Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/March 2006: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 00:08, 14 March 2006

Revision as of 00:09, 15 March 2006

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:::Simple. If the bees need the flowers they want more of them so pollinating them is to their advantage. [[User:DirkvdM|DirkvdM]] 09:40, 7 March 2006 (UTC)

= March 7 =

== Steadiness ==

Why is it impossible to hold a camera or flashlight completely steady for any amount of time?

--[[User:Shadarian|Shadarian]] 02:02, 7 March 2006 (UTC)

:Because your muscles are pulling in different directions, and it's hard to balance them. —[[User:Keenan Pepper|Keenan Pepper]] 03:16, 7 March 2006 (UTC)

::In particular, the body doesn't have sufficiently fine control over muscle tension to keep a muscle exerting an exactly constant force. Presumably this ability never evolved because there was no evolutionary advantage to being able to hold an object very still (or, at least, not until recent millennia when long-range weapons requiring accurate aim were developed). For most purposes it's good enough if the force exerted keeps oscillating around the desired level (like when you're driving a car down the road, you don't have to keep it dead center in the lane, it's all right if you make tiny steering corrections from time to time to keep it within a few inches of the center). But for holding a tool extremely steady, this ''isn't'' good enough, and so you can't do it. --Anonymous, 06:24 UTC, March 7.

:::A trick you can use to steady a camera is to place it against a heavy object (large book, rock...) and hold the two of them together. The two together will have a much greater [[inertia]] than the camera alone, and so will be steadier.<br>

::::Alternatively, you can use a tripod :) &mdash; [[User:QuantumEleven|QuantumEleven]] | [[User_talk:QuantumEleven|(talk)]] 08:47, 8 March 2006 (UTC)

:::::An alternative to a tripod (or a monopod or what should I call that) is a piece of string tied to the camera lens and your foot and held taut - a lot easier to carry around. Or lean against something. [[User:DirkvdM|DirkvdM]] 07:06, 12 March 2006 (UTC)

*[[Image:Lynch1.jpg|left|thumb|Please sir, can you help me holding my camera ?]] --[[User:Harvestman|DLL]] 11:56, 11 March 2006 (UTC)

**Heh. But which edition is that from? It's a very different style of illustration than the ones I read. (For those just joining us, see [[The Tripods|here]].) —[[User:Ummit|Steve Summit]] ([[User talk:Ummit|talk]]) 16:23, 11 March 2006 (UTC)

<br style="clear:both" />

== [[Ruud Van Nistelrooy]] ==

So far Ruud Van Nisterlooy has scored 148 goals in his 210 game appearances for Manchester United. I heard that he scored these all goals, from inside the penality area box only. Is it true.

:This was true, until quite recently. On [[November 19]] [[2005]] when van Nistelrooy scored against [[Charlton Athletic F.C.|Charlton Athletic]], his first goal for United from outside the penalty area, in a 3-1 win. [http://www.eurosport.co.uk/football/inside-europe/2005-2006/sport_sto792660.shtml] [[User:Qwghlm|Qwghlm]] 17:00, 7 March 2006 (UTC)

== Most paid Football Player ==

Hi

Who is the most paid football(Soccer) player in the world in terms of salary only. How much he gains for a week?

:This was already asked and answered above, wasn't it? Is there some sort of quiz? [[User:Notinasnaid|Notinasnaid]] 08:31, 7 March 2006 (UTC)

*If we're talking current players, I would guess [[David Beckham]] to be up there, but Brazilians or Germans soccer players could be paid pretty well too. - [[User:MacGyverMagic|Mgm]]|[[User talk:MacGyverMagic|^(talk)]] 09:25, 7 March 2006 (UTC)

See [[Wikipedia:Reference desk/Miscellaneous#Most paid palyer|here]]. It's Frank Lampard. <br>[[User:Slumgum|Slumgum]] 10:20, 7 March 2006 (UTC)

== Tell me this photo! ==

A classic shot -- a man, i thought it was James Dean, leaning against a brick wall, cigarette hanging from his lip, hands tucked into tight jeans, with his leg against the wall.

it is from some movie.

someone PLEASE let me know this picture! [[User:Gelo3|gelo]] 11:24, 7 March 2006 (UTC)

:That roughly describes an image of [[James Dean]] that I've seen on posters and such. I think it's from ''[[Rebel Without a Cause]]'' but I'm not certain. [[User:Dismas|Dismas]]|[[User talk:Dismas|^(talk)]] 11:26, 7 March 2006 (UTC)

anyone have a link to the photo? cos i cant seem to find it anywhere.

=( [[User:Gelo3|gelo]] 11:48, 7 March 2006 (UTC)

:Is it [http://www.allposters.com/gallery.asp?aid=474095699&c=c&search=467&cat=101&GCID=s15100x001%2DMovies&KEYWORD=James+Dean+posters this]? You want the one that comes up in the top right and shows him full length. [[User:CambridgeBayWeather|CambridgeBayWeather]] [[User_talk:CambridgeBayWeather|(Talk)]] 11:54, 7 March 2006 (UTC)

::[http://www.uky.edu/~akfrou2/281main.html Here's] another version. This is uncolourized and is the reverse of the movie poster. And the [http://www.imdb.com/gallery/mptv/1130/0024_0505.jpg last] but I don't know what this is from. [[User:CambridgeBayWeather|CambridgeBayWeather]] [[User_talk:CambridgeBayWeather|(Talk)]] 12:02, 7 March 2006 (UTC)

No. Not it. =(

I remember the photo was showing the guy from the side. [[User:Gelo3|gelo]] 13:02, 7 March 2006 (UTC)

::From his side, eh? So did he have one foot on the ground and the other leg was bent so that the bottom of his foot was flat against the wall? That brings to mind a similar image but I can't think of where I've seen it. [[User:Dismas|Dismas]]|[[User talk:Dismas|^(talk)]] 14:38, 7 March 2006 (UTC)

:::I think it was a [[silhouette]] too. [[User:Freshgavin|<font size="-2" color="white" style="background:blue">&nbsp;freshgavin</font>]][[User_talk:Freshgavin|<font size="-2" color="blue">ΓΛĿЌ&nbsp;</font>]] 06:01, 8 March 2006 (UTC)

Yes thats the one Dismas. But WHERE can I find it??!! [[User:Gelo3|gelo]] 06:40, 8 March 2006 (UTC)

: First we gotta figure out who it is. I think I've seen the same image you both are thinking of, and I would have guessed it was James Dean, too, but it doesn't show up anywhere on a google images search for James Dean, nor for Marlon Brando, which was my next guess. Anybody else got any other ideas? —[[User:Ummit|Steve Summit]] ([[User talk:Ummit|talk]]) 06:32, 9 March 2006 (UTC)

As a matter of fact.. I now think it was Marlon Brando. I'm quite sure actually. But still... no search shows anything.

Actually, maybe it was James Dean?...

LOL i really dunno. [[User:Gelo3|gelo]] 05:28, 10 March 2006 (UTC)

== branch book ==

Please can you help me to find what is a branch book (marketing word)

thanks in advance.

:Ummm ... I've read, and written, quite a lot on marketing, yet I can't recall having seen this term. Can you give us more context? For example, can you quote a sentence or paragraph in which you have seen the term used? [[User:Maid Marion|Maid Marion]] 15:22, 7 March 2006 (UTC)

== http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/image/vbig/57.jpg ? ==

what is it? --[[User:130.111.98.244|130.111.98.244]] 15:30, 7 March 2006 (UTC)

:The [http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/image/viz_nat3.html US EPA] doesn't seem to know... they just say "Amphipod/freshwater scud/side swimmer". [[User:Lupo|Lupo]] 15:53, 7 March 2006 (UTC)

What does this mean [[Lupo]] ? --[[User:Owlsrus|Owlsrus]] 15:53, 7 March 2006 (UTC)

: Well, what does [[User:Owlsrus|Owlsrus]] mean? (Hint: see [[Wikipedia:Sign your posts on talk pages]].) If you meant "what does '[[Amphipod]]/freshwater scud/side swimmer' mean", follow the blue links or ask the EPA; I don't know. [[User:Lupo|Lupo]] 16:09, 7 March 2006 (UTC)

==Luminous carbuncle==

What is a [[Luminous carbuncle]]? What is its significance? [[User:For great justice.|For great justice.]] 16:15, 7 March 2006 (UTC)

:What is the context? As you can see in the [[Carbuncle]] article, there are several, quite varied, uses for this word. Personally, I'd hope a ''luminous'' carbuncle has more to do with the gem than with the abcess. --[[User:LarryMac|LarryMac]] 16:21, 7 March 2006 (UTC)

==  ==

In the Arial character set I saw that "object" symbol. Do you know what it means or is used for? When I tried to paste it in the Google searchbox, it turned into a space character. --[[User:Valkov|Valkov]] 16:29, 7 March 2006 (UTC)

:The character is U+FFFC OBJECT REPLACEMENT CHARACTER. GNOME Character Map says it's "used as placeholder in text for an otherwise unspecified object". —[[User:Keenan Pepper|Keenan Pepper]] 17:56, 7 March 2006 (UTC)

::Are there any examples of it being used as an unspecified object? Does that mean objects that otherwise wouldn't be visible? --[[User:Optichan|Optichan]] 18:38, 7 March 2006 (UTC)

:::"Object" here is used in the sense of something non-textual that might occur in a stream of text, like an inline image. --Anonymous, 11:05 UTC, March 8, 2006.

== What happens to [[Will Reeve]], now that both parents passed away? ==

Will Reeve, only 13, isn't old enough to live on his own. His mother, [[Dana Reeve]] just passed away recently. Now with both parents gone, what happens to Will? Who will raise him now? How will life be better and worse for him (other than for obvious reasons)? --[[User:Shultz III|Shultz III]] 16:48, 7 March 2006 (UTC)

:The same thing that would happen to any other child orphaned at a young age - he would be left to the care of whomever his mother nominated in her will, or to another close kin, or to the state. [[User:Natgoo|Natgoo]] 19:37, 7 March 2006 (UTC)

::Hopefully not to the state!!! He was living REALLY well so I sincerely hope Will's life doesn't become much poorer now. Other than private schools, what do rich kids usually enjoy that a more common kid might not? To have a whole lot more than his mom and dad taken from him will hurt him much more than he's already been. --[[User:Shultz III|Shultz III]] 20:43, 7 March 2006 (UTC)

:::He should be put into a pod and sent to a planet whose inhabitants are much weaker than him. He could fight crimes, save lives, wear his underpants on the outside and wear a cape.<br>[[User:Slumgum|Slumgum]] 21:57, 7 March 2006 (UTC)

::You know, Mr. Shultz III, a child of 13 values many things much more than money, e.g. love and attention, sociality, and mental and physical challenge. Even if he wasn't to live as rich a life as he did before his parents died, it doesn't neccessarily mean his quality of life would suffer. [[User:Freshgavin|<font size="-2" color="white" style="background:blue">&nbsp;freshgavin</font>]][[User_talk:Freshgavin|<font size="-2" color="blue">ΓΛĿЌ&nbsp;</font>]] 05:59, 8 March 2006 (UTC)

*True, but I've heard a lot of people talk about bad experiences in an orphanage. And while he might value other things than money, moving into an orphanage, would mean a great transition which could add to the stress of his parents' death. Besides, the people in an orphanage do the best they can, but they obviously can't give everyone the personal care and attention they need. So in that sense, going to live with family or a foster family is better. At least IMHO. - [[User:MacGyverMagic|Mgm]]|[[User talk:MacGyverMagic|^(talk)]] 09:51, 8 March 2006 (UTC)

::While it's good to have concern for others I think [[:Image:Vulture - Kevin Carter.jpg|here]] are the people we should be concerned for, rather than a young man who, although having lost both parents, will still be living a comfortable life. [[User:CambridgeBayWeather|CambridgeBayWeather]] [[User_talk:CambridgeBayWeather|(Talk)]] 11:02, 8 March 2006 (UTC)

Whats any different to some other kid losing both parents at a young age? In some ways he should be better of, atleast he has money when so many others are left with nothing. [[User:Im_in_ur_house|Im_in_ur_house]]

== EXTERNAL LINKS ==

I am new to Wikipedia.

I note that there are EXTERNAL LINKS in various articles; for example in the Paris Travel section 'Nightlife' there are external links to the web sites of various bars and other commercial entertainment establishments.

I provide rental apartment accommodation for visitors to Paris and other European cities and I would like to place an external link to my web site in an appropriate place in the articles. I would like to know how to do this.

I would be very happy to provide related articles and co-related links to Wikipedia from my own website. Please advise. Thank you.

Bill Cameron Ward

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Help_desk"

:It would depend on the notablility of the site and the link's presence would add something to what the article already has. You might want to ask other editors' opinions on the talk page for the article. --[[User:Optichan|Optichan]] 18:56, 7 March 2006 (UTC)

:Also note that [[Wikitravel]] also exists and is more liberal about what links to commercial tourism sites it links to. --[[User:Robert Merkel|Robert Merkel]] 01:34, 8 March 2006 (UTC)

Am I correct in my understanding that provided that there is an intellectually valuable contribution to the content, it is up to the contributor to insert links if they wish in Wikitravel pieces? I was intrigued to note that following my original enquiry yesterday which used for example the presence of external links to the web sites of some bars and other commercial establishments, that the entire section 'Nightlife' seems to have been removed. Could this be a prudish reaction to the subject matter?

Bill Cameron Ward

== Disasters ==

Has there ever been a documented case of an earthquake happening at the same time as a Hurricane/Typhoon/Cyclone?

:Not that I know of, and I've been doing earthquakes for a while. Landslides are associated with major rain events, and also with earthquakes. --[[User:Zeizmic|Zeizmic]] 21:34, 7 March 2006 (UTC)

::ISTR [[Haiti]] suffered both within a couple of weeks three or four years back. Law of averages would indicate that they're bound to coincide somewhere sometime - especially since a lot of countries are prone to both (particularly in the eastern Pacific basin - Japan through to about PNG). [[User:Grutness|Grutness]]...''<small><font color="#008822">[[User_talk:Grutness|wha?]]</font></small>'' 01:15, 8 March 2006 (UTC)

:I can see it now. Year 2010, Hurricane Brokeback is bearing down on Slightly-Used Orleans, loading the gov't low-bid, insider levees. Suddenly the downstream companion fault of New Madrid lets go with a Magnitude 8. Nobody knows what happens, since everybody is having cocktails, and taking videos of being warned about this. :) --[[User:Zeizmic|Zeizmic]] 02:07, 8 March 2006 (UTC)

==Name of Chinese song==

What is the name of the Chinese song featured in this [http://www.powerstrike.net/Tehkan/mamelove.html flash file]? I'm particularly interested in searching for it on the English Google. Thanks! --[[User:Uthbrian|Uthbrian]] ([[User talk:Uthbrian|talk]]) 19:46, 7 March 2006 (UTC)

:It's a very famous song, I'm quite sure this is just a remix because the version(s) I usually hear is instrumental and very traditional, and I assume quite old. Your best bet may be to look through some soundtracks of big Chinese movies (especially those that did well outside China) or possibly credits for commercials of Chinese travel agencies. [[User:Freshgavin|<font size="-2" color="white" style="background:blue">&nbsp;freshgavin</font>]][[User_talk:Freshgavin|<font size="-2" color="blue">ΓΛĿЌ&nbsp;</font>]] 05:54, 8 March 2006 (UTC)

::I don't know what the name of the Chinese song is, but I know this link provides all the information you'll probably need. [http://www.ranthong.com/smf/index.php?topic=755;prev_next=next] - from what I can tell (which might be completely wrong), the song is sung by 李麗芬, .the title of the song is 愛江山更愛美人, and it's associated with a Taiwan show that was broadcast..probably called 倚天屠龍記. --[[User:HappyCamper|HappyCamper]] 22:20, 10 March 2006 (UTC)

== Language ==

What language has more opportunities:Italian or Indonesian,It is because i want to learn italian or indonesian,just one,please help me,thank you

:Opportunities for what? Employment? It depends on which country you are in or wish to live in, and what field you wish to work in: Translation? Writing? Teaching? Indonesian is probably spoken by more people, but Italian is probably a bit easier to learn and more useful if you live in the European Union or a mainly European country like the US or Australia. --[[User:Canley|Canley]] 00:31, 8 March 2006 (UTC)

::If you're Australian, Indonesian is kind of economically useful seeing that they're just across the pond, and, unlike Italian, there aren't that many people who have learned it at home here. --[[User:Robert Merkel|Robert Merkel]] 02:09, 8 March 2006 (UTC)

:There is at least one benefit in being able to speak Indonesian that doesn't apply to Italian. Though there are many Indonesians fluent in English, [[Westerner]]s fluent in Indonesian (and most asian language) are quite rare and that can lead to opportunities (i.e. in TV or radio). [[User:Freshgavin|<font size="-2" color="white" style="background:blue">&nbsp;freshgavin</font>]][[User_talk:Freshgavin|<font size="-2" color="blue">ΓΛĿЌ&nbsp;</font>]] 05:46, 8 March 2006 (UTC)

::If indeed many Indonesians are fluent in English, that will only be because there are so many Indonesians. Which is one reason to choose Indonesian. At a quarter billion inhabitants it's the world's 4th most populous country. 4% of the world's population are native speakers. And to that you should add Malaysians, because Indonesian and Malay are almost the same. Also, most Italian speakers will speak English reasonably well, whereas few Indonesian speakers do. [[User:DirkvdM|DirkvdM]] 09:25, 9 March 2006 (UTC)