Wikipedia:Reference desk/Miscellaneous

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April 25

My Games Fever

Hello again, I'm sorry to bother you again, but I just have to know something.

Is My Games Fever cancelled because it fell victim to the "low ratings curse"? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 12.18.90.122 (talk) 01:12, 25 April 2007 (UTC).

These questions are probably more suited to Wikipedia:Reference desk/Entertainment. Pretty much all shows on US commercial television that are cancelled early are done so because of low ratings, which means less profit. Rockpocket 01:50, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

You don't have to apologize for asking us questions. :)

Localised Websites

Why do websites such as Google, Yahoo! and MSN have localised versions for many countries, except USA? For example, someone can search on Google for worldwide pages OR just UK pages at google.co.uk, but if someone wanted to look for just US pages, there is no google.us for them to do so? Same for MSN and Yahoo!. Isn't this ever an issue for Americans? --203.208.88.170 03:08, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

Because the world revolves around the US, that they're the centre of the world, and every page is localised to US by default. --antilived^{T | C | G} 03:18, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

Those sites are (at least de facto) USA-English-centric portals to begin with. The localized portal you suggest might be more useful on a site such as this. dr.ef.tymac 03:22, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

There is a way to restrict your Google search to pages located in the USA; use the search form at google.com/language_tools. --Mathew5000 17:52, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

Some countries require a localized version, such as China, so they can censor any mention of the Tianemen Square massacre, for example. StuRat 17:56, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

Here's an example of how to use the parameter cr= to restrict a search to pages in a particular country such as the US. Compare the following URLs searching for a certain eight-word phrase:

• google.com/search?q="university+where+he+received+his+doctorate+in+economics"&num=100&safe=off&filter=0
• google.com/search?q="university+where+he+received+his+doctorate+in+economics"&num=100&safe=off&filter=0&cr=countryUS

The first search returns 24 results, but the second search (with the added parameter "cr=countryUS") returns only 6 results; the non-USA results have been excluded. --Mathew5000 05:22, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

Yahoo does have a different version where I am (in australia) its at yahoo.com.au Thepalm 09:00, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

Question (lesbians and AIDS)

I don't know where else to ask this, but here: Can lesbians get AIDS? I've been wondering that for a while.--$UIT 03:53, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

Sure, why not? For example, a lesbian could have a bi-sexual lover, or a lesbian nursehealth care provider could get infected non-sexually. Clarityfiend 04:46, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

Or one lesbian could contract it from another lesbian. I don't see why a prick of one sort or another has to be involved. Dismas|^(talk) 04:49, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

Fact is, physically a lesbian is the same as a heterosexual woman (aside from some brain structure differences). Clarityfiend 04:57, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

There is no difference in brain structure.

Everyone's brain is structured slightly differently, that is what makes most of us individuals.

If the questioner really means "is HIV transmissible via cunnilingus?", the answer is yes, but the risk is quite low. The risk increases if the person giving the oral sex has any lesions in the mouth or throat and if the recipient has any lesions in the vaginal neighborhood or is menstruating. Epidemiologically, monogamous lesbians have some of the lowest rates of HIV among sexually active people. More here. --TotoBaggins 06:51, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

How about via scissoring? Hmmm... Azi Like a Fox 12:23, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

Yes, Lesbians can transmit AIDS via Genital to Genital contact. Anyone can. I can't find a spot on online citation on this, thugh I'm sure a search will turn up lots of information. You could also contact your local AIDS association for information, or even a non-local one. The people at Aids Vancouver Island are helpful folks: http://www.avi.org/ gorffy 23:40, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

Anyone can contract AIDS including virgins and children. Any transmission of blood with someone HIV+ can contract the virus. Lesbians are only less likely to contract HIV+ than gays and heterosexuals because (on average) they have fewer sexual partners than either group. --Ephilei 01:32, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

I don't think it is fair to say that the reduced risk for lesbians is because they have fewer sexual partners. There are several possible routes for HIV transmission. In the case of sexual transmission, lesbians are not at reduced risk because of a reduced number of sexual partners, but rather because the forms of sexual activity they are most likely to engage in are those that carry an extremely low risk of transmission. Bluntly put, if no penis is involved, the risk of HV transmission is drastically reduced. (Before jumping on me, please note that I said reduced, not eliminated.) - Eron ^Talk 01:42, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

tunes used in ACT II of stage play "Picnic"original 1953 Music Box Theater NYC

04:23, 25 April 2007 (UTC)WorcennojI have searched and searched. All I have come up with is "there is no documentation" of the music in "Picnic". NOT the movie of 1956, but the award winning stage play Feb. 19, 1953, by William Inge and directed by Joshua Logan. What were the piano tunes that Ernie Higgins played in ACT II?Worcennoj 04:23, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

How do you decode this Dewey Decimal Classification code?

How do you decode the Dewey Decimal Classification code below?

64'.7—dc22

What subdivision does the publication belongs to? Is it 064? Or is it 640? Something else? What exactly does

64'

mean? And what does "—dc22" mean? --72.78.237.89 05:20, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

That doesn't look like a Dewey or LCC number. What's the book? Where's it from? FiggyBee 07:39, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

The book is a DIY home improvement manual. The Dewey classification is from the Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data on the copyright page of the book, which I assume is accurate. --72.78.237.89 12:20, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

In the Dewey Decimal Classification, 640 is the general class for 'Home & family management' (reference), which seems like a good place for a DIY book. I thought perhaps the ' in your number was a misprinted 1, however 641 is 'food and drink'. The summary document linked above doesn't get into the decimal portion of classifications, and the only thing I found when Google searching for 641.7 is 'Specific cooking proceses and techniques', so that doesn't work out. As far as the "dc22," it most likely represents version 22 of the Dewey Decimal Classification system (reference). --LarryMac 14:41, 25 April 2007 (UTC).

Thanks for replying. I think I've found the answer. Like you said, "dc22" stands for the 22nd edition of the Dewey Decimal Classification. From checking the catalog of the Library of Congress, I found that a digit is missing from the Dewey classification number. The correct number, according to the LoC catalog, is: 643'.7

As for the ' ("prime mark"), it is used to mark the place(s) where the classification number may be truncated, if one wants to use a shorter/truncated version of the classification number.[1] --72.78.237.89 14:57, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

Plz help to kill my nokia!

My Nokia 3310 was stolen three weeks ago. I don't want that thief to use my cell. So I want to destroy it's software using it's IMEI(International Mobile Equipment Identity) number. When I want to use it here I came to know that it can't be done in India. Can any one from any country help me to do it. I'm giving you my IMEI no: 350606605344266. Plz do what ever you can do with that number. But it should be destroyed. Plz post me the result after you have done that. It was a very sentimental one to me and should not be used by others. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Temuzion (talk • contribs) 07:38, 25 April 2007 (UTC).

That's impossible. Just cancel your account with your provider. atomicthumbs 16:27, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

My god, this could be the lead-in to a great phishing attack! --Zeizmic 16:45, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

Just call your provider and have them deactivate your sim card, that way the phone won't be able to dial out, or receive calls, or download ringtones, etc..--VectorPotential^Talk 17:25, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

While you cannot "destroy" your phone's software, the article on IMEI seems to suggest that there are steps you may take, such as contacting CEIR, to get the device blacklisted, in theory preventing the use of the phone even if its SIM card is replaced. Azi Like a Fox 04:39, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

Even if a reader had special software which could reach out and disable a phone with a certain ID number, we have no real way of knowing that the person requesting such an action is the rightful owner (as opposed to someone with a grudge against the owner and knowledge of the ID number). Edison 16:37, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

Purgatory

Do Catholics believe that all people who will go to heaven after they die will go temporarily to purgatory before they go to heaven, or just some?The Anonymous One 09:23, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

Wow, an interesting(to me) question about Catholic theology phrased in a nuetral way! ;) Well, after some research, and going by the words of Julian, Cardinal Cesarini speaking at the Council of Florence, souls' of Saints get to go straight to heaven, so no, not all saved people have to stop-over in purgatory prior to going to heaven in Catholic theology [2]. I also saw mention of Martyrs getting a free pass, but from what I can tell the vast majority of the saved do have to go there. Also, just in case, here's a Catholic apologist page(one of many I'm sure) which addresses some common criticisms of the Catholic doctrine of purgatory, in case you were wondering[3]. As an aside, personally I've always been perplexed from a strictly logical standpoint at the various ways, indulgences, etc., that were in times past offered to shorten a souls' time in purgatory. What's the big deal about having your soul spend a finite amount of time, no matter how long, being purified in purgatory if you're guaranteed eventually to spend an !!eternity!! of bliss with God in heaven? Even if purgatory is extremely unpleasant/painful the obsession with commuting the time spent there just doesn't make much sense to me...---AZI--- 38.112.225.84 11:11, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

I think technically (according to Catholicism), the people in Purgatory are saints, because they are saved. They aren't the canonized saints whose lives the church puts up as an example to believers, but they're saints nonetheless. Not that I'm an authority on Catholicism; "just telling you what I've heard". --Trovatore 19:16, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

No, the people in heaven are saints; that is the general Catholic definition of 'saint'. The 'saints' that are cannonised are just those among the saints that the Church considers definately to be saints ('proved' by miracles granted in their name), who have lived heroic lives that serve as a good example to people. In order to get to heaven, everyone except martyrs has to go through purgatory, to make sure they're clean for heaven. Martyrs get a free ride for their pains! The church makes no claims over how long purgatory takes. Yay for absorbing knowledge. There's lots of doctrinal detail if you want it at The Catholic Encyclopedia, or you could find propaganda either way on Google. Skittle 21:36, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

I don't believe that it is correct to say that, according to Roman Catholic doctrine, "everyone except martyrs has to go through purgatory." As the Catholic Encyclopedia states, Purgatory is "a place or condition of temporal punishment for those who... are, not entirely free from venial faults, or have not fully paid the satisfaction due to their transgressions." It further states the "many who have died are still in a place of purification;" many, not all. The Catechism of the Roman Catholic Church states that "all who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified," undergo the necessary purification in Purgatory, while "Those who die in God's grace and friendship and are perfectly purified," do not, but go directly to Heaven. It is possible, through confession and penance, to receive full absolution for sins before death, and so to avoid Purgatory. (Not always easy, but possible.) - Eron ^Talk 00:52, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

• There's different forms of Catholicism and within each form, not every believer thinks the same. - Mgm|^(talk) 12:26, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

After you die, your soul goes to a Steambath; be nice to the little Puerto Rican guy.

Atlant 12:33, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

SeeJohann Tetzel, who said something like, "How can you cling to that gold piece, knowing that your dead mother is suffering in purgatory and with the money you could shorten her suffering? and the catchier ""As soon a coin in coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs." See also[4]. Edison 16:31, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

The person who asks this question is a troll proof.--Kirby♥time 13:21, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

Why won't my teachers let me cite Wikipedia? This is asinine.

Ignoring the likelyhood of an article on things such as muon-catalyzed fusion being vandalized, the teachers at my school (Sir Francis Drake High School) say that we cannot cite or use Wikipedia for research, due to the fact that anyone can edit it, and that because of that all information on Wikipedia is suspect. I know that's not the case, and so I'm stuck using Opentopia Encyclopedia, which uses a Wikipedia database dump. It's kind of hard to use, but it has no edit link and I'm telling my teachers that it uses one of the "Certified Good" database dumps (I know, there isn't any such thing). Can anybody right a persuasive thing that'd convince my teachers to let us use Wikipedia? atomicthumbs 16:27, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

I do understand why your teachers doesn't allow wikipedia to be cited, but they can't bar you from using it to find things out. If you look something up for an assignment here, look at the sources for the facts you want and cite those. Your teachers would have to allow that (and if the statement isn't sourced, don't use it).

Also, please educate your teachers on what a database dump is (if you can, that is). There's a reason it's called a "dump", not a "selection". --Oskar 16:36, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

Go over their head. Talk to the principal. Or you parents. Or the school superintendent. Or your local member of parliament/senator.

Seriously though, what I would do is ignore your teacher and cite Wikipedia to your hearts content. Dare them to fail you on account of an asinine rule. When you expose yourself to a very bad outcome, the teacher will be forced to re-think their silly position. Vranak

This is a totally irresponsible suggestion. Advising that the student should go out of his way to make his teacher's life harder when the teacher has a perfectly valid and reasonable rule as regards a writing assignment is terrible. No school administrator in their right mind would side with a student who is being disruptive just because they don't wish to follow the rules of the assignment as stated. -- mattb 18:51, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

On the contrary, searching high and low for citation sources would be 'going out of the way'. Why should anyone have to do that when Wikipedia is, in all honesty, as good if not better than any other source, on the majority of topics? Vranak

Most educators and professionals do not consider it appropriate to use any tertiary sources such as encyclopedias as a sole source for any information. Wikipedia articles should be used for background information, as a reference for correct terminology and search terms, and as a starting point for further research. Always check your facts against multiple independent sources. Jon513 17:29, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

To back up what everyone else has said, encyclopedias should almost never be cited in professional writing. What's more, vandalism isn't the only problem. There may be information in articles that is simply wrong, misleading, or which promotes one point of view unduly over another. There is no guarantee that any page here is accurate because there are no credentials behind the editors. That's not to say that Wikipedia isn't a great starting point, but I would never dare cite any fact or figure in Wikipedia before finding a respectable first or second hand source that verifies it (this is the spirit of WP:V). -- mattb 17:27, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

No encyclopedia is a good source for scholarly work. You can use an encyclopedia for a general overview of a topic, but for more depth you should go directly to the kinds of sources that encyclopedias use. If you used Wikipedia this way, nobody would ever know because the sources you'd actually cite wouldn't be Wikipedia. Friday (talk) 17:15, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

'No encyclopedia is a good source for scholarly work'? With all due respect, I strongly disagree. Vranak

I'm curious whether you have any experience in professional journalism or writing for peer-reviewed resources. If so, would you honestly cite Wikipedia on a stated fact in your writing, putting the credibility of your work and perhaps your own credibility as an author into the hands of an unreviewed, unchecked resource? If you haven't, with all due respect, stop giving poor advice about something in which you've had no experience. -- mattb 00:15, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

Yes. Though, for most of my time in High School the teachers allowed citing encyclopedias and random, crappy Internet sources. Only in a couple Grade 12 courses did they finally get serious about it. It doesn't strike me as the best way to prepare students for University, but they generally simply did not care about what the sources were. However, considering most High Schools don't have access to journals, the sources available for searching is a little more limited. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 17:19, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

(after edit conflict)It's a good rule, but they're citing the wrong reason. As you continue in your studies, you'll find that good academic writing demands references to primary and (some) secondary source material rather than a tertiary source like Wikipedia (or any other encyclopedia).

Remember, the rule is that you can't cite Wikipedia in your papers; there's no reason not to use Wikipedia in the course of your research. Wikipedia articles (like most encyclopedia articles, and many introductory-level textbooks) provides an excellent starting point; we give you an overview of a topic that you can use as a guide to further research. Many Wikipedia articles provide footnotes and references that point to primary sources for the information we provide. It is these sources that you should be following up with and citing in your writing.

Don't try to sneak around the rules you've been provided by lying to your teachers about your sources. Instead use this rule to improve the quality of your citations in your writing—drop all encyclopedias from your references. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 17:22, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

Hear, hear. Just what I was thinking, but you're much more coherent... Carom 17:26, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

indeed. there is no reason to cite Wikipedia. Good Wikipedia articles cite their sources, and you can just cite those. Wikipedia articles that do not cite their sources you should disregard anyway. dab (𒁳) 17:31, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

Don't listen to these guys atomicthumb, they are apparently part of the establishment. Vranak

There is no cabal! -Wooty Woot? contribs 19:10, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

Even Wikipedia doesn't accept Wikipedia as a source; you can't cite another Wiki article because it doesn't qualify as a reliable source. -FisherQueen (Talk) 19:09, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

That's not a compelling argument as to why Wikipedia is useless for serious scholarship. It is simply a feature which says, 'no recursive citations'. Vranak

Just to put in my view, I concur with the positions given by Mattb, Jon513, TenOfAllTrades, Carom, and Dbachmann. Vranak has attacked their arguments (rather ineffectively, I should add) but has completely failed to articulate any coherent argument in support of his own position. I believe Vranak may be trolling. --Coolcaesar 20:30, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

Although I too concur with TenOfAllTrades, et seq., this is not moot court and the purpose of the RefDesk is to answer questions, not argue cases. Speaking of which, getting back to the original question ... there are numerous sources that discuss this issue. Also, the faculty and administration of a school named after Sir Francis Drake may have reason to be afraid of getting fooled by sources of questionable credibility. Whether the fear is justifiable or not is a separate matter, best left to the discussion pages. (See also Criticism of Wikipedia). dr.ef.tymac 23:55, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

The reason you can't cite Wikipedia is because it is not always accurate, sorry to say. There is a lot of stuff on Wikipedia that isn't correct, whether placed there due to vandals, hoaxsters or just a well-meaning but mistaken person. What Wikipedia is good for is gathering background information and pointing you toward sources that your teacher will accept, like books. -- Mwalcoff 04:51, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

You know, I've been thinking about this a little. My intuitive reaction was certainly, no, of course you shouldn't cite encyclopedias in a research paper, but I wasn't sure just why. The reliability argument is not terribly convincing; by and large encyclopedias are probably more reliable than primary sources.

What occurs to me is that, while information cited from an encyclopedia might be reliable, what it's not is scholarship. It's more like regurgitation. You're relying on others to process the information for you, and not learning to do it yourself.

There's a similar point to be made on the question of bias. Are encyclopedia articles -- even freely editable ones -- more likely to be biased than primary sources? No, they're a good deal less likely to have explicit biases (at least, relative to the average POV of the editorial class). The authors of primary sources are rarely disinterested parties, and they don't have to compromise with anyone else in how they present their observations.

But the point is that figuring out author bias and correcting for it is part of the task. You're supposed to learn how to do it yourself. If your sources have already tried to do that, then what you get is still not really unbiased; it just has the biases that most of the editors share, but figuring out what those are is much harder (and more to the point, the student is much less likely to even attempt it, or even notice the presence of these silent biases).

So, bottom line: The teachers are right. You shouldn't cite Wikipedia -- or any encyclopedia -- in a school paper, at least past the middle school level. --Trovatore 21:15, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

What is a FIRM base

Several times during your article on Hit you discuss FIRM base one and two. What are FIRM bases? I searced the web and am unable to find a good answer?

138.162.140.59 16:38, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

For the benefit of others, the question seems to be about Hīt, a town in Iraq. --LarryMac 16:47, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

I know nothing about the military, but I did Google "military jargon" and "firm base". If you go to the site [5], it contains a paragraph about what "firm bases" include. It seems to describe a permanent camp as opposed, I think, to a forward operating base. Bielle 18:09, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

A baby, an Aquos LC-52D62U and a Sony MDR-RF5000K !!!?

I have an Aquos LC-52D62U connected to my DVR from Comcast for HDTV reception; I also have a 9 months old at home and his Mom (my wife) that shouts everytime I turn on the volume up; So I decided to get a Sony wireless MRD-RF 5000K but I do not know how to connect it to my Aquos, or to the comscast DVR or to where??? Sony manual is quite poor in instructions. Please help.

Axel

Don't you just plug your base station in, plug the stereo cable into your TV in the earphone jack, make sure your haedphones are charged and voilà. --antilived^{T | C | G} 08:38, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

Trail and Freeride bikes

Hello,

Just asking which bike out of a Trail of Freeride bike would be best for doing moderate jumps, ramps and drops (nothing more than about 3m high). And what sort of price are you looking at for each one (in GBP if you could please)?

Thanks, --84.66.18.84 17:02, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

Gunther sunglasses

What brand/model of sunglasses does Mats Söderlund wear? Here's a closeup shot: [6]. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Rc251dc (talk • contribs) 18:55, 25 April 2007 (UTC).

Taxi accident statistics for NYC

Does anyone know where I can find the number of accidents taxis are involved in in New York City? Thanks. (I'm actually looking for a measure of how dangerous riding in NYC cabs is compared to riding with the average NYC driver. And this seemed like a good statistic to start with. Suggestions for and sources of other relevant statistics also welcome.) --noosphere 19:08, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

Taxicab and Livery Crashes in New York City 2004: [7]

Crash rates are one-third lower for taxicabs and liveries than for other types of vehicles. The crash rate was 4.6 taxicabs involved in reported accidents per million miles traveled and 3.7 liveries involved in reported accidents per million miles traveled, compared with 6.7 vehicles involved in reported accidents per million miles for all vehicles in New York City, in 2004.

Rockpocket 22:03, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

US TV in New Zealand

If you bought a satilette, could u usei t watch US TV?

Probably. Of course, Satellites cost many millions of dollars, so just using it to pick up stray TV transmissions might be a bit of a waste.

If you are talking about a satellite television service, if you're in NZ you might want to look into SKY Network Television. FiggyBee 21:23, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

What our questioner is asking is: "If you bought a satellite TV dish, could you use it to watch US television in New Zealand?". Well, the satellites that broadcast TV to the USA are going to be on the other side of the planet from New Zealand - there is not possible way for you to pick up a US satellite there. So - the only possibility is that some New Zealand (or possibly Australian) satellite rebroadcasts American channels. I would bet that they all rebroadcast some american channels - so I wouldn't be at all surprised to find CNN (for example) - but some of the more obscure channels - I doubt it. SteveBaker 03:19, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

Not exactly. The satellites that broadcast TV to the US are not necessarily "on the other side of the planet". Most satellites (but not all) are in a geostationary orbit over the Equator, and the difference in longitude between Honolulu and Auckland is less than that between Honolulu and Los Angeles. A broadcast from a geostationary satellite over or near Hawaii may be receivable in New Zealand. America is on the other side of the planet from the mid-Indian Ocean, south of India; New Zealand's quite a distance from there.

However, New Zealand uses a different television broadcast standard than North America. New Zealand, like much of the world, uses the PAL system, while the US uses NTSC. Unless you have a NTSC decoder (and the vast majority of TVs out of the box don't) you can't successfully watch NTSC broadcasts on a PAL box. --Charlene 03:59, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

Apart from which, direct broadcast satellites do not radiate their signal equally powerfully at all parts of the planet - they have a "footprint" where they intend people to receive their signal. Even if a satellite in geostationary orbit is visible from both New Zealand and part of the US, it is extremely unlikely that signals intended for the US would also be directed towards NZ (who would pay to do this? Satellite transponders are valuable property). -- Arwel (talk) 12:19, 29 April 2007 (UTC)

Is there a site that lists video service sites around the world?

I love YouTube, and I've been to Dailymotion (a video service site in France). And now, I want video sites to go to in other countries. Like Italy, Brazil, Japan, South Africa, the Middle East, and well others. Is there a site that lists international video service sites? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Sirdrink13309622 (talk • contribs) 21:25, 25 April 2007 (UTC).

We have a (rather poor) list at Online video#Websites. Rockpocket 07:00, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

I can improve that! Meanwhile see http://unplug.mozdev.org/sites.html --h2g2bob 11:30, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

List of video sharing websites is where it's at! --h2g2bob 12:47, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

Nice work, h2g2bob. I have tagged it as having been improved by a Ref Desk question. Rockpocket 18:26, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

MySpace vs. Facebook?

How does MySpace compare to Facebook? Thanks! S.dedalus 21:30, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

In what respect? Carom 22:11, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

One of the differences is that MySpace allows user customized HTML and CSS layouts, while all Facebook profiles have identical layouts. As attractive as it seems towards MySpace, I think it is ultimately one of its downfalls as many users bloat up their profiles with large files and complicated scripts that dramatically increases load times. Jamesino 00:48, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

In terms of differences between the two social communities, differences in how the pages are used, differences in features, and possibly differences in the policies of the two sites. S.dedalus 01:50, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

I think facebook is largely for college/university students, whereas myspace is more used by kids and bands looking for their big break. Just a rough impression though.137.138.46.155 08:03, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

Facebook is centered around organising events (like having a party!) and on hosting photographs of people. I'm not so sure of MySpace's appeal, but I know they treat bands and musicians well, and it is easy to add music and videos. MySpace is indexed by search engines, while Facebook is not; so lots of people use MySpace for promotion. Both allow you to leave messages and talk with friends. --h2g2bob 11:29, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

trinidad and tobago laws and average wage

I have tried several times to find the average monthly or yearly salary for port of spain trinidad and tobago... no luck. the minimum wage is $9.00, but for various unskilled jobs I came up with nothing. Also, I am trying to find out the average child support payments there and the child enforcement laws regarding this. Anything would be helpful at this point, I am running in circles. Thanks. ali

JULIUS CAESAR SPEECH

Hi this is Anonoymous. I'm doing an speech on Julius Caesar. What can I add in that will give me an A+? 71.141.112.218 23:33, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

What you can add to get an A+ is your own work. As it says above under How to ask a question, "Do your own homework. The reference desk won't give you answers for your homework, although we will try to help you out if there's a specific part of your homework you don't understand. Make an effort to show that you've tried solving it first." - Eron ^Talk 23:50, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

Ah, go on.

• Who was he
• Why is he well known
  • Aa a general
  • As emperor
  • As a famously assassinated person
  • As an author
• What sources do we have for our knowledge of him (e.g. his books, contemporary books about him)
• How well known is he
  • Biblical reference to Caesers. (render unto Caeser...)
  • Shakespeare play
  • If in UK, conquest of Britain

Stuff like that, I guess. Remember not to plagiarize the wikipedia article. Work out what tone of voice you're going to use: serious student or Bill & Ted?--Tagishsimon (talk)

Think about your presentation. This is a speech, so how you present it will be marked; the best content in the world won't help if you look at your paper and mumble. Practice so that you can do most of it without reading. Use cue cards to keep track of where you are rather than reading from a paper. Have a couple of visual aids - posters, props - and use them. Speak clearly and make eye contact with your audience. Sound like you believe what you are saying. - Eron ^Talk 00:36, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

Pretend you are Mark Antony, and do a version of his famous oration (Julius Caesar, Shakespeare, Act 3, Scene 2) along the lines of Friends, Romans, Countrymen...I come to praise Caesar, not to bury him... If you master your brief, and if you speak clearly, you should do pretty well. Good luck. Clio the Muse 00:48, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

Make sure your speech has an argument. Have something bold to say about him. Don't just recite facts. Nobody cares about details except those who already know them. Tell them something they don't expect. --24.147.86.187 00:49, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

Tagishsimon, for your benefit, I think you should know that Caesar came to Britain, Caesar saw Britain, but Caesar did not conquer Britain! Clio the Muse 00:53, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

<hangs head in shame, awards self D minus> --Tagishsimon (talk)

Your speech was superb, though. That alone deserves an A+ Clio the Muse 01:00, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

I came to this page, I saw it, and I concur. :) JackofOz 02:35, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

You could start by asking the audience to lend you their ears.137.138.46.155 08:05, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

Just don't ask them to wash the blood off your toga. JackofOz 08:33, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

don't mention the salad :)Perry-mankster 09:08, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

Research more than the bare minimum - that way you can just include the best bits, and you'll know what you're talking about a bit more which means you'll be more confident. To keep all the facts on his life connected (rather than a list of facts), you might like to have a common theme, like showing his willingness to take risks, or his use of military force to get things done, or his lust for power: something to tie together the events into a story. Don't be afraid to be forceful and opinionated, but be prepared to support your views. Being opinionated should be easy: he committed adultery with Cleopatra and declared himself a god! Read through the wikipedia page as a starting point, and look for books on the subject at your local library. --h2g2bob 11:15, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

I second this. Make it interesting for the person to watch. Use sketchy sources and bend the truth a little if you want, nothing completely factual is interesting, except in the nerdy ways (Oh, something I like! Must know more, even if it's boring as hell to read!). Add little oddball tidbits about him. Did he have a scar, or a tattoo? Did he have a strange condition? Say things that will make the listener go "Huh.", instead of "Uhh." -- Phoeba Wright^OBJECTION! 06:18, 28 April 2007 (UTC)

April 26

The Speed of a Canal Boat

Hello Wikipedians.

This summer I am planning on hiring a canal boat and sailing (is that the correct term?) it from my home in Birmingham to Bristol and back. Upon having a brief search around the Internets, it seems that most of the companies that hire out do so by the week.

However, I have absolutely no idea a voyage from Brum to Brizzle would take! I have seen canal boats in action, and they do not seem to be the quickest of vehicles. But really, I have little comprehension of the timescales involved in traversing the country. So, if Wikipedia would be so kind as to inform me, how fast can your standard canal barge travel, and how long would it then take me to get to my destination and back.

Thank you, 194.80.32.12 23:56, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

If you know which route you wish to take (see here for a guide) you can cross-reference the route with Jim Shead's list of cruising times for different canals. Rockpocket 01:36, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

It's not a matter of how fast the boat will go - it's all to do with the speed limits they post all over the canals. A significant number of lock gates will slow you down no end too - especially if there is a long line of inexperienced people trying to get through ahead of you. But ask the people you rent from - they'll have a really solid idea of how far you can realistically go in the time available. Stehttp://en.wikipedia.org/skins-1.5/common/images/button_sig.pngveBaker 02:31, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

You don't "sail" a narrowboat - you are boating or cruising. The speed limit on British inland waterways is 4mph, but the distance you actually travel in one day will be determined by factors such as locks and tunnels on your route, weather conditions, whether you are sharing the skippering with anyone else, how experienced your crew are, and, most importantly, how hard you want to "work" on your holiday. If you are continually worrying about making a certain distance before it gets dark (cruising after dark has dangers and most hire boats companies do not allow it) then you will not enjoy your holiday. If you are making your crew get up early and miss meal breaks then they will not thank you either. Definitely ask a local hire company for advice. For general information on boat handling and safety, British Waterways publish a useful Boater's Handbook. Gandalf61 08:52, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

Suspect online transaction

I just listed a laptop on craigslist and have someone interested by I'm suspicious for several reasons. First, my price wasn't very competitive. Second, this was a local, Illinois listing, but the buyer wants it shipped to Nigeria. Third, her email comes from Yahoo mail and Yahoo says her message came from an IP in California; that means her email went from Nigeria to California to Illinois. Fourth, though I hate to stereotype, I've heard a lot of online scams coming from Nigeria. However, she agrees to pay me via paypal before I let the computer leave my hands, so I'm safe right? It feels like one of those 'too good to be true' situations. I'm not versed in online commerce, so I'm not sure what to think. --Ephilei 01:25, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

No, you're not safe. Please read Craigs List's scam page. And if you google "PayPal scam nigeria" you can see how secure PayPal is for these sorts of things. If it's too good to be true then don't do it. --24.147.86.187 01:50, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

Did you mean "how insecure paypal is"? --Ephilei 02:21, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

The most common scam of this kind is that they overpay - ask you to send them the balance - then the original payment bounces. It's hard to see how that could happen with paypal though. Paypal won't give you the money until the cheque has cleared - so as long as they pay the exact correct amount and you make really, REALLY sure you have the money in hand - then it's hard to see how they can be scamming you. I guess the other possibility is that they may ask you for all manner of personal information from you - and use that to do some variety of identity theft. But so long as you tell them only the barest minimum and you have the money in hand before you ship it - I don't see a problem with doing this. Don't forget to erase all of your personal data from the hard drive before you ship it - you'll want to use one of those data 'scrubbers' to prevent a potential bad guy from extracting credit card numbers using an 'un-delete' tool. SteveBaker 02:28, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

Right. I've waiting until I'm absolutely certain the money's in my account before shipping anything. After this conversation, I may even call Paypal to doublecheck and record the call. The laptop is a macbook and I'm using the OS X 35 pass erase process. It takes 18 hours to complete, so the hard drive should be 60GB of pure zeroes. --Ephilei 02:46, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

I would be extremely leery of this proposition. While there is certainly a chance it is a legitimate offer, the "too good to be true" rule is a fairly safe one in relation to online transactions. If you do go ahead beware of the PayPal scam where you are sent a fake confirmation e-mail purportedly from PayPal telling you the payment has been transfered to your account. Another possiblity is that you will be paid with a hacked/compromised PayPal account, which could lead to all kinds of hassle after the actual account owner notices the unauthorized payment. Personally, I wouldn't touch this offer...WP:AGF does not apply to Nigeria, your noble desire to avoid stereotyping notwithstanding. Azi Like a Fox 09:37, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

Nigeria is famous for their online scammers - all the most entertaining spam comes from there (unlike this BBSpot parody :-) One Nigerian official said that scams have "become very popular in Nigeria."[8] But don't worry - I don't think they can scam you (not when you've got the money safe via PayPal), but they may be using a stolen credit card number... --h2g2bob 09:54, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

I fear that we may be stereotyping persons from an entire nation, which would be a violation of WP:BLP. There are doubtless some honest consumers in Nigeria who really want to buy used computers. That said, there are probably ways to cheat a seller even when payment is by Paypal. Perhaps the purchaser could deny receiving the merchandise, or substitute a defective computer for the original and demand his money back, or use a guarantee feature in Paypal to get his money back by claiming that you somehow comitted fraud, not to mention somehow getting your information for ID theft purposes. For an account of someone turning the tables and scamming the scammer, see [9]. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Edison (talk • contribs) 16:31, 26 April 2007 (UTC).

Say what you want about stereotyping but this isn't an article so policies don't matter. That would be like if someone called you a dirty name in traffic and you asked them for a reference. Recury 17:07, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

Actually, policies do matter out of articlespace, WP:BLP in particular: "Editors must take particular care adding biographical material about a living person to any Wikipedia page". Though I don't think stereotyping violates BLP and I do like your analogy. Rockpocket 18:22, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

Cowslip Poisoning Potential

I'm getting somewhat contradictory information about cowslips on-line. You can eat the greens, but the flowers are poisonous. And maybe you don't want to eat the greens taken from a flowering plant. Although this is difficult, because they bloom about two minutes after they emerge. I do know the raw leaves of a flowering plant made my mouth feel funny. What's the deal? Mothperson cocoon 02:51, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

My guess is the confusion arises from the fact that their are two varieties of flower known as "Cowslip". One is poisonous, the other isn't. Caltha palustris is an irritant, while Primula veris is used medicinally. gorffy 04:36, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

Aha! A line to pursue. Thank you very much. Mothperson cocoon 11:26, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

You're welcome. As a side note, It'd probably be a good idea to check with someone who knows plants, like a botanist or even a doctor, before eating wild flowers. gorffy 18:49, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

Hee hee. Tell that to generations of Americans who have been eating Caltha palustris for generations. What were they thinking? I'm going to find out. Mothperson cocoon 23:00, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

Hi ... Problem with page.

Hi the page : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toilet#Khazi

Has been hacked by someone. I thought you should know. It says I can fix it myself but I don’t really care that much. Its your problem, not mine (Sorry if that sounds short, but I have spent 5 mins trying to navigate to a page that didn’t 'pass the buck' and I'm starting to get annoyed.

The entry within the page has the paragraph:

Crapper The Crapper another term in general use, along with the word 'crap' meaning excrement. Crapper is the name of one Thomas Crapper who is mistakenly associated with the invention of the modern flush toilet. He did have several patents related to plumbing, but the word "crap" predates him. Also crappity crap crap is fuck.

Its this last sentence that is obviously incorrect.

"Also crappity crap crap is fuck." is obviously a site hack.

Thought you should know. If this is not the page to tell you ... sorry. If you want me to put it in the correct place, don’t use links that link you to explanations and further links. It ends up circular. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 193.60.161.49 (talk) 08:30, 26 April 2007 (UTC).

Fixed - X201 09:09, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

As wikipedia can be edited by anyone, someone just added that text. Normally this sort of thing is noticed and put right quickly - often in under a minute. See Wikipedia:Vandalism. --h2g2bob 09:38, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

Now that is odd. A person can't be bothered to fix the article, but does have the time to come here and write this long explanation? Hmmm... Clarityfiend 14:11, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

I don't think that's odd at all. If, for instance, they're used to (trying) to fix errors in, say, IMDb (which is a royal pain), doing the equivalent of posting a blog comment would seem like way less work. The original poster may not know that removing a line of vandalism is as easy as posting here. Anchoress 17:31, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

Telepathic internet article

I recently submitted an article entitled "Telepathic Internet", which has been filed in the "articles for deletion" category. I have now re-written the introductory paragraphs as promised, removing the magazine-article spam.

I recognise that the subject of this article is not what most people would describe as mainstream science. I acknowledge that it may be seen as rather esoteric or spiritual for most people.

My intention in writing this article is (metaphorically speaking) to plant a seed. I would appreciate it if a place could be found for the article other than the deletion file (articles for deletion). I reccognise that it may not get a lot of use immediately, but if left to germinate and be discovered by web-browsing spiritualists, it could grow into something wonderful in a few years time.

I can reassure all concerned that I currently have no plans to submit further articles. I look forward to seeing this article off the deletion list. I can be contacted at (email address redacted to prevent spam) for one-to-one discussion on this matter.

     Many Thanks,
 (\0/)  Arthur  (\0/)
  /_\ Phillipson /_\

—The preceding unsigned comment was added by Arthur Phillipson (talk • contribs) 09:54, 26 April 2007 (UTC).

The problem with your article is that it is on a subject that may not be considered notable. Additionally, it doesn't contain any references to previously published information. For those reasons, I'm afraid that your article is likely to be deleted. In any event, the proper place to argue its case is not here, but the article's deletion page. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 09:59, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

The article certainly doesn't reach any of Wikipedia quality standards - I would certainly vote for a speedy deletion. The trouble is that it doesn't approach the subject from a neutral point of view - where are the views of people saying that this is a load of nonsense? Where are the references showing that you didn't just think this up by yourself? Wikipedia has lots of carefully thought out rules about this kind of fringe subject - and you aren't meeting any of them. Wikipedia isn't a place for you to publicise crazy ideas like this one in the hope that in so doing you'll get them publicity and thereby allow them to "germinate". This is an encyclopedia - whose job it is solely to document what is real - and what can be verified by books, magazine articles, etc. So this article has to go - and I'm heading over to the AfD page to vote against it. SteveBaker 12:37, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

Hi Arthur, but please don't take any of this personally. All it means is that wikipedia isn't the right home for your article, just like any website about spirituality wouldn't be the right place to host our feature article on Michael Woodruff, which is a fine example of an article wikipedia is suitable for. Vespine 22:53, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

I have the solution for you, just put the article under your own namespace, as User:Arthur_Phillipson/Telepathic_internet, and nobody is likely to try to delete it. StuRat 05:47, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

Nope. If it's not related to the Wikipedia, someone will most likely put it up for WP:MfD. Or, if it was already AfD'd, it would be speedyable. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 05:48, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

Strange car

Can any of you help me? I have recently seen a car I didn't recognise, and I don't have enough info on the brand or the model to do a good search. It is a sports cabrio with an extremely low front window (about 20 cm high), two seater, no top, no rollbars, engine in the back, rounded (not "edgy") design, a bit reminiscent of (a heavier version of) the Fiat Barchetta. I haven't seen the front very well, on the side it had either "Spyker" or "Spyder" in tiny metal letters (but it doesn't look like any Spyker I could find info on, so I suppose it's "Spyder", and it isn't the Renault Spyder). It looked like a fairly recent car, not an oldtimer at all. The most recognisable element (apart from the front window) is probably the back: it had a square cooling grille, and behind it eleven circular holes (with a very rough estimate diamter of 10 cm each?), ordered like this:

O O O O O O

_O O O O O

I haven't seen any indication of brand, model, ... I hope this description rings a bell with someone! Fram 11:45, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

Could it be a Porsche 550, better known as a Porsche Spyder? It fits every bit of your description except for the circular holes (although by "behind the grille", I understand this as meaning "on the body between the grilles and the roof". If you mean "under the grilles", my mistake. I don't know what the inside of a Spyder cooling grille looks like). Laïka 11:59, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

The problem is that Spyder is a common word meaning any low, convertible car. You may want to look at the list of cars on that page and see if any of them fit the car you saw. Laïka 12:07, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

While the Porsche 550 comes close, there are differences: the car I see looked a lot more modern (1990s or 2000s), didn't have a head "bump" (the elongated support behind the driver's head), had a cooling grille in one part (550 is in two parts), and of course had the 11 holes between the cooling grille and the rear of the car (not between the seats and the grille). But the general feeling of the car is similar,as if someone has tried to make a modern 550. Thanks for the replis so far anyway! Fram 12:23, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

I know nothing about cars, but I think Alfa Romeo produced a Spyder/spider model. The host of a TV show about Italy drove around the country in it... the car was utterly gorgeous. --Dweller 15:48, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

Good old Wikipedia. I found the article at Alfa Romeo Spider. Could be that it's not what you're looking for, but it's a laaaarvly motah! --Dweller 15:50, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

What style headlights does the car have? Did it have 2 circles? 2 oval shapes, 4 circles/4 other shapes etc.? I tend to find headlights on modern cars are one of the more distinctive parts. From what you have said so far it could be a tvr chimeara though i've not seen any coming with 'spyker' written on it. Alternatively if it is was quite expensive looking it could be one of those dutch ones (koenigsegg) without its roof on but they are very distinctive and pretty darn rare too! What country did you see it in (that might help also)? ny156uk 16:28, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

You could try this [10]--ChesterMarcol 16:42, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for all the replies! Definitely not an Alfa Spider (the old one they made for twenty years or so or the new one), it was more ... cat-like? A bit more aggressive, but not so extreme by far as the Koenigsegg. The TVR has similar lines, but the rear was much more distinctive and the front window was definitely lower. The Porsche 550, despite being an oldtimer, still comes closest. I've checked some sites with pics and some brands of sports cars, but I can't find it, so either I have a very bad memory, or it is some small manufacturer (just the body work on an existing chassis or so). Oh well, it was worth a shot! Fram 20:17, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

Page Numbering Conventions

Hello, I am looking for different page numbering conventions that may be used in a technical catalog. Where can I find specifics for this type of numbering: 1-1.1.1a , etc. Thank you for your help. 70.90.19.226

I'm not aware that page numbering schemes have names. Have a look at the various fields supplied by Microsoft word for section numbering. Section numnbering is more likely to have named schemes. One appears to be "legal" numbering. -- SGBailey 21:13, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

Treasure

1. Did pirates really bury thier treasure? 2. Has any every been found 3. Does anyone look for them? 4. Man has been mining jewels and gold, diamond ect. What has happened to them all? surley there must be millions of very old cut diamond out there, but Ive never seen one. Thanks —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 216.143.142.68 (talk) 14:44, 26 April 2007 (UTC).

1. According to our article on buried treasure, no not really, apart from this one, who may have done it once. (Of course, all that really means is that there are no confirmed cases. It's difficult to prove that no pirate has ever done this.)

2. Given the above, no. (Although again, all we can say is that we know of no cases where buried pirate treasure has been found. Who knows? Maybe someone found some and kept quiet about it.)

3. All the time. See Oak Island, for example.

4. Good question. I'm sure they are out there somewhere.

- Eron ^Talk 14:58, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

According to Koh-i-Noor, diamond mining was restricted to India for most of history, so that's where to look for old diamonds. I don't know how old you mean by 'very old', but the Koh-i-Noor seems to have been around for 500 years at least, possibly much longer. Of course, it's hard to be sure exactly how old a given old diamond is: there are stories of famous diamonds going back millennia, but how do you know they're about the same thing you've got? Algebraist 15:35, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

4) A fair amount of jewelry ends up buried with people. Other jewelry is destroyed in some manner. Some ends up on the bottom of the ocean. Some of the most spectacular jewelry ends up in museums. StuRat 05:38, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

Prominence and Mt Everest

I'm assuming geography questions are in the miscellaneous section. Topographic prominence explains that prominence is the heigth from a peak to the lowest contour line surrounding it and no higher peak. It then goes on to say that on an island, the prominence of the highest peak is its elevation above sea level - which agrees with the definition. It also states that Mt Everest is an exception. Why does it need to be so? Surely it works "as is"? -- SGBailey 21:08, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

I think that the sentence "For all peaks except Mount Everest, if the peak's prominence is P metres, to get from the summit to any higher terrain one must descend at least P metres" explains it. For an island you have to descend at least to sea level to get to a higher peak. That cannot be said for mount everest since you cannot get to a higher peak. If you define prominence (as you have) as distance from peak to lowest contour line then indeed mount everest is not an exception. 21:24, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

I agree with you SGBailey. I don't understand why Mount Everest would need to be excluded either. Recury 13:26, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

Incidentally, geography is a science, so the Science Desk would be appropriate for questions like this. StuRat 05:33, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

The Ref Desk intro page defines science as "Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Medicine, and Technology" which excludes geography as far as the uninformed reader can tell. -- SGBailey 13:04, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

Well geography borders on a humanity for me, but I think this question of formal definitions comes under the science side. (I may be biased as a physicist!)137.138.46.155 07:57, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

It seems pretty clear to me: "prominence is the height from a peak to the lowest contour line surrounding it and no higher peak" - so to find the prominance of Everest you'd have to find the lowest contour line that surrounds Everest but which doesn't surround any peak higher than Everest - well, there is no peak higher than Everest - so you'd have to find lower and lower contours forever...well, I suppose technically you could find a contour that just surrounds the lowest point in the ocean bottom - and that would be the lowest possible contour that surrounds Everest (and the whole of the rest of the planet...except for the teeeny-tiny dot at that lowest point!). But that's a pretty silly measurement of the height of Everest - so the geographers have evidently decided to make it a special case. For a mountain anywhere else, the answer is clear - it's the lowest contour that surrounds that mountain but doesn't include any other taller ones. SteveBaker 17:31, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

AHHH, this article is written so confusingly. Yes, there is no peak higher than Everest, but in the Americas there is none higher than Aconcagua, on Antarctica there is none higher than Vinson Massif, etc. List of peaks by prominence lays it out nicely. Instead of Everest being the exception, it should be the highest point on every landmass. Recury 19:43, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

Well, that's only the case if you take sea level to be the lowest contour - if you include bathymetry contours (below sea level) then Everest is the only special case and everything is perfectly well-defined for those other peaks. However, I can't really imagine any important use for these 'prominance' numbers - so it probably doesn't matter all that much. SteveBaker 21:47, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

Fancy stuff

When I was talking to one of my friends last summer I remember him sticking his hand in my color and telling me that his tailor said something about the tightness of a shirt collar should be less than that of one's wrist+neck and that I should get a tighter collared shirt. Is that right? [Mαc Δαvιs] ❖ 22:21, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

There probably is a hard and fast rule to tailoring a collar for a shirt and it probably isn't "less then circumference of neck plus wrist". But that's probably an approximation which is roughly close enough to tell at least if it is way off or not. Vespine 22:36, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

Fanfiction.net - anyone else having problems signing up?

I've recently started writing fanfic again, so I tried to register for an account at fanfiction.net. For some reason, despite confirming my registration, the site doesn't seem to be sending out the 'click this link to confirm your account' emails. I've tried three different email addresses over the past three days and none of them has worked. There doesn't seem to be any way of contacting the staff at the site itself.

Anyone else had this problem? Thanks. --Kurt Shaped Box 22:32, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

• Have you carefully checked all your spamfilters and trash cans? What email service do you use? - Mgm|^(talk) 09:56, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

Have you checked their front page? That's where they list server etc problems. Also, I've always been able to contact them at help@fanfiction.net. Anchoress 09:58, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

Hmmm, according to the FanFiction.Net article (why didn't I look there before?) the site is working again after suffering technical problems. I tried registering again and it worked. Heh. --Kurt Shaped Box 14:54, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

April 27

Rewind

Who invented rewind? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 71.175.126.60 (talk) 00:12, 27 April 2007 (UTC).

Magnetic tape was first invented for recording sound by Fritz Pfleumer in 1926 in Germany, based on the invention of magnetic wire recording by Valdemar Poulsen in 1898. I imagine one or other of them might have had need to rewind their recordings. --Tagishsimon (talk)

Rewinding is required with any linear recording medium, and linear media go back much further than magentic tapes or wires - see scroll. Gandalf61 12:12, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

Not true! Eight track tapes (and the various related endless-loop formats) need no rewinding.

Atlant 12:29, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

Don't forget our old friend, the Möbius strip. Icthyos 17:35, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

video game

I know that i posted this question before, but dr. brain was not the answer. It was a video game that i remember playing for the playstation. The main character was a bat kind of thing that could walk on two legs and glide, but couldn't fly. Whenever the player would lose, a picture of him shown trapped in a cage would appear with big letters saying "Game over" or something like that. I'm just curious and its been bothering me for a while now. thanx. I like putting links. Oh yeah, don't forget to watch Chad Vader! —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 74.170.44.145 (talk) 01:26, 27 April 2007 (UTC).

It's probably not, but it might be Jersey Devil. It's somewhat similar to the game you've described... Icthyos 11:46, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

Was it Bubsy? --LarryMac 12:33, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

Sounds like it could be Spyro the Dragon (character)? He has batlike wings and can only walk or glide - and there were several Spyro games for the PS-1. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by SteveBaker (talk • contribs) 21:43, 27 April 2007 (UTC).

Thank you Icthyos! It was Jersey Devil!!! thanx so much!!!

Citizenship

I am a British Citizen, my Mother is a British Citizen, My Grandmother (deceased) was an Irish Citizen living in Britain. After reading through the pages am I right in assuming that at this point in time I would not be eligible for Irish citizenship? However my mother would be eligible, and that after if she decided to claim her right to citizenship i would then be eligible for Irish citizenship as a child of an Irish citizen or is the their some sort of regulation against this? Would I therefore also be right in assuming that if my mother died before claiming Irish citizenship that I therefore would lose any justified claim to Irish citizenship? Rickystrapp 01:30, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

Maybe you should check irish citizenship. I think i may have answered your question in record time, it was posted a minute ago. YAY!

Still, this is a legal question. We aren't supposed to do legal questions here. --Anon, April 27, 02:50 (UTC).

I wouldn't say so myself, im just curious about the technicalities of it. I'm British and I intend to stay that way. Rickystrapp 03:07, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

The disclaimer about legal questions doesn't mean we aren't allowed to touch anything that even remotely smells legal, use common sense, it's about questions that could get people into legal trouble, last time I checked, applying for Irish citizenship couldn't get you into trouble, at most it will simply be denied. SO! The answer to this question is simply, call your Irish consulate or embassy, I'm sure that kind of question gets asked all the time and you'll probably find someone who knows off the top of their head. Vespine 04:20, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

After a bit more searching around on the net, it seems I have found the answers to my questions, in that if i wanted to I could apply citizenship right now. Rickystrapp 07:30, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

Someones whos grandpaent was an Irish Citizan is alredy an Irish Citizan, you shouldn't need to apply for it.Ken 18:08, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

Afterlife in Roman Catholicism

Do Catholics believe that one can only go to heaven (eventually) if one is a Christian, or that one cannot go to heaven without being a Christian?

Do Catholics believe that all people will (eventually) go to either heaven or hell after they die, or just some?

The Anonymous One 02:18, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

Catholicism encompasses a huge range of diverse beliefs, it is near impossible to get a definitive response to what "Catholics believe". Perhaps you could qualify your question to ask whether there is direction about such things in the Bible, Ecclesiastical letter or Papal bull. This will result in a verifiable response, rather then a collection of personal beliefs. Rockpocket 02:28, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

WTF? This troll is asking questions here too?--Kirby♥time 13:11, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

continuation of "killing my nokia"

I didn't get any satisfying answer...plz if any one can tell me the way of blocking my device 'online itself'...Openly saying I can't afford if that process is expensive...Tell me the way if it's only free of cost...Now I was continuously being scolded by my family for losing the phone...Atleast they'll be satisfied if I can block it... Temuzion 08:06, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

• Edison makes a good point. We can't be sure you're the owner of said IMEA number. Anyway, how is contacting your provider and having the SIM blocked not an acceptable answer? - Mgm|^(talk) 09:45, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

I just realized that if it is a 'Mafia phone', which is bought anonymously, using cash-prepaid minutes, then there is nothing you can do if you lose it. You could try calling them, and seeing how they like the phone!  :) (Did I just stereotype the Mafia?) --Zeizmic 15:15, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

The one and only thing you can do to block this device is to call your service provider and explain to them what happened. When you give them the telephone number they are able to shut off the device. If, however, it was a prepaid phone they may decline to do so as they may not have any way of verifying you are the owner of the device. If you were on a standard post-paid contract they will shut it down immediately. You can then purchase a new phone, pop a new SIM in it, have the telco activate and Bob's your uncle you can SMS to your heart's content. (I have never used the Bob's your uncle phrase before, did I do it right?) 161.222.160.8 00:00, 28 April 2007 (UTC)

new hip hop duo

does anyone know who im talking about i saw this feature on this new hip hop duo on MTV base , i think their from chicago and their 2 friends from high school or college (something like that) and they want to bring real hiphop back so the new generation knows what hip hop was originally about and their music is sick they have got real skill and talent I MUST KNOW WHO THIS DUO IS!!! BRING REAL HIPHOP BACK :D —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 80.42.99.196 (talk) 09:05, 27 April 2007 (UTC).

Nas and Hip Hop is Dead?--Kirby♥time 13:09, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

Fiat Punto noise

Why does a Fiat Punto make a roaring noise when the car has been idling for 10-20 minutes or more?

Possibly from the cooling fan trying to pull more air in to cool the engine. Dismas|^(talk) 10:39, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

I agree - most modern cars (especially small ones) have electric cooling fans that turn on when the engine temperature reaches a certain value - when you are driving at normal speeds, the high RPM engine noise and the noise from the road and the wind drowns out the sound of the fan - but when you are idling, it can sound pretty loud. When you are just idling, it can take the engine a long time to get hot enough to need the fan - so it might well suddenly kick in after 10 minutes. You may also find that the fan keeps running after you turn the engine off sometimes - don't worry about that either - it'll shut off by itself once the engine is cool enough. The reason they do this is for better fuel economy - the fan takes energy to run (which wastes fuel) - and the engine runs more efficiently when it is at the right temperature - so you really want it to heat up fairly quickly on a cold day - so you don't want the fan running when the engine is too cool. SteveBaker 17:16, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

my freind

my friend somehow dosen't have accses to wikipedia. she is very upset and would like to acsess it. please reply back as to how she can acsess it once again.

thank you —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 202.43.226.11 (talk) 11:58, 27 April 2007 (UTC).

You should probably take this up at the Wikipedia:Help Desk. - Eron ^Talk 12:05, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

coolest place

Which is the most coolest place in the world? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 202.56.231.116 (talk) 12:19, 27 April 2007 (UTC).

I suppose somewhere in the Antarctica near the South Pole in winter? --antilived^{T | C | G} 12:29, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

Wikipedia. Unless you mean in the real world... That would vary according to personal preference. · AndonicO ^Talk 12:30, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

San Francisco. Unless it's Paris.

Atlant 12:36, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

Expanding into the world outside Earth, perhaps the Boomerang Nebula? Alternatively, Cambridge, Massachusetts. ---Sluzzelin talk 12:40, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

in your head dude, in your head...:) Perry-mankster 12:52, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

Vostok Station. Marco polo 15:44, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

Virginia Tech

how could we can stop mass murder like verginiea tech, what can be major solutions for that — Preceding unsigned comment added by 144.162.104.18 (talk • contribs)

The reference desk is not meant for opinion questions. There are many discussion forums dedicated to such things on the Internet. Splintercellguy 15:23, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

Some would argue for stricter gun control. Others, like the National Rifle Association differ with that idea. Some people feel that if people were allowed conceal and carry permits then any potential criminal would be hesitant to commit a crime due to the fact that anyone in the room may have a gun. Dismas|^(talk) 15:24, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

You may also be interested in reading Gun politics and Gun politics in the United States in order to form your own opinion of what can or should be done. Dismas|^(talk) 15:32, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

I doubt there can be an answer. In this particular case, having sturdy doors on the lecture rooms with locks on the interior Gun control (if it could be instituted) would undoubtedly solve the problem - you might be able to kill one or two people with a knife or a club - but there is no way you could kill 32 people that way. However, here in the USA, there are already far too many guns in circulation for a change of law to have an effect anytime soon. In the end, I think we have to pay more attention to people who are not fitting in - get them the help then need before they totally 'lose it'. This guy's room mate said that he hardly ever spoke a word - never cracked a smile - never did anything 'fun'. That's a big red flag right there - and everyone ignored it. The suicide rate amongst college students is outrageously high - this is just the tip of the iceberg. SteveBaker 17:09, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

If you wana stop things like this from happening then we NEED to have an alarm system...THE WE NEED TO USE THE S.O.B.! Ask no questions just hit the damn button!--Bakaneko07 17:48, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

Can't kill 32 people without a gun? You may have noticed that this has been described as the worst mass civilian shooting in US history, but no guns were used in our four biggest mass murders. If Julio González had had a gun, eighty-some of his victims might be alive today. Virginia Tech wasn't even the biggest school massacre. —Tamfang 20:09, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

Images

If I upload a jpeg from my computer, say xyz.jpeg, to Image:Xyz.png, what will happen?

Ignatzmice^talk_contribs 15:38, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

• I'm not 100% sure, but I think you'd get an error message saying that your file was currput/unreadable, I think I'll try this myself and see what happens--VectorPotential^Talk 16:39, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

• Now I'm sure, you get a message saying "The file is corrupt or has an incorrect extension. Please check the file and upload again."--VectorPotential^Talk 16:41, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

Thanks.

Ignatzmice^talk_contribs 16:53, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

Reza Shah and 'the Khans'

I have been trying to verify a story I heard when visiting Iran two weeks ago. I was told that Reza Shah the 'Great', early in his reign had been having trouble controlling the provinces which were governed more or less autonomously by individual 'Khans' or kings. So he invited all the provincial Khans to a conference and banquet and then when they had all feasted and drunk their fill, he had them all arrested and summararily hung. What was the date of this happening and what is the historical fact? In particular I would like to find out about the Khan of Lorestan. His name? and his involvement in this event? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 80.42.141.227 (talk) 15:41, 27 April 2007 (UTC).

Our Reza Shah article shows him to be rather brutal, antidemocratic, and yet pro-modernization. It does not list the specific incident you mentioned, however. StuRat 17:13, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

I thought that was a strictly English-Scottish thing... --Zeizmic 19:57, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

That actually sounds a bit like something Saddam Hussein pulled during his rise to power. In 1979, he called a big Ba'ath party conference, and then during his speech to the assembled delegates he denounced 68 of them as traitors and had them hauled away and arrested. Twenty-two of them were eventually executed. - Eron ^Talk 20:56, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

Linking

am i alowed to link out side of wiki' with in an artical for a topic that is non-existance or should this go in the redeferance section? Idealy i know i should creat a stub but not the time at the moment... it's for Foreordination on the predestination page Philsgirl 15:44, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

You could do both. Add a link to the references section if it helps a reader understand the content of the article better. And at the same time, add an internal link (a red link) to the article that should be created, even if you don't have time to create that article just yet. Dismas|^(talk) 16:18, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

Thanks guys will do Philsgirl 16:57, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

How does one cancel an account?

I'm on the verge of tears. I'm not a computer person; I speak, write and think in English. I thought it would be fun to participate, but I don't understand a single thing being "explained" here. Please: I created an account. I didn't create a signature because I couldn't figure out how to do it. I JUST WANT TO GET OUT OF HERE! Please, how do I delete/cancel my account? Thank you. Jbnyc132 16:35, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

• You can't delete your account, you do however, have a right to vanish--VectorPotential^Talk 16:36, 27 April 2007 (UTC)
• Also, there's no subscription or anything, so if you just stop visiting Wikipedia, you're covered. This isn't AOL or a cell phone company, you're not going to be charged a fee or anything. - CHAIRBOY (☎) 16:37, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

JBnyc132 has my complete sympathy. I feel the same hysteria rising in me every time I take a look at the answers at the Ref Desk for Mathematics. Bielle 20:40, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

I've replied to JBnyc132 on his talk page, offering mentoring to get him/her over any understanding issues. I hope he/she stays. --Tagishsimon (talk)

Civil Emrg.?

What is a Civil Emrg.?--Bakaneko07 17:46, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

Civil emergency, perhaps? What is the context? - Eron ^Talk 18:00, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

This person also posted a question about tornadoes on the Science desk, so that's probably it. --Anonymous, April 27, 2007, 22:48 (UTC).

Requests for Arbitration

Can anyone tell me a good way to find out which users have the most Requests for Arbitration?

Thanks. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 67.141.235.203 (talk) 18:01, 27 April 2007 (UTC).

Historical question

Not long ago I read somewhere online a reference to the Union Jack, or the Southern Cross, is derived from the flag of one of the King Georges of England. Is this true? And where might I find a reference and photos to back up this premise? Catsmeow2 19:17, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

Our article on Union Flag#History, and the references therein, are pretty comprehensive in describing its evolution from the individual flags of the Union, including the St George's Cross (see schematic). The stars in the Southern Cross Flag is unlikely to have originated from a flag of the northen hemisphere, for obvious reasons. Rockpocket 19:28, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

Madagascar

Hi! I'm writing a story that takes place in Madagascar. It's about a geneticist on the run. Where in Madagascar would be the perfect place to observe the nature of Madagascar and be well hidden at the same time? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 65.3.162.234 (talk) 20:09, 27 April 2007 (UTC).

Parental Control

What was one of the suckiest hater moves in the history of Parental Control?

I think this belongs in Entertainment, but I have otherwise no idea what this person wants to know. Bielle 21:20, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

The Future Buddha

Will the future Buddha have blue eyes? And when will the future Buddha get here? 206.188.56.24 21:08, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

Dame Chocolate

According to IMDb.com, where is Dame Chocolate filmed?

I know that the question has been answered on that article, but I just wanted to make sure.--12.18.90.115 21:14, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

Er, why not go on imdb.com and look? Recury 22:43, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

Mao suit

What kind of place carries a mao suit? I want to buy one :) I think they look really cool. [Mαc Δαvιs] ❖ 21:44, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

Mandarintouch.com has a nice range of them, as does Asianideas.com. Ebay also [11]. Rockpocket 22:23, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

British soccer teams?

I would like a list of British soccer teams! —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 70.18.239.142 (talk) 21:58, 27 April 2007 (UTC).

• List of football clubs in England
• List of football clubs in Scotland
• List of football clubs in Wales
• List of football clubs in Ireland#Northern Ireland --Tagishsimon (talk)

headless chickens

how long can a chicken survive when its head has been chopped off? somebody told me about a website, apparently a chicken survived for 30 days! any truth in that?

thanks 22:27, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

No, it's not true. He didn't survive for 30 days; he survived for 18 months. - Eron ^Talk 22:39, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

Ah, good old Mike The Headless Chicken. Rockpocket 23:55, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

Ear Training and Pitch Recognition

I realise this is probably not the best place to ask this, but I know of nowhere else where I am likely to get an answer. As such, if you could tell me of a good resource, please do. Anyway, on with the question: Could someone please tell me what the notes are in this excerpt Orabidoo Excerpt, specifically, the second piano part that comes in. I recognise that the piano is quite out of tune and that it may be difficult to recognise the pitches accurately, but any help you can give me would be appreciated. Also, I am trying to develop my musical ear as best as I can. I definately noticed an improvement over the last few months since I started my music GCSE and started trying stuff out on my MIDI keyboard (I can't play piano by the way). Unfortunately, I am not at the stage where I can accurately play a melody after hearing it (I even get most of the intervals messed up). This is why I am asking someone else if they would be able to do it for me (it's purely for my own enjoyment). However, I would be interested if anyone could give me any pointers on how I can improve my pitch recognition and general music-by-ear stuff (that's most definately a technical term...). Any help you can give on either of these points would be much appreciated.

P.S. I would like to apologise for the wait you must endure before you can download the file. I just chose the first file uploader that appeared in a quick Google search (I'm in a bit of a hurry).--Infarction 22:30, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

Learning bass guitar vs electric guitar

Is a bass guitar easier to learn to play than an electric guitar? I would presume it is, since you rarely play chords on it, correct? I just want to be able to play along with some songs, and I've tried piano and electric guitars before but I seem to lose interesting in those quickly since it seems it takes a while to get to play basic stuff. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Rc251dc (talk • contribs) 22:41, 27 April 2007 (UTC).

I myself am interested in buying a bass guitar and learning how to play it. When I was younger I had a few accoustic guitar lessons and bought an electric guitar. Unfortunately, due to funny genetics, I have bumps on the back of my fingertips that deaden the next string when placed on electric guitar frets (due to the strings being closer together than on an electric guitar). While it may seem that a bass guitar is an easier instrument to play (less chords, fewer strings), this is not necessarily the case. There are some very easy electric guitar pieces and some very hard bass guitar pieces, and vice versa (for an example of a spectacular bass solo, have a look at this). Also, bear in mind that electric guitars and bass guitars have different roles, bass guitars are normally used to provide bass lines and the backing for a melody to be built upon. An electric guitar is mainly used for the main melody or for harmony with the use of chords. All in all, it's a matter of personal preference. I would suggest sticking with the piano/electric guitar for a bit longer and see if you can get into it a bit more. If not, try the bass guitar. Don't forget to look at some tab sites (such as 911tabs.com for your favourite songs (these normally have relatively easy versions of most songs). Whatever you decide to do, enjoy it! --80.229.152.246 23:13, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

Well I play both bass and electric guitar, though I greatly prefer electric. I, similairly to you, tended to loose interest in learning at first, but then I discovered guitar/bass tabs. I don't know if you have tried this or not, but if that isnt or wasnt enough, I have a wonderful recomendation for a source of tabs. Try http://www.ultimate-guitar.com . If all of THAT isn't enough, and if you use a windows (Microsoft) computer I further suggest downloading Power Tabs (or Guitar Tabs, which is said to be the better of the two, but you can only get a one week demo version unless you buy it for around $60) which is why I suggest Power Tabs, the free, almost identical version. These allow you to both see and here what you're supposed to play. I presume you have atleast one or two songs you want to learn to play (if not, go with simple things, not much with chords, like nursary rhymes or tv show or video game theme songs) Since you are just learning, it doesnt matter whether you pick electric guitar or bass guitar as you can play the same things on either instrument. (unless you plan on using all 6 strings of the electric guitar, which is why I suggest that) I've started learning piano recently, mainly chords, and what music teachers usually tell you (or told me when I was younger) is that you should learn piano/keyboard before anything else, as it would make it easier. I dont find this the case, I found that after playing guitar it's much easier to learn the piano. (Most likely a finger dexterety thing...) --Response - Oliver Baker

Bullying

I have a friend that is bullied by both 6th grade teachers and all the students except me and another boy. Could someone help me out? I think it is a requirement to get to the next grade to pick on this kid. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 71.31.47.130 (talk) 23:59, 27 April 2007 (UTC).

I think this is something you would be better off talking to a parent or teacher about. There isn't anything practical that anyone here can do to help. Good luck. - Eron ^Talk 00:01, 28 April 2007 (UTC)

A) the teachers pick on him (B) I have talked to parents. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 71.31.47.130 (talk) 00:05, 28 April 2007 (UTC).

I don't know where you live, but have you looked into calling a children's help line. I know that in Canada there is a Kid's help phone that is there to provide help and counselling for kids in difficult situations like this. Perhaps there is one in your area. - Eron ^Talk 00:11, 28 April 2007 (UTC)

A small Kentucky county in the hills and no we don't have one. 71.31.47.130 00:13, 28 April 2007 (UTC)