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[[Image:BB61 USS Iowa BB61 broadside USN.jpg|thumb|300px|right|HMS ''Matthew'']]
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<div style="border:1px solid gray;padding:12px;margin:18px 0px 0px 8px;float:right;text-align:center;font:normal small sans-serif;background-color:#FFFFF8">
<br /><span style="font: italic bold large serif;">Matthew</span>
 
Lost items found. Paranormal Investigations.<br />
== French translation ==
Consulting. Advice. Reasonable Rates.<br />
No Love Potions, Endless Purses, or<br />
Other Entertainment.
</div>
{{col-end}}
 
== Keeping Up Appearances tables ==
I was translating another article from :fr ([[:fr:Championnat de France de football National (D3)]]). And ''A terme, la professionnalisation de ce championnat se pose. La Ligue ne veut pas partager son trésor avec d'autres clubs et freine des quatre fers.'' bamboozled me. I'm takin an educated guess that the last bit means "The league doesnt want to share its treasure with other clubs et is calling a halt", but the sentence has no context. Is the French article poorly written, or is this just one idiom that I haven't got my head round yet? Cheers, cunning linguists --[[User:Wonderfool|Wonderfool]] [[User talk:Wonderfool|t]][[Special:Contributions/Wonderfool|(c)]] 20:33, 31 July 2005 (UTC)
 
Hi Mathew its Edito*Magic (also known as Chris C. Nichols)
:Could ''trésor'' mean "funding" here? That would be my instant impression of the idiom. Perhaps it is meaning "spoils". I know this is the word used in French for a particular type of Greek building which is built with the spoils of war, so it could be related. [[User:smoddy|<nowiki>[[smoddy]]</nowiki>]] 21:15, 31 July 2005 (UTC)
I know you were one of the people who agreed with me on the discussion page that one neat table with all the Keeping Up Appearances specials together would look better than several separate tables per episodes, littered all over the page. I’m glad that you can see sense like I can. Hopefully we can make Updown see sense aswell. Please join in the debate further on the [[Wikipedia talk:Television episodes]]. Thanks! [[User:Edito*Magica|Edito*Magica]] 21:38, 11 July 2007 (UTC)
 
== Fraternity ==
 
I am curious if anyone knows whether there is a University-style frat organisation in Wiki form? I think it could be an interesting experience! Ta, Jay
 
:So this would involve virtually chugging kegs of virtual beer while virtually mooning fellow Wikipedians? [[User:DJ Clayworth|DJ Clayworth]] 03:58, 2 August 2005 (UTC)
 
:: I was thinking more along the lines of the self improvement, meeting, philanthropic and social action type activities, but whatever floats your boat! Jay
 
::: Why not start one up on [[Wikicities:]]? --[[User:Theodore Kloba|Theodore Kloba]] 21:21, August 4, 2005 (UTC)
 
== Physical principles of relativity ==
 
What are the physical principles of relativity? Could someone summarize it in simple bite-sized concepts? --[[User:HappyCamper|HappyCamper]] 21:50, 31 July 2005 (UTC)
 
:The speed of light is constant. Mass distorts spacetime. Mass and energy are equivalent.
 
:I think that's the big ones right there, unless you had something else in mind. -- [[User:Cyrius|Cyrius]]|[[User talk:Cyrius|&#9998;]] 00:27, 1 August 2005 (UTC)
 
== Serbian and Croatian ==
 
What's the easiest way to tell written Serbian from Croatian, and vice versa? [[User:Rhymeless|Tim Rhymeless]] [[User talk:Rhymeless| (Er...let's shimmy)]] 22:16, 31 July 2005 (UTC)
 
:For one thing, the [[Serbian language]] is written in either the [[Cyrillic alphabet]] or the [[Latin alphabet]], while the [[Croatian language]] is only written in the Latin alphabet. Otherwise, I doubt there's much that's obvious, especially if you don't know the vocabulary of the two languages very well. [[User:Jamesmusik|James]] 22:31, July 31, 2005 (UTC)
 
::Is Serbian text ever rendered in the Latin alphabet, then? (especially in regards to music/other media) [[User:Rhymeless|Tim Rhymeless]] [[User talk:Rhymeless| (Er...let's shimmy)]] 22:53, 31 July 2005 (UTC)
 
:::Yes, Serbian is rendered in the Latin alphabet, especially on computers. [[User:Jamesmusik|James]] 23:00, July 31, 2005 (UTC)
 
::::So then, are most of the [[turbo folk]] song titles (artists such as [[Ceca]] or [[Aca Lukas]]) I see in Croatian, or in Latin-rendered Serbian? [[User:Rhymeless|Tim Rhymeless]] [[User talk:Rhymeless| (Er...let's shimmy)]] 23:07, 31 July 2005 (UTC)
 
:::::Probably Latin-rendered Serbian since both singers are from Serbia. The only other difference I know of is that there are some words that have ''ije'' or ''je'' in Croatian but ''e'' in Serbian (e.g. "river" is ''rijeka'' in Croatian and ''reka'' in Serbian). However, there are words that have ''ije'', ''je'', or ''e'' in both languages so this is only diagnostic if you already know which words to look for. --[[User:Angr|Angr]]/[[User_talk:Angr|<sub>{{IPA|tɔk tə mi}}</sub>]] 06:00, 1 August 2005 (UTC)
 
== Pictures of Cedars of Lebanon Trees. Thanks !!!!! ==
 
:Please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lebanon_Cedar &brvbar; [[User:Reisio|Reisio]] 00:56, 2005 August 1 (UTC)
 
== Can you provide me with any info about the glass portrait made after General Moltke the Elder? ==
 
==Latinish==
In a Supreme Court decision I'm looking at, Rehnquist uses the line "NEPA (a particular statute) does not require agencies to evaluate the effects of ''risk, qua risk.''" I am Latin-inept but am interpretting his meaning in the emphasized part (my emphasis) as being along the lines of "risk as risk itself". (In the context of the case, he is saying that the perception of risk does not need to be included in evaluating environmental risks -- it is a little complicated to explain in brief). Is this a reasonable interpretation? --[[User:Fastfission|Fastfission]] 00:59, 1 August 2005 (UTC)
 
:[[Wiktionary:qua]] may be of help. -- [[User:Cyrius|Cyrius]]|[[User talk:Cyrius|&#9998;]] 01:22, 1 August 2005 (UTC)
 
::Well, I looked at that, but it didn't really clarify a good translation in this case, so I wanted to just check. --[[User:Fastfission|Fastfission]] 14:45, 1 August 2005 (UTC)
 
:The use of qua in such cases has diverged somewhat from the actual Latin word. It is actually a [[relative pronoun]], which. Somehow, one use in English has been solidified, meaning, as you expected, "blank as blank itself," or another way of saying it would be "blank by virtue of its blankness." Another related phenomenon is the word [[quorum]], which literally means "of which."
 
== Calculators ==
 
Hello. How does a calculator work? Thank you
 
:Try the [[calculator]] article. -[[User:216.119.143.234|216.119.143.234]] 04:08, 1 August 2005 (UTC)
 
== Bless em All ==
 
Who actually wrote the song ''[[Bless 'em All]]''? Many sources say that it was written in 1940 by Jimmie Hughes, Frank Lake and Al Stillman but others state that it originated with the British Army in india in the 1800's. Thanks, Old Bubblehead
 
:[http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=34928&messages=28 This site] makes reference to a paragraph from a page that doesn't exist anymore in the Canadian military cadets website.
 
:''Bless'em All was first introduced in England around 1916 by Fred Godfrey. The "soldiers" version was seldom heard in civilized areas and Jimmy Hughes introduced the "decent" version in 1940. There had never really been a set of appropriate words with this tune until then. This version of Bless em'All could be openly sung in loud voices with little chance of reprisal. The music was composed by Frank Lake. Although this song is regarded as a World War II song, it's earliest associations are with the Royal Naval Air Service. In some versions, it became the unofficial Royal Air Force song in the years between the wars.''
 
:Bless 'em All seems to have been a folk song that was rewritten and introduced into the mainstream by Jimmie Hughes ''et al'' in 1940. In particular, the previous version of Bless 'em All appears to have been a much more visceral song entitled Fuck 'em All. -[[User:D. Wu|D. Wu]] 14:25, 1 August 2005 (UTC)
 
== How does bathing affect the digestive system? ==
 
In our [[Tamil people|local culture]], we're often asked not to take bath soon after having food. Some people say that it'll cause a big belly. I've also personally experienced an increase in appetite soon after having a long bath in waterfalls. Are these connected? -- [[User:Sundar|Sundar]] <sup>\[[User talk:Sundar|talk]] \[[Special:Contributions/Sundar|contribs]]</sup> 06:27, August 1, 2005 (UTC)
 
:In Australia there is a similar common recommendation that a person should wait 30 minutes to 1 hour after eating before they go swimming. From the results of a google search [http://www.cbc.ca/story/science/national/2005/06/30/swim-eat050630.html] it seems that swimming after a meal is physiologically fine, as long as you aren't an endurance swimmer, then it may cause cramps. You're probably hungry after swimming because swimming uses alot of energy. --[[User:Petaholmes|nixie]] 06:36, 1 August 2005 (UTC)
 
::Sounds plausible. However I didn't mean swimming, just plain bathing. -- [[User:Sundar|Sundar]] <sup>\[[User talk:Sundar|talk]] \[[Special:Contributions/Sundar|contribs]]</sup> 06:49, August 1, 2005 (UTC)
 
I'm going to say that this is related to any energetic activity - it takes blood and energy away from digestion, and directs it to muscular activity. This can cause cramps, which are potentially dangerous when swimming. I can't think of a reason not to sit passively in warm water having eaten.
 
:Studies have found that swimming in cold water increases the appetite, which makes it a poor choice for exercise. Since you're talking about bathing in waterfalls, I imagine they were significantly cooler than air temp. and that may be what caused the increase in appetite. The scientists behind the study theorized that dropping core temperature turns on a signal to conserve energy, decreasing the metabolism, while increasing appetite. [[User:Jamesmusik|James]] 13:24, August 1, 2005 (UTC)
 
::Swimming is still great exercise, it just may not be the best one to use if the goal is to lose weight. For those that need to gain weight (yes it does actually occur), or maintain, it would be highly recommended. - [[User:Taxman|Taxman]] <sup><small>[[User talk:Taxman|Talk]]</sup></small> 18:39, August 1, 2005 (UTC)
 
Thanks everyone. The cold water theory seems to be plausible. Can someone create an article on this? -- [[User:Sundar|Sundar]] <sup>\[[User talk:Sundar|talk]] \[[Special:Contributions/Sundar|contribs]]</sup> 04:19, August 2, 2005 (UTC)
 
: Heart rate, after eating (postprandial) heart rate increases by 30% and more, it takes a lot of effort by the body to break eaten food down to absorb as useable energy molecules, so going swimming increases the demand on the heart. 'Cramps' is pain from strong muscle spasm, and one cause while swimming after eating could be the hard working leg and arm muscles are not getting enough blood to keep you afloat and moving on in the water(cramping muscles do not have the same strength and the heart has reached maximum pumping capacity) and if you are still a long way from shore... well... we hope you remember this and dont swim with a full belly. Second part of the question, no comment. Sam.
 
==Three Volapük words==
A Finnish book I once read had an article about [[Volapük]]. It said the language was hard to learn because of difficult words like (quote) ''äpakokomla'', ''opesevamol'' and ''poibefuloms'' (unquote), which don't come from any one language. For over a decade, I've been wondering what the heck these words mean. Does anyone here know Volapük enough to tell me the meanings? [[User:JIP|<nowiki></nowiki>]] &mdash; <font color="#CC0000">J</font><font color="#00CC00">I</font><font color="#0000CC">P</font> | [[User talk:JIP|Talk]] 08:22, 1 August 2005 (UTC)
 
: You could ask volapuk-owner@yahoogroups.com. &mdash; [[User:SebastianHelm|Sebastian]] [[User_talk:SebastianHelm|(talk)]] 15:34, August 1, 2005 (UTC)
 
::Do I need to join the group in order to receive mail from it? [[User:JIP|<nowiki></nowiki>]] &mdash; <font color="#CC0000">J</font><font color="#00CC00">I</font><font color="#0000CC">P</font> | [[User talk:JIP|Talk]] 10:53, 2 August 2005 (UTC)
 
::: Why, yes. But not for sending mail to an individual person, such as the above. &mdash; [[User:SebastianHelm|Sebastian]] [[User_talk:SebastianHelm|(talk)]] 15:01, August 2, 2005 (UTC)
 
:::: OK, thanks. I sent a question to the above address from my home address, but they haven't replied yet. [[User:JIP|<nowiki></nowiki>]] &mdash; <font color="#CC0000">J</font><font color="#00CC00">I</font><font color="#0000CC">P</font> | [[User talk:JIP|Talk]] 16:23, 2 August 2005 (UTC)
 
The answer I got from the Volapük list:
:Here are the translations of the verb forms given:-
::äpakokom-la = It will probably propagate itself (but -la expresses doubt!)
::opesevamol = You will have been acquainted
::poibefuloms = They will always be fulfilled
:These come from the original Volapük by Johann Martin Schleyer. Present-day Volapük is slightly different.
 
What exactly does "you will have been acquainted" mean, as it has both a future and a past tense? [[User:JIP|&mdash; <font color="#CC0000">J</font><font color="#00CC00">I</font><font color="#0000CC">P</font>]] | [[User talk:JIP|Talk]] 09:20, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
 
:"You will have been acquainted" is in the future [[perfect tense]], which is infrequently used in English, but common in many other languages. It describes an action that will be complete in the future. [[User:Jamesmusik|James]] 14:38, August 4, 2005 (UTC)
 
== St. ==
 
What is the meaning of saint (St.) when the last of a person who is not canonized begins with it? For example, Augustine St. Clare or Richard St. Andre. I have seen an electrical engineer and other non-religious people whose last names begin with St.
 
Karl.
 
:Do you mean ''Saint-something'' in people's last names? It would refer to a [[patron saint]], or a church or town with that patron. Thus, someone associated with a church of Saint Clare some generations back might bear the surname ''Saint-Clare'', or even ''Sinclair''. These names are, most properly, given a truncated pronunciation: ''Saint-John'' is usually pronounced ''sin.jun'', and so forth. --[[User:Garzo|Gareth Hughes]] 10:23, 1 August 2005 (UTC)
 
== Memory restoration ==
 
In cases of memory loss for whatever reason, are there any tablets that you would recommend t help in memory recovery/restoration?
 
: [[L-DOPA]] reportedly helps working memory, and some people claim [[St John's wort]] helps memory too. I doubt these will help recover [[lost memory syndrome|lost memories]] however. -- [[User:Finlay McWalter|Finlay McWalter]] | [[User talk:Finlay McWalter | Talk]] 12:48, August 1, 2005 (UTC)
:: I am not a neurobiologist, but I believe there are a couple of mechanisms for [[memory]] so if you're trying to remember the name of your fifth grade teacher, that's quite a different thing from remembering what happened last night at that bar. My understanding is that alcohol can inhibit short term memories from being transfered into long term memory, so the probability of recovering a memory trends towards zero as [[Blood alcohol content]] rises [http://www.duke.edu/~amwhite/Blackouts/blackouts2.html]. If that is not relevant to your situation, you might want to check out [[amnesia]] which has a couple of other causes of memory loss. --[[User:Cvaneg|CVaneg]] 17:51, 1 August 2005 (UTC)
 
== Prohibited U.S. international travel ==
 
My coworker (a very extreme anti-American) claims that the U.S. government prohibits by law visitation of certain countries, including Cuba. I disagree with him strongly. I claim that the government may WARN its citizens of possible and potential dangers in volatile countries, but does NOT prohibit its citizens from traveling anywhere in the world they choose. Please help settle this debate, or...please advise me to a government agency that can help with this question. Thank you very much!
 
:I am neither a Merkin nor an expert on international travel laws, but my gut feeling is that you are right. At least with a valid visa, Merkins can visit Cuba and Cubans can visit the USA. According to what I remember, however, what the USA does prohibit is commercial import/export between the USA and Cuba. [[User:JIP|<nowiki></nowiki>]] &mdash; <font color="#CC0000">J</font><font color="#00CC00">I</font><font color="#0000CC">P</font> | [[User talk:JIP|Talk]] 14:35, 1 August 2005 (UTC)
You coworker is right, it is illegal for an American citizen to travel to Cuba. I've known people to travel there "illegally" via circuitous routes (to Haiti or Canada, than purchase a ticket on to Cuba) but they're risking a serious fine or possibly jail time. That having been said, if they ever experience any problems while in Cuba, they'd be in a terrible fix since we do not have diplomatic relations with them.
 
:: According to the US Department of State "The Cuban Assets Control Regulations of the U.S. Treasury Department require that persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction be licensed to engage in any transaction related to travel to, from, and within Cuba. Transactions related to tourist travel are not licensable. ... Travelers who fail to comply with Department of Treasury regulations will face civil penalties and criminal prosecution upon return to the United States." [http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1097.html] So you need a license to go to Cuba, and ''they'' decide who gets a license. &mdash; [[User:Pekinensis|Pekinensis]] 14:59, 1 August 2005 (UTC)
 
:::I'm pretty sure Cuba is the only country where such a law applies. [[User:Jamesmusik|James]] 15:05, August 1, 2005 (UTC)
 
::::The USDOS site mentions no restriction on travel to North Korea or Iran. &mdash; [[User:Pekinensis|Pekinensis]] 15:18, 1 August 2005 (UTC)
 
:::Shows how much I know, then. Remind me not to answer questions about where Merkins can travel. [[User:JIP|<nowiki></nowiki>]] &mdash; <font color="#CC0000">J</font><font color="#00CC00">I</font><font color="#0000CC">P</font> | [[User talk:JIP|Talk]] 16:54, 1 August 2005 (UTC)
 
Hm. The [[Food Network]] just had a show with [[Mariel Hemingway]] reporting about her [[Ernest Hemingway|grandfather's]] time in [[Cuba]]. I wonder how she was able to get there legally, then? [[User:John Barleycorn|John Barleycorn]] 19:09, August 1, 2005 (UTC)
 
:Well, maybe she got a permit from the state department. Again, you can go ''only with permission'', and they don't give permission for things like tourism, but they probably would for making a documentary. There are also a slew of commercial restrictions relating to Cuba -- i.e., you can't purchase anything there or sell anything made there in the U.S. (hence all of the hullaballo about Cuban cigars, which cannot be legally purchased -- or possessed? -- in the U.S., though can in many other countries nearby, including Mexico). --[[User:Fastfission|Fastfission]] 19:41, 1 August 2005 (UTC)
:Slight clarification on the cigars -- people who have licenses to visit Cuba can bring back Cuban cigars only if their total value is less than $100, and they are not allowed to resell them or trade them. It is illegal to bring Cuban cigars into the U.S. bought in other countries as well (i.e., if you bought a Cuban cigar in Mexico, where it would be legal under local laws, you couldn't bring it into the U.S. legally). This applies to all goods of Cuban origin, as a part of sanctions placed against Cuba since 1963. --[[User:Fastfission|Fastfission]] 19:45, 1 August 2005 (UTC)
 
::It might not be too hard to get your travel classified into a permissable category like scientific or cultural interchange, or charitable work and the like. I know that U.S. commercial travel companies have openly offered scheduled, er, tours to Cuba. [[User:TresÁrboles|TresÁrboles]] 19:49, 1 August 2005 (UTC)
::Tours are regularly scheduled under the loose cultural interchange rules. In fact, someone from my synagogue recently went on such a trip. It's essentially just tourism. You walk around and go to restaurants and see the sites. You can even legally bring a small number of cigars back. The regulations aren't nearly as strict as they appear. [[User:Superm401|Superm401]] | [[User_talk:Superm401|Talk]] 07:09, August 3, 2005 (UTC)
:Do you mean that Mariel was in Cuba reporting about her grandfather? Or that she was in America talking about her grandfather? If it is the latter, it is because the embargo against tourist travel to Cuba was instituted 1962. Cuba was not only open to travel, but a huge tourist destination for the entirety of Ernest Hemingway's life. For more information, see the [[United States embargo against Cuba]]. [[User:Jamesmusik|James]] 20:31, August 1, 2005 (UTC)
 
::She was in Cuba. There was one scene where she was actually in [[Mariel]], talking about how she had been named for the place because of its charm, and how it's now industrial and polluted. She also did a tour of her grandfather's villa. But, since it was Food Network, she also did a report on Cuban food, restaurants, and markets. {NOTE: I posted this yesterday, it shows up in my contributions, but somehow when I come to this page today, this paragraph is missing.) [[User:John Barleycorn|John Barleycorn]] 18:43, August 2, 2005 (UTC)
 
::: That factoid would make a nice addition to the [[Mariel]] and [[Mariel]] Hemmingway articles. Was Hemmingways' house there too, or in another town? -- [[User:Finlay McWalter|Finlay McWalter]] | [[User talk:Finlay McWalter | Talk]] 19:25, August 2, 2005 (UTC)
 
::::It was outside of town, but I don't know the name of the place. [[User:John Barleycorn|John Barleycorn]] 21:21, August 2, 2005 (UTC)
 
:It is legal to travel to Cuba if you don't spend any money in Cuba for that purpose. For instance, if you travel there on your own boat, eat on the boat, and leave without paying any dock fees or buying any souvenirs, the law is silent. Buying a ticket there, renting a hotel room, or buying food would be a no-no.--[[User:Polyparadigm|Joel]] 03:42, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
 
::It being a Food Network show, Mariel was obviously eating and drinking. I imagine she stayed in a hotel or two, as well. [[User:John Barleycorn|John Barleycorn]] 19:17, August 4, 2005 (UTC)
 
== Death Penalty in the US ==
 
I have always been under the impression that, in capital cases where the death penalty can be imposed, the jury "must not" have "any" doubt regarding the defendant's guilt. (Johnny Cochran's famous, "If the glove doesn't fit, you must acquit.")
 
However, a friend has pointed out the fact that there can be doubt, in a juror's mind, regarding guilt. His point is the phrase "guilty beyond a reasonable doubt" implies a juror can have doubt regarding guilt and still convict.
 
Which is it? Can a juror still have doubt regarding a defendant's guilt and still convict with the death penalty being the potential punishment?
 
Thanks in advance,
 
Ed
 
:The [[burden of proof]] for all criminal jury trials in the US is "beyond a reasonable doubt." This is a legal phrase, and may have essentially the same result as what you're envisioning as not having "any" doubt. There is not a higher burden of proof for capital cases than non-capital cases, though the jury must be unanimous on the verdict and punishment for someone to be convicted. [[User:Jamesmusik|James]] 15:02, August 1, 2005 (UTC)
 
:''Zero'' doubt would mean the prosecution would have to disprove the possibility of an evil twin from a parallel dimension having committed the crime. Or psychic mind-control gophers. Which is why the standard is "reasonable" doubt. -- [[User:Cyrius|Cyrius]]|[[User talk:Cyrius|&#9998;]] 17:06, 1 August 2005 (UTC)
 
== Which animals have gestation and which not? Where's the limit? (Part 2) ==
 
Which animals gestate and which not? For example, are reptiles or flies said to gestate? If not, what's the term they use in biology? 2004-12-29T22:45Z 18:47, August 1, 2005 (UTC)
 
:Hello, and welcome to Wikipedia. For getting an answer, please see the information in the box at the very top of this page. [[User:Notinasnaid|Notinasnaid]] 19:07, 1 August 2005 (UTC)
 
::I didn't ask the question but I would be interested to know what it is that the questioner is supposed to look at at the top of the page. His/her question is surely in the correct place (Reference Desk) and seems clearly expressed. So what's wrong? - [[User:Arpingstone|Adrian Pingstone]] 19:15, 1 August 2005 (UTC)
 
I already read what people answered before on this page, but I'm not satisfied. I want more specifics. Also, the question is somewhat different, if you take a closer look. 2004-12-29T22:45Z 19:22, August 1, 2005 (UTC)
 
:All animals gestate, the difference is where. All mammals, besides [[monotremes]] gestate in their mother's womb. Non-mammals usually gestate in eggs, and these usually develop outside of an adult's body, though there are exceptions.
 
Hey, that's nonsense. Not all animals have a uterus. Not all animals gestate. What about fish? They don't gestate. That's ridiculous. 2004-12-29T22:45Z 23:18, August 1, 2005 (UTC)
 
:Look again, the anon above you didn't say that all animals have a uterus, just that non-mammals usually lay eggs, ie. the foetus gestates in the egg. Presumably female non-mammals have some sort of egg storing organ (ovaries?) but I'm no biologist so don't know what the technical term is. [[User:Lisiate|Lisiate]] 00:07, 2 August 2005 (UTC)
 
:See [[http://www.koolpages.com/hokuspokus/lifespans.html this page]], which lists gestation periods for basically every kind of animal. One kind that I'm pretty sure doesn't gestate is the [[sponge]]. Reptiles, fish, and birds all gestate in eggs. [[User:Jamesmusik|James]] 03:41, August 2, 2005 (UTC)
 
== Jack Jones, Novelist, 1884-1970 ==
 
How can I find more information on [[Jack Jones (novelist)|Jack Jones]]? I am looking for "personal" info, as in parents' names, birth place etc. I believe he is a cousin to me. Thank you. D. Harrison
 
:There is somewhat more information [http://www.rhwydwaitharchifaucymru.info/cgi-bin/anw/frames/fulldesc?inst_id=35&coll_id=11341 here]. [[User:Jamesmusik|James]] 20:38, August 1, 2005 (UTC)
 
:I have found more information and posted it in [[User talk:128.226.47.62]]. [[User:Jamesmusik|James]] 19:10, August 2, 2005 (UTC)
 
== The Divine Proportion ==
 
See [[Golden mean]] and [[Golden ratio]] (they need to be merged). If you have more questions, post them here.<br>
<small>(Above comment by [[User:Jamesmusik]].)</small>
 
You mean, [[Golden Mean]] and [[Golden ratio]] should be merged. (Oh, how I hate this case sensitivity &mdash; clearly a reason to withold credit from Larry Sanger!) &mdash; [[User:SebastianHelm|Sebastian]] [[User_talk:SebastianHelm|(talk)]] 07:41, August 2, 2005 (UTC)
 
 
 
== Survivability of lung injuries ==
 
The article on [[collapsed lung]]s states that the condition is a "medical emergency", but does not go into much detail. How long can a person expect to remain mobile/conscious after losing a lung to say, blast damage, or spontaneous collapse? What about after more serious penetrating injuries, like a knife stab or a gunshot wound? Will said person even be capable of performing rudimentary first aid?
 
I guess what I really want to know is, how a collapsed lung progresses over time without professional medical assistance. Thanks in advance, [[User:Tronno|Tronno]] 23:09, August 1, 2005 (UTC)
 
:I think the article goes into great detail. The length of time a person will remain conscious depends on the severity of the injury. Blast damage causes the lung to rupture because of overpressure. Depending on the severity, the person may lose consciousness from hypoxia. In case of a penetrating wound leading to an open pneumothorax, a flutter valve (a piece of sterile plastic taped on three sides) can assist in breathing. A stabbing knife wound is less dangerous than a bullet, which tends to tumble in the body, causing a whole host of secondary problems. In both cases, the immediate concern is internal or external bleeding that'll lead to hypoperfusion (shock) and death.
:A bystander can apply a flutter valve and apply pressure to other wounds, but usually nothing can be done for a closed pneumothorax. EMTs can provide oxygen therapy by bag valve or positive pressure mask. They can establish a patent airway if one didn't exist before. They can also run fluids to stave off hypovolemia. But if the lung is fundamentally incapable of functioning, there is not much they can do either. -[[User:D. Wu|D. Wu]] 21:32, 2 August 2005 (UTC)
 
It depends on degree of compromise of function. You can lose a whole lung and do okay. Intentional collapse of a large part of a lung was an early 20th century treatment for tuberculosis. There have been cases of people with Munchausen's syndrome intentionally causing themselves repeated pneumothoraces by puncturing their own lungs with long pins to gain hospital access. [[User:Alteripse|alteripse]] 23:40, 2 August 2005 (UTC)
 
Thanks for the help, guys! That pretty much cleared it up. [[User:Tronno|Tronno]] 04:39, August 4, 2005 (UTC)
 
== Pumpkin facts and preservation ==
 
I was wondering if anyone knows how many pumpkins are grown/sold each year in the U.S. for purposes of decorations for Halloween, as opposed to those grown for pies or seeds.
 
I'd also like to know if there is a method to make your pumpkin last longer while sitting on your porch in the elements. I've read a weak bleach solution, WD 40 oil, and vasiline are supposed to work. Anyone know if they do and why? (and I'm not talking about a carved pumpkin, I know they don't have long to live) Could you also list any reference or authority on this if you have it?
 
Thanks for any help you can give me.
 
happy halloween
 
:I live in pumpkin land, and all I know, from my own experience, is that keeping the pumpkin from freezing is pretty much all you need to do. So in November, say, you bring it inside on really cold nights. and let it sit outside during the chilly days (as long as it's not below freezing all day). You could also knit it a thick sweater. This will get you through to early December, usually, but after that, you probably need a root cellar to keep the pumpkins if you live in the northern states. And while we leave our xmas wreaths up at least until Easter here, we don't usually decorate our porches with pumpkins much after Thanksgiving. Papier mâché would be your best bet for winter decor. And a good Samhain to you, too. --[[User:Mothperson|Mothperson]] <small>[[User talk:Mothperson|cocoon]]</small> 20:37, 3 August 2005 (UTC)
::Oh, and with regard to your first question, I have no statistics, but my answer, from what I've seen, would be something on the order of a gazillion. Okay, maybe only a few trillion. But it's up there. --[[User:Mothperson|Mothperson]] <small>[[User talk:Mothperson|cocoon]]</small> 20:42, 3 August 2005 (UTC)
 
:It seems logical that the bleach would be used to kill any potential mold, mildew, etc. that would eat the pumpkin, while the petroleum products would fill its pores and prevent water from evaporating out of it. As mentioned before, I'm not sure either of these is necessary; most fruits in this family preserve themselves fairly well if they're kept from extremes of temperature etc. If it starts to get splotchy or to shrivel, though, you may try one of those methods to buy a little more time.--[[User:Polyparadigm|Joel]] 04:51, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
::It just occurred to me. Are you living in a southern state? Specifically, a ''humid'' southern state? --[[User:Mothperson|Mothperson]] <small>[[User talk:Mothperson|cocoon]]</small> 20:00, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
 
No, I live in Mass. Thanks for the advice and info from both of you.
 
== difference between Ionizing radiation dan particle radiation ==
Anyone able to help me explain the difference between these two radiations? Their effects to human's body. Is [[particle radiation]] really emits fast little particles that could cause damage in body's [[cell]], and [[ionizing radiation]] emits energy that could caused molecules in your body to [[ionize]]? Thank you. [[User:Roscoe x|roscoe_x]] 03:40, 2 August 2005 (UTC)
 
:The articles imply a distinction that doesn't exist. Ionizing radiation ''is'' particle radiation. Non-ionizing radiation is generally not harmful, as it does not have the energy necessary to affect objects at the molecular level. Some kinds of non-ionizing radiation are visible light and sound waves. Ionizing radiation is the kind of radiation most people think of when they talk about "radiation". Basically, everything on the [[electromagnetic spectrum]] lower in frequency than [[Ultraviolet]] is non-ionizing, while UV and higher is ionizing. [[User:Jamesmusik|James]] 03:59, August 2, 2005 (UTC)
 
: Hmm, are you sure? I thought that [[gamma radiation]] is explicitly excluded from [[particle radiation]], since its particles have 0 [[rest mass]]. &mdash; [[User:SebastianHelm|Sebastian]] [[User_talk:SebastianHelm|(talk)]] 07:25, August 2, 2005 (UTC)
 
::Due to [[wave-particle duality]], all forms of electromagnetic radiation involve particles. Also, see [[Gamma ray]], which discusses gamma [[photons]], which are particles. [[User:Jamesmusik|James]] 17:31, August 2, 2005 (UTC)
 
::: Please, do me a favor and read a question before you reply &ndash; especially when someone writes "are you sure". Nobody denied that gamma rays can be regarded as particles. &mdash; [[User:SebastianHelm|Sebastian]] [[User_talk:SebastianHelm|(talk)]] 23:09, August 2, 2005 (UTC)
 
::You're right, most people wouldn't talk about gamma radiation as particle radiation, despite photons being particles. --[[User:Laurascudder|Laura Scudder]] | [[User talk:Laurascudder|Talk]] 15:00, 3 August 2005 (UTC)
 
== Islam without Mecca? ==
 
A question I've also asked on the [[Talk:Mecca]] page. It may, however, fit better here. Has there been any discussion within Islam of how the religion and Islamic law might adapt if [[Mecca]] was destroyed, somehow? What would happen to the [[Hajj]], for example? Please understand that I mean no offense by asking this question. I am merely curious. Thank you very much for your time. - --[[User:Brasswatchman|Brasswatchman]] 05:58, August 2, 2005 (UTC)
:The only reference I've ever heard of that is in the latter books of the [[Ender's Game]] series. In all likelihood, it would probably switch to Medina (the 2nd holiest site) or the Dome of the Rock (the 3rd holiest site) [[User:Raul654|&rarr;Raul654]] 06:47, August 2, 2005 (UTC)
*I imagine that unless Mecca was rendered completely uninhabitable (through nuclear weapons or some other similar mechanism) people would probably rebuild on the site of the former city, and try and keep traditions as close to the original as possible. Assuming a nation ''did'' decide to render Mecca completely uninhabitable (and I can't think that any entity other than a nation would have that kind of firepower at their disposal) the world would have to be so unstable that in all likelyhood, ''all'' major religions and nations would already be in a state of upheaval and there would probably be radical changes for everyone. --[[User:Cvaneg|CVaneg]] 21:36, 2 August 2005 (UTC)
:CVaneg - agreed. What I'm interested in is how said "radical change" might turn out in this particular instance. My own personal guess is much in line with what you have suggested; I suspect that a third option might be to construct a replica of Mecca, something that fits the same basic geography. I guess that, in this point in time, Islam is unimaginable without Mecca; and if Mecca is lost permenantly, something else would have to fill that vacuum. If anyone else has another guess or suggestion, I'd be very curious to hear what you had to say. Thank you. - --[[User:Brasswatchman|Brasswatchman]] 02:55, August 3, 2005 (UTC)
::I think Muslims would go the geographical ___location of Mecca regardless of what was there, or how dangerous it was. Medina wouldn't suffice.[[User:Superm401|Superm401]] | [[User_talk:Superm401|Talk]] 07:04, August 3, 2005 (UTC)
 
== Magnetic Resonance of Elements Database ==
 
I would like to know where could I or how could I find the subject above. Thanks a lot for your kind attention and reply.
Tony V. Villanueva
tonyvill409 at yahoo dot com
 
:[http://www.webelements.com Webelements.com] is usually good for this kind of thing. [http://www.webelements.com/webelements/elements/text/Be/nucl.html For example here] is NMR data for [[Beryllium]]. [[User:Dmn|Dmn]] '''/''' [[User talk:Dmn|&#1332;&#1396;&#1398;]] 12:52, 2 August 2005 (UTC)
 
== Dehydrated potato flakes ==
 
Who invented dehydrated potato flakes? We don't seem to have an article about them. We do have [[Smash potato mix]], but it does not address the question.
 
It is widely claimed that Canadian Edward A. Asselbergs invented them in 1962. [http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blpotatochip.htm] On the other hand, Idahoan Foods claims to have been founded in 1960 with the express purpose of producing instant mashed potatoes [http://www.idahoan.com/welcome/index2.htm]. I have not found any source that devotes more than one throw-away sentence to the question, and astoundingly, Google does not know of a single document containing both of the words "Asselbergs" and "Idahoan" [http://www.google.com/search?q=Asselberg+Idahoan].
 
Any ideas? Thanks &mdash; [[User:Pekinensis|Pekinensis]] 15:11, 2 August 2005 (UTC)
 
:Well, Asselbergs definitely was issued a U.S. patent for "preparation of dehydrated cooked mashed potato" {{US patent|3260607}}, which claimed priority from a Canadian application from 1961. However in his patent application he makes it clear that there are preexisting forms of instant mash potatos in the [[prior art]], in two forms: granules and flakes, the latter of which are dehydrated. For this he cites Canadian patent 561,119, which seems to be the primary form of the prior art he is contending with throughout the application in differentiating his method as unique. One of his references in the paper is a U.S. Department of Agriculture publication from 1954 on "Potato Flakes; a New Form of Dehydrated Mashed Potatoes", which makes me think that they must date from at least that period. --[[User:Fastfission|Fastfission]] 21:07, 2 August 2005 (UTC)
:On the Dept of Agr.: two US Department of Agriculture researchers were issued a patent for "Drum drying of cooked mashed potatoes" in 1954 ({{US patent|2759832}}), which must be what he is referring to. It describes the end product specifically being "as a thin sheet or flake". Another patent by Dept. of Agriculture researchers issued in 1957 ({{US patent|2780552}}) speaks extensively about flakes specifically as well. --[[User:Fastfission|Fastfission]] 21:14, 2 August 2005 (UTC)
:Also, check out {{US patent|1025373}} -- a patent on "Dehydrate Potatoes and Process of Preparing the Same", application issued in 1905 and granted in 1912! While it doesn't describe them as flakes, it clearly describes how they could be turned into a wonderful food product with just a little hot water.
:So I suppose a lot of this depends on what the definition of "dehydrated potato flakes" is, as "instant mashed potatoes" seems to have been around for almost a century! I haven't read this over word for word, of course, so I might be missing something.
:(If you're wondering how I did this: I searched for "Asselbergs, Edward" on the UK patent database, which has a lot of US and Canadian patents in it too, and then took the US patent number there and plugged it into the USPTO website, and then took the cited reference numbers from there and re-plugged them in. I have some scripts which make this sort of thing very quick, which helps a lot). --[[User:Fastfission|Fastfission]] 21:09, 2 August 2005 (UTC)
:In all likelihood - some little old lady hundreds of years ago. &brvbar; [[User:Reisio|Reisio]] 21:16, 2005 August 2 (UTC)
 
This is great information; thank you! I really hadn't thought to look at the patent records. I'll try to work this into a stubby article. &mdash; [[User:Pekinensis|Pekinensis]] 23:31, 2 August 2005 (UTC)
 
Please have a look at [[Instant mashed potato]]. It needs work. A substantial part of the article is FastFission's work, and Reisio's point is taken as well. I have copied this conversation to [[talk:instant mashed potato]]. &mdash; [[User:Pekinensis|Pekinensis]] 01:01, 3 August 2005 (UTC)
 
:The Incas were dehydrating potatoes ages ago. But this probably isn't what you want. --[[User:Mothperson|Mothperson]] <small>[[User talk:Mothperson|cocoon]]</small> 20:46, 3 August 2005 (UTC)
 
::To the contrary, [[instant mashed potato]] links to [[chuño]] right at the beginning of the history section. It was a red link, so I translated [[:es:chuño]]. It could use a good editing to comb out the translationese. &mdash; [[User:Pekinensis|Pekinensis]] 20:55, 3 August 2005 (UTC)
 
:::Cool. I'll go look. --[[User:Mothperson|Mothperson]] <small>[[User talk:Mothperson|cocoon]]</small> 21:00, 3 August 2005 (UTC)
 
== frustrating find/replace xml problem ==
 
I'm sure this will be blaringly confusing, so please ask for clarification if you think you can help.
 
I have multiple files which are named as such:
XYZ_Pg_001.xml
XYZ_Pg_002.xml
etc up to
XYZ_Pg_200.xml
 
each of these files is a page from a book, and each contains various tags. the most important for my problem are:
 
page-id: contains the above minus the .xml extension
 
page-sequence: contains the page number (only not with 3-decimal places as the filenames)
 
'''anyway, here's the problem''', a whole bunch have the wrong page-sequence tag, and need to be incremented by 2.
for example <page-sequence>17</page-sequence> needs to be +2 to <page-sequence>19</page-sequence> for all the files from 17-170. how can I do this? I can't really change much about the XML schema because it's not in my control.
 
is there a way i can do this either with:
*XML's abilities
*some search-and-replace utility across multiple files that I can input variables into
 
Argh I can't even explain this properly! Any help?
[[User:Robojames|Robojames]] 16:27, 2 August 2005 (UTC)
 
: Stuff like this is what scripting languages are for. Personally I'd do it in python (string manipulation in bash is icky) but just about anything (perl, bash, python, tcl, ksh) will do. Search and replace in a given file using sed. -- [[User:Finlay McWalter|Finlay McWalter]] | [[User talk:Finlay McWalter | Talk]] 16:56, August 2, 2005 (UTC)
 
:You could also try [http://www.w3.org/TR/xslt XSLT]. The way I'd go about it would be an XML-to-XML stylesheet (XSL output method = "XML") where the only rule in the entire stylesheet would be <page-sequence>, whose value is the original node's value + 2. I don't know if XSLT is smart enough to convert the text in the node automatically to a number, though. By default, XSLT should leave every other node as they are. [[User:JIP|<nowiki></nowiki>]] &mdash; <font color="#CC0000">J</font><font color="#00CC00">I</font><font color="#0000CC">P</font> | [[User talk:JIP|Talk]] 17:03, 2 August 2005 (UTC)
 
== Ways of getting around region coding of DVDs ==
 
What is the easiest way of getting around region coding of DVDs? [[User:Toasthaven2|Toasthaven2]] 16:30, 2 August 2005 (UTC)
 
: Rip it and burn a copy - if you use DVDdecripter and DVDshrink the result will be region free. -- [[User:Finlay McWalter|Finlay McWalter]] | [[User talk:Finlay McWalter | Talk]] 16:52, August 2, 2005 (UTC)
 
Or use a hack from a site such as [http://www.videohelp.com/dvdhacks] [[User:Shantavira|Shantavira]] 17:14, 2 August 2005 (UTC)
 
:They don't sound nearly as easy as buying a multi-region DVD player, which are now widely available. [[User:Notinasnaid|Notinasnaid]] 19:41, 2 August 2005 (UTC)
 
:* I'm not technical at all. I was delighted, having been bought a cheapo supermarket DVD player for my birthday, to quickly put the model number and make into Google, along with the phrase "region hack" and find out that I only needed to press a few buttons to get my Spinal Tap Region 2 DVD to play in my European player. Dead easy it were. (And if Region 2 IS European, I mean the American region, and ...you know... whatever I wasn't supposed to play, I played....) --[[User:Bodnotbod|bodnotbod]] 01:20, August 3, 2005 (UTC)
 
:Or, if you have a DVD drive on your PC and no region hack is available for your DVD player, install [[VideoLAN]], DVD player software that ignores region coding. --[[User:Robert Merkel|Robert Merkel]] 01:57, 3 August 2005 (UTC)
 
: I think the [[Linux]] kernel, when accessing the drive, also doesn't care about region coding, although I'm not sure if detection is inbuilt into the drive. ;) -- [[User:Natalinasmpf|Natalinasmpf]] 01:26, 3 August 2005 (UTC)
 
::It is built in in more modern drives; however, I think libdvdcss may be able to crack it. Doesn't the DMCA make it illegal to even discuss this in the US? ~~ <big>'''[[User:Nickptar|N]]'''</big> ([[User talk:Nickptar|t]]/[[Special:Contributions/Nickptar|c]]) 07:05, 3 August 2005 (UTC)
 
::Each video title on a movie disc is encrypted with a 40-bit title key. The title keys themselves are encrypted with a disc key, which in turn is encrypted against a list of 400 player-specific keys placed, together with checksums, at the start of the disc. All DVD Forum-approved hardware and software media players are given one of these player keys. The intent was that, should any player be compromised or be found to allow digital video copying, it would have its key rotated off future manufactured batches of DVDs.
::A software player is expected to download its key to the DVD-ROM drive via a special set of ATAPI commands; all the major operating systems (including Linux and BSD) offer an interface to do this. The drive then uses that to produce the title keys, with which the player can then decrypt the video title with on the host computer.
::There are three main methods of defeating this copy protection:
::# Extract a key from an approved player.
::# Use a cryptographic weakness to derive the disk key from the checksums.
::# Try a brute-force attack on the raw encrypted video data itself.
::Desktop computers today are fast enough to perform the second option almost instantaneously. If that fails, the player can fall back on the third option, which, because of the weakness of the cipher, takes just several seconds. This is what "rogue" media players like MPlayer and VideoLAN do, as well as ripping tools as DVD Decrypter.
::DVD-ROM drives manufactured prior to about 2000 were RPC-1 drives in that they ignored regions. RPC-2 drives sold after that are tagged in firmware with a region and implement region lockout by checking the region of the discs they play; if there is a mismatch, they simply refuse to return title keys.
::There are several popular ways of circumventing this:
::# Change the region of the drive. RPC-2 actually allows for the drive's region to be changed, but only up to 5 times. Beyond that, the firmware will lock the drive to a particular region forever.
::# "Upgrade" the drive's firmware. The firmware is usually executable code for the microcontroller in the DVD-ROM drive; enterprising people have disassembled these and provided patched region-free versions for some common models of drives.
::# Play the disc with a "rogue" media player. Ironically, these still work because they do not need title keys in the first place.
::&mdash;[[User:Ghakko|Ghakko]] 12:51, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
 
:Won't try to stop you, but playing it in the wrong region player violates the DVD license and therefore copyright law. Just be aware. [[User:Superm401|Superm401]] | [[User_talk:Superm401|Talk]] 07:00, August 3, 2005 (UTC)
 
::I am a stickler for copyright, but do have a multi-region DVD player after establishing that in the UK (where I am) court challenges to the sale of such things failed. What is the DVD license to which you refer? Is it a license to the player or the disk, and where is it printed? How can violating a license be a violation of copyright law... licenses are controlled by contract law, which has no connection to copyright law so far as I know.[[User:Notinasnaid|Notinasnaid]] 08:38, 3 August 2005 (UTC)
 
:On a Windows PC, also [[Anydvd]] will do the trick. (No weblink here, because just last week a notable German court decision held that news portal [[Heise]] had violated German copyright law by linking to the software manufacturer's homepage.) regards, [[User:High on a tree|High on a tree]] 18:38, 3 August 2005 (UTC)
 
:The simplest way, in my opinion is to not set your DVD drive's region, and/or buy a cheap DVD player that doesn't have a region. My DVD drive isn't set, and my player is cheapola, and thus, doesn't have a region. When it doesn't have a region, instead of not playing because the region doesn't match, it plays because the regions arn't conflicting.
 
== Credit Bank/Spain ==
 
Is there a Credit bank in Spain?
 
:Is Credit Bank a name of a particular bank? Or do you mean [http://distancelearn.about.com/od/nontraditionalcredit/a/creditbank.htm this kind of credit bank]? If it's neither of those, then there is certainly a bank which offers credit in Spain. [http://www.spanish-realty.co.uk/banks.htm Here's] a list of banks. [[User:Jamesmusik|James]] 17:26, August 2, 2005 (UTC)
 
== How many grams of protein do you need for muslce gain ==
 
Protein far in excess of the reccommended daily ammount simply won't do you much good. Protein will provide a small benefit in muscle gain if it is consumed directly after you have been weight lifting. Protein supplements are expensive and of verying quality. Frankly, your best bet is to lift and then consume a high protein snack such as a couple of eggs, a packed milkshake or a couple servings of baked beans. This meathod and the consumption of creatine are the only two meathods of artificially augmenting muscle gain that are effective. Sticking to a regular weight lifting program tailored to your goals is unquestionably the best way to build muscle.
 
:Simply lifting weights is not sufficient. You must consume more calories than you burn in order to create muscle mass, and those extra calories should come primarily from protein. [[User:Jamesmusik|James]] 19:33, August 2, 2005 (UTC)
 
From [[Bodybuilding]]: "It is recommended that bodybuilders receive 1 to 2 grams of protein per pound of body weight (2 to 5 g/kg) to help the body recover and build." This is conjunction with an all-around nutritional program, including eating little fat. [[User:Jamesmusik|James]] 19:13, August 2, 2005 (UTC)
 
It's all hotly contested just what the right amount of protein is. I was trying to research the details for [[weight training]] and never got a satisfactory idea that there was any consensus. Lots of bodybuilding types will recoommend huge amounts. As far as I know, the medical consensus is that your body cannot use more than a certain maximum and beyond that the protein is essentially wasted, and can be somewhat dangerous in very high amounts due to metabolic byproducts. The 1-2 grams per pound of bodyweight is a common recommendation, but I've heard recommendations that the higher end of that can be dangerous, and that even the lower end is likely to be more than is needed. So even if you stick to the lower end, you'll likely be at the most that your body can effectively use, which is where you would need to be for maximum muscle growth. Of course, the intensity of the workout and getting proper rest are likely to be much more important than your protein consumption beyond reasonable amounts. But no one wants to hear that they have to do real work, which fuels the sales of supplments and crazy recoomendations. - [[User:Taxman|Taxman]] <sup><small>[[User talk:Taxman|Talk]]</sup></small> 15:31, August 3, 2005 (UTC)
 
== How many feet is there to a mountian ==
 
See [[Mountain]]. The [[Encyclopædia Britannica]] classifies them as hills if they are under 2,000 feet, and mountains if they are greater than 2,000. [[User:Jamesmusik|James]] 19:09, August 2, 2005 (UTC)
 
[[Metaphor]]ically speaking, this will vary by the geography (how many foothills) and the local dialect. In most figures of speech, a mountain has only one foot.--[[User:Polyparadigm|Joel]] 04:10, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
 
== Better Sunscreen that is banned in the USA? ==
 
I recall seeing on TV something about a sunscreen that is supposed to be more effective than the ones sold in the US. The catch is that it isn't sold in the USA because it is banned by the FDA, despite being used safely abroad for years. What is it and what brands of it exist? I plan to pick some up when I travel abroad for my German/Irish skin which can't take the sun! [[User:FunkyChicken!|FunkyChicken!]] 18:56, August 2, 2005 (UTC)
*The stuff is called "[[mexoryl]]"; it hasn't been approved by the FDA yet. The best known formulation with it is "Anthelios XL", sold by LaRoche; it's easy enough to get on eBay. SPF 60+. (Make sure you get the XL; you can get the SPF 60 Anthelios L in the US, and that's also real good.) It's not cheap, but my sun-sensitive wife says it's the best, and her dermatologist agrees. --[[User:Jpgordon|jpgordon]][[User talk:Jpgordon|&#8711;&#8710;&#8711;&#8710;]] 19:13, 2 August 2005 (UTC)
 
*Just to let you know, the whole [[Sunscreen|SPF]] thing is a lot of marketing BS. SPF 20 blocks 95% of all UV rays, while SPF 60 blocks a whopping 98.6%. This is a mere 3.7% increase in protection. That is why the FDA requires sunblock to be marked "SPF 30+," as higher SPFs result in unrealistic claims about their effectiveness [http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/ANSWERS/ANS00955.html]. [[User:Jamesmusik|James]] 19:24, August 2, 2005 (UTC)
**Yeah. The UVA and UVB blocking numbers are more important -- and I just was informed by my wife that her source for the SPF60 Anthelios was getting it from Canada, anyway. --[[User:Jpgordon|jpgordon]][[User talk:Jpgordon|&#8711;&#8710;&#8711;&#8710;]] 19:37, 2 August 2005 (UTC)
*That's a wonderful abuse of statistics. Imagine comparing two medical treatments for a serious disease: in one case 95% live and in the other 98.6% live. Not worth it because it's only 3.6% higher? How about in one case 95% live and 100% live. Not worth it because it's only 5% higher? It may not be spectacular, but 98.6% blocking allows (presumably) 1.4% through, while 95% blocking lets 5% through. The former is therefore about 3.5 times as effective. These sort of things are terribly important if you are a vampire. [[User:Notinasnaid|Notinasnaid]] 19:46, 2 August 2005 (UTC)
 
**Now who's abusing statistics? We're not talking about a difference between 95% living and 98.6% living, but between the amounts of UV rays that get through. Blocking 95% of UV rays is sufficient protection for all but all-day exposure to the sun during the summer on a clear day. From the FDA monograph: "real consumer benefit is achieved through appropriate balance of SPF, substantivity, UVA radiation protection, irritation potential, and cost, whereas SPF values above 30 provide only ``incremental benefit'' and an unnecessary increase in drug exposure." [[User:Jamesmusik|James]] 20:02, August 2, 2005 (UTC)
 
***However, as Notinasnaid says, the relevent percentages are the about of sun that gets in, not the amount blocked. So the difference between 1.4% and 5% is actually very high, and one could stay out in the sun about 3.5 times longer and receive the same about of UV rays. Obviously the difference is only incremental, and obviously there is a case of diminishing returns, but the difference is still significant. &mdash; [[User:Asbestos|Asbestos]] | [[User talk:Asbestos|<FONT COLOR=#808080>Talk</FONT>]] 10:00, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
*I guess since I'll be going to Canada soon its going to be Anthelios. Are there any other brands? [[User:FunkyChicken!|FunkyChicken!]] 15:01, August 4, 2005 (UTC)
 
== Exploding Potatoes ==
 
Where can I find a video of an exploding potato?
 
:A search on google yielded nothing. Therefore:
 
# Buy a potato, and a small, '''legal''' firework
# Borrow a video camera
# Insert firework in potato
# Turn video camera on and point at potato
# Light firework
# Retreat to a safe distance
 
:Alternately, and probably more safely, bake your potato, and don't bother to poke holes in it. If you tape this, you'll have a video of your potato exploding. And [http://66.102.9.104/search?q=cache:yRjRYsJtRssJ:www.japantoday.com/gidx/news54821.html+%22exploding+potato%22+opera&hl=en do not underestimate the dangers of exploding potatoes]. [[User:Proto|Proto]]<small>&nbsp;[[User_talk:Proto|t]]&nbsp;[[Special:Contributions/Proto|c]]</small> 23:11, 2 August 2005 (UTC)
 
::Try overbaking it in a microwave. And what [[User:Proto|Proto]] said. Exploding eggs are fun, too, but keep your distance if you do it on top of the stove. Leave the camera, and be in another room. --[[User:Mothperson|Mothperson]] <small>[[User talk:Mothperson|cocoon]]</small> 20:52, 3 August 2005 (UTC)
 
:I once ate a potato
 
==Creating a VFAT filesystem on a USB pendrive in Fedora Core 3 Linux==
How do I create a VFAT filesystem on a USB pendrive in Fedora Core 3 Linux? As far as I know, I have to stick the pendrive into my computer's first USB port and then use the <code>mkfs</code> command with the correct parameters. The device handling the USB drives in the first USB port is <code>/dev/sda</code>. So I do this:
$ su -
# mkfs -t vfat /dev/sda
And I get told:
will not try to create a VFAT filesystem on /dev/sda
That's it. "Will not try". Why? Because it doesn't feel like it? I don't understand much of the other options to <code>mkfs</code> with the VFAT filesystem. How can I tell what is going wrong? [[User:JIP|<nowiki></nowiki>]] &mdash; <font color="#CC0000">J</font><font color="#00CC00">I</font><font color="#0000CC">P</font> | [[User talk:JIP|Talk]] 19:20, 2 August 2005 (UTC)
 
: It's skittish about you trying to create a volume on /dev/sda rather than /dev/sda1, as you'll zap any partition table that exists in /dev/sda. As you probably don't want a partition table on /dev/sda, you need to give it the -I option to give it courage:
 
mkfs -t vfat -I /dev/sda
 
: The place to look for this kind of info is the man page of the ''actual'' mkfs program that makes a given filesystem type, e.g.:
 
man mkfs.vfat
 
: Hope this helps. -- [[User:Finlay McWalter|Finlay McWalter]] | [[User talk:Finlay McWalter | Talk]] 19:56, August 2, 2005 (UTC)
 
== Beertables ==
[[Image:Biergarnitur.jpg|thumb|A beertable and two beerbenchs (?)|100px]]
Hi@ All,
does somebody know who has invented "[[Beertable]]s" and when? I'm not sure about the correct translation, but you could simply take a look at [[w:de:Biergarnitur]]. You could also answer into the diskussion page at the Article in english. greets --[[User:84.154.161.166|84.154.161.166]] 20:29, 2 August 2005 (UTC)
 
:Um...cave men, most likely. Possibly primates or some other smart nonhuman. &brvbar; [[User:Reisio|Reisio]] 20:37, 2005 August 2 (UTC)
 
::Um.. this wasn't a joke, somebody must have invented it, even if it was in ancient times. --[[User:84.154.160.62|84.154.160.62]] 07:28, 3 August 2005 (UTC)
 
:::I don't understand &mdash; it looks like an ordinary picnic table to me. What's the difference between a beertable and a simple table with benches? I don't know what the earliest recorded usage of a table is, but I expect they go back before recorded history. Hence Reiso's comment. &mdash; [[User:Asbestos|Asbestos]] | [[User talk:Asbestos|<FONT COLOR=#808080>Talk</FONT>]] 10:17, 3 August 2005 (UTC)
 
::::A Beertable is much easier to store and transport, because you can fold the Tablelegs. And the Table legs are made of metal, so perhapps they weren't invented so early... --[[User:84.154.160.62|84.154.160.62]] 10:21, 3 August 2005 (UTC)
 
:::::Ah, a foldable table. I doubt you'll be able to find out who invented a foldable table, either, but if you get ''much'' more specific and ask something like "Who was the first person to mass-produce a foldable table of these relative dimensions?" or want patent information or something, maybe that can be found. &brvbar; [[User:Reisio|Reisio]] 10:57, 2005 August 3 (UTC)
 
::::::This could all be useful, too. It would be very nice, if you could provide some Informations. Such Tables also used at the [[Oktoberfest]], [[w:de::Bild:Biergarten-im-sommer.jpg|like this]] I think these "Beertables" are a bit special foldable Tables also used in [[Beergarden]]s... --[[User:84.154.160.62|84.154.160.62]] 11:31, 3 August 2005 (UTC)
 
::::::: Note: The same discussion is taking place in German at [[:de:Wikipedia:Auskunft#Festzeltgarnitur]] with some links and more chances for success. &mdash; [[User:SebastianHelm|Sebastian]] [[User_talk:SebastianHelm|(talk)]] 17:58, August 3, 2005 (UTC)
 
::::::The German Talk is not as useful as this talk :-( I hoped somebody here could help... --[[User:84.154.160.62|84.154.160.62]] 20:51, 3 August 2005 (UTC)
 
:::::Could somebody help? --[[User:84.154.166.197|84.154.166.197]] 22:02, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
 
== Espresso before machines ==
 
People who talk about [[espresso]] nowadays, and at the talk page on espresso ([[Talk:Espresso#Stove-top_espresso_makers|#Stove-top espresso makers]]), people say that "true" espresso has to come from a dedicated machine; nothing else is true espresso.
 
These machines can't have been invented that long ago. Did they have espresso before then? Did they call it espresso?
 
Thanks! --James
*The espresso machine was invented in 1901. I found a useful [http://www.cs.usyd.edu.au/~bob/Coffee/timeline.html espresso timeline]. Obviously, until the steam was pressed through the ground coffee, it wasn't espresso. --[[User:Jpgordon|jpgordon]][[User talk:Jpgordon|&#8711;&#8710;&#8711;&#8710;]] 22:35, 2 August 2005 (UTC)
 
An espresso lover will tell you that espresso must have the [[crema]] or foam that forms on the top. It's practically impossible to get crema with a stove top maker, which is why some people say you can't make proper espresso with a stove top pot.--[[User:Petaholmes|nixie]] 02:54, 3 August 2005 (UTC)
 
== shell command to change file extensions ==
 
I want a quick shell command to change all files with a given extension in some directory tree to the same filename with different extension. can the [[find]] utility do this for me? -[[User:Lethe|Lethe]] | [[User talk:Lethe|Talk]] 22:50, August 2, 2005 (UTC)
 
for i in *.oldext; do mv $i `basename $i .oldext`.newext; done
~~ <big>'''[[User:Nickptar|N]]'''</big> ([[User talk:Nickptar|t]]/[[Special:Contributions/Nickptar|c]]) 23:05, 2 August 2005 (UTC)
 
: To recurse the directory tree:
for i in `find . -name "*.oldext"` ; do mv $i `basename $i .oldext`.newext; done
: -- [[User:Finlay McWalter|Finlay McWalter]] | [[User talk:Finlay McWalter | Talk]] 23:13, August 2, 2005 (UTC)
 
:If the <tt>/usr/bin/rename</tt> script is installed, try:
::<tt>rename -n 's,\.oldext$,.newext,' *</tt>
:Recursively:
::<tt>find -type f | rename -n 's,\.oldext$,.newext,'</tt>
:The <tt>-n</tt> just does a dry run for testing; remove it to actually perform the rename.
:The argument to the <tt>rename</tt> script can be any [[Perl programming language|Perl]] code. For example, to word-capitalize filenames ("foo bar" becomes "Foo Bar"):
::<tt>rename -n 's,\w+,\L\u$&,g' * </tt>
:To name files after their MP3 tags:
::<tt>rename -n 'use MP3::Info; if (my $t = get_mp3tag($_)) { $_ = sprintf "%s - %s - %02d - %s.mp3", $t->{ARTIST}, $t->{ALBUM}, $t->{TRACKNUM}, $t->{TITLE} }'</tt> *.mp3
:To name HTML files after their <tt><nowiki><title></nowiki></tt> tags:
::<tt>rename -n 'use HTML::TreeBuilder; if (my $t = HTML::TreeBuilder->new_from_file($_)->find("title")) { $_ = sprintf "%s.html", $t->as_text }' *.html</tt>
:&mdash;[[User:Ghakko|Ghakko]] 07:40, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
 
== Biology of "size" ==
 
Does anyone know about recent research or models of the molecular mechanisms behind size? For instance, what stops a mouse from growing as large as rat, and what stops a rat from growing as large as a human? There are obviously evolutionary benefits and disadvantages to being big vs. small and vice versa. But what genes are driving the evolution of small or large size? Mouse cells and human cells are the same size - something must be regulating the number of cells, or the raw size of the organs.
[[User:Mr.Bip|Mr.Bip]] 23:49, 2 August 2005 (UTC)
 
:The reason they don't get bigger is their cells simply stop [[Mitosis|dividing]]. The cells become [[Senescence#Cellular senescence|senescent]], meaning they die without duplicating themselves. Just why and how this happens is a topic of intense scientific research, as it is an important part in treating [[cancer]]. Cancerous cells never become senescent, which is why they are [[Biological_immortality|biologically immortal]]. The current theory as to why cancer cells continue dividing is that somehow the body controls the length of [[telomeres]] during cell division, and when they become too short, the cell is not able to divide. There is an unknown mechanism that regulates the production of [[telomerase]], which rebuilds telomeres. Turning off the production of telomerase would essentially halt growth. An article on its regulation in humans is available [http://www.pubmedcentral.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&rendertype=abstract&artid=120798 here]. [[Cyclin]] or [[cyclin-dependent kinase]], which control the [[cell cycle]] may be behind the signal to stop growing as well. [http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3076703/ here's] an article at MSNBC on the same question. [[User:Jamesmusik|James]] 00:41, August 3, 2005 (UTC)
:James - thanks for your answer, but I'm asking a slightly different question. I understand that cells stop dividing at a certain point governed by various factors, some of which are controversial. The question I have is: what is the molecular biological reason that a human liver is 20 times larger than a mouse liver? (just a random guess for the factor there). Telomerase, cyclins, and Cdks have to do with cell cycle control during adult life, but what controls how large an animal grows from an embryo, given the vast range of sizes in the animal kingdom? [[User:Mr.Bip|Mr.Bip]] 03:49, 3 August 2005 (UTC)
 
::I'm under the impression that the same signals are involved during development. For an embryo through adulthood, telomerase would be working in overdrive, essentially never allowing a cell to senescent until a genetic trigger shuts off the growth factors. Those growth factors are somewhat well understood as far as bone growth goes and involve [[growth hormone]], [[thyroxin]], [[androgens]], and [[estrogen]], but the factors that control organ growth are not well understood at all, much as almost every other aspect of [[gene expression]] is poorly understood. It's an area of intense research. In essence, there are genes that turn on and off growth, but they have yet to be identified. Interestingly enough, the July, 2005 issue of [[Science (journal)|Science]] has a section celebrating the journal's 125th anniversary with 125 questions yet to be answered, among which is: "How do organs and whole organisms know when to stop growing? A person's right and left legs almost always end up the same length, and the hearts of mice and elephants each fit the proper rib cage. How genes set limits on cell size and number continues to mystify." [http://www.sciencemag.org/sciext/125th/] and [http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/309/5731/78b] [[User:Jamesmusik|James]] 04:08, August 3, 2005 (UTC)
 
== Web Services?==
 
Does wikipedia support web services? If so, where can i get more info? (posted by [[Special:Contributions/69.164.88.46|69.164.88.46]], moved by [[User:Jamesmusik|James]] 01:31, August 3, 2005 (UTC))
:A '''[[Web service]]''' is a collection of protocols and standards used for exchanging data between applications or systems.
*We have a vast pool of PD, GFDL and fair use images, sounds and text, but Wikipedia is primarily meant to provide information, so I think the answer would be no. What kind of data did you have in mind? - [[User:MacGyverMagic|Mgm]]|[[User talk:MacGyverMagic|<sup>(talk)</sup>]] 09:21, August 3, 2005 (UTC)
 
== Information on Conviasa Airline==
Hello my name is Rhajan and I am a travel agent in Trinidad, I am having lots of problems with respect to making reservations and the ticketing of flights to Margarita Island. My question here tonight is if you can assist me in contacting Conviasa Airlines directy....eg phone/fax/e.mail/website/address. Thank you in advance...any assistance is appreciated.
 
:Indeed. I have updated the [[Conviasa]] article to include a link to their official site http://www.conviasa.aero. &mdash; [[User:Pekinensis|Pekinensis]] 02:48, 3 August 2005 (UTC)
 
== Microsoft Jet ==
 
Need some help on [[Microsoft Jet Database Engine]]: I have tried quite hard to see what locking mechanism this used. I need to know if it uses read and write locks, and whether it uses [[Strict two-phase locking]] (was asked on FAC). - [[User:Ta bu shi da yu|Ta bu shi da yu]] 05:22, 3 August 2005 (UTC)
 
:Does this question have anything to do with this recent read lock error on Wikipedia? This afternoon, I couldn't click on "edit this page" without getting an obscure SQL error. --[[User:HappyCamper|HappyCamper]] 06:44, 3 August 2005 (UTC)
 
::Not that I'm aware of... we don't use Jet for Wikipedia (thank goodness). Anyone have any idea? - [[User:Ta bu shi da yu|Ta bu shi da yu]] 06:18, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
 
== Casting Director ==
 
I am looking for anything and everything related to the revenue that
these firms generate, the profits that their partners take home,
individual contract rates per production, anything that can give me a
better sense of the yearly incomes of these people. Obviously, the top
top Casting Directors make alot, but I don't know exactly how much. If
one could provide this data (but not solely for the top directors), it
is what I'm looking for.
 
Ideally, I would like percentiles/groupings (i.e. 2% of casting directors had revenues (or profits) in excess of x dollars a year) or some other way to gauge the comparative success of one casting director to another.
 
== USAT Sea Flasher ==
 
I am trying to help a friend research his fathers military career.
 
On one of the documents he has, which is a complete itinerary of his fathers time is the Army during WWII, it mentions a ship which was used for transport as the "[[USAT Sea Flasher]]."
 
We have been trying to locate ANY information on the above ship and have been unable to find anything.
 
If anyone has info, please contact me at Rangemastr@aol.com
 
Thank you James D. Zimomra
 
:Well, Google has some information [http://www.google.com/search?lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=USAT%20Sea%20Flasher]...including that a troop-carrying ship called the "Sea Flasher" was damaged in Okinawa on May 3rd, 1945, after being shelled by another US ship (I'm assuming accidentally). &brvbar; [[User:Reisio|Reisio]] 11:02, 2005 August 3 (UTC)
 
*You may want to contact the [[United States Naval Institute]]. They have all sorts of books on naval history. You can find them at [http://www.usni.org/ http://www.usni.org/] [[User:FunkyChicken!|FunkyChicken!]] 16:24, August 3, 2005 (UTC)
 
== Removing/Overriding Copy Control Technology ==
 
Do computer (Windows) programs that can burn DVD's and override copyright protection technology (a [[Content-Scrambling System]]) also do the same for audio discs that utilise Copy Control. The particular CD's I want to be able to burn are Beastie Boys's ''[[To The 5 Boroughs]]'' and Red Hot Chili Peppers' [[Greatest Hits (Red Hot Chili Peppers album)|''Greatest Hits and Videos'']]. And yes i know it's illegal i don't care. I have the Australian versions of these CD's. Cheers, --Jake--07:50, 3 August 2005 (UTC)
 
:If the CD has been ripped already (to MP3, Ogg, or the like, not a DRMed format), any program can burn it. However, I assume you mean you're having trouble ripping it because of copy control. Just what kind of errors are you getting? ~~ <big>'''[[User:Nickptar|N]]'''</big> ([[User talk:Nickptar|t]]/[[Special:Contributions/Nickptar|c]]) 08:16, 3 August 2005 (UTC)
 
:I'll let you in on a little "secret". Every time I hear about some new brilliant scrambling scheme, I laugh. The one program you need is [http://www.opcode.co.uk/opd2d/default.asp Opcode Direct to Disk (OpD2D)]. It lets you record any sound playing over your speakers in unscrambled MP3 audio. Essentially, that means if you can hear a file you can convert it to plain MP3. It just requires a little effort to get the starts and stops timed right. It's definitely possible to do, though. Good luck, and remember using this is a violation of the US [[DMCA]]. [[User:Superm401|Superm401]] | [[User_talk:Superm401|Talk]] 20:11, August 3, 2005 (UTC)
 
::Most copy protection methods can be broken more easily. One (that marks all audio tracks as data) can be fixed with a small patch to cdparanoia; another (that uses an autorun exe that blocks ripping) can be disabled by holding down "Shift" to disable autorun while inserting the disk (or using [[Tweak UI]] to disable autorun totally). ~~ <big>'''[[User:Nickptar|N]]'''</big> ([[User talk:Nickptar|t]]/[[Special:Contributions/Nickptar|c]]) 03:01, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
 
:::Thanks superm for the opd2d, i'm looking in to it. The two cd's i have only allow me to play the music tracks through their own macromedia players. I am not having errors, but the individual tracks are not accessible. I think they use EMI Copy Control.
:::N: What is "a small patch to cdparanoia"? --Jake--11:27, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
 
::::[[cdparanoia]] is a popular CD-ripping program, in Linux at least. A slight modification to it can bypass a form of copy protection whose name I forget, but it's not EMI. However, if the CD has its own player, I suspect it uses an autorun-type protection. Hold down Shift while inserting the CD. If as a result the player doesn't start, I bet you'll be able to rip it. ~~ <big>'''[[User:Nickptar|N]]'''</big> ([[User talk:Nickptar|t]]/[[Special:Contributions/Nickptar|c]]) 19:21, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
 
*The insert disc while holding shift thing didn't work for these cd's but thanks anyway N.
Hey Superm could you brief me on how to operate opd2d, their website is awfully vague and their forums don't work. What exactly does it record? Do I need a mic? Thanks again --Jake--10:31, 5 August 2005 (UTC)
 
== Netscape ==
 
How was netscape ever supposed to make money?
 
:Maybe advertising, corporate setup & support, but most of all - businesses make money by fast, accurate transmission of information...like on the internet. A better internet browser for consumers means more profit for businesses. 2cents &brvbar; [[User:Reisio|Reisio]] 11:17, 2005 August 3 (UTC)
:Most web companies in the mid-ninties were happy rising along on the [[internet bubble]]. I don't know what Netscape's specific business plan was, if any. &mdash; [[User:Asbestos|Asbestos]] | [[User talk:Asbestos|<FONT COLOR=#808080>Talk</FONT>]] 11:23, 3 August 2005 (UTC)
 
:By doing this:
:* Selling corporate versions of the browser
:* Setting the server software that talked to their client (webserver, LDAP, email, application-server, etc.). The more browser traffic there is, the more server software they can sell.
:* Most people never change their browser's homepage, so Netscape set it to their corporate portal. So if you bought books from their bookseller affiliate, or travel from their travel affiliate, Netscape would get a cut.
: That last point is where the big money was, and is. -- [[User:Finlay McWalter|Finlay McWalter]] | [[User talk:Finlay McWalter | Talk]] 11:36, August 3, 2005 (UTC)
 
== What is common law crime? ==
 
What is a common law crime? Always does a common law crime need 'Mens rea'?
 
:A [[common law]] crime is one which has not been written down as a law, but is based on the history of court cases from the past several hundred years in the US and Britain. Very few common law crimes are actually prosecuted as common law anymore, since the basic crimes that are still considered crimes have all been heavily legislated into meticulously detailed statutes. The most basic common-law crimes are murder and manslaughter, mayhem, rape, larceny, robbery, burglary, arson, assault and battery, perjury, forgery, bribery, and conspiracy.
 
:One example of a common law prosecution was [[Jack Kevorkian]]. Michigan's assisted suicide law expired, so there was no statute banning it. Instead, common law forbid it, even in cases where the person was easing someone's pain and they happened to die (which was an exception in the then-expired statute). Michigan's Supreme Court ruled that since there was no statute on the issue, common law prevailed, and Kevorkian was tried three times for four deaths under common law, but never convicted until Michigan passed a new assisted suicide law, mainly because of the uncertainties regarding violating a law that has never been defined.
 
:Some aspect of [[mens rea]] is almost always required for any criminal prosecution, common law or otherwise. For instance, in the assisted suicide common law, you could not be convicted if you accidentally aided in the suicide. [[Strict liability]] crimes are the exception, but are all of a minor nature. [[User:Jamesmusik|James]] 13:48, August 3, 2005 (UTC)
 
== Sexual Attraction ==
 
I don't find that I am attracted to black women. Mixed race white/black yes, but black no. Does this make me a racist? Also I am really attracted to Jewish women. Is this a fetish or is it becuse they are hot?
*No, whether you are sexually attracted to someone or not has no bearing on racism. However, if you believe black women, or black people in general, to be less worthy, filthy or anything else demeaning because of the color of their skin, you might be harboring racist views. I've got no idea why you are attracted to Jewish women. - [[User:MacGyverMagic|Mgm]]|[[User talk:MacGyverMagic|<sup>(talk)</sup>]] 15:09, August 3, 2005 (UTC)
*One theory I have heard has something to do with old [[National Geographic]]s and photos of naked or topless women. They were invariably women of color and it created a sort of exotic eroticism. Perhaps you looked at too many old National Geographics as a child and were desensitized? As for your attraction to Jewish women, I can't say. However, I have seen my share of attractive and unattractive Jewish women, which is the norm for all women. [[User:FunkyChicken!|FunkyChicken!]] 16:17, August 3, 2005 (UTC)
*You are no more racist than if you prefered brunettes, or like green eyes.--[[User:84.66.63.119|84.66.63.119]] 19:25, 3 August 2005 (UTC)
*It's not a fetish, Jewish women are just hot :P (i keed, i keed! like Triumph would say) [[User:Gkhan|gkhan]] 12:42, August 4, 2005 (UTC)
*Yeah. I'd file this under "whatever floats your boat." I wouldn't worry about it. - [[User:Brasswatchman|Brasswatchman]] August 5, 2005. 12:15 PM EST.
 
== Golieth grouper ==
 
Information re this fish with picture if possible please
 
:The scientific name of the [[Goliath grouper]] (note the spelling) is ''Epinephelus itajara''. So far, we only have a one-sentence article on the genus ''[[Epinephelus]]'', but the google image search for either [http://images.google.com/images?q=goliath+grouper Goliath grouper] or [http://images.google.com/images?q=Epinephelus+itajara Epinephelus itajara] yields quite a few nice images. &mdash; [[User:Pekinensis|Pekinensis]] 15:55, 3 August 2005 (UTC)
 
:I happened to have the ''National Audubon Society Field Guide to Fishes: North America'' on my desk which notes that the Goliath grouper was previously called the [[Jewfish]]. It can get to 7'10" or 2.4 m long and 680 lbs. or 309 kg. [[User:Rmhermen|Rmhermen]] 16:40, August 3, 2005 (UTC)
 
The [[Jewfish]] article lists a whole host of fish the name it refers to, but not specifically this species. As to the renaming it mentions: It can't mean that all of these fish are named "goliath grouper" now, can it? &mdash; [[User:SebastianHelm|Sebastian]] [[User_talk:SebastianHelm|(talk)]] 18:10, August 3, 2005 (UTC)
 
::I beleive that the renaming refers specifically and only to this species. [[User:Rmhermen|Rmhermen]] 18:23, August 3, 2005 (UTC)
 
I found our article it is under [[Itajara]]. I will work on cleaning this up. [[User:Rmhermen|Rmhermen]] 18:37, August 3, 2005 (UTC)
 
:Nice job on that. I don't know a thing about fishes, but it sure ''looks'' like a nice fish article. &mdash; [[User:Pekinensis|Pekinensis]] 22:26, 3 August 2005 (UTC)
 
== a question about a measurement ==
 
i needed to know as far as dry ingredients go which has the greater amount .3 oz or .06 oz?
 
:0.3 oz is "Three tenths of an ounce.". 0.06 oz is "Six hundredths of an ounce.". The first would be represented by the fraction 3/10, the second by the fraction 6/100. 0.3 is much larger than 0.06. [http://www.ricksmath.com/decimals_1.html] &brvbar; [[User:Reisio|Reisio]] 16:00, 2005 August 3 (UTC)
:To be precise, 0.3 oz is five times heavier than 0.06 oz. That doesn't necessarily correpond to five times ''more'', though (e.g. in terms of teaspoons) if the two ingredients aren't the same substance. Certainly five time heavier, though. &mdash; [[User:Asbestos|Asbestos]] | [[User talk:Asbestos|<FONT COLOR=#808080>Talk</FONT>]] 16:45, 3 August 2005 (UTC)
 
== The stadium used by Real Santa Barbara ==
 
Does anyone out there know the stadium that was used by [[Real Santa Barbara]] of the [[USL First Division|American Professional Soccer League]] in [[1990]]? I want to say that they used [[Harder Stadium]], but I'm not sure. Thank you. --[[User:Fpo|fpo]] 15:56, August 3, 2005 (UTC)
 
== Laptop strange power problem ==
 
I'll be bringing my laptop in to get fixed, but the problem is strange enough that I thought people here might know what's wrong with it.
 
My laptop doesn't react to being plugged into an outlet through any transformer. The battery is drained and, when plugged in, no lights or anything come on and the computer can't be turned on. What is strange, though, is that, when a transformer, which works perfectly, is plugged in to the computer at the outlet, the little light on the tranformer starts flashing and a strange beeping sound comes out of the tranformer. As far as I know, the tranformer has no mechanism for making a beep, and so the sound is something in the hardware malfunctioning(?). This happens with any transformer I use.
 
Also possibly of interest, if the tranformer is plugged in (by itself) and then unplugged, the little light, as usual, takes about ten seconds to completely fade away. However, if the tranformer is plugged in, then unplugged, ''then'' attached to the computer (within those ten seconds), the light shuts off imediately, as if the charge is instantly draining away into the computer (which isn't itself grounded or anything).
 
Anyone know what kind of problem this might be? Thanks, --James
 
*Have you:
:1. Tried the suspect transformer with another computer?
:2. Tried using other cables?
:3. Tried another battery in the computer?
:
That may help in finding the problem! [[User:FunkyChicken!|FunkyChicken!]] 16:20, August 3, 2005 (UTC)
 
:Hi FunkyChicken. 1) I don't have another computer to try the transformer on, but have tried three other transformers and they all do the same thing, so it's the computer, not the tranformer. 2) Cables ditto. 3) AFAIK, the power doesn't need to go through the battery to work. cf. plugging in your laptop without a battery - it should still work fine. I don't think the problem can be the battery, therefore. Thanks however, --James
 
**Then it sounds that it may be a problem with the power pickup of your computer. [[User:FunkyChicken!|FunkyChicken!]] 17:03, August 3, 2005 (UTC)
 
:It sounds like you have a very smart transformer. The beeping noise may be from an over-current protection circuit, and ditto the flashing light. It sounds like you have a short circuit in the computer or in the battery, which would explain the power draining out of the transformer so quickly. Have you tried removing the battery and then plugging the computer in? I realize many computers won't run in this state, but it may solve the flashing-beeping problem, in which case the problem ''is'' probably in the battery.--[[User:Polyparadigm|Joel]] 04:31, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
 
== ipod not beeing seen properly in Windows XP Home ==
 
[[Image:Problem-1.png|thumb|right|Click to see larger image]]
[[Image:Problem-2.png|thumb|right|Click to see larger image]]
My 4th generation ipod isn't beeing seen properly when hooked up to a firewire connection in Windows XP Home. It looks like it may be some sort of driver problem, however other firewire external hard drives work fine and it sees the ipod when hooked up to USB. Also the ipod draws power from the firewire connection. Is this some sort of driver problem? If so where can I find drivers. I tried searching for drivers but it was futile! [[User:FunkyChicken!|FunkyChicken!]] 16:41, August 3, 2005 (UTC)
 
: The firewire driver will ship with your firewire card (or your motherboard, if the firewire controller is built into the chipset). There's not really an "iPod driver", just the basic firewire driver and the make-firewire-devices-look-like-drives driver (USB calls that the "mass storage device" driver, firewire will surely call it something similar). So, you should try:
 
:* Updating your basic firewire driver (or chipset driver). Even though other devices work, maybe the new iPod does weird stuff that your current firewire driver doesn't anticipate.
:* Question: is there a preference inside the iPod to enable/disable the firewire interface? If so, maybe the default is to enable USB and disable firewire.
:* Are you using the cable that came with it, or are you assuming that another (identical ''looking'') cable will work alike. If so, maybe that's an unsafe assumption.
: -- [[User:Finlay McWalter|Finlay McWalter]] | [[User talk:Finlay McWalter | Talk]] 21:38, August 3, 2005 (UTC)
 
Please elaborate on "not being seen properly"
 
*I have used a few cables - all Apple produced and work properly with the ipod on other machines - to rule it being the cable out. The ipod works fine on several other machines. Other firewire external hard drives work fine on the machine. So it is really odd. And please do look at the images on the right! Thanks! [[User:FunkyChicken!|FunkyChicken!]] 03:32, August 4, 2005 (UTC)
 
{{clear}}
 
== Barycenter ==
I made some images for [[barycenter]] and other orbit related articles. I was wondering, on the article, is the barycenter in the correct place on the [[:Image:Orbit5.gif|last image]]?
[[User:Zhatt|<font face="Times New Roman" color="orange">&#0149;Zhatt&#0149;</font>]] 17:29, August 3, 2005 (UTC)
 
: Looks correct to me. The barycenter is in the common focus, right? BTW, they are nice and very instructive pictures! &mdash; [[User:SebastianHelm|Sebastian]] [[User_talk:SebastianHelm|(talk)]] 18:23, August 3, 2005 (UTC)
 
==[[Google Maps]]==
I wonder about the choice of patches of high resolution on google maps. Sure, some are straightforward. The above-average resulution of Iraq and the area of Kabul makes me assume they buy their images from the US military. But [http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=54.940160,18.954163&spn=0.170868,0.520546&t=h&hl=en this] huge patch of the [[Baltic Sea]] in high resolution seems particularly pointless. I assume they must have some automated way of submitting these patches, as nobody in their right mind would waste bandwith with that. [[User:Dbachmann|dab]] <small>[[User_talk:Dbachmann|('''&#5839;''')]]</small> 17:39, 3 August 2005 (UTC)
 
*Perhaps somebody is looking for Russian subs? [[User:FunkyChicken!|FunkyChicken!]] 18:02, August 3, 2005 (UTC)
**so what were they up to [http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=29.308555,19.313965&spn=0.129690,0.260273&t=h&hl=en here], looking for terrorists? [[User:Dbachmann|dab]] <small>[[User_talk:Dbachmann|('''&#5839;''')]]</small> 18:11, 3 August 2005 (UTC)
 
*Google gets its images from all over the place. They have obviously searched for high resolution images of, for example, [[Massachusetts]], but the rest seems to depend on what their different suppliers gave them for their money. Bandwidth is not a problem, as the image which is sent is the same size (in bytes) whatever the resolution: the rest is just database technology. [[User:Physchim62|Physchim62]] 20:40, 3 August 2005 (UTC)
**I do assume they gzip the data at transmission? The Baltic Sea bit is essentially white noise... But I suppose you're right, it just still doesn't make sense to buy a hires image of so many square miles of ocean. The non-US hires images do seem militarily relevant, see this one [http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=35.582850,3.118315&spn=0.030239,0.065068&t=h&hl=en] for example, a weird structure in Algeria, the only patch of hires data in the entire country. [[User:Dbachmann|dab]] <small>[[User_talk:Dbachmann|('''&#5839;''')]]</small> 21:57, 3 August 2005 (UTC)
 
* The basic images, for much of the world, are public ___domain NASA [[Landsat]] 7 images. Detailed views of many major US metropolises aren't infact satellite images at all, they're orthographic aerial photography, undertaken by the USGS. Both of these sources are free and are served by several websites, and are available using [[NASA World Wind]]. I ''think'' a lot of the higher detail stuff (other that US urban) is from [[IKONOS]]. There is also an old monochrome dataset collected by the military [[Corona (satellite)|Corona]] satellite, which is now declassified - google doesn't use this, but Microsoft does (hence a recent and very silly Slashdot conspiracy-theory, when folks noticed apple's HQ in Cupertino,CA didn't show up on Microsoft's antique corona images - but it hadn't been built then). Absolutely positively ''none'' of the imagery is from any kind of modern military satellites - the US (and everyone else) doesn't admit anything about them - you're certainly not going to see unadulterated [[KH-12]] imagery in the public ___domain for decades. Patches of unexpected detail have several, all rather prosaic, interpretations. Firstly, commercial imagery like IKONOS is collected partially on a bespoke basis, and it's very common for oil companies, governments, developers, and municipalities to order commercial imagery of their own stuff. So frankly any little detailed facility you see in the desert is going to be an oil facility, paid for by the owners. Secondly is registration - to make satellite images montage nicely together takes some skill and some software - images need to be deformed to fit the globe, and positioned and scaled so they mesh properly with other images taken by different satellites at different times. Doing this is hard for featureless places like deserts and oceans, as there aren't features to help. So when there is a feature in such a block of blankness, be it a village or an island, that's going to get registered properly sooner than an empty place. -- [[User:Finlay McWalter|Finlay McWalter]] | [[User talk:Finlay McWalter | Talk]] 22:39, August 3, 2005 (UTC)
:Why do I feel sort of sick when I look at a close-up of Quebec City (focus on - say, the Chateau Frontenac)? That's surely not an aerial photo, so why does a satellite photo produce such a physical reaction? --[[User:Mothperson|Mothperson]] <small>[[User talk:Mothperson|cocoon]]</small> 22:37, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
:: My unscientific reply would be: Because your body knows that if you were to have such a view in reality chances are that you're in danger. Sounds rather like [[acrophobia]] than [[fear of flying]] to me. &mdash; [[User:SebastianHelm|Sebastian]] [[User_talk:SebastianHelm|(talk)]] 22:51, August 4, 2005 (UTC)
::: Some people seem to be sensitive to motion-sickness like effects when viewing stuff that is sort-of 3d. I know people who just can't watch a first-person shooter game like Quake without feeling really unwell, but most people don't have a problem. Similarly some people just can't tolerate freefall, others love it. There's probably a Ph.D to be had in figuring out if there's a relationship between FPS-motionsickies, satmap-vertigoists, and those with regular motion sickness. -- [[User:Finlay McWalter|Finlay McWalter]] | [[User talk:Finlay McWalter | Talk]] 23:24, August 4, 2005 (UTC)
::::Most interesting. I'm not afraid of heights or flying, and I don't get motion-sickness (I love roller coasters and IMAX movies, too), but those photos make me ill - I feel like I'm suspended by my feet from some ungodly height. --[[User:Mothperson|Mothperson]] <small>[[User talk:Mothperson|cocoon]]</small> 00:03, 5 August 2005 (UTC) (I guess I'm a satmapvertigoist)
 
== Information ==
 
I would be very much grateful if you could please advise my where to find what is the total food production and expenditure of each of the first 15 economies of the world. I have spent more than a week searching without success.
 
Thank you very much in advance.
 
Adriana Maciel
Mexico
:Have you tried the FAO [http://www.fao.org/waicent/portal/statistics_en.asp]? [[User:Rmhermen|Rmhermen]] 17:59, August 3, 2005 (UTC)
 
*One very important question what are the "first 15 economies of the world"? Do you mean chronologically, per capita income, etc.? [[User:FunkyChicken!|FunkyChicken!]] 18:00, August 3, 2005 (UTC)
 
 
 
== Start up Business failures ==
 
I am researching the rate of Start up Service Business failures in 2003-2004. I found the statistic of 1 in 10 fail the first year but did not feel the source was reliable and the article was from 1998. Can you help me find more pertinent data ? Susan
 
:According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, "Two-thirds of new employer firms survive at least two years, and about half survive at least four years. Owners of about one-third of the firms that closed said their firm was successful at closure." A firm can cease operations and still be successful from a cash flow perspective, of course. [http://app1.sba.gov/faqs/faqIndexAll.cfm?areaid=24] [[User:Rhobite|Rhobite]] 21:10, August 3, 2005 (UTC)
 
==[[Geology of Venus]]==
Is "geology" the correct term to use to describe other planets? I've seen "selenology" used for the moon, and "planetology" for other planets. Is the word geology the official term used by international astronomical associations? [[User:John Barleycorn|John Barleycorn]] 19:21, August 3, 2005 (UTC)
 
:''Selenology'' is basicaly "study of the moon" - you'd still need another term for "study of the earth (as in land/matter/etc.) of the moon". Geology: "4. The scientific study of the origin, history, and structure of the solid matter of a celestial body." [http://tfd.com/geology] &brvbar; [[User:Reisio|Reisio]] 19:48, 2005 August 3 (UTC)
::Selenogeology, perhaps? [[User:Superm401|Superm401]] | [[User_talk:Superm401|Talk]] 20:01, August 3, 2005 (UTC)
 
:::A [[geosynchronous orbit]] is for earth while, appently, a [[areosynchronous orbit]] is for mars. So could areogeology work for mars? I don't know what to use for Venus.
:::[[User:Zhatt|<font face="Times New Roman" color="orange">&#0149;Zhatt&#0149;</font>]] 20:11, August 3, 2005 (UTC)
::::Areology was used in this sense by [[Robert Heinlein]] in at least some of his novels. But that has no bearing on whether actual scientists use it, and may have been a stylistic flourish or an effort to show the patriotism of the local scientists.--[[User:Polyparadigm|Joel]] 04:41, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
 
:The pattern is you use the Greek name of the god rather than the Roman ("[[-ology]]" is Greek-derived). <s>Hence, it's "[[Aphrodite|Aphroditology]]", of course. I think this may be on file somewhere with the [[International Astronomical Union|IAU]].</s> BTW, no, I wouldn't recommend changing the name of the article.--[[User:Pharos|Pharos]] 00:37, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
::Scratch that; apparently [[Cytherology]] is preferred; see [[Planetary science]] for a list.--[[User:Pharos|Pharos]] 00:49, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
:::We have a brief article on [[Cytherean]] which explains this rather odd adjective... [[User:Shimgray|Shimgray]] 15:32, 5 August 2005 (UTC)
 
:The idea of having separate words for the study and orbit of each planet is fundamentally flawed, requiring new words to describe the same thing with every new discovery. It will probably give way to "abuse" of the 'geo-' prefix in the future. But that's just my opinion. --[[User:Cyrius|Cyrius]] 02:10, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
 
==Assigning values to function keys==
Ok, I know how to do this in unix like systems, but in Windows 2000 and XP how do I assign a text string to a function key so that it pastes in when I hit the key. It would really help in some editing situations. Microsoft.com was useless, as was the OS's help system. Thanks - [[User:Taxman|Taxman]] <sup><small>[[User talk:Taxman|Talk]]</sup></small> 22:10, August 3, 2005 (UTC)
:There's a proprietary program called [http://www.regsoft.com/keys/ Regsoft] that does it. I don't think it would be that hard to code a program that did the same thing. I can't do it myself, but I'm sure someone on Wikipedia can :) Hopefully, they'll release it as open-source. It would seem to be a simple matter of keeping a process running in the background and trapping some keystrokes. I could do it in JavaScript, but it would only work in your web browser and for the document that was running the script. Ahh.... [[User:Superm401|Superm401]] | [[User_talk:Superm401|Talk]] 22:27, August 3, 2005 (UTC)
 
::So how ''do'' you do it in unix-like systems? [[User:Ojw|Ojw]] 23:11, 3 August 2005 (UTC)
 
:You can redefine keyboard scancodes in the registry. I've used this to disable keystrokes on kiosks before. Now that I've typed this response I see that it has nothing to do with your question, but I'll post it anyway. Nyahh. [[User:Rhobite|Rhobite]] 01:19, August 4, 2005 (UTC)
 
== Filing a Small Claims Lawsuit in California ==
 
If I have had trouble with a corporation in California, is it possible to sue them in California Small Claims Court if I live in a different state? I searched the California Department of Consumer Affairs website, but couldn't find an answer. Thanks!
 
: [[Nolo Press]] publishes some really great legal books for the non-lawyer. One of them is [http://www.nolo.com/product.cfm/ObjectID/AFD73BAF-AC3B-4413-9A81CE7CCEDA22F9/104/308/ ''Everybody's Guide to Small Claims Court in California'']. I haven't seen it, but the other books of theirs that I did use were very handy, and entirely accessible. Sure, you can sue them in California, but if you're buying stuff from them then you can probably sue them in your own state court too. If you sue in California, you'll have to appear in court (possibly several times) there, which may exceed the sum you're suing for. -- [[User:Finlay McWalter|Finlay McWalter]] | [[User talk:Finlay McWalter | Talk]] 23:29, August 3, 2005 (UTC)
 
== Combinatorics: License Plates ==
 
How many different license plates are there with the following property: the first group contains three different digits, but the second group is a different ordering of the same three digits? For example, 036-603.
 
Karl.
*Hm, we helping with homework here? This one's easy, I think. There are 10 * 9 * 8 combinations for the first three; and any three unique things can be arranged six ways, and the first trio eats one, so it's going to be 10*9*8*5. --[[User:Jpgordon|jpgordon]][[User talk:Jpgordon|&#8711;&#8710;&#8711;&#8710;]] 00:58, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
 
*I know that some combinations are not used by certain states for some reason, I only know this because there are certain blocks reserved for prop plates in California. [[User:FunkyChicken!|FunkyChicken!]] 03:27, August 4, 2005 (UTC)
 
Can you, perhaps with an illustration, explain "the first trio eats one, so it's going to be 10*9*8*5?" The answer is 3600, so you are right, but I don't understand what you mean when you write that the first trio eats one. Karl
 
*Based on your statement of the problem, the arrangement of the digits in the second group can not match the order of the first group, i.e. 036-036 is not valid. Thus, out of the six possible ways to arrange three digits, one of those ways has been eliminated, i.e. "eaten", leaving the 5 that Jpgordon used in his solution. [[User:LarryMac|LarryMac]] 17:50, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
 
:LarryMac's elucidation is phenomenal. Karl.
 
== Combinatorics: United States Senate ==
 
The U.S. Senate has two senators from each of the 50 states. In how many ways can a committee of five senators be chosen if no state is to have two members on the committee?
Karl.
*I think that would be 100 * 98 * 96 * 94 * 92. (First you can pick any of the 100. Then you have to rule out that state, so there are only 98 senators left to pick from. And so on.) --[[User:Jpgordon|jpgordon]][[User talk:Jpgordon|&#8711;&#8710;&#8711;&#8710;]] 00:56, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
**No. (! means [[factorial]]) It would be 100 * 98 * 96 * 94 * 92 / 5!. If I have a Senator Specter, Santorum, Rosenberg, Williams, and Montgomery on a committee it's the same as if I had Santorum, Williams, Montgomery, Rosenberg, and Specter. Order doesn't matter and hence must be compensated for in the calculation. [[User:Superm401|Superm401]] | [[User_talk:Superm401|Talk]] 01:33, August 4, 2005 (UTC)
***To me, it makes sense to express it like this: 50!2^5/45!5! . You choose one of the 50 state pairs originally there, then one of the 49 remaining, and so on. Then you multiply by 2^5 to take into account the fact that either senator could be picked for any state. I explained the 5!. Ask if you have questions. [[User:Superm401|Superm401]] | [[User_talk:Superm401|Talk]] 01:37, August 4, 2005 (UTC)
 
I thank both responders, especially the example of order and explanations of S401. So the answer is 67,800,320. Karl
*I'll glibly lie that I was assuming that sequence was relevent, since Senate committees have senior and junior members. --[[User:Jpgordon|jpgordon]][[User talk:Jpgordon|&#8711;&#8710;&#8711;&#8710;]] 21:23, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
 
== Fictional work about world with age-limit ==
 
A few days ago I was watching [[University Challenge]] on [[BBC]] 2 and a question came along about a fictional world from I think a book in which people weren't allowed to live past 30. I missed the answer to the question and I'd love to learn more about it. Has anyone got an idea who wrote it and what it was named? - [[User:MacGyverMagic|Mgm]]|[[User talk:MacGyverMagic|<sup>(talk)</sup>]] 00:51, August 4, 2005 (UTC)
*Sounds like the movie [[Logan's Run]] to me. (It seemed like a good idea when I saw it 30 yrs ago. Now I don't think I approve of the concept.) --[[User:Jpgordon|jpgordon]][[User talk:Jpgordon|&#8711;&#8710;&#8711;&#8710;]] 00:53, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
**lol! - [[User:Ta bu shi da yu|Ta bu shi da yu]] 06:28, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
* I can remember a question about [[Logan rock]]s before this which may give it a certain connection. Looks about right. Thanks! - [[User:MacGyverMagic|Mgm]]|[[User talk:MacGyverMagic|<sup>(talk)</sup>]] 01:00, August 4, 2005 (UTC)
:It's also the basis of an episode of [[Star Trek: The Next Generation]] except in that the age is 60, if I recall correctly. [[User:Dismas|Dismas]] 02:48, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
::The episode is [http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/series/TNG/episode/68498.html "Half a Life"]. But I agree with jpgordon that Mgm is probably thinking of ''Logan's Run''. [[User:Chuck Carroll|Chuck]] 15:12, August 4, 2005 (UTC)
:Also, the teen exploitation flick ''[[Wild in the Streets]]''. -- [[User:Jmabel|Jmabel]] | [[User talk:Jmabel|Talk]] 06:44, August 4, 2005 (UTC)
:It's not an uncommon theme in science fiction, although probably all such plots are paying homage to ''Logan's Run''. I watched [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Futurama_%28TV_series_-_season_2%29#A_Clone_of_My_Own this episode] of [[Futurama]] tonight (as a rerun) where the age limit is 160. That I could accept for a few more years.-[[User:Gadfium|gadfium]] 09:00, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
 
:Also figures in [[Children of the Corn]], which is a short story. [[User:Meelar|Meelar]] [[User talk:Meelar|(talk)]] 17:14, August 4, 2005 (UTC)
 
== earthquake between 809-829 bce ==
I have looked for information about a earthquake recorded in the bible book of Amos 1:1. This same earthquake was mentioned in Zechariah 14:5. I have been looking to find anything on this quake and wonder if you may have any information on this quake. It took place about 8 miles south of Jerusalem between 809-828 BCE. It must of been a big quake as to have Zechariah make mention of it some 300 hundred years later. Do you have any information that would support this account from any historical or archeological findings?
 
:Seeing as the [[Book of Amos]] was not written until 750 or 749 BC and it says specifically that the sermon was given two years before the earthquake and during the reign of [[Jeroboam_II|Jeroboam]], son of [[Jehoash]], the middle [[8th century BC]] is the accepted time frame for the earthquake. Evidence of a sudden destruction is evident at [[Hazor (archaeological site)|Hazor]], [[Megiddo (place)|Megiddo]], and Tell Deir 'Alla, but other than that, little is known. There is an excellent site on the [http://megiddo.tau.ac.il/index.html Megiddo excavations] as well as for the [http://unixware.mscc.huji.ac.il/~hatsor/index.html Hazor excavaions]. [[User:Jamesmusik|James]] 15:41, August 4, 2005 (UTC)
 
== what are gregarian chant ==
:I assume you are refering to [[Gregorian chant]]? --[[User:Mairi|Mairi]] 03:14, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
 
== European evolution vs the rest of the world ==
 
What did Europe have - and, perhaps to a lesser extent, some Asian and North African countries - that allowed its inhabitants to become more technologically advanced than many other races, especially tribal nations. Is it the weather, or evolution, or brain size, or avaliable resources? It seems odd that while some areas of the world were trying to create flying machines, other cultures were still being discovered that lived in caves. (no prejudice, I am merely curious) --Jake--10:56, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
 
: You might be interested in reading ''[[Guns, Germs, and Steel]]''. -- [[User:Finlay McWalter|Finlay McWalter]] | [[User talk:Finlay McWalter | Talk]] 11:07, August 4, 2005 (UTC)
 
::One of my favorite books. The author makes the case that the answer to that question is entirely geography. There's currently a PBS series on the book for those interested in a preview of the book's argument. --[[User:Laurascudder|Laura Scudder]] | [[User talk:Laurascudder|Talk]] 17:11, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
 
:I don't remember the source, but one historian has suggested the development of precision laboratory glassware in the West was a significant contributing factor to the development of science and technology, cumulating to the [[industrial revolution]]. --[[User:HappyCamper|HappyCamper]] 11:49, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
 
::Well certainly the [[Steam Engine]] was humongously important, don't you think? There would have been little revolution without it. An argument I like is that of [[Isaac Asimov]] in his foundation series, where he says that the only way a civilization is to succeed is to have only enough resources to barely survive (that way you have to invent stuff and make war all the time). Seems to make sense to me, there is certainly more need for invention in England than in the jungle. There you can just pick fruit from a tree, in colder places you have to grow them. However, I claim no special knowledge in the area, and Asimov is perhaps not the guy to trust in these issues. I just think it makes sense :P [[User:Gkhan|gkhan]] 12:37, August 4, 2005 (UTC)
 
:What made them leave the cradle of life for the cold lands of the North in the first place? Maybe these people were just innately (or genetically) unsatisfied with what they had. &brvbar; [[User:Reisio|Reisio]] 12:53, 2005 August 4 (UTC)
 
::[[Desertification]] from overgrazing combined with [[deforestation]]. The cradle of life looked much more appealling before we started farming it like mad. The development of [[hay]] didn't hurt in making the North more livable either. --[[User:Laurascudder|Laura Scudder]] | [[User talk:Laurascudder|Talk]] 17:11, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
 
It is also worth pointiing out that Europe has a history of distrupting technological progress with violent imperialism. When the spanish conquistadors arrived in the Americas, they noted that a variety of cultures (the Aztechs in particular) had amazingly complex social and agricultural structures. Unfortionately, they didn't have guns and suffered mass slaughter. This is just one example, but europe did not really emerge as a technological powerhouse until the industrial revolution. Prior to that, it had been scouraged by the dark ages, religious wars and disease.
 
== Wikipedia's 666,666th article? ==
 
I see that wikipedia has just about hit 667,000 articles in English, and out of curiousity (morbid, perhaps :) ) I was wondering which article was the 666,666th. - [[User:Grubber|grubber]] 12:43, 2005 August 4 (UTC)
 
:Rats rats rats. There's a pool. And I lost by well over a month. I can't give you the exact name of where you can find this out, but someone else will, forthwith, I'm sure. It's the 666,666th article pool --[[User:Mothperson|Mothperson]] <small>[[User talk:Mothperson|cocoon]]</small> 13:30, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
:: Where was this pool? - [[User:Grubber|grubber]] 13:44, 2005 August 4 (UTC)
:::The [[Wikipedia:666,666th pool|666,666th pool]]?
:::The 666,666th article was, strangely, [[666666]]. Apparently, [[User:Sasquatch|Sasquatch]] created it right on the dot, took a [[:Image:666666 2.png|screenshot]] and then deleted it. —[[User:Ghakko|Ghakko]] 13:47, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
::::[[Wikipedia:666,666th pool]]. [[User:Neutrality|Neutrality]] won, lucky devil. --[[User:Mothperson|Mothperson]] <small>[[User talk:Mothperson|cocoon]]</small> 13:50, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
:::::And of course it would be someone like [[User:Sasquatch|Sasquatch]] who could achieve such brilliantly evil machinations. --[[User:Mothperson|Mothperson]] <small>[[User talk:Mothperson|cocoon]]</small> 13:55, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
::::::Seeing as it's now deleted, I don't think it counts any more. I'm willing to accept the article after it (which would have originally been the 666,667th article) as the "real" 666,666th article. And anyway seeing as the article has been deleted, I can't find out the time it was created. [[User:JIP|&mdash; <font color="#CC0000">J</font><font color="#00CC00">I</font><font color="#0000CC">P</font>]] | [[User talk:JIP|Talk]] 13:57, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
:::::::Agreed - anybody know what it is? &brvbar; [[User:Reisio|Reisio]] 16:43, 2005 August 4 (UTC)
 
:[[User:Sasquatch|Sasquatch]] created it at 07:45, 4 August 2005; its contents were simply "666666 = twice the evil!" It was [[CSD]]'d the same minute (well done, RC patrol!) and gone by 07:49 (Sasquatch thoughfully added a wikilink to [[evil]] before it finally went). -- [[User:ALoan|ALoan]] [[User_talk:ALoan|(Talk)]] 14:07, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
 
::Is that 06:45 in UTC? From your user and talk pages, I surmise you are British. You guys would normally have the same time as UTC, but it's summer now, and I think you have daylight savings time, just like we Finns do. So you're currently 1 hour ahead of UTC, as I think UTC is not affected by daylight savings time. [[User:JIP|&mdash; <font color="#CC0000">J</font><font color="#00CC00">I</font><font color="#0000CC">P</font>]] | [[User talk:JIP|Talk]] 14:23, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
:::You are correct. During the summer, the Brits switch from Universal Coordinated Time (UTC) to [[British Summer Time]] (BST). Where I live, on the US East Coast, we go from EST (Eastern Standard Time) to [[Eastern Daylight Time]] (EDT). [[User:Raul654|&rarr;Raul654]] 16:55, August 4, 2005 (UTC)
::::Oh, apologies - I just "cut and paste"d the time: yes, that was [[BST]] ([[UTC]]/[[GMT]]+1): UTC would be 6:45 and 6:49, respectively. -- [[User:ALoan|ALoan]] [[User_talk:ALoan|(Talk)]] 17:12, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
 
== buzzing mosquitoes ==
 
--[[User:69.197.81.161|69.197.81.161]] 16:11, 4 August 2005 (UTC)I have read your article relating to mosquitoes, and I understand now that the buzzing noice is produced by the wingbeats of the insects. I still feel that for some reason only some mosquitoes produce this sound and not others. Maybe it is just that only the ones close to your ears you can hear, but I'm sure that I have shooed some away from my ears that I had "felt" there rather than heard there.
 
:So, what's your question? "''...is this really true?''", perhaps? &brvbar; [[User:Reisio|Reisio]] 17:55, 2005 August 4 (UTC)
 
== Map of top tier England football club stadiums ==
 
I've created a very comprehensive website which shows on a map of England (with maps zommed in for some of the bigger cities) the locations of all top tier England club stadiums: http://footballclubs.dyndns.org/
 
It'd be wonderful to offer a link to it for people surfing the Wikipedia, for English football topics. Can you guys do this?
 
:Nice map, I put a link to it on [[List of English football stadiums by capacity]]. [[User:David Sneek|David Sneek]] 18:42, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
 
== Pronounce "Quis custodiet ipsos custodes" ==
 
How do you pronounce "Quis custodiet ipsos custodes" in English?
 
:If you're not pronouncing it properly (a la Latin), you can pronounce it however you like. &brvbar; [[User:Reisio|Reisio]] 17:45, 2005 August 4 (UTC)
 
::The (loose) translation is "Who will guard the guards?" [[User:Flcelloguy|Flcelloguy]] |<small> [[User talk:Flcelloguy|A <font color = brown> note? ]]</font color>| [[User:Flcelloguy/Desk|Desk </small>]] 17:48, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
 
:It is [[Latin]] and has not really become incorporated into the [[English language]], so there is not really an English [[pronunciation]]; if there were, it would depend on your [[accent (linguistics)|accent]] anyway. Given that Latin is the language equivalent of the [[undead]], there is not really a "proper" Latin pronunciation either. I would suggest that the best you could do would be to pronounce every [[syllable]] - e.g. "KWIS cuss-TOAD-ee-et IP-sos cuss-TOAD-ees". Note that a [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] may very well have pronounced it rather differently, as may anyone else that you speak to. -- [[User:ALoan|ALoan]] [[User_talk:ALoan|(Talk)]] 17:55, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
::See also: [[Latin spelling and pronunciation]] [[User:David Sneek|David Sneek]] 18:36, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
 
:::I am thinking of giving up making English approximations of foreign language pronunciations. English has very complex pronunciation rules, compared to pretty much every other language used in Europe and Asia (I don't know about African or native American languages). Explaining something simple in a difficult way is far more difficult than explaining something difficult in a simple way. I can say "Finnish is pronounced like German", "German is pronounced like Japanese", "Japanese is pronounced like Latin", but if I put English there somewhere, I have to go through all sorts of hoops to give even a remote approximation. [[User:JIP|&mdash; <font color="#CC0000">J</font><font color="#00CC00">I</font><font color="#0000CC">P</font>]] | [[User talk:JIP|Talk]] 19:00, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
 
:I think your accents would fall something like this: quis cus-to'di-et i'psos cus-to'des, where the ' marks the previous syllable as accented. --[[User:Laurascudder|Laura Scudder]] | [[User talk:Laurascudder|Talk]] 18:49, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
 
== How do you make bales of hay? ==
 
How do you make bales of hay? I mean, what is the procedure that people use to dry up the grass, and roll them up? Certainly this is not done by hand. What is the machine used to do it? Why do they seem to be randomly spaced out when the are on the field? Do you need to store them outside for a while before taking them inside?
 
And finally, do cows prefer hay, or grass? Thanks for the answers! --[[User:HappyCamper|HappyCamper]] 17:25, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
 
:*See [[Hay]] and [[Baler]]. Can't help with what cows like to eat. [[User:Joy Stovall|Joyous ]] [[User_talk:Joy Stovall|(talk)]] 17:28, August 4, 2005 (UTC)
 
:*As to the spacing in the field: the balers eject each bale when it's the right size, after collecting enough hay off the ground. If the crop yield is perfectly uniform over the whole field, then you should expect a bale exactly every so-many metres apart, as the baler is hauled up and down the field. In the real world hay is likely not perfectly uniform owing to rich and poor spots in the field, crop circle damage, etc. Traditionally hay was cut and left to thoroughly dry ''before'' it was baled or stored, to prevent subsequent mouldering or even fires owing to spontanous combustion (yes, really!), but more recently techniques have emerged to bale and store "green" (undryed) hay for better nutrient content; see [[silage]]. Once baled, hay can be put into storage immediately, but the larger bales are reasonably weatherproof and can be left outside, possibly with a loss of the outer few inches of hay. Some farmers wrap them in plastic material for better protection; there's a machine separate from a baler that does this. I think cows prefer fresh grass, certainly it's more nutritious, but year-round pasture is unavailable in many climate zones. Traditional small farmers pastured their cows in summer and fed them hay and supplemental feed over the winter. [[User:Sharkford|Sharkford]] 18:02, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
 
:How does the bale of hay not separate apart when it falls off? It looks like it's just rolled up. --[[User:HappyCamper|HappyCamper]] 20:19, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
::According to the [[baler]] article there is some twine that is wrapped around the bale, although it may or may not be knotted, depending on the type of baler. --[[User:Cvaneg|CVaneg]] 21:06, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
:::"Baling wire" is a kind of very flexible thin wire that automatic balers use to tie the bales with. [[User:Joy Stovall|Joyous ]] [[User_talk:Joy Stovall|(talk)]] 21:16, August 4, 2005 (UTC)
 
::::Oh, I see. I didn't think that wire could hold the whole thing up. Thanks! --[[User:HappyCamper|HappyCamper]] 21:44, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
 
:::::As everything gets so tightly packed, you only need a little bale wire to keep everything together. If you try to pull clumps of hey off the edge of a bale, where there is no twine, you'll find it's still quite difficult to remove much. Note that hay can also get stored as cubes, which makes packing easier in the barn. Also note that, for questions of taste, cows are big fans of [[silage]]. &mdash; [[User:Asbestos|Asbestos]] | [[User talk:Asbestos|<FONT COLOR=#808080>Talk</FONT>]] 11:03, 5 August 2005 (UTC)
 
== cricket- ==
 
Please could you tell me when the first 5 day test began , also did they have a break for Sunday.
 
Thanking you in anticipation
rick
 
:I am not certain as to the date of the first ever five-day Test, but that length was settled upon after the Second World War. Up to 1938 there had been Tests lasting until the tenth day. The break for Sundays happened in every Test in England until 1981. It has not happened since. [[User:smoddy|<nowiki>[[smoddy]]</nowiki>]] 21:55, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
 
== How to pronounce "Geschichte" and "tsch", "sch", "sh" and "ch" in German ==
 
I hope the langauge experts out there can help me out again. How does one pronounce "Geschichte" and for that matter, all these consonant clusters <small>(correct terminology?)</small> "tsch", "sch", "sh" and "ch"? For the latter, I know these change with context, but I haven't figured it out what it is yet. When I try speaking in German, I feel as if I'm speaking with a lisp since I am pronouncing all of them as the cedille (c with a comma under it). --[[User:HappyCamper|HappyCamper]] 20:18, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
*You could start with our article [[German language#Pronunciation]]. The second "ch" is pronounced as a hard G sound similar to the Dutch [[Scheveningen|S'''ch'''eveningen]] and [[The Hague|Den Haa'''g''']]. Sh and is as the English equivalent and "ch" may be a hard G or something else depending on the word. I've yet to find suitable examples of "something else". - [[User:MacGyverMagic|Mgm]]|[[User talk:MacGyverMagic|<sup>(talk)</sup>]] 21:17, August 4, 2005 (UTC)
:The German ''ch'' is usually described as like the Scottish ''ch'' in ''Loch''. In fancy terms, the ''ch'' in ''Geschichte'' is a [[voiceless palatal fricative]] (meaning you make the noise by forcing air between your tongue and the middle part of your soft palate without vibrating your vocal cords. In contrast our ''sh'', the [[voiceless postalveolar fricative]] uses the tip of the tongue farther forward on the palate.).
:The ''g'' is always a hard ''g'', as in ''gale'', unless it is part of the suffix ''-ig'', in which case it is like a German ''-ich''. The ''sch'' is equivalent to English ''sh'', and although I can't think of a word in German with ''sh'' it would be the same, too, unless it's not a consonant cluster but due to compounding words. The ''tsch'' would just be a ''t'' sound followed by the ''sch'' sound.
:Also important for a new German speaker is to know that ''st'' always sounds like English ''sht'', and similarly ''sp'' always sounds like English ''shp''. In other words ''spiel'' sounds like ''shpiel'' rather than like our sound in ''spade''. This is also a good point to remind you that the German ''s'' is our ''z'', while the German ''z'' is our ''tz''.
:If this is all sounding like Greek to you, let me know. There's also this not quite so great example [http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikibooks/en/f/fb/German_ach.ogg here] of someone reading ''ach auch ich richtig'', which may help gauge how you're doing.--[[User:Laurascudder|Laura Scudder]] | [[User talk:Laurascudder|Talk]] 23:44, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
 
:It's not ''that'' difficult. If a rather large number of German speakers can learn to pronounce the two foreign th-sounds, then the reverse shouldn't be impossible, either. ;) Anyway. "tsch" is more or less like "ch" in "which". "sch" and "sh" (the latter you won't find in native German words, to the best of my knowledge, and it's my native language...) are like English "sh" in "cash". As for the "ch": There's two different sounds that are both written with this letter combination (compare the two different sounds both written with "th" in English). The one type occurs after the vowels e, ä, i, ö and ü (as in "rechnen", "lächerlich", "Geschichte", "möchte", "nüchtern"), the other after the vowels o, u and a (as in "Loch", "ruchlos", "lachen"). As for the sounds themselves, I've found from personal experience that it's almost impossible to describe them in a way that the other person will afterwards be able to reproduce the sound; my best advice is to take some German courses and focus on the phonetics. ;) (Another note: All I've just written only holds true for standard German. You really don't want to know what some dialects can do to our language. Just trust me. ;)) [[User:Nightstallion|ナイトスタリオン]]…[[User_talk:Nightstallion|ㇳ–ㇰ]] 23:41, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
 
::I'm actually taking some German classes at the moment, and the phonetics is quite useful. What's funny for the people in the class is that apparently I don't speak German with an English accent - "a weird non-English foreigner" as they say, which is why I've asked this question here. This has been very useful, thank you! --[[User:HappyCamper|HappyCamper]] 01:12, 5 August 2005 (UTC)
 
:::The German ''ch'' varies quite a bit. The ''ch'' in ''ich'' often sounds like the intial sound of the name ''Hugh'' in English. Then, you have subtley different sounds in each of ''Bach'', ''Chienesisch'', ''Geschichte'', and ''Geruch''. Just try your best, it'll get better! Learn the vowels and the 'r'. They were the hardest for me. - [[User:Grubber|grubber]] 12:20, 2005 August 5 (UTC)
::::I find some people pronounce the 'ch' closer to a sh sound. Nightstallion (or ????????? as he apparantly wishes to be known) is correct in that German dialects are just weird. &mdash; [[User:Ilyanep|<span style="color:gray;">Il&gamma;&alpha;&eta;&epsilon;&rho;</span>]] [[User talk:Ilyanep|<span style="color: #333333;">(T&alpha;l&kappa;)</span>'']] 16:30, 5 August 2005 (UTC)
 
:::::Nah, you can still refer to me as Nightstallion; I just decided I wanted a funkier signature. ;) [[User:Nightstallion|&mdash;]] [[Image:Austria_flag_large.png|15px]] [[User:Nightstallion|ナイトスタリオン]] <sub>[[User_talk:Nightstallion|ㇳ–ㇰ]]</sub> [[Special:Watchlist|&mdash;]] 16:47, 5 August 2005 (UTC)
 
:Trust me - the ch in ich, chinesisch and Geschichte are the same (although speakers from Bavaria and Austria will pronounce chinesisch with a k sound at the beginning); the ch in Bach and Geruch are also the same. Glad I could be of help. [[User:Nightstallion|ナイトスタリオン]] {{country|flagicon|AUT}} [[User_talk:Nightstallion|ㇳ–ㇰ]] 15:15, 5 August 2005 (UTC)
 
::Ich möchte lieber so viel lernen! :-) Danke! --[[User:HappyCamper|HappyCamper]] 16:25, 5 August 2005 (UTC)
 
::They're very similar, but I would argue they are slightly different. The ''ch'' sounds different depending on the vowel. The ''ch'' of ''China'' and ''ich'' are like the English 'h' in ''house'' and ''Hugh'' (not exactly, there is raspiness in there, but close). - [[User:Grubber|grubber]] 17:11, 2005 August 5 (UTC)
 
== Help ==
 
I am inquiring about the possibilities of moving to the midwest. Can you please help me in locating a community that needs a doctor. I'm board certified in Ob/Gyn, and can also do some family practice. I would like to do this in a small town, not more than a 25,000 population draw area, and some community that has a real need for a physician.
Enclosed is my resume. Email URL alexkmd at bellsouth.net
Thank you.
Alex Kammer, M.D.,FACOG.
 
:Try monster.com. This is an encyclopedia. Sorry, we can't help you. [[User:Hermione1980|Hermione]]'''[[User talk:Hermione1980|1980]]''' 20:34, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
::No, this is a reference desk, and all sorts of questions are answered here that wouldn't be answered by Wikipedia itself. It's a pretty poor reference desk that has only an encyclopedia--even one as vast as Wikipedia--as its sole resource! [[User:Chuck Carroll|Chuck]] 17:45, August 5, 2005 (UTC)
::Well, assuming that Dr. Kammer wants to open a private practice, I don't know how much Monster could help him. I would think that he could get some population and income statistics from the [[United States Census Bureau]] to help narrow down his search to some viable areas that can support a practice. After that, since he's targetting relatively small towns, I would imagine that the best thing to do is call the local city hall, town counsel, or equivalent body and ask about their community's relative need for medical services. They might also be able to provide him with some sort of business development assistance to help him defray his costs. This method is a bit labor intensive, but I can't really think of a better way. --[[User:Cvaneg|CVaneg]] 21:02, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
 
:::Instead of calling every small town in the Midwest, might I suggest contacting the states' individual medical associations first? [[User:John Barleycorn|John Barleycorn]] 23:24, August 4, 2005 (UTC)
 
:Apart from looking at some population statistics, etc., I'd say that the [https://www.acog.com/ ACOG] would be the best place to look for help, seeing as you're a member of it. [[User:Jamesmusik|James]] 01:51, August 5, 2005 (UTC)
 
== What was began by the 18th Amendment? ==
 
I was writing because I have a Constitution Crossword Puzzle that is due for make-up
 
:See [[Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution]] - it began [[Prohibition]]. ~~ '''[[User:Nickptar|N]]''' ([[User talk:Nickptar|t]]/[[Special:Contributions/Nickptar|c]]) 02:09, 5 August 2005 (UTC)
 
==Song in Comcast commercial?==
Anybody have any idea who sings the song in the Comcast commercial that goes, "tick tock, tick tick tock, no time to play, i want it now, i want it now"? [[User:John Barleycorn|John Barleycorn]] 05:53, August 5, 2005 (UTC)
 
:The only thing I've been able to find is a thread on [http://www.whatsthattune.co.uk/messagecomplete.asp?id=25423 What's That Tune] full of similarly perplexed individuals. You may attempt to contact Comcast's advertising department. Perhaps writing to the address on the top of [http://www.cmcsk.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=147565&p=irol-contacts this page] would be your best option, as I can't find anything more obviously appropriate. [[User:Jamesmusik|James]] 06:46, August 5, 2005 (UTC)
 
::Thanks, James, that site seemed to be the only one I could find that had those words on it. Must be some indy band. I like the song, though. [[User:John Barleycorn|John Barleycorn]] 06:52, August 5, 2005 (UTC)
 
==The Grid lyrics question==
Does anyone have the lyrics to ''"Rise"'' by the British techno band [[The Grid]]? I'm particularly interested in the chorus:
:''Will you rise, brothers?''
:''Will you '''-I can't understand this word-''', sisters?''
:''Brothers and sisters...''
And what does the ''"Hodba hodba!"'' or something mean? Is it just a nonsense word? [[User:JIP|&mdash; <font color="#CC0000">J</font><font color="#00CC00">I</font><font color="#0000CC">P</font>]] | [[User talk:JIP|Talk]] 12:39, 5 August 2005 (UTC)
 
== Phobophobia - Fear of phobias ==
 
Is this a real phobia? It would seem that would cause one to fear a fear, then fear that fear, then fear that fear and so on and so forth. what happens next? would one spontaneously combust? How does this phobia work, and how did it come about? Also, are there Phobophilics (-philic: loving, as opposed to fearing), or are they just classed as thrill seekers? --Jake--13:31, 5 August 2005 (UTC)
 
:Well, you can fear fear in an abstract sense -- hence the whole "nothing to fear but fear itself" quote, but also more generally in certain situations the fear of other people could itself be more dangerous than whatever it is they are afraid of. In a limited example, the panic and disruption that could ensue from a series of terrorist attacks could potentially cause more harm in the long run than the attacks themselves -- you could fear "fear" in this sense more so than the weapons. --[[User:Fastfission|Fastfission]] 19:31, 5 August 2005 (UTC)
 
== Collapsing an array in Java ==
 
In Java, is there any way to remove elements from the middle of an array, and then collapse the array to close up all the holes? i.e.
1 1 1
2 del 3
3 ==> 3 ==> 4
4 4 6
5 del
6 6
 
Any help really appreciated. Thanks, Mary
 
:For that option, you may want to use an ArrayList instead of an Array. The ArrayList contains the high-level functionality of an array but sports a nifty remove() function that does removal and shifting for you. It's also possible to convert the ArrayList into an Array if you want that specific end product. Consult your Java 2 API for the listing, I'm pretty sure it's in the java.util package.
 
:You might also want to use a linked list, depending on what you're trying to accomplish. -[[User:D. Wu|D. Wu]] 15:55, 5 August 2005 (UTC)
 
:You can accomplish this with a for loop. See below:
 
//Fill array with 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
int x = 2; //index number you want to remove, in this case index number 2
for (int i = x; i < myArray.length; i++)
{
myArray[i] = myArray[i + 1];
}
 
Then you can do another for loop and remove the other element. In addition, you can do a for loop inside a for loop. Remember that there is no "remove" method in arrays; array is '''not''' a class, and accordingly has no methods. Hope this helps! [[User:Flcelloguy|Flcelloguy]] |<small> [[User talk:Flcelloguy|A <font color = brown> note? ]]</font color>| [[User:Flcelloguy/Desk|Desk </small>]] 16:03, 5 August 2005 (UTC)
 
== Weight of a (war)horse? ==
 
How much does a 'normal generic' horse weigh? and what about an unequipped 'warhorse' ?
 
:From [http://www.agric.nsw.gov.au/reader/1038 this website], a horse may weigh from 200 to 800 kg depending on the type, and any horse can vary dramatically from its average. Outside of the fantasy realm, I wasn't able to find out any information on warhorse weight. -[[User:D. Wu|D. Wu]] 15:35, 5 August 2005 (UTC)
::you will have to at least specify the century and rough area of your warhorse. Horse size increased considerably during the Middle Ages. In the tenth century, the [[Icelandic horse]] type may have weighed some 350 kg. In the High Middle Ages [[Arabian horse]]s were getting larger, and by the 16th century or so, there were huge [[Friesian horse]]s able to carry a knight in full plate armour, I don't know, 600 kg? So my estimate is that the weight of a warhorse almost doubled between the beginning and the end of the Middle Ages. [[User:Dbachmann|dab]] <small>[[User_talk:Dbachmann|('''&#5839;''')]]</small> 15:46, 5 August 2005 (UTC)
 
== Can someone clearly define Hispanic? ==
 
Can someone clearly define Hispanic?
The more I read the more confused I get. What I seem to have gleaned from various sources is that anyone of any Spanish ancestry or from any former Spanish colony is Hispanic, but it is a self indentification thing for people of any race. So a few questions:
*Are Filipinos Hispanic? If so why, if not why not?
*Is a person German-Italian from Argentina hispanic?
*Why aren't Brazilians considered Hispanic?
*It would seem that people from Spain aren't considered Hispanic. Why?
:See our articles: [[Hispanic]] and [[Hispanic culture in the Philippines]] [[User:Rmhermen|Rmhermen]] 18:19, August 5, 2005 (UTC)
 
:I don't think any cultural group can be clearly defined. For instance, there is great controversy on just ]]Who_is_a_Jew|who is Jewish/a Jew]]. Hispanic is a term that is generally applied to those of Spanish or sometimes Portuguese descent who live in Latin America. There are lots of gray areas there. I would venture to say that Spaniards are rarely called Hispanic, because their culture is distinct and quite different from cultures in Latin America, due in part to the influence of Native Americans on the Spanish settlers. [[User:Jamesmusik|James]] 19:05, August 5, 2005 (UTC)
 
::"Hispanic" is more difficult than most terms in part because it is very arbitrary -- it refers to a number of distinct and different cultures, linked primarily (but not exclusively) by language, and as a census category in the U.S. it is used as an awkward surrogate for race (even though as such it is problematic to the point of meaninglessness). It is a very awkward category as such. --[[User:Fastfission|Fastfission]] 19:34, 5 August 2005 (UTC)
 
== Envirolinks.ca linked to Wikipedia? ==
 
Good Afternoon,
 
My name is Shane i work for an Aboriginal organization called BSTI, we are located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. We have been working with local, national and international organizations, corporations, business, government and non profit groups to establish an online archive of Environmental information. To see the demo site Click Here "Envirolinks.ca" We would like to build a relationship with your organization to use the Wikipedia.org website to feature in our Services section. Do you have any Banners that we may source? If we do not hear from you we will assume it is OK for us to use the wikipedia.org website for content links from Envirolinks.ca to wikipedia.org.
 
Thank you,
If you have any questions or guide lines please let me know. Shane
BSTI
Executive Marketing Director
 
:For starters, you might want to check this page first: [[Wikipedia:Copyrights]] --[[User:HappyCamper|HappyCamper]] 18:59, 5 August 2005 (UTC)
::I don't think he's asking to copy Wikipedia content. However, Shane, you are free to if you comply with the terms of the [[GFDL]]. I understood that he was merely asking for permission to link to us, possibly using [[deep link]]s at times. At any rate, Wikipedia encourages linking to our main page or any page in our site. There are no restrictions. You asked if we had banners for you to use. In fact, we do. They are available at [[Wikipedia:Banners_and_buttons]]. You are under no obligation to use them, however. [[User:Superm401|Superm401]] | [[User_talk:Superm401|Talk]] 19:30, August 5, 2005 (UTC)
 
== info on Iowa City, Iowa ==
 
I am looking for livable qualities in Iowa City.
 
== Silhouette pic ==
 
Does anyone know where I can find a placeholder-type picture of a silhouette? LIke the BBC uses when they don't yet have a photo of the person? THanks,--[[User:84.51.149.80|84.51.149.80]] 18:50, 5 August 2005 (UTC)
 
:There are some here: http://images.google.com/images?q=silhouette&hl=en&btnG=Search+Images
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