Revision as of 07:38, 30 November 2006

Reference Desk

November 27

Turducken

I believe the first paragraph of the "Turducken" article has been edited in a vulgar way. I am not sure what it should say, only that I assume it is incorrect. Please see for yourself and tell me if I am wrong.

Looked at it; don't see anything wrong. What is it you object to? Cavities being stuffed? --Justanother 02:17, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Likewise. Perhaps the wording is just too fowl? Clio the Muse 02:21, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

I think it's all the talk of 'de-boning' and 'stuffing'. --Kurt Shaped Box 02:40, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

You know what I think? I think there should be a new "how to ask a question" tip up there saying "Do not report article vandalism here" and then explaining why not. Vitriol 14:02, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Sounds good; you should be able to edit the template. Don't know how much of it gets read though. --Justanother 15:40, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

I don't know how. Heheheh... hurr. Vitriol 18:37, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

I've Seen Pencils.......

I've seen pencils that say that they have a clutch action device or clutch-action device, for example,

. What does that mean? Do those pencils work like a clutch pencil? But these pencils can use leads smaller than, say, 2mm? Like, for example, 0.3? Thanks.100110100 03:57, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

I think these look like regular mechanical pencils. In Australia we commonly call them a pacer but as stated in the article, that is a Genericized trademark. They generally only work with the size insert they are designed for, but 2mm sounds very large, I think 0.5mm is the most common but the article says 0.7mm and 0.3mm are available. Vespine 04:18, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

I would imagine "clutch" refers to grapping and letting go of the lead. The clutch is only designed to hold lead of one specific diameter; usually 0.7 or 0.5 mm. --Justanother 04:44, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

I am using a 2mm leadholder of clutch pencil right now. The link that I posted, if you look to the box on the right:

...Clutch-action...

. So that is one of my questions: what does it mean? Does it WORK the same way as a clutch pencil?100110100 07:04, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Yes, in South Africa "clutch pencil" is Standard English, but most persons would know what a pacer is. The sizes vary from 0.3 to 0.7mm for standard leads, the fine ones being made of a hightech composite to reduce breaking. Thicker leads (up to a few mm) are becoming popular for art. Colured leads are available, but do not seem to be popular. Seejyb 05:04, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

I think that "clutch pencil" is the pencil used by architects and draftsman that hold a thickish piece of lead that you have to put a point on using a sandpaper pad or a sharpener. The mechanical pencils such as your link hold a thin piece of lead that you don't have to "point" and the term "clutch action" simply refers to the mechanism inside to hold and feed the lead. But they are mechanical pencils, not clutch pencils. --Justanother 14:25, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Help!?

Where did the saying, "Here's pie in your eye," come from? And what does it mean?

It doesn't seem to be that popular a saying. --Proficient 05:22, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

If I were to hazard a guess, here would not be an innapropriate time to say "Here's pie in your eye." ;) Vespine 05:38, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

You're probably thinking of "Here's mud in your eye", which is used as a toast. Don't know the origin of it, though. You might get a better response over at the language reference desk. --Richardrj 08:55, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

I guess it could be because it's easier to say than, "Here's 3.142857142 recurring in your eye"??

That's 22/7. Pi is 3.1415926... StuRat 07:35, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Sounds like a mixture of "pie in the sky" (an empty promise or wish) and "Here's mud in your eye". You could always combine the two: "Here's mud pie in your eye". Clarityfiend 11:38, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Mmmmm, mud pie --Justanother 14:16, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

I think there are three different expressions being confused here: 1. "Pie in the sky", 2. "Here's mud in your eye", and 3. "Pie-eyed" - the latter meaning "besotted, blind drunk, blotto, pissed, plastered, sloshed, smashed, etc". Both "Here's mud in your eye" and "Pie-eyed" are associated with drinking alcohol. "Pie in the sky" is entirely different. There is no such standard expression, afaik, as "Here's pie in your eye". JackofOz 23:38, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Snow at nighttime

It's been snowing here all day, and around six in the evening the power went out for about a 25-square mile area. This time of year the sun goes down and it gets dark right quick around five pm. So why is it so light outside after a snowfall, when it should be pitch black? The nearest city is at least ten miles away. This area is very rural, even with the power on there wouldn't be much light. But right now (9pm) it's brighter outside than it is during a full moon, and the sky is overcast, but clearly lit from somewhere. On a typical winter night it's utterly pitch black out here if I don't turn on any outside lights. I guess having snow covering a large area reflects light from cities or towns and makes the night seem brighter but- how far away can the cities or towns be and still contribute? 192.168.1.1 9:15pm, 27 November 2006 (PST)

I don't know where you live exactly, but lights from cities can refract for quite a distance through the atmosphere (it's one of the reasons light pollution is such a problem, you don't need to be particularly near to a city to feel its effects. I don't have any hard numbers to give you, but I know I could see the entire southern horizon lit up when I was a good fifty miles north of London, for instance. Snow on the ground is a spectacularly good reflector, so any stray light around will seem to be strongly amplified to you. — QuantumEleven 05:52, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Snow is the most reflective stuff around. It has an albedo of 90%. And there is always light, even when it is pitchblack. Pitchblack just means the available light falls below your perception threshold, even after your eyes have adapted to the light. If almost all the light gets reflected the incoming light is doubled, and it may only just fall above the threshold. With adapted eyes that will make all the difference. You say it is comparable to moonlight, which is a point in case. Moonlight is extremely faint compared to sunlight. According to the article 500 000 times fainter. DirkvdM 06:25, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Cool, thanks for the answers. After thinking about it more, I'm also going to guess that the solid overcast sky also contributes. Is it possible that light can be reflected between the clouds and the snow, and so illuminate a large area? If the storm passes tonight and the skies are clear I'll get some empirical observations! 192.168.1.1 10:10am, 27 November 2006 (PST)

According to the albedo article, cloud albedo's vary wildly (for obvious reasons). Do your empirical observations with a camera, though. Don't rely on your eyes, because they adapt. Take photos with with different skies with the camera settings (aperture, exposure, ASA and white balance) fixed. Keep us posted. DirkvdM 04:06, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Unfortunately, except for the crappy camera in my cell phone, I don't own any other working camera. Empirically, last night was indeed clear, many stars were visible and to my eyes it did not have the same glow as the first night. Which made me remember an old question I heard a long time ago, asked by a very young person: "When snow melts, where does the white go?" 192.168.1.1 3:15pm, 28 November 2006 (PST)

help im stuck

is it possible to proform sexual acts to yourself with mouth actions??

from andy

Well did you read Oral sex or Autofellatio? CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 11:58, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Of course. Why do you have to ask? Are you incapable? -THB 12:40, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Of course, sucking your thumb is always possible.--Light current 12:42, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Soaking in vinegar can soften up the bones sufficiently. Or does that just work with eggs?? --Zeizmic 13:29, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

I feel a thread deletion coming on! 8-)--Light current 13:31, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Yes, it is -- at least for men. It's easier if you lie on your back, push your legs out straight and then flip them back over your body while curving your back. --Anon.

And for women, autocunnilingus. Hope you're not stuck! –mysid☎ 16:59, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Here's a question... if you tried to perform autofellatio, and now you're stuck, then how did you manage to type anything here? That must be quite an uncomfortable position to be stuck in! --Maelwys 15:28, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

You could always talk dirty to yourself............

Only oral sex. -THB 16:25, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Actually there is a pic on the net somewhere of a young guy giving himself a blow in front of his computer. Cant remember the website just ATM....--Light current 21:56, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Actually there are many, many porn videos/DVDs available of guys performing autofellatio, and I'm sure there would be much more than just one website. They all seem to have extremely nimble bodies and are better than averagely endowed. It would seem to be beyond the physical capacity of most men to achieve this (but not for want of trying in many cases). JackofOz 23:46, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Hence the pop tune of the early sixties: Bend it--Light current 02:52, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

That's a redirect to Bend it like Beckham... (actually, I like that image... @_@ ) 惑乱 分からん 12:47, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

I am a camera n00b

As usual, I don't know whether to place technology topics in the Science or Miscellaneous desk. I have two old cameras that were my grandfather's. One of them lets you do a bunch of settings, and since I don't know much about cameras, I could use some help interpreting them. (The other one is a bit automatic so, without a battery, it's even more difficult to know what it will do when you push the…er…trigger(?).) In the attached images, I have labeled some of the moving parts and here are my thoughts on what they might be for:

1. Focus. One scale is labeled from "1 m" to "≈" and that's fine, but what is the other one (on black background)? Some kind of measure of how blurry things will be on different distances?
2. Shutter speed. If it says ${\displaystyle x}$, it means ${\displaystyle (1/x)\,\mathrm {s} }$, right? And "B" is for "as long as you hold the…um…GO button(?) pressed".
3. Aperture size. The numbers on the scale is apparently the focal length (${\displaystyle 45\,\mathrm {mm} }$) divided by the aperture diameter. Why is this relation of interest?
4. Something with the flash. (And the connector next to it I guess is for the flash as well.)
5. Something with light sensitivity (it says "ASA" and "DIN").
6. Seems related to E.

Oh, and the light sensor is a cool thing. The needle on the top is driven by the light energy! :-)

Do you think you can help me fill in the gaps? Thanks in advance. —Bromskloss 14:22, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Sounds like you need a basic tutorial first. Then check out f number (f-stop) and film speed (for E). Oh, and shutter speed is probably the other wheel on top, not on the lens. BTW, very nice work on the pics! --Justanother 14:38, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Nice to hear you like the images! :-) I had some trouble with sharp highlights that made the numbers hard to read. I ended up moving the light source (a table lamp) during exposure (mabye about a second, automatic camera, so I don't know). Once on the computer screen, I realised that the bulb must have been brown or something, the result was rather dull. :-( But after correcting the colours, it got better! OK, I might have overdone it and exaggerated the shininess of reality a little. ;-) Thanks for you links. Actually, I am familiar with the principles of photography, I just don't know the traditions and conventions of cameras, as I tend to approach a subject from a theoretical viewpoint. I have read the f number article. :-/ Those notations make me wanna cry! —Bromskloss 15:42, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

(after edit conflict)Oooh, nice camera. Let's fill in the gaps (let me state first that I'm native German and that while I know quite well how cameras work, I am not sure I am using the correct English technical terms...I hope you can understand everything I am trying to explain):

• The numbers on the black scale next to the focus indicate the depth of field, depending on the aperture. A wide-open aperture will let in a lot of light, allowing for a shorter exposure time, but it will have a smaller depth which basically means that whatever you focus on will be sharp but objects behind and in front will be blurry (which is an effect often used in portrait photography). A smaller aperture will require a longer exposure time but will give you a larger depth. The numbers on the scale give you a rough approximation of how far away from your focus the image will be sharp.
• You are correct about exposure times being measured in 1/x and B being "as long as you keep the trigger pressed".
• The aperture size influences the depth of field, as outlined above. Smaller numbers mean a larger aperture opening, and vice versa.
• I am not sure about the flash symbols, haven't seen those on any camera I own.
• On the top dial, E is for setting the camera for the type of film you have installed. As a rule of thumb (although there are lots of subtle variations), films with a larger ASA number are more sensitive to light but also more grainy. For indoor portrait photos, 800 or even 1600ASA films are a good choice because they are sensitive enough for indoor photography without a flash (and flashes are evil, especially when doing portraits) and the grainy effect may be just what you want with a black-and-white portrait. For outdoor photography, you will usually use a film with 50 or even 25ASA to get your photos a sharp as possible (200ASA is a common compromise between sharpness and sensitivity). The camera has to know how sensitive a film you are using so that the light meter works correctly.
• Dial F is where you set the exposure time.

Hope you have fun with the camera, Ferkelparade π 14:48, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Good job above. It is also very possible that the light meter does not "interact" with the camera, i.e. you use the meter reading to set the shutter speed and aperture manually. The film speed dial (ASA/DIN) is more so you remember what you put in the camera and does not control the camera in any way. --Justanother 14:58, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

I think you might be correct, and would like to extend it. I think that E and F are acting as a nomogram (aren't those cool?!) for doing calculations rather than really doing anything.

1. Set E to the light sensitivity of the film.
2. Take the reading from the light meter, either with the lid closed (brigth conditions, light still coming in through small holes) or with the lid open.
3. Turn F to point at the reading you got. It has a scale that first reads "1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8" (on black background) and then continues with "2 3 4 5 6 7 8" (on green background). Probably, black is for lid open and green for lid closed (there is actually a green mark showing when you close the lid).
4. On E and F are printed scales we haven't used so far. On E, it reads "2,8 4 5,6 6 11 16 22" so it's probably aperture sizes (or rather focal length divided by aperture diameter). On F, we have "300 100 50 25 10 1/5 1/2 1 2 4 8 15", which I guess i shutter speed. (They probably mean "1/300 1/100 1/50 1/25 1/10 1/5 1/2 1 2 4 8 15".) These two scales line up against eachother and provide combinations of aperture size and shutter speed that give the same exposure (I think). We are free to choose which combination we want and we dial it in with B and C. (Btw, B is heavy to turn in both directions and you can hear it crunch inside the camera when you do. Why is that?)

Even if this is correct, there is still a question. In the cut-out of F, there is a black arrow (in the image, it's pointing at the "8" with black background), but there is also a red "2" (pointing approximately at the "2" with green background) and a red "4" (pointing even more approximately at the "3" with green background). What's that? —Bromskloss 16:21, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for the info. As far as I could tell, there was never any problems with English terms. Actually, I'm Swedish, so I would probably have understood you anyway. :-) —Bromskloss 15:50, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Just in case you don't already know. The camera seems to be a model of the Zeiss-Ikon Contina. There are a couple of similar on ebay here (though perhaps not so nice condition as yours). You could probably locate a manual for it on ebay or elsewhere. Have fun! --Justanother 16:08, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Ah, I never thought anyone would know about this camera, but I was wrong. I found a manual for a similar model. (username: "free", password: "manuals") —Bromskloss 16:52, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Very cool! That's going to help a lot. --Justanother 17:25, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

There's still the problem of what the "2" and the "4" is doing next to the arrow on the computor ring, as the manual calls what we call F. —Bromskloss 17:34, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Left. Does it relate to f2.8 being a "snapshot setting"? No, that is f8. --Justanother 17:37, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

By the way, the reason the symbol for an "as long as you keep the shutter button pressed" time-exposure is B is that it stands for "bulb". Not a light bulb, but a rubber squeeze-bulb, which you could operate without shaking the camera. This stopped being an essential attachment for ordinary exposures as films got faster, but some cameras continued to be made with a fitting for it, and the B symbol stuck even when there was only a button. --Anonymous, 18:45 UTC, November 27.

My little compact camera lacks such a connector, but it has a mode where there is a two second delay between the moment when you press…er…fire(?) and the shot, so you have time to take your hand off the camera and the camera can stop shaking. At least that's what I use it for. —Bromskloss 18:52, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Oh, and regarding that "crunch"; the camera may need to be serviced (cleaned and oiled). You can probably find out how to disassemble it and clean/oil it or take it (or send it) to a pro. But you probably want to do that before using it much. --Justanother 19:15, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Really? I thought it was perhaps supposed to do that. Apparently, it was for setting the exposure time. I don't know how the timer for that works, so I don't really know what needs to be moved around inside to change the time. Do you? —Bromskloss 19:25, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

OK, but you set exposure time on top. I thought it was the focus or aperture ring that made noise? BTW, those links I gave above are stinky - you can do better; this one, for instance, shows some photos taken with "your" camera. --Justanother 19:28, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Ah, nice! Thanks. It's actually not exactly the same camera, but really close. A is focus, B is exposure time, C is aperture size and E and F is for computing suitable combinations of exposure time and aperture size (which are then dialled in with B and C). —Bromskloss 19:49, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Oh, that's different. My dad was a camera buff and had some nice old cameras. Do you think that protrusion near "B" is for the bulb mentioned above? It looks like a hollow tube so it could have a pressure/vacuum trip to trip the shutter. --Justanother 19:55, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Yes, "B" is for "as long as the button is pressed". Even if a remote trigger would comprise an air-filled bulb, on the camera side, I'd say it's purely mechanical – a little pin extending into the hollow thing you saw. —Bromskloss 20:14, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Indeed, the remote release doesn't have to be a bulb; I've used one that was just a length of flexible tube with a wire sliding inside it, and a mechanical pushbotton on the end. The kind with a bulb would just have a little piston at the camera end. --Anonymous, 23:35 UTC, November 28.

Left. Actually, I looked again at the manual. You attach the remote cable to the threaded hole on top of the shutter button. My guess is the peg on the ring is just to make it easy to turn or to distinquish which ring is which without looking? --Justanother 20:29, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Not yet addressed are the letters V,X,M, presumed to be "Something with the flash". I suggest that this controls the flash synchronization. The shutter is only open for a small fraction of a second, and you need the flash to be brightest during that time, but some older types of flash would need a bit of time to reach full brightness, so the camera has to correct for it. I don't know what the letters actually mean, but I have seen things like "Synchronization: X" in the specs for modern electronic flash units (I think it's always X now). --Anonymous, 23:28 UTC, November 28.

In the manual liked to above, I read that "X" means "start the flash when the shutter is wide open". This is for fast flashes, like modern ones, as you say. "M" starts the flash a little in advance, as you also mentioned. "V" creates a delay of eight seconds between pressing of button to taking the picture, then behaives as with "X". I don't know what this has to do with the flash and why it is on the same control. What if you want the eight seconds delay and then use "M"? Apparently impossible. —Bromskloss 13:28, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

German language DVD purchase

I want to buy some German language DVDs. I live in the UK. Any good websites? --iamajpeg 18:12, 27 November 2006 (UTC) Oh and they need to accept UK payments (so Amazon is out 'cos they won't accept Solo cards in the German version) --iamajpeg 18:20, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Plenty of German language films (like Das Boot, Good Bye, Lenin, and countless others I'm sure) will be available on amazon.co.uk. You can just turn off the English subtitles. -Elmer Clark 03:54, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

eBay (particularly ebay.de) is another good bet, and you can pay through PayPal which is international. Just make sure that the seller is willing to ship to the UK, and that the DVD you're interested in has a German soundtrack. — QuantumEleven 12:22, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

You should be able to buy via cheque or postal order everywhere in the EU from Amazon. As an austrian I have no problems ordering DVDs from amazon.co.uk, so it should also be possible to buy from amazon.de via postal order from england. Aetherfukz 17:40, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Government relations

how do the state the county and the city interact with eachother?

Where? In Bosnia? Please sign your name using four tildes. -THB 21:20, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

sick dreams

hi. im generally a good person. for some reason, i've recently been having dreems of sexually assaulting my sister. when i realize later on what i dreamt it makes my stomache churn. what can i do to stop them.—Preceding unsigned comment added by 209.53.181.63 (talk • contribs)

Try taking 100-200 mg of B1 daily, preferably early in the day (right after breakfast) as it may keep you awake (wikipedia not for medical advice, etc. - so consult a nutritionist.) Here you see that one symptom of B1 deficiency is sleep disorders - follow that link for general advice. B1 deficiency can be caused by drinking alcohol, fasting, or any activity that burns a lot of "mental energy" (editing on wikipedia, for example). --Justanother 18:41, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

I wouldn't concern yourself with the strange things you dream about, they are not a reflection of your personality or character and have no basis in reality. There are many, i'm sure, who will give you indepth meanings and so on, but I would be weary of believing them, they are quite an unexplainable working of the mind. Read the dream article for more indepth information. ny156uk

Interesting. How does B1 work in this case? —Bromskloss 18:54, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

I added a bit more above. --Justanother 18:57, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

And remember; thoughts are thoughts and deeds are deeds. You do not have control over what you dream and we all have dark impulses. I would tell you where those impulses live but a few here seem to think I proselytize (laff). --Justanother 19:05, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

I can find little literature on such links. It's more likely that what you're suffering from are just dreams, such as everyone has. They're always fairly random, and rarely under our control. You can gain some control over dreams by mentally applying yourself to it (i.e. lucid dreams), but you might just have to ride the dreams out. If they're really persistent and disturbing, something more may be at play, in which case you should likely see a sleep specialist. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 19:20, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Everyone has strange dreams from time to time. You may be reassured by reading some of the classic studies of dreams, such as Freud's The Interpretation of Dreams. If your dreams are persistent and start disturbing your sleep patterns or causing you anxiety in your waking life, then you should consult your doctor. Do not worry about shocking them - they will have heard much stranger things. Gandalf61 09:39, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Pray. -THB 21:19, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

has a little info. IANOP but I imagine it upsetting you so much in the way it does increases the chances you'll dream it again, because you're worrying about it. What you think and what you do are very different things, and the automatic, unconscious thoughts we have can be unrelated to what we would choose to think about. What you choose is what matters. After all, if someone thought to themselves that slavery was wrong, but still owned slaves, you would judge them by their actions and not their thoughts. Equally, judge yourself by your actions and not your thoughts. Know that you choose not to do anything like your dreams, and never will, then try to relax :-) After all, you can imagine yourself smashing the computer screen. Does that mean you're going to? Does it even mean you want to? Skittle 01:19, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

I think it would be doubtful that the Misplaced Pages Reference Desk has the capability of addressing your concerns satsifactorily. You might find talking to a real person more meaningful than getting responses from people on Misplaced Pages. Wikipedians are humans all right, but this question is the sort that extends beyond the capbilities of the Wiki to help adequately. --HappyCamper 18:04, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Changing rooms at school

About 15 years ago,when I was at primary school the boys and girls got changed together for PE even in the last year.

Even at secondary school every now and then one changing room would be unavailable and so we'd all pile in together or they'd just open one changing room for the lunchtime swim.That was still going on to about 10 years ago when they stuck a roof on the pool and changed the changing rooms around.

Nowadays I never hear of any other schools that do this-and with girls developing earlier and worries about sexual harassment and that kind of thing I would imagine they would not be able to.

So was ours the last school to do this or are there any other schools that still allow mixed changing? Lemon martini 19:32, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

I went to primary school about twenty years ago in Australia and we definitely had separate change rooms, mind you I did go to a catholic primary school so maybe that has something to do with it. You don't live in France by any chance do you? They have unisex bathrooms in some places. Vespine 21:34, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Is that why the French are more sexually liberated?--Light current 21:53, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

I go to Oberlin College. We have all gender bathrooms and showers in our dorms. This extends to showers as well.—WAvegetarian•(talk) 03:19, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

I hope you count yourself lucky, it sounds like an amazing place: Oberlin students have a reputation for being radically liberal and/or progressive. Oberlin has a thriving LGBT community, and most students are well informed as to the intricacies of gender politics. Vespine 04:11, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

We had mixed bathrooms and toilets in Durham - it was originally a women's college, and I assume they just never bothered splitting up the facilities. (There was a seperate mens and womens toilet near the entrance, and near the bar - both presumably installed way back when - but all the accomodation-area ones were intended for single-sex use and so never got seperated). Shimgray | talk | 19:52, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Sorry should have said,our school was in England and wasn't a particularly liberal one-just a regular independent public school. I can't imagine any of the state schools doing it still. Lemon martini 10:48, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

You probably need to mention that public schools in England are the ones you have to pay to attend. :) Marnanel 14:35, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Beatlemania the trivia

I am looking for the rules to "The Trivia Game Beatlemania the Illustrated Treasury." It was produced in Canada in 1984, by P & R Enterprises. I have a copy of the game, but no rules. Thank you.

Check this out . Looks like the scoresheet and instructions are one page. Maybe if you ask nicely they will scan it for you. --Justanother 21:21, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Where can I buy a University of Southampton academic scarf?

I want to buy an academic scarf for an expatriate friend who is a member of the University of Southampton. Where should I ask? The university? SUSU? Some third party robemaker as you do in Cambridge? Google finds me nothing. Thanks in advance. Marnanel 19:21, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Soton themselves sell various bits of clothing here, but it doesn't seem to encompass scarves. SUSU claim they sell a selection of clothing, and they may be your best bet. Shimgray | talk | 19:26, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

help me please

I would like to start by saying that this is an incredible web site and I find it most helpfull, My question to you is, how can I get further information on getting peoples contact email. I have done some searches on key persons, art collectors and you have alot of information on them, however I would like to know how I can access their emails so that I can contact them.

Thank You

Doron Arie

In many cases, we don't have contact information for the individuals about whom we've written articles. You may be able to find contact information through corporate or personal web sites listed in a given article's External links section. In general, even if we did have a given person's email address, we wouldn't add it to a Misplaced Pages article. This is because having an email address on a publicly-accessible site would expose those individuals to a great deal of spam and potentially other sorts of harrassment. If you would like contact information for a few specific individuals, there may be editors at the Ref Desk here who can help you with your search—particularly if you can explain why you're hoping to contact those people. Best of luck, TenOfAllTrades(talk) 21:12, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Hmmmm (why do we shake hands with the right hand, not the left?)

Very quick question, and this is just a thought. Why do we shake hands using our right hand and not the left. hmmmmmm.

Isn't the classic reason that the right hand would normally hold the weapon and by offering your right hand bare you are signifying friendship (or at least non-aggression)? See here. --Justanother 19:34, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Must have been great for left-handed backstabbers. Clarityfiend 20:05, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Indeed, we have an article about at least one such! Marnanel 20:11, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Besides the whole weapon thing, people used to wipe their bottoms with the left hand. -THB 21:17, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Yeah but that was in the days before toilet paper 8-)--Light current 21:51, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

There are many places in the world where toilet paper is not available (or unknown) and the left hand is still used for that purpose. Also, many cultures (eg. India, Sri Lanka) do not generally use eating utensils but eat with their hands. The right hand is always used, even where toilet paper has replaced the left hand in the toilet. Even though their left hands are probably just as clean as their rights, to eat with their left hand is a serious social disaster in those places. For the rest of the world, hand shaking with the right hand has become the accepted tradition, if for no other reason than because for 90% of people the right hand is the dominant hand and this is the most "natural" hand to proffer. But the Boy Scouts shake with their left hand (or they did back in the Dark Ages when I was a boy scout - but our articles seem to make no mention of this, so I wonder if that is still the case). JackofOz 00:07, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Yeah - when I was a Cub Scout ten years ago, we were told that we shook hands with the left because in order to do that you had to put down any shield you were holding. Putting down a weapon signified friendship, but lowering your shield whilst allowing the other person to retain their weapon signified trust. --Mnemeson 00:25, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

First, holding out the right hand indicates you aren\'t holding a weapon (the probable origin of handshaking), and second, the left is the sinister hand, the hand associated with the devil, Judas, sin and evil. Not the hand you want to put forward. :-) Anchoress 00:16, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Sinister is Latin for left.--Light current 00:19, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, but according to Merriam Webster, the English word is derived from the Latin one. Clarityfiend 00:45, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Yeah thats what I was pointing out.8-)--Light current 01:20, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Most people are right-handed. 72.232.136.202 01:17, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

But the more intelligent are left handed 8-))--Light current 01:19, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Do they wipe their backsides with their right hand? JackofOz 01:49, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

I couldnt say what the majority of the intelligent people do. THey probably have a machine to do it. (I dont have one)--Light current 01:54, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

AHHH! Revelation. Ive just realised where the term 'cack handed' for LH people comes from!!--Light current 01:59, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Your folk etymology turns out to be spot on. But I could have told you this years ago, if only you'd asked. JackofOz 02:11, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Heres a LH link --Light current 02:28, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Damn, that means I am a sinister backstabber, because I am left-handed and wipe with the right? Well at least a good excuse for my world domination plans :D Aetherfukz 17:32, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Air in the bloodstream

Is air in the bloodstream lethal? I mean, what would happen if a person accidently got 1cc of air into their artery via an I.V. (if the IV was running low and a few air bubbles got into the blood). How would the body get rid of the extra air? I'm asking because I once ALMOST got some air bubbles into my bloodstream when I had an IV in a hospital, and the IV had almost ended and I just noticed at the last minute that there was air in the tube going into my IV site along with the last drops of IV fluid above it.--172.150.151.23 23:20, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

As I have understood it, it's not particularly dangerous in small quantities... 惑乱 分からん 23:27, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

See Air embolism --Trieste 23:50, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Okay, thankyou for the link to "air embolism". I didn't know what it was called. I found a link on that page to the answer, which is on this website: www.dplylemd.com/Questions/archive/airbubble.htm --172.150.151.23 23:57, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

November 28

could the Vatican become part of the EU

I was watching CNN.When they talked about the popes trip to turkey.I was just wondering could the vacatcin become part of the EU.i got the idea for that question when i heard something turkey becoming a part of the EU.

I know of no reason why it couldn't become a member, but the Vatican has preferred to remain somewhat aloof from most international organisations. For example, it has permanent observer status with the United Nations but has never been a member. JackofOz 00:19, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

I doubt the Pope's status as absolute monarch would be compatible with the EU constitution --Trieste 00:21, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

The Pope is elected. The position isn't passed by family membership like a monarchy... kmccoy (talk) 03:52, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

And then there are human rights issues, like using a type of absolute rule (well, it is to true believers) to get people not to use condoms. DirkvdM 04:18, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Actually, the pope is an elected absolute monarch and the Vatican is a theocratic absolute monarchy. -THB 04:38, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Also, Vatican City has no universal suffrage, and its legislative body is not elected but appointed by the Sovereign of the State of the Vatican City (the Pope) and is all-male. I imagine the EU would require some reforms before accession negotiations could start.  --Lambiam 10:44, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Copenhagen criteria are the official conditions that have to be fulfilled by a prospective member country. In addition to lacking democracy and rule of law, I doubt the Vatican economy could be considered a "functioning market economy", either. Of course, full EU membership is not realistic for a statelet with less than a thousand citizens--they probably don't even have enough bureaucrats to handle EU accession negotiations and membership procedures. 84.239.129.42 18:50, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

It seems to me that much of the above has little real relevance to the actual status and character of the Vatican, which operates more like a corporation rather than an independent state. The Lateran Treaties of 1929 were less a 'declaration of independence', and more a way of regulating the process of political exchange with the secular state. Economically, despite 'Peter's Pence', the Vatican would not be viable without Italy, and in practical terms enjoys the same benefits as its 'host' nation draws from the EU. It even issues its own euros. Clio the Muse 11:02, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Hmm, is this the Eu's Guantanamo Bay? It's part of the EU and yet it isn't. :) DirkvdM 07:18, 30 November 2006 (UTC)

Not to be confused with the Isle of Man which isn't part of the EU but it is! :) Grutness...wha? 08:08, 30 November 2006 (UTC)

Link problem - webmaster issue

I am trying to link to the excellent article at http://en.wikipedia.org/Maison_Carrée, from my site, http://latrouvailledesanilhac.com/region.html. However, the accented 'e' in Carrée is not being read by your (or mine?) server correctly, and, if you go to my site and click on the linked text, "Maison Carrée", you get sent to a error page on wikipedia.

This was done with 'cut & paste' from the page. any idea on how to correct it?

Thanks for the help.—Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.145.159.158 (talk • contribs)

If you go to the page Maison Carrée, and look at the address bar in your browser, you will see http://en.wikipedia.org/Maison_Carr%C3%A9e (at least that is what I see in my browser). URL's have a limited (defined) set of characters, and anything else must be replaced by hex codes as in that example.

Please sign your contributions with four tildes (~~~~) --ColinFine 01:20, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Or you could be lazy and just link to http://en.wikipedia.org/Maison_Carree which will work just fine.--Shantavira 10:02, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

T-shirt under Buttoned down

Why do people wear t-shirts underneath a buttoned down shirt? Hustle 01:21, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Men wear undershirts to keep their shirt clean by absorbing skin secretions, to make a white shirt appear whiter, to prevent the body from being visible through shirts made of thin material, because sometimes they are more comfortable against the skin than a shirt, and because it shows a lack of good breeding not to do so. -THB 01:31, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Breeding?? Anyway vests are for wimps--Light current 01:33, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

I believe the custom of wearing undershirts (now better known as t-shirts) without a buttoned down shirt began with Marlon Brando's performance in A Streetcar Named Desire. The reverse custom of wearing a button down shirt without an undershirt began nearly two decades earlier with Clark Gable in It Happened One Night. Durova 01:45, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Is a button down shirt the same as a button up shirt?--Light current 01:51, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

I assumed that a buttoned down shirt is a shirt that has a button down collar (clothing) -THB 02:00, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Wait... is the shirt buttoned down or is open with just a shirt underneath. Either way, the answer, like all your style questions, are not known. They are just fads and trends... why do guys have long hair right now? What's with the skater look? Many questions, no real answers. Cbrown1023 01:54, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Why? Because I'm generally uncomfortably cold without a flannel shirt on over my t-shirt. Dismas| 02:47, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

In England it is unusual to see a t-shirt or t-shirt style undershirt (which we call a vest) worn underneath a shirt. For most of the year, this would be uncomfortably warm in a home or office environment. My impression is that this is a US style. Gandalf61 11:26, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

I was raised to wear an undershirt but fell out of the practice as an adult. This is partly due to moving to the UK, where it is generally milder than the Chicago of my youth, partly due to a change in fashion. People used to wear undershirts to protect thier 'shirts' from skin and sweat. Please keep in mind that it used to be prevalent to wear clothes more often and what we consider soiled clothing is not the same as what was considered soiled 100 years ago. People used to bathe less, have thier clothes washed less often (and have fewer changes of clothes) and were more tolerant of each other's smells. Nowadays most people bath every day or every other day at least, while it wasn't unheard of to have a weekly bath just 50 years ago. Robovski 00:36, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Popping collar

Why do people "pop their collar"? Do women find this more attractive? Hustle 01:22, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

People "pop" their collars because they believe it influences the way other people think about them in a positive manner. No doubt some women find it attractive and others do not. If you are considering "popping" your collar, think about which kind of women you wish to attract. You might also look the phrase up at Urban Dictionary to see what some other people think about the practice. The average user profile there is likely different from the one here. According to one of them, young men in fraternities "pop" their collars to hide the hickies they got from their fraternity brothers. -THB 01:44, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

It is a fashion trend.... it's preppy... it's like American Eagle and Abercrombie and Aeropostale, just some fad. It's just something that we (teenagers) do, we rarely give explanations other than "it looks cool" or "everybody's doin' it." Cbrown1023 01:47, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

For those of us ignorant of this practice, could anyone say what it actually involves and which nationalities do it? For instance , do the Spanish do it? 8-|--Light current 16:54, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

It is fairly obvious that this refers to turning the collar of one's shirt up rather than letting it lie flat at the neck, presumably in an attempt to look cool. It was a bad eighties fashion trend that people with any sense know is more silly than cool. Of course the teenagers don't remember how silly it was the first time around, so in their blissful ignorance, they probably think they invented it. pschemp | talk 17:00, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

AH! just shows that what is obvious to one is not obvious to everyone. THats obvious. Anyway I only do it when Im cold. Is that allowed?--Light current 17:04, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

So the term actually means letting it stick up rather than folding it down and tucking it under your jacket as normal? 8-)--Light current 18:33, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

You may wear the collar of your shirt any way you wish. pschemp | talk 17:10, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Because it's cold! - Keria 18:28, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

People might think you're "uncool" by trying to be cool by "popping your collar." ._. --Proficient 05:27, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Here's one: It allows teens to wear more formal nice looking clothing without looking too professional or overdressedEd Dehm 23:06, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

does any one know of how to start a religion? (or following?)

Hello, I want to save the world, I believe I know all of life's' questions (no, really I do) and I need to shear my ideas with others. If I start preaching my ideas will I get arrested? (I live in New Zealand)

They are really good ideas and really nice beliefs, would I get a following?

thank you, much app. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 222.155.2.130 (talk • contribs)

You may know all the questions; but do you know the answers? Why not try writing in a paper or magazine first?--Light current 01:49, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

I agree with LC, but if you have freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of religion; then you can start preaching. Cbrown1023 01:51, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

See L. Ron Hubbard, Mary Baker Eddy, and Joseph Smith, Jr. -THB 01:53, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Firstly,I would think all of us know life's questions.It's the ANSWERS we could do with.Secondly,does your knowledge of such matters extend to spelling and use of the apostrophe? Lemon martini 10:53, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Actually these days its probalby better to start your own website for your ideas. They will not stand on WP 8-)--Light current 02:25, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

I do not know about NZ but many countries have a tradition of street preaching. I do not see why you should not be able to start and if your ideas are good and your delivery is good; why, you might end up with a following. Good luck! I created a religion myself about 35 years ago; The Church of the Magnanimous Flow; my friends got a big kick out of it (especially when we were, well, you know) so there is always that. --Justanother 03:34, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Okay, I'll bite. Tell me all of life's questions. -- Abnerian 17:48, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Reminds me of Hitchhiker's Guide. Except he figured out the question first. Smart! --Justanother 18:43, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

If you sincerely believe you are a chosen instrument of God (or some other divine being) and you want to start a religion, it would help if you were charismatic and a good public speaker. A few followers and financial backers would be most useful. Then you can start a website, rent a storefront to have services in (free food and social opportunities also highly advisable). Put notices of your services in the local paper, have your followers hand out flyers telling them all the benefits they will derive from attending your service. Nice music can be very useful as part of the service. Services in the language of an immigrant group which they cannot find elsewhere is often a big draw. Edison 18:52, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Nah, it's much simpler than that. You just put it about that you are the latest Prophet of God, Allah, Jahweh, The Eye in the Sky, or whatever. Then you attract your followers by telling them that all other religions are the blasphemous products of earlier prophets who have chosen to misinterpret His earlier teachings, and that your God, Allah, Jahweh etc., has inspired you to destroy all of them and their followers by whatever means they choose and that their actions will not be a crime as their actions will have been pre-ordained by your new God, Allah, Jahweh, Eye in the Sky, or whatever, and He (certainly not She) will reward them handsomely in Paradise with countless camels and virgins, perhaps even Harley Davidsons (you will thus demonstrate that your new religion is an inclusive one where females and Motor Cycles have an important role to play). Wow, the money will come rolling in, and you will be revered by all the western democratic governments. I think I will join, it sounds wonderful

You may also want to consider preaching an established religion for a while to get some training and a following and then schism off with your own. You may even use the name Sha-Zamm for your religion (or yourself). Go ahead; I give it to you freely. Go now and prosper. Oh, and Harleys are a most excellent idea. --Justanother 03:23, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Comment: Last person to found a religion in NZ was Brian Tamaki. I hope your ideas are better than his! Grutness...wha? 08:11, 30 November 2006 (UTC)

You might scucceed in getting a proper advice, someday. However, it would be a dagerous idea!! The world is already overpopulated with religions and you see the price we pay for it. You still wanna start one more!?

Lets see what heart a person from a racist land can show to the world?

Music question

Does any body here know what a composer of Ragtime or a performer of Ragtime is called. I just have a hard time imagining Rager, Ragist, Ragtimer. This is not a question that must be answered ASAP...I am just curious.__Seadog 04:34, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

"Ragtimer" is indeed the informal designation. -THB 04:46, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

mordern day philsophers

What do news commentators like Bill O`Reilly,Sean Hannity,Tucker Carlson etc. have if anything in common with the philsophers of the anicent world.

Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson are seen as Conservative Populists. In that sense they follow on from the philosophical tradition of Edmund Burke, David Hume in the 1800s. Look at Ancient philosophy for a list of ancient philosophers. As opponents of the hyper rationality of Aristotle and Plato, you might want to also look at Sophists, the Ancient precursors to modern day Populism. Hope that helps, Jpeob 12:21, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

I.e. they don't have very much in common, any more than saying "they complain a lot, so did some philosophers of the Ancient world." --24.147.86.187 02:03, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

how do i report inapropriate items posted?

I was looking at the naruto episode list and someone wrote innapropriate items in it (sexual in nature). Since I'm not a member I was wondering who to talk/to write to directly. Here is the link to the abuse

http://en.wikipedia.org/The_enemy_is_%22Shinobazu%22

Fixed. -- Jim Douglas _(contribs) 06:15, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

You don't have to be a "member" to edit Misplaced Pages. Just click the edit tab and your on your way.—WAvegetarian•(talk) 12:45, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

You know what I think? I think there should be a new "how to ask a question" tip up there saying "Do not report article vandalism here" and then explaining why not. I posted it up at 'Turducken' and nobody cared except Justanother. Vitriol 02:21, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

I don't think it's such a big deal. This is where they came first, and if we ask them to go somewhere else they may not bother. Or they might not read the instructions. It's really not such a big deal to just take care of their reports as is. Anchoress 02:24, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

We have "Do not post your email address" and people ignore that. Vitriol 02:28, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

And, y'know, 'do your own homework'. Vitriol 02:29, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Number of alcoholics in the UK

Is it possible to provide a rough estimate of the number of people in the UK who suffer from alcoholism? --Richardrj 08:32, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

According to Alcoholism: "In the United Kingdom, the number of 'dependent drinkers' was calculated as over 2.8 million in 2001." Dave6 09:05, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Many thanks. --Richardrj 09:09, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Of course that begs the question how 'alcoholism' and 'dependent drinker' are defined. Without that knowledge the figure means nothing. DirkvdM 07:25, 30 November 2006 (UTC)

AOE3

I know that in Age of Empires III, the only cards that you could send are the 1st tier resource cards. But in Age of Empires III: The Warchiefs, there are other cards that can be sent a infinite number of times. I was wondering if this was due to a patch, or due to the expansion; in that I mean is this a Age of Empires III: The Warchiefs feature. Thanks.100110100 12:09, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

There are cards that can be sent an infinate amount of times without the Warchiefs expansion, too. Яussiaп F 13:00, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Friends?

How do you make friends?100110100 11:48, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Find people with similar interests to yourself (preferably not over a computer), and talk to them. It helps if you ensure you are not rude, and that you are clean and presentable. If you are having trouble finding people with similar interests to you, try something new. Join an evening class, a book club, a sports team, if you're old enough to drink, go to the same bar / pub over and over, say hello to people when you start to recognise them. Try dating, and make friends with your date's friends. Talk to the people you work with. If you are still in school, join school clubs, learn music, write a school paper, whatever - mainly, be open and friendly. If you're fat, lose weight, as it is still easier for thin, attractive people to make friends. Proto::type 12:13, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

My after my sis's boyfriend broke up with her, he stopped hanging out with her friends. I always thought it was a form a betryral; my sister's friends never knew this person existed until he started dating her, & hung out with them. Is my thinking wrong?100110100 12:28, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Betrayal by who to whom? 惑乱 分からん 12:51, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

A betrayal by my sister's boyfriend to her friends.100110100 11:27, 2 December 2006 (UTC)

I would not go so far as to call it betrayal on his part (although I get your point). Sounds like he never really formed a link with her friends as himself but rather did mostly in the persona of "the boyfriend". So, when he no longer had that identity, he was likely ambivalent about hanging out with them. If they feel that they truly were his friends then they should make the first step to restore the relationship; they should make it clear to him that he was valued as an individual, not just as "the boyfriend". --Justanother 14:43, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Actually, that's not uncommon. After a breakup the couple may not want to encounter each other. The unwritten rules state that you keep the friends you had before you met each other. Although people are free to extend a hand to their friend's ex-, they rarely do so, out of loyalty, and a wish to avoid awkward situations. I doubt the friends were offended by your sister's boyfriend's actions. -THB

(moved from the Humanities RD)

Most people make friends by finding people with the same interests and pursuing those interests together. Just decide what you like doing and find groups of people that do the same things.--Shantavira 13:34, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Actually, most people make friends by being stuck in the same place as them, and being forced to go through the same experiences together. School and work, mostly, but other places as well. Of course, "finding people with the same interests" may or may not be related to this aspect. ☢ Ҡi∊ff⌇↯ 15:06, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Graverobbery, insanity, a bolt of lightning and a God complex. That will make you a friend, or even a wife. Laïka 16:03, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Someone said, I forget who, something like "you can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in 2 years by trying to get other people interested in you". I think a positive outlook on life makes it easier for you to become friends with people. People don't mind their friends moaning but someone who on first meeting you is very negative would, for me at least, make less change of a blossoming friendship. ny156uk 17:57, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

In other words, listening instead of talking. -THB 05:09, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Navajo Silversmith Paul Johnson

I am seeking information related to Mr Paul Johnson, Navajo Silversmith who started producing in 1972 He is listed in "Hallmarks of the Southwest" Do you have any further information? Thank you Pamela Coates Rio Rico, Az

Jimmy Wales

What is the name of Mr Wales? Is it Jimmy Wales or Jimbo Wales? Thank you.

--62.114.227.222 12:55, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Either. Яussiaп F 12:58, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Jimbo is the nickname he goes by.—WAvegetarian•(talk) 12:59, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

His full name is Jimmy Donal "Jimbo" Wales. I don't know if Jimmy's short for James or not. Proto::type 13:02, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Sexuality Drawings

What is the name of the Danish student that does the drawings, the artist and student?

What are you talking about? Which drawings? Several "Sexuality Drawings" on Misplaced Pages are drawn by the artist Rama, but he appears to the French. If you don't specify any more details, we can't help you. 惑乱 分からん 15:43, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

You're right, I should be more specific.They appear under the web address http://en.wikipedia.org/User:Rama/Sexuality_drawings

His/her userpage is at User:Rama, but I think he/she probably wants to retain his/her anonymity. What made you think h/s is Danish? 惑乱 分からん 01:26, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Createable

Having wandered somewhat randomly onto the topic at work I wondered whether there was anything (beyond lack of consumer demand) that would prevent someone from opening a naturist airline? I'm thinking there are rules and regs about naturism and that wandering around an airport in the altogether is not allowed, but wondered whether it would actually be allowable. Purely something we discussed at work and wondered if people had any input on the idea. ny156uk 17:53, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Aside from common sense, which dictates that it's a poor idea to be nude around unfathomably large and powerful machines? Nope, not as far as I know. Though the FAA might take exception to it. -- Abnerian 17:56, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

I think the FAA only cares if you "wear" a seatbelt. --Justanother 18:03, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Most naturists don't want to do everything naked, except the very few like Stephen Gough. Good grief! I just stumbled across the naked Misplaced Pages.--Shantavira 18:28, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

You're probably going to be restricted in what you can (and cannot, and must) wear in the airport terminal, unless you're prepared to buy and operate your own segregated groundside facilities. Once in the air, the airline is free to regulate (or not) passenger clothing largely as they see fit. There may be additional specific regulations and restrictions on domestic flights within specific countries, consult your local government for details. I recall seeing recent news coverage of private small-plane owners in the United States and Canada offering short flights for the express purpose of allowing their passengers (usually two) to join the 'Mile High Club'. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 20:26, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

This sexualizes the question unecessarily. I know that some national nudist organizations in the United States charter flights to allow for airborne nudity.—WAvegetarian•(talk) 21:24, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Is it a blue link?.... Mile High Club? Oh, good. -GTBacchus 20:32, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Perhaps dehydration and passenger comfort could become an issue. It can get a bit chilly inside an airplane, clothing helps to keep us warm. Also, the air is pretty dry (it's all air conditioned). Lastly, on a slightly less pleasant note, would you want to sit in the same seat previously occupied during a twelve-hour flight by someone who hadn't been wearing any clothes, hence all their perspiration etc would have been absorbed by the seat material...? — QuantumEleven 12:50, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Of stings and just desserts

Hypothetically, if some virulent disease or parasite devastates the mosquito population to the point where it is in danger of becoming extinct, would conservation societies aim to re-introduce it to the wild and build their numbers back up to present-day levels? Or, cognisant of how dangerous the little blighters are, would they only keep small populations around in protected areas, or would they just let them pass into the history books altogether? GeeJo ⁄_(c) • 17:57, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

An excellent question. I would say the group would be divided. The benefits would far outweight the pitfalls, but a hardline conservationist (who presumably wants to stop any kind of human influenced extinction) would potentially want the species to continue to exist. The question would be whether enough conservationists agreed or not. I understand that smallpox now only exists in controlled labs, so maybe it would go the same way? I'm pretty certain that the public mood would be in favour of its irradication if it was plausible, but then I must note that I believe the public tend to favou the saving of fluffy-cute animals much more than the ugly insecty things we co-exist alongside. ny156uk 18:06, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

What nation ? I don't think insects get protection under the US Endangered Species Act, as that only applies to vertebrates. StuRat 18:08, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

If that's true, then who organised the new habitats for the Kanab ambersnail? (which was what set me off on this train of thought in the first place) GeeJo ⁄_(c) • 18:49, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

But the IUCN Red List is for all plants and animals. Re your question, my guess is yes, a "true" environmentalist would want to save the species in the wild although they might not make efforts to rebuild the levels. For all that I find no mention here of what beneficial role the mosquito serves in the ecosystem other than perhaps as a spreader of disease serving to cull weaker animals. --Justanother 19:24, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

I think mosquitos (or more precisely their larvae) are a major source of food for fish in certain ecosystems. --Trovatore 19:28, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Ah, but I didn't ask about the redlist, I asked who organised the introduction of the snails to the three new springs. I presume if the US government has prevented the destruction of the snails' natural habitat, they'd want to oversee such a movement. But if the snails aren't covered by the aforementioned Act, why get involved? And if they are, then it should be safe to say that mosquitos would be as well. GeeJo ⁄_(c) • 19:31, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Actually, I thought you had asked about mosquitos and that is what I was primarily responding to. Re the other (snails) the US Army Corps of Engineers Regulatory Program protects US wetlands in conjuction with other US agencies like Parks and Fish and Wildlife. But the Corps would be the main enforcement agency since this is a wetlands species. --Justanother 19:44, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Regarding who is trying to save it - could be anyone; Federal, state, local agency, environmental group, even a developer as part of mitigation for the destruction of natural habitats. You should be able to find out by looking at some of the references in the article. --Justanother 19:47, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

This link is a good start; see "Recovery Efforts":

To further KAS recovery objectives and Biological Opinion concerns, AGFD and the National Park Service attempted to establish a new wild population of KAS in Grand Canyon National Park from VP stock.

--Justanother 19:57, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Oldest Public University in USA

Can someone tell me the name of the oldest public university in the United States, when it was founded, issued degrees?

That's an easy one. A quick google search reveals the answer to be the University of North Carolina. All the other information is on that page, or on their homepage. GeeJo ⁄_(c) • 19:25, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Maybe not so easy. See the University of Pennsylvania article. The state of Pennsylvania seized the College of Philadelphia in 1779 (ten years before there was a college in Chapel Hill). If "university" versus "college" status is important to you, then Penn claims to be the oldest U.S. university, period (see First university in the United States). Wareh 04:24, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

There appear to be older colleges/universities listed under colonial colleges. Were they not "public" at the time ? StuRat 13:48, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

That's right. The only ones of these that are now public is the College of William and Mary and Rutgers, but they did not become public until 1925 and 1945-1956, respectively (according to Public Ivy#_note-1). Wareh 16:19, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

OK, so, depending on the interpretation of the question, we get three different answers:

Q: What is the oldest US college/university which is currently public ?

A: The College of William and Mary (founded in 1693, went public in 1925).

Q: What is the oldest US college/university which was public when founded ?

A: The University of North Carolina (founded as public in 1789).

Q: What is the US college/university which has been public for the longest time ?

A: The University of Pennsylvania (founded in 1749, went public in 1779).

StuRat 23:37, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Except UPenn isn't public. There were two institutions which were merged to form the school currently known as the University of Pennsylvania, one of which was public and existed from 1779 until a merger in 1791. (This is from the Misplaced Pages article.) In any case, it's definitely private now.

Izzycat 03:17, 30 November 2006 (UTC)

OK, then, let me revise the last possible interpretation of the question:

Q: What is the US college/university which was public on the earliest date ?

A: The University of Pennsylvania (part of which was founded in 1749, went public in 1779, and went private again in 1791).

StuRat 05:42, 30 November 2006 (UTC)

Forbes List of $ Billionaires (2006)

The Misplaced Pages (Forbes) List of (US Dollar) Billionaires (2006), numbers 275. How many of them are Jewish?

Where is this article? User:Zoe|(talk) 21:51, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Presumably List of billionaires (2006) --Tagishsimon (talk)

Thanks. The reason I asked is that in general, such lists are considered the intellecutal property of the magazine, etc., which prints them, but this could be considered a compilation of facts, not opinions, and so probably isn't a copyright violation. Do others agree with my interpreation of this? User:Zoe|(talk) 22:56, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

List of billionaires (2006)

Jump to: navigation, search

Bill Gates - the wealthiest man in the world according to Forbes Magazine Ingvar KampradThe following is a list of billionaires, in United States dollars, worldwide for 2006 compiled by Forbes, not including heads of state whose wealth is tied to their position (see list of heads of government and state by net worth). In 2006, there are 793 billionaires from 49 countries, with more than half being in the United States and Germany. 2006 saw an increase in billionaires from Russia, India, and Brazil mainly due to economic growth in those countries

Zoe, I asked the original question (which still stands by the way). And also, by the way, I have no ulterior motive, my question is purely academic. However, your query as to whether its appearance in Misplaced Pages might be a breach of Forbes' copyright, now prompts me to note that whereas the list I referred to includes only 275 names/families, all detailed, the above italicised-headed summary (taken from the Misplaced Pages article), states there are in fact 793 billionaires from 49 countries. So, to be reasonable, I would happily accept an answer to my original question based on either statistic ie., 275 or 793, or preferably, both. Thanks. But as an aside, I don't see how my copying a Wiki statistic into a Wiki question could worsen any suspected breach of copyright.

I'm sorry, I'm not claiming that your question was a copyvio, but the article might be. User:Zoe|(talk) 02:42, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Conspiracy theory suggests that the "7 powerful families" of the world (notably the Rothschild family who are Jewish) are far wealthier and more powerful than any of the world's billionaires. For centuries they have been funding entire countries and were powerful enough to create international wars. They funded John D. Rockefeller who at one point owned a third of the USA's GDP. The "wealth accolades" can fill a book. Sandman30s 09:37, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

A third of one percent. Nobody could ever amass $4 trillion in wealth (today's dollars). lots of issues | leave me a message 11:53, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

That is current GDP. Rockefeller came with Rothschild funding in the early 20th century to target the big industries of the time namely oil, steel, rail, etc. The "one third" was in the billions back then. You think nobody can own a third of a trillion now - you'd be surprised - check out the figures that asset management companies manage - who do you think owns most of those assets? Sandman30s 12:30, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

What does it matter if any of them are Jewish (or Muslim or Native American or Irish or....)? - Mgm|User talk:MacGyverMagic|]] 10:59, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Here in post apartheid South Africa, anyone asking you for your race group makes sure they state it is for purely statistical or census purposes ;) Sandman30s 11:37, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

When posing the original question, I anticipated that, as confirmed by the last two respondents, there would be a suspicion of some ulterior or racist or discriminatory motive in doing so, which is why I subsequently gave my honest assurance that that was not the case (see my earlier response to Zoe). This is an online encyclopaedia and if its informed and otherwise willing subscribers are obsessively, suspiciously and unjustifiably reluctant to answer such a genuine and academically inspired question, then please will the administrators create and enforce a policy whereby such potentially dubiously based questions may not be asked? Sounds a bit like Farenheit 451 to me!! But that being the case, I, and others, should never again be allowed to be curious to know what proportion of the world population at any time was Catholic, white, male, Muslim, gay, Chinese, black, below the internationally accepted level of poverty - or Jewish. I realise of course, that my original question is now lost, as is, I suspect, the whole point of Misplaced Pages.

Word for Jewish "quorum"

I was just talking to someone and searching for the word that describes the minimum number of Jewish worshipers needed for some services. I seem to recall that is sounds like "minion"?? --Justanother 19:03, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Duh, I should try searching for myself first. Google of "Jewish quorum" led right back to Jewish services and then to Minyan. --Justanother 19:07, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Fighting Obesity

My friend is fat. Can someone offer me some alternatives to chips, chocolates and other unhealthy snacks that are eaten by kids when they are hungry from after school? The snack should be filling, healthy, affordable and available in North American stores. Thanks. Jamesino 21:34, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Fruit. User:Zoe|(talk) 21:52, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Baby carrot; rice cakes (minimum sweetening). I am a low-carb fan myself so I might go for tuna fish salad or egg salad on low-carb wheat crackers. Cheese and (low-carb) crackers. --Justanother 22:00, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Google is your friend. It's important to remember tho, that kids and teens who are still growing should not have their fat, carbs or calories controlled too much, but rather the emphasis should be on high nutrition per calorie, reducing empty calories, and getting lots of exercise. Some suggestions include:

• • yogourt
  • chips and salsa
  • snackable veggies like carrots and celery
  • trail mix
  • whole grain crackers or toast with cheese, peanut butter or spreadable cream cheese
  • cereal
  • homous and pita
  • baked potato skins (can be prepared ahead of time)

A good snack should have a balance of fat, carbs and protein (protein is important to help feel full, and carbs are very important for growing people), if grains they should be whole, to digest more slowly and provide fibre, and preferably there should be some fruit or veggies (kids should have 3-5 half-cup servings of fruit and veggies a day, teens 5-7).

--Anchoress 22:11, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Good points. If you can reduce the empty calories and persuade your friend to take some exercise with you, you will likely see a difference. But it is essential that you enlist his support first; don't do it from some "know-best" attitude on your part. Don't try to do it in a covert fashion ("Damn, we are all out of cookies; oh well, I have carrots.") If you do that he will oppose you and it will go nowhere and hurt your friendship. Find out what he is willing to contribute to the effort and follow his lead. I.e, is he amenable to cutting out the bad snacks, is he willing to go for a walk with you for 20 miniutes or throw a ball around, ride a bicycle, whatever. You can be his friend by providing some "moral support" and structure to his effort, not by leading him by the nose. --Justanother 23:09, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

As one who has just been diagnosed with serious diverticulitis that looks like I am to have 2 feet of my colon removed, may I suggest that your friend takes really professional advice about a weight-loss high-fibre diet that will include lots of calorie-free roughage and keep the bowel filled with largely indigestible bulk that will not add weight but will keep the bowel walls apart, whilst maintaining a satisfyingly "full" sensation. Not forgetting of course to have an otherwise healthy and nutritious diet.

If your friend has health insurance he could see a physician and a nutritionist. There are some health problems that can cause overweight. Exercise might well be more important to his weight than his diet is. -THB 01:38, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

maidens

If there's a no ball in an over but no other runs are scored is it a maiden?—Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.128.187.156 (talk • contribs)

For those bemused, the questioner is referring to Cricket--Mnemeson 22:40, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for that. This American was really confused as to what balls and maidens had to do with scoring runs. Dismas| 04:55, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

The answer is no. Cricket terminology defines the maiden over as having no score off the bat, or off a no ball or a wide. --Tagishsimon (talk)

Brian Close, hard Yorkshire county and England captain told his bowlers that a "true maiden" over is one where the batsman never touches any one of the six balls, and there are no byes, no-ball penalties, etc.petitmichel90.0.128.118 15:36, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Per Tagishsimon - there could never be "no score off a no-ball or a wide", because these always by definition result in scores. A maiden over is where there are no scores off the bat, and there were no no-balls or wides bowled in the over, ie. no score at all. JackofOz 01:39, 30 November 2006 (UTC)

If I looked over a maiden, I would expect to find no balls. Otherwise, I would not score, but definitely run, because that's just not cricket. :-) StuRat 05:54, 30 November 2006 (UTC)

Hermph...:) to come back to the original question - the only type of runs that can be scored in a maiden over are byes and leg-byes. If any other runs are scored, it's not a maiden. The reason for this is that a no ball and a wide are both counted as being runs given away by the bowler (they are credited against his analysis). Leg byes are regarded as not really being given away by the bowler (he did beat the bat, after all), and byes are regarded as the fault of the wicketkeeper. Grutness...wha? 08:15, 30 November 2006 (UTC)

You are correct. I was too categorical in saying there can be no score at all. But none of the scores can result from runs taken off the bat, no-balls, or wides. JackofOz 08:35, 30 November 2006 (UTC)

Racial Ancestry

I never really knew, and still don't know, what my racial ancestry really is. One parent is completely European, and the other parent is the child of a white puertorican and a black puertorican. I know that puertoricans are the product of colonization, slavery, and interbreeding and stuff, but approxmately what percent European, African, Native puertorican, or any other race am I? --216.164.249.143 23:58, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

We don't know about you personally of course, but if you're from Puerto Rico, then the Misplaced Pages articles Puerto Rico#Demographics and Demographics of Puerto Rico may help you answer your questions. -- SCZenz 00:07, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

I don't really understand how to interpret the DNA stuff, and also, it doesn't distinguish black and white puertoricans. Can anybody help with the question wth this in mind?--216.164.249.143 00:30, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

You are a child of the Universe - no less than the trees and the stars - you have a right to be here.

That is from some song or poem, but which one? JIP | Talk 08:36, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Desiderata, IIRC. Atlant 12:58, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

You're part of the human race. Or 100% African like everybody else, since homo sapiens originated in Africa. Clarityfiend 00:43, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Please don't respond with silly answers, I know I am a human. Clarityfiend, people have evolved a lot since African times. I want to know, for example, about what percent of my 10th generatioin ancestors were of each race? Thanks to anybody who may know something on an obscure topic such as this.--216.164.249.143 01:05, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

From your description, I'd opine that you are greater than 50% European & less than 50% African ... although neither of those are "races". And whilst I can see where you are going with your question, the answer is always going to be complicated by questions of a) granularity: human race, european, british, scot, lowland scot, scottish borders), b) time: there's been much migration over the last 2000 years, for instance. You get a different answer with different time base (written before you suggested 10th generation) . c) don't think you can generalise in percentile terms what the racial antecedents of any large place are, since there are so many different patterns. --Tagishsimon (talk)

Alternate view is that you, if we take the gene pool info from one of the articles above,is that you are 50% European plus (45% European, 37% African, and 18% Native American)/2 = 72.5 european, 18.5 african and 9% native american. --Tagishsimon (talk)

Thank you very much Tagishimon. If anyone has something to add, please feel free to.--216.164.249.100 01:54, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

No "percentage" model of race will be accurate unless you are talking about probabalistic notions of genes shared among populations, but the answers you will get from something like that will not necessarily correspond at all with popular notions of race ("white" people suddenly become "black" and vice versa). In any case you won't be able to tell things like what percent of your human ancestors were of one "race" or another — genetic information doesn't have information like that in it. You could try to reconstruct those sorts of things with genealogies but even those aren't usually reliable to that degree, and in the end there are ancestors who probably haven't contributed anything to your current genetic make-up. --Fastfission 01:58, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Assuming that your "white" grandparents were 100% European and your "black" grandparent was 100% African, then you are 75% European and 25% African. Race is not a fixed concept and certainly Europeans and Africans are much more alike than different genetically. Like 99.something percent the same. -THB 02:00, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Seems like the question is quite complicated. --Proficient 05:34, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Boricua has some information you might be interested in. -THB 05:52, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

The only way to be absolutely certain is to have your DNA analysed. The black Welsh athlete Colin Jackson (former world 110m hurdles record holder) had his DNA analysed recently for a BBC genealogy TV programme and was determined to be 55% African, 38% European (from a Scottish great-grandfather), and 7% Native American (probably from the original inhabitants of Jamaica). -- Arwel (talk) 17:52, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Interesting idea. Wonder if this site will give you that info. Looked again and, yes, it appears so:

SuperDNA is the most comprehensive and highest resolution DNA test available in the world for genealogy purposes. Since it includes the Y-DNA67, this is a male only test. It puts together the power of the Y-DNA67 and mtDNA Full Sequence, allowing you to establish a clear picture of your direct paternal and maternal lines for both genealogical and deep ancestral origins.

--Justanother 20:42, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

November 29

Possible Plagiarized Content Found

Hi! I was looking over the wikipedia summary of the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode Interface and noticed that it seems to borrow more than a few word-for-word passages from the episode description on the Trek fan site, Memory Alpha. It's possible that the same person wrote both descriptions, but I'm not sure. Also, how do I go about reporting this sort of thing in the future? --Gabeb83

It looks like contributions to Memory Alpha are licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License and/or the Creative Commons license. Thus reproducing them on Misplaced Pages would be ok, although credit should've been give in the original edit. It's also possible the text was on Misplaced Pages first, and they ported it over. In any case, you should bring this and similar incidents up at Misplaced Pages:Copyright problems. -- SCZenz 02:14, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Actually, it isn't ok. Memory alpha is under a CC-BY-NC license (Attribution-Noncommercial). As such, its content isn't free enough to backport onto Misplaced Pages. I believe they had this in mind when they chose the license, as they didn't want to become just another Misplaced Pages fork. GeeJo ⁄_(c) • 21:46, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

You'd also have to check to see which came first. DJ Clayworth 23:54, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Photoshop Splice tool

Is the main/orignal objective of the Adobe Photoshop Splice Tool to cut the picture up to make for webpages? Jamesino 00:51, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Jameesino, I think the answer is yes. The "Splice" tool allows you to take a single image and export it as multiple images; usually this is for web purposes (and if you "Save for Web" it will splice it up for you and even generate the HTML to hold it all together again). If you use the "Splice" tool with ImageReady you can assign rollovers to the individual "splices" and other effects. Personally I think it is an almost worthless tool and a bad way to do any of those things, but that's not really what the question was about, was it? ;-) --24.147.86.187 02:02, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Splice tool worthless for websites? Far from it. It is the best and fastest way to make up an interface for a website. Drawing it in PhotoShop, you splice it up, and then let ImageReady come up with the HTML for the table. I have done this on almost all my websites which don't feature flash navigation or the likes, because writing the HTML table for yourself is painful, you get one "colspan = 2" or so wrong, or just move a pixel too much, the whole interface is screwed up. Aetherfukz 10:23, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

The code it makes is clunky and ugly, and I'm pretty sure making websites based on multiple interspliced images is neither efficient nor recommended. Using tables for HTML image layout is totally deprecated. That's why I said I thought it was almost worthless. --24.147.86.187 15:02, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Using tables for HTML image layout is totally deprecated. - Aha, since when exactly? Tables are 10 times better for image layout than using the div tag or such things, because every browser is capable of showing tables, which isn't true for the div tag. Aetherfukz 20:01, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

He means deprecated as in, the W3C really frowns upon it, and the current web design ideology doesn't like tables either. Sure, if you want cross-browser support without work, go for it, but just be warned you won't have any web design fans anytime soon. :) Stale Fries 04:14, 30 November 2006 (UTC)

Toys and prams

Why do small babies sometimes throw their toys out of the pram?--Light current 01:42, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Most likely "because they can". Babies enjoy using their hands and feet to learn about the world and objects (textures and so forth) and how to grasp and release objects. Developmentally, this serves an important function. To a baby, it's just fun. --Wooty Woot? contribs 01:48, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Hmm! reminds me of another group of people! 8-)--Light current 01:51, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

I doubt there's any intention to throw the toy out of the pram per se. It's just a random throwing action, and sometimes the trajectory just goes that way. Below a certain age, babies don't even have a concept of themselves as separate from their toys (or the rest of the universe) - which explains why our memories don't go back to Day 1. JackofOz 01:55, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Babies also enjoy affecting their environment. Drool-machine throws the toy down, parent picks it up, hands it back, drool-machine throws the toy down. Repeat indefinitely. Also see child development. -THB 01:56, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Yes random actions! and affecting their environment. That could explain a lot. Hmm Im getting parallels forming in my mind! Lateral thinking!--Light current 01:58, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Per psychology of operant conditioning, an action by the baby which produces an outcome pleasurable to the baby (mommy picks up the toy and momentarily gives attention to the baby) increases the probability of the baby performing the action. Young babies have poor motor control, and have trouble both looking at an object and reaching for it. They are also likely to open the hand accidentally while shaking, say, a noisemaker. Operant conditioning techniques such as shaping work on newborn humans. Intentionality is clear when an older child repeatedly drops something and says "Oh oh, dop it!" Edison 18:36, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Yes that all makes sense. Esp on WP! I think I must have been a toy thrower!--Light current 04:49, 30 November 2006 (UTC)

Custom MSN color

(moved to Computer/IT Desk--see link at top of page. -THB 02:00, 29 November 2006 (UTC))

Prince of Persia

In Prince of Persia 2: The Shadow and the Flame, I'm stuck on about the third level. There's a bridge with a skeleton on it. How am I supposed to get the door at the end to stay open? The only walkthrough I can find (well, I can find several, but they're all copies of the same one) claims that if I stand on the leftmost edge of the bridge and poke at the skeleton the bridge will eventually fall apart (which somehow solves the problem), but I've tried several times and it doesn't collapse. Black Carrot 23:22, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

(moved from Misc. Desk -THB 01:35, 29 November 2006 (UTC))

(moved back to misc desk -froth 02:41, 29 November 2006 (UTC))

You guys are weird.

Update: I've gotten the bridge to collapse, and I've caught the side and pulled myself up (apparently losing my sword in the process), but the door is still closed. Any suggestions? Black Carrot 03:47, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Since you're going to lose your sword anyway, throw it at the door before the bridge collapses. -THB 04:33, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Pairalell

How is it spelt 'pairalell'?

Do you mean parallel?? Downunda 02:59, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

You could have typed that into Google and gotten the answer much faster. —Keenan Pepper 05:24, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Are you accusing people who fail to look up parallel on Google of being paralax ? :-) StuRat 13:43, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Or nonpareil? --Justanother 16:31, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Okay, I got StuRat's pun, but not yours. Please explain. —Keenan Pepper 21:04, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Oh boy, if I have to explain it then I probably should not have bothered- it is really not much of anything. I just got the other; lax. Good one. Mine means "without equal". Take it however way you prefer. --Justanother 23:45, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

I'm surprised we haven't had hundreds and thousands of responses to this question. Maybe in time ...  :) JackofOz 01:34, 30 November 2006 (UTC)

One from each parallel universe ? StuRat 07:37, 30 November 2006 (UTC)

Elaine Maxwell

I have a quotation from a person named Elaine Maxwell. I found it here. I'm planning on using it in a project for class, but I can't quite figure out who this Elaine Maxwell person is. Does anyone know who Elaine Maxwell is? Google returned few relevent hits. Thanks. --Anakata 03:25, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

I got a bit closer for you - the source is shown here along with an Amazon link. You might could contact the author or publisher of the book. --Justanother 03:36, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Which place in the world has the largest Japanese population outside of Japan?

Hi! Do you know the answer to this? Thanks.

-Deb-

If I had to guess: Taiwan, the Kurile islands, and/or California. Raul654 04:05, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

According to Japanese people#Japanese living abroad, it's São Paulo (state). --Maelwys 04:06, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Thanks I've found my answer it's Brazil.

I would have guessed Peru, due to their former President, Alberto Fujimori. StuRat 13:38, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

He turned out to be a colossal ratfink (sorry if he was a relation of yours, Stu), so I'd counter-guess that many Japanese Peruvians might have left Peru in order to avoid anti-Japanese bias. JackofOz 01:32, 30 November 2006 (UTC)

The Population capacity of a Blue whale

Hiya all! Now, this may seem like an odd question, but I'd appreciate it if you answered to the best of your knowledge. If you got a fully-grown Blue whale, of average maximum size, covered it in metal and cut out the insides before buildg decks, rooms, etc. How many people do you think could comfortably live in there? Cheers! Lenadi 04:43, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Well, a blue whale is about 25m long (although the few meters towards the tail are probably too narrow to do much with, other than perhaps storage space), and I would estimate about four meters in diameter. They are very slender animals, so the interior volume isn't all that great, you won't have space for more than one 'storey' inside a whale-sized structure. How many people would 'comfortably' live there strongly depends on your definition of 'comfortable' (an often used example is the difference between an apartment in downtown Tokyo and a suburban American house - both considered 'comfortable' by their inhabitants, yet of vastly different sizes). My very rough estimate give you about 120 m² of living space (with reasonable headroom!) inside your whale-structure, which probably translates to between three and six people (say, four). Note that a whale-shape is not a particularly efficient structure for living in, as the rooms will all be long and thin. Does that help?

On a side note, I would love to know how you came up with this question! :) — QuantumEleven 12:37, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

If one is to look at the how many people can you fit in a mini/phone booth ect i would say you could get one hell of alot of people into a blue whale.81.144.161.223 16:20, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

TheH. L. Hunley (submarine), built in the 1860's, was 12 meters long and about 1.2 meters wide, and held 7 men during a mission which might last several hours. They were not especially comfortable, but neither were they in agony (except during the several sinkings.) With the same degree of comfort, lots more could fit in your metal whale. In space, far more could be accomodated. Edison 18:46, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

A 25 meters sailboat is confortable for up to 12 people but then you can go on deck and aren't forced to stay inside. Keria 22:50, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Reseach Paper

I am writing a paper and have to cite my sources, Misplaced Pages being one of them. I can't find a date, though, that the page was created. Could you help me?

Sure. Please see Misplaced Pages:Citing Misplaced Pages. -- SCZenz 04:55, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

• The menu on the left also has a nifty "Cite this article" link. - Mgm| 10:53, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

energy

while i was shopping on the internet, i came across a company that claims to be self sufficient on energy. i assume they mean their business has its own source of power, in the background it showed wind turbines. i did not save the name of the company. it is located in our country USA.can someone identify that business for me?66.227.187.209 05:54, 29 November 2006 (UTC)gene

Specifically, I don't know. What sort of company was it? Many firms, farms, and individuals are off-the-grid. Check out sustainability or sustainable energy. Here is one site on the internet and here is the gubmint. --Justanother 06:02, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

• "our country USA"? Misplaced Pages is an international project and a lot of active contributors are not Americans at all. The world is our country! - Mgm| 10:52, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

the company i came across indicated that it was self sustained, i was looking for ice cleats, the fact that the company is using alternate means for power and heat has developed an interest in this area of independence. gene

I did some quick searching but no luck. Unless someone else can do better, your best bet is to try to retrace your steps; i.e. how did you find the site and try to duplicate that. --Justanother 14:41, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

thanks for suggestion. i did try to retrace my previous web browsing but could not find it. i know it was a fairly prominent company , like ed bauer's, campmor, kohl's, but none of those claim independent energy.

Sorry, found lots of interesting stuff but not what you described. Have you checked your browser history (Ctrl-H)? --Justanother 17:59, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

First we accuse the IP user of being U.S. centric and now display OS/browser bias as well. Macintosh users don't use Ctrl as a shortcut; they use ⌘. In Firefox history is shift-⌘-H. Let's try to be neutral, or at the very least explain ourselves. If we don't, we get miscommunication.—WAvegetarian•(talk) 23:59, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

You will perhaps excuse me if I do not care to be browser PC. If ctrl-H does not bring up his history then he likely knows what does. --Justanother 00:54, 30 November 2006 (UTC)

hey thanks for trying to help out. i only mentioned USA because the company i found is located in the US. i still haven't found it, i tried to bring up the history in my pc but i did a good job of eliminating that data. it was quite stupid of me to do that but i didn't figure on trying to do some detective work to locate this neat company. i really didn't expect to receive any help by going to this page, but (justanother) has been trying to help and WAvegetarian is defending my poor grammer, i do thank the both of you for giving this subject matter your time. gene (quagmirevictor)

You are very welcome. Sorry we couldn't pin it down for you. Good luck. --Justanother 05:19, 30 November 2006 (UTC)

Random Article for Specific Categories or Portals?

I use the random link that is located on the left toolbar almost daily to learn about things I would never even think to look up. Is there a way to browse artices randomly within a portal, such as the science portal, or from within a specific category like biology for instance? -greensasquatch — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.146.121.224 (talk • contribs)

No, I'm afraid not. Sorry! — QuantumEleven 12:27, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

All I can suggest is to click on one of the categories at the bottom of an article, then see what grabs you from the list of other articles in that category. I actually do that quite often.--Shantavira 13:29, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Indeed reading an article and then opening one of the 'blue words' in another tab on your browser is how i do random (yet joined up) browsing. Works a treat. ny156uk 17:24, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

web site for gerrald mcrainy home use

dear sir or ma"am i would like to e-mail him dirrect to thank him for his work please could you provide his e-mail abbreass thank you bruce — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.42.116.52 (talk • contribs)

You would have to write to Gerald McRaney through CBS. -THB 07:32, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

What environmental factors have affected the structure of Ford in the past and future

d

• We're not in the business of answering homework questions. If this isn't one, you're going to have to give some indication of what you tried to answer your question. Also, have already read the relevant Ford article? - Mgm| 10:49, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

On the assumption this isn't a homework question...from the top of my head- the government pushed switch from leaded petrol to unleaded petrol. If environment doesn't mean climate-environment and just means the marketplace then there would be safety features such as the Airbag which have become a requirement on modern cars, there is the changing consumer demand from larger vehicles to smaller more fuel efficient vehicles (not sure how much in the US but in Uk/Europe). In the future there are potentially higher taxes on low-efficiency cars, and there are also (unfortunately some might say) people pushing for taxes on 4x4 vehicles rather than cars by fuel efficiency. There is the impending problem of potentially long term expensive oil, potentially a major upheaval while the milliions of drivers worldwide switch from a petrol/diesel based engine to another fuel. All this affects how they design, develop and market their vehicles. Really they face as many big challenges as any other firm. ny156uk 17:23, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Bellhops in films

I've often seen midgets playing the role of bellhops in films which depict the '20s and '30s. Was this a common thing? Or is it mostly a Hollywood thing? Dismas| 10:50, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Since no one else has responded, I'll have a stab at this and suggest that midgets would not have made very good bellhops as they were required to carry heavy luggage. I can't recall any such film characters myself, but since in reality bellhops were often teenage boys, midgets might have been employed as they would look like youngsters but be better actors. Alternatively, it might be that a "cheeky chappie" was required for the part, and since midgets were associated with clowns in those days, they were more likely to come across as amusing. Can you cite some examples?--Shantavira 18:15, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

• Did the stereotype exist before Call For Philip Morris!? --jpgordon 20:48, 29 November 2006 (UTC)
  • Hm. It appears that Johnny Roventini was working as a bellhop, touted as "the smallest bellboy in the world", in 1933 when Milton Biow (who deserves an article, I think -- an icon of advertising) discovered him at the New Yorker Hotel. --jpgordon 20:53, 29 November 2006 (UTC)
    • The only example I can cite right now is The Untouchables. If I think of more, I'll let you know. The guy is only on screen for a few seconds but he's shown coming out of a hotel to get a stack of newspapers that have been dropped off by the news truck. Dismas| 21:58, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

contact address of hulk hogan

please help me with the contact address of Hulk Hogan.

Please sign your posts with 4 Tildes like this ~~~~. Anyway, steveswrestling.com lists his adress as: Terry Bollea (Hulk Hogan); 130 Willadel Dr.; Belleair, FL 34616. Aetherfukz 15:34, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Speed record for sailboat

Water speed record unfortunately doesn't cover this, and some Googling didn't turn up much, so I was hoping someone here might know the answer. What is the current speed record for a wind-powered (ie sailing) boat? — QuantumEleven 12:25, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

That is a tough call since sailboat speed is partly a function of wind speed and partly a function of design (with boat handling thrown in for luck). The racing catamaran and the racing scow are the fastest sailboats, the former for its light weight and low wetted area in relation to sail area and the latter for its ability to get up on plane. Both suffer in their ability to tack effectively and sail upwind in relation to a keeled sailboat. --Justanother 14:32, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Good bit here.

The World Speed Sailing Record Council confirmed that, in June, Club Med set a new world Atlantic crossing record, from Cadiz, Spain, to San Salvador, Bahamas, in 10 days, 14 hours, 54 minutes and 43 seconds. Club Med also set a 24-hour speed record, making it the world’s fastest sailboat for the greatest distance sailed in 24 hours—625 nautical miles at an average speed of 26 knots. Dalton says Club Med has achieved 35 knots—2 1/2 times faster than an America’s Cup boat. He expects to hit 40 knots (45 mph).

Club Med can go about 30 percent faster than the wind speed. An America’s Cup boat can better wind speed by up to 15 percent.

--Justanother 15:19, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

And finally, the Monofoil promises speeds of 100 knots but is more glider than sailboat? --Justanother 15:55, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

The outright record is held by a windsurf: Finian Maynard on a Windsurfer at 48.70 knots (90km/h or +- 60mph)(2005). Sailrocket are trying to break that record with a boat that looks like a heavily modified windsurf with added hydrofoils. here is their website.

The design of SAILROCKET is based around a unique concept. Unlike all conventional yachts, the forces at work are aligned in such a way that it has no tendency to tip over. There is no heeling moment. This is achieved by setting the rig off to one side and angling it so the force of the sail pulls directly on the opposing force of the underwater foil, not above it. The result is simply MORE SPEED! This means that SAILROCKET can just be pointed down the course and held in a straight line at the optimum angle to the optimum wind and the only things that will set the limit will be the aerodynamics and the efficiency of the underwater foil. According to them

Here is a picture of the previous record holder “Yellow Pages”, quite special! They too use hydrofoils that lift the hull out of the water to reduce drag. I think the last "route du rhum" race saw the winner cross the atlantic at an average of 33knots on a catamaran. *edit* sorry that was a mere 19,11 knots - Keria 15:59, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Combining Keria's finds and mine, it pretty much all comes down to this site. --Justanother 16:21, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Great! - Keria 16:26, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Note that if you really want to go fast in a wind-powered vessel on water, you need an iceboat. Sure, the water's frozen, but the record speed over a measured mile (from our article on ice yachting) is about 72 miles per hour; top speeds in excess of ninety miles an hour are reported. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 21:14, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Clogged drain and possible means of unclogging

I have a showerdrain which is absolutely horribly designed. I have near zero ability to unclog it properly. Now, I live in Norway, and my local store may not have what YOU have, but what can be used to actually clear the drain of any hair or similar? I was thinking about those typical pipecleaners that you use on kitchen sinks, but I've yet to try it on the showerdrain. A good idea? 81.93.102.185 14:48, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Three techniques: 1) try to push the clog through with a plunger or an attachment to a garden hose that expands to plug the drain and then pressurizes it. 2) Dissolve the clog with muriatic acid (must know the composition of the pipes and be very careful) or commercial drain cleaner (Drano or the like here). 3) Remove said clog with a plumber's snake (or even a metal coat hanger). Again being careful not to puncture the drain pipe. --Justanother 14:58, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Many commercial drain cleaners are very basic rather than acidic. They tend to convert greasy clogs to soluble soaps. I don't know how well they work on hair, though. Also, as Justanother implied, if you use a plumber's snake, be a little cautious in how you use it; very exuberant use can actually break plastic or old, corroded metal plumbing.

Atlant 18:14, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Yes, most commercial cleaners are lye-based. Do not use an alkaline cleaner and an acid on the same clog - bad idea (poisonous vapors). --Justanother 18:20, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

And, since it's difficult to remove clogs once formed, you might want to take actions to prevent clogs from forming in the first place. For example, a rubber drain cover can be added with a fine filter to prevent most hair from getting into the drain. StuRat 23:17, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Sugar Substitutes

Hi, does anyone know of a spice or anything else that would help sweeten certain dishes without using sugar or the sugar substitute? Any ideas?

I'm thinking cinnamon? --Justanother 15:21, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Cardamom? User:Zoe|(talk) 16:59, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Not spices as such and contain some sugar but fresh or dried fruits are great in all kinds of dishes. Things like raisins, dried apricot pieces, hard peach slices, plums, cranberries, etc. - Keria 17:02, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Honey--Light current 17:41, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Honey is loaded with sugar. It is 79% sugars (fructose, sucrose, etc). Sugars other than sucrose are still sugar. People avoiding sugar may well be trying to avoid more than table sugar (diabetics, for instance). Edison 18:52, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

If you use it to sweeten food (and it's not sugar), then it's a sugar substitute, by definition. What exactly are you looking for? Try Stevia. —Keenan Pepper 21:02, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

If you're just looking to avoid white powders, grated carrots can work well. If you're actually trying to eliminate all sugars and sugar substitutes, I'm not sure that anyone can help you, as explained above. Skittle 22:29, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Some people like to use stevia as a natural alternative to cane, beet, or corn sugar.—WAvegetarian•(talk) 22:51, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

...just noticed the link tacked on to the end of Keenan's post. Don't mind me.—WAvegetarian•(talk) 22:52, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

SONY USA Marketing

Could you help me find the contact details for SONY USA's Marketing Department? I'm not much of a research buff. Thanks --71.211.188.179 16:44, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

For what?

U.S. Businesses

Sony Electronics Inc.

Sony Entertainment Inc.

Sony Pictures Entertainment

Sony BMG Music Entertainment (50% ownership)

Sony/ATV Music Publishing (50% ownership)

Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc.

Sony DADC and Sony Entertainment Distribution

Sony Plaza Public Arcade and Sony Wonder Technology Lab (New York)

--Justanother 16:49, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Sony Electronics Inc. --71.211.188.179 17:17, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Actually, I think Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. is more correct, as they market the PSP --71.211.188.179 17:20, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

I found this link, which may be good enough. A direct contact for SCEA Marketing would be great though. --71.211.188.179 17:26, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Sorry, but our filter here won't let me see the SCEA sites. Anyway, here is a name for you: "Peter Dille, senior vice president of marketing, SCEA." You should be able to track down his office's number. --Justanother 17:44, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Well thanks for the help and the name! --71.211.188.179 18:37, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

you are very welcome - Good luck. --Justanother 18:39, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

generator to motor

How can a generator be rewired externally (everything except the windings) and made to run alternately as a motor? Adaptron 21:07, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

I am not sure but I do not think rewiring is needed at all; just feed DC current to the unit and it will spin (for generator, not alternator). See Electric motor. --Justanother 21:10, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

See electric motor and electrical generator Many generators through history have been motors as well. Thomas Edison's DC generators at Pearl Street, the first central power generating station in the US, had that characteristic, so that the speed governors had to be mechanically linked to keep one from running increasingly fast (being a motor) while the other ran increasingly slow (being a generator) when they were first connected in parallel. In todays AC power system, a generator whose steam supply is retired (like in a closed nuclear plant) can be run up to synchronous speed with a small pony engine, then paralleled to the AC system bus. It will run as a motor powered by the AC network, and by adjusting the field current, it can be a synchronous condensor, correcting the power factor and raising the system voltage to a desired level like a bank of capacitors. A simple permanent magnet DC motor, such as found in a toy, will generate DC if spun rapidly. A more complicated AC or DC motor may need rewiring of the field coil electric supply, which takes the place of the permanent magnets in a small toy motor. An AC generator needs some way to get up to near synchronous speed, such as a start winding which is disconected when it is up to speed or the aforementioned pony engine which can be mounted on the generator shaft. If full line voltage AC were connected to a stationary AC generator which was unmodified, it might draw heavy current and present a locked rotor condition and burn out. Edison 22:57, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

I generally agree with the above comments, but I think you need to know a bit more to get the results you are looking for and avoid burning something. You need some means of controlling the voltage and current applied to the generator/motor. I assume you are talking about a DC generator and not an AC generator or alternator. The easiest and perhaps the only way to deal with the field is to connect it to a separate power supply. Probably the simplest way to get the motor started is to put several resistors in series with the armature and progressively short them out as the motor comes up to speed. With an assortment of resistors and a voltmeter and an ammeter or two, you can probably figure out quite a bit, but you really need a textbook. --C J Cowie 01:03, 30 November 2006 (UTC)

Now that you mention it the generator is more likely an AC altenator since it outputs line volatge at 120v and 240v. The current rating is ~33 amps and ~16.5 amps respectively. I do not have a circuit diagram and I have not opened it up yet so I can't be sure until I do. Since the length of the housing is relatively short like an alternator versus say a DC starter motor it is most likely an alternator. Becasue it is powered by a one cylinder gasoline engine which has a rope starter I was hoping to be able to wire the generator/alternator so that it would start the gasoline engine and the switch over to being a generator again. Since this is an obvious means of starting a gasoline motor I figure it has not already been done by the factory due to the generator being an AC alternator rather than a DC generator. Since the flywheel does not have any teeth (the replacement flywheels with teeth are no longer available) I can't incorporate a conventional starter. However, the rope housing can be remove exposing the clutch assembly to which I could possibly attach a belt driveand then use a conventional 12v DC starter motor. Any suggestions thanks. Adaptron 02:05, 30 November 2006 (UTC)

Alright! Sounds like Scrapheap Challenge. Yes, I think you could bodge (that is the British term they use, do I have it right? Oh, I see it is a pejorative - sorry); bodge on a starter from a small motorcycle with a belt and pulley. You will need some sort of movable idler pulley or tensioner so the belt does not keep turning after it starts or you could mount the starter on a pivot. Good luck!

Remember now I said when the rope housing is removed it exposes a clutch. since the shaft is keyed as a square rather than a slot making a pully for the belt or chain drive should be easy and without the need for a release. Thanks. Adaptron 02:21, 30 November 2006 (UTC)

Great. Let us know how it turns out. --Justanother 02:28, 30 November 2006 (UTC)

• Misplaced Pages Reference Desk archive