Miscellaneous desk
< August 30	<< Jul \| August \| Sep >>	September 1 >

Welcome to the Wikipedia Miscellaneous Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is an archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages.

August 31[edit]

Bicycle Travel Direction Changed When?[edit]

I got my first bicycle back in the early 1960's in western Missouri and have been riding bikes ever since. But, one question that has always bothered me is: when I was growing up bicycles (as opposed to motorcycles) were required by law to travel in the opposite direction of motor vehicles. So, that you could see what's coming at you at all times. But, at some point that changed and bicycles must now travel in the same direction as everybody or everything else. When did that change? I've searched on-line, trying to find an answer to that question. But, so far have not been successful; ergo, the reason that I'm submitting this question to you. Please advise. Thanks! — Preceding unsigned comment added by Kwdobson718 (talk • contribs) 14:08, 31 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

I was taught in NJ in the 70's to walk against traffic and to ride with it. That still seems to apply, law, with the rationale that a bike is a vehicle with the same requirements as all vehicles. μηδείς (talk) 19:54, 31 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Hmm. I wonder if you are confusing habits with laws. Mexicans and Hispanic people in general frequently ride against traffic, but it's extremely dangerous to do that on the road and has always been dangerous. The problem is that people who are turning or crossing an intersection don't look for traffic coming from that direction, so they'll drive right into you. I've seen quite a number of near-accidents that happened that way, and a couple of actual accidents. Looie496 (talk) 20:21, 31 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

That actually happened to me about a month ago. I was turning right onto a four-lane highway. I looked left, no one was coming, pulled out into the lane, and missed a bum speeding the wrong way on his bike, by an inch. Closest I have ever come to killing anyone involuntarily. μηδείς (talk) 01:30, 1 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Are you going to tell us about the times you have voluntarily done it? HiLo48 (talk) 01:37, 1 September 2013 (UTC) [reply]

No, but I was much more freaked out at the time when it seemed like I might almost have killed someone I didn't intend to kill. (Although, frankly, I do think I'd have gotten off given the bicyclist's insanely reckless behavior. He'd've died from his own speed and tumbling over my car, not from my impact itself.) μηδείς (talk) 05:02, 1 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Access to Stonehenge on Winter Solstice.[edit]

We're planning to be in the UK around Xmas this year and thought to visit Stonehenge on the dawn of the winter solstice (Dec 21st). I know that English Heritage allow tour groups in to actually walk amongst the stones on solstice and equinox days - but those companies charge a fortune and include extras like bus travel from London that we don't need.

Other days of the year, you can only see the monument from outside the ring - and I thought it would be kinda neat to see the shadows on the stones line up and all that stuff. The summer solstice is a zoo - 20,000 people show up - but last year only 4,000 were there for the winter solstice - so it might not be so terrible.

I'm trying to discover whether individuals can book a place to walk amongst the stones that morning - or whether you have to be a part of an organized tour - and if the latter, is there a local tour group that doesn't cost a small fortune.

TIA SteveBaker (talk) 19:12, 31 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

The impression from http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/events/autumn-equinox-sh-23-sep/ is that access for the autumn equinox is free but it doesnt mention the winter solstice, perhaps an email to english heritage might help [1] MilborneOne (talk) 20:04, 31 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Generally, as with most Solstice's, it's 'just turn up' and don't piss off the Druids (in my own experience). English Heritage don't publicise the Winter Solstice arrangements as they don't have the resources to cope with as many people as the Summer one,[2] but that doesn't stop celebrants.[3] An email to EH would be a good idea to clarify things, especially with the shifting Police involvement and redevelopment of the area. Nanonic (talk) 21:39, 31 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Oh and, like the Summer Solstice,[4] access to the stones for the Winter Solstice is free. Nanonic (talk) 21:47, 31 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks! I've fired off an email to EH - but so far, no reply except for a robo-acknowledgement. SteveBaker (talk) 14:00, 2 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]

On top of all the good advice above, if you're interested in stone circles and standing stones, you might want to visit Avebury while you're here. As with a lot of the less famous stone circles in the UK, you can walk around and touch these stones, and Avebury is a particularly large system with a decent visitor's centre. There's also a good pub (the Red Lion) nearby, for lunch. 86.163.2.116 (talk) 11:38, 1 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]

That's a good thought! Thanks. SteveBaker (talk) 14:00, 2 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Just want to second the Avebury recommendation, I found it a more interesting site than Stonehenge. Kmusser (talk) 19:06, 5 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Just thinking 'out-side-the-box' Steve. You are a long time contributor to WP. That might not make you an archaeological academic but UK Wikipedians have been welcomed into such esteemed establishments as the British Museum. [5]. Forget 'English Heritage' (they are are moribund organisation) contact the UK WP's instead and ask if they know of any way that a US Wikipedian (that is willing to travel thousands of miles) just (?) to witness the Winter Sunrise in-order to expand the WP articles on Stone Henge can have privileged access. In my book you have the editorial record to justify this (compared with Fox News etc.). A guy called Jesus once said “you can not be a prophet in you own land” – read that as meaning... someone that has travelled from afar (even Texas) is given more latitude, reverence and privilege than a local citizen. The UK's Channel Four also has a 'contact us' on their website. [6] Although part of a TV company, they pride themselves on educating the public in history. The team might help put you into contact with the right people – but do NOT mention Druids ( I'll explain that further if you like but that subject is a no no). It might help if you can come up with a written list of objectives that your visit will achieve. You need access privileges to be there when the sun rises before 'normal opening hours' when the public are not admitted. If you don't ask you wont get.--Aspro (talk) 12:54, 1 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Yeah - I know about the "don't mention that you're a druid" thing! I remember the nonsense about that during the 1960's and 70's! (For those who don't know - these new-age so-called druids somehow got the idea that the henge was built by druids and that by claiming to be druids, they should be allowed to go there to worship or some such nonsense...this isn't supported by the history of the place - and they are basically a continual pain in the neck for the people trying to preserve this place. SteveBaker (talk) 14:00, 2 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Steve, I have no wish to rain on your parade but as a close local I can confirm that the chances of shadows at the winter solstice sunrise are very small and note that Stonehenge is not necessarily the spectacle that the tourist board imagines it is. I have accompanied two non-British groups to the site and both were, er, underwhelmed by the experience. That does not mean of course that some people don't find it a "truly amazing experience". I would also recommend that while you are in the area pop down and have a walk round Salisbury Cathedral, now that is an experience. Richard Avery (talk) 07:01, 2 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for the advice and the caution! I'm actually an ex-pat Brit - and I've been to Stonehenge many times, so I know exactly what it's like. However, on "normal" days, you are only allowed to see it from outside the ring and from quite far away - which is definitely underwhelming. When I was a kid, you could go anywhere (and touch the stones too) - and my recollection is that the experience of the stones is greatly improved by that. This time, I'm travelling with an American friend - and she has always wanted to see Stonehenge - so it's a "Must See" thing on our agenda come-what-may.

The thing about it is that as a pile of rocks, I agree that it's kinda underwhelming - but when you see the sheer size of them and what it must have taken to place them there - it makes you think - and that's something we greatly value. We're certainly not expecting (nor yet particularly desiring) any great spiritual awakening though! We'd planned to go there to see it on a regular day - but someone reminded me that there is access within the circle on the solstice and equinox days. Since we'd planned our visit to the henge somewhere between the 19th and the 23rd - this seemed like the perfect opportunity.

The only downside might be that they expect a few thousand people to be there - so crowding and parking might be a major issue. Anyway, it's unlikely we'll visit the place again - so this seemed like a one-time chance. I agree that the cathedral is another great place to visit - but we only have a few days for sightseeing - and we're going to spend a day in Canterbury (where I was in college) and visiting the cathedral there...I think Canterbury trumps Salisbury...but I understand that this might raise more questions than I need answered! Now, where you could REALLY help us is to give us an idea where a really good place to get breakfast might be!

SteveBaker (talk) 14:00, 2 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Does anyone mind if I hatnote this on Wikivoyage? Sfan00 IMG (talk) 14:26, 2 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]

It's fine by me...everything we type here is released under CC-BY-SA 3.0 and GDFL - so you can pretty much do what you want with it so long as you credit the source. SteveBaker (talk) 20:43, 2 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]

One technical point - if this is going to be a long-term link, it's better to link to the archive page (WP:Reference_desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2013_August_31, which doesn't exist yet) rather than the main RD/M page, as this post will scroll off the live board in a couple of days. Tevildo (talk) 23:54, 2 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]

I am pleased to be old enough to have been able to walk around the stones long before they were 'protected' by busy bodies and made inaccessible.85.211.131.69 (talk) 00:10, 6 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Buying extras for online games[edit]

Anecdotally, how much has a single heavy gamer (not a typical gamer) been known to spend on "add-ons" and "special items" and so forth for online video games? I'm looking for an actual number. Are there any stories of becoming addicted to these "free" games but buying add-ons so often that it leads to financial ruin? --24.228.82.34 (talk) 21:34, 31 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

I can't remember any specific figures (somewhere in the neighborhood of hundreds of dollars a week) but I recall a few stories about gaming addiction around the time that the original Farmville from Zynga was at the height of its popularity. A GNews search of "farmville addiction" should bring up some useful results. That said, I can't seem to find much on it now. Though there is this article which mentions a 2010 case of a Florida woman who shook her baby to death for interrupting her Farmville playing. The link to the story is broken and I was unable to find another account of it though. Dismas|^(talk) 01:35, 1 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]

There is a short article on that case here. BbBrock (talk) 20:45, 1 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]

I don't have a specific number, but if it helps, the name for people who drop big bucks on freemium games is "whale" (which had previously been used as a name for a high roller in casinos). There's some stuff here and here. Matt Deres (talk) 13:11, 1 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Reading through the comments at Matt's second link led me to here which tells of someone spending over $100k. Though, as he is an aluminium magnate, I doubt very much it ruined him financially. BbBrock (talk) 17:07, 1 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]

I didn't think aluminum was magnetic. :-) StuRat (talk) 01:01, 2 September 2013 (UTC) [reply]

It isn't. Only aluminium is magnetic. That is one of the important differences between these two entirely separate elements. Not many people know this. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 03:06, 2 September 2013 (UTC) [reply]

THANKS FOR THE LINKS, THIS IS JUST WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR :-D --24.228.82.34 (talk) 20:16, 1 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]

I'm not rich, hardcore or stupid enough for financial ruin, but I've paid about as much for LittleBigPlanet 2 extras as I did for the disc. Hopefully, buying the "standard" version of Grand Theft Auto V won't bite me as hard.

There are some funny stories of extravagance in Cracked's "The 5 Most Ludicrously Expensive Items in Online Gaming" you might like. InedibleHulk (talk) 04:53, 2 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]

In case you'd rather hear about absurdly expensive items instead, they have another five. InedibleHulk (talk) 04:57, 2 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]