Wikipedia:Reference desk/Miscellaneous

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August 14

A type of chair

I got a chair that has 2 seats seperated by a table, it has a french name like tet atate?? where do I find the pronounceation?

• Pronunciation and audio example of the phrase tête-à-tête --Tagishsimon (talk)

Mening 'face to face' because the chairs face each other. Well, not really, but the variety I know doesn't have a table in between, so you're close enough to almost face each other. We don't have an article on tête-à-tête and actually bench is just a stub, so I added something about the tête-à-tête. I'm no expert, so correct me if I'm wrong. DirkvdM 07:31, 14 August 2006 (UTC)

Male Orgasm

Is it true that the more frequently a male has an orgasm, the less pleasurable the orgasm will become. On the contrary, is it true that the longer a male goes without an orgasm, the better an orgasm will feel?

From my experience...yes!

Same here. Actually, the sperm count even goes up or down depending on how long was the last time you had an orgasm. DirkvdM 07:35, 14 August 2006 (UTC)

um...i'm a lil' curious about this topic...how does the sperm count affect the orgasm...

Other way around—the orgasm affects the sperm count. Unfortunately I can't find out whether the count goes up or down after orgasm. Hyenaste ^(tell) 01:08, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

I'm sceptical about the sperm count thing. The volume of semen may be in proportion to the time since the last orgasm, but the sperm count is a measure of sperm per a given volume and sperm are being produced continuously. Our article makes one bald assertion about this, without a citation, and I'm far from convinced. JackofOz 02:42, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

I added that assertion and now you make me doubt. Sperm donors have to abstain for a few days before donating, and I assumed that was because of the sperm count, but it could also have been the total amount of spermatozoa (irrespective of the amount of 'cum' - what is the official word for that?). DirkvdM 18:10, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

Seminal fluid, I believe. Hyenaste ^(tell) 19:47, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

Probably for the general population. --Proficient 21:27, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

World Trade Center Movie

Ok, I just saw the WTC movie and during the credits it sates that Jimeno and McLoughlin were survivors 18 and 19 out of 20. Who was the 20th survivor and what is his or her's present status?

• Check out Survivors of the September 11, 2001 attacks. Weregerbil 07:26, 14 August 2006 (UTC)

Hmmm... I wonder how they arrived at those specific numbers. --Proficient 21:27, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

edits

how many edits do i have now? how can i check for myself? and am i senior enough to be proposing policy changes yet?Courtney Akins 02:16, 14 August 2006 (UTC)

Here's your edit count. Anyone can propose policy; if the system is working seniority shouldn't be a big consideration, although in practice, it probably is. The best way to start is to create a sub-page of your userpage, i.e; Courtney Akins/Proposal1 and do the work there before presenting it. You might want to show a draft to a couple of trusted Wikipedians for critique.--Anchoress 02:21, 14 August 2006 (UTC)

See Special:Contributions/Courtney_Akins. This can be accessed by click the "my contributions" link that is at the top right of the window. (between preferences and log out). While you, as a Wikipedian, and discus and vioce an opinion on policy, I personally do not think you are ready yet for adminship. Give it a few months. Just have fun, don't worry about anything. User:Zscout370 ^{(Return Fire)} 02:23, 14 August 2006 (UTC) (edit conflict)

Maps from Nationalatlas.gov

Hi,

can someone tell me how this [1] was made? I canf find the parameters eg how to hide the information from states around. --Huebi 05:25, 14 August 2006 (UTC)

• Well, User:Jengod uploaded it; try asking on her talk page. It works just like this page. humblefool®^{Deletion Reform} 06:21, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

Clitoral Hood Piercing

Should you shave before you get the clit hood pierced? And should you keep it shaved during the healing process? Shaving seems both logical and illogical at the same time... ¡70.56.173.52 05:36, 14 August 2006 (UTC)!

Shaving before might be a good idea, but shaving after would probably cause more irritation than it would save. The hair isn't dense enough to be unhygenic, and I'd think that - apart from gentle cleansing and turning the stud - leaving it alone would be best. --Anchoress 05:53, 14 August 2006 (UTC)

Thanks. That seems like a good middle ground for what I was thinking. ¡70.56.173.52 06:18, 14 August 2006 (UTC)!

Please research this and ensure the person doing the procedure is highly qualified. Messing anywhere near the clitoris seems completely illogical to me. --mboverload@ 07:45, 14 August 2006 (UTC)

Why? Anchoress 20:46, 14 August 2006 (UTC)

One wonders if the previous respondent gets many second dates.  :-) --LarryMac 20:48, 14 August 2006 (UTC)

LOL, damn you Larry! =-D --mboverload@ 23:35, 14 August 2006 (UTC)

LOL I wondered something similar. Although maybe it would be fourth dates, rather than second. --Anchoress 23:36, 14 August 2006 (UTC)

Discrimination! If there is an article on this, then why isn't there one on the Palang? DirkvdM 07:31, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

No reason to shout as if you're being pierced. See Ampallang and Apadravya. --Lambiam^Talk 08:34, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, and... Prince Albert piercing. Anchoress 09:23, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

Is that painful? --Proficient 21:28, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

Guitar

I have a Yamaha g360 accoustic, my father bought it in 1959, it is still the best accoustic i have ever played on, she is my baby, Alan is here name, can anyone tell me what she is worth,not tat she is for sale, but yamaha seem to have no records of her ever being made. ThanksAnton 10:16, 14 August 2006 (UTC)

Sounds like a lovely guitar (far better than my 20-year-old cheapo special!). I can't find any reference to a Yamaha G360 on Google at all, unfortunately. I found an FG-360 [2] that looks pretty well known. You might correspond with the fellow who set that site up and see if they have any further info on earlier guitars than the one they're discussing. Good luck! Tony Fox (arf!) 15:57, 14 August 2006 (UTC)

Alexander Graham Bell

I was once told that Bell (inventor of the telephone) said that his invention was so important that eventually all major cities would have one. This is a great quotation, but I need it verified before I can use it. Can anyone help?

There are some great quotes here [3] but I think this one is phoney. It's too close to the computer quotes. --Zeizmic 00:19, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

The version I remember has one Englishman saying "it may catch on in America but here we have plenty of messenger boys" and another replying "on the contrary, I can imagine a day when every village will have one." —Tamfang 06:19, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

On a side note, they say it is not obvious that Bell is the one to be regarded as the inventor of the phone. —Bromskloss 20:29, 21 August 2006 (UTC)

Cruise control on the 1998 ford windstar

Where is the module for the cruise control located on the 1998 ford windstar

I'm pretty sure that this information's in your owners manual.Deltacom1515 00:16, 22 August 2006 (UTC)

Gangster Chronicles TV Series

I used to watch this series in 1981 at 11pm on a Monday night back in 1981, I have tried to get these tapes but they have been a condensed version with other actors in them. I am looking for help on how to get these tapes, it ran for quite some time so there would be a few tapes here.

Here's the IMDB info for anyone interested: [4]. I found these videos at Amazon.com [5], but they're out right now. You might consider eBay as another option to keep an eye out on, as well. There's another show called "The Gangster Chronicles" that has some DVDs out that doesn't look to be the same show, so be cautious. Tony Fox (arf!) 16:03, 14 August 2006 (UTC)

Physics of a bullet

If I shoot a bullet to the air, the physics of it say that it will come back down at the same speed that it was shot at first. This is assuming of course that the initial conditions at the time of the shot havent been altered, like wind, for example.

Assuming that the above is true, my question is if its rational to think that if I shoot a bullet to the air it will not fall back at the same speed it was shot because the initial conditions are changing constantly? If the answer is no...is it that Im overrating the effect of the initial conditions?

Wind resistance will limit the speed with which the bullet will fall. See terminal velocity. Note that this applies whether there is "wind" or not. In fact, it would be better to say "air resistance". I suppose if you were to run the experiment in a total vacuum, then the bullet would either return at the same speed it left, or achieve escape velocity and not return at all. But I am not a physicist. –RHolton≡– 14:31, 14 August 2006 (UTC)

also -- the initial conditions don't "change constantly". That's the whole point of initial conditions. --jpgordon^∇∆∇∆ 14:46, 14 August 2006 (UTC)

Small bullets will start to tumble, and come down relatively slowly. Larger bullets can maintain their stabilizing rotation and come down very fast, and kill people. The whole idea of bird shot is that the little pellets slow down significantly before they hit ground. (Anyway this should be in Science.) --Zeizmic 16:31, 14 August 2006 (UTC)

What is this obsession with shooting bullets into the air? Someone obsessed with gulls is one thing. Many questions about orgasms I can understand. But people regularly asking about shooting bullets into the air makes me rather suspicious. Especially when it's about shooting inside a car. That can't be purely academic, can it? DirkvdM 07:36, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

I think they are all disgruntled poets. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 10:42, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

It has been a while since my last physics class, but I don't think physics says that the bullet will come down at the same speed. At least assuming we are in a gravity well and we are shooting against the force of that well. The initial force is more powerful than the gravity for a period and the bullet slows to a stop as the energy dissipates. The gravity then pulls the bullet back down at a constant rate until it reaches its terminal velocity. The terminal velocity has nothing to do with the bullet's initial velocity. In one the gunpowder provides the energy in the other gravity provides the energy. Nowimnthing 20:56, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

For the pedantic among us, the reality is a bit more subtle. At the moment the bullet leaves the barrel, the bullet begins to decellerate. Some portion of its kinetic energy is transferred to potential energy (it is higher in the gravity well), while the remainder is transferred to heating itself and the surrounding air. This process continues until the bullet's kinetic energy is completely transferred at it's apogee (this may be a mis-application of the term apogee, but it is close). Then the bullet begins to fall, transferring potential energy into kinetic energy (in the opposite direction) and heating itself and the surrounding air. Assuming the apogee altitude is high enough (i.e. the bullet went high enough), the bullet will eventually reach a terminal velocity, and will fall no faster until it hits the ground. The terminal velocity an object reaches is a function of several variables, air pressure being one of them. At very high altitudes, the air pressure is very low. Therefore, as the bullet falls its terminal velocity decreases. So the speed of the bullet as it falls rapidly increases to a terminal velocity, then slowly decreases as the terminal velocity is reduced. RussellKent 22:42, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

T.E.A.M.

For which words does this abbreviation stand in englisch? Dr. Jan Kruse

Two possible meanings for that acronym are "Together Everyone Achieves More" and "Teach Everyone About Motivation." Both of which make me want to vomit. I don't think "T.E.A.M." is in common use such that there is a definitive answer. It might help if you provided some additional context, such as where you saw the acronym used. --LarryMac 15:12, 14 August 2006 (UTC)

A few more possibilities are supplied by Acronym Finder. -- AJR | Talk 15:38, 14 August 2006 (UTC)

Who would be richest?

If Sam Walton had never died, and Bill Gates had never given money to charity, which would be richer? Just idly curious, thanks.

According to the Sam Walton article (sigh; it's always worth reading them - they often answer your question...) If alive today, Sam Walton would be the world's wealthiest person, twice as rich as Bill Gates. --Tagishsimon (talk)

According to the article Principle of explosion, and given that old Sam is dead, if Sam Walton was alive today, I would be the world's wealthiest person! --Lambiam^Talk 02:13, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

If Sam Walton was alive, then he wouldn't have permitted Walmart to get rich off Chinese slave labor, at the price of American jobs, and so he would have to be content with less than $100 billion. StuRat 02:23, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

There can be many other factors that will effect the hypothetical richest person. --Proficient 21:30, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

My surname is Bencko.

let me know if you ahve any more questions about my surname . i know the history behind is. its pretty weird :)

If you know the history behind it, then what are you asking? Mike H. I did "That's hot" first! 17:32, 14 August 2006 (UTC)

Maybe (s)he is asking if we have any more questions about his surname. As far as I know, we didn't ask any questions in the first place. --Lambiam^Talk 18:05, 14 August 2006 (UTC)

Indeed. This is where YOU ask US about your surname. If you have some information you want to contribute, create a page about the surname Bencko and watch what happens. JackofOz 20:17, 14 August 2006 (UTC)

Is that a threat? --Lambiam^Talk 08:29, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

Gentlemen never threaten. Like the earth, a gentleman ".. does not argue, Is not pathetic, has no arrangements, Does not scream, haste, persuade, threaten, promise, Makes no discriminations, has no conceivable failures, Closes nothing, refuses nothing, shuts none out" (Walt Whitman). JackofOz 20:44, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

OK, I give in. Tell us the story of your surname. —Daniel (‽) 20:50, 14 August 2006 (UTC)

Top Hats

I have a top hat made by Huthaus Heissen in Bocholt in Germany. It has a refernce number ruf468. It is as new condition in its box, appears to be made from Beaver skin and silk.

Any ideas about value ?

Mike

It was worth a lot to the beaver... --Zeizmic 22:53, 14 August 2006 (UTC)

Can't complain; beaver felt hats helped drive my country's existence. The beaver probably doesn't mind someone else using it now...

Mike: I can't find any reference to the actual maker at all, but the value of the hat would depend on the actual age. There are some here for new hats that run for upwards of $200; I've got someone selling one over here for a whole bleedin' lot, and there's this gent who's got a Chicago-made hat for sale that might be a good resource for you to work with. Another one on eBay that went for $130, but doesn't have much detail as to when it was made or anything. That should give you a start, anyhow. Good luck! Tony Fox (arf!) 02:39, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

pounds to dollars

About how much is £500 in American dollars? KeeganB 1:11 pm

$947.2. Google is your friend for this sort of enquiry. --Tagishsimon (talk)

(comment deleted) KeeganB 3:39 pm

He's not being a smartass; he's letting you – and anyone else who reads the question – know how he got his answer (why should you believe some random person on the 'net?) so that you and others will be able to find this stuff out in the future. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 20:41, 14 August 2006 (UTC)

I'm sorry. I reacted too quickly. I've deleted the offending remark.KeeganB

Tension. o_o --Proficient

The New York Pass

Hello -

Found this sightseeing product on-line, and wonder if anyone can offer feedback on it. Seems too good to be true, which generally means it is. If you have used it, I would like to know if it really worked. Thanks!!! -- Greg W - Lubbock, TX

From scanning the Google hits on that, it would appear to be very effective, and I see one page [6] that indicates Madame Tussaud's accepts it, which would indicate legitimacy to me. (Never been to NYC, though, so that's just from a quick poke around.) Tony Fox (arf!) 20:52, 14 August 2006 (UTC)

Yup. I live in NYC and it's legit (though I've never gotten one myself. Silly tourists),--Pyroclastic 17:47, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

Can someone identify this song for me?

The song name, both in its filename and the track name that shows up in Winamp, is 'Neapolitan'. It has no attached artist or album name, and a Google search for 'neapolitan' was totally useless. Wikipedia appears to have no article about the song, so it's either non-notable or was mislabelled.

I'm not very good at describing music, but most of the lyrics are sung clearly and the singer is clearly male. There's not a lot of accompanying music, but it picks up in the chorus.

A portion of the lyrics are as follows:

When the waitress walked by
She must have caught his eye
And at that moment, he was mine
A little sleight of hand, and I had poisoned his bowl of Neapolitan
What else can I say man [chuckle]
Enjoy your ice cream

Murder is such an ugly word
[But/I'll] use another if you so prefer
Me, I like to call it art
Art is its own reward
Just ask buttwad
Years of livin' in the shadow of the bat
But we'll come back to that
Right now let's roll this little [memo/pebble] out to the big boss
Next time you think I'm goin' soft
Send some punk to knock me off
Here's a reminder, you fuckin' hind-grinder
With a cherry on top

Is this enough? I'd rather not transcribe everything now (particularly the apparently-nonsensical chorus), but I will if I need to.

CameoAppearance 07:25, 26 August 2006 (UTC)

The song is called Neopolitan by the band "Tin foil Phoenix" the music video is at http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=VQ4gll2DXLQ the wiki article is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tin_Foil_Phoenix the bands website is http://www.tinfoilphoenix.com/

August 15

Military Artillery

I had seen a large white apparatus (looking like a very big telescope) in a vehicle (suv type of thing). Anyhow, about 3 months later I saw the same thing in a war movie. I thought it was called an uzi, but its not. I wondered if anyone with military experience would know what it is called. Thank you. Have a nice day.

If you mean a large white tube, I would guess that's a missile launch tube. Whether it's an anti-tank missile, a surface to air missile or some other type, I can't tell without a better description. An Uzi is a machine gun, so no, that doesn't sound like it at all. StuRat 02:14, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

---

It was a large white tube - a missile launch tube seems about correct. Thanks for the answer.

You're quite welcome. StuRat 21:11, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

Cricket

I recently attended my first cricket match. Had I not read the relevant Wikipedia article beforehand, I would have been lost. I do have a couple of questions, though:

• What is the point of the rule that no bowler can bowl two consecutive overs?
• Why would a team opt to do "declaration bowling?" -- Mwalcoff 02:11, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

I'm not sure why law 22 prohibits consecutive overs being bowled by the same bolwer. Some possible reasons - bowlers get tired, the wind/pitch conditions makw one end more suitable for one bowler than another, mixing up bowlers stresses the team aspect of the game (you can't just rely on one uber-spinner to bowl all afternoon). As to your second question I think declaration bowling only makes sense at a competition level - ie in some (rare) circumstances in may be in a team's interests to have the other team declare and possibly secure a result rather than letting the match end in a draw. Lisiate 03:27, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

PS here's a Cricinfo article on a 77 run over http://content-nz.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/146056.html - it almost backfired... Lisiate 03:30, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

I would have thought that one bowler being able to bowl consecutive overs would be a definate advantage for the bowler.

Not if he's a fast bowler on a hot day. Changing ends is also awkward for the bowler to get his Line and length right. --Dweller 10:37, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

I understand why teams would want to change bowlers. But what's the point of a rule forcing them to do so? Was there once a bowler so good, they changed the rules so he could only bowl half the time? -- Mwalcoff 23:34, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

It may have something to do with minimising the advantage to a team of having a superb bowler. Or there may be no point at all. The thing about cricket, is that many of its rules have little or no point - like playing a game for up to 5 days (!!) in the full knowledge that there may be no result at the end. Cricket makes pointlessness an art form, and that is its great and enduring legacy. Besides, it makes a great excuse for doing nothing for days on end and drinking lots of beer.  :--) JackofOz 23:59, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

You see "declaration bowling" mostly in county cricket matches in England. The point system is so structured that a team gets a lot more points for a win than a draw (At the moment, team gets 14 points for a win but only 4 points if the match ends in draw (and obviously zero if they lose)[7].) So if the match is likely to end in a draw, teams often agree with each other to force a result.

The most common way of doing this is for the team batting third to score very fast (with help from the bowling team in the form of fulltosses and longhops - the so called "declaration bowling"), declare their innings and set a reasonable fourth innings target for the other team. Since all the teams play 16 matches in a season, an odd defeat here and there doesn't have too much impact.

The worst instance of "declaration bowling" this season happened in the Sussex v Middlesex match last month. Sussex scored 379 runs in the second innings in only 56.5 overs, with active help from Middlesex bowlers, Murray Goodwin reached 150 in only 47 balls. Middlesex barely managed to avoid defeat at the end. Tintin (talk) 06:30, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

Pipe Dream

I was impressed by the Pipe Dream Animusic CGI animation. My question is would it be possible to create something similar in reality? It seems that the balls would be too out-of-control, but surely the speed/direction/velocity/ricochet could be controlled? After seeing this animation, I want specifically a self-playing giant circular vibraphone for my living room. Hyenaste ^(tell) 02:41, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

• I remember seeing this sort of thing on TechTV years ago... Yes, in reality, this is almost impossible - the bouncing would be just too impossible to predict. You might be able to make asome sort of approximation using piping and guiderails all over the place, however... humblefool®^{Deletion Reform} 06:12, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

Needs more cowbell.  :-) --LarryMac 13:51, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

interest rates

No question posted - delete thread? DirkvdM 07:42, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

• Keep – it is NPOV, contains no OR, and all statements are properly sourced. --Lambiam^Talk 08:26, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

• Redirect all empty questions to Google.com.--Shantavira 09:34, 15 August 2006 (UTC)
• Comment You guys have waaaaaayyy too much time on your hands. Anchoress 10:08, 15 August 2006 (UTC)
• Support Why isn't it an administrator already? -- THE GREAT GAVINI {T|C|#} 13:56, 15 August 2006 (UTC)
• Suitly Emphazi and rewrite as a stub, as per A7. --Darkfred ^{Talk to me} 16:22, 15 August 2006 (UTC)
• Offer as a sacrifice unto the throne of the Almighty Jimbo Wales Lemon martini 16:46, 15 August 2006 (UTC)
• Or we could rate it as quite interesting. DirkvdM 08:42, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

Car purchase questions

I am looking for a new car to replace my old one. Since this is my first time buying a new car, what questions should I ask in purchasing a new car? --Blue387 03:43, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

• It really depends on what matters to you. Worried about gas prices? Ask about fuel economy. Wondering about reliability? Try and find a Consumer Reports review on the can. And always take the test drive. humblefool®^{Deletion Reform} 06:08, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

Also, research it online and decide exactly what you want and are willing to pay for before you go to the dealer. Then go to the dealer and TELL them what you want. [www.Edmonds.com] is one site for this. StuRat 09:45, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

24 May 2006 – Practice match: Rest of the World 3-7 Scotland legends (Craven Cottage Stadium, London)

Good morning,

Can you please give me the line-ups between this 2 teams.

Thanks

Bert from Holland145.53.80.118 05:30, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

Here you go http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soccer_Aid Downunda 23:23, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

vegetable/kitchen waste recycling -reg.

Dear Sir/Madam,

        My question is:

Bold textHow can we recycle and use vegetable/kitchen wastes?i would like to know some simple methods regarding the above as i am interested in doing some simple projects related to the above.

thank you, yours truly, Nagarajan.A(a college student)

• Try Compost for starters. Compost piles are pretty easy and universal. humblefool®^{Deletion Reform} 06:05, 15 August 2006 (UTC)
• Also pigs are excellent recycling factories. I've noticed that people in the West throw away much food that can still be used to make excellent broths and stocks. These don't keep well unless you can freeze them, which takes energy, but they can be used in so many ways (as the basis for sauces and soups, for simmering veggies and meat in) that you can typically use them up before they spoil. Other left-over vegetable bits, including (washed) peels, can be added to dough and baked into bread or cakes, like carrots and squash. --Lambiam^Talk 08:20, 15 August 2006 (UTC)
• I grind up almost all my kitchen scraps and feed them to my dog. Everything but coffee grounds, teabags and eggshells. As a result I have only 1 little shopping bag worth of garbage every two weeks and it doesn't smell! :-) Anchoress 08:24, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

  Beware. Next to coffee, tea and chocolate, also grapes (including raisins), walnuts, macadamia nuts, avocadoss, green parts of tomatos and potatoes, turkey skin, garlic and onions, and most of all mushrooms, are poisonous to dogs. It can kill them, or else cause irreversable liver or kiney damage. --Lambiam^Talk 06:02, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

Sources, please. I'm already familiar with the warnings about green potatoes, grapes/raisins and onions. Anchoress 01:03, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

The article Dog health discusses foods which are harmful to them. It also provides a string of references, though I don't know if they support every claim. Road Wizard 07:36, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

No offence, but I'm not wading through all the sources on that article to find what Lambiam should be using to back up his alarmist warnings. Also, the article only covers 5 or 6 of the foods s/he mentioned, and all but 1 are already on my banned list. --Anchoress 07:52, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

""The council here provides every house with a food waste box which they collect every week. No idea what happens to it though. Jameswilson 23:14, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

24 May 2006 – Practice match: Rest of the World 3-7 Scotland legends (Craven Cottage Stadium, London)

—Good morning,

Can you please give me the line-ups between this 2 teams.

Thanks

Bert from Holland145.53.80.118 05:37, 15 August 2006 (UTC) (email removed)

We heard you the first time. - ulayiti (talk) 06:54, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

The answer is a few posts up the page, scroll up & look. AllanHainey 11:22, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

Writing on bodies in swimming competitions

Why do American people participating in swimming competitions write text on each other's bodies? I've seen from photographs on the Internet that at least girls and young women do so. Is it some cultural thing? JIP | Talk 08:09, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

From my experience at swim meets, it all started with the horrendously complicated heats. The kids started writing their heat numbers on their arms. Some kids could have a half-dozen or more numbers. After that, why not write decorations, slogans, school names, etc.? --Zeizmic 11:38, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

The above sounds like a general thing to do at sports events. So why does it seem to be limited to Americans, to swimming, and apparently also to girls? JIP | Talk 12:02, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

it's really sexy.

magic

why do ppl say if u believe in magic, there it will be; while if u don't it doesn't exist?

Such is the nature of a belief system. It works for god, magic, faeries, technology & may other things. Can I ask, do you have strenuous objections to typing out words in full? --Tagishsimon (talk)

Riting w's t n fl s jus a wst o spc n tm, ddn't u kno tht? JIP | Talk 11:10, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

No, not really. It does not save the reader's time, unless the reader is familiar with the abbreviations; indeed to the extent that it wastes their (my) time, it is a rude, inconsiderate and ultimately insulting thing to do (as in, you're saying "you must travel the distance to me because I cannot be bothered to travel the distance to you"). To be honest, I cannot be bothered with you if you cannot make the effort. --Tagishsimon (talk)

And coming from the official spokesperson of the reference desk, that's saying something. Skittle 14:57, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

"Rude" as in saying to another editor "Now that you've got that off your chest"? --LarryMac 15:06, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

I was being sarcastic, of course. I really can't stand people who try to be "clever" or "up to date" or "colloquial" or "down with da d00dz" by writing "u" and "ppl" and "2" and "w/" every single time. (Well, I did know one American woman who wrote otherwise perfectly grammatical English, but she kept writing "w/". That's OK with me.) JIP | Talk 17:39, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

They say that in order to make a non-falsifiable, non-scientific statement. Since "magic" (the ability to... uh... transform toads in princes by saying abracadabra and so?) does not exist (according to empirical evidence subjected to scientific reasoning), believers in magic try to "defend" themselves from intelligent beings by saying that magic exists ONLY if you believe it exists, kinda recursive, huh? For more details, see the link provided. Hope this helps. GTubio 10:10, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

Thanks alot :)

Is it ok to live in one's own reality?Edison 18:01, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

We all do. — Michael J 14:03, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Matchbox car

Hello. My sister needs to make a matchbox (Box for matches) car that runs on batteries by the end of today (maybe 2 hours). Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks all.Cuban Cigar 08:51, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

Buy a small battery-operated car. Replace the body of it with that of a matchbox car. Russian F 16:27, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

Wow Cuban Cigar 07:42, 16 August 2006 (UTC)bit late but thanks anyway turns out she doesnt actually need to make one.

The Da Vinci Code on PS2

Hi all, Ive recently bought The Da Vinci Code PS2 game CD,and must mention the begining was pretty good, but now I am stucked in the middle of the first level, where the french girl is trying to find a clue from the monalisa portrait by using the UV light, just wondering if anyone could help me out solving this mystery.FOZ

You can probably find a walkthrough at GameFAQs. If they don't have an acceptable one for this particular game, you might want to post this question on this game's message board there, as I'm sure more players of the game frequent that message board than the Reference Desk. -Elmer Clark 10:43, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

Typists

I can type really fast. Which work positions require mindless (or close to) speed typing?

Stenographers, transcribers, data entry clerks, the list goes on and on. Welcome to the pink collar ghetto! --Anchoress 10:18, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

Add court reporter. StuRat 23:32, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

That's a stenographer. Anchoress 01:20, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Your stenographer link seems to lead to shorthand, not typing. Is that a bad redirect ? StuRat 04:56, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

It's just the way the article is organised. I was confused at first as well. You have to look down about 3/4 of the way to the 'mechanised stenography' section or something. I guess shorthand and court reporting all fall under the umbrella 'stenography' because they're both forms of speed writing, although I was surprised as I had only known court reporting as 'stenography'. Also, forgot to add that if you look at your link, to court reporter, it calls court reporters stenographers in the first sentence. Second addendum: Now I see what you mean, the article is actually called 'shorthand'. I don't know why that is. Maybe someone whose expertise is shorthand. Anchoress 05:02, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

WP ADmins?--Light current 21:33, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Parking a manual car

What is considered to be best practice when parking a manual car on a level (i.e. no slope) surface? Is it leaving the car in first, reverse or neutral gear? Being somewhat fussy, I'd prefer some kind of notable ref in answers, rather than personal opinions! Thanks in advance. --Dweller 10:28, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

Neutral. According to Wikibooks:Transwiki:Manual transmission driving technique, "To park, the driver engages the parking brake with the transmission in neutral, then turns off the engine." -Elmer Clark 10:49, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

First or reverse. See How to Drive a Car with Manual Transmission which says to use a gear but not which one. Or Safe Driving at cybersteering.com which states "Use your parking brake and shift your cars gear into first, reverse or parking position." CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 10:54, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

In which 'parking position' is presumably neutral? I've always heard neutral for short term, a gear if you're going to leave the car for a long time (weeks). But no cite here. Skittle 11:48, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

Surely "parking position" is only on automatic cars? Sam Korn ^(smoddy) 12:25, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

From [8] a site to help people pass their test in the UK: Q Should you change down the gears whilst slowing down in traffic or to stop at the side of the road?

A No, you don't have too. The simple rule is the gears are for going and the brakes are for slowing. Brake down to the speed you require, then go into a gear suitable for that speed. If you have stopped at the side of the road, the gear will be neutral, if in traffic with the prospect of moving almost immediately, it will be 1st gear.

Skittle 11:57, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

Nice one... but it implies that you're still in the car, with the engine on? --Dweller 12:12, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

It does seem to, but in a 'of course, when you've stopped you'll go into neutral' kind of way? Flat-surface parking I was always told neutral, and I passed my test, but that isn't cited. On a slope, you of course use a gear, but you know that. Skittle 13:29, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

The UK Highway Code makes no mention of gears when parking (section 214) but does mention gears when parking on a hill (Section 226). All here. But given that gears provide a secondary system providing redundnacy in the event of a handbrake failure, it is surely sensible to consider their use. I've had a van with handbrake on roll down a very very very gentle inclined plane. The driver of the van hit by my van was not over impressed... --Tagishsimon (talk)

I'm not really sure it matters what gear it is in when parked. What is more important is checking you are in neutral when you restart the engine so you don't lurch forward or backwards. MeltBanana 16:05, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

Putting the car in Gear is NOT a replacement for the parking break. On a slope the engine will still turn, albiet slowly, while in gear. This is because it will build up enough pressure to complete a stroke simply because of the weight of the car. At this point the engine will turn and the car will move a few inches. So you might return to a car which has moved a number of feet since you left it. --Darkfred ^{Talk to me} 16:14, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

When I took my driving test several decades ago, the correct answer was to leave the car in gear, since due to the gear ratio, the pressure of the gear train on the engine was not capable of causing the engine to move. This is a suppplement to the hand brake. Hand brakes have cables which can break. Children can easily release a handbrake. (They can also depress a clutch.) Another rule was to leave the wheels turned when parking on a slope, such that the car would roll against the curb if the brake failed, not out into the street. A car left in neutral on a hill with only the handbrake holding it has a good chance to go where you would not want it to go.Edison 18:09, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

Leave it in gear so it can't roll. Edison's wheel turning tip is a good one!Downunda 23:26, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

Fat limb problem.

Hi, this may sound strange and maybe in the wrong section but,

How to lose weight in leg limbs... cause I'm a guy, but my limbs are fatter like girl limbs...

Its probably because i've been sitting by computer alot... but now i wanna lose thos limbs... my other body is +/- normal...

Thanks for any answers...

Dieting The article also explains the importance of physical exercise. --Zeizmic 12:37, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

Experts suggest there's no such thing as 'spot reduction'. If the rest of your body is 'normal', then you've just got muscular legs, and maybe doing some bodybuilding to beef up your upper body is in order (to even out your look). If you do have more body fat than you want, exercise is always a good way to make your flesh hang off your bones in a more attractive way, but apparently spot exercise will not make much of a difference to specific body parts if you're overweight. If it's any consolation, some women (like me) prefer men with meaty legs. Anchoress 12:44, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

If you want to lose limbs, there's always amputation. =) JIP | Talk 13:01, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

Well accually yes, my limbs are pretty muscular not fat... but my upper body is a bit smaller so I overall look strange, and I have muscular hands too. Just look strange wearing a jeans... :)

And big thanks to you people for the fast reply, it is much appreciated.. thanks!!

It also may help to do more aerobic exercises if you like to work out. Cycling or running are good choices. If you train yourself to this end, you will hav less muscle mass, and you will be burning calories and building lean muscles with more endurance. Best of luck, AdamBiswanger1 15:15, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

swedish meatballs

What can I add to a swedish meatball tv dinner to make it more authentic?

Swede? --Dweller 13:39, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

Eat it off self-assemble furniture? DJ Clayworth 13:40, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

Lingonberry jelly. --LarryMac 13:43, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

Little Swedish flags? -- THE GREAT GAVINI {T|C|#} 13:52, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

Accompany the meal with Abba music punctuated with cowbells, while sitting in a Volvo with a foxy blonde companion wearing salopettes. --Dweller 14:04, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

The Finnish stereotype of Swedes is extremely unlike the Anglo-Saxon one. But I don't want to offend any Swedes here. I've never heard anyone in the Nordic countries eating meatballs with lingonberry jam. Now sauteed reindeer meat, it has to be eaten with mashed potatoes and lingonberry jam, it can't be eaten with anything else, but as for common-or-garden meatballs, we eat them the same way as everyone else. (Disclaimer: I'm Finnish, not Swedish). JIP | Talk 17:27, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

Cowbells? Surely that's for Swiss meatballs? 205.211.164.226 17:14, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

• Ahh,they're so unkind! A few herbs should help,or try a dash of Wocestershire sauce for a taste boost-hotclaws**==(82.138.214.1 15:57, 15 August 2006 (UTC))

The question was how to make it authentic, not how to make it taste good. If it had been the latter, I'd surely have mentioned Texas Pete. --LarryMac 16:15, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

The only way to make a tv dinner more authentic is to watch tv whilst eating it. MeltBanana 15:59, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

That was funnier than all the Swedish gags put together. Excellent. --Dweller 16:01, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

Ketchup heightens any tv-based meal. --Brandnewuser 18:53, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

Meatball says the are "... traditionally served with gravy, boiled potatoes, lingonberry jam, and sometimes fresh pickled cucumber." CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 20:01, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

Also, I consider the best and most traditional meatballs be the ones seasoned with allspice. TERdON 09:33, 22 August 2006 (UTC)

Turn the thermostat down very low and make your house extremely boring.--Teutoberg 22:32, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

You could invite some friends around prepare it naked and, if you are a man grow a beard, if you are a woman go for one of these. Thats understanding of Sweden anyway... ;) Rockpocket 06:14, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

Is Brazilian waxing big in Sweden? AllanHainey 11:44, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

Moari royalty

Concerning the featured article on the death of the Moari Queen today, I was wondering if someone could write an article on how the position is transfered from one Queen to the next. as if you are to read the article after clicking on her name, it will tell you that it does not nessesarily go to the next person in line. I would write an article on it myself but i have no idea and thus would like to read it rather than write. Thanks dudes. and dedettes lolAnton 16:14, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

There's actually a place on wikipedia called Requested Articles where these types of issues are better dealt with, so I would recommend taking it there. Best of luck, AdamBiswanger1 17:00, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

There should be a section in Māori King Movement on the appointment procedure rather than a new article - I'll go add it now. To answer your question, the position is chosen by the tribal leaders associated with Kingitanga, although it is usually at least semi-hereditary (not Primogeniture necessarily). There is some debate over whether the position will continue. See this news article for more. Ziggurat 21:27, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

ebay auction: ad?

If you put up an item for auction on eBay, could is be considered an "ad" as in advertisement? Thanks! Reywas92 16:30, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

An advertisement in what context? In everyday conversation? In law? AdamBiswanger1 16:59, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

That would certainly seem to meet with the common definitions of advertisement, which is basically "a public notice or announcement" (Concise Oxford).--Shantavira 17:34, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

Strictly speaking, I would consider the image, link, and description of your product to be an advertisement--the rest is either the product itself or the venue of sale. AdamBiswanger1 17:41, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

It should not be any different than a classified ad, though it is uncertain which advertising laws would apply, those of the sellers location, the buyers or the hosting company. Nowimnthing 20:33, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

request for articles needing editing

is there any that anybody knows of that are easy to edit (don;t require much knowledge)? thanks

I'm sure you can always start out by experimenting with the Sandbox. I gave you the talk page, which explains what the sandbox is, and how to use it. There is a link on the talk page that you can click to start editing it. Have fun! P.S. Remember to sign your name by typing four tildes: ~~~~. --71.98.8.42 20:08, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

I would get you hence to Wikipedia:Cleanup, where there are more unfortunate articles in need of a subedit than you can shake a stick at. --Tagishsimon (talk)

Try looking for something not-too-technical on any of the pages under the green section of the Wikipedia:Community Portal. BenC7 04:55, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

Well I just added cleanup tags to Barbara Walters and The Cave (film). Babs needs copyediting (missing spaces and inaccurate punctuation), while The Cave needs an aggressive pruning/re-write for clarity of its detailed, rambling plot synopis. Neither needs knowledge, per se, although if you've seen The Cave it might help (I wasn't able to make headway editing because I couldn't understand what had already been written). Anchoress 04:59, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

Surely there is something you know something about for which there is no decent article yet. Scientific and technical stuff is fairly well covered on Wikipedia. It's the rest that is still largely lacking. Maybe where you live, if it's a small town. Or you could upload images for articles that need illustration. Maybe your car or some other product you have. Look it up and if there is no photo, take one and add it to the article. Or maybe notable buildings in your town. Is there a list of wanted photos? DirkvdM 08:58, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

Stereotyping

(moved from talk page) I have this problem. I keep stereotyping. I've been reading a lot about what stereotyping is and trying to fix my stereotypical remarks, but for some reason I can't find out how to fix my negative behavior. Are there any articles in this? I would like some help in this, because I am trying to be a positive person. Time: 4:43 P.M Tuesday August 15 2006 ~Hannah

Stereotypes are usually the result of outgroup homogeneity bias and trait ascription bias, basically, the (often incorrect) connection that someone does something *because* they are some way. That is, "I get angry because 1. I had a bad day, 2. they annoyed me, 3. I had too much to drink today" vs. "They get angry because 1. they're [insert 'angry' race here]". Correlation implies causation has more on this; just because two things occur together does not necessarily mean that they are in any way connected. Ziggurat 21:36, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

• Richard Bandler has written a lot about this sort of "mind-lock" for want of a better word and how to fix it-hotclaws**==(82.138.214.1 00:28, 16 August 2006 (UTC))

I've been typing with two hands for years and never found it a problem. DirkvdM 08:59, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

On a more serious note, stereotyping is unavoidable. It's the way the mind works. In order to make sense of the wild variety is sees in the world, it classifies things, lumping them together, despite individual differrences. If you don't do enough of that (like I try to) you're likely to go nuts. Oversimplifying things is a lot easier, which is why most people do that. And as long as they stay in their own little circle of likeminded people (such as a small vilage) that constitutes no problem. But as soon as they step out of that little world and possibly even get confronted with the people they stereotype about they often either ignore the problem, in which case they're prone to be labelled racists or such, or overcompensate, in which case they're being politically correct, which is not really good either. It's a fine line. Not really an answer, but solving a problem starts with recognising it for what it is. DirkvdM 09:22, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

Stereotyping is the external application of tribalism. I find it most prevalent in monoculture small towns (or the US!). It is usually cured by working and living with many cultures, as found in blended cities such as Toronto. I find that (for example) you have bad experiences with crazy Italian drivers, then you would assume all Italians are crazy drivers (when it's actually the shaved-head guys!). Only by being involved with a lot of Italians (like I am), would you realize that they are only slightly crazy (like me!). (I am aware that there might be some stereotyping here..) --Zeizmic 12:17, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

If you avoid absolute words like "always", "all", and "never", you can turn pretty much any stereotype statement into a true one:

"All Italians love garlic."                   (FALSE)
"Italians always eat food with garlic."       (FALSE)
"Italians never eat meals without garlic."    (FALSE)

"Many Italians love garlic."                   (TRUE)
"Italians frequently eat food with garlic."    (TRUE)
"Italians sometimes eat meals without garlic." (TRUE)

StuRat 23:49, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

Wikiversity

When will we able to attend lectures at the wikiversity? Thanks.

I don't think you can attend a place that doesn't physically exist. BenC7 04:56, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

• I may be totally out of the loop of things, but I think Wikiversity will be creating learning materials in addition to the textbooks Wikibooks started. I've heard nothing about them actually giving any lectures. - Mgm|^(talk) 08:55, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

See further the Wikiversity Main Page. --Lambiam^Talk 09:16, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

Application of principle of explosion

I am too simple to comprehend the article on principle of explosion and thus I do not understand this statement from an above question:

<statement> According to the article Principle of explosion, and given that old Sam is dead, if Sam Walton was alive today, I would be the world's wealthiest person! --Lambiam^Talk 02:13, 15 August 2006 (UTC) <statement/>

could someone please explain? Thanks. Wjlkgnsfb 22:45, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

I'll take a punt at it, though the Lord alone knows whaat goes on in the recesses of Lambiam's mind ;). The key is anything follows from a contradiction. Lambiam's saying that if you could revert the death of Walton, then anything is as likely to occur; under the principle, Lambiam is as likely to be the richest man as Walton is. The principle says "there's no model to follow in this post-walton-death situation, and so no way to predict what will occur". Something like that. --Tagishsimon (talk)

ok I get it. I don't like that principle though, and I don't like how it can be "proved". Wjlkgnsfb 06:02, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

It's just saying that having an assumption both true and untrue at the same time cannot form any valid basis for logical deduction. There doesn't have to have any element of time. The details of the "proof" of this principle have always seemed pretty silly, to me. In English and using concrete statements:

We assume that Walton is dead and that he is not dead.

Thus, "Walton is dead" is a true statement.

Also, "Walton is not dead" is a true statement.

Therefore, the statement "Either 'Walton is dead' or 'I am the richest man on earth'" is true.

(The point being you can put ANYTHING after the "or" because the first part is true)

But, we said above that "Walton is not dead."

So if this "or" statement is true as we claimed, then "I am the richest man on earth" (or whatever else!) is true.

Does that make sense? That's an explication of the Principle of Explosion proof, but also relevant (and perhaps clearer?) is the notion of vacuous truth. -- 68.144.55.245 18:52, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

Chicago Golf Club member fees

How much does it cost to be a member of the Chicago Golf Club? Looking for both "initiation", "introductory" fees and monthly fees. Wjlkgnsfb 23:00, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

Why don't you call them? 630-665-2988 (see their website) Dar-Ape 02:38, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

i ain't calling. They'll laugh in my face. That's like going to a Bentley dealership and asking them how much a custom model's going for. If you have to ask, they're not going to give you a straight answer.

If they're the sort of people who'd laugh in your face, it's not the sort of organisation you'd want to be a member of anyway. No? JackofOz 01:43, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

who said I wanted to join?? Look, I just want to catch someone lurking who's a member or knows a member and find otu the prices. Jeeeeees

Feminist interpretation of the Caryatid

Looking for a serious article from the "feminist revolution" which interprets the Caryatid

(I'm hoping to find one condemming it as the objectifying invention of an ancient male-chauvanist architect...but we can only be so lucky). Wjlkgnsfb 23:21, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

I feel sorry for straight guys. Chicks don't know how to take a compliment. Caryatids celebrate female beauty. Dames should appreciate that. --Nelson Ricardo 03:46, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

This looks like a good possibility, but it's got restricted access. I didn't check the criteria, it's not paid as far as I can see. Maybe you have to be a student. Anchoress 04:13, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

Found a German link [9]referring to Die Akropolis von Athen by Ulrike Muss and Charlotte Schubert.

Louky Bersianik, Le Pique-nique sur Acropole:

They want to reerect the antiquated patriarchate it seems, says Xanthippe, raise again the primacy of the Erection, says Ancyl, restore the Caryatids so that they can continue to bear the unbearable, says Aphélie as she strikes some dissonant chords on her dancing-hall accordion. Haven't they had enough of this fare of colonized columns, supports for a system they know to be alien and hostile? It's understandable that the Atlases continue to carry the world on their shoulders since the world belongs to them, but the caryatids! What are they waiting for to slip away, the time is certainly right.

Though probably not what you mean by a serious article.EricR 22:17, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

August 16

WWE

Is World wrestling entertainment(WWE) scripted and fake, or is it real?

thanks for the help guys and girls

Scripted and fake. Most wrestling fans know this, and enjoy the "sport" anyway AdamBiswanger1 02:53, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

What do you mean by "sport"? It's a soap opera for guys! ColourBurst 05:04, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

This is discussed in detail in Kayfabe. Notinasnaid 07:46, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

Oddly, the article on it is called professional wrestling. Is serious wrestling never done professionally? DirkvdM 09:26, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

Decades ago I was watching a live wrestling program on a local tv station. The usual wrestlers did much the same things as WWE does: fake blood, all kinds of throws and "choke holds," grudge matches, managers outside the ring hitting a wrestler with a folding chair and "knocking him out" etc. But that day a young college wrestler champ who wanted to enter pro wrestling took on the local champion. The two men circled each other for several minutes, with occasional sudden attempts to trip the other or to throw the other, with intense grappling, but nothing spectacular at all happened. Real unscripted wrestling to see who was best. No fireworks. No fake moves. I was impressed that the local tv wrestling champ could actually wrestle, and that real competitive wrestling did not make good tv entertainment unless the viewer was pretty knowledgable about the actual sport.Edison 15:11, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

Lots of pro wrestlers have some sort of amateur wrestling background, as they do use many of the techniques in some manner or another in the ring. Of course, there's Kurt Angle, Olympic gold medalist, and NCAA champ Brock Lesnar who obviously have that skill, but the one that shocked the hell out of me was when Stone Cold Steve Austin, after an injury some time ago, broke out a vast repertoire of "mat wrestling" techniques. I didn't know he knew how to use anything besides his fists and feet. Yeah, wrestling's scripted, but the guys generally have a lot more skill than some folks give them credit for. Tony Fox (arf!) 16:11, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

Real wrestling is done in the Olympics, and it is so boring that you probably need the super sports satellite package to see it. --Zeizmic 15:21, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

Awesome? This sounds a bit like that Belgian sport in which people have to guess where a cow is going to shit next (bets are actually placed on this). "No wait, if we look at enough matches they might actually start wrestling. Awesome!" DirkvdM 05:09, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

For gripping (literally) and highly professional serious wrestling, you can't beat Sumo. --Dweller 17:05, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

Belgian? See Bovine bingo. User:Zoe|(talk) 23:19, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

I bet the person who invented that had a real chip on his shoulder. :-) StuRat 23:37, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

The article says it's a tradition, but it doesn't say where. Jeremy Clarkson once showed this being done in Belgium to make fun of teh Belgians. How dare he. That's a Dutch privilege. DirkvdM 06:30, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

No its not, its all fake, the moves are so fake its untrue. None of the wrestling is real. You can tell from the moves they do, everything they do is so blatantly fake, and usually its done so badly, that it is clear that the person having the move done to them is actually letting the other person do it. Philc _T^E_C^I 22:52, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

---

Introduction

---

What Philc referred to was a "false lie with no background at all" as too 'all wrestling' being fake. (FreeStyle=Real, Catch can=Real romogreco=real). The styles of wrestling I have mentioned here are also known as hand-to-hand combat, troops in the navy have used the above Free-Style and Catch Can in training for real situations, to prepare men for combat duties.

Secondly if wrestling was all fake then it would not be an Olympic sport, wrestling is the oldest forms of combat that we have record of today.

---

Show wrestling (this is what fake wrestling is called)

---

But some wrestling federations take the advantage today to turn wrestling from a combat into a so-called " soap opera/acting-entertainment business" this is known as "Show wrestling".

Fake wrestling = Show wrestling

In most sports there maybe someone or people faking / fixed the matches.

Finally I want all people lay off wrestling, its taken a lot of criticism over the years since "show wrestling" came on the seen and destroyed its respect as a combat. Today people see wrestling as show wrestling, this upsets me because wrestling has become a culture for people allover Europe and Asia and so on, and wrestling was designed originally as real not fake.

I myself can't even say I am a wrestler due to "show wrestling", so I have to say that I am a "free-style fighter", I have wrestled at real wrestling schools, where people here also do jujitsu and kick boxing, my style is "FreeStyle".

Links you should see;

http://www.scientificwrestling.com/public/images/gallery/cool.JPG

http://www.scientificwrestling.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_Pro_Wrestling

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrestling

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beni_Hasan

WWE = Show wrestling

Also some of the fighters at the UFC use real wrestling styles.

I hope this post will gave you the real background on wrestling and the truth, that needs to be out there and wrestlings respect that needs to be restored too.

[Leo]

Question (Pieter Botha)

Hello, I hope you can help me. Does Pieter Botha have more than one son? I believe his youngest son is the musician, but I also believe that there is another son who is older, but I can't find any information about him online at all. He should be about 10 years younger than Piet, the musician. I dated a man who said he was the son of the UN Ambassador to the United Nations in 1965-66? and they lived on Park Avenue. I would just like to email him. If you know how to contact him, give him my name which is Susan Gamage Stanton (Stanton is my married name and he would know me just as Susan Gamage). His friend, Donato Muzich and I have tried to find him for decades. He and Donato were at Columbia University together at the time. Thank you for your attention.

Susan Stanton

e-mail address removed to prevent spamming

Running methods.

Hello everyone, I have another question that has been on my mind for a long time.

Why do alot of ANIME cartoons have their characters running leaned forward with their hands back! Example NARUTO. Does anyone in real life run like that? And does it give any good speed boost from the aerodynamic?

Thanks for any reply

Best Regards, Marekso!

Anime can be really cheap on the animation costs. You see a lot of panned stills, crude drawing, etc. Animating running is much cheaper if you fix the top (hands back), and just blur the legs. --Zeizmic 13:45, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

I believe speed skaters use that stance. However, runners would risk falling over forward if they hit a rock or something, so the aerodynamic advantage isn't worth the risk. StuRat 21:09, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

You can get some of your friends together with a stopwatch, a marked distance and perhaps some obstacles and test this. Don't forget to thoroughly document the experiment and post outtakes on your userpage. -LambaJan 04:13, 25 August 2006 (UTC)

symbol on food packets

I often see a symbol on packets of food looking like a stylised lower case letter e. It usually appears next to the weight of the product. What is this? Something to do with European weights and measures? Thanks. --Richardrj 11:43, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

I believe it's the net weight. --Dweller 11:44, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

Yes, but why that particular symbol? And is there some legislation that requires it to be shown? --Richardrj 11:46, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

It's called the "'e' mark". The average box of that product weighs that much, there are certain tolerances, etc [10]. I guess it's "e" because it is the european standard. Google for the directives "76/211/EEC" and "75/106/EEC" for the actual standards. Oh, and if you look into it the article 'e' mark is just begging to be written! Weregerbil 12:12, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

See Wikipedia:Reference desk archive/Miscellaneous/2006 July 31#The European e-mark and Estimated sign. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 12:13, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

Amazing! Not only do we have an article on it, but someone else asked the very same question just a couple of weeks ago. --Richardrj 12:25, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

Mean Sea Level 0 metre

Where is the Universal MSL 0m i.e where is the benchmark for the MSL situated ?

Have a look at Sea level and the external links. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 12:16, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

Above mean sea level and World Geodetic System explain this problem rather more clearly, I think.--Shantavira 15:31, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

"Curious George" DVD cover.

Does anyone know where I can find a photoshopped mockup of a DVD cover for the new Curious George film?

See Curious George (film) where there is a movie poster. And if you follow the IMDb link on that page, there are lots of other sites for the film. If you need help to create a bootleg DVD cover, call (914) 378-0800 on the daytime, and those people will help you out. --GunnarRene 12:25, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

Yes, ringing that number will help with it, so ring it. *laughs maniacally* Karma Llama 10:15, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

Is PESWiki a real Wiki?

Hi, I found a site called PESWiki [[11]] it uses the Wikipedia main page setup but I couldn't find it in the list of Wikiprojects on Wikipedia. I neither find articles found in PESWiki on Wikipedia.

Much of the information I found today on this site seems rather little creadible. Also, once you click on an article the pages contain advertisments. I would like to know, does this PESWiki have anything to do with Wikipedia or is it a (commercial) scam put together by someone?

TomTompa 15:43, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

None of the above. It is someone's wiki, using MediaWiki software (the same as Wikipedia runs). It is not part of Wikipedia. And it's (probably) fine - the mediawiki software is released under the GFDL meaning other people can use it. --Tagishsimon (talk)

PES stands for Pure Energy Systems. If Wikipedia was one of those, you wouldn't have to bother writing. -- DLL ^{.. T} 19:51, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

Lots of people have wikis, I have one. HighInBC 21:27, 27 August 2006 (UTC)

White rice

Is raw white rice edible?

Yes, but it may increase in size considerably whilst in your alimentary canal, causing severe discomfort. It would also be, how to say, somewhat crunchy in the eating, non? --Tagishsimon (talk)

Ok thanks

GasAdvance.com

Is there a article about this website on Wikipedia ? Saw the ad on TV. It claims that "Big Oil" is suppressing all manner of discoveries, such as claiming that H2O w/ gas will get a car to do 100mpg. The Ad appeared to be a conspiratorial type of website. The website is www.GasAdvance.com. Can the response be placed on my talk page. Excuse the sig. I'm on a malfunctioning Satellite ISP. Martial Law 18:53, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

This has been on TV many times, since gasoline hit $3.00 per gallon in the US. Martial Law 19:00, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

I would not recommend putting 80% water in your gas tank. I just wouldn't. And if these people had really discovered a way to run a car for 100 miles with NO POLLUTION as they say, they wouldn't be running a shifty online site that tries to get you to order something online, not quite sure what. --Bmk 03:02, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for that, that's probably the funniest thing on tv I've heard of for a while. Sad, but funny. — [Mac Davis] (talk)

Considering they explain nothing about the process and give no indication of it actually working, I would recommend NOT sending them your money. --Fastfission 20:36, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

They sell you the ordering instructions for $99

but the kit is something like 2,000 dollars or more it some uses the heat from the exhausts to heat up the gas but who knows if it works.

rock and roll music

Dear Whoever

I was on this site yesterday, doing some research on some old vinyl records that I have. I found the perfect site for what I needed, but stupid me, I forgot to write it down. The site listed every group from a -z and the years they were out. Can you tell me where it is? The genre is rock "n" roll and the years are from the 1950s to the present.

I'm not sure what page that might be, but do you have a viewing history icon at the top of your browser? It might look like a little sundial.--Shantavira 19:43, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

FWIW, I'd point to allmusic.com as a fine source of information on bands & records. I did a search for a List of page which might be on the wikipedia, but cannot find one. --Tagishsimon (talk)

naruto epidoes season 8

Recently I heard the news that episodes tittles 200 and over where released so I posted that on the narrator season 8 page. Then someone deleted my post and said it was vandalism. I don’t understand how that’s vandalism.

LOOK AT MY SOURCES FOR THE NARUTO EPIDOES:

http://s15.invisionfree.com/NarutoBunshin/index.php?showtopic=156

thank you,—Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.117.203.251 (talk • contribs)

Please follow the discussion of this at Talk:List of Naruto episodes.--Shantavira 19:50, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

Dog breeds safe for asthmatics

Could you please tell me what breeds of dogs are safe to be owned by asthmatics? Thnx. T.

All dogs send nasty dander proteins at a far less rate than cats (who also shed stomach juices). I'd go with a more oily-coat dog, but it is possible that you are so sensitive that no dog is good. You should see some friends' dogs and take a big sniff in their coat, and see if you die (just kidding!). If you go for dog, because you really, really have to, then make sure you have hardwood floors, and an air filter in each room. I have a dog, and I was technically allergic to them at one time. --Zeizmic 23:59, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

Try reducing the volume of dog hair, by picking a small, short-haired dog. Also, a dog that sleeps in a doghouse instead of the home will reduce the level of allergens inside. You would need to spend some time and money setting up a doghouse that's comfy year round, though. StuRat 05:13, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

Hypoallergenic_dog_breeds might give some options as well. Cowman109^Talk 05:17, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

Try a Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier Scienceman123 03:05, 26 August 2006 (UTC)

Past weeks of TurboNick at Nick.com

I know this probably isn't the right place to ask this, but can I access past weeks of TurboNick? I believe I did it once before (though I'm not quite sure), but now, when I do the same thing, it won't work. Can anyone help? -- TheGreatLlama ^{(speak to the Llama!)} 22:55, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

August 17

1902 Baltimore Orioles/1903 New York Highlanders

After the 1902 American League season, were the remaining Baltimore Orioles players transferred with the franchise to the New York Highlanders, or were the remaining players free to sign with other teams as free agents?

John Herling Mineola NY

I would have thought that free agency didn't start until much later. Here is the 1902 Baltimore Orioles roster and the 1903 New York Highlanders roster. Of course that doesn't really tell you what happened to the players that don't appear on both rosters. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 04:14, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

name in different language/country

Can someone please help,

I am trying to find the name for princess or queen in asian.

Thank you, Zac Crawford

Asia includes dozens of countries, where probably hundreds of languages are spoken. Can you be more specific? JackofOz 01:37, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

(edit conflict) "Asian" is neither a language or a country. Within each Asian culture, language and country there will be different names for female monarchs or consorts. Consider: the tennō (reigning empress) of Japan and the Rani, for example, of Nepal. Rockpocket 01:44, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

Is there anything I can take to increase chances of dreaming when I sleep?

Is there any drug I can take, food I can eat or exercise I can do to guarantee (or at least increase the chances of) dreaming when I go to sleep?

I really have no idea what you can do to increase your chances of dreaming other than visiting the dream article. I am sure that that will have a whole bunch of wonderful resources to help you with your dreaming problems. I hope that helps!!!--Chili14 03:41, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

One of the best ways to increase the chance of dreaming is to wake yourself up very very early, and then fall back asleep; the aim is to induce an REM state. You may also want to check out the article on lucid dreaming, as some of the strategies for inducing a lucid dreaming state (e.g. Wake-back-to-bed and the cycle adjustment technique) also work for regular dreaming. Ziggurat 03:44, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

That is the easiest way. Nothing else has been found to effectively increase dreams/recall (DR). Really, your problem is you have a tough time remembering your dreams. They go out the window as soon as you wake up. "Dream recall"—The best way I've found to do this:

1. Make it important to you to have dreams, and remember them.
2. When you wake up, don't move runover your dream in chronological order, from beginning to end. Remember as much as you can.
3. When you do remember a dream, write it down immediately in a dream journal, with a special pen. Write down everything in as much detail as you can

I am very good at dreaming. I specialize in lucid dreaming. :D — [Mac Davis] (talk)

I find that when I take Diphenhydramine hydrochloride (the active ingredient in an OTC sleep aid) or Dramamine (anti-nausea medication) I have very vivid dreams. IANASR (I am not a sleep researcher) but I've always assumed it depresses REM sleep while the drug is working, so your brain crams a lot of REM sleep into the time that remains between the drug wearing off and waking, and since you're more likely to remember dreams that occur right before waking... :-) Anchoress 03:57, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

Related question, may sound silly. When you dream, is it like in books/movies where it seems like it's actually reality? Because when I dream it's not even remotely realistic, kind of an imagined haze like remembering something. It doesn't feel like I'm looking or hearing things at all. Didn't know if this was normal or not, because lots of people say they had a "totally real" dream and I never have.

I have totally real dreams. They're not always lucid, but sometimes. I've composed songs and poems in dreams, I've died numerous times, cavorted with ex-boyfriends & famous people, been visited by dead relatives, gone on travels, met people in dreams I have no recollection of in real life. Anchoress 15:19, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

I have had dreams in which I wake up from a dream that I was dreaming about, and then wake up for real, if that makes sense. Adam Bishop 16:03, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

You may be interested to learn that a similar, but opposite question was also recently posted on the Humanities reference desk ([12]). I'll reverse my advice there and suggest that traditional British wisdom has it that eating cheese before you go to bed should do the trick. Cheap, legal and not overly dangerous. --Dweller 17:02, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

You Brits cut the cheese... I mean, take the cake. They did a study. 200 volunteers, numerous cheeses, many vivid dreams. Seriously. Anchoress 17:06, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

When people think they did not dream, it may be the case that they dreamed during one stage of sleep, but slept on long enough to forget the dream. The dream articvle says the average person dreams 2 hours per night. Sleep studies were done seeWilliam C. Dementin which volunteers were woken up during various stages of sleep, and dreams were very common in certain stages. Thus you are most likely to remember vividly the dream you were having just when the alarm went off of something woke you during the night.Edison 18:06, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

I would assume that any halucenigenic compound would work, but that option is illeagal many areas. ;)

Train wheels

58.104.33.89 04:48, 17 August 2006 (UTC)It's probably very obvious and 99.99% of the human race already know it but why are the flanges on train wheels on the outside and not on the inside. I would think that the effect would be very much the same wherever they are.Joe Blow

If so, why shouldn't they be on the outside? DirkvdM 05:53, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

I would think having them on both sides would be better yet. StuRat 05:07, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

Er, I thought that the flanges were on the inside. To respond to StuRat, having flanges on both sides could cause a few difficulties that I can see. First, the rail would tend to bind between the flanges when the train entered a curve. Second, it would raise the cost of the wheels; the manufacturing would be more complex, require slightly more material, and would probably have to be done to closer tolerances. (Tracks, for that matter, would suffer a similar problem—rails would have to be a consistent width so as not to bind on the flanges.) It might also make casual inspections of the wheel more difficult. Finally, switches (points) would have to be redesigned – and probably made weaker – to work with double-flanged wheels; the second flange would cut across one of the rails in existing designs.

On the inside-versus-outside question, similar reasoning is at work. For ease of inspection, it's more convenient to have flanges on the inside of the wheel. Perhaps most important, switches and other equipment are designed to work with flanges on the inside only. Once people started constructing railroads with wheels flanged on the inside, it became too costly and complicated to switch over to anything else. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 05:29, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

Section 54 NZ HASE Act 2004 post Cave Creek Commission1995 (Part 1 Evidence)

17-8-06 I regret this is my first question within Wikipedia, as I have some serious questions

such as: the real "Systemic Failure" re Cave Creek Commission of Inquiry,

I am included as making written submissions to part 1 evidence, and the / the needless death/and injury of many students ( and a doc worker) as they fell together of this 3mx3m poorly restrained timber platform.They were there for a real 'learning experience' it has deeply concerned me. I know with adequate attention, it could have been prevented. I attended the commission late 1995, and followed 'Accidental Falls to NZ School Children from 1991 (IPRU Otago University), subsequently in a like manner before the tragedy of 28-4-95 ( I approached my profession 17-9-93 12-10-1994 and many in parliament. Subsequently attended a day of the Cave Creek Commission in late 1995 and lately filed this report towards the last amendment to the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992. ( I met Ruth Dyson MP during Helen Clarke's election debate late 2007. Ruth remembered my attendance,in the T.I.R.S.C 2001 and or put children in a better position being in a place of work while at school. Can one make a real contribution to this sincerely harrynetnz. My qualifications are BE Civil 1974 Auckland University and late: Registered Engineering Associate 2002

You're referring to the Cave Creek disaster, yah? I'm not sure what you're asking here - do you want to edit an article? Anyone can do so, as long as they keep their additions factual and encyclopedic. If you're asking what else you can do, I'd suggest you talk to a lawyer, or someone who knows about this situation. Ziggurat 07:25, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

I suggest you talk with the press and other media. They would be glad to have an expert interviewed on a topic of interest to people, since that's what sells. And, in the process, you could help to increase pressure on politicians to actually do something, not just cover it up. StuRat 07:33, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

I would love to see some pictures of the flimsy thing. But if the stupid students were bouncing, that puts a horrendous load on the platform. --Zeizmic 12:44, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

No. You design things to accommodate the stupid things that people do, not so as to kill 13 of them and then call them stupid. --Tagishsimon (talk)

I would call people doing stupid things stupid people. Almost any hiking footbridge could be destroyed by 17 stupid people, and put them in the Darwin Awards.  :) --Zeizmic 14:17, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

And ignore the fact that it was an ill-designed and ill-constucted accident waiting to happen. Blame the victims; why not. --Tagishsimon (talk)

I blame both. Most of the victims have already been killed, however, which is sufficient punishment for them. Now let's punish those who authorized and built the defective deck. StuRat 19:35, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

How very magnanimous of you to decree that death is a sufficient punishment for irresponsible behaviour exhibited by children. I assume you're not a parent, and it's probably best you don't become one just yet. JackofOz 23:33, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

That was satire, Jack, over Zeizmic's comment. StuRat 01:30, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

One day, I plan to write a doctoral thesis entitled On the Detection of Clues to Satire. It will be a best seller in the Wiki community, I'm sure. Maybe they'll even make a movie out of it. I will be played by Brad Pitt (naturally), and someone like Lily Tomlin will play you. :--) JackofOz 02:28, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

Brown Thomas

Does anyone know where the chain department store, Brown Thomas is from? The reason I ask is that on the article it hints (possibly says outright, its not too clear) that it's Irish. But the reason I doubt this is, for some inexplicable reason the one on Grafton St., Dublin, has an Irish, then EU, then Canadian flags. I can't think of any other explanation other than "it must be Canadian" but the brownthomas.com seems to be the Irish site. Since two sources suggest it's Irish, that's what I'm leaning towards, but does anyone know why the Canadian flag is, or might be there (there's no others other than the 3 mentioned). - ^Рэд_хот 10:29, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

you can read what the history section of their website says (I did't read it, it was a bit long). If that fails you can ask them. Companies often love to answer question like that. Jon513 12:20, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

I read it earlier, but from reading it again, it definitely suggests that it's Irish. Although I didn't think of contacting them (so stupid!). I'll try that, thanks. - ^Рэд_хот 12:36, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

Brown-Thomas is definitly irish, and alwas has been. Ken 20:42, 22 August 2006 (UTC)

hey

hey does anyone know how the hell i can go 4 the tyra show.am a really big fan... thnks ian p.s am from kenya

do you mean The Tyra Banks Show? If so, you can go the show's website click tickets on the side of the screen (it is an annoying flash site so I can't give you a link) and follow the instructions from there. Jon513 12:12, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

Errors in Britannica

Hi,

I'm a brand new Wikipedian :) I work with the Royal School of Library and Information Science, Denmark, where I teach Information retrieval. This semester I am going to teach - among other things - Wikipedia.

Somewhere I read that Wikipedia has made a specific website where you correct errors in Encyclopaedia Britannica (spin off from the article in Nature December 2005, I presume). Can anybody tell me where to find this site?

Thanks in advance

Dorte Nielsen

Denmark

See Wikipedia:Errors in the Encyclopædia Britannica that have been corrected in Wikipedia. - Fredrik Johansson 11:47, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

Hey there! I think its great you are teaching about Wikipedia in the classroom. By the way, we ask you to sign your username, with a —~~~~. — [Mac Davis] (talk)

Archive problem

For the last week or so whenever I've answered an existing question on the reference desk (even one from 15/08/2006) once I hit save it goes to the archive page & saves my change in the archive for that specific day. Is there a reason why its doing this as its quite annoying as I have to go back to the main ref desk page from the archive & try to find where I was. AllanHainey 11:51, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

Questions from other than the current day at the reference desks are moved to a subpage, but still appear on the main page by transclusion. When you click the "edit" link from the main page, you are (automatically) taken to the subpage for the heading you want to edit, but you're really editing the subpage, not the main page. When you submit your change, the software displays the subpage you've edited, not the main page you started from. You could report this as a bug (see wikipedia:bugzilla) or, as a workaround, do your edits in a different window. -- Rick Block (talk) 13:47, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

I find this practice quite annoying, myself. I finish editing an entry, then I have to find my way back to the main page. Basically, Wikipedia has moved me into an archive page without my knowledge or consent. Where is the discussion page for this "transclusion", so we can voice our dissatisfaction with this practice ? StuRat 16:04, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

• Erm, it's pasted across the top of the page in big black letters. I don't see why you need to know or give your consent to it anyway. Does it really matter if you're editing the transcluded page? They're archived for easy reference and to stop the ref desk from bloating. A good thing, at least in my opinion. - Mgm|^(talk) 09:55, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

Everybody should voice their opinion on this topic. What exactly is the advantage to doing it ? The disadvantage is as follows:

1) To see if anyone has responded to my numerous posts on each Ref Desk board, I go to the board, then do a search on my screen name, then look for responses.

2) When I find a response, and want to respond in turn ("I thank you for your comments, but wish to inform you that my parents, were, in fact married at the time of my birth, and alas, I must decline your invitation to partake in that suggested activity, and further consider it to be physiologically impossible"), I then click the edit button.

3) After I finish the edits, I am dumped on some damn archive page. Now I have to navigate my way back to the main page.

4) If I start searching for my screen name again, the screen find feature will start back at the top of the page. Now I have to go look through the huge page to try to figure out where I stopped the search, then continue from there. This takes a great deal of time.

So, again, what's so great about transcluded pages to make me want to endure this torture ? StuRat 17:58, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

The process of transcluding pages began because the size of the Science Reference Desk got to a point that it could no longer be archived by bot. For the last few weeks, I've been manually transcluding while we're trying to get a new bot to do this regularly. If the number of questions increases (as it has in recent times) and the page is not transcluded, then someone will have to do this manually indefinitely. The alternative is to arhive after 2-3 days and not allow people to continue to answer questions for the full seven days. Further discussion on the talk page. Join in! -- C. S. Joiner (talk) 01:24, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for the info. Which talk page ? The talk page for this page is empty. If the archive bot can't handle large pages, why don't we fix the archive bot, so that it can ? We could also have a different page for each Ref Desk Board day right from the beginning, to make each page small enough to handle. StuRat 06:05, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

A copy of this discussion has been moved to here. -- C. S. Joiner (talk) 22:35, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Where can I ask for Russian Wikipedians to help with a soundbite to Russian Wikibook?

Thanks.

I'm not exactly sure what you're asking. If you speak Russian, try ru.wikipedia.org, but since you posted here, it would suggest you don't. You could look through the Babel categories for native speakers. While they might not be able to help with this, I'm sure they could post it on the Russian version in Russian for you. Try Category:User_ru-N to find native speakers. - ^Рэд_хот 12:42, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

Identifying snake in the Hi-Desert of California.

Yesterday, I came across a beautiful snake just "basking in the sun" and enjoying himself. I have searched Wikipedia and cannot identify the snake. He was measured at 4'6" long and the underbelly is completely pink and the upper markings, for the most part, are horizontal banding and are light brown (tan)with a slight pink coloring from the tip of the tail up to about 4" within his head where the markings are black including the head. The snake is approximately 1" in diameter.

The snake is very docile and I began to pet him and ultimately picked him up which he did not mind at all and I caressed him for about fifteen minutes and then released him where he remained so I got a camera and took some pictures.

With my limited knowledge of the Reptilia Class of species I feel that he may be a King Snake but I do not know. If so this would explain why I have only caught and relocated only one Pacific Rattlesnake as I do know that the King Snake feed on other snakes. It is a waste of time to inquire of the local residents as they fear "any" snake for their own reasons?

I live in Landers, California at 3500 feet elevation which is located in the Mojave Desert approximately an hour and a half from Joshua Tree National Park.

Do any of you know the species of this beautiful "critter?".Mdwelsh 13:15, 17 August 2006 (UTC)mdwelsh

Try the photos of the "critters" in each individual snake article. Image:Serpent_roi_bandes_grises_01.JPG is the king snake. -- THE GREAT GAVINI {T|C|#} 14:13, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

I dont know how to do this but i would like to nominate the above link/picture for one of the best on wiki. Wow, what a beautiful snake, and picture. stunning mate well done.

Could it have been the Desert Rosy Boa? Here is a picture. --Lambiam^Talk 17:08, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

You might try posing your question at Wikipedia:Reference desk/Science. JamesMLane t c 08:11, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

ergot & rye

greetings! can anyone tell me if ergot is a concern for me? info ive found seems to only discuss the growing/harvesting of grain; not about longterm storage & use. i store my rye & grind for bread; do i need to watch for ergot? if so; what do i look for to determine if its bad? ive had it stored thru the winter now, & am concerned about using it! any help is appreciated!! thanks! Onecrone 14:15, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

Well, since this is an encyclopedia, I just typed 'ergot' into the magic box, and got an answer. From my reading, I have determined that if you grow and eat rye, you have a good chance of being burned as a witch.... --Zeizmic 14:58, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

I thought it was that if you look up 'ergot' in an encyclopedia you get burned as a witch. Anchoress 15:04, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

I'd look at the rye to see if it looks or smells bad. Also, keep it dry to avoid rotting. StuRat 15:57, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

korczak ziolkowski

was korczak ziolkowski an only child?

Korczak Ziolkowski doesn't mention any.Since he was orphaned at the age of one,it is extremely unlikely there are any younger siblings unless his parents hopped straight into bed after his birth.Given the lack of reference to any older siblings in the articles,it looks pretty much like he was. Lemon martini 16:29, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

How bad are really cheap guitars?

I saw an advertisement for a (new) acoustic guitar, going for AU$40 (that's US$30 or so). How bad is it going to sound? How large is the difference between the finest guitars, the average ones, and the cheap ones? (I can't play, I just enjoy messing around with them, so this sounded like a good choice for me.)

It's going to sound pretty rotten, in my view. Paradoxically, it might also be more difficult to play than a more expensive model. You say you can't play, but you also sound interested in playing, so I would recommend you get the best sounding guitar you can afford. Go to a musical instrument shop, tell 'em your budget and let them advise you. The people who work in those shops are usually really friendly and helpful, in my experience, and they won't try and sell you a guitar that's more expensive than the one you need. --Richardrj 15:23, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

I learnt on a cheap one and graduated to better ones later, but I was lucky with the sound. Definitely don't buy one without having a play around with it first, and don't get it shipped to you or it could arrive broken. There's not a lot to go wrong with them apart from the fact that cheap ones fall to bits rather too easily. Check that all the joints are solid before buying it, and that the tuning keys turn easily.--Shantavira 15:30, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

I agree with you to a point, Richardrj, (especially about poor quality guitars being more difficult to play (and tune)), but IMO it's not a good idea to invest in the 'best sounding guitar you can afford' until you're pretty sure you're going to be playing it enough to make it worth it. And you know enough about how guitars sound to know what kind of sound you want in a guitar. Sure, buying the best you can afford is great, but there are so many different sounds once you get into quality instruments, 'the best you can afford' doesn't really narrow it down much.

I learnt on a Yamaki that my stepfather bought from a pawn shop, and if he'd gotten me the all-mahogany L'Arrivee that I'm playing now, that sounds like a harp dipped in molasses (in a good way), it would have been a waste. It's kind of like love; most people don't marry the first person they fall in love with because we just don't know enough to either a) appreciate our first love, or b) pick a good one. We all have a couple of practice swings, so to speak. ;-) I think it's the same with instruments.

My advice is to get a good quality beginner instument, second-hand if possible. Guitar teachers and musicians are often good resources for second-hand, and with instruments 'second-hand' does not equal worn out or inferior. A well-cared for instrument is often better than new. So get good quality, but don't spend a bucket of money until you a) know what you want, and b) know how much time your're going to devote to your craft.

After edit conflict... To add to Shantavira's post, another problem with cheap guitars is that they're often very difficult to tune. Imperfections in the wood can cause the harmonics and overtones to be off, or make the sound muddy and difficult to tune even to a pure note, and can make them lose pitch faster. Anchoress 15:39, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

a) How do we know what a harp dipped in molasses sounds like? Have you ever played one? b) Most people would marry the first person they fell in love with if they were dipped in molasses :) Lemon martini 16:31, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

Re: b) Gawd, I wouldn't. I wouldn't marry any of the men I've been in love with if they were dipped in 24 karat gold and then rolled in diamonds. Anchoress 16:49, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

• The worst thing about a crappy instrument is that you'll develop bad habits to compensate for the poor quality. It's not the sound that's the problem, it's the playability. A cheap axe that's really easy to play but sounds marginal is a far better choice than a more expensive one that's harder to play but sounds better. I played a lousy guitar for years, and when I started using better ones, it was like I'd been wasting my time for decades. Price is something of a gauge, but there are some pretty remarkable inexpensive guitars coming out of China these days. There are also some pretty awful ones; it's a crap shoot unless you have some guidance. --jpgordon^∇∆∇∆ 17:02, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

Just but it and see how you like it. You never know. --Proficient 03:38, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

What online resources can I use to enhance my computer-related knowledge?

I'm a young teen with a lot of free time. I thought I'd put it to some use and learn something related to computing, a field which will probably grow a lot in the next 10 years. Is there a free, online resource I can use to enhance my knowledge of terms and things related to computing, like setting up networks, general terminology, differences between processors, the functions of a cache on a processor, etc etc? I have just been randomly googling and it isn't very efficient.

I've always found this website to be pretty useful. By the way, it's good etiquette here to sign your posts by typing --~~~~ at the end of them. You could open an account, too. --Richardrj 15:25, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

This About.com website is essentially a database of sites about computer networking, HTML, JAVA, terminology, processors, and so on. It has lots of links to every topic, and briefly glancing over some of them, they appear useful. Also try our Computer network article, and the articles on various processors. Srose (talk) 15:33, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

You may also want to look at our portal for Information Technology. --Lambiam^Talk 16:42, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for the link. By the way, I was looking for something that teaches things from the basics, a lot of the Wikipedia articles assume a certain level of technical prowess (at least when looking at pages about processors, etc).

A lot of the decent articles have a ton of links to every term a reader might not understand. Following which, you can ask the folks over at the Science desk for help. Howard Train 17:46, 25 August 2006 (UTC)

• If you live in the UK and are on any sort of benefit the Open University can offer everything from biginers to degree courses which are free or near enough as makes no difference,-hotclaws**==(82.138.214.1 09:27, 18 August 2006 (UTC))

Ship or boat?

Big vessels, liners etc are SHIPS. Smaller vessels are BOATS. Is the there a definition where a boat gets so big it becomes a ship? A submarine is generally a boat but I have heard the really big nuclears referred to as ships?

I bit like when does a hill become a mountain?

DDJ - Oregon City OR. USA

From Ship: A rule of thumb saying (though it doesn't always apply) goes: "a boat can fit on a ship, but a ship can't fit on a boat". Howard Train 17:50, 25 August 2006 (UTC)

Perhaps if there is a legal difference it could be found in Category:Law of the sea. Jon513 17:38, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

The lead paragraphs of ship and boat mention a definition or two. In everyday speech it's not a clear division, while in specific context it could be defined (e.g. your local maritime law might draw the line somewhere so that it can say "this rule applies to ships, that one to boats.") Weregerbil 17:43, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

Exceptions include submarines and some of the world's largest boats, the lake freighters. Rmhermen 17:48, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

If I recall my Chapman's correctly, in the US the legal maximum length of a boat is 20m/65ft. --Pyroclastic 18:47, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

I don't think Canadian ice cream companies write U.S. laws. Perhaps you meant something else? Rmhermen 19:19, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

I think he means Chapman's Nautical Guides or this. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 00:58, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

Wow. I was confused about that Chapman comment as well. --Proficient 03:39, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

how to see project/research work?

I am a management student in HR. I want to see some research report on recruitment process by others' done before. It can be a detailed project work describing about a specific industry or company. Where can I look for such project works? Any website or link.

Unfortunately organizations don't tend to make recruitment information publicly available. You might want to contact a large organization and ask for the specific information you want. If you can't do that (it would be time-consuming and possibly fruitless), you could spend time looking at some journals for a specific industry - e.g., type into a journal search engine "recruitment and manufacturing", and see if there are any articles with titles like "Recruitment Processes in the Manufacturing Industry" or similar. If you find something that is close but isn't exactly what you want, you may be able to get something useful from the reference list of the article. Also try looking at relevant parts of textbooks that talk about specific organizations/industries and see if they reference anything that is useful. BenC7 00:34, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

International Trading Place

Please could some one tell me more about ITP (International Trading Place) ? They have a web site offering jobs to US citizens using their bank accounts to trade money for their clients, this is done so that the (VAT) a UK tax is avoided and in return you are paid a commision70.227.9.195 20:31, 17 August 2006 (UTC). But is this legit or a scam help?

It's either a scam or its an invitation for you to participate in an international money laundering scheme. Sounds like a career making license plates and sewing mailbags beckons. Middenface 20:32, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

If they ask you for your bank account details (and it seems they do) then they are a scam. Always remember the first rule of internet trading - never ever give anyone your bank details unless you are completely sure who they are. DJ Clayworth 20:37, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

Place to learn languages for free

Dear Sir,

I would be glad if you told me an on-line resource for learning foreign languages for free. Thanks:

Ah. Strange you should ask that. MeFi had a link just today to a most excellent site: FSI Language Courses, which are developed by the Foreign Service Institute, and used to train United States Foreign Service officers. They're a mix of text & many many MP3s & look very comprehensive, useful, and free - see French Basic Revised, for instance. --Tagishsimon (talk)

Oh. And they reference how-to-learn-any-language.com, on which basis must be worth a look. --Tagishsimon (talk)

Be careful with those FSI courses. They're rather old, and can be out of date. Their Chinese course, for example, teaches you to address everyone as "tongzhi" ("comrade"), which is likely to get you some funny looks in today's China. Ironfrost 13:53, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Forgive my ignorance, but I was under the impression that China is still communist. Therefore, wouldn't "comrade" be an appropriate thing to say? --WhiteDragon 16:06, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

Spider-Man movies

Why did they leave out Spider-Man's web-shooters in the recently made motion picture?67.172.248.207 21:26, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

Our article on Spider-Man (film) answers that in the trivia section:

Director Sam Raimi answered the protests of comic fans saying that it was more credible to have Peter shoot web this way than for a high school boy to be able to produce a wonder adhesive in his spare time that 3M can't make. It is noteworthy, though, that Peter is able to read Norman Osborn's work on nanotechnology with understanding while only in high school; even so, much of the comic book characterization of Peter Parker as a scientific prodigy was eliminated from the film version's portrayal, making it much much unlikely for the film version to be capable of inventing both a miracle adhesive and a high-tech yet compact delivery system, not to mention being able to manufacture such things on his family's limited budget. Interestingly, the comic version of Spider-Man grew organic web-shooters as well a coulple of years after the movie's release. The Ultimate version of Spider-Man refers to the classic character in that he utilizes a mechanical web shooter and artificial webs. The discrepancy of a high schooler cracking such a complex formula is resolved by having Peter complete a formula that his father had begun the research on, eliminating the conflict that resulted in the change for his movie incarnation.

Define Fact

I was just thinking, if Encyclopedia Brittanica stated something incorrectly, and it was cited on wikipedia, and used in other encyclopedias, it would quickly spread as accepted fact, with all major reputable sources copying it off of Brittanica, and all the mirror sites repaeting wikipedia, and soon, there would be hundreds of sources stating a mistake as fact, how could any source overcome this, as what possibly could trump all of these sources. Especially if it is an obscure thing, which is not recorded. Philc _T^E_C^I 22:00, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

Just follow the sources. If one reference material cites another and another and the original one goes back to the first one, there is a problem. It is circular reasoning and it cannot be considered a fact because we do not have an original source. The orignial source should be some type of peer reviewed publication or fall under common knowledge. We can argue about the validity of common knowledge as a source for facts, but that is a different topic. Nowimnthing 22:54, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

This sort of thing does happen, and is well recognised. See the discussion of "The Carroll Myth" in the Lewis Carroll article, for instance. Looking at the other side of the coin someong (and I can;t find the article right now, but it arose out of the Brittanica versis Wikipedia stuff that's been going on over the past couple of years, that an answer is that encyclopedia's may, post wikipedia, change their meaning and become a repositary of the community consensus on "facts" rather than the "expert" version of facts. Clay Shirky, I think, or maybe Richard Stallman. --Tagishsimon (talk)

Oh my God, so Stephen Colbert was right, and truth is going to be decided by vote rather than actual facts. DJ Clayworth 16:55, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

Is there some kind of list that has facts in history that were not really facts? --Proficient 03:40, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Joke Lab Report

A few months ago I found a joke lab report on the internet that was really funny. It was about how a guy had bad equipment and had to start over and more things of that sort. I thought I bookmarked it, but I can't find it now. Does anyone have a link to this thing? --Think Fast 22:26, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

Probably Electron Band Structure In Germanium, My Ass --Tagishsimon (talk)

Yup. That's it. Thanks:) --Think Fast 01:41, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

What do you mean joke report? I thought that was real. (he wasnt bothered about passing his course obviously)--Light current 16:12, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Ico re-release

I have just found out that Ico was re-released in Europe earlier this year. I was wondering: what are the differences between the old version and the new version? Are the graphics better? Also, where could I get one of these re-released versions? Thanks. Russian F 23:07, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

It's the exact same game, they just printed a number of new copies due to the success of Shadow of the Colossus, its spiritual sequel.

August 18

Gallery

Why do most photo galleries only show a few of the pictures? Examples: banana slug - Only the left one is visible. Qara-Kelissa - Third is invisible. Cathedral architecture of Western Europe. Gallery of cathedrals in the Mediterranean. Thanks! Reywas92 00:02, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

They tend to show as few or as many images as the person putting it together wanted to put on the page; por as many as they have found. They're a relatively recent addition to Wikipedia - at least in terms of their adoption. I tend to think folkds are still learning how to use them effectively in articles - Cathedral architecture of Western Europe, for instance, seems quite advanced in its use, where banana slug looks a little more as if someone had a bunch of photos and fancied putting them on the article. Ditto Lossiemouth: have pictures, will put them on site. In fact, there's not always a great virtue in sticking every image you have on an article; though equally we're not quite organised enough yet, I think, to make better use of the categorisation of images to links to obviate the need for galleries. btw, I can see all three of the banana slug images - problem is probably at your end, not in page. --Tagishsimon (talk)

What browswer are you using, Tagishsimon? I can only see the slug on the left in my broswer (Internet Explorer). If Reywas92 is using IE, too, it looks like we have found the culprit. --71.117.36.250 03:51, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

Mozilla Firefox. But I can see the three in IE, if I stoop to use it. --Tagishsimon (talk)

I use Internet Explorer. Is there any way to fix it? Reywas92 19:22, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

I'm using IE, and I can see all three. User:Zoe|(talk) 23:37, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

I use IE and can only see the left one. I tried long and hard to fix this, even going as far as to report it to bugzilla, but was never able to. --Joelmills 02:23, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Wars between democracies

Electoral Democracies

In an article about Pakistan and terrorism [13], Benazir Bhutto writes that democracies do not go to war with other democracies. How many wars in the twentieth century have been fought between democratic countries ? Tintin (talk) 05:56, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

Check out democratic peace theory and list of possible exceptions to democratic peace theory. Weregerbil 06:25, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

Depends on how you wish to define democracy and thus which types of democracy you wish to include (the figure, for example, shows Electoral Democracies). Then you have to ask, how do you define war... does it have to be declared as such, or does military action suffice? Rockpocket 06:27, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

For the sake of argument, we can use a loose description for "war". The link of 'exceptions' above answers my question anyway. Thanks, Weregerbil. (I was under the impression that Russia is a democracy now). Tintin (talk) 06:39, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

And Iran, too. And one could argue that Iraq is also a democracy. User:Zoe|(talk) 23:12, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Lebanon and Israel are both democracies. And Hezbollah is an elected faction of the Lebanese government, as well. User:Zoe|(talk) 23:38, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

How about the Falklands War between Argentina and the UK? — Michael J 17:32, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Afraid not, Argentina wasn't a democracy then it was run by a military junta. AllanHainey 12:59, 21 August 2006 (UTC)

Is it OK to

Copy the Wikipedia's How To:Start A New page for an article I'm doing on Uncyclopedia?I will give wikipedia the credet for that.

You may copy that material, but please follow the conditions outlined at: Wikipedia:Text of the GNU Free Documentation License Rockpocket 06:14, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

Where's Neil When You Need Him?

Does anyone know where I can get the lyrics for this CD? I bought a copy that turned out to be a promo, with no booklet...

Um, what? It may be cliche, but please suitly emphazi your question. Who is Neil? Which CD? What? Natgoo 22:21, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

Sorry. The CD "Where's Neil When You Need Him?", by various artists. Songs based off the works of Neil Gaiman. (I'd been on fansites all day when I asked, so didn't think it would be unobvious.)

The funny Swedish Guy

Who's that guy with the funny Swedish accent that does the radio commercials for IKEA?--Codell ^{[ Talk ▪ Contrib. ]} 09:09, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

My Google-fu is failing me badly on this one. Oh, the shame... Tony Fox (arf!) 16:02, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

Assuming it is the same guy from the television commercials, then I can't find his name either, but the advertising campaign is called "Unboring" and there are at least two commercials, "Moo Cow" and "Lamp", the latter of which was directed by Spike Jonze. I have found various pages of production credits but they don't say who provides the voice; it could be some guy on the production staff, since I don't think the voice is actually Swedish. Adam Bishop 17:05, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

That'd explain why those commercials were so cool. There's definitely a specific voice actor who handles the Swedish guy, though - it's been consistent for quite some time. I seem to recall seeing something suggesting they didn't want his name out, though, sometime quite a while ago. Tony Fox (arf!) 20:37, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for the attemp anyways.--Codell ^{[ Talk ▪ Contrib. ]} 04:49, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Tom Cruise

Insert non-formatted text here There is a discussion with my friend about the height of Tom Cruise. Can you let me know at my address <--email removed-->? Thank you Gustavo Orsini

You will probably have more luck if you ask somewhere like here.--Shantavira 09:35, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

IMDb says that he's 5' 7" (1.70 m) --Codell ^{[ Talk ▪ Contrib. ]} 09:36, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

Sony Vegas - Transition from black & white to color

I have a short film in Vegas. I have decided that I want the video to slowly shift from black & white at the beginning of the video, to full color by the end of it.

How would I go about doing this?

Thanks in advance!!!

gelo 11:54, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

If the movie can be put onto a computer, you could use movie effects/editing software to do this.--Codell ^{[ Talk ▪ Contrib. ]} 12:32, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

Sony Vegas is video editing software. --LarryMac 13:27, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

I don't know the specific abilities of Vegas, but what you want to do is affect the saturation of the clip; 0% is black and white. I assume there's some sort of a way to specify a saturation value at the start and the end of the clip, and have the software do a smooth transition. If you can't figure that out, a possible (but labour-intensive) way would be to divide the clip into a number of short sections, and adjust the saturation for each of them for a slow transition. (For example, if you have a 3-minute clip, with 4320 frames, you could make the first 43 frames at 0% saturation, the next 43 at 1% and so on.) --ByeByeBaby 16:46, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

Oh, sorry. I though that she filmed a movie in Las Vegas!--Codell ^{[ Talk ▪ Contrib. ]} 04:52, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Money - age = Hot

User:Courtney Akins asked if she is hot. Yes, you are, although I'd do something to make your hair more interesting and look less like it was hairsprayed or dyed. Plus I'd dress more fashionably, although this seems to matter less to people in the US than in the UK.

Courtney's question made me wonder if I would be hot to Courtney. I'm older, but I've got more money. So in hotness rating, how much money would a 35 year old, or a 45 or 55 year old for that matter, need to have to be equally attractive to the average 22 year old woman compared to a 25 year old man with no money?—Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.253.52.95 (talk • contribs)

Money isn't everything, you know. A good personality is more important. Physical 'beauty' is too superficial.--User:Codell ^{[ Talk ▪ Contrib. ]} 12:27, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

Plus, some women prefer older men. Especially men in their late 30s who hang around on Wikipedia reference desks. --Richardrj 12:56, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

*straightens tie* Well, hello! Rockpocket 00:09, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

When women marry as a result of money, I dont think it because it increases their desire for you, just they have an increased desire for your money. Its not because it makes you more physically attractive, but because they like money. Philc _T^E_C^I 14:04, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

Agreed. Reminds me of the famous question Mrs Merton put to Debbie McGee: "So, what first attracted you to millionaire Paul Daniels?" --Richardrj 14:07, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

Whoever those people are in the picture (assuming it is not really Courtney Atkins, not that it matters if it is), they are not attractive at all. Adam Bishop 15:32, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

I was thinking of the 84 year old multi-billionaire who married the twenty-something stripper shortly before passing away. He must have been red-hot to her. I think she's been in court ever since. I had hoped someone would come up with a real formula - for example a 35 year old is equal to a 25 year old plus $X. Or maybe it should be money/age or hot= x.age + y.money

Our article on Age disparity in sexual relationships might be of interest. The so called Trophy Rule of male/female relationships (divide the male's age by two then add seven to get the female's) could be used as a starting point. Then, empirically, you might wish to compare deviations from this rule and see if those correlate with trends in income. This trend (if one exists) would be the basis of the "money" variable in your equation. However, the major problem with this is working in the "X-factor" of attractiveness - a poor Brad Pitt is always going to be hotter than a rich, um, me. Perhaps another variable, relating to Facial symmetry could be encorporated. So here is my equation (note i am not a mathematician and this was thrown together in about 2 mins, so its probably total crap):

F = [(M/2)+7] - [N x d$] - [A x F]

Where:

F = females age

M = males age

N = slope of income trend discussed above

d$ = difference in salary from national average

A = variable reflecting how much a woman values "physical attractiveness" (0 = average)

F = value for facial symmetry (greater symmtery = higher value)

Hope that helps ;) Rockpocket 00:46, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

ANSI-Text

The German user http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benutzer:Nightflyer searches for the German article on ANSI/EIA/TIA-232-F-1997 the text of the standard (free of cost). I know that ANSI is selling the text but there are hundreads or thousands people and institutions in the world which have the text and can give them away free of cost (although copyrighted). --Historiograf 14:42, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

I don't understand "there are hundreads or thousands people and institutions in the world which have the text and can give them away free of cost". How could they do that legally if it is copyrighted? Do you mean, they might have a spare printed version they purchased and don't need? Notinasnaid 15:35, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

This is at least the third time this request has been posted. It doesn't appear that any positive result will be forthcoming from posting this to the Reference Desk. --LarryMac 15:39, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

Hmm. If I understand the user's talk page correctly, they have chosen to use the word "copyright paranoia". Well, calling "copyright law" instead "copyright paranoia" might make one feel better about asking for an illegal copy, but it doesn't change the law. In my view. How about doing that most old fashioned of things: visit a specialist library to read the text? Notinasnaid 06:48, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

It appears that ANSI standards may not be redistributed. Here's the ANIS End User License Agreement: http://webstore.ansi.org/ansidocstore/license/ANSI_EULA.pdf? The relevant sections are at the top, e.g.:

(b) You may install one copy of the Product on, and permit access to it by, a single computer owned, leased or otherwise controlled by you. In the event that computer becomes dysfunctional, such that you are unable to access the Product, you may transfer the Product to another computer, provided that the Product is removed from the computer from which it is transferred and the use of the Product on the replacement computer otherwise complies with the terms of this Agreement. Neither concurrent use on two or more computers nor use in a local area network or other network is permitted. You shall not merge, adapt, translate, modify, rent, lease, sell, sublicense, assign or otherwise transfer any of the Product, or remove any proprietary notice or label appearing on any of the Product. You may copy the Product only for backup purposes.

Pburka 14:27, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Glanford Power Station

In the above mentioned article, it states that the ashes left over used to be used as fertalizer, which seems like a good green thing to do, but now they go into a land fill, why is this?

It says that when they burned chicken litter, the ashes were used as fertilizer but now that they burn meat and bone, the ashes are landfilled. I don't know - but fear of mad cow disease comes to mind. Rmhermen 16:11, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

Well, I know that at Didcot the ashes can be used for cement production, but they're not, because its cheaper to dump it. Maybe its the same case. Philc _T^E_C^I 16:23, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

Tapeworm

After listening to to much Sytem Of a Down, i was wondering, is it possable and/or advisable to pull a tapeworm out of your ass?

If you don't have a tapeworm there in the first place, then no — if you do, please go see a doctor about it. There are very effective medications these days for that sort of thing, but, as a matter of policy, we don't offer medical advice here on Wikipedia. —Ilmari Karonen (talk) 21:18, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

This is not a medical question as i dont have worms. I was just wondering if it would be possable and/or advisable if, lets say you woke up and felt something laying its eggs around you anus.

Nationality

And one last question: If you are, lets say Canadian and so is your wife, and you are on an Air germany flight from england to Usa, and your wife gives birth, right over the ocean, eg international waters, what is the nationality of the baby?

Canadian. The nationality of the plane doens't matter. Now if you gave birth over U.S. territory, the baby would probably be a dual U.S.-Canadian citizen. Rmhermen 16:06, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

Now why would it have dual nationality? Because it was born over somewhere does not make it a citizen of the place unless either of the parents were naturalised there. Snodawg 21:35, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

That's definitely wrong. If being in a country's airspace matters, then it matters regardless of naturalisation. I suspect that in jus soli countries it's treated as being in the country, so someone born on a flight from Dallas to New York is as American as someone born on the ground in Dallas. Henry^Flower 21:42, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

Well it would appear that according to Canadian nationality law the child would be Canadian. And according to the way I read #1 here would also, as Rmhermen pointed out, also be a US citizen. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 00:40, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Remember though that this doesn't apply to every country, because there are lots of countries (most, probably) where being born on the country's 'soil' doesn't guarantee citizenship. Japan is one example, I think Saudi Arabia is another. Anchoress 05:04, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

COURSE ON PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

I want information regarding a short course on public diplomacy in new york during the months of Nov,2006 to Feb 2007. please giude me203.101.182.71 16:49, 18 August 2006 (UTC)IRFAN

Bush show

I remember there was a show about a guy who look like George W. Bush. What was the name of that show?

That's My Bush!, perhaps? --LarryMac 20:15, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

six degrees of separation

I saw a thread above with another link to another thread about seagulls and masturbation ( i'm getting hot already). so, to entertain the preson who referred to that article I ask what are the six degrees of seperation between seagulls masturbating and the George Bush administration (this should be easy, not much difference)~—Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.29.78.229 (talk • contribs)

using science concepts, of course~—Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.29.78.229 (talk • contribs)

Simple:

1. A seagull masturbating is useless as they do not have the same levels of food/sex drive as humans.
2. Asking questions about seagulls masturbating is equally useless.
3. Posting such questions on Wikipedia is normally done by useless idiots.
4. Such people tend to waste their life uselessly blaming everyone around them for their own problems.
5. A common target for such useless blaming is the government.
6. The administration of George Bush is currently part of the government.

How's that? --Kainaw ^(talk) 13:55, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

• How altrusistic of you to defend all members of the government equally, despite their apparent unrelatedness to the question being asked, while we're on the topic, I'm sure you have many nice things to say about Bill Clinton as surely, members of the government are all targets of useless blaming--71.247.125.144 15:07, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

I can do it shorter:

1. Some people have called George Bush a "seagull president" (google for it).
2. Other people, in turn, think the aforementioned people are wankers.

How's that? Weregerbil 14:37, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

thank you~—Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.29.78.229 (talk • contribs)

yes I do have a life of somewhat use to society, although I do sometimes blame my friend's uncle getting killed in Iraq for G. dub

like to poke fun every once and a while

oh, and ALL animals have been know to masturbate—Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.29.78.229 (talk • contribs)

I would like to point out this isn't quite right. Check masturbation. Also, animals that do not reproduce sexually do not masturbate. Many animals cannot. Can you imagine a whale trying to masturbate itself? A fish? A mosquito? — [Mac Davis] (talk)

I see - your friend's uncle was killed by George Bush in Iraq, so the Bush Administration is equivalent to a seagull masturbating. However, I, being a disabled war veteran, have no right to call "opinion" questions in a "reference desk" useless? I've said it before and I'll say it again... if I were ever told that I had to choose between saving Wikipedia from being permanently deleted or the life of some random stanger who gets his kicks off asking stupid opinion questions in the reference desk, I'll choose Wikipedia. --Kainaw ^(talk) 16:45, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

Just a point of reference, since this is a reference desk, and we may as well get something out of this question, typing only one ~ does not produce a signature, you need four of them, like this ~~~~ otherwise all you're doing is putting a tilde at the end of all your posts--71.247.125.144 15:58, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

It's not like seagull masturbation is a new concept to the reference desk, or even stupid crap in general, I thought it would be intresting to see how people would respond, though69.29.78.229 18:17, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

You thought wrong. --Howard Train 03:53, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Well, the Six Degrees of Wikipedia gives the following (useless) answers:

• Seagulls -> Gull -> Auk -> Maryland -> John Kerry -> George Bush
• Masturbation -> Conservatism -> John Major -> George Bush

– ClockworkSoul 17:54, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Our original article begins with acquaintances between people. The problem is that you may imagine that the chain exists, but it stays difficult (NP ?) to find it. It is easier with WP pages, as Clockwork demonstrated (using seagulls, as we lack a section about their sexual uses.) -- DLL ^{.. T} 18:54, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Building in Baghdad

This may be vague but I've been wondering for a while and hoped someone here could answer. I've seen a building in Baghdad and was wondering if someone could tell me what it was so I could search for more images. It seems to be shown a lot on the news in stock footage of the bombing of Iraq in 2003. From what I can see from the images it seems close to the Tigris. I've only seen the building from one angle and it appears to only have four sides, with each other Trapezoid shaped. This may be a really tough question but I'd appreciate if anyone could name it. --Kiltman67 21:51, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

The Council of Ministers Hall. For trapezoid read ziggurat MeltBanana 01:39, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Thanks, that's exactly the one I was thinking of. --Kiltman67 02:12, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Sales and any laws that apply to them

Are there any legal requirements (specifically in the uk) that surround any company that declares items 'on sale'. Do they have to have first had the items at full price? Must these items have been at full price for a minumum duration? Or can any company proclaim a 'half price' sale without ever having had the items at full price.

I'm not 100% but I think the item must have been at full price for a minimum time, but I can't remember what it is. --Kiltman67 22:48, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

Yes there is a law, but I cant remember the details either. Contact the Trading Standards department of your local council. Jameswilson 23:46, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

Regarding Canada, that type of information is right on the govt of Canada website, so it might also be on the UK equivalent. Anchoress 05:00, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

BB Song

What was the song playing during the higlights at the end of Big Brother 7. When it ended and they were interviewing pete, and they showed highlights of the whole show, thank you. Philc _T^E_C^I 22:39, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

I was only paying a little attention but it seemed like a song from the new Snow Patrol album. Probably best to start with the singles and work through. --Kiltman67 22:45, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

Yeh it was your right, but I'm not sure if I can remeber the tune, but I remember it if you know what I mean, its horrible when you get a song stuck in your head and you cant remember how it goes. Argh. Philc _T^E_C^I 22:54, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

Why not try Musipedia where there is the facility to sing,whistle or bong a tune and it will try and identify it for you? Lemon martini 10:54, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Or try song tapper, but I personally don't think it's good. Iolakana•T 19:06, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Chicken-B-Gone

What is the best way to keep my neighbor’s chickens out of my yard? As much as I would like to turn them into Sunday dinner, I would like to do it without making my neighbor mad for killing his hens.--67.172.248.207 23:10, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

Put up chicken wire? --Think Fast 23:20, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

Or better yet, get a cat, and watch how quickly your neighbor puts up chicken wire. :-) StuRat 23:37, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for the ideas. I've tried chicken wire, but holes always appear. The chickens also jump over the wire by climbing the trees. Yes, I have chickens in my trees, just like the song. A cat would increase the ammount of fecal matter in my yard.--67.172.248.207 23:44, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

• I'm confused, why does your neighbor have chickens in their lawn in the first place?--71.247.125.144 23:57, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

Funny you should ask that, but two of my neighbors have chickens. I have no idea why anyone would want a chicken, but I assume that it is for the eggs, which the hens leave conveniently stash in the garden; after they rip up the plants. That or they want the blasted rooster to go off every 4:30 a.m.--67.172.248.207 00:08, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

But cats can be trained to poop in a specific place, like a sandbox. You can probably get a cat from the Humane Society which is already sandbox-trained. StuRat 00:23, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

There are cats, also not mine, in my yard. They don't seem too interested in chicken chasing. Would shock-collars fry a chicken? Is it even legal to put shock-collars on animals that aren't yours?--67.172.248.207 00:33, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

What I do is just keep a tesla coil running in my backyard. chhhhhhh.... ZAPP!! — [Mac Davis] (talk)

August 19

Title / Artist of electronica song

Anyone know what the artist of this song is? http://www4.upload2.net/download/A5mIzfrDCr9Ff3h/tune.mp3 It is only a 10-second clip, thanks! --User:Bonusbox 2:20, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Cubase.... Instruments out of sync!

Cubase users... how do you access a midi event list? My tracks are out of sync with each other. It's because im using various sound sources... vst guitars , midi connected drum machine and general midi keyboards. Any help appretiated!

openCanvas Networking

I have openCanvas (the free version) and I've been trying to network with a friend, but we can't figure out how it works. Can anybody help us? Thanks :)

This question may be more properly posed at the Computing/IT reference desk. --Lambiam^Talk 09:32, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Free Clips

Are there any sites that allow me to download free pornographic movies and videos? 64.230.5.110 02:13, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

I'm sure you can easily find a BitTorrent site with them --Kiltman67 03:00, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Limewire/Frostwire, http://thepiratebay.org, http://torrentreactor.to. The first two are easiest if you aren't that computer-savvy. — [Mac Davis] (talk)

E-Corps: Part of the Marines???

Dear Reader, Is the E-Corps an eliete group of Marines or something??? I am wondering because our acedemic group at our school is called the E-Corps, and no one seems to know what the E-Corps is. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

I did a little search on Yahoo and most references to E-Corp either seem to be related to Klingons or online communities. --Kiltman67 03:05, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Jesse Martin page?

Hi, was looking for information on Jesse Martin, the Australian teenager who became the youngest person to circumnavigate the world. Couldn't find a page for him...can anyone else find it? I really did try hard--Jacintah 03:51, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

You appear to know more about him than any of us, so why not start one? A few sentences will do - just explain why he's notable (in this case, being the youngest person to circumnavigate the world) and find a reputable source (this page looks good) to back up what you say, and others will take it from there. --Howard Train 03:57, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

And while you're doing that, you could also correct Single-handed sailing, which gives the "youngest" title to someone else (who started younger but finished older.) --jpgordon^∇∆∇∆ 03:59, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Cue warm, fuzzy glow. I see people have expanded our new article already. --Howard Train 11:55, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Sleeping Tiger

Someone once said "China is like a sleeping tiger, take care when it wakes up". This may not be completely accurate but you get the gist of it. I would like to know who said it and about when. Joe Blow

Napoléon, 200 years ago: "Quand la Chine s'éveillera, le monde tremblera." (When China awakens, the world will shake.) Mao on the other hand, 50 years ago said he believed the USA was nothing more than a paper tiger (unable to withstand the wind and rain). No clue whether this helps or is what you were looking for. Sluzzelin 05:36, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

• If you Google "China is like a sleeping" and "China is a sleeping" you'll get at least seven variations (bear, giant, dog, dragon, lion, tiger, even elephant!), all attributed to Napoleon. The most popular wording by far is as a giant. The different wording of the quote in different sources makes it sound like one of these phantom quotes that sounds cool, especially since it comes from someone important (and powerful), but may not ever have actually been said, at least not in the way it is here formulated. I have found a very similar formulation in JSTOR from 1925 (not attributed to Napoleon, but it doesn't mean it wasn't derived from him): "But China is a sleeping giant. The four hundred millions of its population, tireless, patient, uncomplaining, are a force that some day must be reckonded with." (Austin F. MacDonald, "Foreword to a Special Issue on The Far East" Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science Vol. 122 (Nov., 1925), p. v.) All this means is that wherever the quote is from, it is not necessarily of recent vintage. --Fastfission 12:52, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Apocryphal is the word for quotes like that. Anchoress 12:59, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Movie credits at the bottom of poster

How can I make movie credits like those you see on the bottom of movie posters etc?

gelo 05:02, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Do you mean the font? Or do you mean software to make a poster? Rockpocket 05:41, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

the font

gelo 08:33, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

According to this discussion [14] finding the exact font is not easy. But for a close approximation try Raleigh Gothic RR Condensed, Empire or Univers 39 Thin Ultra Condensed. Rockpocket 08:43, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Corn pops

Okay, why are corn pops the only type of cereal that comes in a silver paper bag thats inside the box? Corn pops are the only cereal i have seen come in this silver bag.

Read our article on Corn Pops; it gives the answer. --Lambiam^Talk 08:52, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Gives me the shivers when wikipedia has the answer. --Bmk 19:09, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Fishing boats

Old fishing boats (centuries ago) used wind power if im not mistaken. Am i correct in assuming that a)these boats would have been stopped by an anchor b) and they could have 'started up' (begun sailing) immedeatley with suffiencet (realstic) wind speeds?Cuban Cigar 06:46, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

It's not completely clear what you mean by "would have been stopped". The normal way to "stop" a sailing vessel is by turning against the wind, thereby reducing the speed to zero. Then you must quickly lower the sails, or you will be blown away again. The anchor is for keeping you in the same spot once you have brought your speed to (close to) zero; it is more like a parking brake. You don't want to use it to halt a boat while it is sailing; you might seriously damage the boat or break the chain. To sail away you hoist the sails and then raise the anchor. (You could also do this in the opposite order, but only if you have a lot of free space behind you.) It depends on the type of boat (and the strength of the wind) how quickly the boat reacts and starts picking up speed, but think seconds. --Lambiam^Talk 09:07, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Yes when i said stop i meant come to a rest (stop moving). The 'boats' were small ones, maybe three crew or something like that. Anyway thanks!

Also note that it isn't always necessary to stop to fish. Trawling, and the related trolling method, actually require continuous movement. StuRat 19:18, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

hybrid

According to my friend, fruits such as orange and mandrine are not original fruits, rather they are hybrid of other fruits.If this is true, what are the fruits which makes orange and mandrine?

Read our article on Orange (fruit), it gives the answer for oranges. Our article Mandarine does not resolve the issue for mandarines, but given that oranges are hybrids, it seems at least plausible that mandarines are also hybrids. However, a side box in our article on Citrus, the genus containing both, lists mandarins under species, and oranges (and lemons!) under hybrids. But then the main text states that "there is genetic evidence that even the wild, true-breeding species are of hybrid origin." So for mandarines the best we can say is: probably a hybrid, but the origins may be lost in the mists of history. --Lambiam^Talk 08:45, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

(edit conflict) Your friend is correct. As our article Orange (fruit) says:

The orange is a hybrid of ancient cultivated origin, possibly between pomelo (Citrus maxima) and tangerine (Citrus reticulata).

The tangerine itself is a type of mandarin orange and a tangor is a sub-hybrid of a tangerine and orange. Since citrus bearing plants can hybridize so easily, its very difficult to distinguish between true ancient species and hybrid species. Rockpocket 08:54, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

1st producer from africa

which countries from Africa are the first 3 countries which produce more Gum Arabic(Gum Acacia)?

Although our article Gum Arabic does not directly answer this question, it nails it down to the Sahel, which is comprised of Senegal, Cape Verde, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, Chad, and Sudan. According to this link (PDF), the main exporters of gum arabic are Sudan, Chad and Nigeria. --Lambiam^Talk 08:30, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Bending over in the wind

Is there any truth to the rumour that if you bend over and the wind changes you stay like that forever? Where did it originate? --Adam 13:57, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

I always thought it was making a weird or stupid face and the wind changing... Benbread 15:17, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Here is some background: old wives' tale. Weregerbil 15:52, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Doesnt the wind cause you to ben dover?--Light current 17:00, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

ONLINE JOB

Does anyone know of a good online part time job one could do that is legal and not telemarketing ,real estate or porn related?70.227.9.195 15:04, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Gold farming in World of Warcraft Ironfrost 15:47, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

You could edit wikipedia. (You didnt say you wanted paying 8-))--Light current 16:33, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Yep, and I ain't sharing :) --Howard Train 19:27, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

What is it you do Howard?--Light current 20:34, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Salsa Music

Im trying to start a band playing Salsa music. Does anyone know any sources of arrangemnets for this style of music?--Light current 16:08, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Personally, I prefer to arrange my salsa on nachos with jalepenos. :-) StuRat 19:10, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Saucy!--Light current 19:11, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Rider to my question: Can anyone think of an appropriate original name for a Salsa band. Clever ones get more points!--Light current 22:02, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Pico de gallo? User:Zoe|(talk) 23:27, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

I thought of 'Red hot chilli peppers' but I think someones got that already. What about jalepenos--Light current 00:33, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

I like "Ring of Fire" for a particularly hot salsa. :-) StuRat 01:21, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Hey.. not bad!--Light current 01:29, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

"I fell into that burning ring of fire,
 and it burns, burns, burns, 
 that ring of fire." StuRat 02:27, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Johnny Cash?--Light current 02:40, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

No, Prep-H. --hydnjo talk 02:58, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Isnt that for piles? (Dont click on this, there may be a picture! 8-( ).Ahh I think I see what StuRat is alluding to now! 8-)--Light current 03:03, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Good, I was afraid I might have to ask you to eat some extremely hot salsa and see if the answer comes to you in, say, 24 hours or so. :-) StuRat 04:46, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

More like 12hrs knowing my tract!--Light current 20:23, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Well, check this. --hydnjo talk 03:11, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

On a related note, I remember a lawsuit (thrown out of court IIRC) filed against a bar by a patron who'd managed to successfully consume a plate of 'hot wings' per a promotional giveaway, only to end up in the emergency room. Turns out the bar (like many, many others apparently) drenched its 'promotional' super-hot wings with pepper spray, rendering them virtually unconsumable. But apparently it isn't a crime, because pepper spray is considered safe for human consumption (lol). Anchoress 04:59, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Gives a completely new meaning to the term 'hot pants or you could say its a tale that had a string in the tail (ouch!)--Light current 20:21, 20 August 2006 (UTC)'

Anyway getting back to the subject, would I get awy with a name like 'Ring of fire' or not in the UK?--Light current 20:32, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Snakes on a Plane

This is an elaborate hoax, right? --Kurt Shaped Box 16:17, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Where have you been? It opened yesterday, to pretty much rave reviews (for a cheesy B movie, that is). Anchoress 16:20, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

I only just saw the trailer today. I nearly spit coffee. --Kurt Shaped Box 16:26, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Yea, sounds like the concept was invented by a 4 year old boy doesn't it ? "So there's like all these snakes, you know, and they're like on this really big plane, and with lots of people too, and they're like biting people and hissing and stuff, and the plane's flying like really fast and it's like really cool, you know ?" Perhaps all Hollywood execs should be replaced by 4 year old boys, they couldn't do any worse, now could they ? StuRat 19:08, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

There's a great Uncyclopedia article on it. I'm eagerly awaiting the sequel: Pirahnas on an Escalator. :) —Daniel (‽) 19:16, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

It's real. o_o --Proficient 22:37, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Snakes on a Plane is hysterical! I just got back from seeing it. This is one of the funniest movies I've seen in a long time. User:Zoe|(talk) 23:28, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Can snakes really be on a plane?

Just wondering??

Since the US Department of Homeland Security does a really poor job of checking cargo that goes on planes, it's certainly very possible. User:Zoe|(talk) 23:28, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

They must sneak on I suppose!--Light current 23:53, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Financial investment liquidation options in the UK

In a potentially falling stock market,an investor in the UK may wish to rapidly sell many of his/her investments and hold the proceeds in cash. This is quite easy with PEPs and ISAs. For other investments there appears to be an unavoidable penalty arising from Capital Gains Tax incurred during the tax year when the sales are made. This applies especially to investments made some years ago which have gained considerably in value, and are now vulnerable to a possible recession.

Apart from taper relief, is there any solution to this problem where an investor is "locked in" to investments by the considerable penalty of CGT being levied at up to 40% on capital gains in excess of the investors UK CGT tax free allowance?

hatari

The EMH or Efficient markets hypothesis, which has been backed up by a lot of academic research, suggests that it is practically impossible to forecast the stock market to any worthwhile extent (although there are some minor market inefficiencies like small companies, low p/e ratios, possibly high yields, January effects, Monday effects, and so on). This implies in turn that there is no such thing as a trend in the market (apart from perhaps a very long term gradual up trend over the decades) as if there was a trend, you'd be able to forecast the market.

Thus it is wrong to suggest that there is a "falling market" trend that gives people time to sell out before things get worse. From the theory, and from what I remember of actually drops in the market, they happen suddenly and often reverse rapidly, so if you do sell out, prices rise afterwards and you're worse off. The stock market moves at random - if there seems to be a trend, then this is just the chance shape of a random line.

Having a lot of GCT building up is a good thing - a simple simulation on a spreadsheet will show you that you are far better off accumulating CGT to pay in one go after many years than you would be if you sold and re-bought every year paying CGT tax every year.

I'm always surprised that people will invest in the stock market yet know nothing about the EMH. I suppose there are lots of stockbrokers and so-called technical analysisists who make money out of ignorant suckers. 62.253.44.146 10:09, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Diet

Hi. I heard that people lost a moderate amount of weight just by not eating anything after around 18 hours. How is this possible?--Captain ginyu 16:50, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

The beginning of a fast may very well show a large weight drop (several pounds), while, if you continue to fast, the weight loss will slow down. You take in a few pounds of food each day, and expel the same amount as waste each day. The first day you fast, you will likely defecate yesterday's food. After that, you will have nothing more to expel. In other words, you are lighter by the weight of the contents of your digestive tract, which is now empty. StuRat 18:58, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Plus: your body will have got rid of a lot of fluid. For instance, in the mornig you are a couple pounds lighter that when you go to bed due to expiration of moisture. A pint of water weighs a pound and a quarter: so weigh that up!--Light current 19:09, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Hmmm, Sturat, I'm not sure if your answer is supposed to be off-beat, sarcastic, or indicate that you misunderstood the question?

Anyways, there are two issues: one is that if stop eating after dinner and you're usually a late-night eater, you might just eat less, resulting in probable weight loss. Two is that there are conflicting studies on the topic of 'eating late at night is more likely to cause weight gain than eating the same number of calories earlier in the day'. Or, to put it another way, some studies have shown that late-night calories are somehow 'fatter' than those taken earlier, either because of metabolism, enzymes, etc. But other studies say that's rubbish, it just depends on how much you eat overall. Like I said, there are conflicting studies.

There's also the issue of 'fasting'. When you don't eat for a certain amount of time, your body goes into 'fasting' mode which can cause your metabolism to lower, which would result in fewer calories burned. And, to add to that there's the issue of people with high/low blood sugar, who are supposed to eat small, regular meals and not to go too long without eating. Anchoress 19:13, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

It sounds like you read it as "not eating after 1800 hours", which is military time meaning 6 PM. That's not how I read it. I read "not eating for a period of 18 hours", or a short-term fast. StuRat 01:02, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, I thought that might have been it. But since s/he said '18 hundred hours' I am pretty sure s/he means eating after 6pm. Anchoress 01:45, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

It doesn't say "hundred" on my screen, are you sure it does on yours ? StuRat 01:48, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Oh weird lol. When I read your previous reply, I thought, 'Hmm, I thought it said 18 hundred hours, better check', and I checked, and I seriously thought it said that. LOL. Sorry. Anchoress 01:58, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

I think there's a lesson here about how our preconceptions shape our perceptions. I hope the questioner will tell us which of us read it correctly. :-) StuRat 02:19, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

I, the almighty questioner, will now speak: When I wrote 18, I meant 18:00, as in 6 PM. Behold my mighty signature. --Captain ginyu 12:39, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for clarifying that. Do you always use military time ? If so, you need to write it as 18:00 hours instead of 18 hours, to avoid this confusion. StuRat 14:56, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

I wasn't confused. ;-)) Anchoress 20:52, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

When I went to the dietician a couple of years ago, I asked the very question about late night eating. She said it didnt matter when you eat. What was important was the actual number of calories consumed within any 24 hr period. But perhaps shes wrong? --Light current 19:29, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

I really don't know how anybody is supposed to believe any dietician or any other source of nutritional advice these days. They'll all tell you something different, based on their own studies and "the latest research". Add that to all the conflicting "information" we're swamped with about what's good, what's bad, food combining, when to eat, when not to eat, etc, and what we now have is a casserole of theories, facts, and bunkum, except we don't know which is which because all the experts disagree with each other. We have far more information about nutrition now than at any time in history, yet the western world is more bloated and obese than ever. Is there something wrong here? JackofOz 04:58, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Yeah. Whats wrong is: people in the western world eat too much!--Light current 20:46, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

If you ignore people selling diet books, and go with neutral scientists, you do get a consensus. It's rather boring, however, so doesn't tend to sell books:

1) Keep your total calories low.

2) Get a balance of calories from protein, carbs, and fats. Some calories from alcohol are also allowed.

3) Get "good fats" from fish, nuts, avocados, vegetable oils, etc., and keep "bad fats", from meat and poultry, to a minimum. Avoid trans fats completely.

4) Eat plenty of "good cholesterol" and keep "bad cholesterol" to a minimum. Try to limit egg consumption, since they are high in bad cholesterol.

5) Get lots of fiber, particularly from a variety of whole grains.

6) Eat lots of fruits and veggies.

7) Stick with low fat dairy products.

8) Get lots of exercise, especially aerobic exercise.

Some particularly good foods to eat are blueberries, grapefruit, broccoli, and oatmeal.

StuRat 05:21, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

While I agree with pretty much all your 'advice', I have to disagree with you on your assessment of scientists; they are as much in the dark as anyone, IMO. Up until a few months ago they were saying coffee was bad for you, now they've discovered that actually it's good for you. Up until a few years ago any unsaturated fat was better than naturally saturated, now all of a sudden polyunsaturates and hydrogenated fats are bad. Whether or not eggs contribute to serum cholesterol is still under debate, and some very modern 'science' says that low-fat dairy is actually unhealthy. It's furthermore debatable whether or not any of the RDA values are accurate; the ideal fat percentage and required grams of protein have been going up and down like yo-yos over the past 20 years. Not to mention the whole kerfuffel (sp?) about essential amino acids. The problem is that nutrition and the human body combine to make such a complex system that the study methods up til very very recently have been inadequate to properly analyse results. Also the fact that it's not a very lucrative field of study, so a lot of the studies are 'sponsored', and while they are not necessarily biased, they are designed to either prove or disprove a single theory, something that often just doesn't work with nutrition. Anchoress 05:38, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

While there are always slight "tweaks" to the nutritional advice, the core group of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients which humans need have been agreed upon by scientists for decades now. You're not going to all of a sudden hear scientists say vitamin C is bad for you and should be completely avoided, for example. Unfortunately, bizarre "fringe" theories get far more press than the scientific evidence justifies. Thus, this leaves the impression that scientists are all over the map, when it's only a small group of highly vocal paid advocates for some diet plan that deviate from the accepted scientific dietary advice. StuRat 14:52, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Sorry, I have to disagree with that as well. Vitamins F, K, Beta Carotene, lots of phytochemicals etc have not been 'agreed-upon' for decades. And it's not just vitamins and minerals that make a healthy human, and lots of issues, like number of calories (even now, there are doctors and nutritionists who say that the average woman only needs 1400 calories per day), amount and type of fat, which carbs are low and high glycemic index, no. of grams of protein, how much salt is bad for you, etc. are being discussed, argued, conflicting studies showing up, etc. Anchoress 20:52, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Maya (software)?

I read about Maya (software) and I read that is often used in movies and video games. Where can i find a list of popular uses of this software?? or do any of you know some movies or games made with this software?

You can click "What links here" on the side of the article under the words "toolbox". This gives a list of articles on wikipedia that link to this one. There you can look for movies or games. Look at the article to see if they use it. This is not that easy to do since many article are linking to it for other reasons, and there is no reason to think that this list will be complete. Jon513 19:00, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

I'm surprised Google doesn't find a list, but nothing turned up there in the first few pages. I certainly remember it was used for the rendering in the 'Final Fantasy' movie (Lightwave was used for the modelling), which was entirely computer-generated, and if it's not the most popular 3D software for movies it's certainly one of the most popular. Mark Grant 12:59, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

1917 1dollar bill

who is in the image on the left hand side on the face of a 1917 series 1 dollar bill? it looks like a picture of the pilgrims coming to america. Am I right?

can you point us to a picture? does United States one-dollar bill answer you question? Jon513 19:54, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Magnetic Propulsion

Has anyone ever conducted a fesibility study of "Magnetic Propulsion"? If so, what was the conclusion?

Linear motors are used in a variety of railway systems, particularly those listed at Bombardier Advanced Rapid Transit. And really all electric motors work by magnetism. -- Middenface 21:04, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Yes. See rail gun etc--Light current 21:05, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

See also Maglev train. --Lambiam^Talk 23:28, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

See also linear motor--Light current 00:21, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

And Coilgun Howard Train 04:42, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

This should be on science desk page for max responses!--Light current 18:41, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

F1's vs Le Mans LMP1's

GENERALLY, are Formula One's faster, in terms of acceleration and top speed, than Le Mans prototypes- LMP1's and LMP2's? Jamesino 21:40, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Traditionally, Le Mans prototypes have a higher top speed down the Mulsanne Straight than the highest top speed that Formula One cars reach, up to 400 km/h in the old days before they introduced the chicanes. However, I haven't been able to find any statistics on what they currently do down that straight.

Acceleration, particularly at low speeds; no contest. The Audi R8 puts out about 630 horsepower and weighs about 900 kg; the current F1 cars put out around 750 horsepower (maybe a bit more) and weigh about 600 kg. --Robert Merkel 05:45, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

How to file away stuff quickly and effectively?

Filing is the bane of my life. Without having to do it, I'm sure my life would be richer and more fulfilled.

What are the best ways of filing away things such as bills etc., which keep coming through my letterbox? I also have many other things to file away - things which I think might be useful knowledge to me in the future, and various documents relating to business.

I have always used the heap filing method - I have heaps of unfiled odds and ends on every flat surface. When its time to fill in my tax returns, I go through all the heaps and put them in order.

I am seeking a proven-in-practice method or system that someone actually uses, not just a system someone has just thought up. Highest priorities are speed and least effort (hence the heaps!). Thanks.

I am a former hyper-organised non-filer, and I am now a somewhat organised filer. I like being the latter.

OK, so my advice has two main parts. Part 1:

There's a tried-and-true system for sorting papers that I really like, it's RAFT, I think, Reading, Action, Filing, Trash. I add an S to the end, 'Sentiment', for stuff that has no practical purpose but I'm keeping it anyway (things like business cards, pages out of the Readers' Digest with URLs on them, coupons, restaurant reviews for restaurants I want to visit, lists of 'top 500 gangster movies' to watch, etc.) Getting in the habit of doing 'the basic sort' (however often you do filing - it's once a year for me, not kidding) will help the process a lot.

Keep the reading somewhere convenient, recycle/throw the trash, have a prominent 'action' pile for the stuff that needs attention, and have either a drawer, an accordion file, a binder full of plastic sleeves, or a scrap book you can paste or staple things into for the sentimental bits ('sentimental' does not include old love letters and your High School grades, you should file those).

Part 2:

As for bills etc. After years of letting my paperwork pile up forever, because my 'system' required meticulously filing all my bills etc by type, spending hours and hours making new files, sorting and organising, etc etc etc, I finally figured out that almost all my business correspondence goes to my accountant, and why on earth should I bother filing it in individual folders only to rummage through the drawer at tax time and amalgamate it into one package? My accountant doesn't even like me to sort my tax paperwork lol. Now all I do is create one file for the current year put all my bills and receipts in it, sort them ONCE, at the end of the year (or not), and then stick the whole batch along with my tax return back in the filing cabinet after taxes.

I now have about a dozen folders in my business drawer (and six of them are tax returns; the rest are misc correspondence, letters of reference, and a couple of others) and a dozen or so in my personal drawer (love letters etc.) :-)

I usually let my mail pile up, dealing with the urgent stuff, and then take heaps of bills to open and staple, and do them in front of the TV.

That's my system! Anchoress 22:30, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

There's nothing wrong with sequential, chronological heap storage ! StuRat 05:07, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

You mean leave it all in one big heamorroid pile?--Light current 20:36, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

August 20

name of '70s sci-fi TV series

I can't find any clue about the show because I only have a scetchy memory of it. It may have been made in the 60's or 70's. It was on a ship in space. One of the alien crew members was a shape shifter......I think she became a cat a lot? I saw it on weekend mornings when i was very young. Any help would be great. Thanks! 71.79.17.132 01:40, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

It's probably Space:1999. Anchoress 01:42, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Series Two: Maya wasn't in Series One (which, frankly, was vastly better). That said, it was on the Moon rather than a space-ship, though that's a minor distinction when the Moon is floating around the universe visiting a new planet every week :). Mark Grant 01:46, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Hmmmm I don't think it was space:1999 i came across that when I first started looking. The cast in mine was alot smaller. I think it didn't have much of a budget.....you always heard the battles but never saw them. They were always trying to keep enemies off the ship....

Well, Space 1999 was a British series, meaning it had about the same budget as a bum has in his tin can. :-) StuRat 05:05, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

I do have vague memories of another space show with a character who changed shape, but can't remember what it might be. As mentioned below, Red Dwarf may another possibility, but it was decades later and the character was permanently a cat/man, not a shape-changer. Presumably it was live-action and not animated? The latter would open up a lot more possibilities. Mark Grant 12:55, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine had such a character, Odo, but was also decades too late. StuRat 14:37, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Red dwarf had a character who had evolved from a cat, and someone else who was a hologram, but that was 80's or 90's. There is also Blake's 7 which was too cheaply made (£60000 budget per episode) even for me to watch. The Blake's 7 article mentions Battlestar Galactica. Try also Category:Science fiction television series, although I cannot get the link to work. 62.253.44.146 09:00, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Category:Science fiction television series. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 09:45, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

RV industry

does anybody know why there is such a large RV industry in the south bend-elkhart area in northern Indiana

Probably about the same as how cars started to be made in the Detroit area. One company started making RVs there, then that made it in the interest of other RV companies to locate there, since the infrastructure of suppliers, dealers, etc. was already in place, and a regular supply of customers was showing up there looking for RVs. StuRat 19:46, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Who is the largest employer in the U.S.

Who is the largest employer in the U.S? I would think its the federal goverment

Undoubtedly, if you take the federal government as a unified entity. The biggest private employer is probably Wal-Mart. --Robert Merkel 05:47, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Some sources list United States Department of Defense, Wal-Mart, United States Postal Service as top three. here is a global list that doesn't include government institutions. Weregerbil 10:05, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Architectural Model Building

Hi,

I've decided to make a model of a house out of balsa wood. It will be a weatherboard house, and I am wondering what is the best way to join the pieces of wood. I would like it to look as detailed and precise as possible (with stumps, joists, studs, etc.). I have studied up on the construction of a real house, as well as talked to an architect. I have already done the planning required to start and it will probably be on a piece of chipboard which is 500x500mm.

Thanks.

Ronald

At that scale I would think you would need to use glue. StuRat 19:40, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

A model of a house would not normally show the interior construction of a wall, with studs, rafters, joists, unless you propose to build a cutaway model. Even then, you would not build the whole house exactly like a real house, just the exposed section. And what kind of house construction uses "stumps?"Edison 19:47, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Guitar question.

I saw an ad in a local trading post for a cheap used guitar. I'd like to grab one, just to mess around with (I can't play and aren't interested in seriously learning). Can anyone tell me if this guitar has everything I need to use it (so I don't have to buy any extra amps/equipment/etc), if it's a decent guitar, and if I can listen to it on headphones (you know, so I can hear the guitar normally but noone else can)? It reads Electric guitar, session stage series, stratocastor style solid body with 3 pickups. Includes tuner, $50. Thanks!

You will need amplification, because the guitar pickup is not powerful enough to make any sound in the headphones. You might buy a cable to go from the guitar to the "aux" input of your stereo, then you could play it over the loudspeakers, or use your headphones. I also seriously doubt that somebody in their right mind would sell a decent guitar for USD 50. --N·Blue ^talk 12:38, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

AUD 50, which is USD 37.

Actually you don't need an amp to play an electric guitar, they make a fair bit of sound on their own. For a performance or something, though, you'd naturally need one. digfarenough (talk) 17:10, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

I'd just be using it in my bedroom, so I wouldn't need it to make much noise. I'd like to confine all sound to my headphones if possible, though.

A solid body without amplification doesn't quite produce enough sound unless you're in a very quiet room and are only interrested in practising for 'the real thing' (which obviously isn't the case). Playing over a hifi sounds dodgy to me. I'm not sure, but I think it might ruin the amp and/or the speakers because of the wide range of sounds and volumes an eletric guitar produces.

The 'clean' sound of an electric guitar is slightly boring (though many would disagree). So you might want to invest in some effects too, especially if you want to sound like a specific guitar player. But there are loads of effects and deciding which one(s) to buy is difficult. A cheap way to produce distortion (one of the most popular effects) is to do the real thing - buy a crappy, low-power, overused combo (amp + speaker) and crank it way up (I say low-power for the well-being of your neighbours). Don't expect it to live for much longer, though. Then again, the effect might improve and reach perfection just before it dies. :) DirkvdM 19:22, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Tacky Duck Tape

I put some out-of-date duck tape on a boat gel coat surface, and when I peeled it off, the tacky part of the tape remained. Is there any product that will remove it without damaging the gel coat? Thank you!

Poor duck! Did you tape it to your boat? Or are you talking about 'duct tape'? In these parts that is called gaffer tape, but the real stuff that gaffers use shouldn't leave any 'tacky stuff' (it's actually designed for that purpose), so I suppose you got the cheap stuff. I know thge best stuff to remove glue is turpentine, but I don't know what that would do to the surface. Another trick is to use more gaffer tape (the real thing preferably this time), put that on it and peel it off again. repeating this several times should at least get rid of some of the stuff. DirkvdM 19:29, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

My apologies. It seems that gaffer tape is not the same as duct tape and that the latter was originally called 'duck tape', so I was wrong to make fun of you. You may wrongfully make fun of me now. DirkvdM 19:33, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

There is a brand of duct tape which is indeed called Duck Tape, to take advantage of the common misnomer. StuRat 19:35, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Except it isn't a misnomer - see the article. Rmhermen 20:38, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

I thought it was called duct tape for taping up ducts.--Light current 20:38, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Buy a squash racket in NYC (preferably Manhattan)

Hi! I'm looking to buy a squash racket in NYC, preferably in Manhattan. Any recommendations on where to go for a reasonably priced racket? Thanks!

Gamecube memory card

I recently and accidentally overwrote all my game data for Super Smash Bros. Melee,so I lost every trophy and unlockable I had. I had spent months on getting the 260 trophies that I had. Is there any possible way to restore the data to the memory card? -- TheGreatLlama ^{(speak to the Llama!)} 15:34, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Unfortunately, no. However, you can copy a friend's file or download 100% Completed saves from GameFAQs to get your unlocked characters back.

Where can I download videos of people completing popular RPGs?

I've heard from various people that DVDs exist depicting people completing popular RPGs like Final Fantasy X, cutscenes intact. I'd be interested in downloading some of these (not speedruns, which don't include cutscenes). Where could I find them? I'm mostly interested in Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy IX, Xenosaga and Silent Hill.

nacho libre soundrack

Where can I find the song I am by a band called mr. loco, and i want the song not to have a virus with it?

Amazon.com or iTunes? Rockpocket 19:15, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Culture Shock

Yesterday I visited a WalMart in New England which has a gun shop. I was spechless to see them placing live ammunition on the shelf. I opened a box and took a buckshot shotgun shell from it and no one asked me to put it back. What's wrong with these people? Don't they know there are kids running around in the WalMart? Don't they know people with a hammer could easily detonate a whole box of bullets? -- Toytoy 20:13, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

free will and freedom of choice are held in very high regard in these areas. Wjlkgnsfb 20:49, 20 August 2006 (UTC)