Wikipedia:Reference desk/Miscellaneous

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Latest comment: 18 years ago by Jon513 in topic Time of creation of Wikipedia

Wikipedia:Reference desk/headercfg


May 14

Other than cutting it, what is the best, safe method of creating a hole through a chainlink fence? 74.14.73.26 00:43, 14 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

Other than cutting it? I don't know, how big a hole do you need? Dig under it perhaps? FiggyBee 01:00, 14 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
Many methods can be safe if you are careful. Bombs, acids, rockets... If you break whatever it is that they use to connect the fence to the posts, then you may be able to unchain each piece of wire. A.Z. 01:46, 14 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
What do you have access to? A bit of liquid nitrogen on the links would make them brittle enough to break, technically not cutting, though you'd need to get the liquid nitrogen and the safety part is up to you. Also, define "best". Do you mean quickest, most environmentally friendly, etc? "Best" is entirely too subjective for us to give you a better response. Dismas|(talk) 01:51, 14 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
This method does involve some (minimal) cutting, but I think i ve seen it done by cutting one of the ziggy zaggy vertical wires just at the top and bottom of the fence, and then un threading it. You can then open the fence like a piar of curtains. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 88.109.45.66 (talk) 01:57, 14 May 2007 (UTC).Reply
Best way to create a hole through a chain link fence would be to ram it with a bulldozer. very little effort and very big hole, definitely not the clandestine way and you do require access to a bulldoze, but certainly fits in my definition of best. Vespine 02:17, 14 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
In that case, an atomic bomb would also do the job just fine. But, if you want to be realistic, you may just melt it without having to explode the city. A.Z. 02:36, 14 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
The Bangalore torpedo is a respected way of getting through barbed wire or other entanglements. Edison 02:47, 14 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
You can run over the fence with your car. A.Z. 03:02, 14 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
The simple solution is to do nothing. A chain link fence has holes in it to start with! --Anonymous, May 14, 2007, 04:18 (UTC).
I don't think the questioner meant that. The title is "Going through chainlink fence". A.Z. 04:47, 14 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
But what if the questioner is a small animal such as a mouse? Hmmmmm??? --Anon, May 14, 06:39 (UTC).
Or maybe if I go on a diet and grease up my fur, I can squeeze through. :-) StuRat 06:48, 14 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
Keep pushing against it and wait for quantum mechanics to phase you out of existance and back into existance? 213.48.15.234 06:51, 14 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
Quantum tunnelling? That might take a while. Clarityfiend 07:41, 14 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

Opening the gate? Mhicaoidh 08:39, 14 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

Talk nicely to the guy who owns the fence: "Please let me through your fence".
Alternatively, the fence poles could maybe be lifted out of the ground then laid flat so you can just walk over the fence. SteveBaker 11:51, 14 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

Using a new word from the Science section: be a terra-ist. Use pictures of the inside, from Google Earth, to say you've been there, and terra-ize them! --Zeizmic 12:05, 14 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

Two alternatives spring to mind:
  1. Use the CIA's ice piss, as seen in The Sum of All Fears (film). This may be real stuff.
  2. Arrange for someone to be sent back from the future, as seen in Terminator 2: Judgment Day; this is not (yet) real.
Atlant 12:45, 14 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

If you can't go over it or around it, you have no business going through it. Vranak

ParkourS.dedalus 19:06, 14 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

Anyone who tries to go through a chain link fence without cutting it or otherwise making an opening will get severely strained. Edison 15:22, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

On a lot of crappy chain-link fences (like the ones on construction sites and such), there are twist-tie-like metal threads that tie the mesh to the poles. These are relatively easy to untie (you can do it by hand), and causes no property damage as the ties can simply be reattached when the job is done. Alternatively, if you have access to more advanced methods, you could try freon or even a blowtorch. Sulfuric acid doesn't work as quickly as it does in movies, so don't count on that for easy passage. Or if you just wish to bend the fence over so that you could ealk on top of it, you could make a trailer-hitch rig like this:
   __          X
 _/  |___     / \
|________|   /   )
 O     O  \o/   /

Where you would affix a steel cable or such to the top of the fence, thread that cable through a ground-level ring (like the handle of a shovel in the ground, but much stronger), and then tie the cable to a trailer hitch at the back of a truck. As you drive off, the cable will pull the top of the fence down towards the ring, and this will create a flattened surface that you can simply walk over. - 2-16 12:08, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

Can you go over it? Then there are a lot of fun ways: parachutes, catapults, aeroplanes, cannons. Or you could ask someone else to cut it for you.

Mega-Catch Alpha Mosquito Trap (MCA-600)

Has anyone used it inside their home? I get a lot of mosquito bites and I'm wondering if this really works, I looked for reviews online, but I could not find any. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 76.167.136.84 (talk) 03:12, 14 May 2007 (UTC).Reply

Look up Mosquito. Most traps are generally useless. Fans might be better, good screens even more so. --Zeizmic 00:30, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

freddie

heys am having a recording of a female voice but i dont know whose it belonging to.its so damn familiar.can sumone actually google quotes and find who exactly sed them.shes saying'i'd like to do even more,i love it'

2.are aminos steroids.the ones sold in health shops for guys to get buffed? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 212.49.77.200 (talk) 08:29, 14 May 2007 (UTC).Reply

Thanks for that stream of consciousness and I was glad to see the question mark at the end. Answer to 1: only if notable. Answer to 2 will have to wait for someone with expertise in that area, if you have the time. Mhicaoidh 08:45, 14 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
The answer to #2 is no, "aminos" used by bodybuilders are supplements containing amino acids, and are completely different from anabolic steroids. FiggyBee 09:05, 14 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
  1. 1 comes up with zero results when I searched on Google for "i'd like to do even more, i love it". Someone saying that they'd like to do even more of something is so common of a phrase though. Can you tell us more about the recording? Is it a song? Help us help you. Dismas|[[User

talk:Dismas|(talk)]] 10:36, 14 May 2007 (UTC) the only clue i have is that the quote is found on freddie bells solid gold updates.its a website on all the oldies music and has great celeb gossip.but its such a large website i cant narrow it down,

GCSE help

ok the most important thing is that im capable of getting a C grade or higher.

ahh crap so the GCSE's are coming up but one crucial gsce i need to get is english but the problem is since YR 10 i was doomed in this really horrible class (mixed ability set) and at the start of our first lesson some of kids who were in that class were moved into another (higher set) and these were the kids that i was in YR 9 with in english and we were in express stream (with is basically higher set) and i got a good grade from YR 9 ( 6c ) and the other kids got same too and that really hacked me off that i wasn't moved and it was because i had a bad attendance (it is not my fault i got bullied and harassed all the time about where i came from i mean GAWD what the hell is so wrong with having a little lebanese + french heritage and being half american grrrr ignorant racist little c****) so in YR10 and 11 i have worked my socks off hoping that i would be moved but it never happened (maybe i was too optimistic and ignorant?) and i've got really amazing grades from my coursework at the moment.......

SO will i be able to get a C or above? DOES anyone know what will happen in the exam? WHAT more preparation can i do? HOW can i make sure i get a high grade?

this is really important to me any advice or good websites you recommend i would really seriously appreciate it :D —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 80.42.42.14 (talk) 09:25, 14 May 2007 (UTC).Reply

You will improve your chance of getting a good grade by utilizing Punctuation and Sentences. If I can decipher this,it seems that in year 9 you were in the express set(higher stream).In year 10 some of the kids in your class were kept in a higher set,whilst you were moved into the mixed ability set. Did you speak to anyone about being able to move up-it does seem a little late now.

If you have 'amazing' grades from your coursework then that's a super start(I'm assuming they're amazingly good and not amazingly bad.You don't specify the grade,but A or B should be enough to get you through the exam. Try some past exam papers,make sure you know the texts thoroughly,read the question carefully and make sure you answer what it asks you.Good luck! Lemon martini 11:13, 14 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

Hello. This ([1]) website looks pretty good. There are also plenty of good revision guides for sale in bookshops. If GCSE is anything like O Level was, then for the literature paper/s, a few versatile quotes up your sleeve are very useful. I put a list in the toilet and learned one every time I went to the loo. After a few days, I'd learned a whole bunch and felt as if it'd been without even trying. Good luck. --Dweller 13:17, 14 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

Translation for Americans: He put the list in the bathroom (it would get rather wet and nasty if he actually put it in the toilet, wouldn't it ?). Also, don't take "up your sleeve" literally, as test proctors tend to frown on that. StuRat 19:24, 14 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
Americans also don't use revision to mean study. —Tamfang 22:58, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
It's a bit late for this, but surely you've had parents' evenings since GCSEs started? What reasons did the teachers give for putting you in the mixed set? If it makes you feel any better, it isn't just your academic performance that determines what set you get put in. Teachers really do put a lot of thought into this, and discuss it frequently. Chances are, your teachers will have thought you will do best in the set you are in. Perhaps they think that, with your frequent absences, the higher set would have moved too fast, without giving you time to pick up things that were covered while you were away. Perhaps they thought you would benefit from the typically greater support found in lower sets. Perhaps they thought you would work your socks off to prove them wrong :-) Or perhaps they thought you would benefit from being of higher ability than most of the other people in your class, for whatever reason. So don't let it get you down. Anyway....
How you will be able to do depends, among other things, on which exam you are put in for. I assume you're being put in for the higher tier, but you don't say. If you are doing the higher tier paper, and you have good (A*-B) coursework results, and you work hard to prepare for the exam, you have every chance of getting C or higher. If you didn't, your teachers would not put you in for the higher paper. Skittle 14:41, 14 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
Oh, and BBC Bitesize is generally regarded as pretty good for revision. Get very familiar with your set texts, make notes in them if you have been told you are allowed to, including writing a quick guide in the front as to where to find important bits. Revise the tips you have been given for answering typical questions. Do practice papers. Those are the main things. Skittle 14:46, 14 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

(General Certificate of Secondary Education) for those who may be wondering what on Earth these people are talking about. dr.ef.tymac 15:27, 14 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

Making a new wikipedia page?

How do you create a new wikipedia page?

Sorry for the n00bishness

Nebuchandezzar 15:25, 14 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

What would you like to call your article? Reply here, putting the name of the article in square brackets like this. When you save your reply, the article name will be red. Click the "redlink" and... away you go. Good luck! --Dweller 15:49, 14 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

(edit conflict) no need to apologize; we are glad to help. Read Help:Starting a new page. Jon513 15:50, 14 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

submitting an article

Is there a step by step guide for Registered users on how to submit an article? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Protectme (talkcontribs) 19:22, 14 May 2007 (UTC).Reply

See Help:Starting a new page. It's pretty simple. Type a name into into the search bar. If it doesn't exist there will be a red link that says "create this page" or something similar. Click it and then start writing, after you're done hit the save button. —Mitaphane ?|! 22:51, 14 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

what exercise should i do for my tummy?

what's the best way to keep your tummy slim?

im not fat, really, only my tummy is starting to get big coz i happen to eat more these past few days.. thanks Carlrichard 19:23, 14 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

Stomach Crunches are very good exercises for achieving flat stomachs - better than regular sit ups.

Hope everything goes well! Aiyda 19:41, 14 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

Stomach crunches and sit-ups will develop muscle in your abdomen, but won't make you lose any more fat than any other equivalent exercise. Losing any fat requires fewer calories and more exercise. You can't target a particular area to lose fat from, short of liposuction. Skittle 21:04, 14 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
As seen here. A.Z. 21:13, 14 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
You could do an exercise I like to call the "incidental jaw clench" ... it consists of keeping your mouth tightly shut when you are in a situation that requires using it to eat food. dr.ef.tymac 03:42, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

Clay Pipes

We all know that a dozen is 12 of something and a Baker's dozen is 13.

I recently read that a "clay pipe dozen" was 14, because of the fragile nature of the pipes.

Is this correct and where did it originate?

Thanks,

Eddie Boyle

A Google search for that exact term resulted in: Your search - "clay pipe dozen" - did not match any documents. --LarryMac | Talk 20:03, 14 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
The extra 13th item in a 'Bakers dozen' is supposed to have come about because bakers in the 1600's made some kind of small loaves of bread that were supposed to weigh 1/12 of a pound each. The law came down hard on bakers who short-changed their customers by selling them 12 slightly underweight loaves that would not add up to a pound - so the custom came about to toss in a 13th loaf to be absolutely certain that the law would be obeyed. If that origin for "Bakers Dozen" is true (and I believe it is) - then I could well understand that a clay pipe maker might package pipes in 14's in order to ensure that there were 12 good ones in each package. But like User:LarryMac, I can't find any kind of reference to that usage. Where did you read that? SteveBaker 23:03, 14 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

The way everything is written.

Why is everything written all weird? Eric Hartley--12.18.90.44 21:02, 14 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

Why does the cursor disappear when you get to a certain spot?Eric Hartley--12.18.90.44 21:02, 14 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

Eric, I think you need to be more specific. Where is this "everything" that seems to be "written all weird", and what do you mean by "written all weird". Tugbug 22:40, 14 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

It sounds like you may mean the fonts are different and the cursor is missing. These are problems I see in Firefox when it's running low on memory. When this happens there's nothing I can do to fix it but reboot. If my interpretation of your question is correct, I'd say this would have been an excellent Q for the Computer Ref Desk. StuRat 23:06, 14 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

I don't think so. Both things are happening to me as well, and they never happened before. There are also other weird stuff from time to time, such as grey boxes covering part of the screen. It's been like that for one or two days now. Then again, it may be just a weird coincidence that they are happening to me now and this question was asked here at the same time. I use Firefox. Here is a print screen. Here is a print screen with one of the grey boxes. A.Z. 03:58, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
That's odd - why does your copy of Firefox have a windows logo in the top-left corner? It's supposed to be the curled-up orange fox logo?!? I suspect you have a screwed up Firefox install. What revision are you running? SteveBaker 20:08, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
I don't know my revision. I'll see it when I get home. I hope I don't have a screwed up copy! What would it mean if I did?A.Z. 20:12, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

Time of creation of Wikipedia

Anyone know the exact time Wikipedia went online? — Sam 22:24, 14 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

History of Wikipedia says "The first edits ever made on Wikipedia are believed to be test edits by Wales.[citation needed] However, the oldest article still preserved is the article UuU, created on 16 January 2001, at 21:08 UTC.[2]". The very earliest edits were lost in software mishaps. The oldest remaining edit by founder Jimbo Wales is to the Thomas Edison article [2]. Edison 22:29, 14 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
Wikipedia:Wikipedia's oldest articles has more detail, but not the time they flipped the switch on. - BanyanTree 08:55, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
Wikipedia's English edition was launched on January 15, 2001. Jon513 11:22, 17 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

May 15

Nipple Cripple

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 Mix Lord 00:44, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

That sounds highly unlikely to me, unless a "nipple cripple" involves injecting plutonium into a nipple. StuRat 00:56, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
That urban (playground) legend was old when I was a kid. Dismas|(talk) 01:44, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
Absolutely not. --frotht 04:34, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
Not true, but if your hand is bigger than your face then you do have cancer ... (smack!).  :) --TotoBaggins 05:05, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
That made me giggle. 213.48.15.234 08:16, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

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. --Dweller 09:56, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

I'd always heard "titty twister" (Florida, US) and occasionally "purple nurple." Recury 14:51, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
Has anyone seen any scientific evidence of the cancer link though?Mix Lord 01:44, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

How do I find out who the author of a Wikipedia article is?

How do I find out who the author of a Wikipedia article is? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by PurdueScott (talkcontribs) 01:34, 15 May 2007 (UTC).Reply

How do I find out who the author of a Wikipedia article is?

See that page's History. -- Phoeba WrightOBJECTION! 01:38, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
...which will show you that most pages have many authors. StuRat 01:40, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
Or if you are trying to cite Wikipedia for a paper or other school project, see Wikipedia:Citing Wikipedia. Dismas|(talk) 01:42, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
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. SteveBaker 03:00, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

Hockey: Can you assist on your own goal?

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.

For some reason, this seems...strange. Assuming ESPN is correct, why such a strange rule? 140.180.10.134 03:12, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

Scott Niedermayer scored the game-winning goal, with the primary assist going to his brother, Rob Niedermayer. See the official scoresheet here. It is not possible to be credited with an assist on your own goal. --68.205.161.201 03:48, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

The phrasing makes me wonder how many times an own-goal has been achieved by two or more players working together. —Tamfang 23:03, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

"aquisition" by US Navy

What exactly does it mean that the Navy "acquired" a vessel? Does that word have some special meaning? According to 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 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. --Ibn Battuta 05:11, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

target acquisition, perhaps? :P —Tamfang 06:44, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

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. StuRat 07:22, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

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... --Ibn Battuta 08:07, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
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. StuRat 02:41, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
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. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 15:46, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
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. --Ibn Battuta 17:46, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

ILS coverage angle

What is the coverage angle of ILS signal? That is, what is the overlapping angle of the two beams in the localizer and glideslope in a typical ILS system? --antilivedT | C | G 07:02, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

Mortal coil, what is it?

Can anyone please explain the above phrase, especially in relation to .."shuffling off this..."--88.111.126.78 09:10, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

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? Cyta 09:26, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
wikipedia is your friend!! see Mortal coil

spiggy09:29, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

Oops seems I was wrong. 137.138.46.155 11:28, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
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: Boop - Capuchin 12:15, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
The oed [3] gives coil as an archaic word for row, turmoil etc. It lives on in English only this one line of Shakespeare. Algebraist 14:23, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

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? --Dweller 09:33, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

There are quite a few Google groups devoted to religious issues.[4] 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.  --LambiamTalk 14:14, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
Lol. Excellent response, Lambiam. Thanks. --Dweller 14:20, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

UK elevation map

Where can I find an online elevation map of England or the South of England? Thank you . Keria 11:03, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

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 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: list of map sites, 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. KillerChihuahua?!? 12:08, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
Google Earth displays elevation data; I don't know if it can display contour lines.
Atlant 14:22, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

Wikipedia map

Is there a map, diagram or index to wikipedia's articles? Keria 11:04, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

There are 1.77 million articles. Not mappable. Not diagrammatical. Index (not quick, despite the name). --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. Edison 15:16, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
The article about airplanes illustrates your point well. A.Z. 20:36, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
About that Mountain View search engine : Firefox is a browser that offers add-ons. Some of them make easier the above search. Try them! -- DLL .. T 18:59, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

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? Thanks81.144.161.223 12:34, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

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. SteveBaker 17:46, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

rose hip

why is a rose hip called a hip?58.84.68.209 13:27, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

Removed E-mail address, smite thou spam!Perry-mankster 13:42, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
The oed [5] indicates it's from an old english word for thorn-bush or bramble. Algebraist 14:19, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
That link only works if you're a subscriber to the online OED, btw. --Richardrj talk email 15:58, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
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).] Algebraist 16:35, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
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: [6] Algebraist 16:39, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
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.) -- DLL .. T 18:57, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

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?
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?

Side notes:
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.
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

Rfwoolf 15:06, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

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. dr.ef.tymac 16:25, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

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. Unimaginative Username 21:29, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
Points well taken, 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"[1] that apply to many situations.
  1. ^ (or, as you may prefer, rules of skirt :)
dr.ef.tymac 03:25, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

What is the longest article name in Wikipedia?

Even googling this doesn't help - What is the longest article name in Wikipedia? Rfwoolf 15:52, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

Well, there's this, but it's just a redirect page. --Richardrj talk email 15:55, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
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. Carom 16:11, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

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 Rfwoolf 16:18, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

Well, the longest word on the list located at Longest word in English for which wikipedia has an article that has an unabbreviated title isTaumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu, which comes in at 85 letters. Carom 16:23, 15 May 2007 (UTC) Actually, our article title for that ___location is abbreviated (knew I should have counted the letters).Reply
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. Carom 16:29, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
We also have Rinderkennzeichnungs- und Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz, which I make to be 90 characters... Carom 16:37, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
I fell asleep half way through counting Amunugama Rajapakse Rajakaruna Abeykoon Panditha Wasalamudiyanse Ralahamilage Ranjith Krishantha Bandara Amunugama --Dweller 16:40, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
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). ---Sluzzelin talk 16:51, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

Thanks all, so nothing made it to the 256 character mark? Rfwoolf 17:04, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

Not so far. I have no idea how to search this, and Wikipedia:Wikipedia_records lists the category, but no entry. ---Sluzzelin talk 17:14, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
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. Laïka 10:06, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
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. Laïka 12:01, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
@ 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_(technical). 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). dr.ef.tymac 17:31, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
I couldn't create an article with >255 characters, but I could create one with exactly 255 characters. ---Sluzzelin talk 17:39, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
Well, luckily, it didn't last very long, but I swear I saw the blue link! ---Sluzzelin talk 17:42, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
Thanks 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 dr.ef.tymac 03:32, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
This question came up 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. --24.147.86.187 12:45, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
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. Laïka 14:55, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
Wikipedia:Naming_conventions_(technical_restrictions)#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. SteveBaker 17:36, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
Well, I did try it, and it didn't work. I won't try it again, I promised not to. ---Sluzzelin talk 17:39, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

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 >:) ˉˉanetode╦╩ 16:58, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

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. — Lomn 17:47, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
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. ˉˉanetode╦╩ 18:35, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
Why NEW US Currency ? Counterfieting is a FELONY and a FEDERAL crime in the US. 205.240.146.147 21:37, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
Please assume good faith, 205. It's not our place to impute nefarious motives to our questioners. JackofOz 21:49, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
You take the new currency and make copies of it on a Xerox machine, computer printer. Try that with old currency. 205.240.146.147 21:55, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
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. 205.240.146.147 21:58, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
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 -- Phoeba WrightOBJECTION! 06:07, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
Counterfeiting is one possible explanation for why Anetode wants new bills. There are many others. JackofOz 22:03, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
Currency collection may be another. In today's world, one has to be vigilent. 205.240.146.147 22:09, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
Oh, absolutely. I'd even go further and say that we have to be vigilant. :) JackofOz 22:17, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
Why might new bills be associated with counterfeighting? Jamesino 23:29, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
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. Dismas|(talk) 00:43, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

(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.--killing sparrows (chirp!) 02:44, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

Don't worry, they'll take American money in Odessa. Texas only seems like a different country. --Trovatore 06:11, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
WTF? Did Texas annexe Ukraine while I wasn't looking? Algebraist 15:10, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
He (or she) would be referring to Odessa, Texas. Rockpocket 18:23, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

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. Skittle 19:33, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
Try 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." Skittle 19:42, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
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. SteveBaker 20:00, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
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? jnestorius(talk) 22:39, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

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 -- —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 207.58.201.139 (talk) 19:49, 15 May 2007 (UTC).Reply

Removed e-mail address to prevent spam. --Taraborn 20:12, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
I checked on both IMDB and The All Movie Guide, but neither had any indication that the film is available for purchase. --LarryMac | Talk 20:23, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

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 —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 208.181.100.42 (talk) 20:20, 15 May 2007 (UTC).Reply

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. Carom 20:29, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

Okay, thanks. 208.181.100.54 03:06, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

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. Edison 18:34, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

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 unlikely to have had any children, especially considering he 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. jnestorius(talk) 21:53, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
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. JackofOz 00:21, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
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 Lord Dunsany. Perhaps our correspondent is related to him. jnestorius(talk) 00:50, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

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. --Eptypes 08:59, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

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. 205.240.146.147 23:21, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

What is going on ? 205.240.146.147 23:24, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
I did find a puddle of metal and silicon on the floor. Was that the Wikipedia servers ? 205.240.146.147 23:25, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
I have no problem editing Men In Black or Men In Black (film). What problem are you seeing? Corvus cornix 23:46, 15 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

I was editing Men In Black - the alleged real life enforcers seen by UFO/alien witnesses/contactees/abductees. 205.240.146.147 01:47, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

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. Confusing Manifestation 02:05, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
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). --jjron 06:23, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

Use: Wikipedia help desk next time. --Eptypes 06:55, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

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. --Eptypes 06:52, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

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. --Eptypes 06:49, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

Year 12 Jumpers

Hi,
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! --124.181.74.161 07:53, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

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...? Dismas|(talk) 08:33, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
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. FiggyBee 08:55, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
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 what I think of as a jumper.  :-) Dismas|(talk) 09:19, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
"Two countries separated by a common language" indeed. :P FiggyBee 12:14, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

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. --Prophys 12:53, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

I got one for my year 6 graduation, too. Froglars the frog 15:30, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

race change

i've heard of sex changes, but is there such thing as a race change? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 75.111.190.135 (talk) 08:47, 16 May 2007 (UTC).Reply

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. FiggyBee 09:04, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
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". - 2-16 12:14, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
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?). Cyta 12:26, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
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. Mr. Raptor 13:22, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
A skin disorder and a lot of plastic surgery... FiggyBee 14:29, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

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.124.43.247.222 12:57, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

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. ---Sluzzelin talk 14:39, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

What about 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. ---Sluzzelin talk 16:00, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
....and other "special characters".--Shantavira 17:13, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
Uranus even says who was the first person to see the ring around Uranus. Edison 18:28, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

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. Lbergeest 17:47, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

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. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 17:58, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
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. Corvus cornix 18:02, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply
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. Edison 18:26, 16 May 2007 (UTC)Reply

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...