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January 20

Sci-fi movie

It's either a 1980's or early 1990's sci-fi movie. This human & alien both crash (in their seperate ships) on a planet & are forced to become friends in order to survive. The alien species is called a 'Drak' or 'Drag' & it produces asexually. GoodDay (talk) 23:43, 20 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

That would be Enemy Mine, based on the ~~book~~ story of that title by Barry B. Longyear. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 90.197.66.242 (talk) 01:29, 21 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

[Slight amendment: I'd forgotten it was originally a novella. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 90.197.66.42 (talk) 13:39, 21 January 2012 (UTC)][reply]

Ah hah, thanks. GoodDay (talk) 02:21, 21 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

January 21

MSTS (Microsoft Train Simulator) add-ons taken down from rusnakweb.com

What happened to all the MSTS add-ons at the RusnakWeb website? I can still access it using the WayBack Machine, but it's not online anymore. What happened to it? :(

http://rusnakweb.com/msts

68.224.119.202 (talk) 00:54, 21 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Conversion 4:3 → HDTV → Analogue

This is a 4:3 television screen:

ABCDEFGHIJKLM
NOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklm
nopqrstuvwxyz
ABCDEFGHIJKLM
NOPQRSTUVWXYZ

HDTV requires 16:9, so conversion to HDTV will yield this:

██ABCDEFGHIJKLM██
██NOPQRSTUVWXYZ██
██abcdefghijklm██
██nopqrstuvwxyz██
██ABCDEFGHIJKLM██
██NOPQRSTUVWXYZ██

Analogue TV is normally 4:3, so conversion to analogue will finally yield this:

█████████████████
██ABCDEFGHIJKLM██
██NOPQRSTUVWXYZ██
██abcdefghijklm██
██nopqrstuvwxyz██
██ABCDEFGHIJKLM██
██NOPQRSTUVWXYZ██
█████████████████

The last screen has black borders on all four sides - VERY BAD! My question: How to avoid this? --84.61.131.15 (talk) 18:44, 21 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Recently made TV sets have several resizing and zoom options for shrinking, blowing up, stretching, and squishing the various formats to fit the screen. There's usually a "zoom" or "format" or "screen size" or similar button on the remote control. On older TV sets, there is no such option. --Jayron32 19:59, 21 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

The public-service German television networks ARD and ZDF, as well as the Franco-German cultural television network ARTE, will discontinue its analogue satellite television signals on April 30, 2012, and its standard-definition satellite television signals in 2019. My questions: Will RTL, Sat.1, etc. discontinue its standard-definition satellite television signals in 2019? Will RTL, Sat.1, etc. cease the encryption of its high-definition satellite television signals in 2019? --84.61.131.15 (talk) 21:19, 21 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Shouldn't the black borders in the HDTV signal be in ultra-black? --84.61.131.15 (talk) 21:22, 21 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

An example: White = 240; Black = 16; Ultra-Black = 0. --84.61.131.15 (talk) 21:23, 21 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Bach music in Joan of Arcadia s1e19

"Joan of Arcadia" season one, episode 19: What was the Bach piece on the record of the piano teacher?99.239.20.41 (talk) 21:59, 21 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

That's a right much obscure question. Is that program on youtube so we could hear it? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 02:05, 22 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

At 3:50. Clarityfiend (talk) 02:09, 22 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Not one I recognise I'm afraid. I tried to freeze the image and read the record sleeve - I could make out Johan Sebastian Bach, but sadly not the name of the piece. Alansplodge (talk) 02:51, 22 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

The sleeve looks like a mocked-up Deutsche Grammophon. Piano Concerto(?) something-or-other. I think the user Jack of Oz is a classical music lover. He might know. Suggest you pose the question on his talk page, if you he doesn't happen to wander by here soon. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 03:27, 22 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

A little googling turns up this link,[1] in which it is claimed to be "Toccata - (Fugue) from Bach Piano Partita No. 6 in E Minor". ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 03:32, 22 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I'm not good at remembering stuff. Is this it?[2] ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 03:41, 22 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

That's it. Clarityfiend (talk) 04:08, 22 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I agree. -- Jack of Oz ^{[your turn]} 04:56, 22 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

January 22

Jeanne Burns and Jerry Arlen

I would like to know when and where composer Jeanne Burns and Jerry Arlen were married and divorced. Jerry Arlen (born Julius Arluck in 1912) was composer Harold Arlen's younger brother. Thanks for any help. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.23.146.45 (talk) 05:11, 22 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Best I can find is she's got an entry in The ASCAP biographical dictionary of composers, authors and publishers as "Arlen Jeanne Burns". Clarityfiend (talk) 06:06, 22 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Good and rich hero

I would like to find a book (or several) with a main character who are:

rich
good

It's hard to find that sort of books. I know only one example - Largo Winch. I'm looking for something similar.

If you can name a sci-fi book, I would be really happy.

Can you help me? --Ewigekrieg (talk) 20:58, 22 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

What about Thorby at the end of Heinlein's Citizen of the Galaxy? More generally, I would certainly mention Lord Peter Wimsey in the Dorothy Sayers books.--Wehwalt (talk) 21:00, 22 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Depending on how you define good: The Count of Monte Cristo. --Saddhiyama (talk) 21:03, 22 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Heinlein's Waldo was rich.--Wehwalt (talk) 21:06, 22 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Anything featuring Batman (a billionaire apparently).--Shantavira|^{feed me} 22:01, 22 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

The protagonist of The Mote in God's Eye, Roderick Blaine, was recruited for the mission specifically because he was one of the richest people in the galaxy. Apparently this meant he would be impossible to bribe. Comradezombie1 (talk) 22:10, 22 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Willard Phule of the Phule's Company series.Dru of Id (talk) 22:55, 22 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Schindler's Ark -- Mwalcoff (talk) 00:27, 23 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Paul Atreides in Dune is quite rich, and mostly good. Staecker (talk) 01:39, 23 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

You might find some more suggestions at TV Tropes under "Rich Idiot with No Day Job" (Sir Percy Blakeney, Don Diego de la Vega, plus some characters who are not good, of course) or "Crimefighting with Cash" (Watchmen, ...). ---Sluzzelin talk 02:09, 23 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

No one is good in the Watchmen. Von Restorff (talk) 02:24, 26 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I wouldn't categorize Harry Potter as "rich", but he did inherit a sizable amount of money from his parents. --Sp33dyphil ©^hat_ontributions 06:57, 23 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Bertie Wooster is rich, and tries to be good, though sometimes with bad consequences that he needs to be rescued from by Jeeves. AndrewWTaylor (talk) 10:06, 23 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Ayn Rand's fiction tends to be about wealthy heroes (Heinlein, already mentioned, has quite a few such heroes as well, like Lazarus Long). Much of William Faulkner's work is about powerful Southern families, e.g. Absalom, Absalom! The novels of Jeffrey Archer tend to be about rich men, some good, some bad. There's also a lot of fiction about certain wealthy and powerful monarchs like Elizabeth I, Queen Victoria, Mary, Queen of Scots, Queen Christina of Sweden; many portray them in a positive (if occasionally tragic) light - also lots of fantasy novels about kings, but I'm no expert on that. --Colapeninsula (talk) 10:07, 23 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

And I'm not sure if James Bond is rich, or puts it all on expenses. --Colapeninsula (talk) 10:09, 23 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

As for Rand, only Atlas Shrugged had a rich protagonist, and I suppose that Dagny gives it all up (what's left of it) for Galt's Gulch .. neither The Fountainhead or Anthem had a wealthy protagonist, though it is some years since I read any of them. Lazarus Long was poor as many times as wealthy, though I imagine at the Tertius stage, he's pretty well set up. I do not think Bond is mentioned as being particularly wealthy, although he doesn't seem to want for anything.--Wehwalt (talk) 10:17, 23 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Dick Francis's The Edge. Although most of Dick Francis's heroes can muck out stalls with the best of them.--Wehwalt (talk) 10:22, 23 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Around the World in Eighty Days deserves to be mentioned.DI (talk) 14:40, 23 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Indeed. And "A Christmas Carol".--Wehwalt (talk) 14:59, 23 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I don't agree there. Dickens seemed to make the poor people good and the rich people bad, at least in this story. Scrooge was good early on, while poor, but then became rich and nasty. At the end he reformed, but this probably also means he was going to give away his money, such as by paying for the operation for Tiny Tim and buying a huge Christmas goose for everyone (I wonder if geese think Scrooge turned bad at the end :-) ). StuRat (talk) 23:33, 23 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I'd suggest that Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby spends most of the book being portrayed as good (if rather unusual). --jjron (talk) 16:15, 23 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Daddy Warbucks from Annie. --Jayron32 19:40, 23 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

If he's so rich and good, you'd think he's spend some of that fortune on surgery to replace everyone's missing pupils and irises. :-) StuRat (talk) 02:22, 28 January 2012 (UTC) [reply]

Did anyone mention The Scarlet Pimpernel? Heck froze over (talk) 21:05, 23 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

The 1930s movie If I Had a Million, and the somewhat similar TV series The Millionaire (TV series). Also, an episode of WKRP in Cincinnati, in which multi-millionaire Pat O'Brien leaves nearly all his money to charity. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 21:21, 23 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

You can add to the gentleman detective/thief/vigilante genre The Saint, A. J. Raffles, Arsène Lupin. (But like Batman, there's a degree of moral ambiguity to these rich people.) It's a long time since I've read them, but Asimov's Foundation series are about a hugely powerful and wealthy but benevolent organization. There's a lot of romance novels in which women are pursued by glamorous millionaires[3][4]. This goes back to more ambiguous romantic heroes like Darcy in Pride and Prejudice and Rochester in Jane Eyre. --Colapeninsula (talk) 23:23, 23 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Venturing into comics, we have Richie Rich. StuRat (talk) 23:28, 23 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

On the OP's request for Sci-Fi, I suppose you'd say Flash Gordon would be close to fitting the bill, if you count that as a book. --jjron (talk) 11:22, 24 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Since someone already mentioned Batman and now Flash Gordon has been brought up, I suppose Tony Stark should get a nod. Dismas|^(talk) 11:38, 24 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

January 23

Horror Movie

There was a horror movie in either 2011 or 2010 that had to do with a guy having to kill a specific number of people. This journalist was working on the legend and he came back. It was on trailers.apple.com for a time and that is all I can really remember. (talk) 01:25, 23 January 2012

It's older than that, but The Frighteners had an undead murderer trying to get a certain number of murders. --Jayron32 19:39, 23 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Nope. (talk) 01:25, 23 January 2012 — Preceding unsigned comment added by 141.219.211.205 (talk)

Most popular pastime of 1928/1929

I have a question. I read that the three most popular pastimes of 1928/1929 were the automobile, the radio, and the movies. Either listening to the radio or going to the movies had to be most popular pastime of 1928/1929 (I doubt it was the automobile).. Which was the more popular activity: listening to the radio or going to the movies? 98.234.170.206 (talk) 20:27, 23 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

It is uncertain what the basis for such an opinion would be. Public opinion surveying was as yet in its infancy. I would suspect that if that is written someplace, the writer pulled it out of the air.--Wehwalt (talk) 21:16, 23 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

It depends on the definition of popular. People almost certainly spent more time listening to the radio than going to the movies. So if you go by time, then it's radio. But you could also go by money spent, which radio would score lower, or as Wehwalt says, opinion polling. It might also depend who you asked (all adults, adults plus kids, the young, men, women, etc.) It would also depend on what you count as a leisure activity (walking, eating, drinking, cooking, entertaining, sex?) There was a similar question asked last year on the board about most common/popular leisure activity in the 1940s or around that time. --Colapeninsula (talk) 21:49, 23 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Can you name an era when sex wasn't popular? HiLo48 (talk) 00:09, 24 January 2012 (UTC) [reply]

It's always popular, but not politically correct to say so.Heck froze over (talk) 06:06, 24 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

It wasn't all that popular among the Shakers, which goes a long ways toward explaining why there aren't any Shakers anymore. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 06:19, 24 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

It also depends on the location and social class. In 1928, much of the world's people didn't have access to either movies or radios and existed in a cultural sphere largely free from mass media. --Daniel 23:43, 23 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

In the US, at least, baseball was quite popular by then, while many other sports hadn't caught on to quite the same degree, yet. StuRat (talk) 23:54, 23 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

The other really popular sport at the time was boxing. Indeed, if this were 15-20 years earlier the unquestioned most popular sport in America was boxing. It was only during the career of Babe Ruth that baseball surpassed boxing in terms of popularity, but during the 1920s, baseball and boxing were probably on nearly equal footing. --Jayron32 03:29, 25 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

A clockwork field to complete the film title

Can anyone please explain how to complete a film title with a clockwork field. For example "The Scarlet Pimpernel" what is the clockfield. Sincerely Dona — Preceding unsigned comment added by 95.146.157.180 (talk) 22:50, 23 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Meaning what? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 02:43, 24 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I have no idea what a clockwork field is, and apparently either does Wikipedia, or Google: [5]. You sure you have the right words, there ? StuRat (talk) 02:55, 24 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I thought that user name sounded familiar. Someone named Dona (95.146.182.120 (talk · contribs)) came up with another very obscure question earlier this month. See Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2012 January 1. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 03:00, 24 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Hi I understand my questions are obscure but this is the reason why I need help, if I ask for something not obscure then I would not need any help, I can find out myself. Sincerely Dona

The IP geolocates to London, not to Eastern Europe as I had guessed might be the case. Comet Tuttle (talk) 06:05, 24 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I've just had a light bulb moment! Another question from "Dona" was about an obscure British film and I suggested that she try the Britmovie forum. I got a message on my talk page saying: "I have a problem with registering with Britmovie somehow I cannot fulfil the field "add a title for the film" A Cloackwork what does it mean? for example I quote a british film The Scarlet Pimpernel what title I have to add for this?" It's an anti-spam device in the registration process, and they want you to type "orange" into the blank field next to "clockwork", as in A Clockwork Orange (film). So the answer to the question, Dona, is 'ORANGE' (as I said before on 05 December). Alansplodge (talk) 14:36, 24 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Oy, that's obscure. And I don't know what it has to do with the Scarlet Pimpernel, as the "pimpernel" is a flower. But if "Orange" is the answer Dona needs, then hopefully all's swell. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 14:56, 24 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

If memory serves, the previous question was to name your favourite British movie - I suspect Dona choose The Scarlet Pimpernel and then tried to carry this over to the next question. "A Clockwork Orange" (in film or book form) is as well known in the UK as, I suppose, The Catcher in the Rye is in the US. Alansplodge (talk) 15:11, 24 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Hi I have tried to enter "flower" for the Scarlet Pimpernel before attempting to contact this site but it is not accepted. Perhaps Britmovie is rather obscure and not myself asking the question. Sincerely Dona — Preceding unsigned comment added by 95.146.157.180 (talk) 19:49, 24 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

You should have asked the question as "How do I complete the movie title 'A Clockwork ______' ?". Had you done that, we would have had an answer for you immediately. As you wrote the question, we couldn't tell which words were part of the title and which weren't. If you aren't good at English, please try posting in your native language, somebody else will translate for you. StuRat (talk) 20:18, 24 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I do not think it is a matter of how I have asked the question or whether my English is not up to the standard required, my own intuituion tells me that YOU DO NOT HELP ANYWAY, you sound somewhat rude, certainly not competent and who knows what else. However,the username selected by yourself fits in. A real rat. Sincerely Dona — Preceding unsigned comment added by 95.146.157.180 (talk) 20:50, 24 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Dona we're trying to help you, StuRat is not trying to insult you he is trying to find the best way to help you. As I also posted on your talk page, and several others said here, the answer is Orange. But don't expect any more help from us if you're going insult editors here--Jac16888 ^Talk 21:01, 24 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Dona, if the wording of the question is actually the way it was posed to you, it's no wonder you had trouble figuring out the answer. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 21:29, 24 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

... at which point we have crossed into "no personal attacks" territory. It would appear that your question has been answered, so let's leave it at that. --McDoob AU 93 21:00, 24 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I am not trying to cover myself for being outspoken past the limits, I am afraid this is one of my faults, but StutRat was not trying to help but simply disable my comments with prejudice against different nationality. I would call this a personal attack. However, according to the rather low standard of answers to my questions I received in the past, it is unlikely that this site would be of any use for my queries, I will therefore delete this page from my system and there will be no more of it. Sincerely Dona — Preceding unsigned comment added by 95.146.157.180 (talk) 21:59, 24 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Before you totally disappear, could you tell us exactly what the original question was, or maybe provide a link to it? You've got us curious now. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:21, 24 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

[6], go to register, enter a DOB, then on the second page it's one of the questions "Complete this film title: A Clockwork...:". And Dona, if you're unable to grasp that everybody here is only here because they want to help, and that you have been given the answer already several times, then you probably are better off finding your answers somewhere else--Jac16888 ^Talk 22:29, 24 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, had she just posted "Complete this film title: A Clockwork...", she'd have had her answer immediately. StuRat (talk) 21:49, 25 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for everything. Sincerely Dona (Cat woman) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 95.146.157.180 (talk) 23:25, 24 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

January 24

SLR, DSLR, and crop factor

I'm currently kinda confused. I've inherited an old Minolta Dynax 2xi 35mm still photo camera (the Dynax models were sold as Maxxum in the US). I've been looking for some ultra wide angle lenses for it and eventually got me a Sony 18-55mm with a fitting Sony Alpha mount (which is how Sony has re-named Minolta's old AF mount when they bought the company) for only 80 Euros.

I've received the lens now, and other than the ad (which had my Dynax 2xi in a long list that this lens can be used for), the lens manual states "not usable for full-frame 35mm cameras". The lens fits perfectly on the mount, and when looking through the viewfinder, I see a thrilling ultra-wide angle view without any noticeable vignetting (the only problem is a kinda low DOF, but that might be due to my dark conditions in here with my aperture at maximum).

So I went online to check whether there's any information out there as for what's the story with this lens and full-frame cameras. What's most frustrating is that 99% of Google hits are nothing but vendor ads (many of which name my Dynax 2xi as compatible again). The remaining hits are either where the lens has seen APS-C usage, or some vague forum mentions of "not usable for analogue SLR because you'll see a solid black tunnel with a circular image in the middle" due to crop factor or something. However, I've also come across one or two threads on a German forum dedicated to the old analogue full-frame Dynax cameras where people post their photos taken with this modern Sony 18-35mm (unfortunately it requires forum registration to see those photos).

So what's the story here? The camera's an SLR, so I should be seeing the real deal through the viewfinder, right? And from what I can see with the naked eye, it all looks mighty fine. What's even more confusing is the fact that I can't use the included plastic lens hood because it always shows at 18mm, however when removing it, the image is just fine at the edges, judging by what I see through the viewfinder. --79.193.32.40 (talk) 03:09, 24 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I don't know much about the particular systems you're talking about, but it sounds like situation akin to the Canon EF-S lens mount system, which only works on cameras with APS-C sensors, not the full frame sensors. It's certainly worth reading that fairly short article as it sounds an almost identical issue. An issue with those is that the lens can contact the mirror or sensor (can't remember for sure) if used on the full frame cameras, causing damage to the inner workings. Now with film, perhaps it's a slightly different issue, I can't really say. It also talks of the vignetting, etc in that article, explaining why it's a problem. On the next question, yes, you're right, you should be essentially seeing the 'real deal' in the viewfinder (with some variations from camera to camera; on some you don't see the whole frame) but realistically it's hard to tell exactly how a photo will come out through the viewfinder in terms of vignetting and the like, particularly if it's only a minor issue. Now I'm also guessing you bought this secondhand given your mention of the bargain price, so perhaps they've simply included an incorrect lens hood with it thus explaining why it's visible at the wide end. A good lens and hood should not have this issue. Maybe you just need to whack some film in and take some photos, if you're satisfied you're not going to damage the camera? --jjron (talk) 08:11, 24 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Normally I'd expect vignetting to be the issue. Maybe there's a lot of chromatic aberration at the corners, but that's usually fixable. But digital SLRs are less tolerant of some things than film SLRs: in a film SLR it doesn't matter what direction the light rays come from as long as they hit the film, but in a digital SLR they must be at a certain angle to the sensor. Hence if the lens sends light rays at a sharp enough angle to the corners there may be vignetting on a DSLR but not on a film SLR. (I can't find a reference about this happening with real lenses but this Olympus page discusses the problem.) I'd agree that as long as the lens doesn't seem to be making contact with anything it shouldn't, your best option is to take photos and check the results. --Colapeninsula (talk) 09:44, 24 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Traditional (film) SLRs usually show over 95% of the full frame in the viewfinder. If you can't see any vignetting in the viewfinder, it is likely to be small. However, with a focal length of just 18 mm I would expect some distortion of the final image (perhaps a bit like this). Just to check, shoot off a few frames with your lens and see if you like the results. Astronaut (talk) 14:27, 25 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Went on a shooting spree this afternoon throughout the city, and in bright daylight I did indeed see a.) black corners (not from vignetting, but actually because I saw the edges of the image circle, or rather the inside of the lens body), and b.) some light barrel distortion on the edges. Though not as strong as yours on both counts. After all, while it's 18mm, it's not a fish-eye lens.

I'll probably have the processed negatives plus prints plus photo CD by next week. From what I could tell through the viewfinder in bright daylight, the barrel distortion is small enough to be fixable in Paint Shop Pro. Actually the barrel distortion seemed to be pretty much the opposite curves of the black edges (even with the same degree of curvature as the edges, so that each of the four corners looks like )( or () with solid black outside), so that distortion correction will probably even end up with straight black edges that will easily be removable by a rectangle selection&crop without losing any image information. --79.193.36.122 (talk) 19:17, 25 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

discovery HD world ad music

friends, please let me know the track/music name of the following (discovery HD world) advertisement. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuif3XiVBQI — Preceding unsigned comment added by 199.224.149.10 (talk) 08:17, 24 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Sounds like something that was composed for the advert. --Viennese Waltz 08:40, 24 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

January 25

old filmi hindi songs used in hollywood movies

Ghost world and Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind are so far I know that used old filmi hindi songs as part of their soundtrack. any other hollywood movies that used any old filmi hindi songs for their soundtrack? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.95.104.46 (talk) 04:28, 25 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

The Darjeeling Limited, perhaps? --79.193.36.122 (talk) 19:20, 25 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

placeholder3

Ref Desk troll again

The following discussion has been closed. Please do not modify it.

Dead At 17

Dead At 17 is a movie that got made in the Year 2008. I couldn't understand some of the events in the movie. Is someone able to answer my following questions about the movie called Dead At 17?

Did Cody push the stripper down the stairs on purpose?

Did Cody accidentally push the stripper down the stairs?

Does Cody feel sorry for the stripper's death?

Did the stripper accidentally trip herself down the stairs?

Cody & his brother make it look that Jason committed suicide, but are Cody & his brother glad that Jason's dead?

Do Cody & his brother feel sorry for Jason's death?(76.20.90.53 (talk) 09:18, 25 January 2012 (UTC)).[reply]

While I'm sure we have an article, Dead At 17, you may also do well to review the IMDB entry on the film, since your questions are detailed.--Wehwalt (talk) 10:21, 25 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Monk Season 3 Episode 1

1. Since Mr. Leight killed his wife, does Mr. Leight own the murder weapon?

2. After Mr. Leight killed the Ambassador & Ambassador's bodyguards, what did Mr. Leight do with the murder weapon?

3. Before Mr. Leight got arrested, did the police check if there's a gun in Leight's pockets?(76.20.90.53 (talk) 09:23, 25 January 2012 (UTC)).[reply]

I would look at Mr. Monk Takes Manhattan and if you are still not satisfied, address your question on the talk page there.--Wehwalt (talk) 10:19, 25 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Video game recommendations for PC

Hello,

I'm about to buy a new PC and L.A. Noire. I enjoy games that involve complicated crimesolving and large open worlds. Can someone make recommendations especially for games that include both and any non-shooters I may have overlooked? - 194.60.106.17 (talk) 13:16, 25 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

From the other direction, you could look into the Grand Theft Auto or Assassin's Creed series. They both well-known open-world games. The Elder Scrolls series is a very open-world RPG series, with complex narratives and problem solving. Category:Open world video games may give you some more leads. --Jayron32 17:57, 25 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Microsoft Train Simulator Add-ons Taken Down from www.rusnakweb.com

Hi All Wikipedians,

What happened to all the MSTS (Microsoft Train Simulator) add-ons at the RusnakWeb website? I can still access it using the WayBack Machine, but it's not online anymore. Did they lose their rights? What happened to it? Please reply. :(

Click here: http://rusnakweb.com/msts

68.224.119.202 (talk) 19:58, 25 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Sorry, we don't know. Why don't you ask them directly here?--Shantavira|^{feed me} 20:14, 25 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Sure I can, but I may not have parental permission from my parents because I'm 13. I could try anyway. 68.224.119.202 (talk) 20:39, 25 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Parental permission from your parents? Are you sure you're only 13, and not a member of Monty Python? --79.193.36.122 (talk) 02:10, 26 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I don't know. 68.224.119.202 (talk) 04:19, 26 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Song from a TV movie

On the German reference desk, someone is asking for a song from a TV movie from 1989 , Manhunt: Search for the Night Stalker (imdb entry). The song is played when the character Richard Ramirez turns on the radio, somewhere in the middle of the film. The song is described as an 80's rock song, possibly with words "night hunter" or something like that. Does anyone here know or even have the film? --Wrongfilter (talk) 21:16, 25 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Netflix doesn't have it. StuRat (talk) 21:45, 25 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I don't think to OP asked if the film was available on Netflix. The movie can be found on for sale on Amazon.com here: [7] . As far as the actual question, here is a link to a song titled "Night Hunter" from a relatively obscure 80's metal band called Lion's Pride: [8]. Probably a long shot, but the best I could find. cheers! 10draftsdeep (talk) 22:54, 25 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

They asked if anyone has the film. So, listing who does and does not have it seems like a good idea. StuRat (talk) 23:06, 25 January 2012 (UTC) [reply]

Ramirez was said to be a fan of the song "Night Prowler" by AC/DC. Even if that turns out not to be the song used in the movie (perhaps they couldn't get the rights), I bet it is what the filmmakers were alluding to.--Cam (talk) 04:31, 26 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

A review on the imdb reviews page says the movie has a "bad music score with a rip-off of Night Prowler by AC/DC" so it is not the actual AC/DC song.--Cam (talk) 04:47, 26 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

White rappers with skill

Hi all. Who are the best white rappers? Please post links to their best song or battle. I will compare them to people like Rone, Eyedea (RIP), MC Serch, Edan, Looptroop and the whole Rhymesayers Entertainment crew so please make sure they have the skill required to compete. Von Restorff (talk) 22:11, 25 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Being from Detroit, I'd have to go with Eminem. Vanilla Ice was also good, before he went too commercial. StuRat (talk) 22:15, 25 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

LOL. But seriously, does anyone know good white rappers? Von Restorff (talk) 22:24, 25 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

With all due respect, perhaps you'll get better answers if you explain what you mean by 'best' (record sales, critical acclaim, winning rap battles?), and yes, even 'white'. Ambiguity notwithstanding, I'd nominate Adam Yauch as a serious contender. More recently, Watkin_Tudor_Jones may be of interest, though his style is quite different from current American efforts. SemanticMantis (talk) 23:20, 25 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Well, white is hard to define in this case, but by 'best' I mean with the biggest amount of skill. Unfortunately the people with the most skill do not necessarily have huge record sales and critical acclaim. I love the Beastie Boys, so I know Adam as MCA. Jack Parrow (e.g. Cooler as Ekke and Dans dans dans) and Die Antwoord are surprisingly good for recent music. I was kinda confused by the name of their DJ but it seems that there is more than one Hi-Tek. Von Restorff (talk) 00:47, 26 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

"Skill" is also hard to define. Unless there's some specific objective criteria to measure against, it's very much a subjective personal opinion. Mitch Ames (talk) 01:00, 26 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

That is true. I can give you some examples. Brother Ali - Uncle Sam Goddamn, Edan: Sing it Shitface, Eyedea & Slug on the Wake Up Show, Kurious - Benetton ft MC Serch & MF DOOM :: Amalgam Digital, Grind Time Now Presents: Tricky P vs Rone et cetera. But I am asking for a personal opinion of course, no need for mathematical certainty. Von Restorff (talk) 01:17, 26 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

In all seriousness, the best "white" rappers, from a critical and commercial point of view (i.e. well liked by critics and those "inside" the hip hop world, as well as having popular success) are historically the Beastie Boys and Eminem. The Beasties were the first really successful white rap group, and Eminem came up as a protege of Dr. Dre and has some serious street cred. To a lesser extent, Kid Rock had some as well in his early years before he became a "jack-of-all-trades". Guys like Vanilla Ice and Snow were probably considered the Pat Boone of the rap world, and despite some commercial success, don't have the credibility that Eminem has. --Jayron32 02:30, 26 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Television show drama

It appears that one of my favorite television shows, Storm Chasers, has been cancelled. The general consensus on the Discovery Channel forums is that the show had taken a downhill slide due to a shifting of the show's focus away from the storm chasing and onto (either real or scripted) drama among the storm chasing teams, with the general consensus being that producers were taking too many creative liberties with the content of the show, a sentiment confirmed by the leader of TWISTEX in a statement that said in part "I won't comment on the editorial content, as nearly 100% of the viewers have commented accurately. Far too many 'creative liberties' were allowed."[9]. This is a trend that I have noticed among several documentary/reality type shows on cable networks lately, and it makes me wonder: Why would producers of a documentary/reality show like Storm Chasers decide to script in drama rather than focus on the actual subject of the show, especially when this causes a downhill slide like with Storm Chasers? Ks0stm ^{(T•C•G•E)} 22:21, 25 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

IRL storm chasing is pretty boring most of the time (an enormous amount of preparation); just like working in a pawn shop and being in the repo business. The producers do not realize we are smart enough to figure out they are faking it, and they think we love the stupid storylines they made up. So my guess would be a combination of stupidity and narcissism. Von Restorff (talk) 22:30, 25 January 2012 (UTC) p.s. Did you see this?[reply]

Studio execs are rather stupid. So, if scripted "reality" shows are getting good ratings, they naturally assume that making every other show into one of those will improve ratings. What they don't seem able to grasp is that the audience for documentaries does not want that and will not watch that. If game shows are popular next year, you can expect game show elements to appear in all the other shows, too. StuRat (talk) 01:49, 26 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

January 26

songs?

does anyone know of songs like "summer of '69", "jukebox hero", and "shooting star"? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.43.78.36 (talk) 06:02, 26 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Wikipedia has articles on all of these songs: Summer of '69 is a song by Bryan Adams, Juke Box Hero is by Foreigner and Shooting Star is by Bad Company. If you mean "Any songs about people getting started in rock and roll bands", then there is also the unsurprisingly titled song Rock and Roll Band by the band Boston, and Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out by Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band. --Jayron32 06:11, 26 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

the latter.

@@ Line 209: / Line 209: @@
 does anyone know of songs like "summer of '69", "jukebox hero", and "shooting star"?  <span style="font-size: smaller;" class="autosigned">— Preceding [[Wikipedia:Signatures|unsigned]] comment added by [[Special:Contributions/99.43.78.36|99.43.78.36]] ([[User talk:99.43.78.36|talk]]) 06:02, 26 January 2012 (UTC)</span><!-- Template:Unsigned IP --> <!--Autosigned by SineBot-->
 :Wikipedia has articles on all of these songs: [[Summer of '69]] is a song by [[Bryan Adams]], [[Juke Box Hero]] is by [[Foreigner (band)|Foreigner]] and [[Shooting Star (Bad Company song)|Shooting Star]] is by [[Bad Company]].  If you mean "Any songs about people getting started in rock and roll bands", then there is also the unsurprisingly titled song [[Rock and Roll Band]] by the band [[Boston]], and [[Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out]] by [[Bruce Springsteen]] and The [[E Street Band]].  --[[User:Jayron32|<font style="color:#000099">Jayron</font>]]'''''[[User talk:Jayron32|<font style="color:#009900">32</font>]]''''' 06:11, 26 January 2012 (UTC)
+the latter.