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Rumble in the Bronx

Rumble in the Bronx is a 1995 Hong Kong martial arts film starring Jackie Chan, Anita Mui and Françoise Yip. It was directed by Stanley Tong, with action choreographed by Chan and Tong. Released in Hong Kong in 1995, Rumble in the Bronx had a successful worldwide theatrical run, and brought Chan into the North American mainstream. The film is set in the Bronx area of New York City, but was filmed in and around Vancouver, Canada.

Plot
Ma Hon Keung, a Hong Kong cop comes to New York to attend the wedding of his Uncle Bill, who introduces him to his African-American bride-to-be Whitney at his supermarket, which he has sold to Elaine. Uncle Bill's friend Steven Lo loans him a vintage automobile for the wedding. That night, a street gang starts a motorcycle race near Uncle Bill's apartment. They are about to run over his friend's car until Keung jumps down and stops them. He soon starts a rivalry with the gang after driving them away from Elaine's supermarket, which they tried to rob and vandalize. A series of brawls breaks out in which the bikers try to corner Keung and finish him off. After one attack in which the gang members pelt glass bottles at him, Keung returns home badly injured. His neighbor Nancy, a lingerie dancer/associate of the bikers and her younger brother Danny, a Chinese-American paraplegic who's taken a liking to Keung, take care of him and clean his wounds.

When a gang member named Angelo gets involved in an illegal diamond deal gone bad and steals the diamonds, the small-time gangsters become the victims of a larger and more effective crime syndicate led by a man named White Tiger. While running away with the diamonds, Angelo hides them in a cushion which is unknowingly used by Keung for Danny's wheelchair. Keung befriends Nancy and while visiting her at the seedy club she works at, advises her to stay away from crime. When the gangsters see this, they chase Keung and Nancy. After failing to confront Keung, the bikers trash Elaine's supermarket, during which two of Angelo's men are captured by White Tiger's men, who turn up at the supermarket in search of Angelo. Angelo's colleagues are unaware of his diamond heist and one is executed in a tree-shredder; his remains given back to the other gangsters as a warning to return the multimillion-dollar goods. Keung and Nancy go to the bikers' headquarters after the latest supermarket attack, and Keung defeats them in another brawl.

Keung agrees to help the biker leader Tony, where he convinces the street gangsters to reform and brings the big-time criminals to justice. The syndicate and Keung discover the diamonds in Danny's wheelchair. The handover is botched after Nancy and Tony are held hostage by the syndicate and the diamonds are lost after they use a tow truck to destroy Elaine's supermarket. White Tiger's men hijack a hovercraft and are pursued by Keung and the New York Police Department in the Hudson River. The hovercraft ends up running through the streets, causing much damage to property. Keung ends the chase by stealing a six-foot, jagged-sword from a museum, clamping it onto the window of a Lamborghini Countach and driving into the hovercraft, shredding the rubber skirt and crashing the vehicle. After shooting one of the syndicate men non-fatally to force them to reveal White Tiger's location, Keung drives the repaired hovercraft to a golf course where White Tiger is playing with subordinates. Keung runs them over, leaving White Tiger naked on the ground.

Cast

 * Jackie Chan as Ma Hon Keung (T: 馬漢強, S: 马汉强, P: Mǎ Hànqiáng)
 * Anita Mui as Elaine
 * Françoise Yip as Nancy
 * Bill Tung as Uncle Bill Ma (T: 馬 驃, S: 马 骠, J: maa5 piu3, P: Mǎ Piào)
 * Marc Akerstream as Tony, leader of the gang
 * Garvin Cross as Angelo
 * Morgan Lam as Danny
 * Kris Lord as White Tiger, the syndicate boss
 * Carrie Cain Sparks as Whitney Ma
 * Elliot Ngok (Yueh Hua) as Walter Wah, the Realtor (T: 華, S: 华) (credited as Elly Leung)
 * Eddy Ko as Prospective market buyer
 * Emil Chau as Ice cream salesman
 * Alex To as Ice cream customer
 * Jordan Lennox as Jordan, a syndicate member with glasses
 * John Sampson as a syndicate member
 * Richard Faraci as a syndicate member with a ponytail who Keung subdues in Danny's apartment
 * Gabriel Ostevic as Gabriel, a syndicate member with a mustache who Keung knocks in the water in the boathouse
 * Terry Howsen as a syndicate member in a black suit
 * Mark Fielding as a syndicate member run over by the hovercraft at the golf course
 * Owen Walstrom as a syndicate member flying into a tree at the golf course
 * Ailen Sit as one of Tony's gang members with a mustache and ponytail, who speaks Cantonese in the supermarket and is the first one who Keung physically confronts
 * Alf Humphreys as a Police Officer
 * Rainbow Ching as Mrs Cheung, worker in supermarket mistaken by Keung as Bill's wife-to-be
 * Richard Epcar as gang member in a ponytail.

Production

In his autobiography, I am Jackie Chan: My life in Action, Jackie Chan talked about the initial difficulty of filming a movie in Vancouver that is set in New York. The production team initially had to put up fake graffiti during the day and take it all down during the evening, while simultaneously making sure that no mountains made it into the background. However, Chan decided that it was best that the production team focus on the action only without worrying too much about scenery. In his review, Roger Ebert notes that there are mountains in the background, which are not present in the NYC landscape. There is also an NYC helicopter which displays a Canadian civil registration (C-GZPM - A Bell JetRanger).

The original spoken dialogue consisted of all of the actors speaking their native language most of the time. In the completely undubbed soundtrack, available on the Warner Japanese R2 DVD release, Jackie Chan actually speaks his native Cantonese while Françoise Yip and Morgan Lam (the actors playing Nancy and Danny) speak English. All of the original dialogue was intended to be dubbed over in the international and Hong Kong film markets, and New Line Cinema overdubbed and slightly changed the original English dialogue.

During filming, Chan broke his right ankle while performing a stunt. He spent much of the remaining shooting time with one foot in a cast. When it came to the film's climax, the crew colored a sock to resemble the shoe on his good foot, which Chan wore over his cast. His foot still had not completely healed when he went on to shoot his next film, Thunderbolt (filmed the same year, 1994, but released earlier in the U.S.).

The film had a production budget of US$7.5-13 million.

Release
The film was the first Chinese film to be simultaneously released in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

New Line Cinema acquired the film for international distribution and commissioned a new music score and English dub (with participation from Jackie Chan). A scene of Keung's airplane flying into John F. Kennedy International Airport was added to the opening credits. Three scenes were added exclusively for the international version: a shot of the syndicate's car pulling up to the diamond deal, Keung and Nancy escaping from the nightclub after the bikers spot them together, and White Tiger taking a golf shot before a subordinate approaches him with his phone. None of these scenes were in the original Hong Kong release. In comparison to the Hong Kong version, 17 minutes of cuts were made, and the new English dub changed some of the context of the characters' conversations. Keung being a cop and having a girlfriend in Hong Kong is never mentioned. Keung's father being shot by a robber years ago is also not mentioned. In the New Line Cinema edit, Elaine buys the grocery store upon her first meeting with Uncle Bill, but in the Hong Kong version, she decides to buy the market at Bill's wedding.

The new soundtrack replaced Chan's song over the closing credits with the song "Kung Fu" by the band Ash, the lyrics of which mention Jackie Chan, as well as other Asian figures and characters ubiquitous in the west.

Box office
In Hong Kong, Rumble in the Bronx broke the box office record, earning HK$56,911,136, making it the highest-grossing film in Hong Kong up until then. In China, within ten days of release, the film grossed CN¥100 million (US$million) from million tickets sold at CN¥10 each. It set a record in Guangzhou, with CN¥3 million grossed in the city. It became the highest-grossing imported film in China up until then, grossing CN¥110 million (US$16.11 million). It was the year's eighth highest-grossing film in Taiwan, earning. In Japan, the film earned ¥635 million at the box office. In South Korea, it was the highest-grossing film of the year, selling 941,433 tickets and earning US$5.08 million.

The film was Chan's mainstream breakthrough in North America. When the film made its North American premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January 1996, the film drew overwhelmingly positive reactions from large crowds cheering loudly, comparable to a sold-out concert. It eventually got a wide release in February 1996. Opening on 1,736 North American screens, it was number one at the box office in its opening weekend, grossing US$9,858,380 ($5,678 per screen). It became one of the year's top 20 highest-grossing R-rated films, finishing its North American run with $32,392,047 (equivalent to US$69 million adjusted for inflation in 2021). In the United Kingdom, the film sold 130,583 tickets and grossed GB£801,290. In France and Germany, the film sold 493,756 tickets. In other European countries, the film sold 460,254 tickets.

It became Chan's biggest ever hit up until then, with a worldwide box office gross of US$76 million (equivalent to over US$154 million adjusted for inflation in 2021). It was the most profitable film of 1996, with its US box office alone earning over 6 times its US$13 million budget.

Critical response
When released in North America, Rumble in the Bronx received generally positive reviews, with most critics happy that a Jackie Chan film was finally getting a wide theatrical release in North America. On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating based on reviews from  critics, with an average rating of. Most critics praised the action, stunts, and Chan's charm, but found the plot and acting to be lacking.

Roger Ebert gave the film a positive review, rating it 3 out of 4 stars. His review for the Chicago Sun-Times stated: "Any attempt to defend this movie on rational grounds is futile. Don't tell me about the plot and the dialogue. Don't dwell on the acting. The whole point is Jackie Chan – and, like Astaire and Rogers, he does what he does better than anybody. There is a physical confidence, a grace, an elegance to the way he moves. There is humor to the choreography of the fights (which are never too gruesome). He's having fun. If we allow ourselves to get in the right frame of mind, so are we."

Nate Jones in The Daily Utah Chronicle rated the film $3 1/2$ stars. He described Chan as "the biggest action hero in the world" like a cross between Bruce Lee, Bruce Willis, Charlie Chaplin, and Harrison Ford, and said Chan "has brought the Kung-Fu action picture" genre "roaring back to life" in American pop culture. He praised the action choreography as "a masterfully seamless wave, proving that acting and fighting can coexist, if they're in the hands of a virtuoso." However, he criticized the English dubbing.

In a 1995 review for the Hong Kong Film Critics Society, Stephen Teo panned the film as "at best, an average Jackie Chan picture." He noted that despite the final hovercraft set piece, the action "is offset by the comedy underpinnings of the thin plot."

The film was featured in a 2015 video essay by Every Frame A Painting, calling attention to the fact that the movie was shot in Vancouver despite being set in the Bronx, where no mountain ranges are visible.

Awards and nominations
For the "Ben Knows" comedy TV spot
 * 1996 Hong Kong Film Awards
 * Winner: Best Action Choreography (Jackie Chan, Stanley Tong)
 * Nomination: Best Actor (Jackie Chan)
 * Nomination: Best Actress (Anita Mui)
 * Nomination: Best Film Editing (Peter Cheung)
 * Nomination: Best New Performer (Françoise Yip)
 * Nomination: Best Picture (Barbie Tang)
 * Nomination: Best Supporting Actress (Françoise Yip)
 * 1997 Key Art Awards
 * Winner: Best of Show – Audiovisual
 * 1996 MTV Movie Awards
 * Nomination: Best Fight (Jackie Chan)

Television
In the United Kingdom, the film was watched by 1.1 million viewers on BBC1 in 2008, making it the year's most-watched foreign-language film on BBC. It was later watched by 1.2 million UK viewers on BBC1 in 2009, making it the year's most-watched foreign-language film on UK television. In 2011, it was again the year's most-watched foreign-language film on UK television with 900,000 viewers on BBC1. Combined, the film drew at least million UK television viewership on BBC1 between 2008 and 2011.

Home video
The majority of DVD versions of the film contain the heavily edited US New Line Cinema cut, with the relevant dubs created for each market. However, other versions exist, which are closer to the original theatrical release.

Warner

 * A DVD was produced by Warner Brothers HK for Hong Kong and South Korea. This contains the New Line Cinema version with additional abridged Cantonese and Mandarin soundtracks. It has an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, but includes no English subtitles.
 * Warner Home Video also released a DVD in Japan of the Hong Kong version. This version contains the Hong Kong cut of the film. The dialogue is completely undubbed in a mono 2.0. However, its aspect ratio is cropped to 1.85:1 and contains no English subtitles.
 * In Hong Kong, a VCD containing the Hong Kong version in Cantonese, with newly generated English and Chinese subtitles was also released. It's 2.35:1.
 * A Blu-ray was released in the United States on 6 October 2015.

Thakral/Chinastar
It appears that a joint-distribution deal was made, with Thakral releasing the film in China, and Chinastar releasing it in Hong Kong. This version contains no credits, not even the film title, but is otherwise the Hong Kong version. There are no English subtitles and the ratio is roughly 2.10:1.

Speedy
Malaysian distributor Speedy released a VCD. As well as local censorship (for profanity - also featuring a substituted shots of Angelo insulting Keung), it has a slightly different Cantonese/English soundtrack (some characters are dubbed in Cantonese); there are English, Chinese and Malay subtitles languages. It is cropped to approximately 1:85:1 and distorted to 1:56:1.

Funny
The film had three separate DVD releases by Taiwanese distributor Funny. Two of these DVDs feature the Taiwanese Mandarin-dubbed version with embedded subtitles. One of these contains a Dolby 5.1 soundtrack only, whilst the other contains both Dolby and DTS soundtracks. The third release is a double-sided disc, featuring the Taiwanese Mandarin dub on one side and the English-dubbed New Line Cinema version on the other. Despite containing a dubbed soundtrack, these DVDs are the only releases to contain English subtitles for a Chinese version. All three are presented in 2.35:1.

4 Film Favorites

 * Another DVD was released as part of the 4 Film Favorites: Martial Arts collection. The release is exactly like the New Line Cinema version. The film is also attached to The Corruptor, Showdown in Little Tokyo, and Bloodsport.

title: Rumble in the Bronx


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History of skiing

Skiing, or traveling over snow on skis, has a history of at least eight millennia. The earliest archaeological examples of skis were found in Karelia (a region in western Russia on the border with Finland) and date to 6000 BCE. Although skiing's origins were purely utilitarian, the modern sport evolved from beginnings in Scandinavia, starting in the mid-1800s skiing became a popular recreational activity and sport, becoming practiced in snow-covered regions worldwide, and providing a market for the development of ski resorts and their related communities.

Etymology
The word ski comes from the Old Norse word skíð which means "cleft wood", "stick of wood" or "ski". In Old Norse common phrases describing skiing were fara á skíðum (to travel, move fast on skis), renna (to move swiftly) and skríða á skíðum (to stride on skis). Modern Norwegian and Swedish, however, do not form a verb from the noun. Other languages make a verb form out of the noun, such as to ski in English, skier in French, esquiar in Spanish and Portuguese, sciare in Italian, skiën in Dutch, or schilaufen (as above also Ski laufen or Ski fahren) in German. Finnish has its own ancient words for skis and skiing: "ski" is suksi and "skiing" is hiihtää. The Estonian suusk and suusatama are of the same Finno-Ugric origin. The Sami also have their own words for "skis" and "skiing": for example, the Lule Sami word for "ski" is sabek and skis are called sabega. The Sami use cuoigat for the verb "to ski".

Early archaeological evidence
The oldest information about skiing is based on archaeological evidence. Two regions present the earliest evidence of skis and their use: northern Russia, where the oldest fragments of ski-like objects, dating from about 6300–5000 BCE were found about 1,200 km northeast of Moscow at Lake Sindor, and the Altaic region of modern China where 5000-year-old paintings suggest the aboriginal use of skis, though this is still highly debated.

Rock carvings
The earliest Scandinavian examples of skiing date to 3000 or 4000 BCE with primitive carvings. An image of a skier holding a single pole or an ax with both hands, is found in Norway. The Rødøy carving shows skis of equal length. A rock carving at Norway, from about 1000 or 500 BCE depicts a skier seemingly about to shoot with bow and arrow, with skis positioned in an angle (rather than parallel) to offer good support. Rock drawings in Norway dated at 4000 BCE depict a man on skis holding a stick. Near the White Sea in Russia, rock carvings were discovered in 1926 and dated to 2000 or 2500 BCE. One of the White Sea carvings depicts hunting of big game with hunters on equal length skis. The hunters apparently used their bow and spear as poles.

5000-year-old wall paintings suggest skiing had also evolved separately in the Xinjiang region by the Tuvan people; however, this continues to be debated.

Ski samples
The first primitive Scandinavian ski was found in a peat bog in Hoting in Jämtland County in Sweden; it dates back to 4500 or 2500 BCE. In 1938 a ski was found from Salla, Finland that has been dated back to 3245 BCE. Noted examples are the Kalvträskskidan ski, found in Sweden and dated to 3300 BCE, and the Vefsn Nordland ski, found in Norway and dated to 3200 BCE. There are some 20 findings of ancient well-preserved skis found in drained bogs in Norway, indicating that skis have been widely used in Norway, particularly Northern Norway, since prehistoric times. Skis have also been uncovered in ancient graves. In 2014, a ski complete with leather bindings emerged from a glacier in the Reinheimen mountains, Norway. The binding is at a small elevated area in the middle of the 172 cm long and 14,5 cm wide ski. According to the report the ski is some 1300 years old. Many organic artifacts have been well preserved for several thousand years by the stable glaciers of Oppland county and emerge when glaciers recede. A ski excavated in Greenland is dated to 1010. Based on findings in the Nordic countries and elsewhere, researchers have identified at least three main types of ski: arctic, southern and central Nordic. The arctic type was short and covered with fur, and used from northern Japan in the east to Ob river in the west. The Sami people probably brought this type to the Nordic region. The southern type had one short and one long ski, and was used in forest areas of Southern Scandinavia and the Baltic countries. The central Nordic type also had one short with fur (the andor) and one long, and was used in large parts of Norway, Sweden and Finland.

In 2021, a well-preserved ski at 187 cm length and up to 17 cm wide was found near a shrinking glacier at an altitude of 1000 meters in Reinheimen (at a mountain plateau between Lesjaskogsvatnet and Skjåk), Norway. It is estimated to be 1300 years old (that is, from around the year 700). A ski found in 2014 at the same location (some five meters from last find) is believed to belong to the same pair so that the two skis constitute the world's oldest complete set. The skis are made of birch and have leather bindings.

Writings
The earliest known texts that mention skiing were written by a Western Han Dynasty era Chinese scholar estimated between 206 BCE and 225 BCE, and referred to people who had skied in the Altai Mountains. Another ancient text referring to skiing was made by the Byzantine scholar Procopius in the sixth century CE, who wrote of a people who skied that he called the “scrithiphinnoi,” or “sliding Sami".

Travel and transportation
Norse mythology describes the god Ullr and the goddess Skaði hunting on skis, Ullr and Skaði has later been regarded as the god and goddess of skiing and hunting. Early historical evidence includes Procopius' (around CE 550) description of Sami people as skrithiphinoi (or skridfinns) translated as "ski running samis" (Sami people were commonly referred to as Finn). Birkely argues that the Sami people have practiced skiing for more than 6000 years, evidenced by the very old Sami word čuoigat for skiing. Paulus Diaconus mentioned what may have been Sami and described how they chased animals by a twisted piece of wood that they painstakingly shaped to resemble a bow. Egil Skallagrimsson's 950 CE saga describes King Haakon the Good's practice of sending his tax collectors out on skis. The Gulating law (1274) stated that "No moose shall be disturbed by skiers on private land." The saga of King Sverre of Norway reports how Sverre, around the year 1200, sent troops on ski to patrol the Aker area near Oslo. During Sverre's siege of Tønsberg Fortress, soldiers boldly skied down the steep cliff. According to the saga, Haakon IV of Norway as a baby in 1206 was transported by soldiers on skis through the hills between Gudbrandsdalen and Østerdalen valleys, this event inspired modern-day Birkebeinerrennet ski marathon. Ski warfare, the use of ski-equipped troops in war, is first recorded by the Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus in the 13th century. The speed and distance that ski troops are able to cover are comparable to that of light cavalry. Swedish writer Olaus Magnus's 1555 A Description of the Northern Peoples describes skiers and their climbing skins in Scricfinnia in what is now Norway. The garrison in Trondheim used skis at least from 1675, and the Danish-Norwegian army included specialized skiing battalions from 1747 – details of military ski exercises from 1767 are retained. Skis were used in military exercises in 1747.

In 1799, French traveler Jacques de la Tocnaye visited Norway and wrote in his travel diary: Norwegian immigrants used skis ("Norwegian snowshoes") in the US Midwest from around 1836. Norwegian immigrant "Snowshoe Thompson" transported mail by skiing across the Sierra Nevada between California and Nevada from 1856. In 1888, Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen and his team crossed the Greenland icecap on skis. Norwegian workers on the Buenos Aires - Valparaiso railway line introduced skiing in South America around 1890. In 1910, Roald Amundsen used skis on his South Pole Expedition. In 1902, the Norwegian consul in Kobe imported ski equipment and introduced skiing to the Japanese, motivated by the death of Japanese soldiers during snowstorms.

Sport

The first recorded organized skiing exercises and races are from military uses of skis in Norwegian and Swedish infantries. For instance, details of military ski exercises in the Danish-Norwegian army from 1767 included downhill in rough terrain, target practice while skiing downhill, and 3 km cross-country skiing with full military backpack. Slalom (Norwegian: slalåm) is a word of Norwegian origin that has entered the international skiing vocabulary. In the 1800s, skiers in Telemark challenged each other on "wild slopes" (ville låmir), more gentle slopes had the adjective "sla". Some races were on "bumpy courses" (kneikelåm) and sometimes included "steep jumps" (sprøytehopp) for difficulty. These 19th-century races in Telemark ran along particularly difficult trails usually from a steep mountain, along timber slides, and ended with a sharp turn ("Telemark turn") on a field or icy lake.
 * 1809: Olaf Rye was first known ski jumper.
 * 1843: First public skiing competition ("betting race") held in Tromsø, Norway on March 19, 1843. Also the first skiing competition reported in a newspaper.
 * 1861: First ski clubs: Inderøens Skiløberforening founded in the Trøndelag region of Norway (possibly in 1862). Trysil Skytte- og Skiløberforning founded 20 May 1861 in Trysil. Onion Valley Snow Shoe Club formed January 1861 in California. Skiing established in Australia at Kiandra, which led to the founding of the Kiandra Snow Shoe Club. Ski racing as an organised sport commenced in America.
 * 1862: First public ski jumping competition held at Trysil, Norway, January 22, 1862. Judges awarded points for style ("elegance and smoothness").
 * 1863: First recorded female ski jumper at Trysil competition.
 * 1864: From January 1864, "Trondheim Weapons Training Club" organized regular training and competition races (cross-country and jumping), in Trondheim, Norway.
 * 1872: The oldest ski club in North America still existing is the Nansen Ski Club, which was founded in 1872 by Norwegian immigrants of Berlin, New Hampshire under a different name.
 * 1878: On the occasion of the Exposition Universelle in Paris, the Norwegian pavilion presented a display of skis. This ancient means of locomotion drew the attention of visitors who bought many of them. Henry Duhamel experimented with a pair at Chamrousse in the Alps.
 * 1879: first recorded use of the word slalom.
 * 1884: First pure cross-country competition held in Trondheim when ski jumping was dropped from the annual competition.
 * 1893: Franz Reisch made first descent on skis at Kitzbühel
 * 1893: William Adolf Baillie Grohman started skiing in the Tyrol with his family using four pairs of skis sent from Norway as a present.
 * 1893: Henrik Angell introduced skiing in Montenegro.
 * November 1895: creation of the Ski Club des Alpes in Grenoble by the friends of Henry Duhamel, to whom he had distributed 14 pairs of skis acquired during his trip to Finland
 * 1898: Canadian championships in ski jumping and ski-running won by Olaus Jeldness
 * 1904: First ski race in Italy, at Bardonecchia.
 * 1905: foundation of the Czech national ski association
 * 1905: foundation of the U.S. national ski association.
 * 1905/1906: The notion of "slalom" (Norwegian: "slalåm") was used for the first time at a race in Sonnenberg. Skiing between poles with flags called "Wertungsfahren" at Münchenkuggel.
 * 1906: A slalom race was held in Oslo.
 * 1907: First International Ski Competition, between Montgenevre (in France) and Claviere (in Italy).
 * 1908: Sir Arnold Lunn founded the Alpine Ski Club
 * 1908: The Kiandra Snow Shoe Club of Australia held an "international contest" of "ski running".
 * 1922: start of the Vasaloppet.
 * 1922: Arnold Lunn created modern slalom competitive skiing.
 * 1922: First team ski race event at a Varsity Trip between Oxford and Cambridge Universities.
 * 1924: formation of the International Ski Federation, also the first Winter Olympics.
 * 1924: Kandahar Ski Club formed in Mürren, Switzerland
 * 1929: Norwegian instructors arrived in Sapporo and train Japanese in ski jumping.
 * 1931: FIS international slalom contest.
 * 1932: start of the Birkebeinerrennet
 * 1936: Winter Olympics included downhill race.
 * 1950: FIS officially included Giant Slalom in its alpine events
 * 1952 Winter Olympics: Women's Nordic skiing included for first time
 * 1957: Doug Pfeiffer created modern freestyle skiing
 * 1959: The FIS officially required the wearing of helmets in all races
 * 1960: Cable network CBS bought the rights to show the Olympic Winter Games, marking the first time instant-replay is utilized in the sport
 * Paralympic cross-country skiing included at the 1976 Winter Paralympics.
 * 1980: After the cross-country skiing event at the Olympic Winter Games was won by 0.01 seconds, the FIS was forced to change the precision of the timing in the events
 * 1992: Mogul skiing and freestyle skiing added to the 1992 Winter Olympics.
 * 2002 Winter Olympics: Appearance of sprint and mass start cross-country events in Salt Lake City.
 * 2009: campaign for the inclusion of women's ski jumping led to its inclusion in the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Recreation

 * 1820: A newspaper in Oslo, Norway carries an advertisement for the sale of skis
 * 1849: First public "ski tour" organized in Trondheim, Norway.
 * 1868: Mountain resorts became commercially viable when city-dwellers could reach them in winter by train.
 * 1895: The first yearly "ski book" releases in Norway
 * 1901: First skiing in the Pyrénées on January 29 at La Llagonne (Pyrénées-Orientales, France).
 * 1904: The first English book written about skiing, titled Ski-running
 * 1908: Ski vacations are being advertised and sold in England
 * 1910: First rope tow.
 * 1923: Museum of skiing opens in Norway
 * 1936: The first chair lift is introduced at Sun Valley, Idaho
 * 1939: the Sno-Surf is patented in the USA. Made of solid white oak, it had an adjustable strap for the left foot, a rubber mat to hold the right foot, a rope with a loop used to control speed and steer, and a guide stick used to steer. The first commercially successful precursor to the snowboard, the snurfer, was introduced in 1965.
 * 1952: The first major commercial snow-making machinery installed at Grossinger's Catskill Resort Hotel in New York state, USA.
 * 1970s: Telemark skiing undergoes a revival possibly inspired by Stein Eriksen and his book Come Ski With Me.

Skis
Asymmetrical skis were used at least in northern Finland and Sweden up until the 1930s. On one leg, the skier wore a long straight non-arching ski for sliding, and on the other a shorter ski for kicking. The bottom of the short ski was either plain or covered with animal skin to aid this use, while the long ski supporting the weight of the skier was treated with animal fat in a similar manner to modern ski waxing. An early record of this type of skis survives in the works of Olaus Magnus. He associates them to Sami people and gives Sami names of 'savek' and 'golos' for the plain and skinned short ski. Finnish names for these are lyly and kalhu for long and short ski.

The seal hunters at the Gulf of Bothnia had developed a special long ski to sneak into shooting distance to the seals' breathing holes, though the ski was useful in moving in the packed ice in general and was made especially long, 3–4 meters, to protect against cracks in the ice. This is called skredstång in Swedish.

Around 1850, artisans in Telemark, Norway, invent the cambered ski. This ski arches up in the middle, under the binding, which distributes the skier's weight more evenly across the length of the ski. Earlier plank-style skis had to be thick enough not to bow downward and sink in the snow under the skier's weight. Norheim's ski was also the first with a sidecut that narrowed the ski underfoot while the tip and tail remained wider. This enabled the ski to flex and turn more easily.

In 1950, Howard Head introduced the Head Standard, constructed by sandwiching aluminum alloy around a plywood core. The design included steel edges (invented in 1928 in Austria, ) and the exterior surfaces were made of phenol formaldehyde resin which could hold wax. This hugely successful ski was unique at the time in having been designed for the recreational market, rather than for racing. 1962: a fibreglass ski, Kneissl's White Star, was used by Karl Schranz to win two gold medals at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships. By the late '60s, fibreglass had mostly replaced aluminum.

In 1975, the torsion box ski construction design is patented. The patent is referenced by Kästle, Salomon, Rottefella, and Madshus, but in fact, torsion box skis became common beginning in 1962 with the introduction of the Dynamic VR7 and VR17 race skis. In 1993, Elan introduced the Elan SCX. These introduced a new ski geometry, common today, with a much wider tip and tail than waist. When tipped onto their edges, they bend into a curved shape and carve a turn. Other companies quickly followed suit, and it was realized in retrospect that "It turns out that everything we thought we knew for forty years was wrong." The modern Twin-tip ski was introduced by Line in 1995.

Bindings
In the early days of skiing the binding was also similar to those of a contemporary snowshoe, generally consisting of a leather strap fastened over the toe of the boot. In the 1800s, skiing evolved into a sport and the toe strap was replaced by a metal clip under the toe. This provided a much greater grip on the boot, allowing the ski to be pushed sideways. The heel strap also changed over time; in order to allow a greater range of motion, a spring was added to allow the strap to lengthen when the boot was rotated up off the ski.

This buckled strap was later replaced by a metal cable. The cable binding remained in use, and even increased in popularity, throughout this period as cross-country skiing developed into a major sport of its own. Change eventually came through the evolution of the Rottefella binding, first introduced in 1927. The original Rottefella eliminated the heel strap, which held the boot forward in the binding, by drilling small holes in the sole of the boot which fit into pins in the toe piece. This was standardized as the 3-pin system, which was widespread by the 1970s. It has now generally been replaced by the NNN system.

The introduction of ski lifts in 1908 led to the evolution of alpine skiing as a sport. In the past, skiers would have to ski or walk up the hills they intended to ski down. With the lift, the skiers could leave their skis on and would be skiing downhill all the time. The need to unclip the heel for cross-country use was eliminated, at least at resorts with lifts. As lifts became more common, especially with the introduction of the chairlift in 1936, the ski world split into cross-country and downhill, a split that remains to this day.

In 1937, Hjalmar Hvam broke his leg skiing, and while recuperating from surgery, invented the Saf-Ski toe binding.

Boots

Ski boots were leather winter boots, held to the ski with leather straps. As skiing became more specialized, so too did ski boots, leading to the splitting of designs between those for alpine skiing and cross-country skiing.

Modern skiing developed as an all-around sport with uphill, downhill, and cross-country portions. The introduction of the cable binding started a parallel evolution of binding and boot. Boots with the sole extended rearward to produce a flange for the cable to firmly latch became common, as did designs with semi-circular indentations on the heel for the same purpose.

With the introduction of ski lifts, the need for skiing to get to the top of the hill was eliminated, and a much stiffer design was preferred, providing better control over the ski when sliding downhill.

Glide and grip
Johannes Scheffer in Argentoratensis Lapponiæ ("History of Lapland") in 1673 probably gave the first recorded instruction for ski wax application He advised skiers to use pine tar pitch and rosin. Ski waxing was also documented in 1761.

1934 saw limited production of solid aluminum skis in France. Wax does not stick to aluminum, so the base under the foot included grips to prevent backsliding, a precursor of modern fish scale waxless skis. In 1970 waxless Nordic skis were made with fishscale bases. Klister, a sticky material, which provides grip on snow of all temperatures that has become coarse-grained as a result of multiple freeze-thaw cycles or wind packing, was invented and patented in 1913 by Peter Østbye. Recent advancements in wax have been the use of surfactants, introduced in 1974 by Hertel Wax, and fluorocarbons, introduced in 1986, to increase water and dirt repellency and increase glide. Many companies, including Swix, Toko, Holmenkol, Briko, and Maplus are dedicated to ski wax production and have developed a range of products to cover various conditions.

Poles
Early skiers used one long pole or spear. The first depiction of a skier with two ski poles dates to 1741. In 1959 Ed Scott introduced the large-diameter, tapered shaft, lightweight aluminum ski pole.

Early adaptations of the ski pole featured wood or metal baskets above the tip. These designs were deemed too heavy, and following the conclusion of World War II, it became much more common to make the baskets out of some plastic material, a practice which has continued until today.

In order to better adapt to different styles of skiing, modern skiers use a slightly different pole for each type of skiing. In racing, the poles are typically a much lighter weight, featuring a curve and durable design. Cross country and freestyle skiing utilize much longer, straight poles, so as to make it easier for the skier to reach the ground while traversing the mountain. This is particularly important in the uphill portions of the courses featured in cross country skiing.

Goggles
The invention of the modern ski goggle came in the 1960's with the creation of the double-lens ski goggle. Created by Bob Smith, an orthodontist from Sun Valley, Utah, these goggles allowed for air flow behind the lens in order to limit fogging and improve the skier's vision. Although uncommon, injuries to the user's eyes were still occurring due to the use of fragile materials in the lenses of many goggles. It wasn't until the ASTM passed regulations for the materials with which ski goggles could be made from that this issue was addressed. This specification stated that goggles "...required the lenses to be made either of tempered glass or one of the available lens plastics, CR-39 or polycarbonate." The strength of these materials was deemed to be shatter-resistant enough for use in ski goggles, though polycarbonate is the best choice of these three. Despite these findings and analysis, in 1984, shortly after the passing of these regulations, it was found that "the mix of lens materials was approximately 78% glass, 11% plastic, and 11% polycarbonate."

Many modern iterations of ski goggles feature technology which allows the skier to quickly swap the type of lens in their goggles, without needing to bring multiple pairs along with them. The lens of these goggles is typically held in place using magnets or a switch system, and the replacement of these lens can allow the user to swap the amount of tint through which they look to adapt to different lighting situations.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: History of skiing


text:
Riddim

In Jamaican dancehall music, a riddim is the instrumental accompaniment to a song and is synonymous with the rhythm section. Jamaican music genres that use the term consist of the riddim plus the voicing (vocal part) sung by the deejay. A given riddim, if popular, may be used in dozens—or even hundreds—of songs, not only in recordings but also in live performances.

Since the 1970s, riddims have accompanied reggae music and through the 1980s, more widely known as dancehall. As seen in dancehall music, there is a voicing part – sung by the DJ – over some riddim that has probably been widely used in many other songs. There is a unique establishment in the combination of riddims and voicing.

By 1993, Jamaica finally established a copyright act, but producers still face difficulty in establishing profit. Through proper registration, many artists now work on negotiating their royalties and taking it more seriously. The unique nature of dancehall and riddims have been highly influential on the numerous remixes that now circulate throughout R&B and hip-hop music.

Definition
Some classic riddims, such as "Nanny Goat" and "Real Rock" both produced by Clement "Coxsone" Dodd, are essentially the accompaniment tracks of the original 1960s reggae songs with those names. Since the 1980s, however, riddims started to be originally composed by producers/beatmakers, who give the riddims original names and, typically, contract artists to voice over them. Thus, for example, "Diwali" is the name not of a song, but of a riddim created by Steven "Lenky" Marsden, subsequently used as the basis for several songs, such as Sean Paul's "Get Busy" and Bounty Killer's "Sufferer."

"Riddims are the primary musical building blocks of Jamaican popular songs.... At any given time, ten to fifteen riddims are widely used in dancehall recordings, but only two or three of these are the now ting (i.e., the latest riddims that everyone must record over if they want to get them played in the dance or on radio).... In dancehall performing, those whose timing is right on top of the rhythm are said to be riding di riddim.

Bass culture
The bass culture of Jamaican sonic sensibilities is characterized with less emphasis on melody and large emphasis on the drum beats and low frequency bass vibrations to draw attention to the social grounding to the culture. These aspects of Jamaican music are expressed visually through the Dancehall choreography and its African inspired folk traditions, which emphasize earthly connection through flat-footed stamping and “bumper-grinding sexually explicit choreography, where the bass note is struck by the body itself—displaying its fecundity and celebrating its fertility”. This bass culture is also embodied sonically by the music's heartbeat, the bass lines often described as riddims, produced in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These riddims offer a sonic foundation on top of which different other sounds are incorporated to form innumerable versions.

Usage
Riddims are the instrumental background (the rhythm section) of reggae, lovers rock, dub, ragga, dancehall, soca, bouyon, Sega and also reggaeton, which itself is largely based on the Dem Bow and Fish Market riddims by Steely & Clevie from the early 1990s.

In other musical contexts, a riddim would be called a groove or beat. In most cases, the term riddim is used in reference to the entire background track or rhythm section, but in older roots riddims, riddim is used to reference a certain bass line and drum pattern. Often a melody is associated with the riddim, and occasionally an artist will produce two different songs with the same riddim (e.g. Elephant Man's "Ele Melody" and "Father Elephant" were both produced using the Kopa riddim, produced by Supa Dups). Riddims began forming popular in the early 1960s with the evolving role of the DJ. The work of DJs became less of shouting throughout points during a song, but more focused on an aesthetic with the voicings over these instrumental riddims. A specific DJ, DJ U-Roy, revolutionized the practice with studio recordings of these DJ voicings as his recordings skyrocketed on the charts in Jamaica in the 70s, thus leading to the beginning stages of dancehall. Riddims, therefore, became the standard practice for dancehall as it has progressed. Today, the same practices combining riddim and voicing still takes precedence in dancehall. Other live performances like at clubs or along the streets feature the use of sound systems in which there are usually medleys of different songs that all use the instrumental accompaniment.

Whilst mainly reggae-based music, an emerging electronic music genre as a sub-genre of dubstep also called riddim has recently emerged.

Types
African in origin (see clave (rhythm) and bell pattern), riddims can generally be categorized into three types. One of the oldest types of riddim is the classical riddim providing roots reggae, dub, and lovers rock with instrumentals, such as Bam Bam, produced by Sly & Robbie. The second type is the ragga riddim backing raggamuffin and dancehall songs, such as the Juice riddim, produced by Richard "Shams" Browne. The third type is the digital riddim, such as Sleng Teng, Punaany Riddim & Duck Riddim produced by King Jammy.

A number of riddims take their name and influence from African-Jamaican religious drumming such as the Kumina riddim, created in 2002 by Sly and Robbie, and Burru.

Producers
Different producers often develop their own versions of the same riddim, such as the Punanny riddim, which has distinct versions crafted by Steely & Clevie and by Ward 21, the Buzz Riddim, which was produced by Troyton Rami & Roger Mackenzie and officially launched dancehall deejay Sean Paul into superstardom ("Gimme the Light" from the Buzz Riddim won him his first Grammy for Best Reggae Album). Different artists often perform on top of the same riddims with different lyrics and different vocal styles, ranging from singing to toasting. As an example, Beenie Man's song "My Wish", Mr. Vegas' song "Go Up", and T.O.K.'s "Mana Bad Man" are all based on the Juice riddim. Many riddims are named after the song that was recorded on that instrumental track for the first time (or, in some cases, the song that becomes the most popular on a given riddim). For example, the Satta Massagana riddim is named after the Abyssinians' original song "Satta Massagana".

title: Riddim


text:
Wikipedia:Multilingual statistics

Rankings
Ranking as of 1st October, 2008

 * For the most up to date rankings, see List of Wikipedias.

Article count, monthly totals
The table below shows the article count for the first day of each month for the currently functioning Wikipedia projects. The multiple horizontal tables were replaced on July 15, 2004 by a single vertical one. An effort has been made to ensure that every language with an active Wikipedia project has been listed — but if you notice a particular language that has been left out, please do something about it! The purple squares indicate a decline in article count.

Article count, monthly change
The following table shows the net monthly growth or decline of each Wikipedia project, by setting out the number of new articles, minus deletions, since the previous monthly count.

See also Complete list of language wikis available

Wikipedia Statistics
See Wikipedia Statistics for lots of charts (to january 31 2009).

Wikipedia Interactive Statistics
Day by day interactive graphs of articles, files and other data are also available at Wikipedia Interactive Statistics page.

title: Wikipedia:Multilingual statistics


text:
Talk:Randal L. Schwartz

Formerly mentioned issues
All issues formerly mentioned here have been resolved. (If you disagree, please either fix the article or raise the issue again.)

Usenet post about Star Wars
Some mention should be made here that Schwartz posted what is believed to be the first Usenet article to mention Star Wars in 1982. DLCinMaine 23:45, 18 December 2005 (UTC)

 * It wasn't the first post to mention Star Wars... it was probably the first post to mention Episode Six (getting the name wrong as the interim "Revenge of the Jedi") - the details are at http://groups.google.com/support/bin/static.py?page=timeline.html --Randal L. Schwartz 01:35, 24 December 2005 (UTC)

Merlyn?
Shouldn't the nickname Merlyn be explicitly stated somewhere in the first paragraph? Frankie

Expungement
Although Schwartz has been legally expunged, shouldn't the information about his history remain? It seems to me quite an important part of computer legal history and it should either be documented on his biography page or referenced by his biography page. — Chris Page 20:55, 27 February 2007 (UTC)
 * WP:BLP - he has asked for it to be removed, it is legally non-existent, so it shouldn't be here. — RevRagnarok  Talk Contrib 21:23, 27 February 2007 (UTC)

 * I am troubled by the concept of removing it entirely. The original case was clearly notable, and the expungement is notable too.  I feel that there should be some mention of it, even if it's something like, "Schwartz was involved in a lawsuit filed by the State of Oregon, Oregon v. Schwartz.  Schwartz was originally found guilty, but on later review it was determined that the judgment was in error, and his record was expunged."  That's neutral and covers the situation.  I guess I'm thinking about if other people were curious about Schwartz's status, and came to his Wikipedia bio to find out the latest, there should be some mention of the fact that his name has been cleared. --Elonka 00:43, 28 February 2007 (UTC)

 * First, there was never a lawsuit. Second, nobody found "the judgement in error".  This was just time ticking away, pure and simple. --Randal L. Schwartz 03:33, 28 February 2007 (UTC)

 * It is not "legally non-existent." It is notable, it is verifiable, so it SHOULD be here, and I am adding it back with a notice about the expungement. 216.144.201.98 03:38, 28 February 2007 (UTC)

 * I agree with Chris and Elonka that it should be mentioned "somewhere." What do you folks think about spinning it off into a second article, where this article can simply have a seealso? The case is important to computer history in general as an event, but it is kind of a thing where he got stuck with the short straw; something like this could've happened to any number of consultants. He is notable enough with Perl contributions, etc, to warrant an entry without the case. — RevRagnarok  Talk Contrib 15:50, 28 February 2007 (UTC)

 * Should whether or not Randal got stuck with the short straw be a factor here? That it is a notable event, and verifiable, is enough, isn't it?  And while Randal is clearly notable apart from this -- no question there -- this is something he is well-known for.  Not having it on his page would be like not having the Lewinsky affair on Bill Clinton's page.  It's a big part of his public history, whether he was a victim or not, and removing this from his biography seems exceedingly odd.  If there is a policy I don't know about that justifies removing well-known and important events from someone's page just because they make him look bad, please let me know; otherwise, I think it has to stay.

 * All that said, I wouldn't mind shoving the details off into a separate article. Maybe have this article just say "Schwartz is well-known for his involvement in State of Oregon vs. Randal Schwartz."  Doesn't even have to say he was convicted and that it was expunged, I think, so long as that is all made clear on the linked-to page. I am not out to make Randal look bad, and I understand what I think are his concerns, and I agree they are legitimate, but I also don't think erasing this from history is reasonable, even if it is expunged, as it is an important and well-known case. Pudge 03:22, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

 * Just FYI, I'm paying attention to the thread, and will be correcting any factual errors, but I'm abstaining from trying to influence the result. I take full responsibility for the legacy I have left behind me, both good and bad.  Whatever the WP-community decides to write or not write, separate or merge, is something I must ultimately include in the legacy as well.  Thanks. --Randal L. Schwartz 14:40, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

 * I second what pudge is saying. It's significant, it's noteworthy, the facts of what happened need to be recorded.  I previously tried to address this with the editor that first removed the information, but got nowhere.  I'm glad the broader community is taking a look.
 * IMO, this should be pretty much addressed the way FORS has chosen to address it, as of today (they explain how things came out, link to the expungement (so should we), etc.). And, to Randal ... personally, the fact that I think you have left a good legacy through all of this is part of why I think the facts should be reported in this encyclopedia, not left out.  I think most other folks would tend to view it that way, as well. Jdavidb (talk • contribs) 04:15, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

 * Interesting discussion. I'm not sure if you can say most other folks would view it that way without asking more people, though!  At this moment, there seems to be an imbalance in the article and there isn't much said about Perl (which I'm more interested in finding out).  Anyway, setting aside the "should we" discussion, no one has brought up the irony that if the records have been legally expunged, technically, the main source of the information is gone.  Of course, hundreds of links about it can be found through Google, but despite there being many, "technically-speaking", none of them can be verifiable anymore, either.  And isn't this one of the requirements of Wikipedia articles?  Of course, the entire section doesn't have to be deleted because (interestingly), the fact that it was expunged is probably public -- only what was expunged is now gone.  Anyway, just wanted to mention this -- Wikipedia articles have to be verifiable, but now there's this gray area...  Or have I misunderstood what "expunged" means?? --Rayjapan (talk) 09:26, 30 December 2007 (UTC)
 * Cite a specific source and make a case for it no longer being verifiable, and we'll have something to discuss, I suppose. --- tqbf  09:30, 30 December 2007 (UTC)
 * Is there a need to cite something? The article already cites a Case Summary of State of Oregon vs Randal Schwartz that says the case is sealed. That should be enough to say that the information is gone and there is no longer a verifiable source anywhere in the world... Generally speaking, what is Wikipedia's policy with regards to something that was verifiable at some time but is no longer verifiable? --Rayjapan (talk) 05:58, 5 March 2008 (UTC)
 * Legally speaking it never happened. As far as the law is concerned he was never charged, never tried, never convicted, and so on.  Also, there are no records available to the public anywhere.  So technically the whole matter is unverifiable hear-say as, if you go to the court house, there will be no records available to you.  It should be removed. 67.160.160.123 (talk) 02:46, 17 July 2008 (UTC)
 * "There are no records available to the public anywhere..." except for all those newspaper articles, that is.
 * Let me also state my respect for Mr. Schwartz regarding his above acceptance of responsibility for his legacy.Holzman (talk) 14:23, 19 September 2008 (UTC)

FLOSS Weekly, but not Geekcruises News-es?
If you feel my little part-time gig being a co-host on FLOSS Weekly is encyclopedic, I'd offer that I'm far more attached in my 61-episodes-and-counting weekly podcast for Geekcruises: Geekcruises news-es: The Podcast. I'd suggest either adding GCN (because it's more important than FLOSS), or dropping FLOSS (since it's a tiny part of my life). --Randal L. Schwartz 21:29, 22 July 2007 (UTC)

Whatever happens, I think that FLOSS should stay; it's a broadcast and it definitely seems like a public part of your life, and therefore probably worthy of mention. 207.172.144.167 (talk) 18:11, 20 November 2010 (UTC)

Ironically... 10 years later, GCN is long gone, and I've turned FLOSS Weekly into a large enough publication that I'm constantly getting emails from PR agents who want their client to be included. I'm glad nobody acted on my request from 10 years ago. :) Randal L. Schwartz (talk) 23:50, 2 August 2017 (UTC)

Neutrality of the materials about the criminal case
Although you've flagged the paragraph as "pov", the link to the Steve Pacenka site is referenced, which is a neutral site containing many transcripts and government filings which will allow people to form an opinion for themselves. If you need further hoisting of the balancing material from that site, feel free. --Randal L. Schwartz (talk) 01:55, 26 November 2007 (UTC)
 * Fair enough. I'd like to balance the paragraph a bit more. I'm not sure a site titled "Friends of Randal Schwartz" can be called neutral. I've reduced the tag to an inline; my concern is specific to the one paragraph. --- tqbf  02:18, 26 November 2007 (UTC)
 * The site's name came from the "friends of randal schwartz" mailing list, but was designed from the beginning to be neutral, and accepted all verified materials. I can understand the confusion though. --Randal L. Schwartz (talk) 02:22, 26 November 2007 (UTC)
 * The purpose of this archive is to help prevent what happened to Randal Schwartz from happening to any other well-intentioned computing professional. Let's agree to disagree about the neutrality of the site, which I am familiar with. We're probably discussing less than 10 words in the article; I'll try to get them up ASAP. Thanks for the polite response. --- tqbf  02:29, 26 November 2007 (UTC)

I've taken a SWAG at it. I'm treading lightly, working directly from the court materials. Here's what I have to say about this: the Intel case is what Schwartz is primarily notable for. Schwartz' name obviously appears regularly in speaker bios and Perl articles, but virtually every piece written about Schwartz I can find in reliable sources is about the case. I do have a point: instead of cramming the pro/con of the case into 2 grafs, can't we expand this a bit, with a full graf for the prosecution's argument and for Schwartz' defense? Also, the case belongs in the article lede. --- tqbf 18:45, 26 November 2007 (UTC)
 * If you'll accept a google search as counter-evidence, please search for "Randal Schwartz" in google. Less than 1 hit in 5 is about the legal case in the first page.  Please consider that when you talk about "primarily".  Maybe primarily to you, but not to what people are linking to. --Randal L. Schwartz (talk) 19:17, 26 November 2007 (UTC)
 * Continuing that rationalization, "randal schwartz intel" is about 10,000 hits (yes I know it's an approximation), while "randal schwartz perl" is about 60,000 hits. And Perl isn't even the only other thing I do. --Randal L. Schwartz (talk) 19:19, 26 November 2007 (UTC)
 * I'm working from WP:N, A topic is presumed to be notable if it has received significant coverage in reliable sources that are independent of the subject., and observing that this article excludes from its lede something its subject is indisputably notable for. I don't doubt subject's immense contributions to the Perl community are noteworthy, but do assert that coverage in mainstream news outlets --- those with a reputation for fact checking and with intense editorial scrutiny --- tends towards the court case.
 * I'm not looking for an argument. I observe only this:
 * The article could be improved by adding the court case to the article lede.
 * The section on the court case could be improved, probably to the subject's benefit, by being expanded to at least 1 graf for the defense and 1 graf for the court's findings. --- tqbf  19:26, 26 November 2007 (UTC)
 * I think there's already more than enough information in the article on the legal case. The subject, Schwartz, was convicted as a felon, and then through considerable effort was able to have his record expunged.  I think that, per WP:BLP, we should respect that, and minimize the information about the case here in the bio.  I don't think we should delete it entirely, as it was clearly a notable event, but I see no need to further expand that section of the article. Schwartz's primary notability is in regards to his writing about Perl, not about the legal case. --Elonka 19:33, 26 November 2007 (UTC)
 * I understand that you believe the subject's Perl work is more notable than the court case. That is your POV. I disagree, and cite as evidence the majority of articles written about the subject in reliable sources. --- tqbf  19:36, 26 November 2007 (UTC)
 * I would assume you consider articles written about the books and magazine articles I've published and classes I've taught and conferences at which I've appeared as relevant. If that's the case, then the Perl items are far more numerous than the case-related items. I question your ability to count. :) --Randal L. Schwartz (talk) 19:57, 26 November 2007 (UTC)
 * I feel like we're about to devolve into a discussion about the relative merits of O'Reilly blogs versus The Washington Post. Even the first news hit for "Randal Schwartz Perl" is an article about the court case. Please note that the majority of what is returned in a Google search does not qualify as a source for a WP:BLP. --- tqbf  20:05, 26 November 2007 (UTC)
 * WP:WEIGHT still specifies that the article be weighed. I don't think any properly attributed material should be removed, and in that we see eye to eye. Nor, do I think POV should be called into question. Anyone, at the least, can submit a rewrite to this talk page for review. I do agree with Randal though, while I feel the criminal case made Randal a much higher profile character, he deserves more on the side of Perl but not by way of deleting the case. EvanCarroll (talk) 20:42, 26 November 2007 (UTC)
 * Happily conceded: the article should feature the Perl work more prominently than than the court case. The problems then are twofold:
 * There isn't enough coverage of the subject's notable Perl work to balance the court case details
 * As a result, the "weight" allocated to the court case provides clumsy coverage for the case.
 * Both should be expanded, the court case to the exact degree necessary to effectively convey the details of what happened, neutrally, and no further; the Perl material to the greatest extent possible in a WP:BLP. This doesn't seem like a tricky problem. --- tqbf  20:47, 26 November 2007 (UTC)

Regarding WP:BLP --- the standard BLP demands is that everything in the article be rigorously sourced. It does not demand that we defer to a POV regarding the validity of the conviction. --- tqbf 20:07, 26 November 2007 (UTC)

Related to Cat Schwartz?
Not sure how common the last name Schwartz is, or if Schwartz is really eithers given last name (though Cat is now married), but was wondering... Should be included, if so.  -JT    17:07, 24 December 2007 (UTC)

 * Maybe we should institute a policy of logical assumptions, I see one datum that would suggest they are related, and zero that would suggest otherwise; therefore, all evidence is in favor of conclusion: all Shwartzs are in fact blood-kin. EvanCarroll (talk) 17:31, 24 December 2007 (UTC)

 * If you notice my home page, I have a paragraph about "Am I related to any other famous Schwartz folks?". Answer: no. :) --Randal L. Schwartz (talk) 18:02, 30 December 2007 (UTC)

If you will stop and think about it: The name Schwartz (in various spellings) is equivalently as common as the name Black. Schwartz is the German word for black. (I also find the un-intended (and 'til now, un-noted) pun "Black Cat" rather amusing.)

re comment by E. Carroll -- "All cats look black in the dark." :) [Which I believe began as a German homily... though the sentence would look rather differently if 'twere only been transliterated. :] 97.82.191.66 (talk) 19:06, 6 September 2010 (UTC) mds imblient@hotmail.com

Reducing the number of weblinks at the end of the article
I've made it a point to aggregate all of my dynamic content to my friendfeed, and to list all of my "interesting" URLs at my Google Profile. Other than what anyone thinks defines me better than the things I'm saying about myself, you could probably reduce most of those links to these two. Per policy, I'll let y'all decide. --Randal L. Schwartz (talk) 17:35, 2 August 2009 (UTC)

Instructor
While cleaning up the Instructor disambiguation page, I noticed that this person's infobox lists him as an "instructor," but nothing in the article refers to this occupation. I've removed "instructor" from the infobox - if it is replaced, please wikilink it to teacher or professor. Thanks! --SquidSK (1MC•log) 13:39, 13 November 2009 (UTC)
 * I believe he taught a workshop at Ohio LinuxFest in 2010, but OLF's website has the 2011 content now, so I can't find a citation for that until I find my program from last year's event. Macoafi (talk) 12:55, 22 August 2011 (UTC)

BLP
The current "Conviction" section is huge (relatively speaking) and not particularly well cited. I spoke personally with Randall at an event recently, and while he was very reasonable about staying hands off on the article entirely, it was evident that having a great deal of Wikipedia coverage of something that was expunged from the legal record was not fair to him. Think about if, for instance, a potential employer encountered it. It could really hurt him personally, which would be unfortunate since he already went through the legal process of getting it sealed. I don't think we should remove it entirely (not even close), but it might be nice to scale it back to emphasize that the record was expunged. Any objections? Steven Walling 20:13, 7 March 2010 (UTC)
 * It's been a month and no one has responded to object, so I'm going ahead with some pruning. Steven Walling  20:28, 16 April 2010 (UTC)

Removed my Squeak Board currency
Was on the Squeak Board for about five years, but didn't make the cut this past year. Figured it was safe to enter my own edit, since it's factual. Randal L. Schwartz (talk) 03:08, 10 January 2014 (UTC)

Add some reference to my current work with Dart and Flutter
My friends were surprised that this doesn't mention my work with Google's Dart and Flutter ecosystems. I've been a Dart/Flutter Google Developer Expert for five years, and regularly participate in livestreams and published articles and videos. I'm also essentially "unpaid devrel" for this product area on various Slack, Discord, Subreddits and Stack Overflow. I also provide commercial consulting services for Dart and Flutter projects. Randal L. Schwartz (talk) 19:40, 10 June 2023 (UTC)

title: Talk:Randal L. Schwartz


text:
Wikipedia talk:International wikipedias statistics

could so clean up the opera weirdo characters ? I promise I will not approach that page any more, so my browser won't mess it afterwards :-)


text:
Talk:Wave equation

Removed
The basic equation is:

 * $$v = f \lambda$$

 * I'm not sure it should be removed. Although "perfectly correct", it's the same as listing the differential-only forms of Newtonian mechanics -- correct, but not useful.

 * Perhaps you (or I) should add it back in a section describing specific solutions, such a standing wave patters, or in this case, singletons.

Fair enough. as it stood it was confusing and seemed unrealed to the differential equation this article is about -- Tarquin 13:11 Jan 6, 2003 (UTC)

Not sure if this is the right way to suggest this,(bit of a beginner with wikipedia) -- surly the above formula should be in the article as it's the basic formula and very widely used, i was looking for it when i searched "wave equation". Sorry again if this is the wrong way of suggesting.

scalar or vector?
the function in search, u, is scalar or vector-valued? i.e. when is it what?

Unless we have departed from classical mechanics, space only has three dimensions.
The introduction contains: "and one or more spatial variables x1, x2, ..., xn (variables representing a position in a space under discussion)"

It is obscure why the author has chosen to deal with n-dimensional space in the article whose preamble clearly addresses classical physics: "waves or standing wave fields – as they occur in classical physics ..." (my emphasis)

The introduction of n-dimensions is clearly misleading and should be removed.

Gpsanimator (talk) 21:50, 18 December 2023 (UTC)

 * Sorry I only partly agree. We should depart from classical mechanics: the article is named "wave equation" not "classical wave equation". However we don't want to go into quantum here, just any aspect directly related to the differential equation per the short description.
 * It also seems suitable under the topic to discuss n-dimensional wave equation. However I agree 100% that this aspect need not be in the introduction.
 * Overall the article seems to be focused on physics in 3 or less real dimensions, a good choice. A section on n-dimensions and on complex valued wave equations seems appropriate especially as summaries of other Wikipedia articles. Johnjbarton (talk) 00:30, 19 December 2023 (UTC)
 * I performed an 'undo' on the recent changes from due to overloading of the word Amplitude, and with it removed the earlier edit changing n dimensions to just 3.  My mistake - sorry about that.  A change to 3 dimensions seems reasonable to me, and (pending outcome here) it probably makes sense for that change to be restored.  Chumpih  t 02:06, 19 December 2023 (UTC)
 * I am pleased that we have partial agreement on the edits, that's great!
 * You say:"We should depart from classical mechanics:", but I have to draw your attention to the opening sentence of the abstract: "The (two-way) wave equation is a second-order linear partial differential equation for the description of waves or standing wave fields – as they occur in classical physics" (my emphasis)
 * The article is indeed about waves in classical physics.
 * You " performed an 'undo' on the recent changes from Gpsanimator due to overloading of the word Amplitude", but all I did was to selectively replace the word "displacement" with "amplitude" since the former clearly refers to an amplitude measured in a distance property, while "amplitude" more appropriately can be applied to properties of distance, pressure, magnetic field, gravitational field or light intensity - all equally well defined by the wave equation.
 * I note you have also removed my edits restricting the space dimensions to 3 from n.
 * Is it possible to restore my edits? Gpsanimator (talk) 02:25, 19 December 2023 (UTC)
 * Regarding "classical physics", my point is that this phrase can be deleted without altering the title of the article. A "wave equation" is a particular second order differential equation. In fact I think the lede sentence is simply incorrect. Johnjbarton (talk) 02:51, 19 December 2023 (UTC)
 * The wave equation arises as the solution to real-world phenomena. The second order differential equation is proposed to describe the propagation of waves in acoustics, light, E-M radiation, gravitational waves etc. These phenomena only exist in the 3-dimensions of classical space.
 * Sure, as an exercise in mathematics, or theoretical physics, you might chose to experiment with the equation in more dimensions, but in the "real world" they only exist in 3 dimensions.
 * Let's not over-complicate the issue, it's difficult enough in 3 dimensions. Gpsanimator (talk) 06:23, 19 December 2023 (UTC)
 * @Chumpih Please open a separate topic next time. Johnjbarton (talk) 02:30, 19 December 2023 (UTC)
 * I understand your request was directed to @Chumpih, but I'm not quite sure I follow. Can you give me an example of what you're looking for? Gpsanimator (talk) 02:38, 19 December 2023 (UTC)
 * Your topic was Unless...three dimensions. @Chumpih's topic was "I performed an undo". Now we have two topics. So we have to preface every reply with "regarding dimensions" or "regarding undos". That is why the Talk page has an "Add topic" feature. Johnjbarton (talk) 02:42, 19 December 2023 (UTC)
 * Thank you for the clarification. I see your point. Gpsanimator (talk) 03:40, 19 December 2023 (UTC)
 * I was merely giving context for my removal of the 'n to 3' edit, which is in scope of this section. The discussion here of displacement versus amplitude is indeed out of scope, and per WP:BRD (if you're in to that) it would be for someone else to create the section.  Chumpih  t 03:13, 19 December 2023 (UTC)
 * I'll create a new talk topic "displacement vs amplitude" where we can arm-wrestle that topic. Gpsanimator (talk) 03:46, 19 December 2023 (UTC)
 * I wonder how you would react to a suggestion that we replace all references to x1, x2, x3 with x, y, z respectively? Gpsanimator (talk) 01:27, 1 January 2024 (UTC)
 * Not unreasonable to me, but I don't have a strong opinion here.  May I suggest you create another section on the matter to see if consensus can be found?  Then again, that sounds like a lot of typing for something that might prove totally uncontroversial, and acceptable to the watchers.  So perhaps just go in with an edit per WP:BRD and be later forgiven (or not)?  Chumpih  t 01:41, 1 January 2024 (UTC)
 * OK, thanks, will do. Gpsanimator (talk) 00:09, 2 January 2024 (UTC)
 * Regarding dimensions, do you have a reference that shows classical wave equations only exist in 3 or less dimensions? I don't think that is true. I think you can have wave equations in any number of dimensions. Johnjbarton (talk) 02:45, 19 December 2023 (UTC)
 * re:"I think you can have wave equations in any number of dimensions" Can you offer a reference in the context of classical physics?
 * I don't think it's necessary for me to offer a reference since in classical physics space only, and always, has three dimensions. However wave theory is often presented in one or two dimensions in order to simplify the maths. Gpsanimator (talk) 03:53, 19 December 2023 (UTC)
 * Classical mechanics, eg Hamiltonian mechanics, Hamilton-Jacobi equation and the like all use multi-dimensional spaces, eg configuration space (physics) or phase space. That part is entirely the same as in quantum mechanics. In QM the equations just have operators, and QM certain works with multidimensional wave equations.
 * In addition, surfaces of constant action form "wavefronts", see Hamilton's optico-mechanical analogy. In optics these surfaces are EM wavefronts so they should obey the wave equation.
 * Having said that, I am surprised to admit that I can't find a ref for >3 dimensional non-QM wave equation. Given all the obscure corners of physics I would expect this one to be covered ;-) I concede the point about dimensions and raise a separate topic for the lede "classical". Johnjbarton (talk) 06:24, 19 December 2023 (UTC)
 * To quote Feynman :
 * Mathematicians, or people who have very mathematical minds, are often led astray when “studying” physics because they lose sight of the physics. They say: “Look, these differential equations—the Maxwell equations—are all there is to electrodynamics; it is admitted by the physicists that there is nothing which is not contained in the equations. The equations are complicated, but after all they are only mathematical equations and if I understand them mathematically inside out, I will understand the physics inside out.” Only it doesn’t work that way. Mathematicians who study physics with that point of view—and there have been many of them—usually make little contribution to physics and, in fact, little to mathematics. They fail because the actual physical situations in the real world are so complicated that it is necessary to have a much broader understanding of the equations.
 * Space has three dimensions of distance. Let's not lose sight of the physics. Gpsanimator (talk) 01:38, 23 December 2023 (UTC)
 * Some physics not in your sight:
 * Pedagogical Introduction to Extra Dimensions Thomas G. Rizzo
 * Spacetime
 * Kaluza–Klein theory
 * Large extra dimensions
 * Universal extra dimensions
 * But let's also not lose sight of our basic agreement that this article has the right content for the intended audience. Johnjbarton (talk) 01:59, 23 December 2023 (UTC)
 * So, we'll stay with 3 dimensions, right? Gpsanimator (talk) 09:08, 23 December 2023 (UTC)
 * I wonder how you would react to a suggestion that we replace all references to x1, x2, x3 with x, y, z respectively? Gpsanimator (talk) 01:26, 1 January 2024 (UTC)

Indiscriminate use of "displacement" for the general solution of the wave equation.

 * Displacement typically refers to the physical movement of a point or particle from its original position. In an acoustic wave, the pressure changes are not caused by particles physically moving to new positions (although the particles do oscillate slightly around their equilibrium positions). Instead, they are caused by the compression and expansion of the medium (air, water, etc.) as the wave propagates.
 * Pressure is a scalar quantity, meaning it has magnitude but no direction. Displacement, on the other hand, is a vector quantity, meaning it has both magnitude and direction. Thus, calling the pressure changes a displacement implies a directional aspect that isn't quite accurate.

Whilst "displacement" is appropriate int the case of the transverse wave of vibrating string, or a ship's wake, it is not appropriate as the solution of a wave equation for other longitudinal wave phenomena such as the pressure in an acoustic wave, the electric field in an electromagnetic wave, the intensity of light in a light wave or the intensity of the gravitational field in a gravitational wave.

I have suggested that the term "amplitude" would better describe the solution of the wave function, but am open to suggestions as to a better word. I certainly think that displacement, used 18 times in the article, is in indiscriminate use of a narrow term that detracts from the scalar aspect of the solution of a wave equation. Gpsanimator (talk) 06:01, 19 December 2023 (UTC)

 * For sure, Amplitude is not an improvement. It already has a definition in this context.
 * When describing the phenomenon in several contexts, displacement an appropriate and commonly used term.
 * Pond water wave: In a pond wave, 'displacement' refers to the vertical distance that a point on the water's surface moves from its equilibrium position. This term captures both the upward and downward movement of water particles as the wave passes. In deeper waves, the motion is more circular, but again 'displacement' isn't inappropriate.
 * Sound wave: In acoustics, 'displacement' can refer to the small changes in position of air molecules from an equilibrium due to the pressure variations inherent in sound. While the term "pressure deviation" is also pertinent, 'displacement' specifically refers to the physical movement of the particles, which is what creates the sound wave.
 * Plucked string: In the case of a string instrument, 'displacement' describes the distance a point on the string moves from its rest position. When a string is plucked, each point of the string oscillates, creating waves that travel along the string, and 'displacement' aptly names the momentary aspects of this movement.
 * Shift and deviation are also applicable in various contexts but are less specific than displacement:
 * Shift is a more general term that can imply a change or movement from an original position, but it doesn't explicitly convey the oscillatory nature of wave motion.
 * Deviation suggests a divergence from a norm or standard (like ambient pressure in the case of sound waves), but it doesn't inherently imply a movement, and it also carries other meanings. It's not so widely used in this context, as far as I see.
 * So it would appear that displacement is an adequate term for describing the movement.
 * You state that the use of the word displacement is "indiscriminate" in the article. Can you please provide an example of such indiscriminate use? Chumpih  t +ai 12:59, 19 December 2023 (UTC)
 * I used "indiscriminate" in the sense of not showing careful thought or planning: This implies doing something without considering the consequences.
 * Your three examples above clearly demonstrate my point. All three refer to distance. You have overlooked the application of wave mechanics to the wider applications where the displacement is not distance:
 * I am not skilled in Wiki editing, but check the line containing "is a term for how the displacement accelerates,"
 * acoustics where the displacement is pressure,
 * light where the displacement is intensity,
 * EM radiation where the displacement is magnetic or electric field.
 * Referring to the second differential of distance w.r.t time (as an "acceleration" is perfectly valid, but referring to the second differential of pressure, intensity or electric field as "acceleration" as is done in the article  is clearly misleading. Gpsanimator (talk) 20:33, 20 December 2023 (UTC)
 * P.S. I would challenge your explanation of a sound wave. Displacement in a sound wave does not refer to "small changes in position of air molecules" at all.
 * It refers to changes in the pressure in the transmission medium (air, water, rock etc.) Gpsanimator (talk) 21:48, 20 December 2023 (UTC)
 * There's a purpose here to be educational. And while it's probably fair that 'displacement' isn't ideal for every application of the wave equation, it's arguably good enough for many of the circumstances, and gets the idea across even for the media where it's not as accurate.  Shift and deviation aren't as good, per arguments above.  And distance begs the question "distance from what?".  We could have some compound phrase like "magnitude of change from a resting state", or some alternative, but that seems clumsy.  And in many circumstances such a phrase would be synonymous with the word displacement.  We already have a symbol throughout the article, $u$, and that makes plenty of appearances.  But if the goal is to educate, there should be verbal descriptions, too, so we probably shouldn't delete the descriptions for less equation-loving readers .  The question remains: what word would be an improvement?  Chumpih  t 22:26, 20 December 2023 (UTC)
 * I still don't see what's wrong with amplitude. I think the linked description of Amplitude as "Measure of change in a periodic variable" is misleadingly limited. A quick search for a definition of amplitude turns up:
 * In Physics and Waves:
 * Displacement: For waves and vibrating objects, amplitude is the maximum displacement of a point from its rest position. This can be the distance a wave peak is above the equilibrium point or the distance a pendulum swings away from its central position.
 * Magnitude: More generally, amplitude refers to the magnitude of a periodic variable, like the change in air pressure for a sound wave or the voltage swing of an alternating current.
 * Which, I think quite nicely covers all bases. Gpsanimator (talk) 00:45, 23 December 2023 (UTC)
 * Britannica Dictionary definition of AMPLITUDE
 * : a measurement that indicates the movement or vibration of something (such as a sound wave or a radio wave) Gpsanimator (talk) 01:34, 23 December 2023 (UTC)
 * Per your other definitions amplitude is the maximum displacement. So using amplitude instead of displacement might muddle the concepts - amplitude is 'peak-to-peak' or similar, whereas the wave equation considers the instantaneous and local.  Chumpih  t 08:23, 23 December 2023 (UTC)
 * Amplitude may have those overtones, but displacement is quite specifically a property of space: not pressure, volume, field strength or loudness!.
 * And the second differential of pressure, volume, field strength or loudness is not acceleration! Gpsanimator (talk) 09:12, 23 December 2023 (UTC)
 * Is there any evidence to suggest displacement is not acceptable terminology in this context? Are there reliable sources that show another word or phrase being used in preference to displacement?
 * Here's a page: Wien's displacement law. The title itself illustrates a wider applicability of the word displacement. Chumpih  t 05:08, 27 December 2023 (UTC)
 * The Shorter Oxford Dictionary defines displacement "2. Physics. The amount by which anything is displaced; the difference between the initial position of a body an a subsequent position"
 * And, position: "the place occupied by a thing"
 * All of which clearly and indisputably involve the idea of position as a location in space.
 * The explanation in the Article, of the second differential of the wave function as "a term for how the displacement accelerates," also reinforces this narrow interpretation of the wave equation defining a displacement in a spatial dimension, whereas it has a much wider applicability as the intensity, amplitude or strength of pressure, electrical charge, light intensity, sound etc. being modelled in the wave equation.
 * These are the reasons that displacement is far too limiting to be used generally as the interpretation of the solution of the wave equation.
 * I have suggested amplitude as being more generally applicable and the abandonment of the term "acceleration" to generally refer to the second differential w.r.t. time. Gpsanimator (talk) 23:04, 30 December 2023 (UTC)
 * Thanks for that. So there doesn't appear to be any reliable sources that show another word or phrase being used in preference to displacement in this context.
 * Is there an issue with the Wien's displacement law use of the word displacement? Its presence solidly refutes the notion that displacement is quite specifically a property of space.
 * If it helps: consider the case of plotting the pressure in a tube as a line on a chart - the higher the line at some point, the higher the pressure. (X is position along the tube.) As the pressure raises or lowers due to some wave, the line goes up or down - the value is displaced.  Chumpih  t 23:31 + 23:45, 30 December 2023 (UTC)
 * Can we at least agree that to call the second differential w.r.t. time of pressure in acoustics, or of an electric field in an EM wave, an acceleration is misleading? Gpsanimator (talk) 21:11, 31 December 2023 (UTC)
 * Yeah, that's a fair point. An edit has been made to the page - do with it what you will.  Chumpih  t 00:56, 1 January 2024 (UTC)

The "wave equation" is not classical
The current lede starts: This is a definition of the topic of the article, but the subject "wave equation" would be correctly divided in to "classical wave equation" and "quantum wave equation". I will write a new first sentence that omits the classical and add a sentence explaining the limits placed in this article. Johnjbarton (talk) 06:29, 19 December 2023 (UTC)
 * The (two-way) wave equation is a second-order linear partial differential equation for the description of waves or standing wave fields – as they occur in classical physics – such as...

 * Please don't. I think the quantum wave equation is covered in Wave Function. Gpsanimator (talk) 19:55, 20 December 2023 (UTC)
 * Wave function is not an equation, it is a solution to an equation. Johnjbarton (talk) 23:02, 20 December 2023 (UTC)

title: Talk:Wave equation