Welcome to the miscellaneous section
of the Wikipedia reference desk.

Select a section:

WP:RD/M

Want a faster answer?

Main page: Help searching Wikipedia

How can I get my question answered?

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

Ready? Ask a new question!

How do I answer a question?

Main page: Wikipedia:Reference desk/Guidelines

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

August 1

service records

hello im victor apodaca jr., i service in the national guards the late 80s im tring to get my service records so i could aply for my beenfits i service in hanford, california i cant remember the unit can you please let me know how to get them

victor apodaca jr sp/4 2926 heres my email victorapodac

Victor, I've removed your email address because it may attract unwanted attention on this public site. Any useful answers will appear here anyway so your email is not required. Richard Avery (talk) 06:11, 1 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

You can apply for your service record here. StuRat (talk) 15:37, 1 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Hanford, California appears to contain a California National Guard recruiting post, is that where you served ? I don't have a unit number, but their address and phone number are listed here. StuRat (talk) 15:43, 1 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Prefecture ethnic composition in PRC

When I get information about ethnic composition of prefecture in PRC/ Especially prefectures of Heilongjiang, Jilin, Yunnan, Liaoning, Guizhou and Sichuan.--Kaiyr (talk) 12:48, 1 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

You can find all the answers you seek at List of Chinese administrative divisions by ethnic group. --Jayron32 19:21, 1 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I want by prefecture.--Kaiyr (talk) 21:16, 1 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Ah, sorry. Everything you listed was a province; but you want data for each of the individual prefectures of each province? Have you tried Chinese Wikipedia instead of here? They are likely to have more complete data than the English language Wikipedia. I don't read Chinese, so I can't help you research there, but if you do you may find it more useful than here. There are also other online Chinese encyclopedias as well; perhaps one of them could help. --Jayron32 21:31, 1 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

But I dont know chinese.--Kaiyr (talk) 07:43, 2 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

How to connect continents

How all the continents can be connected on road and through sea? That will be the future development in civil Engineering. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 14.96.223.107 (talk) 13:24, 1 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

In fact, Earth consists of just 4 contiguous continental landmasses: Afro-Eurasia, the Americas, Australia, and Antarctica. Europe and Africa are both connected to the Asian landmass. There are already roads connecting Europe and Africa to Asia. This large landmass contains a large majority of Earth's population. Likewise, North and South America are connected by the Isthmus of Panama. At present, no road connects the two continents. It would be rather expensive and dangerous to build a road connecting the two continents through the Darién Gap, but there is no real engineering challenge to doing so. However, a Bering Strait crossing, connecting the Afro-Eurasia landmass to the Americas, would pose engineering challenges. Furthermore, thousands of kilometers of roads would have to be built across very thinly populated areas of Alaska and Siberia to connect any such crossing to the road networks of the continents on either side. The expense of such a link would be vast. The expense of connecting Australia via a series of very long bridges and/or tunnels via New Guinea and the Indonesian islands to Asia would be even greater. Probably even more expensive would be a link between uninhabited Antarctica and South America, its closest continental neighbor. It is hard to imagine justifying the expense of building these links when sea and air links are so much more cost effective. Marco polo (talk) 15:25, 1 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

(edit conflict) You best shot for an intercontinental bridge between Eurasia and The Americas would be across the Bering Strait. That covers 5 of the seven major continents (Europe, Asia, and Africa share a land connection, as do North and South America). You'd have to string together a whole bunch of bridges across the islands of Indonesia before crossing Timor Sea to get to Australia. For Antarctica, your shortest bridge would be across the Drake Passage. --Jayron32 15:28, 1 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

(ec) You'd want to put them well under the surface, to protect them from hurricanes and such. Anchoring them at the bottom might only work in shallow areas. When the water is several miles deep, you'd need to have free floating tunnels. If the combo of building materials and trapped air can be made to have the same density as the water, then the only forces they would need to resist are those of ocean currents. Hopefully they can be placed at depths where currents are minimal. You'd want to have sections divided by airlocks, so that a catastrophic failure would only kill those in that section. The airlocks would also be a natural place for restaurants, rest stops and motels. Internal combustion engines would not work due to the oxygen requirements and exhaust created; you'd need all electrical vehicles. You could allow individual vehicles, but an automated system of vehicles might make more sense, something like a subway system. StuRat (talk) 15:30, 1 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Do you mean, can all the continents on earth be connected by roads across seas? If so, I don't think it would technically be feasible to build a bridge e.g. from Canada to Iceland or from Brazil to Sierra Leone, due to such factors as the depth of the ocean requiring innumerable massive pillars of several thousand feet each and, to put it mildly, challenging complexities involving waves, water pressure and continental shelf structures. For perspective, China this year completed the construction of the world's longest bridge over water [1], which is just 26 miles long as compared with the 1738 miles required to bridge Brazil and West Africa at the Atlantic Ocean's narrowest point. Furthermore, that bridge was built in relatively shallow water over Jiaozhou Bay but the Atlantic Ocean has depths of up to 13000 feet. Deserter1 15:49, 1 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Just wait awhile... Ghmyrtle (talk) 19:49, 1 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I wonder which will happen first, the Bering Strait crossing or the bridging of the Darién Gap. It it amazing that in this day and age it is not possible to drive from North America to South America. -- 203.82.93.120 (talk) 13:21, 2 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Given the constant instability of the sea, ships and airplanes seem like much more cost-effective and much safer options. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 00:16, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

If an economic need existed to bridge the Darien Gap by road, it would most likely already have been done as there isn't any major engineering challenges to building that bit of road, only economic and political challenges. Googlemeister (talk) 21:11, 4 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Anonymous prisoners

What happens when someone is arrested, has no identification on their person, refuses to divulge their identity, and fingerprints and DNA fail to produce a match ? Are they tried and convicted as "John Doe" and imprisoned to serve out their sentence as such ? Pick any jurisdiction you'd like. StuRat (talk) 15:56, 1 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

In contrast to refusing, consider the case of amnesia. Presumably an identity search would be initiated, and there are plenty of possible sources besides fingerprints and DNA. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 16:24, 1 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Sometimes an asylum seeker arrives in a European country with their identity documents deliberately destroyed. This is an attempt to prevent their return to another country within the Dublin Regulation. There have been a number of "orbiting" asylum seekers, who are shuttled from member state to member state. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 17:14, 1 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

There was an interesting case recently in Utah. The person was kept in jail for some weeks until identified (matched to a missing person report), and then convicted to "time served" (30 days) and released. -- Vmenkov (talk) 00:13, 2 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Not arrested - but the curious case of Andreas Grassl in the UK was similar. Alansplodge (talk) 21:39, 2 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I recall reading of a convict in Australia that was never identified. This was in a single-paragraph story in a "news from around the world in brief" type column in a UK broadsheet, maybe The Sunday Times from 2-3 years ago. My recollection is that a man of aboriginal descent was arrested (not sure what for) and refused to speak to any police/lawyers/judges, who weren't able to identify him through other means. He was processed, I believe, as "X", and served a sentence of around 60 days, refusing to give his name or state where he lived upon release. I have tried googling this, but can't find a reference anywhere, so I could be getting one or two of the details wrong (NB: I am not getting mixed up with "Mr X" in Israel, a high-security prisoner whose identity is thought to be known by Israeli officials but not released to the public [2]). Deserter1 10:59, 5 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Finding a gem cutter

Where, in the South-Eastern Michigan area, can I find a place to cut gems ? Specifically, I want one of the easiest cuts, a hemisphere shape, made out of the rod taken from a ruby laser. I tried Google, and found lots of ads for drills and saws impregnated with diamonds. I called the one jewelry store that came up, Tapper's, and they said they don't do that, and they didn't know of any places that cut gems for the public.

Alternatively, perhaps I could cut off the proper length of the rod and mail it to somebody to finish. What kind of tools are needed to cut through a ruby rod, without cracking it ? I could mail the entire rod, of course, but would prefer to limit the value of things I send through the mail. 68.79.93.3 (talk) 19:22, 1 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

It would be surprising if you got much help with this, as people would suspect you were trying to pass off synthetic rubies as genuine. Whatever happened to those "diamonds", by the way? Looie496 (talk) 20:44, 1 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I believe the ruby rods are genuine, or else they wouldn't work in lasers. They are lab-created, or course, so just like natural rubies, but without any inclusions or cracks. I suppose jewelers would probably find them objectionable, though, as large quantities of lab-created gems would undercut their prices. As for the diamonds, I haven't had them appraised yet. I was hoping to combine this chore with that one. 68.79.93.3 (talk) 21:00, 1 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I have no doubt that they're genuine, but synthetic rubies are not worth nearly as much as natural rubies. It may not be logical, but it's true. Looie496 (talk) 22:19, 1 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, I've concluded the same thing. That's why I'd like to cut them and give them away to friends, instead of trying to sell them. 68.79.93.3 (talk) 22:38, 1 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

There don't seem to be a lot of custom gem cutters in the United States. If you search "gem cutter" in Google, you will find a number of results, some of them outside the United States. You could look for reviews and ship your ruby to the cutter of your choice and arrange for the cut ruby to be shipped back to you. The only cutter I found in Michigan during a (somewhat brief) search was this one, though he is on the other side of Michigan. Marco polo (talk) 00:00, 2 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

OK, so it's not just my lack of Google-fu, there really aren't any gem cutters in my area? I'm surprised by that. 68.79.93.3 (talk) 01:17, 2 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Hopefully the Michigan cutter is better at cutting than is his English in such a sentence as "A full recut, can loose as much as 50% or more of it's original weight depending on the severity of the damage." Cuddlyable3 (talk) 00:29, 2 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

It looks as if gem cutting is one of those many useful crafts that generally don't pay a living wage any more in expensive places like the United States due to competition from low-wage places like India and Sri Lanka. So, I think most gem cutting is now done in Asia. It looks as if most gem cutters in the United States are hobbyists, though a few commercial custom cutters remain. Marco polo (talk) 14:02, 2 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Huh, I had long assumed that a lot of gem cutting was done in New York City's Diamond District, but perhaps I am mistaken. Our page says "An estimated 90% of diamonds in the United States enter through New York." So, they mostly reach New York already cut? Pfly (talk) 17:59, 2 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

northern dancer, horse racing

I seem to remember that one of Northern Dancer's wins (perhaps even the 1964 Kentucky Derby) had some controversy attached. Though I'm almost certain, I can't seem to find any information anywhere. Am I wrong about my recollection? Thank You — Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.93.100.210 (talk) 22:04, 1 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Did you read Kentucky Derby and Northern Dancer yet ? I didn't find any mention of a controversy in either. StuRat (talk) 22:25, 1 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Could you be thinking of Dancer's Image, the only winner ever disqualified from the Kentucky Derby, in 1968 ? StuRat (talk) 22:34, 1 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

August 2

Could you find better deals for these commercial kitchen items?

A campus organization is trying to build a new kitchen, and they need these items. Many of these items seem overpriced, so I wonder where the best prices are for each of them (after shipping & handling.)

http://kstatewesley.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/MENU-webv.pdf

(Note: They must be brand-new.)

Thanks in advance. --70.179.165.67 (talk) 06:43, 2 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

By what criteria are they being judged as "overpriced." As someone who has worked in Facilities Management, which includes overseeing and maintaining the equipment of commercial catering operations, while I can't claim to be au fait with current industry pricing in another country, they don't strike me as unreasonable, though as in any competitive market one should indeed seek comparative quotes from multiple suppliers - in some contexts that is actually mandatory.

Commercial catering equipment has to be far more sturdy and durable than its domestic equivalent, and (at least in my country) is I believe usually made of particular (and expensive) grades of stainless steel, and with certain design specifications, in order to be able to meet regulatory standards of hygiene that do not apply in private domestic settings (where also one is not ordinarily prosecuted for lapses).

They may seem expensive as one-off capital purchases, but calculate how many meals they will be used for over their expected lifetimes, in contrast to those in a domestic kitchen. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 90.197.66.109 (talk) 09:11, 2 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

There could be several strategies to reduce cost:

1) Buying used, of course, you said is out. But how about overstocked and discontinued items ? You can often buy such items on sale.

2) Where you shop is critical. Some of those items, like the microwave, could be had at discount stores like Walmart, probably for far less.

3) Brand names are important. Several brand names were specified, but do you really need those specific brands, or will cheaper alternatives do ?

4) Configuration matters. For example, you are likely to find two 4-burner stoves far cheaper than a single 8-burner stove, since the 4-burner stove is mass produced for consumers, and the 8-burner is not. Similarly, more, but smaller, coffee makers would be less expensive, and also more flexible, allowing small batches of coffee to be produced for small groups, and also would be less of a problem if one unit fails.

5) Materials effect cost. Does everything really need to have an stainless steel finish, or would painted steel be sufficient for the large items, and plastic for the small items ? StuRat (talk) 11:15, 2 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

They sell commercial microwave ovens in Walmart? Nil Einne (talk) 02:06, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

No, but the link seemed to say they were going for something between a home kitchen and a commercial kitchen, so this seems like a good way to save some money. StuRat (talk) 03:32, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Not if it dies in 3 months and it isn't covered by the Walmart warranty because of how/where it was used Nil Einne (talk) 14:27, 5 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I've never had a microwave die on me yet, although they do tend to run at reduced power after a decade or two. One other suggestion is to get one with knobs for power level and time, since those are far quicker to set than screwing with "data entry" on a keypad. I also tend to think that keypads won't last as long. Also, a pull handle to open the microwave (which might require that you fasten it to the counter) is more reliable that one with a push button to release. StuRat (talk) 19:01, 6 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Those aren't unreasonable prices for commercial kitchen equipment. Assuming that this is, as you say, a campus kitchen that will be serving more than a few individuals, it will have to pass a health department inspection, which normally means that all equipment must be certified by a third-party organization such as the NSF for the health inspector to even countenance its installation. Your kitchen consultant can advise on details. I assume you've taken care of the infrastructure already? The single most expensive item will be the hood, which can easily run $15K for a new hood that can deal with grease-laden vapor from the range and steam from the convection oven, which has a fire-suppression system, a make-up air unit (or appropriate changes to the HVAC to supply the replacement air volume) and whose exhaust is arranged appropriately to reach a big commercial-grade exhaust fan outside. A used hood will still need a lot of labor and planning to install, requiring welded ductwork. Again, if you used a consultant as the flyer mentions, that should already have been planned for. Acroterion (talk) 14:12, 2 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Puke Albania

The Wiki page for Puke which is a town in Albania that just says Puke. If it were changed to Puke Albania I think it would be much easier to find and serve to promote the town. Is it possible to change the title of the page to include Albania without starting a new history with a new page ? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Hennahenna (talk • contribs) 10:17, 2 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, it's called a page move. Let me take a look at Puke. 68.79.93.3 (talk) 10:19, 2 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

It's listed as Pukë District, which makes it clear they aren't talking about vomit, and all the other Districts of Albania are similarly labelled, so I wouldn't change it. 68.79.93.3 (talk) 10:24, 2 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I think the OP is referring to Pukë. -- Jack of Oz ^{[your turn]} 10:59, 2 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I have added a redirect to Pukë to the Puke page. I don't think that adding the name of the country to the title of Pukë is necessary, since the umlaut makes it clear that the article refers to something other than vomit. Marco polo (talk) 13:58, 2 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Yes while this is OT here and more suited to the WP:Help desk we generally only disambiguate e.g. by putting the country name in the article title if it's necessary i.e. the title could refer to at least 2 and preferably more different things. Pukë apparently only refers to one notable thing so the country name in the title is not necessary. Nil Einne (talk) 01:51, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

"The Three Graces", Liverpool

The three buildings on the Pier Head, Liverpool - the Royal Liver Building, the Cunard Building, and the Port of Liverpool Building - are now widely known as "the Three Graces". But when was that term first used for them? Online sources like this book don't seem to use that term any earlier than 2000, but on the article talk page there is a widespread opinion that the term was used locally for the three buildings much earlier, perhaps from the 1960s. Can anyone shed any light on this? Ghmyrtle (talk) 14:31, 2 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I searched a news archive (Nexis UK) for "three graces" + liverpool + cunard and didn't get any results before 2000. I checked the Times Digital Archive ("three graces" + cunard), but only got classifieds. I also had a quick check in UK Parliament archives (nothing pre-2005) and a few others with no success. The term does seem to have, at least, become much more prominent in the last decade, perhaps related to the Fourth Grace as suggested on the talk page or the Capital of Culture bid, which ramped up in 99/00? The Peoples' Archive section of the Liverpool Echo might be useful, but it's not working at the moment. Sorry - this isn't much use! --Kateshortforbob _talk 16:33, 2 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Could Honda do an undo ?

The new Honda Civic is inferior in just about every way to it's predecessor, according to the critics: [3]. So, could they admit they made a mistake, and just go back to producing the previous model ? This isn't the first car to have such an issue. I recall that the Chevrolet Caprice was redesigned to look like a beached whale, and shortly thereafter discontinued. The Ford Probe, originally considered as a replacement for the Ford Mustang, was instead produced alongside that model.

1) So, if all the old designs and dies and such still exist, is there any reason Honda couldn't continue to produce that model ?

2) Another question would be about their pre-production market testing. That is, why don't they know they have a dog on their hands ahead of time, and stop throwing bad money after good ? StuRat (talk) 17:08, 2 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

They should just make the European model the US model - it's a bit funky but generally seems to get a good review (e.g. http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/reviews/honda/civic-hatchback-2006.aspx) ny156uk (talk) 17:14, 2 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Consumer Reports is not infallible. The car may sell well, confounding critics. Also, "pre-production market testing" is not infallible. Bus stop (talk) 17:28, 2 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Did you mean that last link to just go to a diff on this question ? StuRat (talk) 17:33, 2 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Sorry, just including the link for clarity. I didn't just mean this question, or this product—consumers are said to be "fickle". Market testing is occasionally very wrong in its predictions. Bus stop (talk) 17:34, 2 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I was expecting your link to take me to examples where a product succeeded despite a negative critical reception. How does it clarify things to provide a link to my own question ? StuRat (talk) 17:38, 2 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

You are right, and I am removing my link. This article seems to mention the phenomenon. I had in mind the Aeron chair, which is mentioned. Skip down to the section containing the sentence: "In 'Blink', Gladwell gives another beautiful example of a product that didn't test well." I must admit I haven't thoroughly read it yet. Bus stop (talk) 17:40, 2 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

OK, thanks. I can see a couple of categories where focus groups fail:

A) Novel products. Some products are just so different that they aren't accepted immediately, but, once a few brave souls try them out, people begin to accept them and sales start to take off.

B) Long-term versus short-term: They often only ask what the first impression is, such as the first bite of a food or sip of a drink. This can miss foods that have a bad after-taste, make you feel bad later, or have so much salt in them you have to stop eating before you are full.

The first of these failures doesn't seem to apply to the new Honda Civic, as it isn't a particularly novel design. The long-term versus short-term consideration might apply, although it's difficult to imagine a car getting much better with time, but only worse. StuRat (talk) 18:37, 2 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

According to reviews, this model shows clear signs of cost cutting. Honda may be counting on coasting on the Civic's good reputation and making up for lower sales with lower costs. After all, lots of people do not check Consumer Reports, or any reviews for that matter. They have always bought a Civic, and they will buy one again assuming that the value is still there. Or, they buy one based on their father's or friend's experience-based but uninformed advice. Also, Honda may judge that sales volumes are going to fall anyway in the face of a weak economy and competition from Hyundai and other cheaper competitors, so they have decided to try to defend profits by cutting costs to boost their margin. Marco polo (talk) 20:21, 2 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I wonder about the effectiveness of redesigning a car to be less expensive. The obvious problem with that is that the redesign and retooling is itself rather expensive, and this cost must be distributed among the vehicles produced. So, wouldn't they do better to just have stuck with the old design, not pay all those costs, and hopefully lower the cost of the old model, since it's design and tooling costs have been paid down already ? (Just hindsight at this point, as it's too late to avoid the redesign and retooling costs now. Also, if Honda wanted to avoid lay-offs in the design staff, they would have needed to find other work for them.) StuRat (talk) 20:42, 2 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Stu—this is excerpted from the link you earlier posted:

"Personally, I almost purchased a 2011 Civic hybrid, but walked because I couldn't stand the starship Enterprise dash, rife with garish electric blue and green LED panels and display metrics. Call me old-fashioned, but when I'm vectoring a multi-ton hunk of metal down the interstate, I want my attention on the road, not fiddling with fuel efficiency readouts or selecting dashboard "wallpapers.""[4]

The above suggests to me that Honda is targeting a younger part of the market. Honda may be trying to sell to those younger people moving upmarket from a less expensive automobile. Bus stop (talk) 22:01, 2 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

That might be the idea, but then they should have styled it differently, perhaps a "cute" look like the VW Beetle. StuRat (talk) 22:42, 2 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

U S Congressman Joe Pool

Was he married? Did he have children and if so what were their names? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Chamberjoe (talk • contribs) 19:48, 2 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

If there is nothing about it in Joe R. Pool, maybe you could do some research to supply that bit of missing info? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 19:53, 2 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I tried doing a bit of research and failed. The best source would probably be his obituary. He certainly would have had an obituary in The Dallas Morning News a day or two after his death, but its obituary archive requires the payment of a fee for access, and I don't personally want to spend $10 on this. Marco polo (talk) 20:14, 2 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Chances are, however, that some Wikipedian has already spent the ten dollars and could look it up for you, or email you a copy of the article. I've had some luck with Wikipedia:WikiProject Resource Exchange for this purpose. --Jayron32 21:58, 2 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

"Surviving are his widow, the former Elizabeth Chambless, and four sons, Richard, Wesley, John and Joe Jr." -- From The New York Times obit in Google News Archive. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 23:02, 2 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Individual US Congress members' votes

Where can I find the names of the members of the US Congress who vote for or against a particular piece of legislation? The Mark of the Beast (talk) 20:20, 2 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

You can check the Congressional Record. For example, here is a page listing recorded votes for specific bills by date during 2011. Marco polo (talk) 20:25, 2 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

But a better source is here. Sam Blacketer (talk) 20:43, 2 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Awesome, thanks, guys. The Mark of the Beast (talk) 20:59, 2 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Possible careers?

hello, I recently did a quiz and they said my top 6 recommended college majors were:

Atmospheric science
Physics
Environmental studies
Astronomy
Civil engineering
Oceanography

Can anyone think of a career that would use the most of these subject areas in its scope but not necessarily as majors? thanks in advance

99.250.177.102 (talk) 23:22, 2 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Eco-warrior? Cuddlyable3 (talk) 23:37, 2 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

(edit conflict)Environmental Scientist, focusing on the implementation of Floating wind turbines is what came to my mind. Schyler (exquirere bonum ipsum) 23:39, 2 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Building bridges over the sea might touch on all areas except astronomy (although I suppose that is involved to some degree in figuring the tides). StuRat (talk) 00:32, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I have a friend that studies climatology at the University of North Carolina and his specific field of study is of aerosolization over ocean water. Basically, the formation of aerosols (microscopic water droplets) over oceans as an effect on things like the water cycle, as an effect distinct from simple evaporation. It's the sort of thing that PhD climatologists study, and it seems to hit at least 4 of your areas of study. Perhaps climatology would be a way to go for you... --Jayron32 01:26, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

If The Great Architect needs an understudy, I think you'll be in with a chance ;-) No, seriously, something in the environmental science field sounds perfect. It partly depends on your objectives though. Do you want to make lots of money, or live an interesting life? There is no guarantee of either, regardless of what you study, but vulcanologists for example tend not to become millionaires, and town planners tend not to win Nobel prizes (at least, I hope not). AndyTheGrump (talk) 01:46, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Speaking from personal experience, I can assure you that town planners tend not to become millionaires either. But we are very nice people. ;-) Ghmyrtle (talk) 09:21, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

And while town planners don't win Nobel Prizes, Community Organizers do. Googlemeister (talk) 21:00, 4 August 2011 (UTC) [reply]

And volcanologists are occasionally burned alive while loitering on active volcanoes. I tend to view that as one of the more negative aspects of the job. StuRat (talk) 04:14, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Bah, minor details ;-). Maybe some sort of Environmental Technology program? We have that at NC State (I may have gotten the major name wrong), but I don't know much about the program. I don't know, I think that a lot of the things that encompass most of those skills are major projects with specialists in each field. There might be something though. Start a college program that sounds genuinely interesting (and even better, talk to some advisors and see what they recommend), and keep your eyes out for opportunities. I have learned about opportunities for my degrees that I would never have even thought of, partly because of my classes, but mainly because I got to see what people are doing with them, and have been immersed in the culture that surrounds each degree (and yes, each major attracts its own sort of people :-)). Falconus^{p t c} 04:30, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Another good suggestion for you might be meteorology. It doesn't involve all 6 interests, but it matches your top interest with several others. Marco polo (talk) 13:24, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Throwing in a lateral thought - sometimes important new fields of research have arisen from the under-researched areas where two (or more?) traditionally separate fields came close together or overlapped, or where the techniques established in one were novelly applied in another. You might give some thought as to what those overlaps might be amongst your several areas of interest, choose your major and other courses of study accordingly, and have an outside shot at becoming the "Father of X-onomics or Y-ology", or at least get in at the ground floor of an emerging new discipline. It would probably help if you could arrange some informal discussions with grad students in the relevant subjects, as they'll have a finger on the pulse of the latest, perhaps as-yet-unpublished developments. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 90.197.66.52 (talk) 21:11, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I'm surprised no one suggested working for NASA (unless I missed it) or maybe NOAA, or companies in the same lines of work in the private sector. Building spacecraft in which parts fall into the ocean after liftoff would kind of meet all 6, right? -- Mwalcoff (talk) 22:29, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Side note: Many students change majors during college, and many graduates end up working in a field other than what they majored in. This article says half of all US students who do declare a major upon entering college change their major at some point. The article's angle is that this is a bad, expensive thing; but I would argue that part of college is taking a lot of classes in a lot of different areas, and to find what it is you really want to do. Comet Tuttle (talk) 22:56, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

August 3

nostradamus's best and worst predictions?

what were nostradamus's best and worst (i.e. most right and most wrong) predictions? 78.131.25.223 (talk) 02:02, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

(Moved from Computer Desk.) StuRat (talk) 03:44, 3 August 2011 (UTC) [reply]

All of his predictions are tied for "worst". --Jayron32 03:53, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Some of his translators have done quite well in retrospect. HiLo48 (talk) 03:59, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Do you mean that some after-the-fact translations were manipulated to make it look like he made accurate predictions ? StuRat (talk) 04:12, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, although I suspect that sometimes it was a case of looking extremely hard for a possible meaning that may not have really been there. HiLo48 (talk) 04:15, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

More to the point: people don't have to be deliberately fraudulent. Humans are already very good at deluding themselves into making the text have more meaning than it does. Nostradamus works on something akin to the Infinite monkey theorem: The dude wrote a ton of stuff, most of it is incomprehensible gibberish. However, given a longer and longer expanse of history, there will always be some random event which someone, with enough effort, can make "fit" some of Nostradamus's gibberish. Look at it another way: Given the amount of human feces which has been excreted, the likelyhood that someone crapped a log in a decent likeness of Elvis Presley is actually pretty good; most of us don't spend time examining our shit that closely to see who it looks like, however. Nostradamus has written a lot of shit, and unlike the turds in most people's toilets, people have been combing through his shit for hundreds of years. There's bound to be something which looks like a prediction given the combination of enough history to match it to, and enough willpower on the observer to believe that its a match. --Jayron32 04:29, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

This hilarious part is that one of his best "hits" wasn't him at all! In 1997 A Canadian student trying to illustrate how easy it was to imitate Nostradamus's technique, and wrote a nonsense prediction in Nostradamus's style that four years later strongly reminded a lot of people of 9/11. (See this snopes article here. )

More seriously, there are a few examples of real Nostradamus predictions and how they turned out in this Cecil Adams article, The Straight Dope : Was Nostradamus Really Able to Predict the Future?

I think the biggest thing that people have a hard time understanding about these things, is that you can't count something as a prediction unless you can understand it's meaning before the event it predicts. (Once you know what a duck looks like, it's easy to find a cloud that looks like one. Same thing with finding 'predictions' in gibberish.)APL (talk) 05:57, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

In contrast, Criswell's predictions were straightforward and understandable, even though they were totally looney. I wonder what Nostradamus had to say about the Cubs next World Series championship (if any)? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 17:55, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

You may be interested in Prophecy of the Popes along list of all the popes of the catholic church, but on a quick glance at the article it doesn't mention any suggestion that Rome shall be incinerated (nuclear blast), just that it would be destroyed. I've always found that one a more interesting vision, as it has an arbitrary climax which we will get to see unwind in our lifetimes (hopefully we will live that long). Nostradamus is famous for his understanding of human nature, rather than time dilation, he gave the world a scrabble set of quatrains, knowing full well he'd have a lot more fun that way, and he did :) Someone else who had fun for the same reasons was the famous artist who (people don't know) made the famous shroud. Penyulap_talk 12:29, 6 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Extra Dry Martini, how to drink it?

Got an extra dry Martini 100 cl. bottle. On the bottle I can make out a recommended mix of 1/5 martini dry, 4/5 Bombay Sapphire gin e un'oliva. I don't have any gin good gin with me but I have a Smirnoff vodka. olive is also out of question in my part of the world. Can Martini Dry be taken on its own? --117.253.190.68 (talk) 04:45, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

The Martini Extra Dry is a brand of vermouth. Just to get some things straight:

Vermouth is a type of fortified wine; basically wine with other ingredients mixed in. Dry vermouths like "Martini Extra Dry" are flavored with additional spices. There are also sweet vermouths which have added sugar.
The Martini Cocktail is a mixture of vermouth and gin with an olive used as a garnish. While you could mix these in just about any proportion, the 1 part vermouth to 4 parts gin sounds pretty standard to me. Martini Brand vermouth would probably make a decent Martini; I expect it is named as it is specifically to market it for that purpose.
There are also vodka martinis where the gin is replaced with vodka. In the original James Bond novels, this is what James Bond drank, shaken not stirred. Personally, I don't like the taste of gin (too piney for me) so I prefer a vodka martini (I like mine "dirty", with some olive brine mixed in as well, but that's my taste). So, you can feel free to make vodka martinis to your heart's content, knowing that lots of people drink them that way.

There's also nothing stoping you from drinking vermouth straight, or on the rocks, or mixed with club soda, or anything else really. Taste is purely subjective, and if you want to try it, and you like it that way, go with it! --Jayron32 05:03, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks Jayron for the well-informed reply. So, this thing is brand of vermouth. I guess with 18% vol it's a very mild spirits and can be taken without diluting. --117.253.190.68 (talk) 06:32, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Technically, as Jayron already mentioned (though didn't link), vermouth is not a spirit but fortified wine. Though even if it was a spirit there is no law that says it should be diluted. A lot of spirits are even meant to be drunk straight, like for example single malt whisky (although some prefer adding a drop of water, as it is said to increase the aroma). --Saddhiyama (talk) 12:56, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, vermouth can be consumed as an aperitif, straight up (chilled), over ice, or with a splash of soda. (That said, the cheaper vermouth labels are generally best employed in mixed cocktails or cooking.) Vermouth 101 provides an approachable introduction to this fortified wine. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 17:02, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

If I were to mix it with vodka, what would be the right proportion?--117.253.190.68 (talk) 17:35, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

As I was taught, a proper vodka martini is a measure of vodka and just a dash of vermouth (with, a twist of lemon peel or an olive as garnish)--Jac16888 ^Talk 17:41, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I thoroughly approve of the American Standard Safety Code and Requirements for Dry Martinis, especially the "radiation method", whereby, A 60 watt incandescent lamp is placed on a flat surface 9 inches from a sealed bottle of vermouth. A sealed bottle of gin is placed on the other side [...] at a distance of 23 inches....The lamp may be illuminated for an interval of 7 to 16 seconds. -that is, of course, quite tongue-in-cheek; it's a kind-of joke ANSI standard, to demonstrate how standards work. But the idea is right - a very small amount, a dash. Of course, each to his/her own. Chzz ► 15:14, 4 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

P.S. Whilst, ahem, "researching" this (°hic°) I came across a book, available on Google - Martini, Straight Up: The Classic American Cocktail, by Lowell Edmunds. Like a decent martini, it's rather good. Chzz ► 15:38, 4 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I've never understood the appeal of the martini, I've always thought it to be a vile drink. Now an Appletini, that's a good drink, although not the recipe in the article--Jac16888 ^Talk 15:45, 4 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

a list of favorite articles

hello,

i am curious if their is an option to create a custom list of my personal favorite articles (much the same as favoriting/creating playlists in youtube) via my wikipedia account or if i simply have to favorite the urls on my browser?

,thank you. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Burton333 (talk • contribs) 07:34, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Add articles that interest you to your Watch list. Do that by ticking "Watch this page" under the article's editing window, without changing anything else, then "Save page". Cuddlyable3 (talk) 09:31, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

There's no need to Save after Watchlisting a page, Cuddlyable3. There's been no change made, so there's nothing to save. -- Jack of Oz ^{[your turn]} 21:29, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

You can create a watchlist: see Help:Watching pages. This isn't exactly what you require, but might be useful. --Colapeninsula (talk) 09:29, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Or, alternatively, you can create a list at your home page (click on your screen name at the very top of the page, to go there). Do this by typing the exact name of each article, with double square brackets around it. You will get something like this:

My Favorite Articles

Old lift

Why didn't the lift doors open at 0:42 in this video? --84.61.147.210 (talk) 09:17, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

The lift (elevator) was at the E floor waiting for a command to ascend, and ignored a press on the E button. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 09:41, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

High Speed 1 KML?

Is there a downloadable KML/KMZ file for the route of High Speed 1 from St Pancras to Dover? --CGPGrey (talk) 11:26, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

It's available as an XML file from OpenStreetMap via the link at the bottom of this page. Judging by various forum posts on the topic, it should be fairly easy to convert the OSM XML file to a KML file. Warofdreams talk 16:14, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Actually, that appears to be missing much of the route. Try instead, which is the entirety of Eurostar; you can then remove the sections you don't want. Warofdreams talk 16:17, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

200 mm like 300 mm lens

What does that mean? Do they want to say that there is a typical 300 mm lens, but this 200 mm is the equivalent of it? In this case, what makes a lens typical, if it can have a shorter equivalent? 88.9.106.140 (talk) 12:48, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

In traditional (i.e. non-digital era) terms that doesn't seem to me to make much sense, and googling finds no instances of the complete phrase. Can you give us some more context, such as more of the surrounding text, and if this is from a professional manufacturer's or retailer's advertisement (where the wording may be deliberately obfusticated) as opposed to a private one (where the seller may simply be clueless)? {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 90.197.66.52 (talk) 13:12, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I suspect it only makes sense in the field of digital photography. Here is the text extract: "The "lens to die" for the D80 is the Nikkor 18-200 mm f/3.5-5.6G ED-IF AF-S DX VR Zoom. 18 mm is the equivalent of 27 mm and is a great angle Decent. 200 mm is equivalent to 300 mm and is a very good zoom nature." 88.9.106.140 (talk) 13:26, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

This is discussed in our article Crop factor. Most digital SLR cameras have a sensor that is smaller than a full-frame 35mm negative. Therefore any given focal length is effectively multiplied by the ratio between the DSLR sensor and the traditional full-frame. This ratio varies a bit between the major manufacturers, but 1.5 is a good approximiation. Thus, using a 200mm lens on a D80 is equivalent to using a 300mm lens on an old-school, film-using Nikon F5. --LarryMac | Talk 14:14, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Now that we know that the phrase involved comparing differently formatted (35mm) film and digital sensors (which I should have thought of), it does indeed make sense. You might find further information of interest in our article Lenses for SLR and DSLR cameras, which has a table of equivalent focal lengths for different formats (i.e. different sensor sizes) compared to the standard 35mm format most common in film cameras and also used in some (I believe especially earlier) digitals. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 90.197.66.52 (talk) 16:05, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Disparaging quips about grown men wearing shorts

I remember hearing some sardonic polemics about the only contexts in which it is acceptable for grown men to wear shorts but can't remember the punchiest lines. Anyone help out? Skomorokh 21:50, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Hey, I'm 34 and I wear shorts! It gets hot here! --Jayron32 23:08, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

How about "anywhere except within the privileged walls of Bushwood Country Club"? I reject this snobbery. Comet Tuttle (talk) 23:19, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Wife to Paint Store Clerk: "I'm looking for a particular shade of white. (turns to husband) Honey, pull up your pant leg and show the man your thigh." Schyler (exquirere bonum ipsum) 00:14, 4 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

The sitcom King of Queens featured characters who wore shorts at work, and there were many jokes about that. StuRat (talk) 05:42, 4 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

See Lederhosen. 2.97.219.104 (talk) 10:41, 4 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Who wears short shorts? Cuddlyable3 (talk) 11:38, 4 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

“

A man should never wear shorts in the city. Flip-flops and shorts in the city are never appropriate. Shorts should only be worn on the tennis court or on the beach.

”

— Tom Ford

Chzz ► 15:02, 4 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

One wonders how a guy who grew up in Houston could ever make such a claim. Still, it might help if he defined what he meant by "city". Do suburbs count? What about shopping malls? The Mark of the Beast (talk) 18:18, 4 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

There is an interesting constellation of age, gender and class here. In the 20th century Anglophone settler-societies (Australia, New Zealand, Canada, some other one) young male children began wearing shorts (rather than dresses or skirts) as part of a growing trend towards gendering children; and, in the context where expanding working class consumption allowed such gendering. Shorts are and were cheaper than full trousers (themselves a "working mans'" clothing when initially worn, but later shifted in class positioning by the suits trouser). Shorts have an association with childishness and immaturity in males, think of Blackadder 2, "Shorty greasy spot spot?". Shorts are also worn by manual workers. Given a long term association between proletarian status, manual labour, and cultural repression of the manual working class—shorts are viewed through a class lens as embodying dirt, raw masculinity, combativity, cretinism, low social income, etc. My understanding of pay rates by skill in Australia indicate that this view, that manual work is some how radically different to mental work, has not been true since the late 1970s. There's a third constellation in Australia about 1950s-1970s radical nationalism (think Communist Party nationalism, Labor Party nationalism, its time). I've seen a variety of mental workers (teachers, academics, scientists) wearing shorts and long socks as a demonstration of a particular kind of hot climate masculinity. This dress appears to be related to working outdoors: astronomers, not chemists, geoloists, not historians. There's also the concept of "shorts, socks and sandles." I've occasionally seen work shorts recooperated for hipster sexual purposes by men and women into a "rugged" aesthetic. So looking at this constellation of meanings backwards: shorts on adult men could mean that you're from a sexually excluded minority, a "beardy weirdy" academic, a dirty poor worker, or a pre sexual child. All of these are a construction opposed to the primary gender meanings of socially acceptable masculinity as the adult white collar socially intellectual conventional male. Now I want to go out and buy some shorts. Fifelfoo (talk) 02:56, 8 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

August 4

Marketing a small magazine

I recently took on responsibility for marking a small magazine and website. My primary goal is to increase web readership and ad revenue. Increasing print readership is a secondary goal. I would like to know about selling ads on the phone (cold calling) and in person, using social media to market the publication and to increase visibility, and networking with other small magazines. Where can I go to find advice about this? Are there good listservs/forums? Books? People I should talk to? Thanks, --Think Fast (talk) 03:57, 4 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Cold calling is bad enough when it's a product people are actually likely to want, but a small magazine probably will only appeal to a very small portion of the general public, and many of those will be too pissed off by your cold call to consider your offer. The result is that you will call many homes and get few sales, quite possibly costing more for the effort than you get. Instead, you need more targeted marketing. For example, if your magazine is about surfing, then advertise in surfing areas, say by leaving a flyer on a car windshield, if the car has a rack for surfboards. StuRat (talk) 05:37, 4 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

You might also consider reciprocal web ads, where you place an ad on a web site, and they place their ad on yours. Again, try to pick web sites that relate to the subject of your zine. StuRat (talk) 05:39, 4 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Re cold calling: you need to comply with the legal requirements of schemes like the UK's Telephone Preference Service - note that although it is UK-specific, similar schemes apply in other countries, some of whose articles are linked from that one - or you may find yourself breaking the law by cold-calling some people. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 90.197.66.52 (talk) 13:36, 4 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I agree that cold calling is likely to be ineffective. One of the typical ways of targeting these days is to advertise with Google, Facebook, or the like, who will target online ads to people who show an interest in the good or service on offer. If there are blogs or websites appealing to your target audience, try to get a presence on those blogs or websites. For publications, another method is to buy lists of past subscribers from similar publications. Marco polo (talk) 14:06, 4 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I don't think the OP was suggesting they would cold call the general public to try and increase subscriptions — cold calling was mentioned only in the context of advertising. In most magazine ad departments that means cold calling companies that sell products that would appear to your magazine's demographics. It's totally different than calling people at home. My understanding of how this works, which is based on a few historical studies of magazines from awhile back and so might not be exactly up to date, is that what you really want to have in hand are some solid numbers on your readership. What's the age demographic? What's the income demographic? What are the general professions or hobbies that naturally would cluster with the readers? (Are they professionals? Educators? Researchers? Photographers? The sort of people who would also buy expensive cars or funny hats?) Then you call up the marketing divisions at places that sell to these sorts of people. If the magazine is very niche, you might call up companies too small to have marketing divisions. You aren't calling people at home, though. --Mr.98 (talk) 16:15, 4 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

How to launch downloaded xml-dump of wiki database with my local MySql?

Now I have dump of all currrent wiki pages onto my PC. How i can connect it to MySQL to work with it and to set up MediaWiki with this database? Thanks. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Igor Yalovecky (talk • contribs) 07:27, 4 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Wikipedia:Database download#Help importing dumps into MySQL points you to mw:Manual:Importing XML dumps and m:Importing a Wikipedia database dump into MediaWiki -- Finlay McWalter ☻ Talk 12:33, 4 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Mod Aashto in civil engineering and construction

I need to know about the origin of the term Mod Aashto in civil engineering and construction which is used by engineers to describe the density they need soil to be compacted to . if possible I need the explanation on how or who arrived to the term for e g : 98% Mod Aashto . — Preceding unsigned comment added by Marius wessels (talk • contribs) 08:49, 4 August 2011

This was posted on Template:Afc comment [5] so I moved it over here. Chzz ► 10:47, 4 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

AASHTO is the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. See the articles AASHTO Soil Classification System and AASHO Road Test. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 12:26, 4 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Spiders

Hiya, I was wondering if any one would be able to identify these two spiders for me, the one was on my girlfriend in her sleep and is now rather freaked out, thats the big black hairy one. The other was in my kitchen yesterday and was the wierdest thing I have seen in ages, I did not even think it was a spider at first. I cant find either in my spider book. Thanks — Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.3.146.206 (talk • contribs)

Kitchen spider I
Kitchen spider II, with a table spoon for measurment
Massive spider thank scared my loved one
I think it is dead now as I sprayed shower cleaner on it

The first one looks a bit like a daddy longlegs. The second one looks like a wolf spider, though without knowing where you live, it is hard to nail down likely candidates. --Jayron32 15:18, 4 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

The second looks like a tarantula to me. Reaper Eternal (talk) 15:19, 4 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I am in the UK, Hertfordshire, the first one is not a daddy long leggs as it was flat, and the body had very obvious ridges. it was a dirty green colour. the second was not quite big enough to be a tarantula, but I will look up wolf spider

The second is some sort of wolf spider, I'm pretty sure -- there are literally thousands of species. No idea what the first is -- I've never seen anything like that. Looie496 (talk) 15:52, 4 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I'm going to guess that the first is a harvestman, since it doesn't seem to have a break between the cephalothorax and abdomen. Reaper Eternal (talk) 16:04, 4 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

At a guess, if it is in England, the second one is most likely the domestic house spider Tegenaria domestica. That is a large one, probably a female. AndyTheGrump (talk)

@Reaperman: For the record, where I live, what you call a "harvestman", we call a "daddy longlegs". See Opiliones. So, when you said I was wrong for calling it that, not really. They both mean the same thing. When I answered, i did not know where the OP lived, so didn't know which local term he/she would have used to describe it. --Jayron32 16:16, 4 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Jayron is right, the first one is Dicranopalpus ramosus, a harvestman (or daddy longlengs. FWIW daddy longlegs out here refers to crane flies, so usage varies by region). Does not bite (no fangs, it has small pincers instead).

Second pic is Tegenaria duellica, the giant house spider. Harmless to humans, but closely related to the hobo spider (which looks similar and is harmful to humans, heh).

Both (D. ramosus and T. duellica) are common to houses.-- Obsidi♠n Soul 17:35, 4 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

That first one (labeled Kitchen spider I) has the greatest legs-to-body ratio I have ever seen on a creature. Those legs are absolutely tremendous in relation to the size of the body. I'm wondering if it is even a spider, but what else could it be? Bus stop (talk) 17:45, 4 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

It's not a spider. But cellar spiders (which are true spiders) have similarly very long legs. Click me. -- Obsidi♠n Soul 17:50, 4 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, according to our article, harvestmen (Opiliones) aren't spiders, strictly speaking. AndyTheGrump (talk) 17:52, 4 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I have categorized the files, updated descriptions, and requested renaming. ID of pictures III and IV still unsure. Might be T. domestica like Andy said, it's definitely Tegenaria though. -- Obsidi♠n Soul 18:07, 4 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Facebook problem

I hope you can help me I'm at my end. My name is Carolyn S. Crawford, my facebook IS ((Redacted)). They informed me that some1 hacked into my fb account and changed my password. Now I cannot do anything, I have followd all directions and its as if I don't exist at all. The only thing I can do now I guess is to get off facebook and start over. NO one has told me how, you can get in but not off. I would like to get ahold of the person who had made ny life miserable.

I did try to change my password ((Redacted)). They came up with pictures for me to identify and kert telling me I was wrong and right away said I took to long I wasnt right and I know I was right cause it was my FAMILY. I know I am not the only one with this problem and if you could help I would be ever so grateful. Thank You, Caroly Crawford — Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.206.23.167 (talk) 18:40, 4 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Please do not post your passwords anywhere on the internet. That was probably the reason why your account got hijacked in the first place.-- Obsidi♠n Soul 18:45, 4 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Also, see Facebook's Help Center and the page to reset your password. Try entering another friend on facebook until you get it right. Make sure your caps lock is not on and the names of you and the friend you entered are exactly as they appeared on the accounts. Other than that, can't think of anything else that might help, sorry.-- Obsidi♠n Soul 19:02, 4 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Tinning Copper Pots

I WOULD LIKE TO TIN SOME COPPER POTS NEED TO KNOW HOW 217.41.69.195 (talk) 18:52, 4 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Typing "How to tin copper pots" in Google will get you loads of hits. this ("http://www. ehow.com/how_2310426_re-tin-copper-cookware.html". NOTICE: Remove the spacing between "www." and "ehow", for some reason the Wikipedia spam filter triggers this one) was one of the first pages that turned up. It seems a somewhat elaborate step-by-step guide how to do it. You should be aware that those pots only should be used for certain kinds of food as this forum thread explains. --Saddhiyama (talk) 19:10, 4 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Also, kindly avoid the use of all caps, as it is perceived as shouting :-). Falconus^{p t c} 04:56, 6 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Municipal rubbish dump in Jaipur?

Hi - I'm having trouble finding the name of any municipal dumps in the above city. I'm hoping for the official name, used by the city council.

Thanks Adambrowne666 (talk) 22:18, 4 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

From the Jaipur Municipal Corporation site (under JNNURM Projects):

Mathuradas pura - Area: 176 Bigha, Distance: 17 K.M
Sewapura - Area: 200 Bigha, Distance: 20 K.M.
Langariawas - Area: 483 Bigha, Distance 21 KM.

-- Obsidi♠n Soul 22:56, 4 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks heaps, Obsidian - still, what I'm hoping for is the full name of the dumps - eg Sewapura Municipal Urban Body Waste Disposal Facility - it's for a piece of fiction, and I'd like the flavour of the local officialese. I had a quick search on the site, and couldn't find anything of that nature. Adambrowne666 (talk) 00:44, 5 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

There doesn't seem to be any convention (or at least, probably not in English). References to the sites include dump yards, compost plant, waste management facility, sanitary landfill sites, and Municipal Solid Waste Processing plant The last three sound more 'official'. I'm guessing each of the sites have different facilities or something.-- Obsidi♠n Soul 00:55, 5 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks again, OS - very helpful - I'm sure I'll get something useful from these. Adambrowne666 (talk) 12:36, 5 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

August 5

Pretoecting original work, while still putting it online

Ok, so I am in a writer's group of about 15 people that meet weekly. We generally just share short stories and serials, and comment on each other's work. It has been suggested that we start a blog to better keep up with each other's writing (some of the group are out of town, etc). I don't want to be a party-pooper, but I am concerned about the security of my intellectual property. How can I ensure someone won't copy and paste my work and claim it as their own? Is their a way to "certify" or "time stamp" original fiction? Quinn ^{❀ BEAUTIFUL DAY} 02:54, 5 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

There is no way to prove anything on the Interwebs. :-) If you are really concerned about protecting your ideas, most public blogging software has a way to limit readership. I.E., if you were to use the popular blogger.com, there is a setting under permissions for "Blog Readers", which you can set to "Only people I choose", so that only your group can read those posts. ^Avic_ennasis @ 03:26, 5 Av 5771 / 5 August 2011 (UTC)

Post a summary of what you have written with an offer to send the rest by e-mail. Limit the e-mails to the people you know and trust, who are probably the ones who know and trust you. There has to be trust when sharing anything copyrightable. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 12:19, 5 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

If you want to "time-stamp" it, for whatever it is worth, make a secured hash (e.g. with SHA-512) of the text, then post it somewhere neutral that has time stamping ability (like your Wikipedia profile). You could always then show that that particular text corresponded with that time-stamped hash. (You don't have to use a hash, in this case, since all you really care about is the time stamp. But it's a little easier than just posting the text itself somewhere.) This is a separate thing from ways to limit who has access to the writing. There are a lot of options for that, like Google Documents that are only shared with a select group, or a shared Dropbox folder, or whatever. In the end, the only real way you have to make copyright claims "real" is your threat to sue someone if they violate them. --Mr.98 (talk) 15:57, 5 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I know ahead of time this is not going to be the popular thing to say, but this is bordering on legal advice. The OP is asking about how to properly protect his intellectual property; that sort of instruction is best provided by an intellectual property lawyer. If someone here tells him to do something, and it doesn't work, we here have no fiduciary responsibility as an intellectual property lawyer would. It's no skin off our backs if we're wrong, but the OP essentially ends up getting screwed because of bad advice. That's not to say that the advice so far given is bad, and to say that is also not to say that its good. Its just that the best place to seek this advice is from an intellectual property lawyer, and not from us. --Jayron32 16:11, 5 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

The OP's concern is the same as that of authors who submit their manuscripts to a publisher. An old trick is to mail by registered post a copy of one's own manuscript to oneself in a sealed envelope. The envelope when opened in court would serve as evidence. This is not practical legal advice in this digital age. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 18:32, 5 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Googling for mail to yourself copyright finds many suggestions that protecting your copyright by mailing stuff to yourself is a myth. Anyway, Wikipedia does not offer legal advice. 88.112.59.31 (talk) 20:05, 5 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

If you're talking about a blog that's open to the public, then another thing to be concerned about is that some publishers might be wary to buy a work if it's been previously made available free on the Internet. (And they'll know. Just like a teacher grading an essay, they'll pick a few distinctive sentences and pop them in a google search.)

In fact, I'd worry about that far more than being ripped off. APL (talk) 00:11, 6 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

OTOH the fact that text has been published free on the Internet can be seen as an advantage to a publisher. Anyone can create from the Ref. Desk archive a book of memorable answers, see WP:CW. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 15:20, 6 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Airport built by Army in Orlando 1951

I was in the us army in 1951, we were sent down there to build an airport and there was not a thing there then, I'd like to see an artical on the building of the airport that was built by the 812 EAB from Orlando Fal. W H Crisco — Preceding unsigned comment added by 174.106.219.136 (talk) 02:56, 5 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

First off, thank you for your service. :-) Do you recall if it was a military or civilian air field? Or which part of Orlando, or possibly the name of the airport? The only thing I can think of is McCoy Air Force Base, which was (re)opened in 1951. You could also look through Category:Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in Florida and see if any of those ring a bell. ^Avic_ennasis @ 05:26, 5 Av 5771 / 5 August 2011 (UTC)

Correcting a factual error

Could you please tell me who to contact to correct a 'Wrong Name' stated in the text of the Wikipedia biographical information regarding 'Thomas John Smith - Australian Racehorse Trainer' on Wikipedia. For your information in the text of the Wikipedia biographical website it states that his fathers name was 'Neil Smith' which is wrong. Thomas John Smith's father's name was in fact 'Edward (Ned) Smith'. You see his father, 'Edward (Ned) Smith' was my great uncle, my grandfather's brother.

Thankyou

Pamela — Preceding unsigned comment added by Caspdot (talk • contribs) 12:31, 5 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I assume you are referring to Tommy J. Smith? You don't need to contact anybody - you can correct errors yourself. However please note that it is preferred that information, especially where likely to be contentious, is referenced. This applies especially to Biographies of Living People, which of course doesn't apply to the subject here. While it doesn't appear that the Neil Smith claim is referenced, do you know of anywhere we can find a reliable reference for Ned Smith? --jjron (talk) 13:27, 5 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

(ec)Is this about the Wikipedia article about Tommy J. Smith 1916 - 1998 ? Here is a picture to help recognition. If so, Pamela please bring your information to the article talk page. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 18:21, 5 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Celebrations

I see that today is International Beer Day. Since I choose not to celebrate a majority of holidays, obscure celebrations like this, revolving around food or activities, catch my interest. Please help me out and fill out the list below and/or add to it. Thanks Wikipedians! Schyler (exquirere bonum ipsum) 19:11, 5 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Obscure Celebrations

Example Day: <insert date here>. <signature here>.
Pancake Day: See Shrove Tuesday, as it is a moveable feast. 86.163.0.19 (talk) 21:24, 5 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Waffle Day:
Bicycling Day:
Hiking Day:
Book/Reading Day: There's a Journée mondiale du livre et du droit d'auteur; see here [6] and here [7] We don't yet have an article on everything. --Xuxl (talk) 02:53, 6 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]
"Holiday" - sometime around the holiday season ^Avic_ennasis @ 19:18, 5 Av 5771 / 5 August 2011 (UTC)
International Talk Like a Pirate Day ^Avic_ennasis @ 19:18, 5 Av 5771 / 5 August 2011 (UTC)
Cow Appreciation Day by Chick-fil-a ^Avic_ennasis @ 19:18, 5 Av 5771 / 5 August 2011 (UTC)
And while I'm at it: Category:Unofficial observances. ^Avic_ennasis @ 19:18, 5 Av 5771 / 5 August 2011 (UTC)
<Add another obscure celebration here>

Yeah, as Avic said above, they should all be in Category:Unofficial observances. And if they're not, add 'em to the cat. Chzz ► 20:18, 5 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I don't know of a "book/reading day" but there is a US National Book Month in October. See List of commemorative months. And not a holiday or celebration as you exactly describe, there are numerous Clothing-optional bike rides. Warning: Link is likely NSFW though the lead image is nice. :-) Dismas|^(talk) 20:49, 5 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Just to let you know, I added the Example Day simply because Pancake Day seemed to be functioning as an example of what you wanted, and it was the one I knew. 86.163.0.19 (talk) 21:24, 5 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I looked at the category and it is very incomplete. The coolest (although I once upon a time participated in ITLAPD) I found was Bacon Day. There's got to be more. What about Baked Potato Day or take your cat to work day? Schyler (exquirere bonum ipsum) 02:43, 6 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

My favorite is Star Wars Day, which is May 4. As in "May the Fourth Be With You". Or as a chemist I have a fond spot in my heart for Mole Day. --Jayron32 03:40, 6 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

The best is Steak and Blowjob day. Our article was sadly deleted. Adam Bishop (talk) 07:11, 6 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

We are all happy for you Adam but S&BJ day was only intended as an augmentation of Valentine's Day. As a Wikipedia article it would be hard to swallow. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 15:07, 6 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Try the Holiday Insights website. — Michael J 12:28, 6 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Can't believe I forgot this one - In my hometown, we had Sweetest Day, which was like Valentine's Day, except it was in October, and it was primarily the girls who would buy flowers and candy and stuff for the guys, as opposed to the the reverse that usually happens on Valentine's Day. ^Avic_ennasis @ 16:02, 6 Av 5771 / 6 August 2011 (UTC)

August 6

Book Layouts

I have noticed that the layout of books varies considerably. Children's books will invariably have the both the synopsis and critical quotes (if there are any) on the back cover. Young adult paperbacks are laid out with both critics' quotes and synopses on the back cover, but young adult hardcovers usually have critical quotes on the back and a synopsis on the inside of the dust jacket. And there appear to be no real rules for adult books, which have synopses and quotes spread in various places in both hardcovers and paperbacks. Who or what determined these rules (or lack thereof)? Interchangeable|talk to me|what I've changed 02:57, 6 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

There are no rules at all really, though each publisher will have their own preferences and style for each type of book. It is entirely up to the publisher and the designer to decide what they think will be best marketing and "look" for each particular book. Even the price isn't always easy to find, if it's there at all. Obviously a dust jacket gives an extra opportunity for publicity inside the flaps.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 09:39, 6 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

You can't judge a book by looking at the cover (video) but marketers know that almost everybody tries. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 14:44, 6 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

A children's book is often hardcover with no dust jacket. There's no way to put type on a jacket that doesn't exist. And as far as the price, I don't know about other countries but here in the US, the price can often be figured out by looking at the last few digits of the number on the barcode (often called the SKU). If the number is XXXXX2995 then the book is likely $29.95 unless there is a sale or some other such thing. Dismas|^(talk) 14:52, 6 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Which old book said earth is a penal colony for criminal souls from other planets to get reformed?

My mother read a book in 1952 which stated that earth is a penal colony (or dumping ground) for all of the worst criminal souls in the galaxy. According to the book, when beings on other planets commit a heinous crime or they absolutely cannot get along and/or function properly in their own society due to a serious character flaw, they are banished to earth. They aren't sent to earth physically, but rather their "life forces" or "souls" are sent here to be born in human form to become us. Every single human on earth is a criminal from another world that was sent here to be reformed. While on earth, we are subject to the physical laws of this planet and we are absolutely unable to remember our home planets. Also, we must keep being reborn on earth until we learn whatever lesson we need to learn or fix whatever character flaw that got us sent here in the first place. Only then can we go back to our home planets, and we are stuck here for as long as it takes. This, according to the book, explains why there is so much conflict and misery on earth, and why so many people believe in reincarnation and have memories from past lives on earth. This also explains why many people feel as though they have known a particular person who they just met. My mother does not think that it was a science fiction novel or short story. She thinks it was a nonfiction philosophy book or something of that sort, but she is not sure. She knows that it must have been published before 1952, but she does not remember how long before 1952. I have done extensive research on the internet and I have found various comic books and science fiction television shows that have plots which include earth being a penal colony (but in these comics, the criminals are usually physically sent here in their actual bodies and look like aliens). Also, there was a science fiction novel published in 2010 entitled "Prison Earth: Not Guilty as Charged" by Clifford M. Scovell, in which earth is a penal colony for criminal souls from other planets, but, in this book (which I really enjoyed) the souls are implanted in false humans which walk among us real humans and the story is much more about warring alien races out in the rest of galaxy than what is happening on earth. I suspect one or more of the writers of these comics/TV shows/books may have read the same book my mother did. Does anybody have any idea what the title or author of this book from before 1952 could be? I originally heard about it ten years ago and have not been find it. D G Webster (talk) 07:37, 6 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

My first thought was that it was a slightly garbled version of the Scientology creation myth. But I think the fifties would be too early for you mom to have been reading a copy of that. However, see Xenu.

APL (talk) 08:24, 6 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

The book "Scientology 0-8 - The Book of Basics" was first published in 1950. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 14:24, 6 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

1970, actually. According to the book I just read a couple of days ago "Inside Scientology", the alien stuff isn't revealed until OT 3, which wasn't "revealed" until the '60s. Mingmingla (talk) 15:31, 6 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

3 4 the price of 1 which is free

1. If identical twins both put on weight, the first by over eating healthy things with vitamins and minerals and the other gains weight by eating junk, with litte or no health value, if the both get fat and weigh the same, if they then starve, will the one that got fat via healthy food live longer or is fat just fat and it makes no difference what it originated from? 2. The Romans had special shields that could fit together and so stop arrows and swors and protect a whole battalion of men, why did their enemies not make similar shields, and employ the same technique rather than using the flimsy round shield? 3. Is there any use of the scales that come off on your hands after touching a moth, and is it true that a moth will die if its wings are touched? Thanks — Preceding unsigned comment added by 195.89.16.154 (talk) 14:10, 6 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Fat is fat. We need much more information about the lifestyle of both twins to estimate their relative survivals time without food.
Roman soldiers had superior training and discipline.
It depends how you touch the moth. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 14:30, 6 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Maybe this is more appropriate for the Humanities desk, but the testudo formation used by the Romans was a specialized tactic, not something the entire army did (and certainly not all at once). The big rectangular shield used in a testudo was not the only shield the Romans carried. Most of them carried a smaller round shield. See Scutum, Clipeus, and Parma for various kinds of shields. As for why their enemies didn't use a similar formation, well they did, sometimes, but as Cuddlyable said, Roman soldiers tended to be professionals with superior training and discipline, not amateurs without regular training and weapons (as were most of their enemies). They were rich enough to afford to equip a professional army with diverse kinds of armous and weapons. (It didn't last forever though - an enemy army with heavy cavalry, like in Persia and later the Germanic tribes, could defeat Roman infantry.) Adam Bishop (talk) 15:18, 6 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Wouldn't it be more productive to split this question, and move 2/3 to the Science Desk? BrainyBabe (talk) 15:32, 6 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Alcohol tax

How much revenue does the US government make from taxing alcohol? -- noosphere 17:51, 6 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]