixer - eg like a mixing desk to do it, but you will have lost the multichannel effects..(Please ask more questions if I didn't 'get it')83.100.132.12118:25, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Do my lifetime achievements matter in the great scheme of things?
Serious question - nothing sinister underlying it. I am male, happily married (second-time - first time a disaster), 59, British, University Graduate, ex-Civil Servant, Retired, Children, Grand-Children, Solvent, no Criminal Record (not even a parking ticket), saw the Beatles and the Stones performing live on stage, "straight", politically middle-of-the-road, never published a book, or wrote a piece of music, or gave a lecture, or won an award from The Queen: have no entry in Who's Who; not an alumni, got lots of friends and ex-friends all over the world, don't care about religion or race or supremacist faiths, think the world is a beautiful place to be, wish everyone else thought the same. I suppose there must be millions like me, very content with my life overall and looking forward to years more to come - not desperate to change anything significant. But - I am increasingly conscious in a big way of how much I do not know about the world I live in, and even more conscious of how little (if anything) I have done to improve the world I will one day leave behind. Don't want a monument or memorial service in St Paul's Cathedral but would like to face my Maker and be able to say, "But for me.......................". Any suggestions?
Sure, find a group that is doing work that you believe in and support them. It would be great if you are in a position to work full-time for a group you believe in. Get politically active too, if you are not already. Point is, join with like-minded; you can do a lot more that way. Also, your entire comment reminds me a lot of Saving Private Ryan; the scene where old Ryan is asking "Have I lived a good life?". Always chokes me up. So have you? That is not really the question though; the fact that you ask this question tells me that you know you should be doing more. Good for you! --Justanother18:35, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
You can of course immortalize yourself by writing a featured article; it will be read by wikipedia users and plagiarized by students forever. More seriously, is it really necessary to achieve something great and monumental to influence the world? Can't you live on in, say, a joke or an idea you shared with your friends or the way you helped shape how your children look at the world? As Pessoa said, everyone who ever lived is still alive somewhere.[citation needed]Skarioffszky19:03, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
The "great scheme of things" is not fully known to humans, although many groups and traditions will gladly tell you they know the answers. A number of traditions comment that the answer varies depending what level you look at it:
In earthly life, your achievements live on in the lives of all they touch
all the way through to:
There is no "one" to "achieve anything, it is illusion in the eye of [[consciousness].
Probably you didn't think Wikipedia would have an answer for you. But it does. Check out our article on Meaning of life. Also look up nondual, mysticism, as articles whose subjects quite directly address the same field, and may contain thought-provoking ideas if the question is a real one for you.
Outside Wikipedia, three books I can immediately think of which you might also enjoy are: "Only love is real" (Dr Brian Weiss), "The Invitation" (Oriah Mountain Dreamer note this is the book, not the poem of the same name), and "The Bridge Across Forever" (Richard Bach), all touching on the same isssues from different perspectives.
Ultimately most traditions seem to split into two - the ones that regard life as something one does to "get" something (praise, recognition, remembered, heaven) ... and those that view life as only mattering now, each moment, where what you personally do only matters as you live it. The question for you is, does it matter what the future thinks. if you develop your own view on what a good life should be, the standards it should embody, and then live that way, you surely will not be doing too much wrong. There is an old jewish commentary that states you will be asked by God, why you didn't enjoy the (permissible) enjoyable things in life as well, and alsoone that says we are not expected to complete the work of creation, but neither are we free to ignore it and do nothing. In other words, a balanced and honest caring life, and let God (or whatever is out there) worry about the judging. You are a part of existence, and as such you matter in the same way the number "3" does to mathematics... its one number equal to all others, but also it is by nature irreplacable, needed, and unique.
It depends on how you define "in the great scheme of things". Reading articles like ultimate fate of the universe (especially the heat death option, which seems most probable at the moment) can make one feel like nothing that anyone does on this planet will ever amount to a hill of beans "in the great scheme of things". But helping a child live and learn can make one feel like every little thing can matter "in the great scheme of things". It depends where you set your sights and your scope. Most of the people who have had major effects on the entire world have been monsters. A rare few have helped for the better. It's not necessarily an enviable position. Remember Candide's conclusion: start by "tending your own garden," taking care of the things closest to you. If you can do that, you'll be better off than most of us, and the results will be more or less immediate. That's my philosophy, anyway. --24.147.86.18719:31, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
You realize, of course, that your question is classic mid-life crisis. That does not make less of the question just points out that many have faced it and there is lots of helpful info and support to be found. --Justanother20:26, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
You need to answer this question yourself - society's opinion of you means nothing. Only you can judge yourself. (That's the direction I'm coming from.)
Or to be more to the point - given what you've told us - No. they don't. It's pathetic. You really are a non-entity. Sorry!83.100.132.121 20:34, 17 December 2006 (UTC)
By the way you clearly don't seem to know the difference between 'me' and 'society' - you've painted a picture of a non-individual - take a look at mid-life crisis, or better still Individuation, or any of these Cultural identity, Identity, Individualism, Person, Self (philosophy), Self (sociology), Self (psychology). Now I can return to my miserable existence. Thank you.83.100.132.12120:42, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Alternatively - Pull your socks up and make a contribution to the world instead of just filling your belly and your pockets! how does that sound.83.100.132.12121:13, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I really do want to say thank you to all the above respondents who took the time and the trouble to take an active interest in my life - and its meaning and worth. I regard all the comments as valuable to me, without exception, especially the last one from the psychiatric hospital matron who advises me to 'pull my socks up'. A few of the comments have focused too closely on the literal interpretation of my OP question without considering the context of my expansion, but no worry, I still appreciate their contributions. But I especially thank Justanother for his/her input - I had already thought of mid-life-crisis but thought that too trite for someone like me who as well as having seen the Beatles and the Stones performing live, had also had Diana Ross sit on my knee on my 21st birthday, and sing, "Baby Love", in my left ear. Justanother is absolutely correct, I still have much to do and starting tomorrow, I am going to follow the advice given by Skarrioffszky. Thanks to all - immensely. And I intend to once again, skinny dip in the Meditteranean and the Pacific, minus my watch that can withstand mega sub-terranean atmospheres.
You are very welcome. Though I think a "psychiatric hospital matron" would be more interested in giving you your medication than telling you to "Pull your socks up". That sort of stuff usually comes from your dad (laff). Or maybe your best friend (mine tells me to "count your blessings" when I am feeling down). --Justanother00:08, 18 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
japanese seapost to USA
In the 30th seapost was sent to USA by HIYE Maru, HEIAN MARU, TATSUTA MARU, ASAMA MARU, HIKAWA MARU, SHIZUOKA MARU; YOKOHAMA MARU
Who knows anything about the boat class, schedule or duration of its journeys
redjul
Maru is not a class of ships, but a word attached to many Japanese merchant vessels: Japanese_ship_naming_conventions#Maru. Tatsuta Maru, Shizuoka Maru, Asama Maru, and Yokohama Maru were operated by Nippon Yasen Kaisha (Japan Mail Steamship Company). Shizuoka and Yokohama were both some four thousand tons and built in 1912. Asama and Tatsutamay have been sister ships constructed at the Mitsubishi Nagasaki Shipyard circa 1927. Shizuoka was lost April of 1933 when she ran aground on a reef off the northern tip of Yap, there is an account of the incident in Bodley, R.V.C. (1933). A Japanese Omelette: A British Writer's Impressions of the Japanese Empire. Tokyo: Hokuseido Press. pp. pp. 193-206. OCLC4423561. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help) A letter to Prince Konoye dispatched from San Francisco March 22 and carried aboard Tatsuta Maru arrived in Japan April 11. I'm finding a few other random facts about the ships, for instance the HMS Liverpool intercepted Asama Maru January 21, 1940 outside Yokohama and removed twenty-one Nazi officials who we enroute from the U.S., if you are interested.EricR23:05, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Article title or suggestion please
I'm unsure where to post this request. Could someone suggest the appropriate article covering government misrepresentation, censorship or mediation, in science? (ie, the correct subject title for the practice whereby scientific research and findings can be slanted to suit political agendas.)
Censorship doesn't seem quite right, there probably is some better page but I can't think what. It's an important subject not covered in censorship, and I'd like to see what is said about it in other articles if any, or what title such an article might be given (if written).
I don't think there's a specific term for specifically government misrepresentation of specifically scientific information. If you want to emphasize the government aspect, you call it "spin". If you want to emphasize the scientific aspect, you call it "bias" or "misrepresentation" or "censorship" or "scientific misconduct" or whatever. I'm not sure there's a catchall that emphasizes both at the same time. --24.147.86.18719:50, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
If you are desirous of creating an article on that based on the USEPA global warming report issue and other issues related to perhaps stem-cell research or right-to-life issue then I think entitling the article "Scientific censorship" or similar would be fine. --Justanother20:11, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I have very little information on the Sculpture Phillipe H Mourey (1840-1910), I know he worked for Japy Freres & Cie the clockmakers Beaucourt France in around 1870. I'm most interested to find out about his life story and if any photographs exist of him.
How many other clocks did he design and what other work did he do apart from the clock designs.
Thanks
--Michael Fitzpatrick19:27, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I'm pretty sure it was at the time that Christianity was starting to become popular throughout the world. Didn't they do it to make the tansitition from Paganism to Christianity easier? Cbrown102320:35, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
According to Christmas#History, "It is unknown exactly when or why December 25 became associated with Jesus' birth." However, the article does give a fair bit of background on earlier festivals around the winter solstice and the gradual transition to celebrating Christmas around that time of year. — QuantumEleven22:24, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Exactly when the early Christians first started to celebrate the birth of Jesus on 25 December cannot be determined with any precision, though it was a well-established practice by the middle of the fourth century. But why they chose December 25 is a question that is far easier to answer: it was a date closely associated with an important mid-winter holiday and several religious festivals throughout the ancient world. It simply made good sense to transfer popular celebrations from one form of religious practice to another. Saturnalia, the festival of Saturn, had been celebrated by the Romans for generations in late December, the high point of which was 25 December, the winter solstice. In the third century the Emperor Aurelian gave the day an even greater sacred focus by bringing the cult of Sol Invictus-the all conquering sun-from the east. The birthday of Sol Invictus was celebrated on 25 December. The day is also associated with the worship of Mithras, Osiris and Dionysus, uniting Persian, Egyptian and Greek traditions. As the Bible itself makes no mention of the date of Jesus' birth, and it was celebrated by different Christian groups on various dates, from January right through to May, it made better political sense, especially as the number of converts began to grow, to centre the event on a day that people were already familiar with. Incidentally, the whole question of Christ's birth, and the celebration of Christmas, became a matter of some contention after the Reformation. Stricter Protestant sects dismissed the festival as a pagan practice devoid of scriptural authority; and it was finally banned outright in the seventeenth century by the Commonwealth of England. This hostility towards Christmas continued amongst some groups right into the late Victorian age, as those of you familiar with Edmund Gosse's memoir, Father and Son, may recall. Clio the Muse23:45, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Willy On Wheels
Everywhere on Wikipedia there is something about Willy On Wheels. Who the heck was Willy On Wheels? I heard that he was some sort of vandal but I've looked everywhere and nothing says what he did. Was he like the "devil" in a sense? Thanks. Ilikefood21:21, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
What would happen if, say, some user who had never vandalized before suddenly claimed that they were WoW and then still didn't vandalize? Would you think that they were doing it for atention or would you ask an admin to block him/her? Ilikefood00:21, 18 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
timewasting questions
Im quite disturbed by all the timewasting questions being asked on wikipedia reference desks lately. Dont you have a method to find and silence the perpretators for Gods sake? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 212.74.96.197 (talk) 23:39, 17 December 2006 (UTC).[reply]
<sarcasm>Well, we could block all people in the world from editing Wikipedia and then throw the server into the atlantic ocean after filling it with jell-o, or we could launch the server into the sun, or hire an assassin to kill everyone who ever used Wikipedia, but aside from that I just can't figure out anything else... </sarcasm>Ilikefood00:08, 18 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
MMgghhh! I see you are intelligent woman. we also have intelligent woman in my country. We like your fightiness Justanother. So just to keep peace between our two countries, I say we equal OK?
o yes I forget. My freind Igor (my servant) say he like you very much and can he meet you sometime, someplace?
How did you manage to remove two questions at once? Accidently, or deliberately? At least one of them was serious! I feel slighted and rejected! Vitriol02:46, 18 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Powered Garlic and Garlic Flavored Salt still doesn't make sense. What's the difference between the Salt and the Powder? Is it just the sixe of the granules?
Is this a stripped down version, without the extras/outtakes/documentaries? The set I'm considering buying comes in two versions, with the Thin Pack half the price of the other. Clarityfiend03:01, 18 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Genuine CDs ?
Dear Sir/Madam,
I have ordered music albums for a very cheap price from an Ebay seller and have received them in a less than two weeks. Considering they were from Moscow, Russia; this was quite amazing. I have noticed that the CDs come with their respective boxes and booklets. The problem is that I doubt their genuineness considering the very cheap price. (8.10C$ (6.99$) / each + shipping) I don't know if I am being paranoid or not, but the CDs even have their "music label graved signature" in the inner CD circle) and barcodes. I have noticed the "For sale in Russia / CIS only" but that is not my current concern. Is there anything to check if a music album is genuine or not ? TAU Analyser says that the audio files are uncompressed CD quality files at least.
Matt71400:56, 18 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
See grey market or bootleg. They could be either. It is really not your job to worry. eBay has a program called VeRO that rights owners are supposed to use to prevent sale of counterfeit items. If they are not obvious copies, i.e. they look legit to you, and they sound fine to you then you can probably be happy with your purchase. If they were obviously copies I would report the seller to eBay and to the rights owner but grey market is just that, a grey (gray) area. --Justanother01:06, 18 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Well the CDs look certainly legal, they have:
1) jewel case and actual cd with all the usual art of a music album
2) complete booklet
3) barcodes + laser signature on inner circle of CD
If they are copies, people are getting bloody good. :/
I suspect that they are themselves legit, but are only intended for the Russian market, and are sold at a reduced rate (since people there wouldn't buy them at full price). So, it's not legit for the seller to sell them outside Russia, and he could possibly get in trouble if he is selling them in sufficient quantity. There is a similar situation with meds sold for much less in Canada than in the US, which, of course, leads to Americans buying their meds from Canada, legally or not. StuRat03:53, 18 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Percent of vandalism edits by IPs and by Userids
Are there any stats for what percent of the edits to Wikipedia by IP addresses are vandalism, and the percent of edits by Userids? It seems like a full time task to revert vandalism by IP address users to one's watchlist of articles. Edison04:34, 18 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I'm a high school student in Boston, MA. Is it true that girls are more willing to engage in anal sex when they are in college versus their general relucantness to have it now in high school? Any thoughts or tips would be greatly appreciated! Systemex04:49, 18 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
![[13]](http://www.subversiveinfluence.com/images/blogposts/191.oilderrick_180x188.jpg){kind=link}