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Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Jan Feb 2005

"Apple in the Chapel" incident at Knox
This was a notorious incident in Australia quite a while ago. Can anyone give me a references to an article, or point me in the right direction? Doug Mulray got sued by Knox I believe. - Ta bu shi da yu 01:41, 1 Jan 2005 (UTC)
 * This is really a long stretch...are you referring to the Hobart chapel blaze in May, 2003 in Brisbane?

--allie 02:26, 26 Jan 2005 (UTC) Oh - in Glenorchy? Not that familiar with the territory...anyway, here you go: Let me know if that works. Check my user page for the "Twurled World" site and dig. It's where I found it.
 * No, this issue happened in Sydney, and it was during the 90s. See Talk:Knox Grammar School- Ta bu shi da yu 05:24, 27 Jan 2005 (UTC)

controlled aviation simulator
Do you have any info on a controlled aviation simulator? The disk is not a game and does not have a joy stick...but more,   Thanks and Happy New Year, Adrianna, @ ... awire253yahoo.com

Electro Plating metals
I am involved in restorstion of motor cars and need to do small scale plating. Specificaly Copper, Chrome and cadmium. What do I need to get started ? What are the chemicals and their "Recipes" required ? How is it done ?

Thanks for helping, Bennie.

 * Try the electroplating and Chrome plating articles. Copper can be plated onto things by using copper sulfate. If the metal you are plating onto is less active than copper (eg. iron, zinc, aluminium - see reactivity series) you may not need any external electric current. Cadmium is quite toxic; I have no idea how to cadmium plate things. Alphax (t) (c) (e) 03:47, Feb 3, 2005 (UTC)

Fighter Lead-In Trainer Course
Hi there, I am looking for a place where they train conduct FLIT course. Preferably from the European countries and allow the contract be handled by an agent, i.e. not a G-to-G thing.

Thank you.

electronics fluorescent light
please i want u to send me some literature review about electronics fluorescent light.i need it to complete my project.please you can send it to my mail if icant get the reply right now. my mail is clementito_1@yahoo.com. thanks

A rubbish question
Why is it that, no matter what you put in the rubbish bin, it always smells the same? Is there some kind of chemical released by all foods when it decomposes? My housemates theorized that there must be a chemical reaction with the bin liner, but that is a lame hypothesis. And the above question on colour is a very poignant one too.

 * There seems to be a small group of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are produced by the putrescence of rubbish. These include putrescine and cadaverine.  See here for some more detailed chemistry. --Heron 15:00, 10 Jan 2005 (UTC)

I wonder if it's also likely that your rubbish bin tends to smell the same since, over the average week, you tend to put the same things in it. Of course, to see if this is true, you ought to seek out the bins of people who are likely to have a different diet to yourself and give their bins a good sniffing. I think any problems of a social nature that may arise from this activity would be more than compensated by your increased wisdom.

Alternatively you could wuss out and decide that next week you are going to have a themed diet in the household: see what happens if you and your co-habitees live entirely on cake for 7 days. Surely that's an experiment with broad appeal? --62.255.64.4 00:42, 16 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * FWIW, if you add about 100 cigarette butts to a bin, it doesn't have bin-smell anymore. Alphax (t) (c) (e) 01:00, Feb 10, 2005 (UTC)

first world war veteran
Hi, I am looking for any information regarding my great uncle.

 * Hmm. IP says you're probably British. But, really, give us a smaller target next time... if you can tell us where he was from, we can tell you where to look for the information.
 * If he died in the war, the Commonwealth War Graves Commision website will have an entry for his grave, and a small amount of related information. Mind you, he was a veteran of it, so probably didn't... The National Archives have a set of interesting leaflets on researching various topics here; specifically, you might find  this useful.
 * If you collate all the information you have on him - where he lived, his full name, dates of birth, anything you know he did in the War - you may find this a very useful way of helping search for information, or decide if information is relevant (if he was an officer, for example, this opens up a whole new set of possible sources; if he won a specific medal ditto, since the citation will be filed somewhere). If he was in the Army, knowing battalion and regiment is very useful; if in the Navy, ship names.
 * Genealogy websites may also prove useful, although the first half of the century is a bit of a blackspot - it's recent enough that many of the records are still private due to the fact the people in them may be living, but old enough that they're often not easily available.
 * Hope this helps - we really don't have information to help you with individual people, but we can point you towards relevant resources. Shimgray 17:46, 9 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Dryer lint
So... why is clothes dryer lint almost always (95%?) bluish in colour? Rhymeless (Er...let's shimmy)  06:00, 10 Jan 2005 (UTC)
 * Perhaps due to the non-binding nature of indigo dye. Rmhermen 06:23, Jan 10, 2005 (UTC)
 * Mine is usually light grey to blue-grey. ike9898 20:00, Jan 11, 2005 (UTC)
 * When I shared a flat, and a dryer, with a woman, it was clear whose dryer lint was whose. I wore "guy" colours, she lighter and more "girly" ones, and so my lint was blue or black or grey and her's tended to be pink or white or yellow.  As neither of us was terribly good about cleaning the lint-trap, several strata of lint would build up.  On removing it, one could clearly see (a la dendrochronology) who had done what washes and in what order. -- John Fader 01:54, 12 Jan 2005 (UTC)
 * The article on belly button fluff has, loosely, I believe a scientific explanation somewhere.--Wonderfool 13:12, 13 Jan 2005 (UTC)
 * True. Dr Karl Kruszelnicki has done research on this that won him an Ig Nobel Prize.  But it's all in th belly button fluff article as Wonderfool said :) -- Chuq 21:11, 3 Feb 2005 (UTC)

What is dryer lint?
Does it come from the fibers that make up your clothes, or is it more like dust particles from the environment that collect on the clothes? ike9898 20:00, Jan 11, 2005 (UTC)

 * I'm pretty sure it's mostly clothes. Mine tends to include quite a bit of Kleenex tissue in addition.  Some small fraction is probably hair, dead skin, whatever.  moink
 * I'm surprised that old clothes continue to lose fibers, even after many dryings. ike9898 21:47, Jan 22, 2005 (UTC)
 * Not surprising at all, i think, because these are not whole fibers but small broken off ends. Notice how a garment ages, becoming softer as it's worn and washed; that reflects lessening cohesion between adjacent fibers as they break off where they come closest most often, from the stress that is makes the closth stiff. An old enough garment actually gets thinner as well as softer. --Jerzy(t) 22:32, 2005 Jan 22 (UTC)

yaws
In the religious context or the seaworthy one? Either way, it's yaw singular. --allie 00:55, 24 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Or perhaps the disease yaws? (nobody ever has just one) alteripse 04:57, 25 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Problems occuring when cancelling unstable poles
I'm revising for an exam on classical control theory and have a few problems.

What are the shortcomings of using the cancellation process in the light of uncertainties in the values of the system parameters?

Also, if I have the system G(s) = 1 / (s-1.5)(s^2+s+1) and have to design a stabilizer of the form C(s) = [k(s^2+as+b)] / (s^2+cs+d), how would I go about this?

anon

 * Are you taking MIT PhD qualifying exams this week like I am? (which by the way, all of you who may remember me, is why i'm so seldom around).

By "the cancellation process" I presume you mean pole-zero cancellation. It's a somewhat reasonable strategy for stable poles, if you have a pretty linear, well-modeled system, but a BAD BAD BAD idea for unstable poles. Here's why: Our models of systems are never perfect. As you mention, there will always be uncertainties in the values of the system parameters. That translates into uncertainties in the positions of the poles. And of course, these "linear, time invariant" systems we're always talking about are just idealizations. Very little is ever truly linear, we just linearize about the operating point. So if the operating point moves a touch, our model is just a bit off at that point, and oops, the zeros we decided to put on top of those poles are a little bit off. Uh-oh. Unstable poles. They'll have small residues, yes, due to the proximity of the zeros, but something starting small and growing to infinity is just as scary in the long run as something that starts bigger and grows to infinity.

It's even a bad idea to use pole-zero cancellation on stable but "slow" poles. Again, you'll significantly reduce the magnitude of their residues, therefore making them unimportant (relative to other effects) right at zero, but if they stick around long enough they'll start to become dominant. It's really a better idea, in my opinion, to put some zeros way out in the left half-plane somewhere where they can suck in the poles as the gain increases and speed up and stabilize the whole system. That is, if you aren't trying to limit high-frequency noise...

As to your second question, I guess it depends on what your goal is. Do you have particular requirements for your control system? That plant transfer function you have there is pretty simple, just a real pole and a complex conjugate pair. I'd probably do a PD or phase lead if I wanted to increase the damping ratio or speed the system up. But that controller transfer function you've got there looks like a filter aimed at particular frequencies. Depending on the values you choose, it could be a bandpass filter or a notch filter. If I were you I'd use Bode methods to design the controller. And get some requirements. Like, do you have a bandwidth requirement? Are you trying to limit noise in a certain frequency range? If that's the extent of a test question, your prof doesn't know what she's doing. moink

False color images in astronomy
I understand that many of the astronomical images we see in magazines, etc. are actually black and white images that have had color added. But -Why not just take color images to begin with? -Is the choice of added colors based on anything other than aesthetic appeal? -What a about relatively close objects like planets, are some of these pictures in true color? ike9898 20:07, Jan 11, 2005 (UTC)

 * I've always thought the colors were supposed to convey information; e.g., green indicates the surface is primarily silicon dioxide, blue indicates water-ice, or some such thing. Michael Hardy 03:37, 14 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * Reasons include:
 * The original image was infra-red, x-ray, or some other non-visible part of the spectrum. In order to render into a human visible form, some mapping between the "invisible colours" and the ordinary "visible spectrum" colours must be made. Such a mapping is of necessity somewhat arbitrary.
 * The original image, while technically in colour, occupied only a narrow band of the visible spectrum. To make details more apparent, the spectrum is "dilated": so things that in "reality" would be slightly green turn into things that are very green, etc.
 * The final image is a composite of different source images of different types.
 * Or simply that features of different types have been coloured (at a person's behest) or otherwise enhanced differently for didactic purposes.
 * -- John Fader 20:18, 11 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * As to planets: yes, many of the photos you've seen of Mars, Saturn and Jupiter are more normal colour images, largely because those planets are interesting to look at in the "normal" part of the spectrum. Still, there are plenty of artificial-colour images of all, particularly with planets like Venus which are uninteresting in the visible spectrum.  But even though a telescope or probe's camera has a gamut that is roughly like your eye, that doesn't mean that those planets would look just like that if you were near them, looking at them with your naked eye; the detector will have different response characteristics across the spectrum.  There was, for example, much debate about which was the "correct" way to post-process colour images from the recent Mars landers - some ways make the sky look the rose/red people expect, others make it appear almost blue, and it's debatable which (if any) is "correct". -- John Fader 20:29, 11 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * Consider (as a pleasantly weird example) Hubble's newer "normal" camera, Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2. It features broad-response (i.e. black and white) CCDs.  Between it and the source are mechanically interposed a filter (one of 48, mounted on a wheel, I think).  So the operators can pick one of 48 different response curves.  And by taking the same photo through different filters the resulting images can be combined to give a huge range and scope of response characteristics.  There's even one filter slide that has a graduated filter, so (by carefully placing the target at the point in the filter with just the desired frequency range) the operator has really accurate control of filtering (per STSCI).  All in all this is a system of colour vision so utterly unlike the one your eye uses that really all HST-WFPC2 images (which is pretty much every Hubble image you see in the media) are, and have to be, false colour. -- John Fader 21:09, 11 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * The popular press, from your local newspaper to National Geographic, will insist on bringing visually interesting images to their readers. That means colour. Colour—or coloured—images will be requested or selected for publication even if specialists use greyscale ones for their own analysis. For example, how often do you see pure greyscale MRI or CT (aka "CAT") images in the popular press? And yet I do not believe you will see a radiologist make a diagnosis from a coloured image of these modalities. In fact, it has been the norm in many hospitals to render these inherently digital formats on film (inevitably greyscale) for use on lightboxes; this is gradually changing as hospitals find high-quality computer displays more affordable. --Sharkford 14:34, 2005 Jan 12 (UTC)

 * Black and white (monochrome) images are probably more common in astronomy because they're much easier to accomplish. A monochrome image is a map of the intensity of radiation emitted by an object within a certain band of the electromagnetic spectrum, such as the visible spectrum.  A color image also contains information as to the specific wavelength of light.
 * A camera that captures all of this additional information simultaneously is much more difficult to build than one that produces simple monochrome. AFAIK, spacecraft produce color images by taking a series of several monochrome images in different spectral bands.  For instance, they might take one image in the red wavelengths, another in the greens, and another in the blues.  The combination of these three images would produce what we know as "true color".
 * Alternatively, they might take pictures in three (or two or four) radio wavelength bands. For several reasons, not least because we can't see radio, these images are printed in the visible spectrum, producing "false color". --Smack (talk) 05:59, 17 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * P.S. in response to Michael Hardy: Yes, false-color images do often convey information as to the chemical composition of an object. However, I think it's ignorant to believe that someone comes in and applies false color based upon chemical data.  I would guess that the image is the source of this data.  Take a photograph at a wavelength corresponding to an absorption band of a molecule, and your photo will be a map of the presence of that molecule. --Smack (talk) 05:59, 17 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Bonnie Raitt
What is the similarity between her music and Rhythm and Blues? I know this is how she discribes her music, but I don't get it. They two don't seem very similar to me. ike9898 02:16, Jan 12, 2005 (UTC)

 * My guess would be that the rationale is that Blues shares a kinship with both R&B and certain forms of "Country music", Bluegrass, or folk music. Check out American roots music. --Dante Alighieri | Talk 18:47, Jan 29, 2005 (UTC)

English French
Are there any words that are pronounced exactly the same in both French and English? I would've thought the old reliable taxi would be, but my fr-eng dictionary puts a difference between the pronounciation: tæcsi for English, and tacsi for french. So i thought if taxi isnt the same, then surely no word woudl be.even French words borrowed from English, and viceversa, have been frenchised or englishised. Anybody spotted any?--Wonderfool 09:48, 12 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * Many Americans (though no Brits) pronounce "garage" in a very French way: accent on the second syllable, rolled "j" sound, etc., although the first vowel tends to be slightly off (a schwa rather than a pure "ah", but that sound is slightly off when they try to speak French, too!). Or how about "entente" and "detente"? -- Jmabel | Talk 19:24, Jan 12, 2005 (UTC)

 * It depends on whether you're looking at a phonemic or phonetic level. French /t/ is pronounced at the teeth, or dentally, whereas English /t/ is an alveolar consonant pronounced at the ridge at the top of the mouth. Also, the final  in entente and détente reflects a central, voiceless and very reduced vowel similar to the English schwa. So if you're looking at French and English at a phonetic level, there will virtually always be articulatory differences. P.S. Any word that has orthographic  you can pretty much forget about—it's a retroflex approximant in English but a uvular continuant in French. :-\ --Gelu Ignisque

 * I may be answering my own question here, but I was lookin thru a big Collins Fr-Eng dictionary last night, pondering this and found none such - there was the 'r' being rolled or the 'i' being slightly diffrent or wotever. but, there were 2 words i did track down as having the exact same phonetics: Peppy and pépi; and messy and messie. I took about an hour to find those bloody words. Damn the uber-curious mind I have. And somehow, I was expecting a Jmabel reply.Its appreciated. --Wonderfool 12:58, 13 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * French orthographic  is IPA [e], though, whereas the first vowel in English peppy is [(lowercase epsilon)] in that same transcription. The first is tense and front while the latter is lax and central. English messy is stressed on the first syllable, whereas messie, if it is a French word, is stressed on the last. --G.I.Q.

 * dude, you're right.that peppy and messie thing was wrong, lookin back.So I decide that there are, in fact, no words are the same--Wonderfool 12:58, 14 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Equality of the genders
In just about every society I have heard of where there is a big fuss about the equality of the genders, this assertion of equality seems to be specifically a denial that women are inferior to men. What, if any, major cases exist of assertion of the equality of the genders being specifically a denial that men are inferior to women? --User:Juuitchan
 * In the US and other western cultures, women tend to be seen as better caregivers and nurturers than men. Some men contend that because of this bias they are at an unfair disadvantage during custodial battles.  The group Fathers 4 Justice comes to mind in this respect. --Cvaneg 20:03, 12 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * The Two Ronnies had a long-running segment in their televison comedy show called The Worm That Turned which depicted a matriachal society that oppressed men. Dunno about any real life examples of such a thing. --62.255.64.4 00:52, 16 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * Well, the Amazons, although I don't know if you want to consider that a real world example. --Dante Alighieri | Talk 18:50, Jan 29, 2005 (UTC)
 * This is fairly common in science fiction and fantasy writing. Almost every travel-to-other-worlds television show has at least one episode in which traditional Western gender roles are reversed, and/or men are considered inferior to women. -Aranel (" Sarah ") 21:33, 29 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Trying to locate a soldier!!!!
Hello,

I am trying to find out which troops were stationed in my hometown in 1945/46.

My grandmother got pregnant by a soldier - and it's been hard on our family - since my grandfather does not want to even discuss the subject and my grandmother passed away taking the secret with her.

The name of my hometown is: Schwabhausen - the next bigger town is Boxberg - the next bigger town is Tauberbischofsheim - they are all located in Baden Wuertemberg.

We only have the first name of the soldier - Oscar - and since there couldn't have been that many stationed in or around our hometown and I am assuming there can't be that many soldiers with that first name.

Where would I be able to find a listing of troops???

Any information is greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Heike Puhr Fort Lauderdale, FL

 * You're not going to be able to find a listing of names, not easily; what might be plausible starting point is finding a broad date when you reckon the chap in question will have been in the area (birthdate of child less nine months plus or minus a month should do it), and trying to work from there. If you have dates and a named location, you might be able to get the names of a set of units from the Centre for Military History, but I wouldn't bet on this being exhaustive or accurate (there'll have been a lot of individuals passing through, or non-combat units which often aren't recorded as exhaustively). The problem is... now you have a list of units, and you need to make the jump to the list of names and try to select one from there... I'd suggest your best bet would be to figure out all the information you have, get it down on paper, and then contact the CMH (above) and NARA's Military Personnel Records department - I don't think either will be able to help you on just that information, but it's quite possible they've dealt with similar queries before and may be able to put you in touch with organisations that help with this sort of thing. (Even if you did get a 1945 personnel list, it wouldn't help much; you'd still have to get hold of the records of the individuals)
 * Note also that CMH has disclaimers like The U.S. Army Center of Military History does not maintain [information on locating veterans], and the release of personnel information is strictly governed by the Privacy Act.. This is likely to be the case with most government bodies; they won't be allowed to release information regarding individuals to you on privacy grounds. If you can identify individual units, however, then you can try getting in touch with (eg) veterans' regimental associations, and asking if they can assist you. Best of luck. Shimgray 20:24, 12 Jan 2005 (UTC)
 * I've looked at a lot of genealogy sites since there are so many requests at the Wikipedia Reference Desk for information. This one in particular is a good starting point because it does have an exhaustive listing of European links - including ones in Germany! Cyndi also provides useful FAQs for difficult traces, like yours...happy hunting and good luck:

 * --allie 21:08, 25 Jan 2005 (UTC)
 * Allie -- would you consider writing a short page with some links at Genealogy? Something that says "We don't have genealogy experts here to help you, but here are some other useful resources...?"  I know people will help out here when they can, but as you say we get many of these requests and it might be nice to have a standard page to refer them to, or a place for willing RefDesk helpers to begin looking for answers.  — Catherine\talk 06:39, 6 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Why are roadways at night time always wet in the movies?
This has intrigued me for years and years. I have noticed that in any scene in a movie that shows a sealed road or street in a town or city, the asphalt surface of the road is always wet. It is rarely raining at the time, and rarely has there been any previous scene where it had been raining, or where the roads were cleaned with water. IN fact, the absence or presence of water on the road is virtually always completely irrelevant to the story, yet the roads at night-time are virtually always wet, whereas in day time they are virtually always dry. This happens in American movies, Australian moves, European movies, and others as well. WHY IS THIS SO?? One theory I have dreamed up is that a wet bitumen surface at night-time provides greater reflection and looks "better" on the screen than a duller, darker, dry roadway. Is this something like the truth, or is there another explanation?? Cheers JackofOz 23:32, 12 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * The reason you see this in the movies is that cinematographers put it there, and cinematographers love wet streets. They are more visually interesting; they reflect images, light, etc. It's a not-uncommon source of continuity errors, where within a scene you will see the street switch from wet to dry to wet. - Nunh-huh 23:36, 12 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * So I WAS on the right track. Thanks for confirming my hunch.  JackofOz 23:48, 12 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * When you think about it, you'll also notice that fog is quite often used for visual rather than narrative reasons. "Cinematographers Love Wet Streets" would be a fun title for an essay - Nunh-huh 23:55, 12 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * And there I was thinking it was just a particularly obscure country music song... ;-) Shimgray 03:03, 13 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * I don't think nighttime streets are anywhere near "always" wet in movies. They're wet more often than it rains, yes, but most of the time they're dry. You're just noticing it when they're wet. -Branddobbe 07:50, Jan 13, 2005 (UTC)

Well, you may be right, and maybe I am biasing my observations. And yes, it is probably true that "always" is not correct. But why not take a tally of the next 10 movies you see that contain night-time streetscapes, and tell me how many of the roads are wet. I'll bet you that at least 90% of them are wet. I'll stand corrected if you can disprove me. JackofOz 01:46, 16 Jan 2005 (UTC)

TB PPD Test
The TB PPD test (or simply the TB skin test) is given to determine if a person has tuberculosis. Now, can having a cold affect the accuracy of the test? I mean, can my having a cold cause the test to be positive for TB?

 * The PPD test can't determine if someone has tuberculosis. It is used to determine whether they've had tuberculosis exposure in the past and (based on what their chest X-ray looks like) would benefit from antitubercular prophylaxis or needs treatment for tuberculosis. Many things can cause a false positive result (BCG vaccination, infection with mycobacteria other than M. tuberculosis) and other things can cause false negative results (immunosuppression, AIDS). But having a cold should not cause a false positive result. - Nunh-huh 08:00, 13 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Seconded. the PPD (or heaf test as it is also known here in the UK) detects whether you have TB immunity, either from a BCG vaccine, genetic factors or past exposure. If the test site swells up, your body is fighting the weakened TB in the test, so you have immunity.

Whats the name of this illustration style?
Ive wondered for a while what the formal name for this particular illustration style is, assuming there is a term for it, so maybe somebody can finally cue me in and let me sleep at night. It's basically that old, inky, highly detailed, medieval-ish style. Ive noticed a lot of variations in the style, so its hard for me to be more very specific, but I see it a lot inside of old books, logos and the like. Im refering specifically to the type that has very densely packed lines as shading, not just outlines and figures. This image is really interesting to me and Id also be very curious to know the name of this exact style (really detailed, busy, and whimsical ) if at all possible

this is another really good example of what I'm talking about:

and another:

I've heard the term "woodcuts" before, but I think thats just the medium and not really the style. --Clngre 04:06, 13 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * Ahem—"...very densely packed lines as shading..." is a characteristic of a copperplate engraving. Wood generally doesn't support this style: if the fine grooves are very close together, the burrs can easily break off. With copperplates, that problem doesn't exist. But that still doesn't give a name to this style. I don't know of one, I've always known this type of illustration as "engraving". On a related note, cf. etching. Lupo 08:13, 13 Jan 2005 (UTC)
 * are we just talking about the shading/lines, or also about the style of drawing the figures, or even about the content? I don't know the correct term either, but content-wise I would say it is a typical 18th century allegorical vignette, the kind they typically put on books' title pages dab (ᛏ) 09:50, 13 Jan 2005 (UTC)
 * ok, so says 17th century on the parchment thing. sorry. dab (ᛏ) 10:03, 13 Jan 2005 (UTC)
 * And there I was thinking it was just a particularly obscure prog rock song... ;-)--Wonderfool 12:50, 13 Jan 2005 (UTC)

I think searching on the word Intaglio will give you all you want. Steverapaport 14:41, 13 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Thanks a lot, I have enough keywords to branch out from for a while. At first I was wondering about the style of illustration, as if it were done with a quill pen or soemthing. Assuming that all of its look -- the basic aesthetic look of it -- was done intentionally, but I now realize that some of it is probably just a product of the medium. Just as a sidenote, how would you define that first image I posted; in any sense. So it's probably some form of engraving, it was an image associated with some secret society, its very lavish and busy, and what else? My goal is to narrow down my search for engravings more of the style seen in the first and second images. Kind of absurd, weird, mystical, symbolic, etc. Maybe its even naive to think that there are subgenres or specific movements or eras with it, I dont really know. --Clngre 16:31, 13 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * This is rather a side note, but I recall that shading drafted by using densely placed diagonal lines in two directions is referred to as cross hatching. And my Google search for the term gave this which might give you some related words. This gives you more on cross hatching.

 * If you're looking for more images such as those you gave, the ones with textual content that act as labels for some of the figures etc are, I believe, usually political in nature. So, I would suggest trying to search for something like the history of political cartoons or history of satirical illustration, things like that. Here's a site called Political and Editorial Cartoons In U.S. History which may have some of interest, though a brief look makes me wonder if your style may be older and more European.

 * Once you've got an idea what sort of period your style hails from try searching on X illustrations where X is a European ruler of that period, a King, Queen or Prime Minister.

 * This image search for politcal engravings returns some nice images, though I think, again, possibly more modern than your style.

 * Or maybe this one for century+woodcuts (dunno why) is of interest.

 * I don't think any of them quite hit the nail on the head, but you should have lots of roads to follow, one of which should get you there. If you do find a good site, please report back as I quite like that style of stuff too. --62.255.64.5 01:16, 16 Jan 2005 (UTC)...

 * ...found some more. A search on political etchings seems pretty fertile. Led me to which stemmed from this index. You may also find some stuff at Graphic Witness of interest. Political lithography might give you some interesting results too. --62.255.64.5 01:52, 16 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Wow, thanks a lot. Some of the images on those pages you posted were fantastic as it is. I really appreciate it, I'll defintately post some good links if I upon any. --Clngre 06:24, 16 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * A couple of follows up. Although you can usually get finer lines with copper plate engraving, it is certainly possible to get fine detail with woodcuts - it depends on the preparation of the wood, density of the grain and the skill of the artist - see for example much of the work of M. C. Escher (more illustrations in the Gallery section of http://www.mcescher.com/). Also note that woodcuts are in a way the opposite of intaglio printing in that the ink remains on the raised surface, rather than the hollows. With copper engraving, the artist draws in positive cutting through the mask, whilst with woodcuts (and linocuts), the artist draws in negative - effectively drawing the white lines.
 * The second image shown, is apparently neither woodcut nor engraving, but a pen and ink drawing by the the Jazz musician Lhasa herself . Pen and ink drawing is quite a common technique used in cartoon illustrations. The style does remind me of someone, but I can't quite place it. I thought it might be Sir John Tenniel's illustrations for Alice in Wonderland, but its not.
 * In terms of the 'busy' style of the first image, as much as anything it is about finding space for each of the symbols that needs to be included. The style is somewhat baroque, but also owes something to the paintings of Hieronymus Bosch and peasant scenes of Pieter Bruegel the Elder and family (particularly his Netherlandish Proverbs). Of course many similar engravings can be found in relating to freemasonry.
 * In general, engraving has been popular for illustrating books between 16th-19th century so it covers a wide range of sytles. Try also Albrecht Dürer (and his Four Horsemen), Thomas Bewick (eg. animal and bird illustrations). You can also find a lot of interesting examples from early copies of the Illustrated London News (eg. ) -- Solipsist 09:24, 16 Jan 2005 (UTC)

A wonderful book on the history and styles of printmaking is William M. Ivins, Jr., Prints and Visual Communications (Harvard University Press, 1951). It is a joy to read (it is very well written), puts forth a few provocative theses (without printmaking, we'd still be in the Dark Ages; and, the Greeks weren't actually that bright), and will also acquaint you with the different styles of printmaking and how they evolved from the 15th through the 19th centuries. Highly recommended. --Fastfission 18:30, 16 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Menstrual Cycle
I have heard differing opinions about how many eggs are expelled when a woman has her period. One friend stated that it was only one, as this was the one egg that wasn't fertilized (i.e. the woman is not pregnant, so she has her period) but then we later read in a magazine that it was somethign like 1,000 eggs that are expelled each time. Which ever number is right, is that for the 7 days or so that it lasts, or what? Thanks! --anon

 * 1000 is definitely wrong. Maybe the article was discussing fish spawning: but human women produce one or two mature eggs per menstrual cycle, not thousands. That's per month. - Nunh-huh 20:38, 13 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * As it has been explained to me, each cycle sees the "ripening" of many eggs (I believe on the order of a dozen), but usually only one is released (that term being more common than "expelled" in the books). Upon the release of the first one (which can be from either ovary), hormones are released which suppress the release of all others, in both ovaries. Sometimes, of course, two or more are released, which leads to the possibility of fraternal multiple births. Fertilization, if it occurs, is most commonly by sperm which is already present in the fallopian tubes, having found its way there up to a small number of days prior. (After a few days it degrades in motility and becomes unable to fertilize). If fertilization does not occur, the one (or sometimes, two or more) released eggs are lost in the next menstrual flow. In any event the eggs that were not released from the ovaries are "reabsorbed", whatever that means. They don't get re-used; each cycle a never-previously-used group of eggs are ripened. --Sharkford 15:13, 2005 Jan 17 (UTC)

At-large voting
While adding an article on City Commission government, I noticed that at-large is a red link. I've been trying to figure out if this is already described in an article somewhere or, if not, which article would be most appropriate to include this in. Any suggestions? (cross-posted to Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Voting systems). older ≠ wiser 19:27, Jan 13, 2005 (UTC)

Heckel and Jeckel
This is partly an article request, but it's also a more specific question. I have a (vague) memory from childhood of two animated cartoon birds, possible crows, named Heckel and Jeckel. In particular, I was wondering if anyone knows if these names may have a history predating those cartoon birds, and in particular if they may have roots in Yiddish theater, which I have been researching. The names look like Anglicized spellings of Yiddish diminutives, and an early play by Abraham Goldfaden was apparently named Yukel un Yekel. (As with all things Yiddish, that transliteration is rather arbitrary, it could as easily be Iukl un Iekl). -- Jmabel | Talk 01:36, Jan 14, 2005 (UTC)

 * I remember them well. They were Anglicized further than you think, to Heckle and Jeckle. They were talking magpies, debuted in 1946, and were "TerryToons" cartoon characters. I found a bit of info about them at IMDB, and a bit about their producer, Paul Terry. Nothing too much there that relates to their history or any antecedent characters, though.A page on the 1955 show is here. - Nunh-huh 02:07, 14 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Math question--Heyting algebra and intuitionistic logic.
I posted this on the talk page, but thought I might get a better response here.

In the "law of the excluded middle" example under "Heyting algebra", $$R^2$$ is divvied up into a set A and its complement, the first comprising $$\{(x,y) : y>0\}$$. Now, it would seem to me that the complement of A would be $$\{(x,y) : y\le0\}$$. However, it's given as $$\{(x,y) : y<0\}$$, which is then used to show that the $$y=0$$ plane isn't included in the union of A and not-A. How can this be? grendel|khan 03:45, 2005 Jan 14 (UTC)

 * That's just weird. Doesn't look right to me. -- Phyzome is Tim McCormack 00:44, 2005 Jan 15 (UTC)

Bloomstorm and Synnegi
Would you mind headlining or documenting these terms?

They can be found, among other sites, mainly here if you need further analysis: http://stormier.blogspot.com/

Synnegi can be described here: http://stormier.blogspot.com/2005/01/synnegi-explanation-death-creates.html

And bloomstorm here: http://stormier.blogspot.com/2005/01/bloomstorm-look-at-evolution-creation.html

Thanks much in advance. Bye

 * These look to be the personal creations of one person, and seem to have little to no currency. Wikipedia is not (supposed to be) a tool for promoting one's ideas and theories. Specifically, Wikipedia is not a soapbox, nor is original research allowed. -- Cyrius|✎ 07:02, 14 Jan 2005 (UTC)

installation
please tell me how to install swarm-2.2 in windows 2000 ,thanks!--hywwlh

 * You're going to have to be more specific. I see at least two pieces of software named Swarm that have reached version 2.2. Since I wouldn't be able to offer specific instructions for either, I'm going to have to go with generalities. Read the documentation, and use the mailing lists/forums. You're going to get better results asking the people that are interested in the software than from the random collection of people on Wikipedia. -- Cyrius|✎ 15:13, 14 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Was there a crisis which called for action?
Abuse of technology in American schools is an excellent example of a crisis which called for action. Here we have an example where computers are available to students to further not only their education and schoolwork, but to provide them with the skills necessary to enter the workforce in society in a more competitive and productive position. In order to do so, however, these students must learn to harness the power of computer technology in a reasonable and responsible fashion. By not harnessing the full creativity and by the abuse of this powerful learning experience, this did indeed create a crisis which called for action. allie 01:17, 15 Jan 2005 (UTC).

Evolution
How and why did some animals becomer amblers others not? Erik Borries, Denmark.

 * I think you may get more specific information from editors at the Evolution and Horse gait articles. Personally, I think it's just something they tried early on in evolution. It worked for them, so they survived due to natural selection. That's my opinion, but unfortunately, I've got nothing to back it up. Also, you may want to be careful in giving out personal information like you did. Mgm|(talk) 22:25, Jan 14, 2005 (UTC)

Huygens probe
Is this the first probe to land on a moon other than Earth's? I can't find any mention of this fact or any earlier lander. Rmhermen 18:16, Jan 14, 2005 (UTC)
 * I'm fairly sure that it is. Nothing has ever landed on the Martian moons, although I think there have been some moderately closeup photos from Mars orbiters. Nothing has landed or impacted on Jovian moons either - the Galileo spacecraft made several closeup flybys, and launched a probe into Jupiter itself, but was deliberately sent into Jupiter at the end of its life so it wouldn't ever crash on a moon with possible contamination of any life there. NEAR Shoemaker landed on a asteroid in 2001, and the Rosetta space probe is intended to set a lander on a comet in 2014.-gadfium 19:10, 14 Jan 2005 (UTC)
 * Well, at least the first probe FROM Earth to land on on another moon;) ike9898 04:06, Jan 15, 2005 (UTC)

Superpower competition?
The CIA relased a report that said by 2020 China might be a global superpower and the United States might loose its unique position of global dominance and instead share the global stage with China. But given the huge gap in military and economic power between the US and the rest of the world, is it realistic to be concerened that China might catch up to the US and restart a superpower competition?

 * I just have trouble imagining China or any other country for that matter becoming a superpower anytime soon. Since the end of the cold war the United States has leaped light years ahead of all nations in economic, military, and technological capabilities. The United States is a megapower and no one comes even close to matching them. The only way China would catch up is if the US government allows it to happen but as long as the US economy remains strong and the government keeps spending 400 billion a year on defense there is nothing to worry about as China and the rest of the world would be left far behind

 * Military power relies on having the ability to spend money. The economy of China is expanding at a huge rate whereas that of the US is by comparison static. The Europeans are too good at arguing amongst themselves to present anything militarily. In twenty years the economy of China will be bigger than that of the US and hence they will have more power.

 * Is this cause for concern? Yes. The Chinese have a very autocratic system of government, though I suspect democratic reforms will have to come at some point. It is very bad if you're Taiwanese. As for competition, this is different from the Cold War competition where the ideology of the two sides was different and at loggerheads, the Chinese don't now want to force Maoism on anyone else, they seem to be happy making money, and if they open their markets to global companies, those companies who weald power in the US and elsewhere won't kick up a stink.

 * I am very concerned at the behaviour of the US government, and perhaps another large power block could help balance power so as not to leave it unchecked. Dunc|☺ 21:06, 15 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * I'm out of my depth here. But I would imagine any theory that China will match US power would make reference to the vast size of its population and lower labour costs. If the CIA have reported it I imagine you could also discover the CIA's rationale for drawing such a conclusion. In fact here's a BBC thread about it with streaming video of a programme on the topic. --62.255.64.5 01:34, 16 Jan 2005 (UTC)

The parliamentary verb "table"
In the United States to "table" a motion means that the motion is disposed of, exactly the opposite of its sense in Britain where it means to put an issue on the agenda. I heard it used in connection with the Canadian parliament and wonder if Canadians use it in the American or the British sense. PedanticallySpeaking 19:13, Jan 15, 2005 (UTC)

 * You can google search for occurrences of "tabled" within [canada.com, which is a news portal to major newspaper stories. See

 * The answer seems to be, the word is almost exclusively used in the context of Parliament and the House of Commons, and there it's always used in the British sense, ie to bring legislation up for consideration. It would not be used in the broader sense of putting an issue on the agenda (of a business meeting or whatever) or the American sense of putting an issue "on ice". However Canadians have a great deal of exposure to American media, both print and television, and are probably familiar with the American usage as well. -- Curps 21:29, 15 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * The British sense, I think...that is what immediately comes to my mind, at least. Adam Bishop 00:39, 16 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * In my experience, most Canadians are unfamiliar with the American usage of the word. I used to grade papers for a class on American government and politics at an American university. On several occasions, I'd get papers that said, "Senator Kennedy tabled legislation to..." --Mwalcoff 08:21, 16 Feb 2005 (UTC)

I'm looking for a particular phrase-please help
I'm stumped, the phrase keeps coming to the back of my head and disappearing.

The phrase, like an "occam's razor" phrase, is for the ultimate conundrum. A mother is holding two children in the tsunami, she has to let one go or all die. It's the ultimate conundrum that has no answer.

Praises from San Francisco for anyone who can name that obscure phrase.

Thanks.

 * Hobson's choice (when the choice is illusory) or Gordian Knot (when the problem is insoluble). -- John Fader 20:46, 15 Jan 2005 (UTC)
 * Isn't the whole point of the Gordian Knot that it can be solved, but in a direct and bold way? ("Cutting the Gordian Knot") --80.3.32.7 21:00, 21 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Occam's razor is correct. Without going through the Latin phrase, his theological rational, and etcetera, it means that the simplest theory is the best theory. Intellectual abstractions are not valid explanations; all reasoning must be based on experimental proof. In other words, there may be several hypothetical explanations for a situation, but the simplest one usually prevails. Yes: Occam's razor is correct. It's a Google hit, just took a really long time to get the search terms down. Best Regards, allie 21:44, 15 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * Morton's Fork seems to fit the situation.-gadfium 22:28, 15 Jan 2005 (UTC)
 * Wow, that Morton's Fork is an incredible article. If the quote that San Francisco is looking for isn't linked somewhere on that page. Thanks! I definitely learned something new! Best Regards, --allie 21:31, 16 Jan 2005 (UTC)

How about Sophie's Choice? Much closer, both logically and literally. Occam's razor is a guide to choosing the most likely causal connection when one can imagine more than one possible cause. What does it have to do with this situation?alteripse 01:02, 16 Jan 2005 (UTC)
 * True: I should have been more careful. He was a fourtheenth century theologian, and I merely followed up on the translation and its contemporary concept, without considering the proper usage for the phrase. That it is also referred to as the "law of parsinomy" should have been a good clue. I ignored it. Criticism well meant, and well taken. --allie 21:31, 16 Jan 2005 (UTC)

How about Between a rock and a hard place?--Fastfission 10:17, 16 Jan 2005 (UTC)

The closest single word to fit what you're after would be "dilemma" Noodhoog 18:36, 17 Jan 2005 (UTC)

No-win situation appears to be a good reference for this. Jay 09:16, 9 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Dates of events on other worlds
Yesterday's landing on Titan has made me wonder anew about whether there is any agreed convention as to the basis on which events on extraterrestrial worlds are dated. For example, the Apollo 11 landing on the Moon in 1969 happened on 17th or 18th July, depending on where on the Earth you were at the time. So what date do we use to record the event in history books on Earth?

Events on Earth are dated according to the time zone applying in the place where the event happened, at the time that it happened (so, for example, if Daylight Saving started or ended at around the time of the event, this could well influence the date of the event). The problem with events outside the Earth is, there is no such thing as a Greenwich meridian or an in International Date Line or any other type of time-keeping convention (or none that I'm aware of).

It would make sense to me if extraterrestrial "events" were dated either (a) always using Universal Standard Time on Earth, or (b) using the time zone in the place from where the spacecraft blasted off (eg. Cape Canaveral; Baikonur; China or wherever). Of course, the latter option would be of no use for events such as Shoemaker-Levy comet blasting into Jupiter in 1994. But I don't know if either of these conventions actually applies (and if so, when and how were they adopted), or if there is an alternative solution.

Also, when scientists are computing the date of an extra-terrestrial event, do they work out when it actually occurred in real time by taking into account the time it took for whatever electronic signal to reach the Earth to let us know about it, or do they base it on the time that Earth first got to know about it? Does anybody know? Cheers JackofOz 01:30, 16 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * I can't tell you about other agencies, but I've got some ideas about NASA.

 * For most missions, NASA uses what is called "Mission Elapsed Time (MET). This clock hits zero at launch, which is why if you're watching a countdown, you'll hear a guy saying "T-minus #". The clock is negative at that point. This is all well and good for space shuttles and Voyagers and such, because days don't have too much meaning for them. They claim that they convert to UTC for use by others, but I've seen US Eastern (KSC), Central (JSC), and perhaps Pacific (JPL) used.

 * However, you want to know about things that land on other things. As of right now, we've put landers on four planet-like objects: Venus, the Moon, Mars, and Titan. The landers on Venus and Titan didn't last long enough for any local measurement of time to have any meaning. Lunar landers did last long enough, but days on the Moon are a month long, so trying to operate off a lunar clock isn't really practical. While this is speculation, I'd guess they ran off MET.

 * However, Mars is a special case. Because the Martian day is roughly the same as Earth's, and because landers have been solar powered, and probably because of some other things too, Mars missions have run off "Local Mean Solar Time" (see Time and date and astronomy on Mars). As I recall, the Mars Exploration Rover teams had watches custom-made to run off the slighly longer days.

 * According to the Huygens descent timeline, ESA is reporting things to the public in CET "Earth Received" time, which doesn't necessarily mean that's what they're operating on internally. I have absolutely no idea what the Russians were using on their Venera missions. -- Cyrius|✎ 07:44, 16 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * Time and date and astronomy on Mars has some information about timekeeping on Mars -- Curps 08:00, 16 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Ethel Rosenberg and VENONA evidence
The articles on Ethel and Julius Rosenberg and the VENONA project contradict each other, the first stating that the venona evidence proved that Ethel Rosenberg was innocent, the second, that she was an accomplice. Since I know next to nothing about the trial and encountered "VENONA" for the first time when reading the article on the trial (and I doubt any library within reach will have up-to-date info on this), could somebody else find out which version is correct? -- AlexR 02:54, 16 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Google venona rosenberg and you get all the details you want. E.g.,. Venona proved the Rosenbergs were Soviet agents; a significant embarrassment to American liberals who long disputed the claim. alteripse 03:01, 16 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Ethel's participation as reflected by VENONA is largely a matter of interpretation. She was not given a code name which seems to indicate that she was not a major player. But again, it's hard to know, and whether she was guilty of what they were accused of, were given a fair trial, or were punished appropriately are all somewhat separate from some of these facts, which is half of the disparity... If you'd read the very link you posted, alteripse, you'd see it says: ''Associated Press story, David admitted he lied under oath about his sister Ethel's involvement to reduce his own sentence and keep his wife Ruth out of prison. In an interview on CBS's "60 Minutes II," David said simply, "As a spy who turned his family in ... I don't care." David and Ruth Greenglass continue to live in the New York area under assumed names.'' The problem with the Rosenbergs in general is you are quick to get people on one side who say "VENONA is unreliable, throw it all out" and you are quick to get people on the other side who say, "VENONA proves everything." Neither show a very good knowledge of VENONA or the history of the case, in my opinion. --Fastfission 10:01, 16 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * You are right, I failed to recognize that the question was specifically about Ethel: the VENONA evidence indicated that Julius, Ruth, and David were agents. Whether you consider Ethel an accomplice depends on whether you think it likely (1) she didn't know what her brother and husband were doing, (2) that Julius wouldn't have confessed to exculpate her, and (3) that David and Ruth were evil enough to implicate her if she had been truly ignorant. It doesn't take much more than knowledge to meet the definition of accomplice. This and the other issues people will have differing opinions about. I will agree with you that the more you learn about a case like this, the less likely you are to think that either "side" is entirely right. alteripse 15:41, 16 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Well, in that case both articles should say that it is not so easy to interpret the evidence, instead of interpreting it differently and therefore contradict each other. -- AlexR 13:59, 16 Jan 2005 (UTC)
 * I agree completely. I think the Rosenberg article in general should go into more detail about where the points of differentiation lie. As I know them, they are: 1. they were innocent, 2. they were guilty, 3. Ethel might have been innocent or at least not guilty of what she was accused of, 4. the evidence is too weak/problematic to decide, 5. whether or not they were guilty, they were punished too harshly, 6. their trial was botched in any event. Or something like that. I'm sort of a #5 and #6 man myself, and though I don't take VENONA at face value I find it likely that Julius at least was guilty (what really bothers me the most about their trial, I have to admit, is that Julius wouldn't just say he was guilty, whether he was or not, to save Ethel. Instead, they both died, and left two kids behind. I find that extremely irresponsible, I have to admit. As despicable as Greenglass generally seems to be, if he did lie in order to save his wife, I would at least sympathize with his motivations, which I don't for Julius and Ethel. But I'm digressing). --Fastfission 18:21, 16 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * BTW, the picture gets even more complicated because while VENONA show pretty definitely that Julius was an agent, it doesn't provide evidence for any of the specific espionage for which he was convicted; also, there is, of course, the question of whether there was any "H-Bomb secret" to steal. -- Jmabel | Talk 23:42, Jan 16, 2005 (UTC)
 * I think you mean A-bomb secret ("H-bomb secret" wasn't even available until 1951).. the things that Greenglass testified that Rosenberg helped steal (which is now on the new page, David Greenglass) were on the construction of the lens molds and the implosion concept more generally. How valuable were they? Probably not very -- Greenglass's knowledge was fairly general, he often didn't know what he was looking at, and he didn't give them anywhere as complete or accurate information as Fuchs did (though he didn't know Fuchs existed at the time, of course). Did it actually help the Soviets "get the bomb" any quicker? New historiorgraphy based on Russian sources suggests not. But anyway, that's only one aspect of things, relating more to the severity of the sentencing than anything else... --Fastfission 07:06, 21 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Year of birth for Mary Kay Ash
I reverted what I thought was vandalism to that article, but Google reveals widespread disagreement about Ash's birthdate. 1915? 1918? Probably May 12 in Hot Wells, Texas, but I'm not confident about the year. -leigh (φθόγγος) 05:28, Jan 16, 2005 (UTC)

See Talk:Mary Kay Ash - Nunh-huh 08:20, 16 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Graphing with X, Y, Z coordinates
I realized just today that Excel won't let me make the graph I want to make. Basically, I have a list of labels and for each label I have 3 different variables (X, Y, Z), which range from -4 to 4. I want to be able to graph them in space as points (not connected), with the label next to each point. What software will do this? (I have easy access to Excel, Freehand, Igor Pro, MATLAB, and Stata, though I have never used the latter three before nor do I know if they are even appropriate) Help! --Fastfission 09:55, 16 Jan 2005 (UTC)
 * MATLAB would probably be your best shot, but I'm not sure how to go about it. Alphax (t) (c) (e) 06:24, Jan 17, 2005 (UTC)

 * MATLAB will definitely plot points in 3space for you, but I'm not sure how the labeling would look. It might depend on how many points you have.  Here's a little MATLAB program for you:

x=[-4 -3 2 2 1 0 1]; y=[3 1 1 -1 -3 0 2]; z=x.^2-y; plot3(x,y,z,'x') for i=1:length(x) text(x(i),y(i),z(i)+0.2,sprintf('x=%d y=%d z=%d',x(i),y(i),z(i))) end title('My pretty plot'); xlabel('The x axis'); ylabel('The y axis'); zlabel('z=x^2-y'); grid on

 * Type "help plot" if you want to see what options there are for symbols. moink

scope and utility of sociolinguistics
can anyone give me in detail the answer of "what is the scope and utility of sociolinguistics now-a-days?"

 * Well we wont' answer your teacher's question for you, but reading the article on sociolinguistics will give you a few examples and a reference and read pages linked from that page and pages that link there. Remember however, to cite Wikipedia as your source. Dunc|☺ 14:18, 16 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Burning MPEGS to a CD
I want to burn some MPEG files to a CD so I can watch them on a VCD/DVD player. Do I need to burn anything else (i.e. codecs) or do I just have to burn the MPEG files alone and that will be enough? Johnleemk | Talk 11:23, 16 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * No, that won't work - you don't need codecs or the like, but VCDs have a particular format. Most buring programs have an option for burning VCDs, or check http://www.dvdrhelp.com/ for more information. -- AlexR 14:09, 16 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * Short answer - no you don't need to put the codec on the disc. Long answer - you can't just burn any old file onto a CD and expect it to work. The content requirements for VCDs and SVCDs are very specific. VCDs hold MPEG-1 format video at 352x240 pixels (NTSC) or 352x288 pixels (PAL); while SVCDs hold MPEG-2 format video at 480x480 pixels (for NTSC) or 480x576 pixels (for PAL) (there are some slight variations that you can make on thse resolutions by changign the frames/sec rate). If your file is in any other format it needs to be converted. Very specifically if your file is in any form of MPEG-4 based format (i.e. DivX, XVid, 3ivx etc..) it must be converted with a high probability of loss of quality. If you use Nero Burning ROM (and if you're not using it you should probably switch to using it) then Nero will attempt to convert any file you try to burn to the correct format, but in all probability it won't do this in quite the way you would want, so I recommend you use TMPGEnc to convert the file if you need to. Jooler 14:15, 16 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * Addendum - as AlexR points out - normally you can't just burn a raw mpg file as a data file and expect it to play. You have to use your software to burn it as a VCD/SVCD. This will put various helper files on the disk as well (see http://www.videohelp.com/vcd). However, I am told that some DVD players will bring up a menu if you are trying to play a DVD- on which you have burnt several raw mpg1/2 format files. Maybe this works on some machines with a CD-R too I don't know. There are a few players that are capable of playing DivX format files burnt onto CD, itmight be the case that only DivX capable players treat raw mpgs in this fashion. Jooler 14:35, 16 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Digitally Synthesizing Siren Sounds (Police, Air-raid, etc.)
I'm trying to write a program to produce various types of siren sounds, so as to immitate police sirens, abulance sirens, air-raid sirens, etc.. I already have a program that can take a sine wave and modulate the pitch up and down to create a bad impression of a siren. Unfortunately, the result sounds more like someone playing with the pitch-bend wheel on an analog synth than any siren one might actually hear in the real world. I suspect I'd get pretty similar results if I substituted, say, a square wave or a triangle wave for the sine wave in my program.

Does anyone know if there are any easy-to-synthesize waveforms that might sound more like a siren? Or am I going to need to actually go out and digitize sounds from a real-life siren (a la Sampler (musical instrument))? --Ryguasu 04:58, 17 Jan 2005 (UTC)
 * A simple sine wave might be a good starting point for a siren sound, but sounds in the real world are generally made up of a number of different waveforms at different frequencies - for a halfway believable siren, you might try adding some harmonic overtones and maybe a tiny bit of phase distortion (more of both for a classic air raid siren than for a modern police siren). It also seems that with most sirens, different frequencies aren't shifted up and down by the same pitch which leads to a slightly more distorted sound as the siren's wail reaches its highest pitch - I guess it would be pretty tricky to sysntheize a naturally-sounding siren unless you either have a pretty detailed idea what you are doing or you are willing to experiment for a couple of hours with some wave-shaping software (which is generally great fun but rarely leads to the results you were trying to achieve - at least, that's the case with most of my synth experiments :P ) -- Ferkelparade π 22:14, 17 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * [[Image:sirenspectrogram.jpg|thumb|Here's a spectrogram of a london-style police siren]]. As Ferkelparade said, you'd need multiple frequency sources to get the overtones. Notice that the highest frequencies bend up over a longer time period than the root frequency. Also note that this siren has 2 separate whistles, overlapping in time.   An alternative to multiple sines or sampling the whole siren would be to record a siren, then take a small looped sample while it is steady at its highest frequency.  Then you could pitch bend one or more copies of that waveform to get different siren patterns. -Key45 22:57, 17 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * Speaking of synthesizing instrument sounds, I've been trying to make them using overlapped sine waves at different frequencies and amplitudes, but it doesn't seem to work. What am I doing wrong, and where can I find analyses of real instruments to work from? Alphax (t) (c) (e) 16:27, Jan 18, 2005 (UTC)

 * search for "Physical Modelling" and "Modular Synthesis". Stanford's Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics is one place to start.  -Key45 02:26, 19 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Replicating the show/hide functions on TOCs
Ok, this could be a bit tricky. We all know that the TOCs on Wikipedia have show/hide links, which show or hide the TOC when you click them. How would I go about a similar function on a webpage I'm building, so that when I click a link it expands a table? Alphax (t) (c) (e) 06:26, Jan 17, 2005 (UTC)

 * The simplest solution would be to have two versions of the page, one with the table expanded and one with the table shrunk. You should also be able to use inline frames. --Smack (talk) 07:20, 17 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * is there a reason why you can't do it the way Wikipedia does, using javascript to set the "display" CSS property? Frencheigh 10:05, 17 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * Yes - I don't know how to. I'm quite opposed to using multiple versions of the same page, because I want a side navigation bar with "expanding" links. For example:

Link1
 * This will become visible on clicking link1
 * This will become visible on clicking link1

Link2
 * This will become visible on clicking link2
 * This will become visible on clicking link2

...

So how would I go about this using Javascript and CSS? Have a class element for each table row, and then have a JS function that takes variables to set the display CSS element? Alphax (t) (c) (e) 06:25, Jan 18, 2005 (UTC)

<- there's a simple example i've uploaded, the important part of which is the function which (when say called from the onclick of a button) toggles the 'display' (of say a div, with an id). but did you need it to expand a particular row of a table? because out of the browsers ive tested only IE seems to do that correctly. Frencheigh 09:43, 18 Jan 2005 (UTC)

I'm guessing that it's something along the lines of document.frame.parent.getElementById, but I have very litte experience with JS. Alphax (t) (c) (e) 12:30, Jan 18, 2005 (UTC)

 * Ok, I got it to work. Can I get it to work for all elements of a particular class? Alphax (t) (c) (e) 13:46, Jan 18, 2005 (UTC)

 * No, if I have interpreted the JS and CSS right. If you look, you will see that the element is identified by an  .  You can, by definition, only have one   of each type on a page.  There might be a way to reference several  s from one link/button, but you can't do anything with classes with DHTML, which is what this is.  Smoddy | ειπετε 18:12, 25 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Boil Advisories
Sorry about there being no question here. I started typing and must have hit return and all that was posted was the header. Then when I went back my request to save text kept getting timed out. Anyhow, thank you, Sharkford, for attempting to answer the question based on only two words. The question I had was that boil advisories are posted by water departments here citing low pressure in the mains. What about low water pressure necessitates boiling water? Where I live most of the water comes from wells rather than surface bodies of water, so runoff shouldn't be the problem.

Sharkford's reply was based on just the header--no question.
 * If you mean the boil-water advisories that towns occasionally announce, it means that the town water supply is known to have an unsafe high level of pathogens. Bringing water to a boil is presumed to make it safe for human consumption, so you are advised to do this for any water which you will be drinking or cooking with. It seems to be assumed, true or not, that you do not ingest water during washing or bathing. Often such advisories follow heavy rains which introduce lots of surface runoff into the reservoirs or lakes from which the town water supply is drawn, bringing more decomposing organic matter than the utility's chlorination process can accommodate. Less commonly it's associated with a breakdown of the water-purification system. --Sharkford 15:13, 2005 Jan 18 (UTC)

 * At a guess, wouldn't one of the likely causes of low pressure be a significant leak (or leaks)? If enough water to seriously affect pressure in the whole system can get out, contamination may well be able to get in... Shimgray 00:02, 20 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * Could it also work the other way around? If the pressure is high, then any small leaks will be leaks out. If the pressure grows too low, such leaks could leak in, resulting in contamination. -Rholton 05:22, 20 Jan 2005 (UTC)
 * That certainly makes sense - it's the logic behind overpressure systems, which we don't seem to have a page on. Military vehicles intended to operate "sealed" in NBC environments are often built in such a way that they're kept at a slightly higher pressure than the outside world, in order that if there is a breach in the protection, air will flow out of the vehicle and not in. When the air outside may be full of nerve agents, this becomes really quite a nice detail... ;-)
 * Similarly, some medical facilities are built like this; it's not uncommon for research labs to be kept at below the ambient pressure, so that if there's a leak nothing nasty can escape. Shimgray 16:30, 20 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * In fact, when I saw the lone header "Boil advisories" my first thought was "don't break it, it will get infected". So relative to that I guessed prety close! Given the actual question, I think Rholton's got it; low pressure in the mains allows unchlorinated ground water to seep in. --Sharkford 21:29, 2005 Jan 20 (UTC)

Is the Gang of Four's "Design Patterns" of More Than Historical Interest?
I'm hoping to read up on Design pattern (computer science). It seems like the logical place to start might be where the description of design patterns began, i.e., with the Gang of Four's "Design Patterns". That book is almost ten years old now, though, so before I run out and buy it, I'm wondering if it has in any sense become "outdated". Is this book now better suited for those studying the history of programming than for those studying programming itself? Or does it still make sense as a good place to start learning about design patterns? --Ryguasu 19:45, 17 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * I'm sure it remains a perfectly good place to start, this is pretty timeless stuff, but if you don't mind reading on line, you probably won't find much in the book that is not also by now on line. -- Jmabel | Talk 21:22, Jan 17, 2005 (UTC)

 * It's still a good, worthwhile read. It's well written and thoughtfully structured, and the patterns it decribes abound in current OO systems like the class libraries for java and c#.  I guess it's no longer (if it ever was) a definative library of the patterns themselves, with numerous new ones being created and some of the existing falling from favour.  But what's important isn't the list of patterns per-se, but the principle (you can find endless list of patterns and discussions on their pros and cons for free on the internet).  But if you read that, beg borrow steal or save up for The Timeless Way of Building, the original pattern language book (and pleasantly one without all that dull comp-sci stuff to get between your brain and the idea) - it's simply brilliant. -- John Fader 22:47, 17 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * A good place to dig around online is the Portland Pattern Repository, aka the Wiki. -- Cyrius|✎ 22:52, 17 Jan 2005 (UTC)

What's up with the Nicobar Islands?
Reading some recent coverage about tsunami aftermath in the Nicobar Islands, I was puzzled about why the local government might be prohibiting foreigners from traveling to the island. Union territory says that the islands are ruled directly by the federal government, which seems to contradict the CNN article. says, "Travel to the Nicobar Islands is restricted, and only Indian nationals engaged in research may visit. Some exceptions are made for tourists with special permits." says: "The Nicobar Islands are not open to visiting foreigners, whether scholars or tourists. Indian citizens need a special permit - which is hardly ever granted." mentions the island's lieutenant governor.

So I'm wondering why the Indian government restricts travel to the islands. Is it for ecological reasons, to maintain tribal culture, something to do with the island's past as a prison, or some other historical or political context we're missing?

What is the actual structure of the island's non-tribal government?

The tribal/non-tribal population and protected land area figures also seem to vary a lot from source to source.

The situtation on the islands seems to be in a little bit of flux because of the tsunami, but it would be nice to get a handle on how things were right beforehand. Thanks for any insight you can lend. -- Beland 21:36, 17 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * Hmm, there was a segment on Channel 4 News a few days ago, I think about the Nicobar Islands. In this case the government was trying to keep modernity away from the few remaining aboriginal islanders, whose culture was clearly teetering on a precipice.  I think the relief consisted of chucking coconuts at the islanders from a fleeting boat, while they chucked pointy sticks back at the boat. So your cultural contamination theory seemed to be supported by that. -- John Fader 23:04, 17 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Have a look at http://www.andaman.org/ - it has some related info on travel restrictions to the Andamans. But I think in this particular case, it may have a lot to do with not wanting people killed by the inhabitants, who are famously hostile to outsiders. - Mustafaa 23:06, 17 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * Interesting -- not so much for ecological or conservational reasons than for the safety of citizens and foreigners? Peter O. (Talk) 23:16, Jan 17, 2005 (UTC)

 * This BBC article suggest that some islands are off-limit because of military reasons. Furthermore, this article states that there were 93,000 visits by tourists to the Andaman and Nicobar islands, but it may be that in fact these tourists all went to the Andamans. -- Jitse Niesen 14:31, 18 Jan 2005 (UTC)

identity security issue?
Yesterday I received an email from

wiki@wikimedia.org

It states a password and username.

These do not refer to me!

I did not ask for any reminder.

Is this a scam or a security bloop from wiki?

I have posted this question on the general help page but thought it might be more relevant here.

 * No, this page is not for Wikipedia-related questions. Mgm|(talk) 22:34, Jan 17, 2005 (UTC)
 * Mgm is right, but basically, it looks like your email address used to be owned by a wikipedian. Ignore it.  Or, if you feel like it, log in with that address and see what the previous owner was up to.  But this really is a question for the Help Desk. -- Phyzome is Tim McCormack 17:14, 2005 Jan 31 (UTC)

Ton
The article on pressure refers to units of weight called 'ton(US)' and 'ton(UK)'. Does anyone know what these are? I suspect that they're Imperial and metric tons, respectively, but I'm not sure. --Smack (talk) 01:07, 18 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * Ton explains this, to more detail than your poor mortal mind can possibly withstand. -- John Fader 01:24, 18 Jan 2005 (UTC)

It looks like ton(US) and ton(UK) mean short ton and long ton, respectively. The terms are not used verbatim in ton but the text leads fairly straightly to that conclusion. I have heard of short and long tons forever but never heard of them categorized as U.S. vs U.K. (as are e.g. gallons). Such opportunity for enlightenment is the joy of our poor mortal minds. However, it would perhaps improve pressure to revise it to the more standard terms? --Sharkford 15:25, 2005 Jan 18 (UTC)

 * Mr. Fader: I read that article, thank you very much, but it does not explain the particular nomenclature I refer to.
 * Sharkford: Pressure must certainly be revised. I just wasn't sure how to revise it. --Smack (talk) 23:02, 25 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Weapons of Mass Destruction Destruction
Can anyone direct me to an article about the safe destruction of WMD's, particularly nuclear warheads? Every time I hear talk of destruction, I always become curious about the physics and mechanics as to how this is supposedly done. Thanks.

lvlarx 09:49, Jan 18, 2005 (UTC)

 * AFAIK (but IANARS) a nuclear warhead will not detonate unless critical mass is achieved AND an appropriate neutron source is introduced to initiate fission. Removing enough fissionable material to prevent critical mass is the safest way to prevent a nuke from going nuclear; however, since critical mass and initiation are usually achieved by an explosion of some kind, it will still explode, making a reasonably big mess. Or at least that's what I've been led to believe. How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb might not be of use here. Alphax (t) (c) (e) 12:46, Jan 18, 2005 (UTC)

 * Nuclear weapons are comparatively easy. Take out the (overwhelmingly plutonium) fissile core elements and they can be de-enriched (empoverished?) into fuel for a plutonium burning reactor.  The polonium initiator is probably going to end up as medium-level nuclear waste.  I've no idea what one does with a ton or so of powdered lithium-deuteride fusion fuel, but it's not particularly hazardous.  Biological and chemical weapons are a bit harder.  Biological weapons are fairly straightfoward, largely because there isn't such a large volume of it and it can't be stored in weaponised form for a long time.  Bleach, irradiation and high-temperature incineration are straightforward options.  The hard case is chemical weapons.  By some estimates the US Army alone has over 30,000 tons of them, and the Soviets had (and thus the Russians still have) even more.  The US solution is high-temperature incineration, which is rather expensive.  Many of the shells and rockets are decades old and have been poorly stored, and nasty chemical reactions have changed and corroded them.  So they have to be processed in a special facility that can dismantle them using machines.  Here's a story from the LA Times detailing how incredibly slow and expensive that process is. -- John Fader 13:09, 18 Jan 2005 (UTC)
 * For chemical weapons, see also Chemical Weapons Convention which describes how far various countries have come in regards to eliminating their weapons as well as the weapons of mass destruction series which describes in more detail. (By the way the U.S. has less than 22,000 tons of chemical agents and is testing chemical neutralization methods of destruction of chemical weapons) Rmhermen 16:23, Jan 18, 2005 (UTC)

LCD displays
I'd like to know why 17-19" LCD displays almost always have 5/4 aspect ratio, while most CRT and most 15" LCD displays have 4/3 ratio. What is the reason - is it easier to produce, is there particular demand for more squarish displays, do they look better on a desk?

And a second question is why the resolution of LCD displays is so limited? Why are there almost no displays with 1600x1200 or 1440x1050 resolution, while such resolution is commonplace on laptops. Is there no demand for higher res desktop LCD displays? Did someone decided that people don't need that resolution? Is the demand for hi-res LCD panels from notebook manufacturers so high that there are no panels left for stand-alone displays? Paranoid 17:16, 18 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * I am not an insider. I guess Microsoft Windows is the perpetrator.

 * Before XP, Windows support of very high resolutions was poor. And Windows XP is only marginally better. If you are a happy LCD maker, the last thing you want is to get a million angry calls each day over trivial issues such as microscopic Windows texts.

 * If you do know how to get state-of-the-art hardware, there are huge and expensive 1920x1200 LCD monitors (I wish I could afford one! Ha! Ha!). For example, currently, LG of South Korea ships 2560x1600 (30"), 1920x1200 (23"), 1600x1200 (20") and 1680x1050 (20") monitors. But these models are in short supply because of the available sizes of the raw glass panels. Most of today's LCD fabs only produce glass substrate panels best for making 10" to 19" panels. It is not efficient for a fab designed for 19" panels to churn out a 20" LCD because it will generate a lot of waste. Therefore, large and high-resolution LCD monitors are always in limited production.

 * Then how about small and high-resolution LCD monitors? I really don't think you want to use that kind of LCD unless it's on your laptop. At least for me, I always put my external monitor a little farther away. That means small texts on an external LCD mornitor will be more difficult to read than on a laptop monitor. You may want to use a 1600x1200 (15") laptop LCD, but this is simply unbearable if it's your desktop monitor. You do need a 20" monitor. And people are not making too many of them today.

 * I guess today's high-resolution laptop panels are all custom-made. They have inexpensive 12" to 15" substrate panels. They can use a more advanced process to cram more pixels on these panels and make much more money. By the way, they can also fine-tune Windows for that monitor (high-resolution, 16:9, 16:10, other tricks ...).

 * I think one day things will change. With a smarter OS and larger glass panels, there will be affordable large high-resolution panels. Just wait. And don't forget to save some money. -- Toytoy 13:31, Jan 25, 2005 (UTC)

 * There are 22" (20" visible) 1600x 1200 to 1920x1440 CRTs. However, you probably will not use the highest resolutions all day long. With the LCD, you cannot switch resolution. If you buy a 1920x1200 15" monitor, you live with that resolution. Possibly this is another reason why they don't offer very high resolution LCD monitors. -- Toytoy 15:24, Jan 25, 2005 (UTC)

a site to trace a great grandmother born in {gutengerg} mainz 1830 s
Dear sir, My grandmother emigrated to england some time in the early 1800s and her name was theresa breiding. theresa married edward byrchall in london 1873. she is mentioned on the english 1901 census as aged 70 years a british subject born in germany The latter day saints records give her birth place as gutenberg your assistance is requested on where I may search for information as non german perso and no knowledge of the language.. thank you very much , david r bluff
 * Dear Mr. Bluff: I've looked at a lot of genealogy sites, and this is a good start for you. It lists sites from Germany, England, and best of all, it's free! No hidden search charges from Cyndi. She also has a FAQ:

 * Cyndi's Geneaology Link
 * Happy hunting! --allie 21:02, 25 Jan 2005 (UTC)

School Research: Murder or Manslaughter?
I am presently enrolled in a college Socioligy course and where writing a paper on a certain incedent that has happened with two diffrent groups. I am to take a position on the detailed story and write about it but befor i take a final position i would like to learn the diffrence between the two. Here is the situation:

 * I'm afraid we need a bit more detail than that :-)
 * If you were going to ask about the difference between the two terms, then broadly speaking (at least in English common-law systems) the difference is one of intent; murder is unlawful killing with the intent to kill someone, whereas manslaughter is unlawful killing without that intent (although if you set out to seriously injure someone, that may well be considered analogous to the intent to kill)
 * To take an example, were someone to be assaulted and fight back - and, by using more force than they intended, kill their assailant... that would be manslaughter; the killing was not a lawful one (although a plea of self-defence might well see them acquitted of the crime), but they did not intend for the victim to die.
 * However, were they assaulted, and fight their assailant off - then chase them down and beat them to death... that would be considered murder, since they acted with an intent to kill.
 * I have a suspicion you were going to ask for a suggestion over a specific case; my suggestion would be to go through the mind of the killer at the time of the incident. Were they aware their actions could or would lead to death? Had they taken a decision in the light of this awareness to continue with the action?
 * Best of luck reaching a decision; a lot of very interesting debate has taken place in the past by judges mulling over this very issue, and you may find it interesting to try looking for some of those cases. (For example: if, in the fight example above, party A restrains B - but B party has a grave medical condition, unknown to A, which causes the restraint to kill them... is that murder? A acted with intent to do the particular act that killed B, but did not intend it to be an act that could cause death...)
 * Huh, it did post last night, after all. Oh, well. Still forgot to sign it, though... Shimgray 20:45, 19 Jan 2005 (UTC))
 * And, don't forget - State law statute books list the citings of precedents. If I am not mistaken...they do vary by state. --allie 02:16, 25 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Postmodern economics
What are viable methods for establishing and maintaining a post-monetary economy free of barter — a system without a medium of exchange or store of value?

 * In the absence of other answers, you might try reading the short story And Then There Were None by Eric Frank Russell. (Google will tell you where to find it. Then you might consider whether that society depicted is truly free of medium of exchange. DJ Clayworth 18:35, 20 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * So ur after a society where people give and take at their own will? If i capte what u say, then try looking Economy of Smurfs, or if that doesnt exists, try Smurfs. They may infact be apre-monetary economy

Breast cancer and mammorgrams

 * moved from Village Pump BrokenSegue 01:54, 19 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Hello out there! I want to get feedback on the subject of mamograms causing cancer. I read a long time ago (can't remember where) that the London Journal of Medicine stated that the pressure put upon the breast during a mamogram could activate inactive cancer cells. Has anyone heard of this? Can you give me any insight? Could this be possible and why or why not. If you have any info or links you can email me at pamelaleb@comcast.net Thank you very much.
 * There is research on the x-rays used in mammograms causing cancer. Rmhermen 02:25, Jan 19, 2005 (UTC)
 * First problem, no "London Journal of Medicine"... There seem to be quite a few papers discussing beliefs related to cancer, which mention the popular misconception that mammograms cause cancer, and a lot on the negative effects of excessive screening (basically, it screws with peoples' heads) but nothing I can find which seems to be the research you mention... this isn't a systematic search, but ten or fifteen minutes hasn't got me anywhere. Shimgray 03:39, 19 Jan 2005 (UTC)
 * X-rays can cause mutations which can then cause cancer. This is true for any X-rays, not just the x-rays used in mammography.  The risk is very low and is greatly offset by the benefit of screening mammography, which saves lives.  The fact is that approximately 1 in 6 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetimes.  With the use of mammography, we are able to detect breast cancers when they're smaller and easier to cure, and we can also identify pre-invasive breast cancers, or DCIS, which can be treated before they ever develop into cancer.  Back to the subject of mammography causing cancers, I can't think of any really good studies looking at this subject, but I'm sure you can find some good articles by searching at PubMed.  A dissenting viewpoint is that the low dose X-rays in mammograms actually decrease the cancer rate (PMID 15082088). I don't think there's any evidence that cancer is caused by the pressure put on the breast during a mammogram, since that would go against all theories we have about the development of cancer.  — Brim 14:51, Feb 10, 2005 (UTC)

do lemmings go in the water?
Look up Lemming (and, in particular, Norway Lemming). Lupo 08:16, 19 Jan 2005 (UTC)
 * And don't bite the newcomers, Lupo. --Tagishsimon (talk)

Function
What is a function from x to y? How to use an arc arrow diagram to depict a function.
 * See Function (mathematics). utcursch 08:40, Jan 19, 2005 (UTC)

Quebec French accent?
I had this question up on the Quebec French talk page for over a week and nobody seemed to know, so I'll try here. The basic question is:

"What are the linguistic terms and basics relating to this accent question? Is it phonology? or something physical?  Where can I look up more on this question?"

On the Quebec french "ear" and "mouth"
I'd love to note somewhere the obvious difference between the location in the mouth of Quebec French vs. France French, and the related difference in how a Quebecois hears foreign sounds. Unfortunately I'm not really qualified to do this in detail. All I know is that the foreign "th" sounds come out very different in the different French accents when speaking English:

Obviously the two languages are either differently placed in the mouth, or have a different "ear" for consonants, or both. Anyone understand the linguistic terminology here well enough to comment on this?

Steverapaport 20:20, 8 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * While the fact has been widely aknowledged (I've seen numerous references to it), I have yet to see a suggested hypothesis. Maybe Quebecois are more exposed to English slang /t, d/ for [θ, ð] than European French speakers? --Circeus 20:42, 8 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * First, my qualifications to comment: I lived in Ottawa (near the Quebec border) for a year, and in Northern Quebec for a summer. I've also spent a bit of time in France and in other parts of Europe where I have had business dealings with Frenchmen.  In English and in Parisian French, which I studied for 7 years.

 * The difference is definitely not due to slang English influence, because in the remote parts of Quebec there isn't any to speak of. It is rather due to an entire way of speaking.  To my ear the Quebecois speak a version of French that is spoken further back in the mouth -- their "R"s retreat almost to the uvula, the mouth is held further open, and the words alternate between sounding swallowed and sounding flat. The articulation points are further back on the tongue.  There's also a bit of an adenoidal sound, as if the speaker has a cold.

 * The Parisiens speak closer to the front of the mouth, with more closed mouth, and most of the articulation done near the tip of the tongue and lips. I'd love to say all this with authority but all I have is my own eyes and ears for this.

 * I'm pretty sure that the difference in the "th" sounds is related to the different articulation points or the adenoidal thing, but I don't have much to back it up. But I'd love to hear from someone who does! Steverapaport 23:37, 8 Jan 2005 (UTC)

So, pointers to more on this question?

Steverapaport 18:20, 19 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Deaths from the Crusades
I'm trying to find out how many people died fighting for the Vatican during all of the Crusades - all 12 or 13 or however many there were. That is, not the people defending the Holy Lands, just the people 'on offense'. Thanks! 168.213.1.134 18:45, 19 Jan 2005 (UTC)

There was no Vatican during the Crusades. You might want to look at Papal States, but even so, the Crusaders weren't fighting for the Pope. RickK 01:19, Jan 21, 2005 (UTC)

 * Thanks, I guess I'm a bit off on the exact background of the Crusades. But you still understand my question - the number of people who died trying to reclaim the Holy Lands. I guess I'm really shady on my history here... 168.213.1.134 16:49, 21 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * I think that the kind of answer you're looking for may not exist. Our article on the Crusades contains some good summary information, and links to more detailed accounts. From First Crusade:
 *  Both knights and peasants from many different nations of western Europe, with little central leadership, travelled over land and by sea towards Jerusalem and captured the city in July 1099...
 * The crusades were not simple military campaigns, but were also a sort of migration. You might want to think of something kind  of like the invading Vandals. -Rholton 15:56, 22 Jan 2005 (UTC)

It would be almost impossible to give you a number, since no one can even be sure how many people went on crusade in the first place. The contemporary sources exaggerate the numbers of combatants, as all ancient and medieval sources tend to do, and on the First Crusade there were tens of thousands of people who were either poor or beggars or women or some other sort of person they didn't bother to count. For the First Crusade there were many deaths from starvation and disease, not just deaths in battle. On the Second almost everyone was killed, and there were a lot of big battles and sieges during the Third. Would you also count the number of people who died in between those specific crusades, since there was virtually non-stop warfare in the Crusader states? There were also crusades against the Baltic peoples at the same time, and various other things called crusades. The number is probably hundreds of thousands, if not a lot more. Also, as Rick said, there was no "Vatican" as such (well, there was, the Vatican is actually just a hill) - and the Popes did not always call a crusade, and sometimes lost control of the ones they did call. Adam Bishop 02:09, 26 Jan 2005 (UTC)

You might also want to include the Albigensian crusade against the Cathars, which lasted a decade+ and resulted in the effective erasure of a regional culture. Not a very nice episode, but produced beaucoup death. ww 01:24, 4 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Academic failure
What are some good Web resources that deal with the causes of academic failure in high-school students? I'm not looking for ultrascholarly reports but rather for sites that an ordinary intelligent person can understand. Thanks, anon.
 * Rather than a link, I can offer some guidelines which are known to be predictors of failure:

 * 7th grade performance of a student is an early indicator of how well that student, who was used to the less demanding environment of 1st - 6th grades, might fare. This is an indicator of high school performance for that student. (Specifically, how well they cope with change)
 * Similarly, the grades in a high school chemistry (including lab work) course are precursors of college-level performance. Those students taking the manual drafting course will get grades that are precursors of post-high school performance.
 * The key is how do the students react to more exacting or demanding standards. Ancheta Wis 15:02, 20 Jan 2005 (UTC)

equation for the area of a triangle
See Heron's formula -- Dominus 16:51, 20 Jan 2005 (UTC)

... which is fine if you know the lengths of all three sides, but if you know the length of one side and an altitude then you can use Area=(Base x Height)/2. The triangle article describes several different ways of calculating area. Gandalf61 10:49, Jan 21, 2005 (UTC)

Usenet hierarchy
Can someone either direct me to a webpage completely explaining the Usenet hierarchy (eg alt. and talk.) or explain it below. I have looked at Great Renaming and Usenet already. Thanks, --anon

free articles?
Hello, I am building an internet business and am looking for a source for free articles that I can send through a retail opt-in list. Can I use Wikipedia and if so then what is my next step? Thank you in advance. Best Regards, -anon

 * Well, theoretically yes. But in practice you have to comply with the GFDL which means that in addition to sending the article itself you'd also have to send the entire text of the GFDL (which is rather large) and a full list of all the wikipedia contributors who contributed to the article.  Now, there are those (left-handed unibrowed communists, all) who'll tell you that you need only distribute a link to the latter, but that's never been tested in court; I can't recommend volunteering to be the test case. -- John Fader 01:20, 21 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Medical records
I would like to know if I have a right to request copies of medical records form the various doctors and hospitals I have gone to through my life (I live in the US). How do I go about it? Should I expect to pay very much? ike9898 19:39, Jan 20, 2005 (UTC)

 * Your right to access and correct your medical record (aka "personal health information") is protected under the HIPAA. Unfortunately, the HIPAA doesn't help make the process of obtaining your PHI any easier -- I'm pretty sure you'll have to request documents from each hospital individually. Just call or write them; they'll send you a form or (rarely) direct you to a website where you can download and print out a PDF and mail it in. IIRC, in many (most?) cases, you should expect to pay up to about $1 per page. --David Iberri | Talk 21:38, Jan 20, 2005 (UTC)

These answers apply to US only. You have the right to see your records and request copies, but remember that they are the "work notes" of your contractors and the original physical record does not "belong" to you. In general most doctor's offices, clinics, and hospitals do not charge to send a single copy of your current records to another doctor or hospital. Especially sensitive (mental health, HIV, addiction) records have tighter legal restrictions of various types and transfer and access can be a bigger pain in the rear. Many will charge to make a copy if you ask them to send to yourself, especially if the records are voluminous. You mention "through my life;" I don't know how old you are, but law does not require storage forever for adults. Most hospitals and clinics send records to storage occasionally and you might expect to pay for accessing archived records (or you may find they cant be found). As far as I know, there is no law regarding charging for copies of records, so above is custom and may or may not be followed in unusual cases (e.g., if your inpatient records take up an entire shelf in the hospital). If you are an adult and you actually get records from, say, the 1970s, you may be surprised at how scant they are. Legally required documentation has increased probably 10-fold over the last 25 years (and you wonder why health care costs continue to rise). And absolutely, you will have to request from each provider; legally, even if your current provider has a complete set of your whole-life records from ten previous providers, they can only transfer the record of their own care of you to another provider. alteripse 13:26, 21 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Metaphysical Psychotherapist
Is there such a thing as a Metaphysical Psychotherapist

 * Yes, but not for long. You see, the constructive interference caused by the wavefront coincidence of two such strong sources of pseudoscientific claptrap will produce localized levels of blatant untruth that exceed the fundamental capacity of Einstein-Minowsky spacetime to sustain dissemblance (given by the Rumsfeld constant, that is 14.6 barefaced lies per cubic inch).  To shed the excess nonsense a Heisenberg-Posen bridge will form (a perfect sphere with a diameter of approximately one meter) and the space therein will be ejected into hyperspace.  From the frame of reference of a nearby stationary observer, that volume will appear to vanish (with the corresponding inrush of 4*pi/3 cubic meters of air, producing a loud "gasp" sound) leaving only the calves, feet, and sandals of the metaphysical psychotherapist (unless they're a midget, of course). -- 81.153.211.84 01:56, 21 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * It is with extreme reluctance that I venture to even slightly temper the positively awe-inspiring paragraph offered above. And I've been led to believe that some of my wit was a tad sharp for tastes here...  I also wouldn't trust a "Metaphysical Psychotherapist" as far as I could speculate her, but their more honest cousins usually hang out under the sign of "philosophical counseling."  Google it  and you will find an immediate page of references to their learned societies and even pages answering that common, burning question, "what is philosophical counseling" . alteripse 02:46, 21 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * It only leaves us with the burning question ... can paragraphs from this page be transferred to BJAODN? (Though GJAODN might be more appropriate). DJ Clayworth 04:34, 24 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Veterans Administration Cuts - 70% ??
Reference junkie here can't find anything to verify this. According to the VA Patient Advocate at the VA in Florida, the administration is cutting the VA budget by 70%. Now, why can't I find anything to substantiate this? It's not on Google or High Beam - nada. Apparently, it was just announced to the VA. Even if it wasn't released to the press yet, wouldn't there be something somewhere to confirm this? --allie 22:10, 21 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Time warp? This was posted in March 2003. Here is another angle from approx 1 year ago on this same topic. These two   from last spring address the planned reductions through 2009: more like a 17% reduction over 4 years, it looks like. A 70% imminent cut that none of these groups has heard about seems unlikely. alteripse 05:06, 22 Jan 2005 (UTC)
 * Thank you. I feel like such a dyslexic dolt. Appreciate the references, very, very much. --allie 11:09, 22 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Sri Lankan local government
What is the structure of Sri Lankan govt (not LTTE areas) below District level? What are the names of the administrative subdivisions in Trincomalee? Thanks! 203.94.91.81 05:10, 21 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Intermittent modem hardware failure
Yes, sad to say, some of us are still using 56k dial-up modems. Occasionally mine attempts to dial and says "hardware failure". Now, it only does this when my dial up tries to connect (my ISP disconnects me every 2 hours on the dot but I have a little bit of software that reconnects me automatically to fight my ISP's evil ways), so it can't be a loose connection. Rebooting often, but not always, solves it. Any ideas?

Apologies in advance if my signature appears strange. I've been told off. I worked on the bloody thing for ages, but now I'll have to simplify it again. Grrrrr! Actually, what was said was that it made somebody's page go broken, so probably best not to put it on a significant page at all. (No sig, this is user : bodnotbod).

Saving money by cancelling school
About how much money would the U.S. and the school systems in it save if they took off the last day of school for all public schools? How much would be saved in pay, transportation, etc? --elpenmaster

 * In all likelyhood, not as much as you might think. I believe all administrators and teachers are exempt from overtime laws, meaning that they get paid the same regardless of how many days they work.  You might get some savings in power utilization, and perhaps fuel and salary from busses, assuming that the district picks up the tab for them and not the parents.  Also, it's important to remember that many schools do not shut down just because the school year is out.  There's always summer sessions, the janitorial staff is typically employed year round, so costs will always be incurred.  Also, I believe in California at least, a district's funding is directly tied to their attendance, so by cutting a day, the district itself would be getting less money.  Of course, this also raises the counter-question, "What is the average cost/benefit to society per student per day of school attended?" --Cvaneg 22:42, 21 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Asian alphabetization
Let's say the only language you know is Japanese, or one of the other Asian languages that doesn't use a ike9898 14:16, Jan 21, 2005 (UTC)

 * Japanese is a bad example, because it does have a phonetic alphabet, and has had for about a thousand years. But your question is reasonable.  I recently did some research into the way medieval Chinese printers organized their type cases; as you can imagine, the problems are similar.

 * Typically, each Chinese character is associated with a "radical", which is a common subpart of that character and many others. For example, the character for "明" = "bright" is clearly a compound of the two characters for "sun" ("日") and "moon" ("月"), and the radical is "sun".  The radicals themselves are ordered partly by the number of strokes they contain and partly in an arbitrary but conventional way.  Often, a major dictionary such as the K'ang Hsi Tzu-Tien (Kangxi zi dian in modern spelling) of 1716 will establish an order for characters or radicals, and this order will be re-used for hundreds of years afterwards.

 * Chinese characters in dictionaries are usually ordered by one or more of: number of strokes; what radical they contain (with the radicals themselves ordered as in K'ang Hsi Tzu-Tien or some other well-known and widely-available source); how many strokes they have in addition to the radical; what order they appear in a standard dictionary; or some combination of these.

 * Typically, for example, the dictionary will list the characters ordered first by number of strokes; characters with the same number of strokes will be ordered by radical, with the characters with simpler radicals before those with more complicated radicals; where the radicals have the same number of strokes the radicals will be ordered in a conventional and well-known order; and where the characters contains the same number of strokes and the same radicals, they will be ordered in a conventional order.

 * Note that even a phonetic alphabet doesn't solve all your problems. Consider the problem of locating John Smith in the telephone book.  The spelling is unambiguous, but you still can't find the one you want.  Modern Chinese dictionaries often list words in order by pinyin phonetic spelling, but some languages, like Mandarin and Korean, contain so many homonyms that this is insufficient.  My Chinese dictionary, for example, lists seven different words all pronounced "chá".

 * I suggest that if you're interested in this you go to the library or bookstore and take a look at a Chinese-English dictionary. You will probably find its organization quite absorbing.

 * I hope this was helpful. -- Dominus 16:07, 21 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * THEN

 * Even though it was Chinese who invented movable type, as late as a couple of hundred years ago, many Chinese printers preferred block printing because of economics. Reason: Cheap labor. Some books are selling like hot cakes. Instead of reset each page at each run, they could save the wooden board for later use.

 * Movable type was not very popular in China. However, it was a different story in Korea. Many Korean scholars studied Chinese works. To help their customers catch-up quickly, many Korean printers used durable brass type to print Chinese books as soon as they got a copy from China. I don't know how they managed the font.

 * The project of Chin Ch'ien (Jian Jin) in 1776 had twelve huge type cases with two hundred drawers each. Each drawer was divided into eight compartments and each compartment held four types.  The cases were labled with the twelve divisions set out in the K'ang Hsi Tzu-Tien and each drawer also had a label; the drawers were ordered (as usual) by radical and by number of strokes.

 * Before each page was composed, the printer would go through it and make a list of which characters were required and how many of each. Then his assistants would gather the types from the case.  Another person was responsible for returning the types to the cases when a page was broken down.

 * Often an unusual character would be required that had not been made up beforehand. Chin Ch'ien was using wooden type, so he could have a new character made up on the spot when necessary.

 * Wang Chen in 1313 was using metal types. He had them organized on two huge round tables with rotating tabletops.  On the tables, the types were organized as usual, by strokes and radicals, with one table for the common characters and the other for the rare ones.  As the types were needed, a printer sitting between the tables would select the appropriate types.  -- Dominus 13:54, 22 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * In the

 * NOW

 * A Chinese dictionary usually has two or more index systems. The formal one is radical + stroke number system. No matter which dialect you speak, if you can write, you can use it. A schoolboy has to spend weeks to months to learn how to use the 100-some radicals. Usually, there will be another index that orders words using stroke numbers only. These are usually for the "difficult" words. Sometimes, you just can't tell which radical is the one.

 * Another method is to order the characters according to its pronounciation. Before the 20th century, there was no widely accepted way to so it. People invented many ordering systems. Currently, two widely used standards based on Standard Mandarin are used: pinyin and bopomofo. If you can pronounce, you can find it.

 * There are many less-used index methods. Example: the four corner method. Not each dictionary is using it.

 * Today they don't print so many copies of telephone directories. A telephone directory may order names according to the family name -> given name order. Family names are sorted by stroke number -> order of pinyin or bopomofo. -- Toytoy 18:37, Jan 21, 2005 (UTC)

 * Okay, so if a literate Chinese person was given 100 index cards that each had a different word on it, could he easily put these cards in order according to one of the above schemes (without using any sort of reference book)? ike9898 22:34, Jan 21, 2005 (UTC)

 * Possibly not. To sort several English words, you just compare each word's each alphabets. With Chinese characters, this can be more difficult. 1st level ordering could be easy. 2nd level would be much more difficult.

 * Radicals and stroke numbers are 1st level. They do not distinguish each charcter withing the group. You need another ordering method to sort each character. ("狼" (wolf) and "狗" (dog) both have the "犬" (the left part) radical, you don't know which comes first). Using phonemes is usually easier.

 * Some methods are too difficult to do it in mind. There are 100-200 radicals (1st level), you just can't remember the correct dictionary order of them unless you are truly insane. Counting stroke numbers (1st level) is a tedious job because there are some exceptions when two strokes are actually counted as one (or vice versa) because you are wrong and they are right. (How do you write R? P then slash or I then "a crescent and a slash"?) Sometimes, your order of writing is just different from theirs. (How do you write H? Vertical, vertical, horizontal? Or vertical, horizontal, vertical?) Possibly you still need a dictionary.

 * Ordering using phonetics is somewhat easier. Many people in Taiwan were taught bopomofo (a set of non-Roman phonemes) in kindergarten or 1st grade. People in China learned pinyin (Romanization) at about the same age. Both systems are nearly identical except for the writing systems. (See: music notation). It is possibly easier to order in pinyin because many bopomofo users forgot the exact order except for the first four or eight phonemes: bo, po, mo, fo, de, te, ne, le ... . They know the order of Latin alphabets.

 * If you have a rollodex or a notebook filled with telephone numbers, you may use stroke number or pinyin to order names. There's a system of family name's order "The Hundred Families' Surnames" (百家姓) (趙錢孫李 周吳鄭王 ...) and another list of 1,000 frequently used characters "An Essay of One Thousand Words" (千字文) (a meaningful article written in exact 1,000 different words: "天地玄黃 宇宙洪荒 ..." "In the beginning of the time and universe ..."). These are not usually used for general purpose ordering. Many ordering systems may be too difficult to implement in mind.

 * You can configure your Chinese version of Microsoft Windows, Linux or MacOS to order using the character codes or language specific orders. With the Traditional Chinese Windows, you can choose between stroke number and bopomofo. Some systems may support more ordering methods. -- Toytoy 04:25, Jan 22, 2005 (UTC)

Sculptured Reliefs at Perspolis
Can someone find info on the Sculptured Reliefs at Perspolis? I can't seen to find anything on them ((well at least not that which is useful.. >>; )) What info I do have is mostly pics and that cannot help me do a report on it. So please if you do find something ie- How is it made... What materials where used... What techique was used.... In what location are the works found.. bla bla bla.. you get the Idea I'm pretty sure

It's possible your trouble finding info is that most people who are likely to be providing useful info spell it Persepolis, and PRESTO, there's a whole article about it right here! alteripse 12:44, 22 Jan 2005 (UTC)

electrical heating element
My electric stove has a heating element that has 'gone bad' (doesn't heat when voltage is applied across it). I assumed these things go bad because somehow the conductive path is broken, like a light bulb burning out. However, when I test the resistance across the busted heating element, it is not infinite but something more like 1 M-ohm. Can these heating elements go bad in some other way? ike9898 22:44, Jan 21, 2005 (UTC)

 * Ordinarily, the resistance should be a few tens of ohms (e.go., 220 V across 30 ohms gives 1.6 kW of heat). 1 M-ohm will be leakage across imperfect insulation somewhere.  —AlanBarrett 10:56, 23 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Chef
Is there a complete list of the Chef's songs from South Park? I cannot find one that is GFDL or other open license. --Fan

You mean you want the lyrics, or just the titles? The lyrics are copyrighted, and will be for many years, so you're not going to find a GFDL listing of them. If you're just talking about the titles, that can't be copyrighted, so a list is perfectly free use. RickK 21:59, Jan 22, 2005 (UTC)

Just the titles, and maybe some information about where each one appears, the context and some description of what the song is about and any guests who feature on it. I could not find it on the South Park article. Am I missing it? Thanks --Fan

 * I can do some research on this - I'll post it at List of Chef's songs (South Park). 203.94.91.71 10:12, 24 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Police (APCO?) 10 codes
What are all of the (APCO?) 10 codes? (i.e.: 10-4 = "Message recieved", "OK"; 10-10= "Negative","No.") I found a list of them, but it only have from 10-1 to 10-34 or somewhere around there. I know there are more (95?)..
 * Codes above 40 vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction; APCO only created (I think) and standardized the first 40, and allowed anything higher to be defined by the user. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 03:05, 23 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Okay, thank you. Do you know of a website (or do you know them off-hand?) where I can find the entire list for the NYPD? (And uh...just out of pure curiosity, what does APCO stand for?)

 * The 10-codes are not standardised. APCO stands for Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials. I think the 10-codes are different for each city or whatever. Alphax (t) (c) (e) 09:45, Jan 23, 2005 (UTC)

 * Here are the NYPD radio codes. They differ significantly from common (if not "standard") usage -- so much that an outsider trying to interpret and act upon them could get quite confused. For example, the "common" (if not standard) 10-10 is, as stated, "negative"; but for the NYPD, 10-10 means "Possible crime" -- while for FDNY, 10-10 means "Current location". --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 17:58, 23 Jan 2005 (UTC)

South Park Script?
Where can I find the script to "South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut"? I found a script once, but it left out some parts. I'm looking for a script that has everythnig every character said, word-for-word, including the songs. Does such a thing exsist? o.o;

Can you buy it? It must be copyright. The South Park Article is a little vague about many details. --Fan

 * It's not unusual for movie scripts to be published. If this one hasn't been, it probably will be. You might do a normal web search for the title plus "ISBN"; you might try a book-focused site like Amazon or Abe Books; you might talk to a library or book store, especially a book store specializing in film-related books. -- Jmabel | Talk 21:54, Jan 23, 2005 (UTC)

 * I've had a good look around Amazon for you and then tried searches elsewhere and haven't been able to find any evidence that the script is available for purchase. If you have a copy of the film and the incomplete script you might be able to finish it off yourself. --bodnotbod 19:20, Jan 26, 2005 (UTC)

Religion question
Which are the most and least religious countries in the world? Are they Senegal/Nigeria and Czech Republic/France respectively? A Google search yields contradicting results.
 * I'm guessing ur aware of the laicité situation in France, whereby it seems to me that its illegal to do a survey on the national religious practices. So France is vague. Hard to get a decent value for number of believers. I'd imagine Pitcairn is not very religious --Wonderfool 13:08, 24 Jan 2005 (UTC)
 * Actually, every Pitcairn Islander is a member of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church. This makes it the most religious country in the world, although the population is only 47.-gadfium 21:53, 24 Jan 2005 (UTC)
 * It is probably impossible to answer this question objetively. It depends on how you define the word religious. Most Americans would probably claim to believe in God, but how many ever actually do anything religious on a regular basis? What about countries with a state religion, where everybody is technically a member? There are also people who don't like the word religion, even though they might seem very religious by your standards. You can, I am sure, find statistics on this, but you have to remember that their interpretation is very subjective. -Aranel (" Sarah ") 22:37, 24 Jan 2005 (UTC)
 * I agree with that, but for instance, Hungary takes a skeptical attitude to religion; the churches are never full except on major holidays such as Easter and Christmas. (A result of its having passed through a twentieth-century atheist government? I wouldn't know.) In Brazil, it's considered almost offensive to ask if one believes in God because the answer is so overwhelmingly yes. So it is measurable to some extent. (The Pitcairn Island thing is fascinating, by the way!) --anon.
 * Do you consider Vatican City a country? It has a population of almost a thousand, making it larger than Pitcairn Island.
 * Vatican City has indeed been an independent nation since the Lateran Treaty of 1929. It is recognised as such world-wide, and it would be eligible for admission to the United Nations etc but has chosen to remain aloof from that kind of global politicking.  It sends its ambassadors (papal nuncios) to other countries, and recognised ambassadors from other countries who are accredited to the Holy See.  JackofOz 00:37, 6 Feb 2005 (UTC)

GUllman 01:18, 29 Jan 2005 (UTC) 01:06, 29 Jan 2005 (UTC)
 * The correct link is Laïcité. -- Itai 01:32, 29 Jan 2005 (UTC)
 * Made the redirect for you. &emdash; Catherine\talk 20:15, 30 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Creative writing assignment
Have you ever been trapped and imprisonned in a tall dark tower? What do you think it would feel like? What thoughts would go through your head? Tnx. Nigel

 * I doubt Wikipedians will be of much help to you, because a creative writing assignment isn't a matter of fact. Only you can tell your teacher what would go through your head, etc. --Gelu Ignisque

 * Or, of course you could arrange to be trapped and imprisoned in a tall dark tower. -- Jmabel | Talk 21:56, Jan 23, 2005 (UTC)
 * Try Anne Boleyn and Rapunzel, Nigel. Then go lock yourself in a dark closet before tackling that assignment and try not to plagiarize. --allie 00:24, 24 Jan 2005 (UTC)

I reckon, first thing would be annoyance that u let urself get trapped. then later stages would come paranoia, hunger, thrist, boredom, until you eventually get used to the dark and use the time to think really deeply. what id do is invent a language or sumthin, just to keep my mind from going to jelly. sometime during the imprisonment i'd think "does the fact that the tower is tall actually affect the mindframe? i'd make up dozens of stories in my head, then put music to them in my head. and try and think of every single person ive ever met, of every place ive ever been, of the best things i've ever done. maybe u should put sumthing in the essay about time, and how it all seems so pointless when there's no days or nights, and everything is the same always. The key is keeping ur mind and body useful. so i guess doing pressups or pushups or situps or some kind of exercise would be a good plan. And I'd spend a certain amount of time simply doin nothing, paying attention to the sound of silence, trying to somehow make things appear or happen thru telekinesis. And id also try somehow to inscribe something into the wall or the floor, with my nails perhaps. inscribing things like how many times i peed, or trying to draw perfect circles. I would create an imaginary friend, and talk to him/her/it about escaping and what we would do when we got out. And some time i would possibly think "Dude, am i dead? i may aswell be. Death is just darkness and nothingness. or is it? how should i know.im not dead. because i can think. dammit who said "credo ...." i think therefore i am. I would love to die just to feel what it feels like". paranoia, u know. at some time, id be eventually thinking "i wish i had internet here". And worry about if my capturees have forgotten about me.but then again, i guess they'd be obliged to send me food. So the food would be a pleasant relief.u could use the time to try and cunt to a million; and try to predict, using ur counting, when the guards are gonna come and feed you. Phew, that was the fastest thing ive ever typed in my life. also the most useless. but i hope this shit helps. if only i had an essay like this to ask the world help for
 * Yanno--that's exactly what happened to Anne Boleyn! And then she had her head chopped off. But I don't think she did push-ups...or said, "dude," but really accurate nonetheless. A- based on creativity, turning in the assignment with lightnening speed, but the spelling and grammar gets you every time... Best regards --allie 02:24, 25 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * How about The Man in the Iron Mask or The Shawshank Redemption? You must learn from great stories. You may also study sensory deprivation. -- Toytoy 05:47, Jan 26, 2005 (UTC)
 * Papillon has a good few pages on solitary confinement. Although the prisoner isnt actually solitary-theres a few dozen prisoners in a room seperated by walls, but they have to stay silent or they are given punitions graves, so in other words they are silent cos the punitions are very grave. but anyway; the prisoner stays sane by eating smuggled coconuts. wait a second, this isnt answering the question.nevermind.--Wonderfool 10:49, 26 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * "what id do is invent a language or sumthin" - - You appear to be doing that already. Does this mean we ought to be trying to rescue you? --bodnotbod 19:23, Jan 26, 2005 (UTC)

Try reading A Tale of Two Cities =) --Alterego 07:05, Feb 6, 2005 (UTC)

Removing the border from frames in XHTML
Now, I understand that this can be done with  in the frameset tag, but this isn't official. Is there an official way of doing it? Alphax (t) (c) (e) 09:54, Jan 23, 2005 (UTC)
 * In fact,  is exactly the coding to remove frame borders in XHTML.  This is shown in the DTD as produced by the W3C .  If you search for "frameborder" in that, you will see that this coding is allowed under XHTML 1.0.  It is also allowed in HTML 4.01.  However, in HTML 3.2, not only was   not allowed, neither were   and  .  If you are interested, this can be seen at, where trying to search for "frame" does not yield results. So if your website is being written in strict 3.2, you cannot actually use frames.  They are an innovation introduced with HTML 4, although, obviously, many browsers already had them in their programming, and they were de facto standard, although not de jure.  However, most websites you will write today will be in 4.01, so you can include  ,   and   to your heart's content.  :)  Smoddy | ειπετε 19:37, 23 Jan 2005 (UTC)
 * Unfortunately I can't find any way of entirely removing the frameborder and still conforming to the DTD. The following will do it, but is there a better valid way?

 * -- Alphax (t) (c) (e) 13:49, Jan 25, 2005 (UTC)

 * A valid mathod that works? I think you're in dream world now. I don't think any browser will complain if you put the   attribute in.  Smoddy | ειπετε 21:31, 25 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * Well, Firefox and IE both handle it ok. I'll just have to be happy with everything else being W3C complient. Alphax (t) (c) (e) 05:53, Jan 27, 2005 (UTC)

rainfall patterns in Ireland
Does anyone have a link for rainfall patterns in Ireland on a month by month basis? I'm thinking of holidaying in Ireland in the summer and would like to know what is most likely to be the least wettest month. Jooler
 * For a start:  and   Joyous 16:46, Jan 23, 2005 (UTC)

Canadian pilot ww1 question
I am having trouble finding any information on the Canadian Pilot (ww1-?) Eddie Redenbacher.

Am I spelling the name wrong....Can you offer me any help or suggestions on how to get the info??

Thank you C. wallace

Do you mean Eddie Rickenbacker, American WWI ace ?

question_output
Output to screen: How does an appropriate binary pattern output by a program get

turned into a pattern of pixels on the screen? How is it possible to change the

appearance of some text by changing the font, font size, etc.? How is flashing text

implemented? How is it that a picture (e.g. text) stays on the screen, even if the CPU

is now executing some quite unrelated task?

 * It's not done in one step, of course. If you're talking about text, the rough order is:

 * Text memory -> markup engine -> video memory -> video driver

 * The text memory remembers alphanumerics, and handles remembering what's been printed, where the cursor is, and what will come next.

 * The markup engine (in a word processor, etc) will keep invisible tags in the text that indicate that some text is bigger, smaller, flashing, colored, etc.

 * The video memory is on the single pixel level, and has enough memory to represent the output screen, in full color, at least once. The markup engine writes the text in fonts and colors to this memory, where it remains until it's erased or changed.  Video memory is often double-buffered, so it keeps two copies around -- one for updates, and one to display.  This way the memory doesn't have to change while it's being displayed on the screen, which would cause unpleasant flashing effects.

 * The video driver simply copies the appropriate video memory buffer to the display, sixty or so times a second, over and over. Or you could consider it the other way round, the driver repaints the screen many times per second, taking its latest information from the video memory.

 * Note that the CPU need be involved only in the first two stages. In modern computers the video memory and driver are in separate hardware.

 * In general, which of these components is on the motherboard, which is part of the video card, and which is included in the operating system, all change between vendors and over time. That's why I've used very generic names for everything.

Steverapaport

Four and nine
''Anonymous request moved from article space. Peter O. (Talk) 21:44, Jan 23, 2005 (UTC)''

song Title Four and Nine Words I took a lady out one night she had a very large appetite I took her to Lockharts but we didnt go inside I took her to the Cecil  Four and Nine This song was sung in the music halls about the 1930's

Can somebody help. If so please contact gerryb@big pond.net.au

Scrap Iron for the War effort-WW II
Where or how can I find information about the United States civilian war effort during WW II? Specifically farmers turning in scrap iron and farm tools for the war effort. Thank you, Gary Owens coyoteridgeranch@amaonline.com
 * The Library of Congress: http://catalog.loc.gov/ has a good selection of photographs, but it'll take some research to find more than that. I tried the "Farm Administration Bureau" but be sure to narrow your search terms to a specific area or a more specific request, or you'll just end up with some very interesting photos, the way I did. Hope that's a lead for you. --allie 00:47, 24 Jan 2005 (UTC)
 * And I did find a book... Wilcox, Walter W. The Farmer in the Second World War (1947) Ames, IA: Iowa State College Press. But there's nothing in the index about collecting scrap iron, sorry. --allie 21:36, 25 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Effect on (air) pressure by filling up a space with fluid
Hi,

please assume the following:

I have a cylinder that is filled with air (1 atmosphere) and it is oriented in a horizontal direction, so that you could roll it, on a table for example. The top and bottom are seals. The seals are necessary, because on both sides of the cylinder you have oil. Now, the seals are leaking, and oil seeps into the cylinder.

What I am concerned with here is the effect this seeping of oil has on the pressure inside this cylinder.

My thoughts are: the air gets compressed, so that if we would half the cylinder filled with oil, instead of having 1 atmosphere, we would have 2 atmosphere, in the part that is filled with air. (note: I assume that air cannot leave the cylinder) Is that correct?

This is the pressure, that according to my thinking, is now acting on the surface of the oil, and on that part of the seals that is not yet covered with oil. The next question is: what is the pressure on that part of the cylinder wall that is covered with oil?

The surface of the oil at midpoint should be length of cylinder * diameter of cylinder

The cylinder surface that is covered with oil is: 2* 1/2 of the top and bottom (=2* pi*r^2) 1/2 cylinder side surface (= 1/2 * h*2*pi*r) What pressure will be acting now on this surface, if the pressure on the top of the oil surface is 2 bar?

Thank you very much for your help!

Sincerely, Juergen

 * Oil is a liquid, so we're going to assume that it's incompressible. So yes, if somehow oil is getting in and air is not leaving you will get an increase in air pressure.  Now, the next question is whether or not the temperature varies, and how.  If your system is in contact with a constant-temperature reservoir, you could assume it's isothermal (i.e., the temperature is not allowed to change).  We can model air as an ideal gas.  Then you get pV=RT=const, or, if you halve the volume that the air is in, you'll get twice the pressure.  Alternatively, you can assume, instead of being isothermal, that the system is adiabatic.  That means that there is no heat transfer from the air to the oil or the cylinder or any kind of reservoir.  Then you'd use:

 * $$ pV^\gamma=const $$

 * Where for a diatomic gas such as the nitrogen and oxygen that mostly make up air you have $$ \gamma=1.4 $$.

 * Now for the pressure in the oil. Since air is much lighter than oil, I ignored the hydrostatic pressure variations in the air.  But you're going to find that the pressure varies with height through the oil.  Specifically, in the oil:

 * $$ \frac{dp}{dz}=-\rho_{oil}g $$

 * where $$ \rho_{oil} $$ is the density of the oil and $$ g $$ is the acceleration due to gravity: 9.81m/s^2.

 * And the pressure on the top of the oil will be the same as the air pressure. So, at a distance d below the surface of the oil, the pressure in the oil will be:

 * $$ p_{oil}=p_{air}+\rho_{oil}gd $$

 * So it's going to be different at different parts of the cylinder. If you want the total force, you'll have to integrate it.  Or alternatively, the total force on the bottom of the cylinder is just the weight of the oil plus the weight of the air.  On the ends of the cylinder, you'll have to integrate it.

 * Hope that answers your question. moink 20:20, 24 Jan 2005 (UTC)

material that lets through air, fuel and oil, but not water and dust
Hi, I am looking for a material that I can use to plug a hole. It should let air, fuel and oil through, as these are inside the pump I want to plug, but it should not let water and dust through (possible contaminants from the outside) If the material gets destroyed over some time by fuel and oil, this is okay. Thank you!

 * How about a few more details - what is the pump for? Is it a fuel pump? If so, you should filter the fuel before it gets to this stage. Can you post a sketch?

 * Hi, yes, it its a fuel pump with a weep hole chamber into which oil and fuel are leaking.

So, we want these to run out of the weep hole chamber, by putting a weep hole on top, but we don't want to let water and contaminants in through the weep hole. Therefore I am looking for a material for a plug that might be suitable here.

Thank you!

Music: turning 1 beat into 2 (or 4)?
Sometimes, it seems, a song will have its tempo increased, not by shortening the duration of each beat, by placing new beats halfway between the original beats, so each beat becomes two beats. One Celine Dion song had so slow a tempo that each beat had to become, not two, but four beats for the dance version!

What is it called when the tempo is increased in this manner?

--User:Juuitchan

 * In what you are describing, does the "faster" version of the song take the same amount of time, line for line, for instance (the dance version may be longer, but through repetition)?
 * Rock and roll usually features an eigth-note ride (or cymbal) pattern, while disco and later dance music usually features a sixteenth-note ride pattern.
 * Thus when a song is turned into a dance version the amount of rhythmic activity increases even if the tempo does not. Hyacinth 03:45, 24 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * I don't know, and don't care, about eighth notes and sixteenth notes. And of course what I described increases the tempo! --User:Juuitchan
 * If you take eight notes and split them into sixteenth notes, the effect is just what you described. The tempo describes the length of one measure (for instance). If you have two beats in one measure (say they're half notes because they take up half the measure) and you add two extra notes in between, then you've got four quarter notes. The tempo, however, is the same, because it takes just as long to play two half notes as it does to play four quarter notes. You can divide it again into eight eighth notes or 16 sixteenth notes, all without necessarily changing the tempo.
 * You increase the tempo by shortening the duration of each beat. Subdividing the beats as you described does not change the tempo at all, although it does make the music sound "faster".
 * (And no, I don't know what this is called.) -Aranel (" Sarah ") 22:30, 24 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * How many beats in a "measure"? If I don't have the score in front of me, how can I know? Actually, I don't care. I just count beats. Sometimes I count in hexadecimal, for obvious reasons. --User:Juuitchan

 * Then I guess what you are describing would be called, "doubling the tempo". You could describe it various other ways, such as, "having increased the tempo to twice its original speed or value". Hyacinth 04:07, 25 Jan 2005 (UTC)
 * I suspect it's a matter of semantics. (Does it really matter whether you actually doubled the tempo or just doubled the number of notes? Could anyone who wasn't a musician tell the difference without seeing the score?) I don't know if it's possible to tell with any certainty how many beats are in a measure without seeing the music, but I imagine a musician could give you an educated guess.
 * On the other hand, it's usually fairly obvious that, say, a waltz has three beats. You could conceivably subdivide the notes to make it sound more lively, but the dancers would probably not appreciate it if you doubled the tempo. (Whether the beats fall on every note or every other note is important if you're dancing to them. It's less important if you're just listening. Or, for that matter, playing, so long as you're not trying to keep time with someone else.) -Aranel (" Sarah  ") 04:18, 25 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Its very easy to tell in popular music, especially dance music, since at least the seventies because the drum patterns determine the beats. You all can find out for yourselves: read in metre (music) about the number of beats, read in dance music about "four to the floor", and read in Beats per minute and Tempo about determining tempo. Hyacinth 04:42, 25 Jan 2005 (UTC)

One may not care for verbal understanding, being able to talk about something is a good sign of understanding. It may not be the ideal way for one to learn anything, its the only way I have here. Hyacinth 05:06, 25 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * Tempted as I am to launch into a lengthy spiel on the subjectiveness of tempo perception, I'll just try to answer Juuitchan's question: as far as I and several musician friends know, there is no specific jargon term for what is being described. If the tempo is doubled, by any means, then, as Hyacinth says, one would probably describe the process as simply "doubling the tempo". If the rhythmic structure was changed so that the beats were half as long, then it might be described as "halving the beat". --Camembert 16:33, 25 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Educational System - 1879-1890
Whatwas formal name of boarding schools what are names of schooling like college?

 * I think you may have to say a bit more about this question? Are you looking for an official name used to describe schools where the pupils live there? If so, which country are you interested in? DJ Clayworth 04:22, 24 Jan 2005 (UTC)

ethical code of professional teacher in republic act 7836

 *
 * Commonly referred to as: NAEP Code of Ethics for Test Administration and Data Collection - it's in PDF format, and here's the link, concerning governing the SAT's. --allie 22:18, 25 Jan 2005 (UTC)

File formats
Can anybody tell me if Au file format is lossless or not? Tim Rhymeless (Er...let's shimmy)  07:32, 24 Jan 2005 (UTC)
 * To my eye (based on readnig the header information), it looks like it's lossless and uncompressed. →Raul654 07:35, Jan 24, 2005 (UTC)
 * It depends on the value of the 'encoding' field (word 3 of the header). Formats 2-7 are uncompressed PCM, therefore lossless. Formats 23-26 are ADPCM, which is a lossy, roughly 4:1 compression.  Formats 1 and 27 are μ-law and A-Law, respectively, both lossy.  Several of the others are DSP commands or data, designed to be processed by the NeXT MusicKit software. -Key45 21:22, 24 Jan 2005 (UTC).

Neon lamp
Hello, my question is about a neonlamp I have in my room. It has the shape of a palmtree, but the right part of it doesn't glow as much as the left part.The weirdest thing is: when I touch the topdown right point of it the whole tree glows at the same amount, it has someting to do with the touching. Can I fix my lamp? And why is my lamp ok when I touch it? Hope you know the answer! greetings --Sanneseubers 13:25, 24 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Is it fairly new, or vintage? If you know the manufacturer, try this link. It's a handy one.
 * Consumers Handbook for people who hate telephone menus: --allie 01:40, 26 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Nellie Harbridge, artist
moved from Help desk -- Ferkelparade π 13:34, 24 Jan 2005 (UTC) I am looking for any information on one Nellie Harbridge. I have recently acquired a pair of watercolours at auction, and would like to know if anyone knows anything about the artist. They appear to be approximately 70 years old, possibly older, from the signatures. Both are beautifully executed works of wild flowers gathered from beside a riverbank or pond, with details of waterlilies, water iris, forget-me-nots, mimulus, tansy and other flora, grasses and leaves. It may be that she was an amateur painter and I have purchased something which just gives me pleasure, but if there is a history behind the glass, I should be happier to know of it.

 * Well, a quick flip through Google, the Library of Congress, and the Smithsonian Museum yielded nothing. However, do not despair: a call to Sotheby's and to Christie's American Arts Department in Manhattan might yield a clue. Both have an 800#. They'll ask you to send in photographs and won't guarantee a response; lovely, I know, but there you go. There is also a special database that dealers use, so try to locate a reputable one who specializes in this market - watercolors, prints, posters, et. cetera. A lot depends on the provenance, the condition of the watercolors, and of course - the name. Good luck! --allie 02:10, 25 Jan 2005 (UTC)
 * I found some links for you to start; the third one is that artist database I referred to. --allie 20:56, 25 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 *
 *
 *

What does the letter K stand for in this CNN article?
CNN.com Updated: 10:54 a.m. EST (15:54 GMT) January 24, 2005

• Man wins 450k for wrongful surgery

LAW CENTER:

$450,000 settlement for wrong surgery

Friday, January 21, 2005 Posted: 9:12 AM EST (1412 GMT) NEW YORK (AP) -- A hospital and the New York Rangers' hockey team doctor Thursday were ordered to pay $450,000 to a dance director and choreographer who had surgery on the wrong knee.

What does the letter K (450k) stand for in this article?

With kind regards Martin de Wit The Netherlands

 * kilo, i.e. thousand. -- John Fader 16:37, 24 Jan 2005 (UTC)

American Election 1860
As I understand it, the population of the US at this time was about 31,000,000

ONLY 5,000,000 PEOPLE VOTED

hOW MANY PEOPLE HAD THE VOTE?? or WHAT WAS THE APPROXIMATE BREAKDOWN OF THE POPULATION??

pRESUMABLY WOMEN COULDN'T VOTE

 * I unfortunately don't have time to dig up the numbers right now, but here's a couple of thoughts:
 * Age distribution. This has been changing in recent decades, but in the 1860s, I'd be surprised if more than 20 of the 30 million were of voting age.
 * Of course, women could not vote in the 1860 election, so take away another 10 million.
 * Slaves also couldn't vote, but I don't know if the 31 million figure is for population or for number of citizens, so let us ignore that for the moment.
 * Now take into account spatial distribution (most people lived in the big cities in the East coast, but maybe a million or two lived out in the middle of nowhere without much communication with the outside world and without much interest in the goings-on in politics), and an approximate 50% voter turnout does not look all that bad.
 * Oh, and methinks your caps lock key got stuck :P -- Ferkelparade π 17:46, 24 Jan 2005 (UTC)
 * Here is everything you want to know about the US population in 1860 broken down by race, religion, male, female, and more. You crunch the numbers and get back to us. Sounds pretty interesting. --allie 21:06, 26 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Area from GPS coordinates...
Anybody know the best algorithm to calculate the area of a region bounded by points of which you know the latitude and longitude (from a GPS)? At the moment I'm cheating by assuming the earth is flat (which is a reasonable enough approximation over a small area, but not so great on a big one). Do I have to approximate the surface with a bunch of triangles in 3D space, or is there something more elegant? --Robert Merkel 23:40, 24 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * I'm guessing here, but how about mapping the coordinates onto an cylindrical equal-area map projection, and then taking the rectangular area? for "Lambert's Cylindrical Equal-Area" projection, it should be simply: x = longitude, y = sin(latitude), where lat and long are in radians.  You'll have to multiply x and y by the number of kilometers in one radian as measured at the longitude of the equator. -Key45 02:32, 25 Jan 2005 (UTC)

What are thedifferent types of Indonesian Values?
I suppose you're talking about the Indonesian Rupiah? Follow the second external link given! Lupo 12:48, 26 Jan 2005 (UTC)

What's the difference between steps and stairs?
Someone asked this on another forum I peek at. And we're all struggling. --bodnotbod 05:00, Jan 25, 2005 (UTC)

Well I don't think I've ever heard of steps having railings. And stairs are rarely outdoors. Does that help any? Tim Rhymeless (Er...let's shimmy)  10:12, 25 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * What about very wide steps up to the entrance of a museum, they sometimes have a rail. And you seem to acknowledge that stairs can be outside, though I can't think of any examples. So there's something unsatisfying about leaving it here. We said similar things at the other forum.  Any other takers? --bodnotbod 16:36, Jan 25, 2005 (UTC)

 * I looked it up in the Oxford English Dictionary. Stairs are a series of fixed steps leading from one level to another; especially from one floor to another in a building, often connected by a railing. A step is a thing on which to place the foot ascending or descending. The plural is: steps. Also, in plural, a flight of (especially outdoors) stairs." That's why it's a muddle, I suppose. Even the OED is a bit confused on this one. --allie 22:41, 25 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Could one say that stairs are a human construct? That steps exist naturally, but stairs do not, since they are essentially associated with buildings? Tim Rhymeless (Er...let's shimmy)  23:40, 25 Jan 2005 (UTC)
 * Umm...not according to Led Zeppelin --allie 01:34, 26 Jan 2005 (UTC)
 * I think people who claim stairways can lie on the whispering wind can be safely excused as reliable sources on this matter... JRM 18:49, 2005 Jan 26 (UTC)

OK, looks like I'll have to accept that there's no delightfully solid distinction. --bodnotbod 19:31, Jan 26, 2005 (UTC)

fax modem software
I have a win xp machine with a fax modem, what software do I need to make it send and receive faxes? Is there some free software? Nothing came with it. Thanks, perplexed.

 * WinXP already has faxing support. Open "printers and faxes" (which is in the control panel, and several other places too) and in the bar on the left hit "set up faxing". -- John Fader 16:44, 25 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Greatest number of runs from a single stroke
Can anyone tell me the greatest number of runs scored by a Test batsman following a single stroke of the ball. I imagine, for example, someone running four or perhaps five without (obviously) the ball reaching the boundary, followed by one or more overthrows. I'd like to know the circumstances as well please. Tulma
 * Have you tried... BBC • because they have a pretty good search engine. --allie 22:47, 25 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * Cricinfo has a fantastic database of all cricketing stats. Here are the highest test scores in one over for example: . Unfortunately I couldn't find the most runs off a single ball. At a guess I'd say seven - a no-ball hit for six (although on second thoughts I'm not sure whether the extra run for the no-ball is credited to the batsman). You could try asking at the cricinfo site. Let us know when you find the answer!. Lisiate 22:31, 1 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * Theoretically, couldn't you hit a no-ball, run 5 before it made it to the boundary, and then get another 4 on an over-throw that makes it to the boundary (ie, 10 runs)? Guettarda 22:44, 1 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * True, but the question asks for something that has actually happened. I saw a no-ball hit for six in a State Shield game (NZ domestic one-dayers) last week so it probably has happened in one of the 1700+ test matches played. Lisiate 00:49, 3 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Oops, my mistake, missed the crucial word "Test" up there. I was just thinking about school-yard blunders.  Guettarda 06:14, 3 Feb 2005 (UTC)

For a Test match, the answer will be 6, at a guess. In any form of cricket, there are some silly cases where there's a tree within the boundary rope, but no local rule to deal with it. A ball hit into the tree would not be "lost", as it could still be seen. So the fielding side had to get a ladder, jguk 22:20, 12 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * I can't believe I'm commenting on this, having no interest in cricket (it shows how bored I am and drunk) but, with ref to an answer above, if an overthrow goes to the boundary, wouldn't it be a 4 anyway? --bodnotbod 04:58, Feb 13, 2005 (UTC)

I don't understand UHF signals.
And I can't find any websites that really help. Despite the fact that there are several major TV broadcast stations in the area, the only one I have ever been able to get is NBC, which I gather is on a VHF channel. All of the other major stations are UHF. I am very tired of watching Law & Order.

Either I just can't get any UHF reception where I live (although everyone else in the building seems to at least get one additional channel—for most people it is the clearest and strongest channel), my TV doesn't work for UHF input (although it's supposed to), or I need to get a much more expensive antenna. I tried a $30 antenna but it wasn't any improvement over the $10 one. (Maybe I just don't know how to use it.) We're not talking bad reception. We're talking none whatsoever. Can anyone explain this to me? -Aranel (" Sarah ") 22:25, 25 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * The book Backroom Boys (ISBN 0571214967) has a lengthy, and charmingly poetic, discussion about radio planning, the propagation of UHF signals, and particularly their diffraction over terrain. To summarise: even with the smartest computer models and really accurate details of the landscape it's still a black art to figure out where the signal goes and where it doesn't go.  It's a problem worsened in places that have high urban penetration of cable or satellite TV - this changes (negatively) the economics of running a terrestrial transmission system, meaning its often uneconomic to install the necessary relay and booster transmitters needed to avoid inexplicable holes in the signal.  All I can suggest is you move the antenna around - not just to "obvious" places like windows, but to "stupid" seeming places like inside corners, under beds, and near to metal stuff like fridges.  Also note that the orientation of the dipole is important, so try reorienting that too. The sacrifice of chickens to Legba may be called for. -- John Fader 22:39, 25 Jan 2005 (UTC)

I think you're saying that you do have an antenna connected correctly to your TV. Is your TV set to "antenna" mode instead of "cable" mode? This would be set in the on-screen menus, usually using the keys on the remote control. That mode controls how it tries to receive signals when you dial channels 14 and above. In cable mode it tries to tune the frequencies that cable companies use to carry those channels on cable; in antenna mode it tries to get those channels from the UHF frequencies coming into the antenna. If it's wrong, you get nothing on those channels. (If you have an old TV that doesn't have on-screen menus, see if there's a switch on the back somewhere. Otherwise, it should only be in "antenna" mode for UHF.) --Sharkford 22:00, 2005 Jan 26 (UTC)
 * You're a genius. My new hero, even. I don't actually have a cable or antenna mode, but there's a channel auto-preset that goes searching. Which worked. I had no idea that it could actually not be looking in the right place. (It did occur to me to check the instruction manual, but I couldn't find it.) I now I have ten whole channels. -Aranel (" Sarah ") 22:44, 26 Jan 2005 (UTC)

baseball
which american league baseball player won the most hone run titles?

Here is the "Official Baseball Almanac" which will find it in a heartbeat: keep the link. You'll enjoy it. --allie 20:51, 26 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Mitosis
What are the differences between plant and animal cell mitosis? (at least 3 please)
 * Are you sure this isn't a homework assignment? If you're supposed to know this, I'm pretty sure you'll find it in your biology book. Mgm|(talk) 08:40, Jan 26, 2005 (UTC)

To be fair, it might be good to have this info in the article!
 * It does! Please feel free to add the info if you can find it. 131.211.210.157 13:56, 26 Jan 2005 (UTC)

The 1984 commercial
From 1984 (television commercial)
 * The famous "1984" commercial that launched the Macintosh during the Super Bowl in 1983 is purported to have been shown only once; but to qualify for 1983's advertising awards, the commercial also aired on December 15 th at a small TV station in Twin Falls, Idaho (KMVC Channel 11), and in movie theaters for weeks starting on January 17th.

This quote is allegedly from the book Apple Confidential, what it doesn't mention however is what movie theatres the commercial was shown in, how often etc. --Ævar Arnfjörð [ Bjarmason] 11:03, 2005 Jan 26 (UTC)
 * Nope. It sure doesn't I tracked down all the links, and the best I could come up with was that the award was the "Advertising Age" award from 1984. That's a pay site, but their research database only goes back to 1996. The only other possible solution is to send in a query to mac.com. Do you have an account? Let me know. --allie 04:22, 27 Jan 2005 (UTC)
 * Hmmm...another thought is to call Chiat Day in NYC, They're still alive and kicking. Will put some thought into this and make some inquiries. It's pretty old...but the trail may still lead some clues. --allie

The Modern World Encyclopædia: Illustrated
is mentioned in the article on Harley Granville Barker. Where can I find that encyclopaedia? Where can I find information about it? How many Wikipedia articles are based on it?  13:33, Jan 26, 2005 (UTC)

 * Googling yielded The Modern World Encyclopædia–Illustrated; Home Entertainment Library; London & Aylesbury: Hazell, Watson & Viney Ltd. 1935. For more information, I'd try asking ZayZayEM, the user who created the Granville-Barker article. Lupo 14:23, 26 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * In fact, see User:ZayZayEM/Sources. As to see how many articles are based on this source, see What links here on Template:MW 1935. Lupo 14:31, 26 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * Thanks. I originally thought it was available online, like those other ancient sources.  15:56, Jan 26, 2005 (UTC)
 * Here's a link for an ILL Inter library loan) for out off print books: call your local library & request a copy if you'd like: --allie 20:29, 26 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 *

How to find information on matters not listed
Is it possible to post question to Wikipedia on matters there is no article on so far, and get it answered ?

I am searching information about "black painters" org "black textile colourers". Colouring textiles black was earlier a difficult matter that demanded special skills. Due to this the English Royal family had their licensed craftsmen to make the black fabrics for their best clothes. There were only a few of them (coulorers), and the last appointed "black painter" is said to have retired around 1930 - 1935. How can I go forward in searching more information on this matter, things like: Who where they, what where their (secret) processes, does anyone know these processes today, where did they operate, how did the community look at them, are there any descendants, and a lot more?

Regards Stig Sund Try: --allie 20:37, 26 Jan 2005 (UTC)
 * which is incredibly comprehensive & might give you links to UK
 * which is a professional archival & conservation supplier for museums located in NYC. They'll have books & supplies...might know a resource in your part of the world.
 * Here is another link to the textile conservation center in the UK, which has a library, and links:

 * http://www.wsa.soton.ac.uk/tcc/conservservice.htm  --allie 17:52, 28 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Wikipedia Birthdates: New Style? Old Style?
George Washington's birthday is often given as Feb. 11, 1732, Old Style (Feb. 22, 1732 New Style). Can anyone tell me if the birthdates listed with the older biographies in Wikipedia are New Style or Old Style, when neither style is specifically stated?
 * The short answer is probably "old style" but no clear way to know. Rmhermen 17:34, Jan 26, 2005 (UTC)
 * Typically it will be whatever was prevalent in that country at that time. Prior to the invention of the "new style" Gregorian calendar dates are consistently by the "old style" Julian calendar. The British Empire was a relatively late adopter (hence the need to give both dates for George Washington) and within the European World Russia was pretty much the last holdout (until the October Revolution... which by New Style reckoning took place in November). -- Jmabel | Talk 20:50, Jan 26, 2005 (UTC)

 * This is huge problem (challenge) for those of us interested in accurate historiochronology. I have done a large amount of private research in establishing whether published old dates are in NS or OS, and there is a surprising amount of information available if you're prepared to track down the right source, which is usually quite a task, but very satisfying when you find credible and authoritative information.  I've discovered that in many cases, the published dates have indeed been converted into NS, but in many other cases they have not.  There is no real rhyme or reason that I have ever discerned.  Dates for Americans born 1582-1752 are nowadays usually (but not always) shown in NS style; on the other hand, dates for people born in Britain 1582-1752 are still usually (but not always) shown in OS style.  You already know the problem of a published date being non-specific as to the calendar being employed, and unfortunately in the majority of cases there is nothing available on-line (such as published birth or baptism certificates) that would settle the question one way or another.  That would require intensive research into old records, which would generally mean travelling to the country concerned to gain access to them - a daunting and effectively impossible task (that's if they exist, and if are publicly available).  There's also the problem of somebody taking a date that they assumed is OS, and converting it into NS, but in fact the date they started with was NS to begin with, so the "converted' date turns out to rubbish.  The late, great Nicolas Slonimsky, through his exhaustive efforts over half a lifetime (he died in 1995 aged 101), as editor of Baker's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, corrected a vast number of dates, birthplaces and other important details about composers and musicians, through his personal research into primary records.  I'm unaware of anybody in any other field whose standing can match Slonimsky's for sheer accuracy and comprehensiveness.  As Rhmermen says, in any given case it is usually not possible to know with certainty.  But if you have particular names in mind, I would be happy to share my research results with you.  Cheers JackofOz 00:27, 6 Feb 2005 (UTC)

DEFINITION OF THE WORD FLOPPY
(my ears) -- "Having a tendency to flop or flap"?  with "to flop" meaning dab (ᛏ) 20:32, 26 Jan 2005 (UTC)
 * 1) To clap or strike, as a bird its wings, a fish its tail, etc.
 * 2) To turn suddenly, as something broad and flat.

Or for those of you over 20 years of age, "floppy" is also a noun shortened from floppy disk, a flat, circular removable data storage medium for personal computers. It is a piece of flexible plastic (Mylar?) in a rigid or semi-rigid, square plastic jacket with a hole in the center to rotate on a spindle in a computer floppy drive. Typical sizes in the 1970s were 8", then 5.25" in the early- to mid-80s, and 3.5" from the late 80s to present. Floppy disks are nearly obsolete. Cf 45 and 33 rpm vinyl records and nickel bags. alteripse 03:12, 27 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * I think they are made of Mylar; VCR and audio cassette tape is. Compaq were the first PC manufacturer to make desktop machines without a floppy drive, but Macintosh had been doing it for years. And some people still use them (like me), because not all computers have USB ports, or will work with flash drives. As for the definition - I'd say "not rigid". Alphax (t) (c) (e) 06:03, Jan 27, 2005 (UTC)

I remember them, they were used for "B Drive" bit

On permission to distribute derivative works
Greetings, Referencedeskians. IANAL, and probably YANAL, and WINLA (Wikipedia Is Not Legal Advice), but with these caveats behind us, let me present the following scenario: Am I correct in assuming that in order for Carol to legally do so, she needs permission from both Alice and Bob, assuming that Alice and Bob do not do anything about Bob's violation? If so, what is the status of Bob's rights after both Alice and Bob have given Carol permission?
 * Alice creates a copyrighted work.
 * Bob creates a derivative work of Alice's and distributes this, but does this without asking Alice for permission. (Bob will soon be visited by the faceless organizations that patrol Recent Violations, and hoard Alice's work, talent and moral rights in exchange for petty cash.)
 * Carol, a talentless but upright leech, sees Bob's work and wishes to distribute it, but notices that Alice is the original copyright holder and Bob has not asked for permission.

Am I also correct in assuming that if Alice had given Bob permission to distribute his derivative work, it would have been sufficient for Carol to ask Bob's permission, or does this require explicit provisions on Alice's behalf to Bob? JRM 00:26, 2005 Jan 27 (UTC)

 * Carol needs permission from Alice and Bob, no matter what. That Bob violated Alice's copyright does not give Alice ownership rights to Bob's contribution, whether or not Alice and Bob settle their differences.  Contracts between Alice and Bob may modify this, of course.

 * Bob is still a violator of copyright regardless of any permissions given by Alice or Bob to Carol. However, if by this Alice is given notice of Bob's infringement but chooses to do nothing about it, this may affect Alice's rights against Bob at a later date.

 * If Bob had Alice's permission to redistribute, Carol only has to ask Bob. —Morven 07:32, Jan 27, 2005 (UTC)

 * I suspect it's a little more complex than this and revolves around just in what way Bob was derivative. He may not have violated Alice's copyright. As for Carol if she is indeed plainly copying, she will need permission from whomever she's copying from, either Bob if the answer to the first question is not a violation or both if the answer is yes a violation. But, some folks get the big bucks to squabble over this stuff and lobby legislatures to violate the spirit of the copyright grant, and I don't, so perhaps my view will be discounted by the court that must decide. ww 01:53, 4 Feb 2005 (UTC)

'dun huang'
The following was posted by User:220.171.154.236 at Chinese history 'dun huang':

Hi  I am a history major post student at People's University of China. I want to know where i can find some info about 'dun huang'

Cheers Tim Pei

--Goobergunch|? 03:46, 27 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * Do you mean Dunhuang (敦煌)? -- Toytoy 16:42, Jan 29, 2005 (UTC)

8th grade tsunami report
I am trying to find info on where do most tsunami's happen? Can you help me find it.
 * You might want to check out our article on Tsunami. If you want to know where Tsunamis happen, it's important to think about what causes them. Tsunamis are caused by very large geological disturbances - the vast majority are caused earthquakes. Less often, they can be caused by volanoes (such as at Krakatoa) or meteors impacting the ocean.
 * However, as I said, the vast majority of them are caused by earthquakes. The most earthquake prone area on earth is Japan, because of plate tectonics (The earth's Mantle under Japan is cracked, and the plates tend to slide against each other, causing earthquakes). Remember, Tsunami is a japanese word. →Raul654 20:10, Jan 27, 2005 (UTC)

Algonquin info needed
I checked the pages on the algonquin and N. France but therer is no information about their specific contributions, I would need more specific informaiton. Any help would be appreciated --facundo

 * More specific information about what, specifically? Adam Bishop 23:55, 27 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * You're talking about the Algonquin and New France? A more specific question will get a more specific answer; you may also be looking for something in the French and Indian War? If so, this may be a userful link. - Nunh-huh 00:29, 28 Jan 2005 (UTC)

I would start with Francis Parkman. His masterpiece on this topic (France and England in North America) is one of the greatest history books I've ever read. alteripse 10:00, 29 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Request for content on SMS topics & expatriate topics
I would love if you could expand your Communications by Country to include statistics for SMS/text messaging use per country.

Another area of information lacking is expatriate information. How many people from X country have moved to another area of the world?

These are hard to find pieces of information and if the Wikipedia community could band together to share their combined knowledge, it would be great!!

Bitmap to outline
I hope I have it articulated correctly. I am a programmer, and I am looking for an algorithm to convert a one-bit bitmap image to its representation as an outline. The outline should consist entirely of horizontal and vertical lines that form the general border of the bitmapped figure. An illustration should make it clearer.

*        * *        *   *           Input bitmap *****       *   *        *   *

****          ****           ****       ****    ****       ****    ****       ****    ****   ****            ****   Close-up of input ****           ****   ****            ****   ********************   ********************   ********************   ****            ****

****          *  *           ****       ****    ****       *  *    *  *       ****    ****   ****            ****   Desired output, an array * *            *  *   of polygons that define the * *            *  *   bitmap's outline * **************  *   *                  *   *  **************  *   *  *            *  *

I tried searching various terms, but nothing showed up. Online sources are preferable, as well as source code. Peter O. (Talk) 02:08, Jan 28, 2005 (UTC)

 * Well you could probably get that kind of result with a variation on Conway's Game of Life, there should be plenty of implementations availabe for download. All you should have to do is change the parameters such that no new cells spawn and so that any cell with four neighbors dies and then step through the algorhythm once.  I think that would give you the result your looking for.  It's a bit of a hack, but hopefully someone more knowledgable than me will come up with a more elegant solution. --Cvaneg 19:31, 28 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * You haven't made clear what you're seeking in the end, another bitmap with the outline, or a vector representation of the shape? If you want a vector representation, a two-step process should get you what you want:

 * Identify the boundary points using the method described by Cvaneg.
 * Convert the boundary points into a list of polygons. To do this, scan the "outline bitmap" left to right, top to bottom, until you hit a pixel.  You've found a corner point (vertex).  If it has an immediate neighbour, follow in the same direction until you can't do so any more, "eating" the pixels as you go.  When you have to change direction, you've found another vertex.  Continue until you end up at the place where you started.  Start the scan again where you left off, and continue the whole process until the outline bitmap is blank.

 * There's several special cases I haven't described here, and undoubtedly several special cases I haven't thought of, but it should provide you a starting point. --Robert Merkel 01:36, 29 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Yes, I wanted a vector representation of the bitmap. I thought I made it clear by saying "polygons". Surely other people can help me find more information. ''[Struck out because it was apparently rude. Peter O. (Talk) 00:29, Jan 30, 2005 (UTC)]'' Peter O. (Talk) 03:54, Jan 29, 2005 (UTC)

 * Whilst we can all be frustrated when an answer we like eludes us, it does not prove fruitful to appear tetchy and ungrateful when somebody seeks to assist. --bodnotbod 23:15, Jan 29, 2005 (UTC)

 * Sorry for using the wrong words. That was not my intention.  In any case, my algorithm now works, in which I use flood fills to perform part of the work, and I thank the fine editors for their help.    Peter O. (Talk) 00:25, Jan 30, 2005 (UTC)

 * A couple of extra bits you may not know:
 * First, the method described by Cvaneg is essentially a cellular automaton or neighborhood algorithm. It can work pretty well, but you need, in general, to define the size of the examined neighborhood to be proportional to the size of the features you want to outline.  (Imagine outlining the coast of Africa -- it's a fractal, so the size of your neighborhood will determine the scale of the outline)
 * An alternative raster-to-outline (still raster) is a variant on the Sobel algorithm -- essentially subtract the image from itself shifted vertically, then again horizontally, then take the magnitude of the vector sum: sqrt(a^2 + b^2) thanks pythagoras.
 * The second part, converting the outlines to vector polygons, is more art than science -- you'll always find cases where your algorithm has trouble. It's like trying to unscramble an egg, because if you think about it, it's easy to imagine a raster with no valid polygon description.  So feel free to set your algorithm to work best on the type of cases you expect to see.

 * Steve Steverapaport 21:21, 30 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Vitamins for plants?
Do any plants require vitamins for good health? I am not talking about any sort of inorganic molecules or minerals, but organic molecules the plant needs, but cannot synthesize for itself. ike9898 14:44, Jan 28, 2005 (UTC)
 * Do you mean houseplants? Try the Master Gardener link at Ohio State University. They'll explain why the need for fertilizer (aka vitamins) vary by the age of the plant, the season, and the amount of light:--allie 17:25, 28 Jan 2005 (UTC)
 * I don't think that the statement "fertilizer (aka vitamins)" is correct. The important components of fertilizer that I know of are mostly inorganic nutrients - sources of N, K, P etc.  I'm really only interested in organic nutrients that any specific plant needs in order live in normal health.  ike9898 17:39, Jan 28, 2005 (UTC)
 * Okay...here is a link to essential nutrients and ionic forms:

hope that works --allie 18:07, 28 Jan 2005 (UTC)
 * http://nutrients.ifas.ufl.edu/nutrient%20pages/BSFpages/EssentialNutrients.htm
 * The simple answer to that question would be "no", plants are able to synthesize all the organic compounds they need from inorganics. But there is a more complicated answer too, since plants do exchange organics through root-to-root anastomoses, etc.  Some of these may have an effect on plant growth, e.g., it has been suggested that some tree seedlings in the forest understorey might depend on carbon from adult trees, but I don't think there is all that much evidence of this, just conjecture.  At the same time, I may be wrong, it's not really my field, I am not up to speed on the literature. Guettarda 18:32, 28 Jan 2005 (UTC)
 * Thanks! ike9898 19:15, Jan 28, 2005 (UTC)

King Lear- Gloucester Suicide Reference
In the tragedy King Lear, a character, Gloucester, is tricked into thinking he has jumped from a high cliff (he is blind at this point), in an attempt to disuade him of his suicidal motive. There is a reference made to the height of the cliff, "ten masts at each make not the altitude". As an interesting query, I have been attempting to find information on the average mast lenghts of ships from the time period of this play (early 17th century). As of yet my search has yeilded few results, and I am writing this in hopes that a more net-savy individual might be able to find some. I realize this is an obscure request, but any information will help.

Thank you

 * I'm not sure how much this will help, but, at that time, they used the White Pine to make masts. These trees grow either: over 120 feet or 75-100 feet(pdf)(html). -Frazzydee|✍ 16:46, 29 Jan 2005 (UTC)

All American city
What is the month, day and year that Phenix City, Alabama was named an All American city?

Many thanks for your help!

 * Sorry, I can't find the exact date, but I found the year (1955), if that helps. -Frazzydee|✍ 14:39, 29 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Clarki Clown fish
I have a fifty-five gallon saltwater aquarium that houses two Clarki-clowns as well as three other varieties of fish. The clowns have contracted what a pet store owner described as "pop-eye", but he would not elaborate. Is there anyone out there that can tell what it is and what I may be able to do for them to help or correct the condition. --anon
 * Here is an informative site on Pop-eye. SWAdair | Talk  07:35, 29 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Mysterious algorithm!
Can anyone explain how this page works? I have NO idea! --anon.

 * Step 2 will always result in a number that is a multiple of 9. If you look at the table, all the multiples of nine have the same character assigned to them. -- Cyrius|✎ 04:32, 29 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * To explain it more mathematically, let's say you think of AB (so if you pick 78, then A=7 and B=8). The next step is to subtract both digits, so:
 * The number you picked = A*10+B
 * A*10+B - A - B = 9a
 * The value you get will always be a multiple of 9. →Raul654 04:57, Jan 29, 2005 (UTC)

Insomnia-- Blood-Alcohol level relation?
I heard somewhere that if you stay up for three or so days straight, that your blood-alcohol level goes up to .15, even if you haven't been drinking. (I think the legal driving limit is .08) Is that true? Does insomnia really cause a rise in your blood-alcohol level?
 * It seems rather unlikely. The human body isn't capable of creating alcohol. Alcohol is made by yeasts under anaerobic conditions, when they can't convert pyruvate (sugar breakdowns) to more useful products. Under similar conditions, humans make lactic acid, which is not an alcohol. You may feel woozy after several days without sleep, but it has nothing to do with alcohol.-gadfium 08:05, 29 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * I think I know what this is about - there have been several reports (military I think) on the effect of sleep deprivation on reaction time and judgement that liken the effects to alcohol intoxication. It is not that the body creates alchol, but that sleep deprivation creates similar effects.

 *  The human body isn't capable of creating alcohol. - this is actually incorrect. If you ingest the right ingredients, you can term your stomach into a still and ferment alcohol in your digestive track. There have been cases of people getting drunk without ever drinking a drop of alcohol. →Raul654 11:00, Jan 29, 2005 (UTC)

 * It think it was in the early 1990s, there was a Daedalus column in Nature that talked about this background fermentation issue. -- Toytoy 02:07, Jan 30, 2005 (UTC)

If you can reference this I will write an article about it. I remember a tv show many years ago with that plot twist, but I have never seen the phenomenon referenced in a medical context, and suspect it is bogus, perhaps a perverted and misunderstood understanding of some rare inborn error of metabolism. Can you back it up? alteripse 14:57, 29 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Possibly, but in the context of sleep deprivation, this is not what is going on.

My dog gets drunk from eating apples. At least, we suspect its drunkenness.--Wonderfool 16:02, 29 Jan 2005 (UTC)
 * Yes, but this is probably because they are fermenting. Elephants do the same thing. There is alcohol in the fermenting apples.

 * Dogs are much less tolerable to alcohol than us human (but on the Internet, no one knows if I am a dog ...). If your dog gets drunk, feed your dog with MUCH LESS apple or DO NOT feed your dog any apple at all. -- Toytoy 02:07, Jan 30, 2005 (UTC)

Batch convert m4a to mp3?
What's the fastest, easiest and cheapest way to do this on Win 2k? Thanks!
 * itunes will do it, this site has some ideas, http://badcomputer.no-ip.com/linux/dir2ogg/, but I found dbpoweramp to be the best.

 * Yes, I've used dbpoweramp to do a different conversion in the past: ogg->mp3 and found it good enough for my needs. Though I'm no kind of audiophile, so my standards probably aren't very exacting. --bodnotbod 16:36, Feb 1, 2005 (UTC)

Sri Lanka
There was a question about sri lanka - I added some infor to Sri Lanka Politics.

 * Is this an actual question? Peter O. (Talk) 19:32, Jan 30, 2005 (UTC)

murder of richard hessler
Is it true that two university students from chicago, straus and steiner killed a boy of 12 just for fun, at the beginning of the 20th century? - (unsigned)

No, but Judd Steiner and Artie Straus are the names given to Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb in the just-barely-fictionalized version of their story, Compulsion, written in 1956 by Meyer Levin. It became a movie in 1959. There have been other fictionalized versions of the actual story, as well. - Nunh-huh 00:03, 30 Jan 2005 (UTC)

handwatches

 * You're going to have to ask an actual question. -- Cyrius|✎ 01:05, 30 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Orchestra: placement of members
Is there a generally accepted placement of music players (strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion) in an orchestra? Who decides who should be where? -- Toytoy 03:13, Jan 30, 2005 (UTC)
 * There are some diagrams here that are fairly helpful. The ones toward the top are more standard, but there are some more unusual arrangements further down the page. Typically, strings are in the front and percussion in the very back. This may have something to do with the properties of their sounds. (If the strings were behind the brass section, the conductor probably wouldn't be able to hear them very well...) It also tends to be helpful to the musicians to be able to hear related sections (for example, second violins will often play harmony to the first violin melody), but I don't know how significant that is at a professional level. -Aranel (" Sarah ") 03:22, 30 Jan 2005 (UTC)
 * If the brass section was in front, the conductor probably wouldn't hear anything very well after a performance. -- Cyrius|✎ 04:59, 30 Jan 2005 (UTC)

one-celled organism (commonly studied in intro-Biology)
I remember in 8th grade Biology studying a one-celled organism under a microscope. It was translucent, consisted only of a single cell, and it was in water taken from a lake. To "eat", the cell would surround a foreign object with its own cell walls, which then closed around the object, forming a bubble containing that object within the cell.

Does anyone know what these things are called?

Jawed 06:10, 30 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * I suppose it depends on where one is when taking 8th grade biology. I'm guessing you might be thinking of some sort of amoeba, but one-celled organism that uses phagocytosis leaves a lot of possibilities. - Nunh-huh 06:17, 30 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * Wow, perfect. Thanks Nunh-huh! My next question is, can anyone recommend a good versatile microscope for an amateur (an adult amateur, so I can afford nice toys :) to watch such organisms? Jawed 06:26, 30 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * I love guessing right. Can't help you on the microscope - (someone else pays for the ones I use—which I highly recommend, by the way), but unless you're going to do a lot of amoeba-watching, I'd go for a cheap one. Maybe someone who knows more will chime in. - Nunh-huh 06:31, 30 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * I don't own one either, but here's what I feel: Don't buy something too cheap that it doesn't have enough magnification even to make out the critters! Then you'd just be wasting money. Unicells probably need at least...at least 100X (10X ocular, 10x objective lens). Maybe 400X (10X ocular, 40x objective). 1000X is probably not necessary....it needs oil immersion anyway. One eyepiece or two? Two's very comfortable, but one's not bad either. It's very weird at first, but you'd get used to it. But 1-eyepiece microscopes are cheaper I believe.

 * Microscopy is a visual treat. Anything small can be placed under there, and details appear magically! --Menchi 18:01, 2 Feb 2005 (UTC)

how does heavy water taste?
So heavy water is just like normal water except that the hydrogen atoms are of the heavy isotope deuterium. According to Heavy water: "Heavy water is not considered toxic, but some metabolic reactions require light water, so consumption of exclusively heavy water can cause illness." Question: How does heavy water taste? If you had a cup of heavy water, could you tell it apart from normal water, just by playing with it? I guess it would weigh more... ;P Jawed 07:42, 30 Jan 2005 (UTC)
 * I can't imagine one could tell the difference by taste. -- Jmabel | Talk 23:43, Jan 30, 2005 (UTC)
 * Ditto. Chemically, it's identical to ordinary water, so it should affect the chemoreceptors in the tongue and nose the same way.  -- Dominus 00:00, 31 Jan 2005 (UTC)
 * I suspect it would be noticable heavier if you weighed it. Drinking water has an atomic weight of 18.015, and I believe that heavy water would be 2 heaver (20.015). →Raul654 00:41, Jan 31, 2005 (UTC)

High and Low
Has anyone ever reached the peak of Everest and got to the bottom of the Mariana Trench? If not, who's got the closest, or who has been at the greatest difference in altitudes. Then I guess its unlikely that anyone's ever been to both of them and the 2 Poles. Explorers, you have a new quest.

 * I don't think so.
 * Not one person, but father and son: Auguste Piccard (+23,000 m) and Jacques Piccard (-10,916 m). If you want one person, I'd check whether there was an astronaut who served on a submarine...
 * Lupo 08:20, 31 Jan 2005 (UTC)

scope of Sociolinguistics

 * Read the sociolinguistics article for starters. You might also want to obtain the fourth edition of Contemporary Linguistics—its sociolinguistics section is very well explained and thought out. --Gelu Ignisque

German Military Aircraft
Could you please tell me the manufacturer and designation of the german military aircraft used in the Indiana Jones movie " Raiders of the Lost Ark ". It appeared to be some sort of delta wing with no separate tail. I thought it was a Blohm und Voss but I must be mistaken. Thanks.

 * Sources, including the official site, say the flying wing in Raiders of the Lost Ark is a fictional creation. It was inspired by real prototypes, but was nothing more than a very elaborate movie prop. -- Cyrius|✎ 17:29, 30 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * It's also worth noting that the prototypes the plane in the movie was based on are all from the late-war period - delta wing designs were not far enough advanced for flyable planes of that size in the mid-30s. The specific shape of the plane seems to owe more to desings by the Horten brothers or Alexander Lippisch than to Blohm&Voss aircraft -- Ferkelparade π 23:57, 30 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Find the acre in a triangle
I have the measurement of a triangle they are 1928 feet and 1423 feet and 1450 on the bottem. Can you tell me how to measure the acre in this triangle.

Thanks Ruthann

 * Using Heron's formula will give you the area in square feet. There's 43560 square feet in an acre. -- Cyrius|✎ 17:18, 30 Jan 2005 (UTC)

VHS Capture
I'm experimenting with converting some old VHS tapes to DivX. I transferred the VHS (PAL)output onto a DVD-RW and from then to my hard disk. Previewing the output in VirtualDubMod I can see VHS tracking bars at the bottom that weren't visible (cropped by the TV) when I captured from the tape. I've been trying to see if there is a filter for VirtualDub to remove (or rather shift) the tracking bars, but I can't find any. Other than cropping the video to remove the bars, has anyone got any ideas about how I could remove the tracking bars? Jooler 16:40, 30 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Schengen: microstates in general and Andorra in specific
I have not been able to find conclusive explanations of the exact status Monaco, San Marino and the Vatican City State enjoy in regards to the Schengen countries (whether just the border checks have been abolished or whether they are treated like signatories), and additionally, I have encountered conflicting information on whether Andorra has border checks with Spain and France or whether she doesn't. Any answers out there? Nightstallion 17:32, 30 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * Andorra accepts Schengen passports, non-EU visitors must get a Schengen multiple-entry visa from either a French or Spanish embassy (as all entry to Andorra is by either nation). Andorra apparently does not do any special passport checks. Likewise San Marino and the Vatican City State don't need passport checks, by a special agreement with the EU, with Italy responsible for them.  Monaco is not a Schengen signee, but as it falls under the French customs area, it accepts French visa, and therefore by extension Schengen visa (EU passport holders don't need a visum). hth,   08:45, 31 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * That means as far as border checks are concerned, all four microstates are de facto equal to Schengen countries? And out of curiosity, where did you find the information? Thanks. Nightstallion 12:08, 31 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * Apparently yes, they are Schengen. I googled for it: San Marino and the Vatican City State are treated as part of Italy as far as customs are concerned (see also ), Andorra is discussed here . Monaco is mentioned here with "visas for travel to Monaco (…) may only be issue(d) by a French Embassy or Consulate." However from other info such as Politics of Monaco, and also Monaco's website, it becomes clear that France handles Monaco's foreign policy, including visa.  12:29, 31 Jan 2005 (UTC)

 * Alright then, thanks a lot. Then it's apparently an error on behalf of the German wikipedia. Nightstallion 12:57, 31 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Whjere is Painter's Path?
I am reading a short story that was writtn by Mary Elizabeth Vroman entitled " See How They Run".She is an African American writer. The story is included in the book African American Lierature, An Anthology by DemetriceA. Worley and Jesse Perry, Jr. Second Edition,eitor:NTC Publishing Group a division of NTC/Contemporary Publishing Group, Lincolnwood, Illinios USA.1997.One of the protagonist, Brooker T. Adams,say that "I live in Painter's Path" I want to know where that place is located.

application inquiry
am from Kenya and i want to study biochemistry how do i register and what are you qualifications for the course based on my country's education system.e-mail douggich@yahoo.com
 * I'm not exactly sure what you mean, but I'll make some assumptions and try to get you started. Unfortunately, the process for admission to US universities is not standardized.  You will have to get information from each university you are interested in.  You will almost certainly need to submit official transcripts of your educational background.  You may also be asked for your scores on a particular standardized test, such as the SAT or GRE.  Separate from getting admitted to the school of your choice, you will also have to deal with getting government permission (a visa) to come to the US to study.  If you don't already have a Kenyan passport, you should apply for one.  If you have more specific questions, we may be able to help you better. Good luck! ike9898 20:36, Jan 31, 2005 (UTC)

 * You may have better luck at a Commonwealth country such as Britain, Australia or Canada, as they are more likely to understand your school qualifications, and are probably more likely to grant a visa. Try these references:  for the UK. DJ Clayworth 06:16, 3 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Most large (and many small) universities in the United States (or anywhere) will have an office that works specifically with international students. They'll be used to dealing with qualifications from different countries, but some are probably better at accomplishing the translation than others. If you look at the websites for particular schools, the ones with larger programs will probably have information for international students, as well as people you can contact with questions; you may also be able to get into touch with international students who are actually at the school who can tell you how well things actually work out. -Aranel (" Sarah ") 03:56, 4 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * You can also try in South Africa. What comes to mind is UNISA which is a large corrospondence university--Jcw69 12:39, 9 Feb 2005 (UTC)

RS-232 vs. RS-485
I have a piece of old equipment that has EITHER an RS-232 or an RS-485 interface, I don't know which. Can I tell which one it is just by looking at the socket? ike9898 20:26, Jan 31, 2005 (UTC)

 * As I understand it, both RS-232 and RS-485 were electrical protocols, but not mechanical protocols. In other words, things like connectors and pinouts are not defined. Of course, there was a certain amount of "standardization" in various areas of application. Unfortunately, both 232 and 485 commonly used 25 pin DSubs, 9 pin DSubs. In other words, you probably won't be able to tell by looking (unless there's some obvious label). Oh, I do think I've seen 232 implemented with only 3 wires, whereas I think 485 uses a minimum of 5. If you've got only a few pins actually present, that may help out.
 * Where this forum might be most useful to you would be in finding information on your particular piece of equipment. Can you tell us brand, model, maybe even serial number or date of production? -Rholton 04:45, 4 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * Short answer, not with any certainty.
 * Longer answer, manufacturers used a variety of connectors for both. Note also that there were non-standard implementations of both from various manufacturers, so RHolton's suggestion of checking the equipment's history is well taken. Part of the fun of using these connection methods was finding out which signal on which pin was needed to get the connection to work at all. There are several signals which are meant as operating checks (eg, carrier detect coming from the DCE end and meaning originally that the phone connection was operating and ready), or flow control (eg, clear to send and ready to send both of which serve as announcements (mandatory in some implementations) of status at one end or the other). In real life, these often had to be faked by suitable cross wiring of pins within the connector shells.
 * There are several issues in using these protocols without proper documentation, including how to set operating parameters such as baud rate, number of stop bits, and parity. Each of these points applies to merely getting a byte from one end of the cable to the other without erroring out. Any interpretation of the byte stream is another (higher on the protocol stack) issue. ww 18:18, 7 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * I am not an expert, but if I were you, I'll open the case and try to find the interface chip. Cances are you may use the chip's part no. to locate required information on the Internet. -- Toytoy 04:26, Feb 15, 2005 (UTC)

NIKO KOVAČ- croatian footbal player
Can somebody answer me? Maybe some of you knows his official e-mail address, or any other way for me to contact Niko??? Thank you, croatian girl

 * Try the club he plays for - Hertha Berlin. Alphax (t) (c) (e) 02:04, Feb 1, 2005 (UTC)

US Income Tax Accounting Q
When I get paid by my employer, how does the U.S. Internal Revenue Service decide under which fiscal year that money falls? (e.g. how do they decide that some particular lump of money counts as income for fiscal year 2004, as opposed to 2005?) Is it based on end-of-pay-period date indicated by my employer? On the date on the employer's check (which is variably different from the former date)? On the date when I deposit that check?

What happens if, say, I do some work in November, but my employer doesn't mail me a check for it until January? (This latter situation hasn't happened to me -- I just bring it up to try to understand the rules better.)

If you care, I'm hoping that understanding this better will help me reconcile my own accounting records with my employer's W-2 form.

--Ryguasu 02:50, 1 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * I am not an accountant, but the basic answer is that if you are a regular employee, you will get a W-2 statment from your employer (Has to be sent out by Jan 31st) that will show the total amount the IRS will consider as your wages from that employer. How the employer decides whether it is 2004 income or not is governed by a lot of detailed rules the IRS has for income recognition. I think the IRS considers all regular employees to use cash basis accounting, which means the income is yours the date the employer puts on the check, as long as it was not unreasonably changed just to avoid being taxed in that year.  The date you cash the check has no bearing on when you recognize it as income.  Your employer will likely not do what you outlined in your hypothetical example because they want to recognize the income in 2004 because it gives them a deduction, reducing their taxes. At the IRS website, www.irs.gov  you can download 'publications'. They are basically fairly well understandable to normal people willing to invest the effort in figuring them out.  Publication 538 answers some of that. Though it applies more to businesses, it answers some of what you were looking for. I can't think of exactly what other publications cover that issue, but I think Pub 15 pdf would have some of it too. - Taxman 18:38, Feb 1, 2005 (UTC)

Inventor of Glass Heads in Futurama
Who was the inventor of the glass head thingies in Futurama? --66.215.219.188 08:42, 1 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * Ron Popeil. -- Cyrius|✎ 13:44, 1 Feb 2005 (UTC)

re;visa appoitment
sir, 1.i made a mistake for not printing my confirmation page that carry password. 2.i re fill the form but ithe confirmation page did not open 3.am having 2 bar code 4.can i go ahead wih my interview which is on 15 febuary 2005 thanks

Sorry, can you be more specific? Are you trying to get a Visa or a Visa card? Alphax (t) (c) (e) 14:01, Feb 4, 2005 (UTC)

Queen of Tonga
I am trying to trace information on a visit to Warrington, England, by the Queen of Tonga, Thank you Carrie.

Eye boogers
What is the "official" name for eye boogers? Taco Deposit | Talk-o to Taco 22:48, Feb 1, 2005 (UTC)

 * Tears?-gadfium 23:14, 1 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Mucus? Taco deposits? Joyous 23:43, Feb 1, 2005 (UTC)

 * In Spanish, they're called legañas. --David Iberri | Talk 23:41, Feb 1, 2005 (UTC)
 * I actually knew that. That's what prompted the question: What's the english word for legañas? Taco Deposit | Talk-o to Taco 13:22, Feb 2, 2005 (UTC)
 * Official, as far as I can google, is "mucus", and Joyous said. Colloquially, one might say "you have sleep in your eye" => "sleep" or, is you listen to too much Zappa, "sleep dirt". --Tagishsimon (talk)

 * "sleep" is good colloquial English, as is "sand." Children have been told that the sandman visits them every night.

Cholera questions
''These questions were moved from the cholera talk page. -- Phyzome is Tim McCormack 23:22, 2005 Feb 1 (UTC)''

Where was cholera first discovered? What are some characteristics of cholera?

Please help. I need this for a shcool project by monday Nov. 15 2004! If you can answer either of my questions please e-mail me at: BroadwaySmiles06@aol.com

THANK YOU SO MUCH 4 YOUR TIME AND COOPERATION!

Hi, I am doing a project for school. It is do Monday, January 10, 2005. I don't really understand the part that talks about the G proteins being locked in the "on" position. I understand it a little bit b/c in my Biology class we talked about cancer and onco genes. If you could email a diagram or something that explains it a little better that would be greatly appreciated. My email is ellafunt6@yahoo.com. Thank you so much.

HELP! I need to know when cholera was discovered; for a project due Friday Feb. 4. Email me at kcrouch64@irule.net. 3 DAYS FROM NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 * Normally we're not here to do your homework for you. It's better to find things out for yourself. However a little hint: go to Google (click here), type in "cholera discovered" and look at the first few entries that come up. DJ Clayworth 06:09, 3 Feb 2005 (UTC)

culture differences between asia and nz
You should probably ask a question, but the main ones I can think of:
 * New Zealand was colonised/invaded by England
 * The Maori are believed to be Polynesian, but DNA tests reveal ancestry from Taiwan and Papua New Guinea
 * There are more sheep in New Zealand than there are New Zealanders

Disclaimer: Anything said when no question is asked is liable to interpretation, the accuracy of which is not guaranteed. YMMV. Alphax (t) (c) (e) 13:41, Feb 4, 2005 (UTC)

question
how do i site this web site

 * Citing wikipedia should give you all you need to know (the link is at the top of this page by the way). Lisiate 02:23, 3 Feb 2005 (UTC)

The Last Supper
Do you have a picture on your site enlarged of The Last Supper since it has been restored at this present time? If so can you email it to me at Sabuh99@aol.com thankyou.
 * You mean like the photos on The Last Supper? -- Chris 73 Talk 10:57, Feb 3, 2005 (UTC)
 * See also Yo Mama's Last Supper and The Last Supper (disambiguation). I am shocked at how little information there is about this very popular theme in art. Am I missing a page that deals with this or lists the important works of art based on this?

Why the number PI for surface and circumference?
Why does the number pi (3.14...) appear in the calculation of both the circumference and the surface of a circle? I understand that pi expresses the number of times that the diameter of the circle fits into the circumference, but thus far I have not been able to figure out (nor has anybody been able to explain to me) why pi also expresses that the surface of the circle is 3.14... times the surface of a square with sides that equal the length of the circle's radius. The presence of the constant pi in the formula for both the circle's circumference and surface cannot be a coincidence. However, what is the underlying mathematical explanation?

 * You are right - it is not a coincidence. The link between the circumference and the area formula is explained in words in the circle article, but it is easier to understand with diagrams like this. Gandalf61 15:42, Feb 3, 2005 (UTC)

 * Thanks to Gandalf61 for the very useful references ! Dominiek

 * It's not coincidence. I don't know if this will help, but it is a low-level analysis of how the π gets from the circumference formula into the area formula.

 * Suppose you have a circle of radius R, and you want to find its area, but you don't know the formula. You might try cutting it up into a lot of narrow concentric rings, each one with a width of say h.  Then The area of the circle is the sum of the areas of the rings.  If the radius of a ring is r, then its circumference is close to 2πr, since the ring is very narrow, and so its area will be close to 2πr&middoth, also because the ring is very narrow.  So we want to add up the areas of all these rings, where r varies from close to zero for the innermost ring all the way up to R for the outermost ring.

 * So the total area is something like 2πh·h + 2πh·2h + 2πh·3h + ... + 2πh·R. We can factor out the 2πh2 from each term, getting 2πh2·(1 + 2 + ... + R/h).

 * The sum of 1+2+...+R/h is equal to the number of terms (R/h) times the average term ((R/h+1)/2) and so is (R2/h2 + 1)/2. (See arithmetic progression.)  Then the total area is 2πh2·(R2/h2 + 1)/2 = πh2·(R2/h2 + 1) = πR2 + πh2.  But h is very small, and so h2 is very very small, so we can disregard it, and we find that the area is actually πR2.

 * Mathematicians make this kind of argument so often that they have a special way of saying it quickly. They say that "the area is the integral of the circumference".  "Integral" just means to divide something into very small slices and then add up the slices the way we did.  They write $$\int_0^R 2\pi r\,dr = \pi R^2$$ to express the conclusion, that if you add up a lot of little slices of size 2πr for different rs between 0 and R, it totals up to πR2.

 * I hope this helps at least a little. -- Dominus 18:36, 3 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Yes, your argument is both concise and quite clear. I appreciate it. -- Dominiek

Why is windoze such a piece of crap?
Help! My Winxp box just crashed in the middle of a crucial task. The bastard won't start, keeps trying to boot then restart. Is my harddisk recoverable? Aargh. Bollocks. Help appreciated.

 * When XP boots and restarts, it's rolling back the corrupted registry to an earlier state. It's probably worth letting it do this half a dozen times before you conclude that there is no stable state for your registry. After that, you need to boot from the Windows XP cd and select the recovery console. You'll need to know your administrator password. If you bought your machine with XP pre-installed, you may not have an XP cd and you may not know your administrator password. In this situation, you may be able to recover your drive with a third-party utility program. Otherwise, you're stuck with a reinstall of the operating system which is likely to wipe out all your data. If you have a backup, use that. If you have an option to boot into a diagnostic partition, or you got a recovery CD with your system, you can probably reinstall the original system without help from your computer dealer.

 * If you need to recover data from your drive before reinstalling XP, one option is to ask for a Knoppix live linux CD (or similar) from your local Linux user group or friendly Linux user. You'll be able to use that to get data off your existing drive, and you may be able to use that instead of a third-party utility to repair your existing filesystem, although the details of how to do that are probably too technical for someone who asks such a question here.-gadfium 21:53, 3 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * The (possibly only) cool thing about XP is that there are two installation options, one that does a fresh install and one (I think it's labelled "upgrade" or something of the sort, but I haven't done it recently enough to remember) that sort of reinstalls on top of the current version. If you use the second option (I think it's listed second, but read the descriptions and it should be pretty obvious), all your data will be retained. I have never had any success whatsover with any of the system restore options (which doesn't mean that you won't), but the reinstall works pretty well. -Aranel (" Sarah ") 03:45, 4 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Cabbage Patch Kid
Hello, just a question if you would be able to help me, i picked  up a cabbage patch kid from a op shop, First edition 1978-1982 O.A.A Inc by Mattel CB 4B,  and has a purple signature on her bottom,she is made of hard plastic measures from the top of her head to her foot about 35cm her eyes are brown and she has one small tuff of brown hair coming out of the middle of her head, she also has like breather holes, one on each  heel of her foot, one between her legs, and one just under the writing on the back of her head, i think they are there incase you want to play with her in the bath. She has her original toweling jacket with two pink bows on the front she also has a red velvet dress on but i don't think its her original out fit, I would like to sell this doll in the future, would you be able to tell me a reasonable price i could sell her for, as i don't have any idea about the prices on cabbage patch kids. I hope you don't mind me asking you as i have no idea who to ask, i have looked on the net about kpk but haven't been able to see any history on the kpk i have got... I also picked up a fairy kpk looks brand new she has green eyes, a hard plastic head, golden curly brown hair tied up in a pony tail, she is wearing green and a pink fairy costume with pink wings on her back, on her cheek is a pink rose and she is wearing a pink rose necklace tied around her neck with pink ribbon, and around her wrist she is wearing a pink rose with a green leaf,she is made out of stocking like material, she has a green signature on her bottom, she was made by Mattel in 1995. She measures about 25cm, could you give me a price on her as well, looking forward to your reply. Thanks Cheers Lyn.

 * Ebay is probably your best bet here, you can gauge the market price of most things there.

 * And thanks for completely freaking me out at 5am in the morning. "A hard plastic head." I fear for the children, personally. --bodnotbod 05:09, Feb 13, 2005 (UTC)

Take me with you and its meaning in English
Answers.com is a mirror of Wikipedia, among its other content. In the process of writing an article about Answers.com, and then trying to add some more content about its features, I formulated the following question: Thank you, Ancheta Wis 03:21, 4 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * My question is about the subject take me with you, which has the unusual quality that if you interchange the me with the you, the meaning is not inverted, as you might expect from a simple substitution of pronouns, but instead takes off into another realm of meaning completely.
 * Version 1: Take me with you might be something uttered by a child as his parents go off on some adventure, leaving the child with a babysitter.
 * Version 2: If you want a piece of me, I'll take you with me, which might be uttered by a man about to engage in combat with another man.
 * If you enter the word take into Answers.com's search box, you get a page with over 100 different meanings and uses for the word take; by contrast, Wikipedia's entry on the Answers.com take page has only 2 meanings, which is not too bad, considering the 'pedia is not a dictionary.
 * Now my question is: this is not in Answers.com, even with its 100+ meanings for the word take. Where can I put this into Wikipedia? What concept does this fit under, in Wikipedia? If I were to successfully put all this on a Wikipedia page, eventually, this page will also get into Answers.com, via the automated feed from Wikipedia.

You are pointing out that in a sentence like I may die, but I'll take lots of you with me, or I may go to prison, but I'll take you with me that the phrase has a sinister or threatening connotation that is not one of the listed meanings of the word take in Answers.com. This use of take is quite ordinary. It is the stated or implied destination that implies the connotation. Or am I misunderstanding your topic? alteripse 14:28, 4 Feb 2005 (UTC)

I'm not entirely sure I understand your post, but generally speaking, word definitions should be added to Wiktionary, one of Wikipedia's sister projects. — Itai (f&t) 14:36, 4 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Thank you for the insight that the meaning of the sentence lies completely outside its content; that the unstated part is that you are going somewhere; I may or may not be going (depending on whether or you take me). So take me with you. In this restatement, the inversion take you with me retains the same sense. Thank you. Ancheta Wis 09:43, 5 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Hebrew for tetragrammaton?
I'm asking here because I don't know that people knowledgeable in my question would frequent the page in question...

In Eric Radloff, it reads:
 * Another album is in the making and should be around in July of 2006. It is rumoured to be called יהוהיהוה, which is Hebrew for Tetragrammaton.

Now, I know that the Hebrew shown is not the Tetragrammaton. Is it really the Hebrew for the word Tetragrammaton? If so, the word should be italicized in the article. -Rholton 04:05, 4 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Transcribing the letters, it is yʊd'hä'väv'hä'-yʊd'hä'väv'hä'- which is YHVH twice, the Tetragrammaton Ancheta Wis 09:23, 4 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Biographical details on Chef from South Park
I am having trouble tracking down details on the Chef from South Park. What do we know about his life? How long has he worked at the school? His previous jobs? Help is appreciated.
 * Um, you do realize this is a fictional character in a cartoon, right? I doubt Parker and Stone put much thought into a backstory. Nelson Ricardo 14:20, Feb 4, 2005 (UTC)
 * But if you write to them, you might inspire them to do so! -- Jmabel | Talk 19:05, Feb 4, 2005 (UTC)

I fail it!
I think I failed it at Maest&agrave - could someone fix it?

 * Fixed --Tagishsimon (talk)

Romans question
I would like to confirm something. According to Paul and Gnosticism
 * In not translating words which have meaning as concepts, it appears that Paul states to Christians (in Romans) I long to see you, so that I may share with you a certain pneumatic charisma (Romans 1:11-12). Charisma is derived (etymologically) from makarismos, which means the manner in which those who had witnessed the mysteries of mystery religions were considered blessed, and pneumatic is the gnostic term for the class of people who were governed by their spiritual side and thus saved.

However, I talked to a friend who studied Greek and he tells me that the word is actually pneumatikon, which is an adjective. Pneuma is a generic Greek word for spirit, not exclusively Gnostic. The other word is Charisma, which is a general Greek word for "gift". Thus it does not make it a confirmation of Gnosticism.

Can some clarify this for me? - Ta bu shi da yu 05:37, 4 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * The NIV says: "11I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong". I think linking to Talk:Paul and Gnosticism may be useful at this point. Alphax (t) (c) (e) 13:15, Feb 4, 2005 (UTC)
 * The actual Greek expression is charisma pneumatikon, "a spiritual gift". (Personally, I think anyone who claims that Paul was a Gnostic is mistaken, but the Gnostics certainly loved some of his writigns.) Charisma in the New Testament generally refers to gifts given by God. (Paul also likes to use related charis, grace.) I think the Christians used this word more than it was used elsewhere. See.
 * Pneuma is definitely not an exclusively Gnostic word. (It appears frequently in the Septuagint.) Pneumatikos is the adjective you would use to refer to anything spiritual and is not exclusive to the Gnostics. (Anglicizing it as pneumatic is perfectly acceptable, but it does tend to call to mind the Gnostic "pneumatics", which is not what the word actually means.) Pneumatikos is absolutely not "a Gnostic term". (If I spoke of a charismatic leader, would you automatically assume that I was referring to a Charismatic Christian leader?) -Aranel (" Sarah  ") 17:03, 4 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * In this case, the warning at the top of the article really means it. DJ Clayworth 07:35, 6 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Drive on
What is the bamboo viper in this Johnny Cash song?

 * I imagine it would be this pretty little thing, presumably a native of 'Nam. --Tagishsimon (talk)

Bedouins in sinai
Question moved from article space -- Ferkelparade π 12:35, 4 Feb 2005 (UTC)

do anyone knows why bedouins in sinai desert wear dark robes instead of white robes when the whether there is so hot that when dark robes absorb heat they can hardly live? -- User:202.148.164.241

 * While black absorbs heat more rapidly than other colours (such as white) it also dissapates heat more rapidly. I think I saw a TV show that asked this question and the answer was: black robes create a better airflow up through the robe than a white robe would. Alphax (t) (c) (e) 13:03, Feb 4, 2005 (UTC)

press releases providing information regarding new engineering techniques, new scientific projects etc
I would be most obliged to find out if the British Association for the Advancement of Science is interetsed in being sent information regarding newbreaks in engineering or scientific achjievemments etc.

Regards

Frank Marsh marshfd@cardiff.ac.uk

 * has their contact details, and they should be able to help you. Shimgray 18:00, 4 Feb 2005 (UTC)

K-1 Kerosene
I would like to know is there different K-1 kerosenes'. Is there a clear and one died yellow?

 * There are various different dyes used to mark kerosene. They are typically used for marking different quality grades or kerosene under particular tax classifications.

 * A web search turns up no usage of visible yellow dyes. The EU uses small amounts of a yellow dye as a chemical marker, but the percentage is too small to be seen unless performing specific tests for it.

 * Other sources indicate that visibly yellow kerosene is old and degraded, or mixed with a lower grade fuel. Said sources (mostly heater manufacturers) state that such kerosene is below K-1 spec and will generate smoke and possibly damage heater equipment. -- Cyrius|✎ 01:14, 5 Feb 2005 (UTC)

An unknown ancient Bracelet and photos link
Dear Sir,

I wonder may be some of your experts can help me out on this bracelet.

I have a very old bracelet that was inside a very old wood box and the bracelet was covered with years and years of durt. I cleaned it up and found pictures on the bracelet. I have asked few people (oh, by the way, I live in USA) but no one can recognize what the bracelet is or what the pictures mean. To me these pictures are showing some kind of story. I wonder if you might recognize this bracelet or know where it came from. Please click the photos link below to see this bracelet.

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/hcchcc/album?.dir=/1a8c&.src=ph&.tok=ph7YEaCBMTPooBoe

In addition, I joined the discussion board of "http://www.myjewishlearning.com/index.htm?SNAME=hcchcc&LASTACCESS=" and below is the discussion I got so far:

What is this old bracelet and photos link Author: hcchcc (---.indy.rr.com) Date:  02-03-05 08:25

Hi, I have a very old bracelet that was inside a very old wood box and the bracelet was covered with years and years of durt. I cleaned it up and found pictures on the bracelet. I have asked few people (oh, by the way, I live in USA) but no one can recognize what the bracelet is or what the pictures mean. To me these pictures are showing some kind of story. I wonder if you might recognize this bracelet or know where it came from. Please click the photos link below to see this bracelet.

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/hcchcc/album?.dir=/1a8c&.src=ph&.tok=ph7YEaCBMTPooBoe

I'd appreciate very much for any of your help. I am looking forward to your response. Thank you very much. Jessica Re: What is this old bracelet and photos link Author: Morganfrost (---.dhs.gov) Date:  02-03-05 09:12

Doesn't look Jewish to me. If I were to venture a (fairly uneducated) guess, I'd probably say that it was 19th or early 20th century Native American.

You might try contacting the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian in Washington. Perhaps one of the curators there could help you. Re: What is this old bracelet and photos link Author: Matzah1 (---.bchsia.telus.net) Date:  02-03-05 19:04

That is so intersting.

If there are any Jewish elements in it, I would have to focus on what looks like a menora or a chanukia, and a lion holding a plate cut into twelve parts. It could represent David holding the united twelve tribes, a war, and then another plate cut into five parts, whatever that means.

I don't know. Re: What is this old bracelet and photos link Author: hcchcc (---.indy.rr.com) Date:  02-03-05 21:25

Hi, thank you so much for helping. I have emailed NMAIcollections@si.edu for help. Hopefully the museum can tell me something. Take care! Jessica Re: What is this old bracelet and photos link Author: hcchcc (---.indy.rr.com) Date:  02-03-05 22:32

Hi, Thank you so much for helping. I did know the parts of "what looks like a menora or a chanukia, and a lion holding a plate cut into twelve parts. It could represent David holding the united twelve tribes, a war,...", that's why I thought this bracelet might has something to do with Jewish.

However, today, I did find out from the book of "The Compleat Astrologer" published by Mitchell Beazley Limited in 1971, the symble of "the circle with a dot in the middle" represents the Sun. And this bracelet has 3 Sun symbles on the center of top edge, and 3 Sun symbles on the right of bottom edge. Plus, I found the Water kind of symbles on the left of top and bottom edges. And my guess is that the plate with 12 parts might be the 12 houses of sky.

Any thought? Thanks. Jessica

I'd appreciate very much for your help. I am looking forward to your response. Thank you very much. Best Regards, Jessica

This is really exciting!!!!! I think you have found definitive proof that the lost tribes of Israel made it to the New World!!!! Lots of people in the 19th century speculated about this and there have been other suggestive artefacts found before this, but Wow-- a menorah on an Indian bracelet is pretty irrefutable!!!!! I predict you will be a hero to the Mormons and the pseudoarchaeologists alike. (Now let's see, thats Jews, Mormons, Indians, pseudoscience fans, and wikipedians who take the ref desk too seriously--- anyone I haven't offended yet?) Glossobuccalicly yours, alteripse 00:59, 5 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * One doesn't have to take the reference desk too seriously to be annoyed by someone actively being an ass. -- Cyrius|✎ 01:20, 5 Feb 2005 (UTC)

All right, sorry, I suppose I deserve that. I just looked at the pictures and couldn't help it. alteripse 01:48, 5 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * Haha glossobuccally. (Or glossobuccalically ...) --Gelu Ignisque

Great Site!!!!
i just found out about this site, and after a couple searches i couldn't agree more with my-self that this website was the best and most helpful site on the Internet.

i apricaite that this is a free site and that it is so helpful and provided so much info.

makes school that much easiar. Thank You

 * Keep up the schoolwork. Spelling, grammar and punctuation will all fall into place with sustained practice.

Accents
Dear Friends:

I am having trouble duplicating some accents or diacritical marks. The most common problem for me is how to represent the small "e" with an acute accent - that is commonly used in French, Spanish and many other languages. You have the large "E" acute (É) in the characters at the bottom of each page - but not the small form of the letter. I also couldn't find it in "special characters" under "Editing help."

Can you, perhaps, tell me how to represent this accented letter (and, if there is such a capability, how I can represent other letters with accents - such as a dot below or above letters, etc.?)

Many thanks,

John Hill John Hill 01:23, 5 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * If you're using Windows, go to start -> run and type "charmap", which brings up the character-map program, and allows you to select special characters. If you're using a UK keyboard, type [alt gr]+[e]. But my version is certainly displaying é in the list of selectable characters in the edit window... perhaps try in another browser? Shimgray 01:41, 5 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * Small e-acute is there for me. I see "Á á É é Í í Ó ó Ú ú Ý ý · À à È è Ì ì Ò ò Ù ù...". What do you see? (BTW, worst case: "&eacute;" will show as "é"). -- Jmabel | Talk 01:54, Feb 5, 2005 (UTC)

 * Also, if you're using Windows, you can hold down the Alt key, type 130 on your numeric keypad, and let go of the Alt key, to get the é. Taco Deposit | Talk-o to Taco 02:34, Feb 5, 2005 (UTC)

 * &eacute; is meant to be typed without the surrounding quotes, by the way. ;-) --Gelu Ignisque

US income tax e-filing
I just recently e-filed my US income taxes. As part of the filing process they ask you to make up a PIN (any 5 characters, I think), and then tell you THERE IS NO NEED TO REMEMBER THE PIN. What possible purpose could this serve? A possibly important detail, I am married, and they wanted a PIN code from each of us. And just to be perfectly clear, the form WAS NOT asking for any sort of code that we were supposed to have beforehand; they wanted ANY 5 digit #. Wierd. ike9898 05:43, Feb 5, 2005 (UTC)

Internet Explorer - British English
How can I convert my Internet Explorer browser, which is in US English, to British English? This "favorites" nonsense, when it should be "favourites" is starting to bug me, jguk 15:13, 5 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Go to the "tools" toolbar and click. Scroll down to "Internet options" and click. Go to the bottom of the window. You should be seeing a "Languages..." button. Click that. Mow click on "English (United States) [en-us]." Click "remove." Then go to the "add" button. click it. Scroll down to "English (United Kingdom) [en-gb]." Then click "OK." You should be able to view IE in British English now. Regards --Neutralitytalk 16:59, Feb 5, 2005 (UTC)
 * No, that only affects what page is displayed when a site offers multiple languages, www.google.com for example - it doesn't affect the options of the Internet Explorer program itself, which I think is only available in US English. I get around the annoyance by using Firefox... -- Arwel 17:14, 5 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Ah, I see. Thanks. Neutralitytalk 20:02, Feb 5, 2005 (UTC)

define: remedial methodologies
(This header was placed here without content.) The phrase is ambiguous, what was the context? -- Jmabel | Talk 21:28, Feb 5, 2005 (UTC)

Queen Victoria
Is there any site that gives a pedigree of Queen Victoria's (1819-1901) family until today. It would be great if it also included the history of hemophilia.

 * I suspect this is what you're looking for... this lists all descendants, for comparison. Shimgray 22:40, 5 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Actually this is not what i am looking for. I am looking more for a pedigree tree.

Shimgray gave you precisely what you asked for, including the pedigree. If it's not what you are looking for, try explaining what you want. alteripse 23:14, 5 Feb 2005 (UTC)

What I am looking for - the pedigree of Queen Victoria uptil today (including the current queen) displaying who was hemophilic. This is not waht Shimgray gave me Alterpise.

 * The second link is a pedigree listing - or looks reasonably close to one - and the first lists only those with haemophilia. True, they're not displayed together... but given that the first only lists 21 people (of which twelve are sufferers, and one of those stillborn) out of, what, five hundred odd descendants? It's not efficient to have a second list merely to add another column saying "haemophilic", but if you want one it's relatively trivial to create given the data there. It gives a pedigree of the family until today, at least wrt the descendancy from Vicky, and it includes the history of haemophilia - it's safe to assume that anyone not listed wasn't a sufferer, as it's not generally concealed. Shimgray 00:17, 6 Feb 2005 (UTC)

can an egg be pushed into a jar by a change in air pressure
Yes. -- Jmabel | Talk 01:50, Feb 6, 2005 (UTC)
 * See this egg experiment, or browse the search results for "egg bottle air pressure" yourself. — Catherine\talk 06:51, 6 Feb 2005 (UTC)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1_E48_J
(Obvious) errors in the "Orders of magnitude (energy")- page, where at least two lines are not correct.

A.) Assuming the line 1.74 × 10E16 J — total energy from the Sun that hits the Earth in one second is correct, then the line

B.) 6.2 × 10E20 J — total energy from the Sun that hits the Earth in one hour would have to read: 6.2 × 10E19 J — total energy from the Sun that hits the Earth in one hour

and the next in context should NOT be

C.) 1.5 × 10E23J — total energy from the Sun that hits the Earth in 24 hours

but is either: C1.) 1.5 × 10E21J — total energy from the Sun that hits the Earth in 24 hours

and would hence have to be moved upwards in the list, or (what would probably be of higher interest), should read:

C2.) 5.49 × 10E23J — total energy from the Sun that hits the Earth in ONE YEAR

Commentary: The fact that the above two lines -lines, which, unlike most others, can easily be checked- are so drastically wrong, leaves the user with a rather unpleasant feeling: "How many figures are wrong too, resp., even worse, are there figures, which are correct?"

Who is capable of double-checking all these informations?

Best regards

J. Schuett (schuett at greenmail.ch)

Thanks for noticing and taking the trouble to write. The answer to your question is "You are." Welcome to the community. Accepted procedure would have been to make the corrections in the article and put a note like this on the article's Talk page (where it says, "discuss this page"). Alternatively, if you don't want to make the edit, just put a note like yours above on the talk page. I copied your note to the appropriate talk:Orders of magnitude (energy) page. I agree the page looks like a daunting place to tinker. We'll let those who watch that page confirm and make your corrections. alteripse 14:50, 6 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * I think the 1,410 W / m2 on Solar energy is wrong too. this is much too low, it should be about 2 kW. dab (ᛏ) 14:41, 6 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * You sure? That's the number I always remember (well, "one and a bit", anyway)... let's see. Total luminosity of the sun, 3.827x1026 watts. Assume it radiates evenly in all directions.
 * Surface area of a sphere 1 AU in diameter = (150,000,000,000 m)2 * (4) * pi, which equals 22,500,000,000,000,000,000,000 * 4 * pi, which is 2.83x1023 m2.
 * Now, divide the total energy pumped out by the sun by that area, to find the energy per unit area at a distance of 1AU... and we get 1354 watts per square metre; ie, 1.354 kW. I've probably made a rounding error somewhere, which explains the discrepancy, but there you go. Shimgray 16:49, 6 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * what do you mean? I remember 1.something kiloWatt myself, and your calculation confirms it. Just imagine, if you got just one Watt out of a square meter of solar panels... you'd need to plaster your roof just to get a pathetic bulb going... dab (ᛏ) 15:12, 7 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * ah, I'm sorry. 1,410 W are 1.41 kW. I read the comma as a decimal point. My mistake... dab (ᛏ) 15:19, 7 Feb 2005 (UTC)

The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake?
In Talk:Orders of magnitude (energy):

 * 1.33 × 10^20 J — energy released by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake

In 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake:

 * The total energy released ... has been estimated as 2.0 exajoules (2.0×10^18 joules). (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqinthenews/2004/usslav/neic_slav_faq.html)

I don't want to change it. There may be other numbers. -- Toytoy 17:05, Feb 6, 2005 (UTC)

Why no writing/production credits on songs played?
I was just wondering why it is that at the end of TV shows and movies there is always a long list of writing and production credits, but when songs are played on the radio the songwriter and sometimes even the name of the song are never mentioned. And in music videos the director of the video is credited now, but not the songwriter. Is this to preserve the illusion that singers actually write the songs they sing, when many don't? Thanks. Mjklin 19:28, 2005 Feb 6 (UTC)
 * It's contractual stuff, probably -- whoever represents the songwriters (ASCAP? BMI?) haven't insisted on title credits for songwriters. The songwriters I know certainly appreciate the royalty checks they receive far more than they would any credit (especially the useless credits on modern TV shows.) --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 00:45, 7 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Miniature Postcards of Portland Maine (moved from help desk
I have in my possesion 4 minaiture Postcards of Portland Maine in black and white. They measure 1 1/2 x 2 1/2. They are postcards one of (1) "Junction of Congress and Free Streets,Portland Maine

(2)"The Portland-South Portland Bridge connects these two cities

(3)"Union Station, Portland Maine

(4)"White Head-Cushings Island, Portland Maine

They were mail to my Mother back in 1929 in a little mail pouch with U.S. MAIL from Portland Maine on front of pouch with leather strips at the top of the pouch and a yellow tag attached to that with my Mother mailling address on it.At the very top it says "GREETING" the From-- then under that TO________ on the back of tag it says From_____. Then a long line and a verse A Little remembrance fo where I have been. A U.S. mail bag and views within. Which when opened is the Postcards. I am trying to find out about these little postcards. Anyone knowing someone I can connect about them would be appreciated very much.My e-mail is grandmom642003@yahoo.com I can take pictures of them and e-mail it to the right person, have no fax, as mine stopped working when I had DSL install and have no filter on the printer/fax. Thank You very much. Priscilla

US states
Does anyone know a good technique or even a mnemonic to help remember all 50 US states?

Ciao Pomp My Socks... To Da Max 00:40, 7 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * There's a song that schoolchildren are often taught. (It's an annoying song.) I found the lyrics online but I haven't been able to find a recording of the tune. I also ran across this site when I was looking: . -Aranel (" Sarah ") 01:20, 7 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * If I were asked to name the states, I would imagine a map of the country with the state boundaries drawn in, start with Maine, and progress with some attempt at systematism across the country. --Smack (talk) 07:07, 12 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Demand draft vs Money order
Are demand draft and money order one and the same thing? --Menchi 01:24, 7 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * here is one answer utcursch 03:46, Feb 7, 2005 (UTC)
 * That only explains that a demand draft is similar to a normal check in that instance. A money order is different, primarily in that it is guaranteed by the issuer to be payable. I do not know if a demand draft is indeed exactly like a normal check (personal or business) that is not guaranteed. I believe that is the case. - Taxman 00:10, Feb 10, 2005 (UTC)

Can you find a picture of the 1890s George Thomas(the first person to put a photographic images and music together?
Hmm. He seems to be mentioned here: ''One day George Thomas, a Brooklyn theater electrician visited Marks and Stern. He had been experimenting with flashing a slide on a screen while a vocalist sang a song. The firm decided to use him to make slides for their song "The Little Lost Child". In 1894, thiese were exhibited for the very first time by the Primrose and West Minstrels.'' It helps clarify who/where he was, but doesn't seem to get us any further to a photograph. That company is now part of the Edward B. Marks Music Company; perhaps if you contact them they might have a lead, or a photograph on a corridor wall, or something? I doubt it, personally, but they do at least seem a sensible place to ask. Shimgray 03:15, 7 Feb 2005 (UTC)

computers
See computers. Alphax (t) (c) (e) 05:11, Feb 7, 2005 (UTC)

Wikipedia:The Perfect Crime
Suppose I want to have a freely editable Wiki page that could be used to host discussion on er, anything. I decide that Wikipedia is the easiest place to put it. Problem being, I don't want anyone to know that it is there. I also don't want anyone to pick it up during a Recent Changes search.

 * 1) Where would I put such a page, ie. which namespace?
 * In your userspace - IE, as a subpage of user:Alphax, such as User:Alphax/discussion →Raul654 05:37, Feb 7, 2005 (UTC)
 * 1) What could I call it?
 * See above. →Raul654 05:37, Feb 7, 2005 (UTC)
 * 1) What should I use as the edit summary?
 * Anything you want, really. →Raul654 05:37, Feb 7, 2005 (UTC)
 * 1) Should I use my own username, create a sockpuppet, or do an IP edit?
 * Your own username is fine. →Raul654 05:37, Feb 7, 2005 (UTC)

Deviously yours, Alphax (t) (c) (e) 05:32, Feb 7, 2005 (UTC)

 * I suggest you consider http://www.wikicities.com/wiki/Wikicities . It may not meet all of your criteria above, but it comes close. Don't use Wikipedia; that's not what our encylopdeia is about.-gadfium 05:38, 7 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Gadfium makes a good point - Wikipedia is not a web hosting service. You can use subpages for pretty much anything you want, but if you are talking about dozens and dozens of pages, then it's a better idea to do it elsewhere. But if it's something small and low traffic, then (in the opinion of this long time editor) that's perfectly fine. →Raul654 06:11, Feb 7, 2005 (UTC)

 * Ok then - most of what I was thinking would be reasonably small, and definately low traffic. If it becomes an issue, I'll move it to Wikicites. Alphax (t) (c) (e) 06:41, Feb 8, 2005 (UTC)

 * Bear in mind we'll look at your edit history to find out what you're up to, mainly because we can. Privacy is not on offer on a wiki. --Tagishsimon (talk)

 * See, that's why I asked about using sockpuppets and what namespace I should put things in. Alphax (t) (c) (e) 00:53, Feb 10, 2005 (UTC)

Urgent last wishes
A friend of mine who grew up in Blum is dying of a cancerous brain tumor--in the final stages. When he was in second grade (I am guessing 1963 or 1964 since he was born in 1957) he wrote a poem called "The Boy With Green Hair" and it was published in the newspaper. He desparately wants to see that poem and share it with his family before he passes away. Can anyone help me find it or tell me how to find it--I am all the way in San Diego California? His name is JOHN LANDRUM son of Evelyn Basden.

 * I'm sorry to hear about your friend. The more specific you are, the better. Do you mean Blum, Texas? I couldn't find any other Blum. It's good that you're asking here but two better options would be to call the newspaper or call a library. If you know which newspaper it was, you should try calling them. Also try the Dallas Public Library and ask for help finding the article. It may only be available on microfilm but they may have an electronic database which could tell you when and in which paper the poem ran. I did search LexisNexis, but they don't carry all newspapers and they only go back to the 80s or so. Rhobite 07:33, Feb 7, 2005 (UTC)

pub bar
What do u reckon is the most famous (real) bar or pub in the world? I've never heard of the ones in the pub article, so there's gotta be some bar somewhere in the world that is really famous, maybe for an event that happened there or sumthing. --Wonderfool 14:29, 7 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * The bar portrayed in the TV series Cheers is pretty famous. I don't think it's name is actually 'Cheers'.  ike9898 16:19, Feb 7, 2005 (UTC)
 * Given the number of people that watched that show, I think you might be on the right track. As the article for Cheers shows, the bar that inspired the series is the "Bull and Finch bar". It is quite different from the bar on TV, so a replica of the TV bar was built in another part of Boston. Both are very popular with tourists. - Taxman 23:36, Feb 9, 2005 (UTC)
 * I believe that in London, both World's End and Elephant and Castle were pub names before they were neighborhood names. That's one way to get famous! In New York, there is Fraunces Tavern, duly historic and very famous, probably mentioned in most U.S. history textbooks; I'm sure other cities have comparably famous bars/pubs. I'm sure Madrid and Paris each have a few contenders, though nothing is leaping to my mind at this instant. Maybe something in Amsterdam, Berlin, or Rome? -- Jmabel | Talk 17:29, Feb 7, 2005 (UTC)
 * Jmabel's and Ike's suggestions are good. I'd say "fame" is very difficult to gauge -- for me, I'd think of the most famous pub in the world as the "Bird and Baby" (The Eagle and Child) in Oxford, as any moderately well-read fan of either C.S. Lewis or J.R.R. Tolkien is quite familiar with it, but I'm sure someone can come up with an even better and more widely known example.  It seems to me that Samuel Johnson might have had a favorite pub that is still in operation, but the name escapes me. Jwrosenzweig 23:29, 7 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Footling around the web tells me that Johnson used to frequent the Anchor Inn on Park Street, SE1. Joshua Reynolds and Oliver Goldsmith were also regulars, apparently. It still exists. I'm not sure it could really be called "famous" though, it just had some famous regulars. --Camembert 00:43, 8 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * And there is the Eagle (by the marketplace in Cambridge), where Watson and Crick met to work out DNA when they were supposed to be leaving the project to a colleague, so they couldn't do it on the Cambridge U. campus. Fine pub, too; haven't been there in years, but I imagine it's just like it was. -- Jmabel | Talk 01:52, Feb 8, 2005 (UTC)
 * I'm afraid it's been remodelled. It's not even like I remember it, and that was only twenty years ago. DJ Clayworth 04:09, 8 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Another famous London pub is, of course, The Angel, Islington, known to generations who never knew it was a pub... Shimgray 02:38, 8 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Edinburgh has The White Hart, which has been there since the 1500s, played host to Robert Burns and William Wordsworth, and had its resident body snatchers-turned-serial killers, Burke and Hare... — Catherine\talk 09:00, 9 Feb 2005 (UTC)

basic neeeds of oranges
what basic needs to the human body do the fruit oranges supply

A single navel orange supplies about 65 calories mainly in the form of 16g sugar and 1.4g protein, small amounts of vitamins C and A, and folic and pantothenic acid. The human body also needs water and various electrolytes and oranges supply water and some potassium. There are smaller amounts of several other trace nutrients. alteripse 03:58, 8 Feb 2005 (UTC)

CD drive not found in Windows XP
Hi there,

I'd appreciate if anyone could nudge me in the right direction with a tech question I have. How is it that all of a sudden a DVD and a CD drive, both on the same IDE cable, can just drop out of Windows XP's sight? They are both listed in Device Manager with the horrible yellow question mark sign on them, but it's not a driver problem. Under "Properties" is says "Windows successfully loaded the device driver for this hardware but cannot find the hardware device." If I uninstall and reinstall it, it seems to "find" it, but then it can't "see" it later. So are my drives fried or what? Thanks. Rower48 03:26, 8 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Are you sure the IDE cable is intact and correctly attached to both drives? Mgm|(talk) 10:00, Feb 8, 2005 (UTC)
 * I'm pretty sure. I disconnected the IDE cable and started the computer, and it told me it didn't recognize the drives.  Then I reconnected them, and Windows seemed to recognize the drives, but said "There was a problem installing your new hardware."  It won't tell me exactly what the problem was, though. --Rower48 15:30, 2005 Feb 9 (UTC)
 * My parents' computer had that same problem twice in the past two years, and each time the only solution was to get a new drive. The new drive would then work fine.  It is weird, though, that both your drives fried at the same time. Taco Deposit | Talk-o to Taco 20:05, Feb 9, 2005 (UTC)
 * Try booting with a diagnositc cd such as Knoppix or try a bootable business card format such as http://www.lnx-bbc.org/ for a smaller download. If you're not familiar with linux, type dmesg once you get to a prompt. If those bootable CD's see your cdrom drives it is much more likely to be a Windows software issue. - Taxman 23:22, Feb 9, 2005 (UTC)

Mosses and Ferns
Why do Ferns grow larger than Mosses? Does the reproduction of these plants affect the size of them? Also, what is the advantage of having both sexual, and asexual forms of reproduction? -- anon
 * That's like asking why people grow larger than mice. It's got nothing to do with the reproduction. It's in their genes and environment. And I imagine that being able to reproduce asexually has it's advantages when no organism of the other sex is nearby.

Suggested reading material: Vegetative reproduction and Reproduction. -- Mgm|(talk) 10:05, Feb 8, 2005 (UTC)

 * Mosses lack true vascular tissue - this limits the disntance that they can transport water and minerals. Ferns have vascular tissue, this allows them to transport water further, and thus, get bigger.  In addition, since the same material that is used to transport water (xylem) is also the main supportive tissue (woody tissues), ferns are able to support the weight of much larger plants.
 * The reporductive system of the plants doesn't make a big difference here, as far as I know. They both reproduce both sexually and asexually.  The main advantage of asexual reproduction is that it allows plants to quickly occupy a fairly stable environment that is well suited to their genotype - ie, if they find a spot that they have the right genes for they can make lots of clones of themselves.  The question isn't really "when should a plant reproduce asexually", the question is "when should a plant reproduce sexually".  In a constant environment in which you are doing well you should always reproduce asexually - sexual reproduction provides added benefits (or genetic variability, and possibly the right genes for a new environment) but it does so with a cost - the cost being the risk of the wrong combination of genes.  Ferns and mosses only disperse asexual spores - the sexual gametes swim, don't get very far, don't have the option of sampling a new environment.  So that complicates the whole matter even more.  Guettarda 05:01, 9 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Mathematics: Inverse operation to Exponentiation
What is the proper name of the operation that is the inverse to exponentiation? This is the operation that is notated with the radical (mathematics), but certainly it's not called "radicalization." :) Surely there is a real name for this.

Note that I'm not asking for the inverse function to the exponential function, which is the logarithmic function. I'm looking for the verb form of the generalized operation being carried out by square-roots, cube-roots, 4th-roots, nth-roots.

Thanks, Jdavidb 04:36, 8 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * Is it not exponentiation itself with negative powers? -- Sundar 05:08, Feb 8, 2005 (UTC)

 * yeah, it's still called exponentiation, with inverse (not negative) exponents. n-th root is exponentiation to the power of 1/n. dab (ᛏ) 06:42, 8 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * Oops! How stupid I was? :p (read my suggestion above). -- Sundar 06:53, Feb 8, 2005 (UTC)

Thanks, guys, but unfortunately that doesn't help me. You have provided a definition of the inverse operation to exponentiation, but I am looking for a name for the operation. It is true that exponentiation is its own inverse. But it is also true that addition is its own inverse; yet there is a specific name for that operation, and we call it subtraction. Subtraction is defined in terms of addition (add the opposite), and in fact it really is addition, but it still has its own name (and it is possible to notate and perform the operation without reference to addition at all or even being aware that they are the same). In the same way, division is defined in terms of multiplication (multiply by the reciprocal), and in fact it really is multiplication, but it, too, still has its own name and can be performed and notated without reference to multiplication.

So it is true that "radicalization" is mathematically the same as exponentiation (exponentiate to the reciprocal of the index of the radical), but that still doesn't help me find a name for it. I'm looking for a proper mathematical term, if there is one.

Thanks for any additional help anyone can provide. I'm probably pretty weird, but this kind of thing has always interested me. Jdavidb 15:04, 8 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * "Taking the radical" or "taking the n-th root"? Does the operation have to have a "proper name"?  If so, what is wrong with "radicalisation"?  (Other than the problem that you might get odd looks when you "radicalise" 2 and 3 to to get $$\sqrt[3]{2}$$, or possibly $$\sqrt[2]{3}$$...) But, in any event, as others have said, the operation is identical to exponentiation by a fractional power, so exponentiation fits too. -- ALoan (Talk) 15:50, 8 Feb 2005 (UTC)

"taking the n-th root is fine" (for natural n's), but my answer was meant to imply that there is no 'inverse' verb, analogous to 'subtraction':'addition'. "radicalization" is not used. 'subtraction' and 'division' are a linguistic luxury, just as the root sign is notational luxury. We have addition, multiplication and exponentiation, and as it happens, exponentiation is too 'arcane' to have developed a gratuitous 'inverse' terminology. dab (ᛏ) 13:55, 9 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * The expression "extraction of roots" may sound dental or perhaps arboreal, but it's an old expression for this operation. However, many operations simply don't have a word in "-tion" for them: none of the trigonometric operations do, for instance: we say taking the sine and not sinuation or the like. (Sinicization is something completely different.) --FOo

Colt Model 04690RCN
I am looking for information on the Colt Model 04690RCN, other wise marked 1911 RECON. I own one but can't find any information. I bought the 1911 at Lone Star Guns in Plano, Texas over 2 years ago. Message from anon moved from article space. Left note on IP talk page directing user here.SWAdair | Talk 06:50, 8 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Can you show me the iron molecule model

 * Iron is metal. You may say atom and crystal (the crystalline structure of iron or lattice), but not molecule. Please see iron and other steel-related articles such as carbon steel, austenite, martensite, cementite and pearlite. I think there are better websites that offer such information (I am looking for it). -- Toytoy 12:21, Feb 8, 2005 (UTC)

How long does it take a fossil to form?
I'm having a debate with a creationist, and I looked in the fossil article for some information on how long it takes for fossils to form. I turned up blank. How long does it take for a fossil to from? What is the youngest (closest to modern) known fossil? crazyeddie 00:09, 9 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * You might want to look up Petrifaction instead. →Raul654 00:11, Feb 9, 2005 (UTC)

A bit more information, but still nothing on the timescales involved. crazyeddie 00:16, 9 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * Given the right natural conditions, a fossil can form in a few thousand years, search for freezing to find the para here. You have to go back to the Pleistocene period really though, which is several millennia before Noah and the Flood. adamsan 00:44, 9 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Thanks! Somebody might want to make a note of that in the fossil article - I'll try to remember, but no promises. crazyeddie 07:45, 9 Feb 2005 (UTC)

I took care of it. crazyeddie 22:20, 9 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Chaim Weizmann
moved from Talk:Section by How many children did Chaim Weizmann & his wife Vera have? We know only of Michael, who was killed in World War II. How is Moshe Bronstein related to Chaim Weizmann? adamsan 00:35, 9 Feb 2005 (UTC)

The Poseidon Adventure
I asked this question at Talk:The Poseidon Adventure too, but got no response : Is the movie/novel based on a true incident ? Jay 09:16, 9 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * IMDb's trivia page for the movie says the novel was inspired by a real incident during World War II where RMS Queen Mary was hit by a freak wave. Queen Mary supposedly came very close to capsizing but didn't. I don't know how true the statement is, as I can't find any verification, and the incident is not listed in queenmary.com's timeline. -- Cyrius|✎ 13:46, 9 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * The citations I've seen mention this incident as being a close-run thing - within a few degrees - and a couple of hundred miles off Ireland, probably in late 1944. Details are sketchy, although as it wouldn't have been publicised this doesn't indicate anything. I looked into it a while back, with no success. (If you want a horrible thought - she was trooping at the time, so would have had over ten thousand on board, with them kept inside and belowdecks due to the storm... and maintaining radio silence, so she wouldn't have been recorded missing for a day or two. Really a recipe for disaster)
 * However, as I understand it, the film may have been based off a similar - but less drastic - event around the same time. I'll see if I can find the notes I made on this before. Shimgray 01:19, 10 Feb 2005 (UTC)

RNA/DNA
What are the 3 main differences between RNA and DNA?

 * [...] you might try our articles on RNA and DNA -- Ferkelparade π 09:34, 9 Feb 2005 (UTC)

George W. Bush & sex
It is well known that Google uses PageRank technology to calculate the ranking of webpages. But without links, how do they rank news group articles?

For example, I searched "George W. Bush" using Google Groups:

 * http://groups-beta.google.com/groups?q=%22george+w.+bush%22
 * 1) Is BfB related to George W. Bush? soc.culture.irish - Nov 24 2004, 6:46 am by GoldenArse - 2 messages - 2 authors
 * 2) I collect books about George W.Bush ! ! ! rec.collecting.books - Nov 18 2004, 10:03 pm by henry - 13 messages - 13 authors
 * 3) Pat. Buchanan, Dan Rather, George W. Bush soc.culture.cuba - Jan 22, 4:06 pm by ricardo gonzalez - 1 message - 1 author
 * 4) George W. Bush. The Dunce rec.martial-arts - Nov 2 2004, 6:08 pm by YoJimbo - 23 messages - 12 authors
 * 5) George W. Bush: Presidential or Pathological? misc.health.alternative - Dec 27 2004, 7:38 pm by BLUERHYMER - 9 messages - 6 authors
 * 6) _Rocky Mountain News_ Endorses George W. Bush for President misc.transport.road - Nov 12 2004, 4:17 pm by Alan Stevens - 20 messages - 11 authors
 * 7) The Wit and Wisdom of George W. Bush soc.culture.laos - Nov 12 2004, 1:16 am by Joe Fukawe - 1 message - 1 author
 * 8) Congratulations George.W.Bush[NDC] rec.music.dylan - Nov 4 2004, 6:31 pm by Tim Herrick - 69 messages - 22 authors
 * 9) George W. Bush prepares his ultimatum misc.activism.militia - Mar 14 2003, 9:05 pm by Martin S. White - 1 message - 1 author
 * 10) Sporting insights into the character of George W. Bush misc.activism.progressive - Oct 31 2004, 11:23 pm by Rich Winkel - 2 messages - 1 author

It's pretty strange. None of the top 10 articles belongs to any political discussion groups. And George W. Bush is a political figure! Only one newsgroup is war-related, and that's a militia newsgroup (for God's sake). The second newsgroup (rec.collecting.books), in my opinion, is among the least Bushy newsgroups in the world. How do they rank newsgroup posts?

Another frequently-searched keyword "sex" is equally interesting:

 * http://groups-beta.google.com/groups?q=sex&qt_s=Search+Groups
 * 1) Essential info on masturbation and sex alt.sex.addiction.recovery.moderated - Jan 27, 2:01 pm by Essential Sex Info - 1 message - 1 author
 * 2) ESSENTIAL INFO ON MASTURBATION AND SEX misc.health.alternative - Jan 29, 5:16 am by Essential Sex Info - 13 messages - 10 authors
 * 3) Pawan Deshpande - Sex Map Shows Chain of Almost 300 High ... soc.sexuality.general - Jan 25, 9:48 am by ChrisB - 14 messages - 6 authors
 * 4) Sex, love, marriage and intermarriage - Reccomended books soc.culture.jewish.moderated - Jan 27, 12:50 pm by Robert - 3 messages - 3 authors
 * 5) People's general lack of interest in sex. (long post) soc.sexuality.general - Mar 29 2004, 3:43 am by Elisobella - 68 messages - 16 authors
 * 6) Having sex according to a pre-set schedule soc.sexuality.general - Mar 12 2004, 12:41 pm by ::ALIUS:: - 16 messages - 10 authors
 * 7) How to control your sex desire (Islam's view)...Nah...Ah Beng ... soc.culture.malaysia - Jan 23, 4:48 pm by w-o-r-l-d-p-i-s-s-e-d - 15 messages - 14 authors
 * 8) What price sex? About £30K uk.gay-lesbian-bi - Apr 13 2004, 10:23 am by paul - 1 message - 1 author
 * 9) Sex and the seasons soc.sexuality.general - Jan 26, 4:39 pm by Ana - 27 messages - 15 authors
 * 10) {ASSM} ESSENTIAL INFO ON MASTURBATION AND SEX alt.sex.stories.moderated - Jan 28, 5:10 pm by Essential Sex Info - 1 message - 1 author

OK, maybe I am not well-informed. But why does Google list "Essential info on masturbation and sex" three times? Is that article so important? It looks like spam to me. Most articles belong to sex- or health-related newsgroups, but why do one Jewish intermarriage article (see: Silent Holocaust) and another Muslim article enter the top 10?

How do they rank these articles? -- Toytoy 15:44, Feb 9, 2005 (UTC)
 * Google also uses search engine tags embedded in HTML and it also counts the number of occurences of a word in the text. So that may help in how these turned up. However, I don't think the same things apply to newsgroups and websites. Mgm|(talk) 08:26, Feb 10, 2005 (UTC)

Wrong links in article?
I can't figure out where to report this so I'll just submit it here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raleigh,_North_Carolina

Under the law and government section, the link leading to James West is a completely different person than the James West on the city council. It would be impossible for someone over 110 years old to be in office.

 * That's a common problem. Disambiguation to the rescue. I changed the link from James West to James West (politician). Next time, be bold and give it a go yourself! :-) Happy editing, David Iberri | Talk 18:29, Feb 9, 2005 (UTC)

Circumnavigation
Can anybody tell me how "circumnavigation" is defined, particularly with regard to Ellen McArthur's recent record? I can't work out why the finishing line was where it was (somewhere near France). Would a circuit of Antarctica count? --Auximines 19:52, 9 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * This provides an overview of the answers - "The Ushant/Lizard start line is the official starting line of any Jules Verne Trophy record attempt" and "sailing around the world from west to east, on a route south of the three Capes (Cape of Good Hope, Cape Leeuwin and Cape Horn) all kept to port with Antarctica to starboard". --Tagishsimon (talk)

Everest
Has anybody ever climbed the full height of Mount Everest? That is, starting at sea level, made a continuous walk to the summit without any sort of transport? --Auximines 20:00, 9 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * In May of 1990 Tim Macartney-Snape became the first person to climb the full height of Everest from the Bay of Bengal to summit without oxygen, sherpa support or fellow climbers. This three-month climb was immortalized in the award winning film "Everest: Sea to Summit". If you have time, you can write an article about him. Eleassar777 22:10, 9 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * There was also a fellow in 1996 who I believe bicycled from Sweden to Nepal and continued on foot to the top of Everest. -- Jmabel | Talk 23:00, Feb 9, 2005 (UTC)

 * ..and back home again. Stbalbach 18:43, 16 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Length of year and day
By how much does the length of the year change over time (e.g. millions of years)?

I have heard that the number of days in a year was estimated from old fossils, and that 300,000,000 years ago it was about 400 days. Have calendars been constructed for use when studying such old fossils, etc.?

 * If anything, the length of day would have been slightly shorter, not longer. See expansion of the universe or similar. IANAL, IANARS, IANANP. Alphax (t) (c) (e) 01:03, Feb 11, 2005 (UTC)
 * What would that have to do with the rotation speed of the Earth? -- Cyrius|✎ 02:27, 11 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Like I said, IANAL, IANARS, IANANP... Alphax (t) (c) (e) 02:49, Feb 11, 2005 (UTC)

 * Yes the length of the day is getting longer, but it's because of the tidal effects of the moon, not due to the expansion of the universe. Sorry, can't answer the original question.-gadfium 01:31, 11 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * See tidal acceleration. -- Cyrius|✎ 02:27, 11 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * The research on old fossils was pretty speculative -- it's based on the theory that certain mollusks, like the nautilus, build their shells more-or-less continuously. Someone noticed that there's fine banding in the shells between each septum, and figured out that there's usually 28-30 bands in each division.  This led to speculation that the mollusks were affected by the day/night cycle (building more in the daytime and less at night, perhaps, with variations accounted for by cloudy days), and that the building of septums was affected by the moon cycles.  Someone had the bright idea to look at fossil nautiloids, and sure enough, there were more bands in the fossilized versions than in the modern ones, leading to even more tenuous theories that there were shorter days, and thus more days in a month, in ancient history.  This was predicted to by the theories about the gravitational relationship between the earth and the moon, with the moon gradually receding from the earth.

 * I got this information from the 1979 essay "Time's Vastness" by Stephen Jay Gould, reprinted in his book The Panda's Thumb. It's interesting, but at the time there was little more than wondering to go on; I'm afraid I don't how far the theory has developed in the past 25 years.  — Catherine\talk 06:48, 11 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * A little more recent: "Each chamber bears about 30 fine, parallel scars or laminations. Since the nautilus occupies a new chamber each lunar month, the laminations are daily.  Thus, an examination of fossil nautiloids reveals the changing (decreasing) number of days in the month.  The length of the month is related to the position of the Moon which was much closer (~165,000 km) to the Earth during the Ordovician than it is today (~490,000 km; Greding, 1995)."   (That's Edward J. Greding Jr., author of Journey into Deep Time -- more on him and his work, which includes coral skeletons as well as nautiloids, here.)  — Catherine\talk 09:19, 11 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * So expansion of the universe is relevant! Alphax (t) (c) (e) 02:57, Feb 14, 2005 (UTC)

Elizabeth I - What is the "R" for?
Friends,

Can anyone tell me what the "R" is for in the bio of Elizabeth I with Glenda Jackson in the title role?

Thanks.

 * The "R" stands for "Regent", if I recall correctly.-gadfium 04:26, 10 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * It's actually for "Regina", the Latin for "queen". It's a traditional signature for a monarch (who in the good old days had no surname, and would sign "Christian-name R" for "rex" (king) or "regina" (queen)). - Nunh-huh 04:31, 10 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * Thanks Nunh-huh, I stand corrected.-gadfium 05:34, 10 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Traffic (band)
What does the title of the old Traffic song The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys mean?
 * Wow, thanks for the question! Doing a Google search for "low spark of high heeled boys" and "meaning" led me to this wonderful http://www.songfacts.com, and this explanation of the phrase. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 06:16, 11 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Thanks! I made a stub - the only question now is... What was the gun that made no noice?!

FAT32 disk optimization
I have been told that it is possible to optimize disk performance on FAT32 by moving directory structures around and putting some files in certain places. Is this true? How do I do it? What performance increase can I expect?
 * Whoever told you that told you crap. FAT32 holds a table of entries that hold a pointer to a chain of clusters. Fragmentation will usually happen when you add and remove files, but where the files are kept holds no relevance to fragmentation issues. - Ta bu shi da yu 06:09, 11 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Thanks! I saw it on an mp3 player forum. I have an mp3 player that has a 40gb fat32 disk, and it takes a long time to start up (20 seconds or so) and there was a post saying that if I moved all the folder information to the front or something it would start up quicker. Thanks for disabusing me of this foolish notion!
 * Technically, and this is very technically, putting data far out on the hard drive magnetic disc itself will increase the seek time due to the hand can reach it faster. On a mp3 player, this has absolutely nothing to say though. :> Inter 10:42, 12 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Carbides
I'm not sure if this is really the appropriate place to post this notice, but I have a question about the accuracy of the article on Carbides. The article states that carbides are polyatomic ions of the form C2-2, but I don't think this is correct. I thought that a carbide was simply a salt, not a polyatomic ion. Could somebody with a good chemistry background take a look at the article and make any changes that need to be made? Thanks, Brim 07:14, Feb 11, 2005 (UTC) But I don't think carbide ions have to be polyatomic. ThC (thorium carbide) is one such example of a carbide (there are many others) where there is only one carbon ion. — Brim 20:04, Feb 11, 2005 (UTC)
 * Carbide is the name of the negative ion. You can only call them salts once they combine with positive ions like sodium to form such salts. I'm not entirely at home in those structures, so I'd have to check if it's polyatomic, but I can say with about 90% certainty that what the article said (according to you) is correct. User talk:MacGyverMagic (not signed in). 131.211.210.157 14:03, 11 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Chef
What is Chef from South Parks 'real name'? The name of the character, that is, not the voice actor. 195.158.6.172 07:35, 11 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Jerome McElroy. —Charles P. (Mirv) 02:22, 12 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Werewolf
Are there really legends about other 'were' creatures, or are they made up by role playing games?
 * The Australian TV show "Wild Kat" starring Daniel Daperis and Pia Prendiville, is about a girl who's a weretiger. I'm not sure if it's an idea of the show's creators or if a real legend is behind it. Just thought I'd mention it. Check TV Tome if you need a bit of background on how the girl and the tiger are connected. -- Mgm|(talk) 20:48, Feb 11, 2005 (UTC)
 * If you put "werewolf etymology" into a search engine you find out (whether the source is trustworthy or not) that "wer" meant "man". So it's just wolfman.  In theory you could have mythical men of all sorts combined with any animal.  Wertortoise then becomes an option.  But taking off my sillyhat, more feasible ones would be.... erm... oh, blimey, I dunno.  But Batman would become Werebat, I suppose.  And Spiderman werspider. Sorry, I've just bored myself. --bodnotbod 05:17, Feb 13, 2005 (UTC)

What's the best free slideshow program for Windows 2000?
I find Irfanview does the job. It's free and has never crashed on me yet. I've never had to reboot whilst caught with my trousers down. I have win98, but I'm sure 2000 will cope. --bodnotbod 05:22, Feb 13, 2005 (UTC)

Matterof urgency from Solomon
I got this in the email today - I removed the information so only I could reply, but wanted your advice - is this man to be trusted?

''Dearest One,

How are you and every members of your family,I hope fine it is a Good thing to write you. I have a proposal for you-this however is not mandatory nor will I in any manner compel you to honour against your will. Your profile pushed me to send you this mail, I am Solomon Abba, i am 24 years old,i am here with my only sister Mary who is now 18 years old and i am the only son of our late parents Mr.and Mrs.David Abba. Our father was a highly reputable business magnet (a cocoa merchant) who operated through out West Africa during his days.

It is sad to say that he passed away mysteriously in France during one of his business trips broad.Though his sudden death was linked or rather suspected to have been masterminded by an uncle of his who travelled with him at that time. But God knows the truth! our mother died when i was just 8 years old, and since then our father never hide anything from us.

Before he made the trip to france that lead to my misfortune(his death)He called me,explained to me the reason why he will make the trip and also told me that he has the sum of Two million Five hundred thousand United State Dollars.(USD$2.500,000)deposited in one of the security company's here in Abidjan Ivory coast West Africa, which he disguised and declared the box to contain family valuables instead of money,by this way the company does not know the true content of the box.

The deposit document which I have in my possession carries my late father's name as the depositor, while I'm the next of kin on the same document, I am just a student university undergraduate,while my only sister is still in the secondry school and really don't know what to do. This is because I have suffered a lot of set backs as a result of incessant political crisis here in Ivory coast.

The death of our father actually brought sorrow to our lifes.I am in a sincere desire of your humble assistance in this regards. Your suggestions and ideas will be highly regarded.

Now permit me to ask these few questions:- 1. Can you honestly help us ? 2. Can we completely trust you? 3. What percentage of the total amount in question will be good for you after the money is in your account?

Please Kindly consider this and get back to me as possible if you wish to help, please we are sincerely in need of your urgent attention.

Thanks.

SincerlyYours,

Solomon abba and sister.

 * That's a classic 419 scam mail. Just ignore it and delete the mail -- Ferkelparade π 09:52, 11 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * Of course it's not to be trusted. It's the classic "Nigerian 419" scam - you must be a very recent email user not to have received hundreds of these in the last few years. Delete it and ignore anything similar that arrives. -- Arwel 14:22, 11 Feb 2005 (UTC)

What is the collective noun for internet users?

 * surfers? -- Sundar 11:31, Feb 11, 2005 (UTC)
 * A google? A packet? DJ Clayworth 14:28, 11 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * netizens --Alterego 16:43, Feb 11, 2005 (UTC)
 * Krill :P -- Ferkelparade π 17:59, 11 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Monkeys as in an infinite number at an infinity of typewriters. Diderot 18:03, 11 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * All of these are correct, although netizens is the most universally adapted to the people who formed the Internet in the earlier days. Monkeys however might be the most descriptive of todays Internet. :p Inter 10:47, 12 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * That's easy: a cabal. Proteus (Talk) 11:49, 12 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * TINC. Shimgray 21:06, 12 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * The short version is that there is no one term that everyone agrees is right. -Aranel (" Sarah ") 21:39, 12 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * A dystopia of internet users. --bodnotbod 05:23, Feb 13, 2005 (UTC)

Autonomous regions, special constitutional arrangements
I'm looking for database information listing examples wherein indigenous groups, ethnic minorities, or other population groups have special constitutional arrangements, especially constitutionally defined autonomous regions within a sovereign (ie UN member) state. Bougainville and Papua New Guinea are one example, Hong Kong and China are another. I haven't been able to discover such a list in the UN's extensive website, which seemed the logical place to start. Thanks if you can help.

-anon-

 * Do we have an article on this phonomenon in general? Spain has several, notably the Basque Country (autonomous community) and Catalonia. Canada has Nunavut and, arguably, Quebec. -- Jmabel | Talk 23:03, Feb 11, 2005 (UTC)

 * List of active autonomist and secessionist movements looks promising (it includes all the examples you've both mentioned), as do Urban secession and autonomous region. List of disputed or occupied territories might be useful too. Best, David Iberri | Talk 00:40, Feb 12, 2005 (UTC)

gardening(culturing plant) in pots
What's the most suitable plants or flowers to grow in small pots 10-30cm in diameter? The one with easy or simple caring. Roscoe x 13:29, 11 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * I'm sure that there are any number of suitable plants that would fit those constraints, it will probably come down to a matter of personal preference. There's a short list at houseplant or you could always try growing some herbs.  Barring that, go to wherever you intend on buying the plant and ask one of the workers there if they have any recommendations. --DaveC 20:59, 11 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Fairfax Town, UK
In this page it talks about a fictional town called Fairfax that is used by the British Post Office for training purposes. I cannot find the source of that info, can anyone help? Please reply here. --JS

 * I tried a few very determined searches and came up with nothing. If you can, look at the history of the page, find out who put that in there, and if they're a registered user interrogate them with all due solemnity.  It could be a highly obscure gag of some sort. Seriously, I would have thought that such a gem would have been treasured by all sorts of geeks and fact lovers, but I can't seem to find any reference at all. --bodnotbod 05:32, Feb 13, 2005 (UTC)

 * Try asking User:Daibhid C - he added the information. Warofdreams 17:03, 14 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * Hey, I know him... I'll chase him up by mail and ask. Shimgray 17:52, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Line of succession to the British throne
On this page, the line of s. goes much, much further down than the one on the official government royal website. Where is the source for this data?--212.100.250.212 07:35, 12 Feb 2005 (UTC) There list is probably shorter because they don't want to update it very often. The procedure to generate the lists is the same. If you follow the external link on our article you get a list of 4800 people in line to the throne, all descended from Princess Sophia. Rmhermen 20:25, Feb 12, 2005 (UTC)

 * At a guess (the page won't load for me just now), simply by working through the problem. The list of "heirs to the body of Electress Sophia of Hanover, being Protestant" is known to reasonable accuracy - in fact, it's known to be sufficiently huge that there's no real need to work from her, and you can simply go back to Victoria and work from there, going in order and skipping those known to be excluded. As such, longer lists may be slightly inaccurate (if they've missed someone ruled out of succession for any reason), but are unlikely to be wildly wrong.
 * I'm not quite sure why they've gone down only to #39; there doesn't seem to be a logical cut-off point there. Ho hum. Shimgray 20:37, 12 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Why
I am trying to add facts to a certain article, why is it being removed?

I am moving this to the Help desk desk instead of the Ref desk. There are several possible reasons. Tell me what article and maybe I can tell you why. alteripse 19:48, 12 Feb 2005 (UTC)

????
What do you have to do to prove its a fact!!

 * Generally a few reputable sources are adequate. National newspapers, respected works (books).  That sort of thing.  This is a rare occasion when one can ask "what are you trying to prove?" whilst not looking at a man rolling up his shirt sleeves and gritting his teeth. --bodnotbod 05:35, Feb 13, 2005 (UTC)

 * In general, you can't really prove something to be absolutely a fact. There is usually always the possibility of new evidence emerging to contradict your original statement. The best you can often do is to argue that the opposite of your statement is relatively absurd, and the balance of evidence at the present time lies a certain way. --Fangz 02:43, 16 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Also known as the legal argument of "reductio ad absurdum." To disprove something by following it to its logical conclusion. Otto 01:27, 21 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * "...can't really prove something to be absolutely a fact." Mathematics exempted, of course. ;) Nightstallion 06:35, 18 Feb 2005 (UTC)

You might want to look at philosophy of knowledge, epistemology, philosophy of science etc.

 * Also try solipsism, if you want to get even more discouraged. --Robert Merkel 23:18, 20 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Compartmental syndrome
Is carpal tunnel syndrome some type of compartmental syndrome? If so, can it be treated using mannitol? --Eleassar777 17:47, 13 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Carpal tunnel syndrome is sort of similar in that swelling within a tight fascial compartment seems to contribute to the chronic inflammatory neuropathy. However, the term compartment syndrome is used mostly for acute swelling within a fascial compartment that represents an urgent threat to the blood supply and vitality of all the tissues in the compartment, not just the nerves. It needs to be relieved within hours to prevent significant ischemic damage. Carpal tunnel syndrome has some additional aspects, such as the psychosocial complexities of chronic pain and work-related injuries. Compartment syndromes are acute surgical emergencies like appendicitis without the psychosocial dimensions. alteripse 19:13, 13 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Computers can't communicate with each other
I have 4 computers (all WinXP) on a home network with a wireless router. They can all access the internet but cannot communicate with each other. When I go to "Network Places" I will occasionally see the other computers shown on the network but when I click on them I am told they are inaccessible or I don't have permission to use them. I have Norton Antivirus and am wondering if that has something to do with it though I have tried turning off the antivirus to solve the problem (unsuccessfully). I have turned on File and Printer sharing on all computers but this has made no difference. Any suggestions?
 * No suggestions, but I have the same problem. I've tried networking my two home computers every different way I can think of; for some reason it refuses to work.  I hope you get a solution. ike9898 02:02, Feb 14, 2005 (UTC)
 * If you have Service Pack 2, the Firewall could be blocking you... I have an XP box and a 2k laptop networked, and they see each other. Alphax (t) (c) (e) 03:02, Feb 14, 2005 (UTC)

 * It is possible that the wireless router is not acting as a hub, which is to say, it will route each PC to the internet (I make the leap of imagination that this is an ADSL router) but not route each to eachother. I (think) I have this issue, which I solved by the expedient of putting a hub between the router and the PCs. --Tagishsimon (talk)

 * Have you actually shared any files / printers?

 * If you haven't already, (re-)run the 'Network setup wizard'. Make sure you activate 'shared documents' everywhere, and use the same workgroup name ('mshome' will do fine).
 * See if you can ping the PCs (go to start - run, type 'cmd', and enter. Then type 'ipconfig', enter. Now on a SECOND PC, open a cmd window and type 'ping 192.168.1.100' where 192.168.1.100 is the IP address you got with ipconfig on PC1.
 * If you have a router, see if you have anything in the router with 'netbios', 'file sharing', or 'nbs', and toggle it.
 * Remove any software firewalls other than the built-in XP one: you don't need them if you have a router, and the XP one is good enough for 99% of all cases even if you have no router. 14:24, 14 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * XP's own firewall can be just as responsible for blocking SMB (under circumstances I, and I fear no-one on earth, don't entirely understand). Disabling the XP firewall is the obvious first step, and if that works one can re-enable it and configure it properly (to allow TCP 139 and 445 and UDP 137 and 138 to specified hosts).  -- John Fader 19:57, 16 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Latin Motto
I've decided I can't be without a personal motto another day. Could anyone tell me what "Kick them when they're down" is in latin? Pomp My Socks... To Da Max 01:58, 8 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * The best I can do (though you may want to get a second opinion) is Eōs ferī pede ubi cubant. --Gelu Ignisque
 * That's a harsh motto. Perhaps you meant Illegitimi non carborundum - don't let the bastards get you down? Otto 01:22, 21 Feb 2005 (UTC)

What is the collective noun for internet trolls?

 * bunch? -- Ferkelparade π 09:06, 14 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * An acountability of trolls?
 * A Legion of Trolls, of course! 195.158.6.172 10:09, 14 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * A "short bus" of trolls. (Yep, going to hell for that one.) -- Cyrius|✎ 14:07, 14 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * A pile of trolls, since trolls are rock-based and internet trolls have rocks for brains. 14:17, 14 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * "thicket" -- John Fader 19:49, 16 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * A "bridge" of trolls. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 19:50, 16 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * I vote "trollosphere". I know it doesn't make sense, but that's what I feel in my heart. Rhobite 20:09, Feb 16, 2005 (UTC)

 * A 'lurk' or trolls. Or maybe a 'lure'. DJ Clayworth 18:23, 18 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * A packet! Duh! :^)

 * It depends on the gender. Trollers is the male collective noun. Trollettes - the feminine. Remember: Men are from Mars, women are from Venus, and internet trollers and trollettes "lurk" in the Trollosphere. To communicate, a "pile" of trolls in "thickets" will then form a "bridge" to take the "short bus." But it's an expensive trip. Otto 01:32, 21 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * Wikipedians. - Ta bu shi da yu 01:39, 21 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * A block of trolls.-gadfium 01:48, 21 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * A lir of trolls. Neutralitytalk 04:23, Feb 21, 2005 (UTC)

 * Trolletariat? Haikupoet 05:36, 11 Mar 2005 (UTC)

HISTORY OF FAMILY NAME "BURDSALL". THANK YOU

 * Maybe the links in the Genealogy article will help you. Wikipedia is an encyclopedia and therefore probably not the best place to ask for information on family histories. Following those links will get you to message boards and sites who specialize in these things. Good luck!Mgm|(talk) 12:03, Feb 14, 2005 (UTC)

 * Try . — Itai (f&t) 08:46, 26 Feb 2005 (UTC)

'Silly Rabbit'
This phrase appears in Kill Bill, and on a Public Enemy song. Where does it come from?
 * See Trix (cereal). Frencheigh 11:11, 14 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * Strange - I can't open that page. I get a forbiden on that, but not anything else.

 * 'Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids!'

 * If you still can't get in, the relevent text of the article says:
 * "The cereal is well known for its commercials featuring an anthropomorphic cartoon rabbit character that tries to get the children to give him their Trix cereal. The rabbit's attempts fail every time. The children, who refuse to give him the cereal, say, "Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids!""
 * — Asbestos | Talk  15:57, 18 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * I remember this rabbit thing was spoofed in an episode of The Powerpuff Girls. -- Toytoy 10:37, Mar 6, 2005 (UTC)

"Les Miserables" not translated to English
(moved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Les_Mis%E9rables)

Can anyone tell me why the title of Victor Hugo's novel "Les Misérables" is never translated into English? Was it just that "The Miserable People" doesn't sound very good? --Mjklin 21:31, 2005 Feb 14 (UTC)
 * Who knows, personal choice of the translators/publishers., I assume. A general perception is that French has some cachet, so I guess they wanted to be a little different and interesting for marketing purposes more or less. It is also enough of a cognate that people get the gist anyway, even if it is not direct English. So thats just a plausible guess. I don't know if the answer is known or knowable for sure. - Taxman 23:28, Feb 14, 2005 (UTC)
 * "cachet" -- Jmabel | Talk 07:16, Feb 15, 2005 (UTC)
 * Foreign branding - David Gerard 15:05, 26 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Because "The Glums" was already taken as the title of an early UK soap opera! :) -- Arwel 23:41, 14 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * It's also somewhat difficult to translate succinctly. Aside from the fact that we would have to attach an awkward people somewhere, French misérable is not the same as English miserable. The primary English meaning has to do with extreme sadness; the primary French meaning has to do with poverty (both come from Latin but they have evolved in different ways). I don't believe there is any English word that has the same nuances, so it may be better left untranslated. It means more pitiful, wretched than sad. -Aranel (" Sarah ") 22:14, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)

"The Third Man" - Novel first or screenplay?
I have noticed the the article on Graham Greene lists his classic screenplay The Third Man as a novel. As a fan of the movie, I am interested to know whether it was a novel before or after it became a screenplay.

 * The answer is on the page (The Third Man) you linked to... (section 7, the novella)

Copyright status of a European Union website
Hi, I am unsure of the copyright status of this European Union website:

http://www.mondes-normands.caen.fr/angleterre/index.htm

It contains a fair amount of excellent material on Norman history that could be used on Wikipedia. It is sponsered by the European Commission and I wonder if it is like US Govt sites that are in the public domain. I see no copyright tags. Any help appreciated! --Stbalbach 08:11, 15 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * European Union documents do have free access. I don't know about copyrights. You should probably find out who wrote the document (seems it belongs to the mairie de la ville de Caen) and send them an e-mail asking for permission to include material in Wikipedia. This seems to be the only solution. BTW; if you know French, this will probably help you a lot ;) --Eleassar777 08:50, 15 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * The project in question was merely sponsored (for which read part funded) by the Raphael Programme of one of the departments (Director Generalships - DGs) of the EU. Copyright will almost certainly not have vested to the Union, but will remain with the project partners. Meanwhile in general, there is copyright on EU documentation, but it tends to be released with the rubric "Reproduction is authorised, provided the source is acknowledged, save where otherwise stated" (e.g. ). But, to be clear, this does not apply to documentation developed by projects that are merely funded by the commission. --Tagishsimon (talk)

Help for relations and categorazation
We are working on GNU related, content management project. Our project aims to create a semantic web enabled portal for encyclopedia articles. We are working at TIFR under the guidance of Dr.Nagarjuna G.

We are currently working on the articles at the Wikipedia site. We went through the documentation on the meta.wikimedia.org site and the schema of the wikipedia databases, but could not get any information about the relations between the articles.

We would like to know if the articles at wikipedia participate in any knid of relations besides their categorization and from where shall we acquire them.

Also, needed somehelp about categorization. The table of categorylinks gives us only the article ids and their category names. We wanted the database giving us information about various category levels starting from the root level categories such as Culture Geography History Life Mathematics Science Society Technology and then narrowing down to the lower level of categories such as religion, prayer and so on until we arrive at the specific article.

 * Thanking you,
 * Sakecwiki team (TIFR)

Good to know about your research interest. I doubt if these relationships are reflected in the database schema. But, I would advise you to download a dump of Wikipedia and parse the articles to get this information. I had once downloaded a dump for a mining experiment which I never could start. -- Sundar 12:01, Feb 15, 2005 (UTC)
 * Dumps here might help. Otherwise, you can look at the archived discussion on this. -- Sundar 12:10, Feb 15, 2005 (UTC)

These people have been asking for help for months now, and seem to come back a month later asking pretty much the same questions. Fellas, the database dumps and database schema are all there is. There isn't any magical semantic relationship data that we're hiding from you.

If you want a category tree, you're going to have to build it yourself. The data in the table is quite sufficient for the task. And be careful, because it's a directed graph, and thus not guaranteed to be a tree at all. -- Cyrius|✎ 00:20, 16 Feb 2005 (UTC)

a new category
i only want to propose a new category into the lists of jews, i think a category about jews by occupation. it is very interesting to know the contribution of jews in each field of knowledge.
 * I think I understand what you're asking, but I'm not certain :). I'm guessing that you want to create a new subcategory of Category:Lists of Jews that lists jews by occupation, or maybe  a list?

 * Well, there's a couple ways you could show this. You could either create a new list, like List of Jews by occupation, and add Category:Lists of Jews to the bottom to add it to the category.  This would probably be most consistent with the way things are currently done there.  The other way is to make a new category, like Category:Jews by occupation (as a subcategory of Category:Jews, and create new subcategories under that, such as Category:Jewish professors, Category:Jewish accountants, etc.

 * Hope that helps! -Frazzydee|✍ 23:02, 15 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Winamp presets
In Winamp (5.08), I want to auto allocate a preset EQ to each song I have, rather than manually selecting the given settings for each song. How do I go about this? Nichalp 19:38, Feb 15, 2005 (UTC)

 * The lack of an answer, thus far, suggests it can't be done. I'm thinking that the only way would be in the meta-data attached to each file, but I haven't heard of that being available for individual tracks.  I reckon the people that write the software wouldn't account for someone, such as yourself, who really wants to tweak each individual track to that extent. --bodnotbod 06:12, Feb 27, 2005 (UTC)

 * I have Winamp 2.91 and it's possible. In the Equalizer window, just click PRESETS, Save, Auto-Load Preset. Make sure the AUTO button is turned on, and it will automatically load any presets you saved. However, (in my version at least), it doesn't reset the equalizer if there is no auto-load information for a particular song: it just gets left at whatever was last loaded. The original question may have been how to automatically create auto-load settings for every filename. --Bavi H 13:01, 9 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Secondary Master/Slave
I have an old CD-ROM drive (secondary master) and a CD-RW (slave). I want to make my CDRW my master as I have some problems with the ROM. I've tried all sorts of permutations and combinations but I still get the RW as my slave and ROM as my master (even when I have connected them one at a time). Are they any jumper settings that I have to change to get my RW as master and ROM as slave? Nichalp 19:46, Feb 15, 2005 (UTC)

 * On the back of each drive, there should be a jumper with three possible positions. It should look vaguely like this, with a jumper set in one of the positions:

... ...
 * All you need to do is move the jumper on the CD-ROM drive from the master position to the slave position, and vice versa for the CD-RW. So if the ROM has the jumper in the middle position, and the RW has the jumper in the right-most position, you would place the ROM's jumper in the right-most position, and the RW jumper in the middle position. The meaning of each position on one drive will be identical to the meaning for the other drive. Pidgeot 04:12, 16 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * Thanks, I'll try and connect it. I'll keep you informed if it is a success. Nichalp 19:25, Feb 16, 2005 (UTC)

Wikipedia vs Centripedia
What is the relation (assuming there is one) between Wikipedia and Centripedia?

anon.

 * What is centripedia? Theresa Knott (The snott rake) 20:03, 15 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * Google doesn't show up anything for "centripedia"... There are a large number of encyclopedia projects which use Wikipedia material, and this may well be one of them, but I can't say without being able to check it. Shimgray 21:21, 15 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Quadratic equation
How would you go about solving the equation $$2x^2=11x$$? Thanks, anon.
 * Did you even read the article you linked to? *mumbles something about walking to school in the snow uphill both ways*
 * Regardless, here another way to do it

$$2x^2=11x$$ is the same as  $$2x^2-11x=0$$ which reduces to  x(2x-11)=0 and the rest is left as an excercise for the reader --DaveC 22:32, 15 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * I was instructed to manipulate the numbers and solve for $$x$$ rather than use the quadratic formula given at the article. Thanks again! --anon.

 * In this case, the quadratic formula is overkill. One obvious solution is zero. For the non-zero solution:
 * $$2x^2=11x$$
 * Divide both sides by x:
 * $$2x=11$$
 * Divide both sides by 2:
 * $$x=11/2$$
 * Jmabel | Talk 00:13, Feb 16, 2005 (UTC)

 * ... except that you can only divide both sides by x if x is not 0. So the full answer is "x=11/2 or x=0" - which is what you get from DaveC's factorisation. Gandalf61 10:05, Feb 16, 2005 (UTC) Must carefully more read ! Gandalf61 09:43, Feb 17, 2005 (UTC)
 * Well, in Jmabel's defense, at the beginning of his work he points out that zero is an obvious solution. The point is worth underscoring for those who are just starting to learn algebra, though.--DaveC 18:33, 16 Feb 2005 (UTC)

What is "hacking the Gibson?"

 * See Hack the gibson. Goplat 01:48, 16 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Making a piece of software Copyleft
I'm currently writing a program useful for experimental simulations in AI. I've read the articles at Copyleft and Text of the GNU Free Documentation License, but am still not quite sure what one needs to do secure copyleft. Is simply attaching the license to the code (e.g. in the comments) with the copyleft stipulations explained enough to ensure copyleft and all that it implies (free distribution, no copyrighting by third parties)? The Copyleft page notes that copyleft has no legal implications.

Thanks! — Asbestos | Talk  10:42, 16 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * It depends on the license. To license your software under the GPL, for example, you need to add a copyright statement and a GPL notice to each source file. You also need to distribute the full text of the GPL with your software, and you need to comply with the terms of the GPL yourself (making source code available for the cost of distribution, for example). The FSF also recommends that your program should produce a message informing the user that it's free software licensed under the GPL. I'm not necessarily recommending the GPL here, just using it as an example. The GFDL isn't designed as a source code license, by the way, it's intended for software documentation. And as the article mentions, "copyleft" is just an informal term. You still hold the copyright, but you're licensing it to everyone. The Open Source Initiative has a large list of OSI-approved licenses: The licenses are very different. BSD-style licenses are much more permissive of commercial use and redistribution than the GPL for example. Rhobite 20:02, Feb 16, 2005 (UTC)

 * Thanks for the info! (and sorry for the delay in getting back to you...) — Asbestos | Talk  13:31, 18 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * The information provided by Rhobite in in significant error. If you wrote it, you AUTOMATICALLY have the copyright to it (in America, anyway). Putting a comment on it saying you permit others to copy it subject to the GPL license allows others to copy it subject to the restrictions in the GPL in addition to whatever the law allows regardless of your license (no license can prevemt "fair use"). YOU (the Owner of the right) ARE NOT resticted by the license in any way. You can even cross license what you write. (Google "cross license"). But, if you transfer ownership of the copyright, then you must obey the license like anyone else.

 * What are you talking about? I never said that the GPL forced you to give up your copyright. Rhobite 18:14, Feb 25, 2005 (UTC)
 * Oh, I guess I see what you're referring to. I guess if you want to be pedantic, you don't NEED to put a copyright statement in your source code. You do own the copyright by default. However, there's no good reason to leave out the copyright statement - it can only help you in a legal dispute. The FSF recommends copyright statements in source code, which is why I listed that as one of the steps to license under the GPL. Rhobite 18:18, Feb 25, 2005 (UTC)

DivX and MPEG4
what's is the difference between Divx and MPEG4 ? (question asked by 213.181.231.22, moved from CSD)

 * I think the Wikipedia article on DivX answers this rather nicely. --Robert Merkel 23:07, 20 Feb 2005 (UTC)

AOL username reuse?
Hey all. Quick question, and one I am somewhat stumped for an answer to...

Does AOL reuse its old usernames, or allow them to be reused? In other words, john@aol cancels his account way back when; is the user-id "john" now off-limits permanently, or is another user allowed to register under this account at a later date? My vague recollection is that a deleted account couldn't be replicated, but that may just have been over a short timeframe - after a few years or so, it's probably safe to assume that the risk of confusion would be lowered, and allow the username to be recycled.

(For context - I'm trying to determine if someone using a given AOL id now is reasonably likely to be the same person as used it ten years back, and for various reasons don't want to enquire of the user themselves. My apologies if that seemed a bit cryptic...). Thanks in advance. Shimgray 22:36, 16 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Why not contact AOL customer service and ask? They don't need to know why you're asking, do they? It's a reasonable inquiry. Otto 01:43, 21 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * Back in the day (a few years ago) there was a 6-month time out. --Dante Alighieri | Talk 17:08, Mar 12, 2005 (UTC)

Tiff
Is the use of the tiff image format free or are there any copyrights? --Eleassar777 17:46, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Adobe own the tiff format but the specification is open and they do not enforce any licence terms. If you want to be completely IP-free, consider using PNG. adamsan 18:50, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Tracking down a thief.
Someone got hold of my check card number, but apparently not any of the other important info like expiration date or address. This anonymous thief made multiple attempts at online purchases, each attempt with a different expiration date. My bank put a block on the card after the 3rd or 4th such attempt. I have now closed the account permanently. However, as of yesterday, the thief was still trying. The bank gave me a list of the attempts, but they won't investigate because they didn't pay any of the attempts. The local police will take a report, but they also won't investigate because I didn't actually lose any money. The Internet Fraud Complaint Center has a complaint form, but I don't have answers to the majority of their questions. It really bugs me that this punk is still out there trying to steal my money. Is there any way of tracking him?

 * It's very likely that the subsequent attempts weren't by the original perp, and equally that future ones won't be by either. There's a healthy black market in stolen numbers, and likely all those who tried to use your card aren't connected with the original person (some bar or shop worker, probably) who first copied down your number (you can tell it's multiple people because a single person would give up once the card had been declined).  As the crimes appear to be online tracing them would be a major job for the authorities (criminals are smart enough to use technical means to conceal their online identities and to use dead-drops for physical deliveries, making such an investigation very expensive), and clearly (and frankly unsurprisingly) they want to direct their resources to successful criminals.  I don't think there's much you can do to find the person, and any pattern you may see in the transations is probably coincidental.  The one thing you do need to do is to keep a close eye on your credit report for the next year or so, to make sure someone hasn't leveraged some knowledge of you into a full-blown identity theft.  I think that credit reporting agencies in most countries are obligated to provide free reports if you've been the victim (or presumably attempted victim, as in your case) of a credit theft. -- John Fader 19:37, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * Another issue is that many of those who try to use your number are probably in other countries than your own. International investigations are difficult, and are generally reserved for high-profile cases. If a Polish criminal tries to order something from Germany with an American card, sounds like a difficult investigation. (Note: online retailers typically constrain orders with foreign cards, or shipments to foreign countries, or to addresses different from the card holder's.) David.Monniaux 10:20, 15 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Request for references or comment
From World War II, last section. 119 20:21, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * The repatriation, pursuant to the terms of the Yalta Conference, of two million Russian soldiers who had come under the control of advancing American and British forces, resulted for the most part in their deaths.

Comment: yep, Stalin was a m--r.

 * The destruction of Europe and the destruction, via aerial bombing, of a significant proportion of the United Kingdom's cities would also symbolically destroy the aura of invincibility the European nation had in the eyes of their colonies. Coupled with the enormous amount of money it had expended during the war, an empire was perceived to be an unnecessarily expensive possession. Thus this would provoke the rapid decolonisation process that would see the empires of the United Kingdom, France, Netherlands, Portugal and others swept away.

Comment: This is unimpressive "history" because it is (1) impossible to either prove or refute, (2) it really doesn't give us a new and productive way to look at things or predict that we will discover any new correlations, but mostly because (3) big processes like the end of European imperialism only have single causes to those of limited imagination and experience. My 2 cents anyway. alteripse 03:10, 18 Feb 2005 (UTC)

contacting you
How may I contact you?Also, may I us your information on Alexander Bell, his picture, and a picture of crank phone.
 * Wikipedia is not run by any single individual, making contacting anyone who had input on an article like Alexander Graham Bell difficult to say the least. A short answer to the second part of your question is a qualified "yes".  The qualifications being as follows:
 * Wikipedia is covered by its copyright policy
 * If you are using this information in a paper you should also look at how to cite Wikipedia
 * Also, each individual picture has its own particular restrictions, so while the picture of AGB is in the public domain and thus free to distribute, the same may not be true of the crank phone picture, which I could not find.
 * --DaveC 22:12, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Wikipedia SQL dump - english version
Hi,

Can someone tell me where I can get the english version of the database dump? I went through the list of dumps on download. wikipedia.org but in vain.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

 * http://download.wikimedia.org/archives/en/ 119 06:08, 18 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Shakespear
I have to choose a character from a TV show I like, and a character from 'The Midsummer Night Dream' by William Shakespear, and compare them. I want to choose Chef, from South Park, and maybe Bottom, from 'The Midsummer Night's Dream'. They both seem like funny characters who get ripped on by the others. What else can I write? PLease help!

 * Chef breaks out into song on occasion, whereas Bottom prefers the extended soliloquy? Seriously, you're asking us to write your assignment for you.  That would be cheating.  If you can't find any more connections between these two maybe you should choose some other pair of characters. --Robert Merkel 23:12, 20 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * Yes, I think you're setting yourself an amusing task, but maybe not one that'll give you many academic merits. Not that Chef is without philosophy mind. --62.255.64.9 03:25, 21 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * I wouldn't say Chef "gets ripped on by the others." He is generally looked up to. Taco Deposit | Talk-o to Taco 03:42, Feb 21, 2005 (UTC)

Actually I think your right. Chef might not be the best character. I dont want you to write it for me, but what's your opinion on what South Park character would be good to write about to compare and contrast with Bottom?

morgan mildiner
when I got onto morgan mildiners name on yahoo list this site came up but i cannot find any reference to morgan mildiner.......what is the conection with him and you    please email me on hpuseymildiner@yahoo.com

User:Morgan Mildiner is my hero. He's a legend on Wikipedia. See: List of Wikipedians by number of edits. Otto 01:10, 21 Feb 2005 (UTC)

The manufacture of a credit card?
The bank sent me a new card. I took my old card apart. I think the card has these five layers:

 * (FRONT)

 * 1) Metal foil: Card number, name, dates and the holographic bird
 * 2) Thin clear plastic film: I think there's a hidden watermark on it
 * 3) Printed card body: There's a 4 by 4 coded matrix hidden under the holographic bird (FRONT) and a coded string hidden under the signature strip
 * 4) Thin clear plastic film: Don't know if there's any anti-forgery feature on it
 * 5) Magnetic strip and signature strip
 * (BACK)

The 4 x 4 coded matrix on my expired card reads:

 * .A..
 * ...#
 * ..#.
 * A...

A is a capital alphabet, # is a single-digit number, dot "." means space. You may notice each row and column only has exactly one number or alphabet.

The coded string on the back reads:

 * VOID VOID VOID VOID VOID VOID VOID VOID VOID VOID VOID</TT>
 * <TT>VOID VISA CARD   AAAA AA AA-A######    VISA CARD VOID</TT>
 * <TT>VOID VOID VOID VOID VOID VOID VOID VOID VOID VOID VOID</TT>

"-" is just a "-" (hyphen). The same string also appears on the upper right corner of the back side. It is visible. I don't know if these hidden texts are readable without taking the card to pieces.

I think a blank credit card is composed of layers 2, 3, 4 and 5. The metal foil, I think, is a long strip of wide metal foil ribbon with birds on it. The bank worker put a blank card in a Dymo- or typewriter-like machine and let it print letters and the bird on the card surface.

You can use a hot iron to flatten the letters and restamp them. I can't believe it. Wikipedia does not have an article for Dymo. -- Toytoy 13:42, Feb 18, 2005 (UTC)

Where can I find Japanese Character codes for Wikipedia?
While editing various DBZ infomation I noticed that a technique list had Character translation sections to them. (The ones that show a character and its meaning) I tried doing that too but I only got the standard characters instead of the Wikipedia code ones.

Is there a part of this site which has a whole page of Japanese Kanji codes which I could research and apply to my edits. Because everyone seems to know how to use these codes except me and I don't even know where to look to know how.

Is there a page in Wikipedia that does this? Louisisthebest_007 13:57, 18 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * I don't understand your question. If you want to copy and paste some Kanji characters but don't know how to do it, there are some clumsy work around methods:

 * If there's a Japanese Wikipedia page, you may check if that Japanese page has that Kanji character.
 * You can use an English-Japanese dictionary such as Yahoo! Japan's (http://dic.yahoo.co.jp/ please select "英和・和英" (E-J/J-E dict) to get you that Kanji character). For example, if I want to get the kanji for octopus the marine invetebrate animal, I'll enter "octopus", it will return "タコ" (tako; katakana). If I do need its kanji character, I'll select "国語" (Japanese dict) and look for "タコ", it will return "たこ" (hiragana), "蛸" (Japanese-only kanji), "章魚" (original Chinese hanzi) and "鮹" (seldom used).

 * You have to know a little Japanese. I know it is stupid. It's better than nothing. -- Toytoy 16:22, Feb 18, 2005 (UTC)

 * The only thing you need to do is to imput standerd characters. The Wikipedia will change them into codes automartically.--Fanghong 02:55, 8 Mar 2005 (UTC)

List of Titles - allentitlesinns0.gz
Hi,

I downloaded this file - allentitlesinns0.gz. But can't quite figure out which format its contents are, once uncompressed? Is it just a txt file??

Thanks, --vatsan

 * According to Gurunet (answers.com) this is a compressed file, the format is used in Unix gzip. --Eleassar777 22:08, 18 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * Gz is a unix compressed file. Uncompress it with the command:
 * >gunzip allentitlesinns0.gz →Raul654 14:48, Feb 19, 2005 (UTC)

 * Well he knew it was compressed, he wanted to know how to tell what the file type is after being uncompressed. Once you use gz, there are a number of ways to check the file type. The answer I know best is from FreeBSD, but I think similar commands are available on other unix like stuff such as Linux. Use the file and/or strings command to try to determine the type. Most likely it is a text file, so file should tell you that. If file doesn't work, strings should get you some clues. PDF files for ex have some strings in them that denotes them as a pdf file. See man file  and man strings  for more.

 * Depending on how security conscious you are, you may want to assume the file is malicious. There is nothing I can think of that the file could do to a Unix like system as long as your file permissions are fine (no execute bit set, etc), but if you were paranoid, check the file using a live cd such as FreeSBIE on a machine not hooked up to a network. Have the file on some removable media and do not mount your harddrive partions rw (FreeSBIE will not mount rw by default). That way, and booting from a live cd, it cannot cause any trouble. - Taxman 15:31, Mar 8, 2005 (UTC)
 * It's just a text file, with one page title per line. Goplat 17:52, 8 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Skin
How long does it take before every cell at the very outermost layer of your skin has fallen off and now has a different outermost cell in its place? Wiwaxia 20:32, 18 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * I think that depends on what part of the skin you mean. People with dandruff won't take very long to do this on their head, but I expect it takes much longer for the skin on the back of your hand, so I don't think there's really one answer. I seem to remember hearing about it in a school lecture. I think it took less than 24 hours on average, but I'm not sure about that. Mgm|(talk) 14:12, Feb 19, 2005 (UTC)
 * According to the little booklet in my organic exfoliant, it's also a matter of one's age. Skin cells exfoliate more rapidly when one is 16 - about once a week. By the age of 30, that slows to approximately once a month. That's the outermost layer of facial skin, and why exfoliating is good for facial complexion. Not the best reference, I admit. Otto 01:18, 21 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Does "exfoliation" measure the time it takes a cell to go from the bottom layer of the epidermis to the corneum and fall off? It sounds like it, because that's a lot longer than 24 hours, and the article Skin says it takes 30 days -- a month -- to go through the cycle, which is the booklet's time for a 30-year-old. From what I heard (just like MGM's "less than 24 hours" count, if I spray my hand with Raid all over and don't wash it off, then after 24 hours not one skin cell that had the Raid on it will still be on me. If that's true, then that means that any one skin cell has a lifespan of less than 24 hours once it reaches the corneum. Wiwaxia 20:50, 24 Feb 2005 (UTC)

What is the largest sea animal?

 * The Blue whale is the largest animal known to have ever lived. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 17:19, 19 Feb 2005 (UTC)

george washington
what day of the week was george washinton born?

That would be Friday, according to this perpetual calendar. Note that the calendar for this year is "old style", since the colonies did not switch to the Gregorian calendar until 1752. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 20:35, 19 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * also note --JimWae 20:49, 2005 Feb 19 (UTC)
 * the day of week sequence did NOT change when shift was made
 * Old Style New Year began on Mar 25 - most computer calendar programs do NOT handle this
 * Oh, so I made a wrong correction to George Washington! oops. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 20:53, 19 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * You're not the first - but I left a comment there so maybe, other than anon vandals, you'll be the last--JimWae 21:06, 2005 Feb 19 (UTC)

Changing Icon beside IE URL
Ok, I'll go straight to my example as it is self-explanatory from there. First, try bookmarking one of the Wikipedia pages. Then go to Favorites and then click on the favourite. You will see that beside the URL that the standard IE icon of the E in front of a page is changed instead to the wikipedia W. I've seen this in other places, not the wikipedia W, but the changing of that little icon there. Anyone know what code in the website changes this? CSS? --Colonel Cow 02:26, 20 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Browsers automatically request "favicon.ico" from a website. If you are hosting, place it in your public_html dir. 119 02:44, 20 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Favicon 119 02:51, 20 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Cool, thanks for the help --Colonel Cow 16:40, 20 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Gaining weight
I'd like to be a fat chubba. What's the fastest way of gaining pounds? Doesn't have to be healthy! - Ta bu shi da yu 01:45, 21 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Odd coincidence: There's a new indie film on this that premiered at Sundance, I believe. Some healthy fellow ate nothing but McDonald's for a month and chronicled his 30 pounds +++ weight gain. Otto 01:52, 21 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * The movie was Supersize Me. 119 01:54, 21 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * And it definitely wasn't healthy. What's wrong with you? Have we entrusted admin powers to someone with a death wish? Stay calm, but I'm afraid we're going to have to ask you to step away from the keyboard... alteripse 02:33, 21 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * There are many options available for dangerously underweighted individuals like yourself. I recommend a slow, steady gorging process combined with assal horizontology. You'll want to focus on the neglected food groups such as the whipped group, the congealed group and the choco-tastic. Be creative. Instead of making sandwiches with bread, use Pop-Tarts. Instead of chewing gum, chew bacon. Brush your teeth with milkshakes, and remember, if you're not sure about something, rub it against a piece of paper. If the paper turns clear, it's your window to weight gain! Dr. Nick Riviera 02:47, 21 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * At the risk of being un-PC: you might look at the diet advice given to people with AIDS. Tends to be precisely aimed at being healthy and fattening. -- Jmabel | Talk 03:56, Feb 21, 2005 (UTC)

 * You want to gain weight? Eat shitty food every day at a university cafeteria. I gained 25 pounds. Go me! Mike H 04:02, Feb 21, 2005 (UTC)
 * I eat shitty university cafeteria food everyday and I've lost 25 pounds! Adam Bishop 22:54, 22 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Well, you're weird. Or not being catered by Aramark. Mike H 22:59, Feb 22, 2005 (UTC)
 * Sodexho here. Adam Bishop 01:04, 23 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Do what Sumo wrestlers do: eat high-carb, high-protein foods. Apparantly they can then lose the weight quite easily afterwards. Alphax (t) (c) (e) 04:51, Feb 21, 2005 (UTC)

 * You may want to look for the recipe of Chankonabe (see nabemono, hot pot, ja:&). That's the perfect weight-gaining food eaten by every proud and self-respect sumo wrestlers. There's even a Japanese manga that tells you how to gain weight and be stronger. The hero is a talented mid wight boxer who wants to be the heavy weight champion. -- Toytoy 15:43, Feb 21, 2005 (UTC)

 * One trick to increase your food intake is acidity. If you can tolerate the taste, you can add more vinegar and lemon juice to your second portion of food. When you finished eating your first portion, dress your next one with vinegar. The sour taste is a secret to sell many kinds of food. If you don't particular like it, add some more sugar and fat to mask the sour taste. And don't forget to garnish your food with mayonnaise. By the way, green vegetables do not get along with vinegar. They will turn yellow. So do not eat your greens. Do you like Tabasco? Some people cannot live without mayonnaise, I know people who cannot live without Tabasco. There are people who wouldn't go anywhere without carring their own favorite condiments. Try it! -- Toytoy 15:26, Feb 21, 2005 (UTC)

You could use marijuana to stimulate your apetite. It works. It also will help you enjoy sitting in front of the TV, and avoiding unnecessary exercise. Might sound like a joke but I really think this could help you gain weight. ike9898 20:33, Feb 23, 2005 (UTC)

My ex-boyfriend was put on a lard diet by his doctor, since the doctor thought the ex was dangerously underweight. Lard sandwiches... mmmm. He gained fifteen pounds, went off the diet, lost fifteen pounds. But he's exceptional; it should work for you.

Ancient Greece/ the Roman Empire
Can someone please suggest good books on the history of Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire. I minored in history at the University of Oslo, so I am primarily interested in a comprehensive history of the subjects (not "introduction to").

Thanks, Thomas Bullen, Orlando

 * Well, for starters, have you read Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire? Not the last word, certainly, but certainly up there, and a great read. -- Jmabel | Talk 03:59, Feb 21, 2005 (UTC)
 * I second the above. Gibbon is great! More recently, anything by Michael Grant is good. And of course so are the originals, if you like narrative history: Herodotus, Thucydides, and Livy. alteripse 04:06, 21 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Project Gutenberg has Gibbons --Tagishsimon (talk)
 * I suggest Belknap Harvard's A History of Private Life (volumes one and two) for information on the Roman Empire. Neutralitytalk 04:15, Feb 21, 2005 (UTC)

 * For Greece I got through undergrad Ancient History with Bury and Meiggs' old but good A History of Greece which can be had very cheaply and Robin Osborne's Classical Greece which is good for the er, Classical period. If you want a really comprehensive read then you'll have to get two or three books at least to cover everything from Mycenae to the Hellenistic world. Anything published by Routledge is usually good. adamsan  19:05, 21 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * How does Burckhardt's The Greeks and Greek Civilization rate? 119 19:39, 21 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * I haven't read it but if Oswyn Murray was the editor, it should be good. His Early Greece is another reliable standard text.adamsan 20:01, 21 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * All very good and solid suggestions - I would add Xenophon (Anabasis, Histories) and Theodor Mommsen (History of Rome) -- Ferkelparade π 08:53, 24 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * And, so long as you aren't concerned with complete accuracy, Herodotus is highly entertaining, and even correct sometimes. Smoddy (t) (e) 18:10, 8 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Color photocopier / laser printer
Wikipedia pages exist that explain how B/W photocopier/laser printers work. How do color photocopiers / laser printers work? Do they also work via electrostatics?

 * Yes - I think they make multiple passes of the paper in the printing process, once for each colour (commonly CMYK). Alphax (t) (c) (e) 05:01, Feb 21, 2005 (UTC)

 * That's correct - laser ones have cyan, maroon, yellow and black toner in them. Some colour copiers, notably the HP all-in-one printer/copier/scanner/fax line of products, scan the document and use an inkjet to print the copy (with the driver on your computer doing the actual data moving and massaging) - David Gerard 15:14, 26 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * Maroon, not magenta? -- Jmabel | Talk 18:24, Feb 26, 2005 (UTC)

an evil history alot like the friday the 13th movies
i've heard that their is possibly a man that is either running around the camp or camps at crystal lake in michigan and killing people and wondered if it was true or not possible name richard sharpe
 * No, I don't think that's true. Some people will believ aarrgggh!!!!! he's at the door. Someone, if I don't post by tomorrow - call help! - Ta bu shi da yu 12:26, 21 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * Be nice. I guess if I were worried about whether there was killer on the loose locally I would look it up in the encyclopedia also. alteripse 16:27, 21 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * Just so you know, it's traditional for almost all camps to have their own "mass-murderer" stalking the grounds. They must be attracted to the wood-shop or something. — Asbestos | Talk  15:05, 24 Feb 2005 (UTC)

What do you think they do in the winter since I'm sure the camps don't pay them for more than the summer months? Department store Santas maybe? Or maybe being a summer camp murderer would be a good summer job for schoolteachers... alteripse 05:33, 27 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Joining Quicktime movies
Is it possible to join movies in the Quicktime (.MOV) format together to make one file? Thanks, Alphax (t) (c) (e) 05:08, Feb 21, 2005 (UTC)
 * One way to do it is to upgrade to QuickTime Pro, then you can cut and paste movies from one file into another. I don't know of any free software that can do it though. adamsan 13:34, 21 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * Before the second coming of Steve Jobs, plain vanilla versions of QuickTime can do that. You can also do soundtrack replacement with QuickTime. For example, you may extract the soundtrack of a speech, mix some background music in another program, and paste the new soundtrack back to the speech. I forgot how to do that. The last time I edited QT was in 2001. -- Toytoy 15:12, Feb 21, 2005 (UTC)
 * So, there's no free software that can do it? Bummer. Alphax (t) (c) (e) 02:01, Feb 24, 2005 (UTC)
 * You could use something like FFmpeg to convert your Quicktime movies to something you can edit and join them together using a seperate program (such as VirtualDub). You can then save it as an AVI (Windows Media 9 gives very good results), which you could probably find a program to convert with - FFmpeg might work, but no guarantees. (Alternatively, you can create a "fake" QuickTime movie by saving it as an MPEG-1 movie and renaming it .MOV - Quicktime will still play it.)
 * You can also use RAD Game Tools' Video Tools to convert from Quicktime to AVI - but depending on your machine, you may be forced to convert to an uncompressed AVI, which can quickly eat up several gigabytes. --Pidgeot 08:47, 24 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * OK, that sounds good - Windows Media Maker thingy can join them, right? Alphax (t) (c) (e) 08:58, Feb 25, 2005 (UTC)
 * Yes, but AFAIK, Windows Movie Maker is very limited in saving options. It's better to open the first in VirtualDub, open the second as append (requires matching framerates), and save as an AVI using the Windows Media 9 codec. Of course, if Movie Maker does what you need, go ahead and use it. --Pidgeot 10:20, 25 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Grr - looks like I'll need Cygwin to compile FFMpeg. This is not easy... The framerates should match, all the movies were taken with the same digital camera. Alphax (t) (c) (e) 15:00, Feb 26, 2005 (UTC)
 * You may find it easier to use MinGW along with MSYS. I personally failed to compile it with Cygwin - but that may just be me.
 * If you want, I can send you the binary I compiled (MinGW/MSYS, so doesn't require Cygwin). E-mail me through Wikipedia or my website, or leave a message on my talk page if you're interested. It's ~1.1MB when zipped, or 1MB as an NSIS installer (expected size), and you can choose between a download link or an attachment. --Pidgeot 23:25, 26 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Ballistics gelatin
Will someone help me and tell me how to make Ballistics gelatin? Request moved here from article space. Left note on IP talk page directing here for answers. SWAdair | Talk 06:56, 21 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Well! if you take a look at Ballistic gelatin, you'll be happy to note a link to a FAQ on exactly that topic! Could be we need a redirect from Ballistics gelatin, though. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 06:29, 25 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Done. Alphax (t) (c) (e) 09:02, Feb 25, 2005 (UTC)

Net worth statistics for the United States
What is the median net worth for all Americans?

How many/what percentage of Americans have a net worth of over $100,000?--Jiang 10:41, 21 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * A 2001 study showed a median net worth of $71,700 and a mean net worth of $282,980, both figures including real estate holdings. Net "liquid" financial assets was only a median of $9,850 and a mean of $124,346. Rmhermen 01:01, Feb 24, 2005 (UTC)
 * But be careful with means like this. The mean credit card debt for example is a few thousand dollars, but it would not be accurate to say that the average American is in debt for thousands of dollars and has $124,346 in liquid savings. These are mean values for the entire population, and it's safe to say that most people who are in debt don't also have hundreds of thousands of dollars saved up. Rhobite 21:36, Feb 24, 2005 (UTC)
 * Well that is not excatly true either. I see lots of people that have accumulated money in their retirement plans, but also have substantial consumer debt (such as credit cards). And yes, I have seen cases where the retirement assets were over a hundred thousand and consumer debt was in the several tens of thousands. Your statement is actually correct though that most people that have substantial consumer debt do not have substantial liquid assets. But "in debt" could also include home mortgage debt. If you account for that, most people with substantial liquid assets also have substantial mortgage debt. Part of your point is already made by Rmhermen too since he notes both the median and the mean. That they are very different shows a skewed distribution with neither being a good marker of what the "average" person would have. - Taxman 14:56, Mar 8, 2005 (UTC)

Linguistic contractions
Are double contractions such as "I'd've" (for "I would have") or "shouldn't've" grammatically correct? DO'Neil 20:46, Feb 21, 2005 (UTC)

 * I would argue that the acceptability of contractions isn't a point of grammar, it's a point of usage and formality. In formal English contractions aren't used (in contrast to, say, French, in which "j'ai" and "du" are mandatory at all levels). At increasingly informal levels, you might find "don't" and "didn't" accepted. Double contractions are so informal that I'd expect to find them only in representing highly colloquial speech, or in very familiar personal communications. In fact I would see them as a borderline case of "eye dialect", in which nonstandard spelling is used to indicate (what the writer considers to be) nonstandard speech. But their grammatical correctness is strictly a question of whether their expanded forms are correct. (And in the case of I'd, which could be "I had" or "I would", the speaker gets the benefit of the doubt.) Sharkford 21:10, 2005 Feb 21 (UTC)

Switching focus
One of the most irritating things about windows is how the focus changes randomly from window to window at times when a program starts up, finishes something etc. Is there any way to make it never automatically change focus? I am typing something in one focus, and another window opens and the rest of the typing goes in that box. Aargh. I hate it.

 * In general, no. If you are being annoyed by pop-up windows from your internet browser, then consider changing to a browser that will block pop-up windows. This depends on what operating system you have, but in general, Internet Explorer is not the optimum browser for general internet sites, and you should consider Firefox, Opera, or Safari (on Mac). If the problem is that you have a program which is launched by a timer (that you set up) at regular intervals, which grabs the screen focus, there's probably little that you can do, although it may depend on the program. If a program you haven't chosen to have run does appear regularly, you may have spyware installed on your system; take a look at Lavasoft Ad-Aware if you're running Windows.-gadfium 08:14, 23 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * There is a freeware Microsoft add-on program TweakUI which has a 'prevent applications from stealing focus' option. 119 04:58, 24 Feb 2005 (UTC)

What do vetranarians do with dead animals?
I need to know what veteranarians do to dispose of the dead animals they have for one reason or another. I know for a fact, that in the US, very few dead housepets end up at rendering plants. I'm pretty sure that they don't go into regular landfills. So, where do they go? ike9898 20:23, Feb 23, 2005 (UTC)

 * stir fry? -- John Fader 01:56, 24 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * I suspect they are cremated. →Raul654 02:24, Feb 24, 2005 (UTC)

 * I imagine many go to veterinary schools' anatomy labs. Rhobite 16:01, Feb 24, 2005 (UTC)

 * If you mean a veterinarian in private practice, then the vet does whatever the pet's owner wants. Usually, they keep the bodies for a week or two (in a freezer), and a company picks them up and cremates them.  The pet's owner can usually choose either a mass cremation or not (mass cremation being quite a bit cheaper).  If you're talking about vets working in science labs and the like, I don't really know, but I'd assume they are also cremated. Tuf-Kat 22:35, Feb 26, 2005 (UTC)
 * They cremate vets working in science labs?? Oh, the sheer pity of it all! ;) Otto 20:44, 6 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Source for notable cover song list
I am curious about Wikipedia's source for notable cover songs. A song I recorded in 1999 and did not even know was being distributed has ended up as the notable cover for Helen Reddy's "Candle On The Water". I think it's ok, but it seems that someone else thinks so as well. I'd just like to know who. --- Paula Jarvis

 * You could try going way back through the logs to find out who added it... it was on List of notable cover versions when it was set up... and when it was moved from Cover version back in October... sampling one in May doesn't have it, so let's dig between then...

 * Here it is ! Unfortunately, that's an anonymous IP - someone who's not a registered user - and as such I can't tell you anything more than "probably in the US" (a Bellsouth customer?). They don't seem to have edited anything since last September, either so your chance of identifying them is limited... especially since it's an ISP-provided IP.

 * But you do have a fan, so hey! :-) Shimgray 02:18, 24 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Munich Agreement
From Munich Agreement:
 * None of the powers in western Europe wanted war. They severely overestimated Adolf Hitler's military ability at the time, and while Britain and France had superior forces to the Germans they felt they had fallen behind, and both were undergoing massive military rearmament to catch up. Hitler, on the other hand, was in just the opposite position. He far exaggerated German power at the time and was desperately hoping for a war with the west which he thought he could easily win. He was pushed into holding the conference, however, by Benito Mussolini who was totally unprepared for a Europe-wide conflict, and was also concerned about the growth of German power. The German military leadership also knew the state of their armed forces and did all they could to avoid war.

Hitler was "desperately hoping for a war with the west which he thought he could easily win"? He is reported to have been surprised and disquieted when the UK and France declared war upon his 1939 invasion of Poland, making this passage suspicious to me. Is anyone able to reference this or clean this up? 119 06:52, 24 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * it's even self-contradictory. western Europe overestimated Hitler's military ability, and Hitler was in the opposite position, overestimating his own military ability?? I don't think so. I would just remove this part. dab (ᛏ) 08:44, 24 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * I dunno, from all the books I've read it seems that both the Western Powers and Hitler really did overestimate Germany's military power in the late 1930s - so the only contradiction in the paragraph is the sentence "Hitler was in just the opposite position" (of course, while Hitler overestimated his newly formed army's strength, the Wehrmacht leaders knew quite well what their army was and was not capable of, as is correctly indicated in the paragraph in question). I also think it is a bit inaccurate to say Hitler was "surprised and disquieted" by France's and England's reaction to his invasion of Poland - Hitler had planned to invade France anyway, and the declarations of war were happening according to his initial plan. The only nasty surprise came when after Germany's victory over France England did not back down but decided to continue the war on its own -- Ferkelparade π 15:19, 24 Feb 2005 (UTC)

world war
from Talk:World War: When was the term "World War" first applied to either WWI or WWII? I think it was in the 1950s, but I need some reference. Was the term maybe coined by Churchill in A History of the English Speaking Peoples? dab (ᛏ) 08:44, 24 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * If you have access to a good dictionary - I'll have a glance at our multi-volume OED in the reference department tomorrow if I remember - try looking them up and seeing if there's a citation; I think "World War Two" was in use as early as the 1940s, possibly even during the war, but I don't know when it became the "proper name". Shimgray 16:51, 24 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * Being a little more helpful... "the world war" is used in The World War and What was Behind It (1918); it's uncapitalised, but the meaning is clear and it's definitely used as a specific term.

 * In January '43, FDR commented "In the years between the end of the first World War and the beginning of the second World War..." ; again, the meaning is fairly explicit.

 * The terms were still ambiguous by the early 1950s, though; my 1952 Revised Edition of Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable feels the need to note that ...in all references to the two Great Wars of this century, World War I indicates that of 1914-18, World War II that of 1939-45. (it's interesting they say -18 not -19, but I digress) Shimgray 17:31, 24 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * Why is it "interesting they say -18, not -19"? Last time I checked, World War I was generally agreed to last until 1918. Please enlighten me. Nightstallion 19:19, 24 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * Aha, but here's the rub - fighting lasted from 1914 to 1918, but the Treaty of Versailles was only signed in 1919. As such, the war was often referred to as lasting until 1919 at the time, even though there was no fighting that year; you often see war memorials referring to the "1914-1919 War", contemporary medals were often marked "1914-1919", and the like. This fell out of use over the years, and now 1918 is far more common. If you look at Google, for example, "1914-18" gets about ten times as many hits as "1914-19". (partly due to the emphasis in many countries on the Armstice celebrations, but I suspect it also had a lot to do with the growing emphasis on "social history" rather than "diplomatic history", and the reduced role of people Learning Dates Of Treaties. I haven't ever studied that, though...)

 * I wasn't sure when the general transition of "the correct dates" shifted, but for some reason I'd expected it to be later than 1950. Another one for research... Shimgray 20:31, 24 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * thanks! I'm copy-pasting this to Talk:World War until I have time to work it into the article. dab (ᛏ) 18:41, 25 Feb 2005 (UTC)

thinking and talking, are they sound waves, pressure waves?
I`m curios as to just what thinking and talking are. Are they considered pressure waves, sound waves.What exactly consists a thought and talking. I was told that thinking is electric currents carried by sodium(?) ions (as opposed) (to electrons) I do know that talking is considered a pressure wave(sound wave) because it vibrates. But I`m confused when it comes to thinking,because the human body emits ELF waves, but our thoughts and talking are considered pressure waves or are they? So I don`t really know how to word the question, this is the best I can do, Thank you very much, Linda PS I was given the information on thinking from a website called ABC Online Forum.

 * Hi Linda — I recommend you check out some of the articles we have here, such as Thought, the Brain, Brainwaves and Sound.
 * As a very quick summary, sound waves are patterns of compressions in the air called longitudinal waves, which are picked up by the ear through the vibration of the eardrum. Thinking, on the other hand, is a result of transmissions between neurons in the brain. These are electrical, but not in the same way that an electrical wire is - rather, charge moves down the neuron as the result of voltage differences between the ions in the neuron (such as sodium ions). Brainwaves (properly called Electroencephalography) are the patterns of voltage changes across the brain, and are thus electric and not the result of pressure like sound.
 * As an aside, the likely reason that your "internal voice" actually sounds like something (in a sense) is probably because the brain activates areas of the auditory cortex, the areas of the brain associated with hearing things, when you are thinking to yourself. — Asbestos | Talk  14:45, 24 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * Put you mouth on your wrist and make low pitch sounds imitating a rumble from a great distance. You can feel the pressure waves, the vibration of matter, your body moving very small distances back and forth caused by your throat vibrating causing air to vibrate causing your skin and ear hearing parts to vibrate.

 * This causes your nerves to use electromagnetism (see electricity, magnetism, magnets, photons, light, ions) to process and communicate information allowing you to think about what you are doing.

 * Hold two magnets close to each other or turn on a flashlight. That's what the brain uses to think. Electromagnetism.

 * Slap your hand on anything that makes a sound. That demonsrates the forces involved in sound such as talk.-hope I helped-

Getting listed in a general search
moving question (and reply) to the Helpdesk -- Ferkelparade π 15:45, 24 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Maroon 5's video for "She Will Be Loved"
Who are the actresses who play the mother and daughter in this video? PedanticallySpeaking 16:15, Feb 24, 2005 (UTC)

The mother is played by Kelly Preston, according to this site and a few others I found on Google. I'm not sure who the girlfriend is; never seen the video myself. --  — I. Neschek |  talk 18:51, 9 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Who is the founder of scout movements
If you mean the Boy Scouts it is Robert Baden Powell. The Boy Scouts of America was founded by Kentuckian Daniel Carter Beard. PedanticallySpeaking 16:37, Feb 24, 2005 (UTC)

Chiss homepage
Just wanted to let you guys know that the information on the chiss is good. But not all of it is right. I know. Trust me.
 * If you have better information, you can edit the article yourself. I assume you mean Chiss.-gadfium 03:11, 25 Feb 2005 (UTC)

What do vegetarians do with dead animals?
I need to know what vegetarians do to dispose of the dead animals they have for one reason or another. I know for a fact, that in the US, very few dead housepets end up at rendering plants. I'm pretty sure that they don't go into regular landfills. So, where do they go?

 * I am not going to answer your question. But here is an interesting side-issue, not very closely related to your question:

 * But it takes some effort to accommodate business and religion when it comes to cowhide. The Hindu religion forbids eating beef and slaughtering cows, but permits taking the hide of a "fallen" cow, or one that has died naturally. Muslims, who can slaughter cows, work in slaughterhouses and butcher shops. But in the case of "fallen" cows, a low-caste Hindu does the work, because it is against Islamic belief to skin an animal that has died naturally. -- "How Many Ways Can You Skin a Cow? In Hindu India, There Are Plenty" by Daniel Pearl, The Wall Street Journal, July 19, 2001.

 * You knkow people are smart and the rules are created for us to bend and break ... -- Toytoy 06:12, Feb 25, 2005 (UTC)

 * See the above question for the answer Tuf-Kat 22:37, Feb 26, 2005 (UTC)

My severely disabled nephew asks questions about US Military
Moss, my nephew, has asked me how many Armored Divisions are in the US Army, and how many armored tanks there are in an Armored Division. Although he is developmentally disabled, Moss is working on constructing enough tanks for all armored divisions. Part of his disability makes him exceptionally precise - he always wants exact numbers, amounts, etc. - and he perseveres until his goal is accomplished.

Knowing little about Military ops, I'm not sure these are even reasonable questions, or if this is the place to ask them, but I really would like to help Moss, and if you can help me with his questions, it would be wonderful. Many thanks. Jamie Flick, Ukiah, California
 * There are ten/eleven active divisions according to the U.S Army site:
 * 1st Cavalry Division
 * 1st Infantry Division
 * 1st Armored Division
 * 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized)
 * 4th Infantry Division (Mechanized)
 * 7th Infantry Division (Light) (Actually reserve?)
 * 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized)
 * 25th Infantry Division (Light)
 * 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry)
 * 82nd Airborne Division
 * 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)

 * And three armored cavalry regiments:
 * 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment
 * 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment (Light)
 * 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment

 * By name, there is one armored division in the U.S. Army. However, the difference between armored and mechanized divisions is the balance of a few more tank or infantry battalions. ACRs are approximately brigade strength. Armored divisions are organized as armor and infantry brigades. An armored brigade has two of these battalions, and the infantry brigade has one. Mechanized infantry formations are organized the same, only they use the M2 Bradley.

 * There are 116 M1 Abrams tanks to an Armored Brigade, and 58 to an Infantry Brigade. With two armored brigades and one infantry brigade, the 1st Armored has 290 M1 tanks and 232 M2 Bradleys. 119 08:18, 25 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Dual booting GNU/Linux with XP
So, I want to run a dual boot, and I already have WinXP installed. How do I install (whichever) GNU/Linux distro so that XP won't eat it? Alphax (t) (c) (e) 09:49, Feb 25, 2005 (UTC)
 * Is your problem making sure you can boot into either, how to resize your XP partition to install Linux, or preventing that Windows sees the partition as unalloacted space?
 * If it's the first, your distro installer should be able to install LILO or GRUB for you and do an auto-setup so both will appear. You should also be allowed to define your own configuration file. (At least, this is what Red Hat 9 does - I haven't tried any other distro yet)
 * If it's the second, you need a program like Partition Resizer (FAT16/32) or ntfsresize (NTFS). Both are free programs that can resize your FAT or NTFS partitions like PartitionMagic without data loss, and in the case of ntfsresize, it can also move data so you don't need to defragment before resizing. (Be sure to print out the instructions, though!)
 * If it's the last, Windows should still recognise the presence of the partition (from the partition table), but won't be able to read data from it - that is, it will be shown as being present and having X MB of space, but it won't know the file system (ext2, ext3, etc.) or anything like that. --Pidgeot 17:57, 25 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Actually, I forsaw this problem and got a seperate HDD to put Linux on, and have a FAT32 partition as a "swap drive". ATM the new drive is sitting there, plugged in, but not recognised by Windows. Do I just go into the BIOS, auto-detect it and install (whichever) distro? Also, how hard is it to update a distro once installed? Eg. I install Mandrake 8 but later get hold of 9. Thanks, Alphax (t) (c) (e) 14:54, Feb 26, 2005 (UTC)
 * Yes, you need to get your bios to recognise the new disk first. For that to happen (assuming it's an IDE disk), it needs to be set differently from any other disk on the same cable, ie one must be set to master and the other to slave. Windows XP won't show it in My Computer if their are no partitions on it.
 * In Linux, depending on the distro, it will offer to partition the new disk for you. It will probably refer to the disks as hda and hdb or hdc if they are IDE, where hda refers to your primary master hard disk, which is almost certainly your Windows XP disk, and hdb is the primary slave disk (on the same cable), and hdc is the secondary master disk.
 * Most distros of Linux, including Mandrake, allows you to upgrade to a newer version. You can't upgrade from one distro to another (eg from Mandrake to Fedora Core), as such, but if you have a separate partion for /home then your user settings will generally survive such a transition.-gadfium 18:49, 26 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * This seems to be another FAQ. Maybe someone who knows should write it up.  It's well out of my league. --bodnotbod 06:50, Feb 27, 2005 (UTC)
 * Hmm, should I have a 1GB partition for my /home and such? Alphax τεχ 07:59, Mar 2, 2005 (UTC)

Newspapers in Portsmouth, Ohio
Does anyone know the name of any defunct daily newspapers in Portsmouth, Ohio? PedanticallySpeaking 15:13, Feb 25, 2005 (UTC)
 * Have you tried contacting their public library? -- Jmabel | Talk 04:42, Feb 26, 2005 (UTC)
 * The State of Ohio has this new on-line reference desk service called "Know-it-All" staffed by librarians and I've posed the question to them. They're working on the problem as we speak but I'd welcome any input here.  PedanticallySpeaking 15:44, Feb 26, 2005 (UTC)

Rocks used in building
What rocks are used in building and where (for example: Rock name, pavement or similar). I already have the following: Thanks very much, and please reply soon.--anon
 * Granite - tiling floors, war memorials
 * Slate - roof tiles
 * Marble - pillars, sculptures and columns
 * Sandstone - paving stones

 * Sandstone and granite are both common structural building materials - I come from Edinburgh, where a large number of buildings are sandstone (and thus now horribly blackened and eroded by pollution) and am now in Aberdeen, the city centre of which is almost entirely granite. Shimgray 18:55, 25 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Different rocks are used in different places according to availability. Limestone has been used for many public buildings in the US. Fieldstones were commonly used for 2 centuries in the eastern US for farmhouses and fences. alteripse 21:41, 25 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Soapstone is used for sinks, countertops and fireplaces. Mica was sometimes used in fireplaces and stoves. Limestone is used in concrete. Rmhermen 02:01, Feb 26, 2005 (UTC)
 * I was in a walled city in England - I think it was Lincoln - and there appeared to be large pieces of flint in the walls. Slate is often used in walls and pavements. Alphax (t) (c) (e) 15:07, Feb 26, 2005 (UTC)

 * Schist is used for Belvedere Castle in Central Park in New York City: "The Castle is constructed of the same dark gray Manhattan schist as its promontory, giving it the magical appearance of rising out of the rock itself." JamesMLane 04:10, 3 Mar 2005 (UTC)

International Phonetic Alphabet
Could someone please explain how to use the IPA, what the technical terms mean and so on? I'm at my wit's end.--212.100.250.226 17:40, 25 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * For that purpose, Peter Ladefoged is the place to start. He has sound files of all the sounds in it.  After that, you should probably look up some of the basic concepts: phoneme, place of articulation, and manner of articulation. - Mustafaa 02:12, 26 Feb 2005 (UTC)

history of CD-RW
????
 * !!!!!! — 14:58, 2005 Feb 26 (UTC)

! ? ! ? ! ? ! ?

Bloke with a pipe
A few years ago you could hardly go anywhere without seeing this picture of some bloke with a pipe stenciled everywhere. People had pictures of him on t-shirts and on bags etc. What was this all about, do we have an article about it? Jooler 13:34, 26 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * You're presumably talking about the Church of the SubGenius -- Ferkelparade π 13:38, 26 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * Yeah that's it. Thanks. Jooler

 * Praise Bob. -- Cyrius|✎ 14:21, 26 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Rate of Oxygen in Blood Sys
what should be the rate of oxygen in blood sys? (question asked by 83.170.59.67).

 * If you're talking about oxygen saturation, then the answer is above 90% (lower is hypoxia). When I was in the hospital, being mostly healthy, my oxygen saturation, as measured by a little light they clipped onto my finger to shine through it, was between 98 and 100%. So I suppose that's a normal value. grendel|khan 02:40, 2005 Feb 27 (UTC)

I don't recognize the phrase "rate of oxygen in blood sys." Are you asking about O2 concentration, O2 partial pressure, O2 saturation, O2 carrying capacity of blood, rate of whole body O2 consumption, or something else? alteripse 05:27, 27 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Symbol on Food Packages
On bags of potato chips, I've noticed some have a symbol which resembles the copyright symbol but is a "U" in a circle. What does this mean? PedanticallySpeaking 15:45, Feb 26, 2005 (UTC)

 * It's one of the innumerable kosher symbols. -- John Fader 15:52, 26 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * to expand on that, a kosher symbol is the mark of a particular Jewish religious authority or individual (Orthodox) rabbi, and certifies that the processed food item (i.e. the ingredients and how it is prepared) meets the requirements of Jewish law. The one you mention is called an "O-U" and is probably the most prevalent of the kosher symbols.  -- JimCollaborator 21:40, Mar 4, 2005 (UTC)

Hechsher, see also the image at kashrut. Indeed, the OU is the largest certifying organisation worldwide. JFW | T@lk  03:56, 8 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Pa. Dept. of Agriculture
Some food packages note the product was registered with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. What does this mean and why do companies do this? PedanticallySpeaking 15:47, Feb 26, 2005 (UTC)

 * A classic Straight Dope question. Sharkford 21:15, 2005 Feb 26 (UTC)

Smokey and the Bandit and Coors
In the 1977 film Smokey and the Bandit, Jerry Reed and Burt Reynolds are hired to go to Texarkana, Texas, to bring back Coors beer to Atlanta, Georgia. When the idea is proposed to him, Jerry Reed says "That's bootlegging!" Why would that have been bootlegging? I know Coors was not available in the east at that time. Is that why? PedanticallySpeaking 15:49, Feb 26, 2005 (UTC)

 * Yes, even in U.S. States (and Canadian Provinces) in which alcohol is readily available (i.e., in corner stores as opposed to gov't-run shops), its distribution and retail sales are regulated and licensed, and it's usually illegal for anyone other than a licensed distributor to bring more than personal-use quantities (I believe generally defined as a bottle of liquor or 24 beer) across State (or Provincial) borders or resell it to another person. "Bootlegging" in its core sense was the illegal making of alcohol, but post-Prohibition the economic justifcation of that is very small, and the illegal transport and resale of commercial alcohol is now called bootlegging. It can take the form of bringing brands to where they are not normally sold, selling it to minors (a very serious offence in most States, where "minor" means under 21), unlicensed home delivery (inevitably a rumoured sideline of small-town taxi companies) or just keeping some on hand for sale to friends after hours. I'll put some of this in Bootlegging. Sharkford 21:09, 2005 Feb 26 (UTC)

 * But isn't the pertinent point that they are failing to pay the taxes due on the alcohol? - Nunh-huh 07:35, 27 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * State or other local-jurisdiction taxes are part of the regulation of alcohol but I think you'll find that unlicensed cross-state transport of alcohol is prohibited even if you offered, somehow, to pay the taxes. And besides, the line is "that's bootlegging", not "that's tax evasion". Sharkford 16:56, 2005 Feb 28 (UTC)

38th grammy awards
Where would I be able to view the 38th Grammy awards(1996)?

A Netherwood, painter British (?)
Can you help me to find any information on the artist A Netherwood RCA. This name is on a family painting of a country scene, probably painted early 1900s???? I cannot find an artist by this name I would appreciate any help you can give Many thanks Jenny Foulds

 * RCA probably stands for Royal Canadian Academy in this case. You could try emailing them.  Their homepage is . -- John Fader 19:56, 26 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * Or maybe Royal Cambrian Academy . -- John Fader 20:01, 26 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Self-drawn insignia?
Are insignia such as those at User:Emax/Image gallery/Stopnie freely licensable if you draw them yourself? I'm sure that if I drew the 'Ford' logo, it would still be the Ford logo and subject to restrictions. What about military insignia, then? grendel|khan 02:27, 2005 Feb 27 (UTC)

 * Regardless of copyright, trademarks are trademarks, regardless of who actually drew the article in question (which goes to your Ford logo, but not Emax' insignia). Assuming you didn't follow their design too slavishly, your version of the Ford or Coke logos would be your copyright only.  I think the same is true for Emax' insignia - assuming Emax drew them, and didn't slavishly trace some gallery of insignia, then Emax' versions aren't derivative works of anyone else's work. So I think Emax can fairly claim copyright. -- John Fader 14:26, 27 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Jewish names
How come so many Jewish-Americans have surnames that include "-burg" or "-stein" at the end? Neutralitytalk 05:47, Feb 27, 2005 (UTC)

 * In regards to "burg", I will hazard an educated guess. Contrary to what the burg article states, the origin goes back further than England, as Bourgeoisie says "The term is a French word derived from the Italian borghesia (from borgo, village, in turn from Greek pyrgos). A borghese, then, was a person who had a house in the center of a village." .. In the Middle Ages Jews almost always lived in urban areas (for a variety of reasons) and would have been called "city people", or some derivative of "burg" depending on the vernacular. Thus, when surnames were first created (mainly for the purpose of record keeping for the purpose of tax collection), it was often the name of the place of residence and/or some description of the person (see William for example of the many variant origins). In brief, when they were handing out last names, Jews were associated as urbanites, thus the "burg". Stbalbach 06:22, 27 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * I disagree: burg is a Germanic root, ultimately going back to *Proto-Indo-European and having cognates in Gothic, Middle Irish, Avestan, and Sanskrit. --Gelu Ignisque

 * burg means town or city Stbalbach 09:51, 28 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Burg means town (or fortress), berg means mountain. Stein is stone, but also glass (weinstein - wine glass). Bear in mind that Ashkenazi Jews either adopted surnames while living in German-speaking areas, or spoke Yiddish. The name they got depended on their status (whether they were wealthy/powerful enough to choose their own names or were given one by local officials). Guettarda 17:11, 28 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * When the lawmakers decided that everyone needed surnames, manny people took those of their profession or their location. Some immigrants to the US were arbitrarily assigned them when they arrived at Ellis Island - so you get names like Appletree or whatever. Alphax (t) (c) (e) 00:12, Mar 1, 2005 (UTC)

 * I quote (and I'll find the source) "The number of people who had names arbitrarily assigned to them at Ellis Island is so few as to be negligible". DJ Clayworth 15:47, 10 Mar 2005 (UTC)

 * I'll be sure to let the Languages department of the UofQ know. Alphax τεχ 09:17, Mar 12, 2005 (UTC)

Greengrocer's apostrophe
In the apostrophe article, it says that a wrongly placed apostrophe is called a greengrocers greengrocer ' s apostrophe. Why?--212.100.250.218 07:27, 27 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * Because it is so frequently encountered on the handmade signs that greengrocers make to advertise their special sales. For example "Apple's, 10 cents off" or "6 tomato's for a dollar" - Nunh-huh 07:32, 27 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * You can read all about that in the ludicrously popular book on punctuation Eats%2C_Shoots_and_Leaves --bodnotbod 03:52, Mar 1, 2005 (UTC)

what is the internet code of firefox mozilla
delete, I think.

 * If you want to download Mozilla Firefox, go to http://getfirefox.com. grendel|khan 23:03, 2005 Feb 27 (UTC)

Reactivity of caesium
In terms of electronic structure, why is it that a caesium atom is more reactive than a lithium atom?
 * I think it's because it's bigger, and the electrons are further apart. (shrugs) I haven't done chem in a few years... try reactivity or something. Alphax (t) (c) (e) 09:30, Feb 28, 2005 (UTC)
 * Just about that. The reasoning is that, as the atom gets larger, more shells of electrons are introduced.  The shell pertinent to reactivity is the outermost one – the weaker the force keeping this in, the more reactive the atom (this is for metals only).  Electrons, being negatively-charged, are kept in the atom by the electronic force from the positively-charged protons in the nucleus.  As the atom gets larger, e.g. lithium, sodium, potassium, caesium, francium, the outermost layer is further away from the nucleus.  The force of attraction is therefore weaker.  The force between the nucleus and the electrons is therefore weaker.  Therefore it is easier for the electrons to be taken from the atom, which is the reaction occuring.  Smoddy (t) (e) 22:45, 2 Mar 2005 (UTC)
 * Just being larger and having more shells is not enough to make an atom (or metal) reactive. Think of lead as an example of a large but very unreactive atom. Caesium is reactive because it only has one electron in its outermost shell (like lithium), and atoms are most stable (unreactive) when the outermost shell is full (or empty, meaning the shell one in from that is the new outermost shell). See alkali metal. For the alkali metals, the answers above are correct. See also Ionization energy. Note that for the halogens, the rules are very different due to their much greater electronegativity.-gadfium 01:39, 3 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Help needed!! Is Gas allowed in flats....
Hello!

I am trying to find out the law / legistlation on having gas in blocks of flats in the uk.

Can you tell me if gas in flats is allowed?

Does the block need to be built before / after a certain date?

Does the block need to be of specific building regulations?

Does the amount of floors in the block count?

Do you need planning / council permission?

Do you need freeholder permission if it is a leasehold?

Can anyone point me in the right direction of finding out the law on this?

Many thanks Faye_coventry@yahoo.co.uk

 * My advice would be to try contacting your local Citizens Adivce Bureau; I suspect there's some weirdly complex set of legislation about it, and they're about as qualified as anyone to give you an answer. has addresses for some in Warwickshire, taking a guess that you're in Coventry; otherwise, try your local phone book. Shimgray 21:31, 27 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * Articles you probably don't want to read: Ronan Point. -- John Fader 21:41, 27 Feb 2005 (UTC)

what is the relationship between cache and RAM

 * Does the Wikipedia article on caches answer your question? Basically, a "CPU cache" is a small amount of expensive, very fast RAM on the CPU that keeps a copy of the RAM locations accessed recently.  When the CPU tries to access RAM, it checks the cache first to see whether the data is stored there.  Because the cache is much, much faster than normal RAM, and a computer tends to reference the same memory locations over and over again, the time taken to check the cache is more than made up for by the time saved by not having to retrieve the data from RAM when the data is in the cache.
 * For a high level view, also check out the article at memory hierarchy which talks a bit about latency and points out some other articles worth looking at. --DaveC 22:51, 28 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Clarence L. "Kelly" Johnson - Birthdate Correction
This is from the horse's mouth, in his autobiography, 'Kelly: More Than My Share of It All', Clarence L. "Kelly" Johnson has Feb 27 1910 as his birthdate. Your website lists his birthdate as Nov 27, 1910.

Please correct his birthdate.
 * This isn't the only place it's listed as November 27. Will investigate further. Alphax (t) (c) (e) 09:38, Feb 28, 2005 (UTC)

What the different between magnetic storage and optical storage?
What the different between magnetic storage and optical storage?
 * Magnetic storage works by magnetizing the medium. When a charged electro-magnet passes over a specific point in the medium (be it tape or disk) that part of the medium becomes magnetised. If you then run the magnet back over the medium again you can induce an electric current from that magnetised section. Optical storage works by creating pits in the medium by ... hey I'm bored writing this... just read http://computer.howstuffworks.com/removable-storage2.htm and http://computer.howstuffworks.com/removable-storage7.htm Jooler 00:46, 28 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Scandinavian language
I've got the urge to learn a Scandinavian language, probably Swedish or Norwegian. I realize that the languages are pretty closely related and mutually intelligible (atleast somewhat). Since I don't have a real preference I was wondering if there is any advantage to learning one over the other. For example: is one of them more readily understood by most Scandinavian language speakers? Is one of them easier to learn or pronounce for English speakers? I'm hoping someone can tip me one way or the other, before I invest in some books and stuff. Thanks in advance for any help, DJ Bobo 02:07, 28 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * You could delve into some Wikibooks on those languages before you buy some books. 131.211.71.50 08:46, 28 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * Swedish. Definitely. They are the biggest of the Scandinavian bunch. Plus, my Finnish friend says that all Finns speak really good Swedish, and a Norwegian chick in my uni, who happens to be sitting next to me, had to learn Swedish at school. However, the Swede doesnt speak any other SCandinavian languages. Dunno any Danes of Icelandic people, but Danish is more like German than Swedish. I read a Swedish newspaper yesterday, and understood about 5% of the words. Slut means finished--Wonderfool (talk) (contribs) (email) 08:56, 28 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * Being German and speaking a fair bit of Norwegian, I can tell you that Danish is definitely not more like German than Scandinavian :P The differences between Danish, Swedish and Norwegian are rather miniscule (especially Norwegian and Danish - basically the same language with some differences in pronounciation), so which of the three languages you learn is pretty much a matter of personal preference (I decided on Norwegian because I know some people from there, but talking with Danes and Swedes and reading newspapers is generally not much of a problem). Icelandic is quite different - its relation to the other Scandinavian languages is like that of Middle English to modern English. It's also not that useful to learn since there are so few Icelandic people and most of them speak a Scandinavian language anyway. -- Ferkelparade π 12:22, 28 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * Swedish is definitly the largest langauge, but Norwegian and Danish are more alike. Being a swede I can tell you that we can understand Norwegian quite well but not danish. The thing is that the languages are very similar (its not very hard to read danish) but danes speak in another way, further down the throat, while norwegians and swedes speak on the tip of the tounge. If you want to be understood, learn Swedish. If you want to understand people, learn Norwegian (its easier for norwegians to understand danish). Its the timeless battle between Ibsen and Strindberg (power to Röda Rummet!) basically. Gkhan 18:27, Mar 15, 2005 (UTC)

phenotypes & genotypes
can someone give me 10 examples of phenotypes & genotypes. please. i'm doing my school work for a big test tomorrow in school and i was absent for the lesson. my teacher wont help me out. and i would greatly appreciate it, thanx.

Genotypes refer to the precise genes a person or other organism has. Sometimes we are restricting attention to a single gene, and we use the term genotype synonymously with allele.

Phenotype refers to the aspect of the organism that is observable. It may be a physical characteristic like a crooked finger or bowed legs, or it may be a differently functioning (or non-functioning protein). Many phenotypes are simply the products of specific genotypes, and for some genes, there is a one-to-one correspondence between genotype and phenotype such that one can immediately deduce the genotype by knowing the phenotype and vice versa.

Some human examples:

Genotypes and phenotypes of beta-globin (part of hemoglobin) gene variations:

 * Genotype: wild  type (this is the term used for the most common version a gene in the population—you might also call it the “normal” version)
 * Phenotype: normal hemoglobin that carries oxygen efficiently

 * Genotype: A for T in sixth codon of the gene
 * Phenotype: altered hemoglobin molecule with valine instead of glutamic acid at position 6. This results in deformity of the red blood cell under certain conditions, reducing oxygen delivery to tissues. This phenotype is referred to as sickle cell anemia.

Genotypes and phenotypes of glucokinase gene variations:

 * Genotype: wild type
 * Phenotype: glucokinase in pancreatic beta cells triggers insulin release when blood glucose level reaches about 90 mg/d.

 * Genotype: Y214C
 * Phenotype: this version of glucokinase triggers insulin release when glucose reaches a blood glucose of about 30 mg/dl. This causes severe hypoglycemia from the first day of life.

Genotypes and phenotypes of alpha 1-antitrypsin gene variations

 * Genotype: wild type
 * Phenotype: functional protease inhibitor that limits damage from release of inflammatory enzymes during minor infections or other environmental stimuli

 * Genotype: A instead of G in 342nd codon
 * Phenotype: this produces a lysine instead of glutamic acid at that position and is referred to as PI type Z. This type of AAT molecule cannot be secreted as readily by the liver, which in term leads to accumulation in liver cells and liver damage. The amount of AAT in the lung is reduced, leading to chronic inflammation and early emphysema.

Genotypes and phenotypes of the DMD gene variations

 * Genotype: wild type
 * Phenotype: Produces normal dystrophin, a protein molecule that connects contractile elements in normally functioning muscles

 * Genotype:deletion of large piece from any of the first 9 exons
 * Phenotype: The dystrophin protein is defective and muscle function is steadily more and more impaired (weakened). This phenotype is called Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy.

''Is this what you wanted? How many examples do you need of each?'' alteripse 03:50, 28 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * See genotype, phenotype, all articles in category:classical genetics should be of general help. I'd say a genotype is the two alleles at the one locus, say for the alleles A and a, giving the genotypes AA (A-homozygote) Aa (heterozygote) aa (a-homozygote).  But you should note dominance, so that if A is dominant over a, then the genotypes AA and Aa have the same phenotype.

 * I think the examples given in the previous answer are not genotypes but descriptions of mutations through which the other alleles arise (i.e. allelotypes).

 * Phenotypes may also not correspond directly to genotypes, see genotype-phenotype distinction. Some good examples to look up are blood group, sickle cell anaemia, cystic fibrosis.  You could always try going to NCBI and typing in random numbers... Bascially, you need to find out the name of the proper allele and how they dominate each other.  Dunc|☺ 19:26, 28 Feb 2005 (UTC)

OK, let's argue, Dunc, and maybe you can teach me something. I have never heard of allelotypes and you know what the red link means-- not many others use the term either. The examples I gave are commonly referred to as genotypes in medical practice and the medical literature. Are you claiming that non-clinical geneticists have a different usage for genotype? alteripse 00:02, 1 Mar 2005 (UTC)

accounting scandals
Hi, Does anyone have or know how to get the list of corporate accounting scandals for the last decades? This site has provided those from 2000 to 2004. Thanks a lot. - Vivian

You might be able to get another 5 years worth from this tricksy search. I can see BCCI and Barings in there for a start. --bodnotbod 03:58, Mar 1, 2005 (UTC)

 * ... although BCCI and Barings were both bank failures, so may not meet the original questioner's definition of "corporate accounting scandals". Certainly the collapse of Barings was due to failures in risk management, operational controls and (possibly) regulatory supervision, rather than any accounting problems. Gandalf61 08:42, Mar 1, 2005 (UTC)

 * Ah, sounds right. Hopefully there's other more relevant material in there. --bodnotbod 03:19, Mar 5, 2005 (UTC)

German language genders
Who decides whether new words in the German language are male, female or neuter? And how is the decision made? Please also link to their webiste, if there is one. Thanks,--212.100.250.212 17:13, 28 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * If by new word you mean a loan word, then the word usually is given the gender of the corresponding German word. Sometimes different genders are used in different regions, die Cola in the north, and das Cola in the south. Basically, whatever the Duden says, goes, as far as gender. You could try searching Google to find which gender is most common for a loan word. If by new word you meant a new word that is just the combination of existing words, then the noun always takes the gender of the last part of the compound word . (Disclaimer: German is not my native language.) DJ Bobo 18:30, 28 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Which a linguist would call the head of the compound word. A technical way to state the underlined part is that in Germanic languages, the compound's head is its rightmost morpheme. Thus a motorboat is a type of boat, a tree toad is a type of toad, a wastebasket is a type of basket, etc. --Gelu Ignisque

 * Note that the "rightmost part" rule even applies to minor-seeming suffixes like "-chen" (a diminutive, i.e. "small"); this can be surprising sometimes, as in the common example of das Mädchen - the word for a girl is neuter, not feminine, because the "small" part overrides the "maid" part. I think this goes it beyond the suggested rule about the "head" of the compound, since surely the head of "small maid" would be "maid", not "small". - IMSoP 20:59, 3 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Hm, there seems to be a remarkably similar question to this, with different answers, further down the page! - IMSoP 00:41, 4 Mar 2005 (UTC)

North Carolina license plates
Do North Carolina plates give any indication of what county the vehicle is registered in? PedanticallySpeaking 18:33, Feb 28, 2005 (UTC)
 * I don't think so. I checked out the DMV site and it doesn't look like any of the current designs leave room for the county's name. One of the registration stickers specifies the month and the other the year that registration expires. -Aranel (" Sarah ") 23:43, 28 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Oh, but apparently there's a certain area of the state called the "Global TransPark" that has special optional plates starting with "GTP", which would at least give you some information about the county of origin. The things you learn... . -Aranel (" Sarah ") 23:52, 28 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * Wouldn't you know it I was behind someone today with a N.C. plate and the name isn't spelled out but there are two stickers on it with numbers and I just wondered if those numbers were the county. Ohio's plates have stickers like this, e.g. "83" equals Warren County.  PedanticallySpeaking 16:02, Mar 1, 2005 (UTC)

Uplink port on routers
On most routers/switches, there is an uplink port/similar which is built in so that if you want to connect another switch to the router/switch, you plug it in there. However, if you plug a switch into this port, it usually disables another port (usually the one beside it, at the end) and you cannot use that other port at the same time as you use the uplink port and vice-versa. Why is this and why don't networking manufacturers just seperate the ports? --Colonel Cow 22:20, 28 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * (On small-scale hubs etc.) an uplink port is simply a normal port with the Rx and Tx pairs switched (i.e. it includes a "null-patch" cable) whereas ordinary ports are just straight-through wired. So if linksys make a four-port hub, one of the ports is wired to two different cat-5 receptacles, one labelled uplink and one not.  So even though it's a four port hub (and the chip inside has four channels) it appears to be a five, as it has five receptacles.  Other manufacturers just have four receptacles and have a switch to invert the cabling of one.  Or they could just ship an ordinary four-porter and you'd have to use a null-patch (i.e. swaparound) cable to make an uplink.  Note that on datacentre grade switching equipment the "uplink" is generally something else entirely (1 or 10 gb ethernet vs 10 or 100 base regular ports, or some kind of proprietary interconnect). -- John Fader 22:38, 28 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * Ok, but is there any specific reason why manufactuers like Linksys in your example choose to split one of the ports to two receptacles? Or is it just their chosen method of enabling crossover without the special crossover (swaparound) cable you mention? --Colonel Cow 23:56, 28 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * Exactly, just to avoid the need for special cables or little switches. Now, the cynical might think it also makes the hub look like it has five or nine ports when it really only has four or eight. -- John Fader 00:01, 1 Mar 2005 (UTC)

 * I've got it now, thanks for the help. --Colonel Cow 21:24, 1 Mar 2005 (UTC)