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August 1

chess games having lion and eagle as chess pieces

chess games having lion and eagle as chess pieces — Preceding unsigned comment added by 117.247.217.17 (talk) 02:23, 1 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Are you asking about a chess set using those pieces in place of the regular pieces (king, queen, rook, bishop, night, or pawn) ? If so, what about it ? Do you want to find one like that ? StuRat (talk) 02:28, 1 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

See Fairy chess piece. PrimeHunter (talk) 02:39, 1 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Yes — Preceding unsigned comment added by 117.247.217.17 (talk) 03:02, 1 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

The lion and the eagle are national symbols of Britain and France respectively. Do you want some sort of military chess set? I vaguely remember a set issued by Franklin Mint commemorating the Battle of Waterloo that used lions and eagles for the rooks.--Ykraps (talk) 08:04, 1 August 2015 (UTC) Here it is [1][reply]

This one? Alansplodge (talk) 15:59, 1 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

money scam

I have been visited by an ad which I believe to be a money scam, but you don't have any reference to it: My Online Empire; or as onlineempiremaker.com. Could you inform me more about this? 2602:306:833D:8830:B051:982C:8AB:6FCE (talk) 09:22, 1 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Wikipedia often lacks articles about scams, because our policy is that we can only have an article when reliable published sources exist to back it up. In this case no published sources seem to exist. I can't see any direct evidence that it is a scam, but it would make sense to be cautious about giving them anything of value. Looie496 (talk) 12:44, 1 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

I can't find any real information about it that isn't provided by the company or someone working for it. There are an awful lot of "is it a scam or DOES IT WORK" blog posts and videos out there which include an affiliate link (i.e. they profit from telling you it works if you join the program through them). It's also hard to find out what it even is beyond generalizations about working from home over the Internet, being your own boss, getting extra money, requiring no experience, and other work-at-home scheme (or get-rich-quick scheme) cliches -- some even talk about "my secret" and have very long sales pitches that say nothing about the product (a technique also employed heavily by multi-level marketing schemes like Amway and Cutco).

Following one of the links takes me to a page that just says "Free Software Automatically Creates Money-Making Websites in Minutes - DOWNLOAD NOW".

Aha. So it's going to (a) create some awful websites stuffed with ads and who knows what kind of sketchy business and (b) almost certainly impact your computer somehow -- otherwise the websites could simply be created on the web.

Hopefully I'm not overstepping the "advice" aspect of the reference desk, but based on everything I see: do not download that software. — Rhododendrites ^talk \\ 16:26, 1 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Parisian Circular Billboards

Do those round billboards with the fancy roofs like this http://www.natgeocreative.com/comp/IR9/971/1119130.jpg have a special name? --TrogWoolley (talk) 20:17, 1 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Advertising columns (French: Colonne Morris, German: Litfaßsäule). Rmhermen (talk) 20:43, 1 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Resolved

Thank you --TrogWoolley (talk) 12:52, 3 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Aren't they also pissoirs? DuncanHill (talk) 14:01, 3 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Public toilets are sometimes circular and have advertisements on them, but they're also quite a bit larger than a regular advertising column. Adam Bishop (talk) 11:00, 5 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Who was Morris? Alansplodge (talk) 22:13, 3 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Gabriel Morris, according to the article on advertising columns. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:20, 3 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Why do newscasters (and others on TV) need makeup?

I guess I can already anticipate words to the effect "without it, their face would get washed out by the lights" etc.. I'd appreciate specifically sources that actually show examples of what a newscaster or guest on a live TV show looks like both with and without whatever non-cosmetic makeup one often sees the aforementioned people getting before they go on camera to see what such washing out actually looks like. 75.75.42.89 (talk) 21:28, 1 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

In the early days, at least, the studio lights were very bright, and the makeup helped reduce the glare off their skin. That's also why they wore shirts with light colors rather than pure white. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 21:31, 1 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Here are four examples:TV stars pose without makeup for Children In Need campaign. You can use goolge images yourself to see what they look like on screen. To my mind they look more human but slaves to the make-up industry. So do they really “need” make-up? (the wife does - otherwise she'll scares the living daylights out of any callers to our door)--Aspro (talk) 23:52, 1 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

During the 1960 U.S. presidential election campaign, the two main candidates (Senator John Kennedy and Vice-President Richard Nixon) met in a series of debates. It says here that after the first debate, radio listeners tended to think Nixon won, while TV viewers clearly favored Kennedy—and one reason was Nixon's poor makeup job. --65.94.50.73 (talk) 03:38, 2 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Richard Armour joked that Nixon's makeup man's regular job was mortician. According to the article, Nixon refused makeup, and looked pretty rough. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 03:45, 2 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

That's not exactly what it says. Someone insisted he have some makeup, but... see the article. --65.94.50.73 (talk) 18:58, 2 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Oftentimes, on TV news, you will see the newscaster interview the "man on the street" or even interview, perhaps, a politician (mayor, governor, senator, etc.). The newscaster is likely wearing make-up, while the interviewee is not. And I have never noticed any glaring difference in their appearances on the TV set. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 04:42, 2 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Outdoors or in the TV studio? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 06:38, 2 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Good question. I was thinking of outdoors, when the reporter just grabs a random man off the street and asks him a question. But, you got me thinking about the studio. When they interview a guest in the studio, do they apply make-up to that guest as well? I am guessing "no", but who knows? In other words, assume that it is not a famous person or a politician (i.e., one who excessively cares about his looks and appearance and, thus, will probably request make-up). So, the reporter brings into the studio some farmer to talk about his farm. Do they have that farmer undergo a make-up session before they film him? Does anyone know? Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 21:09, 2 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

No, but they seem to have the power to require interviewees to show how well they can walk before they sit them down to demonstrate how well they can talk. Anything's possible. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 21:16, 2 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

From a beauty perspective, some makeup contains reflective particles so it gives the illusion that the skin is flawless, rather than full of wrinkles and blemishes. A sort of physical form of airbrushing, if you like. --TammyMoet (talk) 10:13, 2 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

This conversation brings another thought to mind. On reality TV shows, they certainly don't use make-up, correct? How about game shows (on the average-person contestant, not on the show's host)? In all those situations, I never notice any difference in the appearance of the people with versus without makeup. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 02:42, 3 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

If I remember correctly, I did get a little touch of makeup for Jeopardy. Clarityfiend (talk) 19:39, 4 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Some newscasters also have skin conditions they cover up. For example, Lee Thomas, a Detroit TV reporter, has vitiligo. Here he is without make-up: [2] and with: [3]. (I suppose you could call this cosmetic make-up, but when it rises to the level of a medical condition, I consider it more like a prosthesis, an extension of the person to add something that is missing from their body, in this case pigment.) StuRat (talk) 16:39, 3 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

OR: Yes, guests MAY be made up. Of the guest refuses, no big deal. But, my experience has been that the show's staff (assistant producer, usually) will try to get a (say) talk show guest to accept make-up. DOR (HK) (talk) 12:25, 4 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

I doubt all the members of the studio audience of a show like Oprah or Sally Jesse Raphael or Donahue (I don't know any currently-running shows) got make up but the host probably did. (Do they still go into the audience and give them the mic to ask a question?) Find a show like that and pause it while the makeup-ed host stands next to the unmakeup-ed audience member. 20.137.7.64 (talk) 12:49, 4 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

If you wear green lipstick on the news, your lips will disappear (and it's not professional, anyway). Not as common a problem as missing bodies, though. InedibleHulk (talk) 07:16, August 5, 2015 (UTC)

Old Friend

I'm looking for an old college friend Libby edinboro state university class of 1966 — Preceding unsigned comment added by 174.17.66.46 (talk) 22:21, 1 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

This is an encyclopaedia reference desk, and finding people is rather outside our remit. Beyond suggesting the obvious - a Google search - there isn't much we can do to help. AndyTheGrump (talk) 22:26, 1 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

You could try contacting the university's alumni office, and ask if they can forward a letter to her. This, of course, assumes that she has kept in touch with the University. Otherwise, LinkedIn or Facebook searches are probably your best bet. If Facebook doesn't find her on the first attempt, search for other mutual friends, after a while FB seems to understand who you are looking for. However, as you are both approaching retirement, it might be hard to find her. LongHairedFop (talk) 19:21, 2 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

If she's changed her name by marriage, that might make the search that much harder, but she may not have. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 21:14, 2 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

August 3

Aircraft model

Took this today, but not sure about exact aircraft model as the registration is illegible. Thanks for pinpointing. Brandmeister^talk 14:52, 3 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

A7-AHX an Airbus A320 has recently departed Warsaw Chopin for Doha is probably your aircraft. MilborneOne (talk) 15:07, 3 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

12 Void burn (talk) 23:47, 3 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

This shape of winglets on small aircrafts are only for Airbus 320 or Boeing 737. Qatar has no B737 so it is A320 for sure ;) 114.108.247.14 (talk) 02:53, 5 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

August 4

Public health education and understanding

I'm sure everyone here is familiar with the annual news items describing how few people wash their hands after using public restrooms and the like. The worst articles describe how people change nappies on public tables at Starbucks and on airplane tray tables, leaving a measurable amount of germs for others to enjoy with their meals. In the last decade or so I believe I've either observed a decline in public health standards or I've become more aware of it, it doesn't really matter which. I've repeatedly seen cashiers lick their fingers to separate sticky cash bills, restaurant patrons touch the wrong end of food implements in buffet situations and use their hands to touch food they aren't buying, people sneeze and cough on others without using their hands or their sleeves to block it, and all the rest. Just yesterday was the last straw. I saw a young woman eating from a buffet, licking her fingers,and then scraping food with those same fingers from other food items that she left in the buffet, merely so she could "taste" it. I then asked the woman, "excuse me, what are you doing", and she promptly apologized, but I'm concerned this is a growing trend. Are people forgetting the concept of "germs" or forgetting about the concepts of public health? What's going on here? Viriditas (talk) 00:34, 4 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

You've been here over a decade, Viriditas. See the top of the pages where it says "We don't answer requests for opinions, predictions or debate". μηδείς (talk) 00:55, 4 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Asking about whether public health awareness is increasing or decreasing is a legitimate question looking for a quantitative answer and has implications for urban microbiology and other fields. For example, see the research on double-dipping and the call for public health awareness on the issue. Viriditas (talk) 02:04, 4 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Children get early training in poor hygiene, and early training goes in deep. I refer, naturally, to the practice of blowing out the candles on the birthday cakes which their guests will shortly consume. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 01:03, 4 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Hence the modern practice of putting the candles on a tiny, personal cupcake separate from the larger one. It's a great solution and works well. However, that's not my question. Viriditas (talk) 01:47, 4 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Seriously? Is that a real thing? Poor kids. DuncanHill (talk) 20:37, 4 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Why does this bother you? What are the chances of harmful germs being passed on in this way? Remote, I would venture to say. --Viennese Waltz 07:41, 4 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Why does it bother me? For the same reason that I'd be concerned if I knew the cook had for some reason blown on my dinner before it was served to me in a restaurant; or if my coffee was served to the wrong table, a person there took a sip, and then the waiter realised their mistake, removed the coffee from the other table and placed it in front of me. Or if a cook emerged from the toilet without washing their hands and went straight back to work in the kitchen. None of these things are guaranteed to cause a problem, but there's certainly a possibility. Why risk it? If you train little kids that it's OK to blow all over everyone else's food (which is what a birthday cake is), why would they think a different rule should apply to any other food? They're not that intellectually discriminatory at that age. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 23:25, 5 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Don't worry about VW, he's like that to everyone. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 00:18, 6 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

From my recollection, people's hygiene practices have improved immensely since my childhood in the 1960s. There was no soap in our primary school toilets, no routine inspection of restaurant kitchens, no "best before" or "use by" dates on packaged food etc etc... Some believe that the pendulum has swung too far and we are now over-sanitising ourselves - see Hygiene hypothesis. Alansplodge (talk) 10:29, 4 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

I also recall that we used to have a bath once a week - whether we needed it a not! Few British houses had showers then. Alansplodge (talk) 16:22, 4 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

More than a century ago, "Uncle Josh" (Cal Stewart) had a routine about staying in the big city, at a fancy hotel: "I looked at that beautiful bathtub and wished it was Saturday night!" ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 17:59, 4 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Tuberculosis for example. 196.213.35.146 (talk) 12:18, 4 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

No, not a growing trend or forgetting, most people are just sensible and aren't as obsessed as you are. As mentioned above, most of these things are extremely unlikely to cause any kind of problem. 131.251.254.154 (talk) 12:54, 4 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

The exact opposite is true. A quick look at the most current public health surveys and statistics shows that most people aren't sensible about personal hygiene, even simple things such as washing the hands after using the loo. According to the CDCs own website, this is a huge problem.[4] I'm curious where you are getting your information from because it is wrong. Viriditas (talk) 20:32, 4 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

You are basically soap boxing here, Viriditas. There's not been a single reference given besides your own. Obviously you have the answer you want. We don't entertain questions such as, "Are there notable anti-gay or anti-Israeli publications?" simply to elicit agreement with a certain preconceived bias. Is there some actual reference you need at this point? Otherwise it's quite obvious this should have been hatted from the get go. μηδείς (talk) 21:15, 4 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

I'm sorry, you must have me confused with someone else or you must have misinterpreted something you read. There is no "soapboxing" concerning the question as to whether public health awareness is increasing or decreasing. I still am looking for an answer. The IPs contention that most people are sensible about things flies directly in the face of actual evidence. Hygiene education is a huge issue, especially in hospitals with medical professionals who don't wash their hands and instruments that can't be cleaned properly. How you could possibly think a question about this is "soapboxing" is just weird and off the wall. Viriditas (talk) 00:11, 5 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Don't worry about Medeis, he's like that to everyone. Now, I'm wondering why you have addressed the IP's point above but ignored mine. What evidence do you have that people are getting sick because of lax hygiene practices? Note, I don't mean can get sick in theory, I mean actually are getting sick. What percentage of sicknesses are actually caused by lax hygiene practices? As I said above (a point you ignored, maybe you won't this time), you need to give some evidence as to why this is a problem, because I don't believe it is. --Viennese Waltz 06:11, 5 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Technically the response to the IP partially addressed your question:

About 1.8 million children under the age of 5 die each year from diarrheal diseases and pneumonia, the top two killers of young children around the world 1.

Handwashing with soap could protect about 1 out of every 3 young children who get sick with diarrhea 2, 3 and almost 1 out of 5 young children with respiratory infections like pneumonia 3, 4.

Of course although it talked about education, it's not clear how big a factor education actually is here compared to access issues. If you don't have water, let alone soap, teaching you to wash your hands with soap isn't particularly useful.

Also, the ref did only deal with one aspect namely handwashing. It didn't deal with the other aspects the OP complained about like blowing candles, licking fingers to seperate bills etc. (Nor does it suggest the practices have gotten worse, as the OP's original post suggested.)

Nil Einne (talk) 12:48, 6 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

OK, let's try to look at the factors which affect attitudes towards hygiene:

1) First, obviously, is education. You have to be aware of the existence of microbes, that they cause disease, and that they can be removed by certain practices. In the US, we have PSAs talking about food contamination and how to avoid it, and they occasionally mention coughing into your elbow, etc.

2) Next, there needs to be a feeling that disease is a threat. If there haven't been any disease outbreaks in a while, you can expect people to become lax. On the other hand, during an outbreak, and shortly thereafter, you can expect people to be more careful, such as the various Asian nations with people wearing masks in public during some disease outbreaks.

One particular bad practice I've seen is buffets with no covers for the food. Mongolian BBQ is one example. Now, there is an issue with the tops potentially falling on the floor and then being put back on the food, but this can be fixed with tops which are attached on a hinge at the back of the vat of food (the serving scoops, spoons, tongs, etc. should be attached for the same reason). StuRat (talk) 04:11, 5 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Skrill

Why does Moneybookers has changed their name and why can I not buy the stock of Skrill Group in my Broker? --185.51.85.16 (talk) 10:17, 4 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Our article Skrill says the service is operated by Skrill Ltd. That "Ltd" on the end means it's a private business, and the shares are not for sale to the public. You may be able to buy shares in what will become their parent company later this year, Optimal Payments PLC. A Public Limited Company may be (but isn't necessarily) quoted on the stock markets. (None of the preceding should be taken as advice or recommendation) Rojomoke (talk) 12:00, 4 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

housing

I have daughter with 2 month old and another 6 years old...we have tried every place to live..all we get the shelters are full I am a senior...subsidized in a 1 bedroom..she can no longer stay here...we are at wits end.. she wants in oakville to be close to family she applied to housing 4 weeks ago....we just need help...i have lived here since 1982..I am..73.

[Name redacted] ty for at least reading. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.150.211.38 (talk) 19:58, 4 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

This is not the sort of help that Wikipedia provides, and it's difficult to offer advice (even if we were allowed to do) from the other side of the Atlantic, but have you contacted Halton Family Services, applied for social assistance or applied for subsidised housing? It's unlikely that we have an editor with a house in Oakville available to let. Dbfirs 20:24, 4 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

May I ask, you expect to be given a house for free? Why do you expect this? Most people work for their whole lives to buy a house, and you want it, in a plate, for free? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Erunaquest (talk • contribs) 17:33, 7 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Perhaps English isn't your first language, but "housing" does not always mean a house. A homeless shelter also counts as "housing". And the person posting is 73 so has worked all their life for housing. They are asking about a temporary shelter for their daughter and grandchildren. StuRat (talk) 20:44, 7 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

We don't seem to have an article about housing shortage, but in some places even persons with a well-paying job can't find a permanent place to live, simply because there are more people than places to live. Sjö (talk) 08:17, 9 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

August 5

Why no article about Brian Tracy?

Hi all!

Wikipedia works in mysterious ways... There are articles about so many people (including pornstars) but some famous people are missing. Is there anyone who could create an article about Brian Tracy? The guys is a world famous speaker, businessman and writer. He has more than 1 million followers and Facebook. Any chance? Thanks a lot!! 114.108.247.14 (talk) 02:49, 5 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

This isn't the proper venue for that. See Articles for Creation and/or Requested articles. Also, you should be aware of Wikipedia's notability guidelines and the requirements described at Reliable Sources.--William Thweatt ^Talk^Contribs 02:58, 5 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

If he is world famous, why did I need to resort to Google to find out who he is? Anyway, see Wikipedia:Notability (people). Biographies are justified by evidence of significant coverage in third-party published reliable sources, and not by Facebook follower counts. And I note that articles on him (or someone by the same name) have already been deleted four times for being blatent advertising and/or failing to demonstrate notability through independent sources. [5] So I can't imaging anyone but his promoters will be interested in trying again. And if his promoters (or the man himself) want to try again, they should read Wikipedia:Conflict of interest first. We aren't here to provide free publicity. AndyTheGrump (talk) 02:59, 5 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

mag sub.

i need help in finding subsription and changing address.joseph a. nezat jr — Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.12.113.45 (talk) 17:27, 5 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

You'll need to at least tell us which magazine you're talking about. SteveBaker (talk) 18:15, 5 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Most magazines have (somewhere near the front) a column of relatively fine print about the publisher, including contact info for the subscription department. —Tamfang (talk) 04:07, 6 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

August 6

philanthropists for private parties

Do you have a list of philanthropists you give to private senior citizens? 67.44.161.209 (talk) 23:55, 6 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Wikipedia does not publish private lists, all information available here can be found using the search box on the side or top of your page. Be aware that this is Wikipedia, and you may have come here inadvertently if a search engine like google or another website linked here. If you can give us more detailed information as to what you are looking for we may be able to help you find it elsewhere, so please provide as much context as possible if you respond. μηδείς (talk) 00:53, 7 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Wikipedia has a list of philanthropists.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 08:31, 7 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

I'm a private senior citizen. I'd like one of those philanthropists, please. A nice cute one, preferably. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 20:39, 7 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Can you actually have a cute philanthropist? I couldn't see one on that list.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 07:10, 8 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

George Clooney, Paul Newman, and Shah Rukh Khan are on it... Tevildo (talk) 10:06, 8 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

You could do worse than Demi Lovato. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 13:26, 8 August 2015 (UTC) [reply]

You could do better than Paul Newman, who's been dead almost seven years. μηδείς (talk) 16:56, 8 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

trains in Austria

Hi!

We will stay next week in Austria (Judenburg/styria). I'm a railway enthusiast, so I want to take some pictures of locos and railcars (austrian federal railways an private railway companies). Where are interestic and old locomotives running? Does anybody know some nice photo points? No museums or tourist trains please!

thx

Andy — Preceding unsigned comment added by Rail12345 (talk • contribs) 21:18, 7 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Perhaps the Wikipedia article titled Austrian Federal Railways would give you a start on your research. If you do get some good pictures, consider uploading them to Wikimedia Commons and adding them to relevant Wikipedia articles. --Jayron 32 21:26, 7 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

You might try asking this at the Wikivoyage Tourist Office. Rojomoke (talk) 22:04, 7 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

"No museums, please!"

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

Yes, it is a MUSEUM. There is a museum in Strasshof, a bit outside Vienna. Exhibits go back to imperial times with some steam engines from the 1890s. Of course, this is some distance away from the part of Styria you are visiting. On the other hand, you may be passing through the capital on your way to / from your destination, anyway. It seems to be open daily, except Mondays, from 10:00 to 17:00.

If interested, I can give you an Internet link (German only). — Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.117.79.151 (talk) 20:11, 8 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

The OP specifically said "No museums or tourist trains please!". -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 21:52, 8 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

The OP is at liberty to ignore the museum part and concentrate on the exhibits of steam engines (about 30) which seem to be “parked” in the open air.

Link in German: http://www.eisenbahnmuseum-heizhaus.com/index.php?id=4 --88.117.79.151 (talk) 06:58, 9 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Why is the letter Q used at all Railroad crossings in America?

long version of title question in all caps

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

FOR YOU TO SOLVE -- EVERY TIME A TRAIN APPROACHES A CROSSING THE ENGINEER BLOWS/RINGS THE WHISTLE " TOOT TOOT " -- AND ALONG THE RAILROAD BED THERE IS A ROUND, WHITE, SIGN BEFORE EACH CROSSING WITH A LARGE BLACK "W" TO REMIND THE ENGINEER TO BLOW/RING THE WHISTLE -- RIGHT ?? AND SO THEN THE ENGINEER ACTIVATES THE WHISTLE IN THE FOLLOWING MANNER = ( TOOOOOT - TOOOOOT - TOT - TOOOOOT ) OR 2 LONG TOOTS; A SHORT TOOT; AND THEN A LONG TOOT -- RIGHT ??

NOW, WHY IS THAT THE PARTICULAR METHOD USED TO BLOW/RING THE WHISTLE AT EACH CROSSING ?? - BECAUSE IF YOU USE THE MOST OBVIOUS METHOD TO UNDERSTANDING THIS PROBLEM YOU WOULD TURN TO THE INTERNATIONAL MORSE CODE - RIGHT ? AND IN DOING SO YOU WOULD SEE & HEAR THAT ( DAH; DAH; DIT; DAH = Q )

WHY NOT BLOW/RING THE WHISTLE ( DAH; DIT; DAH; DIT = C ) C WOULD STAND FOR CROSSING AND MAKE SENSE - RIGHT ?

WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE REASON AND/OR MEANING THAT THE LETTER Q IS USED AT ALL RAILROAD CROSSINGS IN AMERICA ??

THANK YOU, — Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.93.60.29 (talk) 19:45, 8 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Please don't SHOUT your question. I've added a heading for you. I can't explain American practices, though perhaps the driver thinks that the pattern means "look out". Morse code is not very widely understood. In the UK, the sound is usually two notes in a descending third. Dbfirs 19:52, 8 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

See Whistle board and Train horn. The US pattern is mandated in Rule 14(l) of the Federal Railroad Administration regulations. Tevildo (talk) 21:40, 8 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Can't figure out how to buy a product

I was watching a youtube video about "7 Things you didn't know existed" and one of them struck as something I wanted to buy. I went to google and typed it in. I got their website [6]. I don't see any option there to actually purchase it. Okay, maybe they're selling it in hardware stores and so on. So I went to Google shopping and typed it in. I got all kinds of false positives. So I did a regular google search and "buy". Nope. The only thing I can think of is that this is like one of those Kickstarter products that hasn't come to market? If it is they should say that and not have people like me going in circles. Can anyone confirm it's not available to actually purchase?108.46.105.232 (talk) 21:37, 8 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

It was a Kickstarter project. It wasn't funded.[7] Nanonic (talk) 21:47, 8 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

(e/c) Here it says it's currently being funded and needs $130,000. Knowing nothing about such things, I guess that that's a reference to crowdfunding. That was dated 26 June 2015, and it suggests it's not actually released to the market yet. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 21:48, 8 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you. I guess it bodes well for the product that at least my interest was raised, but I still find it very annoying it isn't front and center that it's not available.--108.46.105.232 (talk) 22:07, 8 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

The idea of a Kickstarter is that you have an idea - and you need a certain amount of funding in order to bring it to market. You ask people to pledge - and to receive some kind of reward for doing so. If you get pledges for the amount you asked for - Kickstarter bill your backers and hand you the money - if not, then no money changes hands and everyone walks away.

In this case, the project claimed they needed $150,000 to bring the product to market - after 30 days, there was only one question asked about it, only 150 people backed it - and the total raised was about 10% of what they needed. A really disastrous flop.

So - if the inventor(s) still believe it'll sell in large numbers - they'll need something like $150,000 from somewhere - venture capital, second mortgage on their homes...whatever. Personally, I'd say that the monumental failure of the Kickstarter should be a red flag to investors.

I doubt it'll ever be manufactured.

On the other hand, this appears to be nothing more than a bluetooth light switch. If you Google "bluetooth light switch" - you'll find half a dozen companies selling much the same thing. SteveBaker (talk) 05:20, 9 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

We should probably talk about WHY the initial Kickstarter campaign might have failed. I see several disadvantages to the item:

1) Initial cost. I count 25 light switch in my house. If it costs $100 each to upgrade to that new system, that's $2500. That's a huge amount of money for something so minor.

2) Battery life. Looks like they must have tiny watch batteries in those switches. Using those to broadcast a signal has to drain them quickly. Imagine the expense and annoyance of having to replace all those batteries on a regular basis. And all those batteries in landfills is bad for the environment. Even if they were rechargeable, you'd still need replace them with freshly charged batteries, and rechargeable batteries tend not to last as long between charges (especially when old).

3) Existing switches. What happens to those ? Do you remove them and try to patch the holes ? I can't see how you could use them along with the new ones, as they would seem to be in series, meaning both would need to be on for you to get power to the light. I've had such switches before, and they are really annoying, in that you try to turn the light on at one switch only to realize it must be turned off at the other switch.

4) Receiving unit. They didn't show it, but I picture a "wall wart", possibly with an antenna. Not an attractive thing, and it might not fit well behind furniture.

5) Range. They didn't list the range. Having attempted to use a wireless mouse and found the range to be way too short, I'm always wary of that.

6) Interference. Does the signal cause interference in other devices, or do other devices interfere with it ? Always a concern.

7) You can now lose your light switch ! Of all the things you could lose, I bet a light switch wasn't one of them. You could move it and forget where you placed it. Your spouse could move it without telling you. It could have been taken down for cleaning and not remounted yet. Imagine groping in the dark for a switch that isn't there. I also see practical jokers having fun with this, say mounting it on the ceiling.

So, on balance, it seems like a lot of things can go wrong for very limited benefit. Many of those features could be done more reliable with appliance timers, that turn on or cut off the power at an outlet at preset times. Although, having used those and a programmable thermostat, I've found it's usually not worth my time to program such things. Every time your schedule changes you have to reprogram everything, and it's just not worth it. For lights, specifically, a motion detector that turns it on when motion is detected, and back off after some amount of time without motion, is far more sensible, IMHO. I have 2 of those installed now and intend to get many more, when the price comes down (about $15 each now). StuRat (talk) 15:48, 9 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Source sought for fact in Duff Green bio

On your page about Duff Green, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duff_Green , there is this line:

After the close of the war with Mexico, Green was sent to that country in 1849 by President Taylor to negotiate concerning the moneys which, by the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the United States had agreed to pay; and he saved his country a considerable sum by arranging for payment in exchange instead of in specie.

I cannot find any other reference anywhere that Green did any of this. Can you provide a source? Thanks. Hezekiah-S (talk) 00:21, 9 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

It's directly copied from the 11th edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica. See the link at the bottom of the article. Rojomoke (talk) 04:18, 9 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Good catch, maybe superficially true but misleading.

the U.S. government appointed Green an official agent for making arrangements with Mexico for the payment of the indemnity. The Mexican government, in turn, hired his son Benjamin for the same purpose. The Greens attempted to arrange a deal whereby the U.S. government would accept Mexican bills of exchange, instead of sending specie...just when the bills of exchange were being forwarded to the Mexican minister in Washington, the president died. The new president, Millard Fillmore, and his new secretary of state, Daniel Webster, disavowed the payment plan...senator Thomas Bayly bitterly attacked the Greens for their role in the entire affair...Congress threatened the Greens with prosecution under the Logan Act...In the end, Mexico itself requested that the indemnity be paid by agents other than the Greens...

Belko, W. S. (2006). The invincible Duff Green: Whig of the West. pp. 413-4.—eric 05:15, 9 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Black gay rapes

Are there any statistics in the US of sexual crimes by racial profile? For instance, is a statistic significance between who gets raped more often. Like, white men against black men, or visa versa? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 5.34.27.224 (talk) 15:17, 9 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

August 9

Circle next to Stonehenge on Aerial Views.

What is the ringlike structure at 120 to 150m distance from the centre of the Stonehenge circle, in the direction of approx 100deg (i.e. slightly "below" due east)? It is clearly visible on Google and Bing Maps, immediately south of the road running roughly west to east, and yields the coordinate of 51.178659, -1.823641 Christom (talk) 16:01, 9 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]