Revision as of 17:25, 17 December 2006

Reference Desk

December 14

Santa

Hey my mummy said you have rolled up the santa story becuase hes a troll. whats a troll? Katie (age 6) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.111.8.127 (talk • contribs) 00:32, 14 December 2006

For the definition of what a troll is, see Troll. As for the rest of your question, I'm confused what "rolled up" means. Dismas| 05:52, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

or perhaps Misplaced Pages:What is a troll? The Santa Claus article is currently semi-protected, which means it can only be edited by established users. This is probably because someone (a troll) has been vandalizing or disrupting the article; and not because Santa is a troll. --Spoon! 09:04, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

In answer to your question Katie -- a troll is someone who posts things to the internet for the purpose of irritating other people. They ask questions, but aren't interested in the answers. They just want to see people get angry and confused.

If you want to ask your question regarding Santa again, right here, I'd be happy to try and answer it. - Vranak 23:54, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

thank you i was aksing how santa cud deliver to all the childern in the wirld at the ssame time. Katie age 6

Note -- I have been told that this question is a well-established troll. Even if this is the case, I will answer the question as well as I may, for anyone else who may be interested in the logistics of global gift delivery...

Short answer: it's best not to worry about such things. Santa is very very clever. How else would he know what you want for Christmas? :) Vranak 18:18, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

we usuly writ to him at north pole. But mummy sais sum his nomes now work here so i thot i can say what i want here. i wud like a big big dolly Katie age 6

Santa's nomes may well read wikipedia but I'm sure Santa would prefer a letter from you to him at the North Pole in Lapland. You have to ask nicely otherwise he may forget you, the nicer you are the more likely you are to get what you ask him for. Its the personal touch that counts.AMX 19:09, 21 December 2006 (UTC)

Cell phone through washer

Last night I accidentally put my cell phone through the washing machine. It's been about 24 hours and there's a ton of condensation inside the display. It doesn't turn on at all. Do phones usually recover after being washed? Is there anything I can do to fix it? I talked to someone today and they said dipping it in alcohol would dry it out. Is that a good idea or completely ridiculous? Thanks, Xcfrommars 01:04, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

try going to a repair store or something. If the phone has flash memory, it should be fine, with a bit of drying, but if it has a hard drive, then its about time you invest in a new phone, but still, you should take it in to somewhere like radioshack and ask if they can do something about it. It might also have a warranty or something. As for the alcohol, that's a bad idea probably. Ilikefood 01:17, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Take the battery out and let it dry. It may take a few days, but you should be patient. With the battery out, use a paper towel to sop up any moisture you can and clean the contacts for the battery. - CHAIRBOY (☎) 01:22, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Applying any kind of heat to speed drying would be a bad idea, but you can place the opened phone in the gentle stream of a fan or a hair dryer (on a cool setting), OR if you have a dryer rack in your dryer (for shoes), and a cool 'air' setting, you can put the phone (covered) on it and run the dryer on the 'air dry' setting. Anchoress 01:29, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

The paper towel might be a bad idea because if your fingers get wet, you could get zapped by the battery and that wouldn't be good, even if its not deadly, it may be painful. Best idea is to check the warranty. Ilikefood 01:35, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

At least this is better than a friend of mine, who was leaning over to fix a public toilet that was running full blast,,,, drop and whoosh! --Zeizmic 03:31, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

We should probably ask what type of detergent or bleach you used, as they might cause irreversible corrosion of the circuit board inside. StuRat 04:00, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Well, I can tell you that dipping electronic devices in Alcohol isn't generally a good idea; I did that with a print head once to try and clean it, and ended up setting the printer on fire. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 11:59, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

LOL, yea, you might want to let the alcohol dry before you put it near anything hot. StuRat 21:49, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

OK. Now listen to someone who has actually washed the inside of his TV set -- me! THe most important thing not to do is switch the phone on when its wet as this may cuase all sorts of unintended low resistance paths to appear. What you should do is:

1. remove the batties
2. shake out the excess water by hand or leave to drain on your draining board
3. if you have a hair dryer, gently try to blow the excess moisture out of the phone
4. then you need to put the phone in front of your dehumidifier output and leave it thre for at least 24 hrs (the dehumid must be on and pumping out dry air.) This will eventually remove every last drop of moisture from your phone.
5. replace batties, cross fingers arms and legs, then switch on! If it donrt work, its downt o the shop for a new one. But at least you tried! 8-) --Light current 22:02, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

You washed your TV?!? | AndonicO 22:04, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

The circuit boards (PCB), yes (after taking them out)!--Light current 22:21, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

So long as it was off before getting wet and you don't turn it on again untill you are 100% sure that it is TOTALLY dry you should get away with it.AMX

Pickles

Can Pickles be packaged with less salt, or is that needed in the pickle juice?

Salt is necessary for the brine for the actual pickling. - CHAIRBOY (☎) 01:25, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

This link will answer your question and explain why. Anchoress 01:27, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

New York style "fresh pack" cucumber picles are made with no salt or just a little for flavoring, not for the actual pickling. Sweet pickles also have little or no salt but use sugar instead. See . -THB 02:23, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

I could probably list eight or ten distinct ways of preserving food. You only really need to use one of them, unless you're planning on storing a foodstuff for many months. So, you can get away with pickling with just vinegar, or packing in sugar, or packing in salt, or coating in oil. The thing is, these unmoderated solutions don't have the best effect on taste, when you finally getting around to eating the pickles.

Long story short: yes, you can pickle without any salt at all -- but it may not taste good. Vranak 16:22, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Tennessee Governor's Inaugural Ball 2007

I'm hoping to find information on the 2007 Inaugural Ball following the inauguration of Phil Bredesen. It would be nice to know date, location, and how to get tickets/invited.

this search gave some promising-looking links. On a side note, I've recently learned that things pertaining to governors are called gubernatorial. 64.90.198.6 20:22, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

Most of the search results generated from the above link produce information unrelated to the inaugural -- or they refer to the previous inaugural ball. I've checked on "gubernatorial" as well, but no luck so far.

wikipedia success

Eric Goldman said that wikipedia will fail in 4 years because of heave vandalism and spam. Bots alone can't revert vandalism forever. Do you think Misplaced Pages will survive in the next few years?--PrestonH 05:05, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

This seems like a request for an opinion/speculation. The reference desk is better suited towards finding answers that are a bit more... empirically based. Now, if, say 4 years from now you ask whether Misplaced Pages survived, we can help there. - CHAIRBOY (☎) 05:13, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Unfortunately, Chairboy, the nature of the reference desk is such that speculative questions are quite common. As for your question, PrestonH, bots aren't the only things reverting vandalism; we have a whole task force of volunteer editors that focus on just that sort of thing: the Misplaced Pages Counter-Vandalism Unit. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 12:03, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Watch the recent changes some time. The sheer quantity of changes is quite something. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 05:23, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

You could make the same argument for the Internet. Repent! The end is nigh! Clarityfiend 07:39, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

• Developers are working on a new feature that allows editing while stable versions are shown. Vandalism is a lot less fun for the vandals when they can't see it show up immediately. - Mgm| 12:07, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

I think that it will take a little more than four years for wikipedia to fail, although people are losing all of their trust in wikipedia after finding numerous pages that have a bunch of nonsense in it.

There seems to be the assumption that no new measures will be taken to combat vandals. There are numerous methods available, including automatic rollback of all of one person's changes, locking pages, restricting edits to registered users only, blocking or banning users, banning I/P addresses, etc. StuRat 17:12, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

On the whole, Misplaced Pages is safe. Now you can sleep. :-) | AndonicO 17:56, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

I wonder what is meant by "fail?" If my first impression is correct (that Misplaced Pages will be disbanded and cease to exist), the monument that has been put up is very far-reaching and deep-set. The fact that its very mainframe and existence has been set up and drawn from chaos into order by the sheer number of volunteers (as well as the fact that the very nature of Misplaced Pages is to allow these volunteers to easily contribute to it) practically ensures its eventual growth rather than decay. There are almost assuredly more conscientious editors than vandals, and the vandals that do exist, for the most part, don't stick around for long.

For these reasons, Misplaced Pages is quite similar to a reverse model of entropy, with all the loose bits of information eventually coming together in a neat structure, despite opposing efforts. 64.90.198.6 20:36, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

At the moment I can't see any reason for wikipedia to suddenly "fail" and I sincerly hope it never does, the great people out there who contribute and edit are far bigger in number than the scum who try to wreck it. I am a great fan of wikipedia and I take my hat off to all the people who put a positive effort in towards it, long may it continue.AMX 18:55, 21 December 2006 (UTC)

tomb of Averroes

Was he buried in Marrakesh? I wish to pay homage to him.

There is a biography about him here (pdf). It is in Arabic, and I can't read it. maybe you can. Jon513 13:14, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Supposedly he was buried in Marrakesh but later exhumed and re-buried in Cordova but I can't find any detail on the exact location. I always think that the best way to pay homage to any writer is to read his works. meltBanana 16:27, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Alan Watts on Christianity

how are Watts' works on Christianity viewed by modern theologians and his contemporaries? Is he thought of as a rogue or a true apologetic?

This isn't a homework question, I've been reading Watts and I want to know how "reliable" his views on Christianity are with more established thinkers, especially those of the Church. I know he's been considered a rogue academic, and therefore I suspect he's been considered a rogue Christian theologian, but I want to read the where and how of it. I've deleted the last comment lest it prevent others from answering.

I had to do it. It's roGUE, not roUGE.

DMT

so what's the deal with Dimethyltryptamine?

From the article, it doesn't seem too harmful, only a 30 minute high max when smoked? And in the 1990's researchers have conducted experiments in the USA with it? So is it comparitively safe?

I want to get my hands on some how can I? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 70.225.160.106 (talk • contribs).

You may get a more complete answer to the first part of your question at the Science Desk. Dismas| 08:35, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

The problem with drugs is not always physiological side-effects. A large part of drug-caused mortality and morbidity (i.e., injury, illness) is caused by accidents related to drug use, for example when people drive or go to work while under the influence of a drug. Drug-related crime is also a major problem. BenC7 11:16, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

If it's anything like Diethyltryptamine - don't expect a 'high' - expect to be lying on the floor with blue lips - feeling like you've just been really hit by a truck - they are hallucinogens - but don't expect it to be 'fun' like some speed or cannabis or shrooms - it isn't. As for safety - nobody ever died from eating shit - but how many repeat the experience...83.100.174.70 11:45, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Why not read the Dimethyltryptamine page twice? Expect a 'near death experience' - this includes feeling like death, also expect to hallucinate aliens (see machine elf for more info).

Construction crane construction

How do they assemble one? The article doesn't say. Clarityfiend 07:35, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

With telescopic truck mounted cranes I think. See the image.

. Shinhan 08:31, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

• How do they make those? - Mgm| 12:05, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
  • With very little regard to safety; in Washington state, there are very few enforcable (or enforced, for that matter) regulations surrounding the safety of construction cranes, and recently, one fell over in Bellevue, Washington and killed a man in his condo. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 12:12, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

one section at a time. According to an article at howstuffworks.com. Jon513 13:09, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

The crane you see on top of a building probably lifted itself up to the roof. The main cable control mechanism can pull itself from the ground to the top, using a temporary structure at the top to support its weight. Then it can lift the rest up. It is generally self assembling (with humans of course to control it and bolt things together). That way no "UberCrane" is needed to lift and assemble the construction crane. Edison 18:21, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Misplaced Pages Grafffiti

Hey i was just looking at a page on Adam Smith and saw a line that said "i like boobies" it was graffiti, so i refreshed the page and it was gone. it just made me wonder: what is the wikipedia page that gets the most graffiti?

Misplaced Pages. God is vandalised quite a bit, too. Jpeob 07:45, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

See Misplaced Pages:Most vandalized pages --froth 09:29, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Amazed to see relatively obscure Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper on the list. Must be a lot of angry Canadians... Clarityfiend 09:45, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Didn't you hear? Stephen Harper eats babies. --Wooty Woot? contribs 10:30, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Nonsense. Stephen Harper doesn't eat babies; it's obviously cabal propaganda. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 12:47, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

The thing is, about a third of Canadians are 'Liberal for life' -- they have never, and will never, vote for any party other than the Liberal Party. So, you can always expect there to be a significant amount of criticism (and vandalism) directed at a non-Liberal Prime Minister -- especially one who is very popular in Alberta. For some reason, the rest of Canada doesn't seem too fond of Alberta or Albertans. Could just be jealous of their oil and gas wealth, of course. :) Cheers. Vranak 16:26, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Being an Albertan who has lived in other provinces, I can state categorically that it's not envy of our wealth. It's the belief that we are greedy, culture-free troglodytes who want to force everyone in the country to be a conservative evangelical Christian at the point of our dear, dear guns while we blow up the CBC and replace it with anything American. In other words, they think we're stupid, selfish, heartless, hate-filled rednecks who worship the United States. --Charlene 00:39, 18 December 2006 (UTC)

thanks for the words, i loved that article about stephen harper. does wikipedia keep stats? say what articles get the most edits or how often the anti-vandalism bots have to act?

I don't know which article gets the most edits, but here is the stats page. | AndonicO 22:06, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

On Misplaced Pages:Most vandalized pages, why does George W. Bush not have an asterisk (*) next to his name, indicating that he is alive? Do you know something we don't? — Michael J 15:23, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Silver /Gold

Which is more rare Silver or Gold? In above ground supplies. thanks,Mark

Gold is much more rare --froth 09:28, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Gold B00P 09:31, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

As we used to say in debate, "define your terms." What do you mean by "above ground supplies?" Cernen Xanthine Katrena 12:48, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

I read somewhere that if you melt all the gold in the world, it would fit in a volume the size of a tennis court. Now that is alarmingly rare, and shows as well the quantity of cheaper metals that are added to make jewellery. Now I wonder, why does man use gold as a yardstick for wealth? Gold is just pretty and 'rare' but there are elements that are more rare. Gold does not have intrinsic value. Sandman30s 13:29, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

While the cost of gold is far above it's intrinsic value, I disagree that gold has no intrinsic value. It is highly resistant to corrosion, an excellent electrical conductor, and highly malleable. Those characteristics make it useful for electrical contacts, for example. If it were as cheap as iron, gold and gold alloys could be used widely, such as in wiring, "silverware", and for car body panels. Rust would then be a thing of the past. StuRat 17:04, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Maybe I'm missing something but a tennis court doesn't have a volume, it's a two dimensional area. Or did you mean that the height of the net would provide the third dimension? Dismas| 13:36, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Yes. If you want to be technical the height varies, but the whole volume measurement is an approximation to give the layman an idea of the size. Sandman30s 14:07, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

I saw a program on, I believe, the Science Channel, saying that, if all the gold in the core of the earth (which they said makes up only 1% of all the materials there) were melted, the entire land mass of the world would be covered with gold almost a meter deep. I'm doubt that's the volume of a tennis court, but you do the math. ;-) | AndonicO 13:35, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

I think that Sandman was referring to the gold already mined on the surface, which is no doubt a minuscule fraction of the gold inaccessibly contained in Earth's core. Marco polo 13:54, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Yes, again :) Sandman30s 14:07, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Oh, ok. I guess we have to invent a really big drill now... I'm getting to work, and I might not edit wikipedia for a few years now. ;-) | AndonicO 14:09, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

The article on gold says: Gold in antiquity was relatively easy to obtain geologically; however, 75% of all gold ever produced has been extracted since 1910. It has been estimated that all the gold in the world that has ever been refined would form a single cube 20 m (66 ft) on a side (8000 m³).

Silver is so common that a lot of the supply comes as a byproduct of mining for other metals such as gold and copper. -THB 14:03, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

I received an email from the World Servants. They respected woman - man parity and lived on prayers. Their abbey, Thelema, had just received a gift that had helped to clean the gold layers on the walls, floors and roofs … Down to the bin went the email. -- DLL 18:28, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Really? That's a pity, there is a lot that can be learnt about modern mythology and concerns through spam. Unfortunately I only get the same crap about V1arga. was Thelema abbey mentioned or was it only your elaboration? meltBanana 19:37, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Free fall from space

Would it be possible for an astronaut in high orbit to fall straight down to earth and survive? this and this sparked my interest --froth 09:28, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

No, because he couldn't fall straight down.

Now, please clarify, is he in some sort of craft as he spirals in? B00P 09:36, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

If an astronaut jumped out of a space ship in orbit, he would also be in orbit, and would circle round the earth rather than fall straight down. If he did find a way to fall straight down his parachute wouldn't work, because there is no atmosphere up there. When he did reach the atmosphere, the friction would burn him up. --Auximines 09:52, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

The 'easy' way to fall straight down would be to have a rocket firing sideways to reduce the circular orbital speed to zero (or, looking at it another way, to equalize the relative speeds of the top of the Earth's atmosphere and the astronaut). Then gravity would bring the astronaut straight down. Now add another rocket firing downwards, and you can slowly move downwards in complete safety. Unfortunately, this would require prodigious amounts of rocket fuel.

Extending the question, what I've never been clear on is how the Earth's atmosphere reacts to (a) the rotation of the Earth; and (b) the motion of the Earth through space. Does the atmosphere trail off behind the Earth as the Earth moves in its orbit around the Sun? Does the top of the atmosphere move at a different speed to the part of the atmosphere in contact with the Earth's surface? Carcharoth 11:21, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

You are wrongly assuming that space exercises appreciable drag on the atmosphere. There is no reason for the upper atmosphere to be moving at a different speed due to drag. There are coriolis effects (see also ) and other meteorological factors but space drag is not one of them. --Justanother 14:26, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Yes. No drag. Sorry if it looked like I assumed that (I didn't actually). I was thinking more of effects like the way the heliosphere trails through the interstellar medium, as seen at Image:Voyager_1_entering_heliosheath_region.jpg. The Earth's magnetosphere sees a similar effect, due to the solar wind, but the atmosphere would be largely unaffected by all this, being neutral. Sorry for the confusion. Carcharoth 16:28, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Well the only thing that would knock it back would be the solar winds which are deflected by the magnetosphere, so what would push it back? Philc _TC 22:45, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

So this would be the ultimate example of I've fallen and I can't get up. (Gawd, I love wikipedia.) Clarityfiend 10:19, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

NASA studied possible emergency procedures for the astronauts to evacuate the shuttle in orbit in their spacesuit and come back to earth. I think the idea has been put on hold because of too many technical difficulties and of the feasability of integrating all the gear needed for a return to earth into the spacesuit. The main way to make the high speed transition into the atmosphere was with a huge balloon slowing down the astronaut and keeping him stable. I can't find the ref. on that though. Keria 10:46, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

I found these two articles: and . The first link is the system proposed after the Columbia disaster, the second (an astronautix entry on 'Rescue') looks at the history of such systems, and has some pretty pictures. For future reference, I found these with a Google search using the following separate terms: "nasa" "astronaut" "emergency" "reentry" "balloon". Carcharoth 11:21, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

We already have an article on one of these systems at MOOSE. Our material on the FIRST re-entry glider seems to be at Rogallo wing and Paresev. But that is only 2 of the 35 re-entry systems listed at the astronautix 'Rescue' page I linked above. Does anyone want to check out Misplaced Pages's coverage of the other re-entry systems? Carcharoth 11:38, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

The article atmospheric reentry might also be of interest. I'm going to ask the people maintaining that page to have a look at this question, and to add something about re-entry for individual astronauts. Carcharoth 11:38, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Highly unlikely - the main problem is heating when re-entering the atmosphere. An astronaut in low Earth orbit is moving at 8 km/s (relative to the Earth), he needs to shed most of this speed in order to land safely. Also, if your astronaut is in a stable orbit you first need to reduce his speed enough so that the periapsis of his orbit is far enough inside the atmosphere to slow him down further - this will require rocket engines of some sort strapped to your astronaut. Once you've done that, the astronaut will re-enter the atmosphere at the above 8 km/s. Think of what happens to the Space Shuttle when it re-enters the atmosphere, it glows white-hot from the friction of re-entry - that kind of heat will reduce your astronaut to cinders in a few seconds. So you need to encase him in some kind of heat shielding, which will probably end up looking more like a miniature spacecraft than a space suit. Assuming you can survive the brutal heating, a multi-stage parachute (à la Project Excelsior, which you linked to) should get your astronaut down the rest of the way, assuming he hasn't spun out of control during re-entry. Bottom line: theoretically possible, very hard to do in practice.

<geek hat on>The Mandalorians used a tactic similar to this in planetary assaults, they would encase their soldiers in power armour, and drop them into the atmosphere of a planet from orbit, where, with the help of a Basilisk war droid, they would reduce their speed enough to be able to land near the target and attack it directly... </geek> — QuantumEleven 11:58, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Strictly speaking, the 8km/s is the escape velocity needed to attain the orbital speed relative to the Earth's surface needed to avoid falling to Earth (ie. to instead fall in a parabola large enough to fall continuously around the Earth - which is another way of describing the process of orbiting the Earth). The heating when re-entering the atmosphere assumes that you re-enter at this speed. This orbital speed (I'm assuming it to be 8km/s) is only needed if want to orbit by free-falling around the Earth. As I said above, you can reduce this orbital speed relative to the Earth's surface by firing a rocket against the direction of your orbital movement, and you then naturally fall to Earth as the endpoint of your parabola falls below the horizon. But if you also fire a rocket straight downwards, you can hover in orbit at that point. Takes far too much energy to do in practice, as to reduce the orbital speed to zero you have to expend the same amount of energy used in take-off to attain this orbital speed in the first place. But once you've done this, then the "8km/s problem" vanishes, though you do need to have continuous upwards thrust equal to the weight of the spacecraft to hover at that position in orbit. Reduce the orbital speed relative to the Earth's surface to zero while maintaining this upwards thrust, then manouevre over a particular point on the Earth's surface, then remove the upwards thrust and watch the spacecraft fall downwards towards that point. Terminal velocity in the upper reaches of the atmosphere is quite high, so you might want to adjust things so that the craft doesn't burn up. Once the craft reaches the denser parts of the atmosphere, it will fall normally at terminal velocity until it hits the surface. I'm not sure how much effects winds and the Coriolis effect would have, but I suspect that because the object is not moving laterally relative to the Earth's surface below, the Coriolis effect would not apply. Carcharoth 14:23, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

The likelihood of an Astronaut (or anyone else for that matter) free-falling from anything above 20 meters, let alone 20 kilometers, and surviving the ordeal is vanishingly-small in my estimation. Vranak 16:30, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

I understand that the atmosphere is vanishingly thin above the stratosphere. So if the space shuttle was in geosynchronous orbit and the astronaut pushed off with all of his might toward Earth, what's the difference between that and starting your descent a few miles lower, like in my link? Why would the astronaut burn up and not the guy going up in a balloon? --froth 19:06, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

I think you're making a common mistake: that of mixing up "orbit" and "space". Space is an altitude (and an arbitrarily defined one at that). Orbit is a velocity (and for Earth it's a huge velocity). A guy in a balloon isn't moving w.r.t the atmosphere, so he only has his potential energy to lose on the way down, which is something his chute can comfortably handle. Someone in orbit is moving at around mach 35: he has a huge amount of kinetic energy too, and in order to get down to the ground (and be stationary wrt it when he gets there) he has to get rid of that too - that's a job way beyond any existing parachute/shuttlecock technology - only a heatshield is capable of handling the energies involved (using modern technologies).

This is all true, but you are talking about a stable orbit here. One where an object just orbits indefinitely without needing to burn any fuel to maintain the orbit. Have a look at orbit. It is entirely possible (if rather difficult) to expend fuel to hover at a point above a planet. If you start from that point, then re-entry becomes a lot easier. Most cases of re-entry assume that it is an orbiting object, rather than a hovering object, that is re-entering the atmosphere, and in most cases that is a correct assumption to make. But it is not the only possibility. Carcharoth 01:21, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

I thought that in geostationary orbit you have no velocity relative to the atmosphere below you --froth 22:31, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

You are right that in geostationary orbit you are not moving relative to the atmosphere. Have a look at the article. You will see that for the Earth, geostationary orbit is a long way out. The Space Shuttle and the ISS operate in near-Earth orbit, but the communications satellites are a lot further out. To move inwards from geostationary orbit, pushing downwards is not the best way. As you move downwards, you are not losing your tangential speed, and something will happen (not quite sure what - probably your circular orbit will become elliptical). The best way to move downwards is to push away from the direction you are travelling, ie. slow down your motion along the tangent of the orbital circle. Carcharoth 01:20, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

But then you're moving relative to the atmosphere :) --163.11.83.14 12:42, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

The heating effect on something (or someone) reentering the atmosphere from space is related to its kinetic energy. The Space Shuttle heated up so much because it was massive (heavy). Every square foot of wing had to dissipate the kinetic eneregy of a massive amount of ship and contents. After the breakup some computer equipment in nylon bags, some biological experiments, and even a videotape in a camcorder survived the latest Space Shuttle disaster because they were less massive relative to the surface area dissipating the heat. Please read the MOOSE article and the associated cites and Google it as well. The engineering calcs by GE showed that a small (1.8 meter diam) expanded foam cone would allow survival during reentry. Now consider that the retrorocket need not be as powerful as the engine that put the astronaut up there: it only has to reduce his velocity by about 1% to allow reentry. If the Shuttle is going about 17500 miles/hour, a retro rocket need only eliminate about 175 mph of the velocity, or about 256 feet/second (78 meters/sec). Then the relatively small ablative heat shield and finally a parachute does the rest. The total system, including astronaut, weighed 215kg. It would make as much sense to use the MOOSE system to reenter when a space shuttle was too damaged to reenter or a space station had to do an emergency evacuation and there was insuccifient reentry vehicle space as to use a rubber raft when you plane ditched or your ship sank in the middle of the ocean. An set of updated MOOSE devices could be shipped up to a stranded shuttle by a cargo rocket if they did not want to carry the extra 150kg or so of reentry device per crewmember. Edison 19:31, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Add funds to paypal using credit card?

Can you add funds to a non US paypal account using a credit card? How? I tried looking through the help pages but couldn't find a definite answer. Thanks. WP 09:29, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Im quite certain you can as long as its international card. Joneleth 10:16, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Yes, you can, the same way you would use a credit card for a US account. I have a non-US PayPal account and add money to it using my credit card. — QuantumEleven 11:35, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

You would probably have to register the cc with them first. That is where they deposit two small amounts to the account and you tell them what the amounts were. --Justanother 13:37, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Roman Numeral Clock Face

If the correct way of indicating the number"4" in Roman numerals is "IV", why are all clock faces having Roman numerals showing the number "4" as "IIII"?

See Roman_numerals#Calendars_and_clocks for some possible explanations. Skarioffszky 10:44, 14 December 2006 (UTC) P.S.: Not all clock faces, by the way.

That article has too many explanations; the first one is obviously right. Note that IX, not VIIII, is used opposite III. --Anon, December 15, 00:11 (UTC).

A Sex Question

Note that it is clearly labeled. Anyway. My supervisor, a shop lead and I were having a bit of a discussion at work today about sex (God knows why my supervisor, a single adult middle aged male, an elderly woman who looks like the Crypt Keeper and myself were having this discussion, but it's a factory, anything's possible), and my supervisor asked me if it was possible to catch a cold from an act of oral intercourse. (He used more colorful language...) I told him no; not all bodily fluids are the same. He asserts that you can, while the lead (the woman) said, "See? I told you so. It's not possible." So...uh...I guess the question is, can you catch a cold from oral sex or not? Cernen Xanthine Katrena 12:08, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

My uninformed non-medical-professional opinion would be yes, because the cold virus is transmitted through the mucous membranes, which exist in the mouth, on the glans penis and the vulva/vagina. Anchoress 12:11, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

As a side note is there any chance of having a Misplaced Pages:Reference desk/Bodilyfunctions and sexual behaviour(age restricted) section where people of like mind can discuss their diseases/unnatural bodily growths etc to there hearts contents... Not that I object... Maybe we could call it medical anatomy/human behaviour - there seems to be a lot of interest. Dr.Misplaced Pages.83.100.174.70 12:27, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

I'd just like to point out how bizarre it would be to have a "Bodily Functions" page be age-restricted.Pesapluvo 15:12, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

New desks have to be approved...somehow...I don't know how, but there's probably no chance of it considering the Misplaced Pages:Content_disclaimer. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 12:44, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

The issue of splitting up Ref Desks was discussed a few months ago, with the decision made to put any split on hold for the time being. If you wish to propose that again, however, Misplaced Pages talk:Reference Desk is the proper place to make such a request. Here is where this issue was previously discussed: Wikipedia_talk:Reference_desk/Archive_12#New_ref_desk_division. You will see that the proposal included a "Sex and relationships desk". StuRat 16:50, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

My understanding is that cold viruses infect the respiratory system. Thus they would not infect reproductive organs. However, cold viruses are often transmitted via the hands of an infected person (who may frequently wipe or blow his or her nose). It is not unusual for hands to touch reproductive organs before or during sex. In this way, oral sex could contribute to transmission of the virus. That said, if an infected person washed his or her hands and genitals thoroughly with soap and water immediately prior to sex and kept hands away from face during sex, and if the sex did not involve kissing or other face-to-face contact, I think that it would be reasonably safe, from the point of view of cold transmission. Marco polo 13:40, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

See: Common cold. This type of virus is usually spread through droplets. If you're close enough to someone to have oral sex with them, you're close enough to inhale droplets. (Unless you hold your breath.) -THB 13:56, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Without attempting a medical explanation, my inclination would be that contracting the common cold as a result of engaging in oral sex is an unlikely prospect. After all, people tend to only do that sort of thing if their partner is looking relatively clean, healthy, and not exhibiting signs of illness. Cheers -- Vranak 00:02, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

83.100.174.70: Misplaced Pages is not censored for minors we have hundreds, possibly thousands of pages that society would deem "innapropriate" for minors. I'm a minor myself, and day after day revert sexually-based vandalism, or have to remove sexually-depicted images from Userpages etc.. We have no age-restricted material on Misplaced Pages, and I doubt that it will ever happen. A new desk is possible though :-) — Deon555_desk 08:38, 18 December 2006 (UTC)

Gift Certificates

What is the reasoning behind giving gift certificates (Scrips) as presents? They're basically money that can only be used in one store, and has an expiry date.--Codell 13:04, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

As far as I'm concerned, say you give a book voucher, it's like saying "I know you like books, but don't know exactly what you want or already have - so here is a voucher to go and buy one you'd like". It's just a bit more personal than cash as it shows you've considered what the person may like, where they may like to shop, and you've actually made the effort to go out and buy something for them instead of just pulling some cash out of your wallet. --jjron 13:15, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Not all gift certificates have expiry dates. Also, though I (and others) call book vouchers, vouchers, it seems that the precise meaning of voucher differs from that of gift certificate (a redirect to scrip). I'd never heard the term 'scrip' before. Thanks for linking to that. Carcharoth 13:21, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

The voucher article says "A voucher is a certificate which is worth a certain monetary value and which may only be spent for specific reasons or on specific goods". I'm not sure how that makes it an invalid term - certainly seems to cover gift certificates. It may vary in different places, but it's certainly a very commonly used term in Australia. --jjron 13:56, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Sorry, I meant this bit: "The term voucher is also a synonym for receipt, and is often used to refer to receipts used as evidence of, for example, the declaration that a service has been performed or that an expenditure has been made." - you are right though, voucher has two meanings. Carcharoth 14:29, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, I saw that too - must say I've never heard of voucher being used in that context. Is that legit? --jjron 14:50, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

I can confirm that the travel industry issues vouchers. I think it is to do with the way the money circulates. You pay the travel agent. The travel agent books the hotel and gives you a voucher. You give the voucher to the hotel and stay there. The hotel sends the voucher to the travel agent (or scan it) and the hotel get their money from the travel agent. I think that is more like a coupon than a voucher. But though these processes of circulating money and paper substitutes are distinct, the terms used can sometimes be rather fluid and interchangeable. The linking with receipt might be a misunderstanding, as people might think the voucher is a receipt for the money they gave the travel agent. Carcharoth 15:24, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

There are also gift certificates for non-material things. Day spas often offer gift certs for massages, facials, etc. Dismas| 13:32, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

A lot of what we see is differences in usage between English-speaking countries along with the desire to WP:NOT a dictionary and to keep the usages together. It is possible that voucher should be WP:MERGED to scrip. --Justanother 14:38, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

While I did know what scrip was I'd never heard of it used in reference to gift certificates before, as Carcharoth also said. Now I'm not sure where Carcharoth is from, but while there could be an argument for merging these articles, I'm not convinced that 'scrip' is the best or most widely used term. --jjron 14:50, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

I am not either but there should be a good general term for these types of things and it would likely include coupon too. The best might be something like Currency substitutes. That eliminates regional differences. --Justanother 14:59, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Yes, good point. I notice that there's also a Trading stamp article. Any others come to mind? And furthermore, trading stamp links to half a dozen different articles on different brands of trading stamps. There'd be quite a bit of work in merging all these successfully. --jjron 15:15, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

It might be better to collect them into a category to help decide what to do first. Category:Sales_promotion contains coupon and trading stamps. Voucher is just a stub. Scrip, for some reason is in Category:Exonumia. The mother lode is Category:Payment_systems, and I guess things should be organised around that. Carcharoth 15:31, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Gift certs were originally sold at a discount, so there was a value in them. For example, a gift cert for $100 in merchandise might only cost $50. This $50 gain had the potential to offset the following losses:

• Risk that the cert will not be redeemed at all, due to loss, expiration, or the recipient not caring to shop at that store.

• Interest lost on the money during the period between purchase and redemption.

• Risk that the cert won't exactly match the purchase amount, and either a portion of the cert will not be redeemed, or extra money beyond the value of the cert will be spent.

• Risk that the recipient will buy unwanted items to "use up" the gift cert before it expires.

• Extra cost of buying items at that store, likely not on sale, versus on sale and/or elsewhere.

• Sale items were typically excluded.

Over time, however, retailers realized that people bought the gift certs more as a quick gift that doesn't require much thought, but doesn't seem as crude as cash. Thus, they reduced, then eliminated, the discount, added exclusions, shortened the period before expiration, and now have started to have them lose value, before expiration, as well. Thus, they no longer make financial sense. It's up to each purchaser to decide if the convenience of not having to put much thought or time into a purchase is worth the additional cost of a gift cert. StuRat 15:29, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

That's interesting. Do you have any sources so this can be put in articles? A timeline would be good as well. What sort of dates are you talking about here? Carcharoth 15:33, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

I don't have any sources, no, perhaps a retailer's trade mag or the Wall Street Journal might have such info. The change has mainly taken place over the last decade or two, I would say. StuRat 15:36, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Interesting, but I'd like to see some refs. We used to get/give 'record vouchers' in the 80s, there was no discounting from the retailer. In fact, if I remember correctly, some stores in fact charged for them (like $1 above face value). Some probably still do. --jjron 15:50, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Here's a site where you can view some of the terms for certain gift certs, although it doesn't address the historic changes in gift certs: . StuRat 16:06, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

There's actually a huge flaw in your 'historical' argument. If I was going to buy something from a store, why wouldn't I go in, buy myself a gif certificate, then redeem it for my purchase, automatically getting myself a 50% (or whatever it may be) discount? --jjron 01:24, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

They could, and did. 50% would be the about the upper limit on discounts, with 10% or 20% being more typical. Places that gave a 50% discount had high normal prices and substantial, frequent sales (around 50%) most of the time, anyway. Since the gift certs excluded sales, they really didn't provide much savings over what you could get normally. Still, this "misuse" of gift certs may be one reason they stopped selling them at a discount. StuRat 21:39, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

Another reason gift certs might be preferred over cash is to provide the giver with a degree of control. For example, giving gift certs for a clothes store might be a parent's way of getting their teens to buy new clothes, while still allowing them the autonomy to shop for themselves. StuRat 15:36, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Another reason is so that the receiver thinks of the giver when making the purchase, and associates the item purchased with the giver. Cash is far more likely to just go in with a lot of other cash. --jjron 15:50, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Within a family or between close friends, the smartest and best gift certificates are those which are written out by the giver and included in a card. It could say "This gift certificate entitles (insert name of recipient) to the leather jacket of his choice, cost not to exceed $(Insert estimated price of nice jacket). This coupon expires (insert date not too far in the future, to get them to actually go and get it." If the giver knows the receiver wants a set of diamond earrings, a plasma TV, a speedboat, a new computer, a new celphone, an audio system, a PS3 which is almost unavailable but will be common as dirt in a couple of months, a telescope, plastic surgery, a remodeled kitchen or bathroom, a new car, or cosmetic dental work, this shows that the giver wants the recipient to actually get the thing, and soon, and guarantees the cost, but avoids the pitfalls of certificates which get eaten up by exhorbitant "maintenance fees" by the store, or arbitrary expiration dates, and it serves as a reminder to make sure they go ahead and splurge out of a common bank account, and it gets around the problem of it being sometimes impossible to know which size, color, model, features, appeal to another person. The doorman, mail carrier, or cleaning lady prefers cash. Edison 16:20, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

An excellent suggestion. But why not take it further and make it a non-material gift cert like "entitles the bearer to one free foot massage" or "may be redeemed for one free gutter leaf removal service" ? StuRat 16:42, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Thankyou for your thoughts. The best way would probably just to agree with the family that no one will buy presents. It would save a lot of money and time.--Codell 22:25, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

I agree on not buying presents, but you can still give presents, just have them be homemade gifts. Remember, the best gifts come from the heart (although some people may be a bit touchy about getting an aorta for xmas). :-) StuRat 21:31, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

Disagreement

Nine out of Ten Americans belive that One out of Ten americans Disagrees with the other nine Why is this? For What reason do we have to always argue over pointless things? Why do we do this? Is it in human nature? Catman503 13:18, 14 December 2006 (UTC) Catman503

This is a very strange question - where did you hear "Nine out of Ten Americans belive that One out of Ten americans Disagrees with the other nine"? In any case, it's human nature to disagree, people have different views of the world. — QuantumEleven 13:37, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

I'm not sure, but this question sounds like a joke or something... | AndonicO 13:39, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Why do people disagree?.. If we didn't we'd all be the same - like clones, not a very good answer, sorry. Also perhaps it's good to argue over trivia - we agree on the important things - don't like being chopped in to bits, like food, squirrels etc. - at least it encourages humane interactions.. Some people don't argue over pointless things, but they often lead quite quiet lives - see hermit or asceticism.83.100.174.70 13:49, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

I disagree. 64.90.198.6 23:01, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

iq scoring

How is iq of a person calculated? Is there any fromula to do so?

Through an IQ Test. Refer to Intelligence quotient for a start. I won't go into the questionable validity of IQs and IQ testing, but there's plenty in the article. --jjron 13:47, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

new desk

I can't help thinking a new reference desk - Misplaced Pages:Reference desk#human psychology and phsysiology would be appropriate - especially considering the number of questions coming in relating to warts/drugs/nutcases etc etc. Anyone agree and where do I ask for such a thing...(Obviously it would have the "we are not doctors" discalimer very clearly displayed).83.100.174.70 15:08, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Not saying I agree, but wouldn't Misplaced Pages:Reference desk#Medicine or Misplaced Pages:Reference desk#Medical be a bit more succinct? --jjron 15:40, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Yes83.100.174.70 15:52, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

There are obvious problems with anonymous persons of unknown qualification and motivation answering people's psychological and medical questions. Someone who died or was harmed by bad medical or mental health advice would likely have a cause of action against the anonymous adviser, and possibly against the Misplaced Pages Foundation. That is the reason for the disclaimer which people often forget to include in their response. In contrast, GoAskAlice.com is an online Q & A service of healthcare professionals at Columbia University, which has a library of FAQs and which will answer questions about what could be causing the voices in a questioner's head or the soreness and oozing from their private parts. Better them than random volunteers at the Reference desk of Misplaced Pages. The instructions at the top of the Ref Desk page would be improved by links to such online or phone help lines for people with medical or psychological questions, and with links to suicide help lines, since sometimes people ask questions implying an intent to harm themselves or others. I have seen people here ask for the most painless way to commit suicide and the responders giving them serious or facetious suggestions, which is unacceptable. Edison 16:08, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

The issue of splitting up Ref Desks was discussed a few months ago, with the decision made to put any split on hold for the time being. If you wish to propose that again, however, Misplaced Pages talk:Reference Desk is the proper place to make such a request. Here is where this issue was previously discussed: Wikipedia_talk:Reference_desk/Archive_12#New_ref_desk_division. You will see that the proposal included a "Health and medicine desk". StuRat 16:11, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

I read the archive - and think it was a good idea. I can give two extra reasons - 1. shorter desks will mean that the archiving is less often - I can't help thinking a few days before the question dissapears into the mists of the archives is not always a long enough time to get a good response. 2. More specialised desks may improve the overall quality of the responses, I've noticed more than once that people respond to questions that they are not really qualified to answer - ie giving an obviously wrong answer (not saying I never mess up or do this). Dividing the desks into departments (like at a university) seems like a good idea. For people who are a little confused there could be a reference desk:science general - and then their question could be directed to the more specialised place..I'd like to promote again the tree like structure proposed by person "freshoftheuk"83.100.174.70 16:50, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

I think I would call such a Reference Desk 'Psychology and Personal Advice'. If you called it 'Counselling and Psychiatry', persons practicing those professions would likely frown upon it. Vranak 16:34, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

I was really hoping it would not deal in advice but facts and theories..either as a medical subsection or as two subsections "biology" and "psychology" - the latter would leave the science desk as a 'physical sciences' question place.83.100.174.70 16:39, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Well I majored in Psych: if you want to learn about facts and theories from 2002 and earlier, I can help. Vranak 20:37, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

I've left a message on the reference desk discussion page about this - please take a look83.100.174.70 20:05, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Experimental psychology is science, and belongs on the Science desk. Counseling could go on another desk, but unqualified, or possibly malicious (how many articles get vandalized each day?)people giving potentially harmful advice would create serious liability exposure. Edison 15:36, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

Composite cable splitters.

In a local hardware store, I've seen devices for sale which I would find quite handy: you plug three sets of composite cables into them, then plug the device into the composite cable ports on your TV. Would these degrade the signal at all? I've seen some for sale for $80, and some for $15 -- how big would the difference be, and why the massive difference in cost? I have four or five machines, all using composite cables, so something like this would be excellent -- but if it introduced flickering, blur, or any other flaws into the picture, I wouldn't want it. I'd appreciate someone enlightening me about these devices, and what they're actually called. Pesapluvo 15:05, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Sounds like a switching box -

a. these shouldn't be expensive at all - the $80 ones I would guess are a rip off unless they have other functions.

b. I wouldn't expect any noticable degredation of the signal (unless the thing is really badly made)

You obviously mean like this http://www.tvcables.co.uk/cgi-bin/tvcables/component-video-switch.html?id=jBwS5cu5 this one is expensive but has a remote control so I guess it's not that bad a price (still quite a lot), or this http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?TabID=1&DOY=14m12&ModuleNo=46677&criteria= (scart contains rgb signals) as the maplin site says "ALL connections can result in siganl loss (eg SCART Plugs, phono plugs etc, etc) but this is genreally un-noticable." I'd have no worries about buying one of these - and unless you need extra functions and a remote - buy the cheap one..83.100.174.70 15:19, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

I think I know what you mean, one of my friends has one of these. Of course adding any complexities to the cabling can and will degrade the signal, but it's really not noticeable in general use. And it is convenient. The one my friend has has I think four inputs, and a switch to select between them. The biggest problem is with cables coming loose; I'm guessing it wasn't a very expensive one. I suppose the more you pay the better quality plugs, switches and internal wiring, but whether the difference is that significant ($15 to $80), who knows. Mind you, it could be worth the difference if you got that remote with it. --jjron 15:32, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

That's nice to know, I'll pick up one this afternoon. Thanks, Jfron and Mr. 83.100.174.70! Pesapluvo 19:32, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Mystique

16:33, 15 January 2007 (UTC)16:33, 15 January 2007 (UTC)~~== Mystique ==

Wedgie board is as mystical as the word itself. The word widgie does not even appear in English dictionary. Even the Misplaced Pages misses it out. Most people know its mystical powers as a means of communication with non-worldly presence. There are real life accounts of such phenomena (not just in movies).

So, what do we really know about widgie board?

Thank you.

You should look at Ouija - the word is a trademark constructed from french "oui" and german? "ja" for yes. Maybe "widjie" is a corruption of "ouija"??83.100.174.70 16:35, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

I believe that the usual spelling is 'Ouija board'. Cheers. Vranak 16:36, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

You might have more luck searching for Ouija board. -sthomson 16:36, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Why not trying Wikie board after all ? -- DLL 18:19, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Ouija Boards: Purportedly not to be played with. Apparently Ouija boards somehow act as "portals" to another dimension (the after-life, if you can believe in it). And spirits use these boards as a gateway into our world. Once the entity has entered our world, it is very hard to get rid of, and takes lots of cleansing or "exorcising". This is what most psychics and clairvoyants will tell you. Tini K 16:33, 15 January 2007 (UTC)

Nazi

I recently saw a television show about the holocaust. It was filmed in Poland during the cold war. Many lay people were interviewed such as women and old people. They stated in a matter of fact way how the Nazi killed all the Jews, but left one boy alive to burn bodies, he was kept alive because he could sing well. They showed him, the only Jew left, standing infront of a church where many were gassed. Who was this man? Where in Poland did this take place? What was the name of the show?

Also, does wiki have any articles on Jews who survived the war, while remaining in Poland.

Thank you

Was it possibly part of Shoah that you saw? I haven't seen it for many years, but your description is reminiscent of parts, especially the "matter of fact"ness of the interviews, the church scene, the one kept alive. If I remember correctly (and I may not) many of those stories came from Treblinka. Antandrus (talk) 16:35, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Oh, and this article History of Jews in Poland may help point to some answers to the second part of your question. Adolf Berman remained until 1950. There may be other articles on Polish Jews who remained, but many left after the Kielce pogrom in 1946. There is a chapter on these events in Martin Gilbert's book on the Holocaust. Antandrus (talk) 16:41, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Just wanted to clarify my request, I wanted to know about Jews who survived the war, in Poland but not in a camp or ghetto. Further more Shoah is the film I saw. It is one of the best things I have ever seen on tv, thank you for helping.

The individual in question was indeed featured in Claude Lanzmann's documentary, Shoah. The name of the boy was Shimon Srebrnik, who was transported from the ghetto at Lodz to the death camp at Chelmno. He was shot before the Nazis evacuated the camp, but managed to survive despite his wounds, one of only two people to emerge from what was a pure extermination facility. Some 350,000 people perished in the gas vans of Chelmno. Clio the Muse 00:10, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

Not if you follow the conference agenda currently being discussed in Iran!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'll have to catch up on that nonsense... | AndonicO 10:32, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

Has anyone ever heard of an Italian pastry called a Catidad?

After my Nana passed on, we were unable to find a recipe for a sweet honey drenched pastry she used to bake. She called them Castidads...does anyone know how to make them or what the true name for them is??? Thanks, DB

The word, meaning chastity, is associated to ... lettuce in a quick search for the French term (chasteté). -- DLL 18:18, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Do you know what color and shape they were? | AndonicO 18:23, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

I found something called Honey Loops from a quick search. See here. Carcharoth 18:25, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

It sounds similar to baklava but that is not Italian and is not a similar word. Were the pastries quite flaky? -THB 18:27, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Maybe this helps: With the "honey drench", and being an Italian dish, and thinking "not Baklava", I'm guessing Nana made rice fritters, but Italian recipes give the name "Frittelle di riso". Possibly the traditional name you learned was derived from, or similar to Calas-tous-chauds (rice fritters)? "Calas" (the "L" not pronouced) by itself is a sort of rice fritter (and in Misplaced Pages). -- Seejyb 22:52, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Analog Land Phone Line

Does anyone know exactly what an analog land phone line is or refers to?

analog telecommunications would be a good start - follow the links. Carcharoth 16:50, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

And from there we get to analog signal and Telecommunications#Telephone. Carcharoth 16:51, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

In case you wanted to know what the line bit of telephone line refers to, follow the link I provided. It is called a land line because the signal from most installed domestic telephones travels through cables either underground, or anchored to structures on the ground. This is as opposed to wireless signals that travel through the air. Of course, at any point in the journey, a signal may be travelling in a cable, through the air as electromagnetic waves, or being routed through places like a satellite. But the last parts of the journey to telephones integrated into the structure of a building, will be through a land line. Carcharoth 17:00, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

What this is probably getting at is that lots of devices like ordinary modems, fax machines, answering machines, and the like will all work with an "analog phone line" (also referred to as POTS, "Plain Old Telephone Service") but will be blown up if connected to certain "digital phone lines" (such as are used in businesses in Key telephone systems and PBXs). These digital lines often contain power supply lines as well as non-usable digital telephone data.

Atlant 17:31, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

POTS? Well, you learn something new every day! :-) Thanks Atlant. Carcharoth 17:44, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

In most books that cover telephony POTS is a frequent acronym. 71.100.6.152 20:10, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

It's just a regular telephone line. They never used to need to specify that it was "analog" before we had digital phone lines, and they never used to need to specify a "land line" before wireless phones came into use. I suppose, in the future, if we have flying cars, our current cars will all need to be called "terrestrial cars" or some such thing. StuRat 17:16, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

Retronyms. Gotta love 'em! 64.90.198.6 23:08, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

Survivor

I wish to know more about Simon Srebnik. I wish to know more about Franz Sachomel too. Any help would be greatly appreciated.:-)

Please see what I have written above under the heading 'Nazi' above. Shimon Srebrnik was one of only two survivors of the extermination camp at Chelmno. He died in 2004. SS Unterscharführer Franz Suchomel served at Treblinka and Sobibor. He, too, was interviewed by Lanzmann in the making of Shoah. A google search under this name will give you all of the relevant details. Clio the Muse 00:30, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

no shows

Our local grocery store never seems to have everything done at all much less on schedule. One of the managers said it is because many of his stockers never show up which put an extra burden on those who do so then even the steady ones begin to not show up. I was wondering if an acceptable solution might be to set a "job price" for getting the store done by a certain time and then scheduling only enough people so that the "job price" would match the agreed upon wages and then pay those who show up the "bonus" created by those who do not show up as an incentive to not only show but to get the job done on time even though the store would be technically short handed? Adaptron 18:05, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Yup, that might do it. It certainly looks as if something in the supply/demand equation needs to change. --Tagishsimon (talk)

It sounds like we first need to determine the existing problem. That is, why exactly do steady workers stop showing up after a while ? One possibility is an extremely abusive boss. If that's the problem, get rid of him. Perhaps pay is just insufficient. If so, raise pay. Maybe they just injure themselves. If so, perhaps better equipment is needed. StuRat 17:10, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

If they don't want to come to work, they shouldn't have jobs, IMO. They ought to be fired. Cernen Xanthine Katrena 09:56, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Good in theory, but it sounds like they can't find enough employees willing to do the job for the pay offered. So, if they fire those they have, they will be even more under-staffed than they are now. It's apparent to me that the pay needs to be raised. StuRat 14:22, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

December 15

loss prevention at sea

Would the cost to build submersible ocean going vessels to go deep enough to escape the ravages of surface storms (variable but say around 30 to 50 feet) be worth the savings of ships that sink at sea from an insurance provider point of view? 71.100.6.152 18:15, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

I doubt storms sink many ships, but see the article Rogue wave (oceanography). A submersible ship would be more expensive than a conventional one. IMHO, it wouldn't be worth it: the one that was sunk would be replaced ten times over before it surpasses the price of the submersible one. A good idea, but very impractical. | AndonicO 18:30, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Modern ocean-going vessels of any significant size simply don't sink because of the weather (bar a tiny number of freak incidents, and even then not entirely). They sink because of poor maintenance (fire breaks out and fire suppression system broken, engines fail and ship driven onto rocks, structural members rust through) and bad seamanship (hatches left open in storm, captain drunk, first officer steers ship on sandbank because owner too cheap to buy up-to-date charts). Making ships submersible (or somehow semisubmersible) just adds lots of expensive complicated bits for the bad sailors and crooked shipowners to abuse and neglect. If you want to make the seas safer then have decent standards for your own ships (most developed countries do) and ban from your ports the ships registered in poverty-stricken landlocked countries and crewed by illiterate guava harvesters from Upper Zamboni (which most developed countries should, but don't). -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 18:36, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Not entirely true. See List of RORO vessel accidents which includes a couple several weather related sinkings, not to mention the Edmund Fitzgerald. I also seem to recall container ships have a poor record although our article doesn't mention it. For an old semi-submarine style, look at whaleback freighters built with rounded hulls above and below water. Rmhermen 03:10, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

The Edmund Fitzgerald sank over 30 years ago, leaving Gordon Lightfoot with nothing to sing about ever since. :-) StuRat 16:33, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

And for a literary account of an unsafe ship, see B. Traven's Death Ship. Dr Zak 03:18, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

A boat has one major advantage over a submarine: it's inherently stable. Left to itself, a boat on the surface will stay on the surface, with the keel down and the hatches up. A submerged submarine, on the other hand, will tend to tumble, and will either rise to the surface, or sink to the ocean floor. --Carnildo 01:21, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

One proposal for the US military is a semi-submersible missile boat. Unlike a traditional missile boat, this one would ride very low in the water, giving it a low radar profile, with the majority of the boat below the waterline. The deck would be waterproof, with sealed covers at the end of each missile tube and would lack the mast, guns, conning tower, and other equipment normally on deck. Waves would also break across the deck in high seas. However, it wouldn't be a full submarine, as it would not be intended to fully submerge. It would not be deployed alone, but as part of a major task force, as a platform for cruise missiles and other weapons systems. Other ships in the task force would provide for communications, ship defense, etc.:

             +-^^-----------^^-+
 -------------\ \\ missle  // /--------------- water line
               \ \\ tubes // /
                \ -      -  / missile boat
                 \  crew   /
                  +-------+

StuRat 16:50, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

Did you make that design by yourself, or did you get it somewhere? | AndonicO 22:09, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

I saw/read about a proposal, and reproduced it above, as best as I could, from memory. The proposal was an attempt to increase the missile capacity of a task force at minimal cost and risk. StuRat 05:53, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

You may be interested in this-

Hatch left unsecured would be my guess. 71.100.6.152 18:49, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Tricep curls and other dumbbell tricep exercises

I am doing two tricep exercises using dumbbells, and I'm wondering if they are both necessary, or if one is better? One is an overhead reverse tricep curl (French curl, letting the free weight (which I hold in both hands) drop (controlled) down behind my shoulders while supine, and curling it to above my forehead (a standard exercise). The other is like the exercise people do in aerobics, pushing my parallel straight arms back and up behind my back, except I use free weights. Anchoress 03:22, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

It's probably better to do different exercises - rather than concentrate on just one (unless you are a body builder and want to create muscles that look a specific way). I don't actually recognise the second exercise. The more exercise you do the better right? And it doesn't all have to be 'power stuff'87.102.8.6 14:57, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

I wish I had my Strength Training Anatomy (ISBN 0736063684) handy - it shows specifically which parts of which muscles are worked with each exercise.. I'm certain that the two exercises will exercise different parts of the triceps, though. --jpgordon 16:53, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

Thanks a lot for the info, jpg, and thanks to user87... for the reply. Anchoress 01:50, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Tricep exercises are not called curls (those are for biceps), they are typically called extensions. From the way you describe the exercises you are doing, neither of them sound especially good for triceps - the first sounds like pullovers which will affect more delts, lats and pecs, the second I can't picture having seen anyone do with weights, but sounds like it would mainly work the posterior delts if I'm picturing it right. I recommend three better basic exercises:

• Standing tricep extensions: raise the weight fully above your head with straight arms, then lower behind your head bending only at the elbows, then extend your arms to fully straight. Can be done with bar or dumbell/s.
• Lying tricep extensions: lay on a bench, hold a bar (or dumbell, but it's not as good) with fully extended arms with a close grip above your face, then bending only at the elbows lower to your forehead, and lift again in same manner. These are sometimes called skull-crushers in common terms (I think this is what you're trying to do with your French curls, but from what you describe, it's not what you are doing, as I said above it sounds like you're doing pullovers).
• Pulley pushdowns (or pulley tricep extensions): assuming you have access to a pulley system like a lat-pulldown, take a close grip, hands at shoulder level, elbows tight at your side, then extend arms fully straight to waist level, elbows remaining tightly at side throughout.

These exercises have slightly different focuses, but all are good for overall tricep development. Vary them one or two at a time, depends on what you are looking for. --jjron 14:04, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

• Yay, I found the book I was looking for. (Actually, I bought a new one -- there's an expanded edition now.) Anyway, the first version depends on whether you lower the weight behind your head or over your face (hence the term "skullcrusher"); it emphasizes either the long head or the medial and lateral heads, respectively. The other version stretches the long head. --jpgordon 14:46, 20 December 2006 (UTC)

Mr. Wales as a keynote speaker

I am inquiring about the possibility of having Mr. Wales as a keynote speaker. Who within Wikipeadia should be contacted?24.163.62.32Debra Singleton

Check THIS PAGE, or leave a message on Mr Wales' talk page. Actually, the userpage I linked you to has the info you need. Anchoress 03:46, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

For a moment there I thought you were referring to one of Princess Diana's sons, Princes William and Harry, both of whom were referred to as Mr. Wales during their officer training at Sandhurst. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 81.145.242.100 (talk) 20:28, 16 December 2006 (UTC).

A fall

Misplaced Pages states that Vesna Vulović “holds the Guinness Book of Records world record for surviving the highest fall without a parachute: 10,160 meters (6.31 miles, or 33,000 feet).” Although it is implied that she was saved by the fact that she was still strapped onto part of the plane (and that this cushioned her fall), I have heard other stories of parachutist who survived falls when their parachutes failed open. What would be the best position to be in order to maximize ones chances of survival from such a fall? Also is it even possible to change ones position as related to the ground when in free fall? Thanks! S.dedalus 05:05, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

This might help. --Wooty Woot? contribs 05:10, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

See also People surviving free fall. Rmhermen 05:58, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

You can certainly use aerodynamic forces to change your orientation relative to the ground during free fall - freefall style skydivers are experts at this. Also, see Cat righting reflex. Gandalf61 11:09, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

Try to control your fall so you land in deep, soft snow :) --froth 14:56, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

You might think that landing in water would be best, but there is the problem of being knocked out and drowning immediately. So, landing in other soft areas, like freshly fallen snow, tree branches, peat, etc. may actually be better. StuRat 16:28, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

I remember seeing a documentary about Jimmy Edwards, who won the DFC in World War II for surviving a crashlanding in a Douglas Dakota. He said that he was lucky to hit 'small trees' when he came down: no vegetation and he would have just hit the ground; large trees and he would have hit a branch and cartwheeled; but small trees just broke with the impact and slowed the aircraft down. I imagine it's the same for people. Sam Blacketer 00:01, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Responding to StuRat: water is useless at breaking falls from a great height. There are probably three height ranges that can be characterised by the impact on the faller. (1) No damage to faller - faller remains conscious and swims to safety (typically this is the diving board sort of height, though diving from high diving boards (such as 10-metre ones) can easily knock people unconscious if they hit the water incorrectly). (2) Impact is sufficient to cause bruising/loss of consciousness - drowning becomes a real danger (probably 5-20 metres). (3) Impact speed is so great that the effect is like hitting concrete, with effects ranging from broken bones to splat (probably anything above 20 metres). I first realised water was useless for breaking falls from a great height when watching a James Bond film where some poor guy got trapdoored out of an airship. Anyone know which film that was. I think it was the one with Grace Jones. Carcharoth 01:21, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

A View to a Kill. "So, does anybody else want to drop out?" Another Bond film that comes into this question is Moonraker; if you're falling without a parachute, it's useful if there's a bad guy beneath you with a parachute; just free-fall over towards him and take his 'chute.

Atlant 18:50, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Right, but that's for pure freefall. If we assume a partially opened parachute, then maybe the person remains in your stage (2) from any height, hence the worry about drowning. StuRat 05:50, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Also if you hit broken water like at the bottom of a waterfall or the center of a whirlpool/maelstrom, then it dramatically improves your chances of survival. If you don't drown a few seconds after. --froth 07:29, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

youngsters

Why is it that youngsters think that because their world is based on their consideration of only a few obvious variables that the rest of the world is based on only a few obvious variables as well and that adults who have had much more time to consider additional variables having many more states in addition to many more combinations are somehow inferior? 71.100.6.152 05:15, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

Because to be young is to be all-knowing and all-wise. In growing older one begins to understand the limits of both knowledge and wisdom. And that is the beginning of true understanding. Clio the Muse 05:25, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

I think this question suffers from the fallacy of many questions. It presupposed that the following are true:

1. that "youngsters think" in those ways,
2. that "their world is based on their consideration of only a few obvious variables",
3. that adults "had much more time to consider additional variables", and
4. that those variables have "many more states in addition to many more combinations"

These are disputable and very subjective. --Spoon! 09:59, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

Before feeding the troll, please see User_talk:Wooty#What_does_it_have_to_do_with_anything. --Wooty Woot? contribs 10:09, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

Dead link... 68.39.174.238 06:47, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Chess

Anyone know where to find a persuasive article that relates to chess? --JDitto 05:41, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

Chess may be of assistance. - CHAIRBOY (☎) 05:45, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

No, I meant a persuasive article. That one's all information. Thanks for answering so quickly, though. --JDitto 05:50, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

Persuasive in what way? Anchoress 06:12, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

It would help if you told us what you needed one for. Are you trying to persuade people to play chess? NeonMerlin 06:21, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

Here is a letter by Paul Morphy, the greatest chess player of the 19th century, who wrote:

I am more strongly confirmed than ever in the belief that the time devoted to chess is literally frittered away. It is, to be sure, a most exhilarating sport, but it is only a sport; and it is not to be wondered at that such as have been passionately addicted to the charming pastime should one day ask themselves whether sober reason does not advise its utter dereliction. I have, for my own part, resolved not to be moved from my purpose of not engaging in chess hereafter.

Does that persuade you? Skarioffszky 10:28, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

How about Chess? ---Sluzzelin 14:07, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

Or this gives it A- but this is credited with limiting its success. meltBanana 16:19, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

In absence of a persuasive article I can offer a persuasive comment... In high school the game of Chess helped me to think ahead and anticipate the consequences of my actions. 71.100.6.152 17:25, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

The kind of article I was looking for was a persuasive article that A)stated the problem B) expresses the opinion C)Offers solution to the problem and D) emphasizes the main issue. After searching archived issues of Chess Life and Review and a useless search engine I am very tired. --JDitto 08:10, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

I'm not sure you've really clarified what is you're after. What "problem"?

I'll take a guess at what you mean... are you looking for an article about chess theory, exposing a possible flaw in, say, an opening system and then either refuting the flaw or proving it (and therefore refuting that line of play)? --Dweller 14:13, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

I have a hunch the answer may be 42. In reply to the original poster, however: you have given us no clue what 'the problem' is, but in any case, Misplaced Pages is not supposed to be persuasive. It is supposed to be neutral. --ColinFine 22:46, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

It's not Misplaced Pages. It's a school project that got me looking for any persuasive-style chess article I could find. I merely needed the help of people smarter than I to assist me in this quest...

Kudos to your funny replies Sluzzelin and ColinFine. It was very funny. I'm still laughing from the Kasparov-Brain Dead monkey game.(But the uncyclopedia article did make fun of Jesus...) --JDitto 04:22, 18 December 2006 (UTC)

Well, thanks for helping everyone. I finally found what I was looking for in this blog. --JDitto 19:15, 22 December 2006 (UTC)

Open-source d20?

Have there yet been any projects to create fully stand-alone pen-and-paper RPGs based on the SRD or MSRD and released under open source licenses? NeonMerlin 06:20, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

This may be of interest. - CHAIRBOY (☎) 06:23, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

I'm not a lawyer and wikipedia does not give legal advice. However a cursory glance over the open gaming license on d20srd.org indicates to me that it would not be compatible with "traditional" open source licenses, and a full redistributed d20 system based on it might well violate United States copyright laws. Again, I'm not a lawyer and this is not trustworth legal advice, but it IS something you may want to investigate if you're going to make one. i kan reed 08:44, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

Open Game Content (such as the SRD) can be combined with closed content, so why couldn't it be combined with cc-by-sa or GFDL content? The SRD and the new content could just be rendered in different fonts to show which text was whose. And the GFDL certainly doesn't demand that the whole book be under the same license, else how would we be able to use cc-by-sa images on Misplaced Pages without fair use templates? NeonMerlin 12:55, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

S.A. de C.V. and S.A.B. de C.V.

What do these abbreviations stand for? I know that basically they're Spanish for a Mexican corporation. I've encountered the second one just recently. Cemex had the first designation, but is now using the second one, according to its web site (but yet to be reflected in our article). Thank you. --Nelson Ricardo 11:45, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

S.A. de C.V. means "Sociedad anonima de Capital Variable". It describes a company where the partners are anonymous. Most foreign investments in Mexico are SA de CV, I think. It's kinda like the French Société Anonyme. - CHAIRBOY (☎) 15:31, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

Why does everything taste like chicken?

With the Christmas holidays upon us and the dwindling attention span of our physics class, we were asked to do a presentation on a few "science conundrums".

With other crackers such as "how many people does it really take to change a light bulb", we came up with the title of this question.

So, what's that about, and any personal opinions, it is really true, is the Matrix telling us this or have we all got such crappy taste buds we honestly can't tell the difference?

Cheers

-Benbread 12:17, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

Maybe because it feels stringy, and (IMHO) has bad texture? A tastier food with similar texture might be transmitted to the brain in with a similar chemical message. Of course, I'm just making this up, but... | AndonicO 12:30, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

You know something? In Britain where I live, unless you go to the farm and buy (and then cook) the freerange chicken that you see pecking away in the farmyard, you simply cannot buy a chicken that tastes like chicken. That's why our supermarkets do such a roaring trade in bottled cook-in sauces that set out to add some flavour. So I will freely interpret your question as really meaning, "Why does everything, including chicken, taste of nothing, unless it is marinaded in a flavour intensifier?"

See Tastes like chicken. C'mon, you knew it had to be here on the Misplaced Pages!  :-) Dismas| 13:05, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

Dismas - I knew it was around someware! Unfortunately "why does everything taste like chicken" didn't send me to that page, maybe it should..? Benbread 15:00, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

Babies taste of chicken. (Is there encyclopedic source relative to Izzard's claim that cannibals say that?) 64.90.198.6 00:07, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

For what it's worth, I've tried rattlesnake and alligator and squab and they don't taste particularly like chicken to me. Alligator reminds me more of octopus and rattlesnake is very gamey. Pigeon is darker than chicken and fatty, more like duck. And in case anyone is wondering, oppossum resembles mild ham. Durova 21:17, 18 December 2006 (UTC)

Because every massed-produced meat product you'll ever eat has been fed enough beef spinal column and sat in enough animal crap to be riddled with enough bacteria that it has to be cooked to enough of a crisp that it just tastes like plain denatured protein that never saw the sun while it was living.

Nightclubs to the extreme!!!!11!!

A while back I found an interesting site that basically pulls up random open directories on the net and shows you all the images within the directories. No surprise, most of them are porn with the remainder of them full of vacation photos of various NN people. Many times though, there are a series of photos in what appears to be a nightclub or bar with people milling about while some of the people are having sex in the middle of the crowd such as seen here (WARNING: Misplaced Pages isn't censored but that link is not safe for work in most places). Where are these clubs? Do the photographers just rent out the club for the night and invite a bunch of people to party along with porn actors? Dismas| 13:12, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

A sex club? Skarioffszky 14:26, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

Well more mainstream clubs such as Privilege Ibiza and Manumission have in the past had live sex shows although I think mainly solo performances or simulation. You can do some research at http://partyhardcore.com/index2.html (CONTENT WARNING obviously) which claims they get male strippers and willing women off the street. meltBanana 16:04, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

"I can do what I want" in law

What is the name for the legal concept that nobody can obligate anyone to do anything else without their permission? Is there an article about it? Thanks.--Keycard 13:22, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

I suppose that might come under Human Rights. Freedom to do as you please?martianlostinspace 15:04, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

Sounds somewhat like Involuntary servitude to me but only if you have not agreed to do a certain thing or have a pretty good excuse like at the time you agreed you did not know that it was illegal. Adaptron 16:56, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

Music stuck in your head

Is there a name for getting music "stuck in your head?" What's the best way to keep it from happening? What's the best way to get it out of your head once it's stuck in there? When I was a little kid I had mild OCD and I got music stuck in my head a lot, to the point where now (even though my OCD is basically gone) I despise music and I cringe when I walk into a room where music is playing.. is there any hope for me? --froth 14:53, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

I found Earworm. In German, Ohrwurm is used frequently, but I didn't know it existed in English too. ---Sluzzelin 15:10, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

Oddly enough, actually playing the offending piece of music often removes it from my head.--Shantavira 15:47, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

Distraction by something that requires your entire attentional ability is one way to stop a catchy tune from running through your mind. If you play , sing, or hum, or perhaps even think about a different tune, it will pretty much stop you from thinking about the annoying one. Memorizing a poem should also work, but see A Literary Nightmare for an example of a verse stuck in the mind. Warning! do not read it if you do not want it stuck in your mind as it was in Mark Twain's. Edison 15:50, 15 December 2006 (UTC).

Most of the time, the trick is not minding. I kind of like having a jukebox in my head, even if I don't have full control over the playlist. One time when it was playing HEY MAMBO! Mambo Italiano for four straight days, it did get a bit excessive.

Anyway, I think Edison is on to something -- if you really can't stand it, substitute it with another song that you like better. --Trovatore 05:46, 18 December 2006 (UTC)

One thing that works for me is to switch gears into something nonmusical. I tend to be a verbal thinker so I may rehearse a conversation I intend to have later or compose a draft for something I intend to write. Durova 21:24, 18 December 2006 (UTC)

On the news, i heard that chewing on a cinnamon stick helps. I don't know how, but it just does it. Also you could just get another song stuck in your head!

OBC

What is the curent Ontario Building Code for height of guards and handrails, picket spacing etc. in residential homes? Thanks 74.12.3.23 18:16, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

You'd probably want to visit the official government site and see if it's up there - having someone who might not be familiar with the documentation try to interpret it for you here could be problematic (I've been trying to translate health and safety codes, and it made my brain cry). Looks like they have a good resource there to draw on. Good luck! Tony Fox (arf!) 21:34, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

You got me burning, you got me burning

I've just got the terminator on the box while doing a bit of editing - what's the actual name of the song in the Tech Noir nightclub which goes "I feel the heat of your desire, you got me burning, you got buuuuring!" and who is it by?

--Charlesknight 23:37, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

Our The Terminator article answered your question until someone "cleaned it up". IMDb confirms it was "Burnin' In The Third Degree" by Tryanglz. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 23:48, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

Bebo Sign In

When I went to Bebo.com(Im a user)it asked me to sign in.I typed in my username and password.IT DID NOT RECOGNIZE MY PASSWORD.I asked to reset my password and even when I reset it,it still won't let me sign in!What should I do?No help topics on bebo will help me!

If you're sure that resetting the password won't work (also making sure to check capitalization, since it's probably case-sensitive), get in touch with the crew at bebo.com and whine loudly. If they don't help you out, you'd probably just want to make a new account. 64.90.198.6 00:18, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

I would guess you've been the victim of a hacker, who guessed your password, logged in, then changed your password. Was it something simple, like your username or an English word ? If so, once this issue is resolved, try a more complicated password, of mixed numbers and letters, and with mixed case. StuRat 05:46, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Keep an eye on your page there. If you have been hacked, whatever clampit kidnapped your password will probably start using your page.81.168.46.189 10:24, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

December 16

BORAT THE NEXT DR.STRANGELOVE

What are the chances that borat will do for the war on terrioism what dr.strangelove did for the cold war.

If you mean this movie, in my opinion, the war on terrorism isn't quite as MAD as the Cold War was. Borat is probably just another pebble being thrown at the lake of opinion about modern politics. 64.90.198.6 00:27, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

I'm not sure I see the analogy. The influence of the character Dr. Strangelove was to become a stock symbol for the (il)logic of nuclear strategy. I'm not sure what Borat is supposed to be taken as a symbol of — the success of the character is less in its own portrayal than the reactions it gets from others, and I'm not sure that has much to do with the war on terrorism as a whole. --24.147.86.187 00:38, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Borat is a symptom of changing attitudes in the West, not a cause of it. Vranak 00:48, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Lord of the Rings

I was wondering if anyone knows of a website where I can find out if Lord of the Rings is going to be playing again. I see that it's on tonight, but I would like to tape all of them, but I can't find a website that would say that. I've tried Yahoo, and T.V. Guide, but they don't seem to help me, any suggestions.

Are you talking about in the US? Go to the movie's page on imdb, and click on the "on television" link on the left, it will show you when a movie is showing on TV. For example, the "on television" page for "The Fellowship of the Ring" is at http://imdb.com/title/tt0120737/tvschedule. User:Zoe|(talk) 04:10, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Many Movies,Many Screams

What do you are some of the scariest movies of all time.

I liked Videodrome, Night of the Living Dead and The Shining, myself, to name a few... 惑乱 分からん 02:41, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Again, there are numerous lists. On a personal note, I have an extremely high tolerance for scary movies, and I'm picky. The only scary/horror movie I've seen in the last few years that I thought was good, although I wasn't scared, was The Ring. I thought Se7en was boring, I thought Saw was OK, but the only horror movie that ever kept me awake at night, even though I saw it as an adult, was It. I swear balloons gave me a start for about 2 years after seeing that movie, and if I happened to think of the movie at bed-time, I slept with the light on. No fooling. Anchoress 02:47, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

I thought The Ring was creepy as hell -- but Aliens was the scariest (and most thrilling) overall. Vranak 03:10, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

I thought the movie with Freddy Kruger was scary as shit, granted I was not particular old when I saw it but still its one of the only movies that ever scared the shit out of me. Joneleth 05:32, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

That's A Nightmare on Elm Street, that and the original Alien were indeed good. (Didn't care much for the 2nd Aliens, just felt like a regular action to me...) 惑乱 分からん 17:12, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

The movie that really scared me was the remake of The Thing with Kurt Russell. I couldn't sleep after seeing that one. --Shuttlebug 17:48, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

An Inconvenient Truth does it for me. Compared to it, made-up horror pales to insignificance.

Atlant 18:59, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

When The Wind Blows; depsite being just a PG, the deceptively childish animation and simple yet brutal concept (old couple survive World War II, underestimate power of atom bomb, survive World War III, die slowly and painfully). Laïka 21:12, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Anti-obsesity

Does anyone know a site with a good video that talks about the negatives and risks about obesity in children? Jamesino 01:43, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Well I don't know whether it's any good or not, but THIS SITE has a host of educational videos, including those about childhood obesity, and you can preview them (so you can decide for yourself if they're good). I found the site with THIS GOOGLE SEARCH. Anchoress 02:49, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Being fat or grossly overweight

Whose fault is it?--Light current 01:46, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

What I really meant to ask was: Is it true that some people cannot lose weight however hard they try? The article doesnt seem to come down on one side or the other.--Light current 18:19, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Certainly not the fault of a child who is fed lots of empty calories (via soft drinks and junk food, for example) and encouraged not to exercise. Marco polo 02:57, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Blame the original robber-barons, and guys like Henry Ford -- I think that it's an echo-effect of industrialization. You can make cars in a factory -- why not food? Vranak 03:11, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Its peoples own fault, while they may have gotten fat while they were children then theres no excuse for why they are still fat when they are adults. Joneleth 05:29, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

LC, have you read our article on obesity? I'd have expected an experienced Wikipedian like you to know about our convenient search feature, over in the tool panel on the left side of your browser window. Cheers! TenOfAllTrades(talk) 06:21, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Blame the bastard Evolu Sean. It's winter and scare ressources that turned us into fatbags. The absence of predators helps. Keria 11:36, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

There are rare individuals with mutations in genes encoding, for example, Proopiomelanocortin and the melanocortin and MCH receptors, that result in a disregulation in the appetite pathway. These unfortunate indivduals can become morbidly obese because their body tells their brain that they are hungry, so they eat continuously, even when they are full. In extreme cases, individual will go to extraordinary lengths to eat. It is very difficult indeed for these individuals to lose weight unassisted, though clinical intervention can help. Rare mutations in the gene encoding leptin have a similar phenotype. In such cases leptin replacement can help . It should be noted that such dramatic genetic effects are very rare. While there are very likely complex genetic predisposition in a lot of obese people, the environmental effects (such as doing not exercise and eating high calorific diets) are majorly responsible. Thus for most people, "blaming ones genes" is not a particularly constructive, nor accurate, interpretation of their obese condition. Rockpocket 02:38, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Misplaced Pages Strengths and Weaknesses

If you had two choose two wikipedia articles to demonstrate Misplaced Pages at its best. And two articles that showcase the weaknesses and disadvantages of the wikipedia format... which would they be?

Just out of curiousity Wedgeoli 02:50, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Thats an extremely subjective question, theres no definitive answer to that and thus any answer you will give is a direct opinion of the person answering. Joneleth 05:27, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

I personally like the series on Bait (dogs) -- especially the Monkey vs Dog article.

The worst? -- anything written in esoteric (specialized) language. If it's worth explaining, it's worth explaining in straightforward, comprehensible layman's terms. Vranak

Yes, many of the science and math articles fall into that category. Others suffer from repeated vandalism or constant edit wars over controversial issues, like terrorism. Then, we still have articles which simply lack sufficient content and/or lack sources. Misplaced Pages might do best on certain obscure, but uncontroversial issues. One example is the SR-71 Blackbird, a discontinued US spy plane. A paper dictionary would likely have no mention of the plane, or perhaps a paragraph on it, while we have a rather extensive article. StuRat 05:41, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

The SR-71 obscure?? What are you, a non-geek or something? --Anon, December 16, 05:55 (UTC).

Tee hee, anon :). Wedgeoli, you may find Why Misplaced Pages is so great and Why Misplaced Pages is not so great interesting reading (assuming you haven't already read them!) — QuantumEleven 10:26, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

The following answer is a subjective answer to a subjective question. It consist entirely of my own opinions. Although it does not meet WP:V, please do not delete it. For Wilipedia at its best, try Project Excelsior for interest and detail (I have to confess bias as I originated that article), and global warming as an example of a great objective and balanced article on a controversial topic. Not so good stuff - well, there are lots of rather sad stubs like The Fighting Temeraire (a random example) that deserve more care and attention. And well-meaning but poorly written articles like this one (another random example) do not show us at our best. Gandalf61 12:38, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

I suspect editors will have favorite pages and metapedians will have hated pages. I can think of pages, like List of U.S. state legislatures that I like, but not really any that I don't... The REAL bad ones are generally so bad that the most superficial fix (EG. Blanking) is the best course and so don't survive vary long. Also, edit warrers and noxious editors will probably have favorite pages. 68.39.174.238 06:44, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

how do I destroy my profile on Facebook?

Incorrect spelling of surname in title

Hi!

Title for WILLIAM DUFRIS has incorrect spelling (Dufries). There should be NO letter 'E' in the surname.

Hi, thanks for posting. The correct place for your comment would be either the Help Desk, or the talk page of the article in question. If there is reliable evidence that the title is incorrect, the article can be moved. Anchoress 03:00, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

"What links here"

When we look at the "what links here" page of a Misplaced Pages article, the articles are arranged in some order. They're not alphabetical, so what is going on there? -GTBacchus 06:58, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

I think it's chronological based on the date of creation of the articles shown. — BrianSmithson 07:14, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

The "what links here" articles are kept in a database record. When you click "what links here" the database record is retrieved and I believe the referencing articles are listed in the order they appear in this database record. New references are added on the end, so the sort is chronological by date of creation of the reference (not creation of the article). These database records are also sometimes rebuilt (for example for some software updates), in which case they seem to end up alphabetical. So, in general, there's an alphabetical list of "old" references followed by a chronological list of "new" references. I think the bottom line is you can't really count on any particular ordering. -- Rick Block (talk) 18:13, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

how can i join you?

hello.

first of all whoever is reading this mail.or rather request,i want to thank him/her for spending your valuable time on it.

as you have requested for some monitory help for this noble mission to spread free knowledge. i realize i shuld make myself useful to this organization.i'm a student of B-Tech final year, so i dont have any money to help your mission.

but still i want to help you. may be you have thousands of employee,working on this project.so you dont need another one but i want to join your project.

now my problem is how will i be able to do that? as you know my qualification.what i have to do to join your company/project?

now again thank you for your time.I'll wait for your sugession.

Sandeep Laik — Preceding unsigned comment added by 59.91.176.178 (talk)

(email removed, to prevent spam).

I think you have the wrong idea. We don't have employees, everyone is a volunteer here. I suggest signing up for an account, and/or simply start editing! I've left a message with useful things on your talk page. --Wooty Woot? contribs 07:17, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

If you have particular areas of expertise (like computers), you could either add to articles in that area or answer Ref Desk questions in that area (at the Computer Ref Desk, for example). While it's not required to sign up to do most edits here, it is encouraged. StuRat 07:48, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

thnx man............ — Preceding unsigned comment added by 59.91.176.178 (talk)

State colleges without the state name

Hey there Misplaced Pages, there are apparently two state colleges which do not reference the name of the state they're in in their title. One of them is Rutgers; what is the other one? Thanks a bunch! 71.128.115.247 07:45, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Wayne State ? StuRat 07:50, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

There are many state colleges in the US that do not contain the name of the state. Just in Pennsylvania, I can think of about half a dozen (including one which bears the name of another state!). alteripse 13:36, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Actually, Rutgers doesn't even fit this. Its proper name is Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. — Michael J 14:48, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

If you're referring to the State of Camden and Amboy, check Rowan. 68.39.174.238 06:37, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Serial killers in the news

A few weeks ago in Atlantic City, police found the body of four women, most of them prostitutes, in a drainage ditch. There was some coverage in the newspapers/TV, in the region, but that's about it. Now in England, five women were found dead, and it's a huge story not just all over Britain, but even in parts of the rest of the world. (It's on the Misplaced Pages front page, for example.) I'm just wonder, how does stuff like this work out? One more body surely didn't change the "newsworthiness" of the story much... So why is one story huge and another not so much? Is it merely random chance? zafiroblue05 | Talk 08:03, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

How sympathetic the public is to the victims is of critical importance. Here are some factors that make people more sympathetic:

• Living near the victim.

• Age of the victim, with children and elderly getting more sympathy.

• Gender of the victim, with females getting more sympathy.

• Rarity of the event.

• Heinous nature of the crime.

• Morality of the victim.

• Similarity with the victim in race, ethnicity, etc.

• Attractiveness of the victim and availability of photos/video.

So, a young, female, attractive, morally pure victim of a rare and heinous crime with a major collection of available photos and videos gets major media attention, like JonBenet Ramsey, while an ugly, middle-aged male criminal who is shot during a drug deal gone bad may not make the news at all. Of these, I suspect the rarity of the event is the diff here, as Atlantic City has a higher murder rate than England, making each murder less significant. StuRat 08:20, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

I think it's also to do with the timeliness of the findings - the women whose bodies were found on Tuesday only went missing last week, so the killer is still active and still a threat, and women are continuing to work despite it. Too little is known about the Atlantic City killings yet for there to be the same sense of imminent danger. Most of the coverage in the UK has centred on three themes - the safety of streetwalking in general, the impetus of heroin addiction and 'there but for the grace of God go I' - these were (generally) middle-class girls gone bad. Coverage such as that of the interview with one of the victims last week stating she was well aware of the danger but was compelled to work to feed her habit highlights the sadness of the case, and feeds public sympathy. Natgoo 09:48, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Missing white woman syndrome may provide interesting reading for you. — QuantumEleven 10:23, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

I was also struck by the disparity of coverage, especially right here on wikipedia. Despite StuRat's and Natgoo's erroneous assumptions, the two stories are nearly identical. The local papers in Philadelphia have covered the AC story in some detail. For example, AC has a fairly low murder rate (as opposed to, say, Philly, which just logged its 400th or 500th for the year-- I forget which). The overwhelming majority of US big city murders are young black men shooting each other over drugs or disrespect and that sad story is too common to be newsworthy. But the road to prostitution and the kind of people who get there seem to be very similar in Ipswich or New Jersey. You will have to come up with some other distinctions than the kind of victims or the local murder frequency. And this is the antithesis of the "MWW syndrome"-- no one even noticed these white women were missing until the bodies were found. alteripse 13:31, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

The murder rate is, indeed, significantly higher in the US. Here are the relevant rates in murders per 100,000 people :

United States:     5.7   England and Wales: 1.61
Atlantic City, NJ: 3.3   Ipswich, England:  2.16

StuRat 14:34, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

But notice less than a 50% difference between Ip & AC. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 159.14.138.203 (talk) 14:40, 16 December 2006 (UTC).

That's still significant. The 350% plus increase in the overall US murder rate relative to the England and Wales rate is even more significant in the perception of US murders as not newsworthy, relative to England and Wales murders being perceived as newsworthy, however. StuRat 15:00, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Looking at the murder rates and population, I see that Ipswich has 2.5 murders a year average while Atlantic City only has 1.3! Rmhermen 16:58, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

That's why the stats are always equalized by population. Otherwise, even the most dangerous little towns would look safe, because there aren't many people there to kill. StuRat 17:11, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Plus, prostitution in the United Kingdom is legal (although most activities surrounding it are illegal). Therefore, there's much less of a "who cares - they were criminals!" attitude surrounding them, and far more of a "who on earth would do this to five flawed but essentially innocent girls?" Laïka 19:22, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Tanning inner arms

Hi there. I just spent a week out in "the bush", being outside a lot of the time with my shirt off. I've come back from my holiday with a nice tan everywhere except on the inside of my arms. The contrast is quite bad: I'm completely pale in that area, but very tanned everywhere else. I figure I now need to do some form of corrective tanning. What are the best ways to tan one's inner arms? Any specific positions or techniques? Any help appreciated. 196.25.255.250 07:06, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

It's difficult to answer this without stating the obvious - assume a position in which the inner arm are exposed to light and get into some sun. Arms outstretched in a gesture of openness seems like one possibilty. Alternativelt arm over the head lying on the side is an other. Maybe you could get a t shirt and put slits down the side..87.102.4.180 13:37, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Just get some fake tan in a bottle. It's very cheap. Wash your hands after using it, as tanned palms look weird.--Shantavira 13:51, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

What about going somplace sunny, and "pointing" your armpits at the sun? | AndonicO 16:36, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

This would also be my recommendation. If you live above the Tropic of Cancer, you'll have to wait until May to do this of course. :) Vranak 20:41, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Cost of life near Stockholm

Hi, I tried searching for some info at the Invest in Sweden Agency and sweden.se, but I couldn't find what I was looking for. What would be the rough cost of life in Stockholm, within commuting distance from Danderyd Municipality? I read there needs to be a deposit of around 3-to-6 months' rent, but how much rent would you pay for one month's lodgings for one person, or two? I don't need precise numbers at the moment, so rough numbers would do nicely.

Much thanks in advance, --Kjoonlee 15:01, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

This article has a great graph table to put it in comparison to a few US cities, and as such it appears very expensive (more so than San Francisco!). Also, keep in mind that Sweden is a socialist nation with fairly high taxation, a burden all its own. Droud 15:11, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Thanks. :) Um, that's actually a relief, because Seoul (where my brother lives) is number 2 on that list. ;) Yep, I need to keep the tax on my mind. Can anyone give me some pointers about the costs of food, coffee, clothes, housing, and entertainment (CDs), please? --Kjoonlee 15:35, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

I live in Stockholm. What do you need to know? Rent is generally quite high, reaching thousands of Swedish Krona/SEK each month (That's a couple of hundreds of Euro or US$), I think commuting is about 600 SEK a month, a CD is about 150-200 SEK, depending on where you buy it, and how popular it is. A movie is between 50 and 100 SEK. I think overall, Stockholm is quite expensive, say, compared to Berlin... 惑乱 分からん 17:17, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Uniross charging times

I recently bought some 250mAh AAA rechargeables and realised that I lost the instructions with the charging times.

I have a really old Uniross charger that is no longer manfactured by Uniross, so they have no documentation on charging times. So I'm afraid I may blow the batteries.

What is the charging time for the batteries?!

The only useful info that I have is that it charges 800mAh AA batteries in 7 hours.

Ikrizalllid 16:30, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Some chargers scale the charging current with battery size while others just run the same current no matter what the size; for this later type, you could just scale the charging time with the battery capacity. I don't suppose your charger knows enough to stop when it's done, no matter what the size?

Atlant 19:06, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Unfortunately it has absolutely no features - just a light to tell you when it is plugged into the mains.

Ikrizalllid 21:48, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

In that case you are taking a risk, but I recommend the following: Your charger seems to be a relatively simple model, so I doubt it does anything fancy like scale current with battery capacity, or automatically detect the end of a charging cycle. From "charge 800mAh in seven hours" indicates that your charger charges at around 115mA. For a 250mAh battery, that adds up to just over two hours of charging time. Something to watch out for - NiMH batteries heat up fast when they are full and still being charged, so keep an eye on your batteries when you charge them the first time, if you notice them heating up (or if two hours have passed), remove them! If you have a voltmeter, check their voltage when fully charged (it should be around 1.25V), if it's below 1.2V your batteries are probably not fully charged (depends on how new they are, NiMH need several charge-discharge cycles to attain their full capacity). Good luck, and if you are planning on using many rechargeable batteries, I recommend you do some research and invest in a good charger which regulates currents and automatically ends the charging cycle when the batteries are full. It will save you a lot of pain in the long run. — QuantumEleven 11:26, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Religious publication

I listened to an interview on a radio program sometime ago. I don't remember the the name of the person being interviewed or the person doing the interview. The person being interviewed was the editor of a magizine of religious satire. The name of the magizine was the Guttenburg(or berg) Door. I remember the editor saying that they had misspelled the name but did not realize it until after the first edition was out, so they kept the spelling. I can't find anything on the publication. I want to subscribe. 64.81.114.117 16:33, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

I can't find anything on it. You don't mean Project Gutenberg do you ? That's an attempt to put as many books online as possible. StuRat 17:23, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Perhaps you mean The Door (satirical Christian magazine), also see http://www.wittenburgdoor.com/ -- Rick Block (talk) 17:59, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

That must be it, under it's other name, The Wittenburg Door. StuRat 19:35, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

It is the Wittenburg Door. Thank you!64.81.114.117 19:42, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

And so the intended reference was to Wittenberg. English-speakers typically confuse the German endings -berg (mountain) and -burg (castle, etc.), because we typically pronounce them both the same way. --Anon, December 17, 03:44 (UTC).

Perhaps we need to ask a burgermeister to explain the diff to us. :-) StuRat 14:15, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Business Sale Price

I have an existing retail business which I will put up for sale. Sale price of anything is generally determined by cost with a profit margin. Putting a price tag on a business is however not that simple as we need to look at certain considerations such as startup cost, current sales, sales potential, location, goodwill, etc. In my case, it's a fairly recently established retail store of somewhat high end characteristics and I have been approached by an interested buyer who will be dealing in different but similar line. Concerns about sales and growth potential thus become irrelevant for this prospective buyer as his decision will seem to be influenced by non-financial factors, most probably the outlook and location. So what would be the best way for me to make an assessment to arrive at the reasonable selling price of my retail store? Thanks. --61.6.206.104 19:02, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Determining what it's worth to him should be relatively straightforward, just look at the prices for similar properties in that area. Determining the worth to you should be done by looking at the amount of profit it generates per year, multiplied by some factor, say 5, to arrive at it's value to you. Now, if it's worth more to him than you, there is a basis for a sale somewhere in that range (where in that range depends on haggling). If, however, the business is worth more to you than the facility is worth to him, then there's no basis for a sale. Also, if you have valuable equipment that can be sold, that could be considered, as well. StuRat 19:41, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Forgotten joke

Im trying to remember a rather good joke about an elderly lady who has trouble with her sense of smell and hearing who goes to the doctor. If it is allowed by such an erudite community, would anyone be able to remind me of the joke?--Light current 19:20, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

The one I remember goes something like this. I'm just going through the generals:

The lady goes to the doctor, claiming:
-You know, doctor. I have a problem of constantly passing gas, but at least there's an advantage.
They don't sound anything, and completely lack odor.
Believe it or not, I actually have let four of them out, since I came.
-Well, lady, first things first.
First of all, we need to check up your complete lack of smell, and second to that, we should check up on your bad 
hearing.

(I read the joke in Norwegian a long time, ago, and am too lazy to bother with a good translation...) 惑乱 分からん 19:28, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

http://www.leisurecambodia.com/Leisure_Cambodia/No.13/overheard.htm but it isn't told very well, also http://tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061205/NEWS01/612050361 Um by the way I searched for these, I would not want you to think I have them bookmarked. meltBanana 19:28, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Yup thats the one! Thanks. 8-))--Light current 19:35, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

I heard it about 30 years ago as "Here is a prescription for a decongestant, and this is the address of a hearing aid company."Edison 21:48, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

I think I saw that posted to talk:Cold fusion by a SPAMmer not that long ago... 68.39.174.238 06:34, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

how to prepare for wcg?

ppl,

i wanna know........

1.how to prepare for world cyber games?

2.what type of systems they use for play?

3.wheather in india there were any sponcers for this game?

4.is there any team from india?

5.how can i join a team for wcg?

thnx in advance for you'r time. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Iamsandeep (talk • contribs) 19:22, 16 December 2006 (UTC).

Have you read World Cyber Games and their official website, here? Joenn 20:21, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

thnx for your info but i have checked both of them out but none can give my answers perticulerly..........

so i'm still waiting.........for answers.

Cost of weapon production

Does anyone know how much it costs for the military to produce bullets and kinetic energy penetrators? Any info would be helpful. --DebateKid 19:35, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Normal bullets are proably relatively cheap. The A-10 Thunderbolt II spends hundreds of dollars per minute, if not thousands. That's why they only use short bursts. | AndonicO 12:42, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Christmas-themed Simpsons episodes.

Does anyone know the names of each Christmas-themed Simpson episode? The ones I can recall are Miracle on Evergreen Terrace, Simpsons Christmas Stories, and Marge Be Not Proud -- but I know there are half a dozen more. I'd appreciate it if anyone could mention some. Joenn 20:08, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Google found Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire, Grift of the Magi, She of Little Faith, Homer vs. Dignity, Skinner's Sense of Snow, Dude, Where's My Ranch?, and 'Tis the Fifteenth Season. –mysid☎ 20:27, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

This year's Christmas episode will be called Kill Gil: Vols. 1 & 2. Laïka 21:15, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Medical procedure

Could any one remind me of the name of the procedure to look at the coronary arteries by feeding a camera or something up an artery in the groin?--Light current 20:24, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Coronary angiography? –mysid☎ 20:31, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Yes thats it ! Thanks--Light current 21:56, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Cats at night

I have a freind who says that all that noise you hear miowing and screetching at night , is actually 2 cats (1 m, 1f) having sex. She says the screaming is because the males penis is fitted with spikes thay do not allow it to come out for over 15 mins. and causes a lot of pain to the female cat when finally withdrawn. Is that true?

The spike part is true, but I don't think the 15 mins part is true. The spike actually stimulates (painfully) the female to ovulate. Cats don't ovulate on a regular basis like human females. I don't know why a painful spike is required to stimulate ovulation, versus the stimulus of intercourse alone being sufficient, however. StuRat 22:21, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

The 15 minutes of fame may be a reference to the bulbus glandis in dogs which can produce long term commitment for as long as an hour. meltBanana 03:41, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

However, the yowling you hear at night is mostly cats proclaiming their territory and having stand-offs with each other. (This seems to be missing from our cat communication article.) They do sex fairly quietly, with little more than a sharp miaow to conclude.--Shantavira 10:07, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

I remember times that when I was working late at night, I had to close all windows because the cats were simply taking over. I was always wondering.... could it be a combination of sex and fighting... I mean : do male cats often rape female cats??! At some times I tried to intervene... to no avail of course.Evilbu 12:34, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

No, I don't believe male cats often rape female cats. The males aren't much bigger, so it would be difficult for them to rape the females. StuRat 12:57, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Temporary disqualification or barring

Whats the term for Temporary disqualification or barring from a game of contest? (similar to blocking on WP)--Light current 23:22, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Clar: During a game--Light current 23:46, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

That's typically called a "penalty", at least in hockey. StuRat 23:26, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Or a suspension, depending on the context. -- Mwalcoff 23:30, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

In some contests its referred to as "being sent to the sin bin" Rockpocket 02:17, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

It can also just be "being barred". In bridge a player can be "barred from the auction" (although the official term is something like "required to pass for the remainder of the auction"). Different games would likely have different terminology. --Anonymous, December 17, 03:51 (UTC)Z

In Monopoly, you do not pass Go and go directly to Jail. --Justanother 06:22, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

In sports like football (soccer) and volleyball a red card, or being red-carded, means you're sent off for the game. In many types of motor racing, such as Formula One, a black flag, or being black-flagged, means a disqualification. You might also like to check out Ejection (sports). --jjron 13:18, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

December 17

Oil Pumps

I can't seem to find out what the oil pumps that have a swinging boom arm are called any ideas??? Thanks Myth... —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 75.177.169.127 (talk) 00:21, 17 December 2006 (UTC).

Do you mean an oil derrick ? Here's a pic: . StuRat 00:22, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Pumpjack (aka "nodding donkey"). -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 00:23, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Thanks guys!! I appreciate it! -Myth

"Golden ticket" scam

A lot of magazines in the UK contain lottery-type promotions by various companies. These normally consist of a scratchcard or similar which offers fantastic prizes (carribean holidays, £25,000 etc.) if you find the three matching symbols. The thing is: every ticket seems to win. And unless I am freakishly lucky (which I'm not), it's a scam. The commonest method seems to be asking people to send text messages to a premium rate number. However, this rarely costs more than £10, when the prize (guaranteed according to the ticket) is worth at least 10x that. It doesn't appear to be a Lottery scam; the tickets give the address, phone number etc. of the company which issued the ticket, as well as a customer service number, and it seems therefore relatively simple to get a refund under the Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982. So where's the catch? How can the companies make money by giving everybody a prize? Laïka 00:54, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

I don't know about the holiday things you describe, but some mail order "prizes" say you've won "a car, a big-screen tv, or a portable music player", and of course you've always won the player, and it's worth about three quid. And you have to pay 4.99 shipping and handling. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 00:58, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

I don't know (First thought was advance fee fraud), but I'd suggest seeing if the ASA knows anything about them. 68.39.174.238 06:31, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

They vary. Always read the (extremely) small print. (Sometimes this is hidden on the inside of the envelope.) This has the complete list of prizes, most of which are not worth the £10 phone call. In one I read recently, your call only bought you "entry into a draw" to win the star prizes. Yes, it is a scam really, but the promoters know the rules and usually manage to stay the right side of the law.--Shantavira 10:15, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Most popular selling item online

To whom it may concern:

I was wondering...what is the #1 most popular selling item or product sold on the internet today?

I'm looking for several responses to see if there is any concensus.

Thanks.

Rich C.

Great question. I can't find any reference to a single product - and the nature of Internet commerce would probably mean accurate sales figures would be almost impossible to obtain. However, in 1998 Forrester Research calculated that "PCs, porn, CDs—things the consultancy calls “boy-toys”—and gift items such as flowers made up a little over half of all online consumer revenues ." Zoom forward to last year and Forrester reports "The most popular categories were travel (at $62 billion), followed by computer hardware and software ($14 billion), autos and auto parts ($13 billion), apparel ($11 billion) and home furnishings ($8 billion)." . Forrester has a prediction for 2006, but will cost you $279 to access it. . Rockpocket 01:34, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Weight loss

To whom it may concern:

Q. What is the most reliable and successful weight loss product on the market today?

Rich C.

Reducing your calorific intake and exercising more. Rockpocket 01:34, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Exercise. Anchoress 01:35, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Reducing calorie intake (esp fats)--Light current 01:36, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

I heard sugar intake was just as important to reduce. If you don't use all the energy sugar gives you directly, it would be stored as fat or something... 惑乱 分からん 03:17, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Sucrose has a high food energy content (4 kilocalories per gram) and is used widely to sweeten foods, thus is a major contributor to the Western, hypercalorific diet. Cutting down on sugar is a good start towards cutting calories. Rockpocket 03:43, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

I can tell you what worked for me: eliminating all meat and poultry from my diet (and replacing it with fish, shellfish, crustaceans, eggs, and cheese), avoiding anything that contains or may contain hydrogenated or partially-hydrogenated oil, and avoiding any foodstuff that contains preservatives, other than harmless stuff like salt, citric acid, and so on. Vranak 03:30, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

First of all, exercise, eat little, and stay away from sweets. Hiring a trainer can make you lose a pound a week sometimes. | AndonicO 12:46, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Introduction services

Are there any legitimate mail order bride or marrage introduction services and how would I obtain a list? When you search online for one they come up by the hunreds but I am hesitant to try one. Thank you. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Rider Jay (talk • contribs) 01:39, 17 December 2006 (UTC).

I looked at some of these agencies a while back and this one, Elena's, seemed the most legit to me based on the way they conduct their business. There are others too that seem pretty legit; don't know about any list though --Justanother 02:41, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Our article on Mail-order bride provides some sources of information. See for example here Rockpocket 02:59, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Snack bars

I have a large supply of organic muesli. Is there a simple way of making this into nice tasting snack bars for taking out with me? I prefer solutions without baking.--Light current 01:44, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Clarification: The muesli contains nuts (of various sorts), oats and fruit.--Light current 14:09, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

If you're a bird, you could try mixing it with lard. Vitriol 01:47, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Are you having a lark?--Light current 01:52, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Microwave some marshmallows to soften them up, then mix them with the muesli and form into bars. Allow to cool and harden. StuRat 02:26, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Oooooh, that's a really good idea! Anchoress 02:34, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Have you actually tried that?--Light current 02:31, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Not personally, no. StuRat 12:53, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Sounds like Rice Krispie treats. Dismas| 13:25, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Mix it with little bits of unsalted butter, and brown sugar, and cinnamon, spread it on a baking sheet, and bake it until it smells nice! At least, that works with just oats. Should work with muesli too. Vranak 03:28, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Add some nuts, honey, and all of the above. You're going to have too many recepies. ;-) | AndonicO 12:49, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

I was looking for something simple like: mix with honey for sweetness and roll out on kitchen table. Then cut into slices. Would that work- or would it need heating?--Light current 14:12, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

They wouldn't be very hard, but would remain limp. Baking is one way to remove the moisture. Adding something to harden it is another idea. I believe marshmallows already contain thickeners (probably gum arabic or something similar), so that's why I suggested them. StuRat 15:15, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Yeah but the muesli is very dry as it comes already. I need something to moisten it and bind it.--Light current 16:04, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Honey+Muesli = luxury Flapjack am I right? This shouldn't need baking - but it would be hard work to mix the honey and muesli intimately - I've tried this (plus milk powder) and it sticks together (sort of) A press might help if you don't want to cook it87.102.13.235 16:23, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Scam

How can you tell if any investment or financial scheme is a scam? Are there any telltale signs? TQ. --61.6.206.104 04:47, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Have you read MLM, Ponzi scheme, HYIP, Pyramid scheme, scam, fraud? Anchoress 04:53, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

And to summarise, there are a few telltale signs, although more info would be good. One, if you are expected to get other people to participate it's usually a scam. Two, if you 'win' something but must pay something in order to claim your winnings, it's almost always a scam. Three, if you are asked to give personal information like banking info, credit card info, etc, it's almost always a scam. Four, if it's explained to you, but you just really can't figure out how everyone's supposed to make money. Things that aren't always dangerous but are warning signs: You're asked to keep it a secret; it's related to someone you don't know - a 'friend of a friend', someone offshore, etc; it's supposedly to help someone out of a jam, but somehow you're going to strike it rich at the same time; it's a great, sure thing investment that happens to be the best-kept secret in the investment world. Anchoress 05:05, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

To give you more info, I find the scheme well orchestrated as it has stark similarities with the multilevel marketing (MLM) concept in which the lead member would solicit for more members to form a network of member under the lead member, hence multilevel. The scope of multilevel marketing scheme as we know it is usually limited to consumer products such as health and beauty, appliances, etc. and it is indeed a legitimate marketing scheme. The one which I came across is that deals with money or cash between the members. Unlike most financial investment, membership under this scheme only requires as little as $20 and the return is deposited into the member's online account on daily basis. What's more, the principal or invested sum can be withdrawn on demand and to top it off, one may draw on the whole investment after after 100 days or so. I also understand that upon withdrawal, the payment is made through the lead member who may make use of his/her networks of members across the organisation to gather sufficient funds in case of any shortfall anywhere in the system. Does this sound like a scam? That's what I call literally money makes money. --61.6.206.104 06:51, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Sounds like a ponzi scheme, which is the pure cash version of MLM. The question you should be asking yourself is, how is the money making money? In ponzi schemes, the early investors typically win big, but later investors make nothing and some lose their principal. In a closed system (100 investors each investing $20), if anyone walks out of the project with more than they invested, then someone else will leave with less. Unless the money is coming from somewhere else? Is that the case? Anchoress 07:00, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

I agree with you and that's exactly what I told my friend about the inner workings of this scheme. It seems enticing and the early birds may benefit while those come later may lose their investment completely. I warned him against it but he wouldn't listen as it's not much of a loss for just $20 anyway. But we never know when human desire meets temptation. Thanks. --61.6.206.104 07:24, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Also, it may very well be illegal. StuRat 12:50, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

How can you tell if something's a scam? There's a simple rule I like - "If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is." Sort of cuts right to the point. --jjron 13:02, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

I generally agree, but every once in a while something "too good to be true" really takes off, like Google or Youtube. So, be skeptical, but don't completely reject anything in that category, out of hand. StuRat 15:09, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Sites with intelligence training

I am trying to find websites that have intelligence training. Ideally, ones that have free access or at least free trials. 05:52, 17 December 2006 (UTC)211.30.5.124

Do you mean improving your intellect? Or espionage? Anchoress 06:15, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

I mean improving my intellect. You know, the sort of thing that is claimed to keep you intelligent, alert, etc despite aging211.30.5.124 06:37, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Try doing a 5* Sudoku puzzle every day. It's my personal anti-Alzheimer's strategy! --G N Frykman 09:51, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

I may be biased, but think that reading Misplaced Pages articles, or Ref Desk questions, and contributing to them, is an excellent way to keep your brain active. StuRat 12:47, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

No, you're not biased; it's true. | AndonicO 12:50, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

info on a movie

Can you give me any info on a movie that aired once, it was called Amerika. Any information will be appreciated. thank you, shirley. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 207.40.83.112 (talk) 05:58, 17 December 2006 (UTC).

Amerika (TV miniseries) may be what you're looking for. It came up using the search box to the left; maybe give that a try next time, as it will save you some time. Cheers! Tony Fox (arf!) 06:10, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Rape

There's always been talk about woman raping guys. how is it possible. don't men have enoguh muscle power to prevent this from happening? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 219.88.164.105 (talk • contribs)

That's a stereotype. Not all women are weaker than all men, just as not all men are the same strength as one another. As well, women with training in the martial arts, or a weapon, can overpower men stronger than them. There's always psychological weakness and age differences too. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 06:50, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Also, a predatory woman might take advantage of the fact that lots of men don't want to hurt a woman. Anchoress 09:53, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

But even still? What does it mean when a woman rapes a man, I never got this. Do they mean that the woman managed to force the man to have sex with her (because she's older or because she's beating him up or whatever)? Because - due to male and female anatomy- I don't understand how a woman can force herself onto a man?Evilbu 12:31, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

There are two quite different defs of "rape". The older and universally accepted meaning is to force somebody into sex against their will. The newer def is much broader, and includes cases where "consent can't legally be given", such as consensual sex with somebody below the age of consent. Other people deemed unable to give consent might include those who are intoxicated, mentally retarded, unconscious, in a subservient social role, etc. Now, as for women raping men, that could use either term. A woman with a gun could certainly force a man to do sexual things he did not want to do, possibly including intercourse (men sometimes get erections even when in fear). The term could also be applied to a woman who has sex with an underage boy, even if he is a willing participant. In a truly bizarre legal definition of rape, two underage kids who have sex can also both be charged with raping each other, in some jurisdictions (these laws aren't enforced, however).StuRat 12:43, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may also want to distinguish between "rape" and "sexual assault"; in English law, for example, a woman can never commit "rape", because the legal definition of "rape" requires the insertion of the penis of a human male by the perpetrator. As women don't posess these, they cannot commit "rape". --Mnemeson 12:57, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

I believe the law has been changed now to define rape to include insertion of any object into any orifice. (except the ears)--Light current 14:16, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Where?martianlostinspace 15:38, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Also, it is important to remember that drugs may be involved. While it is unlikely that a small-framed woman could drag a larger man back to some alley, it may be likely that an already inebriated man could be drugged up a bit more so he 'wouldn't care.' 209.247.21.179 16:41, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

The Sexual Offences Act 2003 defined "rape" to require 'penile penetration', and also created the offense of "assault by penetration" (as a distinct crime from rape, this can be perpetrated by women). Our article on that act does say that rape has since been redefined, apparently to basically make the definition for 'rape' the same as was for 'assault by penetration', but that comment is unsourced, and I'm not familiar with an act that did this, I may have missed it, but I believe(d) the 2003 act and definition remains in effect. --Mnemeson 16:46, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Question

I am a blogger at the popular website, www.steeplemedia.com (actually the "in-training" webmaster) and I was wanted to know a few things. 1) Would I be able to have an article on Misplaced Pages about it? 2) If so, I couldnt figure out which topic i should put it under (on the Request Articles page). and 3) I would create the article my self but I would never have the time to sit and figure out how to format it correctly.

If anyone could help that would be awesome!!

Thanks --Zach 07:02, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Please see WP:WEB. Unless you've been covered in newspapers or other reliable sources, you shouldn't create an article, and even then, creating one of a website you're involved in is a bad idea. --Wooty Woot? contribs 09:56, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Yes I recommend not doing so, If someone a senior editor spots it they will most likely AFD it and It will be deleted. — Seadog 16:38, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Ok, Thanks for your help!! --Zach 17:11, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Newtonmas

Why is Newtonmas deleted and protected on Misplaced Pages? Is it because it's secular? I can't see why really. Newtonmas and Misplaced Pages are similar in many ways, on Newtonmas people are ment to share gifts of knowledge such as books, and Misplaced Pages is even saying "You can give the gift of knowledge by donating to the Wikimedia Foundation!". Or has this place been infultrated by radical Evangelical nutcases? Thanks. 84.70.132.226 15:33, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for signing your name - not all newcomers do. You might like to ask : s/he's the dude who deleted it.martianlostinspace 15:36, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

It is not because "it's secular"—Misplaced Pages has articles on all sorts of topics from all sorts of points of view. Take a look at the deletion debate about it. It seems to have been deleted because it did not satisfy Misplaced Pages's notability and verifiability policies. --24.147.86.187 15:47, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

SACD Players

I found your discussion of SACD very interesting and exciting. I could not determine exactly what is needed electronically, Hi Fi wise, to get the system to work. Do I need two preamps and two amplifiers? I am a loyal dynaco fan, but I have more than two amps and two preamps, is this sufficient or do I need something more, or is this multichannel something else entirely. In other words is it possible to take, say, 4 channels from the SACD player as two sets of two, or three sets of two and amplify separately? I hope you understand my confusion. Do I need three preamps and three amps? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 209.244.30.237 (talk) 15:38, 17 December 2006 (UTC).

Faith in God in the west

Is there a cure for one's sexual desires? Or are they unending in terms of what is portrayed by the western culture? What proportion of population in the west do have faith in the Christ or any religious belief? Is there reliance on the existence of god or are people simply preoccupied with sexual desires? 17:25, 17 December 2006 (UTC)~

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