Wikipedia:Reference desk/Miscellaneous and Distilled water: Difference between pages

(Difference between pages)
Content deleted Content added
Edgeless City
 
m Reverted 1 edit by 69.153.130.138 identified as vandalism to last revision by Kayvee. using TW
 
Line 1:
[[Image:Aqua-distillata.jpg|thumb|250px|Bottle for Distilled water in the Real Farmacia in Madrid.]]
{{Unicode|}}[[Category:Non-talk pages automatically signed by HagermanBot]][[Category:Pages monitored by bots|HagermanBot]]
'''Distilled water''' is [[water]] that has virtually all of its [[Impurity|impurities]] removed through [[distillation]]. Distillation involves [[boiling]] the water and re-condensing the [[steam]] into a clean container, leaving most contaminants behind.
{{Wikipedia:Reference desk/headercfg}}
 
==Applications==
{{Wikipedia:Reference_desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2007 May 14}}
{{Unreferencedsect|date=July 2007}}
= May 15 =
In chemical and biological laboratories, as well as industry, cheaper alternatives such as [[deionized water]] are preferred over distilled water.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} However, if these alternatives are not sufficiently pure, distilled water is used. Where exceptionally high purity water is required, [[double distilled water]] is used.
 
Distilled water is also commonly used to top up [[lead acid batteries]] used in cars and trucks. The presence of other ions commonly found in tap water will cause a drastic reduction in its lifespan.
== Nipple Cripple ==
 
Distilled water is preferable to tap water for use in automotive cooling systems. The minerals and ions typically found in tap water can be corrosive to internal engine components, and can cause a more rapid depletion of the anti-corrosion additives found in most [[antifreeze]] formulations.{{Fact|date=May 2007}}
Hi. A few friends of mine claim that they saw some science thing that says that nipple cripples (see [[School_pranks]] article) can give you cancer. Does anyone know if there's any truth to this? Thanks
[[User:Mix Lord|Mix Lord]] 00:44, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
Using distilled water in [[steam iron]]s for pressing clothes can help reduce mineral build-up and make the iron last longer. However, many iron manufacturers say that distilled water is no longer necessary in their irons.{{Fact|date=February 2007}}
:That sounds highly unlikely to me, unless a "nipple cripple" involves injecting plutonium into a nipple. [[User:StuRat|StuRat]] 00:56, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
::That urban (playground) legend was old when I was a kid. <span style="font-family:monospace;">[[User:Dismas|Dismas]]</span>|[[User talk:Dismas|<sup>(talk)</sup>]] 01:44, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
:Absolutely not. --[[User:Froth|'''froth''']]<sup>[[User_talk:Froth|<small>t</small>]]</sup> 04:34, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
:Not true, but if your hand is bigger than your face then you ''do'' have cancer ... (smack!). :) --<b>[[User:TotoBaggins|TotoBaggins]]</b> 05:05, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
::That made me giggle. [[User:213.48.15.234|213.48.15.234]] 08:16, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
I was amazed to find that what we called the "Cripple Nipple" was called a "Purple Nurple" by friends in [[Leeds]]. Any other regional variations? Anyway, whatever it's called, it was blimmin painful. --[[User:Dweller|Dweller]] 09:56, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
:I'd always heard "titty twister" (Florida, US) and occasionally "purple nurple." [[User:Recury|Recury]] 14:51, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
Some people use distilled water for household [[aquariums]] because it lacks the chemicals found in [[tap water]] supplies. It is important to supplement distilled water when using it for [[fishkeeping]]; it is too pure to sustain proper chemistry to support an aquarium ecosystem.{{Fact|date=May 2007}}
:::Has anyone seen any scientific evidence of the cancer link though?[[User:Mix Lord|Mix Lord]] 01:44, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
==Drinking distilled water==
== How do I find out who the author of a Wikipedia article is? ==
{{Unreferencedsect|date=February 2007}}
Drinking distilled water is quite common.
 
Many beverage manufacturers use distilled water to ensure a drink's purity and taste. Bottled distilled water is sold as well, and can usually be found in [[supermarkets]]. [[Water purification]], such as distillation, is especially important in regions where water resources or tap water is not suitable for ingesting without boiling or chemical treatment.
How do I find out who the author of a Wikipedia article is? <small>—The preceding [[Wikipedia:Sign your posts on talk pages|unsigned]] comment was added by [[User:PurdueScott|PurdueScott]] ([[User talk:PurdueScott|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/PurdueScott|contribs]]) 01:34, 15 May 2007 (UTC).</small><!-- HagermanBot Auto-Unsigned -->
 
Water filtration devices are common in many households. Most of these devices do not distill water, though there continues to be an increase in consumer-oriented [[water distiller]]s and reverse osmosis machines being sold and used. Municipal water supplies often add or have trace impurities at levels which are regulated to be safe for consumption. Much of these additional impurities, such as [[volatile organic compounds]], [[fluoride]], and an estimated 75,000+ other chemical compounds{{Fact|date=February 2007}} are not removed through conventional filtration; however, distillation does eliminate nearly all of these impurities.
How do I find out who the author of a Wikipedia article is?
 
Distilled water is also used as drinking water in arid seaside areas which do not have sufficient freshwater, by distilling seawater. It is quite common on ships, especially [[nuclear ship|nuclear powered ships]], which require a large supply of distilled water as coolant. The drinking water is produced in [[desalination plant]]s, although it is very expensive due to the large amount of fuel needed to boil water. Alternative technologies like [[reverse osmosis]] are becoming increasingly important in this regard due to their greatly reduced costs.
: See that page's History. --<small> [[User:Feba|Phoeba Wright]]<sup>[[User_Talk:Feba|OBJECTION!]]</sup> </small> 01:38, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
===Pros and cons===
::...which will show you that most pages have many authors. [[User:StuRat|StuRat]] 01:40, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
The drinking of distilled water has been both advocated and discouraged for health reasons. The lack of naturally-occurring minerals in distilled water has raised some concerns.
:::Or if you are trying to cite Wikipedia for a paper or other school project, see [[Wikipedia:Citing Wikipedia]]. <span style="font-family:monospace;">[[User:Dismas|Dismas]]</span>|[[User talk:Dismas|<sup>(talk)</sup>]] 01:42, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
The Journal of General Internal Medicine<ref>{{Citation
::::Most articles are co-written by a lot of people - even the ones that are mostly written by one person typically have dozens of small corrections and tweaks by other people. Given that, it can be quite hard to figure out who the principle editor was. Note that it is very common for the first editor to make a teeny-tiny stub article and for the principle editor to come along months or even years later and to expand it out into a full article. So it's not even enough to find the person who created the article in the first place. [[User:SteveBaker|SteveBaker]] 03:00, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
| last1=Azoulay | first1=Arik
| last2=Garzon | first2=Philippe
| last3=Eisenberg | first3=Mark
| year=2001
| title=Comparison of the Mineral Content of Tap Water and Bottled Waters
| periodical=Journal of General Internal Medicine
| volume=16
| issue=3
| pages=168-175
| url=http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/links/doi/10.1111/j.1525-1497.2001.04189.x/enhancedabs/
}}</ref> published a study on the mineral contents of different waters available in the US. The study concluded, "drinking water sources available to North Americans may contain high levels of [[Calcium]], [[Magnesium]], and [[Sodium]] and may provide clinically important portions of the recommended dietary intake of these minerals. Physicians should encourage patients to check the mineral content of their drinking water, whether tap or bottled, and choose water most appropriate for their needs." Since distilled water doesn't contain minerals, supplemental mineral intake through diet is needed to maintain proper health.
 
It is often observed that consumption of "hard" water, or water that has some minerals, may have beneficial cardiovascular effects. As noted in the American Journal of Epidemiology, consumption of hard drinking water is negatively correlated with atherosclerotic [[heart disease]].<ref>{{Citation
== Hockey: Can you assist on your own goal? ==
| last=Voors
| first=A. W.
| year=1971
| title=Mineral in the municipal water and atherosclerotic heart death
| periodical=American Journal of Epidemiology
| volume=93
| issue=4
| pages=259-266
| url=http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/93/4/259
}}</ref> Since distilled water is devoid of minerals, it will not have these potential benefits.
 
It has been suggested that -- because distilled water lacks [[fluoride]] ions that are added by many governments (e.g. municipalities in the United States) at water treatment plants using [[fluoridation]] for its supposed effect on the inhibition of [[caries|cavity]] formation -- the drinking of distilled water may increase the risk of tooth decay due to a lack of this element.<ref>[http://www.medpagetoday.com/PrimaryCare/DentalHealth/tb/1756 ''Bottled Water Cited as Contributing to Cavity Comeback'' at MedPage Today]</ref>
I was just looking at the stats line for game 2 of the West Finals between the Ducks and Red Wings, and saw that Rob Niedermayer got an assist on his own game winning OT goal.
 
A purported effect of drinking water in its pure form is a 'more powerful solvent' that helps cleanse toxins from the body{{Fact|date=February 2007}}.
For some reason, this seems...strange. Assuming ESPN is correct, why such a strange rule? [[User:140.180.10.134|140.180.10.134]] 03:12, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
The cost of distilling water (about 0.04 to 0.10 Euro or USD per litre in 2005) prohibits its use by most households worldwide.{{Fact|date=February 2007}}
:Scott Niedermayer scored the game-winning goal, with the primary assist going to his brother, Rob Niedermayer. See the official scoresheet [http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20062007/GS030322.HTM here]. It is not possible to be credited with an assist on your own goal. --[[User:68.205.161.201|68.205.161.201]] 03:48, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
==Myths==
The phrasing makes me wonder how many times an own-goal has been achieved by two or more players working together. &mdash;[[User:Tamfang|Tamfang]] 23:03, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
A popular myth about distilled water is that it has the dangerous property of being more easily heated above its normal [[boiling point]] without actually boiling (as seen in "Mythbusters") in a process known as [[superheating]]. When superheated water is disturbed or has impurities added to it, a nucleation center for bubbles form. These bubbles are then new nucleation centers, and a sudden, explosive boiling can occur, possibly causing serious injury to those nearby. However, distilled water and tap water do not differ in their ease of or danger in being superheated. The dissolved impurities in motionless tap water do not present enough disturbance to inhibit superheating.
 
==References==
== "aquisition" by US Navy ==
<references/>
 
==See also==
What exactly does it mean that the Navy "acquired" a vessel? Does that word have some special meaning? According to [http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/shusn-no/spid0900.htm this page] the Navy "acquired" the schooner ''Gracie S.'' although they add "No U.S. Navy service". To the contrary, Cunliffe and Osler (2001) in their book [http://books.google.com/books?id=VNsGi3nmuaQC&pg=PA238&lpg=PA238&dq=hayden+wanderer+schooner+%22gracie+s%22&source=web&ots=tpY7Kns_rt&sig=zbiRVgllxpnTbK8llTBcfIAbZSY#PPA238,M1 ''Pilots''] don't talk about any change in ownership during that time and simply say the ship was used as a pilot schooner in San Francisco. Thanks for all your ideas. --[[User:Ibn Battuta|Ibn Battuta]] 05:11, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
* [[Deionized water]]
* [[Atmospheric water generator]] ''(Make distilled water from air)''
* [[Heavy water]]
* [[Double distilled water]]
 
[[Category:Liquid water]]
: [[target acquisition]], perhaps? :P &mdash;[[User:Tamfang|Tamfang]] 06:44, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
[[Category:Distillation]]
[[Category:Drinking water]]
 
[[de:Destilliertes Wasser]]
I think, in this case, it just means they were bought or otherwise became their possession. Most modern naval ships are built by private companies (like [[Newport News Shipbuilding]]) under contract to the Navy. Other ships, especially in the early days, would just be commercial vessels bought by the Navy. Captured ships during war might also be "acquired". I don't believe the US Navy puts such ships into service, but might dissect them, use them for target practice, etc. Some ships they acquire may never be used, I suppose, for a variety of reasons, and may be sold or scrapped, instead. [[User:StuRat|StuRat]] 07:22, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
[[es:Agua destilada]]
 
[[gl:Auga destilada]]
:Well, the vessel was built and used as a pilot schooner. And she seems to have served as a pilot schooner until her retirement in 1947. So if the Navy didn't have plans to use her, why would they buy her? If they did in fact buy her, they must have resold her to her original owners. It all just doesn't seem to make much sense to me. That's why I wondered whether "aquisitions" might have yet a different meaning here... --[[User:Ibn Battuta|Ibn Battuta]] 08:07, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
[[it:Acqua distillata]]
 
[[he:מים מזוקקים]]
::An innocent explanation is that they did plan to use it, but those plans changed. A more ominous explanation is that they never planned to use the vessel, as this type of maneuver can be used to direct money from the public treasury to the seller of the vessel, with a nice kickback for those in the Navy who made it all possible. [[User:StuRat|StuRat]] 02:41, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
[[nl:Gedestilleerd water]]
 
[[pl:Woda destylowana]]
:Reminds me of the not-quite-a-joke: ''One reason the Armed Services have trouble operating jointly is that they have very different meanings for the same terms. The Joint Chiefs once told the Navy to "secure a building," to which they responded by turning off the lights and locking the doors. The Joint Chiefs then instructed Army personnel to "secure the building," and they occupied the building so no one could enter. Upon receiving the exact same order, the Marines assaulted the building, captured it, and set up defences with suppressive fire and amphibious assault vehicals, established reconnaissance and communications channels, and prepared for close hand-to-hand combat if the situation arose. But the Air Force, on the other hand, acted most swiftly on the command, and took out a three-year lease with an option to buy.'' --[[User:Jpgordon|jpgordon]]<sup><small>[[User talk:Jpgordon|&#8711;&#8710;&#8711;&#8710;]]</small></sup> 15:46, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
[[pt:Água destilada]]
 
[[ru:Дистиллированная вода]]
::Thanks. I've just seen on the linked page that it also contains ''some [vessels] that were given numbers but not acquired'' - so that might actually explain it... Sorry about not having noticed it earlier. --[[User:Ibn Battuta|Ibn Battuta]] 17:46, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
[[sl:Destilirana voda]]
 
[[sv:Destillerat vatten]]
== ILS coverage angle ==
[[zh:蒸馏水]]
 
What is the coverage angle of [[Instrument Landing System|ILS signal]]? That is, what is the overlapping angle of the two beams in the localizer and glideslope in a typical ILS system? --[[User: Antilived|antilived]]<sup>[[User_talk:Antilived|T]] | [[Special:Contributions/Antilived|C]] | [[User:Antilived/Gallery|G]]</sup> 07:02, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
== Mortal coil, what is it? ==
 
Can anyone please explain the above phrase, especially in relation to .."shuffling off this..."--[[User:88.111.126.78|88.111.126.78]] 09:10, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:This mortal coil means life I guess, as shuffling off it means to die. Not sure of the origin of the word coil, perhaps an equivalent would be this mortal plane of existence? [[User:Cyta|Cyta]] 09:26, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:wikipedia is your friend!! see [[Mortal coil]]
spiggy09:29, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::Oops seems I was wrong. [[User:137.138.46.155|137.138.46.155]] 11:28, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::who edited my edit, and managed to change the url to just text which linked - and how do you do that?? spiggy12:03, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
::::I did, apologies. Play about with the third button above the edit box on the eidt screen. "Internal Link". You just enclose the words you want to link with double square brackets. If you look on the edit screen of the comment that I edited, you will see how I did it. You can also enclose Blah|Boop in double square brackets, this will give you a link that says Boop but goes to the article Blah, like so: [[Blah|Boop]] - [[User:Capuchin|Capuchin]] 12:15, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
:The oed [http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50043511/50043511se2?single=1&query_type=word&queryword=mortal+coil&first=1&max_to_show=10&hilite=50043511se2] gives coil as an archaic word for row, turmoil etc. It lives on in English only this one line of Shakespeare. [[User:Algebraist|Algebraist]] 14:23, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
== Online religion debating forum ==
 
A Wikipedia user is looking for an online forum where s/he can debate issues pertaining to religion with members of other faiths. Particularly, s/he needs a forum where people will not be upset by posts challenging tenets of their religion, but will respond to the issues raised. Any suggestions? --[[User:Dweller|Dweller]] 09:33, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:There are quite a few Google groups devoted to religious issues.[http://groups.google.com/groups/dir?lnk=nhpsfg&q=religion&qt_s=Search+for+a+group] If one is respectful, honest, and open-minded, people will rarely get upset by a critical discussion of religious issues. But if one's purpose is to inform these members of other faiths of something on which your mind is already made up, namely that there is something wrong with what they believe, they may get upset. &nbsp;--[[User:Lambiam|Lambiam]][[User talk:Lambiam|<small><sup>Talk</sup></small>]] 14:14, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::Lol. Excellent response, Lambiam. Thanks. --[[User:Dweller|Dweller]] 14:20, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
== UK elevation map ==
 
Where can I find an online elevation map of England or the South of England? Thank you . [[User:Keria|Keria]] 11:03, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
:Google for "United Kingdom elevation map" and you will find a large number of companies selling software and hardcopy maps. The official data comes from the [http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/ Ordnance Survey] and they charge a good bit of money to access it. The following two sites may lead you to a map which will meet your needs: [http://www.library.manchester.ac.uk/subjects/humanities/environment/geography/useful/ list of map sites], [http://www.vterrain.org/Locations/uk/ Virtual Terrain Project]. Good luck, and I'm sorry I don't know of such a map offhand. Perhaps someone else will add better info. [[User:KillerChihuahua|KillerChihuahua]]<sup>[[User talk:KillerChihuahua|?!?]]</sup> 12:08, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::[[Google Earth]] displays elevation data; I don't know if it can display [[contour line]]s.
 
::[[User:Atlant|Atlant]] 14:22, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
== Wikipedia map ==
 
Is there a map, diagram or index to wikipedia's articles? [[User:Keria|Keria]] 11:04, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:There are 1.77 million articles. Not mappable. Not diagrammatical. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Quick_index Index] (not quick, despite the name). --[[User:Tagishsimon|Tagishsimon]] [[User_talk:Tagishsimon|(talk)]]
 
::Links to that index, to categories, and to topics such as history and science are at the top of the main page. A very effective search stragegy to find Wikipedia articles dealing with a topic, say "global warming" is to do a Google search at www.google.com for Wikipedia "global warming" including Wikipedia as a search term. It will find all articles which mention the term. Indexing in Wikipedia is not very good, and you can easily miss articles which contain info relevant to your needs if you just look in the index. The article for "Corn" is called [[Maize]], for instance. The article for "Ground Fault Interruper" is called [[Residual-current device]]. Sometimes there is a redirect to help you get to the article you want, but that does not always occur. The Wikipedia search box is sensitive to capitalization and punctuation, where Google is more permissive. [[User:Edison|Edison]] 15:16, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::The article about [[airplane]]s illustrates your point well. [[User:A.Z.|'''A.Z.''']] 20:36, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::::About that Mountain View search engine : Firefox is a browser that offers add-ons. Some of them make easier the above search. Try them! --[[User:Harvestman|<font color="blue"> DLL </font>]] <sup>[[User talk:Harvestman |<font color="green"> .. T</font>]]</sup> 18:59, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
== Type O Negative ==
 
In the Type O Negative song She Burned Me Down. Off the Album Dead Again. The singer sings in Icelandic or Russian or some thing, what language is he speaking and what is he saying? Thanks[[User:81.144.161.223|81.144.161.223]] 12:34, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:Our article [[Dead Again (Type O Negative album)]] clearly shows that the entire album has a very Russian feel to it - with [[Grigori Rasputin]] on the cover, faux Cyrillic script, etc. According to our article on [[Peter Steele]] (the lead singer) he was born "Peter Ratajczyk" - which is a Polish name. So I'd bet it's in either Polish or Russian - but I don't know for sure. [[User:SteveBaker|SteveBaker]] 17:46, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
== rose hip ==
 
why is a rose hip called a hip?[[User:58.84.68.209|58.84.68.209]] 13:27, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:Removed E-mail address, smite thou spam![[User:Perry-mankster|Perry-mankster]] 13:42, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
::The oed [http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50106353?query_type=word&queryword=rose+hip&first=1&max_to_show=10&single=1&sort_type=alpha] indicates it's from an old english word for thorn-bush or bramble. [[User:Algebraist|Algebraist]] 14:19, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
:::That link only works if you're a subscriber to the online OED, btw. --[[User:Richardrj|Richardrj]] [[User talk:Richardrj|<sup>talk </sup>]][[Special:Emailuser/Richardrj|<sup>email</sup>]] 15:58, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
::::Sorry, I forgot it wasn't free. Here's the full etymology given:
::::[OE. ''héope'', ''híope'' wk. fem., from same root as OS. ''hiopo'', OHG. ''hiufo'', ''hiafo'', MHG. ''hiefe'' wk. masc., thorn-bush, bramble: OTeut. types ''*heupôn-'', ''*heupon-''. The regular mod. repr. of OE. ''héope'', ME. ''hēpe'', would be ''hepe'' or ''heep''; ''hep'' and ''hip'' appear to be due respectively to ME. and mod.Eng. shortening of (eː).] [[User:Algebraist|Algebraist]] 16:35, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
::::btw, most people in the UK (and doubtless some elsewhere) can access the OED website for free via their library's subscription, as explained here: [http://dictionary.oed.com/services/public-libs.html] [[User:Algebraist|Algebraist]] 16:39, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
:::::Hello Algebraist, for those who can't subscribe nor imagine what those FA mean : OS is Old Saxon, OHG old high German ME middle English, wk. fem. I shall ignore. PCMWN (Plz correct me when necessary.) --[[User:Harvestman|<font color="blue"> DLL </font>]] <sup>[[User talk:Harvestman |<font color="green"> .. T</font>]]</sup> 18:57, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
== What a speaker thinks about people in his/her audience ==
 
When a speaker is talking in front of a seated crowd, I'm curious about where exactly they tend to look. For example if 0° is their far left, 90° is directly in front of them and 180° is their far right, where would I sit if I wanted them to notice me more? notice me less? <br />
'''And''' what about my closeness to the front of the seating - does sitting at the very back make me seem less interested? Bored? Less serious? Having less concentration? Does sitting at the front make you seem more eager and enthused?<br />
<br />
<u>Side notes:</u><br />
I remember in school all the students that had ADD or with less concentration used to prefer sitting at the back (away from the teacher), and those that focused more sat at the front. The teacher would remedy this by bringing unfocused children to the front.<br />
If I had to guess I would say speakers tend to look at about 25° and 70°, and occasionally looking at 0° and 180°. Distance-wise (i.e. the proximity to the FRONT and BACK of the group) I'd say they focus towards the '''middle''' of the group<br />
<br />
[[User:Rfwoolf|Rfwoolf]] 15:06, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
Also note, some speakers deliberately employ tactics to avoid potential distractions that would result from focusing on individuals in the crowd. For example, when I am at the lecturn, I make an adjustment of looking slightly ''above'' the heads of the audience, so as not to disproportionately "engage" any particular individuals. [[User:Dreftymac|dr.ef.tymac]] 16:25, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::With due respect to the eminent Dr. Tymac, other speakers, including this user, will make occasional eye contact with different members of a small (classroom-sized, e.g. 30-40 people) group from time to time. Helps keep people interested and focused, especially those ones in the back lol. Leaving the lectern and wandering among the group at times helps also. I would agree with your perceptions of seating choice, except to add that shy individuals might tend to sit near, but not at, the back.
 
::In large groups like auditoria, often the lighting on the speaker precludes its seeing the audience very clearly. I would focus at about the middle-back, so as to appear to include most audience members, and occasionally look to the left or right, as though making contact or scanning for reaction. Sometimes, it's the speaker who has to "look interested" :-)
 
::Sharp speakers (cough) take care to notice everyone, especially those trying to hide, but if you want to be noticed, my recollections from school were that you should sit in the front middle and be a girl with nice legs and a short skirt. [[User:Unimaginative Username|Unimaginative Username]] 21:29, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::Points well taken, [[User:Unimaginative Username|UU]], although your remark about short skirts is one specific example of why the "disengagement" strategy may have merit, especially if the topic of discussion includes salacious or otherwise indelicate content that would be considered appropriate in a clinical setting, but nonetheless unsuitable for discussion over tea and crumpets. Also, I hasten to add that the strategy need not always be applied, since different fora have different characteristics including those you correctly identified previously. My main point was it is reasonable to assume that not every speaker will perform the same way under every circumstance, even though there may indeed be some general "rules of thumb"<ref>(or, as you may prefer, rules of skirt :)</ref> that apply to many situations.
{{reflist}}
::[[User:Dreftymac|dr.ef.tymac]] 03:25, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
== What is the longest article name in Wikipedia? ==
 
Even googling this doesn't help - What is the longest article name in Wikipedia? [[User:Rfwoolf|Rfwoolf]] 15:52, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
:Well, there's [[Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantisiliogogogoch|this]], but it's just a redirect page. --[[User:Richardrj|Richardrj]] [[User talk:Richardrj|<sup>talk </sup>]][[Special:Emailuser/Richardrj|<sup>email</sup>]] 15:55, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
:Are you looking for a one-word title? If not, there are numerous lengthy combinations like [[Proposed Japanese invasion of Australia during World War II]], some of which are undoubtedly longer than even the longest one-word titles. [[User:Carom|Carom]] 16:11, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
Well what worries me is that there are technical restrictions. I'd be interested in the longest article name in literal form, and I'd take it the longest article name in restricted form is [[titin]] (see the article for the full name - if the crazy admins haven't removed it). To answer your question: It doesn't matter to me if it's one word or more, I just would like to know the longest. Thanks [[User:Rfwoolf|Rfwoolf]] 16:18, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:<s>Well, the longest word on the list located at [[Longest word in English]] for which wikipedia has an article that has an unabbreviated title is[[Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu]], which comes in at 85 letters. [[User:Carom|Carom]] 16:23, 15 May 2007 (UTC)</s> Actually, our article title for that ___location ''is'' abbreviated (knew I should have counted the letters).
:But we do have [[Donaudampfschiffahrtselektrizitätenhauptbetriebswerkbauunterbeamtengesellschaft]] and [[Tarquin Fin-tim-lin-bin-whin-bim-lim-bus-stop-F'tang-F'tang-Olé-Biscuitbarrel]], both of which are more than 75 characters long. [[User:Carom|Carom]] 16:29, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
:We also have [[Rinderkennzeichnungs- und Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz]], which I make to be 90 characters... [[User:Carom|Carom]] 16:37, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
::I fell asleep half way through counting [[Amunugama Rajapakse Rajakaruna Abeykoon Panditha Wasalamudiyanse Ralahamilage Ranjith Krishantha Bandara Amunugama]] --[[User:Dweller|Dweller]] 16:40, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
:::It has 104 letters (114 characters including spaces). [[Krungthep Mahanakhon Amonrattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilokphop Noppharatratchathani Burirom-udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amonphiman Awatansathit Sakkathattiya Witsanu Kamprasit]] has 170 letters (182 characters including spaces). ---[[User:Sluzzelin|Sluzzelin]] [[User talk:Sluzzelin|<small>talk</small>]] 16:51, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
Thanks all, so nothing made it to the 256 character mark? [[User:Rfwoolf|Rfwoolf]] 17:04, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
:Not so far. I have no idea how to search this, and [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia_records]] lists the category, but no entry. ---[[User:Sluzzelin|Sluzzelin]] [[User talk:Sluzzelin|<small>talk</small>]] 17:14, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
::[[United States Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies]] has 134 letters, including spaces, while [[United States Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Public Sector Solutions to Global Warming, Oversight, and Children’s Health Protection]] has 152. [[User:Smurrayinchester|<span style="color:#5500BB">Laïka</span>]] 10:06, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
:::In fact, [[United States Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on International Development and Foreign Assistance, Economic Affairs, and International Environmental Protection]] appears to be the longest English language article title I can find so far; 165 characters. [[User:Smurrayinchester|<span style="color:#5500BB">Laïka</span>]] 12:01, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:'''@ Rfwoolf:''' A definitive answer would probably have to be derived by a direct database query. You might have some favorable results if you post a link to your question or ask at the [[Wikipedia:Village_pump_%28technical%29]]. That's an interesting question because, depending on the specification of the database fields, there may indeed be an absolute 256 character limit (although I seriously doubt it for semi-obvious reasons). [[User:Dreftymac|dr.ef.tymac]] 17:31, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
::I couldn't create an article with >255 characters, but I could create [[ArticlecreatedtotestthelimitofcharactersthatmightfitinthetitularlemmasofarticlesatWikipediathefreeencyclopediathatanyonecaneditaslongastheyfollowsomeguidelinesanddontuseitasapersonalplaypenwhereanythinggoesincludingtestingthelimitsofadministrativepatience|one]] with exactly 255 characters. ---[[User:Sluzzelin|Sluzzelin]] [[User talk:Sluzzelin|<small>talk</small>]] 17:39, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
:::Well, luckily, it didn't last very long, but I swear I saw the blue link! ---[[User:Sluzzelin|Sluzzelin]] [[User talk:Sluzzelin|<small>talk</small>]] 17:42, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
::::Thanks [[User:Sluzzelin|Sluzzelin]], for running that test! :D ... feel free to add my name to the list of people you can call on for support, should any over-zealous enforcers of [[WP:POINT]] come knocking on your door. XD [[User:Dreftymac|dr.ef.tymac]] 03:32, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:This question came up [[Wikipedia:Reference_desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2006_December_21#Which_Wikipedia_page_has_the_longest_title.3F|last December]]; the longest one I could find then was [[How Hedley Hopkins Did a Dare, robbed a grave, made a new friend who might not have really been there at all, and while he was at it committed a terrible sin which everyone was doing even though he didn't know it]], which fits within 212 characters. --[[User:24.147.86.187|24.147.86.187]] 12:45, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::There's [[Dante And Randal And Jay And Silent Bob And A Bunch Of New Characters And Lando, Take Part In A Whole Bunch Of Movie Parodies Including But Not Exclusive To, The Bad News Bears, The Last Starfighter, Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom, Plus A High Scho]](ol reunion), which redirects to [[Clerks: The Animated Series episode five]], which is otherwise too long. [[User:Smurrayinchester|<span style="color:#5500BB">Laïka</span>]] 14:55, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
: [[Wikipedia:Naming_conventions_%28technical_restrictions%29#Title_length]] - says "less than or equal to 256 characters"...so 256 should be OK. Personally, I'd be surprised if 256 actually worked...but that's what it says. [[User:SteveBaker|SteveBaker]] 17:36, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
::Well, I did try it, and it didn't work. I won't try it again, I promised not to. ---[[User:Sluzzelin|Sluzzelin]] [[User talk:Sluzzelin|<small>talk</small>]] 17:39, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
== Crisp, new American Currency ==
 
Where, in the US, might I procure crisp, new bills in 20/100 dollar denominations? Which banks are most likely to have new bills directly from the Federal Reserve? I promise I'm not planning a heist >:) ˉˉ<sup>[[User:Anetode|'''anetode''']]</sup>[[User_talk:Anetode|╦╩]] 16:58, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
:You can always just tell the bank teller you're looking for particularly crisp currency. That can be a big hang-up when traveling internationally; banks should be used to it. &mdash; [[User talk :Lomn|Lomn]] 17:47, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
::As is the case here, I'm planning a trip to Odessa. Unfortunately a teller from the local bank was dumbfounded by the request. Guess I have to try again at a major branch. ˉˉ<sup>[[User:Anetode|'''anetode''']]</sup>[[User_talk:Anetode|╦╩]] 18:35, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
:::Why NEW US Currency ? Counterfieting is a FELONY and a FEDERAL crime in the US. [[User:205.240.146.147|205.240.146.147]] 21:37, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
::::Please [[assume good faith]], 205. It's not our place to impute nefarious motives to our questioners. [[User:JackofOz|JackofOz]] 21:49, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
:::::You take the new currency and make copies of it on a Xerox machine, computer printer. Try that with old currency. [[User:205.240.146.147|205.240.146.147]] 21:55, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
::::::By the way, the bankers will assume that counterfieting may be what is going on. After 9-11 happened, people in certain occupations are very vigilent. [[User:205.240.146.147|205.240.146.147]] 21:58, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
:::Nowadays, it's impossible to accurately replicate currency with nothing but a scanner, and probably extremely difficult for anyone to replicate at all and still turn a profit. There's no reason to assume that he's supporting terrorism just because he wants fresh bills, please don't go any closer to [[WP:NPA]] than you already have --<small> [[User:Feba|Phoeba Wright]]<sup>[[User_Talk:Feba|OBJECTION!]]</sup> </small> 06:07, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
:::::::Counterfeiting is one possible explanation for why Anetode wants new bills. There are many others. [[User:JackofOz|JackofOz]] 22:03, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
::::::::Currency collection may be another. In today's world, one has to be vigilent. [[User:205.240.146.147|205.240.146.147]] 22:09, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
:::::::::Oh, absolutely. I'd even go further and say that we have to be vigilant. :) [[User:JackofOz|JackofOz]] 22:17, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
:::::::::: Why might new bills be associated with counterfeighting? [[User:Jamesino|Jamesino]] 23:29, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
:::::::::::If a person were going to scan and print bills on their home computers, it would be best to scan a new bill as it wouldn't have any creases and smudges that would have to be edited out in photo editing software. Although, I don't see why 205 jumps to the conclusion that there is some nefarious purpose to the request. My grandmother used to give us clean crisp bills in our birthday cards. I had a great-aunt that would give us $2 bills for our birthdays in addition to a standard present. (I still carry some of those $2 bills in my wallet) New bills are also easier to use with some vending machines, so if Anetode hits up the vending machines at his place of work fairly often then they may come in handy. There are a million reasons for wanting new bills. <span style="font-family:monospace;">[[User:Dismas|Dismas]]</span>|[[User talk:Dismas|<sup>(talk)</sup>]] 00:43, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
(Undent) Anetode mentions that a trip is planned to Odessa. In my travels I have found that badly used US dollars are possibly harder to exchange and carrying some small amount of fairly new currency is a good idea but the best idea is to carry travellers checks. I have never had a travellers check refused in years of travel to third world countries and if they are lost or stolen, which has happened to me, they are easily replaced. Cash is gone, end of story.--<font color="blue" >[[User:Killing sparrows|killing sparrows]]</font><sup>[[User talk:Killing sparrows|<font color="Green" > (chirp!)</font>]]</sup> 02:44, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
:Don't worry, they'll take American money in Odessa. Texas only ''seems'' like a different country. --[[User:Trovatore|Trovatore]] 06:11, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
::WTF? Did Texas annexe Ukraine while I wasn't looking? [[User:Algebraist|Algebraist]] 15:10, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
::: He (or she) would be referring to [[Odessa, Texas]]. [[User:Rockpocket|<font color="green">Rockpock</font>]]<font color="black">e</font>[[User_talk:Rockpocket|<font color="green">t</font>]] 18:23, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
== British plumbing - Hot or Cold? ==
 
Why does the British plumbing system not use mixing faucets?
When I visit the UK I am always surprised to see either the hot and cold faucets apart on opposite sides of the sink, or mixer faucets that have two outlets, close together, each pouring either hot or cold water in a unmixed hot and cold downpour. 19:25, 15 May 2007 (UTC)~Ian
 
:Sometimes it does. Newer taps are often mixers. The plus side, as I'm sure you're aware, is that you can get a stream at a convenient temperature. The downside from my personal point of view is that I never feel as hygenic drinking from a mixer tap as from a straight cold tap. Plus, it removes a strong immediate incentive for me to fill a bowl for washing up, rather than just washing under running water. I assume they are done this way for historical reasons, but I shall have a quick scour of the internets for you. [[User:Skittle|Skittle]] 19:33, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:Try [http://blogs.warwick.ac.uk/mhillebrandt/entry/british_peculiarities_i/ this] external link for an interesting look at it. Also, the Wikipedia article [[Tap (valve)]] says "Mixer taps are more difficult to fit in the UK than in other countries because traditional British plumbing provides hot and cold water at different pressures." [[User:Skittle|Skittle]] 19:42, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:Actually, there '''are''' mixer taps - but they carefully keep the hot and cold streams separate until they are just outside the end of the metal tube - at which point they are mixed because they are swirling around. This isn't as good as mixing the water properly inside the 'mixer tap' - but there is a really good reason for that. The 'official' reason is that if the water is mixed before leaving the plumbing then there is a possibility that there could be higher water pressure in the customer's hot tank than in the cold supply feed coming from the water main. If that happened then hot water from someones tank could flow back into the public water supply. As a matter of policy, the water company wants to ensure that the public supply is controlled and kept clean - this would be impossible if there were some possibility of dirty water from a contaminated hot tank flowing back into the public water supply. There are a number of other rules that relate to similar issues - for example, it's illegal to have a flexible shower hose that is long enough to get the shower head below the level of the edge of the bath tub - this is to prevent siphoning from getting dirty water from the bath back into the water main. The British plumbing system is actually very cleverly thought out. [[User:SteveBaker|SteveBaker]] 20:00, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::Very interesting. In Ireland, it used to be all twin-taps. Now kitchen sinks are usually mixers; bathtubs often so; but washbasins are still often twin-tap. As for the shower hose length: huh? Do I understand you correctly? How do you clean the bath with a piddling short shower hose? [[User:Jnestorius|jnestorius]]<sup>([[User talk:Jnestorius|talk]])</sup> 22:39, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
== BEYOND AND BACK 1978 ==
 
I AM VERY INTERESTED IN PURCHASING THE DOCUMENTARY FILM BEYOND AND BACK FROM 1978 BUT I HAVE SEARCHED EVERYWHERE, CAN YOU TELL ME WHERE I CAN BUY ONE???
 
-- removed e-mail address to prevent spam -- <small>—The preceding [[Wikipedia:Sign your posts on talk pages|unsigned]] comment was added by [[Special:Contributions/207.58.201.139|207.58.201.139]] ([[User talk:207.58.201.139|talk]]) 19:49, 15 May 2007 (UTC).</small><!-- HagermanBot Auto-Unsigned -->
 
:Removed e-mail address to prevent spam. --[[User:Taraborn|Taraborn]] 20:12, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:I checked on both [[IMDB]] and The [[All Movie Guide]], but neither had any indication that the film is available for purchase. --[[User:LarryMac|<font color="#3EA99F">LarryMac</font>]][[User talk:LarryMac|<font color="#3EA99F"><small> | Talk</small></font>]] 20:23, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
== Forgot Password ==
 
I'm a registered user but I forgot my password. Unfortunately, I didn't provide an email address so I can't have it sent to me. Is there another way to retrieve my password? Thanks. JuneTune <small>—The preceding [[Wikipedia:Sign your posts on talk pages|unsigned]] comment was added by [[Special:Contributions/208.181.100.42|208.181.100.42]] ([[User talk:208.181.100.42|talk]]) 20:20, 15 May 2007 (UTC).</small><!-- HagermanBot Auto-Unsigned -->
 
:In short, no. It will be neccessary for you to create a new account. For future reference, questions about the operation of Wikipedia should probably be directed to the [[Wikipedia:Help desk|Wikipedia help desk]]. [[User:Carom|Carom]] 20:29, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
Okay, thanks. [[User:208.181.100.54|208.181.100.54]] 03:06, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:Depending on the length and complexity of the password you might have used, a [[Password cracking]] program might be able to try various lists of possible passwords and get back into your account. Someone has apparently used such a program recently to hijack the accounts of several Wikipedia administrators for malevolent purposes, so the technology might also allow a user who has forgotten his password. Of course, the Wikipedia developers might note the brute-force attempt to find an account's passwords and block the IP address attempting it. [[User:Edison|Edison]] 18:34, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
== Oliver Plunkett ==
 
I may be a direct decendant of St. Oliver Plunkett but how can I be for sure. Where would I go to find out. If any one knows any thing I can be contacted at [email address removed to prevent spam]
please if any one has info please contact me.
 
thank you sooo much
 
:[[Oliver Plunkett]] was a [[Roman Catholic]] bishop, so he is [[clerical celibacy|unlikely to have had any children]], especially considering he [[canonization|was made a saint]]. If you want an alternative famous ancestor, many Irish-extraction people claim to be descended from [[Brian Boru]] or [[Niall of the Nine Hostages]]. This is impossible to prove or disprove as records are unreliable to non-existent for the early generations. [[User:Jnestorius|jnestorius]]<sup>([[User talk:Jnestorius|talk]])</sup> 21:53, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::I agree that bishops don't usually have children (although there many notable exceptions). However, the fact of Plunkett's canonisation does not in itself make it any less likely that he didn't have children. Many saints were parents. [[User:JackofOz|JackofOz]] 00:21, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::Few saint-parents were clergy; many that were became so after the death of their family and having repented of their fleshly ways like [[Saint Augustine]]. Oliver wasn't canonized until the 1970s; if children had come to light by then I reckon it would have been a deal-breaker for the Vatican. It's not theoretically impossible that there was a secret child somewhere along the line; but I doubt the questioner will be able to find any evidence beyond personal family tradition.
:::Getting back to backup ancestors: Oliver was a noble; his kinsmen include [[Edward Plunkett, 18th Baron Dunsany|Lord Dunsany]]. Perhaps our correspondent is related to him. [[User:Jnestorius|jnestorius]]<sup>([[User talk:Jnestorius|talk]])</sup> 00:50, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
== Cell Phones ==
 
This question has been moved to the appropriate desk i.e. Computing which deals with Computing Technology. You can find it here: [[Wikipedia:Reference_desk/Computing#Cell_Phones]]. --[[User:Eptypes|Eptypes]] 08:59, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
== Wikipedia Malfunctioning ! ==
 
While editing the Men In Black article, to comply with a template, Wikipedia will NOT accept ANY edits, except to the History section. [[User:205.240.146.147|205.240.146.147]] 23:21, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
:What is going on ? [[User:205.240.146.147|205.240.146.147]] 23:24, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
::I did find a puddle of metal and silicon on the floor. Was that the Wikipedia servers ? [[User:205.240.146.147|205.240.146.147]] 23:25, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:I have no problem editing [[Men In Black]] or [[Men In Black (film)]]. What problem are you seeing? [[User:Corvus cornix|Corvus cornix]] 23:46, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
I was editing Men In Black - the alleged real life enforcers seen by UFO/alien witnesses/contactees/abductees. [[User:205.240.146.147|205.240.146.147]] 01:47, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:I hit a database lock not too long ago, although the editing page specifically said this. If you started editing just before the lock, but didn't hit the "Save page" button until the lock was actually taking place, I'm not sure what kind of message MediaWiki gives you though. [[User:ConMan|Confusing Manifestation]] 02:05, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::I saw that database lock a couple of days ago, as you say the editing page said this at the top. A day or two before that I was editing a page and when I went to save it said something about the databases being locked and to try again later, but it hadn't had the lock message at the top originally, so evidently that's what happens if you're mid-edit when it's locked (I hit back in the browser, waited a minute or two, clicked save and fortunately it worked). --[[User:Jjron|jjron]] 06:23, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
Use: [[Wikipedia:Help desk|Wikipedia help desk]] next time. --[[User:Eptypes|Eptypes]] 06:55, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
== January 1st, 0 BCE ==
 
This question has been moved to the appropriate desk i.e. Humanities which deals with history. You can find it here: [[Wikipedia:Reference_desk/Humanities#January_1st.2C_0_BCE]]. --[[User:Eptypes|Eptypes]] 06:52, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
= May 16 =
 
== "Direct Descendant"??? ==
 
This question has been moved to the appropriate desk i.e. Humanities which deals with society. You can find it here: [[Wikipedia:Reference_desk/Humanities#.22Direct_Descendant.22.3F.3F.3F]]. --[[User:Eptypes|Eptypes]] 06:49, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
== Year 12 Jumpers ==
 
Hi,<br>
I'm wondering if anyone can recommend a good company (must be in Australia, preferably Vic) to order custom Year 12 jumpers - you know the type, with all your names on the back and stuff. Thanks! --[[User:124.181.74.161|124.181.74.161]] 07:53, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
:As usual, I am of no help. I was just wondering if someone could explain to this Yankee what a Year 12 jumper is. I'm guessing it's some sort of clothing...? <span style="font-family:monospace;">[[User:Dismas|Dismas]]</span>|[[User talk:Dismas|<sup>(talk)</sup>]] 08:33, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::It is indeed some sort of clothing. It's a recent tradition in Australian state high schools that year 12 students (ie, Seniors) get a [[Rugby Jersey]]-style jumper with their name or nickname, the year, the name of the school, and possibly the entire class list for that year printed on it. [[User:FiggyBee|FiggyBee]] 08:55, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
:::Okay, thanks. That helped a lot. It also helps that I looked up [[jumper]] and saw that the word has different definitions outside the U.S. I couldn't comprehend a co-ed class full of students wearing [[Jumper dress|what I think of as a jumper]]. :-) <span style="font-family:monospace;">[[User:Dismas|Dismas]]</span>|[[User talk:Dismas|<sup>(talk)</sup>]] 09:19, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
::::"Two countries separated by a common language" indeed. :P [[User:FiggyBee|FiggyBee]] 12:14, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
After that little exercise in Yankee enlightenment, we might get back to the question. I don't think recommendation of particular companies is appropriate here, but you will find dozens of listings under "Screen Printers" in the Melbourne Yellow Pages, either hard copy or online, many with web sites. --[[User:Prophys|Prophys]] 12:53, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
::I got one for my year 6 graduation, too. [[User:Froglars the frog|Froglars the frog]] 15:30, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
== race change ==
 
i've heard of sex changes, but is there such thing as a race change? <small>—The preceding [[Wikipedia:Sign your posts on talk pages|unsigned]] comment was added by [[Special:Contributions/75.111.190.135|75.111.190.135]] ([[User talk:75.111.190.135|talk]]) 08:47, 16 May 2007 (UTC).</small><!-- HagermanBot Auto-Unsigned -->
 
:[[Michael Jackson]] certainly isn't as black as he used to be. On a less dramatic scale, there is [[skin whitening]] and the [[conk]]. However, I believe most modern biologists and anthropologists would say that you cannot literally change what race you are, because there's no objective meaning of [[race]] in the first place. [[User:FiggyBee|FiggyBee]] 09:04, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::It depends on your definition of race. Is it the objective standard of skin colour and body features, or is it the [[social construct]] of different customs, beliefs, and attitudes? Either way, I believe it would be possible to "change race". - [[User:Two-Sixteen|2-16]] 12:14, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::Those who believe in some kind of genetically determined race would also believe you can't change it. There are probably also those who believe that having cosmetic surgery can't really change your sex, which is determined by the chromosomes. So you could change your appearance (like Jackson) and change your actions (like a [[wigger]]) but I don't think you can change your genes (although who knows where technology will lead us?). [[User:Cyta|Cyta]] 12:26, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:: Michael Jackson had a skin disorder, and despite people calling him "white", he's black. There was a triplet of albino children in the UK, and they were of African descent. [[User:The velociraptor|Mr. Raptor]] 13:22, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::A skin disorder and a ''lot'' of plastic surgery... [[User:FiggyBee|FiggyBee]] 14:29, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
== solar system ==
 
please help me to find the following. thank you in advance.
what i want is all planets, their distance from the sun, diameter, period of revolution, period of rotation, moons and other special characters.[[User:124.43.247.222|124.43.247.222]] 12:57, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
*You could try our article on [[Solar system]], also our article on [[Astronomical unit]]--<small>'''VectorPotential'''</small><sup>[[User_talk:Vector Potential|Talk]]</sup> 12:58, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
:*You might also find [[Mercury (planet)|Mercury]], [[Venus]], [[Earth]], [[Mars]], [[Jupiter]], [[Saturn]], [[Uranus]], and [[Neptune]] useful. We also have an article on [[Pluto]], [[Ceres (dwarf planet)|Ceres]], and [[Eris (dwarf planet)|Eris]]--<small>'''VectorPotential'''</small><sup>[[User_talk:Vector Potential|Talk]]</sup> 13:02, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
::[[Table of planets and dwarf planets in the Solar System]] might be useful as well. Allow to me to, once again, point out one of Wikipedia's beautiful portals, [[Portal:Solar System]] in this case. ---[[User:Sluzzelin|Sluzzelin]] [[User talk:Sluzzelin|<small>talk</small>]] 14:39, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
What about [[90377 Sedna|Sedna]]
:What about her? The information you seek can be seen in the article you linked to yourself. For comparative tables and diagrams, see the article on [[Trans-Neptunian object]]. ---[[User:Sluzzelin|Sluzzelin]] [[User talk:Sluzzelin|<small>talk</small>]] 16:00, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
::::....and other "[[special characters]]".--[[User:Shantavira|Shantavira]] 17:13, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
:::::[[Uranus]] even says who was the first person to see the ring around Uranus. [[User:Edison|Edison]] 18:28, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
== Census Report for Palm Harbor, Florida ==
 
I work for a children's museum and need the following information: where can I find a list of households with children in Palm Harbor, Florida? Is there a Census report that I can purchase? I would appreciate any help you can give me. Thank you. [[User:Lbergeest|Lbergeest]] 17:47, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
: The census does not release information about specific households (at least not for 100 years or so) - it only releases broad statistical abstracts. Some mail-order marketing companies have lists of people, households, etc., built from other data sources, which they claim can show all kinds of demographic information about specific addresses. -- [[User:Finlay McWalter|Finlay McWalter]] | [[User talk:Finlay McWalter|Talk]] 17:58, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
::The last census released with personal data is the 1930 census. It's every 75-80 years, I think. The 1940 census will probably be released sometime after 2010. [[User:Corvus cornix|Corvus cornix]] 18:02, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
::The 1930 census lists 531 individuals in Palm Harbor by name, specifying their address, where they and their parents were born, what language they spoke, whether they went to school during the year, the parents occupation and military service, whether there is a radio in the house, the value of the property, and other interesting variables. Many of the younger person then are doubtless still living now. A "then and now" exhibit might be interesting in your children's museum. [[User:Edison|Edison]] 18:26, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 
== Edgeless City ==
 
I am looking for the definition of an "edgeless city", which I've been told is a small scale and scattered form of commercial development. Perhaps even an example would do...